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  1. Houston Community College (HCC)-Mobile Go Center Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, Daniel; Sterling, Cheryl; Grays, Shantay R.

    2010-01-01

    The Houston Community College Mobile Go Center brings college enrollment assistance to the doorstep of our community. It operates in a variety of settings, offering college-going material and person-to-person assistance at numerous city events. Services include assistance with academic advising, completing the FAFSA, college application process,…

  2. SU-E-P-02: Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Houston QA Center (RPC) Credentialing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amador, C; Keith, T; Nguyen, T; Molineu, A; Followill, D

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To provide information pertaining to IROC Houston QA Center's (RPC) credentialing process for institutions participating in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. Methods: IROC Houston issues credentials for NCI sponsored study groups. Requirements for credentialing might include any combination of questionnaires, knowledge assessment forms, benchmarks, or phantom irradiations. Credentialing requirements for specific protocols can be found on IROC Houston's website (irochouston.mdanderson.org). The website also houses the credentialing status inquiry (CSI) form. Once an institution has reviewed the protocol's credentialing requirements, a CSI form should be completed and submitted to IROC Houston. This form is used both to request whether requirements have been met as well as to notify IROC Houston that the institution requests credentialing for a specific protocol. IROC Houston will contact the institution to discuss any delinquent requirements. Once the institution has met all requirements IROC Houston issues a credentialing letter to the institution and will inform study groups and other IROC offices of the credentials. Institutions can all phone the IROC Houston office to initiate credentialing or ask any credentialing related questions. Results: Since 2010 IROC has received 1313 credentialing status inquiry forms. We received 317 in 2010, 266 in 2011, 324 in 2012, and 406 in 2013. On average we receive 35 phone calls per week with multiple types of credentialing questions. Decisions regarding credentialing status are based on the protocol specifications and previous completed credentialing by the institution. In some cases, such as for general IMRT credentialing, up to 5 sites may be credentialed based on the credentialing of one main center. Each of these situations is handled individually. Conclusion: IROC Houston will issue radiation therapy credentials for the NCI trials in the National Clinical Trials Network. Credentialing requirements and the CSI form

  3. SU-E-P-02: Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Houston QA Center (RPC) Credentialing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amador, C; Keith, T; Nguyen, T; Molineu, A; Followill, D [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: To provide information pertaining to IROC Houston QA Center's (RPC) credentialing process for institutions participating in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. Methods: IROC Houston issues credentials for NCI sponsored study groups. Requirements for credentialing might include any combination of questionnaires, knowledge assessment forms, benchmarks, or phantom irradiations. Credentialing requirements for specific protocols can be found on IROC Houston's website (irochouston.mdanderson.org). The website also houses the credentialing status inquiry (CSI) form. Once an institution has reviewed the protocol's credentialing requirements, a CSI form should be completed and submitted to IROC Houston. This form is used both to request whether requirements have been met as well as to notify IROC Houston that the institution requests credentialing for a specific protocol. IROC Houston will contact the institution to discuss any delinquent requirements. Once the institution has met all requirements IROC Houston issues a credentialing letter to the institution and will inform study groups and other IROC offices of the credentials. Institutions can all phone the IROC Houston office to initiate credentialing or ask any credentialing related questions. Results: Since 2010 IROC has received 1313 credentialing status inquiry forms. We received 317 in 2010, 266 in 2011, 324 in 2012, and 406 in 2013. On average we receive 35 phone calls per week with multiple types of credentialing questions. Decisions regarding credentialing status are based on the protocol specifications and previous completed credentialing by the institution. In some cases, such as for general IMRT credentialing, up to 5 sites may be credentialed based on the credentialing of one main center. Each of these situations is handled individually. Conclusion: IROC Houston will issue radiation therapy credentials for the NCI trials in the National Clinical Trials Network. Credentialing requirements

  4. A Study to Evaluate the Organization and the Operating Procedures of the Patient Assistance Function at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    1979-08-01

    15 March 1979. 59Interview with Wendy L. Farace , Head Nurse, Obstetrics/Gynecology Clinic, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 8...6 February 1979. Farace , Wendy L. Head Nurse, Obstetrica/Gynecology Clinic, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Interview, 8 January

  5. The InterCon network: a program for education partnerships at the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castro, G A; Bouldin, P A; Farver, D W; Maugans, L A; Sanders, L C; Booker, J

    1999-04-01

    The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center (UT-Houston) has created programs and activities to address the state's pressing needs in minority education. Through InterCon, a network of universities and K-12 schools, UT-Houston works with its partners to identify competitive candidates in the current pool of minority graduates with bachelor's degrees and to help them--along with their non-minority counterparts--progress in their education. Another objective is to expand the pool of minorities underrepresented in medicine who complete high school and go to college. In 1994 UT-Houston and Prairie View A&M University created a collaborative venture to provide new educational opportunities at UT-Houston for Prairie View's predominantly African American students. A three-track summer internship program--a result of that collaboration--has since been expanded to partnerships with other minority and majority universities throughout Texas. In 1998, for example, 108 undergraduate students from these universities (and 40 other universities nationwide) participated in research, professional, and administrative summer internships at UT-Houston. The InterCon network also has partnerships with K-12 schools. UT-Houston works with inner-city, suburban, and rural school districts to develop education models that can be transferred throughout the state. The partnerships deal with helping to teach basic academic skills and computer literacy, improve science-related instruction, meet demands for health promotion materials and information for school-initiated health and wellness programs, and develop distance-learning paradigms. UT-Houston views InterCon as a program helping Texas institutions to engage and adapt to the socioeconomic factors, demographic changes, and technology explosion that currently challenge public education.

  6. Alternative Fuels Data Center: Conventional Natural Gas Production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conventional Natural Gas Production to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center : Conventional Natural Gas Production on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Conventional Natural Gas Production on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Conventional Natural Gas Production

  7. Proposing transportation designs and concepts to make Houston METRO's southeast line at the Palm Center area more walkable, bikeable, and livable.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    Over the years, the Palm Center (PC) in Houston, Texas, has been the beneficiary of several economic : development endeavors designed to ignite economic and community growth and revitalization. While : these endeavors brought forth initial success, t...

  8. World of Learning: Houston Independent School District 2014 Annual Report and 2015 Calendar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houston Independent School District, 2015

    2015-01-01

    No other city in the nation more clearly exemplifies the dramatically changing social, political, and economic landscape of America's urban centers than Houston. Houston has transformed from a bi-racial southern city on the bayou to one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse communities in the nation. Houston Independent School District…

  9. Compaction of Aquifer at Different Depths: Observations from a Vertical GPS Array in the Coastal Center of the University of Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, D.; Kearns, T.; Yang, L.; Wang, G.

    2014-12-01

    Houston and the surrounding Harris County have experienced the detrimental effects of subsidence even prior to World War II, to the extent that the land along Galveston Bay had sunk as much as 20 feet since 1906. One dramatic example is the Brownwood subdivision, a coastal community in Baytown where continuous flooding due to subsidence forced the area to be deemed unlivable and consequently abandoned. Thus, Houston's changes in groundwater and compaction of its aquifers are of relatively high concern to those in the public (infrastructure), private (oil & gas), and international (Port of Houston Authority) sectors. One of the key questions related to the subsidence issue in Houston area is what are the contributions of sediments at different depths, and what particularly is the contribution from shallow sediments? To address these questions, University of Houston has installed a vertical GPS array in the UH Coastal Center in March 2014. The GPS array includes four permanent GPS stations with the antenna pole foundations anchored at different depths below ground surface (-10 m, -7m, -4m, 0 m). A special, double-pipe GPS antenna monument was designed for GPS stations with the array. This project was funded by an NSF grant and a UH internal grant. Five groundwater wells with the depths ranging from 2 m to 100 m below the ground surface were also installed at the UH Coastal Center site. This study will investigate continuous GPS and groundwater level measurements (March-November, 2014) at the UHCC site. It is expected that the GPS array will provide total information on subsidence as well as compaction of aquifers within different depth ranges (0 to -4m, -4 to -7 m, -7 to -10m, and below -10 m). Correlation of land subsidence and groundwater fluctuation will also be investigated.

  10. Houston Pre-Freshman Enrichment Program (Houston PREP). Final report, June 9, 1997--July 25, 1997

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-10-01

    The 1997 Houston Pre-Freshman Enrichment Program (PREP) was conducted at the campus of the University of Houston-Downtown from June 9 to July 25, 1997. Program participants were recruited from the Greater Houston Area. All participants were identified as high-achieving students with an interest in learning about the engineering and science professions. The goal of the program was to better prepare our pre-college youth prior to entering college as mathematics, science and engineering majors. The program participants were middle school and high school students from the Aldine, Alief, Channel View, Clear Creek, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Galena Park, Houston, Humble, Katy, Klein, North Forest, Pasadena, Private, and Spring Branch Independent School Districts. Of the 194 students starting the program, 165 students were from economically and socially disadvantage groups under-represented in the engineering and science professions, and 118 of the 194 were women. Our First Year group for 1997 composed of 96% minority and women students. Second and Third Year students combined were 96% minority or women. With financial support from the Center for Computational Sciences and Advanced Distributed Simulation, the Fourth Year Program was added to PREP this year. Twelve students completed the program (83% minority or women).

  11. Texas Solar Collaboration DOE Rooftop Solar Challenge City of Houston Project Summary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ronk, Jennifer [Houston Advanced Research Center, TX (United States)

    2013-02-14

    The City of Houston is committed to achieving a sustainable solar infrastructure. In 2008, Houston was named a United States Department of Energy (DOE) Solar America City. As a Solar America City, Houston teamed with the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), Sandia National Laboratory (Sandia), industry, and academia, to implement the Solar Houston Initiative and prepare the Solar Houston Plan. The Solar Houston initiative was focused on identifying and overcoming barriers associated with establishing a solar infrastructure that is incorporated into the City of Houston’s overall energy plan. A broad group of Houston area stakeholders, facilitated by HARC, came together to develop a comprehensive solar plan that went beyond technology to address barriers and establish demonstrations, public outreach, education programs and other activities. The plan included proposed scopes of work in four program areas: policies, solar integration, public outreach, and education. Through the support of the DOE SunShot Rooftop Solar Challenge (RSC) grant to the Texas Collaboration (San Antonio, Austin, and Hosuton), Houston has been able to implement several of the recommendations of the Solar Houston Plan. Specific recommendations that this project was able to support include; Working with the other Texas Solar America Cities (San Antonio and Austin), to harmonize permitting and inspection processes to simplify for installers and lower soft costs of installation; Participating in state level solar policy groups such as the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TRIEA); Continued coordination with the local transmission and distribution utility (CenterPoint) and retail electric providers (REP); Identification of opportunities to improve permitting and interconnection; Providing training on PV systems to City inspectors; Educating the public by continuing outreach, training, and workshops, particularly using the the Green Building Resources Center; Evaluating methods of

  12. Establishment of a National Wind Energy Center at University of Houston

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Su Su [Univ. of Houston, TX (United States)

    2016-10-31

    The DOE-supported project objectives are to: establish a national wind energy center (NWEC) at University of Houston and conduct research to address critical science and engineering issues for the development of future large MW-scale wind energy production systems, especially offshore wind turbines. The goals of the project are to: (1) establish a sound scientific/technical knowledge base of solutions to critical science and engineering issues for developing future MW-scale large wind energy production systems, (2) develop a state-of-the-art wind rotor blade research facility at the University of Houston, and (3) through multi-disciplinary research, introducing technology innovations on advanced wind-turbine materials, processing/manufacturing technology, design and simulation, testing and reliability assessment methods related to future wind turbine systems for cost-effective production of offshore wind energy. To achieve the goals of the project, the following technical tasks were planned and executed during the period from April 15, 2010 to October 31, 2014 at the University of Houston: (1) Basic research on large offshore wind turbine systems (2) Applied research on innovative wind turbine rotors for large offshore wind energy systems (3) Integration of offshore wind-turbine design, advanced materials and manufacturing technologies (4) Integrity and reliability of large offshore wind turbine blades and scaled model testing (5) Education and training of graduate and undergraduate students and post- doctoral researchers (6) Development of a national offshore wind turbine blade research facility The research program addresses both basic science and engineering of current and future large wind turbine systems, especially offshore wind turbines, for MW-scale power generation. The results of the research advance current understanding of many important scientific issues and provide technical information for solving future large wind turbines with advanced design

  13. European astronaut training in Houston.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiarenza, O

    1993-11-01

    Three European astronauts are currently training as Space Shuttle Mission Specialists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Two of the astronauts, Maurizio Cheli and Jean-Francois Clervoy, recently became members of NASA's 'astronaut pool' and have entered the Advanced Training phase. The third one, Claude Nicollier, is now preparing for the mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope in December.

  14. Radiation Therapy Deficiencies Identified During On-Site Dosimetry Visits by the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston Quality Assurance Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kry, Stephen F; Dromgoole, Lainy; Alvarez, Paola; Leif, Jessica; Molineu, Andrea; Taylor, Paige; Followill, David S

    2017-12-01

    To review the dosimetric, mechanical, and programmatic deficiencies most frequently observed during on-site visits of radiation therapy facilities by the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Quality Assurance Center in Houston (IROC Houston). The findings of IROC Houston between 2000 and 2014, including 409 institutions and 1020 linear accelerators (linacs), were compiled. On-site evaluations by IROC Houston include verification of absolute calibration (tolerance of ±3%), relative dosimetric review (tolerances of ±2% between treatment planning system [TPS] calculation and measurement), mechanical evaluation (including multileaf collimator and kilovoltage-megavoltage isocenter evaluation against Task Group [TG]-142 tolerances), and general programmatic review (including institutional quality assurance program vs TG-40 and TG-142). An average of 3.1 deficiencies was identified at each institution visited, a number that has decreased slightly with time. The most common errors are tabulated and include TG-40/TG-142 compliance (82% of institutions were deficient), small field size output factors (59% of institutions had errors ≥3%), and wedge factors (33% of institutions had errors ≥3%). Dosimetric errors of ≥10%, including in beam calibration, were seen at many institutions. There is substantial room for improvement of both dosimetric and programmatic issues in radiation therapy, which should be a high priority for the medical physics community. Particularly relevant was suboptimal beam modeling in the TPS and a corresponding failure to detect these errors by not including TPS data in the linac quality assurance process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Ground-water resources of the Houston district, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Walter N.; Rose, N.A.; Guyton, William F.

    1944-01-01

    This report covers the current phase of an investigation of the supply of ground water available for the Houston district and adjacent region, Texas,- that has been in progress during the past 10 years. The field operations included routine inventories of pumpage, measurements of water levels in observation wells and collection of other hydrologic data, pumping tests on 21 city-owned wells to determine coefficients of permeability and storage, and the drilling of 13 deep test wells in unexplored parts of the district. Considerable attention has been given to studies of the location of areas or beds of sand that contain salt water. The ground water occurs in beds of sand, sandstone, and gravel of Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene age. These formations crop out in belts that dip southeastward from their outcrop areas and are encountered by wells at progressively greater depths toward the southeast. The beds throughout the section are lithologically similar, and there is little agreement among geologists as to their correlation. -In this investigation, however, the sediments, penetrated by the wells are separated into six zones, chiefly on the basis of electrical logs. Most of the water occurs in zone 3, which ranges in thickness from 800 to 1,200 feet. Large quantities of ground water are pumped in three areas in the Houston district, as follows: The Houston tromping area, which includes Houston and the areas immediately adjacent; the Pasadena pumping area, which includes the industrial section extending along the ship channel from the Houston city limits eastward to Deer Park; and the Katy pumping area, an irregular-shaped area of several hundred square miles, which is roughly centered around the town of Katy, 30 miles west of Houston. In 1930 the total combined withdrawal of ground water in the Houston and Pasadena pumping areas averaged about 50 million gallons a day. It declined somewhat during 1932 and 1933 and then gradually increased, until in 1935 the total

  16. 76 FR 24080 - Houston District Office Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-29

    ... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Houston District Office Advisory Committee AGENCY: U.S. Small... Houston District Office Advisory committee. The meeting will be open to the public. DATES: The meeting...; located at 8701 South Gessner, Houston, TX 77074. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 10(a)(2...

  17. 76 FR 64990 - Houston District Office Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-19

    ... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Houston District Office Advisory Committee AGENCY: U.S. Small... Houston District Office Advisory committee. The meeting will be open to the public. DATES: The meeting...; located at 8701 South Gessner, Houston, TX. 77074. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 10(a)(2...

  18. 76 FR 2431 - Houston District Office Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-13

    ... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Houston District Office Advisory Committee AGENCY: U.S. Small... issuing this notice to announce the location, date, time, and agenda for the next meeting of the Houston..., located at 8701 South Gessner, Suite 1200, Houston, TX. 77074. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to...

  19. 33 CFR 117.457 - Houston River.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Houston River. 117.457 Section 117.457 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Louisiana § 117.457 Houston River. The draw of the...

  20. 75 FR 51473 - Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [Docket No. USCG-2010-0656] Houston/Galveston... Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee (HOGANSAC) and its working groups will meet in Houston, Texas, to discuss waterway improvements, aids to navigation, area projects impacting safety on...

  1. 75 FR 23793 - Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [Docket No. USCG-2010-0032] Houston/Galveston... Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee (``HOGANSAC'' or ``the Committee'') and its working groups will meet in Houston, Texas to discuss waterway improvements, aids to navigation, area projects...

  2. 76 FR 27337 - Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [USCG-2010-1116] Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety...: The Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee postponed its originally scheduled February... Houston Ship Channel, and various other navigation safety matters in the Galveston Bay area. The meeting...

  3. Simulation of the effects of different inflows on hydrologic conditions in Lake Houston with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, Houston, Texas, 2009–10

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rendon, Samuel H.; Lee, Michael T.

    2015-12-08

    Lake Houston, an important water resource for the Houston, Texas, area, receives inflows from seven major tributaries that compose the San Jacinto River Basin upstream from the reservoir. The effects of different inflows from the watersheds drained by these tributaries on the residence time of water in Lake Houston and closely associated physical and chemical properties including lake elevation, salinity, and water temperature are not well known. Accordingly, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Houston, developed a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of Lake Houston as a tool for evaluating the effects of different inflows on residence time of water in the lake and associated physical and chemical properties. The Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC), a grid-based, surface-water modeling package for simulating three-dimensional circulation, mass transport, sediments, and biogeochemical processes, was used to develop the model of Lake Houston. The Lake Houston EFDC model was developed and calibrated by using 2009 data and verified by using 2010 data. Three statistics (mean error, root mean square error, and the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient) were used to evaluate how well the Lake Houston EFDC model simulated lake elevation, salinity, and water temperature. The residence time of water in reservoirs is associated with various physical and chemical properties (including lake elevation, salinity, and water temperature). Simulated and measured lake-elevation values were compared at USGS reservoir station 08072000 Lake Houston near Sheldon, Tex. The accuracy of simulated salinity and water temperature values was assessed by using the salinity (computed from measured specific conductance) and water temperature at two USGS monitoring stations: 295826095082200 Lake Houston south Union Pacific Railroad Bridge near Houston, Tex., and 295554095093401 Lake Houston at mouth of Jack’s Ditch near Houston, Tex. Specific conductance

  4. 76 FR 2916 - Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee; Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [USCG-2010-1116] Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee; Meetings AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of Meetings. SUMMARY: The Houston... will meet in Texas City, Texas and Houston, Texas to discuss waterway improvements, aids to navigation...

  5. TU-G-BRD-06: The Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston (IROC Houston) QA Center International Activities Outside North America

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Followill, D; Kry, S; Molineu, A; Lowenstein, J; Alvarez, P; Taylor, P; Nguyen, H; Hernandez, N; Lujano, C; Nguyen, T; Keith, T; Roll, J; Tailor, A [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To describe the extent of IROC Houston’s (formerly the RPC) QA activities and audit results for radiotherapy institutions outside of North America (NA). Methods: The IROC Houston’s QA program components were designed to audit the radiation dose calculation chain from the NIST traceable reference beam calibration, to inclusion of dosimetry parameters used to calculate tumor doses, to the delivery of the radiation dose. The QA program provided to international institutions includes: 1) remote TLD/OSLD audit of machine output, 2) credentialing for advanced technologies, and 3) review of patient treatment records. IROC Houston uses the same standards and acceptance criteria for all of its audits whether for North American or international sites. Results: IROC Houston’s QA program has reached out to radiotherapy sites in 43 different countries since 2013 through their participation in clinical trials. In the past two years, 2,778 international megavoltage beam outputs were audited with OSLD/TLD. While the average IROC/Inst ratio is near unity for all sites monitored, there are international regions whose results are significantly different from the NA region. In the past 2 years, 477 and 87 IMRT H&N phantoms were irradiated at NA and international sites, respectively. Regardless of the OSLD beam audit results, the overall pass rate (87 percent) for all international sites (no region separation) is equal to the NA sites. Of the 182 international patient charts reviewed, 10.7 percent of the dose calculation points did not meet our acceptance criterion as compared to 13.6 percent for NA sites. The lower pass rate for NA sites results from a much larger brachytherapy component which has been shown to be more error prone. Conclusion: IROC Houston has expanded its QA services worldwide and continues a long history of improving radiotherapy dose delivery in many countries. Funding received for QA audit services from the Korean GOG, DAHANCA, EORTC, ICON and CMIC

  6. TU-G-BRD-06: The Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston (IROC Houston) QA Center International Activities Outside North America

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Followill, D; Kry, S; Molineu, A; Lowenstein, J; Alvarez, P; Taylor, P; Nguyen, H; Hernandez, N; Lujano, C; Nguyen, T; Keith, T; Roll, J; Tailor, A

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To describe the extent of IROC Houston’s (formerly the RPC) QA activities and audit results for radiotherapy institutions outside of North America (NA). Methods: The IROC Houston’s QA program components were designed to audit the radiation dose calculation chain from the NIST traceable reference beam calibration, to inclusion of dosimetry parameters used to calculate tumor doses, to the delivery of the radiation dose. The QA program provided to international institutions includes: 1) remote TLD/OSLD audit of machine output, 2) credentialing for advanced technologies, and 3) review of patient treatment records. IROC Houston uses the same standards and acceptance criteria for all of its audits whether for North American or international sites. Results: IROC Houston’s QA program has reached out to radiotherapy sites in 43 different countries since 2013 through their participation in clinical trials. In the past two years, 2,778 international megavoltage beam outputs were audited with OSLD/TLD. While the average IROC/Inst ratio is near unity for all sites monitored, there are international regions whose results are significantly different from the NA region. In the past 2 years, 477 and 87 IMRT H&N phantoms were irradiated at NA and international sites, respectively. Regardless of the OSLD beam audit results, the overall pass rate (87 percent) for all international sites (no region separation) is equal to the NA sites. Of the 182 international patient charts reviewed, 10.7 percent of the dose calculation points did not meet our acceptance criterion as compared to 13.6 percent for NA sites. The lower pass rate for NA sites results from a much larger brachytherapy component which has been shown to be more error prone. Conclusion: IROC Houston has expanded its QA services worldwide and continues a long history of improving radiotherapy dose delivery in many countries. Funding received for QA audit services from the Korean GOG, DAHANCA, EORTC, ICON and CMIC

  7. 77 FR 29875 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Houston, MO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-21

    ...-0903; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-20] Establishment of Class E Airspace; Houston, MO AGENCY: Federal... at Houston, MO. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures at Houston Memorial Airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the...

  8. Houston prefreshman enrichment program (Houston PREP). Final report, June 10, 1996--August 1, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-10-01

    The 1996 Houston Pre-freshman Enrichment Program (PREP) was conducted on the campus of the University of Houston-Downtown from June 10 to August 1, 1996. Program Participants were recruited from the Greater Houston area. All participants were identified as high achieving students with an interest in learning about the engineering and science professions. The goal of the program was to better prepare our pre-college youth prior to entering college as mathematics, science and engineering majors. The program participants were middle school and high school students from the Aldine, Alief, Channel View, Crockett, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Galena Park, Houston, Humble, Katy, Klein, North Forest, Pasadena, Private, and Spring Branch Independent School Districts. Of the 197 students starting the program, 170 completed, 142 students were from economically and socially disadvantage groups underrepresented in the engineering and science professions, and 121 of the 197 were female. Our First Year group for 1996 composed of 96% minority and women students. Our Second and Third Year students were 100% and 93.75% minority or women respectively. This gave an overall minority and female population of 93.75%. This year, special efforts were again made to recruit students from minority groups, which caused a significant increase in qualified applicants. However, due to space limitations, 140 applicants were rejected. Investigative and discovery learning were key elements of PREP. The academic components of the program included Algebraic Structures, Engineering, Introduction to Computer Science, Introduction to Physics, Logic and Its Application to Mathematics, Probability and Statistics, Problem Solving Seminar using computers and PLATO software, SAT Preparatory Seminars, and Technical Writing.

  9. 78 FR 8492 - Foreign-Trade Zone 84-Houston, TX Application for Expansion

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-06

    ..., industrial parks and warehouse facilities in Houston and the Harris County area. The sites--which are in Houston unless otherwise stated--are as follows: Site 1 (421 acres)--Houston Ship Channel Turning Basin, Clinton Drive at Highway 610 East Loop; Site 2 (97 acres)--Houston Ship Channel (Bulk Materials Handling...

  10. 33 CFR 165.813 - Security Zones; Ports of Houston and Galveston, TX.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Security Zones; Ports of Houston... Security Zones; Ports of Houston and Galveston, TX. (a) Location. Within the Ports of Houston and Galveston... yards of a cruise ship unless expressly authorized by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port Houston...

  11. Methods for estimating concentrations and loads of selected constituents in tributaries to Lake Houston near Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Michael T.

    2012-01-01

    Since December 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Houston, Texas, has been assessing the quality of the water flowing into Lake Houston. Continuous in-stream water-quality monitors measured streamflow and other physical water quality properties at stations in Spring Creek near Spring, Tex., and East Fork San Jacinto River near New Caney, Tex. Additionally, discrete water-quality samples were periodically collected on these tributaries and analyzed for selected constituents of concern. Data from the discrete water-quality samples collected during 2005-9, in conjunction with the real-time streamflow data and data from the continuous in-stream water-quality monitors, provided the basis for developing regression equations for the estimation of concentrations of water-quality constituents of these source watersheds to Lake Houston. The output of the regression equations are available through the interactive National Real-Time Water Quality Web site (http://nrtwq.usgs.gov).

  12. 77 FR 4711 - Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace; Houston, MO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-31

    ...-0903; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-20] Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace; Houston, MO AGENCY... action proposes to establish Class E airspace at Houston, MO. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Houston Memorial Airport. The FAA is taking...

  13. Continuous and discrete water-quality data collected at five sites on Lake Houston near Houston, Texas, 2006-08

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beussink, Amy M.; Burnich, Michael R.

    2009-01-01

    Lake Houston, a reservoir impounded in 1954 by the City of Houston, Texas, is a primary source of drinking water for Houston and surrounding areas. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Houston, developed a continuous water-quality monitoring network to track daily changes in water quality in the southwestern quadrant of Lake Houston beginning in 2006. Continuous water-quality data (the physiochemical properties water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, and turbidity) were collected from Lake Houston to characterize the in-lake processes that affect water quality. Continuous data were collected hourly from mobile, multi-depth monitoring stations developed and constructed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Multi-depth monitoring stations were installed at five sites in three general locations in the southwestern quadrant of the lake. Discrete water-quality data (samples) were collected routinely (once or twice each month) at all sites to characterize the chemical and biological (phytoplankton and bacteria) response to changes in the continuous water-quality properties. Physiochemical properties (the five continuously monitored plus transparency) were measured in the field when samples were collected. In addition to the routine samples, discrete water-quality samples were collected synoptically (one or two times during the study period) at all sites to determine the presence and levels of selected constituents not analyzed in routine samples. Routine samples were measured or analyzed for acid neutralizing capacity; selected major ions and trace elements (calcium, silica, and manganese); nutrients (filtered and total ammonia nitrogen, filtered nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen, total nitrate nitrogen, filtered and total nitrite nitrogen, filtered and total orthophosphate phosphorus, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total organic carbon); fecal indicator bacteria (total coliform and Escherichia coli); sediment

  14. 33 CFR 165.814 - Security Zones; Captain of the Port Houston-Galveston Zone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Port Houston-Galveston Zone. 165.814 Section 165.814 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD... § 165.814 Security Zones; Captain of the Port Houston-Galveston Zone. (a) Location. The following areas are designated as security zones: (1) Houston, Texas. The Houston Ship Channel and all associated...

  15. 78 FR 69078 - Houston Pipe Line Company LP; Notice of Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP14-13-000] Houston Pipe Line Company LP; Notice of Application Take notice that on October 28, 2013, Houston Pipe Line Company LP (HPL), 1300 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002, filed an application in Docket No. CP14-13-000...

  16. 78 FR 53426 - Expansion of Foreign-Trade Zone 84; Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-29

    ... 84; Houston, Texas Pursuant to its authority under the Foreign-Trade Zones Act of June 18, 1934, as..., the Port of Houston Authority, grantee of Foreign-Trade Zone 84, submitted an application to the Board for authority to expand FTZ 84 to include a site in Brazos County, Texas, adjacent to the Houston...

  17. The Design of HVAC System in the Conventional Facility of Proton Accelerator Research Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeon, G. P.; Kim, J. Y.; Choi, B. H.

    2007-01-01

    The HVAC systems for conventional facility of Proton Accelerator Research Center consist of 3 systems : accelerator building HVAC system, beam application building HVAC system and miscellaneous HVAC system. We designed accelerator building HVAC system and beam application research area HVAC system in the conventional facilities of Proton Accelerator research center. Accelerator building HVAC system is divided into accelerator tunnel area, klystron area, klystron gallery area, accelerator assembly area. Also, Beam application research area HVAC system is divided into those of beam experimental hall, accelerator control area, beam application research area and Ion beam application building. In this paper, We described system design requirements and explained system configuration for each systems. We presented operation scenario of HVAC system in the Conventional Facility of Proton Accelerator Research Center

  18. 75 FR 22168 - Region VI-Houston District; Advisory Council Meeting; Public Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-27

    ... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Region VI--Houston District; Advisory Council Meeting; Public Meeting The Small Business Administration-Region VI--Houston Advisory Council, located in the geographical Area of Houston, Texas will hold a federal public meeting on--Thursday, May 20, 2010, starting at 10:30...

  19. 40 CFR 81.38 - Metropolitan Houston-Galveston Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Metropolitan Houston-Galveston... Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.38 Metropolitan Houston-Galveston Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Metropolitan Houston-Galveston Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (Texas) has been...

  20. Solar Leasing Summary, Houston Texas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hammer, Mary [City of San Antonio, TX (United States)

    2013-02-14

    A relatively new option for homeowners looking to add solar to their home is the solar lease. At present, the solar lease option can be found in California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Hawaii, New York and Oregon. The most active companies currently offering solar leases are NRG Energy, Sungevity, Solar City and Sun Run. With the uncertainty and/or lack of subsidies the states participating in these programs have ebbed and flowed over the last few years. However, there is an expectation that in the current market solar leasing will make solar viable without the utility and federal subsidies. NRG Energy is currently testing this expectation in Houston, TX where currently no subsidies or incentives beyond the federal tax incentives, exist. Following is an explanation on the state of solar leasing in Houston, TX and explanation of the current financing options.

  1. 77 FR 1077 - Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee; Vacancies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-09

    ... letter and resume to the following address: USCG Sector Houston-Galveston, Waterway Management Division... utilize the port facilities at Galveston, Houston, and Texas City. (b) One member representing labor... support of the Coast Guard policy on gender and ethnic nondiscrimination, we encourage qualified men and...

  2. Laulja Whitney Houston sõlmis rekordlepingu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2001-01-01

    Popstaar Whitney Houston pikendas oma plaadifirmaga Arista lepingut ja tegi artistina popmuusika ajaloo kõige kallima tehingu, mis garanteerib talle kuue stuudioalbumi ja kahe hitikogumiku eest 100 miljonit dollarit

  3. Regression models to estimate real-time concentrations of selected constituents in two tributaries to Lake Houston near Houston, Texas, 2005-07

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oden, Timothy D.; Asquith, William H.; Milburn, Matthew S.

    2009-01-01

    In December 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the City of Houston, Texas, began collecting discrete water-quality samples for nutrients, total organic carbon, bacteria (total coliform and Escherichia coli), atrazine, and suspended sediment at two U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations upstream from Lake Houston near Houston (08068500 Spring Creek near Spring, Texas, and 08070200 East Fork San Jacinto River near New Caney, Texas). The data from the discrete water-quality samples collected during 2005-07, in conjunction with monitored real-time data already being collected - physical properties (specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen), streamflow, and rainfall - were used to develop regression models for predicting water-quality constituent concentrations for inflows to Lake Houston. Rainfall data were obtained from a rain gage monitored by Harris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management and colocated with the Spring Creek station. The leaps and bounds algorithm was used to find the best subsets of possible regression models (minimum residual sum of squares for a given number of variables). The potential explanatory or predictive variables included discharge (streamflow), specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, rainfall, and time (to account for seasonal variations inherent in some water-quality data). The response variables at each site were nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic carbon, Escherichia coli, atrazine, and suspended sediment. The explanatory variables provide easily measured quantities as a means to estimate concentrations of the various constituents under investigation, with accompanying estimates of measurement uncertainty. Each regression equation can be used to estimate concentrations of a given constituent in real time. In conjunction with estimated concentrations, constituent loads were estimated by multiplying the

  4. A comprehensive study of benzene concentrations and emissions in Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Markus; Eichler, Philipp; Berk Knighton, W.; Estes, Mark; Crawford, James H.; Mikoviny, Tomas; Wisthaler, Armin

    2014-05-01

    The Houston Metropolitan Area (Greater Houston) has a population of over 6 million people, it ranks among the three fastest growing metropolises in the developed world and population growth scenarios predict it to reach megacity status in the coming two to four decades. Greater Houston is home to the largest petrochemical-manufacturing complex in the world with important consequences for the environment in the region. Direct and fugitive emissions of hydrocarbons adversely affect Houston's air quality which has been subject to intense studies over the past two decades. In 2013, NASA conducted the DISCOVER-AQ field campaign in support of developing a satellite-based capability to assess Houston's air quality in the future. Amongst other measurements, airborne, mobile ground-based and stationary ground-based measurements of benzene were carried out. Benzene is a carcinogenic air toxic with strict exposure regulations in the U.S. and in Europe. We have used the obtained comprehensive dataset to map benzene concentrations in the Houston metropolitan area, locate and identify point sources, compare industrial and traffic emissions and put them in relation to previous measurements and emission inventories. The obtained data will allow a better assessment of health risks associated with benzene exposure in a large metropolitan area that includes both traffic and industrial benzene sources. This work was funded by BMVIT / FFG-ALR in the frame of the Austrian Space Application Programme (ASAP 8, project 833451). PE was funded through the PIMMS ITN (EU-FP7, agreement number 287382). Additional resources were provided through NASA's Earth Venture program (EV-1) and the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP). We want to thank Scott Herndon and Aerodyne Research for their support.

  5. 78 FR 14909 - Amendment of Class B Airspace Description; Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-08

    ...-0079; Airspace Docket No. 13-AWA-1] RIN 2120-AA66 Amendment of Class B Airspace Description; Houston.... SUMMARY: This action amends the description of the Houston, TX, Class B airspace area by changing the... 14910

  6. Hurricane Harvey & Houston: Hell or High Water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedient, P. B.

    2017-12-01

    Harvey was the largest rainfall and most damaging flood event in US history. By all measures the widespread impact was a devastating blow to all of Houston and surrounding areas. It dropped between 36 and 52 inches along the Texas coast over 5 days, exceeding all previous rainfall records, with up to 20 inches in a day. However, two earlier events from 2015 and 2016 also brought widespread flooding to many parts of Houston, especially concentrated in a few watersheds. Most bayous during Harvey were over bank by as much as 10 ft, and flooded an estimated 136000 homes in Harris county alone, greatly exceeding the massive TS Allison impact of 2001. While the area deals with a significant recovery effort, there is a massive call to action on the part of politicians, governmental agencies, and those affected by this event. There is need for a better statistical basis of rainfalls and floodplain mapping in Houston. Development patterns and density have come into question, as homes have been either built in 100 yr floodplains or taken into those floodplains over time. Estimates say > 47 % of homes flooded in TS Allison were outside the floodplain. Many homes were built behind Addicks/Barker reservoirs that protect downtown, many with no knowledge that they were in harms way (over 8000 were flooded there alone), and flooded as water reached record setting levels. New technologies have allowed the measurement and prediction of floods to make great strides since the mid 1990s, (Radar, LIDAR, GIS, hydrologic models, floodplain updates) and the Houston area has benefited from these efforts. While the plan going forward is daunting, there are a number of positive steps that are occurring and should lead to more resiliency. There needs to be policy changes on storage and detention requirements, green space & infrastructure improvements, and perhaps a third regional reservoir above Addicks. Also there is a renewed interest in flood warning systems to better inform the public

  7. 76 FR 30396 - Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, Real Estate Consulting, Houston, TX; Amended...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-25

    ... Advisory Services LLP, Real Estate Consulting, Houston, TX; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility To... Financial Advisory Services LLP, Real Estate Consulting, Houston, Texas (subject firm). The Department's... Services LLP, Real Estate Consulting, Houston, Texas who were adversely affected by a shift in services to...

  8. The IROC Houston Quality Assurance Program: Potential benefits of 3D dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Followill, D S; Molineu, H A; Lafratta, R; Ibbott, G S

    2017-01-01

    The IROC Houston QA Center has provided QA core support for NCI clinical trials by ensuring that radiation doses delivered to trial patients are accurate and comparable between participating institutions. Within its QA program, IROC Houston uses anthropomorphic QA phantoms to credential sites. It is these phantoms that have the highest potential to benefit from the use of 3D dosimeters. Credentialing is performed to verify that institutions that are using advanced technologies to deliver complex treatment plans that conform to targets. This makes it increasingly difficult to assure the intended calculated dose is being delivered correctly using current techniques that are 2D-based. A 3D dosimeter such as PRESAGE® is able to provide a complete 3D measured dosimetry dataset with one treatment plan delivery. In our preliminary studies, the 3D dosimeters in our H and N and spine phantoms were found to be appropriate for remote dosimetry for relative dose measurements. To implement 3D dosimetry in IROC Houston’s phantoms, the benefit of this significant change to its current infrastructure would have to be assessed and further work would be needed before bringing 3D dosimeters into the phantom dosimetry program. (paper)

  9. OPERATION OF A PUBLIC GEOLOGIC CORE AND SAMPLE REPOSITORY IN HOUSTON TEXAS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scott W. Tinker

    2003-06-01

    In the spring of 2002, the Department of Energy provided an initial 1-year grant to the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT). The grant covered the one-year operational expenses of a worldclass core and cuttings facility located in Houston, Texas, that BP America donated to the BEG. The DOE investment of $300,000, matched by a $75,000 UT contribution, provided critical first-year funds that were heavily leveraged by the BP gift of $7.0 million in facilities and cash. DOE also provided a one-month extension and grant of $30,000 for the month of May 2003. A 5-year plan to grow a permanent endowment in order to manage the facility in perpetuity is well under way and on schedule. The facility, named the Houston Research Center, represents an ideal model for a strong Federal, university, and private partnership to accomplish a national good. This report summarizes the activities supported by the initial DOE grant during the first 13 months of operation and provides insight into the activities and needs of the facility in the second year of operation.

  10. Treatment for cracked and permeable Houston clay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vipulanandan, C.; Leung, M.

    1991-01-01

    In this study, the treatability of a field clay (obtained from Houston, Texas) and a clay-sand mixture to reduce their hydraulic conductivity was evaluated. Remolded field clay and clay-sand mixture with and without methanol contamination were treated to reduce their hydraulic conductivity by permeating very dilute grout solutions. The concentration of sodium silicate in the grout solution was 8%, while the solid content in the cement grout was 0.3%. The hydraulic conductivity of permeable Houston clay (hydraulic conductivity >10 -5 cm/sec) could be reduced to less than 10 -7 cm/sec (U.S. EPA limit for soil barriers) by permeating with a selected combination of grout solutions

  11. Monitoring and Mapping the Hurricane Harvey Flooding in Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balaji Bhaskar, M. S.

    2017-12-01

    Monitoring and Mapping the Hurricane Harvey Flooding in Houston, Texas.Urban flooding is a hazard that causes major destruction and loss of life. High intense precipitation events have increased significantly in Houston, Texas in recent years resulting in frequent river and bayou flooding. Many of the historical storm events such as Allison, Rita and Ike have caused several billion dollars in losses for the Houston-Galveston Region. A category 4 Hurricane Harvey made landfall on South Texas resulting in heavy precipitation from Aug 25 to 29 of 2017. About 1 trillion gallons of water fell across Harris County over a 4-day period. This amount of water covers Harris County's 1,800 square miles with an average of 33 inches of water. The long rain event resulted in an average 40inch rainfall across the area in several rain gauges and the maximum rainfall of 49.6 inches was recorded near Clear Creek. The objectives of our study are to 1) Process the Geographic Information System (GIS) and satellite data from the pre and post Hurricane Harvey event in Houston, Texas and 2) Analyze the satellite imagery to map the nature and pattern of the flooding in Houston-Galveston Region. The GIS data of the study area was downloaded and processed from the various publicly available resources such as Houston Galveston Area Council (HGAC), Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Texas Natural Resource Information Systems (TNRIS). The satellite data collected soon after the Harvey flooding event were downloaded and processed using the ERDAS image processing software. The flood plain areas surrounding the Brazos River, Buffalo Bayou and the Addicks Barker reservoirs showed severe inundation. The different watershed areas affected by the catastrophic flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey were mapped and compared with the pre flooding event.

  12. 75 FR 16336 - Establishment of Low Altitude Area Navigation Route (T-284); Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... (T-284); Houston, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action establishes a low altitude area navigation (RNAV) route, designated T-284, in the Houston... navigable airspace in the Houston, TX, terminal area. DATES: Effective date 0901 UTC, July 29, 2010. The...

  13. 75 FR 39149 - Establishment of Low Altitude Area Navigation Route (T-284); Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-08

    ... (T-284); Houston, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule... area navigation (RNAV) route T-284 for the Houston, TX, terminal area, is being withdrawn. As a result of Houston Area Air Traffic System (HAATS) Project, Phase 3C, program actions, the route is pending...

  14. 75 FR 18047 - Amendment of Low Altitude Area Navigation Route T-254; Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-09

    ...-254; Houston, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends low altitude Area Navigation (RNAV) route T-254 in the Houston, TX, terminal area by... Houston, TX, terminal area. DATES: Effective Dates: 0901 UTC, June 3, 2010. The Director of the Federal...

  15. 76 FR 4342 - Adequacy Status of the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas Reasonable Further Progress and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-25

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9256-8] Adequacy Status of the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria... vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas (HGB) Reasonable Further... Progress (RFP) SIP and an Attainment Demonstration SIP for the Houston- Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) ozone...

  16. 75 FR 39680 - Houston Pipe Line Company LP, Worsham-Steed Gas Storage, L.P., Energy Transfer Fuel, LP, Mid...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. PR10-44-000; Docket No. PR10-46-000; Docket No. PR10-48- 000; Docket No. PR10-49-000; Docket No. PR10-50-000] Houston Pipe Line Company LP, Worsham-Steed Gas Storage, L.P., Energy Transfer Fuel, LP, Mid Continent Market Center, L.L.C...

  17. Houston Recovery Initiative: A Rich Case Study of Building Recovery Communities One Voice at a Time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitting, Sara; Nash, Angela; Ochoa, Ashley

    2016-01-01

    Recovery from alcohol and drug problems is a process of change through which an individual achieves control and improved quality of life. Recovery is a primary goal for individuals with substance use disorder as it provides hope that treatment and overall health are possible for every individual. More than 23 million Americans are in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.Recovery-oriented systems of care (ROSC) are networks of community services and peer support that help individuals and families achieve recovery from substances and improve overall health. ROSC is a strengths-based and person-centered model that leverages existing community resources to address the needs of individuals and families as they progress through the journey of recovery. The ROSC model serves as the foundation of the Houston Recovery Initiative (HRI).The purpose of this article is to describe the history, development, and infrastructure of the HRI, which is a volunteer collaboration whose main goal is to educate the community on recovery and broaden the recovery safety net for people with substance use disorder in Houston, Texas. Since 2010, the HRI has grown to include more than 200 agencies across the spectrum of treatment and recovery support services in Houston so as to provide a resource for the community. Herein, we detail efforts to grow the HRI, lessons learned, future plans, and resources needed to move the HRI forward.

  18. 78 FR 36523 - Foreign-Trade Zone 84-Houston, Texas; Authorization of Production Activity; Toshiba International...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B-17-2013] Foreign-Trade Zone 84--Houston, Texas; Authorization of Production Activity; Toshiba International Corporation; (Hybrid Electric Vehicle Motors and Generators Production); Houston, Texas On February 11, 2013, the Port of Houston Authority, grantee of FTZ 84...

  19. 78 FR 46947 - Adequacy Status of the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas Reasonable Further Progress and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-02

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9841-2] Adequacy Status of the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria... has found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas... 2: Table 1-- Houston-Galveston-Brazoria 1997 8-Hour Ozone Reasonable Further Progress NOX and VOC...

  20. Lyondell plans to hike heavy crude runs at Houston

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Land, R.

    1992-01-01

    Lyondell Petrochemical Co. has outlined a venture that would allow increased runs of heavy crude oil at its 265,000 b/cd Houston refiner. Preliminary plans call for Lyondell, Houston, to ally with subsidiaries of Venezuela's Petroleos de Venezuela SA to upgrade heavy crude processing capabilities of the refiner and obtain supplies of heavy crude feedstock. Lyondell proposes to form a jointly owned company with Pdvsa's Citgo Petroleum Corp. subsidiary to take over ownership of the Houston plant. This paper reports that upgrades would not significantly change the plant's crude capacity but would allow the refiner to process as much as 200,000 b/d of heavy crude feedstock, up from 120,000 b/d at present. Following completion of the upgrade, Citgo could increase its interest to 50% with Lyondell retaining remaining venture interest. Upgrade design and engineering are to begin immediately, with regulatory permitting and construction expected to be complete in 3-4 years

  1. 78 FR 15682 - Foreign-Trade Zone 84-Houston, Texas, Authorization of Production Activit, Mitsubishi Caterpillar...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B-88-2012] Foreign-Trade Zone 84--Houston, Texas, Authorization of Production Activit, Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (Forklift Trucks), Houston, TX On November 2, 2012, the Port of Houston Authority, grantee of FTZ 84, submitted a notification of...

  2. 78 FR 49254 - Foreign-Trade Zone 84-Houston, Texas; Application for Subzone; Toshiba International Corporation...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B-77-2013] Foreign-Trade Zone 84--Houston, Texas; Application for Subzone; Toshiba International Corporation; Houston, Texas An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board by the Port of Houston Authority, grantee of FTZ 84...

  3. The Evolution of a Multi-Instructional Teaching Center (MITC) in a Metropolitan University System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, David P.; Hayes, Edward J.; Hugetz, Edward T.; Ivancevich, John M.; Smith, Don N.; Woods, Molly R.

    1998-01-01

    The University of Houston (Texas) and its four campuses have adopted a "co-opetition" approach to create a multi-instructional teaching center to deliver educational programs and courses in the Houston metropolitan area. It has been found that citizens, legislators, administrators, faculty, and students all benefit, without sacrificing…

  4. 75 FR 6319 - Proposed Amendment of Low Altitude Area Navigation Route T-254; Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-09

    ... Amendment of Low Altitude Area Navigation Route T-254; Houston, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration... altitude Area Navigation (RNAV) route T-254 in the Houston, TX, terminal area by eliminating the segment... safety and the efficient use of the navigable airspace in the Houston, TX, terminal area. DATES: Comments...

  5. Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Shoaling Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-01

    Roads, which is bordered by Bolivar Peninsula to the northeast and Galveston Island to the southwest (Figure 1). Two jetties approximately 6,900 ft...USACE SWG. In 2008, the USACE SWG, and the Port of Houston tasked a joint venture formed by Turner Collie & Braden, Inc., and Gahagan & Bryant

  6. RadNet Air Data From Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page presents radiation air monitoring and air filter analysis data for Houston, TX from EPA's RadNet system. RadNet is a nationwide network of monitoring stations that measure radiation in air, drinking water and precipitation.

  7. 78 FR 39254 - Foreign-Trade Zone 84-Houston, Texas; Application for Expansion

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-01

    ...). FTZ 84 currently consists of 25 sites (2,756.74 acres total) at port facilities, industrial parks and... stated--are as follows: Site 1 (420.70 acres)--Houston Ship Channel Turning Basin, Clinton Drive at Highway 610 East Loop; Site 2 (97 acres)--Houston Ship Channel (Bulk Materials Handling Plant), north bank...

  8. Tools to Study Interfaces for Superconducting, Thermoelectric, and Magnetic Materials at the University of Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-09-01

    AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0303 Tools to Study Interfaces for Superconducting ,Thermoelectric, and Magnetic Materials Paul C. W. Chu UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON...8/28/2014 - 8/27/2016 Title: Tools to Study Interfaces for Superconducting , Thermoelectric, and Magnetic Materials at the University of Houston...effort. Tools to Study Interfaces for Superconducting , Thermoelectric, and Magnetic Materials at the University of Houston Grant/Contract Number AFOSR

  9. Exposure Calls to U. S. Poison Centers Involving Electronic Cigarettes and Conventional Cigarettes-September 2010-December 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatham-Stephens, Kevin; Law, Royal; Taylor, Ethel; Kieszak, Stephanie; Melstrom, Paul; Bunnell, Rebecca; Wang, Baoguang; Day, Hannah; Apelberg, Benjamin; Cantrell, Lee; Foster, Howell; Schier, Joshua G

    2016-12-01

    E-cigarette use is increasing, and the long-term impact on public health is unclear. We described the acute adverse health effects from e-cigarette exposures reported to U.S. poison centers. We compared monthly counts and demographic, exposure, and health effects data of calls about e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes made to poison centers from September 2010 through December 2014. Monthly e-cigarette calls increased from 1 in September 2010, peaked at 401 in April 2014, and declined to 295 in December 2014. Monthly conventional cigarette calls during the same period ranged from 302 to 514. E-cigarette calls were more likely than conventional cigarette calls to report adverse health effects, including vomiting, eye irritation, and nausea. Five e-cigarette calls reported major health effects, such as respiratory failure, and there were two deaths associated with e-cigarette calls. E-cigarette calls to U.S. poison centers increased over the study period, and were more likely than conventional cigarettes to report adverse health effects. It is important for health care providers and the public to be aware of potential acute health effects from e-cigarettes. Developing strategies to monitor and prevent poisonings from these novel devices is critical.

  10. 76 FR 70479 - Draft Environmental Assessment and Safe Harbor Agreement for the Houston Toad Within Nine Texas...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-14

    ...] Draft Environmental Assessment and Safe Harbor Agreement for the Houston Toad Within Nine Texas Counties... of the endangered Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) as a result of conservation actions, land...: [email protected] . Include ``Clear Lake Ecological Services Field Office draft Houston Toad...

  11. The state of public transportation in Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-12-14

    This full text of a speech delivered at a luncheon in Harris County,Texas on December 14, 1994, gives a status report on METRO and how Houston's key transportation providers plan to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Many improvements h...

  12. Stained glass solar windows for the swiss tech convention center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barraud, Emmanuel

    2013-01-01

    As a world first, 300 m² of dye-sensitized solar cells will be integrated into the facade of the EPFL's Convention Center. This prototype will constitute the first application of such technology to a public building. The translucent panels are constructed and assembled by local small and medium businesses and make use of an invention by EPFL researcher Michael Grätzel. This project is embedded within the framework of the partnership established in 2009 between EPFL and Romande Energie - whose aim is to create one of the largest solar energy parks in Switzerland.

  13. Environmental injustice and flood risk: A conceptual model and case comparison of metropolitan Miami and Houston, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Timothy W; Grineski, Sara E; Chakraborty, Jayajit

    2018-02-01

    This article outlines a conceptual model and comparatively applies it to results from environmental justice (EJ) studies of flood risk in the Miami, Florida, and Houston, Texas, metropolitan areas. In contrast to most EJ studies of air pollution, which have found that socially-vulnerable groups experience disproportionate risk, distributive EJ studies of flooding reveal inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between social vulnerability and flood exposure. Counterintuitively (from a conventional EJ perspective), some pre-flood EJ studies have found that socially-advantaged people experience the highest residential exposure to flood risks. To integrate those anomalous findings within an EJ perspective, our conceptual model focuses on (1) the differential capacities of social groups to deploy/access protective resources for reducing the threat of loss, even while they reside amid flood-prone environments, and (2) both flood hazards and water-based benefits. Application of this model in Miami reveals that environmental injustices materialize as socially-privileged groups expose themselves to residential flood risks by seeking coastal amenities, as the costs of mitigating risks are conveyed to the broader public; in the process, socially-vulnerable residents are relegated to areas with air pollution and/or inland flood risks, where they experience constrained access to protective resources and coastal amenities. Findings from Houston better align with conventional EJ expectations-with flood zones disproportionately inhabited by socially-vulnerable people-because many coastal lands there are used by petrochemical industries, which produce major residential-environmental disamenities . Results underscore the need to consider protective resources and locational benefits in future empirical research on the EJ implications of flood hazards.

  14. 77 FR 70174 - Waterway Suitability Assessment for Expansion of Liquefied Gas Terminals; Houston and Texas City, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-23

    ... Assessment for Expansion of Liquefied Gas Terminals; Houston and Texas City, TX AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... Assessment to the Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Sector Houston-Galveston regarding the company's proposed expansion of its Liquefied Hazardous Gas (LHG) facilities in Houston and Texas City, Texas, and increased...

  15. 75 FR 6215 - Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-08

    ... groups will meet in Houston, Texas to discuss waterway improvements, aids to navigation, area projects...; (b) Dredging subcommittee report; (c) Technology subcommittee report; (d) Waterways Optimization...

  16. A pilot study to assess tobacco use among sexual minorities in Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamí-Maury, Irene; Lin, Mi-Ting; Lapham, Hillary L; Hong, Judy H; Cage, Catherine; Shete, Sanjay; Gritz, Ellen R

    2015-08-01

    To assess tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals from the 2014 Houston Pride Parade and Festival in Houston, Texas (TX). Cross-sectional study using convenience sample of LGBT individuals (n = 99) examining tobacco use, sexual orientation, and other socio-demographic factors through survey participation. Findings showed a high prevalence of tobacco and electronic cigarettes use. White LGBT individuals had greater odds of using any type of tobacco product. Despite a high smoking prevalence among the surveyed LGBT individuals, this study sample did not identify tobacco use as a health issue. Supports the need for further investigation on tobacco-related disparities among LGBT individuals in Houston, TX. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

  17. Simulation of atmospheric oxidation capacity in Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Air quality model simulations are performed and evaluated for Houston using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. The simulations use two different emissions estimates: the EPA 2005 National Emissions Inventory (NEI) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ...

  18. Physical Activity Among Asian American Adults in Houston, Texas: Data from the Health of Houston Survey 2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kao, Dennis; Carvalho Gulati, Amy; Lee, Rebecca E

    2016-12-01

    This study used the 2010 Health of Houston Survey to examine the physical activity of Asian American adults living in Houston, Texas. Multivariate regression models were conducted to examine the number of moderate leisure physical activity days in the past week and likelihood of having sufficient levels of physical activity. The results showed that Asians were among the least physically active of the major racial/ethnic groups. Most notably, Asians were less likely than whites to have sufficient levels of physical activity and had similarly lower expected numbers of physical activity minutes and days. Within the Asian American population, Vietnamese adults had more physical activity minutes and days than their Chinese counterparts-after controlling for other sociodemographic and health factors. Age- and gender-adjusted rates suggested a significant gender disparity among the Vietnamese and South Asian adults (less so for the Chinese adults), but this varied across different age groups. Several factors emerged as significant predictors of physical activity for Asian Americans, including age, immigration status, speaking a non-English language at home, marital status, and neighborhood incivilities. Findings highlight the need for targeted, culturally appropriate interventions to promote physical activity in Asian American communities.

  19. 78 FR 11639 - Houston Pipe Line Company LP; Notice of Petition for Rate Approval

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. PR13-31-000] Houston Pipe Line Company LP; Notice of Petition for Rate Approval Take notice that on February 1, 2013, Houston Pipe Line Company LP (HPL) filed for approval of rates for transportation service pursuant to section...

  20. Houston Community College 2011-2012 Fact Book

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houston Community College System, Office of Institutional Research, 2012

    2012-01-01

    The Houston Community College (HCC) 2011-2012 Fact Book provides statistical information about the college district. It is important for the reader to be aware that data presented in this publication may differ slightly from statistics found in other district reports. Such variances may result from differences methodology including the source of…

  1. Houston Community College 2010-2011 Fact Book

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houston Community College System, Office of Institutional Research, 2011

    2011-01-01

    The Houston Community College (HCC) 2010-2011 Fact Book provides statistical information about the college district. It is important for the reader to be aware that data presented in this publication may differ slightly from statistics found in other district reports. Such variances may result from differences methodology including the source of…

  2. WE-G-BRA-05: IROC Houston On-Site Audits and Parameters That Affect Performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kry, S; Dromgoole, L; Alvarez, P; Lowenstein, J; Molineu, A; Taylor, P; Followill, D

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To highlight the IROC Houston on-site dosimetry audit program, and to investigate the impact of clinical conditions on the frequency of errors/recommendations noted by IROC Houston. Methods: The results of IROC Houston on-site audits from 2000-present were abstracted and compared to clinical parameters, this included 409 institutions and 1020 linacs. In particular, we investigated the frequency of recommendations versus year, and the impact of repeat visits on the number of recommendations. We also investigated the impact on the number of recommendations of several clinical parameters: the number and age of the linacs, the linac/TPS combination, and the scope of the QA program. Results: The number of recommendations per institution (3.1 average) has shown decline between 2000 and present, although the number of recommendations per machine (0.89) has not changed. Previous IROC Houston site visits did not Result in fewer recommendations on a repeat visit, but IROC Houston tests have changed substantially during the last 15 years as radiotherapy technology has changed. There was no impact on the number of recommendations based on the number of machines at the institution or the age of a given machine. The fewest recommendations were observed for Varian-Eclipse combinations (0.71 recs/machine), while Elekta- Pinnacle combinations yielded the most (1.62 recs/machine). Finally, in the TG-142 era (post-2010), those institutions that had a QA recommendation (n=77) had significantly more other recommendations (1.83 per institution) than those that had no QA rec (n=12, 1.33 per institution). Conclusion: Establishing and maintaining a successful radiotherapy program is challenging and areas of improvement can routinely be identified. Clinical conditions such as linac-TPS combinations and the establishment of a good QA program impact the frequency of errors/deficiencies identified by IROC Houston during their on-site review process

  3. WE-G-BRA-05: IROC Houston On-Site Audits and Parameters That Affect Performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kry, S; Dromgoole, L; Alvarez, P; Lowenstein, J; Molineu, A; Taylor, P; Followill, D [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To highlight the IROC Houston on-site dosimetry audit program, and to investigate the impact of clinical conditions on the frequency of errors/recommendations noted by IROC Houston. Methods: The results of IROC Houston on-site audits from 2000-present were abstracted and compared to clinical parameters, this included 409 institutions and 1020 linacs. In particular, we investigated the frequency of recommendations versus year, and the impact of repeat visits on the number of recommendations. We also investigated the impact on the number of recommendations of several clinical parameters: the number and age of the linacs, the linac/TPS combination, and the scope of the QA program. Results: The number of recommendations per institution (3.1 average) has shown decline between 2000 and present, although the number of recommendations per machine (0.89) has not changed. Previous IROC Houston site visits did not Result in fewer recommendations on a repeat visit, but IROC Houston tests have changed substantially during the last 15 years as radiotherapy technology has changed. There was no impact on the number of recommendations based on the number of machines at the institution or the age of a given machine. The fewest recommendations were observed for Varian-Eclipse combinations (0.71 recs/machine), while Elekta- Pinnacle combinations yielded the most (1.62 recs/machine). Finally, in the TG-142 era (post-2010), those institutions that had a QA recommendation (n=77) had significantly more other recommendations (1.83 per institution) than those that had no QA rec (n=12, 1.33 per institution). Conclusion: Establishing and maintaining a successful radiotherapy program is challenging and areas of improvement can routinely be identified. Clinical conditions such as linac-TPS combinations and the establishment of a good QA program impact the frequency of errors/deficiencies identified by IROC Houston during their on-site review process.

  4. Huelga Schools in Houston: Community-Based Education in the Struggle for Legal Recognition, 1970

    Science.gov (United States)

    San Miguel, Guadalupe, Jr.

    2016-01-01

    This essay provides an overview of the huelga schools established in Houston, Texas, in 1970. For 2 years, from 1970 to 1972, the Mexican American community opposed the Houston Independent School District's plan to integrate the schools by pairing so-called White Mexican Americans with African American students. While they protested this decision,…

  5. the Underestimation of Isorene in Houston during the Texas 2013 DISCOVER-AQ Campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Y.; Diao, L.; Czader, B.; Li, X.; Estes, M. J.

    2014-12-01

    This study applies principal component analysis to aircraft data from the Texas 2013 DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) field campaign to characterize isoprene sources over Houston during September 2013. The biogenic isoprene signature appears in the third principal component and anthropogenic signals in the following two. Evaluations of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model simulations of isoprene with airborne measurements are more accurate for suburban areas than for industrial areas. This study also compares model outputs to eight surface automated gas chromatograph (Auto-GC) measurements near the Houston ship channel industrial area during the nighttime and shows that modeled anthropogenic isoprene is underestimated by a factor of 10.60. This study employs a new simulation with a modified anthropogenic emissions inventory (constraining using the ratios of observed values versus simulated ones) that yields closer isoprene predictions at night with a reduction in the mean bias by 56.93%, implying that model-estimated isoprene emissions from the 2008 National Emission Inventory are underestimated in the city of Houston and that other climate models or chemistry and transport models using the same emissions inventory might also be underestimated in other Houston-like areas in the United States.

  6. The Houston Ship Channel security: a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Han Q.; Bellamy, P. A.; Pei, S. S. S.

    2007-04-01

    The Houston Ship Channel (HSC) is a 50-mile long shipping channel that contains many private ports including the Port of Houston Authority. It has a uniquely critical role with respect to the US petroleum energy supply. The HSC security is currently planned for significant enhancement under the auspices of the Harris County and the Houston-based Port Strategic Security Council. The ultimate objective is to comprehensively address the HSC threat matrix. This paper describes the technical effort in support of this program. The HSC security is a complex system of systems that includes the physical control access system, the command, control, communication, and information (C4I) system, and the telecom infrastructure. The strategy is to coordinate the improvements of different components to achieve a high-impact net effectiveness. A key element is a planned high-capacity backbone optical network for integrating the C4I of many different HSC administrative-jurisdictional authorities, which will allow unified situational awareness for a more effective cooperation and coordination. Enhancement of surveillance and intrusion protection is crucial. A feasibility study was conducted for the HSC assuming common surveillance technologies including visible/IR camera, radar, and sonar. The method includes survey and theoretical modeling to detect threats of concern in the HSC natural environment. The result indicates that the HSC unique river-like geography offers both advantages and challenges. The narrow channel allows ease of waterside surveillance, but likely incurs high cost for its great length. In addition, landside security is also important owing to its location amidst urban-industrial zone. Lastly, limitation of the various technologies is discussed by considering the broader challenges of the intrusion problem.

  7. Faults in parts of north-central and western Houston metropolitan area, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verbeek, Earl R.; Ratzlaff, Karl W.; Clanton, Uel S.

    1979-01-01

    Hundreds of residential, commercial, and industrial structures in the Houston metropolitan area have sustained moderate to severe damage owing to their locations on or near active faults. Paved roads have been offset by faults at hundreds of locations, butted pipelines have been distorted by fault movements, and fault-induced gradient changes in drainage lines have raised concern among flood control engineers. Over 150 faults, many of them moving at rates of 0.5 to 2 cm/yr, have been mapped in the Houston area; the number of faults probably far exceeds this figure.This report includes a map of eight faults, in north-central and western Houston, at a scale useful for land-use planning. Seven of the faults, are known, to be active and have caused considerable damage to structures built on or near them. If the eighth fault is active, it may be of concern to new developments on the west side of Houston. A ninth feature shown on the map is regarded only as a possible fault, as an origin by faulting has not been firmly established.Seismic and drill-hold data for some 40 faults, studied in detail by various investigators have verified connections between scarps at the land surface and growth faults in the shallow subsurface. Some scarps, then, are known to be the surface manifestations of faults that have geologically long histories of movement. The degree to which natural geologic processes contribute to current fault movement, however, is unclear, for some of man’s activities may play a role in faulting as well.Evidence that current rates of fault movement far exceed average prehistoric rates and that most offset of the land surface in the Houston area has occurred only within the last 50 years indirectly suggest that fluid withdrawal may be accelerating or reinitiating movement on pre-existing faults. This conclusion, however, is based only on a coincidence in time between increased fault activity and increased rates of withdrawal of water, oil, and gas from

  8. Medan Convention & Exhibition Center (Arsitektur Ekspresionisme)

    OpenAIRE

    Iskandar, Nurul Auni

    2015-01-01

    Medan is one of the third largest city in Indonesia, which is currently being developed, and a city with lots of activities. In the city of Medan has a high investment opportunities for a convention, because of its strategic position in Southeast Asia and also supported by the facility and the potential for tourism in North Sumatra, Medan city has the potential for industrial MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Conference, Exhibition). The construction of Medan Convention & Exhibition Cente...

  9. Looking for a Person-Centered Medicine: Non Conventional Medicine in the Conventional European and Italian Setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paolo Roberti di Sarsina

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In Italy, the use of non conventional medicines (NCMs is spreading among people as in the rest of Europe. Sales of alternative remedies are growing, and likewise the number of medical doctors (MDs who practise NCM/complementary and alternative medicine (CAM. However, in Italy as in other countries of the European Union, at the present time the juridical/legal status of NCM/CAM is not well established, mainly due to the lack of any national law regulating NCM/CAM professional training, practice and public supply and the absence of government-promoted scientific research in this field. This is an obstacle to safeguarding the patient's interests and freedom of choice, especially now that dissatisfaction with biomedicine is inclining more and more people to look for a holistic and patient-centered form of medicine.

  10. Groundwater quality of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Houston, Texas, 2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oden, Jeannette H.; Brown, Dexter W.; Oden, Timothy D.

    2011-01-01

    During March–December 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Houston, collected source-water samples from 60 municipal supply wells in the Houston area. These data were collected as part of an ongoing study to determine concentrations, spatial extent, and associated geochemical conditions that might be conducive for mobility and transport of selected naturally occurring contaminants (selected trace elements and radionuclides) in the Gulf Coast aquifer system in the Houston area. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, a reconnaissance-level survey of these constituents in untreated water from 28 municipal supply wells was completed in the Houston area. Included in this report are the complete analytical results for 47 of the 60 samples collected in 2010—those results which were received from the laboratories and reviewed by the authors as of December 31, 2010. All of the wells sampled were screened in the Gulf Coast aquifer system; 22 were screened entirely in the Evangeline aquifer, and the remaining 25 wells contained screened intervals that intersected both Evangeline and Chicot aquifers. The data documented in this report were collected as part of an ongoing study to characterize source-water-quality conditions in untreated groundwater prior to drinking-water treatment. An evaluation of contaminant occurrence in source water provides background information regarding the presence of a contaminant in the environment. Because source-water samples were collected prior to any treatment or blending that potentially could alter contaminant concentrations, the water-quality results documented by this report represent the quality of the source water, not the quality of finished drinking water provided to the public.

  11. 33 CFR 3.40-28 - Sector Houston-Galveston Marine Inspection Zone and Captain of the Port Zone; Marine Safety Unit...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sector Houston-Galveston Marine....40-28 Sector Houston-Galveston Marine Inspection Zone and Captain of the Port Zone; Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur. Sector Houston-Galveston's office is located in Galena Park, TX. A subordinate unit...

  12. Ozone production by corona discharges during a convective event in DISCOVER-AQ Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotsakis, Alexander; Morris, Gary A.; Lefer, Barry; Jeon, Wonbae; Roy, Anirban; Minschwaner, Ken; Thompson, Anne M.; Choi, Yunsoo

    2017-07-01

    An ozonesonde launched near electrically active convection in Houston, TX on 5 September 2013 during the NASA DISCOVER-AQ project measured a large enhancement of ozone throughout the troposphere. A separate ozonesonde was launched from Smith Point, TX (∼58 km southeast of the Houston site) at approximately the same time as the launch from Houston and did not measure that enhancement. Furthermore, ozone profiles for the descent of both sondes agreed well with the ascending Smith Point profile, suggesting a highly localized event in both space and time in which an anomalously large enhancement of 70-100 ppbv appeared in the ascending Houston ozonesonde data. Compared to literature values, such an enhancement appears to be the largest observed to date. Potential sources of the localized ozone enhancement such as entrainment of urban or biomass burning emissions, downward transport from the stratosphere, photochemical production from lightning NOx, and direct ozone production from corona discharges were investigated using model simulations. We conclude that the most likely explanation for the large ozone enhancement is direct ozone production by corona discharges. Integrating the enhancement seen in the Houston ozone profile and using the number of electrical discharges detected by the NLDN (or HLMA), we estimate a production of 2.48 × 1028 molecules of ozone per flash which falls within the range of previously recorded values (9.89 × 1026-9.82 × 1028 molecules of ozone per flash). Since there is currently no parameterization for the direct production of ozone from corona discharges we propose the implementation of an equation into a chemical transport model. Ultimately, additional work is needed to further understand the occurrence and impact of corona discharges on tropospheric chemistry on short and long timescales.

  13. Developing a collaboration with the Houston independent school district: testing the generalizability of a partnership model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poduska, Jeanne; Gomez, Mary Jane; Capo, Zeph; Holmes, Venita

    2012-07-01

    Moving evidence-based practices into real-world settings is a high priority for education and public health. This paper describes the development of a partnership among the Houston Independent School District, the American Institutes of Research, and the Houston Federation of Teachers to support research on and program sustainability for the Good Behavior Game, a team-based classroom behavior management strategy that has shown positive impact in randomized field trials. The conceptual framework guiding partnership development is presented, followed by an application of the framework in Houston. Lessons learned and implications for the next stage of research and practice are then discussed.

  14. The History of the Austin College Building and Old Main at Sam Houston State University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Erin; Shields, Samantha

    2017-01-01

    Austin Hall and Old Main serve as the heart of what is now Sam Houston State University. The buildings' rich histories help one to understand how Sam Houston State University and its proud teacher education heritage came to be. To begin with Austin Hall's story, the University's original building has a unique and interesting tale that journeys…

  15. Survival with Three-Times Weekly In-Center Nocturnal Versus Conventional Hemodialysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jianglin; Suri, Rita S.; Nesrallah, Gihad; Lindsay, Robert; Garg, Amit X.; Lester, Keith; Ofsthun, Norma; Lazarus, Michael; Hakim, Raymond M.

    2012-01-01

    Whether the duration of hemodialysis treatments improves outcomes remains controversial. Here, we evaluated survival and clinical changes associated with converting from conventional hemodialysis (mean=3.75 h/treatment) to in-center nocturnal hemodialysis (mean=7.85 h/treatment). All 959 consecutive patients who initiated nocturnal hemodialysis for the first time in 77 Fresenius Medical Care facilities during 2006 and 2007 were eligible. We used Cox models to compare risk for mortality during 2 years of follow-up in a 1:3 propensity score–matched cohort of 746 nocturnal and 2062 control patients on conventional hemodialysis. Two-year mortality was 19% among nocturnal hemodialysis patients compared with 27% among conventional patients. Nocturnal hemodialysis associated with a 25% reduction in the risk for death after adjustment for age, body mass index, and dialysis vintage (hazard ratio=0.75, 95% confidence interval=0.61–0.91, P=0.004). With respect to clinical features, interdialytic weight gain, albumin, hemoglobin, dialysis dose, and calcium increased on nocturnal therapy, whereas postdialysis weight, predialysis systolic blood pressure, ultrafiltration rate, phosphorus, and white blood cell count declined (all P<0.001). In summary, notwithstanding the possibility of residual selection bias, conversion to treatment with nocturnal hemodialysis associates with favorable clinical features, laboratory biomarkers, and improved survival compared with propensity score–matched controls. The potential impact of extended treatment time on clinical outcomes while maintaining a three times per week hemodialysis schedule requires evaluation in future clinical trials. PMID:22362905

  16. University of Houston: Engagement, Workforce, and Economic Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schott, Marshall E.

    2012-01-01

    At the University of Houston (UH), the arrival of a new chancellor/president in 2007 resulted in a strategic environmental scan to determine areas where the university's efforts should be focused over the next ten years. Several major initiatives were launched, including one that sought to make UH a major energy university. The decision to embrace…

  17. The perceptions of inquiry held by greater Houston area science supervisors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aoki, Jon Michael

    The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of inquiry held by responding greater Houston area science supervisors. Leading science organizations proposed that students might be better served if students are mentally and physically engaged in the process of finding out about natural phenomena rather than by didactic modes of teaching and learning. During the past fifty years, inquiry-based instruction has become a significant theme of new science programs. Students are more likely to make connections between classroom exercises and their personal lives through the use of inquiry-based instruction. Learning becomes relevant to students. Conversely, traditional science instruction often has little or no connection to students' everyday lives (Papert, 1980). In short, inquiry-based instruction empowers students to become independent thinkers. The utilization of inquiry-based instruction is essential to a successful reform in science education. However, a reform's success is partly determined by the extent to which science supervisors know and understand inquiry and consequently promote its integration in the district's science curricula. Science supervisors have the role of providing curriculum and instructional support to science teachers and for implementing science programs. There is a fundamental need to assess the perceptions of inquiry held by greater Houston area science supervisors. Science supervisor refers to a class of job titles that include department chairperson, science specialist, science consultant, and science coordinator. The target population was greater Houston area science supervisors in Texas. This study suggests that there are three major implications for educational practice. First, there is the implication that responding greater Houston area science supervisors need an inclusive perception of inquiry. Second, responding greater Houston area science supervisors' perception of inquiry may affect the perceptions and understandings

  18. Efficacy of fenbendazole and levamisole treatments in captive Houston toads (Bufo [Anaxyrus] houstonensis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bianchi, Catherine M; Johnson, Cassidy B; Howard, Lauren L; Crump, Paul

    2014-09-01

    Effective disease monitoring and prevention is critical to the success of captive amphibian care. Nematodes, including the genera Rhabdias and Strongyloides, are known to contribute to mortality in captive amphibians and have been identified in the Houston Zoo's endangered Houston toad (Bufo [Anaxyrus] houstonensis) captive assurance colony. Five years of fecal data for the toad colony were compiled and analyzed in order to investigate the efficacy of two anthelminthic medications, fenbendazole (FBZ) and levamisole (LMS), which were used to control nematode infections. Both FBZ (dusted onto food items) and topical LMS (6.5 to 13.5 mg/kg) significantly reduced the number of nematode eggs, larvae, and adults observed by fecal parasitologic examination. There were no significant differences between treatments, and egg reappearance periods were difficult to compare as a result of low sample size. No adverse effects from either anthelminthic treatment were observed. Both topical LMS and oral FBZ appear to be safe and efficacious treatments for the reduction of the internal nematode burden in captive Houston toads.

  19. Hydrocarbon Source Signatures in Houston, Texas: Influence of the Petrochemical Industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jobson, B Tom T; Berkowitz, Carl M; Kuster, W C; Goldan, P D; Williams, E J; Fesenfeld, F; Apel, Eric; Karl, Thomas G; Lonneman, William A; Riemer, D

    2004-12-22

    Observations of C1-C10 hydrocarbon mixing ratios measured by in-situ instrumentation at the La Porte super site during the TexAQS 2000 field experiment are reported. The La Porte data were compared to a roadway vehicle exhaust signature obtained from canister samples collected in the Houston Washburn tunnel during the same summer to better understand the impact of petrochemical emissions of hydrocarbons at the site. It is shown that the abundance of ethene, propene, 1-butene, C2-C4 alkanes, hexane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, isopropylbenzene, and styrene at La Porte were systematically impacted by petrochemical industry emissions. Coherent power law relationships between frequency distribution widths of hydrocarbon mixing ratios and their local lifetimes clearly identify two major source groups, roadway vehicle emissions and industrial emissions. Distributions of most aromatics and long chain alkanes were consistent with roadway vehicle emissions as the dominant source. Airmass reactivity was generally dominated by C1-C3 aldehydes. Propene and ethene sometimes dominated air mass reactivity with HO loss frequencies often greater than 10 s-1. Ozone mixing ratios near 200 ppbv were observed on two separate occasions and these air masses appear to have been impacted by industrial emissions of alkenes from the Houston Ship Channel. The La Porte data provide evidence of the importance of industrial emissions of ethene and propene on air masses reactivity and ozone formation in Houston.

  20. The Impact of TexAQS 2000 on Air Quality Planning in Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, J. W.; Price, J. H.

    2002-12-01

    Before the Texas 2000 Air Quality Study (TexAQS 2000) the State used the Urban Airshed Model to model nine different episodes in Houston with very poor results: only one episode met EPA model performance criteria. Questions existed regarding emissions uncertainties, meteorological modeling, and model chemistry. NOAA, DOE, and SOS led more than 35 organizations and 250 investigators who participated in TexAQS 2000. Major findings from TexAQS 2000 are: 1. There are two types of meteorological patterns that lead to ozone episodes in the Houston area: (i) stagnation associated with the sea breeze flow reversal causes a pool of industrial emissions and ozone to accumulate, then to move across the city as the wind flow picks up and (ii) plumes of ozone form when relatively persistent winds carry the emissions away from the city and industrial areas. 2. The chemistry that produces high ozone concentrations and rapid rises in ozone in the Houston area has been explained: multiple investigators in TexAQS 2000 have documented more rapid and more efficient formation of ozone in the plume from the Houston industrial area than any of them has observed in any previous field study. Houston's exceptionally rapid ozone formation arises from large amounts of anthropogenic VOCs in the atmosphere, often from the same plants that provide sufficient NOx. 3. This rapid and efficient ozone formation results most often from the presence of a specific subclass of hydrocarbons called light olefins, primarily ethylene and propylene. 4. Sometimes it is other specific hydrocarbons that cause the rapid formation of high concentrations of ozone, and sometimes it is just the total mass of a lot of relatively unreactive hydrocarbons. 5. The current emissions inventory for ethylene and propylene, as well as other VOCs, underestimates their routine emissions by a factor of roughly five to ten or perhaps even more. 6. It is not clear whether the emissions causing Houston's rapid ozone formation are

  1. Assessment of emerging contaminants including organophosphate esters and pyrethroids during DISCOVER-AQ in Houston, Texas, United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Usenko, Sascha; Clark, Addie; Sheesley, Rebecca

    2015-04-01

    DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) is a NASA-funded air quality research program that focused on Houston, Texas, United States in September 2013. In conjunction with DISCOVER-AQ, particulate matter was collected for the month of September from four ground-based sampling sites across the Houston metropolitan area. The Houston metropolitan area is one of the most populous cities in the United States. Sampling sites included an upwind and downwind site as well as an urban (i.e. downtown) and industrial/port areas (i.e. Houston Ship Channel). Particulate matter samples were collected to examine both spatial and temporal trends (including day versus night). Particulate matter was collected on quartz fiber filters, which were analyzed for emerging classes of concern including organophosphate esters (OPEs; including flame retardants) and pyrethroids. OPEs have in recent years increased in both use and production as they replaced polybrominated diphenyl ethers flame retardants. Permethrin is one of the most commonly used mosquito adulticides in the United States.

  2. 78 FR 78350 - Houston Pipe Line Company, LP; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP14-13-000] Houston Pipe Line Company, LP; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed 24-Inch... Hidalgo County, Texas by Houston Pipe Line Company, LP (HPL). The Commission will use this EA in its...

  3. Cell Mergers and Their Impact on Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Over the Houston Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauthier, Michael L.; Petersen, Walter A.; Carey, Lawrence D.

    2009-01-01

    A previous hypothesis advanced from observational studies such as METROMEX suggests that the intensity, frequency, and organization of cumulus convection may be impacted by the forcing of enhanced merger activity downstream of urban zones. A resulting corollary is that cities may exert an indirect anthropogenic forcing of parameters related to convection and associated phenomena such as lightning and precipitation. This paper investigates the urban merger hypothesis by examining the role of convective cell mergers on the existence and persistence of the Houston lightning "anomaly", a local maximum in cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning activity documented to exist over and east of Houston. Using eight summer seasons of peak columnar radar reflectivity, CG lightning data and a cell-tracking algorithm, a two-dimensional cell merger climatology is created for portions of eastern Texas and Louisiana. Results from the tracking and analysis of over 3.8 million cells indicate that merger-driven enhancements in convection induce a positive response (O 46%) in ground-flash densities throughout the domain, with areas of enhanced lightning typically being co-located with areas of enhanced merger activity. However, while mergers over the Houston area (relative to elsewhere in the domain) do result in more vigorous convective cells that produce larger CG flash densities, we find that CG lightning contributions due to mergers are distributed similarly throughout the domain. Hence while we demonstrate that cell mergers do greatly impact the production of lightning, the urban cell merger hypothesis does not uniquely explain the presence of a local lightning maximum near and downstream of Houston.

  4. 78 FR 19985 - Modification of VOR Federal Airways V-68, V-76, V-194, and V-548 in the Vicinity of Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-03

    ..., and V-548 in the Vicinity of Houston, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION... airways V-68, V-76, V-194, and V-548 in the vicinity of Houston, TX. The FAA is taking this action to... vicinity of Houston, TX. Specifically, the FAA amends V-68 and V-76 to reflect the Hobby VOR/DME 289[deg...

  5. Results From the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston's Anthropomorphic Phantoms Used for Proton Therapy Clinical Trial Credentialing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taylor, Paige A., E-mail: pataylor@mdanderson.org; Kry, Stephen F.; Alvarez, Paola; Keith, Tyler; Lujano, Carrie; Hernandez, Nadia; Followill, David S.

    2016-05-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to summarize the findings of anthropomorphic proton phantom irradiations analyzed by the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston QA Center (IROC Houston). Methods and Materials: A total of 103 phantoms were irradiated by proton therapy centers participating in clinical trials. The anthropomorphic phantoms simulated heterogeneous anatomy of a head, liver, lung, prostate, and spine. Treatment plans included those for scattered, uniform scanning, and pencil beam scanning beam delivery modalities using 5 different treatment planning systems. For every phantom irradiation, point doses and planar doses were measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and film, respectively. Differences between measured and planned doses were studied as a function of phantom, beam delivery modality, motion, repeat attempt, treatment planning system, and date of irradiation. Results: The phantom pass rate (overall, 79%) was high for simple phantoms and lower for phantoms that introduced higher levels of difficulty, such as motion, multiple targets, or increased heterogeneity. All treatment planning systems overestimated dose to the target, compared to TLD measurements. Errors in range calculation resulted in several failed phantoms. There was no correlation between treatment planning system and pass rate. The pass rates for each individual phantom are not improving over time, but when individual institutions received feedback about failed phantom irradiations, pass rates did improve. Conclusions: The proton phantom pass rates are not as high as desired and emphasize potential deficiencies in proton therapy planning and/or delivery. There are many areas for improvement with the proton phantom irradiations, such as treatment planning system dose agreement, range calculations, accounting for motion, and irradiation of multiple targets.

  6. Cooley building opens in Houston. Demonstrates value of fully integrated marketing communications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, Tom

    2002-01-01

    The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal HospiTal in Houston dedicated its new 10-story Denton A. Cooley Building in January. The structure opened with a fanfare, thanks to a well-integrated marketing communications program.

  7. University of Houston Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bering, E. A., III; Talbot, R. W.; Hampton, D. L.; Molders, N.; Millan, R. M.; Halford, A. J.; Dunbar, B.; Morris, G. A.; Prince, J.; Gamblin, R.; Ehteshami, A.; Lehnen, J. N.; Greer, M.; Porat, I.; Alozie, M.; Behrend, C. C.; Bias, C.; Fenton, A.; Gunawan, B.; Harrison, W.; Martinez, A.; Mathur, S.; Medillin, M.; Nguyen, T.; Nguyen, T. V.; Nowling, M.; Perez, D.; Pham, M.; Pina, M.; Thomas, G.; Velasquez, B.; Victor, L.

    2017-12-01

    The Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Project (USIP) is a NASA program to engage undergraduate students in rigorous scientific research, for the purposes of innovation and developing the next generation of professionals for an array of fields. The program is student led and executed from initial ideation to research to the design and deployment of scientific payloads. The University of Houston has been selected twice to participate in the USIP programs. The first program (USIP_UH I) ran from 2013 to 2016. USIP_UH II started in January of 2016, with funding starting at the end of May. USIP_UH I (USIP_UH II) at the University of Houston was (is) composed of eight (seven) research teams developing six (seven), distinct, balloon-based scientific instruments. These instruments will contribute to a broad range of geophysical sciences from Very Low Frequency recording and Total Electron Content to exobiology and ozone profiling. USIP_UH I had 12 successful launches with 9 recoveries from Fairbanks, AK in March 2015, and 4 piggyback flights with BARREL 3 from Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden in August, 2015. USIP_UH II had 8 successful launches with 5 recoveries from Fairbanks, AK in March 2017, 3 piggyback flights with BARREL 4 from Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden in August, 2016, and 1 flight each from CSBF and UH. The great opportunity of this program is capitalizing on the proliferation of electronics miniaturization to create new generations of scientific instruments that are smaller and lighter than ever before. This situation allows experiments to be done more cheaply which ultimately allows many more experiments to be done.

  8. Radar-based Flood Warning System for Houston, Texas and Its Performance Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, N.; Bedient, P.

    2009-12-01

    Houston has a long history of flooding problems as a serious nature. For instance, Houstonians suffered from severe flood inundation during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 and Hurricane Ike in 2008. Radar-based flood warning systems as non-structural tools to provide accurate and timely warnings to the public and private entities are greatly needed for urban areas prone to flash floods. Fortunately, the advent of GIS, radar-based rainfall estimation using NEXRAD, and real-time delivery systems on the internet have allowed flood alert systems to provide important advanced warning of impending flood conditions. Thus, emergency personnel can take proper steps to mitigate against catastrophic losses. The Rice and Texas Medical Center (TMC) Flood Alert System (FAS2) has been delivering warning information with 2 to 3 hours of lead time to facility personnel in a readily understood format for more than 40 events since 1997. The system performed well during these major rainfall events with R square value of 93%. The current system has been improved by incorporating a new hydraulic prediction tool - FloodPlain Map Library (FPML). The FPML module aims to provide visualized information such as floodplain maps and water surface elevations instead of just showing hydrographs in real time based on NEXRAD radar rainfall data. During Hurricane Ike (September, 2008), FAS2 successfully provided precise and timely flood warning information to TMC with the peak flow difference of 3.6% and the volume difference of 5.6%; timing was excellent for this double-peaked event. With the funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, a similar flood warning system has been developed at a critical transportation pass along Highway 288 in Houston, Texas. In order to enable emergency personnel to begin flood preparation with as much lead time as possible, FAS2 is being used as a prototype to develop warning system for other flood-prone areas such as City of Sugar Land.

  9. Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1980

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liscum, Fred; Hutchison, J.S.; Bruchmiller, J.P.; Walther, L.S.

    1983-01-01

    Hydrologic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in Austin, and Houston. Studies have been completed in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas.

  10. Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston metropolitan area, Texas, 1984

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liscum, Fred; Bruchmiller, J.P.; Brown, D.W.; Paul, E.M.

    1987-01-01

    Hydrologic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in the Austin and Houston areas, and have been completed in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas.

  11. Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1981

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liscum, Fred

    1985-01-01

    Hydro! oqic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in Austin, and Houston. Studies have been completed in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas.

  12. 40 CFR 52.2285 - Control of evaporative losses from the filling of gasoline storage vessels in the Houston and San...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Control of evaporative losses from the filling of gasoline storage vessels in the Houston and San Antonio areas. 52.2285 Section 52.2285... of gasoline storage vessels in the Houston and San Antonio areas. (a) Definitions: (1) Gasoline means...

  13. Treatment Planning System Calculation Errors Are Present in Most Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core-Houston Phantom Failures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerns, James R; Stingo, Francesco; Followill, David S; Howell, Rebecca M; Melancon, Adam; Kry, Stephen F

    2017-08-01

    The anthropomorphic phantom program at the Houston branch of the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC-Houston) is an end-to-end test that can be used to determine whether an institution can accurately model, calculate, and deliver an intensity modulated radiation therapy dose distribution. Currently, institutions that do not meet IROC-Houston's criteria have no specific information with which to identify and correct problems. In the present study, an independent recalculation system was developed to identify treatment planning system (TPS) calculation errors. A recalculation system was commissioned and customized using IROC-Houston measurement reference dosimetry data for common linear accelerator classes. Using this system, 259 head and neck phantom irradiations were recalculated. Both the recalculation and the institution's TPS calculation were compared with the delivered dose that was measured. In cases in which the recalculation was statistically more accurate by 2% on average or 3% at a single measurement location than was the institution's TPS, the irradiation was flagged as having a "considerable" institutional calculation error. The error rates were also examined according to the linear accelerator vendor and delivery technique. Surprisingly, on average, the reference recalculation system had better accuracy than the institution's TPS. Considerable TPS errors were found in 17% (n=45) of the head and neck irradiations. Also, 68% (n=13) of the irradiations that failed to meet the IROC-Houston criteria were found to have calculation errors. Nearly 1 in 5 institutions were found to have TPS errors in their intensity modulated radiation therapy calculations, highlighting the need for careful beam modeling and calculation in the TPS. An independent recalculation system can help identify the presence of TPS errors and pass on the knowledge to the institution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston metropolitan area, Texas, 1983

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liscum, Fred

    1986-01-01

    Hydro!ogic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in the Austin and Houston areas, and have been completed in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas.

  15. Accessibility assessment of Houston's roadway network during Harvey through integration of observed flood impacts and hydrologic modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gidaris, I.; Gori, A.; Panakkal, P.; Padgett, J.; Bedient, P. B.

    2017-12-01

    The record-breaking rainfall produced over the Houston region by Hurricane Harvey resulted in catastrophic and unprecedented impacts on the region's infrastructure. Notably, Houston's transportation network was crippled, with almost every major highway flooded during the five-day event. Entire neighborhoods and subdivisions were inundated, rendering them completely inaccessible to rescue crews and emergency services. Harvey has tragically highlighted the vulnerability of major thoroughfares, as well as neighborhood roads, to severe inundation during extreme precipitation events. Furthermore, it has emphasized the need for detailed accessibility characterization of road networks under extreme event scenarios in order to determine which areas of the city are most vulnerable. This analysis assesses and tracks the accessibility of Houston's major highways during Harvey's evolution by utilizing road flood/closure data from the Texas DOT. In the absence of flooded/closure data for local roads, a hybrid approach is adopted that utilizes a physics-based hydrologic model to produce high-resolution inundation estimates for selected urban watersheds in the Houston area. In particular, hydrologic output in the form of inundation depths is used to estimate the operability of local roads. Ultimately, integration of hydrologic-based estimation of road conditions with observed data from DOT supports a network accessibility analysis of selected urban neighborhoods. This accessibility analysis can identify operable routes for emergency response (rescue crews, medical services, etc.) during the storm event.

  16. Variations in tropical cyclone-related discharge in four watersheds near Houston, Texas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laiyin Zhu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We examined a 60-year record of daily precipitation and river discharge related to tropical cyclones (TCs in four watersheds undergoing land use and land cover change near Houston, Texas. Results show that TCs are responsible for ∼20% of the annual maximum discharge events in the four selected watersheds. Although there are no trends in TC precipitation, increasing trends were observed in daily extreme discharge and TC-related discharge. The more developed watersheds (Whiteoak Bayou and Brays Bayou, tend to have higher extreme discharge and steeper trends in extreme discharge than the less developed watersheds (Cypress Creek. Increases in TC-related extreme discharges correspond with increases in developed land and decreases in vegetated land between 1980 and 2006. Therefore, changes in land cover/use in watersheds near Houston are a major cause of the increased flooding risk in recent years.

  17. 75 FR 42436 - Houston Pipe Line Company LP-Bammel Storage, Docket No. PR10-51-000, et. al.; Notice of Baseline...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Houston Pipe Line Company LP--Bammel Storage, Docket No. PR10-51- 000, et. al.; Notice of Baseline Filings July 14, 2010. Houston Pipe Line..., 2010, respectively the applicants listed above submitted their baseline filing of its Statement of...

  18. The search for adenovirus 14 in children in Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laham, Federico R; Jewell, Alan M; Schoonover, Shauna L; Demmler, Gail J; Piedra, Pedro A

    2008-07-01

    Adenovirus (Ad)14 has recently emerged in the United States causing outbreaks of severe respiratory disease. To determine if Ad14 circulated in Houston, Texas, during the same time as an outbreak in military recruits in nearby San Antonio, 215 pediatric adenovirus isolates were serotyped using microneutralization. None were Ad14; Ad1, Ad2, and Ad3 were the most common identified serotypes.

  19. Translating Comparative Effectiveness Research Into Practice: Effects of Interventions on Lifestyle, Medication Adherence, and Self-care for Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, and Obesity Among Black, Hispanic, and Asian Residents of Chicago and Houston, 2010 to 2013.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashid, Jamila R; Leath, Brenda A; Truman, Benedict I; Atkinson, Donna Durant; Gary, Lisa C; Manian, Nanmathi

    In the United States, racial/ethnic minorities account for disproportionate disease and death from type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity; however, interventions with measured efficacy in comparative effectiveness research are often not adopted or used widely in those communities. To assess implementation and effects of comparative effectiveness research-proven interventions translated for minority communities. Mixed-method assessment with pretest-posttest single-group evaluation design. US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, research contractor, and advisory board; health centers, including a federally qualified community health center in Chicago, Illinois; and public housing facilities for seniors in Houston, Texas. A total of 97 black, Hispanic, and Asian participants with any combination of health care provider-diagnosed type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or obesity. Virtual training institutes where intervention staff learned cultural competency methods of adapting effective interventions. Health educators delivered the Health Empowerment Lifestyle Program (HELP) in Chicago; community pharmacists delivered the MyRx Medication Adherence Program in Houston. Participation rates, satisfaction with interventions during January to April 2013, and pre- to postintervention changes in knowledge, diet, and clinical outcomes were analyzed through July 2013. In Chicago, 38 patients experienced statistically significant reductions in hemoglobin A1c and systolic blood pressure, increased knowledge of hypertension management, and improved dietary behaviors. In Houston, 38 subsidized housing residents had statistically nonsignificant improvements in knowledge of self-management and adherence to medication for diabetes and hypertension but high levels of participation in pharmacist home visits and group education classes. Adaptation, adoption, and implementation of HELP and MyRx demonstrated important postintervention changes among racial

  20. The True Voice of Whitney Houston: Commodification, Authenticity, and African American Superstardom

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooijman, J.

    2014-01-01

    Taking its title from the 1994 AT&T commercial starring Whitney Houston, this article examines how Houston’s voice has functioned in the construction of her star persona from her 1985 debut album to her premature death on 11 February 2012, recognising three phases: the formative years (1985-1991);

  1. Modeling the Impact of CINO2 on Ozone Formation in the Houston Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    During the summer of 2006, nitryl chloride (ClNO2) mixing ratios of over 1 ppb were measured in the Houston urban area. Nitryl chloride is potentially important to atmospheric chemistry in urban environments because its photolysis products include both NO2 a...

  2. 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.

  3. West Nile Virus Outbreak in Houston and Harris County, Texas, USA, 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, Diana; Murray, Kristy O; Reyna, Martin; Arafat, Raouf R; Gorena, Roberto; Shah, Umair A; Debboun, Mustapha

    2017-08-01

    Since 2002, West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected every year in Houston and the surrounding Harris County, Texas. In 2014, the largest WNV outbreak to date occurred, comprising 139 cases and causing 2 deaths. Additionally, 1,286 WNV-positive mosquito pools were confirmed, the most reported in a single mosquito season.

  4. VOC flux measurements using a novel Relaxed Eddy Accumulation GC-FID system in urban Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, C.; Schade, G.; Boedeker, I.

    2008-12-01

    Houston experiences higher ozone production rates than most other major cities in the US, which is related to high anthropogenic VOC emissions from both area/mobile sources (car traffic) and a large number of petrochemical facilities. The EPA forecasts that Houston is likely to still violate the new 8-h NAAQS in 2020. To monitor neighborhood scale pollutant fluxes, we established a tall flux tower installation a few kilometers north of downtown Houston. We measure energy and trace gas fluxes, including VOCs from both anthropogenic and biogenic emission sources in the urban surface layer using eddy covariance and related techniques. Here, we describe a Relaxed Eddy Accumulation (REA) system combined with a dual-channel GC-FID used for VOC flux measurements, including first results. Ambient air is sampled at approximately 15 L min-1 through a 9.5 mm OD PFA line from 60 m above ground next to a sonic anemometer. Subsamples of this air stream are extracted through an ozone scrubber and pushed into two Teflon bag reservoirs, from which they are transferred to the GC pre-concentration units consisting of carbon-based adsorption traps encapsulated in heater blocks for thermal desorption. We discuss the performance of our system and selected measurement results from the 2008 spring and summer seasons in Houston. We present diurnal variations of the fluxes of the traffic tracers benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) during different study periods. Typical BTEX fluxes ranged from -0.36 to 3.10 mg m-2 h-1 for benzene, and -0.47 to 5.04 mg m-2 h-1 for toluene, and exhibited diurnal cycles with two dominant peaks related to rush-hour traffic. A footprint analysis overlaid onto a geographic information system (GIS) will be presented to reveal the dominant emission sources and patterns in the study area.

  5. Characterizing spatial variability of air pollution from vehicle traffic around the Houston Ship Channel area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xueying; Craft, Elena; Zhang, Kai

    2017-07-01

    Mobile emissions are a major source of urban air pollution and have been associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes. The Houston Ship Channel area is the home of a large number of diesel-powered vehicles emitting fine particulate matter (PM2.5; ≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). However, the spatial variability of traffic-related air pollutants in the Houston Ship Channel area has rarely been investigated. The objective of this study is to characterize spatial variability of PM2.5 and NOx concentrations attributable to on-road traffic in the Houston Ship Channel area in the year of 2011. We extracted the road network from the Texas Department of Transportation Road Inventory, and calculated emission rates using the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator version 2014a (MOVES2014a). These parameters and preprocessed meteorological parameters were entered into a Research LINE-source Dispersion Model (RLINE) to conduct a simulation. Receptors were placed at 50 m resolution within 300 m to major roads and at 150 m resolution in the rest of the area. Our findings include that traffic-related PM2.5 were mainly emitted from trucks, while traffic-related NOx were emitted from both trucks and cars. The traffic contributed 0.90 μg/m3 PM2.5 and 29.23 μg/m3 NOx to the annual average mass concentrations of on-road air pollution, and the concentrations of the two pollutants decreased by nearly 40% within 500 m distance to major roads. The pollution level of traffic-related PM2.5 and NOx was higher in winter than those in the other three seasons. The Houston Ship Channel has earlier morning peak hours and relative late afternoon hours, which indicates the influence of goods movement from port activity. The varied near-road gradients illustrate that proximities to major roads are not an accurate surrogate of traffic-related air pollution.

  6. Learning from Katrina: environmental health observations from the SWCPHP response team in Houston.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elledge, Brenda L; Boatright, Daniel T; Woodson, Paul; Clinkenbeard, Rodney E; Brand, Michael W

    2007-09-01

    Hurricane Katrina provided an opportunity to observe the public health and medical care response system in practice and provided vital lessons about identifying and learning critical response measures as well as about ineffective investments of time and effort. The Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness (SWCPHP) response team, while working among evacuees housed at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas, made a number of observations related to environmental public health. This summary reports firsthand observations which are, to a great extent, supported by the Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned report, and it provides a contextual backdrop for improvement in the areas of volunteer and citizen preparedness training and education. Katrina provided an opportunity to see public health in a highly stressed practice setting and to identify and reinforce the fundamental tenets of public health with which all individuals responding to an event should be familiar. Knowledge gained from Katrina should be integrated into future efforts related to disaster response planning; specifically, it is imperative that volunteers receive standardized training in the areas of incident command systems (ICS), basic hygiene, transmission of disease, and food and water safety principles.

  7. Rejecting conventional wisdom: how academic medical centers can regain their leadership positions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krauss, K; Smith, J

    1997-07-01

    Academic medical centers (i.e., medical schools and their principal hospitals) are following very similar strategies in attempts to secure their futures. It is likely that these undifferentiated strategies will fail, since most of them have been copied from the lower-cost, geographically better-positioned hospitals and health systems. Despite a wealth of innovative, entrepreneurial talent and the potential to reshape the world that AMCs live in, most AMCs are in reactive modes. Future directions and strategies are almost always shaped, forced, and justified by external pressures. The major problem with the strategic plans of most AMCs is that they are based on conventional industry wisdom. Strategic plans tend not to be analytically driven. The insight and understanding of those factors that drive the demand for AMCs' services and determine the performances of AMCs are lacking. The authors note some questions that are critical to the formulation of strategies for AMCs. For example, how can the research mission be changed from a cost-based to a value-based endeavor? Most AMCs cannot answer these questions, and if they do address them in the planning process, they do so superficially. Several examples of the factors that need to be understood are also given, such as patients' purposes and needs in seeking specialty care. Alternative strategies are listed, such as maintaining and exploiting the economic irrationality of the market rather than acting as if it were economically rational or forcing it to become so. Last, the authors outline the scope of the changes that are required and urge AMCs to reject conventional wisdom, determine their own unique situations, and work from there.

  8. Chagas Disease Knowledge and Risk Behaviors of the Homeless Population in Houston, TX.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingber, Alexandra; Garcia, Melissa N; Leon, Juan; Murray, Kristy O

    2018-04-01

    Chagas disease is a parasitic infection, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, endemic in Latin America. Sylvatic T. cruzi-infected triatomine vectors are present in rural and urban areas in the southern USA and may transmit T. cruzi infection to at-risk populations, such as homeless individuals. Our study aimed to evaluate Chagas disease knowledge and behaviors potentially associated with transmission risk of Chagas disease among Houston, Texas' homeless population by performing interviews with 212 homeless individuals. The majority of the 212 surveyed homeless individuals were male (79%), African-American (43%), American-born individuals (96%). About 30% of the individuals reported having seen triatomines in Houston, and 25% had evidence of blood-borne transmission risk (IV drug use and/or unregulated tattoos). The median total time homeless was significantly associated with recognition of the triatomine vector. Our survey responses indicate that the homeless populations may exhibit potential risks for Chagas disease, due to increased vector exposure, and participation in blood-borne pathogen risk behaviors. Our findings warrant additional research to quantify the prevalence of Chagas disease among homeless populations.

  9. Impact of the 2011 heat wave on mortality and emergency department visits in Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Kai; Chen, Tsun-Hsuan; Begley, Charles E

    2015-01-27

    Heat waves have been linked to increased risk of mortality and morbidity, and are projected to increase in frequency and intensity in a changing climate. Houston and other areas in Texas experienced an exceptional heat wave in the summer of 2011 producing the hottest August on record. This study aims to assess the health-related impact of this heat wave. Distributed lag models were used to estimate associations between the 2011 heat wave and all-cause mortality and emergency department (ED) visits from May 1 through September 30 for the five-year period 2007-2011. The 2011 heat wave is defined as a continuous period from August 2 through 30, 2011 according to the heat advisories issued by the local National Weather Service office, and is included in the models as a dummy variable. We compared the estimated excess risk among the models with and without adjustment of continuous temperature and ozone. The 2011 heat wave in Houston was associated with a 3.6% excess risk in ED visits (95% CI: 0.6%, 6.6%) and 0.6% increase in mortality risk (95% CI: -5.5%, 7.1%). The elderly over 65 years of age were at the greatest risk in ED visits. These patterns are consistent across different heat-wave definitions, and results are similar when adjusting for continuous temperature and ozone. The 2011 heat wave in Houston had a substantial impact on ED visits and no significant impact on mortality. Our findings provide insights into local heat-wave and health preparations and interventions.

  10. Everything is bigger in Texas : Reflection program case ‘Houston Galveston Bay, Texas’

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kok, M.; Brand, A.D.; Kothuis, Baukje; Kok, Matthijs

    2017-01-01

    The saying goes that ‘Everything is bigger in Texas.’ This holds true for both the flood risk in the Houston-Galveston Bay Area, and for the complexity of issues that need to be dealt with in order to reduce it – assuming there is agreement that the current risk is

  11. Development of the Spanish Language Houston Pain Outcome Instrument for Spanish Speakers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNeill, Jeanette; Sherwood, Gwen

    2017-12-01

    To address reported disparities in pain management among Hispanic patients, this article reports the psychometrics of the newly developed Spanish language Houston Pain Outcome Instrument (HPOI) with postoperative Hispanic patients. Findings from qualitative interviews conducted with 35 self-identified Hispanics in Phase 1 of the overall project were used to generate items for a new Spanish language instrument, Cuestionario de Houston Sobre el Dolor (HPOI). The second phase tested the psychometric properties with 95 self-identified Hispanic postoperative inpatients in three Texas hospitals. HPOI subscale reliabilities ranged from .63 to .91, with similar reliabilities for Spanish and English versions. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by moderate significant correlations with similar items on the Brief Pain Inventory. Participants reported moderate and severe worst pain in the last 24 hours; 38% were undertreated for pain according to the Pain Management Index; and 75% reported nonpharmacologic strategies including family support, prayer, and position change as highly effective in managing pain. The HPOI is a reliable instrument for addressing disparities in pain management for the rapidly growing Hispanic population in the United States. Subscales for interference with mood and physical function and patient-reported nonpharmacologic strategies facilitate a more comprehensive assessment of the pain experience.

  12. Effects of cold fronts on ozone in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, R.; Talbot, R. W.; Wang, Y.; Wang, S. C.; Estes, M. J.

    2017-12-01

    A cold front may have confounding effects on ozone by bringing in contaminated air masses to an area and causing lower temperatures which likely lead to low ozone production rates. Literature reports on individual cold front events showing increasing and decreasing effects on ozone. The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area as the energy capital of USA suffers relatively high ozone levels. The effect of cold fronts on HGB ozone in the long-term range remains unknown. Weather Prediction Center (WPC) Surface Analysis Archive from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which records cold fronts' positions since 2003 has been employed in this study. The results show the count of cold fronts passing the HGB area shows no clear trend but great interannual variation. Cold front appearance in summer is much less than in other seasons. In general, both mean MDA8 and background ozone during cold front days increased compared non-cold front days. This increasing effect has been enhanced during post-front days and summer season. Cluster analysis on meteorological parameters shows cold front days with high precipitation or wind speed could lower the MDA8 and background ozone but the proportion of those days are low in all cold front days. It may explain why cold fronts show increasing effects on ozone in the HGB area.

  13. Comparison of conventional methods for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in children of the Center-West Region of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yvone M. Brustoloni

    Full Text Available In Brazil, sophisticated techniques currently employed for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis, such as polymerase chain reaction-based assays, are only available in major research centers, whereas conventional methods are still used in many areas where the disease occurs. In the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the country's Center-West Region, visceral leishmaniasis has recently emerged in many cities, and duration of the disease, from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, has been short. Considering that results of diagnostic tests may depend on the phase of the disease, we compared direct examination of bone marrow aspirates (BMAs, BMA culture, and serology by Indirect Immunofluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT for diagnosis in children, according to time of evolution (30 days and to spleen size ( 5 cm at admission. Duration of the illness did not interfere with test positivity: direct smear examination and IFAT were positive in more than 80% of patients, as was culture in around 60%. Results of positive microscopy, however, where predominant in patients with larger spleens. Thanks to the association of traditional techniques, only a few patients had to begin a treatment trial without confirming the diagnosis. Conventional methods for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis are still indispensable in our region, and training professionals in basic techniques should be incremented. The highest sensitivity in laboratory diagnosis among the cases investigated was that obtained with a combination of BMA direct examination and IFAT, nearing 100%.

  14. MO-F-CAMPUS-T-01: IROC Houston QA Center’s Anthropomorphic Proton Phantom Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lujano, C; Hernandez, N; Keith, T; Nguyen, T; Taylor, P; Molineu, A; Followill, D

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To describe the proton phantoms that IROC Houston uses to approve and credential proton institutions to participate in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. Methods: Photon phantoms cannot necessarily be used for proton measurements because protons react differently than photons in some plastics. As such plastics that are tissue equivalent for protons were identified. Another required alteration is to ensure that the film dosimeters are housed in the phantom with no air gap to avoid proton streaming. Proton-equivalent plastics/materials used include RMI Solid Water, Techron HPV, blue water, RANDO soft tissue material, balsa wood, compressed cork and polyethylene. Institutions wishing to be approved or credentialed request a phantom and are prioritized for delivery. At the institution, the phantom is imaged, a treatment plan is developed, positioned on the treatment couch and the treatment is delivered. The phantom is returned and the measured dose distributions are compared to the institution’s electronically submitted treatment plan dosimetry data. Results: IROC Houston has developed an extensive proton phantom approval/credentialing program consisting of five different phantoms designs: head, prostate, lung, liver and spine. The phantoms are made with proton equivalent plastics that have HU and relative stopping powers similar (within 5%) of human tissues. They also have imageable targets, avoidance structures, and heterogeneities. TLD and radiochromic film are contained in the target structures. There have been 13 head, 33 prostate, 18 lung, 2 liver and 16 spine irradiations with either passive scatter, or scanned proton beams. The pass rates have been: 100%, 69.7%, 72.2%, 50%, and 81.3%, respectively. Conclusion: IROC Houston has responded to the recent surge in proton facilities by developing a family of anthropomorphic phantoms that are able to be used for remote audits of proton beams. Work supported by PHS grant CA10953 and CA081647

  15. MO-F-CAMPUS-T-01: IROC Houston QA Center’s Anthropomorphic Proton Phantom Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lujano, C; Hernandez, N; Keith, T; Nguyen, T; Taylor, P; Molineu, A; Followill, D [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To describe the proton phantoms that IROC Houston uses to approve and credential proton institutions to participate in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. Methods: Photon phantoms cannot necessarily be used for proton measurements because protons react differently than photons in some plastics. As such plastics that are tissue equivalent for protons were identified. Another required alteration is to ensure that the film dosimeters are housed in the phantom with no air gap to avoid proton streaming. Proton-equivalent plastics/materials used include RMI Solid Water, Techron HPV, blue water, RANDO soft tissue material, balsa wood, compressed cork and polyethylene. Institutions wishing to be approved or credentialed request a phantom and are prioritized for delivery. At the institution, the phantom is imaged, a treatment plan is developed, positioned on the treatment couch and the treatment is delivered. The phantom is returned and the measured dose distributions are compared to the institution’s electronically submitted treatment plan dosimetry data. Results: IROC Houston has developed an extensive proton phantom approval/credentialing program consisting of five different phantoms designs: head, prostate, lung, liver and spine. The phantoms are made with proton equivalent plastics that have HU and relative stopping powers similar (within 5%) of human tissues. They also have imageable targets, avoidance structures, and heterogeneities. TLD and radiochromic film are contained in the target structures. There have been 13 head, 33 prostate, 18 lung, 2 liver and 16 spine irradiations with either passive scatter, or scanned proton beams. The pass rates have been: 100%, 69.7%, 72.2%, 50%, and 81.3%, respectively. Conclusion: IROC Houston has responded to the recent surge in proton facilities by developing a family of anthropomorphic phantoms that are able to be used for remote audits of proton beams. Work supported by PHS grant CA10953 and CA081647.

  16. Overview of surface measurements and spatial characterization of submicrometer particulate matter during the DISCOVER-AQ 2013 campaign in Houston, TX.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leong, Y J; Sanchez, N P; Wallace, H W; Karakurt Cevik, B; Hernandez, C S; Han, Y; Flynn, J H; Massoli, P; Floerchinger, C; Fortner, E C; Herndon, S; Bean, J K; Hildebrandt Ruiz, L; Jeon, W; Choi, Y; Lefer, B; Griffin, R J

    2017-08-01

    The sources of submicrometer particulate matter (PM 1 ) remain poorly characterized in the industrialized city of Houston, TX. A mobile sampling approach was used to characterize PM 1 composition and concentration across Houston based on high-time-resolution measurements of nonrefractory PM 1 and trace gases during the DISCOVER-AQ Texas 2013 campaign. Two pollution zones with marked differences in PM 1 levels, character, and dynamics were established based on cluster analysis of organic aerosol mass loadings sampled at 16 sites. The highest PM 1 mass concentrations (average 11.6 ± 5.7 µg/m 3 ) were observed to the northwest of Houston (zone 1), dominated by secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass likely driven by nighttime biogenic organonitrate formation. Zone 2, an industrial/urban area south/east of Houston, exhibited lower concentrations of PM 1 (average 4.4 ± 3.3 µg/m 3 ), significant organic aerosol (OA) aging, and evidence of primary sulfate emissions. Diurnal patterns and backward-trajectory analyses enable the classification of airmass clusters characterized by distinct PM sources: biogenic SOA, photochemical aged SOA, and primary sulfate emissions from the Houston Ship Channel. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that secondary biogenic organonitrates primarily related with monoterpenes are predominant in zone 1 (accounting for 34% of the variability in the data set). The relevance of photochemical processes and industrial and traffic emission sources in zone 2 also is highlighted by PCA, which identifies three factors related with these processes/sources (~50% of the aerosol/trace gas concentration variability). PCA reveals a relatively minor contribution of isoprene to SOA formation in zone 1 and the absence of isoprene-derived aerosol in zone 2. The relevance of industrial amine emissions and the likely contribution of chloride-displaced sea salt aerosol to the observed variability in pollution levels in zone 2 also are captured by PCA. This

  17. Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Math: Impact Studies at Queensborough and Houston Community Colleges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weissman, Evan; Butcher, Kristin F.; Schneider, Emily; Teres, Jedediah; Collado, Herbert; Greenberg, David

    2011-01-01

    Queensborough Community College and Houston Community College are two large, urban institutions that offer learning communities for their developmental math students, with the goals of accelerating students' progress through the math sequence and of helping them to perform better in college and ultimately earn degrees or certificates. They are…

  18. Atmospheric Methane Enhancements Related with Natural Gas Usage in the Greater Houston Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, N. P.; Zheng, C.; Ye, W.; Czader, B.; Cohan, D. S.; Tittel, F. K.; Griffin, R. J.

    2017-12-01

    Natural gas (NG) usage as a replacement of oil and coal has increased significantly in the U.S in recent years. Despite the benefits associated with this fuel, leakage from NG distribution systems and in-use uncombusted NG (e.g., compressed natural gas vehicles) can be relevant sources of methane (CH4) emissions in urban centers. Methane, the main constituent of NG, is a potent greenhouse gas impacting the chemistry of the atmosphere, whose emission might outweigh the potential environmental advantages of NG use. Although the Greater Houston area (GHA) is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S, no studies on the potential impact of NG usage on atmospheric CH4 levels have been published in the scientific literature to date. In this work, a mobile-based study of CH4 and ethane (C2H6) concentration levels in eight residential zones with different expected probability of NG leakage in the GHA was conducted in the summer of 2016. A novel laser-based sensor system for simultaneous detection of CH4 and C2H6 was developed and deployed in a mid-sized vehicle, and monitoring of these gas species was conducted for over 14 days covering 250 road miles. Both linear discriminant and cluster analyses were performed to assess the spatial variability of atmospheric CH4 concentrations in the GHA. These analyses showed clear differences in the CH4 mixing ratios in an inter- and intra-neighborhood level and indicated the presence of high CH4 concentration clusters mainly located in the central and west central parts of the GHA. Source discrimination analyses based on orthogonal regression analysis and a Keeling-like plot method were conducted to establish the predominant origin of CH4 in the identified high concentration clusters and in over 30 CH4 concentration peaks observed during the field campaign. Results of these analyses indicate that thermogenic sources of CH4 (e.g., NG) were predominant in short-duration concentration spikes (lasting less than 10 minutes), while CH4

  19. Understanding the world energy challenges. CERAWeek 2015 - Houston / April 20-24, 2015

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2015-04-01

    The 34. CERAWeek conference of Houston is a major meeting for worldwide energy actors. The aim of this note is not to present a structured synthesis of the debates, but to point out some of the experts' or politicians' position regarding: the proven predominance of fossil fuels, the challenge of prices, the market design change in the electric power industry, the 21. conference of parties (COP 21) on climate change, and the most original regional initiatives

  20. 78 FR 48467 - CompuCom Systems, Inc., Tewksbury, Massachusetts; CompuCom Systems, Inc. Houston, Texas; Amended...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-08

    ... information technology outsourcing services. Specifically, the workers are subcontractors working in a call... workers of the subject firm. New information shows that the Houston, Texas and Tewksbury, Massachusetts locations of CompuCom Systems are engaged in activities related to the supply of information technology...

  1. Houston's Novel Strategy to Control Hazardous Air Pollutants: A Case Study in Policy Innovation and Political Stalemate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sexton, Ken; Linder, Stephen H

    2015-01-01

    Although ambient concentrations have declined steadily over the past 30 years, Houston has recorded some of the highest levels of hazardous air pollutants in the United States. Nevertheless, federal and state regulatory efforts historically have emphasized compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone, treating "air toxics" in Houston as a residual problem to be solved through application of technology-based standards. Between 2004 and 2009, Mayor Bill White and his administration challenged the well-established hierarchy of air quality management spelled out in the Clean Air Act, whereby federal and state authorities are assigned primacy over local municipalities for the purpose of designing and implementing air pollution control strategies. The White Administration believed that existing regulations were not sufficient to protect the health of Houstonians and took a diversity of both collaborative and combative policy actions to mitigate air toxic emissions from stationary sources. Opposition was substantial from a local coalition of entrenched interests satisfied with the status quo, which hindered the city's attempts to take unilateral policy actions. In the short term, the White Administration successfully raised the profile of the air toxics issue, pushed federal and state regulators to pay more attention, and induced a few polluting facilities to reduce emissions. But since White left office in 2010, air quality management in Houston has returned to the way it was before, and today there is scant evidence that his policies have had any lasting impact.

  2. Arsenic and radionuclide occurrence and relation to geochemistry in groundwater of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System in Houston, Texas, 2007–11

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oden, Jeannette H.; Szabo, Zoltan

    2016-03-21

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Houston, began a study in 2007 to determine concentrations, spatial extent, and associated geochemical conditions that might be conducive for mobility and transport of selected naturally occurring trace elements and radionuclides in the Gulf Coast aquifer system in Houston, Texas. Water samples were collected from 91 municipal supply wells completed in the Evangeline and Chicot aquifers of the Gulf Coast aquifer system in northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern Houston; hereinafter referred to as northeast, northwest and southwest Houston areas. Wells were sampled in three phases: (1) 28 municipal supply wells were sampled during 2007–8, (2) 60 municipal supply wells during 2010, and (3) 3 municipal supply wells during December 2011. During each phase of sampling, samples were analyzed for major ions, selected trace elements, and radionuclides. At a subset of wells, concentrations of arsenic species and other radionuclides (carbon-14, radium-226, radium-228, radon-222, and tritium) also were analyzed. Selected physicochemical properties were measured in the field at the time each sample was collected, and oxidation-reduction potential and unfiltered sulfides also were measured at selected wells. The source-water (the raw, ambient water withdrawn from municipal supply wells prior to water treatment) samples were collected for assessment of aquifer conditions in order to provide community water-system operators information that could be important when they make decisions about which treatment processes to apply before distributing finished drinking water.

  3. The William Houston Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 2002.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teague, A M

    2004-06-01

    The William Houston medal is a prestigious prize awarded to the individual achieving the most outstanding examination performance at the Membership in Orthodontics examination for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Five clinical cases treated by the candidate are presented as part of the final examination; two of these cases are described below. The first a Class III malocclusion, and the second a Class II division 1 malocclusion, were both treated by orthodontic camouflage.

  4. A Heart as Big as Texas: Small-Town Roots Nurture a Houston Music Teacher's Success

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Patience

    2011-01-01

    Teaching music to nearly a thousand elementary students each week would make any educator break a sweat. But one would never know that from talking to MaryElla Neeley Stevens. After 30-plus years teaching K-4 music in the Aldine Independent School District of Houston, Texas, she still radiates positivity. Whether it's mentoring and training…

  5. Exploratory study of atmospheric methane enhancements derived from natural gas use in the Houston urban area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Nancy P.; Zheng, Chuantao; Ye, Weilin; Czader, Beata; Cohan, Daniel S.; Tittel, Frank K.; Griffin, Robert J.

    2018-03-01

    The extensive use of natural gas (NG) in urban areas for heating and cooking and as a vehicular fuel is associated with potentially significant emissions of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas that influences the chemistry of the atmosphere, can be emitted from different sources including leakage from NG infrastructure, transportation activities, end-use uncombusted NG, landfills and livestock. Although significant CH4 leakage associated with aging local NG distribution systems in the U.S. has been reported, further investigation is required to study the role of this infrastructure component and other NG-related sources in atmospheric CH4 enhancements in urban centers. In this study, neighborhood-scale mobile-based monitoring of potential CH4 emissions associated with NG in the Greater Houston area (GHA) is reported. A novel dual-gas 3.337 μm interband cascade laser-based sensor system was developed and mobile-mode deployed for simultaneous CH4 and ethane (C2H6) monitoring during a period of over 14 days, corresponding to ∼ 90 h of effective data collection during summer 2016. The sampling campaign covered ∼250 exclusive road miles and was primarily concentrated on eight residential zones with distinct infrastructure age and NG usage levels. A moderate number of elevated CH4 concentration events (37 episodes) with mixing ratios not exceeding 3.60 ppmv and associated with atmospheric background enhancements below 1.21 ppmv were observed during the field campaign. Source discrimination analyses based on the covariance between CH4 and C2H6 levels indicated the predominance of thermogenic sources (e.g., NG) in the elevated CH4 concentration episodes. The volumetric fraction of C2H6 in the sources associated with the thermogenic CH4 spikes varied between 2.7 and 5.9%, concurring with the C2H6 content in NG distributed in the GHA. Isolated CH4 peak events with significantly higher C2H6 enhancements (∼11%) were observed at industrial

  6. Regression model development and computational procedures to support estimation of real-time concentrations and loads of selected constituents in two tributaries to Lake Houston near Houston, Texas, 2005-9

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Michael T.; Asquith, William H.; Oden, Timothy D.

    2012-01-01

    In December 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Houston, Texas, began collecting discrete water-quality samples for nutrients, total organic carbon, bacteria (Escherichia coli and total coliform), atrazine, and suspended sediment at two USGS streamflow-gaging stations that represent watersheds contributing to Lake Houston (08068500 Spring Creek near Spring, Tex., and 08070200 East Fork San Jacinto River near New Caney, Tex.). Data from the discrete water-quality samples collected during 2005–9, in conjunction with continuously monitored real-time data that included streamflow and other physical water-quality properties (specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen), were used to develop regression models for the estimation of concentrations of water-quality constituents of substantial source watersheds to Lake Houston. The potential explanatory variables included discharge (streamflow), specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and time (to account for seasonal variations inherent in some water-quality data). The response variables (the selected constituents) at each site were nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, E. coli, atrazine, and suspended sediment. The explanatory variables provide easily measured quantities to serve as potential surrogate variables to estimate concentrations of the selected constituents through statistical regression. Statistical regression also facilitates accompanying estimates of uncertainty in the form of prediction intervals. Each regression model potentially can be used to estimate concentrations of a given constituent in real time. Among other regression diagnostics, the diagnostics used as indicators of general model reliability and reported herein include the adjusted R-squared, the residual standard error, residual plots, and p-values. Adjusted R-squared values for the Spring Creek models ranged

  7. DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Case Study: Durable Energy Builders - Houston, Texas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2014-11-01

    This case study describes a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home in Houston, Texas, that scored HERS 39 without PV and HERS 29 with PV. This 5,947 ft2 custom home has 11.5-inch ICF walls. The attic is insulated along the roof line with 5 to 7 inches of open-cell spray foam. Most of the home's drinking water is supplied by a 11,500-gallon rainwater cistern. Hurricane strapping connects the roof to the walls. The triple-pane windows are impact resistant. The foundation is a raised slab.

  8. Composition and Sources of Particulate Matter Measured near Houston, TX: Anthropogenic-Biogenic Interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey K. Bean

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Particulate matter was measured in Conroe, Texas (~60 km north of downtown Houston, Texas during the September 2013 DISCOVER-AQ campaign to determine the sources of particulate matter in the region. The measurement site is influenced by high biogenic emission rates as well as transport of anthropogenic pollutants from the Houston metropolitan area and is therefore an ideal location to study anthropogenic-biogenic interactions. Data from an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM suggest that on average 64 percent of non-refractory PM1 was organic material, including a high fraction (27%–41% of organic nitrates. There was little diurnal variation in the concentrations of ammonium sulfate; however, concentrations of organic and organic nitrate aerosol were consistently higher at night than during the day. Potential explanations for the higher organic aerosol loadings at night include changing boundary layer height, increased partitioning to the particle phase at lower temperatures, and differences between daytime and nighttime chemical processes such as nitrate radical chemistry. Positive matrix factorization was applied to the organic aerosol mass spectra measured by the ACSM and three factors were resolved—two factors representing oxygenated organic aerosol and one factor representing hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol. The factors suggest that the measured aerosol was well mixed and highly processed, consistent with the distance from the site to major aerosol sources, as well as the high photochemical activity.

  9. Reference dosimetry data and modeling challenges for Elekta accelerators based on IROC-Houston site visit data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerns, James R; Followill, David S; Lowenstein, Jessica; Molineu, Andrea; Alvarez, Paola; Taylor, Paige A; Kry, Stephen F

    2018-03-14

    Reference dosimetry data can provide an independent second check of acquired values when commissioning or validating a treatment planning system (TPS). The Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core at Houston (IROC-Houston) has measured numerous linear accelerators throughout its existence. The results of those measurements are given here, comparing accelerators and the agreement of measurement versus institutional TPS calculations. Data from IROC-Houston on-site reviews from 2000 through 2014 were analyzed for all Elekta accelerators, approximately 50. For each, consistent point dose measurements were conducted for several basic parameters in a water phantom, including percentage depth dose, output factors, small-field output factors, off-axis factors, and wedge factors. The results were compared by accelerator type independently for 6, 10, 15, and 18 MV. Distributions of the measurements for each parameter are given, providing the mean and standard deviation. Each accelerator's measurements were also compared to its corresponding TPS calculation from the institution to determine the level of agreement, as well as determining which dosimetric parameters were most often in error. Accelerators were grouped by head type and reference dosimetric values were compiled. No class of linac had better overall agreement with its TPS, but percentage depth dose and output factors commonly agreed well, while small-field output factors, off-axis factors, and wedge factors often disagreed substantially from their TPS calculations. Reference data has been collected and analyzed for numerous Elekta linacs, which provide an independent way for a physicist to double-check their own measurements to prevent gross treatment errors. In addition, treatment planning parameters more often in error have been highlighted, providing practical caution for physicists commissioning treatment planning systems for Elekta linacs. © 2018 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  10. El Discurso de Pasado en el Espanol de Houston: Imperfectividad Y Perfectividad Verbal en una Situacion de Contacto (Past Tense in the Discourse of Spanish Speakers in Houston: Use of Preterite and Imperfect in a Language Contact Situation).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mrak, N. Ariana

    1998-01-01

    Investigates whether, due to the language contact situation in Houston in a group of a Mexican-American speakers, the imperfect forms of subordinate language (Spanish) are going through a process of reduction in favor of the forms of the superordinate language (English) when compared to the speech of Spanish monolinguals. (Author/VWL)

  11. The Evolution of Discovery Systems in Academic Libraries: A Case Study at the University of Houston Libraries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guajardo, Richard; Brett, Kelsey; Young, Frederick

    2017-01-01

    For the past several years academic libraries have been adopting discovery systems to provide a search experience that reflects user expectations and improves access to electronic resources. University of Houston Libraries has kept pace with this evolving trend by pursuing various discovery options; these include an open-source tool, a federated…

  12. Teacher Certification and Academic Growth among English Learner Students in the Houston Independent School District. REL 2018-284

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz de Castilla, Verónica

    2018-01-01

    Aware of the challenges set before the Houston Independent school District by rapid growth in the numbers of English learner students, and a critical shortage of teachers with bilingual certification for more than a decade, members of Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest's English Learners Research Alliance sought information that districts…

  13. Hurricane Harvey, Houston's Petrochemical Industry, and US Chemical Safety Policy: Impacts to Environmental Justice Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldman, G. T.; Johnson, C.; Gutierrez, A.; Declet-Barreto, J.; Berman, E.; Bergman, A.

    2017-12-01

    When Hurricane Harvey made landfall outside Houston, Texas, the storm's wind speeds and unprecedented precipitation caused significant damage to the region's petrochemical infrastructure. Most notably, the company Arkema's Crosby facility suffered a power failure that led to explosions and incineration of six of its peroxide tanks. Chemicals released into the air from the explosions sent 15 emergency responders to the hospital with severe respiratory conditions and led to the evacuation of hundreds of surrounding households. Other petrochemical facilities faced other damages that resulted in unsafe and acute chemical releases into the air and water. What impacts did such chemical disasters have on the surrounding communities and emergency responders during Harvey's aftermath? What steps might companies have taken to prevent such chemical releases? And what chemical safety policies might have ensured that such disaster risks were mitigated? In this talk we will report on a survey of the extent of damage to Houston's oil and gas infrastructure and related chemical releases and discuss the role of federal chemical safety policy in preventing and mitigating the potential for such risks for future storms and other extreme weather and climate events. We will also discuss how these chemical disasters created acute toxics exposures on environmental justice communities already overburdened with chronic exposures from the petrochemical industry.

  14. Manado Convention Centre (Megastructures)

    OpenAIRE

    Anggianto, Rio M; Rate, Johannes Van

    2013-01-01

    Proyek Manado Convention Center ini pada dasarnya merupakan wadah atau sarana komunikasi antara dua pihak dengan penerapkan berbagai metode komunikasi langsung tatap muka baik itu dari perorangan terhadap kelompok, kelompok terhadap kelompok atau kelompok terhadap masyarakat. Dan pada era kini hal ini menjadi suatu kebutuhan yang dianganggap penting. Kota Manado seringkali menjadi tuan rumah suatu konverensi dengan jumlah peserta yang tergolong besar karena cakupannya sampai manca negara....

  15. A multi-center randomized controlled trial to compare a self-ligating bracket with a conventional bracket in a UK population: Part 1: Treatment efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Dywer, Lian; Littlewood, Simon J; Rahman, Shahla; Spencer, R James; Barber, Sophy K; Russell, Joanne S

    2016-01-01

    To use a two-arm parallel trial to compare treatment efficiency between a self-ligating and a conventional preadjusted edgewise appliance system. A prospective multi-center randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in three hospital orthodontic departments. Subjects were randomly allocated to receive treatment with either a self-ligating (3M SmartClip) or conventional (3M Victory) preadjusted edgewise appliance bracket system using a computer-generated random sequence concealed in opaque envelopes, with stratification for operator and center. Two operators followed a standardized protocol regarding bracket bonding procedure and archwire sequence. Efficiency of each ligation system was assessed by comparing the duration of treatment (months), total number of appointments (scheduled and emergency visits), and number of bracket bond failures. One hundred thirty-eight subjects (mean age 14 years 11 months) were enrolled in the study, of which 135 subjects (97.8%) completed treatment. The mean treatment time and number of visits were 25.12 months and 19.97 visits in the SmartClip group and 25.80 months and 20.37 visits in the Victory group. The overall bond failure rate was 6.6% for the SmartClip and 7.2% for Victory, with a similar debond distribution between the two appliances. No significant differences were found between the bracket systems in any of the outcome measures. No serious harm was observed from either bracket system. There was no clinically significant difference in treatment efficiency between treatment with a self-ligating bracket system and a conventional ligation system.

  16. 75 FR 43564 - TA-W-71,483, Continental Airlines, Inc., Reservations Division, Houston, TX; TA-W-71,483A...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration TA-W-71,483, Continental Airlines, Inc., Reservations Division, Houston, TX; TA-W-71,483A, Continental Airlines, Inc., Reservations Division, Tampa, FL; TA-W-71,483B, Continental Airlines, Inc., Reservations Division, Salt Lake City, UT; Notice of...

  17. Groundwater quality of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Houston, Texas, 2007-08

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oden, Jeannette H.; Oden, Timothy D.; Szabo, Zoltan

    2010-01-01

    In the summers of 2007 and 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Houston, Texas, completed an initial reconnaissance-level survey of naturally occurring contaminants (arsenic, other selected trace elements, and radionuclides) in water from municipal supply wells in the Houston area. The purpose of this reconnaissance-level survey was to characterize source-water quality prior to drinking water treatment. Water-quality samples were collected from 28 municipal supply wells in the Houston area completed in the Evangeline aquifer, Chicot aquifer, or both. This initial survey is part of ongoing research to determine concentrations, spatial extent, and associated geochemical conditions that might be conducive for mobility and transport of these constituents in the Gulf Coast aquifer system in the Houston area. Samples were analyzed for major ions (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bromide, chloride, fluoride, silica, and sulfate), selected chemically related properties (residue on evaporation [dissolved solids] and chemical oxygen demand), dissolved organic carbon, arsenic species (arsenate [As(V)], arsenite [As(III)], dimethylarsinate [DMA], and monomethylarsonate [MMA]), other trace elements (aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, strontium, thallium, vanadium, and zinc), and selected radionuclides (gross alpha- and beta-particle activity [at 72 hours and 30 days], carbon-14, radium isotopes [radium-226 and radium-228], radon-222, tritium, and uranium). Field measurements were made of selected physicochemical (relating to both physical and chemical) properties (oxidation-reduction potential, turbidity, dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, specific conductance, water temperature, and alkalinity) and unfiltered sulfides. Dissolved organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand are presented but not discussed in the

  18. The location of late night bars and alcohol-related crashes in Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, Ned

    2017-10-01

    A study in the City of Houston, Texas, related the location of establishments primarily serving alcohol ("bars") after midnight to late night alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. There were three data sets for 2007-09: 1) 764bars that were open after midnight; 2) 1660 alcohol-related crashes that occurred within the City of Houston between midnight and 6 am; and 3) 4689 modeling network road segments to which bars and alcohol-related crashes were assigned. Forty-five percent of the late night alcohol-related crashes were within a quarter mile of a late night bar. The bars were highly concentrated in 17 small bar clusters. Using the modeling network, Poisson-Gamma-CAR and Poisson-Lognormal-CAR spatial regression models showed a positive exponential relationship between late night alcohol-related crashes and the number of late nights bars and bar clusters, and a negative exponential relationship to distance to the nearest late night bar controlling for the type of road segment (freeway, principal arterial, minor arterial). A more general model dropped the bar cluster variable. Further, the Poisson-Gamma-CAR model appeared to produce a better representation than the Poisson-Lognormal-CAR model though the errors were different. The general Poisson-Gamma-CAR model showed that each late night bar increased the frequency of alcohol-related crashes on a segment by approximately 190%. For each mile closer a segment was to a late night bar, the likelihood increased by 42%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Johnson Space Center's Solar and Wind-Based Renewable Energy System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasquez, A.; Ewert, M.; Rowlands, J.; Post, K.

    2009-01-01

    The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas has a Sustainability Partnership team that seeks ways for earth-based sustainability practices to also benefit space exploration research. A renewable energy gathering system was installed in 2007 at the JSC Child Care Center (CCC) which also offers a potential test bed for space exploration power generation and remote monitoring and control concepts. The system comprises: 1) several different types of photovoltaic panels (29 kW), 2) two wind-turbines (3.6 kW total), and 3) one roof-mounted solar thermal water heater and tank. A tie to the JSC local electrical grid was provided to accommodate excess power. The total first year electrical energy production was 53 megawatt-hours. A web-based real-time metering system collects and reports system performance and weather data. Improvements in areas of the CCC that were detected during subsequent energy analyses and some concepts for future efforts are also presented.

  20. 10 CFR Appendix I to Subpart B of... - Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Conventional Ranges, Conventional...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... PROGRAM FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS Test Procedures Pt. 430, Subpt. B, App. I Appendix I to Subpart B of Part... between the center and the corners of the conventional gas oven on the diagonals of a horizontal plane...

  1. Dynamic inundation mapping of Hurricane Harvey flooding in the Houston metro area using hyper-resolution modeling and quantitative image reanalysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noh, S. J.; Lee, J. H.; Lee, S.; Zhang, Y.; Seo, D. J.

    2017-12-01

    Hurricane Harvey was one of the most extreme weather events in Texas history and left significant damages in the Houston and adjoining coastal areas. To understand better the relative impact to urban flooding of extreme amount and spatial extent of rainfall, unique geography, land use and storm surge, high-resolution water modeling is necessary such that natural and man-made components are fully resolved. In this presentation, we reconstruct spatiotemporal evolution of inundation during Hurricane Harvey using hyper-resolution modeling and quantitative image reanalysis. The two-dimensional urban flood model used is based on dynamic wave approximation and 10 m-resolution terrain data, and is forced by the radar-based multisensor quantitative precipitation estimates. The model domain includes Buffalo, Brays, Greens and White Oak Bayous in Houston. The model is simulated using hybrid parallel computing. To evaluate dynamic inundation mapping, we combine various qualitative crowdsourced images and video footages with LiDAR-based terrain data.

  2. Houston, we have a narrative why science needs story

    CERN Document Server

    Olson, Randy

    2015-01-01

    Ask a scientist about Hollywood, and you ll probably get eye rolls. But ask someone in Hollywood about science, and they ll see dollar signs: moviemakers know that science can be the source of great stories, with all the drama and action that blockbusters require. That s a huge mistake, says Randy Olson: Hollywood has a lot to teach scientists about how to tell a story and, ultimately, how to "do" science better. With "Houston, We Have a Narrative," he lays out a stunningly simple method for turning the dull into the dramatic. Drawing on his unique background, which saw him leave his job as a working scientist to launch a career as a filmmaker, Olson first diagnoses the problem: When scientists tell us about their work, they pile one moment and one detail atop another moment and another detail a stultifying procession of and, and, and. What we need instead is an understanding of the basic elements of story, the narrative structures that our brains are all but hardwired to look for which Olson boils down, bril...

  3. The Advanced Lab Course at the University of Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forrest, Rebecca

    2009-04-01

    The University of Houston Advanced Lab course is designed to help students understand the physics in classic experiments, become familiar with experimental equipment and techniques, gain experience with independent experimentation, and learn to communicate results orally and in writing. It is a two semester course, with a Lab Seminar also required during the first semester. In the Seminar class we discuss keeping a notebook and writing a laboratory report, error analysis, data fitting, and scientific ethics. The students give presentations, in pairs, on the workings and use of basic laboratory equipment. In the Lab courses students do a one week introductory experiment, followed by six two-week experiments each semester. These range from traditional experiments in modern physics to contemporary experiments with superconductivity and chaos. The students are required to keep a laboratory notebook and to write a four-page paper for each experiment in the publication style of the American Institute of Physics. This course introduces students to the experimental tools and techniques used in physics, engineering, and industry laboratories, and allows them to mature as experimentalists.

  4. Prioritizing recovery of urban lifelines in the aftermath of hazards: Transportation in post-Harvey Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, M. E.; Bhatia, U.; Sela, L.; Wang, R.; Kodra, E.; Ganguly, A. R.

    2017-12-01

    A well-designed recovery strategy for lifeline infrastructure networks can lead to faster and more reliable restoration of essential services in the aftermath of natural catastrophes such as hurricanes or earthquakes. Urban and regional lifelines impact one another, while the recovery of urban lifelines in turn impacts regional infrastructural resilience, owing to the interdependence of lifelines across scales. Prior work by our team, often in collaboration, has led to the development of new recovery approaches based on network science and engineering, including centrality measures from network science, information theoretic metrics, and network optimization approaches. We have developed proof-of-concept demonstrations at both regional scales, such as for the Indian Railways Network and the US National Airspace System both subjected to multiple hazards, and to urban settings, such as the post-Hurricane recovery of combined power-subway system-of-systems in Boston and the New York City MTA after Hurricane Sandy. Here we make an attempt to understand how such methods may have been, or continue to be, applicable to the transportation network in Houston post-Harvey, and more broadly, how and to what extent lessons learned in urban and regional resilience may generalize across cases. We make an assessment of the state of the literature, process understanding, simulation models, data science methods, and best practices, necessary to address problems of this nature, with a particular focus on post-Harvey recovery of transportation services in Houston.

  5. Modeling Stochastic Boundary Conditions in a Coastal Catchment using a Bayesian Network: An Application to the Houston Ship Channel, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Couasnon, Anaïs; Sebastian, Antonia; Morales-Nápoles, Oswaldo

    2017-04-01

    Recent research has highlighted the increased risk of compound flooding in the U.S. In coastal catchments, an elevated downstream water level, resulting from high tide and/or storm surge, impedes drainage creating a backwater effect that may exacerbate flooding in the riverine environment. Catchments exposed to tropical cyclone activity along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts are particularly vulnerable. However, conventional flood hazard models focus mainly on precipitation-induced flooding and few studies accurately represent the hazard associated with the interaction between discharge and elevated downstream water levels. This study presents a method to derive stochastic boundary conditions for a coastal watershed. Mean daily discharge and maximum daily residual water levels are used to build a non-parametric Bayesian network (BN) based on copulas. Stochastic boundary conditions for the watershed are extracted from the BN and input into a 1-D process-based hydraulic model to obtain water surface elevations in the main channel of the catchment. The method is applied to a section of the Houston Ship Channel (Buffalo Bayou) in Southeast Texas. Data at six stream gages and two tidal stations are used to build the BN and 100-year joint return period events are modeled. We find that the dependence relationship between the daily residual water level and the mean daily discharge in the catchment can be represented by a Gumbel copula (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of 0.31) and that they result in higher water levels in the mid- to upstream reaches of the watershed than when modeled independently. This indicates that conventional (deterministic) methods may underestimate the flood hazard associated with compound flooding in the riverine environment and that such interactions should not be neglected in future coastal flood hazard studies.

  6. Inclusion of nodal option in diffusion conventional codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prati, A.; Anaf, J.

    1985-01-01

    The GCMDT (Generalized Coarse Mesh Diffusion Theory) is studied to use in the 2DB diffusion conventional code. An adequate formalism for its implementation in codes of 'Mesh-Centered' is developed for retangular, triangular and hexagonal geometries. (M.C.K.) [pt

  7. The prevalence of food insecurity and associated factors among households with children in Head Start programs in Houston, Texas and Birmingham, Alabama

    Science.gov (United States)

    This study measured food security and hunger of households enrolled in Head Start in Houston, Texas, and Birmingham, Alabama and assessed factors that could affect food security. Interviewers collected data from primary caregivers on demographic characteristics, dietary intake, and the six-item US f...

  8. Early mortality after radical radiotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer: comparison of PET-staged and conventionally staged cohorts treated at a large tertiary referral center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mac Manus, Michael P.; Wong, Kevin; Hicks, Rodney J.; Matthews, Jane P.; Wirth, Andrew; Ball, David L.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: At our center, approximately 30% of radical radiotherapy (RRT) candidates become ineligible for RRT for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after positron emission tomography (PET). We hypothesized that early cancer death rates would be lower in patients receiving RRT after PET staging compared with conventionally staged patients. Methods and Materials: Two prospective cohorts were compared. Cohort 1 consisted of all participants in an Australian randomized trial from our center given 60 Gy conventionally fractionated RRT with or without concurrent carboplatin from 1989 to 1995. Eligible patients had Stage I-III, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status 0 or 1, <10% weight loss, and had not undergone PET. Cohort 2 included all RRT candidates between November 1996 and April 1999 who received RRT after PET staging and fulfilled the above criteria for stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status, and weight loss. Results: Eighty and 77 eligible patients comprised the PET and non-PET groups, respectively. The PET-selected patients had significantly less weight loss; 73% and 49% of the PET and non-PET patients, respectively, received chemotherapy. The median survival was 31 months for PET patients and 16 months for non-PET patients. Mortality from NSCLC and other causes in the first year was 17% and 8% for PET patients and 32% and 4% for non-PET patients, respectively. The hazard ratio for NSCLC mortality for PET vs. non-PET patients was 0.49 (p=0.0016) on unifactorial analysis and was 0.55 (p = 0.0075) after adjusting for chemotherapy, which significantly improved survival. Conclusion: Patients selected for RRT after PET have lower early cancer mortality than those selected using conventional imaging

  9. Long-term meteorologically independent trend analysis of ozone air quality at an urban site in the greater Houston area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botlaguduru, Venkata S V; Kommalapati, Raghava R; Huque, Ziaul

    2018-04-19

    The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area of Texas has a history of ozone exceedances and is currently classified under moderate nonattainment status for the 2008 8-hr ozone standard of 75 ppb. The HGB area is characterized by intense solar radiation, high temperature, and humidity, which influence day-to-day variations in ozone concentrations. Long-term air quality trends independent of meteorological influence need to be constructed for ascertaining the effectiveness of air quality management in this area. The Kolmogorov-Zurbenko (KZ) filter technique used to separate different scales of motion in a time series, is applied in the current study for maximum daily 8-hr (MDA8) ozone concentrations at an urban site (EPA AQS Site ID: 48-201-0024, Aldine) in the HGB area. This site located within 10 miles of downtown Houston and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, was selected for developing long-term meteorologically independent MDA8 ozone trends for the years 1990-2016. Results from this study indicate a consistent decrease in meteorologically independent MDA8 ozone between 2000-2016. This pattern could be partially attributed to a reduction in underlying NO X emissions, particularly that of lowering nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) levels, and a decrease in the release of highly reactive volatile organic compounds (HRVOC). Results also suggest solar radiation to be most strongly correlated to ozone, with temperature being the secondary meteorological control variable. Relative humidity and wind speed have tertiary influence at this site. This study observed that meteorological variability accounts for a high of 61% variability in baseline ozone (low-frequency component, sum of long-term and seasonal components), while 64% of the change in long-term MDA8 ozone post-2000 could be attributed to NO X emissions reduction. Long-term MDA8 ozone trend component was estimated to be decreasing at a linear rate of 0.412 ± 0.007 ppb/yr for the years 2000-2016, and 0.155

  10. Non conventional energy sources and energy conservation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bueno M, F.

    1995-01-01

    Geographically speaking, Mexico is in an enviable position. Sun, water, biomass and geothermal fields main non conventional energy sources with commercial applications, are presents and in some cases plentiful in national territory. Moreover the coastal tidal power which is in research stage in several countries. Non conventional energy sources are an alternative which allow us to reduce the consumption of hydrocarbons or any other type of primary energetic, are not by oneself choices for the energy conservation, but energy replacements. At the beginning of this year, CONAE created the Direction of Non conventional Energy Sources, which main objective is to promote and impulse programs inclined towards the application of systems based in renewable energy sources. The research centers represent a technological and consultative support for the CONAE. They have an infrastructure developed along several years of continuous work. The non conventional energy sources will be a reality at the same time that their cost be equal or lower than the cost for the traditional generating systems. CONAE (National Commission for Energy Conservation). (Author)

  11. Comparing residential contamination in a Houston environmental justice neighborhood before and after Hurricane Harvey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horney, Jennifer A; Casillas, Gaston A; Baker, Erin; Stone, Kahler W; Kirsch, Katie R; Camargo, Krisa; Wade, Terry L; McDonald, Thomas J

    2018-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are complex environmental toxicants. Exposure to them has been linked to adverse health outcomes including cancer, as well as diseases of the skin, liver, and immune system. Based on an ongoing community engagement partnership with stakeholder groups and residents, we conducted a small longitudinal study to assess domestic exposure to PAHs among residents of Manchester, an environmental justice neighborhood located in the East End of Houston, TX. In December, 2016, we used fiber wipes to collect samples of household dust from 25 homes in Manchester. Following Hurricane Harvey, in September 2017, we revisited 24 of the 25 homes to collect soil samples from the front yards of the same homes. Wipes and soil were analyzed for the presence of PAHs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods. Principal component analysis plots, heatmaps, and PAH ratios were used to compare pre- and post-Hurricane Harvey samples. While direct comparison is not possible, we present three methods for comparing PAHs found in pre-hurricane fiber wipes and post-hurricane soil samples. The methods demonstrate that the PAHs found before and after Hurricane Harvey are likely from similar sources and that those sources are most likely to be associated with combustion. We also found evidence of redistribution of PAHs due to extreme flooding associated with Hurricane Harvey. Residents of the Manchester neighborhood of Houston, TX, are exposed to a range of PAHs in household dust and outdoor soil. While it was not possible to compare directly, we were able to use several methods to assess detected concentrations, changes in site-specific PAH allocations, and PAH origination. Additional research is needed to identify specific sources of domestic PAH exposure in these communities and continued work involving community members and policy makers should aim to develop interventions to reduce domestic exposure to and prevent negative health outcomes

  12. Coliform and Escherichia coli contamination of desserts served in public restaurants from Guadalajara, Mexico, and Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vigil, Karen J; Jiang, Zhi-Dong; Chen, Jaclyn J; Palumbo, Kathryn L; Galbadage, Thushara; Brown, Eric L; Yiang, Jing; Koo, Hoonmo; DuPont, Margaret W; Ericsson, Charles; Adachi, Javier A; DuPont, Herbert L

    2009-04-01

    Bacterial enteropathogens acquired from contaminated food are the principal causes of travelers' diarrhea (TD). We evaluated desserts obtained from popular restaurants in the tourist city of Guadalajara, Mexico, and Houston, Texas, to determine coliform and Escherichia coli contamination levels and presence of diarrheagenic E. coli known to be important in TD. Contamination for all organisms was seen for desserts served in Guadalajara restaurants. Desserts should be considered as potentially risky foods for development of TD among international visitors to developing regions of the world.

  13. Center for Fuel Cell Research and Applications development phase. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-12-01

    The deployment and operation of clean power generation is becoming critical as the energy and transportation sectors seek ways to comply with clean air standards and the national deregulation of the utility industry. However, for strategic business decisions, considerable analysis is required over the next few years to evaluate the appropriate application and value added from this emerging technology. To this end the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) is proposing a three-year industry-driven project that centers on the creation of ``The Center for Fuel Cell Research and Applications.`` A collaborative laboratory housed at and managed by HARC, the Center will enable a core group of six diverse participating companies--industry participants--to investigate the economic and operational feasibility of proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cells in a variety of applications (the core project). This document describes the unique benefits of a collaborative approach to PEM applied research, among them a shared laboratory concept leading to cost savings and shared risks as well as access to outstanding research talent and lab facilities. It also describes the benefits provided by implementing the project at HARC, with particular emphasis on HARC`s history of managing successful long-term research projects as well as its experience in dealing with industry consortia projects. The Center is also unique in that it will not duplicate the traditional university role of basic research or that of the fuel cell industry in developing commercial products. Instead, the Center will focus on applications, testing, and demonstration of fuel cell technology.

  14. Cooperative Mmonitoring Center Occasional Paper/5: Propspects of Conventional Arms Control in South Asia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gupta, Amit; Kamal, Nazir

    1998-11-01

    The intensely adversarial relationship between India and Pakistan is marked by military rivalry, mutual distrust, and suspicion. The most dividing disagreement has been over the Kashmir region. An inability to discuss the Kashmir issue has prevented discussion on other important issues. Since there is little prospect of detente, at least in the near-term, the question is whether this rivalry can be contained by other means, such as arms control approaches. Conventional arms control has been applied flexibly and successfully in some regions to reduce threat-perceptions and achieve reassuring military stability. Some lessons from other international models might be applied to the India/Pakistan context. This paper discusses the status of conventional arms control in South Asia, the dominant Indian and Pakistani perceptions about arms control, the benefits that could be derived from arms control, as well as the problems and prospects of arms control. It also discusses existing conventional arms control agreements at the regional and global levels as well as the potential role of cooperative monitoring technology.

  15. Conventional versus molecular methods for diagnosis of tuberculosis in a tertiary care center: A study from Punjab

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shavi Nagpal

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: A fast and accurate diagnosis is necessary to control and eliminate tuberculosis (TB. There have been various studies evaluating the efficacy of polymerase chain reaction (PCR testing in clinical practice. Most of these studies have found PCR as a useful tool to diagnose TB and more so for the extra-pulmonary cases. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of TB by real-time PCR versus the conventional methods of diagnosis in a tertiary care center in Punjab. Materials and Methods: This study was done in a tertiary care center of Punjab to look for the results of clinical samples tested for TB using PCR, Ziehl–Neelsen staining and culture on Lowenstein–Jensen medium. 16S rRNA gene was used for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection in PCR. This study included all samples tested for TB from July 2015 to October 2015. Results: A total of 214 samples were tested for TB using smear microscopy, culture and PCR (including 194 [90.6%] extra-pulmonary and 20 [9.3%] pulmonary samples. These included 76 cerebrospinal fluid, 30 pleural fluid, 42 tissues, 17 ascitic fluid, 13 urine, 15 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL, 16 pus, and 5 sputum samples. Smear microscopy was positive in a total of 4 samples out of 214 (1.8%, which included 2 sputum, 1 tissue, and 1 ascitic fluid samples, while culture was positive for 6 samples (2.8% which included 2 sputum, 1 pus, 1 BAL, 1 tissue, and 1 ascitic fluid sample. The TB PCR results were positive in a total of 71 (33.1% samples out of 214. In addition, three samples also tested positive for Mycobacteria other than TB. Conclusion: PCR is a very rapid and accurate diagnostic tool for early detection of TB in particularly for extrapulmonary TB.

  16. Transportation Security Institute: recruiting next generation professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-01

    "The Center for Transportation Training and Research (CTTR), as part of Texas Southern University (TSU), served as host for the 2012 Transportation Security Institute (TSI) in Houston and surrounding area. The 2012 Houston TSI focuses on the mission ...

  17. The long-term effects of the Houston Child Advocates, Inc., program on children and family outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waxman, Hersh C; Houston, W Robert; Profilet, Susan M; Sanchez, Betsi

    2009-01-01

    The objective of the study is to investigate the longitudinal effects of the Houston Child Advocates, Inc., program on children's outcomes. The treatment group consisted of children in the court system that were assigned Child Advocates volunteers, and the comparison children were chosen randomly from a similar population of children. The treatment group had significantly higher scores on the protective factor and family functioning measures and received more social services than those in the comparison group. Children in the treatment group also had significantly fewer placement changes and did better academically and behaviorally in school than children in the comparison group.

  18. Comparison of the efficacy of biologics versus conventional systemic therapies in the treatment of psoriasis at a comprehensive psoriasis care center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Au, Shiu-Chung; Madani, Abdulaziz; Alhaddad, Marwan; Alkofide, Maha; Gottlieb, Alice B

    2013-08-01

    The efficacy of biologic treatment for psoriasis has not been compared to that of conventional systemic therapies and phototherapy outside of clinical trial settings. Retrospective, cross-sectional. All patient visits with a code for psoriasis (ICD-9 696.1) in the clinical practice of two dermatologists with a high percentage (over 70% of chief complaints) of psoriasis patients from Jan 1, 2008 to Jan 4, 2012 inclusive were included in this retrospective data analysis. Patients were excluded if the baseline Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) at start of treatment was unknown, or less than 3 (moderate). The practice is a comprehensive psoriasis care center in the Northeastern United States serving a metropolitan population of over 4 million people. Patients were divided by treatment type (biologic, conventional systemic or both) and history of previous treatments. Patients were evaluated by Body Surface Area (BSA), PGA, Simple-Measure for Assessing Psoriasis Activity (S-MAPA, calculated by BSA multiplied by PGA). Patients were evaluated at baseline, 8, 12, 16, and 24 weeks after start of treatment. Patients must have completed at least 8 weeks on a single treatment in order to be included. 46 courses of biologics, 12 courses of conventional systemic therapies, and 18 courses of both together were identified with PGA 3 or greater at baseline. Baseline S-MAPA for biologics was 74, for non-biologic systemics was 62.25. At week 24, S-MAPA improved 70.2% over baseline in patients treated with biologics, patients treated with non-biologic systemics improved by only 40.4% (PMAPA (PGA multiplied by BSA) at week 24. These results were observed despite the fact that patients on biologics had a greater baseline severity and had a greater number of previous treatments.

  19. Kuala Namu Convention And Exhibition Centre

    OpenAIRE

    Gustriana, Trisna

    2017-01-01

    Aerotropolis area development that is expected to accommodate the development of business and commercial appeal and this is the chance for the designer to be able to take advantage of the situation and condition of land as well as possible. So that the revolutionary changes but is able to embrace all stakeholders is the solution needed to development Aerotropolis. Kuala Namu's Convention and Exhibition Center is expected to be a solution for regional development of Kuala Namu a...

  20. Time of travel of solutes in Buffalo Bayou and selected tributaries, Houston, Texas, August 1999

    Science.gov (United States)

    East, Jeffery W.; Schaer, Jasper D.

    2000-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, conducted a time-of-travel study in the Buffalo Bayou watershed during low flow in August 1999. The study was done as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) program. The EMPACT program was designed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work with communities to “make timely, accurate, and understandable environmental information available to millions of people in the largest metropolitan areas across the country.” (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). Buffalo Bayou, located in Houston, Texas, was chosen as a pilot project because it is a frequently used recreational water source, it has many water-treatment facilities located along its stream segments, and it has a history of water-quality problems (Houston-Galveston Area Council, 2000). One component of the pilot project is to develop a water-quality simulation model that can be used to assess the effects of noncompliance events on Buffalo Bayou. Because accurate estimates of time of travel during low flow are required to develop the model, the time of travel of solutes in Buffalo Bayou and selected tributaries was determined using dye tracing methods. The study was conducted during low flow in a 38.7-mile reach of Buffalo Bayou, a 9.6-mile reach of Whiteoak Bayou, a 5.9-mile reach of Mason Creek, and a 6.6-mile reach of Bear Creek. Efforts to determine the time of travel in a 7.5-mile reach of Horsepen Creek were unsuccessful. This report explains the approach used to conduct the study and presents the results of the study

  1. Autophagosomal Sequestration of Mitochondria as an Indicator of Antiandrogen Therapy Resistance of Prostate Cancer (PCa)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-01

    Prostate Cancer (PCa) PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: George Wilding, M.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX...Indicator of Antiandrogen Therapy Resistance of Prostate Cancer (PCa) 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-15-1-0509 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S...AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 1515 Holcombe Blvd. Houston, TX 77030-4009

  2. Comparing residential contamination in a Houston environmental justice neighborhood before and after Hurricane Harvey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer A Horney

    Full Text Available Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs are complex environmental toxicants. Exposure to them has been linked to adverse health outcomes including cancer, as well as diseases of the skin, liver, and immune system. Based on an ongoing community engagement partnership with stakeholder groups and residents, we conducted a small longitudinal study to assess domestic exposure to PAHs among residents of Manchester, an environmental justice neighborhood located in the East End of Houston, TX.In December, 2016, we used fiber wipes to collect samples of household dust from 25 homes in Manchester. Following Hurricane Harvey, in September 2017, we revisited 24 of the 25 homes to collect soil samples from the front yards of the same homes. Wipes and soil were analyzed for the presence of PAHs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS methods. Principal component analysis plots, heatmaps, and PAH ratios were used to compare pre- and post-Hurricane Harvey samples.While direct comparison is not possible, we present three methods for comparing PAHs found in pre-hurricane fiber wipes and post-hurricane soil samples. The methods demonstrate that the PAHs found before and after Hurricane Harvey are likely from similar sources and that those sources are most likely to be associated with combustion. We also found evidence of redistribution of PAHs due to extreme flooding associated with Hurricane Harvey.Residents of the Manchester neighborhood of Houston, TX, are exposed to a range of PAHs in household dust and outdoor soil. While it was not possible to compare directly, we were able to use several methods to assess detected concentrations, changes in site-specific PAH allocations, and PAH origination. Additional research is needed to identify specific sources of domestic PAH exposure in these communities and continued work involving community members and policy makers should aim to develop interventions to reduce domestic exposure to and prevent negative

  3. The Lathrop Wells volcanic center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crowe, B.; Morley, R.

    1992-01-01

    The Lathrop Wells volcanic center is located 20 km south of the potential Yucca Mountain site, at the south end of the Yucca Mountain range. This paper discusses a detailed Study Plan which was prepared describing planned geochronology and field studies to assess the chronology of the Lathrop Wells volcanic center and other Quaternary volcanic centers in the region. A paper was published discussing the geomorphic and soil evidence for a late Pleistocene or Holoceno age for the main cone of the center. The purpose of this paper was to expose the ideas concerning the age of the Lathrop Wells center to scientific scrutiny. Additionally, field evidence was described suggesting the Lathrop Wells center may have formed from multiple eruptive events with significant intervals of no activity between events. This interpretation breaks with established convention in the volcanological literature that small volume basalt centers are monogenetic

  4. Investigation of land subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region of Texas by using the Global Positioning System and interferometric synthetic aperture radar, 1993-2000

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bawden, Gerald W.; Johnson, Michaela R.; Kasmarek, Mark C.; Brandt, Justin; Middleton, Clifton S.

    2012-01-01

    Since the early 1900s, groundwater has been the primary source of municipal, industrial, and agricultural water supplies for the Houston-Galveston region, Texas. The region's combination of hydrogeology and nearly century-long use of groundwater has resulted in one of the largest areas of subsidence in the United States; by 1979, as much as 3 meters (m) of subsidence had occurred, and approximately 8,300 square kilometers of land had subsided more than 0.3 m. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, used interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data obtained for four overlapping scenes from European remote sensing satellites ERS-1 and ERS-2 to analyze land subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region of Texas. The InSAR data were processed into 27 interferograms that delineate and quantify land-subsidence patterns and magnitudes. Contemporaneous data from the Global Positioning System (GPS) were reprocessed by the National Geodetic Survey and analyzed to support, verify, and provide temporal resolution to the InSAR investigation.

  5. Transit use and physical activity: Findings from the Houston travel-related activity in neighborhoods (TRAIN study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory Knell

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Transportation-related physical activity can significantly increase daily total physical activity through active transportation or walking/biking to transit stops. The purpose of this study was to assess the relations between transit-use and self-reported and monitor-based physical activity levels in a predominantly minority population from the Houston Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods (TRAIN Study. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 865 adults living in Houston, Texas between 2013 and 2015. The exposure variable was transit-use (non-users, occasional users, and primary users. Self-reported and accelerometer-determined physical activity were the outcomes of interest. Regression models adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and other covariates of interest were built to test the hypothesis that transit user status was directly associated with 1 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 the prevalence of achieving the physical activity guidelines. The majority of participants were female, non-Hispanic black, and almost one-third had a high school education or less. After adjustment, primary transit-use was associated with 134.2 (p<0.01 additional mean minutes per week of self-reported moderate-intensity transportation-related physical activity compared to non-users. Further, primary users had 7.3 (95% CI: 2.6–20.1 times the relative adjusted odds of meeting physical activity recommendations than non-users based on self-reported transportation-related physical activity. There were no statistically significant associations of transit-use with self-reported leisure-time or accelerometer-derived physical activity. Transit-use has the potential for a large public health impact due to its sustainability and scalability. Therefore, encouraging the use of transit as a means to promote physical activity should be examined in future studies. Keywords: Physical activity, Transportation, Commuting, Motor activity, Urban health

  6. Transit use and physical activity: Findings from the Houston travel-related activity in neighborhoods (TRAIN) study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knell, Gregory; Durand, Casey P; Shuval, Kerem; Kohl Iii, Harold W; Salvo, Deborah; Sener, Ipek; Gabriel, Kelley Pettee

    2018-03-01

    Transportation-related physical activity can significantly increase daily total physical activity through active transportation or walking/biking to transit stops. The purpose of this study was to assess the relations between transit-use and self-reported and monitor-based physical activity levels in a predominantly minority population from the Houston Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods (TRAIN) Study. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 865 adults living in Houston, Texas between 2013 and 2015. The exposure variable was transit-use (non-users, occasional users, and primary users). Self-reported and accelerometer-determined physical activity were the outcomes of interest. Regression models adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and other covariates of interest were built to test the hypothesis that transit user status was directly associated with 1) minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2) the prevalence of achieving the physical activity guidelines. The majority of participants were female, non-Hispanic black, and almost one-third had a high school education or less. After adjustment, primary transit-use was associated with 134.2 ( p  < 0.01) additional mean minutes per week of self-reported moderate-intensity transportation-related physical activity compared to non-users. Further, primary users had 7.3 (95% CI: 2.6-20.1) times the relative adjusted odds of meeting physical activity recommendations than non-users based on self-reported transportation-related physical activity. There were no statistically significant associations of transit-use with self-reported leisure-time or accelerometer-derived physical activity. Transit-use has the potential for a large public health impact due to its sustainability and scalability. Therefore, encouraging the use of transit as a means to promote physical activity should be examined in future studies.

  7. A prompt start: Implementing the framework convention on climate change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chayes, A.; Skolnikoff, E.B.; Victor, D.G.

    1992-01-01

    A Framework Convention on Climate Change is under active negotiation in the United Nations with the expectation it will be ready for Signature at the Rio Conference this June. Under the most optimistic projections, a Convention will not come into force and be an effective instrument for months, probably years. In recognition of the several institutional tasks that will be of crucial importance whatever the detailed content of the Convention a small group of high international organizations involved in the negotiations was convened at the Rockefeller Foundation's Conference Center at Bellagio in January. The discussions at Bellagio on the need for a Prompt Start on these institutional tasks benefitted from earlier meetings at Harvard in March and at Bermuda in May, 1991, that the co-organizers convened to discuss these and related aspects of the negotiations on a Climate Convention. Those meetings were attended by members of the academic community, officials from the United Nations, and representatives of governments involved in the negotiations

  8. DOE Center of Excellence in Medical Laser Applications. Final report, December 1, 1994--November 30, 1997

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacques, S.L.

    1998-01-01

    An engineering network of collaborating medical laser laboratories are developing laser and optical technologies for medical diagnosis and therapy and are translating the engineering into medical centers in Portland OR, Houston TX, and Galveston TX. The Center includes the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Texas-Austin, Texas A and M University, Rice University, the University Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, Oregon Medical Laser Center (Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Oregon Graduate Institute, Portland, OR), and the University of Oregon. Diagnostics include reflectance, fluorescence, Raman IR, laser photoacoustics, optical coherence tomography, and several new video techniques for spectroscopy and imaging. Therapies include photocoagulation therapy, laser welding, pulsed laser ablation, and light-activated chemotherapy of cancer (photodynamic therapy, or PDT). Medical applications reaching the clinic include optical monitoring of hyperbilirubinemia in newborns, fluorescence detection of cervical dysplasia, laser thrombolysis of blood clots in heart attack and brain stroke, photothermal coagulant of benign prostate hyperplasia, and PDT for both veterinary and human cancer. New technologies include laser optoacoustic imaging of breast tumors and hemorrhage in head trauma and brain stroke, quality control monitoring of dosimetry during PDT for esophageal and lung cancer, polarization video reflectometry of skin cancer, laser welding of artificial tissue replacements, and feedback control of laser welding.

  9. Applications of hybrid and digital computation methods in aerospace-related sciences and engineering. [problem solving methods at the University of Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, C. J.; Motard, R. L.

    1978-01-01

    The computing equipment in the engineering systems simulation laboratory of the Houston University Cullen College of Engineering is described and its advantages are summarized. The application of computer techniques in aerospace-related research psychology and in chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering is described in abstracts of 84 individual projects and in reprints of published reports. Research supports programs in acoustics, energy technology, systems engineering, and environment management as well as aerospace engineering.

  10. Precipitation areal-reduction factor estimation using an annual-maxima centered approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asquith, W.H.; Famiglietti, J.S.

    2000-01-01

    The adjustment of precipitation depth of a point storm to an effective (mean) depth over a watershed is important for characterizing rainfall-runoff relations and for cost-effective designs of hydraulic structures when design storms are considered. A design storm is the precipitation point depth having a specified duration and frequency (recurrence interval). Effective depths are often computed by multiplying point depths by areal-reduction factors (ARF). ARF range from 0 to 1, vary according to storm characteristics, such as recurrence interval; and are a function of watershed characteristics, such as watershed size, shape, and geographic location. This paper presents a new approach for estimating ARF and includes applications for the 1-day design storm in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas. The approach, termed 'annual-maxima centered,' specifically considers the distribution of concurrent precipitation surrounding an annual-precipitation maxima, which is a feature not seen in other approaches. The approach does not require the prior spatial averaging of precipitation, explicit determination of spatial correlation coefficients, nor explicit definition of a representative area of a particular storm in the analysis. The annual-maxima centered approach was designed to exploit the wide availability of dense precipitation gauge data in many regions of the world. The approach produces ARF that decrease more rapidly than those from TP-29. Furthermore, the ARF from the approach decay rapidly with increasing recurrence interval of the annual-precipitation maxima. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.The adjustment of precipitation depth of a point storm to an effective (mean) depth over a watershed is important for characterizing rainfall-runoff relations and for cost-effective designs of hydraulic structures when design storms are considered. A design storm is the precipitation point depth having a specified duration and frequency (recurrence interval). Effective depths are

  11. NASA Pathways Co-op Tour Johnson Space Center Fall 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masood, Amir; Osborne-Lee, Irwin W.

    2013-01-01

    This report outlines the tasks and objectives completed during a co-operative education tour with National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I worked for the Attitude & Pointing group of the Flight Dynamics Division within the Mission Operations Directorate at Johnson Space Center. NASA's primary mission is to support and expand the various ongoing space exploration programs and any research and development activities associated with it. My primary project required me to develop and a SharePoint web application for my group. My secondary objective was to become familiar with the role of my group which was primarily to provide spacecraft attitude and line of sight determination, including Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) communications coverage for various NASA, International, and commercial partner spacecraft. My projects required me to become acquainted with different software systems, fundamentals of aerospace engineering, project management, and develop essential interpersonal communication skills. Overall, I accomplished multiple goals which included laying the foundations for an updated SharePoint which will allow for an organized platform to communicate and share data for group members and external partners. I also successfully learned about the operations of the Attitude & Pointing Group and how it contributes to the Missions Operations Directorate and NASA's Space Program as a whole

  12. Overview of energy-conserving development planning and design techniques based on five case studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1980-06-01

    Findings and recommendations are presented of a review of five case studies of ways to conserve energy through development planning and site design in communities. Two approaches were used. In the first approach, a conventional, pre-existing plan was analyzed to determine potential energy use. Once energy-conservation options were identified and evaluated, the conventional plan was modified by employing those options. This approach was used in The Woodlands, Burke Center, and Radisson studies. In the second approach, energy-conservation options are independently identified and evaluated. Those options that passed specific criteria screening were then utilized in developing one or more totally new plans based on energy objectives. This approach was used in Greenbrier and Shenandoah. Radisson is a new town on the outskirts of Syracuse, New York. Greenbrier is a 3000 acre planned community adjacent to Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Shenandoah is a proposed new town in the Atlanta urbanized area. The Woodlands is a new community under development north of Houston. Burke Center is a residential planned unit development in Fairfax County, Virgnia. (MCW)

  13. Industrial, agricultural, and petroleum contaminants in cormorants wintering near the Houston Ship Channel, Texas, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, K.A.; Stafford, C.J.; Cain, B.W.; Mueller, A.J.; Hall, H.D.

    1987-01-01

    Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus ) collected in the Houston Ship Channel, Texas, USA, in November shortly after their fall migration contained residues of several industrial, agricultural, and petroleum contaminants including polychlorinated styrenes (PCS's), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), DDE, and petroleum hydrocarbons. PCS concentrations in over-wintering birds collected in late February were three times higher than those in birds collected in November. PCB and petroleum concentrations remained at about the same level throughout the 3-month winter period. Petroleum hydrocarbons were present in all cormorants and residues in some individuals exceeded 25 ppm (wet weight). Mean DDE residues in samples collected in November and February were less than 1 ppm. Low concentrations of five other organochlorine compounds, not detected in cormorants collected in November, were recovered in birds collected in February.

  14. Blood culture bottles are superior to conventional media for vitreous culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thariya, Patsuda; Yospaiboon, Yosanan; Sinawat, Suthasinee; Sanguansak, Thuss; Bhoomibunchoo, Chavakij; Laovirojjanakul, Wipada

    2016-08-01

    To compare blood culture bottles and conventional media for the vitreous culture in patients with clinically suspected infectious endophthalmitis. Retrospective comparative study at KKU Eye Center, Khon Kaen University. There were 342 patients with clinically suspected infectious endophthalmitis participated in the study. The vitreous specimens were inoculated in both blood culture bottles and on conventional culture media (blood agar, MacConkey agar, chocolate agar, Sabouraud dextrose agar and thioglycolate broth). The number of positive culture yields in both blood culture bottles and conventional media. Positive culture yields in both methods were found in 151 eyes (49.5%). There were 136 of 151 eyes (90.1%) with positive culture in blood culture bottles, whereas 99 of 151 eyes (65.6%) yielded positive cultures in conventional media. These findings were different with a statistical significance (P culture bottles and conventional media improved the yield. Blood culture bottles are superior to conventional media for vitreous culture in clinically suspected infectious endophthalmitis. Vitreous culture using blood culture bottles should be recommended as the primary method for microbiological diagnosis. A combination of both methods further improves the positive culture yield. © 2016 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  15. The Ad Hoc process to strengthen the framework convention on climate change

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramakrishna, K.; Deutz, A.M.; Jacobsen, L.A. [eds.

    1995-11-01

    The Woods Hole Research Center convened an International Conference on The Ad Hoc Process to Strengthen the Framework Convention on Climate Change in Woods Hole, MA, on October 7-9, 1995. The conference was conducted to examine the prospects for successful adoption of a protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change by 1997. In preparation for the Second session of the Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate, several governmental and nongovernmental representatives met in Woods Hole to discuss the process and possible outcome of the Berlin Mandate negotiations for a protocol or other legal instrument to strengthen the Convention. The conference was by invitation and all participants attended in their personal capacities.

  16. An application of LOTEM around salt dome near Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paembonan, Andri Yadi; Arjwech, Rungroj; Davydycheva, Sofia; Smirnov, Maxim; Strack, Kurt M.

    2017-07-01

    A salt dome is an important large geologic structure for hydrocarbon exploration. It may seal a porous reservoir of rocks that form petroleum reservoirs. Several techniques such as seismic, gravity, and electromagnetic including magnetotelluric have successfully yielded salt dome interpretation. Seismic has difficulties seeing through the salt because the seismic energy gets trapped by the salt due to its high velocity. Gravity and electromagnetics are more ideal methods. Long Offset Transient Electromagnetic (LOTEM) and Focused Source Electromagnetic (FSEM) were tested over a salt dome near Houston, Texas. LOTEM data were recorded at several stations with varying offset, and the FSEM tests were also made at some receiver locations near a suspected salt overhang. The data were processed using KMS's processing software: First, for assurance, including calibration and header checking; then transmitter and receiver data are merged and microseismic data is separated; Finally, data analysis and processing follows. LOTEM processing leads to inversion or in the FSEM case 3D modeling. Various 3D models verify the sensitivity under the salt dome. In addition, the processing was conducted pre-stack, stack, and post-stack. After pre-stacking, the noise was reduced, but showed the ringing effect due to a low-pass filter. Stacking and post-stacking with applying recursive average could reduce the Gibbs effect and produce smooth data.

  17. Architecture and Civil Design Status of the Proton Accelerator Research Center in PEFP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nam, J. M.; Kim, J. Y.; Mun, K. J.; Jeon, G. P.; Cho, J. S.; Lee, S. K.; Min, Y. S.; Joo, H. G.

    2009-01-01

    PEFP (Proton Engineering Frontier Project) is scheduled to administrate the conventional facilities design with Gyeongju and complement its unfit points. When construction work starts according to the construction schedule, a field work office will be installed to supervise the Proton Accelerator Conventional Facilities Construction. In this paper, we describe the geological investigation procedure for the construction of the proton accelerator conventional facilities of PEFP. By the geological investigation, data for the reasonable and economic construction work, such as stratum structure and geotechnical characteristics. In Site Plot Plan for PEFP, we classified center as 2 groups such as main facilities and support facilities. We also designed access road of the Proton Accelerator Research Center of PEFP. In architectural design for PEFP, we described the design procedure of the buildings and landscape architectures of the Proton Accelerator Research Center

  18. Water-level altitudes 2013 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973--2012 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasmarek, Mark C.; Johnson, Michaela R.; Ramage, Jason K.

    2013-01-01

    Most of the subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, has occurred as a direct result of groundwater withdrawals for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation that depressured and dewatered the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, thereby causing compaction mostly in the clay and silt layers of the aquifer sediments. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports depicting water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and measured compaction of subsurface sediments in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region. The report contains maps depicting approximate water-level altitudes for 2013 (represented by measurements made during December 2012-February 2013) for the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers; maps depicting 1-year (2012-13) water-level changes for each aquifer; maps depicting 5-year (2008--13) water-level changes for each aquifer; maps depicting long-term (1990-2013 and 1977-2013) water-level changes for the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers; a map depicting long-term (2000-13) water-level changes for the Jasper aquifer; a map depicting locations of borehole-extensometer sites; and graphs depicting measured compaction of subsurface sediments at the extensometers during 1973-2012. Tables listing the data used to construct each water-level map for each aquifer and the compaction graphs are included.

  19. A complementary conventional analysis for channelized reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Escobar Freddy Humberto; Montealegre M, Matilde

    2007-01-01

    Many well pressure data coming from long and narrow reservoirs which result from either fluvial deposition of faulting connote be completely interpreted by conventional analysis since some flow regimes are not conventionally recognized yet in the oil literature. This narrow geometry allows for the simultaneous development of two linear flow regimes coming from each one of the lateral sides of the system towards the well. This has been called dual linear flow regime. If the well is off-centered with regards to the two lateral boundaries, then, and of the linear flow regimes vanishes and, than, two possibilities con be presented. Firstly, if the closer lateral boundary is close to flow the unique linear flow persists along the longer lateral boundary. It has been called single linear flow. Following this, either steady or pseudo-steady states will develop. Secondly, if a constant - pressure closer lateral boundary is dealt with, then parabolic flow develops along the longer lateral boundary. Steady state has to be developed once the disturbance reaches the farther boundary. This study presents new equations for conventional analysis for the dual linear, linear and parabolic flow regimes recently introduced to the oil literature. The equations were validated by applying them to field and simulated examples

  20. 15 CFR 742.18 - Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC or Convention).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC or... REGULATIONS CONTROL POLICY-CCL BASED CONTROLS § 742.18 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC or Convention). States... Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, also known as the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC...

  1. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adebimpe Oyeyemi

    elucidates on the scholarship of discovery, the scholarship of application, the scholarship of integration and the scholarship of ... Science and professional education in medicine and health are .... approaches, modification of an existing approach that results in .... Their Teaching to Advance Practice and Improve Students.

  2. PCB-Caulk Replacement Project Johnson Space Center Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, William M.; Stanch, Penney M.; Molenda, William

    2011-01-01

    Wet method reduced exposure by minimizing overall respirable particulate release. Dry method didn't introduce delays for primer/caulk application. Removed caulks came in many forms, from dry powdery to tarry sticky. Varying textures were not sampled or packaged differently. During the course of the project, EPA modified recommended practices to include full containment for exterior caulk removal. Changes are ongoing. Initial recommendations were directed to school buildings. EPA is researching risks due to caulk. Exposure guidance lacking except for 2 of 209 PCB congeners. Work was safely completed on schedule and under budget.

  3. 77 FR 65570 - Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-29

    ... Conference Call). Contact Person: Carol Hamelink, Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, Center for Scientific...--Convention Center, 900 10th Street NW., Washington, DC 20001. Contact Person: Mark P Rubert, Ph.D... for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel; Fellowships: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biophysics...

  4. Comparison of Conventional and Semi-Conventional Management ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Comparison of Conventional and Semi-Conventional Management Systems on the Performance and Carcass Yield of Broiler Chickens. ... TO AFRICAN RESEARCH. AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search · USING AJOL · RESOURCES ... Journal Home > Vol 20, No 1 (2018) >. Log in or ...

  5. 2014: A Record-Breaking Year for West Nile Virus Positive Mosquito Pools in Harris County and the City of Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randle, Yvonne H; Freeman, Cheryl Battle; Jackson, Monique; Reyna, Martin; Debboun, Mustapha

    2016-01-01

    In the 14 years since the emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) in Harris County and the city of Houston, Texas, the number of mosquitoes infected with the virus has fluctuated with several high and low count years. During this 14-year period, mosquito surveillance operational areas in Harris County were expanded from 248 to 268 and the distribution of the virus activity in mosquitoes varied from year to year. Operational areas with WNV infected mosquitoes increased from 137 in 2002 to 197 in 2006, decreased to 71 areas in 2007, and to an all-time low of 18 in 2008. The number increased to 78 areas in 2009, 96 in 2010, 133 in 2011, and 177 in 2012, but fell to 73 in 2013. However, 234 areas were confirmed in 2014, and only 138 in 2015. The WNV transmission was high in 2002 with 227 WNV positive mosquito pools. The number of positive mosquitoes remained elevated for a number of years and then declined from 2007 to 2010. Three record high years for WNV activity were: 2005, 2006, and 2011 with 698, 838, and 605 confirmed positive mosquito pools, respectively. Viral activity declined in 2012, followed by a marked decline in 2013 with only 147 WNV positive mosquito pools. In 2014, a record-breaking number of 1,286 WNV positive mosquito pools were confirmed in Harris County and the city of Houston, the most ever in a single season, while 406 were confirmed in 2015.

  6. The artificial organ museum in Cleveland (1979-1999) moved to Houston, Texas, and named in 2002 as the ICMT Museum for Artificial Organs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nosé, Yukihiko

    2003-09-01

    The artificial organ museum established in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1979 organized by the International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation (ICAOT), was moved to Houston, Texas, in 1999. The museum with expanded and renewed artificial organ exhibits was officially opened on the 8th and 9th of November, 2002, at the Cullen Pavilion of the original Memorial Hermann Hospital. This building is the oldest in the Texas Medical Center, which was built in 1922. The ICMT (International Center for Medical Technologies) Museum for Artificial Organs (Museum) was completed after phase I, II, and III expansions of the exhibit booths, which were made over the last two years. Approximately 250 historically important and currently widely used artificial organs are exhibited in the Museum. The official opening of the Museum was coordinated with the "Symposium on Artificial Organs: Past, Present, and Future" during two days in November. There were approximately 225 participants at these events, and approximately 40 pioneers and clinical experts in the development and practice of various types of artificial organs contributed. During these programs, a proposal to maintain human resources in addition to artificial organ hardware and software was made in addition to the Museum. This new organization would be called the International Academy of Artificial Organ Pioneers (Academy). All contributors to the symposium were invited to be members of the Academy. The attendants of the symposium accepted this proposal unanimously. An additional 40 individuals, who were recognized as contributors to artificial organ technologies, were later added to the original Academy members. Later, the effective utilization of the Museum and Academy was encompassed in the International Faculty for Health and Medical Technologies (Faculty), a new addition to the activities of the ICMT. Dr. Michael DeBakey was elected as Dean of the Faculty. This is considered a "university without walls," a "university

  7. Short daily hemodialysis is associated with lower plasma FGF23 levels when compared with conventional hemodialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaritsky, Joshua; Rastogi, Anjay; Fischmann, George; Yan, Jieshi; Kleinman, Kenneth; Chow, Georgina; Gales, Barbara; Salusky, Isidro B; Wesseling-Perry, Katherine

    2014-02-01

    The utilization of short-term daily hemodialysis has increased over the last few years, but little is known on its effects on the control of serum phosphate and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels. We therefore performed a cross-sectional study to compare FGF23 levels as well as other biochemical variables between 24 patients undergoing short daily hemodialysis using the NxStage System® and 54 patients treated with conventional in-center hemodialysis. FGF23 levels were measured using the second-generation Immutopics® C-terminal assay. Short daily hemodialysis patients were younger than patients on conventional hemodialysis but there were no differences between groups in the duration of end-stage renal disease nor in the number of patients with residual renal function. A greater number of short daily hemodialysis patients received vitamin D sterol therapy than did conventional in-center hemodialysis patients while there were no differences in the use of different phosphate binders and calcimimetic therapy between groups. Overall serum calcium, phosphorus and intact parathyroid hormone levels were similar between groups. While serum phosphorus levels correlated with FGF23 concentrations in each group separately [r=0.522 (P<0.01) and r=0.42 (P<0.01) in short daily and conventional in-center hemodialysis, respectively], FGF23 levels were lower [823 RU/mL (263, 2169)] in the patients receiving short daily hemodialysis than in patients treated with conventional hemodialysis [2521 RU/mL (909, 5556)] (P<0.01 between groups). These findings demonstrate that FGF23 levels are significantly lower in short daily hemodialysis patients and suggest that FGF23 levels may be a more sensitive biomarker of cumulative phosphate burden than single or multiple serum phosphorus determinations in patients treated with hemodialysis.

  8. Water-level altitudes 2014 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2013 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasmarek, Mark C.; Johnson, Michaela R.; Ramage, Jason K.

    2014-01-01

    Most of the land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, has occurred as a direct result of groundwater withdrawals for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation that depressured and dewatered the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, thereby causing compaction of the aquifer sediments, mostly in the fine-grained clay and silt layers. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports depicting water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and measured compaction of subsurface sediments in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region. The report contains maps depicting approximate 2014 water-level altitudes (represented by measurements made during December 2013–March 2014) for the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers; maps depicting 1-year (2013–14) water-level changes for each aquifer; maps depicting contoured 5-year (2009–14) water-level changes for each aquifer; maps depicting contoured long-term (1990–2014 and 1977–2014) water-level changes for the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers; a map depicting contoured long-term (2000–14) water-level changes for the Jasper aquifer; a map depicting locations of borehole-extensometer sites; and graphs depicting measured cumulative compaction of subsurface sediments at the borehole extensometers during 1973–2013. Tables listing the data used to construct each water-level map for each aquifer and the compaction graphs are included.

  9. Carolinas Energy Career Center

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Classens, Anver; Hooper, Dick; Johnson, Bruce

    2013-03-31

    Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), located in Charlotte, North Carolina, established the Carolinas Energy Career Center (Center) - a comprehensive training entity to meet the dynamic needs of the Charlotte region's energy workforce. The Center provides training for high-demand careers in both conventional energy (fossil) and renewable energy (nuclear and solar technologies/energy efficiency). CPCC completed four tasks that will position the Center as a leading resource for energy career training in the Southeast: • Development and Pilot of a New Advanced Welding Curriculum, • Program Enhancement of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) Technology, • Student Support through implementation of a model targeted toward Energy and STEM Careers to support student learning, • Project Management and Reporting. As a result of DOE funding support, CPCC achieved the following outcomes: • Increased capacity to serve and train students in emerging energy industry careers; • Developed new courses and curricula to support emerging energy industry careers; • Established new training/laboratory resources; • Generated a pool of highly qualified, technically skilled workers to support the growing energy industry sector.

  10. The digital collection of the INIS Center for the Republic of Macedonia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sejmenova-Gichevska, Marija

    2004-01-01

    The INIS Database is a bibliographic database compiled from data submitted by INIS Members. It covers the world literature on the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology. Literature reported to INIS may be subdivided into two categories, conventional and non-conventional. Conventional Literature is literature that is available commercially through the normal distribution channels, such as the book and magazine trade or publishing houses. Non-Conventional Literature (NCL, also called gray literature) comprises all other forms of literature, including scientific and technical reports, patent documents, conference papers and non-commercially published thesis not readily available through commercial channels. The full text INIS collection of NCL documents has been issued on CD-ROM since 1997. The INIS Center for the Republic of Macedonia operates by the National and University Library St.'Kliment Ohridski'- Skopje. The digital NCL collection is available through the Center, since it offers Document Delivery Services for obtaining the full text documents. (Author)

  11. Quality of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy in developing countries: a comparison of surgical and oncologic outcomes between a comprehensive cancer center in the United States and a cancer center in Colombia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pareja, Rene; Nick, Alpa M; Schmeler, Kathleen M; Frumovitz, Michael; Soliman, Pamela T; Buitrago, Carlos A; Borrero, Mauricio; Angel, Gonzalo; Reis, Ricardo Dos; Ramirez, Pedro T

    2012-05-01

    To help determine whether global collaborations for prospective gynecologic surgery trials should include hospitals in developing countries, we compared surgical and oncologic outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic radical hysterectomy at a large comprehensive cancer center in the United States and a cancer center in Colombia. Records of the first 50 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic radical hysterectomy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston (between April 2004 and July 2007) and the first 50 consecutive patients who underwent the same procedure at the Instituto de Cancerología-Clínica las Américas in Medellín (between December 2008 and October 2010) were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical and oncologic outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. There was no significant difference in median patient age (US 41.9 years [range 23-73] vs. Colombia 44.5 years [range 24-75], P=0.09). Patients in Colombia had a lower median body mass index than patients in the US (24.4 kg/m(2) vs. 28.7 kg/m(2), P=0.002). Compared to patients treated in Colombia, patients who underwent surgery in the US had a greater median estimated blood loss (200 mL vs. 79 mL, P<0.001), longer median operative time (328.5 min vs. 235 min, P<0.001), and longer postoperative hospital stay (2 days vs. 1 day, P<0.001). Surgical and oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy were not worse at a cancer center in a developing country than at a large comprehensive cancer center in the United States. These results support consideration of developing countries for inclusion in collaborations for prospective surgical studies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Probing the mechanical properties of TNF-α stimulated endothelial cell with atomic force microscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sei-Young Lee

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Sei-Young Lee1,2, Ana-Maria Zaske3, Tommaso Novellino1,4*, Delia Danila3, Mauro Ferrari1,5*, Jodie Conyers3, Paolo Decuzzi1,6*1Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; 3CeTIR – Center for Translational Injury Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; 4Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Campus University of Rome, Italy; 5MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; 6BioNEM – Center of Bio-Nanotechnology and Engineering for Medicine, University of Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy; *Currently at Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX, USAAbstract: TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine that regulates the permeability of blood and lymphatic vessels. The plasma concentration of TNF-α is elevated (> 1 pg/mL in several pathologies, including rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, cancer, pre-eclampsia; in obese individuals; and in trauma patients. To test whether circulating TNF-α could induce similar alterations in different districts along the vascular system, three endothelial cell lines, namely HUVEC, HPMEC, and HCAEC, were characterized in terms of 1 mechanical properties, employing atomic force microscopy; 2 cytoskeletal organization, through fluorescence microscopy; and 3 membrane overexpression of adhesion molecules, employing ELISA and immunostaining. Upon stimulation with TNF-α (10 ng/mL for 20 h, for all three endothelial cells, the mechanical stiffness increased by about 50% with a mean apparent elastic modulus of E ~5 ± 0.5 kPa (~3.3 ± 0.35 kPa for the control cells; the density of F-actin filaments increased in the apical and median planes; and the ICAM-1 receptors were overexpressed compared with

  13. Energy savings for heat-island reduction strategies in Chicago and Houston (including updates for Baton Rouge, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City); FINAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konopacki, S.; Akbari, H.

    2002-01-01

    In 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the ''Heat Island Reduction Initiative'' to quantify the potential benefits of Heat-Island Reduction (HIR) strategies (i.e., shade trees, reflective roofs, reflective pavements and urban vegetation) to reduce cooling-energy use in buildings, lower the ambient air temperature and improve urban air quality in cities, and reduce CO2 emissions from power plants. Under this initiative, the Urban Heat Island Pilot Project (UHIPP) was created with the objective of investigating the potential of HIR strategies in residential and commercial buildings in three initial UHIPP cities: Baton Rouge, LA; Sacramento, CA; and Salt Lake City, UT. Later two other cities, Chicago, IL and Houston, TX were added to the UHIPP. In an earlier report we summarized our efforts to calculate the annual energy savings, peak power avoidance, and annual CO2 reduction obtainable from the introduction of HIR strategies in the initial three cities. This report summarizes the results of our study for Chicago and Houston. In this analysis, we focused on three building types that offer the highest potential savings: single-family residence, office and retail store. Each building type was characterized in detail by vintage and system type (i.e., old and new building constructions, and gas and electric heat). We used the prototypical building characteristics developed earlier for each building type and simulated the impact of HIR strategies on building cooling- and heating-energy use and peak power demand using the DOE-2.1E model. Our simulations included the impact of (1) strategically-placed shade trees near buildings[direct effect], (2) use of high-albedo roofing material on the building[direct effect], (3) urban reforestation with high-albedo pavements and building surfaces[indirect effect] and (4) combined strategies 1, 2, and 3[direct and indirect effects]. We then estimated the total roof area of air-conditioned buildings in each

  14. Army Healthcare Enterprise Management System

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    2001-01-01

    ... to buy the Enterprise Management System. The Information Technology Business Center provides information technology services to Fort Sam Houston tenants which include the Army Medical Command and the Army Medical Department Center and School...

  15. A contribution to the development of an economic atlas of the Houston Area Test Site

    Science.gov (United States)

    1972-01-01

    An outine description of the Houston Area Test Site was prepared, in the form of an atlas-catalog of Universal Transverse Mercator grid coordinate locations, building on the manufacturing sector and expanding along agreed lines as far as possible. It was concluded that (1) the effort expended in securing and verifying the locations of larger manufacturing plants yielded 5,000-plus usable entries, in addition to certain valuable conclusions about the general feasibility of obtaining ground information by economic sector; (2) on the basis of the number and the quality of the usable entries obtained, the resources expended on nonmanufacturing sectors and on historical data cannot be wholly justified; and (3) even without the 5,000-odd locations of completely satisfactory quality, the relatively modest cost of this pilot study secured enough data to provide a sound basis for obtaining feasibly and systematically some appropriate ground information on almost any economic or social activity, together with some indication of their relative areal and economic significance.

  16. Practicing for space underwater: inventing neutral buoyancy training, 1963-1968.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neufeld, Michael J; Charles, John B

    2015-01-01

    Neutral buoyancy's value was far from obvious when human spaceflight began in 1961. Starting in 1964, Environmental Research Associates, a tiny company in the suburbs of Baltimore, developed the key innovations in an obscure research project funded by NASA's Langley Research Center. The new Houston center dismissed it until a mid-1966 EVA crisis, after which it rapidly took over. In parallel, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed many of the same techniques, as did many large aerospace corporations, yet the long-run technological impact of corporate activity was near zero. Because ERA and Marshall's pioneering activities led to the two long-running NASA training centers at Houston and Huntsville, those two organizations deserve primary credit for the construction of the neutral buoyancy technological system. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  17. The melding of drug markets in Houston after Katrina: dealer and user perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotarba, Joseph A; Fackler, Jennifer; Johnson, Bruce D; Dunlap, Eloise

    2010-07-01

    In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the majority of routine activities in New Orleans were disrupted, including the illegal drug market. The large-scale relocation of New Orleans evacuees (NOEs), including many illegal drug users and sellers, to host cities led to a need for new sources of illegal drugs. This need was quickly satisfied by two initially distinct drug markets (1) drug dealers from New Orleans who were themselves evacuees and (2) established drug dealers in the host cities. To be expected, the two markets did not operate indefinitely in parallel fashion. This paper describes the evolving, operational relationship between these two drug markets over time, with a focus on Houston. We analyze the reciprocal evolution of these two markets at two significant points in time: at the beginning of the relocation (2005) and two years later (2007). The overall trend is towards a melding of the two drug markets, as evidenced primarily by decreases in drug-related violence and the cross-fertilization of drug tastes. We describe the process by which the two drug markets are melded over time, in order to seek a better understanding of the social processes by which drug markets in general evolve.

  18. Rapid assessment of household needs in the Houston area after Tropical Storm Allison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waring, Stephen C; Reynolds, Kaye M; D'Souza, Gypsyamber; Arafat, Raouf R

    2002-09-01

    Tropical Storm Allison, which hit landfall near Galveston, Texas, on June 5, 2001, caused the most severe flood-related damage ever recorded in the Houston metropolitan area. The main goal of the public health response to tropical storm Allison was to evaluate the immediate health needs of the community. To estimate damage and household needs, we conducted a rapid needs assessment in the areas most affected by flooding with use of a modified cluster sampling method facilitated by Geographical Information Systems methodology. A total of 420 households participated in the survey, 210 each from the 2 sampling areas. We found a 4-fold increase in illness among persons living in flooded homes compared with those living in nonflooded homes. These findings suggest a need for rapid resolution of flood-related damage and the possibility that residents should seek temporary housing during clean-up and repair. In addition, we obtained reliable estimates of damage and household needs to help guide relief efforts. The findings underscore the usefulness of a rapid-needs assessment as a tool to identify actual health threats and to facilitate delivery of resources to those with the greatest and most immediate need.

  19. Clinic access and teenage birth rates: Racial/ethnic and spatial disparities in Houston, TX.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewski, Megan M; O'Connell, Heather A

    2018-03-01

    Teenage motherhood is a pressing issue in the United States, and one that is disproportionately affecting racial/ethnic minorities. In this research, we examine the relationship between the distance to the nearest reproductive health clinic and teenage birth rates across all zip codes in Houston, Texas. Our primary data come from the Texas Department of State Health Services. We use spatial regression analysis techniques to examine the link between clinic proximity and local teenage birth rates for all females aged 15 to 19, and separately by maternal race/ethnicity. We find, overall, limited support for a connection between clinic distance and local teenage birth rates. However, clinics seem to matter most for explaining non-Hispanic white teenage birth rates, particularly in high-poverty zip codes. The racial/ethnic and economic variation in the importance of clinic distance suggests tailoring clinic outreach to more effectively serve a wider range of teenage populations. We argue social accessibility should be considered in addition to geographic accessibility in order for clinics to help prevent teenage pregnancy. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Librarians, Faculty, and the Writing Center Partnering to Build an Interdisciplinary Course: A Case Study at the University of Houston, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simons, Alexandra C.

    2017-01-01

    This article covers how an interdisciplinary course was developed using the expertise and resources of a history professor, the history and psychology subject librarians, and the university's writing center. The course, supported by a grant, was aimed at helping students improve their research, information literacy, and writing skills across…

  1. Investigation of the correlation between odd oxygen and secondary organic aerosol in Mexico City and Houston

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. C. Wood

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Many recent models underpredict secondary organic aerosol (SOA particulate matter (PM concentrations in polluted regions, indicating serious deficiencies in the models' chemical mechanisms and/or missing SOA precursors. Since tropospheric photochemical ozone production is much better understood, we investigate the correlation of odd-oxygen ([Ox]≡[O3]+[NO2] and the oxygenated component of organic aerosol (OOA, which is interpreted as a surrogate for SOA. OOA and Ox measured in Mexico City in 2006 and Houston in 2000 were well correlated in air masses where both species were formed on similar timescales (less than 8 h and not well correlated when their formation timescales or location differed greatly. When correlated, the ratio of these two species ranged from 30 μg m−3/ppm (STP in Houston during time periods affected by large petrochemical plant emissions to as high as 160 μg m−3/ppm in Mexico City, where typical values were near 120 μg m−3/ppm. On several days in Mexico City, the [OOA]/[Ox] ratio decreased by a factor of ~2 between 08:00 and 13:00 local time. This decrease is only partially attributable to evaporation of the least oxidized and most volatile components of OOA; differences in the diurnal emission trends and timescales for photochemical processing of SOA precursors compared to ozone precursors also likely contribute to the observed decrease. The extent of OOA oxidation increased with photochemical aging. Calculations of the ratio of the SOA formation rate to the Ox production rate using ambient VOC measurements and traditional laboratory SOA yields are lower than the observed [OOA]/[Ox] ratios by factors of 5 to 15, consistent with several other models' underestimates of SOA. Calculations of this ratio using emission factors for organic compounds from gasoline and diesel exhaust do not reproduce the observed

  2. Water-level altitudes 2015 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2014 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasmarek, Mark C.; Ramage, Jason K.; Houston, Natalie A.; Johnson, Michaela R.; Schmidt, Tiffany S.

    2015-01-01

    Most of the land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, has occurred as a direct result of groundwater withdrawals for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation that depressured and dewatered the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, thereby causing compaction of the aquifer sediments, mostly in the fine-grained silt and clay layers. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports depicting water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and measured cumulative compaction of subsurface sediments in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region. The report contains regional-scale maps depicting approximate 2015 water-level altitudes (represented by measurements made during December 2014–March 2015) for the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers; maps depicting 1-year (2014–15) water-level changes for each aquifer; maps depicting approximate contoured 5-year (2010–15) water-level changes for each aquifer; maps depicting approximate contoured long-term (1990–2015 and 1977–2015) water-level changes for the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers; a map depicting approximate contoured long-term (2000–15) water-level changes for the Jasper aquifer; a map depicting locations of borehole-extensometer sites; and graphs depicting measured cumulative compaction of subsurface sediments at the borehole extensometers during 1973–2014. Three tables listing the water-level data used to construct each water-level map for each aquifer and a table listing the measured cumulative compaction data for each extensometer site and graphs are included.

  3. Energy savings for heat-island reduction strategies in Chicago and Houston (including updates for Baton Rouge, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Konopacki, S.; Akbari, H.

    2002-02-28

    In 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the ''Heat Island Reduction Initiative'' to quantify the potential benefits of Heat-Island Reduction (HIR) strategies (i.e., shade trees, reflective roofs, reflective pavements and urban vegetation) to reduce cooling-energy use in buildings, lower the ambient air temperature and improve urban air quality in cities, and reduce CO2 emissions from power plants. Under this initiative, the Urban Heat Island Pilot Project (UHIPP) was created with the objective of investigating the potential of HIR strategies in residential and commercial buildings in three initial UHIPP cities: Baton Rouge, LA; Sacramento, CA; and Salt Lake City, UT. Later two other cities, Chicago, IL and Houston, TX were added to the UHIPP. In an earlier report we summarized our efforts to calculate the annual energy savings, peak power avoidance, and annual CO2 reduction obtainable from the introduction of HIR strategies in the initial three cities. This report summarizes the results of our study for Chicago and Houston. In this analysis, we focused on three building types that offer the highest potential savings: single-family residence, office and retail store. Each building type was characterized in detail by vintage and system type (i.e., old and new building constructions, and gas and electric heat). We used the prototypical building characteristics developed earlier for each building type and simulated the impact of HIR strategies on building cooling- and heating-energy use and peak power demand using the DOE-2.1E model. Our simulations included the impact of (1) strategically-placed shade trees near buildings [direct effect], (2) use of high-albedo roofing material on the building [direct effect], (3) urban reforestation with high-albedo pavements and building surfaces [indirect effect] and (4) combined strategies 1, 2, and 3 [direct and indirect effects]. We then estimated the total roof area of air

  4. Direct cost of monitoring conventional hemodialysis conducted by nursing professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima, Antônio Fernandes Costa

    2017-04-01

    to analyze the mean direct cost of conventional hemodialysis monitored by nursing professionals in three public teaching and research hospitals in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. this was a quantitative, explorative and descriptive investigation, based on a multiple case study approach. The mean direct cost was calculated by multiplying (clocked) time spent per procedure by the unit cost of direct labor. Values were calculated in Brazilian real (BRL). Hospital C presented the highest mean direct cost (BRL 184.52), 5.23 times greater than the value for Hospital A (BRL 35.29) and 3.91 times greater than Hospital B (BRL 47.22). the costing method used in this study can be reproduced at other dialysis centers to inform strategies aimed at efficient allocation of necessary human resources to successfully monitor conventional hemodialysis.

  5. NASA Johnson Space Center Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (WAF) Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitmore, M.

    2004-01-01

    The Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) is part of the Space Human Factors Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The facility provides support to the Office of Biological and Physical Research, the Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station Program, and other NASA organizations. In addition, there are ongoing collaborative research efforts with external businesses and universities. The UTAF provides human factors analysis, evaluation, and usability testing of crew interfaces for space applications. This includes computer displays and controls, workstation systems, and work environments. The UTAF has a unique mix of capabilities, with a staff experienced in both cognitive human factors and ergonomics. The current areas of focus are: human factors applications in emergency medical care and informatics; control and display technologies for electronic procedures and instructions; voice recognition in noisy environments; crew restraint design for unique microgravity workstations; and refinement of human factors processes. This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities, and will address how the projects will evolve to meet new space initiatives.

  6. Cotargeting the lncRNA-PIP3 Interaction and AKT/PI3K Signaling Axis: A Novel Paradigm for Treating Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Negative Breast Cancer PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Liuqing Yang CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX...Signaling Axis: A Novel Paradigm for Treating Triple-Negative Breast Cancer 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Liuqing Yang 5d...ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M D ANDERSON CANCER HOUSTON TX 77030-0417 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES

  7. Radiation exposure of the Yazd Population from medical conventional X-ray examinations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouzarjomehri, F.; Zare, M. H.; Dashti, M. H.

    2007-01-01

    Radiation dose knowledge through X-ray examinations and their distribution in Iran provides useful guidance on patient dose reduction. The results of the entrance skin dose (ESD s ) of five common radiographs in all radiology centers in Yazd province were reported in our previous study (2003). In the present study we have evaluated the collective effective dose of conventional X-ray examinations, as well as the annual per caput of Yazd population.Materials and Methods: The annual frequencies of 18 different types of conventional radiology examinations during April 2005 to March 2006 were recorded from all 35 radiology centers in Yazd province. The exposure conditions consisted of kVp, mAs, and Focus surface distance (FSD) of the examinations for the mode of exposure in each X-ray unit. 620 ESD were measured by diode dosimeter in 35 hospitals and clinics. The real exposure kVp for each radiology unit was measured by a Molt-0-Meter. The conversion coefficient (effective dose - ESD ratio) for each radiology examination was determined by using SR262 tables. Finally, the patients' effective dose was calculated by multiplying the conversion factor to the ESD. Results: The patients' annual collective effective dose due to the conventional radiology examinations was 31.159 man-Sv (0.03 mSv per inhabitant). The frequency of examinations was 311813 i.e. 0.36 examinations per head of the population for one year. Conclusion: According to our findings, the effective per caput dose seems to be optimally relative to HCL-II countries, which may be due to low mean effective dose that could obscure high examination frequency. The number of radiology conventional examinations and frequency of radiologist per1000 population of Yazd was more and lower than HCL-II countries respectively. Thus the justification of radiography requests in this province must be revised

  8. Inter-data center 28 Gbaud 4-PAM transmission over 240 km standard single mode fiber

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Peter; Suhr, Lau Frejstrup; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

    2018-01-01

    We report on achieving 28 Gbaud 4-PAM transmission with post-equalization over a 240 km SSMF link without re-engineering the transmission link design. The results demonstrate the prospect of re-using conventional links for inter data center connections.......We report on achieving 28 Gbaud 4-PAM transmission with post-equalization over a 240 km SSMF link without re-engineering the transmission link design. The results demonstrate the prospect of re-using conventional links for inter data center connections....

  9. Geospatial compilation of historical water-level altitudes in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers 1977-2013 and Jasper aquifer 2000-13 in the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Houston-Galveston Region, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Michaela R.; Ellis, Robert H.H.

    2013-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District has produced a series of annual reports depicting groundwater-level altitudes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers of the Gulf Coast aquifer system in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas. To produce these annual reports, contours of equal water-level altitudes are created from water levels measured between December and March of each year from groundwater wells screened completely within one of these three aquifers. Information obtained from maps published in the annual series of USGS reports and geospatial datasets of water-level altitude contours used to create the annual series of USGS reports were compiled into a comprehensive geodatabase. The geospatial compilation contains 88 datasets from previously published contour maps showing water-level altitudes for each primary aquifer of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, 37 for the Chicot (1977–2013), 37 for the Evangeline aquifer (1977–2013), and 14 for the Jasper aquifer (2000–13).

  10. Environmental literacy of Hispanic, urban, middle school students in Houston, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meuth, Amber M.

    With the global crises facing the planet that bring major implications, (Hart & Nolan, 1999; Hungerford & Simmons, 2003) it is imperative that there be an environmentally literate citizenry who can identify, solve, and prevent environmental issues. Since middle school students are evolving into participating citizens and are developing the ability to think in abstract terms, they are a critical group to study regarding levels of environmental literacy. Additionally, with the increased resource needs and decreased air and water quality in highly populated urban areas, focusing on the environmental literacy of students living and attending school in urban areas is essential. The purpose of this study was to describe the levels of environmental literacy of a group of Hispanic, urban, middle school students in Houston, Texas. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students who attend a charter school in Houston, Texas were given, the Middle School Environmental Literacy Survey (MSELS). This survey has been developed to measure components of environmental literacy as related to domains identified critical to environmental literacy (McBeth et al., 2008). The four domains include ecological knowledge, environmental affect, cognitive skills, and behavior. Data collected from the survey was used to determine levels of environmental literacy in the following variables: ecological knowledge, verbal commitment, actual commitment, environmental sensitivity, general environmental feelings, and environmental issue and action skills. Descriptive statistics were calculated and analyzed for each grade level and as an entire sample for each variable in order to generate a profile of the group. Composite scores were calculated in the four domains (ecological knowledge, environmental affect, cognitive skills, and behavior) and were compared to high, moderate, and low levels of environmental literacy set forth by top environmental education researchers (McBeth et al., 2008). Additionally, two

  11. Direct cost of monitoring conventional hemodialysis conducted by nursing professionals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antônio Fernandes Costa Lima

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the mean direct cost of conventional hemodialysis monitored by nursing professionals in three public teaching and research hospitals in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Method: this was a quantitative, explorative and descriptive investigation, based on a multiple case study approach. The mean direct cost was calculated by multiplying (clocked time spent per procedure by the unit cost of direct labor. Values were calculated in Brazilian real (BRL. Results: Hospital C presented the highest mean direct cost (BRL 184.52, 5.23 times greater than the value for Hospital A (BRL 35.29 and 3.91 times greater than Hospital B (BRL 47.22. Conclusion: the costing method used in this study can be reproduced at other dialysis centers to inform strategies aimed at efficient allocation of necessary human resources to successfully monitor conventional hemodialysis.

  12. The Conventional and Unconventional about Disability Conventions: A Reflective Analysis of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umeasiegbu, Veronica I.; Bishop, Malachy; Mpofu, Elias

    2013-01-01

    This article presents an analysis of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in relation to prior United Nations conventions on disability and U.S. disability policy law with a view to identifying the conventional and also the incremental advances of the CRPD. Previous United Nations conventions related to…

  13. Revision of the Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Busekist, Otto von.

    1977-01-01

    The Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention have in substance remained unchanged since their adoption in 1960 and 1963, respectively. During that period, nuclear industry and technology have developed considerably while the financial and monetary bases of the Conventions have been shattered. The amounts of liability and compensation have been eroded by inflation, and the gold-based unit of account in which these amounts are expressed has lost its original meaning after the abolition of the official gold price. The question of revising the Conventions, in particular of raising those amounts and of replacing the unit of account, is therefore being studied by the Group of Governmental Experts on Third party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. (auth.) [fr

  14. Fine particulate matter components and mortality in Greater Houston: Did the risk reduce from 2000 to 2011?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Suyang; Zhang, Kai

    2015-01-01

    Fine particulate matter (less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter; PM_2_._5) pollution poses a major environmental threat in Greater Houston due to rapid economic growth and the numerous PM_2_._5 sources including ports, vehicles, and the largest petrochemical industry in the United States (U.S.). Our objectives were to estimate the short-term associations between the PM_2_._5 components and mortality during 2000–2011, and evaluate whether these associations have changed over time. A total of 333,317 deaths were included in our assessment, with an average of 76 deaths per day. We selected 17 PM_2_._5 components from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chemical Speciation Network, and then applied Poisson regression models to assess the associations between the PM_2_._5 components and mortality. Additionally, we repeated our analysis for two consecutive periods: 2000–2005 and 2006–2011. Interquartile range increases in ammonium (0.881 μg/m"3), nitrate (0.487 μg/m"3), sulfate (2.245 μg/m"3), and vanadium (0.004 μg/m"3) were associated with an increased risk in mortality of 0.69% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.26, 1.12%), 0.38% (95% CI: 0.11, 0.66%), 0.61% (95% CI: 0.15, 1.06%), and 0.58% (95% CI: 0.12, 1.04%), respectively. Seasonal analysis suggested that the associations were strongest during the winter months. The association between PM_2_._5 mass and mortality decreased during 2000–2011, however, the PM_2_._5 components showed no notable changes in mortality risk over time. Our study indicates that the short-term associations between PM_2_._5 and mortality differ across the PM_2_._5 components and suggests that future air pollution control measures should not only focus on mass but also pollutant sources. - Highlights: • PM_2_._5 concentrations were associated with increased mortality risk. • A few major PM_2_._5 components were associated with increased mortality risk. • Associations were generally strongest in winter in Greater

  15. Energy Demands and Efficiency Strategies in Data Center Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shehabi, Arman [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2009-09-01

    Information technology (IT) is becoming increasingly pervasive throughout society as more data is digitally processed, stored, and transferred. The infrastructure that supports IT activity is growing accordingly, and data center energy demands haveincreased by nearly a factor of four over the past decade. Data centers house IT equipment and require significantly more energy to operate per unit floor area thanconventional buildings. The economic and environmental ramifications of continued data center growth motivate the need to explore energy-efficient methods to operate these buildings. A substantial portion of data center energy use is dedicated to removing the heat that is generated by the IT equipment. Using economizers to introduce large airflow rates of outside air during favorable weather could substantially reduce the energy consumption of data center cooling. Cooling buildings with economizers is an established energy saving measure, but in data centers this strategy is not widely used, partly owing to concerns that the large airflow rates would lead to increased indoor levels of airborne particles, which could damage IT equipment. The environmental conditions typical of data centers and the associated potential for equipment failure, however, are not well characterized. This barrier to economizer implementation illustrates the general relationship between energy use and indoor air quality in building design and operation. This dissertation investigates how building design and operation influence energy use and indoor air quality in data centers and provides strategies to improve both design goals simultaneously.As an initial step toward understanding data center air quality, measurements of particle concentrations were made at multiple operating northern California data centers. Ratios of measured particle concentrations in conventional data centers to the corresponding outside concentrations were significantly lower than those reported in the literature

  16. Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy: cause, effect, and management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berry S

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Shauna Berry,1 Weijie V Lin,2 Ama Sadaka,1 Andrew G Lee1–7 1Department of Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 3Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB, Galveston, TX, USA; 4Department of Ophthalmology, 5Department of Neurology, 6Department of Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 7Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA Abstract: Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION is the most common form of ischemic optic neuropathy and the second most common optic neuropathy. Patients are generally over the age of 50 years with vasculopathic risk factors (eg, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea. The exact mechanism of NAION is not fully understood. In addition, several treatment options have been proposed. This article summarizes the current literature on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of NAION. Keywords: anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, ischemic optic neuropathy

  17. Conference on Techniques of Nuclear and Conventional Analysis and Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    Full text : With their wide scope, particularly in the areas of environment, geology, mining, industry and life sciences; analysis techniques are of great importance in research as fundamental and applied. The Conference on Techniques for Nuclear and Conventional Analysis and Applications (TANCA) are Registered in the national strategy of opening of the University and national research centers on their local, national and international levels. This conference aims to: Promoting nuclear and conventional analytical techniques; Contribute to the creation of synergy between the different players involved in these techniques include, Universities, Research Organizations, Regulatory Authorities, Economic Operators, NGOs and others; Inform and educate potential users of the performance of these techniques; Strengthen exchanges and links between researchers, industry and policy makers; Implement a program of inter-laboratory comparison between Moroccan one hand, and their foreign counterparts on the other; Contribute to the research training of doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars. Given the relevance and importance of the issues related to environment and impact on cultural heritage, this fourth edition of TANCA is devoted to the application of analytical techniques for conventional and nuclear Questions ied to environment and its impact on cultural heritage.

  18. Standardizing Naming Conventions in Radiation Oncology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santanam, Lakshmi [Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (United States); Hurkmans, Coen [Department of Radiation Oncology, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven (Netherlands); Mutic, Sasa [Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (United States); Vliet-Vroegindeweij, Corine van [Department of Radiation Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Brame, Scott; Straube, William [Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (United States); Galvin, James [Department of Radiation Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Tripuraneni, Prabhakar [Department of Radiation Oncology, Scripps Clinic, LaJolla, CA (United States); Michalski, Jeff [Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (United States); Bosch, Walter, E-mail: wbosch@radonc.wustl.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (United States); Advanced Technology Consortium, Image-guided Therapy QA Center, St. Louis, MO (United States)

    2012-07-15

    Purpose: The aim of this study was to report on the development of a standardized target and organ-at-risk naming convention for use in radiation therapy and to present the nomenclature for structure naming for interinstitutional data sharing, clinical trial repositories, integrated multi-institutional collaborative databases, and quality control centers. This taxonomy should also enable improved plan benchmarking between clinical institutions and vendors and facilitation of automated treatment plan quality control. Materials and Methods: The Advanced Technology Consortium, Washington University in St. Louis, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Dutch Radiation Oncology Society, and the Clinical Trials RT QA Harmonization Group collaborated in creating this new naming convention. The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements guidelines have been used to create standardized nomenclature for target volumes (clinical target volume, internal target volume, planning target volume, etc.), organs at risk, and planning organ-at-risk volumes in radiation therapy. The nomenclature also includes rules for specifying laterality and margins for various structures. The naming rules distinguish tumor and nodal planning target volumes, with correspondence to their respective tumor/nodal clinical target volumes. It also provides rules for basic structure naming, as well as an option for more detailed names. Names of nonstandard structures used mainly for plan optimization or evaluation (rings, islands of dose avoidance, islands where additional dose is needed [dose painting]) are identified separately. Results: In addition to its use in 16 ongoing Radiation Therapy Oncology Group advanced technology clinical trial protocols and several new European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer protocols, a pilot version of this naming convention has been evaluated using patient data sets with varying treatment sites. All structures in these data sets were

  19. Standardizing naming conventions in radiation oncology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santanam, Lakshmi; Hurkmans, Coen; Mutic, Sasa; van Vliet-Vroegindeweij, Corine; Brame, Scott; Straube, William; Galvin, James; Tripuraneni, Prabhakar; Michalski, Jeff; Bosch, Walter

    2012-07-15

    The aim of this study was to report on the development of a standardized target and organ-at-risk naming convention for use in radiation therapy and to present the nomenclature for structure naming for interinstitutional data sharing, clinical trial repositories, integrated multi-institutional collaborative databases, and quality control centers. This taxonomy should also enable improved plan benchmarking between clinical institutions and vendors and facilitation of automated treatment plan quality control. The Advanced Technology Consortium, Washington University in St. Louis, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Dutch Radiation Oncology Society, and the Clinical Trials RT QA Harmonization Group collaborated in creating this new naming convention. The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements guidelines have been used to create standardized nomenclature for target volumes (clinical target volume, internal target volume, planning target volume, etc.), organs at risk, and planning organ-at-risk volumes in radiation therapy. The nomenclature also includes rules for specifying laterality and margins for various structures. The naming rules distinguish tumor and nodal planning target volumes, with correspondence to their respective tumor/nodal clinical target volumes. It also provides rules for basic structure naming, as well as an option for more detailed names. Names of nonstandard structures used mainly for plan optimization or evaluation (rings, islands of dose avoidance, islands where additional dose is needed [dose painting]) are identified separately. In addition to its use in 16 ongoing Radiation Therapy Oncology Group advanced technology clinical trial protocols and several new European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer protocols, a pilot version of this naming convention has been evaluated using patient data sets with varying treatment sites. All structures in these data sets were satisfactorily identified using this

  20. Standardizing Naming Conventions in Radiation Oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santanam, Lakshmi; Hurkmans, Coen; Mutic, Sasa; Vliet-Vroegindeweij, Corine van; Brame, Scott; Straube, William; Galvin, James; Tripuraneni, Prabhakar; Michalski, Jeff; Bosch, Walter

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of this study was to report on the development of a standardized target and organ-at-risk naming convention for use in radiation therapy and to present the nomenclature for structure naming for interinstitutional data sharing, clinical trial repositories, integrated multi-institutional collaborative databases, and quality control centers. This taxonomy should also enable improved plan benchmarking between clinical institutions and vendors and facilitation of automated treatment plan quality control. Materials and Methods: The Advanced Technology Consortium, Washington University in St. Louis, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Dutch Radiation Oncology Society, and the Clinical Trials RT QA Harmonization Group collaborated in creating this new naming convention. The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements guidelines have been used to create standardized nomenclature for target volumes (clinical target volume, internal target volume, planning target volume, etc.), organs at risk, and planning organ-at-risk volumes in radiation therapy. The nomenclature also includes rules for specifying laterality and margins for various structures. The naming rules distinguish tumor and nodal planning target volumes, with correspondence to their respective tumor/nodal clinical target volumes. It also provides rules for basic structure naming, as well as an option for more detailed names. Names of nonstandard structures used mainly for plan optimization or evaluation (rings, islands of dose avoidance, islands where additional dose is needed [dose painting]) are identified separately. Results: In addition to its use in 16 ongoing Radiation Therapy Oncology Group advanced technology clinical trial protocols and several new European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer protocols, a pilot version of this naming convention has been evaluated using patient data sets with varying treatment sites. All structures in these data sets were

  1. Chemical Weapons Convention

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1997-01-01

    On April 29, 1997, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, known as the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC...

  2. Paris Convention on third party liability in the field of nuclear energy and Brussels Convention Supplementary to the Paris Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-01-01

    This new bilingual (English and French) edition of the 1960 Paris Convention and 1963 Brussels Supplementary Convention incorporates the provisions of the Protocols which amended each of them on two occasions, in 1964 and 1982. The Expose des motifs to the Paris Convention, as revised in 1982 is also included in this pubication. (NEA) [fr

  3. Geospatial compilation of historical water-level changes in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers 1977-2013 and Jasper aquifer 2000-13, Gulf Coast aquifer system, Houston-Galveston region, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Michaela R.; Linard, Joshua I.

    2014-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District has produced an annual series of reports that depict water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers of the Gulf Coast aquifer system in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, from 1977 to 2013. Changes are determined from water-level measurements between December and March of each year from groundwater wells screened in one of the three aquifers. Existing published maps and unpublished geographic information system (GIS) datasets were compiled into a comprehensive geodatabase of all water-level-change maps produced as part of this multiagency effort. Annual water-level-change maps were georeferenced and digitized where existing GIS data were unavailable (1979–99). Existing GIS data available for 2000–13 were included in the geodatabase. The compilation contains 121 datasets showing water-level changes for each primary aquifer of the Gulf Coast aquifer system: 56 for the Chicot aquifer (1977; 1979–2013 and 1990; 1993–2013), 56 for the Evangeline aquifer (1977; 1979–2013 and 1990; 1993–2013), and 9 for the Jasper aquifer (2000; 2005–13).

  4. Climate change convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, D.

    1992-01-01

    Principles that guide Canada's Green Plan with respect to global warming are outlined. These include respect for nature, meeting environmental goals in an economically beneficial manner, efficient use of resources, shared responsibilities, federal leadership, and informed decision making. The policy side of the international Framework Convention on Climate Change is then discussed and related to the Green Plan. The Convention has been signed by 154 nations and has the long-term objective of stabilizing anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at levels that prevent dangerous interference with the climate system. Some of the Convention's commitments toward achieving that objective are only applicable to the developed countries. Five general areas of commitment are emissions reductions, assistance to developing countries, reporting requirements, scientific and socioeconomic research, and education. The most controversial area is that of limiting emissions. The Convention has strong measures for public accountability and is open to future revisions. Canada's Green Plan represents one country's response to the Convention commitments, including a national goal to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions at the 1990 level by the year 2000

  5. Estimation of biogenic emissions with satellite-derived land use and land cover data for air quality modeling of Houston-Galveston ozone nonattainment area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byun, Daewon W; Kim, Soontae; Czader, Beata; Nowak, David; Stetson, Stephen; Estes, Mark

    2005-06-01

    The Houston-Galveston Area (HGA) is one of the most severe ozone non-attainment regions in the US. To study the effectiveness of controlling anthropogenic emissions to mitigate regional ozone nonattainment problems, it is necessary to utilize adequate datasets describing the environmental conditions that influence the photochemical reactivity of the ambient atmosphere. Compared to the anthropogenic emissions from point and mobile sources, there are large uncertainties in the locations and amounts of biogenic emissions. For regional air quality modeling applications, biogenic emissions are not directly measured but are usually estimated with meteorological data such as photo-synthetically active solar radiation, surface temperature, land type, and vegetation database. In this paper, we characterize these meteorological input parameters and two different land use land cover datasets available for HGA: the conventional biogenic vegetation/land use data and satellite-derived high-resolution land cover data. We describe the procedures used for the estimation of biogenic emissions with the satellite derived land cover data and leaf mass density information. Air quality model simulations were performed using both the original and the new biogenic emissions estimates. The results showed that there were considerable uncertainties in biogenic emissions inputs. Subsequently, ozone predictions were affected up to 10 ppb, but the magnitudes and locations of peak ozone varied each day depending on the upwind or downwind positions of the biogenic emission sources relative to the anthropogenic NOx and VOC sources. Although the assessment had limitations such as heterogeneity in the spatial resolutions, the study highlighted the significance of biogenic emissions uncertainty on air quality predictions. However, the study did not allow extrapolation of the directional changes in air quality corresponding to the changes in LULC because the two datasets were based on vastly different

  6. Triplet repeat DNA structures and human genetic disease

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Laboratory of DNA Structure and Mutagenesis, Center for Genome Research, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M University System Health Sciences Center, 2121 West Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030-3303, USA; Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Genetics, 555 University Avenue, Elm Wing, ...

  7. Computer systems and software engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mckay, Charles W.

    1988-01-01

    The High Technologies Laboratory (HTL) was established in the fall of 1982 at the University of Houston Clear Lake. Research conducted at the High Tech Lab is focused upon computer systems and software engineering. There is a strong emphasis on the interrelationship of these areas of technology and the United States' space program. In Jan. of 1987, NASA Headquarters announced the formation of its first research center dedicated to software engineering. Operated by the High Tech Lab, the Software Engineering Research Center (SERC) was formed at the University of Houston Clear Lake. The High Tech Lab/Software Engineering Research Center promotes cooperative research among government, industry, and academia to advance the edge-of-knowledge and the state-of-the-practice in key topics of computer systems and software engineering which are critical to NASA. The center also recommends appropriate actions, guidelines, standards, and policies to NASA in matters pertinent to the center's research. Results of the research conducted at the High Tech Lab/Software Engineering Research Center have given direction to many decisions made by NASA concerning the Space Station Program.

  8. NASA Johnson Space Center Usability Testing and Analysis facility (UTAF) Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitmore, Mihriban; Holden, Kritina L.

    2005-01-01

    The Usability Testing and Analysis Facility (UTAF) is part of the Space Human Factors Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The facility performs research for NASA's HumanSystems Integration Program, under the HumanSystems Research and Technology Division. Specifically, the UTAF provides human factors support for space vehicles, including the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and the forthcoming Crew Exploration Vehicle. In addition, there are ongoing collaborative research efforts with external corporations and universities. The UTAF provides human factors analysis, evaluation, and usability testing of crew interfaces for space applications. This includes computer displays and controls, workstation systems, and work environments. The UTAF has a unique mix of capabilities, with a staff experienced in both cognitive human factors and ergonomics. The current areas of focus are: human factors applications in emergency medical care and informatics; control and display technologies for electronic procedures and instructions; voice recognition in noisy environments; crew restraint design for unique microgravity workstations; and refinement of human factors processes and requirements. This presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities, and will address how the UTAF projects will evolve to meet new space initiatives.

  9. The Hague Judgments Convention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Peter Arnt

    2011-01-01

    The Hague Judgments Convention of 2005 is the first global convention on international jurisdiction and recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. The author explains the political and legal background of the Convention, its content and certain crucial issues during...

  10. The Design of Compressed air system in the Conventional Facility of Proton Accelerator Research Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeon, G. P.; Kim, J. Y.; Cho, S. W.; Min, Y. S.; Mun, K. J.; Cho, J. S.; Nam, J. M.; Park, S. S.; Jo, J. H.

    2012-01-01

    The Compressed Air System (CA) supplies compressed air for all air operated devices and instruments, pneumatic equipment and other miscellaneous air user points in the Conventional Facilities of Proton Engineering Frontier Project. CA System consist of the Instrument Air System and the Service air System. The Instrument Air System supplies oil-free, dried, filtered, and compressed instrument air for the air operated control devices and instruments in the Accelerator and Beam Application Building, Ion Beam Application Building, Utility Building and etc.. The Service air System supplies compressed air for pneumatic equipment and other services

  11. The Aarhus Convention: A new regional convention on citizens' environmental rights

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wates, J.

    2000-01-01

    The UN ECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters had been adopted at Arhus, Denmark, at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in the 'Environment for Europe' process, and signed by thirty-five countries and the European Community. This paper summarises the main features of the Convention and briefly discusses its relevance to radioactive waste management issues. It then describes some of the activities currently being undertaken under the auspices of the Convention. (author)

  12. Alternative Fuels Data Center: Ten Ways You Can Implement Alternative Fuels

    Science.gov (United States)

    heavy-duty vehicle with a Clean Cities decal affixed to it. Connect with Clean Cities If you're looking Energy's Clean Cities program has nearly 100 local coalitions of fleets, fuel providers, businesses Honolulu to Houston to Hartford. Tap into an unbeatable source of transportation know-how and networking by

  13. 75 FR 17437 - NASA Advisory Council; Commercial Space Committee; Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-06

    ... NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION [Notice: (10-039)] NASA Advisory Council; Commercial... Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. DATES: Monday, April 26, 2010, 1:30 p.m.-6 p.m. CDT. ADDRESSES: NASA Johnson Space Center, Gilruth Conference Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058. FOR FURTHER...

  14. Discrepancies between modeled and observed nocturnal isoprene in an urban environment and the possible causes: A case study in Houston

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diao, Lijun; Choi, Yunsoo; Czader, Beata; Li, Xiangshang; Pan, Shuai; Roy, Anirban; Souri, Amir Hossein; Estes, Mark; Jeon, Wonbae

    2016-11-01

    Air quality simulations were conducted using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model for nocturnal isoprene in September 2013 using the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Emissions Inventory of 2011 (NEI, 2011). The results were evaluated against measurements collected at eight Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Automated Gas Chromatographs (AutoGCs) monitoring stations. The comparisons demonstrated two distinctive behaviors: overestimation before midnight (20:00-23:00 p.m. local time) versus underestimation after midnight (00:00-06:00 a.m.). Analyses identify the uncertainties in nitrate radical (NO3) concentration and vertical mixing as the possible minor factors contributing to the underestimation, and the underestimated wind speed as the major factor contributing to the overestimation. Further analysis links isoprene underestimation to the uncertainties in the nocturnal isoprene anthropogenic emissions in the NEI (2011) over industrial areas in Houston. This can be substantiated by the fact that the observed nighttime isoprene concentrations increased when the wind direction veered back from southeast to northeast, placing the stations downwind of industrial facilities. A sensitivity run with adjusted anthropogenic isoprene emissions in the later part of the night (i.e., the emissions were multiplied by the hourly underestimation factors ranging from 3.81 to 14.82) yielded closer isoprene predictions after midnight with slightly improved model mean (0.15 to 0.20 ppb), mean error (- 0.10 to - 0.04 ppb), mean absolute error (0.18 to 0.15 ppb), root mean squared error (RMSE, 0.27 to 0.25 ppb), and index of agreement (IOA, 0.66 to 0.68). The insignificant improvement was likely due to the uncertainties in the location of the high-peaked anthropogenic emissions. The impacts of the nighttime-adjusted isoprene emissions on the isoprene oxidation products, organic nitrate and ozone, were found to be minimal. This

  15. Water-level altitudes 2009 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper Aquifers and compaction 1973-2008 in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers, Houston-Galveston Region, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasmarek, Mark C.; Houston, Natalie A.; Ramage, Jason K.

    2009-01-01

    This report, done in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, the City of Houston, the Fort Bend Subsidence District, and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports that depicts water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, and compaction in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas. The report (excluding appendixes) contains 16 sheets and 15 tables: 3 sheets are maps showing current-year (2009) water-level altitudes for each aquifer, respectively; 3 sheets are maps showing 1-year (2008-09) water-level changes for each aquifer, respectively; 3 sheets are maps showing 5-year (2004-09) water-level changes for each aquifer, respectively; 4 sheets are maps showing long-term (1990-2009 and 1977-2009) water-level changes for the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, respectively; 1 sheet is a map showing long-term (2000-2009) water-level change for the Jasper aquifer; 1 sheet is a map showing site locations of borehole extensometers; and 1 sheet comprises graphs showing measured compaction of subsurface material at the sites from 1973 or later through 2008, respectively. Tables listing the data used to construct the aquifer-data maps and the compaction graphs are included.

  16. 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)

  17. Fine particulate matter components and mortality in Greater Houston: Did the risk reduce from 2000 to 2011?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Suyang; Zhang, Kai, E-mail: Kai.Zhang@uth.tmc.edu

    2015-12-15

    Fine particulate matter (less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter; PM{sub 2.5}) pollution poses a major environmental threat in Greater Houston due to rapid economic growth and the numerous PM{sub 2.5} sources including ports, vehicles, and the largest petrochemical industry in the United States (U.S.). Our objectives were to estimate the short-term associations between the PM{sub 2.5} components and mortality during 2000–2011, and evaluate whether these associations have changed over time. A total of 333,317 deaths were included in our assessment, with an average of 76 deaths per day. We selected 17 PM{sub 2.5} components from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chemical Speciation Network, and then applied Poisson regression models to assess the associations between the PM{sub 2.5} components and mortality. Additionally, we repeated our analysis for two consecutive periods: 2000–2005 and 2006–2011. Interquartile range increases in ammonium (0.881 μg/m{sup 3}), nitrate (0.487 μg/m{sup 3}), sulfate (2.245 μg/m{sup 3}), and vanadium (0.004 μg/m{sup 3}) were associated with an increased risk in mortality of 0.69% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.26, 1.12%), 0.38% (95% CI: 0.11, 0.66%), 0.61% (95% CI: 0.15, 1.06%), and 0.58% (95% CI: 0.12, 1.04%), respectively. Seasonal analysis suggested that the associations were strongest during the winter months. The association between PM{sub 2.5} mass and mortality decreased during 2000–2011, however, the PM{sub 2.5} components showed no notable changes in mortality risk over time. Our study indicates that the short-term associations between PM{sub 2.5} and mortality differ across the PM{sub 2.5} components and suggests that future air pollution control measures should not only focus on mass but also pollutant sources. - Highlights: • PM{sub 2.5} concentrations were associated with increased mortality risk. • A few major PM{sub 2.5} components were associated with increased mortality risk.

  18. Single Center Retrospective Analysis of Conventional and Radial TIG Catheters for Transradial Diagnostic Coronary Angiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vorpahl, Marc; Koehler, Till; Foerst, Jason; Panagiotopoulos, Spyridon; Schleiting, Heinrich; Koss, Klaus; Ziegler, Gunda; Brinkmann, Hilmar; Seyfarth, Melchior; Tiroch, Klaus

    2015-01-01

    Current guidelines favor the radial approach for coronary angiography. Therefore, specialty radial diagnostic catheters were designed to engage both coronary arteries with a single device. However, it is unclear if single catheters are superior to conventional catheters. A retrospective analysis was performed of consecutive right radial coronary angiographies to determine catheter use, fluoroscopy time, radiation dosage, and consumption of contrast. Procedures were performed with a single TIG catheter or conventional catheters (CONV). Procedures with coronary artery bypass grafts or ventricular angiographies were excluded. 273 transradial procedures were performed successfully. 95 procedures were performed with CONV and 178 procedures with a TIG. Crossover to additional catheters was higher in TIG (15.2%) compared to CONV (5.3%, p = 0.02). Fluoroscopy time was comparable between CONV and TIG, without crossover (2.2 ± 1.2 min versus 2.3 ± 1.2 min; n.s.), however, greater in the case of crossover for CONV (5.8 ± 0.7) and TIG (7.6 ± 3.0; p = 0.0001). Radiation dosage was similar in CONV and the TIG, without crossover (1419 ± 1075, cGy∗cm(2) versus 1690 ± 1138; n.s.), however, greater for CONV (2374 ± 620) and TIG (3733 ± 2281, p = 0.05) with crossover. Overall, the amount of contrast was greater in TIG (56 ± 13 mL) versus CONV (48 ± 3 mL; p = 0.0003). CONV femoral catheters may be the primary choice for radial approach.

  19. 76 FR 25701 - Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-05

    ... Imaging Technology--A. Date: June 2-3, 2011. Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Agenda: To review and evaluate grant applications. Place: Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, 140 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX 78205. Contact Person...: To review and evaluate grant applications. Place: Mayflower Park Hotel, 405 Olive Way, Seattle, WA...

  20. Cytomorphology of cervicovaginal melanoma: ThinPrep versus conventional Papanicolaou tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setia, Namrata; Goulart, Robert A; Leiman, Gladywn; Otis, Christopher N; Modem, Rukmini; Pantanowtiz, Liron

    2010-12-31

    Primary cervicovaginal melanoma is a rare malignancy associated with a high risk of recurrence. Prior studies discussing the cytomorphology of cervicovaginal melanoma have been based primarily on review of conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) smears. The aim of this study was to evaluate cervicovaginal melanomas identified in liquid-based Pap tests, in comparison with features seen on conventional Pap smear preparation. Cases of cervicovaginal melanoma identified on Pap tests with concurrent or subsequent histopathologic confirmation were collected from the Baystate Medical Center cytopathology files and personal archives of the authors over a total period of 34 years. All cytopathology (n = 6) and the available histology slides (n = 5) were reviewed. Cases were analyzed regarding clinical, histopathologic and cytomorphological findings. A total of six cases with invasive cervicovaginal melanoma diagnosed on Pap tests were identified. Most patients were postmenopausal with contact bleeding, correlating with surface ulceration (identified in biopsy/excision material in 5/5 cases). Most cases had deeply invasive tumors (5/5: modified Breslow's thickness > 5 mm and Chung's level of invasion IV/V). Pap tests included four ThinPrep and two conventional smears. Overall, ThinPrep Pap tests exhibited a higher ratio of tumor cells to background squamous cells. While all Pap tests were bloodstained, tumor diathesis was prominent only within conventional smears. Melanoma cells were present both as clusters and scattered single cells in each Pap test type. Both the preparations contained epithelioid tumor cells, whereas spindled tumor cells were seen in only two ThinPrep cases. Prominent nucleoli and binucleation of tumor cells were seen in both the preparations. Melanin pigment was identified in only ThinPrep (3/4) cases and nuclear pseudo-inclusions in one conventional Pap smear. Cell blocks were made in three ThinPrep cases and immunocytochemistry (S-100, HMB45, Melan

  1. Distribution of HIV-1 resistance-conferring polymorphic alleles SDF ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-08-26

    Aug 26, 2016 ... Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, University of Texas, P.O. Box 20186, Houston, TX 77225, USA; Department of Genetics, Owaisi Medical and Research Centre, Deccan College of Medical Sciences and Allied Hospitals, Kanchan Bagh, Santosh Nagar, Hyderabad 500 058, India; Center for ...

  2. Mouthguard usage by middle and high school student-athletes in Houston, Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Michael B; Johnson, Cleverick D; Cooley, Ralph A; Sharp, Holly; Servos, Thomas A

    2016-01-01

    This survey recorded utilization levels of stock and custom mouthguards among middle and high school athletes in a US metropolitan area and gathered data on the prevalence of traumatic injuries that have occurred as a consequence of school-based athletic competition. The data also included reasons for the athletes' noncompliance. A 23-question, online survey form was developed. A geographically diverse list of public and private schools in the Houston metropolitan area was identified and included 30 public middle schools, 32 public high schools, 8 private middle schools, and 10 private high schools. The sports surveyed were baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball, and wrestling. Only 1 private middle school participated. Only 5 of 32 public high schools and 1 private high school participated, representing response rates of 16% and 10%, respectively. Overall, there were 503 responses, and 56% of the respondents did not have a mouthguard. Among athletes who owned a mouthguard, most (70%) had stock versions purchased in a retail store, while 11% had a custom mouthguard fabricated by a dentist, and 19% had both types. The most frequent reasons cited for not wearing a mouthguard were forgetting to use it and a lack of comfort. The injury rates reported by respondents in the stock and custom mouthguard groups were 26% and 9%, respectively. A consistent, concerted effort by local dental societies should be aimed at school administrators and coaches to encourage enforcement or reinforcement of mouthguard usage policies among high school athletes, but, ultimately, parents need to step up to protect their children.

  3. Development of the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Gynecologic Applicators for the Treatment of Cervical Cancer: Historical Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yordy, John S.; Almond, Peter R.; Delclos, Luis

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: To provide historical background on the development and initial studies of the gynecological (gyn) applicators developed by Dr. Gilbert H. Fletcher, a radiation oncologist and chairperson from 1948 to 1981 of the department at the M.D. Anderson Hospital (MDAH) for Cancer Research in Houston, TX, and to acknowledge the previously unrecognized contribution that Dr. Leonard G. Grimmett, a radiation physicist and chairperson from 1949 to 1951 of the physics department at MDAH, made to the development of the gynecological applicators. Methods and Materials: We reviewed archival materials from the Historical Resource Center and from the Department of Radiation Physics at University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, as well as contemporary published papers, to trace the history of the applicators. Conclusions: Dr. Fletcher’s work was influenced by the work on gynecologic applicators in the 1940s in Europe, especially work done at the Royal Cancer Hospital in London. Those efforts influenced not only Dr. Fletcher’s approach to the design of the applicators but also the methods used to perform in vivo measurements and determine the dose distribution. Much of the initial development of the dosimetry techniques and measurements at MDAH were carried out by Dr. Grimmett.

  4. INIS National Center in Syria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Hallack, R.

    2006-01-01

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS) is the world's leading information system on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology and it is operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. An overview of INIS products, services, philosophy and operation is given. INIS hold a database containing over 2.5 million references increasing at approximately 85,000 references per year and a collection of full text non-conventional, or grey literature that would be hard to obtain elsewhere. In addition, the PC-based software for inputs preparation (WinFIBRE) is demonstrated. INIS national center in Syria is considered as a regional center for INIS inputs preparation. The center is responsible for selecting the relevant nuclear literature produced and published in Syria and preparing the national inputs and send them to INIS Secretariat to be included in the INIS database. The center also provides INIS services and products to users within Syria. Availability of INIS Database on CD-ROMs, which updated monthly, and the internet version, which updated weekly, and the NCL collections are also presented. Finally, translation activity of the center, such as INIS Booklet entitled Presenting INIS, and the INIS Thesaurus into Arabic were mentioned. This was an in-kind contribution from the Atomic Energy Commission of Syria to support the valuable work of the INIS and Nuclear Knowledge Management (NKM) section and will contribute significantly the dissemination of information among the researchers and scientists in the Arab Countries. (author)

  5. Vitamin D: Findings from Antarctic, Bed Rest, Houston, and ISS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zwart, Sara R.; Locke, J.; Pierson, D.; Mehta, S.; Bourbeau, Y.; Parsons, H.; Smith, S. M.

    2009-01-01

    Obtaining vitamin D is critical for space travelers because they lack ultraviolet light exposure and have an insufficient dietary supply of vitamin D. Despite the provision of 400 IU vitamin D supplements to International Space Station (ISS) early crewmembers, vitamin D status was consistently lower after flight than before flight, and in several crewmembers has decreased to levels considered clinically significant. Vitamin D has long been known to play a role in calcium metabolism, and more recently its non-calcitropic functions have been recognized. According to the results of several recent studies, functionally relevant measures indicate that the lower limit of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (a marker of vitamin D status) should be raised from the current 23 nmol/L to 80 nmol/L. The mean preflight serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH vit D) for U.S. ISS crewmembers to date is 63 +/- 16 nmol/L, and after a 4- to 6-mo space flight it typically decreases 25-30% despite supplementation (400 IU/d). The sub-optimal pre- and postflight vitamin D status is an issue that needs to be addressed, to allow NASA to better define the appropriate amount of supplemental vitamin D to serve as a countermeasure against vitamin D deficiency in astronaut crews. A series of ground-based and flight studies in multiple models have been conducted, including Antarctica in winter months when UV-B radiation levels are essentially zero, bed rest where subjects are not exposed to UV-B radiation for 60-90 days, in free-living individuals in Houston, and in International Space Station crewmembers. In these studies, we looked at dose regimen and efficacy, compliance issues, as well as toxicity. Preliminary results from these studies will be presented. Together, the data from these studies will enable us to provide space crews with evidence-based recommendations for vitamin D supplementation. The findings also have implications for other persons with limited UV light exposure, including polar workers and

  6. Training with a balance exercise assist robot is more effective than conventional training for frail older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozaki, Kenichi; Kondo, Izumi; Hirano, Satoshi; Kagaya, Hitoshi; Saitoh, Eiichi; Osawa, Aiko; Fujinori, Yoichi

    2017-11-01

    To examine the efficacy of postural strategy training using a balance exercise assist robot (BEAR) as compared with conventional balance training for frail older adults. The present study was designed as a cross-over trial without a washout term. A total of 27 community-dwelling frail or prefrail elderly residents (7 men, 20 women; age range 65-85 years) were selected from a volunteer sample. Two exercises were prepared for interventions: robotic exercise moving the center of gravity by the balance exercise assist robot system; and conventional balance training combining muscle-strengthening exercise, postural strategy training and applied motion exercise. Each exercise was carried out twice a week for 6 weeks. Participants were allocated randomly to either the robotic exercise first group or the conventional balance exercise first group. preferred and maximal gait speeds, tandem gait speeds, timed up-and-go test, functional reach test, functional base of support, center of pressure, and muscle strength of the lower extremities were assessed before and after completion of each exercise program. Robotic exercise achieved significant improvements for tandem gait speed (P = 0.012), functional reach test (P = 0.002), timed up-and-go test (P = 0.023) and muscle strength of the lower extremities (P = 0.001-0.030) compared with conventional exercise. In frail or prefrail older adults, robotic exercise was more effective for improving dynamic balance and lower extremity muscle strength than conventional exercise. These findings suggest that postural strategy training with the balance exercise assist robot is effective to improve the gait instability and muscle weakness often seen in frail older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1982-1990. © 2017 The Authors. Geriatrics & Gerontology International published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Geriatrics Society.

  7. Georgia AVC Meets Student and Community Needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, William E.; Roberts, Ann M.

    1974-01-01

    The Houston Vocational Center's scheduling system provides for an innovative sharing of facilities by secondary and postsecondary students in 14 vocational education fields. Community support for the Center is high; the businessmen are looking forward to employing competent graduates and none were asked to bear any additional financial burden. (AG)

  8. Sleep Parameters in Short Daily versus Conventional Dialysis: An Actigraphic Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludimila D’Avila e Silva Allemand

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Previous studies have observed worse sleep quality in patients undergoing conventional dialysis as compared to daily dialysis. Our aim was to compare the sleep parameters of patients undergoing daily or conventional dialysis using an objective measure (actigraphy. This cross-sectional study was performed in three dialysis centers, including a convenience sample (nonprobability sampling of 73 patients (36 patients on daily hemodialysis and 37 patients on conventional hemodialysis. The following parameters were evaluated: nocturnal total sleep time (NTST, expressed in minutes; wake time after sleep onset (WASO, expressed in minutes; number of nighttime awakenings; daytime total sleep time (DTST, expressed in minutes; number of daytime naps; and nighttime percentage of sleep (% sleep. The Mini-Mental State Examination and the Beck Depression Inventory were also administered. The mean age was 53.4  ±  17.0 years. After adjustment of confounding factors using multiple linear regression analysis, no difference in actigraphy parameters was detected between the groups: NTST (p=0.468, WASO (p=0.88, % sleep (p=0.754, awakenings (p=0.648, naps (p=0.414, and DTST (p=0.805. Different from previous studies employing qualitative analysis, the present assessment did not observe an influence of hemodialysis modality on objective sleep parameters in chronic renal patients.

  9. Characterizing urbanization impacts on floodplain through integrated land use, hydrologic, and hydraulic modeling: Applications to a watershed in northwest Houston, TX

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gori, A.; Juan, A.; Blessing, R.; Brody, S.; Bedient, P. B.

    2017-12-01

    The FEMA 100 year floodplain serves as the benchmark for characterizing and managing flood risk in the United States. However, it is usually generated by using methodologies that are too simplistic to accurately depict the spatial reality of flood risk, and often fail to consider non-stationary variables such as changing land use conditions or precipitation patterns. The impacts of these limitations are evidenced in Houston, TX, where rainfall-induced flooding has resulted in billions of dollars in commercial and residential damage over the past two decades, much of which has occurred outside of the 100 year floodplain. Specifically, rapid urbanization has drastically increased overland runoff and resulting peak flows, thereby exposing new areas to flood risks. It is therefore crucial to examine the impacts of future land development on floodplain depth and extent in order to develop effective long-term stormwater management and mitigation strategies. This study presents a methodology for characterizing the impacts of future development on flood risk in an urbanizing watershed by integrating land use projection and high-resolution hydrologic / hydraulic modeling. Development projections are generated by identifying historical land use/ land cover change (LULCC) drivers, which are incorporated into an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict development conditions out to 2040. Hydrologic modeling of current and projected land cover conditions is achieved through a physics-based distributed hydrologic model. Finally, a coupled 1D/2D unsteady hydraulic model is used to simulate floodplain depths and extents, and to generate floodplain maps for all considered scenarios. This methodology is applied to the Cypress Creek watershed in northwest Houston, TX, a partially-developed watershed which is expected to rapidly urbanize for the next few decades. The study quantifies floodplain changes (i.e., extent and depth) and the number of impacted residences, and also

  10. Predictors of Intention to Quit Waterpipe Smoking: A Survey of Arab Americans in Houston, Texas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liqa Athamneh

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Waterpipe smoking has been described as “the second global tobacco epidemic since the cigarette.” Both Middle Eastern ethnicity and having a friend of Middle Eastern ethnicity have been reported as significant predictors of waterpipe smoking. Addressing waterpipe smoking in this ethnic minority is essential to controlling this growing epidemic in the US. We investigated the predictors of an intention to quit waterpipe smoking by surveying 340 Arab American adults in the Houston area. Primary analyses were conducted using stepwise logistic regression. Only 27% of participants reported having an intention to quit waterpipe smoking. Intention to quit waterpipe smoking was significantly higher with history of cigar use, a prior attempt to quit, and not smoking when seriously ill and significantly lower with increasing age, medium cultural acceptability of using waterpipe among family, high cultural acceptability of using waterpipe among friends, longer duration of smoking sessions, and perceiving waterpipe smoking as less harmful than cigarettes. Educational programs that target Arab Americans in general, and specifically older adults, those who smoke waterpipe for more than 60 minutes, those whose family and friends approve waterpipe smoking, and those with no former attempts to quit, may be necessary to increase the intention to quit waterpipe smoking.

  11. Application of the Aarhus Convention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tubić Bojan

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters (Aarhus Convention has been adopted in 1998 and entered into force three years later. It envisages three elements for strengthening democratic procedures in decision-making: access to information, public participation and access to justice. At the first meeting of the Member States the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee was founded. The European Union is a party of the Convention and it has implemented the provisions in its legal order. After entering into force of the Convention, several Directives that regulate these issues in the EU have been enacted. Republic of Serbia has ratified the Convention in 2009 and it is currently in the process of its implementation by involving private subjects in decision-making on environmental issues.

  12. Nuclear liability: Joint protocol relating to the application of the Vienna Convention and the Paris Convention, 1988

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-10-01

    The Joint Protocol Relating to the Application of the Vienna Convention and the Paris Convention was adopted by the Conference on the Relationship between the Paris Convention and the Vienna Convention, which met in Vienna, at the Headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency on 21 September 1988. The Joint Protocol establishes a link between the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy of 1960 and the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage of 1963. The Joint Protocol will extend to the States adhering to it the coverage of the two Conventions. It will also resolve potential conflicts of law, which could result from the simultaneous application of the two Conventions to the same nuclear accident. The Conference on the Relationship between the Paris Convention and the Vienna Convention was jointly organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. This publication contains the text of the Final Act of the Conference in the six authentic languages, the Joint Protocol Relating to the Application of the Vienna Convention and the Paris Convention, also in the six authentic languages and an explanatory note, prepared by the IAEA and NEA Secretariats, providing background information on the content of the Joint Protocol

  13. Global climate convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simonis, U.E.

    1991-01-01

    The effort of negotiate a global convention on climate change is one of mankind's great endeavours - and a challenge to economists and development planners. The inherent linkages between climate and the habitability of the earth are increasingly well recognized, and a convention could help to ensure that conserving the environment and developing the economy in the future must go hand in hand. Due to growing environmental concern the United Nations General Assembly has set into motion an international negotiating process for a framework convention on climate change. One the major tasks in these negotiations is how to share the duties in reducing climate relevant gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), between the industrial and the developing countries. The results and proposals could be among the most far-reaching ever for socio-economic development, indeed for global security and survival itself. While the negotiations will be about climate and protection of the atmosphere, they will be on fundamental global changes in energy policies, forestry, transport, technology, and on development pathways with low greenhouse gas emissions. Some of these aspects of a climate convention, particularly the distributional options and consequences for the North-South relations, are addressed in this chapter. (orig.)

  14. Fog chemistry in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast corridor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raja, Suresh; Raghunathan, Ravikrishna; Yu, Xiao-Ying; Lee, Taehyoung; Chen, Jing; Kommalapati, Raghava R.; Murugesan, Karthik; Shen, Xinhua; Qingzhong, Yuan; Valsaraj, Kalliat T.; Collett, Jeffrey L.

    Fog samples were collected in two population centers of the US Gulf Coast (Houston, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana) using Caltech active strand cloud collectors. A total of 32 fogwater samples were collected in Baton Rouge (November 2004-February 2005) and Houston (February 2006). These samples were analyzed for pH, total and dissolved organic carbon, major inorganic ions, and a variety of organic compounds including organic acids, aromatics, carbonyls, and linear alkanes. Fogs in both environments were of moderate density, with typical fog liquid water contents <100 mg m -3. Fog samples collected in Houston reflect a clear influence of marine and anthropogenic inputs, while Baton Rouge samples also reflect agricultural inputs. The volume-weighted mean fog pH was somewhat more acidic (˜4.3) in Houston than in Baton Rouge (˜5.0). A wide pH range was observed in fog at both locations. Houston fog had higher concentrations of Cl -, NO 3-, Na +, Mg 2+, and Ca 2+. Sulfate to nitrate ratios were high in fogs at both locations, typical of many clouds in the eastern US. Total organic carbon concentrations were much higher in Houston fogs than in Baton Rouge fogs. Efforts to speciate dissolved organic carbon (DOC) reveal large contributions from organic acids and carbonyls, with smaller contributions from other organic compound families including aromatics, alkanes, amides, and alcohols. Approximately 40% of the fog DOC was unspeciated in samples from both study locations.

  15. Human Factors and Safety Considerations of Night Vision Systems Flight Using Thermal Imaging Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-04-01

    Duke) Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6200 26 Director of Professional Services U.S. Air Force School AFMSC/GSP of Aerospace Medicina Brooks Air Force Base...Force Base, CA 93523-5000 Commander Ms. Sandra G. Hart Code 3431 Ames Research Center Naval Weapons Center MS 229-S China Lake, CA 93555 Moffett Field, CA

  16. ESD and the Rio Conventions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarabhai, Kartikeya V.; Ravindranath, Shailaja; Schwarz, Rixa; Vyas, Purvi

    2012-01-01

    Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, a key document of the 1992 Earth Summit, emphasised reorienting education towards sustainable development. While two of the Rio conventions, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), developed communication, education and public awareness (CEPA)…

  17. Conventional and Non-Conventional Yeasts in Beer Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Capece

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The quality of beer relies on the activity of fermenting yeasts, not only for their good fermentation yield-efficiency, but also for their influence on beer aroma, since most of the aromatic compounds are intermediate metabolites and by-products of yeast metabolism. Beer production is a traditional process, in which Saccharomyces is the sole microbial component, and any deviation is considered a flaw. However, nowadays the brewing sector is faced with an increasing demand for innovative products, and it is diffusing the use of uncharacterized autochthonous starter cultures, spontaneous fermentation, or non-Saccharomyces starters, which leads to the production of distinctive and unusual products. Attempts to obtain products with more complex sensory characteristics have led one to prospect for non-conventional yeasts, i.e., non-Saccharomyces yeasts. These generally are characterized by low fermentation yields and are more sensitive to ethanol stress, but they provide a distinctive aroma and flavor. Furthermore, non-conventional yeasts can be used for the production of low-alcohol/non-alcoholic and light beers. This review aims to present the main findings about the role of traditional and non-conventional yeasts in brewing, demonstrating the wide choice of available yeasts, which represents a new biotechnological approach with which to target the characteristics of beer and to produce different or even totally new beer styles.

  18. The EU Arbitration Convention : An evaluating assessment of the governance and functioning of the EU Arbitration Convention

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pit, Harm Mark

    2017-01-01

    The EU Arbitration Convention An evaluating assessment of the governance and functioning of the EU Arbitration Convention Summary for non-experts The EU Arbitration Convention is a convention between EU Member States to eliminate double taxation arising from – for tax purposes – transfer pricing

  19. Creating the Public Connection: Interactive Experiences with Real-Time Earth and Space Science Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiff, Patricia H.; Ledley, Tamara S.; Sumners, Carolyn; Wyatt, Ryan

    1995-01-01

    The Houston Museum of Natural Sciences is less than two miles from Rice University, a major hub on the Internet. This project links these two institutions so that NASA real-time data and imagery can flow via Rice to the Museum where it reaches the public in the form of planetarium programs, computer based interactive kiosks, and space and Earth science problem solving simulation. Through this program at least 200,000 visitors annually (including every 4th and 7th grader in the Houston Independent School District) will have direct exposure to the Earth and space research being conducted by NASA and available over the Internet. Each information conduit established between Rice University and the Houston Museum of Natural Science will become a model for public information dissemination that can be replicated nationally in museums, planetariums, Challenger Centers, and schools.

  20. Convention on nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    The Convention on Nuclear Safety was adopted on 17 June 1994 by Diplomatic Conference convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency at its Headquarters from 14 to 17 June 1994. The Convention will enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit with the Depository (the Agency's Director General) of the twenty-second instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, including the instruments of seventeen States, having each at leas one nuclear installation which has achieved criticality in a reactor core. The text of the Convention as adopted is reproduced in the Annex hereto for the information of all Member States

  1. Evaluation of Maxim Module-Integrated Electronics at the DOE Regional Test Centers: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deline, C.; Sekulic, B.; Stein, J.; Barkaszi, S.; Yang, J.; Kahn, S.

    2014-07-01

    Module-embedded power electronics developed by Maxim Integrated are under evaluation through a partnership with the Department of Energy's Regional Test Center (RTC) program. Field deployments of both conventional modules and electronics-enhanced modules are designed to quantify the performance advantage of Maxim's products under different amounts of inter-row shading, and their ability to be deployed at a greater ground-coverage-ratio than conventional modules. Simulations in PVSYST have quantified the predicted performance difference between conventional modules and Maxim's modules from inter-row shading. Initial performance results have identified diffuse irradiance losses at tighter row spacing for both the Maxim and conventional modules. Comparisons with published models show good agreement with models predicting the greatest diffuse irradiance losses. At tighter row spacing, all of the strings equipped with embedded power electronics outperformed their conventional peers. An even greater performance advantage is predicted to occur in the winter months when the amount of inter-row shading mismatch is at a maximum.

  2. The economics of developing non-conventional reserves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuuskraa, V.A.

    1997-01-01

    A fact-based perspective on the economics of non-conventional natural gas reserves such as coalbed methane, gas shales and tight gas was presented. Traditionally, tax credits stimulate the development of non-conventional gas. Although tax credits for non-conventional gas development stopped at the end of 1992, because of improved technologies, improved finding rates and well productivities, non-conventional reserves continue to play a major role in the U.S. gas drilling development. Non-conventional reserves account for three out of five gas wells drilled in the U.S. The non-conventional gas industry competes directly with the conventional natural gas industry. This paper examined how well non-conventional gas compares to the current replacement costs of conventional natural gas. Investment costs for a non-conventional operation were studied, illustrated by an overview of the costs and economics of non-conventional reserves in the San Juan coal basin, the Piceance tight gas basin and the Michigan and Ft. Worth gas shales basins. 9 tabs

  3. Center for Programming Models for Scalable Parallel Computing - Towards Enhancing OpenMP for Manycore and Heterogeneous Nodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barbara Chapman

    2012-02-01

    OpenMP was not well recognized at the beginning of the project, around year 2003, because of its limited use in DoE production applications and the inmature hardware support for an efficient implementation. Yet in the recent years, it has been graduately adopted both in HPC applications, mostly in the form of MPI+OpenMP hybrid code, and in mid-scale desktop applications for scientific and experimental studies. We have observed this trend and worked deligiently to improve our OpenMP compiler and runtimes, as well as to work with the OpenMP standard organization to make sure OpenMP are evolved in the direction close to DoE missions. In the Center for Programming Models for Scalable Parallel Computing project, the HPCTools team at the University of Houston (UH), directed by Dr. Barbara Chapman, has been working with project partners, external collaborators and hardware vendors to increase the scalability and applicability of OpenMP for multi-core (and future manycore) platforms and for distributed memory systems by exploring different programming models, language extensions, compiler optimizations, as well as runtime library support.

  4. 7T MRI in focal epilepsy with unrevealing conventional field strength imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Ciantis, Alessio; Barba, Carmen; Tassi, Laura; Cosottini, Mirco; Tosetti, Michela; Costagli, Mauro; Bramerio, Manuela; Bartolini, Emanuele; Biagi, Laura; Cossu, Massimo; Pelliccia, Veronica; Symms, Mark R; Guerrini, Renzo

    2016-03-01

    To assess the diagnostic yield of 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting and characterizing structural lesions in patients with intractable focal epilepsy and unrevealing conventional (1.5 or 3T) MRI. We conducted an observational clinical imaging study on 21 patients (17 adults and 4 children) with intractable focal epilepsy, exhibiting clinical and electroencephalographic features consistent with a single seizure-onset zone (SOZ) and unrevealing conventional MRI. Patients were enrolled at two tertiary epilepsy surgery centers and imaged at 7T, including whole brain (three-dimensional [3D] T1 -weighted [T1W] fast-spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR), 3D susceptibility-weighted angiography [SWAN], 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery [FLAIR]) and targeted imaging (2D T2*-weighted dual-echo gradient-recalled echo [GRE] and 2D gray-white matter tissue border enhancement [TBE] fast spin echo inversion recovery [FSE-IR]). MRI studies at 1.5 or 3T deemed unrevealing at the referral center were reviewed by three experts in epilepsy imaging. Reviewers were provided information regarding the suspected localization of the SOZ. The same team subsequently reviewed 7T images. Agreement in imaging interpretation was reached through consensus-based discussions based on visual identification of structural abnormalities and their likely correlation with clinical and electrographic data. 7T MRI revealed structural lesions in 6 (29%) of 21 patients. The diagnostic gain in detection was obtained using GRE and FLAIR images. Four of the six patients with abnormal 7T underwent epilepsy surgery. Histopathology revealed focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) in all. In the remaining 15 patients (71%), 7T MRI remained unrevealing; 4 of the patients underwent epilepsy surgery and histopathologic evaluation revealed gliosis. 7T MRI improves detection of epileptogenic FCD that is not visible at conventional field strengths. A dedicated protocol including whole brain FLAIR and GRE images at 7T

  5. Acute and late side-effects of conventional and conformal pelvic radiotherapy for cervical and endometrial cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Izmajlowicz, B.; Komafel, J.

    2010-01-01

    Aim of the study. The purpose of this prospective study was to analyze and compare acute and late side-effects observed in patients with cervical and endometrial cancer treated with conventional 2-dimensional (2D) and conformal 3-dimensional (3D) pelvic radiotherapy. Patients and method. 50 patients treated with conventional pelvic radiotherapy and 50 patients treated with conformal pelvic radiotherapy at the Clinical Department of Gynecological Radiotherapy of the Lower Silesian Oncology Center between November 2004 and October 2005 were entered into a prospective study. We assessed Radiotherapy side-effects according to EORTCIRTOG, performance status according to the WHO, Body Mass Index and hematologic parameters during radiotherapy and one year after treatment. Results. Performance status acc. to the WHO was significantly better in the conformal arm. Anemia and nausea were more frequent in the conventional arm. In both the study groups acute gastrointestinal and genitourinary morbidity was more frequent than late morbidity and performance status was better after than before radiotherapy. Mean BMI was lower after radiotherapy than before treatment. Conclusions. Conformal pelvic radiotherapy in patients with cervical and endometrial cancer is less toxic than conventional pelvic radiotherapy which is also confirmed by the performance status. (authors)

  6. Pramana – Journal of Physics | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Author Affiliations. E C G Sudarshan1 I M Duck2. Department of Physics, Center for Particle Theory, University of Texas, Austin TX 78731, USA; Physics Department, T.W. Bonner Laboratory, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77251, USA ...

  7. Robotic distal pancreatectomy versus conventional laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy: a comparative study for short-term outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Eric C H; Tang, Chung Ngai

    2015-09-01

    Robotic system has been increasingly used in pancreatectomy. However, the effectiveness of this method remains uncertain. This study compared the surgical outcomes between robot-assisted laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and conventional laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. During a 15-year period, 35 patients underwent minimally invasive approach of distal pancreatectomy in our center. Seventeen of these patients had robot-assisted laparoscopic approach, and the remaining 18 had conventional laparoscopic approach. Their operative parameters and perioperative outcomes were analyzed retrospectively in a prospective database. The mean operating time in the robotic group (221.4 min) was significantly longer than that in the laparoscopic group (173.6 min) (P = 0.026). Both robotic and conventional laparoscopic groups presented no significant difference in spleen-preservation rate (52.9% vs. 38.9%) (P = 0.505), operative blood loss (100.3 ml vs. 268.3 ml) (P = 0.29), overall morbidity rate (47.1% vs. 38.9%) (P = 0.73), and post-operative hospital stay (11.4 days vs. 14.2 days) (P = 0.46). Both groups also showed no perioperative mortality. Similar outcomes were observed in robotic distal pancreatectomy and conventional laparoscopic approach. However, robotic approach tended to have the advantages of less blood loss and shorter hospital stay. Further studies are necessary to determine the clinical position of robotic distal pancreatectomy.

  8. The nuclear liability conventions revised

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyners, P.

    2004-01-01

    The signature on 12 February 2004 of the Protocols amending respectively the 1960 Paris Convention and the 1963 Brussels Supplementary Convention was the second step of the process of modernisation of the international nuclear liability regime after the adoption in September 1997 of a Protocol revising the 1963 Vienna Convention and of a new Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. The common objective of the new instruments is to provide more funds to compensate a larger number of potential victims in respect of a broader range of damage. Another goal of the revision exercise was to maintain the compatibility between the Paris and Vienna based systems, a commitment enshrined in the 1988 Joint Protocol, as well as to ascertain that Paris/Brussels countries could also become a Party to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation. However, while generally consistent vis a vis the Joint Protocol, the provisions of the Paris and Vienna Conventions, as revised, differ on some significant aspects. Another remaining issue is whether the improved international nuclear liability regime will succeed in attracting in the future a larger number of countries, particularly outside Europe, and will so become truly universal. Therefore, the need for international co-operation to address these issues, to facilitate the adoption of new implementing legislation and to ensure that this special regime keeps abreast of economic and technological developments, is in no way diminished after the revision of the Conventions.(author)

  9. The impact of local land subsidence and global sea level rise on flood severity in Houston-Galveston caused by Hurricane Harvey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, M. M.; Shirzaei, M.

    2017-12-01

    Category-4 Hurricane Harvey had devastating socioeconomic impacts to Houston, with flooding far past the 100-year flood zones published by FEMA. In recent decades, frequency and intensity of coastal flooding are escalating, correlated with sea level rise (SLR). Moreover, Local land subsidence (LLS) due to groundwater and hydrocarbon extraction and natural compaction changes surface elevation and slope, potentially altering drainage patterns. GPS data show a mm broad co-cyclonic subsidence due to elastic loading from the water mass measured by GPS, which is inverted to solve for the total fluid volume of 2.73x1010 m3. We additionally investigate the joint impact of an SLR and pre-cyclonic LLS on the flooding of Houston-Galveston during Hurricane Harvey. We examine vertical land motion within North American Vertical Datum 2012 for the period 2007 until the cyclone by investigating SAR imaged acquired by ALOS and Sentinel-1A/B radar satellites combined with GPS data. We find patchy, LLS bowls resulting in sinks where floodwater can collect. We map the flooding extent by comparing amplitudes of Sentinal1-A/B pixels' backscattered radar signal from pre- and post-Harvey acquisitions and estimate 782 km2 are submerged within the area of 3478 km2 of pixels covered by Sentinel frame. Comparing with the LLS map, 89% of the flooded pixels exhibit -3 mm/yr or greater vertical motion. Flooding attributed to the storm surge is determined with high-resolution LiDAR digital elevation models (DEM) and a 0.75 m storm tide inundation model, which engulfs only 195 km2 and nearby the shorelines. We estimate future inundation hazard by combining LiDAR DEMs with our InSAR derived subsidence map, projecting LLS rates forward 100 years, and modeling projected SLR from 0.4 to 1.2 meters. Were subsidence to continue unabated, the total flooded area is 281 km2 with a 0.4 m and 394 km2 with a 1.2 m SLR. Next, we add a modest storm tide (0.752 m), which increases the flooded area to 389 - 480

  10. Co-existence of GM, conventional and organic crops in developing countries: Main debates and concerns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azadi, Hossein; Taube, Friedhelm; Taheri, Fatemeh

    2017-06-05

    The co-existence approach of GM crops with conventional agriculture and organic farming as a feasible agricultural farming system has recently been placed in the center of hot debates at the EU-level and become a source of anxiety in developing countries. The main promises of this approach is to ensure "food security" and "food safety" on the one hand, and to avoid the adventitious presence of GM crops in conventional and organic farming on the other, as well as to present concerns in many debates on implementing the approach in developing countries. Here, we discuss the main debates on ("what," "why," "who," "where," "which," and "how") applying this approach in developing countries and review the main considerations and tradeoffs in this regard. The paper concludes that a peaceful co-existence between GM, conventional, and organic farming is not easy but is still possible. The goal should be to implement rules that are well-established proportionately, efficiently and cost-effectively, using crop-case, farming system-based and should be biodiversity-focused ending up with "codes of good agricultural practice" for co-existence.

  11. Limited mobility of dioxins near San Jacinto super fund site (waste pit) in the Houston Ship Channel, Texas due to strong sediment sorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louchouarn, Patrick; Seward, Shaya M; Cornelissen, Gerard; Arp, Hans Peter H; Yeager, Kevin M; Brinkmeyer, Robin; Santschi, Peter H

    2018-02-20

    Sediments from a waste pit in Houston Ship Channel (HSC) were characterized using a number of molecular markers of natural organic matter fractions (e.g., pyrogenic carbon residues, PAHs, lignins), in addition to dioxins, in order to test the hypothesis that the dispersal and mobility of dioxins from the waste pit in the San Jacinto River is minimal. Station SG-6, sampled at the site of the submerged waste pit, had the highest dioxin/furan concentrations reported for the Houston Ship Channel/Galveston Bay (HSC/GB) system (10,000-46,000 pg/g), which translated into some of the highest reported World Health Organization Toxic Equivalents (TEQs: 2000-11,000 pg/g) in HSC sediments. Using a multi-tracer approach, this study confirmed our hypothesis that sludges from chlorinated pulps are a very likely source of dioxins/furans to this pit. However, this material also contained large quantities of additional hydrophobic organic contaminants (PAHs) and pyrogenic markers (soot-BC, levoglucosan), pointing to the co-occurrence of petroleum hydrocarbons and combustion byproducts. Comparison of dioxin/furan signatures in the waste pit with those from sediments of the HSC and a control site suggests that the remobilization of contaminated particles did not occur beyond the close vicinity of the pit itself. The dioxins/furans in sediments outside the waste pit within the HSC are rather from other diffuse inputs, entering the sedimentary environment through the air and water, and which are comprised of a mixture of industrial and municipal sources. Fingerprinting of waste pit dioxins indicates that their composition is typical of pulp and paper sources. Measured pore water concentrations were 1 order of magnitude lower than estimated values, calculated from a multiphase sorption model, indicating low mobility of dioxins within the waste pit. This is likely accomplished by co-occurring and strong sorbing pyrogenic and petrogenic residues in the waste pit, which tend to keep

  12. Late toxicities after conventional radiation therapy alone for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tuan, Jeffrey Kit Loong, E-mail: ntrtkl@nccs.com.sg [Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore (Singapore); Ha, Tam Cam [Division of Clinical Trials and Epidemiological Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore (Singapore); Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Singapore); Ong, Whee Sze [Division of Clinical Trials and Epidemiological Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore (Singapore); Siow, Tian Rui [Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore (Singapore); Tham, Ivan Weng Keong [National University Health System Singapore (Singapore); Yap, Swee Peng; Tan, Terence Wee Kiat; Chua, Eu Tiong; Fong, Kam Weng [Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore (Singapore); Wee, Joseph Tien Seng [Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore (Singapore); Division of Clinical Trials and Epidemiological Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore (Singapore); Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Singapore)

    2012-09-15

    Background and purpose: We sought to evaluate the nature and frequency of late toxicities in a cohort of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients treated with conventional radiotherapy alone. Methods and materials: Seven-hundred and ninety-six consecutive NPC patients treated using conventional radiotherapy at a single center from 1992 to 1995 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with histology proven, completely staged, Stage I-IVB World Health Organization Type I-III NPC and completed radical radiotherapy were included. Patients with incomplete staging investigations, distant metastases at diagnosis, previous treatment, and incomplete radiotherapy were excluded. Radiotherapy-related complications were categorized using the RTOG Late Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria. Results: Median follow-up was 7.2 years. The 5-year overall survival and disease free survival were 69% and 56%, respectively, and the corresponding 10-year rates were 52% and 44%. Among 771 patients with at least 3 months of follow-up post treatment, 565 (73%) developed RT-related complications. Diagnosed neurological complications were cranial nerve palsies (n = 70; 9%), temporal lobe necrosis (n = 37; 5%), Lhermitte's syndrome (n = 7; 1%), and brachial plexopathy (n = 2; 0.3%). Non-neurological complications included xerostomia (n = 353; 46%), neck fibrosis (n = 169; 22%), hypo-pituitarism (n = 48; 6%), hearing loss (n = 120; 16%), dysphagia (n = 116; 15%), otorrhea (n = 101; 13%), tinnitus (n = 94; 12%), permanent tube feeding (n = 61; 8%), trismus (n = 45; 6%), second malignancies within treatment field (n = 17; 2%), and osteo-radionecrosis (n = 13; 2%). Conclusions: While radiotherapy is curative in NPC, many patients suffer significant late treatment morbidities with conventional radiotherapy techniques.

  13. Late toxicities after conventional radiation therapy alone for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tuan, Jeffrey Kit Loong; Ha, Tam Cam; Ong, Whee Sze; Siow, Tian Rui; Tham, Ivan Weng Keong; Yap, Swee Peng; Tan, Terence Wee Kiat; Chua, Eu Tiong; Fong, Kam Weng; Wee, Joseph Tien Seng

    2012-01-01

    Background and purpose: We sought to evaluate the nature and frequency of late toxicities in a cohort of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients treated with conventional radiotherapy alone. Methods and materials: Seven-hundred and ninety-six consecutive NPC patients treated using conventional radiotherapy at a single center from 1992 to 1995 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with histology proven, completely staged, Stage I–IVB World Health Organization Type I–III NPC and completed radical radiotherapy were included. Patients with incomplete staging investigations, distant metastases at diagnosis, previous treatment, and incomplete radiotherapy were excluded. Radiotherapy-related complications were categorized using the RTOG Late Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria. Results: Median follow-up was 7.2 years. The 5-year overall survival and disease free survival were 69% and 56%, respectively, and the corresponding 10-year rates were 52% and 44%. Among 771 patients with at least 3 months of follow-up post treatment, 565 (73%) developed RT-related complications. Diagnosed neurological complications were cranial nerve palsies (n = 70; 9%), temporal lobe necrosis (n = 37; 5%), Lhermitte’s syndrome (n = 7; 1%), and brachial plexopathy (n = 2; 0.3%). Non-neurological complications included xerostomia (n = 353; 46%), neck fibrosis (n = 169; 22%), hypo-pituitarism (n = 48; 6%), hearing loss (n = 120; 16%), dysphagia (n = 116; 15%), otorrhea (n = 101; 13%), tinnitus (n = 94; 12%), permanent tube feeding (n = 61; 8%), trismus (n = 45; 6%), second malignancies within treatment field (n = 17; 2%), and osteo-radionecrosis (n = 13; 2%). Conclusions: While radiotherapy is curative in NPC, many patients suffer significant late treatment morbidities with conventional radiotherapy techniques.

  14. General aviation internal combustion engine research programs at NASA-Lewis Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, E. A.

    1978-01-01

    An update is presented of non-turbine general aviation engine programs underway at the NASA-Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The program encompasses conventional, lightweight diesel and rotary engines. Its three major thrusts are: (a) reduced SFC's; (b) improved fuels tolerance; and (c) reducing emissions. Current and planned future programs in such areas as lean operation, improved fuel management, advanced cooling techniques and advanced engine concepts, are described. These are expected to lay the technology base, by the mid to late 1980's, for engines whose life cycle fuel costs are 30 to 50% lower than today's conventional engines.

  15. Dumping convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roche, P.

    1992-01-01

    Sea dumping of radioactive waste has, since 1983, been precluded under a moratorium established by the London Dumping Convention. Pressure from the nuclear industry to allow ocean dumping of nuclear waste is reported in this article. (author)

  16. Understanding the conventional arms trade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stohl, Rachel

    2017-11-01

    The global conventional arms trade is worth tens of billions of dollars every year and is engaged in by every country in the world. Yet, it is often difficult to control the legal trade in conventional arms and there is a thriving illicit market, willing to arm unscrupulous regimes and nefarious non-state actors. This chapter examines the international conventional arms trade, the range of tools that have been used to control it, and challenges to these international regimes.

  17. Reframing less conventional speech to disrupt conventions of "compulsory fluency": A conversation analysis approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camille Duque

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Our purpose is to illuminate compliances with, and resistances to, what we are calling "compulsory fluency" which we define as conventions for what constitutes competent speech. We achieve our purpose through a study of day-to-day communication between a woman with less conventional speech and her support providing family members and friends. Drawing from McRuer's (2006 compulsory ablebodiedness and Kafer's (2013 compulsory able-mindedness, we use "compulsory fluency" to refer to a form of articulation that is standardized and idealized and imposed on all speakers including those whose speech is less conventional. We see compulsory fluency as central to North American conceptions of personhood which are tied to individual ability to speak for one's self (Brueggemann, 2005. In this paper, we trace some North American principles for linguistic competence to outline widely held ideals of receptive and expressive language use, namely, conventions for how language should be understood and expressed. Using Critical Disability Studies (Goodley, 2013; McRuer, 2006 together with a feminist framework of relational autonomy (Nedelsky, 1989, our goal is to focus on experiences of people with less conventional speech and draw attention to power in communication as it flows in idiosyncratic and intersubjective fashion (Mackenzie & Stoljar, 2000; Westlund, 2009. In other words, we use a critical disability and feminist framing to call attention to less conventional forms of communication competence and, in this process, we challenge assumptions about what constitutes competent speech. As part of a larger qualitative study, we conduct a conversation analysis informed by Rapley and Antaki (1996 to examine day-to-day verbal, vocal and non-verbal communications of a young woman who self identifies as "having autism" - pseudonym Addison - in interaction with her support-providing family members and friends. We illustrate a multitude of Addison's compliances with

  18. Simvastatin as an Adjunct to Conventional Therapy of Non-infectious Uveitis: A Randomized, Open-Label Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shirinsky, Ivan V; Biryukova, Anastasia A; Shirinsky, Valery S

    2017-12-01

    Statins have been shown to reduce ocular inflammation in animal models of uveitis and to prevent development of uveitis in observational studies. There have been no experimental human studies evaluating statins' efficacy and safety in uveitis. In this study, we aimed to investigate efficacy and safety of simvastatin in patients with uveitis. For this single-center, open-label, randomized study, we enrolled patients with acute non-infectious uveitis. The patients were randomized to receive 40 mg simvastatin per day for 2 months in addition to conventional treatment or conventional treatment alone. The studied outcomes were the rate of steroid-sparing control of ocular inflammation, measures of ocular inflammation, intraocular pressure, and visual acuity. Fifty patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty-five patients were randomly assigned to receive simvastatin with conventional treatment and 25 to conventional treatment alone. Simvastatin was associated with significantly higher rates of steroid-sparing ocular inflammation control, decrease in anterior chamber inflammation, and improvement in visual acuity. The treatment was well tolerated, no serious adverse effects were observed. Our findings suggest that statins may have therapeutic potential in uveitis. These results need to be confirmed in double-blind, randomized, controlled studies.

  19. Preliminary assessment on the differences of nuclear terrorism convention from the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material and amendment to the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Midiana Ariethia; Muhamad Ilman A A; Mas Pungky Hendrawijaya

    2011-01-01

    The threat of acts of nuclear terrorism in all its forms and manifestations create the urgent need to enhance international cooperation between countries in designing and following practical and effective measures for the prevention of acts of terrorism and to counter and punish its offenders. Several United Nations Security Council Resolutions, such as UNSCR Number 1373 (2001), and UNSCR Number 1540 (2005), and the result of Nuclear Security Summit in 2010 that encourage the member countries of IAEA to ratify nuclear conventions as soon as possible, are the reasons that the Indonesian Government planning on ratifying The International Convention for The Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (Nuclear Terrorism Convention). Nuclear Terrorism Convention is one of the 16 (sixteen) international instruments that must be ratified by the member countries of IAEA. Of the 16 (sixteen) international instruments, 3 (three) conventions are related to nuclear; Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, dan Nuclear Terrorism Convention. This paper presents the preliminary assessment on the differences of Nuclear Terrorism Convention to The Convention on The Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Amendment to The Convention on The Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. This assessment is important due to the plan of the Indonesian Government to ratify the Nuclear Terrorism Convention. The result of this assessment could be used by BAPETEN in the ratification process of the Nuclear Terrorism Convention. The method used in this assessment is references assessment. (author)

  20. Should Indonesia Accede to The 1951 Refugee Convention and Its 1967 Protocol?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dita Liliansa

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Being a non-party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (“1951 Refugee Convention” and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (“1967 Protocol”, Indonesia does not have legal obligations to provide permanent resettlement for asylum seeker and/or refugee. However, as a transit country for those seeking shelter in Australia, Indonesia undergoes a myriad of issues resulting from illegal entrance by asylum seeker and/or refugee. Besides having neither legal framework nor domestic mechanism to handle asylum seekers and/or refugee, Indonesia’s immigration law identifies every foreigner including asylum seeker and refugee who unlawfully enter Indonesia’s territory into the same box as illegal migrant. It then leads to the arrest of asylum seeker and/or refugee to be put in an over-capacity detention center or other places. This paper will analyze various issues related to asylum seeker and refugee in Indonesia and to weigh whether it is indispensable for Indonesia to accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

  1. High-Flow Nasal Cannula versus Conventional Oxygen Therapy in Children with Respiratory Distress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sitthikarnkha, Punthila; Samransamruajkit, Rujipat; Prapphal, Nuanchan; Deerojanawong, Jitladda; Sritippayawan, Suchada

    2018-05-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy compared with conventional oxygen therapy in children presented with respiratory distress. This was a randomized controlled study. Infants and children aged between 1 month to 5 years who were admitted to our tertiary referral center for respiratory distress (July 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015) and met the inclusion criteria were recruited. Infants and children hospitalized with respiratory distress were randomized into two groups of interventions. All clinical data, for example, respiratory score, pulse rate, and respiratory rate were recorded. The results were subsequently analyzed. A total of 98 respiratory distress children were enrolled during the study period. Only 4 children (8.2%) failed in HFNC therapy, compared with 10 children (20.4%) in conventional oxygen therapy group ( P = 0.09). After adjusted for body weight, underlying diseases, and respiratory distress score, there was an 85% reduction in the odds of treatment failure in HFNC therapy group (adjusted odds ratio 0.15, 95% confidence interval 0.03-0.66, P = 0.01). Most children in HFNC therapy group had significant improvement in clinical respiratory score, heart rate, and respiratory rate at 240, 360, and 120 min compared with conventional oxygen therapy ( P = 0.03, 0.04, and 0.03). HFNC therapy revealed a potential clinical advantage in management children hospitalized with respiratory distress compared with conventional respiratory therapy. The early use of HFNC in children with moderate-to-severe respiratory distress may prevent endotracheal tube intubation. TCTR 20170222007.

  2. Public health assessment for Geneva Industries/Fuhrmann Energy, Houston, Harris County, Texas, Region 6. CERCLIS No. TXD980748453. Addendum. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    The Geneva Industries Site is an abandoned refinery in Houston, Texas, that manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Although there is evidence of past exposure to site contaminants, the site currently poses no apparent public health hazard. The contaminants to which persons may have been exposed in the past include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The lack of historical ambient air data from the time when the site was active prevents us from evaluating the potential for adverse health effects from inhalation exposure. Although fish and crawfish taken from the local drainageways were contaminated with PCBs, it is unlikely that humans would have been exposed to these species through the food chain. The groundwater under the site is contaminated. Although the contaminated water is not currently being used for human consumption, there is a potential for exposure to contaminated groundwater in the future. Planned groundwater remedial actions should eliminate this threat

  3. Proximity of Residence to Bodies of Water and Risk for West Nile Virus Infection: A Case-Control Study in Houston, Texas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa S. Nolan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available West Nile virus (WNV, a mosquito-borne virus, has clinically affected hundreds of residents in the Houston metropolitan area since its introduction in 2002. This study aimed to determine if living within close proximity to a water source increases one’s odds of infection with WNV. We identified 356 eligible WNV-positive cases and 356 controls using a population proportionate to size model with US Census Bureau data. We found that living near slow moving water sources was statistically associated with increased odds for human infection, while living near moderate moving water systems was associated with decreased odds for human infection. Living near bayous lined with vegetation as opposed to concrete also showed increased risk of infection. The habitats of slow moving and vegetation lined water sources appear to favor the mosquito-human transmission cycle. These methods can be used by resource-limited health entities to identify high-risk areas for arboviral disease surveillance and efficient mosquito management initiatives.

  4. Source apportionment of particulate matter and trace gases near a major refinery near the Houston Ship Channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, Henry W.; Sanchez, Nancy P.; Flynn, James H.; Erickson, Mathew H.; Lefer, Barry L.; Griffin, Robert J.

    2018-01-01

    From February 7 to 27, 2015, a mobile air quality laboratory was deployed to a location proximate to a major refinery, the Port of Houston, and several neighborhoods to conduct measurements of atmospheric trace gases and particulate matter. Two statistical models were utilized to apportion the sources of pollution impacting this site and the denizens of the nearby neighborhoods. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was performed on the organic signal of the aerosol mass spectra, resulting in five factors totaling an average of 4.1 μg/m3 of the organic aerosol: hydrocarbon-like (0.67 μg/m3), cooking (0.35 μg/m3) biomass burning (1.14 μg/m3), low-volatility oxidized (1.15 μg/m3), and semi-volatile oxidized (0.78 μg/m3). Principal component analysis was performed on daytime and nighttime data, including concentrations from PMF output, of other PM1 components, and of trace gases. This generated five daytime and five nighttime factors that explained 74.5% and 73.0% of the variance, respectively. The most important factors impacting this site were from mobile source exhaust and petrochemical aromatic compound emissions. Together these two factors also constitute most of the observed carcinogens.

  5. Evolutionary Games and Social Conventions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Pelle Guldborg

    2007-01-01

    -defined metaphors of individual learning and social imitation processes, from which a revised theory of convention may be erected (see Sugden 2004, Binmore 1993 and Young 1998). This paper makes a general argument in support of the evolutionary turn in the theory of convention by a progressive exposition of its...... in Aumann (1976) and which, together with the assumptions of perfect rationality, came to be defining of classical game theory. However, classical game theory is currently undergoing severe crisis as a tool for exploring social phenomena; a crisis emerging from the problem of equilibrium selection around......Some thirty years ago Lewis published his Convention: A Philosophical Study (Lewis, 2002). This laid the foundation for a game-theoretic approach to social conventions, but became more famously known for its seminal analysis of common knowledge; the concept receiving its canonical analysis...

  6. Accessing Disadvantaged Pregnant Women in Houston, Texas, and Characterizing Biomarkers of Metal Exposure: A Feasibility Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristina W. Whitworth

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Communities of color or low socioeconomic status are disproportionately affected by metal exposure given spatial variability of the ambient levels of these contaminants. Despite this, there is little research characterizing metal concentrations in blood among disadvantaged populations in the U.S., especially among pregnant women who are particularly vulnerable and difficult to access. Thus, we conducted a pilot study among disadvantaged pregnant women in Houston, Texas to assess willingness to participate in key activities of an epidemiologic study and characterize exposures to 16 metals. Thirty-one women attending a Medicaid-serving prenatal clinic were included in this pilot study and completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. We obtained and measured metal compounds in whole blood samples for 22 of these women during third-trimester prenatal visits. Median whole blood concentrations of Ni, As, Cd, and Pb were 27, 1.4, 0.6, and 6.3 µg/L, respectively. Most women were willing to participate in critical aspects of a research study, including wearing a personal air-sampling badge for 2–3 days (87.1%, receiving ultrasounds (83.9%, and providing blood draws (64.5%. Despite the small sample, our results provide evidence of women’s metal exposure and their willingness to participate in future research studies to elucidate exposure pathways and explore related health effects experienced among this population of disadvantaged pregnant women.

  7. Report of the South Texas Project Allegations Review Team. Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499, Houston Lighting and Power Company et al.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kokajko, L.; Skay, D.; Wang, H.; Murphy, D. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)

    1995-03-01

    This report provides the results of the South Texas Project Allegations Review Team of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This team was formed to obtain and review allegations from individuals represented by three attorneys who had contacted Congressional staff members. The allegers were employed in various capacities at South Texas Project Electric Generating Station, licensed by Houston Lighting and Power Company, et al.; therefore, the allegations are confined to this site. The South Texas Project Allegations Review Team reviewed, referred, and dispositioned concerns related to discriminatory issues (harassment and intimidation), falsification of records and omission of information, and various technical issues. The team was able to substantiate certain technical issues of minor safety significance or regulatory concern at the South Texas Project facility, but it did not find widespread discriminatory practices such as harassment and intimidation.

  8. Report of the South Texas Project Allegations Review Team. Docket Nos. 50-498 and 50-499, Houston Lighting and Power Company et al

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kokajko, L.; Skay, D.; Wang, H.; Murphy, D.

    1995-03-01

    This report provides the results of the South Texas Project Allegations Review Team of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This team was formed to obtain and review allegations from individuals represented by three attorneys who had contacted Congressional staff members. The allegers were employed in various capacities at South Texas Project Electric Generating Station, licensed by Houston Lighting and Power Company, et al.; therefore, the allegations are confined to this site. The South Texas Project Allegations Review Team reviewed, referred, and dispositioned concerns related to discriminatory issues (harassment and intimidation), falsification of records and omission of information, and various technical issues. The team was able to substantiate certain technical issues of minor safety significance or regulatory concern at the South Texas Project facility, but it did not find widespread discriminatory practices such as harassment and intimidation

  9. Minamata Convention on Mercury. Reporting obligations of the Parties to the Convention and the sources of data existing in Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Strzelecka-Jastrząb Ewa

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available After that, when more than 60 years ago in the Japanese city of Minamata there was caused a mass poisoning of residents by seafood contaminated with mercury, Minamata Convention on Mercury came into force on August 16, 2017. To date, the Convention has been signed by 128 States, the signatories of the Convention and ratified by 83 States - Parties to the Convention. The Convention imposes a number of obligations on the Parties to the Convention, including the reporting obligation. The paper analyses the reporting obligations of the Parties to the Convention, which are in force after the entry into force of the Convention, pursuant to the provisions contained therein. In addition, the existing sources of quantitative data on mercury in Poland are characterized.

  10. Culture and diet among Chinese American children aged 9–13 years: A qualitative study

    Science.gov (United States)

    This study examined Chinese American children's behaviors, food preferences, and cultural influences on their diet. Qualitative individual interviews were conducted with twenty-five Chinese American children aged 9-13 years in community centers and Chinese schools in Houston, TX using constructs fro...

  11. Merchant shipping (Safety Convention) Act 1977

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-01-01

    When this Act comes into force, it will enable the United Kingdom to ratify and to give effect to the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (the SOLAS Convention) which replaces the SOLAS Convention of 1960. Under the Act, the Secretary of State may make such rules as he considers appropriate regarding ships provided with nuclear power plants in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Annex to the 1974 Convention and to Recommendations attached to it, dealing with nuclear ships, and insofar as those provisions have not been implemented by the Merchant Shipping Acts 1894 to 1974. (NEA) [fr

  12. Dilution Confusion: Conventions for Defining a Dilution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fishel, Laurence A.

    2010-01-01

    Two conventions for preparing dilutions are used in clinical laboratories. The first convention defines an "a:b" dilution as "a" volumes of solution A plus "b" volumes of solution B. The second convention defines an "a:b" dilution as "a" volumes of solution A diluted into a final volume of "b". Use of the incorrect dilution convention could affect…

  13. Port of Galveston Solar Energy Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Falcioni, Diane [Port of Galveston (POG), Galveston, TX (United States); Cuclis, Alex [Houston Advanced Research Center, The Woodlands, TX (United States); Freundlich, Alex [Univ. of Houston, Houston, TX (United States)

    2014-03-31

    This study on the performance characteristics of existing solar technologies in a maritime environment was funded by an award given to The Port of Galveston (POG) from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The study includes research performed by The Center for Advanced Materials at the University of Houston (UH). The UH researchers examined how solar cell efficiencies and life spans can be improved by examining the performance of a variety of antireflective (AR) coatings mounted on the top of one of the POG’s Cruise Terminals. Supplemental supporting research was performed at the UH laboratories. An educational Kiosk was constructed with a 55” display screen providing information about solar energy, the research work UH performed at POG and real time data from the solar panels located on the roof of the Cruise Terminal. The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) managed the project.

  14. The evolution of development conventions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabio Stefano Erber

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a conceptual view on development and its translation into development policies. It argues that society's perception of development is structured by conventions, which provide a view of the past, present and future and, at the same time, allows a certain hierarchy of problems and solutions to such problems. The prevalence of a specific convention depends on the international conditions faced by this society and on the distribution of economic and political power within that society. Therefore, in complex societies there is always a struggle for hegemony between competing development conventions.

  15. Bird's IP view of limits of conventional e+e- linear collider technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irwin, J.

    1994-11-01

    Scaling laws appropriate to future e + e - linear colliders in the high upsilon regime are examined assuming that the luminosity must increase as the square of the energy. Limits on achievable energy for these colliders are identified under the assumption that no exotica such as energy recovery, superdisruption, or four-beam charge compensation are employed, and all technology is foreseeable and has an apparent cost within the bounds of a large international collaboration. Following these guidelines, an upper energy limit appears around 15 TeV in the center of mass as the normalized emittance required to produce ever smaller vertical spot sizes become unattainable with conventional damping ring technology

  16. Entomofauna associated to soybean [Glycine max (L. Merr.] in direct seeding and conventional tillage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arahis Cruz Limonte

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The main purpose of this research work was to investigate the effect of the direct seeding and conventional tillage of soybean on the incidence of plagues and natural enemies. The study was carried out on the farm “Día y Noche” of the Basic Unit of Cooperative Production “28 de Octubre” (UBPC, for its Spanish acronym, and in the Laboratories of the Agricultural Research Center of Central University of Las Villas. Field experiments were conducted on an Inceptisol, since November 2013 to May 2014. The soybean cultivar Incasoy – 27 was used. The insects in relation to the development stages of the plant were identified and quantified. In both systems 10 species of phytophagous insects and one of entomophagous insects were quantified; Hedylepta indicata L. stands out with more presence in the direct seeding, while Diabrotica balteata LeConte and the species belong to the family Pentatomidae caused most damage to the plants in conventional tillage.

  17. Overview of the IAEA Joint Convention and Implementation Status of the Obligation as the Contracting Party of the 5th Joint Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jeong Ken; Lee, Youn Keun; Ahn, Sang Myeon

    2016-01-01

    The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) was adopted on 5 September 1997 by a Diplomatic Conference convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Joint Convention was opened for signature at Vienna in September 1997 and will remain open for signature until its entry into force. Korean government signed the Joint Convention in 1997 and this Convention was effective in 2002 as the Convention No. 1612. This paper will show overview of the Joint Convention and implementation status of the obligation as a Contracting Party of the 5th Joint Convention. The Joint Convention is the inter-national convention organized by the IAEA. All contracting parties shall comply with rules of the Joint Convention and conduct the obligation of this convention. Korean government successfully conducted all obligation (attending Organization Meeting and Review Meeting, submitting paper including National Report, question paper and answer paper) of the 5th Joint Convention from May 2014 to May 2015, and will prepare the obligation of the 6th Joint Convention

  18. Center for Research on Minority Health -- Prostate Cancer and Health Disparities Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-05-01

    Iammarino, Ph.D., C.H.E.S., Professor of Health Education, Department of Kinesiology , Rice University, Houston, TX. (confirmed) September 11...C.H.E.S., F.M.A.L.R.C., Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, Department of Health and Kinesiology , College Station, TX. (confirmed) 2:15...in 1976. She also holds a Master of Science degree in biochemistry . Dr. Elders joined the faculty at UAMS as a professor of pediatrics and

  19. Towards a Theory of Convention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Pelle Guldborg

    2006-01-01

    Some thirty years ago Lewis published his Convention: A philosophical Study (Lewis 1969). Besides exciting the logical community by providing the seminal analysis work on common knowledge, it also laid the foundations for the formal approach to the study of social conventions by means of game the...

  20. The protocol amending the 1963 Vienna Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamm, V.

    2006-01-01

    Technically the Vienna Convention was revised by the adoption of the protocol to amend the instrument. and according to Article 19 of the protocol 'A State which is Party to this Protocol but not to the 1963 Vienna Convention shall be bound by the provisions of that Convention as amended by this Protocol in relation to other States Parties hereto, and failing an expression of a different intention by that State at the time of deposit of an instrument referred to in Article 20 shall be bound by the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention in relation to States which are only Parties thereto'. This solution has created a special situation, because after the entry into force of the protocol there will be living together or operating in practice 'two' Vienna Conventions, notably the convention's original text of 1963 and its new version as amended by the protocol. After the protocol has come into force, a state may only accede to the amended version, but in the inter se relations of the States Party to the 'old' Vienna Convention the provisions of that convention will remain in force until such time as they have acceded to the new protocol. This rather complicated situation is nevertheless understandable and is fully in accord with Article 40 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which provides for the amendment of multilateral treaties. In 1989 the negotiations on the revision of the Vienna Convention had begun with the aim of strengthening the existing nuclear liability regime and of improving the situation of potential victims of nuclear accidents. The Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention serves those purposes; it also reflects a good compromise, since it is the outcome of a negotiation process in which experts from both nuclear and non-nuclear states, from Contacting Parties and non-Contracting Parties were very active. That affords some assurance that the compromise solution reached is acceptable to all States participating in the adoption of

  1. Some issues involved in designing a 1 TeV (c.m.) e+- linear collider using conventional technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loew, G.A.

    1985-01-01

    In the series of reviews devoted to the future of e +- linear colliders in these proceedings, this article focuses on the design of a machine with a center of mass energy of 1 TeV which uses conventional technology. By conventional technology here is meant that the process of acceleration is achieved as is usual in common electron linear accelerators, namely that the electron and positron bunches receive their energy from RF fields stored in copper structures at room temperatures. The RF power is generated by a separate self-contained device such as a klystron or other microwave tube. This process contrasts with more futuristic schemes described in the other articles which use wake fields, plasmas and/or lasers. The 1 TeV c.m. energy (ten times that of the SLC) was chosen because it falls into an intermediate range where, as will be seen, the conventional techniques can conceivably still be used although they must be stretched to their capacity, but above which different regimes are entered and new approaches are clearly required

  2. "Flooding Risk Analysis and the Understanding of Hydrological Disturbance due to the Rapid Urbanization in a Low-Scale Subwatershed in Houston Area". ( The project develops a relavant Model of flooding risk assessment to define the connection between increased streamflow/flooding and the rapid urban land development).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geldiyev, P.

    2017-12-01

    Rapid urban development and changing climate influences the frequency and magnitude of flooding in Houston area. This proposed project aims to evaluate the flooding risks with the current and future land use changes by 2040 for one subbasin of the San Jacinto Brazos/Neches-Trinity Coastal basin. Surface environments and streamflow data of the Clear Creek are analyzed and stimulated to discuss the possible impact of urbanization on the occurrence of floods. The streamflow data is analyzed and simulated with the application of the Geographic Information Systems and its extensions. Both hydrologic and hydraulic models of the Clear Creek are created with the use of HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS software. Both models are duplicated for the year 2040, based on projected 2040 Landcover Maps developed by Houston and Galveston Area Council. This project examines a type of contemporary hydrologic disturbance and the interaction between land cover and changes in hydrological processes. Expected results will be very significant for urban development and flooding management.

  3. Specific schedule conditions for the formation of personnel of A or B category working in nuclear facilities. Option research center

    CERN Document Server

    Int. At. Energy Agency, Wien

    2002-01-01

    This document describes the specific dispositions relative to the Research Center, for the formation to the conventional and radiation risks prevention of personnel of A or B category working in nuclear facilities. The application domain, the applicable documents, the liability, the specificity of the Research Center and of the retraining, the Passerelle formation, are presented. (A.L.B.)

  4. Diagnostic and therapeutic applications of diode lasers and solid state lasers in medicine. Progress report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacques, S.L. [Texas Univ., Houston, TX (United States). Cancer Center; Welch, A.J. [Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States); Motamedi, M. [Texas Univ., Galveston, TX (United States). Medical Branch; Rastegar, S. [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Tittel, F. [Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States); Esterowitz, L. [Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)

    1992-05-01

    The Texas Medical Center in Houston and the nearby UT Medical Branch at Galveston together constitute a major center of medical research activities. Laser applications in medicine are under development with the engineering assistance of the colloborating engineering centers at Rice University, UT-Austin, and Texas A&M Univ. In addition, this collective is collaborating with the Naval Research Laboratory, where new developments in laser design are underway, in order to transfer promising new laser technology rapidly into the medical environment.

  5. Diagnostic and therapeutic applications of diode lasers and solid state lasers in medicine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacques, S.L. (Texas Univ., Houston, TX (United States). Cancer Center); Welch, A.J. (Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States)); Motamedi, M. (Texas Univ., Galveston, TX (United States). Medical Branch); Rastegar, S. (Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)); Tittel, F. (Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States)); Esterowitz, L. (Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States))

    1992-05-01

    The Texas Medical Center in Houston and the nearby UT Medical Branch at Galveston together constitute a major center of medical research activities. Laser applications in medicine are under development with the engineering assistance of the colloborating engineering centers at Rice University, UT-Austin, and Texas A M Univ. In addition, this collective is collaborating with the Naval Research Laboratory, where new developments in laser design are underway, in order to transfer promising new laser technology rapidly into the medical environment.

  6. Learner-Centered Instruction (LCI): Volume 7. Evaluation of the LCI Approach. Final Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieper, William J.; And Others

    An evaluation of the learner-centered instruction (LCI) approach to training was conducted by comparing the LCI F-111A weapons control systems mechanic/technician course with the conventional Air Force course for the same Air Force specialty code (AFSC) on the following dimensions; job performance of course graduates, man-hour and dollar costs of…

  7. The prospect of conventional disarmament

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adeniji, O.

    1989-01-01

    The prospect of conventional disarmament in Europe holds out great consequences not only for the continent but also for the entire world. The arms race both in its nuclear and conventional aspects has been the single most important element of the destabilizing factors in international relations since 1945. Though initially borne out of the ideological division of Europe and the consequent quest for strategic military superiority, it soon developed a technological momentum of its own, becoming more the cause than the effect of the distrust in the relationship of the two alliances. The issue of conventional weapons was raised for negotiations side by side with that of nuclear weapons when the United Nations took up the question of disarmament in 1946. Due, however, to the unforeseen and most dangerous advance in nuclear weaponry, the fear engendered shifted all attention at the multilateral level to nuclear weapons. Except in Europe where the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction Talks in Central Europe were initiated, conventional weapons disarmament did not attract multilateral attention again until the First Special Session of the United nations General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament in 1978. The Final Document of the Special Session did accord highest priority to negotiations on nuclear weapons. However, it also affirmed that side by side with negotiations on nuclear weapons, the limitation and gradual reduction of armed forces and conventional weapons should be resolutely pursued within the framework of general and complete disarmament. States with the largest military arsenals, it was stated, had a special responsibility in pursuing conventional armaments reduction. Underscoring the central role of Europe further, the Final Document postulated that the achievement of a more stable situation at a lower level of military potential would contribute toward strengthening of security in Europe and constitute a significant step toward international peace and security

  8. Integrative medicine and patient-centered care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maizes, Victoria; Rakel, David; Niemiec, Catherine

    2009-01-01

    Integrative medicine has emerged as a potential solution to the American healthcare crisis. It provides care that is patient centered, healing oriented, emphasizes the therapeutic relationship, and uses therapeutic approaches originating from conventional and alternative medicine. Initially driven by consumer demand, the attention integrative medicine places on understanding whole persons and assisting with lifestyle change is now being recognized as a strategy to address the epidemic of chronic diseases bankrupting our economy. This paper defines integrative medicine and its principles, describes the history of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in American healthcare, and discusses the current state and desired future of integrative medical practice. The importance of patient-centered care, patient empowerment, behavior change, continuity of care, outcomes research, and the challenges to successful integration are discussed. The authors suggest a model for an integrative healthcare system grounded in team-based care. A primary health partner who knows the patient well, is able to addresses mind, body, and spiritual needs, and coordinates care with the help of a team of practitioners is at the centerpiece. Collectively, the team can meet all the health needs of the particular patient and forms the patient-centered medical home. The paper culminates with 10 recommendations directed to key actors to facilitate the systemic changes needed for a functional healthcare delivery system. Recommendations include creating financial incentives aligned with health promotion and prevention. Insurers are requested to consider the total costs of care, the potential cost effectiveness of lifestyle approaches and CAM modalities, and the value of longer office visits to develop a therapeutic relationship and stimulate behavioral change. Outcomes research to track the effectiveness of integrative models must be funded, as well as feedback and dissemination strategies

  9. Protective Effects of Decay-Accelerating Factor on Blast-Induced Neurotrauma in Rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-16

    gelatin -Veronal buffer (pH 7.3). After centrifugation, absorbance of the supernatant was determined at 405 nm, and the serum concentration inducing 50...Houston, TX 78234, USA. 2Department of Trauma and Resuscitation Medicine, Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

  10. Crop Science Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    The final speaker, Paul Nakata from the USDA Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, discussed manipulating the plant genome, with emphasis on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing. Dating back thousands of years ago, traditional and then mutational breeding was used to influence, for ...

  11. Prudent Investing: Maximizing Profits from the Law Library.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, Jon S.

    1990-01-01

    In response to budgetary constraints, the University of Houston Law Center's faculty services department provides trained research assistants to faculty not needing a full-time assistant. The research assistants are supervised by a lawyer-librarian. The program has been successful, well received, and cost effective. (MSE)

  12. Shuttle Program Information Management System (SPIMS) data base

    Science.gov (United States)

    1983-01-01

    The Shuttle Program Information Management System (SPIMS) is a computerized data base operations system. The central computer is the CDC 170-730 located at Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas. There are several applications which have been developed and supported by SPIMS. A brief description is given.

  13. 30 CFR 75.206 - Conventional roof support.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Roof Support § 75.206 Conventional roof support. (a) Except in anthracite mines using non-mechanized mining systems, when conventional roof support... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Conventional roof support. 75.206 Section 75...

  14. Human rights and conventionality control in Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azul América Aguiar-Aguilar

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The protection of human rights in Mexico has, de jure, suffered an important change in the last years, given a new judicial interpretation delivered by the National Supreme Court of Justice that allows the use of conventionality control, which means, that it allows federal and state judges to verify the conformity of domestic laws with those established in the Inter-American Convention of Human Rights. To what extent domestic actors are protecting human rights using this new legal tool called conventionality control? In this article I explore whom and how is conventionality control being used in Mexico. Using N-Vivo Software I reviewed concluded decisions delivered by intermediate level courts (Collegiate Circuit Courts in three Mexican states. The evidence points that conventionality control is a very useful tool especially to defenders, who appear in sentences claiming compliance with the commitments Mexico has acquired when this country ratified the Convention.

  15. Emergency control center of the nuclear Regulatory Authority: a national, regional and international tool to coordinate the response to radiological and nuclear emergencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jordan, Osvaldo; Hernandez, Daniel; Telleria, Diego; Bruno, Hector; Boutet, Luis; Kunst, Juan; Sadaniowski, Ivana; Rey, Hugo

    2008-01-01

    Full text: In the year 1998, with the regulation of the Nuclear Law, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) is constituted as the national coordinator of the response in case of nuclear or radiological emergencies. The ARN builds his first operative center installed in his Head quarter in Buenos Aires. Likewise, from the obligations that come with the Convention of Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, the ARN is the National Warning Point and the National Competent Authority. Therefore, the operative capacity of the center needs to be expanded to cover not only the national territory but also its link with the region and the IAEA, as an access point to the International community, as the conventions demand. For the purpose of giving ARN capacities which reflect the state of art at the international level on Nuclear Emergency Centers and warrant that its equipment and technology will be compatible with those abroad (mainly with IAEA), the ARN made an arrangements with Department of Energy of United States, in the framework of an existing bilateral Argentine Foreign Office/US Government agreement (Joint Standing Committee on Nuclear Cooperation). This agreement allows a deep experience exchange, high level specialists support and last generation equipment access. As a result, the center of ARN can be considerate as the most advanced civil nuclear emergency center in the region. This work describes the implementation process of the emergency center and the technical features, like the physical distribution, hardware and software resources, communication equipment, Geographic Information Systems, etc. (author)

  16. Novel versus conventional antipsychotic drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, R C

    1996-01-01

    Novel antipsychotic agents differ from conventional ones in several key characteristics, including effectiveness, adverse reactions, and receptor-binding profile. Most of the newer agents have an affinity for the serotonin 5HT2 receptor that is at least 10 times greater than that for the dopamine D2 receptor. This increased affinity for the serotonin receptor may be responsible for another distinguishing characteristic of novel antipsychotic agents--decreased frequency of extrapyramidal side effects. These side effects, which include pseudoparkinsonism, acute dystonias, and akathisia, frequently are the reason for noncompliance with conventional drug therapy. The newer drugs are often effective in patients resistant to treatment with conventional agents. They also appear to reduce the negative symptoms of schizophrenia in many patients.

  17. Concurrent Complementary and Alternative Medicine CAM and Conventional Rehabilitation Therapy in the Management of Children with Developmental Disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo Yeon Kim

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. We investigated the concurrent use of conventional rehabilitations and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM therapies for the long-term management of children with developmental disorders (DDs. Methods. The parents or caregivers of 533 children with DDs (age range, 1–19 years who visited the rehabilitation centers were surveyed using in depth face-to-face interviews. Results. Of the 533 patients enrolled, 520 completed the questionnaire (97% response rate. A total of 292 (56% children were receiving multiple therapies, more than two conventional rehabilitations and CAM, at the time of the interview. A total of 249 (48% children reported lifetime CAM use, 23% used CAM at the time of the interview, and 62% of the patients planned to use CAM therapy in the future. Conventional rehabilitation therapies used at the time of the interview included physical therapy (30%, speech therapy (28%, and occupational therapy (19%, and the CAM therapies included herbal medicine (5% and acupuncture or moxibustion (3%. The respondents indicated that in the future they planned to use acupuncture or moxibustion (57%, occupational therapy (18%, cognitive behavioral therapy (16%, speech therapy (10%, and physical therapy (8%. Conclusion. Concurrent management as conventional rehabilitations and CAM therapies is widely used by children with DDs.

  18. Population Genomic Analysis of 1,777 Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates, Houston, Texas: Unexpected Abundance of Clonal Group 307.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, S Wesley; Olsen, Randall J; Eagar, Todd N; Beres, Stephen B; Zhao, Picheng; Davis, James J; Brettin, Thomas; Xia, Fangfang; Musser, James M

    2017-05-16

    Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major human pathogen responsible for high morbidity and mortality rates. The emergence and spread of strains resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents and documented large nosocomial outbreaks are especially concerning. To develop new therapeutic strategies for K. pneumoniae , it is imperative to understand the population genomic structure of strains causing human infections. To address this knowledge gap, we sequenced the genomes of 1,777 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae strains cultured from patients in the 2,000-bed Houston Methodist Hospital system between September 2011 and May 2015, representing a comprehensive, population-based strain sample. Strains of largely uncharacterized clonal group 307 (CG307) caused more infections than those of well-studied epidemic CG258. Strains varied markedly in gene content and had an extensive array of small and very large plasmids, often containing antimicrobial resistance genes. Some patients with multiple strains cultured over time were infected with genetically distinct clones. We identified 15 strains expressing the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) enzyme that confers broad resistance to nearly all beta-lactam antibiotics. Transcriptome sequencing analysis of 10 phylogenetically diverse strains showed that the global transcriptome of each strain was unique and highly variable. Experimental mouse infection provided new information about immunological parameters of host-pathogen interaction. We exploited the large data set to develop whole-genome sequence-based classifiers that accurately predict clinical antimicrobial resistance for 12 of the 16 antibiotics tested. We conclude that analysis of large, comprehensive, population-based strain samples can assist understanding of the molecular diversity of these organisms and contribute to enhanced translational research. IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae causes human infections that are increasingly difficult to

  19. Characterizing the Sources and Processing of Submicron Aerosols at a Coastal Site near Houston, TX, with a Specific Focus on the Impact of Regional Shipping Emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulze, B.; Wallace, H. W., IV; Bui, A.; Flynn, J. H., III; Erickson, M. H.; Griffin, R. J.

    2017-12-01

    The Texas Gulf Coast region historically has been influenced heavily by regional shipping emissions. However, the effects of the recent establishment of the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA) on aerosol properties in this region are presently unknown. In order to understand better the current sources and processing mechanisms influencing coastal aerosol near Houston, a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed for three weeks at a coastal location during May-June 2016. Total mass loadings of organic and inorganic non-refractory aerosol components during onshore flow periods were similar to those published before establishment of the regulations. Using estimated methanesulfonic acid (MSA) mass loadings and published biogenic MSA:non-sea-salt-sulfate (nss-SO4) ratios, we determined that over 70% of nss-SO4 over the Gulf was from anthropogenic sources, predominantly shipping emissions. Mass spectral analysis indicated that for periods with similar backward-trajectory-averaged meteorological conditions, air masses influenced by shipping emissions have an increased mass fraction of ions related to carboxylic acids and a significantly larger oxygen-to-carbon (O:C) ratio than air masses that stay within the ECA boundary, suggesting that shipping emissions impact marine organic aerosol (OA) oxidation state. Amine fragment mass loadings were positively correlated with anthropogenic nss-SO4 during onshore flow, implying anthropogenic-biogenic interaction in marine OA production. Five OA factors were resolved by positive matrix factorization, corresponding to a hydrocarbon-like OA, a semi-volatile OA, and three different oxygenated organic aerosols ranked by their O:C ratio (OOA-1, OOA-2, and OOA-3). OOA-1 constituted the majority of OA mass during a period likely influenced by aqueous-phase processing and may be linked to local glyoxal/methylglyoxal-related sources. OOA-2 was produced within the Houston urban region and was

  20. Natural Ecosystem Surrounding a Conventional Banana Crop Improves Plant Health and Fruit Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florence P. Castelan

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Natural ecosystems near agricultural landscapes may provide rich environments for growing crops. However, the effect of a natural ecosystem on crop health and fruit quality is poorly understood. In the present study, it was investigated whether the presence of a natural ecosystem surrounding a crop area influences banana plant health and fruit postharvest behavior. Plants from two conventional banana crop areas with identical planting time and cultural practices were used; the only difference between banana crop areas is that one area was surrounded by a natural forest (Atlantic forest fragment (Near-NF, while the other area was inserted at the center of a conventional banana crop (Distant-NF. Results showed that bananas harvested from Near-NF showed higher greenlife and a more homogeneous profile during ripening compared to fruits harvested from Distant-NF. Differences in quality parameters including greenlife, carbohydrate profile, and pulp firmness between fruits harvested from Near-NF and Distant-NF are explained, at least partly, by differences in the balance of plant growth regulators (indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid in bananas during ripening. Furthermore, plants from Near-NF showed a lower severity index of black leaf streak disease (BLSD and higher levels of phenolic compounds in leaves compared to plants from Distant-NF. Together, the results provide additional evidence on how the maintenance of natural ecosystems near conventional crop areas could be a promising tool to improve plant health and fruit quality.

  1. Solar collector performance evaluated outdoors at NASA-Lewis Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vernon, R. W.

    1974-01-01

    The study of solar reflector performance reported is related to a project in which solar collectors are to be provided for the solar heating and cooling system of an office building at NASA's Langley Research Center. The solar collector makes use of a liquid consisting of 50% ethylene glycol and 50% water. A conventional air-liquid heat exchanger is employed. Collector performance and solar insolation data are recorded along with air temperature, wind speed and direction, and relative humidity.

  2. Conventions and workflows for using Situs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wriggers, Willy

    2012-01-01

    Recent developments of the Situs software suite for multi-scale modeling are reviewed. Typical workflows and conventions encountered during processing of biophysical data from electron microscopy, tomography or small-angle X-ray scattering are described. Situs is a modular program package for the multi-scale modeling of atomic resolution structures and low-resolution biophysical data from electron microscopy, tomography or small-angle X-ray scattering. This article provides an overview of recent developments in the Situs package, with an emphasis on workflows and conventions that are important for practical applications. The modular design of the programs facilitates scripting in the bash shell that allows specific programs to be combined in creative ways that go beyond the original intent of the developers. Several scripting-enabled functionalities, such as flexible transformations of data type, the use of symmetry constraints or the creation of two-dimensional projection images, are described. The processing of low-resolution biophysical maps in such workflows follows not only first principles but often relies on implicit conventions. Situs conventions related to map formats, resolution, correlation functions and feature detection are reviewed and summarized. The compatibility of the Situs workflow with CCP4 conventions and programs is discussed

  3. PIXE analysis of proteins from a photochemical center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solís, C.; Oliver, A.; Andrade, E.

    1998-03-01

    In oxygen evolving photosynthetic organisms, light is absorbed and its energy used for the conversion of chemical products in two photosystems: PSI and PSII. Each photosystem is composed of a protein core which binds a pigment antenna and a Reaction Center (RC). RC of PSI is considered an "Iron-Sulfur" type. There are six components that participate in the charge separation after light absorption occurs in PSI: the center chlorophyll P700, two acceptors A 0 and A 1 and three FeS centers F X, F A and F B. However, the exact number of polypeptides, their exact molecular weight, their relative abundances and the active components associated to those polypeptides remain still to be completely characterized. In particular the FeS centers have been difficult to detect in a direct way in a gel band, because the amount of centers involved is under the detection limits of the conventional techniques. This study has been under-taken to explore the capability of particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) to detect in a qualitative way the presence of Fe in some of the protein bands obtained by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) from the PSI complex. The complex was isolated from membranes of thermophilic cyanobacteria: Synechochoccus sp. The polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the complex shows eight subunits of 66, 60-65, 14, 13, 9, 8 and 7 KDa. In-air PIXE was performed at 2 MeV and proved to be an adequate tool for direct identification of the iron present in the gel bands.

  4. Clinical, patient-related, and economic outcomes of home-based high-dose hemodialysis versus conventional in-center hemodialysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitsides N

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Nicos Mitsides,1,2 Sandip Mitra,1,2 Tom Cornelis3 1Department of Renal Medicine, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Center, Manchester, 2National Institute for Healthcare Research Devices for Dignity Healthcare Co-operative, Sheffield, UK; 3Department of Nephrology, Jessa Hospital, Hasselt, Belgium Abstract: Despite technological advances in renal replacement therapy, the preservation of health and quality of life for individuals on dialysis still remains a challenge. The high morbidity and mortality in dialysis warrant further research and insight into the clinical domains of the technique and practice of this therapy. In the last 20 years, the focus of development in the field of hemodialysis (HD has centered around adequate removal of urea and other associated toxins. High-dose HD offers an opportunity to improve mortality, morbidity, and quality of life of patients with end-stage kidney disease. However, the uptake of this modality is low, and the risk associated with the therapy is not fully understood. Recent studies have highlighted the evidence base and improved our understanding of this technique of dialysis. This article provides a review of high-dose and home HD, its clinical impact on patient outcome, and the controversies that exist. Keywords: hemodialysis, home dialysis, high dose, outcomes

  5. PROSPECT (Profiling of Resistance Patterns & Oncogenic Signaling Pathways in Evaluation of Cancers of the Thorax and Therapeutic Target Identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-01

    Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.; 2. Instituto de Tecnologia ...States of America, 2 Instituto de Tecnologia Quı́mica e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal, 3 Department of Thoracic/Head and

  6. 78 FR 29388 - Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive License

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-20

    ... practice the inventions described and claimed in USPN 8,338,114, Engineering Human Broncho- Epithelial... rights in these inventions have been assigned to the United States of America as represented by the..., NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Texas 77058, Mail Code AL; Phone (281) 483-3021...

  7. Body weight has no impact on self-esteem of minority children living in inner city, low-income neighborhoods: a cross-sectional study

    Science.gov (United States)

    The relationship between body weight and self-esteem among underserved minority children is not well documented. We measured the self-esteem profile using the Self-Perception Profile for Children among 910 minority children at 17 Houston community centers. Weight status had no effect on any of the s...

  8. International antiterrorist conventions concerning the safety of air transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek BARCIK

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available In this article the international law regulations are presented concerning the civilian safety of the air transport. The history concerning air terrorism and international antiterrorist conventions was described in detail, involving The Chicago Convention, The Tokyo Convention, The Hague Convention and Montreal Convention.

  9. The climate change convention and human health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowbotham, E J

    1995-01-01

    The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed at Rio in June 1992, is intended to minimize climate change and its impact. Much of its text is ambiguous and it is not specifically directed to health considerations. It is, however, recognized that adverse effects of climate change on health are a concern of humankind, and health is an integral part of the Convention. The Convention includes commitments by the developed countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to increase public awareness of these commitments. The significance of the Convention in these respects is discussed critically and future developments considered.

  10. Environmental impact of non-conventional energy sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abbasi, S.A.; Abbasi, Naseema; Nipaney, P.C.; Ramasamy, E.V.

    1995-01-01

    Whereas the global attention has always been focused on the adverse environmental impacts of conventional energy sources, only a few studies have been conducted on the clean environment image of the non-conventional energy sources, particularly the renewable ones. The question whether the non-conventional sources are really as benign as they are made out to be is addressed in the present paper in the background of a classical paradigm developed by Lovin which had postulated the hard (malignant) and soft (benign) energy concepts in the first place. It then assesses the likely environmental impacts of several major non-conventional energy sources and comes up with the note of caution that in many cases the adverse impacts may not be insubstantial; indeed in some cases they can be as strongly negative as the impacts of the conventional energy sources. (author). 31 refs

  11. Paris convention - Decisions, recommendations, interpretations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-01-01

    This booklet is published in a single edition in English and French. It contains decisions, recommendations and interpretations concerning the 1960 Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy adopted by the OECD Steering Committee and the OECD Council. All the instruments are set out according to the Article of the Convention to which they relate and explanatory notes are added where necessary [fr

  12. International nuclear liability conventions: status and possible changes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyners, Patrick.

    1978-01-01

    The table of ratifications and accessions annexed to this paper shows that despite the considerable progress achieved these past years and the entry into force of the Vienna Convention, the number of Contracting Parties to the Nuclear Civil Liability Conventions remains insufficient. The adaptation of the first of these Conventions - the Paris Convention - as well as its Brussels Supplementary Convention to the technical and economic developments which have taken place since their adoption should provide the means for encouraging their implementation at international level. The main amendments which are envisaged are replacement of the present unit of account by the Special Drawing Right, the increase of the amounts of liability and compensation and finally, the technical scope of the Paris Convention. (NEA) [fr

  13. 7 CFR 58.316 - Conventional churns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conventional churns. 58.316 Section 58.316 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards....316 Conventional churns. Churns shall be constructed of aluminum, stainless steel or equally corrosion...

  14. Surface modification and characterization Collaborative Research Center at ORNL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-01-01

    The Surface Modification and Characterization Collaborative Research Center (SMAC/CRC) is a unique facility for the alteration and characterization of the near-surface properties of materials. The SMAC/CRC facility is equipped with particle accelerators and high-powered lasers which can be used to improve the physical, electrical, and/or chemical properties of solids and to create unique new materials not possible to obtain with conventional ''equilibrium'' processing techniques. Surface modification is achieved using such techniques as ion implantation doping, ion beam mixing, laser mixing, ion deposition, and laser annealing

  15. 3 July 1985: Convention signed in Brussels on 31 January 1963, supplementary to the Paris Convention of 29 July 1960 on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and Act approving the Protocols to amend the Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-01-01

    This Act refers to the Brussels Supplementary Convention approved by Belgium in 1966 and ratified on 20 August 1985 and approves ratification of the Protocols of 16 November 1982 to amend the Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention respectively. The Protocols are reproduced in French, Dutch and German. (NEA) [fr

  16. Conflict and convention in dynamic networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley, Michael; Forber, Patrick; Smead, Rory; Riedl, Christoph

    2018-03-01

    An important way to resolve games of conflict (snowdrift, hawk-dove, chicken) involves adopting a convention: a correlated equilibrium that avoids any conflict between aggressive strategies. Dynamic networks allow individuals to resolve conflict via their network connections rather than changing their strategy. Exploring how behavioural strategies coevolve with social networks reveals new dynamics that can help explain the origins and robustness of conventions. Here, we model the emergence of conventions as correlated equilibria in dynamic networks. Our results show that networks have the tendency to break the symmetry between the two conventional solutions in a strongly biased way. Rather than the correlated equilibrium associated with ownership norms (play aggressive at home, not away), we usually see the opposite host-guest norm (play aggressive away, not at home) evolve on dynamic networks, a phenomenon common to human interaction. We also show that learning to avoid conflict can produce realistic network structures in a way different than preferential attachment models. © 2017 The Author(s).

  17. Study on transfer optimization of urban rail transit and conventional public transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jie; Sun, Quan Xin; Mao, Bao Hua

    2018-04-01

    This paper mainly studies the time optimization of feeder connection between rail transit and conventional bus in a shopping center. In order to achieve the goal of connecting rail transportation effectively and optimizing the convergence between the two transportations, the things had to be done are optimizing the departure intervals, shorting the passenger transfer time and improving the service level of public transit. Based on the goal that has the minimum of total waiting time of passengers and the number of start of classes, establish the optimizing model of bus connecting of departure time. This model has some constrains such as transfer time, load factor, and the convergence of public transportation grid spacing. It solves the problems by using genetic algorithms.

  18. Impact of no-till and conventional tillage practices on soil chemical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aziz, A.; Bangash, N.

    2015-01-01

    There is a global concern about progressive increase in the emission of greenhouse gases especially atmosphere CO/sub 2/. An increasing awareness about environmental pollution by CO/sub 2/ emission has led to recognition of the need to enhance soil C sequestration through sustainable agricultural management practices. Conservation management systems such as no-till (NT) with appropriate crop rotation have been reported to increase soil organic C content by creating less disturbed environment. The present study was conducted on Vanmeter farm of The Ohio State University South Centers at Piketon Ohio, USA to estimate the effect of different tillage practices with different cropping system on soil chemical properties. Tillage treatments were comprised of conventional tillage (CT) and No-till (NT).These treatments were applied under continuous corn (CC), corn-soybean (CS) and corn soybean-wheat-cowpea (CSW) cropping system following randomized complete block design. No-till treatment showed significant increase in total C (30%), active C (10%), and passive salt extractable (18%) and microwave extractable C (8%) and total nitrogen (15%) compared to conventional tillage practices. Total nitrogen increased significantly 23 % in NT over time. Maximum effect of no-till was observed under corn-soybean-wheat-cowpea crop rotation. These findings illustrated that no-till practice could be useful for improving soil chemical properties. (author)

  19. Digital vs. conventional implant impressions: efficiency outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sang J; Gallucci, German O

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficiency, difficulty and operator's preference of a digital impression compared with a conventional impression for single implant restorations. Thirty HSDM second year dental students performed conventional and digital implant impressions on a customized model presenting a single implant. The outcome of the impressions was evaluated under an acceptance criteria and the need for retake/rescan was decided. The efficiency of both impression techniques was evaluated by measuring the preparation, working, and retake/scan time (m/s) and the number of retakes/rescans. Participants' perception on the level of difficulty for the both impressions was assessed with a visual analogue scale (VAS) questionnaire. Multiple questionnaires were obtained to assess the participants' perception on preference, effectiveness and proficiency. Mean total treatment time was of 24:42 m/s for conventional and 12:29 m/s for digital impressions (P impressions (P impression (P impression technique and 30.63 (±17.57) for digital impression technique (P = 0.006). Sixty percent of the participants preferred the digital impression, 7% the conventional impression technique and 33% preferred either technique. Digital impressions resulted in a more efficient technique than conventional impressions. Longer preparation, working, and retake time were consumed to complete an acceptable conventional impression. Difficulty was lower for the digital impression compared with the conventional ones when performed by inexperienced second year dental students. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  20. 78 FR 57663 - Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive License

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-19

    ... the inventions described and claimed in USPN 6,485,963, Growth Stimulation of Biological Cells and... rights in these inventions have been assigned to the United States of America as represented by the..., NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Texas 77058, Mail Code AL; Phone (281) 483-3021...

  1. Intra-Abdominal and Intra-Thoracic Pressures during Lifting and Jumping,

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-03-01

    pressures were measured using Millar model SPC 350 Mikro-Tip catheter pressure transducers (Millar Instruments, Houston, TX) inserted nasally. The...Biomechanics of the squat exercise using a modified center of ss bar. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 18(4) :469-478, 1986. 16. MORRIS, J.M., D.B. LUCAS, and B

  2. AECT Convention, Orlando, Florida 2008 Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vega, Eddie

    2009-01-01

    This article presents several reports that highlight the events at the 2008 Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Convention in Orlando, Florida. At the annual convention this year, the Multimedia Production Division goal was to continue to share information about the latest tools in multimedia production,…

  3. Energy benchmarking for shopping centers in Gulf Coast region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juaidi, Adel; AlFaris, Fadi; Montoya, Francisco G.; Manzano-Agugliaro, Francisco

    2016-01-01

    Building sector consumes a significant amount of energy worldwide (up to 40% of the total global energy); moreover, by the year 2030 the consumption is expected to increase by 50%. One of the reasons is that the performance of buildings and its components degrade over the years. In recent years, energy benchmarking for government office buildings, large scale public buildings and large commercial buildings is one of the key energy saving projects for promoting the development of building energy efficiency and sustainable energy savings in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Benchmarking would increase the purchase of energy efficient equipment, reducing energy bills, CO_2 emissions and conventional air pollution. This paper focuses on energy benchmarking for shopping centers in Gulf Coast Region. In addition, this paper will analyze a sample of shopping centers data in Gulf Coast Region (Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Oman and Bahrain). It aims to develop a benchmark for these shopping centers by highlighting the status of energy consumption performance. This research will support the sustainability movement in Gulf area through classifying the shopping centers into: Poor, Usual and Best Practices in terms of energy efficiency. According to the benchmarking analysis in this paper, the shopping centers best energy management practices in the Gulf Coast Region are the buildings that consume less than 810 kW h/m"2/yr, whereas the poor building practices are the centers that consume greater than 1439 kW h/m"2/yr. The conclusions of this work can be used as a reference for shopping centres benchmarking with similar climate. - Highlights: •The energy consumption data of shopping centers in Gulf Coast Region were gathered. •A benchmarking of energy consumption for the public areas for the shopping centers in the Gulf Coast Region was developed. •The shopping centers have the usual practice in the region between 810 kW h/m"2/yr and 1439 kW h/m"2/yr.

  4. The protocol amending the 1963 Vienna Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamm, V.

    1998-01-01

    In the first stage of the revision process, the only goal was to amend certain provisions of the Vienna Convention. Later, in what might be called the second stage, the question was seriously raised of establishing a new supplementary convention by which additional funds were to be provided by the international community of States. Most experts felt that the nuclear liability regime of the Vienna Convention, as amended, would really serve the interests of potential victims of nuclear incidents only if it were supported by an international supplementary fund providing additional compensation for nuclear damage to that provided by the operator. Thus, the Standing Committee started to consider the establishment, under the Vienna Convention, of a mechanism for mobilizing additional funds for compensation of nuclear damage. During the negotiations it was deemed necessary to establish a separate treaty for such a supplementary fund, and indeed, efforts were undertaken to draw up such an instrument concurrently with the revision of the Vienna Convention. (K.A.)

  5. numerical assessment of conventional regulation effectiveness

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Benkoussas B, Djedjig R, and Vauquelin O

    2016-05-01

    May 1, 2016 ... The effectiveness of an underground smoke control system mainly depends on fire safety engineering that is ... In the same context, this work aims firstly, at investigating the effectiveness of conventional regulation applied to .... 5a). Fig.4. Station smoke behavior for conventional ventilation regulation. Fig.5a.

  6. CAM use in pediatric neurology: an exploration of concurrent use with conventional medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galicia-Connolly, Elaine; Adams, Denise; Bateman, Justin; Dagenais, Simon; Clifford, Tammy; Baydala, Lola; King, W James; Vohra, Sunita

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies have found that up to 60% of children with neurologic conditions have tried complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). To assess the use of CAM among patients presenting to neurology clinics at two academic centers in Canada. A survey instrument was developed to inquire about use of CAM products and therapies, including reasons for use, perceived helpfulness, and concurrent use with conventional medicine, and administered to patients or their parents/guardians at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa. Overall CAM use at the Stollery was 78%, compared to 48% at CHEO. The most common CAM products used were multi-vitamins (84%), vitamin C (37%), homeopathic remedies (24%), and fish oil/omega 3 s (22%). The most common CAM practices used were massage (47%), chiropractic (37%), faith healing (18%), aromatherapy (16%), homeopathy (16%), and relaxation (16%). Many patients used CAM products at the same time as conventional medicine but just over half (57%) discussed this concurrent use with their physician. CAM use is common in pediatric neurology patients and most respondents felt that it was helpful, with few or no harms associated. However, this use is often undisclosed, increasing possibility of interactions with conventional drugs. We urge clinicians to inquire about CAM use during routine history taking at every patient visit. Parents would clearly like more information about CAM from their specialty clinics; such information would be easier to share if more primary data were available about the safety and effectiveness of commonly used therapies.

  7. Reductions of PAH and Soot by Center Air Injection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazuhiro Yamamoto

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, to reduce the amount of pollutant PAH and soot in the flame, we examined the burner system equipped with a center air injection. For this purpose, by using PAH-LIF and soot LII, we evaluated relative PAH and soot amounts in both the triple port burner and the conventional co-axial burner (double port burner to discuss effects of center air injection on the formation of PAH and soot. The fuel was propane. In the triple port burner, two different blue flames are observed near the burner rim, followed by bright luminous flames with soot. The flame length is longer when the fuel flow velocity is increased. On the other hand, the flame length is shorter with an increase in internal air flow velocity. As for PAH and soot, these amounts of the triple port burner are much smaller than those of the double port burner. For the triple port burner, due to the center air injection, the fuel consumption occurs in both inner and outer flames. On the other hand, for the double port burner, the oxygen is supplied from one side air, and as a result, the fuel consumption rate is relatively lower. Hence, by the center air injection, the fuel consumption is largely accelerated, resulting in the reduction of PAH and soot.

  8. Compact Ignition Tokamak conventional facilities optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Commander, J.C.; Spang, N.W.

    1987-01-01

    A high-field ignition machine with liquid-nitrogen-cooled copper coils, designated the Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT), is proposed for the next phase of the United States magnetically confined fusion program. A team of national laboratory, university, and industrial participants completed the conceptual design for the CIT machine, support systems and conventional facilities. Following conceptual design, optimization studies were conducted with the goal of improving machine performance, support systems design, and conventional facilities configuration. This paper deals primarily with the conceptual design configuration of the CIT conventional facilities, the changes that evolved during optimization studies, and the revised changes resulting from functional and operational requirements (F and ORs). The CIT conventional facilities conceptual design is based on two premises: (1) satisfaction of the F and ORs developed in the CIT building and utilities requirements document, and (2) the assumption that the CIT project will be sited at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in order that maximum utilization can be made of existing Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) buildings and utilities. The optimization studies required reevaluation of the F and ORs and a second look at TFTR buildings and utilities. Some of the high-cost-impact optimization studies are discussed, including the evaluation criteria for a change from the conceptual design baseline configuration. The revised conventional facilities configuration are described and the estimated cost impact is summarized

  9. Exenatide improves glucocorticoid-induced glucose intolerance in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruiying Zhao

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Ruiying Zhao1,2*, Enrique Fuentes-Mattei1,2*, Guermarie Velazquez-Torres1,3, Chun-Hui Su1,2, Jian Chen1, Mong-Hong Lee1,2, Sai-Ching Jim Yeung4,51Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; 2Program in Genes and Development, 3Program in Cancer Biology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Houston, TX, USA; 4Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, 5Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA *Both authors contributed equally.Abstract: Exenatide is an incretin mimetic that is recently available in the US for the treatment of diabetes. There is a paucity of information on the effects of exenatide in glucocorticoid (GC-induced diabetes. Although the effect of continuous intravenous infusion of exenatide on GC-induced glucose intolerance has been investigated before in healthy human males receiving oral prednisolone, we investigated the efficacy of a single subcutaneous dose of exenatide (3 µg/kg in lowering blood glucose in GC-induced glucose intolerance in C57BL/6 mice. In a longitudinal experiment, the area under the curve (AUC of oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT significantly increased after dexamethasone (P = 0.004, which was subsequently decreased by exenatide (P < 0.001. A cross-sectional experiment showed that exenatide improved glucose tolerance compared with placebo in a mouse model of dexamethasone-induced glucose intolerance. AUC of OGTT in the exenatide group were significantly (P < 0.001 lower than in the placebo group. Insulin tolerance tests (ITT demonstrated that exenatide decreased the ability of the mice to tolerate insulin compared with placebo. The AUC of ITT in the exenatide group were also significantly (P = 0.006 lower than in the placebo group. In conclusion, a single dose of exenatide was able to decrease glucose intolerance and

  10. 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.)

  11. Therapeutic Strategies against Cyclin E1-Amplified Ovarian Cancers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    Philadelphia, Pennsylva- nia . 4Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. 5Center for RNAi and Non...exonuclease domain mutations. Mod Pathol. 2015; 28: 505 –514. 7. Rooney MS, Shukla SA, Wu CJ, Getz G, Hacohen N. Molecular and genetic properties of...types. Nature. 2014; 505 :495–501. 33. Wagle N, Berger MF, Davis MJ, Blumenstiel B, Defelice M, Pochanard P, Ducar M, Van Hummelen P, Macconaill LE

  12. The role of regional pollution conventions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haywar, P.

    1989-01-01

    Within the last 12 years a number of regional pollution conventions and action plans have been negotiated to protect the world's seas from pollution. This paper traces the development of this activity and points out the specific role of regional, as opposed to global, pollution conventions. Chief among the functions of regional conventions is the specific legal framework they provide for a particular geographical region. They also provide a forum for neighboring states to develop a coherent policy for a particular regional sea, as well as being the means of establishing regional control over potentially polluting activities. Regional agreements also constitute a suitable framework for monitoring the input of pollutants to the marine environment and assessing their effects. In addition, they provide a forum for the exchange of scientific and technical information and for developing cooperation between states. The paper concludes by summarizing the most important functions of a regional convention and suggesting that, with increasing industrialization and pollution stress, there will continue to be a need for action to be taken at the regional level

  13. 76 FR 52696 - Notice of Intent To Grant Partially Exclusive License

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-23

    ... license in the United States to practice the inventions described and claimed in USPN 6,133,036... principal place of business in Madison, New Jersey. The patent rights in these inventions have been assigned... Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Texas 77058, Mail Code AL; Phone (281) 483-3021; Fax (281) 483...

  14. IADC Vulnerability Report, IT32-13

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiansen, E. L.; Miller, J. E.; Hyde, Jimx

    2016-01-01

    This section provides hypervelocity impact test data for two types of batteries: Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) and Nickel Hydrogen (Ni-H2) batteries. The impact tests were directed by the NASA Johnson Space Center Hypervelocity Impact Technology (HVIT) group in Houston Texas, and were performed at the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF).

  15. In-House Automation of a Small Library Using a Mainframe Computer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waranius, Frances B.; Tellier, Stephen H.

    1986-01-01

    An automated library routine management system was developed in-house to create system unique to the Library and Information Center, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas. A modular approach was used to allow continuity in operations and services as system was implemented. Acronyms and computer accounts and file names are appended.…

  16. Learning Together: Micro-Computers in Crosby, Texas, Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNeil, Linda M.

    The Crosby Independent School District near Houston, Texas, planned to introduce microcomputer instruction to its nearly 3,000 students in slow stages that had teachers and students learning at the same time. The initial impetus for computers came from an administrator who found useful information at a Regional Service Center of the State…

  17. Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    Part I: Status lists as of 31 December 1996. A. Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident (Notification Convention). B. Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (Assistance Convention). PART II: Texts of reservations/declarations made upon or following expressing consent to be bound and objections thereto Part III: Texts of reservations/declarations made upon signature

  18. Transfrontier nuclear civil liability without international conventions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dogauchi, M.

    1992-01-01

    Japan is not a contracting party of any international convention in the field of nuclear civil liability, and neither are other east Asian countries who have or will soon have nuclear plants. Therefore, the ordinary rules on private international law will play an important role in dealing with transfrontier nuclear civil liability. Above all, the problems on judicial jurisdiction and governing law are crucial points. With regard to the relations between the above countries and the countries whose legal systems are within the framework of Paris or Vienna Conventions, geographical scopes of these conventions are to be considered. There are two different parts in the international civil liability conventions: uniform civil liability law and mutual funds. As to the first, it is important that, even without the conventions, the basic structure of the nuclear civil liability laws in non-member countries are almost the same with those of members. In any event, considering that the establishment of a single international regime to cover all countries will be hardly possible, legal consequences under the private international law will be explored. (author)

  19. Comparative assessment of alignment efficiency and space closure of active and passive self-ligating vs conventional appliances in adolescents: a single-center randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Songra, Goldie; Clover, Matthew; Atack, Nikki E; Ewings, Paul; Sherriff, Martyn; Sandy, Jonathan R; Ireland, Anthony J

    2014-05-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the time to initial alignment and extraction space closure using conventional brackets and active and passive self-ligating brackets. One hundred adolescent patients 11 to 18 years of age undergoing maxillary and mandibular fixed appliance therapy after the extraction of 4 premolars were randomized with stratification of 2 age ranges (11-14 and 15-18 years) and 3 maxillomandibular plane angles (high, medium, and low) with an allocation ratio of 1:2:2. Restrictions were applied using a block size of 10. Allocation was to 1 of 3 treatment groups: conventional brackets, active self-ligating, or passive self-ligating brackets. All subjects were treated with the same archwire sequence and space-closing mechanics in a district general hospital setting. The trial was a 3-arm parallel design. Labial-segment alignment and space closure were measured on study models taken every 12 weeks throughout treatment. All measurements were made by 1 operator who was blinded to bracket type. The patients and other operators were not blinded to bracket type during treatment. Ninety-eight patients were followed to completion of treatment (conventional, n = 20; active self-ligating brackets, n = 37; passive self-ligating brackets, n = 41). The data were analyzed using linear mixed models and demonstrated a significant effect of bracket type on the time to initial alignment (P = 0.001), which was shorter with the conventional brackets than either of the self-ligating brackets. Sidak's adjustment showed no significant difference in effect size (the difference in average response in millimeters) between the active and passive self-ligating brackets (the results are presented as effect size, 95% confidence intervals, probabilities, and intraclass correlation coefficients) (-0.42 [-1.32, 0.48], 0.600, 0.15), but the conventional bracket was significantly different from both of these (-1.98 [-3.19, -0.76], 0.001, 0.15; and -1.56 [-2.79, -0.32], 0.001, 0

  20. Biologic and Conventional Systemic Therapies Show Similar Safety and Efficacy in Elderly and Adult Patients With Moderate to Severe Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garber, Caren; Plotnikova, Natalia; Au, Shiu-chung; Sorensen, Eric P; Gottlieb, Alice

    2015-08-01

    Despite the aging population, few studies have documented the treatment of geriatric psoriasis. The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy, safety, and prescribing patterns of biologics and conventional systemic medications in elderly versus adult psoriasis. All patient visits coded for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis (ICD-9 696.1 or 696.0) at the Tufts Medical Center General Dermatology Clinic from January 1, 2008, to March 1, 2015 were included in this retrospective cohort study. The outcome measure used was the validated simple-measure for assessing psoriasis activity (S-MAPA), the product of the physician's global assessment and the body surface area. 194 patients who underwent 278 treatment courses were included in the study. 48 patients were included in the elderly cohort (≥ 65 years old) and 146 in the adult cohort (18-64 years old). There was no significant difference in S-MAPA improvement at 12 weeks between the two cohorts when treated with biologics (42.92% improvement in adults, 48.77% in elderly; P=0.498) or conventional systemics (43.96% and 51.82%, respectively; P=0.448). Within the elderly cohort, there was no significant difference in efficacy of biologics versus conventional systemics at any time point. Topical prescription rates were significantly higher in the elderly cohort ( P=0.004) while biologic prescription rates were significantly lower ( P=0.014) despite the same baseline S-MAPA in both age groups. For both biologics and conventional systemics, there was no statistically significant intergroup difference in the rate of adverse events ( P=0.322 for biologics; P=0.581 for conventional systemics) or infection ( P=0.753 for biologics; P=0.828 for conventional systemics). Within the elderly cohort, there was a higher rate of adverse events with conventional systemic treatment than with biologic treatment ( P=0.033). This study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that biologic and conventional systemic therapies are similarly

  1. Minamata Convention on Mercury

    Science.gov (United States)

    On November 6, 2013 the United States signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a new multilateral environmental agreement that addresses specific human activities which are contributing to widespread mercury pollution

  2. Trends, Fashions, Patterns, Norms, Conventions...and Hypertext Too.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amitay, Einat

    2001-01-01

    Outlines the theory behind the formation of language conventions, then reveals conventions evolving in the community of people writing hypertext on the Web. Demonstrates how these conventions can be used to augment and shift the meaning of already published hypertexts. Describes the system called InCommonSense, which reuses particular hypertext…

  3. Center index method-an alternative for wear measurements with radiostereometry (RSA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahl, Jon; Figved, Wender; Snorrason, Finnur; Nordsletten, Lars; Röhrl, Stephan M

    2013-03-01

    Radiostereometry (RSA) is considered to be the most precise and accurate method for wear-measurements in total hip replacement. Post-operative stereoradiographs has so far been necessary for wear measurement. Hence, the use of RSA has been limited to studies planned for RSA measurements. We compared a new RSA method for wear measurements that does not require previous radiographs with conventional RSA. Instead of comparing present stereoradiographs with post-operative ones, we developed a method for calculating the post-operative position of the center of the femoral head on the present examination and using this as the index measurement. We compared this alternative method to conventional RSA in 27 hips in an ongoing RSA study. We found a high degree of agreement between the methods for both mean proximal (1.19 mm vs. 1.14 mm) and mean 3D wear (1.52 mm vs. 1.44 mm) after 10 years. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were 0.958 and 0.955, respectively (pRSA offers comparable results to conventional RSA measurements. It allows precise wear measurements without previous radiological examinations. Copyright © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society.

  4. Comparison of frictional resistance among conventional, active and passive selfligating brackets with different combinations of arch wires: a finite elements study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez, Sandra L; Montoya, Yesid; Garcia, Nora L; Virgen, Ana L; Botero, Javier E

    2016-09-01

    The aim of this study was to compare frictional resistance among conventional, passive and active selfligating brackets using Finite Elements Analysis (FEA). Seventynine (79) slide tests were performed by combining an upper first bicuspid conventional bracket, 0.018" stainless steel wires and 0.010" ligature by means of an INSTRON 3345 load system to obtain average maximum static frictional resistance (MSFR). This value was compared to the FR (frictional resistance) obtained by simulation of a slide of the same combination by FEA following conventional bracket modeling by means of Computer Aided Design (CAD). Once the FEA was validated, bracket CADs were designed (upper right first bicuspid conventional, active and passive selfligating bracket) and bracket properties calculated. MSFR was compared among conventional, active and passive selfligating brackets with different alloys and archwire cross sections such as 0.018", 0.019" x 0.025"and 0.020" x 0.020". Passive selfligating brackets had the lowest MSFR, followed by conventional brackets and active selfligating brackets. In conventional brackets, a 0.018" archwire produced a linear pattern of stress with maximum concentration at the center. Conversely, stress in 0.020 x 0.020" and 0.019 x 0.025" archwires was distributed across the width of the slot. The highest normal forces were 1.53 N for the 0.018" archwire, 4.85 N for the 0.020 x 0.020" archwire and 8.18 N for the 0.019 x 0.025" archwire. Passive selfligating brackets presented less frictional resistance than conventional and active selfligating brackets. Regardless of bracket type, greater contact area between the slot and the archwire and the spring clip increased frictional resistance. Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría.

  5. Enhanced Disease Surveillance during the 2012 Republican National Convention, Tampa, FL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atrubin, David; Wiese, Michael; Snider, Rebecca; Workman, Kiley; McDougle, Warren

    2013-01-01

    deployed in Tampa during the RNC. Data was collected electronically and transmitted through ESSENCE as well. The HCHD also asked infection preventionists, health care providers, hotels, labs, and Mosquito Control to lower their reporting threshold to us during the RNC period. We provided updates to all our partners with respect to diseases and outbreaks of public health importance occurring in our county. Results No epidemiologic events linked to the RNC were detected through the HCHD’s enhanced surveillance that was conducted. Decreased patient volumes were seen during the RNC at our EDs closest to the convention site. No significant increases in ED visits from outside of our 5-county area were noted during the RNC. Urgent care centers reported seeing patients associated with the RNC for a variety of reasons including respiratory and gastrointestinal illness. DMAT surveillance showed mainly routine visits but four secret service agents did seek care for respiratory illness during the convention. Conclusions Substantial time and resources were devoted to disease surveillance in the 6 months leading up to the RNC and during the event. While no epidemiologic events were detected, the public health surveillance infrastructure has clearly been strengthened in our county. We are receiving our ED syndromic data, from many of our hospitals, every two hours as opposed to every day. We have established relationships with our urgent case centers and hope to begin receiving urgent care center data on a daily basis in the near future. Receiving DMAT data through ESSENCE could prove very useful in the future, especially in Florida where hurricanes are always a threat. Lastly the improved relationships with our health care providers should be beneficial as we move forward.

  6. 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...

  7. 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...

  8. A Charter School in Partnerships for At-Risk Youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czaja, Marion D.; Belcher, Sandi

    This report describes and evaluates the Raven School, a charter school established in 1998 to serve adjudicated youths ages 16 to 18. The school is administered by the Gulf Coast Trades Center, a private nonprofit organization located in the Sam Houston National Forest in rural Texas. In addition to academics and GED preparation, other program…

  9. Suited for Spacewalking: A Teacher's Guide with Activities for Technology Education, Mathematics, and Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogt, Gregory L.; George, Jane A. (Editor)

    1998-01-01

    A Teacher's Guide with Activities for Technology Education, Mathematics, and Science National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Human Resources and Education Education Division Washington, DC Education Working Group NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas This publication is in the Public Domain and is not protected by copyright. Permission is not required for duplication.

  10. Strategic interaction and conventions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Espinosa, María Paz

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The scope of the paper is to review the literature that employs coordination games to study social norms and conventions from the viewpoint of game theory and cognitive psychology. We claim that those two alternative approaches are in fact complementary, as they provide different insights to explain how people converge to a unique system of self-fulfilling expectations in presence of multiple, equally viable, conventions. While game theory explains the emergence of conventions relying on efficiency and risk considerations, the psychological view is more concerned with frame and labeling effects. The interaction between these alternative (and, sometimes, competing effects leads to the result that coordination failures may well occur and, even when coordination takes place, there is no guarantee that the convention eventually established will be the most efficient.

    El objetivo de este artículo es presentar la literatura que emplea los juegos de coordinación para el estudio de normas y convenciones sociales, que se han analizado tanto desde el punto de vista de la teoría de juegos como de la psicología cognitiva. Argumentamos en este trabajo que estos dos enfoques alternativos son en realidad complementarios, dado que ambos contribuyen al entendimiento de los procesos mediante los cuales las personas llegan a coordinarse en un único sistema de expectativas autorrealizadas, en presencia de múltiples convenciones todas ellas igualmente viables. Mientras que la teoría de juegos explica la aparición de convenciones basándose en argumentos de eficiencia y comportamientos frente al riesgo, el enfoque de la psicología cognitiva utiliza en mayor medida consideraciones referidas al entorno y naturaleza de las decisiones. La interacción entre estos efectos diferentes (y en ocasiones, rivales desemboca con frecuencia en fallos de coordinación y, aun cuando la coordinación se produce, no hay garantía de que la convención en vigor sea la m

  11. Vienna Convention and Its Revision and convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage on September 12, 1997

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soljan, V.

    1998-01-01

    After Chernobyl, the perception of common interest in modernization of the international regime that regulate various aspects of nuclear energy, has been evident among states with nuclear power plants as well as those likely to be involved in or affected by a nuclear incident. The adoption of the protocol Amending the Vienna Convention on Civil liability for Nuclear Damage, 1963 and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for nuclear damage in September 1997, represents important part of the entire result that has been achieved from the 1986. This article gives a brief survey on the background of the process of modernization of the international regime of liability for nuclear damage and examines solutions contained in the provisions of the conventions. (author)

  12. Toward human-centered man-machine system in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanabe, Fumiya

    1993-01-01

    The Japanese LWR power plants are classified into 4 categories, from the viewpoints of the control panel in central control room and the extent of automation. Their characteristics are outlined. The potential weaknesses indwelt in the conventional approaches are discussed; that are the loss of applicability to the unanticipated facts and the loss of morale of the operators. The need for the construction of human-centered man-machine system is emphasized in order to overcome these potential weaknesses. The most important features required for the system are, in short term, to support operators in dificulties, and at the same time, in long term, to assure the acquisition and conservation of the personnels' morale and potential to cope with the problems. The concepts of the 'ecological interface' and 'adaptive aiding' system are introduced as the design concepts for the human-centered man-machine system. (J.P.N.)

  13. Agricultural irrigated land-use inventory for Jackson, Calhoun, and Gadsden Counties in Florida, and Houston County in Alabama, 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marella, Richard L.; Dixon, Joann F.

    2015-09-18

    A detailed inventory of irrigated crop acreage is not available at the level of resolution needed to accurately estimate water use or to project future water demands in many Florida counties. This report provides a detailed digital map and summary of irrigated areas for 2014 within Jackson, Calhoun, and Gadsden Counties in Florida, and Houston County in Alabama. The irrigated areas were delineated using land-use data and orthoimagery that were then field verified between June and November 2014. Selected attribute data were collected for the irrigated areas, including crop type, primary water source, and type of irrigation system. Results of the 2014 study indicate that an estimated 31,608 acres were irrigated in Jackson County during 2014. This estimate includes 25,733 acres of field crops, 1,534 acres of ornamentals and grasses (including pasture), and 420 acres of orchards. Specific irrigated crops include cotton (11,759 acres), peanuts (9,909 acres), field corn (2,444 acres), and 3,235 acres of various vegetable (row) crops. The vegetable acreage includes 1,714 acres of which 857 acres were planted with both a spring and fall crop on the same field (double cropped). Overall, groundwater was used to irrigate 98.6 percent of the total irrigated acreage in Jackson County during 2014, whereas surface water and wastewater were used to irrigate the remaining 1.4 percent.

  14. Altering Conventional to High Density Spinal Cord Stimulation: An Energy Dose-Response Relationship in Neuropathic Pain Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wille, Frank; Breel, Jennifer S; Bakker, Eric W P; Hollmann, Markus W

    2017-01-01

    To examine whether converting from conventional Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) to High Density (HD) SCS reduces neuropathic pain over a period of 12 months in patients with failed SCS therapy. Retrospective, open label, single center, consecutive case series of 30 neuropathic pain patients (Failed Back Surgery Syndrome [FBSS], Complex Regional Pain Syndrome [CRPS], and polyneuropathy [NP]). Patients with an initial adequate response to conventional SCS, but in whom pain increased over time, were included (Numeric Rating Scales [NRS] >6). These patients were stimulated with HD-SCS parameters and followed-up for 12 months. We report pain intensity, measured with NRS, before SCS implantation, 1 and 3 months after starting SCS with conventional stimulation, and after 1, 6, and 12 months of HD SCS. Pain reduction with conventional stimulation was initially adequate (NRS mean 8.6 to 5.3 at three months postimplant) but increased over time to a mean NRS of 7.7 at the time of reprogramming. NRS scores decreased significantly to 4.3 (p = 0.015) after reprogramming from conventional SCS (30 Hz, 300 µsec, 3.0 V) to HD SCS (409 Hz, range 130-1000 Hz, 409 µsec, 2.4V) in the patients still using HD-SCS at 12 months. In the nonresponders (patients who stopped HD-SCS for any reason), 76% had a diagnosis of FBSS. Almost half of the patients aborting HD-SCS preferred to feel paresthesias despite better pain relief. There was a significant difference between nonresponders and responders regarding the amount of electrical energy delivered to the spinal cord. Neuropathic pain suppression is significantly enhanced after converting from failed conventional SCS to HD SCS in patients with FBSS, CRPS, and NP over a measured period of 12 months. There appears to be a dose-related response between the amount of energy delivered to the spinal cord and clinical effect. © 2016 International Neuromodulation Society.

  15. Comparison of robot-assisted versus conventional laparoscopic transperitoneal pyeloplasty for patients with ureteropelvic junction obstruction: a single-center study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bird, Vincent G; Leveillee, Raymond J; Eldefrawy, Ahmed; Bracho, Jorge; Aziz, Mohammed S

    2011-03-01

    To compare conventional laparoscopic pyeloplasty (C-LPP) and robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RA-LPP), which are both used for correction of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Robotic assistance may further expedite dissection and reconstruction; however it is unclear whether this has an impact on results. Between 1999 and 2009, 172 conventional or robotic-assisted transperitoneal laparoscopic pyeloplasties were performed by 2 surgeons. Data were obtained from our prospective database, patient charts, and radiographic reports. Statistical analysis was performed for the groups. A total of 98 patients underwent R-LPP, and 74 underwent C-LPP. Mean age, body mass index, and gender distribution were similar for the groups. Of the patients, 22 (12.8%) had secondary ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Operative time in minutes was 189.3 ± 62 for RA-LPP, and 186.6 ± 69 for C-LPP (P = .69) respectively. Intraoperative and postoperative complication rates for RA-LPP and C-LPP were 1%, 5.1% and 0, 2.7% (P = .83 and .85) respectively. There was no significant difference in mean suturing time: 48.3 ± 30 and 60 ± 46 (P = .30) for RA-LPP and C-LPP, respectively. Long-term follow up (minimum 6 months; available for 136 patients) showed 93.4% and 95% radiographic success rate based upon diuretic scintirenography for RA-LPP and C-LPP respectively. Operative time, perioperative outcome and success rates are similar for C-LPP and RA-LPP. Mean suturing time for RA-LPP was shorter; however, there was no significant time difference in total operative time. Complications for both procedures are infrequent. Success rates, as measured by diuretic scintirenography, are high for the 2 procedures. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. wACSF—Weighted atom-centered symmetry functions as descriptors in machine learning potentials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gastegger, M.; Schwiedrzik, L.; Bittermann, M.; Berzsenyi, F.; Marquetand, P.

    2018-06-01

    We introduce weighted atom-centered symmetry functions (wACSFs) as descriptors of a chemical system's geometry for use in the prediction of chemical properties such as enthalpies or potential energies via machine learning. The wACSFs are based on conventional atom-centered symmetry functions (ACSFs) but overcome the undesirable scaling of the latter with an increasing number of different elements in a chemical system. The performance of these two descriptors is compared using them as inputs in high-dimensional neural network potentials (HDNNPs), employing the molecular structures and associated enthalpies of the 133 855 molecules containing up to five different elements reported in the QM9 database as reference data. A substantially smaller number of wACSFs than ACSFs is needed to obtain a comparable spatial resolution of the molecular structures. At the same time, this smaller set of wACSFs leads to a significantly better generalization performance in the machine learning potential than the large set of conventional ACSFs. Furthermore, we show that the intrinsic parameters of the descriptors can in principle be optimized with a genetic algorithm in a highly automated manner. For the wACSFs employed here, we find however that using a simple empirical parametrization scheme is sufficient in order to obtain HDNNPs with high accuracy.

  17. Has the ThinPrep method of cervical screening maintained its improvement over conventional smears in terms of specimen adequacy?

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Treacy, A

    2009-04-01

    Liquid-based cytology (LBC) has replaced conventional smear assessment in many centers over recent years. In our laboratory this transfer took place in 1999. At that time we performed a split sample study comparing the conventional method of cervical smear evaluation with the ThinPrep system. This split sample study identified a dramatic improvement in specimen adequacy with LBC. While 11% of conventional preparations were reported as unsatisfactory and almost 9% were reported as suboptimal, evaluation of the same cases using LBC saw this combined figure reduced to 2.3%. AIM: To evaluate whether this dramatic fall in unsatisfactory smears has been maintained with the use of LBC. The database for all smears reported for 2005 (100% LBC) was interrogated. The number of unsatisfactory reports was calculated. The reason for an unsatisfactory report was recorded for each case. The overall unsatisfactory rate was compared with that reported in the 1999 split sample study. A total of 41,312 smear tests were reported in 2005. 1,342 (3.25%) were reported as unsatisfactory. Our findings support the ongoing value of LBC in a routine cervical screening laboratory in terms of continuing to maintain a low rate of unsatisfactory smears.

  18. Comparison of community managed projects and conventional ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Comparison of community managed projects and conventional approaches in rural water supply of Ethiopia. ... African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology ... This study aimed to compare Community Managed Projects (CMP) approach with the conventional approaches (Non-CMP) in the case of Ethiopia.

  19. Diagnostic and therapeutic applications of diode lasers and solid state lasers in medicine. Progress report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacques, S.L. [Texas Univ., Houston, TX (United States). Cancer Center; Welch, A.J. [Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States); Motamedi, M. [Texas Univ., Galveston, TX (United States). Medical Branch; Rastegar, S. [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Tittel, F. [Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States); Esterowitz, L. [Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)

    1993-05-01

    The Texas Medical Center in Houston and the nearby UT Medical Branch at Galveston together constitute a major center of medical research activities. Laser applications in medicine are under development with the engineering assistance of the collaborating engineering enters at Rice University, UT-Austin, Texas A&M Univ. In addition, this collective is collaborating with the naval Research Laboratory, where new developments in laser design are underway, in order to transfer promising new laser technology rapidly into the medical environment.

  20. Conventional imaging in paediatric uroradiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riccabona, M.; Lindbichler, F.; Sinzig, M.

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To briefly describe basic conventional imaging in paediatric uroradiology. Method: The state of the art performance of standard imaging techniques (intravenous urography (IVU), voiding cystourethrography (VCU), and ultrasound (US)) is described, with emphasis on technical aspects, indications, and patient preparation such as adequate hydration. Only basic applications as used in routine clinical work are included. Result and conclusion: Conventional imaging methods are irreplaceable. They cover the majority of daily clinical routine queries, with consecutive indication of more sophisticated modalities in those patients who need additional imaging for establishing the final diagnosis or outlining therapeutic options

  1. Conventional imaging in paediatric uroradiology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riccabona, M. E-mail: michael.riccabona@kfunigraz.ac.at; Lindbichler, F.; Sinzig, M

    2002-08-01

    Objective: To briefly describe basic conventional imaging in paediatric uroradiology. Method: The state of the art performance of standard imaging techniques (intravenous urography (IVU), voiding cystourethrography (VCU), and ultrasound (US)) is described, with emphasis on technical aspects, indications, and patient preparation such as adequate hydration. Only basic applications as used in routine clinical work are included. Result and conclusion: Conventional imaging methods are irreplaceable. They cover the majority of daily clinical routine queries, with consecutive indication of more sophisticated modalities in those patients who need additional imaging for establishing the final diagnosis or outlining therapeutic options.

  2. Conventional and unconventional political participation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Opp, K.D.

    1985-01-01

    A non-recursive model is proposed and empirically tested with data of opponents of nuclear power. In explaining conventional and unconventional participation the theory of collective action is applied and modified in two respects: the perceived influence on the elimination of collective evils are taken into account; the selective incentives considered are non-material ones. These modifications proved to be valid: the collective good variables and non-material incentives were important determinants for the two forms of participation. Another result was that there is a reciprocal causal relationship between conventional and unconventional participation. (orig./PW) [de

  3. French Economics of Convention and Economic Sociology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jagd, Søren

    foundation of markets and of money may be an occasion for economic sociology to focus even more on elaborating on the institutional void created by traditional economic theory. A second point is that economic sociology could benefit from the perspective of a plurality of forms of coordination involved......The French Economics of convention tradition has developed to be an influential research tradition situated in the area between economics and sociology. The aim of the paper is to explore some of the themes that may be common to economics of conventions and economic sociology by looking more...... closely into three recent texts from the economics of convention tradition discussing, in slightly different ways, differences and similarities between economics of convention and economic sociology. It is argued that André Orléan’s point that a common aim could be to ‘denaturalise’ the institutional...

  4. An ASEAN Ion Beam Analysis Center at Chiang Mai University, Thailand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tippawan, U.; Kamwann, T.; Yu, L.D.; Intarasiri, S.; Puttaraksa, N.; Unai, S.; Thongleurm, C.; Singkarat, S.

    2014-01-01

    To contribute to the development of nuclear science and technology in Thailand, a comprehensive ion beam analysis center unique in the ASEAN region has recently been established at Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The center is equipped with a 1.7-MV Tandetron tandem accelerator with an ion beam analysis beam line. The beam line is currently capable of performing ion beam analysis techniques such as Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), RBS/channeling, Elastic BackScattering (EBS), Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Ionoluminescence (IL) with assistance of commercial and in-house-developed softwares. Micro ion beam for MeV-ion mapping using programmable aperture or capillary focusing techniques is being developed. Ion beam analysis experiments and applications have been vigorously developed, especially for novel materials analysis focused on archeological, gemological and biological materials besides other conventional materials.

  5. Acute cervical spine injuries: prospective MR imaging assessment at a level 1 trauma center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katzberg, R W; Benedetti, P F; Drake, C M; Ivanovic, M; Levine, R A; Beatty, C S; Nemzek, W R; McFall, R A; Ontell, F K; Bishop, D M; Poirier, V C; Chong, B W

    1999-10-01

    To determine the weighted average sensitivity of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the prospective detection of acute neck injury and to compare these findings with those of a comprehensive conventional radiographic assessment. Conventional radiography and MR imaging were performed in 199 patients presenting to a level 1 trauma center with suspected cervical spine injury. Weighted sensitivities and specificities were calculated, and a weighted average across eight vertebral levels from C1 to T1 was formed. Fourteen parameters indicative of acute injury were tabulated. Fifty-eight patients had 172 acute cervical injuries. MR imaging depicted 136 (79%) acute abnormalities and conventional radiography depicted 39 (23%). For assessment of acute fractures, MR images (weighted average sensitivity, 43%; CI: 21%, 66%) were comparable to conventional radiographs (weighted average sensitivity, 48%; CI: 30%, 65%). MR imaging was superior to conventional radiography in the evaluation of pre- or paravertebral hemorrhage or edema, anterior or posterior longitudinal ligament injury, traumatic disk herniation, cord edema, and cord compression. Cord injuries were associated with cervical spine spondylosis (P < .05), acute fracture (P < .001), and canal stenosis (P < .001). MR imaging is more accurate than radiography in the detection of a wide spectrum of neck injuries, and further study is warranted of its potential effect on medical decision making, clinical outcome, and cost-effectiveness.

  6. Human-centered automation and AI - Ideas, insights, and issues from the Intelligent Cockpit Aids research effort

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, Kathy H.; Schutte, Paul C.

    1989-01-01

    A development status evaluation is presented for the NASA-Langley Intelligent Cockpit Aids research program, which encompasses AI, human/machine interfaces, and conventional automation. Attention is being given to decision-aiding concepts for human-centered automation, with emphasis on inflight subsystem fault management, inflight mission replanning, and communications management. The cockpit envisioned is for advanced commercial transport aircraft.

  7. 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

  8. 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…

  9. Amendment of APPRE for Ratification of the International Conventions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Ho Sik; Kwak, Sung Woo; Chang, Sung Soon; Seo, Hyung Min; Lee, Jeong Hoon; Lee, Jeong Ho

    2010-01-01

    Both the international community and the IAEA have been making efforts to strengthen the global regime on nuclear security. As a result of these efforts, two conventions regarding nuclear security were issued by the UN and IAEA. The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (NTC) and the Amendment to Convention of Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNMNF). The NTC entered into force in 2007, but the CPPNMNF still has not yet been enacted. In the work plan released after the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit (which was held in Washington D.C) these conventions were mentioned as important tools against nuclear terrorism. The purpose of these conventions was to prevent malicious acts against radioactive materials and nuclear facilities. The article also specifies strong penal provisions. Many countries which had ratified these conventions had to revise or change their domestic acts or laws in order conform to these new international regimes. The ROK signed these two conventions in 2005: however, it has not ratified them yet. The government has a plan to ratify them before the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, which will be held in the ROK. Each article in the conventions should be reviewed thoroughly in terms of their effects on the domestic legal and institutional systems. The penal provisions regulating the conventions should especially be carefully scrutinized since their effects are considerable. In this paper, we compared the penal provisions in the conventions with the ROK's laws and selected the provisions that are not specified in the ROK's legal system. The proposed articles for amendment to the APPRE are also suggested

  10. From honeybees to Internet servers: biomimicry for distributed management of Internet hosting centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakrani, Sunil; Tovey, Craig

    2007-12-01

    An Internet hosting center hosts services on its server ensemble. The center must allocate servers dynamically amongst services to maximize revenue earned from hosting fees. The finite server ensemble, unpredictable request arrival behavior and server reallocation cost make server allocation optimization difficult. Server allocation closely resembles honeybee forager allocation amongst flower patches to optimize nectar influx. The resemblance inspires a honeybee biomimetic algorithm. This paper describes details of the honeybee self-organizing model in terms of information flow and feedback, analyzes the homology between the two problems and derives the resulting biomimetic algorithm for hosting centers. The algorithm is assessed for effectiveness and adaptiveness by comparative testing against benchmark and conventional algorithms. Computational results indicate that the new algorithm is highly adaptive to widely varying external environments and quite competitive against benchmark assessment algorithms. Other swarm intelligence applications are briefly surveyed, and some general speculations are offered regarding their various degrees of success.

  11. Cancer of the larynx: the outcomes of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy in prospective and retrospective studies. Is the meaning of conventionality the same?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hliniak, A.; Michalski, W.; Kraszewska, E.; Szutkowski, Z.; Jarzabski, A.

    2001-01-01

    Two studies on the radiotherapy of laryngeal cancer were completed at the Radiotherapy Department of the Cancer Center Warsaw at the end of 1999. One of them was a multicenter randomized clinical trial, and the second one - a retrospective study on patients treated between years 1989 and 1995. An opinion exists that the trial outcomes of the conventional arm correspond to the outcomes of everyday practice. The subject of the study was to evaluate this thesis, and to find out, whether the outcomes of prospective and retrospective studies following the same treatment protocol are comparable. Selection criteria were - age ≤75, WHO 0-1, T1, T2, T3, N0, M0 stage of glottic and supraglottic laryngeal cancer. The treatment was: 66 Gy/2 Gy/33 fraction/45 days. The prospective group had - 199 patients, and the retrospective group: 150 patients. The two groups were comparable according to the age, site, sex and mean hemoglobin level. There was a significant difference in T-stage and performance status between the two groups. Overall survival, local control and CR-response were analyzed. To eliminate the influence of the differences in T=stage and performance status, regression models were applied - Cox's for survival and local control, logit for CR-response endpoint. The protocol compliance (prospective, retrospective) was as follows - total dose: (88%, 49%), treatment time: (47%, 11%) respectively. Three-year survival for the prospective and the retrospective groups were 89% and 74%, respectively (p=0.035), CR-response rates were 96% and 75%, respectively (p<0.001). There were no significant differences in probability of local recurrence in CR patients. A better outcome of treatment was observed in the prospective study group. It is probably due to a certain 'over-selection' of patients for the prospective study and many deviations from the therapeutic protocol in the historical group. 'Conventional treatment' has the same meaning in the prospective and retrospective

  12. Are nuclear ships environmentally safer than conventionally powered ships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bone, C.A.; Molgaard, C.A.; Helmkamp, J.C.; Golbeck, A.L.

    1988-01-01

    An epidemiologic analysis was conducted to determine if risk of hospitalization varied by age, ship type, or occupation between nuclear and conventional powered ship crews in the U.S. Navy. Study cohorts consisted of all male enlisted personnel who served exclusively aboard conventional or nuclear powered aircraft carriers and cruisers during the years 1975-1979; cases were those men hospitalized during this period (N = 48,242). Conventional ship personnel showed significantly elevated rates of injury and disease when compared to nuclear ship personnel. The largest relative risks by age occurred for conventional ship crewmen less than 30 years old. Seaman, logistics (supply), and healthcare personnel serving aboard conventional ships comprised the occupational groups exhibiting the highest hospitalization rate differentials. The results strongly suggest that nuclear ships provide a healthier, safer working and living environment than conventional ships

  13. 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

  14. Comparison of conventional straight and swan-neck straight catheters inserted by percutaneous method for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: a single-center study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Shivendra; Prakash, Jai; Singh, R G; Dole, P K; Pant, Pragya

    2015-10-01

    To evaluate the incidence of mechanical and infectious complications of conventional straight catheter (SC) versus swan-neck straight catheter (SNSC) implanted by percutaneous method. We retrospectively analyzed 45 catheter insertions being done by percutaneous method from January 1, 2011, to May 31, 2014. SC was inserted in 24 patients, and SNSC was inserted in 21 patients. Baseline characteristics for the two groups were similar with respect to age, sex and diabetic nephropathy as the cause for end-stage renal disease. Incidence of mechanical and infectious complications in SNSC group was found to be low as compared to the SC group and was statistically significant (1 in 11.6 patient months vs. 1 in 14.4 patient months, p = 0.02). Catheter migration was found to be the most common mechanical complication (20 %), and peritonitis was found to be the most common infectious complication in conventional SC group (27 episodes in 420 patient months vs. 11 episodes in 333 patient months, p = 0.03). The incidence of exit site and tunnel infection rates revealed no difference between the groups. SNSC insertion by percutaneous method is associated with low mechanical and infectious complications.

  15. 78 FR 77105 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-20

    ... 32541; (850) 654-5184 Monday, January 13, 2014, 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., University of Texas Marine Science.... until 9 p.m., Bass Pro Shop, 1000 Basspro Drive, Houston, TX 77047; (713) 770-5100 Wednesday, January 15... p.m. until 9 p.m., Bass Pro Shop, 10040 Gulf Center Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33913; (239) 461-7800...

  16. Uncertainty, Conventions and Co-ordination in the Business Enterprise

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jagd, Søren

    The paper presents the basic propositions of convention theory with special consideration to the analysis of uncertainty, the role of institutions and conventions, and the implications this perspective has for the analysis of the business enterprise......The paper presents the basic propositions of convention theory with special consideration to the analysis of uncertainty, the role of institutions and conventions, and the implications this perspective has for the analysis of the business enterprise...

  17. Conventions and Institutional Logics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Westenholz, Ann

    Two theoretical approaches – Conventions and Institutional Logics – are brought together and the similarities and differences between the two are explored. It is not the intention to combine the approaches, but I would like to open both ‘boxes’ and make them available to each other with the purpose...... of creating a space for dialog. Both approaches were developed in the mid-1980s as a reaction to rational-choice economic theory and collectivistic sociological theory. These two theories were oversimplifying social life as being founded either in actor-micro level analyses or in structure-macro level...... analyses. The theoretical quest of both Conventions and Institutional Logics has been to understand the increasing indeterminacy, uncertainty and ambiguity in people’s lives where a sense of reality, of value, of moral, of feelings is not fixed. Both approaches have created new theoretical insights...

  18. Survival analysis, long-term outcomes, and percentage of recovery up to 8 years post-infection among the Houston West Nile virus cohort.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristy O Murray

    Full Text Available In 2012, we witnessed a resurgence of West Nile virus (WNV in the United States, with the largest outbreak of human cases reported since 2003. WNV is now endemic and will continue to produce epidemics over time, therefore defining the long-term consequences of WNV infection is critical. Over a period of eight years, we prospectively followed a cohort of 157 WNV-infected subjects in the Houston metropolitan area to observe recovery over time and define the long-term clinical outcomes. We used survival analysis techniques to determine percentage of recovery over time and the effects of demographic and co-morbid conditions on recovery. We found that 40% of study participants continued to experience symptoms related to their WNV infection up to 8 years later. Having a clinical presentation of encephalitis and being over age 50 were significantly associated with prolonged or poor recovery over time. Since the health and economic impact as a result of prolonged recovery, continued morbidity, and related disability is likely substantial in those infected with WNV, future research should be aimed at developing effective vaccines to prevent illness and novel therapeutics to minimize morbidity, mortality, and long-term complications from infection.

  19. Influence of Kosher (Shechita) and conventional slaughter ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Influence of Kosher (Shechita) and conventional slaughter techniques on shear force, drip and cooking loss of beef. ... South African Journal of Animal Science ... force values for meat samples from cattle slaughtered by the Kosher method compared to those from cattle slaughtered by the conventional slaughter method.

  20. Suction v. conventional curettage in incomplete abortion

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Suction v. conventional curettage in incomplete abortion. A randomised controlled trial. D. A. A. VERKUYL, C. A. CROWTHER .Abstract This randomised controlled trial of 357 patients who had had an incomplete abortion compared suction curettage with conventional curettage for evacuation ofthe uterus. The 179 patients ...

  1. Communicating novel and conventional scientific metaphors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Sanne

    2005-01-01

    . But we still need empirical studies of the career of metaphors in scientific discourse and of the communicative strategies identifying a given metaphor as either novel or conventional. This paper presents a case study of the discursive development of the metaphor of "the genetic code" from......Metaphors are more popular than ever in the study of scientific reasoning and culture because of their innovative and generative powers. It is assumed, that novel scientific metaphors become more clear and well-defined, as they become more established and conventional within the relevant discourses...... the introduction of the metaphor to it was established as an entire network of interrelated conventional metaphors. Not only do the strategies in communicating the metaphor change as the metaphor becomes more established within the discourse, but the genres in which the metaphor is developed and interpreted...

  2. Comparison of single-port and conventional laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nerup, Nikolaj; Rosenstock, Steffen; Bulut, Orhan

    2018-01-01

    with conventional laparoscopy and 12 with SP surgery. RESULTS: Patients' characteristics were in general comparable, but patients in the conventional laparoscopy-group had a significantly higher American Society of Anesthesiologists-score. The operative time was slightly shorter in the conventional laparoscopy...

  3. Water-level altitudes 2017 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper Aquifers and compaction 1973–2016 in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasmarek, Mark C.; Ramage, Jason K.

    2017-08-16

    .Water-level-altitude contours for the Jasper aquifer in 2017 ranged from 200 ft below datum in three isolated areas of south-central Montgomery County (the westernmost of these areas extended slightly into north-central Harris County) to 250 ft above datum in extreme northwestern Montgomery County, northeastern Grimes County, and southwestern Walker County. The 2000–17 water-level-change contours for the Jasper aquifer depict water-level declines in a broad area throughout most of Montgomery County and in parts of Waller, Grimes, and Harris Counties, with the largest decline (220 ft) in an isolated area in south-central Montgomery County.Compaction of subsurface sediments (mostly in the fine-grained silt and clay layers) in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers was recorded continuously by using 13 extensometers at 11 sites that were either activated or installed between 1973 and 1980. During the period of record beginning in 1973 (or later depending on activation or installation date) and ending in late November or December 2016, measured cumulative compaction at the 13 extensometers ranged from 0.096 ft at the Texas City-Moses Lake extensometer to 3.700 ft at the Addicks extensometer. From January through late November or December 2016, the Addicks, Lake Houston, Southwest, and Northeast extensometers recorded net decreases in land-surface elevation, but the Baytown C–1 (shallow), Baytown C–2 (deep), Clear Lake (shallow), Clear Lake (deep), East End, Johnson Space Center, Pasadena, Seabrook, and Texas City-Moses Lake extensometers recorded net increases in land-surface elevation.The rate of compaction varies from site to site because of differences in rates of groundwater withdrawal in the areas adjacent to each extensometer site; differences among sites in the ratios of sand, silt, and clay and their corresponding compressibilities; and previously established preconsolidation heads. It is not appropriate, therefore, to extrapolate or infer a rate of compaction for an adjacent area on the

  4. Evaluation of diagnostic accuracy of conventional and digital periapical radiography, panoramic radiography, and cone-beam computed tomography in the assessment of alveolar bone loss

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeshita, Wilton Mitsunari; Vessoni Iwaki, Lilian Cristina; Da Silva, Mariliani Chicarelli; Tonin, Renata Hernandes

    2014-01-01

    Background: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of different radiographic methods in the assessment of proximal alveolar bone loss (ABL). Materials and Methods: ABL, the distance between cement-enamel junction and alveolar bone crest, was measured in 70 mandibular human teeth – directly on the mandibles (control), using conventional periapical radiography with film holders (Rinn XCP and Han-Shin), digital periapical radiography with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor, conventional panoramic, and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Three programs were used to measure ABL on the images: Image tool 3.0 (University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA), Kodak Imaging 6.1 (Kodak Dental Imaging 6.1, Carestream Health®, Rochester, NY, USA), and i-CAT vision 1.6.20. Statistical analysis used ANOVA and Tukey's test at 5% significance level. Results: The tomographic images showed the highest means, whereas the lowest were found for periapical with Han-Shin. Controls differed from periapical with Han-Shin (P digital periapical (P = 0.0027). Conventional periapicals with film holders differed from each other (P = 0.0007). Digital periapical differed from conventional periapical with Han-Shin (P = 0.0004). Conclusions: Conventional periapical with Han-Shin film holder was the only method that differed from the controls. CBCT had the closest means to the controls. PMID:25191066

  5. CIRCE, the Coherent Infrared Center at the ALS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byrd, John M.; De Santis, Stefano; Jung, Jin-Young; Li, Derun; Martin, Michael C.; McKinney, W.; Munson, Dawn; Nishimura, Hiroshi; Robin, David S.; Sannibale, Fernando; Schlueter, Ross; Venturini, Marco; Wan, Weishi; Zolotorev, Max

    2004-01-01

    CIRCE (Coherent InfraRed CEnter) is a proposal for a new electron storage ring to be built at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The ring design is optimized for the generation of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) in the terahertz frequency range. Among others, CIRCE operation includes three interesting CSR modes: ultra stable, femtosecond laser slicing and broadband bursting. CSR allows CIRCE to generate an extremely high flux in the terahertz frequency region. The many orders of magnitude increase in the intensity over that presently achievable by conventional sources, has the potential to enable new science experiments. The characteristics of CIRCE and of the different modes of operation are described in this paper

  6. The European Convention on bioethics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byk, C

    1993-03-01

    Benefiting from a widely recognised experience of the field of bioethics, the Council of Europe which represents all the democratic countries of Europe, has embarked on the ambitious task of drafting a European Convention on bioethics. The purpose of this text is to set out fundamental values, such as respect for human dignity, free informed consent and non-commercialisation of the human body. In addition to this task, protocols will provide specific standards for the different fields concerned with the application of biomedical sciences. The convention and the first two protocols (human experiments and organ transplants) are due to be ready for signature by mid 1994.

  7. Stakeholder involvement in international conventions governing civil nuclear activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emmerechts, Sam

    2017-01-01

    Mr Emmerechts explained that international conventions have varying positions on stakeholders and their involvement depending upon the intent of the legislator and the field they cover, ranging from a narrow to a broad interpretation. He addressed stakeholder involvement in two other international conventions governing civil nuclear activities, namely the Convention on Nuclear Safety, and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (the Joint Convention), both concluded under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He noted that the Convention on Nuclear Safety remains a 'traditional' international legal instrument, focusing on governments and governmental bodies as the main stakeholders and limiting obligations regarding the involvement of the public and intergovernmental organisations to their receiving information and observing. Likewise, the Joint Convention limits obligations regarding public involvement to access to information, notably as to the siting of proposed facilities. However, he noted that in the European Union, the Directive on Nuclear Safety (2014/87/Euratom) and the Directive for the Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste (2011/70/Euratom) have more advanced public participation requirements in nuclear decision making. Mr Emmerechts explained that the substantial differences between nuclear legislation and the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions with regards to public involvement requirements could partly be explained by the technicality of nuclear information and by issues related to nuclear security

  8. Convention on supplementary compensation for nuclear damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chinese Nuclear Society, Beijing; U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute

    2000-01-01

    The Contracting parties recognize the importance of the measures provided in the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and the Paris Convention on Third party liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy as well as in national legislation on compensation for nuclear damage consistent with the principles of these conventions. The Contracting parties desire to establish a worldwide liability regime to supplement and enhance these measures with a view to increasing the amount of compensation for nuclear damage and encourage regional and global co-operation to promote a higher level of nuclear safety in accordance with the principle of international partnership and solidarity

  9. National report of Brazil. Nuclear Safety Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-09-01

    This document represents the national report prepared as a fulfillment of the brazilian obligations related to the Convention on Nuclear Safety. In chapter 2 some details are given about the existing nuclear installations. Chapter 3 provides details about the legislation and regulations, including the regulatory framework and the regulatory body. Chapter 4 covers general safety considerations as described in articles 10 to 16 of the Convention. Chapter 5 addresses to the safety of the installations during siting, design, construction and operation. Chapter 6 describes planned activities to further enhance nuclear safety. Chapter 7 presents the final remarks related to the degree of compliance with the Convention obligations

  10. U.S. Perspectives on the Joint Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strosnider, J.; Federline, M.; Camper, L.; Abu-Eid, R.; Gnugnoli, G.; Gorn, J.; Bubar, P.; Tonkay, D.

    2006-01-01

    The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) is an international convention, under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It is a companion to a suite of international conventions on nuclear safety and physical security, which serve to promote a global culture for the safe use of radioactive materials. Although the U.S. was the first nation to sign the Joint Convention on September 29, 1997, the ratification process was a challenging experience for the U.S., in the face of legislative priorities dominated by concerns for national security and threats from terrorism after September 11, 2001. Notwithstanding these prevailing circumstances, the U.S. ratified the Joint Convention in 2003, just prior to the First Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties, and participated fully therein. For the United States, participation as a Contracting Party provides many benefits. These range from working with other Parties to harmonize international approaches to achieve strong and effective nuclear safety programs on a global scale, to stimulating initiatives to improve safety systems within our own domestic programs, to learning about technical innovations by other Parties that can be useful to U.S. licensees, utilities, and industry in managing safety and its associated costs in our waste management activities. The Joint Convention process also provides opportunities to identify future areas of bilateral and multilateral technical and regulatory cooperation with other Parties, as well as an opportunity for U.S. vendors and suppliers to broaden their market to include foreign clients for safety improvement equipment and services. The Joint Convention is consistent with U.S. foreign policy considerations to support, as a priority, the strengthening of the worldwide safety culture in the use of nuclear energy. Because of its many benefits, we believe it is important to take

  11. Tactile, thermal, and electrical thresholds in patients with and without phantom limb pain after traumatic lower limb amputation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li S

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Shengai Li,1,2 Danielle H Melton,1,2 Sheng Li1,2 1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; 2Neurorehabilitation Research Laboratory, TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center, Houston, TX, USA Purpose: To examine whether there is central sensitization in patients with phantom limb pain (PLP after traumatic limb amputation. Methods: Seventeen patients after unilateral lower limb amputation secondary to trauma were enrolled. Ten patients had chronic PLP, while the other seven patients had no PLP. Tactile-sensation threshold, cold- and warm-sensation thresholds, cold- and heat-pain thresholds, electrical-sensation threshold (EST, and electrical-pain threshold on the distal residual limb and the symmetrical site on the sound limb were measured in all tested patients. Their thresholds were compared within the PLP and non-PLP group, and between the groups. Results: The novel findings included: 1 electrical-pain threshold was only decreased in the sound limb in the PLP group and there was no difference between two limbs in the non-PLP group, suggesting central sensitization in patients with PLP; and 2 EST was increased on the affected limb as compared to the sound limb within the PLP group, but there were no significant differences in EST between the PLP and non-PLP group. There were in general no significant differences in other tested thresholds within the groups and between groups. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate central sensitization in the patients with PLP after traumatic limb amputation. Keywords: central sensitization, pain threshold, human

  12. Ambiguities and conventions in the perception of visual art.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mamassian, Pascal

    2008-09-01

    Vision perception is ambiguous and visual arts play with these ambiguities. While perceptual ambiguities are resolved with prior constraints, artistic ambiguities are resolved by conventions. Is there a relationship between priors and conventions? This review surveys recent work related to these ambiguities in composition, spatial scale, illumination and color, three-dimensional layout, shape, and movement. While most conventions seem to have their roots in perceptual constraints, those conventions that differ from priors may help us appreciate how visual arts differ from everyday perception.

  13. Technical Efficiency Performance of Conventional Banks

    OpenAIRE

    Endri, Endri

    2012-01-01

    This study aims to measure the performance of the technical efficiency of the conventional commercial banks during the period 2008-2009 by using non-parametric method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Test results showed that the total of all conventional commercial banks during the period 2008-2009 has not shown that optimal performance in which the level of technical efficiency is still below 100 percent. Appalling conditions, the efficiency of national banks experienced a decline of 73.5...

  14. Indonesia Interest in International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No.189

    OpenAIRE

    Jamaan, Ahmad; Anugrah, Debora Panca

    2014-01-01

    This research aims to analyze, Indonesia Interest in ILO convention No. 189 on Decent Works for Domestic Workers. Indonesia has massive number of domestic workers caused by low quality of education. Therefore, Indonesia agreed on creation of ILO Convention No.189 in protecting their society that works as domestic workers. However, in the early of ILO Convention No.189 agreement creation in 2011, Indonesia has not ratified this Convention to 2013. If Indonesia has ratified this convention prev...

  15. Prerequisites for a nuclear weapons convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liebert, W.

    1999-01-01

    A Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC) would prohibit the research, development, production, testing, stockpiling, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons and would serve their total elimination.' In this fashion it follows the model laid out by the biological and chemical weapons conventions. The NWC would encompass a few other treaties and while replacing them should learn from their experiences. The Nuclear Weapons Convention should at some given point in the future replace the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and so resolve its contradictions and shortcomings. The main objectives of an NWC Would be: reduction of the nuclear arsenals of the 'five' nuclear weapons powers down to zero within a set of fixed periods of time; elimination of stockpiles of weapons-usable materials and, where existent, nuclear warheads in de-facto nuclear weapon and threshold states; providing assurance that all states will retain their non-nuclear status forever

  16. Differentiated Brand Marketing Strategy for China’s Conventional Aquatic Products

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Hua; LIANG; Zhongming; SHEN

    2015-01-01

    The volume of production and marketing of China’s conventional aquatic products is increasing. Compared with price of livestock and poultry products,price of conventional aquatic products is relatively low. Differentiated brand marketing for China’s conventional aquatic products is a key approach for increasing market demand for conventional aquatic products and increasing value of conventional aquatic products. The differentiated brand marketing is an inevitable trend of market development and also a powerful arm for market competition. China’s conventional aquatic products can take differentiated brand marketing strategies such as brand orientation,brand concept,brand culture,and place name brand,to better keep market competitive edge and increase economic benefits.

  17. Guidelines regarding National Reports under the Convention on Nuclear Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    These Guidelines, established by the Contracting Parties pursuant to Article 22 of the Convention on Nuclear Safety (hereinafter called the Convention), are intended to be read in conjunction with the text of the Convention. Their purpose is to provide guidance to the Contracting Parties regarding material that may be useful to include in the National Reports required under Article 5 of the Convention and thereby to facilitate the most efficient review of implementation by the Contracting Parties of their obligations under the Convention.

  18. The Burning Plasma Experiment conventional facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Commander, J.C.

    1991-01-01

    The Burning Program Plasma Experiment (BPX) is phased to start construction of conventional facilities in July 1994, in conjunction with the conclusion of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) project. This paper deals with the conceptual design of the BPX Conventional Facilities, for which Functional and Operational Requirements (F ampersand ORs) were developed. Existing TFTR buildings and utilities will be adapted and used to satisfy the BPX Project F ampersand ORs to the maximum extent possible. However, new conventional facilities will be required to support the BPX project. These facilities include: The BPX building; Site improvements and utilities; the Field Coil Power Conversion (FCPC) building; the TFTR modifications; the Motor Generation (MG) building; Liquid Nitrogen (LN 2 ) building; and the associated Instrumentation and Control (I ampersand C) systems. The BPX building will provide for safe and efficient shielding, housing, operation, handling, maintenance and decontamination of the BPX and its support systems. Site improvements and utilities will feature a utility tunnel which will provide a space for utility services--including pulse power duct banks and liquid nitrogen coolant lines. The FCPC building will house eight additional power supplied for the Toroidal Field (TF) coils. The MG building will house the two MG sets larger than the existing TFTR MG sets. This paper also addresses the conventional facility cost estimating methodology and the rationale for the construction schedule developed. 6 figs., 1 tab

  19. U.S. Continuing Involvement with the Joint Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stewart, L.; Tonkay, D.; Regnier, E.; Schultheisz, D.; Gnugnoli, G.

    2009-01-01

    The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) is an international convention, under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It is a companion to a suite of international conventions on nuclear safety and physical security, which serve to promote a global culture for the safe use of radioactive materials. The Joint Convention is an official international treaty, and as such, there are obligations on the part of the United States. Those nations having ratified the Joint Convention are designated as 'Contracting Parties.' Nations that are not IAEA Member States may also become Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention, although none has done so. The primary obligations are threefold. The first is to prepare a national report, which addresses the national safety program in radioactive waste management, spent nuclear fuel management, and disused sealed sources. As the U.S. prepares a national report, other Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention also prepare their national reports, which leads to the second obligation on the part of the Contracting Parties. This is the obligation to review other countries' national reports. The last specific obligation is to actively participate in the triennial peer review meeting, referred to as the Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties. The U.S. ratified the Joint Convention in 2003, just prior to the First Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties, and has participated fully therein in the ensuing Review Meetings. Because of the benefits in active participation, it is important for the U.S. to maintain its leadership role in promoting its ratification in the global setting, as well as in more focused regions. Because of the important benefits associated with active participation, the U.S. has strongly supported a Regional Conference Initiative outreach program to increase membership. To launch the Initiative, the U

  20. Modeling ecodevelopmental context of sexually transmitted disease/HIV risk and protective behaviors among African-American adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Y

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Ya-Huei Li,1 Osaro Mgbere,1,2 Susan Abughosh,1 Hua Chen,1 Paula Cuccaro,3 Ekere James Essien1,3 1Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA; 2Houston Health Department, Houston, TX, USA; 3Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA Abstract: Risk and protective processes are integrated developmental processes that directly or indirectly affect behavioral outcomes. A better understanding of these processes is needed, in order to gauge their contribution to sexual risk behaviors. This retrospective cross-sectional study modeled the ecodevelopmental chain of relationships to examine the social contexts of African-American (AA adolescents associated with sexually transmitted disease (STD- and HIV-risk behaviors. We used data from 1,619 AA adolescents with an average age of 16±1.8 years obtained from the first wave of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health for this study. Confirmatory factor analysis followed by structural equation modeling was conducted to identify the latent constructs that reflect the social–interactional components of the ecodevelopmental theory. Among contextual factors, findings indicated that a feeling of love from father, school, religion, and parent attitudes toward adolescent sexual behavior were all factors that played significant roles in the sexual behavior of AA adolescents. AA adolescents who reported feeling love from their father, feeling a strong negative attitude from their parents toward having sex at a very young age, and having a strong bond with school personnel were associated with better health statuses. The level of parents’ involvement in their children’s lives was reflected in the adolescents’ feeling of love from parents and moderated by their socioeconomic status. Being male, attaining

  1. The Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, often referred to as the New York Convention, has established itself as a regulatory and enforcement instrument which is crucial to international trade. This is evident from the fact that more than 150 countries have so far ratified the convention.

  2. Control of non-conventional synchronous motors

    CERN Document Server

    Louis, Jean-Paul

    2013-01-01

    Classical synchronous motors are the most effective device to drive industrial production systems and robots with precision and rapidity. However, numerous applications require efficient controls in non-conventional situations. Firstly, this is the case with synchronous motors supplied by thyristor line-commutated inverters, or with synchronous motors with faults on one or several phases. Secondly, many drive systems use non-conventional motors such as polyphase (more than three phases) synchronous motors, synchronous motors with double excitation, permanent magnet linear synchronous motors,

  3. Soft tissue masses with myxoid stroma: Can conventional magnetic resonance imaging differentiate benign from malignant tumors?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crombe, A., E-mail: amandine.crombe@ens-lyon.fr [Department of Radiology, Institut Bergonié, 229 cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex (France); Alberti, N. [Department of Radiology, Institut Bergonié, 229 cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex (France); Stoeckle, E. [Department of Surgery, Institut Bergonié, 229 cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex (France); Brouste, V. [Clinical and Epidemiological Research Unit, Institut Bergonié, 33000 Bordeaux (France); Buy, X. [Department of Radiology, Institut Bergonié, 229 cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex (France); Coindre, J-M. [Department of Pathology, Institut Bergonié, 229 cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex (France); Kind, M. [Department of Radiology, Institut Bergonié, 229 cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex (France)

    2016-10-15

    Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of morphological signs observed on conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to differentiate benign from malignant peripheral solid tumors of soft tissue with myxoid stroma. Methods: MR images from 95 consecutive histopathologically proven tumors (26 benign and 69 malignant) of soft tissues with myxoid components were evaluated in our tertiary referral center. Two radiologists, blind to pathology results, independently reviewed conventional MR sequences including at least a) one T2-weighted sequence with or without fat suppression; b) one T1-weighted sequence without fat suppression; and c) one T1-weighted sequence with gadolinium-complex contrast enhancement and fat suppression. Multiple criteria were defined to analyze morphology, margins, architecture and tumor periphery and evaluated for each lesion. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility and Odds ratios were calculated for each criterion. Results: The most relevant and reproducible criteria to significantly predict malignancy were: (1) ill-defined tumor margins, (2) a hemorrhagic component, (3) intra-tumoral fat, (4) fibrosis and (5) the “tail sign”. A lesion is classified as malignant if any of these 5 criteria is present, and benign if none of them are observed. Therefore, this combination provides a sensitivity of 92.9% and a specificity of 93.3%. Conclusion: Conventional MR imaging provides reproducible criteria that can be combined to differentiate between benign and malignant solid tumors of soft tissue with myxoid stroma.

  4. Confirming the Environmental Concerns of Community Members Utilizing Participatory-Based Research in the Houston Neighborhood of Manchester.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sansom, Garett; Berke, Philip; McDonald, Thomas; Shipp, Eva; Horney, Jennifer

    2016-08-23

    In the last few decades, there has been an increase in community-based participatory research being conducted within the United States. Recent research has demonstrated that working with local community organizations, interest groups, and individuals can assist in the creation of, and sustainability in, health initiatives, adoption of emergency protocols, and potentially improve health outcomes for at-risk populations. However little research has assessed if communal concerns over environmental contaminants would be confirmed through environmental research. This cross-sectional study collected survey data and performed surface water analysis for heavy metals in a small neighborhood in Houston, TX, which is characterized by industrial sites, unimproved infrastructure, nuisance flooding, and poor air quality. Surveys were completed with 109 residents of the Manchester neighborhood. Water samples were taken from thirty zones within the neighborhood and assessed for arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), silver (Ag), and mercury (Hg). Survey results showed that the vast majority of all respondents were concerned over proximity to industry and waste facilities, as well as exposure to standing surface water. Barium was discovered in every sample and many of the zones showed alarming levels of certain metals. For example, one zone, two blocks from a public park, showed levels of arsenic at 180 (μg/L), barium at 3296 (μg/L), chromium at 363 (μg/L), lead at 1448 (μg/L), and mercury at 10 (μg/L). These findings support the hypothesis that neighborhood members are aware of the issues affecting their community and can offer researchers valuable assistance in every stage of study design and execution.

  5. Confirming the Environmental Concerns of Community Members Utilizing Participatory-Based Research in the Houston Neighborhood of Manchester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Garett Sansom

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available In the last few decades, there has been an increase in community-based participatory research being conducted within the United States. Recent research has demonstrated that working with local community organizations, interest groups, and individuals can assist in the creation of, and sustainability in, health initiatives, adoption of emergency protocols, and potentially improve health outcomes for at-risk populations. However little research has assessed if communal concerns over environmental contaminants would be confirmed through environmental research. This cross-sectional study collected survey data and performed surface water analysis for heavy metals in a small neighborhood in Houston, TX, which is characterized by industrial sites, unimproved infrastructure, nuisance flooding, and poor air quality. Surveys were completed with 109 residents of the Manchester neighborhood. Water samples were taken from thirty zones within the neighborhood and assessed for arsenic (As, barium (Ba, cadmium (Cd, chromium (Cr, lead (Pb, selenium (Se, silver (Ag, and mercury (Hg. Survey results showed that the vast majority of all respondents were concerned over proximity to industry and waste facilities, as well as exposure to standing surface water. Barium was discovered in every sample and many of the zones showed alarming levels of certain metals. For example, one zone, two blocks from a public park, showed levels of arsenic at 180 (μg/L, barium at 3296 (μg/L, chromium at 363 (μg/L, lead at 1448 (μg/L, and mercury at 10 (μg/L. These findings support the hypothesis that neighborhood members are aware of the issues affecting their community and can offer researchers valuable assistance in every stage of study design and execution.

  6. Comparing the profitability of organic and conventional broiler production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Cobanoglu

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Organic broiler chicken production has recently received more attention worldwide. This study carried out an economic analysis to compare the profitability of organic versus conventional growing systems per unit of broiler meat production. In this study, 400 slow-growing broilers (Hubbard Red-JA were reared in an organic production system and the same number of fast-growing broilers (Ross-308 were reared in a conventional system. Profitability was deduced from an economic analysis that compared total costs and net income. Results showed that organic broiler meat can cost from 70% to 86% more with respect to variable and fixed costs when compared with conventional production. The main reasons for the higher cost of organic broiler meat were feed, labor, certification, and outdoor area maintenance. The proportion of fixed costs in total costs was 1.54% in the conventional system and 7.48% in the organic system. The net income per kg of chicken meat in the organic system was €0.75, which is 180% higher compared with the conventional system (€0.27; however, organic broiler meat was sold at a twice as high price than the conventional one. In conclusion, organic broiler meat production was more economical than conventional rearing.

  7. Economic Sociology and Economics of Convention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jagd, Søren

    This paper is part of a larger exploration of the French Economics of Convention tradition. The aim of the paper is to explore potential themes of common interest to economic sociology and Economics of Conventions. The paper is in two parts. First, I summarise the main theoretical features of EC...... the institutional framework of social action. Second, I explore two issues raised by economics of conventions that may be particularly important to consider for economic sociology. The first issue is the explicit exploration of the consequences of a plurality of forms of justification suggested by Luc Boltanski...... and Laurent Thévenot in ‘économie de la grandeur’. This perspective has already been taken up in economic sociology in David Stark’s notion of a ‘Sociology of Worth’. The second issue, recently suggested by André Orléan, is the need to denaturalise economic theory and economic action to demonstrate the social...

  8. The dependence of Islamic and conventional stocks: A copula approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razak, Ruzanna Ab; Ismail, Noriszura

    2015-09-01

    Recent studies have found that Islamic stocks are dependent on conventional stocks and they appear to be more risky. In Asia, particularly in Islamic countries, research on dependence involving Islamic and non-Islamic stock markets is limited. The objective of this study is to investigate the dependence between financial times stock exchange Hijrah Shariah index and conventional stocks (EMAS and KLCI indices). Using the copula approach and a time series model for each marginal distribution function, the copula parameters were estimated. The Elliptical copula was selected to present the dependence structure of each pairing of the Islamic stock and conventional stock. Specifically, the Islamic versus conventional stocks (Shariah-EMAS and Shariah-KLCI) had lower dependence compared to conventional versus conventional stocks (EMAS-KLCI). These findings suggest that the occurrence of shocks in a conventional stock will not have strong impact on the Islamic stock.

  9. The framework convention on climate change a convention for sustainable energy development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hassing, P.; Mendis, M.S.; Menezes, L.M.; Gowen, M.M.

    1996-12-31

    In 1992, over 165 countries signed the United Nation`s Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). These countries have implicitly agreed to alter their `anthropogenic activities` that increase the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere and deplete the natural sinks for these same greenhouse gases. The energy sector is the major source of the primary anthropogenic GHGs, notably carbon dioxide and methane. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries presently account for the major share of GHG emissions from the energy sector. However, the developing countries are also rapidly increasing their contribution to global GHG emissions as a result of their growing consumption of fossil-based energy. Implementation of this global climate change convention, if seriously undertaken by the signatory countries, will necessitate changes in the energy mix and production processes in both the OECD and developing countries. International actions also will be needed to put the world on a sustainable energy path. By adoption of the FCCC, representatives of the world`s populations have indicated their desire to move toward such a path. The Conference of Parties to the Convention has just concluded its second meeting, at which the Parties endorsed a U.S. proposal that legally binding and enforceable emissions targets be adopted. It is clearly evident that the FCCC, as presently operating, cannot achieve the objective of stabilizing GHG concentrations in the atmosphere unless it adopts a major protocol to significantly reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions. As demonstrated here, a good starting point in determining the steps the Parties to the FCCC should take in designing a protocol is to remember that the primary source of anthropogenic GHG emissions is the consumption of fossil fuels and the future growth of GHG emissions will derive primarily from the ever-increasing demand for and consumption of these fuels.

  10. Minimally invasive compared to conventional approach for coronary artery bypass grafting improves outcome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jitumoni Baishya

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Minimally invasive (MI cardiac surgery is a rapidly gaining popularity, globally as well as in India. We aimed to compare the outcome of MI to the conventional approach for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG surgery. Methods: This prospective, comparative study was conducted at a tertiary care cardiac surgical center. All patients who underwent CABG surgery via MI approach (MI group from July 2015 to December 2015 were enrolled and were compared against same number of EuroSCORE II matched patients undergoing CABG through conventional mid-sternotomy approach (CON group. Demographic, intra- and post-operative variables were collected. Results: In MI group, duration of the surgery was significantly longer (P = 0.029. Intraoperative blood loss lesser (P = 0.002, shorter duration of ventilation (P = 0.002, shorter Intensive Care Unit stay (P = 0.004, shorter hospital stay (P = 0.003, lesser postoperative analgesic requirements (P = 0.027, and lower visual analog scale scores on day of surgery (P = 0.032 and 1 st postoperative day (P = 0.025. No significant difference in postoperative blood loss, blood transfusion, or duration of inotrope requirement observed. There was no conversion to mid-sternotomy in any patients, 8% of patients had desaturation intraoperatively. There was no operative mortality. Conclusion: MI surgery is associated with lesser intraoperative blood loss, better analgesia, and faster recovery.

  11. The semantics of Chemical Markup Language (CML): dictionaries and conventions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    The semantic architecture of CML consists of conventions, dictionaries and units. The conventions conform to a top-level specification and each convention can constrain compliant documents through machine-processing (validation). Dictionaries conform to a dictionary specification which also imposes machine validation on the dictionaries. Each dictionary can also be used to validate data in a CML document, and provide human-readable descriptions. An additional set of conventions and dictionaries are used to support scientific units. All conventions, dictionaries and dictionary elements are identifiable and addressable through unique URIs. PMID:21999509

  12. The semantics of Chemical Markup Language (CML): dictionaries and conventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray-Rust, Peter; Townsend, Joe A; Adams, Sam E; Phadungsukanan, Weerapong; Thomas, Jens

    2011-10-14

    The semantic architecture of CML consists of conventions, dictionaries and units. The conventions conform to a top-level specification and each convention can constrain compliant documents through machine-processing (validation). Dictionaries conform to a dictionary specification which also imposes machine validation on the dictionaries. Each dictionary can also be used to validate data in a CML document, and provide human-readable descriptions. An additional set of conventions and dictionaries are used to support scientific units. All conventions, dictionaries and dictionary elements are identifiable and addressable through unique URIs.

  13. National nuclear safety report 1998. Convention on nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The Argentine Republic subscribed the Convention on Nuclear Safety, approved by a Diplomatic Conference in Vienna, Austria, in June 17th, 1994. According to the provisions in Section 5th of the Convention, each Contracting Party shall submit for its examination a National Nuclear Safety Report about the measures adopted to comply with the corresponding obligations. This Report describes the actions that the Argentine Republic is carrying on since the beginning of its nuclear activities, showing that it complies with the obligations derived from the Convention, in accordance with the provisions of its Article 4. The analysis of the compliance with such obligations is based on the legislation in force, the applicable regulatory standards and procedures, the issued licenses, and other regulatory decisions. The corresponding information is described in the analysis of each of the Convention Articles constituting this Report. The present National Report has been performed in order to comply with Article 5 of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, and has been prepared as much as possible following the Guidelines Regarding National Reports under the Convention on Nuclear Safety, approved in the Preparatory Meeting of the Contracting Parties, held in Vienna in April 1997. This means that the Report has been ordered according to the Articles of the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the contents indicated in the guidelines. The information contained in the articles, which are part of the Report shows the compliance of the Argentine Republic, as a contracting party of such Convention, with the obligations assumed

  14. Refugees in Conflict: Creating a Bridge Between Traditional and Conventional Health Belief Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Arye, Eran; Bonucci, Massimo; Daher, Michel; Kebudi, Rejin; Saad, Bashar; Breitkreuz, Thomas; Rassouli, Maryam; Rossi, Elio; Gafer, Nahla; Nimri, Omar; Hablas, Mohamed; Kienle, Gunver Sophia; Samuels, Noah; Silbermann, Michael

    2018-06-01

    northern African countries, with their different health belief models and affinity for traditional and herbal medicine. A culturally sensitive approach to care will foster doctor-refugee communication, through the integration of evidence-based medicine within a nonjudgmental, bio-psycho-social-cultural-spiritual agenda, addressing patients' expectation within a supportive and palliative care context. Integrative physicians, who are conventional doctors trained in traditional/complementary medicine, can mediate between conventional and traditional/herbal paradigms of care, facilitating doctor-patient communication through education and by providing clinical consultations within conventional oncology centers. © AlphaMed Press 2017.

  15. Revision of the Paris and Brussels Conventions of Nuclear Liability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyners, P.

    2002-01-01

    The Contracting Parties to the 1960 Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and to the 1963 Brussels Convention Supplementary to the Paris Convention, have concluded this Spring four years of negotiation on the revision of these instruments. This exercise was itself started as a logical consequence of the adoption in 1997 of a revised Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and of a Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. The Contracting Parties have concluded that the existing regime established by these Conventions remains viable and sound but that it also warrants improvements to ensure that greater financial security will be available to compensate a potentially larger number of victims in respect of a broader range of nuclear damage. A number of more technical amendments have also been agreed, in particular to ensure compatibility with other existing Conventions in this field. When the revised Paris and Brussels Conventions come into force, the total amount of funds available for compensation, provided by the liable nuclear operator and by the States concerned, will be 1.5 billion euros. (author)

  16. Reducing Cancer Health Disparities through Community Engagement: Working with Faith-Based Organizations (Project CHURCH) | Division of Cancer Prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speaker | "Reducing Cancer Health Disparities through Community Engagement: Working with Faith-Based Organizations (Project CHURCH)" will be presented by Lorna H. McNeill, PhD, MPH, Chair of the Department of Health Disparities at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Date: 2/20/2018; Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm; Location: NCI Shady Grove Campus,

  17. ACOSS-16 (Active Control of Space Structures)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-10-01

    intensity is I. Step 7: Compute K(s) = Kc(SI - A + BKc+ KfC ) _K "Step 8: If K(s)G(s) has desired bandwidth and loop gain, quit. Otherwise, increase q...1293B M/s 230 Hampton, VA 23665 NASA Johnson Space Center ’ 39 Attn: Robert Piland Ms. EA Houston, TX 77058 McDonald Douglas CorpAttn: Mr. Read Johnson

  18. Underwater Adhesives Retrofit Pipelines with Advanced Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Houston-based Astro Technology Inc. used a partnership with Johnson Space Center to pioneer an advanced fiber-optic monitoring system for offshore oil pipelines. The company's underwater adhesives allow it to retrofit older deepwater systems in order to measure pressure, temperature, strain, and flow properties, giving energy companies crucial data in real time and significantly decreasing the risk of a catastrophe.

  19. Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis for Salmonella Infection Surveillance, Texas, USA, 2007

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2010-06-14

    This podcast describes monitoring of the use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for Salmonella surveillance in Houston, Texas. CDC microbiologist Peter Gerner-Smidt discusses the importance of the PulseNet national database in surveillance of food-borne infections.  Created: 6/14/2010 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 6/14/2010.

  20. Choledochal cyst: Comparison of MR and conventional cholangiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S.H.; Lim, J.H.; Yoon, H.-K.; Han, B.K.; Lee, S.K.; Kim, Y.I.

    2000-01-01

    AIMS: To assess the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance (MR) cholangiography versus conventional cholangiography in patients with choledochal cyst and to determine whether MR cholangiography can be considered an alternative to conventional cholangiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients with choledochal cyst were examined by MR cholangiography and conventional cholangiograms. Magnetic resonance cholangiography employed T2-weighted axial and coronal fast spin-echo, single and multislab single-shot fast spin-echo sequences, including source images with maximum intensity projections. The diagnostic value of MR cholangiography and conventional cholangiograms was assessed and compared using the criteria of depiction of morphology, anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct union and demonstration of complications such as stones. A four-point diagnostic scale was applied to the delineation of the ductal anatomy with the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test and McNemar's test used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The depiction of the choledochal cyst was significantly better with MR cholangiography than with conventional cholangiography (P 0.03). The detection rate of an anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct union was not significantly different with either method (P = 0.641), nor was the detection rate of bile duct stones (P = 0.375). CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance cholangiography provides data equivalent to or superior to those from conventional cholangiography in evaluating choledochal cyst. Magnetic resonance cholangiography is recommended as a non-invasive examination of choice for the evaluation of choledochal cyst. Kim, S.H. (2000). Clinical Radiology 55, 378-383

  1. Quality control of pediatric chest X-rays in diagnostic centers with and without pediatric competence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alt, C.D.; Engelmann, D.; Schenk, J.P.; Troeger, J.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: Radiation protection in pediatric radiology is very important because of the particular sensitivity of radiosensitive organs in younger patients. Optimized image quality supports radiation protection and should be targeted. In our study we examined the quality of pediatric chest X-rays at diagnostic centers (university hospitals and other large clinics). We then evaluated differences in image quality in departments without pediatric competence (R) and departments with pediatric competence (PR). Materials and Methods: Our study was based on 313 conventional chest X-rays from 207 patients (192 p.a./a.p. and 121 lateral, 43 from R, 258 from PR and 12 neither from R nor KR) and 38 digital chest X-rays from 26 patients (25 p.a./a.p. and 13 lateral, 1 from R and 37 from PR). All patients (age 0 - 18 years) are from Nephroblastoma-Study SIOP-93/01-GPOH. We examined all initial chest X-rays, which were sent to us for evaluation upon request between 4/3/2002 and 6/14/2002. The examined parameters were: exposure, centering of the X-rays/patient positioning, collimation and sharpness. The X-rays were evaluated on a scale from 1 (best result) to 5 (worst result), resulting in an overall score of A = optimum, B = minor problems, C = major problems, or D = unusable. The optical density, the center of the image and the relative field size were also measured. Statistical tests (Mann-Whitney-U and log regression) were carried out on the conventional images. The study was performed retrospectively. The exposure, sharpness and optical density of the digital X-rays were not analyzed. Results: In the case of all conventional X-rays, the quality of the centering of the X-rays/patient positioning and collimation was moderate (average scale value: 2.4 and 2.8), and the quality of the exposure and sharpness was good and very good (average scale value: 1.9 and 1.5). The quality of the chest X-rays in departments with additional pediatric radiological expertise was better mainly in

  2. HMB-45 reactivity in conventional uterine leiomyosarcomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Karen W; Albores-Saavedra, Jorge

    2007-01-01

    We studied the human melanoma black-45 (HMB-45) reactivity in 25 uterine leiomyosarcomas including 23 conventional and 2 myxoid variants. Eleven tumors were poorly differentiated, and 14 were well to moderately differentiated. Nine uterine leiomyosarcomas labeled with HMB-45 in 10% or less of the tumor cells. Six were poorly differentiated and 3 were well differentiated. Our study indicates that 36% of conventional leiomyosarcomas focally express HMB-45. HMB-45 reactivity was more common in the poorly differentiated than in the well-differentiated group of leiomyosarcomas. In light of our findings and of those recently reported in the literature, we believe that the term PEComa should not be used for uterine leiomyosarcomas with clear cells or for conventional leiomyosarcomas that stain positively with HMB-45.

  3. Financing options to develop non-conventional reserves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tricoli, C.

    1997-01-01

    The economics of non-conventional natural gas reserves such as coalbed methane, gas shales and tight gas were discussed, with special reference to financing options to develop such reserves. Before 1992, tax credits were used to stimulate the development of non-conventional gas. The requirements for section 29 tax credits, the objectives of investors and producers, and the methods used to monetize section 29 tax credits, such as public royalty trusts, partnership structures, and up-front payment mechanisms were described. The capital gains implications of gas sales were also reviewed. It was noted that in the absence of tax credits, financing the development of non-conventional reserves must undergo the same economic scrutiny as any other oil and gas project

  4. Alberta's conventional oil supply: How much? How long?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heath, M.

    1992-01-01

    To assess the future conventional crude oil supply potential in Alberta, a modelling system was designed with the capacity to determine the fraction of existing and potential reserves which could prove technically, economically and/or commercially viable over time. The reference case analysis described assumed constant real oil prices and fiscal burdens, capital and operating costs. Reserve additions from new pool discoveries were summed with reserves from existing pools to arrive at an estimate of the potential supply of established reserves in each play area. The established reserves from all plays were then totalled to provide the provincial conventional oil resource potential. Alberta's recoverable conventional crude oil reserves were shown to be declining at about 2 percent per year. However, even with declining recoverable reserves and relatively low prices, the results of the study indicated that the conventional oil industry remained a major revenue generator for the province and would continue to be so over the next 15 to 20 years. Improved operating efficiencies, cost reductions, reasonable prices and cooperation between industry and government were shown to be necessary to assure the continued viability of Alberta's conventional oil industry. figs., tabs., 11 refs

  5. Comparing the profitability of organic and conventional broiler production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Cobanoglu

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Recently, organic broiler chicken production has received more attention worldwide. This study has carried out an economic analysis to compare the profitability of organic versus conventional growing systems per unit of broiler meat production. To achieve this goal, 400 slow-growing broiler chickens (Hubbard Red-JA were reared in an organic production system, and the same number of fast-growing birds (Ross-308 in a conventional system. The profitability was deduced with an economic analysis that compared total costs and net income. Results showed that organic broiler meat can cost from 70% to 86% more with respect to variable and fixed costs when compared with conventional production. The main reasons for the higher cost of organic broiler meat were feed, labor, certification, and outdoor area maintenance. The proportion of fixed costs in total costs was 1.54% in the conventional system and 7.48% in the organic system. The net income per kg of chicken meat in the organic system was € 0.75, which is 180% higher than chicken meat grown in a conventional system (€ 0.27; however, the price of organic broiler meat sold in the present study was twice as high as that obtained for conventional broilers. In conclusion, organic broiler meat production was more profitable than conventional rearing.

  6. The 1928 draft convention for the prevention of double taxation in the special matter of succession duties. The conventions concluded by Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.-D. ŞCHIOPU

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Romania has concluded two conventions for the avoidance of double taxation on estate and inheritance tax during the interwar period. Since one of these conventions is still in force and the difficulties caused by the burdens resulting from inheritance tax in cross-border situations are of great importance to the proper functioning of the EU and of the internal market, this short article aims to compare the solutions proposed by the 1928 Draft Convention for the Prevention of Double Taxation in the Special Matter of Succession Duties and the conventions concluded by Romania in 1932 and 1934, considering that at some point our legislator may want to reintroduce an inheritance tax.

  7. Convention on early notification of a nuclear accident. Convention on assistance in the case of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-08-01

    The document refers to the Convention on early notification of a nuclear accident (INFCIRC-335) and to the Convention on assistance in the case of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency (INFCIRC-336). Part I contains reservations/declarations made upon or following signature and Part II contains reservations/declarations made upon or following deposit of instrument expressing consent to be bound. The status of signature, ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by States or organizations as of 31 July 1989 for the conventions is presented in two attachments

  8. [YANG's pricking-cupping therapy for knee osteoarthritis: a multi-center randomized controlled trial].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bo; Liu, Xiru; Hu, Zhihai; Sun, Aijun; Ma, Yanwen; Chen Yingying; Zhang, Xuzhi; Liu, Meiling; Wang, Yi; Wang, Shuoshuo; Zhang, Yunjia; Li, Yijing; Shen, Weidong

    2016-02-01

    To evaluate the clinical efficacy of YANG's pricking-cupping therapy for knee osteoar thritis (KOA). Methods This was a multi-center randomized parallel controlled trial. One hundred and seventy one patients with KOA were randomly allocated to a pricking-cupping group (89 cases) and a conventional acu puncture group (82 cases). Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Dubi (ST 35) and ashi points were selected in the two groups. Patients in the pricking-cupping group were treated with YANG's pricking-cupping therapy; the seven-star needles were used to perform pricking at acupoints, then cupping was used until slight bleeding was observed. Patients in the conventional acupuncture group were treated with semi-standardized filiform needle therapy. The treatment was given for 4 weeks (from a minimum of 5 times to a maximum of 10 times). The follow-up visit was 4 weeks. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were adopted for the efficacy assessments. The pain score, stiffness score, physical function score and total score of WOMAC were all reduced after 4-week treatment and during follow-up visit in the two groups (all P0. 05), each score and total score of WOMAC in the pricking-cupping group were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture group after 4-week treatment and during follow-up visit (Pcupping group were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture group after 4-week treatment and during follow-up visit (P cupping and conventional acupuncture therapy can both significantly improve knee joint pain and function in patients with KOA, which are relatively safe. The pricking cupping therapy is superior to conventional acupuncture with the identical selection of acupoints.

  9. Convention on nuclear safety. Final act

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    The Diplomatic Conference, which was convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency at its Headquarters from 14 to 17 June 1994, adopted the Convention on Nuclear Safety reproduced in document INFCIRC/449 and the Final Act of the Conference. The text of the Final Act of the Conference, including an annexed document entitled ''Some clarification with respect to procedural and financial arrangements, national reports, and the conduct of review meetings, envisaged in the Convention on Nuclear Safety'', is reproduced in the Attachment hereto for the information of all Member States

  10. Digital Versus Conventional Impressions in Fixed Prosthodontics: A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahlholm, Pekka; Sipilä, Kirsi; Vallittu, Pekka; Jakonen, Minna; Kotiranta, Ulla

    2018-01-01

    To conduct a systematic review to evaluate the evidence of possible benefits and accuracy of digital impression techniques vs. conventional impression techniques. Reports of digital impression techniques versus conventional impression techniques were systematically searched for in the following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and Web of Science. A combination of controlled vocabulary, free-text words, and well-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria guided the search. Digital impression accuracy is at the same level as conventional impression methods in fabrication of crowns and short fixed dental prostheses (FDPs). For fabrication of implant-supported crowns and FDPs, digital impression accuracy is clinically acceptable. In full-arch impressions, conventional impression methods resulted in better accuracy compared to digital impressions. Digital impression techniques are a clinically acceptable alternative to conventional impression methods in fabrication of crowns and short FDPs. For fabrication of implant-supported crowns and FDPs, digital impression systems also result in clinically acceptable fit. Digital impression techniques are faster and can shorten the operation time. Based on this study, the conventional impression technique is still recommended for full-arch impressions. © 2016 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

  11. Comparative catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol by polyacrylamide-gold nanocomposite synthesized by hydrothermal autoclaving and conventional heating routes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salaheldin, Hosam I.

    2017-12-01

    Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in polymeric polyacrylamide (PAAm) matrix were synthesized using conventional heating and autoclaving thermal techniques. The synthesized Au/PAAm nanocomposite was characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The size of the synthesized particles was approximately 6.37 nm and 8.19 nm with the conventional heating and autoclaving thermal techniques, respectively. Electron diffraction x-ray spectroscopy and the Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy were used for the composition and elemental studies, which confirmed that the Au metallic atoms were synthesized and embedded within a PAAm matrix via a coordination bond between the carbonyl (-CONH2) group and the metallic NPs. X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline nature of the fabricated AuNPs with face centered cubic of nanocrystals. The catalytic activity of the as-prepared Au/PAAm nanocomposite for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol was studied in the presence of sodium borohydrate. The synthesized AuNPs had an effective catalytic activity; the smaller NPs synthesized NPs with the conventional heating technique had a higher reaction kinetic rate in comparation with those synthesized with the autoclaving technique. Therefore, the Au/PAAm nanocomposite can be widely used as an eco-friendly, non-toxic, a fast and cost-effective product to remove versatile organic pollutants such as aromatic nitro compounds.

  12. Neural Stem Cells: Implications for the Conventional Radiotherapy of Central Nervous System Malignancies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barani, Igor J.; Benedict, Stanley H.; Lin, Peck-Sun

    2007-01-01

    Advances in basic neuroscience related to neural stem cells and their malignant counterparts are challenging traditional models of central nervous system tumorigenesis and intrinsic brain repair. Neurogenesis persists into adulthood predominantly in two neurogenic centers: subventricular zone and subgranular zone. Subventricular zone is situated adjacent to lateral ventricles and subgranular zone is confined to the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Neural stem cells not only self-renew and differentiate along multiple lineages in these regions, but also contribute to intrinsic brain plasticity and repair. Ionizing radiation can depopulate these exquisitely sensitive regions directly or impair in situ neurogenesis by indirect, dose-dependent and inflammation-mediated mechanisms, even at doses <2 Gy. This review discusses the fundamental neural stem cell concepts within the framework of cumulative clinical experience with the treatment of central nervous system malignancies using conventional radiotherapy

  13. Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Internet-based electronic health portal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, Kevin C; Boocks, Carl E; Sun, Zhengyi; Boal, Thomas R; Poropatich, Ronald K

    2003-12-01

    Use of the World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic media to facilitate medical care has been the subject of many reports in the popular press. However, few reports have documented the results of implementing electronic health portals for essential medical tasks, such as prescription refills and appointments. At Walter Reed Army Medical Center, "Search & Learn" medical information, Internet-based prescription refills and patient appointments were established in January 2001. A multiphase retrospective analysis was conducted to determine the use of the "Search & Learn" medical information and the relative number of prescription refills and appointments conducted via the WWW compared with conventional methods. From January 2001 to May 2002, there were 34,741 refills and 819 appointments made over the Internet compared with 2,275,112 refills and approximately 500,000 appointments made conventionally. WWW activity accounted for 1.52% of refills and 0.16% of appointments. There was a steady increase in this percentage over the time of the analysis. In April of 2002, the monthly average of online refills had risen to 4.57% and online appointments were at 0.27%. Online refills were projected to account for 10% of all prescriptions in 2 years. The "Search & Learn" medical information portion of our web site received 147,429 unique visits during this same time frame, which was an average of 326 visitors per day. WWW-based methods of conducting essential medical tasks accounted for a small but rapidly increasing percentage of total activity at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Subsequent phases of analysis will assess demographic and geographic factors and aid in the design of future systems to increase use of the Internet-based systems.

  14. Revised C++ coding conventions

    CERN Document Server

    Callot, O

    2001-01-01

    This document replaces the note LHCb 98-049 by Pavel Binko. After a few years of practice, some simplification and clarification of the rules was needed. As many more people have now some experience in writing C++ code, their opinion was also taken into account to get a commonly agreed set of conventions

  15. Organic composition of fogwater in the Texas-Louisiana gulf coast corridor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raja, Suresh; Raghunathan, Ravikrishna; Kommalapati, Raghava R.; Shen, Xinhua; Collett, Jeffrey L.; Valsaraj, Kalliat T.

    Fogwater and air samples were collected in Baton Rouge between November 2004-February 2005 and during February 2006 at Houston. Organic compounds present in the fog samples were detected, quantified and then grouped into different compound classes based on molecular size, solubility and polarity using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and ion chromatography. Organic compounds were grouped as n-alkanes, aromatics and polycyclic aromatics, carbonyls, alcohols, amides and esters. Organic compounds in fog and air samples in Houston indicated clear urban/industrial anthropogenic origin, while compounds detected in Baton Rouge fog and air samples showed a mix of both agricultural and urban/industrial anthropogenic inputs. Among the various polycyclic aromatic compounds detected, the total concentration of naphthalene and its derivatives was 2.8 μg m -3 in Houston and 0.08 μg m -3 in Baton Rouge air. Analysis of concentrations of organic compounds pre- and post- fog revealed that compounds with low vapor pressure had higher scavenging efficiency in fog sampled at the two locations. Concentrations of organic compounds in fog samples were higher than those predicted by conventional air-water Henry's law equilibrium. Observed higher concentrations in the aqueous phase were modeled accounting for surface adsorption and accumulation of gas phase species and the presence of humic-like substances in fogwater.

  16. NASA Glenn Research Center Program in High Power Density Motors for Aeropropulsion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Gerald V.; Kascak, Albert F.; Ebihara, Ben; Johnson, Dexter; Choi, Benjamin; Siebert, Mark; Buccieri, Carl

    2005-01-01

    Electric drive of transport-sized aircraft propulsors, with electric power generated by fuel cells or turbo-generators, will require electric motors with much higher power density than conventional room-temperature machines. Cryogenic cooling of the motor windings by the liquid hydrogen fuel offers a possible solution, enabling motors with higher power density than turbine engines. Some context on weights of various systems, which is required to assess the problem, is presented. This context includes a survey of turbine engine weights over a considerable size range, a correlation of gear box weights and some examples of conventional and advanced electric motor weights. The NASA Glenn Research Center program for high power density motors is outlined and some technical results to date are presented. These results include current densities of 5,000 A per square centimeter current density achieved in cryogenic coils, finite element predictions compared to measurements of torque production in a switched reluctance motor, and initial tests of a cryogenic switched reluctance motor.

  17. Acquisition of Basic Behaviors through Teleoperation using Robonaut

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Christina

    2004-01-01

    My area of research is in artificial intelligence and robotics. The major platform of this research is NASA's Robonaut. This humanoid robot is located at the Johnson Space Center. Prior to receiving this grant, I was able to spend two summers in Houston working with the Robonaut team, which is headed by Rob Ambrose. My work centered on teaching Robonaut to grasp a wrench based on data gathered as a human teleoperated the robot. I tried to make the procedure as general as possible so that many different motions could be taught using this method.

  18. The flights before the flight - An overview of shuttle astronaut training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sims, John T.; Sterling, Michael R.

    1989-01-01

    Space shuttle astronaut training is centered at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Each astronaut receives many different types of training from many sources. This training includes simulator training in the Shuttle Mission Simulator, in-flight simulator training in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, Extravehicular Activity training in the Weightless Environment Training Facility and a variety of lectures and briefings. Once the training program is completed each shuttle flight crew is well-prepared to perform the normal operations required for their flight and deal with any shuttle system malfunctions that might occur.

  19. Economics of Convention and New Economic Sociology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jagd, Søren

    2007-01-01

    The aim of the article is to explore potential common themes in economic sociology and economics of conventions. The article explores two issues raised by economics of conventions that may be of particular importance to economic sociology. First, the explicit exploration of the consequences...... of a plurality of forms of justification, as elaborated in économie de la grandeur. This perspective was recently taken up in economic sociology by David Stark's introduction of the notion ‘sociology of worth'. The second issue, recently suggested by André Orléan, is the need to denaturalize economic theory...... and economic action to demonstrate the social constructed nature of economic action. It is argued that these two issues demonstrate that a fruitful dialogue is indeed possible between economic sociology and economics of convention and should be encouraged....

  20. Copper Disk Manufactured at the Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    2001-01-01

    This photograph shows Wes Brown, Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) lead diamond tuner, an expert in the science of using diamond-tipped tools to cut metal, inspecting the mold's physical characteristics to ensure the uniformity of its more than 6,000 grooves. This king-size copper disk, manufactured at the Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center (SOMTC) at MSFC, is a special mold for making high resolution monitor screens. This master mold will be used to make several other molds, each capable of forming hundreds of screens that have a type of lens called a fresnel lens. Weighing much less than conventional optics, fresnel lenses have multiple concentric grooves, each formed to a precise angle, that together create the curvature needed to focus and project images. The MSFC leads NASA's space optics manufacturing technology development as a technology leader for diamond turning. The machine used to manufacture this mold is among many one-of-a-kind pieces of equipment of MSFC's SOMTC.

  1. Comparably improved health-related quality of life after total arterial revascularization versus conventional coronary surgery--Copenhagen arterial revascularization randomized patency and outcome trial

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgaard, Sune; Lund, Jens T; Lilleør, Nikolaj B

    2011-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: We compared health-related quality of life up to 11 months after coronary artery bypass grafting using total arterial revascularization versus conventional coronary surgery. METHODS: In this randomized single-center trial, 161 patients underwent total arterial revascularization using.......01). For total arterial revascularization, there were also not statistically significant improvements for 'physical component summary' (P=0.09), 'bodily pain' (P=0.07) and 'vitality' (P=0.08). CONCLUSION: Health-related quality of life up to 1 year after total arterial revascularization is equal or slightly...... of the general Danish population. On all scales of the SF-36, there was statistically significant improvement at 3 and 11 months in both groups. For 'social functioning', the improvement following total arterial revascularization was significantly higher than following conventional revascularization (P=0...

  2. Tailings dams from the perspective of conventional dam engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szymanski, M.B.

    1999-01-01

    A guideline intended for conventional dams such as hydroelectric, water supply, flood control, or irrigation is used sometimes for evaluating the safety of a tailings dam. Differences between tailings dams and conventional dams are often substantial and, as such, should not be overlooked when applying the techniques or safety requirements of conventional dam engineering to tailings dams. Having a dam safety evaluation program developed specifically for tailings dams is essential, if only to reduce the chance of potential errors or omissions that might occur when relying on conventional dam engineering practice. This is not to deny the merits of using the Canadian Dam Safety Association Guidelines (CDSA) and similar conventional dam guidelines for evaluating the safety of tailings dams. Rather it is intended as a warning, and as a rationale underlying basic requirement of tailings dam emgineering: specific experience in tailings dams is essential when applying conventional dam engineering practice. A discussion is included that focuses on the more remarkable tailings dam safety practics. It is not addressed to a technical publications intended for such dams, or significantly different so that the use of conventional dam engineering practice would not be appropriate. The CDSA Guidelines were recently revised to include tailings dams. But incorporating tailings dams into the 1999 revision of the CDSA Guidelines is a first step only - further revision is necessary with respect to tailings dams. 11 refs., 2 tabs

  3. The 1968 Brussels convention and liability for nuclear damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sands, Ph.; Galizzi, P.

    2000-01-01

    The legal regime governing civil liability for transboundary nuclear damage is expressly addressed by two instruments adopted in the 1960's: the 1960 Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage These establish particular rules governing the jurisdiction of national courts and other matters, including channelling of liability to nuclear operators, definitions of nuclear damage, the applicable standard of care, and limitations on liability. Another instrument - the 1968 Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgements in Civil and Commercial Matters (hereinafter referred to as 'the Brussels Convention') - which is not often mentioned in the nuclear context will nevertheless also be applicable in certain cases. It is premised upon different rules as to forum and applicable law, and presents an alternate vision of the appropriate arrangements governing civil liability for nuclear damage. In this paper we consider the relative merits and demerits of the Brussels Convention from the perspective of non-nuclear states which might suffer damage as a result of a nuclear accident in another state. We conclude that in the context of the applicability of the Brussels Convention the dedicated nuclear liability conventions present few attractions to non-nuclear states in Europe. We focus in particular on issues relating to jurisdiction and applicable law, and do so by reference to a hypothetical accident in the United Kingdom which has transboundary effects in Ireland. (author)

  4. Optimizing Dam Operations for Power and for Fish: an Overview of the US Department of Energy and US Army Corps of Engineers ADvanced Turbine Development R&D. A Pre-Conference Workshop at HydroVision 2006, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon July 31, 2006

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dauble, Dennis D.

    2006-08-01

    This booklet contains abstracts of presentations made at a preconference workshop on the US Department of Energy and US Army Corps of Engineers hydroturbine programs. The workshop was held in conjunction with Hydrovision 2006 July 31, 2006 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland Oregon. The workshop was organized by the Corps of Engineers, PNNL, and the DOE Wind and Hydropower Program. Presenters gave overviews of the Corps' Turbine Survival Program and the history of the DOE Advanced Turbine Development Program. They also spoke on physical hydraulic models, biocriteria for safe fish passage, pressure investigations using the Sensor Fish Device, blade strike models, optimization of power plant operations, bioindex testing of turbine performance, approaches to measuring fish survival, a systems view of turbine performance, and the Turbine Survival Program design approach.

  5. The history of double tax conventions in Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hrvoje Arbutina

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available After a short introduction, the authors briefly describe the national experience in handling the problems of international double taxation through double tax conventions. This chapter is divided according to stages in the history of double tax conventions identified. The authors analyse the goals of tax treaty policies in differentiated stages with a survey of the economic implications. Special focus is placed on inter-country influences and the impact on and of international institutions and organisations through an examination of the influence of bilateral tax treaties on model tax conventions and vice versa. The fifth chapter presents concluding observations.

  6. Implications of the Law of the Sea Convention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brewer, W.C. Jr.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports that protection and preservation of the marine environment from wastes and toxic substances was an early concern of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, and the subject is extensively dealt with in the text of the Convention, adopted on 30 April 1982. The environmental provisions of the Convention are intended to serve as an umbrella treaty that states general goals, delimits the power and geographical jurisdiction of states in dealing with environmental problems, and requires states to cooperate through regional and global organizations in the development of standards. The most complex provisions of the environmental text deal with vessel discharges, reflecting the high degree of public interest in oil pollution, whereas the ocean dumping provisions rely largely on the standards of the London Dumping Convention. Pollution carried by air and rivers and wastes from seabed mining within national jurisdiction are treated briefly. The International Seabed Authority, created elsewhere in the Convention to regulate seabed mining, is granted power to regulate pollution from such mining beyond national jurisdiction. Overall, the most important contribution made by the Law of the Sea Convention to the protection of the marine environment is the obligation of states to bring national marine pollution laws up to global standards

  7. Two X-38 Ship Demonstrators in Development at NASA Johnson Space Flight Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-01-01

    This photo shows two X-38 Crew Return Vehicle technology demonstrators under development at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center, Houston, Texas. The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) research project is designed to develop the technology for a prototype emergency crew return vehicle, or lifeboat, for the International Space Station. The project is also intended to develop a crew return vehicle design that could be modified for other uses, such as a joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the French Ariane-5 Booster. The X-38 project is using available technology and off-the-shelf equipment to significantly decrease development costs. Original estimates to develop a capsule-type crew return vehicle were estimated at more than $2 billion. X-38 project officials have estimated that development costs for the X-38 concept will be approximately one quarter of the original estimate. Off-the-shelf technology is not necessarily 'old' technology. Many of the technologies being used in the X-38 project have never before been applied to a human-flight spacecraft. For example, the X-38 flight computer is commercial equipment currently used in aircraft and the flight software operating system is a commercial system already in use in many aerospace applications. The video equipment for the X-38 is existing equipment, some of which has already flown on the space shuttle for previous NASA experiments. The X-38's primary navigational equipment, the Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System, is a unit already in use on Navy fighters. The X-38 electromechanical actuators come from previous joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy research and development projects. Finally, an existing special coating developed by NASA will be used on the X-38 thermal tiles to make them more durable than those used on the space shuttles. The X-38 itself was an unpiloted lifting body designed at 80 percent of the size of a projected emergency crew return vehicle

  8. Protocol to amend the Vienna convention on civil liability for nuclear damage. Convention on supplementary compensation for nuclear damage. Final act

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The document reproduces the Final Act of the Diplomatic Conference held in Vienna between 8-12 September 1997 which adopted the Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage

  9. Protocol to amend the Vienna convention on civil liability for nuclear damage. Convention on supplementary compensation for nuclear damage. Final act

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-07-23

    The document reproduces the Final Act of the Diplomatic Conference held in Vienna between 8-12 September 1997 which adopted the Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage

  10. Profit-based conventional resource scheduling with renewable energy penetration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, K. Srikanth; Panwar, Lokesh Kumar; Kumar, Rajesh; Panigrahi, B. K.

    2017-08-01

    Technological breakthroughs in renewable energy technologies (RETs) enabled them to attain grid parity thereby making them potential contenders for existing conventional resources. To examine the market participation of RETs, this paper formulates a scheduling problem accommodating energy market participation of wind- and solar-independent power producers (IPPs) treating both conventional and RETs as identical entities. Furthermore, constraints pertaining to penetration and curtailments of RETs are restructured. Additionally, an appropriate objective function for profit incurred by conventional resource IPPs through reserve market participation as a function of renewable energy curtailment is also proposed. The proposed concept is simulated with a test system comprising 10 conventional generation units in conjunction with solar photovoltaic (SPV) and wind energy generators (WEG). The simulation results indicate that renewable energy integration and its curtailment limits influence the market participation or scheduling strategies of conventional resources in both energy and reserve markets. Furthermore, load and reliability parameters are also affected.

  11. Do Farmers Using Conventional and Non-Conventional Systems of Agriculture Have Different Perceptions of the Diversity of Wild Birds? Implications for Conservation

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Andrade, Luciano Pires; Muniz, Lauana Souza; Telino-Júnior, Wallace Rodrigues; Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino; Lyra-Neves, Rachel Maria

    2016-01-01

    Farmers’ perceptions of birds’ interactions with agricultural production systems are fundamental to species conservation efforts. In the present study, we evaluated the perceptions of birds held by farmers who engage in conventional and non-conventional agricultural production processes and the implications of potential differences in these perceptions on species conservation. To accomplish this, data were collected using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and other complementary sources of information gathered from 191 farmers in northeastern Brazil. Although some similarities were identified among the farmers in their perceptions and local ecological knowledge (LEK) of birds, differences existed between the conventional and non-conventional farmers in their attitudes toward, conflicts with, and usage of bird species. Compared to the conventional farmers, the non-conventional farmers could identify more bird species, possessed more favorable attitudes toward birds, and engaged in practices more beneficial to the conservation of avifauna. The perceptions that were identified were related to the type of agriculture practiced, and such perceptions may affect the conservation of bird species. Therefore, the adoption of certain agricultural practices has important implications for conservation. Our results indicate the need for investment in public policies, programs and actions that account for farmers’ knowledge and perceptions. Such investments will contribute to the development and adoption of practices supporting wild bird conservation in agricultural areas. PMID:27243222

  12. Do Farmers Using Conventional and Non-Conventional Systems of Agriculture Have Different Perceptions of the Diversity of Wild Birds? Implications for Conservation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva-Andrade, Horasa Lima; de Andrade, Luciano Pires; Muniz, Lauana Souza; Telino-Júnior, Wallace Rodrigues; Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino; Lyra-Neves, Rachel Maria

    2016-01-01

    Farmers' perceptions of birds' interactions with agricultural production systems are fundamental to species conservation efforts. In the present study, we evaluated the perceptions of birds held by farmers who engage in conventional and non-conventional agricultural production processes and the implications of potential differences in these perceptions on species conservation. To accomplish this, data were collected using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and other complementary sources of information gathered from 191 farmers in northeastern Brazil. Although some similarities were identified among the farmers in their perceptions and local ecological knowledge (LEK) of birds, differences existed between the conventional and non-conventional farmers in their attitudes toward, conflicts with, and usage of bird species. Compared to the conventional farmers, the non-conventional farmers could identify more bird species, possessed more favorable attitudes toward birds, and engaged in practices more beneficial to the conservation of avifauna. The perceptions that were identified were related to the type of agriculture practiced, and such perceptions may affect the conservation of bird species. Therefore, the adoption of certain agricultural practices has important implications for conservation. Our results indicate the need for investment in public policies, programs and actions that account for farmers' knowledge and perceptions. Such investments will contribute to the development and adoption of practices supporting wild bird conservation in agricultural areas.

  13. Do Farmers Using Conventional and Non-Conventional Systems of Agriculture Have Different Perceptions of the Diversity of Wild Birds? Implications for Conservation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Horasa Lima Silva-Andrade

    Full Text Available Farmers' perceptions of birds' interactions with agricultural production systems are fundamental to species conservation efforts. In the present study, we evaluated the perceptions of birds held by farmers who engage in conventional and non-conventional agricultural production processes and the implications of potential differences in these perceptions on species conservation. To accomplish this, data were collected using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and other complementary sources of information gathered from 191 farmers in northeastern Brazil. Although some similarities were identified among the farmers in their perceptions and local ecological knowledge (LEK of birds, differences existed between the conventional and non-conventional farmers in their attitudes toward, conflicts with, and usage of bird species. Compared to the conventional farmers, the non-conventional farmers could identify more bird species, possessed more favorable attitudes toward birds, and engaged in practices more beneficial to the conservation of avifauna. The perceptions that were identified were related to the type of agriculture practiced, and such perceptions may affect the conservation of bird species. Therefore, the adoption of certain agricultural practices has important implications for conservation. Our results indicate the need for investment in public policies, programs and actions that account for farmers' knowledge and perceptions. Such investments will contribute to the development and adoption of practices supporting wild bird conservation in agricultural areas.

  14. The raw milk quality from organic and conventional agriculture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juraj Čuboň

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available In the experiment the parameters of milk quality from organic and conventional dairy farm were analyzed. The number of somatic cells was 219. 103 . ml−1 in the organic milk and 242. 103 . ml−1 in the conventional milk. It seems that conditions of organic farming could be able to have a positive effect of health of mammary gland. We found the highest number of somatic cells at the end of the year (336.103 . ml−1 in organic milk in December, respectively 336.103 . ml−1 in conventional milk in November. The total bacteria count was higher in organic milk (86.103 CFU . ml−1 than conventional (51.103 CFU . ml−1 likewise the number of coliform bacteria. Number of coliform bacteria was by conventional milk under 1000 CFU . ml−1 for all samples. The highest number of coliform bacteria in organic milk was achieved in February (1000 CFU . ml−1. We found higher content of fat (4.23 g . 100g−1 and protein (3.41 g . 100g−1 by organic milk in comparison with the conventional milk (4.11 g . 100g−1, resp. 3.39 g . 100g−1. The higher content of protein and fat in organic milk and the higher protein content in conventional milk were determined in December. The heat resistance was determined by 96 % ethanol required to coagulation of 2 ml of milk. The conventional milk has significantly lower heat resistance (1.38 ml than the organic one (1.86 ml. Better heat stability by organic milk and higher content of Ca (144.29 mg . 100g−1 correspond with higher technological quality of organic milk.

  15. Durability of Hearing Preservation after Cochlear Implantation with Conventional-Length Electrodes and Scala Tympani Insertion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweeney, Alex D; Hunter, Jacob B; Carlson, Matthew L; Rivas, Alejandro; Bennett, Marc L; Gifford, Rene H; Noble, Jack H; Haynes, David S; Labadie, Robert F; Wanna, George B

    2016-05-01

    To analyze factors that influence hearing preservation over time in cochlear implant recipients with conventional-length electrode arrays located entirely within the scala tympani. Case series with planned chart review. Single tertiary academic referral center. A retrospective review was performed to analyze a subgroup of cochlear implant recipients with residual acoustic hearing. Patients were included in the study only if their electrode arrays remained fully in the scala tympani after insertion and serviceable acoustic hearing (≤80 dB at 250 Hz) was preserved. Electrode array location was verified through a validated radiographic assessment tool. Patients with scala tympani. In this group, the style of electrode array may influence residual hearing preservation over time. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

  16. Archaeology and the World Heritage Convention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry Cleere

    2003-10-01

    Full Text Available International efforts to designate outstanding examples of the world's cultural and natural heritage began after the Second World War. The World Heritage Convention was signed at the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972 and the first cultural sites were selected in 1978. Now over 600 have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. The author, who is an honorary visiting professor at the Institute, acted as an advisor to the World Heritage Committee from 1992 to 2002 and here describes how the Convention came into being and discusses the representation of archaeological sites on the List.

  17. Defect Detectability Improvement for Conventional Friction Stir Welds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Chris

    2013-01-01

    This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of defect detectability via phased array ultrasound technology in conventional friction stir welds by comparing conventionally prepped post weld surfaces to a machined surface finish. A machined surface is hypothesized to improve defect detectability and increase material strength.

  18. 19 CFR 114.2 - Customs Conventions and Agreements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Customs Conventions and Agreements. 114.2 Section 114.2 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY CARNETS General Provisions § 114.2 Customs Conventions and Agreements. The...

  19. Construction Management for Conventional Facilities of Proton Accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jun Yeon; Cho, Jin Sam; Lee, Jae Sang

    2008-05-01

    Proton Engineering Frontier Project, puts its aim to building 100MeV 20mA linear proton accelerator which is national facility for NT, BT, IT, and future technologies, expected to boost up the national industry competitiveness. This R and D, Construction Management is in charge of the supportive works as site selection, architecture and engineering of conventional facilities, and overall construction management. The major goals of this work are as follows: At first, architecture and engineering of conventional facilities. Second, construction management, audit and inspection on construction of conventional facilities. Lastly, cooperation with the project host organization for adjusting technical issues of overall construction. In this research, We reviewed the basic design and made a detail design of conventional facilities. Preparation for construction license, site improvement and access road construction is fulfilled. Also, we made the technical support for project host as follows : selection of project host organization and host site selection, construction technical work for project host organization and procedure management

  20. SU-F-T-292: Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Houston QA Center’s Anthropomorphic Phantom Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehrens, H; Lewis, B; Lujano, C; Nguyen, T; Hernandez, N; Alvarez, P; Molineu, A; Followill, D

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To describe the results of IROC Houston’s international and domestic end-to-end QA phantom irradiations. Methods: IROC Houston has anthropomorphic lung, liver, head and neck, prostate, SRS and spine phantoms that are used for credentialing and quality assurance purposes. The phantoms include structures that closely mimic targets and organs at risk and are made from tissue equivalent materials: high impact polystyrene, solid water, cork and acrylic. Motion tables are used to mimic breathing motion for some lung and liver phantoms. Dose is measured with TLD and radiochromic film in various planes within the target of the phantoms. Results: The most common phantom requested is the head and neck followed by the lung phantom. The head and neck phantom was sent to 800 domestic and 148 international sites between 2011 and 2015, with average pass rates of 89% and 92%, respectively. During the past five years, a general upward trend exists regarding demand for the lung phantom for both international and domestic sites with international sites more than tripling from 5 (2011) to 16 (2015) and domestic sites doubling from 66 (2011) to 152 (2015). The pass rate for lung phantoms has been consistent from year to year despite this large increase in the number of phantoms irradiated with an average pass rate of 85% (domestic) and 95% (international) sites. The percentage of lung phantoms used in combination with motions tables increased from 38% to 79% over the 5 year time span. Conclusion: The number of domestic and international sites irradiating the head and neck and lung phantoms continues to increase and the pass rates remained constant. These end-to-end QA tests continue to be a crucial part of clinical trial credentialing and institution quality assurance. This investigation was supported by IROC grant CA180803 awarded by the NCI.