VA announces aggressive new approach to produce rapid improvements in VA medical centers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2018-02-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA announced steps that it is taking as part of an aggressive new approach to produce rapid improvements at VA’s low-performing medical facilities nationwide (1. VA defines its low-performing facilities as those medical centers that receive the lowest score in its Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL star rating system, or a one-star rating out of five. The SAIL star rating was initiated in 2016 and uses a variety of measures including mortality, length of hospital stay, readmission rates, hospital complications, physician productivity and efficiency. A complete listing of the VA facilities, their star ratings and the metrics used to determine the ratings is available through the end of fiscal year 2017 (2. Based on the latest ratings, the VA currently has 15 one-star facilities including Denver, Loma Linda, and Phoenix in the Southwest (Table 1. Table 1. VA facilities with one-star ratings …

48 CFR 853.215-70 - VA Form 10-1170, Application for Furnishing Nursing Home Care to Beneficiaries of VA.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., Application for Furnishing Nursing Home Care to Beneficiaries of VA. 853.215-70 Section 853.215-70 Federal... 853.215-70 VA Form 10-1170, Application for Furnishing Nursing Home Care to Beneficiaries of VA. VA Form 10-1170, Application for Furnishing Nursing Home Care to Beneficiaries of VA, will be used for...

Do Older Rural and Urban Veterans Experience Different Rates of Unplanned Readmission to VA and Non-VA Hospitals?

Science.gov (United States)

Weeks, William B.; Lee, Richard E.; Wallace, Amy E.; West, Alan N.; Bagian, James P.

2009-01-01

Context: Unplanned readmission within 30 days of discharge is an indicator of hospital quality. Purpose: We wanted to determine whether older rural veterans who were enrolled in the VA had different rates of unplanned readmission to VA or non-VA hospitals than their urban counterparts. Methods: We used the combined VA/Medicare dataset to examine…

Non-VA Hospital System (NVH)

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) pays for care provided to VA beneficiaries in non-VA hospitals through its contract hospitalization program as mandated by...

Accessing VA Healthcare During Large-Scale Natural Disasters.

Science.gov (United States)

Der-Martirosian, Claudia; Pinnock, Laura; Dobalian, Aram

2017-01-01

Natural disasters can lead to the closure of medical facilities including the Veterans Affairs (VA), thus impacting access to healthcare for U.S. military veteran VA users. We examined the characteristics of VA patients who reported having difficulty accessing care if their usual source of VA care was closed because of natural disasters. A total of 2,264 veteran VA users living in the U.S. northeast region participated in a 2015 cross-sectional representative survey. The study used VA administrative data in a complex stratified survey design with a multimode approach. A total of 36% of veteran VA users reported having difficulty accessing care elsewhere, negatively impacting the functionally impaired and lower income VA patients.

75 FR 16461 - Meeting of the Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Committee Act, Public Law 92- 463, notice is hereby given that the Mobile Sources Technical Review... Hotel Crystal City-National Airport, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202-2891. Phone 703-416-4100. The hotel is located three blocks from the Pentagon City Metro station, and shuttle buses are...

VA office of inspector general releases scathing report of Phoenix VA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2014-08-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. The long-awaited Office of Inspector General’s (OIG report on the Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS was released on August 27, 2014 (1. The report was scathing in its evaluation of VA practices and leadership. Five questions were investigated: 1.Were there clinically significant delays in care? 2. Did PVAHCS omit the names of veterans waiting for care from its Electronic Wait List (EWL? 3. Were PVAHCS personnel not following established scheduling procedures? 4. Did the PVAHCS culture emphasize goals at the expense of patient care? 5. Are scheduling deficiencies systemic throughout the VA? In each case, the OIG found that the allegations were true. Despite initial denials, the OIG report showed that former PVAHCS director Sharon Helman, associate director Lance Robinson, hospital administration director Brad Curry, chief of staff Darren Deering and other senior executives were aware of delays in care and unofficial wait lists. Perhaps most disturbing is ...

76 FR 66367 - Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical Science Research and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-26

... Hlth & Behav Sci-B... December 14, 2011... The Sheraton Crystal City. The addresses of the hotel and VA... provide advice on the scientific quality, budget, safety and mission relevance of investigator-initiated...

Assessing the quality of VA Human Research Protection Programs: VA vs. affiliated University Institutional Review Board.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsan, Min-Fu; Nguyen, Yen; Brooks, Robert

2013-04-01

We compared the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) quality indicator data of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities using their own VA institutional review boards (IRBs) with those using affiliated university IRBs. From a total of 25 performance metrics, 13 did not demonstrate statistically significant differences, while 12 reached statistically significance differences. Among the 12 with statistically significant differences, facilities using their own VA IRBs performed better on four of the metrics, while facilities using affiliate IRBs performed better on eight. However, the absolute difference was small (0.2-2.7%) in all instances, suggesting that they were of no practical significance. We conclude that it is acceptable for facilities to use their own VA IRBs or affiliated university IRBs as their IRBs of record.

Characteristics Associated With Utilization of VA and Non-VA Care Among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Finley, Erin P; Mader, Michael; Bollinger, Mary J; Haro, Elizabeth K; Garcia, Hector A; Huynh, Alexis K; Pugh, Jacqueline A; Pugh, Mary Jo

2017-11-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects nearly one-fifth of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans (IAV). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has invested in making evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD available at every VA facility nationwide; however, an unknown number of veterans opt to receive care in the community rather than with VA. We compared PTSD care utilization patterns among Texas IAV with PTSD, an ethnically, geographically, and economically diverse group. To identify IAV in Texas with service-connected disability for PTSD, we used a crosswalk of VA administrative data from the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Roster and service-connected disability data from the Veterans Benefits Administration. We then surveyed a random sample of 1,128 veterans from the cohort, stratified by sex, rurality, and past use/nonuse of any VA care. Respondents were classified into current utilization groups (VA only, non-VA only, dual care, and no professional PTSD treatment) on the basis of reported PTSD care in the prior 12 months. Responses were weighted to account for sample stratification and for response rate within each strata. Utilization group characteristics were compared to the population mean using the one sample Z-test for proportions, or the t-test for means. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to identify survey variables significantly associated with current utilization group. 249 IAV completed the survey (28.4% response rate). Respondents reported receiving PTSD care: in the VA only (58.3%); in military or community-based settings (including private practitioners) (non-VA only, 8.7%); and in both VA and non-VA settings (dual care, 14.5%). The remainder (18.5%) reported no professional PTSD care in the prior year. Veterans ineligible for Department of Defense care, uncomfortable talking about their problems, and opposed to medication were more likely to receive non-VA care only, whereas those with lower household income

KENO V.a Primer: A Primer for Criticality Calculations with SCALE/KENO V.a Using CSPAN for Input

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busch, R.D.

2003-01-01

The SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation) computer software system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is widely used and accepted around the world for criticality safety analyses. The well-known KENO V.a three-dimensional Monte Carlo criticality computer code is the primary criticality safety analysis tool in SCALE. The KENO V.a primer is designed to help a new user understand and use the SCALE/KENO V.a Monte Carlo code for nuclear criticality safety analyses. It assumes that the user has a college education in a technical field. There is no assumption of familiarity with Monte Carlo codes in general or with SCALE/KENO V.a in particular. The primer is designed to teach by example, with each example illustrating two or three features of SCALE/KENO V.a that are useful in criticality analyses. The primer is based on SCALE 4.4a, which includes the Criticality Safety Processor for Analysis (CSPAN) input processor for Windows personal computers (PCs). A second edition of the primer, which uses the new KENO Visual Editor, is currently under development at ORNL and is planned for publication in late 2003. Each example in this first edition of the primer uses CSPAN to provide the framework for data input. Starting with a Quickstart section, the primer gives an overview of the basic requirements for SCALE/KENO V.a input and allows the user to quickly run a simple criticality problem with SCALE/KENO V.a. The sections that follow Quickstart include a list of basic objectives at the beginning that identifies the goal of the section and the individual SCALE/KENO V.a features which are covered in detail in the example problems in that section. Upon completion of the primer, a new user should be comfortable using CSPAN to set up criticality problems in SCALE/KENO V.a

78 FR 28580 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-15

...Tree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC--Crystal City, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. FOR FURTHER.... Identification information must be provided and, at a minimum, must include a name and a phone number...

Report of VA Medical Training Programs

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The Report of VA Medical Training Programs Database is used to track medical center health services trainees and VA physicians serving as faculty. The database also...

VaR Methodology Application for Banking Currency Portfolios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Armeanu

2007-02-01

Full Text Available VaR has become the standard measure that financial analysts use to quantify market risk. VaR measures can have many applications, such as in risk management, to evaluate the performance of risk takers and for regulatory requirements, and hence it is very important to develop methodologies that provide accurate estimates. In particular, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision at the Bank for International Settlements imposes to financial institutions such as banks and investment firms to meet capital requirements based on VaR estimates. In this paper we determine VaR for a banking currency portfolio and respect rules of National Bank of Romania regarding VaR report.

The WHO 2016 verbal autopsy instrument: An international standard suitable for automated analysis by InterVA, InSilicoVA, and Tariff 2.0.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin K Nichols

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Verbal autopsy (VA is a practical method for determining probable causes of death at the population level in places where systems for medical certification of cause of death are weak. VA methods suitable for use in routine settings, such as civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS systems, have developed rapidly in the last decade. These developments have been part of a growing global momentum to strengthen CRVS systems in low-income countries. With this momentum have come pressure for continued research and development of VA methods and the need for a single standard VA instrument on which multiple automated diagnostic methods can be developed.In 2016, partners harmonized a WHO VA standard instrument that fully incorporates the indicators necessary to run currently available automated diagnostic algorithms. The WHO 2016 VA instrument, together with validated approaches to analyzing VA data, offers countries solutions to improving information about patterns of cause-specific mortality. This VA instrument offers the opportunity to harmonize the automated diagnostic algorithms in the future.Despite all improvements in design and technology, VA is only recommended where medical certification of cause of death is not possible. The method can nevertheless provide sufficient information to guide public health priorities in communities in which physician certification of deaths is largely unavailable. The WHO 2016 VA instrument, together with validated approaches to analyzing VA data, offers countries solutions to improving information about patterns of cause-specific mortality.

Has the VA Become a White Elephant?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2016-11-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. As I write this Dennis Wagner is publishing a series of articles in the Arizona Republic describing his quest to find out if care at VA hospitals have improved over the last 2 years (1. To begin the article Wagner describes the fable of the King of Siam who presented albino pachyderms to his enemies knowing they would be bankrupted because the cost of food and care outweighed all usefulness. A modern expression derives from this parable: the white elephant. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA has prided itself on being a leader in healthcare. It is the largest healthcare system in the US, implemented the first electronic medical record, and more than 70 percent of all US doctors have received training in the VA healthcare system (2. This year the VA is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its partnership with US medical schools. Beginning in 1946, the VA partnered ...

VaST: A variability search toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolovsky, K. V.; Lebedev, A. A.

2018-01-01

Variability Search Toolkit (VaST) is a software package designed to find variable objects in a series of sky images. It can be run from a script or interactively using its graphical interface. VaST relies on source list matching as opposed to image subtraction. SExtractor is used to generate source lists and perform aperture or PSF-fitting photometry (with PSFEx). Variability indices that characterize scatter and smoothness of a lightcurve are computed for all objects. Candidate variables are identified as objects having high variability index values compared to other objects of similar brightness. The two distinguishing features of VaST are its ability to perform accurate aperture photometry of images obtained with non-linear detectors and handle complex image distortions. The software has been successfully applied to images obtained with telescopes ranging from 0.08 to 2.5 m in diameter equipped with a variety of detectors including CCD, CMOS, MIC and photographic plates. About 1800 variable stars have been discovered with VaST. It is used as a transient detection engine in the New Milky Way (NMW) nova patrol. The code is written in C and can be easily compiled on the majority of UNIX-like systems. VaST is free software available at http://scan.sai.msu.ru/vast/.

76 FR 57748 - National Cancer Institute Notice of Closed Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-16

... Logistics Branch, Division of Extramural Activities, National Cancer Institute, 6116 Executive Boulevard... Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Contact Person: Sergei Radaev, PhD..., Scientific Review Officer, Special Review Logistics Branch, Division of Extramural Activities, National...

Technology Reference Model (TRM) Reports: VA Category Mapping Report

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The One VA Enterprise Architecture (OneVA EA) is a comprehensive picture of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) operations, capabilities and services and the...

Visionary leadership and the future of VA health system.

Science.gov (United States)

Bezold, C; Mayer, E; Dighe, A

1997-01-01

As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) makes the change over to Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISNs) the need for new and better leadership is warranted if VA wants to not only survive, but thrive in the emerging twenty-first century healthcare system. VA can prepare for the future and meet the challenges facing them by adopting a system of visionary leadership. The use of scenarios and vision techniques are explained as they relate to VA's efforts to move toward their new system of VISNs. The four scenarios provide snapshots of possible futures for the U.S. healthcare system as well as the possible future role and mission of VA--from VA disappearing to its becoming a premier virtual organization.

ESTIMASI NILAI VaR PORTOFOLIO MENGGUNAKAN FUNGSI ARCHIMEDEAN COPULA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AULIA ATIKA PRAWIBTA SUHARTO

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Value at Risk explains the magnitude of the worst losses occurred in financial products investments with a certain level of confidence and time interval. The purpose of this study is to estimate the VaR of portfolio using Archimedean Copula family. The methods for calculating the VaR are as follows: (1 calculating the stock return; (2 calculating descriptive statistics of return; (3 checking for the nature of autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity effects on stock return data; (4 checking for the presence of extreme value by using Pareto tail; (5 estimating the parameters of Achimedean Copula family; (6 conducting simulations of Archimedean Copula; (7 estimating the value of the stock portfolio VaR. This study uses the closing price of TLKM and GGRM. At 90% the VaR obtained using Clayton, Gumbel, Frank copulas are 0.9562%, 1.0189%, 0.9827% respectively. At 95% the VaR obtained using Clayton, Gumbel, Frank copulas are 1.2930%, 1.2522%, 1.3152% respectively. At 99% the VaR obtained using Clayton, Gumbel, Frank copulas are 2.0327%, 1.9164%, is 1.8678% respectively. In conclusion estimation of VaR using Clayton copula yields the highest VaR.

Reuse of London’s crystal palaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lara Slivnik

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The architecture and use of both London crystal palaces, namely Crystal Palace at Sydenham and Alexandra Palace on Muswell Hill are described. They share some common characteristics. Built for two World Fairs, their iron structure was later disassembled, remodelled and consequently rebuilt slightly modified at another location. Both were located outside the city centre, at a central viewpoint within a vast park. Both hosted cultural, educational, and sports events and in the second half of the nineteenth century became the two most visited London leisure time attractions. Advantages and drawbacks of the crystal palace as a building type are reviewed and the role of crystal palaces in Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City is stressed.

Modeling traffic accidents at signalized intersections in the city of Norfolk, VA.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-31

This study was an attempt to apply a proactive approach using traffic pattern and signalized intersection characteristics to predict accident rates at signalized intersections in a citys arterial network. An earlier analysis of accident data at se...

38 CFR 1.203 - Information to be reported to VA Police.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... reported to VA Police. 1.203 Section 1.203 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS... be reported to VA Police. Information about actual or possible violations of criminal laws related to... occurs on VA premises, will be reported by VA management officials to the VA police component with...

SlaVaComp: Konvertierungstool (= SlaVaComp Fonts Converter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Skilevic

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Der vorliegende Beitrag informiert über ein Tool, das im Rahmen eines Freiburger Projekts zur historischen Korpuslinguistik entwickelt wurde und dazu dient, kirchenslavische Texte, die ohne Einsatz von Unicode digitalisiert wurden, ohne Verlust von Information bzw. Formatierung ins Unicode-Format zu überführen. Das Tool heißt SlaVaComp-Konvertierer. Es eignet sich für die Konvertierung aller idiosynkratischen Fonts und kann somit nicht nur in der Paläoslavistik, sondern in allen historisch arbeitenden Philologien eingesetzt werden. ____________________ This paper presents a fonts converter that was developed as a part of the Freiburg project on historical corpus linguistics. The tool named SlaVaComp-Konvertierer converts Church Slavonic texts digitized with non-Unicode fonts into the Unicode format without any loss of information contained in the original file and without damage to the original formatting. It is suitable for the conversion of all idiosyncratic fonts—not only Church Slavonic—and therefore can be used not only in Palaeoslavistic, but also in all historical and philological studies.

Poststroke Rehabilitation and Restorative Care Utilization: A Comparison Between VA Community Living Centers and VA-contracted Community Nursing Homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Huanguang; Pei, Qinglin; Sullivan, Charles T; Cowper Ripley, Diane C; Wu, Samuel S; Bates, Barbara E; Vogel, W Bruce; Bidelspach, Douglas E; Wang, Xinping; Hoffman, Nannette

2016-03-01

Effective poststroke rehabilitation care can speed patient recovery and minimize patient functional disabilities. Veterans affairs (VA) community living centers (CLCs) and VA-contracted community nursing homes (CNHs) are the 2 major sources of institutional long-term care for Veterans with stroke receiving care under VA auspices. This study compares rehabilitation therapy and restorative nursing care among Veterans residing in VA CLCs versus those Veterans in VA-contracted CNHs. Retrospective observational. All Veterans diagnosed with stroke, newly admitted to the CLCs or CNHs during the study period who completed at least 2 Minimum Data Set assessments postadmission. The outcomes were numbers of days for rehabilitation therapy and restorative nursing care received by the Veterans during their stays in CLCs or CNHs as documented in the Minimum Data Set databases. For rehabilitation therapy, the CLC Veterans had lower user rates (75.2% vs. 76.4%, P=0.078) and fewer observed therapy days (4.9 vs. 6.4, Pcare, CLC Veterans had higher user rates (33.5% vs. 30.6%, Pcare days (9.4 vs. 5.9, Pcare (coefficient=5.48±0.37, Pcare both before and after risk adjustment.

Whistle-blower accuses VA inspector general of a "whitewash"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2014-09-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Yesterday, Dr. Sam Foote, the initial whistle-blower at the Phoenix VA, criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general's (VAOIG report on delays in healthcare at the Phoenix VA at a hearing before the House Committee of Veterans Affairs (1,2. Foote accused the VAOIG of minimizing bad patient outcomes and deliberately confusing readers, downplaying the impact of delayed health care at Phoenix VA facilities. "At its best, this report is a whitewash. At its worst, it is a feeble attempt at a cover-up," said Foote. Foote earlier this year revealed that as many as 40 Phoenix patients died while awaiting care and that the Phoenix VA maintained secret waiting lists while under-reporting patient wait times for appointments. His disclosures triggered the national VA scandal. Richard Griffin, the acting VAOIG, said that nearly 300 patients died while on backlogged wait lists in the Phoenix VA Health Care System, a much higher ...

Helman defends decision to pull VA sponsorship of Veterans day parade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2013-04-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Sharon Helman, Phoenix VA Director, defended her decision to cancel VA sponsorship of the annual Phoenix Veterans Day Parade in a 4/10/13 email to VA employees. Helman said that VA sponsorship was cancelled because of “…priorities in the organization (specifically access, and heightened awareness over liability concerns which VA Legal Counsel brought forward”. She concluded her letter by warning “… that all media inquiries should be forwarded to Paul Coupaud, Acting Public Affairs Officer”. VA officials initially said fear of litigation prompted the review of VA support. Last year, a float carrying wounded Veterans in a Midland, Texas, parade collided with a freight train, killing four and injuring 17. Crash victims and their families filed lawsuits in Texas against Union Pacific Railroad and the float owner. The VA was not a defendant, and the VA has not issued any national directives on liability as a result of the tragedy.In…

Technology Reference Model (TRM) Reports: VA Category Framework Count Report

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The One VA Enterprise Architecture (OneVA EA) is a comprehensive picture of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) operations, capabilities and services and the...

Development of a continuous energy version of KENO V.a

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunn, M.E.; Bentley, C.L.; Goluoglu, S.; Paschal, L.S.; Dodds, H.L.

1997-01-01

KENO V.a is a multigroup Monte Carlo code that solves the Boltzmann transport equation and is used extensively in the nuclear criticality safety community to calculate the effective multiplication factor k eff of systems containing fissile material. Because of the smaller amount of disk storage and CPU time required in calculations, multigroup approaches have been preferred over continuous energy (point) approaches in the past to solve the transport equation. With the advent of high-performance computers, storage and CPU limitations are less restrictive, thereby making continuous energy methods viable for transport calculations. Moreover, continuous energy methods avoid many of the assumptions and approximations inherent in multigroup methods. Because a continuous energy version of KENO V.a does not exist, the objective of the work is to develop a new version of KENO V.a that utilizes continuous energy cross sections. Currently, a point cross-section library, which is based on a raw continuous energy cross-section library such as ENDF/B-V is not available for implementation in KENO V.a; however, point cross-section libraries are available for MCNP, another widely used Monte Carlo transport code. Since MCNP cross sections are based on ENDF data and are readily available, a new version of KENO V.a named PKENO V.a has been developed that performs the random walk using MCNP cross sections. To utilize point cross sections, extensive modifications have been made to KENO V.a. At this point in the research, testing of the code is underway. In particular, PKENO V.a, KENO V.a, and MCNP have been used to model nine critical experiments and one subcritical problem. The results obtained with PKENO V.a are in excellent agreement with MCNP, KENO V.a, and experiments

Development of a parallelization method for KENO V.a

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basoglu, B.; Bentley, C.; Dunn, M.

1995-01-01

The KENO V.a codes is a widely used Monte carlo codes that is part of the SCALE modular codes system for performing standardized computer analysis of nuclear systems for licensing evaluation. In the past few years, attempts have been made to speed up KENO V.a using new generation computers. In this paper we report on the initial development of a parallel version of KENO V.a for the Kendall Square Research supercomputer (KSRI) at ORNL. Investigations thus far have shown that the parallel code provides accurate results with significantly reduced computation times relative to the conventional KENO V.a code

Analysis of VaR on Stock Investing%股票投资的风险价值VaR分析

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张江红; 唐泉

2011-01-01

VaR is a tool to measure financial risk,which is supported and recognized by the international financial community in recent years.For equity portfolios consisting of different market factors or different financial instruments,VaR can reliably evaluate the market risks.In the paper the basic principle and calculation of VaR is introduced,the company stock value at risk has been analyzed using normal method,which company has issued convertible bond and stock.Meanwhile the affect that the issuance of convertible bond to the underlying stock fluctuation has been taken into account in order to provide reference for the different types of investors.%VaR是近年来受到国际金融界广泛支持和认可的一种度量金融风险的工具.对于不同市场因子和不同金融工具的投资组合,VaR可以相对可靠地衡量其市场风险.本文介绍了VaR的基本原理和计算方法,并用正态分布对发行有可转债的上市公司股票的风险价值进行分析,考虑了可转债的发行对标的股票波动的影响,以期为资本市场不同类型的投资者在进行资本投资前估计风险提供参考.

The VA mission act: Funding to fail?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2018-06-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Yesterday on D-Day, the 74th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, President Trump signed the VA Mission Act. The law directs the VA to combine a number of existing private-care programs, including the so-called Choice program, which was created in 2014 after veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix VA (1. During the signing Trump touted the new law saying “there has never been anything like this in the history of the VA” and saying that veterans “can go right outside [the VA] to a private doctor”-but can they? Although the bill authorizes private care, it appropriates no money to pay for it. Although a bipartisan plan to fund the expansion is proposed in the House, the White House has been lobbying Republicans to vote the plan down (2. Instead Trump has been asking Congress to pay for veteran’s programs by cutting spending elsewhere (2. We in Arizona are …

Building capacity in VA to provide emergency gynecology services for women.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordasco, Kristina M; Huynh, Alexis K; Zephyrin, Laurie; Hamilton, Alison B; Lau-Herzberg, Amy E; Kessler, Chad S; Yano, Elizabeth M

2015-04-01

Visits to Veterans Administration (VA) emergency departments (EDs) are increasingly being made by women. A 2011 national inventory of VA emergency services for women revealed that many EDs have gaps in their resources and processes for gynecologic emergency care. To guide VA in addressing these gaps, we sought to understand factors acting as facilitators and/or barriers to improving VA ED capacity for, and quality of, emergency gynecology care. Semistructured interviews with VA emergency and women's health key informants. ED directors/providers (n=14), ED nurse managers (n=13), and Women Veteran Program Managers (n=13) in 13 VA facilities. Leadership, staff, space, demand, funding, policies, and community were noted as important factors influencing VA EDs building capacity and improving emergency gynecologic care for women Veterans. These factors are intertwined and cross multiple organizational levels so that each ED's capacity is a reflection not only of its own factors, but also those of its local medical center and non-VA community context as well as VA regional and national trends and policies. Policies and quality improvement initiatives aimed at building VA's emergency gynecologic services for women need to be multifactorial and aimed at multiple organizational levels. Policies need to be flexible to account for wide variations across EDs and their medical center and community contexts. Approaches that build and encourage local leadership engagement, such as evidence-based quality improvement methodology, are likely to be most effective.

78 FR 56271 - FY 2014-2020 Draft VA Strategic Plan

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-12

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FY 2014-2020 Draft VA Strategic Plan AGENCY: Department of Veterans... Affairs (VA) is announcing the availability of the FY 2014-2020 Draft VA Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan... Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) (Pub. L. 111-352). The Strategic Plan provides the Department's long-term...

Troubles continue for the Phoenix VA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2014-10-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. According to the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Joint Commission, JCAHO, an independent organization that reviews hospitals, the Phoenix VA does not comply with U.S. standards for safety, patient care and management (1. The hospital was at the epicenter of the national scandal over the quality of care being afforded to the nation's veterans where the now notorious practice of double-booking patient appointments was first exposed. The hospital's indifferent management provoked congressional investigations that uncovered still more system-wide abuses leading to the removal of the hospital director and the resignation of then VA secretary, Eric Shinseki. The hospital maintains its accreditation but with a follow-up survey in 1-6 months where it must show that it has successfully addressed the 13 identified problems (1. Inspectors who conducted the review in July found that VA employees were unable to report concerns "without retaliatory action from the hospital." Other alarming ...

38 CFR 26.7 - VA environmental decision making and documents.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false VA environmental decision making and documents. 26.7 Section 26.7 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA) ACTIONS § 26.7 VA environmental decision making and document...

38 CFR 74.27 - How will VA store information?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) VETERANS SMALL BUSINESS REGULATIONS Records Management § 74.27 How will VA store information? VA... examination visits will be scanned onto portable media and fully secured in the Center for Veterans Enterprise...

Medical Student Psychiatry Examination Performance at VA and Non-VA Clerkship Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, Phebe; von Schlageter, Margo Shultes; Park, EunMi; Rosenberg, Emily; Benjamin, Ashley B.; Nawar, Ola

2009-01-01

Objective: The authors examined the effects of medical student assignment to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center inpatient and outpatient psychiatry clerkship sites versus other university and community sites on the performance outcome measure of National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) subject examination scores. Methods:…

48 CFR 852.219-71 - VA mentor-protégé program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false VA mentor-protégÃ....219-71 VA mentor-protégé program. As prescribed in 819.7115(a), insert the following clause: VA Mentor-Protégé Program (DEC 2009) (a) Large businesses are encouraged to participate in the VA Mentor-Protégé...

What does Shulkin's firing mean for the VA?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2018-03-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. David Shulkin MD, Secretary for Veterans Affairs (VA was finally fired by President Donald Trump ending long speculation (1. Trump nominated his personal physician, Ronny Jackson MD, to fill Shulkin’s post. The day after his firing, Shulkin criticized his firing in a NY Times op-ed claiming pro-privatization factions within the Trump administration led to his ouster (2. “They saw me as an obstacle to privatization who had to be removed,” Dr. Shulkin wrote. “That is because I am convinced that privatization is a political issue aimed at rewarding select people and companies with profits, even if it undermines care for veterans.” Former Secretary Shulkin’s tenure at the VA has had several controversies. First, as undersecretary of Veterans Healthcare and later as secretary money appropriated to the VA to obtain private care under the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Acts of 2014 and the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of …

Empirical analysis on future-cash arbitrage risk with portfolio VaR

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Rongda; Li, Cong; Wang, Weijin; Wang, Ze

2014-03-01

This paper constructs the positive arbitrage position by alternating the spot index with Chinese Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) portfolio and estimating the arbitrage-free interval of futures with the latest trade data. Then, an improved Delta-normal method was used, which replaces the simple linear correlation coefficient with tail dependence correlation coefficient, to measure VaR (Value-at-risk) of the arbitrage position. Analysis of VaR implies that the risk of future-cash arbitrage is less than that of investing completely in either futures or spot market. Then according to the compositional VaR and the marginal VaR, we should increase the futures position and decrease the spot position appropriately to minimize the VaR, which can minimize risk subject to certain revenues.

77 FR 67063 - VA Directive 0005 on Scientific Integrity

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-08

... in multiple areas, including data integrity, ethics, privacy, and human research protections, as well... replace the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) with Alion... human research protection programs. VA Response: VA is currently reviewing its accreditation...

75 FR 9277 - Proposed Information Collection (VA National Rehabilitation Special Events, Event Registration...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

... Sports Clinic Application, VA Form 0924--233 hours. b. National Veterans Wheelchair Games Application, VA.... National Veterans TEE Tournament Application, VA Form 0927--133 hours. e. National Veterans Summer Sports... Form 0929--67 hours. OMB Control Number: 2900-New (VA Form 0924). Type of Review: Existing collection...

VA National Bed Control System

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The VA National Bed Control System records the levels of operating, unavailable and authorized beds at each VAMC, and it tracks requests for changes in these levels....

VA Telemedicine: An Analysis of Cost and Time Savings.

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, Jack E; McCool, Ryan R; Davies, Louise

2016-03-01

The Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system provides beneficiary travel reimbursement ("travel pay") to qualifying patients for traveling to appointments. Travel pay is a large expense for the VA and hence the U.S. Government, projected to cost nearly $1 billion in 2015. Telemedicine in the VA system has the potential to save money by reducing patient travel and thus the amount of travel pay disbursed. In this study, we quantify this savings and also report trends in VA telemedicine volumes over time. All telemedicine visits based at the VA Hospital in White River Junction, VT between 2005 and 2013 were reviewed (5,695 visits). Travel distance and time saved as a result of telemedicine were calculated. Clinical volume in the mental health department, which has had the longest participation in telemedicine, was analyzed. Telemedicine resulted in an average travel savings of 145 miles and 142 min per visit. This led to an average travel payment savings of $18,555 per year. Telemedicine volume grew significantly over the study period such that by the final year the travel pay savings had increased to $63,804, or about 3.5% of the total travel pay disbursement for that year. The number of mental health telemedicine visits rose over the study period but remained small relative to the number of face-to-face visits. A higher proportion of telemedicine visits involved new patients. Telemedicine at the VA saves travel distance and time, although the reduction in travel payments remains modest at current telemedicine volumes.

VA Dental Insurance Program--federalism. Direct final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-22

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking direct final action to amend its regulations related to the VA Dental Insurance Program (VADIP), a pilot program to offer premium-based dental insurance to enrolled veterans and certain survivors and dependents of veterans. Specifically, this rule will add language to clarify the limited preemptive effect of certain criteria in the VADIP regulations.

Comparing VA and private sector healthcare costs for end-stage renal disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hynes, Denise M; Stroupe, Kevin T; Fischer, Michael J; Reda, Domenic J; Manning, Willard; Browning, Margaret M; Huo, Zhiping; Saban, Karen; Kaufman, James S

2012-02-01

Healthcare for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is intensive, expensive, and provided in both the public and private sector. Using a societal perspective, we examined healthcare costs and health outcomes for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ESRD patients comparing those who received hemodialysis care at VA versus private sector facilities. Dialysis patients were recruited from 8 VA medical centers from 2001 through 2003 and followed for 12 months in a prospective cohort study. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, quality of life, healthcare use, and cost data were collected. Healthcare data included utilization (VA), claims (Medicare), and patient self-report. Costs included VA calculated costs, Medicare dialysis facility reports and reimbursement rates, and patient self-report. Multivariable regression was used to compare costs between patients receiving dialysis at VA versus private sector facilities. The cohort comprised 334 patients: 170 patients in the VA dialysis group and 164 patients in the private sector group. The VA dialysis group had more comorbidities at baseline, outpatient and emergency visits, prescriptions, and longer hospital stays; they also had more conservative anemia management and lower baseline urea reduction ratio (67% vs. 72%; Pprivate sector dialysis group (Pprivate sector settings is critical in informing health policy options for patients with complex chronic illnesses such as ESRD.

VA INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Computer Security Weaknesses Persist at the Veterans Health Administration

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2000-01-01

.... To determine the status of computer security within VHA, we (1) evaluated information system general controls at the VA Maryland Health Cafe System, the New Mexico VA Health Care System, and the VA North Texas Health Care System and (2...

48 CFR 852.219-9 - VA Small business subcontracting plan minimum requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false VA Small business... Provisions and Clauses 852.219-9 VA Small business subcontracting plan minimum requirements. As prescribed in subpart 819.709, insert the following clause: VA Small Business Subcontracting Plan Minimum Requirements...

Design criteria for flood-defense structures based on probabilistic cost-benefit optimization with value at risk (VaR methods. Application to the Choluteca River in Tegucigalpa (Honduras

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alonso Eduardo García

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A probabilistic CBA framework, combined with a Value at risk (VaR methods, as applied in financial risk management, can be used to select the best mitigation scheme among several alternatives and reliability levels, based on a quantitative and objective procedure. The proposed method looks for the alternative that minimizes the accumulated maximum damage that can be produce by any particular sequence of events, over the life span of the structure, using numerical simulation and possibly including interactions among individual events (two large floods within a short time cannot damage twice the same assets. This is equivalent to a stochastic optimization problem, where the entity to be minimized are the maximum losses. The optimal alternative, based on a VaR criteria (including conditional VaR, differs largely from the one that maximizes the average NPV, and is more stable, compared with the average or a deterministic NPV. To demonstrate the proposed procedure, and show the differences among the three performance indicators (average NPV, VaR and CVaR, the case of the Choluteca River in Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras, are used, with real data of economic and human damages provided by a recent study by IDB.

Identifying Homelessness among Veterans Using VA Administrative Data: Opportunities to Expand Detection Criteria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel Peterson

Full Text Available Researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA have used administrative criteria to identify homelessness among U.S. Veterans. Our objective was to explore the use of these codes in VA health care facilities. We examined VA health records (2002-2012 of Veterans recently separated from the military and identified as homeless using VA conventional identification criteria (ICD-9-CM code V60.0, VA specific codes for homeless services, plus closely allied V60 codes indicating housing instability. Logistic regression analyses examined differences between Veterans who received these codes. Health care services and co-morbidities were analyzed in the 90 days post-identification of homelessness. VA conventional criteria identified 21,021 homeless Veterans from Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (rate 2.5%. Adding allied V60 codes increased that to 31,260 (rate 3.3%. While certain demographic differences were noted, Veterans identified as homeless using conventional or allied codes were similar with regards to utilization of homeless, mental health, and substance abuse services, as well as co-morbidities. Differences were noted in the pattern of usage of homelessness-related diagnostic codes in VA facilities nation-wide. Creating an official VA case definition for homelessness, which would include additional ICD-9-CM and other administrative codes for VA homeless services, would likely allow improved identification of homeless and at-risk Veterans. This also presents an opportunity for encouraging uniformity in applying these codes in VA facilities nationwide as well as in other large health care organizations.

Identifying Homelessness among Veterans Using VA Administrative Data: Opportunities to Expand Detection Criteria

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Rachel; Gundlapalli, Adi V.; Metraux, Stephen; Carter, Marjorie E.; Palmer, Miland; Redd, Andrew; Samore, Matthew H.; Fargo, Jamison D.

2015-01-01

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have used administrative criteria to identify homelessness among U.S. Veterans. Our objective was to explore the use of these codes in VA health care facilities. We examined VA health records (2002-2012) of Veterans recently separated from the military and identified as homeless using VA conventional identification criteria (ICD-9-CM code V60.0, VA specific codes for homeless services), plus closely allied V60 codes indicating housing instability. Logistic regression analyses examined differences between Veterans who received these codes. Health care services and co-morbidities were analyzed in the 90 days post-identification of homelessness. VA conventional criteria identified 21,021 homeless Veterans from Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (rate 2.5%). Adding allied V60 codes increased that to 31,260 (rate 3.3%). While certain demographic differences were noted, Veterans identified as homeless using conventional or allied codes were similar with regards to utilization of homeless, mental health, and substance abuse services, as well as co-morbidities. Differences were noted in the pattern of usage of homelessness-related diagnostic codes in VA facilities nation-wide. Creating an official VA case definition for homelessness, which would include additional ICD-9-CM and other administrative codes for VA homeless services, would likely allow improved identification of homeless and at-risk Veterans. This also presents an opportunity for encouraging uniformity in applying these codes in VA facilities nationwide as well as in other large health care organizations. PMID:26172386

A Role for Myosin Va in Human Cytomegalovirus Nuclear Egress.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkie, Adrian R; Sharma, Mayuri; Pesola, Jean M; Ericsson, Maria; Fernandez, Rosio; Coen, Donald M

2018-03-15

Herpesviruses replicate and package their genomes into capsids in replication compartments within the nuclear interior. Capsids then move to the inner nuclear membrane for envelopment and release into the cytoplasm in a process called nuclear egress. We previously found that nuclear F-actin is induced upon infection with the betaherpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and is important for nuclear egress and capsid localization away from replication compartment-like inclusions toward the nuclear rim. Despite these and related findings, it has not been shown that any specific motor protein is involved in herpesvirus nuclear egress. In this study, we have investigated whether the host motor protein, myosin Va, could be fulfilling this role. Using immunofluorescence microscopy and coimmunoprecipitation, we observed associations between a nuclear population of myosin Va and the viral major capsid protein, with both concentrating at the periphery of replication compartments. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that nearly 40% of assembled nuclear capsids associate with myosin Va. We also found that myosin Va and major capsid protein colocalize with nuclear F-actin. Importantly, antagonism of myosin Va with RNA interference or a dominant negative mutant revealed that myosin Va is important for the efficient production of infectious virus, capsid accumulation in the cytoplasm, and capsid localization away from replication compartment-like inclusions toward the nuclear rim. Our results lead us to suggest a working model whereby human cytomegalovirus capsids associate with myosin Va for movement from replication compartments to the nuclear periphery during nuclear egress. IMPORTANCE Little is known regarding how newly assembled and packaged herpesvirus capsids move from the nuclear interior to the periphery during nuclear egress. While it has been proposed that an actomyosin-based mechanism facilitates intranuclear movement of alphaherpesvirus capsids, a functional role for

An academic-VA partnership: Student interprofessional teams integrated with VA PACT teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Swenty, Constance L; Schaar, Gina L; Butler, Ryan M

2016-12-01

Veterans are challenged with multiple unique healthcare issues related to their military service environment. Likewise, health care providers must understand the special concerns associated with military conflict and recognize how the veteran's care can be optimized by interprofessional care delivery. Little is taught didactically or clinically that supports nursing students in addressing the unique issues of the veteran or the student's need to work collaboratively with allied health team members to enhance the veteran's care. Because of limited exposure to the veteran's special conditions, nursing students who may seek a career with the veteran population often face challenges in rendering appropriate care. The VA offers an invaluable opportunity for health profession students to collaborate with VA interprofessional Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) ultimately optimizing veteran health outcomes. This academic partnership, that implements an interprofessional model, will prepare students to better embrace the veteran population. This article describes the immersion of health profession students in interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) using PACT team principles which ultimately promotes the students' ability to link theory content to patient care delivery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OneVA EA Vision and Strategy

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — The outcomes/goals supported by effective use of an EA are: Improved Service Delivery, Functional Integration, Resource Optimization and Authoritative Reference. VA...

Flexural Stiffness of Myosin Va Subdomains as Measured from Tethered Particle Motion

Science.gov (United States)

Michalek, Arthur J.; Kennedy, Guy G.; Warshaw, David M.; Ali, M. Yusuf

2015-01-01

Myosin Va (MyoVa) is a processive molecular motor involved in intracellular cargo transport on the actin cytoskeleton. The motor's processivity and ability to navigate actin intersections are believed to be governed by the stiffness of various parts of the motor's structure. Specifically, changes in calcium may regulate motor processivity by altering the motor's lever arm stiffness and thus its interhead communication. In order to measure the flexural stiffness of MyoVa subdomains, we use tethered particle microscopy, which relates the Brownian motion of fluorescent quantum dots, which are attached to various single- and double-headed MyoVa constructs bound to actin in rigor, to the motor's flexural stiffness. Based on these measurements, the MyoVa lever arm and coiled-coil rod domain have comparable flexural stiffness (0.034 pN/nm). Upon addition of calcium, the lever arm stiffness is reduced 40% as a result of calmodulins potentially dissociating from the lever arm. In addition, the flexural stiffness of the full-length MyoVa construct is an order of magnitude less stiff than both a single lever arm and the coiled-coil rod. This suggests that the MyoVa lever arm-rod junction provides a flexible hinge that would allow the motor to maneuver cargo through the complex intracellular actin network. PMID:26770194

VaRank: a simple and powerful tool for ranking genetic variants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Véronique Geoffroy

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Background. Most genetic disorders are caused by single nucleotide variations (SNVs or small insertion/deletions (indels. High throughput sequencing has broadened the catalogue of human variation, including common polymorphisms, rare variations or disease causing mutations. However, identifying one variation among hundreds or thousands of others is still a complex task for biologists, geneticists and clinicians.Results. We have developed VaRank, a command-line tool for the ranking of genetic variants detected by high-throughput sequencing. VaRank scores and prioritizes variants annotated either by Alamut Batch or SnpEff. A barcode allows users to quickly view the presence/absence of variants (with homozygote/heterozygote status in analyzed samples. VaRank supports the commonly used VCF input format for variants analysis thus allowing it to be easily integrated into NGS bioinformatics analysis pipelines. VaRank has been successfully applied to disease-gene identification as well as to molecular diagnostics setup for several hundred patients.Conclusions. VaRank is implemented in Tcl/Tk, a scripting language which is platform-independent but has been tested only on Unix environment. The source code is available under the GNU GPL, and together with sample data and detailed documentation can be downloaded from http://www.lbgi.fr/VaRank/.

Home Health Care and Patterns of Subsequent VA and Medicare Health Care Utilization for Veterans

Science.gov (United States)

Van Houtven, Courtney Harold; Jeffreys, Amy S.; Coffman, Cynthia J.

2008-01-01

Purpose: The Veterans Affairs or VA health care system is in the process of significantly expanding home health care (HOC) nationwide. We describe VA HHC use in 2003 for all VA HHC users from 2002; we examine whether VA utilization across a broad spectrum of services differed for a sample of VA HHC users and their propensity-score-matched…

Comparison of historically simulated VaR: Evidence from oil prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costello, Alexandra; Asem, Ebenezer; Gardner, Eldon

2008-01-01

Cabedo and Moya [Cabedo, J.D., Moya, I., 2003. Estimating oil price 'Value at Risk' using the historical simulation approach. Energy Economics 25, 239-253] find that ARMA with historical simulation delivers VaR forecasts that are superior to those from GARCH. We compare the ARMA with historical simulation to the semi-parametric GARCH model proposed by Barone-Adesi et al. [Barone-Adesi, G., Giannopoulos, K., Vosper, L., 1999. VaR without correlations for portfolios of derivative securities. Journal of Futures Markets 19 (5), 583-602]. The results suggest that the semi-parametric GARCH model generates VaR forecasts that are superior to the VaR forecasts from the ARMA with historical simulation. This is due to the fact that GARCH captures volatility clustering. Our findings suggest that Cabedo and Moya's conclusion is mainly driven by the normal distributional assumption imposed on the future risk structure in the GARCH model. (author)

INFLUENCE OF RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS ON THE ELECTRICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF INP BULK CRYSTALS

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Yatskiv, Roman; Zavadil, Jiří; Pekárek, Ladislav

-, - (2011), s. 58-65 ISSN 1335-9053. [Development of Materials Science in Research and Education . Závažná Poruba, 31.08.2009-04.09.2009] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20670512 Keywords : Crystal growth * REEs elements * Electrical properties Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering

48 CFR 803.7000 - Display of the VA Hotline poster.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... poster. 803.7000 Section 803.7000 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS... Improper Business Practices 803.7000 Display of the VA Hotline poster. (a) Under the circumstances described in paragraph (b) of this section, a contractor must display prominently a VA Hotline poster...

ESTIMATING RISK ON THE CAPITAL MARKET WITH VaR METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinisa Bogdan

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The two basic questions that every investor tries to answer before investment are questions about predicting return and risk. Risk and return are generally considered two positively correlated sizes, during the growth of risk it is expected increase of return to compensate the higher risk. The quantification of risk in the capital market represents the current topic since occurrence of securities. Together with estimated future returns it represents starting point of any investment. In this study it is described the history of the emergence of VaR methods, usefulness in assessing the risks of financial assets. Three main Value at Risk (VaR methodologies are decribed and explained in detail: historical method, parametric method and Monte Carlo method. After the theoretical review of VaR methods it is estimated risk of liquid stocks and portfolio from the Croatian capital market with historical and parametric VaR method, after which the results were compared and explained.

Comparison of historically simulated VaR: Evidence from oil prices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costello, Alexandra [Seminole Canada Energy, Calgary, AB (Canada); Asem, Ebenezer; Gardner, Eldon [Faculty of Management, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB (Canada)

2008-09-15

Cabedo and Moya [Cabedo, J.D., Moya, I., 2003. Estimating oil price 'Value at Risk' using the historical simulation approach. Energy Economics 25, 239-253] find that ARMA with historical simulation delivers VaR forecasts that are superior to those from GARCH. We compare the ARMA with historical simulation to the semi-parametric GARCH model proposed by Barone-Adesi et al. [Barone-Adesi, G., Giannopoulos, K., Vosper, L., 1999. VaR without correlations for portfolios of derivative securities. Journal of Futures Markets 19 (5), 583-602]. The results suggest that the semi-parametric GARCH model generates VaR forecasts that are superior to the VaR forecasts from the ARMA with historical simulation. This is due to the fact that GARCH captures volatility clustering. Our findings suggest that Cabedo and Moya's conclusion is mainly driven by the normal distributional assumption imposed on the future risk structure in the GARCH model. (author)

VA Veterans Health Administration Access Data

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), our most important mission is to provide the high quality health care and benefits Veterans have earned and deserve —...

Semi-nonparametric VaR forecasts for hedge funds during the recent crisis

Science.gov (United States)

Del Brio, Esther B.; Mora-Valencia, Andrés; Perote, Javier

2014-05-01

The need to provide accurate value-at-risk (VaR) forecasting measures has triggered an important literature in econophysics. Although these accurate VaR models and methodologies are particularly demanded for hedge fund managers, there exist few articles specifically devoted to implement new techniques in hedge fund returns VaR forecasting. This article advances in these issues by comparing the performance of risk measures based on parametric distributions (the normal, Student’s t and skewed-t), semi-nonparametric (SNP) methodologies based on Gram-Charlier (GC) series and the extreme value theory (EVT) approach. Our results show that normal-, Student’s t- and Skewed t- based methodologies fail to forecast hedge fund VaR, whilst SNP and EVT approaches accurately success on it. We extend these results to the multivariate framework by providing an explicit formula for the GC copula and its density that encompasses the Gaussian copula and accounts for non-linear dependences. We show that the VaR obtained by the meta GC accurately captures portfolio risk and outperforms regulatory VaR estimates obtained through the meta Gaussian and Student’s t distributions.

Research on Interval Forecast For Metal Futures Market′s VaR Based on Bootstrap%基于Bootstrap的金属期货市场风险VaR区间预测

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

沈盟; 王璐

2016-01-01

金属期货市场风险VaR的准确测度对防范期货交易风险及保持市场健康平稳运行有重要作用.传统的VaR测度方法主要以点预测为主,无法反映预测近似值的精确程度及范围. 因此,提出了一种基于Bootstrap的金属期货市场风险VaR区间预测方法,同时引入LR检验区间预测的有效性,最后利用我国铜和铝期货市场数据进行了VaR风险的区间预测. 结果表明,新的VaR区间预测方法能克服点预测的不足,准确有效地描述VaR的估计风险,同时置信区间上下限可用于风险的预警及控制.%The accurate measurement on metal futures market′s VaR is important to prevent the futures′transaction risk and maintain the market healthy and stable operation.The traditional methods measuring VaR focus on point forecast which can't re-flect the accuracy of the predictive value.A new method to measure the interval forecast for metal futures market's VaR based on bootstrap is put forward.LR test is used to test the effectiveness of interval forecast.Finally,we empirical study the interval fore-cast of copper and aluminum futures market's VaR in China.The results show that the new method can overcome the lack of point forecast,while the upper and lower confidence interval can be used for early warning and control financial risks.

76 FR 52230 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Forest, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-22

...-0378; Airspace Docket No. 11-AEA-11] Establishment of Class E Airspace; Forest, VA AGENCY: Federal... at Forest, VA, to accommodate the new Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) Standard... published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish Class E airspace at Forest...

VA Personal Health Record Sample Data

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — My HealtheVet (www.myhealth.va.gov) is a Personal Health Record portal designed to improve the delivery of health care services to Veterans, to promote health and...

Controlled Crystal Grain Growth in Mixed Cation-Halide Perovskite by Evaporated Solvent Vapor Recycling Method for High Efficiency Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Numata, Youhei; Kogo, Atsushi; Udagawa, Yosuke; Kunugita, Hideyuki; Ema, Kazuhiro; Sanehira, Yoshitaka; Miyasaka, Tsutomu

2017-06-07

We developed a new and simple solvent vapor-assisted thermal annealing (VA) procedure which can reduce grain boundaries in a perovskite film for fabricating highly efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs). By recycling of solvent molecules evaporated from an as-prepared perovskite film as a VA vapor source, named the pot-roast VA (PR-VA) method, finely controlled and reproducible device fabrication was achieved for formamidinium (FA) and methylammonium (MA) mixed cation-halide perovskite (FAPbI 3 ) 0.85 (MAPbBr 3 ) 0.15 . The mixed perovskite was crystallized on a low-temperature prepared brookite TiO 2 mesoporous scaffold. When exposed to very dilute solvent vapor, small grains in the perovskite film gradually unified into large grains, resulting in grain boundaries which were highly reduced and improvement of photovoltaic performance in PSC. PR-VA-treated large grain perovskite absorbers exhibited stable photocurrent-voltage performance with high fill factor and suppressed hysteresis, achieving the best conversion efficiency of 18.5% for a 5 × 5 mm 2 device and 15.2% for a 1.0 × 1.0 cm 2 device.

Computing Conditional VaR using Time-varying CopulasComputing Conditional VaR using Time-varying Copulas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Vaz de Melo Mendes

2005-12-01

Full Text Available It is now widespread the use of Value-at-Risk (VaR as a canonical measure at risk. Most accurate VaR measures make use of some volatility model such as GARCH-type models. However, the pattern of volatility dynamic of a portfolio follows from the (univariate behavior of the risk assets, as well as from the type and strength of the associations among them. Moreover, the dependence structure among the components may change conditionally t past observations. Some papers have attempted to model this characteristic by assuming a multivariate GARCH model, or by considering the conditional correlation coefficient, or by incorporating some possibility for switches in regimes. In this paper we address this problem using time-varying copulas. Our modeling strategy allows for the margins to follow some FIGARCH type model while the copula dependence structure changes over time.

In aftermath of financial investigation Phoenix VA employee demoted after her testimony

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2013-03-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A previous Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care Journal editorial commented on fiscal mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA Medical Center in Phoenix (1. Now Paula Pedene, the former Phoenix VA public affairs officer, claims she was demoted for testimony she gave to the VA Inspector General’s Office (OIG regarding that investigation (2. In 2011, the OIG investigated the Phoenix VA for excess spending on private care of patients (3. The report blamed systemic failures for controls so weak that $56 million in medical fees were paid during 2010 without adequate review. The report particularly focused on one clinician assigned by the Chief of Staff to review hundreds of requests per week and the intensive care unit physicians for transferring patients to chronic ventilator units (1,3. After the investigation, the director and one of the associate directors left the VA and the chief of staff was promoted …

Isolation and characterization of specific bacteriophage Va1 to Vibrio alginolyticus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Fernández Espinel

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Vibrio alginolyticus is associated with diseases in aquaculture. The misuse of antibiotics has led to the search for alternatives in the treatment of bacterial diseases, among them the application of bacteriophages that infect and destroy bacteria selectively. In this way, a highly lytic V. alginolyticus bacteriophage, termed Va1, was isolated, with the aim to evaluate its physical chemical parameters. For this purpose, different temperature, pH, chloroform exposure and host range conditions were evaluated. The temperature stability of phage Va1 showed higher titers at 20 and 30 °C decreasing from 40 °C. With respect to pH, the highest titers for the bacteriophage were between 5 and 8, and chloroform exposure reduced viability of the Va1 phage by 25%. The one-step curve determined that the latency period and the burst size were 20 minutes and 192 PFU / infective center respectively. Under the transmission electron microscope, the Va1 phage showed an icosahedral head and a non-contractile tail, belonging to the Podoviridae family. In conclusion, Va1 phage presents potential characteristics for use in phage therapy.

The Application of VaR Method to Risk Evaluation of Bank Loans%VaR方法在银行贷款风险评估中的应用

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

邹新月

2005-01-01

Value-at-Risk model developed recently is a mathemetical medol to measure and monitor market risk. The article focuses on discussing calculate procedure and calculate method about applying VaR means for the bank loan risk in evaluation, we make clear differentiate both the Bank for International Settlements draw credit risk reserve and VaR means calculate bank loan risk value, find VaR means in application practicality value and extensity perspective in our bank loan risk for evaluation

Color Gamut of a Nematic Liquid Crystal Display

Science.gov (United States)

Shimomura, Teruo; Mada, Hitoshi; Kobayashi, Shunsuke

1980-05-01

The theoretical color gamut of a nematic liquid crystal display is described. The color gamut of a tunable birefringence mode and a guest host mode are revealed with the CIE chromaticity diagram and color solid. In order to account for the quantitative color gamut, color matching between the given chromaticity coordinates and those calculated is investigated. Color matching is performed by a combination of three liquid crystal subcells (A, B, C), where each subcell receives the voltage VA, VB, VC or contains the dye amount a, b, c. Calculation of the value of voltage or dye amount was executed by the matrix representation method. The calculated data are in good agreement with the given data within 0.50 CIE-UNIT color difference in the 1964 CIE (U*, V*, W*) color scale.

78 FR 76412 - Agency Information Collection (VA National Rehabilitation Special Events, Event Registration...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-17

... INFORMATION: Titles: a. National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic Application, VA Form 0924a, c, d and..., c, e. j. Voluntary Service Application, VA Form 0927f. k. National Veterans Summer sports Clinic... Festival Event Application, VA0929a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h. Type of Review: Revision of an already approved...

PERHITUNGAN VaR PORTOFOLIO SAHAM MENGGUNAKAN DATA HISTORIS DAN DATA SIMULASI MONTE CARLO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WAYAN ARTHINI

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Value at Risk (VaR is the maximum potential loss on a portfolio based on the probability at a certain time.  In this research, portfolio VaR values calculated from historical data and Monte Carlo simulation data. Historical data is processed so as to obtain stock returns, variance, correlation coefficient, and variance-covariance matrix, then the method of Markowitz sought proportion of each stock fund, and portfolio risk and return portfolio. The data was then simulated by Monte Carlo simulation, Exact Monte Carlo Simulation and Expected Monte Carlo Simulation. Exact Monte Carlo simulation have same returns and standard deviation  with historical data, while the Expected Monte Carlo Simulation satistic calculation similar to historical data. The results of this research is the portfolio VaR  with time horizon T=1, T=10, T=22 and the confidence level of 95 %, values obtained VaR between historical data and Monte Carlo simulation data with the method exact and expected. Value of VaR from both Monte Carlo simulation is greater than VaR historical data.

Poincare group, SU(3) and V-A in leptonic decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehm, A.

1975-07-01

From as few assumptions as possible about the relations between the Poincare group, the particle classifying SU(3) and V-A we derive properties of the K/sub l 3 / and K/sub L 2 / decays. From the assumed relation between SU(3) and the Poincare group and the first class condition it follows that the formfactor ratio Xi of K/sub l 3 / decay is Xi = --0.57, and that a value of Xi = 0 is in disagreement with very general and well accepted theoretical assumptions. Assuming universality of V-A, the Cabibbo suppression is derived from the relations between SU(3) and V-A as a consequence of the brokenness of SU(3). (U.S.)

VA Health Care: VA Spends Millions on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Research and Incorporates Research Outcomes into Guidelines and Policy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Services

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

post - traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) and...Veterans Affairs (VA) Intramural Post - Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD ) Research Funding and VA’s Medical and Prosthetic Research Appropriation...Table 6: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Research Centers and Programs That Conduct or Support Post - Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD ) Research

Employment status, employment functioning, and barriers to employment among VA primary care patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Zivin, Kara; Yosef, Matheos; Levine, Debra S; Abraham, Kristen M; Miller, Erin M; Henry, Jennifer; Nelson, C Beau; Pfeiffer, Paul N; Sripada, Rebecca K; Harrod, Molly; Valenstein, Marcia

2016-03-15

Prior research found lower employment rates among working-aged patients who use the VA than among non-Veterans or Veterans who do not use the VA, with the lowest reported employment rates among VA patients with mental disorders. This study assessed employment status, employment functioning, and barriers to employment among VA patients treated in primary care settings, and examined how depression and anxiety were associated with these outcomes. The sample included 287 VA patients treated in primary care in a large Midwestern VA Medical Center. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted examining associations between socio-demographic and clinical predictors of six employment domains, including: employment status, job search self-efficacy, work performance, concerns about job loss among employed Veterans, and employment barriers and likelihood of job seeking among not employed Veterans. 54% of respondents were employed, 36% were not employed, and 10% were economically inactive. In adjusted analyses, participants with depression or anxiety (43%) were less likely to be employed, had lower job search self-efficacy, had lower levels of work performance, and reported more employment barriers. Depression and anxiety were not associated with perceived likelihood of job loss among employed or likelihood of job seeking among not employed. Single VA primary care clinic; cross-sectional study. Employment rates are low among working-aged VA primary care patients, particularly those with mental health conditions. Offering primary care interventions to patients that address mental health issues, job search self-efficacy, and work performance may be important in improving health, work, and economic outcomes. Published by Elsevier B.V.

78 FR 18425 - Proposed Information Collection VA Police Officer Pre-Employment Screening Checklist); Comment...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-26

... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: VA Police Officer Pre-Employment... Police Officer Pre-Employment Screening Checklist); Comment Request AGENCY: Office of Operations... approved collection. Abstract: VA personnel complete VA Form 0120 to document pre- employment history and...

76 FR 24570 - Proposed Information Collection (Application for VA Education Benefits) Activity; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-02

... (Application for VA Education Benefits) Activity; Comment Request AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA... Under the Montgomery GI Bill, VA Form 22-1990E. c. Application for VA Education Benefits Under the...

Validation of KENO V.a for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Felsher, H.D.; Fentiman, A.W.; Tayloe, R.W.; D'Aquila, D.

1992-01-01

At the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, KENO V.a is used to make criticality calculations for complex configurations and a wide range of 235 U enrichments. It is essential that the calculated critical conditions either accurately reflect the true critical state or that the bias from the true critical conditions are well known. Accordingly, a study has been initiated to validate KENO V.a over the ranges of parameters expected to be used when modeling equipment and processes at Portsmouth. Preliminary results of that study are reported in this paper. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify a set of data from existing critical experiments that will exercise all KENO V.a parameters commonly used by Portsmouth's criticality safety personnel. A second goal is to identify a relatively small subset of those experiments that may be run frequently to ensure that KENO V.a provides consistent results

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY 2016

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY2010

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY2012

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY2004

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY1998

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY2009

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY2013

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures FY2002

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report details VA expenditures at the state, county, and Congressional District level. It includes categories such as Compensation and Pension, Construction,...

Continuous-energy version of KENO V.a for criticality safety applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunn, Michael E.; Greene, N. Maurice; Petrie, Lester M.

2003-01-01

KENO V.a is a multigroup Monte Carlo code that solves the Boltzmann transport equation and is used extensively in the criticality safety community to calculate the effective multiplication factor of systems with fissionable material. In this work, a continuous-energy or pointwise version of KENO V.a has been developed by first designing a new continuous-energy cross-section format and then by developing the appropriate Monte Carlo transport procedures to sample the new cross-section format. In order to generate pointwise cross sections for a test library, a series of cross-section processing modules were developed and used to process 50 ENDF/B-6 Release 7 nuclides for the test library. Once the cross-section processing procedures were in place, a continuous-energy version of KENO V.a was developed and tested by calculating 21 critical benchmark experiments. The point KENO-calculated results for the 21 benchmarks are in agreement with calculated results obtained with the multigroup version of KENO V.a using the 238-group ENDF/B-5 and 199-group ENDF/B-6 Release 3 libraries. Based on the calculated results with the prototypic cross-section library, a continuous-energy version of the KENO V.a code has been successfully developed and demonstrated for modeling systems with fissionable material. (author)

CoVaCS: a consensus variant calling system.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiara, Matteo; Gioiosa, Silvia; Chillemi, Giovanni; D'Antonio, Mattia; Flati, Tiziano; Picardi, Ernesto; Zambelli, Federico; Horner, David Stephen; Pesole, Graziano; Castrignanò, Tiziana

2018-02-05

The advent and ongoing development of next generation sequencing technologies (NGS) has led to a rapid increase in the rate of human genome re-sequencing data, paving the way for personalized genomics and precision medicine. The body of genome resequencing data is progressively increasing underlining the need for accurate and time-effective bioinformatics systems for genotyping - a crucial prerequisite for identification of candidate causal mutations in diagnostic screens. Here we present CoVaCS, a fully automated, highly accurate system with a web based graphical interface for genotyping and variant annotation. Extensive tests on a gold standard benchmark data-set -the NA12878 Illumina platinum genome- confirm that call-sets based on our consensus strategy are completely in line with those attained by similar command line based approaches, and far more accurate than call-sets from any individual tool. Importantly our system exhibits better sensitivity and higher specificity than equivalent commercial software. CoVaCS offers optimized pipelines integrating state of the art tools for variant calling and annotation for whole genome sequencing (WGS), whole-exome sequencing (WES) and target-gene sequencing (TGS) data. The system is currently hosted at Cineca, and offers the speed of a HPC computing facility, a crucial consideration when large numbers of samples must be analysed. Importantly, all the analyses are performed automatically allowing high reproducibility of the results. As such, we believe that CoVaCS can be a valuable tool for the analysis of human genome resequencing studies. CoVaCS is available at: https://bioinformatics.cineca.it/covacs .

76 FR 44288 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; New Market, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-25

...-380; Airspace Docket No. 11-AEA-12] Establishment of Class E Airspace; New Market, VA AGENCY: Federal... proposes to establish Class E Airspace at New Market, VA, to accommodate the additional airspace needed for the Standard Instrument Approach Procedures developed for New Market Airport. This action would...

76 FR 40453 - Agency Information Collection (Application for VA Education Benefits) Activity Under OMB Review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-08

... (Application for VA Education Benefits) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration... Education Benefits, VA Form 22-1990. b. Application for Family Member to Use Transferred Benefits, VA Form 22-1990E. [[Page 40454

VA/Q distribution during heavy exercise and recovery in humans: implications for pulmonary edema

Science.gov (United States)

Schaffartzik, W.; Poole, D. C.; Derion, T.; Tsukimoto, K.; Hogan, M. C.; Arcos, J. P.; Bebout, D. E.; Wagner, P. D.

1992-01-01

Ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) inequality has been shown to increase with exercise. Potential mechanisms for this increase include nonuniform pulmonary vasoconstriction, ventilatory time constant inequality, reduced large airway gas mixing, and development of interstitial pulmonary edema. We hypothesized that persistence of VA/Q mismatch after ventilation and cardiac output subside during recovery would be consistent with edema; however, rapid resolution would suggest mechanisms related to changes in ventilation and blood flow per se. Thirteen healthy males performed near-maximal cycle ergometry at an inspiratory PO2 of 91 Torr (because hypoxia accentuates VA/Q mismatch on exercise). Cardiorespiratory variables and inert gas elimination patterns were measured at rest, during exercise, and between 2 and 30 min of recovery. Two profiles of VA/Q distribution behavior emerged during heavy exercise: in group 1 an increase in VA/Q mismatch (log SDQ of 0.35 +/- 0.02 at rest and 0.44 +/- 0.02 at exercise; P less than 0.05, n = 7) and in group 2 no change in VA/Q mismatch (n = 6). There were no differences in anthropometric data, work rate, O2 uptake, or ventilation during heavy exercise between groups. Group 1 demonstrated significantly greater VA/Q inequality, lower vital capacity, and higher forced expiratory flow at 25-75% of forced vital capacity for the first 20 min during recovery than group 2. Cardiac index was higher in group 1 both during heavy exercise and 4 and 6 min postexercise. However, both ventilation and cardiac output returned toward baseline values more rapidly than did VA/Q relationships. Arterial pH was lower in group 1 during exercise and recovery. We conclude that greater VA/Q inequality in group 1 and its persistence during recovery are consistent with the hypothesis that edema occurs and contributes to the increase in VA/Q inequality during exercise. This is supported by observation of greater blood flows and acidosis and, presumably therefore

MODEL NON LINIER GARCH (NGARCH UNTUK MENGESTIMASI NILAI VALUE at RISK (VaR PADA IHSG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I KOMANG TRY BAYU MAHENDRA

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In investment, risk measurement is important. One of risk measure is Value at Risk (VaR. There are many methods that can be used to estimate risk based on VaR framework. One of them Non Linier GARCH (NGARCH model. In this research, determination of VaR used NGARCH model. NGARCH model allowed for asymetric behaviour in the volatility such that “good news” or positive return and “bad news” or negative return. Based on calculations of VaR, the higher of the confidence level and the longer the investment period, the risk was greater. Determination of VaR using NGARCH model was less than GARCH model.

Vectorization of the KENO V.a criticality safety code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollenbach, D.F.; Dodds, H.L.; Petrie, L.M.

1991-01-01

The development of the vector processor, which is used in the current generation of supercomputers and is beginning to be used in workstations, provides the potential for dramatic speed-up for codes that are able to process data as vectors. Unfortunately, the stochastic nature of Monte Carlo codes prevents the old scalar version of these codes from taking advantage of the vector processors. New Monte Carlo algorithms that process all the histories undergoing the same event as a batch are required. Recently, new vectorized Monte Carlo codes have been developed that show significant speed-ups when compared to the scalar version of themselves or equivalent codes. This paper discusses the vectorization of an already existing and widely used criticality safety code, KENO V.a All the changes made to KENO V.a are transparent to the user making it possible to upgrade from the standard scalar version of KENO V.a to the vectorized version without learning a new code

76 FR 79067 - Payment or Reimbursement for Emergency Treatment Furnished by Non-VA Providers in Non-VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-21

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 38 CFR Part 17 RIN 2900-AN49 Payment or Reimbursement for Emergency..., authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to reimburse eligible veterans for costs related to non-VA.... Specifically, section 1725 authorizes reimbursement for emergency treatment for eligible veterans with...

Surface alignment of liquid crystal multilayers evaporated on a photoaligned polyimide film observed by surface profiler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oo, T.N.; Iwata, T.; Kimura, M.; Akahane, T.

2005-01-01

The investigation of the surface alignment of liquid crystal (LC) multilayers evaporated on a photoaligned polyimide vertical alignment (PI-VA) film was carried out by means of a novel three-dimensional (3-D) surface profiler. The photoinduced anisotropy of the partially UV-exposed PI-VA film can be visualized as a topological image of LC multilayers. It seems that the topology of LC multilayers is indicating the orientational distribution of LC molecules on the treated film. Moreover, it was shown that the surface profiler can be used to produce non-contact images with high vertical resolution (∼ 0.01 nm). Copyright (2003) AD-TECH - International Foundation for the Advancement of Technology Ltd

Methods for estimating and comparing VA outpatient drug benefits with the private sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Render, Marta L; Nowak, John; Hammond, Emmett K; Roselle, Gary

2003-06-01

To estimate and compare Veterans Health Administration (VA) expenditures for outpatient pharmaceuticals for veterans at six VA facilities with hypothetical private sector costs. Using the VA Pharmacy Benefits Management Strategic Health Care Group (PBM) database, we extracted data for all dispensed outpatient prescriptions from the six study sites over federal fiscal year 1999. After extensive data validation, we converted prescriptions to the same units and merged relevant VA pricing information by National Drug Code to Redbook listed average wholesale price and the Medicaid maximal allowable charge, where available. We added total VA drug expenditures to personnel cost from the pharmacy portion of that medical center's cost distribution report. Hypothetical private sector payments were $200.8 million compared with an aggregate VA budget of $118.8 million. Using National Drug Code numbers, 97% of all items dispensed from the six facilities were matched to private sector price data. Nonmatched pharmaceuticals were largely generic over-the-counter pain relievers and commodities like alcohol swabs. The most commonly prescribed medications reflect the diseases and complaints of an older male population: pain, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and depression or other psychiatric disorders. Use of the VA PBM database permits researchers to merge expenditure and prescription data to patient diagnoses and sentinel events. A critical element in its use is creating similar units among the systems. Such data sets permit a deeper view of the variability in drug expenditures, an important sector of health care whose inflation has been disproportionate to that of the economy and even health care.

Malaria epidemiology in the Pakaanóva (Wari') Indians, Brazilian Amazon.

Science.gov (United States)

Sá, D Ribeiro; Souza-Santos, R; Escobar, A L; Coimbra, C E A

2005-04-01

This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study of malaria incidence (1998-2002) among the Pakaanóva (Wari') Indians, Brazilian southwest Amazon region, based on data routinely gathered by Brazilian National Health Foundation outposts network in conjunction with the Indian health service. Malaria is present yearlong in the Pakaanóva. Statistically significant differences between seasons or months were not noticed. A total of 1933 cases of malaria were diagnosed in the Pakaanóva during this period. The P. vivax / P. falciparum ratio was 3.4. P. vivax accounted for 76.5% of the cases. Infections with P. malariae were not recorded. Incidence rates did not differ by sex. Most malaria cases were reported in children < 10 years old (45%). About one fourth of all cases were diagnosed on women 10-40 years old. An entomological survey carried out at two Pakaanóva villages yielded a total of 3.232 specimens of anophelines. Anopheles darlingi predominated (94.4%). Most specimens were captured outdoors and peak activity hours were noted at early evening and just before sunrise. It was observed that Pakaanóva cultural practices may facilitate outdoor exposure of individuals of both sexes and all age groups during peak hours of mosquito activities (e.g., coming to the river early in the morning for bathing or to draw water, fishing, engaging in hunting camps, etc). In a context in which anophelines are ubiquitous and predominantly exophilic, and humans of both sexes and all ages are prone to outdoor activities during peak mosquito activity hours, malaria is likely to remain endemic in the Pakaanóva, thus requiring the development of alternative control strategies that are culturally and ecologically sensitive.

The Burr X Pareto Distribution: Properties, Applications and VaR Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Ç. Korkmaz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a new three-parameter Pareto distribution is introduced and studied. We discuss various mathematical and statistical properties of the new model. Some estimation methods of the model parameters are performed. Moreover, the peaks-over-threshold method is used to estimate Value-at-Risk (VaR by means of the proposed distribution. We compare the distribution with a few other models to show its versatility in modelling data with heavy tails. VaR estimation with the Burr X Pareto distribution is presented using time series data, and the new model could be considered as an alternative VaR model against the generalized Pareto model for financial institutions.

Biomechanics of Head, Neck, and Chest Injury Prevention for Soldiers

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

30 am – 5:00 pm Overview of Blast Physics and Applications Doubletree Hotel Crystal City Arlington VA, Between the Pentagon and National Airport at...provided) 8:30 Introduction and Overview Dr. Stefan Duma, Virginia Tech Head Injury Biomechanics 8:45 “Instrumented Helmet Data Collection and Analysis...of NASA Suit Interface and Landing Conditions” Ms. Kerry Danelson, Wake Forest University 4:05 “Modeling Human Variation: Orbit Anthropometry and

75 FR 33216 - Payment or Reimbursement for Emergency Treatment Furnished by Non-VA Providers in Non-VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-11

... health care services for veterans).'' Proposed Sec. 17.121(a) would establish the clinical decision maker... practice to utilize the services of health care professionals, such as nurses, for purposes of clinical review. For this reason, establishing the clinical decision maker as a ``designated VA clinician'' would...

Testing popular VaR models in EU new member and candidate states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saša Žiković

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The impact of allowing banks to calculate their capital requirement based on their internal VaR models, and the impact of regulation changes on banks in transitional countries has not been well studied. This paper examines whether VaR models that are created and suited for developed markets apply to the volatile stock markets of EU new member and candidate states (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey. Nine popular VaR models are tested on five stock indexes from EU new member and candidate states. Backtesting results show that VaR models commonly used in developed stock markets are not well suited for measuring market risk in these markets. Presented findings bear very important implications that have to be addressed by regulators and risk practitioners operating in EU new member andcandidate states. Risk managers have to start thinking outside the frames set by their parent companies or else investors present in these markets may find themselves in serious trouble, dealing with losses that they have not been expecting. National regulators have to take into consideration that simplistic VaR models that are widely used in some developed countries are not well suited for these illiquid and developing stock markets.

76 FR 71920 - Payment for Home Health Services and Hospice Care by Non-VA Providers

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-21

... concerning the billing methodology for non-VA providers of home health services and hospice care. The proposed rulemaking would include home health services and hospice care under the VA regulation governing... to ``RIN 2900-AN98--Payment for home health and services and hospice care by non-VA providers...

Effects of inspired CO2, hyperventilation, and time on VA/Q inequality in the dog

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukimoto, K.; Arcos, J. P.; Schaffartzik, W.; Wagner, P. D.; West, J. B.

1992-01-01

In a recent study by Tsukimoto et al. (J. Appl. Physiol. 68: 2488-2493, 1990), CO2 inhalation appeared to reduce the size of the high ventilation-perfusion ratio (VA/Q) mode commonly observed in anesthetized mechanically air-ventilated dogs. In that study, large tidal volumes (VT) were used during CO2 inhalation to preserve normocapnia. To separate the influences of CO2 and high VT on the VA/Q distribution in the present study, we examined the effect of inspired CO2 on the high VA/Q mode using eight mechanically ventilated dogs (4 given CO2, 4 controls). The VA/Q distribution was measured first with normal VT and then with increased VT. In the CO2 group at high VT, data were collected before, during, and after CO2 inhalation. With normal VT, there was no difference in the size of the high VA/Q mode between groups [10.5 +/- 3.5% (SE) of ventilation in the CO2 group, 11.8 +/- 5.2% in the control group]. Unexpectedly, the size of the high VA/Q mode decreased similarly in both groups over time, independently of the inspired PCO2, at a rate similar to the fall in cardiac output over time. The reduction in the high VA/Q mode together with a simultaneous increase in alveolar dead space (estimated by the difference between inert gas dead space and Fowler dead space) suggests that poorly perfused high VA/Q areas became unperfused over time. A possible mechanism is that elevated alveolar pressure and decreased cardiac output eliminate blood flow from corner vessels in nondependent high VA/Q regions.

Summer in the City - Assessing and Communicating the Richmond, VA Urban Heat Island to the Public and Policymakers

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, J. S.; Maurakis, E. G.; Shandas, V.

2017-12-01

The local impacts of global climate change are generally underestimated or misunderstood by the public and policymakers as far-off, future problems. However, differential and regional surface warming trends are exacerbated in urban areas due to the radiative properties of impervious surfaces like buildings and roads relative to natural landscapes. Decades of research illustrate that this unnatural radiative imbalance in the built environment gives rise to the well-studied urban heat island effect, whereby air temperatures in urban areas are several degrees warmer than in surrounding non-urbanized areas. In this way, the urban heat island effect presents a unique opportunity to highlight the human influence on Earth systems and at the same time mobilize local community-scale action to mitigate and become resilient to climate change impacts on tangible, experiential time scales. However, public stakeholders, city planners, and policymakers may view the urban heat island effect and its mitigation strategies through varying degrees of climatological, public health, and urban development knowledge and interest. This variation in stakeholder engagement highlights the need for individualized science communication strategies for each audience in order to maximize understanding of the scientific outcomes and tactics for mitigating the urban heat island effect. The City of Richmond, Virginia is currently developing a climate action plan as part of their greenhouse gas emission reduction initiative, RVAgreen 2050, and its recently announced "Richmond 300," a 20-year city development master plan. These initiatives provide the policy backdrop for a public and stakeholder education campaign centered on communicating urban heat island effects and resilience strategies. As such, the Science Museum of Virginia led the city's first urban heat island assessment using citizen science and leveraging a network of local university, non-profit, and city government stakeholders. Here, we

78 FR 66265 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-05

... Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice... Elizabeth River Eastern Branch, mile 1.1, at Norfolk, VA. This deviation is necessary to facilitate... maintenance. The Norfolk Southern 5 railroad Bridge, at mile 1.1, across the Elizabeth River (Eastern Branch...

46 CFR 7.55 - Cape Henry, VA to Cape Fear, NC.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cape Henry, VA to Cape Fear, NC. 7.55 Section 7.55 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PROCEDURES APPLICABLE TO THE PUBLIC BOUNDARY LINES Atlantic Coast § 7.55 Cape Henry, VA to Cape Fear, NC. (a) A line drawn from Rudee Inlet Jetty Light “2” to...

Can reported VaR be used as an indicator of the volatility of share prices? Evidence from UK banks.

OpenAIRE

Ou, Shian Kao

2006-01-01

Value at Risk (VaR) is used as an indicator to measure the risks contained in a firm. With the uprising development of VaR theory and computational techniques, the VaR is nowadays adopted by banks and reported in annual reports. Since the method to calculate VaR is questioned, and the reported VaR can not be thoroughly audited, this paper attempts to find the relationship between the reported VaR and the volatility of share price for UK listed banks. This paper reviews literature about VaR an...

VA's National PTSD Brain Bank: a National Resource for Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, Matthew J; Huber, Bertrand R; Brady, Christopher B; Ursano, Robert J; Benedek, David M; Kowall, Neil W; McKee, Ann C

2017-08-25

The National PTSD Brain Bank (NPBB) is a brain tissue biorepository established to support research on the causes, progression, and treatment of PTSD. It is a six-part consortium led by VA's National Center for PTSD with participating sites at VA medical centers in Boston, MA; Durham, NC; Miami, FL; West Haven, CT; and White River Junction, VT along with the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. It is also well integrated with VA's Boston-based brain banks that focus on Alzheimer's disease, ALS, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and other neurological disorders. This article describes the organization and operations of NPBB with specific attention to: tissue acquisition, tissue processing, diagnostic assessment, maintenance of a confidential data biorepository, adherence to ethical standards, governance, accomplishments to date, and future challenges. Established in 2014, NPBB has already acquired and distributed brain tissue to support research on how PTSD affects brain structure and function.

Feasibility and acceptability of interventions to delay gun access in VA mental health settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Walters, Heather; Kulkarni, Madhur; Forman, Jane; Roeder, Kathryn; Travis, Jamie; Valenstein, Marcia

2012-01-01

The majority of VA patient suicides are completed with firearms. Interventions that delay patients' gun access during high-risk periods may reduce suicide, but may not be acceptable to VA stakeholders or may be challenging to implement. Using qualitative methods, stakeholders' perceptions about gun safety and interventions to delay gun access during high-risk periods were explored. Ten focus groups and four individual interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, including VA mental health patients, mental health clinicians, family members and VA facility leaders (N=60). Transcripts were consensus-coded by two independent coders, and structured summaries were developed and reviewed using a consensus process. All stakeholder groups indicated that VA health system providers had a role in increasing patient safety and emphasized the need for providers to address gun access with their at-risk patients. However, VA mental health patients and clinicians reported limited discussion regarding gun access in VA mental health settings during routine care. Most, although not all, patients and clinicians indicated that routine screening for gun access was acceptable, with several noting that it was more acceptable for mental health patients. Most participants suggested that family and friends be involved in reducing gun access, but expressed concerns about potential family member safety. Participants generally found distribution of trigger locks acceptable, but were skeptical about its effectiveness. Involving Veteran Service Organizations or other individuals in temporarily holding guns during high-risk periods was acceptable to many participants but only with numerous caveats. Patients, clinicians and family members consider the VA health system to have a legitimate role in addressing gun safety. Several measures to delay gun access during high-risk periods for suicide were seen as acceptable and feasible if implemented thoughtfully. Published by Elsevier Inc.

46 CFR 7.45 - Cape Henlopen, DE to Cape Charles, VA.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cape Henlopen, DE to Cape Charles, VA. 7.45 Section 7.45... Atlantic Coast § 7.45 Cape Henlopen, DE to Cape Charles, VA. (a) A line drawn from the easternmost extremity of Indian River Inlet North Jetty to latitude 38°36.5′ N. longitude 75°02.8′ W. (Indian River...

VA Enterprise Design Patterns - 5.1 (Mobility) Mobile

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — First of a set of guidance documents that establish the architectural foundation for mobile computing in the VA. This document outlines the enterprise capabilities...

VA Enterprise Design Patters - 2.5 (Enterprise Architecture)

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — Enterprise architectural guidelines and constraints that provide references to the use of enterprise capabilities that will enable the VA to access and exchange data...

38 CFR 74.26 - What types of business information will VA collect?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... VETERANS AFFAIRS (CONTINUED) VETERANS SMALL BUSINESS REGULATIONS Records Management § 74.26 What types of business information will VA collect? VA will examine a variety of business records. See § 74.12, “What is... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What types of business...

Geologic map of the Stephens City quadrangle, Clark, Frederick, and Warren Counties, Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

Weary, D.J.; Orndorff, R.C.; Aleman-Gonzalez, W.

2006-01-01

The Stephens City 1:24,000-scale quadrangle is one of several quadrangles in Frederick County, Virginia being mapped by geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, VA with funding from the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. This work is part of a project being lead by the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Discipline, Virginia District, to investigate the geologic framework and groundwater resources of Frederick County as well as other areas in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia.

Interaction of blood coagulation factor Va with phospholipid vesicles examined by using lipophilic photoreagents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krieg, U.C.; Isaacs, B.S.; Yemul, S.S.; Esmon, C.T.; Bayley, H.; Johnson, A.E.

1987-01-01

Two different lipophilic photoreagents, [ 3 H]adamantane diazirine and 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-[ 125 I]iodophenyl)diazirine (TID), have been utilized to examine the interactions of blood coagulation factor Va with calcium, prothrombin, factor Xa, and, in particular, phospholipid vesicles. With each of these structurally dissimilar reagents, the extent of photolabeling of factor Va was greater when the protein was bound to a membrane surface than when it was free in solution. Specifically, the covalent photoreaction with Vl, the smaller subunit of factor Va, was 2-fold higher in the presence of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine (PC/PS, 3:1) vesicles, to which factor Va binds, than in the presence of 100% PC vesicles, to which the protein does not bind. However, the magnitude of the PC/PS-dependent photolabeling was much less than has been observed previously with integral membrane proteins. It therefore appears that the binding of factor Va to the membrane surface exposes Vl to the lipid core of the bilayer, but that only a small portion of the Vl polypeptide is exposed to, or embedded in, the bilayer core. Addition of either prothrombin or active-site-blocked factor Xa to PC/PS-bound factor Va had little effect on the photolabeling of Vl with TID, but reduced substantially the covalent labeling of Vh, the larger subunit of factor Va. This indicates that prothrombin and factor Xa each cover nonpolar surfaces on Vh when the macromolecules associate on the PC/PS surface. It therefore seems likely that the formation of the prothrombinase complex involves a direct interaction between Vh and factor Xa and between Vh and prothrombin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Electroencephalogram (EEG spectral features discriminate between Alzheimer’s (AD and Vascular dementia (VaD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuel eNeto

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD and vascular dementia (VaD present with similar clinical symptoms of cognitive decline, but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms differ. To determine whether clinical electroencephalography (EEG can provide information relevant to discriminate between these diagnoses, we used quantitative EEG analysis to compare the spectra between non-medicated patients with AD (n=77 and VaD (n=77 and healthy elderly normal controls (NC (n=77. We use curve-fitting with a combination of a power loss and Gaussian function to model the averaged resting-state spectra of each EEG channel extracting six parameters. We assessed the performance of our model and tested the extracted parameters for group differentiation. We performed regression analysis in a MANCOVA with group, age, gender, and number of epochs as predictors and further explored the topographical group differences with pair-wise contrasts. Significant topographical differences between the groups were found in several of the extracted features. Both AD and VaD groups showed increased delta power when compared to NC, whereas the AD patients showed a decrease in alpha power for occipital and temporal regions when compared with NC. The VaD patients had higher alpha power than NC and AD. The AD and VaD groups showed slowing of the alpha rhythm. Variability of the alpha frequency was wider for both AD and VaD groups. There was a general decrease in beta power for both AD and VaD. The proposed model is a useful to parameterize spectra which allowed extracting relevant clinical EEG key features that move towards simple and interpretable diagnostic criteria.

LIFE JOURNEY: MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC WORK OF PROFESSOR V.A. SOKOLOV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Ivanov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to doctor of medicine, professor V.A. Sokolov. In 2017 he celebrates his eightieth birthday. Professor V.A. .Sokolov is one of the founders of polytrauma treatment in USSR and Russia. For a long time he had been heading polytrauma department at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine. Due to his work, algorithms of life sustaining and recovery of serious patients were developed. Professor V.A. Sokolov is the author of 6 monographies and about 300 periodical papers. Besides, he is the holder of 32 patents. Some of his inventions were popularized and manufactured. He had been leading active scientific work, which resulted in 6 doctoral dissertations and 15 candidate theses. The staff of N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine congratulates on the anniversary.

75 FR 25321 - Agency Information Collection (VA National Rehabilitation Special Events, Event Registration...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-07

... Winter Sports Clinic Application, VA Form 0924a series. b. National Veterans Wheelchair Games Application.... National Veterans TEE Tournament Application, VA Form 0927a series. e. National Veterans Summer Sports... Form 0929a series. Type of Review: Existing collection in use without an OMB control number. Abstract...

V.A. Gorodtsov and Kazan: tour 1920

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuzminykh Sergey V.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A fragment of an archival document is published, that is connected to the September 8-12, 1920, stay in Kazan of V.A. Gorodtsov, who headed the Archaeological Subdepartment with the Museum Department of the RSFSR People’s Commissariat for Education, in the framework of his inspecting tour around the towns of the Volga and Urals region. The document is a diary, and its entries reflect information about the tour and its results that had not been exhaustively reflected in official documentation. It narrates about meetings, polemic exchanges, Gorodtsov’s addresses to scientists and the public, his impressions of the archaeological investigations in the regions, and the state of the museums and collections. V.A. Gorodtsov’s encounters and personal contacts with B.F. Adler, N.F. Katanov, M.G. Hudyakov and other researchers had played a positive role in archaeology development in the Volga-Kama region during the hardest times after the revolution.

Vađenje podrtina i potonulih stvari u svjetlu novele Pomorskog zakonika iz 2013. godine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesna Skorupan Wolff

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Materiju vađenja podrtina i potonulih stvari uređuju odredbe upravnopravne prirode koje reguliraju odnose između vlasnika podrtine ili potonule stvari, odnosno ovlaštene osobe i upravnih tijela, a kojima se uređuju razni pravni aspekti postupka vađenja. Pravo vaditi podrtinu ili potonulu stvar primarno ima njezin vlasnik odnosno ovlaštena osoba. Zakon vlasnicima podrtina i potonulih stvari, odnosno ovlaštenim osobama, ostavlja primjeren rok u kojem mogu pokrenuti upravni postupak za dobivanje dozvole za vađenje podrtine ili potonule stvari. Na taj način jamči se nepovredivost vlasništva i utvrđuje načelo prema kojem činjenica da je stvar potonula ili se nasukala ne utječe izravno na vlasnička prava njezina dotadašnjeg vlasnika. Međutim, ako vlasnik, odnosno ovlaštena osoba ne zatraži odobrenje za vađenje podrtine ili potonule stvari, ili kad bez opravdanog razloga prekine ili napusti započeto vađenje kao i u slučaju ako je ovlaštena osoba nepoznata, PZ nudi pravni okvir i omogućuje da vađenje podrtine ili potonule stvari poduzme pošteni nalaznik ili lučka kapetanija. U okviru instituta vađenja podrtina i potonulih stvari uvodi se posebno pravno uređenje za nalaz stvari u moru te se precizno normiraju svi segmenti postupka vađenja kada ga poduzima pošteni nalaznik ili lučka kapetanija. Uređuju se i sva relevantna pitanja u svezi postupanja s izvađenim stvarima kao što su njihovo čuvanje te u propisanim slučajevima mogućnost prodaje na javnoj dražbi. PZ-om se precizno uređuju obvezni odnosi koji nastaju između vlasnika, odnosno ovlaštene osobe i poštenog nalaznika te vlasnika, odnosno ovlaštene osobe i lučke kapetanije, ovisno o tome tko je poduzeo vađenje, a koji se odnose na plaćanje naknade za vađenje, čuvanje, nalazninu i druge tražbine koje zakon priznaje poštenim nalaznicima i lučkim kapetanijama. U okviru toga, uređuje se i posebno stvarnopravno uređenje za stjecanje prava vlasni

VA Dental Insurance Program--federalism. Direct final rule; confirmation of effective date.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-20

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a direct final rule in the Federal Register on October 22, 2013, amending its regulations related to the VA Dental Insurance Program (VADIP), a pilot program to offer premium-based dental insurance to enrolled veterans and certain survivors and dependents of veterans. Specifically, this rule adds language to clarify the limited preemptive effect of certain criteria in the VADIP regulations. VA received no comments concerning this rule or its companion substantially identical proposed rule published in the Federal Register on October 23, 2013. This document confirms that the direct final rule became effective on December 23, 2013. In a companion document in this issue of the Federal Register, we are withdrawing as unnecessary the proposed rule.

38 CFR 1.9 - Description, use, and display of VA seal and flag.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... stars represent the five branches of military service. The crossed flags represent our nation's history... employees. (D) Official VA signs. (E) Official publications or graphics issued by and attributed to VA, or...) Souvenir or novelty items. (iii) Toys or commercial gifts or premiums. (iv) Letterhead design, except on...

On Setting Day-Ahead Equity Trading Risk Limits: VaR Prediction at Market Close or Open?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana-Maria Fuertes

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the information content of the ex post overnight return for one-day-ahead equity Value-at-Risk (VaR forecasting. To do so, we deploy a univariate VaR modeling approach that constructs the forecast at market open and, accordingly, exploits the available overnight close-to-open price variation. The benchmark is the bivariate VaR modeling approach proposed by Ahoniemi et al. that constructs the forecast at the market close instead and, accordingly, it models separately the daytime and overnight return processes and their covariance. For a small cap portfolio, the bivariate VaR approach affords superior predictive ability than the ex post overnight VaR approach whereas for a large cap portfolio the results are reversed. The contrast indicates that price discovery at the market open is less efficient for small capitalization, thinly traded stocks.

Topiramate Protects Pericytes from Glucotoxicity: Role for Mitochondrial CA VA in Cerebromicrovascular Disease in Diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Ping; Price, Tulin O; Diogo, Ana L; Sheibani, Nader; Banks, William A; Shah, Gul N

Hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus causes oxidative stress and pericyte depletion from the microvasculature of the brain thus leading to the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) disruption. The compromised BBB exposes the brain to circulating substances, resulting in neurotoxicity and neuronal cell death. The decline in pericyte numbers in diabetic mouse brain and pericyte apoptosis in high glucose cultures are caused by excess superoxide produced during enhanced respiration (mitochondrial oxidative metabolism of glucose). Superoxide is precursor to all Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) which, in turn, cause oxidative stress. The rate of respiration and thus the ROS production is regulated by mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases (mCA) VA and VB, the two isoforms expressed in the mitochondria. Inhibition of both mCA: decreases the oxidative stress and restores the pericyte numbers in diabetic brain; and reduces high glucose-induced respiration, ROS, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in cultured brain pericytes. However, the individual role of the two isoforms has not been established. To investigate the contribution of mCA VA in ROS production and apoptosis, a mCA VA overexpressing brain pericyte cell line was engineered. These cells were exposed to high glucose and analyzed for the changes in ROS and apoptosis. Overexpression of mCA VA significantly increased pericyte ROS and apoptosis. Inhibition of mCA VA with topiramate prevented increases both in glucose-induced ROS and pericyte death. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that mCA VA regulates the rate of pericyte respiration. These findings identify mCA VA as a novel and specific therapeutic target to protect the cerebromicrovascular bed in diabetes.

Development of an IOT front-end with the Fiware platform for Smart City solutions

OpenAIRE

González Mallo, Andrea

2015-01-01

Internet de las Cosas es un tema de actualidad en el mundo de la tecnolog a. Poco a poco, el IoT se va convirtiendo en una necesidad para la poblaci on, y en una mina de oro para inversores y empresas. Por ello, ofrecer ofrecer una aplicaci on exitosa es el objetivo de muchas empresas, que quieren despuntar en campos como la telemedicina, la dom otica, el Internet de las Cosas industrial, o las Smart Cities. Dentro de este marco, pueden encontrarse colaboraciones entre empr...

77 FR 21158 - VA Directive 0005 on Scientific Integrity: Availability for Review and Comment

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-09

... Draft VA Directive 0005 on Scientific Integrity: [square] Fosters a culture of transparency, integrity, and ethical behavior in the development and application of scientific and technological findings in VA... information from inappropriate political or commercial influence; [square] Ensures that selection and...

48 CFR 853.236-70 - VA Form 10-6298, Architect-Engineer Fee Proposal.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false VA Form 10-6298, Architect-Engineer Fee Proposal. 853.236-70 Section 853.236-70 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF...-Engineer Fee Proposal. VA Form 10-6298, Architect-Engineer Fee Proposal, shall be used as prescribed in 836...

Kritika važećeg i prijedlog novog pravnog uređenja vađenja i uklanjanja podrtina i potonulih stvari

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesna Skorupan Wolff

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Glavni cilj rada je ponuditi i prikazati rješenja koja predstavljaju prijedlog novog pravnog uređenja instituta vađenja i uklanjanja podrtina i potonulih stvari. Prije toga, autorice u radu prikazuju genezu pravnih izvora u povijesti i ranijem domaćem zakonodavstvu te proučavaju sva relevantna pitanja i sve odredbe važećeg Pomorskog zakonika (u nastavku PZ o ovoj materiji. Analizira se značenje i uporaba pojedinih izraza, sistematizacija zakonske građe unutar strukture zakona te sadržaj i domašaj pojedinih odredbi. Autorice preispituju razinu usklađenosti pozitivnog PZ-a sa suvremenom međunarodnom regulativom u ovom području. Ukazuje se na važne probleme koji mogu nastati zbog manjkavosti odredbi pozitivnog PZ-a i nepostojanja sustavne regulacije svih relevantnih pitanja koja se mogu pojaviti u praksi. U okviru istraživanja provodi se i poredbena analiza ovih instituta u drugim nacionalnim zakonodavstvima. Predložena zakonska rješenja odlikuju se cjelovitošću i sustavnošću u normiranju svih relevantnih pitanja. Uređivanje ovih instituta specijalnim odredbama pružit će viši stupanj pravne sigurnosti te viši stupanj sigurnosti plovidbe Jadranom, zaštite okoliša, njegovih prirodnih bogatstava i drugih povezanih interesa.

Forecasting VaR and ES of stock index portfolio: A Vine copula method

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bangzheng; Wei, Yu; Yu, Jiang; Lai, Xiaodong; Peng, Zhenfeng

2014-12-01

Risk measurement has both theoretical and practical significance in risk management. Using daily sample of 10 international stock indices, firstly this paper models the internal structures among different stock markets with C-Vine, D-Vine and R-Vine copula models. Secondly, the Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES) of the international stock markets portfolio are forecasted using Monte Carlo method based on the estimated dependence of different Vine copulas. Finally, the accuracy of VaR and ES measurements obtained from different statistical models are evaluated by UC, IND, CC and Posterior analysis. The empirical results show that the VaR forecasts at the quantile levels of 0.9, 0.95, 0.975 and 0.99 with three kinds of Vine copula models are sufficiently accurate. Several traditional methods, such as historical simulation, mean-variance and DCC-GARCH models, fail to pass the CC backtesting. The Vine copula methods can accurately forecast the ES of the portfolio on the base of VaR measurement, and D-Vine copula model is superior to other Vine copulas.

38 CFR 3.2130 - Will VA accept a signature by mark or thumbprint?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... signature by mark or thumbprint? 3.2130 Section 3.2130 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF... of This Title General § 3.2130 Will VA accept a signature by mark or thumbprint? VA will accept signatures by mark or thumbprint if: (a) They are witnessed by two people who sign their names and give their...

78 FR 62441 - VA Dental Insurance Program-Federalism

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-22

...--Federalism AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Direct final rule. SUMMARY: The Department of... that they are submitted in response to ``RIN 2900-AO85-VA Dental Insurance Program-- Federalism... add preemption language in accordance with the discussion above. Executive Order 13132, Federalism...

16th National Conference and Global Forum on Science, Policy and the Environment: The Food–Energy–Water Nexus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saundry, Peter [National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC (United States)

2017-06-07

The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) received $50,000 from the US Department of Energy to support the organization of the of the 16th National Conference and Global Forum on the theme of The Food-Energy-Water Nexus, held January 19-21, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Crystal City, VA. Approximately 1,000 participants attended the event from the fields of science, engineering, federal and local government, business, and civil society. The conference developed and advanced partnerships focusing on strategies and initiatives to address the world’s interconnected food, water and energy systems, specifically how to provide these resources to a population of 9 billion people by midcentury without overwhelming the environment. The conference emphasized actionable outcomes—moving forward on policy and practice with a focus on “opportunities for impact” on the most critical issues in the relatively near term.

A Stochastic Dominance Approach to the Basel III Dilemma: Expected Shortfall or VaR?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); J.A. Jiménez-Martín (Juan-Ángel); E. Maasoumi (Esfandiar); M.J. McAleer (Michael); T. Pérez-Amaral (Teodosio)

2015-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) (2013) recently proposed shifting the quantitative risk metrics system from Value-at-Risk (VaR) to Expected Shortfall (ES). The BCBS (2013) noted that “a number of weaknesses have been identified with using VaR for

VaR: Exchange Rate Risk and Jump Risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fen-Ying Chen

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Incorporating the Poisson jumps and exchange rate risk, this paper provides an analytical VaR to manage market risk of international portfolios over the subprime mortgage crisis. There are some properties in the model. First, different from past studies in portfolios valued only in one currency, this model considers portfolios not only with jumps but also with exchange rate risk, that is vital for investors in highly integrated global financial markets. Second, in general, the analytical VaR solution is more accurate than historical simulations in terms of backtesting and Christoffersen's independence test (1998 for small portfolios and large portfolios. In other words, the proposed model is reliable not only for a portfolio on specific stocks but also for a large portfolio. Third, the model can be regarded as the extension of that of Kupiec (1999 and Chen and Liao (2009.

SlaVaComp Fonts Converter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Skilevic

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a fonts converter that was developed as a part of the Freiburg project on historical corpus linguistics. The tool named SlaVaComp-Konvertierer converts Church Slavonic texts digitized with non-Unicode fonts into the Unicode format without any loss of information contained in the original file and without damage to the original formatting. It is suitable for the conversion of all idiosyncratic fonts—not only Church Slavonic—and therefore can be used not only in Palaeoslavistic, but also in all historical and philological studies.

Genotyping of Trichomonas vaginalis isolates from women in Shahrekord city (Southwestern Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khalili Bahman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Trichomonas vaginalis is a causative agent of vaginitis in female and urethritis in men. It is primarily transmitted by sexually route. It is known that each geographical area has its own set of Trichomonas vaginalis strain. Parasite strains in each region have its specific characterizations and different strains of the parasite are able to cause various diseases with the acuity and severity. The aim of this study was to determine the genotyping of Trichomonas vaginalis strains in the Shahrekord city (Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari province, southwest Iran. A total of 1725 vaginal samples were taken from clinically suspected women for Trichomonas vaginalis infection and 21 specimens were diagnosed as positive by direct smear wet mount and culture repeated passage of the parasite in the modified TYI-S-33 medium. The genomic DNA was extracted from each sample and the nested polymerase chain reaction was applied using specific oligonucleotide primers for actin gene amplification. Finally, the restriction fragment length polymorphism using RsaI, MseI, and HindII restriction enzymes were done on PCR products for genotyping. PCR-RFLP analysis of 21 positive cases (1.22% was showing the most frequent genotype was H (8 cases, followed by G (4 cases, E (3 cases, and P (2 cases. N and I genotypes were detected in each 1 case. Also, there was 2 cases mix (E and H genotype. The findings of the present work were showed 7 different genetic strains in isolated Trichomonas vaginalis from symptomatic and asymptomatic women in Shahrekord city. In this study high level of H genotype in referred women in Shahrekord city was observed and H, G, E, and I genotypes were may be related to burning and itching as well as H, P, and mix genotypes were associated with malodorous discharge with pelvic pain in this region of Iran. For a suggestion, it would be better in further studies the accurate determination of genetic diversity of this parasite done in Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari

Validation of KENO V.a: Comparison with critical experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jordan, W.C.; Landers, N.F.; Petrie, L.M.

1986-12-01

Section 1 of this report documents the validation of KENO V.a against 258 critical experiments. Experiments considered were primarily high or low enriched uranium systems. The results indicate that the KENO V.a Monte Carlo Criticality Program accurately calculates a broad range of critical experiments. A substantial number of the calculations showed a positive or negative bias in excess of 1 1/2% in k-effective (k/sub eff/). Classes of criticals which show a bias include 3% enriched green blocks, highly enriched uranyl fluoride slab arrays, and highly enriched uranyl nitrate arrays. If these biases are properly taken into account, the KENO V.a code can be used with confidence for the design and criticality safety analysis of uranium-containing systems. Sections 2 of this report documents the results of investigation into the cause of the bias observed in Sect. 1. The results of this study indicate that the bias seen in Sect. 1 is caused by code bias, cross-section bias, reporting bias, and modeling bias. There is evidence that many of the experiments used in this validation and in previous validations are not adequately documented. The uncertainty in the experimental parameters overshadows bias caused by the code and cross sections and prohibits code validation to better than about 1% in k/sub eff/. 48 refs., 19 figs., 19 tabs

78 FR 63143 - VA Dental Insurance Program-Federalism

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-23

...--Federalism AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans... that they are submitted in response to ``RIN 2900-AO86-VA Dental Insurance Program-- Federalism... Order 13132, Federalism Section 6(c) of Executive Order 13132 (entitled ``Federalism'') requires an...

VA Library Service--Today's look at Tomorrow's Library.

Science.gov (United States)

Veterans Administration, Washington, DC.

The Conference Poceedings are divided into three broad topics: systems planning, audiovisuals in biomedical communication, and automation and networking. Speakers from within the Veterans Administration (VA), from the National Medical Audiovisual Center, and the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, National Library of…

Maximum power per VA control of vector controlled interior ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Thakur Sumeet Singh

2018-04-11

Apr 11, 2018 ... Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New ... The MPVA operation allows maximum-utilization of the drive-system. ... Permanent magnet motor; unity power factor; maximum VA utilization; ...

77 FR 60746 - Proposed Information Collection (VA/DOD Joint Disability Evaluation Board Claim) Activity...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-04

... burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: VA/DOD Joint Disability Evaluation... War on Terror Heroes, VA and the Department of Defense (DOD) have agreed to develop a joint process in...

The impact of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Enhancement Act of 2004 on VA physicians' salaries and retention.

Science.gov (United States)

Weeks, William B; Wallace, Tanner A; Wallace, Amy E

2009-01-01

To determine whether the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Enhancement Act (the Act), which was designed to achieve VA physician salary parity with American Academy of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Associate Professors and enacted in 2006, had achieved its goal. Using VA human resources datasets and data from the AAMC, we calculated mean VA physician salaries, with 95 percent confidence intervals, for 15 different medical specialties. For each specialty, we compared VA salaries to the median, 25th, and 75th percentile of AAMC Associate Professors' incomes. The Act's passage resulted in a $20,000 annual increase in VA physicians' salaries. VA primary care physicians, medical subspecialists, and psychiatrists had salaries that were comparable to their AAMC counterparts prior to and after enactment of the Act. However, VA surgical specialists', anesthesiologists', and radiologists' salaries lagged their AAMC counterparts both before and after the Act's enactment. Income increases were negatively correlated with full-time workforce changes. VA does not appear to provide comparable salaries for physicians necessary for surgical care. In certain cases, VA should consider outsourcing surgical services.

78 FR 77204 - Proposed Information Collection (VA National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Event Surveys...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-20

... AGENCY: Office of Public & Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Office of Public Affairs (OPA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-NEW] Proposed Information Collection (VA...

Access to mental health care among women Veterans: is VA meeting women's needs?

Science.gov (United States)

Kimerling, Rachel; Pavao, Joanne; Greene, Liberty; Karpenko, Julie; Rodriguez, Allison; Saweikis, Meghan; Washington, Donna L

2015-04-01

Patient-centered access to mental health describes the fit between patient needs and resources of the system. To date, little data are available to guide implementation of services to women veterans, an underrepresented minority within Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) health care. The current study examines access to mental health care among women veterans, and identifies gender-related indicators of perceived access to mental health care. A population-based sample of 6287 women veterans using VA primary care services participated in a survey of past year perceived need for mental health care, mental health utilization, and gender-related mental health care experiences. Subjective rating of how well mental health care met their needs was used as an indicator of perceived access. Half of all women reported perceived mental health need; 84.3% of those women received care. Nearly all mental health users (90.9%) used VA services, although only about half (48.8%) reported that their mental health care met their needs completely or very well. Gender related experiences (availability of female providers, women-only treatment settings, women-only treatment groups, and gender-related comfort) were each associated with 2-fold increased odds of perceived access, and associations remained after adjusting for ease of getting care. Women VA users demonstrate very good objective access to mental health services. Desire for, and access to specialized mental health services for women varies across the population and are important aspects of shared decision making in referral and treatment planning for women using VA primary care.

Use of the Decision Support System for VA cost-effectiveness research.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, P G; Rodgers, J H

1999-04-01

The Department of Veterans Affairs is adopting the Decision Support System (DSS), computer software and databases which include a cost-accounting system which determines the cost of health care products and patient encounters. A system for providing cost data for cost-effectiveness analysis should be provide valid, detailed, and comprehensive data that can be aggregated. The design of DSS is described and compared with those criteria. Utilization data from DSS was compared with other VA utilization data. Aggregate DSS cost data from 35 medical centers was compared with relative resource weights developed for the Medicare program. Data on hospital stays at 3 facilities found that 3.7% of the stays in DSS were not in the VA discharge database, whereas 7.6% of the stays in the discharge data were not in DSS. DSS reported between 68.8% and 97.1% of the outpatient encounters reported by six facilities in the ambulatory care data base. Relative weights for each Diagnosis Related Group based on DSS data from 35 VA facilities correlated with Medicare weights (correlation coefficient of .853). DSS will be useful for research if certain problems are overcome. It is difficult to distinguish long-term from acute hospital care. VA does not have a complete database of all inpatient procedures, so DSS has not assigned them a specific cost. The authority to access encounter-level DSS data needs to be centralized. Researchers can provide the feedback needed to improve DSS cost estimates. A comprehensive encounter-level extract would facilitate use of DSS for research.

Brand-Name Prescription Drug Use Among Diabetes Patients in the VA and Medicare Part D: A National Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Gellad, Walid F.; Donohue, Julie M.; Zhao, Xinhua; Mor, Maria K.; Thorpe, Carolyn T.; Smith, Jeremy; Good, Chester B.; Fine, Michael J.; Morden, Nancy E.

2013-01-01

Background Medicare Part D and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) use different approaches to manage prescription drug benefits, with implications for spending. Medicare relies on private plans with distinct formularies, whereas VA administers its own benefit using a national formulary. Objective To compare overall and regional rates of brand-name drug use among older adults with diabetes in Medicare and VA. Design Retrospective cohort Setting Medicare and VA Patients National sample in 2008 of 1,061,095 Part D beneficiaries and 510,485 Veterans age 65+ with diabetes. Measurements Percent of patients on oral hypoglycemics, statins, and angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin-receptor-blockers who filled brand-name drugs and percent of patients on long-acting insulin who filled analogues. We compared sociodemographic and health-status adjusted hospital referral region (HRR) brand-name use to examine local practice patterns, and calculated changes in spending if each system’s brand-name use mirrored the other. Results Brand-name use in Medicare was 2–3 times that of VA: 35.3% vs. 12.7% for oral hypoglycemics, 50.7% vs. 18.2% for statins, 42.5% vs. 20.8% for angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin-receptor-blockers, and 75.1% vs. 27.0% for insulin analogues. Adjusted HRR brand-name statin use ranged (5th to 95th percentile) from 41.0%–58.3% in Medicare and 6.2%–38.2% in VA. For each drug group, the HRR at the 95th percentile in VA had lower brand-name use than the 5th percentile HRR in Medicare. Medicare spending in this population would have been $1.4 billion less if brand-name use matched the VA for these medications. Limitation This analysis cannot fully describe the factors underlying differences in brand-name use. Conclusions Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes use 2–3 times more brand-name drugs than a comparable group within VA, at substantial excess cost. Primary Funding Sources VA; NIH; RWJF PMID:23752663

Intra-Operative Indocyanine Green-Videoangiography (ICG-VA) in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Methods: Fifteen consecutive patients with anterior circulation aneurysms who underwent craniotomy and clipping of the aneurysms were included in this study. Intraoperative ICG-VA was performed in all cases after exposure of the aneurysm and the branches in the vicinity of the aneurysm or the parent vessel before ...

Validity testing and neuropsychology practice in the VA healthcare system: results from recent practitioner survey (.).

Science.gov (United States)

Young, J Christopher; Roper, Brad L; Arentsen, Timothy J

2016-05-01

A survey of neuropsychologists in the Veterans Health Administration examined symptom/performance validity test (SPVT) practices and estimated base rates for patient response bias. Invitations were emailed to 387 psychologists employed within the Veterans Affairs (VA), identified as likely practicing neuropsychologists, resulting in 172 respondents (44.4% response rate). Practice areas varied, with 72% at least partially practicing in general neuropsychology clinics and 43% conducting VA disability exams. Mean estimated failure rates were 23.0% for clinical outpatient, 12.9% for inpatient, and 39.4% for disability exams. Failure rates were the highest for mTBI and PTSD referrals. Failure rates were positively correlated with the number of cases seen and frequency and number of SPVT use. Respondents disagreed regarding whether one (45%) or two (47%) failures are required to establish patient response bias, with those administering more measures employing the more stringent criterion. Frequency of the use of specific SPVTs is reported. Base rate estimates for SPVT failure in VA disability exams are comparable to those in other medicolegal settings. However, failure in routine clinical exams is much higher in the VA than in other settings, possibly reflecting the hybrid nature of the VA's role in both healthcare and disability determination. Generally speaking, VA neuropsychologists use SPVTs frequently and eschew pejorative terms to describe their failure. Practitioners who require only one SPVT failure to establish response bias may overclassify patients. Those who use few or no SPVTs may fail to identify response bias. Additional clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.

KiVa Anti-Bullying Program in Italy: Evidence of Effectiveness in a Randomized Control Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Nocentini, Annalaura; Menesini, Ersilia

2016-11-01

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the KiVa anti-bullying program in Italy through a randomized control trial of students in grades 4 and 6. The sample involved 2042 students (51 % female; grade 4, mean age = 8.85; ds = 0.43; grade 6, mean age = 10.93; ds = 0.50); 13 comprehensive schools were randomly assigned into intervention (KiVa) or control (usual school provision) conditions. Different outcomes (bullying, victimization, pro-bullying attitudes, pro-victim attitudes, empathy toward victims), analyses (longitudinal mixed model with multiple-item scales; longitudinal prevalence of bullies and victims using Olweus' single question), and estimates of effectiveness (Cohen's d; odds ratios) were considered in order to compare the Italian results with those from other countries. Multilevel models showed that KiVa reduced bullying and victimization and increased pro-victim attitudes and empathy toward the victim in grade 4, with effect sizes from 0.24 to 0.40. In grade 6, KiVa reduced bullying, victimization, and pro-bullying attitudes; the effects were smaller as compared to grade 4, yet significant (d ≥ 0.20). Finally, using Olweus dichotomous definition of bullies and victims, results showed that the odds of being a victim were 1.93 times higher for a control student than for a KiVa student in grade 4. Overall, the findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of the program in Italy; the discussion will focus on factors that influenced successfully the transportability of the KiVa program in Italy.

77 FR 74279 - Agency Information Collection (VA/DOD Joint Disability Evaluation Board Claim): Activity under...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-13

... Joint Disability Evaluation Board Claim): Activity under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Benefits... . Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0704.'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: VA/DOD Joint Disability Evaluation Board Claim, VA Form 21- 0819. OMB Control Number: 2900-0704. Type of Review: Extension of a...

Conformational determination of [Leu]enkephalin based on theoretical and experimental VA and VCD spectral analyses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdali, Salim; Jalkanen, Karl J.; Cao, X.

2004-01-01

Conformational determination of [Leu]enkephalin in DMSO-d6 is carried out using VA and VCD spectral analyses. Conformational energies, vibrational frequencies and VA and VCD intensities are calculated using DFT at B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. Comparison between the measured spectra...

78 FR 55777 - Proposed Information Collection (VA, National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events, Event...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-11

... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Titles: a. National Disabled Veterans Winter... Form 0928h. m. Surfing Personnel Application, VA Form 0928i. n. Venue Personnel Application, VA Form... Creative Arts Festival, National Veterans TEE Tournament, National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic...

Effectiveness of Expanded Implementation of STAR-VA for Managing Dementia-Related Behaviors Among Veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Karel, Michele J; Teri, Linda; McConnell, Eleanor; Visnic, Stephanie; Karlin, Bradley E

2016-02-01

Nonpharmacological, psychosocial approaches are first-line treatments for managing behavioral symptoms in dementia, but they can be challenging to implement in long-term care settings. The Veterans Health Administration implemented STAR-VA, an interdisciplinary behavioral approach for managing challenging dementia-related behaviors in its Community Living Center (CLCs, nursing home care) settings. This study describes how the program was implemented and provides an evaluation of Veteran clinical outcomes and staff feedback on the intervention. One mental health professional and registered nurse team from 17 CLCs completed STAR-VA training, which entailed an experiential workshop followed by 6 months of expert consultation as they worked with their teams to implement STAR-VA with Veterans identified to have challenging dementia-related behaviors. The frequency and severity of target behaviors and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and agitation were evaluated at baseline and at intervention completion. Staff provided feedback regarding STAR-VA feasibility and impact. Seventy-one Veterans completed the intervention. Behaviors clustered into 6 types: care refusal or resistance, agitation, aggression, vocalization, wandering, and other. Frequency and severity of target behaviors and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and agitation all significantly decreased, with overall effect sizes of 1 or greater. Staff rated both benefits for Veterans and program feasibility favorably. This evaluation supports the feasibility and effectiveness of STAR-VA, an interdisciplinary, behavioral intervention for managing challenging behaviors among residents with dementia in CLCs. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Gerontological Society of America 2015.

48 CFR 852.219-72 - Evaluation factor for participation in the VA mentor-protégé program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... participation in the VA mentor-protégé program. 852.219-72 Section 852.219-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations... Texts of Provisions and Clauses 852.219-72 Evaluation factor for participation in the VA mentor-protégé... the VA Mentor-Protégé Program (DEC2009) This solicitation contains an evaluation factor or sub-factor...

Correspondence of the Boston Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury-Lifetime (BAT-L) clinical interview and the VA TBI screen.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortier, Catherine Brawn; Amick, Melissa M; Kenna, Alexandra; Milberg, William P; McGlinchey, Regina E

2015-01-01

Mild traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND), yet its identification and diagnosis is controversial and fraught with challenges. In 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented a policy requiring traumatic brain injury (TBI) screening on all individuals returning from deployment in the OEF/OIF/OND theaters of operation that lead to the rapid and widespread use of the VA TBI screen. The Boston Assessment of TBI-Lifetime (BAT-L) is the first validated, postcombat semistructured clinical interview to characterize head injuries and diagnose TBIs throughout the life span, including prior to, during, and post-military service. Community-dwelling convenience sample of 179 OEF/OIF/OND veterans. BAT-L, VA TBI screen. Based on BAT-L diagnosis of military TBI, the VA TBI screen demonstrated similar sensitivity (0.85) and specificity (0.82) when administered by research staff. When BAT-L diagnosis was compared with historical clinician-administered VA TBI screen in a subset of participants, sensitivity was reduced. The specificity of the research-administered VA TBI screen was more than adequate. The sensitivity of the VA TBI screen, although relatively high, suggests that it does not oversample or "catch all" possible military TBIs. Traumatic brain injuries identified by the BAT-L, but not identified by the VA TBI screen, were predominantly noncombat military injuries. There is potential concern regarding the validity and reliability of the clinician administered VA TBI screen, as we found poor correspondence between it and the BAT-L, as well as low interrater reliability between the clinician-administered and research-administered screen.

77 FR 33752 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-07

... grant applications. Place: The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202...: The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202. Contact Person: Paul A...

78 FR 31840 - Safety Zone; USO Patriotic Festival Air Show, Atlantic Ocean; Virginia Beach, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-28

...-AA00 Safety Zone; USO Patriotic Festival Air Show, Atlantic Ocean; Virginia Beach, VA AGENCY: Coast... provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the USO Patriotic Festival Air Show. This action... Patriotic Festival Air Show, Atlantic Ocean; Virginia Beach, VA. (a) Regulated Area. The following area is a...

Cloning, Characterization, and Functional Investigation of VaHAESA from Vitis amurensis Inoculated with Plasmopara viticola

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaoli Liu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Plant pattern recognition receptors (PRRs are essential for immune responses and establishing symbiosis. Plants detect invaders via the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs by PRRs. This phenomenon is termed PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI. We investigated disease resistance in Vitis amurensis to identify PRRs that are important for resistance against downy mildew, analyzed the PRRs that were upregulated by incompatible Plasmopara viticola infection, and cloned the full-length cDNA of the VaHAESA gene. We then analyzed the structure, subcellular localization, and relative disease resistance of VaHAESA. VaHAESA and PRR-receptor-like kinase 5 (RLK5 are highly similar, belonging to the leucine-rich repeat (LRR-RLK family and localizing to the plasma membrane. The expression of PRR genes changed after the inoculation of V. amurensis with compatible and incompatible P. viticola; during early disease development, transiently transformed V. vinifera plants expressing VaHAESA were more resistant to pathogens than those transformed with the empty vector and untransformed controls, potentially due to increased H2O2, NO, and callose levels in the transformants. Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana showed upregulated expression of genes related to the PTI pathway and improved disease resistance. These results show that VaHAESA is a positive regulator of resistance against downy mildew in grapevines.

VA Construction: Improved Processes Needed to Monitor Contract Modifications, Develop Schedules, and Estimate Costs

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

the Handbook.36 VA headquarters officials told us that regional CFM offices monitor change- order - processing time frames for projects in their...visited collected different types of data on change orders. Because VA lacks the data on the change order processing timeframes required by the Handbook...goals of processing change orders in a timelier manner, especially given our previous findings that change- order - processing time frames caused

Small RNA sequence analysis of adenovirus VA RNA-derived miRNAs reveals an unexpected serotype-specific difference in structure and abundance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wael Kamel

Full Text Available Human adenoviruses (HAds encode for one or two highly abundant virus-associated RNAs, designated VA RNAI and VA RNAII, which fold into stable hairpin structures resembling miRNA precursors. Here we show that the terminal stem of the VA RNAs originating from Ad4, Ad5, Ad11 and Ad37, all undergo Dicer dependent processing into virus-specific miRNAs (so-called mivaRNAs. We further show that the mivaRNA duplex is subjected to a highly asymmetric RISC loading with the 3'-strand from all VA RNAs being the favored strand, except for the Ad37 VA RNAII, where the 5'-mivaRNAII strand was preferentially assembled into RISC. Although the mivaRNA seed sequences are not fully conserved between the HAds a bioinformatics prediction approach suggests that a large fraction of the VA RNAII-, but not the VA RNAI-derived mivaRNAs still are able to target the same cellular genes. Using small RNA deep sequencing we demonstrate that the Dicer processing event in the terminal stem of the VA RNAs is not unique and generates 3'-mivaRNAs with a slight variation of the position of the 5' terminal nucleotide in the RISC loaded guide strand. Also, we show that all analyzed VA RNAs, except Ad37 VA RNAI and Ad5 VA RNAII, utilize an alternative upstream A start site in addition to the classical +1 G start site. Further, the 5'-mivaRNAs with an A start appears to be preferentially incorporated into RISC. Although the majority of mivaRNA research has been done using Ad5 as the model system our analysis demonstrates that the mivaRNAs expressed in Ad11- and Ad37-infected cells are the most abundant mivaRNAs associated with Ago2-containing RISC. Collectively, our results show an unexpected variability in Dicer processing of the VA RNAs and a serotype-specific loading of mivaRNAs into Ago2-based RISC.

BMP-2 Overexpression Augments Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Motility by Upregulating Myosin Va via Erk Signaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The disruption of physiologic vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC migration initiates atherosclerosis development. The biochemical mechanisms leading to dysfunctional VSMC motility remain unknown. Recently, cytokine BMP-2 has been implicated in various vascular physiologic and pathologic processes. However, whether BMP-2 has any effect upon VSMC motility, or by what manner, has never been investigated. Methods. VSMCs were adenovirally transfected to genetically overexpress BMP-2. VSMC motility was detected by modified Boyden chamber assay, confocal time-lapse video assay, and a colony wounding assay. Gene chip array and RT-PCR were employed to identify genes potentially regulated by BMP-2. Western blot and real-time PCR detected the expression of myosin Va and the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (Erk1/2. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed myosin Va expression locale. Intracellular Ca2+ oscillations were recorded. Results. VSMC migration was augmented in VSMCs overexpressing BMP-2 in a dose-dependent manner. siRNA-mediated knockdown of myosin Va inhibited VSMC motility. Both myosin Va mRNA and protein expression significantly increased after BMP-2 administration and were inhibited by Erk1/2 inhibitor U0126. BMP-2 induced Ca2+ oscillations, generated largely by a “cytosolic oscillator”. Conclusion. BMP-2 significantly increased VSMCs migration and myosin Va expression, via the Erk signaling pathway and intracellular Ca2+ oscillations. We provide additional insight into the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, and inhibition of BMP-2-induced myosin Va expression may represent a potential therapeutic strategy.

Eco2 Cities : Ecological Cities as Economic Cities

OpenAIRE

Suzuki, Hiroaki; Dastur, Arish; Moffatt, Sebastian; Yabuki, Nanae; Maruyama, Hinako

2010-01-01

This book provides an overview of the World Bank's Eco2 cities : ecological cities as economic cities initiative. The objective of the Eco2 cities initiative is to help cities in developing countries achieve a greater degree of ecological and economic sustainability. The book is divided into three parts. Part one describes the Eco2 cities initiative framework. It describes the approach, be...

CITY OF RADFORD TERRAIN, CITY OF RADFORD, VA, USA

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security — Terrain data includes digital elevation models, LIDAR derived contours, LIDAR three-dimensional spot elevations and breaklines, field surveyed ground elevations and...

Home Photovoltaic System Design in Pangkalpinang City

Science.gov (United States)

Sunanda, Wahri

2018-02-01

This research aims to obtain the design of home photovoltaic systems in Pangkalpinang and the opportunity of economic savings. The system consists of photovoltaic with batteries. Based on electricity consumption of several houses with installed power of 1300 VA and 2200 VA in Pangkalpinang for one year, the daily load of photovoltaic system is varied to 40%, 30% and 20% of the average value of the daily home electricity consumption. The investment costs, the cost of replacement parts and the cost of electricity consumption accrued to PLN during lifetime of systems (25 years) are also calculated. The result provided that there are no economic saving opportunities for photovoltaic systems with batteries at home with installed power of 1300 VA and 2200 VA in Pangkalpinang. The most economical is the photovoltaic system with the daily load of 20% of the average value of the daily home electricity consumption. The configuration of photovoltaic system for 1300 VA home consists of 10 modules of 200 wattpeak and 4 batteries 150 AH, 12 Volt while photovoltaic system for 2200 VA home consists of 15 modules of 200 wattpeak and 6 batteries 150 AH,12Volt.

GeVaDSs – decision support system for novel Genetic Vaccine development process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blazewicz Jacek

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The lack of a uniform way for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of vaccine candidates under development led us to set up a standardized scheme for vaccine efficacy and safety evaluation. We developed and implemented molecular and immunology methods, and designed support tools for immunization data storage and analyses. Such collection can create a unique opportunity for immunologists to analyse data delivered from their laboratories. Results We designed and implemented GeVaDSs (Genetic Vaccine Decision Support system an interactive system for efficient storage, integration, retrieval and representation of data. Moreover, GeVaDSs allows for relevant association and interpretation of data, and thus for knowledge-based generation of testable hypotheses of vaccine responses. Conclusions GeVaDSs has been tested by several laboratories in Europe, and proved its usefulness in vaccine analysis. Case study of its application is presented in the additional files. The system is available at: http://gevads.cs.put.poznan.pl/preview/(login: viewer, password: password.

Value at risk (VaR in uncertainty: Analysis with parametric method and black & scholes simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Humberto Banda Ortiz

2014-07-01

Full Text Available VaR is the most accepted risk measure worldwide and the leading reference in any risk management assessment. However, its methodology has important limitations which makes it unreliable in contexts of crisis or high uncertainty. For this reason, the aim of this work is to test the VaR accuracy when is employed in contexts of volatility, for which we compare the VaR outcomes in scenarios of both stability and uncertainty, using the parametric method and a historical simulation based on data generated with the Black & Scholes model. VaR main objective is the prediction of the highest expected loss for any given portfolio, but even when it is considered a useful tool for risk management under conditions of markets stability, we found that it is substantially inaccurate in contexts of crisis or high uncertainty. In addition, we found that the Black & Scholes simulations lead to underestimate the expected losses, in comparison with the parametric method and we also found that those disparities increase substantially in times of crisis. In the first section of this work we present a brief context of risk management in finance. In section II we present the existent literature relative to the VaR concept, its methods and applications. In section III we describe the methodology and assumptions used in this work. Section IV is dedicated to expose the findings. And finally, in Section V we present our conclusions.

RİSK ÖLÇÜMÜNDE ALTERNATİF YAKLAŞIMLAR: RİSKE MARUZ DEĞER (VaR ve BEKLENEN KAYIP (ES UYGULAMALARI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SEZER BOZKUŞ

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article shows that Value-at-Risk (VaR, the most popular risk measure in practice, has a considerable positive bias when used for a portfolio with fat-tail distribution. Numerical examples, i.e. USD/Euro daily prices and ISE-100 Index monthly returns, are given to demonstrate the use of our method. In the search for a suitable alternative to VaR, Expected Shortfall (ES or conditional VaR has been characterized as the coherent risk measure to dominate VaR. We discuss properties of VaR and ES and compare them in terms of consistency with elimination of tail risk, strengths and weaknesses. We conclude that ES is more applicable than VaR since ES is free of tail risk and consistent under more lenient conditions than VaR is.

Phenomenology of MaVaN’s Models in Reactor Neutrino Data

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M. F. Carneiro

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Mass Varying Neutrinos (MaVaN’s mechanisms were proposed to link the neutrino mass scale with the dark energy density, addressing the coincidence problem. In some scenarios, this mass can present a dependence on the baryonic density felt by neutrinos, creating an effective neutrino mass that depends both on the neutrino and baryonic densities. In this work, we study the phenomenological consequence of MaVaN’s scenarios in which the matter density dependence is induced by Yukawa interactions of a light neutral scalar particle which couples to neutrinos and matter. Under the assumption of one mass scale dominance, we perform an analysis of KamLAND neutrino data which depends on 4 parameters: the two standard oscillation parameters, Δm0,212 and tan2θ12, and two new coefficients which parameterize the environment dependence of neutrino mass. We introduce an Earth’s crust model to compute precisely the density in each point along the neutrino trajectory. We show that this new description of density does not affect the analysis with the standard model case. With the MaVaN model, we observe a first order effect in lower density, which leads to an improvement on the data description.

75 FR 34934 - Safety Zone; Fireworks for the Virginia Lake Festival, Buggs Island Lake, Clarksville, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-21

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Fireworks for the Virginia Lake Festival, Buggs Island Lake, Clarksville, VA AGENCY... Fireworks for the Virginia Lake Festival event. This action is intended to restrict vessel traffic movement... Virginia Lake Festival, Buggs Island Lake, Clarksville, VA (a) Regulated Area. The following area is a...

30 CFR 57.22208 - Auxiliary fans (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Auxiliary fans (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines... fans (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines). (a) Auxiliary fans, except fans used in shops and other areas... applicable requirements of 30 CFR part 18, and be operated so that recirculation is minimized. Auxiliary fans...

Adenovirus Vector-Derived VA-RNA-Mediated Innate Immune Responses

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Hiroyuki Mizuguchi

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The major limitation of the clinical use of replication-incompetent adenovirus (Ad vectors is the interference by innate immune responses, including induction of inflammatory cytokines and interferons (IFN, following in vivo application of Ad vectors. Ad vector-induced production of inflammatory cytokines and IFNs also results in severe organ damage and efficient induction of acquired immune responses against Ad proteins and transgene products. Ad vector-induced innate immune responses are triggered by the recognition of Ad components by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs. In order to reduce the side effects by Ad vector-induced innate immune responses and to develop safer Ad vectors, it is crucial to clarify which PRRs and which Ad components are involved in Ad vector-induced innate immune responses. Our group previously demonstrated that myeloid differentiating factor 88 (MyD88 and toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9 play crucial roles in the Ad vector-induced inflammatory cytokine production in mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. Furthermore, our group recently found that virus associated-RNAs (VA-RNAs, which are about 160 nucleotide-long non-coding small RNAs encoded in the Ad genome, are involved in IFN production through the IFN-β promoter stimulator-1 (IPS-1-mediated signaling pathway following Ad vector transduction. The aim of this review is to highlight the Ad vector-induced innate immune responses following transduction, especially VA-RNA-mediated innate immune responses. Our findings on the mechanism of Ad vector-induced innate immune responses should make an important contribution to the development of safer Ad vectors, such as an Ad vector lacking expression of VA-RNAs.

Comparison of topical fixed-combination fortified vancomycin-amikacin (VA solution) to conventional separate therapy in the treatment of bacterial corneal ulcer.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, C-C; Lin, J-M; Chen, W-L; Chiu, Y-T; Tsai, Y-Y

2009-02-01

In an in vitro study, fixed-combination fortified vancomycin and amikacin ophthalmic solutions (VA solution) had the same potency and stable physical properties as the separate components. In this retrospective clinical study, we evaluated the efficacy of the topical VA solution in the treatment of bacterial corneal ulcer and comparison with separate topical fortified vancomycin and amikacin. Separate topical fortified eye drops was used prior to January 2004 and switched to the VA solution afterwards in the treatment of bacterial corneal ulcer. The medical records of 223 patients diagnosed with bacterial corneal ulcers between January 2002 and December 2005 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 122 patients in the VA group and 101 in the separate group. Cure was defined as complete healing of the ulcer accompanied by a nonprogressive stromal infiltrate on two consecutive visits. No significant difference was found between the VA and separate therapy group. The mean treatment duration was 15.4 days in the VA group and 16.1 days in the separate therapy group. The average hospital stay was 5.4 days (VA) and 7.2 days (separate antibiotics). Stromal infiltration regressed significantly without further expansion in both groups. All corneal ulcers completely re-epithelialized without complications related to drugs. VA solution provided similar efficacy to the conventional separate therapy in the treatment of bacterial corneal ulcers; however, it is more convenient and tolerable, promotes patient's compliance, avoids the washout effect, and reduces nurse utilization. Hence, VA solution is a good alternative to separate therapy.

Color perception differentiates Alzheimer's Disease (AD) from Vascular Dementia (VaD) patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnaoutoglou, N A; Arnaoutoglou, M; Nemtsas, P; Costa, V; Baloyannis, S J; Ebmeier, K P

2017-08-01

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Vascular Dementia (VaD) are the most common causes of dementia in older people. Both diseases appear to have similar clinical symptoms, such as deficits in attention and executive function, but specific cognitive domains are affected. Current cohort studies have shown a close relationship between αβ deposits and age-related macular degeneration (Johnson et al., 2002; Ratnayaka et al., 2015). Additionally, a close link between the thinning of the retinal nerve fiber (RNFL) and AD patients has been described, while it has been proposed that AD patients suffer from a non-specific type of color blindness (Pache et al., 2003). Our study included 103 individuals divided into three groups: A healthy control group (n = 35), AD (n = 32) according to DSM-IV-TR, NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, and VaD (n = 36) based on ΝΙΝDS-AIREN, as well as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) results. The severity of patient's cognitive impairment, was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and was classified according to the Reisberg global deterioration scale (GDS). Visual perception was examined using the Ishihara plates: "Ishihara Color Vision Test - 38 Plate." The three groups were not statistically different for demographic data (age, gender, and education). The Ishihara color blindness test has a sensitivity of 80.6% and a specificity of 87.5% to discriminate AD and VaD patients when an optimal (32.5) cut-off value of performance is used. Ishihara Color Vision Test - 38 Plate is a promising potential method as an easy and not time-consuming screening test for the differential diagnosis of dementia between AD and VaD.

76 FR 27381 - Proposed Information Collection (Notice of Waiver of VA Compensation or Pension To Receive...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-11

... waive VA benefits for the number of days equal to the number of days in which they received training pay... of Waiver of VA Compensation or Pension To Receive Military Pay and Allowances) Activity; Comment... currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice...

QCD sum-rules for V-A spectral functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakrabarti, J.; Mathur, V.S.

1980-01-01

The Borel transformation technique of Shifman et al is used to obtain QCD sum-rules for V-A spectral functions. In contrast to the situation in the original Weinberg sum-rules and those of Bernard et al, the problem of saturating the sum-rules by low lying resonances is brought under control. Furthermore, the present sum-rules, on saturation, directly determine useful phenomenological parameters

Waves from the Sun: to the 100th anniversary of V.A. Troitskaya's birth

Science.gov (United States)

Guglielmi, Anatol; Potapov, Alexander

2017-09-01

It has been one hundred years since the birth of the outstanding scientist Professor V.A. Troitskaya. Her remarkable achievements in solar-terrestrial physics are widely known. For many years, Valeria A. Troitskaya was the President of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy. This article deals with only one aspect of the multifaceted creative activity of V.A. Troitskaya. It relates to the problem of sources of ultra-low frequency (ULF) electromagnetic oscillations and waves outside Earth’s magnetosphere. We were fortunate to work under the leadership of V.A. Troitskaya on this problem. In this paper, we briefly describe the history from the emergence of the idea of the extramagnetospheric origin of dayside permanent ULF oscillations in the late 1960s to the modern quest made by ground and satellite means for ULF waves excited by solar surface oscillations propagating in the interplanetary medium and reaching Earth.

Scholar and teacher: V.A. Kitaev at the history department of Volgograd State University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuznetsov Oleg Viktorovich

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Vladimir A. Kitaev was born 1941. He was the first dean of the Faculty of History and the first head of the Department of History of the USSR (now the Department of History of Russia of Volgograd State University, reputable scientist, recognized expert in the history of the Russian social thought. The article shows the role of V.A. Kitaev in the formation and development of the faculty and the department. A characteristic of V.A. Kitaev’ sresearch and teaching activities is given. Kitaev’s featuresas a scholar and teacher such as great erudition, science scrupulosity, exactingness to himself andto his disciples, are marked. V.A. Kitaev worked at Volgograd State University for 16 years. All the while, he headed the Department andwas the dean for the first four years. The main thing is what he wanted in those positions – along with their colleagues was to lay and develop the traditions of the classical university, university atmosphere of the faculty and the university. The major scientific issues that are developed by V.A. Kitaev were: the history of liberalism and the fate of liberal reforms (modernization in Russia, the history of the Russian conservative thought, the problem of revolutionary violence as an inevitable result of the practical realization of socialist ideas. As an advocate of “establishing full-fledged liberal order”, V.A. Kitaev had, in essence, to ascertain: in Russia XIX – early XX century did not yet develop the historical conditions for the triumph of liberal ideas. The weakness and indecision of Russian liberals and their fear of the revolutionary movement, the constant fluctuation between the reform and reaction did not allow them to become independent of the political force that would determine the fate of the country in the end.

38 CFR 17.1000 - Payment or reimbursement for emergency services for nonservice-connected conditions in non-VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... for emergency services for nonservice-connected conditions in non-VA facilities. 17.1000 Section 17.1000 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL Payment Or Reimbursement for Emergency Services for Nonservice-Connected Conditions in Non-Va Facilities § 17.1000 Payment...

Validation of the Monte Carlo Criticality Program KENO V.a for highly-enriched uranium systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, J.R.

1984-11-01

A series of calculations based on critical experiments have been performed using the KENO V.a Monte Carlo Criticality Program for the purpose of validating KENO V.a for use in evaluating Y-12 Plant criticality problems. The experiments were reflected and unreflected systems of single units and arrays containing highly enriched uranium metal or uranium compounds. Various geometrical shapes were used in the experiments. The SCALE control module CSAS25 with the 27-group ENDF/B-4 cross-section library was used to perform the calculations. Some of the experiments were also calculated using the 16-group Hansen-Roach Library. Results are presented in a series of tables and discussed. Results show that the criteria established for the safe application of the KENO IV program may also be used for KENO V.a results

Le CERN va supprimer 600 postes d'ici a 2007

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

"Le Laboratoire europeen pour la physique des particules (CERN), qui doit economiser quelque 340 millions d'euros jusqu'en 2008, va reduire ses effectifs de 600 postes d'ici a 2007, a annonce jeudi son porte-parole, James Gillies" (1/2/ page).

Military and Veteran Support: DOD and VA Programs That Address the Effects of Combat and Transition to Civilian Life

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

servicemembers to civilian life. For its part, VA’s agency priority goals are to (1) ensure access to VA benefits and services, (2) eliminate the disability...transfer their benefits to dependents. VA – Veterans Benefit Administration ( VBA ) Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Centers Disability; Physical...who are temporarily residing in a home owned by a family member to help adapt the home to meet his or her special needs. VA - VBA Yellow Ribbon

75 FR 44720 - Safety Zone; Live-Fire Gun Exercise, M/V Del Monte, James River, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard 33 CFR Part 165 [Docket No. USCG-2010-0585] RIN 1625-AA00 Safety Zone; Live-Fire Gun Exercise, M/V Del Monte, James River, VA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... follows: Sec. 165.T05-0585 Safety Zone; Live-Fire Gun Exercise, M/V Del Monte, James River, VA (a...

VA Disability Benefits: Additional Planning Would Enhance Efforts to Improve the Timeliness of Appeals Decisions

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-01

must manually review and correct most incoming cases due to issues with labeling, mismatched dates, and missing files. Via an internal study, VA...individuals acclimate to their jobs —and factored this into the modeling assumptions used to project the number of Board staff needed. More...Needed to Promote Increased User Satisfaction . GAO-15-582 (Washington, D.C.: September 1, 2015). Page 29 GAO-17-234 VA Disability

VaProS: a database-integration approach for protein/genome information retrieval

KAUST Repository

Gojobori, Takashi; Ikeo, Kazuho; Katayama, Yukie; Kawabata, Takeshi; Kinjo, Akira R.; Kinoshita, Kengo; Kwon, Yeondae; Migita, Ohsuke; Mizutani, Hisashi; Muraoka, Masafumi; Nagata, Koji; Omori, Satoshi; Sugawara, Hideaki; Yamada, Daichi; Yura, Kei

2016-01-01

Life science research now heavily relies on all sorts of databases for genome sequences, transcription, protein three-dimensional (3D) structures, protein–protein interactions, phenotypes and so forth. The knowledge accumulated by all the omics research is so vast that a computer-aided search of data is now a prerequisite for starting a new study. In addition, a combinatory search throughout these databases has a chance to extract new ideas and new hypotheses that can be examined by wet-lab experiments. By virtually integrating the related databases on the Internet, we have built a new web application that facilitates life science researchers for retrieving experts’ knowledge stored in the databases and for building a new hypothesis of the research target. This web application, named VaProS, puts stress on the interconnection between the functional information of genome sequences and protein 3D structures, such as structural effect of the gene mutation. In this manuscript, we present the notion of VaProS, the databases and tools that can be accessed without any knowledge of database locations and data formats, and the power of search exemplified in quest of the molecular mechanisms of lysosomal storage disease. VaProS can be freely accessed at http://p4d-info.nig.ac.jp/vapros/.

VaProS: a database-integration approach for protein/genome information retrieval

KAUST Repository

Gojobori, Takashi

2016-12-24

Life science research now heavily relies on all sorts of databases for genome sequences, transcription, protein three-dimensional (3D) structures, protein–protein interactions, phenotypes and so forth. The knowledge accumulated by all the omics research is so vast that a computer-aided search of data is now a prerequisite for starting a new study. In addition, a combinatory search throughout these databases has a chance to extract new ideas and new hypotheses that can be examined by wet-lab experiments. By virtually integrating the related databases on the Internet, we have built a new web application that facilitates life science researchers for retrieving experts’ knowledge stored in the databases and for building a new hypothesis of the research target. This web application, named VaProS, puts stress on the interconnection between the functional information of genome sequences and protein 3D structures, such as structural effect of the gene mutation. In this manuscript, we present the notion of VaProS, the databases and tools that can be accessed without any knowledge of database locations and data formats, and the power of search exemplified in quest of the molecular mechanisms of lysosomal storage disease. VaProS can be freely accessed at http://p4d-info.nig.ac.jp/vapros/.

38 CFR 17.96 - Medication prescribed by non-VA physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... AFFAIRS MEDICAL Outpatient Treatment § 17.96 Medication prescribed by non-VA physicians. Any prescription... and medicines ordered by a private or non-Department of Veterans Affairs doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy duly licensed to practice in the jurisdiction where the prescription is written, shall...

A configurational and conformational study of aframodial and its diasteriomers via experimental and theoretical VA and VCD spectroscopies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jalkanen, Karl J.; Gale, J.D.; Lassen, Peter Rygaard

2008-01-01

In this work we present the experimental and theoretical vibrational absorption (VA) and the theoretical vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra for aframodial. In addition, we present the theoretical VA and VCD spectra for the diasteriomers of aframodial. Aframodial has four chiral centers ...

Headache diagnoses among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans enrolled in VA: a gender comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Kathleen F; Taylor, Brent C; Hagel, Emily M; Cutting, Andrea; Kerns, Robert; Sayer, Nina A

2013-01-01

To examine the prevalence and correlates of headache diagnoses, by gender, among Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans who use Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care. Understanding the health care needs of recent Veterans, and how these needs differ between women and men, is a priority for the VA. The potential for a large burden of headache disorders among Veterans seeking VA services exists but has not been examined in a representative sample. We conducted a historical cohort study using national VA inpatient and outpatient data from fiscal year 2011. Participants were all (n = 470,215) Iraq and Afghanistan War Veteran VA users in 2011; nearly 13% were women. We identified headache diagnoses using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) diagnosis codes assigned during one or more VA inpatient or outpatient encounters. Descriptive analyses included frequencies of patient characteristics, prevalence and types of headache diagnoses, and prevalence of comorbid diagnoses. Prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate associations between gender and headache diagnoses. Multivariate models adjusted for age and race. Additional models also adjusted for comorbid diagnoses. In 2011, 56,300 (11.9%) Veterans received a headache-related diagnosis. While controlling for age and race, headache diagnoses were 1.61 times more prevalent (95% CI = 1.58-1.64) among women (18%) than men (11%). Most of this difference was associated with migraine diagnoses, which were 2.66 times more prevalent (95% CI = 2.59-2.73) among women. Cluster and post-traumatic headache diagnoses were less prevalent in women than in men. These patterns remained the same when also controlling for comorbid diagnoses, which were common among both women and men with headache diagnoses. The most prevalent comorbid diagnoses examined were depression (46% of women with headache diagnoses vs 40% of men), post-traumatic stress disorder (38% vs 58%), and back

76 FR 44086 - Agency Information Collection (Notice of Waiver of VA Compensation or Pension To Receive Military...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-22

... number of days equal to the number of days in which they received training pay. An agency may not conduct... of Waiver of VA Compensation or Pension To Receive Military Pay and Allowances) Activity Under OMB....'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Notice of Waiver of VA Compensation or Pension to Receive Military Pay and...

KiVa Antibullying Program: Overview of Evaluation Studies Based on a Randomized Controlled Trial and National Rollout in Finland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Salmivalli

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The effects of a Finnish national school-based antibullying program (KiVa were evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (2007–2009 and during nationwide implementation (since 2009. The KiVa program is been found to reduce bullying and victimization and increase empathy towards victimized peers and self-efficacy to support and defend them. KiVa increases school liking and motivation and contributes to significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and negative peer perceptions. Somewhat larger reductions in bullying and victimization were found in the randomized controlled trial than in the broad rollout, and the largest effects were obtained in primary school (grades 1–6. The uptake of the KiVa program is remarkable, with 90 percent of Finnish comprehensive schools currently registered as program users.

Myosin Va Plays a Role in Nitrergic Smooth Muscle Relaxation in Gastric Fundus and Corpora Cavernosa of Penis

Science.gov (United States)

Carew, Josephine A.; Goyal, Raj K.; Sullivan, Maryrose P.

2014-01-01

The intracellular motor protein myosin Va is involved in nitrergic neurotransmission possibly by trafficking of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) within the nerve terminals. In this study, we examined the role of myosin Va in the stomach and penis, proto-typical smooth muscle organs in which nitric oxide (NO) mediated relaxation is critical for function. We used confocal microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation of tissue from the gastric fundus (GF) and penile corpus cavernosum (CCP) to localize myosin Va with nNOS and demonstrate their molecular interaction. We utilized in vitro mechanical studies to test whether smooth muscle relaxations during nitrergic neuromuscular neurotransmission is altered in DBA (dilute, brown, non-agouti) mice which lack functional myosin Va. Myosin Va was localized in nNOS-positive nerve terminals and was co-immunoprecipitated with nNOS in both GF and CCP. In comparison to C57BL/6J wild type (WT) mice, electrical field stimulation (EFS) of precontracted smooth muscles of GF and CCP from DBA animals showed significant impairment of nitrergic relaxation. An NO donor, Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), caused comparable levels of relaxation in smooth muscles of WT and DBA mice. These normal postjunctional responses to SNP in DBA tissues suggest that impairment of smooth muscle relaxation resulted from inhibition of NO synthesis in prejunctional nerve terminals. Our results suggest that normal physiological processes of relaxation of gastric and cavernosal smooth muscles that facilitate food accommodation and penile erection, respectively, may be disrupted under conditions of myosin Va deficiency, resulting in complications like gastroparesis and erectile dysfunction. PMID:24516539

Comparison of rates of potentially inappropriate medication use according to the Zhan criteria for VA versus private sector medicare HMOs.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Mitchell J; Perry, Paul J; Langstaff, Jodi D; Kaboli, Peter J

2006-06-01

Inappropriate prescribing in the elderly is common, but rates across different health care systems and the impact of formulary restrictions are not well described. To determine if rates of inappropriate medication use in the elderly differ between the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system and the private sector Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO) patients. A cross-sectional study design compared administrative pharmacy claims from 10 distinct geographic regions in the United States in the VA health care system and 10 analogous regions for patients enrolled in Medicare HMOs. The cohorts included 123,633 VA and 157,517 Medicare HMO patients aged 65 years and older. Inappropriate medication use was identified using the Zhan modification of the Beers criteria, which categorizes 33 potentially inappropriate drugs into 3 major classifications: "always avoid," "rarely appropriate," and "some indications." Comparisons between the VA health care system and the private sector Medicare HMO were performed for overall differences and stratified by gender and age. The drug formulary status of the Zhan-criteria drugs was known for the VA health system but not for the Medicare HMO patients. Compared with private sector patients, VA patients were less likely to receive any inappropriate medication (21% vs. 29%, P private sector for males (21% vs. 24%, P private sector Medicare HMOs, elderly VA patients were less likely to receive medications defined by the Zhan criteria as potentially inappropriate. A restrictive formulary that excludes 12 of the 33 Zhan criteria drugs may be a factor in the reduction of undesired prescribing patterns in elderly populations.

VA Disability Compensation and Money Spent on Substance Use Among Homeless Veterans: A Controversial Association.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Jack; Rosenheck, Robert A

2015-06-01

There has long been concern that public support payments are used to support addictive behaviors. This study examined the amount of money homeless veterans spend on alcohol and drugs and the association between public support income, including VA disability compensation, and expenditures on alcohol and drugs. Data were from 1,160 veterans from 19 sites on entry into the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric analyses were conducted. About 33% of veterans reported spending money on alcohol and 22% reported spending money on drugs in the past month. No significant association was found between public support income, VA disability compensation, and money spent on alcohol and drugs. A substantial proportion of homeless veterans spend some income on alcohol and drugs, but disability income, including VA compensation, does not seem to be related to substance use or money spent on addictive substances.

Multimethod evaluation of the VA's peer-to-peer Toolkit for patient-centered medical home implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Luck, Jeff; Bowman, Candice; York, Laura; Midboe, Amanda; Taylor, Thomas; Gale, Randall; Asch, Steven

2014-07-01

Effective implementation of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) in primary care practices requires training and other resources, such as online toolkits, to share strategies and materials. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) developed an online Toolkit of user-sourced tools to support teams implementing its Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) medical home model. To present findings from an evaluation of the PACT Toolkit, including use, variation across facilities, effect of social marketing, and factors influencing use. The Toolkit is an online repository of ready-to-use tools created by VA clinic staff that physicians, nurses, and other team members may share, download, and adopt in order to more effectively implement PCMH principles and improve local performance on VA metrics. Multimethod evaluation using: (1) website usage analytics, (2) an online survey of the PACT community of practice's use of the Toolkit, and (3) key informant interviews. Survey respondents were PACT team members and coaches (n = 544) at 136 VA facilities. Interview respondents were Toolkit users and non-users (n = 32). For survey data, multivariable logistic models were used to predict Toolkit awareness and use. Interviews and open-text survey comments were coded using a "common themes" framework. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) guided data collection and analyses. The Toolkit was used by 6,745 staff in the first 19 months of availability. Among members of the target audience, 80 % had heard of the Toolkit, and of those, 70 % had visited the website. Tools had been implemented at 65 % of facilities. Qualitative findings revealed a range of user perspectives from enthusiastic support to lack of sufficient time to browse the Toolkit. An online Toolkit to support PCMH implementation was used at VA facilities nationwide. Other complex health care organizations may benefit from adopting similar online peer-to-peer resource libraries.

Strategies from a nationwide health information technology implementation: the VA CART story.

Science.gov (United States)

Box, Tamára L; McDonell, Mary; Helfrich, Christian D; Jesse, Robert L; Fihn, Stephan D; Rumsfeld, John S

2010-01-01

The VA Cardiovascular Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking (CART) system is a customized electronic medical record system which provides standardized report generation for cardiac catheterization procedures, serves as a national data repository, and is the centerpiece of a national quality improvement program. Like many health information technology projects, CART implementation did not proceed without some barriers and resistance. We describe the nationwide implementation of CART at the 77 VA hospitals which perform cardiac catheterizations in three phases: (1) strategic collaborations; (2) installation; and (3) adoption. Throughout implementation, success required a careful balance of technical, clinical, and organizational factors. We offer strategies developed through CART implementation which are broadly applicable to technology projects aimed at improving the quality, reliability, and efficiency of health care.

Contribution of soil-32P, fertilizer-32P and VA mycorrhizal fungi to phosphorus nutrition of corn plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Gu; Yang Maoqiu; Bai Dengsha; Huang Quansheng

1997-01-01

32 P labelled fertilizer and five synthetic phosphates (dicalcium phosphate, octocalcium phosphate, iron phosphate, aluminium phosphate and apatite), which were used to simulate inorganic phosphates such as Ca 2 -P, Ca 8 -P, Fe P , Al-P and Ca 10 -P in calcareous soil, were applied to corn plants inoculating with and without vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi in a calcareous soil. The results showed that VA mycorrhizal fungi and dicalcium phosphate, octocalcium phosphate, iron phosphate, aluminium phosphate promoted growth and increased phosphorus content of corn plant. The four synthetic phosphates except apatite had higher contributions to corn plant growth than VA mycorrhizal fungi. Contributions of fertilizer-P, soil-P and synthetic phosphates to phosphorus nutrition of corn plant were in order of synthetic phosphates (except apatite) > soil- P > fertilizer-P. Inoculating with VA mycorrhizal fungi increased the contribution of soil-P and decreased the contribution of synthetic phosphates, but did not affect the contribution of fertilizer-P

Aerosol Vacuum-Assisted Plasma Ionization (Aero-VaPI) Coupled to Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Blair, Sandra L.; Ng, Nga L.; Zambrzycki, Stephen C.; Li, Anyin; Fernández, Facundo M.

2018-02-01

In this communication, we report on the real-time analysis of organic aerosol particles by Vacuum-assisted Plasma Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (Aero-VaPI-MS) using a home-built VaPI ion source coupled to a Synapt G2-S HDMS ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) system. Standards of organic molecules of interest in prebiotic chemistry were used to generate aerosols. Monocaprin and decanoic acid aerosol particles were successfully detected in both the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. A complex aerosol mixture of different sizes of polymers of L-malic acid was also examined through ion mobility (IM) separations, resulting in the detection of polymers of up to eight monomeric units. This noncommercial plasma ion source is proposed as a low cost alternative to other plasma ionization platforms used for aerosol analysis, and a higher-performance alternative to more traditional aerosol mass spectrometers. VaPI provides robust online ionization of organics in aerosols without extensive ion activation, with the coupling to IM-MS providing higher peak capacity and excellent mass accuracy. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

EFFECTS OF VARIOUS SOIL ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES ON THE OCCURRENCE, DISTRIBUTION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF VA MYCORRHIZAE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.G. KHAN

1995-01-01

Full Text Available The vesicular - arbuscular (VA mycorrhizal fungi are geographically ubiquitous soil inhabitants and form universal symbiotic relationship with plants from every phylum. These fungi link host plants with host soils and their biota in the mycorrhizosphere and play an important role in plant health, productivity and soil structure. Although VA mycorrhizal fungi do not show any host specificity, there is increasing evidence that various climatic and edaphic environmental factors such as land use and management practices, physical, chemical and biological properties of host soils and host plant characteristics influence their occurrence, taxonomic distribution and effectiveness. The interaction of these factors with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM is poorly understood except in a few cases. It is now very clear that VA mycorrhizal associations are ecologically significant factors that require more attention than previously accorded. This paper discusses the occurrence, distribution and significance of VAM in environmentally stressed soil conditions that limit plant growth such as drought, waterlogging and salinity.

Waves from the Sun: to the 100th anniversary of V.A. Troitskaya’s birth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guglielmi A.V.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available It has been one hundred years since the birth of the outstanding scientist Professor V.A. Troitskaya. Her remarkable achievements in solar-terrestrial physics are widely known. For many years, Valeria A. Troitskaya was the President of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy. This article deals with only one aspect of the multifaceted creative activity of V.A. Troitskaya. It relates to the problem of sources of ultra-low frequency (ULF electromagnetic oscillations and waves outside Earth’s magnetosphere. We were fortunate to work under the leadership of V.A. Troitskaya on this problem. In this paper, we briefly describe the history from the emergence of the idea of the extramagnetospheric origin of dayside permanent ULF oscillations in the late 1960s to the modern quest made by ground and satellite means for ULF waves excited by solar surface oscillations propagating in the interplanetary medium and reaching Earth.

Modeling of Mean-VaR portfolio optimization by risk tolerance when the utility function is quadratic

Science.gov (United States)

Sukono, Sidi, Pramono; Bon, Abdul Talib bin; Supian, Sudradjat

2017-03-01

The problems of investing in financial assets are to choose a combination of weighting a portfolio can be maximized return expectations and minimizing the risk. This paper discusses the modeling of Mean-VaR portfolio optimization by risk tolerance, when square-shaped utility functions. It is assumed that the asset return has a certain distribution, and the risk of the portfolio is measured using the Value-at-Risk (VaR). So, the process of optimization of the portfolio is done based on the model of Mean-VaR portfolio optimization model for the Mean-VaR done using matrix algebra approach, and the Lagrange multiplier method, as well as Khun-Tucker. The results of the modeling portfolio optimization is in the form of a weighting vector equations depends on the vector mean return vector assets, identities, and matrix covariance between return of assets, as well as a factor in risk tolerance. As an illustration of numeric, analyzed five shares traded on the stock market in Indonesia. Based on analysis of five stocks return data gained the vector of weight composition and graphics of efficient surface of portfolio. Vector composition weighting weights and efficient surface charts can be used as a guide for investors in decisions to invest.

30 CFR 57.22205 - Doors on main fans (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Doors on main fans (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A... main fans (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines). In mines ventilated by multiple main fans, each main fan... reversal through the fan. The doors shall be located so that they are not in direct line with explosive...

78 FR 27882 - VA Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) Verification Guidelines

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-13

... Verification Self-Assessment Tool that walks the veteran through the regulation and how it applies to the...) Verification Guidelines AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Advanced notice of proposed rulemaking... regulations governing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) Verification...

Comparison of Comet Enflow and VA One Acoustic-to-Structure Power Flow Predictions

Science.gov (United States)

Grosveld, Ferdinand W.; Schiller, Noah H.; Cabell, Randolph H.

2010-01-01

Comet Enflow is a commercially available, high frequency vibroacoustic analysis software based on the Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA). In this method the same finite element mesh used for structural and acoustic analysis can be employed for the high frequency solutions. Comet Enflow is being validated for a floor-equipped composite cylinder by comparing the EFEA vibroacoustic response predictions with Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) results from the commercial software program VA One from ESI Group. Early in this program a number of discrepancies became apparent in the Enflow predicted response for the power flow from an acoustic space to a structural subsystem. The power flow anomalies were studied for a simple cubic, a rectangular and a cylindrical structural model connected to an acoustic cavity. The current investigation focuses on three specific discrepancies between the Comet Enflow and the VA One predictions: the Enflow power transmission coefficient relative to the VA One coupling loss factor; the importance of the accuracy of the acoustic modal density formulation used within Enflow; and the recommended use of fast solvers in Comet Enflow. The frequency region of interest for this study covers the one-third octave bands with center frequencies from 16 Hz to 4000 Hz.

Estimating Value at Risk with the Generalized Kalman Filter%基于Generalized Kalman Filter的VaR估计

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

赵利锋; 张崇岐

2009-01-01

在应用Kalman Filter方法估计时变风险β系数的基础上,引入Generalized Kalman Filter方法来估计时变卢系数,再通过Sharp对角线模型计算投资组合的VaR,并运用Backtesting检验判断两方法估计VaR的精确度.

Validation of KENO V.a for criticality safety calculations involving WR-1 fast-neutron fuel arrangements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gauld, I. C.

1991-07-15

The KENO V.a criticality safety code, used with the SCALE 27-energy-group ENDF/B-IV-based cross-section library, has been validated for low-enriched uranium carbide (UC) WR-1 fast-neutron (FN) fuel arrangements. Because of a lack of relevant experimental data for UC fuel in the published literature, the validation is based primarily on calculational comparisons with critical experiments for fuel types with a range of enrichments and densities that cover those of the FN UC fuel. The ability of KENO V.a to handle the unique annular pin arrangement of the WR-1 FN fuel bundle was established using a comparison with the MCNP3B code used with a continuous-energy ENDF/B-V-based cross-section library. This report is part of the AECL--10146 report series documenting the validation of the KENO V.a criticality safety code.

38 CFR 58.17 - VA Form 10-0144A-Statement of Assurance of Compliance with Equal Opportunity Laws.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false VA Form 10-0144A-Statement of Assurance of Compliance with Equal Opportunity Laws. 58.17 Section 58.17 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (CONTINUED) FORMS § 58.17 VA Form 10-0144A—Statement of Assurance of Compliance with Equal...

30 CFR 57.22204 - Main fan operation and inspection (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Main fan operation and inspection (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines). 57.22204 Section 57.22204 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... Main fan operation and inspection (I-A, II-A, III, and V-A mines). Main fans shall be— (a) Provided...

Characterization of the interaction between the heavy and light chains of bovine factor Va.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, F J

1992-10-05

Bovine factor Va has been previously been shown to consist of heavy (M(r) = 94,000) and light chains (M(r) = 81,000), that interact in a manner dependent upon the presence of either calcium or manganese ions. In an attempt to understand the mechanism of subunit interaction we have studied the effects of temperature and ions on factor Va stability. The rates of formation of factor Va from isolated chains and dissociation were temperature-dependent with an energy of activation of 6.2 and 1.3 kcal mol-1, respectively. The yield of factor Va from isolated chains was inversely related to the amount of time the chains were incubated at 4 degrees C. Incubation of individual chains revealed that the heavy chain is cold-labile, an effect that is reversible. Manganese ion was observed to prevent the conversion to the inactive form. High salt tends to stabilize the two-chain structure of factor Va, but is inhibitory to its formation from isolated chains. High concentrations of either manganese or calcium ions also inhibited reconstitution of activity. The light chain, in particular, was sensitive to the presence of manganese or calcium ion. Heavy chain that had been cleaved by activated protein C had a weakened interaction with the light chain, and the resulting complex had no procoagulant activity. Cooling of the heavy chain to 4 degrees C enhanced its intrinsic fluorescence. Manganese ion prevented some of this enhancement. The heavy chain fluorescence returned to the room temperature value with a half-life of approximately 10 min. In the presence of manganese ion relaxation was accelerated. The intrinsic fluorescence of activated protein C-cleaved heavy chain was not increased when the temperature was decreased. These data suggest that the heavy chain can exist in two forms. Elevated temperature converts it to a form that can bind ions and have a productive interaction with the light chain. However, conditions that prevent the heavy chain from combining with the light

The VA Ostomy Health-Related Quality of Life Study: objectives, methods, and patient sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Krouse, Robert S; Mohler, M Jane; Wendel, Christopher S; Grant, Marcia; Baldwin, Carol M; Rawl, Susan M; McCorkle, Ruth; Rosenfeld, Kenneth E; Ko, Clifford Y; Schmidt, C Max; Coons, Stephen Joel

2006-04-01

To present the design and methods of a multisite study of health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in veterans living with ostomies. Veterans from Tucson, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles VA Medical Centers were surveyed using the validated City of Hope ostomy-specific tool (mCOH-QOL-Ostomy) and the SF-36V. Cases (ostomates) had a major gastrointestinal procedure that required an intestinal stoma, while controls had similar procedures for which an ostomy was not required. Ostomy subjects were recruited for four focus groups in each of two sites divided by ostomy type (colostomy versus ileostomy) and overall mCOH-QOL-Ostomy HR-QOL score (highest versus lowest quartile). The focus groups further evaluated barriers, concerns, and adaptation methods and skills. This report presents recruitment results, reliability of survey instruments, and demographic characteristics of the sample. The overall response (i.e., recruitment) rate across all sites was 48% and by site was 53%, 57%, and 37%, respectively (p ostomies had significantly longer time since surgery than controls (p ostomies is an illustration of a successful mixed methods approach to HR-QOL research. We collected meaningful quantitative and qualitative data that will be used in the development of new approaches to care that will lead to improved functioning and well-being in persons living with ostomies. Subsequent reports will provide the results of this research project.

Physicochemical properties of direct compression tablets with spray dried and ball milled solid dispersions of tadalafil in PVP-VA.

Science.gov (United States)

Wlodarski, K; Tajber, L; Sawicki, W

2016-12-01

The aim of this research was to develop immediate release tablets comprising solid dispersion (IRSDTs) of tadalafil (Td) in a vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate block copolymer (PVP-VA), characterized by improved dissolution profiles. The solid dispersion of Td in PVP-VA (Td/PVP-VA) in a weight ratio of 1:1 (w/w) was prepared using two different processes i.e. spray drying and ball milling. While the former process has been well established in the formulation of IRSDTs the latter has not been exploited in these systems yet. Regardless of the preparation method, both Td/PVP-VA solid dispersions were amorphous as confirmed by PXRD, DSC and FTIR. However, different morphology of particles (SEM) resulted in differences in water apparent solubility and disk intrinsic dissolution rate (DIDR). Both solid dispersions and crystalline Td were successfully made into directly compressible tablets at three doses of Td, i.e. 2.5mg, 10mgand20mg, yielding nine different formulations (D 1 -D 9 ). Each of the lots met the requirements set by Ph.Eur. and was evaluated with respect to appearance, diameter, thickness, mass, hardness, friability, disintegration time and content of Td. IRSDTs performed as supersaturable formulations and had significantly improved water dissolution profiles in comparison with equivalent tablets containing crystalline Td and the marketed formulations. Tablets with both spray dried and ball milled Td/PVP-VA revealed the greatest improvement in dissolution depending on the investigated doses, i.e. 2.5mgand20mg, respectively. Also, dissolution of Td from Td/PVP-VA delivered in different forms occurred in the following order: powders>tablets>capsules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

VA Student Financial Aid. Opportunity To Reduce Overlap in Approving Education and Training Programs. Report to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate.

Science.gov (United States)

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracts with state approving agencies (SAAs) to assess whether schools and training programs offer education of sufficient quality for veterans to receive VA education assistance benefits when attending them. The General Accounting Office examined the gatekeeping activities of the VA and the Department of…

Liquid-Crystal Thermosets, a New Generation of High-Performance Liquid-Crystal Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Dingemans, Theo; Weiser, Erik; Hou, Tan; Jensen, Brian; St. Clair, Terry

2004-01-01

One of the major challenges for NASA's next-generation reusable-launch-vehicle (RLV) program is the design of a cryogenic lightweight composite fuel tank. Potential matrix resin systems need to exhibit a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), good mechanical strength, and excellent barrier properties at cryogenic temperatures under load. In addition, the resin system needs to be processable by a variety of non-autoclavable techniques, such as vacuum-bag curing, resin-transfer molding (RTM), vacuum-assisted resin-transfer molding (VaRTM), resin-film infusion (RFI), pultrusion, and advanced tow placement (ATP). To meet these requirements, the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch (AMPB) at NASA Langley Research Center developed a new family of wholly aromatic liquid-crystal oligomers that can be processed and thermally cross-linked while maintaining their liquid-crystal order. All the monomers were polymerized in the presence of a cross-linkable unit by use of an environmentally benign melt-condensation technique. This method does not require hazardous solvents, and the only side product is acetic acid. The final product can be obtained as a powder or granulate and has an infinite shelf life. The obtained oligomers melt into a nematic phase and do not exhibit isotropization temperatures greater than the temperatures of decomposition (Ti > T(sub dec)). Three aromatic formulations were designed and tested and included esters, ester-amides, and ester-imides. One of the major advantages of this invention, named LaRC-LCR or Langley Research Center-Liquid Crystal Resin, is the ability to control a variety of resin characteristics, such as melting temperature, viscosity, and the cross-link density of the final part. Depending on the formulation, oligomers can be prepared with melt viscosities in the range of 10-10,000 poise (100 rad/s), which can easily be melt-processed using a variety of composite-processing techniques. This capability provides NASA with custom

75 FR 53692 - Pesticide Products; Registration Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

...), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA... (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of operation of this Docket Facility are...: Bifenthrin. Proposed uses: Grass forage, fodder and hay group, grass grown for seed, pasture and rangeland...

Trade in Value Added (TiVA in EU New Member States (EU NMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ines Kersan-Škabić

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Contemporary trade analysis indicates the necessity of calculating trade in value added (TiVA which is created through global value chains (GVCs. This paper aims to determine the characteristics and importance of GVC trade in the EU new member states (EU NMS with special emphasis placed on the industry level. The results demonstrate different levels of GVC participation of the EU NMS, where Hungary is the most integrated country and Croatia the least integrated. Regional GVCs exist because a huge part of value added (VA comes from EU member states, as in gross export as well as in final demand (Europe as a hub. The most important source countries are Germany and Italy and there is also evidence of geographical and historical relations between the countries. The domination of backward participation has been found in the analysis made on the industrial level, i.e. the EU NMS are highly dependent on the import of intermediates for the production and export of final products. Strong interconnections between imports of intermediate products and exports of final products have been found in the manufacture of computers, electronics and optical products; manufacture of wood, paper, printing and reproduction. This research has contributed to the scarce literature concerning GVC (TiVA in EU NMS and has opened up new possibilities for further research and analysis.

75 FR 35810 - Registration Review; Pesticide Dockets Opened for Review and Comment

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-23

...), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA..., One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of operation of this... Number, E-mail Address Bifenthrin (7402) EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-03 Jacqueline Guerry, 84 (215) 814-2184, guerry...

KENO3D, Visualisation Tool for KENO V.A and KENO-VI Geometry Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: The KENO3D Visualization Tool for KENO Geometry Models is a powerful state-of-the-art visualization tool that enables KENO V.a users and KENO-VI to interactively display their three-dimensional geometry models. The KENO3D interactive options include: - Shaded or wire-frame images ; - Standard views such as top view, side view, front view, and isometric(3-D) view; - Rotating the model ; - Zooming in on selected locations ; - Selecting parts of the model to display ; - Editing colors and displaying legends ; - Displaying properties of any unit in the model ; - Creating cut-away views ; - Removing units from the model; - Printing image or saving image to a common graphics formats. KENO3D was developed for use by criticality safety specialists that use the KENO three-dimensional Monte Carlo criticality computer code. KENO V.a and KENO-VI are part of the SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluations) computer software system developed at Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) that is widely used and accepted around the world for criticality safety analyses. 2 - Methods: KENO3D reads CSAS, KENO V.a, or KENO-VI input files. It attempts to verify that the KENO geometry input is 'legal', i.e., it conforms to the code input guidelines. KENO3D prints a warning message for illegal geometry input, and if possible, it displays the illegal KENO geometry to facilitate debugging of the input. Problems with more than 300,000 KENO V.a bodies have been successfully tested and displayed. KENO3D has the look and feel of a typical PC Windows application. Toolbar buttons are included for all major menu options. There is a setup dialog that allows the user to specify toolbars that should be displayed

77 FR 33089 - OPSAIL 2012 Virginia, Port of Hampton Roads, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-05

...] RIN 1625-AA00, AA08, AA11 OPSAIL 2012 Virginia, Port of Hampton Roads, VA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... of Hampton Roads, Virginia for Operation Sail (OPSAIL) 2012 Virginia activities. This regulation is..., Hampton Roads, the James River and Elizabeth River. DATES: This rule is effective from June 6, 2012 to...

77 FR 19957 - OPSAIL 2012 Virginia, Port of Hampton Roads, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-03

...-0174] RIN 1625-AA00, AA01, AA08, AA11, AA87 OPSAIL 2012 Virginia, Port of Hampton Roads, VA AGENCY... temporary regulations in the Port of Hampton Roads, Virginia for Operation Sail (OPSAIL) 2012 Virginia... portions of Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads, the James River and Elizabeth River. DATES: Comments and related...

Dynamic VaR Measurement of Gold Market with SV-T-MN Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fenglan Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available VaR (Value at Risk in the gold market was measured and predicted by combining stochastic volatility (SV model with extreme value theory. Firstly, for the fat tail and volatility persistence characteristics in gold market return series, the gold price return volatility was modeled by SV-T-MN (SV-T with Mixture-of-Normal distribution model based on state space. Secondly, future sample volatility prediction was realized by using approximate filtering algorithm. Finally, extreme value theory based on generalized Pareto distribution was applied to measure dynamic risk value (VaR of gold market return. Through the proposed model on the price of gold, empirical analysis was investigated; the results show that presented combined model can measure and predict Value at Risk of the gold market reasonably and effectively and enable investors to further understand the extreme risk of gold market and take coping strategies actively.

Expression of Vitis amurensis VaERF20 in Arabidopsis thaliana Improves Resistance to Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mengnan Wang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Ethylene response factor (ERF transcription factors play important roles in regulating immune responses in plants. In our study, we characterized a member of the ERF transcription factor family, VaERF20, from the Chinese wild Vitis genotype, V. amurensis Rupr “Shuangyou”. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that VaERF20 belongs to group IXc of the ERF family, in which many members are known to contribute to fighting pathogen infection. Consistent with this, expression of VaERF20 was induced by treatment with the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea in “Shuangyou” and V. vinifera “Red Globe”. Arabidopsis thaliana plants over-expressing VaERF20 displayed enhanced resistance to B. cinerea and the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst DC3000. Patterns of pathogen-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS accumulation were entirely distinct in B. cinerea and PstDC3000 inoculated plants. Examples of both salicylic acid (SA and jasmonic acid/ethylene (JA/ET responsive defense genes were up-regulated after B. cinerea and PstDC3000 inoculation of the VaERF20-overexpressing transgenic A. thaliana plants. Evidence of pattern-triggered immunity (PTI, callose accumulation and stomatal defense, together with increased expression of PTI genes, was also greater in the transgenic lines. These data indicate that VaERF20 participates in various signal transduction pathways and acts as an inducer of immune responses.

The KiVa antibullying program in primary schools in Chile, with and without the digital game component: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaete, Jorge; Valenzuela, Daniela; Rojas-Barahona, Cristian; Valenzuela, Eduardo; Araya, Ricardo; Salmivalli, Christina

2017-02-20

Bullying is a major problem worldwide and Chile is no exception. Bullying is defined as a systematic aggressive behavior against a victim who cannot defend him or herself. Victims suffer social isolation and psychological maladjustment, while bullies have a higher risk for conduct problems and substance use disorders. These problems appear to last over time. The KiVa antibullying program has been evaluated in Finland and other European countries, showing preventive effects on victimization and self-reported bullying. The aims of this study are (1) to develop a culturally appropriate version of the KiVa material and (2) to test the effectiveness of the KiVa program, with and without the online game, on reducing experiences of victimization and bullying behavior among vulnerable primary schools in Santiago (Chile), using a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) design with three arms: (1) full KiVa program group, (2) partial KiVa (without online game) program group and (3) control group. This is a three-arm, single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a target enrolment of 1495 4th and 5th graders attending 13 vulnerable schools per arm. Students in the full and partial KiVa groups will receive universal actions: ten 2-h lessons delivered by trained teachers during 1 year; they will be exposed to posters encouraging them to support victims and behave constructively when witnessing bullying; and a person designated by the school authorities will be present in all school breaks and lunchtimes using a visible KiVa vest to remind everybody that they are in a KiVa school. KiVa schools also will have indicated actions, which consist of a set of discussion groups with the victims and with the bullies, with proper follow-up. Only full KiVa schools will also receive an online game which has the aim to raise awareness of the role of the group in bullying, increase empathy and promote strategies to support victimized peers. Self-reported victimization

Smart City: Adding to the Complexity of Cities

OpenAIRE

Thompson, Emine Mine

2016-01-01

This paper seeks to further the state-of-the-art knowledge on what a smart city is by analysing the smart cities across the world. It also seeks to find out how different approaches to smart city creation influence the city. This work is based on the ongoing review on Smart Cities that was started in 2014 and is structured as follows: first, definitions of "smart city" are reviewed, then typologies of smart cities are generated by analysing the different types of smart cities across the world...

Choosing Expected Shortfall Over VaR in Basel III Using Stochastic Dominance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); J.A. Jiménez-Martín (Juan-Ángel); E. Maasoumi (Esfandiar); M.J. McAleer (Michael); T. Pérez-Amaral (Teodosio)

2016-01-01

textabstractWe compare Value at Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES) following a Stochastic Dominance (SD) approach frequently used to order distributions in terms of welfare and in portfolio selection. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) recommends bank risk managers to shift the

Choosing Expected Shortfall over VaR in Basel III Using Stochastic Dominance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); J.A. Jiménez-Martín (Juan-Ángel); E. Maasoumi (Esfandiar); M.J. McAleer (Michael)

2015-01-01

textabstractBank risk managers follow the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) recommendations that recently proposed shifting the quantitative risk metrics system from Value-at-Risk (VaR) to Expected Shortfall (ES). The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (2013, p. 3) noted that: “a

Associations between changes in city and address specific temperature and QT interval--the VA Normative Aging Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amar J Mehta

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The underlying mechanisms of the association between ambient temperature and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are not well understood, particularly for daily temperature variability. We evaluated if daily mean temperature and standard deviation of temperature was associated with heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc duration, a marker of ventricular repolarization in a prospective cohort of older men. METHODS: This longitudinal analysis included 487 older men participating in the VA Normative Aging Study with up to three visits between 2000-2008 (n = 743. We analyzed associations between QTc and moving averages (1-7, 14, 21, and 28 days of the 24-hour mean and standard deviation of temperature as measured from a local weather monitor, and the 24-hour mean temperature estimated from a spatiotemporal prediction model, in time-varying linear mixed-effect regression. Effect modification by season, diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, and age was also evaluated. RESULTS: Higher mean temperature as measured from the local monitor, and estimated from the prediction model, was associated with longer QTc at moving averages of 21 and 28 days. Increased 24-hr standard deviation of temperature was associated with longer QTc at moving averages from 4 and up to 28 days; a 1.9°C interquartile range increase in 4-day moving average standard deviation of temperature was associated with a 2.8 msec (95%CI: 0.4, 5.2 longer QTc. Associations between 24-hr standard deviation of temperature and QTc were stronger in colder months, and in participants with diabetes and coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In this sample of older men, elevated mean temperature was associated with longer QTc, and increased variability of temperature was associated with longer QTc, particularly during colder months and among individuals with diabetes and coronary heart disease. These findings may offer insight of an important underlying mechanism of

77 FR 70708 - VA Acquisition Regulation: Electronic Submission of Payment Requests

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-27

... electronic data interchange (EDI) formats; or (3) another electronic form as prescribed by the contract....fsc.va.gov/einvoice.asp .); or, (b) A system that conforms to the X12 electronic data interchange (EDI... Institute (ANSI). The X12 EDI Web site ( http://www.x12.org ) includes additional information on EDI 810 and...

Changing Patterns of Glucose-Lowering Medication Use in VA Nursing Home Residents With Diabetes, 2005 to 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sei J; Stijacic-Cenzer, Irena; Barnhart, Caroline; McClymont, Keelan; Steinman, Michael A

2015-10-01

Although nursing home (NH) residents make up a large and growing proportion of Americans with diabetes mellitus, little is known about how glucose-lowering medications are used in this population. We sought to examine glucose-lowering medication use in Veterans Affairs (VA) NH residents with diabetes between 2005 and 2011. Retrospective cohort study, using linked laboratory, pharmacy, administrative, and NH Minimum Dataset (MDS) 2.0 databases in 123 VA NHs. A total of 9431 long-stay (>90 days) VA NH residents older than 65 followed for 52,313 person-quarters. We identified receipt of glucose-lowering medications, including insulin, metformin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and others (alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, meglitinides, glucagonlike peptide-1 analogs, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and amylin analogs) per quarter. The rates of sulfonylurea use in long-stay NH residents dropped dramatically from 24% in 2005 to 12% in 2011 (P use (10% to 2%, P use in 2007 (4% to Metformin use was stable, ranging between 7% and 9% (P = .24). Insulin use increased slightly from 30% to 32% (P Use of other classes of glucose-lowering medications was stable (P = .22) and low, remaining below 1.3%. Between 2005 and 2011, there were dramatic declines in use of sulfonylureas and thiazolidinediones in VA NH residents, suggesting that prescribing practices can be quickly changed in this setting. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Electronic Health Records: DOD's and VA's Sharing of Information Could Benefit from Improved Management

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2009-01-01

...) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are required to accelerate the exchange of health information between the departments and to develop systems or capabilities that allow for interoperability...

77 FR 1716 - James River National Wildlife Refuge, Prince George County, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-11

... River National Wildlife Refuge, Prince George County, VA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... (the refuge, NWR), which is located in Prince George County, Virginia. We provide this notice in... River NWR, in Prince George County, Virginia. This notice complies with our CCP policy to advise other...

Le CERN va devoir supprimer quelques 600 postes d'ici a 2007

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

"Le Laboratoire europeen pour la physique des particules (CERN) qui procede actuellement a la construction du LHC (Large Hadron Collider) , le plus grand accelerateur de particules du monde, va devoir supprimer, comme cela avait ete evoque en juin, quelques 600 postes d'ici a 2007" (1 paragraph).

76 FR 70345 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard 33 CFR Part 117 [Docket No. USCG-2011-1022] Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice... periodic maintenance. The Norfolk Southern 5 Bridge, at mile 1.1, across the Elizabeth River (Eastern...

Aerospace technology transfer to the public sector; Proceedings of the Conference, Crystal City, Va., November 9-11, 1977

Science.gov (United States)

Grey, J. (Editor); Newman, M.

1978-01-01

The dynamics of aerospace technology transfer is discussed with reference to the agencies which facilitate the transfer to both the public and private sectors. Attention is given to NASA's Technology Utilization Program, and to specific applications of aerospace technology spinoff in the daily life of Americans.

Learning Cities as Healthy Green Cities: Building Sustainable Opportunity Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Kearns, Peter

2012-01-01

This paper discusses a new generation of learning cities we have called EcCoWell cities (Economy, Community, Well-being). The paper was prepared for the PASCAL International Exchanges (PIE) and is based on international experiences with PIE and developments in some cities. The paper argues for more holistic and integrated development so that…

Geochemical and Petrologic Constraints on the Source of Eocene Volcanism at Mole Hill, Rockingham County, VA

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, E. A.; Beard, J. S.

2010-12-01

Mole Hill is an Eocene (48 Ma) basaltic volcanic neck located west of Harrisonburg, VA, and provides a unique opportunity to probe the mantle beneath the Shenandoah Valley. It lies on the northeastern edge of a swarm of alkaline-series volcanic plugs, dikes, and diatremes extending through Rockingham and Highland Counties, VA, and Pendleton County, WV. The Eocene volcanics are thought to have exploited extensive basement fracture systems originally formed during the Alleghenian Orogeny and subsequent rifting. The Eocene volcanism may have been triggered by reactivation of faults due to global shifts in relative plate motions (Southworth 1993, USGS Bull, B1839-I) but the source material and magmatic processes for the Eocene volcanism are largely unknown. Compositional and texture analyses of xenocrystic and groundmass clinopyroxene, olivine, and spinel were completed either at Virginia Tech on the Cameca SX-50 electron microprobe in the Dept of Geological Sciences, or in the Dept of Mineral Sciences, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C using the JEOL JXA-8900R WD/EDS microanalyzer or the FEI NOVA nanoSEM600 FEG Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope. Xenocrysts up to 2cm in diameter are distributed throughout the volcanic neck, with clinopyroxene >>spinel>olivine. The clinopyroxene and olivine xenocrysts show undulatory extinction in cross-polarized light and are found as individual crystals or as aggregates. Clinopyroxene xenocryst cores are high-Al, low-Cr augite ( ˜Wo44En46Fs10) with Mg# 78.5-85.9. The clinopyroxene xenocrysts have compositionally zoned rims 100-250 μm-wide containing abundant plagioclase inclusions and sparse melt inclusions in a sieve texture. The outer edges of xenocrysts approach the compositions of groundmass and microphenocryst clinopyroxenes ( ˜Wo47En38Fs15; Mg# 67.9-74.5). Olivine xenocrysts contain sulfide inclusions and Cr-rich spinel and have Mg-rich ( ˜Fo86-90) cores with more Fe- and Ca-rich rims (Fo70

Theme city or gated community - images of future cities

OpenAIRE

Helenius-Mäki, Leena

2002-01-01

The future of the cities has been under discussion since the first city. It has been typical in every civilisation and era to hope for a better city. Creek philosopher Platon created image of future city where all men were equal and the city was ruled by philosophers minds. Many philosopher or later social scientist have ended up to similar "hope to be city". The form and type of the better city has depended from creators of those future city images. The creators have had their future city im...

500 Cities: City Boundaries

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This city boundary shapefile was extracted from Esri Data and Maps for ArcGIS 2014 - U.S. Populated Place Areas. This shapefile can be joined to 500 Cities...

Comparisons and Characterizations of the Mean-Variance, Mean-VaR, Mean-CVaR Models for Portfolio Selection With Background Risk

OpenAIRE

Xu, Guo; Wing-Keung, Wong; Lixing, Zhu

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the impact of background risk on an investor’s portfolio choice in a mean-VaR, mean-CVaR and mean-variance framework, and analyzes the characterizations of the mean-variance boundary and mean-VaR efficient frontier in the presence of background risk. We also consider the case with a risk-free security.

VaR and CVaR Implied in Option Prices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Barone Adesi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available VaR (Value at Risk and CVaR (Conditional Value at Risk are implied by option prices. Their relationships to option prices are derived initially under the pricing measure. It does not require assumptions about the distribution of portfolio returns. The effects of changes of measure are modest at the short horizons typically used in applications. The computation of CVaR from option price is very convenient, because this measure is not elicitable, making direct comparisons of statistical inferences from market data problematic.

VA OpenNotes: exploring the experiences of early patient adopters with access to clinical notes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazi, Kim M; Turvey, Carolyn L; Klein, Dawn M; Hogan, Timothy P; Woods, Susan S

2015-03-01

To explore the experience of early patient adopters who accessed their clinical notes online using the Blue Button feature of the My HealtheVet portal. A web-based survey of VA patient portal users from June 22 to September 15, 2013. 33.5% of respondents knew that clinical notes could be viewed, and nearly one in four (23.5%) said that they had viewed their notes at least once. The majority of VA Notes users agreed that accessing their notes will help them to do a better job of taking medications as prescribed (80.1%) and be better prepared for clinic visits (88.6%). Nine out of 10 users agreed that use of visit notes will help them understand their conditions better (91.8%), and better remember the plan for their care (91.9%). In contrast, 87% disagreed that VA Notes will make them worry more, and 88.4% disagreed that access to VA Notes will be more confusing than helpful. Users who had either contacted their provider or healthcare team (11.9%) or planned to (13.5%) primarily wanted to learn more about a health issue, medication, or test results (53.7%). Initial assessment of the patient experience within the first 9 months of availability provides evidence that patients both value and benefit from online access to clinical notes. These findings are congruent with OpenNotes study findings on a broader scale. Additional outreach and education is needed to enhance patient awareness. Healthcare professionals should author notes keeping in mind the opportunity patient access presents for enhanced communication. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

5kVa power inverter design and simulation based on boost ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Five (5) kVA power inverter was designed and simulated base on two topologies; Boost converter and Half-bridge inverter topology. A 555 timer IC was used as the control at fixed frequencies of 25 kHz and 50 Hz for the two stages. The results of the simulation were obtained. The graphs for both stages were plotted and the ...

Crystallization mechanisms of acicular crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Puel, François; Verdurand, Elodie; Taulelle, Pascal; Bebon, Christine; Colson, Didier; Klein, Jean-Paul; Veesler, Stéphane

2008-01-01

In this contribution, we present an experimental investigation of the growth of four different organic molecules produced at industrial scale with a view to understand the crystallization mechanism of acicular or needle-like crystals. For all organic crystals studied in this article, layer-by-layer growth of the lateral faces is very slow and clear, as soon as the supersaturation is high enough, there is competition between growth and surface-activated secondary nucleation. This gives rise to pseudo-twinned crystals composed of several needle individuals aligned along a crystallographic axis; this is explained by regular over- and inter-growths as in the case of twinning. And when supersaturation is even higher, nucleation is fast and random. In an industrial continuous crystallization, the rapid growth of needle-like crystals is to be avoided as it leads to fragile crystals or needles, which can be partly broken or totally detached from the parent crystals especially along structural anisotropic axis corresponding to weaker chemical bonds, thus leading to slower growing faces. When an activated mechanism is involved such as a secondary surface nucleation, it is no longer possible to obtain a steady state. Therefore, the crystal number, size and habit vary significantly with time, leading to troubles in the downstream processing operations and to modifications of the final solid-specific properties. These results provide valuable information on the unique crystallization mechanisms of acicular crystals, and show that it is important to know these threshold and critical values when running a crystallizer in order to obtain easy-to-handle crystals.

Non-intubated recovery from refractory cardiogenic shock on percutaneous VA-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Houte, J; Donker, D W; Wagenaar, L J; Slootweg, A P; Kirkels, J H; van Dijk, D

We report on the use of percutaneous femoral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in a fully awake, non-intubated and spontaneously breathing patient suffering from acute, severe and refractory cardiogenic shock due to a (sub)acute anterior myocardial infarction. Intensified

Creating a sampling frame for population-based veteran research: Representativeness and overlap of VA and Department of Defense databases

OpenAIRE

Donna L. Washington, MD, MPH; Su Sun, MPH; Mark Canning, BA

2010-01-01

Most veteran research is conducted in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare settings, although most veterans obtain healthcare outside the VA. Our objective was to determine the adequacy and relative contributions of Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and Department of Defense (DOD) administrative databases for representing the U.S. veteran population, using as an example the creation of a sampling frame for the National Survey of Women Vete...

KENO3D visualization tool for KENO V.a geometry models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, S.M.; Horwedel, J.E.

1999-01-01

The standardized computer analyses for licensing evaluations (SCALE) computer software system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is widely used and accepted around the world for criticality safety analyses. SCALE includes the well-known KENO V.a three-dimensional Monte Carlo criticality computer code. Criticality safety analysis often require detailed modeling of complex geometries. Checking the accuracy of these models can be enhanced by effective visualization tools. To address this need, ORNL has recently developed a powerful state-of-the-art visualization tool called KENO3D that enables KENO V.a users to interactively display their three-dimensional geometry models. The interactive options include the following: (1) having shaded or wireframe images; (2) showing standard views, such as top view, side view, front view, and isometric three-dimensional view; (3) rotating the model; (4) zooming in on selected locations; (5) selecting parts of the model to display; (6) editing colors and displaying legends; (7) displaying properties of any unit in the model; (8) creating cutaway views; (9) removing units from the model; and (10) printing image or saving image to common graphics formats

77 FR 12647 - Fund Availability Under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

... women veterans with or without the care of dependent children. 2. Funding Priority 2--VA is offering the... homeless veterans (i.e., veterans who are not incarcerated but are involved in the criminal justice system...

Risk Measures and Contagion Matrix: an Application of CoVaR for the Brazilian Financial Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aléssio Tony Cavalcanti de Almeida

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The main point of this work is to assess how a financial distress in return series of the major Brazilian companies assets and relevant domestic market (Ibovespa and main international index (Dow Jones interact with each other, in an attempt to capture spillover effects. We try to capture the systemic risk, the contagion effect and the stress test. This paper uses the methodology CoVaR, described in the Adrian and Brunnermeier (2011 which use quantile regression. The main innovation of this work is the construction and estimation of the contagion matrix to domestic capital market. The results show that there is no relationship between risk measurements given by Value at Risk (VaR and CoVaR, moreover the systemic risk shows those assets that generate more negative externalities for the domestic financial market. The stress test indicates that a distress in domestic market indicator returns have more spillover effects on domestic papers than a distress in the international market returns. Finally, the contagion matrix reveals that the interrelationships of contagion between the firms’ returns are relevant sectorial evidence for assessment and management of risks.

CityGML - Interoperable semantic 3D city models

Science.gov (United States)

Gröger, Gerhard; Plümer, Lutz

2012-07-01

CityGML is the international standard of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) for the representation and exchange of 3D city models. It defines the three-dimensional geometry, topology, semantics and appearance of the most relevant topographic objects in urban or regional contexts. These definitions are provided in different, well-defined Levels-of-Detail (multiresolution model). The focus of CityGML is on the semantical aspects of 3D city models, its structures, taxonomies and aggregations, allowing users to employ virtual 3D city models for advanced analysis and visualization tasks in a variety of application domains such as urban planning, indoor/outdoor pedestrian navigation, environmental simulations, cultural heritage, or facility management. This is in contrast to purely geometrical/graphical models such as KML, VRML, or X3D, which do not provide sufficient semantics. CityGML is based on the Geography Markup Language (GML), which provides a standardized geometry model. Due to this model and its well-defined semantics and structures, CityGML facilitates interoperable data exchange in the context of geo web services and spatial data infrastructures. Since its standardization in 2008, CityGML has become used on a worldwide scale: tools from notable companies in the geospatial field provide CityGML interfaces. Many applications and projects use this standard. CityGML is also having a strong impact on science: numerous approaches use CityGML, particularly its semantics, for disaster management, emergency responses, or energy-related applications as well as for visualizations, or they contribute to CityGML, improving its consistency and validity, or use CityGML, particularly its different Levels-of-Detail, as a source or target for generalizations. This paper gives an overview of CityGML, its underlying concepts, its Levels-of-Detail, how to extend it, its applications, its likely future development, and the role it plays in scientific research. Furthermore, its

38 CFR 74.25 - What types of personally identifiable information will VA collect?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (CONTINUED) VETERANS SMALL BUSINESS REGULATIONS Records Management § 74.25 What types of personally identifiable information will VA collect? In order to establish owner... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What types of personally...

76 FR 44279 - Radio Broadcasting Services; Clinchco, VA, and Coal Run, KY

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-25

...] Radio Broadcasting Services; Clinchco, VA, and Coal Run, KY AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission... Station WPKE-FM, Coal Run Kentucky, from Channel 276A to Channel 221C3. DATES: Effective August 1, 2011... 221C3 at Coal Run, Kentucky, are 37-23-57 NL and 82-23-42 WL, and for Channel 276A at Clinchco, Virginia...

Tail dependence between oil and stocks of major oil-exporting countries using the CoVaR approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nader Trabelsi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the negative tail risk dependence between oil shocks and stock indices (at aggregated and desegregated levels for Saudi Arabia (KSA, United Arab Emirates (UAE and Russia, over the period between 2007 and 2016. DCC-MGARCH approach and CoVaR measure are employed to assess the oil shock exposure. The results show that the tail dependence is significant and depends on the origin of the oil shocks, with intensity that varies across countries and sectors. Keywords: Oil price shocks, Oil-exporting countries, Conditional VaR, JEL Classification: C58, G11, Q4

75 FR 28295 - Parkdale Mills (Formerly Hanesbrands, Inc.) Galax, VA; Notice of Affirmative Determination...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-20

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-72,695] Parkdale Mills (Formerly Hanesbrands, Inc.) Galax, VA; Notice of Affirmative Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration By application dated February 2, 2010, petitioners requested administrative reconsideration of the negative...

HE CADASTRAL VA LUE OF REAL ESTATE — AN INDICATOR OF THE EFFICIENCY OF CITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF MOSCOW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belyakov Sergey Igorevich

2015-06-01

Full Text Available At the recent time the Moscow authority developed and im-plements a number of programs on city development aimed at raising the living comfort level of the population, advancing the urban development system, improvement of investment climate, etc. The most important role is played by the State program of Moscow “Town-Planning Policy” for 2012—2018. Different indicators are used to assess the efficiency of the programs. At the present time it is reasonable to consider all the processes connected with attraction and application of budget means of different levels, including for programs implementation, in the whole context of transition from the old taxation system where the real estate tax was calculated according to its inventory value to the new system, where the cadastral value of real estate objects is the basis for tax charge. The author considers the prerequisites and justification of the approach to territorial taxable capacity formation, which supposes application of cadastral value of real estate objects as efficiency indicator of city development programs. This indicator reflects a variety of fundamental factors characterizing an objective value of real estate objects and the development level of spatial-territorial environment as a whole.

Kollidon VA64, a membrane-resealing agent, reduces histopathology and improves functional outcome after controlled cortical impact in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Mbye, Lamin H; Keles, Eyup; Tao, Luyang; Zhang, Jimmy; Chung, Joonyong; Larvie, Mykol; Koppula, Rajani; Lo, Eng H; Whalen, Michael J

2012-03-01

Loss of plasma membrane integrity is a feature of acute cellular injury/death in vitro and in vivo. Plasmalemma-resealing agents are protective in acute central nervous system injury models, but their ability to reseal cell membranes in vivo has not been reported. Using a mouse controlled cortical impact (CCI) model, we found that propidium iodide-positive (PI+) cells pulse labeled at 6, 24, or 48 hours maintained a degenerative phenotype and disappeared from the injured brain by 7 days, suggesting that plasmalemma permeability is a biomarker of fatal cellular injury after CCI. Intravenous or intracerebroventricular administration of Kollidon VA64, poloxamer P188, or polyethylene glycol 8000 resealed injured cell membranes in vivo (P<0.05 versus vehicle or poloxamer P407). Kollidon VA64 (1 mmol/L, 500 μL) administered intravenously to mice 1  hour after CCI significantly reduced acute cellular degeneration, chronic brain tissue damage, brain edema, blood-brain barrier damage, and postinjury motor deficits (all P<0.05 versus vehicle). However, VA64 did not rescue pulse-labeled PI+ cells from eventual demise. We conclude that PI permeability within 48 hours of CCI is a biomarker of eventual cell death/loss. Kollidon VA64 reduces secondary damage after CCI by mechanisms other than or in addition to resealing permeable cells.

Direct observation of the myosin Va recovery stroke that contributes to unidirectional stepping along actin.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katsuyuki Shiroguchi

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Myosins are ATP-driven linear molecular motors that work as cellular force generators, transporters, and force sensors. These functions are driven by large-scale nucleotide-dependent conformational changes, termed "strokes"; the "power stroke" is the force-generating swinging of the myosin light chain-binding "neck" domain relative to the motor domain "head" while bound to actin; the "recovery stroke" is the necessary initial motion that primes, or "cocks," myosin while detached from actin. Myosin Va is a processive dimer that steps unidirectionally along actin following a "hand over hand" mechanism in which the trailing head detaches and steps forward ∼72 nm. Despite large rotational Brownian motion of the detached head about a free joint adjoining the two necks, unidirectional stepping is achieved, in part by the power stroke of the attached head that moves the joint forward. However, the power stroke alone cannot fully account for preferential forward site binding since the orientation and angle stability of the detached head, which is determined by the properties of the recovery stroke, dictate actin binding site accessibility. Here, we directly observe the recovery stroke dynamics and fluctuations of myosin Va using a novel, transient caged ATP-controlling system that maintains constant ATP levels through stepwise UV-pulse sequences of varying intensity. We immobilized the neck of monomeric myosin Va on a surface and observed real time motions of bead(s attached site-specifically to the head. ATP induces a transient swing of the neck to the post-recovery stroke conformation, where it remains for ∼40 s, until ATP hydrolysis products are released. Angle distributions indicate that the post-recovery stroke conformation is stabilized by ≥ 5 k(BT of energy. The high kinetic and energetic stability of the post-recovery stroke conformation favors preferential binding of the detached head to a forward site 72 nm away. Thus, the recovery

The Analysis of The Starting Pattern in Nezami’s Khosrow va Shirin, Leili va Majnoun and Haft Peykar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tayebe Ja’fari

2016-05-01

Full Text Available AbstractAccording to what Nezami states in his versified story Khosro va Shirin, King Hormoz is a fair and peasant-supporter monarch and everything is alright in his time. The only matter which bothers the King’s mind and feelings is the sadness of having no child. But this piteous sadness is removed after vowing, sacrificing and being born a boy as a result. This boy is totally different from his age children because of his unique characteristics.    Leili va Majnoon’s starting pattern can be Khosro va Shirin’s starting pattern simply by having some changes in characters. In this poem, the memoir related to the chieftain of Amer, who was one of the Arab grandees and has a settled land, is expressed. He is an artist who has a significant reputation in hospitality and being mendicant-adherent, but the sadness of having no child makes him like King Hormoz, so he decides to vow and sacrifice and asks God to give him a child.   Based on an archetypal approach, the boy who has been requested by prayer in Khosrow va Shirin, Leili va Majnoon, and other myths is an archetypal item that these literary works’ starting patterns are the expression of common conditions before, during, and after his birth. He is the heavenly child who has been born to make a great upheaval.   Based on an archetypal approach, the heavenly child can be considered as the best form of emanation of the potential aspect of Ego in dreams and myths in which the king, as the actual aspect of this archetype, wishes this child’s birth; to reach his perfect ideal. With this paraphastic approach, Khosrow Parviz and King Hormoz are respectively the potential and the actual aspect of Ego. Hormoz is the actual part that is almost perfect. He is an ideal, fair and peasant-supporter king. But this perfect person is only some parts of his talent who has reached the actuality and can be manifest. This potential aspect is the child whom the king is

77 FR 70805 - Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, Chesterfield County, VA; Final Comprehensive Conservation...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-27

.... Mail: Andy Hofmann, Project Leader, Eastern Virginia Rivers NWR Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 1030, 335 Wilna Road, Warsaw, VA 22572. Fax: Attention: Andy Hofmann, 804-333-1470. In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call Andy Hofmann, Project Leader, at 804-333-1470 extension 112 during regular...

AVTA Federal Fleet PEV Readiness Data Logging and Characterization Study for Department of Veterans Affairs – VA Manhattan Campus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephen Schey; Jim Francfort

2014-10-01

This report focuses on the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Manhattan Campus (VA- Manhattan) fleet to identify the daily operational characteristics of select vehicles and report findings on vehicle and mission characterizations to support successful introduction of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) into the agency’s fleet. Individual observations of these selected vehicles provide the basis for recommendations related to electric vehicle adoption and whether a battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (collectively called PEVs) can fulfill the mission requirements.

76 FR 48204 - Fund Availability Under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-08

... programs addressing emotional, social, spiritual, and generative needs. Terminally Ill (1) Help... optimize reintegration such as life-skills education, recreational activities, and follow up case..., and medication education. Through this NOFA, VA seeks to renew the FY 2009 previous grant and per diem...

75 FR 52989 - Specialty Minerals, Inc., Franklin, VA; Notice of Negative Determination Regarding Application...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-30

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-74,057] Specialty Minerals, Inc., Franklin, VA; Notice of Negative Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration By applications dated July 9, 2010 and July 16, 2010 (filed by a company official and a worker, respectively...

75 FR 60171 - Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-29

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0521] Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA Guaranteed Loans) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY... comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act...

78 FR 60379 - Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-01

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0521] Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA Guaranteed Loans) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY... comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act...

Study of cancer cell lines with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)/vibrational absorption (VA) spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Uceda Otero, E. P.; Eliel, G. S. N.; Fonseca, E. J. S.

2013-01-01

In this work we have used Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) / vibrational absorption (VA) spectroscopy to study two cancer cell lines: the Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) human cervix carcinoma and 5637 human bladder carcinoma cell lines. Our goal is to experimentally investigate biochemical changes...

Cities within Cities: An Urbanization Approach in the Gulf Countries

OpenAIRE

Bamakhrama, Salim Salah

2015-01-01

Within Dubai, nineteen out of the original 112 mega-projects carried the word city in their names, a phenomenon that is common in Gulf cities such as Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. To further explore this phenomenon, this thesis focuses on three aspects that affect the dynamic relationship between the primary city and the cities within cities (sub-cities) in the Gulf region with special emphasis on Dubai. First, the naming problem of the sub-city illustrates why the tension between competing id...

A Survey on Power and Political Culture in Kalile va Demne

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Dehghanian

2011-04-01

Postmodernist thinkers, especially Michel Foucault, make it clear that power and political culture are so complicated and affect private and social life. It is possible to claim that there is a meaningful relationship between people’s deed and power in each society. In this article, we take a look at political culture and power in Kalile va Demne and will analyze its effects on people’s thoughts and deeds.

Playable cities the city as a digital playground

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book addresses the topic of playable cities, which use the ‘smartness’ of digital cities to offer their citizens playful events and activities. The contributions presented here examine various aspects of playable cities, including developments in pervasive and urban games, the use of urban data to design games and playful applications, architecture design and playability, and mischief and humor in playable cities. The smartness of digital cities can be found in the sensors and actuators that are embedded in their environment. This smartness allows them to monitor, anticipate and support our activities and increases the efficiency of the cities and our activities. These urban smart technologies can offer citizens playful interactions with streets, buildings, street furniture, traffic, public art and entertainment, large public displays and public events.

75 FR 76082 - Agency Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-07

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0521] Agency Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA Guaranteed Loans) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY... information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA...

Effects of a pain education program in Complementary and Alternative Medicine treatment utilization at a VA medical center.

Science.gov (United States)

Cosio, David; Lin, Erica H

2015-06-01

Past studies have shown that U.S. Veterans are consumers of CAM. However, more than 75% of Veteran non-users report they would utilize these treatment options if made available. Thus, Veterans may not be fully aware of the CAM options currently available to them in the current U.S. VA health care system. The current study tested the hypothesis that Veterans would report an increase in CAM utilization after completing a formal pain education program in a VA medical center. The study used a quasi-experimental, one-group, pre/post-test design. Midwestern, U.S. VA Medical Center. The responses from 103 Veterans who elected to participate in the program and the assessment measures were included in the outcome analyses. "Pain Education School" is a 12-week, educational program that is open to all Veterans and their families. It is a comprehensive program that introduces patients to 23 different disciplines at the VA Medical Center that deal with chronic, non-cancer pain. An adaptation of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire(©), SECTION A: Use of Alternative Health Care Providers. There was a significant difference found in overall utilization of CAM after completing the pain education program. The most utilized CAM modality was the chiropractor; the least utilized were hypnosis and aromatherapy. Not all health care systems or providers may have access to an education-focused, professionally driven program as an amenity. However, lessons can be learned from this study in terms of what pain providers may be able to accomplish in their practice. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Influence of exposure differences on city-to-city heterogeneity ...

Science.gov (United States)

Multi-city population-based epidemiological studies have observed heterogeneity between city-specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-mortality effect estimates. These studies typically use ambient monitoring data as a surrogate for exposure leading to potential exposure misclassification. The level of exposure misclassification can differ by city affecting the observed health effect estimate. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate whether previously developed residential infiltration-based city clusters can explain city-to-city heterogeneity in PM2.5 mortality risk estimates. In a prior paper 94 cities were clustered based on residential infiltration factors (e.g. home age/size, prevalence of air conditioning (AC)), resulting in 5 clusters. For this analysis, the association between PM2.5 and all-cause mortality was first determined in 77 cities across the United States for 2001–2005. Next, a second stage analysis was conducted evaluating the influence of cluster assignment on heterogeneity in the risk estimates. Associations between a 2-day (lag 0–1 days) moving average of PM2.5 concentrations and non-accidental mortality were determined for each city. Estimated effects ranged from −3.2 to 5.1% with a pooled estimate of 0.33% (95% CI: 0.13, 0.53) increase in mortality per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5. The second stage analysis determined that cluster assignment was marginally significant in explaining the city-to-city heterogeneity. The health effe

Uus trend - süvaõpe ülikoolis / Kalle Tammemäe ; intervjueerinud Raivo Juurak

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tammemäe, Kalle, 1958-

2011-01-01

Intervjuu TTÜ õppeprorektori Kalle Tammemäega kavandatavast süvaõppesüsteemist, mis hakkab toetama eelkõige teadustööst huvitatud üliõpilasi, aidates mõnelgi neist aja jooksul õppejõuks-teaduriks kasvada

Smart city – future city? smart city 20 as a livable city and future market

CERN Document Server

Etezadzadeh, Chirine

2016-01-01

The concept of a livable smart city presented in this book highlights the relevance of the functionality and integrated resilience of viable cities of the future. It critically examines the progressive digitalization that is taking place and identifies the revolutionized energy sector as the basis of urban life. The concept is based on people and their natural environment, resulting in a broader definition of sustainability and an expanded product theory. Smart City 2.0 offers its residents many opportunities and is an attractive future market for innovative products and services. However, it presents numerous challenges for stakeholders and product developers.

Image city

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2003-01-01

Image city exhibition explores a condition of mediation, through a focus on image and sound narratives with a point of departure on a number of Asian cities.......Image city exhibition explores a condition of mediation, through a focus on image and sound narratives with a point of departure on a number of Asian cities....

Making housing first happen: organizational leadership in VA's expansion of permanent supportive housing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kertesz, Stefan G; Austin, Erika Laine; Holmes, Sally K; Pollio, David E; Schumacher, Joseph E; White, Bert; Lukas, Carol VanDeusen

2014-12-01

While most organizational literature has focused on initiatives that transpire inside the hospital walls, the redesign of American health care increasingly asks that health care institutions address matters outside their walls, targeting the health of populations. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)'s national effort to end Veteran homelessness represents an externally focused organizational endeavor. Our aim was to evaluate the role of organizational practices in the implementation of Housing First (HF), an evidence-based homeless intervention for chronically homeless individuals. This was an interview-based comparative case study conducted across eight VA Medical Centers (VAMCs). Front line staff, mid-level managers, and senior leaders at VA Medical Centers were interviewed between February and December 2012. Using a structured narrative and numeric scoring, we assessed the correlation between successful HF implementation and organizational practices devised according to the organizational transformation model (OTM). Scoring results suggested a strong association between HF implementation and OTM practice. Strong impetus to house Veterans came from national leadership, reinforced by Medical Center directors closely tracking results. More effective Medical Center leaders differentiated themselves by joining front-line staff in the work (at public events and in process improvement exercises), by elevating homeless-knowledgeable persons into senior leadership, and by exerting themselves to resolve logistic challenges. Vertical alignment and horizontal integration advanced at sites that fostered work groups cutting across service lines and hierarchical levels. By contrast, weak alignment from top to bottom typically also hindered cooperation across departments. Staff commitment to ending homelessness was high, though sustainability planning was limited in this baseline year of observation. Key organizational practices correlated with more successful

VA Health Care: Processes to Evaluate, Implement, and Monitor Organizational Structure Changes Needed

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

their families , such as medallions and markers for headstones that signify veterans’ service. Page 3 GAO-16-803 VHA Organizational ... Research Oversight, and Chief Nursing Page 8 GAO-16-803 VHA Organizational Structure Officer. Also, the Chief Financial Officer and...VA HEALTH CARE Processes to Evaluate, Implement, and Monitor Organizational Structure Changes Needed Report to

30 CFR 57.22202 - Main fans (I-A, I-B, I-C, II-A, III, V-A, and V-B mines).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Main fans (I-A, I-B, I-C, II-A, III, V-A, and V... Main fans (I-A, I-B, I-C, II-A, III, V-A, and V-B mines). (a) Main fans shall be— (1) Installed on the... mines, provided with an automatic signal device to give an alarm when the fan stops. The signal device...

75 FR 30782 - Reorganization/Expansion of Foreign-Trade Zone 20; Hampton Roads, VA, Area

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-02

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1683] Reorganization/Expansion of Foreign-Trade Zone 20; Hampton Roads, VA, Area Pursuant to its authority under the Foreign-Trade Zones Act...) in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area within the Norfolk Customs and Border Protection port of entry...

The role of cytochrome c oxidase subunit Va in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells: association with migration, invasion and prediction of distant metastasis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Wen-Liang; Kuo, Kuang-Tai; Chou, Teh-Ying; Chen, Chien-Lung; Wang, Chih-Hao; Wei, Yau-Huei; Wang, Liang-Shun

2012-01-01

Lung cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide, but useful biomarkers of lung cancer are still insufficient. The aim of this study is to identify some membrane-bound protein(s) associated with migration and invasion in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. We classified four NSCLC cell lines into high and low migration/invasion groups by Transwell and Matrigel assays. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), we identified 10 membrane-associated proteins being significantly overexpressed in the high migration/invasion group. The expression of the target protein in the four NSCLC cell lines was then confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot and immunostaining. RNA interference technique was applied to observe the influence of the target protein on migration and invasion. Gelatin zymography was also performed to evaluate the activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. Expression condition of the target protein on surgical specimens was further examined by immunohistochemical staining and the clinicopathologic data were analyzed. We identified a mitochondria-bound protein cytochrome c oxidase subunit Va (COX Va) because of its abundant presence found exclusively in tumorous areas. We also demonstrated that migration and invasion of NSCLC cells decreased substantially after knocking down COX Va by siRNA. Meanwhile, we found a positive correlation between COX Va expression, Bcl-2 expression and activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in NSCLC cells. Immunohistochemical staining of surgically resected lung adenocarcinomas in 250 consecutive patients revealed that strong COX Va expression was found in 54.8% (137/250) of patients and correlated positively with the status of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.032). Furthermore, strong COX Va expression was associated with the presence of distant metastasis (P = 0

Association between women veterans' experiences with VA outpatient health care and designation as a women's health provider in primary care clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastian, Lori A; Trentalange, Mark; Murphy, Terrence E; Brandt, Cynthia; Bean-Mayberry, Bevanne; Maisel, Natalya C; Wright, Steven M; Gaetano, Vera S; Allore, Heather; Skanderson, Melissa; Reyes-Harvey, Evelyn; Yano, Elizabeth M; Rose, Danielle; Haskell, Sally

2014-01-01

Women veterans comprise a small percentage of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care users. Prior research on women veterans' experiences with primary care has focused on VA site differences and not individual provider characteristics. In 2010, the VA established policy requiring the provision of comprehensive women's health care by designated women's health providers (DWHPs). Little is known about the quality of health care delivered by DWHPs and women veterans' experience with care from these providers. Secondary data were obtained from the VA Survey of Healthcare Experience of Patients (SHEP) using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) patient-centered medical home (PCMH) survey from March 2012 through February 2013, a survey designed to measure patient experience with care and the DWHPs Assessment of Workforce Capacity that discerns between DWHPs versus non-DWHPs. Of the 28,994 surveys mailed to women veterans, 24,789 were seen by primary care providers and 8,151 women responded to the survey (response rate, 32%). A total of 3,147 providers were evaluated by the SHEP-CAHPS-PCMH survey (40%; n = 1,267 were DWHPs). In a multivariable model, patients seen by DWHPs (relative risk, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04) reported higher overall experiences with care compared with patients seen by non-DWHPs. The main finding is that women veterans' overall experiences with outpatient health care are slightly better for those receiving care from DWHPs compared with those receiving care from non-DWHPs. Our findings have important policy implications for how to continue to improve women veterans' experiences. Our work provides support to increase access to DWHPs at VA primary care clinics. Published by Elsevier Inc.

FLOODPLAIN MAPPING SUBMISSION, CITY OF NORFOLK, VA, USA

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security — The Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Database depicts flood risk information and supporting data used to develop the risk data. The primary risk...

78 FR 44881 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; York River, Between Yorktown and Gloucester Point, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-25

... deviation from the operating schedule that governs the operation of the Coleman Memorial Bridge (US 17/George P. Coleman Memorial Swing Bridge) across the York River, mile 7.0, between Gloucester Point and Yorktown, VA. This deviation is necessary to facilitate maintenance work on the moveable spans on the...

77 FR 19975 - VA Acquisition Regulation: Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Health-Care Resources (Section...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-03

... to which technology, economic conditions, or other factors have changed in the area affected by the... comments on factors described in the Supplementary Information. DATES: Comments must be received by VA on... (003A2A), Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont...

The VA and VCD spectra of various isotopomers of L-alanine in aqueous solution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdali, Salim; Jalkanen, Karl J.; Bohr, Henrik

2002-01-01

Density functional theory (DFT) at the Becke 3LYP level has been used to calculate the vibrational absorption (VA) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of various deuterated species Of L-alanine. The effect of replacing the methine hydrogen, CH1, the methyl group, CH3, and both...

Radioiodination of the protein complex of the VA-MENGOC-BC vaccine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caso, R.; Lastre, M.; Alvarez, L.

1996-01-01

In this work was made the labelling of the protein complex of the vaccine VA-MEMGOC-BC with I-125 in order to study its immunological responses. These proteins were in both forms: dissolved and conjugated with polisacarids of the C-group. There were used three methods of iodination: chloramine-T iodogen and lactoperoxidase. Was found out that dissolved proteins can be iodinated using these methods with 0,1 mCi of I-125, and the obtained specific activities were similar

Information Technology: DOD and VA Have Increased Their Sharing of Health Information, but Further Actions Are Needed

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Melvin, Valerie C

2008-01-01

...) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accelerate the exchange of health information between the departments and to develop systems or capabilities that allow for full interoperability...

City personification as problem solving to strengthen the wholeness of the city: study case in Serui city, Papua

Science.gov (United States)

Hardine, Y. R. I.; Herlily

2018-03-01

Serui City in Papua Province has many unique characters and must be maintained for the sake of the continuity of its identity. However, this city still lacks the facility and depend on other areas. Accordingly, it becomes vulnerable. The wholeness of the city is not just by having strong character but also having strength regarding vitality. The loss of it can affect the character and even eliminate it. Cities and people have many similarities regarding character and vitality. Therefore, there is a chance to solve the problems in the city using the similar approach to treat the human. We called city personification methods as problem-solving to the city. It means that we treat the city as a human being so that the problem can be solved as the human’s treatment. The personification of this city is conducted because of the many treatments that have proven effective in humans and may also be powerful to manifest in city. The personification makes the design will only focus on the particular networks and not on the whole “body,” remain in the hope for strengthening (maintain and improve) the quality of wholeness (character and vitality) city which in this case is Serui.

High users of VA emergency room facilities: are outpatients abusing the system or is the system abusing them?

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, K C; Dove, H G

1983-01-01

A phenomenon well known to emergency room personnel is the high use of ER facilities by a small number of patients. In this study of 335 patients followed in outpatient specialty clinics at a university-affiliated VA medical center, 23% of the patients accounted for 73% of the ER visits. Although some patients may be abusing the system, the problem is difficult to correct because of congressional legislation that deters the VA from providing primary care. Thus, a small subset of patients with chronic medical problems who live close to the hospital are likely to continue to consume a disproportionate amount of ER resources.

76 FR 26607 - Safety Zone; Air Power Over Hampton Roads, Back River, Hampton, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-09

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Air Power Over Hampton Roads, Back River, Hampton, VA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... the safety of life on navigable waters during the Air Power Over Hampton Roads Air Show. This action... Division Chief, Sector Hampton Roads, Coast Guard; telephone 757-668- 5581, e-mail [email protected

77 FR 73510 - Virginia Disaster #VA-00052

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-10

...; Madison; Manassas City; Mathews; Middlesex; Nelson; Northampton; Northumberland; Prince William... injury is 133998. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers 59002 and 59008) James E. Rivera...

Box City Curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Center for Understanding the Built Environment, Prairie Village, KS.

This curriculum packet contains two lesson plans about cities and architecture intended for use with students in upper elementary grades and middle schools. The first lesson plan, "City People, City Stories" (Jan Ham), states that understanding architecture and cities must begin with an understanding of the people of the city. The children create…

Expression of the Grape VaSTS19 Gene in Arabidopsis Improves Resistance to Powdery Mildew and Botrytis cinerea but Increases Susceptibility to Pseudomonas syringe pv Tomato DC3000.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yaqiong; Wang, Dejun; Wang, Fan; Huang, Li; Tian, Xiaomin; van Nocker, Steve; Gao, Hua; Wang, Xiping

2017-09-17

Stilbene synthase (STS) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of resveratrol compounds and plays an important role in disease resistance. The molecular pathways linking STS with pathogen responses and their regulation are not known. We isolated an STS gene, VaSTS19 , from a Chinese wild grape, Vitis amurensis Rupr. cv. "Tonghua-3", and transferred this gene to Arabidopsis . We then generated VaSTS19 -expressing Arabidopsis lines and evaluated the functions of VaSTS19 in various pathogen stresses, including powdery mildew, B. cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 ( Pst DC3000). VaSTS19 enhanced resistance to powdery mildew and B. cinerea , but increased susceptibility to Pst DC3000. Aniline blue staining revealed that VaSTS19 transgenic lines accumulated more callose compared to nontransgenic control plants, and showed smaller stomatal apertures when exposed to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (flagellin fragment (flg22) or lipopolysaccharides (LPS)). Analysis of the expression of several disease-related genes suggested that VaSTS19 expression enhanced defense responses though salicylic acid (SA) and/or jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathways. These findings provide a deeper insight into the function of STS genes in defense against pathogens, and a better understanding of the regulatory cross talk between SA and JA pathways.

Branding Cities, Changing Societies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ooi, Can-Seng

Societal changes are seldom discussed in the literature on city branding. The time element is important because it highlights the fluctuating reality of society. The city brand message freezes the place but in fact, the city branding exercise is a continuous process. Society emerges too. City...... brands are supposed to accentuate the uniqueness of the city, be built from the bottom-up and reflect the city's identity. This paper highlights three paradoxes, pointing out that city branding processes can also make cities more alike, bring about societal changes and forge new city identities. A city...... branding campaign does not just present the city, it may change the city. The relationships between the branding exercise and the city are intertwined in the evolution of the place....

Preventing Crystal Agglomeration of Pharmaceutical Crystals Using Temperature Cycling and a Novel Membrane Crystallization Procedure for Seed Crystal Generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Simone

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, a novel membrane crystallization system was used to crystallize micro-sized seeds of piroxicam monohydrate by reverse antisolvent addition. Membrane crystallization seeds were compared with seeds produced by conventional antisolvent addition and polymorphic transformation of a fine powdered sample of piroxicam form I in water. The membrane crystallization process allowed for a consistent production of pure monohydrate crystals with narrow size distribution and without significant agglomeration. The seeds were grown in 350 g of 20:80 w/w acetone-water mixture. Different seeding loads were tested and temperature cycling was applied in order to avoid agglomeration of the growing crystals during the process. Focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM; and particle vision and measurement (PVM were used to monitor crystal growth; nucleation and agglomeration during the seeded experiments. Furthermore; Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor solute concentration and estimate the overall yield of the process. Membrane crystallization was proved to be the most convenient and consistent method to produce seeds of highly agglomerating compounds; which can be grown via cooling crystallization and temperature cycling.

Rethinking GIS Towards The Vision Of Smart Cities Through CityGML

Science.gov (United States)

Guney, C.

2016-10-01

Smart cities present a substantial growth opportunity in the coming years. The role of GIS in the smart city ecosystem is to integrate different data acquired by sensors in real time and provide better decisions, more efficiency and improved collaboration. Semantically enriched vision of GIS will help evolve smart cities into tomorrow's much smarter cities since geospatial/location data and applications may be recognized as a key ingredient of smart city vision. However, it is need for the Geospatial Information communities to debate on "Is 3D Web and mobile GIS technology ready for smart cities?" This research places an emphasis on the challenges of virtual 3D city models on the road to smarter cities.

City marketing: online communication plan for the city of Lisbon

OpenAIRE

Altrichter, Benjamin

2011-01-01

Mestrado em Marketing City Marketing represents marketing efforts of cities in order to attract more visitors. Today, we are confronted everyday with marketing campaigns in all different communication media promoting countries, cities or events. Cities are competing for visitors on a global scale, forcing them to adapt successful marketing strategies for gaining and retaining costumers. Yet, City Marketing still remains an unknown chapter for a big part of the general public an...

Smart City project

KAUST Repository

Al Harbi, Ayman

2018-01-24

A \\'smart city\\' is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. It is a city where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents. Yanbu Industrial City- Smart City Project - First large scale smart city in The kingdom.

Electronic Health Records: DOD and VA Have Increased Their Sharing of Health Information, but More Work Remains

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Melvin, Valerie C; Oliver, Barbara S; Collier, Barbara; Shaw, Kelly; Williams, Jr, Robert

2008-01-01

...) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are required to accelerate the exchange of health information between the departments and to develop systems or capabilities that allow for full interoperability...

77 FR 76451 - Designation for the West Sacramento, CA; Frankfort, IN; and Richmond, VA Areas.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-28

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration Designation for the West Sacramento, CA; Frankfort, IN; and Richmond, VA Areas. AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and...-Agri West Sacramento, CA(916) 374-9700.. 1/1/2013 12/31/2015 Frankfort Frankfort, IN(765) 258-3624...

76 FR 582 - Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-05

...] Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone National... comprehensive conservation plan and the environmental assessment (CCP/EA) for Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck (Mason Neck) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Featherstone NWR for a 45-day public review and comment...

Monomial Crystals and Partition Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Tingley, Peter

2010-04-01

Recently Fayers introduced a large family of combinatorial realizations of the fundamental crystal B(Λ0) for ^sln, where the vertices are indexed by certain partitions. He showed that special cases of this construction agree with the Misra-Miwa realization and with Berg's ladder crystal. Here we show that another special case is naturally isomorphic to a realization using Nakajima's monomial crystal.

Fireworks algorithm for mean-VaR/CVaR models

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tingting; Liu, Zhifeng

2017-10-01

Intelligent algorithms have been widely applied to portfolio optimization problems. In this paper, we introduce a novel intelligent algorithm, named fireworks algorithm, to solve the mean-VaR/CVaR model for the first time. The results show that, compared with the classical genetic algorithm, fireworks algorithm not only improves the optimization accuracy and the optimization speed, but also makes the optimal solution more stable. We repeat our experiments at different confidence levels and different degrees of risk aversion, and the results are robust. It suggests that fireworks algorithm has more advantages than genetic algorithm in solving the portfolio optimization problem, and it is feasible and promising to apply it into this field.

20 kHz, 25 kVA node power transformer

Science.gov (United States)

Hussey, S.

1989-01-01

The electrical and mechanical design information and the electrical and thermal testing performed on the 440-208-V rms, 20-kHz, 25-kVa prototype node transformer are summarized. The calculated efficiency of the node transformer is 99.3 percent based on core loss and copper loss test data, and its maximum calculated load regulation is 0.7 percent. The node transformer has a weight of 19.7 lb and has a power density of 0.8 lb/kW. The hot-spot temperature rise is estimated to be 33 C above the cold plate mounting base. This proof-of-concept transformer design is a viable candidate for the space station Freedom application.

COPD, COOP and BREATH at the VA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2011-02-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. The February 2011 Pulmonary Journal Club reviews a study by Rice and colleagues (1 of high-risk COPD patients (click here for Pulmonary Journal Club. This review was authored by Kevin Park who also authored an ACP Journal Club review (2. In Rice’s study a single educational session, an individualized care plan, and monthly case-manager telephone calls, resulted in a 41% decrease in hospitalizations and emergency room visits and a nonsignficant trend toward decreased mortality.Rice’s study was supported and conducted in the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 23 (Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas. The COPD patients in this study were recruited and followed primarily using the VA computer system. The study represents a potential model of data-based management leading to improved patient outcomes. The authors; Robert Petzel MD, then VISN 23 Director (now Veterans Healthcare Administration Undersecretary; and Janet Murphy, then VISN Primary Care Service Line CEO (now VISN …

Medan City: Informality and the Historical Global City

Science.gov (United States)

Sudarmadji, N.; Tyaghita, B.; Astuti, P. T.; Etleen, D.

2018-05-01

As projected by UN that two-thirds of Indonesia’s population will live in urban areas by 2050, rapid urbanization is happening in Indonesian cities. Initial research on eight Indonesian Cities (which includes Medan, Jatinegara, Bandung, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan, and Manado) by Tunas Nusa Foundation since 2012 shows that urbanization of each city has happened throughout history creating cultural, economic, and environmental networks that are distinct from one city to another. While the networks remain until today and continuously shapes the urban agglomeration pattern, not all parts of the city could undergo subsequent development that confirms the existing pattern, leading to the creation informality. Nor could it make future planning that comprehends the nature of its integrated urban dynamic beyond its current administrative authority. In this paper, we would like to share our study for Medan, North Sumatra as it shows a portrait of a city with a long relationship to a global network since the Maritime trade era. Medan has become home to many ethnic groups which have sailed and migrated as part of a global economic agenda creating a strong economic network between port cities along the Malacca Strait. The city has kept its role in the global economic network until today, to name a few, becoming the frontier for the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle. While we celebrate Medan’s potential to become a global city with major infrastructure development as well as cultural assets as its advantage in the future, we argue that microscale cohesion supported by government policy in agreed planning documents are fundamental for the city to thrive amidst the challenges it is facing. Yet, these cultural assets, as well as micro scale cohesion in Medan City today, are still undermined. Thus, informality in Medan exists as result of ignorance and marginalization of certain socio-cultural groups, abandoning places and identity, as well as the

Homeless Veterans: Management Improvements Could Help VA Better Identify Supportive Housing Projects

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

of the country. The Fair Market Rent is the cost of standard, non- luxury housing in the community. The payment standard is the maximum subsidy a...access that can be particularly beneficial for those located in high-rent markets . According to the VA’s Fiscal Year 2017 “EUL Consideration...during fiscal year 2017. The draft that VA shared with us requires an analysis of the local market , including current and anticipated supply and

Shrinking Cities and the Need for a Reinvented Understanding of the City

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Lea Louise holst

the contemporary city and maybe the understanding of the city needs to be updated in some areas, before we are able to do so. In this paper, the focus will be directed towards two themes which become present with the Shrinking Cities phenomenon and therefore seems important to discuss in order to understand...... the concept of Shrinking Cities. These two themes may affect the understanding of the existing city theory. The first theme is concerned with the physical understanding of the city where the traditional assumption about the city as a high density area, with buildings as the dominant structure, is questioned....... Here the concept of the city as an urban landscape will be introduced. The second theme points to the need for a discussion regarding the object of our planning when developing the cities. Previously, the purpose of city development has been growth and expansion, but with the Shrinking Cities...

City PLANTastic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

, any attempt to create a green city is motivated by certain ecological, political and esthetical perspectives. Therefore the role of plants in tomorrows cities is everything but straightforward. Rather, a broad range of possibilities unfolds. City PLANTastic is the title of the 8th World in Denmark...

Morphological alteration of the Dráva as the result of human impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tímea Kiss

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The Croatian-Hungarian border section of the Dráva River has been undisturbed for almost a century, and it is characterised by unique fluvial morphology (braided pattern and islands supporting rich habitats and wildlife. However, during the last decades human impact became more and moreintensive. Between 1975 and 1989 three water reservoirs were built on the Croatian section of the river, just 16 km from the beginning of the border-section, altering the hydrology and the sediment characteristics of the river. On a local scale cut-offs, revetments and groynes were built. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of these human interventions. As the result of the alteration of the hydrology the channel pattern of the Dráva has been changing from braided to meandering, though on the upstream meandering part the territory and number of islands increased due to the drop of water stages. A cut-off and a groyne influenced only the morphology of a short section. As the result of the cut-off braided pattern became more pronounced, and the groyne caused intensive channel aggradation and gave way to lateral island development.

Unifying the crystallization behavior of hexagonal and square crystals with the phase-field-crystal model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Tao; Chen Zheng; Zhang Jing; Wang Yongxin; Lu Yanli

2016-01-01

By employing the phase-field-crystal models, the atomic crystallization process of hexagonal and square crystals is investigated with the emphasis on the growth mechanism and morphological change. A unified regime describing the crystallization behavior of both crystals is obtained with the thermodynamic driving force varying. By increasing the driving force, both crystals (in the steady-state) transform from a faceted polygon to an apex-bulged polygon, and then into a symmetric dendrite. For the faceted polygon, the interface advances by a layer-by-layer (LL) mode while for the apex-bulged polygonal and the dendritic crystals, it first adopts the LL mode and then transits into the multi-layer (ML) mode in the later stage. In particular, a shift of the nucleation sites from the face center to the area around the crystal tips is detected in the early growth stage of both crystals and is rationalized in terms of the relation between the crystal size and the driving force distribution. Finally, a parameter characterizing the complex shape change of square crystal is introduced. (paper)

The City on Screen: A Methodological Approach on Cinematic City Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sertaç Timur Demir

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The city has a strong memory and it never forgets its own experiences. The past, the present and the future of the city can be read in its streets, buildings, sounds, myths, rhythms and stories. More importantly, if the city is portrayed through a camera, it becomes as fictional and designable as films. At this stage, there is no difference between watching a film and seeing a city. Also, cinema itself turns into a paradigm that belongs to the city. This parallelism between the city and film is like an inevitable destiny so much so that they constitute and develop each other. Accordingly, those who attempt to understand the notion of the city should consult the films made about them and vice versa; hence, this paper deals with the question of how the city is cinematized, but this question involves another question: how does the cinematic imagination fictionalize itself in the city?

75 FR 11580 - Florida Power Corporation, City of Alachua, City of Bushnell, City of Gainesville, City of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-11

..., City of Ocala, Orlando Utilities Commission and City of Orlando, Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc... building not only meet but exceed its original design basis as delineated in the FSAR. The PRB discussed the petitioner's request during internal meetings and made the initial PRB recommendation. The PRB's...

VA-LCP anterior clavicle plate: the anatomically precontoured fixation system with angular stability for clavicle shaft.

Science.gov (United States)

van Olden, G D J

2014-12-01

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the introduction of the VA-LCP anterior clavicle plate in the treatment of clavicle fractures. From March 2011 to March 2013, 42 clavicle fractures were treated; 40 were middle-third and 2 lateral-third, and 13/42 (31 %) patients were treated due to painful nonunion. Patient age ranged from 16 to 81 years. Complications were screw placement through the AC-joint, one superficial wound infection and one neuropraxia of the nervus radialis with dropping hand. We had some difficulties prebending both lateral to low and lateral to high but without clinical consequences. In all cases, the fracture healed with full functionality. After 1 year, 4 patients underwent a removal of the hardware. The VA-LCP anterior plate showed good reliability and sufficient stability with both middle-third, lateral and nonunion fractures of the clavicle.

77 FR 6587 - Startek USA, Inc. Alexandria, LA; Startek USA, Inc., Collinsville, VA; Amended Certification...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-08

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-75,089; TA-W-75,089A] Startek USA, Inc. Alexandria, LA; Startek USA, Inc., Collinsville, VA; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility... for Worker Adjustment Assistance on January 26, 2011, applicable to workers of StarTek USA, Inc...

76 FR 59153 - Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-23

...] Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone National... plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck (Mason Neck...: Download a copy of the document at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/MasonNeck_Featherstone/ccphome...

Expression of the Grape VaSTS19 Gene in Arabidopsis Improves Resistance to Powdery Mildew and Botrytis cinerea but Increases Susceptibility to Pseudomonas syringe pv Tomato DC3000

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaqiong Wang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Stilbene synthase (STS is a key enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of resveratrol compounds and plays an important role in disease resistance. The molecular pathways linking STS with pathogen responses and their regulation are not known. We isolated an STS gene, VaSTS19, from a Chinese wild grape, Vitis amurensis Rupr. cv. “Tonghua-3”, and transferred this gene to Arabidopsis. We then generated VaSTS19-expressing Arabidopsis lines and evaluated the functions of VaSTS19 in various pathogen stresses, including powdery mildew, B. cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (PstDC3000. VaSTS19 enhanced resistance to powdery mildew and B. cinerea, but increased susceptibility to PstDC3000. Aniline blue staining revealed that VaSTS19 transgenic lines accumulated more callose compared to nontransgenic control plants, and showed smaller stomatal apertures when exposed to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (flagellin fragment (flg22 or lipopolysaccharides (LPS. Analysis of the expression of several disease-related genes suggested that VaSTS19 expression enhanced defense responses though salicylic acid (SA and/or jasmonic acid (JA signaling pathways. These findings provide a deeper insight into the function of STS genes in defense against pathogens, and a better understanding of the regulatory cross talk between SA and JA pathways.

INSTANT CITY

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marling, Gitte; Kiib, Hans

2013-01-01

of an experimental and social en- gaged city environment? The analysis shows that the specific city life at the instant city, Roskilde Festival, can be characterized by being ‘open minded’, ‘playful’ and ‘inclusive’, but also by ‘a culture of laughter’ that penetrates the aesthetics and the urban scenography....

City Marketing : Case: Moscow

OpenAIRE

Kuzina, Irina

2017-01-01

Nowadays cities compete with each other for attracting investments and people, which make them implement new city marketing and city branding strategies. There are many factors that can influence city image and its perception in customers’ minds. The purpose of this thesis is to realize how a well-selected city marketing strategy benefits the city and gain a deeper understanding of city marketing possibilities. The final goal is to offer suggestions for the city of Moscow, which can help to i...

Hackable Cities : From Subversive City Making to Systemic Change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Lange, M.L.; de Waal, Martijn; Foth, Marcus; Verhoeff, Nanna; Martin, Brynskov

2015-01-01

The DC9 workshop takes place on June 27, 2015 in Limerick, Ireland and is titled "Hackable Cities: From Subversive City Making to Systemic Change". The notion of "hacking" originates from the world of media technologies but is increasingly often being used for creative ideals and practices of city

VA Health Care: Improved Monitoring Needed for Effective Oversight of Care for Women Veterans

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

Congressional Requesters December 2016 GAO-17-52 United States Government Accountability Office United States Government Accountability Office...VHA officials said not all facilities require onsite gynecologists and facilities may authorize gynecological services from non-VA providers. They...including previously closed combat positions, which could contribute to the increase in the women veteran population. See GAO, Military Personnel: DOD Is

Multiple reinjections and crystal mush compaction in the solidification evolution of the Karaj Dam basement Sill, Northern Iran

Science.gov (United States)

Maghdour-Mashhour, Reza; Shabani, Amir Ali Tabbakh

2017-07-01

The Karaj Dam basement Sill is a 460 m-thick saucer shaped sill, situated in the Alborz Magmatic Belt, Northern Iran. The results of geochemical, textural and field relations reveal characteristics of a sill with a well-developed S-shaped compositional profile which could be subdivided into distinct parts and suggest that the sill was repeatedly split and reinjected with fresh magma in the upper half of the previous emplacements (over- to partly intra-accretion). Whole rock and mineral compositional profiles have recorded five to six discrete injections of magma, each of which individually show an upward increase in terms of primitivity which represents partial crystallization in feeder conduits. The first three small successive pulses of magma, emplaced in the basal 150 m of the floor sequence, were followed by voluminous fourth and fifth pulses in the upper portion of the sill. During final two pulses the system acts as a closed system for each independently, and evolves through compositional convection or compaction aided in-situ crystallization. Theoretical models for convection and compaction shows the significance of both processes. Considering the final porosity of 0.1 rate of the basal 150 m and upper portion of the sill (Va = 1 and 0.1 m/year), when the crystal mush varies between 1 to 0.01 m with the liquid viscosity ranging from 85 to 15 Pa·s. Our calculations further indicate that compaction driven velocity of liquid expulsion (ω - w) hardly exceeds the Va in the basal 150 m of the floor sequence. The highest velocity is reached (ω - w = 1 m/year) only if the crystal mush thickness is no less than 240 m with the porosity of 0.6 and the liquid viscosity of no more than 15 Pa·s. On the other hand, compaction is highly effective in the upper portion of the sill. Transfer of residual liquid from the compacting lower solidification front to the dilating upper solidification front resulted in characteristic chemical and mineralogical effects, such as the

Anhaia Mello's contributions to urbanism of the city of São Paulo: from Ebenezer Howard to the Chicago School

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Alberto Toledo

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article draws an analytical panel of the main contributions and interpretations of Anhaia Mello about the problem of growing cities from the perspective of urbanism in the city of São Paulo. Based on a broad review of the literature, this article describes how urban planning migrated to academia and simultaneously to city ordinances, which resulted in the regulatory framework of land use and occupancy that ultimately produced “The Regional São Paulo Plan.” Research in the FAU-USP library revealed family documents and collections that helped reconstruct the intellectual history and career of urban planner and professor Anhaia Mello. The author of this paper organized the data gathered from these collections and compared them to the literature to reconstruct Anhaia Mello’s thoughts on how the city of São Paulo should grow in the mid-20th century. The analyses produced by Anhaia Mello served as a guide to identify the crystallization of a planning proposal for the city, which believed in reversing the metropolitan cycle and containing urban growth by applying the garden-city concept defended by Le Corbusier and the Chicago school.

High-Level Heat Resistance of Spores of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus licheniformis Results from the Presence of a spoVA Operon in a Tn1546 Transposon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berendsen, Erwin M; Koning, Rosella A; Boekhorst, Jos; de Jong, Anne; Kuipers, Oscar P; Wells-Bennik, Marjon H J

2016-01-01

Bacterial endospore formers can produce spores that are resistant to many food processing conditions, including heat. Some spores may survive heating processes aimed at production of commercially sterile foods. Recently, it was shown that a spoVA operon, designated spoVA(2mob), present on a Tn1546

75 FR 26160 - Drug and Drug-Related Supply Promotion by Pharmaceutical Company Sales Representatives at VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-11

... ward areas where patients may be encountered; (ii) Clinic examination rooms; (iii) Nurses stations; (iv... access to VA medical facilities by sales representatives (including account managers and clinical... would require the Chief of Pharmacy or other official responsible for such decisions to approve...

Association of Myosin Va and Schwann cells-derived RNA in mammal myelinated axons, analyzed by immunocytochemistry and confocal FRET microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Canclini, Lucía; Wallrabe, Horst; Di Paolo, Andrés; Kun, Alejandra; Calliari, Aldo; Sotelo-Silveira, José Roberto; Sotelo, José Roberto

2014-03-15

Evidence from multiple sources supports the hypothesis that Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system transfer messenger RNA and ribosomes to the axons they ensheath. Several technical and methodological difficulties exist for investigators to unravel this process in myelinated axons - a complex two-cell unit. We present an experimental design to demonstrate that newly synthesized RNA is transferred from Schwann cells to axons in association with Myosin Va. The use of quantitative confocal FRET microscopy to track newly-synthesized RNA and determine the molecular association with Myosin Va, is described in detail. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city

OpenAIRE

Manyiwa, Simon; Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios; Wang, Xuan Lorna

2018-01-01

Purpose - This study examines the influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city. The study also compares the effects of perceived brand image of the city on the emotional attachment to the city across two groups: residents and visitors. \\ud \\ud Design/methodology - A total of 207 usable questionnaires were collected from 107 residents of the city of Bratislava, Slovakia, and 100 visitors to the city. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) me...

Influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city

OpenAIRE

Manyiwa, Simon; Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios; Wang, Xuan Lorna

2018-01-01

Purpose - This study examines the influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city. The study also compares the effects of perceived brand image of the city on the emotional attachment to the city across two groups: residents and visitors. Design/methodology - A total of 207 usable questionnaires were collected from 107 residents of the city of Bratislava, Slovakia, and 100 visitors to the city. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) met...

Dynamic Network Model for Smart City Data-Loss Resilience Case Study: City-to-City Network for Crime Analytics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotevska, Olivera; Kusne, A Gilad; Samarov, Daniel V; Lbath, Ahmed; Battou, Abdella

2017-01-01

Today's cities generate tremendous amounts of data, thanks to a boom in affordable smart devices and sensors. The resulting big data creates opportunities to develop diverse sets of context-aware services and systems, ensuring smart city services are optimized to the dynamic city environment. Critical resources in these smart cities will be more rapidly deployed to regions in need, and those regions predicted to have an imminent or prospective need. For example, crime data analytics may be used to optimize the distribution of police, medical, and emergency services. However, as smart city services become dependent on data, they also become susceptible to disruptions in data streams, such as data loss due to signal quality reduction or due to power loss during data collection. This paper presents a dynamic network model for improving service resilience to data loss. The network model identifies statistically significant shared temporal trends across multivariate spatiotemporal data streams and utilizes these trends to improve data prediction performance in the case of data loss. Dynamics also allow the system to respond to changes in the data streams such as the loss or addition of new information flows. The network model is demonstrated by city-based crime rates reported in Montgomery County, MD, USA. A resilient network is developed utilizing shared temporal trends between cities to provide improved crime rate prediction and robustness to data loss, compared with the use of single city-based auto-regression. A maximum improvement in performance of 7.8% for Silver Spring is found and an average improvement of 5.6% among cities with high crime rates. The model also correctly identifies all the optimal network connections, according to prediction error minimization. City-to-city distance is designated as a predictor of shared temporal trends in crime and weather is shown to be a strong predictor of crime in Montgomery County.

Dynamic Network Model for Smart City Data-Loss Resilience Case Study: City-to-City Network for Crime Analytics

Science.gov (United States)

Kotevska, Olivera; Kusne, A. Gilad; Samarov, Daniel V.; Lbath, Ahmed; Battou, Abdella

2017-01-01

Today’s cities generate tremendous amounts of data, thanks to a boom in affordable smart devices and sensors. The resulting big data creates opportunities to develop diverse sets of context-aware services and systems, ensuring smart city services are optimized to the dynamic city environment. Critical resources in these smart cities will be more rapidly deployed to regions in need, and those regions predicted to have an imminent or prospective need. For example, crime data analytics may be used to optimize the distribution of police, medical, and emergency services. However, as smart city services become dependent on data, they also become susceptible to disruptions in data streams, such as data loss due to signal quality reduction or due to power loss during data collection. This paper presents a dynamic network model for improving service resilience to data loss. The network model identifies statistically significant shared temporal trends across multivariate spatiotemporal data streams and utilizes these trends to improve data prediction performance in the case of data loss. Dynamics also allow the system to respond to changes in the data streams such as the loss or addition of new information flows. The network model is demonstrated by city-based crime rates reported in Montgomery County, MD, USA. A resilient network is developed utilizing shared temporal trends between cities to provide improved crime rate prediction and robustness to data loss, compared with the use of single city-based auto-regression. A maximum improvement in performance of 7.8% for Silver Spring is found and an average improvement of 5.6% among cities with high crime rates. The model also correctly identifies all the optimal network connections, according to prediction error minimization. City-to-city distance is designated as a predictor of shared temporal trends in crime and weather is shown to be a strong predictor of crime in Montgomery County. PMID:29250476

Night and day in the VA: associations between night shift staffing, nurse workforce characteristics, and length of stay.

Science.gov (United States)

de Cordova, Pamela B; Phibbs, Ciaran S; Schmitt, Susan K; Stone, Patricia W

2014-04-01

In hospitals, nurses provide patient care around the clock, but the impact of night staff characteristics on patient outcomes is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between night nurse staffing and workforce characteristics and the length of stay (LOS) in 138 veterans affairs (VA) hospitals using panel data from 2002 through 2006. Staffing in hours per patient day was higher during the day than at night. The day nurse workforce had more educational preparation than the night workforce. Nurses' years of experience at the unit, facility, and VA level were greater at night. In multivariable analyses controlling for confounding variables, higher night staffing and a higher skill mix were associated with reduced LOS. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Different Creative Cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lorenzen, Mark; Vaarst Andersen, Kristina

2012-01-01

and exhibits a tendency of congregating in major cities with diverse service and cultural offers and tolerance to non-mainstream lifestyles. However, we find that a range of smaller Danish cities also attract the creative class. Second, we undertake qualitative interviews that facilitate theory building. We...... suggest that many creatives are attracted by the smaller cities' cost advantages, specialized job offers, attractive work/life balances, and authenticity and sense of community. The article synthesizes its results into four stylized types of creative cities, and concludes by discussing the policy...... challenges associated with these different cities....

Experience of Sponge City Master Plan: A Case Study of Nanning City

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhang Wei; Wang Jiazhuo; Che Han; Wang Chen; Zhang Chunyang; Shi Lian; Fan Jin; Li Caige

2017-01-01

As a new urban development pattern, the construction of sponge cities has been deeply integrated into the new urbanization and water safety strategy. Nanning City, as one of the first batch of experimental sponge cities in China, has undertaken exploration and practice on sponge city planning, construction, and management. The sponge city master plan of Nanning City establishes an urban ecological spatial pattern in order to protect the security of the sponge base. The sponge city construction strategy has also proposed an overall construction strategy of a sponge city in line with urban development features. Through the systematic analysis and planning, a “23+10+202” pattern of sponge city construction has been formed. “23” represents 23 drainage basins, in which major sponge facilities such as storage facilities, waterfront buffer zones, wetland parks, ecological rainwater corridor and sponge parks are allocated. “10” represents 10 sponge functional zones, which provide important reference for the establishment of sponge city construction index system. “202” represents 202 management units, which decomposes the general objective and provides technical support not only for sponge city construction and management, but also for the implementation of general objectives in the regulatory plan as well.

Validating the InterVA model to estimate the burden of mortality from verbal autopsy data: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebsibe Tadesse

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In countries with incomplete or no vital registration systems, verbal autopsy data are often reviewed by physicians in order to assign the probable cause of death. But in addition to being time and energy consuming, the method is liable to produce inconsistent results. The aim of this study is to validate the InterVA model for estimating the burden of mortality from verbal autopsy data by using physician review as a reference standard. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2012. All adults aged ≥ 14 years and died between 01 January, 2010 and 15 February, 2012 were included in the study. The verbal autopsy interviews were reviewed by the InterVA model and physicians to estimate cause-specific mortality fractions. Cohen's kappa statistic, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were applied to compare the agreement between the InterVA model and the physician review. A total of 408 adult deaths were studied. There was a general similarity and just slight differences between the InterVA model and the physicians in assigning cause-specific mortality. Both approaches showed an overall agreement in 298 (73% cases [kappa = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.37-0.60]. The observed sensitivities and specificities across causes of death categories varied from 13.3% to 81.9% and 77.7% to 99.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In understanding the burden of disease and setting health intervention priorities in areas that lack reliable vital registration systems, an accurate analysis of verbal autopsies is essential. Therefore, users should be aware of the suboptimal performance of the InterVA model. Similar validation studies need to be undertaken considering the limitation of the physician review as gold standard since physicians may misinterpret some of the verbal autopsy data and finally reach a wrong conclusion of the cause of death.

Clean Cities Fact Sheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2004-01-01

This fact sheet explains the Clean Cities Program and provides contact information for all coalitions and regional offices. It answers key questions such as: What is the Clean Cities Program? What are alternative fuels? How does the Clean Cities Program work? What sort of assistance does Clean Cities offer? What has Clean Cities accomplished? What is Clean Cities International? and Where can I find more information?

Within city limits: nature and children's books about nature in the city

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard S. Marcus

1977-01-01

Many children's books give the impression that we must leave the city to be "in nature.'' This is a review of children's books about nature found within city limits. The books include a natural history of New York City; a guide to city wildflowers and other weeds; a book about city trees; a delightful inquiry into the true nature of the roach;...

Focus Cities : Urban Waste Management in the City of Cochabamba ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Focus Cities : Urban Waste Management in the City of Cochabamba (Bolivia). The city of ... Project status. Closed ... Studies. Inclusión social y económica de los recicladores en la gestión integrada de los residuos sólidos urbanos. 49088.

76 FR 34248 - Equestrian Stables at Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area, VA; Information Sharing Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-13

...), located in Lorton, VA, and collect comments, suggestions and ideas from the public pertaining to the... individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours...

Tourism and City. Reflections about Tourist Dimension of Smart City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa Anna La Rocca

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The city of the future seems to be necessarily “intelligent” both in its physical and in functional features.This paper starts from the consideration that the diffusion of new communication technologies (ICTs is significantly changing the urban supply system of tourist services giving rise to new ways of enjoying the city.As tourism can be assumed as an urban activity, by a town planning point of view, the study of tourism is meaningful to identify development trajectories of the present cities targeted to sustainable and smarter models.As a matter of fact, almost all the projects to get a “smart city” are based on the idea of joining the potentialities of ICTs and the needs of urban management through people living or using the city.In such a vision, “tourist dimension” of the city becomes fundamental in promoting urban image as well as in improving efficiency of the city. This efficiency also depends on the capability of each city to share historical and cultural heritage as “common good”.As tourist demand has deeply changed also driven by technological development, this paper tries to investigate how the urban supply will change in order to meet the rising demand of quality and efficiency. The transition to smart tourist destination currently seems to be strongly connected with the number and the variety of apps to improve the “experiential component”. A lack of interest there seems to be in finding strategies and policies oriented to plan the urban supply of services tourist or not.This consideration, if shared, opens up new perspectives for research and experimentation in which city planning could have a key-role also in proposing an holistic approach to city development towards smart city.

City Car = The City Car / Andres Sevtshuk

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Sevtshuk, Andres, 1981-

2008-01-01

Massachusettsi Tehnoloogiainstituudi (MIT) meedialaboratooriumi juures tegutseva Targa Linna Grupi (Smart City Group) ja General Motorsi koostööna sündinud kaheistmelisest linnasõbralikust elektriautost City Car. Nimetatud töögrupi liikmed (juht William J. Mitchell, töögruppi kuulus A. Sevtshuk Eestist)

Pittsburgh City Facilities

Data.gov (United States)

Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — Pittsburgh City FacilitiesIncludes: City Administrative Buildings, Police Stations, Fire Stations, EMS Stations, DPW Sites, Senior Centers, Recreation Centers, Pool...

DIGITAL FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP DATABASE, CITY OF HAMPTON, VA, USA, INDEPENDENT CITY

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security — The Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Database depicts flood risk information and supporting data used to develop the risk data. The primary risk...

Photonic time crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Lunwu; Xu, Jin; Wang, Chengen; Zhang, Jianhua; Zhao, Yuting; Zeng, Jing; Song, Runxia

2017-12-07

When space (time) translation symmetry is spontaneously broken, the space crystal (time crystal) forms; when permittivity and permeability periodically vary with space (time), the photonic crystal (photonic time crystal) forms. We proposed the concept of photonic time crystal and rewritten the Maxwell's equations. Utilizing Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method, we simulated electromagnetic wave propagation in photonic time crystal and photonic space-time crystal, the simulation results show that more intensive scatter fields can obtained in photonic time crystal and photonic space-time crystal.

Drone City

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole B.

2016-01-01

for a new urban condition where cities are networked and connected (as well as disconnected) from the local block to global digital spheres. In the midst of many of the well-known data-creating devices (e.g. Bluetooth, radio-frequency identification (RFID), GPS, smartphone applications) there is a “new kid......This paper address the phenomenon of drones and their potential relationship with the city from the point of view of the so-called “mobilities turn”. This is done in such a way that turns attention to a recent redevelopment of the “turn” towards design; so the emerging perspective of “mobilities...... design” will be used as a background perspective to reflect upon the future of drones in cities. The other perspective used to frame the phenomenon is the emerging discourse of the “smart city”. A city of proliferating digital information and data communication may be termed a smart city as shorthand...

Virtual Crystallizer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Land, T A; Dylla-Spears, R; Thorsness, C B

2006-08-29

Large dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals are grown in large crystallizers to provide raw material for the manufacture of optical components for large laser systems. It is a challenge to grow crystal with sufficient mass and geometric properties to allow large optical plates to be cut from them. In addition, KDP has long been the canonical solution crystal for study of growth processes. To assist in the production of the crystals and the understanding of crystal growth phenomena, analysis of growth habits of large KDP crystals has been studied, small scale kinetic experiments have been performed, mass transfer rates in model systems have been measured, and computational-fluid-mechanics tools have been used to develop an engineering model of the crystal growth process. The model has been tested by looking at its ability to simulate the growth of nine KDP boules that all weighed more than 200 kg.

Calculation of criticality of the AP600 reactor with KENO V.a code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krumbein, A; Caner, M; Shapira, M [Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Yavne (Israel). Soreq Nuclear Research Center

1996-12-01

The Westinghouse AP600 PWR has been modeled using the KENO V.a three dimensional Monte Carlo criticality program of the SCALE-PC code system. These calculations and the use of a Monte Carlo neutron transport code such as KENO will provide us with an independent check on our WIMS/CITATION calculations for the AP600 as well as for other reactors. It will also enable us to model more complicated geometries. (authors).

Tout va bien ! méthode de français : cahier d'exercices 2

CERN Document Server

Augé, H; Marlhens, C; Martin, L

2005-01-01

Tout va bien ! est une méthode de français destinée aux grands adolescents et adultes débutants ou faux-débutants. Ses objectifs respectent scrupuleusement les recommandations du Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues, comme en témoigne le portfolio qui accompagne le livre de l'élève. Tout va bien ! propose : Des supports et des situations de communication authentiques ou proches de l'authentique, permettant à l'élève de se sensibiliser aux différents registres et de découvrir certains aspects de la culture francophone tout autant que la langue. De très nombreuses activités visant l'acquisition des quatre compétences de communication et l'utilisation de stratégies spécifiques. Un travail sur la grammaire et le vocabulaire associés aux situations et au service de la communication faisant une large place à l'observation et à la réflexion. Une invitation régulière à l'évaluation, au travail an autonomie et à l'auto-évaluation.

Tout va bien ! méthode de français : cahier d'exercices 1

CERN Document Server

Augé, H; Marlhens, C; Martin, L

2005-01-01

Tout va bien ! est une méthode de français destinée aux grands adolescents et adultes débutants ou faux-débutants. Ses objectifs respectent scrupuleusement les recommandations du Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues, comme en témoigne le portfolio qui accompagne le livre de l'élève. Tout va bien ! propose : Des supports et des situations de communication authentiques ou proches de l'authentique, permettant à l'élève de se sensibiliser aux différents registres et de découvrir certains aspects de la culture francophone tout autant que la langue. De très nombreuses activités visant l'acquisition des quatre compétences de communication et l'utilisation de stratégies spécifiques. Un travail sur la grammaire et le vocabulaire associés aux situations et au service de la communication faisant une large place à l'observation et à la réflexion. Une invitation régulière à l'évaluation, au travail an autonomie et à l'auto-évaluation.

Women in Cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurst, Liz

1982-01-01

Suggesting that women are at a disadvantage in cities and towns, discusses experiences of women at home, working women, women traveling, shopping, and growing old in cities. Includes suggestions for studying women in cities. (JN)

Archetypal Analysis of "Almalek and Albrahmh” from Kalila va Demna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Noori

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Archetype Theory, has been raised from Carl Gustav Young’s Psychoanalytical School. Young knows mental images and Sediments and Hereditary information which there are in the collective unconscious as Archetype. In other word, archetype is general type of repeated experiences and behaviors of human forefathers which rooted in collective unconscious. the most important Archetypes are "Anima"," Animus", "old wise man", "shadow", "mask", "rebirth" ,and "self" and "individuality". Kalila va Demna is the book which is full of allegorical stories, which because of their mythical aspect, are researchable from Archetypal Analytic criticism. One of this stories which Archetypal color is Dominant in it, is "Almalek and Albrahmh” from 16th chapter of Kalila va Demna. In this study, some archetypes such as "shadow", "Anima", "mask", "old wise man", " self " and "individuality" in the story of "Almalek and Albrahmh" from sixteenth chapter of book, has been analyzed. Since either this tale because of being legendary, and consisting of series of dreams – which have given it mythical, symbolic and interpretable nature – has capacity for archetypal analysis, or archetypal approach has high capacity and power to analyze such narrations. The story was investigated on mentioned view, and it was found that king Heblar which has stricken to a kind of Psychosis, Finds its way into the subconscious through dreams and After a confrontation with his anima, under guidance of old wise meets his self (true self and reach to his individuality and Is rescued from distress. It can be said that the king starts his path of the individual process with a dream.  He, in the bigining of the story, with the help of Iran Dokht and at the end of the story, with the help of minister is released of grief and psychosis.

The Synergy between City Human Resources and City Economy Development Based on the City Marketing: The Case of Chengdu

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Pu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available City human resources and the city economic development have a synergistic effect to attract high-quality talent and to encourage the sustainable development of the urban economy in the city marketing. Based on synergetics, we find out the evaluation indexes between the city human resources subsystem and urban economic development subsystem and constructed the evaluation system and model, and then used the yearbook data of Chengdu human resources and economic development from 2002 to 2012 and carried on empirical research. The results show that the level of coordinated development is weak between city human resources and city economic development at Chengdu, but it keeps rising slowly. The strong policy support shall be provided to Chengdu human resources and economic development by Chengdu government.

Creating a sampling frame for population-based veteran research: representativeness and overlap of VA and Department of Defense databases.

Science.gov (United States)

Washington, Donna L; Sun, Su; Canning, Mark

2010-01-01

Most veteran research is conducted in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare settings, although most veterans obtain healthcare outside the VA. Our objective was to determine the adequacy and relative contributions of Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and Department of Defense (DOD) administrative databases for representing the U.S. veteran population, using as an example the creation of a sampling frame for the National Survey of Women Veterans. In 2008, we merged the VHA, VBA, and DOD databases. We identified the number of unique records both overall and from each database. The combined databases yielded 925,946 unique records, representing 51% of the 1,802,000 U.S. women veteran population. The DOD database included 30% of the population (with 8% overlap with other databases). The VHA enrollment database contributed an additional 20% unique women veterans (with 6% overlap with VBA databases). VBA databases contributed an additional 2% unique women veterans (beyond 10% overlap with other databases). Use of VBA and DOD databases substantially expands access to the population of veterans beyond those in VHA databases, regardless of VA use. Adoption of these additional databases would enhance the value and generalizability of a wide range of studies of both male and female veterans.

Measuring the risk of an Iranian banking system using Value at Risk (VaR Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudabeh Morshedian Rafiee

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Measuring risk of financial institutes and banks plays an important role on managing them. Recent financial turmoil in United States banking system has motivated banking industry to monitor risk factors more closely. In this paper, we present an empirical study to measure the risk of some private banks in Iran called Bank Mellat using Value at Risk (VaR method. The proposed study collects the necessary information for the fiscal year of 2010 and analyses them using regression analysis. The study divides the financial data into two groups where the financial data of the first half of year is considered in the first group and the remaining information for the second half of year 2010 is considered in the second group. The implementation of VaR method indicates that financial risks increase during the time horizon. The study also uses linear regression method where independent variable is time, dependent variable is the financial risk, and the results confirm what we have found in the previous part of the survey.

FutureTox III: Bridges for Translation | Science Inventory | US ...

Science.gov (United States)

The present document describes key discussion points and outcomes of a Society of Toxicology (SOT) Contemporary Concepts in Toxicology (CCT) Workshop, entitled FutureTox III1,2 that was held in Crystal City, Virginia, November 19-20, 2015. The workshop built on the many lessons learned from the first 10 years of TT21 and the first two workshops in the FutureTox series (for summary of FutureTox II see (Knudsen et al., 2015); for summary of FutureTox I see (Rowlands et al., 2014)). FutureTox III was attended in person and via webcast by more than 300 scientists from government research and regulatory agencies, research institutes, academia, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries in Europe, Canada, and the United States. The meeting materials for FutureTox III, currently available to meeting registrants at http://www.toxicology.org/events/shm/cct/meetings.asp#upcoming-pnl-open, will be open to the public on November 29, 2016. At this workshop, participants reviewed and discussed the state of the science in toxicology and human risk and exposure assessment with a focus on moving TT21 science into the arena of regulatory decision-making. This manuscript describes the outcome of the FutureTox III 'contemporary concepts in toxicology' conference of the Society Toxicology, held November 2015 in Crystal City VA.

¿Hacia dónde va la integración?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Acosta

2015-01-01

Full Text Available La ola integracionista se filtra por todas partes, en especial, en la formación de bloques económicos. Los periodistas juegan un papel importante como agentes dinamizadores. Aborda el Plan Bush vs. Integración, la crisis de la hegemonía a la integración, limitaciones del desarrollo dependiente. Responde a la pregunta de ¿Hacia donde va la integración en América latina? Advierte que la integración deberá construirse sobre una movilización ideológica en tormo a la definición de objetivos y metas que hagan posible las transformaciones en todas las sociedades involucradas.

33 CFR 334.220 - Chesapeake Bay, south of Tangier Island, Va.; naval firing range.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DANGER ZONE AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.220 Chesapeake Bay, south of Tangier Island, Va.; naval firing range. (a) The danger zone. Beginning... to latitude 37°45′00″, longitude 76°09′48″; thence to latitude 37°45′00″, longitude 76°08′51″; and...

[Healthy Cities projects].

Science.gov (United States)

Takano, Takehito

2002-05-01

This is a review article on "Healthy Cities". The Healthy Cities programme has been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to tackle urban health and environmental issues in a broad way. It is a kind of comprehensive policy package to carry out individual projects and activities effectively and efficiently. Its key aspects include healthy public policy, vision sharing, high political commitment, establishment of structural organization, strategic health planning, intersectoral collaboration, community participation, setting approach, development of supportive environment for health, formation of city health profile, national and international networking, participatory research, periodic monitoring and evaluation, and mechanisms for sustainability of projects. The present paper covered the Healthy Cities concept and approaches, rapid urbanization in the world, developments of WHO Healthy Cities, Healthy Cities developments in the Western Pacific Region, the health promotion viewpoint, and roles of research.

Jerusalem: City of Dreams, City of Sorrows

Science.gov (United States)

Ricks, Thomas

2011-01-01

Jerusalem is more than an intriguing global historical city; it is a classroom for liberal learning and international understanding. It had never been a city of one language, one religion and one culture. Looking at the origins of Jerusalem's name indicates its international and multicultural nature. While Israelis designate Jerusalem as their…

Identification and biochemical analysis of Slac2-c/MyRIP as a Rab27A-, myosin Va/VIIa-, and actin-binding protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Taruho S; Fukuda, Mitsunori

2005-01-01

Slac2-c/MyRIP is a specific Rab27A-binding protein that contains an N-terminal synaptotagmin-like protein (Slp) homology domain (SHD, a newly identified GTP-Rab27A-binding motif), but in contrast to the Slp family proteins, it lacks C-terminal tandem C2 domains. In vitro Slac2-c simultaneously directly interacts with both Rab27A and an actin-based motor protein, myosin Va, via its N-terminal SHD and middle region, respectively, consistent with the fact that the overall structure of Slac2-c is similar to that of Slac2-a/melanophilin, a linker protein between Rab27A and myosin Va in the melanosome transport in melanocytes. Unlike Slac2-a, however, the middle region of Slac2-c interacts with two types of myosins, myosin Va and myosin VIIa. In addition, the most C-terminal part of both Slac2-a and Slac2-c functions as an actin-binding domain: it directly interacts with globular and fibrous actin in vitro, and the actin-binding domain of Slac2-a and Slac2-c colocalizes with actin filaments when it is expressed in living cells (i.e., PC12 cells and mouse melanocytes). In this chapter we describe the methods that have been used to analyze the protein-protein interactions of Slac2-c, specifically with Rab27A, myosin Va/VIIa, and actin.

Optimized Waterspace Management and Scheduling Using Mixed-Integer Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

PANAMA CITY DIVISION PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA 32407-7001 5(3257...task. This paper is outlined as follows: in Section 2, we discuss the general setup of the the MCM scheduling problem, including the definition of the...Suite 1425 Arlington, VA 22203-1995 Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division 1 ATTN: Technical Library 110 Vernon Avenue Panama City, FL 32407 27

77 FR 29932 - Safety Zone; Nautical City Festival Air Show, Rogers City, MI

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-21

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Nautical City Festival Air Show, Rogers City, MI AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION... City Festival will be celebrating Calcite's 100th Anniversary. As part of that celebration, an air show... posed by the Nautical City Festival air show near Rogers City, MI, the Captain of the Port Sault Sainte...

77 FR 40798 - Safety Zone; Nautical City Festival Air Show, Rogers City MI

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-11

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Nautical City Festival Air Show, Rogers City MI AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION...; Nautical City Festival Air Show, Rogers City MI; in the Federal Register (77 FR 29932). We received no... Nautical City Festival will be celebrating Calcite's 100th Anniversary. As part of that celebration, an air...

Amine free crystal structure: The crystal structure of d(CGCGCG)2 and methylamine complex crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohishi, Hirofumi; Tsukamoto, Koji; Hiyama, Yoichi; Maezaki, Naoyoshi; Tanaka, Tetsuaki; Ishida, Toshimasa

2006-01-01

We succeeded in the crystallization of d(CGCGCG) 2 and methylamine Complex. The crystal was clear and of sufficient size to collect the X-ray crystallographic data up to 1.0 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. As a result of X-ray crystallographic analysis of 2F o - F c map was much clear and easily traced. It is First time monoamine co-crystallizes with d(CGCGCG) 2 . However, methylamine was not found from the complex crystal of d(CGCGCG) 2 and methylamine. Five Mg ions were found around d(CGCGCG) 2 molecules. These Mg ions neutralized the anion of 10 values of the phosphate group of DNA with five Mg 2+ . DNA stabilized only by a metallic ion and there is no example of analyzing the X-ray crystal structure like this. Mg ion stabilizes the conformation of Z-DNA. To use monoamine for crystallization of DNA, we found that we can get only d(CGCGCG) 2 and Mg cation crystal. Only Mg cation can stabilize the conformation of Z-DNA. The method of using the monoamine for the crystallization of DNA can be applied to the crystallization of DNA of long chain of length in the future like this

Cause of death during 2009–2012, using a probabilistic model (InterVA-4: an experience from Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjay K. Rai

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The present study aimed to estimate the age and cause-specific mortality in Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS site for the years 2009 to 2012, using a probabilistic model (InterVA-4. Methods: All Deaths in Ballabgarh HDSS from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2012, were included in the study. InterVA-4 model (version 4.02 was used for assigning cause of death (COD. Data from the verbal autopsy (VA tool were extracted and processed with the InterVA-4 model. Cause-specific mortality rate (CSMR per 1,000 person-years was calculated. Results: A total of 2,459 deaths occurred in the HDSS during the year 2009 to 2012. Among them, 2,174 (88.4% valid VA interviews were conducted. Crude death rate ranged from 7.1 (2009 to 6.4 (2012 per 1,000 population. The CSMR per 1,000 person-years over the years (2009–2012 for non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases, trauma, neoplasm, and maternal and neonatal diseases were 1.78, 1.68, 0.68, 0.49, and 0.48, respectively. The most common causes of death among children, adults, and the elderly were infectious diseases, trauma, and non-communicable diseases, respectively. Conclusions: Overall, non-communicable diseases constituted the largest proportion of mortality, whereas trauma was the most common COD among adults at Ballabgarh HDSS. Policy-makers ought to focus on prevention of premature CODs, especially prevention of infectious diseases in children, and intentional self-harm and road traffic accidents in the adult population.

76 FR 30598 - Payment or Reimbursement for Emergency Services for Nonservice-Connected Conditions in Non-VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-26

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 38 CFR Part 17 RIN 2900-AN86 Payment or Reimbursement for Emergency...) ``Payment or Reimbursement for Emergency Services for Nonservice-Connected Conditions in Non-VA Facilities... Reimbursement Act. Some of the revisions in this proposed rule are purely technical, matching the language of...

Crystal Growth Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Scheel, Hans J.; Fukuda, Tsuguo

2004-06-01

This volume deals with the technologies of crystal fabrication, of crystal machining, and of epilayer production and is the first book on industrial and scientific aspects of crystal and layer production. The major industrial crystals are treated: Si, GaAs, GaP, InP, CdTe, sapphire, oxide and halide scintillator crystals, crystals for optical, piezoelectric and microwave applications and more. Contains 29 contributions from leading crystal technologists covering the following topics: General aspects of crystal growth technology Silicon Compound semiconductors Oxides and halides Crystal machining Epitaxy and layer deposition Scientific and technological problems of production and machining of industrial crystals are discussed by top experts, most of them from the major growth industries and crystal growth centers. In addition, it will be useful for the users of crystals, for teachers and graduate students in materials sciences, in electronic and other functional materials, chemical and metallurgical engineering, micro-and optoelectronics including nanotechnology, mechanical engineering and precision-machining, microtechnology, and in solid-state sciences.

For a Safer City. A Friendlier City. And a More Beautiful City.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto Busi

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The issue of the safety of mobility in the urban environment has been emerging as a primary social topic for some time now due to the number of casualties and, more generally, due to the impact on living conditions in the city. If correctly formulated, in fact, this subject has implications primarily and fundamentally with regard to the quality of urban life, as the citizen, and the vulnerable road user in particular, is severely restricted in their use of urban public paces. Consequently, an increasingly greater focus is being placed on acquiring methods, techniques and strategies for addressing the issue of planning, constructing and managing roads, squares and urban green spaces (and above all, applying the logic of reclaiming the historic and consolidated city in order that the city can be used to its full potential by the citizen. The subject itself therefore presents an opportunity to re-establish urban planning regulations (and, more generally, city regulations in accordance with the renewed interest in public spaces. The article discusses this matter and includes supporting elements and examples, also referring to the implications on the urban landscape.

Revenue Based Budgeting at VA Northern California Health Care System: A Model for Financially Aligning Organizational Incentives and Operations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Stockwell, David

1999-01-01

.... Changes in sharing agreement regulations, TRICARE, and Medical Care Cost Recovery (MCCR) also provided each network with the ability to generate revenue from sources outside the traditional VA appropriation...

HIGH PREVALENCE OF AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE AMONG THYROID CANCER PATIENTS IN THE NATIONAL VA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Karen T; Sawicki, Mark P; Wang, Marilene B; Hershman, Jerome M; Leung, Angela M

2016-06-01

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy and the most rapidly increasing cancer in the U.S. Little is known regarding the epidemiology and characteristics of patients with thyroid cancer within the national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) integrated healthcare system. The aim of this study was to further understand the characteristics of thyroid cancer patients in the VHA population, particularly in relation to Agent Orange exposure. This is a descriptive analysis of the VA (Veterans Affairs) Corporate Data Warehouse database from all U.S. VHA healthcare sites from October1, 1999, to December 31, 2013. Information was extracted for all thyroid cancer patients based on International Classification of Diseases-ninth revision diagnosis codes; histologic subtypes of thyroid cancer were not available. There were 19,592 patients (86% men, 76% white, 58% married, 42% Vietnam-era Veteran) in the VHA system with a diagnosis of thyroid cancer within this 14-year study period. The gender-stratified prevalence rates of thyroid cancer among the Veteran population during the study period were 1:1,114 (women) and 1:1,023 (men), which were lower for women but similar for men, when compared to the U.S. general population in 2011 (1:350 for women and 1:1,219 for men). There was a significantly higher proportion of self-reported Agent Orange exposure among thyroid cancer patients (10.0%), compared to the general VHA population (6.2%) (PAgent Orange exposure compared to the overall national VA patient population. T4 = thyroxine TCDD = 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone VA = Veterans Affairs VHA = Veterans Health Administration.

Definition of the Radionuclide Inventory for the DOE Spent Nuclear Fuel Used in the TSPA-VA Base Case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A.J. Smith

1998-01-01

The purpose of this document is to present the details of the calculations used to define the radionuclide inventory for the Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) used in the TSPA-VA calculations

Ambient radiation dose to the population of the city of Sao Paulo-Brazil: indoor gamma distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otsubo, Sergio M.; Yoshimura, Elizabeth M.

2001-01-01

The objective of this work is to present results of indoor ambient dose equivalent rate (H * (10)) in the city of Sao Paulo. Studies show that people of industrialized cities spend indoor approximately 80% of their time, and that there are great variations of the rate of H * (10) all over the world. Values of environmental radiation are important base to epidemiological studies, or analyses of consequences and effects of radioactive or nuclear accidents and also to assist research on biological effects of low doses, a very controversial subject in the literature. There are no reports in the literature about environmental radiation in the city of Sao Paulo, showing the important of this study. Environmental radiation exists everywhere in the planet, so the human beings are exposed to it at any time or place, being indoor or outdoor. Three types of commercial indoor ambient with large flow of the population were analyzed: bank offices, shops in the neighborhood of the banks, and shopping centers. A gamma ray portable spectrometer was used, composed by a crystal of NaI (Tl). The mean value of the H * (10) rate obtained was 173,8(17) nSv/h. The results analyzed by commerce type and by the health divisions of the city are also presented. (author)

The City Intelligence Quotient (City IQ Evaluation System: Conception and Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiqiang Wu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available After a systematic review of 38 current intelligent city evaluation systems (ICESs from around the world, this research analyzes the secondary and tertiary indicators of these 38 ICESs from the perspectives of scale structuring, approaches and indicator selection, and determines their common base. From this base, the fundamentals of the City Intelligence Quotient (City IQ Evaluation System are developed and five dimensions are selected after a clustering analysis. The basic version, City IQ Evaluation System 1.0, involves 275 experts from 14 high-end research institutions, which include the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science and Engineering (Germany, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, the Planning Management Center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China, and the Development Research Center of the State Council of China. City IQ Evaluation System 2.0 is further developed, with improvements in its universality, openness, and dynamic adjustment capability. After employing deviation evaluation methods in the IQ assessment, City IQ Evaluation System 3.0 was conceived. The research team has conducted a repeated assessment of 41 intelligent cities around the world using City IQ Evaluation System 3.0. The results have proved that the City IQ Evaluation System, developed on the basis of intelligent life, features more rational indicators selected from data sources that can offer better universality, openness, and dynamics, and is more sensitive and precise.

AVTA Federal Fleet PEV Readiness Data Logging and Characterization Study for Department of Veterans Affairs. James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schey, Stephen [Intertek Testing Services, North America, Phoenix, AZ (United States); Francfort, Jim [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-10-01

This report focuses on the Department of Veterans Affairs, James J. Peters VA Medical Center (VA - Bronx) fleet to identify daily operational characteristics of select vehicles and report findings on vehicle and mission characterizations to support the successful introduction of PEVs into the agencies’ fleets. Individual observations of these selected vehicles provide the basis for recommendations related to electric vehicle adoption and whether a battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (collectively referred to as PEVs) can fulfill the mission requirements.

75 FR 72942 - Standard Instrument Approach Procedures, and Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-29

...: Harry J. Hodges, Flight Procedure Standards Branch (AFS-420), Flight Technologies and Programs Divisions..., SD, Rapid City Rgnl, ILS OR LOC RWY 32, Amdt 19 Newport News, VA, Newport News/Williamsburg Intl, ILS OR LOC RWY 7, Amdt 33 Newport News, VA, Newport News/Williamsburg Intl, ILS OR LOC RWY 25, Amdt 1...

77 FR 26669 - Standard Instrument Approach Procedures, and Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-07

...., Oklahoma City, OK 73169 or, 4. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741- 6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov..., Amdt 1 Leesburg, VA, Leesburg Executive, RNAV (GPS) RWY 17, Amdt 3 New Market, VA, New Market, Takeoff...

78 FR 77029 - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Seeks Comment on a Proposal To License the 600 MHz Band Using...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-20

... Pittsylvania County... 63506 18 262 67 VA Henry County 54151 18 684 67 VA Danville city......... 43055 18 262... Wilkes County......... 10593 27 374 79 SC Allendale County...... 10419 27 631 79 GA Jenkins County... 17 120 GA Clayton County........ 259424 40 17 120 GA Cherokee County....... 214346 40 17 120 GA Henry...

76 FR 54770 - Public Meeting: Notification by Capital One Financial Corporation, McLean, VA, To Acquire ING...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-02

... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Public Meeting: Notification by Capital One Financial Corporation, McLean, VA, To Acquire ING Bank, FSB, Wilmington, DE, and Indirectly To Acquire Shares of Sharebuilder... Reserve System. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. SUMMARY: Three public meetings will be held regarding...

33 CFR 100.919 - International Bay City River Roar, Bay City, MI.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false International Bay City River Roar, Bay City, MI. 100.919 Section 100.919 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF... Bay City River Roar, Bay City, MI. (a) Regulated Area. A regulated area is established to include all...

@City: technologising Barcelona

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rojas, Jesús

2007-05-01

Full Text Available This article is about the concept of the contemporary city - the influence that technology has when one thinks about, plans and lives in a city. The conjunction of technology and city reformulates customs and social practices; it can even determine the way one constitutes one's own identity. One can see how close the relation is between technology (specifically, TICS and the structures of the city in a wide variety of situations: in social interactions on the street, in transport, and in ways of buying, of working and entertainment. "@City" is a concept that very well reflects the emergent properties of a current city, that is, the coexistence of a physical and a virtual urban space. The "22@Barcelona" project attempts to bring together different types of spaces. By combining the physical with the virtual, 22@Barcelona, as a neighborhood of @City, creates an uncertain and blurred border between both spaces.The article also examines the impact that these spaces have on the psycho-social processes involved in the daily life of a traditionally working-class neighborhood, now strongly limited by technological boundaries.

Creation / accumulation city

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doevendans, C.H.; Schram, A.L.

2005-01-01

A distinction between basic archetypes of urban form was made by Bruno Fortier: the accumulation city as opposed to the creation city. These archetypes derive from archaeology - being based on the Roman and the Egyptian city - but are interpreted as morphological paradigms, as a set of assumptions

Systems innovation model: an integrated interdisciplinary team approach pre- and post-bariatric surgery at a veterans affairs (VA) medical center.

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenberg, Dan; Lohnberg, Jessica A; Kubat, Eric P; Bates, Cheryl C; Greenberg, Lauren M; Frayne, Susan M

2017-04-01

Provision of bariatric surgery in the Veterans Health Administration must account for obese veterans' co-morbidity burden and the geographically dispersed location of patients relative to Veterans Affairs (VA) bariatric centers. To evaluate a collaborative, integrated, interdisciplinary bariatric team of surgeons, bariatricians, psychologists, dieticians, and physical therapists working in a hub-and-spokes care model, for pre- and post-bariatric surgery assessment and management. This is a description of an interdisciplinary clinic and bariatric program at a VA healthcare system and a report on program evaluation findings. Retrospective data of a prospective database was abstracted. For program evaluation, we abstracted charts to characterize patient data and conducted a patient survey. Since 2009, 181 veterans have undergone bariatric surgery. Referrals came from 7 western U.S. states. Mean preoperative body mass index was 46 kg/m 2 (maximum 71). Mean age was 53 years, with 33% aged>60 years; 79% were male. Medical co-morbidity included diabetes (70%), hypertension (85%), and lower back or extremity joint pain (84%). A psychiatric diagnosis was present in 58%. At 12 months, follow-up was 81% and percent excess body mass index loss was 50.5%. Among 54 sequential clinic patients completing anonymous surveys, overall satisfaction with the interdisciplinary team approach and improved quality of life were high (98% and 94%, respectively). The integrated, interdisciplinary team approach using a hub-and-spokes model is well suited to the VA bariatric surgery population, with its heavy burden of medical and mental health co-morbidity and its system of geographically dispersed patients receiving treatment at specialty centers. As the VA seeks to expand the use of bariatric surgery as an option for obese veterans, interdisciplinary models crafted to address case complexity, care coordination, and long-term outcomes should be part of policy planning efforts. Published by

Principles of crystallization, and methods of single crystal growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chacra, T.

2010-01-01

Most of single crystals (monocrystals), have distinguished optical, electrical, or magnetic properties, which make from single crystals, key elements in most of technical modern devices, as they may be used as lenses, Prisms, or grating sin optical devises, or Filters in X-Ray and spectrographic devices, or conductors and semiconductors in electronic, and computer industries. Furthermore, Single crystals are used in transducer devices. Moreover, they are indispensable elements in Laser and Maser emission technology.Crystal Growth Technology (CGT), has started, and developed in the international Universities and scientific institutions, aiming at some of single crystals, which may have significant properties and industrial applications, that can attract the attention of international crystal growth centers, to adopt the industrial production and marketing of such crystals. Unfortunately, Arab universities generally, and Syrian universities specifically, do not give even the minimum interest, to this field of Science.The purpose of this work is to attract the attention of Crystallographers, Physicists and Chemists in the Arab universities and research centers to the importance of crystal growth, and to work on, in the first stage to establish simple, uncomplicated laboratories for the growth of single crystal. Such laboratories can be supplied with equipment, which are partly available or can be manufactured in the local market. Many references (Articles, Papers, Diagrams, etc..) has been studied, to conclude the most important theoretical principles of Phase transitions,especially of crystallization. The conclusions of this study, are summarized in three Principles; Thermodynamic-, Morphologic-, and Kinetic-Principles. The study is completed by a brief description of the main single crystal growth methods with sketches, of equipment used in each method, which can be considered as primary designs for the equipment, of a new crystal growth laboratory. (author)

City Carbon Footprint Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guangwu Chen

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Progressive cities worldwide have demonstrated political leadership by initiating meaningful strategies and actions to tackle climate change. However, the lack of knowledge concerning embodied greenhouse gas (GHG emissions of cities has hampered effective mitigation. We analyse trans-boundary GHG emission transfers between five Australian cities and their trading partners, with embodied emission flows broken down into major economic sectors. We examine intercity carbon footprint (CF networks and disclose a hierarchy of responsibility for emissions between cities and regions. Allocations of emissions to households, businesses and government and the carbon efficiency of expenditure have been analysed to inform mitigation policies. Our findings indicate that final demand in the five largest cities in Australia accounts for more than half of the nation’s CF. City households are responsible for about two thirds of the cities’ CFs; the rest can be attributed to government and business consumption and investment. The city network flows highlight that over half of emissions embodied in imports (EEI to the five cities occur overseas. However, a hierarchy of GHG emissions reveals that overseas regions also outsource emissions to Australian cities such as Perth. We finally discuss the implications of our findings on carbon neutrality, low-carbon city concepts and strategies and allocation of subnational GHG responsibility.

Tales of two cities: political capitals and economic centres in the world city network.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter J. Taylor

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The majority of major cities in the world city network are capital cities. Between primacy and political specialization there are examples of countries where the capital city and a second city remain as major rival cities in contemporary globalization. In this paper we focus upon situations where the capital city is less important in global economic capacity: Rome and Milan, Berlin and Frankfurt, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Delhi and Mumbai, Islamabad and Karachi. This is an exercise in double comparisons: between cities in each pairing and between the pairings. Despite the massive differences – economic, cultural and political – amongst our chosen pairs of cities we have found communalities relating to the specific circumstance we are investigating. First, there is some evidence that economic centres are more global and less local than their capital cities. Second, more particularly, we have shown that in terms of global economic connections there is a very consistent pattern: economic centres have a much more coherent and telling integration into the world city network.

Water changed the cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elle, Morten; Jensen, Marina Bergen

An improvement in water infrastructure and cleaning up the waters changed many harbour cities in Denmark at the beginning of the 90s. The harbour cities changed from drity, run-down industrial harbours to clean and attractive harbour dwelling creating new city centres and vital city areas...

Integrating world cities into production networks : the case of port cities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, W.; Ducruet, C.; Langen, de P.W.

2010-01-01

In this article we analyse the location patterns of firms that provide specialized advanced producer services (APS) to international commodity chains that move through seaports. Such activities can take place in world cities or in port cities. The analysis of APS location patterns in port cities

Analisis Risiko Investasi Saham Syariah Dengan Model Value AT Risk-Asymmetric Power Autoregressive Conditional Heterocedasticity (VaR-APARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syarif Hidayatullah

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Penelitian ini membahas analisis risiko data runtun waktu dengan model Value at Risk- Asymmetric Power Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (VaR-APARCHdalam pasar modal syariah. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah penerapan kasus.Data yang digunakan adalah harga penutupan harian saham dalam Jakarta Islamic Index (JIIperiode 4 Maret 2013 sampai 8 April 2015.Model APARCH yang dipilih berdasarkan nilai Schwarz Criterion (SC.Langkah-langkah dalam penelitian ini adalah menguji kestasioneran data, mengidentifikasi model ARIMA,mengestimasi parameter model ARIMA, menguji diagnostik model ARIMA, mendeteksi ada tidaknya unsur ARCH atau unsur heteroskedastisitas, uji asimetris data saham, mengestimasi model APARCH, menguji diagnostik model APARCH, dan menghitung risiko dengan VaR-APARCH.Model terbaik yang dipilih adalah ARIMA ((3,0,0 dan APARCH (1,1. Model ini valid untuk menganalisis besar risiko investasi dalam jangka waktu 10 hari ke depan.

Cities as development drivers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johnson, Bjørn; Poulsen, Tjalfe; Hansen, Jens Aage

2011-01-01

There is a strong connection between economic growth and development of cities. Economic growth tends to stimulate city growth, and city economies have often shaped innovative environments that in turn support economic growth. Simultaneously, social and environmental problems related to city growth...... can be serious threats to the realization of the socio-economic contributions that cities can make. However, as a result of considerable diversity of competences combined with interactive learning and innovation, cities may also solve these problems. The ‘urban order’ may form a platform...... for innovative problem solving and potential spill-over effects, which may stimulate further economic growth and development. This paper discusses how waste problems of cities can be transformed to become part of new, more sustainable solutions. Two cases are explored: Aalborg in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden...

City 2020+

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, C.; Buttstädt, M.; Merbitz, H.; Sachsen, T.; Ketzler, G.; Michael, S.; Klemme, M.; Dott, W.; Selle, K.; Hofmeister, H.

2010-09-01

This research initiative CITY 2020+ assesses the risks and opportunities for residents in urban built environments under projected demographic and climate change for the year 2020 and beyond, using the City of Aachen as a case study. CITY 2020+ develops scenarios, options and tools for planning and developing sustainable future city structures. We investigate how urban environment, political structure and residential behavior can best be adapted, with attention to the interactions among structural, political, and sociological configurations and with their consequences on human health. Demographers project that in the EU-25-States by 2050, approximately 30% of the population will be over age 65. Also by 2050, average tem¬peratures are projected to rise by 1 to 2 K. Combined, Europe can expect enhanced thermal stress and higher levels of particulate matter. CITY 2020+ amongst other sub-projects includes research project dealing with (1) a micro-scale assessment of blockages to low-level cold-air drainage flow into the city centre by vegetation and building structures, (2) a detailed analysis of the change of probability density functions related to the occurrence of heat waves during summer and the spatial and temporal structure of the urban heat island (UHI) (3) a meso-scale analysis of particulate matter (PM) concentrations depending on topography, local meteorological conditions and synoptic-scale weather patterns. First results will be presented specifically from sub-projects related to vegetation barriers within cold air drainage, the assessment of the UHI and the temporal and spatial pattern of PM loadings in the city centre. The analysis of the cold air drainage flow is investigated in two consecutive years with a clearing of vegetation stands in the beginning of the second year early in 2010. The spatial pattern of the UHI and its possible enhancement by climate change is addressed employing a unique setup using GPS devices and temperature probes fixed to

Lighting the city. First poetic representations of Mexico City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Kerik

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The first impressions that caused the changes made in Mexico City in its process of transformation into a modern city were captured by its poets drawing attention to different aspects of life in the capital. While from the popular poetry the record of the entrance of the electricity in the public road was left, from the official poetry was tried to witness the new cosmopolitan status of the Mexico City in the Porfirian era, through the fashion and the customs that were revealed in one of the main streets of the city. Comparing these poems allows us to know the initial strategies of poetic figuration of urban space that will continue to develop along different paths throughout the twentieth century until we reach our days.

Binge-drinking and non-partner aggression are associated with gambling among Veterans with recent substance use in VA outpatient treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Alan K; Bonar, Erin E; Goldstick, Jason E; Walton, Maureen A; Winters, Jamie; Chermack, Stephen T

2017-11-01

Gambling is relatively under-assessed in Veterans Affairs (VA) substance use disorder (SUD) treatment settings, yet shared characteristics with substance addiction suggest the importance of understanding how gambling behaviors present in Veterans seeking SUD care. We evaluated substance use, mental health, and violence-related correlates of past 30-day gambling among 833 Veterans (93% male, M age 48years, 72% Caucasian) seeking treatment in VA outpatient mental health and SUD clinics who completed screening for a randomized clinical trial. A total of 288 (35%) Veterans reported past 30-day gambling. Among those who gambled, 79% had cravings/urges to gamble, whereas between 20%-27% of gamblers reported perceived relationship, legal, and daily life problems related to gambling, as well as difficulty controlling gambling. A logistic regression analysis revealed that age, recent binge-drinking, and non-partner physical aggression were associated with recent gambling. Gambling was associated with binge-drinking and non-partner physical aggression, supporting potential shared characteristics among these behaviors such as impulsivity and risk-taking, which may complicate SUD treatment engagement and effectiveness. Findings support the need to screen for gambling in the VA, and to adapt treatments to include gambling as a potential behavioral target or relapse trigger, particularly among heavy drinking patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the Internet of Things, smart cities and the WHO Healthy Cities

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

This article gives a brief overview of the Internet of Things (IoT) for cities, offering examples of IoT-powered 21st century smart cities, including the experience of the Spanish city of Barcelona in implementing its own IoT-driven services to improve the quality of life of its people through measures that promote an eco-friendly, sustainable environment. The potential benefits as well as the challenges associated with IoT for cities are discussed. Much of the 'big data' that are continuously generated by IoT sensors, devices, systems and services are geo-tagged or geo-located. The importance of having robust, intelligent geospatial analytics systems in place to process and make sense of such data in real time cannot therefore be overestimated. The authors argue that IoT-powered smart cities stand better chances of becoming healthier cities. The World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Cities Network and associated national networks have hundreds of member cities around the world that could benefit from, and harness the power of, IoT to improve the health and well-being of their local populations. PMID:24669838

On the Internet of Things, smart cities and the WHO Healthy Cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamel Boulos, Maged N; Al-Shorbaji, Najeeb M

2014-03-27

This article gives a brief overview of the Internet of Things (IoT) for cities, offering examples of IoT-powered 21st century smart cities, including the experience of the Spanish city of Barcelona in implementing its own IoT-driven services to improve the quality of life of its people through measures that promote an eco-friendly, sustainable environment. The potential benefits as well as the challenges associated with IoT for cities are discussed. Much of the 'big data' that are continuously generated by IoT sensors, devices, systems and services are geo-tagged or geo-located. The importance of having robust, intelligent geospatial analytics systems in place to process and make sense of such data in real time cannot therefore be overestimated. The authors argue that IoT-powered smart cities stand better chances of becoming healthier cities. The World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Cities Network and associated national networks have hundreds of member cities around the world that could benefit from, and harness the power of, IoT to improve the health and well-being of their local populations.

City Hub : a cloud based IoT platform for Smart Cities

OpenAIRE

Lea, Rodger; Blackstock, Michael

2014-01-01

Cloud based Smart City hubs are an attractive approach to addressing some of the complex issues faced when deploying PaaS infrastructure for Smart Cities. In this paper we introduce the general notion of IoT hubs and then discusses our work to generalize our IoT hub as a Smart City PaaS. Two key issues are identified, support for hybrid public/private cloud and interoperability. We briefly describe our approach to these issues and discuss our experiences deploying two cloud-based Smart City h...

For the Smarter Good of Cities? On Cities, Complexity and Slippages in the Smart City Discourse’

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steiner, Henriette; Veel, Kristin

2013-01-01

Summary: Cities for Smart Environmental and Energy Futures presents works written by eminent international experts from a variety of disciplines including architecture, engineering and related fields. Due to the ever-increasing focus on sustainable technologies, alternative energy sources......, and global social and urban issues, interest in the energy systems for cities of the future has grown in a wealth of disciplines. Some of the special features of this book include new findings on the city of the future from the macro to the micro level. These range from urban sustainability to indoor...... urbanism, and from strategies for cities and global climate change to material properties. The book is intended for graduate students and researchers active in architecture, engineering, the social and computational sciences, building physics and related fields....

Untitled

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

However, the mobilities, showed a definite increase with decreasing temperature in all the CdS,Se- crystals. e. Table 2. Electrical properties of CdSSe single crystals. Hall mobility. Conductivity of crystals (ohm. cm) at (cm2/v sec). Crystal. Annealed Annealed at. As grown at 700°C in 700°C in Cd 300 K. 90 K. VaClin vapour.

Flying Cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ciger, Jan

2006-01-01

The Flying Cities artistic installation brings to life imaginary cities made from the speech input of visitors. In this article we describe the original interactive process generating real time 3D graphics from spectators' vocal inputs. This example of cross-modal interaction has the nice property....... As the feedback we have received when presenting Flying Cities was very positive, our objective now is to cross the bridge between art and the potential applications to the rehabilitation of people with reduced mobility or for the treatment of language impairments....

Flying Cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herbelin, Bruno; Lasserre, Sebastien; Ciger, Jan

2008-01-01

Flying Cities is an artistic installation which generates imaginary cities from the speech of its visitors. Thanks to an original interactive process analyzing people's vocal input to create 3D graphics, a tangible correspondence between speech and visuals opens new possibilities of interaction....... This cross-modal interaction not only supports our artistic messages, but also aims at providing anyone with a pleasant and stimulating feedback from her/his speech activity. As the feedback we have received when presenting Flying Cities was very positive, our objective is now to cross the bridge between art...

78 FR 54571 - Special Local Regulation for Marine Event Hampton Bay Days Festival, Hampton River; Hampton, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-05

...-AA08 Special Local Regulation for Marine Event Hampton Bay Days Festival, Hampton River; Hampton, VA... Fifth Coast Guard District. This regulation applies only to the Hampton Bay Days Festival, which... Purpose Hampton Bay Days is sponsoring the three days Hampton Bay Days Festival, which includes a...

From City-States to Global Cities: the role of Cities in Global Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domingos Martins Vaz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Global governance has altered institutional architecture and the systemic and institutional conditions under which power is exercised, as well as the characteristics of the political system, the form of government, and the system of intermediation of interests. However, although it has surpassed the State’s dimension of power, it created new interstate dimensions and new relations between powers, particularly at the level of cities. Cities have helped to solve common problems in a more efficient and effective way by facilitating the exchange of knowledge, sharing of solutions and resources, and building capacity to implement and monitor progress in order to achieve collectively agreed goals, in a bottom-up approach. Cities have the virtue of securing the most direct social and political contract between societies and the notion of authority. This study, therefore, aims to reflect on this emerging, less hierarchical and rigid governance and address complex global challenges such as climate and demographic change; increasing crime rates; disruptive technology; and pressures on resources, infrastructure and energy. As a global/local interface, cities can ensure effective solutions to current challenges and act together in areas where the global agenda has stalled.

3D Digitisation and Visualisation of the Vače Situla

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregor Vidmar

2013-09-01

Full Text Available EXTENDED ABSTRACT:The project of 3D digitisation and visualisation of the Vače situla was implemented at the beginning of 2011 in cooperation with the National Museum of Slovenia where the situla is kept and the company MFC.2 which, among other services, develops and implements 3 D digitisation and visualisation projects. The purpose of the project was to digitise and visualise a famous and precious piece of cultural heritage and to  1. show what modern 3D shape and texture scanning technologies allow us to do,  2. show how to ensure safety and reach high quality in digitising cultural heritage objects.  3. measure the added value of the 3 D visualisation of cultural heritage as a powerful tool for preservation, conservation, research, education, knowledge sharing and promotion of cultural heritage objects. Furthermore, the aims of the project were:  1. 3D capture of the shape and texture of the situla using the 3D scanning method.  2. 3D image of the situla and its details with expert descriptions.  3. 3D stereoscopic projection of the situla viewed with 3D glasses and with the possibility of controlling it remotely.  4. 3D animation giving professional interpretation of certain facts about the situla.  5. Public presentation of the project results on Slovenian cultural holiday, 8th February 2011, at the National Museum of Slovenia. The 3D capture of the shape and texture of the situla was carried out using the white light 3D scanning method followed by 3D flesh animation to show the object and its details. A touch screen was used to provide user access to the content. Reality based model enabled vertical rotation of the situla as well as the interactive display of individual engravings. By clicking a situla detail a photo with an extensive professional explanation of the scene was displayed in a new browser window. For attractive public presentation of the exhibition a 3D stereoscopic animation of the situla rotating and seemingly

Towards Credible City Branding Practices: How Do Iran’s Largest Cities Face Ecological Modernization?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Negar Noori

2018-04-01

Full Text Available City branding is not only increasingly practiced in cities in established economies, but also among municipal governments in countries, until quite recently, rather closed off from the outside world. One country with a strong drive to engage in urban (redevelopment in the post-oil era through enhancing its ‘ecological modernization’ is Iran. Megacities in Iran have all begun to venture into making profiles of what they think they are or would like to be. However, some of the adopted city branding strategies lack sophistication. In this article, the authors examine what indicators can be used for evaluating the credibility of city brands and apply these to Iran’s 15 megacities. After offering brief descriptions of the generic features of each of these cities, they map their use of city brand identities and popular city labels related to ecological modernization and analyze the credibility of their city branding practices. Based on their findings, the authors distinguish five types of cities and explain what makes some types more credible in their use of brands than others. Generally speaking, compared to cities in other nations, Iranian cities pay special attention to historical, natural, cultural, and religious aspects.

Smart City Planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ekman, Ulrik

2018-01-01

This article reflects on the challenges for urban planning posed by the emergence of smart cities in network societies. In particular, it reflects on reductionist tendencies in existing smart city planning. Here the concern is with the implications of prior reductions of complexity which have been...... undertaken by placing primacy in planning on information technology, economical profit, and top-down political government. Rather than pointing urban planning towards a different ordering of these reductions, this article argues in favor of approaches to smart city planning via complexity theory....... Specifically, this article argues in favor of approaching smart city plans holistically as topologies of organized complexity. Here, smart city planning is seen as a theory and practice engaging with a complex adaptive urban system which continuously operates on its potential. The actualizations in the face...

Why Are Cities Becoming Alike When Each City Is Branded as Different?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ooi, Can-Seng

Cities are becoming alike. As a result, there is a rise of “copy-cat” cities. There are many reasons for this, and this paper looks from the perspective of city branding: how does place branding lead to the homogenization of cities? Using the case of Singapore, and with references to Chinese cities......, this paper highlights a number of accreditation tactics in place branding campaigns. Accreditation is necessary because the brand needs to seek credibility for the messages it sends. The types of accreditation used must also be globally understood, so as to reach out to diverse world audiences....

1000-kVA arc power supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, R.E.; Barber, G.C.; Ponte, N.S.

1979-01-01

Because of ever-increasing power demands for the development of the Oak Ridge duoPIGatron ion source, a continuous-duty arc power supply was constructed for the Medium Energy Test Facility (METF) to furnish power for the plasma generator of experimental ion sources. The power supply utilizes 12-pulse rectification with half-wave switching in a delta and wye full-wave bridge that may be connected in series or parallel. It will deliver 340 V dc, 2500 A to an ion source when series connected and 170 V dc, 5000 A when paralleled connected. Silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCR) in each rectifier bridge can be switched for pulses as short as 10 ms through continuous duty. The filter section that reduces the ripple in the output consists of an inductor-to-capacitor (L-C) filter to smooth the 720-Hz pulses. The power transformer serves as an isolation transformer allowing the secondary to be elevated to the accelerating potential of the ion source. The dc output level is controlled with a 1000-kVA auto transformer connected to the primary of the power transformer. All elevated voltages and currents are monitored at ground potential with an optical telemetry system. This paper describes the power supply in detail, including block diagrams, component specifications, and waveforms when supplying power to an ion source

The Crystal Hotel: A Microfluidic Approach to Biomimetic Crystallization.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Xiuqing; Wang, Yun-Wei; Ihli, Johannes; Kim, Yi-Yeoun; Li, Shunbo; Walshaw, Richard; Chen, Li; Meldrum, Fiona C

2015-12-02

A "crystal hotel" microfluidic device that allows crystal growth in confined volumes to be studied in situ is used to produce large calcite single crystals with predefined crystallographic orientation, microstructure, and shape by control of the detailed physical environment, flow, and surface chemistry. This general approach can be extended to form technologically important, nanopatterned single crystals. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Carboxylic acids in crystallization of macromolecules: learning from successful crystallization experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Offermann, Lesa R; He, John Z; Mank, Nicholas J; Booth, William T; Chruszcz, Maksymilian

2014-03-01

The production of macromolecular crystals suitable for structural analysis is one of the most important and limiting steps in the structure determination process. Often, preliminary crystallization trials are performed using hundreds of empirically selected conditions. Carboxylic acids and/or their salts are one of the most popular components of these empirically derived crystallization conditions. Our findings indicate that almost 40 % of entries deposited to the Protein Data Bank (PDB) reporting crystallization conditions contain at least one carboxylic acid. In order to analyze the role of carboxylic acids in macromolecular crystallization, a large-scale analysis of the successful crystallization experiments reported to the PDB was performed. The PDB is currently the largest source of crystallization data, however it is not easily searchable. These complications are due to a combination of a free text format, which is used to capture information on the crystallization experiments, and the inconsistent naming of chemicals used in crystallization experiments. Despite these difficulties, our approach allows for the extraction of over 47,000 crystallization conditions from the PDB. Initially, the selected conditions were investigated to determine which carboxylic acids or their salts are most often present in crystallization solutions. From this group, selected sets of crystallization conditions were analyzed in detail, assessing parameters such as concentration, pH, and precipitant used. Our findings will lead to the design of new crystallization screens focused around carboxylic acids.

On dewetting of thin films due to crystallization (crystallization dewetting).

Science.gov (United States)

Habibi, Mehran; Rahimzadeh, Amin; Eslamian, Morteza

2016-03-01

Drying and crystallization of a thin liquid film of an ionic or a similar solution can cause dewetting in the resulting thin solid film. This paper aims at investigating this type of dewetting, herein termed "crystallization dewetting", using PbI2 dissolved in organic solvents as the model solution. PbI2 solid films are usually used in X-ray detection and lead halide perovskite solar cells. In this work, PbI2 films are fabricated using spin coating and the effect of major parameters influencing the crystallization dewetting, including the type of the solvent, solution concentration, drying temperature, spin speed, as well as imposed vibration on the substrate are studied on dewetting, surface profile and coverage, using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Simplified hydrodynamic governing equations of crystallization in thin films are presented and using a mathematical representation of the process, it is phenomenologically demonstrated that crystallization dewetting occurs due to the absorption and consumption of the solution surrounding a growing crystal. Among the results, it is found that a low spin speed (high thickness), a high solution concentration and a low drying temperature promote crystal growth, and therefore crystallization dewetting. It is also shown that imposed vibration on the substrate can affect the crystal size and crystallization dewetting.

The Morse code effect: A crystal-crystal transformation observed in gel-grown lead (II) oxalate crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Lisgarten, J. N.; Marks, J. A.

2018-05-01

This paper reports on an unusual crystal-crystal transformation phenomenon, which we have called the Morse Code Effect, based on the change in appearance of lead(II) oxalate crystals grown in agarose gels.

A liveable city:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sommerlund, Julie

2014-01-01

is increas- ingly based in and on cities rather than nations, and cities compete for businesses, branding, tourists and talent. In the western world, urbanisation has happened simultane- ously to de-industrialisation, which has opened industrial neighbourhoods and harbours for new uses – often focus- ing......There are over 20 cities world-wide with a population of over 10 million people. We have entered ‘The Millennium of the City’. The growth of urban populations has been accompanied by profound changes of the cities’ economic and social profile and of the cities themselves. The world economy...

Crystallization processes derived from the interaction of urine and dolostone

Science.gov (United States)

Cámara, Beatriz; Alvarez de Buergo, Monica; Fort, Rafael

2015-04-01

The increase in the number of pets (mostly dogs), homeless people and the more recent open-air drinking sessions organized by young people in historical centers of European cities, derive on the augmentation of urinations on stone façades of the built cultural heritage. Up to now this process has been considered only under an undesirable aesthetical point of view and the insalubrious conditions it creates, together with the cleaning costs that the local governments have to assume. This study aims to confirm urine as a real source of soluble salts that can trigger the decay of building materials, especially of those of built cultural heritage of the historical centers of the cities, which are suffering the new social scenario described above. For this purpose, an experimental setup was designed and performed in the laboratory to simulate this process. 5 cm side cubic specimens of dolostone were subjected to 100 testing cycles of urine absorption by capillarity. The necessary amount of urine was collected by donors and stored following clinical protocol conditions. Each cycle consisted of imbibitions of the specimens in 3 mm high urine sheet for 3 hours, drying at 40°C in an oven for 20 hours and 1 hour cooling in a dessicator. At the end of the 100 cycles, small pieces of the specimens were cut, observed and analyzed with the aid of an environmental scanning electron microscope, which presents the advantage of no sample preparation. The sampled pieces were selected considering there were different sections in height in the specimens: a) a bottom section that corresponds to the section that has been immersed in the urine solution (3 mm); b) an interface section, immediately above the immersed area, which is the area most affected by the urine capillarity process, characterized by a strong yellowish color; c) the section that we have named as section of influence, which is subjected to the capillary absorption, although not so strongly than the interface section

Governing the City

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kornberger, Martin

2012-01-01

cities. This theoretical curiosity is reflected in the rising interest in urban strategy from practice. For instance, the World Bank regularly organizes an Urban Strategy Speaker Series, while the powerful network CEOs for Cities lobbies for a strategic approach to urban development. Critical scholars......Strategy frames the contemporary epistemological space of urbanism: major cities across the globe such as New York, London and Sydney invest time, energy and resources to craft urban strategies. Extensive empirical research projects have proposed a shift towards a strategic framework to manage...... such as Zukin diagnose not a shift in but a shift to strategic thinking in the contemporary city. This article poses the question: what makes strategy such an attractive ‘thought style’ in relation to imagining and managing cities? How can we understand the practice of urban strategy? And what are its intended...

77 FR 17086 - Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers: Revised Implementation of the HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-23

... Housing g. Mobility and Portability of HUD-VASH Vouchers h. Case Management Requirements i. Turnover of... veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the VA through its community medical... services sites and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) across the nation. The HUD- VASH program is a...

VA Community Mental Health Service Providers' Utilization of and Attitudes toward Telemental Health Care: The Gatekeeper's Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Jameson, John Paul; Farmer, Mary Sue; Head, Katharine J.; Fortney, John; Teal, Cayla R.

2011-01-01

Context: Mental health (MH) providers in community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) are important stakeholders in the development of the Veterans Health Administration (VA) telemental health (TMH) system, but their perceptions of these technologies have not been systematically examined. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the…

crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yi; Huang, Yisheng; Zhang, Lizhen; Lin, Zhoubin; Sun, Shijia; Wang, Guofu

2014-07-01

A Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)7 crystal with dimensions of ϕ 17 × 30 mm3 was grown by the Czochralski method. The thermal expansion coefficients of Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)7 crystal are 1.32 × 10-5 K-1 along c-axis and 1.23 × 10-5 K-1 along a-axis, respectively. The spectroscopic characteristics of Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)7 crystal were investigated. The Judd-Ofelt theory was applied to calculate the spectral parameters. The absorption cross sections at 805 nm are 2.17 × 10-20 cm2 with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 15 nm for π-polarization, and 2.29 × 10-20 cm2 with a FWHM of 14 nm for σ-polarization. The emission cross sections are 3.19 × 10-20 cm2 for σ-polarization and 2.67 × 10-20 cm2 for π-polarization at 1,064 nm. The fluorescence quantum efficiency is 67 %. The quasi-cw laser of Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)7 crystal was performed. The maximum output power is 80 mW. The slope efficiency is 7.12 %. The results suggest Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)7 crystal as a promising laser crystal fit for laser diode pumping.

Transnational city carbon footprint networks – Exploring carbon links between Australian and Chinese cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Guangwu; Wiedmann, Thomas; Wang, Yafei; Hadjikakou, Michalis

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A trans-national, multi-region input-output analysis for cities is presented. • We examine the carbon footprint network of ten cities. • The balance of emissions embodied in trade discloses a hierarchy of responsibility. • We model how emissions reductions spread through the city carbon networks. • Implications on the Chinese and Australian carbon trading schemes are discussed. - Abstract: Cities are leading actions against climate change through global networks. More than 360 global cities announced during the 2015 Paris Climate Conference that the collective impact of their commitments will deliver over half of the world’s urban greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2020. Previous studies on multi-city carbon footprint networks using sub-national, multi-region input-output (MRIO) modelling have identified additional opportunities for addressing the negative impacts of climate change through joint actions between cities within a country. However, similar links between city carbon footprints have not yet been studied across countries. In this study we focus on inter-city and inter-country carbon flows between two trading partners in a first attempt to address this gap. We construct a multi-scale, global MRIO model to describe a transnational city carbon footprint network among five Chinese megacities and the five largest Australian capital cities. First, we quantify city carbon footprints by sectors and regions. Based on the carbon map concept we show how local emissions reductions influence other regions’ carbon footprints. We then present a city emissions ’outsourcing hierarchy’ based on the balance of emissions embodied in intercity and international trade. The differences between cities and their position in the hierarchy emphasize the need for a bespoke treatment of their responsibilities towards climate change mitigation. Finally, we evaluate and discuss the potentially significant benefits of harmonising and aligning China�

Crystal growth and characterization of new semiorganic nonlinear optical single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kulshrestha, Shobha, E-mail: shobha011986@gmail.com; Shrivastava, A. K., E-mail: ashwaniaks@rediffmail.com [School of Studies in Physics, Jiwaji University Gwalior (M.P.) – 474 011 (India)

2016-05-06

An organic material of a L-histidine monohydrochloride single crystal was grown in a distilled water solution using the slow evaporation method at 40–45°C. The grown crystal was transparent and colourless, with a size of about 20 × 9 × 5 mm{sup 3}, obtained within a period of 21 days. The solubility of grown crystals have found out at various temperatures. The UV-visible transmittance studies show that the grown crystals have wide optical transparency in the entire visible region It is observed that the crystal has transparency window from 255nm to 700nm and its energy gap (Eg) found to be is 3.1eV. The grown crystal was subjected to powder X-ray diffraction analysis, confirming that the orthorhombic crystalline nature of the crystal. To identify the surface morphology, the as grown crystal was subjected to FE-SEM technique. The chemical composition of the grown crystal was estimated by Energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The optical behaviour of the grown crystal was analyzed by PL study.

From smart city to smart destination. The case of three Canadian cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

François Bédard

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Several cities around the world are self-proclaimed "smart" by integrating, in varying degrees, new technologies in the different spheres of the city. Nevertheless, despite this effervescence around the smart city, the concept requires more conceptualization from the researchers. This is even more important when it comes time to distinguishing between smart city and smart destination. The relationship between these two concepts is blurred and the transition from the smart city to the smart destination is not automatic. This situation is explained by the fact that the intrinsic characteristics of their respective target populations, being the citizens and the tourists, are different. This article compares three Canadian cities in the province of Quebec with the aim of demonstrating that the realization of a smart destination project requires the adaptation of governance structure and the involvement of all the stakeholders and more particularly in tourism.

City Revenues and Expenses

Data.gov (United States)

Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — City Revenues and Expenses from the Operating Budget from 2012 to Present, updated every night from the City's JD Edwards ledger.

76 FR 36482 - Proposed Flood Elevation Determinations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-22

.../town/county Source of flooding Location ** ground [caret] Elevation in meters (MSL) Existing Modified City of Colonial Heights, Virginia Virginia City of Colonial Heights Old Town Creek Approximately 0.63... for inspection at 202 James Avenue, Colonial Heights, VA 23834. Unincorporated Areas of Halifax County...

77 FR 18984 - Special Local Regulation for Marine Events; Yorktown Parade of Sail, York River; Yorktown, VA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-29

...-AA08 Special Local Regulation for Marine Events; Yorktown Parade of Sail, York River; Yorktown, VA... proposes to establish special local regulation during the Yorktown Parade of Sail, a parade of five tall... sponsor the ``Yorktown Parade of Sail'' on the waters of York River. The event will consist of...

Backscattering Properties of Nonspherical Ice Particles Calculated by Geometrical-Optics-Integral-Equation Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masuda Kazuhiko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Backscattering properties of ice crystal models (Voronoi aggregates (VA, hexagonal columns (COL, and six-branched bullet rosettes (BR6 are calculated by using geometrical-opticsintegral-equation (GOIE method. Characteristics of depolarization ratio (δ and lidar ratio (L of the crystal models are examined. δ (L values are 0.2~0.3 (4~50, 0.3~0.4 (10~25, and 0.5~0.6 (50~100 for COL, BR6, and VA, respectively, at wavelength λ=0.532 μm. It is found that small deformation of COL model could produce significant changes in δ and L.

Suicide-related behaviors in older patients with new anti-epileptic drug use: data from the VA hospital system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dersh Jeffrey J

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA recently linked antiepileptic drug (AED exposure to suicide-related behaviors based on meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. We examined the relationship between suicide-related behaviors and different AEDs in older veterans receiving new AED monotherapy from the Veterans Health Administration (VA, controlling for potential confounders. Methods VA and Medicare databases were used to identify veterans 66 years and older, who received a care from the VA between 1999 and 2004, and b an incident AED (monotherapy prescription. Previously validated ICD-9-CM codes were used to identify suicidal ideation or behavior (suicide-related behaviors cases, epilepsy, and other conditions previously associated with suicide-related behaviors. Each case was matched to controls based on prior history of suicide-related behaviors, year of AED prescription, and epilepsy status. Results The strongest predictor of suicide-related behaviors (N = 64; Controls N = 768 based on conditional logistic regression analysis was affective disorder (depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Odds Ratio 4.42, 95% CI 2.30 to 8.49 diagnosed before AED treatment. Increased suicide-related behaviors were not associated with individual AEDs, including the most commonly prescribed AED in the US - phenytoin. Conclusion Our extensive diagnostic and treatment data demonstrated that the strongest predictor of suicide-related behaviors for older patients newly treated with AED monotherapy was a previous diagnosis of affective disorder. Additional, research using a larger sample is needed to clearly determine the risk of suicide-related behaviors among less commonly used AEDs.

RNA Crystallization

Science.gov (United States)

Golden, Barbara L.; Kundrot, Craig E.

2003-01-01

RNA molecules may be crystallized using variations of the methods developed for protein crystallography. As the technology has become available to syntheisize and purify RNA molecules in the quantities and with the quality that is required for crystallography, the field of RNA structure has exploded. The first consideration when crystallizing an RNA is the sequence, which may be varied in a rational way to enhance crystallizability or prevent formation of alternate structures. Once a sequence has been designed, the RNA may be synthesized chemically by solid-state synthesis, or it may be produced enzymatically using RNA polymerase and an appropriate DNA template. Purification of milligram quantities of RNA can be accomplished by HPLC or gel electrophoresis. As with proteins, crystallization of RNA is usually accomplished by vapor diffusion techniques. There are several considerations that are either unique to RNA crystallization or more important for RNA crystallization. Techniques for design, synthesis, purification, and crystallization of RNAs will be reviewed here.

Quality of life declines in big and growing cities. Poverty in cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Harel, K

1997-01-01

The quality of life in developing countries during the first couple of decades after the Second World War was higher in cities than in small towns and villages. However, the relative advantage of city dwellers in developing countries has declined since the 1970s, with high-growth rate cities experiencing a more severe decline. Infant mortality levels in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s are as high in large cities as in the smallest towns and villages. In most developing regions, big city residents are increasingly disadvantaged, such that researchers and policymakers can no longer assume that the quality of life in urban areas is better than in rural areas. The urban transformation of the developing world is similar to the 19th century urbanization of now-developed countries, but today many more people are crowding into far bigger cities. Using survey information from 43 countries representing 63% of the developing world's urban population outside of China and India, Martin Brockerhoff of the Population Council and Ellen Brennan of the UN Population Division found that rapid population growth and big size have overwhelmed the capacity of cities to provide essential goods and services.

KENO3D Visualization Tool for KENO V.a and KENO-VI Geometry Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horwedel, J.E.; Bowman, S.M.

2000-01-01

Criticality safety analyses often require detailed modeling of complex geometries. Effective visualization tools can enhance checking the accuracy of these models. This report describes the KENO3D visualization tool developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide visualization of KENO V.a and KENO-VI criticality safety models. The development of KENO3D is part of the current efforts to enhance the SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluations) computer software system

Interoperability in Smart Cities - Urban IoT and designing new city services

OpenAIRE

Gabrielsen, Kristin Rovik

2017-01-01

Abstract: Within the scope of a Master Thesis I explored the communities and movements surrounding the concept of Smart City. By conducting multiple interviews and workshops I was able to highlight the lack of user-involvement in today s city planning. The research was based in Trondheim. I used this insight to create the concept for an emerging role, the Smart City Manager and created the fundament of a platform that helps bridging the gap between the citizens, and the smart city ini...

VA and DOD Health Care: Department-Level Actions Needed to Assess Collaboration Performance, Address Barriers, and Identify Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-01

approximately 150 hospitals, 130 nursing homes, 800 community-based outpatient clinics, as well as other facilities to provide care to veterans. VA also...receive care and have to return for rescheduled appointments. Such missed appointments can lead to lost revenue for the military treatment facility

76 FR 72046 - Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Real Property for the Development...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-21

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Real Property for the Development of Space for Community Services and Parking in Memphis, TN AGENCY... property is located. This project meets this requirement. Approved: November 14, 2011. Eric K. Shinseki...

76 FR 72048 - Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Real Property for the Development...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-21

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Real Property for the Development of Permanent Housing in Grand Island, NE AGENCY: Department of... property is located. This project meets this requirement. Approved: November 14, 2011. Eric K. Shinseki...

76 FR 59166 - Parkdale America, LLC, a Division of Parkdale Mills, Inc., Plant #22, Galax, VA; Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-23

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-80,089] Parkdale America, LLC, a Division of Parkdale Mills, Inc., Plant 22, Galax, VA; Notice of Affirmative Determination Regarding... of Parkdale Mills, Inc., Plant 22, Galax, Virginia (subject firm). The determination was issued on...

A crystal barrel

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

The production of crystals for the barrel of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter has been completed. This is an important milestone for the experiment, which received the last of its 62,960 crystals on 9 March. The members of the team responsible for the crystal acceptance testing at CERN display the last crystal for the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter barrel. From left to right: Igor Tarasov, Etiennette Auffray and Hervé Cornet.One of the six machines specially developed to measure 67 different parameters on each crystal. Igor Tarasov is seen inserting the last batch of crystals into the machine. The last of the 62,960 CMS barrel crystals arrived at CERN on 9 March. Once removed from its polystyrene protection, this delicate crystal, like thousands of its predecessors, will be inserted into the last of the 36 supermodules of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter in a few days' time. This marks the end of an important chapter in an almost 15-year-long journey by the CMS crystals team, some of whose member...

Heritage conservation for city marketing: The imaging of the historic city of Georgetown, Penang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumarni Ismail ,

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The process of imaging for city marketing purposes has the implication on culture, conservation and heritage. City marketing, especially in the European context, has been examined in interdisciplinary literature with special focus on imaging for tourism. Little is reported about the imaging of those cities' ex-colonies in the East. The Historic City of Georgetown in Penang, dubbed 'the City of Living Culture', has been gearing her development towards living up to the image. This paper examines the imaging of the Historic City of Georgetown for heritage tourism and city marketing tool by the public agencies involved. A short introduction to city marketing, imaging and heritage tourism is offered due to sparse literature in the built environment literature and to serve as a foundation to the main discourse of this paper. The bulk of this paper discusses the conservation of heritage as image dimensions in the marketing of Georgetown. We submitted that Georgetown has successfully utilised and capitalised on its cultural diversity and tangible heritage based on its colonial legacy to promote the city as evidenced by its recent inscription into UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. Nonetheless, building and maintaining the synergy between the government, the private sector and the people is essential for the city's heritage tourism industry.

Enhanced dissolution rate of dronedarone hydrochloride via preparation of solid dispersion using vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer (Kollidone® VA 64)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Hyuck Jun; Kang, Myung Joo [College of Pharmacy, Dankook University, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Han, Sang Duk [Dong-A ST Rese arch Institute, Pharmaceutical Product Research Laboratories, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2015-09-15

Solid dispersion (SD) systems have been widely used to increase the dissolution rate and oral absorption of poorly water-soluble compounds. In order to enhance the dissolution rate of dronedarone hydrochloride (DRN), a recent antiarrhythmic agent, SDs of DRN were formulated using conventional solvent evaporation method with amorphous polymers including hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP), and vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer (VA64). The prepared SDs were characterized in terms of drug crystallinity, morphology, and in vitro dissolution profile in aqueous medium. The physical characterization using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction revealed that the active compound was molecularly dispersed in all polymeric carriers tested, in a stable amorphous form in drug to polymer ratios ranging from 1:0.5 to 1:2. The dissolution rates of DRN in all SDs were much higher than those from the corresponding physical mixture and drug powder alone. In particular, the greatest dissolution enhancement was obtained from the VA64-based SD in a drug to polymer weight ratio of 1:1, achieving almost complete drug release after 120 min at pH 1.2. Thus, VA64-based SD with higher drug dissolution rate along with a simple preparation process is suggested as an alternative for the oral formulation of the benzofuran derivative.

Eating Cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Bent Egberg; Fisker, Anna Marie; Clausen, Katja Seerup

2016-01-01

This paper analyzed the development of a city based sustainable food strategy for the city of Aalborg. It’s based on 3 cases of food service: food for the elderly as operated by the Municipality, food the hospital patients as operated by the region and food for defense staff as operated...

Effects of impurities on crystal growth in fructose crystallization

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Y. D.; Shiau, L. D.; Berglund, K. A.

1989-10-01

The influence of impurities on the crystallization of anhydrous fructose from aqueous solution was studied. The growth kinetics of fructose crystals in the fructose-water-glucose and fructose-water-difructose dianhydrides systems were investigated using photomicroscopic contact nucleation techniques. Glucose is the major impurity likely to be present in fructose syrup formed during corn wet milling, while several difructose dianhydrides are formed in situ under crystallization conditions and have been proposed as a cause in the decrease of overall yields. Both sets of impurities were found to cause inhibition of crystal growth, but the mechanisms responsible in each case are different. It was found that the presence of glucose increases the solubility of fructose in water and thus lowers the supersaturation of the solution. This is probably the main effect responsible for the decrease of crystal growth. Since the molecular structures of difructose dianhydrides are similar to that of fructose, they are probably "tailor-made" impurities. The decrease of crystal growth is probably caused by the incorporation of these impurities into or adsorption to the crystal surface which would accept fructose molecules in the orientation that existed in the difructose dianhydride.

EU Smart City Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmela Gargiulo

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In recent years European Commission has developed a set of documents for Members States tracing, directly or indirectly, recommendations for the transformation of the European city. The paper wants to outline which future EU draws for the city, through an integrated and contextual reading of addresses and strategies contained in the last documents, a future often suggested as Smart City. Although the three main documents (Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 of European Community, Digital Agenda for Europe and European Urban Agenda face the issue of the future development of European cities from different points of view, which are respectively cohesion social, ICT and urban dimension, each of them pays particular attention to urban and territorial dimension, identified by the name of Smart City. In other words, the paper aims at drawing the scenario of evolution of Smart Cities that can be delineated through the contextual reading of the three documents. To this end, the paper is divided into three parts: the first part briefly describes the general contents of the three European economic plan tools; the second part illustrates the scenarios for the future of the European city contained in each document; the third part seeks to trace the evolution of the Smart Cities issue developed by the set of the three instruments, in order to provide the framework of European Community for the near future of our cities. 

LOCAL IDENTITY MEETING WITH CITY: CITTASLOW-SLOW CITIES

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Tugba Ustun Topal

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Cities are characterised by local identities, which have been shaped by natural and cultural values. Constituting elements of local identity are settlement pattern bearing the traces of past, local music, traditional taste, handicrafts and life story. Besides, there has been a fast pace of life owing to globalization, and globally standardized cities, where local identities are ignored, have been emerged in planning-design-implementation process. From this viewpoint, Cittaslow movement has become a major turning point for liveable and sustainable cities that emphasize the local character. In this context, in the study, it is aimed to raise awareness about Cittaslow which is an example of an urban model for sustainability. In line with this purpose, the importance of Cittaslow approach and the criteria that are needed to be met for being a member of the Association of Cittaslow have been revealed. In line with these criteria Cittaslow cities in Turkey were discussed comparatively in terms of their features were considered. Examples from our country have been evaluated together with the international Cittaslow examples. In addition, proposals have been made by developing strategies in planning- designing and implementation process for the Cittaslow approach.

77 FR 60969 - Procurement List; Proposed Additions and Deletions

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-05

...., Wichita, KS. Contracting Activity: Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, PA. Coverage: C-List for 100% of the requirement of the Department of Defense, as aggregated by the Defense Logistics...., Portsmouth, VA. Contracting Activity: Dept. of the Army, W071 Endist Kansas City, Kansas City, MO. Deletions...

VA and DOD Health Care: First Federal Health Care Center Established, but Implementation Concerns Need to Be Addressed

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-01

procedures for the reporting of information security incidents. However, VA and DOD did not meet designated deadlines for the three capabilities that were...addition to the contact named above, Marcia A. Mann, Assistant Director; Jill K. Center; Kaycee M. Glavich; E. Jane Whipple ; and Malissa G. Winograd

MyCrystals - a simple visual data management program for laboratory-scale crystallization experiments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løvgreen, Monika Nøhr; Løvgreen, Mikkel; Christensen, Hans Erik Mølager

2009-01-01

MyCrystals is designed as a user-friendly program to display crystal images and list crystallization conditions. The crystallization conditions entry fields can be customized to suit the experiments. MyCrystals is also able to sort the images by the entered crystallization conditions, which...

City Placement: A New Element in the Strategy of Integrated Marketing Communication of Cities

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Andrzej Szromnik

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Explanation of the essence and features of the “city placement” strategy, while observing the changes in “classic” forms of marketing communications used by cities and regions, including main pros and implementation procedures.Methodology: This paper is conceptual and relies on diagnosis and analysis of “city placement” strategy implementation in a chosen Polish city as well as on the author’s professional experiences. Analysis of scarce existing marketing literature, including the notion of “product placement,” allowed us to present model structures, variations, and rules that explain the role and pros of the “city placement” strategy in the promotion mix of places.Conclusions: This paper comprises not only a set of notions and models structuring the “city placement” phenomenon but also many operational concepts related to the implementation of this strategy, which makes this paper a valuable point in the discussion on innovative changes in the “promotion mix” of cities and regions.Originality: “city placement” is a novelty in promotion strategies of cities and regions. In the existing literaturę on place marketing, there are no in-depth conceptual works explaining the role, features, and forms of “city placement.” This paper is a new approach suggested by the author and is an attempt to explain the process.

76 FR 67022 - Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Real Property for a Mixed-Use...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-28

... the entire Knoxville campus of the VA Central Iowa Healthcare System. The selected lessee will finance... that includes integrated residential, commercial, agricultural and technology components. The... Management (044), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 461...

Avaliação dos níveis de exposição ao mercúrio entre índios Pakaanóva, Amazônia, Brasil Mercury exposure among Pakaanóva Indians, Amazon Region, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth C. Oliveira Santos

2003-02-01

Full Text Available Um estudo seccional foi realizado para avaliar os níveis de exposição ao mercúrio (Hg entre 910 índios Pakaanóva, residentes nos municípios de Guajará Mirim e Nova Marmoré no Estado de Rondônia, Brasil. Amostras de cabelo da região occipital foram coletadas de cada participante do estudo e os teores de Hg determinados por Espectrofotometria de Absorção Atômica com Geração de Vapor Frio. Os teores médios de Hg nas amostras de cabelo foram de 8,37µg/g (0,52-83,89µg/g, indicando exposição elevada. Crianças de até 2 anos e entre 3 e 5 anos de idade apresentaram médias de 10,54µg/g e 9,34µg/g, respectivamente. Os teores médios de Hg nas mulheres (8,91µg/g são mais elevados do que os valores observados nos homens (7,55µg/g, sendo esta diferença estatisticamente significante (t = 3,26; p A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate mercury (Hg exposure among 910 Pakaanóva Indians from the counties of Guajará Mirim and Nova Marmoré, Rondônia State, Brazil. Individual hair samples were taken from the occipital region, and Hg was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry with cold vapor generation. Mean Hg in hair samples was 8.37 µg/g (range 0.52-83.89, indicating high exposure. Young children (< 2 years old showed a mean Hg of 10.54 µg/g, and children from 3 to 5 years old had a mean Hg of 9.34µg/g. Mercury levels in women (8,91µg/g were higher than in men (7.55µg/g, and this difference was significant (t = 3.26; p < 0.01. These results indicate the need for surveillance programs and complementary studies including the Pakaanóva Indians in Rondônia State.

High-Level Heat Resistance of Spores of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus licheniformis Results from the Presence of a spoVA Operon in a Tn1546 Transposon

Science.gov (United States)

Berendsen, Erwin M.; Koning, Rosella A.; Boekhorst, Jos; de Jong, Anne; Kuipers, Oscar P.; Wells-Bennik, Marjon H. J.

2016-01-01

Bacterial endospore formers can produce spores that are resistant to many food processing conditions, including heat. Some spores may survive heating processes aimed at production of commercially sterile foods. Recently, it was shown that a spoVA operon, designated spoVA2mob, present on a Tn1546 transposon in Bacillus subtilis, leads to profoundly increased wet heat resistance of B. subtilis spores. Such Tn1546 transposon elements including the spoVA2mob operon were also found in several strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus licheniformis, and these strains were shown to produce spores with significantly higher resistances to wet heat than their counterparts lacking this transposon. In this study, the locations and compositions of Tn1546 transposons encompassing the spoVA2mob operons in B. amyloliquefaciens and B. licheniformis were analyzed. Introduction of these spoVA2mob operons into B. subtilis 168 (producing spores that are not highly heat resistant) rendered mutant 168 strains that produced high-level heat resistant spores, demonstrating that these elements in B. amyloliquefaciens and B. licheniformis are responsible for high level heat resistance of spores. Assessment of growth of the nine strains of each species between 5.2°C and 57.7°C showed some differences between strains, especially at lower temperatures, but all strains were able to grow at 57.7°C. Strains of B. amyloliquefaciens and B. licheniformis that contain the Tn1546 elements (and produce high-level heat resistant spores) grew at temperatures similar to those of their Tn1546-negative counterparts that produce low-level heat resistant spores. The findings presented in this study allow for detection of B. amyloliquefaciens and B. licheniformis strains that produce highly heat resistant spores in the food chain. PMID:27994575

Crystal structure and magnetic susceptibility of UOSe single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaczorowski, D.; Muenster Univ.; Poettgen, R.; Jeitschko, W.; Gajek, Z.; Zygmunt, A.

1993-01-01

The crystal structure and magnetic susceptibility behaviour of UOSe single crystals have been studied. UOSe crystalizes in the tetragonal PbFC1-type structure (space group P4/nmm) with the lattice parameters: a = 390.38(5) pm and c = 698.05(9) pm. It orders antiferromagnetically at T N =100±2 K and exhibits a very strong anisotropy in the susceptibility vs temperature variation. The magnetic and thermodynamic properties of UOSe are successfully interpreted in the framework of a perturbative ab initio crystal field approach. (Author)

Crystal structure and magnetic susceptibility of UOSe single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaczorowski, D. (Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw (Poland). Inst. for Low Temperature and Structure Research Muenster Univ. (Germany). Anorganisch-Chemisches Inst.); Poettgen, R.; Jeitschko, W. (Muenster Univ. (Germany). Anorganisch-Chemisches Inst.); Gajek, Z.; Zygmunt, A. (Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw (Poland). Inst. for Low Temperature and Structure Research)

1993-01-01

The crystal structure and magnetic susceptibility behaviour of UOSe single crystals have been studied. UOSe crystalizes in the tetragonal PbFC1-type structure (space group P4/nmm) with the lattice parameters: a = 390.38(5) pm and c = 698.05(9) pm. It orders antiferromagnetically at T[sub N]=100[+-]2 K and exhibits a very strong anisotropy in the susceptibility vs temperature variation. The magnetic and thermodynamic properties of UOSe are successfully interpreted in the framework of a perturbative ab initio crystal field approach. (Author).

Transient characteristics of parallel running of the 20kVA superconducting synchronous generator and a conventional one

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nitta, T.; Okada, T.

1989-01-01

This paper describes electrical transient characteristics of parallel running of the 20kVA superconducting synchronous generator and a conventional one. In the experimental power system, the superconducting generator is connected through reactors (artificial transmission lines) to a regional power system (infinite bus) and the conventional generator (20kVA) is connected to the terminal of the superconducting generator. Several tests were performed in order to consider the transient behavior of superconducting generator (SCG) in the power system. The items of the tests are synchronous closing test, loss of synchronism test and disconnecting and reclosing test. From the experimental results, it can be said that by installing SCG in power systems, voltage stability and power system stability can be improved in transient states as well as in steady states and the variation of armature current of SCG during a transient period is extremely larger than that of the conventional one. The transient analysis by a computer simulation was also carried out for the experiments. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental ones

Energy sustainable cities. From eco villages, eco districts towards zero carbon cities

Science.gov (United States)

Zaręba, Anna; Krzemińska, Alicja; Łach, Janusz

2017-11-01

Minimizing energy consumption is the effect of sustainable design technics as among many others: designing buildings with solar access and natural ventilation, using climate responsive design materials and effective insulation. Contemporary examples of zero-carbon cities: Masdar City, United Arab Emirates and Dongtan, China, confirm technical feasibility of renewable energy by implementation of solar PV and wind technologies. The ecological city - medium or high density urban settlement separated by greenspace causes the smallest possible ecological footprint on the surrounding countryside through efficient use of land and its resources, recycling used materials and converting waste to energy. This paper investigates the concept of energy sustainable cities, examines, how urban settlements might affect building energy design in eco-villages, eco-districts (e.g. Vauban, Freiburg in Germany, Bo01 Malmo in Sweden), and discuss the strategies for achieving Zero Emission Cities principles in densely populated areas. It is focused on low energy architectural design solutions which could be incorporated into urban settlements to create ecological villages, districts and cities, designed with consideration of environmental impact, required minimal inputs of energy, water, food, waste and pollution.

Big data, smart cities and city planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Batty, Michael

2013-11-01

I define big data with respect to its size but pay particular attention to the fact that the data I am referring to is urban data, that is, data for cities that are invariably tagged to space and time. I argue that this sort of data are largely being streamed from sensors, and this represents a sea change in the kinds of data that we have about what happens where and when in cities. I describe how the growth of big data is shifting the emphasis from longer term strategic planning to short-term thinking about how cities function and can be managed, although with the possibility that over much longer periods of time, this kind of big data will become a source for information about every time horizon. By way of conclusion, I illustrate the need for new theory and analysis with respect to 6 months of smart travel card data of individual trips on Greater London's public transport systems.

The Emergence of City Logistics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gammelgaard, Britta

2015-01-01

is therefore to increase understanding of how city logistics emerge, and secondarily, to investigate whether such processes can be managed at all. Design/methodology/approach: – A paradigm shift in urban planning creates new ways of involving stakeholders in new sustainability measures such as city logistics...... dialectic forces were at play. City logistics schemes are still in an innovation phase. The biggest challenge in managing a process toward city logistics is to convince the many public and private stakeholders of their mutual interest and goals. Research limitations/implications: – Urban goods transport...... city logistics projects may fail. Thereby, cities become more environmentally and socially sustainable. Originality/value: – Insights into a city logistics project from a change management perspective has not previously been reported in literature....

Smart mobility in smart cities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baucells, Aleta N.

2016-07-01

Cities are currently undergoing a transformation into the Smart concept, like Smartphones or SmartTV. Many initiatives are being developed in the framework of the Smart Cities projects, however, there is a lack of consistent indicators and methodologies to assess, finance, prioritize and implement this kind of projects. Smart Cities projects are classified according to six axes: Government, Mobility, Environment, Economy, People and Living. (Giffinger, 2007). The main objective of this research is to develop an evaluation model in relation to the mobility concept as one of the six axes of the Smart City classification and apply it to the Spanish cities. The evaluation was carried out in the 62 cities that made up in September 2015 the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI- Red Española de Ciudades Inteligentes). This research is part of a larger project about Smart Cities’ evaluation (+CITIES), the project evaluates RECI’s cities in all the axes. The analysis was carried out taking into account sociodemographic indicators such as the size of the city or the municipal budget per inhabitant. The mobility’s evaluation in those cities has been focused in: sustainability mobility urban plans and measures to reduce the number of vehicles. The 62 cities from the RECI have been evaluated according to their degree of progress in several Smart Cities’ initiatives related to smart mobility. The applied methodology has been specifically made for this project. The grading scale has different ranks depending on the deployment level of smart cities’ initiatives. (Author)

A systematic exploration of differences in contextual factors related to implementing the MOVE! weight management program in VA: A mixed methods study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fletcher Carol E

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In January 2006, Veterans Affairs (VA disseminated the MOVE!® Weight Management Program to VA medical centers to address the high prevalence of overweight/obesity. In its second year, MOVE! implementation varied widely across facilities. The objective of this study was to understand contextual factors that facilitated or impeded implementation of MOVE! in VA medical centers in the second year after its dissemination. Methods We used an embedded mixed methods cross-sectional study design. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected simultaneously with the primary purpose to explore contextual factors most likely to influence MOVE! implementation effectiveness at five purposively selected facilities. Facilities were selected to maximize variation with respect to participation in MOVE! by candidate Veterans. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with 24 staff across the five facilities. Quantitative responses were elicited followed by open-ended questions. The quantitative measures were adapted from a published implementation model. Qualitative analysis was conducted using rigorous content analysis methods. Results Qualitative and quantitative data converged to strengthen findings that point to several recommendations. Management support can help increase visibility of the program, commit needed resources, and communicate the importance of implementation efforts. Establishing a receptive implementation climate can be accomplished by emphasizing the important role that weight management may have in reducing incidence and severity of obesity-related chronic conditions. Coalescing highly functioning multi-disciplinary teams was an essential step for more effective implementation of MOVE!. In some situations, local champions can overcome challenging barriers in facilities that lack sufficient management support. Conclusions Key organizational factors at local VA medical centers were strongly associated with MOVE

Nanoparticles in liquid crystals, and liquid crystals in nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

de Pablo, Juan

2015-03-01

Liquid crystals are remarkably sensitive to interfacial interactions. Small perturbations at a liquid crystal interface, for example, can be propagated over relatively long length scales, thereby providing the basis for a wide range of applications that rely on amplification of molecular events into macroscopic observables. Our recent research efforts have focused on the reverse phenomenon; that is, we have sought to manipulate the interfacial assembly of nanoparticles or the organization of surface active molecules by controlling the structure of a liquid crystal. This presentation will consist of a review of the basic principles that are responsible for liquid crystal-mediated interactions, followed by demonstrations of those principles in the context of two types of systems. In the first, a liquid crystal is used to direct the assembly of nanoparticles; through a combination of molecular and continuum models, it is found that minute changes in interfacial energy and particle size lead to liquid-crystal induced attractions that can span multiple orders of magnitude. Theoretical predictions are confirmed by experimental observations, which also suggest that LC-mediated assembly provides an effective means for fabrication of plasmonic devices. In the second type of system, the structure of a liquid crystal is controlled by confinement in submicron droplets. The morphology of the liquid crystal in a drop depends on a delicate balance between bulk and interfacial contributions to the free energy; that balance can be easily perturbed by adsorption of analytes or nanoparticles at the interface, thereby providing the basis for development of hierarchical assembly of responsive, anisotropic materials. Theoretical predictions also indicate that the three-dimensional order of a liquid crystal can be projected onto a two-dimensional interface, and give rise to novel nanostructures that are not found in simple isotropic fluids.

Securing water for the cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Satterthwaite, D

1993-01-01

Many cities in developing countries have grown so much that they can no longer provide adequate, sustainable water. Over pumping in Dakar and Mexico City has forced those cities to obtain water from ever more distant sources. In Dakar, the result has been saltwater intrusion. Overpumping has caused Mexico City to sink, in some areas by as much as 9 m, resulting in serious damage to buildings and sewage and drainage pipes. Other cities facing similar water problems are coastal cities in Peru (e.g., Lima), La Rioja and Catamarca in Argentina, cities in Northern Mexico, and cities in dry areas of Africa. For some cities, the problem is not so much ever more distant water supplies but insufficient funds to expand supplies. Bangkok and Jakarta both face saltwater intrusion into their overdrawn aquifers. Even through agriculture is the dominant user of water in most countries, demand concentrated in a small area exhausts local and regional sources and pollutes rivers, lakes, and coasts with untreated human and industrial waste. Most cities in Africa and Asia do not have a sewerage system. Further, most cities do not have the drains to deal with storm water and external floodwater, causing frequent, seasonal flooding. The resulting stagnant water provides breeding grounds for insect vectors of diseases (e.g., malaria). The problems in most cities are a result of poor management, not lack of water. Reducing leaks in existing piped distribution systems from the usual 60% loss of water to leaks to 12% would increase the available water 2-fold. Another way to address water shortages would be commercial, industrial, and recreational use of minimally treated waste water, such as is the case in Madras and Mexico City. Political solutions are needed to resolve inadequate water supply and waste management.

Second crystal cooling on cryogenically cooled undulator and wiggler double crystal monochromators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, G. S.

1998-01-01

Simple methods for the cooling of the second crystals of cryogenically cooled undulator and wiggler double crystal monochromators are described. Copper braids between the first and second crystals are used to cool the second crystals of the double crystal monochromators. The method has proved successful for an undulator monochromator and we describe a design for a wiggler monochromator

Causes of death in two rural demographic surveillance sites in Bangladesh, 2004–2010: automated coding of verbal autopsies using InterVA-4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurul Alam

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: Population-based information on causes of death (CoD by age, sex, and area is critical for countries with limited resources to identify and address key public health issues. This study analysed the demographic surveillance and verbal autopsy (VA data to estimate age- and sex-specific mortality rates and cause-specific mortality fractions in two well-defined rural populations within the demographic surveillance system in Abhoynagar and Mirsarai subdistricts, located in different climatic zones. Design: During 2004–2010, the sample demographic surveillance system registered 1,384 deaths in Abhoynagar and 1,847 deaths in Mirsarai. Trained interviewers interviewed the main caretaker of the deceased with standard VA questionnaires to record signs and symptoms of diseases or conditions that led to death and health care experiences before death. The computer-automated InterVA-4 method was used to analyse VAs to determine probable CoD. Results: Age- and sex-specific death rates revealed a higher neonatal mortality rate in Abhoynagar than Mirsarai, and death rates and sex ratios of male to female death rates were higher in the ages after infancy. Communicable diseases (CDs accounted for 16.7% of all deaths in Abhoynagar and 21.2% in Mirsarai – the difference was due mostly to more deaths from acute respiratory infections, pneumonia, and tuberculosis in Mirsarai. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs accounted for 56.2 and 55.3% of deaths in each subdistrict, respectively, with leading causes being stroke (16.5–19.3%, neoplasms (13.2% each, cardiac diseases (8.9–11.6%, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (5.1–6.3%, diseases of the digestive system (3.1–4.1%, and diabetes (2.8–3.5%, together accounting for 49.2–51.2% points of the NCD deaths in the two subdistricts. Injury and other external causes accounted for another 7.5–7.7% deaths, with self-harm being higher among females in Abhoynagar. Conclusions: The computer

Realisation of a novel crystal bender for a fast double crystal monochromator

CERN Document Server

Zaeper, R; Wollmann, R; Luetzenkirchen-Hecht, D; Frahm, R

2001-01-01

A novel crystal bender for an X-ray undulator beamline as part of a fast double crystal monochromator development for full EXAFS energy range was characterized. Rocking curves of the monochromator crystal system were recorded under different heat loads and bending forces of the indirectly cooled first Si(1 1 1) crystal. The monochromator development implements new piezo-driven tilt tables with wide angular range to adjust the crystals' Bragg angles and a high pressure actuated bender mechanism for the first crystal.

From city marketing to city branding : An interdisciplinary analysis with reference to Amsterdam, Budapest and Athens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kavaratzis, M.

2008-01-01

This thesis deals with the theory and practice of city marketing. It describes the transition from city marketing to city branding by identifying the roots of city marketing in general marketing theory, by adapting the concept of corporate-level marketing for the needs of cities and by analysing in

Benchmark calculations by KENO-Va using the JEF 2.2 library

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markova, L.

1994-12-01

This work has to be a contribution to the validation of the JEF2.2 neutron cross-section libarary, following the earlier published benchmark calculations having been performed to validate the previous version JEF1.1 of the libarary. Several simple calculational problems and one experimental problem were chosen for a criticality calculations. In addition also a realistic hexagonal arrangement of the VVER-440 fuel assemblies in a spent fuel cask were analyzed in a partly cylindrized model. All criticality calculations, carried out by the KENO-Va code using the JEF2.2 neutron cross-section library in 172 energy groups, resulted in multiplication factors (k{sub eff}) which were tabulated and compared with the results of other available calculations of the same problems. (orig.).

A Test of Macromolecular Crystallization in Microgravity: Large, Well-Ordered Insulin Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Borgstahl, Gloria E. O.; Vahedi-Faridi, Ardeschir; Lovelace, Jeff; Bellamy, Henry D.; Snell, Edward H.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Crystals of insulin grown in microgravity on space shuttle mission STS-95 were extremely well-ordered and unusually large (many > 2 mm). The physical characteristics of six microgravity and six earth-grown crystals were examined by X-ray analysis employing superfine f slicing and unfocused synchrotron radiation. This experimental setup allowed hundreds of reflections to be precisely examined for each crystal in a short period of time. The microgravity crystals were on average 34 times larger, had 7 times lower mosaicity, had 54 times higher reflection peak heights and diffracted to significantly higher resolution than their earth grown counterparts. A single mosaic domain model could account for reflections in microgravity crystals whereas reflections from earth crystals required a model with multiple mosaic domains. This statistically significant and unbiased characterization indicates that the microgravity environment was useful for the improvement of crystal growth and resultant diffraction quality in insulin crystals and may be similarly useful for macromolecular crystals in general.

City-Level Energy Decision Making. Data Use in Energy Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation in U.S. Cities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aznar, Alexandra [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Day, Megan [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Doris, Elizabeth [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mathur, Shivani [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Donohoo-Vallett, Paul [U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)

2015-07-08

The Cities-LEAP technical report, City-Level Energy Decision Making: Data Use in Energy Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation in U.S. Cities, explores how a sample of cities incorporates data into making energy-related decisions. This report provides the foundation for forthcoming components of the Cities-LEAP project that will help cities improve energy decision making by mapping specific city energy or climate policies and actions to measurable impacts and results.

Smart cities of the future

Science.gov (United States)

Batty, M.; Axhausen, K. W.; Giannotti, F.; Pozdnoukhov, A.; Bazzani, A.; Wachowicz, M.; Ouzounis, G.; Portugali, Y.

2012-11-01

Here we sketch the rudiments of what constitutes a smart city which we define as a city in which ICT is merged with traditional infrastructures, coordinated and integrated using new digital technologies. We first sketch our vision defining seven goals which concern: developing a new understanding of urban problems; effective and feasible ways to coordinate urban technologies; models and methods for using urban data across spatial and temporal scales; developing new technologies for communication and dissemination; developing new forms of urban governance and organisation; defining critical problems relating to cities, transport, and energy; and identifying risk, uncertainty, and hazards in the smart city. To this, we add six research challenges: to relate the infrastructure of smart cities to their operational functioning and planning through management, control and optimisation; to explore the notion of the city as a laboratory for innovation; to provide portfolios of urban simulation which inform future designs; to develop technologies that ensure equity, fairness and realise a better quality of city life; to develop technologies that ensure informed participation and create shared knowledge for democratic city governance; and to ensure greater and more effective mobility and access to opportunities for urban populations. We begin by defining the state of the art, explaining the science of smart cities. We define six scenarios based on new cities badging themselves as smart, older cities regenerating themselves as smart, the development of science parks, tech cities, and technopoles focused on high technologies, the development of urban services using contemporary ICT, the use of ICT to develop new urban intelligence functions, and the development of online and mobile forms of participation. Seven project areas are then proposed: Integrated Databases for the Smart City, Sensing, Networking and the Impact of New Social Media, Modelling Network Performance

Strategic Planning Approaches for Creating Resilient Cities: A Case Study on Hangzhou City

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Liu; Dan; Hua; Chen

2015-01-01

In the twenty-first century, the population in China will be increasingly urbanized – focusing the sustainability challenge on cities and raising new challenges to address the urban resilience capacity. During the past two decades, China’s urban policies are state institution-directed, growth-oriented, and land-based, imposing unprecedented challenges on sustainability. Strengthening the capacity of cities to manage resilience appears to be a key factor for cities to effectively pursue sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to explore strategic planning approaches for creating resilient cities in China through a study on Hangzhou City in an integrated framework. Firstly, the paper gives a systematic insight into the structure of Hangzhou City. Secondly, the development trajectory of the urban system is analyzed to understand how the past has shaped the present and to get a broader perspective on its evolution. Thirdly, scenario planning is conducted to explore the adaptive capacity of Hangzhou City under different future conditions. At last, having analyzed the past, present, and future of the urban system, the paper discusses the strategies for resilient planning, which helps to identify factors and trends that might enhance or inhabit the adaptability.

Influence of exposure differences on city-to-city heterogeneity in PM2.5-mortality associations in US cities

Science.gov (United States)

Multi-city population-based epidemiological studies have observed heterogeneity between city-specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-mortality effect estimates. These studies typically use ambient monitoring data as a surrogate for exposure leading to potential exposure misclass...

SmartCityWare

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mohamed, Nader; Al-Jaroodi, Jameela; Jawhar, Imad

2017-01-01

Smart cities are becoming a reality. Various aspects of modern cities are being automated and integrated with information and communication technologies to achieve higher functionality, optimized resources utilization, and management, and improved quality of life for the residents. Smart cities...... rely heavily on utilizing various software, hardware, and communication technologies to improve the operations in areas, such as healthcare, transportation, energy, education, logistics, and many others, while reducing costs and resources consumption. One of the promising technologies to support...... technology is Fog Computing, which extends the traditional Cloud Computing paradigm to the edge of the network to enable localized and real-time support for operating-enhanced smart city services. However, proper integration and efficient utilization of CoT and Fog Computing is not an easy task. This paper...

Cities of tomorrow: low energy cities with a high quality of life for all

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnin, Gerard

2010-11-01

Just as hard as describing the city of today, describing the city of tomorrow represents a real challenge. Energy Cities is active at both local and European levels, therefore we will only address the European-type cities in our reflection. Central to the vision of Energy Cities is of course the (sustainable and livable) energy issue. Therefore, our starting point is the consideration of energy issue as an essential component of urban and regional development as well as an excellent scanner of how the city and its periphery/region are organised. In 2050, cities will not look that much different than those of the beginning of the century. However, a lot of invisible radical changes will have occurred. These changes are already underway in an increasing number of cities, especially some which are committed with the Covenant of Mayors. These are 'weak signals' that pave the way for tomorrow. This paper aims at understanding these logics and at showing up paths of improvement in the domains of energy supply, urban form, buildings, mobility, public space, economy, consumption, governance, local authorities, multilevel governance and Territorial cohesion, quality of Life, peace and security

Protein Crystal Growth

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

In order to rapidly and efficiently grow crystals, tools were needed to automatically identify and analyze the growing process of protein crystals. To meet this need, Diversified Scientific, Inc. (DSI), with the support of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center, developed CrystalScore(trademark), the first automated image acquisition, analysis, and archiving system designed specifically for the macromolecular crystal growing community. It offers automated hardware control, image and data archiving, image processing, a searchable database, and surface plotting of experimental data. CrystalScore is currently being used by numerous pharmaceutical companies and academic and nonprofit research centers. DSI, located in Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded the patent Method for acquiring, storing, and analyzing crystal images on March 4, 2003. Another DSI product made possible by Marshall SBIR funding is VaporPro(trademark), a unique, comprehensive system that allows for the automated control of vapor diffusion for crystallization experiments.

Smart Sustainable Cities

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

important part of city planning is also learning from other cities, e.g., through the bench-learning, defining ..... Integrated semantics service platform ...... order to provide the best services to customers, their different needs and preferences ...

Futures of cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)