Wearable PPG sensor based alertness scoring system.

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Jishnu; Bhowmik, Tanmoy; Sahoo, Saswata; Tiwari, Vijay Narayan

2017-07-01

Quantifying mental alertness in today's world is important as it enables the person to adopt lifestyle changes for better work efficiency. Miniaturized sensors in wearable devices have facilitated detection/monitoring of mental alertness. Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors through Heart Rate Variability (HRV) offer one such opportunity by providing information about one's daily alertness levels without requiring any manual interference from the user. In this paper, a smartwatch based alertness estimation system is proposed. Data collected from PPG sensor of smartwatch is processed and fed to machine learning based model to get a continuous alertness score. Utility functions are designed based on statistical analysis to give a quality score on different stages of alertness such as awake, long sleep and short duration power nap. An intelligent data collection approach is proposed in collaboration with the motion sensor in the smartwatch to reduce battery drainage. Overall, our proposed wearable based system provides a detailed analysis of alertness over a period in a systematic and optimized manner. We were able to achieve an accuracy of 80.1% for sleep/awake classification along with alertness score. This opens up the possibility for quantifying alertness levels using a single PPG sensor for better management of health related activities including sleep.

Emergency notification systems for the general public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stearns, J.R.

1989-01-01

This paper describes various aspects of the design, installation, and evaluation of a system to alert the public in the event of an incident at a nuclear generating plant. It is based on experience in the development of alerting systems for 20 U.S. nuclear plants. An alerting system for the community surrounding a nuclear plant is generally referred to as a prompt notification system (PNS). The area within a 10-mile radius surrounding a nuclear plant where the public must be alerted is referred to as an emergency planning zone (EPZ). This circle is usually adjusted to follow the boundaries of local political jurisdictions and to enclose any concentration of population which my be on the border of the EPZ. The following aspects of PNS implementation are addressed in this paper: regulatory perspective, alternative alerting methods, PNS implementation and design, and evaluation and documentation

Implementing a national early awareness and alert system for new and emerging health technologies in Italy: the COTE Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Migliore, Antonio; Perrini, Maria Rosaria; Jefferson, Tom; Cerbo, Marina

2012-07-01

The aim of this study was to establish a national Early Awareness and Alert (EAA) system for the identification and assessment of new and emerging health technologies in Italy. In 2008, Agenas, a public body supporting Regions and the Ministry of Health (MoH) in health services research, started a project named COTE (Observatory of New and Emerging Health Technologies) with the ultimate aim of implementing a national EAA system. The COTE project involved all stakeholders (MoH, Regions, Industry, Universities, technical government bodies, and Scientific Societies), in defining the key characteristics and methods of the EAA system. Agreement with stakeholders was reached using three separate workshops. During the workshops, participants shared and agreed methods for identification of new and emerging health technologies, prioritization, and assessment. The structure of the Horizon Scanning (HS) reports was discussed and defined. The main channels for dissemination of outputs were identified as the EuroScan database, and the stakeholders' Web portals. During the final workshop, Agenas presented the first three HS reports produced at national level and proposed the establishment of a permanent national EAA system. The COTE Project created the basis for a permanent national EAA system in Italy. An infrastructure to enable the stakeholders network to grow was created, methods to submit new and emerging health technologies for possible evaluation were established, methods for assessment of the technologies selected were defined, and the stakeholders involvement was delineated (in the identification, assessment, and dissemination stages).

From Demonstration System to Prototype: ShakeAlert Beta Users Provide Feedback to Improve Alert Delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Strauss, J. A.; Vinci, M.; Steele, W. P.; Allen, R. M.; Hellweg, M.

2013-12-01

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) is a system that can provide a few to tens of seconds to minutes of warning prior to ground shaking at a given location. The goal and purpose of such a system is to reduce the damage, costs, and casualties resulting from an earthquake. A prototype earthquake early warning system (ShakeAlert) is in development by the UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, Caltech, ETH Zurich, University of Washington, and the USGS. Events are published to the UserDisplay--ShakeAlert's Java based graphical interface, which is being tested by a small group of beta users throughout California. The beta users receive earthquake alerts in real-time and are providing feedback on their experiences. For early warning alerts to be useful, people, companies, and institutions must know beforehand what actions they will perform when they receive the information. Beta user interactions allow the ShakeAlert team to discern: which alert delivery options are most effective, what changes would make the UserDisplay more useful in a pre-disaster situation, and most importantly, what actions users plan to take for various scenarios. We also collect feedback detailing costs of implementing actions and challenges within the beta user organizations, as well as anticipated benefits and savings. Thus, creating a blueprint for a fully operational system that will meet the needs of the public. New California users as well as the first group of Pacific Northwest users are slated to join the ShakeAlert beta test group in the fall of 2013.

Alert Messaging in the CMS Distributed Workflow System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maxa, Zdenek

2012-01-01

WMAgent is the core component of the CMS workload management system. One of the features of this job managing platform is a configurable messaging system aimed at generating, distributing and processing alerts: short messages describing a given alert-worthy information or pathological condition. Apart from the framework's sub-components running within the WMAgent instances, there is a stand-alone application collecting alerts from all WMAgent instances running across the CMS distributed computing environment. The alert framework has a versatile design that allows for receiving alert messages also from other CMS production applications, such as PhEDEx data transfer manager. We present implementation details of the system, including its Python implementation using ZeroMQ, CouchDB message storage and future visions as well as operational experiences. Inter-operation with monitoring platforms such as Dashboard or Lemon is described.

Automated attendance management and alert system | Rahim ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Automated attendance management and alert system. ... Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences ... AAMAS provides various functions, from managing and recording students' attendance record, to sending automatic alerts to students ...

Designing a Free Academic Early Alert System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam C Welch

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This manuscript describes the development and implementation of a cloud-based, academic early alert system using Google Sheets. It was written for a non-computer savvy person to be able to develop the early alert system. By creating a Master Sheet and using the syntax from the share function of Google Sheets, a unique sheet can be created for each advisor that limits information sharing of their specific advisees. By adding a Google Form to the sheet, advisor interventions can be captured that reflect interventions made as a result of the early alert sheet. Approximately 52% of students were identified on the early alert sheet by having at least one non-passing score on an exam. There were 35-50% of faculty advisors who documented their interventions in the sheet. The template and coding used to develop this academic early alert sheet may be applied to other central documentation needs, such as professionalism early alert. Conflict of Interest Dr. Welch reports owning stock in Alphabet, Inc, however, was not involved in the selection of Google as the preferred platform at this institution.   Type: Note

Geo-targeted Weather Alerts Coming to Millions of Mobile Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, M.

2011-12-01

The Personal Localized Alert Network (PLAN), aka Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), is readying for roll out and will be broadcasting emergency public alerts to millions of cell phones by the middle of 2012. Learn how the National Weather Serivce (NWS) is supplying PLAN with geo-referenced weather alert information in the industry standard Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) format and how you can access this same information for integration with mobile devices, other consumer electronics, and decision support systems. Information will also be provided on the NWS' new collaborative venue that encourages wide participation in the evolution and use of NWS CAP alerts in a variety of applications.

Real-time alerts and reminders using information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wanderer, Jonathan P; Sandberg, Warren S; Ehrenfeld, Jesse M

2011-09-01

Adoption of information systems throughout the hospital environment has enabled the development of real-time physiologic alerts and clinician reminder systems. These clinical tools can be made available through the deployment of anesthesia information management systems (AIMS). Creating usable alert systems requires understanding of technical considerations. Various successful implementations are reviewed, encompassing cost reduction, improved revenue capture, timely antibiotic administration, and postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis. Challenges to the widespread use of real-time alerts and reminders include AIMS adoption rates and the difficulty in choosing appropriate areas and approaches for information systems support. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of the CME Geomagnetic forecast alerts under COMESEP alert system

Science.gov (United States)

Dumbovic, Mateja; Srivastava, Nandita; Khodia, Yamini; Vršnak, Bojan; Devos, Andy; Rodriguez, Luciano

2017-04-01

An automated space weather alert system has been developed under the EU FP7 project COMESEP (COronal Mass Ejections and Solar Energetic Particles: http://comesep.aeronomy.be) to forecast solar energetic particles (SEP) and coronal mass ejection (CME) risk levels at Earth. COMESEP alert system uses automated detection tool CACTus to detect potentially threatening CMEs, drag-based model (DBM) to predict their arrival and CME geo-effectiveness tool (CGFT) to predict their geomagnetic impact. Whenever CACTus detects a halo or partial halo CME and issues an alert, DBM calculates its arrival time at Earth and CGFT calculates its geomagnetic risk level. Geomagnetic risk level is calculated based on an estimation of the CME arrival probability and its likely geo-effectiveness, as well as an estimate of the geomagnetic-storm duration. We present the evaluation of the CME risk level forecast with COMESEP alert system based on a study of geo-effective CMEs observed during 2014. The validation of the forecast tool is done by comparing the forecasts with observations. In addition, we test the success rate of the automatic forecasts (without human intervention) against the forecasts with human intervention using advanced versions of DBM and CGFT (self standing tools available at Hvar Observatory website: http://oh.geof.unizg.hr). The results implicate that the success rate of the forecast is higher with human intervention and using more advanced tools. This work has received funding from the European Commission FP7 Project COMESEP (263252). We acknowledge the support of Croatian Science Foundation under the project 6212 „Solar and Stellar Variability".

Quality of prescription of high-alert medication and patient safety in pediatric emergency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Vieira de Melo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Verify the importance of compliance by prescribed doses of high-alert medications in unit of pediatric emergency in patient safety. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in a unit of pediatric emergency, for March to April of 2012. This study included all prescriptions that contained at least one high-alert medication, excluding all of others. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel® version 2007, and the study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital. Results: This study included prescriptions for 100 patients with a mean age of 5.2 ± 4.2 years. Were identified 983 (40.1% high-alert medications (21 different, with predominance of injectable solutions (834, 84,8%, and of these 727 (73.95% were electrolytes. The analysis of the dose was possible for 641 electrolytes and 104 non-electrolytes, being the dose inadequacies observed for some medications. Was observed concentration absent to 189 (18.9% prescribed medications, these with liquid pharmaceutical form or aerosol. Was observed also the absence of maximum dose for 8 (36.3% prescribed drugs “if necessary”. Conclusión: The inadequacies of doses of high-alert medications identified in this study may compromise patient safety, demonstrating the importance of knowledge of multidisciplinary health care team by this subject, in this context, it is noteworthy that the acting of a clinical pharmacist together with the health multidisciplined team can contributes with the review of drug prescriptions, reducing potential errors and collaborating with patient safety.

Adoption of medication alert systems in hospital outpatient departments in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Yu-Chun; Cheng, Shou-Hsia

2017-06-01

The adoption of medication alert systems in the health care sector varies among regions. In Taiwan, the health authority introduced policies in 2005 to encourage the adoption of medication alert systems in hospitals. This study aimed to understand the adoption of medication alert systems in the outpatient departments of hospitals in Taiwan using a nationwide survey. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to 380 accredited general hospitals in Taiwan in 2013. The information collected from the questionnaire concerning the outpatient department included (1) the time of adoption of a medication alert system; (2) the operation of individual alert functions: availability, management, and stability; and (3) hospital characteristics: accreditation level, teaching status, ownership, and number of beds. A total of 216 hospitals completed and returned the questionnaire, corresponding to a response rate of 56.8%. The adoption rate of medication alert systems in hospital outpatient departments increased from less than 10% in 1997-95.83% in 2012. Approximately two-thirds of the hospitals developed and maintained the alert systems independently or collaboratively with vendors. Teaching and large hospitals tended to develop more advanced alert functions such as drug-drug interaction functions. Improving the safety and quality of pharmaceutical services and meeting the policy requirements are reasons for hospitals to establish medication alert systems. The adoption rate of medication alert systems reached 95% in accredited general hospitals in Taiwan. Government policy and available health information professionals and vendors may somewhat contribute to the high adoption rate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of an integrated campus security alerting system ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This work presents an integrated alerting system which uses both the Internet Protocol (IP) cameras and micro-switches for monitoring security situations thereby providing an immediate alerting signal to the security personnel. The system has the input unit, processing unit, control unit and the power supply unit as its ...

Designing a Free Academic Early Alert System

OpenAIRE

Adam C Welch; Adam Greever; Carmen Linne

2016-01-01

This manuscript describes the development and implementation of a cloud-based, academic early alert system using Google Sheets. It was written for a non-computer savvy person to be able to develop the early alert system. By creating a Master Sheet and using the syntax from the share function of Google Sheets, a unique sheet can be created for each advisor that limits information sharing of their specific advisees. By adding a Google Form to the sheet, advisor interventions can be captured tha...

The effect of an electronic "hard-stop" alert on HIV testing rates in the emergency department.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnall, Rebecca; Sperling, Jeremy D; Liu, Nan; Green, Robert A; Clark, Sunday; Vawdrey, David K

2013-01-01

Use of electronic alerts in clinical practice has had mixed effects on providers' prescribing practices. Little research has explored the use of electronic alerts for improving screening practices. New York City has one of the highest rates of HIV in the United States. Recent New York State legislation requires healthcare providers to offer an HIV test to patients aged 13-64 years during a clinical encounter. Adhering to this requirement is particularly challenging in emergency department (ED) settings, which are frequently overcrowded and under-resourced. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an electronic "hard-stop" alert on HIV testing rates in the ED. Approximately four months of data were reviewed before and after the implementation of the alert. We found that use of the electronic alert significantly increased documentation of offering an HIV test (O.R. = 267.27, p<0.001) and resulted in a significant increase in HIV testing. Findings from this study add to the current knowledge about the use of electronic alertsfor improving disease screening.

CISN ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System Monitoring Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Henson, I. H.; Allen, R. M.; Neuhauser, D. S.

2015-12-01

CISN ShakeAlert is a prototype earthquake early warning system being developed and tested by the California Integrated Seismic Network. The system has recently been expanded to support redundant data processing and communications. It now runs on six machines at three locations with ten Apache ActiveMQ message brokers linking together 18 waveform processors, 12 event association processes and 4 Decision Module alert processes. The system ingests waveform data from about 500 stations and generates many thousands of triggers per day, from which a small portion produce earthquake alerts. We have developed interactive web browser system-monitoring tools that display near real time state-of-health and performance information. This includes station availability, trigger statistics, communication and alert latencies. Connections to regional earthquake catalogs provide a rapid assessment of the Decision Module hypocenter accuracy. Historical performance can be evaluated, including statistics for hypocenter and origin time accuracy and alert time latencies for different time periods, magnitude ranges and geographic regions. For the ElarmS event associator, individual earthquake processing histories can be examined, including details of the transmission and processing latencies associated with individual P-wave triggers. Individual station trigger and latency statistics are available. Detailed information about the ElarmS trigger association process for both alerted events and rejected events is also available. The Google Web Toolkit and Map API have been used to develop interactive web pages that link tabular and geographic information. Statistical analysis is provided by the R-Statistics System linked to a PostgreSQL database.

Lower alert rates by clustering of related drug interaction alerts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heringa, M.; Siderius, Hidde; Schreudering, A.; De Smet, Peter Agm; Bouvy, M.L.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate to what extent clustering of related drug interaction alerts (drug-drug and drug-disease interaction alerts) would decrease the alert rate in clinical decision support systems (CDSSs). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of drug interaction alerts

Earthquake Early Warning ShakeAlert System: Testing and certification platform

Science.gov (United States)

Cochran, Elizabeth S.; Kohler, Monica D.; Given, Douglas; Guiwits, Stephen; Andrews, Jennifer; Meier, Men-Andrin; Ahmad, Mohammad; Henson, Ivan; Hartog, Renate; Smith, Deborah

2017-01-01

Earthquake early warning systems provide warnings to end users of incoming moderate to strong ground shaking from earthquakes. An earthquake early warning system, ShakeAlert, is providing alerts to beta end users in the western United States, specifically California, Oregon, and Washington. An essential aspect of the earthquake early warning system is the development of a framework to test modifications to code to ensure functionality and assess performance. In 2016, a Testing and Certification Platform (TCP) was included in the development of the Production Prototype version of ShakeAlert. The purpose of the TCP is to evaluate the robustness of candidate code that is proposed for deployment on ShakeAlert Production Prototype servers. TCP consists of two main components: a real‐time in situ test that replicates the real‐time production system and an offline playback system to replay test suites. The real‐time tests of system performance assess code optimization and stability. The offline tests comprise a stress test of candidate code to assess if the code is production ready. The test suite includes over 120 events including local, regional, and teleseismic historic earthquakes, recentering and calibration events, and other anomalous and potentially problematic signals. Two assessments of alert performance are conducted. First, point‐source assessments are undertaken to compare magnitude, epicentral location, and origin time with the Advanced National Seismic System Comprehensive Catalog, as well as to evaluate alert latency. Second, we describe assessment of the quality of ground‐motion predictions at end‐user sites by comparing predicted shaking intensities to ShakeMaps for historic events and implement a threshold‐based approach that assesses how often end users initiate the appropriate action, based on their ground‐shaking threshold. TCP has been developed to be a convenient streamlined procedure for objectively testing algorithms, and it has

The agile alert system for gamma-ray transients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bulgarelli, A.; Trifoglio, M.; Gianotti, F.; Fioretti, V. [INAF/IASF-Bologna, Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Tavani, M.; Argan, A.; Trois, A.; Scalise, E. [INAF/IASF-Roma, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy); Parmiggiani, N.; Beneventano, D. [University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Science e Metodi dell' Ingegneria (Italy); Chen, A. W. [INAF/IASF-Milano, Via E. Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano (Italy); Vercellone, S. [School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Wits 2050 (South Africa); Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Lucarelli, F.; Santolamazza, P.; Fanari, G.; Giommi, P. [INAF/IASF-Palermo, Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo (Italy); Longo, F. [ASI-ASDC, Via G. Galilei, I-00044 Frascati (Roma) (Italy); Pellizzoni, A. [INFN Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); and others

2014-01-20

In recent years, a new generation of space missions has offered great opportunities for discovery in high-energy astrophysics. In this article we focus on the scientific operations of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) on board the AGILE space mission. AGILE-GRID, sensitive in the energy range of 30 MeV-30 GeV, has detected many γ-ray transients of both galactic and extragalactic origin. This work presents the AGILE innovative approach to fast γ-ray transient detection, which is a challenging task and a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. The goals are to describe (1) the AGILE Gamma-Ray Alert System, (2) a new algorithm for blind search identification of transients within a short processing time, (3) the AGILE procedure for γ-ray transient alert management, and (4) the likelihood of ratio tests that are necessary to evaluate the post-trial statistical significance of the results. Special algorithms and an optimized sequence of tasks are necessary to reach our goal. Data are automatically analyzed at every orbital downlink by an alert pipeline operating on different timescales. As proper flux thresholds are exceeded, alerts are automatically generated and sent as SMS messages to cellular telephones, via e-mail, and via push notifications from an application for smartphones and tablets. These alerts are crosschecked with the results of two pipelines, and a manual analysis is performed. Being a small scientific-class mission, AGILE is characterized by optimization of both scientific analysis and ground-segment resources. The system is capable of generating alerts within two to three hours of a data downlink, an unprecedented reaction time in γ-ray astrophysics.

The agile alert system for gamma-ray transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulgarelli, A.; Trifoglio, M.; Gianotti, F.; Fioretti, V.; Tavani, M.; Argan, A.; Trois, A.; Scalise, E.; Parmiggiani, N.; Beneventano, D.; Chen, A. W.; Vercellone, S.; Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Lucarelli, F.; Santolamazza, P.; Fanari, G.; Giommi, P.; Longo, F.; Pellizzoni, A.

2014-01-01

In recent years, a new generation of space missions has offered great opportunities for discovery in high-energy astrophysics. In this article we focus on the scientific operations of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) on board the AGILE space mission. AGILE-GRID, sensitive in the energy range of 30 MeV-30 GeV, has detected many γ-ray transients of both galactic and extragalactic origin. This work presents the AGILE innovative approach to fast γ-ray transient detection, which is a challenging task and a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. The goals are to describe (1) the AGILE Gamma-Ray Alert System, (2) a new algorithm for blind search identification of transients within a short processing time, (3) the AGILE procedure for γ-ray transient alert management, and (4) the likelihood of ratio tests that are necessary to evaluate the post-trial statistical significance of the results. Special algorithms and an optimized sequence of tasks are necessary to reach our goal. Data are automatically analyzed at every orbital downlink by an alert pipeline operating on different timescales. As proper flux thresholds are exceeded, alerts are automatically generated and sent as SMS messages to cellular telephones, via e-mail, and via push notifications from an application for smartphones and tablets. These alerts are crosschecked with the results of two pipelines, and a manual analysis is performed. Being a small scientific-class mission, AGILE is characterized by optimization of both scientific analysis and ground-segment resources. The system is capable of generating alerts within two to three hours of a data downlink, an unprecedented reaction time in γ-ray astrophysics.

The AGILE Alert System for Gamma-Ray Transients

Science.gov (United States)

Bulgarelli, A.; Trifoglio, M.; Gianotti, F.; Tavani, M.; Parmiggiani, N.; Fioretti, V.; Chen, A. W.; Vercellone, S.; Pittori, C.; Verrecchia, F.; Lucarelli, F.; Santolamazza, P.; Fanari, G.; Giommi, P.; Beneventano, D.; Argan, A.; Trois, A.; Scalise, E.; Longo, F.; Pellizzoni, A.; Pucella, G.; Colafrancesco, S.; Conforti, V.; Tempesta, P.; Cerone, M.; Sabatini, P.; Annoni, G.; Valentini, G.; Salotti, L.

2014-01-01

In recent years, a new generation of space missions has offered great opportunities for discovery in high-energy astrophysics. In this article we focus on the scientific operations of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) on board the AGILE space mission. AGILE-GRID, sensitive in the energy range of 30 MeV-30 GeV, has detected many γ-ray transients of both galactic and extragalactic origin. This work presents the AGILE innovative approach to fast γ-ray transient detection, which is a challenging task and a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. The goals are to describe (1) the AGILE Gamma-Ray Alert System, (2) a new algorithm for blind search identification of transients within a short processing time, (3) the AGILE procedure for γ-ray transient alert management, and (4) the likelihood of ratio tests that are necessary to evaluate the post-trial statistical significance of the results. Special algorithms and an optimized sequence of tasks are necessary to reach our goal. Data are automatically analyzed at every orbital downlink by an alert pipeline operating on different timescales. As proper flux thresholds are exceeded, alerts are automatically generated and sent as SMS messages to cellular telephones, via e-mail, and via push notifications from an application for smartphones and tablets. These alerts are crosschecked with the results of two pipelines, and a manual analysis is performed. Being a small scientific-class mission, AGILE is characterized by optimization of both scientific analysis and ground-segment resources. The system is capable of generating alerts within two to three hours of a data downlink, an unprecedented reaction time in γ-ray astrophysics.

Solar radiation alert system : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-03-01

The Solar Radiation Alert (SRA) system continuously evaluates measurements of high-energy protons made by instruments on GOES satellites. If the measurements indicate a substantial elevation of effective dose rates at aircraft flight altitudes, the C...

Building a Communication, Education, an Outreach Program for the ShakeAlert National Earthquake Early Warning Program - Recommendations for Public Alerts Via Cell Phones

Science.gov (United States)

DeGroot, R. M.; Long, K.; Strauss, J. A.

2017-12-01

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners are developing the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System for the West Coast of the United States. To be an integral part of successful implementation, ShakeAlert engagement programs and materials must integrate with and leverage broader earthquake risk programs. New methods and products for dissemination must be multidisciplinary, cost effective, and consistent with existing hazards education and communication efforts. The ShakeAlert Joint Committee for Communication, Education, and Outreach (JCCEO), is identifying, developing, and cultivating partnerships with ShakeAlert stakeholders including Federal, State, academic partners, private companies, policy makers, and local organizations. Efforts include developing materials, methods for delivery, and reaching stakeholders with information on ShakeAlert, earthquake preparedness, and emergency protective actions. It is essential to develop standards to ensure information communicated via the alerts is consistent across the public and private sector and achieving a common understanding of what actions users take when they receive a ShakeAlert warning. In February 2017, the JCCEO convened the Warning Message Focus Group (WMFG) to provide findings and recommendations to the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions on the use of earthquake early warning message content standards for public alerts via cell phones. The WMFG represents communications, education, and outreach stakeholders from various sectors including ShakeAlert regional coordinators, industry, emergency managers, and subject matter experts from the social sciences. The group knowledge was combined with an in-depth literature review to ensure that all groups who could receive the message would be taken into account. The USGS and the participating states and agencies acknowledge that the implementation of ShakeAlert is a collective effort requiring the participation of hundreds of

Rapid deployable global sensing hazard alert system

Science.gov (United States)

Cordaro, Joseph V; Tibrea, Steven L; Shull, Davis J; Coleman, Jerry T; Shuler, James M

2015-04-28

A rapid deployable global sensing hazard alert system and associated methods of operation are provided. An exemplary system includes a central command, a wireless backhaul network, and a remote monitoring unit. The remote monitoring unit can include a positioning system configured to determine a position of the remote monitoring unit based on one or more signals received from one or more satellites located in Low Earth Orbit. The wireless backhaul network can provide bidirectional communication capability independent of cellular telecommunication networks and the Internet. An exemplary method includes instructing at least one of a plurality of remote monitoring units to provide an alert based at least in part on a location of a hazard and a plurality of positions respectively associated with the plurality of remote monitoring units.

Feasibility of seismic alert systems in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauhan, P.K.S.; Pandey, Y.

2012-01-01

Natural disasters like flood, earthquakes and cyclones are very frequent in India since historical times. As far as the casualties are concerned, globally earthquakes are second in the list after the flood. The loss of property due to these earthquakes is huge and enormous. In the light of the present knowledge base, earthquake prediction is far from being a reality. An early earthquake warning has potential to save the precious human lives. In the present day scenario seismic instrumentation and telecommunication permits the implementation of seismic alert system (SAS) based on the real-time measurement of ground motions near the source. SAS is capable of providing a warning of several seconds before the arrival of destructive seismic waves caused by a large earthquake. SAS is successfully operational in many countries of the world. In a country, like India where earthquakes are taking heavy toll on the human lives and property, seismic alert system may prove to be very important step in natural hazard mitigation strategy. In this paper, an attempt has been made to compute the available alarm time before the destructive earthquake waves reaches to the cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Patna and Kolkata taking Himalaya as the source and feasibility of seismic alert system in Indian scenario. (author)

MyEEW: A Smartphone App for the ShakeAlert System

Science.gov (United States)

Strauss, J. A.; Allen, S.; Allen, R. M.; Hellweg, M.

2015-12-01

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) is a system that can provide a few to tens of seconds warning prior to ground shaking at a user's location. The goal and purpose of such a system is to reduce, or minimize, the damage, costs, and casualties resulting from an earthquake. A demonstration earthquake early warning system (ShakeAlert) is undergoing testing in the United States by the UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, Caltech, ETH Zurich, University of Washington, the USGS, and beta users in California and the Pacific Northwest. The UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory has created a smartphone app called MyEEW, which interfaces with the ShakeAlert system to deliver early warnings to individual users. Many critical facilities (transportation, police, and fire) have control rooms, which could run a centralized interface, but our ShakeAlert Beta Testers have also expressed their need for mobile options. This app augments the basic ShakeAlert Java desktop applet by allowing workers off-site (or merely out of hearing range) to be informed of coming hazards. MyEEW receives information from the ShakeAlert system to provide users with real-time information about shaking that is about to happen at their individual location. It includes a map, timer, and earthquake information similar to the Java desktop User Display. The app will also feature educational material to help users craft their own response and resiliency strategies. The app will be open to UC Berkeley Earthquake Research Affiliates members for testing in the near future.

14 CFR 121.360 - Ground proximity warning-glide slope deviation alerting system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... deviation alerting system. 121.360 Section 121.360 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... Equipment Requirements § 121.360 Ground proximity warning-glide slope deviation alerting system. (a) No... system that meets the performance and environmental standards of TSO-C92 (available from the FAA, 800...

Association between patient unconscious or not alert conditions and cardiac arrest or high-acuity outcomes within the Medical Priority Dispatch System "Falls" protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Clawson, Jeff; Olola, Christopher; Scott, Greg; Schultz, Bryon; Pertgen, Richard; Robinson, Don; Bagwell, Barry; Patterson, Brett

2010-01-01

Falls are one of the most common types of complaints received by 9-1-1 emergency medical dispatch centers. They can be accidental or may be caused by underlying medical problems. Though "not alert" falls patients with severe outcomes mostly are "hot" transported to the hospital, some of these cases may be due to other acute medical events (cardiac, respiratory, circulatory, or neurological), which may not always be apparent to the emergency medical dispatcher (EMD) during call processing. The objective of this study was to characterize the risk of cardiac arrest and "hot-transport" outcomes in patients with "not alert" condition, within the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS®) Falls protocol descriptors. This retrospective study used 129 months of de-identified, aggregate, dispatch datasets from three US emergency communication centers. The communication centers used the Medical Priority Dispatch System version 11.3-OMEGA type (released in 2006) to interrogate Emergency Medical System callers, select dispatch codes assigned to various response configurations, and provide pre-arrival instructions. The distribution of cases and percentages of cardiac arrest and hot-transport outcomes, categorized by MPDS® code, was profiled. Assessment of the association between MPDS® Delta-level 3 (D-3) "not alert" condition and cardiac arrest and hot-transport outcomes then followed. Overall, patients within the D-3 and D-2 "long fall" conditions had the highest proportions (compared to the other determinants in the "falls" protocol) of cardiac arrest and hot-transport outcomes, respectively. "Not alert" condition was associated significantly with cardiac arrest and hot-transport outcomes (pdeterminant within the MPDS® "fall" protocol was associated significantly with severe outcomes for short falls (falls. As reported to 9-1-1, the complaint of a "fall" may include the presence of underlying conditions that go beyond the obvious traumatic injuries caused by the fall itself.

Wireless alerting system using vibration for vehicles dashboard

Science.gov (United States)

Raj, Sweta; Rai, Shweta; Magaramagara, Wilbert; Sivacoumar, R.

2017-11-01

This paper aims at improving the engine life of any vehicle through a continuous measurement and monitoring of vital engine operational parameters and providing an effective alerting to drivers for any abnormality. Vehicles currently are using audio and visible alerting signals through alarms and light as a warning to the driver but these are not effective in noisy environments and during daylight. Through the use of the sense of feeling a driver can be alerted effectively. The need to no other vehicle parameter needs to be aided through the mobile display (phone).Thus a system is designed and implements to measure engine temperature, RPM, Oil level and Coolant level using appropriate sensors and a wireless communication (Bluetooth) is established to actuate a portable vibration control device and to read the different vehicle sensor readings through an android application for display and diagnosis.

Alerts Analysis and Visualization in Network-based Intrusion Detection Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Dr. Li [University of Tennessee

2010-08-01

The alerts produced by network-based intrusion detection systems, e.g. Snort, can be difficult for network administrators to efficiently review and respond to due to the enormous number of alerts generated in a short time frame. This work describes how the visualization of raw IDS alert data assists network administrators in understanding the current state of a network and quickens the process of reviewing and responding to intrusion attempts. The project presented in this work consists of three primary components. The first component provides a visual mapping of the network topology that allows the end-user to easily browse clustered alerts. The second component is based on the flocking behavior of birds such that birds tend to follow other birds with similar behaviors. This component allows the end-user to see the clustering process and provides an efficient means for reviewing alert data. The third component discovers and visualizes patterns of multistage attacks by profiling the attacker s behaviors.

Reliability assurance program for operational emergency ac power system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heineman, J.B.; Ragland, W.A.; Mueller, C.J.

1985-01-01

A comprehensive review of emergency ac power systems in nuclear generating plants (the vast majority of these plants contain redundant diesel generator systems) delineates several operational areas that can be improved by instituting a reliability assurance program (RAP), which initially upgrades the diesel generator performance and provides for ongoing monitoring and maintenance based upon alert levels

Medical alert bracelet (image)

Science.gov (United States)

People with diabetes should always wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace that emergency medical workers will be able to find. Medical identification products can help ensure proper treatment in an ...

Development of case-based medication alerting and recommender system: a new approach to prevention for medication error.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyo, Kengo; Nittami, Yuki S; Kitagawa, Yoichiro; Ohe, Kazuhiko

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a new alerting and recommender system for preventing medication errors. In recent years, alerting systems have been widely implemented, but because these systems apply a same static threshold for all patients in all cases, they produce excessive alerts and subject physicians to "alert fatigue". We believe that the most commonly-written prescription for a patient's status is the safest one. From this standpoint, we developed a real-time case-based medication alerting and recommender system linked to a database of past prescriptions. When a physician issues his or her prescription, our system dynamically compares it with past ones for similar patients in the database. An analysis of the 10 most frequently-used drugs in the University of Tokyo Hospital revealed that our system reduced the number of false alerts compared to the traditional static alert method. Our system contributes to the creation of alerts that are appropriate for patients' clinical conditions and based on physicians' empirical discretion.

Reduction in alert fatigue in an assisted electronic prescribing system, through the Lean Six Sigma methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuéllar Monreal, Mª Jesús; Reig Aguado, Jorge; Font Noguera, Isabel; Poveda Andrés, José Luis

2017-01-01

To reduce the alert fatigue in our Assisted Electronic Prescribing System (AEPS), through the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology. An observational (transversal) and retrospective study, in a general hospital with 850 beds and AEPS. The LSS methodology was followed in order to evaluate the alert fatigue situation in the AEPS system, to implement improvements, and to assess outcomes. The alerts generated during two trimesters studied (before and after the intervention) were analyzed. In order to measure the qualitative indicators, the most frequent alert types were analyzed, as well as the molecules responsible for over 50% of each type of alert. The action by the prescriber was analyzed in a sample of 496 prescriptions that generated such alerts. For each type of alert and molecule, there was a prioritization of the improvements to be implemented according to the alert generated and its quality. A second survey evaluated the pharmacist action for the alerts most highly valued by physicians. The problem, the objective, the work team and the project schedule were defined. A survey was designed in order to understand the opinion of the client about the alert system in the program. Based on the surveys collected (n = 136), the critical characteristics and the quanti/qualitative indicators were defined. Sixty (60) fields in the alert system were modified, corresponding to 32 molecules, and this led to a 28% reduction in the total number of alerts. Regarding quality indicators, false po sitive results were reduced by 25% (p < 0.05), 100% of those alerts ignored with justification were sustained, and there were no significant differences in user adherence to the system. The project improvements and outcomes were reviewed by the work team. LSS methodology has demonstrated being a valid tool for the quantitative and qualitative improvement of the alert system in an Assisted Electronic Prescription Program, thus reducing alert fatigue. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014

Earthquake early Warning ShakeAlert system: West coast wide production prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Monica D.; Cochran, Elizabeth S.; Given, Douglas; Guiwits, Stephen; Neuhauser, Doug; Hensen, Ivan; Hartog, Renate; Bodin, Paul; Kress, Victor; Thompson, Stephen; Felizardo, Claude; Brody, Jeff; Bhadha, Rayo; Schwarz, Stan

2017-01-01

Earthquake early warning (EEW) is an application of seismological science that can give people, as well as mechanical and electrical systems, up to tens of seconds to take protective actions before peak earthquake shaking arrives at a location. Since 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey has been working in collaboration with several partners to develop EEW for the United States. The goal is to create and operate an EEW system, called ShakeAlert, for the highest risk areas of the United States, starting with the West Coast states of California, Oregon, and Washington. In early 2016, the Production Prototype v.1.0 was established for California; then, in early 2017, v.1.2 was established for the West Coast, with earthquake notifications being distributed to a group of beta users in California, Oregon, and Washington. The new ShakeAlert Production Prototype was an outgrowth from an earlier demonstration EEW system that began sending test notifications to selected users in California in January 2012. ShakeAlert leverages the considerable physical, technical, and organizational earthquake monitoring infrastructure of the Advanced National Seismic System, a nationwide federation of cooperating seismic networks. When fully implemented, the ShakeAlert system may reduce damage and injury caused by large earthquakes, improve the nation’s resilience, and speed recovery.

77 FR 41331 - Commercial Mobile Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-13

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 10 [PS Docket No. 07-287; FCC 08-164] Commercial... with the Commission's Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMS), Second Report and Order (``CMAS Second..., for a period of three years, the information collection requirements relating to the Commercial Mobile...

Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jolicoeur, J.

1991-06-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun implementation of the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) to upgrade its ability to acquire data from nuclear power plants in the event of an emergency at the plant. ERDS provides a direct real-time transfer of data from licensee plant computers to the NRC Operations Center. The system has been designed to be activated by the licensee during an emergency which has been classified at an ALERT or higher level. The NRC portion of ERDS will receive the data stream, sort and file the data. The users will include the NRC Operations Center, the NRC Regional Office of the affected plant, and if requested the States which are within the ten mile EPZ of the site. The currently installed Emergency Notification System will be used to supplement ERDS data. This report provides the minimum guidance for implementation of ERDS at licensee sites. It is intended to be used for planning implementation under the current voluntary program as well as for providing the minimum standards for implementing the proposed ERDS rule. 4 refs., 3 figs

Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jolicoeur, J.

1990-04-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun implementation of the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) to upgrade its ability to acquire data from nuclear power plants in the event of an emergency at the plant. ERDS provides a direct real-time transfer of data from licensee plant computers to the NRC Operations Center. The system has been designed to be activated by the licensee during an emergency which has been classified at an ALERT or higher level. The NRC portion of ERDS will receive the data stream, sort and file the data. The users will include the NRC Operations Center, the NRC Regional Office of the affected plant, and if requested the States which are within the ten mile EPZ of the site. The currently installed Emergency Notification System will be used to supplement ERDS data. This report provides the minimum guidance for implementation of ERDS at licensee sites. It is intended to be used for planning implementation under the current voluntary program as well as for providing the minimum standards for implementing the proposed ERDS rule

A CCTV system with SMS alert (CMDSA): An implementation of pixel processing algorithm for motion detection

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Nurul Hidayah Ab; Abdullah, Nurul Azma; Hamid, Isredza Rahmi A.; Wen, Chuah Chai; Jelani, Mohamad Shafiqur Rahman Mohd

2017-10-01

Closed-Circuit TV (CCTV) system is one of the technologies in surveillance field to solve the problem of detection and monitoring by providing extra features such as email alert or motion detection. However, detecting and alerting the admin on CCTV system may complicate due to the complexity to integrate the main program with an external Application Programming Interface (API). In this study, pixel processing algorithm is applied due to its efficiency and SMS alert is added as an alternative solution for users who opted out email alert system or have no Internet connection. A CCTV system with SMS alert (CMDSA) was developed using evolutionary prototyping methodology. The system interface was implemented using Microsoft Visual Studio while the backend components, which are database and coding, were implemented on SQLite database and C# programming language, respectively. The main modules of CMDSA are motion detection, capturing and saving video, image processing and Short Message Service (SMS) alert functions. Subsequently, the system is able to reduce the processing time making the detection process become faster, reduce the space and memory used to run the program and alerting the system admin instantly.

Implementation of the ALERT algorithm, a new dispatcher-assisted telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation protocol, in non-Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System (AMPDS) Emergency Medical Services centres.

Science.gov (United States)

Stipulante, Samuel; Tubes, Rebecca; El Fassi, Mehdi; Donneau, Anne-Francoise; Van Troyen, Barbara; Hartstein, Gary; D'Orio, Vincent; Ghuysen, Alexandre

2014-02-01

Early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a key factor in improving survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The ALERT (Algorithme Liégeois d'Encadrement à la Réanimation par Téléphone) algorithm has the potential to help bystanders initiate CPR. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the implementation of this protocol in a non-Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System area. We designed a before and after study based on a 3-month retrospective assessment of victims of OHCA in 2009, before the implementation of the ALERT protocol in Liege emergency medical communication centre (EMCC), and the prospective evaluation of the same 3 months in 2011, immediately after the implementation. At the moment of the call, dispatchers were able to identify 233 OHCA in the first period and 235 in the second. Victims were predominantly male (59%, both periods), with mean ages of 64.1 and 63.9 years, respectively. In 2009, only 9.9% victims benefited from bystander CPR, this increased to 22.5% in 2011 (p<0.0002). The main reasons for protocol under-utilisation were: assistance not offered by the dispatcher (42.3%), caller physically remote from the victim (20.6%). Median time from call to first compression, defined here as no flow time, was 253s in 2009 and 168s in 2011 (NS). Ten victims were admitted to hospital after ROSC in 2009 and 13 in 2011 (p=0.09). From the beginning and despite its under-utilisation, the ALERT protocol significantly improved the number of patients in whom bystander CPR was attempted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feature-based alert correlation in security systems using self organizing maps

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Munesh; Siddique, Shoaib; Noor, Humera

2009-04-01

The security of the networks has been an important concern for any organization. This is especially important for the defense sector as to get unauthorized access to the sensitive information of an organization has been the prime desire for cyber criminals. Many network security techniques like Firewall, VPN Concentrator etc. are deployed at the perimeter of network to deal with attack(s) that occur(s) from exterior of network. But any vulnerability that causes to penetrate the network's perimeter of defense, can exploit the entire network. To deal with such vulnerabilities a system has been evolved with the purpose of generating an alert for any malicious activity triggered against the network and its resources, termed as Intrusion Detection System (IDS). The traditional IDS have still some deficiencies like generating large number of alerts, containing both true and false one etc. By automatically classifying (correlating) various alerts, the high-level analysis of the security status of network can be identified and the job of network security administrator becomes much easier. In this paper we propose to utilize Self Organizing Maps (SOM); an Artificial Neural Network for correlating large amount of logged intrusion alerts based on generic features such as Source/Destination IP Addresses, Port No, Signature ID etc. The different ways in which alerts can be correlated by Artificial Intelligence techniques are also discussed. . We've shown that the strategy described in the paper improves the efficiency of IDS by better correlating the alerts, leading to reduced false positives and increased competence of network administrator.

An Integrated WRF-CAMx Modeling Approach for Impact Analysis of Implementing the Emergency PM2.5 Control Measures during Red Alerts in Beijing in December 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, J.; Cheng, S.; Lei, L.; Lang, J.

2017-12-01

In December 2015, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region experienced several episodes of heavy air pollution. Beijing municipal government therefore issued 2 red alerts on December 7 and 19, respectively, and also implemented emergency control measures to alleviate the negative effects of pollution. It is estimated that the heavy pollutions in 2 red alert periods in Beijing were due mainly to the accumulation of air pollutants from local emission sources and the transboundary transport of pollutants from surrounding areas. The collected meteorological and PM2.5 data indicate that the severity of air pollutions were enlarged by the poor meteorological conditions along with lower mixing layer height. In this study, the WRF-CAMx modeling system was utilized not only for analyzing the contributions of PM2.5 from different sources, but also for quantitatively assessing the effects of implementing various emergency control measures on PM2.5 pollution control during the red alert periods. The modeling results show that local emissions were the most dominant contributors (64.8%-83.5%) among all emission sources, while the main external contributions came from the city of Baoding (3.4%-9.3%). In addition, among 5 different emission source categories, coal and traffic were the two dominant contributors to PM2.5 concentration in urban area of Beijing. Then four pollution control scenarios were designed particularly to investigate the effectiveness of the emergency control measures, and the results show that, generally these emergency control measures have positive effects on air pollution reduction. In particular, restrictive measures of traffic volume control and industrial activity shutdown/suspension have been found as the most effective measures in comparison to other emergency control measures. It is recommended that such effective measures should be considered to implement when next time similar heavy air pollutions occur in the city of Beijing.

Impact of e-alert systems on the care of patients with acute kidney injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Breighner, Crystal M; Kashani, Kianoush B

2017-09-01

With the recent advancement in electronic health record systems and meaningful use of information technology incentive programs (i.e., the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), interest in clinical decision support systems has risen. These systems have been used to examine a variety of different syndromes with variable reported effects. In recent years, electronic alerts (e-alerts) have been implemented at various institutions to decrease the morbidity associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI is common, accounting for 1 in 7 hospital admissions, and is associated with increased length of hospital stay and mortality. AKI is often underrecognized, causing delayed intervention. The use of e-alerts may result in earlier recognition and intervention, as well as decreased morbidity and mortality. This must be balanced with the possibility of increased resource utilization that e-alerts may cause. Before widespread implementation, the ethical and legal consequences of not following e-alert recommendations must be established, and the optimal algorithm for AKI e-alert detection must be determined. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discriminating between true-positive and false-positive clinical mastitis alerts from automatic milking systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steeneveld, W.; Gaag, van der L.C.; Ouweltjes, W.; Mollenhorst, H.; Hogeveen, H.

2010-01-01

Automatic milking systems (AMS) generate alert lists reporting cows likely to have clinical mastitis (CM). Dutch farmers indicated that they use non-AMS cow information or the detailed alert information from the AMS to decide whether to check an alerted cow for CM. However, it is not yet known to

Microcontroller based driver alertness detection systems to detect drowsiness

Science.gov (United States)

Adenin, Hasibah; Zahari, Rahimi; Lim, Tiong Hoo

2018-04-01

The advancement of embedded system for detecting and preventing drowsiness in a vehicle is a major challenge for road traffic accident systems. To prevent drowsiness while driving, it is necessary to have an alert system that can detect a decline in driver concentration and send a signal to the driver. Studies have shown that traffc accidents usually occur when the driver is distracted while driving. In this paper, we have reviewed a number of detection systems to monitor the concentration of a car driver and propose a portable Driver Alertness Detection System (DADS) to determine the level of concentration of the driver based on pixelated coloration detection technique using facial recognition. A portable camera will be placed at the front visor to capture facial expression and the eye activities. We evaluate DADS using 26 participants and have achieved 100% detection rate with good lighting condition and a low detection rate at night.

Provider risk factors for medication administration error alerts: analyses of a large-scale closed-loop medication administration system using RFID and barcode.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Yeonsoo; Yoon, Dukyong; Ahn, Eun Kyoung; Hwang, Hee; Park, Rae Woong

2016-12-01

To determine the risk factors and rate of medication administration error (MAE) alerts by analyzing large-scale medication administration data and related error logs automatically recorded in a closed-loop medication administration system using radio-frequency identification and barcodes. The subject hospital adopted a closed-loop medication administration system. All medication administrations in the general wards were automatically recorded in real-time using radio-frequency identification, barcodes, and hand-held point-of-care devices. MAE alert logs recorded during a full 1 year of 2012. We evaluated risk factors for MAE alerts including administration time, order type, medication route, the number of medication doses administered, and factors associated with nurse practices by logistic regression analysis. A total of 2 874 539 medication dose records from 30 232 patients (882.6 patient-years) were included in 2012. We identified 35 082 MAE alerts (1.22% of total medication doses). The MAE alerts were significantly related to administration at non-standard time [odds ratio (OR) 1.559, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.515-1.604], emergency order (OR 1.527, 95%CI 1.464-1.594), and the number of medication doses administered (OR 0.993, 95%CI 0.992-0.993). Medication route, nurse's employment duration, and working schedule were also significantly related. The MAE alert rate was 1.22% over the 1-year observation period in the hospital examined in this study. The MAE alerts were significantly related to administration time, order type, medication route, the number of medication doses administered, nurse's employment duration, and working schedule. The real-time closed-loop medication administration system contributed to improving patient safety by preventing potential MAEs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Alert Exchange Process Protocol

Science.gov (United States)

Groen, Frank

2015-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America (NASA), and the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), acknowledging that NASA, ESA and JAXA have a mutual interest in exchanging Alerts and Alert Status Lists to enhance the information base for each system participant while fortifying the general level of cooperation between the policy agreement subscribers, and each Party will exchange Alert listings on regular basis and detailed Alert information on a need to know basis to the extent permitted by law.

Stakeholder Attitudes Toward and Values Embedded in a Sensor-Enhanced Personal Emergency Response System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Yngve; Farshchian, Babak; Vilarinho, Thomas

2016-01-01

This paper provides an empirical understanding of concerns that the application of a sensor-enhanced medical alert system, or personal emergency response (PER) system, raises from the perspective of care receivers (users) and care providers. Data were gathered in the context of a field trial...

ToxAlerts: a Web server of structural alerts for toxic chemicals and compounds with potential adverse reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Sushko, Iurii; Salmina, Elena; Potemkin, Vladimir A; Poda, Gennadiy; Tetko, Igor V

2012-08-27

The article presents a Web-based platform for collecting and storing toxicological structural alerts from literature and for virtual screening of chemical libraries to flag potentially toxic chemicals and compounds that can cause adverse side effects. An alert is uniquely identified by a SMARTS template, a toxicological endpoint, and a publication where the alert was described. Additionally, the system allows storing complementary information such as name, comments, and mechanism of action, as well as other data. Most importantly, the platform can be easily used for fast virtual screening of large chemical datasets, focused libraries, or newly designed compounds against the toxicological alerts, providing a detailed profile of the chemicals grouped by structural alerts and endpoints. Such a facility can be used for decision making regarding whether a compound should be tested experimentally, validated with available QSAR models, or eliminated from consideration altogether. The alert-based screening can also be helpful for an easier interpretation of more complex QSAR models. The system is publicly accessible and tightly integrated with the Online Chemical Modeling Environment (OCHEM, http://ochem.eu). The system is open and expandable: any registered OCHEM user can introduce new alerts, browse, edit alerts introduced by other users, and virtually screen his/her data sets against all or selected alerts. The user sets being passed through the structural alerts can be used at OCHEM for other typical tasks: exporting in a wide variety of formats, development of QSAR models, additional filtering by other criteria, etc. The database already contains almost 600 structural alerts for such endpoints as mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, skin sensitization, compounds that undergo metabolic activation, and compounds that form reactive metabolites and, thus, can cause adverse reactions. The ToxAlerts platform is accessible on the Web at http://ochem.eu/alerts, and it is constantly

IP telephony based danger alert communication system and its implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Rezac, Filip; Safarik, Jakub; Voznak, Miroslav; Tomala, Karel; Partila, Pavol

2013-05-01

This article discusses a danger alert system created as a part of the research project at Department of Telecommunications of Technical University of Ostrava. The aim of the system is to distribute pre-recorded voice messages in order to alert the called party in danger. This article describes individual technologies, which the application uses for its operation as well as issues relating to hardware requirements and transfer line bandwidth load. The article also describes new algorithms, which had to be developed in order to ensure the reliability of the system. Our intent is focused on disaster management, the message, which should be delivered within specified time span, is typed in the application and text-to-speech module ensures its transformation to a speech format, after that a particular scenario or warned area is selected and a target group is automatically unloaded. For this purpose, we have defined XML format for delivery of phone numbers which are located in the target area and these numbers are obtained from mobile BTS's (Base transmission stations). The benefit of such communication compared to others, is the fact, that it uses a phone call and, therefore, it is possible to get feedback who accepted the message and to improve efficiency of alert system. Finally, the list of unanswered calls is exported and these users can be informed via SMS.

Alert-derivative bimodal space power and propulsion systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houts, M.G.; Ranken, W.A.; Buksa, J.J.

1994-01-01

Safe, reliable, low-mass bimodal space power and propulsion systems could have numerous civilian and military applications. This paper discusses potential bimodal systems that could be derived from the ALERT space fission power supply concept. These bimodal concepts have the potential for providing 5 to 10 kW of electrical power and a total impulse of 100 MN-s at an average specific impulse of 770 s. System mass is on the order of 1000 kg

Evaluation of a National Call Center and a Local Alerts System for Detection of New Cases of Ebola Virus Disease - Guinea, 2014-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Christopher T; Bulterys, Marc; Martel, Lise D; Dahl, Benjamin A

2016-03-11

The epidemic of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in West Africa began in Guinea in late 2013 (1), and on August 8, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (2). Guinea was declared Ebola-free on December 29, 2015, and is under a 90 day period of enhanced surveillance, following 3,351 confirmed and 453 probable cases of Ebola and 2,536 deaths (3). Passive surveillance for Ebola in Guinea has been conducted principally through the use of a telephone alert system. Community members and health facilities report deaths and suspected Ebola cases to local alert numbers operated by prefecture health departments or to a national toll-free call center. The national call center additionally functions as a source of public health information by responding to questions from the public about Ebola. To evaluate the sensitivity of the two systems and compare the sensitivity of the national call center with the local alerts system, the CDC country team performed probabilistic record linkage of the combined prefecture alerts database, as well as the national call center database, with the national viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) database; the VHF database contains records of all known confirmed Ebola cases. Among 17,309 alert calls analyzed from the national call center, 71 were linked to 1,838 confirmed Ebola cases in the VHF database, yielding a sensitivity of 3.9%. The sensitivity of the national call center was highest in the capital city of Conakry (11.4%) and lower in other prefectures. In comparison, the local alerts system had a sensitivity of 51.1%. Local public health infrastructure plays an important role in surveillance in an epidemic setting.

Nuclear emergency response exercises and decision support systems - integrating domestic experience with international reference systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slavnicu, D.S.; Vamanu, D.V.; Gheorghiu, D.; Acasandrei, V.T.; Slavnicu, E.

2010-01-01

The paper glosses on the experience of a research-oriented team routinely involved in emergency preparedness and response management activities, with the assimilation, implementation, and application of decision support systems (DSS) of continental reference in Europe, and the development of supportive, domestic radiological assessment tools. Two exemplary nuclear alert exercises are discussed, along with solutions that emerged during drill planning and execution, to make decision support tools of various origins and strength to work synergistically and complement each other. (authors)

A review of human factors principles for the design and implementation of medication safety alerts in clinical information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Phansalkar, Shobha; Edworthy, Judy; Hellier, Elizabeth; Seger, Diane L; Schedlbauer, Angela; Avery, Anthony J; Bates, David W

2010-01-01

The objective of this review is to describe the implementation of human factors principles for the design of alerts in clinical information systems. First, we conduct a review of alarm systems to identify human factors principles that are employed in the design and implementation of alerts. Second, we review the medical informatics literature to provide examples of the implementation of human factors principles in current clinical information systems using alerts to provide medication decision support. Last, we suggest actionable recommendations for delivering effective clinical decision support using alerts. A review of studies from the medical informatics literature suggests that many basic human factors principles are not followed, possibly contributing to the lack of acceptance of alerts in clinical information systems. We evaluate the limitations of current alerting philosophies and provide recommendations for improving acceptance of alerts by incorporating human factors principles in their design.

Improving Radiology Workflow with Automated Examination Tracking and Alerts.

Science.gov (United States)

Pianykh, Oleg S; Jaworsky, Christina; Shore, M T; Rosenthal, Daniel I

2017-07-01

The modern radiology workflow is a production line where imaging examinations pass in sequence through many steps. In busy clinical environments, even a minor delay in any step can propagate through the system and significantly lengthen the examination process. This is particularly true for the tasks delegated to the human operators, who may be distracted or stressed. We have developed an application to track examinations through a critical part of the workflow, from the image-acquisition scanners to the PACS archive. Our application identifies outliers and actively alerts radiology managers about the need to resolve these problems as soon as they happen. In this study, we investigate how this real-time tracking and alerting affected the speed of examination delivery to the radiologist. We demonstrate that active alerting produced a 3-fold reduction of examination-to-PACS delays. Additionally, we discover an overall improvement in examination-to-PACS delivery, evidence that the tracking and alerts instill a culture where timely processing is essential. By providing supervisors with information about exactly where delays emerge in their workflow and alerting the correct staff to take action, applications like ours create more robust radiology workflow with predictable, timely outcomes. Copyright © 2017 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AN AUTOMATED NETWORK SECURITYCHECKING AND ALERT SYSTEM: A NEW FRAMEWORK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivek Kumar Yadav

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Network security checking is a vital process to assess and to identify weaknesses in network for management of security. Insecure entry points of a network provide attackers an easy target to access and compromise. Open ports of network components such as firewalls, gateways and end systems are analogues to open gates of a building through which any one can get into. Network scanning is performed to identify insecure entry points in the network components. To find out vulnerabilities on these points vulnerability assessment is performed. So security checking consists of both activities- network scanning as well as vulnerability assessment. A single tool used for the security checking may not give reliable results. This paper presents a framework for assessing the security of a network using multiple Network Scanning and Vulnerability Assessment tools. The proposed framework is an extension of the framework given by Jun Yoon and Wontae Sim [1] which performs vulnerability scanning only. The framework presented here adds network scanning, alerting and reporting system to their framework. Network scanning and vulnerability tools together complement each other and make it amenable for centralized control and management. The reporting system of framework sends an email to the network administrator which contains detailed report (as attachment of security checking process. Alerting system sends a SMS message as an alert to the network administrator in case of severe threats found in the network. Initial results of the framework are encouraging and further work is in progress.

A novel strategy for evaluating the effects of an electronic test ordering alert message: Optimizing cardiac marker use.

Science.gov (United States)

Baron, Jason M; Lewandrowski, Kent B; Kamis, Irina K; Singh, Balaji; Belkziz, Sidi M; Dighe, Anand S

2012-01-01

Laboratory ordering functions within computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems typically support the display of electronic alert messages to improve test utilization or implement new ordering policies. However, alert strategies have been shown to vary considerably in their success and the characteristics contributing to an alert's success are poorly understood. Improved methodologies are needed to evaluate alerts and their mechanisms of action. Clinicians order inpatient and emergency department laboratory tests using our institutional CPOE system. We analyzed user interaction data captured by our CPOE system to evaluate how clinicians responded to an alert. We evaluated an alert designed to implement an institutional policy restricting the indications for ordering creatine kinase-MB (CKMB). Within 2 months of alert implementation, CKMB-associated searches declined by 79% with a corresponding decline in CKMB orders. Furthermore, while prior to alert implementation, clinicians searching for CKMB ultimately ordered this test 99% of the time, following implementation, only 60% of CKMB searches ultimately led to CKMB test orders. This difference presumably represents clinicians who reconsidered the need for CKMB in response to the alert, demonstrating the alert's just-in-time advisory capability. In addition, as clinicians repeatedly viewed the alert, there was a "dose-dependant" decrease in the fraction of searches without orders. This presumably reflects the alerting strategy's long-term educational component, as clinicians aware of the new policy will not search for CKMB when not indicated. Our analytic approach provides insight into the mechanism of a CPOE alert and demonstrates that alerts may act through a combination of just-in-time advice and longer term education. Use of this approach when implementing alerts may prove useful to improve the success of a given alerting strategy.

Technical implementation plan for the ShakeAlert production system: an Earthquake Early Warning system for the West Coast of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Given, Douglas D.; Cochran, Elizabeth S.; Heaton, Thomas; Hauksson, Egill; Allen, Richard; Hellweg, Peggy; Vidale, John; Bodin, Paul

2014-01-01

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems can provide as much as tens of seconds of warning to people and automated systems before strong shaking arrives. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners are developing such an EEW system, called ShakeAlert, for the West Coast of the United States. This document describes the technical implementation of that system, which leverages existing stations and infrastructure of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) regional networks to achieve this new capability. While significant progress has been made in developing the ShakeAlert early warning system, improved robustness of each component of the system and additional testing and certification are needed for the system to be reliable enough to issue public alerts. Major components of the system include dense networks of ground motion sensors, telecommunications from those sensors to central processing systems, algorithms for event detection and alert creation, and distribution systems to alert users. Capital investment costs for a West Coast EEW system are projected to be $38.3M, with additional annual maintenance and operations totaling $16.1M—in addition to current ANSS expenditures for earthquake monitoring. An EEW system is complementary to, but does not replace, other strategies to mitigate earthquake losses. The system has limitations: false and missed alerts are possible, and the area very near to an earthquake epicenter may receive little or no warning. However, such an EEW system would save lives, reduce injuries and damage, and improve community resilience by reducing longer-term economic losses for both public and private entities.

Radar-based alert system to operate a sewerage network: relevance and operational effectiveness after several years of use.

Science.gov (United States)

Faure, D; Payrastre, O; Auchet, P

2005-01-01

Since January 2000, the sewerage network of a very urbanised catchment area in the Greater Nancy Urban Community has been operated according to the alarms generated in real time by a storm alert system using weather radar data. This alert system is based on an automatic identification of intense rain cells in the radar images. This paper presents the characteristics of this alert system and synthesises the main results of two complementary studies realised in 2002 in order to estimate the relevance and the operational effectiveness of the alert system. The first study consisted in an off-line analysis of almost 50,000 intense rain cells detected in four years of historical radar data. The second study was an analysis of the experience feedback after two years of operational use of this alert system. The results of these studies are discussed in function of the initial operational objectives.

A novel strategy for evaluating the effects of an electronic test ordering alert message: Optimizing cardiac marker use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason M Baron

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Laboratory ordering functions within computerized provider order entry (CPOE systems typically support the display of electronic alert messages to improve test utilization or implement new ordering policies. However, alert strategies have been shown to vary considerably in their success and the characteristics contributing to an alert′s success are poorly understood. Improved methodologies are needed to evaluate alerts and their mechanisms of action. Materials and Methods: Clinicians order inpatient and emergency department laboratory tests using our institutional CPOE system. We analyzed user interaction data captured by our CPOE system to evaluate how clinicians responded to an alert. We evaluated an alert designed to implement an institutional policy restricting the indications for ordering creatine kinase-MB (CKMB. Results: Within 2 months of alert implementation, CKMB-associated searches declined by 79% with a corresponding decline in CKMB orders. Furthermore, while prior to alert implementation, clinicians searching for CKMB ultimately ordered this test 99% of the time, following implementation, only 60% of CKMB searches ultimately led to CKMB test orders. This difference presumably represents clinicians who reconsidered the need for CKMB in response to the alert, demonstrating the alert′s just-in-time advisory capability. In addition, as clinicians repeatedly viewed the alert, there was a "dose-dependant" decrease in the fraction of searches without orders. This presumably reflects the alerting strategy′s long-term educational component, as clinicians aware of the new policy will not search for CKMB when not indicated. Conclusions: Our analytic approach provides insight into the mechanism of a CPOE alert and demonstrates that alerts may act through a combination of just-in-time advice and longer term education. Use of this approach when implementing alerts may prove useful to improve the success of a given alerting

Impact-based earthquake alerts with the U.S. Geological Survey's PAGER system: what's next?

Science.gov (United States)

Wald, D.J.; Jaiswal, K.S.; Marano, K.D.; Garcia, D.; So, E.; Hearne, M.

2012-01-01

In September 2010, the USGS began publicly releasing earthquake alerts for significant earthquakes around the globe based on estimates of potential casualties and economic losses with its Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system. These estimates significantly enhanced the utility of the USGS PAGER system which had been, since 2006, providing estimated population exposures to specific shaking intensities. Quantifying earthquake impacts and communicating estimated losses (and their uncertainties) to the public, the media, humanitarian, and response communities required a new protocol—necessitating the development of an Earthquake Impact Scale—described herein and now deployed with the PAGER system. After two years of PAGER-based impact alerting, we now review operations, hazard calculations, loss models, alerting protocols, and our success rate for recent (2010-2011) events. This review prompts analyses of the strengths, limitations, opportunities, and pressures, allowing clearer definition of future research and development priorities for the PAGER system.

Comparison of warfarin therapy clinical outcomes following implementation of an automated mobile phone-based critical laboratory value text alert system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shu-Wen; Kang, Wen-Yi; Lin, Dong-Tsamn; Lee, James; Wu, Fe-Lin; Chen, Chuen-Liang; Tseng, Yufeng J

2014-01-01

Computerized alert and reminder systems have been widely accepted and applied to various patient care settings, with increasing numbers of clinical laboratories communicating critical laboratory test values to professionals via either manual notification or automated alerting systems/computerized reminders. Warfarin, an oral anticoagulant, exhibits narrow therapeutic range between treatment response and adverse events. It requires close monitoring of prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR) to ensure patient safety. This study was aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes of patients on warfarin therapy following implementation of a Personal Handy-phone System-based (PHS) alert system capable of generating and delivering text messages to communicate critical PT/INR laboratory results to practitioners' mobile phones in a large tertiary teaching hospital. A retrospective analysis was performed comparing patient clinical outcomes and physician prescribing behavior following conversion from a manual laboratory result alert system to an automated system. Clinical outcomes and practitioner responses to both alert systems were compared. Complications to warfarin therapy, warfarin utilization, and PT/INR results were evaluated for both systems, as well as clinician time to read alert messages, time to warfarin therapy modification, and monitoring frequency. No significant differences were detected in major hemorrhage and thromboembolism, warfarin prescribing patterns, PT/INR results, warfarin therapy modification, or monitoring frequency following implementation of the PHS text alert system. In both study periods, approximately 80% of critical results led to warfarin discontinuation or dose reduction. Senior physicians' follow-up response time to critical results was significantly decreased in the PHS alert study period (46.3% responded within 1 day) compared to the manual notification study period (24.7%; P = 0.015). No difference in follow-up response time

ATLANTIDES: An Architecture for Alert Verification in Network Intrusion Detection Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolzoni, D.; Crispo, Bruno; Etalle, Sandro

2007-01-01

We present an architecture designed for alert verification (i.e., to reduce false positives) in network intrusion-detection systems. Our technique is based on a systematic (and automatic) anomaly-based analysis of the system output, which provides useful context information regarding the network

Framework to Define Structure and Boundaries of Complex Health Intervention Systems: The ALERT Project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boriani, Elena; Esposito, Roberto; Frazzoli, Chiara

2017-01-01

of a framework with focus on systems and system boundaries of interdisciplinary projects. As an example on how to apply our framework, we analyzed ALERT [an integrated sensors and biosensors’ system (BEST) aimed at monitoring the quality, health, and traceability of the chain of the bovine milk......], a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary project based on the application of measurable biomarkers at strategic points of the milk chain for improved food security (including safety), human, and ecosystem health (1). In fact, the European food safety framework calls for science-based support to the primary producers......’ mandate for legal, scientific, and ethical responsibility in food supply. Because of its multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach involving human, animal, and ecosystem health, ALERT can be considered as a One Health project. Within the ALERT context, we identified the need to take into account...

Aircraft Alerting Systems Standardization Study. Phase IV. Accident Implications on Systems Design.

Science.gov (United States)

1982-06-01

computing and processing to assimilate and process status informa- 5 tion using...provided with capabilities in computing and processing , sensing, interfacing, and controlling and displaying. 17 o Computing and Processing - Algorithms...alerting system to perform a flight status monitor function would require additional sensinq, computing and processing , interfacing, and controlling

Mobile Traffic Alert and Tourist Route Guidance System Design Using Geospatial Data

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, D.; Painho, M.; Mishra, S.; Gupta, A.

2017-09-01

The present study describes an integrated system for traffic data collection and alert warning. Geographical information based decision making related to traffic destinations and routes is proposed through the design. The system includes a geospatial database having profile relating to a user of a mobile device. The processing and understanding of scanned maps, other digital data input leads to route guidance. The system includes a server configured to receive traffic information relating to a route and location information relating to the mobile device. Server is configured to send a traffic alert to the mobile device when the traffic information and the location information indicate that the mobile device is traveling toward traffic congestion. Proposed system has geospatial and mobile data sets pertaining to Bangalore city in India. It is envisaged to be helpful for touristic purposes as a route guidance and alert relaying information system to tourists for proximity to sites worth seeing in a city they have entered into. The system is modular in architecture and the novelty lies in integration of different modules carrying different technologies for a complete traffic information system. Generic information processing and delivery system has been tested to be functional and speedy under test geospatial domains. In a restricted prototype model with geo-referenced route data required information has been delivered correctly over sustained trials to designated cell numbers, with average time frame of 27.5 seconds, maximum 50 and minimum 5 seconds. Traffic geo-data set trials testing is underway.

Evaluation of Visual Alerts in the Maritime Domain

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Roberts, Shelley; Foster-Hunt, Tara

2008-01-01

.... As the auditory modality is overloaded in the current alerting system, one method of potentially reducing perceptual overload is to replace auditory alerts with alerts presented in the visual domain...

Standardisation of the USGS Volcano Alert Level System (VALS): analysis and ramifications

Science.gov (United States)

Fearnley, C. J.; McGuire, W. J.; Davies, G.; Twigg, J.

2012-11-01

The standardisation of volcano early warning systems (VEWS) and volcano alert level systems (VALS) is becoming increasingly common at both the national and international level, most notably following UN endorsement of the development of globally comprehensive early warning systems. Yet, the impact on its effectiveness, of standardising an early warning system (EWS), in particular for volcanic hazards, remains largely unknown and little studied. This paper examines this and related issues through evaluation of the emergence and implementation, in 2006, of a standardised United States Geological Survey (USGS) VALS. Under this upper-management directive, all locally developed alert level systems or practices at individual volcano observatories were replaced with a common standard. Research conducted at five USGS-managed volcano observatories in Alaska, Cascades, Hawaii, Long Valley and Yellowstone explores the benefits and limitations this standardisation has brought to each observatory. The study concludes (1) that the process of standardisation was predominantly triggered and shaped by social, political, and economic factors, rather than in response to scientific needs specific to each volcanic region; and (2) that standardisation is difficult to implement for three main reasons: first, the diversity and uncertain nature of volcanic hazards at different temporal and spatial scales require specific VEWS to be developed to address this and to accommodate associated stakeholder needs. Second, the plural social contexts within which each VALS is embedded present challenges in relation to its applicability and responsiveness to local knowledge and context. Third, the contingencies of local institutional dynamics may hamper the ability of a standardised VALS to effectively communicate a warning. Notwithstanding these caveats, the concept of VALS standardisation clearly has continuing support. As a consequence, rather than advocating further commonality of a standardised

A process-based model for the definition of hydrological alert systems in landslide risk mitigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Floris

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The definition of hydrological alert systems for rainfall-induced landslides is strongly related to a deep knowledge of the geological and geomorphological features of the territory. Climatic conditions, spatial and temporal evolution of the phenomena and characterization of landslide triggering, together with propagation mechanisms, are the key elements to be considered. Critical steps for the development of the systems consist of the identification of the hydrological variable related to landslide triggering and of the minimum rainfall threshold for landslide occurrence.

In this paper we report the results from a process-based model to define a hydrological alert system for the Val di Maso Landslide, located in the northeastern Italian Alps and included in the Vicenza Province (Veneto region, NE Italy. The instability occurred in November 2010, due to an exceptional rainfall event that hit the Vicenza Province and the entire NE Italy. Up to 500 mm in 3-day cumulated rainfall generated large flood conditions and triggered hundreds of landslides. During the flood, the Soil Protection Division of the Vicenza Province received more than 500 warnings of instability phenomena. The complexity of the event and the high level of risk to infrastructure and private buildings are the main reasons for deepening the specific phenomenon occurred at Val di Maso.

Empirical and physically-based models have been used to identify the minimum rainfall threshold for the occurrence of instability phenomena in the crown area of Val di Maso landslide, where a retrogressive evolution by multiple rotational slides is expected. Empirical models helped in the identification and in the evaluation of recurrence of critical rainfall events, while physically-based modelling was essential to verify the effects on the slope stability of determined rainfall depths. Empirical relationships between rainfall and landslide consist of the calculation of rainfall

Alert system for students with visual disabilities at the UTM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marely del Rosario Cruz Felipe

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In the transfer of students with visual disabilities at the Technical University of Manabí (UTM accidents have been reported when going through some ramps and other obstacles, especially on rainy days. This article belongs to an investigation into the realization of an alert system for students with visual disabilities. The objective of the implementation of this system is to guide students with visual disabilities on different obstacles that exist in their transfer through the university. To carry out the implementation of this system, the alert systems and the technologies that are currently used as a result of a recording studio in the national and international scope were analyzed, the tools and technologies used in the developed solution are described. (Definition, technologies for the change of people, software, programming languages, etc. that allowed an efficient implementation in a short time of the proposed system by means of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification technology. The above is reflected in the positive orientation for the transfer of 32 students with visual disabilities through the university and by those who have contributed to improving their quality of life.

MOBILE TRAFFIC ALERT AND TOURIST ROUTE GUIDANCE SYSTEM DESIGN USING GEOSPATIAL DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Bhattacharya

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The present study describes an integrated system for traffic data collection and alert warning. Geographical information based decision making related to traffic destinations and routes is proposed through the design. The system includes a geospatial database having profile relating to a user of a mobile device. The processing and understanding of scanned maps, other digital data input leads to route guidance. The system includes a server configured to receive traffic information relating to a route and location information relating to the mobile device. Server is configured to send a traffic alert to the mobile device when the traffic information and the location information indicate that the mobile device is traveling toward traffic congestion. Proposed system has geospatial and mobile data sets pertaining to Bangalore city in India. It is envisaged to be helpful for touristic purposes as a route guidance and alert relaying information system to tourists for proximity to sites worth seeing in a city they have entered into. The system is modular in architecture and the novelty lies in integration of different modules carrying different technologies for a complete traffic information system. Generic information processing and delivery system has been tested to be functional and speedy under test geospatial domains. In a restricted prototype model with geo-referenced route data required information has been delivered correctly over sustained trials to designated cell numbers, with average time frame of 27.5 seconds, maximum 50 and minimum 5 seconds. Traffic geo-data set trials testing is underway.

Strengthening Laboratory Capacity for Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWARS) in Indonesia

OpenAIRE

Kandel, Nirmal; Hapsari, Ratna Budi; Riana, Dyah Armi; Setiawaty, Vivi; Larasati, Wita; Wulandari, Endang; Purwanto, Edy

2017-01-01

Background: Establishment of Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWARS) in Indonesia was initiated since 2009 in few selected provinces and government was planning to roll out in other provinces. Before initiating this roll out the assessment of performance of EWARS in 2012 was conducted. The aim of the assessment is to strengthen laboratory for supporting to EWARS for alerts testing. Methods: Laboratory capacity mapping tool and laboratory algorithm for twenty two priority diseases of ...

CERN alerter-RSS based system for information broadcast to all CERN offices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otto, R

2008-01-01

Nearly every large organization uses a tool to broadcast messages and information across the internal campus (messages like alerts announcing interruption in services or just information about upcoming events). These tools typically allow administrators (operators) to send 'targeted' messages which are sent only to specific groups of users or computers, e/g only those located in a specified building or connected to a particular computing service. CERN has a long history of such tools: CERNVMS's SPM q uotMESSAGE command, Zephyr [2] and the most recent the NICE Alerter based on the NNTP protocol. The NICE Alerter used on all Windows-based computers had to be phased out as a consequence of phasing out NNTP at CERN. The new solution to broadcast information messages on the CERN campus continues to provide the service based on cross-platform technologies, hence minimizing custom developments and relying on commercial software as much as possible. The new system, called CERN Alerter, is based on RSS (Really Simple Syndication) [9] for the transport protocol and uses Microsoft SharePoint as the backend for database and posting interface. The windows-based client relies on Internet Explorer 7.0 with custom code to trigger the window pop-ups and the notifications for new events. Linux and Mac OS X clients could also rely on any RSS readers to subscribe to targeted notifications. The paper covers the architecture and implementation aspects of the new system

A review of human factors principles for the design and implementation of medication safety alerts in clinical information systems

OpenAIRE

Phansalkar, Shobha; Edworthy, Judy; Hellier, Elizabeth; Seger, Diane L; Schedlbauer, Angela; Avery, Anthony J; Bates, David W

2010-01-01

The objective of this review is to describe the implementation of human factors principles for the design of alerts in clinical information systems. First, we conduct a review of alarm systems to identify human factors principles that are employed in the design and implementation of alerts. Second, we review the medical informatics literature to provide examples of the implementation of human factors principles in current clinical information systems using alerts to provide medication decisio...

Evaluation of health alerts from an early illness warning system in independent living.

Science.gov (United States)

Rantz, Marilyn J; Scott, Susan D; Miller, Steven J; Skubic, Marjorie; Phillips, Lorraine; Alexander, Greg; Koopman, Richelle J; Musterman, Katy; Back, Jessica

2013-06-01

Passive sensor networks were deployed in independent living apartments to monitor older adults in their home environments to detect signs of impending illness and alert clinicians so they can intervene and prevent or delay significant changes in health or functional status. A retrospective qualitative deductive content analysis was undertaken to refine health alerts to improve clinical relevance to clinicians as they use alerts in their normal workflow of routine care delivery to older adults. Clinicians completed written free-text boxes to describe actions taken (or not) as a result of each alert; they also rated the clinical significance (relevance) of each health alert on a scale of 1 to 5. Two samples of the clinician's written responses to the health alerts were analyzed after alert algorithms had been adjusted based on results of a pilot study using health alerts to enhance clinical decision-making. In the first sample, a total of 663 comments were generated by seven clinicians in response to 385 unique alerts; there are more comments than alerts because more than one clinician rated the same alert. The second sample had a total of 142 comments produced by three clinicians in response to 88 distinct alerts. The overall clinical relevance of the alerts, as judged by the content of the qualitative comments by clinicians for each alert, improved from 33.3% of the alerts in the first sample classified as clinically relevant to 43.2% in the second. The goal is to produce clinically relevant alerts that clinicians find useful in daily practice. The evaluation methods used are described to assist others as they consider building and iteratively refining health alerts to enhance clinical decision making.

Collaborative knowledge acquisition for the design of context-aware alert systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Joffe, Erel; Havakuk, Ofer; Herskovic, Jorge R; Patel, Vimla L; Bernstam, Elmer Victor

2012-01-01

To present a framework for combining implicit knowledge acquisition from multiple experts with machine learning and to evaluate this framework in the context of anemia alerts. Five internal medicine residents reviewed 18 anemia alerts, while 'talking aloud'. They identified features that were reviewed by two or more physicians to determine appropriate alert level, etiology and treatment recommendation. Based on these features, data were extracted from 100 randomly-selected anemia cases for a training set and an additional 82 cases for a test set. Two staff internists assigned an alert level, etiology and treatment recommendation before and after reviewing the entire electronic medical record. The training set of 118 cases (100 plus 18) and the test set of 82 cases were explored using RIDOR and JRip algorithms. The feature set was sufficient to assess 93% of anemia cases (intraclass correlation for alert level before and after review of the records by internists 1 and 2 were 0.92 and 0.95, respectively). High-precision classifiers were constructed to identify low-level alerts (precision p=0.87, recall R=0.4), iron deficiency (p=1.0, R=0.73), and anemia associated with kidney disease (p=0.87, R=0.77). It was possible to identify low-level alerts and several conditions commonly associated with chronic anemia. This approach may reduce the number of clinically unimportant alerts. The study was limited to anemia alerts. Furthermore, clinicians were aware of the study hypotheses potentially biasing their evaluation. Implicit knowledge acquisition, collaborative filtering and machine learning were combined automatically to induce clinically meaningful and precise decision rules.

The national web-based outbreak rapid alert system in Norway: eight years of experience, 2006-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Guzman-Herrador, B; Vold, L; Berg, T; Berglund, T M; Heier, B; Kapperud, G; Lange, H; Nygård, K

2016-01-01

In 2005, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health established a web-based outbreak rapid alert system called Vesuv. The system is used for mandatory outbreak alerts from municipal medical officers, healthcare institutions, and food safety authorities. As of 2013, 1426 outbreaks have been reported, involving 32913 cases. More than half of the outbreaks occurred in healthcare institutions (759 outbreaks, 53·2%). A total of 474 (33·2%) outbreaks were associated with food or drinking water. The web-based rapid alert system has proved to be a helpful tool by enhancing reporting and enabling rapid and efficient information sharing between different authorities at both the local and national levels. It is also an important tool for event-based reporting, as required by the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005. Collecting information from all the outbreak alerts and reports in a national database is also useful for analysing trends, such as occurrence of certain microorganisms, places or sources of infection, or route of transmission. This can facilitate the identification of specific areas where more general preventive measures are needed.

Alerts Visualization and Clustering in Network-based Intrusion Detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Dr. Li [University of Tennessee; Gasior, Wade C [ORNL; Dasireddy, Swetha [University of Tennessee

2010-04-01

Today's Intrusion detection systems when deployed on a busy network overload the network with huge number of alerts. This behavior of producing too much raw information makes it less effective. We propose a system which takes both raw data and Snort alerts to visualize and analyze possible intrusions in a network. Then we present with two models for the visualization of clustered alerts. Our first model gives the network administrator with the logical topology of the network and detailed information of each node that involves its associated alerts and connections. In the second model, flocking model, presents the network administrator with the visual representation of IDS data in which each alert is represented in different color and the alerts with maximum similarity move together. This gives network administrator with the idea of detecting various of intrusions through visualizing the alert patterns.

Physicians' Perceptions on the usefulness of contextual information for prioritizing and presenting alerts in computerized physician order entry systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jung, Martin; Riedmann, Daniel; Hackl, Werner O.; Hoerbst, Alexander; Jaspers, Monique W.; Ferret, Laurie; Lawton, Kitta; Ammenwerth, Elske

2012-01-01

Background: One possible approach towards avoiding alert overload and alert fatigue in Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems is to tailor their drug safety alerts to the context of the clinical situation. Our objective was to identify the perceptions of physicians on the usefulness of

47 CFR 80.1111 - Distress alerting.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Operating Procedures for Distress and Safety Communications § 80.1111 Distress alerting. (a) The transmission of a distress alert indicates...

An IDS Alerts Aggregation Algorithm Based on Rough Set Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ru; Guo, Tao; Liu, Jianyi

2018-03-01

Within a system in which has been deployed several IDS, a great number of alerts can be triggered by a single security event, making real alerts harder to be found. To deal with redundant alerts, we propose a scheme based on rough set theory. In combination with basic concepts in rough set theory, the importance of attributes in alerts was calculated firstly. With the result of attributes importance, we could compute the similarity of two alerts, which will be compared with a pre-defined threshold to determine whether these two alerts can be aggregated or not. Also, time interval should be taken into consideration. Allowed time interval for different types of alerts is computed individually, since different types of alerts may have different time gap between two alerts. In the end of this paper, we apply proposed scheme on DAPRA98 dataset and the results of experiment show that our scheme can efficiently reduce the redundancy of alerts so that administrators of security system could avoid wasting time on useless alerts.

The Low-Level Wind Shear Alert System (LLWSAS)

Science.gov (United States)

1980-05-01

ALERT SYSTEM (LLWSAS). (May R.. a.-ol - 8..’P" Imng Organization Report No, 9, Perfo~ring Or~ni-otlon Ro-r. -andAddress 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Federal...rather than electronic approach. The 2-minute average adheres to recommended International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards (referernce 14...speed of 140 knots. **Cold front. 80 ’ # 90 0 STRONG CASES: COFF , 1975 80 9STRONG CASES: UNPU1BLISHED 70 60 A STRONG CASES: COFF , et al., 1978 50 \\ 50 -0

Preparing for the worst : Calgary startup brings emergency response into the digital age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.

2009-01-01

The potential danger of blowouts and oil spills is present in areas with high concentration of energy facilities and infrastructure. Ensuring that all possible measures have been taken to alert residents as early as possible is one way to alleviate fears of well blowouts, gas processing plant leaks, pipeline failures, or refinery or upgrader explosions. This article presented the GeoAlert, a high technology solution developed by Cell Bridge Communications Corporation to bring emergency response into the modern communications era. The features, benefits, and applications of GeoAlert were described. The program is a web-based emergency notification geographic information system application, that created a digital audit trail, and served as an internal communications and training platform, and had the potential to eliminate duplication among oil companies with overlapping jurisdictions. The system enabled companies to program emergency zones based on precise geographical co-ordinates and to use the system to proactively manage emergency response. It was concluded that the most visually striking feature of GeoAlert is its three-dimensional satellite mapping technology, which could display plumes as a purple-coloured initial isolation zone laid over designated emergency planning zones, moving in real-time while automatically identifying who should be notified and when. 1 fig.

Comparison of methods of alert acknowledgement by critical care clinicians in the ICU setting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew M. Harrison

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background Electronic Health Record (EHR-based sepsis alert systems have failed to demonstrate improvements in clinically meaningful endpoints. However, the effect of implementation barriers on the success of new sepsis alert systems is rarely explored. Objective To test the hypothesis time to severe sepsis alert acknowledgement by critical care clinicians in the ICU setting would be reduced using an EHR-based alert acknowledgement system compared to a text paging-based system. Study Design In one arm of this simulation study, real alerts for patients in the medical ICU were delivered to critical care clinicians through the EHR. In the other arm, simulated alerts were delivered through text paging. The primary outcome was time to alert acknowledgement. The secondary outcomes were a structured, mixed quantitative/qualitative survey and informal group interview. Results The alert acknowledgement rate from the severe sepsis alert system was 3% (N = 148 and 51% (N = 156 from simulated severe sepsis alerts through traditional text paging. Time to alert acknowledgement from the severe sepsis alert system was median 274 min (N = 5 and median 2 min (N = 80 from text paging. The response rate from the EHR-based alert system was insufficient to compare primary measures. However, secondary measures revealed important barriers. Conclusion Alert fatigue, interruption, human error, and information overload are barriers to alert and simulation studies in the ICU setting.

V-Alert: Description and Validation of a Vulnerable Road User Alert System in the Framework of a Smart City.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez-Jayo, Unai; De-la-Iglesia, Idoia; Perez, Jagoba

2015-07-29

V-Alert is a cooperative application to be deployed in the frame of Smart Cities with the aim of reducing the probability of accidents involving Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) and vehicles. The architecture of V-Alert combines short- and long-range communication technologies in order to provide more time to the drivers and VRU to take the appropriate maneuver and avoid a possible collision. The information generated by mobile sensors (vehicles and cyclists) is sent over this heterogeneous communication architecture and processed in a central server, the Drivers Cloud, which is in charge of generating the messages that are shown on the drivers' and cyclists' Human Machine Interface (HMI). First of all, V-Alert has been tested in a simulated scenario to check the communications architecture in a complex scenario and, once it was validated, all the elements of V-Alert have been moved to a real scenario to check the application reliability. All the results are shown along the length of this paper.

Emergency Communication

Science.gov (United States)

: Environmental Documents, Reports LANL Home Calendar Search Contacts Resources » Emergency Communication Emergency Communication Stay informed of emergencies, weather delays, closures, other alerts. Find links to

A systematic review of the effectiveness of interruptive medication prescribing alerts in hospital CPOE systems to change prescriber behavior and improve patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Page, N; Baysari, M T; Westbrook, J I

2017-09-01

To assess the evidence of the effectiveness of different categories of interruptive medication prescribing alerts to change prescriber behavior and/or improve patient outcomes in hospital computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant articles published between January 2000 and February 2016. Studies were included if they compared the outcomes of automatic, interruptive medication prescribing alert/s to a control/comparison group to determine alert effectiveness. Twenty-three studies describing 32 alerts classified into 11 alert categories were identified. The most common alert categories studied were drug-condition interaction (n=6), drug-drug interaction alerts (n=6) and corollary order alerts (n=6). All 23 papers investigated the effect of the intervention alert on at least one outcome measure of prescriber behavior. Just over half of the studies (53%, n=17) reported a statistically significant beneficial effect from the intervention alert; 34% (n=11) reported no statistically significant effect, and 6% (n=2) reported a significant detrimental effect. Two studies also evaluated the effect of alerts on patient outcome measures; neither finding that patient outcomes significantly improved following alert implementation (6%, n=2). The greatest volume of evidence relates to three alert categories: drug-condition, drug-drug and corollary order alerts. Of these, drug-condition alerts had the greatest number of studies reporting positive effects (five out of six studies). Only two of six studies of drug-drug interaction and one of six of corollary alerts reported positive benefits. The current evidence-base does not show a clear indication that particular categories of alerts are more effective than others. While the majority of alert categories were shown to improve outcomes in some studies, there were also many cases where outcomes did not improve. This lack of evidence hinders decisions

Lay persons alerted by mobile application system initiate earlier cardio-pulmonary resuscitation: A comparison with SMS-based system notification.

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Caputo, Maria Luce; Muschietti, Sandro; Burkart, Roman; Benvenuti, Claudio; Conte, Giulio; Regoli, François; Mauri, Romano; Klersy, Catherine; Moccetti, Tiziano; Auricchio, Angelo

2017-05-01

We compared the time to initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by lay responders and/or first responders alerted either via Short Message Service (SMS) or by using a mobile application-based alert system (APP). The Ticino Registry of Cardiac Arrest collects all data about out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) occurring in the Canton of Ticino. At the time of a bystander's call, the EMS dispatcher sends one ambulance and alerts the first-responders network made up of police officers or fire brigade equipped with an automatic external defibrillator, the so called "traditional" first responders, and - if the scene was considered safe - lay responders as well. We evaluated the time from call to arrival of traditional first responders and/or lay responders when alerted either via SMS or the new developed mobile APP. Over the study period 593 OHCAs have occurred. Notification to the first responders network was sent via SMS in 198 cases and via mobile APP in 134 cases. Median time to first responder/lay responder arrival on scene was significantly reduced by the APP-based system (3.5 [2.8-5.2]) compared to the SMS-based system (5.6 [4.2-8.5] min, p 0.0001). The proportion of lay responders arriving first on the scene significantly increased (70% vs. 15%, play responder determined a higher survival rate. The mobile APP system is highly efficient in the recruitment of first responders, significantly reducing the time to the initiation of CPR thus increasing survival rates. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perceptual evaluation of visual alerts in surveillance videos

Science.gov (United States)

Rogowitz, Bernice E.; Topkara, Mercan; Pfeiffer, William; Hampapur, Arun

2015-03-01

Visual alerts are commonly used in video monitoring and surveillance systems to mark events, presumably making them more salient to human observers. Surprisingly, the effectiveness of computer-generated alerts in improving human performance has not been widely studied. To address this gap, we have developed a tool for simulating different alert parameters in a realistic visual monitoring situation, and have measured human detection performance under conditions that emulated different set-points in a surveillance algorithm. In the High-Sensitivity condition, the simulated alerts identified 100% of the events with many false alarms. In the Lower-Sensitivity condition, the simulated alerts correctly identified 70% of the targets, with fewer false alarms. In the control condition, no simulated alerts were provided. To explore the effects of learning, subjects performed these tasks in three sessions, on separate days, in a counterbalanced, within subject design. We explore these results within the context of cognitive models of human attention and learning. We found that human observers were more likely to respond to events when marked by a visual alert. Learning played a major role in the two alert conditions. In the first session, observers generated almost twice as many False Alarms as in the No-Alert condition, as the observers responded pre-attentively to the computer-generated false alarms. However, this rate dropped equally dramatically in later sessions, as observers learned to discount the false cues. Highest observer Precision, Hits/(Hits + False Alarms), was achieved in the High Sensitivity condition, but only after training. The successful evaluation of surveillance systems depends on understanding human attention and performance.

Implementation of a simple electronic transfusion alert system decreases inappropriate ordering of packed red blood cells and plasma in a multi-hospital health care system.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Matthew; Triulzi, Darrell J; Yazer, Mark H; Rollins-Raval, Marian A; Waters, Jonathan H; Raval, Jay S

2014-12-01

Prescriber adherence to institutional blood component ordering guidelines can be low. The goal of this study was to decrease red blood cell (RBC) and plasma orders that did not meet institutional transfusion guidelines by using data within the laboratory information system to trigger alerts in the computerized order entry (CPOE) system at the time of order entry. At 10 hospitals within a regional health care system, discernment rules were created for RBC and plasma orders utilizing transfusion triggers of hemoglobin 1.6, respectively, with subsequent alert generation that appears within the CPOE system when a prescriber attempts to order RBCs or plasma on a patient whose antecedent laboratory values do not suggest that a transfusion is indicated. Orders and subsequent alerts were tracked for RBCs and plasma over evaluation periods of 15 and 10 months, respectively, along with the hospital credentials of the ordering health care providers (physician or nurse). Alerts triggered which were heeded remained steady and averaged 11.3% for RBCs and 19.6% for plasma over the evaluation periods. Overall, nurses and physicians canceled statistically identical percentages of alerted RBC (10.9% vs. 11.5%; p = 0.78) and plasma (21.3% vs. 18.7%; p = 0.22) orders. Implementing a simple evidence-based transfusion alert system at the time of order entry decreased non-evidence based transfusion orders by both nurse and physician providers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FULCRUM - A dam safety management and alert system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Butt, Cameron; Greenaway, Graham [Knight Piesold Ltd., Vancouver, (Canada)

2010-07-01

Efficient management of instrumentation, monitoring and inspection data are the keys to safe performance and dam structure stability. This paper presented a data management system, FULCRUM, developed for dam safety management. FULCRUM is a secure web-based data management system which simplifies the process of data collection, processing and analysis of the information. The system was designed to organize and coordinate dam safety management requirements. Geotechnical instrumentation such as piezometers or inclinometers and operating data can be added to the database. Data from routine surveillance and engineering inspection can also be incorporated into the database. The system provides users with immediate access to historical and recent data. The integration of a GIS system allows for rapid assessment of the project site. Customisable alerting protocols can be set to identify and respond quickly to significant changes in operating conditions and potential impacts on dam safety.

Framework to Define Structure and Boundaries of Complex Health Intervention Systems: The ALERT Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Boriani

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Health intervention systems are complex and subject to multiple variables in different phases of implementation. This constitutes a concrete challenge for the application of translational science in real life. Complex systems as health-oriented interventions call for interdisciplinary approaches with carefully defined system boundaries. Exploring individual components of such systems from different viewpoints gives a wide overview and helps to understand the elements and the relationships that drive actions and consequences within the system. In this study, we present an application and assessment of a framework with focus on systems and system boundaries of interdisciplinary projects. As an example on how to apply our framework, we analyzed ALERT [an integrated sensors and biosensors’ system (BEST aimed at monitoring the quality, health, and traceability of the chain of the bovine milk], a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary project based on the application of measurable biomarkers at strategic points of the milk chain for improved food security (including safety, human, and ecosystem health (1. In fact, the European food safety framework calls for science-based support to the primary producers’ mandate for legal, scientific, and ethical responsibility in food supply. Because of its multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach involving human, animal, and ecosystem health, ALERT can be considered as a One Health project. Within the ALERT context, we identified the need to take into account the main actors, interactions, and relationships of stakeholders to depict a simplified skeleton of the system. The framework can provide elements to highlight how and where to improve the project development when project evaluations are required.

Finite-Fault and Other New Capabilities of CISN ShakeAlert

Science.gov (United States)

Boese, M.; Felizardo, C.; Heaton, T. H.; Hudnut, K. W.; Hauksson, E.

2013-12-01

Over the past 6 years, scientists at Caltech, UC Berkeley, the Univ. of Southern California, the Univ. of Washington, the US Geological Survey, and ETH Zurich (Switzerland) have developed the 'ShakeAlert' earthquake early warning demonstration system for California and the Pacific Northwest. We have now started to transform this system into a stable end-to-end production system that will be integrated into the daily routine operations of the CISN and PNSN networks. To quickly determine the earthquake magnitude and location, ShakeAlert currently processes and interprets real-time data-streams from several hundred seismic stations within the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). Based on these parameters, the 'UserDisplay' software predicts and displays the arrival and intensity of shaking at a given user site. Real-time ShakeAlert feeds are currently being shared with around 160 individuals, companies, and emergency response organizations to gather feedback about the system performance, to educate potential users about EEW, and to identify needs and applications of EEW in a future operational warning system. To improve the performance during large earthquakes (M>6.5), we have started to develop, implement, and test a number of new algorithms for the ShakeAlert system: the 'FinDer' (Finite Fault Rupture Detector) algorithm provides real-time estimates of locations and extents of finite-fault ruptures from high-frequency seismic data. The 'GPSlip' algorithm estimates the fault slip along these ruptures using high-rate real-time GPS data. And, third, a new type of ground-motion prediction models derived from over 415,000 rupture simulations along active faults in southern California improves MMI intensity predictions for large earthquakes with consideration of finite-fault, rupture directivity, and basin response effects. FinDer and GPSlip are currently being real-time and offline tested in a separate internal

Optimizing the response to surveillance alerts in automated surveillance systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Izadi, Masoumeh; Buckeridge, David L

2011-02-28

Although much research effort has been directed toward refining algorithms for disease outbreak alerting, considerably less attention has been given to the response to alerts generated from statistical detection algorithms. Given the inherent inaccuracy in alerting, it is imperative to develop methods that help public health personnel identify optimal policies in response to alerts. This study evaluates the application of dynamic decision making models to the problem of responding to outbreak detection methods, using anthrax surveillance as an example. Adaptive optimization through approximate dynamic programming is used to generate a policy for decision making following outbreak detection. We investigate the degree to which the model can tolerate noise theoretically, in order to keep near optimal behavior. We also evaluate the policy from our model empirically and compare it with current approaches in routine public health practice for investigating alerts. Timeliness of outbreak confirmation and total costs associated with the decisions made are used as performance measures. Using our approach, on average, 80 per cent of outbreaks were confirmed prior to the fifth day of post-attack with considerably less cost compared to response strategies currently in use. Experimental results are also provided to illustrate the robustness of the adaptive optimization approach and to show the realization of the derived error bounds in practice. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simulation and Proposed Handover Alert Algorithm for Mobile Communication System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muzhir Shaban Al-Ani

2009-10-01

Full Text Available this paper deals with the simulation and presentation of a novel approach to design and implementation of algorithm to realize hand over process for a mobile communication system during mobile network. This algorithm performs the ability of the system to extract important information features about the received signal. When the strength of the received signal is dropped below a certain threshold value then an alert process is activated to achieve the continuity of the transmission due to a ready scan which is existed on time.

Provider and pharmacist responses to warfarin drug–drug interaction alerts: a study of healthcare downstream of CPOE alerts

Science.gov (United States)

Boro, Maureen S; Korman, Nancy E; Davoren, J Ben

2011-01-01

Objective To categorize the appropriateness of provider and pharmacist responses to warfarin critical drug–drug interaction (cDDI) alerts, assess responses and actions to the cDDI, and determine the occurrence of warfarin adverse drug events (ADE) after alerts. Design An 18-month, retrospective study of acute care admissions at a single Veterans Affairs medical center using computerized provider order entry (CPOE). Measurements Patients included had at least one warfarin cDDI alert. Chart reviews included baseline laboratory values and demographics, provider actions, patient outcomes, and associated factors, including other interacting medications and number of simultaneously processed alerts. Results 137 admissions were included (133 unique patients). Amiodarone, vitamin E in a multivitamin, sulfamethoxazole, and levothyroxine accounted for 75% of warfarin cDDI. Provider responses were clinically appropriate in 19.7% of admissions and pharmacist responses were appropriate in 9.5% of admissions. There were 50 ADE (36.6% of admissions) with warfarin; 80% were rated as having no or mild clinical effect. An increased number of non-critical alerts at the time of the reference cDDI alert was the only variable associated with an inappropriate provider response (p=0.01). Limitations This study was limited by being a retrospective review and the possibility of confounding variables, such as other interacting medications. Conclusion The large number of CPOE alerts may lead to inappropriate responses by providers and pharmacists. The high rate of ADE suggests a need for improved medication management systems for patients on warfarin. This study highlights the possibility of alert fatigue contributing to the high prevalence of inappropriate alert over-ride text responses. PMID:22037888

The effect of phasic auditory alerting on visual perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Anders; Petersen, Annemarie Hilkjær; Bundesen, Claus; Vangkilde, Signe; Habekost, Thomas

2017-08-01

Phasic alertness refers to a short-lived change in the preparatory state of the cognitive system following an alerting signal. In the present study, we examined the effect of phasic auditory alerting on distinct perceptual processes, unconfounded by motor components. We combined an alerting/no-alerting design with a pure accuracy-based single-letter recognition task. Computational modeling based on Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention was used to examine the effect of phasic alertness on visual processing speed and threshold of conscious perception. Results show that phasic auditory alertness affects visual perception by increasing the visual processing speed and lowering the threshold of conscious perception (Experiment 1). By manipulating the intensity of the alerting cue, we further observed a positive relationship between alerting intensity and processing speed, which was not seen for the threshold of conscious perception (Experiment 2). This was replicated in a third experiment, in which pupil size was measured as a physiological marker of alertness. Results revealed that the increase in processing speed was accompanied by an increase in pupil size, substantiating the link between alertness and processing speed (Experiment 3). The implications of these results are discussed in relation to a newly developed mathematical model of the relationship between levels of alertness and the speed with which humans process visual information. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving the health forecasting alert system for cold weather and heat-waves in England: a case-study approach using temperature-mortality relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Masato, Giacomo; Cavany, Sean; Charlton-Perez, Andrew; Dacre, Helen; Bone, Angie; Carmicheal, Katie; Murray, Virginia; Danker, Rutger; Neal, Rob; Sarran, Christophe

2015-04-01

The health forecasting alert system for cold weather and heatwaves currently in use in the Cold Weather and Heatwave plans for England is based on 5 alert levels, with levels 2 and 3 dependent on a forecast or actual single temperature action trigger. Epidemiological evidence indicates that for both heat and cold, the impact on human health is gradual, with worsening impact for more extreme temperatures. The 60% risk of heat and cold forecasts used by the alerts is a rather crude probabilistic measure, which could be substantially improved thanks to the state-of-the-art forecast techniques. In this study a prototype of a new health forecasting alert system is developed, which is aligned to the approach used in the Met Office's (MO) National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS). This is in order to improve information available to responders in the health and social care system by linking temperatures more directly to risks of mortality, and developing a system more coherent with other weather alerts. The prototype is compared to the current system in the Cold Weather and Heatwave plans via a case-study approach to verify its potential advantages and shortcomings. The prototype health forecasting alert system introduces an "impact vs likelihood matrix" for the health impacts of hot and cold temperatures which is similar to those used operationally for other weather hazards as part of the NSWWS. The impact axis of this matrix is based on existing epidemiological evidence, which shows an increasing relative risk of death at extremes of outdoor temperature beyond a threshold which can be identified epidemiologically. The likelihood axis is based on a probability measure associated with the temperature forecast. The new method is tested for two case studies (one during summer 2013, one during winter 2013), and compared to the performance of the current alert system. The prototype shows some clear improvements over the current alert system. It allows for a much greater

Implications of resolved hypoxemia on the utility of desaturation alerts sent from an anesthesia decision support system to supervising anesthesiologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Epstein, Richard H; Dexter, Franklin

2012-10-01

Hypoxemia (oxygen saturation operating room settings. Alarm management functionality can be added to decision support systems (DSS) to send text alerts about vital signs outside specified thresholds, using data in anesthesia information management systems. We considered enhancing our DSS to send hypoxemia alerts to the text pagers of supervising anesthesiologists. As part of a voluntary application for an investigative device exemption from our IRB to implement such functionality, we evaluated the maximum potential utility of such an alert system. Pulse oximetry values (Spo(2)) were extracted from our anesthesia information management systems for all cases performed in our main operating rooms and ambulatory surgical center between September 1, 2011, and February 4, 2012 (n = 16,870). Hypoxemic episodes (Spo(2) operating room. These results suggest that the principal research focus should be on developing more sophisticated alerts and processes within rooms for the anesthesia care provider to initiate treatment promptly, to interpret or correct artifacts, and to make it easier to call for assistance via a rapid communication system.

Project ALERT: Forging New Partnerships to Improve Earth System Science Education for Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, E. P.; Ambos, E. L.; Ng, E. W.; Skiles, J.; Simila, G.; Garfield, N.

2002-05-01

Project ALERT (Augmented Learning Environment and Renewable Teaching) was founded in 1998, with funding from NASA and the California State University (CSU), to improve earth system science education for pre-service teachers. Project ALERT has formed linkages between ten campuses of the CSU, which prepares about 60 percent of California's teachers, and two NASA centers, Ames Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ALERT has also fostered alliances between earth science and science education faculty. The combined expertise of Project ALERT's diverse partners has led to a wide array of activities and products, including: 1) incorporation in university classrooms of NASA-developed imagery, data, and educational resources; 2) creation and/or enhancement of several courses that bring earth systems science to pre-service teachers; 3) fellowships for CSU faculty to participate in collaborative research and education projects at the NASA Centers; 4) development of teaching modules on such varied topics as volcanoes, landslides, and paleoclimate; and 5) a central web site that highlights resources for teaching introductory Earth system science. An outgrowth of Project ALERT is the increased interest on the part of CSU earth scientists in education issues. This has catalyzed their participation in other projects, including NASA's Project NOVA, Earth System Science Education Alliance, and Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum, the Digital Library for Earth System Science Education, and the California Science Project. Project ALERT has also expanded to provide professional development opportunities for in-service teachers, as exemplified by its support of the Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI) at San Jose State University. Each year, BAESI offers 10-15 full-day workshops that supply teachers and teachers-to-be with a blend of science concepts and classroom activities, free instructional materials, and the opportunity to earn inexpensive university credit. These

What is optimal timing for trauma team alerts? A retrospective observational study of alert timing effects on the initial management of trauma patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lillebo B

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Borge Lillebo,1 Andreas Seim,2 Ole-Petter Vinjevoll,3 Oddvar Uleberg31Norwegian EHR Research Centre, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; 2Department of Computer and Information Science, Faculty of Information Technology, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway; 3Department of Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine, St Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, NorwayBackground: Trauma teams improve the initial management of trauma patients. Optimal timing of trauma alerts could improve team preparedness and performance while also limiting adverse ripple effects throughout the hospital. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how timing of trauma team activation and notification affects initial in-hospital management of trauma patients.Methods: Data from a single hospital trauma care quality registry were matched with data from a trauma team alert log. The time from patient arrival to chest X-ray, and the emergency department length of stay were compared with the timing of trauma team activations and whether or not trauma team members received a preactivation notification.Results: In 2009, the trauma team was activated 352 times; 269 times met the inclusion criteria. There were statistically significant differences in time to chest X-ray for differently timed trauma team activations (P = 0.003. Median time to chest X-ray for teams activated 15–20 minutes prearrival was 5 minutes, and 8 minutes for teams activated <5 minutes before patient arrival. Timing had no effect on length of stay in the emergency department (P = 0.694. We found no effect of preactivation notification on time to chest X-ray (P = 0.474 or length of stay (P = 0.684.Conclusion: Proactive trauma team activation improved the initial management of trauma patients. Trauma teams should be activated prior to patient arrival.Keywords: emergency medical service communication systems

A new method for determining a sector alert

Science.gov (United States)

2008-09-29

The Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) currently declares an alert for any 15-minute interval in which the predicted demand exceeds the Monitor/Alert Parameter (MAP) for any airport, sector, or fix. For a sector, TFMS predicts the demand for each ...

Electronic Immunization Alerts and Spillover Effects on Other Preventive Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Julia M; Rivera, Maria; Persing, Nichole; Bundy, David G; Psoter, Kevin J; Ghazarian, Sharon R; Miller, Marlene R; Solomon, Barry S

2017-08-01

The impact of electronic health record (EHR) immunization clinical alert systems on the delivery of other preventive services remains unknown. We assessed for spillover effects of an EHR immunization alert on delivery of 6 other preventive services, in children 18 to 30 months of age needing immunizations. We conducted a secondary data analysis, with additional primary data collection, of a randomized, historically controlled trial to improve immunization rates with EHR alerts, in an urban, primary care clinic. No significant differences were found in screening for anemia, lead, development, nutrition, and injury prevention counseling in children prompting EHR immunization alerts (n = 129), compared with controls (n = 135). Significant increases in oral health screening in patients prompting EHR alerts (odds ratio = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.8-13.0) were likely due to practice changes over time. An EHR clinical alert system targeting immunizations did not have a spillover effect on the delivery of other preventive services.

Alerts in mobile healthcare applications: requirements and pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kafeza, Eleanna; Chiu, Dickson K W; Cheung, S C; Kafeza, Marina

2004-06-01

Recent advances in mobile technologies have greatly extended traditional communication technologies to mobile devices. At the same time, healthcare environments are by nature "mobile" where doctors and nurses do not have fixed workspaces. Irregular and exceptional events are generated in daily hospital routines, such as operations rescheduling, laboratory/examination results, and adverse drug events. These events may create requests that should be delivered to the appropriate person at the appropriate time. Those requests that are classified as urgent are referred to as alerts. Efficient routing and monitoring of alerts are keys to quality and cost-effective healthcare services. Presently, these are generally handled in an ad hoc manner. In this paper, we propose the use of a healthcare alert management system to handle these alert messages systematically. We develop a model for specifying alerts that are associated with medical tasks and a set of parameters for their routing. We design an alert monitor that matches medical staff and their mobile devices to receive alerts, based on the requirements of these alerts. We also propose a mechanism to handle and reroute, if necessary, an alert message when it has not been acknowledged within a specific deadline.

Stimulated reporting: the impact of US food and drug administration-issued alerts on the adverse event reporting system (FAERS).

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Keith B; Demakas, Andrea R; Dimbil, Mo; Tatonetti, Nicholas P; Erdman, Colin B

2014-11-01

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses the Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) to support post-marketing safety surveillance programs. Currently, almost one million case reports are submitted to FAERS each year, making it a vast repository of drug safety information. Sometimes cited as a limitation of FAERS, however, is the assumption that "stimulated reporting" of adverse events (AEs) occurs in response to warnings, alerts, and label changes that are issued by the FDA. To determine the extent of "stimulated reporting" in the modern-day FAERS database. One hundred drugs approved by the FDA between 2001 and 2010 were included in this analysis. FDA alerts were obtained by a comprehensive search of the FDA's MedWatch and main websites. Publicly available FAERS data were used to assess the "primary suspect" AE reporting pattern for up to four quarters before, and after, the issuance of an FDA alert. A few drugs did demonstrate "stimulated reporting" trends. A majority of the drugs, however, showed little evidence for significant reporting changes associated with the issuance of alerts. When we compared the percentage changes in reporting after an FDA alert with those after a sham "control alert", the overall reporting trends appeared to be quite similar. Of 100 drugs analyzed for short-term reporting trends, 21 real alerts and 25 sham alerts demonstrated an increase (greater than or equal to 1 %) in reporting. The long-term analysis of 91 drugs showed that 24 real alerts and 28 sham alerts demonstrated a greater than or equal to 1 % increase. Our results suggest that most of modern day FAERS reporting is not significantly affected by the issuance of FDA alerts.

Generalized Philosophy of Alerting with Applications for Parallel Approach Collision Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Winder, Lee F.; Kuchar, James K.

2000-01-01

The goal of the research was to develop formal guidelines for the design of hazard avoidance systems. An alerting system is automation designed to reduce the likelihood of undesirable outcomes that are due to rare failures in a human-controlled system. It accomplishes this by monitoring the system, and issuing warning messages to the human operators when thought necessary to head off a problem. On examination of existing and recently proposed logics for alerting it appears that few commonly accepted principles guide the design process. Different logics intended to address the same hazards may take disparate forms and emphasize different aspects of performance, because each reflects the intuitive priorities of a different designer. Because performance must be satisfactory to all users of an alerting system (implying a universal meaning of acceptable performance) and not just one designer, a proposed logic often undergoes significant piecemeal modification before gamma general acceptance. This report is an initial attempt to clarify the common performance goals by which an alerting system is ultimately judged. A better understanding of these goals will hopefully allow designers to reach the final logic in a quicker, more direct and repeatable manner. As a case study, this report compares three alerting logics for collision prevention during independent approaches to parallel runways, and outlines a fourth alternative incorporating elements of the first three, but satisfying stated requirements. Three existing logics for parallel approach alerting are described. Each follows from different intuitive principles. The logics are presented as examples of three "philosophies" of alerting system design.

Impact of an electronic alert notification system embedded in radiologists' workflow on closed-loop communication of critical results: a time series analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lacson, Ronilda; O'Connor, Stacy D; Sahni, V Anik; Roy, Christopher; Dalal, Anuj; Desai, Sonali; Khorasani, Ramin

2016-07-01

Optimal critical test result communication is a Joint Commission national patient safety goal and requires documentation of closed-loop communication among care providers in the medical record. Electronic alert notification systems can facilitate an auditable process for creating alerts for transmission and acknowledgement of critical test results. We evaluated the impact of a patient safety initiative with an alert notification system on reducing critical results lacking documented communication, and assessed potential overuse of the alerting system for communicating results. We implemented an alert notification system-Alert Notification of Critical Results (ANCR)-in January 2010. We reviewed radiology reports finalised in 2009-2014 which lacked documented communication between the radiologist and another care provider, and assessed the impact of ANCR on the proportion of such reports with critical findings, using trend analysis over 10 semiannual time periods. To evaluate potential overuse of ANCR, we assessed the proportion of reports with non-critical results among provider-communicated reports. The proportion of reports with critical results among reports without documented communication decreased significantly over 4 years (2009-2014) from 0.19 to 0.05 (pcommunicated reports with non-critical results remained unchanged over time before and after ANCR implementation (0.20 to 0.15, p=0.45, Cochran-Armitage trend test). A patient safety initiative with an alert notification system reduced the proportion of critical results among reports lacking documented communication between care providers. We observed no change in documented communication of non-critical results, suggesting the system did not promote overuse. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether such systems prevent subsequent patient harm. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Effects of an alert system on implantable cardioverter defibrillator-related anxiety

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duru, Firat; Dorian, Paul; Favale, Stefano

2010-01-01

failing to receive needed therapy for the same reason. New devices include programmable vibrating patient notifiers (PN), which, by warning patients of a possible device dysfunction, might lower device-related anxiety. PAtient NOtifier feature for Reduction of Anxiety: a Multicentre ICD study (PANORAMIC......) is a multicentre, randomized, clinical trial designed to examine the effects of the awareness of an active vibrating alert system on device-related anxiety....

Real-time Seismic Alert System of NIED

Science.gov (United States)

Horiuchi, S.; Fujinawa, Y.; Negishi, H.; Matsumoto, T.; Fujiwara, H.; Kunugi, T.; Hayashi, Y.

2001-12-01

An extensive seismic network has been constructed nationwide composed of hi-sensitivity seismographic network, broadband seismographic network and strong motion seismographic network. All these data from some 3,000 sites belonging to NIED, JMA and universities are to be accumulated and distributed through NIED to any scientists and engineering through INTERNET under the coordination of the National Seismic Research Committee of MEXT. As a practical application of those data we are now developing a real-time seismic alert information system for the purpose of providing short-term warning of imminent strong grounds motions from major earthquakes from several seconds to a few days. The contents of information are seismic focal parameters (several seconds), seismic fault plane solutions (some 10 seconds), after-shock activities (several minutes-a few days ). The fundamental fault parameters are used to build specific information at sites for particular users for use of triggering automated and /or half-automated responses. The most important application is an immediate estimate of expected shaking distribution and damages in a district using synthetic database and site effects for local governments to initial proper measures of hazard mitigation. Another application is estimation of arrival time and shaking strength at any individual site for human lives to be safeguarded. The system could also start an automatic electrical isolation and protection of computer systems, protection of hazardous chronic systems, transportation systems and so on. The information are corrected successively as seismic ground motion are received at a larger number of sites in time with the result that more accurate and more sophisticated earthquake information is transmitted to any user. Besides the rapid determination of seismic parameters, one of essential items in this alert system is the data transmission means. The data transmission is chosen to assure negligibly small delay of data

Alerting or Somnogenic Light: Pick Your Color

Science.gov (United States)

Bourgin, Patrice; Hubbard, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

In mammals, light exerts pervasive effects on physiology and behavior in two ways: indirectly through clock synchronization and the phase adjustment of circadian rhythms, and directly through the promotion of alertness and sleep, respectively, in diurnal and nocturnal species. A recent report by Pilorz and colleagues describes an even more complex role for the acute effects of light. In mice, blue light acutely causes behavioral arousal, whereas green wavelengths promote sleep. These opposing effects are mediated by melanopsin-based phototransduction through different neural pathways. These findings reconcile nocturnal and diurnal species through a common alerting response to blue light. One can hypothesize that the opposite responses to natural polychromatic light in night- or day-active animals may reflect higher sensitivity of nocturnal species to green, and diurnals to blue wavelengths, resulting in hypnogenic and alerting effects, respectively. Additional questions remain to be clarified. How do different light wavelengths affect other behaviors such as mood and cognition? How do those results apply to humans? How does light pose either a risk or benefit, depending on whether one needs to be asleep or alert? Indeed, in addition to timing, luminance levels, and light exposure duration, these findings stress the need to understand how best to adapt the color spectrum of light to our needs and to take this into account for the design of daily lighting concepts—a key challenge for today’s society, especially with the emergence of LED light technology. PMID:27525420

Alerting or Somnogenic Light: Pick Your Color.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrice Bourgin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In mammals, light exerts pervasive effects on physiology and behavior in two ways: indirectly through clock synchronization and the phase adjustment of circadian rhythms, and directly through the promotion of alertness and sleep, respectively, in diurnal and nocturnal species. A recent report by Pilorz and colleagues describes an even more complex role for the acute effects of light. In mice, blue light acutely causes behavioral arousal, whereas green wavelengths promote sleep. These opposing effects are mediated by melanopsin-based phototransduction through different neural pathways. These findings reconcile nocturnal and diurnal species through a common alerting response to blue light. One can hypothesize that the opposite responses to natural polychromatic light in night- or day-active animals may reflect higher sensitivity of nocturnal species to green, and diurnals to blue wavelengths, resulting in hypnogenic and alerting effects, respectively. Additional questions remain to be clarified. How do different light wavelengths affect other behaviors such as mood and cognition? How do those results apply to humans? How does light pose either a risk or benefit, depending on whether one needs to be asleep or alert? Indeed, in addition to timing, luminance levels, and light exposure duration, these findings stress the need to understand how best to adapt the color spectrum of light to our needs and to take this into account for the design of daily lighting concepts-a key challenge for today's society, especially with the emergence of LED light technology.

Physicians' Perceptions on the usefulness of contextual information for prioritizing and presenting alerts in computerized physician order entry systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jung Martin

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background One possible approach towards avoiding alert overload and alert fatigue in Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE systems is to tailor their drug safety alerts to the context of the clinical situation. Our objective was to identify the perceptions of physicians on the usefulness of clinical context information for prioritizing and presenting drug safety alerts. Methods We performed a questionnaire survey, inquiring CPOE-using physicians from four hospitals in four European countries to estimate the usefulness of 20 possible context factors. Results The 223 participants identified the ‘severity of the effect’ and the ‘clinical status of the patient’ as the most useful context factors. Further important factors are the ‘complexity of the case’ and the ‘risk factors of the patient’. Conclusions Our findings confirm the results of a prior, comparable survey inquiring CPOE researchers. Further research should focus on implementing these context factors in CPOE systems and on subsequently evaluating their impact.

Volcanic Alert System (VAS) developed during the (2011-2013) El Hierro (Canary Islands) volcanic process

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Ramon; Berrocoso, Manuel; Marrero, Jose Manuel; Fernandez-Ros, Alberto; Prates, Gonçalo; De la Cruz-Reyna, Servando; Garcia, Alicia

2014-05-01

In volcanic areas with long repose periods (as El Hierro), recently installed monitoring networks offer no instrumental record of past eruptions nor experience in handling a volcanic crisis. Both conditions, uncertainty and inexperience, contribute to make the communication of hazard more difficult. In fact, in the initial phases of the unrest at El Hierro, the perception of volcanic risk was somewhat distorted, as even relatively low volcanic hazards caused a high political impact. The need of a Volcanic Alert System became then evident. In general, the Volcanic Alert System is comprised of the monitoring network, the software tools for the analysis of the observables, the management of the Volcanic Activity Level, and the assessment of the threat. The Volcanic Alert System presented here places special emphasis on phenomena associated to moderate eruptions, as well as on volcano-tectonic earthquakes and landslides, which in some cases, as in El Hierro, may be more destructive than an eruption itself. As part of the Volcanic Alert System, we introduce here the Volcanic Activity Level which continuously applies a routine analysis of monitoring data (particularly seismic and deformation data) to detect data trend changes or monitoring network failures. The data trend changes are quantified according to the Failure Forecast Method (FFM). When data changes and/or malfunctions are detected, by an automated watchdog, warnings are automatically issued to the Monitoring Scientific Team. Changes in the data patterns are then translated by the Monitoring Scientific Team into a simple Volcanic Activity Level, that is easy to use and understand by the scientists and technicians in charge for the technical management of the unrest. The main feature of the Volcanic Activity Level is its objectivity, as it does not depend on expert opinions, which are left to the Scientific Committee, and its capabilities for early detection of precursors. As a consequence of the El Hierro

Quality and safety implications of emergency department information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Farley, Heather L; Baumlin, Kevin M; Hamedani, Azita G; Cheung, Dickson S; Edwards, Michael R; Fuller, Drew C; Genes, Nicholas; Griffey, Richard T; Kelly, John J; McClay, James C; Nielson, Jeff; Phelan, Michael P; Shapiro, Jason S; Stone-Griffith, Suzanne; Pines, Jesse M

2013-10-01

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services "meaningful use" incentive programs, in tandem with the boundless additional requirements for detailed reporting of quality metrics, have galvanized hospital efforts to implement hospital-based electronic health records. As such, emergency department information systems (EDISs) are an important and unique component of most hospitals' electronic health records. System functionality varies greatly and affects physician decisionmaking, clinician workflow, communication, and, ultimately, the overall quality of care and patient safety. This article is a joint effort by members of the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Section and the Informatics Section of the American College of Emergency Physicians. The aim of this effort is to examine the benefits and potential threats to quality and patient safety that could result from the choice of a particular EDIS, its implementation and optimization, and the hospital's or physician group's approach to continuous improvement of the EDIS. Specifically, we explored the following areas of potential EDIS safety concerns: communication failure, wrong order-wrong patient errors, poor data display, and alert fatigue. Case studies are presented that illustrate the potential harm that could befall patients from an inferior EDIS product or suboptimal execution of such a product in the clinical environment. The authors have developed 7 recommendations to improve patient safety with respect to the deployment of EDISs. These include ensuring that emergency providers actively participate in selection of the EDIS product, in the design of processes related to EDIS implementation and optimization, and in the monitoring of the system's ongoing success or failure. Our recommendations apply to emergency departments using any type of EDIS: custom-developed systems, best-of-breed vendor systems, or enterprise systems

Exploring the heavy air pollution in Beijing in the fourth quarter of 2015: assessment of environmental benefits for red alerts

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Teng; Nie, Lei; Zhou, Zhen; Wang, Zhanshan; Xue, Yifeng; Gao, Jiajia; Wu, Xiaoqing; Fan, Shoubin; Cheng, Linglong

2018-06-01

In recent years, Beijing has experienced severe air pollution which has caused widespread public concern. Compared to the same period in 2014, the first three quarters of 2015 exhibited significantly improved air quality. However, the air quality sharply declined in the fourth quarter of 2015, especially in November and December. During that time, Beijing issued the first red alert for severe air pollution in history. In total, 2 red alerts, 3 orange alerts, 3 yellow alerts, and 3 blue alerts were issued based on the adoption of relatively temporary emergency control measures to mitigate air pollution. This study explored the reasons for these variations in air quality and assessed the effectiveness of emergency alerts in addressing severe air pollution. A synthetic analysis of emission variations and meteorological conditions was performed to better understand these extreme air pollution episodes in the fourth quarter of 2015. The results showed that compared to those in the same period in 2014, the daily average emissions of air pollutants decreased in the fourth quarter of 2015. However, the emission levels of primary pollutants were still relatively high, which was the main intrinsic cause of haze episodes, and unfavorable meteorological conditions represented important external factors. Emergency control measures for heavy air pollution were implemented during this red alert period, decreasing the emissions of primary air pollutants by approximately 36% and the PM2.5 concentration by 11%‒21%.

Self-Alert Training: Volitional Modulation of Autonomic Arousal Improves Sustained Attention

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connell, Redmond G.; Bellgrove, Mark A.; Dockree, Paul M.; Lau, Adam; Fitzgerald, Michael; Robertson, Ian H.

2008-01-01

The present study examines a new alertness training strategy (Self-Alert Training, SAT) designed to explore the relationship between the top-down control processes governing arousal and sustained attention. In order to maximally target frontal control systems SAT combines a previously validated behavioural self-alerting technique [Robertson, I.…

An Investigation of an RFID-based Patient-tracking and Mobile Alert System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.L. Yeung

2011-02-01

Full Text Available In the modern era, patient health is no longer the only concern for hospitals. Hospitals have to bear the responsibility of the patient safety and the patient comfort. However, due to the overcrowded and understaffed clinical areas with complex workflow patterns, there are different forms of medical care errors arisen in the healthcare system. According to recent statistic from World Health Organization, ten of milions of patient around the world are injured or dead every yearas a result of incorrect medical care. Rroughly 10% patients admitted to hospital in developed countries suffered some forms of medical care errors or medical adverse events. It is about 1.4 million of world population.In order to enhance the patient safety and patient comfort in the current medical service system, an RFID‐based Patient Tracking and Mobile Alert System integrated with information communications technology was designed and developed. Apart from identifying different patient’s whereabouts, instant alerts are generated through mobile devices so as to enhance patients’ safety and comfort. With a view of investigating the feasibility of RFID and mobile technology in the healthcare environment, a pilot study was conducted in Mindset Club in the Castle Peak Hospital in Hong Kong.

Gaia Science Alerts: Early Validation Phase Data from Gaia

Science.gov (United States)

Walton, Nicholas; Hodgkin, Simon; van Leeuwen, Floor

2015-08-01

The ESA Gaia satellite launched Dec 2013, and after successful completion of its in orbit commissioning in July 2014, begun routine operations, with the aim to accurately measure the astrometric and astrophysical properties of more than a billion stars in our Milky Way.As a significant by product of its observational scanning law, where each point on the sky is observed multiple times (~80 revisits on average) over the nominal 5 year mission, Gaia has significant utility in detecting new transients, both flux (e.g. Supernovae, Flare stars) and positional (e.g. Asteroids).We will present the current status of the Gaia Photometric Science Alerts (PSA) system that has been developed within the Gaia DPAC. The PSA pipeline provides a quick look analysis of the daily data stream from Gaia, and identifies new photometric alerts, from analysis of the object photometric and the low resolution spectro-photometric data. Via a set of filters, those identified as astrophysical in nature, are published to the community. The information provided currently includes positional and flux information.The Gaia Alerts working group has organised a significant early stage followup campaign, providing access to a wide variety of followup facilities. These have been used to provide classification spectra of the Gaia alert candidates, with the early phase data confirming that the alerts issued are indeed largely astrophysical transients, with only a small contamination rate.The presentation will address the early phase issues that have been addressed in localising and classifying alerts in the early phase of Gaia observations (for instance, how lack of early knowledge of the sky as seen by Gaia was mitigated by reference to external image data), and how the alert rate published by the PSA will ramp up towards the end of 2015, with the availability of more Gaia sky data.Information concerning the Gaia alerts system can be found at http://gaia.ac.uk/selected-gaia-science-alerts

75 FR 26269 - Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the Integrated Public Alert and Warning Program's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-11

... system to alert and warn the American people in situations of war, terrorist attack, natural disaster, or... Order 13407, Public Alert and Warning System, by providing robust and survivable power generation, fuel... of interoperable public alert and warning systems, to identify technologies and standards that...

Implementation Of CAN Based Intelligent Driver Alert System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yin Mar Win Kyaw Myo Maung Maung

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This system is an attempt to analyze Intelligent Driver Alert System Using CAN Protocol. CAN Controller Area Network offer an efficient communication protocol among sensors actuators controllers and other nodes in real-time applications and is known for its simplicity reliability and high performance. It has given an effective way by which can increase the car and driver safety. This system presents the development and implementation of a digital driving system for a semi-autonomous vehicle to improve the driver-vehicle interface using microcontroller based data acquisition system that uses ADC to bring all control data from analog to digital format. In this system the signal information like temperature LM35 sensor if the temperature increase above the 60 o C and ultrasonic sensor is adapted to measure the distance between the object and vehicle if obstacle is detected within 75cm from the vehicle the controller gives buzzer to the driver speed measure using RPM sensor if revolution increase up to 1200 per minute controller act and to avoid the maximum revolution and to check the fuel level continuously and display in the percentage if fuel level below 20 percent the controller also gives buzzer to the driver and distance fuel level and temperature continuously display on the LCD.

Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of BacT/Alert Virtuo Blood Culture System.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Michael R; Mazzulli, Tony; Hazen, Kevin C; Good, Caryn E; Abdelhamed, Ayman M; Lo, Pauline; Shum, Bianche; Roman, Katharine P; Robinson, Danielle C

2017-08-01

BacT/Alert Virtuo is an advanced, automated blood culture system incorporating improved automation and an enhanced detection algorithm to shorten time to detection. A multicenter study of the investigational Virtuo system (bioMérieux, Inc., Durham, NC) compared to BacT/Alert 3D (BTA3D) for detection of bacteremia/fungemia in four bottle types, SA and FA Plus (aerobic) and SN and FN Plus (anaerobic), was performed in a clinical setting with patient samples in a matched system design clinical trial. Blood was added to paired aerobic or anaerobic bottles, with the volume in each bottle in each pair required to be ≤10 ml and with the volumes required to be within 30% of each other. Of 5,709 bottle sets (52.5% aerobic pairs and 47.5% anaerobic pairs), 430 (7.5%) were positive for bacterial or fungal growth, with 342 (6.0%) clinically significant and 83 (1.5%) contaminated. A total of 3,539 sets (62.0%) were volume compliant, with 203 sets (5.7%) clinically significant. The positivity rates for volume-compliant bottle pairs determined by the two systems were comparable, with 68.7% of clinically significant isolates detected by both instruments, 15.7% by Virtuo only, and 15.7% by BTA3D only. Virtuo detected microbial growth nearly 2 h sooner overall than BTA3D (mean, 15.9 h versus 17.7 h). Shorter time to detection by Virtuo was related to organism group, with the time to detection being significantly shorter for enteric Gram-negative bacilli and enterococci (means, 3.6 h and 2.3 h shorter, respectively). This large clinical study demonstrated that the Virtuo blood culture system produced results comparable to those seen with the long-established BTA3D system, with significantly shorter time to detection. Copyright © 2017 Jacobs et al.

Use of Circadian Lighting System to improve night shift alertness and performance of NRC Headquarters Operations Officers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, T.L.; Morisseau, D.; Murphy, N.M.

1995-01-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Headquarters Operations Officers (HOOs) receive and respond to events reported in the nuclear industry on a 24-hour basis. The HOOs have reported reduced alertness on the night shift, leading to a potential deterioration in their on-shift cognitive performance during the early morning hours. For some HOOs, maladaptation to the night shift was also reported to be the principal cause of: (a) reduced alertness during the commute to and from work, (b) poor sleep quality, and (c) personal lifestyle problems. ShiftWork Systems, Inc. (SWS) designed and installed a Circadian Lighting System (CLS) at both the Bethesda and Rockville HOO stations with the goal of facilitating the HOOs physiological adjustment to their night shift schedules. The data indicate the following findings: less subjective fatigue on night shifts; improved night shift alertness and mental performance; higher HOO confidence in their ability to assess event reports; longer, deeper and more restorative day sleep after night duty shifts; swifter adaptation to night work; and a safer commute, particularly for those with extensive drives

Use of Circadian Lighting System to improve night shift alertness and performance of NRC Headquarters Operations Officers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, T.L.; Morisseau, D.; Murphy, N.M. [ShiftWork Systems, Cambridge, MA (United States)] [and others

1995-04-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s (NRC) Headquarters Operations Officers (HOOs) receive and respond to events reported in the nuclear industry on a 24-hour basis. The HOOs have reported reduced alertness on the night shift, leading to a potential deterioration in their on-shift cognitive performance during the early morning hours. For some HOOs, maladaptation to the night shift was also reported to be the principal cause of: (a) reduced alertness during the commute to and from work, (b) poor sleep quality, and (c) personal lifestyle problems. ShiftWork Systems, Inc. (SWS) designed and installed a Circadian Lighting System (CLS) at both the Bethesda and Rockville HOO stations with the goal of facilitating the HOOs physiological adjustment to their night shift schedules. The data indicate the following findings: less subjective fatigue on night shifts; improved night shift alertness and mental performance; higher HOO confidence in their ability to assess event reports; longer, deeper and more restorative day sleep after night duty shifts; swifter adaptation to night work; and a safer commute, particularly for those with extensive drives.

Radiation Alert Immediate Disclosure, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Invocon's Radiation Alert Immediate Disclosure (RAID) system is a miniature, low-power, real-time, active radiation badge. It is designed for monitoring personnel,...

A new CERN Alerter mechanism

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

A new version of the CERN Alerter used for sending urgent messages was installed in July on all centrally managed NICE computers. This latest version is based on RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and all alerts are now displayed in an Internet Explorer window (see the picture). You can print the window by right-clicking on the alert background and selecting the Print option from the menu. If the message is not urgent, then the alert will only appear as a "balloon" window the following morning or at next logon. Non-Windows computers can also subscribe to this service by using their browser as an RSS reader (Really Simple Syndication). All recent web browsers can act as RSS readers, including Firefox and Safari. Simply subscribe to the following RSS feed: http://cern.ch/cernalerts/alerts.aspx to see all messages sent by the central services. More information on the CERN Alerter is available at: https://cern.ch/winservices/Help/?kbid=060810. Documentation on reading RSS feeds fr...

A new CERN Alerter mechanism

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

A new version of the CERN Alerter used for sending urgent messages was installed in July on all centrally managed NICE computers. This latest version is based on RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and all alerts are now displayed in an Internet Explorer window (see picture). You can print the window by right-clicking on the alert background and selecting the Print option from the menu. If the message is not urgent, the alert will only appear as a "balloon" window the following morning or at next log-on. Non-Windows computers can also subscribe to this service by using their browser as an RSS reader. All recent web browsers can act as RSS readers, including Firefox and Safari. Simply subscribe to the following RSS feed: http://cern.ch/cernalerts/alerts.aspx to see all messages sent by the central services. More information on the CERN Alerter is available at: https://cern.ch/winservices/Help/?kbid=060810. Documentation on reading RSS fee...

A clinical data warehouse-based process for refining medication orders alerts.

Science.gov (United States)

Boussadi, Abdelali; Caruba, Thibaut; Zapletal, Eric; Sabatier, Brigitte; Durieux, Pierre; Degoulet, Patrice

2012-01-01

The objective of this case report is to evaluate the use of a clinical data warehouse coupled with a clinical information system to test and refine alerts for medication orders control before they were fully implemented. A clinical decision rule refinement process was used to assess alerts. The criteria assessed were the frequencies of alerts for initial prescriptions of 10 medications whose dosage levels depend on renal function thresholds. In the first iteration of the process, the frequency of the 'exceeds maximum daily dose' alerts was 7.10% (617/8692), while that of the 'under dose' alerts was 3.14% (273/8692). Indicators were presented to the experts. During the different iterations of the process, 45 (16.07%) decision rules were removed, 105 (37.5%) were changed and 136 new rules were introduced. Extensive retrospective analysis of physicians' medication orders stored in a clinical data warehouse facilitates alert optimization toward the goal of maximizing the safety of the patient and minimizing overridden alerts.

75 FR 67201 - Flightcrew Alerting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-02

... two different senses for warning and caution alerts. Identifying an alert and determining corrective... pilots to the urgency that should be associated with the meaning of these colors, which could increase... consistent and standardized color usage is desirable to ensure the pilot understands the urgency of an alert...

Sensor Alerting Capability

Science.gov (United States)

Henriksson, Jakob; Bermudez, Luis; Satapathy, Goutam

2013-04-01

There is a large amount of sensor data generated today by various sensors, from in-situ buoys to mobile underwater gliders. Providing sensor data to the users through standardized services, language and data model is the promise of OGC's Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) initiative. As the amount of data grows it is becoming difficult for data providers, planners and managers to ensure reliability of data and services and to monitor critical data changes. Intelligent Automation Inc. (IAI) is developing a net-centric alerting capability to address these issues. The capability is built on Sensor Observation Services (SOSs), which is used to collect and monitor sensor data. The alerts can be configured at the service level and at the sensor data level. For example it can alert for irregular data delivery events or a geo-temporal statistic of sensor data crossing a preset threshold. The capability provides multiple delivery mechanisms and protocols, including traditional techniques such as email and RSS. With this capability decision makers can monitor their assets and data streams, correct failures or be alerted about a coming phenomena.

Seasonal ARMA-based SPC charts for anomaly detection: Application to emergency department systems

KAUST Repository

Kadri, Farid; Harrou, Fouzi; Chaabane, Sondè s; Sun, Ying; Tahon, Christian

2015-01-01

Monitoring complex production systems is primordial to ensure management, reliability and safety as well as maintaining the desired product quality. Early detection of emergent abnormal behaviour in monitored systems allows pre-emptive action to prevent more serious consequences, to improve system operations and to reduce manufacturing and/or service costs. This study reports the design of a new methodology for the detection of abnormal situations based on the integration of time-series analysis models and statistical process control (SPC) tools for the joint development of a monitoring system to help supervising of the behaviour of emergency department services (EDs). The monitoring system developed is able to provide early alerts in the event of abnormal situations. The seasonal autoregressive moving average (SARMA)-based exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) anomaly detection scheme proposed was successfully applied to the practical data collected from the database of the paediatric emergency department (PED) at Lille regional hospital centre, France. The method developed utilizes SARMA as a modelling framework and EWMA for anomaly detection. The EWMA control chart is applied to the uncorrelated residuals obtained from the SARMA model. The detection results of the EWMA chart are compared with two other commonly applied residual-based tests: a Shewhart individuals chart and a Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) control chart.

Seasonal ARMA-based SPC charts for anomaly detection: Application to emergency department systems

KAUST Repository

Kadri, Farid

2015-10-22

Monitoring complex production systems is primordial to ensure management, reliability and safety as well as maintaining the desired product quality. Early detection of emergent abnormal behaviour in monitored systems allows pre-emptive action to prevent more serious consequences, to improve system operations and to reduce manufacturing and/or service costs. This study reports the design of a new methodology for the detection of abnormal situations based on the integration of time-series analysis models and statistical process control (SPC) tools for the joint development of a monitoring system to help supervising of the behaviour of emergency department services (EDs). The monitoring system developed is able to provide early alerts in the event of abnormal situations. The seasonal autoregressive moving average (SARMA)-based exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) anomaly detection scheme proposed was successfully applied to the practical data collected from the database of the paediatric emergency department (PED) at Lille regional hospital centre, France. The method developed utilizes SARMA as a modelling framework and EWMA for anomaly detection. The EWMA control chart is applied to the uncorrelated residuals obtained from the SARMA model. The detection results of the EWMA chart are compared with two other commonly applied residual-based tests: a Shewhart individuals chart and a Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) control chart.

[Summarizing of medicinal alerts in Ivory Coast from 2001 till 2010].

Science.gov (United States)

N'Guessan-Irié, Amenan Geneviève; Yavo, Jean-Claude; Guillaume Amari, Antoine Serge; Yapi, Ange Désiré

2012-01-01

STUDY'S AIM: This study aims a more efficient follow-up of the safety of medicines with human usage on the Ivory Coast territory. The structure responsible for pharmacovigilance in Ivory Coast i.e. DPM listed the medicinal alerts from 2001 till 2010. It emerges 237 medicinal alerts among which 145 stops of marketing, 55 withdrawals of lots, 33 information notes and 4 levying of suspension of medicines. These alerts result mainly from pharmaceutical companies (49%) and the French Drug Agency or ANSM (ex-Afssaps) (43%). They mainly concern drugs of infectious target (22%) and pneumology (18%) and their motivations are so much industrial with mainly commercial reasons (27%) as of pharmacovigilance dominated by unfavorable profit/risk connections. These results constitute an important database for the survey of the medicines market in Ivory Coast and an additional motivation to accelerate the implementation of a real national center of pharmacovigilance. © 2012 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Contributors to Frequent Telehealth Alerts Including False Alerts for Patients with Heart Failure: A Mixed Methods Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Radhakrishna, K.; Bowles, K.; Zettek-Sumner, A.

2013-01-01

Summary Background Telehealth data overload through high alert generation is a significant barrier to sustained adoption of telehealth for managing HF patients. Objective To explore the factors contributing to frequent telehealth alerts including false alerts for Medicare heart failure (HF) patients admitted to a home health agency. Materials and Methods A mixed methods design that combined quantitative correlation analysis of patient characteristic data with number of telehealth alerts and qualitative analysis of telehealth and visiting nurses’ notes on follow-up actions to patients’ telehealth alerts was employed. All the quantitative and qualitative data was collected through retrospective review of electronic records of the home heath agency. Results Subjects in the study had a mean age of 83 (SD = 7.6); 56% were female. Patient co-morbidities (ppatient characteristics along with establishing patient-centered telehealth outcome goals may allow meaningful generation of telehealth alerts. Reducing avoidable telehealth alerts could vastly improve the efficiency and sustainability of telehealth programs for HF management. PMID:24454576

Randomized Trial of Intelligent Sensor System for Early Illness Alerts in Senior Housing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rantz, Marilyn; Phillips, Lorraine J; Galambos, Colleen; Lane, Kari; Alexander, Gregory L; Despins, Laurel; Koopman, Richelle J; Skubic, Marjorie; Hicks, Lanis; Miller, Steven; Craver, Andy; Harris, Bradford H; Deroche, Chelsea B

2017-10-01

Measure the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of using sensor data from an environmentally embedded sensor system for early illness recognition. This sensor system has demonstrated in pilot studies to detect changes in function and in chronic diseases or acute illnesses on average 10 days to 2 weeks before usual assessment methods or self-reports of illness. Prospective intervention study in 13 assisted living (AL) communities of 171 residents randomly assigned to intervention (n=86) or comparison group (n=85) receiving usual care. Intervention participants lived with the sensor system an average of one year. Continuous data collected 24 hours/7 days a week from motion sensors to measure overall activity, an under mattress bed sensor to capture respiration, pulse, and restlessness as people sleep, and a gait sensor that continuously measures gait speed, stride length and time, and automatically assess for increasing fall risk as the person walks around the apartment. Continuously running computer algorithms are applied to the sensor data and send health alerts to staff when there are changes in sensor data patterns. The randomized comparison group functionally declined more rapidly than the intervention group. Walking speed and several measures from GaitRite, velocity, step length left and right, stride length left and right, and the fall risk measure of functional ambulation profile (FAP) all had clinically significant changes. The walking speed increase (worse) and velocity decline (worse) of 0.073 m/s for comparison group exceeded 0.05 m/s, a value considered to be a minimum clinically important difference. No differences were measured in health care costs. These findings demonstrate that sensor data with health alerts and fall alerts sent to AL nursing staff can be an effective strategy to detect and intervene in early signs of illness or functional decline. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published

'Desa SIAGA', the 'Alert Village': the evolution of an iconic brand in Indonesian public health strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Peter S; Goeman, Lieve; Sofiarini, Rahmi; Djara, Maddi M

2014-07-01

In 1999, the Ministry of Women's Empowerment in Indonesia worked with advertisers in Jakarta and international technical advisors to develop the concept of 'Suami SIAGA', the 'Alert Husband', confronting Indonesian males with their responsibilities to be aware of their wives' needs and ensure early access if needed to trained obstetrics care. The model was rapidly expanded to apply to the 'Desa SIAGA', the 'Alert Village', with communities assuming the responsibility for awareness of the risks of pregnancy and childbirth, and supporting registered pregnant mothers with funding and transportation for emergency obstetric assistance, and identified blood donors. Based on the participant observation, interviews and documentary analysis, this article uses a systems perspective to trace the evolution of that iconic 'brand' as new national and international actors further developed the concept and its application in provincial and national programmes. In 2010, it underwent a further transformation to become 'Desa Siaga Aktif', a national programme with responsibilities expanded to include the provision of basic health services at village level, and the surveillance of communicable disease, monitoring of lifestyle activities and disaster preparedness, in addition to the management of obstetric emergencies. By tracking the use of this single 'brand', the study provides insights into the complex adaptive system of policy and programme development with its rich interactions between multiple international, national, provincial and sectoral stakeholders, the unpredictable responses to feedback from these actors and their activities and the resultant emergence of new policy elements, new programmes and new levels of operation within the system. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2013; all rights reserved.

77 FR 16688 - Review of the Emergency Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-22

... Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) digital protocol utilized by National Weather Service (NWS... been marketing CAP-enabled equipment that conforms to these FEMA-adopted standards, and a significant... of the IPAWS system are still evolving--and the digital world in which that system operates is...

Design and implementation of a marine animal alert system to support Marine Renewable Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Zhiqun; Carlson, Thomas J.; Fu, Tao; Ren, Huiying; Martinez, Jayson J.; Myers, Joshua R.; Matzner, Shari; Choi, Eric Y.; Copping, Andrea E.

2013-08-08

Power extracted from fast moving tidal currents has been identified as a potential commercial-scale source of renewable energy. Device developers and utilities are pursuing deployment of prototype tidal turbines to assess technology viability, site feasibility, and environmental interactions. Deployment of prototype turbines requires permits from a range of regulatory authorities. Ensuring the safety of marine animals, particularly those under protection of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 has emerged as a key regulatory challenge for initial MHK deployments. The greatest perceived risk to marine animals is from strike by the rotating blades of tidal turbines. Development of the marine mammal alert system (MAAS) was undertaken to support monitoring and mitigation requirements for tidal turbine deployments. The prototype system development focused on Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW), an endangered population of killer whales that frequents Puget Sound and is intermittently present in the part of the sound where deployment of prototype tidal turbines is being considered. Passive acoustics were selected as the primary means because of the vocal nature of these animals. The MAAS passive acoustic system consists of two-stage process involving the use of an energy detector and a spectrogram-based classifier to distinguish between SKRW’s calls and noise. A prototype consisting of two 2D symmetrical star arrays separated by 20 m center to center was built and evaluated in the waters of Sequim Bay using whale call playback.

47 CFR 11.11 - The Emergency Alert System (EAS).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... transmission of data such as interactive games. Wireless Cable Systems (BRS/EBS STATIONS) [A. Wireless cable... the entity that has acquired the right to use the channels of a wireless cable system for transmission... stations including AM, FM, and Low-power FM (LPFM) stations; digital audio broadcasting (DAB) stations...

Enhanced 911/global position system wizard: a telemedicine application for the prevention of severe hypoglycemia--monitor, alert, and locate.

Science.gov (United States)

Dassau, Eyal; Jovanovic, Lois; Doyle, Francis J; Zisser, Howard C

2009-11-01

Intensive insulin therapy has an inherent risk of hypoglycemia that can lead to loss of consciousness, cardiac arrhythmia, seizure, and death ("dead-in-bed syndrome"). This risk of hypoglycemia is a major concern for patients, families, and physicians. The need for an automated system that can alert in the event of severe hypoglycemia is evident. In engineering systems, where there is a risk of malfunction of the primary control system, alert and safety mechanisms are implemented in layers of protection. This concept has been adopted in the proposed system that integrates a hypoglycemia prediction algorithm with a global position system (GPS) locator and short message service such that the current glucose value with the rate of change (ROC) and the location of the subject can be communicated to a predefined list. Furthermore, if the system is linked to the insulin pump, it can suspend the pump or decrease the basal insulin infusion rate to prevent the pending event. The system was evaluated on clinical datasets of glucose tracings from the DexCom Seven system. Glucose tracings were analyzed for hypoglycemia events and then a text message was broadcast to a predefined list of people who were notified with the glucose value, ROC, GPS coordinates, and a Google map of the location. In addition to providing a safety layer to a future artificial pancreas, this system also can be easily implemented in current continuous glucose monitors to help provide information and alerts to people with diabetes.

Building a Communication, Education, an Outreach Program for the ShakeAlert National Earthquake Early Warning Program

Science.gov (United States)

DeGroot, R. M.; Strauss, J. A.; Given, D. D.; Cochran, E. S.; Burkett, E. R.; Long, K.

2016-12-01

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems can provide as much as tens of seconds of warning to people and automated systems before strong shaking arrives. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners are developing an EEW system for the West Coast of the United States. To be an integral part of successful implementation, EEW engagement programs and materials must integrate with and leverage broader earthquake risk programs. New methods and products for dissemination must be multidisciplinary, cost effective, and consistent with existing hazards education efforts. Our presentation outlines how the USGS and its partners will approach this effort in the context of the EEW system through the work of a multistate and multiagency committee that participates in the design, implementation, and evaluation of a portfolio of programs and products. This committee, referred to as the ShakeAlert Joint Committee for Communication, Education, and Outreach (ShakeAlert CEO), is working to identify, develop, and cultivate partnerships with EEW stakeholders including Federal, State, academic partners, private companies, policy makers, and local organizations. Efforts include developing materials, methods for delivery, and reaching stakeholders with information on EEW, earthquake preparedness, and emergency protective actions. It is essential to develop standards to ensure information communicated via the EEW alerts is consistent across the public and private sector and achieving a common understanding of what actions users take when they receive an EEW warning. The USGS and the participating states and agencies acknowledge that the implementation of EEW is a collective effort requiring the participation of hundreds of stakeholders committed to ensuring public accessibility.

Influencing Anesthesia Provider Behavior Using Anesthesia Information Management System Data for Near Real-Time Alerts and Post Hoc Reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Epstein, Richard H; Dexter, Franklin; Patel, Neil

2015-09-01

In this review article, we address issues related to using data from anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) to deliver near real-time alerts via AIMS workstation popups and/or alphanumeric pagers and post hoc reports via e-mail. We focus on reports and alerts for influencing the behavior of anesthesia providers (i.e., anesthesiologists, anesthesia residents, and nurse anesthetists). Multiple studies have shown that anesthesia clinical decision support (CDS) improves adherence to protocols and increases financial performance through facilitation of billing, regulatory, and compliance documentation; however, improved clinical outcomes have not been demonstrated. We inform developers and users of feedback systems about the multitude of concerns to consider during development and implementation of CDS to increase its effectiveness and to mitigate its potentially disruptive aspects. We discuss the timing and modalities used to deliver messages, implications of outlier-only versus individualized feedback, the need to consider possible unintended consequences of such feedback, regulations, sustainability, and portability among systems. We discuss statistical issues related to the appropriate evaluation of CDS efficacy. We provide a systematic review of the published literature (indexed in PubMed) of anesthesia CDS and offer 2 case studies of CDS interventions using AIMS data from our own institution illustrating the salient points. Because of the considerable expense and complexity of maintaining near real-time CDS systems, as compared with providing individual reports via e-mail after the fact, we suggest that if the same goal can be accomplished via delayed reporting versus immediate feedback, the former approach is preferable. Nevertheless, some processes require near real-time alerts to produce the desired improvement. Post hoc e-mail reporting from enterprise-wide electronic health record systems is straightforward and can be accomplished using system

Time-to-detection of bacteria and yeast with the BACTEC FX versus BacT/Alert Virtuo blood culture systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Somily, Ali Mohammed; Habib, Hanan Ahmed; Torchyan, Armen Albert; Sayyed, Samina B; Absar, Muhammed; Al-Aqeel, Rima; Binkhamis, A Khalifa

2018-01-01

Bloodstream infections are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Rapid detection of bloodstream infections is important in achieving better patient outcomes. Compare the time-to-detection (TTD) of the new BacT/Alert Virtuo and the BACTEC FX automated blood culture systems. Prospective simulated comparison of two instruments using seeded samples. Medical microbiology laboratory. Blood culture bottles were seeded in triplicate with each of the standard ATCC strains of aerobes, anaerobes and yeast. TTD was calculated as the length of time from the beginning of culture incubation to the detection of bacterial growth. TTD for the various tested organisms on the two microbial detection systems. The 99 bottles of seeded blood cultures incubated in each of the blood culture systems included 21 anaerobic, 39 aerobic and 39 pediatric bottles. The BacT/Alert Virtuo system exhibited significantly shorter TTD for 72.7 % of the tested organisms compared to BACTEC FX system with a median difference in mean TTD of 2.1 hours (interquartile range: 1.5-3.5 hours). The BACTEC FX system was faster in 15.2% (5/33) of microorganisms, with a median difference in mean TTD of 25.9 hours (IQR: 9.1-29.2 hours). TTD was significantly shorter for most of the microorganisms tested on the new BacT/Alert Virtuo system compared to the BACTEC FX system. Use of simulated cultures to assess TTD may not precisely represent clinical blood cultures. None.

Effect of air quality alerts on human health: a regression discontinuity analysis in Toronto, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong; Li, Qiongsi; Kaufman, Jay S; Wang, Jun; Copes, Ray; Su, Yushan; Benmarhnia, Tarik

2018-01-01

Ambient air pollution is a major health risk globally. To reduce adverse health effects on days when air pollution is high, government agencies worldwide have implemented air quality alert programmes. Despite their widespread use, little is known about whether these programmes produce any observable public-health benefits. We assessed the effectiveness of such programmes using a quasi-experimental approach. We assembled a population-based cohort comprising all individuals who resided in the city of Toronto (Ontario, Canada) from 2003 to 2012 (about 2·6 million people). We ascertained seven health outcomes known to be affected by short-term elevation of air pollution, using provincial health administrative databases. These health outcomes were cardiovascular-related mortality, respiratory-related mortality, and hospital admissions or emergency-department visits for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We applied a regression discontinuity design to assess the effectiveness of an intervention (ie, the air quality alert programme). To quantify the effect of the air quality alert programme, we estimated for each outcome both the absolute rate difference and the rate ratio attributable to programme eligibility (by intention-to-treat analysis) and the alerts themselves (by two-stage regression approach), respectively. Between Jan 1, 2003, and Dec 31, 2012, on average between three and 27 daily cardiovascular or respiratory events were reported in Toronto (depending on the outcome). Alert announcements reduced asthma-related emergency-department visits by 4·73 cases per 1 000 000 people per day (95% CI 0·55-9·38), or in relative terms by 25% (95% CI 1-47). Programme eligibility also led to 2·05 (95% CI 0·07-4·00) fewer daily emergency-department visits for asthma. We did not detect a significant reduction in any other health outcome as a result of alert announcements or programme

Simplify the interpretation of alert lists for clinical mastitis in automatic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steeneveld, W.; Gaag, van der M.A.; Barkema, H.W.; Hogeveen, H.

2010-01-01

Based on sensor measurements, an automatic milking system (AMS) generates mastitis alert lists indicating cows which are likely to have clinical mastitis (CM). Because of the general assumption of equal probabilities of developing CM for all cows, all alerts on the list have the same success rate.

Sounding the Alert: Designing an Effective Voice for Earthquake Early Warning

Science.gov (United States)

Burkett, E. R.; Given, D. D.

2015-12-01

The USGS is working with partners to develop the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system (http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2014/3083/) to protect life and property along the U.S. West Coast, where the highest national seismic hazard is concentrated. EEW sends an alert that shaking from an earthquake is on its way (in seconds to tens of seconds) to allow recipients or automated systems to take appropriate actions at their location to protect themselves and/or sensitive equipment. ShakeAlert is transitioning toward a production prototype phase in which test users might begin testing applications of the technology. While a subset of uses will be automated (e.g., opening fire house doors), other applications will alert individuals by radio or cellphone notifications and require behavioral decisions to protect themselves (e.g., "Drop, Cover, Hold On"). The project needs to select and move forward with a consistent alert sound to be widely and quickly recognized as an earthquake alert. In this study we combine EEW science and capabilities with an understanding of human behavior from the social and psychological sciences to provide insight toward the design of effective sounds to help best motivate proper action by alert recipients. We present a review of existing research and literature, compiled as considerations and recommendations for alert sound characteristics optimized for EEW. We do not yet address wording of an audible message about the earthquake (e.g., intensity and timing until arrival of shaking or possible actions), although it will be a future component to accompany the sound. We consider pitch(es), loudness, rhythm, tempo, duration, and harmony. Important behavioral responses to sound to take into account include that people respond to discordant sounds with anxiety, can be calmed by harmony and softness, and are innately alerted by loud and abrupt sounds, although levels high enough to be auditory stressors can negatively impact human judgment.

ECG Holter monitor with alert system and mobile application

Science.gov (United States)

Teron, Abigail C.; Rivera, Pedro A.; Goenaga, Miguel A.

2016-05-01

This paper proposes a new approach on the Holter monitor by creating a portable Electrocardiogram (ECG) Holter monitor that will alert the user by detecting abnormal heart beats using a digital signal processing software. The alarm will be triggered when the patient experiences arrhythmias such as bradycardia and tachycardia. The equipment is simple, comfortable and small in size that fit in the hand. It can be used at any time and any moment by placing three leads to the person's chest which is connected to an electronic circuit. The ECG data will be transmitted via Bluetooth to the memory of a selected mobile phone using an application that will store the collected data for up to 24 hrs. The arrhythmia is identified by comparing the reference signals with the user's signal. The diagnostic results demonstrate that the ECG Holter monitor alerts the user when an arrhythmia is detected thru the Holter monitor and mobile application.

Dynamic malware containment under an epidemic model with alert

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tianrui; Yang, Lu-Xing; Yang, Xiaofan; Wu, Yingbo; Tang, Yuan Yan

2017-03-01

Alerting at the early stage of malware invasion turns out to be an important complement to malware detection and elimination. This paper addresses the issue of how to dynamically contain the prevalence of malware at a lower cost, provided alerting is feasible. A controlled epidemic model with alert is established, and an optimal control problem based on the epidemic model is formulated. The optimality system for the optimal control problem is derived. The structure of an optimal control for the proposed optimal control problem is characterized under some conditions. Numerical examples show that the cost-efficiency of an optimal control strategy can be enhanced by adjusting the upper and lower bounds on admissible controls.

Unintended consequences of reducing QT-alert overload in a computerized physician order entry system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.H. van der Sijs (Heleen); R. Kowlesar (Ravi); J.E.C.M. Aarts (Jos); M. Berg (Marc); A.G. Vulto (Arnold); T. van Gelder (Teun)

2009-01-01

textabstractPurpose: After complaints of too many low-specificity drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerts on QT prolongation, the rules for QT alerting in the Dutch national drug database were restricted in 2007 to obviously QT-prolonging drugs. The aim of this virtual study was to investigate whether

The Design and Implementation of a Prototype Web-Portal for the Integrated Mobile Alerting System (IMAS)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Le, Phong D; Hsu, Michael

2006-01-01

.... It demonstrates that a web-portal written in PHP script supported by a relational database is a good configuration for IMAS. Additionally, a proof of concept system that converts messages into disseminated mobile alerts is presented. This thesis marks the founding steps in developing the IMAS.

The Early Awareness and Alert System in Sweden: History and Current Status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Eriksson

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Over the past decades, early awareness and alert (EAA activities and systems have gained importance and become a key early health technology assessment (HTA tool. While a pioneer in HTA, Sweden had no national level EAA activities until 2010. We describe the evolution and current status of the Swedish EAA System.Methods: This was a historical analysis based on the knowledge and experience of the authors supplemented by a targeted review of published and gray literature as well as documents relating to EAA activities in Sweden. Key milestones and a description of the current state of the Swedish EAA System is presented.Results: Initiatives to establish a system for the identification and assessment of emerging health technologies in Sweden date back to the 1980s. In the 1990s, the Swedish Agency for HTA and Assessment of Social Services (SBU supported the development of EuroScan as one of its founder members. In the mid-2000s, an independent regional initiative, driven by the Stockholm County Drug and Therapeutics Committee, resulted in the establishment of a regional horizon scanning function. By 2009, this work had expanded to a collaboration between the four biggest counties in Sweden. The following year it was further expanded to the national level and since then the Swedish EAA System has been carrying out identification, filtration and prioritization of new medicines, early assessment of the prioritized medicines, and dissemination of information. In 2015, the EAA System was incorporated into the Swedish national process for managed introduction and follow-up of new medicines. Outputs from the EAA System are now used to select new medicines for inclusion in this process.Conclusions: The Swedish EAA System started as a regional initiative and rapidly grew to become a national level activity. An important feature of the system today is its complete integration into the national process for managed introduction and follow-up of

The results of the Seismic Alert System of Mexico SASMEX, during the earthquakes of 7 and 19 of September 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Espinosa Aranda, J. M., Sr.; Cuellar Martinez, A.

2017-12-01

The Seismic Alert System of Mexico, SASMEX began in 1991, is integrated by the seismic alert system of Mexico City and the seismic alert system of Oaxaca. SASMEX has 97 seismic sensors which are distributed in the seismic regions of the Pacific coast and the South of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Puebla. The alert dissemination covers the cities of: Acapulco, Chilpancingo, Morelia, Puebla, Oaxaca, Toluca and Mexico City, reaching the earthquake warnings to more than 25 millions of people. SASMEX has detected correctly more than 5600 earthquakes and warned 156. Mexico City has different alert dissemination systems like several Radio and Tv commercial broadcasters, dedicated radio receivers, EAS-SAME-SARMEX radio receivers and more tha 6700 public loud speakers. The other cities have only some of those systems. The Mw 8.2 Chiapas earthquake on September 7, despite the epicentral distance far of the first seismic detections (more than 180 km) and the low amplitudes of the P waves, the earthquake warning time gave more than 90 seconds to Mexico City before the arrivals of S waves with minor damages to the city in contrast with high damages in towns in the coast. This earthquake offered an opportunity to show the developments and lacks to reduce the risk, such as the need to increase the seismic detection coverage and the earthquake warning dissemination in towns with high seismic vulnerability. The Mw 7.1 Morelos earthquake on September 19 caused thousands of damages and hundreds of deaths and injuries in Mexico City, this earthquake is the second with the most damages after the Mw 8.1 Michoacán earthquake of September 19 on 1985. The earthquake early warning gave 11 seconds after the arrivals of S waves, however the activation occurred few seconds after the P waves arrives to Mexico City, and due to the seismic focus was near to the city, the P waves were felt for the people. The Accelerographic Network

Communication of Unexpected and Significant Findings on Chest Radiographs With an Automated PACS Alert System.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hayes, Sara A

2014-08-01

An integral part of realizing the enormous potential of imaging in patient care is close communication between radiologists and referring physicians. One key element of this process is the communication of unexpected significant findings. The authors examined the performance of a PACS-based alert system in the appropriate communication of reports containing unexpected significant findings to referring physicians.

Automated health alerts from Kinect-based in-home gait measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Erik E; Skubic, Marjorie; Back, Jessica

2014-01-01

A method for automatically generating alerts to clinicians in response to changes in in-home gait parameters is investigated. Kinect-based gait measurement systems were installed in apartments in a senior living facility. The systems continuously monitored the walking speed, stride time, and stride length of apartment residents. A framework for modeling uncertainty in the residents' gait parameter estimates, which is critical for robust change detection, is developed; along with an algorithm for detecting changes that may be clinically relevant. Three retrospective case studies, of individuals who had their gait monitored for periods ranging from 12 to 29 months, are presented to illustrate use of the alert method. Evidence suggests that clinicians could be alerted to health changes at an early stage, while they are still small and interventions may be most successful. Additional potential uses are also discussed.

CAP--a combined codes, alarms and paging system--effective in nuclear and fossil-fueled power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, W.M.; Anderson, M.E.

1981-01-01

The CAP system now employed in two TVA power generating facilities has proven to be effective in both operational and emergency alerting and voice communications. Alternatives to emergency signalling point to advantages of a distributed amplifier/speaker system providing multi-signal and voice capabilities. Inclusion of a CAP-type system in all nuclear and fossil-fueled power plants is recommended, particularly in view of new NCR emergency alerting guidelines recently published. Outdoor-area warning is also included. Paper No. 80 JPGC 803-7

Automated detection of structural alerts (chemical fragments in (ecotoxicology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronan Bureau

2013-02-01

Full Text Available This mini-review describes the evolution of different algorithms dedicated to the automated discovery of chemical fragments associated to (ecotoxicological endpoints. These structural alerts correspond to one of the most interesting approach of in silico toxicology due to their direct link with specific toxicological mechanisms. A number of expert systems are already available but, since the first work in this field which considered a binomial distribution of chemical fragments between two datasets, new data miners were developed and applied with success in chemoinformatics. The frequency of a chemical fragment in a dataset is often at the core of the process for the definition of its toxicological relevance. However, recent progresses in data mining provide new insights into the automated discovery of new rules. Particularly, this review highlights the notion of Emerging Patterns that can capture contrasts between classes of data.

AUTOMATED DETECTION OF STRUCTURAL ALERTS (CHEMICAL FRAGMENTS IN (ECOTOXICOLOGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alban Lepailleur

2013-02-01

Full Text Available This mini-review describes the evolution of different algorithms dedicated to the automated discovery of chemical fragments associated to (ecotoxicological endpoints. These structural alerts correspond to one of the most interesting approach of in silico toxicology due to their direct link with specific toxicological mechanisms. A number of expert systems are already available but, since the first work in this field which considered a binomial distribution of chemical fragments between two datasets, new data miners were developed and applied with success in chemoinformatics. The frequency of a chemical fragment in a dataset is often at the core of the process for the definition of its toxicological relevance. However, recent progresses in data mining provide new insights into the automated discovery of new rules. Particularly, this review highlights the notion of Emerging Patterns that can capture contrasts between classes of data.

Reduced Effectiveness of Interruptive Drug-Drug Interaction Alerts after Conversion to a Commercial Electronic Health Record.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Adam; Aaron, Skye; Seger, Diane L; Samal, Lipika; Schiff, Gordon D; Bates, David W

2018-05-15

Drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerts in electronic health records (EHRs) can help prevent adverse drug events, but such alerts are frequently overridden, raising concerns about their clinical usefulness and contribution to alert fatigue. To study the effect of conversion to a commercial EHR on DDI alert and acceptance rates. Two before-and-after studies. 3277 clinicians who received a DDI alert in the outpatient setting. Introduction of a new, commercial EHR and subsequent adjustment of DDI alerting criteria. Alert burden and proportion of alerts accepted. Overall interruptive DDI alert burden increased by a factor of 6 from the legacy EHR to the commercial EHR. The acceptance rate for the most severe alerts fell from 100 to 8.4%, and from 29.3 to 7.5% for medium severity alerts (P fell by 50.5%, and acceptance of Tier 1 alerts rose from 9.1 to 12.7% (P < 0.01). Changing from a highly tailored DDI alerting system to a more general one as part of an EHR conversion decreased acceptance of DDI alerts and increased alert burden on users. The decrease in acceptance rates cannot be fully explained by differences in the clinical knowledge base, nor can it be fully explained by alert fatigue associated with increased alert burden. Instead, workflow factors probably predominate, including timing of alerts in the prescribing process, lack of differentiation of more and less severe alerts, and features of how users interact with alerts.

Aircraft Alerting Systems Criteria Study. Volume 1. Collation and Analysis of Aircraft Alerting Systems Data

Science.gov (United States)

1977-05-01

ott the.747-Vas opi the 7,37 beca’ws the � has foiiy paralkA.hydrauliu syst~et~s,’wfiereas %the 737 has only two patallel systems. is hefalue f wo...8217.. . -" "" - - - - - OLICTRICAL 2 2 13 2 10 1 EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT 1 1 1 1 - - , PIM PROTECTION 1 3 2 g 2 FLIGHT CONTROLS 2 2F,3 6 2 PLIGHT INITRUMINTATION a 2 a 4 1 1 1

Sellafield Site (including Drigg) emergency scheme manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-02-01

This Scheme defines the organisation and procedures available should there be an accident at the Sellafield Site which results in, or may result in, the release of radioactive material, or the generation of a high radiation field, which might present a hazard to employees and/or the general public. Several categories of emergencies on the Sellafield Site are mentioned; a building emergency which is confined to one building, a Site emergency standby when the effects of a building emergency go outside that building, a Site emergency alert (District Emergency Standby) when a release of activity affects Site operations and could have serious Site effects and a District Emergency Alert when a radioactivity release may interfere with the normal activity of the General Public. A Drigg Emergency Standby situation would operate similarly at the Drigg Site. The detailed arrangements and responsibilities of appointed personnel are set out in this manual. (UK)

Community Alert: Using Text Messaging and Social Media to Improve Campus Emergency Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Connolly, Maureen

2014-01-01

This article describes emergency management and the part that social media technologies and mobile messaging have made when they are included as part of the campus emergency plan. Administrators have found that ample notification and preparedness must be built into campus communication systems. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook…

Regulatory alerts for dietary supplements in Canada and the United States, 2005-13.

Science.gov (United States)

Abe, Andrew M; Hein, Darren J; Gregory, Philip J

2015-06-01

Dietary supplement regulatory alerts published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada were evaluated and characterized. FDA MedWatch and Health Canada websites were reviewed to identify regulatory alerts regarding dietary supplements from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2013. Alerts were analyzed to identify product characteristics that may be predictive of product quality issues and potential patient harm. A total of 1560 dietary supplement-related regulatory alerts were identified. Of those, 1287 (83%) were identified through Health Canada, and 273 (18%) were identified through FDA MedWatch. The country of origin of dietary supplements associated with regulatory alerts was not provided in most regulatory alerts; however, when their origin was provided, the United States was the most common. Dietary supplements intended for sexual enhancement were the subject of 33% of all regulatory alerts identified. Products purchased online were the most likely to be associated with a regulatory alert. Dietary supplements intended for sexual enhancement, weight loss, and bodybuilding or athletic performance appeared to pose the greatest risk for patient harm due to product contamination with a pharmaceutical such as a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor or sibutramine. Analysis of Canadian and U.S. regulatory alerts concerning dietary supplements revealed that more than 80% of the composite alerts were issued by Health Canada. The most common intended uses of supplements for which alerts were issued were sexual enhancement, weight loss, and bodybuilding or athletic performance. The most common reason for alerts was the presence of a pharmaceutical contaminant. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

RSS based CERN Alerter. Information broadcast to all CERN offices.

CERN Multimedia

Otto, R

2007-01-01

Nearly every large organization uses a tool to broadcast messages and information across the internal campus (messages like alerts announcing interruption in services or just information about upcoming events). These tools typically allow administrators (operators) to send "targeted" messages which are sent only to specific groups of users or computers, e/g only those located in a specified building or connected to a particular computing service. CERN has a long history of such tools: CERNVMS€™s SPM_quotMESSAGE command, Zephyr and the most recent the NICE Alerter based on the NNTP protocol. The NICE Alerter used on all Windows-based computers had to be phased out as a consequence of phasing out NNTP at CERN. The new solution to broadcast information messages on the CERN campus continues to provide the service based on cross-platform technologies, hence minimizing custom developments and relying on commercial software as much as possible. The new system, called CERN Alerter, is based on RSS (Really Simpl...

Best Practices in Wireless Emergency Alerts

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

S. & Sorenson, John H. Communication of Emergency Public Warnings: A Social Science Perspective and State-of-the Art Assessment. Oak Ridge National...that reduces the likelihood of loss of life can be valued through actuarial processes but also has value for which there is no accounting. While...in its use and adoption. A computer science professor at the University of California–Berkeley describes one of the lessons learned from this

Implementation of 'early alert system' area detector at patient from entrance in afterloading brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Videla Valdebenito, R.

2001-01-01

A system of area monitors to detect the involuntary exit of the radiation sources used in low dose rate deferred brachytherapy treatment is being implemented in all facilities in Chile. The first implementation of this system, named 'Early Alert', was 5 years ago as a complement to the administrative procedures and verification measures by the medical physics carried out through visual verifications and by means of portable radiation detectors. This detector of the system should be located preferentially at the exit of the treatment room at a height not smaller than two meters. This has resulted in an increase of facilities safety in this practice. (author) [es

Wireless Sensor Node for Autonomous Monitoring and Alerts in Remote Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Monacos, Steve P. (Inventor); Panangadan, Anand V. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program products provides personal alert and tracking capabilities using one or more nodes. Each node includes radio transceiver chips operating at different frequency ranges, a power amplifier, sensors, a display, and embedded software. The chips enable the node to operate as either a mobile sensor node or a relay base station node while providing a long distance relay link between nodes. The power amplifier enables a line-of-sight communication between the one or more nodes. The sensors provide a GPS signal, temperature, and accelerometer information (used to trigger an alert condition). The embedded software captures and processes the sensor information, provides a multi-hop packet routing protocol to relay the sensor information to and receive alert information from a command center, and to display the alert information on the display.

Understanding the context of network traffic alerts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cappers, B.C.M.; van Wijk, J.J.; Best, D.M.; Staheli, D.; Prigent, N.; Engle, S.; Harrison, L.

2016-01-01

For the protection of critical infrastructures against complex virus attacks, automated network traffic analysis and deep packet inspection are unavoidable. However, even with the use of network intrusion detection systems, the number of alerts is still too large to analyze manually. In addition,

Optimization of drug-drug interaction alert rules in a pediatric hospital's electronic health record system using a visual analytics dashboard.

Science.gov (United States)

Simpao, Allan F; Ahumada, Luis M; Desai, Bimal R; Bonafide, Christopher P; Gálvez, Jorge A; Rehman, Mohamed A; Jawad, Abbas F; Palma, Krisha L; Shelov, Eric D

2015-03-01

To develop and evaluate an electronic dashboard of hospital-wide electronic health record medication alerts for an alert fatigue reduction quality improvement project. We used visual analytics software to develop the dashboard. We collaborated with the hospital-wide Clinical Decision Support committee to perform three interventions successively deactivating clinically irrelevant drug-drug interaction (DDI) alert rules. We analyzed the impact of the interventions on care providers' and pharmacists' alert and override rates using an interrupted time series framework with piecewise regression. We evaluated 2 391 880 medication alerts between January 31, 2011 and January 26, 2014. For pharmacists, the median alert rate prior to the first DDI deactivation was 58.74 alerts/100 orders (IQR 54.98-60.48) and 25.11 alerts/100 orders (IQR 23.45-26.57) following the three interventions (pdashboard facilitated safe rapid-cycle reductions in alert burden that were temporally associated with lower pharmacist override rates in a subgroup of DDIs not directly affected by the interventions; meanwhile, the pharmacists' frequency of selecting the 'cancel' option increased. We hypothesize that reducing the alert burden enabled pharmacists to devote more attention to clinically relevant alerts. © 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.

Early alert system for oscillations detection applied to the Central of Laguna Verde

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calleros M, G.; Zapata Y, M.; Avila N, A.; Herrera H, S. F.

2011-11-01

The code Early Alert System developed by Engineering of the Reactor of the nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde is presented, showing its reliability like preventive and corrective instrument to external interferences to the reactor core, due to equipment malfunction associated to the typical systems of a nuclear power plant, as those that control the reactor pressure, those that feed water to the reactor, those that control the valves of the main turbine. With this purpose, real cases of application of the System are shown where the results are compared with the independent evaluations carried out by the supplier, observing compatibility in both results. The benefits of the logarithm are discussed in the nuclear industry as soon as in non nuclear ambits. (Author)

Speech Auditory Alerts Promote Memory for Alerted Events in a Video-Simulated Self-Driving Car Ride.

Science.gov (United States)

Nees, Michael A; Helbein, Benji; Porter, Anna

2016-05-01

Auditory displays could be essential to helping drivers maintain situation awareness in autonomous vehicles, but to date, few or no studies have examined the effectiveness of different types of auditory displays for this application scenario. Recent advances in the development of autonomous vehicles (i.e., self-driving cars) have suggested that widespread automation of driving may be tenable in the near future. Drivers may be required to monitor the status of automation programs and vehicle conditions as they engage in secondary leisure or work tasks (entertainment, communication, etc.) in autonomous vehicles. An experiment compared memory for alerted events-a component of Level 1 situation awareness-using speech alerts, auditory icons, and a visual control condition during a video-simulated self-driving car ride with a visual secondary task. The alerts gave information about the vehicle's operating status and the driving scenario. Speech alerts resulted in better memory for alerted events. Both auditory display types resulted in less perceived effort devoted toward the study tasks but also greater perceived annoyance with the alerts. Speech auditory displays promoted Level 1 situation awareness during a simulation of a ride in a self-driving vehicle under routine conditions, but annoyance remains a concern with auditory displays. Speech auditory displays showed promise as a means of increasing Level 1 situation awareness of routine scenarios during an autonomous vehicle ride with an unrelated secondary task. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Alertness function of thalamus in conflict adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiangpeng; Zhao, Xiaoyue; Xue, Gui; Chen, Antao

2016-05-15

Conflict adaptation reflects the ability to improve current conflict resolution based on previously experienced conflict, which is crucial for our goal-directed behaviors. In recent years, the roles of alertness are attracting increasing attention when discussing the generation of conflict adaptation. However, due to the difficulty of manipulating alertness, very limited progress has been made in this line. Inspired by that color may affect alertness, we manipulated background color of experimental task and found that conflict adaptation significantly presented in gray and red backgrounds but did not in blue background. Furthermore, behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging results revealed that the modulation of color on conflict adaptation was implemented through changing alertness level. In particular, blue background eliminated conflict adaptation by damping the alertness regulating function of thalamus and the functional connectivity between thalamus and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). In contrast, in gray and red backgrounds where alertness levels are typically high, the thalamus and the right IFG functioned normally and conflict adaptations were significant. Therefore, the alertness function of thalamus is determinant to conflict adaptation, and thalamus and right IFG are crucial nodes of the neural circuit subserving this ability. Present findings provide new insights into the neural mechanisms of conflict adaptation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The DOPA decarboxylase (DDC) gene is associated with alerting attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Bi; Chen, Chuansheng; Moyzis, Robert K; Dong, Qi; Chen, Chunhui; He, Qinghua; Li, Jin; Li, Jun; Lei, Xuemei; Lin, Chongde

2013-06-03

DOPA decarboxylase (DDC) is involved in the synthesis of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. It has been suggested that genes involved in the dopamine, norepinephrine, and cholinergic systems play an essential role in the efficiency of human attention networks. Attention refers to the cognitive process of obtaining and maintaining the alert state, orienting to sensory events, and regulating the conflicts of thoughts and behavior. The present study tested seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the DDC gene for association with attention, which was assessed by the Attention Network Test to detect three networks of attention, including alerting, orienting, and executive attention, in a healthy Han Chinese sample (N=451). Association analysis for individual SNPs indicated that four of the seven SNPs (rs3887825, rs7786398, rs10499695, and rs6969081) were significantly associated with alerting attention. Haplotype-based association analysis revealed that alerting was associated with the haplotype G-A-T for SNPs rs7786398-rs10499695-rs6969081. These associations remained significant after correcting for multiple testing by max(T) permutation. No association was found for orienting and executive attention. This study provides the first evidence for the involvement of the DDC gene in alerting attention. A better understanding of the genetic basis of distinct attention networks would allow us to develop more effective diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deficient or underdeveloped alerting attention as well as its related prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-visual effects of light on melatonin, alertness and cognitive performance: can blue-enriched light keep us alert?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Laxhmi Chellappa

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Light exposure can cascade numerous effects on the human circadian process via the non-imaging forming system, whose spectral relevance is highest in the short-wavelength range. Here we investigated if commercially available compact fluorescent lamps with different colour temperatures can impact on alertness and cognitive performance. METHODS: Sixteen healthy young men were studied in a balanced cross-over design with light exposure of 3 different light settings (compact fluorescent lamps with light of 40 lux at 6500K and at 2500K and incandescent lamps of 40 lux at 3000K during 2 h in the evening. RESULTS: Exposure to light at 6500K induced greater melatonin suppression, together with enhanced subjective alertness, well-being and visual comfort. With respect to cognitive performance, light at 6500K led to significantly faster reaction times in tasks associated with sustained attention (Psychomotor Vigilance and GO/NOGO Task, but not in tasks associated with executive function (Paced Visual Serial Addition Task. This cognitive improvement was strongly related with attenuated salivary melatonin levels, particularly for the light condition at 6500K. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the sensitivity of the human alerting and cognitive response to polychromatic light at levels as low as 40 lux, is blue-shifted relative to the three-cone visual photopic system. Thus, the selection of commercially available compact fluorescent lights with different colour temperatures significantly impacts on circadian physiology and cognitive performance at home and in the workplace.

Mobilization suited for each radiological emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chambrette, V.

2013-01-01

This poster presents the role played by IRSN (French Institute for Radiation protection and Nuclear Safety) in case of radiological alert. This alert can be sent by the administration, a fire brigade, a nuclear operator or a remote monitor of radioactivity. In case of an emergency situation: IRSN provides radiological intervention and assistance on the site. In case of national crisis organization, IRSN will implement the emergency technical center and will send a mobile cell to the Operational Command Station of the Prefecture concerned. In both cases IRSN will be in charge of assessing the individuals' exposure and the impact on the environment

SC-228 Inclusion of DAA Warning Alert for TCAS Interoperability

Science.gov (United States)

Fern, Lisa

2016-01-01

This white paper summarizes NASA research results that have informed Special Committee 228 (SC-228) discussions and decisions regarding the inclusion of a warning-level alert within the detect and avoid (DAA) alerting structure for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). For UAS, the removal of the pilot from onboard the aircraft has eliminated the ability of the ground-based pilot in command (PIC) to use out-the-window visual information to make judgments about a potential threat of a loss of well clear with another aircraft. As a result, the DAA traffic display will be the primary source of information that the PIC can use to execute the three primary well clear functions: 1) detect a potential loss of well clear, 2) determine a resolution maneuver, and 3) upload that maneuver to the aircraft via the ground control station (GCS). In addition, pilots are required to coordinate with air traffic control (ATC) prior to maneuvering off of their approved flight plan. In determining an appropriate resolution maneuver to avoid a loss of well clear, the PIC must decide both when and how to maneuver, and both the timeliness and the accuracy (i.e., correctness) of the maneuver are critical to reducing the likelihood and/or severity of a loss of well clear. Alerting information is one of three critical components of the DAA display, along with traffic information elements (e.g., relative heading, speed and altitude) and maneuver guidance. Alerting information and maneuver guidance, in particular, have been found to have a significant impact, both statistically and practically, on pilots' ability to avoid and minimize the severity of losses of well clear While all three display components are key to pilots performing the traffic avoidance task of remaining well clear, in general, alerting information provides crucial information about when a resolution maneuver is required while maneuver guidance assists the pilot in determining how best to maneuver. A fundamental task of the DAA

A Non-Intrusive Alert System for Maritime Anomalies: Literature Review and the Development and Assessment of Interface Design Concepts (Systeme d’Alerte non Intrusive en cas d’Anomalies Maritimes: Examen de la Documentation et Elaboration/Evaluation de Concepts d’Interface)

Science.gov (United States)

2009-03-01

visualisation , en l’occurrence un système d’alerte, qui aiderait les opérateurs du TSM à mieux connaître et comprendre les anomalies maritimes indiquées...and would much rather have an audio alert. Assessment While this paper recognises the need for the operator to configure appropriate alert...displayed on the screen). The intrusiveness filter would also allow leaders to turn off audio alerts, which could be especially important if there is a

A Logic Architecture for 360 ADAS-Alerts for Hazards Detection Based in Driver Actions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izquierdo-Reyes Javier

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this work is presented a novel approach for passive safety in vehicles by Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS alert emission in 360° around driver to notify about hazards nearby the vehicle depending on the actions taken by driver per the context. This proposal would create a more robust system compared to current passive ADAS systems since the feedback to driver is in the same direction that hazard is detected (Punctual Sound Source Alert, compared with most assistance systems that emits sounds from the monitor or from the dashboard provoking distractions when emits alerts unnecessarily. The increase of security by this method will allow the driver to be aware of their surroundings even in a very quiet cabin or in a noisy environment. Also, it would detect the steering wheel angle, speed of movement and the activation of turning lights among other alerts, which would allow us to define a critical action during driving; apart from using sensors and cameras aimed at the driver to detect patterns of movement during these critical actions and have a prediction of a possible turn or manoeuvre when driving, refer to Figure 1. It will be necessary a reconfiguration of the alert in frequency, time of action depending upon the level of risk to prevent an accident or to reduce the consequences in an imminent accident.

Alert Workplace From Healthcare Workers' Perspective: Behavioral and Environmental Strategies to Improve Vigilance and Alertness in Healthcare Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagah Zadeh, Rana; Shepley, Mardelle; Sadatsafavi, Hessam; Owora, Arthur Hamie; Krieger, Ana C

2018-04-01

This study aims to identify the behavioral and environmental strategies that healthcare workers view as helpful for managing sleepiness, improving alertness, and therefore optimizing workplace safety. Reduced alertness is a common issue in healthcare work environments and is associated with impaired cognitive performance and decision-making ability as well as increased errors and injuries. We surveyed 136 healthcare professionals at a primary care clinic, an acute care hospital, and a mental health clinic. Nonstructured, semistructured, and structured questionnaires were used to elicit relevant information which was analyzed using qualitative content analysis and logistic regression models, respectively. In order by frequency of endorsement: dietary intervention; physical mobility; cognitive, sensory, or social stimulation; personal lifestyle strategies; and rest/nap opportunities were reported as behavioral strategies used to address workplace alertness. Compared to other environmental features, daylight and thermal comfort were perceived to be more important to addressing workplace alertness ( p based guidelines is needed to address sleepiness and alertness to improve workplace safety in healthcare facilities.

47 CFR 80.1114 - False distress alerts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Operating Procedures for Distress and Safety Communications § 80.1114 False distress alerts. The provisions of §§ 80.334 and 80.335 apply to...

IP Telephony Based Danger Alert Communication System and Its Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filip Rezac

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with development of a web application allowing to deliver pre-recorded voice messages by using SIP generator. The developed application is a part of complex system, which has been evolved in Dpt. of Telecommunications, Technical University of Ostrava for last three years. Our intent is focused on disaster management, the message, which should be delivered within specified time span, is typed in the application and text-to-speech module ensures its transormation to a speech format, after that a particular scenario or warned area is selected and a target group is automatically unloaded. For this purpose, we have defined XML format for delivery of phone numbers which are located in the target area and these numbers are obtained from mobile BTS's (Base transmission stations. The advantage of this aproach lies in controlled delivery and finally the list of unanswered calls is exported and these users are informed via SMS. In the paper, the core of the danger alert system is described including algorithms of the voice message delivery.

Bar Code Medication Administration Technology: Characterization of High-Alert Medication Triggers and Clinician Workarounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Daniel F; Fortier, Christopher R; Garrison, Kelli L

2011-02-01

Bar code medication administration (BCMA) technology is gaining acceptance for its ability to prevent medication administration errors. However, studies suggest that improper use of BCMA technology can yield unsatisfactory error prevention and introduction of new potential medication errors. To evaluate the incidence of high-alert medication BCMA triggers and alert types and discuss the type of nursing and pharmacy workarounds occurring with the use of BCMA technology and the electronic medication administration record (eMAR). Medication scanning and override reports from January 1, 2008, through November 30, 2008, for all adult medical/surgical units were retrospectively evaluated for high-alert medication system triggers, alert types, and override reason documentation. An observational study of nursing workarounds on an adult medicine step-down unit was performed and an analysis of potential pharmacy workarounds affecting BCMA and the eMAR was also conducted. Seventeen percent of scanned medications triggered an error alert of which 55% were for high-alert medications. Insulin aspart, NPH insulin, hydromorphone, potassium chloride, and morphine were the top 5 high-alert medications that generated alert messages. Clinician override reasons for alerts were documented in only 23% of administrations. Observational studies assessing for nursing workarounds revealed a median of 3 clinician workarounds per administration. Specific nursing workarounds included a failure to scan medications/patient armband and scanning the bar code once the dosage has been removed from the unit-dose packaging. Analysis of pharmacy order entry process workarounds revealed the potential for missed doses, duplicate doses, and doses being scheduled at the wrong time. BCMA has the potential to prevent high-alert medication errors by alerting clinicians through alert messages. Nursing and pharmacy workarounds can limit the recognition of optimal safety outcomes and therefore workflow processes

Spinoffs from radiological emergency preparedness programmes to generic emergency management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanders, M.E.

1986-01-01

In the USA, the radiological emergency preparedness (REP) programme for nuclear power plants is being used to enhance emergency management programmes for other types of emergencies. The REP programme is particularly useful in developing plans and preparedness measures for chemical accidents. The Integrated Emergency Management System (IEMS) approach provides a means for maximizing relationships between the REP programme and other programmes. IEMS essentially involves applying common elements of planning and preparedness to all types of emergencies, while recognizing that unique characteristics of specific natural and man-made emergencies require special planning and preparedness considerations. Features of the REP programme that make it compatible with the IEMS approach and useful in coping with other types of emergencies are: (1) the close co-operation between the national nuclear regulatory and emergency management organizations; (2) the programme integration among all levels of government, the nuclear power industry, public interest groups and the general public and (3) the comprehensiveness and sophistication of the programme. The REP programme in the USA represents a state-of-the-art emergency management capability. Some of its elements are readily transferrable to most other types of emergency preparedness programmes, while other elements can be adapted more readily to other hazard-specific programmes. The Bhopal accident has been a catalyst for this adaptation to chemical accidents, in such areas as furnishing hazard-specific information to the public, alert and notification systems, definition of the hazards and risks involved, establishing planning zones and developing close working relationships among the industry, the public and government

Assessing Mental Models of Emergencies Through Two Knowledge Elicitation Tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitmer, Daphne E; Sims, Valerie K; Torres, Michael E

2017-05-01

The goals of this study were to assess the risk identification aspect of mental models using standard elicitation methods and how university campus alerts were related to these mental models. People fail to follow protective action recommendations in emergency warnings. Past research has yet to examine cognitive processes that influence emergency decision-making. Study 1 examined 2 years of emergency alerts distributed by a large southeastern university. In Study 2, participants listed emergencies in a thought-listing task. Study 3 measured participants' time to decide if a situation was an emergency. The university distributed the most alerts about an armed person, theft, and fire. In Study 2, participants most frequently listed fire, car accident, heart attack, and theft. In Study 3, participants quickly decided a bomb, murder, fire, tornado, and rape were emergencies. They most slowly decided that a suspicious package and identify theft were emergencies. Recent interaction with warnings was only somewhat related to participants' mental models of emergencies. Risk identification precedes decision-making and applying protective actions. Examining these characteristics of people's mental representations of emergencies is fundamental to further understand why some emergency warnings go ignored. Someone must believe a situation is serious to categorize it as an emergency before taking the protective action recommendations in an emergency warning. Present-day research must continue to examine the problem of people ignoring warning communication, as there are important cognitive factors that have not yet been explored until the present research.

Evaluation of BacT/Alert 3D Liquid Culture System for Recovery of Mycobacteria from Clinical Specimens Using Sodium Dodecyl (Lauryl) Sulfate-NaOH Decontamination

Science.gov (United States)

Carricajo, A.; Fonsale, N.; Vautrin, A. C.; Aubert, G.

2001-01-01

A total of 52 mycobacterial isolates were recovered from 1,197 clinical specimens decontaminated by a sodium dodecyl (lauryl) sulfate (SDS)-NaOH protocol. Of these, 94% were recovered with the BacT/Alert 3D system (Organon Teknika, Durham, N.C.) and 79% were recovered on Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium. Mean times to detection of organisms of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (n = 47) were 22.8 days with LJ medium and 16.2 days with the system. The BacT/Alert 3D system is a rapid and efficient detection system which can be used with an SDS-NaOH decontamination procedure. PMID:11574623

Disease spreading with epidemic alert on small-world networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Xiao-Pu

2007-01-01

Base on two-dimension small-world networks, a susceptible-infected model with epidemic alert is proposed in this Letter. In this model, if some parts of the network are alarmed as dangerous, a fraction of edges between the alarmed parts and others will be removed, and two cases of alerting rules that the degree and frequency of contacts kept unchanged are considered respectively. The numerical simulations show that the spreading velocity is reduced by the accurate and timely epidemic alert, and the more accurate and timely, the stronger the deceleration effect. This model indicates that to broadcast epidemic alert timely is helpful and necessary in the control of epidemic spreading, and in agreement with the general view of epidemic alert. This work is helpful to understand the effects of epidemic alert on disease spreading

Alerts and Advisories

Science.gov (United States)

... in Select Bottles of Muscle Strength and Nighttime Recovery Product Because of Undeclared Milk Allergen on The Label ( FDA 04/06/18 ) Independent Nutrition, Inc Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Milk in ...

DDBS DB Alert

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — Data store used by the database area for monitoring of database objects. It is used to generate alerts that the DBAs investigate to determine if any action needs to...

Comparison of 'time to detection' values between BacT/ALERT VIRTUO and BacT/ALERT 3D instruments for clinical blood culture samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Congestrì, Francesco; Pedna, Maria Federica; Fantini, Michela; Samuelli, Michela; Schiavone, Pasqua; Torri, Arianna; Bertini, Stefania; Sambri, Vittorio

2017-09-01

The early detection of bacteraemia and fungemia is of paramount importance to guide antimicrobial therapy in septic patients. In this study the 'time to detection' (TTD) value for the new blood culture system BacT/ALERT VIRTUO (VIRTUO) was evaluated in 1462 positive clinical bottles and compared with the TTD for 1601 positive clinical bottles incubated in the BacT/ALERT 3D system (BTA-3D). The most representative microorganisms isolated from bottles incubated in both blood culture systems were divided into eight categories (in order of frequency): coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae (other than E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp, viridans group streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida spp. The comparison of TTD values for the two blood culture systems strongly indicated that growth of the first five groups listed above was detected earlier with VIRTUO than with BTA-3D (p culture system can reduce the TTD for more than 75% of isolated microorganisms. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Primary Care Providers' Opening of Time-Sensitive Alerts Sent to Commercial Electronic Health Record InBaskets.

Science.gov (United States)

Cutrona, Sarah L; Fouayzi, Hassan; Burns, Laura; Sadasivam, Rajani S; Mazor, Kathleen M; Gurwitz, Jerry H; Garber, Lawrence; Sundaresan, Devi; Houston, Thomas K; Field, Terry S

2017-11-01

Time-sensitive alerts are among the many types of clinical notifications delivered to physicians' secure InBaskets within commercial electronic health records (EHRs). A delayed alert review can impact patient safety and compromise care. To characterize factors associated with opening of non-interruptive time-sensitive alerts delivered into primary care provider (PCP) InBaskets. We analyzed data for 799 automated alerts. Alerts highlighted actionable medication concerns for older patients post-hospital discharge (2010-2011). These were study-generated alerts sent 3 days post-discharge to InBaskets for 75 PCPs across a multisite healthcare system, and represent a subset of all urgent InBasket notifications. Using EHR access and audit logs to track alert opening, we performed bivariate and multivariate analyses calculating associations between patient characteristics, provider characteristics, contextual factors at the time of alert delivery (number of InBasket notifications, weekday), and alert opening within 24 h. At the time of alert delivery, the PCPs had a median of 69 InBasket notifications and had received a median of 379.8 notifications (IQR 295.0, 492.0) over the prior 7 days. Of the 799 alerts, 47.1% were opened within 24 h. Patients with longer hospital stays (>4 days) were marginally more likely to have alerts opened (OR 1.48 [95% CI 1.00-2.19]). Alerts delivered to PCPs whose InBaskets had a higher number of notifications at the time of alert delivery were significantly less likely to be opened within 24 h (top quartile >157 notifications: OR 0.34 [95% CI 0.18-0.61]; reference bottom quartile ≤42). Alerts delivered on Saturdays were also less likely to be opened within 24 h (OR 0.18 [CI 0.08-0.39]). The number of total InBasket notifications and weekend delivery may impact the opening of time-sensitive EHR alerts. Further study is needed to support safe and effective approaches to care team management of InBasket notifications.

FACT. Flare alerts from blazar monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dorner, Daniela [Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Bretz, Thomas [RWTH Aachen (Germany); Collaboration: FACT-Collaboration

2015-07-01

One of the major goals of the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope is the longterm monitoring of bright TeV blazars. For more than three years, FACT has observed the blazars Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 and a few other sources on a regular basis. To understand these highly variable objects, simultaneous data at different wavelengths are very useful. FACT is not only taking part in multi-wavelength campaigns, but also sending alerts to other instruments in case of enhanced flux, to study flares within the multi-wavelength frame. To send fast alerts, an automatic quick look analysis was set up on site. Once the data are written on disk, they are automatically processed, and the analysis results are published on a website where other observers can monitor the activity of the source in the very high energy band. In addition, alerts are sent in case the flux is higher than a certain predefined value. In 2014, more than five alerts have been sent. Results from three years of monitoring are presented.

Heuristic model of education and a prototype of a system for remote siren activation in emergency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paun Josif Bereš

2013-02-01

Full Text Available A heuristic models of methodical innovation with special emphasis on training of team members to work in emergency situations, where each team member must be aware of the importance of their work, must know and apply a methodology for finding the best solutions and feel satisfaction with the results as an individual and as a part of that team, are proposed in this paper. Heuristic approach to the problems of teaching in emergency situations should allow team members to come up with the creative process of acquiring knowledge, to learn to think and develop skills for education. It is, therefore, such an approach that is not based on passive observation of phenomena and impersonation performed by a teacher, but establishes an active relationship to phenomena of thought and introduces the team members in their own research of the heuristic concept problems with the range of solutions - in this case, " Digital Communications - a program of operational functions of mobile phones ", the function of emergency situations, the example of a prototype system for automatic activation of the alert - sirens.

Heavy Metals in Notifications of Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Science.gov (United States)

Pigłowski, Marcin

2018-01-01

Heavy metals represent the fourth most often notified hazard category in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) from 1980–2016. The goal of the study was to examine the similarities in notifications of particular heavy metals within the RASFF year, product category, notifying country, country of origin, notification basis, notification type, distribution status, risk decision, and action taken, taking into account the particular product type, such as food, food contact material, and feed. The data originated from the RASFF database. Cluster analysis on pivot tables was applied using joining and two-way joining methods. Most notifications concerned food, in which the highest number were related to mercury, cadmium, chromium, lead, arsenic, and nickel. Notifications were mainly related to fish and food contact materials, in addition to fruits and vegetables, seafood, and dietetic food. The number of notifications decreased in 2015 and 2016. The majority of products were notified by Italy, Spain, Germany, and France. The notified products originated mainly from China and Spain. The notification was usually based on official controls on the market, as well as border controls. The notification types were mainly information, alert, and border rejections. Products were not frequently distributed due to distribution restriction to the notifying country or the possibility of distribution to the market. A risk decision was not usually made. The taken actions included re-dispatch of products, withdrawal from the market, or destruction. The data on heavy metals from the RASFF database can help European and national authorities in shaping public health. PMID:29461471

Heavy Metals in Notifications of Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Pigłowski

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Heavy metals represent the fourth most often notified hazard category in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF from 1980–2016. The goal of the study was to examine the similarities in notifications of particular heavy metals within the RASFF year, product category, notifying country, country of origin, notification basis, notification type, distribution status, risk decision, and action taken, taking into account the particular product type, such as food, food contact material, and feed. The data originated from the RASFF database. Cluster analysis on pivot tables was applied using joining and two-way joining methods. Most notifications concerned food, in which the highest number were related to mercury, cadmium, chromium, lead, arsenic, and nickel. Notifications were mainly related to fish and food contact materials, in addition to fruits and vegetables, seafood, and dietetic food. The number of notifications decreased in 2015 and 2016. The majority of products were notified by Italy, Spain, Germany, and France. The notified products originated mainly from China and Spain. The notification was usually based on official controls on the market, as well as border controls. The notification types were mainly information, alert, and border rejections. Products were not frequently distributed due to distribution restriction to the notifying country or the possibility of distribution to the market. A risk decision was not usually made. The taken actions included re-dispatch of products, withdrawal from the market, or destruction. The data on heavy metals from the RASFF database can help European and national authorities in shaping public health.

Do e-mail alerts of new research increase knowledge translation? A "Nephrology Now" randomized control trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanna, Gemini V; Sood, Manish M; Schiff, Jeffrey; Schwartz, Daniel; Naimark, David M

2011-01-01

As the volume of medical literature increases exponentially, maintaining current clinical practice is becoming more difficult. Multiple, Internet-based journal clubs and alert services have recently emerged. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of the e-mail alert service, Nephrology Now, increases knowledge translation regarding current nephrology literature. Nephrology Now is a nonprofit, monthly e-mail alert service that highlights clinically relevant articles in nephrology. In 2007-2008, the authors randomized 1,683 subscribers into two different groups receiving select intervention articles, and then they used an online survey to assess both groups on their familiarity with the articles and their acquisition of knowledge. Of the randomized subscribers, 803 (47.7%) completed surveys, and the two groups had a similar number of responses (401 and 402, respectively). The authors noted no differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Familiarity increased as a result of the Nephrology Now alerts (0.23 ± 0.087 units on a familiarity scale; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06-0.41; P = .007) especially in physicians (multivariate odds ratio 1.83; P = .0002). No detectable improvement in knowledge occurred (0.03 ± 0.083 units on a knowledge scale; 95% CI: -0.13 to 0.20; P = .687). An e-mail alert service of new literature improved a component of knowledge translation--familiarity--but not knowledge acquisition in a large, randomized, international population.

Wireless Emergency Alerts: Trust Model Technical Report

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

responses about big events, received comments on messaging around Sandy, the Derecho – these comments were more about technical glitches with phones...We typically do an after-action program on any exercise or big event for which we stand up the emergency operations center (EOC); the Derecho was...county employee messaging – the OPA may help us craft messages, we are always looking to simplify language, ease understanding; Derecho messaging was

The effect of phasic auditory alerting on visual perception

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Anders; Petersen, Annemarie Hilkjær; Bundesen, Claus

2017-01-01

/no-alerting design with a pure accuracy-based single-letter recognition task. Computational modeling based on Bundesen’s Theory of Visual Attention was used to examine the effect of phasic alertness on visual processing speed and threshold of conscious perception. Results show that phasic auditory alertness affects...

Impact of electronic-alerting of acute kidney injury: workgroup statements from the 15(th) ADQI Consensus Conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoste, Eric A J; Kashani, Kianoush; Gibney, Noel; Wilson, F Perry; Ronco, Claudio; Goldstein, Stuart L; Kellum, John A; Bagshaw, Sean M

2016-01-01

Among hospitalized patients, acute kidney injury is common and associated with significant morbidity and risk for mortality. The use of electronic health records (EHR) for prediction and detection of this important clinical syndrome has grown in the past decade. The steering committee of the 15(th) Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) conference dedicated a workgroup with the task of identifying elements that may impact the course of events following Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) e-alert. Following an extensive, non-systematic literature search, we used a modified Delphi process to reach consensus regarding several aspects of the utilization of AKI e-alerts. Topics discussed in this workgroup included progress in evidence base practices, the characteristics of an optimal e-alert, the measures of efficacy and effectiveness, and finally what responses would be considered best practices following AKI e-alerts. Authors concluded that the current evidence for e-alert system efficacy, although growing, remains insufficient. Technology and human-related factors were found to be crucial elements of any future investigation or implementation of such tools. The group also concluded that implementation of such systems should not be done without a vigorous plan to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of e-alerts. Efficacy and effectiveness of e-alerts should be measured by context-specific process and patient outcomes. Finally, the group made several suggestions regarding the clinical decision support that should be considered following successful e-alert implementation. This paper reflects the findings of a non-systematic review and expert opinion. We recommend implementation of the findings of this workgroup report for use of AKI e-alerts.

A Novel Design for Drug-Drug Interaction Alerts Improves Prescribing Efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Russ, Alissa L; Chen, Siying; Melton, Brittany L; Johnson, Elizabette G; Spina, Jeffrey R; Weiner, Michael; Zillich, Alan J

2015-09-01

Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are common in clinical care and pose serious risks for patients. Electronic health records display DDI alerts that can influence prescribers, but the interface design of DDI alerts has largely been unstudied. In this study, the objective was to apply human factors engineering principles to alert design. It was hypothesized that redesigned DDI alerts would significantly improve prescribers' efficiency and reduce prescribing errors. In a counterbalanced, crossover study with prescribers, two DDI alert designs were evaluated. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prescribers were video recorded as they completed fictitious patient scenarios, which included DDI alerts of varying severity. Efficiency was measured from time-stamped recordings. Prescribing errors were evaluated against predefined criteria. Efficiency and prescribing errors were analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Other usability data were collected on the adequacy of alert content, prescribers' use of the DDI monograph, and alert navigation. Twenty prescribers completed patient scenarios for both designs. Prescribers resolved redesigned alerts in about half the time (redesign: 52 seconds versus original design: 97 seconds; p<.001). Prescribing errors were not significantly different between the two designs. Usability results indicate that DDI alerts might be enhanced by facilitating easier access to laboratory data and dosing information and by allowing prescribers to cancel either interacting medication directly from the alert. Results also suggest that neither design provided adequate information for decision making via the primary interface. Applying human factors principles to DDI alerts improved overall efficiency. Aspects of DDI alert design that could be further enhanced prior to implementation were also identified.

Study on the possibility of assessment of alertness using subsidiary behaviors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, Ayako; Nagasaka, Akihiko

2003-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of assessment of alertness using subsidiary behaviors. Using the previous experimental data, 8 subjects' subsidiary behaviors, which appeared during 3 monotonous VDU tasks, were picked up by 3 experimenters. These behaviors were classified into 13 categories according to their similarity. As a physiological index, electroencephalogram (EEG), which was known as the most sensitive index for measuring alertness, was measured. To investigate whether the number of these behaviors could be utilized for assessment of alertness, the following studies were carried out: 1) the relationships among the task performance, categorized behaviors and EEG were analyzed to make sure whether alertness had an impact on the task performance and the behaviors, 2) using the task performance, the level of alertness was classified tentatively, then the behaviors that were changed by the classified level of alertness were specified, 3) to testify the possibility of assessment of alertness, discriminant analysis was conducted using the behaviors which were specified above, and 4) quantification analysis III and cross correlation analysis were carried out to explore if the behaviors could estimate a decline in alertness before the performance deteriorated. As the results of the above 4 points, the followings were suggested: 1) some subsidiary behaviors were influenced by alertness, to say nothing of performance, 2) regardless of individual differences, there were some behaviors that were changed by the level of alertness which was tentatively classified in this study, 3) the level of alertness at the point could assess using some behaviors, such as 'rub, pinch, and scratch', 'ease the stiffness', 'postural adjustments', 'movement of eye's and mouth', 'action of low alertness', and 4) some behaviors indicated the premonitory sign of a decline in alertness, the other increased when a decline in alertness had been observed. Also, depends on

Human Response to Emergency Warning

Science.gov (United States)

Sorensen, J.

2009-12-01

Almost every day people evacuate from their homes, businesses or other sites, even ships, in response to actual or predicted threats or hazards. Evacuation is the primary protective action utilized in large-scale emergencies such as hurricanes, floods, tornados, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, or wildfires. Although often precautionary, protecting human lives by temporally relocating populations before or during times of threat remains a major emergency management strategy. One of the most formidable challenges facing emergency officials is evacuating residents for a fast-moving and largely unpredictable event such as a wildfire or a local tsunami. How to issue effective warnings to those at risk in time for residents to take appropriate action is an on-going problem. To do so, some communities have instituted advanced communications systems that include reverse telephone call-down systems or other alerting systems to notify at-risk residents of imminent threats. This presentation examines the effectiveness of using reverse telephone call-down systems for warning San Diego residents of wildfires in the October of 2007. This is the first systematic study conducted on this topic and is based on interviews with 1200 households in the evacuation areas.

Structure alerts for carcinogenicity, and the Salmonella assay system: a novel insight through the chemical relational databases technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Benigni, Romualdo; Bossa, Cecilia

2008-01-01

In the past decades, chemical carcinogenicity has been the object of mechanistic studies that have been translated into valuable experimental (e.g., the Salmonella assays system) and theoretical (e.g., compilations of structure alerts for chemical carcinogenicity) models. These findings remain the basis of the science and regulation of mutagens and carcinogens. Recent advances in the organization and treatment of large databases consisting of both biological and chemical information nowadays allows for a much easier and more refined view of data. This paper reviews recent analyses on the predictive performance of various lists of structure alerts, including a new compilation of alerts that combines previous work in an optimized form for computer implementation. The revised compilation is part of the Toxtree 1.50 software (freely available from the European Chemicals Bureau website). The use of structural alerts for the chemical biological profiling of a large database of Salmonella mutagenicity results is also reported. Together with being a repository of the science on the chemical biological interactions at the basis of chemical carcinogenicity, the SAs have a crucial role in practical applications for risk assessment, for: (a) description of sets of chemicals; (b) preliminary hazard characterization; (c) formation of categories for e.g., regulatory purposes; (d) generation of subsets of congeneric chemicals to be analyzed subsequently with QSAR methods; (e) priority setting. An important aspect of SAs as predictive toxicity tools is that they derive directly from mechanistic knowledge. The crucial role of mechanistic knowledge in the process of applying (Q)SAR considerations to risk assessment should be strongly emphasized. Mechanistic knowledge provides a ground for interaction and dialogue between model developers, toxicologists and regulators, and permits the integration of the (Q)SAR results into a wider regulatory framework, where different types of

The relations between de-alerting nuclear force and nuclear strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhimin

2001-01-01

De-alerting nuclear force is a hot-point issue in recent years. The relations between de-alerting and strategy (including nuclear force, target doctrine and use principle et al.), stability, advanced conventional force and NMD of the United States are analyzed, the impact of de-alerting on Chinese nuclear force were discussed and the proposal of de-alerting by stages is presented

Technical features of a low-cost earthquake alert system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harben, P.

1991-01-01

The concept and features of an Earthquake Alert System (EAS) involving a distributed network of strong motion sensors is discussed. The EAS analyzes real-time data telemetered to a central facility and issues an areawide warning of a large earthquake in advance of the spreading elastic wave energy. A low-cost solution to high-cost estimates for installation and maintenance of a dedicated EAS is presented that makes use of existing microseismic stations. Using the San Francisco Bay area as an example, we show that existing US Geological Survey microseismic monitoring stations are of sufficient density to form the elements of a prototype EAS. By installing strong motion instrumentation and a specially developed switching device, strong ground motion can be telemetered in real-time to the central microseismic station on the existing communication channels. When a large earthquake occurs, a dedicated real-time central processing unit at the central microseismic station digitizes and analyzes the incoming data and issues a warning containing location and magnitude estimations. A 50-station EAS of this type in the San Francisco Bay area should cost under $70,000 to install and less than $5,000 annually to maintain

Taking up national safety alerts to improve patient safety in hospitals: The perspective of healthcare quality and risk managers.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfeiffer, Yvonne; Schwappach, David

2016-01-01

National safety alert systems publish relevant information to improve patient safety in hospitals. However, the information has to be transformed into local action to have an effect on patient safety. We studied three research questions: How do Swiss healthcare quality and risk managers (qm/rm(1)) see their own role in learning from safety alerts issued by the Swiss national voluntary reporting and analysis system? What are their attitudes towards and evaluations of the alerts, and which types of improvement actions were fostered by the safety alerts? A survey was developed and applied to Swiss healthcare risk and quality managers, with a response rate of 39 % (n=116). Descriptive statistics are presented. The qm/rm disseminate and communicate with a broad variety of professional groups about the alerts. While most respondents felt that they should know the alerts and their contents, only a part of them felt responsible for driving organizational change based on the recommendations. However, most respondents used safety alerts to back up their own patient safety goals. The alerts were evaluated positively on various dimensions such as usefulness and were considered as standards of good practice by the majority of the respondents. A range of organizational responses was applied, with disseminating information being the most common. An active role is related to using safety alerts for backing up own patient safety goals. To support an active role of qm/rm in their hospital's learning from safety alerts, appropriate organizational structures should be developed. Furthermore, they could be given special information or training to act as an information hub on the issues discussed in the alerts. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

47 CFR 80.1113 - Transmission of a distress alert.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Section 80.1113 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Operating Procedures for Distress and Safety Communications § 80.1113 Transmission of a distress alert. (a) The...

On-site emergency preparedness in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vilkamo, O.

1998-01-01

General scheme of emergency preparedness in Finland is presented including legal framework, emergency organization and detailed description of plans and procedures. Emergency plan in Finland cover the following matters: classification of emergency situations and description of events and accidents, description of emergency organization, description of the arrangements for alerting and data transfer, management of an emergency situation and radiation protection, worker safety and radiation protection, on- and off-site radiation measurements during a preparedness situation, provision of information, rooms, equipment and facilities, post emergency debriefing and measures, a description of the maintenance of preparedness

Alert: An Adaptive Low-Latency Event-Driven MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinod Namboodiri

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Collection of rare but delay-critical messages from a group of sensor nodes is a key process in many wireless sensor network applications. This is particularly important for security-related applications like intrusion detection and fire alarm systems. An event sensed by multiple sensor nodes in the network can trigger many messages to be sent simultaneously. We present Alert, a MAC protocol for collecting event-triggered urgent messages from a group of sensor nodes with minimum latency and without requiring any cooperation or prescheduling among the senders or between senders and receiver during protocol execution. Alert is designed to handle multiple simultaneous messages from different nodes efficiently and reliably, minimizing the overall delay to collect all messages along with the delay to get the first message. Moreover, the ability of the network to handle a large number of simultaneous messages does not come at the cost of excessive delays when only a few messages need to be handled. We analyze Alert and evaluate its feasibility and performance with an implementation on commodity hardware. We further compare Alert with existing approaches through simulations and show the performance improvement possible through Alert.

Applying the Toyota Production System: using a patient safety alert system to reduce error.

Science.gov (United States)

Furman, Cathie; Caplan, Robert

2007-07-01

In 2002, Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC) adapted the Toyota Production System, also known as lean manufacturing. To translate the techniques of zero defects and stopping the line into health care, the Patient Safety Alert (PSA) system requires any employee who encounters a situation that is likely to harm a patient to make an immediate report and to cease any activity that could cause further harm (stopping the line). IMPLEMENTING THE PSA SYSTEM--STOPPING THE LINE: If any VMMC employee's practice or conduct is deemed capable of causing harm to a patient, a PSA can cause that person to be stopped from working until the problem is resolved. A policy statement, senior executive commitment, dedicated resources, a 24-hour hotline, and communication were all key features of implementation. As of December 2006, 6,112 PSA reports were received: 20% from managers, 8% from physicians, 44% from nurses, and 23% from nonclinical support personnel, for example. The number of reports received per month increased from an average of 3 in 2002 to 285 in 2006. Most reports were processed within 24 hours and were resolved within 2 to 3 weeks. Implementing the PSA system has drastically increased the number of safety concerns that are resolved at VMMC, while drastically reducing the time it takes to resolve them. Transparent discussion and feedback have helped promote staff acceptance and participation.

Les lanceurs d’alerte

OpenAIRE

Foegle, Jean-Philippe

2014-01-01

Le lanceur ou « donneur » d'alerte, ou, en langue anglaise, whistleblower est défini par l'assemblée parlementaire du conseil de l'Europe (Résolution 1729 (2010), §1) comme « toute personne soucieuse qui tire la sonnette d’alarme afin de faire cesser des agissements pouvant représenter un risque pour autrui ». Le présent mémoire vise, en menant une étude comparée France-Etats-Unis du droit encadrant le phénomène du « lancement d'alerte », à cerner les éléments principaux de la notion. Le prem...

UC3M Emergencies : health center search, first aid, defibrillators, emergency exits, last warnings and torch (iOS platform)

OpenAIRE

Martín Civiac, María

2013-01-01

This document contains Maria Martin’s bachelor thesis. The issues that this project wants to solve are emergencies-related: health centersand emergency exits location,emergency call, first aid instructions and information and latest emergency alerts at Carlos III University. It has been detected that members of Carlos III University currently have difficulties to find health centers, emergency exits and first aid information. Furthermore, the University itself did not have any mechanism to pu...

MedWatch Safety Alerts for Human Medical Products

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — MedWatch alerts provide timely new safety information on human drugs, medical devices, vaccines and other biologics, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. The alerts...

AMDIS Case Conference: Intrusive Medication Safety Alerts.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, J; Levick, D; Schreiber, R

2010-01-01

Clinical decision support that provides enhanced patient safety at the point of care frequently encounters significant pushback from clinicians who find the process intrusive or time-consuming. We present a hypothetical medical center's dilemma about its allergy alerting system and discuss similar problems faced by real hospitals. We then share some lessons learned and best practices for institutions who wish to implement these tools themselves.

AMDIS Case Conference: Intrusive Medication Safety Alerts

OpenAIRE

Graham, J.; Levick, D.; Schreiber, R.

2010-01-01

Clinical decision support that provides enhanced patient safety at the point of care frequently encounters significant pushback from clinicians who find the process intrusive or time-consuming. We present a hypothetical medical center’s dilemma about its allergy alerting system and discuss similar problems faced by real hospitals. We then share some lessons learned and best practices for institutions who wish to implement these tools themselves.

Wet snow hazard for power lines: a forecast and alert system applied in Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Bonelli

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Wet snow icing accretion on power lines is a real problem in Italy, causing failures on high and medium voltage power supplies during the cold season. The phenomenon is a process in which many large and local scale variables contribute in a complex way and not completely understood. A numerical weather forecast can be used to select areas where wet snow accretion has an high probability of occurring, but a specific accretion model must also be used to estimate the load of an ice sleeve and its hazard. All the information must be carefully selected and shown to the electric grid operator in order to warn him promptly.

The authors describe a prototype of forecast and alert system, WOLF (Wet snow Overload aLert and Forecast, developed and applied in Italy. The prototype elaborates the output of a numerical weather prediction model, as temperature, precipitation, wind intensity and direction, to determine the areas of potential risk for the power lines. Then an accretion model computes the ice sleeves' load for different conductor diameters. The highest values are selected and displayed on a WEB-GIS application principally devoted to the electric operator, but also to more expert users. Some experimental field campaigns have been conducted to better parameterize the accretion model. Comparisons between real accidents and forecasted icing conditions are presented and discussed.

Wet snow hazard for power lines: a forecast and alert system applied in Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Bonelli, P.; Lacavalla, M.; Marcacci, P.; Mariani, G.; Stella, G.

2011-09-01

Wet snow icing accretion on power lines is a real problem in Italy, causing failures on high and medium voltage power supplies during the cold season. The phenomenon is a process in which many large and local scale variables contribute in a complex way and not completely understood. A numerical weather forecast can be used to select areas where wet snow accretion has an high probability of occurring, but a specific accretion model must also be used to estimate the load of an ice sleeve and its hazard. All the information must be carefully selected and shown to the electric grid operator in order to warn him promptly. The authors describe a prototype of forecast and alert system, WOLF (Wet snow Overload aLert and Forecast), developed and applied in Italy. The prototype elaborates the output of a numerical weather prediction model, as temperature, precipitation, wind intensity and direction, to determine the areas of potential risk for the power lines. Then an accretion model computes the ice sleeves' load for different conductor diameters. The highest values are selected and displayed on a WEB-GIS application principally devoted to the electric operator, but also to more expert users. Some experimental field campaigns have been conducted to better parameterize the accretion model. Comparisons between real accidents and forecasted icing conditions are presented and discussed.

The effect of automated alerts on provider ordering behavior in an outpatient setting.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2005-09-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Computerized order entry systems have the potential to prevent medication errors and decrease adverse drug events with the use of clinical-decision support systems presenting alerts to providers. Despite the large volume of medications prescribed in the outpatient setting, few studies have assessed the impact of automated alerts on medication errors related to drug-laboratory interactions in an outpatient primary-care setting. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A primary-care clinic in an integrated safety net institution was the setting for the study. In collaboration with commercial information technology vendors, rules were developed to address a set of drug-laboratory interactions. All patients seen in the clinic during the study period were eligible for the intervention. As providers ordered medications on a computer, an alert was displayed if a relevant drug-laboratory interaction existed. Comparisons were made between baseline and postintervention time periods. Provider ordering behavior was monitored focusing on the number of medication orders not completed and the number of rule-associated laboratory test orders initiated after alert display. Adverse drug events were assessed by doing a random sample of chart reviews using the Naranjo scoring scale. The rule processed 16,291 times during the study period on all possible medication orders: 7,017 during the pre-intervention period and 9,274 during the postintervention period. During the postintervention period, an alert was displayed for 11.8% (1,093 out of 9,274 of the times the rule processed, with 5.6% for only "missing laboratory values," 6.0% for only "abnormal laboratory values," and 0.2% for both types of alerts. Focusing on 18 high-volume and high-risk medications revealed a significant increase in the percentage of time the provider stopped the ordering process and did not complete the medication order when an alert for an abnormal rule-associated laboratory result was displayed

Seismic Activity: Public Alert and Warning: Legal Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Zocchetti, D.

2007-12-01

As science and technology evolve in ways that increase our ability to inform the public of potentially destructive seismic activity, there are significant legal issues for consideration. Even though countries and even states within the United States have differing legal tenets that could either change or at least re-shape the outcome of specific legal questions that this session will be pondering, there are fundamental legal principals that will permeate. It is often said that the law lags behind society and in particular its technological developments. No doubt in the area of warning the public of impending destructive forces of nature or society, the law will need to do some catching up. The law is probably adequately developed for at least some preliminary discussion of the key issues. No matter the legal scheme, if there is a failure or perceived failure in the system to warn people of a pending emergencies, albeit an earthquake, tsunami, or other predictable event, those who are harmed or believe they are harmed will seek relief under the law. Every day there are situations wherein the failure to warn or to adequately warn is key, such as with faulty or defective consumer products, escaped prisoners, and police high-speed vehicle chases. With alert and warning systems for disaster, however, we have a unique set of facts. Generally, the systems and their failures occur during emergencies or at least during situations under apparently exigent circumstances when the disaster's predictability is widely recognized as less than 100 percent. The law, in particular United States tort law, has been particularly lenient when people and organizations are operating during compressed timeframes and their actions are generally considered necessary to address circumstances relative to public safety. The legal system has been forgiving when the actor that failed or appeared to fail was government. The courts have liberally applied the principal of sovereign immunity to

Study on Korean Radiological Emergency System-Care System- and National Nuclear Emergency Preparedness System Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhmad Khusyairi; Yudi Pramono

2008-01-01

Care system; Radiological Emergency Supporting System. Environmental radiology level is the main aspect that should be concerned deal with the utilization of nuclear energy. The usage of informational technology in nuclear area gives significant contribution to anticipate and to protect human and environment. Since 1960, South Korea has developed environment monitoring system as the effort to protect the human and environment in the radiological emergency condition. Indonesia has possessed several nuclear installations and planned to build and operate nuclear power plants (PLTN) in the future. Therefore, Indonesia has to prepare the integrated system, technically enables to overcome the radiological emergency. Learning from the practice in South Korea, the system on the radiological emergency should be prepared and applied in Indonesia. However, the government regulation draft on National Radiological Emergency System, under construction, only touches the management aspect, not the technical matters. Consequently, when the regulation is implemented, it will need an additional regulation on technical aspect including the consideration on the system (TSS), the organization of operator and the preparation of human resources development of involved institution. For that purpose, BAPETEN should have a typical independence system in regulatory frame work. (author)

A Service-Oriented Healthcare Message Alerting Architecture in an Asia Medical Center: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin-Shin Lai

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This paper illustrates how our development team has used some information technologies to let physicians obtain an instant abnormal laboratory result report for critical patient care services. We have implementeda healthcare message alerting system (HMAS on a healthcare short message service (HSMS engine and the distributed healthcare-oriented service environment (DiHOSE in the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH. The HSMS engine has a general interface for all applications which could easily send any kind of alerting messages. Fundamentally, the DiHOSE uses HL7 standard formats to process the information exchange behaviors and can be flexibly extended for reasonable user requirements. The disease surveillance subsystem is an integral part of NTUH new hospital information system which is based on DiHOSE and the disease surveillance subsystem would send alerting messages through the HSMS engine. The latest cell phone message alerting subsystem, a case study, in NTUH proved that the DiHOSE could integrate the user required functions without much work. We concluded that both HSMS and DiHOSE can generalize and extend application demands efficiently.

Need of a disaster alert system for India through a network of real-time monitoring of sea-level and other meteorological events

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Joseph, A.; Desai, R.G.P.

Need of a disaster alert system (DAS) capable of online transmission of real-time integrated sea-level and surface meteorological data is discussed. In addition to INSAT platform transmit terminal, VHF, etc., the ubiquitous cellular phone network...

Project "Hypertension Alert."

Science.gov (United States)

Sailors, Emma Lou

1983-01-01

"Hypertension Alert," a 1979-80 blood pressure screening-awareness project of the Yonkers, New York Public Schools, is described. Data is analyzed in tables for ethnic composition, and range of blood pressure readings for the high school, junior high school, and elementary school students tested. (Author/JMK)

Sepsis Alert - a triage model that reduces time to antibiotics and length of hospital stay.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenqvist, Mari; Fagerstrand, Emma; Lanbeck, Peter; Melander, Olle; Åkesson, Per

2017-07-01

To study if a modified triage system at an Emergency Department (ED) combined with educational efforts resulted in reduced time to antibiotics and decreased length of hospital stay (LOS) for patients with severe infection. A retrospective, observational study comparing patients before and after the start of a new triage model at the ED of a University Hospital. After the implementation of the model, patients with fever and abnormal vital signs were triaged into a designated sepsis line (Sepsis Alert) for rapid evaluation by the attending physician supported by a infectious diseases (IDs) specialist. Also, all ED staff participated in a designated sepsis education before Sepsis Alert was introduced. Medical records were evaluated for patients during a 3-month period after the triage system was started in 2012, and also during the corresponding months in 2010 and 2014. A total of 1837 patients presented with abnormal vital signs. Of these, 221 patients presented with fever and thus at risk of having severe sepsis. Among patients triaged according to the new model, median time to antibiotics was 58.5 at startup and 24.5 minutes at follow-up two years later. This was significantly less than for patients treated before the new model, 190 minutes. Also, median LOS was significantly decreased after introduction of the new triage model, from nine to seven days. A triage model at the ED with special attention to severe sepsis patients, led to sustained improvements of time to antibiotic treatment and LOS.

Syndromic surveillance and heat wave morbidity: a pilot study based on emergency departments in France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filleul Laurent

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The health impacts of heat waves are serious and have prompted the development of heat wave response plans. Even when they are efficient, these plans are developed to limit the health effects of heat waves. This study was designed to determine relevant indicators related to health effects of heat waves and to evaluate the ability of a syndromic surveillance system to monitor variations in the activity of emergency departments over time. The study uses data collected during the summer 2006 when a new heat wave occurred in France. Methods Data recorded from 49 emergency departments since July 2004, were transmitted daily via the Internet to the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance. Items collected on patients included diagnosis (ICD10 codes, outcome, and age. Statistical t-tests were used to compare, for several health conditions, the daily averages of patients within different age groups and periods (whether 'on alert' or 'off alert'. Results A limited number of adverse health conditions occurred more frequently during hot period: dehydration, hyperthermia, malaise, hyponatremia, renal colic, and renal failure. Over all health conditions, the total number of patients per day remained equal between the 'on alert' and 'off alert' periods (4,557.7/day vs. 4,511.2/day, but the number of elderly patients increased significantly during the 'on alert' period relative to the 'off alert' period (476.7/day vs. 446.2/day p Conclusion Our results show the interest to monitor specific indicators during hot periods and to focus surveillance efforts on the elderly. Syndromic surveillance allowed the collection of data in real time and the subsequent optimization of the response by public health agencies. This method of surveillance should therefore be considered as an essential part of efforts to prevent the health effects of heat waves.

Morning Sleep Inertia in Alertness and Performance: Effect of Cognitive Domain and White Light Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Santhi, Nayantara; Groeger, John A.; Archer, Simon N.; Gimenez, Marina; Schlangen, Luc J. M.; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2013-01-01

The transition from sleep to wakefulness entails a temporary period of reduced alertness and impaired performance known as sleep inertia. The extent to which its severity varies with task and cognitive processes remains unclear. We examined sleep inertia in alertness, attention, working memory and cognitive throughput with the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), n-back and add tasks, respectively. The tasks were administered 2 hours before bedtime and at regular intervals for four hours, starting immediately after awakening in the morning, in eleven participants, in a four-way cross-over laboratory design. We also investigated whether exposure to Blue-Enhanced or Bright Blue-Enhanced white light would reduce sleep inertia. Alertness and all cognitive processes were impaired immediately upon awakening (pinertia varies with cognitive domain and that it’s spectral/intensity response to light is different from that of sleepiness. That is, just increasing blue-wavelength in light may not be sufficient to reduce sleep inertia. These findings have implications for critical professions like medicine, law-enforcement etc., in which, personnel routinely wake up from night-time sleep to respond to emergency situations. PMID:24260280

Impact of real-time electronic alerting of acute kidney injury on therapeutic intervention and progression of RIFLE class.

Science.gov (United States)

Colpaert, Kirsten; Hoste, Eric A; Steurbaut, Kristof; Benoit, Dominique; Van Hoecke, Sofie; De Turck, Filip; Decruyenaere, Johan

2012-04-01

To evaluate whether a real-time electronic alert system or "AKI sniffer," which is based on the RIFLE classification criteria (Risk, Injury and Failure), would have an impact on therapeutic interventions and acute kidney injury progression. Prospective intervention study. Surgical and medical intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital. A total of 951 patients having in total 1,079 admission episodes were admitted during the study period (prealert control group: 227, alert group: 616, and postalert control group: 236). Three study phases were compared: A 1.5-month prealert control phase in which physicians were blinded for the acute kidney injury sniffer and a 3-month intervention phase with real-time alerting of worsening RIFLE class through the Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology telephone system followed by a second 1.5-month postalert control phase. A total of 2593 acute kidney injury alerts were recorded with a balanced distribution over all study phases. Most acute kidney injury alerts were RIFLE class risk (59.8%) followed by RIFLE class injury (34.1%) and failure (6.1%). A higher percentage of patients in the alert group received therapeutic intervention within 60 mins after the acute kidney injury alert (28.7% in alert group vs. 7.9% and 10.4% in the pre- and postalert control groups, respectively, p μ .001). In the alert group, more patients received fluid therapy (23.0% vs. 4.9% and 9.2%, p μ .01), diuretics (4.2% vs. 2.6% and 0.8%, p μ .001), or vasopressors (3.9% vs. 1.1% and 0.8%, p μ .001). Furthermore, these patients had a shorter time to intervention (p μ .001). A higher proportion of patients in the alert group showed return to a baseline kidney function within 8 hrs after an acute kidney injury alert "from normal to risk" compared with patients in the control group (p = .048). The real-time alerting of every worsening RIFLE class by the acute kidney injury sniffer increased the number and timeliness of early therapeutic interventions

Patient Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate Monitoring With an Alert ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2012-12-01

Dec 1, 2012 ... an Alert System Using the Omron 790it Blood Pressure. Monitor ... detailed medical information on the vital signs of patients and will save many lives that may be lost. Keywords: Omron .... at rest, in beats per minute (BPM):.

Alerting, Orienting or Executive Attention Networks: Differential Patters of Pupil Dilations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronny eGeva

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Attention capacities, alerting responses, orienting to sensory stimulation, and executive monitoring of performance are considered independent yet interrelated systems. These operations play integral roles in regulating the behavior of diverse species along the evolutionary ladder. Each of the primary attention constructs—alerting, orienting, and executive monitoring— involves salient autonomic correlates as evidenced by changes in reactive pupil dilation (PD, heart rate, and skin conductance. Recent technological advances that use remote high-resolution recording may allow the discernment of temporo-spatial attributes of autonomic responses that characterize the alerting, orienting, and executive monitoring networks during free viewing, irrespective of voluntary performance. This may deepen the understanding of the roles of autonomic regulation in these mental operations and may deepen our understanding of behavioral changes in verbal as well as in non-verbal species.The aim of this study was to explore differences between psychosensory pupil dilation responses in alerting, orienting, and executive conflict monitoring tasks to generate estimates of concurrent locus coeruleus (LC noradrenergic input trajectories in healthy human adults using the attention networks test (ANT. The analysis revealed a construct-specific pattern of pupil responses: alerting is characterized by an early component (Pa, its acceleration enables covert orienting, and executive control is evidenced by a prominent late component (Pe. Pupil dilation characteristics seem to be task-sensitive, allowing exploration of mental operations irrespective of conscious voluntary responses. These data may facilitate development of studies designed to assess mental operations in diverse species using autonomic responses.

The Nature and Variability of Automated Practice Alerts Derived from Electronic Health Records in a U.S. Nationwide Critical Care Research Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Benthin, Cody; Pannu, Sonal; Khan, Akram; Gong, Michelle

2016-10-01

The nature, variability, and extent of early warning clinical practice alerts derived from automated query of electronic health records (e-alerts) currently used in acute care settings for clinical care or research is unknown. To describe e-alerts in current use in acute care settings at medical centers participating in a nationwide critical care research network. We surveyed investigators at 38 institutions involved in the National Institutes of Health-funded Clinical Trials Network for the Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Thirty sites completed the survey (79% response rate). All sites used electronic health record systems. Epic Systems was used at 56% of sites; the others used alternate commercially available vendors or homegrown systems. Respondents at 57% of sites represented in this survey used e-alerts. All but 1 of these 17 sites used an e-alert for early detection of sepsis-related syndromes, and 35% used an e-alert for pneumonia. E-alerts were triggered by abnormal laboratory values (37%), vital signs (37%), or radiology reports (15%) and were used about equally for clinical decision support and research. Only 59% of sites with e-alerts have evaluated them either for accuracy or for validity. A majority of the research network sites participating in this survey use e-alerts for early notification of potential threats to hospitalized patients; however, there was significant variability in the nature of e-alerts between institutions. Use of one common electronic health record vendor at more than half of the participating sites suggests that it may be possible to standardize e-alerts across multiple sites in research networks, particularly among sites using the same medical record platform.

A case study of pediatric asthma alerts from the beacon community program in cincinnati: technology is just the first step.

Science.gov (United States)

Trudnak, Tara; Mansour, Mona; Mandel, Keith; Sauers, Hadley; Pandzik, Gerry; Donisi, Carl; Fairbrother, Gerry

2014-01-01

The Beacon Community in Cincinnati, Ohio was an innovative, community-wide initiative to use technology to transform care. One important feature was the development of regional alerts to notify practices when patients were hospitalized or seen in the emergency department. The purpose of this paper is to describe the way in which technology engages the improvement process, and to describe the early stages of learning how to use technology to enhance quality improvement. We interviewed key Beacon leaders as well as providers and office staff in selected practices. We also collected preliminary data from practices that reflected handling of alerts, including the number of asthma related alerts received and followed up. Regional alerts, supplied by the community-wide health information exchange, were a significant addition to the quality improvement effort in that they enabled practices to identify and follow up with additional children at risk. An important finding was the substantial effort at the practice level to integrate technology into ongoing patient care. Developing the technology for community wide alerts represented a significant endeavor in the Cincinnati Beacon Community. However, the technology was just the first step. Despite extra effort and time required on the part of individual practices, they reported that the value of having alerts was high. Hospital and ED visits represent some of the most costly aspects of care, and an efficient process for intervening with children using these costly services was seen as of significant value.

Revealing the functional neuroanatomy of intrinsic alertness using fMRI: methodological peculiarities.

Science.gov (United States)

Clemens, Benjamin; Zvyagintsev, Mikhail; Sack, Alexander T; Sack, Alexander; Heinecke, Armin; Willmes, Klaus; Sturm, Walter

2011-01-01

Clinical observations and neuroimaging data revealed a right-hemisphere fronto-parietal-thalamic-brainstem network for intrinsic alertness, and additional left fronto-parietal activity during phasic alertness. The primary objective of this fMRI study was to map the functional neuroanatomy of intrinsic alertness as precisely as possible in healthy participants, using a novel assessment paradigm already employed in clinical settings. Both the paradigm and the experimental design were optimized to specifically assess intrinsic alertness, while at the same time controlling for sensory-motor processing. The present results suggest that the processing of intrinsic alertness is accompanied by increased activity within the brainstem, thalamus, anterior cingulate gyrus, right insula, and right parietal cortex. Additionally, we found increased activation in the left hemisphere around the middle frontal gyrus (BA 9), the insula, the supplementary motor area, and the cerebellum. Our results further suggest that rather minute aspects of the experimental design may induce aspects of phasic alertness, which in turn might lead to additional brain activation in left-frontal areas not normally involved in intrinsic alertness. Accordingly, left BA 9 activation may be related to co-activation of the phasic alertness network due to the switch between rest and task conditions functioning as an external warning cue triggering the phasic alertness network. Furthermore, activation of the intrinsic alertness network during fixation blocks due to enhanced expectancy shortly before the switch to the task block might, when subtracted from the task block, lead to diminished activation in the typical right hemisphere intrinsic alertness network. Thus, we cautiously suggest that--as a methodological artifact--left frontal activations might show up due to phasic alertness involvement and intrinsic alertness activations might be weakened due to contrasting with fixation blocks, when assessing the

Acute alerting effects of light: A systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Souman, Jan L; Tinga, Angelica M; Te Pas, Susan F; van Ee, Raymond; Vlaskamp, Björn N S

2018-01-30

Periodic, well timed exposure to light is important for our health and wellbeing. Light, in particular in the blue part of the spectrum, is thought to affect alertness both indirectly, by modifying circadian rhythms, and directly, giving rise to acute effects. We performed a systematic review of empirical studies on direct, acute effects of light on alertness to evaluate the reliability of these effects. In total, we identified 68 studies in which either light intensity, spectral distribution, or both were manipulated, and evaluated the effects on behavioral measures of alertness, either subjectively or measured in reaction time performance tasks. The results show that increasing the intensity of polychromatic white light has been found to increase subjective ratings of alertness in a majority of studies, though a substantial proportion of studies failed to find significant effects, possibly due to small sample sizes or high baseline light intensities. The effect of the color temperature of white light on subjective alertness is less clear. Some studies found increased alertness with higher color temperatures, but other studies reported no detrimental effects of filtering out the short wavelengths from the spectrum. Similarly, studies that used monochromatic light exposure showed no systematic pattern for the effects of blue light compared to longer wavelengths. Far fewer studies investigated the effects of light intensity or spectrum on alertness as measured with reaction time tasks and of those, very few reported significant effects. In general, the small sample sizes used in studies on acute alerting effects of light make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions and better powered studies are needed, especially studies that allow for the construction of dose-response curves. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper/9: De-Alerting Strategic Ballistic Missiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Connell, Leonard W.; Edenburn, Michael W.; Fraley, Stanley K.; Trost, Lawrence C.

1999-03-01

This paper presents a framework for evaluating the technical merits of strategic ballistic missile de-alerting measures, and it uses the framework to evaluate a variety of possible measures for silo-based, land-mobile, and submarine-based missiles. De-alerting measures are defined for the purpose of this paper as reversible actions taken to increase the time or effort required to launch a strategic ballistic missile. The paper does not assess the desirability of pursuing a de-alerting program. Such an assessment is highly context dependent. The paper postulates that if de-alerting is desirable and is used as an arms control mechanism, de-alerting measures should satisfy specific cirteria relating to force security, practicality, effectiveness, significant delay, and verifiability. Silo-launched missiles lend themselves most readily to de-alerting verification, because communications necessary for monitoring do not increase the vulnerabilty of the weapons by a significant amount. Land-mobile missile de-alerting measures would be more challenging to verify, because monitoring measures that disclose the launcher's location would potentially increase their vulnerability. Submarine-launched missile de-alerting measures would be extremely challlenging if not impossible to monitor without increasing the submarine's vulnerability.

Space Environment Automated Alerts and Anomaly Analysis Assistant (SEA^5) for NASA

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to develop a comprehensive analysis and dissemination system (Space Environment Automated Alerts  & Anomaly Analysis Assistant: SEA5) that will...

Machine-learning-based Brokers for Real-time Classification of the LSST Alert Stream

Science.gov (United States)

Narayan, Gautham; Zaidi, Tayeb; Soraisam, Monika D.; Wang, Zhe; Lochner, Michelle; Matheson, Thomas; Saha, Abhijit; Yang, Shuo; Zhao, Zhenge; Kececioglu, John; Scheidegger, Carlos; Snodgrass, Richard T.; Axelrod, Tim; Jenness, Tim; Maier, Robert S.; Ridgway, Stephen T.; Seaman, Robert L.; Evans, Eric Michael; Singh, Navdeep; Taylor, Clark; Toeniskoetter, Jackson; Welch, Eric; Zhu, Songzhe; The ANTARES Collaboration

2018-05-01

The unprecedented volume and rate of transient events that will be discovered by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) demand that the astronomical community update its follow-up paradigm. Alert-brokers—automated software system to sift through, characterize, annotate, and prioritize events for follow-up—will be critical tools for managing alert streams in the LSST era. The Arizona-NOAO Temporal Analysis and Response to Events System (ANTARES) is one such broker. In this work, we develop a machine learning pipeline to characterize and classify variable and transient sources only using the available multiband optical photometry. We describe three illustrative stages of the pipeline, serving the three goals of early, intermediate, and retrospective classification of alerts. The first takes the form of variable versus transient categorization, the second a multiclass typing of the combined variable and transient data set, and the third a purity-driven subtyping of a transient class. Although several similar algorithms have proven themselves in simulations, we validate their performance on real observations for the first time. We quantitatively evaluate our pipeline on sparse, unevenly sampled, heteroskedastic data from various existing observational campaigns, and demonstrate very competitive classification performance. We describe our progress toward adapting the pipeline developed in this work into a real-time broker working on live alert streams from time-domain surveys.

Evaluating the Reliability of Emergency Response Systems for Large-Scale Incident Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

get them to an environment where they a Sim p lifi ed M o d el o f an Em erg en cy R esp o n se to a C h lo rin e R elease 71 Figure 4.4...of the complexity, picturing the interconnections in this network mapping makes it easier to go beyond what was included in Table 5.2 and, starting...commercial media to the use of spe- cialized alert systems (e.g., an email push alert network ). As with previous steps, the time it takes for a message to be

Alertness modulates conflict adaptation and feature integration in an opposite way.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peiduo Liu

Full Text Available Previous studies show that the congruency sequence effect can result from both the conflict adaptation effect (CAE and feature integration effect which can be observed as the repetition priming effect (RPE and feature overlap effect (FOE depending on different experimental conditions. Evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that a close correlation exists between the neural mechanisms of alertness-related modulations and the congruency sequence effect. However, little is known about whether and how alertness mediates the congruency sequence effect. In Experiment 1, the Attentional Networks Test (ANT and a modified flanker task were used to evaluate whether the alertness of the attentional functions had a correlation with the CAE and RPE. In Experimental 2, the ANT and another modified flanker task were used to investigate whether alertness of the attentional functions correlate with the CAE and FOE. In Experiment 1, through the correlative analysis, we found a significant positive correlation between alertness and the CAE, and a negative correlation between the alertness and the RPE. Moreover, a significant negative correlation existed between CAE and RPE. In Experiment 2, we found a marginally significant negative correlation between the CAE and the RPE, but the correlation between alertness and FOE, CAE and FOE was not significant. These results suggest that alertness can modulate conflict adaptation and feature integration in an opposite way. Participants at the high alerting level group may tend to use the top-down cognitive processing strategy, whereas participants at the low alerting level group tend to use the bottom-up processing strategy.

Alertness Modulates Conflict Adaptation and Feature Integration in an Opposite Way

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jia; Huang, Xiting; Chen, Antao

2013-01-01

Previous studies show that the congruency sequence effect can result from both the conflict adaptation effect (CAE) and feature integration effect which can be observed as the repetition priming effect (RPE) and feature overlap effect (FOE) depending on different experimental conditions. Evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that a close correlation exists between the neural mechanisms of alertness-related modulations and the congruency sequence effect. However, little is known about whether and how alertness mediates the congruency sequence effect. In Experiment 1, the Attentional Networks Test (ANT) and a modified flanker task were used to evaluate whether the alertness of the attentional functions had a correlation with the CAE and RPE. In Experimental 2, the ANT and another modified flanker task were used to investigate whether alertness of the attentional functions correlate with the CAE and FOE. In Experiment 1, through the correlative analysis, we found a significant positive correlation between alertness and the CAE, and a negative correlation between the alertness and the RPE. Moreover, a significant negative correlation existed between CAE and RPE. In Experiment 2, we found a marginally significant negative correlation between the CAE and the RPE, but the correlation between alertness and FOE, CAE and FOE was not significant. These results suggest that alertness can modulate conflict adaptation and feature integration in an opposite way. Participants at the high alerting level group may tend to use the top-down cognitive processing strategy, whereas participants at the low alerting level group tend to use the bottom-up processing strategy. PMID:24250824

Space Debris Alert System for Aviation

Science.gov (United States)

Sgobba, Tommaso

2013-09-01

Despite increasing efforts to accurately predict space debris re-entry, the exact time and location of re-entry is still very uncertain. Partially, this is due to a skipping effect uncontrolled spacecraft may experience as they enter the atmosphere at a shallow angle. Such effect difficult to model depends on atmospheric variations of density. When the bouncing off ends and atmospheric re-entry starts, the trajectory and the overall location of surviving fragments can be precisely predicted but the time to impact with ground, or to reach the airspace, becomes very short.Different is the case of a functional space system performing controlled re-entry. Suitable forecasts methods are available to clear air and maritime traffic from hazard areas (so-called traffic segregation).In US, following the Space Shuttle Columbia accident in 2003, a re-entry hazard areas location forecast system was putted in place for the specific case of major malfunction of a Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV) at re-entry. The Shuttle Hazard Area to Aircraft Calculator (SHAAC) is a system based on ground equipment and software analyses and prediction tools, which require trained personnel and close coordination between the organization responsible for RLV operation (NASA for Shuttle) and the Federal Aviation Administration. The system very much relies on the operator's capability to determine that a major malfunction has occurred.This paper presents a US pending patent by the European Space Agency, which consists of a "smart fragment" using a GPS localizer together with pre- computed debris footprint area and direct broadcasting of such hazard areas.The risk for aviation from falling debris is very remote but catastrophic. Suspending flight over vast swath of airspace for every re-entering spacecraft or rocket upper stage, which is a weekly occurrence, would be extremely costly and disruptive.The Re-entry Direct Broadcasting Alert System (R- DBAS) is an original merging and evolution of the Re

Assigning a volcano alert level: negotiating uncertainty, risk, and complexity in decision-making processes

OpenAIRE

Carina J Fearnley

2013-01-01

A volcano alert level system (VALS) is used to communicate warning information from scientists to civil authorities managing volcanic hazards. This paper provides the first evaluation of how the decision-making process behind the assignation of an alert level, using forecasts of volcanic behaviour, operates in practice . Using interviews conducted from 2007 to 2009 at five USGS-managed (US Geological Survey) volcano observatories (Alaska, Cascades, Hawaii, Long Valley, and Yellowstone), two k...

Standard practice for design and use of safety alert system for hazardous work locations in the coatings and lining industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

This practice covers a safety alert system for hazardous work locations and materials for the coatings and lining application industry. This practice is designed for multi-employer work sites. Limitations--This practice does not identify specific hazardous materials or work locations but provides a means for rating each. This standard may involve hazardous materials, operations, and equipment

Operator alertness and performance on 8-hour and 12-hour work shifts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, T.L.; Campbell, S.S.; Dawson, D.; Moore-Ede, M.

1989-01-01

Recently, much attention has been paid to the alertness and performance problems of rotational shiftworkers in the nuclear power industry. Growing awareness of higher rates of human errors and accidents on night shifts and reports of operations personnel falling asleep on the job have contributed to the heightened interest in this subject. The industry is now considering the effects of different shift rotation systems, including evaluation of the most recent of industry trends in shift scheduling-schedules that include 12 hour work shifts. Surveys show that within the past 5 years about 20% of commercially operational nuclear power plants have instituted schedules that use only 12 hour shifts, or schedules using a combination of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts. Many more plants routinely use 12-hour work shifts during plant outages and refueling operations. In response to this growing trend, the NRC has funded research which is a first attempt to compare alertness, operator performance, and sleep-wake patterns in subjects working simulated 8-hour and 12-hour shifts at the Human Alertness Research Center (HARC), located at the Institute of Circadian Physiology in Boston, MA. This paper will describe in greater detail the design of the study, measurement techniques for alertness and sleep, work routine, work task performance measures, and cognitive performance test protocols. It will review the role of circadian factors in human alertness and performance, and discuss previous research findings in this area. It will discuss other variables that are known to influence human alertness in the workplace, such as caffeine, alcohol, and working environment. The physiological basis for shift worker sleep problems will be explained in the context of the ongoing research project at HARC. Finally, the paper presents previous research on shift work and fatigue which may be relevant to a comparison of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts

Alertness management in two-person long-haul flight operations

Science.gov (United States)

Rosekind, M. R.; Gander, P. H.

1992-01-01

Long-haul flight operations involve cumulative sleep loss, circadian disruption, and extended and irregular duty schedules. These factors reduce pilot alertness and performance on the flightdeck. Conceptually and operationally, alertness management in flight operations can be divided into preventive strategies and operational countermeasures. Preventive strategies are utilized prior to a duty period to mitigate or reduce the effects of sleep loss, circadian disruption and fatigue during subsequent flight operations. Operational countermeasures are used during operations as acute techniques for maintaining performance and alertness. Results from previous NASA Ames field studies document the sleep loss and circadian disruption in three-person long-haul flying and illustrate the application of preventive strategies and operational countermeasures. One strategy that can be used in both a preventive and operational manner is strategic napping. The application and effectiveness of strategic napping in long-haul operations will be discussed. Finally, long-haul flying in two-person highly automated aircraft capable of extended range operations will create new challenges to maintaining pilot alertness and performance. Alertness management issues in this flight environment will be explored.

Education and Training Module in Alertness Management

Science.gov (United States)

Mallis, M. M.; Brandt, S. L.; Oyung, R. L.; Reduta, D. D.; Rosekind, M. R.

2006-01-01

The education and training module (ETM) in alertness management has now been integrated as part of the training regimen of the Pilot Proficiency Awards Program ("WINGS") of the Federal Aviation Administration. Originated and now maintained current by the Fatigue Countermeasures Group at NASA Ames Research Center, the ETM in Alertness Management is designed to give pilots the benefit of the best and most recent research on the basics of sleep physiology, the causes of fatigue, and strategies for managing alertness during flight operations. The WINGS program is an incentive program that encourages pilots at all licensing levels to participate in recurrent training, upon completion of which distinctive lapel or tie pins (wings) and certificates of completion are awarded. In addition to flight training, all WINGS applicants must attend at least one FAA-sponsored safety seminar, FAA-sanctioned safety seminar, or industry recurrent training program. The Fatigue Countermeasures Group provides an FAA-approved industry recurrent training program through an on-line General Aviation (GA) WINGS ETM in alertness management to satisfy this requirement. Since 1993, the Fatigue Countermeasures Group has translated fatigue and alertness information to operational environments by conducting two-day ETM workshops oriented primarily toward air-carrier operations subject to Part 121 of the Federal Aviation Regulations pertaining to such operations. On the basis of the information presented in the two-day ETM workshops, an ETM was created for GA pilots and was transferred to a Web-based version. To comply with the requirements of the WINGS Program, the original Web-based version has been modified to include hypertext markup language (HTML) content that makes information easily accessible, in-depth testing of alertness-management knowledge, new interactive features, and increased informational resources for GA pilots. Upon successful completion of this training module, a participant

Distributed Pedestrian Detection Alerts Based on Data Fusion with Accurate Localization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arturo de la Escalera

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Among Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS pedestrian detection is a common issue due to the vulnerability of pedestrians in the event of accidents. In the present work, a novel approach for pedestrian detection based on data fusion is presented. Data fusion helps to overcome the limitations inherent to each detection system (computer vision and laser scanner and provides accurate and trustable tracking of any pedestrian movement. The application is complemented by an efficient communication protocol, able to alert vehicles in the surroundings by a fast and reliable communication. The combination of a powerful location, based on a GPS with inertial measurement, and accurate obstacle localization based on data fusion has allowed locating the detected pedestrians with high accuracy. Tests proved the viability of the detection system and the efficiency of the communication, even at long distances. By the use of the alert communication, dangerous situations such as occlusions or misdetections can be avoided.

Distributed pedestrian detection alerts based on data fusion with accurate localization.

Science.gov (United States)

García, Fernando; Jiménez, Felipe; Anaya, José Javier; Armingol, José María; Naranjo, José Eugenio; de la Escalera, Arturo

2013-09-04

Among Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) pedestrian detection is a common issue due to the vulnerability of pedestrians in the event of accidents. In the present work, a novel approach for pedestrian detection based on data fusion is presented. Data fusion helps to overcome the limitations inherent to each detection system (computer vision and laser scanner) and provides accurate and trustable tracking of any pedestrian movement. The application is complemented by an efficient communication protocol, able to alert vehicles in the surroundings by a fast and reliable communication. The combination of a powerful location, based on a GPS with inertial measurement, and accurate obstacle localization based on data fusion has allowed locating the detected pedestrians with high accuracy. Tests proved the viability of the detection system and the efficiency of the communication, even at long distances. By the use of the alert communication, dangerous situations such as occlusions or misdetections can be avoided.

EEG quantification of alertness: methods for early identification of individuals most susceptible to sleep deprivation

Science.gov (United States)

Berka, Chris; Levendowski, Daniel J.; Westbrook, Philip; Davis, Gene; Lumicao, Michelle N.; Olmstead, Richard E.; Popovic, Miodrag; Zivkovic, Vladimir T.; Ramsey, Caitlin K.

2005-05-01

Electroencephalographic (EEG) and neurocognitive measures were simultaneously acquired to quantify alertness from 24 participants during 44-hours of sleep deprivation. Performance on a three-choice vigilance task (3C-VT), paired-associate learning/memory task (PAL) and modified Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT), and sleep technician-observed drowsiness (eye-closures, head-nods, EEG slowing) were quantified. The B-Alert system automatically classifies each second of EEG on an alertness/drowsiness continuum. B-Alert classifications were significantly correlated with technician-observations, visually scored EEG and performance measures. B-Alert classifications during 3C-VT, and technician observations and performance during the 3C-VT and PAL evidenced progressively increasing drowsiness as a result of sleep deprivation with a stabilizing effect observed at the batteries occurring between 0600 and 1100 suggesting a possible circadian effect similar to those reported in previous sleep deprivation studies. Participants were given an opportunity to take a 40-minute nap approximately 24-hours into the sleep deprivation portion of the study (i.e., 7 PM on Saturday). The nap was followed by a transient period of increased alertness. Approximately 8 hours after the nap, behavioral and physiological measures of drowsiness returned to levels prior to the nap. Cluster analysis was used to stratify individuals into three groups based on their level of impairment as a result of sleep deprivation. The combination of B-Alert and neuro-behavioral measures may identify individuals whose performance is most susceptible to sleep deprivation. These objective measures could be applied in an operational setting to provide a "biobehavioral assay" to determine vulnerability to sleep deprivation.

The use of electronic alerts in primary care computer systems to identify the excessive prescription of short-acting beta2-agonists for people with asthma: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

McKibben, Shauna; De Simoni, Anna; Bush, Andy; Thomas, Mike; Griffiths, Chris

2018-04-16

Computers are increasingly used to improve prescribing decisions in the management of long-term conditions however the effects on asthma prescribing remain unclear. We aimed to synthesise the evidence for the use of computerised alerts that identify excessive prescribing of short-acting beta 2 -agonists (SABAs) to improve asthma management for people with asthma. MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane and Scopus databases (1990-2016) were searched for randomised controlled trials using electronic alerts to identify excessive prescribing of SABAs for people with asthma in primary care. Inclusion eligibility, quality appraisal (Cochrane risk of bias tool) and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Findings were synthesised narratively. A total of 2035 articles were screened and four trials were eligible. Three studies had low risk of bias: one reported a positive effect on our primary outcome of interest, excessive SABA prescribing; another reported positive effects on the ratio of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-SABA prescribing, and asthma control; a third reported no effect on outcomes of interest. One study at high risk of bias reported a reduction in exacerbations and primary care consultations. There is some evidence that electronic alerts reduce excessive prescribing of SABAs, when delivered as part of a multicomponent intervention in an integrated health care system. However due to the variation in health care systems, intervention design and outcomes measured, further research is required to establish optimal design of alerting and intervening systems.

Control-room operator alertness and performance in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, T.l.; Campbell, S.C.; Linder, K.D.; Moore-Ede, M.C

1990-02-01

All industries requiring round-the-clock operation must deal with the potential problem of impaired alertness, especially among those who work night shifts. In the nuclear power industry, maintaining optimal alertness and performance of control room operators at all times of day is critical. Many of the toot causes of reduced alertness are straightforward and can be easily remedied with tangible solutions; this manual both discusses the reasons for the problem and suggests solutions. The manual surveys factors that influence operator alertness and performance, including shift schedules, caffeine and alcohol use, diet and family lifestyle factors, the control room enviornment, staffing and overtime practices, and work task design. Specific recommendations are made in each of these areas. The project team, consisting of experts on managing round-the-clock operations and scientists who study human alertness and performance, prepared this manual using the latest scientific research and direct input from shift supervisors and operators via interviews, on-site observation, and questionnaires distributed to every nuclear power station. The material contained within is relevant to shiftwork managers, shift supervisors, and operators, each of whom plays a vital role in maintaining optimal alertness and performance on the job. 90 refs., 35 figs

Entrepreneurial alertness: Study of the Influence of Individual Characteristics and Entrepreneurship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilka Pelizza Vier Machado

2016-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT This research tried to understand which statistical variables associated to the individual and the company influence the entrepreneurial alertness. The sample was constituted by 180 entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial alertness was measured in agreement with the model of Tang, Kacmar and Busenitz (2012. Descriptive statistical tests and normality exam were developed; as well as checked the validity and reliability of the scale through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA. In order to identify the factors that influenced the alertness we developed multiple linear regression and the ANOVA test to determine possible differences among groups (gender, education. The results showed the negative influence of the educational level and the size of enterprises on alertness level; as well as the negative relationship between age and entrepreneurial experience, furthermore, shows that alert level is not determined by gender difference. One of the main implications of this research is to present factors that can potentiate the effects of the entrepreneurial alertness, enlarging the possibilities of identification of opportunities for individuals.

Influence of satellite alerts on the efficiency of aircraft monitoring of maritime oil pollution in German waters

Science.gov (United States)

Helmke, Peer; Baschek, Björn; Hunsänger, Thomas; Kranz, Susanne

2014-10-01

For detecting accidental and illegal pollution by mineral oil, the German exclusive economic zone and surrounding waters have been monitored by aircraft operationally for more than 25 years. Aircraft surveillance uses predominantly Side-Looking-Airborne-Radar for visualization of the effect of oil to smoothen capillary waves. A set of near range sensors complements the remote sensing data available for the human operator to classify the detected features as "mineral oil", "natural phenomenon", "other substance" or "unknown" pollution. Today, as an add-on to aerial surveillance, the German Central Command of Maritime Emergencies uses the operational satellite service "CleanSeaNet" provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency: Radar satellite data is analyzed in near real time and alerts of potential pollution are sent out. Shortly after receiving the results, aircraft surveillance flights are started by the 3rd Naval Air Wing and the locations of the satellite alerts are checked. Thus, a combined system of satellite and aerial surveillance is in place. The German Federal Institute of Hydrology, BfG, has access to the data of the pollution events detected during these flights and the corresponding meta-data of flights and satellite images. In this work, a period of two years of this data is analyzed. The probability to detect pollutions is evaluated for (A) flight missions associated with satellite scenes, and (B) additional flights performed independently from satellite scenes. Thus, the influence of satellite alerts on the efficiency of aircraft monitoring is investigated. Coverage and coordination of the monitoring by aircraft and satellite are assessed and implications for the operational monitoring are discussed.

Dispatch of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Via Advanced Automatic Collision Notification.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Hisashi; Mashiko, Kunihiro; Hara, Yoshiaki; Yagi, Takanori; Hayashida, Kazuyuki; Mashiko, Kazuki; Saito, Nobuyuki; Iida, Hiroaki; Motomura, Tomokazu; Yasumatsu, Hiroshi; Kameyama, Daisuke; Hirabayashi, Atsushi; Yokota, Hiroyuki; Ishikawa, Hirotoshi; Kunimatsu, Takaji

2016-03-01

Advanced automatic collision notification (AACN) is a system for predicting occupant injury from collision information. If the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) physician can be alerted by AACN, it may be possible to reduce the time to patient contact. The purpose of this study was to validate the feasibility of early HEMS dispatch via AACN. A full-scale validation study was conducted. A car equipped with AACN was made to collide with a wall. Immediately after the collision, the HEMS was alerted directly by the operation center, which received the information from AACN. Elapsed times were recorded and compared with those inferred from the normal, real-world HEMS emergency request process. AACN information was sent to the operation center only 7 s after the collision; the HEMS was dispatched after 3 min. The helicopter landed at the temporary helipad 18 min later. Finally, medical intervention was started 21 min after the collision. Without AACN, it was estimated that the HEMS would be requested 14 min after the collision by fire department personnel. The start of treatment was estimated to be at 32 min, which was 11 min later than that associated with the use of AACN. The dispatch of the HEMS using the AACN can shorten the start time of treatment for patients in motor vehicle collisions. This study demonstrated that it is feasible to automatically alert and activate the HEMS via AACN. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlating intrusion detection alerts on bot malware infections using neural network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kidmose, Egon; Stevanovic, Matija; Pedersen, Jens Myrup

2016-01-01

Millions of computers are infected with bot malware, form botnets and enable botmaster to perform malicious and criminal activities. Intrusion Detection Systems are deployed to detect infections, but they raise many correlated alerts for each infection, requiring a large manual investigation effort...

Optical flow and driver's kinematics analysis for state of alert sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiménez-Pinto, Javier; Torres-Torriti, Miguel

2013-03-28

Road accident statistics from different countries show that a significant number of accidents occur due to driver's fatigue and lack of awareness to traffic conditions. In particular, about 60% of the accidents in which long haul truck and bus drivers are involved are attributed to drowsiness and fatigue. It is thus fundamental to improve non-invasive systems for sensing a driver's state of alert. One of the main challenges to correctly resolve the state of alert is measuring the percentage of eyelid closure over time (PERCLOS), despite the driver's head and body movements. In this paper, we propose a technique that involves optical flow and driver's kinematics analysis to improve the robustness of the driver's alert state measurement under pose changes using a single camera with near-infrared illumination. The proposed approach infers and keeps track of the driver's pose in 3D space in order to ensure that eyes can be located correctly, even after periods of partial occlusion, for example, when the driver stares away from the camera. Our experiments show the effectiveness of the approach with a correct eyes detection rate of 99.41%, on average. The results obtained with the proposed approach in an experiment involving fifteen persons under different levels of sleep deprivation also confirm the discriminability of the fatigue levels. In addition to the measurement of fatigue and drowsiness, the pose tracking capability of the proposed approach has potential applications in distraction assessment and alerting of machine operators.

Human-computer interaction for alert warning and attention allocation systems of the multimodal watchstation

Science.gov (United States)

Obermayer, Richard W.; Nugent, William A.

2000-11-01

The SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego is currently developing an advanced Multi-Modal Watchstation (MMWS); design concepts and software from this effort are intended for transition to future United States Navy surface combatants. The MMWS features multiple flat panel displays and several modes of user interaction, including voice input and output, natural language recognition, 3D audio, stylus and gestural inputs. In 1999, an extensive literature review was conducted on basic and applied research concerned with alerting and warning systems. After summarizing that literature, a human computer interaction (HCI) designer's guide was prepared to support the design of an attention allocation subsystem (AAS) for the MMWS. The resultant HCI guidelines are being applied in the design of a fully interactive AAS prototype. An overview of key findings from the literature review, a proposed design methodology with illustrative examples, and an assessment of progress made in implementing the HCI designers guide are presented.

Feasibility and profitability of a radiology department providing trauma US as part of a trauma alert team.

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, L W; Simmons, S; Kozar, R; Kinback, R; Hallowell, M J; Mulhern, C

2001-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and profitability of a radiology department providing a six-point trauma ultrasound (US) examination for abdominal or pelvic free fluid as part of a trauma alert team. The study included 191 trauma alerts, which generated 156 US examinations. A radiologist and a departmental technologist carried beepers and responded to level I and II traumas. A departmental secretary or technologist recorded when the responding technologist exited and re-entered the department and if US was performed. If performed, the US examination evaluated the four abdominal and pelvic quadrants and the suprapubic and subxiphoid regions. For 64 patients, the responding technologist recorded the times of the trauma alert, emergency room arrival, US start and finish, and return to the radiology department. Median response, wait, scan duration, and return times were 2, 8, 5, and 7 minutes, respectively. Median costs for the technician, physician, archiving, transcription, and equipment were $8.17, $30.85, $0.97, $4.80, and $41.22, respectively. Reimbursement per examination averaged $110.60. Sensitivity analyses that varied the time spent (median vs mean), US non-use rate (10%-18%), and years of depreciation (5-7 years) yielded net results ranging from a $36.60 profit to a $6.12 loss per examination. A radiology department can profitably respond to trauma alerts and provide a six-point trauma US examination for free fluid.

PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY AWARENESS AND ALERT ACTIVITIES: AN EXAMPLE FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, Sue; Cook, Alison; Miles, Kathryn

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to report on the experiences, benefits, and challenges of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) from a publicly funded early awareness and alert (EAA) system in the United Kingdom. Using email, telephone, a Web site portal, Twitter and focus groups, patients and the public were involved and engaged in the recognized stages of an EAA system: identification, filtration, prioritization, early assessment, and dissemination. Approaches for PPIE were successfully integrated into all aspects of the National Institute for Health Research Horizon Scanning Research and Intelligence Centre's EAA system. Input into identification activities was not as beneficial as involvement in prioritization and early assessment. Patients gave useful insight into the Centre's Web site and engaging patients using Twitter has enabled the Centre to disseminate outputs to a wider audience. EAA systems should consider involving and engaging with patients and the public in identification, prioritization, and assessment of emerging health technologies where practicable. Further research is required to examine the value and impact of PPIE in EAA activities and in the early development of health technologies.

Morning sleep inertia in alertness and performance: effect of cognitive domain and white light conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nayantara Santhi

Full Text Available The transition from sleep to wakefulness entails a temporary period of reduced alertness and impaired performance known as sleep inertia. The extent to which its severity varies with task and cognitive processes remains unclear. We examined sleep inertia in alertness, attention, working memory and cognitive throughput with the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS, the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT, n-back and add tasks, respectively. The tasks were administered 2 hours before bedtime and at regular intervals for four hours, starting immediately after awakening in the morning, in eleven participants, in a four-way cross-over laboratory design. We also investigated whether exposure to Blue-Enhanced or Bright Blue-Enhanced white light would reduce sleep inertia. Alertness and all cognitive processes were impaired immediately upon awakening (p<0.01. However, alertness and sustained attention were more affected than cognitive throughput and working memory. Moreover, speed was more affected than accuracy of responses. The light conditions had no differential effect on performance except in the 3-back task (p<0.01, where response times (RT at the end of four hours in the two Blue-Enhanced white light conditions were faster (200 ms than at wake time. We conclude that the effect of sleep inertia varies with cognitive domain and that it's spectral/intensity response to light is different from that of sleepiness. That is, just increasing blue-wavelength in light may not be sufficient to reduce sleep inertia. These findings have implications for critical professions like medicine, law-enforcement etc., in which, personnel routinely wake up from night-time sleep to respond to emergency situations.

Help Me Please!: Designing and Developing Application for Emergencies

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Ng Ken; Hafit, Hanayanti; Wahid, Norfaradilla; Kasim, Shahreen; Yusof, Munirah Mohd

2017-08-01

Help Me Please! Application is an android platform emergency button application that is designed to transmit emergency messages to target receivers with real time information. The purpose of developing this application is to help people to notify any emergency circumstances via Short Message Service (SMS) in android platform. The application will receive the current location from Global Positioning System (GPS), will obtain the current time from the mobile device and send this information to the receivers when user presses the emergency button. Simultaneously, the application will keep sending the emergency alerts to receivers and will update to database based on the time interval set by user until user stop the function. Object-oriented Software Development model is employed to guide the development of this application with the knowledge of Java language and Android Studio. In conclusion, this application plays an important role in rescuing process when emergency circumstances happen. The rescue process will become more effective by notifying the emergency circumstances and send the current location of user to others in the early hours.

Purchasing and Using Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS): how decisions are made by community-dwelling seniors in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, Alexandra C; Kloseck, Marita; Crilly, Richard; Polgar, Jan

2015-07-11

As the demographic of older people continues to grow, health services that support independence among community-dwelling seniors have become increasingly important. Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) are medical alert systems, designed to serve as a safety net for seniors living alone. Health care professionals often recommend that seniors in danger of falls or other medical emergencies obtain a PERS. The purpose of the study was to investigate the experience of seniors living with and using a PERS in their daily lives, using a qualitative grounded theory approach. Five focus groups and 10 semi-structured interviews, with a total of 30 participants, were completed using a grounded theory approach. All participants were PERS subscribers over the age of 80, living alone in a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) with high health service utilization in a major urban centre in Ontario. Constant comparative analysis was used to develop themes and ultimately a model of why and how seniors obtain and use the PERS. Two core themes, unpredictability and decision-making around PERS activation, emerged as major features of the theoretical model. Being able to get help and the psychological value of PERS informed the context of living with a PERS. A number of theoretical conclusions related to unpredictability and the decision-making process around activating PERS were generated.

The ACT Alert: preliminary results of a novel protocol to assess geriatric head trauma patients on anticoagulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rittenhouse, Katelyn; Rogers, Amelia; Clark, Elizabeth; Horst, Michael; Adams, William; Bupp, Katherine; Shertzer, Weston; Miller, Jo Ann; Chandler, Roxanne; Rogers, Frederick B

2015-04-01

In busy emergency departments (EDs), elderly patients on anticoagulation (AC) sustaining minor injuries who are triaged to a lower priority for evaluation are at risk for potentially serious consequences. We sought to determine if a novel ED protocol prioritizes workup and improves outcome. In a Pennsylvania-verified Level II trauma center, the ACT (AntiCoagulation and Trauma) Alert was implemented in March 2012. Triage parameters include: age 65 years or older, AC agents, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 13 or greater, and head trauma 24 hours or less. ACT Alerts are announced overhead in the ED and require assessment by an ED physician, nurse, and phlebotomist in 15 minutes or less. Furthermore, they necessitate Point of Care international normalized ratio (INR) 20 minutes or less and head computed tomography (CT) scan 30 minutes or less. Positive CT findings mandate trauma service consultation. ACT Alert patients from March to December 2012 were compared with ED patients 65 years or older, GCS 13 or greater, on AC with the same chief complaints as ACT Alerts from June 2011 to February 2012 (control). A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Of 752 study patients, 415 were ACT and 337 were controls. There were no significant differences between groups in age, elevated INR, or head bleeds. ACT patients had significantly shorter median times from ED arrival to INR (ACT 13 minutes vs control 80 minutes; P ACT 35 minutes vs control 65 minutes; P ACT had a significantly shorter median length of stay (LOS) (ACT 3.7 days vs control 5.0 days; P ACT Alert improves ED throughput and reduces hospital LOS while effectively identifying at-risk, mildly head injured geriatric patients on AC.

The Brazilian emergency response system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Raul dos

1997-01-01

With the objective of improving the response actions to potential or real emergency situations generated by radiological or nuclear accidents, the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) installed an integrated response system on a 24 hours basis. All the natiowide notifications on events that may start an emergency situation are converged to this system. Established since July 1990, this system has received around 300 notifications in which 5% were classified as potential emergency situation. (author)

Verbal collision avoidance messages during simulated driving: perceived urgency, alerting effectiveness and annoyance.

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Carryl L

2011-04-01

Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is critical for effective alarm response. Two experiments describe the impact of acoustic and semantic parameters on ratings of perceived urgency, annoyance and alerting effectiveness and on alarm response speed. Within a simulated driving context, participants rated and responded to collision avoidance system (CAS) messages spoken by a female or male voice (experiments 1 and 2, respectively). Results indicated greater perceived urgency and faster alarm response times as intensity increased from -2 dB signal to noise (S/N) ratio to +10 dB S/N, although annoyance ratings increased as well. CAS semantic content interacted with alarm intensity, indicating that at lower intensity levels participants paid more attention to the semantic content. Results indicate that both acoustic and semantic parameters independently and interactively impact CAS alert perceptions in divided attention conditions and this work can inform auditory alarm design for effective hazard matching. Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is critical for effective alarm response. Here, both acoustic and semantic parameters independently and interactively impacted CAS alert perceptions in divided attention conditions. This work can inform auditory alarm design for effective hazard matching. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Results indicate that both acoustic parameters and semantic content can be used to design collision warnings with a range of urgency levels. Further, these results indicate that verbal warnings tailored to a specific hazard situation may improve hazard-matching capabilities without substantial trade-offs in perceived annoyance.

Monitoring alert and drowsy states by modeling EEG source nonstationarity

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Sheng-Hsiou; Jung, Tzyy-Ping

2017-10-01

Objective. As a human brain performs various cognitive functions within ever-changing environments, states of the brain characterized by recorded brain activities such as electroencephalogram (EEG) are inevitably nonstationary. The challenges of analyzing the nonstationary EEG signals include finding neurocognitive sources that underlie different brain states and using EEG data to quantitatively assess the state changes. Approach. This study hypothesizes that brain activities under different states, e.g. levels of alertness, can be modeled as distinct compositions of statistically independent sources using independent component analysis (ICA). This study presents a framework to quantitatively assess the EEG source nonstationarity and estimate levels of alertness. The framework was tested against EEG data collected from 10 subjects performing a sustained-attention task in a driving simulator. Main results. Empirical results illustrate that EEG signals under alert versus drowsy states, indexed by reaction speeds to driving challenges, can be characterized by distinct ICA models. By quantifying the goodness-of-fit of each ICA model to the EEG data using the model deviation index (MDI), we found that MDIs were significantly correlated with the reaction speeds (r  =  -0.390 with alertness models and r  =  0.449 with drowsiness models) and the opposite correlations indicated that the two models accounted for sources in the alert and drowsy states, respectively. Based on the observed source nonstationarity, this study also proposes an online framework using a subject-specific ICA model trained with an initial (alert) state to track the level of alertness. For classification of alert against drowsy states, the proposed online framework achieved an averaged area-under-curve of 0.745 and compared favorably with a classic power-based approach. Significance. This ICA-based framework provides a new way to study changes of brain states and can be applied to

On the Alert: Preparing for Medical Emergencies in Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Dan

2012-01-01

Medical emergencies can happen in any school at any time. They can be the result of preexisting health problems, accidents, violence, unintentional actions, natural disasters, and toxins. Premature deaths in schools from sudden cardiac arrest, blunt trauma to the chest, firearm injuries, asthma, head injuries, drug overdose, allergic reactions,…

Time to Detection with BacT/Alert FA Plus Compared to BacT/Alert FA Blood Culture Media.

Science.gov (United States)

Nutman, A; Fisher Even-Tsur, S; Shapiro, G; Braun, T; Schwartz, D; Carmeli, Y

2016-09-01

Rapid identification of the causative pathogen in patients with bacteremia allows adjustment of antibiotic therapy and improves patient outcomes. We compared in vitro and real-life time to detection (TTD) of two blood culture media, BacT/Alert FA (FA) and BacT/Alert FA Plus (FA Plus), for the nine most common species of bacterial pathogens recovered from blood samples. Experimental data from simulated cultures was compared with microbiology records of TTD for both culture media with growth of the species of interest in clinical blood cultures. In the experimental conditions, median TTD was 3.8 hours (23.9 %) shorter using FA Plus media. The magnitude of reduction differed between species. Similarly, in real life data, FA Plus had shorter TTD than FA media; however, the difference between culture media was smaller, and median TTD was only 1 hour (8.5 %) less. We found shorter TTD with BacT/Alert FA Plus culture media, both experimentally and in real-life conditions and unrelated to antibiotic neutralization, highlighting the importance of appropriate blood culture media selection.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Electronic Care Plan Alerts and Resource Utilization by High Frequency Emergency Department Users with Opioid Use Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels Rathlev, MD

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: There is a paucity of literature supporting the use of electronic alerts for patients with high frequency emergency department (ED use. We sought to measure changes in opioid prescribing and administration practices, total charges and other resource utilization using electronic alerts to notify providers of an opioid-use care plan for high frequency ED patients. Methods: This was a randomized, non-blinded, two-group parallel design study of patients who had 1 opioid use disorder and 2 high frequency ED use. Three affiliated hospitals with identical electronic health records participated. Patients were randomized into “Care Plan” versus “Usual Care groups”. Between the years before and after randomization, we compared as primary outcomes the following: 1 opioids (morphine mg equivalents prescribed to patients upon discharge and administered to ED and inpatients; 2 total medical charges, and the numbers of; 3 ED visits, 4 ED visits with advanced radiologic imaging (computed tomography [CT] or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] studies, and 5 inpatient admissions. Results: A total of 40 patients were enrolled. For ED and inpatients in the “Usual Care” group, the proportion of morphine mg equivalents received in the post-period compared with the pre-period was 15.7%, while in the “Care Plan” group the proportion received in the post-period compared with the pre-period was 4.5% (ratio=0.29, 95% CI [0.07-1.12]; p=0.07. For discharged patients in the “Usual Care” group, the proportion of morphine mg equivalents prescribed in the post-period compared with the pre-period was 25.7% while in the “Care Plan” group, the proportion prescribed in the post-period compared to the pre-period was 2.9%. The “Care Plan” group showed an 89% greater proportional change over the periods compared with the “Usual Care” group (ratio=0.11, 95% CI [0.01-0.092]; p=0.04. Care plans did not change the total charges, or, the numbers

Bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soil at CFS Alert - Laboratory scale respirometry experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haidar, S.; Bennett, J.; Jarrett, P.; Biggar, K.

1998-01-01

The feasibility of 'biopiling' was tested at Canadian Forces Station 'Alert', located in the high Arctic where the feasibility of bioremediation is yet to be proven. Laboratory respirometer experiments were conducted at 11 degrees C that examined the behaviour of indigenous microorganisms. Experiments were also carried out at one contaminated site. Various soil properties were analyzed, as well as total petroleum hydrocarbons. Results showed that the respirometer system functioned properly in monitoring the behaviour of microorganisms, that indigenous microorganisms were active at 11 degrees C, and that they functioned at a constant rate of oxygen consumption. These results suggest that biopiling may be feasible under the conditions existing at CFS 'Alert'. 12 refs., 5 tabs., 8 figs

Advantages and Disadvantages of Educational Email Alerts for Family Physicians: Viewpoint

Science.gov (United States)

Badran, Hani; Grad, Roland

2015-01-01

Background Electronic knowledge resources constitute an important channel for accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities. However, email usage for educational purposes is controversial. On the one hand, family physicians become aware of new information, confirm what they already know, and obtain reassurance by reading educational email alerts. Email alerts can also encourage physicians to search Web-based resources. On the other hand, technical difficulties and privacy issues are common obstacles. Objective The purpose of this discussion paper, informed by a literature review and a small qualitative study, was to understand family physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in regard to email in general and educational emails in particular, and to explore the advantages and disadvantages of educational email alerts. In addition, we documented participants’ suggestions to improve email alert services for CME. Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using the “Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior” model. We conducted semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 15 family physicians. We analyzed the collected data using inductive-deductive thematic qualitative data analysis. Results All 15 participants scanned and prioritized their email, and 13 of them checked their email daily. Participants mentioned (1) advantages of educational email alerts such as saving time, convenience and valid information, and (2) disadvantages such as an overwhelming number of emails and irrelevance. They offered suggestions to improve educational email. Conclusions The advantages of email alerts seem to compensate for their disadvantages. Suggestions proposed by family physicians can help to improve educational email alerts. PMID:25803184

Advantages and disadvantages of educational email alerts for family physicians: viewpoint.

Science.gov (United States)

Badran, Hani; Pluye, Pierre; Grad, Roland

2015-02-27

Electronic knowledge resources constitute an important channel for accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities. However, email usage for educational purposes is controversial. On the one hand, family physicians become aware of new information, confirm what they already know, and obtain reassurance by reading educational email alerts. Email alerts can also encourage physicians to search Web-based resources. On the other hand, technical difficulties and privacy issues are common obstacles. The purpose of this discussion paper, informed by a literature review and a small qualitative study, was to understand family physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in regard to email in general and educational emails in particular, and to explore the advantages and disadvantages of educational email alerts. In addition, we documented participants' suggestions to improve email alert services for CME. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using the "Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior" model. We conducted semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 15 family physicians. We analyzed the collected data using inductive-deductive thematic qualitative data analysis. All 15 participants scanned and prioritized their email, and 13 of them checked their email daily. Participants mentioned (1) advantages of educational email alerts such as saving time, convenience and valid information, and (2) disadvantages such as an overwhelming number of emails and irrelevance. They offered suggestions to improve educational email. The advantages of email alerts seem to compensate for their disadvantages. Suggestions proposed by family physicians can help to improve educational email alerts.

Gérer et alerter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valérie November

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Sur la base de deux événements d’inondation ayant touché récemment, dans des contextes politiques, organisationnels et hydrologiques bien différents, de nouveaux quartiers d’habitation, cet article rend compte des pratiques des acteurs impliqués dans des situations d’alerte et de crise en Suisse. Le recensement des acteurs – à travers leur rôle et leur place dans les mécanismes de préparation, d’alerte et de gestion –, ainsi que l’inventaire des documents mobilisés par ceux-ci, ont été réalisés dans les deux cas. Cette analyse a permis d’évaluer la gestion des événements, de déceler les changements organisationnels qui ont suivi les crises et de connaître la conception et le degré de formalisation du risque dont étaient dotés les différents acteurs avant et après les inondations. Plus encore, l’analyse a documenté les nouveaux processus d’alerte et de prévision qui ont été mis en place suite aux événements. Il s’avère ainsi que les épisodes d’inondation agissent de façon décisive sur la production de connaissances, à un degré variable selon les acteurs. Ces épisodes révèlent aussi parfois l’existence de connaissances « en attente » qui ne sont pas encore intégrées dans les procédures institutionnelles. Tant du point de vue de la prévision que de la gestion de la crise, ils permettent aussi de tester les canaux de l’information et de combler les déficits d’organisation, de collaboration et de sécurisation des dispositifs de communication. En outre, les risques et les crises liés aux inondations modifient les dynamiques et les politiques territoriales, conséquences du réajustement des réseaux d’acteurs. La mise en place de dispositifs d’intervention et de gestion de crise se montre cependant plus efficace que la refonte des dispositifs d’aménagement, généralement longue. Toutefois, la mémoire des événements se dégradant avec le temps, une inscription

75 FR 81556 - Solicitation of New Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-28

... statute (section 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act), as well as developing new OIG Special Fraud Alerts... of New Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts AGENCY: Office of Inspector General (OIG), HHS. ACTION... the public on recommendations for developing new or revised safe harbors and Special Fraud Alerts...

Design and implementation of the UFFO burst alert and trigger telescope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kim, J.E.; Ahmad, S.; Barrillon, P.

2012-01-01

The Ultra Fast Flash Observatory pathfinder (UFFO-p) is a telescope system designed for the detection of the prompt optical/UV photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), and it will be launched onboard the Lomonosov spacecraft in 2012. The UFFO-p consists of two instruments: the UFFO Burst Alert and T...

77 FR 76434 - Solicitation of New Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-28

... statute (section 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act), as well as developing new OIG Special Fraud Alerts... of New Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts AGENCY: Office of Inspector General (OIG), HHS. ACTION... revised safe harbors and Special Fraud Alerts. Please assist us by referencing the file code OIG-121-N...

78 FR 78807 - Solicitation of New Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-27

... statute (section 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act), as well as developing new OIG Special Fraud Alerts... of New Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts AGENCY: Office of Inspector General (OIG), HHS. ACTION... revised safe harbors and Special Fraud Alerts. Please assist us by referencing the file code OIG-122-N...

Procedures for analyzing the effectiveness of siren systems for alerting the public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keast, D.N.; Towers, D.A.; Anderson, G.S.; Kenoyer, J.L.; Desrosiers, A.E.

1982-09-01

NUREG-0654, Revision 1 (Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency Response Plans and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants), Appendix 3, discusses requirements of the licensees to implement a prompt notification system within the 10-mile emergency planning zone (EPZ) surrounding a nuclear facility. Sirens are being installed for use as part of or as the entire notification system by many licensees. This report describes a procedure for predicting siren system effectiveness under defined conditions within the EPZ's. The procedure requires a good topographical map and knowledge of the meteorology, demographics, and human activity patterns within the EPZ. The procedure is intended to be applied to systems of sirens and to obtain average results for a large number (30 or more) of listener locations

SICOEM: emergency response data system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, A.; Villota, C.; Francia, L.

1993-01-01

The main characteristics of the SICOEM emergency response system are: -direct electronic redundant transmission of certain operational parameters and plant status informations from the plant process computer to a computer at the Regulatory Body site, - the system will be used in emergency situations, -SICOEM is not considered as a safety class system. 1 fig

SICOEM: emergency response data system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, A.; Villota, C.; Francia, L. (UNESA, Madrid (Spain))

1993-01-01

The main characteristics of the SICOEM emergency response system are: -direct electronic redundant transmission of certain operational parameters and plant status informations from the plant process computer to a computer at the Regulatory Body site, - the system will be used in emergency situations, -SICOEM is not considered as a safety class system. 1 fig.

New Emergency control center of Slovenske Elektrarne Bohunice NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pecko, E.

2012-01-01

Emergency preparedness of nuclear power plant and operation assurance in case of a possible emergency calls to have devices for emergency response with equipment for rapid detection and continuous evaluation of anticipated events. Chief executive body designated to manage a nuclear power plant during major events is the emergency committee (EC). Emergency Committee is a part of the Emergency Response Organization (ERO). The following centers are on alert to ensure the activities of the ERO - Emergency Response office: - control room (CR) and emergency control room (ECR); - emergency management center (EMC); - Monitoring Centre (MC); - emergency backup control center (EBCC); - congregations of civil protection (CP) and CP shelters; - communications with warning and notification system (VARVYR). From a historical and practical point of view in the vicinity of Jaslovske Bohunice has been set up a joint emergency control center. The center was located on the territory of the former already inoperative V1 NPP. V1 NPP is currently integrated into the organizational structure of JAVYS. Operating Bohunice V2 NPP plant is a designated part of the Slovenske Elektrarne, a. s., whose majority owner is an Italian operator ENEL. In terms of various relevant factors, it was decided to build a new emergency management center on the territory of operating V2 NPP, meet the current standards.

IR panoramic alerting sensor concepts and applications

Science.gov (United States)

de Jong, Arie N.; Schwering, Piet B. W.

2003-09-01

During the last decade, protection of military and civilian operational platforms against weapons like guns, grenades, missiles, Unmanned Combat Aerial (and surface) Vehicles (UCAV's) and mines, has been an issue of increased importance due to the improved kill-probability of these threats. The standard countermeasure package of armour, guns, decoys, jammers, camouflage nets and smokes is inadequate when not accompanied by a suitable sensor package, primarily consisting of an alerting device, triggering consecutive steps in the countermeasure-chain. In this process of alert four different detection techniques are considered: pre-alert, giving the directions of possible attack, detection of an action of attack, identification of the threat and finally the precise localization (3-D). The design of the alerting device is greatly depending on the platform, on which it will be used, the associated and affordable cost and the nature of the threat. A number of sensor packages, considered, developed and evaluated at TNO-FEL is presented for simple, medium size and large and expensive platforms. In recent years the requirements for these sensors have become more and more strigent due to the growing number of scenarios. The attack can practically be from any direction, implying the need for a large Field of Regard (FOR), the attack range can vary considerably and the type of threat can be very diverse, implying great flexibility and dynamic range and rapid response of the sensor. Especially the localization at short ranges is a challenging issue. Various configurations including advantages and drawbacks are discussed.

Augmented real-time navigation with critical structure proximity alerts for endoscopic skull base surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, Benjamin J; Daly, Michael J; Chan, Harley; Vescan, Allan; Witterick, Ian J; Irish, Jonathan C

2014-04-01

Image-guided surgery (IGS) systems are frequently utilized during cranial base surgery to aid in orientation and facilitate targeted surgery. We wished to assess the performance of our recently developed localized intraoperative virtual endoscopy (LIVE)-IGS prototype in a preclinical setting prior to deployment in the operating room. This system combines real-time ablative instrument tracking, critical structure proximity alerts, three-dimensional virtual endoscopic views, and intraoperative cone-beam computed tomographic image updates. Randomized-controlled trial plus qualitative analysis. Skull base procedures were performed on 14 cadaver specimens by seven fellowship-trained skull base surgeons. Each subject performed two endoscopic transclival approaches; one with LIVE-IGS and one using a conventional IGS system in random order. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) scores were documented for each dissection, and a semistructured interview was recorded for qualitative assessment. The NASA-TLX scores for mental demand, effort, and frustration were significantly reduced with the LIVE-IGS system in comparison to conventional navigation (P < .05). The system interface was judged to be intuitive and most useful when there was a combination of high spatial demand, reduced or absent surface landmarks, and proximity to critical structures. The development of auditory icons for proximity alerts during the trial better informed the surgeon while limiting distraction. The LIVE-IGS system provided accurate, intuitive, and dynamic feedback to the operating surgeon. Further refinements to proximity alerts and visualization settings will enhance orientation while limiting distraction. The system is currently being deployed in a prospective clinical trial in skull base surgery. © 2013 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Best practices: an electronic drug alert program to improve safety in an accountable care environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Griesbach, Sara; Lustig, Adam; Malsin, Luanne; Carley, Blake; Westrich, Kimberly D; Dubois, Robert W

2015-04-01

The accountable care organization (ACO), one of the most promising and talked about new models of care, focuses on improving communication and care transitions by tying potential shared savings to specific clinical and financial benchmarks. An important factor in meeting these benchmarks is an ACO's ability to manage medications in an environment where medical and pharmacy care has been integrated. The program described in this article highlights the critical components of Marshfield Clinic's Drug Safety Alert Program (DSAP), which focuses on prioritizing and communicating safety issues related to medications with the goal of reducing potential adverse drug events. Once the medication safety concern is identified, it is reviewed to evaluate whether an alert warrants sending prescribers a communication that identifies individual patients or a general communication to all physicians describing the safety concern. Instead of basing its decisions regarding clinician notification about drug alerts on subjective criteria, the Marshfield Clinic's DSAP uses an internally developed scoring system. The scoring system includes criteria developed from previous drug alerts, such as level of evidence, size of population affected, severity of adverse event identified or targeted, litigation risk, available alternatives, and potential for duration of medication use. Each of the 6 criteria is assigned a weight and is scored based upon the content and severity of the alert received.  In its first 12 months, the program targeted 6 medication safety concerns involving the following medications: topiramate, glyburide, simvastatin, citalopram, pioglitazone, and lovastatin. Baseline and follow-up prescribing data were gathered on the targeted medications. Follow-up review of prescribing data demonstrated that the DSAP provided quality up-to-date safety information that led to changes in drug therapy and to decreases in potential adverse drug events. In aggregate, nearly 10,000 total

An Unobtrusive Fall Detection and Alerting System Based on Kalman Filter and Bayes Network Classifier.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jian; Bai, Shuang; Wang, Xiaoyi

2017-06-16

Falls are one of the main health risks among the elderly. A fall detection system based on inertial sensors can automatically detect fall event and alert a caregiver for immediate assistance, so as to reduce injuries causing by falls. Nevertheless, most inertial sensor-based fall detection technologies have focused on the accuracy of detection while neglecting quantization noise caused by inertial sensor. In this paper, an activity model based on tri-axial acceleration and gyroscope is proposed, and the difference between activities of daily living (ADLs) and falls is analyzed. Meanwhile, a Kalman filter is proposed to preprocess the raw data so as to reduce noise. A sliding window and Bayes network classifier are introduced to develop a wearable fall detection system, which is composed of a wearable motion sensor and a smart phone. The experiment shows that the proposed system distinguishes simulated falls from ADLs with a high accuracy of 95.67%, while sensitivity and specificity are 99.0% and 95.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the smart phone can issue an alarm to caregivers so as to provide timely and accurate help for the elderly, as soon as the system detects a fall.

TJC: HCOs need to be on alert for HIT problems related to sociotechnical factors, take steps to improve safety culture, process, and leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Noting that too many errors related to health information technology (HIT) are resulting in adverse consequences, The Joint Commission (TJC) has issued a Sentinel Event Alert, urging health care providers to take steps to improve their safety culture, approach to process improvement, and leadership in this area. In this latest alert, the accrediting agency is taking particular aim at risks posed by sociotechnical factors--or the ways in which HIT is implemented and used. Experts say that many of these risks are, in fact, exemplified at a higher level in the emergency setting, where providers are under constant pressure to see more patients and move them though the system faster. In an analysis of 3,375 sentinel events that resulted in permanent patient harm or death between January 1, 2010, and June 20, 2013, The Joint Commission (TJC) found that 120 events included HIT-related contributing factors. Many of the problems cited by TJC relate to orders or medicines being prescribed for the wrong patients. These can result from toggling errors or pop-up screens where providers are asked to click on the appropriate patient or medicine, and they mistakenly click on the wrong selection. In the ED, experts recommend the creation of a multidisciplinary performance improvement group to continuously monitor the ED information system (EDIS), recognize problems, and work with the vendor to resolve them. Also important is a quick and easy way for providers to report HIT-related problems. Experts add that emergency providers need to be fully engaged in the process of selecting HIT that they will be using, and that health care organizations should arrange for usability assessments before purchasing HIT.

Emergency management information system (EMINS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desonier, L.M.

1987-01-01

In a time of crisis or in an emergency, a manager is required to make many decisions to facilitate the proper solution and conclusion to the emergency or crisis. In order to make these decisions, it is necessary for the manager to have correct up-to-date information on the situation, which calls for an automated information display and entry process. The information handling needs are identified in terms of data, video, and voice. Studies of existing Emergency Operations Centers and evaluations of hardware and software have been completed. The result of these studies and investigations is the design and implementation of an automated Emergency Management Information System. Not only is the system useful for Emergency Management but for any information management requirement

Generating Artificial Snort Alerts and Implementing SELK: The Snort-Elasticsearch-Logstash-Kibana Stack

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

classification system with 38 classifications for alerts. These include things such as “trojan- activity”, “shellcode-detect”, “denial-of-service...Abbreviations, and Acronyms ARL US Army Research Laboratory CIDR classless inter-domain routing IP Internet Protocol NIDS network intrusion

Emergency management response to a warning-level Alaska-source tsunami impacting California: Chapter J in The SAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Kevin M.; Long, Kate

2013-01-01

This chapter is directed towards two audiences: Firstly, it targets nonemergency management readers, providing them with insight on the process and challenges facing emergency managers in responding to tsunami Warning, particularly given this “short fuse” scenario. It is called “short fuse” because there is only a 5.5-hour window following the earthquake before arrival of the tsunami within which to evaluate the threat, disseminate alert and warning messages, and respond. This action initiates a period when crisis communication is of paramount importance. An additional dynamic that is important to note is that within 15 minutes of the earthquake, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) will issue alert bulletins for the entire Pacific Coast. This is one-half the time actually presented by recent tsunamis from Japan, Chile, and Samoa. Second, the chapter provides emergency managers at all levels with insights into key considerations they may need to address in order to augment their existing plans and effectively respond to tsunami events. We look at emergency management response to the tsunami threat from three perspectives:“Top Down” (Threat analysis and Alert/Warning information from the Federal agency charged with Alert and Warning) “Bottom Up” (Emergency management’s Incident Command approach to responding to emergencies and disasters based on the needs of impacted local jurisdictions) “Across Time” (From the initiating earthquake event through emergency response) We focus on these questions: What are the government roles, relationships, and products that support Tsunami Alert and Warning dissemination? (Emergency Planning and Preparedness.) What roles, relationships, and products support emergency management response to Tsunami Warning and impact? (Engendering prudent public safety response.) What are the key emergency management activities, considerations, and challenges brought

Relationship between alertness, performance, and body temperature in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Kenneth P Jr; Hull, Joseph T.; Czeisler, Charles A.

2002-01-01

Body temperature has been reported to influence human performance. Performance is reported to be better when body temperature is high/near its circadian peak and worse when body temperature is low/near its circadian minimum. We assessed whether this relationship between performance and body temperature reflects the regulation of both the internal biological timekeeping system and/or the influence of body temperature on performance independent of circadian phase. Fourteen subjects participated in a forced desynchrony protocol allowing assessment of the relationship between body temperature and performance while controlling for circadian phase and hours awake. Most neurobehavioral measures varied as a function of internal biological time and duration of wakefulness. A number of performance measures were better when body temperature was elevated, including working memory, subjective alertness, visual attention, and the slowest 10% of reaction times. These findings demonstrate that an increased body temperature, associated with and independent of internal biological time, is correlated with improved performance and alertness. These results support the hypothesis that body temperature modulates neurobehavioral function in humans.

Active Disaster Response System for a Smart Building

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chun-Yen; Chu, Edward T.-H; Ku, Lun-Wei; Liu, Jane W. S.

2014-01-01

Disaster warning and surveillance systems have been widely applied to help the public be aware of an emergency. However, existing warning systems are unable to cooperate with household appliances or embedded controllers; that is, they cannot provide enough time for preparedness and evacuation, especially for disasters like earthquakes. In addition, the existing warning and surveillance systems are not responsible for collecting sufficient information inside a building for relief workers to conduct a proper rescue action after a disaster happens. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a proof of concept prototype, named the active disaster response system (ADRS), which automatically performs emergency tasks when an earthquake happens. ADRS can interpret Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) messages, published by an official agency, and actuate embedded controllers to perform emergency tasks to respond to the alerts. Examples of emergency tasks include opening doors and windows and cutting off power lines and gas valves. In addition, ADRS can maintain a temporary network by utilizing the embedded controllers; hence, victims trapped inside a building are still able to post emergency messages if the original network is disconnected. We conducted a field trial to evaluate the effectiveness of ADRS after an earthquake happened. Our results show that compared to manually operating emergency tasks, ADRS can reduce the operation time by up to 15 s, which is long enough for people to get under sturdy furniture, or to evacuate from the third floor to the first floor, or to run more than 100 m. PMID:25237897

Optical Flow and Driver’s Kinematics Analysis for State of Alert Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Torres-Torriti

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Road accident statistics from different countries show that a significant number of accidents occur due to driver’s fatigue and lack of awareness to traffic conditions. In particular, about 60% of the accidents in which long haul truck and bus drivers are involved are attributed to drowsiness and fatigue. It is thus fundamental to improve non-invasive systems for sensing a driver’s state of alert. One of the main challenges to correctly resolve the state of alert is measuring the percentage of eyelid closure over time (PERCLOS, despite the driver’s head and body movements. In this paper, we propose a technique that involves optical flow and driver’s kinematics analysis to improve the robustness of the driver’s alert state measurement under pose changes using a single camera with near-infrared illumination. The proposed approach infers and keeps track of the driver’s pose in 3D space in order to ensure that eyes can be located correctly, even after periods of partial occlusion, for example, when the driver stares away from the camera. Our experiments show the effectiveness of the approach with a correct eyes detection rate of 99.41%, on average. The results obtained with the proposed approach in an experiment involving fifteen persons under different levels of sleep deprivation also confirm the discriminability of the fatigue levels. In addition to the measurement of fatigue and drowsiness, the pose tracking capability of the proposed approach has potential applications in distraction assessment and alerting of machine operators.

Effects of chewing gum and time-on-task on alertness and attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, A P; Smith, A P

2012-07-01

Chewing gum has been shown to reliably increase subjective alertness whereas the effects on attention are more variable. It has been suggested that chewing gum only enhances attention when the person has been performing a task for some time. The current research aimed to investigate if time-on-task trends enhancing effects of chewing gum could be observed in alertness and attention during and following chewing. Study 1 used tests of reported mood, including reported mood, and tests of attention (categoric search, focussed attention, simple reaction time, and vigilance). These tasks were performed shortly after the start of chewing. Study 2 examined effects of previous and current chewing on reported alertness and the attention tests. Study 1 showed that chewing gum increased reported alertness and hedonic tone and improved performance on the categoric search task. Chewing gum maintained reported alertness across sessions in study 2. In the first experimental session of study 2 gum improved categoric search performance, and during the second session gum broadened focus of attention and quickened vigilance reaction time. This effect on vigilance reaction time was moderated by time-on-task, with an initial negative effect being replaced by a positive effect. The results confirm the robust effect of chewing gum on reported alertness and show that changes in the effects of chewing gum on attention require further investigation. Future research may also determine underlying mechanisms for an alerting effect.

Emergency vehicle traffic signal preemption system

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelder, Aaron D. (Inventor); Foster, Conrad F. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

An emergency vehicle traffic light preemption system for preemption of traffic lights at an intersection to allow safe passage of emergency vehicles. The system includes a real-time status monitor of an intersection which is relayed to a control module for transmission to emergency vehicles as well as to a central dispatch office. The system also provides for audio warnings at an intersection to protect pedestrians who may not be in a position to see visual warnings or for various reasons cannot hear the approach of emergency vehicles. A transponder mounted on an emergency vehicle provides autonomous control so the vehicle operator can attend to getting to an emergency and not be concerned with the operation of the system. Activation of a priority-code (i.e. Code-3) situation provides communications with each intersection being approached by an emergency vehicle and indicates whether the intersection is preempted or if there is any conflict with other approaching emergency vehicles. On-board diagnostics handle various information including heading, speed, and acceleration sent to a control module which is transmitted to an intersection and which also simultaneously receives information regarding the status of an intersection. Real-time communications and operations software allow central and remote monitoring, logging, and command of intersections and vehicles.

Infant Responsiveness, Alertness, Hemoglobin and Growth in Rural Sidama, Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Aubuchon-Endsley, Nicki L.; Grant, Stephanie L.; Thomas, David G.; Kennedy, Tay S.; Berhanu, Getenesh; Stoecker, Barbara J.; Hubbs-Tait, Laura; Hambidge, K. Michael

2011-01-01

Several recent studies have supported relations between infant behavior (alertness and responsiveness) and nutrition (e.g. Dempsey 2008, Wachs et al 2005) in addition to investigating infant behavior within the context of changes in iron status over time (e.g. Black et al. 2004, Murray-Kolb & Beard 2009). Existing research is typically limited to investigation of the effects of a single vitamin or mineral and no studies have been found that examined the influence that early alertness and responsiveness have on growth in early infancy, despite the fact that relations between behavior and nutritional status may be bidirectional (Hulthén 2003). The current study used a sample of Ethiopian infants and investigated anthropometrics, hemoglobin, the frequency of alertness, and the frequency of responsiveness at 6 and 9 months of age. Six-month weight-for-age predicted 9-month frequency of alertness, while 6-month hemoglobin predicted 9-month frequency of responsiveness. Compared to responsive infants, non-responsive infants at 6 months remained more non-responsive at 9 months, though weight-for-age for both groups converged at 9 months. Results support relations between nutrition and behavior (alertness and responsiveness) and provide evidence of a potentially useful tool (the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery [Lab-TAB]) that was adapted to evaluate these relations in Ethiopia. PMID:22233352

30 CFR 57.18013 - Emergency communications system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Emergency communications system. 57.18013... Programs Surface and Underground § 57.18013 Emergency communications system. A suitable communication system shall be provided at the mine to obtain assistance in the event of an emergency. ...

Alertness Management In Flight Operations: A NASA Education and Training Module

Science.gov (United States)

Rosekind, Mark R.; Lebacqz, Victor J.; Gander, Philippa H.; Co, Elizabeth L.; Weldon, Keri J.; Smith, Roy M.; Miller, Donna L.; Gregory, Kevin B.; Statler, Irving C. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Since 1980, the NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Program has been conducting research on sleep, circadian rhythms, and fatigue in a variety of flight operations 1. An original goal of the program was to return the scientific and operational knowledge to the aviation industry. To meet this goal, the NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Program has created an Education and Training Module entitled, "Strategies for Alertness Management in Flight Operations." The Module was designed to meet three objectives: 1) explain the current state of knowledge about the physiological mechanisms underlying fatigue, 2) demonstrate how this knowledge can be applied to improve flight crew sleep, performance, and alertness, and 3) offer countermeasure recommendations. The Module is composed of two components: 1) a 60-minute live presentation provided by a knowledgeable individual and 2) a NASA/FAA Technical Memorandum (TM) that contains the presentation materials and appendices with complementary information. The TM is provided to all individuals attending the live presentation. The Module content is divided into three parts: 1) basic information on sleep, sleepiness, circadian rhythms, fatigue, and how flight operations affect these physiological factors, 2) common misconceptions about sleep, sleepiness, and fatigue, and 3) alertness management strategies. The Module is intended for pilots, management personnel, schedulers, flight attendants, and the many other individuals involved in the aviation system.

CEI-PEA Alert, Summer 2006

Science.gov (United States)

Center for Educational Innovation - Public Education Association, 2006

2006-01-01

The "CEI-PEA Alert" is an advocacy newsletter that deals with topics of interest to all concerned with the New York City public schools. This issue includes: (1) Practical Skills & High Academic Standards: Career Technical Education; (2) Parents: Help Your Children Gain "Soft Skills" for the Workforce; (3) Culinary Arts…

Conflict resolution and alert zone estimation in air traffic management

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Vincent Hao-Hung

The current air traffic control (ATC) system provides separations among all aircraft through pre-defined routes and flight procedures, and active controller participation. In particular, en route separations are achieved by choices of different flight routes, different flight levels, and speed control. During the final descent approach over an extended terminal area, aircraft separations are achieved by speed changes, altitude changes, and path stretching. Recently, a concept of free flight has been proposed for future air traffic management. In the proposed free flight environment, aircraft operators can change flight paths in real time, in order to achieve the best efficiency for the aircraft. Air traffic controllers are only supposed to intervene when situation warrants, to resolve potential conflicts among aircraft. In both cases, there is a region around each aircraft called alert zone. As soon as another aircraft touches the alert zone of own aircraft, either the own aircraft or both aircraft must initiate avoidance maneuvers to resolve a potential conflict. This thesis develops a systematic approach based on nonlinear optimal control theories to estimate alert zones in two aircraft conflict scenarios. Specifically, point-mass aircraft models are used to describe aircraft motions. Separate uses of heading, speed, and altitude control are first examined, and then the synergetic use of two control authorities are studied. Both cooperative maneuvers (in which both aircraft act) and non-cooperative maneuvers (in which the own aircraft acts alone) are considered. Optimal control problems are formulated to minimize the initial relative separation between the two aircraft for all possible initial conditions, subject to the requirement that inter-aircraft separation at any time satisfies the separation requirement. These nonlinear optimal control problems are solved numerically using a collation approach and the NPSOL software line for nonlinear programming. In

Core drug-drug interaction alerts for inclusion in pediatric electronic health records with computerized prescriber order entry.

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Marvin B; Longhurst, Christopher A; McGuire, Troy L; Tarrago, Rod; Desai, Bimal R; Patterson, Al

2014-03-01

The study aims to develop a core set of pediatric drug-drug interaction (DDI) pairs for which electronic alerts should be presented to prescribers during the ordering process. A clinical decision support working group composed of Children's Hospital Association (CHA) members was developed. CHA Pharmacists and Chief Medical Information Officers participated. Consensus was reached on a core set of 19 DDI pairs that should be presented to pediatric prescribers during the order process. We have provided a core list of 19 high value drug pairs for electronic drug-drug interaction alerts to be recommended for inclusion as high value alerts in prescriber order entry software used with a pediatric patient population. We believe this list represents the most important pediatric drug interactions for practical implementation within computerized prescriber order entry systems.

Emergency preparedness at Ignalina NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kairys, A.

1998-01-01

Brief review of Ignalina NPP safety upgrading and personnel preparedness to act in cases of accidents is presented. Though great activities are performed in enhancing the plant operation safety, the Ignalina NPP management pays a lot of attention to preparedness for emergency elimination and take measures to stop emergency spreading. A new Ignalina NPP emergency preparedness plan was drawn up and became operational. It is the main document to carry out organizational, technical, medical, evacuation and other activities to protect plant personnel, population, the plant and the environment from accident consequences. Great assistance was rendered by Swedish experts in drawing this new emergency preparedness plan. The plan consists of 3 parts: general part, operative part and appendixes. The plan is applied to the Ignalina NPP personnel, Special and Fire Brigade and also to other contractor organizations personnel carrying out works at Ignalina NPP. There are set the following emergency classes: incident, emergency situation, alert, local emergency, general emergency. Separate intervention level corresponds to each emergency class. Overview of personnel training to act in case of an emergency is also presented

Effectiveness of National Weather Service heat alerts in preventing mortality in 20 US cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Kate R; Zanobetti, Antonella; Schwartz, Joel; Wellenius, Gregory A

2018-04-09

Extreme heat is a well-documented public health threat. The US National Weather Service (NWS) issues heat advisories and warnings (collectively, "heat alerts") in advance of forecast extreme heat events. The effectiveness of these alerts in preventing deaths remains largely unknown. To quantify the change in mortality rates associated with heat alerts in 20 US cities between 2001 and 2006. Because NWS heat alerts are issued based on forecast weather and these forecasts are imperfect, in any given location there exists a set of days of similar observed heat index in which heat alerts have been issued for some days but not others. We used a case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression to compare mortality rates on days with versus without heat alerts among such eligible days, adjusting for maximum daily heat index and temporal factors. We combined city-specific estimates into a summary measure using standard random-effects meta-analytic techniques. Overall, NWS heat alerts were not associated with lower mortality rates (percent change in rate: -0.5% [95% CI: -2.8, 1.9]). In Philadelphia, heat alerts were associated with a 4.4% (95% CI: -8.3, -0.3) lower mortality rate or an estimated 45.1 (95% empirical CI: 3.1, 84.1) deaths averted per year if this association is assumed to be causal. No statistically significant beneficial association was observed in other individual cities. Our results suggest that between 2001 and 2006, NWS heat alerts were not associated with lower mortality in most cities studied, potentially missing a valuable opportunity to avert a substantial number of heat-related deaths. These results highlight the need to better link alerts to effective communication and intervention strategies to reduce heat-related mortality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reducing Unnecessary and Duplicate Ordering for Ovum and Parasite Examinations and Clostridium difficile PCR in Immunocompromised Patients by Using an Alert at the Time of Request in the Order Management System.

Science.gov (United States)

Otto, Caitlin C; Shuptar, Susan L; Milord, Philippe; Essick, Connor J; Nevrekar, Reshma; Granovsky, Svetlana L; Seo, Susan K; Babady, N Esther; Martin, Steven C; Tang, Yi-Wei; Pessin, Melissa S

2015-08-01

We implemented hospital information system (HIS) alerts to deter unnecessary test orders for ovum and parasite (O&P) exams and Clostridium difficile PCR. The HIS alerts decreased noncompliant O&P orders (orders after >72 h of hospitalization) from 49.8% to 30.9%, an overall decrease of 19%, and reduced noncompliant C. difficile PCR orders (orders <7 days after a previous positive result) from 30.6% to 19.2%, an overall decrease of 31.9%. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Surveillance of radioactivity in the atmosphere by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) in the framework of nuclear emergency response programmes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinkopff, T.; Dalheimer, A.; Dyck, W.; Fay, B.; Glaab, H.; Jacobsen, I.

2000-01-01

The Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), German Meteorological Service, is charged with the surveillance of radioactivity in the atmosphere as a part of the emergency information network of the 'Integrated Measurement and Information System' (IMIS) in Germany. The results of measurements of radioactivity and the meteorological products are transferred regularly to this network. The DWD is also integrated into the Environmental Emergency Response Programme (EER) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as a communication hub. The computer infrastructure, the operational experience in data management as well as the national and international communication systems in operation are significant arguments to run the early alert system on the surveillance of atmospheric radioactivity at the national meteorological service. (author)

Volcanic alert system (VAS) developed during the 2011-2014 El Hierro (Canary Islands) volcanic process

Science.gov (United States)

García, Alicia; Berrocoso, Manuel; Marrero, José M.; Fernández-Ros, Alberto; Prates, Gonçalo; De la Cruz-Reyna, Servando; Ortiz, Ramón

2014-06-01

The 2011 volcanic unrest at El Hierro Island illustrated the need for a Volcanic Alert System (VAS) specifically designed for the management of volcanic crises developing after long repose periods. The VAS comprises the monitoring network, the software tools for analysis of the monitoring parameters, the Volcanic Activity Level (VAL) management, and the assessment of hazard. The VAS presented here focuses on phenomena related to moderate eruptions, and on potentially destructive volcano-tectonic earthquakes and landslides. We introduce a set of new data analysis tools, aimed to detect data trend changes, as well as spurious signals related to instrumental failure. When data-trend changes and/or malfunctions are detected, a watchdog is triggered, issuing a watch-out warning (WOW) to the Monitoring Scientific Team (MST). The changes in data patterns are then translated by the MST into a VAL that is easy to use and understand by scientists, technicians, and decision-makers. Although the VAS was designed specifically for the unrest episodes at El Hierro, the methodologies may prove useful at other volcanic systems.

Crew Factors in Flight Operations XV: Alertness Management in General Aviation Education Module

Science.gov (United States)

Rosekind, Mark R.; Co, Elizabeth L.; Neri, David F.; Oyung, Raymond L.; Mallis, Melissa M.; Cannon, Mary M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Regional operations encompass a broad range of pilots and equipment. This module is intended to help all those involved in regional aviation, including pilots, schedulers, dispatchers, maintenance technicians, policy makers, and others, to understand the physiological factors underlying fatigue, how flight operations affect fatigue, and what can be done to counteract fatigue and maximize alertness and performance in their operations. The overall purpose of this module is to promote aviation safety, performance, and productivity. It is intended to meet three specific objectives: (1) to explain the current state of knowledge about the physiological mechanisms underlying fatigue; (2) to demonstrate how this knowledge can be applied to improving flight crew sleep, performance, and alertness; and (3) to offer strategies for alertness management. Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) and National Transportation Safety Board (NISH) reports are used throughout this module to demonstrate that fatigue is a safety issue in the regional operations community. The appendices at the end of this module include the ASRS reports used for the examples contained in this publication, brief introductions to sleep disorders and relaxation techniques, summaries of relevant NASA publications, and a list of general readings on sleep, sleep disorders, and circadian rhythms.

Safety management of a complex R and D ground operating system

Science.gov (United States)

Connors, J. F.; Maurer, R. A.

1975-01-01

A perspective on safety program management was developed for a complex R&D operating system, such as the NASA-Lewis Research Center. Using a systems approach, hazardous operations are subjected to third-party reviews by designated-area safety committees and are maintained under safety permit controls. To insure personnel alertness, emergency containment forces and employees are trained in dry-run emergency simulation exercises. The keys to real safety effectiveness are top management support and visibility of residual risks.

Towards cross-lingual alerting for bursty epidemic events.

Science.gov (United States)

Collier, Nigel

2011-10-06

Online news reports are increasingly becoming a source for event-based early warning systems that detect natural disasters. Harnessing the massive volume of information available from multilingual newswire presents as many challanges as opportunities due to the patterns of reporting complex spatio-temporal events. In this article we study the problem of utilising correlated event reports across languages. We track the evolution of 16 disease outbreaks using 5 temporal aberration detection algorithms on text-mined events classified according to disease and outbreak country. Using ProMED reports as a silver standard, comparative analysis of news data for 13 languages over a 129 day trial period showed improved sensitivity, F1 and timeliness across most models using cross-lingual events. We report a detailed case study analysis for Cholera in Angola 2010 which highlights the challenges faced in correlating news events with the silver standard. The results show that automated health surveillance using multilingual text mining has the potential to turn low value news into high value alerts if informed choices are used to govern the selection of models and data sources. An implementation of the C2 alerting algorithm using multilingual news is available at the BioCaster portal http://born.nii.ac.jp/?page=globalroundup.

Towards cross-lingual alerting for bursty epidemic events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Collier Nigel

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Online news reports are increasingly becoming a source for event-based early warning systems that detect natural disasters. Harnessing the massive volume of information available from multilingual newswire presents as many challanges as opportunities due to the patterns of reporting complex spatio-temporal events. Results In this article we study the problem of utilising correlated event reports across languages. We track the evolution of 16 disease outbreaks using 5 temporal aberration detection algorithms on text-mined events classified according to disease and outbreak country. Using ProMED reports as a silver standard, comparative analysis of news data for 13 languages over a 129 day trial period showed improved sensitivity, F1 and timeliness across most models using cross-lingual events. We report a detailed case study analysis for Cholera in Angola 2010 which highlights the challenges faced in correlating news events with the silver standard. Conclusions The results show that automated health surveillance using multilingual text mining has the potential to turn low value news into high value alerts if informed choices are used to govern the selection of models and data sources. An implementation of the C2 alerting algorithm using multilingual news is available at the BioCaster portal http://born.nii.ac.jp/?page=globalroundup.

Evaluation of the prompt alerting systems at four nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Towers, D.A.; Anderson, G.S.; Keast, D.N.; Kenoyer, J.L.; Desrosiers, A.E.

1982-09-01

This report presents evaluations of the prompt notification siren systems at the following four US nuclear power facilities: Trojan, Three Mile Island, Indian Point, and Zion. The objective of these evaluations was to provide examples of an analytical procedure for predicting siren-system effectiveness under specific conditions in the 10-mile emergency planning zone (EPZ) surrounding nuclear power plants. This analytical procedure is discussed in report No. PNL-4227

Behavioral and Brain Measures of Phasic Alerting Effects on Visual Attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiegand, Iris; Petersen, Anders; Finke, Kathrin; Bundesen, Claus; Lansner, Jon; Habekost, Thomas

2017-01-01

In the present study, we investigated effects of phasic alerting on visual attention in a partial report task, in which half of the displays were preceded by an auditory warning cue. Based on the computational Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), we estimated parameters of spatial and non-spatial aspects of visual attention and measured event-related lateralizations (ERLs) over visual processing areas. We found that the TVA parameter sensory effectiveness a , which is thought to reflect visual processing capacity, significantly increased with phasic alerting. By contrast, the distribution of visual processing resources according to task relevance and spatial position, as quantified in parameters top-down control α and spatial bias w index , was not modulated by phasic alerting. On the electrophysiological level, the latencies of ERLs in response to the task displays were reduced following the warning cue. These results suggest that phasic alerting facilitates visual processing in a general, unselective manner and that this effect originates in early stages of visual information processing.

Automaticity of phasic alertness: Evidence for a three-component model of visual cueing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Zhicheng; Lu, Zhong-Lin

2016-10-01

The automaticity of phasic alertness is investigated using the attention network test. Results show that the cueing effect from the alerting cue-double cue-is strongly enhanced by the task relevance of visual cues, as determined by the informativeness of the orienting cue-single cue-that is being mixed (80 % vs. 50 % valid in predicting where the target will appear). Counterintuitively, the cueing effect from the alerting cue can be negatively affected by its visibility, such that masking the cue from awareness can reveal a cueing effect that is otherwise absent when the cue is visible. Evidently, then, top-down influences-in the form of contextual relevance and cue awareness-can have opposite influences on the cueing effect from the alerting cue. These findings lead us to the view that a visual cue can engage three components of attention-orienting, alerting, and inhibition-to determine the behavioral cueing effect. We propose that phasic alertness, particularly in the form of specific response readiness, is regulated by both internal, top-down expectation and external, bottom-up stimulus properties. In contrast to some existing views, we advance the perspective that phasic alertness is strongly tied to temporal orienting, attentional capture, and spatial orienting. Finally, we discuss how translating attention research to clinical applications would benefit from an improved ability to measure attention. To this end, controlling the degree of intraindividual variability in the attentional components and improving the precision of the measurement tools may prove vital.

Thermal Energy for Space Cooling--Federal Technology Alert

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Daryl R.

2000-12-31

Cool storage technology can be used to significantly reduce energy costs by allowing energy-intensive, electrically driven cooling equipment to be predominantly operated during off peak hours when electricity rates are lower. This Federal Technology Alert, which is sponsored by DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), describes the basic types of cool storage technologies and cooling system integration options. In addition, it defines the savings potential in the federal sector, presents application advice, and describes the performance experience of specific federal users. The results of a case study of a GSA building using cool storage technology are also provided.

47 CFR 10.240 - Notification to new subscribers of non-participation in CMAS.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... availability of this service and wireless emergency alert capable devices, please ask a sales representative... COMMERCIAL MOBILE ALERT SYSTEM Election to Participate in Commercial Mobile Alert System § 10.240... to provide Alert messages at the point-of-sale. (b) The point-of-sale includes stores, kiosks, third...

Multichannel micromanipulator and chamber system for recording multineuronal activity in alert, non-human primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Charles M; Goodell, Baldwin; Lear, Alex

2007-07-01

We describe the design and performance of an electromechanical system for conducting multineuron recording experiments in alert non-human primates. The system is based on a simple design, consisting of a microdrive, control electronics, software, and a unique type of recording chamber. The microdrive consists of an aluminum frame, a set of eight linear actuators driven by computer-controlled miniature stepping motors, and two printed circuit boards (PCBs) that provide connectivity to the electrodes and the control electronics. The control circuitry is structured around an Atmel RISC-based microcontroller, which sends commands to as many as eight motor control cards, each capable of controlling eight motors. The microcontroller is programmed in C and uses serial communication to interface with a host computer. The graphical user interface for sending commands is written in C and runs on a conventional personal computer. The recording chamber is low in profile, mounts within a circular craniotomy, and incorporates a removable internal sleeve. A replaceable Sylastic membrane can be stretched across the bottom opening of the sleeve to provide a watertight seal between the cranial cavity and the external environment. This greatly reduces the susceptibility to infection, nearly eliminates the need for routine cleaning, and permits repeated introduction of electrodes into the brain at the same sites while maintaining the watertight seal. The system is reliable, easy to use, and has several advantages over other commercially available systems with similar capabilities.

Generator replacement is associated with an increased rate of ICD lead alerts.

Science.gov (United States)

Lovelock, Joshua D; Cruz, Cesar; Hoskins, Michael H; Jones, Paul; El-Chami, Mikhael F; Lloyd, Michael S; Leon, Angel; DeLurgio, David B; Langberg, Jonathan J

2014-10-01

Lead malfunction is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). We have shown that the failure of recalled high-voltage leads significantly increases after ICD generator replacement. However, generator replacement has not been recognized as a predictor of lead failure in general. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of ICD generator exchange on the rate of ICD lead alerts. A time-dependent Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze a database of remotely monitored ICDs. The model assessed the impact of generator exchange on the rate of lead alerts after ICD generator replacement. The analysis included 60,219 patients followed for 37 ± 19 months. The 5-year lead survival was 99.3% (95% confidence interval 99.2%-99.4%). Of 60,219 patients, 7458 patients (12.9%) underwent ICD generator exchange without lead replacement. After generator replacement, the rate of lead alerts was more than 5-fold higher than in controls with leads of the same age without generator replacement (hazard ratio 5.19; 95% confidence interval 3.45-7.84). A large number of lead alerted within 3 months of generator replacement. Lead alerts were more common in patients with single- vs dual-chamber ICDs and in younger patients. Sex was not associated with lead alerts. Routine generator replacement is associated with a 5-fold higher risk of lead alert compared to age-matched leads without generator replacement. This suggests the need for intense surveillance after generator replacement and the development of techniques to minimize the risk of lead damage during generator replacement. Copyright © 2014 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

76 FR 54245 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, Integrated...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-31

... system to alert and warn the American people in situations of war, terrorist attack, natural disaster, or... Request, Integrated Public Alert and Warning Systems (IPAWS) Inventory AGENCY: Federal Emergency... will continue to consist of the public alert and warning systems, as well as the communication systems...

Alertness management : strategic naps in operational settings

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

Managing fatigue in complex operational settings requires attention to multiple factors, including hours of service, scheduling, education and training, countermeasures, technology, and research. Alertness-management strategies can be used to promote...

AEA Technology, Harwell site emergency plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This plan, describes the site arrangements and facilities for dealing with an emergency at Harwell. These arrangements consist of amongst other things provision of suitably qualified, experienced and trained staff to take up posts, provision of suitable facilities and equipment, arrangements to alert and protect persons on and off the site, liaison and contact arrangements with external agencies and organisations and supply of information before and during any emergency. Other organisations have their own arrangements for dealing with an emergency at AEA Technology Harwell. The arrangements for dealing with any off-site consequences are drawn together in the ''Oxfordshire County Council Essential Services Emergency Plan (Off-Site) for AEA Technology, Harwell''. Prior information for members of the public who may be affected in the event of an emergency at Harwell is issued in the form of leaflets. (author)

Emergency automatic signalling system using time scheduling

Science.gov (United States)

Rayavel, P.; Surenderanath, S.; Rathnavel, P.; Prakash, G.

2018-04-01

It is difficult to handle traffic congestion and maintain roads during traffic mainly in India. As the people migrate from rural to urban and sub-urban areas, it becomes still more critical. Presently Roadways is a standout amongst the most vital transportation. At the point when a car crash happens, crisis vehicles, for example, ambulances and fire trucks must rush to the mischance scene. There emerges a situation where a portion of the crisis vehicles may cause another car crash. Therefore it becomes still more difficult for emergency vehicle to reach the destination within a predicted time. To avoid that kind of problem we have come out with an effective idea which can reduce the potential in the traffic system. The traffic system is been modified using a wireless technology and high speed micro controller to provide smooth and clear flow of traffic for ambulance to reach the destination on time. This is achieved by using RFID Tag at the ambulance and RFID Reader at the traffic system i.e., traffic signal. This mainly deals with identifying the emergency vehicle and providing a green signal to traffic signal at time of traffic jam. — By assigning priorities to various traffic movements, we can control the traffic jam. In some moments like ambulance emergency, high delegates arrive people facing lot of trouble. To overcome this problem in this paper we propose a time priority based traffic system achieved by using RFID transmitter at the emergency vehicle and RFID receiver at the traffic system i.e., traffic signal. The signal from the emergency vehicle is sent to traffic system which after detecting it sends it to microcontroller which controls the traffic signal. If any emergency vehicle is detected the system goes to emergency system mode where signal switch to green and if it is not detected normal system mode.

Communication system for emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ajioka, Yoshiteru

1996-01-01

People are apprehensive that a strong earthquake with a magnitude of nearly 8 may occur in Tokai area. The whole area of Shizuoka Prefecture has been specified as the specially strengthened region for earthquake disaster measures. This report outlines the communication system for emergency with respect to atomic disaster caused by an earthquake. Previously, wireless receiving system is stationed in the whole area to simultaneously inform the related news to the residents and so, communications with them are possible at any time by using the system. Since mobile wireless receiving sets are stationed in all town halls, self defense organizations and all the places of refuge, mutual communications are possible. These communication system can be utilized for either earthquake or nuclear disaster. Further, Shizuoka general information network system has been established as a communication system for anti-disaster organization and a wireless network via a communication satellite, ''super bird'' has been constructed in addition to the ground network. Therefore, the two communication routes became usable at emergency and the systems are available in either of nuclear disaster or earthquake. (M.N.)

Automatic Emergence Detection in Complex Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugene Santos

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Complex systems consist of multiple interacting subsystems, whose nonlinear interactions can result in unanticipated (emergent system events. Extant systems analysis approaches fail to detect such emergent properties, since they analyze each subsystem separately and arrive at decisions typically through linear aggregations of individual analysis results. In this paper, we propose a quantitative definition of emergence for complex systems. We also propose a framework to detect emergent properties given observations of its subsystems. This framework, based on a probabilistic graphical model called Bayesian Knowledge Bases (BKBs, learns individual subsystem dynamics from data, probabilistically and structurally fuses said dynamics into a single complex system dynamics, and detects emergent properties. Fusion is the central element of our approach to account for situations when a common variable may have different probabilistic distributions in different subsystems. We evaluate our detection performance against a baseline approach (Bayesian Network ensemble on synthetic testbeds from UCI datasets. To do so, we also introduce a method to simulate and a metric to measure discrepancies that occur with shared/common variables. Experiments demonstrate that our framework outperforms the baseline. In addition, we demonstrate that this framework has uniform polynomial time complexity across all three learning, fusion, and reasoning procedures.

Turning Off Frequently Overridden Drug Alerts: Limited Opportunities for Doing It Safely

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.H. van der Sijs (Heleen); J.E.C.M. Aarts (Jos); T. van Gelder (Teun); M. Berg (Marc); A.G. Vulto (Arnold)

2008-01-01

textabstractObjectives: This study sought to identify opportunities to safely turn off frequently overridden drug-drug interaction alerts (DDIs) in computerized physician order entry (CPOE). Design: Quantitative retrospective analysis of drug safety alerts overridden during 1 month and qualitative

Communication of emergency public warnings: A social science perspective and state-of-the-art assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mileti, D.S. (Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (USA)); Sorensen, J.H. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA))

1990-08-01

More than 200 studies of warning systems and warning response were reviewed for this social science perspective and state-of-the-art assessment of communication of emergency public warnings. The major findings are as follows. First, variations in the nature and content of warnings have a large impact on whether or not the public heeds the warning. Relevant factors include the warning source; warning channel; the consistency, credibility, accuracy, and understandability of the message; and the warning frequency. Second, characteristics of the population receiving the warning affect warning response. These include social characteristics such as gender, ethnicity and age, social setting characteristics such as stage of life or family context, psychological characteristics such as fatalism or risk perception, and knowledge characteristics such as experience or training. Third, many current myths about public response to emergency warning are at odds with knowledge derived from field investigations. Some of these myths include the keep it simple'' notion, the cry wolf'' syndrome, public panic and hysteria, and those concerning public willingness to respond to warnings. Finally, different methods of warning the public are not equally effective at providing an alert and notification in different physical and social settings. Most systems can provide a warning given three or more hours of available warning time. Special systems such as tone-alert radios are needed to provide rapid warning. 235 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Road safety alerting system with radar and GPS cooperation in a VANET environment

Science.gov (United States)

Santamaria, Amilcare Francesco; Sottile, Cesare; De Rango, Floriano; Voznak, Miroslav

2014-05-01

New applications in wireless environments are increasing and keeping even more interests from the developer companies and researchers. In particular, in these last few years the government and institutional organization for road safety spent a lot of resources and money to promote Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) technology, also car manufactures are giving a lot of contributions on this field as well. In our paper, we propose an innovative system to increase road safety, matching the requests of the market allowing a cooperation between on-board devices. The vehicles are equipped with On Board Unit (OBU) and On Board Radar Unit (OBRU), which can spread alerting messages around the network regarding warning and dangerous situations exploiting IEEE802.llp standard. Vehicles move along roads observing the environment, traffic and road conditions, and vehicles parameters as well. These information can be elaborated and shared between neighbors, Road Side Unit (RSU)s and, of course, with Internet, allowing inter-system communications exploiting an Road Traffic Manager (RTM). Radar systems task it the detection of the environment in order to increase the knowledge of current conditions of the roads, for example it is important to identify obstacles, road accidents, dangerous situations and so on. Once detected exploiting onboard devices, such as Global Position System (GPS) receiver it is possible to know the exact location of the caught event and after a data elaboration the information is spread along the network. Once the drivers are advised, they can make some precautionary actions such as reduction of traveling speed or modification of current road path. In this work the routing algorithms, which have the main goal to rapidly disseminate information, are also been investigated.

[Development and application of emergency medical information management system].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fang; Zhu, Baofeng; Chen, Jianrong; Wang, Jian; Gu, Chaoli; Liu, Buyun

2011-03-01

To meet the needs of clinical practice of rescuing critical illness and develop the information management system of the emergency medicine. Microsoft Visual FoxPro, which is one of Microsoft's visual programming tool, is used to develop computer-aided system included the information management system of the emergency medicine. The system mainly consists of the module of statistic analysis, the module of quality control of emergency rescue, the module of flow path of emergency rescue, the module of nursing care in emergency rescue, and the module of rescue training. It can realize the system management of emergency medicine and,process and analyze the emergency statistical data. This system is practical. It can optimize emergency clinical pathway, and meet the needs of clinical rescue.

USGS earthquake hazards program (EHP) GPS use case : earthquake early warning (EEW) and shake alert

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-30

GPS Adjacent Band Workshop VI RTCA Inc., Washington D.C., 30 March 2017. USGS GPS receiver use case - Real-Time GPS for EEW -Continued: CRITICAL EFFECT - The GNSS component of the Shake Alert system augments the inertial sensors and is especial...

Crew Factors in Flight Operations XIV: Alertness Management in Regional Flight Operations Education Module

Science.gov (United States)

Rosekind, Mark R.; Co, Elizabeth L.; Neri, David F.; Oyung, Raymond L.; Mallis, Melissa M.

2002-01-01

Regional operations encompass a broad range of pilots and equipment. This module is intended to help all those involved in regional aviation, including pilots, schedulers, dispatchers, maintenance technicians, policy makers, and others, to understand the physiological factors underlying fatigue, how flight operations affect fatigue, and what can be done to counteract fatigue and maximize alertness and performance in their operations. The overall purpose of this module is to promote aviation safety, performance, and productivity. It is intended to meet three specific objectives: (1) to explain the current state of knowledge about the physiological mechanisms underlying fatigue; (2) to demonstrate how this knowledge can be applied to improving flight crew sleep, performance, and alertness; and (3) to offer strategies for alertness management. Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) and National Transportation Safety Board (NISH) reports are used throughout this module to demonstrate that fatigue is a safety issue in the regional operations community. The appendices at the end of this module include the ASRS reports used for the examples contained in this publication, brief introductions to sleep disorders and relaxation techniques, summaries of relevant NASA publications, and a list of general readings on sleep, sleep disorders, and circadian rhythms.

Behavioral and Brain Measures of Phasic Alerting Effects on Visual Attention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiegand, Iris Michaela; Petersen, Anders; Finke, Kathrin

2017-01-01

In the present study, we investigated effects of phasic alerting on visual attention in a partial report task, in which half of the displays were preceded by an auditory warning cue. Based on the computational Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), we estimated parameters of spatial and non......-spatial aspects of visual attention and measured event-related lateralizations (ERLs) over visual processing areas. We found that the TVA parameter sensory effectiveness a, which is thought to reflect visual processing capacity, significantly increased with phasic alerting. By contrast, the distribution of visual....... These results suggest that phasic alerting facilitates visual processing in a general, unselective manner and that this effect originates in early stages of visual information processing....

75 FR 19559 - Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Seeks Informal Comment Regarding Revisions to the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-15

... the Federal Emergency Management Agency AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Request for... rules governing the Emergency Alert System (EAS) might be necessitated by the introduction of the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) deployment of its...

Winter Weather Tips: Understanding Alerts and Staying Safe this Season | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

By Jenna Seiss and Kylie Tomlin, Guest Writers, and Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer Maryland residents face the possibility of dangerous winter weather each year—from icy conditions to frigid temperatures. You may be familiar with the different types of winter weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), but do you know what each alert means?  

Emergency operation determination system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miki, Tetsushi.

1993-01-01

The system of the present invention can determine an emergency operation coping with abnormal events occurring during nuclear plant operation without replying on an operator's judgement. That is, the system of the present invention comprises an intelligence base which divides and classifies the aims of the plant operation for the function, structure and operation manual and puts them into network. Degree of attainment for the extend of the status normality is determined on every aim of operation based on various kinds of measured data during plant operation. For a degree of attainment within a predetermined range, it is judged that an emergency operation is possible although this is in an abnormal state. Degree of emergency is determined by a fuzzy theory based on the degree of attainment, variation coefficient for the degree of attainment and the sensitivity to external disturbance as parameters. Priority for the degree of emergency on every operation aims is determined by comparison. Normality is successively checked for the determined operation aims. As a result, equipments as objects of abnormality suppressing operation are specified, and the operation amount of the equipments as objects are determined so that the measuring data are within a predetermined range. (I.S.)

Workplace lighting for improving alertness and mood in daytime workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Pachito, Daniela V; Eckeli, Alan L; Desouky, Ahmed S; Corbett, Mark A; Partonen, Timo; Rajaratnam, Shantha Mw; Riera, Rachel

2018-03-02

Exposure to light plays a crucial role in biological processes, influencing mood and alertness. Daytime workers may be exposed to insufficient or inappropriate light during daytime, leading to mood disturbances and decreases in levels of alertness. To assess the effectiveness and safety of lighting interventions to improve alertness and mood in daytime workers. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, seven other databases; ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization trials portal up to January 2018. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and non-randomised controlled before-after trials (CBAs) that employed a cross-over or parallel-group design, focusing on any type of lighting interventions applied for daytime workers. Two review authors independently screened references in two stages, extracted outcome data and assessed risk of bias. We used standardised mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to pool data from different questionnaires and scales assessing the same outcome across different studies. We combined clinically homogeneous studies in a meta-analysis. We used the GRADE system to rate quality of evidence. The search yielded 2844 references. After screening titles and abstracts, we considered 34 full text articles for inclusion. We scrutinised reports against the eligibility criteria, resulting in the inclusion of five studies (three RCTs and two CBAs) with 282 participants altogether. These studies evaluated four types of comparisons: cool-white light, technically known as high correlated colour temperature (CCT) light versus standard illumination; different proportions of indirect and direct light; individually applied blue-enriched light versus no treatment; and individually applied morning bright light versus afternoon bright light for subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder.We found no studies comparing one level of illuminance versus another.We found two CBA

Alert management for home healthcare based on home automation analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Truong, T T; de Lamotte, F; Diguet, J-Ph; Said-Hocine, F

2010-01-01

Rising healthcare for elder and disabled people can be controlled by offering people autonomy at home by means of information technology. In this paper, we present an original and sensorless alert management solution which performs multimedia and home automation service discrimination and extracts highly regular home activities as sensors for alert management. The results of simulation data, based on real context, allow us to evaluate our approach before application to real data.

The TransPetro emergency response system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filho, A.T.F.; Cardoso, V.F.; Carbone, R.; Berardinelli, R.P. [Petrobras-TransPetro, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Carvalho, M.T.M.; Casanova, M.A. [Pontificia Univ. Catolica, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Dept. de Informatica, TeCGraf

2004-07-01

Petrobras-TransPetro developed the TransPetro Emergency Response System in response to emergency situations at large oil pipelines or at terminal facilities located in sea or river harbour areas. The standard of excellence includes full compliance with environmental regulations set by the federal government. A distributed workflow management software called InfoPAE forms the basis of the system in which actions are defined, along with geographic and conventional data. The first prototype of InfoPAE was installed in 1999. Currently it is operational in nearly 80 installations. The basic concepts and functionality of the TransPetro Emergency Response System were outlined in this paper with reference to the mitigative actions that are based on an evaluation of the organization of the emergency teams; the communication procedures; characterization of the installations; definition of accidental scenarios; environmental sensitivity maps; simulation of oil spill trajectories and dispersion behaviour; geographical data of the area surrounding the installations; and, other conventional data related to the installations, including available equipment. The emergency response team can take action as soon as an accident is detected. The action plan involves characterizing several scenarios and delegating mitigative actions to specific sub-teams, each with access to geographic data on the region where the emergency occurred. 13 refs., 3 figs.

Emergent Properties in Natural and Artificial Dynamical Systems

CERN Document Server

Aziz-Alaoui, M.A

2006-01-01

An important part of the science of complexity is the study of emergent properties arising through dynamical processes in various types of natural and artificial systems. This is the aim of this book, which is the outcome of a discussion meeting within the first European conference on complex systems. It presents multidisciplinary approaches for getting representations of complex systems and using different methods to extract emergent structures. This carefully edited book studies emergent features such as self organization, synchronization, opening on stability and robustness properties. Invariant techniques are presented which can express global emergent properties in dynamical and in temporal evolution systems. This book demonstrates how artificial systems such as a distributed platform can be used for simulation used to search emergent placement during simulation execution.

Brain-computer interface for alertness estimation and improving

Science.gov (United States)

Hramov, Alexander; Maksimenko, Vladimir; Hramova, Marina

2018-02-01

Using wavelet analysis of the signals of electrical brain activity (EEG), we study the processes of neural activity, associated with perception of visual stimuli. We demonstrate that the brain can process visual stimuli in two scenarios: (i) perception is characterized by destruction of the alpha-waves and increase in the high-frequency (beta) activity, (ii) the beta-rhythm is not well pronounced, while the alpha-wave energy remains unchanged. The special experiments show that the motivation factor initiates the first scenario, explained by the increasing alertness. Based on the obtained results we build the brain-computer interface and demonstrate how the degree of the alertness can be estimated and controlled in real experiment.

30 CFR 56.18013 - Emergency communications system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Emergency communications system. 56.18013 Section 56.18013 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND... Programs § 56.18013 Emergency communications system. A suitable communication system shall be provided at...

Neuroimaging of Patients with Headache in the Emergency Room: A Retrospective Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ibrahim Burak Atci

2015-03-01

Conclusion: In the emergency department during evaluation of headache, that should be done first is the exclusion of headaches which is caused by non beningn intracranial patologies. Therefore, from the entrance of the patients evaluated in the emergency room, it is important that they must be directed to rapid diagnosis and treatment with considering the red alert findings. [Cukurova Med J 2015; 40(1.000: 86-90

Emergence in Dynamical Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Collier

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Emergence is a term used in many contexts in current science; it has become fashionable. It has a traditional usage in philosophy that started in 1875 and was expanded by J. S. Mill (earlier, under a different term and C. D. Broad. It is this form of emergence that I am concerned with here. I distinguish it from uses like ‘computational emergence,’ which can be reduced to combinations of program steps, or its application to merely surprising new features that appear in complex combinations of parts. I will be concerned specifically with ontological emergence that has the logical properties required by Mill and Broad (though there might be some quibbling about the details of their views. I restrict myself to dynamical systems that are embodied in processes. Everything that we can interact with through sensation or action is either dynamical or can be understood in dynamical terms, so this covers all comprehensible forms of emergence in the strong (nonreducible sense I use. I will give general dynamical conditions that underlie the logical conditions traditionally assigned to emergence in nature.The advantage of this is that, though we cannot test logical conditions directly, we can test dynamical conditions. This gives us an empirical and realistic form of emergence, contrary those who say it is a matter of perspective.

Classification system of radioactive sources to attend radiological emergencies, the last three cases of theft in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz C, M. A.; Garcia M, T.

2014-10-01

Following last three cases of theft of radioactive material in Mexico is convenient to describe how to classify radioactive sources and make decisions to confront the emergency. For this there are IAEA publications, which determine the Dangerous values or value D, for different radionuclides and activity values usually used in practice, and employees in industry, medicine and research. The literature also describes the different scenarios to determine the activity of different radioisotopes that can cause deterministic effects to workers or the population and thus classify the degree of relative risk that these sources may be involved in an accident. Defined the classification of sources, we can make decisions to respond to emergencies in their proper perspective also alert the public to the description of the risks associated with the sources in question, without this leading to a situation of greater crisis. (Author)

Thigh infection and subcutaneous emphysema: an emergency, review of literature and case discussion.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Thakral, R

2011-06-01

Thigh infection associated with local emphysematous signs on presentation to the emergency room should alert the medical staff at once of potential complication associated with it. The infection may be associated with underlying bowel pathology and has a high mortality rate. Hence, emergency treatment should be instituted. We discuss a case with this uncommon presentation, treatment administered and relevant literature.

Pattern recognition applied to infrared images for early alerts in fog

Science.gov (United States)

Boucher, Vincent; Marchetti, Mario; Dumoulin, Jean; Cord, Aurélien

2014-09-01

Fog conditions are the cause of severe car accidents in western countries because of the poor induced visibility. Its forecast and intensity are still very difficult to predict by weather services. Infrared cameras allow to detect and to identify objects in fog while visibility is too low for eye detection. Over the past years, the implementation of cost effective infrared cameras on some vehicles has enabled such detection. On the other hand pattern recognition algorithms based on Canny filters and Hough transformation are a common tool applied to images. Based on these facts, a joint research program between IFSTTAR and Cerema has been developed to study the benefit of infrared images obtained in a fog tunnel during its natural dissipation. Pattern recognition algorithms have been applied, specifically on road signs which shape is usually associated to a specific meaning (circular for a speed limit, triangle for an alert, …). It has been shown that road signs were detected early enough in images, with respect to images in the visible spectrum, to trigger useful alerts for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

The Influence of Alertness on Spatial and Nonspatial Components of Visual Attention

Science.gov (United States)

Matthias, Ellen; Bublak, Peter; Muller, Hermann J.; Schneider, Werner X.; Krummenacher, Joseph; Finke, Kathrin

2010-01-01

Three experiments investigated whether spatial and nonspatial components of visual attention would be influenced by changes in (healthy, young) subjects' level of alertness and whether such effects on separable components would occur independently of each other. The experiments used a no-cue/alerting-cue design with varying cue-target stimulus…

75 FR 4760 - Review of the Emergency Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-29

... foreseeable future. Moreover, while we expect that FEMA's adoption of CAP as part of IPAWS will spur the... ensuring that the EAS works as intended, now and in the future. The Commission solicits comment on all... (BSPs) are currently the only significant holders of OVS certifications or local OVS franchises, even...

76 FR 80780 - Review of the Emergency Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-27

...--intermediary devices--that connects in some fashion with previously certified EAS equipment to allow that... Compliance Deadline is dismissed as moot; 9. It is further ordered that the Commission's Consumer and...

76 FR 12600 - Review of the Emergency Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-08

... facilities may be based on a single technology or a combination of technologies. Establishments in this... significant holders of OVS certifications or local OVS franchises, even though OVS is one of four statutorily... regulatory burdens wherever possible. E. Steps Taken To Minimize the Significant Economic Impact on Small...

77 FR 26701 - Review of the Emergency Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-07

..., DC 20554. The complete text of this document also may be purchased from the Commission's copy... variety of software, the former approach would be more prone to the generation of differing, and thus... rely on TTS technologies. Moreover, such a bar would depart from the Commission's original intention to...

76 FR 35810 - Review of the Emergency Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-20

... Commission's rules to streamline it and make it easier to follow. Seeks comment on whether the monitoring... claimed very small business status and won three licenses; and two bidders claimed entrepreneur status and...

New Nuclear Emergency Prognosis system in Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyun-Ha; Jeong, Seung-Young; Park, Sang-Hyun; Lee, Kwan-Hee

2016-04-01

This paper reviews the status of assessment and prognosis system for nuclear emergency response in Korea, especially atmospheric dispersion model. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) performs the regulation and radiological emergency preparedness of the nuclear facilities and radiation utilizations. Also, KINS has set up the "Radiological Emergency Technical Advisory Plan" and the associated procedures such as an emergency response manual in consideration of the IAEA Safety Standards GS-R-2, GS-G-2.0, and GS-G-2.1. The Radiological Emergency Technical Advisory Center (RETAC) organized in an emergency situation provides the technical advice on radiological emergency response. The "Atomic Computerized Technical Advisory System for nuclear emergency" (AtomCARE) has been developed to implement assessment and prognosis by RETAC. KINS developed Accident Dose Assessment and Monitoring (ADAMO) system in 2015 to reflect the lessons learned from Fukushima accident. It incorporates (1) the dose assessment on the entire Korean peninsula, Asia region, and global region, (2) multi-units accident assessment (3) applying new methodology of dose rate assessment and the source term estimation with inverse modeling, (4) dose assessment and monitoring with the environmental measurements result. The ADAMO is the renovated version of current FADAS of AtomCARE. The ADAMO increases the accuracy of the radioactive material dispersion with applying the LDAPS(Local Data Assimilation Prediction System, Spatial resolution: 1.5 km) and RDAPS(Regional Data Assimilation Prediction System, Spatial resolution: 12km) of weather prediction data, and performing the data assimilation of automatic weather system (AWS) data from Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and data from the weather observation tower at NPP site. The prediction model of the radiological material dispersion is based on the set of the Lagrangian Particle model and Lagrangian Puff model. The dose estimation methodology

School-Based Drug Prevention among At-Risk Adolescents: Effects of ALERT Plus

Science.gov (United States)

Longshore, Douglas; Ellickson, Phyllis L.; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; St. Clair, Patricia A.

2007-01-01

In a recent randomized field trial, Ellickson et al. found the Project ALERT drug prevention curriculum curbed alcohol misuse and tobacco and marijuana use among eighth-grade adolescents. This article reports effects among ninth-grade at-risk adolescents. Comparisons between at-risk girls in ALERT Plus schools (basic curriculum extended to ninth…

Design of anti-theft/cable cut real time alert system for copper cable using microcontroller and GSM technology

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, E. K.; Norizan, M. N.; Mohamad, I. S.; Yasin, M. N. M.; Murad, S. A. Z.; Baharum, N. A.; Jamalullail, N.

2017-09-01

This paper presents the design of anti-theft/cable cut real time alert system using microcontroller and GSM technology. The detection part is using the electrical circuit wire connection in detecting the voltage drop of the cable inside the microcontroller digital input port. The GSM wireless modem is used to send the location of cable cut directly to the authority mobile phone. Microcontroller SK40C with Microchip PIC16F887 is used as a controller to control the wireless modem and also the detection device. The device is able to detect and display the location of the cable cut on the LCD display besides of and sending out the location of the cable break to the authority mobile phone wirelessly via SMS.

Electronic alerts and clinician turnover: the influence of user acceptance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hysong, Sylvia J; Spitzmuller, Christiane; Espadas, Donna; Sittig, Dean F; Singh, Hardeep

2014-11-01

Use of certain components of electronic health records (EHRs), such as EHR-based alerting systems (EASs), might reduce provider satisfaction, a strong precursor to turnover. We examined the impact of factors likely to influence providers' acceptance of an alerting system, designed to facilitate electronic communication in outpatient settings, on provider satisfaction, intentions to quit, and turnover. We conducted a cross-sectional Web-based survey of EAS-related practices from a nationwide sample of primary care providers (PCPs) practicing at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities. Of 5001 invited VA PCPs, 2590 completed the survey. We relied on Venkatesh's Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to create survey measures of 4 factors likely to impact user acceptance of EAS: supportive norms, monitoring/ feedback, training, and providers' perceptions of the value (PPOV) of EASs to provider effectiveness. Facility-level PCP turnover was measured via the VA's Service Support Center Human Resources Cube. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. After accounting for intercorrelations among predictors, monitoring/feedback regarding EASs significantly predicted intention to quit (b = 0.30, P < .01), and PPOV of EASs predicted both overall provider satisfaction (b = 0.58, P < .01) and facility-level provider turnover levels (b = -0.19, P < .05), all without relying on any intervening mechanisms. Design, implementation, and use of EASs might impact provider satisfaction and retention. Institutions should consider strategies to help providers perceive greater value in these clinical tools.

Establishing functional requirements for emergency management information systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reed, J.H.; Rogers, G.O.; Sorensen, J.H.

1991-01-01

The advancement of computer technologies has led to the development of a number of emergency management information systems (e.g., EIS, CAMEO, IEMIS). The design of these systems has tended to be technologically driven rather than oriented to meeting information management needs during an emergency. Of course, emergency management needs vary depending on the characteristics of the emergency. For example, in hurricanes, onset is typically slow enough to allow emergency managers to simulate evacuations dynamically while in chemical disasters onset may be sufficiently rapid to preclude such simulation(s). This paper describes a system design process in which the analysis of widely recognized emergency management functions was used to identify information requirements and the requisite software and hardware capabilities to deal with rapid onset, low probability, high consequence events. These requirements were then implemented as a prototype emergency management system using existing hardware and software to assure feasibility. Data, hardware, and software requirements were further developed, refined, and made more concrete through an iterative prototyping effort. This approach focuses attention directly on meeting emergency management information needs while avoiding unneeded technological innovations. 10 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

An expert system for improving nuclear emergency response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salame-Alfie, A.; Goldbogen, G.C.; Ryan, R.M.; Wallace, W.A.; Yeater, M.L.

1987-01-01

The accidents at TMI-2 and Chernobyl have produced initiatives aimed at improving nuclear plant emergency response capabilities. Among them are the development of emergency response facilities with capabilities for the acquisition, processing, and diagnosis of data which are needed to help coordinate plant operations, engineering support and management under emergency conditions. An effort in this direction prompted the development of an expert system. EP (EMERGENCY PLANNER) is a prototype expert system that is intended to help coordinate the overall management during emergency conditions. The EP system was built using the GEN-X expert system shell. GEN-X has a variety of knowledge representation mechanisms including AND/OR trees, Decision trees, and IF/THEN tables, and runs on an IBM PC-XT or AT computer or compatible. Among the main features, EP is portable, modular, user friendly, can interact with external programs and interrogate data bases. The knowledge base is made of New York State (NYS) Procedures for Emergency Classification, NYS Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan (REPP) and knowledge from experts of the NYS Radiological Emergency Preparedness Group and the Office of Radiological Health and Chemistry of the New York Power Authority (NYPA)

Emergency core cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Masaki.

1987-01-01

Purpose: To actuate an automatic pressure down system (ADS) and a low pressure emergency core cooling system (ECCS) upon water level reduction of a nuclear reactor other than loss of coolant accidents (LOCA). Constitution: ADS in a BWR type reactor is disposed for reducing the pressure in a reactor container thereby enabling coolant injection from a low pressure ECCS upon LOCA. That is, ADS has been actuated by AND signal for a reactor water level low signal and a dry well pressure high signal. In the present invention, ADS can be actuated further also by AND signal of the reactor water level low signal, the high pressure ECCS and not-operation signal of reactor isolation cooling system. In such an emergency core cooling system thus constituted, ADS operates in the same manner as usual upon LOCA and, further, ADS is operated also upon loss of feedwater accident in the reactor pressure vessel in the case where there is a necessity for actuating the low pressure ECCS, although other high pressure ECCS and reactor isolation cooling system are not operated. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the reliability upon reactor core accident and mitigate the operator burden. (Horiuchi, T.)

A model for abnormal activity recognition and alert generation system for elderly care by hidden conditional random fields using R-transform and generalized discriminant analysis features.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Zafar Ali; Sohn, Won

2012-10-01

The growing population of elderly people living alone increases the need for automatic healthcare monitoring systems for elderly care. Automatic vision sensor-based systems are increasingly used for human activity recognition (HAR) in recent years. This study presents an improved model, tested using actors, of a sensor-based HAR system to recognize daily life activities of elderly people at home and generate an alert in case of abnormal HAR. Datasets consisting of six abnormal activities (falling backward, falling forward, falling rightward, falling leftward, chest pain, and fainting) and four normal activities (walking, rushing, sitting down, and standing up) are generated from different view angles (90°, -90°, 45°, -45°). Feature extraction and dimensions reduction are performed by R-transform followed by generalized discriminant analysis (GDA) methods. R-transform extracts symmetric, scale, and translation-invariant features from the sequences of activities. GDA increases the discrimination between different classes of highly similar activities. Silhouette sequences are quantified by the Linde-Buzo-Gray algorithm and recognized by hidden conditional random fields. Experimental results provide an average recognition rate of 94.2% for abnormal activities and 92.7% for normal activities. The recognition rate for the highly similar activities from different view angles shows the flexibility and efficacy of the proposed abnormal HAR and alert generation system for elderly care.

Impact of Entrepreneurship Training on Entrepreneurial Efficacy and Alertness among Adolescent Youth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moon-Ho Ringo Ho

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Our study focuses on the impact of systematic entrepreneurship training comprising both active and passive learning activities on entrepreneurial alertness and efficacy among adolescent youth. Reports from a two-wave online survey among 328 students from five secondary schools (aged 13–16 years; 34.8% male and 65.2% female reveal that those who went through entrepreneurship training (treatment group, N = 142 had significantly higher entrepreneurial alertness and efficacy levels compared to those who did not go through training (control group, N = 186. We also find that even with gender effects accounted for, the higher entrepreneurial alertness and efficacy levels in the treatment group are due in part to both passive and active/hands-on elements of the program. Our study offers direct evidence that conducting entrepreneurship training programs among secondary school students could be an effective means to enhance entrepreneurial competencies among the youth. Specifically, our findings highlight the value of entrepreneurial training in improving age-appropriate competencies of entrepreneurial alertness and efficacy.

Offsite emergency radiological monitoring system and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mao Yongze

1994-01-01

The study and advance of the offsite radiological monitoring system and technology which is an important branch in the field of nuclear monitoring technology are described. The author suggests that the predicting and measuring system should be involved in the monitoring system. The measuring system can further be divided into four sub-systems, namely plume exposure pathway, emergency worker, ingestion exposure pathway and post accident recovery measuring sub-systems. The main facilities for the monitoring system are concluded as one station, one helicopter, one laboratory and two vehicles. The instrumentation for complement of the facilities and their good performance characteristics, up-to-date technology are also introduced in brief. The offsite emergency radiation monitoring system and technology are compared in detail with those recommended by FEMA U.S.A.. Finally the paper discusses some trends in development of emergency radiation monitoring system and technology in the developed countries

Application of Short-Range LIDAR in Early Alerting for Low-Level Windshear and Turbulence at Hong Kong International Airport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. K. Hon

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Hong Kong Observatory currently uses a series of meteorological instruments, including long-range LIDAR (light detection and ranging systems, to provide alerting services of low-level windshear and turbulence for Hong Kong International Airport. For some events that are smaller in spatial dimensions and are rapidly changing, such as low altitude windshear and turbulence associated with buildings or man-made structures, it would be necessary to involve meteorological instruments that offer greater spatial resolution. Therefore, the Observatory has set up a short-range LIDAR on the roof of the AsiaWorld-Expo during the summers over the past several years, conducting field research on the feasibility of strengthening early alerting for windshear and turbulence over the north runway’s eastern arrival runway (Runway 25RA and developing an automated early alerting algorithm. This paper takes the pilot reports for Runway 25RA during the 2013 field research as verification samples, using different thresholds for radial wind velocity spatial and temporal changes detected by the short-range LIDAR to calculate the relative operating characteristic (ROC curve, and analyzes its early alerting performance.

Effects of dietary tryptophan and phenylalanine–tyrosine depletion on phasic alertness in healthy adults – A pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Hildebrand

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: The synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin (5-HT and dopamine (DA in the brain can be directly altered by dietary manipulation of their relevant precursor amino acids (AA. There is evidence that altered serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission are both associated with impaired attentional control. Specifically, phasic alertness is one specific aspect of attention that has been linked to changes in 5-HT and DA availability in different neurocircuitries related to attentional processes. The present study investigated the impact of short-term reductions in central nervous system 5-HT and DA synthesis, which was achieved by dietary depletion of the relevant precursor AA, on phasic alertness in healthy adult volunteers; body weight–adapted dietary tryptophan and phenylalanine–tyrosine depletion (PTD techniques were used. Methods: The study employed a double-blind between-subject design. Fifty healthy male and female subjects were allocated to three groups in a randomized and counterbalanced manner and received three different dietary challenge conditions: acute tryptophan depletion (ATD, for the depletion of 5-HT; N=16, PTD (for the depletion of DA; N=17, and a balanced AA load (BAL; N=17, which served as a control condition. Three hours after challenge intake (ATD/PTD/BAL, phasic alertness was assessed using a standardized test battery for attentional performance (TAP. Blood samples for AA level analyses were obtained at baseline and 360 min after the challenge intake. Results: Overall, there were no significant differences in phasic alertness for the different challenge conditions. Regarding PTD administration, a positive correlation between the reaction times and the DA-related depletion magnitude was detected via the lower plasma tyrosine levels and the slow reaction times of the first run of the task. In contrast, higher tryptophan concentrations were associated with slower reaction times in the fourth run of the

An intelligent IoT emergency vehicle warning system using RFID and Wi-Fi technologies for emergency medical services.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Yeong-Lin; Chou, Yung-Hua; Chang, Li-Chih

2018-01-01

Collisions between emergency vehicles for emergency medical services (EMS) and public road users have been a serious problem, impacting on the safety of road users, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and the patients on board. The aim of this study is to develop a novel intelligent emergency vehicle warning system for EMS applications. The intelligent emergency vehicle warning system is developed by Internet of Things (IoT), radio-frequency identification (RFID), and Wi-Fi technologies. The system consists of three major parts: a system trigger tag, an RFID system in an emergency vehicle, and an RFID system at an intersection. The RFID system either in an emergency vehicle or at an intersection contains a controller, an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID reader module, a Wi-Fi module, and a 2.4-GHz antenna. In addition, a UHF ID antenna is especially designed for the RFID system in an emergency vehicle. The IoT system provides real-time visual warning at an intersection and siren warning from an emergency vehicle in order to effectively inform road users about an emergency vehicle approaching. The developed intelligent IoT emergency vehicle warning system demonstrates the capabilities of real-time visual and siren warnings for EMS safety.

A proposal for a pharmacokinetic interaction significance classification system (PISCS) based on predicted drug exposure changes and its potential application to alert classifications in product labelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Hisaka, Akihiro; Kusama, Makiko; Ohno, Yoshiyuki; Sugiyama, Yuichi; Suzuki, Hiroshi

2009-01-01

Pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are one of the major causes of adverse events in pharmacotherapy, and systematic prediction of the clinical relevance of DDIs is an issue of significant clinical importance. In a previous study, total exposure changes of many substrate drugs of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 caused by coadministration of inhibitor drugs were successfully predicted by using in vivo information. In order to exploit these predictions in daily pharmacotherapy, the clinical significance of the pharmacokinetic changes needs to be carefully evaluated. The aim of the present study was to construct a pharmacokinetic interaction significance classification system (PISCS) in which the clinical significance of DDIs was considered with pharmacokinetic changes in a systematic manner. Furthermore, the classifications proposed by PISCS were compared in a detailed manner with current alert classifications in the product labelling or the summary of product characteristics used in Japan, the US and the UK. A matrix table was composed by stratifying two basic parameters of the prediction: the contribution ratio of CYP3A4 to the oral clearance of substrates (CR), and the inhibition ratio of inhibitors (IR). The total exposure increase was estimated for each cell in the table by associating CR and IR values, and the cells were categorized into nine zones according to the magnitude of the exposure increase. Then, correspondences between the DDI significance and the zones were determined for each drug group considering the observed exposure changes and the current classification in the product labelling. Substrate drugs of CYP3A4 selected from three therapeutic groups, i.e. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), calcium-channel antagonists/blockers (CCBs) and benzodiazepines (BZPs), were analysed as representative examples. The product labelling descriptions of drugs in Japan, US and UK were obtained from the websites of each regulatory body. Among 220

Correlated colour temperature of morning light influences alertness and body temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Te Kulve, Marije; Schlangen, Luc; Schellen, Lisje; Souman, Jan L; van Marken Lichtenbelt, Wouter

2018-03-01

Though several studies have reported human alertness to be affected by the intensity and spectral composition of ambient light, the mechanism behind this effect is still largely unclear, especially for daytime exposure. Alerting effects of nocturnal light exposure are correlated with melatonin suppression, but melatonin levels are generally low during the day. The aim of this study was to explore the alerting effect of light in the morning for different correlated colour temperature (CCT) values, as well as its interaction with ambient temperature. Body temperature and perceived comfort were included in the study as possible mediating factors. In a randomized crossover design, 16 healthy females participated in two sessions, once under 2700K and once under 6500K light (both 55lx). Each session consisted of a baseline, a cool, a neutral and a warm thermal environment. Alertness as measured in a reaction time task was lower for the 6500K exposure, while subjective sleepiness was not affected by CCT. Also, core body temperature was higher under 6500K. Skin temperature parameters and perceived comfort were positively correlated with subjective sleepiness. Reaction time correlated with heat loss, but this association did not explain why the reaction time was improved for 2700K. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mutagenic and carcinogenic structural alerts and their mechanisms of action.

Science.gov (United States)

Plošnik, Alja; Vračko, Marjan; Dolenc, Marija Sollner

2016-09-01

Knowing the mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of chemicals is very important for their hazard (and risk) assessment. One of the crucial events that trigger genotoxic and sometimes carcinogenic effects is the forming of adducts between chemical compounds and nucleic acids and histones. This review takes a look at the mechanisms related to specific functional groups (structural alerts or toxicophores) that may trigger genotoxic or epigenetic effects in the cells. We present up-to-date information about defined structural alerts with their mechanisms and the software based on this knowledge (QSAR models and classification schemes).

Geoethical issues involved in Tsunami Warning System concepts and operations

Science.gov (United States)

Charalampakis, Marinos; Papadopoulos, Gerassimos A.; Tinti, Stefano

2016-04-01

The main goal of a Tsunami Warning System (TWS) is to mitigate the effect of an incoming tsunami by alerting coastal population early enough to allow people to evacuate safely from inundation zones. Though this representation might seem oversimplified, nonetheless, achieving successfully this goal requires a positive synergy of geoscience, communication, emergency management, technology, education, social sciences, politics. Geoethical issues arise always when there is an interaction between geoscience and society, and TWS is a paradigmatic case where interaction is very strong and is made critical because a) the formulation of the tsunami alert has to be made in a time as short as possible and therefore on uncertain data, and b) any evaluation error (underestimation or overestimation) can lead to serious (and sometimes catastrophic) consequences involving wide areas and a large amount of population. From the geoethical point of view three issues are critical: how to (i) combine forecasts and uncertainties reasonably and usefully, (ii) cope and possibly solve the dilemma whether it is better over-alerting or under-alerting population and (iii) deal with responsibility and liability of geoscientists, TWS operators, emergency operators and coastal population. The discussion will be based on the experience of the Hellenic National Tsunami Warning Center (HL-NTWC, Greece), which operates on 24/7 basis as a special unit of the Institute of Geodynamics, National Observatory of Athens, and acts also as Candidate Tsunami Service Provider (CTSP) in the framework of the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas Tsunami Warning System (NEAMTWS) of the IOC/UNESCO. Since August 2012, when HL-NTWC was officially declared as operational, 14 tsunami warning messages have been disseminated to a large number of subscribers after strong submarine earthquakes occurring in Greece and elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean. It is recognized that the alerting process

Do family physicians retrieve synopses of clinical research previously read as email alerts?

Science.gov (United States)

Grad, Roland; Pluye, Pierre; Johnson-Lafleur, Janique; Granikov, Vera; Shulha, Michael; Bartlett, Gillian; Marlow, Bernard

2011-11-30

A synopsis of new clinical research highlights important aspects of one study in a brief structured format. When delivered as email alerts, synopses enable clinicians to become aware of new developments relevant for practice. Once read, a synopsis can become a known item of clinical information. In time-pressured situations, remembering a known item may facilitate information retrieval by the clinician. However, exactly how synopses first delivered as email alerts influence retrieval at some later time is not known. We examined searches for clinical information in which a synopsis previously read as an email alert was retrieved (defined as a dyad). Our study objectives were to (1) examine whether family physicians retrieved synopses they previously read as email alerts and then to (2) explore whether family physicians purposefully retrieved these synopses. We conducted a mixed-methods study in which a qualitative multiple case study explored the retrieval of email alerts within a prospective longitudinal cohort of practicing family physicians. Reading of research-based synopses was tracked in two contexts: (1) push, meaning to read on email and (2) pull, meaning to read after retrieval from one electronic knowledge resource. Dyads, defined as synopses first read as email alerts and subsequently retrieved in a search of a knowledge resource, were prospectively identified. Participants were interviewed about all of their dyads. Outcomes were the total number of dyads and their type. Over a period of 341 days, 194 unique synopses delivered to 41 participants resulted in 4937 synopsis readings. In all, 1205 synopses were retrieved over an average of 320 days. Of the 1205 retrieved synopses, 21 (1.7%) were dyads made by 17 family physicians. Of the 1205 retrieved synopses, 6 (0.5%) were known item type dyads. However, dyads also occurred serendipitously. In the single knowledge resource we studied, email alerts containing research-based synopses were rarely retrieved

Enhancing clinical effectiveness of pre-radiotherapy workflow by using multidisciplinary-cooperating e-control and e-alerts: A SQUIRE-compliant quality-improving study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yung-Hsiang; Hung, Shih-Kai; Lee, Moon-Sing; Chiou, Wen-Yen; Lai, Chun-Liang; Shih, Yi-Ting; Yeh, Pei-Han; Lin, Yi-An; Tsai, Wei-Ta; Hsieh, Hui-Ling; Chen, Liang-Cheng; Huang, Li-Wen; Lin, Po-Hao; Liu, Dai-Wei; Hsu, Feng-Chun; Tsai, Shiang-Jiun; Liu, Jia-Chi; Chung, En-Seu; Lin, Hon-Yi

2017-06-01

Radiotherapy (RT) is useful in managing cancer diseases. In clinical practice, early initiation of RT is crucial for enhancing tumor control. But, delivering precise RT requires a series of pre-RT working processes in a tight staff-cooperation manner. In this regard, using information system to conduct e-control and e-alerts has been suggested to improve practice effectiveness; however, this effect is not well defined in a real-world RT setting.We designed an information system to perform e-control and e-alerts for the whole process of pre-RT workflow to shorten processing time, to improve overall staff satisfaction, and to enhance working confidence.A quality-improving study conducted in a large RT center.Externally validated data were retrospectively analyzed for comparison before (from Sep. 2012 to Dec. 2012, n = 223) and after (from Sep. 2013 to Dec. 2013, n = 240) implementation of pre-RT e-control and e-alerts.Applying the e-control with delay-working e-alerts in pre-RT workflow was the main intervention.Nine workstations were identified in pre-RT workflow. The primary outcome measure was the processing time in each pre-RT workstations before and after implementing the e-control and e-alerts. Secondary measures were staff-working confidence and near-missing cases during the process of pre-RT workflow.After implementing e-control, overall processing time of pre-RT workflow was shortened from 12.2 days to 8.9 days (P workflow. Clinical effectiveness, staff satisfaction, and working confidence are able to be enhanced obviously.

Assisting emergency operating procedures execution with AMAS, an Accident Management Advisor System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guarro, S.; Milici, T.; Wu, J.S.; Apostolakis, G.

2004-01-01

In an accident situation, because any decisions that the operators make will depend on how instrumentation readings are ultimately interpreted, the issue of instrument uncertainty is of paramount importance. This uncertainty exists because instrument readings may not be available in the desired form - i.e., only indirect readings for a parameter of interest may exist, with uncertainty on which physical models may be used to deduce its value from these indirect indications -, or because readings may be coming from instruments whose accuracy and reliability in the face of the severe conditions produced by the accident are far from what may be expected under normal operating conditions. In following the EOPs, the operators must rely on instrumentation whose readings may not reflect the real situation. The Accident Management Advisor System (AMAS) is a decision aid intended to supplement plant Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) by accounting for instrumentation uncertainty, and by alerting the operators if they are on the wrong procedures, or otherwise performing an action that is not optimal in terms of preventing core damage. In AMAS, the availability and reliability of certain important instrument readings is treated in probabilistic, rather than deterministic terms. This issue is discussed in greater detail later in the paper, since it relates to one of the key characteristics of the AMAS decision aid. (author)

Hungarian system for nuclear emergency preparedness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borsi, Laszlo; Szabo, Laszlo; Ronaky, Jozsef

2000-01-01

The Hungarian Government had established in 1989 on the basis of national and international experience the National System for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness (NSNEP). Its guidance is ad-ministered by the Governmental Commission for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness (GCNEP). The work of the Governmental Commission is designated to be assisted by the Secretariat, the Operational Staff and by the Technical Scientific Council. The leading and guiding duties of the relevant ministries and national agencies are performed by the Sectional Organisations for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness (SONEP), together with those of the Metropolitan Agencies and of the county agencies by the Metropolitan Local Committee (MLCNEP) and by County Local Committees. The chairman of the Governmental Commission is the Minister of the Interior whose authority covers the guidance of the NSNEP's activities. The Secretariat of the Governmental Commission (SGC) co-ordinates the activities of the bodies of the Governmental Commission, the sectional organisations, the local committees for nuclear emergency preparedness and those of the other bodies responsible for implementing action. The Emergency Information Centre (EIC) of GCNEP as the central body of the National Radiation Monitoring, Warning and Surveillance System provides the information needed for preparing decisions at Governmental Commission level. The technical-scientific establishment of the governmental decisions in preparation for nuclear emergency situations and the elimination of their consequences are tasks of the Technical-Scientific Council. The Centre for Emergency Response, Training and Analysis (CERTA) of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) may be treated as a body of the Governmental Commission as well. The National Radiation Monitoring, Warning and Surveillance System (NRMWSS) is integral part of the NSNEP. The NRMWSS consists of the elements operated by the ministries and the operation of nation-wide measuring network in

Automated acute kidney injury alerts.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashani, Kianoush B

2018-05-02

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common and probably one of the more consequential complications of critical illnesses. Recent information indicates that it is at least partially preventable; however, progress in its prevention, management, and treatment has been hindered by the scarcity of knowledge for effective interventions, inconsistencies in clinical practices, late identification of patients at risk for or with AKI, and limitations of access to best practices for prevention and management of AKI. Growing use of electronic health records has provided a platform for computer science to engage in data mining and processing, not only for early detection of AKI but also for the development of risk-stratification strategies and computer clinical decision-support (CDS) systems. Despite promising perspectives, the literature regarding the impact of AKI electronic alerts and CDS systems has been conflicting. Some studies have reported improvement in care processes and patient outcomes, whereas others have shown no effect on clinical outcomes and yet demonstrated an increase in the use of resources. These discrepancies are thought to be due to multiple factors that may be related to technology, human factors, modes of delivery of information to clinical providers, and level of expectations regarding the impact on patient outcomes. This review appraises the current body of knowledge and provides some outlines regarding research into and clinical aspects of CDS systems for AKI. Copyright © 2018 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a National Call Center and a Local Alerts System for Detection of New Cases of Ebola Virus Disease - Guinea, 2014-2015

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-11

call centers were established in response to the Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Liberia , and Sierra Leone, the sensitivity of those call centers for...Control and Prevention Evaluation of a National Call Center and a Local Alerts System for Detection of New Cases of Ebola Virus Disease — Guinea, 2014...2015 Christopher T. Lee, MD1,2,3; Marc Bulterys, MD, PhD2,4,5; Lise D. Martel, PhD2,6; Benjamin A. Dahl PhD2,5 The epidemic of Ebola virus disease ( Ebola

Decreased functional connectivity and structural deficit in alertness network with right-sided temporal lobe epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yujun; Zheng, Jinou; Li, Yaping; Guo, Danni; Wang, Mingli; Cui, Xiangxiang; Ye, Wei

2018-04-01

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) often suffer from alertness alterations. However, specific regions connected with alertness remain controversial, and whether these regions have structural impairment is also elusive. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and neural mechanisms underlying the functions and structures of alertness network in patients with right-sided temporal lobe epilepsy (rTLE) by performing the attentional network test (ANT), resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-SfMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).A total of 47 patients with rTLE and 34 healthy controls underwent ANT, R-SfMRI, and DTI scan. The seed-based functional connectivity (FC) method and deterministic tractography were used to analyze the data.Patients with rTLE had longer reaction times in the no-cue and double-cue conditions. However, no differences were noted in the alertness effect between the 2 groups. The patient group had lower FC compared with the control group in the right inferior parietal lobe (IPL), amygdala, and insula. Structural deficits were found in the right parahippocampal gyrus, superior temporal pole, insula, and amygdala in the patient group compared with the control group. Also significantly negative correlations were observed between abnormal fractional anisotropy (between the right insula and the superior temporal pole) and illness duration in the patients with rTLE.The findings of this study suggested abnormal intrinsic and phasic alertness, decreased FC, and structural deficits within the alerting network in the rTLE. This study provided new insights into the mechanisms of alertness alterations in rTLE.

Prevalence and relief of pain in trauma patients in Emergency Medical Services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lisette Schoonhoven; T. Meijs; Sivera Berben; A. van Vugt; P. van Grunsven

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to give insight in the prevalence of pain, and the (effect of) pain management according to the national emergency medical services analgesia protocol in trauma patients in the Netherlands. The retrospective document study included adult and alert trauma patients. Data

A volcanic activity alert-level system for aviation: review of its development and application in Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Guffanti, Marianne; Miller, Thomas P.

2013-01-01

An alert-level system for communicating volcano hazard information to the aviation industry was devised by the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) during the 1989–1990 eruption of Redoubt Volcano. The system uses a simple, color-coded ranking that focuses on volcanic ash emissions: Green—normal background; Yellow—signs of unrest; Orange—precursory unrest or minor ash eruption; Red—major ash eruption imminent or underway. The color code has been successfully applied on a regional scale in Alaska for a sustained period. During 2002–2011, elevated color codes were assigned by AVO to 13 volcanoes, eight of which erupted; for that decade, one or more Alaskan volcanoes were at Yellow on 67 % of days and at Orange or Red on 12 % of days. As evidence of its utility, the color code system is integrated into procedures of agencies responsible for air-traffic management and aviation meteorology in Alaska. Furthermore, it is endorsed as a key part of globally coordinated protocols established by the International Civil Aviation Organization to provide warnings of ash hazards to aviation worldwide. The color code and accompanying structured message (called a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation) comprise an effective early-warning message system according to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. The aviation color code system currently is used in the United States, Russia, New Zealand, Iceland, and partially in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. Although there are some barriers to implementation, with continued education and outreach to Volcano Observatories worldwide, greater use of the aviation color code system is achievable.

46 CFR 112.01-10 - Automatic emergency lighting and power system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND POWER SYSTEMS Definitions of Emergency Lighting and Power Systems § 112.01-10 Automatic emergency lighting and power system. An automatic emergency lighting and power system is one in... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Automatic emergency lighting and power system. 112.01-10...

NAPS as an Alertness Management Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Rosekind, Mark R.; Smith, Roy M.; Miller, Donna L.; Co, Elizabeth L.; Gregory, Kevin B.; Gander, Philippa H.; Lebacqz, J. Victor

2001-01-01

Today, 24-hour operations are necessary to meet the demands of our society and the requirements of our industrialized global economy. These around-the-clock demands pose unique physiological challenges for the humans who remain central to safe and productive operations. Optimal alertness and performance are critical factors that are increasingly challenged by unusual, extended, or changing work/rest schedules. Technological advancements and automated systems can exacerbate the challenges faced by the human factor in these environments. Shift work, transportation demands, and continuous operations engender sleep loss and circadian disruption. Both of these physiological factors can lead to increased sleepiness, decreased performance, and a reduced margin of safety. These factors can increase vulnerability to incidents and accidents in operational settings. The consequences can have both societal effects (e.g., major destructive accidents such as Three Mile Island, Exxon Valdez, Bhopal) and personal effects (e.g., an accident driving home after a night shift).

Does integrating nonurgent, clinically significant radiology alerts within the electronic health record impact closed-loop communication and follow-up?

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Stacy D; Dalal, Anuj K; Sahni, V Anik; Lacson, Ronilda; Khorasani, Ramin

2016-03-01

To assess whether integrating critical result management software--Alert Notification of Critical Results (ANCR)--with an electronic health record (EHR)-based results management application impacts closed-loop communication and follow-up of nonurgent, clinically significant radiology results by primary care providers (PCPs). This institutional review board-approved study was conducted at a large academic medical center. Postintervention, PCPs could acknowledge nonurgent, clinically significant ANCR-generated alerts ("alerts") within ANCR or the EHR. Primary outcome was the proportion of alerts acknowledged via EHR over a 24-month postintervention. Chart abstractions for a random sample of alerts 12 months preintervention and 24 months postintervention were reviewed, and the follow-up rate of actionable alerts (eg, performing follow-up imaging, administering antibiotics) was estimated. Pre- and postintervention rates were compared using the Fisher exact test. Postintervention follow-up rate was compared for EHR-acknowledged alerts vs ANCR. Five thousand nine hundred and thirty-one alerts were acknowledged by 171 PCPs, with 100% acknowledgement (consistent with expected ANCR functionality). PCPs acknowledged 16% (688 of 4428) of postintervention alerts in the EHR, with the remaining in ANCR. Follow-up was documented for 85 of 90 (94%; 95% CI, 88%-98%) preintervention and 79 of 84 (94%; 95% CI, 87%-97%) postintervention alerts (P > .99). Postintervention, 11 of 14 (79%; 95% CI, 52%-92%) alerts were acknowledged via EHR and 68 of 70 (97%; 95% CI, 90%-99%) in ANCR had follow-up (P = .03). Integrating ANCR and EHR provides an additional workflow for acknowledging nonurgent, clinically significant results without significant change in rates of closed-loop communication or follow-up of alerts. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Design of an electronic medical record (EMR-based clinical decision support system to alert clinicians to the onset of severe sepsis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fountain S

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of our study was to design an electronic medical record ­based alert system to detect the onset of severe sepsis with sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV above 50%. Methods: The PPV for each of seven potential criteria for suspected infection (white blood cell count (WBCC >12 or 0.1 K/uL or immature granulocyte % >1%, temperature >38 C. or 50%, the charts of sixty consecutive patients who met CMS criteria for severe sepsis were reviewed to calculate the sensitivity of organ dysfunction plus any one of the suspected infection criteria. Results: Four proposed criteria for suspected infection had PPV >50%: WBCC >12 x 10 9 /L (69%; 95%CI:53­84%, Temperature >38C. (84%; 95%CI:68­100%, Temperature <36C. (57% 95%CI:36­78%, and initiation of antibiotics (70% 95%CI:56­84%. These four criteria were present in 53/60 of the patients with severe sepsis by CMS criteria, yielding a sensitivity of 88.3% (95%CI: 80.2­96.4%. Alert criteria were satisfied before the onset of severe sepsis in 25/53 cases, and within 90 minutes afterwards in 28/53 cases. Conclusions: Our criteria for suspected infection plus organ dysfunction yields reasonable sensitivity and PPV for the detection of severe sepsis in real­time.

Online Decision Support System (IRODOS) - an emergency preparedness tool for handling offsite nuclear emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinod Kumar, A.; Oza, R.B.; Chaudhury, P.; Suri, M.; Saindane, S.; Singh, K.D.; Bhargava, P.; Sharma, V.K.

2009-01-01

A real time online decision support system as a nuclear emergency response system for handling offsite nuclear emergency at the Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) has been developed by Health, Safety and Environment Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) under the frame work of 'Indian Real time Online Decision Support System 'IRODOS'. (author)

Universality of emergent states in diverse physical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Guidry, Mike

2017-12-01

Our physics textbooks are dominated by examples of simple weakly-interacting microscopic states, but most of the real world around us is most effectively described in terms of emergent states that have no clear connection to simple textbook states. Emergent states are strongly-correlated and dominated by properties that emerge as a consequence of interactions and are not part of the description of the corresponding weakly-interacting system. This paper proposes a connection of weakly-interacting textbook states and realistic emergent states through fermion dynamical symmetries having fully-microscopic generators of the emergent states. These imply unique truncation of the Hilbert space for the weakly-interacting system to a collective subspace where the emergent states live. Universality arises because the possible symmetries under commutation of generators, which transcend the microscopic structure of the generators, are highly restricted in character and determine the basic structure of the emergent state, with the microscopic structure of the generators influencing emergent state only parametrically. In support of this idea we show explicit evidence that high-temperature superconductors, collective states in heavy atomic nuclei, and graphene quantum Hall states in strong magnetic fields exhibit a near-universal emergent behavior in their microscopically-computed total energy surfaces, even though these systems share essentially nothing in common at the microscopic level and their emergent states are characterized by fundamentally different order parameters.

46 CFR 112.01-5 - Manual emergency lighting and power system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND POWER SYSTEMS Definitions of Emergency Lighting and Power Systems § 112.01-5 Manual emergency lighting and power system. A manual emergency lighting and power system is one in which a single... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Manual emergency lighting and power system. 112.01-5...

Communications systems for emergency deployment applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladden, C.A.

1987-01-01

The Emergency Response Team (ERT) communications system was developed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to provide radio and telecommunications service for scientific and management elements located in, and adjacent to, an emergency area. The telephone system consists of six nodes, interconnected via microwave links that support T-1 data links and simultaneous two-way live video. The radio network is a self-contained VHF system arranged around portable and programmable repeaters. The system is comprised of approximately 183 DES voice-private radios and 168 clear text radios. Capability is available in the form of portable International Maritime Satellite (INMARSAT) terminals that allow direct dial access to coast earth stations in the US or other countries

Emergency response and radiation monitoring systems in Russian regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arutyunyan, R.; Osipiyants, I.; Kiselev, V.; Ogar, K; Gavrilov, S.

2008-01-01

Full text: Preparedness of the emergency response system to elimination of radiation incidents and accidents is one of the most important elements of ensuring safe operation of nuclear power facilities. Routine activities on prevention of emergency situations along with adequate, efficient and opportune response actions are the key factors reducing the risks of adverse effects on population and environment. Both high engineering level and multiformity of the nuclear branch facilities make special demands on establishment of response system activities to eventual emergency situations. First and foremost, while resolving sophisticated engineering and scientific problems emerging during the emergency response process, one needs a powerful scientific and technical support system.The emergency response system established in the past decade in Russian nuclear branch provides a high efficiency of response activities due to the use of scientific and engineering potential and experience of the involved institutions. In Russia the responsibility for population protection is imposed on regional authority. So regional emergence response system should include up-to-date tools of radiation monitoring and infrastructure. That's why new activities on development of radiation monitoring and emergency response system were started in the regions of Russia. The main directions of these activities are: 1) Modernization of the existing and setting-up new facility and territorial automatic radiation monitoring systems, including mobile radiation surveillance kits; 2) Establishment of the Regional Crisis Centres and Crisis Centres of nuclear and radiation hazardous facilities; 3) Setting up communication systems for transfer, acquisition, processing, storage and presentation of data for participants of emergency response at the facility, regional and federal levels; 4) Development of software and hardware systems for expert support of decision-making on protection of personnel, population

Nuclear criticality safety aspects of emergency response at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, J.S.

2003-01-01

Emergency response at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is handled through a graded approach depending on the specific emergency situation . LANL maintains a comprehensive capability to respond to events ranging from minor facility events (alerts) through major community events (general emergencies), including criticality accidents . Criticality safety and emergency response apply to all activities involving significant quantities of fissile material at LANL, primarily at Technical Area 18 (TA-18, the Los Alamos Critical Experiments Facility) and Technical Area 55 (TA-55, the Plutonium Facility). This discussion focuses on response to a criticality accident at TA-55; the approach at TA-18 is comparable .

Emergency cooling system for the PHENIX reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Megy, J.M.; Giudicelli, A.G.; Robert, E.A.; Crette, J.P.

Among various engineered safeguards of the reactor plant, the authors describe the protective system designed to remove the decay heat in emergency, in case of complete loss of all normal decay heat removal systems. First the normal decay heat rejection systems are presented. Incidents leading to the loss of these normal means are then analyzed. The protective system and its constructive characteristics designed for emergency cooling and based on two independent and highly reliable circuits entirely installed outside the primary containment vessel are described

A Tactical Emergency Response Management System (Terms ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2013-03-01

Mar 1, 2013 ... information is a result of collaboration between accident response personnel. ... Tactical Emergency Response Management System (TERMS) which unifies all these different ... purpose of handling crisis and emergency.

44 CFR 208.36 - Reimbursement for Alert.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... § 208.41 of this part. (4) Food and beverages for Task Force Members and Support Specialists when DHS does not provide meals during the Alert. DHS will limit food and beverage reimbursement to the amount... where such food and beverages were provided, multiplied by the number of personnel who received them. (b...

Towards systemic sustainable performance of TBI care systems: emergency leadership frontiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, Denis H J

2010-11-10

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) continue as a twenty-first century subterranean and almost invisible scourge internationally. TBI care systems provide a safety net for survival, recovery, and reintegration into social communities from this scourge, particularly in Canada, the European Union, and the USA. This paper examines the underlying issues of systemic performance and sustainability of TBI care systems, in the light of decreasing care resources and increasing demands for services. This paper reviews the extant literature on TBI care systems, systems reengineering, and emergency leadership literature. This paper presents a seven care layer paradigm, which forms the essence of systemic performance in the care of patients with TBIs. It also identifies five key strategic drivers that hold promise for the future systemic sustainability of TBI care systems. Transformational leadership and engagement from the international emergency medical community is the key to generating positive change. The sustainability/performance care framework is relevant and pertinent for consideration internationally and in the context of other emergency medical populations.

Wind emergency response system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garrett, A.J.; Buckner, M.R.; Mueller, R.A.

1981-01-01

The WIND system is an automated emergency response system for real-time predictions of the consequences of liquid and airborne releases from SRP. The system consists of a minicomputer and associated peripherals necessary for acquisition and handling of large amounts of meteorological data from a local tower network and the National Weather Service. The minicomputer uses these data and several predictive models to assess the impact of accidental releases. The system is fast and easy to use, and output is displayed both in tabular form and as trajectory map plots for quick interpretation. The rapid response capabilities of the WIND system have been demonstrated in support of SRP operations

Alternative Opportunistic Alert Diffusion to Support Infrastructure Failure during Disasters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farouk Mezghani

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Opportunistic communications present a promising solution for disaster network recovery in emergency situations such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods, where infrastructure might be destroyed. Some recent works in the literature have proposed opportunistic-based disaster recovery solutions, but they have omitted the consideration of mobile devices that come with different network technologies and various initial energy levels. This work presents COPE, an energy-aware Cooperative OPportunistic alErt diffusion scheme for trapped survivors to use during disaster scenarios to report their position and ease their rescue operation. It aims to maintain mobile devices functional for as long as possible for maximum network coverage until reaching proximate rescuers. COPE deals with mobile devices that come with an assortment of networks and aims to perform systematic network interface selection. Furthermore, it considers mobile devices with various energy levels and allows low-energy nodes to hold their charge for longer time with the support of high-energy nodes. A proof-of-concept implementation has been performed to study the doability and efficiency of COPE, and to highlight the lessons learned.

Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) Scenarios The WEA Project Team May 2012 SPECIAL REPORT CMU/SEI-2012-SR-020 CERT® Division, Software ...Homeland Security under Contract No. FA8721-05-C-0003 with Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineering Institute, a federally...DISTRIBUTES IT “AS IS.” References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trade mark, manufacturer, or otherwise

Oak Ridge Reservation Public Warning Siren System Annual Test Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

R. F. Gee

2000-01-01

The full operational test of the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) Public Warning Siren System (PWSS) was successfully conducted on September 27, 2000. The annual test is a full-scale sounding of the individual siren systems around each of the three Department of Energy (DOE) sites in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The purpose of the annual test is to demonstrate and validate the siren systems' ability to alert personnel outdoors in the Immediate Notification Zones (INZ) (approximately two miles) around each site. The success of this test is based on two critical functions of the siren system. The first function is system operability. The system is considered operable if 90% of the sirens are operational. System diagnostics and direct field observations were used to validate the operability of the siren systems. Based on the diagnostic results and field observations, greater than 90% of the sirens were considered operational. The second function is system audibility. The system is considered audible if the siren could be heard in the immediate notification zones around each of the three sites. Direct field observations, along with sound level measurements, were used to validate the audibility of the siren system. Based on the direct field observations and sound level measurements, the siren system was considered audible. The combination of field observations, system diagnostic status reports, and sound level measurements provided a high level of confidence that the system met and would meet operational requirements upon demand. As part of the overall system test, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) activated the Emergency Alerting System (EAS), which utilized area radio stations to make announcements regarding the test and to remind residents of what to do in the event of an actual emergency

Changes in decibel scale wavelength properties of EEG with alertness levels while performing sustained attention tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Arjunan, Sridhar P; Kumar, Dinesh K; Jung, Tzyy-Ping

2009-01-01

Loss of alertness can have dire consequences for people controlling motorized equipment or for people in professions such as defense. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is known to be related to alertness of the person, but due to high level of noise and low signal strength, the use of EEG for such applications has been considered to be unreliable. This study reports the fractal analysis of EEG and identifies the use of maximum fractal length (MFL) as a feature that is inversely correlated with the alertness of the subject. The results show that MFL (of only single channel of EEG) indicates the loss of alertness of the individual with mean (inverse) correlation coefficient = 0.82.

CRNL research reactor retrofit Emergency Filtration System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philippi, H.M.

1990-01-01

This paper presents a brief history of NRX and NRU research reactor effluent air treatment systems before describing the selection and design of an appropriate retrofit Emergency Filtration System (EFS) to serve these reactors and the future MX-10 isotope production reactor. The conceptual design of the EFS began in 1984. A standby concrete shielding filter-adsorber system, sized to serve the reactor with the largest exhaust flow, was selected. The standby system, bypassed under normal operating conditions, is equipped with normal exhaust stream shutoff and diversion valves to be activated manually when an emergency is anticipated, or automatically when emergency levels of gamma radiation are detected in the exhaust stream. The first phase of the EFS installation, that is the construction of the EFS and the connection of NRU to the system, was completed in 1987. The second phase of construction, which includes the connection of NRX and provisions for the future connection of MX-10, is to be completed in 1990

Impact of e-alert for detection of acute kidney injury on processes of care and outcomes: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachance, Philippe; Villeneuve, Pierre-Marc; Wilson, Francis P; Selby, Nicholas M; Featherstone, Robin; Rewa, Oleksa; Bagshaw, Sean M

2016-05-05

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in hospitalised patients. It imposes significant risk for major morbidity and mortality. Moreover, patients suffering an episode of AKI consume considerable health resources. Recently, a number of studies have evaluated the implementation of automated electronic alerts (e-alerts) configured from electronic medical records (EMR) and clinical information systems (CIS) to warn healthcare providers of early or impending AKI in hospitalised patients. The impact of e-alerts on care processes, patient outcomes and health resource use, however, remains uncertain. We will perform a systematic review to describe and appraise e-alerts for AKI, and evaluate their impact on processes of care, clinical outcomes and health services use. In consultation with a research librarian, a search strategy will be developed and electronic databases (ie, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Inspec via Engineering Village) searched. Selected grey literature sources will also be searched. Search themes will focus on e-alerts and AKI. Citation screening, selection, quality assessment and data abstraction will be performed in duplicate. The primary analysis will be narrative; however, where feasible, pooled analysis will be performed. Each e-alert will be described according to trigger, type of alert, target recipient and degree of intrusiveness. Pooled effect estimates will be described, where applicable. Our systematic review will synthesise the literature on the value of e-alerts to detect AKI, and their impact on processes, patient-centred outcomes and resource use, and also identify key knowledge gaps and barriers to implementation. This is a fundamental step in a broader research programme aimed to understand the ideal structure of e-alerts, target population and methods for implementation, to derive benefit. Research ethics approval is not required for this review. CRD42016033033. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited

Emergency power systems at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

This Guide applies to nuclear power plants for which the total power supply comprises normal power supply (which is electric) and emergency power supply (which may be electric or a combination of electric and non-electric). In its present form the Guide provides general guidance for all types of emergency power systems (EPS) - electric and non-electric, and specific guidance (see Appendix A) on the design principles and the features of the emergency electric power system (EEPS). Future editions will include a second appendix giving specific guidance on non-electric power systems. Section 3 of this Safety Guide covers information on considerations that should be taken into account relative to the electric grid, the transmission lines, the on-site electrical supply system, and other alternative power sources, in order to provide high overall reliability of the power supply to the EPS. Since the nuclear power plant operator does not usually control off-site facilities, the discussion of methods of improving off-site reliability does not include requirements for facilities not under the operator's control. Sections 4 to 11 of this Guide provide information, recommendations and requirements that would apply to any emergency power system, be it electric or non-electric