WorldWideScience

Sample records for event effects testing

  1. Single-event effect ground test issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koga, R.

    1996-01-01

    Ground-based single event effect (SEE) testing of microcircuits permits characterization of device susceptibility to various radiation induced disturbances, including: (1) single event upset (SEU) and single event latchup (SEL) in digital microcircuits; (2) single event gate rupture (SEGR), and single event burnout (SEB) in power transistors; and (3) bit errors in photonic devices. These characterizations can then be used to generate predictions of device performance in the space radiation environment. This paper provides a general overview of ground-based SEE testing and examines in critical depth several underlying conceptual constructs relevant to the conduct of such tests and to the proper interpretation of results. These more traditional issues are contrasted with emerging concerns related to the testing of modern, advanced microcircuits

  2. European accelerator facilities for single event effects testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adams, L; Nickson, R; Harboe-Sorensen, R [ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk (Netherlands); Hajdas, W; Berger, G

    1997-03-01

    Single event effects are an important hazard to spacecraft and payloads. The advances in component technology, with shrinking dimensions and increasing complexity will give even more importance to single event effects in the future. The ground test facilities are complex and expensive and the complexities of installing a facility are compounded by the requirement that maximum control is to be exercised by users largely unfamiliar with accelerator technology. The PIF and the HIF are the result of experience gained in the field of single event effects testing and represent a unique collaboration between space technology and accelerator experts. Both facilities form an essential part of the European infrastructure supporting space projects. (J.P.N.)

  3. Single Event Effects Test Facility Options at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riemer, Bernie [ORNL; Gallmeier, Franz X [ORNL; Dominik, Laura J [ORNL

    2015-01-01

    Increasing use of microelectronics of ever diminishing feature size in avionics systems has led to a growing Single Event Effects (SEE) susceptibility arising from the highly ionizing interactions of cosmic rays and solar particles. Single event effects caused by atmospheric radiation have been recognized in recent years as a design issue for avionics equipment and systems. To ensure a system meets all its safety and reliability requirements, SEE induced upsets and potential system failures need to be considered, including testing of the components and systems in a neutron beam. Testing of integrated circuits (ICs) and systems for use in radiation environments requires the utilization of highly advanced laboratory facilities that can run evaluations on microcircuits for the effects of radiation. This paper provides a background of the atmospheric radiation phenomenon and the resulting single event effects, including single event upset (SEU) and latch up conditions. A study investigating requirements for future single event effect irradiation test facilities and developing options at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is summarized. The relatively new SNS with its 1.0 GeV proton beam, typical operation of 5000 h per year, expertise in spallation neutron sources, user program infrastructure, and decades of useful life ahead is well suited for hosting a world-class SEE test facility in North America. Emphasis was put on testing of large avionics systems while still providing tunable high flux irradiation conditions for component tests. Makers of ground-based systems would also be served well by these facilities. Three options are described; the most capable, flexible, and highest-test-capacity option is a new stand-alone target station using about one kW of proton beam power on a gas-cooled tungsten target, with dual test enclosures. Less expensive options are also described.

  4. Recalling a witnessed event increases eyewitness suggestibility: the reversed testing effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Jason C K; Thomas, Ayanna K; Bulevich, John B

    2009-01-01

    People's later memory of an event can be altered by exposure to misinformation about that event. The typical misinformation paradigm, however, does not include a recall test prior to the introduction of misinformation, contrary to what real-life eyewitnesses encounter when they report to a 911 operator or crime-scene officer. Because retrieval is a powerful memory enhancer (the testing effect), recalling a witnessed event prior to receiving misinformation about it should reduce eyewitness suggestibility. We show, however, that immediate cued recall actually exacerbates the later misinformation effect for both younger and older adults. The reversed testing effect we observed was based on two mechanisms: First, immediate cued recall enhanced learning of the misinformation; second, the initially recalled details became particularly susceptible to interference from later misinformation, a finding suggesting that even human episodic memory may undergo a reconsolidation process. These results show that real-life eyewitness memory may be even more susceptible to misinformation than is currently envisioned.

  5. Testing Memories of Personally Experienced Events: The Testing Effect Seems Not to Persist in Autobiographical Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emmerdinger, Kathrin J.; Kuhbandner, Christof

    2018-01-01

    Numerous studies have shown that retrieving contents from memory in a test improves long-term retention for those contents, even when compared to restudying (i.e., the “testing effect”). The beneficial effect of retrieval practice has been demonstrated for many different types of memory representations; however, one particularly important memory system has not been addressed in previous testing effect research: autobiographical memory. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of retrieving memories for personally experienced events on long-term memory for those events. In an initial elicitation session, participants described memories for personally experienced events in response to a variety of cue words. In a retrieval practice/restudy session the following day, they repeatedly practiced retrieval for half of their memories by recalling and writing down the previously described events; the other half of memories was restudied by rereading and copying the event descriptions. Long-term retention of all previously collected memories was assessed at two different retention intervals (2 weeks and 13 weeks). In the retrieval practice session, a hypermnesic effect emerged, with memory performance increasing across the practice cycles. Long-term memory performance significantly dropped from the 2-weeks to the 13-weeks retention interval, but no significant difference in memory performance was observed between previously repeatedly retrieved and previously repeatedly restudied memories. Thus, in autobiographical memory, retrieval practice seems to be no more beneficial for long-term retention than repeated re-exposure. PMID:29881365

  6. Single event effect testing of the Intel 80386 family and the 80486 microprocessor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moran, A.; LaBel, K.; Gates, M.; Seidleck, C.; McGraw, R.; Broida, M.; Firer, J.; Sprehn, S.

    1996-01-01

    The authors present single event effect test results for the Intel 80386 microprocessor, the 80387 coprocessor, the 82380 peripheral device, and on the 80486 microprocessor. Both single event upset and latchup conditions were monitored

  7. Effectiveness Analysis of a Non-Destructive Single Event Burnout Test Methodology

    CERN Document Server

    Oser, P; Spiezia, G; Fadakis, E; Foucard, G; Peronnard, P; Masi, A; Gaillard, R

    2014-01-01

    It is essential to characterize power MosFETs regarding their tolerance to destructive Single Event Burnouts (SEB). Therefore, several non-destructive test methods have been developed to evaluate the SEB cross-section of power devices. A power MosFET has been evaluated using a test circuit, designed according to standard non-destructive test methods discussed in the literature. Guidelines suggest a prior adaptation of auxiliary components to the device sensitivity before the radiation test. With the first value chosen for the de-coupling capacitor, the external component initiated destructive events and affected the evaluation of the cross-section. As a result, the influence of auxiliary components on the device cross-section was studied. This paper presents the obtained experimental results, supported by SPICE simulations, to evaluate and discuss how the circuit effectiveness depends on the external components.

  8. Single-Event Effect Testing of the Vishay Si7414DN n-Type TrenchFET(Registered Trademark) Power MOSFET

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauenstein, J.-M.; Casey, M. C.; Campola, M. A.; Phan, A. M.; Wilcox, E. P.; Topper, A. D.; Ladbury, R. L.

    2017-01-01

    This study was being undertaken to determine the single event effect susceptibility of the commercial Vishay 60-V TrenchFET power MOSFET. Heavy-ion testing was conducted at the Texas AM University Cyclotron Single Event Effects Test Facility (TAMU) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory BASE Cyclotron Facility (LBNL). In addition, initial 200-MeV proton testing was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Francis H. Burr Proton Beam Therapy Center. Testing was performed to evaluate this device for single-event effects from lower-LET, lighter ions relevant to higher risk tolerant space missions.

  9. Single event upset test programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russen, L.C.

    1984-11-01

    It has been shown that the heavy ions in cosmic rays can give rise to single event upsets in VLSI random access memory devices (RAMs). Details are given of the programs written to test 1K, 4K, 16K and 64K memories during their irradiation with heavy charged ions, in order to simulate the effects of cosmic rays in space. The test equipment, which is used to load the memory device to be tested with a known bit pattern, and subsequently interrogate it for upsets, or ''flips'', is fully described. (author)

  10. Single-Event Effect Testing of the Cree C4D40120D Commercial 1200V Silicon Carbide Schottky Diode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauenstein, J.-M.; Casey, M. C.; Wilcox, E. P.; Kim, Hak; Topper, A. D.

    2014-01-01

    This study was undertaken to determine the single event effect (SEE) susceptibility of the commercial silicon carbide 1200V Schottky diode manufactured by Cree, Inc. Heavy-ion testing was conducted at the Texas A&M University Cyclotron Single Event Effects Test Facility (TAMU). Its purpose was to evaluate this device as a candidate for use in the Solar-Electric Propulsion flight project.

  11. Automated Testing of Event-Driven Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Casper Svenning

    may be tested by selecting an interesting input (i.e. a sequence of events), and deciding if a failure occurs when the selected input is applied to the event-driven application under test. Automated testing promises to reduce the workload for developers by automatically selecting interesting inputs...... and detect failures. However, it is non-trivial to conduct automated testing of event-driven applications because of, for example, infinite input spaces and the absence of specifications of correct application behavior. In this PhD dissertation, we identify a number of specific challenges when conducting...... automated testing of event-driven applications, and we present novel techniques for solving these challenges. First, we present an algorithm for stateless model-checking of event-driven applications with partial-order reduction, and we show how this algorithm may be used to systematically test web...

  12. Effect of home testing of international normalized ratio on clinical events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matchar, David B; Jacobson, Alan; Dolor, Rowena; Edson, Robert; Uyeda, Lauren; Phibbs, Ciaran S; Vertrees, Julia E; Shih, Mei-Chiung; Holodniy, Mark; Lavori, Philip

    2010-10-21

    Warfarin anticoagulation reduces thromboembolic complications in patients with atrial fibrillation or mechanical heart valves, but effective management is complex, and the international normalized ratio (INR) is often outside the target range. As compared with venous plasma testing, point-of-care INR measuring devices allow greater testing frequency and patient involvement and may improve clinical outcomes. We randomly assigned 2922 patients who were taking warfarin because of mechanical heart valves or atrial fibrillation and who were competent in the use of point-of-care INR devices to either weekly self-testing at home or monthly high-quality testing in a clinic. The primary end point was the time to a first major event (stroke, major bleeding episode, or death). The patients were followed for 2.0 to 4.75 years, for a total of 8730 patient-years of follow-up. The time to the first primary event was not significantly longer in the self-testing group than in the clinic-testing group (hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.75 to 1.04; P=0.14). The two groups had similar rates of clinical outcomes except that the self-testing group reported more minor bleeding episodes. Over the entire follow-up period, the self-testing group had a small but significant improvement in the percentage of time during which the INR was within the target range (absolute difference between groups, 3.8 percentage points; P<0.001). At 2 years of follow-up, the self-testing group also had a small but significant improvement in patient satisfaction with anticoagulation therapy (P=0.002) and quality of life (P<0.001). As compared with monthly high-quality clinic testing, weekly self-testing did not delay the time to a first stroke, major bleeding episode, or death to the extent suggested by prior studies. These results do not support the superiority of self-testing over clinic testing in reducing the risk of stroke, major bleeding episode, and death among patients taking warfarin

  13. Test Standard Revision Update: JESD57, "Procedures for the Measurement of Single-Event Effects in Semiconductor Devices from Heavy-Ion Irradiation"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauenstein, Jean-Marie

    2015-01-01

    The JEDEC JESD57 test standard, Procedures for the Measurement of Single-Event Effects in Semiconductor Devices from Heavy-Ion Irradiation, is undergoing its first revision since 1996. In this talk, we place this test standard into context with other relevant radiation test standards to show its importance for single-event effect radiation testing for space applications. We show the range of industry, government, and end-user party involvement in the revision. Finally, we highlight some of the key changes being made and discuss the trade-space in which setting standards must be made to be both useful and broadly adopted.

  14. Definition of Capabilities Needed for a Single Event Effects Test Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riemer, Bernie; Gallmeier, Franz X.

    2014-01-01

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is contemplating new regulations mandating testing of the vulnerability of flight-critical avionics to single event effects (SEE). A limited number of high-energy neutron test facilities currently serve the SEE industrial and institutional research community. The FAA recognizes that existing facilities have insufficient test capacity to meet new demand from such mandates; it desires more flexible irradiation capabilities to test complete, large systems and would like capabilities to address greater concerns for thermal neutrons. For this reason, the FAA funded this study by Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) staff with the ultimate aim of developing options for SEE test facilities using high-energy neutrons at the SNS complex. After an investigation of current SEE test practices and assessment of future testing requirements, three concepts were identified covering a range of test functionality, neutron flux levels, and fidelity to the atmospheric neutron spectrum. The costs and times required to complete each facility were also estimated. SEE testing is generally performed by accelerating the event rate to a point where the effects are still dominated by single events and double event causes of failures are negligible. In practice, acceleration factors of as high as 10 6 are applicable for component testing, whereas for systems testing acceleration factors of 10 4 seem to be the upper limit. It is strongly desirable that the irradiation facility be tunable over a large range of high-energy neutron fluxes of 10 2 - 10 4 n/cm 2 /s for systems testing and from 10 4 - 10 7 n/cm 2 /s for components testing. The most capable, most flexible, and highest-test-capacity option is a new stand-alone target station named the High-Energy neutron Test Station (HETS). It is also the most expensive option, with a cost to complete of approximately $100 million. Dual test enclosures would allow for simultaneous testing activity effectively

  15. Definition of Capabilities Needed for a Single Event Effects Test Facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riemer, Bernie [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS); Gallmeier, Franz X. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)

    2014-12-01

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is contemplating new regulations mandating testing of the vulnerability of flight-critical avionics to single event effects (SEE). A limited number of high-energy neutron test facilities currently serve the SEE industrial and institutional research community. The FAA recognizes that existing facilities have insufficient test capacity to meet new demand from such mandates; it desires more flexible irradiation capabilities to test complete, large systems and would like capabilities to address greater concerns for thermal neutrons. For this reason, the FAA funded this study by Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) staff with the ultimate aim of developing options for SEE test facilities using high-energy neutrons at the SNS complex. After an investigation of current SEE test practices and assessment of future testing requirements, three concepts were identified covering a range of test functionality, neutron flux levels, and fidelity to the atmospheric neutron spectrum. The costs and times required to complete each facility were also estimated. SEE testing is generally performed by accelerating the event rate to a point where the effects are still dominated by single events and double event causes of failures are negligible. In practice, acceleration factors of as high as 106 are applicable for component testing, whereas for systems testing acceleration factors of 104 seem to be the upper limit. It is strongly desirable that the irradiation facility be tunable over a large range of high-energy neutron fluxes of 102 - 104 n/cm²/s for systems testing and from 104 - 107 n/cm²/s for components testing. The most capable, most flexible, and highest-test-capacity option is a new stand-alone target station named the High-Energy neutron Test Station (HETS). It is also the most expensive option, with a cost to complete of approximately $100 million. Dual test enclosures would

  16. NEPP Update of Independent Single Event Upset Field Programmable Gate Array Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie; Label, Kenneth; Campola, Michael; Pellish, Jonathan

    2017-01-01

    This presentation provides a NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program update of independent Single Event Upset (SEU) Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) testing including FPGA test guidelines, Microsemi RTG4 heavy-ion results, Xilinx Kintex-UltraScale heavy-ion results, Xilinx UltraScale+ single event effect (SEE) test plans, development of a new methodology for characterizing SEU system response, and NEPP involvement with FPGA security and trust.

  17. Automated Testing with Targeted Event Sequence Generation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Casper Svenning; Prasad, Mukul R.; Møller, Anders

    2013-01-01

    Automated software testing aims to detect errors by producing test inputs that cover as much of the application source code as possible. Applications for mobile devices are typically event-driven, which raises the challenge of automatically producing event sequences that result in high coverage...

  18. Robust non-parametric one-sample tests for the analysis of recurrent events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rebora, Paola; Galimberti, Stefania; Valsecchi, Maria Grazia

    2010-12-30

    One-sample non-parametric tests are proposed here for inference on recurring events. The focus is on the marginal mean function of events and the basis for inference is the standardized distance between the observed and the expected number of events under a specified reference rate. Different weights are considered in order to account for various types of alternative hypotheses on the mean function of the recurrent events process. A robust version and a stratified version of the test are also proposed. The performance of these tests was investigated through simulation studies under various underlying event generation processes, such as homogeneous and nonhomogeneous Poisson processes, autoregressive and renewal processes, with and without frailty effects. The robust versions of the test have been shown to be suitable in a wide variety of event generating processes. The motivating context is a study on gene therapy in a very rare immunodeficiency in children, where a major end-point is the recurrence of severe infections. Robust non-parametric one-sample tests for recurrent events can be useful to assess efficacy and especially safety in non-randomized studies or in epidemiological studies for comparison with a standard population. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Field Programmable Gate Array Single Event Effects Test Guideline Update

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie D.; LaBel, Kenneth A.

    2018-01-01

    The following are updated or new subjects added to the FPGA SEE Test Guidelines manual: academic versus mission specific device evaluation, single event latch-up (SEL) test and analysis, SEE response visibility enhancement during radiation testing, mitigation evaluation (embedded and user-implemented), unreliable design and its affects to SEE Data, testing flushable architectures versus non-flushable architectures, intellectual property core (IP Core) test and evaluation (addresses embedded and user-inserted), heavy-ion energy and linear energy transfer (LET) selection, proton versus heavy-ion testing, fault injection, mean fluence to failure analysis, and mission specific system-level single event upset (SEU) response prediction. Most sections within the guidelines manual provide information regarding best practices for test structure and test system development. The scope of this manual addresses academic versus mission specific device evaluation and visibility enhancement in IP Core testing.

  20. Toward Joint Hypothesis-Tests Seismic Event Screening Analysis: Ms|mb and Event Depth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, Dale [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Selby, Neil [AWE Blacknest

    2012-08-14

    Well established theory can be used to combine single-phenomenology hypothesis tests into a multi-phenomenology event screening hypothesis test (Fisher's and Tippett's tests). Commonly used standard error in Ms:mb event screening hypothesis test is not fully consistent with physical basis. Improved standard error - Better agreement with physical basis, and correctly partitions error to include Model Error as a component of variance, correctly reduces station noise variance through network averaging. For 2009 DPRK test - Commonly used standard error 'rejects' H0 even with better scaling slope ({beta} = 1, Selby et al.), improved standard error 'fails to rejects' H0.

  1. The single-event effect evaluation technology for nano integrated circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Hongchao; Zhao Yuanfu; Yue Suge; Fan Long; Du Shougang; Chen Maoxin; Yu Chunqing

    2015-01-01

    Single-event effects of nano scale integrated circuits are investigated. Evaluation methods for single-event transients, single-event upsets, and single-event functional interrupts in nano circuits are summarized and classified in detail. The difficulties in SEE testing are discussed as well as the development direction of test technology, with emphasis placed on the experimental evaluation of a nano circuit under heavy ion, proton, and laser irradiation. The conclusions in this paper are based on many years of testing at accelerator facilities and our present understanding of the mechanisms for SEEs, which have been well verified experimentally. (paper)

  2. The Beneficial Effect of Testing: An Event-Related Potential Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Hua eBai

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The enhanced memory performance for items that are tested as compared to being restudied (the testing effect is a frequently reported memory phenomenon. According to the episodic context account of the testing effect, this beneficial effect of testing is related to a process which reinstates the previously learnt episodic information. Few studies have explored the neural correlates of this effect at the time point when testing takes place, however. In this study, we utilized the ERP correlates of successful memory encoding to address this issue, hypothesizing that if the benefit of testing is due to retrieval-related processes at test then subsequent memory effects should resemble the ERP correlates of retrieval-based processing in their temporal and spatial characteristics. Participants were asked to learn Swahili-German word pairs before items were presented in either a testing or a restudy condition. Memory performance was assessed immediately and one-day later with a cued recall task. Successfully recalling items at test increased the likelihood that items were remembered over time compared to items which were only restudied. An ERP subsequent memory contrast (later remembered vs. later forgotten tested items, which reflects the engagement of processes that ensure items are recallable the next day were topographically comparable

  3. Single Event Effects in FPGA Devices 2015-2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie; LaBel, Kenneth; Pellish, Jonathan

    2016-01-01

    This presentation provides an overview of single event effects in FPGA devices 2015-2016 including commercial Xilinx V5 heavy ion accelerated testing, Xilinx Kintex-7 heavy ion accelerated testing, mitigation study, and investigation of various types of triple modular redundancy (TMR) for commercial SRAM based FPGAs.

  4. Advertising Effectiveness In Events

    OpenAIRE

    Jain, Sushilkumar

    2012-01-01

    Confronted with decreasing effectiveness of the classic marketing communications, events have become an increasingly popular alternative for marketers. Events constitute one of the most exciting and fastest growing forms of leisure and business. With time, the decreasing effectiveness of classical marketing communications boosted the use of events for marketing and making brand awareness. Event marketing is seen as the unique opportunity to integrate the firm’s communication activities like p...

  5. Application of IAEA's International Nuclear Event Scale to events at testing/research reactors in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nozawa, Masao; Watanabe, Norio

    1999-01-01

    The International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) is a means for providing prompt, clear and consistent information related to nuclear events and facilitating communication between the nuclear community, the media and the public on such events. This paper describes the INES rating process for events at testing/research reactors and nuclear fuel processing facilities and experience on the application of the INES scale in Japan. (author)

  6. Post-event information presented in a question form eliminates the misinformation effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yuh-shiow; Chen, Kuan-Nan

    2013-02-01

    This study investigated the influences of sentence surface forms on the misinformation effect. After viewing a film clip, participants received a post-event narrative describing the events in the film. Critical sentences in the post-event narrative, presented in either a statement or a question form, contained misinformation instead of questions with embedded false presuppositions; thus participants did not have to answer questions about the original event. During the final cued-recall test, participants were informed that any relevant information presented in the post-event narrative was not in the original event and that they should not report it. Consistent with previous findings, Experiment 1 demonstrated that post-event information presented as an affirmative statement produced the misinformation effect. More importantly, post-event information presented in a question form, regardless of whether it contained a misleading or studied item, increased the recall of correct information and reduced false recall. Experiment 2 replicated the main finding and ruled out an alternative explanation based on the salience of misleading items. Post-event information presented in a question form created a condition similar to that which produces the testing effect. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

  7. Tests of Event Filter Configuration Software

    CERN Multimedia

    Wickens, F.J.

    TDAQ - Tests of Event Filter configuration software Within Trigger/DAQ a major consideration is how well the performance of the system components scale in going from the small set-ups used for development work to the final system with many hundreds of processors and links. In the case of the Event Filter, which makes the final stage of on-line event selection, plus on-line calibrations and monitoring, more than a thousand processors are envisaged. These processors will be divided into sub-farms, most will be remote from the detector and some could even be at institutes far from CERN. As part of the on-line system it is important that the software in the sub-farms can be reconfigured rapidly as runs start and stop, and that the system be fault tolerant. The flow of data inside a sub-farm involves many processes, for distribution and collection of results in addition to those for event processing itself. Supervision code written in Java has been developed to manage the processes within a cluster, with XML f...

  8. The effectiveness of airline pilot training for abnormal events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casner, Stephen M; Geven, Richard W; Williams, Kent T

    2013-06-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of airline pilot training for abnormal in-flight events. Numerous accident reports describe situations in which pilots responded to abnormal events in ways that were different from what they had practiced many times before. One explanation for these missteps is that training and testing for these skills have become a highly predictable routine for pilots who arrive to the training environment well aware of what to expect. Under these circumstances, pilots get plentiful practice in responding to abnormal events but may get little practice in recognizing them and deciding which responses to offer. We presented 18 airline pilots with three abnormal events that are required during periodic training and testing. Pilots were presented with each event under the familiar circumstances used during training and also under less predictable circumstances as they might occur during flight. When presented in the routine ways seen during training, pilots gave appropriate responses and showed little variability. However, when the abnormal events were presented unexpectedly, pilots' responses were less appropriate and showed great variability from pilot to pilot. The results suggest that the training and testing practices used in airline training may result in rote-memorized skills that are specific to the training situation and that offer modest generalizability to other situations. We recommend a more complete treatment of abnormal events that allows pilots to practice recognizing the event and choosing and recalling the appropriate response. The results will aid the improvement of existing airline training practices.

  9. Event-by-event simulation of single-neutron experiments to test uncertainty relations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raedt, H De; Michielsen, K

    2014-01-01

    Results from a discrete-event simulation of a recent single-neutron experiment that tests Ozawa's generalization of Heisenberg's uncertainty relation are presented. The event-based simulation algorithm reproduces the results of the quantum theoretical description of the experiment but does not require the knowledge of the solution of a wave equation, nor does it rely on detailed concepts of quantum theory. In particular, the data from these non-quantum simulations satisfy uncertainty relations derived in the context of quantum theory. (paper)

  10. NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Single Event Effects (SEE) Test Guideline Update

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berg, Melanie D.; LaBel, Kenneth A.

    2018-01-01

    The following are updated or new subjects added to the FPGA SEE Test Guidelines manual: academic versus mission specific device evaluation, single event latch-up (SEL) test and analysis, SEE response visibility enhancement during radiation testing, mitigation evaluation (embedded and user-implemented), unreliable design and its affects to SEE Data, testing flushable architectures versus non-flushable architectures, intellectual property core (IP Core) test and evaluation (addresses embedded and user-inserted), heavy-ion energy and linear energy transfer (LET) selection, proton versus heavy-ion testing, fault injection, mean fluence to failure analysis, and mission specific system-level single event upset (SEU) response prediction. Most sections within the guidelines manual provide information regarding best practices for test structure and test system development. The scope of this manual addresses academic versus mission specific device evaluation and visibility enhancement in IP Core testing.

  11. Experimental Setups for Single Event Effect Studies

    OpenAIRE

    N. H. Medina; V. A. P. Aguiar; N. Added; F. Aguirre; E. L. A. Macchione; S. G. Alberton; M. A. G. Silveira; J. Benfica; F. Vargas; B. Porcher

    2016-01-01

    Experimental setups are being prepared to test and to qualify electronic devices regarding their tolerance to Single Event Effect (SEE). A multiple test setup and a new beam line developed especially for SEE studies at the São Paulo 8 UD Pelletron accelerator were prepared. This accelerator produces proton beams and heavy ion beams up to 107Ag. A Super conducting Linear accelerator, which is under construction, may fulfill all of the European Space Agency requirements to qualify electronic...

  12. Compendium of Single Event Effects Test Results for Commercial Off-The-Shelf and Standard Electronics for Low Earth Orbit and Deep Space Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddell, Brandon D.; Bailey, Charles R.; Nguyen, Kyson V.; O'Neill, Patrick M.; Wheeler, Scott; Gaza, Razvan; Cooper, Jaime; Kalb, Theodore; Patel, Chirag; Beach, Elden R.; hide

    2017-01-01

    We present the results of Single Event Effects (SEE) testing with high energy protons and with low and high energy heavy ions for electrical components considered for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and for deep space applications.

  13. Single-event effects in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turflinger, T.L.

    1996-01-01

    Analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits are also susceptible to single-event effects, but they have rarely been tested. Analog circuit single-particle transients require modified test techniques and data analysis. Existing work is reviewed and future concerns are outlined

  14. Acoustic events during fatigue test of structural steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Por, Gabor; Fekete, Balazs; Csicso, Gabor; Trampus, Peter [College of Dunaujvaros (Hungary)

    2014-11-01

    Acoustic emission sensors were applied recording noises during low cycle fatigue tests in steel materials. The test specimens were machined from the base metal (15H2MFA) and the anticorrosive cladding metal (08H18N10T) of the VVER-440/V-213 (Russian designed PWR) reactor pressure vessel. During the first period, the measurements were carried out with isothermal condition at 260 C on GLEEBLE 3800 servo-hydraulic thermal-mechanical simulator. The tests were run under uniaxial tension-compression loading with total strain control. The programmed waveform was triangular for all the fatigue tests with the frequency of 0.08 Hz. The cyclic loading was started from the compressed side. It was observed that besides rare acoustic emission events regular 10 msec Acoustic Barkhausen Noise (ABN) burst were recorded due to 50Hz AC current drive for heating and maintaining the constant temperature. The amplitude of MABN was higher under pressure than during relaxing and drawing-out by a factor of 2-5. We have carried out also thermo-mechanical fatigue experiment with the same strain-controlled mechanical cycle and simultaneous thermal cycle between 150 C and 270 C. The total number of cycles was terminated, when the force level necessary for the original elongation had been reduced to 75% of its original value. Visual examination showed always some at least surface cracks after stopping the fatigue test. ABN events registered during the beginning cycle exhibited different spectra from the middle and especially from the last cycles before the end of the test, where also double ABN bursts could be recorded. At the end of the test explicit AE events could be found by a new technique. The most interesting result is the possibility to use ABN for testing reactor materials, which could have practical application for fatigue testing.

  15. Experimental study on heavy-ion single event effect on nanometer DDR SRAM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo Yinhong; Zhang Fengqi; Guo Hongxia; Zhou Hui; Wang Yanping; Zhang Keying

    2013-01-01

    Single event effect experimental study on 90 nm and 65 nm DDR SRAM were carried out, single event upset (SEU) cross section was discussed as a function of several parameters such as feature size, test pattern, incidence angle, supply voltage. Key influence factors and effect rule were analyzed. Feasibility of the current test method was discussed. Results indicate that, SEU cross section reduces as technologies scale down; the influence of test pattern and power supply on SEU cross section is small; tilt angle increases SEU cross section due to multiple upset increasement. The applicability of cosine tilt test method is correlative to ion species and linear energy transfer (LET) values. (authors)

  16. Compendium of Single Event Effects, Total Ionizing Dose, and Displacement Damage for Candidate Spacecraft Electronics for NASA

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaBel, Kenneth A.; OBryan, Martha V.; Chen, Dakai; Campola, Michael J.; Casey, Megan C.; Pellish, Jonathan A.; Lauenstein, Jean-Marie; Wilcox, Edward P.; Topper, Alyson D.; Ladbury, Raymond L.; hide

    2014-01-01

    We present results and analysis investigating the effects of radiation on a variety of candidate spacecraft electronics to proton and heavy ion induced single event effects (SEE), proton-induced displacement damage (DD), and total ionizing dose (TID). Introduction: This paper is a summary of test results.NASA spacecraft are subjected to a harsh space environment that includes exposure to various types of ionizing radiation. The performance of electronic devices in a space radiation environment is often limited by its susceptibility to single event effects (SEE), total ionizing dose (TID), and displacement damage (DD). Ground-based testing is used to evaluate candidate spacecraft electronics to determine risk to spaceflight applications. Interpreting the results of radiation testing of complex devices is quite difficult. Given the rapidly changing nature of technology, radiation test data are most often application-specific and adequate understanding of the test conditions is critical. Studies discussed herein were undertaken to establish the application-specific sensitivities of candidate spacecraft and emerging electronic devices to single-event upset (SEU), single-event latchup (SEL), single-event gate rupture (SEGR), single-event burnout (SEB), single-event transient (SET), TID, enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS), and DD effects.

  17. Energetic event in fuel-coolant interaction test FARO L-33

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magallon, D.; Huhtiniemi, I.

    2001-01-01

    The paper presents the results of the energetic event triggered in FARO test L-33, which was the last test of the FARO series dedicated to large-scale experimental investigation of FCI in light water reactors. In FARD L-33, 100 kg of UO 2 -ZrO 2 corium at 3000 K were released via a 50 mm orifice to a pool of sub-cooled water 1.6 m in height and 0.71 m in diameter at 0.4 MPa system pressure. A self-sustained propagating event triggered by an explosive charge occurred when the melt leading edge reached the pool bottom and about 22 kg of melt had entered the water. The maximum pressure measured at the inner vessel wall located at a radial distance of 350 mm form the centre of the test section was 10 MPa. The maximum impulse was 20 kPa.s and the mechanical energy release about 110 kJ (i.e., two orders of magnitude higher than the trigger energy), giving a maximum efficiency of the order of 0.2 %. The energetic event caused the inner test vessel to deform plastically and lift inside the housing pressure vessel FAT, which moved 2.5 mm upward and downward but was not damaged. After the event, the rest of the melt discharged undisturbed into the water and quenched as in the previous FARO tests. (authors)

  18. Development of Guidelines for Use of Proton Single-Event Test Data to Bound Single-Event Effect Susceptibility Due to Light Ions

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Conventional methods for Single-Event Effects (SEE) Hardness Assurance have proven difficult to adapt to Explorer, Cubesat and other risk tolerant platforms with...

  19. Energetic event in fuel-coolant interaction test FARO L-33

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magallon, D.; Huhtiniemi, I. [European Commission, Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety, Ispra, VA (Italy)

    2001-07-01

    The paper presents the results of the energetic event triggered in FARO test L-33, which was the last test of the FARO series dedicated to large-scale experimental investigation of FCI in light water reactors. In FARD L-33, 100 kg of UO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} corium at 3000 K were released via a 50 mm orifice to a pool of sub-cooled water 1.6 m in height and 0.71 m in diameter at 0.4 MPa system pressure. A self-sustained propagating event triggered by an explosive charge occurred when the melt leading edge reached the pool bottom and about 22 kg of melt had entered the water. The maximum pressure measured at the inner vessel wall located at a radial distance of 350 mm form the centre of the test section was 10 MPa. The maximum impulse was 20 kPa.s and the mechanical energy release about 110 kJ (i.e., two orders of magnitude higher than the trigger energy), giving a maximum efficiency of the order of 0.2 %. The energetic event caused the inner test vessel to deform plastically and lift inside the housing pressure vessel FAT, which moved 2.5 mm upward and downward but was not damaged. After the event, the rest of the melt discharged undisturbed into the water and quenched as in the previous FARO tests. (authors)

  20. The effect of testing versus restudy on retention: a meta-analytic review of the testing effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowland, Christopher A

    2014-11-01

    Engaging in a test over previously studied information can serve as a potent learning event, a phenomenon referred to as the testing effect. Despite a surge of research in the past decade, existing theories have not yet provided a cohesive account of testing phenomena. The present study uses meta-analysis to examine the effects of testing versus restudy on retention. Key results indicate support for the role of effortful processing as a contributor to the testing effect, with initial recall tests yielding larger testing benefits than recognition tests. Limited support was found for existing theoretical accounts attributing the testing effect to enhanced semantic elaboration, indicating that consideration of alternative mechanisms is warranted in explaining testing effects. Future theoretical accounts of the testing effect may benefit from consideration of episodic and contextually derived contributions to retention resulting from memory retrieval. Additionally, the bifurcation model of the testing effect is considered as a viable framework from which to characterize the patterns of results present across the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

  1. Explaining the effect of event valence on unrealistic optimism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gold, Ron S; Brown, Mark G

    2009-05-01

    People typically exhibit 'unrealistic optimism' (UO): they believe they have a lower chance of experiencing negative events and a higher chance of experiencing positive events than does the average person. UO has been found to be greater for negative than positive events. This 'valence effect' has been explained in terms of motivational processes. An alternative explanation is provided by the 'numerosity model', which views the valence effect simply as a by-product of a tendency for likelihood estimates pertaining to the average member of a group to increase with the size of the group. Predictions made by the numerosity model were tested in two studies. In each, UO for a single event was assessed. In Study 1 (n = 115 students), valence was manipulated by framing the event either negatively or positively, and participants estimated their own likelihood and that of the average student at their university. In Study 2 (n = 139 students), valence was again manipulated and participants again estimated their own likelihood; additionally, group size was manipulated by having participants estimate the likelihood of the average student in a small, medium-sized, or large group. In each study, the valence effect was found, but was due to an effect on estimates of own likelihood, not the average person's likelihood. In Study 2, valence did not interact with group size. The findings contradict the numerosity model, but are in accord with the motivational explanation. Implications for health education are discussed.

  2. Life Stress and Adjustment: Effects of Life Events Experienced by Young Adolescents and Their Parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Lawrence H.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Used a longitudinal design to test the effects of life events experienced by young adolescents and their parents. Criteria were the adolescents' depression, anxiety and self-esteem. Analysis showed a significant effect for the adolescents' controllable, but not uncontrollable, negative events. (Author/RWB)

  3. Events and Effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rytter, Mikkel

    2010-01-01

    Analyzing the period of ‘intensive transnationalism’ among Pakistani migrants in Denmark precipitated by the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, this article explores the relationship between events and effects on a global scale. One significant initiative after the disaster was the founding of an ad hoc......, and national identity politics in Denmark. Despite the medical doctors’ efforts and intentions, the out- come was framed by 9/11, which has become the major critical event of the decade—one that has supported a developing cleavage between the Danish majority and Denmark’s Muslim immigrant minority....

  4. Single event effects in pulse width modulation controllers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Penzin, S.H.; Crain, W.R.; Crawford, K.B.; Hansel, S.J.; Kirshman, J.F.; Koga, R.

    1996-01-01

    SEE testing was performed on pulse width modulation (PWM) controllers which are commonly used in switching mode power supply systems. The devices are designed using both Set-Reset (SR) flip-flops and Toggle (T) flip-flops which are vulnerable to single event upset (SEU) in a radiation environment. Depending on the implementation of the different devices the effect can be significant in spaceflight hardware

  5. Test-retest reliability of infant event related potentials evoked by faces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munsters, N M; van Ravenswaaij, H; van den Boomen, C; Kemner, C

    2017-04-05

    Reliable measures are required to draw meaningful conclusions regarding developmental changes in longitudinal studies. Little is known, however, about the test-retest reliability of face-sensitive event related potentials (ERPs), a frequently used neural measure in infants. The aim of the current study is to investigate the test-retest reliability of ERPs typically evoked by faces in 9-10 month-old infants. The infants (N=31) were presented with neutral, fearful and happy faces that contained only the lower or higher spatial frequency information. They were tested twice within two weeks. The present results show that the test-retest reliability of the face-sensitive ERP components is moderate (P400 and Nc) to substantial (N290). However, there is low test-retest reliability for the effects of the specific experimental manipulations (i.e. emotion and spatial frequency) on the face-sensitive ERPs. To conclude, in infants the face-sensitive ERP components (i.e. N290, P400 and Nc) show adequate test-retest reliability, but not the effects of emotion and spatial frequency on these ERP components. We propose that further research focuses on investigating elements that might increase the test-retest reliability, as adequate test-retest reliability is necessary to draw meaningful conclusions on individual developmental trajectories of the face-sensitive ERPs in infants. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. Current Single Event Effects Results for Candidate Spacecraft Electronics for NASA

    Science.gov (United States)

    OBryan, Martha V.; Seidleck, Christina M.; Carts, Martin A.; LaBel, Kenneth A.; Marshall, Cheryl J.; Reed, Robert A.; Sanders, Anthony B.; Hawkins, Donald K.; Cox, Stephen R.; Kniffin, Scott D.

    2004-01-01

    We present data on the vulnerability of a variety of candidate spacecraft electronics to proton and heavy ion induced single event effects. Devices tested include digital, analog, linear bipolar, and hybrid devices, among others.

  7. Testing Event Discrimination over Broad Regions using the Historical Borovoye Observatory Explosion Dataset

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasyanos, Michael E.; Ford, Sean R.; Walter, William R.

    2014-03-01

    We test the performance of high-frequency regional P/S discriminants to differentiate between earthquakes and explosions at test sites and over broad regions using a historical dataset of explosions recorded at the Borovoye Observatory in Kazakhstan. We compare these explosions to modern recordings of earthquakes at the same location. We then evaluate the separation of the two types of events using the raw measurements and those where the amplitudes are corrected for 1-D and 2-D attenuation structure. We find that high-frequency P/S amplitudes can reliably identify earthquakes and explosions, and that the discriminant is applicable over broad regions as long as propagation effects are properly accounted for. Lateral attenuation corrections provide the largest improvement in the 2-4 Hz band, the use of which may successfully enable the identification of smaller, distant events that have lower signal-to-noise at higher frequencies. We also find variations in P/S ratios among the three main nuclear testing locations within the Semipalatinsk Test Site which, due to their nearly identical paths to BRVK, must be a function of differing geology and emplacement conditions.

  8. Sensitivity Tests for the Unprotected Events of the Prototype Gen-IV SFR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Chiwoong; Lee, Kwilim; Jeong, Jaeho; Yu, Jin; An, Sangjun; Lee, Seung Won; Chang, Wonpyo; Ha, Kwiseok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-10-15

    Unprotected Transient Over Power, (UTOP), Unprotected Loss Of Flow (ULOF), and Unprotected Loss Of Heat Sink (ULOHS) are selected as ATWS events. Among these accidents, the ULOF event shows the lowest clad temperature. However, the ULOHS event showed the highest peak clad temperature, due to the positive CRDL/RV expansion reactivity feedback and insufficient DHRS capacity. In this study, the sensitivity tests are conducted. In the case of the UTOP event, a sensitivity test for the reactivity insertion amount and rate were conducted. This analysis can give a requirement for margin of control rod stop system (CRSS). Currently, the reactivity feedback model for the PGSFR is not validated yet. However, the reactivity feedback models in the MARS-LMR are validating with various plant-based data including EBR-II SHRT. The ATWS events for the PGSFR classified in the design extended condition including UTOP, ULOF, and ULOHS are analyzed with MARS-LMR. In this study, the sensitivity tests for reactivity insertion amount and rate in the UTOP event are conducted. The reactivity insertion amount is obviously an influential parameter. The reactivity insertion amount can give a requirement for design of the CRSS, therefore, this sensitivity result is very important to the CRSS. In addition, sensitivity tests for the weighting factor in the radial expansion reactivity model are carried out. The weighting factor for a grid plate, W{sub GP}, which means contribution of feedback in the grid plate is changed for all unprotected events. The grid plate expansion is governed by a core inlet temperature. As the W{sub GP} is increased, the power in the UTOP and the ULOF is increased, however, the power in the ULOHS is decreased. The higher power during transient means lower reactivity feedback and smaller expansion. Thus, the core outlet temperature rise is dominant in the UTOP and ULOF events, however, the core inlet temperature rise is dominant in the ULOHS. Therefore, the grid plate

  9. Self-esteem, narcissism, and stressful life events: Testing for selection and socialization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orth, Ulrich; Luciano, Eva C

    2015-10-01

    We examined whether self-esteem and narcissism predict the occurrence of stressful life events (i.e., selection) and whether stressful life events predict change in self-esteem and narcissism (i.e., socialization). The analyses were based on longitudinal data from 2 studies, including samples of 328 young adults (Study 1) and 371 adults (Study 2). The effects of self-esteem and narcissism were mutually controlled for each other and, moreover, controlled for effects of depression. After conducting the study-level analyses, we meta-analytically aggregated the findings. Self-esteem had a selection effect, suggesting that low self-esteem led to the occurrence of stressful life events; however, this effect became nonsignificant when depression was controlled for. Regardless of whether depression was controlled for or not, narcissism had a selection effect, suggesting that high narcissism led to the occurrence of stressful life events. Moreover, stressful life events had a socialization effect on self-esteem, but not on narcissism, suggesting that the occurrence of stressful life events decreased self-esteem. Analyses of trait-state models indicated that narcissism consisted almost exclusively of perfectly stable trait variance, providing a possible explanation for the absence of socialization effects on narcissism. The findings have significant implications because they suggest that a person's level of narcissism influences whether stressful life events occur, and that self-esteem is shaped by the occurrence of stressful life events. Moreover, we discuss the possibility that depression mediates the selection effect of low self-esteem on stressful life events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  10. Single Event Effects (SEE) Testing: Practical Approach to Test Plans

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaBel, Kenneth A.; Pellish, Jonathan Allen; Berg, Melanie D.

    2014-01-01

    While standards and guidelines for performing SEE testing have existed for several decades, guidance for developing SEE test plans has not been as easy to find. In this presentation, the variety of areas that need to be considered ranging from resource issues (funds, personnel, schedule) to extremely technical challenges (particle interaction and circuit application), shall be discussed. Note: we consider the approach outlined here as a "living" document: Mission-specific constraints and new technology related issues always need to be taken into account.

  11. A brief history of people and events related to atomic weapons testing in the Marshall Islands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, S L

    1997-07-01

    The events related to nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands began at the end of WWII when the U.S. began an initiative to determine the effect of nuclear weapons on naval vessels and on the performance of military personnel. The first tests took place in 1946 even though the area known as Micronesia was not entrusted to the U.S. by the United Nations until 1947. Beginning with the first relocation of the Bikini people to Rongerik Atoll in 1946, the saga of the Marshall Islands involvement in the atomic age began. Although the testing program was limited to the years 1946 through 1958, many of the consequences and events related to the testing program continued over the decades since. That story is still ongoing with programs currently underway to attempt to resettle previously displaced communities, remediate contaminated islands, and to settle claims of damages to individuals and communities. The history of the years subsequent to 1958 are a mixed chronicle of a few original scientific investigations aimed at understanding the coral atoll environment, continued surveillance of the acutely exposed Marshallese, some efforts at cleanup and remediation, numerous monitoring programs and many studies repeated either for credibility purposes, to satisfy international demands or because the changing state of knowledge of radiation protection has necessitated us to rethink earlier beliefs and conclusions about late health effects and social consequences. The objective of this paper is to briefly note many of the historical and political events, scientific studies, persons and publications from 1946 to the present that relate to atomic weapons testing in the Marshall Islands.

  12. Effect of Daily Contact Lens Cleaning on Ocular Adverse Events during Extended Wear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozkan, Jerome; Rathi, Varsha M; de la Jara, Percy Lazon; Naduvilath, Thomas; Holden, Brien A; Willcox, Mark D P

    2015-02-01

    The purpose of the study was to assess what effect daily cleaning of contact lenses with a multipurpose disinfection solution (MPDS), during 30 nights extended wear, would have on contact lens-related adverse events. This was a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled, parallel-group, 3-month clinical study in which 193 participants were dispensed with lotrafilcon A silicone hydrogel lenses for a 30-day extended-wear schedule and with lenses replaced monthly. Participants were randomized to a control or test group. Test subjects were required to remove lenses daily after waking, clean them with the MPDS, and reinsert the lenses. Control subjects wore lenses without removal for 30 days extended wear. Handling-related lens contamination was assessed at the baseline visit. There was no significant difference between the test and control groups for the incidence of significant corneal infiltrative events (1.3 vs. 4.9%, p = 0.368), total corneal infiltrative events (2.6 vs. 4.9%, p = 0.682), or mechanical events (1.3 vs. 2.5%, p = 1.00). The test group had greater corneal staining (p lenses) resulted in isolation of Gram-positive bacteria from 92.5% of test lenses compared with 87.5% of control lenses (p = 0.712). Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from 5% of test subjects compared with 2.5% of control subjects (p = 1.00). Fungus was isolated from 2.5% of subjects in both the test and control groups (p = 1.00). The intervention of daily morning cleaning of the lens surface with an MPDS during extended wear did not significantly influence the incidence of adverse events.

  13. Physical Stress Echocardiography: Prediction of Mortality and Cardiac Events in Patients with Exercise Test showing Ischemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Carla Pereira de Araujo

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Studies have demonstrated the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of physical stress echocardiography in coronary artery disease. However, the prediction of mortality and major cardiac events in patients with exercise test positive for myocardial ischemia is limited. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of physical stress echocardiography in the prediction of mortality and major cardiac events in patients with exercise test positive for myocardial ischemia. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort in which 866 consecutive patients with exercise test positive for myocardial ischemia, and who underwent physical stress echocardiography were studied. Patients were divided into two groups: with physical stress echocardiography negative (G1 or positive (G2 for myocardial ischemia. The endpoints analyzed were all-cause mortality and major cardiac events, defined as cardiac death and non-fatal acute myocardial infarction. Results: G2 comprised 205 patients (23.7%. During the mean 85.6 ± 15.0-month follow-up, there were 26 deaths, of which six were cardiac deaths, and 25 non-fatal myocardial infarction cases. The independent predictors of mortality were: age, diabetes mellitus, and positive physical stress echocardiography (hazard ratio: 2.69; 95% confidence interval: 1.20 - 6.01; p = 0.016. The independent predictors of major cardiac events were: age, previous coronary artery disease, positive physical stress echocardiography (hazard ratio: 2.75; 95% confidence interval: 1.15 - 6.53; p = 0.022 and absence of a 10% increase in ejection fraction. All-cause mortality and the incidence of major cardiac events were significantly higher in G2 (p < 0. 001 and p = 0.001, respectively. Conclusion: Physical stress echocardiography provides additional prognostic information in patients with exercise test positive for myocardial ischemia.

  14. Prolonged cardiac effects of momentary assessed stressful events and worry episodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieper, Suzanne; Brosschot, Jos F; van der Leeden, Rien; Thayer, Julian F

    2010-07-01

    To test the hypothesize that increased heart rate (HR) and decreased heart rate variability (HRV) are not only due to concurrent stressful events and worries but also to stressors and worries occurring in the preceding hours or stressors anticipated to occur in the next hour. Worry was expected to mediate at least part of the prolonged effects of stressors. Ambulatory HR and HRV of 73 teachers were recorded for 4 days, during which the participants reported occurrence and duration of worry episodes and stressful events on an hourly basis, using computerized diaries. Multilevel regression models were used, accounting for effects of several biobehavioral variables. Stressful events were not associated with changes in HR or HRV. However, worry episodes had effects on concurrent HR and HRV (2.55 beats/minute; -5.76 milliseconds) and HR and HRV in the succeeding hour (3.05 beats/minute; -5.80 milliseconds) and 2 hours later (1.52 beats/minute; -3.14 milliseconds). These findings were independent of emotions, physical activity, posture, and other biobehavioral factors. Worry has effects on cardiac activity, and these effects were still visible after 2 hours. The latter finding suggests that a considerable part of prolonged activation may be induced by unconscious stress-related cognition.

  15. Separate effects tests on hydrogen combustion during direct containment heating events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, L.; Albrecht, G.; Kirstahler, M.; Schwall, M.; Wachter, E.

    2008-01-01

    In the frame of severe accident research for light water reactors Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK/IKET) operates the facilities DISCO-C and DISCO-H since 1998, conceived to investigate the direct containment heating (DCH) issue. Previous DCH experiments have investigated the corium dispersion and containment pressurization during DCH in different European reactor geometries using an iron-alumina melt and steam as model fluids. The analysis of these experiments showed that the containment was pressurized by the debris-to-gas heat transfer but also to a large part by hydrogen combustion. The need was identified to better characterize the hydrogen combustion during DCH. To address this issue separate effect tests in the DISCO-H facility were conducted. These tests reproduced phenomena occurring during DCH (injection of a hot steam-hydrogen mixture jet into the containment and ignition of the air-steam-hydrogen mixture) with the exception of corium dispersion. The effect of corium particles as igniters was simulated using sparkler systems. The data will be used to validate models in combustion codes and to extrapolate to prototypic scale. Tests have been conducted in the DISCO-H facility in two steps. First a small series of six tests was done in a simplified geometry to study fundamental parameters. Then, two tests were done with a containment geometry subdivided into a subcompartment and the containment dome. The test conditions were as follows: As initial condition in the containment an atmosphere was used either with air or with a homogeneous air-steam mixture containing hydrogen concentrations between 0 and 7 mol%, temperatures around 100 C and pressure at 2 bar (representative of the containment atmosphere conditions at vessel failure). Injection of a hot steam-hydrogen jet mixture into the reactor cavity pit at 20 bar, representative of the primary circuit blow down through the vessel and hydrogen produced during this phase. The most important variables

  16. Safety Assessment for transient event occurred during the ASTS test of Hanbit Unit 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Changkeun; Kim, Yohan; Ha, Sangjun

    2014-01-01

    Safety Injection has been actuated during the ASTS (Automatic Seismic Trip System) test of Hanbit Unit 2 on Feb. 28, 2014. It could be bad effect on system integrity. KHNP has been performed safety assessment of system for effect of Safety Injection (SI) actuation occurred during the ASTS test of hanbit Unit 2. Stable state of nuclear power plant system has been confirmed according to Safety Injection and reactor trip event occurred during the ASTS test of hanbit Unit 2. In the result of system safety assessment, major variables of nuclear power plant are located in optimal range and not exceed safety limit. It remains nuclear fuel and the integrity of the power plant is in a safe condition were conformed. After ASTS action, thermal elimination has been processed throughout the turbine until turbine signal occurrence because ASTS is connected to M-G set in the present hanbit Unit 2. Therefore, Safety Injection signal has been actuated by rapid reduction of Steam Generator pressure. In this paper, it is concluded that consideration of equipment and setpoint is needed for that Safety Injection has been not occurred under the unnecessary situation. Stable state of nuclear power plant system has been confirmed for Safety Injection and reactor trip event occurred during the ASTS test of hanbit Unit 2. In the result of system safety assessment, major variables of nuclear power plant are located in optimal range and not exceed safety limit. It remains nuclear fuel and the integrity of the plant is in a safe condition were conformed. It is concluded that consideration of equipment and setpoint is needed for that Safety Injection has been not occurred under the unnecessary situation

  17. The effect of event repetition on the production of story grammar in children's event narratives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feltis, Brooke B; Powell, Martine B; Roberts, Kim P

    2011-03-01

    This study examined the effect of event repetition on the amount and nature of story-grammar produced by children when recalling the event. Children aged 4 years (N=50) and 7 years (N=56) participated in either 1 or 6 occurrences of a highly similar event where details varied across the occurrences. Half the children in each age and event group recalled the last/single occurrence 5-6 days later and the other half recalled the last/single occurrence after 5-6 weeks (the final and single occurrence was the same). Children's free recall responses were classified according to the number and proportion of story-grammar elements (Stein & Glenn, 1979-setting, initiating event, internal response, plan, attempt, direct consequence, and resolution) as well as the prevalence of causal links between the individual story-grammar elements. More story-grammar detail and more links between individual story-grammar elements were reported about the final compared to single occurrence. The amount of story-grammar increased with age and decreased over time. Further, an interaction was revealed such that the effect of retention interval on the production of story-grammar was negligible for older children who experienced the repeated event. Event repetition has a beneficial effect on the production of children's story-grammar content in situations where event details varied from occasion to occasion. This study highlights the importance of eliciting free recall when conducting evidential interviews with child witnesses about repeated events. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Discussions On Worst-Case Test Condition For Single Event Burnout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Sandra; Zafrani, Max; Sherman, Phillip

    2011-10-01

    This paper discusses the failure characteristics of single- event burnout (SEB) on power MOSFETs based on analyzing the quasi-stationary avalanche simulation curves. The analyses show the worst-case test condition for SEB would be using the ion that has the highest mass that would result in the highest transient current due to charge deposition and displacement damage. The analyses also show it is possible to build power MOSFETs that will not exhibit SEB even when tested with the heaviest ion, which have been verified by heavy ion test data on SEB sensitive and SEB immune devices.

  19. Automated Testing Techniques for Event-Driven and Dynamically Typed Software Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adamsen, Christoffer Quist

    techniques to address each of the challenges. We present a new methodology that extends the error detection capabilities of existing, manually written Android test suites. In the context of JavaScript web applications, we present practical race detectors for detecting AJAX and initialization races......, and a technique that can prevent event race errors by restricting the nondeterminism. Finally, we present a notion of test completeness for dynamic languages, along with a hybrid static/dynamic analysis framework that approximates test completeness, and demonstrate the usefulness of test completeness facts...

  20. The manufacture of system for testing static random access memory radiation effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Rui; Yang Chen

    2008-01-01

    Space radiation effects will lead to single event upset, event latch up and other phenomena in SRAM devices. This paper introduces the hardware, software composition and related testing technology of SRAM radiation effect testing device. Through to the SRAM chip current detection and power protection, it has solved the SRAM chip damage question in the SRAM experiment. It has accessed to the expected experimental data by using the device in different source of radiation conducted on SRAM Experimental study of radiation effects. It provides important references in the assessment of operational life and reinforcement of the memory carried in the satellites. (authors)

  1. Memory for emotional events: The role of time of testing and type of test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscila Goergen Brust

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The impact of emotion on memory performance is widely debated in the scientific literature. In the present paper, the relation between emotion and memory was addressed in three experiments using the Slideshow Procedure. In the first experiment, 128 participants’ memory was tested for one of two versions of the Procedure (arousal or neutral through free recall. In the second experiment, 75 participants were asked to recall the information of the arousal version immediately after or one week after watching it. In the third experiment, 75 participants watched the arousal version and answered either a free recall or a recognition test one week after. The results suggested that memory for arousal events is better when tested immediately after the stimuli using free recall.

  2. An evaluation testing technique of single event effect using Beam Blanking SEM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aoki, J; Hada, T; Pesce, A; Akutsu, T; Matsuda, S [National Space Development Agency of Japan, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan). Tsukuba Space Center; Igarashi, T; Baba, S

    1997-03-01

    Beam Blanking SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) testing technique has been applied to CMOS SRAM devices to evaluate the occurence of soft errors on memory cells. Cross-section versus beam current and LET curves derived from BBSEM and heavy ion testing technique, respectively, have been compared. A linear relation between BBSEM current and heavy ion LET has been found. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that the application of focused pulsed electron beam could be a reliable, convenient and inexpensive tool to investigate the effects of heavy ions and high energy particles on memory devices for space application. (author)

  3. A dual memory theory of the testing effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rickard, Timothy C; Pan, Steven C

    2017-06-05

    A new theoretical framework for the testing effect-the finding that retrieval practice is usually more effective for learning than are other strategies-is proposed, the empirically supported tenet of which is that separate memories form as a consequence of study and test events. A simplest case quantitative model is derived from that framework for the case of cued recall. With no free parameters, that model predicts both proportion correct in the test condition and the magnitude of the testing effect across 10 experiments conducted in our laboratory, experiments that varied with respect to material type, retention interval, and performance in the restudy condition. The model also provides the first quantitative accounts of (a) the testing effect as a function of performance in the restudy condition, (b) the upper bound magnitude of the testing effect, (c) the effect of correct answer feedback, (d) the testing effect as a function of retention interval for the cases of feedback and no feedback, and (e) the effect of prior learning method on subsequent learning through testing. Candidate accounts of several other core phenomena in the literature, including test-potentiated learning, recognition versus cued recall training effects, cued versus free recall final test effects, and other select transfer effects, are also proposed. Future prospects and relations to other theories are discussed.

  4. Moment tensor and location of seismic events in the 2017 DPRK test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, S.; Shi, Q.; Chen, Q. F.; Wang, T.

    2017-12-01

    The main seismic event in the 2017 DPRK test was followed by a secondary event about eight minutes later. We conducted waveform analysis on the regional broadband waveform data to better constrain the moment tensor and location of these two events, to further understand their relations. In the first place, we applied the generalized Cut-And-Paste (gCAP) method to the regional data to invert the full moment tensor solutions of the two events. Our long period (0.02-0.08 Hz for Pnl, 0.02-0.055 Hz for surface waves) inversions show that the main event was composed of large positive ISO component ( 90% of the total moment) and has a moment magnitude of 5.4. In contrast, the second event shows large negative ISO component ( 50% of the total moment) with a moment magnitude of 4.5. Although there are trade-offs between the CLVD and the ISO component for the second event, chiefly caused by the coda waves from the first event, the result is more robust if we force a small CVLD component in the inversion. We also relocated the epicenter of the second event using P-wave first arrival picks, relative to the location of the first event, which has been accurately determined from the high-resolution geodetic data. The calibration from the first event allows us to precisely locate the second event, which shows an almost identical location to the first event. After a polarity correction, their high-frequency ( 0.25 - 0.9 Hz) regional surface waves also display high similarity, supporting the similar location but opposite ISO polarity of the two events. Our results suggest that the second event was likely to be caused by the collapsing after the main event, in agreement with the surface displacement derived from geodetic observation and modeling results.

  5. Event segmentation improves event memory up to one month later.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Shaney; Bailey, Heather R; Eisenberg, Michelle L; Zacks, Jeffrey M

    2017-08-01

    When people observe everyday activity, they spontaneously parse it into discrete meaningful events. Individuals who segment activity in a more normative fashion show better subsequent memory for the events. If segmenting events effectively leads to better memory, does asking people to attend to segmentation improve subsequent memory? To answer this question, participants viewed movies of naturalistic activity with instructions to remember the activity for a later test, and in some conditions additionally pressed a button to segment the movies into meaningful events or performed a control condition that required button-pressing but not attending to segmentation. In 5 experiments, memory for the movies was assessed at intervals ranging from immediately following viewing to 1 month later. Performing the event segmentation task led to superior memory at delays ranging from 10 min to 1 month. Further, individual differences in segmentation ability predicted individual differences in memory performance for up to a month following encoding. This study provides the first evidence that manipulating event segmentation affects memory over long delays and that individual differences in event segmentation are related to differences in memory over long delays. These effects suggest that attending to how an activity breaks down into meaningful events contributes to memory formation. Instructing people to more effectively segment events may serve as a potential intervention to alleviate everyday memory complaints in aging and clinical populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  6. Radiochemical data collected on events from which radioactivity escaped beyond the borders of the Nevada test range complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hicks, H.G.

    1981-01-01

    This report identifies all nuclear events in Nevada that are known to have sent radioactivity beyond the borders of the test range complex. There have been 177 such tests, representing seven different types: nuclear detonations in the atmosphere, nuclear excavation events, nuclear safety events, underground nuclear events that inadvertently seeped or vented to the atmosphere, dispersion of plutonium and/or uranium by chemical high explosives, nuclear rocket engine tests, and nuclear ramjet engine tests. The source term for each of these events is given, together with the data base from which it was derived (except where the data are classified). The computer programs used for organizing and processing the data base and calculating radionuclide production are described and included, together with the input and output data and details of the calculations. This is the basic formation needed to make computer modeling studies of the fallout from any of these 177 events

  7. Aging memory for pictures: Using high-density event-related potentials to understand the effect of aging on the picture superiority effect

    OpenAIRE

    Ally, Brandon A.; Waring, Jill D.; Beth, Ellen H.; McKeever, Joshua D.; Milberg, William P.; Budson, Andrew E.

    2007-01-01

    High-density event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to understand the effect of aging on the neural correlates of the picture superiority effect. Pictures and words were systematically varied at study and test while ERPs were recorded at retrieval. Here, the results of the word-word and picture-picture study-test conditions are presented. Behavioral results showed that older adults demonstrated the picture superiority effect to a greater extent than younger adults. The ERP data helped to e...

  8. Prestimulus subsequent memory effects for auditory and visual events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otten, Leun J; Quayle, Angela H; Puvaneswaran, Bhamini

    2010-06-01

    It has been assumed that the effective encoding of information into memory primarily depends on neural activity elicited when an event is initially encountered. Recently, it has been shown that memory formation also relies on neural activity just before an event. The precise role of such activity in memory is currently unknown. Here, we address whether prestimulus activity affects the encoding of auditory and visual events, is set up on a trial-by-trial basis, and varies as a function of the type of recognition judgment an item later receives. Electrical brain activity was recorded from the scalps of 24 healthy young adults while they made semantic judgments on randomly intermixed series of visual and auditory words. Each word was preceded by a cue signaling the modality of the upcoming word. Auditory words were preceded by auditory cues and visual words by visual cues. A recognition memory test with remember/know judgments followed after a delay of about 45 min. As observed previously, a negative-going, frontally distributed modulation just before visual word onset predicted later recollection of the word. Crucially, the same effect was found for auditory words and observed on stay as well as switch trials. These findings emphasize the flexibility and general role of prestimulus activity in memory formation, and support a functional interpretation of the activity in terms of semantic preparation. At least with an unpredictable trial sequence, the activity is set up anew on each trial.

  9. Optimizing Multiple-Choice Tests as Learning Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Little, Jeri Lynn

    2011-01-01

    Although generally used for assessment, tests can also serve as tools for learning--but different test formats may not be equally beneficial. Specifically, research has shown multiple-choice tests to be less effective than cued-recall tests in improving the later retention of the tested information (e.g., see meta-analysis by Hamaker, 1986),…

  10. Hydrologic effects of natural disruptive events on nuclear repositories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davis, S.N.

    1979-01-01

    This report describes some possible hydrogeologic effects of disruptive events which may affect repositories for nuclear waste. The report concentrates on the effects of natural events which are judged to be most probable

  11. Single event effects and total ionizing dose effects of typical VDMOSFET devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lou Jianshe; Cai Nan; Liu Jiaxin; Wu Qinzhi; Wang Jia

    2012-01-01

    In this work, single event effects and total ionizing dose effects of typical VDMOSFET irradiated by 60 Co γ-rays and 252 Cf source were studied. The single event burnout and single event gate rupture (SEB/SEGR) effects were investigated, and the relationship between drain-source breakdown voltage and ionizing dose was obtained. The results showed that the VDMOSFET devices were sensitive to SEB and SEGR, and measures to improve their resistance to SEB and SEGR should be considered seriously for their space applications. The drain-source breakdown voltage was sensitive to total ionizing dose effects as the threshold voltage. In assessing the devices' resistance to the total ionizing dose effects, both the threshold voltage and the drain-source breakdown voltage should be taken into account. (authors)

  12. Prevalence of Traumatic Events and Symptoms of PTSD Among South Africans Receiving an HIV Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kagee, Ashraf; Bantjes, Jason; Saal, Wylene

    2017-11-01

    We studied posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among a community sample of 500 persons seeking an HIV test. The majority of participants (62.2%) indicated that they had experienced at least one index event that qualified for PTSD, even though a small proportion (5%) actually met the diagnostic criteria for the disorder. Of those who reported an index event, 25 (8.04%) met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD while 286 (91.96%) did not. On average about one-third of participants who did not meet the criteria for PTSD endorsed PTSD symptoms whereas more than three quarters of those who met the full criteria did so. No demographic factors were associated with PTSD caseness, except number of traumatic events. These results are discussed in the context of the need to address traumatic events and PTSD among persons who undergo HIV testing.

  13. Event segmentation ability uniquely predicts event memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sargent, Jesse Q; Zacks, Jeffrey M; Hambrick, David Z; Zacks, Rose T; Kurby, Christopher A; Bailey, Heather R; Eisenberg, Michelle L; Beck, Taylor M

    2013-11-01

    Memory for everyday events plays a central role in tasks of daily living, autobiographical memory, and planning. Event memory depends in part on segmenting ongoing activity into meaningful units. This study examined the relationship between event segmentation and memory in a lifespan sample to answer the following question: Is the ability to segment activity into meaningful events a unique predictor of subsequent memory, or is the relationship between event perception and memory accounted for by general cognitive abilities? Two hundred and eight adults ranging from 20 to 79years old segmented movies of everyday events and attempted to remember the events afterwards. They also completed psychometric ability tests and tests measuring script knowledge for everyday events. Event segmentation and script knowledge both explained unique variance in event memory above and beyond the psychometric measures, and did so as strongly in older as in younger adults. These results suggest that event segmentation is a basic cognitive mechanism, important for memory across the lifespan. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Future challenges in single event effects for advanced CMOS technologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Hongxia; Wang Wei; Luo Yinhong; Zhao Wen; Guo Xiaoqiang; Zhang Keying

    2010-01-01

    SEE have became a substantial Achilles heel for the reliability of space-based advanced CMOS technologies with features size downscaling. Future space and defense systems require identification and understanding of single event effects to develop hardening approaches for advanced technologies, including changes in device geometry and materials affect energy deposition, charge collection,circuit upset, parametric degradation devices. Topics covered include the impact of technology scaling on radiation response, including single event transients in high speed digital circuits, evidence for single event effects caused by proton direct ionization, and the impact for SEU induced by particle energy effects and indirect ionization. The single event effects in CMOS replacement technologies are introduced briefly. (authors)

  15. High-energy heavy ion testing of VLSI devices for single event ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    per describes the high-energy heavy ion radiation testing of VLSI devices for single event upset (SEU) ... The experimental set up employed to produce low flux of heavy ions viz. silicon ... through which they pass, leaving behind a wake of elec- ... for use in Bus Management Unit (BMU) and bulk CMOS ... was scheduled.

  16. Effects of plasma disruption events on ITER first wall materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardella, A.; Gorenflo, H.; Lodato, A.; Ioki, K.; Raffray, R.

    2000-01-01

    In ITER, plasma disruption events may occur producing large fast thermal transients on plasma facing materials. Particularly important for the integrity of the first wall (FW) are relatively 'long' duration off-normal events such as plasma vertical displacement events (VDE) and runaway electrons (RE). An analytical methodology has been developed to specifically assess the effect of these events on FW plasma facing materials. For the typical energy densities and event duration expected for the primary and baffle FW, some melting and evaporation of the FW armor will occur without the beneficial effect of vapor shielding, and the metallic heat sink may also be damaged due to over-heating. The method is able to calculate the amount of melted and evaporated material, taking into account the evolution of the evaporated and melted layer and to evaluate possible effects of local temporary loss of cooling. The method has been used to analyze the effects of VDE and RE events for ITER, to study recent disruption simulation experiments and to benchmark experimental and analytical results

  17. SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENTS AND THE KIPLINGER EFFECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kahler, S. W.

    2012-01-01

    The Kiplinger effect is an observed association of solar energetic (E > 10 MeV) particle (SEP) events with a 'soft-hard-harder' (SHH) spectral evolution during the extended phases of the associated solar hard (E > 30 keV) X-ray (HXR) flares. Besides its possible use as a space weather predictor of SEP events, the Kiplinger effect has been interpreted as evidence of SEP production in the flare site itself, contradicting the widely accepted view that particles of large SEP events are predominately or entirely accelerated in shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We review earlier work to develop flare soft X-ray (SXR) and HXR spectra as SEP event forecast tools and then examine recent Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) evidence supporting the association of SHH HXR flares with large SEP events. We point out that ad hoc prediction criteria using the CME widths and SXR flare durations of associated RHESSI hard X-ray bursts (HXBs) can yield results comparable to those of the SHH prediction criteria. An examination of the RHESSI dynamic plots reveals several ambiguities in the determination of whether and when the SHH criteria are fulfilled, which must be quantified and applied consistently before an SHH-based predictive tool can be made. A comparative HXR spectral study beginning with the large population of relatively smaller SEP events has yet to be done, and we argue that those events will not be so well predicted by the SHH criteria. SHH HXR flares and CMEs are both components of large eruptive flare events, which accounts for the good connection of the SHH HXR flares with SEP events.

  18. Reduced Clostridium difficile Tests and Laboratory-Identified Events With a Computerized Clinical Decision Support Tool and Financial Incentive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madden, Gregory R; German Mesner, Ian; Cox, Heather L; Mathers, Amy J; Lyman, Jason A; Sifri, Costi D; Enfield, Kyle B

    2018-06-01

    We hypothesized that a computerized clinical decision support tool for Clostridium difficile testing would reduce unnecessary inpatient tests, resulting in fewer laboratory-identified events. Census-adjusted interrupted time-series analyses demonstrated significant reductions of 41% fewer tests and 31% fewer hospital-onset C. difficile infection laboratory-identified events following this intervention.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:737-740.

  19. Effects of nicotine on visuo-spatial selective attention as indexed by event-related potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meinke, A; Thiel, C M; Fink, G R

    2006-08-11

    Nicotine has been shown to specifically reduce reaction times to invalidly cued targets in spatial cueing paradigms. In two experiments, we used event-related potentials to test whether the facilitative effect of nicotine upon the detection of invalidly cued targets is due to a modulation of perceptual processing, as indexed by early attention-related event-related potential components. Furthermore, we assessed whether the effect of nicotine on such unattended stimuli depends upon the use of exogenous or endogenous cues. In both experiments, the electroencephalogram was recorded while non-smokers completed discrimination tasks in Posner-type paradigms after chewing a nicotine polacrilex gum (Nicorette 2 mg) in one session and a placebo gum in another session. Nicotine reduced reaction times to invalidly cued targets when cueing was endogenous. In contrast, no differential effect of nicotine on reaction times was observed when exogenous cues were used. Electrophysiologically, we found a similar attentional modulation of the P1 and N1 components under placebo and nicotine but a differential modulation of later event-related potential components at a frontocentral site. The lack of a drug-dependent modulation of P1 and N1 in the presence of a behavioral effect suggests that the effect of nicotine in endogenous visuo-spatial cueing tasks is not due to an alteration of perceptual processes. Rather, the differential modulation of frontocentral event-related potentials suggests that nicotine acts at later stages of target processing.

  20. Preliminary Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of the US DCLL Test Blanket Module

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee C. Cadwallader

    2010-06-01

    This report presents the results of a preliminary failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of a small tritium-breeding test blanket module design for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The FMEA was quantified with “generic” component failure rate data, and the failure events are binned into postulated initiating event families and frequency categories for safety assessment. An appendix to this report contains repair time data to support an occupational radiation exposure assessment for test blanket module maintenance.

  1. Preliminary Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of the US DCLL Test Blanket Module

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee C. Cadwallader

    2007-08-01

    This report presents the results of a preliminary failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of a small tritium-breeding test blanket module design for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The FMEA was quantified with “generic” component failure rate data, and the failure events are binned into postulated initiating event families and frequency categories for safety assessment. An appendix to this report contains repair time data to support an occupational radiation exposure assessment for test blanket module maintenance.

  2. Preliminary Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of the US DCLL Test Blanket Module

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee C. Cadwallader

    2007-01-01

    This report presents the results of a preliminary failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of a small tritium-breeding test blanket module design for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The FMEA was quantified with 'generic' component failure rate data, and the failure events are binned into postulated initiating event families and frequency categories for safety assessment. An appendix to this report contains repair time data to support an occupational radiation exposure assessment for test blanket module maintenance

  3. Single-Event Effects in Power MOSFETs During Heavy Ion Irradiations Performed After Gamma-Ray Degradation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Busatto, G.; De Luca, V.; Iannuzzo, F.; Sanseverino, A.; Velardi, F.

    2013-10-01

    The robustness of commercial power metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors to combined gamma-heavy ion irradiation has been investigated, evidence that the degradation of the gate oxide caused by the γ irradiation can severely corrupt the robustness to single-event effects and drastically modify the physical behavior of the device under test after the impact of a heavy ion. A decrease of the critical voltages at which destructive burnouts and gate ruptures for heavy ion impact appear, has been detected in the devices under test, which were previously irradiated with γ rays. In addition, the amount of critical voltage reduction is strictly related to the amount of the absorbed γ-ray dose. Furthermore, at the failure voltage, the behavior of the device is affected by the conduction of a current through the gate oxide. Moreover, the single-event gate rupture” of the device appears at lower voltages because of the reduction of the Fowler-Nordheim limit in the γ-irradiated devices.

  4. Automatic Single Event Effects Sensitivity Analysis of a 13-Bit Successive Approximation ADC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Márquez, F.; Muñoz, F.; Palomo, F. R.; Sanz, L.; López-Morillo, E.; Aguirre, M. A.; Jiménez, A.

    2015-08-01

    This paper presents Analog Fault Tolerant University of Seville Debugging System (AFTU), a tool to evaluate the Single-Event Effect (SEE) sensitivity of analog/mixed signal microelectronic circuits at transistor level. As analog cells can behave in an unpredictable way when critical areas interact with the particle hitting, there is a need for designers to have a software tool that allows an automatic and exhaustive analysis of Single-Event Effects influence. AFTU takes the test-bench SPECTRE design, emulates radiation conditions and automatically evaluates vulnerabilities using user-defined heuristics. To illustrate the utility of the tool, the SEE sensitivity of a 13-bits Successive Approximation Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) has been analysed. This circuit was selected not only because it was designed for space applications, but also due to the fact that a manual SEE sensitivity analysis would be too time-consuming. After a user-defined test campaign, it was detected that some voltage transients were propagated to a node where a parasitic diode was activated, affecting the offset cancelation, and therefore the whole resolution of the ADC. A simple modification of the scheme solved the problem, as it was verified with another automatic SEE sensitivity analysis.

  5. Blast tests of expedient shelters in the DICE THROW event

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kearny, C.H.; Chester, C.V.

    1978-03-01

    To determine the worst blast environments that eight types of expedient shelters can withstand, we subjected a total of 18 shelters to the 1-kiloton blast effects of Defense Nuclear Agency's DICE THROW main event. These expedient shelters included two Russian and two Chinese types. The best shelter tested was a Small-Pole Shelter that had a box-like room of Russian design with ORNL-designed expedient blast entries and blast doors added. It was undamaged at the 53-psi peak overpressure range; the pressure rise inside was only 1.5 psi. An unmodified Russian Pole-Covered Trench Shelter was badly damaged at 6.8 psi. A Chinese ''Man'' Shelter, which skillfully uses very small poles to attain protective earth arching, survived 20 psi, undamaged. Two types of expedient shelters built of materials found in and around most American homes gave good protection at overpressures up to about 6 psi. Rug-Covered Trench Shelters were proved unsatisfactory. Water storage pits lined with ordinary plastic trash bags were proven practical at up to 53 psi, as were triangular expedient blast doors made of poles

  6. Single event burnout sensitivity of embedded field effect transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koga, R.; Crain, S.H.; Crawford, K.B.; Yu, P.; Gordon, M.J.

    1999-01-01

    Observations of single event burnout (SEB) in embedded field effect transistors are reported. Both SEB and other single event effects are presented for several pulse width modulation and high frequency devices. The microscope has been employed to locate and to investigate the damaged areas. A model of the damage mechanism based on the results so obtained is described

  7. Single event burnout sensitivity of embedded field effect transistors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koga, R.; Crain, S.H.; Crawford, K.B.; Yu, P.; Gordon, M.J.

    1999-12-01

    Observations of single event burnout (SEB) in embedded field effect transistors are reported. Both SEB and other single event effects are presented for several pulse width modulation and high frequency devices. The microscope has been employed to locate and to investigate the damaged areas. A model of the damage mechanism based on the results so obtained is described.

  8. Hydrogeologic effects of natural disruptive events on nuclear waste repositories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davis, S.N.

    1980-06-01

    Some possible hydrogeologic effects of disruptive events that may affect repositories for nuclear waste are described. A very large number of combinations of natural events can be imagined, but only those events which are judged to be most probable are covered. Waste-induced effects are not considered. The disruptive events discussed above are placed into four geologic settings. Although the geology is not specific to given repository sites that have been considered by other agencies, the geology has been generalized from actual field data and is, therefore, considered to be physically reasonable. The geologic settings considered are: (1) interior salt domes of the Gulf Coast, (2) bedded salt of southeastern New Mexico, (3) argillaceous rocks of southern Nevanda, and (4) granitic stocks of the Basin and Range Province. Log-normal distributions of permeabilities of rock units are given for each region. Chapters are devoted to: poresity and permeability of natural materials, regional flow patterns, disruptive events (faulting, dissolution of rock forming minerals, fracturing from various causes, rapid changes of hydraulic regimen); possible hydrologic effects of disruptive events; and hydraulic fracturing

  9. Identifying treatment effect heterogeneity in clinical trials using subpopulations of events: STEPP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazar, Ann A; Bonetti, Marco; Cole, Bernard F; Yip, Wai-Ki; Gelber, Richard D

    2016-04-01

    Investigators conducting randomized clinical trials often explore treatment effect heterogeneity to assess whether treatment efficacy varies according to patient characteristics. Identifying heterogeneity is central to making informed personalized healthcare decisions. Treatment effect heterogeneity can be investigated using subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot (STEPP), a non-parametric graphical approach that constructs overlapping patient subpopulations with varying values of a characteristic. Procedures for statistical testing using subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot when the endpoint of interest is survival remain an area of active investigation. A STEPP analysis was used to explore patterns of absolute and relative treatment effects for varying levels of a breast cancer biomarker, Ki-67, in the phase III Breast International Group 1-98 randomized clinical trial, comparing letrozole to tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Absolute treatment effects were measured by differences in 4-year cumulative incidence of breast cancer recurrence, while relative effects were measured by the subdistribution hazard ratio in the presence of competing risks using O-E (observed-minus-expected) methodology, an intuitive non-parametric method. While estimation of hazard ratio values based on O-E methodology has been shown, a similar development for the subdistribution hazard ratio has not. Furthermore, we observed that the subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot analysis may not produce results, even with 100 patients within each subpopulation. After further investigation through simulation studies, we observed inflation of the type I error rate of the traditional test statistic and sometimes singular variance-covariance matrix estimates that may lead to results not being produced. This is due to the lack of sufficient number of events within the subpopulations, which we refer to as instability of

  10. Reactor protection system software test-case selection based on input-profile considering concurrent events and uncertainties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalaquzzaman, M.; Lee, Seung Jun; Cho, Jaehyun; Jung, Wondea

    2016-01-01

    Recently, the input-profile-based testing for safety critical software has been proposed for determining the number of test cases and quantifying the failure probability of the software. Input-profile of a reactor protection system (RPS) software is the input which causes activation of the system for emergency shutdown of a reactor. This paper presents a method to determine the input-profile of a RPS software which considers concurrent events/transients. A deviation of a process parameter value begins through an event and increases owing to the concurrent multi-events depending on the correlation of process parameters and severity of incidents. A case of reactor trip caused by feedwater loss and main steam line break is simulated and analyzed to determine the RPS software input-profile and estimate the number of test cases. The different sizes of the main steam line breaks (e.g., small, medium, large break) with total loss of feedwater supply are considered in constructing the input-profile. The uncertainties of the simulation related to the input-profile-based software testing are also included. Our study is expected to provide an option to determine test cases and quantification of RPS software failure probability. (author)

  11. A flexible and coherent test/estimation procedure based on restricted mean survival times for censored time-to-event data in randomized clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horiguchi, Miki; Cronin, Angel M; Takeuchi, Masahiro; Uno, Hajime

    2018-04-22

    In randomized clinical trials where time-to-event is the primary outcome, almost routinely, the logrank test is prespecified as the primary test and the hazard ratio is used to quantify treatment effect. If the ratio of 2 hazard functions is not constant, the logrank test is not optimal and the interpretation of hazard ratio is not obvious. When such a nonproportional hazards case is expected at the design stage, the conventional practice is to prespecify another member of weighted logrank tests, eg, Peto-Prentice-Wilcoxon test. Alternatively, one may specify a robust test as the primary test, which can capture various patterns of difference between 2 event time distributions. However, most of those tests do not have companion procedures to quantify the treatment difference, and investigators have fallen back on reporting treatment effect estimates not associated with the primary test. Such incoherence in the "test/estimation" procedure may potentially mislead clinicians/patients who have to balance risk-benefit for treatment decision. To address this, we propose a flexible and coherent test/estimation procedure based on restricted mean survival time, where the truncation time τ is selected data dependently. The proposed procedure is composed of a prespecified test and an estimation of corresponding robust and interpretable quantitative treatment effect. The utility of the new procedure is demonstrated by numerical studies based on 2 randomized cancer clinical trials; the test is dramatically more powerful than the logrank, Wilcoxon tests, and the restricted mean survival time-based test with a fixed τ, for the patterns of difference seen in these cancer clinical trials. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Determinants of performance in rare strategic events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Kristina Vaarst; Beukel, Karin

    The paper develops and tests a theoretical framework explaining how emotions and learning affect outcomes of rare strategic events, namely Intellectual Property litigations. We investigate how organizations? negative emotions influence performance outcome in IP litigations negatively. Though...... cumulative learning in rare strategic events is scarce, and cannot be understood through the standard framework of routines and capability development, we argue that firms may learn from rare events, and propose that learning moderates the negative effect of emotions. We test this utilizing data on all...... publically available IP litigation cases in China from 2001 to 2009 (n=13,030). We find that when organizations undergo emotional negative stress they lose IP litigations more often, but development of roadmaps though past successes moderate the negative effects from emotional distress....

  13. Event structure and cognitive control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimer, Jason F; Radvansky, Gabriel A; Lorsbach, Thomas C; Armendarez, Joseph J

    2015-09-01

    Recently, a great deal of research has demonstrated that although everyday experience is continuous in nature, it is parsed into separate events. The aim of the present study was to examine whether event structure can influence the effectiveness of cognitive control. Across 5 experiments we varied the structure of events within the AX-CPT by shifting the spatial location of cues and probes on a computer screen. When location shifts were present, a pattern of AX-CPT performance consistent with enhanced cognitive control was found. To test whether the location shift effects were caused by the presence of event boundaries per se, other aspects of the AX-CPT were manipulated, such as the color of cues and probes and the inclusion of a distractor task during the cue-probe delay. Changes in cognitive control were not found under these conditions, suggesting that the location shift effects were specifically related to the formation of separate event models. Together, these results can be accounted for by the Event Horizon Model and a representation-based theory of cognitive control, and suggest that cognitive control can be influenced by the surrounding environmental structure. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Stemming and containment phenomenology for the Hybla Fair event

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swift, R.P.; Burton, D.E.

    1980-01-01

    The Hybla Fair underground nuclear event was conducted by the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) to assess the feasibility of using low yield devices to reduce the expense of nuclear weapons effects testing. The economy of low yield tests was facilitated by placing of the test bed chamber closer to the source, thereby allowing the use of a shorter horizontal line-of-sight (HLOS) tunnel than used for higher yield testing. One main design concern for the Hybla Fair event centered around the desire for the radiation environment in the test chamber to be equivalent to that of higher yield tests. This concern imposed a severe constraint on the stemming column design. Studies of the required Hybla Fair stemming configuration, of the phenomenology of ground shock-induced stemming plug formation for low-yield events, of the effects of baffles on the stemming process, and of the integrity of the stemming closure region for the containment of the cavity gases are reported

  15. In-flight and ground testing of single event upset sensitivity in static RAMs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johansson, K.; Dyreklev, P.; Granbom, B.; Calvet, C.; Fourtine, S.; Feuillatre, O.

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents the results from in-flight measurements of single event upsets (SEU) in static random access memories (SRAM) caused by the atmospheric radiation environment at aircraft altitudes. The memory devices were carried on commercial airlines at high altitude and mainly high latitudes. The SEUs were monitored by a Component Upset Test Equipment (CUTE), designed for this experiment. The in flight results are compared to ground based testing with neutrons from three different sources

  16. Numerical Tests of the Cosmic Censorship Conjecture via Event-Horizon Finding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okounkova, Maria; Ott, Christian; Scheel, Mark; Szilagyi, Bela

    2015-04-01

    We present the current state of our research on the possibility of naked singularity formation in gravitational collapse, numerically testing both the cosmic censorship conjecture and the hoop conjecture. The former of these posits that all singularities lie behind an event horizon, while the later conjectures that this is true if collapse occurs from an initial configuration with all circumferences C <= 4 πM . We reconsider the classical Shapiro & Teukolsky (1991) prolate spheroid naked singularity scenario. Using the exponentially error-convergent Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC) we simulate the collapse of collisionless matter and probe for apparent horizons. We propose a new method to probe for the existence of an event horizon by following characteristic from regions near the singularity, using methods commonly employed in Cauchy characteristic extraction. This research was partially supported by NSF under Award No. PHY-1404569.

  17. Event rate and reaction time performance in ADHD: Testing predictions from the state regulation deficit hypothesis using an ex-Gaussian model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metin, Baris; Wiersema, Jan R; Verguts, Tom; Gasthuys, Roos; van Der Meere, Jacob J; Roeyers, Herbert; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund

    2014-12-06

    According to the state regulation deficit (SRD) account, ADHD is associated with a problem using effort to maintain an optimal activation state under demanding task settings such as very fast or very slow event rates. This leads to a prediction of disrupted performance at event rate extremes reflected in higher Gaussian response variability that is a putative marker of activation during motor preparation. In the current study, we tested this hypothesis using ex-Gaussian modeling, which distinguishes Gaussian from non-Gaussian variability. Twenty-five children with ADHD and 29 typically developing controls performed a simple Go/No-Go task under four different event-rate conditions. There was an accentuated quadratic relationship between event rate and Gaussian variability in the ADHD group compared to the controls. The children with ADHD had greater Gaussian variability at very fast and very slow event rates but not at moderate event rates. The results provide evidence for the SRD account of ADHD. However, given that this effect did not explain all group differences (some of which were independent of event rate) other cognitive and/or motivational processes are also likely implicated in ADHD performance deficits.

  18. The effects of curiosity-evoking events on activity enjoyment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isikman, Elif; MacInnis, Deborah J; Ülkümen, Gülden; Cavanaugh, Lisa A

    2016-09-01

    Whereas prior literature has studied the positive effects of curiosity-evoking events that are integral to focal activities, we explore whether and how a curiosity-evoking event that is incidental to a focal activity induces negative outcomes for enjoyment. Four experiments and 1 field study demonstrate that curiosity about an event that is incidental to an activity in which individuals are engaged, significantly affects enjoyment of a concurrent activity. The reason why is that curiosity diverts attention away from the concurrent activity and focuses attention on the curiosity-evoking event. Thus, curiosity regarding an incidental event decreases enjoyment of a positive focal activity but increases enjoyment of a negative focal activity. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

  19. [Personal resources and negative and positive effects of traumatic events in a group of medical rescuers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogińska-Bulik, Nina

    The purpose of the research was to investigate the role of personal resources, such as optimism and sense of selfefficacy in both negative (posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms) and positive (posttraumatic growth - PTG) effects of experienced trauma in a group of emergency service representatives. Data of 100 medical rescue workers, mostly men (59%) who have experienced traumatic events in their worksite were analyzed. The age of the participants ranged from 24 to 60 years (mean = 37.43; standard deviation = 8.73). Polish versions of the Impact of Event Scale - Revised and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory were used to assess the negative and positive effects of experienced events. Optimism was assessed by the Life Orientation Test and sense of self-efficacy by the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. The obtained results revealed that optimism is negatively associated with symptoms of PTSD in men, and sense of self-efficacy - positively with the severity of growth after trauma in women. The analyzed personal resources play a diverse role in the emergence of negative and positive effects of experienced traumatic events, depending on the gender of the respondents. Med Pr 2016;67(5):635-644. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

  20. Personal resources and negative and positive effects of traumatic events in a group of medical rescuers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nina Ogińska-Bulik

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: The purpose of the research was to investigate the role of personal resources, such as optimism and sense of selfefficacy in both negative (posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD symptoms and positive (posttraumatic growth – PTG effects of experienced trauma in a group of emergency service representatives. Material and Methods: Data of 100 medical rescue workers, mostly men (59% who have experienced traumatic events in their worksite were analyzed. The age of the participants ranged from 24 to 60 years (mean = 37.43; standard deviation = 8.73. Polish versions of the Impact of Event Scale – Revised and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory were used to assess the negative and positive effects of experienced events. Optimism was assessed by the Life Orientation Test and sense of self-efficacy by the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. Results: The obtained results revealed that optimism is negatively associated with symptoms of PTSD in men, and sense of self-efficacy – positively with the severity of growth after trauma in women. Conclusions: The analyzed personal resources play a diverse role in the emergence of negative and positive effects of experienced traumatic events, depending on the gender of the respondents. Med Pr 2016;67(5:635–644

  1. The Effect of Imagining an Event on Expectations for the Event: An Interpretation in Terms of the Availability Heuristic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, John S.

    1978-01-01

    Previous studies have indicated that explaining a hypothetical event makes the event seem more likely through the creation of causal connections. However, such effects could arise through the use of the availability heuristic; that is, subjective likelihood is increased by an event becoming easier to "imagine". Two experiments were designed to…

  2. Destructive Single-Event Effects in Diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casey, Megan C.; Lauenstein, Jean-Marie; Campola, Michael J.; Wilcox, Edward P.; Phan, Anthony M.; Label, Kenneth A.

    2017-01-01

    In this work, we discuss the observed single-event effects in a variety of types of diodes. In addition, we conduct failure analysis on several Schottky diodes that were heavy-ion irradiated. High- and low-magnitude optical microscope images, infrared camera images, and scanning electron microscope images are used to identify and describe the failure locations.

  3. Intra-event isotope and raindrop size data of tropical rain reveal effects concealed by event averaged data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Managave, S. R.; Jani, R. A.; Narayana Rao, T.; Sunilkumar, K.; Satheeshkumar, S.; Ramesh, R.

    2016-08-01

    Evaporation of rain is known to contribute water vapor, a potent greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere. Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions (δ18O and, δD, respectively) of precipitation, usually measured/presented as values integrated over rain events or monthly mean values, are important tools for detecting evaporation effects. The slope ~8 of the linear relationship between such time-averaged values of δD and δ18O (called the meteoric water line) is widely accepted as a proof of condensation under isotopic equilibrium and absence of evaporation of rain during atmospheric fall. Here, through a simultaneous investigation of the isotopic and drop size distributions of seventeen rain events sampled on an intra-event scale at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), southern India, we demonstrate that the evaporation effects, not evident in the time-averaged data, are significantly manifested in the sub-samples of individual rain events. We detect this through (1) slopes significantly less than 8 for the δD-δ18O relation on intra-event scale and (2) significant positive correlations between deuterium excess ( d-excess = δD - 8*δ18O; lower values in rain indicate evaporation) and the mass-weighted mean diameter of the raindrops ( D m ). An estimated ~44 % of rain is influenced by evaporation. This study also reveals a signature of isotopic equilibration of rain with the cloud base vapor, the processes important for modeling isotopic composition of precipitation. d-excess values of rain are modified by the post-condensation processes and the present approach offers a way to identify the d-excess values least affected by such processes. Isotope-enabled global circulation models could be improved by incorporating intra-event isotopic data and raindrop size dependent isotopic effects.

  4. Single-Event Effect Performance of a Conductive-Bridge Memory EEPROM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Dakai; Wilcox, Edward; Berg, Melanie; Kim, Hak; Phan, Anthony; Figueiredo, Marco; Seidleck, Christina; LaBel, Kenneth

    2015-01-01

    We investigated the heavy ion single-event effect (SEE) susceptibility of the industry’s first stand-alone memory based on conductive-bridge memory (CBRAM) technology. The device is available as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). We found that single-event functional interrupt (SEFI) is the dominant SEE type for each operational mode (standby, dynamic read, and dynamic write/read). SEFIs occurred even while the device is statically biased in standby mode. Worst case SEFIs resulted in errors that filled the entire memory space. Power cycle did not always clear the errors. Thus the corrupted cells had to be reprogrammed in some cases. The device is also vulnerable to bit upsets during dynamic write/read tests, although the frequency of the upsets are relatively low. The linear energy transfer threshold for cell upset is between 10 and 20 megaelectron volts per square centimeter per milligram, with an upper limit cross section of 1.6 times 10(sup -11) square centimeters per bit (95 percent confidence level) at 10 megaelectronvolts per square centimeter per milligram. In standby mode, the CBRAM array appears invulnerable to bit upsets.

  5. Stress Echocardiography and Major Cardiac Events in Patients with Normal Exercise Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calasans, Flávia Ricci; Santos, Bruno Fernandes de Oliveira; Silveira, Débora Consuelo Rocha; de Araújo, Ana Carla Pereira; Melo, Luiza Dantas; Barreto-Filho, José Augusto; Sousa, Antônio Carlos Sobral; Oliveira, Joselina Luzia Menezes

    2013-01-01

    Background Exercise test (ET) is the preferred initial noninvasive test for the diagnosis and risk stratification of coronary artery disease (CAD), however, its lower sensitivity may fail to identify patients at greater risk of adverse events. Objective To assess the value of stress echocardiography (SE) for predicting all-cause mortality and major cardiac events (MACE) in patients with intermediate pretest probability of CAD and a normal ET. Methods 397 patients with intermediate CAD pretest probability, estimated by the Morise score, and normal ET who underwent SE were studied. The patients were divided into two groups according to the absence (G1) or presence (G2) of myocardial ischemia on SE .End points evaluated were all-cause mortality and MACE, defined as cardiac death and nonfatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Results G1 group was comprised of 329 (82.8%) patients. The mean age of the patients was 57.37 ± 11 years and 44.1% were male. During a mean follow-up of 75.94 ± 17.24 months, 13 patients died, three of them due to cardiac causes, and 13 patients suffered nonfatal AMI. Myocardial ischemia remained an independent predictor of MACE (HR 2.49; [CI] 95% 1.74-3.58). The independent predictors for all-cause mortality were male gender (HR 9.83; [CI] 95% 2.15-44.97) and age over 60 years (HR 4.57; [CI] 95% 1.39-15.23). Conclusion Positive SE for myocardial ischemia is a predictor of MACE in the studied sample, which helps to identify a subgroup of patients at higher risk of events despite having normal ET. PMID:23765384

  6. Magical thinking in predictions of negative events: Evidence for tempting fate but not for a protection effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Job van Wolferen

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we test two hypotheses regarding magical thinking about the perceived likelihood of future events. The first is that people believe that those who ``tempt fate'' by failing to take necessary precautions are more likely to suffer negative outcomes. The second is the ``protection effect'', where reminding people of precautions they have taken leads them to see related risks as less likely. To this end, we describe the results from three attempted direct replications of a protection effect experiment reported in Tykocinski (2008 and two replications of a tempting fate experiment reported in Risen and Gilovich (2008 in which we add a test of the protection effect. We did not replicate the protection effect but did replicate the tempting fate effect.

  7. Modeling and simulation of single-event effect in CMOS circuit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yue Suge; Zhang Xiaolin; Zhao Yuanfu; Liu Lin; Wang Hanning

    2015-01-01

    This paper reviews the status of research in modeling and simulation of single-event effects (SEE) in digital devices and integrated circuits. After introducing a brief historical overview of SEE simulation, different level simulation approaches of SEE are detailed, including material-level physical simulation where two primary methods by which ionizing radiation releases charge in a semiconductor device (direct ionization and indirect ionization) are introduced, device-level simulation where the main emerging physical phenomena affecting nanometer devices (bipolar transistor effect, charge sharing effect) and the methods envisaged for taking them into account are focused on, and circuit-level simulation where the methods for predicting single-event response about the production and propagation of single-event transients (SETs) in sequential and combinatorial logic are detailed, as well as the soft error rate trends with scaling are particularly addressed. (review)

  8. Single event phenomena in atmospheric neutron environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gossett, C.A.; Hughlock, B.W.; Katoozi, M.; LaRue, G.S.; Wender, S.A.

    1993-01-01

    As integrated circuit technology achieves higher density through smaller feature sizes and as the airplane manufacturing industry integrates more sophisticated electronic components into the design of new aircraft, it has become increasingly important to evaluate the contribution of single event effects, primarily Single Event Upset (SEU), to the safety and reliability of commercial aircraft. In contrast to the effects of radiation on electronic systems in space applications for which protons and heavy ions are of major concern, in commercial aircraft applications the interactions of high energy neutrons are the dominant cause of single event effects. These high energy neutrons are produced by the interaction of solar and galactic cosmic rays, principally protons and heavy ions, in the upper atmosphere. This paper will describe direct experimental measurements of neutron-induced Single Event Effect (SEE) rates in commercial high density static random access memories in a neutron environment characteristic of that at commercial airplane altitudes. The first experimental measurements testing current models for neutron-silicon burst generation rates will be presented, as well as measurements of charge collection in silicon test structures as a function of neutron energy. These are the first laboratory SEE and charge collection measurements using a particle beam having a continuum energy spectrum and with a shape nearly identical to that observed during flight

  9. Research on computer aided testing of pilot response to critical in-flight events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giffin, W. C.; Rockwell, T. H.; Smith, P. J.

    1984-01-01

    Experiments on pilot decision making are described. The development of models of pilot decision making in critical in flight events (CIFE) are emphasized. The following tests are reported on the development of: (1) a frame system representation describing how pilots use their knowledge in a fault diagnosis task; (2) assessment of script norms, distance measures, and Markov models developed from computer aided testing (CAT) data; and (3) performance ranking of subject data. It is demonstrated that interactive computer aided testing either by touch CRT's or personal computers is a useful research and training device for measuring pilot information management in diagnosing system failures in simulated flight situations. Performance is dictated by knowledge of aircraft sybsystems, initial pilot structuring of the failure symptoms and efficient testing of plausible causal hypotheses.

  10. Cascading effects of mass mortality events in Arctic marine communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langangen, Øystein; Ohlberger, Jan; Stige, Leif C; Durant, Joël M; Ravagnan, Elisa; Stenseth, Nils C; Hjermann, Dag Ø

    2017-01-01

    Mass mortality events caused by pulse anthropogenic or environmental perturbations (e.g., extreme weather, toxic spills or epizootics) severely reduce the abundance of a population in a short time. The frequency and impact of these events are likely to increase across the globe. Studies on how such events may affect ecological communities of interacting species are scarce. By combining a multispecies Gompertz model with a Bayesian state-space framework, we quantify community-level effects of a mass mortality event in a single species. We present a case study on a community of fish and zooplankton in the Barents Sea to illustrate how a mass mortality event of different intensities affecting the lower trophic level (krill) may propagate to higher trophic levels (capelin and cod). This approach is especially valuable for assessing community-level effects of potential anthropogenic-driven mass mortality events, owing to the ability to account for uncertainty in the assessed impact due to uncertainty about the ecological dynamics. We hence quantify how the assessed impact of a mass mortality event depends on the degree of precaution considered. We suggest that this approach can be useful for assessing the possible detrimental outcomes of toxic spills, for example oil spills, in relatively simple communities such as often found in the Arctic, a region under increasing influence of human activities due to increased land and sea use. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Investigation of HZETRN 2010 as a Tool for Single Event Effect Qualification of Avionics Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojdev, Kristina; Koontz, Steve; Atwell, William; Boeder, Paul

    2014-01-01

    NASA's future missions are focused on long-duration deep space missions for human exploration which offers no options for a quick emergency return to Earth. The combination of long mission duration with no quick emergency return option leads to unprecedented spacecraft system safety and reliability requirements. It is important that spacecraft avionics systems for human deep space missions are not susceptible to Single Event Effect (SEE) failures caused by space radiation (primarily the continuous galactic cosmic ray background and the occasional solar particle event) interactions with electronic components and systems. SEE effects are typically managed during the design, development, and test (DD&T) phase of spacecraft development by using heritage hardware (if possible) and through extensive component level testing, followed by system level failure analysis tasks that are both time consuming and costly. The ultimate product of the SEE DD&T program is a prediction of spacecraft avionics reliability in the flight environment produced using various nuclear reaction and transport codes in combination with the component and subsystem level radiation test data. Previous work by Koontz, et al.1 utilized FLUKA, a Monte Carlo nuclear reaction and transport code, to calculate SEE and single event upset (SEU) rates. This code was then validated against in-flight data for a variety of spacecraft and space flight environments. However, FLUKA has a long run-time (on the order of days). CREME962, an easy to use deterministic code offering short run times, was also compared with FLUKA predictions and in-flight data. CREME96, though fast and easy to use, has not been updated in several years and underestimates secondary particle shower effects in spacecraft structural shielding mass. Thus, this paper will investigate the use of HZETRN 20103, a fast and easy to use deterministic transport code, similar to CREME96, that was developed at NASA Langley Research Center primarily for

  12. Effects of alcohol on attention orienting and dual-task performance during simulated driving: an event-related potential study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wester, Anne E; Verster, Joris C; Volkerts, Edmund R; Böcker, Koen B E; Kenemans, J Leon

    2010-09-01

    Driving is a complex task and is susceptible to inattention and distraction. Moreover, alcohol has a detrimental effect on driving performance, possibly due to alcohol-induced attention deficits. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of alcohol on simulated driving performance and attention orienting and allocation, as assessed by event-related potentials (ERPs). Thirty-two participants completed two test runs in the Divided Attention Steering Simulator (DASS) with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.00%, 0.02%, 0.05%, 0.08% and 0.10%. Sixteen participants performed the second DASS test run with a passive auditory oddball to assess alcohol effects on involuntary attention shifting. Sixteen other participants performed the second DASS test run with an active auditory oddball to assess alcohol effects on dual-task performance and active attention allocation. Dose-dependent impairments were found for reaction times, the number of misses and steering error, even more so in dual-task conditions, especially in the active oddball group. ERP amplitudes to novel irrelevant events were also attenuated in a dose-dependent manner. The P3b amplitude to deviant target stimuli decreased with blood alcohol concentration only in the dual-task condition. It is concluded that alcohol increases distractibility and interference from secondary task stimuli, as well as reduces attentional capacity and dual-task integrality.

  13. Deja Vu All Over Again: Effects of Reenactment on Toddlers' Event Memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheffield, Ellyn G.; Hudson, Judith A.

    1998-01-01

    Four experiments examined the effects of reenactment on 18-month-olds' event memory. Results indicated that reenacting novel activities in a laboratory playroom improved event memory. Reenactment was more effective after a time delay, and the effects of timing of reenactment were more pronounced after a six-month delay. Reenacting half of the…

  14. QCD effects on the event structure in leptoproduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bengtsson, M.; Sjoestrand, T.

    1988-01-01

    Perturbative QCD corrections to leptoproduction events can be introduced either in the form of matrix elements or of parton showers. Each of these approaches has its advantages and disadvantages, making a comparison of the two interesting. At present energies, both methods can be made to agree reasonably well with data, whereas differences appear at higher energies. The influence of these QCD effects on the expected event structure at ep colliders, HERA in particular, is investigated in detail. This includes multiplicity and momentum distributions transverse momentum flow and correlations, as well as jet properties. (orig.)

  15. Testing the sensitivity of trade linkages in Europe to compound drought events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veldkamp, Ted; Koks, Elco; Thissen, Mark; Wahl, Thomas; Haigh, Ivan; Muis, Sanne; Ward, Philip

    2017-04-01

    Droughts can be defined as spatially extensive events that are characterized by temporal deficits in precipitation, soil moisture or streamflow, and have the potential to cause large direct and indirect economic losses. Many European countries face drought as an economically important hazard, with agriculture, livestock, forestry, energy, industry, and water sectors particularly at risk, causing economic losses of 139 billion US over the past 30 years. Apart from these direct impacts, business production and the flow of goods and services can be affected indirectly by droughts. With consequences that can propagate through the economic system affecting regions not directly hit by the drought event itself, or in time-periods long after the original drought event occurred. In this study, we evaluate the sensitivity of existing trade linkages between the different NUTS-2 regions in Europe to the coupled occurrence of hydro-meteorological drought events, and their associated production losses. Using a multi-regional supply-use model for Europe, we have, on a product level, insight in the existing trade linkages between NUTS-2 regions. Using this information in combination with historical drought data, we assessed and identified for a selection of water related products: 1) the dependency-structures of the NUTS-2 regions within Europe for the import and export of products (and therein water); 2) the coupled nature of drought events occurring in regions that are linked via these trade-patterns; 3) the probability of not meeting demands (on a product level) due to drought events and the associated (indirect economic) impacts; and 4) regions that lose or benefit from their selection of trade-partners given the coupled nature of drought events, as well as the net effects for Europe as a whole.

  16. Predicting acute side effects of stimulant medication in pediatric attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: data from quantitative electroencephalography, event-related potentials, and a continuous-performance test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ogrim G

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Geir Ogrim,1–3 Knut A Hestad,3,4 Jan Ferenc Brunner,3,5,6 Juri Kropotov3,7,8 1Neuropsychiatric Unit, Østfold Hospital Trust, Fredrikstad, Norway; 2National Resource Center for ADHD, Tourettes' Syndrome and Narcolepsy, Oslo, Norway; 3Institute of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU, Trondheim, Norway; 4Division of Mental Health, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway; 5Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St Olav's Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; 6Department of Neuroscience, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway; 7Institute of the Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia; 8Department of Neuropsychology, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Krakow, Poland Background: The aim of this study was to search for predictors of acute side effects of stimulant medication in pediatric attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, emphasizing variables from quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG, event-related potentials (ERPs, and behavior data from a visual continuous-performance test (VCPT. Methods: Seventy medication-naïve ADHD patients aged 7–16 years were tested with QEEG, including a go/no-go task condition (VCPT from which behavior data and ERPs were extracted, followed by a systematic trial on stimulant medication lasting at least 4 weeks. Based on data from rating scales and interviews, two psychologists who were blind to the QEEG/ERP test results independently rated the patients as having no or small side effects (n = 37 or troublesome side effects (n = 33. We determined if the side effects were related to sex, age, IQ, ADHD subtype, comorbidities, clinical outcome, and variables in QEEG, ERPs, and VCPT. Results: There was a moderate negative correlation between clinical outcome and side effects. Three variables were significantly associated with side effects in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. In the ERP independent component – contingent negative variation

  17. A Discrete Event System Approach to Online Testing of Speed Independent Circuits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. K. Biswal

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available With the increase in soft failures in deep submicron ICs, online testing is becoming an integral part of design for testability. Some techniques for online testing of asynchronous circuits are proposed in the literature, which involves development of a checker that verifies the correctness of the protocol. This checker involves Mutex blocks making its area overhead quite high. In this paper, we have adapted the Theory of Fault Detection and Diagnosis available in the literature on Discrete Event Systems to online testing of speed independent asynchronous circuits. The scheme involves development of a state based model of the circuit, under normal and various stuck-at fault conditions, and finally designing state estimators termed as detectors. The detectors monitor the circuit online and determine whether it is functioning in normal/failure mode. The main advantages are nonintrusiveness and low area overheads compared to similar schemes reported in the literature.

  18. The Unconstrained Event Bulletin (UEB) for the IMS Seismic Network Spaning the Period May 15-28, 2010: a New Resource for Algorithm Development and Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brogan, R.; Young, C. J.; Ballard, S.

    2017-12-01

    A major problem with developing new data processing algorithms for seismic event monitoring is the lack of standard, high-quality "ground-truth" data sets to test against. The unfortunate effect of this is that new algorithms are often developed and tested with new data sets, making comparison of algorithms difficult and subjective. In an effort towards resolving this problem, we have developed the Unconstrained Event Bulletin (UEB), a ground-truth data set from the International Monitoring System (IMS) primary and auxiliary seismic networks for a two-week period in May 2010. All UEB analysis was performed by the same expert, who has more than 30 years of experience analyzing seismic data for nuclear explosion monitoring. We used the most complete International Data Centre (IDC) analyst-review event bulletin (the Late Event Bulletin or LEB) as a starting point for this analysis. To make the UEB more complete, we relaxed the minimum event definite criteria to the level of a pair of P-type and an S-type phases at a single station and using azimuth/slowness as defining. To add even more events that our analyst recognized and didn't want to omit, in rare cases, events were constructed using only 1 P-phase. Perhaps most importantly, on average our analyst spent more than 60 hours per day of data, far more than was possible in the production of the LEB. The result of all this was that while the LEB had 2,101 LEB events for the 2-week time period, we ended up with 11,435 events in the UEB, an increase of over 400%. New events are located all over the world and include both earthquakes and manmade events such as mining explosions. Our intent is to make our UEB data set openly available for all researchers to use for testing detection, correlation, and location algorithms, thus making it much easier to objectively compare different research efforts. Acknowledgement: Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and

  19. Ketamine for Pain Management-Side Effects & Potential Adverse Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Cheryl A; Ivester, Julius R

    2017-12-01

    An old anesthetic agent, ketamine is finding new use in lower doses for analgesic purposes. There are concerns stemming from its potential side effects-specifically psychomimetic effects. These side effects are directly related to dose amount. The doses used for analgesic purposes are much lower than those used for anesthesia purposes. A literature review was performed to ascertain potential side effects and/or adverse events when using ketamine for analgesia purposes. The search included CINAHL, PubMed, and Ovid using the search terms "ketamine," "ketamine infusion," "pain," "adverse events," "practice guideline," and "randomized controlled trial." Searches were limited to full-text, peer-reviewed articles and systematic reviews. Initially 1,068 articles were retrieved. The search was then narrowed by using the Boolean connector AND with various search term combinations. After adjusting for duplication, article titles and abstracts were reviewed, leaving 25 articles for an in-depth analysis. Specific exclusion criteria were then applied. The literature supports the use of ketamine for analgesic purposes, and ketamine offers a nonopioid option for the management of some pain conditions. Because ketamine is still classified as an anesthetic agent, health care institutions should develop their own set of policies and protocols for the administration of ketamine. By using forethought and understanding of the properties of ketamine, appropriate care may be planned to mitigate potential side effects and adverse events so that patients are appropriately cared for and their pain effectively managed. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Perceived duration of emotional events: evidence for a positivity effect in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicol, Jeffrey R; Tanner, Jessica; Clarke, Kelly

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Arousal and negative affect modulate the effect of emotion on the subjective experience of the passage of time. Given that older adults are less aroused by negative emotional stimuli, and report lower levels of negative affect, compared with younger adults, the present study examined whether the effect of emotion on time perception differed in older and younger adults. Participants performed a temporal bisection task for emotional (i.e., angry, sad, happy) and neutral facial expressions presented at varying temporal intervals. Older adults perceived the duration of both positive and threatening events longer than neutral events, whereas younger adults only perceived threatening events longer than neutral events. The results, which are partially consistent with the positivity effect of aging postulated by the socioemotional selectivity theory, are the first to show how the effect of emotion on perceived duration affects older adults, and support previous research indicating that only threatening events prolong perceived duration in younger adults.

  1. Potentially lethal effects of astrophysical high energy explosive events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zarauza, Dario; Martin, Osmel; Rolando Cardenas

    2007-01-01

    In this work we compare the biological extinction risks posed by different types of high energy explosive events, if they occur at distances close enough to inhabited planets. These events are several kinds of supernovae and gamma ray bursts. We mainly consider the ozone depletion, leaving other effects, as photon retransmission and muon showers, for future work. In order to estimate the damage on ozonosphere, we use a simple analytical model for ozone depletion. We also mention some hints to look for the signatures of these events on Earth biogeochemical record, and evaluate the possibility of applying these results to the astrobiologically interesting sample of stars gathered by Porto de Mello, del Peloso and Ghezzi. (Author)

  2. Development and Tests of the Event Filter for the ATLAS Experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Bosman, M; Negri, A; Segura, E; Sushkov, S; Touchard, F; Wheeler, S J; 14th IEEE - NPSS Real Time Conference 2005 Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society

    2005-01-01

    The Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) System of the ATLAS Experiment comprises three stages of event selection. The Event Filter (EF) is the third level trigger and is software implemented. Its primary goal is the final selection of interesting events with reduction of the event rate down to ~200 Hz acceptable by the mass storage. The EF System will be implemented as a set of independent commodity components Sub-Farms, each connected to the Event Builder subsystem to receive full events and on the other side to the Sub-Farm Output nodes, where the selected events are forwarded to mass storage. A distinctive feature of the Event Filter is its ability to use the full event data for selection directly based on the offline reconstruction and analysis algorithms. Besides the main duties on event triggering and data transportation, the EF is also able to provide additional functionalities, like monitoring of the selected events and online calibration of the ATLAS detectors. Significant design improvements are cur...

  3. Physical mechanisms of single-event effects in advanced microelectronics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schrimpf, Ronald D. [Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, 5635 Stevenson Center, Nashville, TN 37235 (United States)]. E-mail: ron.schrimpf@vanderbilt.edu; Weller, Robert A. [Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, 5635 Stevenson Center, Nashville, TN 37235 (United States); Mendenhall, Marcus H. [Free Electron Laser Center, Vanderbilt University, Station B 351816, Nashville, TN 37235 (United States); Reed, Robert A. [Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, 5635 Stevenson Center, Nashville, TN 37235 (United States); Massengill, Lloyd W. [Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, 5635 Stevenson Center, Nashville, TN 37235 (United States)

    2007-08-15

    The single-event error rate in advanced semiconductor technologies can be estimated more accurately than conventional methods by using simulation based on accurate descriptions of a large number of individual particle interactions. The results can be used to select the ion types and energies for accelerator testing and to identify situations in which nuclear reactions will contribute to the error rate.

  4. Physical mechanisms of single-event effects in advanced microelectronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schrimpf, Ronald D.; Weller, Robert A.; Mendenhall, Marcus H.; Reed, Robert A.; Massengill, Lloyd W.

    2007-01-01

    The single-event error rate in advanced semiconductor technologies can be estimated more accurately than conventional methods by using simulation based on accurate descriptions of a large number of individual particle interactions. The results can be used to select the ion types and energies for accelerator testing and to identify situations in which nuclear reactions will contribute to the error rate

  5. Paradoxical Effects of Testing: Retrieval Enhances Both Accurate Recall and Suggestibility in Eyewitnesses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Jason C. K.; Langley, Moses M.

    2011-01-01

    Although retrieval practice typically enhances memory retention, it can also impair subsequent eyewitness memory accuracy (Chan, Thomas, & Bulevich, 2009). Specifically, participants who had taken an initial test about a witnessed event were more likely than nontested participants to recall subsequently encountered misinformation--an effect we…

  6. Positive events protect children from causal false memories for scripted events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melinder, Annika; Toffalini, Enrico; Geccherle, Eleonora; Cornoldi, Cesare

    2017-11-01

    Adults produce fewer inferential false memories for scripted events when their conclusions are emotionally charged than when they are neutral, but it is not clear whether the same effect is also found in children. In the present study, we examined this issue in a sample of 132 children aged 6-12 years (mean 9 years, 3 months). Participants encoded photographs depicting six script-like events that had a positively, negatively, or a neutral valenced ending. Subsequently, true and false recognition memory of photographs related to the observed scripts was tested as a function of emotionality. Causal errors-a type of false memory thought to stem from inferential processes-were found to be affected by valence: children made fewer causal errors for positive than for neutral or negative events. Hypotheses are proposed on why adults were found protected against inferential false memories not only by positive (as for children) but also by negative endings when administered similar versions of the same paradigm.

  7. Effects of solar proton events on dayglow observed by the TIMED/SABER satellite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Hong; Xu, Jiyao; Smith, Anne K.; Chen, Guang-Ming

    2017-07-01

    The effect of solar proton events on the daytime O2 and OH airglows and ozone and atomic oxygen concentrations in the mesosphere is studied using data from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER). Five events occurred in September 2005, December 2006, March 2012, May 2013, and June 2015 that satisfy two criteria: the maximum proton fluxes are larger than 1000 pfu, and daytime data in the high latitude region are available from SABER. The event in December 2006 is studied in detail, and the effects of all five events are compared in brief. The results indicate that all four parameters in the mesosphere decrease during the events. During the event in 2006, the maximum depletions of O2 and OH dayglow emission rates and ozone and atomic oxygen volume mixing ratios at 70 km are respectively 31.6%, 37.0%, 42.4%, and 38.9%. The effect of the solar proton event changes with latitude, longitude, and altitude. The depletions due to the stronger events are larger on average than those due to the weaker events. The depletions of both dayglow emission rates are weaker than those of ozone and atomic oxygen. The responses of O2 and OH nightglow emissions around their peak altitudes to the SPEs are not as strong and regular as those for dayglow in the mesosphere.

  8. Investigation of single event latchup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Yuxiong; Yang Shengsheng; Cao Zhou; Ba Dedong; An Heng; Chen Luojing; Guo Gang

    2012-01-01

    Radiation effects on avionics microelectronics are important reliability issues for many space applications. In particular, single-event latchup (SEL) phenomenon is a major threat to CMOS integrated circuits in space systems. To effectively circumvent the failure, it is important to know the behavior of such devices during latchup. In this paper, the mechanisms for SEL in CMOS devices are investigated. Several microelectronic devices used in avionics are tested using heavy ion beams, pulsed laser and 252 Cf source. Based on the SEL test results, SEL-hardening and monitoring methods for preventing SEL from the systems design level are proposed. (authors)

  9. The effects of power, leadership and psychological safety on resident event reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appelbaum, Nital P; Dow, Alan; Mazmanian, Paul E; Jundt, Dustin K; Appelbaum, Eric N

    2016-03-01

    Although the reporting of adverse events is a necessary first step in identifying and addressing lapses in patient safety, such events are under-reported, especially by frontline providers such as resident physicians. This study describes and tests relationships between power distance and leader inclusiveness on psychological safety and the willingness of residents to report adverse events. A total of 106 resident physicians from the departments of neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, emergency medicine, otolaryngology, neurology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and general surgery in a mid-Atlantic teaching hospital were asked to complete a survey on psychological safety, perceived power distance, leader inclusiveness and intention to report adverse events. Perceived power distance (β = -0.26, standard error [SE] 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.37 to 0.15; p leadership practices build psychological safety and minimise power distance between low- and high-status members in order to support greater reporting of adverse events. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Effect of lunar phase on frequency of psychogenic nonepileptic events in the EMU.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolen, Robert D; Campbell, Zeke; Dennis, William A; Koontz, Elizabeth H; Pritchard, Paul B

    2016-06-01

    Studies of the effect of a full moon on seizures have yielded mixed results, despite a continuing prevailing belief regarding the association of lunar phase with human behavior. The potential effect of a full moon on psychogenic nonepileptic events has not been as well studied, despite what anecdotal accounts from most epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) staff would suggest. We obtained the dates and times of all events from patients diagnosed with psychogenic nonepileptic events discharged from our EMU over a two-year period. The events were then plotted on a 29.5-day lunar calendar. Events were also broken down into lunar quarters for statistical analysis. We found a statistically significant increase in psychogenic nonepileptic events during the new moon quarter in our EMU during our studied timeframe. Our results are not concordant with the results of a similarly designed past study, raising the possibility that psychogenic nonepileptic events are not influenced by lunar phase. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Space Launch System Scale Model Acoustic Test Ignition Overpressure Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nance, Donald; Liever, Peter; Nielsen, Tanner

    2015-01-01

    The overpressure phenomenon is a transient fluid dynamic event occurring during rocket propulsion system ignition. This phenomenon results from fluid compression of the accelerating plume gas, subsequent rarefaction, and subsequent propagation from the exhaust trench and duct holes. The high-amplitude unsteady fluid-dynamic perturbations can adversely affect the vehicle and surrounding structure. Commonly known as ignition overpressure (IOP), this is an important design-to environment for the Space Launch System (SLS) that NASA is currently developing. Subscale testing is useful in validating and verifying the IOP environment. This was one of the objectives of the Scale Model Acoustic Test, conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center. The test data quantifies the effectiveness of the SLS IOP suppression system and improves the analytical models used to predict the SLS IOP environments. The reduction and analysis of the data gathered during the SMAT IOP test series requires identification and characterization of multiple dynamic events and scaling of the event waveforms to provide the most accurate comparisons to determine the effectiveness of the IOP suppression systems. The identification and characterization of the overpressure events, the waveform scaling, the computation of the IOP suppression system knockdown factors, and preliminary comparisons to the analytical models are discussed.

  12. Space Launch System Scale Model Acoustic Test Ignition Overpressure Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nance, Donald K.; Liever, Peter A.

    2015-01-01

    The overpressure phenomenon is a transient fluid dynamic event occurring during rocket propulsion system ignition. This phenomenon results from fluid compression of the accelerating plume gas, subsequent rarefaction, and subsequent propagation from the exhaust trench and duct holes. The high-amplitude unsteady fluid-dynamic perturbations can adversely affect the vehicle and surrounding structure. Commonly known as ignition overpressure (IOP), this is an important design-to environment for the Space Launch System (SLS) that NASA is currently developing. Subscale testing is useful in validating and verifying the IOP environment. This was one of the objectives of the Scale Model Acoustic Test (SMAT), conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The test data quantifies the effectiveness of the SLS IOP suppression system and improves the analytical models used to predict the SLS IOP environments. The reduction and analysis of the data gathered during the SMAT IOP test series requires identification and characterization of multiple dynamic events and scaling of the event waveforms to provide the most accurate comparisons to determine the effectiveness of the IOP suppression systems. The identification and characterization of the overpressure events, the waveform scaling, the computation of the IOP suppression system knockdown factors, and preliminary comparisons to the analytical models are discussed.

  13. Research on Visual Analysis Methods of Terrorism Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Wenyue; Liu, Haiyan; Yu, Anzhu; Li, Jing

    2016-06-01

    Under the situation that terrorism events occur more and more frequency throughout the world, improving the response capability of social security incidents has become an important aspect to test governments govern ability. Visual analysis has become an important method of event analysing for its advantage of intuitive and effective. To analyse events' spatio-temporal distribution characteristics, correlations among event items and the development trend, terrorism event's spatio-temporal characteristics are discussed. Suitable event data table structure based on "5W" theory is designed. Then, six types of visual analysis are purposed, and how to use thematic map and statistical charts to realize visual analysis on terrorism events is studied. Finally, experiments have been carried out by using the data provided by Global Terrorism Database, and the results of experiments proves the availability of the methods.

  14. Journaling about stressful events: effects of cognitive processing and emotional expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ullrich, Philip M; Lutgendorf, Susan K

    2002-01-01

    The effects of two journaling interventions, one focusing on emotional expression and the other on both cognitive processing and emotional expression, were compared during 1 month of journaling about a stressful or traumatic event. One hundred twenty-two students were randomly assigned to one of three writing conditions: (a) focusing on emotions related to a trauma or stressor, (b) focusing on cognitions and emotions related to a trauma or stressor, or (c) writing factually about media events. Writers focusing on cognitions and emotions developed greater awareness of the positive benefits of the stressful event than the other two groups. This effect was apparently mediated by greater cognitive processing during writing. Writers focusing on emotions alone reported more severe illness symptoms during the study than those in other conditions. This effect appeared to be mediated by a greater focus on negative emotional expression during writing.

  15. Aging memory for pictures: using high-density event-related potentials to understand the effect of aging on the picture superiority effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ally, Brandon A; Waring, Jill D; Beth, Ellen H; McKeever, Joshua D; Milberg, William P; Budson, Andrew E

    2008-01-31

    High-density event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to understand the effect of aging on the neural correlates of the picture superiority effect. Pictures and words were systematically varied at study and test while ERPs were recorded at retrieval. Here, the results of the word-word and picture-picture study-test conditions are presented. Behavioral results showed that older adults demonstrated the picture superiority effect to a greater extent than younger adults. The ERP data helped to explain these findings. The early frontal effect, parietal effect, and late frontal effect were all indistinguishable between older and younger adults for pictures. In contrast, for words, the early frontal and parietal effects were significantly diminished for the older adults compared to the younger adults. These two old/new effects have been linked to familiarity and recollection, respectively, and the authors speculate that these processes are impaired for word-based memory in the course of healthy aging. The findings of this study suggest that pictures allow older adults to compensate for their impaired memorial processes, and may allow these memorial components to function more effectively in older adults.

  16. Comparison of event landslide inventories: the Pogliaschina catchment test case, Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondini, A. C.; Viero, A.; Cavalli, M.; Marchi, L.; Herrera, G.; Guzzetti, F.

    2014-07-01

    Event landslide inventory maps document the extent of populations of landslides caused by a single natural trigger, such as an earthquake, an intense rainfall event, or a rapid snowmelt event. Event inventory maps are important for landslide susceptibility and hazard modelling, and prove useful to manage residual risk after a landslide-triggering event. Standards for the preparation of event landslide inventory maps are lacking. Traditional methods are based on the visual interpretation of stereoscopic aerial photography, aided by field surveys. New and emerging techniques exploit remotely sensed data and semi-automatic algorithms. We describe the production and comparison of two independent event inventories prepared for the Pogliaschina catchment, Liguria, Northwest Italy. The two inventories show landslides triggered by an intense rainfall event on 25 October 2011, and were prepared through the visual interpretation of digital aerial photographs taken 3 days and 33 days after the event, and by processing a very-high-resolution image taken by the WorldView-2 satellite 4 days after the event. We compare the two inventories qualitatively and quantitatively using established and new metrics, and we discuss reasons for the differences between the two landslide maps. We expect that the results of our work can help in deciding on the most appropriate method to prepare reliable event inventory maps, and outline the advantages and the limitations of the different approaches.

  17. The GALATEA test facility and a first study of α-induced surface events in a germanium detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Irlbeck, Sabine

    2014-01-30

    Germanium detectors are a choice technology in fundamental research. They are suitable for the search for rare events due to their high sensitivity and excellent energy resolution. As an example, the GERDA (GERmanium Detector Array) experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay is described. The observation of this decay would resolve the fundamental question whether the neutrino is its own antiparticle. Especially adapted detector technologies and low background rates needed to detect very rare events such as neutrinoless double beta decays are discussed. The identification of backgrounds originating from the interaction of radiation, especially α-particles, is a focus of this thesis. Low background experiments face problems from α-particles due to unavoidable surface contaminations of the germanium detectors. The segmentation of detectors is used to obtain information about the special characteristics of selected events. The high precision test stand GALATEA was especially designed for surface scans of germanium detectors. As part of this work, GALATEA was completed and commissioned. The final commissioning required major upgrades of the original design which are described in detail. Collimator studies with two commercial germanium detectors are presented. Different collimation levels for a β-source were investigated and crystal axis effects were examined. The first scan with an α-source of the passivated end-plate of a special 19-fold segmented prototype detector mounted in GALATEA is described. The α-induced surface events were studied and characterized. Crosstalk and mirror pulses seen in the segments of the germanium detector were analyzed. The detector studies presented in this thesis will help to further improve the design of germanium detectors for low background experiments.

  18. The GALATEA test facility and a first study of α-induced surface events in a germanium detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irlbeck, Sabine

    2014-01-01

    Germanium detectors are a choice technology in fundamental research. They are suitable for the search for rare events due to their high sensitivity and excellent energy resolution. As an example, the GERDA (GERmanium Detector Array) experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay is described. The observation of this decay would resolve the fundamental question whether the neutrino is its own antiparticle. Especially adapted detector technologies and low background rates needed to detect very rare events such as neutrinoless double beta decays are discussed. The identification of backgrounds originating from the interaction of radiation, especially α-particles, is a focus of this thesis. Low background experiments face problems from α-particles due to unavoidable surface contaminations of the germanium detectors. The segmentation of detectors is used to obtain information about the special characteristics of selected events. The high precision test stand GALATEA was especially designed for surface scans of germanium detectors. As part of this work, GALATEA was completed and commissioned. The final commissioning required major upgrades of the original design which are described in detail. Collimator studies with two commercial germanium detectors are presented. Different collimation levels for a β-source were investigated and crystal axis effects were examined. The first scan with an α-source of the passivated end-plate of a special 19-fold segmented prototype detector mounted in GALATEA is described. The α-induced surface events were studied and characterized. Crosstalk and mirror pulses seen in the segments of the germanium detector were analyzed. The detector studies presented in this thesis will help to further improve the design of germanium detectors for low background experiments.

  19. Research frontiers in climate change: Effects of extreme meteorological events on ecosystems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jentsch, A.; Jentsch, A.; Beierkuhnlein, C.

    2008-01-01

    Climate change will increase the recurrence of extreme weather events such as drought and heavy rainfall. Evidence suggests that modifications in extreme weather events pose stronger threats to ecosystem functioning than global trends and shifts in average conditions. As ecosystem functioning is connected with ecological services, this has far-reaching effects on societies in the 21. century. Here, we: (i) present the rationale for the increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events in the near future; (ii) discuss recent findings on meteorological extremes and summarize their effects on ecosystems and (iii) identify gaps in current ecological climate change research. (authors)

  20. Causal events enter awareness faster than non-causal events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pieter Moors

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Philosophers have long argued that causality cannot be directly observed but requires a conscious inference (Hume, 1967. Albert Michotte however developed numerous visual phenomena in which people seemed to perceive causality akin to primary visual properties like colour or motion (Michotte, 1946. Michotte claimed that the perception of causality did not require a conscious, deliberate inference but, working over 70 years ago, he did not have access to the experimental methods to test this claim. Here we employ Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS—an interocular suppression technique to render stimuli invisible (Tsuchiya & Koch, 2005—to test whether causal events enter awareness faster than non-causal events. We presented observers with ‘causal’ and ‘non-causal’ events, and found consistent evidence that participants become aware of causal events more rapidly than non-causal events. Our results suggest that, whilst causality must be inferred from sensory evidence, this inference might be computed at low levels of perceptual processing, and does not depend on a deliberative conscious evaluation of the stimulus. This work therefore supports Michotte’s contention that, like colour or motion, causality is an immediate property of our perception of the world.

  1. Event storm detection and identification in communication systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albaghdadi, Mouayad; Briley, Bruce; Evens, Martha

    2006-01-01

    Event storms are the manifestation of an important class of abnormal behaviors in communication systems. They occur when a large number of nodes throughout the system generate a set of events within a small period of time. It is essential for network management systems to detect every event storm and identify its cause, in order to prevent and repair potential system faults. This paper presents a set of techniques for the effective detection and identification of event storms in communication systems. First, we introduce a new algorithm to synchronize events to a single node in the system. Second, the system's event log is modeled as a normally distributed random process. This is achieved by using data analysis techniques to explore and then model the statistical behavior of the event log. Third, event storm detection is proposed using a simple test statistic combined with an exponential smoothing technique to overcome the non-stationary behavior of event logs. Fourth, the system is divided into non-overlapping regions to locate the main contributing regions of a storm. We show that this technique provides us with a method for event storm identification. Finally, experimental results from a commercially deployed multimedia communication system that uses these techniques demonstrate their effectiveness

  2. Is the effect of a political event more pronounced for government controlled firms?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irwan Trinugroho

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates market reaction to a political event, which is the presidential election of Republic of Indonesia in 2014 by studying 387 publicly traded firms in the Indonesia Stock Exchange. It employs event study method to measure the information content of this event. By going deeper, this study looked at the effect difference between government controlled firms (partially privatized firms and private firms. The results show that there was a significant abnormal return around the event date. The negative abnormal return one day before the election date, which was followed by rebounding one day after the event, indicate that investors consider that the election had been done well particularly with respect to the political stability and security. Moreover, this paper reveals that the effect of presidential election is more pronounced for government-controlled firms than private firms. Government controlled firms may be more susceptible to political event.

  3. A dimensionless approach for the runoff peak assessment: effects of the rainfall event structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gnecco, Ilaria; Palla, Anna; La Barbera, Paolo

    2018-02-01

    The present paper proposes a dimensionless analytical framework to investigate the impact of the rainfall event structure on the hydrograph peak. To this end a methodology to describe the rainfall event structure is proposed based on the similarity with the depth-duration-frequency (DDF) curves. The rainfall input consists of a constant hyetograph where all the possible outcomes in the sample space of the rainfall structures can be condensed. Soil abstractions are modelled using the Soil Conservation Service method and the instantaneous unit hydrograph theory is undertaken to determine the dimensionless form of the hydrograph; the two-parameter gamma distribution is selected to test the proposed methodology. The dimensionless approach is introduced in order to implement the analytical framework to any study case (i.e. natural catchment) for which the model assumptions are valid (i.e. linear causative and time-invariant system). A set of analytical expressions are derived in the case of a constant-intensity hyetograph to assess the maximum runoff peak with respect to a given rainfall event structure irrespective of the specific catchment (such as the return period associated with the reference rainfall event). Looking at the results, the curve of the maximum values of the runoff peak reveals a local minimum point corresponding to the design hyetograph derived according to the statistical DDF curve. A specific catchment application is discussed in order to point out the dimensionless procedure implications and to provide some numerical examples of the rainfall structures with respect to observed rainfall events; finally their effects on the hydrograph peak are examined.

  4. Event dependent sampling of recurrent events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kvist, Tine Kajsa; Andersen, Per Kragh; Angst, Jules

    2010-01-01

    The effect of event-dependent sampling of processes consisting of recurrent events is investigated when analyzing whether the risk of recurrence increases with event count. We study the situation where processes are selected for study if an event occurs in a certain selection interval. Motivation...... retrospective and prospective disease course histories are used. We examine two methods to correct for the selection depending on which data are used in the analysis. In the first case, the conditional distribution of the process given the pre-selection history is determined. In the second case, an inverse...

  5. Heavy Ion Irradiation Fluence Dependence for Single-Event Upsets in a NAND Flash Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Dakai; Wilcox, Edward; Ladbury, Raymond L.; Kim, Hak; Phan, Anthony; Seidleck, Christina; Label, Kenneth

    2016-01-01

    We investigated the single-event effect (SEE) susceptibility of the Micron 16 nm NAND flash, and found that the single-event upset (SEU) cross section varied inversely with cumulative fluence. We attribute the effect to the variable upset sensitivities of the memory cells. Furthermore, the effect impacts only single cell upsets in general. The rate of multiple-bit upsets remained relatively constant with fluence. The current test standards and procedures assume that SEU follow a Poisson process and do not take into account the variability in the error rate with fluence. Therefore, traditional SEE testing techniques may underestimate the on-orbit event rate for a device with variable upset sensitivity.

  6. Controlling Stormwater Quality with Filter Soil—Event and Dry Weather Testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karin Cederkvist

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The use of filter soil is increasing for control of quality of stormwater runoff prior to infiltration or discharge. This study aimed to gain knowledge about treatment efficacy of filter soils at field scale. Percolate samples from swale-trench systems with filter soil based on agricultural till with/without limestone were monitored for 15 and 9 rain events respectively. Further, two curb extensions with filter soil based on landfill soil were monitored for 10 and 8 events. Pollutant concentrations in percolate were compared to influent samples from the catchment area. Additionally one of the curb extensions was tested twice by adding high-dose synthetic influent containing runoff pollutants of concern. Despite generally low influent pollutant levels, phosphorus, copper, zinc, lead and some polyaromatic hydrocarbons exceeded guiding criteria for protection of groundwater and freshwater. Concentrations in the percolate were in most cases reduced, but phosphorus increased and despite reduced concentrations copper, lead and benzo(apyrene still exceeded guiding criteria. Pollutants from the synthetic influent were efficiently retained, except the pesticide MCPA. Filter soil based on landfill soil tended to perform better than agricultural till. No impact of limestone was observed. Overall the filter soils performed well in retaining pollutants, despite simultaneous processes of mobilization and immobilization.

  7. Joint effect of alcohol consumption and educational level on alcohol-related medical events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nordahl Christensen, Helene; Diderichsen, Finn; Hvidtfeldt, Ulla Arthur

    2017-01-01

    alcohol consumption at baseline using self-administrated questionnaires. Information on highest attained education 1 year before study entry and hospital and mortality data on alcohol-related medical events were obtained through linkage to nationwide registries. We performed analyses using the Aalen...... may also play a role. We investigated the joint effect of alcohol consumption and educational level on the rate of alcohol-related medical events.Methods: We pooled seven prospective cohorts from Denmark that enrolled 74,278 men and women age 30–70 years (study period, 1981 to 2009). We measured...... additive hazards model.Results: During follow-up (1,085,049 person-years), a total of 1718 alcohol-related events occurred. The joint effect of very high alcohol consumption (>21 [>28] drinks per week in women [men]) and low education on alcohol-related events exceeded the sum of their separate effects...

  8. Effects of human errors on the determination of surveillance test interval

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Dae Wook; Koo, Bon Hyun

    1990-01-01

    This paper incorporates the effects of human error relevant to the periodic test on the unavailability of the safety system as well as the component unavailability. Two types of possible human error during the test are considered. One is the possibility that a good safety system is inadvertently left in a bad state after the test (Type A human error) and the other is the possibility that bad safety system is undetected upon the test (Type B human error). An event tree model is developed for the steady-state unavailability of safety system to determine the effects of human errors on the component unavailability and the test interval. We perform the reliability analysis of safety injection system (SIS) by applying aforementioned two types of human error to safety injection pumps. Results of various sensitivity analyses show that; 1) the appropriate test interval decreases and steady-state unavailability increases as the probabilities of both types of human errors increase, and they are far more sensitive to Type A human error than Type B and 2) the SIS unavailability increases slightly as the probability of Type B human error increases, and significantly as the probability of Type A human error increases. Therefore, to avoid underestimation, the effects of human error should be incorporated in the system reliability analysis which aims at the relaxations of the surveillance test intervals, and Type A human error has more important effect on the unavailability and surveillance test interval

  9. Cognitive Personality Characteristics Impact the Course of Depression: A Prospective Test of Sociotropy, Autonomy and Domain-Specific Life Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iacoviello, Brian M; Grant, David A; Alloy, Lauren B; Abramson, Lyn Y

    2009-01-01

    Prospective tests of the impact of sociotropy and autonomy on the course of depression are lacking. In a sample of 97 cognitive high-risk and 62 cognitive low-risk undergraduates who experienced at least one prospective depressive episode, the interactions of sociotropy and interpersonal life events and autonomy and achievement-related life events were examined as predictors of four indicators of the course of depression. Initial analyses failed to support the hypothesis that global scores for sociotropy and autonomy interact with domain-congruent life events to predict the course indicators. The autonomy-achievement events interaction predicted less severe episodes, contrary to hypothesis. Then, factors hypothesized to underlie Sociotropy (Fear of Criticism and Rejection; Preference for Affiliation) and Autonomy were also analyzed. The puzzling autonomy-achievement life event interaction was explained by the underlying Independent Goal Attainment factor. Interactions between Fear of Criticism and Rejection and achievement events, and between Sensitivity to Others' Control and interpersonal events, significantly predicted chronicity, number and severity of episodes. The findings are discussed in terms of the event-congruency hypothesis.

  10. False memory and level of processing effect: an event-related potential study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beato, Maria Soledad; Boldini, Angela; Cadavid, Sara

    2012-09-12

    Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to determine the effects of level of processing on true and false memory, using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. In the DRM paradigm, lists of words highly associated to a single nonpresented word (the 'critical lure') are studied and, in a subsequent memory test, critical lures are often falsely remembered. Lists with three critical lures per list were auditorily presented here to participants who studied them with either a shallow (saying whether the word contained the letter 'o') or a deep (creating a mental image of the word) processing task. Visual presentation modality was used on a final recognition test. True recognition of studied words was significantly higher after deep encoding, whereas false recognition of nonpresented critical lures was similar in both experimental groups. At the ERP level, true and false recognition showed similar patterns: no FN400 effect was found, whereas comparable left parietal and late right frontal old/new effects were found for true and false recognition in both experimental conditions. Items studied under shallow encoding conditions elicited more positive ERP than items studied under deep encoding conditions at a 1000-1500 ms interval. These ERP results suggest that true and false recognition share some common underlying processes. Differential effects of level of processing on true and false memory were found only at the behavioral level but not at the ERP level.

  11. Dissociable effects of valence and arousal on different subtypes of old/new effect: Evidence from event-related potentials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huifang eXu

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Here we utilized the study-test paradigm combined with recognition confidence assessment and behavioral and event-related potential (ERP measurements to investigate the effects of valence and arousal on the different subtypes of the old-new effect. We also test the effect of valence and arousal at encoding stage to investigate the underlying mechanism of the effect of the two emotional dimension on different retrieval process. In order to test the effects of valence and arousal on old/new effect precisely, we used the subject-oriented orthogonal design which manipulated valence and arousal independently according to subjects’ verbal reporting to investigate the effects of valence and arousal on old/new effect respectively. Three subtypes of old/new effect were obtained in the test phase, which were FN400, LPC, and late positivity over right frontal. They are supposed to be associated with familiarity, recollection, and post-retrieval processes respectively according to previous studies. For the FN400 component, valence affected mid-frontal negativity from 350 to 500 ms. Pleasant items evoked an enhanced ERP old/new effect relative to unpleasant items. However, arousal only affected LPC amplitude from 500 to 800ms. The old/new effect for high-arousal items was greater than for low-arousal items. Valence also affected the amplitude of a positive-going slow wave at right frontal sites from 800 to 1000 ms, possibly serving as an index of post-retrieval processing. At encoding stage, the valence and arousal also have dissociable effect on the frontal slow wave between 350-800ms and the centro-parietal positivity in 500-800ms. The pleasant items evoked a more positive frontal slow wave relative to unpleasant ones, and the high arousal items evoked a larger centro-parietal positivity relative to low arousal ones. These results suggest that valence and arousal may differentially impact these different memory processes: valence affects familiarity and

  12. Stressful life events are not associated with the development of dementia

    OpenAIRE

    Sundstr?m, Anna; R?nnlund, Michael; Adolfsson, Rolf; Nilsson, Lars-G?ran

    2014-01-01

    Background: The impact of stressful life events as a risk factor of dementia diseases is inconclusive. We sought to determine whether stressful negative life events are associated with incidental dementia in a population-based study with long-term follow-up. We also tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of positive life events could mitigate or overcome the possible adverse effects of negative life events on dementia conversion. Methods: The study involved 2,462 dementia-free participants...

  13. Enhancing the Effectiveness of Significant Event Analysis: Exploring Personal Impact and Applying Systems Thinking in Primary Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowie, Paul; McNaughton, Elaine; Bruce, David; Holly, Deirdre; Forrest, Eleanor; Macleod, Marion; Kennedy, Susan; Power, Ailsa; Toppin, Denis; Black, Irene; Pooley, Janet; Taylor, Audrey; Swanson, Vivien; Kelly, Moya; Ferguson, Julie; Stirling, Suzanne; Wakeling, Judy; Inglis, Angela; McKay, John; Sargeant, Joan

    2016-01-01

    Significant event analysis (SEA) is well established in many primary care settings but can be poorly implemented. Reasons include the emotional impact on clinicians and limited knowledge of systems thinking in establishing why events happen and formulating improvements. To enhance SEA effectiveness, we developed and tested "guiding tools" based on human factors principles. Mixed-methods development of guiding tools (Personal Booklet-to help with emotional demands and apply a human factors analysis at the individual level; Desk Pad-to guide a team-based systems analysis; and a written Report Format) by a multiprofessional "expert" group and testing with Scottish primary care practitioners who submitted completed enhanced SEA reports. Evaluation data were collected through questionnaire, telephone interviews, and thematic analysis of SEA reports. Overall, 149/240 care practitioners tested the guiding tools and submitted completed SEA reports (62.1%). Reported understanding of how to undertake SEA improved postintervention (P systems issues (85/123, 69.1%), while most found the Report Format clear (94/123, 76.4%) and would recommend it (88/123, 71.5%). Most SEA reports adopted a systems approach to analyses (125/149, 83.9%), care improvement (74/149, 49.7), or planned actions (42/149, 28.2%). Applying human factors principles to SEA potentially enables care teams to gain a systems-based understanding of why things go wrong, which may help with related emotional demands and with more effective learning and improvement.

  14. Stand-structural effects on Heterobasidion abietinum-related mortality following drought events in Abies pinsapo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linares, Juan Carlos; Camarero, Jesús Julio; Bowker, Matthew A; Ochoa, Victoria; Carreira, José Antonio

    2010-12-01

    Climate change may affect tree-pathogen interactions. This possibility has important implications for drought-prone forests, where stand dynamics and disease pathogenicity are especially sensitive to climatic stress. In addition, stand structural attributes including density-dependent tree-to-tree competition may modulate the stands' resistance to drought events and pathogen outbreaks. To assess the effects of stand structure on root-rot-related mortality after severe droughts, we focused on Heterobasidion abietinum mortality in relict Spanish stands of Abies pinsapo, a drought-sensitive fir. We compared stand attributes and tree spatial patterns in three plots with H. abietinum root-rot disease and three plots without root-rot. Point-pattern analyses were used to investigate the scale and extent of mortality patterns and to test hypotheses related to the spread of the disease. Dendrochronology was used to date the year of death and to assess the association between droughts and growth decline. We applied a structural equation modelling approach to test if tree mortality occurs more rapidly than predicted by a simple distance model when trees are subjected to high tree-to-tree competition and following drought events. Contrary to expectations of drought mortality, the effect of precipitation on the year of death was strong and negative, indicating that a period of high precipitation induced an earlier tree death. Competition intensity, related to the size and density of neighbour trees, also induced an earlier tree death. The effect of distance to the disease focus was negligible except in combination with intensive competition. Our results indicate that infected trees have decreased ability to withstand drought stress, and demonstrate that tree-to-tree competition and fungal infection act as predisposing factors of forest decline and mortality.

  15. Event boundaries and memory improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pettijohn, Kyle A; Thompson, Alexis N; Tamplin, Andrea K; Krawietz, Sabine A; Radvansky, Gabriel A

    2016-03-01

    The structure of events can influence later memory for information that is embedded in them, with evidence indicating that event boundaries can both impair and enhance memory. The current study explored whether the presence of event boundaries during encoding can structure information to improve memory. In Experiment 1, memory for a list of words was tested in which event structure was manipulated by having participants walk through a doorway, or not, halfway through the word list. In Experiment 2, memory for lists of words was tested in which event structure was manipulated using computer windows. Finally, in Experiments 3 and 4, event structure was manipulated by having event shifts described in narrative texts. The consistent finding across all of these methods and materials was that memory was better when the information was distributed across two events rather than combined into a single event. Moreover, Experiment 4 demonstrated that increasing the number of event boundaries from one to two increased the memory benefit. These results are interpreted in the context of the Event Horizon Model of event cognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Facility-level association of preoperative stress testing and postoperative adverse cardiac events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valle, Javier A; Graham, Laura; Thiruvoipati, Thejasvi; Grunwald, Gary; Armstrong, Ehrin J; Maddox, Thomas M; Hawn, Mary T; Bradley, Steven M

    2018-06-22

    Despite limited indications, preoperative stress testing is often used prior to non-cardiac surgery. Patient-level analyses of stress testing and outcomes are limited by case mix and selection bias. Therefore, we sought to describe facility-level rates of preoperative stress testing for non-cardiac surgery, and to determine the association between facility-level preoperative stress testing and postoperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE). We identified patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery within 2 years of percutaneous coronary intervention in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, from 2004 to 2011, facility-level rates of preoperative stress testing and postoperative MACE (death, myocardial infarction (MI) or revascularisation within 30 days). We determined risk-standardised facility-level rates of stress testing and postoperative MACE, and the relationship between facility-level preoperative stress testing and postoperative MACE. Among 29 937 patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery at 131 VA facilities, the median facility rate of preoperative stress testing was 13.2% (IQR 9.7%-15.9%; range 6.0%-21.5%), and 30-day postoperative MACE was 4.0% (IQR 2.4%-5.4%). After risk standardisation, the median facility-level rate of stress testing was 12.7% (IQR 8.4%-17.4%) and postoperative MACE was 3.8% (IQR 2.3%-5.6%). There was no correlation between risk-standardised stress testing and composite MACE at the facility level (r=0.022, p=0.81), or with individual outcomes of death, MI or revascularisation. In a national cohort of veterans undergoing non-cardiac surgery, we observed substantial variation in facility-level rates of preoperative stress testing. Facilities with higher rates of preoperative stress testing were not associated with better postoperative outcomes. These findings suggest an opportunity to reduce variation in preoperative stress testing without sacrificing patient outcomes. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise

  17. Identification of events with a secondary vertex in the experiment EXCHARM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonyushkina, A.Yu.; Ivanov, V.V.; Potrebenikov, Yu.K.; Progulova, T.B.; Tatishvili, G.T.

    1996-01-01

    A simple algorithm for identifying events with secondary vertices (signal events) is suggested. The differences R x , R y between the largest and the smallest impact parameters D i of the tracks belonging to each of the events analyzed are used in establishing the identification criteria for signal and background events. An effective method for identifying the tracks associated with a particular secondary vertex in an event is developed. The method is based on the differences between the asymmetries exhibited by the sets D i for individual signal events and background events. The algorithm has been tested using simulated data. 12 refs., 7 figs

  18. Bidirectional soliton spectral tunneling effects in the regime of optical event horizon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gu, Jie; Guo, Hairun; Wang, Shaofei

    2015-01-01

    We study the cross-phase-modulation-induced soliton spectral shifting in the regime of the optical event horizon. The perturbed soliton to either red-shifting or blue-shifting is controllable, which could evoke bidirectional soliton spectral tunneling effects.......We study the cross-phase-modulation-induced soliton spectral shifting in the regime of the optical event horizon. The perturbed soliton to either red-shifting or blue-shifting is controllable, which could evoke bidirectional soliton spectral tunneling effects....

  19. The effect of encoding manipulation on word-stem cued recall: an event-related potential study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fay, Séverine; Isingrini, Michel; Ragot, Richard; Pouthas, Viviane

    2005-08-01

    The purpose of the present study was to find out whether the neural correlates of explicit retrieval from episodic memory would vary according to conditions at encoding when the words were presented in separate study/test blocks. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants performed a word-stem cued-recall task. Deeply (semantically) studied words were associated with higher levels of recall and faster response times than shallowly (lexically) studied words. Robust ERP old/new effects were observed for each encoding condition. They varied in magnitude, being largest in the semantic condition. As expected, scalp distributions also differed: for deeply studied words, the old/new effect resembled that found in previous ERP studies of word-stem cued-recall tasks (parietal and right frontal effects, between 400-800 and 800-1100 ms post-stimulus), whereas for shallowly studied words, the parietal old/new effect was absent in the latter latency window. These results can be interpreted as reflecting access to different kinds of memory representation depending on the nature of the processing engaged during encoding. Furthermore, differences in the ERPs elicited by new items indicate that subjects adopted different processing strategies in the test blocks following each encoding condition.

  20. EPISODIC EVENTS: THE EFFECT OF FLOODS ON NUTRIENT TRANSPORT IN A NORTHWESTERN, USA ESTUARY

    Science.gov (United States)

    To estimate the effects of storms on nutrient transport, dissolved nutrients and suspended sediment loads were measured relative to stream discharge in the Yaquina River, OR for three storm events. Episodic events, particularly high rainfall or flood events may transport high di...

  1. The Effect of Material and Side Walls on Hull Deflection during a Blast Event

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-13

    ARL-CR-0822 ● DEC 2017 US Army Research Laboratory The Effect of Material and Side Walls on Hull Deflection during a Blast Event...Army Research Laboratory The Effect of Material and Side Walls on Hull Deflection during a Blast Event prepared by Danielle Abell SURVICE...Walls on Hull Deflection during a Blast Event 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W911QX-16-D-0014 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S

  2. Negative life events have detrimental effects on in-vitro fertlization outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yilmaz, Nafiye; Kahyaoglu, İnci; İnal, Hasan Ali; Görkem, Ümit; Devran, Aysun; Mollamahmutoglu, Leyla

    2015-09-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of negative life events on in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) outcome. Depression and negative life events were measured using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and List of Recent Events in 83 women attending the IVF clinic of a tertiary research and education hospital with the diagnosis of unexplained infertility between January 2013 and August 2013. Demographic features, stimulation parameters, depression scores, and negative life events of pregnant and non-pregnant participants were compared and the relation between negative life events, depression scores, and IVF outcome was investigated. Women who did not achieve a pregnancy experienced more negative life events than women who became pregnant (77.2% vs. 23.1%) (p > 0.001). The number of patients with moderate-to-severe depression (BDI scores > 16) was higher in the non-pregnant group than pregnant group (49.1% vs. 26.9%), however the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.057). Clinical pregnancy showed a significant moderate negative correlation with the number of negative life events (r = -0.513, p = 0.001), but the correlation between clinical pregnancy and BDI scores was not statistically significant (r = -0.209, p = 0.059). Stressful life events have a negative influence on the quality of life, which eventually affects in IVF outcome, possibly through maladaptive lifestyle behavior.

  3. Charge-dependent correlations from event-by-event anomalous hydrodynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirono, Yuji [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800 (United States); Hirano, Tetsufumi [Department of Physics, Sophia University, Tokyo 102-8554 (Japan); Kharzeev, Dmitri E. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800 (United States); Department of Physics and RIKEN-BNL Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973-5000 (United States)

    2016-12-15

    We report on our recent attempt of quantitative modeling of the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) in heavy-ion collisions. We perform 3+1 dimensional anomalous hydrodynamic simulations on an event-by-event basis, with constitutive equations that contain the anomaly-induced effects. We also develop a model of the initial condition for the axial charge density that captures the statistical nature of random chirality imbalances created by the color flux tubes. Basing on the event-by-event hydrodynamic simulations for hundreds of thousands of collisions, we calculate the correlation functions that are measured in experiments, and discuss how the anomalous transport affects these observables.

  4. Non Invasive Instrumentation For Single Event Effects (NIISEE), Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — On this Phase 1 project, Adventium will identify and address key hurdles to achieve Radiation Hardening by Software (RHS) for Single Event Effects (SEEs) for modern...

  5. Single event effects and performance predictions for space applications of RISC processors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimbrough, J.R.; Colella, N.J.; Denton, S.M.; Shaeffer, D.L.; Shih, D.; Wilburn, J.W.; Coakley, P.G.; Casteneda, C.; Koga, R.; Clark, D.A.; Ullmann, J.L.

    1994-01-01

    Proton and ion Single Event Phenomena (SEP) tests were performed on 32-b processors including R3000A's from all commercial manufacturers along with the Performance PR3400 family, Integrated Device Technology Inc. 79R3081, LSI Logic Corporation LR33000HC, and Intel i80960MX parts. The microprocessors had acceptable upset rates for operation in a low earth orbit or a lunar mission such as CLEMENTINE with a wide range in proton total dose failure. Even though R3000A devices are 60% smaller in physical area than R3000 devices, there was a 340% increase in device Single Event Upset (SEU) cross section. Software tests of varying complexity demonstrate that registers and other functional blocks using register architecture dominate the cross section. The current approach of giving a single upset cross section can lead to erroneous upset rates depending on the application software

  6. Investigation of the Semicoa SCF9550 and the International Rectifier IRHM57260SE for Single-Event Gate Rapture and Single-Event Burnout : NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program Office of Safety and Mission Assurance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheick, Leif

    2011-01-01

    Single-event-effect test results for hi-rel total-dose-hardened power MOSFETs are presented in this report. TheSCF9550 from Semicoa and the IRHM57260SE from International Rectifier were tested to NASA test condition/standards and requirements.The IRHM57260SE performed much better when compared to previous testing. These initial results confirm that parts from the Temecula line are marginally comparable to the El Segundo line. The SCF9550 from Semicoa was also tested and represents the initial parts offering from this vendor. Both parts experienced single-event gate rupture (SEGR) and single-event burnout (SEB). All of the SEGR was from gate to drain.

  7. Effects of Tranexamic Acid on Death, Vascular Occlusive Events ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Tranexamic acid can reduce bleeding in patients undergoing elective surgery. We assessed the effects of early administration of a short course of tranexamic acid on death, vascular occlusive events, and the receipt of blood transfusion in trauma patients. Methods: This randomised controlled trial was ...

  8. Bb4l event generator, interferences and off-shell effects

    CERN Document Server

    Peyruchat, Leo Paul

    2017-01-01

    Proton-proton collisions happening in LHC create lots of data. To understand the underlying physics behind these events, the real data must be compared to simulated events. A new generator,called the bb4l model, is able to simulate collisions happening in LHC with new interesting features regarding process creating two W bosons and two b quarks. One of them is that it takes interferences between different processes into account. Such effects have always been neglected in the case of top pair or single top production, but with the increasing sensitivity of the detectors it is becoming important to know precisely their amplitude. The goal of this study is to separate events generated with bb4l into different categories, and then to look at many variables and look for differences between categories.

  9. Single-Event Effects in Silicon and Silicon Carbide Power Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauenstein, Jean-Marie; Casey, Megan C.; LaBel, Kenneth A.; Topper, Alyson D.; Wilcox, Edward P.; Kim, Hak; Phan, Anthony M.

    2014-01-01

    NASA Electronics Parts and Packaging program-funded activities over the past year on single-event effects in silicon and silicon carbide power devices are presented, with focus on SiC device failure signatures.

  10. Comparison of effects of valsartan and amlodipine on cognitive functions and auditory p300 event-related potentials in elderly hypertensive patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katada, Eiichi; Uematsu, Norihiko; Takuma, Yuko; Matsukawa, Noriyuki

    2014-01-01

    We compared the antihypertensive effect of valsartan (VAL) and amlodipine (AML) treatments in elderly hypertensive patients by examining the long-term changes in cognitive function and auditory P300 event-related potentials. We enrolled 20 outpatients, including 12 men and 8 women in the age group of 56 to 81 years who had mild to moderate essential hypertension. The subjects were randomly allocated to receive either 80 mg VAL once a day (10 patients) or 5 mg AML once a day (10 patients). Neuropsychological assessment and auditory P300 event-related potentials were obtained before initiation of VAL or AML treatment and after 6 months of the treatment with VAL or AML. Neuropsychological assessment was evaluated by conducting the Mini-Mental State Examination, the verbal fluency, word-list memory, word-list recall test, word-list recognition, and Trails B tests. Both the groups showed significantly reduced-blood pressure after 6 months of treatment, and the intergroup difference was not significant. The mean baseline Mini-Mental State Examination scores of the VAL and AML groups were not significantly different. Amlodipine treatment did not significantly affect any test score, but VAL treatment significantly increased the word-list memory and word-list recall test scores. Valsartan, and not AML, significantly reduced the mean P300 latency after 6 months. These results suggest that VAL exerts a positive effect on cognitive functions, independent of its antihypertensive effect.

  11. Asymptotic Effectiveness of the Event-Based Sampling According to the Integral Criterion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marek Miskowicz

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available A rapid progress in intelligent sensing technology creates new interest in a development of analysis and design of non-conventional sampling schemes. The investigation of the event-based sampling according to the integral criterion is presented in this paper. The investigated sampling scheme is an extension of the pure linear send-on- delta/level-crossing algorithm utilized for reporting the state of objects monitored by intelligent sensors. The motivation of using the event-based integral sampling is outlined. The related works in adaptive sampling are summarized. The analytical closed-form formulas for the evaluation of the mean rate of event-based traffic, and the asymptotic integral sampling effectiveness, are derived. The simulation results verifying the analytical formulas are reported. The effectiveness of the integral sampling is compared with the related linear send-on-delta/level-crossing scheme. The calculation of the asymptotic effectiveness for common signals, which model the state evolution of dynamic systems in time, is exemplified.

  12. Single-Event Effects in Silicon Carbide Power Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauenstein, Jean-Marie; Casey, Megan C.; LaBel, Kenneth A.; Ikpe, Stanley; Topper, Alyson D.; Wilcox, Edward P.; Kim, Hak; Phan, Anthony M.

    2015-01-01

    This report summarizes the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program Silicon Carbide Power Device Subtask efforts in FY15. Benefits of SiC are described and example NASA Programs and Projects desiring this technology are given. The current status of the radiation tolerance of silicon carbide power devices is given and paths forward in the effort to develop heavy-ion single-event effect hardened devices indicated.

  13. Preliminary failure modes and effects analysis on Korean HCCR TBS to be tested in ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Mu-Young; Cho, Seungyon; Jin, Hyung Gon; Lee, Dong Won; Park, Yi-Hyun; Lee, Youngmin

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Postulated initiating events are identified through failure modes and effects analysis on the current HCCR TBS design. • A set of postulated initiating events are selected for consideration of deterministic analysis. • Accident evolutions on the selected postualted initiating events are qualitatively described for deterministic analysis. - Abstract: Korean Helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) Test blanket system (TBS), which comprises Test blanket module (TBM) and ancillary systems in various locations of ITER building, is operated at high temperature and pressure with decay heat. Therefore, safety is utmost concern in design process and it is required to demonstrate that the HCCR TBS is designed to comply with the safety requirements and guidelines of ITER. Due to complexity of the system with many interfaces with ITER, a systematic approach is necessary for safety analysis. This paper presents preliminary failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) study performed for the HCCR TBS. FMEA is a systematic methodology in which failure modes for components in the system and their consequences are studied from the bottom-up. Over eighty failure modes have been investigated on the HCCR TBS. The failure modes that have similar consequences are grouped as postulated initiating events (PIEs) and total seven reference accident scenarios are derived from FMEA study for deterministic accident analysis. Failure modes not covered here due to evolving design of the HCCR TBS and uncertainty in maintenance procedures will be studied further in near future.

  14. Preliminary failure modes and effects analysis on Korean HCCR TBS to be tested in ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, Mu-Young, E-mail: myahn74@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Seungyon [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Jin, Hyung Gon; Lee, Dong Won [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Yi-Hyun; Lee, Youngmin [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • Postulated initiating events are identified through failure modes and effects analysis on the current HCCR TBS design. • A set of postulated initiating events are selected for consideration of deterministic analysis. • Accident evolutions on the selected postualted initiating events are qualitatively described for deterministic analysis. - Abstract: Korean Helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) Test blanket system (TBS), which comprises Test blanket module (TBM) and ancillary systems in various locations of ITER building, is operated at high temperature and pressure with decay heat. Therefore, safety is utmost concern in design process and it is required to demonstrate that the HCCR TBS is designed to comply with the safety requirements and guidelines of ITER. Due to complexity of the system with many interfaces with ITER, a systematic approach is necessary for safety analysis. This paper presents preliminary failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) study performed for the HCCR TBS. FMEA is a systematic methodology in which failure modes for components in the system and their consequences are studied from the bottom-up. Over eighty failure modes have been investigated on the HCCR TBS. The failure modes that have similar consequences are grouped as postulated initiating events (PIEs) and total seven reference accident scenarios are derived from FMEA study for deterministic accident analysis. Failure modes not covered here due to evolving design of the HCCR TBS and uncertainty in maintenance procedures will be studied further in near future.

  15. Key events and their effects on cycling behaviour in Dar-es-Salaam : abstract + powerpoint

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nkurunziza, A.; Zuidgeest, M.H.P.; Brussel, M.J.G.; van Maarseveen, M.F.A.M.

    2012-01-01

    The paper explores key events and investigates their effects on cycling behaviour in the city of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The objective of the study is to identify specific key events during a person’s life course with a significant effect on change of travel behaviour towards cycling in relation to

  16. Experiment data report for Test RIA 1-2 (Reactivity Initiated Accident Test Series)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmermann, C.L.; White, C.E.; Evans, R.P.

    1979-06-01

    Recorded test data are presented for the second of six planned tests in the Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) Test Series I, Test RIA 1-2. This test, conducted at the Power Burst Facility, had the following objectives: (1) characterize the response of preirradiated fuel rods during an RIA event conducted at boiling water reactor hot-startup conditions; and (2) evaluate the effect of rod internal pressure on preirradiated fuel rod response during an RIA event. The data from Test RIA 1-2 are graphed in engineering units and have been appraised for quality and validity. These uninterpreted data are presented for use in the nuclear fuel behavior research field before detailed analysis and interpretation have been completed

  17. Cosmic and terrestrial single-event radiation effects in dynamic random access memories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massengill, L.W.

    1996-01-01

    A review of the literature on single-event radiation effects (SEE) on MOS integrated-circuit dynamic random access memories (DRAM's) is presented. The sources of single-event (SE) radiation particles, causes of circuit information loss, experimental observations of SE information upset, technological developments for error mitigation, and relationships of developmental trends to SE vulnerability are discussed

  18. Post and during event effect of cell phone talking and texting on driving performance--a driving simulator study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thapa, Raju; Codjoe, Julius; Ishak, Sherif; McCarter, Kevin S

    2015-01-01

    A number of studies have been done in the field of driver distraction, specifically on the use of cell phone for either conversation or texting while driving. Researchers have focused on the driving performance of drivers when they were actually engaged in the task; that is, during the texting or phone conversation event. However, it is still unknown whether the impact of cell phone usages ceases immediately after the end of task. The primary objective of this article is to analyze the post-event effect of cell phone usage (texting and conversation) in order to verify whether the distracting effect lingers after the actual event has ceased. This study utilizes a driving simulator study of 36 participants to test whether a significant decrease in driver performance occurs during cell phone usage and after usage. Surrogate measures used to represent lateral and longitudinal control of the vehicle were standard deviation (SD) of lane position and mean velocity, respectively. RESULTS suggest that there was no significant decrease in driver performance (both lateral and longitudinal control) during and after the cell phone conversation. For the texting event, there were significant decreases in driver performance in both the longitudinal and lateral control of the vehicle during the actual texting task. The diminished longitudinal control ceased immediately after the texting event but the diminished lateral control lingered for an average of 3.38 s. The number of text messages exchanged did not affect the magnitude or duration of the diminished lateral control. The result indicates that the distraction and subsequent elevated crash risk of texting while driving linger even after the texting event has ceased. This finding has safety and policy implications in reducing distracted driving.

  19. Solar proton events and their effect on space systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tranquille, C.

    1994-01-01

    Solar protons present a major problem to space systems because of the ionisation and displacement effects which arise from their interaction with matter. This is likely to become a greater problem in the future due to the use of more sensitive electronic components and the proposed expansion of manned activities in space. An outline is provided of the physical processes associated with individual solar events, the solar activity cycle and the transport of solar particles between the Sun and the Earth. The problems of predicting solar event fluences, both over short- and long-term periods, are discussed. The currently available solar proton event models used for long-term forecasting are briefly reviewed, and the advantages and deficiencies of each model are investigated. Predictions using the models are compared to measurements made by the GOES-7 satellite during the rising phase of the current solar cycle. These measurements are also used to illustrate the sensitivity of the models to the choice of confidence level and to the spectral form used for extrapolation over the solar proton energy range. (author)

  20. Empirical assessment of effects of urbanization on event flow hydrology in watersheds of Canada's Great Lakes-St Lawrence basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trudeau, M. P.; Richardson, Murray

    2016-10-01

    We conducted an empirical hydrological analysis of high-temporal resolution streamflow records for 27 watersheds within 11 river systems in the Greater Toronto Region of the Canadian Great Lakes basin. Our objectives were to model the event-scale flow response of watersheds to urbanization and to test for scale and threshold effects. Watershed areas ranged from 37.5 km2 to 806 km2 and urban percent land cover ranged from less than 0.1-87.6%. Flow records had a resolution of 15-min increments and were available over a 42-year period, allowing for detailed assessment of changes in event-scale flow response with increasing urban land use during the post-freshet period (May 26 to November 15). Empirical statistical models were developed for flow characteristics including total runoff, runoff coefficient, eightieth and ninety-fifth percentile rising limb event runoff and mean rising limb event acceleration. Changes in some of these runoff metrics began at very low urban land use (acceleration increased with increasing urban cover, thus causing 80th percentile runoff depths to be reached sooner. These results indicate the potential for compromised water balance when cumulative changes are considered at the watershed scale. No abrupt or threshold changes in hydrologic characteristics were identified along the urban land use gradient. A positive interaction of urban percent land use and watershed size indicated a scale effect on total runoff. Overall, the results document compromised hydrologic stability attributable to urbanization during a period with no detectable change in rainfall patterns. They also corroborate literature recommendations for spatially distributed low impact urban development techniques; measures would be needed throughout the urbanized area of a watershed to dampen event-scale hydrologic responses to urbanization. Additional research is warranted into event-scale hydrologic trends with urbanization in other regions, in particular rising limb event

  1. The Effects of Spatial Contextual Familiarity on Remembered Scenes, Episodic Memories, and Imagined Future Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robin, Jessica; Moscovitch, Morris

    2014-01-01

    Several recent studies have explored the effect of contextual familiarity on remembered and imagined events. The aim of this study was to examine the extent of this effect by comparing the effect of cuing spatial memories, episodic memories, and imagined future events with spatial contextual cues of varying levels of familiarity. We used…

  2. Cognitive and emotional reactions to daily events: the effects of self-esteem and self-complexity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, J D; Chew, B; Scratchley, L S

    1991-09-01

    In this article we examine the effects of self-esteem and self-complexity on cognitive appraisals of daily events and emotional lability. Subjects (n = 67) participated in a 2-week diary study; each day they made five mood ratings, described the most positive and negative events of the day, and rated these two events on six appraisal measures. Neither self-esteem nor self-complexity was related to an extremity measure of mood variability. Both traits were negatively related to measures assessing the frequency of mood change, although the effect of self-complexity dissipated when self-esteem was taken into account. Self-esteem (but not self-complexity) was also related to event appraisals: Subjects with low self-esteem rated their daily events as less positive and as having more impact on their moods. Subjects with high self-esteem made more internal, stable, global attributions for positive events than for negative events, whereas subjects low in self-esteem made similar attributions for both types of events and viewed their negative events as being more personally important than did subjects high in self-esteem. Despite these self-esteem differences in subjects' views of their daily events, naive judges (n = 63) who read the event descriptions and role-played their appraisals of them generally did not distinguish between the events that had been experienced by low self-esteem versus high self-esteem diary subjects.

  3. Recent life events and psychosis: The role of childhood adversities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansueto, Giovanni; Faravelli, Carlo

    2017-10-01

    Life events are commonly reported to be related to psychosis. However, less attention has been given to the role that recent events play on psychosis, in relation to exposure to childhood adversity. The current study aimed to evaluate the relationship between recent events and psychosis, taking into account the role of early adversities. 78 psychotic patients and 156 controls were enrolled. Childhood adversity was evaluated using a validated semi-structured interview and the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire. Recent events were recorded using a semi-structured interview with a normative and contextual approach. The diagnosis of psychosis was made according to Jablenski's criteria. Chi-square, t-test, odds ratio, and binary logistic regression statistical analyses were performed. Psychotic patients reported an excess of recent events. The occurrence of more than one recent event increased the risk of psychosis; there was a cumulative effect between recent and childhood events on psychosis. Recent events were significantly related to psychosis, even in the absence of childhood adversity or when adjusted for it. Our findings suggested that the effect of recent events on psychosis may be amplified by previous exposure to early adversity. Recent events alone, could be also linked to psychosis independently of childhood adversity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Effects of Negative Emotions and Life Events on Women's Missed Miscarriage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Huilin; Luo, Yaping; Wang, Shouying

    2018-02-01

    To investigate the effects of negative emotions and life events on women's missed miscarriage. Overall, 214 women diagnosed with a missed miscarriage by prenatal examination from 2016-2017 in Xiamen Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Xiamen, China were selected as the observation group compared to 214 women as control group. The general data of the patients were investigated by self-programmed questionnaires. Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Center Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; Life Events Scale for Pregnant Women were used conduct the study. General data, anxiety, depression and life events were compared between the two groups of patients, and statistically different factors were included in the multivariate Logistic regression analysis. There were statistically significant differences in the educational level, pre-pregnancy health status, planned pregnancy, pre-pregnancy or gestational gynecological inflammation and the initiative to obtain knowledge of prenatal and postnatal care between the two groups of pregnant women ( P life events, score of anxiety and score of depression between them ( P life events, anxiety and depression were independent risk factors for it. Negative emotions and life events increase the risk of women's missed miscarriage, and the high educational level, good health status before pregnancy and the initiative to obtain the knowledge of prenatal and postnatal care reduce the risk of women's missed miscarriage.

  5. Does the Nature of the Experience Influence Suggestibility? A Study of Children's Event Memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gobbo, Camilla; Mega, Carolina; Pipe, Margaret-Ellen

    2002-01-01

    Two experiments examined effects of event modality on young children's memory and suggestibility. Findings indicated that 5-year-olds were more accurate than 3-year-olds and those participating in the event were more accurate than those either observing or listening to a narrative. Assessment method, level of event learning, delay to testing, and…

  6. Cognitive Personality Characteristics Impact the Course of Depression: A Prospective Test of Sociotropy, Autonomy and Domain-Specific Life Events

    OpenAIRE

    Iacoviello, Brian M.; Grant, David A.; Alloy, Lauren B.; Abramson, Lyn Y.

    2009-01-01

    Prospective tests of the impact of sociotropy and autonomy on the course of depression are lacking. In a sample of 97 cognitive high-risk and 62 cognitive low-risk undergraduates who experienced at least one prospective depressive episode, the interactions of sociotropy and interpersonal life events and autonomy and achievement-related life events were examined as predictors of four indicators of the course of depression. Initial analyses failed to support the hypothesis that global scores fo...

  7. Crowdedness Mediates the Effect of Social Identification on Positive Emotion in a Crowd: A Survey of Two Crowd Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novelli, David; Drury, John; Reicher, Stephen; Stott, Clifford

    2013-01-01

    Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situations. We surveyed participants at two crowd events to test the prediction of self-categorization theory that variable emotional responses to crowding are a function of social identification with the crowd. In data collected from participants who attended a crowded outdoor music event (n = 48), identification with the crowd predicted feeling less crowded; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through feeling less crowded. Identification with the crowd also moderated the relation between feeling less crowded and positive emotion. In data collected at a demonstration march (n = 112), identification with the crowd predicted central (most dense) location in the crowd; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through central location in the crowd. Positive emotion in the crowd also increased over the duration of the crowd event. These findings are in line with the predictions of self-categorization theory. They are inconsistent with approaches that suggest that crowding is inherently aversive; and they cannot easily be explained through the concept of ‘personal space’. PMID:24236079

  8. Crowdedness mediates the effect of social identification on positive emotion in a crowd: a survey of two crowd events.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Novelli

    Full Text Available Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situations. We surveyed participants at two crowd events to test the prediction of self-categorization theory that variable emotional responses to crowding are a function of social identification with the crowd. In data collected from participants who attended a crowded outdoor music event (n = 48, identification with the crowd predicted feeling less crowded; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through feeling less crowded. Identification with the crowd also moderated the relation between feeling less crowded and positive emotion. In data collected at a demonstration march (n = 112, identification with the crowd predicted central (most dense location in the crowd; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through central location in the crowd. Positive emotion in the crowd also increased over the duration of the crowd event. These findings are in line with the predictions of self-categorization theory. They are inconsistent with approaches that suggest that crowding is inherently aversive; and they cannot easily be explained through the concept of 'personal space'.

  9. Investigation of the Semicoa 2N7616 and 2N7425 and the Microsemi 2N7480 for Single-Event Gate Rupture and Single-Event Burnout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheick, Leif

    2014-01-01

    Single-event-effect test results for hi-rel total-dose-hardened power MOSFETs are presented in this report. The 2N7616 and the 2N7425 from Semicoa and the 2N7480 from International Rectifier were tested to NASA test condition standards and requirements. The 2N7480 performed well and the data agree with the manufacture's data. The 2N7616 and 2N7425 were entry parts from Semicoa using a new device architecture. Unfortunately, the device performed poorly and Semicoa is withdrawing power MOSFETs from it line due to these data. Vertical metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are the most commonly used power transistor. MOSFETs are typically employed in power supplies and high current switching applications. Due to the inherent high electric fields in the device, power MOSFETs are sensitive to heavy ion irradiation and can fail catastrophically as a result of single-event gate rupture (SEGR) or single-event burnout (SEB). Manufacturers have designed radiation-hardened power MOSFETs for space applications. See [1] through [5] for more information. The objective of this effort was to investigate the SEGR and SEB responses of two power MOSFETs recently produced. These tests will serve as a limited verification of these parts. It is acknowledged that further testing on the respective parts may be needed for some mission profiles.

  10. The Effects of Life Events and Socioeconomic Position in Childhood and Adulthood on Successful Aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kok, Almar A L; Aartsen, Marja J; Deeg, Dorly J H; Huisman, Martijn

    2017-03-01

    Building on social stress theory, this study has 2 aims. First, we aim to estimate the effects of stressful life events in childhood and adulthood on Successful Aging (SA). Second, we examine how unequal exposure to such life events between individuals with different socioeconomic position (SEP) contributes to socioeconomic inequalities in SA. We used 16-year longitudinal data from 2,185 respondents aged 55-85 years in 1992 in the Dutch nationally representative Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Measurement of SA was based on earlier work, in which we integrated trajectories in 9 indicators of functioning into an index of SA. Using path analysis, we investigated direct and indirect effects of parental and adulthood SEP as well as of self-reported childhood and adulthood life events on SA. Almost all included life events had negative direct effects on SA. Parental SEP had no direct effect on SA, whereas adulthood SEP had. Higher Parental SEP increased the likelihood of parental problems and parental death in childhood, resulting in negative indirect effects on SA. Higher adulthood SEP had both positive and negative indirect effects on SA, through increasing the likelihood of divorce and unemployment, but decreasing the likelihood of occupational disability. SEP and particular stressful life events are largely, but not entirely independent predictors of SA. We found that high and low SEP may increase exposure to particular events that negatively affect SA. Findings suggest that low (childhood) SEP and stressful life events are interrelated factors that may limit individual opportunities to age successfully. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Exercise-induced hypertension, cardiovascular events, and mortality in patients undergoing exercise stress testing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, Martin G; Otahal, Petr; Cleland, Verity J; Blizzard, Leigh; Marwick, Thomas H; Sharman, James E

    2013-03-01

    The prognostic relevance of a hypertensive response to exercise (HRE) is ill-defined in individuals undergoing exercise stress testing. The study described here was intended to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature to determine the value of exercise-related blood pressure (BP) (independent of office BP) for predicting cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality. Online databases were searched for published longitudinal studies reporting exercise-related BP and CV events and mortality rates. We identified for review 12 longitudinal studies with a total of 46,314 individuals without significant coronary artery disease, with total CV event and mortality rates recorded over a mean follow-up of 15.2±4.0 years. After adjustment for age, office BP, and CV risk factors, an HRE at moderate exercise intensity carried a 36% greater rate of CV events and mortality (95% CI, 1.02-1.83, P = 0.039) than that of subjects without an HRE. Additionally, each 10mm Hg increase in systolic BP during exercise at moderate intensity was accompanied by a 4% increase in CV events and mortality, independent of office BP, age, or CV risk factors (95% CI, 1.01-1.07, P = 0.02). Systolic BP at maximal workload was not significantly associated with the outcome of an increased rate of CV, whether analyzed as a categorical (HR=1.49, 95% CI, 0.90-2.46, P = 0.12) or a continuous (HR=1.01, 95% CI, 0.98-1.04, P = 0.53) variable. An HRE at moderate exercise intensity during exercise stress testing is an independent risk factor for CV events and mortality. This highlights the need to determine underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of exercise-induced hypertension.

  12. The effect of event shape on centroiding in photon counting detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawakami, Hajime; Bone, David; Fordham, John; Michel, Raul

    1994-01-01

    High resolution, CCD readout, photon counting detectors employ simple centroiding algorithms for defining the spatial position of each detected event. The accuracy of centroiding is very dependent upon a number of parameters including the profile, energy and width of the intensified event. In this paper, we provide an analysis of how the characteristics of an intensified event change as the input count rate increases and the consequent effect on centroiding. The changes in these parameters are applied in particular to the MIC photon counting detector developed at UCL for ground and space based astronomical applications. This detector has a maximum format of 3072x2304 pixels permitting its use in the highest resolution applications. Individual events, at light level from 5 to 1000k events/s over the detector area, were analysed. It was found that both the asymmetry and width of event profiles were strongly dependent upon the energy of the intensified event. The variation in profile then affected the centroiding accuracy leading to loss of resolution. These inaccuracies have been quantified for two different 3 CCD pixel centroiding algorithms and one 2 pixel algorithm. The results show that a maximum error of less than 0.05 CCD pixel occurs with the 3 pixel algorithms and 0.1 CCD pixel for the 2 pixel algorithm. An improvement is proposed by utilising straight pore MCPs in the intensifier and a 70 μm air gap in front of the CCD. ((orig.))

  13. Statistical searches for microlensing events in large, non-uniformly sampled time-domain surveys: A test using palomar transient factory data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Price-Whelan, Adrian M.; Agüeros, Marcel A. [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 W 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Fournier, Amanda P. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Street, Rachel [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc., 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Santa Barbara, CA 93117 (United States); Ofek, Eran O. [Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot (Israel); Covey, Kevin R. [Lowell Observatory, 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States); Levitan, David; Sesar, Branimir [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Laher, Russ R.; Surace, Jason, E-mail: adrn@astro.columbia.edu [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2014-01-20

    Many photometric time-domain surveys are driven by specific goals, such as searches for supernovae or transiting exoplanets, which set the cadence with which fields are re-imaged. In the case of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF), several sub-surveys are conducted in parallel, leading to non-uniform sampling over its ∼20,000 deg{sup 2} footprint. While the median 7.26 deg{sup 2} PTF field has been imaged ∼40 times in the R band, ∼2300 deg{sup 2} have been observed >100 times. We use PTF data to study the trade off between searching for microlensing events in a survey whose footprint is much larger than that of typical microlensing searches, but with far-from-optimal time sampling. To examine the probability that microlensing events can be recovered in these data, we test statistics used on uniformly sampled data to identify variables and transients. We find that the von Neumann ratio performs best for identifying simulated microlensing events in our data. We develop a selection method using this statistic and apply it to data from fields with >10 R-band observations, 1.1 × 10{sup 9} light curves, uncovering three candidate microlensing events. We lack simultaneous, multi-color photometry to confirm these as microlensing events. However, their number is consistent with predictions for the event rate in the PTF footprint over the survey's three years of operations, as estimated from near-field microlensing models. This work can help constrain all-sky event rate predictions and tests microlensing signal recovery in large data sets, which will be useful to future time-domain surveys, such as that planned with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

  14. Variability of extreme wet events over Malawi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Libanda Brigadier

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Adverse effects of extreme wet events are well documented by several studies around the world. These effects are exacerbated in developing countries like Malawi that have insufficient risk reduction strategies and capacity to cope with extreme wet weather. Ardent monitoring of the variability of extreme wet events over Malawi is therefore imperative. The use of the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI has been recommended by many studies as an effective way of quantifying extreme wet events. In this study, ETCCDI indices were used to examine the number of heavy, very heavy, and extremely heavy rainfall days; daily and five-day maximum rainfall; very wet and extremely wet days; annual wet days and simple daily intensity. The Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (SNHT was employed at 5% significance level before any statistical test was done. Trend analysis was done using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall statistical test. All stations were found to be homogeneous apart from Mimosa. Trend results show high temporal and spatial variability with the only significant results being: increase in daily maximum rainfall (Rx1day over Karonga and Bvumbwe, increase in five-day maximum rainfall (Rx5day over Bvumbwe. Mzimba and Chileka recorded a significant decrease in very wet days (R95p while a significant increase was observed over Thyolo. Chileka was the only station which observed a significant trend (decrease in extremely wet rainfall (R99p. Mzimba was the only station that reported a significant trend (decrease in annual wet-day rainfall total (PRCPTOT and Thyolo was the only station that reported a significant trend (increase in simple daily intensity (SDII. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed that, during wet years, Malawi is characterised by an anomalous convergence of strong south-easterly and north-easterly winds. This convergence is the main rain bringing mechanism to Malawi.

  15. Synergistic effects of total ionizing dose on single event upset sensitivity in static random access memory under proton irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao Yao; Guo Hong-Xia; Zhang Feng-Qi; Zhao Wen; Wang Yan-Ping; Zhang Ke-Ying; Ding Li-Li; Luo Yin-Hong; Wang Yuan-Ming; Fan Xue

    2014-01-01

    Synergistic effects of the total ionizing dose (TID) on the single event upset (SEU) sensitivity in static random access memories (SRAMs) were studied by using protons. The total dose was cumulated with high flux protons during the TID exposure, and the SEU cross section was tested with low flux protons at several cumulated dose steps. Because of the radiation-induced off-state leakage current increase of the CMOS transistors, the noise margin became asymmetric and the memory imprint effect was observed. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  16. Analysis of aluminum protective effect for female astronauts in solar particle events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Feng

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to ensure the health and safety of female astronauts in space, the risks of space radiation should be evaluated, and effective methods for protecting against space radiation should be investigated. In this paper, a dose calculation model is established for Chinese female astronauts. The absorbed doses of some organs in two historical solar particle events are calculated using Monte Carlo methods, and the shielding conditions are 0 gcm-2 and 5 gcm-2 aluminum, respectively. The calculated results are analysed, compared, and discussed. The results show that 5 gcm-2 aluminum cannot afford enough effective protection in solar particle events. Hence, once encountering solar particle events in manned spaceflight missions, in order to ensure the health and safety of female astronauts, they are not allowed to stay in the pressure vessel, and must enter into the thicker shielding location such as food and water storage cabin.

  17. Development and testing of an assessment instrument for the formative peer review of significant event analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKay, J; Murphy, D J; Bowie, P; Schmuck, M-L; Lough, M; Eva, K W

    2007-04-01

    To establish the content validity and specific aspects of reliability for an assessment instrument designed to provide formative feedback to general practitioners (GPs) on the quality of their written analysis of a significant event. Content validity was quantified by application of a content validity index. Reliability testing involved a nested design, with 5 cells, each containing 4 assessors, rating 20 unique significant event analysis (SEA) reports (10 each from experienced GPs and GPs in training) using the assessment instrument. The variance attributable to each identified variable in the study was established by analysis of variance. Generalisability theory was then used to investigate the instrument's ability to discriminate among SEA reports. Content validity was demonstrated with at least 8 of 10 experts endorsing all 10 items of the assessment instrument. The overall G coefficient for the instrument was moderate to good (G>0.70), indicating that the instrument can provide consistent information on the standard achieved by the SEA report. There was moderate inter-rater reliability (G>0.60) when four raters were used to judge the quality of the SEA. This study provides the first steps towards validating an instrument that can provide educational feedback to GPs on their analysis of significant events. The key area identified to improve instrument reliability is variation among peer assessors in their assessment of SEA reports. Further validity and reliability testing should be carried out to provide GPs, their appraisers and contractual bodies with a validated feedback instrument on this aspect of the general practice quality agenda.

  18. Putting the Testing Effect to the Test. Why and When is Testing effective for Learning in Secondary School

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dirkx, Kim

    2014-01-01

    Dirkx, K. J. H. (2014, 11 April). Putting the testing effect to the test. Why and when is testing effective for learning in secondary school. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Heerlen: Open University of the Netherlands

  19. Life review based on remembering specific positive events in active aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latorre, José M; Serrano, Juan P; Ricarte, Jorge; Bonete, Beatriz; Ros, Laura; Sitges, Esther

    2015-02-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of life review (LR) based on specific positive events in non-depressed older adults taking part in an active aging program. Fifty-five older adults were randomly assigned to an experimental group or an active control (AC) group. A six-session individual training of LR based on specific positive events was carried out with the experimental group. The AC group undertook a "media workshop" of six sessions focused on learning journalistic techniques. Pre-test and post-test measures included life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, experiencing the environment as rewarding, and autobiographical memory (AM) scales. LR intervention decreased depressive symptomatology, improved life satisfaction, and increased specific memories. The findings suggest that practice in AM for specific events is an effective component of LR that could be a useful tool in enhancing emotional well-being in active aging programs, thus reducing depressive symptoms. © The Author(s) 2014.

  20. Event Segmentation Improves Event Memory up to One Month Later

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Shaney; Bailey, Heather R.; Eisenberg, Michelle L.; Zacks, Jeffrey M.

    2017-01-01

    When people observe everyday activity, they spontaneously parse it into discrete meaningful events. Individuals who segment activity in a more normative fashion show better subsequent memory for the events. If segmenting events effectively leads to better memory, does asking people to attend to segmentation improve subsequent memory? To answer…

  1. Retrieving self-vocalized information: An event-related potential (ERP) study on the effect of retrieval orientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosburg, Timm; Johansson, Mikael; Sprondel, Volker; Mecklinger, Axel

    2014-11-18

    Retrieval orientation refers to a pre-retrieval process and conceptualizes the specific form of processing that is applied to a retrieval cue. In the current event-related potential (ERP) study, we sought to find evidence for an involvement of the auditory cortex when subjects attempt to retrieve vocalized information, and hypothesized that adopting retrieval orientation would be beneficial for retrieval accuracy. During study, participants saw object words that they subsequently vocalized or visually imagined. At test, participants had to identify object names of one study condition as targets and to reject object names of the second condition together with new items. Target category switched after half of the test trials. Behaviorally, participants responded less accurately and more slowly to targets of the vocalize condition than to targets of the imagine condition. ERPs to new items varied at a single left electrode (T7) between 500 and 800ms, indicating a moderate retrieval orientation effect in the subject group as a whole. However, whereas the effect was strongly pronounced in participants with high retrieval accuracy, it was absent in participants with low retrieval accuracy. A current source density (CSD) mapping of the retrieval orientation effect indicated a source over left temporal regions. Independently from retrieval accuracy, the ERP retrieval orientation effect was surprisingly also modulated by test order. Findings are suggestive for an involvement of the auditory cortex in retrieval attempts of vocalized information and confirm that adopting retrieval orientation is potentially beneficial for retrieval accuracy. The effects of test order on retrieval-related processes might reflect a stronger focus on the newness of items in the more difficult test condition when participants started with this condition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Measurement of the neutron fraction event-by-event in DREAM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hauptman, John; Akchurin, N; Bedeschi, F; Carosi, R; Incagli, M; Cardini, A; Ciapetti, G; Lacava, F; Pinci, D; Ferrari, R; Gaudio, G; Franchino, S; Fraternali, M; Livan, M; Negri, A; Hauptman, J; Lee, S; La Rotonda, L; Meoni, E; Policicchio, A

    2011-01-01

    We have measured the neutron fraction event-by-event in beam test data taken at CERN by the DREAM collaboration. I will review these measurements in the context of the importance of neutrons to future high-precision calorimetry, and bring together the data from SPACAL, the GLD compensating calorimeter, and DREAM to estimate the impact neutron fraction measurements will make on hadronic energy resolution in dual-readout calorimeters.

  3. Irradiation effects test series test IE-1 test results report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quapp, W.J.; Allison, C.M.; Farrar, L.C.; Mehner, A.S.

    1977-03-01

    The report describes the results of the first programmatic test in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Irradiation Effects Test Series. This test (IE-1) used four 0.97m long PWR-type fuel rods fabricated from previously irradiated Saxton fuel. The objectives of this test were to evaluate the effect of fuel pellet density on pellet-cladding interaction during a power ramp and to evaluate the influence of the irradiated state of the fuel and cladding on rod behavior during film boiling operation. Data are presented on the behavior of irradiated fuel rods during steady-state operation, a power ramp, and film boiling operation. The effects of as-fabricated gap size, as-fabricated fuel density, rod power, and power ramp rate on pellet-cladding interaction are discussed. Test data are compared with FRAP-T2 computer model predictions, and comments on the consequences of sustained film boiling operation on irradiated fuel rod behavior are provided

  4. Health of women: associations among life events, social support, and personality for selected patient groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norlander, T; Dahlin, A; Archer, T

    2000-02-01

    This study examined the effects of life events, social support, personality traits, and siblings' birth-order on the health of women. 199 middle-class participants were included. 95 women, randomly assigned from four different patient groups, were compared with a control group of 96 randomly selected women without any special health problems. They completed a questionnaire which included questions regarding family background, health, different life events, social support, and signs of disease and a projective test, the Sivik Psychosomatism Test. Analysis indicated that report of negative life events was associated with more physical symptoms than positive life events and that the patient groups reported more negative life events and less social support than the control group.

  5. Single event effects induced by 15.14 MeV/u 136Xe ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou Mingdong; Zhang Qingxiang; Liu Jie; Wang Zhiguang; Jin Yunfan; Zhu Zhiyong; Zhen Honglou; Liu Changlong; Chen Xiaoxi; Wei Xinguo; Zhang Lin; Fan Youcheng; Zhu Zhourong; Zhang Yiting

    2002-01-01

    Single event effects induced by 15.14 MeV/u 136 Xe ions in different batches of 32k x 8 bits static random access memory are studied. The incident angle dependences of the cross sections for single event upset and single event latch up are presented. The SEE cross sections are plotted versus energy loss instead of linear energy transfer value in sensitive region. The depth of sensitive volume and thickness of 'dead' layer above the sensitive volume are estimated

  6. Brand image, cultural events and loyalty in mobile industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thelma Valéria Rocha

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available : This study analyses the effect of cultural events in brand image and customers’ loyalty in the mobile industry. The main relevance is to discuss the effectiveness’ of cultural events, those demanding high investments’ for the companies which have to explain the results in terms of loyalty and brand image. The subject is reviewed theoretical considering three topics: cultural events, brand image and loyalty, which lead to hypotheses to be tested. The field research of a quantitative nature uses the survey method, which was applied to 150 teenagers consumers of mobiles companies, classes A and B. The results of field research show that there is a positive relationship between cultural activities and brand image, and between the brand image and loyalty. However, there was significant correlation between cultural events and loyalty only to B Company. It may be related with B events wish were prepared to this target and may improve loyalty. To companies as A and C, brand image acts as moderator between cultural events and loyalty. These results indicated that cultural events may have impact in loyalty, since the company developed those actions to the target. As contribution, this study fills a gap which is the study that discusses effect of cultural activities on brand image and loyalty, in emerging economies, as Brazil, where few researches consider cultural events.

  7. The CMS Event Builder

    CERN Document Server

    Brigljevic, V; Cano, E; Cittolin, Sergio; Csilling, Akos; Gigi, D; Glege, F; Gómez-Reino, Robert; Gulmini, M; Gutleber, J; Jacobs, C; Kozlovszky, Miklos; Larsen, H; Magrans de Abril, Ildefons; Meijers, F; Meschi, E; Murray, S; Oh, A; Orsini, L; Pollet, L; Rácz, A; Samyn, D; Scharff-Hansen, P; Schwick, C; Sphicas, Paris; ODell, V; Suzuki, I; Berti, L; Maron, G; Toniolo, N; Zangrando, L; Ninane, A; Erhan, S; Bhattacharya, S; Branson, J G

    2003-01-01

    The data acquisition system of the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider will employ an event builder which will combine data from about 500 data sources into full events at an aggregate throughput of 100 GByte/s. Several architectures and switch technologies have been evaluated for the DAQ Technical Design Report by measurements with test benches and by simulation. This paper describes studies of an EVB test-bench based on 64 PCs acting as data sources and data consumers and employing both Gigabit Ethernet and Myrinet technologies as the interconnect. In the case of Ethernet, protocols based on Layer-2 frames and on TCP/IP are evaluated. Results from ongoing studies, including measurements on throughput and scaling are presented. The architecture of the baseline CMS event builder will be outlined. The event builder is organised into two stages with intelligent buffers in between. The first stage contains 64 switches performing a first level of data concentration by building super-fragments from fragmen...

  8. The importance of context dependency for understanding the effects of low flow events on fish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walters, Annika W.

    2014-01-01

    The natural hydrology of streams and rivers has been extensively altered by dam construction, water diversion, and climate change. An increased frequency of low-flow events will affect fish by changing habitat availability, resource availability, and reproductive cues. I reviewed the literature to characterize the approaches taken to assess low-flow events and fish, the main effects of low-flow events on fish, and the associated mechanistic drivers. Most studies are focused on temperate streams and are comparative in nature. Decreased stream flow is associated with decreased survival, growth, and abundance of fish populations and shifts in community composition, but effects are variable. This variability in effects is probably caused by context dependence. I propose 3 main sources of context dependence that drive the variation in fish responses to low-flow events: attributes of the low-flow event, attributes of the habitat, and attributes of the fish. Awareness of these sources of context dependence can help managers interpret and explain data, predict vulnerability of fish communities, and prioritize appropriate management actions.

  9. Shock events and flood risk management: a media analysis of the institutional long-term effects of flood events in the Netherlands and Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Kaufmann

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Flood events that have proven to create shock waves in society, which we will call shock events, can open windows of opportunity that allow different actor groups to introduce new ideas. Shock events, however, can also strengthen the status quo. We will take flood events as our object of study. Whereas others focus mainly on the immediate impact and disaster management, we will focus on the long-term impact on and resilience of flood risk governance arrangements. Over the last 25 years, both the Netherlands and Poland have suffered several flood-related events. These triggered strategic and institutional changes, but to different degrees. In a comparative analysis these endogenous processes, i.e., the importance of framing of the flood event, its exploitation by different actor groups, and the extent to which arrangements are actually changing, are examined. In line with previous research, our analysis revealed that shock events test the capacity to resist and bounce back and provide opportunities for adapting and learning. They "open up" institutional arrangements and make them more susceptible to change, increasing the opportunity for adaptation. In this way they can facilitate a shift toward different degrees of resilience, i.e., by adjusting the current strategic approach or by moving toward another strategic approach. The direction of change is influenced by the actors and the frames they introduce, and their ability to increase the resonance of the frame. The persistence of change seems to be influenced by the evolution of the initial management approach, the availability of resources, or the willingness to allocate resources.

  10. Effects of raloxifene on cardiovascular events and breast cancer in postmenopausal women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth; Mosca, Lori; Collins, Peter

    2006-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The effect of raloxifene, a selective estrogen-receptor modulator, on coronary heart disease (CHD) and breast cancer is not established. METHODS: We randomly assigned 10,101 postmenopausal women (mean age, 67.5 years) with CHD or multiple risk factors for CHD to 60 mg of raloxifene...... no significant effect on the risk of primary coronary events (533 vs. 553 events; hazard ratio, 0.95; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.84 to 1.07), and it reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer (40 vs. 70 events; hazard ratio, 0.56; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.38 to 0.83; absolute risk reduction, 1.......2 invasive breast cancers per 1000 women treated for one year); the benefit was primarily due to a reduced risk of estrogen-receptor-positive invasive breast cancers. There was no significant difference in the rates of death from any cause or total stroke according to group assignment, but raloxifene...

  11. Including test errors in evaluating surveillance test intervals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I.S.; Samanta, P.K.; Martorell, S.; Vesely, W.E.

    1991-01-01

    Technical Specifications require surveillance testing to assure that the standby systems important to safety will start and perform their intended functions in the event of plant abnormality. However, as evidenced by operating experience, the surveillance tests may be adversely impact safety because of their undesirable side effects, such as initiation of plant transients during testing or wearing-out of safety systems due to testing. This paper first defines the concerns, i.e., the potential adverse effects of surveillance testing, from a risk perspective. Then, we present a methodology to evaluate the risk impact of those adverse effects, focusing on two important kinds of adverse impacts of surveillance testing: (1) risk impact of test-caused trips and (2) risk impact of test-caused equipment wear. The quantitative risk methodology is demonstrated with several surveillance tests conducted at boiling water reactors, such as the tests of the main steam isolation valves, the turbine overspeed protection system, and the emergency diesel generators. We present the results of the risk-effectiveness evaluation of surveillance test intervals, which compares the adverse risk impact with the beneficial risk impact of testing from potential failure detection, along with insights from sensitivity studies

  12. Numerical analysis on ingress-of-coolant events in fusion reactors with TRAC-PF1 code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ose, Yasuo; Takase, Kazuyuki; Akimoto, Hajime

    2000-01-01

    As for accident events related with thermal-hydraulics, in a fusion experimental reactor an ingress-of-coolant event (ICE) and a loss-of-vacuum-accident event (LOVA) should be considered. An integrated ICE/LOVA test apparatus is under planning in order to estimate quantitatively heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics under ICE and LOVA events. This study was carried out to predict numerically the thermal-hydraulic characteristics in fusion reactors at the ICE events before construction of the integrated ICE/LOVA test apparatus. The TRAC-PF1 code, which was originally developed for the thermal-hydraulic safety analysis in light water reactors, was used. The numerical analyses were performed for two kinds of system configuration with/without a pressure-suppression tank:the former for is investigation of the pressure rise characteristics and two-phase flow behavior; the latter for estimation of an effect of the pressure reduction due to the pressure-suppression tank. From the present analytical results, effects of the ingress water flow rate and vessel temperatures on the pressure rise ware clarified quantitatively. Furthermore, the pressure-rise suppression effect due to the vapor condensation in the pressure-suppression tank was predicted numerically. In addition, the useful information regarding to the design of the integrated ICE/LOVA test apparatus and the knowledge with respect to the effective usage of the TRAC-PF1 code were obtained through the present numerical study. (author)

  13. Effects of Asian dust storm events on daily mortality in Taipei, Taiwan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Y.-S.; Sheen, P.-C.; Chen, E.-R.; Liu, Y.-K.; Wu, T.-N.; Yang, C.-Y.

    2004-01-01

    In spring, windblown dust storms originating in the deserts of Mongolia and China make their way to Taipei City. These occurrences are known as Asian dust storm events. The objective of this study was to assess the possible effects of Asian dust storms on the mortality of residents in Taipei, Taiwan, during the period from 1995 to 2000. We identified 39 dust storm episodes, which were classified as index days. Daily deaths on the index days were compared with deaths on the comparison days. We selected two comparison days for each index day, 7 days before the index day and 7 days after the index day. The strongest estimated effects of dust storms were increases of 7.66% in risk for respiratory disease 1 day after the event, 4.92% for total deaths 2 days following the dust storms and 2.59% for circulatory diseases 2 days following the dust storms. However, none of these effects were statistically significant. This study found greater specificity for associations with respiratory deaths, and this increases the likelihood that the association between dust events and daily mortality represents a causal relationship

  14. Effects of zolpidem and zopiclone on cognitive and attentional function in young healthy volunteers: an event-related potential study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakajima, T; Takazawa, S; Hayashida, S; Nakagome, K; Sasaki, T; Kanno, O

    2000-02-01

    The effects of zolpidem and zopiclone, non-benzodiazepine ultra-short-acting hypnotics, on cognitive function and vigilance level were investigated in the morning following nocturnal administration using event-related potentials (ERP) and a sleep latency test (SLT). Zopiclone significantly shortened the sleep latency the following morning, whereas zolpidem did not, perhaps due to the difference in the elimination half-lives between the compounds. No significant effect was observed for either drug on the ERP indices, including the P3, mismatch negativity and negative difference components. At a clinically prescribed dosage these sleep inducers have no remarkable effect on cognitive or attentional functions but increase sleepiness of the subjects.

  15. RELAP5/MOD3.3 Analysis of the Loss of External Power Event with Safety Injection Actuation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrej Prošek

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The code assessment typically comprises basic tests cases, separate effects test, and integral effects tests. On the other hand, the thermal hydraulic system codes like RELAP5/MOD3.3 are primarily intended for simulation of transients and accidents in light water reactors. The plant measured data come mostly from startup tests and operational events. Also, for operational events the measured plant data may not be sufficient to explain all details of the event. The purpose of this study was therefore besides code assessment to demonstrate that simulations can be very beneficial for deep understanding of the plant response and further corrective measures. The abnormal event with reactor trip and safety injection signal actuation was simulated with the latest RELAP5/MOD3.3 Patch 05 best-estimate thermal hydraulic computer code. The measured and simulated data agree well considering the major plant system responses and operator actions. This suggests that the RELAP5 code simulation is good representative of the plant response and can complement not available information from plant measured data. In such a way, an event can be better understood.

  16. The magnitude and effects of extreme solar particle events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiggens Piers

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The solar energetic particle (SEP radiation environment is an important consideration for spacecraft design, spacecraft mission planning and human spaceflight. Herein is presented an investigation into the likely severity of effects of a very large Solar Particle Event (SPE on technology and humans in space. Fluences for SPEs derived using statistical models are compared to historical SPEs to verify their appropriateness for use in the analysis which follows. By combining environment tools with tools to model effects behind varying layers of spacecraft shielding it is possible to predict what impact a large SPE would be likely to have on a spacecraft in Near-Earth interplanetary space or geostationary Earth orbit. Also presented is a comparison of results generated using the traditional method of inputting the environment spectra, determined using a statistical model, into effects tools and a new method developed as part of the ESA SEPEM Project allowing for the creation of an effect time series on which statistics, previously applied to the flux data, can be run directly. The SPE environment spectra is determined and presented as energy integrated proton fluence (cm−2 as a function of particle energy (in MeV. This is input into the SHIELDOSE-2, MULASSIS, NIEL, GRAS and SEU effects tools to provide the output results. In the case of the new method for analysis, the flux time series is fed directly into the MULASSIS and GEMAT tools integrated into the SEPEM system. The output effect quantities include total ionising dose (in rads, non-ionising energy loss (MeV g−1, single event upsets (upsets/bit and the dose in humans compared to established limits for stochastic (or cancer-causing effects and tissue reactions (such as acute radiation sickness in humans given in grey-equivalent and sieverts respectively.

  17. Single-Event Latchup Testing of the Micrel MIC4424 Dual Power MOSFET Driver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellish, J. A.; Boutte, A.; Kim, H.; Phan, A.; Topper, A.

    2016-01-01

    We conducted 47 exposures of four different MIC4424 devices and did not observe any SEL or high-current events. This included worst-case conditions with a LET of 81 MeV-sq cm/mg, applied voltage of 18.5 V, a case temperature greater than 120 C, and a final fluence of 1x10(exp 7)/sq cm. We also monitored both the outputs for the presence of SETs. While the period of the 1 MHz square wave was slightly altered in some cases, no pulses were added or deleted. 1. Purpose: The purpose of this testing is to characterize the BiCMOS/DMOS Micrel MIC4424 dual, non-inverting MOSFET driver for single-event latchup (SEL) susceptibility. These data will be used for flight lot evaluation purposes. 2. Devices Tested: The MIC4423/4424/4425 family are highly reliable BiCMOS/DMOS buffer/driver MOSFET drivers. They are higher output current versions of the MIC4426/4427/4428. They can survive up to 5V of noise spiking, of either polarity, on the ground pin. They can accept, without either damage or logic upset, up to half an amp of reverse current (either polarity) forced back into their outputs. Primarily intended for driving power MOSFETs, the MIC4423/4424/4425 drivers are suitable for driving other loads (capacitive, resistive, or inductive) which require low-impedance, high peak currents, and fast switching times. Heavily loaded clock lines, coaxial cables, or piezoelectric transducers are some examples. The only known limitation on loading is that total power dissipated in the driver must be kept within the maximum power dissipation limits of the package. Five (5) parts were provided for SEL testing. We prepared four parts for irradiation and reserved one piece as an un-irradiated control. More information about the devices can be found in Table 1. The parts were prepared for testing by removing the lid from the CDIP package to expose the target die. The parts were then soldered to small copper circuit adapter boards for easy handling. These parts are fabricated in a bulk Bi

  18. The Adverse Events and Hemodynamic Effects of Adenosine-Based Cardiac MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voigtlander, Thomas; Magedanz, Annett; Schmermund, Axel; Bramlage, Peter; Elsaesser, Amelie; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich; Mohrs, Oliver K.

    2011-01-01

    We wanted to prospectively assess the adverse events and hemodynamic effects associated with an intravenous adenosine infusion in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease and who were undergoing cardiac MRI. One hundred and sixty-eight patients (64 ± 9 years) received adenosine (140 μg/kg/min) during cardiac MRI. Before and during the administration, the heart rate, systemic blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were monitored using a MRI-compatible system. We documented any signs and symptoms of potential adverse events. In total, 47 out of 168 patients (28%) experienced adverse effects, which were mostly mild or moderate. In 13 patients (8%), the adenosine infusion was discontinued due to intolerable dyspnea or chest pain. No high grade atrioventricular block, bronchospasm or other life-threatening adverse events occurred. The hemodynamic measurements showed a significant increase in the heart rate during adenosine infusion (69.3 ± 11.7 versus 82.4 ± 13.0 beats/min, respectively; p < 0.001). A significant but clinically irrelevant increase in oxygen saturation occurred during adenosine infusion (96 ± 1.9% versus 97 ± 1.3%, respectively; p < 0.001). The blood pressure did not significantly change during adenosine infusion (systolic: 142.8 ± 24.0 versus 140.9 ± 25.7 mmHg; diastolic: 80.2 ± 12.5 mmHg versus 78.9 ± 15.6, respectively). This study confirms the safety of adenosine infusion during cardiac MRI. A considerable proportion of all patients will experience minor adverse effects and some patients will not tolerate adenosine infusion. However, all adverse events can be successfully managed by a radiologist. The increased heart rate during adenosine infusion highlights the need to individually adjust the settings according to the patient, e.g., the number of slices of myocardial perfusion imaging.

  19. Many multicenter trials had few events per center, requiring analysis via random-effects models or GEEs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahan, Brennan C; Harhay, Michael O

    2015-12-01

    Adjustment for center in multicenter trials is recommended when there are between-center differences or when randomization has been stratified by center. However, common methods of analysis (such as fixed-effects, Mantel-Haenszel, or stratified Cox models) often require a large number of patients or events per center to perform well. We reviewed 206 multicenter randomized trials published in four general medical journals to assess the average number of patients and events per center and determine whether appropriate methods of analysis were used in trials with few patients or events per center. The median number of events per center/treatment arm combination for trials using a binary or survival outcome was 3 (interquartile range, 1-10). Sixteen percent of trials had less than 1 event per center/treatment combination, 50% fewer than 3, and 63% fewer than 5. Of the trials which adjusted for center using a method of analysis which requires a large number of events per center, 6% had less than 1 event per center-treatment combination, 25% fewer than 3, and 50% fewer than 5. Methods of analysis that allow for few events per center, such as random-effects models or generalized estimating equations (GEEs), were rarely used. Many multicenter trials contain few events per center. Adjustment for center using random-effects models or GEE with model-based (non-robust) standard errors may be beneficial in these scenarios. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Event monitoring of parallel computations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gruzlikov Alexander M.

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper considers the monitoring of parallel computations for detection of abnormal events. It is assumed that computations are organized according to an event model, and monitoring is based on specific test sequences

  1. Retelling everyday emotional events: condensation, distancing, and closure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habermas, Tilmann; Berger, Nadine

    2011-02-01

    Narratives of emotional experiences are widely assumed to reflect how well the speaker has coped with them. Some cross-sectional studies have suggested that well-being and absence of psychopathology correlate with more elaborate and coherent narratives of negative events. Other studies, on the other hand, suggest that retelling and coping render narratives shorter, more cognitive, and explicitly evaluative. To test this latter hypothesis, 30 young women narrated five events eliciting anger, sadness, anxiety, pride and happiness from the past week, and retold the same events three months later. After three months, narratives contained fewer attempts to solve the complication, and evaluations became more global and impersonal. Negative narratives were framed better and re-evaluated positively. Unexpectedly, narrative clauses did not decrease, nor did evaluations shift from past to present. Ways to better differentiate effects of memory and retelling from mere effects of coping are suggested. © 2010 Psychology Press, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business

  2. Semiconductor testing method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Stephen.

    1992-01-01

    In a method of avoiding use of nuclear radiation, eg gamma rays, X-rays, electron beams, for testing semiconductor components for resistance to hard radiation, which hard radiation causes data corruption in some memory devices and 'latch-up' in others, similar fault effects can be achieved using a xenon or other 'light' flash gun even though the penetration of light is significantly less than that of gamma rays. The method involves treating a device with gamma radiation, measuring a particular fault current at the onset of a fault event, repeating the test with light to confirm the occurrence of the fault event at the same measured fault current, and using the fault current value as a reference for future tests using light on similar devices. (author)

  3. Heavy Ion Irradiation Fluence Dependence for Single-Event Upsets of NAND Flash Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Dakai; Wilcox, Edward; Ladbury, Raymond; Kim, Hak; Phan, Anthony; Seidleck, Christina; LaBel, Kenneth

    2016-01-01

    We investigated the single-event effect (SEE) susceptibility of the Micron 16 nm NAND flash, and found the single-event upset (SEU) cross section varied inversely with fluence. The SEU cross section decreased with increasing fluence. We attribute the effect to the variable upset sensitivities of the memory cells. The current test standards and procedures assume that SEU follow a Poisson process and do not take into account the variability in the error rate with fluence. Therefore, heavy ion irradiation of devices with variable upset sensitivity distribution using typical fluence levels may underestimate the cross section and on-orbit event rate.

  4. The effects of event occurrence and duration on resilience and adaptation in energy systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hughes, Larry

    2015-01-01

    Energy security exists in an energy system until an event occurs which increases the stress on one or more of its entities. A resilient entity, designed to recover quickly from an event, will return the system (and, by extension, the affected entity) to its previous secure state. However, if the event occurs repeatedly or the time to recover is deemed too slow, or both, the system may remain in a high-stress, insecure state. In these situations, if the stress is to be reduced, the entity must be adapted to handle the event and put the system into a new, secure state. This paper applies research from a variety of disciplines to analyze the temporal effects of events on entities, and shows how resilience and adaptation contribute to the existence of energy security in energy systems. It underscores the importance of time when discussing the impact of events on an energy system and employs methods associated with reliability, notably mean time between failures (MTBF), mean time to recover (MTTR), and tolerance, to describe resilience and adaptation. The analysis is presented and discussed with examples using three common energy security indicators. - Highlights: • Explains how temporal events, entities, and resilience affect energy security. • Describes the two different temporal effects that can affect an entity's resilience. • Demonstrates how the loss of resilience can lead to the intolerance of an event. • Shows how intolerance can result in new energy policy and adaptation for an entity. • Explains how adaptation leads to resilience and can improve energy security

  5. Estimating the effect of a rare time-dependent treatment on the recurrent event rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Abigail R; Zhu, Danting; Goodrich, Nathan P; Merion, Robert M; Schaubel, Douglas E

    2018-05-30

    In many observational studies, the objective is to estimate the effect of treatment or state-change on the recurrent event rate. If treatment is assigned after the start of follow-up, traditional methods (eg, adjustment for baseline-only covariates or fully conditional adjustment for time-dependent covariates) may give biased results. We propose a two-stage modeling approach using the method of sequential stratification to accurately estimate the effect of a time-dependent treatment on the recurrent event rate. At the first stage, we estimate the pretreatment recurrent event trajectory using a proportional rates model censored at the time of treatment. Prognostic scores are estimated from the linear predictor of this model and used to match treated patients to as yet untreated controls based on prognostic score at the time of treatment for the index patient. The final model is stratified on matched sets and compares the posttreatment recurrent event rate to the recurrent event rate of the matched controls. We demonstrate through simulation that bias due to dependent censoring is negligible, provided the treatment frequency is low, and we investigate a threshold at which correction for dependent censoring is needed. The method is applied to liver transplant (LT), where we estimate the effect of development of post-LT End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) on rate of days hospitalized. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Effects of life event stress, exercise workload, hardiness and coping ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effects of life event stress, exercise workload, hardiness and coping style on susceptibility to the common cold. GA Struwig, M Papaikonomou, P Kruger. Abstract. No Abstract. South African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and DanceVol. 12(4) 2006: pp. 369-383. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL ...

  7. Single event effect hardness for the front-end ASICs in the DAMPE satellite BGO calorimeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Shan-Shan; Jiang, Di; Feng, Chang-Qing; Xi, Kai; Liu, Shu-Bin; An, Qi

    2016-01-01

    The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a Chinese scientific satellite designed for cosmic ray studies with a primary scientific goal of indirect detection of dark matter particles. As a crucial sub-detector, the BGO calorimeter measures the energy spectrum of cosmic rays in the energy range from 5 GeV to 10 TeV. In order to implement high-density front-end electronics (FEE) with the ability to measure 1848 signals from 616 photomultiplier tubes on the strictly constrained satellite platform, two kinds of 32-channel front-end ASICs, VA160 and VATA160, are customized. However, a space mission period of more than 3 years makes single event effects (SEEs) become threats to reliability. In order to evaluate SEE sensitivities of these chips and verify the effectiveness of mitigation methods, a series of laser-induced and heavy ion-induced SEE tests were performed. Benefiting from the single event latch-up (SEL) protection circuit for power supply, the triple module redundancy (TMR) technology for the configuration registers and the optimized sequential design for the data acquisition process, 52 VA160 chips and 32 VATA160 chips have been applied in the flight model of the BGO calorimeter with radiation hardness assurance. Supported by Strategic Priority Research Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA04040202-4) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WK2030040048)

  8. The effect of cosmic rays on biological systems - an investigation during GLE events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belisheva, N. K.; Lammer, H.; Biernat, H. K.; Vashenuyk, E. V.

    2012-01-01

    In this study, first direct and circumstantial evidences of the effects of cosmic rays (CR) on biological systems are presented. A direct evidence of biological effects of CR is demonstrated in experiments with three cellular lines growing in culture during three events of Ground Level Enhancement (GLEs) in the neutron count rate detected by ground-based neutron monitor in October 1989. Various phenomena associated with DNA lesion on the cellular level demonstrate coherent dynamics of radiation effects in all cellular lines coincident with the time of arrival of high-energy solar particles to the near-Earth space and with the main peak in GLE. These results were obtained in the course of six separate experiments, with partial overlapping of the time of previous and subsequent experiments, which started and finished in the quiet period of solar activity (SA). A significant difference between the values of multinuclear cells in all cellular lines in the quiet period and during GLE events indicates that the cause of radiation effects in the cell cultures is an exposure of cells to the secondary solar CR near the Earth's surface. The circumstantial evidence was obtained by statistical analysis of cases of congenital malformations (CM) at two sites in the Murmansk region. The number of cases of all classes of CM reveals a significant correlation with the number of GLE events. The number of cases of CM with pronounced chromosomal abnormalities clearly correlates with the GLE events that occurred a year before the birth of a child. We have found a significant correlation between modulations of the water properties and daily background variations of CR intensity. We believe that the effects of CR on biological systems can be also mediated by fluctuations in water properties, considered as one of possible mechanisms controlling the effects of CRs on biological systems.

  9. Stress testing in financial institutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirković Vladimir

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In 2000 the Basle Committee on the Global Financial System defined stress testing as 'a generic term describing various techniques used by financial firms to gauge their potential vulnerability to exceptional but plausible events'. Exceptional events refer to one-off or recurring events with far-reaching consequences for the concerned financial institution and the financial sector s stability overall. Such unexpected (exceptional events include, for instance: bankruptcy in Argentina in 2001, stock markets collapse ('Black Monday' on 19 October 1987, or the fall of the energy giant Enron in 2001. The adoption of the new Basle Accord (better known as Basle II in 2001 envisaged the implementation of stress tests for the identification of events and future changes in economic circumstances that could cause some unfavorable effects on banks' credit exposure, along with the assessment of banks' ability to survive in the new circumstances. Negative experiences from the past, having undermined the stability of financial systems worldwide, made a decisive impact on regulators at all levels to additionally consider the issue of increasing the financial system's resistance to the occurrence of unexpected - exceptional events. To this end, the introduction of stress tests was the turning point in the process of increased banking systems' resistance to shocks. This paper primarily deals with stress testing methodology and bank risk measurement techniques, along with the main results of conducted tests, directly impacting the entire financial system.

  10. [Suicide exposure and its modulatory effects on relations between life events and suicide risk in Chinese college students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jiubo; Zhao, Jingbo; Xiao, Rong; Yang, Xueling; Zhang, Xiaoyuan

    2013-08-01

    To explore the incidence of suicide exposure and its association with suicide risk in Chinese college students, and study the modulatory effects of suicide exposure on the relations between life events and suicide risks. A total of 8202 college students from 12 Chinese colleges and universities in mainland China completed a cross-sectional survey that included suicidal behaviors questionnaire-revised (SBQ-R), Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List (ASLEC), suicide exposure questionnaire, social and demographic characteristics questionnaire. The incidence of exposure to suicide events involving close relatives and acquaintances were 3.9% and 11.8% among sampled Chinese college students, respectively. Students exposed to suicide events involving close relatives had significantly higher total SBQ-R scores than those who did not (5.51∓2.44 vs 4.68∓2.11, P0.05), but exposure to acquaintance suicide events moderated the effects of life events on suicide risk (P<0.01), and the college students with a high level of life events and history of acquaintance suicide had the highest risk for suicide. In Chinese college students, the risk of suicide is closely associated with exposure to suicide events and life events, and exposure to suicide events involving acquaintances can modulate the effects of life events on suicide risk.

  11. Disease management research using event graphs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allore, H G; Schruben, L W

    2000-08-01

    Event Graphs, conditional representations of stochastic relationships between discrete events, simulate disease dynamics. In this paper, we demonstrate how Event Graphs, at an appropriate abstraction level, also extend and organize scientific knowledge about diseases. They can identify promising treatment strategies and directions for further research and provide enough detail for testing combinations of new medicines and interventions. Event Graphs can be enriched to incorporate and validate data and test new theories to reflect an expanding dynamic scientific knowledge base and establish performance criteria for the economic viability of new treatments. To illustrate, an Event Graph is developed for mastitis, a costly dairy cattle disease, for which extensive scientific literature exists. With only a modest amount of imagination, the methodology presented here can be seen to apply modeling to any disease, human, plant, or animal. The Event Graph simulation presented here is currently being used in research and in a new veterinary epidemiology course. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

  12. Effect of precipitation pattern on leaching of preservative from treated wood and implications for accelerated testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stan Lebow

    2014-01-01

    There is a need to develop improved accelerated test methods for evaluating the leaching of wood preservatives from treated wood exposed to precipitation. In this study the effects of rate of rainfall and length of intervals between rainfall events on leaching was evaluated by exposing specimens to varying patterns of simulated rainfall under controlled laboratory...

  13. Experimental setup for Single Event Effects at the São Paulo 8UD Pelletron Accelerator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguiar, V. A. P.; Added, N.; Medina, N. H.; Macchione, E. L. A.; Tabacniks, M. H.; Aguirre, F. R.; Silveira, M. A. G.; Santos, R. B. B.; Seixas, L. E.

    2014-08-01

    In this work we present an experimental setup mounted in one of the beam lines at the São Paulo 8UD Pelletron Accelerator in order to study Single Event Effects in electronic devices. The basic idea is to use elastic scattering collisions to achieve a low-flux with a high-uniformity ion beam to irradiate several devices. 12C, 16O, 28Si, 35Cl and 63Cu beams were used to test the experimental setup. In this system it is possible to use efficiently LET values of 17 MeV/mg/cm2 for an external beam arrangement and up to 32 MeV/mg/cm2 for in-vacuum irradiation.

  14. Modeling the dynamics of a storm-time acceleration event: combining MHD effects with wave-particle interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elkington, S. R.; Alam, S. S.; Chan, A. A.; Albert, J.; Jaynes, A. N.; Baker, D. N.; Wiltberger, M. J.

    2017-12-01

    Global simulations of radiation belt dynamics are often undertaken using either a transport formalism (e.g. Fokker-Plank), or via test particle simulations in model electric and magnetic fields. While transport formalisms offer computational efficiency and the ability to deal with a wide range of wave-particle interactions, they typically rely on simplified background fields, and often are limited to empirically-specified stochastic (diffusive) wave-particle interactions. On the other hand, test particle simulations may be carried out in global MHD simulations that include realistic physical effects such as magnetopause shadowing, convection, and substorm injections, but lack the ability to handle physics outside the MHD approximation in the realm of higher frequency (kHz) wave populations.In this work we introduce a comprehensive simulation framework combining global MHD/test particle techniques to provide realistic background fields and radial transport processes, with a Stochastic Differential Equation (SDE) method for addressing high frequency wave-particle interactions. We examine the March 17, 2013 storm-time acceleration period, an NSF-GEM focus challenge event, and use the framework to examine the relative importance of physical effects such as magnetopause shadowing, diffusive and advective transport processes, and wave-particle interactions through the various phases of the storm.

  15. The effect of a single recombination event

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schierup, Mikkel Heide; Jensen, Thomas Mailund; Wiuf, Carsten

    We investigate the variance in how visible a single recombination event is in a SNP data set as a function of the type of recombination event and its age. Data is simulated under the coalescent with recombination and inference is by the popular composite likelihood methods. The major determinant...

  16. Probing collective effects in hadronisation with the extremes of the underlying event

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin, T.; Farrington, S. [University of Warwick, Department of Physics, Coventry (United Kingdom); Skands, P. [Monash University, School of Physics and Astronomy, Clayton, VIC (Australia)

    2016-05-15

    We define a new set of observables to probe the structure of the underlying event in hadron collisions. We use the conventional definition of the ''transverse region'' in jet events and, for a fixed window in jet p {sub perpendicular} {sub to}, propose to measure several discriminating quantities as a function of the level of activity in the transverse region. The measurement of these observables in LHC data would reveal whether, e.g., the properties of ''low-UE'' events are compatible with equivalent measurements in e{sup +}e{sup -} collisions (jet universality), and whether the scaling behaviour towards ''high-UE'' events exhibits properties of non-trivial soft-QCD dynamics, such as colour reconnections or other collective phenomena. We illustrate at √(s) = 13 TeV that significant discriminatory power is obtained in comparisons between MC models with varying treatments of collective effects, including Pythia 8, epos, and Dipsy. (orig.)

  17. The Effect of the Japan 2011 Disaster on Nuclear and Alternative Energy Stocks Worldwide: An Event Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Ferstl

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available This event study investigates the impact of the Japanese nuclear disaster in Fukushima-Daiichi on the daily stock prices of French, German, Japanese, and U.S. nuclear utility and alternative energy firms. Hypotheses regarding the (cumulative abnormal returns based on a three-factor model are analyzed through joint tests by multivariate regression models and bootstrapping. Our results show significant abnormal returns for Japanese nuclear utility firms during the one-week event window and the subsequent four-week post-event window. Furthermore, while French and German nuclear utility and alternative energy stocks exhibit significant abnormal returns during the event window, we cannot confirm abnormal returns for U.S. stocks.

  18. Dynamics test on structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Canio, G.; Ranieri, N.

    2009-01-01

    Shake table tests allow to assess the effectiveness of technologies for structures protection from natural events such as earthquakes. The article summarizes the remarkable results of the most significant projects. [it

  19. The effects of initial testing on false recall and false recognition in the social contagion of memory paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huff, Mark J; Davis, Sara D; Meade, Michelle L

    2013-08-01

    In three experiments, participants studied photographs of common household scenes. Following study, participants completed a category-cued recall test without feedback (Exps. 1 and 3), a category-cued recall test with feedback (Exp. 2), or a filler task (no-test condition). Participants then viewed recall tests from fictitious previous participants that contained erroneous items presented either one or four times, and then completed final recall and source recognition tests. The participants in all conditions reported incorrect items during final testing (a social contagion effect), and across experiments, initial testing had no impact on false recall of erroneous items. However, on the final source-monitoring recognition test, initial testing had a protective effect against false source recognition: Participants who were initially tested with and without feedback on category-cued initial tests attributed fewer incorrect items to the original event on the final source-monitoring recognition test than did participants who were not initially tested. These data demonstrate that initial testing may protect individuals' memories from erroneous suggestions.

  20. Event-by-event jet quenching and higher Fourier moments of hard probes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fries, Rainer J. [Cyclotron Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station TX 77845 (United States); RIKEN/BNL Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton NY 11973 (United States); Rodriguez, Ricardo [Department of Mathematics and Physics, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria FL 34142 (United States); Cyclotron Institute, Texas A and M University, College Station TX 77845 (United States)

    2011-04-01

    We investigate the effect of event-by-event fluctuations of the fireball created in high energy nuclear collisions on hard probe observables. We show that spatial inhomogeneities lead to changes in the nuclear suppression factor of high momentum hadrons which can be absorbed in the quenching strength q-hat. This can increase the theoretical uncertainty on extracted values of q-hat by up to 50%. We also investigate effects on azimuthal asymmetries v{sub 2} and dihadron correlation functions. The latter show a promising residual signal of event-by-event quenching that might allow us to estimate the size of spatial inhomogeneities in the fireball from experimental data.

  1. Key events and their effects on cycling behaviour in Dar-es-Salaam : abstract + powerpoint

    OpenAIRE

    Nkurunziza, A.; Zuidgeest, M.H.P.; Brussel, M.J.G.; van Maarseveen, M.F.A.M.

    2012-01-01

    The paper explores key events and investigates their effects on cycling behaviour in the city of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The objective of the study is to identify specific key events during a person’s life course with a significant effect on change of travel behaviour towards cycling in relation to stage of change. Stage of change is a key construct of the transtheoretical model of behaviour change that defines behavioural readiness (intentions and actions) into six distinct categories (i.e....

  2. Experimental study of single event burnout and single event gate rupture in power MOSFETs and IGBT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Benqi; Wang Yanping; Geng Bin

    2001-01-01

    An experimental study was carried out to determine the single event burnout and single event gate rupture sensitivities in power MOSFETs and IGBT which were exposed to heavy ions from 252 Cf source. The test method, test results, a description of observed burnout current waveforms and a discussion of a possible failure mechanism were presented. Current measurements have been performed with a specially designed circuit. The test results include the observed dependence upon applied drain or gate to source bias and versus with external capacitors and limited resistors

  3. Reducing the devastating effects of cataclysmic events: Cooperation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jing Ding; Fong, P.

    1989-01-01

    Natural calamities, including earthquakes, land sinkings, volcanos, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, avalanches, lightnings, forest fires, are discussed. Their devastating effects can be alleviated by cooperative efforts, sometimes international, among all concerned. The successful earthquake management of the Haicheng event is discussed as an example. Now the authors have environmental calamities, including erosion floods, dam failures, acid rain, ozone depletion, and the global greenhouse effect. There are empirical and theoretical questions about whether the greenhouse effect leads to global warming or polar ice melting. The warming prediction was based on model calculation with an incorrect boundary condition. When corrected with the right boundary condition, the models predict ice melting. The same is borne out in independent static and dynamic theories. Thus, there will be no greenhouse warming, only a sea level rise of up to 200 feet, which is much worse. The only way out is replacing fossil fuels by nuclear power. The nuclear fear is analyzed in terms of the Don Quixote syndrome and Laplace dictum. The lessons of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl actually strengthen the case of nuclear safety. New reactor technology and design will make it even safer. After 250 years of studying the history of the earth, geologists are now able to show that it is nothing but a long series of gradual changes and violent events. What was true in the past will remain so in the future, and cataclysms will occur again and again. Earthquakes, land subsidence and volcanic eruptions; flood and drought; the tsunami, tropical cyclones and avalanches; lightning and forest fires; have occurred ever since mountains, oceans, rivers, atmosphere, and ice sheets have been on the earth, and they will continue to happen

  4. Memory effect triggered by exceptional event: the Rio Cordon study case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rainato, Riccardo; Mao, Luca; Picco, Lorenzo; Garcia-Rama, Adriana; Aristide Lenzi, Mario

    2016-04-01

    In the mountain environment, the steep channels play a key-role in the drainage networks. Notably, the sediment transport processes that here occur, can affect aspects as the geomorphic changes, channel evolution, reservoir management, infrastructure design and hazard assessment. Due to the complex and changeable hydraulic and morphological features that characterize the mountain environment, the steep channels can exhibit fluvial and/or debris-flow transport with magnitude of sediment delivery that, in the same basin, may strongly vary from event to event. In the light of these challenging conditions, appears clear as an accurate monitoring and investigation of sediment dynamics is of critical importance in the steep mountain channels. Such monitoring has even more significance if it is maintained over long-period, enabling to investigate even the role of high magnitude/low frequency events. Using a dataset 29 years-wide, this work aims to investigate the temporal trend of sediment dynamic in the Rio Cordon (Eastern Italian Alps). The Rio Cordon is a steep mountain channel (mean slope = 13%) characterized by step-pool and riffle-pool morphology. The basin (5 km2)exhibits a prevalent nivo-pluvial runoff regime. Since 1986, the catchment is equipped with a monitoring station, that continuously records water discharge, bedload and suspended load (at 1 hr intervals, and 5 min intervals during floods). In September 1994 an exceptional event (RI > 100 years) occurred in the study site, mobilizing about 4000 tons of material. Currently, the structure is managed by ARPA Veneto - Regional Department for Land Safety. In terms of magnitude, the 31 floods recorded by the monitoring station show a wide range of hydraulic forcing (i.e. peak discharge and effective runoff) and amount transported. Specifically, Qpeak ranges within one order of magnitude (1.02 - 10.42 m3 s-1), while the amount of bedload and suspended load varies by more than 3 orders (i.e. 0.9 t transported by

  5. Upgrade of the CMS Event Builder

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2012-01-01

    The Data Acquisition (DAQ) system of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN assembles events at a rate of 100 kHz, transporting event data at an aggregate throughput of 100 GB/s. By the time the LHC restarts after the 2013/14 shut-down, the current compute nodes and networking infrastructure will have reached the end of their lifetime. We are presenting design studies for an upgrade of the CMS event builder based on advanced networking technologies such as 10 Gb/s Ethernet. We report on tests and performance measurements with small-scale test setups.

  6. Testing invisible momentum ansatze in missing energy events at the LHC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Doojin; Matchev, Konstantin T.; Moortgat, Filip; Pape, Luc

    2017-08-01

    We consider SUSY-like events with two decay chains, each terminating in an invisible particle, whose true energy and momentum are not measured in the detector. Nevertheless, a useful educated guess about the invisible momenta can still be obtained by optimizing a suitable invariant mass function. We review and contrast several proposals in the literature for such ansatze: four versions of the M T 2-assisted on-shell reconstruction (MAOS), as well as several variants of the on-shell constrained M 2 variables. We compare the performance of these methods with regards to the mass determination of a new particle resonance along the decay chain from the peak of the reconstructed invariant mass distribution. For concreteness, we consider the event topology of dilepton t\\overline{t} events and study each of the three possible subsystems, in both a t\\overline{t} and a SUSY example. We find that the M 2 variables generally provide sharper peaks and therefore better ansatze for the invisible momenta. We show that the performance can be further improved by preselecting events near the kinematic endpoint of the corresponding variable from which the momentum ansatz originates.

  7. Effects of a flooding event on a threatened black bear population in Louisiana

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connell-Goode, Kaitlin C.; Lowe, Carrie L.; Clark, Joseph D.

    2014-01-01

    The Louisiana black bear, Ursus americanus luteolus, is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act as a result of habitat loss and human-related mortality. Information on population-level responses of large mammals to flooding events is scarce, and we had a unique opportunity to evaluate the viability of the Upper Atchafalaya River Basin (UARB) black bear population before and after a significant flooding event. We began collecting black bear hair samples in 2007 for a DNA mark-recapture study to estimate abundance (N) and apparent survival (φ). In 2011, the Morganza Spillway was opened to divert floodwaters from the Mississippi River through the UARB, inundating > 50% of our study area, potentially impacting recovery of this important bear population. To evaluate the effects of this flooding event on bear population dynamics, we used a robust design multistate model to estimate changes in transition rates from the flooded area to non-flooded area (ψF→NF) before (2007–2010), during (2010–2011) and after (2011–2012) the flood. Average N across all years of study was 63.2 (SE = 5.2), excluding the year of the flooding event. Estimates of ψF→NF increased from 0.014 (SE = 0.010; meaning that 1.4% of the bears moved from the flooded area to non-flooded areas) before flooding to 0.113 (SE = 0.045) during the flood year, and then decreased to 0.028 (SE= 0.035) after the flood. Although we demonstrated a flood effect on transition rates as hypothesized, the effect was small (88.7% of the bears remained in the flooded area during flooding) and φ was unchanged, suggesting that the 2011 flooding event had minimal impact on survival and site fidelity.

  8. Event Investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korosec, D.

    2000-01-01

    The events in the nuclear industry are investigated from the license point of view and from the regulatory side too. It is well known the importance of the event investigation. One of the main goals of such investigation is to prevent the circumstances leading to the event and the consequences of the event. The protection of the nuclear workers against nuclear hazard, and the protection of general public against dangerous effects of an event could be achieved by systematic approach to the event investigation. Both, the nuclear safety regulatory body and the licensee shall ensure that operational significant events are investigated in a systematic and technically sound manner to gather information pertaining to the probable causes of the event. One of the results should be appropriate feedback regarding the lessons of the experience to the regulatory body, nuclear industry and general public. In the present paper a general description of systematic approach to the event investigation is presented. The systematic approach to the event investigation works best where cooperation is present among the different divisions of the nuclear facility or regulatory body. By involving management and supervisors the safety office can usually improve their efforts in the whole process. The end result shall be a program which serves to prevent events and reduce the time and efforts solving the root cause which initiated each event. Selection of the proper method for the investigation and an adequate review of the findings and conclusions lead to the higher level of the overall nuclear safety. (author)

  9. Toetsen als Leerinterventie. Samenvatten in het Testing Effect Paradigma [Tests as learning interventions. Summarization in the testing effect paradigma investigated

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dirkx, Kim; Kester, Liesbeth; Kirschner, Paul A.

    2011-01-01

    Dirkx, K. J. H., Kester, L., & Kirschner, P. A. (2011, July). Toetsen als leerinterventie. Samenvatten in het testing effect paradigma onderzocht [Tests as learning interventions. Summarization in the testing effect paradigma investigated]. Presentation for Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam.

  10. Minimalist fault-tolerance techniques for mitigating single-event effects in non-radiation-hardened microcontrollers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, Douglas Wyche

    Commercial microcontrollers--monolithic integrated circuits containing microprocessor, memory and various peripheral functions--such as are used in industrial, automotive and military applications, present spacecraft avionics system designers an appealing mix of higher performance and lower power together with faster system-development time and lower unit costs. However, these parts are not radiation-hardened for application in the space environment and Single-Event Effects (SEE) caused by high-energy, ionizing radiation present a significant challenge. Mitigating these effects with techniques which require minimal additional support logic, and thereby preserve the high functional density of these devices, can allow their benefits to be realized. This dissertation uses fault-tolerance to mitigate the transient errors and occasional latchups that non-hardened microcontrollers can experience in the space radiation environment. Space systems requirements and the historical use of fault-tolerant computers in spacecraft provide context. Space radiation and its effects in semiconductors define the fault environment. A reference architecture is presented which uses two or three microcontrollers with a combination of hardware and software voting techniques to mitigate SEE. A prototypical spacecraft function (an inertial measurement unit) is used to illustrate the techniques and to explore how real application requirements impact the fault-tolerance approach. Low-cost approaches which leverage features of existing commercial microcontrollers are analyzed. A high-speed serial bus is used for voting among redundant devices and a novel wire-OR output voting scheme exploits the bidirectional controls of I/O pins. A hardware testbed and prototype software were constructed to evaluate two- and three-processor configurations. Simulated Single-Event Upsets (SEUs) were injected at high rates and the response of the system monitored. The resulting statistics were used to evaluate

  11. Reports about Occurrence of Events with Effect on Aviation Safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimír Plos

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This article deals with a system, that is established to report the events with effect on safety. This system is based on requirements published in Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention and legislative foundations laid down in Regulation L13, Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU No 376/2014, Decree No. 359/2006 Sb. and Act No. 49/1997 Sb. Standards and legislative rules precisely define the types of events that are subject of reporting and also define the structure and content of the reporting message. This content is consists mainly of the identification data about the airplane and crew, information about the route and a short description of the damage to the airplane. In the following, we discuss the possible use of such a system of mandatory reporting for the needs of safety indicators. Then there are proposals of changes in the content of the reporting message for the need of safety indicators. The present knowledge indicates that the use of all opportunities provided by the law for the reporting of events can lead to a creating of sufficient basis for safety indicators.

  12. Verification of WPS effect under a PTS event

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okamura, Hiroyuki; Yagawa, Genki; Urabe, Yoshio; Satoh, Masanobu; Tomimatsu, Minoru; Iida, Masato

    1993-01-01

    In WPS A1 test, K, was monotonically increased with thermal shock and constant tensile load by control of bending load. The specimen broke within the scatter band of K IC data. In WPS A2 test, initial specimen temperature was kept same as that of WPS A1 test and another PTS load was applied. No crack initiation took place when K I was within the scatter band of K IC at the decreasing stage. After that, bending load was increased up to brittle fracture at the temperature where WPS A1 test specimen broke. K I value at fracture for WPS A2 test specimen was beyond the upper bound of K IC data. That is, WPS effect was confirmed even for the low toughness steel like RPV wall under irradiation. Also K I value at fracture can be predicted by Chell's theory. By introducing WPS effect into PTS integrity analysis, much more temperature margin can be expected

  13. After-effects of human-computer interaction indicated by P300 of the event-related brain potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trimmel, M; Huber, R

    1998-05-01

    After-effects of human-computer interaction (HCI) were investigated by using the P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP). Forty-nine subjects (naive non-users, beginners, experienced users, programmers) completed three paper/pencil tasks (text editing, solving intelligence test items, filling out a questionnaire on sensation seeking) and three HCI tasks (text editing, executing a tutor program or programming, playing Tetris). The sequence of 7-min tasks was randomized between subjects and balanced between groups. After each experimental condition ERPs were recorded during an acoustic discrimination task at F3, F4, Cz, P3 and P4. Data indicate that: (1) mental after-effects of HCI can be detected by P300 of the ERP; (2) HCI showed in general a reduced amplitude; (3) P300 amplitude varied also with type of task, mainly at F4 where it was smaller after cognitive tasks (intelligence test/programming) and larger after emotion-based tasks (sensation seeking/Tetris); (4) cognitive tasks showed shorter latencies; (5) latencies were widely location-independent (within the range of 356-358 ms at F3, F4, P3 and P4) after executing the tutor program or programming; and (6) all observed after-effects were independent of the user's experience in operating computers and may therefore reflect short-term after-effects only and no structural changes of information processing caused by HCI.

  14. Identification of Initiating Events for PGSFR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jintae; Jae, Moosung

    2016-01-01

    The Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) is by far the most advanced reactor of the six Generation IV reactors. The SFR uses liquid sodium as the reactor coolant, which has superior heat transport characteristics. It also allows high power density with low coolant volume fraction and operation at low pressure. In Korea, KAERI has been developing Prototype Generation-IV Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (PGSFR) that employs passive safety systems and inherent reactivity feedback effects. In order to prepare for the licensing, it is necessary to assess the safety of the reactor. Thus, the objective of this study is to conduct accident sequence analysis that can contribute to risk assessment. The analysis embraces identification of initiating events and accident sequences development. PGSFR is to test and demonstrate the performance of transuranic (TRU)-containing metal fuel required for a commercial SFR, and to demonstrate the TRU transmutation capability of a burner reactor as a part of an advanced fuel cycle system. Initiating events that can happen in PGSFR were identified through the MLD method. This method presents a model of a plant in terms of individual events and their combinations in a systematic and logical way. The 11 identified initiating events in this study include the events considered in the past analysis that was conducted for PRISM-150

  15. Identification of Initiating Events for PGSFR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jintae; Jae, Moosung [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    The Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) is by far the most advanced reactor of the six Generation IV reactors. The SFR uses liquid sodium as the reactor coolant, which has superior heat transport characteristics. It also allows high power density with low coolant volume fraction and operation at low pressure. In Korea, KAERI has been developing Prototype Generation-IV Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (PGSFR) that employs passive safety systems and inherent reactivity feedback effects. In order to prepare for the licensing, it is necessary to assess the safety of the reactor. Thus, the objective of this study is to conduct accident sequence analysis that can contribute to risk assessment. The analysis embraces identification of initiating events and accident sequences development. PGSFR is to test and demonstrate the performance of transuranic (TRU)-containing metal fuel required for a commercial SFR, and to demonstrate the TRU transmutation capability of a burner reactor as a part of an advanced fuel cycle system. Initiating events that can happen in PGSFR were identified through the MLD method. This method presents a model of a plant in terms of individual events and their combinations in a systematic and logical way. The 11 identified initiating events in this study include the events considered in the past analysis that was conducted for PRISM-150.

  16. The Effect of Local Events to Rural Tourism as a Recreational Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elif Zeynep ÖZER

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Recreation is the activities that person attends voluntarily in his/her spare time to refreshing, relaxing and motivation. Activities that are made in rural area are option for recreational activities. There is an increase in consumer demand for rural tour ism as an alternative tourism option. Participants get a chance to know different cultural structures and chance to see natural beauties by attending rural activities. Events that are performed with attendees form different destinations are support area fr om economy, development and advertising point of view. Objective of this work is making contribution to development rural tourism and recreational activities by defining the effect of local events to rural tourism as a recreational activity. In this work, the effect of participation of recreational tourism activities to rural tourism is investigated. Data that is required is gathered by semi structured interview technique. The result of this work has a potential to use a resource to lead event managers. Thi s work also has a potential to use a resource for studies that are related to recreation tourism, local activities and rural tourism.

  17. Mediators of the relationship between life events and memory functioning in a community sample of adults

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Korten, N.C.M.; Sliwinski, M.J.; Comijs, H.C.; Smyth, J.M.

    2014-01-01

    The present study examines the association of frequency and severity of life events with memory functioning in a community sample of adults. We tested the hypothesis that stress-related cognitive interference mediated the effects of recent life events on cognition, in addition to examining the

  18. Experimental setup for Single Event Effects at the São Paulo 8UD Pelletron Accelerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguiar, V.A.P. [Instituto de Física da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Added, N., E-mail: nemitala@if.usp.br [Instituto de Física da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Medina, N.H.; Macchione, E.L.A.; Tabacniks, M.H.; Aguirre, F.R. [Instituto de Física da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Silveira, M.A.G.; Santos, R.B.B. [Centro Universitário da FEI, São Bernardo do Campo, SP (Brazil); Seixas, L.E. [Centro de Tecnologia da Informação Renato Archer, Campinas, SP (Brazil)

    2014-08-01

    In this work we present an experimental setup mounted in one of the beam lines at the São Paulo 8UD Pelletron Accelerator in order to study Single Event Effects in electronic devices. The basic idea is to use elastic scattering collisions to achieve a low-flux with a high-uniformity ion beam to irradiate several devices. {sup 12}C, {sup 16}O, {sup 28}Si, {sup 35}Cl and {sup 63}Cu beams were used to test the experimental setup. In this system it is possible to use efficiently LET values of 17 MeV/mg/cm{sup 2} for an external beam arrangement and up to 32 MeV/mg/cm{sup 2} for in-vacuum irradiation.

  19. Antimutagenic, Antirecombinogenic, and Antitumor Effect of Amygdalin in a Yeast Cell-Based Test and Mammalian Cell Lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todorova, Atanaska; Pesheva, Margarita; Iliev, Ivan; Bardarov, Krum; Todorova, Teodora

    2017-04-01

    Amygdalin is a major component of the seeds of Rosaceae family of plants such as apricots, peaches, cherry, nectarines, apples, plums, and so on, as well as almonds. It is used in alternative medicine for cancer prevention, alleviation of fever, cough suppression, and quenching thirst. The aim of the present study is to determine the mutagenic and recombinogenic effects of amygdalin in a test system Saccharomyces cerevisiae and to evaluate its potential antitumor effect in a yeast cell-based test and colon cancer cell lines. Results obtained show that concentrations 25, 50, and 100 μg/mL did not have any cytotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effect in yeast cell-based tests. Pretreatment with amygdalin at concentration 100 μg/mL leads to around twofold of the cell survival and decrease of reverse mutation frequency, induced by the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate. The frequency of gene conversion and mitotic crossing-over is around threefold lower. The anticarcinogenic potential of amygdalin at the same concentration is presented as around fourfold reduction of Ty1 retrotransposition induced by hexavalent chromium. In summary, data presented in this study provide evidence concerning the inability of amygdalin itself to provoke events related to the initial steps of tumorigenesis. In addition, the observed antimutagenic/antirecombinogenic effect could be activation of error-free and error-prone recombination events. Based on the high selectivity toward normal or tumor cell lines, it could be speculated that amygdalin has higher cytotoxic effect in cell lines with higher proliferative and metabolic activity, which are the majority of fast developing tumors.

  20. An integral effect test facility of the SMART, SMART ITL

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Hyun Sik; Moon, Sang Ki; Kim, Yeon Sik; Cho, Seok; Choi, Ki Yong; Bae, Hwang; Kim, Dong Eok; Choi, Nam Hyun; Min, Kyoung Ho; Ko, Yung Joo; Shin, Yong Cheol; Park, Rae Joon; Lee, Won Jae; Song, Chul Hwa; Yi, Sung Jae [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-10-15

    SMART (System integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) is a 330 MWth integral pressurized water reactor (iPWR) developed by KAERI and had obtained standard design approval (SDA) from Korean regulatory authority on July 2012. In this SMART design main components including a pressurizer, reactor coolant pumps and steam generators are installed in a reactor pressure vessel without any large connecting pipes. As the LBLOCA scenario is inherently excluded, its safety systems could be simplified only to ensure the safety during the SBLOCA scenarios and the other system transients. An integral effect test loop for the SMART (SMART ITL), or called as FESTA, had been designed to simulate the integral thermal hydraulic behavior of the SMART. The objectives of the SMART ITL are to investigate and understand the integral performance of reactor systems and components and the thermal hydraulic phenomena occurred in the system during normal, abnormal and emergency conditions, and to verify the system safety during various design basis events of the SMART. The integral effect test data will also be used to validate the related thermal hydraulic models of the safety analysis code such as TASS/SMR S, which is used for performance and accident analysis of the SMART design. This paper introduces the scaling analysis and scientific design of the integral test facility of the SMART, SMART ITL and its scaling analysis results.

  1. [Effect of Chinese drugs for activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis on carotid atherosclerosis and ischemic cerebrovascular events].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Yan; Li, Tao

    2014-03-01

    To explore the effect of Chinese drugs for activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis (CDABCRBS) on carotid atherosclerotic plaque and long-term ischemic cerebrovascular events. By using open and control method, effect of 4 groups of platelet antagonists, platelet antagonists + CDABCRBS, platelet antagonists +atorvastatin, platelet antagonists +atorvastatin +CDABCRBS on carotid atherosclerotic plaque and long-term ischemic cerebrovascular events of 90 cerebral infarction patients were analyzed. Through survival analysis, there was no statistical difference in the effect of the 4 interventions on the variation of carotid stenosis rates or ischemic cerebrovascular events (P > 0.05). The occurrence of ischemic cerebrovascular events could be postponed by about 4 months in those treated with platelet antagonists + CDABCRBS and platelet antagonists + atorvastatin +CDABCRBS. By multivariate Logistic analysis, age, hypertension, and clopidogrel were associated with stenosis of extracranial carotid arteries (P cerebrovascular accidents (P cerebrovascular events. CDABCRBS could effectively prolong the occurrence time of ischemic cerebrovascular events.

  2. Lateralization of event-related potential effects during mental rotation of polygons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellkofer, Julia; Jansen, Petra; Heil, Martin

    2012-07-11

    Numerous studies have shown that there is an amplitude modulation of the late positivity depending on the angular disparity during mental rotation performance. However, almost all of these studies used characters as stimulus material, whereas studies with different stimuli are rare. In the present experiment, 35 participants were instructed to rotate polygons mentally. Most importantly, with this stimulus material, the well-known event-related potential effects were also present at posterior electrode leads. Interestingly, the amplitude modulation were found to be larger and more reliable over left than over right posterior electrode leads, a finding reported previously for characters as stimuli, although not consistently. Thus, the present data suggest that the left lateralization of event-related potential effects during mental rotation of characters might not be because of their 'verbal nature', but might suggest a stronger involvement of the left parietal cortex during mental rotation per se, a suggestion that needs to be addressed with methods providing a higher spatial resolution.

  3. Water regime history drives responses of soil Namib Desert microbial communities to wetting events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frossard, Aline; Ramond, Jean-Baptiste; Seely, Mary; Cowan, Don A.

    2015-07-01

    Despite the dominance of microorganisms in arid soils, the structures and functional dynamics of microbial communities in hot deserts remain largely unresolved. The effects of wetting event frequency and intensity on Namib Desert microbial communities from two soils with different water-regime histories were tested over 36 days. A total of 168 soil microcosms received wetting events mimicking fog, light rain and heavy rainfall, with a parallel “dry condition” control. T-RFLP data showed that the different wetting events affected desert microbial community structures, but these effects were attenuated by the effects related to the long-term adaptation of both fungal and bacterial communities to soil origins (i.e. soil water regime histories). The intensity of the water pulses (i.e. the amount of water added) rather than the frequency of wetting events had greatest effect in shaping bacterial and fungal community structures. In contrast to microbial diversity, microbial activities (enzyme activities) showed very little response to the wetting events and were mainly driven by soil origin. This experiment clearly demonstrates the complexity of microbial community responses to wetting events in hyperarid hot desert soil ecosystems and underlines the dynamism of their indigenous microbial communities.

  4. LIFE EVENTS WITH STRESSFUL EFFECT ON PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA ACCORDING TO THE SEX AND AGE.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lilia Nikolova

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available According to the literature life events with stressful effect are significant both for initiation and progress of the schizophrenia. Having this in mind we set our aim to be investigating the relationship between life events (considered as stressful, sex and age trough questioning 50 patients with paranoid schizophrenia. The results of our study showed presence of correlation between some of the studied life events, assessed as stressful. The analysis of the data revealed that both sex and age are influencing the assessment of the significance of the life events and “increases” their importance both for women and men.

  5. Test-retest reliability and stability of N400 effects in a word-pair semantic priming paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiang, Michael; Patriciu, Iulia; Roy, Carolyn; Christensen, Bruce K; Zipursky, Robert B

    2013-04-01

    Elicited by any meaningful stimulus, the N400 event-related potential (ERP) component is reduced when the stimulus is related to a preceding one. This N400 semantic priming effect has been used to probe abnormal semantic relationship processing in clinical disorders, and suggested as a possible biomarker for treatment studies. Validating N400 semantic priming effects as a clinical biomarker requires characterizing their test-retest reliability. We assessed test-retest reliability of N400 semantic priming in 16 healthy adults who viewed the same related and unrelated prime-target word pairs in two sessions one week apart. As expected, N400 amplitudes were smaller for related versus unrelated targets across sessions. N400 priming effects (amplitude differences between unrelated and related targets) were highly correlated across sessions (r=0.85, Pmotivational changes. Use of N400 priming effects in treatment studies should account for possible magnitude decreases with repeat testing. Further research is needed to delineate N400 priming effects' test-retest reliability and stability in different age and clinical groups, and with different stimulus types. Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Effects of stress on memory in children and adolescents: testing causal connections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quas, Jodi A; Rush, Elizabeth B; Yim, Ilona S; Nikolayev, Mariya

    2014-01-01

    Although a sizeable body of research has examined children's memory for stressful prior experiences, relatively few studies have experimentally manipulated stress during a to-be-remembered event to draw causal inferences about the effects of stress, especially across wide age ranges. We exposed children and adolescents to a more or a less arousing version of the Trier Social Stress Test-Modified (TSST-M), a widely used laboratory stress task. Two weeks later, we tested their memory for what happened. Interviewers behaved in a supportive or non-supportive manner. In adolescents, those who completed the high-arousal TSST-M provided fewer correct responses to recognition questions and fewer incorrect responses to misleading questions for which any answer would have been incorrect, compared to those who completed the lower-arousal TSST-M. Thus, arousal seemed to have reduced the adolescents' willingness to answer questions rather than having influenced their memory per se. In children, across TSST-M conditions, greater physiological arousal during the TSST-M predicted enhanced recall. Finally, interviewer support reduced the amount of factual information provided in free recall but increased correct responses to misleading questions. Results highlight the complex ways in which event stress and interviewer demeanour shape recounting of prior experiences across development.

  7. Risk effectiveness evaluation of surveillance testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I.S.; Samanta, P.K.; Martorell, S.; Vesely, W.E.

    1991-01-01

    To address the concerns about nuclear power plant surveillance tests, i.e., their adverse safety impact due to negative effects and too burdensome requirements, it is necessary to evaluate the safety significance or risk effectiveness of such tests explicitly considering both negative and positive effects. This paper defines the negative effects of surveillance testing from a risk perspective, and then presents a methodology to quantify the negative risk impact, i.e., the risk penalty or risk increase caused by the test. The method focuses on two important kinds of negative effects, namely, test-caused transients and test-caused equipment degradations. The concepts and quantitative methods for the risk evaluation can be used in the decision-making process to establish the safety significance of the tests and to screen the plant-specific surveillance test requirements. 6 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

  8. A Study of Small Magnitude Seismic Events During 1961-1989 on and near the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalturin, V. I.; Rautian, T. G.; Richards, P. G.

    - Official Russian sources in 1996 and 1997 have stated that 340 underground nuclear tests (UNTs) were conducted during 1961-1989 at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) in Eastern Kazakhstan. Only 271 of these nuclear tests appear to have been described with well-determined origin time, coordinates and magnitudes in the openly available technical literature. Thus, good open documentation has been lacking for 69 UNTs at STS.The main goal of our study was to provide detections, estimates of origin time and location, and magnitudes, for as many of these previously undocumented events as possible. We used data from temporary and permanent seismographic stations in the former USSR at distances from 500km to about 1500km from STS. As a result, we have been able to assign magnitude for eight previously located UNTs whose magnitude was not previously known. For 31 UNTs, we have estimated origin time an d assigned magnitude - and for 19 of these 31 we have obtained locations based on seismic signals. Of the remaining 30 poorly documented UNTs, 15 had announced yields that were less than one ton, and 13 occurred simultaneously with another test which was detected. There are only two UNTs, for which the announced yield exceeds one ton and we have been unable to find seismic signals.Most of the newly detected and located events were sub-kiloton. Their magnitudes range from 2.7 up to 5.1 (a multi-kiloton event on 1965 Feb. 4 that was often obscured at teleseismic stations by signals from an earthquake swarm in the Aleutians).For 17 small UNTs at STS, we compare the locations (with their uncertainties) that we had earlier determined in 1994 from analysis of regional seismic waves, with ground-truth information obtained in 1998. The average error of the seismically-determined locations is only about 5km. The ground-truth location is almost alw ays within the predicted small uncertainty of the seismically-determined location.Seismically-determined yield estimates are in good

  9. Event-by-Event Simulations of Early Gluon Fields in High Energy Nuclear Collisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nickel, Matthew; Rose, Steven; Fries, Rainer

    2017-09-01

    Collisions of heavy ions are carried out at ultra relativistic speeds at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider to create Quark Gluon Plasma. The earliest stages of such collisions are dominated by the dynamics of classical gluon fields. The McLerran-Venugopalan (MV) model of color glass condensate provides a model for this process. Previous research has provided an analytic solution for event averaged observables in the MV model. Using the High Performance Research Computing Center (HPRC) at Texas A&M, we have developed a C++ code to explicitly calculate the initial gluon fields and energy momentum tensor event by event using the analytic recursive solution. The code has been tested against previously known analytic results up to fourth order. We have also have been able to test the convergence of the recursive solution at high orders in time and studied the time evolution of color glass condensate.

  10. Solar irradiance changes and photobiological effects at earth's surface following astrophysical ionizing radiation events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Brian C; Neale, Patrick J; Snyder, Brock R

    2015-03-01

    Astrophysical ionizing radiation events have been recognized as a potential threat to life on Earth, primarily through depletion of stratospheric ozone and subsequent increase in surface-level solar ultraviolet radiation. Simulations of the atmospheric effects of a variety of events (such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and solar proton events) have been previously published, along with estimates of biological damage at Earth's surface. In this work, we employed the Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible (TUV) radiative transfer model to expand and improve calculations of surface-level irradiance and biological impacts following an ionizing radiation event. We considered changes in surface-level UVB, UVA, and photosynthetically active radiation (visible light) for clear-sky conditions and fixed aerosol parameter values. We also considered a wide range of biological effects on organisms ranging from humans to phytoplankton. We found that past work overestimated UVB irradiance but that relative estimates for increase in exposure to DNA-damaging radiation are still similar to our improved calculations. We also found that the intensity of biologically damaging radiation varies widely with organism and specific impact considered; these results have implications for biosphere-level damage following astrophysical ionizing radiation events. When considering changes in surface-level visible light irradiance, we found that, contrary to previous assumptions, a decrease in irradiance is only present for a short time in very limited geographical areas; instead we found a net increase for most of the modeled time-space region. This result has implications for proposed climate changes associated with ionizing radiation events.

  11. Evaluation Influence: The Evaluation Event and Capital Flow in International Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, David A

    2017-12-01

    Assessing program effectiveness in human development is central to informing foreign aid policy-making and organizational learning. Foreign aid effectiveness discussions have increasingly given attention to the devaluing effects of aid flow volatility. This study reveals that the external evaluation event influences actor behavior, serving as a volatility-constraining tool. A case study of a multidonor aid development mechanism served examining the influence of an evaluation event when considering anticipatory effects. The qualitative component used text and focus group data combined with individual interview data (organizations n = 10, including 26 individuals). Quantitative data included financial information on all 75 capital investments. The integrated theory of influence and model of alternative mechanisms used these components to identify the linkage between the evaluation event and capital flow volatility. Aid approved in the year of the midterm evaluation was disbursed by the mechanism with low capital volatility. Anticipating the evaluation event influenced behavior resulting in an empirical record that program outcomes were enhanced and the mechanism was an improved organization. Formative evaluations in a development program can trigger activity as an interim process. That activity provides for a more robust assessment of ultimate consequence of interest. Anticipating an evaluation can stimulate donor reality testing. The findings inform and strengthen future research on the influence of anticipating an evaluation. Closely examining activities before, during, and shortly after the evaluation event can aid development of other systematic methods to improve understanding this phenomenon, as well as improve donor effectiveness strategies.

  12. Evaluation of bioassays for testing Bt sweetpotato events against ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Sweetpotato weevil (Cylas puncticollis) Boheman is a serious pest throughout Sub-Saharan Africa region and is a big threat to sweetpotato cultivation. Ten transgenic sweetpotato events expressing Cry7Aa1, Cry3Ca1, and ET33-34 proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were evaluated for resistance against C.

  13. Separate effects tests to determine the effective thermal conductivity in the PBMR HTTU test facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rousseau, P.G., E-mail: pgr@mtechindustrial.com [School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Toit, C.G. du; Antwerpen, W. van [School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Antwerpen, H.J. van [M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd., PO Box 19855, Noordbrug 2522 (South Africa)

    2014-05-01

    Thermal-fluid simulations are used extensively to predict the maximum fuel temperatures, flows, pressure drops and thermal capacitance of pebble bed gas cooled reactors in support of the reactor safety case. The PBMR company developed the HTTU non-nuclear test facility in cooperation with M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd. and the North-West University in South Africa to conduct comprehensive separate effects tests as well as integrated effects tests to study the different thermal-fluid phenomena. This paper describes the separate effects tests that were conducted to determine the effective thermal conductivity through the pebble bed under near-vacuum conditions and temperatures up to 1200 °C. It also presents the measured temperature distributions and the methodology applied in the data analysis to derive the resultant values of effective thermal conductivity and its associated uncertainty.

  14. Separate effects tests to determine the effective thermal conductivity in the PBMR HTTU test facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rousseau, P.G.; Toit, C.G. du; Antwerpen, W. van; Antwerpen, H.J. van

    2014-01-01

    Thermal-fluid simulations are used extensively to predict the maximum fuel temperatures, flows, pressure drops and thermal capacitance of pebble bed gas cooled reactors in support of the reactor safety case. The PBMR company developed the HTTU non-nuclear test facility in cooperation with M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd. and the North-West University in South Africa to conduct comprehensive separate effects tests as well as integrated effects tests to study the different thermal-fluid phenomena. This paper describes the separate effects tests that were conducted to determine the effective thermal conductivity through the pebble bed under near-vacuum conditions and temperatures up to 1200 °C. It also presents the measured temperature distributions and the methodology applied in the data analysis to derive the resultant values of effective thermal conductivity and its associated uncertainty

  15. Reliable Decentralized Control of Fuzzy Discrete-Event Systems and a Test Algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Fuchun; Dziong, Zbigniew

    2013-02-01

    A framework for decentralized control of fuzzy discrete-event systems (FDESs) has been recently presented to guarantee the achievement of a given specification under the joint control of all local fuzzy supervisors. As a continuation, this paper addresses the reliable decentralized control of FDESs in face of possible failures of some local fuzzy supervisors. Roughly speaking, for an FDES equipped with n local fuzzy supervisors, a decentralized supervisor is called k-reliable (1 ≤ k ≤ n) provided that the control performance will not be degraded even when n - k local fuzzy supervisors fail. A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of k-reliable decentralized supervisors of FDESs is proposed by introducing the notions of M̃uc-controllability and k-reliable coobservability of fuzzy language. In particular, a polynomial-time algorithm to test the k-reliable coobservability is developed by a constructive methodology, which indicates that the existence of k-reliable decentralized supervisors of FDESs can be checked with a polynomial complexity.

  16. The stressed eyewitness: The interaction of thematic arousal and post-event stress in memory for central and peripheral event information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerald eEchterhoff

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Both arousal during the encoding of stimuli and subsequent stress can affect memory, often by increasing memory for important or central information. We explored whether event-based (thematic arousal and post-event stress interact to selectively enhance eyewitnesses’ memory for the central aspects of an observed incident. Specifically, we argue that memory for stimuli should be enhanced when (a the stimuli are encoded under arousal (vs. non-arousal, and (b stress is experienced soon after the encoding episode.We designed an experiment that extended previous research by manipulating arousal without changing the stimulus material, distinguishing between central and peripheral event information, and using a dynamic, life-like event instead of static pictures. After watching a video depicting a burglary under high or low thematic arousal, psychosocial stress was induced or not induced by the Trier Social Stress Test. Salivary cortisol was measured at standard intervals. Consistent with our prediction, we found a significant thematic arousal x post-event stress x centrality interaction, indicating that the recognition advantage for central event items over peripheral event items was most pronounced under both high thematic arousal and post-event stress. Because stress was induced after encoding this interaction cannot be explained by possible differences at encoding, such as narrowed attention. The centrality effect of post-event stress under high thematic arousal was statistically mediated by the cortisol increase, which suggests a key role of the stress hormone. We discuss implications of our findings for psychological and neuroscientific theories of emotional memory formation.

  17. The effect of tube rupture location on the consequences of multiple steam generator tube rupture event

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Ji Hwan; Kweon, Young Chul

    2002-01-01

    A multiple steam generator tube rupture (MSGTR) event has never occurred in the commercial operation of nuclear reactors while single steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) events are reported to occur every 2 years. As there has been no occurrence of a MSGTR event, the understanding of transients and consequences of this event is very limited. In this study, a postulated MSGTR event in an advanced power reactor 1400 (APR 1400) is analyzed using the thermal-hydraulic system code, MARS1.4. The APR 1400 is a two-loop, 3893 MWt, PWR proposed to be built in 2010. The present study aims to understand the effects of rupture location in heat transfer tubes following a MSGTR event. The effects of five tube rupture locations are compared with each other. The comparison shows that the response of APR1400 allows the shortest time for operator action following a tube rupture in the vicinity of the hot-leg side tube sheet and allows the longest time following a tube rupture at the tube top. The MSSV lift time for rupture at the tube-top is evaluated as 24.5% larger than that for rupture at the hot-leg side tube sheet

  18. Motion of flux transfer events: a test of the Cooling model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. C. Fear

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available The simple model of reconnected field line motion developed by Cooling et al. (2001 has been used in several recent case studies to explain the motion of flux transfer events across the magnetopause. We examine 213 FTEs observed by all four Cluster spacecraft under a variety of IMF conditions between November 2002 and June 2003, when the spacecraft tetrahedron separation was ~5000 km. Observed velocities were calculated from multi-spacecraft timing analysis, and compared with the velocities predicted by the Cooling model in order to check the validity of the model. After excluding three categories of FTEs (events with poorly defined velocities, a significant velocity component out of the magnetopause surface, or a scale size of less than 5000 km, we were left with a sample of 118 events. 78% of these events were consistent in both direction of motion and speed with one of the two model de Hoffmann-Teller (dHT velocities calculated from the Cooling model (to within 30° and a factor of two in the speed. We also examined the plasma signatures of several magnetosheath FTEs; the electron signatures confirm the hemisphere of connection indicated by the model in most cases. This indicates that although the model is a simple one, it is a useful tool for identifying the source regions of FTEs.

  19. Radiation induced Single Event Effects in the ATLAS MDT-ASD front-end chip

    CERN Document Server

    Posch, C

    2002-01-01

    Single Event Effect (SEE) tests of the MDT-ASD, the ATLAS MDT front-end chip have been performed at the Harvard Cyclotron Lab. The MDT-ASD is an 8-channel drift tube read-out ASIC fabricated in a commercial 0.5um CMOS process (AMOS14TB). The chip contains a 53 bit register which holds the setup information and an associated shift register of the same length plus some additional control logic. 10 test devices were exposed to a 160 MeV proton beam with a fluence of 1.05E9 p.cm-2.s-1 up to >4.4E p.cm-2 per device. After a total fluence of 4.46E13 p.cm-2, 7 soft SEEs (non-permanent bit flips in the registers) and 0 hard/destructive SEE (e.g. latch-ups, SEL) had occurred. The simulated fluence for 10 years of LHC operation at nominal luminosity for worst case location MDT components is 2.67E11 h.cm-2. The rate of SEUs in the ASD setup register for all of ATLAS, derived from these numbers, is 2.4 per day. It is foreseen to update the active registers of the on-detector electronics at regular intervals. Depending on...

  20. Curiosity and exploratory behaviour towards possible and impossible events in children and adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subbotsky, Eugene

    2010-08-01

    In four experiments with 4-, 6-, and 9-year-old children and adults, the hypothesis was tested that, all other conditions being equal, a novel and unusual event elicits stronger curiosity and exploratory behaviour if its suggested explanation involves an element of the supernatural than if it does not (the impossible over possible effect - the I/P effect). Participants were shown an unusual phenomenon (a spontaneous disintegration of a physical object in an apparently empty box) framed in the context of either a magical (the impossible event) or scientific (the possible event) explanation. In the verbal trial, participants showed a clear understanding of the difference between the effect of genuine magic and the effect of a trick. In the behavioural trial, both children and adults showed the I/P effect. They were more likely to run the risk of losing their valuable objects in order to explore the impossible event than the possible event. Follow-up experiments showed that the I/P effect couldn't be explained as an artifact of the different degrees of cost of exploratory behaviour in the possible and impossible conditions or as a result of misinterpreting magic as tricks. The I/P effect emerged when the cost of exploratory behaviour was moderate and disappeared when the cost was perceived as too high or too low.

  1. The Effects of Interplanetary Transport in the Event-intergrated Solar Energetic Particle Spectra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Lulu; Zhang, Ming; Rassoul, Hamid K., E-mail: lzhao@fit.edu [Physics and Space Sciences Department, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901 (United States)

    2017-02-10

    Previous investigations on the energy spectra of solar energetic particle (SEP) events revealed that the energy spectra observed at 1 au often show double power laws with break energies from one to tens of MeV/nuc. In order to determine whether the double power-law features result from the SEP source or the interplanetary transport process from the Sun to 1 au, we separately analyze the SEP spectra in the decay phase, during which the transport effect is minimum. In this paper, we reported three events observed by the Interplanetary Monitory Platform 8 spacecraft, which occurred on 1977 September 19, November 22, and 1979 March 1. For the first two events, the event-integrated spectra of protons possess double power-law profiles with break energies in a range of several MeV to tens of MeV, while the spectra integrated in the decay (reservoir) phase yield single power laws. Moreover, a general trend from a double power law at the rising phase to a single power law at the decay phase is observed. For the third event, both the event-integrated and the reservoir spectra show double power-law features. However, the difference between the low- and high-energy power-law indices is smaller for the reservoir spectrum than the event-integrated spectrum. These features were reproduced by solving the 1D diffusion equation analytically and we suggest that the transport process, especially the diffusion process, plays an important role in breaking the energy spectra.

  2. Effectiveness testing of spill-treating agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fingas, M.F.; Stoodley, R.; Laroche, N.

    1990-01-01

    Laboratory effectiveness tests are described for four classes of spill-treating agents: solidifiers, demulsifying agents, surface-washing agents and dispersants. Many treating agents in these four categories have been tested for effectiveness and the results are presented. Solidifiers or gelling agents solidify oil, requiring a large amount of agent to solidify oil-ranging between 16% by weight, to over 200%. Emulsion breakers prevent or reverse the formation of water-in-oil emulsions. A newly-developed effectiveness test shows that only one product is highly effective; however, many products will work, but require large amounts of spill-treating agent. Surfactant--containing materials are of two types, surface-washing agents and dispersants. Testing has shown that an agent that is a good dispersant is conversely a poor surface-washing agent, and vice versa. Tests of surface-washing agents show that only a few agents have effectiveness of 25-40%, where this effectiveness is the percentage of heavy oil removed from a test surface. Results using the 'swirling flask' test for dispersant effectiveness are reported. Heavy oils show effectiveness values of about 1%, medium crudes of about 10%, light crude oils of about 30% and very light oils of about 90%. (author)

  3. Solar Irradiance Changes And Photobiological Effects At Earth's Surface Following Astrophysical Ionizing Radiation Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Brian; Neale, Patrick

    2016-01-01

    Astrophysical ionizing radiation events have been recognized as a potential threat to life on Earth for decades. Although there is some direct biological damage on the surface from redistributed radiation several studies have indicated that the greatest long term threat is from ozone depletion and subsequent heightened solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It is known that organisms exposed to this irradiation experience harmful effects such as sunburn and even direct damage to DNA, proteins, or other cellular structures. Simulations of the atmospheric effects of a variety of events (such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and solar proton events) have been previously published, along with estimates of biological damage at Earth's surface. In the present work, we employed a radiative transfer model to expand and improve calculations of surface-level irradiance and biological impacts following an ionizing radiation event. We considered changes in surface-level UVB, UVA, and photosynthetically active radiation (visible light). Using biological weighting functions we have considered a wide range of effects, including: erythema and skin cancer in humans; inhibition of photosynthesis in the diatom Phaeodactylum sp. and dinoflagellate Prorocentrum micans inhibition of carbon fixation in Antarctic phytoplankton; inhibition of growth of oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Otana) seedlings; and cataracts. We found that past work overestimated UVB irradiance, but that relative estimates for increase in exposure to DNA damaging radiation are still similar to our improved calculations. We also found that the intensity of biologically damaging radiation varies widely with organism and specific impact considered; these results have implications for biosphere-level damage following astrophysical ionizing radiation events. When considering changes in surface-level visible light irradiance, we found that, contrary to previous assumptions, a decrease in irradiance is only present for a short time in

  4. In-Flight Observations of Long-Term Single Event Effect(SEE)Performance on Orbview-2 and Xray Timing Explorer(XTE)Solid State Recorders (SSR)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poivey, Christian; Barth, Janet L.; LaBel, Ken A.; Gee, George; Safren, Harvey

    2003-01-01

    This paper presents Single Event Effect (SEE) in-flight data on Solid State Recorders (SSR) that have been collected over a long period of time for two NASA spacecraft: Orbview-2 and XTE. SEE flight data on solid-state memories give an opportunity to study the behavior in space of SEE sensitive commercial devices. The actual Single Event Upset (SEU) rates can be compared with the calculated rates based on environment models and ground test data. The SEE mitigation schemes can also be evaluated in actual implementation. A significant amount of data has already been published concerning observed SEE effects on memories in space. However, most of the data presented cover either a short period of time or a small number of devices. The data presented here has been collected on a large number of devices during several years. This allows statistically significant information about the effect of space weather fluctuations on SEU rates, and the effectiveness of SEE countermeasures used to be analyzed. Only Orbview-2 data is presented in this summary. XTE data will be included in the final paper.

  5. Applications of heavy ion microprobe for single event effects analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reed, Robert A.; Vizkelethy, Gyorgy; Pellish, Jonathan A.; Sierawski, Brian; Warren, Kevin M.; Porter, Mark; Wilkinson, Jeff; Marshall, Paul W.; Niu, Guofu; Cressler, John D.; Schrimpf, Ronald D.; Tipton, Alan; Weller, Robert A.

    2007-01-01

    The motion of ionizing-radiation-induced rogue charge carriers in a semiconductor can create unwanted voltage and current conditions within a microelectronic circuit. If sufficient unwanted charge or current occurs on a sensitive node, a variety of single event effects (SEEs) can occur with consequences ranging from trivial to catastrophic. This paper describes the application of heavy ion microprobes to assist with calibration and validation of SEE modeling approaches

  6. Post-event spontaneous intrusive recollections and strength of memory for emotional events in men and women

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferree, Nikole K.; Cahill, Larry

    2009-01-01

    Spontaneous intrusive recollections (SIRs) follow traumatic events in clinical and non-clinical populations. To determine whether any relationship exists between SIRs and enhanced memory for emotional events, participants viewed emotional or neutral films, had their memory for the films tested two days later, and estimated the number of SIRs they experienced for each film. SIR frequency related positively to memory strength, an effect more pronounced in the emotional condition. These findings represent the first demonstration of a relationship between SIRs occurring after an emotional experience and subsequent memory strength for that experience. The results are consistent with the possibility that emotional arousal leads both to elevated SIR frequency and better memory, and that the covert rehearsal associated with SIRs enhances memory for emotional relative to neutral stimuli. Additional evidence of menstrual cycle influences on SIR incidence in female participants appears to merit consideration in future work. PMID:19131257

  7. Experimental verification of integrated pressure suppression systems in fusion reactors at in-vessel loss-of-coolant events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takase, K.; Akimoto, H.

    2001-01-01

    An integrated ICE (Ingress-of-Coolant Event) test facility was constructed to demonstrate that the ITER safety design approach and design parameters for the ICE events are adequate. Major objectives of the integrated ICE test facility are: to estimate the performance of an integrated pressure suppression system; to obtain the validation data for safety analysis codes; and to clarify the effects of two-phase pressure drop at a divertor and the direct-contact condensation in a suppression tank. A scaling factor between the test facility and ITER-FEAT is around 1/1600. The integrated ICE test facility simulates the ITER pressure suppression system and mainly consists of a plasma chamber, vacuum vessel, simulated divertor, relief pipe and suppression tank. From the experimental results it was found quantitatively that the ITER pressure suppression system is very effective to reduce the pressurization due to the ICE event. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the analytical results of the TRAC-PF1 code can simulate the experimental results with high accuracy. (author)

  8. Enhancing online timeline visualizations with events and images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandya, Abhishek; Mulye, Aniket; Teoh, Soon Tee

    2011-01-01

    The use of timeline to visualize time-series data is one of the most intuitive and commonly used methods, and is used for widely-used applications such as stock market data visualization, and tracking of poll data of election candidates over time. While useful, these timeline visualizations are lacking in contextual information of events which are related or cause changes in the data. We have developed a system that enhances timeline visualization with display of relevant news events and their corresponding images, so that users can not only see the changes in the data, but also understand the reasons behind the changes. We have also conducted a user study to test the effectiveness of our ideas.

  9. The effects of the 1996–2012 summer heat events on human mortality in Slovakia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Výberči Dalibor

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The impacts of summer heat events on the mortality of the Slovak population, both in total and for selected population sub-groups, are the foci of this study. This research is the first of its kind, focusing on a given population, and therefore one priority was to create a knowledge base for the issue and to basically evaluate existing conditions for the heat-mortality relationship in Slovakia. This article also aims to fill a void in current research on these issues in Europe. In addition to overall effects, we focused individually on the major historical heat events which occurred in the summers of 2007, 2010 and 2012. During the heat events, a non-negligible negative response in mortality was recorded and fatal effects were more pronounced during particularly strong heat events and periods which lasted for two or more days. In general, females and the elderly were the most sensitive groups in the population and mortality was characterized by several specific effects in individual population groups. The most extreme heat periods were commonly followed by a deficit in mortality, corresponding to a short-term mortality displacement, the pattern of which varied in specific cases. In general, displaced mortality appeared to compensate for a large part of heat-induced excess deaths.

  10. Agent based models for testing city evacuation strategies under a flood event as strategy to reduce flood risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medina, Neiler; Sanchez, Arlex; Nokolic, Igor; Vojinovic, Zoran

    2016-04-01

    This research explores the uses of Agent Based Models (ABM) and its potential to test large scale evacuation strategies in coastal cities at risk from flood events due to extreme hydro-meteorological events with the final purpose of disaster risk reduction by decreasing human's exposure to the hazard. The first part of the paper corresponds to the theory used to build the models such as: Complex adaptive systems (CAS) and the principles and uses of ABM in this field. The first section outlines the pros and cons of using AMB to test city evacuation strategies at medium and large scale. The second part of the paper focuses on the central theory used to build the ABM, specifically the psychological and behavioral model as well as the framework used in this research, specifically the PECS reference model is cover in this section. The last part of this section covers the main attributes or characteristics of human beings used to described the agents. The third part of the paper shows the methodology used to build and implement the ABM model using Repast-Symphony as an open source agent-based modelling and simulation platform. The preliminary results for the first implementation in a region of the island of Sint-Maarten a Dutch Caribbean island are presented and discussed in the fourth section of paper. The results obtained so far, are promising for a further development of the model and its implementation and testing in a full scale city

  11. Stochastic generation of hourly rainstorm events in Johor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nojumuddin, Nur Syereena; Yusof, Fadhilah; Yusop, Zulkifli

    2015-01-01

    Engineers and researchers in water-related studies are often faced with the problem of having insufficient and long rainfall record. Practical and effective methods must be developed to generate unavailable data from limited available data. Therefore, this paper presents a Monte-Carlo based stochastic hourly rainfall generation model to complement the unavailable data. The Monte Carlo simulation used in this study is based on the best fit of storm characteristics. Hence, by using the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and Anderson Darling goodness-of-fit test, lognormal appeared to be the best rainfall distribution. Therefore, the Monte Carlo simulation based on lognormal distribution was used in the study. The proposed model was verified by comparing the statistical moments of rainstorm characteristics from the combination of the observed rainstorm events under 10 years and simulated rainstorm events under 30 years of rainfall records with those under the entire 40 years of observed rainfall data based on the hourly rainfall data at the station J1 in Johor over the period of 1972–2011. The absolute percentage error of the duration-depth, duration-inter-event time and depth-inter-event time will be used as the accuracy test. The results showed the first four product-moments of the observed rainstorm characteristics were close with the simulated rainstorm characteristics. The proposed model can be used as a basis to derive rainfall intensity-duration frequency in Johor

  12. Stochastic generation of hourly rainstorm events in Johor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nojumuddin, Nur Syereena; Yusof, Fadhilah; Yusop, Zulkifli

    2015-02-01

    Engineers and researchers in water-related studies are often faced with the problem of having insufficient and long rainfall record. Practical and effective methods must be developed to generate unavailable data from limited available data. Therefore, this paper presents a Monte-Carlo based stochastic hourly rainfall generation model to complement the unavailable data. The Monte Carlo simulation used in this study is based on the best fit of storm characteristics. Hence, by using the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and Anderson Darling goodness-of-fit test, lognormal appeared to be the best rainfall distribution. Therefore, the Monte Carlo simulation based on lognormal distribution was used in the study. The proposed model was verified by comparing the statistical moments of rainstorm characteristics from the combination of the observed rainstorm events under 10 years and simulated rainstorm events under 30 years of rainfall records with those under the entire 40 years of observed rainfall data based on the hourly rainfall data at the station J1 in Johor over the period of 1972-2011. The absolute percentage error of the duration-depth, duration-inter-event time and depth-inter-event time will be used as the accuracy test. The results showed the first four product-moments of the observed rainstorm characteristics were close with the simulated rainstorm characteristics. The proposed model can be used as a basis to derive rainfall intensity-duration frequency in Johor.

  13. Stochastic generation of hourly rainstorm events in Johor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nojumuddin, Nur Syereena; Yusof, Fadhilah [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor (Malaysia); Yusop, Zulkifli [Institute of Environmental and Water Resources Management, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor (Malaysia)

    2015-02-03

    Engineers and researchers in water-related studies are often faced with the problem of having insufficient and long rainfall record. Practical and effective methods must be developed to generate unavailable data from limited available data. Therefore, this paper presents a Monte-Carlo based stochastic hourly rainfall generation model to complement the unavailable data. The Monte Carlo simulation used in this study is based on the best fit of storm characteristics. Hence, by using the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and Anderson Darling goodness-of-fit test, lognormal appeared to be the best rainfall distribution. Therefore, the Monte Carlo simulation based on lognormal distribution was used in the study. The proposed model was verified by comparing the statistical moments of rainstorm characteristics from the combination of the observed rainstorm events under 10 years and simulated rainstorm events under 30 years of rainfall records with those under the entire 40 years of observed rainfall data based on the hourly rainfall data at the station J1 in Johor over the period of 1972–2011. The absolute percentage error of the duration-depth, duration-inter-event time and depth-inter-event time will be used as the accuracy test. The results showed the first four product-moments of the observed rainstorm characteristics were close with the simulated rainstorm characteristics. The proposed model can be used as a basis to derive rainfall intensity-duration frequency in Johor.

  14. Prenatal stress may increase vulnerability to life events comparison with the effects of prenatal dexamethasone

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hougaard, Karin; Andersen, Maibritt B; Kjaer, Sanna L

    2005-01-01

    naïve at the time of ASR testing, whereas the other had been through blood sampling for assessment of the hormonal stress response to restraint, 3 months previously. Both prenatal CMS and dexamethasone increased ASR in the offspring compared to controls, but only in prenatally stressed offspring......Prenatal stress has been associated with a variety of alterations in the offspring. The presented observations suggest that rather than causing changes in the offspring per se, prenatal stress may increase the organism's vulnerability to aversive life events. Offspring of rat dams stressed...... of the acoustic startle response. Further, a single aversive life event showed capable of changing the reactivity of prenatally stressed offspring, whereas offspring of dams going through a less stressful gestation was largely unaffected by this event. This suggests that circumstances dating back to the very...

  15. Top quark event modelling and generators

    CERN Document Server

    Rahmat, Rahmat

    2016-01-01

    State-of-the-art theoretical predictions accurate to next-to-leading order QCD interfaced with Pythia8 and Herwig++ event generators are tested by comparing the unfolded ttbar differential data collected with the CMS detector at 8 TeV. These predictions are also compared with the underlying event activity distributions in ttbar events using CMS proton-proton data collected in 2015 at a center of mass energy of 13 TeV.

  16. Investigation of the effects of a seismic event on accelerated aged components and benefits in equipment life extension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rygg, D.E.; Epstein, J.L.

    1985-01-01

    Westinghouse has performed extensive testing to determine the effects of aging on a wide range of components. Additionally, Westinghouse has an extensive data base of nuclear plant equipment and components. This paper presents how the data base of information on plant parts can be analyzed, modified, and managed or tracked to reflect in-plant parts life extension based on actual tests on aging. Such an approach can benefit utility programs for parts inventory, plant operations and plant availability, and can also reduce the costs of parts reordering. Rather than weigh the merits of the positions in this debate, this paper presents the results of a component aging program which simulates from five to twenty years of operation followed by a seismic event and identifies the possible incorporation of this data into a plant data base which offers quick reference and provides other relevant information on the component and equipment. The use of this data as part of a well structured maintenance and surveillance program offers an avenue to resolve this debate in a cost effective manner

  17. Anthology of the Development of Radiation Transport Tools as Applied to Single Event Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, R. A.; Weller, R. A.; Akkerman, A.; Barak, J.; Culpepper, W.; Duzellier, S.; Foster, C.; Gaillardin, M.; Hubert, G.; Jordan, T.; Jun, I.; Koontz, S.; Lei, F.; McNulty, P.; Mendenhall, M. H.; Murat, M.; Nieminen, P.; O'Neill, P.; Raine, M.; Reddell, B.; Saigné, F.; Santin, G.; Sihver, L.; Tang, H. H. K.; Truscott, P. R.; Wrobel, F.

    2013-06-01

    This anthology contains contributions from eleven different groups, each developing and/or applying Monte Carlo-based radiation transport tools to simulate a variety of effects that result from energy transferred to a semiconductor material by a single particle event. The topics span from basic mechanisms for single-particle induced failures to applied tasks like developing websites to predict on-orbit single event failure rates using Monte Carlo radiation transport tools.

  18. Event-related potentials dissociate perceptual from response-related age effects in visual search

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiegand, Iris; Müller, Hermann J.; Finke, Kathrin

    2013-01-01

    measures with lateralized event-related potentials of younger and older adults performing a compound-search task, in which the target-defining dimension of a pop-out target (color/shape) and the response-critical target feature (vertical/horizontal stripes) varied independently across trials. Slower...... responses in older participants were associated with age differences in all analyzed event-related potentials from perception to response, indicating that behavioral slowing originates from multiple stages within the information-processing stream. Furthermore, analyses of carry-over effects from one trial...

  19. Lower prevalence of carotid plaque hemorrhage in women, and its mediator effect on sex differences in recurrent cerebrovascular events.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neghal Kandiyil

    Full Text Available Women are at lower risk of stroke, and appear to benefit less from carotid endarterectomy (CEA than men. We hypothesised that this is due to more benign carotid disease in women mediating a lower risk of recurrent cerebrovascular events. To test this, we investigated sex differences in the prevalence of MRI detectable plaque hemorrhage (MRI PH as an index of plaque instability, and secondly whether MRI PH mediates sex differences in the rate of cerebrovascular recurrence.Prevalence of PH between sexes was analysed in a single centre pooled cohort of 176 patients with recently symptomatic, significant carotid stenosis (106 severe [≥70%], 70 moderate [50-69%] who underwent prospective carotid MRI scanning for identification of MRI PH. Further, a meta-analysis of published evidence was undertaken. Recurrent events were noted during clinical follow up for survival analysis.Women with symptomatic carotid stenosis (50%≥ were less likely to have plaque hemorrhage (PH than men (46% vs. 70% with an adjusted OR of 0.23 [95% CI 0.10-0.50, P<0.0001] controlling for other known vascular risk factors. This negative association was only significant for the severe stenosis subgroup (adjusted OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.067-0.50 not the moderate degree stenosis. Female sex in this subgroup also predicted a longer time to recurrent cerebral ischemic events (HR 0.38 95% CI 0.15-0.98, P = 0.045. Further addition of MRI PH or smoking abolished the sex effects with only MRI PH exerting a direct effect. Meta-analysis confirmed a protective effect of female sex on development of PH: unadjusted OR for presence of PH = 0.54 (95% CI 0.45-0.67, p<0.00001.MRI PH is significantly less prevalent in women. Women with MRI PH and severe stenosis have a similar risk as men for recurrent cerebrovascular events. MRI PH thus allows overcoming the sex bias in selection for CEA.

  20. Implementation of effective alcohol control strategies is needed at large sports and entertainment events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyne, Mark; Galloway, Andrew

    2012-02-01

    To assess the implementation and effectiveness of strategies and actions to eliminate and/or reduce alcohol-related problems at large sports and entertainment events in New Zealand. We conducted site visits and monitoring observations at venues before, during and after a variety of large events between March 2009 and November 2010. Thirteen events were attended at nine different venues. Events included rugby, rugby league and cricket matches, motor racing, rowing, horse racing, an outdoor music festival, and food and wine festivals. Most large events appeared to pass with few or no alcohol-related problems. The exceptions were one of the horse-race meetings, a rugby league match and one food and wine festival. Common contexts at events where alcohol-related problems were seen included: inadequate alcohol control and management by security staff; the ability to purchase four alcoholic drinks (rather than two) at a time; inexperienced bar staff untrained in responsible alcohol service; no or little promotion of low and non-alcoholic drinks; and a lack of monitoring and enforcement of the law on intoxication. An important approach to prevent and reduce alcohol-related problems at large spots and entertainment events is the use of specific alcohol-control strategies. The management of alcohol consumption is a major part of event management that must be planned with harm-minimisation strategies well in advance of the event itself. If strategies and actions are not properly implemented to manage the sale and supply of alcohol at large events, there is significant risk of alcohol-related problems and harm resulting from them. © 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.

  1. High Voltage Solar Array Arc Testing for a Direct Drive Hall Effect Thruster System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Todd; Carruth, M. R., Jr.; Vaughn, J. A.; Jongeward, G. A.; Mikellides, I. G.; Ferguson, D.; Kerslake, T. W.; Peterson, T.; Snyder, D.; Hoskins, A.

    2004-01-01

    The deleterious effects of spacecraft charging are well known, particularly when the charging leads to arc events. The damage that results from arcing can severely reduce system lifetime and even cause critical system failures. On a primary spacecraft system such as a solar array, there is very little tolerance for arcing. Motivated by these concerns, an experimental investigation was undertaken to determine arc thresholds for a high voltage (200-500 V) solar array in a plasma environment. The investigation was in support of a NASA program to develop a Direct Drive Hall-Effect Thruster (D2HET) system. By directly coupling the solar array to a Hall-effect thruster, the D2HET program seeks to reduce mass, cost and complexity commonly associated with the power processing in conventional power systems. In the investigation, multiple solar array technologies and configurations were tested. The cell samples were biased to a negative voltage, with an applied potential difference between them, to imitate possible scenarios in solar array strings that could lead to damaging arcs. The samples were tested in an environment that emulated a low-energy, HET-induced plasma. Short duration trigger arcs as well as long duration sustained arcs were generated. Typical current and voltage waveforms associated with the arc events are presented. Arc thresholds are also defined in terms of voltage, current and power. The data will be used to propose a new, high-voltage (greater than 300 V) solar array design for which the likelihood of damage from arcing is minimal.

  2. Survey of the incidence and effect of major life events on graduate medical education trainees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lars J. Grimm

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: This study aims to assess the incidence of major life events during graduate medical education (GME training and to establish any associations with modifiable activities and career planning. Methods: The authors surveyed graduating GME trainees from their parent institution in June 2013. Demographic information (clinical department, gender, training duration and major life events (marriage, children, death/illness, home purchase, legal troubles, property loss were surveyed. Respondents were queried about the relationship between life events and career planning. A multivariable logistic regression model tested for associations. Results: A total of 53.2% (166/312 of graduates responded to the survey. 50% (83/166 of respondents were female. Major life events occurred in 96.4% (160/166 of respondents. Male trainees were more likely (56.1% [46/82] vs. 30.1% [25/83] to have a child during training (p=0.01. A total of 41.6% (69/166 of responders consciously engaged or avoided activities during GME training, while 31.9% (53/166 of responders reported that life events influenced their career plans. Trainees in lifestyle residencies (p=0.02, those who experienced the death or illness of a close associate (p=0.01, and those with legal troubles (p=0.04 were significantly more likely to consciously control life events. Conclusion: Major life events are very common and changed career plans in nearly a third of GME trainees. Furthermore, many trainees consciously avoided activities due to their responsibilities during training. GME training programs should closely assess the institutional support systems available to trainees during this difficult time.

  3. The Effect of Mock Tests on Iranian EFL learners’ Test Scores

    OpenAIRE

    Hossein Khodabakhshzadeh; Reza Zardkanloo

    2016-01-01

    The effect of using tests in test preparation courses has been subject to debate. While some scholars such as Yang and Badger (2015) believe it is a cause of positive washback effect, others argue that this issue is tentative and context-bound (Green, 2007). Therefore, this study investigated the effect of using Mock tests in International English Language Testing System (IELTS) preparation courses on students’ overall IELTS scores. Fifty one IELTS students were selected non-randomly through ...

  4. The Use of the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) for Event Communication. Guidelines and Good Practices for Setting up a National Framework on the Effective Use of INES for Event Communication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-10-01

    The IAEA’s International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) was developed in 1990 by international experts convened by the IAEA and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency with the aim of communicating the safety significance of events at nuclear installations. Since then, INES has been expanded to meet the growing need for communicating the safety significance of events giving rise to radiation risk. At present, INES is used for communicating to the public, in a consistent way, the safety significance of an event associated with sources of radiation, whether or not the event occurs at a facility. INES covers a wide spectrum of practices, including industrial uses such as gammagraphy, the use of sources of radiation in medicine, activities at nuclear power plants and research reactors, activities at spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management facilities, and the transport of radioactive material. INES has become a widely used tool for putting the safety significance of radiation events into proper perspective. The number of countries using INES has risen steadily over the past five years. As a result, there is a need to ensure the harmonized application of this scale worldwide. Up to now, international activities regarding INES have focused more on developing guidance on rating events than on the ways of using INES. This publication is the first to provide guidance on establishing or improving a national framework for the effective use of INES during event communication. It has been prepared on the basis of national experience with communicating events that have occurred since the introduction of INES. This publication also includes, in Annex I, lessons learned from the application of INES during and after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Guidance on the Use of INES in Evolving Severe Accidents

  5. Testing of Binders Toxicological Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strokova, V.; Nelyubova, V.; Rykunova, M.

    2017-11-01

    The article presents the results of a study of the toxicological effect of binders with different compositions on the vital activity of plant and animal test-objects. The analysis of the effect on plant cultures was made on the basis of the phytotesting data. The study of the effect of binders on objects of animal origin was carried out using the method of short-term testing. Based on the data obtained, binders are ranked according to the degree of increase in the toxic effect: Gypsum → Portland cement → Slag Portland cement. Regardless of the test-object type, the influence of binders is due to the release of various elements (calcium ions or heavy metals) into the solution. In case of plant cultures, the saturation of the solution with elements has a positive effect (there is no inhibitory effect), and in case of animal specimens - an increase in the toxic effect.

  6. Construction and updating of event models in auditory event processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huff, Markus; Maurer, Annika E; Brich, Irina; Pagenkopf, Anne; Wickelmaier, Florian; Papenmeier, Frank

    2018-02-01

    Humans segment the continuous stream of sensory information into distinct events at points of change. Between 2 events, humans perceive an event boundary. Present theories propose changes in the sensory information to trigger updating processes of the present event model. Increased encoding effort finally leads to a memory benefit at event boundaries. Evidence from reading time studies (increased reading times with increasing amount of change) suggest that updating of event models is incremental. We present results from 5 experiments that studied event processing (including memory formation processes and reading times) using an audio drama as well as a transcript thereof as stimulus material. Experiments 1a and 1b replicated the event boundary advantage effect for memory. In contrast to recent evidence from studies using visual stimulus material, Experiments 2a and 2b found no support for incremental updating with normally sighted and blind participants for recognition memory. In Experiment 3, we replicated Experiment 2a using a written transcript of the audio drama as stimulus material, allowing us to disentangle encoding and retrieval processes. Our results indicate incremental updating processes at encoding (as measured with reading times). At the same time, we again found recognition performance to be unaffected by the amount of change. We discuss these findings in light of current event cognition theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Motivation in vigilance - A test of the goal-setting hypothesis of the effectiveness of knowledge of results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warm, J. S.; Riechmann, S. W.; Grasha, A. F.; Seibel, B.

    1973-01-01

    This study tested the prediction, derived from the goal-setting hypothesis, that the facilitating effects of knowledge of results (KR) in a simple vigilance task should be related directly to the level of the performance standard used to regulate KR. Two groups of Ss received dichotomous KR in terms of whether Ss response times (RTs) to signal detections exceeded a high or low standard of performance. The aperiodic offset of a visual signal was the critical event for detection. The vigil was divided into a training phase followed by testing, during which KR was withdrawn. Knowledge of results enhanced performance in both phases. However, the two standards used to regulate feedback contributed little to these effects.

  8. Separate effects testing to investigate liner tearing of the 1:6-scale reinforced concrete containment building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spletzer, B.L.; Lambert, L.D.

    1993-01-01

    The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is investigating the performance of containments subject to severe accidents. This work is being performed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). In 1987, a 1:6-scale Reinforced Concrete Containment (RCC) model was tested to failure. The failure mode was a liner tear. As a result, a separate effects test program has been conducted to investigate liner tearing. This paper discusses the design of test specimens and the results of the testing. The post-test examination of the 1:6-scale RCC model revealed that the large tear was not an isolated event. Other small tears in similar locations were also discovered. All tears occurred near the insert-to-liner transition which is also the region of closest stud spacing. Also, all tears propagated vertically, in response to the hoop strain. Finally, all tears were adjacent to a row of studs. The tears point to a mechanism which could involve the liner/insert transition, the liner anchorage, and the material properties. The separate effects tests investigated these effects. The program included the design of three types of specimens with each simulating some features of the 1:6-scale RCC model. The specimens were instrumented using strain gages and photoelastic materials

  9. A method for estimating failure rates for low probability events arising in PSA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thorne, M.C.; Williams, M.M.R.

    1995-01-01

    The authors develop a method for predicting failure rates and failure probabilities per event when, over a given test period or number of demands, no failures have occurred. A Bayesian approach is adopted to calculate a posterior probability distribution for the failure rate or failure probability per event subsequent to the test period. This posterior is then used to estimate effective failure rates or probabilities over a subsequent period of time or number of demands. In special circumstances, the authors results reduce to the well-known rules of thumb, viz: 1/N and 1/T, where N is the number of demands during the test period for no failures and T is the test period for no failures. However, the authors are able to give strict conditions on the validity of these rules of thumb and to improve on them when necessary

  10. Anthology of the development of radiation transport tools as applied to single event effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akkerman, A.; Barak, J.; Murat, M.; Duzellier, S.; Hubert, G.; Gaillardin, M.; Raine, M.; Jordan, T.; Jun, I.; Koontz, S.; Reddell, B.; O'Neill, P.; Foster, C.; Culpepper, W.; Lei, F.; McNulty, P.; Nieminen, P.; Saigne, F.; Wrobel, F.; Santin, G.; Sihver, L.; Tang, H.H.K.; Truscott, P.R.

    2013-01-01

    This anthology contains contributions from eleven different groups, each developing and/or applying Monte Carlo-based radiation transport tools to simulate a variety of effects that result from energy transferred to a semiconductor material by a single particle event. The topics span from basic mechanisms for single-particle induced failures to applied tasks like developing web sites to predict on-orbit single event failure rates using Monte Carlo radiation transport tools. (authors)

  11. Field tests on partial embedment effects (embedment effect tests on soil-structure interaction)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurimoto, O.; Tsunoda, T.; Inoue, T.; Izumi, M.; Kusakabe, K.; Akino, K.

    1993-01-01

    A series of Model Tests of Embedment Effect on Reactor Buildings has been carried out by the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC), under the sponsorship of the Ministry of International Trade and lndustry (MITI) of Japan. The nuclear reactor buildings are partially embedded due to conditions for the construction or building arrangement in Japan. It is necessary to verify the partial embedment effects by experiments and analytical studies in order to incorporate the effects in the seismic design. Forced vibration tests, therefore, were performed using a model with several types of embedment. Correlated simulation analyses were also performed and the characteristics of partial embedment effects on soil-structure interaction were evaluated. (author)

  12. Event Recognition Based on Deep Learning in Chinese Texts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yajun Zhang

    Full Text Available Event recognition is the most fundamental and critical task in event-based natural language processing systems. Existing event recognition methods based on rules and shallow neural networks have certain limitations. For example, extracting features using methods based on rules is difficult; methods based on shallow neural networks converge too quickly to a local minimum, resulting in low recognition precision. To address these problems, we propose the Chinese emergency event recognition model based on deep learning (CEERM. Firstly, we use a word segmentation system to segment sentences. According to event elements labeled in the CEC 2.0 corpus, we classify words into five categories: trigger words, participants, objects, time and location. Each word is vectorized according to the following six feature layers: part of speech, dependency grammar, length, location, distance between trigger word and core word and trigger word frequency. We obtain deep semantic features of words by training a feature vector set using a deep belief network (DBN, then analyze those features in order to identify trigger words by means of a back propagation neural network. Extensive testing shows that the CEERM achieves excellent recognition performance, with a maximum F-measure value of 85.17%. Moreover, we propose the dynamic-supervised DBN, which adds supervised fine-tuning to a restricted Boltzmann machine layer by monitoring its training performance. Test analysis reveals that the new DBN improves recognition performance and effectively controls the training time. Although the F-measure increases to 88.11%, the training time increases by only 25.35%.

  13. Event Recognition Based on Deep Learning in Chinese Texts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yajun; Liu, Zongtian; Zhou, Wen

    2016-01-01

    Event recognition is the most fundamental and critical task in event-based natural language processing systems. Existing event recognition methods based on rules and shallow neural networks have certain limitations. For example, extracting features using methods based on rules is difficult; methods based on shallow neural networks converge too quickly to a local minimum, resulting in low recognition precision. To address these problems, we propose the Chinese emergency event recognition model based on deep learning (CEERM). Firstly, we use a word segmentation system to segment sentences. According to event elements labeled in the CEC 2.0 corpus, we classify words into five categories: trigger words, participants, objects, time and location. Each word is vectorized according to the following six feature layers: part of speech, dependency grammar, length, location, distance between trigger word and core word and trigger word frequency. We obtain deep semantic features of words by training a feature vector set using a deep belief network (DBN), then analyze those features in order to identify trigger words by means of a back propagation neural network. Extensive testing shows that the CEERM achieves excellent recognition performance, with a maximum F-measure value of 85.17%. Moreover, we propose the dynamic-supervised DBN, which adds supervised fine-tuning to a restricted Boltzmann machine layer by monitoring its training performance. Test analysis reveals that the new DBN improves recognition performance and effectively controls the training time. Although the F-measure increases to 88.11%, the training time increases by only 25.35%.

  14. Space Fission System Test Effectiveness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Houts, Mike; Schmidt, Glen L.; Van Dyke, Melissa; Godfroy, Tom; Martin, James; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon; Dickens, Ricky; Salvail, Pat; Harper, Roger

    2004-01-01

    Space fission technology has the potential to enable rapid access to any point in the solar system. If fission propulsion systems are to be developed to their full potential, however, near-term customers need to be identified and initial fission systems successfully developed, launched, and utilized. One key to successful utilization is to develop reactor designs that are highly testable. Testable reactor designs have a much higher probability of being successfully converted from paper concepts to working space hardware than do designs which are difficult or impossible to realistically test. ''Test Effectiveness'' is one measure of the ability to realistically test a space reactor system. The objective of this paper is to discuss test effectiveness as applied to the design, development, flight qualification, and acceptance testing of space fission systems. The ability to perform highly effective testing would be particularly important to the success of any near-term mission, such as NASA's Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, the first mission under study within NASA's Project Prometheus, the Nuclear Systems Program

  15. Modeling the acute health effects of astronauts from exposure to large solar particle events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Shaowen; Kim, Myung-Hee Y; McClellan, Gene E; Cucinotta, Francis A

    2009-04-01

    Radiation exposure from Solar Particle Events (SPE) presents a significant health concern for astronauts for exploration missions outside the protection of the Earth's magnetic field, which could impair their performance and result in the possibility of failure of the mission. Assessing the potential for early radiation effects under such adverse conditions is of prime importance. Here we apply a biologically based mathematical model that describes the dose- and time-dependent early human responses that constitute the prodromal syndromes to consider acute risks from SPEs. We examine the possible early effects on crews from exposure to some historically large solar events on lunar and/or Mars missions. The doses and dose rates of specific organs were calculated using the Baryon radiation transport (BRYNTRN) code and a computerized anatomical man model, while the hazard of the early radiation effects and performance reduction were calculated using the Radiation-Induced Performance Decrement (RIPD) code. Based on model assumptions we show that exposure to these historical events would cause moderate early health effects to crew members inside a typical spacecraft or during extra-vehicular activities, if effective shielding and medical countermeasure tactics were not provided. We also calculate possible even worse cases (double intensity, multiple occurrences in a short period of time, etc.) to estimate the severity, onset and duration of various types of early illness. Uncertainties in the calculation due to limited data on relative biological effectiveness and dose-rate modifying factors for protons and secondary radiation, and the identification of sensitive sites in critical organs are discussed.

  16. [Adverse events management. Methods and results of a development project].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabøl, Louise Isager; Jensen, Elisabeth Brøgger; Hellebek, Annemarie H; Pedersen, Beth Lilja

    2006-11-27

    This article describes the methods and results of a project in the Copenhagen Hospital Corporation (H:S) on preventing adverse events. The aim of the project was to raise awareness about patients' safety, test a reporting system for adverse events, develop and test methods of analysis of events and propagate ideas about how to prevent adverse events. H:S developed an action plan and a reporting system for adverse events, founded an organization and developed an educational program on theories and methods of learning from adverse events for both leaders and employees. During the three-year period from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2004, the H:S staff reported 6011 adverse events. In the same period, the organization completed 92 root cause analyses. More than half of these dealt with events that had been optional to report, the other half events that had been mandatory to report. The number of reports and the front-line staff's attitude towards reporting shows that the H:S succeeded in founding a safety culture. Future work should be centred on developing and testing methods that will prevent adverse events from happening. The objective is to suggest and complete preventive initiatives which will help increase patient safety.

  17. The Charlie Sheen Effect on Rapid In-home Human Immunodeficiency Virus Test Sales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allem, Jon-Patrick; Leas, Eric C; Caputi, Theodore L; Dredze, Mark; Althouse, Benjamin M; Noar, Seth M; Ayers, John W

    2017-07-01

    One in eight of the 1.2 million Americans living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are unaware of their positive status, and untested individuals are responsible for most new infections. As a result, testing is the most cost-effective HIV prevention strategy and must be accelerated when opportunities are presented. Web searches for HIV spiked around actor Charlie Sheen's HIV-positive disclosure. However, it is unknown whether Sheen's disclosure impacted offline behaviors like HIV testing. The goal of this study was to determine if Sheen's HIV disclosure was a record-setting HIV prevention event and determine if Web searches presage increases in testing allowing for rapid detection and reaction in the future. Sales of OraQuick rapid in-home HIV test kits in the USA were monitored weekly from April 12, 2014, to April 16, 2016, alongside Web searches including the terms "test," "tests," or "testing" and "HIV" as accessed from Google Trends. Changes in OraQuick sales around Sheen's disclosure and prediction models using Web searches were assessed. OraQuick sales rose 95% (95% CI, 75-117; p sales than expected around Sheen's disclosure, surpassing World AIDS Day by a factor of about 7. Moreover, Web searches mirrored OraQuick sales trends (r = 0.79), demonstrating their ability to presage increases in testing. The "Charlie Sheen effect" represents an important opportunity for a public health response, and in the future, Web searches can be used to detect and act on more opportunities to foster prevention behaviors.

  18. Assessing traumatic event exposure: general issues and preliminary findings for the Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, L A; Corcoran, C; Turner, K; Yuan, N; Green, B L

    1998-07-01

    This article reviews the psychometric properties of the Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire (SLESQ), a recently developed trauma history screening measure, and discusses the complexities involved in assessing trauma exposure. There are relatively few general measures of exposure to a variety of types of traumatic events, and most of those that exist have not been subjected to rigorous psychometric evaluation. The SLESQ showed good test-retest reliability, with a median kappa of .73, adequate convergent validity (with a lengthier interview) with a median kappa of .64, and good discrimination between Criterion A and non-Criterion A events. The discussion addresses some of the challenges of assessing traumatic event exposure along the dimensions of defining traumatic events, assessment methodologies, reporting consistency, and incident validation.

  19. Re-Verification of the IRHN57133SE and IRHN57250SE for Single Event Gate Rupture and Single Event Burnout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheick, Leif

    2010-01-01

    The vertical metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) is a widely used power transistor onboard a spacecraft. The MOSFET is typically employed in power supplies and high current switching applications. Due to the inherent high electric fields in the device, power MOSFETs are sensitive to heavy ion irradiation and can fail catastrophically as a result of single event gate rupture (SEGR) or single event burnout (SEB). Manufacturers have designed radiation-hardened power MOSFETs for space applications. These radiation hardened devices are not immune to SEGR or SEB but, rather, can exhibit them at a much more damaging ion than their non-radiation hardened counterparts. See [1] through [5] for more information.This effort was to investigate the SEGR and SEB responses of two power MOSFETs from IR(the IRHN57133SE and the IRHN57250SE) that have recently been produced on a new fabrication line. These tests will serve as a limited verification of these parts, but it is acknowledged that further testing on the respective parts may be needed for some mission profiles.

  20. Sources of Error and the Statistical Formulation of M S: m b Seismic Event Screening Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, D. N.; Patton, H. J.; Taylor, S. R.; Bonner, J. L.; Selby, N. D.

    2014-03-01

    The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a global ban on nuclear explosions, is currently in a ratification phase. Under the CTBT, an International Monitoring System (IMS) of seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasonic and radionuclide sensors is operational, and the data from the IMS is analysed by the International Data Centre (IDC). The IDC provides CTBT signatories basic seismic event parameters and a screening analysis indicating whether an event exhibits explosion characteristics (for example, shallow depth). An important component of the screening analysis is a statistical test of the null hypothesis H 0: explosion characteristics using empirical measurements of seismic energy (magnitudes). The established magnitude used for event size is the body-wave magnitude (denoted m b) computed from the initial segment of a seismic waveform. IDC screening analysis is applied to events with m b greater than 3.5. The Rayleigh wave magnitude (denoted M S) is a measure of later arriving surface wave energy. Magnitudes are measurements of seismic energy that include adjustments (physical correction model) for path and distance effects between event and station. Relative to m b, earthquakes generally have a larger M S magnitude than explosions. This article proposes a hypothesis test (screening analysis) using M S and m b that expressly accounts for physical correction model inadequacy in the standard error of the test statistic. With this hypothesis test formulation, the 2009 Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea announced nuclear weapon test fails to reject the null hypothesis H 0: explosion characteristics.

  1. Active Construction of Profession-Related Events: The Priming Effect among Pre-service Teachers with Different Professional Identity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xin-Qiang; Zhu, Jun-Cheng; Liu, Lu; Chen, Xiang-Yu; Huo, Jun-Yu

    2018-01-01

    Pre-service teachers with different professional identity may actively construct different subjective profession-related events based on the same objective profession-related events. To explore the priming effect among pre-service teachers with different professional identity, this study examined the effect of positive, negative, or neutral priming sentences in an individualized narration of profession-related events through a priming paradigm. Forty-two female volunteers were asked to complete positive, negative, and neutral priming sentences describing profession-related events. The results showed that, relative to those with weak professional identity, participants with strong professional identity generated a higher number of positive items when primed with different stimuli and displayed greater positive priming bias for positive and neutral stimuli. In addition, relative to those with strong professional identity, participants with weak professional identity generated a higher number of neutral and negative items when primed with positive and negative stimuli, respectively, and displayed greater negative priming bias toward negative stimuli. These results indicate that pre-service teachers with strong professional identity were likely to have established positive self-schemas involving profession-related events, which facilitated active, positive construction of such events.

  2. Active Construction of Profession-Related Events: The Priming Effect among Pre-service Teachers with Different Professional Identity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin-qiang Wang

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Pre-service teachers with different professional identity may actively construct different subjective profession-related events based on the same objective profession-related events. To explore the priming effect among pre-service teachers with different professional identity, this study examined the effect of positive, negative, or neutral priming sentences in an individualized narration of profession-related events through a priming paradigm. Forty-two female volunteers were asked to complete positive, negative, and neutral priming sentences describing profession-related events. The results showed that, relative to those with weak professional identity, participants with strong professional identity generated a higher number of positive items when primed with different stimuli and displayed greater positive priming bias for positive and neutral stimuli. In addition, relative to those with strong professional identity, participants with weak professional identity generated a higher number of neutral and negative items when primed with positive and negative stimuli, respectively, and displayed greater negative priming bias toward negative stimuli. These results indicate that pre-service teachers with strong professional identity were likely to have established positive self-schemas involving profession-related events, which facilitated active, positive construction of such events.

  3. Cross cultural usability testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clemmensen, Torkil; Goyal, Shivam

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, we present the results of a pilot study in Denmark of cross cultural effects on Think Aloud usability testing. We provide an overview of previous research on cross cultural usability evaluation with a special focus on the relationship between the evaluator and the test user....... This relation was studied in an experiment with usability testing of a localized clipart application in which eight participants from Denmark and India formed pairs of evaluator-test user. The test users were asked to think aloud and the evaluators' role were to facilitate the test users thinking aloud...... and hereby identify usability problems with the clipart application. Data on the evaluators' and test users' behaviour were recorded and analyzed by coding and summarizing statistics on these behavioural events. The results show that Think Aloud Usability Test of a localized application is most effectively...

  4. Short- and Medium-term Atmospheric Effects of Very Large Solar Proton Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackman, Charles H.; Marsh, Daniel R.; Vitt, Francis M.; Garcia, Rolando R.; Fleming, Eric L.; Labow, Gordon J.; Randall, Cora E.; Lopez-Puertas, Manuel; Funke, Bernd

    2007-01-01

    Long-term variations in ozone have been caused by both natural and humankind related processes. In particular, the humankind or anthropogenic influence on ozone from chlorofluorocarbons and halons (chlorine and bromine) has led to international regulations greatly limiting the release of these substances. These anthropogenic effects on ozone are most important in polar regions and have been significant since the 1970s. Certain natural ozone influences are also important in polar regions and are caused by the impact of solar charged particles on the atmosphere. Such natural variations have been studied in order to better quantify the human influence on polar ozone. Large-scale explosions on the Sun near solar maximum lead to emissions of charged particles (mainly protons and electrons), some of which enter the Earth's magnetosphere and rain down on the polar regions. "Solar proton events" have been used to describe these phenomena since the protons associated with these solar events sometimes create a significant atmospheric disturbance. We have used the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) to study the short- and medium-term (days to a few months) influences of solar proton events between 1963 and 2005 on stratospheric ozone. The four largest events in the past 45 years (August 1972; October 1989; July 2000; and October-November 2003) caused very distinctive polar changes in layers of the Earth's atmosphere known as the stratosphere (12-50 km; -7-30 miles) and mesosphere (50-90 km; 30-55 miles). The solar protons connected with these events created hydrogen- and nitrogen- containing compounds, which led to the polar ozone destruction. The hydrogen-containing compounds have very short lifetimes and lasted for only a few days (typically the duration of the solar proton event). On the other hand, the nitrogen-containing compounds lasted much longer, especially in the Winter. The nitrogen oxides were predicted

  5. Probabilistic Cross-Identification of Cosmic Events

    OpenAIRE

    Budavari, Tamas

    2011-01-01

    We discuss a novel approach to identifying cosmic events in separate and independent observations. In our focus are the true events, such as supernova explosions, that happen once, hence, whose measurements are not repeatable. Their classification and analysis have to make the best use of all the available data. Bayesian hypothesis testing is used to associate streams of events in space and time. Probabilities are assigned to the matches by studying their rates of occurrence. A case study of ...

  6. Effects of Sex and Event Type on Head Impact in Collegiate Soccer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Bryson B.; Patrie, James; Henry, Erich J.; Goodkin, Howard P.; Broshek, Donna K.; Wintermark, Max; Druzgal, T. Jason

    2017-01-01

    Background: The effects of head impact in sports are of growing interest for clinicians, scientists, and athletes. Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide, but the burden of head impact in collegiate soccer is still unknown. Purpose: To quantify head impact associated with practicing and playing collegiate soccer using wearable accelerometers. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiological study. Methods: Mastoid patch accelerometers were used to quantify head impact in soccer, examining differences in head impact as a function of sex and event type (practice vs game). Seven female and 14 male collegiate soccer players wore mastoid patch accelerometers that measured head impacts during team events. Data were summarized for each athletic exposure, and statistical analyses evaluated the mean number of impacts, mean peak linear acceleration, mean peak rotational acceleration, and cumulative linear and rotational acceleration, each grouped by sex and event type. Results: There were no differences in the frequency or severity of head impacts between men’s and women’s soccer practices. For men’s soccer, games resulted in 285% more head impacts than practices, but there were no event-type differences in mean impact severity. Men’s soccer games resulted in more head impacts than practices across nearly all measured impact severities, which also resulted in men’s soccer games producing a greater cumulative impact burden. Conclusion: Similar to other sports, men’s soccer games have a greater impact burden when compared with practices, and this effect is driven by the quantity rather than severity of head impacts. In contrast, there were no differences in the quantity or severity of head impacts in men’s and women’s soccer practices. These data could prompt discussions of practical concern to collegiate soccer, such as understanding sex differences in head impact and whether games disproportionately contribute to an athlete’s head impact burden. PMID:28491885

  7. Experimental Seismic Event-screening Criteria at the Prototype International Data Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisk, M. D.; Jepsen, D.; Murphy, J. R.

    - Experimental seismic event-screening capabilities are described, based on the difference of body-and surface-wave magnitudes (denoted as Ms:mb) and event depth. These capabilities have been implemented and tested at the prototype International Data Center (PIDC), based on recommendations by the IDC Technical Experts on Event Screening in June 1998. Screening scores are presented that indicate numerically the degree to which an event meets, or does not meet, the Ms:mb and depth screening criteria. Seismic events are also categorized as onshore, offshore, or mixed, based on their 90% location error ellipses and an onshore/offshore grid with five-minute resolution, although this analysis is not used at this time to screen out events.Results are presented of applications to almost 42,000 events with mb>=3.5 in the PIDC Standard Event Bulletin (SEB) and to 121 underground nuclear explosions (UNE's) at the U.S. Nevada Test Site (NTS), the Semipalatinsk and Novaya Zemlya test sites in the Former Soviet Union, the Lop Nor test site in China, and the Indian, Pakistan, and French Polynesian test sites. The screening criteria appear to be quite conservative. None of the known UNE's are screened out, while about 41 percent of the presumed earthquakes in the SEB with mb>=3.5 are screened out. UNE's at the Lop Nor, Indian, and Pakistan test sites on 8 June 1996, 11 May 1998, and 28 May 1998, respectively, have among the lowest Ms:mb scores of all events in the SEB.To assess the validity of the depth screening results, comparisons are presented of SEB depth solutions to those in other bulletins that are presumed to be reliable and independent. Using over 1600 events, the comparisons indicate that the SEB depth confidence intervals are consistent with or shallower than over 99.8 percent of the corresponding depth estimates in the other bulletins. Concluding remarks are provided regarding the performance of the experimental event-screening criteria, and plans for future

  8. Patterns in neurosurgical adverse events: endovascular neurosurgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Judith M; Ziewacz, John E; Panchmatia, Jaykar R; Bader, Angela M; Pandey, Aditya S; Thompson, B Gregory; Frerichs, Kai; Gawande, Atul A

    2012-11-01

    As part of a project to devise evidence-based safety interventions for specialty surgery, the authors sought to review current evidence in endovascular neurosurgery concerning the frequency of adverse events in practice, their patterns, and current methods of reducing the occurrence of these events. This review represents part of a series of papers written to consolidate information about these events and preventive measures as part of an ongoing effort to ascertain the utility of devising system-wide policies and safety tools to improve neurosurgical practice. Based on a review of the literature, thromboembolic events appeared to be the most common adverse events in endovascular neurosurgery, with a reported incidence ranging from 2% to 61% depending on aneurysm rupture status and mode of detection of the event. Intraprocedural and periprocedural prevention and rescue regimens are advocated to minimize this risk; however, evidence on the optimal use of anticoagulant and antithrombotic agents is limited. Furthermore, it is unknown what proportion of eligible patients receive any prophylactic treatment. Groin-site hematoma is the most common access-related complication. Data from the cardiac literature indicate an overall incidence of 9% to 32%, but data specific to neuroendovascular therapy are scant. Manual compression, compression adjuncts, and closure devices are used with varying rates of success, but no standardized protocols have been tested on a broad scale. Contrast-induced nephropathy is one of the more common causes of hospital-acquired renal insufficiency, with an incidence of 30% in high-risk patients after contrast administration. Evidence from medical fields supports the use of various preventive strategies. Intraprocedural vessel rupture is infrequent, with the reported incidence ranging from 1% to 9%, but it is potentially devastating. Improvements in device technology combined with proper endovascular technique play an important role in reducing

  9. Testing overall and moderator effects meta-regression

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huizenga, H.M.; Visser, I.; Dolan, C.V.

    2011-01-01

    Random effects meta-regression is a technique to synthesize results of multiple studies. It allows for a test of an overall effect, as well as for tests of effects of study characteristics, that is, (discrete or continuous) moderator effects. We describe various procedures to test moderator effects:

  10. Irradiation Effects Test Series: Test IE-3. Test results report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farrar, L.C.; Allison, C.M.; Croucher, D.W.; Ploger, S.A.

    1977-10-01

    The objectives of the test reported were to: (a) determine the behavior of irradiated fuel rods subjected to a rapid power increase during which the possibility of a pellet-cladding mechanical interaction failure is enhanced and (b) determine the behavior of these fuel rods during film boiling following this rapid power increase. Test IE-3 used four 0.97-m long pressurized water reactor type fuel rods fabricated from previously irradiated fuel. The fuel rods were subjected to a preconditioning period, followed by a power ramp to 69 kW/m at a coolant mass flux of 4920 kg/s-m 2 . After a flow reduction to 2120 kg/s-m 2 , film boiling occurred on the fuel rods. One rod failed approximately 45 seconds after the reactor was shut down as a result of cladding embrittlement due to extensive cladding oxidation. Data are presented on the behavior of these irradiated fuel rods during steady-state operation, the power ramp, and film boiling operation. The effects of a power ramp and power ramp rates on pellet-cladding interaction are discussed. Test data are compared with FRAP-T3 computer model calculations and data from a previous Irradiation Effects test in which four irradiated fuel rods of a similar design were tested. Test IE-3 results indicate that the irradiated state of the fuel rods did not significantly affect fuel rod behavior during normal, abnormal (power ramp of 20 kW/m per minute), and accident (film boiling) conditions

  11. Time compression of soil erosion by the effect of largest daily event. A regional analysis of USLE database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Hidalgo, J. C.; Batalla, R.; Cerda, A.; de Luis, M.

    2009-04-01

    When Thornes and Brunsden wrote in 1977 "How often one hears the researcher (and no less the undergraduate) complain that after weeks of observation "nothing happened" only to learn that, the day after his departure, a flood caused unprecedent erosion and channel changes!" (Thornes and Brunsden, 1977, p. 57), they focussed on two different problems in geomorphological research: the effects of extreme events and the temporal compression of geomorphological processes. The time compression is one of the main characteristic of erosion processes. It means that an important amount of the total soil eroded is produced in very short temporal intervals, i.e. few events mostly related to extreme events. From magnitude-frequency analysis we know that few events, not necessarily extreme by magnitude, produce high amount of geomorphological work. Last but not least, extreme isolated events are a classical issue in geomorphology by their specific effects, and they are receiving permanent attention, increased at present because of scenarios of global change. Notwithstanding, the time compression of geomorphological processes could be focused not only on the analysis of extreme events and the traditional magnitude-frequency approach, but on new complementary approach based on the effects of largest events. The classical approach define extreme event as a rare event (identified by its magnitude and quantified by some deviation from central value), while we define largest events by the rank, whatever their magnitude. In a previous research on time compression of soil erosion, using USLE soil erosion database (Gonzalez-Hidalgo et al., EGU 2007), we described a relationship between the total amount of daily erosive events recorded by plot and the percentage contribution to total soil erosion of n-largest aggregated daily events. Now we offer a further refined analysis comparing different agricultural regions in USA. To do that we have analyzed data from 594 erosion plots from USLE

  12. Single Event Upset Energy Dependence In a Buck-Converter Power Supply Design

    CERN Document Server

    Drake, G; The ATLAS collaboration; Gopalakrishnan, A; Mahadik, S; Mellado, B; Proudfoot, J; Reed, R; Senthilkumaran, A; Stanek, R

    2012-01-01

    We present a study of Single Event Upsets (SEU) performed on a commercial pulse-width modulator controller chip for switching power supplies. We performed tests to study the probability of an SEU occurring as a function of incident particle (hadron) energy. We discuss the performance of the circuit, and present a solution using external circuitry to effectively eliminate the effect.

  13. Two-dimensional numerical simulation of the effect of single event burnout for n-channel VDMOSFET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Hongxia; Chen Yusheng; Wang Wei; Zhao Jinlong; Zhang Yimen; Zhou Hui

    2004-01-01

    2D MEDICI simulator is used to investigate the effect of Single Event Burnout (SEB) for n-channel power VDMOSFETs. The simulation results are consistent with experimental results which have been published. The simulation results are of great interest for a better understanding of the occurrence of events. The effects of the minority carrier lifetime in the base region, the base width and the emitter doping density on SEB susceptibility are verified. Some hardening solutions to SEB are provided. The work shows that the 2D simulator MEDICI is an useful tool for burnout prediction and for the evaluation of hardening solutions. (authors)

  14. Event-based proactive interference in rhesus monkeys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devkar, Deepna T; Wright, Anthony A

    2016-10-01

    Three rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were tested in a same/different memory task for proactive interference (PI) from prior trials. PI occurs when a previous sample stimulus appears as a test stimulus on a later trial, does not match the current sample stimulus, and the wrong response "same" is made. Trial-unique pictures (scenes, objects, animals, etc.) were used on most trials, except on trials where the test stimulus matched potentially interfering sample stimulus from a prior trial (1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 trials prior). Greater interference occurred when fewer trials separated interference and test. PI functions showed a continuum of interference. Delays between sample and test stimuli and intertrial intervals were manipulated to test how PI might vary as a function of elapsed time. Contrary to a similar study with pigeons, these time manipulations had no discernable effect on the monkey's PI, as shown by compete overlap of PI functions with no statistical differences or interactions. These results suggested that interference was strictly based upon the number of intervening events (trials with other pictures) without regard to elapsed time. The monkeys' apparent event-based interference was further supported by retesting with a novel set of 1,024 pictures. PI from novel pictures 1 or 2 trials prior was greater than from familiar pictures, a familiar set of 1,024 pictures. Moreover, when potentially interfering novel stimuli were 16 trials prior, performance accuracy was actually greater than accuracy on baseline trials (no interference), suggesting that remembering stimuli from 16 trials prior was a cue that this stimulus was not the sample stimulus on the current trial-a somewhat surprising conclusion particularly given monkeys.

  15. Testing the timing of radiocarbon-dated events between proxy archives

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Christen, J. A.; Mauquoy, D.; van der Plicht, J.; Bennett, K. D.; Blaauw, Maarten

    For interpreting past changes on a regional or global scale, the timings of proxy-inferred events are usually aligned with data from other locations. However, too often chronological uncertainties are ignored in proxy diagrams and multisite comparisons, making it possible for researchers to fall

  16. Walking through doorways causes forgetting: Event structure or updating disruption?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pettijohn, Kyle A; Radvansky, Gabriel A

    2016-11-01

    According to event cognition theory, people segment experience into separate event models. One consequence of this segmentation is that when people transport objects from one location to another, memory is worse than if people move across a large location. In two experiments participants navigated through a virtual environment, and recognition memory was tested in either the presence or the absence of a location shift for objects that were recently interacted with (i.e., just picked up or set down). Of particular concern here is whether this location updating effect is due to (a) differences in retention intervals as a result of the navigation process, (b) a temporary disruption in cognitive processing that may occur as a result of the updating processes, or (c) a need to manage multiple event models, as has been suggested in prior research. Experiment 1 explored whether retention interval is driving this effect by recording travel times from the acquisition of an object and the probe time. The results revealed that travel times were similar, thereby rejecting a retention interval explanation. Experiment 2 explored whether a temporary disruption in processing is producing the effect by introducing a 3-second delay prior to the presentation of a memory probe. The pattern of results was not affected by adding a delay, thereby rejecting a temporary disruption account. These results are interpreted in the context of the event horizon model, which suggests that when there are multiple event models that contain common elements there is interference at retrieval, which compromises performance.

  17. Detection of Abnormal Events via Optical Flow Feature Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tian Wang

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a novel algorithm is proposed to detect abnormal events in video streams. The algorithm is based on the histogram of the optical flow orientation descriptor and the classification method. The details of the histogram of the optical flow orientation descriptor are illustrated for describing movement information of the global video frame or foreground frame. By combining one-class support vector machine and kernel principal component analysis methods, the abnormal events in the current frame can be detected after a learning period characterizing normal behaviors. The difference abnormal detection results are analyzed and explained. The proposed detection method is tested on benchmark datasets, then the experimental results show the effectiveness of the algorithm.

  18. Detection of Abnormal Events via Optical Flow Feature Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tian; Snoussi, Hichem

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a novel algorithm is proposed to detect abnormal events in video streams. The algorithm is based on the histogram of the optical flow orientation descriptor and the classification method. The details of the histogram of the optical flow orientation descriptor are illustrated for describing movement information of the global video frame or foreground frame. By combining one-class support vector machine and kernel principal component analysis methods, the abnormal events in the current frame can be detected after a learning period characterizing normal behaviors. The difference abnormal detection results are analyzed and explained. The proposed detection method is tested on benchmark datasets, then the experimental results show the effectiveness of the algorithm. PMID:25811227

  19. The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coppens, Leonora C; Verkoeijen, Peter P J L; Bouwmeester, Samantha; Rikers, Remy M J P

    2016-05-31

    The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target pairs (mother-child) activates semantically related mediators (father) more than restudying. Hence, the mediator-target (father-child) association should be stronger for retrieved than restudied pairs. Indeed, Carpenter (2011) found a larger testing effect when participants received mediators (father) than when they received target-related words (birth) as final test cues. The present study started as an attempt to test an alternative account of Carpenter's results. However, it turned into a series of conceptual (Experiment 1) and direct (Experiment 2 and 3) replications conducted with online samples. The results of these online replications were compared with those of similar existing laboratory experiments through small-scale meta-analyses. The results showed that (1) the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is comparable for online and laboratory experiments, (2) in both online and laboratory experiments the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment, and (3) the testing effect for related cues varies considerably between online experiments. The variability in the testing effect for related cues in online experiments could point toward moderators of the related cue short-term testing effect. The raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment.

  20. Negative life events vary by neighborhood and mediate the relation between neighborhood context and psychological well-being.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherine King

    Full Text Available Researchers have speculated that negative life events are more common in troubled neighborhoods, amplifying adverse effects on health. Using a clustered representative sample of Chicago residents (2001-03; n = 3,105 from the Chicago Community Adult Health Survey, we provide the first documentation that negative life events are highly geographically clustered compared to health outcomes. Associations between neighborhood context and negative life events were also found to vary by event type. We then demonstrate the power of a contextualized approach by testing path models in which life events mediate the relation between neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes, including self-rated health, anxiety, and depression. The indirect paths between neighborhood conditions and health through negative life event exposure are highly significant and large compared to the direct paths from neighborhood conditions to health. Our results indicate that neighborhood conditions can have acute as well as chronic effects on health, and that negative life events are a powerful mechanism by which context may influence health.

  1. Negative life events vary by neighborhood and mediate the relation between neighborhood context and psychological well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Katherine; Ogle, Christin

    2014-01-01

    Researchers have speculated that negative life events are more common in troubled neighborhoods, amplifying adverse effects on health. Using a clustered representative sample of Chicago residents (2001-03; n = 3,105) from the Chicago Community Adult Health Survey, we provide the first documentation that negative life events are highly geographically clustered compared to health outcomes. Associations between neighborhood context and negative life events were also found to vary by event type. We then demonstrate the power of a contextualized approach by testing path models in which life events mediate the relation between neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes, including self-rated health, anxiety, and depression. The indirect paths between neighborhood conditions and health through negative life event exposure are highly significant and large compared to the direct paths from neighborhood conditions to health. Our results indicate that neighborhood conditions can have acute as well as chronic effects on health, and that negative life events are a powerful mechanism by which context may influence health.

  2. Review and updates of the risk assessment for advanced test reactor operations for operating events and experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atkinson, S.A.

    1996-01-01

    Annual or biannual reviews of the operating history of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) have been conducted for the purpose of reviewing and updating the ATR probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for operating events and operating experience since the first compilation of plant- specific experience data for the ATR PSA which included data for operation from initial power operation in 1969 through 1988. This technical paper briefly discusses the means and some results of these periodic reviews of operating experience and their influence on the ATR PSA

  3. Test results of sodium-water reaction testing in near prototypical LMR steam generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boardman, C.E.; Hui, M.; Neely, H.H.

    1990-01-01

    An extensive test program has been performed in the United States to investigate the effects of large sodium-water reaction events in LMFBR steam generators. Tests were conducted in the Large Leak Test Rig (LLTR) located at the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC). The program was divided into two phases, Series I and Series II, for the purpose of satisfying near-term and long-term needs. Series II was further subdivided into large and intermediate leak tests. This paper will emphasize the Series II intermediate leak tests and resulting conclusions for steam generator design and operation. 11 figs, 2 tabs

  4. Mutational jackpot events generate effective frequency-dependent selection in adapting populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallatschek, Oskar

    The site-frequency spectrum is one the most easily measurable quantities that characterize the genetic diversity of a population. While most neutral models predict that site frequency spectra should decay with increasing frequency, a high-frequency uptick has been reported in many populations. Anomalies in the high-frequency tail are particularly unsettling because the highest frequencies can be measured with greatest accuracy. Here, we show that an uptick in the spectrum of neutral mutations generally arises when mutant frequencies are dominated by rare jackpot events, mutational events with large descendant numbers. This leads to an effective pattern of frequency-dependent selection (or unstable internal equilibrium at one half frequency) that causes an accumulation of high-frequency polymorphic sites. We reproduce the known uptick occurring for recurrent hitchhiking (genetic draft) as well as rapid adaptation, and (in the future) generalize the shape of the high-frequency tail to other scenarios that are dominated by jackpot events, such as frequent range expansions. We also tackle (in the future) the inverse approach to use the high-frequency uptick for learning about the tail of the offspring number distribution. Positively selected alleles need to surpass, typically, an u NSF Career Award (PoLS), NIH NIGMS R01, Simons Foundation.

  5. Testing the Quick Seismic Event Locator and Magnitude Calculator (SSL_Calc) by Marsite Project Data Base

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tunc, Suleyman; Tunc, Berna; Caka, Deniz; Baris, Serif

    2016-04-01

    Locating and calculating size of the seismic events is quickly one of the most important and challenging issue in especially real time seismology. In this study, we developed a Matlab application to locate seismic events and calculate their magnitudes (Local Magnitude and empirical Moment Magnitude) using single station called SSL_Calc. This newly developed sSoftware has been tested on the all stations of the Marsite project "New Directions in Seismic Hazard Assessment through Focused Earth Observation in the Marmara Supersite-MARsite". SSL_Calc algorithm is suitable both for velocity and acceleration sensors. Data has to be in GCF (Güralp Compressed Format). Online or offline data can be selected in SCREAM software (belongs to Guralp Systems Limited) and transferred to SSL_Calc. To locate event P and S wave picks have to be marked by using SSL_Calc window manually. During magnitude calculation, instrument correction has been removed and converted to real displacement in millimeter. Then the displacement data is converted to Wood Anderson Seismometer output by using; Z=[0;0]; P=[-6.28+4.71j; -6.28-4.71j]; A0=[2080] parameters. For Local Magnitude calculation,; maximum displacement amplitude (A) and distance (dist) are used in formula (1) for distances up to 200km and formula (2) for more than 200km. ML=log10(A)-(-1.118-0.0647*dist+0.00071*dist2-3.39E-6*dist3+5.71e-9*dist4) (1) ML=log10(A)+(2.1173+0.0082*dist-0.0000059628*dist2) (2) Following Local Magnitude calculation, the programcode calculates two empiric Moment Magnitudes using formulas (3) Akkar et al. (2010) and (4) Ulusay et al. (2004). Mw=0.953* ML+0.422 (3) Mw=0.7768* ML+1.5921 (4) SSL_Calc is a software that is easy to implement and user friendly and offers practical solution to individual users to location of event and ML, Mw calculation.

  6. Cost-effectiveness of denosumab versus zoledronic acid for preventing skeletal-related events in the Czech Republic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cristino, Joaquim; Finek, Jíndřich; Jandova, Petra; Kolek, Martin; Pásztor, Bálint; Giannopoulou, Christina; Qian, Yi; Brezina, Tomas; Lothgren, Mickael

    2017-08-01

    This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of the subcutaneous RANKL inhibitor, denosumab, vs the intravenous bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid, for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other solid tumors (OST) in the Czech Republic. A lifetime Markov model was developed to compare the effects of denosumab and zoledronic acid on costs (including drug costs and administration, patient management, SREs, and adverse events), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios from a national payer perspective. Different discount rates, time horizons, SRE rates, distributions, and nature (asymptomatic vs all SREs), and the inclusion of treatment discontinuation were considered in scenario analyses. The robustness of the model was tested using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Across tumor types, denosumab was associated with fewer SREs, improved QALYs, and higher total costs over a lifetime. The incremental cost per QALY gained for denosumab vs zoledronic acid was 382,673 CZK for prostate cancer, 408,450 CZK for breast cancer, and 608,133 CZK for OST. Incremental costs per SRE avoided for the same tumor type were 54,007 CZK, 51,765 CZK, and 94,426 CZK, respectively. In scenario analyses, the results remained similar to baseline, when different discount rates and time horizons were considered. At a non-official willingness-to-pay threshold of 1.2 million CZK, the probabilities of denosumab being cost-effective vs zoledronic acid were 0.64, 0.67, and 0.49 for prostate cancer, breast cancer, and OST, respectively. The SRE rates used were obtained from clinical trials; studies suggest rates may be higher in clinical practice. Additional evidence on real-world SRE rates could further improve the accuracy of the modeling. Compared with zoledronic acid, denosumab provides a cost-effective treatment option for the prevention of SREs in patients with prostate cancer

  7. The Effect of Mock Tests on Iranian EFL learners’ Test Scores

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Khodabakhshzadeh

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The effect of using tests in test preparation courses has been subject to debate. While some scholars such as Yang and Badger (2015 believe it is a cause of positive washback effect, others argue that this issue is tentative and context-bound (Green, 2007. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of using Mock tests in International English Language Testing System (IELTS preparation courses on students’ overall IELTS scores. Fifty one IELTS students were selected non-randomly through the quota sampling approach out of 76 students at Mahan Language Institute in Birjand, Iran.  These participants were distributed into Group 1 (n=25 and Group 2 (n=26. A complete IELTS test was administered to ensure that the Groups were homogeneous and to serve as pretest. After 10 sessions of intervention, a different IELTS test was administered as posttest. The results of between subject analysis through independent samples t-test revealed that using Mock tests in the IELTS preparation courses can positively affect the participants scores on IELTS exam. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

  8. Trends and characteristics observed in nuclear events based on international nuclear event scale reports

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Norio

    2001-01-01

    The International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) is jointly operated by the IAEA and the OECD-NEA as a means designed for providing prompt, clear and consistent information related to nuclear events, that occurred at nuclear facilities, and facilitating communication between the nuclear community, the media and the public. Nuclear events are reported to the INES with the Scale', a consistent safety significance indicator, which runs from level 0, for events with no safety significance, to level 7 for a major accident with widespread health and environmental effects. Since the operation of INES was initiated in 1990, approximately 500 events have been reported and disseminated. The present paper discusses the trends observed in nuclear events, such as overall trends of the reported events and characteristics of safety significant events with level 2 or higher, based on the INES reports. (author)

  9. Towards Detecting the Crowd Involved in Social Events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Huang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Knowing how people interact with urban environments is fundamental for a variety of fields, ranging from transportation to social science. Despite the fact that human mobility patterns have been a major topic of study in recent years, a challenge to understand large-scale human behavior when a certain event occurs remains due to a lack of either relevant data or suitable approaches. Psychological crowd refers to a group of people who are usually located at different places and show different behaviors, but who are very sensitively driven to take the same act (gather together by a certain event, which has been theoretically studied by social psychologists since the 19th century. This study aims to propose a computational approach using a machine learning method to model psychological crowds, contributing to the better understanding of human activity patterns under events. Psychological features and mental unity of the crowd are computed to detect the involved individuals. A national event happening across the USA in April, 2015 is analyzed using geotagged tweets as a case study to test our approach. The result shows that 81% of individuals in the crowd can be successfully detected. Through investigating the geospatial pattern of the involved users, not only can the event related users be identified but also those unobserved users before the event can be uncovered. The proposed approach can effectively represent the psychological feature and measure the mental unity of the psychological crowd, which sheds light on the study of large-scale psychological crowd and provides an innovative way to understanding human behavior under events.

  10. Differential effects of uncertainty on LPP responses to emotional events during explicit and implicit anticipation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Huiyan; Liang, Jiafeng; Jin, Hua; Zhao, Dongmei

    2018-07-01

    Previous studies have investigated whether uncertainty influences neural responses to emotional events. The findings of such studies, particularly with respect to event-related potentials (ERPs), have been controversial due to several factors, such as the stimuli that serve as cues and the emotional content of the events. However, it is still unknown whether the effects of uncertainty on ERP responses to emotional events are influenced by anticipation patterns (e.g., explicit or implicit anticipation). To address this issue, participants in the present study were presented with anticipatory cues and then emotional (negative and neutral) pictures. The cues either did or did not signify the emotional content of the upcoming picture. In the inter-stimulus intervals between cues and pictures, participants were asked to estimate the expected probability of the occurrence of a specific emotional category of the subsequent picture based on a scale in the explicit anticipation condition, while in the implicit condition, participants were asked to indicate, using a number on a scale, which color was different from the others. The results revealed that in the explicit condition, uncertainty increased late positive potential (LPP) responses, particularly for negative pictures, whereas LPP responses were larger for certain negative pictures than for uncertain negative pictures in the implicit condition. The findings in the present study suggest that the anticipation pattern influences the effects of uncertainty when evaluation of negative events. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Investigating source processes of isotropic events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang, Andrea

    This dissertation demonstrates the utility of the complete waveform regional moment tensor inversion for nuclear event discrimination. I explore the source processes and associated uncertainties for explosions and earthquakes under the effects of limited station coverage, compound seismic sources, assumptions in velocity models and the corresponding Green's functions, and the effects of shallow source depth and free-surface conditions. The motivation to develop better techniques to obtain reliable source mechanism and assess uncertainties is not limited to nuclear monitoring, but they also provide quantitative information about the characteristics of seismic hazards, local and regional tectonics and in-situ stress fields of the region . This dissertation begins with the analysis of three sparsely recorded events: the 14 September 1988 US-Soviet Joint Verification Experiment (JVE) nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk test site in Eastern Kazakhstan, and two nuclear explosions at the Chinese Lop Nor test site. We utilize a regional distance seismic waveform method fitting long-period, complete, three-component waveforms jointly with first-motion observations from regional stations and teleseismic arrays. The combination of long period waveforms and first motion observations provides unique discrimination of these sparsely recorded events in the context of the Hudson et al. (1989) source-type diagram. We examine the effects of the free surface on the moment tensor via synthetic testing, and apply the moment tensor based discrimination method to well-recorded chemical explosions. These shallow chemical explosions represent rather severe source-station geometry in terms of the vanishing traction issues. We show that the combined waveform and first motion method enables the unique discrimination of these events, even though the data include unmodeled single force components resulting from the collapse and blowout of the quarry face immediately following the initial

  12. Cumulative effects of negative life events and family stress on children's mental health: the Bergen Child Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bøe, Tormod; Serlachius, Anna Sofia; Sivertsen, Børge; Petrie, Keith J; Hysing, Mari

    2018-01-01

    Numerous studies have documented that lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with increased mental health problems in children. One proposed pathway for this association has been differential exposure to accumulated risk factors in children of lower SES. The aim of the current study was to investigate the socioeconomic distribution of exposure to negative life events and family stress and to examine the direct and interactive association between lower SES and exposure to life events and family stress in relation with mental health problems. Using cross-sectional data from the second wave of the Bergen Child Study (conducted in 2006), the current study investigated the association between lower SES and exposure to negative life events, family life stressors, and mental health problems in a sample of 2043 Norwegian 11-13 years and their parents. Information about mental health was self-reported by the children using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, whereas information about SES and exposure to negative life events and family stressors were provided by their parents. The findings showed that lower SES was associated with more symptoms of emotional-, conduct-, hyperactivity/inattention-, and peer problems and that exposure to life events and family stress explained some of this association (10-29% of the total effects). Low SES and higher prevalence of negative life events and family stressors were associated with more symptoms of mental health problems. Overall, the effect sizes were smaller than previous investigations (f 2 s = 0.015-0.031), perhaps suggesting a buffering effect of the social safety net in place in Norway.

  13. Effect of dronedarone on cardiovascular events in atrial fibrillation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hohnloser, Stefan H; Crijns, Harry J G M; van Eickels, Martin

    2009-01-01

    . RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 21+/-5 months, with the study drug discontinued prematurely in 696 of the 2301 patients (30.2%) receiving dronedarone and in 716 of the 2327 patients (30.8%) receiving placebo, mostly because of adverse events. The primary outcome occurred in 734 patients (31......-interval prolongation, nausea, diarrhea, rash, and an increased serum creatinine level than the placebo group. Rates of thyroid- and pulmonary-related adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Dronedarone reduced the incidence of hospitalization due to cardiovascular events...

  14. The Impact of Explicit Instruction and Metalinguistic Awareness on Crosslinguistic Interference: Path Framing in Motion Events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdurrahaman KİLİMCİ

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The study aimed to investigate the influence of the cross-linguistic variation on the construction of boundarycrossing motion events in the translation production of the Turkish speakers of L2 English and to measure the impact of explicit instruction and metalinguistic awareness on the learners’ understanding of typological differences and hence their development of L2 ways of expressing motion events. To this aim, the study followed a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental research design, involving a treatment and a control group. A total of 46 second-year university students participated in the study. They were all majoring in English at the English Language Teaching Department, at a state university in Turkey. The control (18 females and 5 males and the treatment group (14 females and 9 males received a two-week instructional treatment, the first group receiving an implicit instruction, and the second an explicit instruction of the boundary-crossing motion event constructions. Prior to the instructional intervention, a pre-test was administered to the participants. Mann-Whitney U test run on the mean scores obtained from the pre-tests indicated no significant differences between the control and the treatment group, U = 282.5, z = .416, p = .678. Within-group analysis based on post-test results after the termination of the instructional treatment revealed that while the implicit instruction had no effect on learners’ acquisition of motion events, z = 1.842, p = .066., the explicit instruction had a significant effect on L1 Turkish learners’ development of their knowledge of L2-like English patterns in construing motion events. Similarly, between-group analysis revealed that the treatment group (Mdn = 4.00, who received an explicit instruction significantly outperformed the control group (Mdn = 2.00, who received implicit instruction, U = 410.5, z = 3.257, p = .001. The study concluded with the implications of findings for English

  15. The effects of solar particle events on the middle atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackman, C.H.; Douglass, A.R.; Meade, P.E.

    1989-01-01

    Solar particle events (SPEs) have been investigated since the late 1960's for possible effects on the middle atmosphere. Solar protons from SPEs produce ionizations, dissociations, dissociative ionizations, and excitations in the middle atmosphere. The production of HO(x) and NO(x) and their subsequent effects on ozone can also be computed using energy deposition and photochemical models. The effects of SPE-produced HO(x) species on the odd nitrogen abundance of the middle atmosphere as well as the SPE-produced long term effects on ozone. Model computations indicate fairly good agreement with ozone data for the SPE-induced ozone depletion caused by NO(y) species connected with the August 1972 SPE. The model computations indicate that NO(y) will not be substantially changed over a solar cycle by SPEs. The changes are mainly at high latitudes and are on time scales of several months, after which the NO(y) drifts back to its ambient levels

  16. Learning to make things happen: Infants' observational learning of social and physical causal events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waismeyer, Anna; Meltzoff, Andrew N

    2017-10-01

    Infants learn about cause and effect through hands-on experience; however, they also can learn about causality simply from observation. Such observational causal learning is a central mechanism by which infants learn from and about other people. Across three experiments, we tested infants' observational causal learning of both social and physical causal events. Experiment 1 assessed infants' learning of a physical event in the absence of visible spatial contact between the causes and effects. Experiment 2 developed a novel paradigm to assess whether infants could learn about a social causal event from third-party observation of a social interaction between two people. Experiment 3 compared learning of physical and social events when the outcomes occurred probabilistically (happening some, but not all, of the time). Infants demonstrated significant learning in all three experiments, although learning about probabilistic cause-effect relations was most difficult. These findings about infant observational causal learning have implications for children's rapid nonverbal learning about people, things, and their causal relations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Observing a fictitious stressful event: haematological changes, including circulating leukocyte activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mian, Rubina; Shelton-Rayner, Graham; Harkin, Brendan; Williams, Paul

    2003-03-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the effect of watching a psychological stressful event on the activation of leukocytes in healthy human volunteers. Blood samples were obtained from 32 healthy male and female subjects aged between 20 and 26 years before, during and after either watching an 83-minute horror film that none of the subjects had previously seen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974) or by sitting quietly in a room (control group). Total differential cell counts, leukocyte activation as measured by the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test, heart rate and blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken at defined time points. There were significant increases in peripheral circulating leukocytes, the number of activated circulating leukocytes, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and haematocrit (Hct) in response to the stressor. These were accompanied by significant increases in heart rate, systolic and diastolic BP (P<0.05 from baseline). This is the first reported study on the effects of observing a psychologically stressful, albeit fictitious event on circulating leukocyte numbers and the state of leukocyte activation as determined by the nitrotetrazolium test.

  18. Measurement of Underlying Event Observables with the ATLAS detector

    CERN Document Server

    Astalos, Robert; The ATLAS collaboration

    2017-01-01

    The modelling of the Underlying Event (UE) is a crucial component in the complete description of both soft and hard QCD processes at hadron colliders. The ATLAS collaboration presents new results on the number and transversemomentum sum of charged particles as a function of the leading high pT track in events taken at a center of mass energy of 13 TeV. These results are presented in regions towards, transverse, and away from the leading track and allow to test the modelling of the Underlying Event in modern MC generators. Furthermore, eventshape variables based on charged particles have been measured in Z-events at 7 TeV and have been compared with the predictions of different stateoftheart MC generators. These measurements test the Underlying Event in a complementary way.

  19. Measuring the Effect of Using Simulated Security Awareness Training and Testing on Members of Virtual Communities of Practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig L. Tidwell

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Information security (Infosec has become a major challenge for all private and public organizations. The protecting of proprietary and secret data and the proper awareness of what is entailed in protecting this data is necessary in all organizations. How does simulation and training influence virtual communities of practice information security awareness over time and with a variety of security scenarios. Can members of a virtual community be significantly changed in how they respond to routine security processes and attempts to breach security or violate the security policy of their organization? How does deterrence play a role in this prevention and education? A study is planned that will train and test users of a virtual community of practice over a 3 month period of time, via a web interface, and using simulated events, to see if the planned security awareness training will be effective in changing their responses to the events and further testing.

  20. Cost-effectiveness of tubal patency tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verhoeve, H R; Moolenaar, L M; Hompes, P; van der Veen, F; Mol, B W J

    2013-04-01

    Guidelines are not in agreement on the most effective diagnostic scenario for tubal patency testing; therefore, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of invasive tubal testing in subfertile couples compared with no testing and treatment. Cost-effectiveness analysis. Decision analytic framework. Computer-simulated cohort of subfertile women. We evaluated six scenarios: (1) no tests and no treatment; (2) immediate treatment without tubal testing; (3) delayed treatment without tubal testing; (4) hysterosalpingogram (HSG), followed by immediate or delayed treatment, according to diagnosis (tailored treatment); (5) HSG and a diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) in case HSG does not prove tubal patency, followed by tailored treatment; and (6) DL followed by tailored treatment. Expected cumulative live births after 3 years. Secondary outcomes were cost per couple and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. For a 30-year-old woman with otherwise unexplained subfertility for 12 months, 3-year cumulative live birth rates were 51.8, 78.1, 78.4, 78.4, 78.6 and 78.4%, and costs per couple were €0, €6968, €5063, €5410, €5405 and €6163 for scenarios 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios compared with scenario 1 (reference strategy), were €26,541, €19,046, €20,372, €20,150 and €23,184 for scenarios 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed the model to be robust over a wide range of values for the variables. The most cost-effective scenario is to perform no diagnostic tubal tests and to delay in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment for at least 12 months for women younger than 38 years old, and to perform no tubal tests and start immediate IVF treatment from the age of 39 years. If an invasive diagnostic test is planned, HSG followed by tailored treatment, or a DL if HSG shows no tubal patency, is more cost-effective than DL. © 2013 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2013

  1. A General Relativistic Null Hypothesis Test with Event Horizon Telescope Observations of the Black Hole Shadow in Sgr A*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Psaltis, Dimitrios; Özel, Feryal; Chan, Chi-Kwan; Marrone, Daniel P.

    2015-12-01

    The half opening angle of a Kerr black hole shadow is always equal to (5 ± 0.2)GM/Dc2, where M is the mass of the black hole and D is its distance from the Earth. Therefore, measuring the size of a shadow and verifying whether it is within this 4% range constitutes a null hypothesis test of general relativity. We show that the black hole in the center of the Milky Way, Sgr A*, is the optimal target for performing this test with upcoming observations using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). We use the results of optical/IR monitoring of stellar orbits to show that the mass-to-distance ratio for Sgr A* is already known to an accuracy of ∼4%. We investigate our prior knowledge of the properties of the scattering screen between Sgr A* and the Earth, the effects of which will need to be corrected for in order for the black hole shadow to appear sharp against the background emission. Finally, we explore an edge detection scheme for interferometric data and a pattern matching algorithm based on the Hough/Radon transform and demonstrate that the shadow of the black hole at 1.3 mm can be localized, in principle, to within ∼9%. All these results suggest that our prior knowledge of the properties of the black hole, of scattering broadening, and of the accretion flow can only limit this general relativistic null hypothesis test with EHT observations of Sgr A* to ≲10%.

  2. Recurring events - Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-04-01

    The feedback of operating experience from nuclear power plants (NPP) is intended to help avoid occurrence or recurrence of safety significant events. Regulatory bodies, and utilities operating nuclear power plants, have established operating experience feedback systems since the beginning of commercial nuclear power production. Well-established operating experience feedback systems exist on national and international level. An example of an international system is the Incident Reporting System (IRS) jointly operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). There also are systems maintained by the operating organizations, including the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), and owner groups of different NPP vendors. Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) Working Group on Operating Experience (WGOE; formerly Principal Working Group No. 1, PWG1) carried out a study on recurring events some years ago. This report, published in 1999, highlighted some areas of safety significance involving recurrent events in different NPPs around the world. Based on the important findings of this report, CSNI requested two additional studies: 1. first an international workshop should be organized and second, 2. a task group should be established to develop a second report on the topic and to evaluate the findings of the workshop. The workshop, hosted by the Swiss Regulatory Authority, HSK, was held in Switzerland in March 2002. It was attended by 32 experts representing the regulatory, nuclear power plant, vendor, and international agency communities. Several insights and recommendations were presented and are integrated in this report with respect to causes of recurring events: - Operating experience feedback processes had not always been effective, that is, the existing operating experiences had not been effectively applied, - Actions to be taken were not implemented in a timely manner, - The root cause was not

  3. Underlying Event and B-Hadron Decays in $t\\overline{t}$ Events

    CERN Document Server

    INSPIRE-00175000

    2014-01-01

    We present exploratory studies of the underlying event activity and of fragmentation and hadronization of b quarks using $t\\overline{t}$ candidate events in proton-proton collision data acquired by the CMS experiment. We reconstruct charm mesons in fully charged decay channels from the reconstructed tracks associated with the hadronization of b quarks from the top decay, and study their kinematics relative to the mother jet. A good agreement is found using MadGraph plus the Pythia 6 Tune Z2* simulation. The effects predicted by alternative settings and generators for the characterization of the underlying event are also explored. These results are expected to contribute in the future to more precise measurements in the top quark sector in particular of the top quark mass by either constraining systematic uncertainties related to the modeling of the underlying event in $t\\overline{t}$ events or by paving the way for alternative mass measurement methods.

  4. Expert panel evaluation of health information technology effects on adverse events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abramson, Erika L; Kern, Lisa M; Brenner, Samantha; Hufstader, Meghan; Patel, Vaishali; Kaushal, Rainu

    2014-08-01

    Adverse events (AEs) among hospitalized patients occur frequently and result in significant sequelae. Federal policy is incentivizing health information technology (HIT) use, although research demonstrating safety benefits from HIT is mixed. Our objective was to evaluate the potential effects of HIT on reducing 21 different inpatient AEs. Identifying AEs most likely to be reduced by HIT can inform the design of future studies evaluating its effectiveness. We conducted a modified Delphi panel of national experts in HIT and safety. We conducted a focused literature review to inform the experts. Using a novel framework, experts rated each AE as 'definitely reduced by health IT,' 'possibly reduced by health IT' and 'not likely to be reduced by health IT'. From our panel discussion, experts identified six AEs as 'definitely reduced by health IT': (1) adverse drug events (ADEs) associated with digoxin; (2) ADE associated with IV heparin; (3) ADE associated with hypoglycaemic agents; (4) ADE associated with low molecular weight heparin and factor Xa inhibitor; (5) contrast nephropathy associated with catheter angiography; and (6) ADE hospital-acquired antibiotic-associated Clostridium difficile. Understanding the effects of HIT on patient outcomes will be essential to ensuring that the significant federal investment results in anticipated improvements. This study serves as an important early step in helping with the design of future work evaluating level of HIT infrastructure and rates of inpatient AEs. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Materials effects and design implications of disruptions and off-normal events in ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassanein, A.; Federici, G.; Konkashbaev, I.; Zhitlukhin, A.; Litunovsky, V.

    1997-01-01

    Damage to plasma-facing components (PFCs) and structural materials during abnormal plasma behavior such as hard disruptions, edge-localized modes (ELMs), and vertical displacement events (VDEs) is considered a serious life-limiting concern for these components. The PFCs in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), such as the divertor, limiter, and parts of the first wall, will be subjected to high energy deposition during these plasma instabilities. High erosion losses on material surfaces, high temperature rise in structural materials (particularly at the bonding interface), and high heat flux levels and possible burnout of the coolant tubes are critical constraints that severely limit component lifetime and therefore degrade reactor performance, safety, and economics. Recently developed computer models and simulation experiments are being used to evaluate various damage to PFCs during the abnormal events. The design implications of plasma-facing and nearby components are discussed, and recommendations are made to mitigate the effects of these events

  6. The effects of poverty on childhood brain development: the mediating effect of caregiving and stressful life events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luby, Joan; Belden, Andy; Botteron, Kelly; Marrus, Natasha; Harms, Michael P; Babb, Casey; Nishino, Tomoyuki; Barch, Deanna

    2013-12-01

    IMPORTANCE The study provides novel data to inform the mechanisms by which poverty negatively impacts childhood brain development. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the income-to-needs ratio experienced in early childhood impacts brain development at school age and to explore the mediators of this effect. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study was conducted at an academic research unit at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis. Data from a prospective longitudinal study of emotion development in preschool children who participated in neuroimaging at school age were used to investigate the effects of poverty on brain development. Children were assessed annually for 3 to 6 years prior to the time of a magnetic resonance imaging scan, during which they were evaluated on psychosocial, behavioral, and other developmental dimensions. Preschoolers included in the study were 3 to 6 years of age and were recruited from primary care and day care sites in the St Louis metropolitan area; they were annually assessed behaviorally for 5 to 10 years. Healthy preschoolers and those with clinical symptoms of depression participated in neuroimaging at school age/early adolescence. EXPOSURE Household poverty as measured by the income-to-needs ratio. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Brain volumes of children's white matter and cortical gray matter, as well as hippocampus and amygdala volumes, obtained using magnetic resonance imaging. Mediators of interest were caregiver support/hostility measured observationally during the preschool period and stressful life events measured prospectively. RESULTS Poverty was associated with smaller white and cortical gray matter and hippocampal and amygdala volumes. The effects of poverty on hippocampal volume were mediated by caregiving support/hostility on the left and right, as well as stressful life events on the left. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The finding that exposure to poverty in early childhood materially impacts brain

  7. Best practices in the organization, management and conduct of an effective investigation of events at nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-09-01

    IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1 entitled Fundamental Safety Principles: Safety Fundamentals states the need for operating organizations to establish a programme for the feedback and analysis of operating experience in nuclear power plants. Such a programme ensures that operating experience is analysed, events important to safety are reviewed in depth, lessons learned are disseminated to the staff of the organization and to the relevant national and international organizations, and corrective actions are effectively implemented. This publication has been developed to provide advice and assistance to nuclear installations, and related institutions including contractors and support organizations to strengthen and enhance their own feedback process through the implementation of best practices in organization, management and conduct of an effective investigation of events. Conducting an effective investigation of events is essential in supporting a proactive safety management approach of preventing events from occurring. Event investigation is the heart of the operating experience feedback programme and in an operating organization it is essential to develop and maintain necessary expertise in this area. Experience has shown that it is not sufficient to identify only the direct causes of an event and the event is bound to recur unless all the root causes and casual factors for an event are identified and necessary corrective actions are developed and implemented. The present publication is the outcome of a coordinated effort involving the participation of experts of nuclear organizations in several Member States. It was developed to further elaborate on how to implement the event investigation requirements in the area of feedback of operating experience, as specified in the IAEA Safety Requirements publication NS-R-2 on Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation. This document will also complement the publication IAEA Services Series No. 10 - PROSPER Guidelines

  8. A Test of the Testing Effect: Acquiring Problem-Solving Skills from Worked Examples

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Gog, Tamara; Kester, Liesbeth

    2012-01-01

    The "testing effect" refers to the finding that after an initial study opportunity, testing is more effective for long-term retention than restudying. The testing effect seems robust and is a finding from the field of cognitive science that has important implications for education. However, it is unclear whether this effect also applies…

  9. A novel CUSUM-based approach for event detection in smart metering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Zhicheng; Zhang, Shuai; Wei, Zhiqiang; Yin, Bo; Huang, Xianqing

    2018-03-01

    Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) plays such a significant role in raising consumer awareness on household electricity use to reduce overall energy consumption in the society. With regard to monitoring low power load, many researchers have introduced CUSUM into the NILM system, since the traditional event detection method is not as effective as expected. Due to the fact that the original CUSUM faces limitations given the small shift is below threshold, we therefore improve the test statistic which allows permissible deviation to gradually rise as the data size increases. This paper proposes a novel event detection and corresponding criterion that could be used in NILM systems to recognize transient states and to help the labelling task. Its performance has been tested in a real scenario where eight different appliances are connected to main line of electric power.

  10. Effects of appraisal training on responses to a distressing autobiographical event.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woud, Marcella L; Zlomuzica, Armin; Cwik, Jan C; Margraf, Jürgen; Shkreli, Lorika; Blackwell, Simon E; Gladwin, Thomas E; Ehring, Thomas

    2018-04-14

    Dysfunctional appraisals are a key factor suggested to be involved in the development and maintenance of PTSD. Research has shown that experimental induction of a positive or negative appraisal style following a laboratory stressor affects analogue posttraumatic stress symptoms. This supports a causal role of appraisal in the development of traumatic stress symptoms and the therapeutic promise of modifying appraisals to reduce PTSD symptoms. The present study aimed to extend previous findings by investigating the effects of experimentally induced appraisals on reactions to a naturally occurring analogue trauma and by examining effects on both explicit and implicit appraisals. Participants who had experienced a distressing life event were asked to imagine themselves in the most distressing moment of that event and then received either a positive or negative Cognitive Bias Modification training targeting appraisals (CBM-App). The CBM-App training induced training-congruent appraisals, but group differences in changes in appraisal over training were only seen for explicit and not implicit appraisals. However, participants trained positively reported less intrusion distress over the subsequent week than those trained negatively, and lower levels of overall posttraumatic stress symptoms. These data support the causal relationship between appraisals and trauma distress, and further illuminate the mechanisms linking the two. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Short-Term Effects of Changing Precipitation Patterns on Shrub-Steppe Grasslands: Seasonal Watering Is More Important than Frequency of Watering Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Densmore-McCulloch, Justine A; Thompson, Donald L; Fraser, Lauchlan H

    2016-01-01

    Climate change is expected to alter precipitation patterns. Droughts may become longer and more frequent, and the timing and intensity of precipitation may change. We tested how shifting precipitation patterns, both seasonally and by frequency of events, affects soil nitrogen availability, plant biomass and diversity in a shrub-steppe temperate grassland along a natural productivity gradient in Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area near Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. We manipulated seasonal watering patterns by either exclusively watering in the spring or the fall. To simulate spring precipitation we restricted precipitation inputs in the fall, then added 50% more water than the long term average in the spring, and vice-versa for the fall precipitation treatment. Overall, the amount of precipitation remained roughly the same. We manipulated the frequency of rainfall events by either applying water weekly (frequent) or monthly (intensive). After 2 years, changes in the seasonality of watering had greater effects on plant biomass and diversity than changes in the frequency of watering. Fall watering reduced biomass and increased species diversity, while spring watering had little effect. The reduction in biomass in fall watered treatments was due to a decline in grasses, but not forbs. Plant available N, measured by Plant Root Simulator (PRS)-probes, increased from spring to summer to fall, and was higher in fall watered treatments compared to spring watered treatments when measured in the fall. The only effect observed due to frequency of watering events was greater extractable soil N in monthly applied treatments compared to weekly watering treatments. Understanding the effects of changing precipitation patterns on grasslands will allow improved grassland conservation and management in the face of global climatic change, and here we show that if precipitation is more abundant in the fall, compared to the spring, grassland primary productivity will likely be

  12. Predicting Bobsled Pushing Ability from Various Combine Testing Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomasevicz, Curtis L; Ransone, Jack W; Bach, Christopher W

    2018-03-12

    The requisite combination of speed, power, and strength necessary for a bobsled push athlete coupled with the difficulty in directly measuring pushing ability makes selecting effective push crews challenging. Current practices by USA Bobsled and Skeleton (USABS) utilize field combine testing to assess and identify specifically selected performance variables in an attempt to best predict push performance abilities. Combine data consisting of 11 physical performance variables were collected from 75 subjects across two winter Olympic qualification years (2009 and 2013). These variables were sprints of 15-, 30-, and 60 m, a flying 30 m sprint, a standing broad jump, a shot toss, squat, power clean, body mass, and dry-land brake and side bobsled pushes. Discriminant Analysis (DA) in addition to Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used to investigate two cases (Case 1: Olympians vs. non-Olympians; Case 2: National Team vs. non-National Team). Using these 11 variables, DA led to a classification rule that proved capable of identifying Olympians from non-Olympians and National Team members from non-National Team members with 9.33% and 14.67% misclassification rates, respectively. The PCA was used to find similar test variables within the combine that provided redundant or useless data. After eliminating the unnecessary variables, DA on the new combinations showed that 8 (Case 1) and 20 (Case 2) other combinations with fewer performance variables yielded misclassification rates as low as 6.67% and 13.33% respectively. Utilizing fewer performance variables can allow governing bodies in many other sports to create more appropriate combine testing that maximize accuracy, while minimizing irrelevant and redundant strategies.

  13. Eyewitness Suggestibility and Source Similarity: Intrusions of Details from One Event into Memory Reports of Another Event

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, D. Stephen; Allen, Bem P.; Chan, Jason C. K.; Dahl, Leora C.

    2004-01-01

    We explored the effect of the degree of conceptual similarity between a witnessed event and an extra-event narrative on eyewitness suggestibility. Experiments 1A and 1B replicated Allen and Lindsay's (1998) finding that subjects sometimes intrude details from a narrative description of one event into their reports of a different visual event.…

  14. The effect of sporting events on emergency department attendance rates in a district general hospital in Northern Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGreevy, A; Millar, L; Murphy, B; Davison, G W; Brown, R; O'Donnell, M E

    2010-10-01

    Previous studies have reported a conflicting relationship between the effect of live and televised sporting events on attendance rates to emergency departments (ED). The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship of major sporting events on emergency department attendance rates and to determine the potential effects of such events on service provision. A retrospective analysis of ED attendances to a district general hospital (DGH) and subsequent admissions over a 24-h period following live and televised sporting activities was performed over a 5-year period. Data were compiled from the hospital's emergency record books including the number of attendances, patient demographics, clinical complaint and outcome. Review patients were excluded. Analysis of sporting events was compiled for live local, regional and national events as well as world-wide televised sporting broadcasts. A total of 137,668 (80,445 men) patients attended from April 2002 to July 2007. Mean attendance rate per day was 80 patients (men = 47). Mean admission rate was 13.6 patients per day. Major sporting events during the study period included; Soccer: 4 FA Cup and 1 World Cup (WC) finals; Rugby: 47 Six Nations, 25 Six nations games involving Ireland, 1 WC final, 2 WC semi-finals, 2 WC quarter-finals and 4 WC games involving Ireland; and Gaelic Football [Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)]: 5 All-Ireland finals, 11 semi-finals, 11 quarter-finals and 5 provincial finals. There was a significantly higher patient admission rate during the soccer FA Cup final, Rugby Six Nations and games involving Ireland and for GAA semi- and quarter-final games (p = 0.001-0.01). There was no difference identified in total attendance or non-admission rates for sporting events throughout the study period. Although there was no correlation identified between any of these sporting events and total emergency department attendances (r 0.07), multinomial logistic regression demonstrated that FA Cup final (p

  15. Kinematics of child volunteers and child anthropomorphic test devices during emergency braking events in real car environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stockman, Isabelle; Bohman, Katarina; Jakobsson, Lotta; Brolin, Karin

    2013-01-01

    The objective of this study was to present, compare, and discuss the kinematic response of children and child anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) during emergency braking events in different restraint configurations in a passenger vehicle. A driving study was conducted on a closed-circuit test track comprising 16 children aged 4 to 12 years old and the Q3, Hybrid III (HIII) 3-year-old, 6-year-old, and 10-year-old ATDs restrained on the right rear seat of a modern passenger vehicle. The children were exposed to one braking event in each of the 2 restraint systems and the ATDs were exposed to 2 braking events in each restraint system. All events had a deceleration of 1.0 g. Short children (stature 107-123 cm) and the Q3, HIII 3-year-old, and 6-year-old were restrained on booster cushions as well as high-back booster seats. Tall children (stature 135-150 cm) and HIII 10-year-old were restrained on booster cushions or restrained by 3-point belts directly on the car seat. Vehicle data were collected and synchronized with video data. Forward trajectories for the forehead and external auditory canal (ear) were determined as well as head rotation and shoulder belt force. A total of 40 trials were analyzed. Child volunteers had greater maximum forward displacement of the head and greater head rotation compared to the ATDs. The average maximum displacement for children ranged from 165 to 210 mm and 155 to 195 mm for the forehead and ear target, respectively. Corresponding values for the ATDs were 55 to 165 mm and 50 to 160 mm. The change in head angle was greater for short children than for tall children. Shoulder belt force was within the same range for short children when restrained on booster cushions or high-back booster seats. For tall children, the shoulder belt force was greater when restrained on booster cushions compared to being restrained by seat belts directly on the car seat. The forward displacement was within the same range for all children regardless of

  16. Disentangling the Attention Network Test: Behavioral, Event Related Potentials and neural source analyses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandro eGalvao-Carmona

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Background. The study of the attentional system remains a challenge for current neuroscience. The Attention Network Test (ANT was designed to study simultaneously three different attentional networks (alerting, orienting and executive based in subtraction of different experimental conditions. However, some studies recommend caution with these calculations due to the interactions between the attentional networks. In particular, it is highly relevant that several interpretations about attentional impairment have arisen from these calculations in diverse pathologies. Event Related Potentials (ERPs and neural source analysis can be applied to disentangle the relationships between these attentional networks not specifically shown by behavioural measures. Results. This study shows that there is a basic level of alerting (tonic alerting in the no cue condition, represented by a slow negative trend in the ERP trace prior to the onset of the target stimuli. A progressive increase in the CNV amplitude related to the amount of information provided by the cue conditions is also shown. Neural source analysis reveals specific modulations of the CNV related to a task-related expectancy presented in the no cue condition; a late modulation triggered by the central cue condition and probably representing a generic motor preparation; and an early and late modulation for spatial cue condition suggesting specific motor and sensory preactivation. Finally, the first component in the information processing of the target stimuli modulated by the interaction between orienting network and the executive system can be represented by N1. Conclusions. The ANT is useful as a paradigm to study specific attentional mechanisms and their interactions. However, calculation of network effects is based in subtractions with non-comparable experimental conditions, as evidenced by the present data, which can induce misinterpretations in the study of the attentional capacity in human

  17. Identification of unusual events in multi-channel bridge monitoring data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omenzetter, Piotr; Brownjohn, James Mark William; Moyo, Pilate

    2004-03-01

    Continuously operating instrumented structural health monitoring (SHM) systems are becoming a practical alternative to replace visual inspection for assessment of condition and soundness of civil infrastructure such as bridges. However, converting large amounts of data from an SHM system into usable information is a great challenge to which special signal processing techniques must be applied. This study is devoted to identification of abrupt, anomalous and potentially onerous events in the time histories of static, hourly sampled strains recorded by a multi-sensor SHM system installed in a major bridge structure and operating continuously for a long time. Such events may result, among other causes, from sudden settlement of foundation, ground movement, excessive traffic load or failure of post-tensioning cables. A method of outlier detection in multivariate data has been applied to the problem of finding and localising sudden events in the strain data. For sharp discrimination of abrupt strain changes from slowly varying ones wavelet transform has been used. The proposed method has been successfully tested using known events recorded during construction of the bridge, and later effectively used for detection of anomalous post-construction events.

  18. Multiple Choice Testing and the Retrieval Hypothesis of the Testing Effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sensenig, Amanda E.

    2010-01-01

    Taking a test often leads to enhanced later memory for the tested information, a phenomenon known as the "testing effect". This memory advantage has been reliably demonstrated with recall tests but not multiple choice tests. One potential explanation for this finding is that multiple choice tests do not rely on retrieval processes to the same…

  19. Animal Effects from Soviet Atmospheric Nuclear Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-03-01

    describes the effect on animal models of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests performed by the Soviet Union at the Semipalatinsk Test Site . Part I describes...understand the pathogenic mechanisms of injury and the likelihood of efficacy of proposed treatment measures. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Semipalatinsk Test Site ...the Semipalatinsk Test Site . Part 1 describes the air blast and thermal radiation effects. Part 2 covers the effects of primary (prompt) radiation and

  20. Disentangling the effect of illness perceptions on health status in people with type 2 diabetes after an acute coronary event.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vos, Rimke Cathelijne; Kasteleyn, Marise Jeannine; Heijmans, Monique Johanna; de Leeuw, Elke; Schellevis, François Georges; Rijken, Mieke; Rutten, Guy Emile

    2018-03-02

    Chronically ill patients such as people with type 2 diabetes develop perceptions of their illness, which will influence their coping behaviour. Perceptions are formed once a health threat has been recognised. Many people with type 2 diabetes suffer from multimorbidity, for example the combination with cardiovascular disease. Perceptions of one illness may influence perceptions of the other condition. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of an intervention in type 2 diabetes patients with a first acute coronary event on change in illness perceptions and whether this mediates the intervention effect on health status. The current study is a secondary data analysis of a RCT. Two hundred one participants were randomised (1:1 ratio) to the intervention (n = 101, three home visits) or control group (n = 100). Outcome variables were diabetes and acute coronary event perceptions, assessed with the two separate Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaires (BIPQs); and health status (Euroqol Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS)). The intervention effect was analysed using ANCOVA. Linear regression analyses were used to assess whether illness perceptions mediated the intervention effect on health status. A positive intervention effect was found on the BIPQ diabetes items coherence and treatment control (F = 8.19, p = 0.005; F = 14.01, p effect was found on the other BIPQ diabetes items consequence, personal control, identity, illness concern and emotional representation. Regarding the acute coronary event, a positive intervention effect on treatment control was found (F = 7.81, p = 0.006). No intervention effect was found on the other items of the acute coronary event BIPQ. Better diabetes coherence was associated with improved health status, whereas perceiving more treatment control was not. The mediating effect of the diabetes perception 'coherence' on health status was not significant. Targeting illness perceptions of people with

  1. Identification of Parton Pairs in a Dijet Event and Investigation of Its Effects on Dijet Resonance Search

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sertac Ozturk

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Being able to distinguish parton pair type in a dijet event could significantly improve the search for new particles that are predicted by the theories beyond the Standard Model at the Large Hadron Collider. To explore whether parton pair types manifesting themselves as a dijet event could be distinguished on an event-by-event basis, I performed a simulation based study considering observable jet variables. I found that using a multivariate approach can filter out about 80% of the other parton pairs while keeping more than half of the quark-quark or gluon-gluon parton pairs in an inclusive QCD dijet distribution. The effects of event-by-event parton pair tagging for dijet resonance searches were also investigated and I found that improvement on signal significance after applying parton pair tagging can reach up to 4 times for gluon-gluon resonances.

  2. A test for Improvement of high resolution Quantitative Precipitation Estimation for localized heavy precipitation events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jung-Hoon; Roh, Joon-Woo; Park, Jeong-Gyun

    2017-04-01

    Accurate estimation of precipitation is one of the most difficult and significant tasks in the area of weather diagnostic and forecasting. In the Korean Peninsula, heavy precipitations are caused by various physical mechanisms, which are affected by shortwave trough, quasi-stationary moisture convergence zone among varying air masses, and a direct/indirect effect of tropical cyclone. In addition to, various geographical and topographical elements make production of temporal and spatial distribution of precipitation is very complicated. Especially, localized heavy rainfall events in South Korea generally arise from mesoscale convective systems embedded in these synoptic scale disturbances. In weather radar data with high temporal and spatial resolution, accurate estimation of rain rate from radar reflectivity data is too difficult. Z-R relationship (Marshal and Palmer 1948) have adapted representatively. In addition to, several methods such as support vector machine (SVM), neural network, Fuzzy logic, Kriging were utilized in order to improve the accuracy of rain rate. These methods show the different quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) and the performances of accuracy are different for heavy precipitation cases. In this study, in order to improve the accuracy of QPE for localized heavy precipitation, ensemble method for Z-R relationship and various techniques was tested. This QPE ensemble method was developed by a concept based on utilizing each advantage of precipitation calibration methods. The ensemble members were produced for a combination of different Z-R coefficient and calibration method.

  3. Irradiation Effects Test Series: Test IE-3. Test results report. [PWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farrar, L. C.; Allison, C. M.; Croucher, D. W.; Ploger, S. A.

    1977-10-01

    The objectives of the test reported were to: (a) determine the behavior of irradiated fuel rods subjected to a rapid power increase during which the possibility of a pellet-cladding mechanical interaction failure is enhanced and (b) determine the behavior of these fuel rods during film boiling following this rapid power increase. Test IE-3 used four 0.97-m long pressurized water reactor type fuel rods fabricated from previously irradiated fuel. The fuel rods were subjected to a preconditioning period, followed by a power ramp to 69 kW/m at a coolant mass flux of 4920 kg/s-m/sup 2/. After a flow reduction to 2120 kg/s-m/sup 2/, film boiling occurred on the fuel rods. One rod failed approximately 45 seconds after the reactor was shut down as a result of cladding embrittlement due to extensive cladding oxidation. Data are presented on the behavior of these irradiated fuel rods during steady-state operation, the power ramp, and film boiling operation. The effects of a power ramp and power ramp rates on pellet-cladding interaction are discussed. Test data are compared with FRAP-T3 computer model calculations and data from a previous Irradiation Effects test in which four irradiated fuel rods of a similar design were tested. Test IE-3 results indicate that the irradiated state of the fuel rods did not significantly affect fuel rod behavior during normal, abnormal (power ramp of 20 kW/m per minute), and accident (film boiling) conditions.

  4. Thermal-Hydraulic Integral Effect Test with the ATLS for Investigation on CEDM Penetration Nozzle Integrity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Kyoungho; Seokcho; Park, Hyunsik; Choi, Namhyun; Park, Yusun; Kim, Jongrok; Bae, Byounguhn; Kim, Yeonsik; Choi, Kiyong; Song, Chulhwa [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    In this study, thermal-hydraulic integral effect test with the ATLAS (Advanced Thermal-Hydraulic Test Loop for Accident Simulation) was performed for simulating a failure of CEDM penetration nozzle. The main objectives of the present test were not only to provide physical insight into the system response during a failure of CEDM penetration nozzle but also to establish an integral effect test database for the validation of the safety analysis codes. Furthermore, present experimental data were utilized to resolve the safety issue raised by the PWSCC at the CEDM penetration nozzle of the YGN-3. Thermal-hydraulic integral effect test with the ATLAS was performed for simulating a failure of CEDM penetration nozzle. Failure of two penetration nozzles of the CEDM in the APR1400 was simulated. Initial and boundary conditions were determined with respect to the reference conditions of the APR1400. However, with an aim of corresponding to the YGN-3 situation, the safety injection water was supplied via CLI mode. Compared to the cold leg break SBLOCA, the consequences of the event were milder in terms of a loop seal clearance, break flow rate, collapsed water level, and PCT. This could be mainly attributed to the small break flow rate in case of the failure in the RPV upper head. Present experimental data were utilized to resolve the safety issue raised by the PWSCC at the CEDM penetration nozzle of the YGN-3.

  5. Proceedings of the workshop on how to prevent recurring events more effectively

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for presentations and open discussion on the subject of recurring events at nuclear power plants with all professional parties involved, that is, nuclear power plant staff, regulators and technical support organizations. The meeting discussed insights on recurring events from the operating experience collection, analysis, and use points of view. The workshop provided a forum to explore and map the problem of recurring events and specifically to discuss means to reduce the likelihood of recurrence of events at nuclear power plants both on national and international level. Another objective of the workshop was to provide input for updating the OECD report 'Recurring Events'. A fundamental part of preventing recurring events is finding a commonly agreed definition of what they are. Prior to the workshop, the programme committee proposed the following definition: An event with actual or potential safety significance, that is the same or is very similar to important aspects of a previous nuclear industry event(s), and has the same or similar cause(s) as the previous event(s). Additionally, for an event to be considered as 'recurring' there should exist prior operating experience with corrective actions either: not specified or not adequately specified or not implemented in a timely manner by the responsible organisation. Note that Generic Events (one failure affects many similar plants), Common Cause Failure (nature of failure affects more than one redundant train), and Ageing (if the ageing-process is within that expected) would normally not be considered as recurring events within the definition provided above. This definition was further discussed during breakout sessions at the workshop, and suggestions were sought from all workshop attendees. Many helpful suggestions were offered by attendees. These suggestions will be taken under advisement by the CSNI Working Group on Operating Experience (WGOE). A total of 14

  6. FTREX Testing Report (Fault Tree Reliability Evaluation eXpert) Version 1.5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Woo Sik

    2009-07-01

    In order to verify FTREX functions and to confirm the correctness of FTREX 1.5, various tests were performed 1.fault trees with negates 2.fault trees with house events 3.fault trees with multiple tops 4.fault trees with logical loops 5.fault trees with initiators, house events, negates, logical loops, and flag events By using the automated cutest propagation test, the FTREX 1.5 functions are verified. FTREX version 1.3 and later versions have capability to perform bottom-up cutset-propagation test in order check cutest status. FTREX 1.5 always generates the proper minimal cut sets. All the output cutsets of the tested problems are MCSs (Minimal Cut Sets) and have no non-minimal cutsets and improper cutsets. The improper cutsets are those that have no effect to top, have multiple initiators, or have disjoint events A * -A

  7. Pressure Effects Analysis of National Ignition Facility Capacitor Module Events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brereton, S; Ma, C; Newton, M; Pastrnak, J; Price, D; Prokosch, D

    1999-01-01

    Capacitors and power conditioning systems required for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have experienced several catastrophic failures during prototype demonstration. These events generally resulted in explosion, generating a dramatic fireball and energetic shrapnel, and thus may present a threat to the walls of the capacitor bay that houses the capacitor modules. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ability of the capacitor bay walls to withstand the overpressure generated by the aforementioned events. Two calculations are described in this paper. The first one was used to estimate the energy release during a fireball event and the second one was used to estimate the pressure in a capacitor module during a capacitor explosion event. Both results were then used to estimate the subsequent overpressure in the capacitor bay where these events occurred. The analysis showed that the expected capacitor bay overpressure was less than the pressure tolerance of the walls. To understand the risk of the above events in NIF, capacitor module failure probabilities were also calculated. This paper concludes with estimates of the probability of single module failure and multi-module failures based on the number of catastrophic failures in the prototype demonstration facility

  8. Commissioning of an Integral Effect Test Loop for SMART

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Hyunsik; Bae, Hwang; Kim, Dongeok; Min, Kyoungho; Shin, Yongcheol; Ko, Yungjoo; Yi, Sungjae [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    An integral-effect test loop for SMART, SMART-ITL (or FESTA), has been constructed at KAERI. Its height was preserved and its flow area and volume were scaled down to 1/49 compared with the prototype plant, SMART. The ratio of the hydraulic diameter is 1/7. The SMART is a 330 MW thermal power reactor, and its core exit temperature and PZR pressure are 323 .deg. C and 15 MPa during a normal working condition, respectively. The maximum power of the core heater in the SMART-ITL is 30% of the scaled full power. As shown in Fig. 1, the SMART-ITL consists of a primary system including a reactor pressure vessel with a pressurizer, four steam generators and four main coolant pumps, a secondary system, a safety system, and an auxiliary system. The SMART-ITL facility will be used to investigate the integral performance of the inter-connected components and possible thermal-hydraulic phenomena occurring in the SMART design, to validate its safety for various design basis events and broad transient scenarios, and to validate the related thermal-hydraulic models of the safety analysis codes. The scenarios include small-break loss-of coolant accident (SBLOCA) scenarios, complete loss of RCS flowrate (CLOF), steam generator tube rupture (SGTR), feedwater line break (FLB), and main steam line break (MSLB). The role of SMART-ITL will be extended to examine and verify the normal, abnormal, and emergency operating procedures required during the construction and export phases of SMART. After an extensive series of commissioning tests in 2012, the SMART-ITL facility is now in operation. In this paper, the major test results acquired during the commissioning tests will be discussed.

  9. Seabed resident event driven profiling system (SREP). Concept, design and tests

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Mascarenhas, A.A.M.Q.; Afzulpurkar, S.; Maurya, P.K.; Fernandes, L.; Madhan, R.; Desa, E.S.; Dabolkar, N.A.; Navelkar, G.S.; Naik, L.; Shetye, V.G.; Shetty, N.B.; Prabhudesai, S.P.; Nagvekar, S.; Vimalakumari, D.

    The seabed resident event driven profiling system (SREP) described here offers a novel, optimized approach to profiling in coastal waters from seabed to sea surface during the rough seas encountered in the southwest monsoon season (June...

  10. Controlling extreme events on complex networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yu-Zhong; Huang, Zi-Gang; Lai, Ying-Cheng

    2014-08-01

    Extreme events, a type of collective behavior in complex networked dynamical systems, often can have catastrophic consequences. To develop effective strategies to control extreme events is of fundamental importance and practical interest. Utilizing transportation dynamics on complex networks as a prototypical setting, we find that making the network ``mobile'' can effectively suppress extreme events. A striking, resonance-like phenomenon is uncovered, where an optimal degree of mobility exists for which the probability of extreme events is minimized. We derive an analytic theory to understand the mechanism of control at a detailed and quantitative level, and validate the theory numerically. Implications of our finding to current areas such as cybersecurity are discussed.

  11. Angry thoughts in Spanish drivers and their relationship with crash-related events. The mediation effect of aggressive and risky driving.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrero-Fernández, David; Fonseca-Baeza, Sara

    2017-09-01

    Several studies have related aggressive and risky driving behaviours to accidents. However, the cognitive processes associated with driving aggression have received very little attention in the scientific literature. With the aim of shedding light on this topic, the present research was carried out on a sample of 414 participants in order to validate the Driver's Angry Thoughts Questionnaire (DATQ) with a sample of Spanish drivers and to test the hypothesis of the mediation effect of aggressive and risky driving on the relationship between drivers' angry thoughts and crash-related events. The results showed a good fit with the five-factor model of the questionnaire (Judgmental and Disbelieving Thinking, Pejorative Labelling and Verbally Aggressive Thinking, Revenge and Retaliatory Thinking, Physically Aggressive Thinking, and Coping Self-Instruction). Moreover, slight gender differences were observed in drivers' angry thoughts, with women scoring higher than men (η 2 =0.03). However, younger drivers had higher scores than older drivers in general (η 2 =0.06). Finally, several mediation effects of aggressive driving and risky driving on the relationship between aggressive thinking and the crash-related events were found. Implications of the results for research in traffic psychology and clinical assessment of aggressive drivers as well as limitations of the study are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Reporting of safeguards events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dwyer, P.A.; Ervin, N.E.

    1988-02-01

    On June 9, 1987, the Commission published in the Federal Register a final rule revising the reporting requirements for safeguards events. Safeguards events include actual or attempted theft of special nuclear material (SNM); actual or attempted acts or events which interrupt normal operations at power reactors due to unauthorized use of or tampering with machinery, components, or controls; certain threats made against facilities possessing SNM; and safeguards system failures impacting the effectiveness of the system. The revised rule was effective October 8, 1987. On September 14, 1987, the NRC held a workshop in Bethesda, MD, to answer affected licensees' questions on the final rule. This report documents questions discussed at the September 14 meeting, reflects a completed staff review of the answers, and supersedes previous oral comment on the topics covered

  13. Effects of a significant New Madrid Seismic Zone event on oil and natural gas pipelines and their cascading effects to critical infrastructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fields, Damon E.

    Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) is a construct that relates preparedness and responsiveness to natural or man-made disasters that involve vulnerable assets deemed essential for the functioning of our economy and society. Infrastructure systems (power grids, bridges, airports, etc.) are vulnerable to disastrous types of events--natural or man-made. Failures of these systems can have devastating effects on communities and entire regions. CIP relates our willingness, ability, and capability to defend, mitigate, and re-constitute those assets that succumb to disasters affecting one or more infrastructure sectors. This qualitative research utilized ethnography and employed interviews with subject matter experts (SMEs) from various fields of study regarding CIP with respect to oil and natural gas pipelines in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The study focused on the research question: What can be done to mitigate vulnerabilities in the oil and natural gas infrastructures, along with the potential cascading effects to interdependent systems, associated with a New Madrid fault event? The researcher also analyzed National Level Exercises (NLE) and real world events, and associated After Action Reports (AAR) and Lessons Learned (LL) in order to place a holistic lens across all infrastructures and their dependencies and interdependencies. Three main themes related to the research question emerged: (a) preparedness, (b) mitigation, and (c) impacts. These themes comprised several dimensions: (a) redundancy, (b) node hardening, (c) education, (d) infrastructure damage, (e) cascading effects, (f) interdependencies, (g) exercises, and (h) earthquake readiness. As themes and dimensions are analyzed, they are considered against findings in AARs and LL from previous real world events and large scale exercise events for validation or rejection.

  14. Causality Illusion and Overconfidence in Predicting (QuasiStochastic Financial Events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petr Houdek

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We argue that individuals systematically interpret sequences of events in a  causal manner. The aim of this article is to show that people do so even if they are aware of the stochastic nature of the respective sequence. The bias can explain some anomalous behaviour of investors in financial markets. Small as well as professional investors may illusorily perceive causality of former random success and future yield. Laboratory experiments testing the interpretation of stochastically occurring events in financial designs as well as analyses of real trading data from financial markets confirm that investors indeed interpret (quasirandom events casually; they make incorrect predictions and they egocentrically allocate responsibility for their success. The causality illusion induces overconfidence, inefficient investment and risk seeking. In the conclusion, we discuss factors that may limit effects of the causality illusion and suggest future areas for research.

  15. Event-by-event jet quenching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fries, R.J.; Rodriguez, R.; Ramirez, E.

    2010-08-14

    High momentum jets and hadrons can be used as probes for the quark gluon plasma (QGP) formed in nuclear collisions at high energies. We investigate the influence of fluctuations in the fireball on jet quenching observables by comparing propagation of light quarks and gluons through averaged, smooth QGP fireballs with event-by-event jet quenching using realistic inhomogeneous fireballs. We find that the transverse momentum and impact parameter dependence of the nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} can be fit well in an event-by-event quenching scenario within experimental errors. However the transport coefficient {cflx q} extracted from fits to the measured nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} in averaged fireballs underestimates the value from event-by-event calculations by up to 50%. On the other hand, after adjusting {cflx q} to fit R{sub AA} in the event-by-event analysis we find residual deviations in the azimuthal asymmetry v{sub 2} and in two-particle correlations, that provide a possible faint signature for a spatial tomography of the fireball. We discuss a correlation function that is a measure for spatial inhomogeneities in a collision and can be constrained from data.

  16. Event-by-event jet quenching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez, R. [Cyclotron Institute and Physics Department, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Fries, R.J., E-mail: rjfries@comp.tamu.ed [Cyclotron Institute and Physics Department, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); RIKEN/BNL Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Ramirez, E. [Physics Department, University of Texas El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968 (United States)

    2010-09-27

    High momentum jets and hadrons can be used as probes for the quark gluon plasma (QGP) formed in nuclear collisions at high energies. We investigate the influence of fluctuations in the fireball on jet quenching observables by comparing propagation of light quarks and gluons through averaged, smooth QGP fireballs with event-by-event jet quenching using realistic inhomogeneous fireballs. We find that the transverse momentum and impact parameter dependence of the nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} can be fit well in an event-by-event quenching scenario within experimental errors. However the transport coefficient q extracted from fits to the measured nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} in averaged fireballs underestimates the value from event-by-event calculations by up to 50%. On the other hand, after adjusting q to fit R{sub AA} in the event-by-event analysis we find residual deviations in the azimuthal asymmetry v{sub 2} and in two-particle correlations, that provide a possible faint signature for a spatial tomography of the fireball. We discuss a correlation function that is a measure for spatial inhomogeneities in a collision and can be constrained from data.

  17. Functional tests of a prototype for the CMS-ATLAS common non-event data handling framework

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00366910; The ATLAS collaboration; Formica, Andrea

    2017-01-01

    Since 2014 the ATLAS and CMS experiments share a common vision on the database infrastructure for the handling of the non-event data in forthcoming LHC runs. The wide commonality in the use cases has allowed to agree on a common overall design solution that is meeting the requirements of both experiments. A first prototype has been completed in 2016 and has been made available to both experiments. The prototype is based on a web service implementing a REST api with a set of functions for the management of conditions data. In this contribution, we describe this prototype architecture and the tests that have been performed within the CMS computing infrastructure, with the aim of validating the support of the main use cases and of suggesting future improvements.

  18. Influence of negative emotion on the framing effect: evidence from event-related potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Qingguo; Pei, Guanxiong; Wang, Kai

    2015-04-15

    The framing effect is the phenomenon in which different descriptions of an identical problem can result in different choices. The influence of negative emotions on the framing effect and its neurocognitive basis are important issues, especially in the domain of saving lives, which is essential and highly risky. In each trial of our experiment, the emotion stimulus is presented to the participants, followed by the decision-making stimulus, which comprises certain and risky options with the same expected value. Each pair of options is positively or negatively framed. The behavioral results indicate a significant interactive effect between negative emotion and frame; thus, the risk preference under the positive frame can be enhanced by negative emotions, whereas this finding is not true under the negative frame. The event-related potential analysis indicates that choosing certain options under the positive frame with negative emotion priming generates smaller P2 and P3 amplitudes and a larger N2 amplitude than with neutral emotion priming. The event-related potential findings indicate that individuals can detect risk faster and experience more conflict and increased decision difficulty if they choose certain options under the positive frame with negative priming compared with neutral priming.

  19. Assessing the association between omalizumab and arteriothrombotic events through spontaneous adverse event reporting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali AK

    2012-05-01

    associated with higher than expected reporting of arterial thrombotic events in asthmatic patients. This hypothesis needs further testing in robust epidemiological studies.Keywords: omalizumab, postmarketing safety surveillance, adverse event reporting system, arterial thrombotic events

  20. Motivated encoding selectively promotes memory for future inconsequential semantically-related events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oyarzún, Javiera P; Packard, Pau A; de Diego-Balaguer, Ruth; Fuentemilla, Lluis

    2016-09-01

    Neurobiological models of long-term memory explain how memory for inconsequential events fades, unless these happen before or after other relevant (i.e., rewarding or aversive) or novel events. Recently, it has been shown in humans that retrospective and prospective memories are selectively enhanced if semantically related events are paired with aversive stimuli. However, it remains unclear whether motivating stimuli, as opposed to aversive, have the same effect in humans. Here, participants performed a three phase incidental encoding task where one semantic category was rewarded during the second phase. A memory test 24h after, but not immediately after encoding, revealed that memory for inconsequential items was selectively enhanced only if items from the same category had been previously, but not subsequently, paired with rewards. This result suggests that prospective memory enhancement of reward-related information requires, like previously reported for aversive memories, of a period of memory consolidation. The current findings provide the first empirical evidence in humans that the effects of motivated encoding are selectively and prospectively prolonged over time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Life Events, Sibling Warmth, and Youths' Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waite, Evelyn B.; Shanahan, Lilly; Calkins, Susan D.; Keane, Susan P.; O'Brien, Marion

    2011-01-01

    Sibling warmth has been identified as a protective factor from life events, but stressor-support match-mismatch and social domains perspectives suggest that sibling warmth may not efficiently protect youths from all types of life events. We tested whether sibling warmth moderated the association between each of family-wide, youths' personal, and…

  2. Assessing the association between omalizumab and arteriothrombotic events through spontaneous adverse event reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Ayad K; Hartzema, Abraham G

    2012-01-01

    Omalizumab is a monoclonal antibody, indicated for the treatment of severe allergic asthma. In Europe, there have been concerns about the cardiovascular safety of omalizumab. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between omalizumab and arterial thrombotic events in a spontaneous adverse drug reaction reporting database in the US. Reports of arterial thrombotic events submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) between 2004 and 2011 were retrieved and analyzed by the reporting odds ratio data mining algorithm. The reporting odds ratio of arterial thrombotic events for omalizumab was compared with specific asthma medications and all drugs in the AERS. Values ≥2 were considered significant safety signals. The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities Preferred Terms were used to identify arterial thrombotic events (eg, stroke, myocardial infarction). In total, 293,783 reports of arterial thrombotic events were retrieved (about 2% of all adverse drug reaction reports), corresponding to 2274 asthma drug-arterial thrombotic events pairs (omalizumab, 222; inhaled corticosteroids [ICS], 131; long-acting beta-agonists [LABA], 102; single-device combination ICS-LABA, 506; inhaled short-acting beta-agonists [SABA], 475; oral SABA, 6; inhaled antimuscarinics [AMC], 477; single-device combination AMC-SABA, 127; xanthines, 50; leukotriene modifiers, 174; and mast cell stabilizers, 4). Reporting odds ratio and 95% confidence interval values for omalizumab compared with other asthma drugs and all drugs in AERS were 2.75 (2.39-316) and 1.09 (0.95-1.24), respectively. Omalizumab ranked second after ICS in the risk of arterial thrombotic events, followed by AMC, AMC-SABA, and ICS-LABA. Omalizumab is associated with higher than expected reporting of arterial thrombotic events in asthmatic patients. This hypothesis needs further testing in robust epidemiological studies.

  3. The Interactive Effects of Stressful Family Life Events and Cortisol Reactivity on Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steeger, Christine M.; Cook, Emily C.; Connell, Christian M.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the associations between stressful family life events and adolescent externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and the interactive effects of family life events and cortisol reactivity on problem behaviors. In a sample of 100 mothers and their adolescents (M age = 15.09; SD age = 0.98; 68% girls), adolescent cortisol reactivity was measured in response to a mother-adolescent conflict interaction task designed to elicit a stress response. Mothers reported on measures of family life events and adolescent problem behaviors. Results indicated that a heightened adolescent cortisol response moderated the relations between stressful family life events and both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results support context-dependent theoretical models, suggesting that for adolescents with higher cortisol reactivity (compared to those with lower cortisol reactivity), higher levels of stressful family life events were associated with greater problem behaviors, whereas lower levels of stressful family life events were related to fewer problem behaviors. PMID:26961703

  4. Possible effect of strong solar energetic particle events on polar stratospheric aerosol: a summary of observational results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mironova, I A; Usoskin, I G

    2014-01-01

    This letter presents a summary of a phenomenological study of the response of the polar stratosphere to strong solar energetic particle (SEP) events corresponding to ground level enhancements (GLEs) of cosmic rays. This work is focused on evaluation of the possible influence of the atmospheric ionization caused by SEPs upon formation of aerosol particles in the stratosphere over polar regions. Following case studies of two major SEP/GLE events, in January 2005 and September 1989, and their possible effects on polar stratospheric aerosols, we present here the results of an analysis of variations of the daily profiles of the stratospheric aerosol parameters (aerosol extinction for different wavelengths, as well as Ångstrom exponent) for both polar hemispheres during SEP/GLE events of July 2000, April 2001 and October 2003, which form already five clear cases corresponding to extreme and strong SEP/GLE events. The obtained results suggest that an enhancement of ionization rate by a factor of about two in the polar region with night/cold/winter conditions can lead to the formation/growing of aerosol particles in the altitude range of 10–25 km. We also present a summary of the investigated effects based on the phenomenological study of the atmospheric application of extreme SEP events. (paper)

  5. Using variable transformations to perform common event analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worrell, R.B.

    1977-01-01

    Any analytical method for studying the effect of common events on the behavior of a system is considered as being a form of common event analysis. The particular common events that are involved often represent quite different phenomena, and this has led to the development of different kinds of common event analysis. For example, common mode failure analysis, common cause analysis, critical location analysis, etc., are all different kinds of common event analysis for which the common events involved represent different phenomena. However, the problem that must be solved for each of these different kinds of common event analysis is essentially the same: Determine the effect of common events on the behavior of a system. Thus, a technique that is useful in achieving one kind of common event analysis is often useful in achieving other kinds of common event analysis

  6. Overview of the biology of extreme events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutschick, V. P.; Bassirirad, H.

    2008-12-01

    Extreme events have, variously, meteorological origins as in heat waves or precipitation extremes, or biological origins as in pest and disease eruptions (or tectonic, earth-orbital, or impact-body origins). Despite growing recognition that these events are changing in frequency and intensity, a universal model of ecological responses to these events is slow to emerge. Extreme events, negative and positive, contrast with normal events in terms of their effects on the physiology, ecology, and evolution of organisms, hence also on water, carbon, and nutrient cycles. They structure biogeographic ranges and biomes, almost surely more than mean values often used to define biogeography. They are challenging to study for obvious reasons of field-readiness but also because they are defined by sequences of driving variables such as temperature, not point events. As sequences, their statistics (return times, for example) are challenging to develop, as also from the involvement of multiple environmental variables. These statistics are not captured well by climate models. They are expected to change with climate and land-use change but our predictive capacity is currently limited. A number of tools for description and analysis of extreme events are available, if not widely applied to date. Extremes for organisms are defined by their fitness effects on those organisms, and are specific to genotypes, making them major agents of natural selection. There is evidence that effects of extreme events may be concentrated in an extended recovery phase. We review selected events covering ranges of time and magnitude, from Snowball Earth to leaf functional loss in weather events. A number of events, such as the 2003 European heat wave, evidence effects on water and carbon cycles over large regions. Rising CO2 is the recent extreme of note, for its climatic effects and consequences for growing seasons, transpiration, etc., but also directly in its action as a substrate of photosynthesis

  7. Elegent—An elastic event generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kašpar, J.

    2014-03-01

    Although elastic scattering of nucleons may look like a simple process, it presents a long-lasting challenge for theory. Due to missing hard energy scale, the perturbative QCD cannot be applied. Instead, many phenomenological/theoretical models have emerged. In this paper we present a unified implementation of some of the most prominent models in a C++ library, moreover extended to account for effects of the electromagnetic interaction. The library is complemented with a number of utilities. For instance, programs to sample many distributions of interest in four-momentum transfer squared, t, impact parameter, b, and collision energy √{s}. These distributions at ISR, Spp¯S, RHIC, Tevatron and LHC energies are available for download from the project web site. Both in the form of ROOT files and PDF figures providing comparisons among the models. The package includes also a tool for Monte-Carlo generation of elastic scattering events, which can easily be embedded in any other program framework. Catalogue identifier: AERT_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AERT_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License, version 3 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 10551 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 126316 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: C++. Computer: Any in principle, tested on x86-64 architecture. Operating system: Any in principle, tested on GNU/Linux. RAM: Strongly depends on the task, but typically below 20MB Classification: 11.6. External routines: ROOT, HepMC Nature of problem: Monte-Carlo simulation of elastic nucleon-nucleon collisions Solution method: Implementation of some of the most prominent phenomenological/theoretical models providing cumulative distribution function that is used for random event generation. Running time: Strongly depends on the task, but

  8. Irradiation effects test Series Scoping Test 1: test results report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quapp, W.J.; Allison, C.M.; Farrar, L.C.

    1977-09-01

    The report describes the results of the first scoping test in the Irradiation Effects Test Series conducted by the Thermal Fuels Behavior Program, which is part of the Water Reactor Research Program of EG and G Idaho, Inc. The research is sponsored by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This test used an unirradiated, three-foot-long, PWR-type fuel rod. The objective of this test was to thoroughly evaluate the remote fabrication procedures to be used for irradiated rods in future tests, handling plans, and reactor operations. Additionally, selected fuel behavior data were obtained. The fuel rod was subjected to a series of preconditioning power cycles followed by a power increase which brought the fuel rod power to about 20.4 kW/ft peak linear heat rating at a coolant mass flux of 1.83 x 10 6 lb/hr-ft 2 . Film boiling occurred for a period of 4.8 minutes following flow reductions to 9.6 x 10 5 and 7.5 x 10 5 lb/hr-ft 2 . The test fuel rod failed following reactor shutdown as a result of heavy internal and external cladding oxidation and embrittlement which occurred during the film boiling operation

  9. Estimating Finite Source Effects in Microlensing Events due to Free-Floating Planets with the Euclid Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lindita Hamolli

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In recent years free-floating planets (FFPs have drawn a great interest among astrophysicists. Gravitational microlensing is a unique and exclusive method for their investigation which may allow obtaining precious information about their mass and spatial distribution. The planned Euclid space-based observatory will be able to detect a substantial number of microlensing events caused by FFPs towards the Galactic bulge. Making use of a synthetic population algorithm, we investigate the possibility of detecting finite source effects in simulated microlensing events due to FFPs. We find a significant efficiency for finite source effect detection that turns out to be between 20% and 40% for a FFP power law mass function index in the range [0.9, 1.6]. For many of such events it will also be possible to measure the angular Einstein radius and therefore constrain the lens physical parameters. These kinds of observations will also offer a unique possibility to investigate the photosphere and atmosphere of Galactic bulge stars.

  10. Zooming in on Life Events: Is Hedonic Adaptation Sensitive to the Temporal Distance from the Event?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uglanova, Ekaterina A.; Staudinger, Ursula M.

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyzed the effect of major positive and negative life events (marriage, divorce, birth of child, widowhood, and unemployment) on life satisfaction. For the first time, this study estimated the effects of life events not with a precision of 12 months but of 3 months. Specifically, two questions were addressed: (1) Does the precision of…

  11. Acceptance Test Procedure: SY101 air pallet system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koons, B.M.

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this test procedure is to verify that the system(s) procured to load the SY-101 Mitigation Test Pump package fulfills its functional requirements. It will also help determine the man dose expected due to handling of the package during the actual event. The scope of this procedure focuses on the ability of the air pallets and container saddles to carry the container package from the new 100 foot concrete pad into 2403-WD where it will be stored awaiting final disposition. This test attempts to simulate the actual event of depositing the SY-101 hydrogen mitigation test pump into the 2403-WD building. However, at the time of testing road modifications required to drive the 100 ton trailer into CWC were not performed. Therefore a flatbed trailer will be use to transport the container to CWC. The time required to off load the container from the 100 ton trailer will be recorded for man dose evaluation on location. The cranes used for this test will also be different than the actual event. This is not considered to be an issue due to minimal effects on man dose

  12. Understanding Laterally Varying Path Effects on P/S Ratios and their Effectiveness for Event Discrimination at Local Distances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pyle, M. L.; Walter, W. R.

    2017-12-01

    Discrimination between underground explosions and naturally occurring earthquakes is an important endeavor for global security and test-ban treaty monitoring, and ratios of seismic P to S-wave amplitudes at regional distances have proven to be an effective discriminant. The use of the P/S ratio is rooted in the idea that explosive sources should theoretically only generate compressional energy. While, in practice, shear energy is observed from explosions, generally when corrections are made for magnitude and distance, P/S ratios from explosions are higher than those from surrounding earthquakes. At local distances (chemical explosions at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) designed to improve our understanding and modeling capabilities of shear waves generated by explosions. Phase I consisted of 5 explosions in granite and Phase II will move to a contrasting dry alluvium geology. We apply a high-resolution 2D attenuation model to events near the NNSS to examine what effect path plays in local P/S ratios, and how well an earthquake-derived model can account for shallower explosion paths. The model incorporates both intrinsic attenuation and scattering effects and extends to 16 Hz, allowing us to make lateral path corrections and consider high-frequency ratios. Preliminary work suggests that while 2D path corrections modestly improve earthquake amplitude predictions, explosion amplitudes are not well matched, and so P/S ratios do not necessarily improve. Further work is needed to better understand the uses and limitation of 2D path corrections for local P/S ratios.

  13. TDRS-1 single event upsets and the effect of the space environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkinson, D.C.; Daughtridge, S.C.; Stone, J.L.; Sauer, H.H.; Darling, P.

    1991-01-01

    The systematic recording of Single Event Upsets on TDRS-1 from 1984 to 1990 allows correlations to be drawn between those upsets and the space environment. In this paper, ground based neutron monitor data are used to illustrate the long-term relationship between galactic cosmic rays and TDRS-1 upsets. The short-term effects of energetic solar particles are illustrated with space environment data from GOES-7

  14. The effect of childhood trauma and Five-Factor Model personality traits on exposure to adult life events in patients with psychotic disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pos, Karin; Boyette, Lindy Lou; Meijer, Carin J; Koeter, Maarten; Krabbendam, Lydia; de Haan, Lieuwe; For Group

    2016-11-01

    Recent life events are associated with transition to and outcome in psychosis. Childhood trauma and personality characteristics play a role in proneness to adult life events. However, little is known about the relative contribution and interrelatedness of these characteristics in psychotic disorders. Therefore, we investigated whether Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits and childhood trauma (abuse and neglect) predict adult life events, and whether the effect of childhood trauma on life events is mediated by personality traits. One hundred and sixty-three patients with psychotic disorders were assessed at baseline on history of childhood maltreatment and FFM personality traits, and on recent life events at 3-year follow-up. Childhood abuse is associated with negative life events, and part of the effect of childhood abuse on negative life events is mediated by openness to experience. Openness to experience and extraversion are associated with more positive and negative life events. Childhood neglect and lower extraversion are related to experiencing less positive events. The association between childhood trauma and recent life events is partly mediated by personality. Future research could focus on mechanisms leading to positive life events, as positive life events may buffer against development of mental health problems.

  15. Event Shapes in $p\\bar p$ Collisions at $\\sqrt{s} = 1.96$ TeV

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atkins, Scott [Louisiana Tech Univ., Ruston, LA (United States)

    2012-08-01

    This dissertation presents the analysis of nine different event shapes measured in high energy p$\\bar{p}$ collisions. An event shape can be defined as an event-based quantity that measures how the final energies are distributed in the final event. This analysis will test strong interactions as described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), through their implementation in different Monte Carlo-based models. Each of the event shapes provides information about the flow of energy in QCD events and about the hadronic final states that occur in p$\\bar{p}$ particle collisions, thus allowing the study of the dynamics of QCD multijet events. Any deviation of an event shape from zero will be indicative of higher-order effects, meaning that more than the two jets were produced in the event. For each of the event shapes, both normalized differential distributions ( 1/σ dσ/dX) and average event shapes ($\\bar{X}$σ) were measured, where X is the event shape and σ is the cross section. This analysis uses 0.7 fb-1 of data taken between 2004 and 2006 by the DØ detector located at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab (Fermilab) in Batavia, IL, using p$\\bar{p}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 1.96 TeV.

  16. Extraction of moments of net-particle event-by-event fluctuations in the CBM experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vovchenko, Volodymyr [Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Taras Shevchenko University, Kyiv (Ukraine); Kisel, Ivan [Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    The future CBM experiment at FAIR will employ high intensity beams and large acceptance detectors in order to study the properties of the strongly interacting matter produced in heavy-ion collisions at high baryon densities. The search for the conjectured critical point of QCD is one the important tasks. It is predicted from statistical physics that higher moments of event-by-event fluctuations are very sensitive to the proximity of the critical point. This argument is explicitly demonstrated with the van der Waals equation of state. Thus, it was suggested that higher moments of fluctuations of conserved charges can be used as probes for the critical behavior. The statistical convergence of cumulants of different order is explored. The extraction of scaled variance, skewness, and kurtosis of proton distribution from simulated UrQMD events is performed and the efficiency correction described by binomial distribution is accounted for. The validity of this correction is tested with different modelings of the CBM detector response: from binomial distribution with fluctuating event-by-event efficiency to a full-scale GEANT simulation. The obtained results indicate that a more elaborate efficiency correction is needed in order to accurately reconstruct moments of higher orders.

  17. Context-aware event detection smartphone application for first responders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boddhu, Sanjay K.; Dave, Rakesh P.; McCartney, Matt; West, James A.; Williams, Robert L.

    2013-05-01

    The rise of social networking platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc…, have provided seamless sharing of information (as chat, video and other media) among its user community on a global scale. Further, the proliferation of the smartphones and their connectivity networks has powered the ordinary individuals to share and acquire information regarding the events happening in his/her immediate vicinity in a real-time fashion. This human-centric sensed data being generated in "human-as-sensor" approach is tremendously valuable as it delivered mostly with apt annotations and ground truth that would be missing in traditional machine-centric sensors, besides high redundancy factor (same data thru multiple users). Further, when appropriately employed this real-time data can support in detecting localized events like fire, accidents, shooting, etc…, as they unfold and pin-point individuals being affected by those events. This spatiotemporal information, when made available for first responders in the event vicinity (or approaching it) can greatly assist them to make effective decisions to protect property and life in a timely fashion. In this vein, under SATE and YATE programs, the research team at AFRL Tec^Edge Discovery labs had demonstrated the feasibility of developing Smartphone applications, that can provide a augmented reality view of the appropriate detected events in a given geographical location (localized) and also provide an event search capability over a large geographic extent. In its current state, the application thru its backend connectivity utilizes a data (Text & Image) processing framework, which deals with data challenges like; identifying and aggregating important events, analyzing and correlating the events temporally and spatially and building a search enabled event database. Further, the smartphone application with its backend data processing workflow has been successfully field tested with live user generated feeds.

  18. Agent Based Simulation of Group Emotions Evolution and Strategy Intervention in Extreme Events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Agent based simulation method has become a prominent approach in computational modeling and analysis of public emergency management in social science research. The group emotions evolution, information diffusion, and collective behavior selection make extreme incidents studies a complex system problem, which requires new methods for incidents management and strategy evaluation. This paper studies the group emotion evolution and intervention strategy effectiveness using agent based simulation method. By employing a computational experimentation methodology, we construct the group emotion evolution as a complex system and test the effects of three strategies. In addition, the events-chain model is proposed to model the accumulation influence of the temporal successive events. Each strategy is examined through three simulation experiments, including two make-up scenarios and a real case study. We show how various strategies could impact the group emotion evolution in terms of the complex emergence and emotion accumulation influence in extreme events. This paper also provides an effective method of how to use agent-based simulation for the study of complex collective behavior evolution problem in extreme incidents, emergency, and security study domains.

  19. Do Solar Coronal Holes Affect the Properties of Solar Energetic Particle Events?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahler, S. W.; Arge, C. N.; Akiyama, S.; Gopalswamy, N.

    2013-01-01

    The intensities and timescales of gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events at 1 AU may depend not only on the characteristics of shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), but also on large-scale coronal and interplanetary structures. It has long been suspected that the presence of coronal holes (CHs) near the CMEs or near the 1-AU magnetic footpoints may be an important factor in SEP events. We used a group of 41 E (is) approx. 20 MeV SEP events with origins near the solar central meridian to search for such effects. First we investigated whether the presence of a CH directly between the sources of the CME and of the magnetic connection at 1 AU is an important factor. Then we searched for variations of the SEP events among different solar wind (SW) stream types: slow, fast, and transient. Finally, we considered the separations between CME sources and CH footpoint connections from 1 AU determined from four-day forecast maps based on Mount Wilson Observatory and the National Solar Observatory synoptic magnetic-field maps and the Wang-Sheeley-Arge model of SW propagation. The observed in-situ magnetic-field polarities and SW speeds at SEP event onsets tested the forecast accuracies employed to select the best SEP/CH connection events for that analysis. Within our limited sample and the three analytical treatments, we found no statistical evidence for an effect of CHs on SEP event peak intensities, onset times, or rise times. The only exception is a possible enhancement of SEP peak intensities in magnetic clouds.

  20. Effects of Vascular and Nonvascular Adverse Events and of Extended-Release Niacin With Laropiprant on Health and Healthcare Costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kent, Seamus; Haynes, Richard; Hopewell, Jemma C; Parish, Sarah; Gray, Alastair; Landray, Martin J; Collins, Rory; Armitage, Jane; Mihaylova, Borislava

    2016-07-01

    Extended-release niacin with laropiprant did not significantly reduce the risk of major vascular events and increased the risk of serious adverse events in Heart Protection Study 2-Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events (HPS2-THRIVE), but its net effects on health and healthcare costs are unknown. 25 673 participants aged 50 to 80 years with previous cardiovascular disease were randomized to 2 g of extended-release niacin with 40 mg of laropiprant daily versus matching placebo, in addition to effective statin-based low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-lowering treatment. The net effects of niacin-laropiprant on quality-adjusted life years and hospital care costs (2012 UK £; converted into US $ using purchasing power parity index) during 4 years in HPS2-THRIVE were evaluated using estimates of the impact of serious adverse events on health-related quality of life and hospital care costs. During the study, participants assigned niacin-laropiprant experienced marginally but not statistically significantly lower survival (0.012 fewer years [standard error (SE) 0.007]), fewer quality-adjusted life years (0.023 [SE 0.007] fewer using UK EQ-5D scores; 0.020 [SE 0.006] fewer using US EQ-5D scores) and accrued greater hospital costs (UK £101 [SE £37]; US $145 [SE $53]). Stroke, heart failure, musculoskeletal events, gastrointestinal events, and infections were associated with significant decreases in health-related quality of life in both the year of the event and in subsequent years. All serious vascular and nonvascular events were associated with substantial increases in hospital care costs. In HPS2-THRIVE, the addition of extended-release niacin-laropiprant to statin-based therapy reduced quality of life-adjusted survival and increased hospital costs. URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00461630. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

  1. Social support and stressful events in two dimensions: life events and illness as an event.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tijhuis, M.A.R.; Flap, H.D.; Foets, M.; Groenewegen, P.P.

    1995-01-01

    Previous research on the buffering effects of social support focused mainly on life events as stressors, and mental illness as outcome. Furthermore, the question as to why support influences illness has not been subjected to theoretical or empirical study much. In this article we develop a

  2. Software for security event management: Development and utilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandr V. Kuznetcov

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available We address the challenge to the information security coming from the lack of algorithmic machinery for managing the security events. We start with a mathematical formulation of the problem for a tabular processor by introducing an appropriate target function. Details of corresponding algorithm can be found by following the provided links. We describe our original software module that implements the algorithm for determining the registered security events. The module is based on the tabular processor certified by the Russian Federal Service for Technical and Export Control. We present a control sample for testing the developed module. The sample has the dimension 30x20 and contains 14 choices for threshold values of security events number. The results of the tests comply with the specified boundary conditions and demonstrate a nonlinear dependence of the objective function on the number of registered security events, as well as a nonlinear dependence of the percentage of the detected security event on the total initial number of security events to be registered at the event source. The performance of the module specifically, the central processing unit usage is found acceptable (not exceeding 33%, which allows one to use the software for typical automated workplaces equipped with appropriate tabular processors. Our approach is universal with respect to the application areas.

  3. Analysis of manufacturing based on object oriented discrete event simulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eirik Borgen

    1990-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes SIMMEK, a computer-based tool for performing analysis of manufacturing systems, developed at the Production Engineering Laboratory, NTH-SINTEF. Its main use will be in analysis of job shop type of manufacturing. But certain facilities make it suitable for FMS as well as a production line manufacturing. This type of simulation is very useful in analysis of any types of changes that occur in a manufacturing system. These changes may be investments in new machines or equipment, a change in layout, a change in product mix, use of late shifts, etc. The effects these changes have on for instance the throughput, the amount of VIP, the costs or the net profit, can be analysed. And this can be done before the changes are made, and without disturbing the real system. Simulation takes into consideration, unlike other tools for analysis of manufacturing systems, uncertainty in arrival rates, process and operation times, and machine availability. It also shows the interaction effects a job which is late in one machine, has on the remaining machines in its route through the layout. It is these effects that cause every production plan not to be fulfilled completely. SIMMEK is based on discrete event simulation, and the modeling environment is object oriented. The object oriented models are transformed by an object linker into data structures executable by the simulation kernel. The processes of the entity objects, i.e. the products, are broken down to events and put into an event list. The user friendly graphical modeling environment makes it possible for end users to build models in a quick and reliable way, using terms from manufacturing. Various tests and a check of model logic are helpful functions when testing validity of the models. Integration with software packages, with business graphics and statistical functions, is convenient in the result presentation phase.

  4. Characteristics of the event mean concentration (EMC) from rainfall runoff on an urban highway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Ju Young; Kim, Hyoungjun; Kim, Youngjin; Han, Moo Young

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the characterization of the event mean concentration (EMC) of runoff during heavy precipitation events on highways. Highway runoff quality data were collected from the 7th highway, in South Korea during 2007-2009. The samples were analyzed for runoff quantity and quality parameters such as COD cr , TSS, TPHs, TKN, NO 3 , TP, PO 4 and six heavy metals, e.g., As, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn. Analysis of resulting hydrographs and pollutant graphs indicates that the peak of the pollutant concentrations in runoff occurs 20 min after the first rainfall runoff occurrence. The first flush effect depends on the preceding dry period and the rainfall intensity. The results of this study can be used as a reference for water quality management of urban highways. - Research highlights: → Field test on urban highway were performed to 50 of 100 storm events for 3 years. → The peak pollutant concentrations occurs 20 min after the first runoff. → The first flush effect depends on the preceding dry period and rainfall intensity. → Relationship between runoff and event mean concentration for SS and COD. → A crest of the EMC by 70-80 m 3 /event and decreasing EMC after 70-80 m 3 /event. - This study investigate the characterization of the EMC of runoff during rainfall event on highway.

  5. The effect of testing on skills learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kromann, Charles B; Jensen, Morten L; Ringsted, Charlotte

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: In addition to the extrinsic effects of assessment and examinations on students' study habits, testing can have an intrinsic effect on the memory of studied material. Whether this testing effect also applies to skills learning is not known. However, this is especially interesting...... a prospective, controlled, randomised, single-blind, post-test-only intervention study, preceded by a similar pre- and post-test pilot study in order to make a power calculation. A total of 140 medical students participating in a mandatory 4-hour in-hospital resuscitation course in the seventh semester were...

  6. The effects of cortisol administration on approach-avoidance behavior: An event-related potential study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peer, J.M. van; Roelofs, K.; Rotteveel, M.; Dijk, J.G. van; Spinhoven, P.; Ridderinkhof, K.R.

    2007-01-01

    We investigated the effects of cortisol administration (50 mg) on approach and avoidance tendencies in low and high trait avoidant healthy young men. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were measured during a reaction time task, in which participants evaluated the emotional expression of

  7. Witnesses' memory for events and faces under elevated levels of intoxication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altman, Christopher M; Schreiber Compo, Nadja; McQuiston, Dawn; Hagsand, Angelica V; Cervera, Jiselle

    2018-08-01

    Research on alcohol and witness memory has burgeoned over the last decade. However, most studies have tested participants at relatively low breath alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, unrepresentative of those encountered by officers in the field. To examine how higher intoxication levels might impair witness memory for events and faces, the current research tested participants' ability to recall a mock crime at elevated BAC levels (>.08%). The BAC levels of bar patrons (N = 138) were recorded before witnessing a video-taped mock crime. Participants were then interviewed using free recall and cued questions and shown a six-person target-present or target-absent lineup. Results show that alcohol negatively affected both the quantity and quality of recall. Regardless of question format, alcohol also reduced the percentage of accurate information elicited from witnesses; however, only cued questions increased the percentage of inaccurate information reported. Intoxication had no effect on identification accuracy. These findings suggest that the encoding and storage systems for faces and events may be impacted differently by alcohol. Our results also highlight the importance of including higher BAC levels when examining the effects of alcohol on witness memory.

  8. Top event prevention analysis: A deterministic use of PRA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worrell, R.B.; Blanchard, D.P.

    1996-01-01

    This paper describes the application of Top Event Prevention Analysis. The analysis finds prevention sets which are combinations of basic events that can prevent the occurrence of a fault tree top event such as core damage. The problem analyzed in this application is that of choosing a subset of Motor-Operated Valves (MOVs) for testing under the Generic Letter 89-10 program such that the desired level of safety is achieved while providing economic relief from the burden of testing all safety-related valves. A brief summary of the method is given, and the process used to produce a core damage expression from Level 1 PRA models for a PWR is described. The analysis provides an alternative to the use of importance measures for finding the important combination of events in a core damage expression. This application of Top Event Prevention Analysis to the MOV problem was achieve with currently available software

  9. Single event effect ground test results for a fiber optic data interconnect and associated electronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LaBel, K.A.; Hawkins, D.K.; Cooley, J.A.; Stassinopoulos, E.G.; Seidleck, C.M.; Marshall, P.; Dale, C.; Gates, M.M.; Kim, H.S.

    1994-01-01

    As spacecraft unlock the potential of fiber optics for spaceflight applications, system level bit error rates become of concern to the system designer. The authors present ground test data and analysis on candidate system components

  10. lmerTest Package: Tests in Linear Mixed Effects Models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuznetsova, Alexandra; Brockhoff, Per B.; Christensen, Rune Haubo Bojesen

    2017-01-01

    One of the frequent questions by users of the mixed model function lmer of the lme4 package has been: How can I get p values for the F and t tests for objects returned by lmer? The lmerTest package extends the 'lmerMod' class of the lme4 package, by overloading the anova and summary functions...... by providing p values for tests for fixed effects. We have implemented the Satterthwaite's method for approximating degrees of freedom for the t and F tests. We have also implemented the construction of Type I - III ANOVA tables. Furthermore, one may also obtain the summary as well as the anova table using...

  11. Event Index - a LHCb Event Search System

    CERN Document Server

    INSPIRE-00392208; Kazeev, Nikita; Redkin, Artem

    2015-12-23

    LHC experiments generate up to $10^{12}$ events per year. This paper describes Event Index - an event search system. Event Index's primary function is quickly selecting subsets of events from a combination of conditions, such as the estimated decay channel or stripping lines output. Event Index is essentially Apache Lucene optimized for read-only indexes distributed over independent shards on independent nodes.

  12. A trend analysis of human error events for proactive prevention of accidents. Methodology development and effective utilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirotsu, Yuko; Ebisu, Mitsuhiro; Aikawa, Takeshi; Matsubara, Katsuyuki

    2006-01-01

    This paper described methods for analyzing human error events that has been accumulated in the individual plant and for utilizing the result to prevent accidents proactively. Firstly, a categorization framework of trigger action and causal factors of human error events were reexamined, and the procedure to analyze human error events was reviewed based on the framework. Secondly, a method for identifying the common characteristics of trigger action data and of causal factor data accumulated by analyzing human error events was clarified. In addition, to utilize the results of trend analysis effectively, methods to develop teaching material for safety education, to develop the checkpoints for the error prevention and to introduce an error management process for strategic error prevention were proposed. (author)

  13. New insight into the parasitic bipolar amplification effect in single event transient production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Jian-Jun; Chen Shu-Ming; Liang Bin; Deng Ke-Feng

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, a new method is proposed to study the mechanism of charge collection in single event transient (SET) production in 90 nm bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. We find that different from the case in the pMOSFET, the parasitic bipolar amplification effect (bipolar effect) in the balanced inverter does not exist in the nMOSFET after the ion striking. The influence of the substrate process on the bipolar effect is also studied in the pMOSFET. We find that the bipolar effect can be effectively mitigated by a buried deep P + -well layer and can be removed by a buried SO 2 layer. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

  14. Maximizing Statistical Power When Verifying Probabilistic Forecasts of Hydrometeorological Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeChant, C. M.; Moradkhani, H.

    2014-12-01

    Hydrometeorological events (i.e. floods, droughts, precipitation) are increasingly being forecasted probabilistically, owing to the uncertainties in the underlying causes of the phenomenon. In these forecasts, the probability of the event, over some lead time, is estimated based on some model simulations or predictive indicators. By issuing probabilistic forecasts, agencies may communicate the uncertainty in the event occurring. Assuming that the assigned probability of the event is correct, which is referred to as a reliable forecast, the end user may perform some risk management based on the potential damages resulting from the event. Alternatively, an unreliable forecast may give false impressions of the actual risk, leading to improper decision making when protecting resources from extreme events. Due to this requisite for reliable forecasts to perform effective risk management, this study takes a renewed look at reliability assessment in event forecasts. Illustrative experiments will be presented, showing deficiencies in the commonly available approaches (Brier Score, Reliability Diagram). Overall, it is shown that the conventional reliability assessment techniques do not maximize the ability to distinguish between a reliable and unreliable forecast. In this regard, a theoretical formulation of the probabilistic event forecast verification framework will be presented. From this analysis, hypothesis testing with the Poisson-Binomial distribution is the most exact model available for the verification framework, and therefore maximizes one's ability to distinguish between a reliable and unreliable forecast. Application of this verification system was also examined within a real forecasting case study, highlighting the additional statistical power provided with the use of the Poisson-Binomial distribution.

  15. Effects of Cross-axis Wind Jet Events on the Northern Red Sea Circulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menezes, V. V.; Bower, A. S.; Farrar, J. T.

    2016-12-01

    Despite its small size, the Red Sea has a complex circulation. There are boundary currents in both sides of the basin, a meridional overturning circulation, water mass formation in the northern part and an intense eddy activity. This complex pattern is driven by strong air-sea interactions. The Red Sea has one of the largest evaporation rates of the global oceans (2m/yr), an intricate and seasonally varying wind pattern. The winds blowing over the Northern Rea Sea (NRS, north of 20N) are predominantly southeastward along the main axis all year round; in the southern, they reverse seasonally due to the monsoonal regime. Although the winds are mostly along-axis in the NRS, several works have shown that sometimes during the boreal winter, the winds blow in a cross-axis direction. The westward winds from Saudi Arabia bring relatively cold dry air and dust from the desert, enhancing heat loss and evaporation off the Red Sea. These wind-jet events may contribute to increased eddy activity and are a trigger for water mass formation. Despite that, our knowledge about the cross-axis winds and their effect on NRS circulation is still incipient. In the present work we analyze 10-years of Quikscat scatterometer winds and altimetric sea surface height anomalies, together with 2-yrs of mooring data, to characterize the westward wind jet events and their impacts on the circulation. We show that the cross-axis winds are, indeed, an important component of the wind regime, explaining 11% of wind variability of the NRS (well-described by a 2nd EOF mode). The westward events occur predominantly in the winter, preferentially in January (about 15 events in 10-years) and have a mean duration of 4-5 days, with a maximum of 12 days (north of 22N). There are around 6 events per year, but in 2002-2003 and 2007-2008, twice more events were detected. The westward wind events are found to strongly modify the wind stress curl, causing a distinct positive/negative curl pattern along the main axis

  16. Effect of endogenous reference genes on digital PCR assessment of genetically engineered canola events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tigst Demeke

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR has been used for absolute quantification of genetically engineered (GE events. Absolute quantification of GE events by duplex ddPCR requires the use of appropriate primers and probes for target and reference gene sequences in order to accurately determine the amount of GE materials. Single copy reference genes are generally preferred for absolute quantification of GE events by ddPCR. Study has not been conducted on a comparison of reference genes for absolute quantification of GE canola events by ddPCR. The suitability of four endogenous reference sequences (HMG-I/Y, FatA(A, CruA and Ccf for absolute quantification of GE canola events by ddPCR was investigated. The effect of DNA extraction methods and DNA quality on the assessment of reference gene copy numbers was also investigated. ddPCR results were affected by the use of single vs. two copy reference genes. The single copy, FatA(A, reference gene was found to be stable and suitable for absolute quantification of GE canola events by ddPCR. For the copy numbers measured, the HMG-I/Y reference gene was less consistent than FatA(A reference gene. The expected ddPCR values were underestimated when CruA and Ccf (two copy endogenous Cruciferin sequences were used because of high number of copies. It is important to make an adjustment if two copy reference genes are used for ddPCR in order to obtain accurate results. On the other hand, real-time quantitative PCR results were not affected by the use of single vs. two copy reference genes. Keywords: Canola, Digital PCR, DNA extraction, GMO, Reference genes

  17. Effect of endogenous reference genes on digital PCR assessment of genetically engineered canola events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demeke, Tigst; Eng, Monika

    2018-05-01

    Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) has been used for absolute quantification of genetically engineered (GE) events. Absolute quantification of GE events by duplex ddPCR requires the use of appropriate primers and probes for target and reference gene sequences in order to accurately determine the amount of GE materials. Single copy reference genes are generally preferred for absolute quantification of GE events by ddPCR. Study has not been conducted on a comparison of reference genes for absolute quantification of GE canola events by ddPCR. The suitability of four endogenous reference sequences ( HMG-I/Y , FatA(A), CruA and Ccf) for absolute quantification of GE canola events by ddPCR was investigated. The effect of DNA extraction methods and DNA quality on the assessment of reference gene copy numbers was also investigated. ddPCR results were affected by the use of single vs. two copy reference genes. The single copy, FatA(A), reference gene was found to be stable and suitable for absolute quantification of GE canola events by ddPCR. For the copy numbers measured, the HMG-I/Y reference gene was less consistent than FatA(A) reference gene. The expected ddPCR values were underestimated when CruA and Ccf (two copy endogenous Cruciferin sequences) were used because of high number of copies. It is important to make an adjustment if two copy reference genes are used for ddPCR in order to obtain accurate results. On the other hand, real-time quantitative PCR results were not affected by the use of single vs. two copy reference genes.

  18. INSAR observations of the DPRK event series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mellors, R. J.; Ford, S. R.; Walter, W. R.

    2017-12-01

    Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (INSAR) data have revealed signals associated with the recent DPRK events in 2016 and 2017. These signals include decorrelation and indications of subsidence. Both standard phase differences and amplitude offsets are calculated. We show results of INSAR analysis as conducted using C and L band data and investigate the causes of the decorrelation (e.g. subsidence, landslide, or spall) and compare the observed signal with numerical models of deformation and seismic observations. A time series approach is applied to constrain post-event deformation at the weeks to months' timescale. We compare the INSAR observations of the DPRK tests with previous observations of events at other source regions using ERS archive data, which revealed a variety of post-seismic signatures. The signatures are evaluated with respect to the known geology and causes, including long-term surface relaxation and possible groundwater/thermal effects. Particular focus is on the sites on Pahute and Rainier Mesa, which displayed long-term subsidence signals that extended for several years after the explosions. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

  19. SENT SMS : School Event Notification Through SMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramil G. Lumauag

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Mobile phones are now considered as an essential part of people’s daily lives which is used for communication and provides diversified information. The use of mobile phone is not only limited to communication alone, but now used for subscription to value-added services like disaster warning, alert systems, and notifications. The development of School Event Notification Through SMS (SENT SMS is beneficial to students, teachers, and parents in receiving first-hand information from the school right into their mobile phone. With the use of SMS Notification, students will be notified with the upcoming events of the school, changes in schedule of events, and suspension of classes due to bad weather. Teachers will be notified for schedule of meetings, emergency meetings, and deadlines of requirements. Parents will also be informed about the school activities and be aware of the activities of their children in school. The system was tested and evaluated using ISO 9126 standard questionnaire for software quality characteristics such as functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability. The result implies that the overall usefulness of the system is very effective, that is, it is highly functional, highly reliable, highly usable, highly efficient, highly maintainable and highly portable.

  20. Non-equilibrium effects of core-cooling and time-dependent internal heating on mantle flush events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. A. Yuen

    1995-01-01

    Full Text Available We have examined the non-equilibrium effects of core-cooling and time-dependent internal-heating on the thermal evolution of the Earth's mantle and on mantle flush events caused by the two major phase transitions. Both two- and three-dimensional models have been employed. The mantle viscosity responds to the secular cooling through changes in the averaged temperature field. A viscosity which decreases algebraically with the average temperature has been considered. The time-dependent internal-heating is prescribed to decrease exponentially with a single decay time. We have studied the thermal histories with initial Rayleigh numbers between 2 x 107 and 108 . Flush events, driven by the non-equilibrium forcings, are much more dramatic than those produced by the equilibrium boundary conditions and constant internal heating. Multiple flush events are found under non-equilibrium conditions in which there is very little internal heating or very fast decay rates of internal-heating. Otherwise, the flush events take place in a relatively continuous fashion. Prior to massive flush events small-scale percolative structures appear in the 3D temperature fields. Time-dependent signatures, such as the surface heat flux, also exhibits high frequency oscillatory patterns prior to massive flush events. These two observations suggest that the flush event may be a self-organized critical phenomenon. The Nusselt number as a function of the time-varying Ra does not follow the Nusselt vs. Rayleigh number power-law relationship based on equilibrium (constant temperature boundary conditions. Instead Nu(t may vary non-monotonically with time because of the mantle flush events. Convective processes in the mantle operate quite differently under non-equilibrium conditions from its behaviour under the usual equilibrium situations.

  1. Het effect van herhaalde versus nieuwe vragen in het testing-effect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dirkx, Kim; Kester, Liesbeth; Kirschner, Paul A.

    2012-01-01

    Dirkx, K. J. H., Kester, L., & Kirschner, P. A. (2012, 22 June). Het effect van herhaalde versus nieuwe vragen in het testing-effect. [The effects of repeated versus new questions in the testing-effect]. Poster session presented at the meeting of the Onderwijs Research Dagen [Educational Research

  2. The Effectiveness of Verbal Self-Instruction Method on Pessimistic Attribution Style about Negative Events in Children with Dyslexia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Eyni Mirkoohi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of verbal self-Instruction on pessimistic attribution style about negative events in children with dyslexia. Methods: The study was experimental with pre-test-post-test and control group. The statistical population consists of all dyslexic students of Maktab Ali School in Tehran City. Forty students were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly allocated to two groups: experimental and control. Experimental group received verbal self-Instruction, Mychnbam and Goodman method in 8 sessions (2 sessions per week, each lasting 45 minutes while the control group received only the routine school training. The measurement was Children's Attribution Style Questionnaire (CASQ.‌‌ Data analysis using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: Negative pessimistic attribution style (general, stable and internal were significantly decreased (P<0.005. in the experimental group in comparison with control group after intervention. Discussion: Verbal self instruction can be applied in children with dyslexia for improvement of attribution style by psychologists, teachers, educators, special schools, parents and all those who are dealing with these children. 

  3. Irradiation Effects Test Series: Test IE-2. Test results report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allison, C.M.; Croucher, D.W.; Ploger, S.A.; Mehner, A.S.

    1977-08-01

    The report describes the results of a test using four 0.97-m long PWR-type fuel rods with differences in diametral gap and cladding irradiation. The objective of this test was to provide information about the effects of these differences on fuel rod behavior during quasi-equilibrium and film boiling operation. The fuel rods were subjected to a series of preconditioning power cycles of less than 30 kW/m. Rod powers were then increased to 68 kW/m at a coolant mass flux of 4900 kg/s-m 2 . After one hour at 68 kW/m, a power-cooling-mismatch sequence was initiated by a flow reduction at constant power. At a flow of 2550 kg/s-m 2 , the onset of film boiling occurred on one rod, Rod IE-011. An additional flow reduction to 2245 kg/s-m 2 caused the onset of film boiling on the remaining three rods. Data are presented on the behavior of fuel rods during quasiequilibrium and during film boiling operation. The effects of initial gap size, cladding irradiation, rod power cycling, a rapid power increase, and sustained film boiling are discussed. These discussions are based on measured test data, preliminary postirradiation examination results, and comparisons of results with FRAP-T3 computer model calculations

  4. CRRES microelectronics test package (MEP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mullen, E.G.; Ray, K.P.

    1993-01-01

    The Microelectronics Test Package (MEP) flown on board the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) contained over 60 device types and approximately 400 total devices which were tested for both single event upset (SEU) and total dose (parametric degradation and annealing). A description of the experiment, the method of testing devices, and the structure of data acquisition are presented. Sample flight data are shown. These included SEUs from a GaAs 1 K RAM during the March 1991 solar flare, and a comparison between passive shielding and a specially designed spot shielding package

  5. Comparing Physics Scheme Performance for a Lake Effect Snowfall Event in Northern Lower Michigan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molthan, Andrew; Arnott, Justin M.

    2012-01-01

    High resolution forecast models, such as those used to predict severe convective storms, can also be applied to predictions of lake effect snowfall. A high resolution WRF model forecast model is provided to support operations at NWS WFO Gaylord, Michigan, using a 12 ]km and 4 ]km nested configuration. This is comparable to the simulations performed by other NWS WFOs adjacent to the Great Lakes, including offices in the NWS Eastern Region who participate in regional ensemble efforts. Ensemble efforts require diversity in initial conditions and physics configurations to emulate the plausible range of events in order to ascertain the likelihood of different forecast scenarios. In addition to providing probabilistic guidance, individual members can be evaluated to determine whether they appear to be biased in some way, or to better understand how certain physics configurations may impact the resulting forecast. On January 20 ]21, 2011, a lake effect snow event occurred in Northern Lower Michigan, with cooperative observing and CoCoRaHS stations reporting new snow accumulations between 2 and 8 inches and liquid equivalents of 0.1 ]0.25 h. The event of January 21, 2011 was particularly well observed, with numerous surface reports available. It was also well represented by the WRF configuration operated at NWS Gaylord. Given that the default configuration produced a reasonable prediction, it is used here to evaluate the impacts of other physics configurations on the resulting prediction of the primary lake effect band and resulting QPF. Emphasis here is on differences in planetary boundary layer and cloud microphysics parameterizations, given their likely role in determining the evolution of shallow convection and precipitation processes. Results from an ensemble of seven microphysics schemes and three planetary boundary layer schemes are presented to demonstrate variability in forecast evolution, with results used in an attempt to improve the forecasts in the 2011 ]2012

  6. Towards renewed health economic simulation of type 2 diabetes: risk equations for first and second cardiovascular events from Swedish register data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aliasghar Ahmad Kiadaliri

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Predicting the risk of future events is an essential part of health economic simulation models. In pursuit of this goal, the current study aims to predict the risk of developing first and second acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, non-acute ischaemic heart disease, and stroke after diagnosis in patients with type 2 diabetes, using data from the Swedish National Diabetes Register. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Register data on 29,034 patients with type 2 diabetes were analysed over five years of follow up (baseline 2003. To develop and validate the risk equations, the sample was randomly divided into training (75% and test (25% subsamples. The Weibull proportional hazard model was used to estimate the coefficients of the risk equations, and these were validated in both the training and the test samples. RESULTS: In total, 4,547 first and 2,418 second events were observed during the five years of follow up. Experiencing a first event substantially elevated the risk of subsequent events. There were heterogeneities in the effects of covariates within as well as between events; for example, while for females the hazard ratio of having a first acute myocardial infarction was 0.79 (0.70-0.90, the hazard ratio of a second was 1.21 (0.98-1.48. The hazards of second events decreased as the time since first events elapsed. The equations showed adequate calibration and discrimination (C statistics range: 0.70-0.84 in test samples. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of health economic simulation models of type 2 diabetes can be improved by ensuring that they account for the heterogeneous effects of covariates on the risk of first and second cardiovascular events. Thus it is important to extend such models by including risk equations for second cardiovascular events.

  7. The Effect of Global Political Events in the Arab Spring on Stock Returns: The Case of Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    İbrahim BOZKURT

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available International events or news have an effect on countries’ internal and external policies and since this effect is reflected on the markets, the decisions of domestic and foreign investors are revised continually. This study aims to analyze the effect of international good and bad news related to Iraq, Iran and Syria that are located in the Arab spring region and are border to Turkey, on the returns of ISE-100 index The study utilized event study methodology, international news related to Iraq, Iran and Syria between 2010-2013 and the daily closing price data of MSCI Emerging Markets Index and ISE-100 index between 2010-2013 constituted the dataset. At the end of the study, it was found that only the Iran-related news had effect on ISE-100 index.

  8. Local gamma ray events as tests of the antimatter theory of gamma ray bursts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sofia, S.; Wilson, R.E.

    1976-01-01

    Nearby examples of the antimatter 'chunks' postulated by Sofia and Van Horn to explain the cosmic gamma ray bursts may produce detectable gamma ray events when struck by solar system meteoroids. These events would have a much shorter time scale and higher energy spectrum than the bursts already observed. In order to have a reasonably high event rate, the local meteoroid population must extend to a distance from the Sun of the order of 0.1 pc, but the required distance could become much lower if the instrumental threshold is improved. The expected gamma ray flux for interaction of the antimatter bodies with the solar wind is also examined, and found to be far below present instrumental capabilities. (Auth.)

  9. The Effect of AOP on Software Engineering, with Particular Attention to OIF and Event Quantification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havelund, Klaus; Filman, Robert; Korsmeyer, David (Technical Monitor)

    2003-01-01

    We consider the impact of Aspect-Oriented Programming on Software Engineering, and, in particular, analyze two AOP systems, one of which does component wrapping and the other, quantification over events, for their software engineering effects.

  10. Proton Testing of nVidia GTX 1050 GPU

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyrwas, E. J.

    2017-01-01

    Single-Event Effects (SEE) testing was conducted on the nVidia GTX 1050 Graphics Processor Unit (GPU); herein referred to as device under test (DUT). Testing was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospitals (MGH) Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center on April 9th, 2017 using 200-MeV protons. This testing trip was purposed to provide a baseline assessment of the radiation susceptibility of the DUT as no previous testing had been conducted on this component.

  11. Proton Testing of nVidia Jetson TX1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyrwas, Edward J.

    2017-01-01

    Single-Event Effects (SEE) testing was conducted on the nVidia Jetson TX1 System on Chip (SOC); herein referred to as device under test (DUT). Testing was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospitals (MGH) Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center on October 16th, 2016 using 200MeV protons. This testing trip was purposed to provide a baseline assessment of the radiation susceptibility of the DUT as no previous testing had been conducted on this component.

  12. Probabilistic analysis of external events with focus on the Fukushima event

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kollasko, Heiko; Jockenhoevel-Barttfeld, Mariana; Klapp, Ulrich

    2014-01-01

    External hazards are those natural or man-made hazards to a site and facilities that are originated externally to both the site and its processes, i.e. the duty holder may have very little or no control over the hazard. External hazards can have the potential of causing initiating events at the plant, typically transients like e.g., loss of offsite power. Simultaneously, external events may affect safety systems required to control the initiating event and, where applicable, also back-up systems implemented for risk-reduction. The plant safety may especially be threatened when loads from external hazards exceed the load assumptions considered in the design of safety-related systems, structures and components. Another potential threat is given by hazards inducing initiating events not considered in the safety demonstration otherwise. An example is loss of offsite power combined with prolonged plant isolation. Offsite support, e.g., delivery of diesel fuel oil, usually credited in the deterministic safety analysis may not be possible in this case. As the Fukushima events have shown, the biggest threat is likely given by hazards inducing both effects. Such hazards may well be dominant risk contributors even if their return period is very high. In order to identify relevant external hazards for a certain Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) location, a site specific screening analysis is performed, both for single events and for combinations of external events. As a result of the screening analysis, risk significant and therefore relevant (screened-in) single external events and combinations of them are identified for a site. The screened-in events are further considered in a detailed event tree analysis in the frame of the Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) to calculate the core damage/large release frequency resulting from each relevant external event or from each relevant combination. Screening analyses of external events performed at AREVA are based on the approach provided

  13. Assessment on separate effect tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernard, M.; Kukita, Y.; Renault, C.

    1985-01-01

    In the general frame of Cathare assessment this operation is aimed to qualify the set of constitutive laws by reconstitution of experimental tests. The experimental tests are selected following 2 objectives: to be able to qualify separately (as far as possible) the constitutive laws, and, to cover the entire parameter range which is of interest for safety studies. This selection has led to a set of 135 separate effect tests taken from 15 experimental facilities and which can be arranged in 3 main categories: Adiabatic flow tests, without significant external heat exchange; non adiabatic flow tests, in which external heating or cooling is applied to the test section but not being driven by wall heat exchange; and, heat transfer tests, in which wall heat transfer plays the dominant role

  14. Relationship between single-event upset immunity and fabrication processes of recent memories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nemoto, N.; Shindou, H.; Kuboyama, S.; Matsuda, S.; Itoh, H.; Okada, S.; Nashiyama, I.

    1999-01-01

    Single-Event upset (SEU) immunity for commercial devices were evaluated by irradiation tests using high-energy heavy ions. We show test results and describe the relationship between observed SEU and structures/fabrication processes. We have evaluated single-even upset (SEU) tolerance of recent commercial memory devices using high energy heavy ions in order to find relationship between SEU rate and their fabrication process. It was revealed that the change of the process parameter gives much effect for the SEU rate of the devices. (authors)

  15. Event classification with the electronic detectors of the OPERA experiment using neural networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hierholzer, Martin C.

    2012-02-01

    The OPERA experiment searches for ν μ ν τ oscillations in appearance mode. It uses the emulsion cloud chamber (ECC) technique for a high spatial resolution combined with on-line components for event localisation and muon identification. The analysis of events in an ECC detector takes considerable time, especially in case of ν τ /ν e candidate events. A ranking of events by a probability for being a ν τ /ν e event can speed up the analysis of the OPERA experiment. An algorithm for such an event ranking based on a classification-type neural network is presented in this thesis. Almost all candidate events can be found within the first 30% of the analysed events if the described ranking is applied. This event ranking is currently applied for testing purposes by the OPERA collaboration, a decision on a full application for the whole analysis is pending. A similar neural network is used for discrimination between neutral and charged current events. This is used to observe neutrino oscillations in disappearance mode with the on-line components of the OPERA detector by measuring the energy dependence of the fraction of neutral current interactions. The confidence level of the observed oscillation effect is 87%. Assuming full mixing, the mass splitting has been determined to vertical stroke Δm 2 32 vertical stroke =2.8 -1.7 +1.4 .10 -3 eV 2 .

  16. HECTR [Hydrogen Event: Containment Transient Response] analyses of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) premixed combustion experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, C.C.

    1988-11-01

    The HECTR (Hydrogen Event: Containment Transient Response) computer code has been developed at Sandia National Laboratories to predict the transient pressure and temperature responses within reactor containments for hypothetical accidents involving the transport and combustion of hydrogen. Although HECTR was designed primarily to investigate these phenomena in LWRs, it may also be used to analyze hydrogen transport and combustion experiments as well. It is in this manner that HECTR is assessed and empirical correlations, such as the combustion completeness and flame speed correlations for the hydrogen combustion model, if necessary, are upgraded. In this report, we present HECTR analyses of the large-scale premixed hydrogen combustion experiments at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and comparison with the test results. The existing correlations in HECTR version 1.0, under certain conditions, have difficulty in predicting accurately the combustion completeness and burn time for the NTS experiments. By combining the combustion data obtained from the NTS experiments with other experimental data (FITS, VGES, ACUREX, and Whiteshell), a set of new and better combustion correlations was generated. HECTR prediction of the containment responses, using a single-compartment model and EPRI-provided combustion completeness and burn time, compares reasonably well against the test results. However, HECTR prediction of the containment responses using a multicompartment model does not compare well with the test results. This discrepancy shows the deficiency of the homogeneous burning model used in HECTR. To overcome this deficiency, a flame propagation model is highly recommended. 16 refs., 84 figs., 5 tabs

  17. The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    L.C. Coppens; P.P.J.L. Verkoeijen; S. Bouwmeester; R.M.J.P. Rikers

    2016-01-01

    Background The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target

  18. The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Coppens, Leonora C.; Verkoeijen, Peter P. J. L.; Bouwmeester, Samantha; Rikers, Remy M. J. P.

    2016-01-01

    Background The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target pairs

  19. The role of rumination in the occurrence of positive effects of experienced traumatic events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nina Ogińska-Bulik

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Background Cognitive processes play a significant role in both the negative and positive consequences of traumatic experiences. The aim of this research was to investigate the role of rumination in the occurrence of positive effects, in the form of posttraumatic growth, of experienced traumatic events. Participants and procedure Data were collected from 227 subjects who had experienced traumatic events, including cancer patients (31.30%, women who had experienced domestic violence (39.20%, and medical rescue workers exposed to traumatic events at work (29.50%. The age of participants ranged from 19 to 67 years (M = 40.12, SD = 13.28. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory was used to measure positive changes, and the Event Related Rumination Inventory was used to assess the two types of ruminations (intrusive and deliberate. Results Both types of ruminations (intrusive and deliberate were positively correlated with the level of posttraumatic growth in the group of cancer patients, and deliberate ruminations were associated with posttraumatic growth in the group of women who had experienced domestic violence and in the medical rescue workers. The results of regression analysis confirmed a significant role of deliberate rumination. Conclusions The study of ruminations allows us to better explain the mechanisms underlying the consequences of traumatic experiences.

  20. Late Eocene impact events recorded in deep-sea sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glass, B. P.

    1988-01-01

    Raup and Sepkoski proposed that mass extinctions have occurred every 26 Myr during the last 250 Myr. In order to explain this 26 Myr periodicity, it was proposed that the mass extinctions were caused by periodic increases in cometary impacts. One method to test this hypothesis is to determine if there were periodic increases in impact events (based on crater ages) that correlate with mass extinctions. A way to test the hypothesis that mass extinctions were caused by periodic increases in impact cratering is to look for evidence of impact events in deep-sea deposits. This method allows direct observation of the temporal relationship between impact events and extinctions as recorded in the sedimentary record. There is evidence in the deep-sea record for two (possibly three) impact events in the late Eocene. The younger event, represented by the North American microtektite layer, is not associated with an Ir anomaly. The older event, defined by the cpx spherule layer, is associated with an Ir anomaly. However, neither of the two impact events recorded in late Eocene deposits appears to be associated with an unusual number of extinctions. Thus there is little evidence in the deep-sea record for an impact-related mass extinction in the late Eocene.

  1. Negative Life Events and Antenatal Depression among Pregnant Women in Rural China: The Role of Negative Automatic Thoughts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yang; Wang, Xiaohua; Liu, Fangnan; Jiang, Xiaoning; Xiao, Yun; Dong, Xuehan; Kong, Xianglei; Yang, Xuemei; Tian, Donghua; Qu, Zhiyong

    2016-01-01

    Few studies have looked at the relationship between psychological and the mental health status of pregnant women in rural China. The current study aims to explore the potential mediating effect of negative automatic thoughts between negative life events and antenatal depression. Data were collected in June 2012 and October 2012. 495 rural pregnant women were interviewed. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, stresses of pregnancy were measured by the pregnancy pressure scale, negative automatic thoughts were measured by the automatic thoughts questionnaire, and negative life events were measured by the life events scale for pregnant women. We used logistic regression and path analysis to test the mediating effect. The prevalence of antenatal depression was 13.7%. In the logistic regression, the only socio-demographic and health behavior factor significantly related to antenatal depression was sleep quality. Negative life events were not associated with depression in the fully adjusted model. Path analysis showed that the eventual direct and general effects of negative automatic thoughts were 0.39 and 0.51, which were larger than the effects of negative life events. This study suggested that there was a potentially significant mediating effect of negative automatic thoughts. Pregnant women who had lower scores of negative automatic thoughts were more likely to suffer less from negative life events which might lead to antenatal depression.

  2. Adolescent Depression and Negative Life Events, the Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stikkelbroek, Yvonne; Bodden, Denise H. M.; Kleinjan, Marloes; Reijnders, Mirjam; van Baar, Anneloes L.

    2016-01-01

    Background Depression during adolescence is a serious mental health problem. Difficulties in regulating evoked emotions after stressful life events are considered to lead to depression. This study examined if depressive symptoms were mediated by various cognitive emotion regulation strategies after stressful life events, more specifically, the loss of a loved one, health threats or relational challenges. Methods We used a sample of 398 adolescents (Mage = 16.94, SD = 2.90), including 52 depressed outpatients, who all reported stressful life event(s). Path analyses in Mplus were used to test mediation, for the whole sample as well as separately for participants scoring high versus low on depression, using multigroup analyses. Results Health threats and relational challenging stressful life events were associated with depressive symptoms, while loss was not. More frequent use of maladaptive strategies was related to more depressive symptoms. More frequent use of adaptive strategies was related to less depressive symptoms. Specific life events were associated with specific emotion regulation strategies. The relationship between challenging, stressful life events and depressive symptoms in the whole group was mediated by maladaptive strategies (self-blame, catastrophizing and rumination). No mediation effect was found for adaptive strategies. Conclusion The association between relational challenging, stressful life events and depressive symptoms was mediated by maladaptive, cognitive emotion regulation strategies. PMID:27571274

  3. Temporal analyses of Salmonellae in a headwater spring ecosystem reveals the effects of precipitation and runoff events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaertner, James P; Garres, Tiffany; Becker, Jesse C; Jimenez, Maria L; Forstner, Michael R J; Hahn, Dittmar

    2009-03-01

    Sediments and water from the spring and slough arm of Spring Lake, the pristine headwaters of the San Marcos River, Texas, were analyzed for Salmonellae by culture and molecular techniques before and after three major precipitation events, each with intermediate dry periods. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-assisted analyses of enrichment cultures detected Salmonellae in samples after all three precipitation events, but failed to detect them immediately prior to the rainfall events. Detection among individual locations differed with respect to the precipitation event analyzed, and strains isolated were highly variable with respect to serovars. These results demonstrate that rainwater associated effects, most likely surface runoff, provide an avenue for short-term pollution of aquatic systems with Salmonellae that do not, however, appear to establish for the long-term in water nor sediments.

  4. The ground level event 70 on december 13, 2006 and related effective doses at aviation altitudes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matthia, D.; Heber, B.; Reitz, G.; Sihver, L.; Berger, T.; Meier, M.

    2009-01-01

    The 70. ground level event in the records of the Neutron Monitor network occurred on 13 December 2006 reaching a maximum count rate increase at the Oulu station of more than 90% during the 5 min interval 3.05-3.10 UTC. Thereafter, count rates gradually decreased registering increases of a few per cent above the galactic cosmic ray background after a few hours. The primary proton spectrum during the first 6 h after the onset of the event is characterised in this work by fitting the energy and angular distribution by a power law in rigidity and a linear dependence in the pitch angle using a minimisation technique. The results were obtained by analysing the data from 28 Neutron Monitor stations. At very high northern and southern latitudes, the effective dose rates were estimated to reach values of 25-30 μSv h -1 at atmospheric depth of 200 g cm -2 during the maximum of the event. The increase in effective dose during north atlantic and polar flights was estimated to be in the order of 20%. (authors)

  5. Single event effects induced by 15.14 MeV/u sup 1 sup 3 sup 6 Xe ions

    CERN Document Server

    Hou Ming Dong; LiuJie; Wang Zhi Guang; Jin Yun Fan; Zhu Zhi Yong; Zhen Hong Lou; Liu Chang Long; Chen Xiao Xi; Wei Xin Guo; Zhang Li; Fan You Cheng; Zhu Zhou Rong; Zhang Yiting

    2002-01-01

    Single event effects induced by 15.14 MeV/u sup 1 sup 3 sup 6 Xe ions in different batches of 32k x 8 bits static random access memory are studied. The incident angle dependences of the cross sections for single event upset and single event latch up are presented. The SEE cross sections are plotted versus energy loss instead of linear energy transfer value in sensitive region. The depth of sensitive volume and thickness of 'dead' layer above the sensitive volume are estimated

  6. A review for identification of initiating events in event tree development process on nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riyadi, Eko H.

    2014-01-01

    Initiating event is defined as any event either internal or external to the nuclear power plants (NPPs) that perturbs the steady state operation of the plant, if operating, thereby initiating an abnormal event such as transient or loss of coolant accident (LOCA) within the NPPs. These initiating events trigger sequences of events that challenge plant control and safety systems whose failure could potentially lead to core damage or large early release. Selection for initiating events consists of two steps i.e. first step, definition of possible events, such as by evaluating a comprehensive engineering, and by constructing a top level logic model. Then the second step, grouping of identified initiating event's by the safety function to be performed or combinations of systems responses. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss initiating events identification in event tree development process and to reviews other probabilistic safety assessments (PSA). The identification of initiating events also involves the past operating experience, review of other PSA, failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), feedback from system modeling, and master logic diagram (special type of fault tree). By using the method of study for the condition of the traditional US PSA categorization in detail, could be obtained the important initiating events that are categorized into LOCA, transients and external events

  7. Comparison of effectiveness of advertising expenses during broadcasts of main hockey events

    OpenAIRE

    Kozlová, Natálie

    2017-01-01

    Title: Comparison of effectiveness of advertising expenses during broadcasts of main hockey events Objectives: The main goal of this dissertation is to compare the amount of money invested into the commercial advertisement during sport broadcasts at the ČT sport channel with viewer ratings. The used metric is a coefficient computed as a ratio between the viewer rating of the particular broadcast and the corresponding advertisement cost, normalized using Cost per Thousand method. Another goal ...

  8. Verification steps for the CMS event-builder software

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2015-01-01

    The CMS event-builder software is used to assemble event fragments into complete events at 100 kHz. The data originates at the detector front-end electronics, passes through several computers and is transported from the underground to the high-level trigger farm on the surface. I will present the testing and verifications steps a new software version has to pass before it is deployed in production. I will discuss the current practice and possible improvements.

  9. Effects of Extreme Events on Arsenic Cycling in Salt Marshes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Northrup, Kristy; Capooci, Margaret; Seyfferth, Angelia L.

    2018-03-01

    Extreme events such as storm surges, intense precipitation, and supermoons cause anomalous and large fluctuations in water level in tidal salt marshes, which impacts the sediment biogeochemistry that dictates arsenic (As) cycling. In addition to changes in water level, which impacts soil redox potential, these extreme events may also change salinity due to freshwater inputs from precipitation or saltwater inputs due to surge. It is currently unknown how As mobility in tidal salt marshes will be impacted by extreme events, as fluctuations in salinity and redox potential may act synergistically to mobilize As. To investigate impacts of extreme events on As cycling in tidal salt marshes, we conducted a combined laboratory and field investigation. We monitored pore water and soil samples before, during, and after two extreme events: a supermoon lunar eclipse followed by a storm surge and precipitation induced by Hurricane Joaquin in fall 2015 at the St. Jones Reserve in Dover, Delaware, a representative tidal salt marsh in the Mid-Atlantic United States. We also conducted soil incubations of marsh sediments in batch and in flow-through experiments in which redox potential and/or salinity were manipulated. Field investigations showed that pore water As was inversely proportional to redox potential. During the extreme events, a distinct pulse of As was observed in the pore water with maximum salinity. Combined field and laboratory investigations revealed that this As pulse is likely due to rapid changes in salinity. These results have implications for As mobility in the face of extreme weather variability.

  10. Consequence Assessment for Potential Scenarios of Radiological Terrorists Events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Hyeongki; Kim, Juyoul

    2007-01-01

    Radiological dispersal device (RDD) means any method used to deliberately disperse radioactive material to create terror or harm. Dirty bomb is an example of RDD, which usually consists of radioactive material and unconventional explosive. Dirty bomb was a problem long before September 11, 2001. In 1987, the Iraqi government tested a one-ton radiological bomb. The Iraqi tests confirmed that a dirty bomb is not effective as weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and that its main value is as a psychological weapon. In 1995, Chechen rebels buried a dirty bomb in a park in Moscow threatening to detonate one in the future if their demands were not met. Another good example of potential dirty bomb effects was an incident in Goiania, Brazil on September 18, 1987, where an orphaned medical source containing 1,375 Ci of Cs-137 resulted the death of four people and extensive environmental contamination. The purposes of radiological terrorists events are not to destroy or damage the target but to disperse radioactivity in the environment. They inflict panic on a public and economic damage by disruption of business. They also have influence on enormous clean-up costs by spreading radioactive contamination including secondary impacts on water supply reservoirs. Generally, two major long-term concerns following a RDD are human health and economic impacts. In this study, we developed potential scenarios of radiological terrorists events and performed their radiological consequence assessments in terms of total effective dose equivalent (TEDE), projected cumulative external and internal dose, and ground deposition of radioactivity

  11. Consequence Assessment for Potential Scenarios of Radiological Terrorists Events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Hyeongki [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Juyoul [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-07-01

    Radiological dispersal device (RDD) means any method used to deliberately disperse radioactive material to create terror or harm. Dirty bomb is an example of RDD, which usually consists of radioactive material and unconventional explosive. Dirty bomb was a problem long before September 11, 2001. In 1987, the Iraqi government tested a one-ton radiological bomb. The Iraqi tests confirmed that a dirty bomb is not effective as weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and that its main value is as a psychological weapon. In 1995, Chechen rebels buried a dirty bomb in a park in Moscow threatening to detonate one in the future if their demands were not met. Another good example of potential dirty bomb effects was an incident in Goiania, Brazil on September 18, 1987, where an orphaned medical source containing 1,375 Ci of Cs-137 resulted the death of four people and extensive environmental contamination. The purposes of radiological terrorists events are not to destroy or damage the target but to disperse radioactivity in the environment. They inflict panic on a public and economic damage by disruption of business. They also have influence on enormous clean-up costs by spreading radioactive contamination including secondary impacts on water supply reservoirs. Generally, two major long-term concerns following a RDD are human health and economic impacts. In this study, we developed potential scenarios of radiological terrorists events and performed their radiological consequence assessments in terms of total effective dose equivalent (TEDE), projected cumulative external and internal dose, and ground deposition of radioactivity.

  12. Monetary Incentive Effects on Event-Based Prospective Memory Three Months after Traumatic Brain Injury in Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedroza, Claudia; Chapman, Sandra B.; Cook, Lori G.; Vásquez, Ana C.; Levin, Harvey S.

    2011-01-01

    Information regarding the remediation of event-based prospective memory (EB-PM) impairments following pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is scarce. Addressing this, two levels of monetary incentives were used to improve EB-PM in children ages 7 to 16 years with orthopedic injuries (OI, n = 51), or moderate (n = 25), and severe (n = 39) TBI at approximately three months postinjury. The EB-PM task consisted of the child giving a specific verbal response to a verbal cue from the examiner while performing a battery of neuropsychological measures (ongoing task). Significant effects were found for Age-at-Test, Motivation Condition, Period, and Group. Within-group analyses indicated OI and moderate TBI groups performed significantly better under the high-versus low-incentive condition, but the severe TBI group demonstrated no significant improvement. These results indicate EB-PM can be significantly improved at three months postinjury in children with moderate, but not severe, TBI. PMID:21347945

  13. Small-scale deflagration cylinder test with velocimetry wall-motion diagnostics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hooks, Daniel E [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hill, Larry G [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pierce, Timothy H [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2010-01-01

    Predicting the likelihood and effects of outcomes resultant from thermal initiation of explosives remains a significant challenge. For certain explosive formulations, the general outcome can be broadly predicted given knowledge of certain conditions. However, there remain unexplained violent events, and increased statistical understanding of outcomes as a function of many variables, or 'violence categorization,' is needed. Additionally, the development of an equation of state equivalent for deflagration would be very useful in predicting possible detailed event consequences using traditional hydrodynamic detonation moders. For violence categorization, it is desirable that testing be efficient, such that it is possible to statistically define outcomes reliant on the processes of initiation of deflagration, steady state deflagration, and deflagration to detonation transitions. If the test simultaneously acquires information to inform models of violent deflagration events, overall predictive capabilities for event likelihood and consequence might improve remarkably. In this paper we describe an economical scaled deflagration cylinder test. The cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX) based explosive formu1lation PBX 9501 was tested using different temperature profiles in a thick-walled copper cylindrical confiner. This test is a scaled version of a recently demonstrated deflagration cylinder test, and is similar to several other thermal explosion tests. The primary difference is the passive velocimetry diagnostic, which enables measurement of confinement vessel wall velocities at failure, regardless of the timing and location of ignition.

  14. Schema Driven Construction of Future Autobiographical Traumatic Events: The Future is Much More Troubling than the Past

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubin, David C.

    2013-01-01

    Research on future episodic thought has produced compelling theories and results in cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical psychology. To integrate these using basic concepts and methods from autobiographical memory research, 76 undergraduates remembered past and imagined future positive and negative events that had or would have a major impact on them. Correlations of the online ratings of visual and auditory imagery, emotion, and other measures demonstrated that individuals used the same processes to the same extent to remember past and construct future events. These measures predicted the theoretically important metacognitive judgment of past reliving and future ‘preliving’ in similar ways. Future negative events had much higher scores than past negative events on standardized tests of reactions to traumatic events, scores in the range that would qualify for a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was replicated (n = 52) to check for order effects. Consistent with earlier work, future events had less sensory vividness. Thus, the imagined symptoms of future events were unlikely to be caused by sensory vividness. To confirm this, 63 undergraduates produced numerous added details between two constructions of the same negative future events, removing deficits in rated vividness with no increase in the standardized tests of reactions to traumatic events. Neuroticism predicted individuals’ reactions to negative past events but did not predict imagined reactions to future events. This set of novel methods and findings are interpreted in the contexts of the literatures of episodic future thought, autobiographical memory, PTSD, and classic schema theory. PMID:23607632

  15. Event Structure and Cognitive Control

    OpenAIRE

    Reimer, Jason F.; Radvansky, Gabriel A.; Lorsbach, Thomas C.; Armendarez, Joseph J.

    2015-01-01

    Recently, a great deal of research has demonstrated that although everyday experience is continuous in nature, it is parsed into separate events. The aim of the present study was to examine whether event structure can influence the effectiveness of cognitive control. Across five experiments we varied the structure of events within the AX-CPT by shifting the spatial location of cues and probes on a computer screen. When location shifts were present, a pattern of AX-CPT performance consistent w...

  16. Cognition- and Dementia-Related Adverse Effects With Sacubitril-Valsartan: Analysis of the FDA Adverse Event Report System Database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perlman, Amichai; Hirsh Raccah, Bruria; Matok, Ilan; Muszkat, Mordechai

    2018-05-07

    Because neprilysin is involved in the degradation of amyloid-beta, there is concern that the angiotensin-neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril-valsartan could increase the risk for dementia. We analyzed adverse event cases submitted to the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Report System from July 2015 to March 2017. Cognition- and dementia-related adverse event cases were defined with the use of broad and narrow structured medical queries. During the period evaluated, 9,004 adverse event reports (out of a total of 2,249,479) involved the use of sacubitril-valsartan. Based on the broad definition, sacubitril-valsartan was associated with cognition- and dementia-related adverse events in 459 reports (5.1%), but this was lower than the proportion of these reports among other medications (6.6%, reporting odds ratio [ROR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.79). Restricting the comparison to cases with age >60 years and with the use of a comparator group with heart failure resulted in no association between sacubitril-valsartan and dementia-related adverse events, with the use of both the broad and the narrow definitions (ROR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-1.02, and ROR 1.06, 95% CI 0.4-3.16, respectively). Sacubitril-valsartan is not associated with a disproportionately high rate of short-term dementia-related adverse effect reports. Long-term studies assessing cognitive outcomes are required to better establish the medication's cognition effects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Gene-Environment Interaction Effects of Peer Deviance, Parental Knowledge and Stressful Life Events on Adolescent Alcohol Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooke, Megan E; Meyers, Jacquelyn L; Latvala, Antti; Korhonen, Tellervo; Rose, Richard J; Kaprio, Jaakko; Salvatore, Jessica E; Dick, Danielle M

    2015-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to address two methodological issues that have called into question whether previously reported gene-environment interaction (GxE) effects for adolescent alcohol use are 'real'. These issues are (1) the potential correlation between the environmental moderator and the outcome across twins and (2) non-linear transformations of the behavioral outcome. Three environments that have been previously studied (peer deviance, parental knowledge, and potentially stressful life events) were examined here. For each moderator (peer deviance, parental knowledge, and potentially stressful life events), a series of models was fit to both a raw and transformed measure of monthly adolescent alcohol use in a sample that included 825 dizygotic (DZ) and 803 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs. The results showed that the moderating effect of peer deviance was robust to transformation, and that although the significance of moderating effects of parental knowledge and potentially stressful life events were dependent on the scale of the adolescent alcohol use outcome, the overall results were consistent across transformation. In addition, the findings did not vary across statistical models. The consistency of the peer deviance results and the shift of the parental knowledge and potentially stressful life events results between trending and significant, shed some light on why previous findings for certain moderators have been inconsistent and emphasize the importance of considering both methodological issues and previous findings when conducting and interpreting GxE analyses.

  18. 10 CFR 455.63 - Cost-effectiveness testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cost-effectiveness testing. 455.63 Section 455.63 Energy..., Hospitals, Units of Local Government, and Public Care Institutions § 455.63 Cost-effectiveness testing. (a... paragraph (a) of this section, if the State plan requires the cost effectiveness of an energy conservation...

  19. Political aspects of nuclear test effects at Semipalatinsk nuclear test site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sydykov, E.B.; Panin, M.S.

    2003-01-01

    The paper describes tense struggle of Kazakhstan people for closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site. It reveals major foreign policy aspects and nuclear test effects for both Kazakhstan and the world community. (author)

  20. Second-order analysis of semiparametric recurrent event processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Yongtao

    2011-09-01

    A typical recurrent event dataset consists of an often large number of recurrent event processes, each of which contains multiple event times observed from an individual during a follow-up period. Such data have become increasingly available in medical and epidemiological studies. In this article, we introduce novel procedures to conduct second-order analysis for a flexible class of semiparametric recurrent event processes. Such an analysis can provide useful information regarding the dependence structure within each recurrent event process. Specifically, we will use the proposed procedures to test whether the individual recurrent event processes are all Poisson processes and to suggest sensible alternative models for them if they are not. We apply these procedures to a well-known recurrent event dataset on chronic granulomatous disease and an epidemiological dataset on meningococcal disease cases in Merseyside, United Kingdom to illustrate their practical value. © 2011, The International Biometric Society.

  1. Effect of a data buffer on the recorded distribution of time intervals for random events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barton, J C [Polytechnic of North London (UK)

    1976-03-15

    The use of a data buffer enables the distribution of the time intervals between events to be studied for times less than the recording system dead-time but the usual negative exponential distribution for random events has to be modified. The theory for this effect is developed for an n-stage buffer followed by an asynchronous recorder. Results are evaluated for the values of n from 1 to 5. In the language of queueing theory the system studied is of type M/D/1/n+1, i.e. with constant service time and a finite number of places.

  2. Correcting Detector Efficiency Effects in Event-by-Event Net-Proton Fluctuations

    CERN Document Server

    Peters, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Measurements of fluctuations of conserved quantities give valuable information on the susceptibilities of the nuclear matter produced in a heavy-ion collision, and could in principle be used to distinguish QGP from hadronic matter. However, measurements of the cumulants of conserved-quantity distributions are affected by the detector efficiency, which must be accounted for in order to ensure accuracy. Following the development of a toy model that simulates detector efficiency effects on net-proton number, various correction methods, including those developed by A. Bzdak and V. Koch, were implemented and tested in a wide range of conditions. We find that the first four cumulants of net-proton-number distribution can be accurately reproduced by the Koch-Bzdak corrections with reasonable input statistics. Various methods of correcting for $p_T$ dependence of detector efficiency are also explored.

  3. The sky is falling III: The effect of deposition from static solid rocket motor tests on juvenile crops.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doucette, William J; Curry, Eric; McNeill, Laurie S; Heavilin, Justin

    2017-12-01

    A mixture of combustion products (mainly hydrogen chloride, aluminum oxide, and water) and entrained soil, referred to as Test Fire Soil (TFS), can be deposited on crops during static solid rocket motor tests. The impact of a reported worst-case event was previously evaluated by exposing corn and alfalfa to 3200-gTFS/m 2 at 54days after emergence. Exposures via soil and leaves were evaluated separately. Reduced growth (soil exposure) and leaf "scorch" (leaf exposure) were attributed mainly to the high chloride concentrations in the TFS (56,000mg/kg). A follow-up study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a typical deposition event (70-gTFS/m 2 , estimated by radar during several tests) and exposure (soil and leaves simultaneously) on juvenile corn, alfalfa, and winter wheat. Younger crops were used to examine potential age sensitivity differences. Impact was evaluated by comparing the growth, elemental composition, and leaf chlorophyll content of treated and untreated plants. The relationship between deposition exposure and response was also addressed. Growth of corn, alfalfa, and winter wheat exposed to a typical TFS loading was not impacted, although slightly elevated concentrations of aluminum and iron were found in the leaves. At the highest loadings used for the exposure-response experiment, concentrations of chloride and calcium were higher in TFS-exposed corn leaves than in the untreated leaves. Overall results indicate that exposure to a typical deposition event does not adversely impact juvenile crops and that younger plants may be less vulnerable to TFS. However, higher TFS loadings can cause leaf scorch and increase the leaf concentrations of some elements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Effects of monitoring for visual events on distinct components of attention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian H. Poth

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Monitoring the environment for visual events while performing a concurrent task requires adjustment of visual processing priorities. By use of Bundesen's (1990 Theory of Visual Attention (TVA, we investigated how monitoring for an object-based brief event affected distinct components of visual attention in a concurrent task. The perceptual salience of the event was varied. Monitoring reduced the processing speed in the concurrent task, and the reduction was stronger when the event was less salient. The monitoring task neither affected the temporal threshold of conscious perception nor the storage capacity of visual short-term memory nor the efficiency of top-down controlled attentional selection.

  5. Encoding negative events under stress: high subjective arousal is related to accurate emotional memory despite misinformation exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoscheidt, Siobhan M; LaBar, Kevin S; Ryan, Lee; Jacobs, W Jake; Nadel, Lynn

    2014-07-01

    Stress at encoding affects memory processes, typically enhancing, or preserving, memory for emotional information. These effects have interesting implications for eyewitness accounts, which in real-world contexts typically involve encoding an aversive event under stressful conditions followed by potential exposure to misinformation. The present study investigated memory for a negative event encoded under stress and subsequent misinformation endorsement. Healthy young adults participated in a between-groups design with three experimental sessions conducted 48 h apart. Session one consisted of a psychosocial stress induction (or control task) followed by incidental encoding of a negative slideshow. During session two, participants were asked questions about the slideshow, during which a random subgroup was exposed to misinformation. Memory for the slideshow was tested during the third session. Assessment of memory accuracy across stress and no-stress groups revealed that stress induced just prior to encoding led to significantly better memory for the slideshow overall. The classic misinformation effect was also observed - participants exposed to misinformation were significantly more likely to endorse false information during memory testing. In the stress group, however, memory accuracy and misinformation effects were moderated by arousal experienced during encoding of the negative event. Misinformed-stress group participants who reported that the negative slideshow elicited high arousal during encoding were less likely to endorse misinformation for the most aversive phase of the story. Furthermore, these individuals showed better memory for components of the aversive slideshow phase that had been directly misinformed. Results from the current study provide evidence that stress and high subjective arousal elicited by a negative event act concomitantly during encoding to enhance emotional memory such that the most aversive aspects of the event are well remembered and

  6. Temporal Dynamics of Late Second Language Acquisition: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinhauer, Karsten; White, Erin J.; Drury, John E.

    2009-01-01

    The ways in which age of acquisition (AoA) may affect (morpho)syntax in second language acquisition (SLA) are discussed. We suggest that event-related brain potentials (ERPs) provide an appropriate online measure to test some such effects. ERP findings of the past decade are reviewed with a focus on recent and ongoing research. It is concluded…

  7. The effectiveness testing of oil spill-treating agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fingas, M.F.; Kyle, D.A.; Laroche, N.; Fieldhouse, B.; Sergy, G.; Stoodley, G.

    1995-01-01

    Laboratory effectiveness tests have been developed for four classes of oil spill treating agents: solidifiers, demulsifying agents, surface-washing agents and dispersants. Several treating agent products in these four categories have been tested for effectiveness. The aquatic toxicity of these agents is an important factor and has been measured for many products. These results are presented. Solidifiers or gelling agents solidify oil. Test results show that solidifiers require between 16% and 200% of agent by weight compared to the oil. De-emulsifying agents or emulsion breakers prevent the formation of or break water-in-oil emulsions. Surfactant-containing materials are of two types, surface-washing agents and dispersants. Testing has shown that effectiveness is orthogonal for these two types of treating agents. Tests of surface washing agents show that only a few agents have effectiveness of 25 to 55%, where this is defined as the percentage of oil removed from a test surface. Dispersant effectiveness results using the swirling flask test are reported. Heavy oils show effectiveness values of about 1%, medium crudes of about 10%, light crude oils of about 30% and very light oils of about 90%

  8. The effect of social networks and social support on common mental disorders following specific life events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maulik, P K; Eaton, W W; Bradshaw, C P

    2010-08-01

    This study examined the association between life events and common mental disorders while accounting for social networks and social supports. Participants included 1920 adults in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Cohort who were interviewed in 1993-1996, of whom 1071 were re-interviewed in 2004-2005. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data. Social support from friends, spouse or relatives was associated with significantly reduced odds of panic disorder and psychological distress, after experiencing specific life events. Social networks or social support had no significant stress-buffering effect. Social networks and social support had almost no direct or buffering effect on major depressive disorder, and no effect on generalized anxiety disorder and alcohol abuse or dependence disorder. The significant association between social support and psychological distress, rather than diagnosable mental disorders, highlights the importance of social support, especially when the severity of a mental health related problem is low.

  9. A review for identification of initiating events in event tree development process on nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riyadi, Eko H., E-mail: e.riyadi@bapeten.go.id [Center for Regulatory Assessment of Nuclear Installation and Materials, Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN), Jl. Gajah Mada 8 Jakarta 10120 (Indonesia)

    2014-09-30

    Initiating event is defined as any event either internal or external to the nuclear power plants (NPPs) that perturbs the steady state operation of the plant, if operating, thereby initiating an abnormal event such as transient or loss of coolant accident (LOCA) within the NPPs. These initiating events trigger sequences of events that challenge plant control and safety systems whose failure could potentially lead to core damage or large early release. Selection for initiating events consists of two steps i.e. first step, definition of possible events, such as by evaluating a comprehensive engineering, and by constructing a top level logic model. Then the second step, grouping of identified initiating event's by the safety function to be performed or combinations of systems responses. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss initiating events identification in event tree development process and to reviews other probabilistic safety assessments (PSA). The identification of initiating events also involves the past operating experience, review of other PSA, failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), feedback from system modeling, and master logic diagram (special type of fault tree). By using the method of study for the condition of the traditional US PSA categorization in detail, could be obtained the important initiating events that are categorized into LOCA, transients and external events.

  10. Minimum bias and underlying event studies at CDF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moggi, Niccolo

    2010-01-01

    Soft, non-perturbative, interactions are poorly understood from the theoretical point of view even though they form a large part of the hadronic cross section at the energies now available. We review the CDF studies on minimum-bias ad underlying event in p(bar p) collisions at 2 TeV. After proposing an operative definition of 'underlying event', we present part of a systematic set of measurements carried out by the CDF Collaboration with the goal to provide data to test and improve the QCD models of hadron collisions. Different analysis strategies of the underlying event and possible event topologies are discussed. Part of the CDF minimum-bias results are also presented: in this sample, that represent the full inelastic cross-section, we can test simultaneously our knowledge of all the components that concur to form hadronic interactions. Comparisons with MonteCarlo simulations are always shown along with the data. These measurements will also contribute to more precise estimates of the soft QCD background of high-p T observables.

  11. Indirect Effects of Attributional Style for Positive Events on Depressive Symptoms Through Self-Esteem During Early Adolescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rueger, Sandra Yu; George, Rachel

    2017-04-01

    Research on adolescent depression has overwhelmingly focused on risk factors, such as stressful negative events and cognitive vulnerabilities, but much important information can be gained by focusing on protective factors. Thus, the current study aimed to broaden understanding on adolescent depression by considering the role of two positive elements as protective factors, attributional style for positive events and self-esteem, in a model of depression. The sample included 491 middle school students (52 % female; n = 249) with an age range from 12 to 15 years (M = 13.2, SD = .70). The sample was ethnically/racially diverse, with 55 % White, 22 % Hispanic, 10 % Asian American, 3 % African American, and 10 % Biracial/Other. Correlational analyses indicated significant cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between an enhancing attributional style (internal, stable, global attributions for positive events), self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Further, prospective analyses using bootstrapping methodology demonstrated significant indirect effects of an enhancing attributional style on decreases in depressive symptoms through its effects on self-esteem. These findings highlight the importance of considering attributional style for positive events as a protective factor in the developmental course of depressive symptoms during early adolescence.

  12. Study of Life Events and Personality Dimensions in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arul, A Sri Sennath J

    2016-04-01

    Life events, recognized as stressors, due to their unanticipated nature, can cause psychiatric illness. Also there is some line of continuity between neurotic illness and antecedent personality traits. To study generalized anxiety disorder in relation to Life events and personality dimensions. Certain hypotheses were tested in two groups, namely 30 Generalized Anxiety Disorder patients (GAD) and 30 matched controls, by utilizing assessment tools. These include: GAD patients experience more undesirable Life events than normal; GAD patients with high level of anxiety experience more undesirable Life events; Neuroticism is related to the severity of anxiety; Extroverts experience more anxiety; Level of anxiety in females is higher; GAD patients with higher education level experience more anxiety, while those with lower education level somatize more. The group differences were examined using Chi-Square test, Student t-test and ANOVA. Pearson's Correlation Co-efficient was used to find the correlation between anxiety and the undesirable Life events. The level of statistical significance was set at panxiety experienced more undesirable Life events, with the coefficient of correlation being quite high. A significant association between Neuroticism scale and GAD was observed. The study suggests a possible causative link between the undesirable Life events and GAD; and a significant association between Neuroticism dimension and the anxiety disorder. Role of environmental stressors and personality traits in treatment outcome among GAD patients awaits further, prospective studies.

  13. Revised licensee event report system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mays, G.T.; Poore, W.P.

    1985-01-01

    Licensee Event Reports (LERs) provide the basis for evaluating and assessing operating experience information from nuclear power plants. The reporting requirements for submitting LERs to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have been revised. Effective Jan. 1, 1984, all events were to be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 50.73 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Report NUREG-1022, Licensee Event Report System-Description of System and Guidelines for Reporting, describes the guidelines on reportability of events. This article summarizes the reporting requirements as presented in NUREG-1022, high-lights differences in data reported between the revised and previous LER systems, and presents results from a preliminary assessment of LERs submitted under the revised LER reporting system

  14. Between- and within-person associations between negative life events and alcohol outcomes in adolescents with ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Kevin M; Pedersen, Sarah L; Louie, Kristine T; Pelham, William E; Molina, Brooke S G

    2017-09-01

    Escalations in alcohol use during adolescence may be linked with exposure to negative life events, but most of this research has focused on between-person associations. Moreover, adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be an especially vulnerable population, reporting more life events and alcohol involvement and may even be more sensitive to the effects of life events on alcohol outcomes compared with those without ADHD. We tested the between- and within-person effects of the number and perceptions of negative life events on the development of alcohol use outcomes from age 14 to 17 years in 259 adolescents with and without ADHD using generalized estimating equations. Between-person differences in exposure to negative life events across adolescence, but not the perception of those events, were associated with a higher likelihood of alcohol use and drunkenness at age 17 years. Within-person differences in life events were associated with alcohol use above and beyond that predicted by an adolescents' typical trajectory over time. Parent- and teacher-reported ADHD symptoms were associated with more negative perceptions of life events and with greater alcohol use and drunkenness at age 17 years, but symptoms did not moderate the life event-alcohol association. Interventions should consider the variables that produce vulnerability to life events as well as the immediate impact of life events. That the accumulation of life events, rather than their perceived negativity, was associated with alcohol outcomes indicates that interventions targeting the reduction of negative events, rather than emotional response, may be more protective against alcohol use in adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Underlying Event studies and Monte Carlo tunes for inelastic pp events with the ATLAS detector

    CERN Document Server

    Nurse, E; The ATLAS collaboration

    2010-01-01

    Studies of the momentum flow in inelastic collisions at 900 GeV and 7 TeV recorded with a minimum bias trigger strategy are reported. A single high pT track is selected, and the distribution of other tracks in the event is evaluated relative to this reference track. The evolution of the charged momentum flow in the rest of the event, as a function of the pT of the reference track, gives important information about the transition from minimum bias event structure to the full underlying event observed in high-pT collision events. Results are presented after correction and unfolding of detector effects to allow simpler comparison to Monte Carlo models. In addition, the PYTHIA Monte Carlo generator has been tuned to ATLAS measurements at 900 GeV and 7 TeV. Standard distributions from Minimum Bias events, as well as the Underlying Event studies are included in the first tunes to ATLAS measurements at the LHC. The tunes aim for one consistent description of the new measurements as well as data from the Tevatron and...

  16. Effect of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy on the risk of arterial thromboembolic events: a meta-analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin-Wei Cheng

    Full Text Available Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF monoclonal antibodies are used in ocular neovascular diseases. A consensus has emerged that intravenous anti-VEGF can increase the risk of arterial thromboembolic events. However, the role of intravitreal anti-VEGF in arterial thromboembolism is controversial. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effects of intravitreal anti-VEGF on the risk of arterial thromboembolic events.Electronic databases were searched to identify relevant randomized clinical trials comparing intravitreal anti-VEGF with controls. Criteria for inclusion in our meta-analysis included a study duration of no less than 12 months, the use of a randomized control group not receiving any intravitreal active agent, and the availability of outcome data for arterial thromboembolic events, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents, and vascular death. The risk ratios and 95% CIs were calculated using a fixed-effects or random-effects model, depending on the heterogeneity of the included studies.A total of 4942 patients with a variety of ocular neovascular diseases from 13 randomized controlled trials were identified and included for analysis. There was no significant difference between intravitreal anti-VEGF and control in the risk of all events, with risk ratios of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.64 to 1.19 for arterial thromboembolic events, 0.96 (95% CI, 0.55-1.68 for cerebrovascular accidents, 0.69 (95% CI 0.40-1.21 for myocardial infarctions, and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.37-1.27 for vascular death.The strength evidence suggests that the intravitreal use of anti-VEGF antibodies is not associated with an increased risk of arterial thromboembolic events.

  17. Test requirements for the integral effect test to simulate Korean PWR plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Chul Hwa; Park, C. K.; Lee, S. J.; Kwon, T. S.; Yun, B. J.; Chung, M. K

    2001-02-01

    In this report, the test requirements are described for the design of the integral effect test facility to simulate Korean PWR plants. Since the integral effect test facility should be designed so as to simulate various thermal hydraulic phenomena, as closely as possible, to be occurred in real plants during operation or anticipated transients, the design and operational characteristics of the reference plants (Korean Standard Nuclear Plant and Korean Next Generation Reactor)were analyzed in order to draw major components, systems, and functions to be satisfied or simulated in the test facility. The test matrix is set up by considering major safety concerns of interest and the test objectives to confirm and enhance the safety of the plants. And the analysis and prioritization of the test matrix leads to the general design requirements of the test facility. Based on the general design requirements, the design criteria is set up for the basic and detailed design of the test facility. And finally it is drawn the design requirements specific to the fluid system and measurement system of the test facility. The test requirements in this report will be used as a guideline to the scaling analysis and basic design of the test facility. The test matrix specified in this report can be modified in the stage of main testing by considering the needs of experiments and circumstances at that time.

  18. Test requirements for the integral effect test to simulate Korean PWR plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Chul Hwa; Park, C. K.; Lee, S. J.; Kwon, T. S.; Yun, B. J.; Chung, M. K.

    2001-02-01

    In this report, the test requirements are described for the design of the integral effect test facility to simulate Korean PWR plants. Since the integral effect test facility should be designed so as to simulate various thermal hydraulic phenomena, as closely as possible, to be occurred in real plants during operation or anticipated transients, the design and operational characteristics of the reference plants (Korean Standard Nuclear Plant and Korean Next Generation Reactor)were analyzed in order to draw major components, systems, and functions to be satisfied or simulated in the test facility. The test matrix is set up by considering major safety concerns of interest and the test objectives to confirm and enhance the safety of the plants. And the analysis and prioritization of the test matrix leads to the general design requirements of the test facility. Based on the general design requirements, the design criteria is set up for the basic and detailed design of the test facility. And finally it is drawn the design requirements specific to the fluid system and measurement system of the test facility. The test requirements in this report will be used as a guideline to the scaling analysis and basic design of the test facility. The test matrix specified in this report can be modified in the stage of main testing by considering the needs of experiments and circumstances at that time

  19. Risk factors for hazardous events in olfactory-impaired patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pence, Taylor S; Reiter, Evan R; DiNardo, Laurence J; Costanzo, Richard M

    2014-10-01

    Normal olfaction provides essential cues to allow early detection and avoidance of potentially hazardous situations. Thus, patients with impaired olfaction may be at increased risk of experiencing certain hazardous events such as cooking or house fires, delayed detection of gas leaks, and exposure to or ingestion of toxic substances. To identify risk factors and potential trends over time in olfactory-related hazardous events in patients with impaired olfactory function. Retrospective cohort study of 1047 patients presenting to a university smell and taste clinic between 1983 and 2013. A total of 704 patients had both clinical olfactory testing and a hazard interview and were studied. On the basis of olfactory function testing results, patients were categorized as normosmic (n = 161), mildly hyposmic (n = 99), moderately hyposmic (n = 93), severely hyposmic (n = 142), and anosmic (n = 209). Patient evaluation including interview, examination, and olfactory testing. Incidence of specific olfaction-related hazardous events (ie, burning pots and/or pans, starting a fire while cooking, inability to detect gas leaks, inability to detect smoke, and ingestion of toxic substances or spoiled foods) by degree of olfactory impairment. The incidence of having experienced any hazardous event progressively increased with degree of impairment: normosmic (18.0%), mildly hyposmic (22.2%), moderately hyposmic (31.2%), severely hyposmic (32.4%), and anosmic (39.2%). Over 3 decades there was no significant change in the overall incidence of hazardous events. Analysis of demographic data (age, sex, race, smoking status, and etiology) revealed significant differences in the incidence of hazardous events based on age (among 397 patients hazardous event, vs 31 of 146 patients ≥65 years [21.3%]; P hazardous event, vs 73 of 265 men [27.6%]; P = .009), and race (among 98 African Americans, 41 [41.8%] with hazardous event, vs 134 of 434 whites [30.9%]; P = .04

  20. Modeling risks: effects of area deprivation, family socio-economic disadvantage and adverse life events on young children's psychopathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flouri, Eirini; Mavroveli, Stella; Tzavidis, Nikos

    2010-06-01

    The effects of contextual risk on young children's behavior are not appropriately modeled. To model the effects of area and family contextual risk on young children's psychopathology. The final study sample consisted of 4,618 Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) children, who were 3 years old, clustered in lower layer super output areas in nine strata in the UK. Contextual risk was measured by socio-economic disadvantage (SED) at both area and family level, and by distal and proximal adverse life events at family level. Multivariate response multilevel models that allowed for correlated residuals at both individual and area level, and univariate multilevel models estimated the effect of contextual risk on specific and broad psychopathology measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The area SED/broad psychopathology association remained significant after family SED was controlled, but not after maternal qualifications and family adverse life events were added to the model. Adverse life events predicted psychopathology in all models. Family SED did not predict emotional symptoms or hyperactivity after child characteristics were added to the model with the family-level controls. Area-level SED predicts child psychopathology via family characteristics; family-level SED predicts psychopathology largely by its impact on development; and adverse life events predict psychopathology independently of earlier adversity, SED and child characteristics, as well as maternal psychopathology, parenting and education.