Error field and its correction strategy in tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In, Yongkyoon

2014-01-01

While error field correction (EFC) is to minimize the unwanted kink-resonant non-axisymmetric components, resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) application is to maximize the benefits of pitch-resonant non-axisymmetric components. As the plasma response against non-axisymmetric field increases with beta increase, feedback-controlled EFC is a more promising EFC strategy in reactor-relevant high-beta regimes. Nonetheless, various physical aspects and uncertainties associated with EFC should be taken into account and clarified in the terms of multiple low-n EFC and multiple MHD modes, in addition to the compatibility issue with RMP application. Such a multi-faceted view of EFC strategy is briefly discussed. (author)

Gene therapy for carcinoma of the breast: Therapeutic genetic correction strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obermiller, Patrice S; Tait, David L; Holt, Jeffrey T

2000-01-01

Gene therapy is a therapeutic approach that is designed to correct specific molecular defects that contribute to the cause or progression of cancer. Genes that are mutated or deleted in cancers include the cancer susceptibility genes p53 and BRCA1. Because mutational inactivation of gene function is specific to tumor cells in these settings, cancer gene correction strategies may provide an opportunity for selective targeting without significant toxicity for normal nontumor cells. Both p53 and BRCA1 appear to inhibit cancer cells that lack mutations in these genes, suggesting that the so-called gene correction strategies may have broader potential than initially believed. Increasing knowledge of cancer genetics has identified these and other genes as potential targets for gene replacement therapy. Initial patient trials of p53 and BRCA1 gene therapy have provided some indications of potential efficacy, but have also identified areas of basic and clinical research that are needed before these approaches may be widely used in patient care

How externalities impact an evaluation of strategies to prevent antimicrobial resistance in health care organizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenine R. Leal

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The rates of antimicrobial-resistant organisms (ARO continue to increase for both hospitalized and community patients. Few resources have been allocated to reduce the spread of resistance on global, national and local levels, in part because the broader economic impact of antimicrobial resistance (i.e. the externality is not fully considered when determining how much to invest to prevent AROs, including strategies to contain antimicrobial resistance, such as antimicrobial stewardship programs. To determine how best to measure and incorporate the impact of externalities associated with the antimicrobial resistance when making resource allocation decisions aimed to reduce antimicrobial resistance within healthcare facilities, we reviewed the literature to identify publications which 1 described the externalities of antimicrobial resistance, 2 described approaches to quantifying the externalities associated with antimicrobial resistance or 3 described macro-level policy options to consider the impact of externalities. Medline was reviewed to identify published studies up to September 2016. Main body An externality is a cost or a benefit associated with one person’s activity that impacts others who did not choose to incur that cost or benefit. We did not identify a well-accepted method of accurately quantifying the externality associated with antimicrobial resistance. We did identify three main methods that have gained popularity to try to take into account the externalities of antimicrobial resistance, including regulation, charges or taxes on the use of antimicrobials, and the right to trade permits or licenses for antimicrobial use. To our knowledge, regulating use of antimicrobials is the only strategy currently being used by health care systems to reduce antimicrobial use, and thereby reduce AROs. To justify expenditures on programs that reduce AROs (i.e. to formally incorporate the impact of the negative externality of

Correction of axial deformity during lengthening in fibular hypoplasia: Hexapodal versus monorail external fixation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chalopin, A; Geffroy, L; Pesenti, S; Hamel, A; Launay, F

2017-09-01

Childhood fibular hypoplasia is a rare pathology which may or may not involve limb-length discrepancy and axial deformity in one or more dimensions. The objective of the present study was to compare the quality of the axial correction achieved in lengthening procedures by hexapodal versus monorail external fixators. The hypothesis was that the hexapodal fixator provides more precise correction. A retrospective multicenter study included 52 children with fibular hypoplasia. Seventy-two tibias were analyzed, in 2 groups: 52 using a hexapodal fixator, and 20 using a monorail fixator. Mean age was 10.2 years. Mean lengthening was 5.7cm. Deformities were analyzed and measured in 3 dimensions and classified in 4 preoperative types and 4 post-lengthening types according to residual deformity. Complete correction was achieved in 26 tibias in the hexapodal group (50%) and 2 tibias in the monorail group (10%). Mean post-correction mechanical axis deviation was smaller in the hexapodal group: 12.83mm, versus 14.29mm in the monorail group. Mean post-correction mechanical lateral distal femoral angle was 87.5° in the hexapodal group, versus 84.3° in the monorail group (P=0.002), and mean mechanical medial proximal tibial angle 86.9° versus 89.5°, respectively (P=0.015). No previous studies focused on this congenital pathology in lengthening and axial correction programs for childhood lower-limb deformity. The present study found the hexapodal fixator to be more effective in conserving or restoring mechanical axes during progressive bone lengthening for fibular hypoplasia. The hexapodal fixator met the requirements of limb-length equalization in childhood congenital lower-limb hypoplasia, providing better axial correction than the monorail fixator. IV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Raising the Bar on External Research Funding: Infrastructure and Strategies for Enhancing Faculty Productivity

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Chval, Kathryn B.; Nossaman, Larry D.

2014-01-01

Administrators seek faculty who have the expertise to secure external funding to support their research agenda. Administrators also seek strategies to support and enhance faculty productivity across different ranks. In this manuscript, we describe the infrastructure we established and strategies we implemented to enhance the research enterprise at…

Ciliates learn to diagnose and correct classical error syndromes in mating strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Kevin B

2013-01-01

Preconjugal ciliates learn classical repetition error-correction codes to safeguard mating messages and replies from corruption by "rivals" and local ambient noise. Because individual cells behave as memory channels with Szilárd engine attributes, these coding schemes also might be used to limit, diagnose, and correct mating-signal errors due to noisy intracellular information processing. The present study, therefore, assessed whether heterotrich ciliates effect fault-tolerant signal planning and execution by modifying engine performance, and consequently entropy content of codes, during mock cell-cell communication. Socially meaningful serial vibrations emitted from an ambiguous artificial source initiated ciliate behavioral signaling performances known to advertise mating fitness with varying courtship strategies. Microbes, employing calcium-dependent Hebbian-like decision making, learned to diagnose then correct error syndromes by recursively matching Boltzmann entropies between signal planning and execution stages via "power" or "refrigeration" cycles. All eight serial contraction and reversal strategies incurred errors in entropy magnitude by the execution stage of processing. Absolute errors, however, subtended expected threshold values for single bit-flip errors in three-bit replies, indicating coding schemes protected information content throughout signal production. Ciliate preparedness for vibrations selectively and significantly affected the magnitude and valence of Szilárd engine performance during modal and non-modal strategy corrective cycles. But entropy fidelity for all replies mainly improved across learning trials as refinements in engine efficiency. Fidelity neared maximum levels for only modal signals coded in resilient three-bit repetition error-correction sequences. Together, these findings demonstrate microbes can elevate survival/reproductive success by learning to implement classical fault-tolerant information processing in social

Ciliates learn to diagnose and correct classical error syndromes in mating strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin Bradley Clark

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Preconjugal ciliates learn classical repetition error-correction codes to safeguard mating messages and replies from corruption by rivals and local ambient noise. Because individual cells behave as memory channels with Szilárd engine attributes, these coding schemes also might be used to limit, diagnose, and correct mating-signal errors due to noisy intracellular information processing. The present study, therefore, assessed whether heterotrich ciliates effect fault-tolerant signal planning and execution by modifying engine performance, and consequently entropy content of codes, during mock cell-cell communication. Socially meaningful serial vibrations emitted from an ambiguous artificial source initiated ciliate behavioral signaling performances known to advertise mating fitness with varying courtship strategies. Microbes, employing calcium-dependent Hebbian-like decision making, learned to diagnose then correct error syndromes by recursively matching Boltzmann entropies between signal planning and execution stages via power or refrigeration cycles. All eight serial contraction and reversal strategies incurred errors in entropy magnitude by the execution stage of processing. Absolute errors, however, subtended expected threshold values for single bit-flip errors in three-bit replies, indicating coding schemes protected information content throughout signal production. Ciliate preparedness for vibrations selectively and significantly affected the magnitude and valence of Szilárd engine performance during modal and nonmodal strategy corrective cycles. But entropy fidelity for all replies mainly improved across learning trials as refinements in engine efficiency. Fidelity neared maximum levels for only modal signals coded in resilient three-bit repetition error-correction sequences. Together, these findings demonstrate microbes can elevate survival/reproductive success by learning to implement classical fault-tolerant information processing in

Implementation of client versus care-provider strategies to improve external cephalic version rates: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Vlemmix, Floortje; Rosman, Ageeth N; Rijnders, Marlies E; Beuckens, Antje; Opmeer, Brent C; Mol, Ben W J; Kok, Marjolein; Fleuren, Margot A H

2015-05-01

To determine the effectiveness of a client or care-provider strategy to improve the implementation of external cephalic version. Cluster randomized controlled trial. Twenty-five clusters; hospitals and their referring midwifery practices randomly selected in the Netherlands. Singleton breech presentation from 32 weeks of gestation onwards. We randomized clusters to a client strategy (written information leaflets and decision aid), a care-provider strategy (1-day counseling course focused on knowledge and counseling skills), a combined client and care-provider strategy and care-as-usual strategy. We performed an intention-to-treat analysis. Rate of external cephalic version in various strategies. Secondary outcomes were the percentage of women counseled and opting for a version attempt. The overall implementation rate of external cephalic version was 72% (1169 of 1613 eligible clients) with a range between clusters of 8-95%. Neither the client strategy (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.4-1.5) nor the care-provider strategy (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.6-2.3) showed significant improvements. Results were comparable when we limited the analysis to those women who were actually offered intervention (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.3-1.4 and OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.7-4.5). Neither a client nor a care-provider strategy improved the external cephalic version implementation rate for breech presentation, neither with regard to the number of version attempts offered nor the number of women accepting the procedure. © 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

THE EFFECT OF EXTERN AND INTERN ENVIRONMENT TOWARD BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND THEIR IMPACT TOWARD BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seo A.Y.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study was done to see the effect of extern and intern environment toward business strategies and the performance of micro, small and medium enterprises. The population of this study was business owners in Bajawa Regency, Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, Indonesia, represented by 122 respondents as the samples of this study. The samples were chosen using a proportionate stratified random sampling. The data of this study were then analyzed using Partial Least Square technique. The result of this study shows that extern and intern environment have significant effects toward business strategies and performance as mediators.

Cone beam CT-based set-up strategies with and without rotational correction for stereotactic body radiation therapy in the liver.

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Bertholet, Jenny; Worm, Esben; Høyer, Morten; Poulsen, Per

2017-06-01

Accurate patient positioning is crucial in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) due to a high dose regimen. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is often used for patient positioning based on radio-opaque markers. We compared six CBCT-based set-up strategies with or without rotational correction. Twenty-nine patients with three implanted markers received 3-6 fraction liver SBRT. The markers were delineated on the mid-ventilation phase of a 4D-planning-CT. One pretreatment CBCT was acquired per fraction. Set-up strategy 1 used only translational correction based on manual marker match between the CBCT and planning CT. Set-up strategy 2 used automatic 6 degrees-of-freedom registration of the vertebrae closest to the target. The 3D marker trajectories were also extracted from the projections and the mean position of each marker was calculated and used for set-up strategies 3-6. Translational correction only was used for strategy 3. Translational and rotational corrections were used for strategies 4-6 with the rotation being either vertebrae based (strategy 4), or marker based and constrained to ±3° (strategy 5) or unconstrained (strategy 6). The resulting set-up error was calculated as the 3D root-mean-square set-up error of the three markers. The set-up error of the spinal cord was calculated for all strategies. The bony anatomy set-up (2) had the largest set-up error (5.8 mm). The marker-based set-up with unconstrained rotations (6) had the smallest set-up error (0.8 mm) but the largest spinal cord set-up error (12.1 mm). The marker-based set-up with translational correction only (3) or with bony anatomy rotational correction (4) had equivalent set-up error (1.3 mm) but rotational correction reduced the spinal cord set-up error from 4.1 mm to 3.5 mm. Marker-based set-up was substantially better than bony-anatomy set-up. Rotational correction may improve the set-up, but further investigations are required to determine the optimal correction

Sulfate and sulfide sulfur isotopes (δ34S and δ33S) measured by solution and laser ablation MC-ICP-MS: An enhanced approach using external correction

Science.gov (United States)

Pribil, Michael; Ridley, William I.; Emsbo, Poul

2015-01-01

Isotope ratio measurements using a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) commonly use standard-sample bracketing with a single isotope standard for mass bias correction for elements with narrow-range isotope systems measured by MC-ICP-MS, e.g. Cu, Fe, Zn, and Hg. However, sulfur (S) isotopic composition (δ34S) in nature can range from at least − 40 to + 40‰, potentially exceeding the ability of standard-sample bracketing using a single sulfur isotope standard to accurately correct for mass bias. Isotopic fractionation via solution and laser ablation introduction was determined during sulfate sulfur (Ssulfate) isotope measurements. An external isotope calibration curve was constructed using in-house and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Ssulfate isotope reference materials (RM) in an attempt to correct for the difference. The ability of external isotope correction for Ssulfate isotope measurements was evaluated by analyzing NIST and United States Geological Survey (USGS) Ssulfate isotope reference materials as unknowns. Differences in δ34Ssulfate between standard-sample bracketing and standard-sample bracketing with external isotope correction for sulfate samples ranged from 0.72‰ to 2.35‰ over a δ34S range of 1.40‰ to 21.17‰. No isotopic differences were observed when analyzing Ssulfide reference materials over a δ34Ssulfide range of − 32.1‰ to 17.3‰ and a δ33S range of − 16.5‰ to 8.9‰ via laser ablation (LA)-MC-ICP-MS. Here, we identify a possible plasma induced fractionation for Ssulfate and describe a new method using external isotope calibration corrections using solution and LA-MC-ICP-MS.

'More is less'. The tax effects of ignoring flow externalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandal, Leif K.; Steinshamn, Stein Ivar; Grafton, R. Quentin

2003-01-01

Using a model of non-linear, non-monotone decay of the stock pollutant, and starting from the same initial conditions, the paper shows that an optimal tax that corrects for both stock and flow externalities may result in a lower tax, fewer cumulative emissions (less decay in emissions) and higher output at the steady state than a corrective tax that ignores the flow externality. This 'more is less' result emphasizes that setting a corrective tax that ignores the flow externality, or imposing a corrective tax at too low a level where there exists only a stock externality, may affect both transitory and steady-state output, tax payments and cumulative emissions. The result has important policy implications for decision makers setting optimal corrective taxes and targeted emission limits whenever stock externalities exist

Intrafraction Prostate Translations and Rotations During Hypofractionated Robotic Radiation Surgery: Dosimetric Impact of Correction Strategies and Margins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Water, Steven van de, E-mail: s.vandewater@erasmusmc.nl [Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Valli, Lorella [Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Alma Mater Studiorum, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bologna University, Bologna (Italy); Aluwini, Shafak [Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Lanconelli, Nico [Alma Mater Studiorum, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bologna University, Bologna (Italy); Heijmen, Ben; Hoogeman, Mischa [Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

2014-04-01

Purpose: To investigate the dosimetric impact of intrafraction prostate motion and the effect of robot correction strategies for hypofractionated CyberKnife treatments with a simultaneously integrated boost. Methods and Materials: A total of 548 real-time prostate motion tracks from 17 patients were available for dosimetric simulations of CyberKnife treatments, in which various correction strategies were included. Fixed time intervals between imaging/correction (15, 60, 180, and 360 seconds) were simulated, as well as adaptive timing (ie, the time interval reduced from 60 to 15 seconds in case prostate motion exceeded 3 mm or 2° in consecutive images). The simulated extent of robot corrections was also varied: no corrections, translational corrections only, and translational corrections combined with rotational corrections up to 5°, 10°, and perfect rotational correction. The correction strategies were evaluated for treatment plans with a 0-mm or 3-mm margin around the clinical target volume (CTV). We recorded CTV coverage (V{sub 100%}) and dose-volume parameters of the peripheral zone (boost), rectum, bladder, and urethra. Results: Planned dose parameters were increasingly preserved with larger extents of robot corrections. A time interval between corrections of 60 to 180 seconds provided optimal preservation of CTV coverage. To achieve 98% CTV coverage in 98% of the treatments, translational and rotational corrections up to 10° were required for the 0-mm margin plans, whereas translational and rotational corrections up to 5° were required for the 3-mm margin plans. Rectum and bladder were spared considerably better in the 0-mm margin plans. Adaptive timing did not improve delivered dose. Conclusions: Intrafraction prostate motion substantially affected the delivered dose but was compensated for effectively by robot corrections using a time interval of 60 to 180 seconds. A 0-mm margin required larger extents of additional rotational corrections than a 3

Intrafraction Prostate Translations and Rotations During Hypofractionated Robotic Radiation Surgery: Dosimetric Impact of Correction Strategies and Margins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Water, Steven van de; Valli, Lorella; Aluwini, Shafak; Lanconelli, Nico; Heijmen, Ben; Hoogeman, Mischa

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the dosimetric impact of intrafraction prostate motion and the effect of robot correction strategies for hypofractionated CyberKnife treatments with a simultaneously integrated boost. Methods and Materials: A total of 548 real-time prostate motion tracks from 17 patients were available for dosimetric simulations of CyberKnife treatments, in which various correction strategies were included. Fixed time intervals between imaging/correction (15, 60, 180, and 360 seconds) were simulated, as well as adaptive timing (ie, the time interval reduced from 60 to 15 seconds in case prostate motion exceeded 3 mm or 2° in consecutive images). The simulated extent of robot corrections was also varied: no corrections, translational corrections only, and translational corrections combined with rotational corrections up to 5°, 10°, and perfect rotational correction. The correction strategies were evaluated for treatment plans with a 0-mm or 3-mm margin around the clinical target volume (CTV). We recorded CTV coverage (V 100% ) and dose-volume parameters of the peripheral zone (boost), rectum, bladder, and urethra. Results: Planned dose parameters were increasingly preserved with larger extents of robot corrections. A time interval between corrections of 60 to 180 seconds provided optimal preservation of CTV coverage. To achieve 98% CTV coverage in 98% of the treatments, translational and rotational corrections up to 10° were required for the 0-mm margin plans, whereas translational and rotational corrections up to 5° were required for the 3-mm margin plans. Rectum and bladder were spared considerably better in the 0-mm margin plans. Adaptive timing did not improve delivered dose. Conclusions: Intrafraction prostate motion substantially affected the delivered dose but was compensated for effectively by robot corrections using a time interval of 60 to 180 seconds. A 0-mm margin required larger extents of additional rotational corrections than a 3-mm

Chromaticity correction strategy which improves the linear lattice of the TRISTAN e+-e- collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chin, Yongho.

1984-08-01

Described is a strategy of chromaticity correction for large storage rings. Starting with an optimization of the linear lattice in phase advances, based on the W-correction, the sextupole strengths are calculated by the program HARMON. For the TRISTAN e + -e - collider with the mini-β insertion, the correction results show that motions of particles with an initial transverse amplitude of 10 σsub(x,y) and with a synchrotron oscillation amplitude of up to 8 σsub(epsilon) remain stable. (author)

Atmospheric Pressure Corrections in Geodesy and Oceanography: a Strategy for Handling Air Tides

Science.gov (United States)

Ponte, Rui M.; Ray, Richard D.

2003-01-01

Global pressure data are often needed for processing or interpreting modern geodetic and oceanographic measurements. The most common source of these data is the analysis or reanalysis products of various meteorological centers. Tidal signals in these products can be problematic for several reasons, including potentially aliased sampling of the semidiurnal solar tide as well as the presence of various modeling or timing errors. Building on the work of Van den Dool and colleagues, we lay out a strategy for handling atmospheric tides in (re)analysis data. The procedure also offers a method to account for ocean loading corrections in satellite altimeter data that are consistent with standard ocean-tide corrections. The proposed strategy has immediate application to the on-going Jason-1 and GRACE satellite missions.

Gradual digital lengthening with autologous bone graft and external fixation for correction of flail toe in a patient with Raynaud's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamm, Bradley M; Ades, Joe K

2009-01-01

Iatrogenic flail toe is a complication of hammertoe surgery that occurs when an overaggressive resection of the proximal phalanx occurs. This can cause both functional and cosmetic concerns for the patient. We present a case report of the correction of a flail second toe in a patient with Raynaud's disease. The correction was achieved by means of gradual soft tissue lengthening with external fixation and an interposition autologous bone graft digital arthrodesis. After 5 months, this 2-stage procedure lengthened, stabilized, and restored the function of the toe. 4.

Strategies for Online Organ Motion Correction for Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy of Prostate Cancer: Prostate, Rectum, and Bladder Dose Effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rijkhorst, Erik-Jan; Lakeman, Annemarie; Nijkamp, Jasper; Bois, Josien de; Herk, Marcel van; Lebesque, Joos V.; Sonke, Jan-Jakob

2009-01-01

Purpose: To quantify and evaluate the accumulated prostate, rectum, and bladder dose for several strategies including rotational organ motion correction for intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of prostate cancer using realistic organ motion data. Methods and Materials: Repeat computed tomography (CT) scans of 19 prostate patients were used. Per patient, two IMRT plans with different uniform margins were created. To quantify prostate and seminal vesicle motion, repeat CT clinical target volumes (CTVs) were matched onto the planning CTV using deformable registration. Four different strategies, from online setup to full motion correction, were simulated. Rotations were corrected for using gantry and collimator angle adjustments. Prostate, rectum, and bladder doses were accumulated for each patient, plan, and strategy. Minimum CTV dose (D min ), rectum equivalent uniform dose (EUD, n = 0.13), and bladder surface receiving ≥78 Gy (S78), were calculated. Results: With online CTV translation correction, a 7-mm margin was sufficient (i.e., D min ≥ 95% of the prescribed dose for all patients). A 4-mm margin required additional rotational correction. Margin reduction lowered the rectum EUD(n = 0.13) by ∼2.6 Gy, and the bladder S78 by ∼1.9%. Conclusions: With online correction of both translations and rotations, a 4-mm margin was sufficient for 15 of 19 patients, whereas the remaining four patients had an underdosed CTV volume <1%. Margin reduction combined with online corrections resulted in a similar or lower dose to the rectum and bladder. The more advanced the correction strategy, the better the planned and accumulated dose agreed.

Modeling Approach/Strategy for Corrective Action Unit 97, Yucca Flat and Climax Mine , Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janet Willie

2003-08-01

The objectives of the UGTA corrective action strategy are to predict the location of the contaminant boundary for each CAU, develop and implement a corrective action, and close each CAU. The process for achieving this strategy includes modeling to define the maximum extent of contaminant transport within a specified time frame. Modeling is a method of forecasting how the hydrogeologic system, including the underground test cavities, will behave over time with the goal of assessing the migration of radionuclides away from the cavities and chimneys. Use of flow and transport models to achieve the objectives of the corrective action strategy is specified in the FFACO. In the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine system, radionuclide migration will be governed by releases from the cavities and chimneys, and transport in alluvial aquifers, fractured and partially fractured volcanic rock aquifers and aquitards, the carbonate aquifers, and in intrusive units. Additional complexity is associated with multiple faults in Yucca Flat and the need to consider reactive transport mechanisms that both reduce and enhance the mobility of radionuclides. A summary of the data and information that form the technical basis for the model is provided in this document.

Impact of attenuation correction strategies on the quantification of High Resolution Research Tomograph PET studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velden, Floris H P van; Kloet, Reina W; Berckel, Bart N M van; Molthoff, Carla F M; Jong, Hugo W A M de; Lammertsma, Adriaan A; Boellaard, Ronald

2008-01-01

In this study, the quantitative accuracy of different attenuation correction strategies presently available for the High Resolution Research Tomograph (HRRT) was investigated. These attenuation correction methods differ in reconstruction and processing (segmentation) algorithms used for generating a μ-image from measured 2D transmission scans, an intermediate step in the generation of 3D attenuation correction factors. Available methods are maximum-a-posteriori reconstruction (MAP-TR), unweighted OSEM (UW-OSEM) and NEC-TR, which transforms sinogram values back to their noise equivalent counts (NEC) to restore Poisson distribution. All methods can be applied with or without μ-image segmentation. However, for MAP-TR a μ-histogram is a prior during reconstruction. All possible strategies were evaluated using phantoms of various sizes, simulating preclinical and clinical situations. Furthermore, effects of emission contamination of the transmission scan on the accuracy of various attenuation correction strategies were studied. Finally, the accuracy of various attenuation corrections strategies and its relative impact on the reconstructed activity concentration (AC) were evaluated using small animal and human brain studies. For small structures, MAP-TR with human brain priors showed smaller differences in μ-values for transmission scans with and without emission contamination (<8%) than the other methods (<26%). In addition, it showed best agreement with true AC (deviation <4.5%). A specific prior designed to take into account the presence of small animal fixation devices only very slightly improved AC precision to 4.3%. All methods scaled μ-values of a large homogeneous phantom to within 4% of the water peak, but MAP-TR provided most accurate AC after reconstruction. However, for clinical data MAP-TR using the default prior settings overestimated the thickness of the skull, resulting in overestimations of μ-values in regions near the skull and thus in incorrect

[University-external sector linkage: a managerial strategy].

Science.gov (United States)

Campos, Gilberto

2004-06-01

The University-External Sector vinculation is an increasing phenomenon in Latin America as in the rest of the world. The universities through its investigation processes actively participate in the creation and incorporation of science and technology to produce technological processes, to bring foreign technology into national reality, and also to create and transmit innovation for the productive sector. In those ways these institutions achieve bonds with the external sector which provide them with additional income and allows them to have certain relief for their tight teaching and investigation budgets. Several studies in university organizations have been made to identify the motivations and barriers for de adequate development of the interaction between the university and the external sector. The lack of vinculation between these institutions could be due in part to the lack of knowledge that the external sector has of the possibility to obtain services from the university, and also the lack of knowledge that the university has about the needs of potential users of their services. The goals achieved by public Venezuelan universities, in the last years, in their search of a vinculation with the external sector could grow and consolidate through an adequate strategic management plan that allows a mayor diffusion and promotion of the results of their investigations and services, to reach in a wider and more direct way, and to a greater number of potential clients.

Supporting Second Chances: Education and Employment Strategies For People Returning from Correctional Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Jobs For the Future, 2015

2015-01-01

This brief highlights strategies for strengthening education and employment pathways for youth and adults returning from correctional facilities and notes key questions that new research should answer. It also explores barriers to employment for people with criminal records--whether or not they have been incarcerated--and potential policy…

Is staged external fixation a valuable strategy for war injuries to the limbs?

Science.gov (United States)

Lerner, Alexander; Fodor, Lucian; Soudry, Michael

2006-07-01

High-energy weapons or blast injuries usually result in substantial tissue damage and are serious medical and public health problems. We report our experience with staged external fixation for war injuries to the extremities. Forty-seven patients with 64 high-energy limb fractures caused by war weapons were retrospectively reviewed. The fractures were associated with severe soft tissue damage. There were 14 Gustilo-Anderson Type IIIA fractures, 40 Type IIIB fractures, and 10 Type IIIC fractures. Soft tissue débridement followed by axial realignment of the fractured bones with immediate skeletal stabilization using the AO/ASIF unilateral tubular external fixator was performed on the day of admission. The primary tubular fixators were exchanged 5 to 7 days later for Ilizarov frames. Delayed primary closure, skin grafts, or flaps were used for soft tissue coverage. The mean followup was 40 months, and the Ilizarov/hybrid external fixator was the definitive treatment in all patients. Bone union was achieved at an average of 8 months in 58 (90.6%) fractures. Three patients had nonunions and one patient required an amputation. Two patients were lost to followup. Staged external fixation is a valuable strategy for treatment of war injuries to the extremities. Therapeutic study, Level IV. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Development of Mitigation Strategy for Beyond Design Basis External Events for NRC Design Certification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dong Hak; Lee, Jae Jong; Kim, Myung Ki [KHNP Central Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

In this study, how to develop FLEX strategy for beyond-design-basis external events for U. S. NRC design certification is examined. The development method of FLEX strategy for U. S. NRC design certification is examined. The applicants should make unit-specific FLEX strategy and establish the minimum coping capabilities consistent with unit-specific evaluation of the potential impacts and responses to BDBEEs. NEI 12-06 outlines the process to define and deploy the diverse and flexible mitigation strategies(FLEX strategy) that will increase defense-in-depth for beyond-design-basis scenarios to address the extended loss of alternating current (ac) power (ELAP) and loss of normal access to the ultimate heat sink (LUHS) occurring simultaneously at all units on a site. The order (EA-12-049) is issued to all reactor licensees, including holders of active, Construction Permit (CP) holders, and Combined License (COL) holders. Applicants for the new reactor design certification should prepare and submit FLEX strategy for NRC staff's review. Site-specific data related with the new reactor can't be determined during the new reactor design certification applications so that the unit-specific FLEX strategy should be developed.

Development of Mitigation Strategy for Beyond Design Basis External Events for NRC Design Certification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dong Hak; Lee, Jae Jong; Kim, Myung Ki

2013-01-01

In this study, how to develop FLEX strategy for beyond-design-basis external events for U. S. NRC design certification is examined. The development method of FLEX strategy for U. S. NRC design certification is examined. The applicants should make unit-specific FLEX strategy and establish the minimum coping capabilities consistent with unit-specific evaluation of the potential impacts and responses to BDBEEs. NEI 12-06 outlines the process to define and deploy the diverse and flexible mitigation strategies(FLEX strategy) that will increase defense-in-depth for beyond-design-basis scenarios to address the extended loss of alternating current (ac) power (ELAP) and loss of normal access to the ultimate heat sink (LUHS) occurring simultaneously at all units on a site. The order (EA-12-049) is issued to all reactor licensees, including holders of active, Construction Permit (CP) holders, and Combined License (COL) holders. Applicants for the new reactor design certification should prepare and submit FLEX strategy for NRC staff's review. Site-specific data related with the new reactor can't be determined during the new reactor design certification applications so that the unit-specific FLEX strategy should be developed

Comprehensive MRI simulation methodology using a dedicated MRI scanner in radiation oncology for external beam radiation treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paulson, Eric S.; Erickson, Beth; Schultz, Chris; Allen Li, X.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation oncology is expanding rapidly, and more clinics are integrating MRI into their radiation therapy workflows. However, radiation therapy presents a new set of challenges and places additional constraints on MRI compared to diagnostic radiology that, if not properly addressed, can undermine the advantages MRI offers for radiation treatment planning (RTP). The authors introduce here strategies to manage several challenges of using MRI for virtual simulation in external beam RTP. Methods: A total of 810 clinical MRI simulation exams were performed using a dedicated MRI scanner for external beam RTP of brain, breast, cervix, head and neck, liver, pancreas, prostate, and sarcoma cancers. Patients were imaged in treatment position using MRI-optimal immobilization devices. Radiofrequency (RF) coil configurations and scan protocols were optimized based on RTP constraints. Off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity-induced geometric distortions were minimized or corrected prior to using images for RTP. A multidisciplinary MRI simulation guide, along with window width and level presets, was created to standardize use of MR images during RTP. A quality assurance program was implemented to maintain accuracy and repeatability of MRI simulation exams. Results: The combination of a large bore scanner, high field strength, and circumferentially wrapped, flexible phased array RF receive coils permitted acquisition of thin slice images with high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image intensity uniformity, while simultaneously accommodating patient setup and immobilization devices. Postprocessing corrections and alternative acquisition methods were required to reduce or correct off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity induced geometric distortions. Conclusions: The methodology described herein contains practical strategies the authors have implemented through lessons learned performing clinical MRI simulation exams. In

Comprehensive MRI simulation methodology using a dedicated MRI scanner in radiation oncology for external beam radiation treatment planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paulson, Eric S., E-mail: epaulson@mcw.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 and Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 (United States); Erickson, Beth; Schultz, Chris; Allen Li, X. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 (United States)

2015-01-15

Purpose: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation oncology is expanding rapidly, and more clinics are integrating MRI into their radiation therapy workflows. However, radiation therapy presents a new set of challenges and places additional constraints on MRI compared to diagnostic radiology that, if not properly addressed, can undermine the advantages MRI offers for radiation treatment planning (RTP). The authors introduce here strategies to manage several challenges of using MRI for virtual simulation in external beam RTP. Methods: A total of 810 clinical MRI simulation exams were performed using a dedicated MRI scanner for external beam RTP of brain, breast, cervix, head and neck, liver, pancreas, prostate, and sarcoma cancers. Patients were imaged in treatment position using MRI-optimal immobilization devices. Radiofrequency (RF) coil configurations and scan protocols were optimized based on RTP constraints. Off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity-induced geometric distortions were minimized or corrected prior to using images for RTP. A multidisciplinary MRI simulation guide, along with window width and level presets, was created to standardize use of MR images during RTP. A quality assurance program was implemented to maintain accuracy and repeatability of MRI simulation exams. Results: The combination of a large bore scanner, high field strength, and circumferentially wrapped, flexible phased array RF receive coils permitted acquisition of thin slice images with high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image intensity uniformity, while simultaneously accommodating patient setup and immobilization devices. Postprocessing corrections and alternative acquisition methods were required to reduce or correct off-resonance and gradient nonlinearity induced geometric distortions. Conclusions: The methodology described herein contains practical strategies the authors have implemented through lessons learned performing clinical MRI simulation exams. In

A strategy to correct for intrafraction target translation in conformal prostate radiotherapy: Simulation results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keall, P. J.; Lauve, A. D.; Hagan, M. P.; Siebers, J. V.

2007-01-01

A strategy is proposed in which intrafraction internal target translation is corrected for by repositioning the multileaf collimator position aperture to conform to the new target pose in the beam projection, and the beam monitor units are adjusted to account for the change in the geometric relationship between the target and the beam. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dosimetric stability of the prostate and critical structures in the presence of internal target translation using the dynamic compensation strategy. Twenty-five previously treated prostate cancer patients were replanned using a four-field conformal technique to deliver 72 Gy to 95% of the planning target volume (PTV). Internal translation was introduced by displacing the prostate PTV (no rotation or deformation was considered). Thirty-six randomly selected isotropic displacements of magnitude 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 cm were sampled for each patient, for a total of 3600 errors. Due to their anatomic relation to the prostate, the rectum and bladder contours were also moved with the same magnitude and direction as the prostate. The dynamic compensation strategy was used to correct each of these errors by conforming the beam apertures to the new target pose and adjusting the monitor units using inverse-square and off-axis factor corrections. The dynamic compensation strategy plans were then compared to the original treatment plans via dose-volume histogram (DVH) analysis. Changes of more than 5% of the prescription dose (3.6 Gy) were deemed clinically significant. Compared to the original treatment plans, the dynamic compensation strategy produced small discrepancies in isodose distributions and DVH analyses for all structures considered apart from the femoral heads. These differences increased with the magnitude of the internal motion. Coverage of the PTV was excellent: D 5 , D 95 , and D mean were not increased or decreased by more than 5% of the prescription dose for any of the 3600

External costs of energy - do the answers match the questions? Looking back at 10 years of ExternE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krewitt, W.

2002-01-01

While the claim for 'getting prices right' is quite popular in conceptual policy papers, the implementation of appropriate internalisation strategies is still hampered by a lack of reliable external cost data. Great expectations were set into the ExternE project, a major research programme launched by the European Commission at the beginning of the 1990s to provide a scientific basis for the quantification of energy related externalities and to give guidance supporting the design of internalisation measures. After more than a decade of research, the ExternE label became a well recognised standard source for external cost data. Looking back into the ExternE history, the paper pursues how emerging new scientific insights and changing background assumptions affected external cost estimates and related recommendations to policy over time. Based on ExternE results, the usefulness and inherent limitations of external cost estimates for impact categories like climate change or nuclear waste disposal is discussed. The paper also gives examples on how external costs in spite of remaining uncertainties are successfully used to support environmental policy. (Author)

A strategy to objectively evaluate the necessity of correcting detected target deviations in image guided radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue, Ning J.; Kim, Sung; Jabbour, Salma; Narra, Venkat; Haffty, Bruce G.

2007-01-01

Image guided radiotherapy technologies are being increasingly utilized in the treatment of various cancers. These technologies have enhanced the ability to detect temporal and spatial deviations of the target volume relative to planned radiation beams. Correcting these detected deviations may, in principle, improve the accuracy of dose delivery to the target. However, in many situations, a clinical decision has to be made as to whether it is necessary to correct some of the deviations since the relevant dosimetric impact may or may not be significant, and the corresponding corrective action may be either impractical or time consuming. Ideally this decision should be based on objective and reproducible criteria rather than subjective judgment. In this study, a strategy is proposed for the objective evaluation of the necessity of deviation correction during the treatment verification process. At the treatment stage, without any alteration from the planned beams, the treatment beams should provide the desired dose coverage to the geometric volume identical to the planning target volume (PTV). Given this fact, the planned dose distribution and PTV geometry were used to compute the dose coverage and PTV enclosure of the clinical target volume (CTV) that was detected from imaging during the treatment setup verification. The spatial differences between the detected CTV and the planning CTV are essentially the target deviations. The extent of the PTV enclosure of the detected CTV as well as its dose coverage were used as criteria to evaluate the necessity of correcting any of the target deviations. This strategy, in principle, should be applicable to any type of target deviations, including both target deformable and positional changes and should be independent of how the deviations are detected. The proposed strategy was used on two clinical prostate cancer cases. In both cases, gold markers were implanted inside the prostate for the purpose of treatment setup

Managing search strategies for open innovation : the role of environmental munificence as well as internal and external R&D

OpenAIRE

Sofka, Wolfgang; Grimpe, Christoph

2008-01-01

Firms compete increasingly in an open innovation environment. Search strategies for external knowledge become therefore crucial for firm success. Existing research differentiates between the breadth (diversity) and depth (intensity) with which firms pursue external knowledge source. A consensus exists that resource constrains force firms to balance both dimensions. However, relatively little is known on how managers can selectively strengthen one of these dimensions. We argue conceptually tha...

Influence of different topographic correction strategies on mountain vegetation classification accuracy in the Lancang Watershed, China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiming; de Wulf, Robert R.; van Coillie, Frieke M. B.; Verbeke, Lieven P. C.; de Clercq, Eva M.; Ou, Xiaokun

2011-01-01

Mapping of vegetation using remote sensing in mountainous areas is considerably hampered by topographic effects on the spectral response pattern. A variety of topographic normalization techniques have been proposed to correct these illumination effects due to topography. The purpose of this study was to compare six different topographic normalization methods (Cosine correction, Minnaert correction, C-correction, Sun-canopy-sensor correction, two-stage topographic normalization, and slope matching technique) for their effectiveness in enhancing vegetation classification in mountainous environments. Since most of the vegetation classes in the rugged terrain of the Lancang Watershed (China) did not feature a normal distribution, artificial neural networks (ANNs) were employed as a classifier. Comparing the ANN classifications, none of the topographic correction methods could significantly improve ETM+ image classification overall accuracy. Nevertheless, at the class level, the accuracy of pine forest could be increased by using topographically corrected images. On the contrary, oak forest and mixed forest accuracies were significantly decreased by using corrected images. The results also showed that none of the topographic normalization strategies was satisfactorily able to correct for the topographic effects in severely shadowed areas.

Evaluating Fidelity to a Modified NIATx Process Improvement Strategy for Improving HIV Services in Correctional Facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pankow, Jennifer; Willett, Jennifer; Yang, Yang; Swan, Holly; Dembo, Richard; Burdon, William M; Patterson, Yvonne; Pearson, Frank S; Belenko, Steven; Frisman, Linda K

2018-04-01

In a study aimed at improving the quality of HIV services for inmates, an organizational process improvement strategy using change teams was tested in 14 correctional facilities in 8 US states and Puerto Rico. Data to examine fidelity to the process improvement strategy consisted of quantitative ratings of the structural and process components of the strategy and qualitative notes that explicate challenges in maintaining fidelity to the strategy. Fidelity challenges included (1) lack of communication and leadership within change teams, (2) instability in team membership, and (3) issues with data utilization in decision-making to implement improvements to services delivery.

Comparative Analysis of Interval, Skipped, and Key-vertebral Pedicle Screw Strategies for Correction in Patients With Lenke Type 1 Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fei; Xu, Xi-Ming; Lu, Yanghu; Wei, Xian-Zhao; Zhu, Xiao-Dong; Li, Ming

2016-03-01

Pedicle screw constructs have become the mainstay for surgical correction in patients with spinal deformities. To reduce or avoid the risk of pedicle screw-based complications and to decrease the costs associated with pedicle screw instrumentation, some authors have introduced interval, skipped, and key-vertebral pedicle screw strategies for correction. However, there have been no comparisons of outcomes among these 3 pedicle screw-placement strategies.The aim of this study was to compare the correlative clinical outcomes of posterior correction and fusion with pedicle screw fixation using these 3 surgical strategies.Fifty-six consecutive patients with Lenke type 1 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were included in this study. Twenty patients were treated with the interval pedicle screw strategy (IPSS), 20 with the skipped pedicle screw strategy (SPSS), and 16 with the key-vertebral pedicle screw strategy (KVPSS). Coronal and sagittal radiographs were analyzed before surgery, at 1 week after surgery, and at the last follow-up after surgery.There were no significant differences among the 3 groups regarding preoperative radiographic parameters. No significant difference was found between the IPSS and SPSS groups in correction of the main thoracic curve (70.8% vs 70.0%; P = 0.524). However, there were statistically significant differences between the IPSS and KVPSS groups (70.8% vs 64.9%) and between the SPSS and KVPSS groups (70.0% vs 64.9%) in correction of the main thoracic curve (P SPSS group was significantly higher than those in the IPSS (P SPSS and KVPSS groups (P SPSS, it can achieve a satisfactory clinical outcome and is more cost-effective.

REHABILITATING CRIMINAL SELVES: Gendered Strategies in Community Corrections.

Science.gov (United States)

Wyse, Jessica J B

2013-04-01

As the community corrections system has moved away from a focus on rehabilitation, it has been suggested that criminal offenders are no longer understood psychologically, but rather as rational actors for whom criminality is a choice. Rehabilitative efforts thus aim to guide these choices. Utilizing mixed methodology that draws on observational, interview, and case note data collected within the probation/parole system of a western U.S. state, I suggest that both officers' conceptualizations of the criminal self and the rehabilitative strategies they use are gendered. I find that officers view the male criminal self as flawed or underdeveloped and the female as permeable and amorphous, that is, lacking firm boundaries. In response to these constructions, officers aim to rehabilitate men largely by encouraging economic roles and responsibilities, while for women, rehabilitation aims to solidify boundaries: discouraging relationship formation and containing emotions. The differences identified point to ways in which gendered concepts of the criminal self contribute to gender disparities in contemporary supervision.

Implementation of client versus care-provider strategies to improve external cephalic version rates: a cluster randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlemmix, Floortje; Rosman, Ageeth N.; Rijnders, Marlies E.; Beuckens, Antje; Opmeer, Brent C.; Mol, Ben W. J.; Kok, Marjolein; Fleuren, Margot A. H.

2015-01-01

To determine the effectiveness of a client or care-provider strategy to improve the implementation of external cephalic version. Cluster randomized controlled trial. Twenty-five clusters; hospitals and their referring midwifery practices randomly selected in the Netherlands. Singleton breech

Implementation of client versus care-provider strategies to improve external cephalic version rates: a cluster randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlemmix, F.; Rosman, A.N.; Rijnders, M.E.; Beuckens, A.; Opmeer, B.C.; Mol, B.W.J.; Kok, M.; Fleuren, M.A.H.

2015-01-01

Onjective: To determine the effectiveness of a client or care-provider strategy to improve the implementation of external cephalic version. Design: Cluster randomized controlled trial.Setting: Twenty-five clusters; hospitals and their referring midwifery practices randomly selected in the

External effects in Swiss hydropower

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauenstein, W.; Bonvin, J.; Vouillamoz, J.

1999-01-01

The article discusses the external costs and benefits of hydropower that are not internalised in normal book-keeping. Several negative and positive effects are discussed. The results of a study that addressed the difficult task of quantifying these external effects are presented. An assessment of the results gained shows that difficulties are to be met regarding system limits, methods of expressing the effects in monetary terms and ethical factors. The report also examines the consideration of external effects as a correction factor for falsified market prices for electricity

[The crooked nose: correction of dorsal and caudal septal deviations].

Science.gov (United States)

Foda, H M T

2010-09-01

The deviated nose represents a complex cosmetic and functional problem. Septal surgery plays a central role in the successful management of the externally deviated nose. This study included 800 patients seeking rhinoplasty to correct external nasal deviations; 71% of these suffered from variable degrees of nasal obstruction. Septal surgery was necessary in 736 (92%) patients, not only to improve breathing, but also to achieve a straight, symmetric external nose. A graduated surgical approach was adopted to allow correction of the dorsal and caudal deviations of the nasal septum without weakening its structural support to the nasal dorsum or nasal tip. The approach depended on full mobilization of deviated cartilage, followed by straightening of the cartilage and its fixation in the corrected position by using bony splinting grafts through an external rhinoplasty approach.

Surgical treatment of neglected clubfoot using external fixator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Mota Pacheco Fernandes

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The definition of neglected clubfoot (NC includes a variable range of complex deformities of the foot that are refractory to conventional treatments or are treated inappropriately. Several etiologies may be related to this. The Ilizarov method has become established as a tool for treating these deformities. It minimizes soft-tissue damage through gradual correction of the deformity, with a high success rate in relation to achieving a plantigrade foot, with low incidence of recurrence. The indications for treatment include severe rigid deformities (Dimeglio III and IV, or adverse skin conditions. Careful clinical and radiological examination is fundamental for proper planning and installation of the external fixator. The techniques used include selection of external fixation assemblies, which can be closed when there is a connection between the leg, hindfoot and forefoot. This closed assembly may or may not be constricted, according to whether hinges are provided or whether use of the natural anatomical hinges during correction of the deformity is envisaged. An open assembly makes it possible to add flexibility to the foot through histogenesis, while allowing closed corrections of greater precision later on. Hexapod fixators are an innovation with high potential for accuracy in correcting deformities. Procedures associated with external fixation include soft-tissue release and bone procedures. These procedures enable corrections that are more anatomical, for different degrees of severity and stiffness of deformity. It can be concluded from analyzing this case series that treatment of neglected clubfoot using an external fixator has a high rate of good and excellent results, with low frequency of complications.

Operator quantum error-correcting subsystems for self-correcting quantum memories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bacon, Dave

2006-01-01

The most general method for encoding quantum information is not to encode the information into a subspace of a Hilbert space, but to encode information into a subsystem of a Hilbert space. Recently this notion has led to a more general notion of quantum error correction known as operator quantum error correction. In standard quantum error-correcting codes, one requires the ability to apply a procedure which exactly reverses on the error-correcting subspace any correctable error. In contrast, for operator error-correcting subsystems, the correction procedure need not undo the error which has occurred, but instead one must perform corrections only modulo the subsystem structure. This does not lead to codes which differ from subspace codes, but does lead to recovery routines which explicitly make use of the subsystem structure. Here we present two examples of such operator error-correcting subsystems. These examples are motivated by simple spatially local Hamiltonians on square and cubic lattices. In three dimensions we provide evidence, in the form a simple mean field theory, that our Hamiltonian gives rise to a system which is self-correcting. Such a system will be a natural high-temperature quantum memory, robust to noise without external intervening quantum error-correction procedures

Evaluation of intensity drift correction strategies using MetaboDrift, a normalization tool for multi-batch metabolomics data.

Science.gov (United States)

Thonusin, Chanisa; IglayReger, Heidi B; Soni, Tanu; Rothberg, Amy E; Burant, Charles F; Evans, Charles R

2017-11-10

In recent years, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics has increasingly been applied to large-scale epidemiological studies of human subjects. However, the successful use of metabolomics in this context is subject to the challenge of detecting biologically significant effects despite substantial intensity drift that often occurs when data are acquired over a long period or in multiple batches. Numerous computational strategies and software tools have been developed to aid in correcting for intensity drift in metabolomics data, but most of these techniques are implemented using command-line driven software and custom scripts which are not accessible to all end users of metabolomics data. Further, it has not yet become routine practice to assess the quantitative accuracy of drift correction against techniques which enable true absolute quantitation such as isotope dilution mass spectrometry. We developed an Excel-based tool, MetaboDrift, to visually evaluate and correct for intensity drift in a multi-batch liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics dataset. The tool enables drift correction based on either quality control (QC) samples analyzed throughout the batches or using QC-sample independent methods. We applied MetaboDrift to an original set of clinical metabolomics data from a mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT). The performance of the method was evaluated for multiple classes of metabolites by comparison with normalization using isotope-labeled internal standards. QC sample-based intensity drift correction significantly improved correlation with IS-normalized data, and resulted in detection of additional metabolites with significant physiological response to the MMTT. The relative merits of different QC-sample curve fitting strategies are discussed in the context of batch size and drift pattern complexity. Our drift correction tool offers a practical, simplified approach to drift correction and batch combination in large metabolomics studies

Impact of external knowledge acquisition strategies on innovation: a comparative study based on Dutch and Swiss panel data

OpenAIRE

Arvanitis, S.; Lokshin, B.; Mohnen, P.; Wörter, M.

2013-01-01

There is growing evidence that firms increasingly adopt open innovation practices. In this paper we investigate the impact of two such external knowledge acquisition strategies, ‘buy’ and ‘cooperate’, on firm’s product innovation performance. Taking a direct (productivity)approach, we test for complementarity effects in the simultaneous use of the two strategies, and in the intensity of their use. Our results based on large panels of Dutch and Swiss innovating firms, suggest that while both ‘...

The effect of the nonhuman external regulator’s answer-until-correct (AUC) versus knowledge-of-result (KR) task feedback on children’s behavioral regulation during learning tasks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agina, Adel Masaud; Agina, Adel M.; Kommers, Petrus A.M.; Steehouder, M.F.

2011-01-01

The present study was conducted to shed a new light on the nonhuman’s external regulation effect on children’s behavioral regulation through investigating the effect of the computer’s task feedback answer-until-correct (AUC) versus knowledge-of-result (KR) with 40 preschool children (boys/girls)

Chemometric strategy for automatic chromatographic peak detection and background drift correction in chromatographic data.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yong-Jie; Xia, Qiao-Ling; Wang, Sheng; Wang, Bing; Xie, Fu-Wei; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Ma, Yun-Ming; Wu, Hai-Long

2014-09-12

Peak detection and background drift correction (BDC) are the key stages in using chemometric methods to analyze chromatographic fingerprints of complex samples. This study developed a novel chemometric strategy for simultaneous automatic chromatographic peak detection and BDC. A robust statistical method was used for intelligent estimation of instrumental noise level coupled with first-order derivative of chromatographic signal to automatically extract chromatographic peaks in the data. A local curve-fitting strategy was then employed for BDC. Simulated and real liquid chromatographic data were designed with various kinds of background drift and degree of overlapped chromatographic peaks to verify the performance of the proposed strategy. The underlying chromatographic peaks can be automatically detected and reasonably integrated by this strategy. Meanwhile, chromatograms with BDC can be precisely obtained. The proposed method was used to analyze a complex gas chromatography dataset that monitored quality changes in plant extracts during storage procedure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

External costs of material recycling strategies for fusion power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hallberg, B.; Aquilonius, K.; Lechon, Y.; Cabal, H.; Saez, R.M.; Schneider, T.; Lepicard, S.; Ward, D.; Hamacher, T.; Korhonen, R.

2003-01-01

This paper is based on studies performed within the framework of the project Socio-Economic Research on Fusion (SERF3). Several fusion power plant designs (SEAFP Models 1-6) were compared focusing on part of the plant's life cycle: environmental impact of recycling the materials. Recycling was considered for materials replaced during normal operation, as well as materials from decommissioning of the plant. Environmental impact was assessed and expressed as external cost normalised with the total electrical energy output during plant operation. The methodology used for this study has been developed by the Commission of the European Union within the frame of the ExternE project. External costs for recycling, normalised with the energy production during plant operation, are very low compared with those for other energy sources. Results indicate that a high degree of recycling is preferable, at least when considering external costs, because external costs of manufacturing of new materials and disposal costs are higher

Human Sound Externalization in Reverberant Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Catic, Jasmina

In everyday environments, listeners perceive sound sources as externalized. In listening conditions where the spatial cues that are relevant for externalization are not represented correctly, such as when listening through headphones or hearing aids, a degraded perception of externalization may...... occur. In this thesis, the spatial cues that arise from a combined effect of filtering due to the head, torso, and pinna and the acoustic environment were analysed and the impact of such cues for the perception of externalization in different frequency regions was investigated. Distant sound sources...... were simulated via headphones using individualized binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs). An investigation of the influence of spectral content of a sound source on externalization showed that effective externalization cues are present across the entire frequency range. The fluctuation of interaural...

Hybrid external fixation of the proximal tibia: strategies to improve frame stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Craig S; Dodds, James C; Perry, Kelvin; Beck, Dennis; Seligson, David; Voor, Michael J

2003-07-01

To determine the specific frame construction strategies that can increase the stability of hybrid (ring with tensioned wires proximally connected by bars to half-pins distally) external fixation of proximal tibia fractures. DESIGN Repeated measures biomechanical testing. Laboratory. Composite fiberglass tibias. Using the Heidelberg and Ilizarov systems, external fixators were tested on composite fiberglass tibias with a 1-cm proximal osteotomy (OTA fracture classification 41-A3.3) in seven frame configurations: unilateral frames with 5-mm diameter half-pins and 6-mm diameter half-pins; hybrid (as described above), with and without a 6-mm anterior proximal half-pin; a "box" hybrid (additional ring group distal to the fracture connected by symmetrically spaced bars to the proximal rings) with and without an anterior, proximal half-pin; and a full, four-ring configuration. Each configuration was loaded in four positions (central, medial, posterior, and posteromedial). Displacement at point of loading of proximal fragment. The "box" hybrid was stiffer than the standard hybrid for all loading positions. The addition of an anterior half-pin stiffened the standard hybrid and the "box" hybrid. The most dramatic improvements in the stability of hybrid frames used for proximal tibial fractures result from addition of an anterior, proximal half-pin.

Cost and effectiveness of decontamination strategies in radiation contaminated areas in Fukushima in regard to external radiation dose.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasutaka, Tetsuo; Naito, Wataru; Nakanishi, Junko

2013-01-01

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of decontamination strategies in the special decontamination areas in Fukushima in regard to external radiation dose. A geographical information system (GIS) was used to relate the predicted external dose in the affected areas to the number of potential inhabitants and the land use in the areas. A comprehensive review of the costs of various decontamination methods was conducted as part of the analysis. The results indicate that aerial decontamination in the special decontamination areas in Fukushima would be effective for reducing the air dose rate to the target level in a short period of time in some but not all of the areas. In a standard scenario, analysis of cost and effectiveness suggests that decontamination costs for agricultural areas account for approximately 80% of the total decontamination cost, of which approximately 60% is associated with storage. In addition, the costs of decontamination per person per unit area are estimated to vary greatly. Appropriate selection of decontamination methods may significantly decrease decontamination costs, allowing more meaningful decontamination in terms of the limited budget. Our analysis can help in examining the prioritization of decontamination areas from the viewpoints of cost and effectiveness in reducing the external dose. Decontamination strategies should be determined according to air dose rates and future land-use plans.

Vehicle Fuel-Efficiency Choices, Emission Externalities, and Urban Sprawl

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kim, Jinwon

This paper shows that the city where both congestion externalities and externalities from greenhouse gas emissions are corrected by efficient policies is more compact than the laissez-faire equilibrium city. Motivated by recent empirical studies showing a positive relationship between population...

Adaptive testing with equated number-correct scoring

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Linden, Willem J.

1999-01-01

A constrained CAT algorithm is presented that automatically equates the number-correct scores on adaptive tests. The algorithm can be used to equate number-correct scores across different administrations of the same adaptive test as well as to an external reference test. The constraints are derived

European specialist porphyria laboratories: diagnostic strategies, analytical quality, clinical interpretation, and reporting as assessed by an external quality assurance program.

Science.gov (United States)

Aarsand, Aasne K; Villanger, Jørild H; Støle, Egil; Deybach, Jean-Charles; Marsden, Joanne; To-Figueras, Jordi; Badminton, Mike; Elder, George H; Sandberg, Sverre

2011-11-01

The porphyrias are a group of rare metabolic disorders whose diagnosis depends on identification of specific patterns of porphyrin precursor and porphyrin accumulation in urine, blood, and feces. Diagnostic tests for porphyria are performed by specialized laboratories in many countries. Data regarding the analytical and diagnostic performance of these laboratories are scarce. We distributed 5 sets of multispecimen samples from different porphyria patients accompanied by clinical case histories to 18-21 European specialist porphyria laboratories/centers as part of a European Porphyria Network organized external analytical and postanalytical quality assessment (EQA) program. The laboratories stated which analyses they would normally have performed given the case histories and reported results of all porphyria-related analyses available, interpretative comments, and diagnoses. Reported diagnostic strategies initially showed considerable diversity, but the number of laboratories applying adequate diagnostic strategies increased during the study period. We found an average interlaboratory CV of 50% (range 12%-152%) for analytes in absolute concentrations. Result normalization by forming ratios to the upper reference limits did not reduce this variation. Sixty-five percent of reported results were within biological variation-based analytical quality specifications. Clinical interpretation of the obtained analytical results was accurate, and most laboratories established the correct diagnosis in all distributions. Based on a case-based EQA scheme, variations were apparent in analytical and diagnostic performance between European specialist porphyria laboratories. Our findings reinforce the use of EQA schemes as an essential tool to assess both analytical and diagnostic processes and thereby to improve patient care in rare diseases.

Hybrid Force and Position Control Strategy of Robonaut Performing Object Transfer Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Gang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a coordinated hybrid force/position control strategy of robonaut performing object transfer operation. Firstly, the constraint relationships between robonaut and object are presented. Base on them, the unified dynamic model of the robonaut and object is established to design the hybrid force/position control method. The movement, the internal force and the external constraint force of the object are considered as the control targets of the control system. Finally, a MATLAB simulation of the robonaut performing object transfer task verifies the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that all the targets can be control accurately by using the method proposed in this paper. The presented control method can control both internal and external forces while maintaining control accuracy, which is a common control strategy.

HU deviation in lung and bone tissues: Characterization and a corrective strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ai, Hua A; Meier, Joseph G; Wendt, Richard E

2018-05-01

In the era of precision medicine, quantitative applications of x-ray Computed Tomography (CT) are on the rise. These require accurate measurement of the CT number, also known as the Hounsfield Unit. In this study, we evaluated the effect of patient attenuation-induced beam hardening of the x-ray spectrum on the accuracy of the HU values and a strategy to correct for the resulting deviations in the measured HU values. A CIRS electron density phantom was scanned on a Siemens Biograph mCT Flow CT scanner and a GE Discovery 710 CT scanner using standard techniques that are employed in the clinic to assess the HU deviation caused by beam hardening in different tissue types. In addition, an anthropomorphic ATOM adult male upper torso phantom was scanned on the GE Discovery 710 scanner. Various amounts of Superflab bolus material were wrapped around the phantoms to simulate different patient sizes. The mean HU values that were measured in the phantoms were evaluated as a function of the water-equivalent area (A w ), a parameter that is described in the report of AAPM Task Group 220. A strategy by which to correct the HU values was developed and tested. The variation in the HU values in the anthropomorphic ATOM phantom under different simulated body sizes, both before and after correction, were compared, with a focus on the lung and bone tissues. Significant HU deviations that depended on the simulated patient size were observed. A positive correlation between HU and A w was observed for tissue types that have an HU of less than zero, while a negative correlation was observed for tissue types with HU values that are greater than zero. The magnitude of the difference increases as the underlying attenuation property deviates further away from that of water. In the electron density phantom study, the maximum observed HU differences between the measured and reference values in the cortical bone and lung materials were 426 and 94 HU, respectively. In the anthropomorphic phantom

Nonrandom Intrafraction Target Motions and General Strategy for Correction of Spine Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Lijun; Sahgal, Arjun; Hossain, Sabbir; Chuang, Cynthia; Descovich, Martina; Huang, Kim; Gottschalk, Alex; Larson, David A.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To characterize nonrandom intrafraction target motions for spine stereotactic body radiotherapy and to develop a method of correction via image guidance. The dependence of target motions, as well as the effectiveness of the correction strategy for lesions of different locations within the spine, was analyzed. Methods and Materials: Intrafraction target motions for 64 targets in 64 patients treated with a total of 233 fractions were analyzed. Based on the target location, the cases were divided into three groups, i.e., cervical (n = 20 patients), thoracic (n = 20 patients), or lumbar-sacrum (n = 24 patients) lesions. For each case, time-lag autocorrelation analysis was performed for each degree of freedom of motion that included both translations (x, y, and z shifts) and rotations (roll, yaw, and pitch). A general correction strategy based on periodic interventions was derived to determine the time interval required between two adjacent interventions, to overcome the patient-specific target motions. Results: Nonrandom target motions were detected for 100% of cases regardless of target locations. Cervical spine targets were found to possess the highest incidence of nonrandom target motion compared with thoracic and lumbar-sacral lesions (p < 0.001). The average time needed to maintain the target motion to within 1 mm of translation or 1 deg. of rotational deviation was 5.5 min, 5.9 min, and 7.1 min for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar-sacrum locations, respectively (at 95% confidence level). Conclusions: A high incidence of nonrandom intrafraction target motions was found for spine stereotactic body radiotherapy treatments. Periodic interventions at approximately every 5 minutes or less were needed to overcome such motions.

Towards self-correcting quantum memories

Science.gov (United States)

Michnicki, Kamil

This thesis presents a model of self-correcting quantum memories where quantum states are encoded using topological stabilizer codes and error correction is done using local measurements and local dynamics. Quantum noise poses a practical barrier to developing quantum memories. This thesis explores two types of models for suppressing noise. One model suppresses thermalizing noise energetically by engineering a Hamiltonian with a high energy barrier between code states. Thermalizing dynamics are modeled phenomenologically as a Markovian quantum master equation with only local generators. The second model suppresses stochastic noise with a cellular automaton that performs error correction using syndrome measurements and a local update rule. Several ways of visualizing and thinking about stabilizer codes are presented in order to design ones that have a high energy barrier: the non-local Ising model, the quasi-particle graph and the theory of welded stabilizer codes. I develop the theory of welded stabilizer codes and use it to construct a code with the highest known energy barrier in 3-d for spin Hamiltonians: the welded solid code. Although the welded solid code is not fully self correcting, it has some self correcting properties. It has an increased memory lifetime for an increased system size up to a temperature dependent maximum. One strategy for increasing the energy barrier is by mediating an interaction with an external system. I prove a no-go theorem for a class of Hamiltonians where the interaction terms are local, of bounded strength and commute with the stabilizer group. Under these conditions the energy barrier can only be increased by a multiplicative constant. I develop cellular automaton to do error correction on a state encoded using the toric code. The numerical evidence indicates that while there is no threshold, the model can extend the memory lifetime significantly. While of less theoretical importance, this could be practical for real

Correction of aortic insufficiency with an external adjustable prosthetic aortic ring.

Science.gov (United States)

Gogbashian, Andrew; Ghanta, Ravi K; Umakanthan, Ramanan; Rangaraj, Aravind T; Laurence, Rita G; Fox, John A; Cohn, Lawrence H; Chen, Frederick Y

2007-09-01

Less invasive, valve-sparing options are needed for patients with aortic insufficiency (AI). We sought to evaluate the feasibility of reducing AI with an external adjustable aortic ring in an ovine model. To create AI, five sheep underwent patch plasty enlargement of the aortic annulus and root by placement of a 10 x 15 mm pericardial patch between the right and noncoronary cusps. An adjustable external ring composed of a nylon band was fabricated and placed around the aortic root. Aortic flow, aortic pressure, and left ventricular pressures were measured with the ring loose (off) and tightened (on). Mean regurgitant orifice area decreased by 86%, from 0.07 +/- 0.03 cm2 (ring loose, off) to 0.01 +/- 0.00 cm2 (ring tightened, on) [p < 0.01]. The regurgitant fraction decreased from 18 +/- 4% to 2 +/- 1% [p < 0.01]. The ring did not significantly affect stroke volume and aortic pressure. An ovine model of aortic root dilatation resulting in acute AI has been developed. In this model, application of an external, adjustable constricting aortic ring eliminated AI. An aortic ring may be a useful adjunct in reducing AI secondary to annular dilatation.

Effectiveness of External Reactor Vessel Cooling (ERVC) strategy for APR1400 and issues of phenomenological uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, S.J.; Kim, H.T.

2007-01-01

The APR1400(Advanced Power Reactor 1400) is an evolutionary advanced light water reactor with rated thermal power of 4000 MWt. For APR1400, External Reactor Vessel Cooling (ERVC) is adopted as a primary severe accident management strategy for in-vessel retention (IVR) of corium. The ERVC is a method of IVR by submerging the reactor vessel exterior. At the early stage of the APR1400 design, only ex-vessel cooling, cooling of the core melt outside the vessel after vessel is breached, is considered based on the EPRI Utility Requirement Document for Evolutionary LWR. However, based on the progress in implementation of Severe Accident Management Guidance (SAMG) for operating plants, as well as the research findings related to ERVC, ERVC strategy is adopted as a part of key severe accident management strategies. To improve its success, the strategy is reviewed and we implemented necessary design arrangement to increase its usefulness in managing the severe accident. In this paper, we examine the evolution of ERVC concept and its implementation in APR1400. Then, we review possible approach, including Risk-Oriented Accident Analysis Methodology (ROAAM), to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy. (authors)

Successful correction of tibial bone deformity through multiple surgical procedures, liquid nitrogen-pretreated bone tumor autograft, three-dimensional external fixation, and internal fixation in a patient with primary osteosarcoma: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeuchi, Akihiko; Yamamoto, Norio; Shirai, Toshiharu; Nishida, Hideji; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Watanabe, Koji; Miwa, Shinji; Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki

2015-12-07

In a previous report, we described a method of reconstruction using tumor-bearing autograft treated by liquid nitrogen for malignant bone tumor. Here we present the first case of bone deformity correction following a tumor-bearing frozen autograft via three-dimensional computerized reconstruction after multiple surgeries. A 16-year-old female student presented with pain in the left lower leg and was diagnosed with a low-grade central tibial osteosarcoma. Surgical bone reconstruction was performed using a tumor-bearing frozen autograft. Bone union was achieved at 7 months after the first surgical procedure. However, local tumor recurrence and lung metastases occurred 2 years later, at which time a second surgical procedure was performed. Five years later, the patient developed a 19° varus deformity and underwent a third surgical procedure, during which an osteotomy was performed using the Taylor Spatial Frame three-dimensional external fixation technique. A fourth corrective surgical procedure was performed in which internal fixation was achieved with a locking plate. Two years later, and 10 years after the initial diagnosis of tibial osteosarcoma, the bone deformity was completely corrected, and the patient's limb function was good. We present the first report in which a bone deformity due to a primary osteosarcoma was corrected using a tumor-bearing frozen autograft, followed by multiple corrective surgical procedures that included osteotomy, three-dimensional external fixation, and internal fixation.

Ordering Strategy for Fresh Agricultural Products in External Financing Condition

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Wenyi; DU

2014-01-01

This paper firstly introduced the two stage supply chain consisting of single agricultural product producer and fund restraint retailer.Then,it analyzed the influence of bank interest rate on order quantity,wholesale price and expected profit of retailer and producer on the condition of retailer taking external loan strategy.Studies have shown that when the bank interest rate is in(0,0.9),the order quantity of agricultural products is a decreasing function of bank interest rate; when the bank interest rate is in(0,1),wholesale price of agricultural products decreases with increase in the bank interest rate; when the bank interest rate is in(0,0.6),the expected profit of retailer is a decreasing function of bank interest rate; when the bank interest rate is in(0,1),the expected profit of producer decreases with increase in the bank interest rate.Finally,through simulation calculation examples,it verified suitability of the conclusion,in the hope of providing reference and application value for management of supply chain.

Purification of correctly oxidized MHC class I heavy-chain molecules under denaturing conditions: A novel strategy exploiting disulfide assisted protein folding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferré, Henrik; Ruffet, E.; Blicher, T.

2003-01-01

The aim of this study has been to develop a strategy for purifying correctly oxidized denatured major histocompability complex class I (MHC-I) heavy-chain molecules, which on dilution, fold efficiently and become functional. Expression of heavy-chain molecules in bacteria results in the formation...... of insoluble cellular inclusion bodies, which must be solubilized under denaturing conditions. Their subsequent purification and refolding is complicated by the fact that (1) correct folding can only take place in combined presence of beta(2)-microglobulin and a binding peptide; and (2) optimal in vitro...... conditions for disulfide bond formation (similar topH 8) and peptide binding (similar topH 6.6) are far from complementary. Here we present a two-step strategy, which relies on uncoupling the events of disulfide bond formation and peptide binding. In the first phase, heavy-chain molecules with correct...

Markov model of the loan portfolio dynamics considering influence of management and external economic factors

Science.gov (United States)

Bozhalkina, Yana; Timofeeva, Galina

2016-12-01

Mathematical model of loan portfolio in the form of a controlled Markov chain with discrete time is considered. It is assumed that coefficients of migration matrix depend on corrective actions and external factors. Corrective actions include process of receiving applications, interaction with existing solvent and insolvent clients. External factors are macroeconomic indicators, such as inflation and unemployment rates, exchange rates, consumer price indices, etc. Changes in corrective actions adjust the intensity of transitions in the migration matrix. The mathematical model for forecasting the credit portfolio structure taking into account a cumulative impact of internal and external changes is obtained.

Refinement of motion correction strategies for lower-cost CT for under-resourced regions of the world

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Jered R.; Segars, W. Paul; Kigongo, Christopher J. N.; Dobbins, James T., III

2011-03-01

This paper describes a recently developed post-acquisition motion correction strategy for application to lower-cost computed tomography (LCCT) for under-resourced regions of the world. Increased awareness regarding global health and its challenges has encouraged the development of more affordable healthcare options for underserved people worldwide. In regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, intermediate level medical facilities may serve millions with inadequate or antiquated equipment due to financial limitations. In response, the authors have proposed a LCCT design which utilizes a standard chest x-ray examination room with a digital flat panel detector (FPD). The patient rotates on a motorized stage between the fixed cone-beam source and FPD, and images are reconstructed using a Feldkamp algorithm for cone-beam scanning. One of the most important proofs-of-concept in determining the feasibility of this system is the successful correction of undesirable motion. A 3D motion correction algorithm was developed in order to correct for potential patient motion, stage instabilities and detector misalignments which can all lead to motion artifacts in reconstructed images. Motion will be monitored by the radiographic position of fiducial markers to correct for rigid body motion in three dimensions. Based on simulation studies, projection images corrupted by motion were re-registered with average errors of 0.080 mm, 0.32 mm and 0.050 mm in the horizontal, vertical and depth dimensions, respectively. The overall absence of motion artifacts in motion-corrected reconstructions indicates that reasonable amounts of motion may be corrected using this novel technique without significant loss of image quality.

A Strategy for Ensuring Enterprise Competitiveness in the Sphere of Hotel Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zavidna Liudmyla D.

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to study the process of forming a strategy to ensure competitiveness of an enterprise in the sphere of hotel services. The content of the concepts “competitiveness of an enterprise in the hotel industry”, “competitive advantage” and “competitive strategy” is defined. Factors influencing the level of competitiveness of enterprises in the hotel industry are grouped. Taking into account the analysis of the internal and external environment of hotel facilities, a matrix of SWOT analysis is built, and variants of corporate strategies for enterprises in the sphere of hotel services are proposed. Within the framework of the study, 21 hotel facilities from 10 regions of Ukraine (Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytsky, Chernihiv and Kiev are analyzed. From the positions of the system approach to enterprise competitiveness, a system of factors that influence the process of forming the strategy of enterprises in the sphere of hotel services is proposed. Taking into account the analysis of the internal and external environment of the hotels, potential threats and opportunities from the external environment are revealed, and the weak and strong sides of each of the hotel facilities are detailed, as well as the basic matrix of SWOT analysis is formed. Based on the results of the study, the following options for corporate strategies are proposed: the Maxi-Maxi strategy, the Mini-Maxi strategy, the Maxi-Mini strategy, and the Mini-Mini strategy. The correct choice of the strategy will ensure its full implementation, have a positive effect for the further development and retention of the leading positions of the hotel industry in the market.

PET attenuation correction for rigid MR Tx/Rx coils from 176Lu background activity

Science.gov (United States)

Lerche, Christoph W.; Kaltsas, Theodoris; Caldeira, Liliana; Scheins, Jürgen; Rota Kops, Elena; Tellmann, Lutz; Pietrzyk, Uwe; Herzog, Hans; Shah, N. Jon

2018-02-01

One challenge for PET-MR hybrid imaging is the correction for attenuation of the 511 keV annihilation radiation by the required RF transmit and/or RF receive coils. Although there are strategies for building PET transparent Tx/Rx coils, such optimised coils still cause significant attenuation of the annihilation radiation leading to artefacts and biases in the reconstructed activity concentrations. We present a straightforward method to measure the attenuation of Tx/Rx coils in simultaneous MR-PET imaging based on the natural 176Lu background contained in the scintillator of the PET detector without the requirement of an external CT scanner or PET scanner with transmission source. The method was evaluated on a prototype 3T MR-BrainPET produced by Siemens Healthcare GmbH, both with phantom studies and with true emission images from patient/volunteer examinations. Furthermore, the count rate stability of the PET scanner and the x-ray properties of the Tx/Rx head coil were investigated. Even without energy extrapolation from the two dominant γ energies of 176Lu to 511 keV, the presented method for attenuation correction, based on the measurement of 176Lu background attenuation, shows slightly better performance than the coil attenuation correction currently used. The coil attenuation correction currently used is based on an external transmission scan with rotating 68Ge sources acquired on a Siemens ECAT HR  +  PET scanner. However, the main advantage of the presented approach is its straightforwardness and ready availability without the need for additional accessories.

76 FR 8371 - Notice Correction; Generic Submission of Technology Transfer Center (TTC) External Customer...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-14

... Submission of Technology Transfer Center (TTC) External Customer Satisfaction Surveys (NCI) The Federal... project titled, ``Technology Transfer Center (TTC) External Customer Satisfaction Survey (NCI)'' was... will include multiple customer satisfaction surveys over the course of three years. At this time, only...

A Novel Strategy of Ambiguity Correction for the Improved Faraday Rotation Estimator in Linearly Full-Polarimetric SAR Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinhui Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR missions operating at low frequencies, such as L-band or P-band, are significantly influenced by the ionosphere. As one of the serious ionosphere effects, Faraday rotation (FR is a remarkable distortion source for the polarimetric SAR (PolSAR application. Various published FR estimators along with an improved one have been introduced to solve this issue, all of which are implemented by processing a set of PolSAR real data. The improved estimator exhibits optimal robustness based on performance analysis, especially in term of the system noise. However, all published estimators, including the improved estimator, suffer from a potential FR angle (FRA ambiguity. A novel strategy of the ambiguity correction for those FR estimators is proposed and shown as a flow process, which is divided into pixel-level and image-level correction. The former is not yet recognized and thus is considered in particular. Finally, the validation experiments show a prominent performance of the proposed strategy.

A Novel Strategy of Ambiguity Correction for the Improved Faraday Rotation Estimator in Linearly Full-Polarimetric SAR Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jinhui; Ji, Yifei; Zhang, Yongsheng; Zhang, Qilei; Huang, Haifeng; Dong, Zhen

2018-04-10

Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions operating at low frequencies, such as L-band or P-band, are significantly influenced by the ionosphere. As one of the serious ionosphere effects, Faraday rotation (FR) is a remarkable distortion source for the polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) application. Various published FR estimators along with an improved one have been introduced to solve this issue, all of which are implemented by processing a set of PolSAR real data. The improved estimator exhibits optimal robustness based on performance analysis, especially in term of the system noise. However, all published estimators, including the improved estimator, suffer from a potential FR angle (FRA) ambiguity. A novel strategy of the ambiguity correction for those FR estimators is proposed and shown as a flow process, which is divided into pixel-level and image-level correction. The former is not yet recognized and thus is considered in particular. Finally, the validation experiments show a prominent performance of the proposed strategy.

ROLE OF INTRAMEDULLARY NAILING IN DEFORMITY CORRECTION OF LONG BONES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne

2016-03-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION Correction of multi-apical long bone deformities in lower limbs is a challenging task. Correction of these deformities with Ilizarov–type external fixators, treating one segment at a time increases the total time of correction and decreases the patients’ compliance with considerable discomfort. Hence we preferred intramedullary nail devices which combines accuracy, minimal invasiveness, with patient compliance and with excellent functional outcome. Temporary external fixator used per-operatively in some cases to retain the correction till the insertion of the nail. Eight patients in the age group of 12-35 yrs. presented to us over the last 1 year with multi-apical lower limb deformities. The radiological parameters described by Paley et al 1 were used to assess the pre and post–operative radiographs. With the help of anatomical axes the CORA was identified. Percutaneous osteotomy and stabilization with intramedullary nail was done to correct the deformity. 13 Femora and 7 Tibiae were subjected to correction by this technique and followed up over a period of 1 year (Nov-2014 to Nov-2015 at MIMS Vizianagaram hospital.

Corrective feedback via e-mail on the correct use of past tense ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study explores the differential effect of two types of corrective feedback strategies – explicit and implicit – on the acquisition and retention of correct past form of irregular verbs by Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Sixty out of 80 pre-intermediate EFL learners were selected as the participants, based ...

Accessing external innovation in drug discovery and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Tufféry, Pierre

2015-06-01

A decline in the productivity of the pharmaceutical industry research and development (R&D) pipeline has highlighted the need to reconsider the classical strategies of drug discovery and development, which are based on internal resources, and to identify new means to improve the drug discovery process. Accepting that the combination of internal and external ideas can improve innovation, ways to access external innovation, that is, opening projects to external contributions, have recently been sought. In this review, the authors look at a number of external innovation opportunities. These include increased interactions with academia via academic centers of excellence/innovation centers, better communication on projects using crowdsourcing or social media and new models centered on external providers such as built-to-buy startups or virtual pharmaceutical companies. The buzz for accessing external innovation relies on the pharmaceutical industry's major challenge to improve R&D productivity, a conjuncture favorable to increase interactions with academia and new business models supporting access to external innovation. So far, access to external innovation has mostly been considered during early stages of drug development, and there is room for enhancement. First outcomes suggest that external innovation should become part of drug development in the long term. However, the balance between internal and external developments in drug discovery can vary largely depending on the company strategies.

Bias of shear wave elasticity measurements in thin layer samples and a simple correction strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Jianqiang; Xu, Hao; Qiang, Bo; Giambini, Hugo; Kinnick, Randall; An, Kai-Nan; Chen, Shigao; Luo, Zongping

2016-01-01

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an emerging technique for measuring biological tissue stiffness. However, the application of SWE in thin layer tissues is limited by bias due to the influence of geometry on measured shear wave speed. In this study, we investigated the bias of Young's modulus measured by SWE in thin layer gelatin-agar phantoms, and compared the result with finite element method and Lamb wave model simulation. The result indicated that the Young's modulus measured by SWE decreased continuously when the sample thickness decreased, and this effect was more significant for smaller thickness. We proposed a new empirical formula which can conveniently correct the bias without the need of using complicated mathematical modeling. In summary, we confirmed the nonlinear relation between thickness and Young's modulus measured by SWE in thin layer samples, and offered a simple and practical correction strategy which is convenient for clinicians to use.

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of control strategies using the benchmark simulation model No1 (BSM1).

Science.gov (United States)

Flores-Alsina, Xavier; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi; Sin, Gürkan; Gernaey, Krist V

2009-01-01

The objective of this paper is to perform an uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the predictions of the Benchmark Simulation Model (BSM) No. 1, when comparing four activated sludge control strategies. The Monte Carlo simulation technique is used to evaluate the uncertainty in the BSM1 predictions, considering the ASM1 bio-kinetic parameters and influent fractions as input uncertainties while the Effluent Quality Index (EQI) and the Operating Cost Index (OCI) are focused on as model outputs. The resulting Monte Carlo simulations are presented using descriptive statistics indicating the degree of uncertainty in the predicted EQI and OCI. Next, the Standard Regression Coefficients (SRC) method is used for sensitivity analysis to identify which input parameters influence the uncertainty in the EQI predictions the most. The results show that control strategies including an ammonium (S(NH)) controller reduce uncertainty in both overall pollution removal and effluent total Kjeldahl nitrogen. Also, control strategies with an external carbon source reduce the effluent nitrate (S(NO)) uncertainty increasing both their economical cost and variability as a trade-off. Finally, the maximum specific autotrophic growth rate (micro(A)) causes most of the variance in the effluent for all the evaluated control strategies. The influence of denitrification related parameters, e.g. eta(g) (anoxic growth rate correction factor) and eta(h) (anoxic hydrolysis rate correction factor), becomes less important when a S(NO) controller manipulating an external carbon source addition is implemented.

Strategi Bisnis pada PT CTL Dengan Pendekatan Metode Tows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tjia Fie Tjoe

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is determining direction of the correct business strategy to be applied by PT CTL, a garment company producing cloth for men. Research method used by the author is descriptive analysis with a case study research method. Research is conducted by collecting data obtained through survey by interview and giving questionnaire to all staff and head and also observation by evaluating directly the research object and also through literature study. Data analysis is conducted through input phase by using IFAS and EFAS matrix, adaptation phase with TOWS diagram, TOWS matrix and Internal-External matrix, and also uses SPACE matrix and also BCG matrix to analyse company's finance situation. Based on the conducted analysist the recommended corporation level strategy to be used by the company is diversification strategy direct to growth and stability. 

External fixation to correct tarsal-metatarsal fracture in rock pigeon (Columba livia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandro Almeida Rui

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Orthopedic conditions, such as bone fractures, are very common in avian medicine. External fixators have been considered the gold standard for birds, since they allow early movement of the limbs and minimal invasive surgery. Fractures in several bones have been successfully treated in pigeons. However, to the best of our knowledge, this case represents the first report of successful surgical repair of tarsal-metatarsal fracture in rock pigeon. External fixator was made with four 24G catheters, being inserted manually proximal and distal to the fracture and connected with polymerizable acrylic. Radiographic consolidation of fracture was observed 60 days post-surgery and anti-inflammatory and antibiotic protocols were successful on avoiding pain and infection during surgery and bone healing.

Color quench correction for low level Cherenkov counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsroya, S; Pelled, O; German, U; Marco, R; Katorza, E; Alfassi, Z B

2009-05-01

The Cherenkov counting efficiency varies strongly with color quenching, thus correction curves must be used to obtain correct results. The external (152)Eu source of a Quantulus 1220 liquid scintillation counting (LSC) system was used to obtain a quench indicative parameter based on spectra area ratio. A color quench correction curve for aqueous samples containing (90)Sr/(90)Y was prepared. The main advantage of this method over the common spectra indicators is its usefulness also for low level Cherenkov counting.

Management of A Rare Case of Communicating Internal-External Inflammatory Resorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, Suraj; Gill, Gurdeep Singh; Saluja, Priyanka; Setia, Vikas

2015-05-01

The present case describes the successful management of a rare case of communicating internal-external resorption in which both internal and external resorption seem to develop independent of each other. The case report highlights the importance of correct diagnosis and need of revision of classification system of resorptive defects.

Environment and externalization; Environnement et externalisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kremlis, G.; Renaud, R. [Association francaise des ingenieurs et techniciens de l' environnement, AFITE, 75 - Paris (France); Touron, M. [Veritas, 75 - Paris (France)] [and others

2001-07-01

This document presents the discussions of the 16 may 2000, concerning the externalization and the environment and proposes to answer the following questions: is the externalization a new strategy to better perceive, hopeful engineering department, the technological risks problems, the environment or the land pollution? Does the externalization allow a better organization of the enterprise? To analyse the situation, the document presents the white book of the environmental liability, the administration point of view, some enterprises examples and the importance of the environmental management. (A.L.B.)

Simple motion correction strategy reduces respiratory-induced motion artifacts for k-t accelerated and compressed-sensing cardiovascular magnetic resonance perfusion imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ruixi; Huang, Wei; Yang, Yang; Chen, Xiao; Weller, Daniel S; Kramer, Christopher M; Kozerke, Sebastian; Salerno, Michael

2018-02-01

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) stress perfusion imaging provides important diagnostic and prognostic information in coronary artery disease (CAD). Current clinical sequences have limited temporal and/or spatial resolution, and incomplete heart coverage. Techniques such as k-t principal component analysis (PCA) or k-t sparcity and low rank structure (SLR), which rely on the high degree of spatiotemporal correlation in first-pass perfusion data, can significantly accelerate image acquisition mitigating these problems. However, in the presence of respiratory motion, these techniques can suffer from significant degradation of image quality. A number of techniques based on non-rigid registration have been developed. However, to first approximation, breathing motion predominantly results in rigid motion of the heart. To this end, a simple robust motion correction strategy is proposed for k-t accelerated and compressed sensing (CS) perfusion imaging. A simple respiratory motion compensation (MC) strategy for k-t accelerated and compressed-sensing CMR perfusion imaging to selectively correct respiratory motion of the heart was implemented based on linear k-space phase shifts derived from rigid motion registration of a region-of-interest (ROI) encompassing the heart. A variable density Poisson disk acquisition strategy was used to minimize coherent aliasing in the presence of respiratory motion, and images were reconstructed using k-t PCA and k-t SLR with or without motion correction. The strategy was evaluated in a CMR-extended cardiac torso digital (XCAT) phantom and in prospectively acquired first-pass perfusion studies in 12 subjects undergoing clinically ordered CMR studies. Phantom studies were assessed using the Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). In patient studies, image quality was scored in a blinded fashion by two experienced cardiologists. In the phantom experiments, images reconstructed with the MC strategy had higher

External RNA Controls Consortium Beta Version Update.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hangnoh; Pine, P Scott; McDaniel, Jennifer; Salit, Marc; Oliver, Brian

2016-01-01

Spike-in RNAs are valuable controls for a variety of gene expression measurements. The External RNA Controls Consortium developed test sets that were used in a number of published reports. Here we provide an authoritative table that summarizes, updates, and corrects errors in the test version that ultimately resulted in the certified Standard Reference Material 2374. We have noted existence of anti-sense RNA controls in the material, corrected sub-pool memberships, and commented on control RNAs that displayed inconsistent behavior.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan for Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farnham, Irene [Navarro, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2017-08-01

This corrective action decision document (CADD)/corrective action plan (CAP) has been prepared for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 97, Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), Nevada. The Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU is located in the northeastern portion of the NNSS and comprises 720 corrective action sites. A total of 747 underground nuclear detonations took place within this CAU between 1957 and 1992 and resulted in the release of radionuclides (RNs) in the subsurface in the vicinity of the test cavities. The CADD portion describes the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU data-collection and modeling activities completed during the corrective action investigation (CAI) stage, presents the corrective action objectives, and describes the actions recommended to meet the objectives. The CAP portion describes the corrective action implementation plan. The CAP presents CAU regulatory boundary objectives and initial use-restriction boundaries identified and negotiated by DOE and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). The CAP also presents the model evaluation process designed to build confidence that the groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling results can be used for the regulatory decisions required for CAU closure. The UGTA strategy assumes that active remediation of subsurface RN contamination is not feasible with current technology. As a result, the corrective action is based on a combination of characterization and modeling studies, monitoring, and institutional controls. The strategy is implemented through a four-stage approach that comprises the following: (1) corrective action investigation plan (CAIP), (2) CAI, (3) CADD/CAP, and (4) closure report (CR) stages.

A comparative perspective on external technology sourcing modalities: The role of synergies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sabidussi, A.; Lokshin, B.; Leeuw, de T.; Duysters, G.M.; Bremmers, H.J.; Omta, S.W.F.

2014-01-01

This paper assesses the impact on innovative performance of alternative external sourcing strategies. In particular, the study under discussion compared external sourcing strategies based on specialization to those based on integrating various sourcing modalities (e.g., alliances and M&As).

A comparative perspective on external technology sourcing modalities : The role of synergies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sabidussi, A.; Lokshin, B.; de Leeuw, T.; Duijsters, G.M.; Bremmers, H.; Omta, O.

2014-01-01

This paper assesses the impact on innovative performance of alternative external sourcing strategies. In particular, the study under discussion compared external sourcing strategies based on specialization to those based on integrating various sourcing modalities (e.g., alliances and M&As). Survey

1 D Additive correction strategy for solving tow dimensional problem of heat and mas transfer in porous media with non-rectangular domain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al Mers, A.; Mimet, A.

2006-01-01

We propose a new procedure using 1 D additive correction strategy (AC), for resolution of tow dimensional problem of heat and mass transfer in field reactor of adsorption cooling machine. The reactor contains a porous medium constituted of activated carbon reacting by adsorption with ammonia. The present paper demonstrated how the new procedure of the (AC) propose here can be used, in the case of non-rectangular domain and strongly anisotropic coefficients, to improve the convergence rate of different iterative solvers currently used: Point Gauss-Seidel (GS), the line Gauss-Seidel (LGS), strongly implicit procedure (SIP) and the strongly implicit solver (SIS). Results shows that for different solvers, the performance of the additive correction strategy is efficiently improved by using the new procedure.(Author)

Measured attenuation correction methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostertag, H.; Kuebler, W.K.; Doll, J.; Lorenz, W.J.

1989-01-01

Accurate attenuation correction is a prerequisite for the determination of exact local radioactivity concentrations in positron emission tomography. Attenuation correction factors range from 4-5 in brain studies to 50-100 in whole body measurements. This report gives an overview of the different methods of determining the attenuation correction factors by transmission measurements using an external positron emitting source. The long-lived generator nuclide 68 Ge/ 68 Ga is commonly used for this purpose. The additional patient dose from the transmission source is usually a small fraction of the dose due to the subsequent emission measurement. Ring-shaped transmission sources as well as rotating point or line sources are employed in modern positron tomographs. By masking a rotating line or point source, random and scattered events in the transmission scans can be effectively suppressed. The problems of measured attenuation correction are discussed: Transmission/emission mismatch, random and scattered event contamination, counting statistics, transmission/emission scatter compensation, transmission scan after administration of activity to the patient. By using a double masking technique simultaneous emission and transmission scans become feasible. (orig.)

Correction of Depolarizing Resonances in ELSA

Science.gov (United States)

Steier, C.; Husmann, D.

1997-05-01

The 3.5 GeV electron stretcherring ELSA (ELectron Stretcher Accelerator) at Bonn University is operational since 1987, both as a continuous beam facility for external fixed target experiments and as a partially dedicated synchrotron light source. For the external experiments an upgrade to polarized electrons is under way. One source of polarized electrons (GaAs crystal, photoeffect using circular polarized laser light) is operational. The studies of minimizing the losses in polarization degree due to crossing of depolarizing resonances that necessarily exist in circular accelerators (storagerings) just started recently. Calculations concerning different correction schemes for the depolarizing resonances in ELSA are presented, and first results of measurements are shown (done by means of a Møller polarimeter in one of the external beamlines).

Real Time MRI Motion Correction with Markerless Tracking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Benjaminsen, Claus; Jensen, Rasmus Ramsbøl; Wighton, Paul

Prospective motion correction for MRI neuroimaging has been demonstrated using MR navigators and external tracking systems using markers. The drawbacks of these two motion estimation methods include prolonged scan time plus lack of compatibility with all image acquisitions, and difficulties...... validating marker attachment resulting in uncertain estimation of the brain motion respectively. We have developed a markerless tracking system, and in this work we demonstrate the use of our system for prospective motion correction, and show that despite being computationally demanding, markerless tracking...... can be implemented for real time motion correction....

The Effect of Six Different Corrective Feedback Strategies on Iranian English Language Learners’ IELTS Writing Task 2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Vahdani Sanavi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Scholars have long studied the effect of corrective feedback strategies on the writing ability of language learners, but few have formed designs in which more than three feedback strategies have been used. In this research, the ultimate goal was to discover how International English Language Testing System (IELTS- candidates could be helped to perform better in the writing component of the test with the feedback they get. To this end, 186 learners attending IELTS preparation classes in three different English language institutes participated in this quasi-experimental study. A one-way ANOVA was run to discover the significant difference among the six groups. The findings proposed that Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL students’ writing ability improved as a result of the employment of writing feedback strategies but that reformulation strategy was the most effective one. Teachers can, thus, benefit from the finding of this research by studying the way they should tackle the learners’ inaccurate productions as far as different writing score band descriptors are concerned.

Purification of correctly oxidized MHC class I heavy-chain molecules under denaturing conditions: a novel strategy exploiting disulfide assisted protein folding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferré, Henrik; Ruffet, Emmanuel; Blicher, Thomas

2003-01-01

The aim of this study has been to develop a strategy for purifying correctly oxidized denatured major histocompability complex class I (MHC-I) heavy-chain molecules, which on dilution, fold efficiently and become functional. Expression of heavy-chain molecules in bacteria results in the formation...... of insoluble cellular inclusion bodies, which must be solubilized under denaturing conditions. Their subsequent purification and refolding is complicated by the fact that (1). correct folding can only take place in combined presence of beta(2)-microglobulin and a binding peptide; and (2). optimal in vitro...... conditions for disulfide bond formation ( approximately pH 8) and peptide binding ( approximately pH 6.6) are far from complementary. Here we present a two-step strategy, which relies on uncoupling the events of disulfide bond formation and peptide binding. In the first phase, heavy-chain molecules...

Determinants of External Debt: The Case of Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Rafik, Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohamed

2015-01-01

Over the past 30 years, Malaysia‘s external debt has been on an increase, with the increase closely linked to a number of economic factors. The changing quantities and qualities of external debt have become a national concern. Data related to the changes in dependent and independent variables between 1970 and 2013 was used in the study. The model was tested for unit root tests, cointegration test, vector error correction model, and Granger causality test. The cointegration test indicates ther...

Reproducibility of R-fMRI metrics on the impact of different strategies for multiple comparison correction and sample sizes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiao; Lu, Bin; Yan, Chao-Gan

2018-01-01

Concerns regarding reproducibility of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) findings have been raised. Little is known about how to operationally define R-fMRI reproducibility and to what extent it is affected by multiple comparison correction strategies and sample size. We comprehensively assessed two aspects of reproducibility, test-retest reliability and replicability, on widely used R-fMRI metrics in both between-subject contrasts of sex differences and within-subject comparisons of eyes-open and eyes-closed (EOEC) conditions. We noted permutation test with Threshold-Free Cluster Enhancement (TFCE), a strict multiple comparison correction strategy, reached the best balance between family-wise error rate (under 5%) and test-retest reliability/replicability (e.g., 0.68 for test-retest reliability and 0.25 for replicability of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) for between-subject sex differences, 0.49 for replicability of ALFF for within-subject EOEC differences). Although R-fMRI indices attained moderate reliabilities, they replicated poorly in distinct datasets (replicability < 0.3 for between-subject sex differences, < 0.5 for within-subject EOEC differences). By randomly drawing different sample sizes from a single site, we found reliability, sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) rose as sample size increased. Small sample sizes (e.g., < 80 [40 per group]) not only minimized power (sensitivity < 2%), but also decreased the likelihood that significant results reflect "true" effects (PPV < 0.26) in sex differences. Our findings have implications for how to select multiple comparison correction strategies and highlight the importance of sufficiently large sample sizes in R-fMRI studies to enhance reproducibility. Hum Brain Mapp 39:300-318, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Operating experience and corrective action program at Ontario Hydro Nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collingwood, Barry; Turner, David

1998-01-01

This is a slide-based talk given at the COG/IAEA: 5. Technical Committee Meeting on 'Exchange of operating experience of pressurized heavy water reactors'. In the introduction there are presented the operating experience (OPEX) program of OHN, and the OPEX Program Mission, ensuring that the right information gets to the right staff at the right time. The OPEX Processes are analysed. These are: - Internal Corrective Action; - Inter-site Lesson Transfer; - External Lesson Transfer; - External Posting of OHN Events; - Internalizing Operating Experience. Steps in solving the Corrective Action Program are described: - Identify the Problem; - Notify Immediate Supervision/Manager; - Evaluate the Problem; - Correct the Problem; Monitor/Report Status. The Internal Corrective Action is then presented as a flowchart. The internalizing operating experience is presented under three aspects: - Communication; - Interface; - Training. The following items are discussed, respectively: peer meetings, department/section meetings, safety meetings, e-mail folders, newsletters and bulletin boards; work planning, pre-job briefings, supervisors' briefing cards; classroom initial and refresher (case studies), simulator, management courses. A diagram is presented showing the flow and treatment of information within OHN, centered on the weekly screening meetings. Finally, the corrective action processes are depicted in a flowchart and analysed in details

Knowledge Complementarity of a Firm’s Internal and External R&D Capabilities

OpenAIRE

Koski, Heli; Svento, Rauli

2014-01-01

We use data from over 1500 Finnish companies for the years 2006-2008 and 2008-2010 to explore complementarity of a firm’s R&D strategy with its external knowledge acquisition and innovation collaboration strategies. We define knowledge complementarity (tacit knowledge complementarity) of R&D capabilities to exist when increase in investments in R&D also increases marginal returns from broader external knowledge search (deeper innovation collaboration with external partners). Our estimation re...

SU-C-BRF-05: Design and Geometric Validation of An Externally and Internally Deformable, Programmable Lung Motion Phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheung, Y; Sawant, A

2014-01-01

Purpose: Most clinically-deployed strategies for respiratory motion management in lung radiotherapy (e.g., gating, tracking) use external markers that serve as surrogates for tumor motion. However, typical lung phantoms used to validate these strategies are rigid-exterior+rigid-interior or rigid-exterior+deformable-interior. Neither class adequately represents the human anatomy, which is deformable internally as well as externally. We describe the construction and experimental validation of a more realistic, externally- and internally-deformable, programmable lung phantom. Methods: The outer shell of a commercially-available lung phantom (RS- 1500, RSD Inc.) was used. The shell consists of a chest cavity with a flexible anterior surface, and embedded vertebrae, rib-cage and sternum. A 3-axis platform was programmed with sinusoidal and six patient-recorded lung tumor trajectories. The platform was used to drive a rigid foam ‘diaphragm’ that compressed/decompressed the phantom interior. Experimental characterization comprised of mapping the superior-inferior (SI) and anterior-posterior (AP) trajectories of external and internal radioopaque markers with kV x-ray fluoroscopy and correlating these with optical surface monitoring using the in-room VisionRT system. Results: The phantom correctly reproduced the programmed motion as well as realistic effects such as hysteresis. The reproducibility of marker trajectories over multiple runs for sinusoidal as well as patient traces, as characterized by fluoroscopy, was within 0.4 mm RMS error for internal as well as external markers. The motion trajectories of internal and external markers as measured by fluoroscopy were found to be highly correlated (R=0.97). Furthermore, motion trajectories of arbitrary points on the deforming phantom surface, as recorded by the VisionRT system also showed a high correlation with respect to the fluoroscopically-measured trajectories of internal markers (R=0.92). Conclusion: We have

External stent for repair of secondary tracheomalacia.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, M R; Loeber, N; Hillyer, P; Stephenson, L W; Edmunds, L H

1980-09-01

Tracheomalacia was created in anesthetized piglets by submucosal resection of 3 to 5 tracheal cartilages. Measurements of airway pressure and flow showed that expiratory airway resistance is maximal at low lung volumes and is significantly increased by creation of the malacic segment. Cervical flexion increases expiratory airway resistance, whereas hyperextension of the neck reduces resistance toward normal. External stenting of the malacic segment reduces expiratory airway resistance, and the combination of external stenting and hyperextension restores airway resistance to normal except at low lung volume. Two patients with secondary tracheomalacia required tracheostomy and could not be decannulated after the indication for the tracheostomy was corrected. Both were successfully decannulated after external stenting of the malacic segment with rib grafts. Postoperative measurements of expiratory pulmonary resistance show a marked decrease from preoperative measurements. External stenting of symptomatic tracheomalacia reduces expiratory airway resistance by supporting and stretching the malacic segment and is preferable to prolonged internal stenting or tracheal resection.

Attenuation Correction Strategies for Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and 4-Dimensional Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography

OpenAIRE

Pan, Tinsu; Zaidi, Habib

2013-01-01

This article discusses attenuation correction strategies in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and 4 dimensional PET/CT imaging. Average CT scan derived from averaging the high temporal resolution CT images is effective in improving the registration of the CT and the PET images and quantification of the PET data. It underscores list mode data acquisition in 4 dimensional PET and introduces 4 dimensional CT popular in thoracic treatment planning to 4 dimensional PET/CT. ...

Corrections to the box diagram amplitude due to kaon mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Datta, A.; Kumbhakar, D.

1985-08-01

The K 0 -anti-K 0 mixing amplitude is calculated without using the standard zero external momentum approximation. The resulting corrections are numerically significant for the real part of the amplitude. In the imaginary part of the amplitude the effects of similar corrections are less important. Implications for Δmsub(k) and epsilon are discussed. (author)

An externally and internally deformable, programmable lung motion phantom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheung, Yam; Sawant, Amit, E-mail: amit.sawant@utsouthwestern.edu [UT Southwestern Medical Center, University of Texas, Dallas, Texas 75390 (United States)

2015-05-15

Purpose: Most clinically deployed strategies for respiratory motion management in lung radiotherapy (e.g., gating and tracking) use external markers that serve as surrogates for tumor motion. However, typical lung phantoms used to validate these strategies are based on a rigid exterior and a rigid or a deformable-interior. Such designs do not adequately represent respiration because the thoracic anatomy deforms internally as well as externally. In order to create a closer approximation of respiratory motion, the authors describe the construction and experimental testing of an externally as well as internally deformable, programmable lung phantom. Methods: The outer shell of a commercially available lung phantom (RS-1500, RSD, Inc.) was used. The shell consists of a chest cavity with a flexible anterior surface, and embedded vertebrae, rib-cage and sternum. A custom-made insert was designed using a piece of natural latex foam block. A motion platform was programmed with sinusoidal and ten patient-recorded lung tumor trajectories. The platform was used to drive a rigid foam “diaphragm” that compressed/decompressed the phantom interior. Experimental characterization comprised of determining the reproducibility and the external–internal correlation of external and internal marker trajectories extracted from kV x-ray fluoroscopy. Experiments were conducted to illustrate three example applications of the phantom—(i) validating the geometric accuracy of the VisionRT surface photogrammetry system; (ii) validating an image registration tool, NiftyReg; and (iii) quantifying the geometric error due to irregular motion in four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT). Results: The phantom correctly reproduced sinusoidal and patient-derived motion, as well as realistic respiratory motion-related effects such as hysteresis. The reproducibility of marker trajectories over multiple runs for sinusoidal as well as patient traces, as characterized by fluoroscopy, was within 0

Design Strategy for a Pipelined ADC Employing Digital Post-correction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Harpe, P.J.A.; Zanikopoulos, A.; Hegt, J.A.; Roermund, van A.H.M.

2004-01-01

This paper describes how the usage of digital post-correction techniques in pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADC's) can be exploited optimally during the design-phase of the converter. It is known that post-correction algorithms reduce the influence of several cir- cuit impairments on the

Multi-axial correction system in the treatment of radial club hand.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat, Suneel B; Kamath, Atul F; Sehgal, Kriti; Horn, B David; Hosalkar, Harish S

2009-12-01

Radial club hand is a well-recognized congenital malformation characterized by hypoplasia of bone and soft tissue on the radial aspect of the forearm and hand. The modalities of treatment have traditionally varied from stretching casts with soft-tissue procedures to the use of multiple corrective osteotomies. These osteotomies can be stabilized by a variety of methods, including external fixators that allow the possibility of gradual distraction with neohistiogenesis. This current study outlines the usage of one such device (multi-axial correction system [MAC]) in the management of deformity associated with severe radial club hand. Three consecutive cases of unilateral or bilateral severe (Bayne type IV) congenital radial club hand were corrected using MAC fixation in the last 5 years. This is a retrospective review of all three cases. Data parameters included: patient demographics, presentation findings, degree of deformity, amount of correction/lengthening, length of procedure, length of treatment, and associated complications. The surgical technique is described in detail for the benefit of the readership. The three patients with severe congenital radial club hand had a total of four limb involvements that underwent correction using osteotomies and usage of the MAC device for external fixation. All three patients underwent successful correction of deformity with the restoration of alignment, lengthening of forearm for improvement of function, and stabilization of the wrist (mean duration, mean lengthening, mean time to consolidation). The MAC system was well tolerated in all patients and associated complications were limited. The MAC fixator seems to be a good alternative modality of stabilization and correction for severe congenital radial club hand deformities. Its usage is fairly simple and it provides the ease of application of a mono-lateral fixator with far superior three-dimensional control, like the circular external fixator. We recommend that

External knowledge sourcing in the Spanish archaeological sector: Mapping the emergent stage of a business activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Parga-Dans

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Recent studies of innovation highlight the importance of external knowledge sourcing. Existing empirical works are based on national surveys and specific industries. The present study contributes to the analysis of strategies for sourcing external knowledge, based on a specific case study and moment in time: the Spanish archaeological sector and its emergence as a new business activity. Our results show that external knowledge sourcing involves diverse mechanisms, agents and two main strategies: cooperation and knowledge acquisition. In an expanding knowledge-based sector emerging in an uncertain context and whose sources of knowledge are scattered, innovation strategy should focus on the search for external knowledge –cooperation and acquisition strategies-, rather than on internal sources.

Beam-centric algorithm for pretreatment patient position correction in external beam radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bose, Supratik; Shukla, Himanshu; Maltz, Jonathan

2010-01-01

Purpose: In current image guided pretreatment patient position adjustment methods, image registration is used to determine alignment parameters. Since most positioning hardware lacks the full six degrees of freedom (DOF), accuracy is compromised. The authors show that such compromises are often unnecessary when one models the planned treatment beams as part of the adjustment calculation process. The authors present a flexible algorithm for determining optimal realizable adjustments for both step-and-shoot and arc delivery methods. Methods: The beam shape model is based on the polygonal intersection of each beam segment with the plane in pretreatment image volume that passes through machine isocenter perpendicular to the central axis of the beam. Under a virtual six-DOF correction, ideal positions of these polygon vertices are computed. The proposed method determines the couch, gantry, and collimator adjustments that minimize the total mismatch of all vertices over all segments with respect to their ideal positions. Using this geometric error metric as a function of the number of available DOF, the user may select the most desirable correction regime. Results: For a simulated treatment plan consisting of three equally weighted coplanar fixed beams, the authors achieve a 7% residual geometric error (with respect to the ideal correction, considered 0% error) by applying gantry rotation as well as translation and isocentric rotation of the couch. For a clinical head-and-neck intensity modulated radiotherapy plan with seven beams and five segments per beam, the corresponding error is 6%. Correction involving only couch translation (typical clinical practice) leads to a much larger 18% mismatch. Clinically significant consequences of more accurate adjustment are apparent in the dose volume histograms of target and critical structures. Conclusions: The algorithm achieves improvements in delivery accuracy using standard delivery hardware without significantly increasing

Internal and external validation of an ESTRO delineation guideline

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eldesoky, Ahmed R.; Yates, Esben Svitzer; Nyeng, Tine B

2016-01-01

Background and purpose To internally and externally validate an atlas based automated segmentation (ABAS) in loco-regional radiation therapy of breast cancer. Materials and methods Structures of 60 patients delineated according to the ESTRO consensus guideline were included in four categorized...... and axillary nodal levels and poor agreement for interpectoral, internal mammary nodal regions and LADCA. Correcting ABAS significantly improved all the results. External validation of ABAS showed comparable results. Conclusions ABAS is a clinically useful tool for segmenting structures in breast cancer loco...

Rigid external maxillary distraction and rhinoplasty for pyknodysostosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Varol, Altan; Sabuncuoglu, Fidan Alakus; Sencimen, Metin; Akcam, Timur; Olmez, Hüseyin; Basa, Selçuk

2011-05-01

This article reports the treatment of an 33-year-old female patient with pyknodysostosis by rigid external distraction II midface distraction system. The patient with pyknodysostosis described in this report had severe midfacial hypoplasia. Correction of this by use of routine orthognathic surgery would require osteosynthesis and bone grafting. Risk of infection and/or nonunion after such a surgical procedure was considered too great, and therefore the possibility of treatment by distraction osteogenesis of the maxilla was evaluated. The rigid external distraction II midface distraction system was used to relocate the hypoplastic maxilla at anterior-inferior projection. Distraction osteogenesis should be considered as the primary reconstructive method for maxillofacial deformities in patients with sclerosing bone dysplasias, since this is the second reported case treated successfully with rigid external distraction.

Search Strategy of Detector Position For Neutron Source Multiplication Method by Using Detected-Neutron Multiplication Factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endo, Tomohiro

2011-01-01

In this paper, an alternative definition of a neutron multiplication factor, detected-neutron multiplication factor kdet, is produced for the neutron source multiplication method..(NSM). By using kdet, a search strategy of appropriate detector position for NSM is also proposed. The NSM is one of the practical subcritical measurement techniques, i.e., the NSM does not require any special equipment other than a stationary external neutron source and an ordinary neutron detector. Additionally, the NSM method is based on steady-state analysis, so that this technique is very suitable for quasi real-time measurement. It is noted that the correction factors play important roles in order to accurately estimate subcriticality from the measured neutron count rates. The present paper aims to clarify how to correct the subcriticality measured by the NSM method, the physical meaning of the correction factors, and how to reduce the impact of correction factors by setting a neutron detector at an appropriate detector position

The Development of Knowledge of an External Retrieval Cue Strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritter, Kenneth

1978-01-01

Investigated preschool and third grade children's metamnemonic knowledge that in order to serve as an efficient retrieval cue of the location of a hidden object, an external marker sign must differentiate it from other locations. (JMB)

Economic Analysis of Immunization Strategies for PRRS Control [corrected].

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel C L Linhares

Full Text Available Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv is a swine-specific pathogen that causes significant increases in production costs. When a breeding herd becomes infected, in an attempt to hasten control and elimination of PRRSv, some veterinarians have adopted a strategy called load-close-expose which consists of interrupting replacement pig introductions into the herd for several weeks (herd closure and exposing the whole herd to a replicating PRRSv to boost herd immunity. Either modified-live virus (MLV vaccine or live field-virus inoculation (FVI is used. This study consisted of partial budget analyses to compare MLV to FVI as the exposure method of load-close-expose program to control and eliminate PRRSv from infected breeding herds, and secondly to estimate benefit / cost of vaccinating sow herds preventatively. Under the assumptions used in this study, MLV held economic advantage over FVI. However, sensitivity analysis revealed that decreasing margin over variable costs below $ 47.32, or increasing PRRSv-attributed cost above $18.89 or achieving time-to-stability before 25 weeks resulted in advantage of FVI over MLV. Preventive vaccination of sow herds was beneficial when the frequency of PRRSv infection was at least every 1 year and 9 months [corrected]. The economics of preventative vaccination was minimally affected by cost attributed to field-type PRRSv infection on growing pigs or by the breeding herd productivity level. The models developed and described in this paper provide valuable tools to assist veterinarians in their efforts to control PRRSv.

Corrective action program reengineering project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vernick, H.R.

1996-01-01

A series of similar refueling floor events that occurred during the early 1990s prompted Susquehanna steam electric station (SSES) management to launch a broad-based review of how the Nuclear Department conducts business. This was accomplished through the formation of several improvement initiative teams. Clearly, one of the key areas that benefited from this management initiative was the corrective action program. The corrective action improvement team was charged with taking a comprehensive look at how the Nuclear Department identified and resolved problems. The 10-member team included management and bargaining unit personnel as well as an external management consultant. This paper provides a summary of this self-assessment initiative, including a discussion of the issues identified, opportunities for improvement, and subsequent completed or planned actions

Weighing environmental externalities: Let's do it right

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joskow, P.L.

1992-01-01

Should we as a society adopt policies to internalize external environmental costs? Of course we should. But we should do it correctly. State public utility commissions (PUCs) that are using numerical 'externality adders' reflecting global and regional environmental impacts in the resource planning and selection process are doing it wrong. The use of these adders is likely to lead to higher electricity prices without a commensurate improvement in environmental impacts in the resource planning and selection process are doing it wrong. The use of these adders is likely to lead to higher electricity prices without a commensurate improvement in environmental quality. Alternative approaches for dealing with environmental damages or externalities exist that can lead utilities to take account of the environmental costs associated with the generation of electricity more effectively and at lower cost. This article discusses what an externality is and why the use of environmental adders by PUCs in the resource selection process, while well intentioned, is a bad idea. The author discusses how the most egregious errors associated with the use of adders can be corrected if PUCs insist on using them. Finally, he outlines an alternative approach that state PUCs can pursue which will better serve the electricity customers they are supposed to protect and promote a cleaner environment at the lowest reasonable cost. The author emphasizes that this is not a debate about whether or not environmental costs should be factored into the investment and operating decisions of firms that produce pollution. Rather, it is about how it should be done and whether state PUCs are in a particularly good position to do it well, given their expertise, legal authorities, other responsibilities and scarce resources

Neurological Correlates of Reward Responding in Adolescents With and Without Externalizing Behavior Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.; Shannon, Katherine E.; Chipman, Jane; Fleming, Andrew P.; Crowell, Sheila E.; Liang, Olivia; Aylward, Elizabeth; Johnson, L. Clark

2009-01-01

Opposing theories of striatal hyper- and hypodopaminergic functioning have been suggested in the pathophysiology of externalizing behavior disorders. To test these competing theories, the authors used functional MRI to evaluate neural activity during a simple reward task in 12- to 16-year-old boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or conduct disorder (n = 19) and in controls with no psychiatric condition (n = 11). The task proceeded in blocks during which participants received either (a) monetary incentives for correct responses or (b) no rewards for correct responses. Controls exhibited striatal activation only during reward, shifting to anterior cingulate activation during nonreward. In contrast, externalizing adolescents exhibited striatal activation during both reward and nonreward. Externalizing psychopathology appears to be characterized by deficits in processing the omission of predicted reward, which may render behaviors that are acquired through environmental contingencies difficult to extinguish when those contingencies change. PMID:19222326

The externally corrected coupled cluster approach with four- and five-body clusters from the CASSCF wave function.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Enhua; Li, Shuhua

2015-03-07

An externally corrected CCSDt (coupled cluster with singles, doubles, and active triples) approach employing four- and five-body clusters from the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) wave function (denoted as ecCCSDt-CASSCF) is presented. The quadruple and quintuple excitation amplitudes within the active space are extracted from the CASSCF wave function and then fed into the CCSDt-like equations, which can be solved in an iterative way as the standard CCSDt equations. With a size-extensive CASSCF reference function, the ecCCSDt-CASSCF method is size-extensive. When the CASSCF wave function is readily available, the computational cost of the ecCCSDt-CASSCF method scales as the popular CCSD method (if the number of active orbitals is small compared to the total number of orbitals). The ecCCSDt-CASSCF approach has been applied to investigate the potential energy surface for the simultaneous dissociation of two O-H bonds in H2O, the equilibrium distances and spectroscopic constants of 4 diatomic molecules (F2(+), O2(+), Be2, and NiC), and the reaction barriers for the automerization reaction of cyclobutadiene and the Cl + O3 → ClO + O2 reaction. In most cases, the ecCCSDt-CASSCF approach can provide better results than the CASPT2 (second order perturbation theory with a CASSCF reference function) and CCSDT methods.

Global Strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Peter Ping

2013-01-01

Global strategy differs from domestic strategy in terms of content and process as well as context and structure. The content of global strategy can contain five key elements, while the process of global strategy can have six major stages. These are expounded below. Global strategy is influenced...... by rich and complementary local contexts with diverse resource pools and game rules at the national level to form a broad ecosystem at the global level. Further, global strategy dictates the interaction or balance between different entry strategies at the levels of internal and external networks....

Implementing a learning technology strategy: top–down strategy meets bottom–up culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernard Lisewski

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Using interview-based ‘insider case study' research, this paper outlines why the University of Salford has adopted a Learning Technologies Strategy and examines the factors which are likely to lead to its successful implementation. External reasons for the adoption focused on the need to: respond to ‘increased Higher Education (HE competition', meet student expectations of learning technology use, provide more flexibility and access to the curriculum, address the possible determining effect of technology and establish a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE presence in this ‘particular area of the HE landscape'. Internal drivers centred on the need to: continue a ‘bottom– up' e-learning pilot project initiative, particularly given that a VLE is a ‘complex tool' which requires effective strategic implementation, and promote the idea that learning technology will play an important role in determining the type of HE institution that the University of Salford wishes to become. Likely success factors highlighted the need to: create ‘time and space' for innovation, maintain effective communication and consultation at all levels of the organization, emphasize the operational aspects of the strategy, establish a variety of staff development processes and recognize the negotiatory processes involved in understanding the term ‘web presence' in local teaching cultures. Fundamentally, the paper argues that policy makers should acknowledge the correct ‘cultural configuration' of HE institutions when seeking to manage and achieve organizational change. Thus, it is not just a question of establishing ‘success factors' per se but also whether they are contextualized appropriately within a ‘correct' characterization of the organizational culture.

Corrective measures and actions in response to defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This guideline presents a number of corrective measures which can be taken when the derived limits in the Code or the relevant action levels are exceeded. Appropriate actions to be taken for external β and γ radiation, airborne contamination, surface contamination and uranium or thorium concentrate spillage are specified

Structuring Interactive Correctness Proofs by Formalizing Coding Idioms

OpenAIRE

Gast, Holger

2012-01-01

This paper examines a novel strategy for developing correctness proofs in interactive software verification for C programs. Rather than proceeding backwards from the generated verification conditions, we start by developing a library of the employed data structures and related coding idioms. The application of that library then leads to correctness proofs that reflect informal arguments about the idioms. We apply this strategy to the low-level memory allocator of the L4 microkernel, a case st...

SU-F-J-108: TMR Correction Factor Based Online Adaptive Radiotherapy for Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) of L-Spine Tumors Using Cone Beam CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghaffar, I; Balik, S; Zhuang, T; Chao, S; Xia, P [The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using TMR ratio correction factors for a fast online adaptive plan to compensate for anatomical changes in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) of L-spine tumors. Methods: Three coplanar treatment plans were made for 11 patients: Uniform (9 IMRT beams equally distributed around the patient); Posterior (IMRT with 9 posterior beams every 20 degree) and VMAT (2 360° arcs). For each patient, the external body and bowel gas were contoured on the planning CT and pre-treatment CBCT. After registering CBCT and the planning CT by aligning to the tumor, the CBCT contours were transferred to the planning CT. To estimate the actual delivered dose while considering patient’s anatomy of the treatment day, a hybrid CT was created by overriding densities in planning CT using the differences between CT and CBCT external and bowel gas contours. Correction factors (CF) were calculated using the effective depth information obtained from the planning system using the hybrid CT: CF = TMR (delivery)/TMR (planning). The adaptive plan was generated by multiplying the planned Monitor Units with the CFs. Results: The mean absolute difference (MAD) in V16Gy of the target between planned and estimated delivery with and without TMR correction was 0.8 ± 0.7% vs. 2.4 ± 1.3% for Uniform and 1.0 ± 0.9% vs. 2.6 ± 1.3% for VMAT plans(p<0.05), respectively. For V12Gy of cauda-equina with and without TMR correction, MAD was 0.24 ± 0.19% vs. 1.2 ± 1.02% for Uniform and 0.23 ± 0.20% vs. 0.78 ± 0.79% for VMAT plans(p<0.05), respectively. The differences between adaptive and original plans were not significant for posterior plans. Conclusion: The online adaptive strategy using TMR ratios and pre-treatment CBCT information was feasible strategy to compensate for anatomical changes for the patients treated for L-spine tumors, particularly for equally spaced IMRT and VMAT plans.

The welfare comparison of corrective ad valorem and unit taxes under monopolistic competition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dröge, Susanne; Schröder, Philipp J.H.

2009-01-01

such as environmental, health, and trade economics, policy makers use taxes to reduce the production/consumption volume in an industry, i.e., to correct an externality rather than to improve tax yield. This paper compares the two tax instruments with respect to equal corrective effect in a Dixit--Stiglitz setting...

Higher-order corrected Higgs bosons in FeynHiggs2.4

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

treatment of loop-corrected Higgs-boson mass eigenstates as external (on-shell) or internal .... This gives rise to finite wave function normalization factors. [22]. .... The elements of Un can be interpreted as effective couplings of internal Higgs.

Correction magnet power supplies for APS machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Y.G.

1991-04-01

A number of correction magnets are required for the advanced photon source (APS) machine to correct the beam. There are five kinds of correction magnets for the storage ring, two for the injector synchrotron, and two for the positron accumulator ring (PAR). Table I shoes a summary of the correction magnet power supplies for the APS machine. For the storage ring, the displacement of the quadrupole magnets due to the low frequency vibration below 25 Hz has the most significant effect on the stability of the positron closed orbit. The primary external source of the low frequency vibration is the ground motion of approximately 20 μm amplitude, with frequency components concentrated below 10 Hz. These low frequency vibrations can be corrected by using the correction magnets, whose field strengths are controlled individually through the feedback loop comprising the beam position monitoring system. The correction field require could be either positive or negative. Thus for all the correction magnets, bipolar power supplies (BPSs) are required to produce both polarities of correction fields. Three different types of BPS are used for all the correction magnets. Type I BPSs cover all the correction magnets for the storage ring, except for the trim dipoles. The maximum output current of the Type I BPS is 140 Adc. A Type II BPS powers a trim dipole, and its maximum output current is 60 Adc. The injector synchrotron and PAR correction magnets are powered form Type III BPSs, whose maximum output current is 25 Adc

The modified version of the centre-of-mass correction to the bag model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartelski, J.; Tatur, S.

1986-01-01

We propose the improvement of the recently considered version of the centre-of-mass correction to the bag model. We identify a nucleon bag with physical nucleon confined in an external fictitious spherical well potential with an additional external fictitious pressure characterized by the parameter b. The introduction of such a pressure restores the conservation of the canonical energy-momentum tensor, which was lost in the former model. We propose several methods to determine the numerical value of b. We calculate the Roper resonance mass as well as static electroweak parameters of a nucleon with centre-of-mass corrections taken into account. 7 refs., 1 tab. (author)

Environmental externalities and renewables: A policy perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanghi, A.K.

1992-01-01

New York state electric utilities are required to incorporate the consideration of environmental externality costs in their bidding programs for new capacity. A natural extension of this policy would be to consider environmental externality costs in the state's implementation of federal regulations under the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). A more direct but more politically difficult approach would be the use of environmental taxes. These two approaches are discussed for more fully incorporating environmental externalities in New York's energy planning process. Under PURPA, utilities have a general obligation to purchase energy from interconnected qualifying facilities on the basis of long-run avoided cost (LRAC) estimates. The New York State Public Service Commission is currently updating the LRAC estimates, which do not account for the costs of complying with the 1990 amendments of the Clean Air Act (CAA) or for environmental externality costs associated with underlying generation sources. Environmental externality LRACs are estimated based on SO 2 , NO x , and CO 2 emissions; estimates of CAA compliance are relatively small in comparison. The use of taxes to reduce emissions by making pollution more expensive than abatement is analyzed, with reference to both general revenue and trust fund types of tax mechanisms. The ways the two mechanisms affect development of wind power resources is illustrated to provide further insight into the correct application of environmental externalities in energy planning. 8 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

The Strategy Blueprint: A Strategy Process Computer-Aided Design Tool

OpenAIRE

Aldea, Adina Ioana; Febriani, Tania Rizki; Daneva, Maya; Iacob, Maria Eugenia

2017-01-01

Strategy has always been a main concern of organizations because it dictates their direction, and therefore determines their success. Thus, organizations need to have adequate support to guide them through their strategy formulation process. The goal of this research is to develop a computer-based tool, known as ‘the Strategy Blueprint’, consisting of a combination of nine strategy techniques, which can help organizations define the most suitable strategy, based on the internal and external f...

An introduction to Bartlett correction and bias reduction

CERN Document Server

Cordeiro, Gauss M

2014-01-01

This book presents a concise introduction to Bartlett and Bartlett-type corrections of statistical tests and bias correction of point estimators. The underlying idea behind both groups of corrections is to obtain higher accuracy in small samples. While the main focus is on corrections that can be analytically derived, the authors also present alternative strategies for improving estimators and tests based on bootstrap, a data resampling technique, and discuss concrete applications to several important statistical models.

Life Cycle Assessment, ExternE and Comprehensive Analysis for an integrated evaluation of the environmental impact of anthropogenic activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pietrapertosa, F.; Cosmi, C. [National Research Council, Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis C.N.R.-I.M.A.A. C.da S.Loja, I-85050 Tito Scalo (PZ) (Italy); National Research Council, National Institute for the Physics of Matter, C.N.R.-I.N.F.M. Via Cinthia, I-80126 Naples (Italy); Macchiato, M. [Federico II University, Department of Physical Sciences, Via Cinthia, I-80126 Naples (Italy); National Research Council, National Institute for the Physics of Matter, C.N.R.-I.N.F.M. Via Cinthia, I-80126 Naples (Italy); Salvia, M.; Cuomo, V. [National Research Council, Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis C.N.R.-I.M.A.A. C.da S.Loja, I-85050 Tito Scalo (PZ) (Italy)

2009-06-15

The implementation of resource management strategies aimed at reducing the impacts of the anthropogenic activities system requires a comprehensive approach to evaluate on the whole the environmental burdens of productive processes and to identify the best recovery strategies from both an environmental and an economic point of view. In this framework, an analytical methodology based on the integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), ExternE and Comprehensive Analysis was developed to perform an in-depth investigation of energy systems. The LCA methodology, largely utilised by the international scientific community for the assessment of the environmental performances of technologies, combined with Comprehensive Analysis allows modelling the overall system of anthropogenic activities, as well as sub-systems, the economic consequences of the whole set of environmental damages. Moreover, internalising external costs into partial equilibrium models, as those utilised by Comprehensive Analysis, can be useful to identify the best paths for implementing technology innovation and strategies aimed to a more sustainable energy supply and use. This paper presents an integrated application of these three methodologies to a local scale case study (the Val D'Agri area in Basilicata, Southern Italy), aimed to better characterise the environmental impacts of the energy system, with particular reference to extraction activities. The innovative methodological approach utilised takes advantage from the strength points of each methodology with an added value coming from their integration as emphasised by the main results obtained by the scenario analysis. (author)

Supersymmetry breaking and α'-corrections to flux induced potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, Katrin; Becker, Melanie; Haack, Michael; Louis, Jan

2002-01-01

We obtain the vacuum solutions for M-theory compactified on eight-manifolds with non-vanishing four-form flux by analyzing the scalar potential appearing in the three-dimensional theory. Many of these vacua are not supersymmetric and yet have a vanishing three-dimensional cosmological constant.We show that in the context of type-IIB compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds with fluxes and external brane sources α'-corrections generate a correction to the supergravity potential proportional to the Euler number of the internal manifold which spoils the no-scale structure appearing in the classical potential. This indicates that α'-corrections may indeed lead to a stabilization of the radial modulus appearing in these compactifications. (author)

Improved correlation between CT emphysema quantification and pulmonary function test by density correction of volumetric CT data based on air and aortic density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Soo; Seo, Joon Beom; Kim, Namkug; Chae, Eun Jin; Lee, Young Kyung; Oh, Yeon Mok; Lee, Sang Do

2014-01-01

Objectives: To determine the improvement of emphysema quantification with density correction and to determine the optimal site to use for air density correction on volumetric computed tomography (CT). Methods: Seventy-eight CT scans of COPD patients (GOLD II–IV, smoking history 39.2 ± 25.3 pack-years) were obtained from several single-vendor 16-MDCT scanners. After density measurement of aorta, tracheal- and external air, volumetric CT density correction was conducted (two reference values: air, −1000 HU/blood, +50 HU). Using in-house software, emphysema index (EI) and mean lung density (MLD) were calculated. Differences in air densities, MLD and EI prior to and after density correction were evaluated (paired t-test). Correlation between those parameters and FEV 1 and FEV 1 /FVC were compared (age- and sex adjusted partial correlation analysis). Results: Measured densities (HU) of tracheal- and external air differed significantly (−990 ± 14, −1016 ± 9, P < 0.001). MLD and EI on original CT data, after density correction using tracheal- and external air also differed significantly (MLD: −874.9 ± 27.6 vs. −882.3 ± 24.9 vs. −860.5 ± 26.6; EI: 16.8 ± 13.4 vs. 21.1 ± 14.5 vs. 9.7 ± 10.5, respectively, P < 0.001). The correlation coefficients between CT quantification indices and FEV 1 , and FEV 1 /FVC increased after density correction. The tracheal air correction showed better results than the external air correction. Conclusion: Density correction of volumetric CT data can improve correlations of emphysema quantification and PFT

Outline of manual on measurement and assessment of doses from external radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshizawa, Michio [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Tsujimura, Norio

2001-03-01

The external exposure part in the manual for measurement and assessment of doses from external radiation is described since the part is changed in accordance with the revision of the Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation Hazard due to Radioisotopes, Etc. The manual contains general remarks, control of external exposure and its methods, person monitoring, site monitoring, correction of instruments and storage of records. The 2nd and 3rd chapters are described in details, because which are considerably changed together with appendices concerning the operational quantity for measuring external dose, conversion coefficients, and correlations of 3 mm, 1 cm and 70 {mu}m dose equivalents. Making manuals unique to the individual offices, etc. is recommended in compliance with the above manual.(K.H.)

Liquid scintillation counting system with automatic gain correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, R.B.

1976-01-01

An automatic liquid scintillation counting apparatus is described including a scintillating medium in the elevator ram of the sample changing apparatus. An appropriate source of radiation, which may be the external source for standardizing samples, produces reference scintillations in the scintillating medium which may be used for correction of the gain of the counting system

External shading devices for energy efficient building

Science.gov (United States)

Shahdan, M. S.; Ahmad, S. S.; Hussin, M. A.

2018-02-01

External shading devices on a building façade is an important passive design strategy as they reduce solar radiation. Although studies have proven the benefits of external shading devices, many are designed solely for aesthetic purposes without fully considering its high potential to reduce solar radiation and glare. Furthermore, explorations into shading devices by the design team are mostly left too late in the design development phases. Hence, the paper looks into the effectiveness of external shading devices on a building towards more energy efficient building. The study aims to analyse the effects of various configurations of external shading devices towards the energy consumption of a case study building based on computer simulations. This study uses Building Information Modelling (BIM) through Autodesk Revit software as simulation tool. The constant variables for the simulation are the orientation of the building, types of glazing used by the building and the internal loads of the building. Whereas, the manipulated variable is the types of shading device used. The data were sorted according to the categories and translated into a chart. Analysis of the findings indicate that shading devices with different configurations show significant results in the energy consumption and the best configuration is the egg-crate shading devices. The study recommends that the consideration for shading device as a passive design strategy needs to be developed at the early stage of the building design.

Partial fourier and parallel MR image reconstruction with integrated gradient nonlinearity correction.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Shengzhen; Trzasko, Joshua D; Shu, Yunhong; Weavers, Paul T; Huston, John; Gray, Erin M; Bernstein, Matt A

2016-06-01

To describe how integrated gradient nonlinearity (GNL) correction can be used within noniterative partial Fourier (homodyne) and parallel (SENSE and GRAPPA) MR image reconstruction strategies, and demonstrate that performing GNL correction during, rather than after, these routines mitigates the image blurring and resolution loss caused by postreconstruction image domain based GNL correction. Starting from partial Fourier and parallel magnetic resonance imaging signal models that explicitly account for GNL, noniterative image reconstruction strategies for each accelerated acquisition technique are derived under the same core mathematical assumptions as their standard counterparts. A series of phantom and in vivo experiments on retrospectively undersampled data were performed to investigate the spatial resolution benefit of integrated GNL correction over conventional postreconstruction correction. Phantom and in vivo results demonstrate that the integrated GNL correction reduces the image blurring introduced by the conventional GNL correction, while still correcting GNL-induced coarse-scale geometrical distortion. Images generated from undersampled data using the proposed integrated GNL strategies offer superior depiction of fine image detail, for example, phantom resolution inserts and anatomical tissue boundaries. Noniterative partial Fourier and parallel imaging reconstruction methods with integrated GNL correction reduce the resolution loss that occurs during conventional postreconstruction GNL correction while preserving the computational efficiency of standard reconstruction techniques. Magn Reson Med 75:2534-2544, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tax corrections at the external borders of the European Community at the implementation of an energy levy: An inventory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Wit, G.

1993-09-01

There are several methods to implement an energy levy in the European Union without having a negative impact on the competitive position of energy-intensive industries and businesses in the EU: (1) a worldwide energy levy; (2) partly exemption of energy-intensive industries or businesses in the EU; and (3) an import levy on energy-intensive products from outside the EU, and refunds for industries and businesses in the EU for paid energy levies on products, exported to countries outside the EU. The third option is investigated in this report for two variants: the input variant (levy only on primary energy sources) and the output variant (levies on all the energy-intensive products). Energy-intensive products discussed in this report are energy carriers, food products, paper and board, chemical and synthetic products, ceramic products, and primary products of the metal industry. Attention is paid to the practical execution, the extent to which such a levy can be enforced, and its relation with the GATT. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of the two variants with tax corrections at the external borders are discussed in relation with the first two options (1) and (2) to guarantee the competitive position of energy-intensive industries and businesses. 4 tabs., 2 appendices, 30 refs

External phenome analysis enables a rational federated query strategy to detect changing rates of treatment-related complications associated with multiple myeloma.

Science.gov (United States)

Warner, Jeremy L; Alterovitz, Gil; Bodio, Kelly; Joyce, Robin M

2013-01-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly useful for health services research. For relatively uncommon conditions, such as multiple myeloma (MM) and its treatment-related complications, a combination of multiple EHR sources is essential for such research. The Shared Health Research Information Network (SHRINE) enables queries for aggregate results across participating institutions. Development of a rational search strategy in SHRINE may be augmented through analysis of pre-existing databases. We developed a SHRINE query for likely non-infectious treatment-related complications of MM, based upon an analysis of the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care (MIMIC II) database. Using this query strategy, we found that the rate of likely treatment-related complications significantly increased from 2001 to 2007, by an average of 6% a year (p=0.01), across the participating SHRINE institutions. This finding is in keeping with increasingly aggressive strategies in the treatment of MM. This proof of concept demonstrates that a staged approach to federated queries, using external EHR data, can yield potentially clinically meaningful results.

Does external technology acquisition determine export performance? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Yuandi; Cao, Wei; Zhou, Zhao

2013-01-01

understanding of the determinants of export performance by examining the impact of the inter-organizational dimension of innovation strategy to export performance, which has been ignored in the prevailing “strategy tripod” perspective of exporting research. This study is based on a sample of 141 Chinese...... indigenous manufacturing firms that engaged in inward technology licensing between 2000 and 2003. The empirical results indicate that external technology acquisitions positively influence Chinese firms’ export performance. Moreover the exporting performance of using external technology varies depending...

ExternE transport methodology for external cost evaluation of air pollution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, S. S.; Berkowicz, R.; Brandt, J.

The report describes how the human exposure estimates based on NERI's human exposure modelling system (AirGIS) can improve the Danish data used for exposure factors in the ExternE Transport methodology. Initially, a brief description of the ExternE Tranport methodology is given and it is summarised...

In Our Lifetime: A Reformist View of Correctional Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Arbenz, Richard L.

1994-01-01

Effective correctional education strategies should be used as models for comprehensive prison reform: prisons should become schools. Cognitive-democratic educational theory has been successfully applied in correctional education, demonstrating belief in people's intrinsic worth and ability to change. (SK)

Efficient Color-Dressed Calculation of Virtual Corrections

CERN Document Server

Giele, Walter; Winter, Jan

2010-01-01

With the advent of generalized unitarity and parametric integration techniques, the construction of a generic Next-to-Leading Order Monte Carlo becomes feasible. Such a generator will entail the treatment of QCD color in the amplitudes. We extend the concept of color dressing to one-loop amplitudes, resulting in the formulation of an explicit algorithmic solution for the calculation of arbitrary scattering processes at Next-to-Leading order. The resulting algorithm is of exponential complexity, that is the numerical evaluation time of the virtual corrections grows by a constant multiplicative factor as the number of external partons is increased. To study the properties of the method, we calculate the virtual corrections to $n$-gluon scattering.

two strategies to be integrated into globalization

OpenAIRE

Alvarado, Fernando

2011-01-01

The present thesis work intends to investigate internal and external factors determining the type of strategy of foreign policy used by Argentina and Chile in order to be part of globalization. In both cases, it is a strategy where the emphasis on the management of foreign policy, more economic than political, prevails. However, under the same external context and similar formal institutional frameworks, the main difference of both strategies may be found in the conceptual approach, which is ...

Improved correlation between CT emphysema quantification and pulmonary function test by density correction of volumetric CT data based on air and aortic density

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Song Soo [Department of Radiology, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University School of Medicine (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Joon Beom, E-mail: seojb@amc.seoul.kr [Department of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Namkug; Chae, Eun Jin [Department of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Young Kyung [Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Yeon Mok; Lee, Sang Do [Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of)

2014-01-15

Objectives: To determine the improvement of emphysema quantification with density correction and to determine the optimal site to use for air density correction on volumetric computed tomography (CT). Methods: Seventy-eight CT scans of COPD patients (GOLD II–IV, smoking history 39.2 ± 25.3 pack-years) were obtained from several single-vendor 16-MDCT scanners. After density measurement of aorta, tracheal- and external air, volumetric CT density correction was conducted (two reference values: air, −1000 HU/blood, +50 HU). Using in-house software, emphysema index (EI) and mean lung density (MLD) were calculated. Differences in air densities, MLD and EI prior to and after density correction were evaluated (paired t-test). Correlation between those parameters and FEV{sub 1} and FEV{sub 1}/FVC were compared (age- and sex adjusted partial correlation analysis). Results: Measured densities (HU) of tracheal- and external air differed significantly (−990 ± 14, −1016 ± 9, P < 0.001). MLD and EI on original CT data, after density correction using tracheal- and external air also differed significantly (MLD: −874.9 ± 27.6 vs. −882.3 ± 24.9 vs. −860.5 ± 26.6; EI: 16.8 ± 13.4 vs. 21.1 ± 14.5 vs. 9.7 ± 10.5, respectively, P < 0.001). The correlation coefficients between CT quantification indices and FEV{sub 1}, and FEV{sub 1}/FVC increased after density correction. The tracheal air correction showed better results than the external air correction. Conclusion: Density correction of volumetric CT data can improve correlations of emphysema quantification and PFT.

Robust Active Label Correction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kremer, Jan; Sha, Fei; Igel, Christian

2018-01-01

for the noisy data lead to different active label correction algorithms. If loss functions consider the label noise rates, these rates are estimated during learning, where importance weighting compensates for the sampling bias. We show empirically that viewing the true label as a latent variable and computing......Active label correction addresses the problem of learning from input data for which noisy labels are available (e.g., from imprecise measurements or crowd-sourcing) and each true label can be obtained at a significant cost (e.g., through additional measurements or human experts). To minimize......). To select labels for correction, we adopt the active learning strategy of maximizing the expected model change. We consider the change in regularized empirical risk functionals that use different pointwise loss functions for patterns with noisy and true labels, respectively. Different loss functions...

STRATEGI PEMASARAN PAKET WISATA FULL DAY DI PT. TOUR EAST INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Putu Geni Jaya Ksamawan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available he development of increasing tourist arrivals to Bali led to the development of business and tourism in the world of business, one business trip in Bali. PT. Tour East Tours and Travel is the one of the travel agents in Bali in this to win the competition with other companies, the need for proper marketing strategy and correct. This study aims to determine the marketing strategy Full Day tour packages PT. Tour East Indonesia and what strategies can be implemented in the PT. Tour East Tours and Travel to boost sales of tour packages to tourists as well as winning the competition with other companies. In this study using Qualitative descriptive data analysis techniques combined with a SWOT analysis to figure out what the right strategy is used to market tour packages Full Day of PT. Tour East Indonesia. Based on the SWOT matrix analysis obtained a marketing strategy that can be applied to PT. Tour East Tours and Travel is a strategy creation and development of tourism products, increased promotion strategies, human resource development strategy, market segmentation strategy development, and strategies for improving the quality of products and services. From the results of this study can be given advice to the PT. Tour East Tours and Travel is improving service process management and define market segments and maintain the image of the internal and external environment, while maintaining a cooperative relationship, and held training to staff meetings.

Scanning the business external environment for information: evidence from Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Kourteli

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. This paper examines the business external environment scanning theory for information in the context of Greece. Method. A questionnaire was developed to explore the relationships between general and task business environment, perceived uncertainty, scanning strategy, and sources of information with respect to type of environment, size and industry.The research was based on a sample of 144 private organizations operating in North Greece. Analysis. Data collected were analysed using SPSS. The statistical procedures of chi-squared homogeneity test, ANOVA, Duncan's test of homogeneity of means, and related samples t-test were followed for testing the hypotheses developed. Results. The results show that perceived uncertainty of the general and task business external environment factors depend on the type of the environment, size of organization, and industry where the organizations operate; organizations adapt their scanning strategy to the complexity of the environment; personal sources of information seem to be more important than impersonal sources; external sources of information are equally important with internal sources; and higher levels of environmental uncertainty are associated with higher levels of scanning the various sources. Conclusion. Business external environment scanning of information is influenced by the characteristics of the organizations themselves and by the characteristics of the external environment within which the organizations operate. The study contributes to both environmental scanning theory and has important messages for practitioners.

Externalities of energy. Swedish implementation of the ExternE methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Maans; Gullberg, M.

1998-01-01

The growing interest for developing economic instruments for efficient environmental policies has opened up a large area of multi-disciplinary research. ExternE is an example of this research, combining disciplines such as engineering, ecology, immunology and economics expertise to create new knowledge about how environmental pressures from energy production affect our nature and society. The ExternE Project aims to identify and, as far as possible quantify the externalities of energy production in Europe. The Stockholm Environment Institute has carried out a preliminary aggregation: -Coal Fuel Cycle: centred around Vaesteraas Kraftvaermeverk, Vaesteraas. This is the largest co-generation plant in Sweden, with four blocks and a maximum co-generation output of 520 MW electricity and 950 MW heat. The analysis is carried out on boiler B4. -Biomass Fuel Cycle: centred around Haendeloeverket, Norrkoeping. This plant predominately burns forestry residues, but a variety of fuels are combusted. Haendeloeverket has an installed capacity of 100 MW electricity and 375 MW heat, in a total of three boilers and two back-pressure turbines. The analysis is carried out on boiler P13. -Hydro Fuel Cycle: Klippens Kraftstation, Storuman. Built in 1990-1994, it is the youngest hydro power station in Sweden. It has been designed and built with significant efforts to account for and protect environmental values. Installed capacity is 28 MW. The environmental impact assessment from the construction of this plant is carried out, but the evaluation is still not finalized. The preliminary aggregation aimed to test whether ExternE results could be used to make estimates for the entire Swedish electricity production system. Hence, national results as well as results from other partner countries in ExternE has been applied

Environmental and economic impacts of feeding strategies in Costa Rican dairy farms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Pablo Iñamagua-Uyaguari

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyze feeding practices in Costa Rica’s dairy farms and their influence on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG. Methane (CH4, nitrous oxide (N2O, and income over feed cost (IOFC were evaluated. This study was carried out at 104 dairy farms, which were distributed within a range of altitude from 1000 to 2400 meters above sea level. Using cluster analysis based on type of feed, grazing period, areas of forage and pastures; four feeding strategies were identified, which included different proportions of feed categories in daily rations. Emissions expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent per kilo of fat and protein corrected milk (CO2eq/FPCM were higher for forage feeding strategies and lower for farms found in higher altitudes. Concentrate feed accounted for the higher cost in all feeding strategies, and represented more than 50% in the intensive concentrate based production system, whereas the costs of fertilizers were higher in pasture based feeding strategies. Income from milk sales was higher for the concentrate based feeding strategy. However, IOFC was the same for all feeding strategies in spite of the large differences in daily milk production. Feeding strategies influenced GHG emissions and feeding costs. Feeding strategies associated with lower GHG emissions within the farm were more dependent from external inputs.

Bulk sample self-attenuation correction by transmission measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, J.L.; Reilly, T.D.

1976-01-01

Various methods used in either finding or avoiding the attenuation correction in the passive γ-ray assay of bulk samples are reviewed. Detailed consideration is given to the transmission method, which involves experimental determination of the sample linear attenuation coefficient by measuring the transmission through the sample of a beam of gamma rays from an external source. The method was applied to box- and cylindrically-shaped samples

Internal or external whistleblowing: nurses' willingness to report wrongdoing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansbach, Abraham; Bachner, Yaacov G

2010-07-01

In Israel, whistleblowing in the nursing profession has been largely ignored. This topic is neither part of the professional-ethical discourse nor a subject for research. Focusing on the divide between internal and external whistleblowing, this article presents a study that explores nurses' willingness to disclose an act that could jeopardize the rights or safety of patients. Internal disclosure entails reporting wrongdoing to an authority within the organization. External disclosure involves reporting the offense to an outside agency, such as a professional organization or the press. The study's findings indicate that the nurse respondents viewed both the harmful misconduct of a colleague and that of a manager as being very serious. In such dilemmas the nurses reported a desire to correct the wrongdoing and a concomitant willingness to act. They were, however, much more likely to whistleblow internally rather than externally. This study revealed a pattern of nurses' progressive retraction as the circle of disclosure widened.

from strategy formulation to strategy formation

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Gerhard Louw;Abel Esterhuyse

ultimately its weakness in accounting for the external environment in realised ..... implements and then controls a strategy that it deems appropriate to achieve an .... Every social system (such as the SANDF) seems to employ information ..... to favour rational analysis over this type of internal debate – in effect, it would.

Promoting justice or perpetuating prejudice? Interrupting external motivation in multicultural training.

Science.gov (United States)

Gushue, George V; Hinman, Kimberly A

2018-01-01

The effects of responding to social pressure (external motivation) are short-lived. Multicultural training, however, seeks to promote change in students and trainees that will be transformative and long-lasting. To this end, understanding the motivational factors that inform training is key. The present study was an investigation of the factors underlying external motivation to respond without prejudice for White individuals from the perspective of Higgins's regulatory focus (promotion and prevention) and regulatory mode (assessment and locomotion) theories. The results indicate that locomotion was negatively associated with external motivation to respond without prejudice, while assessment and prevention were positively associated with external motivation. Taken together, findings highlight the importance of cultivating locomotion (action oriented) motivation and inhibiting prevention (loss oriented) and assessment (preoccupation with finding the correct answer) motivations in multicultural training. Implications for training, effective action for justice, and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Neutron lifetime experiments using magnetically trapped neutrons: optimal background correction strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coakley, K.J.

2001-01-01

In the first stage of each run of a neutron lifetime experiment, a magnetic trap is filled with neutrons. In the second stage of each run, decay events plus background events are observed. In a separate experiment, background is measured. The mean lifetime is estimated by fitting a two parameter exponential model to the background-corrected data. For two models of the background signal, I determine the optimal ratio of the number of 'background-only' measurements to the number of primary 'neutron decay plus background' measurements. Further, for each run, I determine the optimal allocation of time for filling and for observing decay events. For the case where the background consists of an activated material (aluminum) plus a stationary Poisson process, the asymptotic standard error of the lifetime estimate computed from the background-corrected data is lower than the asymptotic standard error computed from the uncorrected data. For the case where the background is a stationary Poisson process, background correction is desirable provided that the background intensity is sufficiently small compared to the rate at which neutrons enter the trap

Environmental external effects from wind power based on the EU ExternE methodology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibsen, Liselotte Schleisner; Nielsen, Per Sieverts

1998-01-01

of the Danish part of the project is to implement the framework for externality evaluation, for three different power plants located in Denmark. The paper will focus on the assessment of the impacts of the whole fuel cycles for wind, natural gas and biogas. Priority areas for environmental impact assessment......The European Commission has launched a major study project, ExternE, to develop a methodology to quantify externalities. A “National Implementation Phase”, was started under the Joule II programme with the purpose of implementing the ExternE methodology in all member states. The main objective...

ExternE National Implementation Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pingoud, K; Maelkki, H; Wihersaari, M; Pirilae, P [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland); Hongisto, M [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland); Siitonen, S [Ekono Energy Ltd, Espoo (Finland); Johansson, M [Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki (Finland)

1999-07-01

ExternE National Implementation is a continuation of the ExternE Project, funded in part by the European Commission's Joule III Programme. This study is the result of the ExternE National Implementation Project for Finland. Three fuel cycles were selected for the Finnish study: coal, peat and wood-derived biomass, which together are responsible for about 40% of total electricity generation in Finland and about 75% of the non-nuclear fuel based generation. The estimated external costs or damages were dominated by the global warming (GW) impacts in the coal and peat fuel cycles, but knowledge of the true GW impacts is still uncertain. From among other impacts that were valued in monetary terms the human health damages due to airborne emissions dominated in all the three fuel cycles. Monetary valuation for ecosystem impacts is not possible using the ExternE methodology at present. The Meri-Pori power station representing the coal fuel cycle is one of the world's cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power plants with a condensing turbine. The coal is imported mainly from Poland. The estimated health damages were about 4 mECU/kWh, crop damages an order of magnitude lower and damages caused to building materials two orders of magnitude lower. The power stations of the peat and biomass fuel cycles are of CHP type, generating electricity and heat for the district heating systems of two cities. Their fuels are of domestic origin. The estimated health damages allocated to electricity generation were about 5 and 6 mECU/kWh, respectively. The estimates were case-specific and thus an generalisation of the results to the whole electricity generation in Finland is unrealistic. Despite the uncertainties and limitations of the methodology, it is a promising tool in the comparison of similar kinds of fuel cycles, new power plants and pollution abatement technologies and different plant locations with each other. (orig.)

ExternE National Implementation Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pingoud, K.; Maelkki, H.; Wihersaari, M.; Pirilae, P. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland); Hongisto, M. [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland); Siitonen, S. [Ekono Energy Ltd, Espoo (Finland); Johansson, M. [Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki (Finland)

1999-07-01

ExternE National Implementation is a continuation of the ExternE Project, funded in part by the European Commission's Joule III Programme. This study is the result of the ExternE National Implementation Project for Finland. Three fuel cycles were selected for the Finnish study: coal, peat and wood-derived biomass, which together are responsible for about 40% of total electricity generation in Finland and about 75% of the non-nuclear fuel based generation. The estimated external costs or damages were dominated by the global warming (GW) impacts in the coal and peat fuel cycles, but knowledge of the true GW impacts is still uncertain. From among other impacts that were valued in monetary terms the human health damages due to airborne emissions dominated in all the three fuel cycles. Monetary valuation for ecosystem impacts is not possible using the ExternE methodology at present. The Meri-Pori power station representing the coal fuel cycle is one of the world's cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power plants with a condensing turbine. The coal is imported mainly from Poland. The estimated health damages were about 4 mECU/kWh, crop damages an order of magnitude lower and damages caused to building materials two orders of magnitude lower. The power stations of the peat and biomass fuel cycles are of CHP type, generating electricity and heat for the district heating systems of two cities. Their fuels are of domestic origin. The estimated health damages allocated to electricity generation were about 5 and 6 mECU/kWh, respectively. The estimates were case-specific and thus an generalisation of the results to the whole electricity generation in Finland is unrealistic. Despite the uncertainties and limitations of the methodology, it is a promising tool in the comparison of similar kinds of fuel cycles, new power plants and pollution abatement technologies and different plant locations with each other. (orig.)

ExternE National Implementation Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pingoud, K.; Maelkki, H.; Wihersaari, M.; Pirilae, P.; Hongisto, M.; Siitonen, S.; Johansson, M.

1999-01-01

ExternE National Implementation is a continuation of the ExternE Project, funded in part by the European Commission's Joule III Programme. This study is the result of the ExternE National Implementation Project for Finland. Three fuel cycles were selected for the Finnish study: coal, peat and wood-derived biomass, which together are responsible for about 40% of total electricity generation in Finland and about 75% of the non-nuclear fuel based generation. The estimated external costs or damages were dominated by the global warming (GW) impacts in the coal and peat fuel cycles, but knowledge of the true GW impacts is still uncertain. From among other impacts that were valued in monetary terms the human health damages due to airborne emissions dominated in all the three fuel cycles. Monetary valuation for ecosystem impacts is not possible using the ExternE methodology at present. The Meri-Pori power station representing the coal fuel cycle is one of the world's cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power plants with a condensing turbine. The coal is imported mainly from Poland. The estimated health damages were about 4 mECU/kWh, crop damages an order of magnitude lower and damages caused to building materials two orders of magnitude lower. The power stations of the peat and biomass fuel cycles are of CHP type, generating electricity and heat for the district heating systems of two cities. Their fuels are of domestic origin. The estimated health damages allocated to electricity generation were about 5 and 6 mECU/kWh, respectively. The estimates were case-specific and thus an generalisation of the results to the whole electricity generation in Finland is unrealistic. Despite the uncertainties and limitations of the methodology, it is a promising tool in the comparison of similar kinds of fuel cycles, new power plants and pollution abatement technologies and different plant locations with each other. (orig.)

Information asymmetries, information externalities, oil companies strategies and oil exploration information efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyouki, E.

1998-07-01

Both for economics (in general) and energy economics matters, it is important to reach oil exploration efficiency. To achieve this aim, a pragmatic approach is to use the concept of information efficiency which means that the different tracts have to be drilled in the decreasing order of estimated profitabilities, estimations being made on the basis of the best (in the sense of reliability) available information. What does 'best available information' mean? It corresponds either to the information held by the most experienced oil companies (due to the existence of information asymmetries to the profit of these companies), or to information revealed by the drilling and which allows to revise probabilities of success on neighboring tracts with similar geological features (due to the existence of information externalities). In consideration of these information asymmetries and externalities, we will say that exploration is information efficient when. -- on the one hand, initial exploration choices are directed by the most experienced companies, - and, on the other hand, during the drilling phase, in the face of the information externality, companies adopt a sequential drilling, i.e. excluding both over-investment and strategic under-investment. The topic we deal with in this thesis is then to know if oil companies, when they are put in normal competition conditions, are likely to make emerge a state of information efficiency in exploration, the analysis being conducted theoretically and empirically. (author)

Distinction between externally vs. internally guided decision-making: Operational differences, meta-analytical comparisons and their theoretical implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takashi eNakao

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Most experimental studies of decision-making have specifically examined situations in which a single less-predictable correct answer exists (externally guided decision-making under uncertainty. Along with such externally guided decision-making, there are instances of decision making in which no correct answer based on external circumstances is available for the subject (internally guided decision-making. Such decisions are usually made in the context of moral decision making as well as in preference judgment, where the answer depends on the subject’s own, i.e. internal, preferences rather than on external, i.e. circumstantial, criteria. The neuronal and psychological mechanisms that allow guidance of decisions based on more internally oriented criteria in the absence of external ones remain unclear. This study was undertaken to compare decision making of these two kinds empirically and theoretically. First, we reviewed studies of decision making to clarify experimental–operational differences between externally guided and internally guided decision-making. Second, using MKDA, a whole-brain-based quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies was performed. Our meta-analysis revealed that the neural network used predominantly for internally guided decision-making differs from that for externally guided decision-making under uncertainty. This result suggests that studying only externally guided decision-making under uncertainty is insufficient to account for decision-making processes in the brain. Finally, based on the review and results of the meta-analysis, we discuss the differences and relations between decision making of these two types in terms of their operational, neuronal, and theoretical characteristics.

PS Booster Orbit Correction

CERN Document Server

Chanel, M; Rumolo, G; Tomás, R; CERN. Geneva. AB Department

2008-01-01

At the end of the 2007 run, orbit measurements were carried out in the 4 rings of the PS Booster (PSB) for different working points and beam energies. The aim of these measurements was to provide the necessary input data for a PSB realignment campaign during the 2007/2008 shutdown. Currently, only very few corrector magnets can be operated reliably in the PSB; therefore the orbit correction has to be achieved by displacing (horizontally and vertically) and/or tilting some of the defocusing quadrupoles (QDs). In this report we first describe the orbit measurements, followed by a detailed explanation of the orbit correction strategy. Results and conclusions are presented in the last section.

Regional Externalities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijman, W.J.M.

2007-01-01

The book offers practical and theoretical insights in regional externalities. Regional externalities are a specific subset of externalities that can be defined as externalities where space plays a dominant role. This class of externalities can be divided into three categories: (1) externalities

Decision Making Under Objective Risk Conditions-a Review of Cognitive and Emotional Correlates, Strategies, Feedback Processing, and External Influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiebener, Johannes; Brand, Matthias

2015-06-01

While making decisions under objective risk conditions, the probabilities of the consequences of the available options are either provided or calculable. Brand et al. (Neural Networks 19:1266-1276, 2006) introduced a model describing the neuro-cognitive processes involved in such decisions. In this model, executive functions associated with activity in the fronto-striatal loop are important for developing and applying decision-making strategies, and for verifying, adapting, or revising strategies according to feedback. Emotional rewards and punishments learned from such feedback accompany these processes. In this literature review, we found support for the role of executive functions, but also found evidence for the importance of further cognitive abilities in decision making. Moreover, in addition to reflective processing (driven by cognition), decisions can be guided by impulsive processing (driven by anticipation of emotional reward and punishment). Reflective and impulsive processing may interact during decision making, affecting the evaluation of available options, as both processes are affected by feedback. Decision-making processes are furthermore modulated by individual attributes (e.g., age), and external influences (e.g., stressors). Accordingly, we suggest a revised model of decision making under objective risk conditions.

Influence of density and mean atomic number on CT attenuation corrected PET: Phantom studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maintas, D.; Houzard, C.; Galy, G.; Maintas, C.; Itti, R.; Cachin, F.; Mognetti, Th.; Slosman

2007-01-01

Aim: the aim of this work is to study the influence of medium density on the CT or external source attenuation corrected images, by simulation on a phantom, with various positron emission tomographs. Material and method: a series of experiments on a cylindrical phantom filled with water marked with [18 F]-FDG, containing six vials filled per pair with mediums of different densities or solutions of KI, CaCl 2 and saccharose with various densities, was carried out under comparable conditions on three different tomographs. In only one of the vials of each pair, an identical radioactivity of [18 F]-FDG was added, three to five fold the surrounding activity. The reconstructions and attenuation corrections suggested by the manufacturers, were carried out under the usual conditions of each site. The activity of each structure was estimated by the methods of profiles and regions of interest, on the non attenuation corrected images (N.A.C.), the images corrected by CT (C.T.A.C.), and/or external source (G.P.A.C.). Results: with all three tomographs, the activities estimated on the N.A.C. images present an inverse correlation to the medium density (important absorption by dense material). On C.T.A.C. images, we observed with only two of the three tomographs, an overestimation of the activity in the 'radioactive' vials, depending on the medium mean Z number and density (over correction), and a artifactual 'activity' in the denser 'cold' vial (incorrect attenuation correction. The dense saccharose solutions, with non elevated Z number, do not affect the CT attenuation correction. (authors)

Strategy Use and Strategy Choice in Fraction Magnitude Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Fazio, Lisa K.; DeWolf, Melissa; Siegler, Robert S.

2016-01-01

We examined, on a trial-by-trial basis, fraction magnitude comparison strategies of adults with more and less mathematical knowledge. College students with high mathematical proficiency used a large variety of strategies that were well tailored to the characteristics of the problems and that were guaranteed to yield correct performance if executed…

Externalities - an analysis using the EU ExternE-results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-10-01

The EU project ExternE quantified the externalities for the different energy technologies. In this work, the ExternE results are used in a MARKAL-analysis for the Nordic countries. The analysis does not go into detail, but gives some interesting indications: The external costs are not fully covered in the Nordic energy systems, the present taxes and charges are not high enough. The emissions from the energy systems would be strongly reduced, if taxes/environmental charges were set at the level ExternE calculate. The emissions from power production would be reduced most. Renewable energy sources and natural gas dominate the energy systems in the ExternE case

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 1. Summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, M.; Berry, J.

1995-01-01

There is a growing requirement for policy analysts to take account of the environment in their decision making and to undertake the specified cost-benefit analysis. Within the European Union this is reflected in the 5th Environmental Action Programme, and the Commission's White Paper entitled 'Growth, competitiveness, employment and the ways forward to the 21st century'. This has led to a need for evaluation of environmental externalities. The ExternE Project commenced in 1991 as the European part of a collaborative study between the European Commission and the US Department of Energy. It aims to be the first systematic approach to the evaluation of external costs of a wide range of different fuel cycles. The project will result in an operational accounting framework for the quantification and monetarisation of priority environmental and other externalities. This framework will allow the calculation of the marginal external costs and benefits for specific power plants, at specific sites using specified technologies. There are three major phases in the project. Phase 1 was undertaken in collaboration with the US Department of Energy. In this phase the teams jointly developed the conceptual approach and methodology and shared scientific information for application to a number of fuel cycles. On the European side work concentrated on the nuclear and coal fuel cycles which together were expected to raise many of the fundamental issues in fuel cycle analysis. The project is currently nearing completion of Phase 2. During this phase the methodology has been applied to a wide range of different fossil, nuclear and renewable fuel cycles for power generation and energy conservation options. Also a series of National Implementation Programmes is underway in which the methodology and accounting framework are being applied to reference sites throughout Europe. In addition the general methodology is being extended to address the evaluation of externalities associated with

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 2. Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, J.; Holland, M.; Watkiss, P.

1995-01-01

This report describes the methodology used by the ExternE Project of the European Commission (DGXII) JOULE Programme for assessment of the external costs of energy. It is one of a series of reports describing analysis of nuclear, fossil and renewable fuel cycles for assessment of the externalities associated with electricity generation. Part I of the report deals with analysis of impacts, and Part II with the economic valuation of those impacts. Analysis is conducted on a marginal basis, to allow the effect of an incremental investment in a given technology to be quantified. Attention has been paid to the specificity of results with respect to the location of fuel cycle activities, the precise technologies used, and the type and source of fuel. The main advantages of this detailed approach are as follows: It takes full and proper account of the variability of impacts that might result from different power projects; It is more transparent than analysis based on hypothetically 'representative' cases for each of the different fuel cycles; It provides a framework for consistent comparison between fuel cycles. A wide variety of impacts have been considered. These include the effects of air pollution on the natural and human environment, consequences of accidents in the workplace, impacts of noise and visual intrusion on amenity, and the effects of climate change arising from the release of greenhouse gases. Wherever possible we have used the 'impact pathway' or 'damage function' approach to follow the analysis from identification of burdens (e.g. emissions) through to impact assessment and then valuation in monetary terms. This has required a detailed knowledge of the technologies involved, pollutant dispersion, analysis of effects on human and environmental health, and economics. In view of this the project brought together a multi-disciplinary team with experts from many European countries and the USA. The spatial and temporal ranges considered in the analysis are

An External Archive-Guided Multiobjective Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Qingling; Lin, Qiuzhen; Chen, Weineng; Wong, Ka-Chun; Coello Coello, Carlos A; Li, Jianqiang; Chen, Jianyong; Zhang, Jun

2017-09-01

The selection of swarm leaders (i.e., the personal best and global best), is important in the design of a multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm. Such leaders are expected to effectively guide the swarm to approach the true Pareto optimal front. In this paper, we present a novel external archive-guided MOPSO algorithm (AgMOPSO), where the leaders for velocity update are all selected from the external archive. In our algorithm, multiobjective optimization problems (MOPs) are transformed into a set of subproblems using a decomposition approach, and then each particle is assigned accordingly to optimize each subproblem. A novel archive-guided velocity update method is designed to guide the swarm for exploration, and the external archive is also evolved using an immune-based evolutionary strategy. These proposed approaches speed up the convergence of AgMOPSO. The experimental results fully demonstrate the superiority of our proposed AgMOPSO in solving most of the test problems adopted, in terms of two commonly used performance measures. Moreover, the effectiveness of our proposed archive-guided velocity update method and immune-based evolutionary strategy is also experimentally validated on more than 30 test MOPs.

Higher-curvature corrections to holographic entanglement with momentum dissipation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanhayi, M.R. [Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch (IAUCTB), Department of Physics, Faculty of Basic Science, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), School of Physics, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Vazirian, R. [Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch (IAUCTB), Department of Physics, Faculty of Basic Science, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2018-02-15

We study the effects of Gauss-Bonnet corrections on some nonlocal probes (entanglement entropy, n-partite information and Wilson loop) in the holographic model with momentum relaxation. Higher-curvature terms as well as scalar fields make in fact nontrivial corrections to the coefficient of the universal term in entanglement entropy. We use holographic methods to study such corrections. Moreover, holographic calculation indicates that mutual and tripartite information undergo a transition beyond which they identically change their values. We find that the behavior of the transition curves depends on the sign of the Gauss-Bonnet coupling λ. The transition for λ > 0 takes place in larger separation of subsystems than that of λ < 0. Finally, we examine the behavior of modified part of the force between external point-like objects as a function of Gauss-Bonnet coupling and its sign. (orig.)

Assessing Discriminative Performance at External Validation of Clinical Prediction Models.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daan Nieboer

Full Text Available External validation studies are essential to study the generalizability of prediction models. Recently a permutation test, focusing on discrimination as quantified by the c-statistic, was proposed to judge whether a prediction model is transportable to a new setting. We aimed to evaluate this test and compare it to previously proposed procedures to judge any changes in c-statistic from development to external validation setting.We compared the use of the permutation test to the use of benchmark values of the c-statistic following from a previously proposed framework to judge transportability of a prediction model. In a simulation study we developed a prediction model with logistic regression on a development set and validated them in the validation set. We concentrated on two scenarios: 1 the case-mix was more heterogeneous and predictor effects were weaker in the validation set compared to the development set, and 2 the case-mix was less heterogeneous in the validation set and predictor effects were identical in the validation and development set. Furthermore we illustrated the methods in a case study using 15 datasets of patients suffering from traumatic brain injury.The permutation test indicated that the validation and development set were homogenous in scenario 1 (in almost all simulated samples and heterogeneous in scenario 2 (in 17%-39% of simulated samples. Previously proposed benchmark values of the c-statistic and the standard deviation of the linear predictors correctly pointed at the more heterogeneous case-mix in scenario 1 and the less heterogeneous case-mix in scenario 2.The recently proposed permutation test may provide misleading results when externally validating prediction models in the presence of case-mix differences between the development and validation population. To correctly interpret the c-statistic found at external validation it is crucial to disentangle case-mix differences from incorrect regression coefficients.

Diffusion in the kicked quantum rotator by random corrections to a linear and sine field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilke, M.; Flores, J.C.

1992-01-01

We discuss the diffusion in momentum space, of the kicked quantum rotator, by introducing random corrections to a linear and sine external field. For the linear field we obtain a linear diffusion behavior identical to the case with zero average in the external field. But for the sine field, accelerator modes with quadratic diffusion are found for particular values of the kicking period. (orig.)

External radiation therapy in early stage prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandler, Howard M.

1996-01-01

Optimal therapy for adenocarcinoma of the prostate is controversial. Numerous options are available, however, comparison of results is difficult in view of the insufficiency of phase III randomized trials comparing alternative treatment strategies. These options include such strategies as no curative therapy (so-called watchful waiting), radiotherapy (external and/or internal), cryotherapy, or radical prostatectomy. Clearly, a broad spectrum of clinical approaches. When reported experiences involving radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy are compared, surgical patients tend to be younger, of earlier stage, of higher performance status, and have lower pre-therapy PSA. These prognostic factors influence the probability of disease control, and since patient selection can have a profound impact on results reporting, these issues need to be carefully controlled. A review of patients who are potentially candidates for surgery at the University of Michigan treated with conformal therapy external beam treatment, indicates that these relatively early patients are doing well. These issues will be elaborated upon further during the presentation

Nifedipine as a uterine relaxant for external cephalic version: a randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, Marjolein; Bais, Joke M.; van Lith, Jan M.; Papatsonis, Dimitri M.; Kleiverda, Gunilla; Hanny, Dahrs; Doornbos, Johannes P.; Mol, Ben W.; van der Post, Joris A.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effectiveness of nifedipine as a uterine relaxant during external cephalic version to correct breech presentation. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, women with a singleton fetus in breech presentation and a gestational age of 36 weeks or

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schleisner, L; Sieverts Nielsen, P [eds.

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results, to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the detailed information concerning the ExternE methodology. Importance is attached to the computer system used in the project and the assessment of air pollution effects on health, materials and ecological effects. Also the assessment of global warming damages are described. Finally the report covers the detailed information concerning the national implementation for Denmark for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant base on biogas. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 79 tabs., 11 ills., 201 refs.

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleisner, L.; Sieverts Nielsen, P.

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results, to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the detailed information concerning the ExternE methodology. Importance is attached to the computer system used in the project and the assessment of air pollution effects on health, materials and ecological effects. Also the assessment of global warming damages are described. Finally the report covers the detailed information concerning the national implementation for Denmark for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant base on biogas. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 79 tabs., 11 ills., 201 refs

Political strategy, business strategy, and the academic medical center: linking theory and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Souba, W W; Weitekamp, M R; Mahon, J F

2001-09-01

The purpose of this paper is to link external political strategy theory to a specific health care setting-that of the academic medical center (AMC). Political strategy encompasses those activities undertaken by AMCs to acquire, develop, and use power (clout, influence, and credibility) to gain an advantage in situations of conflict. It should be differentiated from internal politics, a topic that will not be dealt with in this review. Political strategy should also be distinguished from but not divorced from competitive strategy. As political and social action can change the competitive landscape and the rules of competition, AMCs must become adept in issues management and stakeholder management. The focus on political strategy is a reflection of the enormous changes in the external environment that have impacted AMCs in recent years. These changes have often emerged out of political and social action and they impact significantly on the organization's more traditional business strategies. We suggest that a tighter alignment between political and business strategies in the future will help ensure organizational survival and success. This article reviews the literature and theory in corporate political strategy and illustrates the application of political strategy with examples of issues and problems faced by AMCs. Models of political strategy are well crafted, and this article concludes with succinct observations on the use of political strategies to enhance the business-based strategies of AMCs. Although the focus is on AMCs, the use of political strategies is applicable to any health care institution. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

SWR 1000 severe accident control through in-vessel melt retention by external RPV cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolev, N.I. [Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power, NDSI, Erlangen (Germany)

2001-07-01

Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power is being designing a new generation NPP with boiling water reactor SWR1000. Besides of various of modern passive and active safety features the system is also designed for controlling of a postulated severe accident with extreme low probability of occurrence. This work presents the rationales behind the decision to select the external cooling as a safety management strategy during severe accident. Bounding scenery are analyzed regarding the core melting, melt-water interaction during relocation of the melt from the core region into the lower head and the external coolability of the lower head. The conclusion is reached that the external cooling for the SWR1000 is a valuable strategy for accident management during postulated severe accidents. (authors)

SWR 1000 severe accident control through in-vessel melt retention by external RPV cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolev, N.I.

2001-01-01

Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power is being designing a new generation NPP with boiling water reactor SWR1000. Besides of various of modern passive and active safety features the system is also designed for controlling of a postulated severe accident with extreme low probability of occurrence. This work presents the rationales behind the decision to select the external cooling as a safety management strategy during severe accident. Bounding scenery are analyzed regarding the core melting, melt-water interaction during relocation of the melt from the core region into the lower head and the external coolability of the lower head. The conclusion is reached that the external cooling for the SWR1000 is a valuable strategy for accident management during postulated severe accidents. (authors)

Myxoid intraneural cysts of external popliteal ischiadic nerve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masciocchi, Carlo; Innacoli, Michele; Cisternino, Salvatore; Barile, Antonio; Rossi, Folco; Passariello, Roberto.

1992-01-01

Peripheral neuropathy of the external popliteal ischiadic nerve caused by intraneural cysts is a very rare and peculiar pathological phenomenon compared with diseases associated with extraneural cysts or colliquative phenomena of solid nervous lesions. Two cases of peripheral neuropathy of the external poplitheal ischiadic nerve caused by intra-neural cysts and evaluated with ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance are described. The diagnostic efficacy of these imaging modalities is also evaluated with particular reference to MR capability to define the morphology of such lesions and their relation-ships to the surrounding structures. It is not yet possible to obtain a correct diagnosis about histopathologic features by means of the imaging techniques currently available. Nevertheless, they provide information about the involvement of the neighboring areas, which are useful indications for possible surgical treatment of the disease. (author). 9 refs.; 2 figs

The Implementation of Marginal External Cost Pricing in Road Transport

OpenAIRE

Verhoef, Erik T.

1998-01-01

This paper discusses a number of issues that will become increasingly important nowthat the concept of marginal external cost pricing becomes more likely to be implementedas a policy strategy in transport in reality. The first part of the paper deals with thelong-run efficiency of marginal external cost pricing. It is shown that such prices notonly optimize short-run mobility, given the shape and position of the relevant demandand cost curves, but even more importantly, also optimally affect ...

Evaluation of strategies to control Fab light chain dimer during mammalian expression and purification: A universal one-step process for purification of correctly assembled Fab.

Science.gov (United States)

Spooner, Jennifer; Keen, Jenny; Nayyar, Kalpana; Birkett, Neil; Bond, Nicholas; Bannister, David; Tigue, Natalie; Higazi, Daniel; Kemp, Benjamin; Vaughan, Tristan; Kippen, Alistair; Buchanan, Andrew

2015-07-01

Fabs are an important class of antibody fragment as both research reagents and therapeutic agents. There are a plethora of methods described for their recombinant expression and purification. However, these do not address the issue of excessive light chain production that forms light chain dimers nor do they describe a universal purification strategy. Light chain dimer impurities and the absence of a universal Fab purification strategy present persistent challenges for biotechnology applications using Fabs, particularly around the need for bespoke purification strategies. This study describes methods to address light chain dimer formation during Fab expression and identifies a novel CH 1 affinity resin as a simple and efficient one-step purification for correctly assembled Fab. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Correction factor for the experimental prompt neutron decay constant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talamo, Alberto; Gohar, Y.; Sadovich, S.; Kiyavitskaya, H.; Bournos, V.; Fokov, Y.; Routkovskaya, C.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Definition of a spatial correction factor for the experimental prompt neutron decay constant. • Introduction of a MCNP6 calculation methodology to simulate Rossi-alpha distribution for pulsed neutron sources. • Comparison of MCNP6 results with experimental data for count rate, Rossi-alpha, and Feynman-alpha distributions. • Improvement of the comparison between numerical and experimental results by taking into account the dead-time effect. - Abstract: This study introduces a new correction factor to obtain the experimental effective multiplication factor of subcritical assemblies by the point kinetics formulation. The correction factor is defined as the ratio between the MCNP6 prompt neutron decay constant obtained in criticality mode and the one obtained in source mode. The correction factor mainly takes into account the longer neutron lifetime in the reflector region and the effects of the external neutron source. For the YALINA Thermal facility, the comparison between the experimental and computational effective multiplication factors noticeably improves after the application of the correction factor. The accuracy of the MCNP6 computational model of the YALINA Thermal subcritical assembly has been verified by reproducing the neutron count rate, Rossi-α, and Feynman-α distributions obtained from the experimental data

Correcting abnormal speaking through communication partners ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The listed characteristics are called speech disorders. Abnormal speaking attracts some penalties to the speaker. The penalties are usually very disturbing to the speaker that undertaking some therapeutic measures becomes inevitable. Communication partners strategy is a speech correction approach which makes use of ...

The external sector of the Serbian economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ristanović Vladimir

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to show the external sector of the Serbian economy, its features and peculiarities, as well as anomalies that afflicted it for years. In the analysis, data acquired from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia will be used, as well as the official international methodology. The text will include the analysis of the structure of the external sector, market share, competitive position of Serbian economy and export products according to sectors of the economy and factor intensity. Since 2000, the structure of production and exports of the Serbian economy shows low comparative advantages and competitive position throughout the world. Unfavorable structure of the sectors, departments and the product groups affected the deepening of external imbalances and high foreign trade deficit. Exports of technology of predominantly low intensity, resources, and labor-intensive products, common for Serbian economy, represent no guarantee of economic growth in the long term. The causes of external imbalances should be sought in the absence of adequate export strategy, as well as in high speed of liberalization of foreign trade flows and exchange rate policy.

STRATEGY FORMULATION FOR DEVELOPING BATIK TULIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indah Eko Suryani

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to formulate a development strategy in order to maintain the existence of Batik Tulis Rolla Junior. The study used a case study approach with Rumah Batik Tulis Rolla Junior as the research object. The data were analyzed by a value chain approach to determine the internal and external conditions influencing the existence of the Batik Tulis Rolla Junior. Furthermore, this study also used the analysis of Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE, External Factor Evaluation (EFE, Internal-External (IE Matrix, SWOT, dan Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM to create the development strategy. The results show that the strategies that can be recommended to Rolla Junior include 1 increasing the capital by Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR program, 2 conductiong expansions to other regencies, 3 creating a website/blog  to promote and perform business transactions, 4 increasing the frequency in joining exhibitions or EXPO both in regional and national levels, 5 conducting researches to solve the problem of coloring which requires sun rays, 6 conducting cooperations with raw material suppliers (backward integration, and 7 finding alternative suppliers of raw materials especially from the areas closer to Jember district.Keywords: development strategy, batik tulis Rolla Junior, SWOT, QSPMABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan merumuskan strategi pengembangan sehingga dapat menjaga eksistensi Batik Tulis Rolla Junior. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan studi kasus dengan Rolla Junior sebagai objek penelitiannya. Data dianalisis dengan pendekatan rantai nilai untuk mengetahui kondisi internal dan eksternal yang berpengaruh terhadap Batik Tulis kemudian menggunakan analisis Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE, External Factor Evaluation (EFE, Internal-External (IE Matrix, SWOT, dan Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM untuk menyusun strategi pengembangan Batik Tulis Rolla Junior. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa strategi-straegi prioritas

The Pierce diode with an external circuit. I. Oscillations about nonuniform equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawson, W.S.

1989-01-01

The nonuniform (nonlinear) equilibria of the classical (short circuit) Pierce diode and the extended (series RLC external circuit) Pierce diode are described, and the spectrum of oscillations (stable and unstable) about these equilibria are worked out. It is found that only the external capacitance alters the equilibria, though all elements alter the spectrum. In particular, the introduction of an external capacitor destabilizes some equilibria that are marginally stable without the capacitor. Computer simulations are performed to test the theoretical predictions for the case of an external capacitor only. It is found that most equilibria are correctly predicted by theory, but that the continuous set of equilibria of the classical Pierce diode at Pierce parameters (α=ω/sub pL//v 0 ) that are multiples of 2π are not observed. This appears to be a failure of the simulation method under the rather singular conditions rather than a failure of the theory

Radiative decay of coupled states in an external dc field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pal'chikov, V.; Sokolov, Y.; Yakovlev, V.

2001-01-01

This paper examines two theoretical aspects of the interference of atomic states in hydrogen which comes from the application of an external electric field F to the 2s metastable state. The radiative corrections to the Bethe-Lamb formula and anisotropy contribution to the angular distribution, which arises from interference between electric-field-induced E1-radiation and forbidden M1-radiation, are analysed

Radiative decay of coupled states in an external dc field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pal' chikov, V. [National Research Inst. for Physical-Technical and Radiotechnical Measurements (VNIIFTRI), Mendeleevo, Moscow Region (Russian Federation); Sokolov, Y. [Kurchatov Inst., Russian Research Centre, Moscow (Russian Federation); Yakovlev, V. [Moscow Engineering Physics Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation)

2001-07-01

This paper examines two theoretical aspects of the interference of atomic states in hydrogen which comes from the application of an external electric field F to the 2s metastable state. The radiative corrections to the Bethe-Lamb formula and anisotropy contribution to the angular distribution, which arises from interference between electric-field-induced E1-radiation and forbidden M1-radiation, are analysed.

Weighing environmental externalities: How to do it right

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, A.M. III; Burtraw, D.; Harrington, W.; Krupnick, A.J.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the authors focus on the procedure of incorporating monetary measures of external damages as address to private bids and ranking alternatives on the basis of their social costs. They assume that it will be possible to develop methods and models to calculate environmental damages for specific electricity supply options. They reject the use of marginal control cost as a proxy for marginal damages. The question they address here is whether the marginal damage from an increase in electricity supply is the correct adjustment or adder to private cost for least-cost utility planning. They show that arriving at the correct adder depends on both the form that the existing environmental regulations take - that is, whether pollution is controlled by taxation, tradable emissions permits, or direct regulation - and, in the case of an emissions tax, whether the degree of control of pollution is optimal, too strict, or not strict enough according to the criterion of economic efficiency. They make explicit the circumstances under which the correct adder will be equal to marginal damages, will be some other positive number, or zero, or even negative. If emissions reductions are achieved by direct regulation or command and control policies (CAC), then the correct adder is always just equal to marginal damages

Advertising in Markets with Consumption Externalities

OpenAIRE

Whelan, Adele

2014-01-01

This paper extends the entry deterrence literature by examining coordinating advertising in markets with consumption externalities using a stochastic success function. Optimal advertising and pricing strategies are analysed when an incumbent firm faces a challenger with a product of equal quality. I show that strategic entry deterrence using advertising is possible and optimal entry deterrence involves strategic pre-commitment to over-investment relative to the non-strategic simultaneous adve...

ExternE - valuation of hydro power in Klippen. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Maans

1998-08-01

ExternE is a pan E uropean project aimed at identifying and quantifying external effects from different energy production technologies around Europe. The Swedish implementation carried out case studies on a biomass plant, a coal plant and a hydro power plant. The conventional approach within the ExternE project is to estimate impacts for each priority pathway associated with the fuel cycle, and then economic methods to obtain estimates for the economic damage of each particular impact pathway. However, in the case of hydro power, it is generally not possible to estimate the most important impacts quantitatively. Therefore, a contingent valuation (CV) study was initiated. In a typical CV-study, a selection of individuals are asked to state their willingness to pay for a certain environmental improvement or to avoid an environmental damage. Welfare economic theory suggests that the well-being effects on people from a change from one situation to another can be measured as their willingness to pay or to accept an economic transaction for this change. Environmental services, such as those provided by a river system, are public services and have generally no market price, but the analyst can use people's stated preferences to determine the correct prices of environmental goods and services. The CV study was initiated to obtain an externality value for Klippens Kraftstation. The performed study was of Ex Ante type, which means estimating the values before the exploitation. For this purpose, a site similar to Klippen but without exploitation, was selected: Vojmaan. Three groups of respondents; the local population, the tourists, and the average Swede, were asked to state their perspective on hydro power development their WTP for preserving Vojmaan in its current condition. The results indicate that Locals and Tourists differ significantly from Swedes. The average willingness to pay is calculated from the respondents who absolutely will pay, and those who maybe pay. The

In-vessel core debris retention through external flooding of the reactor pressure vessel. SCDAP/RELAP5 assessment for the SBWR lower head

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heel, A.M.J.M. van.

1995-09-01

In this report the results are discussed from various analyses on the feasibility and phenomenology of the External Flooding (EF) concept for an SBWR lower head, filled with a large heat generating corium mass. In applying External Flooding as an accident management strategy after or during core melt down, the lower drywell is filled with water up to a level where a large portion of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) is flooded. The purpose of this method is to establish cooling of the vessel wall, that is challenged by the heat load resulting from the corium, in such a way that its structural integrity if not endangered. The analysis discussed in this report focus on the thermal response of the vessel wall and the ex-vessel boiling processes under the conditions described above. For these analyses the SCDAP/REALP5 MOD 3.1 code was used. The major outcome of the calculations is, that a major part of the vessel wall remains well below themelting temperature of carbon steel, as long as flooding of the external surface of the lower head is established. The SCDAP/RELAP5 analyses indicated that low-quality Critical Heat Flux (CHF) was not exceeded, under all the conditions that had been tested. However, a comaprison of the heat fluxes, as calculated in RELAP5, with the CHF values obtained from the Zuber correlation and the Vishnev correction factor (for boiling at inclined surfaces) proved that CHF values, based on these criteria, were exceeded in several surface points of the lower head mesh. The correlations, as resident in the current version of RELAP5 MOD 3.1, might lead to over-estimation of CHF for the EF analyses discussed in this report. The use of the more conservative Zuber correlation with the Vishnev correction factor is recommended for EF analyses. (orig.)

Effects of MRI Protocol Parameters, Preload Injection Dose, Fractionation Strategies, and Leakage Correction Algorithms on the Fidelity of Dynamic-Susceptibility Contrast MRI Estimates of Relative Cerebral Blood Volume in Gliomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Leu, K; Boxerman, J L; Ellingson, B M

2017-03-01

DSC perfusion MR imaging assumes that the contrast agent remains intravascular; thus, disruptions in the blood-brain barrier common in brain tumors can lead to errors in the estimation of relative CBV. Acquisition strategies, including the choice of flip angle, TE, TR, and preload dose and incubation time, along with post hoc leakage-correction algorithms, have been proposed as means for combating these leakage effects. In the current study, we used DSC-MR imaging simulations to examine the influence of these various acquisition parameters and leakage-correction strategies on the faithful estimation of CBV. DSC-MR imaging simulations were performed in 250 tumors with perfusion characteristics randomly generated from the distributions of real tumor population data, and comparison of leakage-corrected CBV was performed with a theoretic curve with no permeability. Optimal strategies were determined by protocol with the lowest mean error. The following acquisition strategies (flip angle/TE/TR and contrast dose allocation for preload and bolus) produced high CBV fidelity, as measured by the percentage difference from a hypothetic tumor with no leakage: 1) 35°/35 ms/1.5 seconds with no preload and full dose for DSC-MR imaging, 2) 35°/25 ms/1.5 seconds with ¼ dose preload and ¾ dose bolus, 3) 60°/35 ms/2.0 seconds with ½ dose preload and ½ dose bolus, and 4) 60°/35 ms/1.0 second with 1 dose preload and 1 dose bolus. Results suggest that a variety of strategies can yield similarly high fidelity in CBV estimation, namely those that balance T1- and T2*-relaxation effects due to contrast agent extravasation. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Human Life History Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chua, Kristine J; Lukaszewski, Aaron W; Grant, DeMond M; Sng, Oliver

2017-01-01

Human life history (LH) strategies are theoretically regulated by developmental exposure to environmental cues that ancestrally predicted LH-relevant world states (e.g., risk of morbidity-mortality). Recent modeling work has raised the question of whether the association of childhood family factors with adult LH variation arises via (i) direct sampling of external environmental cues during development and/or (ii) calibration of LH strategies to internal somatic condition (i.e., health), which itself reflects exposure to variably favorable environments. The present research tested between these possibilities through three online surveys involving a total of over 26,000 participants. Participants completed questionnaires assessing components of self-reported environmental harshness (i.e., socioeconomic status, family neglect, and neighborhood crime), health status, and various LH-related psychological and behavioral phenotypes (e.g., mating strategies, paranoia, and anxiety), modeled as a unidimensional latent variable. Structural equation models suggested that exposure to harsh ecologies had direct effects on latent LH strategy as well as indirect effects on latent LH strategy mediated via health status. These findings suggest that human LH strategies may be calibrated to both external and internal cues and that such calibrational effects manifest in a wide range of psychological and behavioral phenotypes.

Human Life History Strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristine J. Chua

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Human life history (LH strategies are theoretically regulated by developmental exposure to environmental cues that ancestrally predicted LH-relevant world states (e.g., risk of morbidity–mortality. Recent modeling work has raised the question of whether the association of childhood family factors with adult LH variation arises via (i direct sampling of external environmental cues during development and/or (ii calibration of LH strategies to internal somatic condition (i.e., health, which itself reflects exposure to variably favorable environments. The present research tested between these possibilities through three online surveys involving a total of over 26,000 participants. Participants completed questionnaires assessing components of self-reported environmental harshness (i.e., socioeconomic status, family neglect, and neighborhood crime, health status, and various LH-related psychological and behavioral phenotypes (e.g., mating strategies, paranoia, and anxiety, modeled as a unidimensional latent variable. Structural equation models suggested that exposure to harsh ecologies had direct effects on latent LH strategy as well as indirect effects on latent LH strategy mediated via health status. These findings suggest that human LH strategies may be calibrated to both external and internal cues and that such calibrational effects manifest in a wide range of psychological and behavioral phenotypes.

THE EXTERNAL FACTORS OF STUDENTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN SPEAKING ACTIVITY AT SMP PROGRESIF BUMI SHALAWAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.A. Nurul Haikal

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This research is conducted to know what factors that influence the students’ involvement in speaking activity in order to practice their speaking skill and what strategies that the teacher used to encourage those external factors. This research uses descriptive qualitative method. There are two instruments used for this research, namely, class observation and interview. Based on the results of class observation and interview, the researcher concludes that teacher factor gives the greatest impact on students’ involvement and the appropriate strategies can support those external factors.

Externalities of fuel cycles 'ExternE' project. Summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, M.; Berry, J.

1994-01-01

There is a growing requirement for policy analysts to take account of the environment in their decision making and to undertake the specified cost-benefit analysis. Within the European Union this is reflected in the 5th Environmental Action Programme, and the Commission's White Paper entitled 'Growth, competitiveness, employment and the ways forward to the 21st century'. This has led to a need for evaluation of environmental externalities. The ExternE Project commenced in 1991 as the European part of a collaborative study between the European Commission and the US Department of Energy. It aims to be the first systematic approach to the evaluation of external costs of a wide range of different fuel cycles. The project will result in an operational accounting framework for the quantification and monetarisation of priority environmental and other externalities. This framework will allow the calculation of the marginal external costs and benefits for specific power plants, at specific sites using specified technologies. There are three major phases in the project. Phase I was undertaken in collaboration with the US Department of Energy. In this phase the teams jointly developed the conceptual approach and methodology and shared scientific information for application to a number of fuel cycles. On the European side work concentrated on the nuclear and coal fuel cycles which together were expected to raise many of the fundamental issues in fuel cycle analysis. The project is currently nearing completion of Phase 2. During this phase the methodology has been applied to a wide range of different fossil, nuclear and renewable fuel cycles for power generation and energy conservation options. Also a series of National Implementation Programmes are underway in which the methodology and accounting framework are being applied to reference sites throughout Europe. In addition the general methodology is being extended to address the evaluation of externalities associated with

Image denoising by exploring external and internal correlations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, Huanjing; Sun, Xiaoyan; Yang, Jingyu; Wu, Feng

2015-06-01

Single image denoising suffers from limited data collection within a noisy image. In this paper, we propose a novel image denoising scheme, which explores both internal and external correlations with the help of web images. For each noisy patch, we build internal and external data cubes by finding similar patches from the noisy and web images, respectively. We then propose reducing noise by a two-stage strategy using different filtering approaches. In the first stage, since the noisy patch may lead to inaccurate patch selection, we propose a graph based optimization method to improve patch matching accuracy in external denoising. The internal denoising is frequency truncation on internal cubes. By combining the internal and external denoising patches, we obtain a preliminary denoising result. In the second stage, we propose reducing noise by filtering of external and internal cubes, respectively, on transform domain. In this stage, the preliminary denoising result not only enhances the patch matching accuracy but also provides reliable estimates of filtering parameters. The final denoising image is obtained by fusing the external and internal filtering results. Experimental results show that our method constantly outperforms state-of-the-art denoising schemes in both subjective and objective quality measurements, e.g., it achieves >2 dB gain compared with BM3D at a wide range of noise levels.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 570: Area 9 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patrick Matthews

2012-08-01

CAU 570 comprises the following six corrective action sites (CASs): • 02-23-07, Atmospheric Test Site - Tesla • 09-23-10, Atmospheric Test Site T-9 • 09-23-11, Atmospheric Test Site S-9G • 09-23-14, Atmospheric Test Site - Rushmore • 09-23-15, Eagle Contamination Area • 09-99-01, Atmospheric Test Site B-9A These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viable CAAs that will be presented in the Corrective Action Decision Document. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on April 30, 2012, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 570. The site investigation process will also be conducted in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices to be applied to this activity. The presence and nature of contamination at CAU 570 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the total effective dose at sample locations to the dose-based final action level. The total effective dose will be calculated as the total of separate estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples will be used to calculate internal radiological

External and Internal Citation Analyses Can Provide Insight into Serial/Monograph Ratios when Refining Collection Development Strategies in Selected STEM Disciplines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Krueger

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A Review of: Kelly, M. (2015. Citation patterns of engineering, statistics, and computer science researchers: An internal and external citation analysis across multiple engineering subfields. College and Research Libraries, 76(7, 859-882. http://doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.7.859 Objective – To determine internal and external citation analysis methods and their potential applicability to the refinement of collection development strategies at both the institutional and cross-institutional levels for selected science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM subfields. Design – Multidimensional citation analysis; specifically, analysis of citations from 1 key scholarly journals in selected STEM subfields (external analysis compared to those from 2 local doctoral dissertations in similar subfields (internal analysis. Setting – Medium-sized, STEM-dominant public research university in the United States of America. Subjects – Two citation datasets: 1 14,149 external citations from16 journals (i.e., 2 journals per subfield; citations from 2012 volumes representing bioengineering, civil engineering, computer science (CS, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, operations research, statistics (STAT, and systems engineering; and 2 8,494 internal citations from 99 doctoral dissertations (18-22 per subfield published between 2008-–2012 from CS, electrical and computer engineering (ECE, and applied information technology (AIT and published between 2005-–2012 for systems engineering and operations research (SEOR and STAT. Methods – Citations, including titles and publication dates, were harvested from source materials and stored in Excel and then manually categorized according to format (book, book chapter, journal, conference proceeding, website, and several others. To analyze citations, percentages of occurrence by subfield were calculated for variables including format, age (years since date cited, journal distribution, and the

Implementation of the external cephalic version in breech delivery. Dutch national implementation study of external cephalic version.

Science.gov (United States)

Vlemmix, Floortje; Rosman, Ageeth N; Fleuren, Margot A H; Rijnders, Marlies E B; Beuckens, Antje; Haak, Monique C; Akerboom, Bettina M C; Bais, Joke M J; Kuppens, Simone M I; Papatsonis, Dimitri N; Opmeer, Brent C; van der Post, Joris A M; Mol, Ben Willem J; Kok, Marjolein

2010-05-10

Breech presentation occurs in 3 to 4% of all term pregnancies. External cephalic version (ECV) is proven effective to prevent vaginal breech deliveries and therefore it is recommended by clinical guidelines of the Royal Dutch Organisation for Midwives (KNOV) and the Dutch Society for Obstetrics and Gynaecology (NVOG). Implementation of ECV does not exceed 50 to 60% and probably less.We aim to improve the implementation of ECV to decrease maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality due to breech presentations. This will be done by defining barriers and facilitators of implementation of ECV in the Netherlands. An innovative implementation strategy will be developed based on improved patient counselling and thorough instructions of health care providers for counselling. The ultimate purpose of this implementation study is to improve counselling of pregnant women and information of clinicians to realize a better implementation of ECV.The first phase of the project is to detect the barriers and facilitators of ECV. The next step is to develop an implementation strategy to inform and counsel pregnant women with a breech presentation, and to inform and educate care providers. In the third phase, the effectiveness of the developed implementation strategy will be evaluated in a randomised trial. The study population is a random selection of midwives and gynaecologists from 60 to 100 hospitals and practices. Primary endpoints are number of counselled women. Secondary endpoints are process indicators, the amount of fetes in cephalic presentation at birth, complications due to ECV, the number of caesarean sections and perinatal condition of mother and child. Cost effectiveness of the implementation strategy will be measured. This study will provide evidence for the cost effectiveness of a structural implementation of external cephalic versions to reduce the number of breech presentations at term. Dutch Trial Register (NTR): 1878.

Implementation of the external cephalic version in breech delivery. Dutch national implementation study of external cephalic version

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Papatsonis Dimitri N

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Breech presentation occurs in 3 to 4% of all term pregnancies. External cephalic version (ECV is proven effective to prevent vaginal breech deliveries and therefore it is recommended by clinical guidelines of the Royal Dutch Organisation for Midwives (KNOV and the Dutch Society for Obstetrics and Gynaecology (NVOG. Implementation of ECV does not exceed 50 to 60% and probably less. We aim to improve the implementation of ECV to decrease maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality due to breech presentations. This will be done by defining barriers and facilitators of implementation of ECV in the Netherlands. An innovative implementation strategy will be developed based on improved patient counselling and thorough instructions of health care providers for counselling. Method/design The ultimate purpose of this implementation study is to improve counselling of pregnant women and information of clinicians to realize a better implementation of ECV. The first phase of the project is to detect the barriers and facilitators of ECV. The next step is to develop an implementation strategy to inform and counsel pregnant women with a breech presentation, and to inform and educate care providers. In the third phase, the effectiveness of the developed implementation strategy will be evaluated in a randomised trial. The study population is a random selection of midwives and gynaecologists from 60 to 100 hospitals and practices. Primary endpoints are number of counselled women. Secondary endpoints are process indicators, the amount of fetes in cephalic presentation at birth, complications due to ECV, the number of caesarean sections and perinatal condition of mother and child. Cost effectiveness of the implementation strategy will be measured. Discussion This study will provide evidence for the cost effectiveness of a structural implementation of external cephalic versions to reduce the number of breech presentations at term. Trial

Housekeeping category corrective action unit work plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-08-01

The purpose of this Corrective Action Unit (CAU) Work Plan is to provide a strategy to be used by the US Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV), the US Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) (formerly the Defense Nuclear Agency), and contractor personnel for conducting corrective actions at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and Nevada off-site locations including the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), the Project Shoal Area, and the Central Nevada Test Area. This Work Plan applies to housekeeping category CAUs already listed in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) Appendices (FFACO, 1996) as well as newly identified Corrective Action Sites (CASs) that will follow the housekeeping process

Tuning dispersion correction in DFT-D2 for metal-molecule interactions: A tailored reparameterization strategy for the adsorption of aromatic systems on Ag(1 1 1)

Science.gov (United States)

Schiavo, Eduardo; Muñoz-García, Ana B.; Barone, Vincenzo; Vittadini, Andrea; Casarin, Maurizio; Forrer, Daniel; Pavone, Michele

2018-02-01

Common local and semi-local density functionals poorly describe the molecular physisorption on metal surfaces due to the lack of dispersion interactions. In the last decade, several correction schemes have been proposed to amend this fundamental flaw of Density Functional Theory. Using the prototypical case of aromatic molecules adsorbed on Ag(1 1 1), we discuss the accuracy of different dispersion-correction methods and present a reparameterization strategy for the simple and effective DFT-D2. For the adsorption of different aromatic systems on the same metallic substrate, good results at feasible computational costs are achieved by means of a fitting procedure against MP2 data.

Perceptual support promotes strategy generation: Evidence from equation solving.

Science.gov (United States)

Alibali, Martha W; Crooks, Noelle M; McNeil, Nicole M

2017-08-30

Over time, children shift from using less optimal strategies for solving mathematics problems to using better ones. But why do children generate new strategies? We argue that they do so when they begin to encode problems more accurately; therefore, we hypothesized that perceptual support for correct encoding would foster strategy generation. Fourth-grade students solved mathematical equivalence problems (e.g., 3 + 4 + 5 = 3 + __) in a pre-test. They were then randomly assigned to one of three perceptual support conditions or to a Control condition. Participants in all conditions completed three mathematical equivalence problems with feedback about correctness. Participants in the experimental conditions received perceptual support (i.e., highlighting in red ink) for accurately encoding the equal sign, the right side of the equation, or the numbers that could be added to obtain the correct solution. Following this intervention, participants completed a problem-solving post-test. Among participants who solved the problems incorrectly at pre-test, those who received perceptual support for correctly encoding the equal sign were more likely to generate new, correct strategies for solving the problems than were those who received feedback only. Thus, perceptual support for accurate encoding of a key problem feature promoted generation of new, correct strategies. Statement of Contribution What is already known on this subject? With age and experience, children shift to using more effective strategies for solving math problems. Problem encoding also improves with age and experience. What the present study adds? Support for encoding the equal sign led children to generate correct strategies for solving equations. Improvements in problem encoding are one source of new strategies. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Attenuation correction using simultaneous emission - transmission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ljubenov, V.; Marinkovic, P.

1998-01-01

In order to reduce degrading influence of attenuation on SPECT image quality, possibility for correction, based on simultaneous emission / transmission measurements, is discussed. Numerical photon transport simulations through the phantom and acquisition of of tomographic projections are performed by using Monte Carlo code MCNP-4A. Amount of contamination in transmission data due to photon Compton scattering for emission energy window is specially analyzed and appropriate spatial depending 'noise / signal' factors for three different external sources, applied with Tc-99m, are determined (author)

A moving blocker-based strategy for simultaneous megavoltage and kilovoltage scatter correction in cone-beam computed tomography image acquired during volumetric modulated arc therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouyang, Luo; Lee, Huichen Pam; Wang, Jing

2015-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate a moving blocker-based approach in estimating and correcting megavoltage (MV) and kilovoltage (kV) scatter contamination in kV cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) acquired during volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Methods and materials: During the concurrent CBCT/VMAT acquisition, a physical attenuator (i.e., “blocker”) consisting of equally spaced lead strips was mounted and moved constantly between the CBCT source and patient. Both kV and MV scatter signals were estimated from the blocked region of the imaging panel, and interpolated into the unblocked region. A scatter corrected CBCT was then reconstructed from the unblocked projections after scatter subtraction using an iterative image reconstruction algorithm based on constraint optimization. Experimental studies were performed on a Catphan® phantom and an anthropomorphic pelvis phantom to demonstrate the feasibility of using a moving blocker for kV–MV scatter correction. Results: Scatter induced cupping artifacts were substantially reduced in the moving blocker corrected CBCT images. Quantitatively, the root mean square error of Hounsfield units (HU) in seven density inserts of the Catphan phantom was reduced from 395 to 40. Conclusions: The proposed moving blocker strategy greatly improves the image quality of CBCT acquired with concurrent VMAT by reducing the kV–MV scatter induced HU inaccuracy and cupping artifacts

Personalized recommendation with corrected similarity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Xuzhen; Tian, Hui; Cai, Shimin

2014-01-01

Personalized recommendation has attracted a surge of interdisciplinary research. Especially, similarity-based methods in applications of real recommendation systems have achieved great success. However, the computations of similarities are overestimated or underestimated, in particular because of the defective strategy of unidirectional similarity estimation. In this paper, we solve this drawback by leveraging mutual correction of forward and backward similarity estimations, and propose a new personalized recommendation index, i.e., corrected similarity based inference (CSI). Through extensive experiments on four benchmark datasets, the results show a greater improvement of CSI in comparison with these mainstream baselines. And a detailed analysis is presented to unveil and understand the origin of such difference between CSI and mainstream indices. (paper)

External Reactor Vessel Cooling Evaluation for Severe Accident Mitigation in NPP Krsko

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihalina, M.; Spalj, S.; Glaser, B.

2016-01-01

The In-Vessel corium Retention (IVR) through the External Reactor Vessel Cooling (ERVC) is mean for maintaining the reactor vessel integrity during a severe accident, by cooling and retaining the molten material inside the reactor vessel. By doing this, significant portion of severe accident negative phenomena connected with reactor vessel failure could be avoided. In this paper, analysis of NPP Krsko applicability for IVR strategy was performed. It includes overview of performed plant related analysis with emphasis on wet cavity modification, plant's site specific walk downs, new applicable probabilistic and deterministic analysis, evaluation of new possibilities for ERVC strategy implementation regarding plant's post-Fukushima improvements and adequacy with plant's procedures for severe accident mitigation. Conclusion is that NPP Krsko could perform in-vessel core retention by applying external reactor vessel cooling strategy with reasonable confidence in success. Per probabilistic and deterministic analysis, time window for successful ERVC strategy performance for most dominating plant damage state scenarios is 2.5 hours, when onset of core damage is observed. This action should be performed early after transition to Severe Accident Management Guidance's (SAMG). For loss of all AC power scenario, containment flooding could be initiated before onset of core damage within related emergency procedure. To perform external reactor vessel cooling, reactor water storage tank gravity drain with addition of alternate water is needed to be injected into the containment. ERVC strategy will positively interfere with other severe accident strategies. There are no negative effects due to ERVC performance. New flooding level will not threaten equipment and instrumentation needed for long term SAMGs performance and eventually diluted containment sump borated water inventory will not cause return to criticality during eventual recirculation phase due to the

Heterocyst placement strategies to maximize the growth of cyanobacterial filaments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Aidan I; Rutenberg, Andrew D

2012-01-01

Under conditions of limited fixed-nitrogen, some filamentous cyanobacteria develop a regular pattern of heterocyst cells that fix nitrogen for the remaining vegetative cells. We examine three different heterocyst placement strategies by quantitatively modelling filament growth while varying both external fixed-nitrogen and leakage from the filament. We find that there is an optimum heterocyst frequency which maximizes the growth rate of the filament; the optimum frequency decreases as the external fixed-nitrogen concentration increases but increases as the leakage increases. In the presence of leakage, filaments implementing a local heterocyst placement strategy grow significantly faster than filaments implementing random heterocyst placement strategies. With no extracellular fixed-nitrogen, consistent with recent experimental studies of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, the modelled heterocyst spacing distribution using our local heterocyst placement strategy is qualitatively similar to experimentally observed patterns. As external fixed-nitrogen is increased, the spacing distribution for our local placement strategy retains the same shape, while the average spacing between heterocysts continuously increases. (paper)

Dynamics of Context-Dependent Recall: An Examination of Internal and External Context Change

Science.gov (United States)

Unsworth, Nash; Spillers, Gregory J.; Brewer, Gene A.

2012-01-01

Retrieval dynamics in context-dependent recall were explored via manipulations of external and internal context in two experiments. Participants were tested in either the same or different context as the material was learned in and correct recalls, errors, and recall latency measures were examined. In both experiments changes in context resulted…

Recovery of Myocardial Kinematic Function without the Time History of External Loads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Heye

2010-01-01

Full Text Available A time-domain filtering algorithm is proposed to recover myocardial kinematic function using output-only measurements without the time history of external loads. The main contribution of this work is that the overall effect of all the external loads on the myocardium is treated as a random variable disturbed by the Gaussian white noise because the external loads of the myocardium are usually unknown in practical exercises. The kernel of our proposed algorithm is an iterative, multiframe, and sequential filtering procedure consisting of a Kalman filter and a least-squares filter. In our proposed implementation, the initial guess of myocardial kinematic function and residual innovation of all the state variables are first computed using a Kalman filter via state space equations only driven by the Gaussian white noise, and then the residual innovation is fed into a least-squares filter to estimate the total external loads of the myocardium. In the end, the initial guess of myocardial kinematic function is corrected using external loads provided by the least-squares filter. After the introduction of the whole structure of our algorithm, we demonstrate the ability of the framework on synthetic data and MR image sequences.

Merajut Strategi dan “Merubahnya” Menjadi Aksi (Kajian Buku : “Strategy Maps” oleh Kaplan & Norton, dan Crafting And Executing Strategy oleh Thompson & Strickland)

OpenAIRE

Rizal Rivai, Alimuddin

2006-01-01

Strategies are important for an organization. Basic framework in the study of management strategy is that the strategy is built base on the right and proper organization's situation and condition. However, empirically, it is failvery often in the implementation. That's why the execution strategy level requires the correct socialized, structured, and systematically process which is done in the right time. The strategy will be useful for a company if it isexecuted consistently by all management...

Error Field Correction in DIII-D Ohmic Plasmas With Either Handedness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jong-Kyu; Schaffer, Michael J.; La Haye, Robert J.; Scoville, Timothy J.; Menard, Jonathan E.

2011-01-01

Error field correction results in DIII-D plasmas are presented in various configurations. In both left-handed and right-handed plasma configurations, where the intrinsic error fields become different due to the opposite helical twist (handedness) of the magnetic field, the optimal error correction currents and the toroidal phases of internal(I)-coils are empirically established. Applications of the Ideal Perturbed Equilibrium Code to these results demonstrate that the field component to be minimized is not the resonant component of the external field, but the total field including ideal plasma responses. Consistency between experiment and theory has been greatly improved along with the understanding of ideal plasma responses, but non-ideal plasma responses still need to be understood to achieve the reliable predictability in tokamak error field correction.

Comprehensive strategy for corrective actions at the Savannah River Site General Separations Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebra, M.A.; Lewis, C.M.; Amidon, M.B.; McClain, L.K.

1991-01-01

The Savannah River Site (SRS), operated by the Westinghouse Savannah River Company for the United States Department of Energy, contains a number of waste disposal units that are currently in various stages of corrective action investigations, closures, and postclosure corrective actions. Many of these sites are located within a 40-square-kilometer area called the General Separations Area (GSA). The SRS has proposed to the regulatory agencies, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), that groundwater investigations and corrective actions in this area be conducted under a comprehensive plan. The proposed plan would address the continuous nature of the hydrogeologic regime below the GSA and the potential for multiple sources of contamination. This paper describes the proposed approach

In-Vessel Retention via External Reactor Cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bachrata, Andrea [CTU in Prague, Faculty of nuclear sciences and physical engineering, V Holesovickach 2 180 00, Prague 8 (Czech republic)

2008-07-01

In-vessel (corium) retention (IVR) via external reactor pressure vessel (RPV) cooling is considered to be an effective severe accident management strategy for corium localisation and stabilisation. The main idea of IVR strategy consists in flooding the reactor cavity and transferring the decay heat through the wall of RPV to the recirculating water and than to the atmosphere of the containment of nuclear power plant. The aim of this strategy is to localise and to stabilise the corium inside the RPV. Not using this procedure could destroy the integrity of RPV and might cause the interaction of the corium with the concrete at the bed of the reactor cavity. Several experimental facilities and computer codes (MVITA, ASTEC module DIVA and CFD codes) were applied to simulate the IVR strategy for concrete reactor designs. The necessary technical modifications concerning the implementation of IVR concept were applied at the Loviisa NPP (VVER-440/V213). This strategy is also an important part of the advanced reactor designs AP600 and AP1000. (authors)

Initial results of shoulder MRI in external rotation after primary shoulder dislocation and after immobilization in external rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pennekamp, W.; Nicolas, V.; Gekle, C.; Seybold, D.

2006-01-01

Purpose: A change in the strategy for treating primary anterior traumatic dislocation of the shoulder has occurred. To date, brief fixation of internal rotation via a Gilchrist bandage has been used. Depending on the patient's age, a redislocation is seen in up to 90% of cases. This is due to healing of the internally rotated labrum-ligament tear in an incorrect position. In the case of external rotation of the humerus, better repositioning of the labrum ligament complex is achieved. Using MRI of the shoulder in external rotation, the extent of the improved labrum-ligament adjustment can be documented, and the indication of immobilization of the shoulder in external rotation can be derived. The aim of this investigation is to describe the degree of position changing of the labrum-ligament tear in internal and external rotation. Materials and Methods: 10 patients (9 male, 1 female, mean age 30.4 years, range 15-43 years) with a primary anterior dislocation of the shoulder without hyper laxity of the contra lateral side and labrum-ligament lesion substantiated by MRI were investigated using a standard shoulder MRI protocol (PD-TSE axial fs, PD-TSE coronar fs, T2-TSE sagittal, T1-TSE coronar) by an axial PD-TSE sequence in internal and external rotation. The dislocation and separation of the anterior labrum-ligament complex were measured. The shoulders were immobilized in 10 external rotation for 3 weeks. After 6 weeks a shoulder MRI in internal rotation was performed. Results: In all patients there was a significantly better position of the labrum-ligament complex of the inferior rim in external rotation, because of the tension of the ventral capsule and the subscapular muscle. In the initial investigation, the separation of the labrum-ligament complex in internal rotation was 0.44±0.27 mm and the dislocation was 0.45±0.33 mm. In external rotation the separation was 0.01±0.19 mm and the dislocation was -0.08±0.28 mm. After 6 weeks of immobilization in 10 external

Effects of External Loads on Human Head Movement Control Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, M. H.; Choi, O. M.

1984-01-01

The central and reflexive control strategies underlying movements were elucidated by studying the effects of external loads on human head movement control systems. Some experimental results are presented on dynamic changes weigh the addition of aviation helmet (SPH4) and lead weights (6 kg). Intended time-optimal movements, their dynamics and electromyographic activity of neck muscles in normal movements, and also in movements made with external weights applied to the head were measured. It was observed that, when the external loads were added, the subject went through complex adapting processes and the head movement trajectory and its derivatives reached steady conditions only after transient adapting period. The steady adapted state was reached after 15 to 20 seconds (i.e., 5 to 6 movements).

Logarithmic corrections to scaling in the XY2-model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenna, R.; Irving, A.C.

1995-01-01

We study the distribution of partition function zeroes for the XY-model in two dimensions. In particular we find the scaling behaviour of the end of the distribution of zeroes in the complex external magnetic field plane in the thermodynamic limit (the Yang-Lee edge) and the form for the density of these zeroes. Assuming that finite-size scaling holds, we show that there have to exist logarithmic corrections to the leading scaling behaviour of thermodynamic quantities in this model. These logarithmic corrections are also manifest in the finite-size scaling formulae and we identify them numerically. The method presented here can be used to check the compatibility of scaling behaviour of odd and even thermodynamic functions in other models too. ((orig.))

Well Completion Report for Corrective Action Unit 443 Central Nevada Test Area Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

The drilling program described in this report is part of a new corrective action strategy for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 443 at the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA). The drilling program included drilling two boreholes, geophysical well logging, construction of two monitoring/validation (MV) wells with piezometers (MV-4 and MV-5), development of monitor wells and piezometers, recompletion of two existing wells (HTH-1 and UC-1-P-1S), removal of pumps from existing wells (MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3), redevelopment of piezometers associated with existing wells (MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3), and installation of submersible pumps. The new corrective action strategy includes initiating a new 5-year proof-of-concept monitoring period to validate the compliance boundary at CNTA (DOE 2007). The new 5-year proof-of-concept monitoring period begins upon completion of the new monitor wells and collection of samples for laboratory analysis. The new strategy is described in the Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan addendum (DOE 2008a) that the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection approved (NDEP 2008)

Well Completion Report for Corrective Action Unit 443 Central Nevada Test Area Nye County, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-12-01

The drilling program described in this report is part of a new corrective action strategy for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 443 at the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA). The drilling program included drilling two boreholes, geophysical well logging, construction of two monitoring/validation (MV) wells with piezometers (MV-4 and MV-5), development of monitor wells and piezometers, recompletion of two existing wells (HTH-1 and UC-1-P-1S), removal of pumps from existing wells (MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3), redevelopment of piezometers associated with existing wells (MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3), and installation of submersible pumps. The new corrective action strategy includes initiating a new 5-year proof-of-concept monitoring period to validate the compliance boundary at CNTA (DOE 2007). The new 5-year proof-of-concept monitoring period begins upon completion of the new monitor wells and collection of samples for laboratory analysis. The new strategy is described in the Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan addendum (DOE 2008a) that the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection approved (NDEP 2008).

Drift Correction of Lightweight Microbolometer Thermal Sensors On-Board Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco-Javier Mesas-Carrascosa

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The development of lightweight sensors compatible with mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs has expanded the agronomical applications of remote sensing. Of particular interest in this paper are thermal sensors based on lightweight microbolometer technology. These are mainly used to assess crop water stress with thermal images where an accuracy greater than 1 °C is necessary. However, these sensors lack precise temperature control, resulting in thermal drift during image acquisition that requires correction. Currently, there are several strategies to manage thermal drift effect. However, these strategies reduce useful flight time over crops due to the additional in-flight calibration operations. This study presents a drift correction methodology for microbolometer sensors based on redundant information from multiple overlapping images. An empirical study was performed in an orchard of high-density hedgerow olive trees with flights at different times of the day. Six mathematical drift correction models were developed and assessed to explain and correct drift effect on thermal images. Using the proposed methodology, the resulting thermally corrected orthomosaics yielded a rate of error lower than 1° C compared to those where no drift correction was applied.

MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPING AGROTOURISM IN JEMBER REGENCY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tantri Wijayanti

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This research was aimed to identify the agrotourism potential in Jember Regency, to identify the condition of internal and external environment of Sukorambi Botanic Garden. The research used the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA method to find out the level of the visitors’ interest and satisfaction. For the internal and external analyses, the Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE method, the External Factor Evaluation (EFE method,  Strength Weakness Opportunity and Threat (SWOT and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP were used to determine the strategies for marketing Sukorambi Botanic Garden. Three resource persons were used by purposive sampling technique. Thirty respondents were used for analytical level of interest by distributing questionnaires to visitors. The results of the research showed that the priorities of marketing Sukorambi Botanic Garden were 1 the strategy to maximize the concept of recreation while studying  such as crop cultivation and animal farming, 2 the strategy to increase the number of outbound games, 3 the strategy to coordinate intensively with stakeholders for improvement and sustainable development, 4 the strategy to get a loan from  a financial institution to increase capital, 5 the strategy to optimize promotion activities, (6  the strategy to improve the quality of community services through improved performance and transportation facilities, 7 the strategy to improve the quality of services through trainings for the employees to improve the company’s management system, 8 the strategy to realize facility development on the remainder of the land  accompanied by improvement of existing facilities, and 9 the strategy to optimize online promotion activities.    Keywords: Agrotourism, marketing development strategy, Sukorambi Botanic Garden, AHP, SWOT

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 550: Smoky Contamination Area Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evenson, Grant

2012-01-01

on January 31, 2012, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 550. The potential contamination sources associated with the study groups are from nuclear testing activities conducted at CAU 550. The DQO process resulted in an assumption that the total effective dose (TED) within the default contamination boundary of CAU 550 exceeds the final action level and requires corrective action. The presence and nature of contamination outside the default contamination boundary at CAU 550 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the TED at sample locations to the dose-based final action level. The TED will be calculated as the total of separate estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at the center of each sample location will be used to measure external radiological dose. Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the DQO methodology and the DQOs specific to each group of CASs.

Industrial residues as an external carbon source in denitrification; Industrielle Reststoffe als externe Kohlenstoffquelle fuer die Denitrifikation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schories, G. [TECON GmbH, Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany); Geissen, S.U.; Vogelpohl, A. [Technische Univ. Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany). Inst. fuer Thermische Verfahrenstechnik

1999-07-01

Biological waste water treatment requires biologically readily degradable carbon in order to permit elimination of as much nitrogen as possible. Often now this type of carbon is no longer present in waste water in an appropriate quantity, so that external carbon must be added. Apart from industrially fabricated substrates, the use of industrial residues and waste products as well as of partial waste water streams with a high organic pollutant load is lately being considered for cost reasons. But this is not altogether harmless. Those partial streams may contain substances that inhibit denitrification, impose an additional burden on subsequent cleaning stages or may even pass them unmodified, so that they are emitted into the environment and pose an ecological hazard potential. Hence, industrial residual products need to be specifically selected for use as an external carbon source in denitrification. A suitable strategy is described and demonstrated by means of different examples. (orig.) [German] In der biologischen Abwasserbehandlung ist fuer eine weitestgehende Stickstoffelimination oftmals biologisch gut abbaubarer Kohlenstoff im Abwasser nicht (mehr) in ausreichendem Masse vorhanden. Dann ist die Zugabe einer sog. externen Kohlenstoffquelle erforderlich. Neben industriell hergestellten Substraten wird in letzter Zeit aus Kostengruenden vielfach der Einsatz industrieller Rest- und Abfallstoffe sowie organisch hochbelasteter Abwasserteilstroeme erwogen. Dies ist jedoch nicht unproblematisch, da in diesen Stoffstroemen auch Substanzen enthalten sein koennen, die die Denitrifikation hemmen, nachfolgende Reinigungsstufen zusaetzlich belasten oder diese sogar unveraendert passsieren, dadurch in die Umwelt emittiert werden und damit moeglicherweise aus oekologischer Sicht ein Gefahrenpotential darstellen koennen. Es muss also eine besondere Auswahl der Pruefung industrieller Reststoffe im Hinblick auf den Einsatz als externe Kohlenstoffquelle in der Denitrifikation

The ExternE project: methodology, objectives and limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabl, A.; Spadaro, J.V.

2002-01-01

This paper presents a summary of recent studies on external costs of energy systems, in particular the ExternE (External Costs of Energy) Project of the European Commission. To evaluate the impact and damage cost of a pollutant, one needs to carry out an impact pathway analysis; this involves the calculation of increased pollutant concentrations in all affected regions due to an incremental emission (e.g. μg/m 3 of particles, using models of atmospheric dispersion and chemistry), followed by the calculation of physical impacts (e.g. number of cases of asthma due to these particles, using a dose-response function). The entire so-called fuel chain (or fuel cycle) is evaluated and compared on the basis of delivered end use energy. Even though the uncertainties are large, the results provide substantial evidence that the classical air pollutants (particles, NO x and SO x ) from the combustion of fossil fuels impose a heavy toll, in addition to the cost of global warming. The external costs are especially large for coal; even for 'good current technology' they may be comparable to the price of electricity. For natural gas the external costs are about a third to a half of coal. The external costs of nuclear are small compared to the price of electricity (at most a few %), and so are the external costs of most renewable energy systems. (authors)

On charged particle equilibrium violation in external photon fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchard, Hugo; Seuntjens, Jan; Palmans, Hugo

2012-03-01

In a recent paper by Bouchard et al. [Med. Phys. 36(10), 4654-4663 (2009)], a theoretical model of quality correction factors for idealistic so-called plan-class specific reference (PCSR) fields was proposed. The reasoning was founded on the definition of PCSR fields made earlier by Alfonso et al. [Med. Phys. 35(11), 5179-5186 (2008)], requiring the beam to achieve charged particle equilibrium (CPE), in a time-averaged sense, in the reference medium. The relation obtained by Bouchard et al. was derived using Fano's theorem (1954) which states that if CPE is established in a given medium, the dose is independent of point-to-point density variations. A potential misconception on the achievability of the condition required by Fano (1954) might be responsible for false practical conclusions, both in the definition of PCSR fields as well as the theoretical model of quality correction factor. In this paper, the practical achievability of CPE in external beams is treated in detail. The fact that this condition is not achievable in single or composite deliveries is illustrated by an intuitive method and is also formally demonstrated. Fano's theorem is not applicable in external beam radiation dosimetry without (virtually) removing attenuation effects, and therefore, the relation conditionally defined by Bouchard et al. (2009) cannot be valid in practice. A definition of PCSR fields in the recent formalism for nonstandard beams proposed by Alfonso et al. (2008) should be modified, revising the criterion of CPE condition. The authors propose reconsidering the terminology used to describe standard and nonstandard beams. The authors argue that quality correction factors of intensity modulated radiation therapy PCSR fields (i.e., k(Q(pcsr),Q) (f(pcsr),f(ref) )) could be unity under ideal conditions, but it is concluded that further investigation is necessary to confirm that hypothesis.

On charged particle equilibrium violation in external photon fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouchard, Hugo; Seuntjens, Jan; Palmans, Hugo

2012-01-01

Purpose: In a recent paper by Bouchard et al.[Med. Phys. 36(10), 4654-4663 (2009)], a theoretical model of quality correction factors for idealistic so-called plan-class specific reference (PCSR) fields was proposed. The reasoning was founded on the definition of PCSR fields made earlier by Alfonso et al.[Med. Phys. 35(11), 5179-5186 (2008)], requiring the beam to achieve charged particle equilibrium (CPE), in a time-averaged sense, in the reference medium. The relation obtained by Bouchard et al. was derived using Fano's theorem (1954) which states that if CPE is established in a given medium, the dose is independent of point-to-point density variations. A potential misconception on the achievability of the condition required by Fano (1954) might be responsible for false practical conclusions, both in the definition of PCSR fields as well as the theoretical model of quality correction factor. Methods: In this paper, the practical achievability of CPE in external beams is treated in detail. The fact that this condition is not achievable in single or composite deliveries is illustrated by an intuitive method and is also formally demonstrated. Conclusions: Fano's theorem is not applicable in external beam radiation dosimetry without (virtually) removing attenuation effects, and therefore, the relation conditionally defined by Bouchard et al. (2009) cannot be valid in practice. A definition of PCSR fields in the recent formalism for nonstandard beams proposed by Alfonso et al. (2008) should be modified, revising the criterion of CPE condition. The authors propose reconsidering the terminology used to describe standard and nonstandard beams. The authors argue that quality correction factors of intensity modulated radiation therapy PCSR fields (i.e., k Q pcsr ,Q f pcsr ,f ref ) could be unity under ideal conditions, but it is concluded that further investigation is necessary to confirm that hypothesis.

Accuracy Improvement of Multi-Axis Systems Based on Laser Correction of Volumetric Geometric Errors

Science.gov (United States)

Teleshevsky, V. I.; Sokolov, V. A.; Pimushkin, Ya I.

2018-04-01

The article describes a volumetric geometric errors correction method for CNC- controlled multi-axis systems (machine-tools, CMMs etc.). The Kalman’s concept of “Control and Observation” is used. A versatile multi-function laser interferometer is used as Observer in order to measure machine’s error functions. A systematic error map of machine’s workspace is produced based on error functions measurements. The error map results into error correction strategy. The article proposes a new method of error correction strategy forming. The method is based on error distribution within machine’s workspace and a CNC-program postprocessor. The postprocessor provides minimal error values within maximal workspace zone. The results are confirmed by error correction of precision CNC machine-tools.

Strategi Bisnis pada PT Wirapati Garuda Paksi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rina Astini

2010-03-01

Full Text Available PT Garuda Wirapati Paksi (WGP is a private corporation engaged in the Security and Rescue Services Business Sector (BUJPP in guarding. Many challenges arise from the external environment such as unstable political and economic conditions, competition among companies and the entry of foreign firms. To face the above phenomenon, the right and effective business strategy is the right tool for avoiding the challenge. Business strategy planning is absolutely necessary for companies that want to survive in the future. The research method is descriptive. Data collection techniques used are questionnaire and interview with relevant parties within the company. The data have been obtained that, in the analysis through three phases, namely input, matching, and decision stage. The final results of this study concluded that the proposed effective business strategy for PT Garuda Wirapati Paksi based on QSPM matrix is Market Penetration Strategy. This strategy is considered to reduce business risk arising as a result of significant changes to the external environment of the company.

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleisner, L.; Sieverts Nielsen, P.

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results; to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the results of the national implementation for Denmark. Three different fuel cycles have been chosen as case studies. These are fuel cycles for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant based on biogas. The report covers all the details of the application of the methodology to these fuel cycles aggregation to a national level. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 59 tabs., 25 ills., 61 refs

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schleisner, L; Sieverts Nielsen, P

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results; to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the results of the national implementation for Denmark. Three different fuel cycles have been chosen as case studies. These are fuel cycles for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant based on biogas. The report covers all the details of the application of the methodology to these fuel cycles aggregation to a national level. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 59 tabs., 25 ills., 61 refs.

Environmental externalities related to power production on biogas and natural gas based on the EU ExternE methodology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Per Sieverts; Ibsen, Liselotte Schleisner

1998-01-01

This paper assesses the environmental impacts and external costs from selected electricity generation systems in Denmark. The assessment is carried out as part of the ExternE National Implementation, which is the second phase of the ExternE project and involves case studies from all Western...... European countries. The project use a “bottom-up” methodology to evaluate the external costs associated with a wide range of different fuel cycles. The project has identified priority impacts, where most are impacts from air emissions. Externalities due to atmospheric emissions are calculated through...

Secular Orbit Evolution in Systems with a Strong External Perturber—A Simple and Accurate Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrade-Ines, Eduardo [Institute de Mécanique Céleste et des Calcul des Éphémérides—Observatoire de Paris, 77 Avenue Denfert Rochereau, F-75014 Paris (France); Eggl, Siegfried, E-mail: eandrade.ines@gmail.com, E-mail: siegfried.eggl@jpl.nasa.gov [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, 91109 Pasadena, CA (United States)

2017-04-01

We present a semi-analytical correction to the seminal solution for the secular motion of a planet’s orbit under gravitational influence of an external perturber derived by Heppenheimer. A comparison between analytical predictions and numerical simulations allows us to determine corrective factors for the secular frequency and forced eccentricity in the coplanar restricted three-body problem. The correction is given in the form of a polynomial function of the system’s parameters that can be applied to first-order forced eccentricity and secular frequency estimates. The resulting secular equations are simple, straight forward to use, and improve the fidelity of Heppenheimers solution well beyond higher-order models. The quality and convergence of the corrected secular equations are tested for a wide range of parameters and limits of its applicability are given.

Hybrid Correlation Energy (HyCE): An Approach Based on Separate Evaluations of Internal and External Components.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanic, Joseph; Schmidt, Michael W

2018-06-04

A novel hybrid correlation energy (HyCE) approach is proposed that determines the total correlation energy via distinct computation of its internal and external components. This approach evolved from two related studies. First, rigorous assessment of the accuracies and size extensivities of a number of electron correlation methods, that include perturbation theory (PT2), coupled-cluster (CC), configuration interaction (CI), and coupled electron pair approximation (CEPA), shows that the CEPA(0) variant of the latter and triples-corrected CC methods consistently perform very similarly. These findings were obtained by comparison to near full CI results for four small molecules and by charting recovered correlation energies for six steadily growing chain systems. Second, by generating valence virtual orbitals (VVOs) and utilizing the CEPA(0) method, we were able to partition total correlation energies into internal (or nondynamic) and external (or dynamic) parts for the aforementioned six chain systems and a benchmark test bed of 36 molecules. When using triple-ζ basis sets it was found that per orbital internal correlation energies were appreciably larger than per orbital external energies and that the former showed far more chemical variation than the latter. Additionally, accumulations of external correlation energies were seen to proceed smoothly, and somewhat linearly, as the virtual space is gradually increased. Combination of these two studies led to development of the HyCE approach, whereby the internal and external correlation energies are determined separately by CEPA(0)/VVO and PT2/external calculations, respectively. When applied to the six chain systems and the 36-molecule benchmark test set it was found that HyCE energies followed closely those of triples-corrected CC and CEPA(0) while easily outperforming MP2 and CCSD. The success of the HyCE approach is more notable when considering that its cost is only slightly more than MP2 and significantly cheaper

An evaluation of data-driven motion estimation in comparison to the usage of external-surrogates in cardiac SPECT imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukherjee, Joyeeta Mitra; Johnson, Karen L; Pretorius, P Hendrik; King, Michael A; Hutton, Brian F

2013-01-01

Motion estimation methods in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be classified into methods which depend on just the emission data (data-driven), or those that use some other source of information such as an external surrogate. The surrogate-based methods estimate the motion exhibited externally which may not correlate exactly with the movement of organs inside the body. The accuracy of data-driven strategies on the other hand is affected by the type and timing of motion occurrence during acquisition, the source distribution, and various degrading factors such as attenuation, scatter, and system spatial resolution. The goal of this paper is to investigate the performance of two data-driven motion estimation schemes based on the rigid-body registration of projections of motion-transformed source distributions to the acquired projection data for cardiac SPECT studies. Comparison is also made of six intensity based registration metrics to an external surrogate-based method. In the data-driven schemes, a partially reconstructed heart is used as the initial source distribution. The partially-reconstructed heart has inaccuracies due to limited angle artifacts resulting from using only a part of the SPECT projections acquired while the patient maintained the same pose. The performance of different cost functions in quantifying consistency with the SPECT projection data in the data-driven schemes was compared for clinically realistic patient motion occurring as discrete pose changes, one or two times during acquisition. The six intensity-based metrics studied were mean-squared difference, mutual information, normalized mutual information (NMI), pattern intensity (PI), normalized cross-correlation and entropy of the difference. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the performance is reported using Monte-Carlo simulations of a realistic heart phantom including degradation factors such as attenuation, scatter and system spatial resolution. Further the

Externalities of fuel cycles 'ExternE' project. Hydro fuel cycle. Estimation of physical impacts and monetary valuation for priority impact pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navrud, S.; Riise, J.; Strand, J.

1994-01-01

The aim of the External Costs of Fuel Cycles (ExternE) study is to develop methods to measure and monetize all the externalities associated with incremental investments in electric power production, taking account of the different stages of the fuel cycles. Since fuel cycle externalities are characterised by being very site-specific, the impact pathway damage function approach, developed in ExternE, has been implemented in different European countries for each of the selected fuel cycles. This is done to demonstrate that this methodological framework can be used at different locations, to motivate further development of the methods, and to look at the sensitivity of the estimates to different locations. Electricite de France (EdF) in France and ENCO Environmental Consultants a.s. in Norway have taken on a joint responsibility for adapting the methodological framework for hydroelectric fuel cycle analyses in Europe. We report the first implementation of the hydroelectric fuel cycle within ExternE. Choice of reference site and technology Two stages of the hydroelectric fuel cycle have been identified: 1. Electricity generation 2. Transmission There are three phases of each of these stages: construction, operation and dismantling. We have assumed a construction period of 5 years (starting in 1990) and an operation period of 40 years. Dismantling after 40 years is not a realistic option. Therefore, we have focused on the construction and operation phases, of both electricity generation and transmission. The Sauda Hydroelectric Development Project (SHDP) was selected, because it illustrates upgrading and extention of an existing hydro power project. Such projects are likely to be the dominating strategy for future hydroelectric development in Norway, many other European countries and in the U.S., due to the lack of new sites available for development. SHDP consists of an extention of a previously developed area (Basis project) and six new diversion projects. The

Scanning the Business External Environment for Information: Evidence from Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Kourteli, Liana

2005-01-01

Introduction: This paper examines the business external environment scanning theory for information in the context of Greece. Method. A questionnaire was developed to explore the relationships between general and task business environment, perceived uncertainty, scanning strategy, and sources of information with respect to type of environment,…

The EU's cybercrime and cyber-security rulemaking: mapping the internal and external dimensions of EU security

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fahey, E.

2014-01-01

By taking the EU Cyber Strategy as a case in point, this contribution examines how the distinction between external and internal security in contemporary EU law manifests itself in large-scale risk regulation and in particular, how the EU relies upon external norms to regulate risk. This article

What motivates money donation? A study on external motivators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nivea Coelho Degasperi

Full Text Available Abstract The objective of this study is to identify external motivating factors that favor individual money donation. Methodologically, we adopted a descriptive and quantitative cross-sectional study. In order to collect data, we prepared a questionnaire containing 49 statements based on external motivating variables of regular individual money donation found in the literature on the subject. After testing the questionnaire, we applied it to 1073 Brazilians, regular money donors and we performed an exploratory factor analysis. Conclusively, we identified 8 external factors that motivate individual money donation: Trust, Reward, Leadership influences, Characteristics of the organization, Environmental influences, Personal benefits, Characteristics of beneficiaries and Future Interests. We expect that these 8 factors combined, could become a useful tool to improve the management of charitable organizations, especially in defining campaigns or other marketing strategies to attract new donors and raise funds on occasions that are favorable to individual money donation.

Convergent validity test, construct validity test and external validity test of the David Liberman algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Maldavsky

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The author first exposes a complement of a previous test about convergent validity, then a construct validity test and finally an external validity test of the David Liberman algorithm.  The first part of the paper focused on a complementary aspect, the differential sensitivity of the DLA 1 in an external comparison (to other methods, and 2 in an internal comparison (between two ways of using the same method, the DLA.  The construct validity test exposes the concepts underlined to DLA, their operationalization and some corrections emerging from several empirical studies we carried out.  The external validity test examines the possibility of using the investigation of a single case and its relation with the investigation of a more extended sample.

Analisis SWOT Dalam Menentukan Strategi Pemasaran Pada Rumah Makan Kamang Jaya Medan

OpenAIRE

Rukmini

2011-01-01

This study entitled "SWOT Analysis to determine marketing strategies in Medan Jaya Restaurant Kamang." This study aimed to determine the right marketing strategy through SWOT analysis as a tool used in Medan Jaya Restaurant Kamang. SWOT Analysis is a tool that can measure how the external environment ie Restaurant strengths and weaknesses and external environmental opportunities and threats Restaurants conditions, so as to determine marketing strategies Type of research using qualitative d...

Gender differences in the use of external landmarks versus spatial representations updated by self-motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambrey, Simon; Berthoz, Alain

2007-09-01

Numerous data in the literature provide evidence for gender differences in spatial orientation. In particular, it has been suggested that spatial representations of large-scale environments are more accurate in terms of metric information in men than in women but are richer in landmark information in women than in men. One explanatory hypothesis is that men and women differ in terms of navigational processes they used in daily life. The present study investigated this hypothesis by distinguishing two navigational processes: spatial updating by self-motion and landmark-based orientation. Subjects were asked to perform a pointing task in three experimental conditions, which differed in terms of reliability of the external landmarks that could be used. Two groups of subjects were distinguished, a mobile group and an immobile group, in which spatial updating of environmental locations did not have the same degree of importance for the correct performance of the pointing task. We found that men readily relied on an internal egocentric representation of where landmarks were expected to be in order to perform the pointing task, a representation that could be updated during self-motion (spatial updating). In contrast, women seemed to take their bearings more readily on the basis of the stable landmarks of the external world. We suggest that this gender difference in spatial orientation is not due to differences in information processing abilities but rather due to the differences in higher level strategies.

Guidance and Control Design for a Class of Spin-Stabilized Projectiles with a Two-Dimensional Trajectory Correction Fuze

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A guidance and control strategy for a class of 2D trajectory correction fuze with fixed canards is developed in this paper. Firstly, correction control mechanism is researched through studying the deviation motion, the key point of which is the dynamic equilibrium angle. Phase lag of swerve response is the dominating factor for correction control, and formula is deduced with the Mach number as argument. Secondly, impact point deviation prediction based on perturbation theory is proposed, and the numerical solution and application method are introduced. Finally, guidance and control strategy is developed, and simulations to validate the strategy are conducted.

Neutronic analysis of JET external neutron monitor response

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snoj, Luka, E-mail: luka.snoj@ijs.si [Reactor Physics Division, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Lengar, Igor; Čufar, Aljaž [Reactor Physics Division, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Syme, Brian; Popovichev, Sergey [Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3DB, United Kingdom (United Kingdom); Batistoni, Paola [ENEA C. R. Frascati, via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Roma (Italy); Conroy, Sean [VR Association, Uppsala University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, PO Box 516, SE-75120 Uppsala (Sweden)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • We model JET tokamak containing JET remote handling system. • We investigate effect of remote handling system on external neutron monitor response. • Remote handling system correction factors are calculated. • Integral correction factors are relatively small, i.e up to 8%. - Abstract: The power output of fusion devices is measured in terms of the neutron yield which relates directly to the fusion yield. JET made a transition from Carbon wall to ITER-Like Wall (Beryllium/Tungsten/Carbon) during 2010–11. Absolutely calibrated measurement of the neutron yield by JET neutron monitors was ensured by direct measurements using a calibrated {sup 252}Cf neutron source (NS) deployed by the in-vessel remote handling system (RHS) inside the JET vacuum vessel. Neutronic calculations were required in order to understand the neutron transport from the source in the vacuum vessel to the fission chamber detectors mounted outside the vessel on the transformer limbs of the tokamak. We developed a simplified computational model of JET and the JET RHS in Monte Carlo neutron transport code MCNP and analyzed the paths and structures through which neutrons reach the detectors and the effect of the JET RHS on the neutron monitor response. In addition we performed several sensitivity studies of the effect of substantial massive structures blocking the ports on the external neutron monitor response. As the simplified model provided a qualitative picture of the process only, some calculations were repeated using a more detailed full 3D model of the JET tokamak.

Marketingová strategie penzionu

OpenAIRE

Fišerová, Markéta

2015-01-01

This bachelor thesis deals with suggestion of marketing strategy for particular business subject. First part concentrates on marketing strategy, marketing of services, marketing mix and tourism together with accommodation sector. In the second part of thesis is effected description of the pension and its marketing mix, internal and external analysis and resulting SWOT analysis. Marketing research is another source for creation suggestion. Final part summarises all pieces of knowledge and pres...

Antecedents and Performance Consequences of Subsidiaries’ Political Strategies in Emerging Markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heidenreich, Stefan; Puck, Jonas F.; Nell, Phillip C.

their internal as well as their external environment. Our hypotheses are tested using three-stage least squares with detailed data from 156 subsidiaries in emerging markets. Results contribute to theory by differentiating effects from internal vs. external isomorphic pressures on political strategies. We also......This paper analyzes antecedents and performance consequences of political strategies deployed by MNC subsidiaries in emerging markets. Following institutional theory reasoning, we point towards institutional duality subsidiaries are confronted with, entailing isomorphic pressures stemming from...... deliver a deeper level of understanding of the latter relationship by differentiating the general concept of external isomorphic pressures into pressures from national public and national private stakeholders. Finally, we find significant support for a positive effect of political strategies on subsidiary...

Antecedents and Performance Consequences of Subsidiaries’ Political Strategies in Emerging Markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heidenreich, Stefan; Puck, Jonas F.; Nell, Phillip C.

deliver a deeper level of understanding of the latter relationship by differentiating the general concept of external isomorphic pressures into pressures from national public and national private stakeholders. Finally, we find significant support for a positive effect of political strategies on subsidiary......This paper analyzes antecedents and performance consequences of political strategies deployed by MNC subsidiaries in emerging markets. Following institutional theory reasoning, we point towards institutional duality subsidiaries are confronted with, entailing isomorphic pressures stemming from...... their internal as well as their external environment. Our hypotheses are tested using three-stage least squares with detailed data from 156 subsidiaries in emerging markets. Results contribute to theory by differentiating effects from internal vs. external isomorphic pressures on political strategies. We also...

Strategy Assessment of Company ECOPOSTES

OpenAIRE

Cortazar Sanabria, Javier Mauricio

2015-01-01

This thesis focuses on developing a research on the different types of strategies a company can implement depending on their situation and the various analyses that must be completed before making the strategy decision. External and internal environment methods are described together with the various forms of corporate restructure methods a company can use if needed. The whole process is followed step by step to provide a strategy assessment to company Ecopostes, a Colombian company focused o...

Correction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pinkevych, Mykola; Cromer, Deborah; Tolstrup, Martin

2016-01-01

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005000.][This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005740.][This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005679.].......[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005000.][This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005740.][This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005679.]....

Advanced Corrections for InSAR Using GPS and Numerical Weather Models

Science.gov (United States)

Cossu, F.; Foster, J. H.; Amelung, F.; Varugu, B. K.; Businger, S.; Cherubini, T.

2017-12-01

We present results from an investigation into the application of numerical weather models for generating tropospheric correction fields for Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). We apply the technique to data acquired from a UAVSAR campaign as well as from the CosmoSkyMed satellites. The complex spatial and temporal changes in the atmospheric propagation delay of the radar signal remain the single biggest factor limiting InSAR's potential for hazard monitoring and mitigation. A new generation of InSAR systems is being built and launched, and optimizing the science and hazard applications of these systems requires advanced methodologies to mitigate tropospheric noise. We use the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to generate a 900 m spatial resolution atmospheric models covering the Big Island of Hawaii and an even higher, 300 m resolution grid over the Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes. By comparing a range of approaches, from the simplest, using reanalyses based on typically available meteorological observations, through to the "kitchen-sink" approach of assimilating all relevant data sets into our custom analyses, we examine the impact of the additional data sets on the atmospheric models and their effectiveness in correcting InSAR data. We focus particularly on the assimilation of information from the more than 60 GPS sites in the island. We ingest zenith tropospheric delay estimates from these sites directly into the WRF analyses, and also perform double-difference tomography using the phase residuals from the GPS processing to robustly incorporate heterogeneous information from the GPS data into the atmospheric models. We assess our performance through comparisons of our atmospheric models with external observations not ingested into the model, and through the effectiveness of the derived phase screens in reducing InSAR variance. Comparison of the InSAR data, our atmospheric analyses, and assessments of the active local and mesoscale

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 232: Area 25 Sewage Lagoons, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 232, Area 25 Sewage Lagoons, has been developed in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order that was agreed to by the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office; the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection; and the U. S. Department of Defense. Corrective Action Unit 232 consists of Corrective Action Site 25-03-01, Sewage Lagoon. Corrective Action Unit 232, Area 25 Sewage Lagoons, received sanitary effluent from four buildings within the Test Cell ''C'' Facility from the mid-1960s through approximately 1996. The Test Cell ''C'' Facility was used to develop nuclear propulsion technology by conducting nuclear test reactor studies. Based on the site history collected to support the Data Quality Objectives process, contaminants of potential concern include volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, herbicides, gamma emitting radionuclides, isotopic plutonium, isotopic uranium, and strontium-90. A detailed conceptual site model is presented in Section 3.0 and Appendix A of this Corrective Action Investigation Plan. The conceptual model serves as the basis for the sampling strategy. Under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, the Corrective Action Investigation Plan will be submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for approval. Field work will be conducted following approval of the plan. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of corrective action alternatives in the Corrective Action Decision Document

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 232: Area 25 Sewage Lagoons, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

USDOE/NV

1999-05-01

The Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 232, Area 25 Sewage Lagoons, has been developed in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order that was agreed to by the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office; the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection; and the U. S. Department of Defense. Corrective Action Unit 232 consists of Corrective Action Site 25-03-01, Sewage Lagoon. Corrective Action Unit 232, Area 25 Sewage Lagoons, received sanitary effluent from four buildings within the Test Cell ''C'' Facility from the mid-1960s through approximately 1996. The Test Cell ''C'' Facility was used to develop nuclear propulsion technology by conducting nuclear test reactor studies. Based on the site history collected to support the Data Quality Objectives process, contaminants of potential concern include volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, herbicides, gamma emitting radionuclides, isotopic plutonium, isotopic uranium, and strontium-90. A detailed conceptual site model is presented in Section 3.0 and Appendix A of this Corrective Action Investigation Plan. The conceptual model serves as the basis for the sampling strategy. Under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, the Corrective Action Investigation Plan will be submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for approval. Field work will be conducted following approval of the plan. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of corrective action alternatives in the Corrective Action Decision Document.

Strategi Pengembangan Ekowisata Mangrove Wonorejo Surabaya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khoirul Umam

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research are to describe the potential of ecotourism development in mangrove forest, to describe the benefits that can be gained by the community, to analyze the internal and external environment in the development of Mangrove Ecotourism Surabaya, and to formulate development strategiy of Mangrove Ecotourism Wonorejo Surabaya based on internal and external environment. The first and second objectives were answered using descrip­tive analysis, while the third objective was answered using IFAS (Internal Factors Analysis Strategy and EFAS (External Factors Analysis. The result showed that the Mangrove Ecotourism Wonorejo Surabaya has potential aspects to develop in referring to the ecology places/sutainability places, the natural resources including flora and fauna, the government support, the organizational, and the community of Wonorejo support for facilities and infrastructure. There are three aspects in terms of the benefit that owned by Mangrove Ecotourism Wonorejo Surabaya includ­ing social, economic and agribusiness aspects. Based on internal factors analysis (IFAS and external factors analysis (EFAS, it was suggested that the aggressive strategy (growth, It can uses to get the opportunity strengthly, must be taken to develop mangrove ecotourism potential in Wonorejo, Surabaya.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 105: Area 2 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patrick Matthews

2012-09-01

105 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the total effective dose at sample locations to the dose-based final action level. The total effective dose will be calculated as the total of separate estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at the center of each sample location will be used to measure external radiological dose. Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the DQO methodology and the DQOs specific to each CAS. This Corrective Action Investigation Plan has been developed in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order that was agreed to by the State of Nevada; DOE, Environmental Management; U.S. Department of Defense; and DOE, Legacy Management. Under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, this Corrective Action Investigation Plan will be submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for approval. Fieldwork will be conducted after the plan is approved.

Politeness strategies in written communications: the issue of Iranian EFL learners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karimkhanlooei Giti

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The approximation of the pragmatic knowledge of English language learners to native speakers has been a realm of concern for the scholars and researchers in applied linguistics. Thus, this research was an endeavor to figure out the association between the proficiency level and politeness strategies and external/internal modifications in written communication skills in the speech act of requests in Iranian English language learners. To this end, a written Discourse Completion Test (DCT, adapted from Rose (1994, including 8 situations was administered to elicit data from Iran Language Institute120 female and male EFL learners, 60 upper-intermediate and 60 intermediate. The data were sorted out using Brown and Levinson’s politeness strategies taxonomy (Brown and Levinson 1987 and external/internal modifications developed by Faerch and Kasper (1989. The written request utterances provided by each participant were analyzed in terms of frequency and types of politeness strategies, namely, positive, negative, bald on record, and off-record as well as external/internal modifications utilized in requests. The Pearson Chi-Square test results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between upper-intermediate and intermediate learners’ type of politeness strategies and external/internal modifications.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 366: Area 11 Plutonium Valley Dispersion Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, Patrick

2011-01-01

Corrective Action Unit 366 comprises the six corrective action sites (CASs) listed below: (1) 11-08-01, Contaminated Waste Dump No.1; (2) 11-08-02, Contaminated Waste Dump No.2; (3) 11-23-01, Radioactively Contaminated Area A; (4) 11-23-02, Radioactively Contaminated Area B; (5) 11-23-03, Radioactively Contaminated Area C; and (6) 11-23-04, Radioactively Contaminated Area D. These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of CAAs that will be presented in the Corrective Action Decision Document. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed July 6, 2011, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 366. The presence and nature of contamination at CAU 366 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the total effective dose (TED) at sample locations to the dose-based final action level (FAL). The TED will be calculated by summing the estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples collected from sample plots will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at each sample location will be used to measure external radiological dose. Based on historical documentation of the releases

Adaptive plasticity in speech perception: Effects of external information and internal predictions.

Science.gov (United States)

Guediche, Sara; Fiez, Julie A; Holt, Lori L

2016-07-01

When listeners encounter speech under adverse listening conditions, adaptive adjustments in perception can improve comprehension over time. In some cases, these adaptive changes require the presence of external information that disambiguates the distorted speech signals, whereas in other cases mere exposure is sufficient. Both external (e.g., written feedback) and internal (e.g., prior word knowledge) sources of information can be used to generate predictions about the correct mapping of a distorted speech signal. We hypothesize that these predictions provide a basis for determining the discrepancy between the expected and actual speech signal that can be used to guide adaptive changes in perception. This study provides the first empirical investigation that manipulates external and internal factors through (a) the availability of explicit external disambiguating information via the presence or absence of postresponse orthographic information paired with a repetition of the degraded stimulus, and (b) the accuracy of internally generated predictions; an acoustic distortion is introduced either abruptly or incrementally. The results demonstrate that the impact of external information on adaptive plasticity is contingent upon whether the intelligibility of the stimuli permits accurate internally generated predictions during exposure. External information sources enhance adaptive plasticity only when input signals are severely degraded and cannot reliably access internal predictions. This is consistent with a computational framework for adaptive plasticity in which error-driven supervised learning relies on the ability to compute sensory prediction error signals from both internal and external sources of information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Publisher Correction: Measuring progress from nationally determined contributions to mid-century strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Iyer, Gokul; Ledna, Catherine; Clarke, Leon; Edmonds, James; McJeon, Haewon; Kyle, Page; Williams, James H.

2018-03-01

In the version of this Article previously published, technical problems led to the wrong summary appearing on the homepage, and an incorrect Supplementary Information file being uploaded. Both errors have now been corrected.

Finite-size corrections in simulation of dipolar fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Belloni, Luc; Puibasset, Joël

2017-12-01

Monte Carlo simulations of dipolar fluids are performed at different numbers of particles N = 100-4000. For each size of the cubic cell, the non-spherically symmetric pair distribution function g(r,Ω) is accumulated in terms of projections gmnl(r) onto rotational invariants. The observed N dependence is in very good agreement with the theoretical predictions for the finite-size corrections of different origins: the explicit corrections due to the absence of fluctuations in the number of particles within the canonical simulation and the implicit corrections due to the coupling between the environment around a given particle and that around its images in the neighboring cells. The latter dominates in fluids of strong dipolar coupling characterized by low compressibility and high dielectric constant. The ability to clean with great precision the simulation data from these corrections combined with the use of very powerful anisotropic integral equation techniques means that exact correlation functions both in real and Fourier spaces, Kirkwood-Buff integrals, and bridge functions can be derived from box sizes as small as N ≈ 100, even with existing long-range tails. In the presence of dielectric discontinuity with the external medium surrounding the central box and its replica within the Ewald treatment of the Coulombic interactions, the 1/N dependence of the gmnl(r) is shown to disagree with the, yet well-accepted, prediction of the literature.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 567: Miscellaneous Soil Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, with ROTC 1 Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, Patrick K.

2013-07-01

at Atmospheric Test Site T-1 exceeds the final action level (FAL) and requires corrective action. The presence and nature of contamination outside the default contamination boundary at Atmospheric Test Site T-1 and all other CAU 567 CASs will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the TED at sample locations to the dose-based FAL. The TED will be calculated as the total of separate estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at the center of each sample location will be used to measure external radiological dose. Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the DQO methodology and the DQOs specific to each CAS.

QED corrections to the 4p-4d transition energies of copperlike heavy ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, M. H.; Cheng, K. T.; Johnson, W. R.; Sapirstein, J.

2006-01-01

Quantum electrodynamic (QED) corrections to 4p-4d transition energies of several copperlike ions with Z=70-92 are calculated nonperturbatively in strong external fields to all orders in binding corrections. Dirac-Kohn-Sham potentials are used to account for screening and core-relaxation effects. For the 4p 1/2 -4d 3/2 transition in copperlike bismuth, thorium, and uranium, results are in good agreement with empirical QED corrections deduced from differences between transition energies obtained from recent high-precision electron-beam ion-trap measurements and those calculated with the relativistic many-body perturbation theory (RMBPT). These comparisons provide sensitive tests of QED corrections for high-angular-momentum states in many-electron heavy ions and illustrate the importance of core-relaxation corrections. Comparisons are also made with other theories and with experiments on the 4s-4p transition energies of high-Z Cu-like ions as accuracy checks of the present RMBPT and QED calculations

Regulating multiple externalities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Waldo, Staffan; Jensen, Frank; Nielsen, Max

2016-01-01

Open access is a well-known externality problem in fisheries causing excess capacity and overfishing. Due to global warming, externality problems from CO2 emissions have gained increased interest. With two externality problems, a first-best optimum can be achieved by using two regulatory instrume......Open access is a well-known externality problem in fisheries causing excess capacity and overfishing. Due to global warming, externality problems from CO2 emissions have gained increased interest. With two externality problems, a first-best optimum can be achieved by using two regulatory...

The role of gas in the external dimension of the EU energy transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andoura, Sami; Oultremont, Clementine d'

2013-01-01

As an economically attractive option for investors, a potential backup source for renewables and the cleanest fossil fuel, natural gas is expected to play an important role in the European transition towards a low-carbon economy by 2050. At a time when European primary energy resources are being depleted and energy demand is growing, the gas import dependency of the EU will continue to grow significantly in the coming years. The EU is thus facing important challenges linked to its gas policy both internally, by attempting to create a competitive, interconnected and well-functioning internal market for gas; and externally, by struggling to develop a coherent and collective external strategy, which would allow it to both diversify and secure its gas supply from abroad. Meanwhile, new sources of unconventional gas could change the world's energy markets with potential consequences for the EU. However, many uncertainties remain regarding their development within the EU. In view of all these challenges, this Policy Paper concludes by laying out concrete recommendations on how the EU could strengthen its gas strategy both internally and externally

Nifedipine as a uterine relaxant for external cephalic version: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kok, Marjolein; Bais, Joke M; van Lith, Jan M; Papatsonis, Dimitri M; Kleiverda, Gunilla; Hanny, Dahrs; Doornbos, Johannes P; Mol, Ben W; van der Post, Joris A

2008-08-01

To estimate the effectiveness of nifedipine as a uterine relaxant during external cephalic version to correct breech presentation. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, women with a singleton fetus in breech presentation and a gestational age of 36 weeks or more were eligible for enrollment. Participating women received two doses of either nifedipine 10 mg or placebo, 30 and 15 minutes before the external cephalic version attempt. The primary outcome was a cephalic-presenting fetus immediately after the procedure. Secondary outcome measures were cephalic presentation at delivery, mode of delivery, and adverse events. A sample size of 292 was calculated to provide 80% power to detect a 17% improvement of the external cephalic version success rate, assuming a placebo group rate of 40% and alpha of .05. Outcome data for 310 of 320 randomly assigned participants revealed no significant difference in external cephalic version success rates between treatment (42%) and control group (37%) (relative risk 1.1, 95%; 95% confidence interval 0.85-1.5). The cesarean delivery rate was 51% in the treatment group and 46% in the control group (relative risk 1.1, 95% confidence interval 0.88-1.4). Nifedipine did not significantly improve the success of external cephalic version. Future use of nifedipine to improve the outcome of external cephalic version should be limited to large clinical trials.

One Strategy for Assessing the Trustworthiness of Qualitative Research: Operationalizing the External Audit.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Dana L.

The external audit is a way of assessing the trustworthiness of a study, attesting to its dependability from a methodological standpoint and to its confirmability by reviewing the data, analysis, and interpretations and assessing whether the findings represent the data accurately. This paper discusses issues in the audit process, drawing on data…

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF EXTERNAL MIXTURE FORMATION STRATEGY IN HYDROGEN-FUELED ENGINE

OpenAIRE

Mohammed Kamil; M. M. Rahman; Rosli A. Bakar

2011-01-01

Mohammed Kamil1, M. M. Rahman2 and Rosli A. Bakar2Hydrogen induction strategy in an internal combustion engine plays a vital role in increasing the power density and prohibiting combustion anomalies. This paper inspects the performance characteristics of cylinder hydrogen-fueled engine with port injection feeding strategy. To that end, a one-dimensional gas dynamic model has been built to represent the flow and heat transfer in the components of the engine. The governing equations are introdu...

COMPETITIVEVENESS STRATEGIES OF INDONESIA PANGASIUS FILLET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arfin Ramadhan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Pangasius fillet industry in Indonesia that has grown in recent years will face the ASEAN regional competitiveness that began in late 2015. To face competitiveness from other countries, especially Vietnam as the largest Pangasius fillet producer, this study was carried out with regard to internal and external factors as a consideration in determining future strategies. This study aims to generate alternative competitiveness strategies of Pangasius fillet through descriptive analysis, SWOT, and AHP. The analysis result of internal forces obtains the total scores of 2.645 and external forces with the score of 2.505; this means that suggested strategy belongs to hold and maintain category. AHP analysis shows that alternative strategy with the highest score consecutively is the development of aquaculture technology for quality and efficient raw material, institutional strengthening of fish farmers and suppliers, diversification and product innovation, encouragement in investment on an integrated Pangasius fillet industry, branding of the Indonesian yellow fillet. The main objective of the strategy is focusing on the continuity of production and fulfillment of consumer preferences in order to create stability of supply and demand.Keywords: AHP, competitiveness, Pangasius fillet, SWOT

Causes of behavioral disorders leading to compulsory institutional correction or controlled education.

OpenAIRE

Poplšteinová, Lucie

2010-01-01

The aim of my work is to provide a comprehensive overview of the possible causes of behavioral disorders that lead to the placement of individuals into correctional institutions. The work is primarily concerned with the influence of the family in the formation of the child's personality and with the other equally important factors from the external and internal environment of the individual.

Motion correction options in PET/MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Catana, Ciprian

2015-05-01

Subject motion is unavoidable in clinical and research imaging studies. Breathing is the most important source of motion in whole-body PET and MRI studies, affecting not only thoracic organs but also those in the upper and even lower abdomen. The motion related to the pumping action of the heart is obviously relevant in high-resolution cardiac studies. These two sources of motion are periodic and predictable, at least to a first approximation, which means certain techniques can be used to control the motion (eg, by acquiring the data when the organ of interest is relatively at rest). Additionally, nonperiodic and unpredictable motion can also occur during the scan. One obvious limitation of methods relying on external devices (eg, respiratory bellows or the electrocardiogram signal to monitor the respiratory or cardiac cycle, respectively) to trigger or gate the data acquisition is that the complex motion of internal organs cannot be fully characterized. However, detailed information can be obtained using either the PET or MRI data (or both) allowing the more complete characterization of the motion field so that a motion model can be built. Such a model and the information derived from simple external devices can be used to minimize the effects of motion on the collected data. In the ideal case, all the events recorded during the PET scan would be used to generate a motion-free or corrected PET image. The detailed motion field can be used for this purpose by applying it to the PET data before, during, or after the image reconstruction. Integrating all these methods for motion control, characterization, and correction into a workflow that can be used for routine clinical studies is challenging but could potentially be extremely valuable given the improvement in image quality and reduction of motion-related image artifacts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Motor coordination uses external spatial coordinates independent of developmental vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Heed, Tobias; Röder, Brigitte

2014-07-01

The constraints that guide bimanual movement coordination are informative about the processing principles underlying movement planning in humans. For example, symmetry relative to the body midline benefits finger and hand movements independent of hand posture. This symmetry constraint has been interpreted to indicate that movement coordination is guided by a perceptual code. Although it has been assumed implicitly that the perceptual system at the heart of this constraint is vision, this relationship has not been tested. Here, congenitally blind and sighted participants made symmetrical and non-symmetrical (that is, parallel) bimanual tapping and finger oscillation movements. For both groups, symmetrical movements were executed more correctly than parallel movements, independent of anatomical constraints like finger homology and hand posture. For the blind, the reliance on external spatial factors in movement coordination stands in stark contrast to their use of an anatomical reference frame in perceptual processing. Thus, the externally coded symmetry constraint evident in bimanual coordination can develop in the absence of the visual system, suggesting that the visual system is not critical for the establishment of an external-spatial reference frame in movement coordination. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 550: Smoky Contamination Area Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grant Evenson

2012-05-01

on January 31, 2012, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 550. The potential contamination sources associated with the study groups are from nuclear testing activities conducted at CAU 550. The DQO process resulted in an assumption that the total effective dose (TED) within the default contamination boundary of CAU 550 exceeds the final action level and requires corrective action. The presence and nature of contamination outside the default contamination boundary at CAU 550 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the TED at sample locations to the dose-based final action level. The TED will be calculated as the total of separate estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at the center of each sample location will be used to measure external radiological dose. Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the DQO methodology and the DQOs specific to each group of CASs.

Approaches in estimation of external cost for fuel cycles in the ExternE project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afanas'ev, A.A.; Maksimenko, B.N.

1998-01-01

The purposes, content and main results of studies realized within the frameworks of the International Project ExternE which is the first comprehensive attempt to develop general approach to estimation of external cost for different fuel cycles based on utilization of nuclear and fossil fuels, as well as on renewable power sources are discussed. The external cost of a fuel cycle is treated as social and environmental expenditures which are not taken into account by energy producers and consumers, i.e. these are expenditures not included into commercial cost nowadays. The conclusion on applicability of the approach suggested for estimation of population health hazards and environmental impacts connected with electric power generation growth (expressed in money or some other form) is made

Inelastic neutron scattering, Raman, vibrational analysis with anharmonic corrections, and scaled quantum mechanical force field for polycrystalline L-alanine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Robert W. [Department of Biomedical Informatics, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20815 (United States)], E-mail: bob@bob.usuhs.mil; Schluecker, Sebastian [Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg (Germany); Hudson, Bruce S. [Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (United States)

2008-01-22

A scaled quantum mechanical harmonic force field (SQMFF) corrected for anharmonicity is obtained for the 23 K L-alanine crystal structure using van der Waals corrected periodic boundary condition density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the PBE functional. Scale factors are obtained with comparisons to inelastic neutron scattering (INS), Raman, and FT-IR spectra of polycrystalline L-alanine at 15-23 K. Calculated frequencies for all 153 normal modes differ from observed frequencies with a standard deviation of 6 wavenumbers. Non-bonded external k = 0 lattice modes are included, but assignments to these modes are presently ambiguous. The extension of SQMFF methodology to lattice modes is new, as are the procedures used here for providing corrections for anharmonicity and van der Waals interactions in DFT calculations on crystals. First principles Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) calculations are performed on the L-alanine crystal structure at a series of classical temperatures ranging from 23 K to 600 K. Corrections for zero-point energy (ZPE) are estimated by finding the classical temperature that reproduces the mean square displacements (MSDs) measured from the diffraction data at 23 K. External k = 0 lattice motions are weakly coupled to bonded internal modes.

Inelastic neutron scattering, Raman, vibrational analysis with anharmonic corrections, and scaled quantum mechanical force field for polycrystalline L-alanine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, Robert W.; Schluecker, Sebastian; Hudson, Bruce S.

2008-01-01

A scaled quantum mechanical harmonic force field (SQMFF) corrected for anharmonicity is obtained for the 23 K L-alanine crystal structure using van der Waals corrected periodic boundary condition density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the PBE functional. Scale factors are obtained with comparisons to inelastic neutron scattering (INS), Raman, and FT-IR spectra of polycrystalline L-alanine at 15-23 K. Calculated frequencies for all 153 normal modes differ from observed frequencies with a standard deviation of 6 wavenumbers. Non-bonded external k = 0 lattice modes are included, but assignments to these modes are presently ambiguous. The extension of SQMFF methodology to lattice modes is new, as are the procedures used here for providing corrections for anharmonicity and van der Waals interactions in DFT calculations on crystals. First principles Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) calculations are performed on the L-alanine crystal structure at a series of classical temperatures ranging from 23 K to 600 K. Corrections for zero-point energy (ZPE) are estimated by finding the classical temperature that reproduces the mean square displacements (MSDs) measured from the diffraction data at 23 K. External k = 0 lattice motions are weakly coupled to bonded internal modes

Photographic guide of selected external defect indicators and associated internal defects in sugar maple

Science.gov (United States)

Everette D. Rast; John A. Beaton; David L. Sonderman

1991-01-01

To properly classify or grade logs or trees, one must be able to correctly identify defect indicators and assess the effect of the underlying defect on possible end products. This guide assists the individual in identifying the surface defect indicator and shows the progressive stages of the defect throughout its development for sugar maple. Eleven types of external...

Photographic guide of selected external defect indicators and associated internal defects in yellow-poplar

Science.gov (United States)

Everette D. Rast; John A. Beaton; David L. Sonderman

1991-01-01

To properly classify or grade logs or trees, one must be able to correctly identify defect indicators and assess the effect of the underlying defect on possible end products. This guide assists the individual in identifying the surface defect indicator and shows the progressive stages of the defect throughout its development for yellow-poplar. Twelve types of external...

Photographic guide of selected external defect indicators and associated internal defects in yellow birch

Science.gov (United States)

Everette D. Rast; John A. Beaton; David L. Sonderman

1991-01-01

To properly classify or grade logs or trees, one must be able to correctly identify defect indicators and assess the effect of the underlying defect on possible end products. This guide assists the individual in identifying the surface defect indicator and shows the progressive stages of the defect throughout its development for yellow birch. Eleven types of external...

Legitimation Endeavors: Impression Management Strategies Used by an Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Myria Watkins; Caillouet, Rachel H.

1994-01-01

Investigates the impression management strategies embedded in the external discourse of an organization in crisis. Shows ingratiation to be the primary strategy. Finds that intimidation was used with special interest groups and that denouncement strategies were embedded in messages to competitors, special interest groups, and suppliers. (SR)

Does External Funding Help Adaptation? Evidence from Community-Based Water Management in the Colombian Andes

Science.gov (United States)

Murtinho, Felipe; Eakin, Hallie; López-Carr, David; Hayes, Tanya M.

2013-11-01

Despite debate regarding whether, and in what form, communities need external support for adaptation to environmental change, few studies have examined how external funding impacts adaptation decisions in rural resource-dependent communities. In this article, we use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess how different funding sources influence the initiative to adapt to water scarcity in the Colombian Andes. We compare efforts to adapt to water scarcity in 111 rural Andean communities with varied dependence on external funding for water management activities. Findings suggest that despite efforts to use their own internal resources, communities often need external support to finance adaptation strategies. However, not all external financial support positively impacts a community’s abilities to adapt. Results show the importance of community-driven requests for external support. In cases where external support was unsolicited, the results show a decline, or “crowding-out,” in community efforts to adapt. In contrast, in cases where communities initiated the request for external support to fund their own projects, findings show that external intervention is more likely to enhance or “crowds-in” community-driven adaptation.

Parental knowledge is an environmental influence on adolescent externalizing.

Science.gov (United States)

Marceau, Kristine; Narusyte, Jurgita; Lichtenstein, Paul; Ganiban, Jody M; Spotts, Erica L; Reiss, David; Neiderhiser, Jenae M

2015-02-01

There is evidence both that parental monitoring is an environmental influence serving to diminish adolescent externalizing problems and that this association may be driven by adolescents' characteristics via genetic and/or environmental mechanisms, such that adolescents with fewer problems tell their parents more, and therefore appear to be better monitored. Without information on how parents' and children's genes and environments influence correlated parent and child behaviors, it is impossible to clarify the mechanisms underlying this association. The present study used the Extended Children of Twins model to distinguish types of gene-environment correlation and direct environmental effects underlying associations between parental knowledge and adolescent (age 11-22 years) externalizing behavior with a Swedish sample of 909 twin parents and their adolescent offspring and a US-based sample of 405 White adolescent siblings and their parents. Results suggest that more parental knowledge is associated with less adolescent externalizing via a direct environmental influence independent of any genetic influences. There was no evidence of a child-driven explanation of the association between parental knowledge and adolescent externalizing problems. In this sample of adolescents, parental knowledge exerted an environmental influence on adolescent externalizing after accounting for genetic influences of parents and adolescents. Because the association between parenting and child development originates in the parent, treatment for adolescent externalizing must not only include parents but should also focus on altering their parental style. Thus, findings suggest that teaching parents better knowledge-related monitoring strategies is likely to help reduce externalizing problems in adolescents. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Value of special investigations of desion of the external tendon of the ankle joint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dengel, H.

1982-01-01

The advantage of special radiological investigations after damage of the external tendon of the ankle joint is absolutely certain. Clinical findings, functional X-ray pictures, and for some cases arthrography of the ankle joint render the correct diagnosis. Merely functional X-ray pictures will not always be sufficient, although sometimes this has been pretended. Experiences are described and indications for arthrography are pointed out. Arthrography certainly is the most accurate method for investigations of lesions of the external tendon of the ankle joint. Nevertheless is should only be performed for special cases and after critical interpretation of the functional X-ray pictures, because it is a rather invasive method. (orig.)

Návrh strategií výrobního podniku

OpenAIRE

Věrná, Monika

2015-01-01

The topic of thesis is "Proposal strategies of manufacturing company" for Lima plus Ltd. The aim of this thesis is to propose strategy for this company, which produces paraffin candles. Based on the external and internal analysis was created strategies via SWOT analysis and Porter's approach to generic strategies.

Practical method of breast attenuation correction for cardiac SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Anderson de; Nogueira, Tindyua; Gutterres, Ricardo Fraga; Megueriam, Berdj Aram; Santos, Goncalo Rodrigues dos

2007-01-01

The breast attenuation effects on SPECT (Single Photon Emission Tomography) myocardium perfusion procedures have been lately scope of continuous inquiry. The requested attenuation correction factors are usually achieved by transmission analysis, making up the exposure of a standard external source to the SPECT, as a routine step. However, its high cost makes this methodology not fully available to the most of nuclear medicines services in Brazil and abroad. To overcome the problem, a new trend is presented in this work, implementing computational models to balance the breast attenuation effects on the left ventricle anterior wall, during myocardium perfusion scintigraphy procedures with SPECT. A neural network was put on in order to provide the attenuation correction indexes, based upon the following patients individual biotypes features: mass, age, height, chest and breast thicknesses, heart size, as well as the imparted activity intake levels. (author)

Practical method of breast attenuation correction for cardiac SPECT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Anderson de; Nogueira, Tindyua; Gutterres, Ricardo Fraga [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao Geral de Instalacoes Medicas e Industriais (CGMI)]. E-mails: anderson@cnen.gov.br; tnogueira@cnen.gov.br; rguterre@cnen.gov.br; Megueriam, Berdj Aram [Instituto Nacional do Cancer (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)]. E-mail: megueriam@hotmail.com; Santos, Goncalo Rodrigues dos [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)]. E-mail: goncalo@cnen.gov.br

2007-07-01

The breast attenuation effects on SPECT (Single Photon Emission Tomography) myocardium perfusion procedures have been lately scope of continuous inquiry. The requested attenuation correction factors are usually achieved by transmission analysis, making up the exposure of a standard external source to the SPECT, as a routine step. However, its high cost makes this methodology not fully available to the most of nuclear medicines services in Brazil and abroad. To overcome the problem, a new trend is presented in this work, implementing computational models to balance the breast attenuation effects on the left ventricle anterior wall, during myocardium perfusion scintigraphy procedures with SPECT. A neural network was put on in order to provide the attenuation correction indexes, based upon the following patients individual biotypes features: mass, age, height, chest and breast thicknesses, heart size, as well as the imparted activity intake levels. (author)

Intersections between strategy and business models

OpenAIRE

磯村 和人

2015-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between strategy and business models. I review major researches on strategy and business models to provide a viewpoint to consider the intersections between them. The theory of strategy shifts the focus from visible competitive advantage to its internal managerial resources. The concept of business models has been discussed because a business model is considered to be a combination of internal and external business processes; it clarifies how to effectivel...

The effect of automatic blink correction on auditory evoked potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Korpela, Jussi; Vigário, Ricardo; Huotilainen, Minna

2012-01-01

The effects of blink correction on auditory event-related potential (ERP) waveforms is assessed. Two blink correction strategies are compared. ICA-SSP combines independent component analysis (ICA) with signal space projection (SSP) and ICA-EMD uses empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to improve the performance of the standard ICA method. Five voluntary subjects performed an auditory oddball task. The resulting ERPs are used to compare the two blink correction methods to each other and against blink rejection. The results suggest that both methods qualitatively preserve the ERP waveform but that they underestimate some of the peak amplitudes. ICA-EMD performs slightly better than ICA-SSP. In conclusion, the use of blink correction is justified, especially if blink rejection leads to severe data loss.

Analysis of External Treatment Methods and Technical Characteristics of External Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Miao, Mingsan; Bai, Ming

2018-01-01

Chinese medicine external therapy is a treatment method of Chinese medicine with Chinese characteristics. The effect of traditional Chinese medicine external treatment, convenient operation, external treatment and technology has great prospects for development. The traditional Chinese medicine external treatment method and technical characteristics were analyzed.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 571: Area 9 Yucca Flat Plutonium Dispersion Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bailey, Bernadine; Matthews, Patrick

2013-07-01

CAU 571 is a grouping of sites where there has been a suspected release of contamination associated with nuclear testing. This document describes the planned investigation of CAU 571, which comprises the following corrective action sites (CASs): • 09-23-03, Atmospheric Test Site S-9F • 09-23-04, Atmospheric Test Site T9-C • 09-23-12, Atmospheric Test Site S-9E • 09-23-13, Atmospheric Test Site T-9D • 09-45-01, Windrows Crater These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viable CAAs that will be presented in the investigation report. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on March 6, 2013, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (now the Nevada Field Office). The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 571. The site investigation process will also be conducted in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices to be applied to this activity. The potential contamination sources associated with CAU 571 CASs are from nuclear testing activities. The DQO process resulted in an assumption that total effective dose (TED) within a default contamination boundary exceeds the final action level (FAL) and requires corrective action. The presence and nature of contamination outside the default

PHA Corporate Strategy 2011-2015

OpenAIRE

Public Health Agency

2011-01-01

The PHA Corporate Strategy has been developed with input from staff across the PHA and taking account of feedback from external stakeholders.� It is a high level document, setting out the direction for the PHA over the next few years, and will be supported by the annual PHA Corporate Business Plan, Directorate Business Plans and the Joint Commissioning Plan.� The Strategy was approved by the PHA board at the November 2011 board meeting.�The PHA Corporate strategy sets out the role, direction ...

ANALISIS STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN INDUSTRI JAMU TRADISIONAL DI KABUPATEN BANGKALAN - MADURA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Risa Dewi Munica

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Data of Disperindag Bangkalan Regency (2015, shows that Bangkalan Regency has 20 herbal medicine industries. After doing research survey there are some herbal medicine industries that have been inactive, so that this research is conducted to find out alternative strategy that can be used as an effort to develop herbal medicine industry in Bangkalan Regency. This research used analysis of internal environment (IFE and external (EFE, External-internal matrix (IE, SWOT and QSPM matrix (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix. There are 16 internal factors and 11 external factors. As for alternative strategy there are 5 alternatives obtained from SWOT matrix and IE matrix. In the QSPM matrix, the priority of strategy is 1. Maintain and improve product quality, 2. Increase promotional activities and expand the marketing area,3. Improving relationships with government and other agencies, 4. Maintain company image, and 5. Develop cooperation with other industries outside the region

Research on motor braking-based DYC strategy for distributed electric vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingming; Liao, Weijie; Chen, Lei; Cui, Shumei

2017-08-01

In order to bring into full play the advantages of motor braking and enhance the handling stability of distributed electric vehicle, a motor braking-based direct yaw moment control (DYC) strategy was proposed. This strategy could identify whether a vehicle has under-steered or overs-steered, to calculate the direct yaw moment required for vehicle steering correction by taking the corrected yaw velocity deviation and slip-angle deviation as control variables, and exert motor braking moment on the target wheels to perform correction in the manner of differential braking. For validation of the results, a combined simulation platform was set up finally to simulate the motor braking control strategy proposed. As shown by the results, the motor braking-based DYC strategy timely adjusted the motor braking moment and hydraulic braking moment on the target wheels, and corrected the steering deviation and sideslip of the vehicle in unstable state, improving the handling stability.

Evaluation of Cost and Effectiveness of Decontamination Scenarios on External Radiation Exposure in Fukushima

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yasutaka, T.; Naito, W. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Japan)

2014-07-01

Despite the enormous cost associated with radiation decontamination, almost no quantitative assessment has been performed on the relationship between the potential reduction in long-term radiation exposure and the costs of the various decontamination strategies considered for the decontamination areas in Fukushima. In order to establish effective and pragmatic decontamination strategies for use in the radiation contaminated areas in Fukushima, a holistic approach for assessing decontamination strategies, their costs, and long-term external radiation doses is needed. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of decontamination scenarios in the decontamination areas in Fukushima in regard to external radiation exposure. The choice of decontamination strategies in the decontamination areas should be based on a comprehensive analysis of multiple attributes such as radiological, economic, and socio-psychological attributes. The cost and effectiveness of the different decontamination strategies is not sole determinant of the decontamination strategies of the special decontamination area but is one of the most important attributes when making the policy decision. In the current study, we focus on radiological and economic attributes in determining decontamination strategies. A geographical information system (GIS) was used to relate the predicted external dose in the affected areas to the number of potential inhabitants and the land use in the areas. A comprehensive review of the costs of various decontamination methods was conducted as part of the analysis. The results indicate that aerial decontamination in the special decontamination areas in Fukushima would be effective for reducing the air dose rate to the target level in a short period of time in some but not all of the areas. In a standard scenario, the analysis of cost suggests that decontamination costs of decontamination in Fukushima was estimated to be up to approximately 5

Verification and Performance Evaluation of Timed Game Strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

David, Alexandre; Fang, Huixing; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2014-01-01

Control synthesis techniques, based on timed games, derive strategies to ensure a given control objective, e.g., time-bounded reachability. Model checking verifies correctness properties of systems. Statistical model checking can be used to analyse performance aspects of systems, e.g., energy...... consumption. In this work, we propose to combine these three techniques. In particular, given a strategy synthesized for a timed game and a given control objective, we want to make a deeper examination of the consequences of adopting this strategy. Firstly, we want to apply model checking to the timed game...... under the synthesized strategy in order to verify additional correctness properties. Secondly, we want to apply statistical model checking to evaluate various performance aspects of the synthesized strategy. For this, the underlying timed game is extended with relevant price and stochastic information...

Factors Influencing BI Data Collection Strategies: An Empirical Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Ramakrishnan, Thiagarajan

2010-01-01

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the external factors that influence an organizations' business intelligence (BI) data collection strategy when mediated by BI attributes. In this dissertation, data warehousing strategies are used as the basis on which to frame the exploration of BI data collection strategies. The attributes include…

Light-by-light-type corrections to the muon anomalous magnetic moment at four-loop order

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurz, Alexander; Smirnov, Alexander V.; Smirnov, Vladimir A.

2015-08-01

The numerically dominant QED contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon stem from Feynman diagrams with internal electron loops. We consider such corrections and present a calculation of the four-loop light-by-light-type corrections where the external photon couples to a closed electron or muon loop. We perform an asymptotic expansion in the ratio of electron and muon mass and reduce the resulting integrals to master integrals which we evaluate using analytical and numerical methods. We confirm the results present in the literature which are based on different computational methods.

Relativistic Killingbeck energy states under external magnetic fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eshghi, M. [Islamic Azad University, Researchers and Elite Club, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mehraban, H. [Semnan University, Faculty of Physics, Semnan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ikhdair, S.M. [An-Najah National University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Nablus, West Bank, Palestine (Country Unknown); Near East University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Nicosia, Northern Cyprus (Turkey)

2016-07-15

We address the behavior of the Dirac equation with the Killingbeck radial potential including the external magnetic and Aharonov-Bohm (AB) flux fields. The spin and pseudo-spin symmetries are considered. The correct bound state spectra and their corresponding wave functions are obtained. We seek such a solution using the biconfluent Heun's differential equation method. Further, we give some of our results at the end of this study. Our final results can be reduced to their non-relativistic forms by simply using some appropriate transformations. The spectra, in the spin and pseudo-spin symmetries, are very similar with a slight difference in energy spacing between different states. (orig.)

Relativistic Killingbeck energy states under external magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eshghi, M.; Mehraban, H.; Ikhdair, S.M.

2016-01-01

We address the behavior of the Dirac equation with the Killingbeck radial potential including the external magnetic and Aharonov-Bohm (AB) flux fields. The spin and pseudo-spin symmetries are considered. The correct bound state spectra and their corresponding wave functions are obtained. We seek such a solution using the biconfluent Heun's differential equation method. Further, we give some of our results at the end of this study. Our final results can be reduced to their non-relativistic forms by simply using some appropriate transformations. The spectra, in the spin and pseudo-spin symmetries, are very similar with a slight difference in energy spacing between different states. (orig.)

Developing Effective Corrective Action Plan in Krsko NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bach, Bruno; Cizmek, Rudi; Bozin, Bojan

2014-01-01

Experience shows that many events could have been prevented if lessons had been learned from previous incidents. Event reporting thus has become an increasingly important aspect of the operation and regulation of all safety-related and public health industries. Different industries such as aeronautics, chemicals, transport and of course nuclear depend on Operating Experience (OE) feedback programs to provide lessons learned about safety. The information available under an OE programme for these organizations comprises internal event reports and analysis and external operating experience including reports on low level events and near misses and other relevant operating performance information. The worldwide OE programme (such as WANO OE) in nuclear power plants provides opportunity to learn from events at other plants. In particular, it alerts plants to mistakes or events that have occurred at other nuclear power plants and enables them to take corrective actions to prevent similar occurrences at their own plant. The intent of the effective and efficient OE program is therefore to improve personnel/plant safety, reliability and commercial performance of the operating 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 and to the relevant national and international organizations and corrective actions are effectively implemented. Learning and applying the lessons from operating experience is an integral part of station safety culture and is encouraged by managers throughout the top plant administrative programs and procedures. Krsko NPP is developed its own OE program by using the most relevant INPO/WANO/IAEA guidelines as well as its own knowledge, skills an operating practice. The OE is a part of the Corrective Action Program (CAP), which is among top management programs. The purpose of this article is to present a part of the Krško NPP

A Review of Last Mile Logistics Innovations in an Externalities Cost Reduction Vision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luigi Ranieri

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a review of the recent scientific literature contributions on innovative strategies for last mile logistics, focusing on externalities cost reduction, is presented. Transport is causing problems in urban areas, in particular in freight transport: modern cities need solutions to reduce externalities costs such as congestion, pollution and others, which have increased in the last few years, especially due to the growth of goods delivery. Online sales and globalization lead to new trends in freight transport, and moreover, a larger quantity of goods is expected to be delivered in the next future. In this context, most of the delivered goods end up in the city centers. Last mile logistics is the least efficient stage of the supply chain and comprises up to 28% of the total delivery cost. Therefore, the improvement of last mile logistics and a significant externalities reduction are very important challenges for researchers. New technologies and transport means, innovative techniques and organizational strategies allow handling in a more effective way the last mile delivery in urban areas. Based on the Systematic Literature Review (SLR method, recent papers that significantly contributed, with original proposals, to the reduction of externalities in urban logistics are identified and analyzed in this work. Furthermore, a classification of the papers dealing with the externality reduction problem is presented. It is consistent with a general formulation proposed to evaluate external costs in urban area. The innovative contributions are classified into five main categories: innovative vehicles, proximity stations or points, collaborative and cooperative urban logistics, optimization of transport management and routing, innovations in public policies and infrastructures. The new paradigm of smart logistics is based on the combination of these concepts and on the proposed innovations.

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 5. Nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreicer, M.; Tort, V.; Manen, P.

1995-01-01

Since the early 1970s, there has been increased interest in the environmental impacts that are caused by the generation of electricity. The comparative risk assessment studies at that time used mainly deaths and injuries as impact indicators. By the end of the 1980s studies changed to the assessment of the costs imposed on society and the environment that were not included in the market price of the energy produced, the so-called external costs. The preliminary studies that were published set the conceptual basis, grounded in neo-classical economics, for the valuation of the health and environmental impacts that could be assessed. As a consequence of the many questions raised by the methodologies employed by these early studies, Directorate General XII (DG XII) of the Commission of the European Communities established a collaborative research programme with the United States Department of Energy to identify an appropriate methodology for this type of work. Following the completion of this collaboration, the DG XII programme has continued as the ExternE project. The main objective of the work carried out at CEPN was to develop an impact pathway methodology for the nuclear fuel cycle that would be consistent with the methodologies developed for other fuel cycles, without loosing the nuclear-specific techniques required for a proper evaluation. In this way, comparisons between the different fuel cycles would be possible. This report presents the methodology and demonstration of the results in the context of the French nuclear fuel cycle. The United States team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has previously issued a draft report on the results of their assessment. The French fuel cycle was broken down into 8 separate stages. Reference sites and 1990s technology were chosen to represent the total nuclear fuel cycle, as it exists today. In addition, the transportation of material between the sites was considered. The facilities are assessed for routine operation, except

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 4. Oil and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedrich, R.; Krewitt, W.; Mayerhofer, P.

1995-01-01

Awareness of the environmental damage resulting from human activity, particularly commencing energy use, has grown greatly in recent years. Effects such as global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain are now the subjects of much research and public debate. It is now known that these and other effects damage a wide range of receptors, including human health, forests, crops, freshwater ecosystems and buildings. Such damages are typically not accounted for by the producers and consumers of the good in question (in this case energy). They are thus referred to as 'external costs' or 'externalities', to distinguish them from the private costs which account for the construction of plant, cost of fuel, wages, etc. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the assessment of the environmental and health impacts of energy, and the related external costs. This concern is driven by a number of different factors: the need to integrate environmental concerns in decision making over the choice between different fuels and energy technologies; the need to evaluate the costs and benefits of stricter environmental standards; increased attention to the use of economic instruments for environmental policy, the need to develop overall indicators of environmental performance of different technologies; major changes in the energy sector, including privatisation, liberalisation of markets, reduction of subsidies, etc. An agreed methodology for calculation and integration of external costs has not been established. Earlier work is typically of a preliminary nature and tends to be deficient with respect to both the methods employed and the quality of models and data used. In consequence of this a collaborative project, the EC/US Fuel Cycles Study, was established between Directorate General XLI (Science, Research and Technology) of the European Commission and the United States Department of Energy. This ran for the period 1991 to 1993, and good agreement on a variety of

Combined effect of therapeutic strategies for bleeding injury on early survival, transfusion needs and correction of coagulopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Balvers, K; van Dieren, S; Baksaas-Aasen, K; Gaarder, C; Brohi, K; Eaglestone, S; Stanworth, S; Johansson, P I; Ostrowski, S R; Stensballe, J; Maegele, M; Goslings, J C; Juffermans, N P

2017-02-01

The combined effects of balanced transfusion ratios and use of procoagulant and antifibrinolytic therapies on trauma-induced exsanguination are not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effect of transfusion ratios, tranexamic acid and products containing fibrinogen on the outcome of injured patients with bleeding. A prospective multicentre observational study was performed in six level 1 trauma centres. Injured patients who received at least 4 units of red blood cells (RBCs) were analysed and divided into groups receiving a low (less than 1 : 1) or high (1 or more : 1) ratio of plasma or platelets to RBCs, and in receipt or not of tranexamic acid or fibrinogen products (fibrinogen concentrates or cryoprecipitate). Logistic regression models were used to assess the effect of transfusion strategies on the outcomes 'alive and free from massive transfusion' (at least 10 units of RBCs in 24 h) and early 'normalization of coagulopathy' (defined as an international normalized ratio of 1·2 or less). A total of 385 injured patients with ongoing bleeding were included in the study. Strategies that were independently associated with an increased number of patients alive and without massive transfusion were a high platelet to RBC ratio (odds ratio (OR) 2·67, 95 per cent c.i. 1·24 to 5·77; P = 0·012), a high plasma to RBC ratio (OR 2·07, 1·03 to 4·13; P = 0·040) and treatment with tranexamic acid (OR 2·71, 1·29 to 5·71; P = 0·009). No strategies were associated with correction of coagulopathy. A high platelet or plasma to RBC ratio, and use of tranexamic acid were associated with a decreased need for massive transfusion and increased survival in injured patients with bleeding. Early normalization of coagulopathy was not seen for any transfusion ratio, or for use of tranexamic acid or fibrinogen products. © 2017 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Synchronization of FitzHugh-Nagumo neurons in external electrical stimulation via nonlinear control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jiang; Zhang Ting; Deng Bin

2007-01-01

Synchronization of FitzHugh-Nagumo neural system under external electrical stimulation via the nonlinear control is investigated in this paper. Firstly, the different dynamical behavior of the nonlinear cable model based on the FitzHugh-Nagumo model responding to various external electrical stimulations is studied. Next, using the result of the analysis, a nonlinear feedback linearization control scheme and an adaptive control strategy are designed to synchronization two neurons. Computer simulations are provided to verify the efficiency of the designed synchronization schemes

Correction of head movements in positron emission tomography using point source tracking system: a simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazarparvar, Babak; Shamsaei, Mojtaba; Rajabi, Hossein

2012-01-01

The motion of the head during brain positron emission tomography (PET) acquisitions has been identified as a source of artifact in the reconstructed image. In this study, a method is described to develop an image-based motion correction technique for correcting the post-acquisition data without using external optical motion-tracking system such as POLARIS. In this technique, GATE has been used to simulate PET brain scan using point sources mounted around the head to accurately monitor the position of the head during the time frames. The measurement of head motion in each frame showed a transformation in the image frame matrix, resulting in a fully corrected data set. Using different kinds of phantoms and motions, the accuracy of the correction method is tested and its applicability to experimental studies is demonstrated as well.

Original article Personality of correction officers and their attitudes towards resocialization tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Gordon

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The main aim of the study is to identify factors that promote or hinder the fulfilment of tasks by people working in Polish prisons in positions of educators. Correction officers plan, organize and implement corrective actions towards persons deprived of their freedom. The question whether they have the relevant skills and abilities to use existing resources is important from the point of view of the prison rehabilitation tasks. The results of a survey conducted on 97 officers have shown that they have personality and professional competence, but they do not fully apply its potential in working with persons deprived of their freedom. The correction officers do not accept regulations for the treatment of convicts and evaluate these regulations as too mild. On the other hand, they perceive many external factors as reducing the motivation to engage in the process of resocialization.

English Learners Perception on Lecturers’ Corrective Feedback

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Titien Fatmawaty Mohammad

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The importance of written corrective feedback (CF has been an issue of substantial debate in the literature and this controversial issue has led to a development in latest studies to draw on foreign language acquisition (FLA research as a way to further comprehend the complexities of this issue particularly how students and teachers perceive the effectiveness of written corrective feedback. This research has largely focused on students’ perception on Lecturers’ corrective feedback, perceives the usefulness of different types of corrective feedback and the reasons they have for their preferences. Qualitative data was collected from 40 EFL students in 6th semester, by means of written questionnaires, interview and observation. Four feedback strategies were employed in this research and ranked each statement by using five-point Likert scale. Findings showed that almost all students 81.43 % want correction or feedback from lecturers for the mistakes on their writing. For the type of written corrective feedback, students prefer lecturers mark their mistakes and give comment on their work with the percentage as follows: 93% students found that giving clues or comment about how to fix errors can improve their writing ability, 76.69% of the students found that error identification is the most useful type of feedback, and 57.50% of students have a positive opinion for the provision of correction which is accompanied by comment. Those percentages of students perspective is supported by students’ explanation in an open ended question of questionnaire. Pedagogical implications of the study are also discussed.

Estimating external causes of death in Thailand 1996-2009 based on the 2005 Verbal Autopsy study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuntaporn Klinjun

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to develop models based on Verbal Autopsy (VA data and to estimate correct number of deaths from external causes in Thailand from 1996 to 2009. Logistic regression was used to create models of the three external causes of death classified by province, gender-age group and Vital registration (VR cause-location group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC curves were used to validate the models by matching the number of reported deaths to the number of deaths predicted by the models. The models provided accurate prediction results, with false positive error rates 1.6%, 2.0% and 0.6% and sensitivities 73.8%, 46.3% and 62.0%, respectively. The results reveal that under-reporting of external causes of death increased over the 14-year period. Our statistical method confirms that the Thai 2005 VA data can be used to estimate external causes of death from VR report in Thailand to allow for the under-reporting rate.

A New Adaptive Checkpointing Strategy for Mobile Computing

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

MENChaoguang; ZUODecheng; YANGXiaozong

2005-01-01

Adaptive checkpointing strategy is an efficient recovery scheme, which is suitable for mobile computing system. However， all existing adaptive checkpointing schemes are not correct to recover system when failure occurs in some special period. In this paper， the issues that will lead to system inconsistency are first discussed and then a new adaptive strategy that can recover system to correct consistent state is proposed. Our algorithm improves system recovery performance because only failure process needs rollback through logging.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 366: Area 11 Plutonium Valley Dispersion Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patrick Matthews

2011-09-01

Corrective Action Unit 366 comprises the six corrective action sites (CASs) listed below: (1) 11-08-01, Contaminated Waste Dump No.1; (2) 11-08-02, Contaminated Waste Dump No.2; (3) 11-23-01, Radioactively Contaminated Area A; (4) 11-23-02, Radioactively Contaminated Area B; (5) 11-23-03, Radioactively Contaminated Area C; and (6) 11-23-04, Radioactively Contaminated Area D. These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of CAAs that will be presented in the Corrective Action Decision Document. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed July 6, 2011, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 366. The presence and nature of contamination at CAU 366 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the total effective dose (TED) at sample locations to the dose-based final action level (FAL). The TED will be calculated by summing the estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples collected from sample plots will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at each sample location will be used to measure external radiological dose. Based on historical documentation of the releases

Needed improvements in the development of systemic corrective actions.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campisi, John A.

2009-07-01

There are indications that corrective actions, as implemented at Sandia National Laboratories are not fully adequate. Review of independent audits spanning multiple years provides evidence of recurring issues within the same or similar operations and programs. Several external audits have directly called into question the ability Sandia's assessment and evaluation processes to prevent recurrence. Examples of repeated findings include lockout/tagout programs, local exhaust ventilation controls and radiological controls. Recurrence clearly shows that there are underlying systemic factors that are not being adequately addressed by corrective actions stemming from causal analyses. Information suggests that improvements in the conduct of causal analyses and, more importantly, in the development of subsequent corrective actions are warranted. Current methodolgies include Management Oversight Risk Tree, developed in the early 1970s and Systemic Factors Analysis. Recommendations for improvements include review of other causal analysis systems, training, improved formality of operations, improved documentation, and a corporate method that uses truly systemic solutions. This report was written some years ago and is being published now to form the foundation for current, follow-on reports being developed. Some outdated material is recognized but is retained for report completeness.

External Peer Review Team Report Underground Testing Area Subproject for Frenchman Flat, Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sam Marutzky

2010-09-01

An external peer review was conducted to review the groundwater models used in the corrective action investigation stage of the Underground Test Area (UGTA) subproject to forecast zones of potential contamination in 1,000 years for the Frenchman Flat area. The goal of the external peer review was to provide technical evaluation of the studies and to assist in assessing the readiness of the UGTA subproject to progress to monitoring activities for further model evaluation. The external peer review team consisted of six independent technical experts with expertise in geology, hydrogeology,'''groundwater modeling, and radiochemistry. The peer review team was tasked with addressing the following questions: 1. Are the modeling approaches, assumptions, and model results for Frenchman Flat consistent with the use of modeling studies as a decision tool for resolution of environmental and regulatory requirements? 2. Do the modeling results adequately account for uncertainty in models of flow and transport in the Frenchman Flat hydrological setting? a. Are the models of sufficient scale/resolution to adequately predict contaminant transport in the Frenchman Flat setting? b. Have all key processes been included in the model? c. Are the methods used to forecast contaminant boundaries from the transport modeling studies reasonable and appropriate? d. Are the assessments of uncertainty technically sound and consistent with state-of-the-art approaches currently used in the hydrological sciences? 3. Are the datasets and modeling results adequate for a transition to Corrective Action Unit monitoring studies—the next stage in the UGTA strategy for Frenchman Flat? The peer review team is of the opinion that, with some limitations, the modeling approaches, assumptions, and model results are consistent with the use of modeling studies for resolution of environmental and regulatory requirements. The peer review team further finds that the modeling studies have accounted

External Peer Review Team Report Underground Testing Area Subproject for Frenchman Flat, Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marutzky, Sam

2010-01-01

An external peer review was conducted to review the groundwater models used in the corrective action investigation stage of the Underground Test Area (UGTA) subproject to forecast zones of potential contamination in 1,000 years for the Frenchman Flat area. The goal of the external peer review was to provide technical evaluation of the studies and to assist in assessing the readiness of the UGTA subproject to progress to monitoring activities for further model evaluation. The external peer review team consisted of six independent technical experts with expertise in geology, hydrogeology,'groundwater modeling, and radiochemistry. The peer review team was tasked with addressing the following questions: 1. Are the modeling approaches, assumptions, and model results for Frenchman Flat consistent with the use of modeling studies as a decision tool for resolution of environmental and regulatory requirements? 2. Do the modeling results adequately account for uncertainty in models of flow and transport in the Frenchman Flat hydrological setting? a. Are the models of sufficient scale/resolution to adequately predict contaminant transport in the Frenchman Flat setting? b. Have all key processes been included in the model? c. Are the methods used to forecast contaminant boundaries from the transport modeling studies reasonable and appropriate? d. Are the assessments of uncertainty technically sound and consistent with state-of-the-art approaches currently used in the hydrological sciences? 3. Are the datasets and modeling results adequate for a transition to Corrective Action Unit monitoring studies the next stage in the UGTA strategy for Frenchman Flat? The peer review team is of the opinion that, with some limitations, the modeling approaches, assumptions, and model results are consistent with the use of modeling studies for resolution of environmental and regulatory requirements. The peer review team further finds that the modeling studies have accounted for uncertainty in

Externalizing Behavior Trajectories: The Role of Parenting, Sibling Relationships and Child Personality

Science.gov (United States)

Meunier, Jean Christophe; Roskam, Isabelle; Stievenart, Marie; van de Moortele, Gaelle; Browne, Dillon T.; Kumar, Aarti

2011-01-01

Based on longitudinal multilevel modeling and using a multi-informant strategy, this study examines trajectories of externalizing problem behavior (EPB) in childhood as predicted by parental behavior (absolute level of parenting [ALP] and parental differential treatment [PDT]), parental self-efficacy (PSE), child personality and sibling…

No need for external orthogonality in subsystem density-functional theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Unsleber, Jan P; Neugebauer, Johannes; Jacob, Christoph R

2016-08-03

Recent reports on the necessity of using externally orthogonal orbitals in subsystem density-functional theory (SDFT) [Annu. Rep. Comput. Chem., 8, 2012, 53; J. Phys. Chem. A, 118, 2014, 9182] are re-investigated. We show that in the basis-set limit, supermolecular Kohn-Sham-DFT (KS-DFT) densities can exactly be represented as a sum of subsystem densities, even if the subsystem orbitals are not externally orthogonal. This is illustrated using both an analytical example and in basis-set free numerical calculations for an atomic test case. We further show that even with finite basis sets, SDFT calculations using accurate reconstructed potentials can closely approach the supermolecular KS-DFT density, and that the deviations between SDFT and KS-DFT decrease as the basis-set limit is approached. Our results demonstrate that formally, there is no need to enforce external orthogonality in SDFT, even though this might be a useful strategy when developing projection-based DFT embedding schemes.

Speech perception for adult cochlear implant recipients in a realistic background noise: effectiveness of preprocessing strategies and external options for improving speech recognition in noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Gifford, René H; Revit, Lawrence J

2010-01-01

Although cochlear implant patients are achieving increasingly higher levels of performance, speech perception in noise continues to be problematic. The newest generations of implant speech processors are equipped with preprocessing and/or external accessories that are purported to improve listening in noise. Most speech perception measures in the clinical setting, however, do not provide a close approximation to real-world listening environments. To assess speech perception for adult cochlear implant recipients in the presence of a realistic restaurant simulation generated by an eight-loudspeaker (R-SPACE) array in order to determine whether commercially available preprocessing strategies and/or external accessories yield improved sentence recognition in noise. Single-subject, repeated-measures design with two groups of participants: Advanced Bionics and Cochlear Corporation recipients. Thirty-four subjects, ranging in age from 18 to 90 yr (mean 54.5 yr), participated in this prospective study. Fourteen subjects were Advanced Bionics recipients, and 20 subjects were Cochlear Corporation recipients. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in semidiffuse restaurant noise originating from an eight-loudspeaker array were assessed with the subjects' preferred listening programs as well as with the addition of either Beam preprocessing (Cochlear Corporation) or the T-Mic accessory option (Advanced Bionics). In Experiment 1, adaptive SRTs with the Hearing in Noise Test sentences were obtained for all 34 subjects. For Cochlear Corporation recipients, SRTs were obtained with their preferred everyday listening program as well as with the addition of Focus preprocessing. For Advanced Bionics recipients, SRTs were obtained with the integrated behind-the-ear (BTE) mic as well as with the T-Mic. Statistical analysis using a repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) evaluated the effects of the preprocessing strategy or external accessory in reducing the SRT in noise. In addition

Strategies for knowledge use in R&D and their implications for innovative performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peeters, T.J.G.; Martin, X.Y.F.

We argue that research on R&D strategy and on the use of external knowledge in R&D in particular, should differentiate between distinct uses of external knowledge. We distinguish between uses of external knowledge for replication (using knowledge as is) versus for compounding (building on acquired

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN FAMILY BUSINESSES IN GHANA: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING RELATIONSHIPS

OpenAIRE

MOSES ACQUAAH

2011-01-01

The business strategy perspective argues that achieving competitive advantage hinges on pursing a coherent competitive strategy. Family businesses are also said to manifest a strong desire to develop enduring and committed social relationships with external stakeholders. This study examines the effect of business strategy on performance of family businesses and how their managerial social networking relationships with external entities moderate the business strategy–performance link. Using da...

Bias correction for the estimation of sensitivity indices based on random balance designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tissot, Jean-Yves; Prieur, Clémentine

2012-01-01

This paper deals with the random balance design method (RBD) and its hybrid approach, RBD-FAST. Both these global sensitivity analysis methods originate from Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (FAST) and consequently face the main problems inherent to discrete harmonic analysis. We present here a general way to correct a bias which occurs when estimating sensitivity indices (SIs) of any order – except total SI of single factor or group of factors – by the random balance design method (RBD) and its hybrid version, RBD-FAST. In the RBD case, this positive bias has been recently identified in a paper by Xu and Gertner [1]. Following their work, we propose a bias correction method for first-order SIs estimates in RBD. We then extend the correction method to the SIs of any order in RBD-FAST. At last, we suggest an efficient strategy to estimate all the first- and second-order SIs using RBD-FAST. - Highlights: ► We provide a bias correction method for the global sensitivity analysis methods: RBD and RBD-FAST. ► In RBD, first-order sensitivity estimates are corrected. ► In RBD-FAST, sensitivity indices of any order and closed sensitivity indices are corrected. ► We propose an efficient strategy to estimate all the first- and second-order indices of a model.

Strategy to increase Barangan Banana production in Kabupaten Deli Serdang

Science.gov (United States)

Adhany, I.; Chalil, D.; Ginting, R.

2018-02-01

This study was conducted to analyze internal and external factors in increasing Barangan Banana production in Kabupaten Deli Serdang. Samples were determined by snowball sampling technique and purposive sampling method. Using SWOT analysis method, this study found that there were 6 internal strategic factors and 9 external strategic factors. Among that strategic factors, support for production facilities appears as the most important internal strategic factor, while the demand for Barangan Banana. as the most important external strategic factor. Based on the importance and existing condition of these strategic factors, using support for production facilities and realization of supporting facilities with farming experience are the strategies covering strength-opportunity (SO), organizing mentoring to meet the demand for Barangan Banana are the strategies covering weakness-opportunity (WO), making use of funding support and subsidies to widen the land, using tissue culture seeds and facilities and infrastructures are the strategies covering strength-threat (ST), increas the funding support to widen the land, the use of tissue culture seeds and facilities and infrastructures are the strategies covering weakness-threat (WT) are discussed and proposed to increase Barangan Banana productivity in Kabupaten Deli Serdang.

2008 Groundwater Monitoring Report Central Nevada Test Area, Corrective Action Unit 443

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-03-01

This report presents the 2008 groundwater monitoring results collected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) for the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA) Subsurface Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 443. Responsibility for the environmental site restoration of the CNTA was transferred from the DOE Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) to DOE-LM on October 1, 2006. The environmental restoration process and corrective action strategy for CAU 443 are conducted in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO 2005) entered into by DOE, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the State of Nevada. The corrective action strategy for the site includes proof-of-concept monitoring in support of site closure. This report summarizes investigation activities associated with CAU 443 that were conducted at the site during fiscal year 2008. This is the second groundwater monitoring report prepared by DOE-LM for the CNTA.

2008 Groundwater Monitoring Report Central Nevada Test Area, Corrective Action Unit 443

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This report presents the 2008 groundwater monitoring results collected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) for the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA) Subsurface Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 443. Responsibility for the environmental site restoration of the CNTA was transferred from the DOE Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) to DOE-LM on October 1, 2006. The environmental restoration process and corrective action strategy for CAU 443 are conducted in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO 2005) entered into by DOE, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the State of Nevada. The corrective action strategy for the site includes proof-of-concept monitoring in support of site closure. This report summarizes investigation activities associated with CAU 443 that were conducted at the site during fiscal year 2008. This is the second groundwater monitoring report prepared by DOE-LM for the CNTA

Emergency department external fixation for provisional treatment of pilon and unstable ankle fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Craig R Lareau

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Unstable ankle fractures and impacted tibial pilon fractures often benefit from provisional external fixation as a temporizing measure prior to definitive fixation. Benefits of external fixation include improved articular alignment, decreased articular impaction, and soft tissue rest. Uniplanar external fixator placement in the Emergency Department (ED ex-fix is a reliable and safe technique for achieving ankle reduction and stability while awaiting definitive fixation. This procedure involves placing transverse proximal tibial and calcaneal traction pins and connecting the pins with two external fixator rods. This technique is particularly useful in austere environments or when the operating room is not immediately available. Additionally, this bedside intervention prevents the patient from requiring general anesthesia and may be a cost-effective strategy for decreasing valuable operating time. The ED ex-fix is an especially valuable procedure in busy trauma centers and during mass casualty events, in which resources may be limited.

A Movable Phantom Design for Quantitative Evaluation of Motion Correction Studies on High Resolution PET Scanners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Oline Vinter; Svarer, C.; Sibomana, M.

2010-01-01

maximization algorithm with modeling of the point spread function (3DOSEM-PSF), and they were corrected for motions based on external tracking information using the Polaris Vicra real-time stereo motion-tracking system. The new automatic, movable phantom has a robust design and is a potential quality......Head movements during brain imaging using high resolution positron emission tomography (PET) impair the image quality which, along with the improvement of the spatial resolution of PET scanners, in general, raises the importance of motion correction. Here, we present a new design for an automatic...

Parental Control is Not Unconditionally Detrimental for Externalizing Behaviors in Early Childhood

Science.gov (United States)

Akcinar, Berna; Baydar, Nazli

2014-01-01

The association of three different strategies of maternal control (behavioral, psychological, and physical), and maternal warmth with children's externalizing behaviors were analyzed in an observational study of 3-year-old children in Turkey ("N" = 123). The results indicated that (i) mothers exercised all three types of control…

Treatment of age-related subfoveal choroidal neovascularization by low-dose external radiation. A preliminary study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harino, Seiyo; Oshima, Yusuke; Tsujikawa, Kaoru; Oh, Ami; Sugimoto, Kiyoshi [Yodogawa Christian Hospital, Osaka (Japan); Murayama, Shigeyuki; Inoue, Toshihiko

1997-04-01

We applied low dose external beam radiation (6MV) to 17 eyes of 17 patients (Mean age 70.9 years, range 58-85) who had subfoveal choroidal neovascularization associated with age-related macular degeneration. None of the cases were suitable for photocoagulation according to the Macular Photo-coagulation Study protocol, and no feeding vessels underlying choroidal neovascular membrane could be detected. Corrected visual acuity ranged from 0.02 to 0.6 before treatment. The patients were divided into two groups. One group of 11 eyes was treated with 10 Gy and the other group of 6 eyes with 21 Gy. Mean follow up period was 347{+-}89 (mean{+-}standard deviation) days in the 10 Gy group and 312{+-}100 days in the 21 Gy group. We evaluated the outcome as `effective` if no progression in neovascular membrane was found by ophthalmoscopic and angiographic examination. Only 3 eyes (21%) of patients in the 10 Gy group and 2 eyes (33%) in 21 Gy group showed any effect. Although the rate of progression in choroidal neovascular membrane was significantly smaller in the 10 and 21 Gy group than in the controls, the corrected visual acuity in the treated group was not improved over that of the controls. No serious complications were seen. Only one case showed a stabilized neovascular membrane in the control group of 7 patients. Although the present results seem to be worse than those in previous reports, the efficacy of this treatment still needs to be evaluated because no beneficial strategies in the treatment of subfoveal neovascularization have been established. (author)

Contribution of External Gamma Rays to SPND at HANARO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, B. G.; Cho, D. K.; Kim, M. S.; Kang, G. D. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

Self-Powered Neutron Detectors (SPNDs) have been widely used for monitoring the neutron flux in reactors as well as in irradiation facilities. In its simplest form, the detector operates on the basis of directly measuring the beta decay current following neutron capture. The neutron capture cross-section of {sup 103}Rh, which is used for an emitter of the SPND, is 142.13 barns for thermal neutron (0.0253 eV). After neuron capture of {sup 103}Rh, the compound nuclei of {sup 104}Rh (92.6%) and {sup 104}mRh (7.4%) are produced. The sensitivity of SPND is generally defined as. The influence of water in the irradiation basket on the external gamma rays is determined by calculations of neutron capture reaction and photon interaction rates at various irradiation positions in HANARO. Since it is not easy to correct the contribution of the external gamma rays to the current signal by measurements at the research reactor, it is advantageous to reduce materials such as water at the irradiation position.

STRATEGI BISNIS PT. PARIWARA ADVERTISING DI INDUSTRI MEDIA LUAR RUANG DKI JAKARTA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mila Kumala

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the research is to analyze the internal and external condition of PT Pariwara advertising to formulate an appropriate strategy due to the company’s declining condition. This condition is caused by the implementation of Pergub No.1 tahun 2015 on the banning of cigarette and tobacco product advertisement in outdoor Medias.  The data is analyzed using internal factor evaluation (IFE, External Factor Evaluation (EFE, grand strategy matrix, SWOT and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM.  The result of the research shows that the strategy priority during a stagnant condition is applying the concentric diversification strategy which adding new product that has the similar technology, join facilities, or distribution network with the current product.   Keywords: IFE, EFE, SWOT, grand strategy, QSPMAbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis kondisi internal dan eksternal PT. Pariwara Advertising untuk merumuskan strategi yang tepat ditengah kondisi perusahaan yang sedang menurun dan kondisi industri media luar ruang DKI Jakarta yang melemah karena diterapkannya Pergub No. 1 Tahun 2015 tentang  Larangan Penyelenggaraan Reklame Rokok dan Produk Tembakau pada Media Luar Ruang. Teknik analisis data menggunakan analisis internal factor evaluation (IFE, External Factor Evaluation (EFE, matriks strategi besar, matriks SWOT dan Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan prioritas strategi yang harus dilakukan di tengah kondisi industri yang stagnan adalah dengan strategi diverisifikasi konsentris yaitu strategi penambahan produk baru yang masih ada kaitannya dalam hal kesamaan teknologi, fasilitas bersama, atau jaringan pemasaran yang sama dengan produk yang ada saat ini.Kata kunci:  EFI, EFE, SWOT, strategi besar, QSPM

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 541: Small Boy Nevada National Security Site and Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada with ROTC 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, Patrick [Navarro-Intera, LLC (N-I), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2014-09-01

Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 541 is co-located on the boundary of Area 5 of the Nevada National Security Site and Range 65C of the Nevada Test and Training Range, approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. CAU 541 is a grouping of sites where there has been a suspected release of contamination associated with nuclear testing. This document describes the planned investigation of CAU 541, which comprises the following corrective action sites (CASs): 05-23-04, Atmospheric Tests (6) - BFa Site; 05-45-03, Atmospheric Test Site - Small Boy. These sites are being investigated because existing information on the nature and extent of potential contamination is insufficient to evaluate and recommend corrective action alternatives (CAAs). Additional information will be obtained by conducting a corrective action investigation before evaluating CAAs and selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of viable CAAs that will be presented in the investigation report. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on April 1, 2014, by representatives of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection; U.S. Air Force; and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office. The DQO process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 541. The site investigation process also will be conducted in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices to be applied to this activity. The potential contamination sources associated with CASs 05-23-04 and 05-45-03 are from nuclear testing activities conducted at the Atmospheric Tests (6) - BFa Site and Atmospheric Test Site - Small Boy sites. The presence and nature of

ERRORS AND CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK IN WRITING: IMPLICATIONS TO OUR CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Corazon Saturnina A Castro

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Error correction is one of the most contentious and misunderstood issues in both foreign and second language teaching. Despite varying positions on the effectiveness of error correction or the lack of it, corrective feedback remains an institution in the writing classes. Given this context, this action research endeavors to survey prevalent attitudes of teachers and students toward corrective feedback and examine their implications to classroom practices.  This paper poses the major problem:  How do teachers’ perspectives on corrective feedback match the students’ views and expectations about error treatment in their writing? Professors of the University of the Philippines who teach composition classes and over a hundred students enrolled in their classes were surveyed.  Results showed that there are differing perceptions of teachers and students regarding corrective feedback. These oppositions must be addressed as they have implications to current pedagogical practices which include constructing and establishing appropriate lesson goals, using alternative corrective strategies, teaching grammar points in class even in the tertiary level, and further understanding the learning process.

The Pierce diode with an external circuit: II, Non-uniform equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawson, W.S.

1987-01-01

The non-uniform (non-linear) equilibria of the classical (short circuit) Pierce diode and the extended (series RLC external circuit) Pierce diode are described theoretically, and explored via computer simulation. It is found that most equilibria are correctly predicted by theory, but that the continuous set of equilibria of the classical Pierce diode at α = 2π are not observed. The stability characteristics of the non-uniform equilibria are also worked out, and are consistent with the simulations. 8 refs., 22 figs., 3 tabs

STRATEGI BERSAING BIRO PERJALANAN WISATA ALINDO DEWATA TOURS BALI

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Nelsye Natalina Lintong

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Alindo Dewata Tours Bali as an inbound tours companydeals with the competitors by applying competitive strategy.Nevertheless the competitive strategy applied is not maximumyet. It is apparently seen at the average growth of touristsnumber handled since 2004-2013 by the company only 5,97 %.Therefore, this study has the objective to know what internalexternal factors that give influences and competitive strategy tobe applied in the company. This research using analysis toolsof Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE matrix, External FactorEvaluation (EFE matrix for general strategy, Internal External(IE matrix, Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat (SWOTmatrix for alternative strategy and Quantitative StrategicPlanning Matrix (QSPM for priority strategy. The result of IFEmatrix indicates bundle pricing policy as the prime strengthand the application of the management information system notmaximum as the prime weakness. EFE matrix indicates qualitystrategy contributes the service as prime opportunity and thedependency on the foreign travel agencies as prime threat.Based on IE matrix, the company’s position is at five (V levelfor resistance and endurance strategy. SWOT matrix indicateseight competitive strategic alternatives. Suggested first priorityby QSPM is to develop market segment, both overseas anddomestic market.

Cultural Strategies for Contesting Hierarchy and Political Authority in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In history and literature, colonial rule is often read correctly in terms of violence, trauma, (super) structural mutations and the undermining by external forces of local endogenous authorities, cultures and ideologies. Incorrectly, however, these effects and mutations are typically considered to be induced unilaterally from the ...

3D Dose Reconstruction to Insure Correct External Beam Treatment of Patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renner, Wendel Dean

2007-01-01

Radiation therapy treatments have become increasingly more complicated. There are multiple opportunities for humans, machines, software, and combinations thereof to result in a treatment error that could be of significance. Current methods for quality assurance are often abstract in nature and may have unclear underlying assumptions as to what is assumed to be working correctly, or may depend upon the diligence of persons to discover errors from a review of the treatment plan. Here, an example will be shown of a direct method to reconstruct and demonstrate the dose and the dose distribution delivered to a particular patient. By measuring the radiation fields that come out of the accelerator, and using the measurement as input to a 3-dimensional (3D) dose algorithm, the delivered patient dose is determined and presented in a manner similar to the treatment plan. The intended treatment plan dose may be directly compared. Using this feedback mechanism, there is less abstraction and dependence upon the diligence of individuals checking multiple steps in a treatment process, and assumptions can be clearly stated. With this system, the dose is determined and presented minimizing assumptions and dependence upon other systems

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 569: Area 3 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patrick Matthews; Christy Sloop

2012-02-01

process was used to identify and define the type, amount, and quality of data needed to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective actions for CAU 569. The presence and nature of contamination at CAU 569 will be evaluated based on information collected from a field investigation. Radiological contamination will be evaluated based on a comparison of the total effective dose (TED) at sample locations to the dose-based final action level (FAL). The TED will be calculated as the total of separate estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at the center of each sample location will be used to measure external radiological dose. A field investigation will be performed to define any areas where TED exceeds the FAL and to determine whether contaminants of concern are present at the site from other potential releases. The presence and nature of contamination from other types of releases (e.g., excavation, migration, and any potential releases discovered during the investigation) will be evaluated using soil samples collected from biased locations indicating the highest levels of contamination. Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the DQO methodology and the objectives specific to each study group.

Using the sense of coherence framework as a tactical approach to communicating corrective action in crisis situations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Daniel Morten; Jacobsen, Johan Martin Hjorth

By combining attribution theory with crisis types, Coombs developed a theory of Situational Crisis Communication (SCCT) that recommends which crisis response strategy is appropriate for which crisis (Coombs, 1999; 2007; 2012). The seven response strategies presented in SCCT have been tested...... empirically; however, there still is a need for empirical contributions on the tactical level where the Crisis Communication Message (CCM) is developed, as argued here: “SCCT tries to answer the question of when to use different crisis responses, but it does not help researchers address the question of how...... the response strategy named corrective action for our study. According to Coombs, corrective action means giving stakeholders information about a crisis and explaining what is being done to handle it (Coombs, 2012: 150). Corrective action shows stakeholders that their safety is a priority, and thus reduces...

On the expression 'external calibration' in atomic spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantor, Tibor

2008-01-01

The expressions 'calibration' and 'external calibration' appear together in the present literature of atomic spectrometry resulting in a dilemma of understanding and correct use. It is examined how the IUPAC can provide a guidance to the solution of this problem by recalling the definitions of related terms of optical, mass and X-ray atomic spectrometry techniques. The introduction and definition of these expressions in widely used text books are investigated and statistically evaluated for the articles published during the last 30 years in the periodical Spectrochimica Acta Part B. For the elimination of the literary difficulties with the use of the term 'calibration', attributes are proposed to express the degree of matrix matching of standards and samples

ANALISIS STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN KAWASAN AGROPOLITAN KABUPATEN NGANJUK

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Tripitono Adi Prabowo

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The aim in this study was to determine the development strategy of the region Agropolitan Nganjuk by knowing the internal factors and external factors that exist in Nganjuk. The method used in this research is SWOT analysis to identify the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and challenges in the development of the area Agropolitan in Nganjuk so it can determine its development strategy. The results this study is the development strategy that can be used is divided into three stages: 1 Incubation, equating the vision of all stakeholders, 2 implementation, the implementation of development strategies that have been defined, 3 Exit Strategy, strategy development and renewal.

Internal and External Collaboration in New Product Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Timenes Laugen, Bjørge; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann; Middel, Rick

2009-01-01

Industry and academia alike are increasingly becoming aware of the fact that innovation does not take place in isolated cells or functions within the firm. During the last the years the term open innovation has emphasised the importance of internal and external collaboration in order to increase...... strategic priorities influence the degree of external and internal involvement in the NPD process, moderated by contextual factors. Results based on analyses of 584 companies from the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) 2005 indicate that suppliers are heavily involved in the NPD process...... in firms in B2C markets aiming at increasing the innovation volume. For B2B companies the reverse picture emerges. However, when the aim is to increase the radicality of new products, suppliers and customers are heavily involved for firms in B2B markets. Further, market uncertainty, and to some extent...

Computer-aided surgical planner for a new bone deformity correction device using axis-angle representation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ying Ying; Plakseychuk, Anton; Shimada, Kenji

2014-11-01

Current external fixators for distraction osteogenesis (DO) are unable to correct all types of deformities in the lower limb and are difficult to use because of the lack of a pre-surgical planning system. We propose a DO system that consists of a surgical planner and a new, easy-to-setup unilateral fixator that not only corrects all lower limb deformity, but also generates the contralateral/predefined bone shape. Conventionally, bulky constructs with six or more joints (six degrees of freedom, 6DOF) are needed to correct a 3D deformity. By applying the axis-angle representation, we can achieve that with a compact construct with only two joints (2DOF). The proposed system makes use of computer-aided design software and computational methods to plan and simulate the planned procedure. Results of our stress analysis suggest that the stiffness of our proposed fixator is comparable to that of the Orthofix unilateral external fixator. We tested the surgical system on a model of an adult deformed tibia and the resulting bone trajectory deviates from the target bone trajectory by 1.8mm, which is below our defined threshold error of 2mm. We also extracted the transformation matrix that defines the deformity from the bone model and simulated the planned procedure. Copyright © 2014 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The ankle joint - value of different radiological examinations especially in external ligament injuries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dengel, H.

1984-01-01

For a correct radiological positioning of the ankle joint the bimalleolar line is helpful as well for the A.P.-view as for the lateral view. For the examination of external ligament lacerations Radiography with functional test is not always sufficient. After critical comparison of functional radiographs, clinical symptoms and case history arthrography is necessary in certain cases to come to a final conclusion. Indications for arthrography are stated and explained. (orig.) [de

The Transfer of Local Authority School Support Services to External Social Enterprises

Science.gov (United States)

Hatcher, Richard

2015-01-01

This paper explores an emerging and largely unresearched sector of the school education market, the transfer of local authority support services to external social enterprises. It locates these new social enterprises as a consequence of government strategies to reduce public spending, shrink local government and create competitive markets in…

THE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES OF CASHEW INDUSTRY IN KENDARI CITY, SOUTHEAST SULAWESI

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Asriani Asriani

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The economic development of a region should refer to the agroindustry approach. An industry is not well developed due to the constraints of internal and external factors. This research aimed to identify the internal and external factors which could affect the development of cashew industry and determine the most effective alternative strategies applied in developing the cashew industry in Kendari Southeast Sulawesi Province. The data analysis technique used  Strength, Weakness, Opportuny and Threat (SWOT methods. The results showed that the internal factors that most influenced the development of the cashew industry were availability of adequate labor and limited capital investment funds while the external factors that influence the development included the government support and limited access to markets. The alternative strategies of the cashew industry development in Kendari Southeast Sulawesi Province  include improving the marketing, maintaining the product quality and increasing the working capital.Keyword: development, strategy, cashew industry, SWOT

Evaluation and correction of uncertainty due to Gaussian approximation in radar - rain gauge merging using kriging with external drift

Science.gov (United States)

Cecinati, F.; Wani, O.; Rico-Ramirez, M. A.

2016-12-01

It is widely recognised that merging radar rainfall estimates (RRE) with rain gauge data can improve the RRE and provide areal and temporal coverage that rain gauges cannot offer. Many methods to merge radar and rain gauge data are based on kriging and require an assumption of Gaussianity on the variable of interest. In particular, this work looks at kriging with external drift (KED), because it is an efficient, widely used, and well performing merging method. Rainfall, especially at finer temporal scale, does not have a normal distribution and presents a bi-modal skewed distribution. In some applications a Gaussianity assumption is made, without any correction. In other cases, variables are transformed in order to obtain a distribution closer to Gaussian. This work has two objectives: 1) compare different transformation methods in merging applications; 2) evaluate the uncertainty arising when untransformed rainfall data is used in KED. The comparison of transformation methods is addressed under two points of view. On the one hand, the ability to reproduce the original probability distribution after back-transformation of merged products is evaluated with qq-plots, on the other hand the rainfall estimates are compared with an independent set of rain gauge measurements. The tested methods are 1) no transformation, 2) Box-Cox transformations with parameter equal to λ=0.5 (square root), 3) λ=0.25 (square root - square root), and 4) λ=0.1 (almost logarithmic), 5) normal quantile transformation, and 6) singularity analysis. The uncertainty associated with the use of non-transformed data in KED is evaluated in comparison with the best performing product. The methods are tested on a case study in Northern England, using hourly data from 211 tipping bucket rain gauges from the Environment Agency and radar rainfall data at 1 km/5-min resolutions from the UK Met Office. In addition, 25 independent rain gauges from the UK Met Office were used to assess the merged products.

Developing business strategies using SWOT analysis in a color crackers industry

Science.gov (United States)

Budiman, I.; Tarigan, U. P. P.; Mardhatillah, A.; Sembiring, A. C.; Teddy, W.

2018-04-01

This research was conducted in color crackers industry in Indonesia. Color crackers are snacks colored in red and white, found as additional in many Indonesian traditional foods. The used traditional business strategies are not appropriate for the market condition in the industrial 4.0 era. The aim of this study is to develop business strategies in this market condition. This research was conducted in several steps using SWOT Analysis, weighting assessment for SWOT questions, Internal Factor Analysis Summary, External Factor Analysis Summary, and Creating SWOT Matrix. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires with internal and external stakeholders. The result of this research is the business positioned in the first quadrant. This gives the explanation that the traditional strategies used already inappropriate with the current condition. They need to use mixed SO (Strength – Opportunity) strategies or called as the aggressive strategy to win the market competition. The developed SO strategies are: creating distribution network with the customers and utilizing renewable technology.

Employment strategy of the Russians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir Borisovich Toreev

2015-05-01

Full Text Available During the crisis it is especially important to choose a correct employment strategy. Every employee uses an employment strategy, as he/she selects the direction of long-term employment consciously or intuitively. The choice of strategy is determined by a number of factors shaping the person’s attitudes: health, character, upbringing, education, social environment, institutional environment. The employment strategies of the young people newly entering the labor market differ from lab our strategies of workers. Young people do not have such experience and can plan their life “from scratch”. The Soviet specialists, people who started their career in the planned economy, have their own features of employment strategies. The article describes employment strategies of the Russians

Accelerating RCRA corrective action: The principles of the DOE approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimmell, T.A.; Green, D.R.; Ranek, N.L.; Coalgate, J.L.

1995-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is involved in the remediation of environmental contamination at many of its facilities under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA's corrective action provisions were established by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA). In response to the HSWA mandate, EPA established a program for the conduct of RCRA corrective action that was similar to that established under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). In addition, EPA developed and implemented its ''stabilization'' initiative as a means of quickly addressing immediate risks posed by releases until long term solutions can be applied. To improve the efficiency of environmental restoration at its facilities, DOE is developing guidance and training programs on accelerated environmental restoration under RCRA. A RCRA guidance document, entitled ''Accelerating RCRA Corrective Action at DOE Facilities,'' is currently being developed by DOE's Office of Environmental Policy and Assistance. The new guidance document will outline a decision-making process for determining if acceleration is appropriate for individual facilities, for identifying, evaluating, and selecting options for program acceleration, and for implementing selected acceleration options. The document will also discuss management and planning strategies that provide a firm foundation for accelerating RCRA corrective action. These strategies include a number of very basic principles that have proven effective at DOE and other federal facilities, as well as some new approaches. The purpose of this paper is to introduce DOE's new guidance document, discuss the general approach presented in the guidance for accelerating RCRA corrective action, and to emphasize some of the more important principles of effective management and planning

COMPETITIVEVENESS STRATEGIES OF INDONESIA PANGASIUS FILLET

OpenAIRE

Arfin Ramadhan; Ruddy Suwandi; Wini Trilaksani

2016-01-01

Pangasius fillet industry in Indonesia that has grown in recent years will face the ASEAN regional competitiveness that began in late 2015. To face competitiveness from other countries, especially Vietnam as the largest Pangasius fillet producer, this study was carried out with regard to internal and external factors as a consideration in determining future strategies. This study aims to generate alternative competitiveness strategies of Pangasius fillet through descriptive analysis, SWOT, an...

Motion detection and correction for dynamic 15O-water myocardial perfusion PET studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naum, Alexandru; Laaksonen, Marko S.; Oikonen, Vesa; Teraes, Mika; Jaervisalo, Mikko J.; Knuuti, Juhani; Tuunanen, Helena; Nuutila, Pirjo; Kemppainen, Jukka

2005-01-01

Patient motion during dynamic PET studies is a well-documented source of errors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of frame-to-frame motion in dynamic 15 O-water myocardial perfusion PET studies, to test the efficacy of motion correction methods and to study whether implementation of motion correction would have an impact on the perfusion results. We developed a motion detection procedure using external radioactive skin markers and frame-to-frame alignment. To evaluate motion, marker coordinates inside the field of view were determined in each frame for each study. The highest number of frames with identical spatial coordinates during the study were defined as ''non-moved''. Movement was considered present if even one marker changed position, by one pixel/frame compared with reference, in one axis, and such frames were defined as ''moved''. We tested manual, in-house-developed motion correction software and an automatic motion correction using a rigid body point model implemented in MIPAV (Medical Image Processing, Analysis and Visualisation) software. After motion correction, remaining motion was re-analysed. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) values were calculated for both non-corrected and motion-corrected datasets. At rest, patient motion was found in 18% of the frames, but during pharmacological stress the fraction increased to 45% and during physical exercise it rose to 80%. Both motion correction algorithms significantly decreased (p<0.006) the number of moved frames and the amplitude of motion (p<0.04). Motion correction significantly increased MBF results during bicycle exercise (p<0.02). At rest or during adenosine infusion, the motion correction had no significant effects on MBF values. Significant motion is a common phenomenon in dynamic cardiac studies during adenosine infusion but especially during exercise. Applying motion correction for the data acquired during exercise clearly changed the MBF results, indicating that motion

Internal and External Determinants of Economic Growth: A closer look at Pakistan’s Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Jamil

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the impact of internal and external determinants of economic growth on the economic growth of Pakistan. Major internal determinants include stock of physical capital and developmental expenditures, while external determinants include trade openness and real effective exchange rate. In doing so, study utilizes the annual time series data from 1972 to 2011. Advanced Autoregressive Distributed Lag model (ARDL approach has been employed for co-integration and error correction model (ECM for short-run results. Empirical investigations indicate that developmental expenditures, physical capital and trade openness are positively correlated with economic growth in long run, while real effective exchange rate negatively and significantly affect economic growth in long run in case of Pakistan.

Magnetic Resonance-based Motion Correction for Quantitative PET in Simultaneous PET-MR Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakvongthai, Yothin; El Fakhri, Georges

2017-07-01

Motion degrades image quality and quantitation of PET images, and is an obstacle to quantitative PET imaging. Simultaneous PET-MR offers a tool that can be used for correcting the motion in PET images by using anatomic information from MR imaging acquired concurrently. Motion correction can be performed by transforming a set of reconstructed PET images into the same frame or by incorporating the transformation into the system model and reconstructing the motion-corrected image. Several phantom and patient studies have validated that MR-based motion correction strategies have great promise for quantitative PET imaging in simultaneous PET-MR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Open strategy-making with crowds and communities: Comparing Wikimedia and Creative Commons

OpenAIRE

Dobusch, Leonhard; Kapeller, Jakob

2017-01-01

In the wake of new digital technologies, organizations rely increasingly on contributions by external actors to innovate or even to fulfill their core tasks, including strategy-making processes. These external actors may take the form of crowds, where actors are isolated and dispersed, or of communities, where these actors are related and self-identify as members of their communities. While we know that including new actors in strategy- making may lead to tensions, we know little about how th...

Organizational Strategy and Business Environment Effects Based on a Computation Method

Science.gov (United States)

Reklitis, Panagiotis; Konstantopoulos, Nikolaos; Trivellas, Panagiotis

2007-12-01

According to many researchers of organizational theory, a great number of problems encountered by the manufacturing firms are due to their ineffectiveness to respond to significant changes of their external environment and align their competitive strategy accordingly. From this point of view, the pursuit of the appropriate generic strategy is vital for firms facing a dynamic and highly competitive environment. In the present paper, we adopt Porter's typology to operationalise organizational strategy (cost leadership, innovative and marketing differentiation, and focus) considering changes in the external business environment (dynamism, complexity and munificence). Although simulation of social events is a quite difficult task, since there are so many considerations (not all well understood) involved, in the present study we developed a dynamic system based on the conceptual framework of strategy-environment associations.

Penetapan Strategi Bisnis pada PT. Pabrik Es Siantar, Pematangsiantar

OpenAIRE

Pakpahan, Vovi Novita

2015-01-01

This research aims to identify the types of strategies used dan analyze the internal environment PT. Pabrik Es Siantar related strenghts and weaknesses and the external environment related opportunities and threats to determine the right strategy and the way it is applied in PT. Pabrik Es Siantar in the face of competition. The type of strategy adopted PT. Pabrik Es Siantar classified as a defensive strategy. The input stage of business strategy include matrix EFE,IFE and CPM. The total ...

CHANGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES RELATED TO THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT COMPLEXITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena DOVAL

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The changes in organizations appear as a reaction to the organizational environment changes. In order to manage these changes successfully, the managers need to anticipate and design alternative strategies by preparing different options.  Nevertheless, the complexity of the global environment forces the managers to adopt strategies for their organizations that are facilitating the creation of new strategic competences and competitive advantages to face the environmental rapid changes. In this context, this paper is aiming to illustrate the main directions the change management may consider to change the organization strategies in order to harmonize them to the external environment, such as: integration versus externalization, flexible specialization and flexible organization, standardization versus adaptation, market segmentation, relationship building and maintaining and communication integration.  However, the new strategies are based on a changed attitude of the managers towards the competitive advantage that is dynamic and focused on creation rather then to operations.

On Different Maintenance Strategies for Casted Components of Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ambühl, Simon; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

. This maintenance tool uses Crude Monte Carlo Simulations to estimate the expected maintenance costs. Corrective and preventive maintenance strategies with a constant inspection interval or a condition monitoring system are considered. Furthermore, transportation from shore to the wind turbines by boat...... and transportation strategy. The case study shows that the maintenance expenses of casted components correspond to roughly 5% of the overall expected maintenance costs when using a corrective maintenance strategy. This amount can be decreased to roughly 2% when using a condition monitoring system and following...

The external costs of electricity generation: a comparison of generation technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozdemiroglu, E [Economics for the Environment Consultancy, London (United Kingdom)

1995-12-01

from the United Kingdom, including the non-fossil fuel obligation, a system for encouraging energy generation from nuclear fuels and renewable resources. Section D discusses various strategies for internalizing external costs of conventional forms of energy, including emission taxes and tradable emission permits. (author) 10 refs, 5 tabs

The external costs of electricity generation: a comparison of generation technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozdemiroglu, E.

1995-01-01

from the United Kingdom, including the non-fossil fuel obligation, a system for encouraging energy generation from nuclear fuels and renewable resources. Section D discusses various strategies for internalizing external costs of conventional forms of energy, including emission taxes and tradable emission permits. (author)

Externality costs by resource. E. Renewable generation resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This chapter describes the environmental impacts associated with operation of renewable energy technologies. Renewable energy technologies currently supply 8% of US total energy usage and that figure is certain to grow. The rate of growth will depend heavily on the availability of research and development funds, and could reach 28% of US energy demands by 2030. Renewable generation resources include hydroelectric development, solar energy technologies, wind conversion facilities, and biomass fueled generation. A task force of personnel from five national laboratories recently concluded that renewable energy technologies generally have lower environmental impacts than do fossil fuel energy systems. The task force also stated that a comprehensive and comparative analysis of environmental impacts is needed and would strengthen the National Energy Strategy. This chapter summarizes some of the available literature on costing the environmental externalities associated with hydro, solar, wind, and biomass facilities. The less prevalent renewable energy technologies, including geothermal and ocean energy technologies, were not researched. The cost ranges identified are summarized in Table 1. The Table does not include a value for hydroelectric energy. The one study which attempted to value hydroelectric externalities was highly site-specific and has been criticized for having vastly overstated the value of the externalities

STRATEGI PENINGKATAN ASET PT BPR SYARIAH HARTA INSAN KARIMAH (HIK CILEDUG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fajri Ryan Isnandar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The objectives of this study were 1 to analyze the conditions of the performance competition on the financial aspect of BPRS HIK Ciledug and the market leader in BPRS industry; 2 to identify the internal and external factors affecting the corporate development and strategic position of BPRS HIK Ciledug based on these factors; and 3 to formulate an accurate alternative strategy and a priority that can be recommended to the company in achieving its goals. Analysis of the evaluation of internal and external factors based on the components contained in the Shari'ah Maqashid and based on the components on The Porter's Five Forces. The analysis of the company's strategic position based on the market growth rate and relative market share on the internal strength was conducted by using BCG matrix (Boston Consulting Group, and the analysis on the alternative strategy formulation was conducted by using IE matrix (Internal-External Matrix, and the QSPM analysis served to determine the priority strategies to increase the assets of BPRS HIK Ciledug. The main weaknesses that should be handled is the lack of scoring systems of financing and the main opportunity is the great number of written requirements for obtaining the financing provided by its competitors. The prioritized strategies of SRB HIK Ciledug include: 1 product development strategy to create innovative products, 2 Market penetration strategy by changing the amount of share returns, 3 Market development strategy by opening new branches, and 4 Backward, forward and horizontal integration strategies by introducing products to various industries.Keywords:  strategies in increasing assets, sharia community financing bank, BPRS Harta Insan Karimah, QSPM

Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan for Corrective Action Unit 98: Frenchman Flat, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Irene Farnham and Sam Marutzky

2011-07-01

This CADD/CAP follows the Corrective Action Investigation (CAI) stage, which results in development of a set of contaminant boundary forecasts produced from groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling of the Frenchman Flat CAU. The Frenchman Flat CAU is located in the southeastern portion of the NNSS and comprises 10 underground nuclear tests. The tests were conducted between 1965 and 1971 and resulted in the release of radionuclides in the subsurface in the vicinity of the test cavities. Two important aspects of the corrective action process are presented within this CADD/CAP. The CADD portion describes the results of the Frenchman Flat CAU data-collection and modeling activities completed during the CAI stage. The corrective action objectives and the actions recommended to meet the objectives are also described. The CAP portion describes the corrective action implementation plan. The CAP begins with the presentation of CAU regulatory boundary objectives and initial use restriction boundaries that are identified and negotiated by NNSA/NSO and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). The CAP also presents the model evaluation process designed to build confidence that the flow and contaminant transport modeling results can be used for the regulatory decisions required for CAU closure. The first two stages of the strategy have been completed for the Frenchman Flat CAU. A value of information analysis and a CAIP were developed during the CAIP stage. During the CAI stage, a CAIP addendum was developed, and the activities proposed in the CAIP and addendum were completed. These activities included hydrogeologic investigation of the underground testing areas, aquifer testing, isotopic and geochemistry-based investigations, and integrated geophysical investigations. After these investigations, a groundwater flow and contaminant transport model was developed to forecast contaminant boundaries that enclose areas potentially exceeding the Safe Drinking

An external logic architecture for implementing traffic signal system control strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

The built-in logic functions in traffic controllers have very limited capability to store information, to analyze input data, to estimate performance measures, and to adopt control strategy decisions. These capabilities are imperative to support traf...

Differentiating sex and species of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's Grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) and their eggs using external morphometrics and discriminant function analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hartman, C. Alex; Ackerman, Joshua T.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Herzog, Mark

2016-01-01

In birds where males and females are similar in size and plumage, sex determination by alternative means is necessary. Discriminant function analysis based on external morphometrics was used to distinguish males from females in two closely related species: Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's Grebe (A. clarkii). Additionally, discriminant function analysis was used to evaluate morphometric divergence between Western and Clark's grebe adults and eggs. Aechmophorus grebe adults (n = 576) and eggs (n = 130) were sampled across 29 lakes and reservoirs throughout California, USA, and adult sex was determined using molecular analysis. Both Western and Clark's grebes exhibited considerable sexual size dimorphism. Males averaged 6–26% larger than females among seven morphological measurements, with the greatest sexual size dimorphism occurring for bill morphometrics. Discriminant functions based on bill length, bill depth, and short tarsus length correctly assigned sex to 98% of Western Grebes, and a function based on bill length and bill depth correctly assigned sex to 99% of Clark's Grebes. Further, a simplified discriminant function based only on bill depth correctly assigned sex to 96% of Western Grebes and 98% of Clark's Grebes. In contrast, external morphometrics were not suitable for differentiating between Western and Clark's grebe adults or their eggs, with correct classification rates of discriminant functions of only 60%, 63%, and 61% for adult males, adult females, and eggs, respectively. Our results indicate little divergence in external morphology between species of Aechmophorus grebes, and instead separation is much greater between males and females.

[External cephalic version].

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro-Santana, B; Duarez-Coronado, M; Plaza-Arranz, J

2016-08-01

To analyze the rate of successful external cephalic versions in our center and caesarean sections that would be avoided with the use of external cephalic versions. From January 2012 to March 2016 external cephalic versions carried out at our center, which were a total of 52. We collected data about female age, gestational age at the time of the external cephalic version, maternal body mass index (BMI), fetal variety and situation, fetal weight, parity, location of the placenta, amniotic fluid index (ILA), tocolysis, analgesia, and newborn weight at birth, minor adverse effects (dizziness, hypotension and maternal pain) and major adverse effects (tachycardia, bradycardia, decelerations and emergency cesarean section). 45% of the versions were unsuccessful and 55% were successful. The percentage of successful vaginal delivery in versions was 84% (4% were instrumental) and 15% of caesarean sections. With respect to the variables studied, only significant differences in birth weight were found; suggesting that birth weight it is related to the outcome of external cephalic version. Probably we did not find significant differences due to the number of patients studied. For women with breech presentation, we recommend external cephalic version before the expectant management or performing a cesarean section. The external cephalic version increases the proportion of fetuses in cephalic presentation and also decreases the rate of caesarean sections.

Analisis SWOT Terhadap Strategi Pemasaran Rumah Makan Zam-Zam dan Rumah Makan Permata

OpenAIRE

Purba, Dwigo Edghar Yosua

2015-01-01

The title of this research is “SWOT Analysis of Marketing Strategy of Restaurant Zam-Zam and Restaurant Permata”. The purpose of this study is to know and analyze the marketing strategy in Restaurant Zam-Zam and Restaurant Permata. The method used is descriptive qualitative research method with Marketing Mix, SWOT Matrix, the Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (Internal Factor Evaluation - IFE Matrix), External Factor Evaluation Matrix (External Factor Evaluation - EFE Matrix), and SPACE Ma...

STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN BALAI PENELITIAN BIOTEKNOLOGI PERKEBUNAN INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Fauzanul Hakim Abdurrahim

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study were to identify and review external and internal factors influencing Balai Penelitian Bioteknologi Perkebunan Indonesia (BPBPI in achieving its vision and mission, to set up alternative development strategies in BPBPI and to formulate priority strategies for development of BPBPI. Descriptive analysis method were used in this study is. The analysis tools being used in this study were environmental analysis, internal factor evaluation, external factor evaluation, internal external matrix (IE, strengths weaknesses opportunities threats (SWOT and combination of analytical hierarchy process (AHP and SWOT. Using IE Matrix, the company were indicated to be in the position of Quadrant V, which is ‘hold and maintain’ position with general strategy is market penetration and product development. Based on the results of SWOT analysis, were identified six alternative strategies that can be recommended in the development BPBPI is (1 Market penetration strategy through development new products and improved distribution network, (2 Finding an alternative sources of new organic raw materials and cheap as well has a lots availability, (3 Improvement on BPBPI’s products promotional strategy through road show to consumers in periodical, (4 Strategy optimization experimental farm through planting excellence seeds, (5 Conducting strategic research to generating unique products and has a high value selling as well broad market, (6 Improve welfare expert for the creation of conducive working atmosphere. Priority strategy with highest total efficiency values (18,15% obtained from AWOT were conducting strategic research to generating unique products and has a high value selling as well broad market.Keywords: development strategy, BPBPI, AWOT, SWOTABSTRAKTujuan dari penelitian ini adalah menentukan faktor-faktor internal dan eksternal yang Memengaruhi BPBPI dalam mencapai visi dan misinya, menyusun alternatif strategi pengembangan di BPBPI

Analysis of error-correction constraints in an optical disk

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Jonathan D.; Ryley, Alan; Jones, David M.; Burke, David

1996-07-01

The compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) is a mature storage medium with complex error control. It comprises four levels of Reed Solomon codes allied to a sequence of sophisticated interleaving strategies and 8:14 modulation coding. New storage media are being developed and introduced that place still further demands on signal processing for error correction. It is therefore appropriate to explore thoroughly the limit of existing strategies to assess future requirements. We describe a simulation of all stages of the CD-ROM coding, modulation, and decoding. The results of decoding the burst error of a prescribed number of modulation bits are discussed in detail. Measures of residual uncorrected error within a sector are displayed by C1, C2, P, and Q error counts and by the status of the final cyclic redundancy check (CRC). Where each data sector is encoded separately, it is shown that error-correction performance against burst errors depends critically on the position of the burst within a sector. The C1 error measures the burst length, whereas C2 errors reflect the burst position. The performance of Reed Solomon product codes is shown by the P and Q statistics. It is shown that synchronization loss is critical near the limits of error correction. An example is given of miscorrection that is identified by the CRC check.

Web related companies' strategies for attracting new customers

OpenAIRE

Bruno Marsigalia; Federica Evangelista; Domenico Celenza; Emanuela Palumbo

2014-01-01

This paper provides a study on web related B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Customer) evaluation of strategy and methods for maximizing (expanding) the number of customer among the people (i.e. internet population), using cycling process externally for internal process of strategy which explains business exploration and agility, and online consumers their compulsive buying behaviour with a new strategy to capture them in large number. The web based industri...

MANAGEMENT OF INFECTED NON UNION TIBIAL FRACTURES WITH ILIZAROV EXTERNAL FIXATION

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Nageshwara Rao

2015-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Infected non - union of tibia per se is a challenge to treat. Subcutaneous bone causes susceptibility to compartment syndrome, non - responsive infection, non - union, fibrosis, sinuses, deformities, shortening and various other sets of problems which are assoc iated with it. Ilizarov External fixation provides correction of all the complications associated with non - union, bone gap, infection, shortening, and deformities. Objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of Ilizarov fixator method of t reatment in infected non - union tibia and to study various complications associated with Ilizarov external fixation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 23 patients admitted and treated in Government General Hospital under the Department of Orthopaedics during the perio d of May 2010 to December 2012 were included in the study. Results were evaluated according to ASAMI criteria . 1 RESULTS : 59% patients had excellent bony results, 27.3% had good bony results, 9.1% had fair bony results, 4.6% had poor bony results. 68.1% had excellent functional results, 9.1% had good functional results, 9.1% had fair functional results, 13.7% had poor functional results. CONCLUSION : Ilizarov external fixator system is the best device and best solution for infected non - union tibia management.

External bone marrow cytological examination quality assurance (EQAhem)--summary after 6 years in Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewandowski, Krzysztof; Kurpierz, Katarzyna; Sledzinska, Anna

2015-10-01

Bone marrow macroscopic examination remains one of the most difficult and subjective laboratory assessments in hematology. Only a few external quality assurance programs in the field are present worldwide. We have developed an external quality assurance program EQAhem that allows assessment of the whole process of bone marrow examination. The program participants assess blood and bone marrow smears from the patient, identify selected cells from photographs provided to them, and interpret the microscopic results. In this article, the results of the EQAhem program in Poland from 6 years are summarized. During this time, 62 labs were assessed in total, and positive results were achieved by 89.25 % labs, taking into account all tests. Correct responses with respect to the percentage of cell count were provided by ca. 77.5 % labs. Slightly worse results were obtained when megakaryocyte count and cell identification from photographs were tested. The worst results were obtained in case of dysplasia assessment and clinical interpretation of microscopic examination (54.1 and 58.6 % correct responses, respectively). EQAhem delivers precise information about the quality of bone marrow examinations performed in Poland and has a substantial educational value. We believe that after 6 years, EQAhem has significantly improved the quality of bone marrow microscopic examinations performed in Poland.

Návrh strategie pro Familypark Valachy

OpenAIRE

Nohavicová, Lenka

2014-01-01

The bachelor thesis is focused on creating appropriate strategies for children's entertainment center Familypark Valachy. The external environment was analyzed using PESTE analysis and Porter's model of five driving forces. The internal environment was assessed through Happy atom "7 S" by McKinsey company. Based on the obtained information were identified opportunities and threats and also strengths and weaknesses. For the proposal of strategies was used Ansoff matrix Product-Market. The resu...

[External progressive ophthalmoplegia secondary to mitochondrial myopathy. Report of a case and review of the literature].

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón-Garcidueñas, A L; Pérez-Loria, O; Alberto-Sagástegui, J; Farías-García, R

2000-01-01

Progressive limitation of occular motility, accompanied by ptosis but usually without diplopia, occurs in many pathologic states, including mitochondrial diseases. A case with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with onset during childhood, associated with proximal myopathy and dysphasia is presented. The muscle biopsy showed a myopathic pattern and abnormal subsarcolemmal mitochondrial deposits. Muscle biopsy for important in the correct diagnosis of this entity.

Calibration, checking and physical corrections for a new dual-spaced neutron porosity tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.P.

1986-01-01

A new dual-spaced neutron tool has been developed that features high count rates and improved statistical precision and log repeatability. Environmental corrections including borehole diameter, standoff, and lithology are at acceptable levels for DSN-II. The effects of varying source-to-detector spacings and shielding are summarized. Porosity measurement resolution and statistical precision are discussed and it is indicated how tradeoffs between higher count rates and increased environmental corrections must be considered. The absolute calibration of a standard tool is based on its response to limestone test pits, field data, and theoretical calculations. Test data for actual manufactured tools are presented. Shop calibration and wellsite check procedures are discussed. The advantages of multiposition check operations are explained, including reduced sensitivity to check block positioning and external environment. An analysis is presented of errors from tool manufacturing, calibration, and check procedures. A generalized theory of neutron scattering and absorption has been developed to correct dual-spaced neutron logs for unusual minerals and fluids

Energy policy and externalities: the life cycle analysis approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Virdis, M.R.

2002-01-01

In the energy sector, getting the prices right is a prerequisite for market mechanisms to work effectively towards sustainable development. However, energy production and use creates 'costs' external to traditional accounting practices, such as damages to human health and the environment resulting from residual emissions or risks associated with dependence on foreign suppliers. Energy market prices do not fully reflect those external costs. For example, the costs of climate change are not internalized and, therefore, consumers do not get the right price signals leading them to make choices that are optimised from a societal viewpoint. Economic theory has developed approaches to assessing and internalizing external costs that can be applied to the energy sector and, in principle, provide means to quantify and integrate relevant information in a comprehensive framework. The tools developed for addressing these issues are generally aimed at monetary valuation of impacts and damages and integration of the valued 'external costs' in total cost of the product, e.g. electricity. The approach of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) provides a conceptual framework for a detailed and comprehensive comparative evaluation of energy supply options. This paper offers a summary of the LCA methodology and an overview of some of its limitations. It then illustrates, through a few examples, how the methodology can be used to inform or correct policy making and to orient investment decisions. Difficulties and issues emerging at various stages in the application and use of LCA results are discussed, although in such a short note, it is impossible to address all issues related to LCA. Therefore, as part of the concluding section, some issues are left open - and areas in which further analytical work may be needed are described. (author)

External radiation surveillance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antonio, E.J.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes how external radiation was measured, how surveys were performed, and the results of these measurements and surveys. External radiation exposure rates were measured at locations on and off the Hanford Site using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). External radiation and contamination surveys were also performed with portable radiation survey instruments at locations on and around the Hanford Site.

External radiation surveillance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonio, E.J.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes how external radiation was measured, how surveys were performed, and the results of these measurements and surveys. External radiation exposure rates were measured at locations on and off the Hanford Site using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). External radiation and contamination surveys were also performed with portable radiation survey instruments at locations on and around the Hanford Site

How can firms benefit from external and internal crowdsoursing

OpenAIRE

Nijs, Charlotte

2016-01-01

This master thesis shows my research on the ultimate benefits of crowdsourcing and most importantly what the key elements are to develop a beneficial crowdsourcing strategy within the company. I made a clear distinction between the key elements for internal and external crowdsourcing. Furthermore, I thoroughly analysed the possible managerial challenges and struggles in setting up a crowdsourcing program in a firm. Then I determined how these can be avoided. I end with a managerial guideline...

iROCS: Integrated accident management framework for coping with beyond-design-basis external events

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jaewhan; Park, Soo-Yong; Ahn, Kwang-Il; Yang, Joon-Eon

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An integrated mitigating strategy to cope with extreme external events, iROCS, is proposed. • The strategy aims to preserve the integrity of the reactor vessel as well as core cooling. • A case study for an extreme damage state is performed to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of candidate mitigation strategies under an extreme event. - Abstract: The Fukushima Daiichi accident induced by the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, poses a new challenge to the nuclear society, especially from an accident management viewpoint. This paper presents a new accident management framework called an integrated, RObust Coping Strategy (iROCS) to cope with beyond-design-basis external events (BDBEEs). The iROCS approach is characterized by classification of various plant damage conditions (PDCs) that might be impacted by BDBEEs and corresponding integrated coping strategies for each of PDCs, aiming to maintain and restore core cooling (i.e., to prevent core damage) and to maintain the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel if it is judged that core damage may not be preventable in view of plant conditions. From a case study for an extreme damage condition, it showed that candidate accident management strategies should be evaluated from the viewpoint of effectiveness and feasibility against accident scenarios and extreme damage conditions of the site, especially when employing mobile or portable equipment under BDBEEs within the limited time available to achieve desired goals such as prevention of core damage as well as a reactor vessel failure.

The Strategies of Mathematics Teachers When Solving Number Sense Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sare Şengül

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Number sense involves efficient strategies and the ability to think flexibly with numbers and number operations and flexible thinking ability and the inclination getting for making sound mathematical judgements. The aim of this study was to investigate the strategies used by mathematics teachers while solving number sense problems. Eleven mathematics teachers from a graduate program in education were the participants. A number sense test which has a total of 12 problems is used as the data gathering tool. Teachers’ responses and strategies were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively.First, participants’ responses were evaluated for correctness. Then the strategies teachers used were analyzed. The strategies were categorized as based on the use of number sense or rule based strategies. When the correct and incorrect responses were considered together, in the 46% of the responses number sense strategies were used and in 54% the rule-based strategies were used. The results of this study showed that even though teachers can use number sense strategies at some level, there is still room for development in teachers’ number sense.

[Domestic external fixator application in the treatment of limb deformities: 7 289 cases application report].

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, S H; Guo, B F; Zheng, X J; Jiao, S F; Xia, H T; Peng, A M; Pan, Q; Zang, J C; Wang, Z J

2017-09-01

, economical, adjustable, universal and portable. The domestic external fixator could meet the clinical demand for fixation of the osteotomy end of the limbs, the correction of the deformity, the repair of the defects and the limb lengthening.

Horizontal integration in the development strategy of mining companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Kudełko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Integration strategy is one option in the development of mining companies and is implemented through a connection of either processes or economic entities which operate or may operate separately. Usually this strategy is carried out by companies that occupy a very strong competitive position. Considering its direction, it may be horizontal or vertical. Horizontal integration strategy stems from a desire to increase market share by an entrepreneur or create a new company based on common know-how and combined operational processes. It can be realized in an external dimension through a merger or takeover, as well as in the internal dimension based on its own resources. The external dimension is based on capital or contractual integration of a company with external economic entities performing related or conglomerate activity. The targets of such integration have a resource, a market effectiveness, or a competence nature. In the case of mining companies, it covers all important activity areas, including geology, mining, processing, environmental protection, and waste management, and is carried out with due diligence. In the internal dimension, the strategy of horizontal integration consists in consolidating the strategic targets of all business units around the company’s (corporation’s targets. The authors focused on two trends most relevant to pursuing a horizontal integration strategy, including increasing the company’s flexibility and undertaking joint activities. Flexibility consists in the potential ability of the company to adapt quickly to changed environment conditions. Joint activity includes co-operation of its respective units in terms of products, markets, and functions.

Analysis of IFE, EFE and QSPM matrix on business development strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Zulkarnain, A.; Wahyuningtias, D.; Putranto, T. S.

2018-03-01

IFE matrix, EFE matrix, and QSPM matrix are business strategy tools that can be used to identify the threat, opportunity, weakness, strength as internal, external business factors. The goal of Danti’s Deli Bakery is to provide pastry product and distribute to other food and beverage outlet all around Jakarta. Thus, Danti’s Deli Bakery requires development strategy in order to win the tight competition. Applied descriptive research and data collected from focus group discussion, questionnaire, interview, observation and literature review. The objectives of this paper are (1) to identify and evaluate internal and external factors, (2) to formulate alternative strategy toward business development program, and (3) to give effective recommendation. The result shows that Danti’s Deli Bakery should apply product differentiation strategy. Implementation of this study is providing the recommendation for pastry and bakery industry to establish a successful business.

Correction to: Multiple Score Comparison: a network meta-analysis approach to comparison and external validation of prognostic scores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah R. Haile

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Correction Following publication of the original article [1], a member of the writing group reported that his name is misspelt. The paper should appear in Pubmed under “Ter Riet G”, bot as “Riet GT”.

Using institutional theory to analyse hospital responses to external demands for finance and quality in five European countries

Science.gov (United States)

Mendel, Peter; Nunes, Francisco; Wiig, Siri; van den Bovenkamp, Hester; Karltun, Anette; Robert, Glenn; Anderson, Janet; Vincent, Charles; Fulop, Naomi

2015-01-01

Objectives Given the impact of the global economic crisis, delivering better health care with limited finance grows more challenging. Through the lens of institutional theory, this paper explores pressures experienced by hospital leaders to improve quality and constrain spending, focusing on how they respond to these often competing demands. Methods An in-depth, multilevel analysis of health care quality policies and practices in five European countries including longitudinal case studies in a purposive sample of ten hospitals. Results How hospitals responded to the financial and quality challenges was dependent upon three factors: the coherence of demands from external institutions; managerial competence to align external demands with an overall quality improvement strategy, and managerial stability. Hospital leaders used diverse strategies and practices to manage conflicting external pressures. Conclusions The development of hospital leaders’ skills in translating external requirements into implementation plans with internal support is a complex, but crucial, task, if quality is to remain a priority during times of austerity. Increasing quality improvement skills within a hospital, developing a culture where quality improvement becomes embedded and linking cost reduction measures to improving care are all required. PMID:26683885

Using institutional theory to analyse hospital responses to external demands for finance and quality in five European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Burnett, Susan; Mendel, Peter; Nunes, Francisco; Wiig, Siri; van den Bovenkamp, Hester; Karltun, Anette; Robert, Glenn; Anderson, Janet; Vincent, Charles; Fulop, Naomi

2016-04-01

Given the impact of the global economic crisis, delivering better health care with limited finance grows more challenging. Through the lens of institutional theory, this paper explores pressures experienced by hospital leaders to improve quality and constrain spending, focusing on how they respond to these often competing demands. An in-depth, multilevel analysis of health care quality policies and practices in five European countries including longitudinal case studies in a purposive sample of ten hospitals. How hospitals responded to the financial and quality challenges was dependent upon three factors: the coherence of demands from external institutions; managerial competence to align external demands with an overall quality improvement strategy, and managerial stability. Hospital leaders used diverse strategies and practices to manage conflicting external pressures. The development of hospital leaders' skills in translating external requirements into implementation plans with internal support is a complex, but crucial, task, if quality is to remain a priority during times of austerity. Increasing quality improvement skills within a hospital, developing a culture where quality improvement becomes embedded and linking cost reduction measures to improving care are all required. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Adaptive-Clustering and Error-Correction Method for Forecasting Cyanobacteria Blooms in Lakes and Reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-zhe Bai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Globally, cyanobacteria blooms frequently occur, and effective prediction of cyanobacteria blooms in lakes and reservoirs could constitute an essential proactive strategy for water-resource protection. However, cyanobacteria blooms are very complicated because of the internal stochastic nature of the system evolution and the external uncertainty of the observation data. In this study, an adaptive-clustering algorithm is introduced to obtain some typical operating intervals. In addition, the number of nearest neighbors used for modeling was optimized by particle swarm optimization. Finally, a fuzzy linear regression method based on error-correction was used to revise the model dynamically near the operating point. We found that the combined method can characterize the evolutionary track of cyanobacteria blooms in lakes and reservoirs. The model constructed in this paper is compared to other cyanobacteria-bloom forecasting methods (e.g., phase space reconstruction and traditional-clustering linear regression, and, then, the average relative error and average absolute error are used to compare the accuracies of these models. The results suggest that the proposed model is superior. As such, the newly developed approach achieves more precise predictions, which can be used to prevent the further deterioration of the water environment.

Public Relations Strategies for Scholastic Publication Staffs.

Science.gov (United States)

Konkle, Bruce E.

2000-01-01

Discusses the importance to scholastic publications staffs of four public relations strategies: meticulous research, systematic planning, strengthening communication efforts, and evaluation. Notes internal and external factors crucial to good public relations. Lists activities to consider. (SR)

Differentiated correction of junior school age children’s posture at physical culture trainings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.S. Razumeiko

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to show peculiarities of differentiated correction of junior school age children’s posture, considering tonic vibration reflex. Material: the research was conducted with participation of 62 junior school age children (7-10 years old boys and girls. All children have no sport training experience. All children were preliminary examined by qualified medical doctors. Tonic vibration reflex of lumbar spine was registered. Children fulfilled test exercises, which characterized power endurance of abdomen muscles, side of torso and back muscles. Results: external signs of posture disorders were absent in frontal plane. In 35 persons (65.8% we registered one-side increased reflex excitability of nervous centers: from right side of backbone - in 28 children (72%; from the left side in 17 children (28%. Correction of posture with the help of correcting exercises can give steady effect only with simultaneous formation of correct posture habit. For this purpose it is necessary to create muscular-joint sense of separate body parts’ position. Conclusions: for determination of functional potentials of in-born muscular corset it is recommended to fulfill special test exercises. For local influence on lumbar spine muscles it is recommended to use exercise of asymmetric character.

PERUMUSAN STRATEGI PERUSAHAAN BERDASARKAN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Endah Utami

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Perusahaan Tenun Ikat Lestari Indah adalah perusahaan pembuatan kain dengan alat tenun bukan mesin. Dalam menjalankan bisnisnya, perusahaan menghadapi berbagai kendala, diantaranya daya beli masyarakat menurun akibat situasi perekonomian yang tidak menentu serta persaingan harga yang tidak sehat antar pengrajin. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk merumuskan strategi perusahaan sesuai dengan kondisi internal dan eksternal perusahaan. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis SWOT, I-E (Internal-External, dan QSPM (Quantitative Strategy Planning Matrix. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan posisi bisnis perusahaan berada pada posisi pertumbuhan, sehingga strategi yang dirumuskan adalah menghindari kehilangan profit dan penjualan. Dari hasil analisis QSPM (Quantitative Strategy Planning Matrix diketahui strategi yang terpilih untuk strategi jangka pendek adalah menjalin hubungan baik dengan konsumen tetap , strategi jangka pendek-menengah adalah menjalin kerjasama dengan biro-biro perjalanan wisata, strategi jangka menengah adalah menetapkan tingkatan harga sesuai kualitas dan desain, dan strategi jangka panjang adalah memperluas jaringan pemasaran di dalam dan luar negeri.

Strategy Formulation and Implementation for PT.Multigarmen Jaya

OpenAIRE

Yoanita, Martha; Wandebori, Harimukti

2013-01-01

- The objective of this final project is to formulate and proposed the strategy for PT.Multigarmen Jaya (PT.MGJ) to faced the tight competition in garment industries. The analysis begins from environmental analysis that consist of external and internal analysis. For external analysis used PEST, Porter five forces, and competitor analysis, and for internal analysis used value chain analysis and resources analysis. From that analysis, there are several problems discovered, such as competitor ...

An Exploratory Study of Cooperative Survival: Strategic Adaptation to External Developments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jasper Grashuis

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Farmer cooperatives have been portrayed in the literature as flawed and complex organizations with ambiguous objectives. However, research on the observed survival of farmer cooperatives in spite of their weaknesses and limitations is scarce, in part because academic attention to cooperative performance has been static and introspective. Using evidence collected from case studies and print media publications, this paper contributes to the literature with a qualitative study of farmer cooperatives which spurred survival and longevity by means of strategic adaptation in response to four current developments in the external environment: industry consolidation, consumer segmentation, price volatility, and policy change. The qualitative study concludes farmer cooperatives in general respond to such developments by means of organizational growth. Common strategies are vertical integration, geographic expansion, and portfolio diversification. While survival and longevity are promoted in theory, strategic adaptation also often facilitates the pursuit of investor-oriented as opposed to user-oriented objectives. In some scenarios, member ownership and control may become burdensome to the business and prompt conversion to another structure if further adaptation to internal and external developments is unsuccessful. More research is therefore needed to explore the dynamic and variable impact of strategy on cooperative survival.

Electroweak radiative corrections to Higgs production via vector boson fusion using soft-collinear effective theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuhrer, Andreas; Manohar, Aneesh V.; Waalewijn, Wouter J.

2011-01-01

Soft-collinear effective theory (SCET) is applied to compute electroweak radiative corrections to Higgs production via gauge boson fusion, qq→qqH. There are several novel features which make this process an interesting application of SCET: The amplitude is proportional to the Higgs vacuum expectation value, and so is not a gauge singlet amplitude. Standard resummation methods require a gauge singlet operator and do not apply here. The SCET analysis requires operators with both collinear and soft external fields, with the Higgs vacuum expectation value being described by an external soft φ field. There is a scalar soft-collinear transition operator in the SCET Lagrangian which contributes to the scattering amplitude, and is derived here.

Bilateral Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion, External Carotid Artery Stenosis, and Vertebral Artery Kinking: May It Be Asymptomatic?

Science.gov (United States)

Fatic, Nikola; Jaffer, Usman; Ivana, Saicic; Gordana, Globarevic-Vukcevic; Markovic, Dragan; Kostic, Dusan; Davidovic, Lazar

2017-10-01

The clinical spectrum of internal carotid artery occlusion ranges from being a completely asymptomatic occlusion to a devastating stroke or death. The prevalence of asymptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion is unknown, particularly for bilateral occlusion. The distal branches of the external carotid artery anastomose with distal branches of the internal carotid artery provide important sources of collateral circulation to the brain. Stenosis of the external carotid artery with ipsilateral/bilateral internal occlusion may result in ischemic sequelae. Coiling or kinking of the vertebral artery is a rare morphological entity that is infrequently reported because it remains asymptomatic and has no clinical relevance. Currently, there is little evidence to support management strategies for this disease entity and no official recommendations for asymptomatic bilateral carotid artery occlusion. We present a case of a 62-year-old female with asymptomatic bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion, bilateral external carotid artery stenoses, and bilateral kinking of the vertebral artery at the V2 segment, who has been successfully managed conservatively for over 5 years. An individualized approach to management of patients with bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion, especially in combination with external carotid artery stenosis and elongation malformations of the vertebral artery is key to a successful strategy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Corrective Jaw Surgery

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... out more. Corrective Jaw Surgery Corrective Jaw Surgery Orthognathic surgery is performed to correct the misalignment of jaws ... out more. Corrective Jaw Surgery Corrective Jaw Surgery Orthognathic surgery is performed to correct the misalignment of jaws ...

Clean slate corrective action investigation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

The Clean Slate sites discussed in this report are situated in the central portion of the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), north of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) on the northwest portion of the Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR) which is approximately 390 kilometers (km) (240 miles [mi]) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. These sites were the locations for three of the four Operation Roller Coaster experiments. These experiments evaluated the dispersal of plutonium in the environment from the chemical explosion of a plutonium-bearing device. Although it was not a nuclear explosion, Operation Roller Coaster created some surface contamination which is now the subject of a corrective action strategy being implemented by the Nevada Environmental Restoration Project (NV ERP) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Corrective Action Investigation (CAI) activities will be conducted at three of the Operation Roller Coaster sites. These are Clean Slate 1 (CS-1), Clean Slate 2 (CS-2), and Clean Slate 3 (CS-3) sites, which are located on the TTR. The document that provides or references all of the specific information relative to the various investigative processes is called the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP). This CAIP has been prepared for the DOE Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) by IT Corporation (IT)

Clean slate corrective action investigation plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-05-01

The Clean Slate sites discussed in this report are situated in the central portion of the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), north of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) on the northwest portion of the Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR) which is approximately 390 kilometers (km) (240 miles [mi]) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. These sites were the locations for three of the four Operation Roller Coaster experiments. These experiments evaluated the dispersal of plutonium in the environment from the chemical explosion of a plutonium-bearing device. Although it was not a nuclear explosion, Operation Roller Coaster created some surface contamination which is now the subject of a corrective action strategy being implemented by the Nevada Environmental Restoration Project (NV ERP) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Corrective Action Investigation (CAI) activities will be conducted at three of the Operation Roller Coaster sites. These are Clean Slate 1 (CS-1), Clean Slate 2 (CS-2), and Clean Slate 3 (CS-3) sites, which are located on the TTR. The document that provides or references all of the specific information relative to the various investigative processes is called the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP). This CAIP has been prepared for the DOE Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) by IT Corporation (IT).

Business strategies within the knowledge economy context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prof. Ph.D. Gheorghe Popescu

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Competitive strategies in the fast-changing information economy are distinct from strategiesin more traditional sectors of the economy.Today, the reason the entity must consider their intangible asset is because it supports and gives coherenceto the strategy itself, and if strategically exploited can be a source of sustainable competitive advantagethrough time.Strategy deals not just with the unpredictable but also with the unknowable. Consequently, the essenceof strategy is to build a posture that is so strong, but in the same time, potentially flexible in selectiveways that the organization can achieve its goals despite the unforeseeable ways external forces may actuallyinteract when the time comes. The essence of strategy formulation is to deal with competitors. However,goal development is an integral part of strategy formulation.

Low Capacitive Inductors for Fast Switching Devices in Active Power Factor Correction Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hernandez Botella, Juan Carlos; Petersen, Lars Press; Andersen, Michael A. E.

2014-01-01

This paper examines different winding strategies for reduced capacitance inductors in active power factor correction circuits (PFC). The effect of the parasitic capacitance is analyzed from an electro magnetic compatibility (EMI) and efficiency point of views. The purpose of this work is to inves......This paper examines different winding strategies for reduced capacitance inductors in active power factor correction circuits (PFC). The effect of the parasitic capacitance is analyzed from an electro magnetic compatibility (EMI) and efficiency point of views. The purpose of this work...... is to investigate different winding approaches and identify suitable solutions for high switching frequency/high speed transition PFC designs. A low parasitic capacitance PCB based inductor design is proposed to address the challenges imposed by high switching frequency PFC Boost converters....

Renewable energy and negative externalities: the effect of wind turbines on house prices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dröes, M.I.; Koster, H.R.A.

2014-01-01

In many countries, wind turbines are constructed as part of a strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. In this paper, we measure the external effect of wind turbines on the transaction prices of nearby houses. A unique house price dataset covering the period 1985-2011 is used, including the

Markerless 3D Head Tracking for Motion Correction in High Resolution PET Brain Imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Oline Vinter

relying on markers. Data-driven motion correction is problematic due to the physiological dynamics. Marker-based tracking is potentially unreliable, and it is extremely hard to validate when the tracking information is correct. The motion estimation is essential for proper motion correction of the PET......This thesis concerns application specific 3D head tracking. The purpose is to improve motion correction in position emission tomography (PET) brain imaging through development of markerless tracking. Currently, motion correction strategies are based on either the PET data itself or tracking devices...... images. Incorrect motion correction can in the worst cases result in wrong diagnosis or treatment. The evolution of a markerless custom-made structured light 3D surface tracking system is presented. The system is targeted at state-of-the-art high resolution dedicated brain PET scanners with a resolution...

Web related companies' strategies for attracting new customers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Marsigalia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper provides a study on web related B2B (Business to Business, B2C (Business to Customer evaluation of strategy and methods for maximizing (expanding the number of customer among the people (i.e. internet population, using cycling process externally for internal process of strategy which explains business exploration and agility, and online consumers their compulsive buying behaviour with a new strategy to capture them in large number. The web based industries are web based companies and web related companies, we concentrated on web related company through new innovative method called B2P (Business to People/Public a schematic approach strategy diagram of B2P, and with external Process of strategy. The B2B and B2C (Business to Customer used by enterprises in peer to peer process is based on a qualitative approach, our sourcing of data has been carried out through secondary sources (papers, articles, open sources. The findings are the representation of new schematic diagrams that we developed with an idea and proposal and approach strategy for attaining people interest in the online industry specially concentrated as example on online book selling company. The originality of this paper called concept B2P is from different sources, examples, online articles and built on industry leaders advice through "linkedin.com" and web blogs.

The use of external change agents to promote quality improvement and organizational change in healthcare organizations: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Alagoz, Esra; Chih, Ming-Yuan; Hitchcock, Mary; Brown, Randall; Quanbeck, Andrew

2018-01-25

External change agents can play an essential role in healthcare organizational change efforts. This systematic review examines the role that external change agents have played within the context of multifaceted interventions designed to promote organizational change in healthcare-specifically, in primary care settings. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Academic Search Premier Databases in July 2016 for randomized trials published (in English) between January 1, 2005 and June 30, 2016 in which external agents were part of multifaceted organizational change strategies. The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 477 abstracts were identified and screened by 2 authors. Full text articles of 113 studies were reviewed. Twenty-one of these studies were selected for inclusion. Academic detailing (AD) is the most prevalently used organizational change strategy employed as part of multi-component implementation strategies. Out of 21 studies, nearly all studies integrate some form of audit and feedback into their interventions. Eleven studies that included practice facilitation into their intervention reported significant effects in one or more primary outcomes. Our results demonstrate that practice facilitation with regular, tailored follow up is a powerful component of a successful organizational change strategy. Academic detailing alone or combined with audit and feedback alone is ineffective without intensive follow up. Provision of educational materials and use of audit and feedback are often integral components of multifaceted implementation strategies. However, we didn't find examples where those relatively limited strategies were effective as standalone interventions. System-level support through technology (such as automated reminders or alerts) is potentially helpful, but must be carefully tailored to clinic needs.

THE EU’S VOICE BEYOND ITS BORDERS: THE EUROPEAN UNION’S EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luminita SOPRONI

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The EU’s developing global role demands a new approach to communications outside the Union. Besides communicating its policies to its citizens in order to enhance their trust in the idea of the United Europe, it is also extremely important to provide information regarding its policies and actions beyond its borders, to non-member countries and also to various international entities and organizations. This approach is necessary because the strength of an organization’ (in our case the European Union’s external reputation depends not only on the core values embedded in its domestic culture, but also on the way how it communicates them to various target publics.The paper analyses the external communication of the European Union (lines of action, actors involved, and communication realized through different policies and how it affects the external image of the region, demonstrating the need for a coherent communication strategy that combines the interests of Member States with those of the European institutions and the needs of internal public with those of external public.

The Balance between Internally and Externally Oriented CSR - A case study of Danish SMEs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Annabeth; Lemmergaard, Jeanette

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an acknowledged and well-established strategic approach in both theory and practice. A large majority of the existing literature emphasises CSR integration within larger corporations, although CSR also plays a pivotal role in small to medium......-sized companies, SMEs. This study explores how four Danish SMEs have integrated CSR, and how the levels of external, internal and diagonal integration affect the qualitative and quantitative results of CSR. Whereas external CSR integration constitutes the external CSR communication and involvement of customers......, suppliers and other stakeholders, the internal CSR integration is explained and measured through the level of employee involvement and the content and the effects of internal oriented CSR activities and communication. The diagonal integration is understood as integration with the business strategy....

Classified model and characteristics of strategies at tourist companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.V. Saukh

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The research is devoted to the assessment of the scientific approaches to the identification of classification features of the strategy and its types distinguished in accordance with the mentioned features. The research object is the activities of tourist companies and this determines the choice of strategies typical for the tourism field. It is substantiated that the scientific approaches to the classification of strategies are various in specific literature because of obscurity in the strategy definition, vagueness and plurality of its classified features. Due to the current research the authors have improved the classified model of strategies for tourist companies that will result in making effective management decisions directed to the development of enterprise potential under conditions of unstable and unpredictable external environment. The paper singles out the peculiarities of functioning the tourism branch, which are the following : high sensitivity to the changes in external environment; the high level of competition in the field; dynamics and the lack of necessity for the use of «far-seeing» strategies; insufficiency of information provision for the application of traditional western models and matric methods of strategy development; time gap between obtaining the service and its consumption; a great number of intermediaries; seasonal swings in demands; the sudden shift of external environment caused by cyclicity, globalization, political decisions of separate countries and etc. The article shows essential differences in the development of financial strategies of small-scale enterprises and stock companies of tourist business. It is substantiated that small-scale enterprises develop strategies directed to a higher level of personal services, occupational competence, ability and experience in designing, the best knowledge of regional conditions and flexible decisions caused by the peculiarities of the received orders. Taking into

Highly accurate fluorogenic DNA sequencing with information theory-based error correction.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zitian; Zhou, Wenxiong; Qiao, Shuo; Kang, Li; Duan, Haifeng; Xie, X Sunney; Huang, Yanyi

2017-12-01

Eliminating errors in next-generation DNA sequencing has proved challenging. Here we present error-correction code (ECC) sequencing, a method to greatly improve sequencing accuracy by combining fluorogenic sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) with an information theory-based error-correction algorithm. ECC embeds redundancy in sequencing reads by creating three orthogonal degenerate sequences, generated by alternate dual-base reactions. This is similar to encoding and decoding strategies that have proved effective in detecting and correcting errors in information communication and storage. We show that, when combined with a fluorogenic SBS chemistry with raw accuracy of 98.1%, ECC sequencing provides single-end, error-free sequences up to 200 bp. ECC approaches should enable accurate identification of extremely rare genomic variations in various applications in biology and medicine.

Relationship of forces acting on implant rods and degree of scoliosis correction.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmingo, Remel Alingalan; Tadano, Shigeru; Fujisaki, Kazuhiro; Abe, Yuichiro; Ito, Manabu

2013-02-01

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a complex spinal pathology characterized as a three-dimensional spine deformity combined with vertebral rotation. Various surgical techniques for correction of severe scoliotic deformity have evolved and became more advanced in applying the corrective forces. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between corrective forces acting on deformed rods and degree of scoliosis correction. Implant rod geometries of six adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients were measured before and after surgery. An elasto-plastic finite element model of the implant rod before surgery was reconstructed for each patient. An inverse method based on Finite Element Analysis was used to apply forces to the implant rod model such that it was deformed the same after surgery. Relationship between the magnitude of corrective forces and degree of correction expressed as change of Cobb angle was evaluated. The effects of screw configuration on the corrective forces were also investigated. Corrective forces acting on rods and degree of correction were not correlated. Increase in number of implant screws tended to decrease the magnitude of corrective forces but did not provide higher degree of correction. Although greater correction was achieved with higher screw density, the forces increased at some level. The biomechanics of scoliosis correction is not only dependent to the corrective forces acting on implant rods but also associated with various parameters such as screw placement configuration and spine stiffness. Considering the magnitude of forces, increasing screw density is not guaranteed as the safest surgical strategy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Event-based motion correction for PET transmission measurements with a rotating point source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Victor W; Kyme, Andre Z; Meikle, Steven R; Fulton, Roger

2011-01-01

Accurate attenuation correction is important for quantitative positron emission tomography (PET) studies. When performing transmission measurements using an external rotating radioactive source, object motion during the transmission scan can distort the attenuation correction factors computed as the ratio of the blank to transmission counts, and cause errors and artefacts in reconstructed PET images. In this paper we report a compensation method for rigid body motion during PET transmission measurements, in which list mode transmission data are motion corrected event-by-event, based on known motion, to ensure that all events which traverse the same path through the object are recorded on a common line of response (LOR). As a result, the motion-corrected transmission LOR may record a combination of events originally detected on different LORs. To ensure that the corresponding blank LOR records events from the same combination of contributing LORs, the list mode blank data are spatially transformed event-by-event based on the same motion information. The number of counts recorded on the resulting blank LOR is then equivalent to the number of counts that would have been recorded on the corresponding motion-corrected transmission LOR in the absence of any attenuating object. The proposed method has been verified in phantom studies with both stepwise movements and continuous motion. We found that attenuation maps derived from motion-corrected transmission and blank data agree well with those of the stationary phantom and are significantly better than uncorrected attenuation data.

STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN KEMITRAAN TERNAK AYAM BROILER PT. XYZ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Latifa Hanum

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The objectives of this research are to (1 analyze profit and BEP of plasma farmers (2 analyze internal and external strategic factors that influence development of broiler partnership in PT. XYZ, (3 formulate the alternative strategies of broiler partnership in PT. XYZ, (4 formulate selected priority strategy to develop broiler partnership in PT. XYZ. This research uses descriptive method based on case study on broiler partnership in PT. XYZ. Based on BEP analysis, BEP (production of plasma farmers is in the range 79,91%-86,58% from chick-in capacity, and BEP (price is in the range of Rp 11.684 – Rp 12.191 per chicken on market price. PT. XYZ partnership’s position in IE matric was second quadrant (grow and builds. The results of SWOT analysis are: a vertical integration strategy through feedmill, breeding and chicken slaughterhouse, b improving production capacity through capacity building of plasma farmers, c improvement in bio-security aspects of maintenance, and d improving the quality of technical staff and improving supervision. The priority strategy from QSPM analysis is improving production capacity through capacity building of plasma farmers. The strategy to improve production capacity can be done by maximize or add their capacity, and add the new plasma farmers.   Keywords: Broiler Partnership, Internal Environment, External Environment, Internal-external, Improvement Priority

Revising strategies for different text types

OpenAIRE

Roussey, JY; Piolat, A; Guercin, F

1990-01-01

Forty-eight children and forty-eight adults of contrasting degrees of expertise made a series of corrections in order to improve a text (narrative or description) in which three within-statement errors and three between-statement errors had been inserted. Subjects used a simplified word processor (SCRIPREV) which recorded all movements of linguistic units. The purpose of this research was to study revising strategies by examining the correction-sequencing procedures implemented by these subje...

[Therapeutic strategy for different types of epicanthus].

Science.gov (United States)

Gaofeng, Li; Jun, Tan; Zihan, Wu; Wei, Ding; Huawei, Ouyang; Fan, Zhang; Mingcan, Luo

2015-11-01

To explore the reasonable therapeutic strategy for different types of epicanthus. Patients with epicanthus were classificated according to the shape, extent and inner canthal distance and treated with different methods appropriately. Modified asymmetric Z plasty with two curve method was used in lower eyelid type epicanthus, inner canthus type epicanthus and severe upper eyelid type epicanthus. Moderate upper epicanthus underwent '-' shape method. Mild Upper epicanthus in two conditions which underwent nasal augumentation and double eyelid formation with normal inner canthal distance need no correction surgery. The other mild epicanthus underwent '-' shape method. A total of 66 cases underwent the classification and the appropriate treatment. All wounds healed well. During 3 to 12 months follow-up period, all epicanthus were corrected completely with natural contour and unconspicuous scars. All patients were satisfied with the results. Classification of epicanthus hosed on the shape, extent and inner canthal distance and correction with appropriate methods is a reasonable therapeutic strategy.

Study on external reactor vessel cooling capacity for advanced large size PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Di; Liu Xiaojing; Cheng Xu; Li Fei

2014-01-01

External reactor vessel cooling (ERVC) is widely adopted as a part of in- vessel retention (IVR) in severe accident management strategies. In this paper, some flow parameters and boundary conditions, eg., inlet and outlet area, water inlet temperature, heating power of the lower head, the annular gap size at the position of the lower head and flooding water level, were considered to qualitatively study the effect of them on natural circulation capacity of the external reactor vessel cooling for an advanced large size PWR by using RELAP5 code. And the calculation results provide some basis of analysis for the structure design and the following transient response behavior of the system. (authors)

Attenuation correction for the large non-human primate brain imaging using microPET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naidoo-Variawa, S; Lehnert, W; Kassiou, M; Banati, R; Meikle, S R

2010-01-01

Assessment of the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of radiopharmaceuticals in vivo is often performed on animal models of human disease prior to their use in humans. The baboon brain is physiologically and neuro-anatomically similar to the human brain and is therefore a suitable model for evaluating novel CNS radioligands. We previously demonstrated the feasibility of performing baboon brain imaging on a dedicated small animal PET scanner provided that the data are accurately corrected for degrading physical effects such as photon attenuation in the body. In this study, we investigated factors affecting the accuracy and reliability of alternative attenuation correction strategies when imaging the brain of a large non-human primate (papio hamadryas) using the microPET Focus 220 animal scanner. For measured attenuation correction, the best bias versus noise performance was achieved using a 57 Co transmission point source with a 4% energy window. The optimal energy window for a 68 Ge transmission source operating in singles acquisition mode was 20%, independent of the source strength, providing bias-noise performance almost as good as for 57 Co. For both transmission sources, doubling the acquisition time had minimal impact on the bias-noise trade-off for corrected emission images, despite observable improvements in reconstructed attenuation values. In a [ 18 F]FDG brain scan of a female baboon, both measured attenuation correction strategies achieved good results and similar SNR, while segmented attenuation correction (based on uncorrected emission images) resulted in appreciable regional bias in deep grey matter structures and the skull. We conclude that measured attenuation correction using a single pass 57 Co (4% energy window) or 68 Ge (20% window) transmission scan achieves an excellent trade-off between bias and propagation of noise when imaging the large non-human primate brain with a microPET scanner.

Renewable Energy and Negative Externalities: The Effect of Wind Turbines on House Prices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dröes, M.I.; Koster, H.R.A.

2016-01-01

In many countries, wind turbines are constructed as part of a strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. In this paper, we measure the external effect of wind turbines on the transaction prices of nearby houses. A unique Dutch house price dataset covering the period 1985–2011 is used, as well as

Piezosurgery in External Dacryocystorhinostomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Czyz, Craig N; Fowler, Amy M; Dutton, Jonathan J; Cahill, Kenneth V; Foster, Jill A; Hill, Robert H; Everman, Kelly R; Nabavi, Cameron B

Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) can be performed via an external or endoscopic approach. The use of ultrasonic or piezosurgery has been well described for endoscopic DCRs but is lacking for external DCRs. This study presents a case series of external DCRs performed using piezosurgery evaluating results and complications. Prospective, consecutive case series of patients undergoing primary external DCR for lacrimal drainage insufficiency. A standard external DCR technique was used using 1 of 2 piezosurgery systems for all bone incision. All patients received silicone intubation to the lacrimal system. Surgical outcome was measured in terms of patient-reported epiphora as follows: 1) complete resolution, 2) improvement >50%, 3) improvement 50% improvement. There were 4 patients (7%) who had <50% improvement. There was 1 (2%) intraoperative complication and 2 (4%) postoperative complications recorded. Piezourgery is a viable modality for performing external DCRs. The lack of surgical complications shows a potential for decreased soft tissues damage. The surgical success rate based on patient-reported epiphora is similar to those published for mechanical external DCRs. This modality may benefit the novice surgeon in the reduction of soft and mucosal tissue damage.

STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN KOPERASI PETERNAK GALUR MURNI DI KABUPATEN JEMBER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dany Alifah Irawati

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the research is to identify the internal and external environment condition in (Galur Murni Cattle breeder cooperation, Koperasi Peternak Galur Murni to analyze the strategic alternative to be implemented in  the development of Koperasi Peternak Galur Murni and  to prioritize development strategy of Koperasi Peternak Galur Murni in the future.  The analysis covered descriptive analysis, Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE, External Factor Evaluation (EFE, Internal-External (IE matrix analysis, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP.  The result shows that the strategic factor that becomes the main strength with relatively high importance is Quality Control system for milk received from the farmers.  The alternative strategy that can be implemented in KPGM is increasing the promotion activities by socializing the importance of drinking milk, production activities efficiency by arranging a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP, strengthening of cooperation, registering the product to Food and Drug Control Agency/Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM, conducting intensive communication with all the cooperation members, using the appropriate technology in production activities, diversification of products, strengthening the modal through loan and coordinating with the government to get assistance in strengthening the cooperation and breeder.  The AHP results shows that the strategic priority is 1 the strengthening of the modal through financial institution, 2 increasing the promotion activities by socializing the importance of drinking milk, 3 product diversification and 4 conducting coordination with the local government and animal husbandry department and UMKM department  Keywords: cooperation breeder pure lines, development strategy, IFE, EFE, SWOT       AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi kondisi lingkungan internal dan eksternal Koperasi Peternak Galur

2015 Groundwater Monitoring Report Project Shoal Area: Subsurface Correction Unit 447

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Findlay, Rick [Navarro Research and Engineering, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-04-01

The Project Shoal Area in Nevada was the site of a 12-kiloton-yield underground nuclear test in 1963. Although the surface of the site has been remediated, investigation of groundwater contamination resulting from the test is still in the corrective action process. Annual sampling and hydraulic head monitoring are conducted at the site as part of the subsurface corrective action strategy. The corrective action strategy is currently focused on revising the site conceptual model (SCM) and evaluating the adequacy of the monitoring well network. Some aspects of the SCM are known; however, two major concerns are the uncertainty in the groundwater flow direction and the cause of rising water levels in site wells west of the shear zone. Water levels have been rising in the site wells west of the shear zone since the first hydrologic characterization wells were installed in 1996. Although water levels in wells west of the shear zone continue to rise, the rate of increase is less than in previous years. The SCM will be revised, and an evaluation of the groundwater monitoring network will be conducted when water levels at the site have stabilized to the agreement of both the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

New Developments in Error Detection and Correction Strategies for Critical Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, Melanie; Label, Ken

2017-01-01

The presentation will cover a variety of mitigation strategies that were developed for critical applications. An emphasis is placed on strengths and weaknesses per mitigation technique as it pertains to different Field programmable gate array (FPGA) device types.

Hollow mandrin facilitates external ventricular drainage placement.

Science.gov (United States)

Heese, O; Regelsberger, J; Kehler, U; Westphal, M

2005-07-01

Placement of ventricular catheters is a routine procedure in neurosurgery. Ventricle puncture is done using a flexible ventricular catheter stabilised by a solid steel mandrin in order to improve stability during brain penetration. A correct catheter placement is confirmed after removing the solid steel mandrin by observation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow out of the flexible catheter. Incorrect placement makes further punctures necessary. The newly developed device allows CSF flow observation during the puncture procedure and in addition precise intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement. The developed mandrin is hollow with a blunt tip. On one side 4-5 small holes with a diameter of 0.8 mm are drilled corresponding exactly with the holes in the ventricular catheter, allowing CSF to pass into the hollow mandrin as soon as the ventricle is reached. By connecting a small translucent tube at the distal portion of the hollow mandrin ICP can be measured without loss of CSF. The system has been used in 15 patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) or intraventricular haemeorrhage (IVH) and subsequent hydrocephalus. The new system improved the external ventricular drainage implantation procedure. In all 15 patients catheter placement was correct. ICP measurement was easy to perform immediately at ventricle puncture. In 4 patients at puncture no spontaneous CSF flow was observed, therefore by connecting a syringe and gentle aspiration of CSF correct placement was confirmed in this unexpected low pressure hydrocephalus. Otherwise by using the conventional technique further punctures would have been necessary. Advantages of the new technique are less puncture procedures with a lower risk of damage to neural structures and reduced risk of intracranial haemorrhages. Implantation of the ventricular catheter to far into the brain can be monitored and this complication can be overcome. Using the connected pressure monitoring tube an exact measurement of the opening

Accelerator production of tritium authorization basis strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, L.A.; Edwards, J.; Rose, S.

1996-01-01

The Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) project has proposed a strategy to develop the APT authorization basis and safety case based on DOE orders and fundamental requirements for safe operation. The strategy is viable regardless of whether the APT is regulated by DOE or by an external regulatory body. Currently the operation of Department of Energy (DOE) facilities is authorized by DOE and regulated by DOE orders and regulations while meeting the environmental protection requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the states. In the spring of 1994, Congress proposed legislation and held hearings related to requiring all DOE operations to be subject to external regulation. On January 25, 1995, DOE, with the support of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, created the Advisory Committee on External Regulation of Department of Energy Nuclear Safety. This committee divided its recommendations into three areas: (1) facility safety, (2) worker safety, and (3) environmental protection. In the area of facility safety the committee recommended external regulation of DOE nuclear facilities by either the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or a restructured Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). In the area of worker safety, the committee recommended that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulate DOE nuclear facilities. In the environmental protection area, the committee did not recommend a change in the regulation by the EPA and the states of DOE nuclear facilities. If these recommendations are accepted, all DOE nuclear facilities will be impacted to some extent

Impact of residual and intrafractional errors on strategy of correction for image-guided accelerated partial breast irradiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo Xiao-Mao

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The cone beam CT (CBCT guided radiation can reduce the systematic and random setup errors as compared to the skin-mark setup. However, the residual and intrafractional (RAIF errors are still unknown. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the magnitude of RAIF errors and correction action levels needed in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT guided accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI. Methods Ten patients were enrolled in the prospective study of CBCT guided APBI. The postoperative tumor bed was irradiated with 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions over 5 days. Two cone-beam CT data sets were obtained with one before and one after the treatment delivery. The CBCT images were registered online to the planning CT images using the automatic algorithm followed by a fine manual adjustment. An action level of 3 mm, meaning that corrections were performed for translations exceeding 3 mm, was implemented in clinical treatments. Based on the acquired data, different correction action levels were simulated, and random RAIF errors, systematic RAIF errors and related margins before and after the treatments were determined for varying correction action levels. Results A total of 75 pairs of CBCT data sets were analyzed. The systematic and random setup errors based on skin-mark setup prior to treatment delivery were 2.1 mm and 1.8 mm in the lateral (LR, 3.1 mm and 2.3 mm in the superior-inferior (SI, and 2.3 mm and 2.0 mm in the anterior-posterior (AP directions. With the 3 mm correction action level, the systematic and random RAIF errors were 2.5 mm and 2.3 mm in the LR direction, 2.3 mm and 2.3 mm in the SI direction, and 2.3 mm and 2.2 mm in the AP direction after treatments delivery. Accordingly, the margins for correction action levels of 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and no correction were 7.9 mm, 8.0 mm, 8.0 mm, 7.9 mm and 8.0 mm in the LR direction; 6.4 mm, 7.1 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.2 mm and 10.5 mm in the SI direction; 7.6 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.4 mm, 10

Impact of residual and intrafractional errors on strategy of correction for image-guided accelerated partial breast irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Gang; Hu, Wei-Gang; Chen, Jia-Yi; Yu, Xiao-Li; Pan, Zi-Qiang; Yang, Zhao-Zhi; Guo, Xiao-Mao; Shao, Zhi-Min; Jiang, Guo-Liang

2010-01-01

The cone beam CT (CBCT) guided radiation can reduce the systematic and random setup errors as compared to the skin-mark setup. However, the residual and intrafractional (RAIF) errors are still unknown. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the magnitude of RAIF errors and correction action levels needed in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) guided accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Ten patients were enrolled in the prospective study of CBCT guided APBI. The postoperative tumor bed was irradiated with 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions over 5 days. Two cone-beam CT data sets were obtained with one before and one after the treatment delivery. The CBCT images were registered online to the planning CT images using the automatic algorithm followed by a fine manual adjustment. An action level of 3 mm, meaning that corrections were performed for translations exceeding 3 mm, was implemented in clinical treatments. Based on the acquired data, different correction action levels were simulated, and random RAIF errors, systematic RAIF errors and related margins before and after the treatments were determined for varying correction action levels. A total of 75 pairs of CBCT data sets were analyzed. The systematic and random setup errors based on skin-mark setup prior to treatment delivery were 2.1 mm and 1.8 mm in the lateral (LR), 3.1 mm and 2.3 mm in the superior-inferior (SI), and 2.3 mm and 2.0 mm in the anterior-posterior (AP) directions. With the 3 mm correction action level, the systematic and random RAIF errors were 2.5 mm and 2.3 mm in the LR direction, 2.3 mm and 2.3 mm in the SI direction, and 2.3 mm and 2.2 mm in the AP direction after treatments delivery. Accordingly, the margins for correction action levels of 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and no correction were 7.9 mm, 8.0 mm, 8.0 mm, 7.9 mm and 8.0 mm in the LR direction; 6.4 mm, 7.1 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.2 mm and 10.5 mm in the SI direction; 7.6 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.4 mm, 10.1 mm and 12.7 mm in the AP direction

Temperature corrected-calibration of GRACE's accelerometer

Science.gov (United States)

Encarnacao, J.; Save, H.; Siemes, C.; Doornbos, E.; Tapley, B. D.

2017-12-01

Since April 2011, the thermal control of the accelerometers on board the GRACE satellites has been turned off. The time series of along-track bias clearly show a drastic change in the behaviour of this parameter, while the calibration model has remained unchanged throughout the entire mission lifetime. In an effort to improve the quality of the gravity field models produced at CSR in future mission-long re-processing of GRACE data, we quantify the added value of different calibration strategies. In one approach, the temperature effects that distort the raw accelerometer measurements collected without thermal control are corrected considering the housekeeping temperature readings. In this way, one single calibration strategy can be consistently applied during the whole mission lifetime, since it is valid to thermal the conditions before and after April 2011. Finally, we illustrate that the resulting calibrated accelerations are suitable for neutral thermospheric density studies.

ASH External Web Portal (External Portal) -

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — The ASH External Web Portal is a web-based portal that provides single sign-on functionality, making the web portal a single location from which to be authenticated...

Boys' and girls' use of cognitive strategy when learning to play video games.

Science.gov (United States)

Blumberg, Fran C; Sokol, Lori M

2004-04-01

The authors examined gender differences in the cognitive strategies that children use when they learn how to play a video game. They interviewed 2nd- and 5th-grade boys and girls about how often they played video games and what they did "when learning how to play a video game." The children's responses to the latter question were categorized as either internally or externally oriented (i.e., reading a manual vs. asking for help, respectively). The results indicated that more frequent players and older children were more likely to cite internally based strategies. No main effects of gender were found for the proportions of the internally vs. externally based strategies that were cited.

Leg-adjustment strategies for stable running in three dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peuker, Frank; Maufroy, Christophe; Seyfarth, André

2012-01-01

The dynamics of the center of mass (CoM) in the sagittal plane in humans and animals during running is well described by the spring-loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP). With appropriate parameters, SLIP running patterns are stable, and these models can recover from perturbations without the need for corrective strategies, such as the application of additional forces. Rather, it is sufficient to adjust the leg to a fixed angle relative to the ground. In this work, we consider the extension of the SLIP to three dimensions (3D SLIP) and investigate feed-forward strategies for leg adjustment during the flight phase. As in the SLIP model, the leg is placed at a fixed angle. We extend the scope of possible reference axes from only fixed horizontal and vertical axes to include the CoM velocity vector as a movement-related reference, resulting in six leg-adjustment strategies. Only leg-adjustment strategies that include the CoM velocity vector produced stable running and large parameter domains of stability. The ability of the model to recover from perturbations along the direction of motion (directional stability) depended on the strategy for lateral leg adjustment. Specifically, asymptotic and neutral directional stability was observed for strategies based on the global reference axis and the velocity vector, respectively. Additional features of velocity-based leg adjustment are running at arbitrary low speed (kinetic energy) and the emergence of large domains of stable 3D running that are smoothly transferred to 2D SLIP stability and even to 1D SLIP hopping. One of the additional leg-adjustment strategies represented a large convex region of parameters where stable and robust hopping and running patterns exist. Therefore, this strategy is a promising candidate for implementation into engineering applications, such as robots, for instance. In a preliminary comparison, the model predictions were in good agreement with the experimental data, suggesting that the 3D SLIP is an

75 FR 45667 - Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Strategies for Women Executives in Corrections

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-03

... and an organization forward. It is an acknowledgement for their way of learning and thinking, without...: Program design, strategic processes, correctional organizational culture team dynamics, and change... proposed that will enhance the project? Organizational (30%) Do the skills, knowledge, and expertise of the...

A Direct Approach to Determine the External Disturbing Gravity Field by Applying Green Integral with the Ground Boundary Value

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TIAN Jialei

2015-11-01

Full Text Available By using the ground as the boundary, Molodensky problem usually gets the solution in form of series. Higher order terms reflect the correction between a smooth surface and the ground boundary. Application difficulties arise from not only computational complexity and stability maintenance, but also data-intensiveness. Therefore, in this paper, starting from the application of external gravity disturbance, Green formula is used on digital terrain surface. In the case of ignoring the influence of horizontal component of the integral, the expression formula of external disturbance potential determined by boundary value consisted of ground gravity anomalies and height anomaly difference are obtained, whose kernel function is reciprocal of distance and Poisson core respectively. With this method, there is no need of continuation of ground data. And kernel function is concise, and suitable for the stochastic computation of external disturbing gravity field.

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 104: Area 7 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patrick Matthews

2011-08-01

of the total effective dose (TED) to the dose-based final action level (FAL). The presence of TED exceeding the FAL is considered a radiological contaminant of concern (COC). Anything identified as a COC will require corrective action. The TED will be calculated as the total of separate estimates of internal and external dose. Results from the analysis of soil samples will be used to calculate internal radiological dose. Thermoluminescent dosimeters will be used to measure external radiological dose. Based on process knowledge of the releases associated with the nuclear tests and radiological survey information about the location and shape of the resulting contamination plume, it was determined that the releases from the nuclear tests are co-located and will be investigated concurrently. A field investigation will be performed to define areas where TED exceeds the FAL and to determine whether other COCs are present at the site. The investigation will also collect information to determine the presence and nature of contamination associated with migration and excavation, as well as any potential releases discovered during the investigation. Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the DQO methodology and the DQOs specific to each CAS.

Event-by-Event Continuous Respiratory Motion Correction for Dynamic PET Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yunhan; Chan, Chung; Ma, Tianyu; Liu, Yaqiang; Gallezot, Jean-Dominique; Naganawa, Mika; Kelada, Olivia J; Germino, Mary; Sinusas, Albert J; Carson, Richard E; Liu, Chi

2016-07-01

Existing respiratory motion-correction methods are applied only to static PET imaging. We have previously developed an event-by-event respiratory motion-correction method with correlations between internal organ motion and external respiratory signals (INTEX). This method is uniquely appropriate for dynamic imaging because it corrects motion for each time point. In this study, we applied INTEX to human dynamic PET studies with various tracers and investigated the impact on kinetic parameter estimation. The use of 3 tracers-a myocardial perfusion tracer, (82)Rb (n = 7); a pancreatic β-cell tracer, (18)F-FP(+)DTBZ (n = 4); and a tumor hypoxia tracer, (18)F-fluoromisonidazole ((18)F-FMISO) (n = 1)-was investigated in a study of 12 human subjects. Both rest and stress studies were performed for (82)Rb. The Anzai belt system was used to record respiratory motion. Three-dimensional internal organ motion in high temporal resolution was calculated by INTEX to guide event-by-event respiratory motion correction of target organs in each dynamic frame. Time-activity curves of regions of interest drawn based on end-expiration PET images were obtained. For (82)Rb studies, K1 was obtained with a 1-tissue model using a left-ventricle input function. Rest-stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) were determined. For (18)F-FP(+)DTBZ studies, the total volume of distribution was estimated with arterial input functions using the multilinear analysis 1 method. For the (18)F-FMISO study, the net uptake rate Ki was obtained with a 2-tissue irreversible model using a left-ventricle input function. All parameters were compared with the values derived without motion correction. With INTEX, K1 and MBF increased by 10% ± 12% and 15% ± 19%, respectively, for (82)Rb stress studies. CFR increased by 19% ± 21%. For studies with motion amplitudes greater than 8 mm (n = 3), K1, MBF, and CFR increased by 20% ± 12%, 30% ± 20%, and 34% ± 23%, respectively. For (82)Rb

Error Correction of Meteorological Data Obtained with Mini-AWSs Based on Machine Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji-Hun Ha

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Severe weather events occur more frequently due to climate change; therefore, accurate weather forecasts are necessary, in addition to the development of numerical weather prediction (NWP of the past several decades. A method to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts based on NWP is the collection of more meteorological data by reducing the observation interval. However, in many areas, it is economically and locally difficult to collect observation data by installing automatic weather stations (AWSs. We developed a Mini-AWS, much smaller than AWSs, to complement the shortcomings of AWSs. The installation and maintenance costs of Mini-AWSs are lower than those of AWSs; Mini-AWSs have fewer spatial constraints with respect to the installation than AWSs. However, it is necessary to correct the data collected with Mini-AWSs because they might be affected by the external environment depending on the installation area. In this paper, we propose a novel error correction of atmospheric pressure data observed with a Mini-AWS based on machine learning. Using the proposed method, we obtained corrected atmospheric pressure data, reaching the standard of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO; ±0.1 hPa, and confirmed the potential of corrected atmospheric pressure data as an auxiliary resource for AWSs.

Investigation of occurrences of loss of external power supply in Spanish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conde, J.M.; Reig, J.

1989-01-01

The paper reports on an investigation undertaken by the Nuclear Safety Council into occurrences of loss of external power supply in Spanish light water plants between 1981 and 1987. During this period all of the plants investigated (nine), with the exception of one, experienced an event of this type. The causes, effects and duration of each are studied in detail and the conclusion is drawn that the main cause of this type of occurrence is the intrinsic instability of the Spanish national grid. The response of plants to these various failures in external power supply was studied, special attention being paid to the correct operation of safety systems. In addition, the behaviour of other systems not related to safety is discussed, as are modifications and actions taken as a result of accumulated experience with a view to improving the plant response in the event of the failure of the external power supply, and reducing the frequency of such occurrences and their effective duration. The data obtained from this analysis were compared with those obtained in studies performed in other countries and the conclusion was drawn that failures in the external power supply occur slightly more frequently in Spain than in other countries. Similarly, a comparison was drawn between plant response during an actual failure and the response obtained during loss of external power nuclear tests which are carried out in all Spanish plants during the startup (commissioning) programme, in order to ascertain whether the test itself is adequate. (author). 1 fig., 3 tabs

External Periodic Force Control of a Single-Degree-of-Freedom Vibroimpact System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingyue Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A single-degree-of-freedom mechanical model of vibro-impact system is established. Bifurcation and chaos in the system are revealed with the time history diagram, phase trajectory map, and Poincaré map. According to the bifurcation and chaos of the actual vibro-impact system, the paper puts forward external periodic force control strategy. The method of controlling chaos by external periodic force feedback controller is developed to guide chaotic motions towards regular motions. The stability of the control system is also analyzed especially by theory. By selecting appropriate feedback coefficients, the unstable periodic orbits of the original chaotic orbit can be stabilized to the stable periodic orbits. The effectiveness of this control method is verified by numerical simulation.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF EXTERNAL MIXTURE FORMATION STRATEGY IN HYDROGEN-FUELED ENGINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Kamil

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Mohammed Kamil1, M. M. Rahman2 and Rosli A. Bakar2Hydrogen induction strategy in an internal combustion engine plays a vital role in increasing the power density and prohibiting combustion anomalies. This paper inspects the performance characteristics of cylinder hydrogen-fueled engine with port injection feeding strategy. To that end, a one-dimensional gas dynamic model has been built to represent the flow and heat transfer in the components of the engine. The governing equations are introduced followed by the performance parameters and model description. Air-fuel ratio was varied from a stoichiometric limit to a lean limit. The rotational speed of the engine was also changed from 1000 to 4500 RPM. The injector location was fixed in the mid-point of the intake port. The general behavior of the hydrogen engine was similar to that of a gasoline engine, apart from a reduction in the power density, which was due to a decrease in the volumetric efficiency. This emphasizes the ability of retrofitting traditional engines for hydrogen fuel with minor modifications. The decrease in the volumetric efficiency needs to be rectified.

Investigation of external and internal shock in the stability of Indonesia’s financial system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maulina Vinus

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research is to develop a financial system stability index and analyze the internal and external factors that we expect to affect the stability of the Indonesian financial system. We measured the single model of financial system stability index (FSSI from year 2004M03 to2014M09 in Indonesia, and compiled a single quantitative measure based on aggregate internal factors and external factors to capture and predict the shocks of the financial system stability. Stability parameters were composed of composite indicators on different bases. In addition, we developed a comprehensive index component associated with the relevant market conditions, including banking soundness index, financial vulnerability index, and regional economic climate index. Results stated that US economic growth and economic growth of ASEAN countries positively affected financial stability. In addition, current account, exchange rate, inflation, interest rate were shown to negatively affect financial stability. The results of this study imply that internal factors have a strong influence on the financial stability. Therefore, the central bank should give a fast and correct response to the changes of external and internal financial environment, especially for internal factors through monetary policy.

Collaborative innovation: Internal and external involvement in new product development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Timenes Laugen, Bjørge; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann

2011-01-01

Industry and academia alike are increasingly becoming aware of the fact that innovation does not take place in isolated cells or functions within the firm. During the last the years the term open innovation has emphasized the importance of internal and external collaboration in order to increase...... strategic priorities influence the degree of external and internal involvement in the NPD process, moderated by contextual factors. Results based on analyses of 584 companies from the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) 2005 indicate that suppliers are heavily involved in the NPD process...... in firms in B2C markets aiming at increasing the innovation volume. For B2B companies the reverse picture emerges. However, when the aim is to increase the radicality of new products, suppliers and customers are heavily involved for firms in B2B markets. Further, market uncertainty, and to some extent...