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Sample records for external test set

  1. Beyond main effects of gene-sets: harsh parenting moderates the association between a dopamine gene-set and child externalizing behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Windhorst, Dafna A; Mileva-Seitz, Viara R; Rippe, Ralph C A; Tiemeier, Henning; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Verhulst, Frank C; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J

    2016-08-01

    In a longitudinal cohort study, we investigated the interplay of harsh parenting and genetic variation across a set of functionally related dopamine genes, in association with children's externalizing behavior. This is one of the first studies to employ gene-based and gene-set approaches in tests of Gene by Environment (G × E) effects on complex behavior. This approach can offer an important alternative or complement to candidate gene and genome-wide environmental interaction (GWEI) studies in the search for genetic variation underlying individual differences in behavior. Genetic variants in 12 autosomal dopaminergic genes were available in an ethnically homogenous part of a population-based cohort. Harsh parenting was assessed with maternal (n = 1881) and paternal (n = 1710) reports at age 3. Externalizing behavior was assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at age 5 (71 ± 3.7 months). We conducted gene-set analyses of the association between variation in dopaminergic genes and externalizing behavior, stratified for harsh parenting. The association was statistically significant or approached significance for children without harsh parenting experiences, but was absent in the group with harsh parenting. Similarly, significant associations between single genes and externalizing behavior were only found in the group without harsh parenting. Effect sizes in the groups with and without harsh parenting did not differ significantly. Gene-environment interaction tests were conducted for individual genetic variants, resulting in two significant interaction effects (rs1497023 and rs4922132) after correction for multiple testing. Our findings are suggestive of G × E interplay, with associations between dopamine genes and externalizing behavior present in children without harsh parenting, but not in children with harsh parenting experiences. Harsh parenting may overrule the role of genetic factors in externalizing behavior. Gene-based and gene-set

  2. Does rational selection of training and test sets improve the outcome of QSAR modeling?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Todd M; Harten, Paul; Young, Douglas M; Muratov, Eugene N; Golbraikh, Alexander; Zhu, Hao; Tropsha, Alexander

    2012-10-22

    Prior to using a quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model for external predictions, its predictive power should be established and validated. In the absence of a true external data set, the best way to validate the predictive ability of a model is to perform its statistical external validation. In statistical external validation, the overall data set is divided into training and test sets. Commonly, this splitting is performed using random division. Rational splitting methods can divide data sets into training and test sets in an intelligent fashion. The purpose of this study was to determine whether rational division methods lead to more predictive models compared to random division. A special data splitting procedure was used to facilitate the comparison between random and rational division methods. For each toxicity end point, the overall data set was divided into a modeling set (80% of the overall set) and an external evaluation set (20% of the overall set) using random division. The modeling set was then subdivided into a training set (80% of the modeling set) and a test set (20% of the modeling set) using rational division methods and by using random division. The Kennard-Stone, minimal test set dissimilarity, and sphere exclusion algorithms were used as the rational division methods. The hierarchical clustering, random forest, and k-nearest neighbor (kNN) methods were used to develop QSAR models based on the training sets. For kNN QSAR, multiple training and test sets were generated, and multiple QSAR models were built. The results of this study indicate that models based on rational division methods generate better statistical results for the test sets than models based on random division, but the predictive power of both types of models are comparable.

  3. A NEW CLINICAL MUSCLE FUNCTION TEST FOR ASSESSMENT OF HIP EXTERNAL ROTATION STRENGTH: AUGUSTSSON STRENGTH TEST.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Augustsson, Jesper

    2016-08-01

    Dynamic clinical tests of hip strength applicable on patients, non-athletes and athletes alike, are lacking. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and evaluate the reliability of a dynamic muscle function test of hip external rotation strength, using a novel device. A second aim was to determine if gender differences exist in absolute and relative hip strength using the new test. Fifty-three healthy sport science students (34 women and 19 men) were tested for hip external rotation strength using a device that consisted of a strap connected in series with an elastic resistance band loop, and a measuring tape connected in parallel with the elastic resistance band. The test was carried out with the subject side lying, positioned in 45 ° of hip flexion and the knees flexed to 90 ° with the device firmly fastened proximally across the knees. The subject then exerted maximal concentric hip external rotation force against the device thereby extending the elastic resistance band. The displacement achieved by the subject was documented by the tape measure and the corresponding force production was calculated. Both right and left hip strength was measured. Fifteen of the subjects were tested on repeated occasions to evaluate test-retest reliability. No significant test-retest differences were observed. Intra-class correlation coefficients ranged 0.93-0.94 and coefficients of variation 2.76-4.60%. In absolute values, men were significantly stronger in hip external rotation than women (right side 13.2 vs 11.0 kg, p = 0.001, left side 13.2 vs 11.5 kg, p = 0.002). There were no significant differences in hip external rotation strength normalized for body weight (BW) between men and women (right side 0.17 kg/BW vs 0.17 kg/BW, p = 0.675, left side 0.17 kg/BW vs 0.18 kg/BW, p = 0.156). The new muscle function test showed high reliability and thus could be useful for measuring dynamic hip external rotation strength in patients, non-athletes and athletes

  4. The set-up for forward scattered particle detection at the external microbeam facility of the INFN-LABEC laboratory in Florence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giuntini, L.; Massi, M.; Calusi, S.; Gelli, N.; Castelli, L.; Carraresi, L.; Czelusniak, C.; Fedi, M.E.; Gueli, A.M.; Liccioli, L.; Mandò, P.A.; Mazzinghi, A.; Palla, L.

    2015-01-01

    In the last few years some new implementations and upgrades have been made to the external scanning microbeam of INFN-LABEC laboratory in Florence, enriching the existing PIXE, PIGE, BS, IBIL set-up with complementary techniques, when possible allowing for simultaneous multi-technique analyses. We developed a system, compatible with the existing set-up, for the out-of-vacuum detection of the forward scattered particles. This system makes feasible the external-STIM (Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy) and external-FS (Forward Scattering), now both available at our beamline. Test measurements are shortly presented

  5. Reliability of externally fixed dynamometry hamstring strength testing in elite youth football players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wollin, Martin; Purdam, Craig; Drew, Michael K

    2016-01-01

    To investigate inter and intra-tester reliability of an externally fixed dynamometry unilateral hamstring strength test, in the elite sports setting. Reliability study. Sixteen, injury-free, elite male youth football players (age=16.81±0.54 years, height=180.22±5.29cm, weight 73.88±6.54kg, BMI=22.57±1.42) gave written informed consent. Unilateral maximum isometric peak hamstring force was evaluated by externally fixed dynamometry for inter-tester, intra-day and intra-tester, inter-week reliability. The test position was standardised to correlate with the terminal swing phase of the gait running cycle. Inter and intra-tester values demonstrated good to high levels of reliability. The intra-class coefficient (ICC) for inter-tester, intra-day reliability was 0.87 (95% CI=0.75-0.93) with standard error of measure percentage (SEM%) 4.7 and minimal detectable change percentage (MDC%) 12.9. Intra-tester, inter-week reliability results were ICC 0.86 (95% CI, 0.74-0.93), SEM% 5.0 and MDC% 14.0. This study demonstrates good to high inter and intra-tester reliability of isometric externally fixed dynamometry unilateral hamstring strength testing in the regular elite sport setting involving elite male youth football players. The intra-class coefficient in association with the low standard error of measure and minimal detectable change percentages suggest that this procedure is appropriate for clinical and academic use as well as monitoring hamstring strength in the elite sport setting. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. 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.

  7. Historical estimates of external gamma exposure and collective external gamma exposure from testing at the Nevada Test Site. I. Test series through HARDTACK II, 1958

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anspaugh, L.R.; Church, B.W.

    1986-01-01

    In 1959, the Test Manager's Committee to Establish Fallout Doses calculated estimated external gamma exposure at populated locations based upon measurements of external gamma-exposure rate. Using these calculations and estimates of population, we have tabulated the collective estimated external gamma exposures for communities within established fallout patterns. The total collective estimated external gamma exposure is 85,000 person-R. The greatest collective exposures occurred in three general areas: Saint George, UT; Ely, NV; and Las Vegas, NV. Three events, HARRY (19 May 1953), BEE (22 March 1955), and SMOKY (31 August 1957), accounted for more than half the total collective estimated external gamma exposure. The bases of the calculational models for external gamma exposure of infinite exposure, estimated exposure, and 1-yr effective biological exposure are explained

  8. Historical estimates of external gamma exposure and collective external gamma exposure from testing at the Nevada Test Site. I. Test series through HARDTACK II, 1958

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anspaugh, L.R.; Church, B.W.

    1985-12-01

    In 1959, the Test Manager's Committee to Establish Fallout Doses calculated estimated external gamma exposure at populated locations based upon measurements of external gamma-exposure rate. Using these calculations and estimates of population, we have tabulated the collective estimated external gamma exposures for communities within established fallout patterns. The total collective estimated external gamma exposure is 85,000 person-R. The greatest collective exposures occurred in three general areas: Saint George, Utah; Ely, Nevada; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Three events, HARRY (May 19, 1953), BEE (March 22, 1955), and SMOKY (August 31, 1957), accounted for over half of the total collective estimated external gamma exposure. The bases of the calculational models for external gamma exposure of ''infinite exposure,'' ''estimated exposure,'' and ''one year effective biological exposure'' are explained. 4 figs., 7 tabs

  9. The quality and testing PH-SFT infrastructure for the external LHC software packages deployment

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva; MENDEZ LORENZO, Patricia; MATO VILA, Pere

    2015-01-01

    The PH-SFT group is responsible for the build, test, and deployment of the set of external software packages used by the LHC experiments. This set includes ca. 170 packages including Grid packages and Montecarlo generators provided for different versions. A complete build structure has been established to guarantee the quality of the packages provided by the group. This structure includes an experimental build and three daily nightly builds, each of them dedicated to a specific ROOT version including v6.02, v6.04, and the master. While the former build is dedicated to the test of new packages, versions and dependencies (basically SFT internal used), the three latter ones are the responsible for the deployment to AFS of the set of stable and well tested packages requested by the LHC experiments so they can apply their own builds on top. In all cases, a c...

  10. Historical estimates of external gamma exposure and collective external gamma exposure from testing at the Nevada Test Site. I. Test series through HARDTACK II, 1958

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anspaugh, L.R.; Church, B.W.

    1985-12-01

    In 1959, the Test Manager's Committee to Establish Fallout Doses calculated estimated external gamma exposure at populated locations based upon measurements of external gamma-exposure rate. Using these calculations and estimates of population, we have tabulated the collective estimated external gamma exposures for communities within established fallout patterns. The total collective estimated external gamma exposure is 85,000 person-R. The greatest collective exposures occurred in three general areas: Saint George, Utah; Ely, Nevada; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Three events, HARRY (May 19, 1953), BEE (March 22, 1955), and SMOKY (August 31, 1957), accounted for over half of the total collective estimated external gamma exposure. The bases of the calculational models for external gamma exposure of ''infinite exposure,'' ''estimated exposure,'' and ''one year effective biological exposure'' are explained. 4 figs., 7 tabs.

  11. A new MCNP trademark test set

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brockhoff, R.C.; Hendricks, J.S.

    1994-09-01

    The MCNP test set is used to test the MCNP code after installation on various computer platforms. For MCNP4 and MCNP4A this test set included 25 test problems designed to test as many features of the MCNP code as possible. A new and better test set has been devised to increase coverage of the code from 85% to 97% with 28 problems. The new test set is as fast as and shorter than the MCNP4A test set. The authors describe the methodology for devising the new test set, the features that were not covered in the MCNP4A test set, and the changes in the MCNP4A test set that have been made for MCNP4B and its developmental versions. Finally, new bugs uncovered by the new test set and a compilation of all known MCNP4A bugs are presented

  12. Test-retest reliability of a balance testing protocol with external perturbations in young healthy adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robbins, Shawn M; Caplan, Ryan M; Aponte, Daniel I; St-Onge, Nancy

    2017-10-01

    External perturbations are utilized to challenge balance and mimic realistic balance threats in patient populations. The reliability of such protocols has not been established. The purpose was to examine test-retest reliability of balance testing with external perturbations. Healthy adults (n=34; mean age 23 years) underwent balance testing over two visits. Participants completed ten balance conditions in which the following parameters were combined: perturbation or non-perturbation, single or double leg, and eyes open or closed. Three trials were collected for each condition. Data were collected on a force plate and external perturbations were applied by translating the plate. Force plate center of pressure (CoP) data were summarized using 13 different CoP measures. Test-retest reliability was examined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. CoP measures of total speed and excursion in both anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions generally had acceptable ICC values for perturbation conditions (ICC=0.46 to 0.87); however, many other CoP measures (e.g. range, area of ellipse) had unacceptable test-retest reliability (ICCbalance testing protocols that include external perturbations should be made to improve test-retest reliability and diminish learning including more extensive participant training and increasing the number of trials. CoP measures that consider all data points (e.g. total speed) are more reliable than those that only consider a few data points. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. External doses of residents near semipalatinsk nuclear test site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takada, Jun; Hoshi, Masaharu; Nagatomo, Tsuneto

    1999-01-01

    Accumulated external radiation doses of residents near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site of the former USSR are presented as a results of study by the thermoluminescence technique for bricks sampled at several settlements in 1995 and 1996. The external doses that we evaluated from exposed bricks were up to about 100 cGy for resident. The external doses at several points in the center of Semipalatinsk City ranged from a background level to 60 cGy, which was remarkably high compared with the previously reported values based on military data. (author)

  14. Lessons learned from EU stress tests evaluations with regard to external hazards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Misak, J.

    2014-01-01

    The presentation was oriented to critical review of the lessons learned from the European Union (EU) Stress Test focusing on NPP robustness against external hazards. These lessons addressed: - organization of the stress tests, - scope and objectives of the stress tests, - peer review findings, recommendations and implications on the design in the area of external hazards, - further studies recommended in the area of external hazards and PSA, - relevant research areas identified by the SNETP Task Group in response to Fukushima accident. Some important conclusions were made in the final part of the presentation: - Vulnerability to the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor accidents caused by external hazards and including their secondary effects was underestimated, - Lessons learned from Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor accidents, from the EU Stress Test and from peer reviews are to be reflected in safety improvements of operating plants and considered in new designs, - while no completely new phenomena were revealed from the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor accidents, improvements in specific research areas (including external hazards and use of PSA) should be considered with high priority

  15. Beyond main effects of gene-sets: harsh parenting moderates the association between a dopamine gene-set and child externalizing behavior

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J. Windhorst (Judith); V. Mileva-Seitz (Viara); R.C.A. Rippe (Ralph C.A.); H.W. Tiemeier (Henning); V.W.V. Jaddoe (Vincent); F.C. Verhulst (Frank); M.H. van IJzendoorn (Rien); M.J. Bakermans-Kranenburg (Marian)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractBackground: In a longitudinal cohort study, we investigated the interplay of harsh parenting and genetic variation across a set of functionally related dopamine genes, in association with children's externalizing behavior. This is one of the first studies to employ gene-based and

  16. Introducing external cephalic version in a Malaysian setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yong, Stephen P Y

    2007-02-01

    To assess the outcome of external cephalic version for routine management of malpresenting foetuses at term. Prospective observational study. Tertiary teaching hospital, Malaysia. From September 2003 to June 2004, a study involving 41 pregnant women with malpresentation at term was undertaken. An external cephalic version protocol was implemented. Data were collected for identifying characteristics associated with success or failure of external cephalic version. Maternal and foetal outcome measures including success rate of external cephalic version, maternal and foetal complications, and characteristics associated with success or failure; engagement of presenting part, placental location, direction of version, attempts at version, use of intravenous tocolytic agent, eventual mode of delivery, Apgar scores, birth weights, and maternal satisfaction with the procedure. Data were available for 38 women. External cephalic version was successful in 63% of patients; the majority (75%) of whom achieved a vaginal delivery. Multiparity (odds ratio=34.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-1730) and high amniotic fluid index (4.9; 1.3-18.2) were associated with successful external cephalic version. Engagement of presenting part (odds ratio=0.0001; 95% confidence interval, 0.00001-0.001) and a need to resort to backward somersault (0.02; 0.00001-0.916) were associated with poor success rates. Emergency caesarean section rate for foetal distress directly resulting from external cephalic version was 8%, but there was no perinatal or maternal adverse outcome. The majority (74%) of women were satisfied with external cephalic version. External cephalic version has acceptable success rates. Multiparity, liquor volume, engagement of presenting part, and the need for backward somersault were strong predictors of outcome. External cephalic version is relatively safe, simple to learn and perform, and associated with maternal satisfaction. Modern obstetric units should routinely offer the

  17. 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.

  18. Quantification of the 3D relative movement of external marker sets vs. bones based on magnetic resonance imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sangeux, M; Marin, F; Charleux, F; Dürselen, L; Ho Ba Tho, M C

    2006-11-01

    Most in vivo knee kinematic analyses are based on external markers attached to the shank and the thigh. Literature data show that markers positioning and soft tissues artifacts affect the kinematic parameters of the bones true movement. Most of the techniques of quantification used were invasive. The aim of the present study was to develop and apply a non-invasive methodology to compute the relative movement between the bones and the markers. Magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions were performed on the right knee of eleven volunteers without knee injury. The subjects were equipped with external magnetic resonance imaging-compatible marker sets. A foot drive device allowed the subjects to perform an actively loaded knee extension. The whole volume of the subject's knee was processed for four sequentially held knee flexion positions during the knee movement. The bones and external marker sets geometry were reconstructed from magnetic resonance imaging images. Then a registration algorithm was applied to the bones and the relative movement of the thigh and shank marker sets with respect to their underlying bones was computed. The protocol resulted in a good geometrical accuracy and reproducibility. Marker sets movement differ from that of the bones with a maximum of 22 mm in translation and 15 degrees in rotation and it affects the knee kinematics. Marker sets relative movement modify the knee movement finite helical axes direction (range 10-35 degrees ) and localization (range 0-40 mm). The methodology developed can evaluate external marker set system to be used for kinematic analysis in a clinical environment.

  19. Improving power for rare-variant tests by integrating external controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seunggeun; Kim, Sehee; Fuchsberger, Christian

    2017-11-01

    Due to the drop in sequencing cost, the number of sequenced genomes is increasing rapidly. To improve power of rare-variant tests, these sequenced samples could be used as external control samples in addition to control samples from the study itself. However, when using external controls, possible batch effects due to the use of different sequencing platforms or genotype calling pipelines can dramatically increase type I error rates. To address this, we propose novel summary statistics based single and gene- or region-based rare-variant tests that allow the integration of external controls while controlling for type I error. Our approach is based on the insight that batch effects on a given variant can be assessed by comparing odds ratio estimates using internal controls only vs. using combined control samples of internal and external controls. From simulation experiments and the analysis of data from age-related macular degeneration and type 2 diabetes studies, we demonstrate that our method can substantially improve power while controlling for type I error rate. © 2017 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

  20. Decree no 76-845 of 1 September 1976 setting up a Council for external nuclear policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-01-01

    This Decree has set up a Council for External Nuclear Policy, chaired by the President of the Republic, and includes the Prime Minister, the Ministers for Economy and Finance (these duties are presently discharged by the Prime Minister), Defence, Industry, Trade and Crafts, External Trade, and the Administrator-General of the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The duty of this Council is to define the various aspects of external nuclear policy, in particular, regarding the export of technology, equipment and sensitive nuclear products. (NEA) [fr

  1. An isomeric reaction benchmark set to test if the performance of state-of-the-art density functionals can be regarded as independent of the external potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwabe, Tobias

    2014-07-28

    Some representative density functionals are assessed for isomerization reactions in which heteroatoms are systematically substituted with heavier members of the same element group. By this, it is investigated if the functional performance depends on the elements involved, i.e. on the external potential imposed by the atomic nuclei. Special emphasis is placed on reliable theoretical reference data and the attempt to minimize basis set effects. Both issues are challenging for molecules including heavy elements. The data suggest that no general bias can be identified for the functionals under investigation except for one case - M11-L. Nevertheless, large deviations from the reference data can be found for all functional approximations in some cases. The average error range for the nine functionals in this test is 17.6 kcal mol(-1). These outliers depreciate the general reliability of density functional approximations.

  2. Parenting, attention and externalizing problems: testing mediation longitudinally, repeatedly and reciprocally.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belsky, Jay; Pasco Fearon, R M; Bell, Brian

    2007-12-01

    Building on prior work, this paper tests, longitudinally and repeatedly, the proposition that attentional control processes mediate the effect of earlier parenting on later externalizing problems. Repeated independent measurements of all three constructs--observed parenting, computer-tested attentional control and adult-reported externalizing problems--were subjected to structural equation modeling using data from the large-scale American study of child care and youth development. Structural equation modeling indicated (a) that greater maternal sensitivity at two different ages (54 months, approximately 6 years) predicted better attentional control on the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of attention regulation two later ages ( approximately 6/9 years); (2) that better attentional control at three different ages (54 months, approximately 6/9 years) predicted less teacher-reported externalizing problems at three later ages ( approximately 6/8/10 years); and (3) that attentional control partially mediated the effect of parenting on externalizing problems at two different lags (i.e., 54 months--> approximately 6 years--> approximately 8 years; approximately 6 years--> approximately 9 years--> approximately 10 years), though somewhat more strongly for the first. Additionally, (4) some evidence of reciprocal effects of attentional processes on parenting emerged (54 months--> approximately 6 years; approximately 6 years--> approximately 8 years), but not of problem behavior on attention. Because attention control partially mediates the effects of parenting on externalizing problems, intervention efforts could target both parenting and attentional processes.

  3. Baseline Assessment of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Reference Material and Proficiency Testing/External Quality Assurance Material Commutability: A Vitamin D Standardization Program Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phinney, Karen W; Sempos, Christopher T; Tai, Susan S-C; Camara, Johanna E; Wise, Stephen A; Eckfeldt, John H; Hoofnagle, Andrew N; Carter, Graham D; Jones, Julia; Myers, Gary L; Durazo-Arvizu, Ramon; Miller, W Greg; Bachmann, Lorin M; Young, Ian S; Pettit, Juanita; Caldwell, Grahame; Liu, Andrew; Brooks, Stephen P J; Sarafin, Kurtis; Thamm, Michael; Mensink, Gert B M; Busch, Markus; Rabenberg, Martina; Cashman, Kevin D; Kiely, Mairead; Galvin, Karen; Zhang, Joy Y; Kinsella, Michael; Oh, Kyungwon; Lee, Sun-Wha; Jung, Chae L; Cox, Lorna; Goldberg, Gail; Guberg, Kate; Meadows, Sarah; Prentice, Ann; Tian, Lu; Brannon, Patsy M; Lucas, Robyn M; Crump, Peter M; Cavalier, Etienne; Merkel, Joyce; Betz, Joseph M

    2017-09-01

    The Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) coordinated a study in 2012 to assess the commutability of reference materials and proficiency testing/external quality assurance materials for total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in human serum, the primary indicator of vitamin D status. A set of 50 single-donor serum samples as well as 17 reference and proficiency testing/external quality assessment materials were analyzed by participating laboratories that used either immunoassay or LC-MS methods for total 25(OH)D. The commutability test materials included National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 972a Vitamin D Metabolites in Human Serum as well as materials from the College of American Pathologists and the Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme. Study protocols and data analysis procedures were in accordance with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The majority of the test materials were found to be commutable with the methods used in this commutability study. These results provide guidance for laboratories needing to choose appropriate reference materials and select proficiency or external quality assessment programs and will serve as a foundation for additional VDSP studies.

  4. Review and evaluation of performance measures for survival prediction models in external validation settings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Shafiqur Rahman

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background When developing a prediction model for survival data it is essential to validate its performance in external validation settings using appropriate performance measures. Although a number of such measures have been proposed, there is only limited guidance regarding their use in the context of model validation. This paper reviewed and evaluated a wide range of performance measures to provide some guidelines for their use in practice. Methods An extensive simulation study based on two clinical datasets was conducted to investigate the performance of the measures in external validation settings. Measures were selected from categories that assess the overall performance, discrimination and calibration of a survival prediction model. Some of these have been modified to allow their use with validation data, and a case study is provided to describe how these measures can be estimated in practice. The measures were evaluated with respect to their robustness to censoring and ease of interpretation. All measures are implemented, or are straightforward to implement, in statistical software. Results Most of the performance measures were reasonably robust to moderate levels of censoring. One exception was Harrell’s concordance measure which tended to increase as censoring increased. Conclusions We recommend that Uno’s concordance measure is used to quantify concordance when there are moderate levels of censoring. Alternatively, Gönen and Heller’s measure could be considered, especially if censoring is very high, but we suggest that the prediction model is re-calibrated first. We also recommend that Royston’s D is routinely reported to assess discrimination since it has an appealing interpretation. The calibration slope is useful for both internal and external validation settings and recommended to report routinely. Our recommendation would be to use any of the predictive accuracy measures and provide the corresponding predictive

  5. External Goal Setting in Reward-Based Crowdfunding - Inventor, Marathoner, Sprinter and Extreme Sprinter

    OpenAIRE

    Haug, Jonas; Haslum, Mikkel Hilde

    2016-01-01

    Purpose In recent years, crowdfunding has emerged as a popular method to finance entrepreneurial ventures. Entrepreneurs appeal directly to the general public, e.g. the crowd, for help getting their innovative ideas off the ground. Within the world of reward-based crowdfunding, the authors of how to -literature (practitioners) and the authors of theoretical reward-based crowdfunding literature (theoreticians) disagree on strategies for setting the external (i.e. public) funding goal. ...

  6. 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

  7. Historical estimates of external gamma exposure and collective external gamma exposure from testing at the Nevada Test Site. II. Test series after Hardtack II, 1958, and summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anspaugh, L.R.; Ricker, Y.E.; Black, S.C.; Grossman, R.F.; Wheeler, D.L.; Church, B.W.; Quinn, V.E.

    1990-01-01

    The historical data on the cumulative individual external gamma exposures are tabulated for communities around the Nevada Test Site for the time periods of 1961 to the signing of the Limited Test Ban Treaty on 5 August 1963, and from then until 1975. The collective exposures during the two time periods are calculated to be 610 and 320 person-R, respectively. The total collective external gamma exposure from 1951 through 1975 for these communities s calculated to be 86,000 person-R. The area considered includes the countries of Clark, Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine in Nevada and the countries of Iron and Washington in Utah; inclusion of Salt Lake City would have substantially increased the calculated collective exposure because of the large population. The methods of calculation are reviewed. Also, the historical data on the assessment of dose via ingestion are reviewed with emphasis on the dose to the thyroid of infants living in St. George, UT, at the time of fallout from event HARRY on 19 May 1953

  8. Internal Impingement of the Shoulder: A Risk of False Positive Test Outcomes in External Impingement Tests?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim Leschinger

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. External impingement tests are considered as being particularly reliable for identifying subacromial and coracoid shoulder impingement mechanisms. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate if these tests are likely to provoke an internal shoulder impingement mechanism which, in cases of a pathologic condition, can lead to a positive test result. Method. In 37 subjects, the mechanical contact between the glenoid rim and the rotator cuff (RC was measured quantitatively and qualitatively in external impingement test positions using an open MRI system. Results. Mechanical contact of the supraspinatus with the posterosuperior glenoid was present in 30 subjects in the Neer test. In the Hawkins test, the subscapularis was in contact with the anterosuperior glenoid in 33 subjects and the supraspinatus in 18. In the horizontal impingement test, anterosuperior contact of the supraspinatus with the glenoid was identified in 35 subjects. Conclusion. The Neer, Hawkins, and horizontal impingement tests are likely to provoke the mechanism of an internal shoulder impingement. A posterosuperior internal impingement mechanism is being provoked predominately in the Neer test. The Hawkins test narrows the distance between the insertions of the subscapularis and supraspinatus and the anterosuperior labrum, which leads to an anterosuperior impingement mechanism.

  9. Test set for initial value problem solvers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    W.M. Lioen (Walter); J.J.B. de Swart (Jacques)

    1998-01-01

    textabstractThe CWI test set for IVP solvers presents a collection of Initial Value Problems to test solvers for implicit differential equations. This test set can both decrease the effort for the code developer to test his software in a reliable way, and cross the bridge between the application

  10. Gene set analysis using variance component tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yen-Tsung; Lin, Xihong

    2013-06-28

    Gene set analyses have become increasingly important in genomic research, as many complex diseases are contributed jointly by alterations of numerous genes. Genes often coordinate together as a functional repertoire, e.g., a biological pathway/network and are highly correlated. However, most of the existing gene set analysis methods do not fully account for the correlation among the genes. Here we propose to tackle this important feature of a gene set to improve statistical power in gene set analyses. We propose to model the effects of an independent variable, e.g., exposure/biological status (yes/no), on multiple gene expression values in a gene set using a multivariate linear regression model, where the correlation among the genes is explicitly modeled using a working covariance matrix. We develop TEGS (Test for the Effect of a Gene Set), a variance component test for the gene set effects by assuming a common distribution for regression coefficients in multivariate linear regression models, and calculate the p-values using permutation and a scaled chi-square approximation. We show using simulations that type I error is protected under different choices of working covariance matrices and power is improved as the working covariance approaches the true covariance. The global test is a special case of TEGS when correlation among genes in a gene set is ignored. Using both simulation data and a published diabetes dataset, we show that our test outperforms the commonly used approaches, the global test and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). We develop a gene set analyses method (TEGS) under the multivariate regression framework, which directly models the interdependence of the expression values in a gene set using a working covariance. TEGS outperforms two widely used methods, GSEA and global test in both simulation and a diabetes microarray data.

  11. The Italian pilot external quality assessment program for cystic fibrosis sweat test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvatore, Marco; Floridia, Giovanna; Amato, Annalisa; Censi, Federica; Carta, Claudio; de Stefano, Maria Chiara; Ferrari, Gianluca; Tosto, Fabrizio; Capoluongo, Ettore; Caruso, Ubaldo; Castaldo, Giuseppe; Cirilli, Natalia; Corbetta, Carlo; Padoan, Rita; Raia, Valeria; Taruscio, Domenica

    2016-05-01

    Sweat chloride test is the gold standard test for cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis. In 2014 the Istituto Superiore di Sanità established the Italian pilot external quality assessment program for CF sweat test (IEQA-ST). Ten laboratories, included among the 33 Italian CF Referral Centers, were selected and enrolled on the basis of their attitude to perform sweat test (ST) analysis by using methods recommended by the Italian Guidelines. They received three different sweat-like samples (normal, borderline and pathologic chloride concentration), with mock clinical indications, for analysis according to routine procedures. Assessment, performed by a panel of experts, covered analytical performance, interpretation and reporting of results; categories of "poor" and "satisfactory" performance were not defined. All data were managed through a web utility. The program identified important areas of interest and, in some case, of concern. It is important to underline that results are referred to a small proportion, i.e. about 30%, of Italian laboratories performing CF ST in the context of the Referral Centers. Data collected highlight the importance of participation in EQA programs as it may improve laboratory/clinical performance; our study represents a model for the setting up of a large-scale EQA scheme for ST. Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. 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.

  13. 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

  14. 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.

  15. Test Program Set (TPS) Lab

    Data.gov (United States)

    Federal Laboratory Consortium — The ARDEC TPS Laboratory provides an organic Test Program Set (TPS) development, maintenance, and life cycle management capability for DoD LCMC materiel developers....

  16. Attitude Estimation Using Kalman Filtering: External Acceleration Compensation Considerations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Romy Budhi Widodo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Attitude estimation is often inaccurate during highly dynamic motion due to the external acceleration. This paper proposes extended Kalman filter-based attitude estimation using a new algorithm to overcome the external acceleration. This algorithm is based on an external acceleration compensation model to be used as a modifying parameter in adjusting the measurement noise covariance matrix of the extended Kalman filter. The experiment was conducted to verify the estimation accuracy, that is, one-axis and multiple axes sensor movement. Five approaches were used to test the estimation of the attitude: (1 the KF-based model without compensating for external acceleration, (2 the proposed KF-based model which employs the external acceleration compensation model, (3 the two-step KF using weighted-based switching approach, (4 the KF-based model which uses the threshold-based approach, and (5 the KF-based model which uses the threshold-based approach combined with a softened part approach. The proposed algorithm showed high effectiveness during the one-axis test. When the testing conditions employed multiple axes, the estimation accuracy increased using the proposed approach and exhibited external acceleration rejection at the right timing. The proposed algorithm has fewer parameters that need to be set at the expense of the sharpness of signal edge transition.

  17. Study of Internal and External Leaks in Tests of Anode-Supported SOFCs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Jens Foldager Bregnballe; Hendriksen, Peter Vang; Hagen, Anke

    2008-01-01

    A planar anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has been tested to investigate gas tightness of the electrolyte and the applied seals. Gas leaks reduce the efficiency of the SOFC and it is thus important to determine and minimise them. Probe gases (He and Ar) and a Quadrupole Mass Spectrome......A planar anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has been tested to investigate gas tightness of the electrolyte and the applied seals. Gas leaks reduce the efficiency of the SOFC and it is thus important to determine and minimise them. Probe gases (He and Ar) and a Quadrupole Mass...... Spectrometer were used to detect both internal (through electrolyte) and external (through seals) gas leaks. The internal gas leak through the electrolyte was quantified under different conditions, as was the external leak from the surroundings to the anode. The internal gas leak did not depend on the pressure...... difference between the anode and the cathode gas compartment, and can thus be described as diffusion driven. External leaks between the surroundings and the anode, but not the cathode gas compartment was observed. They were influenced by the pressure difference and are thus driven by both concentration...

  18. Comparison of infection between internal-external and external percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage in treating patients with malignant obstructive jaundice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Chuan; Huang, Xin-En; Wang, Shu-Xiang; Lv, Peng-Hua; Sun, Ling; Wang, Fu-An

    2015-01-01

    Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) is a form of palliative care for patients with malignant obstructive jaundice. We here compared the infection incidence between internal-external and external drainage for patients with malignant obstructive jaundice. Patients with malignant obstructive jaundice without infection before surgery receiving internal-external or external drainage from January 2008 to July 2014 were recruited. According to percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), if the guide wire could pass through the occlusion and enter the duodenum, we recommended internal-external drainage, and external drainage biliary drainage was set up if the occlusion was not crossed. All patients with infection after procedure received a cultivation of blood and a bile bacteriological test. Among 110 patients with malignant obstructive jaundice, 22 (52.4%) were diagnosed with infection after the procedure in the internal-external drainage group, whereas 19 (27.9%) patients were so affected in the external drainage group, the difference being significant (pinternal-external group infection was controlled, as compared to 12 (63.1%) in the external group (pinternal-external group in one month was 42.8%, while this rate in external group was 28.6% (pExternal drainage is a good choice, which could significantly reduce the chance of biliary infection caused by bacteria, and decrease the mortality rate at one month and improve the long-term prognosis.

  19. 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)

  20. Set-up for differential manometers testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ratushnyj, M.I.; Galkin, Yu.V.; Nechaj, A.G.

    1985-01-01

    Set-up characteristic for controlling and testing metrological characteristics of TPP and NPP differential manometers with extreme pressure drop upto 250 kPa is briefly described. The set-up provides with automatic and manual assignment of values of gauge air pressure with errors of 0.1 and 0.25% correspondingly. The set-up is supplied with standard equipment to measure output signals. Set-up supply is carried out by a one-phase alternating current circuit with 220 V. Air supply is carried out by O.4-0.6 MPa. pressure of a pneumatic system. Application of the set-up increases operating efficiency 5 times while checking and turning differential manometers

  1. 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

  2. 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.

  3. Eurados trial performance test for personal dosemeters for external beta radiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, P.; Bordy, J.M.; Ambrosi, P.

    2001-01-01

    On the initiative of the European Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) action group 'Harmonisation and Dosimetric Quality Assurance in Individual Monitoring for External Radiation' a trial performance test for whole-body and extremity personal dosemeters broadly representative of those in use in the EU...... the results obtained from the exercise. In particular, based on the replies to a questionnaire issued to each participant, the results are analysed in relation to important design characteristics of the dosemeters taking part in the test....

  4. A proposed approach for the derivation of a system transfer function by the use of an external network

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guppy, C B [Control and Instrumentation Division, Atomic Energy Establishment, Winfrith, Dorchester, Dorset (United Kingdom)

    1961-10-15

    This report outlines a method which might have some application for Transfer Function analysis of a given system. It consists of using the system itself in a general external feed-back, feed-forward circuit. The coefficients of the external circuit are set up one at a time to produce recognisable steady states at the output terminals of the external circuit. In effect step by step neutralisation of the system under test is achieved in the external circuit by setting up the inverse transfer function. (author)

  5. A proposed approach for the derivation of a system transfer function by the use of an external network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guppy, C.B.

    1961-10-01

    This report outlines a method which might have some application for Transfer Function analysis of a given system. It consists of using the system itself in a general external feed-back, feed-forward circuit. The coefficients of the external circuit are set up one at a time to produce recognisable steady states at the output terminals of the external circuit. In effect step by step neutralisation of the system under test is achieved in the external circuit by setting up the inverse transfer function. (author)

  6. Measurement protocols for performance testing of dosimetry services for external radiations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    In the Health and Safety Executive's ''Requirements for the Approval of Dosimetry Services under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985'', it is stipulated that dosimetry services seeking approval must show that they have successfully completed a performance test. The services must arrange for the tests to be carried out on application and thereafter every 18 months, by a laboratory which has received accreditation from the National Measurement Accreditation Service (NAMAS) for the whole performance testing activity. The performance tests must be carried out to published protocols and the purpose here is to provide protocols for external, whole body film and TLD dosimetry services, and for skin and extremity dosimetry services. (Author)

  7. Finite test sets development method for test execution of safety critical software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Sung Min; Kim, Hee Eun; Kang, Hyun Gook; Lee, Sung Jiun

    2014-01-01

    The V and V method has been utilized for this safety critical software, while SRGM has difficulties because of lack of failure occurrence data on developing phase. For the safety critical software, however, failure data cannot be gathered after installation in real plant when we consider the severe consequence. Therefore, to complement the V and V method, the test-based method need to be developed. Some studies on test-based reliability quantification method for safety critical software have been conducted in nuclear field. These studies provide useful guidance on generating test sets. An important concept of the guidance is that the test sets represent 'trajectories' (a series of successive values for the input variables of a program that occur during the operation of the software over time) in the space of inputs to the software.. Actually, the inputs to the software depends on the state of plant at that time, and these inputs form a new internal state of the software by changing values of some variables. In other words, internal state of the software at specific timing depends on the history of past inputs. Here the internal state of the software which can be changed by past inputs is named as Context of Software (CoS). In a certain CoS, a software failure occurs when a fault is triggered by some inputs. To cover the failure occurrence mechanism of a software, preceding researches insist that the inputs should be a trajectory form. However, in this approach, there are two critical problems. One is the length of the trajectory input. Input trajectory should long enough to cover failure mechanism, but the enough length is not clear. What is worse, to cover some accident scenario, one set of input should represent dozen hours of successive values. The other problem is number of tests needed. To satisfy a target reliability with reasonable confidence level, very large number of test sets are required. Development of this number of test sets is a herculean

  8. External Insect Morphology: A Negative Factor in Attitudes toward Insects and Likelihood of Incorporation in Future Science Education Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagler, Ron; Wagler, Amy

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated if the external morphology of an insect had a negative effect on United States (US) preservice elementary teacher's attitudes toward insects and beliefs concerning the likelihood of incorporating insects into future science education settings. 270 US kindergarten through sixth grade preservice elementary teachers…

  9. 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.

  10. Parental Perceptions of Child Care Quality in Centre-Based and Home-Based Settings: Associations with External Quality Ratings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehrer, Joanne S.; Lemay, Lise; Bigras, Nathalie

    2015-01-01

    The current study examined how parental perceptions of child care quality were related to external quality ratings and considered how parental perceptions of quality varied according to child care context (home-based or centre-based settings). Parents of 179 4-year-old children who attended child care centres (n = 141) and home-based settings…

  11. Tolerance measurements on internal- and external-hexagon implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braian, Michael; De Bruyn, Hugo; Fransson, Håkan; Christersson, Cecilia; Wennerberg, Ann

    2014-01-01

    To measure the horizontal machining tolerances of the interface between internal- and external-hexagon implants and analogs with corresponding components after delivery from the manufacturer. These values may be a valuable tool for evaluating increasing misfit caused by fabrication, processing, and wear. Seven implants and seven analogs with external- and internal-hexagon connections (Biomet 3i) with corresponding prefabricated gold cylinders and gold screws, prefabricated cylindric plastic cylinders, and laboratory screws were studied. One set of components from the external and internal groups was measured manually and digitally. Measurements from the test subjects were compared with identical measurements from the virtual model to obtain threshold values. The virtual model was then used to obtain optimally oriented cuts. The horizontal machining tolerances for castable plastic abutments on external implants were 12 ± 89 μm, and for internal implants they were 86 ± 47 μm. Tolerance measurements on prefabricated gold abutments for external implants were 44 ± 9 μm, and for internal implants they were 58 ± 28 μm. The groups with metallic components showed the smallest tolerance at external group and internal group. The prefabricated plastic cylinder groups ranged from external and internal connection.

  12. Doses from external irradiation to Marshall Islanders from Bikini and Enewetak nuclear weapons tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouville, André; Beck, Harold L; Simon, Steven L

    2010-08-01

    Annual doses from external irradiation resulting from exposure to fallout from the 65 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted in the Marshall Islands at Bikini and Enewetak between 1946 and 1958 have been estimated for the first time for Marshallese living on all inhabited atolls. All tests that deposited fallout on any of the 23 inhabited atolls or separate reef islands have been considered. The methodology used to estimate the radiation doses at the inhabited atolls is based on test- and location-specific radiation survey data, deposition density estimates of 137Cs, and fallout times-of-arrival provided in a companion paper (Beck et al.), combined with information on the radionuclide composition of the fallout at various times after each test. These estimates of doses from external irradiation have been combined with corresponding estimates of doses from internal irradiation, given in a companion paper (Simon et al.), to assess the cancer risks among the Marshallese population (Land et al.) resulting from exposure to radiation from the nuclear weapons tests.

  13. Testing the External Effect of Household Behavior: The Case of the Demand for Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hongbin; Zhang, Junsen

    2009-01-01

    This paper tests the external effect of household childbearing behavior by drawing on microfertility data from China. The test is executed by regressing one woman's fertility on the average fertility of neighboring women. China's unique affirmative birth control policy provides us with quasi-experimental fertility variation that facilities…

  14. The impact of crowd noise on officiating in Muay Thai: achieving external validity in an experimental setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tony D Myers

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Numerous factors have been proposed to explain the home advantage in sport. Several authors have suggested that a partisan home crowd enhances home advantage and that this is at least in part a consequence of their influence on officiating. However, while experimental studies examining this phenomenon have high levels of internal validity (since only the ‘crowd noise’ intervention is allowed to vary, they suffer from a lack of external validity, with decision-making in a laboratory setting typically bearing little resemblance to decision-making in live sports settings. Conversely, observational and quasi-experimental studies with high levels of external validity suffer from low levels of internal validity as countless factors besides crowd noise vary. The present study provides a unique opportunity to address these criticisms, by conducting a controlled experiment on the impact of crowd noise on officiating in a live tournament setting. Seventeen qualified judges officiated on thirty Thai boxing bouts in a live international tournament setting featuring ‘home’ and ‘away’ boxers. In each bout, judges were randomised into a ‘noise’ (live sound or ‘no crowd noise’ (noise cancelling headphones and white noise condition, resulting in 59 judgements in the ‘no crowd noise’ and 61 in the ‘crowd noise’ condition. The results provide the first experimental evidence of the impact of live crowd noise on officials in sport. A cross-classified statistical model indicated that crowd noise had a statistically significant impact, equating to just over half a point per bout (in the context of five round bouts with the ‘ten point must’ scoring system shared with professional boxing. The practical significance of the findings, their implications for officiating and for the future conduct of crowd noise studies are discussed.

  15. The impact of crowd noise on officiating in muay thai: achieving external validity in an experimental setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Tony; Balmer, Nigel

    2012-01-01

    Numerous factors have been proposed to explain the home advantage in sport. Several authors have suggested that a partisan home crowd enhances home advantage and that this is at least in part a consequence of their influence on officiating. However, while experimental studies examining this phenomenon have high levels of internal validity (since only the "crowd noise" intervention is allowed to vary), they suffer from a lack of external validity, with decision-making in a laboratory setting typically bearing little resemblance to decision-making in live sports settings. Conversely, observational and quasi-experimental studies with high levels of external validity suffer from low levels of internal validity as countless factors besides crowd noise vary. The present study provides a unique opportunity to address these criticisms, by conducting a controlled experiment on the impact of crowd noise on officiating in a live tournament setting. Seventeen qualified judges officiated on thirty Thai boxing bouts in a live international tournament setting featuring "home" and "away" boxers. In each bout, judges were randomized into a "noise" (live sound) or "no crowd noise" (noise-canceling headphones and white noise) condition, resulting in 59 judgments in the "no crowd noise" and 61 in the "crowd noise" condition. The results provide the first experimental evidence of the impact of live crowd noise on officials in sport. A cross-classified statistical model indicated that crowd noise had a statistically significant impact, equating to just over half a point per bout (in the context of five round bouts with the "10-point must" scoring system shared with professional boxing). The practical significance of the findings, their implications for officiating and for the future conduct of crowd noise studies are discussed.

  16. A standardization of the physical tests for external irradiation measuring detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-05-01

    This report is the result of a standardization work, realized within the Radioprotection Services of the A.E.C., of the physical tests for dectors measuring external irradiations. Among the various tests mentionned, calibration and the establishment of the relative spectral response are treated in details. As far as calibration is concerned, the standardization refers to: the reference detector, the reference radiation source, the installation and calibration procedure. As for the relative spectral response the standardization refers to: the reference detector, the radiation sources to be used. High flux detectors and those for pulse electromagnetic radiations are also dealt with [fr

  17. Assessment on separate effect tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernard, M.; Kukita, Y.; Renault, C.

    1985-01-01

    In the general frame of Cathare assessment this operation is aimed to qualify the set of constitutive laws by reconstitution of experimental tests. The experimental tests are selected following 2 objectives: to be able to qualify separately (as far as possible) the constitutive laws, and, to cover the entire parameter range which is of interest for safety studies. This selection has led to a set of 135 separate effect tests taken from 15 experimental facilities and which can be arranged in 3 main categories: Adiabatic flow tests, without significant external heat exchange; non adiabatic flow tests, in which external heating or cooling is applied to the test section but not being driven by wall heat exchange; and, heat transfer tests, in which wall heat transfer plays the dominant role

  18. Test set of gaseous analytes at Hanford tank farms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    DOE has stored toxic and radioactive waste materials in large underground tanks. When the vapors in the tank headspaces vent to the open atmosphere a potentially dangerous situation can occur for personnel in the area. An open-path atmospheric pollution monitor is being developed to monitor the open air space above these tanks. In developing this infrared spectra monitor as a safety alert instrument, it is important to know what hazardous gases, called the Analytes of Concern, are most likely to be found in dangerous concentrations. The monitor must consider other gases which could interfere with measurements of the Analytes of Concern. The total list of gases called the Test Set Analytes form the basis for testing the pollution monitor. Prior measurements in 54 tank headspaces have detected 102 toxic air pollutants (TAPs) and over 1000 other analytes. The hazardous Analytes are ranked herein by a Hazardous Atmosphere Rating which combines their measured concentration, their density relative to air, and the concentration at which they become dangerous. The top 20 toxic air pollutants, as ranked by the Hazardous Atmosphere Rating, and the top 20 other analytes, in terms of measured concentrations, are analyzed for possible inclusion in the Test Set Analytes. Of these 40 gases, 20 are selected. To these 20 gases are added the 6 omnipresent atmospheric gases with the highest concentrations, since their spectra could interfere with measurements of the other spectra. The 26 Test Set Analytes are divided into a Primary Set and a Secondary Set. The Primary Set, gases which must be detectable by the monitor, includes the 6 atmospheric gases and the 6 hazardous gases which have been measured at dangerous concentrations. The Secondary Set gases need not be monitored at this time. The infrared spectra indicates that the pollution monitor will detect all 26 Test Set Analytes by thermal emission and will detect 15 Test Set Analytes by laser absorption

  19. Automotive RF immunity test set-up analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Coenen, M.J.; Pues, H.; Bousquet, T.; Gillon, R.; Gielen, G.; Baric, A.

    2011-01-01

    Though the automotive RF emission and RF immunity requirements are highly justifiable, the application of those requirements in an non-intended manner leads to false conclusions and unnecessary redesigns for the electronics involved. When the test results become too dependent upon the test set-up

  20. 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

  1. Ideas for Testing of Planetary Gear Sets of Automotive Transmissions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Achtenová Gabriela

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the concept of modular stand, where is possible to provide tests of gear pairs with fixed axes from mechanical automotive gearboxes, as well as tests of separate planetary sets from automatic gearboxes. Special attention in the article will be paid to the variant dedicated for testing of planetary gear sets. This variant is particularly interesting because: 1 it is rarely described in the literature, and 2 this topology allows big simplification with respect to testing of standard gearwheels. In the planetary closed-loop stand it is possible to directly link two identical planetary sets. Without any bracing flange or other connecting clutches, shafts or gear sets, just two planetary sets face-to-face will be assembled and connected to the electric motor.

  2. Preselecting Well Test Interpretation Models Using External Data Présélection de modèles d'interprétation de tests de puits par l'utilisation de données externes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harrison I.

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available The first stage in interpreting a well test is concerned with identifying a well test interpretation (WTI model for the reservoir that is consistent with all the known data and whose theoretical output response is qualitatively similar to the actual well test response. Conventionally, engineers identify WTI models by using WTI software to plot functions of well test pressure against time and then diagnose components of WTI models from their characteristic curve signatures, together with evidence from external (geological and engineering data. This paper focuses on the use of external data for preselecting WTI models, which can then be verified using conventional well test analysis techniques. The KADS methodology for developing knowledge based systems (KBS was adopted and the inference layer structure for the WTI model preselection task was derived. The WTI model preselection task will form one part of a KBS for well test interpretation, SPIRIT, being developed jointly by Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute and Heriot-Watt University. La première étape dans l'interprétation d'un test de puits est celle de l'identification d'un modèle d'interprétation (WTI pour le réservoir, qui soit en accord avec l'ensemble des données connues, et dont la sortie théorique est qualitativement semblable à celle du puits testé. Pour ceci, les ingénieurs de réservoir utilisent habituellement des logiciels WTI qui calculent et tracent la pression de test de puits en fonction du temps. Cela leur permet de diagnostiquer les composantes des modèles WTI à partir de leurs signatures caractéristiques, le diagnostic étant complété par la prise en compte d'informations externes, de géologie ou d'ingénierie. Cet article est consacré à l'utilisation de données externes pour la préselection des modèles WTI, modèles qui peuvent être ensuite validés au moyen de techniques classiques d'analyse de tests de puits. La méthodologie de d

  3. P-union and P-intersection of neutrosophic cubic sets

    OpenAIRE

    Florentin Smarandache; Chang Su Kim

    2015-01-01

    Conditions for the P-intersection and P-intersection of falsity-external (resp. indeterminacy-external and truth-external) neutrosophic cubic sets to be an falsity-external (resp. indeterminacy-external and truth- external) neutrosophic cubic set are provided. Conditions for the P-union and the P-intersection of two truth-external (resp. indeterminacy-external and falsity-external) neutrosophic cubic sets to be a truth-internal (resp. indeterminacy-internal and falsity-internal) neutrosoph...

  4. Integrative set enrichment testing for multiple omics platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Poisson Laila M

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Enrichment testing assesses the overall evidence of differential expression behavior of the elements within a defined set. When we have measured many molecular aspects, e.g. gene expression, metabolites, proteins, it is desirable to assess their differential tendencies jointly across platforms using an integrated set enrichment test. In this work we explore the properties of several methods for performing a combined enrichment test using gene expression and metabolomics as the motivating platforms. Results Using two simulation models we explored the properties of several enrichment methods including two novel methods: the logistic regression 2-degree of freedom Wald test and the 2-dimensional permutation p-value for the sum-of-squared statistics test. In relation to their univariate counterparts we find that the joint tests can improve our ability to detect results that are marginal univariately. We also find that joint tests improve the ranking of associated pathways compared to their univariate counterparts. However, there is a risk of Type I error inflation with some methods and self-contained methods lose specificity when the sets are not representative of underlying association. Conclusions In this work we show that consideration of data from multiple platforms, in conjunction with summarization via a priori pathway information, leads to increased power in detection of genomic associations with phenotypes.

  5. A normalization of the physical tests for external irradiation measuring detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-05-01

    This report is the result of a normalization work, realized within the Radioprotection Services of the C.E.A., of the physical tests for detectors measuring external irradiation. Among the various tests mentionned are treated more in details, calibration and the establishment of the relative spectral response. As far as calibration is concerned, the normalization refers to: the reference detector, the reference radiation source, the installation and calibration procedure. As for the relative spectral response the normalization refers to: the reference detector, the radiation sources to be used. Finally, a chapter is consecrated to the high flux detectors and to those for pulsed electromagnetic radiations [fr

  6. Hip abduction strength training in the clinical setting: with or without external loading?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorborg, Kristian; Bandholm, T; Petersen, Jesper

    2010-01-01

    only the weight of the leg as resistance, whereas training with external loading was performed with a relative load corresponding to 10 repetition maximum. Hip abduction strength was measured pre- and post-intervention. Isometric and eccentric hip abduction strength of the trained leg increased after......The side-lying hip abduction exercise is one of the most commonly used exercises in rehabilitation to increase hip abduction strength, and is often performed without external loading. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 6 weeks of side-lying hip abduction training, with and without...... external loading, on hip abduction strength in healthy subjects. Thirty-one healthy, physically active men and women were included in a randomised controlled trial and allocated to side-lying hip abduction training, with or without external loading. Training without external loading was performed using...

  7. A Test Set for stiff Initial Value Problem Solvers in the open source software R: Package deTestSet

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mazzia, F.; Cash, J.R.; Soetaert, K.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we present the R package deTestSet that includes challenging test problems written as ordinary differential equations (ODEs), differential algebraic equations (DAEs) of index up to 3 and implicit differential equations (IDES). In addition it includes 6 new codes to solve initial value

  8. Finite test sets development method for test execution of safety critical software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Bordany Ayman; Yun, Won Young

    2014-01-01

    It reads inputs, computes new states, and updates output for each scan cycle. Korea Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System (KNICS) has recently developed a fully digitalized Reactor Protection System (RPS) based on PLD. As a digital system, this RPS is equipped with a dedicated software. The Reliability of this software is crucial to NPPs safety where its malfunction may cause irreversible consequences and affect the whole system as a Common Cause Failure (CCF). To guarantee the reliability of the whole system, the reliability of this software needs to be quantified. There are three representative methods for software reliability quantification, namely the Verification and Validation (V and V) quality-based method, the Software Reliability Growth Model (SRGM), and the test-based method. An important concept of the guidance is that the test sets represent 'trajectories' (a series of successive values for the input variables of a program that occur during the operation of the software over time) in the space of inputs to the software.. Actually, the inputs to the software depends on the state of plant at that time, and these inputs form a new internal state of the software by changing values of some variables. In other words, internal state of the software at specific timing depends on the history of past inputs. Here the internal state of the software which can be changed by past inputs is named as Context of Software (CoS). In a certain CoS, a software failure occurs when a fault is triggered by some inputs. To cover the failure occurrence mechanism of a software, preceding researches insist that the inputs should be a trajectory form. However, in this approach, there are two critical problems. One is the length of the trajectory input. Input trajectory should long enough to cover failure mechanism, but the enough length is not clear. What is worse, to cover some accident scenario, one set of input should represent dozen hours of successive values

  9. Towards a Classification of Architecture Initiatives: Outlining the External Factors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Christian Lindschou; Mortensen, Niels Henrik; Hvam, Lars

    2012-01-01

    or bad, without including the contextual differences. The purpose of the external factors is to improve scoping and goal setting of architecture initiatives, and improve comparability between- and transferability of knowledge from architecture initiatives. The external factors are a first step towards......This paper introduced a set of external factors capturing the contextual differences that set the stage for architecture initiatives. These are derived from a systems theoretical approach recognizing the fact that architecture initiatives should respond the challenges posed by the external...

  10. Performance Targets and External Market Prices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Allan; Friis, Ivar; Vámosi, Tamás S.

    2012-01-01

    the implementation of external market information in target setting – well known in transfer pricing, relative performance evaluation, beyond budgeting, target costing, piece rates systems and value based management – relate to challenging motivation and information problem. The analysis and discussion of those...... problems, in particular those related to accounting for the internal performance (that are going to be compared with the external target), calculating the ‘inside’ costs and defining controllability, contributes to the management accounting as well as the piece-rate literature.......In this paper we explore the processes of ‘bringing the market inside the firm’ to set performance targets and benchmark production workers productivity. We analyze attempts to use external suppliers’ bids in target setting in a Danish manufacturing company. The case study illustrates how...

  11. External quality assessment for KRAS testing is needed: setup of a European program and report of the first joined regional quality assessment rounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bellon, Ellen; Ligtenberg, Marjolijn J L; Tejpar, Sabine

    2011-01-01

    . In an effort to ensure optimal, uniform, and reliable community-based KRAS testing throughout Europe, a KRAS external quality assessment (EQA) scheme was set up. The first large assessment round included 59 laboratories from eight different European countries. For each country, one regional scheme organizer...... expand this program to more laboratories to provide a robust estimate of the quality of KRAS testing in Europe, and provide the basis for remedial measures and harmonization....... prepared and distributed the samples for the participants of their own country. The samples included unstained sections of 10 invasive colorectal carcinomas with known KRAS mutation status. The samples were centrally validated by one of two reference laboratories. The laboratories were allowed to use...

  12. Testing the statistical compatibility of independent data sets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maltoni, M.; Schwetz, T.

    2003-01-01

    We discuss a goodness-of-fit method which tests the compatibility between statistically independent data sets. The method gives sensible results even in cases where the χ 2 minima of the individual data sets are very low or when several parameters are fitted to a large number of data points. In particular, it avoids the problem that a possible disagreement between data sets becomes diluted by data points which are insensitive to the crucial parameters. A formal derivation of the probability distribution function for the proposed test statistics is given, based on standard theorems of statistics. The application of the method is illustrated on data from neutrino oscillation experiments, and its complementarity to the standard goodness-of-fit is discussed

  13. Urine specimen validity test for drug abuse testing in workplace and court settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Shin-Yu; Lee, Hei-Hwa; Lee, Jong-Feng; Chen, Bai-Hsiun

    2018-01-01

    In recent decades, urine drug testing in the workplace has become common in many countries in the world. There have been several studies concerning the use of the urine specimen validity test (SVT) for drug abuse testing administered in the workplace. However, very little data exists concerning the urine SVT on drug abuse tests from court specimens, including dilute, substituted, adulterated, and invalid tests. We investigated 21,696 submitted urine drug test samples for SVT from workplace and court settings in southern Taiwan over 5 years. All immunoassay screen-positive urine specimen drug tests were confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. We found that the mean 5-year prevalence of tampering (dilute, substituted, or invalid tests) in urine specimens from the workplace and court settings were 1.09% and 3.81%, respectively. The mean 5-year percentage of dilute, substituted, and invalid urine specimens from the workplace were 89.2%, 6.8%, and 4.1%, respectively. The mean 5-year percentage of dilute, substituted, and invalid urine specimens from the court were 94.8%, 1.4%, and 3.8%, respectively. No adulterated cases were found among the workplace or court samples. The most common drug identified from the workplace specimens was amphetamine, followed by opiates. The most common drug identified from the court specimens was ketamine, followed by amphetamine. We suggest that all urine specimens taken for drug testing from both the workplace and court settings need to be tested for validity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Construed external image and organizational identification: a test of the moderating influence of need for self-esteem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuller, J Bryan; Marler, Laura; Hester, Kim; Frey, Len; Relyea, Clint

    2006-12-01

    According to Social Identity Theory (cf., J. G. March & H. A. Simon, 1958), individuals tend to identify with prestigious or high-status groups. Researchers (J. E. Dutton, J. M. Dukerich, & C. V. Harquail, 1994) have revealed that organizational members also identify with organizations that have attractive public images. To gain a better understanding of the theoretical reasons underlying the relationship between image and identification in organizations, the authors examined this relationship in a healthcare setting. In addition, they investigated need for esteem as a moderator of the relationship between construed external image and organizational identification. Consistent with previous findings, the present results indicated that construed external image is positively related to organizational identification. Perhaps it is more important that the present findings also supported need for esteem as a moderator of the relationship between construed external image and organizational identification.

  15. Staged-Fault Testing of Distance Protection Relay Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havelka, J.; Malarić, R.; Frlan, K.

    2012-01-01

    In order to analyze the operation of the protection system during induced fault testing in the Croatian power system, a simulation using the CAPE software has been performed. The CAPE software (Computer-Aided Protection Engineering) is expert software intended primarily for relay protection engineers, which calculates current and voltage values during faults in the power system, so that relay protection devices can be properly set up. Once the accuracy of the simulation model had been confirmed, a series of simulations were performed in order to obtain the optimal fault location to test the protection system. The simulation results were used to specify the test sequence definitions for the end-to-end relay testing using advanced testing equipment with GPS synchronization for secondary injection in protection schemes based on communication. The objective of the end-to-end testing was to perform field validation of the protection settings, including verification of the circuit breaker operation, telecommunication channel time and the effectiveness of the relay algorithms. Once the end-to-end secondary injection testing had been completed, the induced fault testing was performed with three-end lines loaded and in service. This paper describes and analyses the test procedure, consisting of CAPE simulations, end-to-end test with advanced secondary equipment and staged-fault test of a three-end power line in the Croatian transmission system.

  16. External event analysis methods for NUREG-1150

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bohn, M.P.; Lambright, J.A.

    1989-01-01

    The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sponsoring probabilistic risk assessments of six operating commercial nuclear power plants as part of a major update of the understanding of risk as provided by the original WASH-1400 risk assessments. In contrast to the WASH-1400 studies, at least two of the NUREG-1150 risk assessments will include an analysis of risks due to earthquakes, fires, floods, etc., which are collectively known as eternal events. This paper summarizes the methods to be used in the external event analysis for NUREG-1150 and the results obtained to date. The two plants for which external events are being considered are Surry and Peach Bottom, a PWR and BWR respectively. The external event analyses (through core damage frequency calculations) were completed in June 1989, with final documentation available in September. In contrast to most past external event analyses, wherein rudimentary systems models were developed reflecting each external event under consideration, the simplified NUREG-1150 analyses are based on the availability of the full internal event PRA systems models (event trees and fault trees) and make use of extensive computer-aided screening to reduce them to sequence cut sets important to each external event. This provides two major advantages in that consistency and scrutability with respect to the internal event analysis is achieved, and the full gamut of random and test/maintenance unavailabilities are automatically included, while only those probabilistically important survive the screening process. Thus, full benefit of the internal event analysis is obtained by performing the internal and external event analyses sequentially

  17. External Debt and Economic Growth: Evidence from Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lawal Isola Adedoyin

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The study examined the impact of external debt on economic growth in Nigeria for the period 1981-2014 based on annual data sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN Statistical Bulletin (various issues and abstract of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS. The researcher examined the existence of Co-integration among the underlying variables using Auto-regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL model after conducting preliminary statistical test to ascertain the normality of the variables as well as stationary of the data set using descriptive and unit root tests. The result of the ARDL test shows that a significant relationship exists between external debt and economic growth both at the long and short run. The study also examined the causality among the variables using Granger causality test and observed that no causality exist among the variables. The study therefore recommends that government should ensure that loans obtained are used to finance profitable projects that would generate reasonable amount of revenue to service the debts and also adequate record of debt payment obligations should be kept and debt should not be allowed to exceed a maximum limit in order to prevent debt overhang.

  18. External influences and priority-setting for anti-cancer agents: a case study of media coverage in adjuvant trastuzumab for breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fralick John

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Setting priorities for the funding of new anti-cancer agents is becoming increasingly complex. The funding of adjuvant trastuzumab for breast cancer has brought this dilemma to the fore. In this paper we review external factors that may influence decision-making bodies and present a case study of media response in Ontario, Canada to adjuvant trastuzumab for breast cancer. Methods A comprehensive search of the databases of Canadian national and local newspapers and television was performed. Articles pertaining to trastuzumab in adjuvant breast cancer as well as 17 other anti-cancer drugs and indications were retrieved. The search period was from the date when individual trial results were announced to the date funding was made available in Ontario. Results During the 2.6 months between the release of the trastuzumab results to funding approval in Ontario, we identified 51 episodes of media coverage. For the 17 other drugs/indications (7 breast and 10 non-breast, the median time to funding approval was 31 months (range 14–46. Other recent major advances in oncology such as adjuvant vinorelbine/cisplatin for resected NSCLC and docetaxel for advanced prostate cancer received considerably less media attention (17 media reports for each than trastuzumab. The median number of media reports for breast cancer drugs was 4.5 compared to 2.5 for non-breast cancer drugs (p = 0.56. Conclusion Priority-setting for novel anti-cancer agents is a complex process that tries to ensure fair use of constrained resources to fund therapies with the best evidence of clinical benefit. However, this process is subject to external factors including the influence of media, patient advocates, politicians, and industry. The data in this case study serve to illustrate the significant involvement one (or all of these external factors may play in the debate over priority-setting.

  19. S.E.T., CSNI Separate Effects Test Facility Validation Matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    1 - Description of test facility: The SET matrix of experiments is suitable for the developmental assessment of thermal-hydraulics transient system computer codes by selecting individual tests from selected facilities, relevant to each phenomena. Test facilities differ from one another in geometrical dimensions, geometrical configuration and operating capabilities or conditions. Correlation between SET facility and phenomena were calculated on the basis of suitability for model validation (which means that a facility is designed in such a way as to stimulate the phenomena assumed to occur in a plant and is sufficiently instrumented); limited suitability for model variation (which means that a facility is designed in such a way as to stimulate the phenomena assumed to occur in a plant but has problems associated with imperfect scaling, different test fluids or insufficient instrumentation); and unsuitability for model validation. 2 - Description of test: Whereas integral experiments are usually designed to follow the behaviour of a reactor system in various off-normal or accident transients, separate effects tests focus on the behaviour of a single component, or on the characteristics of one thermal-hydraulic phenomenon. The construction of a separate effects test matrix is an attempt to collect together the best sets of openly available test data for code validation, assessment and improvement, from the wide range of experiments that have been carried out world-wide in the field of thermal hydraulics. In all, 2094 tests are included in the SET matrix

  20. An Independent Filter for Gene Set Testing Based on Spectral Enrichment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Frost, H Robert; Li, Zhigang; Asselbergs, Folkert W; Moore, Jason H

    2015-01-01

    Gene set testing has become an indispensable tool for the analysis of high-dimensional genomic data. An important motivation for testing gene sets, rather than individual genomic variables, is to improve statistical power by reducing the number of tested hypotheses. Given the dramatic growth in

  1. Portland, Oregon Test Data Set Arterial Loop Detector Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Transportation — This set of data files was acquired under USDOT FHWA cooperative agreement DTFH61-11-H-00025 as one of the four test data sets acquired by the USDOT Data Capture and...

  2. Portland, Oregon Test Data Set Freeway Loop Detector Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Transportation — This set of data files was acquired under USDOT FHWA cooperative agreement DTFH61-11-H-00025 as one of the four test data sets acquired by the USDOT Data Capture and...

  3. 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.

  4. Fetomaternal hemorrhage during external cephalic version.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boucher, Marc; Marquette, Gerald P; Varin, Jocelyne; Champagne, Josette; Bujold, Emmanuel

    2008-07-01

    To estimate the frequency and volume of fetomaternal hemorrhage during external cephalic version for term breech singleton fetuses and to identify risk factors involved with this complication. A prospective observational study was performed including all patients undergoing a trial of external cephalic version for a breech presentation of at least 36 weeks of gestation between 1987 and 2001 in our center. A search for fetal erythrocytes using the standard Kleihauer-Betke test was obtained before and after each external cephalic version. The frequency and volume of fetomaternal hemorrhage were calculated. Putative risk factors for fetomaternal hemorrhage were evaluated by chi(2) test and Mann-Whitney U test. A Kleihauer-Betke test result was available before and after 1,311 trials of external cephalic version. The Kleihauer-Betke test was positive in 67 (5.1%) before the procedure. Of the 1,244 women with a negative Kleihauer-Betke test before external cephalic version, 30 (2.4%) had a positive Kleihauer-Betke test after the procedure. Ten (0.8%) had an estimated fetomaternal hemorrhage greater than 1 mL, and one (0.08%) had an estimated fetomaternal hemorrhage greater than 30 mL. The risk of fetomaternal hemorrhage was not influenced by parity, gestational age, body mass index, number of attempts at version, placental location, or amniotic fluid index. The risk of detectable fetomaternal hemorrhage during external cephalic version was 2.4%, with fetomaternal hemorrhage more than 30 mL in less than 0.1% of cases. These data suggest that the performance of a Kleihauer-Betke test is unwarranted in uneventful external cephalic version and that in Rh-negative women, no further Rh immune globulin is necessary other than the routine 300-microgram dose at 28 weeks of gestation and postpartum. II.

  5. Wind power externalities: A meta-analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mattmann, M.; Logar, I.; Brouwer, R.

    2016-01-01

    This study presents the first quantitative meta-analysis of the non-market valuation literature on the external effects associated with wind power production. A data set of 60 observations drawn from 32 studies is constructed. The relative economic values of different types of externalities as well

  6. Automotive RF immunity test set-up analysis : why test results can't compare

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Coenen, Mart; Pues, H.; Bousquet, T.

    2011-01-01

    Though the automotive RF emission and RF immunity requirements are highly justifiable, the application of those requirements in an non-intended manner leads to false conclusions and unnecessary redesigns for the electronics involved. When the test results become too dependent upon the test set-up

  7. Development of a grinding-specific performance test set-up

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, C. G.; Larsen, B. H.; Andresen, E. L.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a performance test set-up for America's Cup grinders. The test set-up had to mimic the on-boat grinding activity and be capable of collecting data for analysis and evaluation of grinding performance. This study included a literature-based analysis of grinding...... demands and a test protocol developed to accommodate the necessary physiological loads. This study resulted in a test protocol consisting of 10 intervals of 20 revolutions each interspersed with active resting periods of 50 s. The 20 revolutions are a combination of both forward and backward grinding...... and an exponentially rising resistance. A custom-made grinding ergometer was developed with computer-controlled resistance and capable of collecting data during the test. The data collected can be used to find measures of grinding performance such as peak power, time to complete and the decline in repeated grinding...

  8. Development of a grinding-specific performance test set-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olesen, C G; Larsen, B H; Andresen, E L; de Zee, M

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a performance test set-up for America's Cup grinders. The test set-up had to mimic the on-boat grinding activity and be capable of collecting data for analysis and evaluation of grinding performance. This study included a literature-based analysis of grinding demands and a test protocol developed to accommodate the necessary physiological loads. This study resulted in a test protocol consisting of 10 intervals of 20 revolutions each interspersed with active resting periods of 50 s. The 20 revolutions are a combination of both forward and backward grinding and an exponentially rising resistance. A custom-made grinding ergometer was developed with computer-controlled resistance and capable of collecting data during the test. The data collected can be used to find measures of grinding performance such as peak power, time to complete and the decline in repeated grinding performance.

  9. Testing external surface of fuel element tubes for power nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naugol'nykh, O.G.; Nelyubin, Yu.V.

    1987-01-01

    Optical methods are regarded perspective for discovery and detection of flaws of external surfaces of fuel element tubes. The TV method has highest information content among them. Two mock-ups of facilities based on the TV method using a ''dissector'' type TV device and a TV tube with charge accumulation (vidikon) have been developed. It is concluded that complex testing - combination of ultrasonic, photoelectric and TV methods in a facility is necessary for discovery and analysis of the whole variety of flaws, though sensitivity of the TV method is enough for disclosure of all the main defects

  10. Model of external exposure of population living in the areas subjected to radioactive contamination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golikov, V.Yu.; Balonov, M.I.

    2002-01-01

    In the paper, we formulated the general approach to assessment of external doses to population living in contaminated areas (the model equation and the set of parameters). The model parameters were assessed on the basis of results of monitoring in the environment, phantom experiments, and social and demographic information obtained on the contaminated areas. Verification of model assessments performed by comparison with measurement results of individual external doses in inhabitants within the thermoluminescent dosimetry method have shown that differences in dose assessments within both methods does not exceed 1.5 times at a confidence level of 95%. In the paper, we present the results illustrating specific features of external dose formation in population living in the areas of Russia subjected to radioactive contamination due to nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site, radioactive releases from the Mayak enterprise, and the Chernobyl accident. (author)

  11. Higher quality of molecular testing, an unfulfilled priority: Results from external quality assessment for KRAS mutation testing in colorectal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tembuyser, Lien; Ligtenberg, Marjolijn J L; Normanno, Nicola; Delen, Sofie; van Krieken, J Han; Dequeker, Elisabeth M C

    2014-05-01

    Precision medicine is now a key element in clinical oncology. RAS mutational status is a crucial predictor of responsiveness to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agents in metastatic colorectal cancer. In an effort to guarantee high-quality testing services in molecular pathology, the European Society of Pathology has been organizing an annual KRAS external quality assessment program since 2009. In 2012, 10 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples, of which 8 from invasive metastatic colorectal cancer tissue and 2 artificial samples of cell line material, were sent to more than 100 laboratories from 26 countries with a request for routine KRAS testing. Both genotyping and clinical reports were assessed independently. Twenty-seven percent of the participants genotyped at least 1 of 10 samples incorrectly. In total, less than 5% of the distributed specimens were genotyped incorrectly. Genotyping errors consisted of false negatives, false positives, and incorrectly genotyped mutations. Twenty percent of the laboratories reported a technical error for one or more samples. A review of the written reports showed that several essential elements were missing, most notably a clinical interpretation of the test result, the method sensitivity, and the use of a reference sequence. External quality assessment serves as a valuable educational tool in assessing and improving molecular testing quality and is an important asset for monitoring quality assurance upon incorporation of new biomarkers in diagnostic services. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Association for Molecular Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Development and validation of the ExPRESS instrument for primary health care providers' evaluation of external supervision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schriver, Michael; Cubaka, Vincent Kalumire; Vedsted, Peter; Besigye, Innocent; Kallestrup, Per

    2018-01-01

    External supervision of primary health care facilities to monitor and improve services is common in low-income countries. Currently there are no tools to measure the quality of support in external supervision in these countries. To develop a provider-reported instrument to assess the support delivered through external supervision in Rwanda and other countries. "External supervision: Provider Evaluation of Supervisor Support" (ExPRESS) was developed in 18 steps, primarily in Rwanda. Content validity was optimised using systematic search for related instruments, interviews, translations, and relevance assessments by international supervision experts as well as local experts in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Construct validity and reliability were examined in two separate field tests, the first using exploratory factor analysis and a test-retest design, the second for confirmatory factor analysis. We included 16 items in section A ('The most recent experience with an external supervisor'), and 13 items in section B ('The overall experience with external supervisors'). Item-content validity index was acceptable. In field test I, test-retest had acceptable kappa values and exploratory factor analysis suggested relevant factors in sections A and B used for model hypotheses. In field test II, models were tested by confirmatory factor analysis fitting a 4-factor model for section A, and a 3-factor model for section B. ExPRESS is a promising tool for evaluation of the quality of support of primary health care providers in external supervision of primary health care facilities in resource-constrained settings. ExPRESS may be used as specific feedback to external supervisors to help identify and address gaps in the supervision they provide. Further studies should determine optimal interpretation of scores and the number of respondents needed per supervisor to obtain precise results, as well as test the functionality of section B.

  13. Achieving external validity in home advantage research: generalizing crowd noise effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tony D Myers

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Different factors have been postulated to explain the home advantage phenomenon in sport. One plausible explanation investigated has been the influence of a partisan home crowd on sports officials’ decisions. Different types of studies have tested the crowd influence hypothesis including purposefully designed experiments. However, while experimental studies investigating crowd influences have high levels of internal validity, they suffer from a lack of external validity; decision-making in a laboratory setting bearing little resemblance to decision-making in live sports settings. This focused review initially considers threats to external validity in applied and theoretical experimental research. Discussing how such threats can be addressed using representative design by focusing on a recently published study that arguably provides the first experimental evidence of the impact of live crowd noise on officials in sport. The findings of this controlled experiment conducted in a real tournament setting offer some confirmation of the validity of laboratory experimental studies in the area. Finally directions for future research and the future conduct of crowd noise studies are discussed.

  14. Achieving external validity in home advantage research: generalizing crowd noise effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Tony D

    2014-01-01

    Different factors have been postulated to explain the home advantage phenomenon in sport. One plausible explanation investigated has been the influence of a partisan home crowd on sports officials' decisions. Different types of studies have tested the crowd influence hypothesis including purposefully designed experiments. However, while experimental studies investigating crowd influences have high levels of internal validity, they suffer from a lack of external validity; decision-making in a laboratory setting bearing little resemblance to decision-making in live sports settings. This focused review initially considers threats to external validity in applied and theoretical experimental research. Discussing how such threats can be addressed using representative design by focusing on a recently published study that arguably provides the first experimental evidence of the impact of live crowd noise on officials in sport. The findings of this controlled experiment conducted in a real tournament setting offer a level of confirmation of the findings of laboratory studies in the area. Finally directions for future research and the future conduct of crowd noise studies are discussed.

  15. Evaluating Diagnostic Point-of-Care Tests in Resource-Limited Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drain, Paul K; Hyle, Emily P; Noubary, Farzad; Freedberg, Kenneth A; Wilson, Douglas; Bishai, William; Rodriguez, William; Bassett, Ingrid V

    2014-01-01

    Diagnostic point-of-care (POC) testing is intended to minimize the time to obtain a test result, thereby allowing clinicians and patients to make an expeditious clinical decision. As POC tests expand into resource-limited settings (RLS), the benefits must outweigh the costs. To optimize POC testing in RLS, diagnostic POC tests need rigorous evaluations focused on relevant clinical outcomes and operational costs, which differ from evaluations of conventional diagnostic tests. Here, we reviewed published studies on POC testing in RLS, and found no clearly defined metric for the clinical utility of POC testing. Therefore, we propose a framework for evaluating POC tests, and suggest and define the term “test efficacy” to describe a diagnostic test’s capacity to support a clinical decision within its operational context. We also proposed revised criteria for an ideal diagnostic POC test in resource-limited settings. Through systematic evaluations, comparisons between centralized diagnostic testing and novel POC technologies can be more formalized, and health officials can better determine which POC technologies represent valuable additions to their clinical programs. PMID:24332389

  16. Externalities of energy and atomic power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-09-01

    Energy technology ensures not only energy supply but also has great impacts on society and environments. Economical value and effect evaluation alone doesn't mean appropriate so the evaluation of 'externalities' should be appreciated. In order to assess atomic power in this context, the Atomic Energy Society of Japan set up a research committee on 'externalities of energy and atomic power' from April 2002 to March 2006, whose activities were described in this report. In addition to environmental effects and environmental externalities, four areas were newly studied as follows: (1) biological effects of low dose rate exposure and externalities, (2) externalities as social/economical effects including stable supply and security, (3) energy technologies evaluation and (4) social choice and decision-making. (T. Tanaka)

  17. Experimental Implementation of a Kochen-Specker Set of Quantum Tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincenzo D’Ambrosio

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The conflict between classical and quantum physics can be identified through a series of yes-no tests on quantum systems, without it being necessary that these systems be in special quantum states. Kochen-Specker (KS sets of yes-no tests have this property and provide a quantum-versus-classical advantage that is free of the initialization problem that affects some quantum computers. Here, we report the first experimental implementation of a complete KS set that consists of 18 yes-no tests on four-dimensional quantum systems and show how to use the KS set to obtain a state-independent quantum advantage. We first demonstrate the unique power of this KS set for solving a task while avoiding the problem of state initialization. Such a demonstration is done by showing that, for 28 different quantum states encoded in the orbital-angular-momentum and polarization degrees of freedom of single photons, the KS set provides an impossible-to-beat solution. In a second experiment, we generate maximally contextual quantum correlations by performing compatible sequential measurements of the polarization and path of single photons. In this case, state independence is demonstrated for 15 different initial states. Maximum contextuality and state independence follow from the fact that the sequences of measurements project any initial quantum state onto one of the KS set’s eigenstates. Our results show that KS sets can be used for quantum-information processing and quantum computation and pave the way for future developments.

  18. Experimental Implementation of a Kochen-Specker Set of Quantum Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Ambrosio, Vincenzo; Herbauts, Isabelle; Amselem, Elias; Nagali, Eleonora; Bourennane, Mohamed; Sciarrino, Fabio; Cabello, Adán

    2013-01-01

    The conflict between classical and quantum physics can be identified through a series of yes-no tests on quantum systems, without it being necessary that these systems be in special quantum states. Kochen-Specker (KS) sets of yes-no tests have this property and provide a quantum-versus-classical advantage that is free of the initialization problem that affects some quantum computers. Here, we report the first experimental implementation of a complete KS set that consists of 18 yes-no tests on four-dimensional quantum systems and show how to use the KS set to obtain a state-independent quantum advantage. We first demonstrate the unique power of this KS set for solving a task while avoiding the problem of state initialization. Such a demonstration is done by showing that, for 28 different quantum states encoded in the orbital-angular-momentum and polarization degrees of freedom of single photons, the KS set provides an impossible-to-beat solution. In a second experiment, we generate maximally contextual quantum correlations by performing compatible sequential measurements of the polarization and path of single photons. In this case, state independence is demonstrated for 15 different initial states. Maximum contextuality and state independence follow from the fact that the sequences of measurements project any initial quantum state onto one of the KS set’s eigenstates. Our results show that KS sets can be used for quantum-information processing and quantum computation and pave the way for future developments.

  19. 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

  20. Cosmic Bell Test: Measurement Settings from Milky Way Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handsteiner, Johannes; Friedman, Andrew S.; Rauch, Dominik; Gallicchio, Jason; Liu, Bo; Hosp, Hannes; Kofler, Johannes; Bricher, David; Fink, Matthias; Leung, Calvin; Mark, Anthony; Nguyen, Hien T.; Sanders, Isabella; Steinlechner, Fabian; Ursin, Rupert; Wengerowsky, Sören; Guth, Alan H.; Kaiser, David I.; Scheidl, Thomas; Zeilinger, Anton

    2017-02-01

    Bell's theorem states that some predictions of quantum mechanics cannot be reproduced by a local-realist theory. That conflict is expressed by Bell's inequality, which is usually derived under the assumption that there are no statistical correlations between the choices of measurement settings and anything else that can causally affect the measurement outcomes. In previous experiments, this "freedom of choice" was addressed by ensuring that selection of measurement settings via conventional "quantum random number generators" was spacelike separated from the entangled particle creation. This, however, left open the possibility that an unknown cause affected both the setting choices and measurement outcomes as recently as mere microseconds before each experimental trial. Here we report on a new experimental test of Bell's inequality that, for the first time, uses distant astronomical sources as "cosmic setting generators." In our tests with polarization-entangled photons, measurement settings were chosen using real-time observations of Milky Way stars while simultaneously ensuring locality. Assuming fair sampling for all detected photons, and that each stellar photon's color was set at emission, we observe statistically significant ≳7.31 σ and ≳11.93 σ violations of Bell's inequality with estimated p values of ≲1.8 ×10-13 and ≲4.0 ×10-33, respectively, thereby pushing back by ˜600 years the most recent time by which any local-realist influences could have engineered the observed Bell violation.

  1. Measuring External Face Appearance for Face Classification

    OpenAIRE

    Masip, David; Lapedriza, Agata; Vitria, Jordi

    2007-01-01

    In this chapter we introduce the importance of the external features in face classification problems, and propose a methodology to extract the external features obtaining an aligned feature set. The extracted features can be used as input to any standard pattern recognition classifier, as the classic feature extraction approaches dealing with internal face regions in the literature. The resulting scheme follows a top-down segmentation approach to deal with the diversity inherent to the extern...

  2. Bias-Free Chemically Diverse Test Sets from Machine Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swann, Ellen T; Fernandez, Michael; Coote, Michelle L; Barnard, Amanda S

    2017-08-14

    Current benchmarking methods in quantum chemistry rely on databases that are built using a chemist's intuition. It is not fully understood how diverse or representative these databases truly are. Multivariate statistical techniques like archetypal analysis and K-means clustering have previously been used to summarize large sets of nanoparticles however molecules are more diverse and not as easily characterized by descriptors. In this work, we compare three sets of descriptors based on the one-, two-, and three-dimensional structure of a molecule. Using data from the NIST Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark Database and machine learning techniques, we demonstrate the functional relationship between these structural descriptors and the electronic energy of molecules. Archetypes and prototypes found with topological or Coulomb matrix descriptors can be used to identify smaller, statistically significant test sets that better capture the diversity of chemical space. We apply this same method to find a diverse subset of organic molecules to demonstrate how the methods can easily be reapplied to individual research projects. Finally, we use our bias-free test sets to assess the performance of density functional theory and quantum Monte Carlo methods.

  3. Gravity versus manual external rotation stress view in evaluating ankle stability: a prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBa, Thu-Ba; Gugala, Zbigniew; Morris, Randal P; Panchbhavi, Vinod K

    2015-06-01

    The purpose of this prospective study was to determine whether gravity versus manual external rotation stress testing effectively detects widening of the medial clear space in isolated ankle fractures when compared with the uninjured contralateral side. Manual external rotation stress and gravity stress tests were performed on injured and uninjured ankles of ankle fracture patients in a clinic setting. Medial clear space measurements were recorded and differences between gravity and manual stress views were determined. Twenty consecutive patients with ankle injury were enrolled in the study. When compared with the uninjured side, gravity stress views showed a statistically significant (P = .017) increase in medial clear space widening (1.85 ± 1.07 mm) compared with manual stress view widening (1.35 ± 1.04 mm). This study suggests that gravity stress views are as effective as manual external rotation stress views in detecting medial clear space widening in isolated fibular fractures. Diagnostic, Level II: Prospective, comparative trial. © 2014 The Author(s).

  4. Collaborative entrepreneurship: On the Influence of Internal and External Collaboration on Corporate Entrepreneurial Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

    2008-01-01

    The present paper empirically tests the effect which internal/external collaboration has on innovation height and identifies characteristics of collaboration patterns leading to entrepreneurial innovation in particular. Doing so adds to the understanding of how corporate entrepreneurship best...... unfolds as interfirm activity, which here is termed collaborative entrepreneurship, and provides details on the particular patterns of Open Innovation. The empirical analysis is based on a data set with responses from 512 Danish engineers. The analysis finds that external collaboration has significantly...... different effects on innovation height depending on the type of partners involved, and furthermore suggests that the development of entrepreneurial innovation is not only dependent on high external involvement, but also on involvement and collaboration among internal functional departments and people....

  5. '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

  6. Correlation Between Screening Mammography Interpretive Performance on a Test Set and Performance in Clinical Practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miglioretti, Diana L; Ichikawa, Laura; Smith, Robert A; Buist, Diana S M; Carney, Patricia A; Geller, Berta; Monsees, Barbara; Onega, Tracy; Rosenberg, Robert; Sickles, Edward A; Yankaskas, Bonnie C; Kerlikowske, Karla

    2017-10-01

    Evidence is inconsistent about whether radiologists' interpretive performance on a screening mammography test set reflects their performance in clinical practice. This study aimed to estimate the correlation between test set and clinical performance and determine if the correlation is influenced by cancer prevalence or lesion difficulty in the test set. This institutional review board-approved study randomized 83 radiologists from six Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium registries to assess one of four test sets of 109 screening mammograms each; 48 radiologists completed a fifth test set of 110 mammograms 2 years later. Test sets differed in number of cancer cases and difficulty of lesion detection. Test set sensitivity and specificity were estimated using woman-level and breast-level recall with cancer status and expert opinion as gold standards. Clinical performance was estimated using women-level recall with cancer status as the gold standard. Spearman rank correlations between test set and clinical performance with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. For test sets with fewer cancers (N = 15) that were more difficult to detect, correlations were weak to moderate for sensitivity (woman level = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.16, 0.69; breast level = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.61) and weak for specificity (0.24, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.45) relative to expert recall. Correlations for test sets with more cancers (N = 30) were close to 0 and not statistically significant. Correlations between screening performance on a test set and performance in clinical practice are not strong. Test set performance more accurately reflects performance in clinical practice if cancer prevalence is low and lesions are challenging to detect. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. 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

  8. Coase, externalities, property rights and the legal system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geerdink, G.C. (Carlie); Stauvermann, P.J.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper we investigate the possible consequences of different institutional settings (in casu the legal system) on externalities and their effect on the efficient allocation of externalities. We investigate whether the restriction of marginally low transaction costs can be relaxed if the legal

  9. The Computerized Table Setting Test for Detecting Unilateral Neglect.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seok Jong Chung

    Full Text Available Patients with unilateral neglect fail to respond normally to stimuli on the left side. To facilitate the evaluation of unilateral spatial neglect, we developed a new application that runs on a tablet device and investigated its feasibility in stroke patients.We made the computerized table setting test (CTST to run on the tablet computer. Forty acute ischemic stroke patients (20 patients with right hemispheric infarction with neglect, 10 patients with right hemispheric infarction without neglect, and 10 patients with left hemispheric infarction and 10 healthy controls were prospectively enrolled to validate the CTST. The test requires subjects to set a table by dragging 12 dishes located below the table on the tablet screen. The horizontal deviation of the 12 dishes from the midline of the table, the selection tendency measured by the sequence of the dish selection, and the elapsed time for table setting were calculated automatically.Parameters measured by the CTST were correlated with the results of conventional neglect tests. The horizontal deviation was significantly higher in patients with right hemispheric infarction with neglect compared with the other groups. The selection tendency and elapsed time also were significantly different in patients with right hemispheric infarction with neglect compared with the left hemispheric infarction and control groups, but were similar to those with right hemispheric infarction without neglect.The CTST is feasible to administer and comparable with conventional neglect tests. This new application may be useful for the initial diagnosis and follow-up of neglect patients.

  10. 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

  11. Lack of grading agreement among international hemostasis external quality assessment programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, John D; Jennings, Ian; Meijer, Piet; Bon, Chantal; Bonar, Roslyn; Favaloro, Emmanuel J; Higgins, Russell A; Keeney, Michael; Mammen, Joy; Marlar, Richard A; Meley, Roland; Nair, Sukesh C; Nichols, William L; Raby, Anne; Reverter, Joan C; Srivastava, Alok; Walker, Isobel

    2018-01-01

    : Laboratory quality programs rely on internal quality control and external quality assessment (EQA). EQA programs provide unknown specimens for the laboratory to test. The laboratory's result is compared with other (peer) laboratories performing the same test. EQA programs assign target values using a variety of methods statistical tools and performance assessment of 'pass' or 'fail' is made. EQA provider members of the international organization, external quality assurance in thrombosis and hemostasis, took part in a study to compare outcome of performance analysis using the same data set of laboratory results. Eleven EQA organizations using eight different analytical approaches participated. Data for a normal and prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and a normal and reduced factor VIII (FVIII) from 218 laboratories were sent to the EQA providers who analyzed the data set using their method of evaluation for aPTT and FVIII, determining the performance for each laboratory record in the data set. Providers also summarized their statistical approach to assignment of target values and laboratory performance. Each laboratory record in the data set was graded pass/fail by all EQA providers for each of the four analytes. There was a lack of agreement of pass/fail grading among EQA programs. Discordance in the grading was 17.9 and 11% of normal and prolonged aPTT results, respectively, and 20.2 and 17.4% of normal and reduced FVIII results, respectively. All EQA programs in this study employed statistical methods compliant with the International Standardization Organization (ISO), ISO 13528, yet the evaluation of laboratory results for all four analytes showed remarkable grading discordance.

  12. Lack of grading agreement among international hemostasis external quality assessment programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, John D.; Jennings, Ian; Meijer, Piet; Bon, Chantal; Bonar, Roslyn; Favaloro, Emmanuel J.; Higgins, Russell A.; Keeney, Michael; Mammen, Joy; Marlar, Richard A.; Meley, Roland; Nair, Sukesh C.; Nichols, William L.; Raby, Anne; Reverter, Joan C.; Srivastava, Alok; Walker, Isobel

    2018-01-01

    Laboratory quality programs rely on internal quality control and external quality assessment (EQA). EQA programs provide unknown specimens for the laboratory to test. The laboratory's result is compared with other (peer) laboratories performing the same test. EQA programs assign target values using a variety of methods statistical tools and performance assessment of ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ is made. EQA provider members of the international organization, external quality assurance in thrombosis and hemostasis, took part in a study to compare outcome of performance analysis using the same data set of laboratory results. Eleven EQA organizations using eight different analytical approaches participated. Data for a normal and prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and a normal and reduced factor VIII (FVIII) from 218 laboratories were sent to the EQA providers who analyzed the data set using their method of evaluation for aPTT and FVIII, determining the performance for each laboratory record in the data set. Providers also summarized their statistical approach to assignment of target values and laboratory performance. Each laboratory record in the data set was graded pass/fail by all EQA providers for each of the four analytes. There was a lack of agreement of pass/fail grading among EQA programs. Discordance in the grading was 17.9 and 11% of normal and prolonged aPTT results, respectively, and 20.2 and 17.4% of normal and reduced FVIII results, respectively. All EQA programs in this study employed statistical methods compliant with the International Standardization Organization (ISO), ISO 13528, yet the evaluation of laboratory results for all four analytes showed remarkable grading discordance. PMID:29232255

  13. Estimating Externalities of Hydro Fuel Cycles, Report 6

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barnthouse, L.W.; Cada, G.F.; Cheng, M.-D.; Easterly, C.E.; Kroodsma, R.L.; Lee, R.; Shriner, D.S.; Tolbert, V.R.; Turner, R.S.

    1994-12-01

    There are three major objectives of this hydropower study: (1) to implement the methodological concepts that were developed in the background document (ORNL/RFF 1992) as a means of estimating the external costs and benefits of fuel cycles and, by so doing, to demonstrate their application to the hydroelectric fuel cycle (different fuel cycles have unique characteristics that need to be addressed in different ways); (2) to develop, given the time and resources, the best range of estimates of externalities associated with hydroelectric projects, using two benchmark projects at two reference sites in the US; and (3) to assess the state of the information that is available to support the estimation of externalities associated with the hydroelectric fuel cycle and, by so doing, to assist in identifying gaps in knowledge and in setting future research agendas. The main consideration in defining these objectives was a desire to have more information about externalities and a better method for estimating them. As set forth in the agreement between the US and the EC, the study is explicitly and intentionally not directed at any one audience. This study is about a methodology for estimating externalities. It is not about how to use estimates of externalities in a particular policy context.

  14. A legal institutional perspective on the European Union External Action Service

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Van Vooren, Bart

    2010-01-01

    It is beyond doubt that setting up the European External Action Service will have a deep impact on EU external policy making. Both in legal and policy terms, this new player thoroughly changes the institutional balance in EU external relations. The goal of this paper is to examine the legal side...... of that coin, by exploring the legal and institutional nature and position of the EEAS in the EU’s external relations machinery. To that end, it queries the meaning of the EEAS’ sui generis status in the EU institutional set-up: what does it mean to say that the EEAS is ‘functionally autonomous’ from...

  15. Optimal testing input sets for reduced diagnosis time of nuclear power plant digital electronic circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, D.S.; Seong, P.H.

    1994-01-01

    This paper describes the optimal testing input sets required for the fault diagnosis of the nuclear power plant digital electronic circuits. With the complicated systems such as very large scale integration (VLSI), nuclear power plant (NPP), and aircraft, testing is the major factor of the maintenance of the system. Particularly, diagnosis time grows quickly with the complexity of the component. In this research, for reduce diagnosis time the authors derived the optimal testing sets that are the minimal testing sets required for detecting the failure and for locating of the failed component. For reduced diagnosis time, the technique presented by Hayes fits best for the approach to testing sets generation among many conventional methods. However, this method has the following disadvantages: (a) it considers only the simple network (b) it concerns only whether the system is in failed state or not and does not provide the way to locate the failed component. Therefore the authors have derived the optimal testing input sets that resolve these problems by Hayes while preserving its advantages. When they applied the optimal testing sets to the automatic fault diagnosis system (AFDS) which incorporates the advanced fault diagnosis method of artificial intelligence technique, they found that the fault diagnosis using the optimal testing sets makes testing the digital electronic circuits much faster than that using exhaustive testing input sets; when they applied them to test the Universal (UV) Card which is a nuclear power plant digital input/output solid state protection system card, they reduced the testing time up to about 100 times

  16. Flight Testing and Real-Time System Identification Analysis of a UH-60A Black Hawk Helicopter with an Instrumented External Sling Load

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, Allen H.

    1998-01-01

    Helicopter external air transportation plays an important role in today's world. For both military and civilian helicopters, external sling load operations offer an efficient and expedient method of handling heavy, oversized cargo. With the ability to reach areas otherwise inaccessible by ground transportation, helicopter external load operations are conducted in industries such as logging, construction, and fire fighting, as well as in support of military tactical transport missions. Historically, helicopter and load combinations have been qualified through flight testing, requiring considerable time and cost. With advancements in simulation and flight test techniques there is potential to substantially reduce costs and increase the safety of helicopter sling load certification. Validated simulation tools make possible accurate prediction of operational flight characteristics before initial flight tests. Real time analysis of test data improves the safety and efficiency of the testing programs. To advance these concepts, the U.S. Army and NASA, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force and Technion, under a Memorandum of Agreement, seek to develop and validate a numerical model of the UH-60 with sling load and demonstrate a method of near real time flight test analysis. This thesis presents results from flight tests of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with various external loads. Tests were conducted as the U.S. first phase of this MOA task. The primary load was a container express box (CONEX) which contained a compact instrumentation package. The flights covered the airspeed range from hover to 70 knots. Primary maneuvers were pitch and roll frequency sweeps, steps, and doublets. Results of the test determined the effect of the suspended load on both the aircraft's handling qualities and its control system's stability margins. Included were calculations of the stability characteristics of the load's pendular motion. Utilizing CIFER(R) software, a method for near

  17. Development of Decision Support Formulas for the Prediction of Bladder Outlet Obstruction and Prostatic Surgery in Patients With Lower Urinary Tract Symptom/Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Part II, External Validation and Usability Testing of a Smartphone App

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Soo Choo

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Purpose We aimed to externally validate the prediction model we developed for having bladder outlet obstruction (BOO and requiring prostatic surgery using 2 independent data sets from tertiary referral centers, and also aimed to validate a mobile app for using this model through usability testing. Methods Formulas and nomograms predicting whether a subject has BOO and needs prostatic surgery were validated with an external validation cohort from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center between January 2004 and April 2015. A smartphone-based app was developed, and 8 young urologists were enrolled for usability testing to identify any human factor issues of the app. Results A total of 642 patients were included in the external validation cohort. No significant differences were found in the baseline characteristics of major parameters between the original (n=1,179 and the external validation cohort, except for the maximal flow rate. Predictions of requiring prostatic surgery in the validation cohort showed a sensitivity of 80.6%, a specificity of 73.2%, a positive predictive value of 49.7%, and a negative predictive value of 92.0%, and area under receiver operating curve of 0.84. The calibration plot indicated that the predictions have good correspondence. The decision curve showed also a high net benefit. Similar evaluation results using the external validation cohort were seen in the predictions of having BOO. Overall results of the usability test demonstrated that the app was user-friendly with no major human factor issues. Conclusions External validation of these newly developed a prediction model demonstrated a moderate level of discrimination, adequate calibration, and high net benefit gains for predicting both having BOO and requiring prostatic surgery. Also a smartphone app implementing the prediction model was user-friendly with no major human factor issue.

  18. Testing the role of external debt in environmental degradation: empirical evidence from Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katircioglu, Salih; Celebi, Aysem

    2018-03-01

    This study investigates the role of external debt stock in Turkey, which has suffered from heavy (external and domestic) debt stock for many years. Annual data from 1960 to 2013 was analyzed using time series analysis in order to study this. The results confirm the validity of the conventional environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in the case of Turkey. However, this study also found that Turkey's external debt stock did not influence the Turkish economy's long-term EKC behavior. Fortunately, the results suggest that there are important interactions among external debt stock, CO 2 emissions, energy consumption, and real income; that is, changes in external debt volume precede changes in these aggregates' volumes.

  19. Registration of synthetic tomographic projection data sets using cross-correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitchard, E.E.; Aldridge, J.S.; Reckwerdt, P.J.; Mackie, T.R.

    1998-01-01

    Tomographic registration, a method that makes possible accurate patient registration directly from projection data, consists of three processing steps: (i) manual coarse positioning, (ii) tomographic projection set acquisition, and (iii) computer mediated refined positioning. In the coarse positioning stage, the degree of patient alignment is comparable with that achieved with the standard radiotherapy set-up. However, the accuracy requirements are somewhat more relaxed in that meticulous alignment of the patient using external laser indicators is not necessary. Instead, tomographic projection sets are compared with planning CTs in order to achieve improved patient set-up. The projection sets are cross-correlated to obtain the best-fit translation and rotation offsets. The algorithm has been tested on synthetic data with the incorporation of varying amounts of Gaussian pseudo-random noise. These tests demonstrate the algorithm's stability and also confirm that alignment can be achieved with an accuracy of less than one projection pixel. (author)

  20. Risk analysis of external radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arvidsson, Marcus

    2011-09-01

    External radiation therapy is carried out via a complex treatment process in which many different groups of staff work together. Much of the work is dependent on and in collaboration with advanced technical equipment. The purpose of the research task has been to identify a process for external radiation therapy and to identify, test and analyze a suitable method for performing risk analysis of external radiation therapy

  1. Automatic Planning of External Search Engine Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vita Jasevičiūtė

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes an investigation of the external search engine optimization (SEO action planning tool, dedicated to automatically extract a small set of most important keywords for each month during whole year period. The keywords in the set are extracted accordingly to external measured parameters, such as average number of searches during the year and for every month individually. Additionally the position of the optimized web site for each keyword is taken into account. The generated optimization plan is similar to the optimization plans prepared manually by the SEO professionals and can be successfully used as a support tool for web site search engine optimization.

  2. Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kal, E. C.; van der Kamp, J.; Houdijk, H.; Groet, E.; van Bennekom, C. A. M.; Scherder, E. J. A.

    2015-01-01

    Dual-task performance is often impaired after stroke. This may be resolved by enhancing patients' automaticity of movement. This study sets out to test the constrained action hypothesis, which holds that automaticity of movement is enhanced by triggering an external focus (on movement effects),

  3. Process for nondestructively testing with radioactive gas using a chill set sealant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gibbons, C.B.

    1975-01-01

    An article surface is nondestructively tested for substantially invisible surface voids by absorbing a radioactive gas thereon. The adsorbed radioactive gas is disproportionately retained on those surfaces presented by the substantially invisible surface voids as compared to the remaining surfaces of the article contacted by the radioactive gas. The radiation released by the radioactive gas remaining adsorbed is used to identify the substantially invisible voids. To immobilize the radioactive gas adjacent or within the surface voids, a sealant composition is provided which is capable of being chill set. The temperatures of the article surface to be tested and the sealant composition are then related so that the article surface is at a temperature below the chill set temperature of the sealant composition and the sealant composition is at a temperature above its chill set temperature. The article portion to be tested is then coated with sealant composition to form a chill set coating thereon of substantially uniform thickness. (U.S.)

  4. Epidermoid carcinoma of the external auditory canal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alfonso Rodriguez, Javier; Llerena Suarez, Jose Angel; Campis Cruz, Hipolito Amable

    2009-01-01

    A 43 years-old, urban, male patient assists the consultation of Otolaryngology with a long evolving otorrhea (around two years), receiving several treatments against the external otitis he suffered. With those antecedents and what we found when examining him, we decided to take a sample (biopsy) of the area, diagnosing an epidermoid carcinoma of the left external canal, an infrequent pathology in our settings

  5. The development and validation of the Closed-set Mandarin Sentence (CMS) test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Duo-Duo; Fu, Qian-Jie; Galvin, John J; Yu, Ya-Feng

    2017-09-01

    Matrix-styled sentence tests offer a closed-set paradigm that may be useful when evaluating speech intelligibility. Ideally, sentence test materials should reflect the distribution of phonemes within the target language. We developed and validated the Closed-set Mandarin Sentence (CMS) test to assess Mandarin speech intelligibility in noise. CMS test materials were selected to be familiar words and to represent the natural distribution of vowels, consonants, and lexical tones found in Mandarin Chinese. Ten key words in each of five categories (Name, Verb, Number, Color, and Fruit) were produced by a native Mandarin talker, resulting in a total of 50 words that could be combined to produce 100,000 unique sentences. Normative data were collected in 10 normal-hearing, adult Mandarin-speaking Chinese listeners using a closed-set test paradigm. Two test runs were conducted for each subject, and 20 sentences per run were randomly generated while ensuring that each word was presented only twice in each run. First, the level of the words in each category were adjusted to produce equal intelligibility in noise. Test-retest reliability for word-in-sentence recognition was excellent according to Cronbach's alpha (0.952). After the category level adjustments, speech reception thresholds (SRTs) for sentences in noise, defined as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that produced 50% correct whole sentence recognition, were adaptively measured by adjusting the SNR according to the correctness of response. The mean SRT was -7.9 (SE=0.41) and -8.1 (SE=0.34) dB for runs 1 and 2, respectively. The mean standard deviation across runs was 0.93 dB, and paired t-tests showed no significant difference between runs 1 and 2 (p=0.74) despite random sentences being generated for each run and each subject. The results suggest that the CMS provides large stimulus set with which to repeatedly and reliably measure Mandarin-speaking listeners' speech understanding in noise using a closed-set paradigm.

  6. The Generalized Higher Criticism for Testing SNP-Set Effects in Genetic Association Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnett, Ian; Mukherjee, Rajarshi; Lin, Xihong

    2017-01-01

    It is of substantial interest to study the effects of genes, genetic pathways, and networks on the risk of complex diseases. These genetic constructs each contain multiple SNPs, which are often correlated and function jointly, and might be large in number. However, only a sparse subset of SNPs in a genetic construct is generally associated with the disease of interest. In this article, we propose the generalized higher criticism (GHC) to test for the association between an SNP set and a disease outcome. The higher criticism is a test traditionally used in high-dimensional signal detection settings when marginal test statistics are independent and the number of parameters is very large. However, these assumptions do not always hold in genetic association studies, due to linkage disequilibrium among SNPs and the finite number of SNPs in an SNP set in each genetic construct. The proposed GHC overcomes the limitations of the higher criticism by allowing for arbitrary correlation structures among the SNPs in an SNP-set, while performing accurate analytic p-value calculations for any finite number of SNPs in the SNP-set. We obtain the detection boundary of the GHC test. We compared empirically using simulations the power of the GHC method with existing SNP-set tests over a range of genetic regions with varied correlation structures and signal sparsity. We apply the proposed methods to analyze the CGEM breast cancer genome-wide association study. Supplementary materials for this article are available online. PMID:28736464

  7. Uniform approximation is more appropriate for Wilcoxon Rank-Sum Test in gene set analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhide Fang

    Full Text Available Gene set analysis is widely used to facilitate biological interpretations in the analyses of differential expression from high throughput profiling data. Wilcoxon Rank-Sum (WRS test is one of the commonly used methods in gene set enrichment analysis. It compares the ranks of genes in a gene set against those of genes outside the gene set. This method is easy to implement and it eliminates the dichotomization of genes into significant and non-significant in a competitive hypothesis testing. Due to the large number of genes being examined, it is impractical to calculate the exact null distribution for the WRS test. Therefore, the normal distribution is commonly used as an approximation. However, as we demonstrate in this paper, the normal approximation is problematic when a gene set with relative small number of genes is tested against the large number of genes in the complementary set. In this situation, a uniform approximation is substantially more powerful, more accurate, and less intensive in computation. We demonstrate the advantage of the uniform approximations in Gene Ontology (GO term analysis using simulations and real data sets.

  8. Integration of external estimated breeding values and associated reliabilities using correlations among traits and effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenplas, J; Colinet, F G; Glorieux, G; Bertozzi, C; Gengler, N

    2015-12-01

    Based on a Bayesian view of linear mixed models, several studies showed the possibilities to integrate estimated breeding values (EBV) and associated reliabilities (REL) provided by genetic evaluations performed outside a given evaluation system into this genetic evaluation. Hereafter, the term "internal" refers to this given genetic evaluation system, and the term "external" refers to all other genetic evaluations performed outside the internal evaluation system. Bayesian approaches integrate external information (i.e., external EBV and associated REL) by altering both the mean and (co)variance of the prior distributions of the additive genetic effects based on the knowledge of this external information. Extensions of the Bayesian approaches to multivariate settings are interesting because external information expressed on other scales, measurement units, or trait definitions, or associated with different heritabilities and genetic parameters than the internal traits, could be integrated into a multivariate genetic evaluation without the need to convert external information to the internal traits. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the integration of external EBV and associated REL, expressed on a 305-d basis and genetically correlated with a trait of interest, into a multivariate genetic evaluation using a random regression test-day model for the trait of interest. The approach we used was a multivariate Bayesian approach. Results showed that the integration of external information led to a genetic evaluation for the trait of interest for, at least, animals associated with external information, as accurate as a bivariate evaluation including all available phenotypic information. In conclusion, the multivariate Bayesian approaches have the potential to integrate external information correlated with the internal phenotypic traits, and potentially to the different random regressions, into a multivariate genetic evaluation. This allows the use of different

  9. 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...

  10. A set of X-ray test objects for quality control in television fluoroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hay, G.A.; Clarke, O.F.; Coleman, N.J.; Cowen, A.R.

    1985-01-01

    The history of performance testing in Leeds of television fluoroscopic systems is briefly outlined. Using the visual, physical and technological requirements as a basis, a set of nine test objects for quality control in television fluoroscopy is described. The factors measured by the test objects are listed in the introduction; the test objects and their function are fully described in the remainder of the paper. The test objects, in conjunction with a television oscilloscope, give both subjective and objective information about the X-ray system. Three of the test objects enable the physicist or engineer to adjust certain aspects of the performance of the X-ray system. The set of nine test objects is available commercially. (author)

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. Photogrammetry Measurements During a Tanking Test on the Space Shuttle External Tank, ET-137

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littell, Justin D.; Schmidt, Tim; Tyson, John; Oliver, Stanley T.; Melis, Matthew E.; Ruggeri, Charles

    2012-01-01

    On November 5, 2010, a significant foam liberation threat was observed as the Space Shuttle STS-133 launch effort was scrubbed because of a hydrogen leak at the ground umbilical carrier plate. Further investigation revealed the presence of multiple cracks at the tops of stringers in the intertank region of the Space Shuttle External Tank. As part of an instrumented tanking test conducted on December 17, 2010, a three dimensional digital image correlation photogrammetry system was used to measure radial deflections and overall deformations of a section of the intertank region. This paper will describe the experimental challenges that were overcome in order to implement the photogrammetry measurements for the tanking test in support of STS-133. The technique consisted of configuring and installing two pairs of custom stereo camera bars containing calibrated cameras on the 215-ft level of the fixed service structure of Launch Pad 39-A. The cameras were remotely operated from the Launch Control Center 3.5 miles away during the 8 hour duration test, which began before sunrise and lasted through sunset. The complete deformation time history was successfully computed from the acquired images and would prove to play a crucial role in the computer modeling validation efforts supporting the successful completion of the root cause analysis of the cracked stringer problem by the Space Shuttle Program. The resulting data generated included full field fringe plots, data extraction time history analysis, section line spatial analyses and differential stringer peak ]valley motion. Some of the sample results are included with discussion. The resulting data showed that new stringer crack formation did not occur for the panel examined, and that large amounts of displacement in the external tank occurred because of the loads derived from its filling. The measurements acquired were also used to validate computer modeling efforts completed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

  14. Testing the influence of external and internal cues on smoking motivation using a community sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litvin, Erika B; Brandon, Thomas H

    2010-02-01

    Exposing smokers to either external cues (e.g., pictures of cigarettes) or internal cues (e.g., negative affect induction) can induce urge to smoke and other behavioral and physiological responses. However, little is known about whether the two types of cues interact when presented in close proximity, as is likely the case in the real word. Additionally, potential moderators of cue reactivity have rarely been examined. Finally, few cue-reactivity studies have used representative samples of smokers. In a randomized 2 x 2 crossed factorial between-subjects design, the current study tested the effects of a negative affect cue intended to produce anxiety (speech preparation task) and an external smoking cue on urge and behavioral reactivity in a community sample of adult smokers (N = 175), and whether trait impulsivity moderated the effects. Both types of cues produced main effects on urges to smoke, despite the speech task failing to increase anxiety significantly. The speech task increased smoking urge related to anticipation of negative affect relief, whereas the external smoking cues increased urges related to anticipation of pleasure; however, the cues did not interact. Impulsivity measures predicted urge and other smoking-related variables, but did not moderate cue-reactivity. Results suggest independent rather than synergistic effects of these contributors to smoking motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. 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...

  16. Dilution testing using rapid diagnostic tests in a HIV diagnostic algorithm: a novel alternative for confirmation testing in resource limited settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanks, Leslie; Siddiqui, M Ruby; Abebe, Almaz; Piriou, Erwan; Pearce, Neil; Ariti, Cono; Masiga, Johnson; Muluneh, Libsework; Wazome, Joseph; Ritmeijer, Koert; Klarkowski, Derryck

    2015-05-14

    Current WHO testing guidelines for resource limited settings diagnose HIV on the basis of screening tests without a confirmation test due to cost constraints. This leads to a potential risk of false positive HIV diagnosis. In this paper, we evaluate the dilution test, a novel method for confirmation testing, which is simple, rapid, and low cost. The principle of the dilution test is to alter the sensitivity of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) by dilution of the sample, in order to screen out the cross reacting antibodies responsible for falsely positive RDT results. Participants were recruited from two testing centres in Ethiopia where a tiebreaker algorithm using 3 different RDTs in series is used to diagnose HIV. All samples positive on the initial screening RDT and every 10th negative sample underwent testing with the gold standard and dilution test. Dilution testing was performed using Determine™ rapid diagnostic test at 6 different dilutions. Results were compared to the gold standard of Western Blot; where Western Blot was indeterminate, PCR testing determined the final result. 2895 samples were recruited to the study. 247 were positive for a prevalence of 8.5 % (247/2895). A total of 495 samples underwent dilution testing. The RDT diagnostic algorithm misclassified 18 samples as positive. Dilution at the level of 1/160 was able to correctly identify all these 18 false positives, but at a cost of a single false negative result (sensitivity 99.6 %, 95 % CI 97.8-100; specificity 100 %, 95 % CI: 98.5-100). Concordance between the gold standard and the 1/160 dilution strength was 99.8 %. This study provides proof of concept for a new, low cost method of confirming HIV diagnosis in resource-limited settings. It has potential for use as a supplementary test in a confirmatory algorithm, whereby double positive RDT results undergo dilution testing, with positive results confirming HIV infection. Negative results require nucleic acid testing to rule out false

  17. Evaluation of the separate effects tests (SET) validation matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-11-01

    This work is the result of a one year extended mandate which has been given by the CSNI on the request of the PWG 2 and the Task Group on Thermal Hydraulic System Behaviour (TG THSB) in late 1994. The aim was to evaluate the SET validation matrix in order to define the real needs for further experimental work. The statistical evaluation tables of the SET matrix provide an overview of the data base including the parameter ranges covered for each phenomenon and selected parameters, and questions posed to obtain answers concerning the need for additional experimental data with regard to the objective of nuclear power plant safety. A global view of the data base is first presented focussing on areas lacking in data and on hot topics. A new systematic evaluation has been done based on the authors technical judgments and giving evaluation tables. In these tables, global and indicative information are included. Four main parameters have been chosen as the most important and relevant parameters: a state parameter given by the operating pressure of the tests, a flow parameter expressed as mass flux, mass flow rate or volumetric flow rate in the tests, a geometrical parameter provided through a typical dimension expressed by a diameter, an equivalent diameter (hydraulic or heated) or a cross sectional area of the test sections, and an energy or heat transfer parameter given as the fluid temperature, the heat flux or the heat transfer surface temperature of the tests

  18. New nuclear data set ABBN-90 and its testing on macroscopic experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kosh'cheev, V.N.; Manturov, G.N.; Nikolaev, M.N.; Rineyskiy, A.A.; Sinitsa, V.V.; Tsyboolya, A.M.; Zabrodskaya, S.V.

    1993-01-01

    The new group constant set ABBN-90 is developed now. It based on the FOND-2 evaluated neutron data library processed with the code GRUCON. Some results of the testing ABBN-90 set in different macroscopic experiments are presented. (author)

  19. Identifying genetic marker sets associated with phenotypes via an efficient adaptive score test

    KAUST Repository

    Cai, T.

    2012-06-25

    In recent years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and gene-expression profiling have generated a large number of valuable datasets for assessing how genetic variations are related to disease outcomes. With such datasets, it is often of interest to assess the overall effect of a set of genetic markers, assembled based on biological knowledge. Genetic marker-set analyses have been advocated as more reliable and powerful approaches compared with the traditional marginal approaches (Curtis and others, 2005. Pathways to the analysis of microarray data. TRENDS in Biotechnology 23, 429-435; Efroni and others, 2007. Identification of key processes underlying cancer phenotypes using biologic pathway analysis. PLoS One 2, 425). Procedures for testing the overall effect of a marker-set have been actively studied in recent years. For example, score tests derived under an Empirical Bayes (EB) framework (Liu and others, 2007. Semiparametric regression of multidimensional genetic pathway data: least-squares kernel machines and linear mixed models. Biometrics 63, 1079-1088; Liu and others, 2008. Estimation and testing for the effect of a genetic pathway on a disease outcome using logistic kernel machine regression via logistic mixed models. BMC bioinformatics 9, 292-2; Wu and others, 2010. Powerful SNP-set analysis for case-control genome-wide association studies. American Journal of Human Genetics 86, 929) have been proposed as powerful alternatives to the standard Rao score test (Rao, 1948. Large sample tests of statistical hypotheses concerning several parameters with applications to problems of estimation. Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 44, 50-57). The advantages of these EB-based tests are most apparent when the markers are correlated, due to the reduction in the degrees of freedom. In this paper, we propose an adaptive score test which up- or down-weights the contributions from each member of the marker-set based on the Z-scores of

  20. External noise distinguishes attention mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Z L; Dosher, B A

    1998-05-01

    We developed and tested a powerful method for identifying and characterizing the effect of attention on performance in visual tasks as due to signal enhancement, distractor exclusion, or internal noise suppression. Based on a noisy Perceptual Template Model (PTM) of a human observer, the method adds increasing amounts of external noise (white gaussian random noise) to the visual stimulus and observes the effect on performance of a perceptual task for attended and unattended stimuli. The three mechanisms of attention yield three "signature" patterns of performance. The general framework for characterizing the mechanisms of attention is used here to investigate the attentional mechanisms in a concurrent location-cued orientation discrimination task. Test stimuli--Gabor patches tilted slightly to the right or left--always appeared on both the left and the right of fixation, and varied independently. Observers were cued on each trial to attend to the left, the right, or evenly to both stimuli, and decide the direction of tilt of both test stimuli. For eight levels of added external noise and three attention conditions (attended, unattended, and equal), subjects' contrast threshold levels were determined. At low levels of external noise, attention affected threshold contrast: threshold contrasts for non-attended stimuli were systematically higher than for equal attention stimuli, which were, in turn, higher than for attended stimuli. Specifically, when the rms contrast of the external noise is below 10%, there is a consistent 17% elevation of contrast threshold from attended to unattended condition across all three subjects. For higher levels of external noise, attention conditions did not affect threshold contrast values at all. These strong results are characteristic of a signal enhancement, or equivalently, an internal additive noise reduction mechanism of attention.

  1. A new external microbeam system in Fudan University

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Y.; Shen, H.; Li, Y.Q.; Li, X.Y.; Yang, M.J.; Mi, Y.

    2013-01-01

    A cost-effective and removable external beam system is set up based on the Oxford Microbeam system in Fudan University. In our external beam system, 7.5-μm-thick Kapton film is used as exit window with a diameter of 3.5 mm. The spatial resolution is about 18 μm full width at half maximum (FWHM) on a copper grid. As an example, calcium distribution in otolith is present by the external micro-PIXE. In addition, little change can be done to the external system mentioned above for radiobiology experiments. The exit window can be changed from the focal plane to the observation window of vacuum chamber. By calculation, the beam spot size can reach less than 30 μm. Since the Oxford type octagonal target chamber is popular among the nuclear microprobe facilities, this method can be provided to easily replace the in-vacuum system with the external system, extending the in-vacuum analysis to external beam analysis

  2. A new external microbeam system in Fudan University

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Y.; Shen, H., E-mail: haoshen@fudan.edu.cn; Li, Y.Q.; Li, X.Y.; Yang, M.J.; Mi, Y.

    2013-07-01

    A cost-effective and removable external beam system is set up based on the Oxford Microbeam system in Fudan University. In our external beam system, 7.5-μm-thick Kapton film is used as exit window with a diameter of 3.5 mm. The spatial resolution is about 18 μm full width at half maximum (FWHM) on a copper grid. As an example, calcium distribution in otolith is present by the external micro-PIXE. In addition, little change can be done to the external system mentioned above for radiobiology experiments. The exit window can be changed from the focal plane to the observation window of vacuum chamber. By calculation, the beam spot size can reach less than 30 μm. Since the Oxford type octagonal target chamber is popular among the nuclear microprobe facilities, this method can be provided to easily replace the in-vacuum system with the external system, extending the in-vacuum analysis to external beam analysis.

  3. A new external microbeam system in Fudan University

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Y. [Applied Ion Beam Physics Laboratory, Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Shen, H., E-mail: haoshen@fudan.edu.cn [Applied Ion Beam Physics Laboratory, Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Li, Y.Q.; Li, X.Y.; Yang, M.J.; Mi, Y. [Applied Ion Beam Physics Laboratory, Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

    2013-02-01

    A cost-effective and removable external beam system is set up based on the Oxford Microbeam system in Fudan University. In our external beam system, 7.5-μm-thick Kapton film is used as exit window with a diameter of 3.5 mm. The spatial resolution is about 18 μm full width at half maximum (FWHM) on a copper grid. As an example, calcium distribution in otolith is present by the external micro-PIXE. In addition, little change can be done to the external system mentioned above for radiobiology experiments. The exit window can be changed from the focal plane to the observation window of vacuum chamber. By calculation, the beam spot size can reach less than 30 μm. Since the Oxford type octagonal target chamber is popular among the nuclear microprobe facilities, this method can be provided to easily replace the in-vacuum system with the external system, extending the in-vacuum analysis to external beam analysis.

  4. Reconceptualising the external validity of discrete choice experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lancsar, Emily; Swait, Joffre

    2014-10-01

    External validity is a crucial but under-researched topic when considering using discrete choice experiment (DCE) results to inform decision making in clinical, commercial or policy contexts. We present the theory and tests traditionally used to explore external validity that focus on a comparison of final outcomes and review how this traditional definition has been empirically tested in health economics and other sectors (such as transport, environment and marketing) in which DCE methods are applied. While an important component, we argue that the investigation of external validity should be much broader than a comparison of final outcomes. In doing so, we introduce a new and more comprehensive conceptualisation of external validity, closely linked to process validity, that moves us from the simple characterisation of a model as being or not being externally valid on the basis of predictive performance, to the concept that external validity should be an objective pursued from the initial conceptualisation and design of any DCE. We discuss how such a broader definition of external validity can be fruitfully used and suggest innovative ways in which it can be explored in practice.

  5. Assessment of Random Assignment in Training and Test Sets using Generalized Cluster Analysis Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sorana D. BOLBOACĂ

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The properness of random assignment of compounds in training and validation sets was assessed using the generalized cluster technique. Material and Method: A quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship model using Molecular Descriptors Family on Vertices was evaluated in terms of assignment of carboquinone derivatives in training and test sets during the leave-many-out analysis. Assignment of compounds was investigated using five variables: observed anticancer activity and four structure descriptors. Generalized cluster analysis with K-means algorithm was applied in order to investigate if the assignment of compounds was or not proper. The Euclidian distance and maximization of the initial distance using a cross-validation with a v-fold of 10 was applied. Results: All five variables included in analysis proved to have statistically significant contribution in identification of clusters. Three clusters were identified, each of them containing both carboquinone derivatives belonging to training as well as to test sets. The observed activity of carboquinone derivatives proved to be normal distributed on every. The presence of training and test sets in all clusters identified using generalized cluster analysis with K-means algorithm and the distribution of observed activity within clusters sustain a proper assignment of compounds in training and test set. Conclusion: Generalized cluster analysis using the K-means algorithm proved to be a valid method in assessment of random assignment of carboquinone derivatives in training and test sets.

  6. Design of sEMG assembly to detect external anal sphincter activity: a proof of concept.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiraz, Arsam; Leaker, Brian; Mosse, Charles Alexander; Solomon, Eskinder; Craggs, Michael; Demosthenous, Andreas

    2017-10-31

    Conditional trans-rectal stimulation of the pudendal nerve could provide a viable solution to treat hyperreflexive bladder in spinal cord injury. A set threshold of the amplitude estimate of the external anal sphincter surface electromyography (sEMG) may be used as the trigger signal. The efficacy of such a device should be tested in a large scale clinical trial. As such, a probe should remain in situ for several hours while patients attend to their daily routine; the recording electrodes should be designed to be large enough to maintain good contact while observing design constraints. The objective of this study was to arrive at a design for intra-anal sEMG recording electrodes for the subsequent clinical trials while deriving the possible recording and processing parameters. Having in mind existing solutions and based on theoretical and anatomical considerations, a set of four multi-electrode probes were designed and developed. These were tested in a healthy subject and the measured sEMG traces were recorded and appropriately processed. It was shown that while comparatively large electrodes record sEMG traces that are not sufficiently correlated with the external anal sphincter contractions, smaller electrodes may not maintain a stable electrode tissue contact. It was shown that 3 mm wide and 1 cm long electrodes with 5 mm inter-electrode spacing, in agreement with Nyquist sampling, placed 1 cm from the orifice may intra-anally record a sEMG trace sufficiently correlated with external anal sphincter activity. The outcome of this study can be used in any biofeedback, treatment or diagnostic application where the activity of the external anal sphincter sEMG should be detected for an extended period of time.

  7. Savannah River Site TEP-SET tests uncertainty report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, D.J.N.

    1993-09-01

    This document presents a measurement uncertainty analysis for the instruments used for the Phase I, II and III of the Savannah River One-Fourth Linear Scale, One-Sixth Sector, Tank/Muff/Pump (TMP) Separate Effects Tests (SET) Experiment Series. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory conducted the tests for the Savannah River Site (SRS). The tests represented a range of hydraulic conditions and geometries that bound anticipated Large Break Loss of Coolant Accidents in the SRS reactors. Important hydraulic phenomena were identified from experiments. In addition, code calculations will be benchmarked from these experiments. The experimental system includes the following measurement groups: coolant density; absolute and differential pressures; turbine flowmeters (liquid phase); thermal flowmeters (gas phase); ultrasonic liquid level meters; temperatures; pump torque; pump speed; moderator tank liquid inventory via a load cells measurement; and relative humidity meters. This document also analyzes data acquisition system including the presampling filters as it relates to these measurements

  8. MATLAB-SIMULINK BASED INFORMATION SUPPORT FOR DIGITAL OVERCURRENT PROTECTION TEST SETS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. V. Novash

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The implementation of information support for PC-based and hardware-software based sets for digital overcurrent protection devices and their models testing using MatLab-Simulink environment is considered. It is demonstrated that the mathematical modeling of a part of the power system – viz. of the generalized electric power object – could be based on rigid and flexible models. Rigid models implemented on the basis of mathematical description of electrical and magnetic circuits of a power system can be considered as a reference model for the simulation results that have been obtained with the aid of another simulation system to be compared with. It is proposed to implement flexible models for generalized electric power object in the MatLabSimulink environment that includes the SimPowerSystems component library targeted to power system modeling. The features of the parameters calculation of the SimPowerSystems component library blocks that the power system model is formed of are considered. Out of the Simulink standard blocks the models of a wye-connected current transformers were composed as well as the digital overcurrent protection, missing in the component library. A comparison of simulation results of one and the same generalized electric power object implemented in various PC-based software packages was undertaken. The divergence of simulation results did not exceed 3 %; the latter allows us to recommend the MatLab-Simulink environment for information support creation for hardware-software based sets for digital overcurrent protection devices testing. The structure of the hardware-software based set for digital overcurrent protection device testing using the Omicron CMC 356 has been suggested. Time to trip comparison between the real digital protection device МР 801 and the model with the parameters which are exactly match the parameters of the prototype device was carried out using the identical test inputs. The results of the tests

  9. External radiation in Dolon village due to local fallout from the first USSR atomic bomb test in 1949.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imanaka, Tetsuji; Fukutani, Satoshi; Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Sakaguchi, Aya; Hoshi, Masaharu

    2006-02-01

    Dolon village, located about 60 km from the border of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, is known to be heavily contaminated by local fallout from the first USSR atomic bomb test in 1949. External radiation in Dolon was evaluated based on recent 137Cs data in soil and calculation of temporal change in the fission product composition. After fitting a log-normal distribution to the soil data, a 137Cs deposition of 32 kBq m-2, which corresponds to the 90th-percentile of the distribution, was tentatively chosen as a value to evaluate the radiation situation in 1949. Our calculation indicated that more than 95% of the cumulative dose for 50 y had been delivered within 1 y after the deposition. The resulting cumulative dose for 1 y after the deposition, normalized to the initial contamination containing 1 kBq m-2 of 137Cs, was 15.6 mGy, assuming a fallout arrival time of 3 h and a medium level of fractionation. Finally, 0.50 Gy of absorbed dose in air was derived as our tentative estimate for 1-year cumulative external dose in Dolon due to local fallout from the first USSR test in 1949.

  10. Using Set Covering with Item Sampling to Analyze the Infeasibility of Linear Programming Test Assembly Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huitzing, Hiddo A.

    2004-01-01

    This article shows how set covering with item sampling (SCIS) methods can be used in the analysis and preanalysis of linear programming models for test assembly (LPTA). LPTA models can construct tests, fulfilling a set of constraints set by the test assembler. Sometimes, no solution to the LPTA model exists. The model is then said to be…

  11. An exponential combination procedure for set-based association tests in sequencing studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lin S; Hsu, Li; Gamazon, Eric R; Cox, Nancy J; Nicolae, Dan L

    2012-12-07

    State-of-the-art next-generation-sequencing technologies can facilitate in-depth explorations of the human genome by investigating both common and rare variants. For the identification of genetic factors that are associated with disease risk or other complex phenotypes, methods have been proposed for jointly analyzing variants in a set (e.g., all coding SNPs in a gene). Variants in a properly defined set could be associated with risk or phenotype in a concerted fashion, and by accumulating information from them, one can improve power to detect genetic risk factors. Many set-based methods in the literature are based on statistics that can be written as the summation of variant statistics. Here, we propose taking the summation of the exponential of variant statistics as the set summary for association testing. From both Bayesian and frequentist perspectives, we provide theoretical justification for taking the sum of the exponential of variant statistics because it is particularly powerful for sparse alternatives-that is, compared with the large number of variants being tested in a set, only relatively few variants are associated with disease risk-a distinctive feature of genetic data. We applied the exponential combination gene-based test to a sequencing study in anticancer pharmacogenomics and uncovered mechanistic insights into genes and pathways related to chemotherapeutic susceptibility for an important class of oncologic drugs. Copyright © 2012 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Genetics Home Reference: progressive external ophthalmoplegia

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... and can affect both males and females, but fathers do not pass traits associated with changes in ... Genetic Testing (4 links) Genetic Testing Registry: Autosomal dominant progressive external ophthalmoplegia with mitochondrial DNA deletions 1 ...

  13. Data for TROTS – The Radiotherapy Optimisation Test Set

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastiaan Breedveld

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The Radiotherapy Optimisation Test Set (TROTS is an extensive set of problems originating from radiotherapy (radiation therapy treatment planning. This dataset is created for 2 purposes: (1 to supply a large-scale dense dataset to measure performance and quality of mathematical solvers, and (2 to supply a dataset to investigate the multi-criteria optimisation and decision-making nature of the radiotherapy problem. The dataset contains 120 problems (patients, divided over 6 different treatment protocols/tumour types. Each problem contains numerical data, a configuration for the optimisation problem, and data required to visualise and interpret the results. The data is stored as HDF5 compatible Matlab files, and includes scripts to work with the dataset.

  14. Effect of Equilibrium Current Profiles on External Kink Modes in Tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Chao; Liu Yue; Ma Zhaoshuai

    2014-01-01

    Based on a linearized MHD model, the effect of equilibrium current profiles on external kink modes in tokamaks is studied by MARS code. Three types of equilibrium current profiles are adopted in this work. Firstly, a set of parabolic equilibrium current profiles are chosen. In these profiles the maximum current values in the center of the plasma are fixed, and the currents have different gradient and jump at the plasma boundary. The effects of the current gradient and jump on the growth rate of external kink mode are investigated. It is found that the current jump which causes the q profiles to change plays an important role in the external kink modes in tokamaks. Secondly, a set of step equilibrium current profiles with different jump positions are chosen. The effect of jump position on external kink modes is discussed. Thirdly, a set of parabolic equilibrium current profiles with current bumps are chosen for the case of off-axis heating. The effects of height, width and position of the current bumps on external kink modes are analyzed. The flat equilibrium current profiles are disadvantageous for the MHD stabilities of tokamaks, because of the large current jump at the plasma edge. The peaked equilibrium current profiles and a large and localized current bump near the plasma edge benefit the MHD stabilities of tokamaks

  15. 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...

  16. 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.)

  17. 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.)

  18. 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.)

  19. Combinatorial QSAR modeling of chemical toxicants tested against Tetrahymena pyriformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hao; Tropsha, Alexander; Fourches, Denis; Varnek, Alexandre; Papa, Ester; Gramatica, Paola; Oberg, Tomas; Dao, Phuong; Cherkasov, Artem; Tetko, Igor V

    2008-04-01

    Selecting most rigorous quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approaches is of great importance in the development of robust and predictive models of chemical toxicity. To address this issue in a systematic way, we have formed an international virtual collaboratory consisting of six independent groups with shared interests in computational chemical toxicology. We have compiled an aqueous toxicity data set containing 983 unique compounds tested in the same laboratory over a decade against Tetrahymena pyriformis. A modeling set including 644 compounds was selected randomly from the original set and distributed to all groups that used their own QSAR tools for model development. The remaining 339 compounds in the original set (external set I) as well as 110 additional compounds (external set II) published recently by the same laboratory (after this computational study was already in progress) were used as two independent validation sets to assess the external predictive power of individual models. In total, our virtual collaboratory has developed 15 different types of QSAR models of aquatic toxicity for the training set. The internal prediction accuracy for the modeling set ranged from 0.76 to 0.93 as measured by the leave-one-out cross-validation correlation coefficient ( Q abs2). The prediction accuracy for the external validation sets I and II ranged from 0.71 to 0.85 (linear regression coefficient R absI2) and from 0.38 to 0.83 (linear regression coefficient R absII2), respectively. The use of an applicability domain threshold implemented in most models generally improved the external prediction accuracy but at the same time led to a decrease in chemical space coverage. Finally, several consensus models were developed by averaging the predicted aquatic toxicity for every compound using all 15 models, with or without taking into account their respective applicability domains. We find that consensus models afford higher prediction accuracy for the

  20. Hydropower externalities: A meta-analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mattmann, Matteo; Logar, Ivana; Brouwer, Roy

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a meta-analysis of existing research related to the economic valuation of the external effects of hydropower. A database consisting of 81 observations derived from 29 studies valuing the non-market impacts of hydropower electricity generation is constructed with the main aim to quantify and explain the economic values for positive and negative hydropower externalities. Different meta-regression model specifications are used to test the robustness of significant determinants of non-market values, including different types of hydropower impacts. The explanatory and predictive power of the estimated models is relatively high. Whilst controlling for sample and study characteristics, we find significant evidence for public aversion towards deteriorations of landscape, vegetation and wildlife caused by hydropower projects. There is however only weak evidence of willingness to pay for mitigating these effects. The main positive externality of hydropower generation, the avoidance of greenhouse gas emission, positively influences welfare estimates when combined with the share of hydropower in national energy production. Sensitivity to scope is detected, but not linked to specific externalities or non-market valuation methods. - Highlights: • A global meta-analysis of valuation studies of hydropower externalities is presented. • Positive and negative externalities are distinguished. • Welfare losses due to environmental deteriorations outweigh gains of GHG reductions. • There is only weak evidence of public WTP for mitigating negative externalities. • The non-market values of hydropower externalities are sensitive to scope.

  1. Brushed permanent magnet DC MLC motor operation in an external magnetic field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, J; St Aubin, J; Rathee, S; Fallone, B G

    2010-05-01

    Linac-MR systems for real-time image-guided radiotherapy will utilize the multileaf collimators (MLCs) to perform conformal radiotherapy and tumor tracking. The MLCs would be exposed to the external fringe magnetic fields of the linac-MR hybrid systems. Therefore, an experimental investigation of the effect of an external magnetic field on the brushed permanent magnet DC motors used in some MLC systems was performed. The changes in motor speed and current were measured for varying external magnetic field strengths up to 2000 G generated by an EEV electromagnet. These changes in motor characteristics were measured for three orientations of the motor in the external magnetic field, mimicking changes in motor orientations due to installation and/or collimator rotations. In addition, the functionality of the associated magnetic motor encoder was tested. The tested motors are used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC (Maxon Motor half leaf and full leaf motors) and the Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC (MicroMo Electronics leaf motor) including a carriage motor (MicroMo Electronics). In most cases, the magnetic encoder of the motors failed prior to any damage to the gearbox or the permanent magnet motor itself. This sets an upper limit of the external magnetic field strength on the motor function. The measured limits of the external magnetic fields were found to vary by the motor type. The leaf motor used with a Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC system tolerated up to 450 +/- 10 G. The carriage motor tolerated up to 2000 +/- 10 G field. The motors used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC system were found to tolerate a maximum of 600 +/- 10 G. The current Varian MLC system motors can be used for real-time image-guided radiotherapy coupled to a linac-MR system, provided the fringe magnetic fields at their locations are below the determined tolerance levels. With the fringe magnetic fields of linac-MR systems expected to be larger than the tolerance levels determined, some form of

  2. Brushed permanent magnet DC MLC motor operation in an external magnetic field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yun, J.; St Aubin, J.; Rathee, S.; Fallone, B. G. [Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11322-89 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G7 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Medical Physics Division, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Cross Cancer Institute, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Medical Physics Division, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada); Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11322-89 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G7 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Cross Cancer Institute, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Medical Physics Division, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada)

    2010-05-15

    Purpose: Linac-MR systems for real-time image-guided radiotherapy will utilize the multileaf collimators (MLCs) to perform conformal radiotherapy and tumor tracking. The MLCs would be exposed to the external fringe magnetic fields of the linac-MR hybrid systems. Therefore, an experimental investigation of the effect of an external magnetic field on the brushed permanent magnet DC motors used in some MLC systems was performed. Methods: The changes in motor speed and current were measured for varying external magnetic field strengths up to 2000 G generated by an EEV electromagnet. These changes in motor characteristics were measured for three orientations of the motor in the external magnetic field, mimicking changes in motor orientations due to installation and/or collimator rotations. In addition, the functionality of the associated magnetic motor encoder was tested. The tested motors are used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC (Maxon Motor half leaf and full leaf motors) and the Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC (MicroMo Electronics leaf motor) including a carriage motor (MicroMo Electronics). Results: In most cases, the magnetic encoder of the motors failed prior to any damage to the gearbox or the permanent magnet motor itself. This sets an upper limit of the external magnetic field strength on the motor function. The measured limits of the external magnetic fields were found to vary by the motor type. The leaf motor used with a Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC system tolerated up to 450{+-}10 G. The carriage motor tolerated up to 2000{+-}10 G field. The motors used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC system were found to tolerate a maximum of 600{+-}10 G. Conclusions: The current Varian MLC system motors can be used for real-time image-guided radiotherapy coupled to a linac-MR system, provided the fringe magnetic fields at their locations are below the determined tolerance levels. With the fringe magnetic fields of linac-MR systems expected to be larger than the

  3. Brushed permanent magnet DC MLC motor operation in an external magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yun, J.; St Aubin, J.; Rathee, S.; Fallone, B. G.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Linac-MR systems for real-time image-guided radiotherapy will utilize the multileaf collimators (MLCs) to perform conformal radiotherapy and tumor tracking. The MLCs would be exposed to the external fringe magnetic fields of the linac-MR hybrid systems. Therefore, an experimental investigation of the effect of an external magnetic field on the brushed permanent magnet DC motors used in some MLC systems was performed. Methods: The changes in motor speed and current were measured for varying external magnetic field strengths up to 2000 G generated by an EEV electromagnet. These changes in motor characteristics were measured for three orientations of the motor in the external magnetic field, mimicking changes in motor orientations due to installation and/or collimator rotations. In addition, the functionality of the associated magnetic motor encoder was tested. The tested motors are used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC (Maxon Motor half leaf and full leaf motors) and the Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC (MicroMo Electronics leaf motor) including a carriage motor (MicroMo Electronics). Results: In most cases, the magnetic encoder of the motors failed prior to any damage to the gearbox or the permanent magnet motor itself. This sets an upper limit of the external magnetic field strength on the motor function. The measured limits of the external magnetic fields were found to vary by the motor type. The leaf motor used with a Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC system tolerated up to 450±10 G. The carriage motor tolerated up to 2000±10 G field. The motors used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC system were found to tolerate a maximum of 600±10 G. Conclusions: The current Varian MLC system motors can be used for real-time image-guided radiotherapy coupled to a linac-MR system, provided the fringe magnetic fields at their locations are below the determined tolerance levels. With the fringe magnetic fields of linac-MR systems expected to be larger than the tolerance

  4. 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

  5. Modal response of interior mass based upon external measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chow, C T; Eli, M; Jorgensen, B R; Woehrle, T.

    1999-01-01

    Modal response testing has been used to predict the motion of interior masses of a system in which only external instrumentation is allowed. Testing of this form may occasionally be necessary in validation of a computer model, but also has potential as a tool for validating individual assemblies in a QA process. Examination of the external frequency response and mode shapes can offer insight into interior response. The interpretation of these results is improved through parallel analytical solutions. A simple, three-mass model has been examined experimentally and analytically to demonstrate modal theory. These results show the limitations of the external measurement in predicting internal response due to transmissibility. A procedure for utilizing external testing is described. The question posed through this research is whether or not modal correlation analysis can be adapted for use in systems for which instrumentation of critical components is missing

  6. Testing the effect of defaults on the thermostat settings of OECD employees

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Zachary; Johnstone, Nick; Haščič, Ivan; Vong, Laura; Barascud, Francis

    2013-01-01

    We describe a randomized controlled experiment in which the default settings on office thermostats in an OECD office building were manipulated during the winter heating season, and employees' chosen thermostat setting observed over a 6-week period. Using difference-in-differences, panel, and censored regression models (to control for maximum allowable thermostat settings), we find that a 1 °C decrease in the default caused a reduction in the chosen setting by 0.38 °C, on average. Sixty-five percent of this effect could be attributed to office occupant behavior (p-value = 0.044). The difference-in-differences models show that small decreases in the default (1°) led to a greater reduction in chosen settings than large decreases (2°). We also find that office occupants who were more apt to adjust their thermostats prior to the intervention were less susceptible to the default. We conclude that this kind of intervention can increase building-level energy efficiency, and discuss potential explanations and broader policy implications of our findings. - Highlights: • We conduct a randomized controlled trial to test if thermostat defaults affect agent behavior. • Two treatments (schedules of default settings) were tested against a control for 6 weeks at OECD. • Small changes in defaults had a greater effect on chosen settings than larger changes in defaults. • Occupants who frequently changed their thermostats in baseline were less affected by defaults. • Thermostat defaults in office environments can be manipulated to increase energy efficiency

  7. Economics from a Different Point of View − Good Practice in Teacher Training: How to Handle, Use and Judge External Standardized Tests in Schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Claire Prieß-Buchheit

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The Economic Actions in Education training module (EAE teaches how to handle, use and judge external standardized tests in schools. The EAE programme was implemented in teacher training at the University of Kiel, because teachers are increasingly under external scrutiny and are being held accountable for student and school achievements. The EAE programme includes a reader (in English, through which prospective teachers understand and analyze core terms of the field. Furthermore, different didactical methods such as think-pair-share, role play and short lectures provide a group dynamic in which students gain an insight into standardized tests at a macro level. Students learn what is involved in standardized tests and they develop the ability to make a critical judgement about how they will use or refuse standardized tests in schools. EAE enables teachers to use standardized tests for curriculum and instruction improvement as well as refuse standardized tests to highlight autonomous teaching and decline governance from outside.

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. The Study of Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviours in Greek, Russian, Indian, and Chinese Children Using the Fairy Tale Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savina, Elena; Coulacoglou, Carina; Sanyal, Nilanjana; Zhang, Jianxin

    2012-01-01

    The present study investigated externalizing and internalizing behaviours in Greek (n = 599), Russian (n = 596), Indian (n = 571), and Chinese (n = 376) 7- to 12-year-old children. The Fairy Tale Test was used to measure impulsive and motivated aggression, fear of aggression, anxiety, and depression. The results indicated culture-specific patterns…

  11. Checklists for external validity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyrvig, Anne-Kirstine; Kidholm, Kristian; Gerke, Oke

    2014-01-01

    to an implementation setting. In this paper, currently available checklists on external validity are identified, assessed and used as a basis for proposing a new improved instrument. METHOD: A systematic literature review was carried out in Pubmed, Embase and Cinahl on English-language papers without time restrictions....... The retrieved checklist items were assessed for (i) the methodology used in primary literature, justifying inclusion of each item; and (ii) the number of times each item appeared in checklists. RESULTS: Fifteen papers were identified, presenting a total of 21 checklists for external validity, yielding a total...... of 38 checklist items. Empirical support was considered the most valid methodology for item inclusion. Assessment of methodological justification showed that none of the items were supported empirically. Other kinds of literature justified the inclusion of 22 of the items, and 17 items were included...

  12. Student Perceptions of the Progress Test in Two Settings and the Implications for Test Deployment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wade, Louise; Harrison, Chris; Hollands, James; Mattick, Karen; Ricketts, Chris; Wass, Val

    2012-01-01

    Background: The Progress Test (PT) was developed to assess student learning within integrated curricula. Whilst it is effective in promoting and rewarding deep approaches to learning in some settings, we hypothesised that implementation of the curriculum (design and assessment) may impact on students' preparation for the PT and their learning.…

  13. The upgraded external-beam PIXE/PIGE set-up at LABEC for very fast measurements on aerosol samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lucarelli, F., E-mail: lucarelli@fi.infn.it; Calzolai, G.; Chiari, M.; Giannoni, M.; Mochi, D.; Nava, S.; Carraresi, L.

    2014-01-01

    At the 3 MV Tandetron accelerator of the LABEC laboratory of INFN in Florence, an external beam facility is fully dedicated to measurements of elemental composition of atmospheric aerosol. The experimental set-up hitherto used for this kind of applications has been upgraded with the replacement of a traditional Si(Li) detector for the detection of medium–high Z elements with a silicon drift detector (SDD) with a big active area (80 mm{sup 2}) and 450 μm thickness, with the aim of obtaining better minimum detection limits (MDL) and reduce measuring times. The Upilex extraction window has been replaced by a more resistant one (Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}). A comparison between the old Si(Li) and the new SDD for aerosol samples collected on different substrata like Teflon, Kapton and Nuclepore evidenced the better performances of the SDD. It allows obtaining better results (higher counting statistics, lower MDLs) even in shorter measuring times, thus allowing very fast analysis of both daily and hourly samples.

  14. External Prior Guided Internal Prior Learning for Real-World Noisy Image Denoising

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jun; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, David

    2018-06-01

    Most of existing image denoising methods learn image priors from either external data or the noisy image itself to remove noise. However, priors learned from external data may not be adaptive to the image to be denoised, while priors learned from the given noisy image may not be accurate due to the interference of corrupted noise. Meanwhile, the noise in real-world noisy images is very complex, which is hard to be described by simple distributions such as Gaussian distribution, making real noisy image denoising a very challenging problem. We propose to exploit the information in both external data and the given noisy image, and develop an external prior guided internal prior learning method for real noisy image denoising. We first learn external priors from an independent set of clean natural images. With the aid of learned external priors, we then learn internal priors from the given noisy image to refine the prior model. The external and internal priors are formulated as a set of orthogonal dictionaries to efficiently reconstruct the desired image. Extensive experiments are performed on several real noisy image datasets. The proposed method demonstrates highly competitive denoising performance, outperforming state-of-the-art denoising methods including those designed for real noisy images.

  15. Different goodness of fit tests for Rayleigh distribution in ranked set sampling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amer Al-Omari

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, different goodness of fit tests for the Rayleigh distribution are considered based on simple random sampling (SRS and ranked set sampling (RSS techniques. The performance of the suggested estimators is evaluated in terms of the power of the tests by using Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that the suggested RSS tests perform better than their counterparts  in SRS.

  16. Diagnostic accuracy of the gravity stress test and clinical signs in cases of isolated supination-external rotation-type lateral malleolar fractures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nortunen, S; Flinkkilä, T; Lantto, I; Kortekangas, T; Niinimäki, J; Ohtonen, P; Pakarinen, H

    2015-08-01

    We prospectively assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the gravity stress test and clinical findings to evaluate the stability of the ankle mortise in patients with supination-external rotation-type fractures of the lateral malleolus without widening of the medial clear space. The cohort included 79 patients with a mean age of 44 years (16 to 82). Two surgeons assessed medial tenderness, swelling and ecchymosis and performed the external rotation (ER) stress test (a reference standard). A diagnostic radiographer performed the gravity stress test. For the gravity stress test, the positive likelihood ratio (LR) was 5.80 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 2.75 to 12.27, and the negative LR was 0.15 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.35), suggesting a moderate change from the pre-test probability. Medial tenderness, both alone and in combination with swelling and/or ecchymosis, indicated a small change (positive LR, 2.74 to 3.25; negative LR, 0.38 to 0.47), whereas swelling and ecchymosis indicated only minimal changes (positive LR, 1.41 to 1.65; negative LR, 0.38 to 0.47). In conclusion, when gravity stress test results are in agreement with clinical findings, the result is likely to predict stability of the ankle mortise with an accuracy equivalent to ER stress test results. When clinical examination suggests a medial-side injury, however, the gravity stress test may give a false negative result. ©2015 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery.

  17. Prestress Force Identification for Externally Prestressed Concrete Beam Based on Frequency Equation and Measured Frequencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luning Shi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A prestress force identification method for externally prestressed concrete uniform beam based on the frequency equation and the measured frequencies is developed. For the purpose of the prestress force identification accuracy, we first look for the appropriate method to solve the free vibration equation of externally prestressed concrete beam and then combine the measured frequencies with frequency equation to identify the prestress force. To obtain the exact solution of the free vibration equation of multispan externally prestressed concrete beam, an analytical model of externally prestressed concrete beam is set up based on the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory and the function relation between prestress variation and vibration displacement is built. The multispan externally prestressed concrete beam is taken as the multiple single-span beams which must meet the bending moment and rotation angle boundary conditions, the free vibration equation is solved using sublevel simultaneous method and the semi-analytical solution of the free vibration equation which considered the influence of prestress on section rigidity and beam length is obtained. Taking simply supported concrete beam and two-span concrete beam with external tendons as examples, frequency function curves are obtained with the measured frequencies into it and the prestress force can be identified using the abscissa of the crosspoint of frequency functions. Identification value of the prestress force is in good agreement with the test results. The method can accurately identify prestress force of externally prestressed concrete beam and trace the trend of effective prestress force.

  18. A support vector machine based test for incongruence between sets of trees in tree space

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background The increased use of multi-locus data sets for phylogenetic reconstruction has increased the need to determine whether a set of gene trees significantly deviate from the phylogenetic patterns of other genes. Such unusual gene trees may have been influenced by other evolutionary processes such as selection, gene duplication, or horizontal gene transfer. Results Motivated by this problem we propose a nonparametric goodness-of-fit test for two empirical distributions of gene trees, and we developed the software GeneOut to estimate a p-value for the test. Our approach maps trees into a multi-dimensional vector space and then applies support vector machines (SVMs) to measure the separation between two sets of pre-defined trees. We use a permutation test to assess the significance of the SVM separation. To demonstrate the performance of GeneOut, we applied it to the comparison of gene trees simulated within different species trees across a range of species tree depths. Applied directly to sets of simulated gene trees with large sample sizes, GeneOut was able to detect very small differences between two set of gene trees generated under different species trees. Our statistical test can also include tree reconstruction into its test framework through a variety of phylogenetic optimality criteria. When applied to DNA sequence data simulated from different sets of gene trees, results in the form of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves indicated that GeneOut performed well in the detection of differences between sets of trees with different distributions in a multi-dimensional space. Furthermore, it controlled false positive and false negative rates very well, indicating a high degree of accuracy. Conclusions The non-parametric nature of our statistical test provides fast and efficient analyses, and makes it an applicable test for any scenario where evolutionary or other factors can lead to trees with different multi-dimensional distributions. The

  19. Estimating mortality from external causes using data from retrospective surveys: A validation study in Niakhar (Senegal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gilles Pison

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs, data on causes of death is often inaccurate or incomplete. In this paper, we test whether adding a few questions about injuries and accidents to mortality questionnaires used in representative household surveys would yield accurate estimates of the extent of mortality due to external causes (accidents, homicides, or suicides. Methods: We conduct a validation study in Niakhar (Senegal, during which we compare reported survey data to high-quality prospective records of deaths collected by a health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS. Results: Survey respondents more frequently list the deaths of their adult siblings who die of external causes than the deaths of those who die from other causes. The specificity of survey data is high, but sensitivity is low. Among reported deaths, less than 60Š of the deaths classified as due to external causes by the HDSS are also classified as such by survey respondents. Survey respondents better report deaths due to road-traffic accidents than deaths from suicides and homicides. Conclusions: Asking questions about deaths resulting from injuries and accidents during surveys might help measure mortality from external causes in LMICs, but the resulting data displays systematic bias in a rural population of Senegal. Future studies should 1 investigate whether similar biases also apply in other settings and 2 test new methods to further improve the accuracy of survey data on mortality from external causes. Contribution: This study helps strengthen the monitoring of sustainable development targets in LMICs by validating a simple approach for the measurement of mortality from external causes.

  20. A landing theorem for entire functions with bounded post-singular sets

    OpenAIRE

    Benini, Anna Miriam; Rempe-Gillen, Lasse

    2017-01-01

    The Douady-Hubbard landing theorem for periodic external rays is one of the cornerstones of the study of polynomial dynamics. It states that, for a complex polynomial with bounded postcritical set, every periodic external ray lands at a repelling or parabolic periodic point, and conversely every repelling or parabolic point is the landing point of at least one periodic external ray. We prove an analogue of this theorem for an entire function with bounded postsingular set: every periodic dread...

  1. The Pacific Marine Energy Center - South Energy Test Site (PMEC-SETS)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Batten, Belinda [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States); Hellin, Dan [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)

    2018-02-07

    The overall goal of this project was to build on existing progress to establish the Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site (PMEC-SETS) as the nation's first fully permitted test site for wave energy converter arrays. Specifically, it plays an essential role in reducing levelized cost of energy for the wave energy industry by providing both the facility and resources to address the challenges of cost reduction.

  2. Testing specificity among parents' depressive symptoms, parenting, and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruhn, Meredith A; Dunbar, Jennifer P; Watson, Kelly H; Reising, Michelle M; McKee, Laura; Forehand, Rex; Cole, David A; Compas, Bruce E

    2016-04-01

    The present study examined the specificity in relations between observed withdrawn and intrusive parenting behaviors and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms in an at-risk sample of children (ages 9 to 15 years old) of parents with a history of depression (N = 180). Given past findings that parental depression and parenting behaviors may differentially impact boys and girls, gender was examined as a moderator of the relations between these factors and child adjustment. Correlation and linear regression analyses showed that parental depressive symptoms were significantly related to withdrawn parenting for parents of boys and girls and to intrusive parenting for parents of boys only. When controlling for intrusive parenting, preliminary analyses demonstrated that parental depressive symptoms were significantly related to withdrawn parenting for parents of boys, and this association approached significance for parents of girls. Specificity analyses yielded that, when controlling for the other type of problem (i.e., internalizing or externalizing), withdrawn parenting specifically predicted externalizing problems but not internalizing problems in girls. No evidence of specificity was found for boys in this sample, suggesting that impaired parenting behaviors are diffusely related to both internalizing and externalizing symptoms for boys. Overall, results highlight the importance of accounting for child gender and suggest that targeting improvement in parenting behaviors and the reduction of depressive symptoms in interventions with parents with a history of depression may have potential to reduce internalizing and externalizing problems in this high-risk population. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Testing Specificity Among Parents’ Depressive Symptoms, Parenting, and Child Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruhn, Meredith A.; Dunbar, Jennifer P.; Watson, Kelly H.; Reising, Michelle M.; McKee, Laura; Forehand, Rex; Cole, David A.; Compas, Bruce E.

    2016-01-01

    The present study examined the specificity in relations between observed withdrawn and intrusive parenting behaviors and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms in an at risk sample of children (ages 9 to 15-years-old) of parents with a history of depression (N = 180). Given past findings that parental depression and parenting behaviors may differentially impact boys and girls, gender was examined as a moderator of the relations between these factors and child adjustment. Correlation and linear regression analyses showed that parental depressive symptoms were significantly related to withdrawn parenting for parents of boys and girls and to intrusive parenting for parents of boys only. When controlling for intrusive parenting, preliminary analyses demonstrated that parental depressive symptoms were significantly related to withdrawn parenting for parents of boys, and this association approached significance for parents of girls. Specificity analyses yielded that, when controlling for the other type of problem (i.e., internalizing or externalizing), withdrawn parenting specifically predicted externalizing problems but not internalizing problems in girls. No evidence of specificity was found for boys in this sample, suggesting that impaired parenting behaviors are diffusely related to both internalizing and externalizing symptoms for boys. Overall, results highlight the importance of accounting for child gender and suggest that targeting improvement in parenting behaviors and the reduction of depressive symptoms in interventions with parents with a history of depression may have potential to reduce internalizing and externalizing problems in this high-risk population. PMID:26882467

  4. Set-up and Test Procedure for Suction Installation and Uninstallation of Bucket Foundation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koteras, Aleksandra Katarzyna

    This technical report describes the set-up and the test procedures for installation and uninstallation of medium-scale model of bucket foundation that can be performed in the geotechnical part of laboratory in Aalborg University. The installation of bucket foundation can be tested with the use of......) and loading frame used for those tests have been already used for axially static and cyclic loading of piles (Thomassen, 2015a) and for axially static and cyclic loading of bucket foundation (Vaitkunaite et al., 2015).......This technical report describes the set-up and the test procedures for installation and uninstallation of medium-scale model of bucket foundation that can be performed in the geotechnical part of laboratory in Aalborg University. The installation of bucket foundation can be tested with the use...... of suction under the bucket lid or by applying additional force through the hydraulic piston, forcing the bucket to penetrate into the soil. Tests for uninstallation are performed also with the use of water pressure, as a reverse process to the suction installation. Both installation and uninstallation tests...

  5. Spatial externalities, openness and financial development in the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Spatial externalities, openness and financial development in the SADC. Alex Bara, Gift Mugano, Pierre Le Roux. Abstract. This study empirically evaluates spatial externalities in financial development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in line with spatial proximity theory. The study specifically tests ...

  6. Chaotic behavior of current-carrying plasmas in external periodic oscillations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ohno, Noriyasu; Tanaka, Masayoshi; Komori, Akio; Kawai, Yoshinobu

    1989-01-01

    A set of cascading bifurcations and a chaotic state in the presence of an external periodic oscillation are experimentally investigated in a current-carrying plasma. The measured bifurcation sequence leading to chaos, which is controlled by changing plasma densities and the frequencies of external oscillations, is in qualitative agreement with a theory which describes anharmonic systems in periodic fields. (author).

  7. The central tendency bias in color perception: effects of internal and external noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olkkonen, Maria; McCarthy, Patrice F; Allred, Sarah R

    2014-09-05

    Perceptual estimates can be biased by previously seen stimuli in delayed estimation tasks. These biases are often toward the mean of the whole stimulus set. Recently, we demonstrated such a central tendency bias in delayed color estimation. In the Bayesian framework of perceptual inference, perceptual biases arise when noisy sensory measurements are combined with prior information about the world. Here, we investigate this idea in color perception by manipulating stimulus range and stimulus noise while characterizing delayed color estimates. First, we manipulated the experimental prior for stimulus color by embedding stimuli in collections with different hue ranges. Stimulus range affected hue bias: Hue estimates were always biased toward the mean of the current set. Next, we studied the effect of internal and external noise on the amount of hue bias. Internal noise was manipulated by increasing the delay between the reference and test from 0.4 to 4 s. External noise was manipulated by increasing the amount of chromatic noise in the reference stimulus, while keeping the delay between the reference and test constant at 2 s. Both noise manipulations had a reliable effect on the strength of the central tendency bias. Furthermore, there was a tendency for a positive relationship between variability of the estimates and bias in both noise conditions. In conclusion, observers are able to learn an experimental hue prior, and the weight on the prior can be manipulated by introducing noise in the estimation process. © 2014 ARVO.

  8. Foreign Language Optical Character Recognition, Phase II: Arabic and Persian Training and Test Data Sets

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Davidson, Robert

    1997-01-01

    .... Each data set is divided into a training set, which is made available to developers, and a carefully matched equal-sized set of closely analogous samples, which is reserved for testing of the developers' products...

  9. 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

  10. Resonator modes and mode dynamics for an external cavity-coupled laser array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, Niketh; Bochove, Erik J.; Aceves, Alejandro B.; Zunoubi, Mohammad R.; Braiman, Yehuda

    2015-03-01

    Employing a Fox-Li approach, we derived the cold-cavity mode structure and a coupled mode theory for a phased array of N single-transverse-mode active waveguides with feedback from an external cavity. We applied the analysis to a system with arbitrary laser lengths, external cavity design and coupling strengths to the external cavity. The entire system was treated as a single resonator. The effect of the external cavity was modeled by a set of boundary conditions expressed by an N-by-N frequency-dependent matrix relation between incident and reflected fields at the interface with the external cavity. The coupled mode theory can be adapted to various types of gain media and internal and external cavity designs.

  11. Analysis of heat-transfer measurements from 2 AEDC wind tunnels on the Shuttle external tank

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nutt, K. W.

    1984-01-01

    Previous aerodynamic heating tests have been conducted in the AEDC/VKF Supersonic Wind Tunnel (A) to aid in defining the design thermal environment for the space shuttle external tank. The quality of these data has been under discussion because of the effects of low tunnel enthalpy and slow model injection rates. Recently the AEDC/VKF Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (C) has been modified to provide a Mach 4 capability that has significantly higher tunnel enthalpy with more rapid model injection rates. Tests were conducted in Tunnel C at Mach 4 to obtain data on the external tank for comparison with Tunnel A results. Data were obtained on a 0.0175 scale model of the Space Shuttle Integrated Vehicle at Re/ft = 4 x 10 to the 6th power with the tunnel stagnation temperature varying from 740 to 1440 R. Model attitude varied from an angle of attack of -5 to 5 deg and an angle of sideslip of -3 to 3 deg. One set of data was obtained in Tunnel C at Re/ft = 6.9 x 10 to the 6th for comparison with flight data. Data comparisons between the two tunnels for numerous regions on the external tank are given.

  12. External-Memory Algorithms and Data Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arge, Lars; Zeh, Norbert

    2010-01-01

    The data sets involved in many modern applications are often too massive to fit in main memory of even the most powerful computers and must therefore reside on disk. Thus communication between internal and external memory, and not actual computation time, becomes the bottleneck in the computation....... This is due to the huge difference in access time of fast internal memory and slower external memory such as disks. The goal of theoretical work in the area of external memory algorithms (also called I/O algorithms or out-of-core algorithms) has been to develop algorithms that minimize the Input...... in parallel and the use of parallel disks has received a lot of theoretical attention. See below for recent surveys of theoretical results in the area of I/O-efficient algorithms. TPIE is designed to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of parallel I/O systems. It is intended to demonstrate all...

  13. Landscape externalities from onshore wind power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyerhoff, Juergen; Ohl, Cornelia; Hartje, Volkmar

    2010-01-01

    The expansion of renewable energy is a central element of the German Federal Government's climate and energy policy. The target for 2020 is to produce 30% of the electricity from renewable energies. Wind power has been selected to be a major contributor to this change. Replacing old wind turbines by modern ones and building new turbines on land will be crucial in meeting this target. However, the expansion of onshore wind power is not universally accepted. In several regions of Germany residents are protesting against setting up new wind turbines. To determine the negative effects two choice experiments were applied in Westsachsen and Nordhessen, Germany. In both regions the externalities of wind power generation until 2020 based on today's state of technology were measured. The results show that negative landscape externalities would result from expanding wind power generation. Using latent class models three different groups of respondents experiencing different degrees of externalities were identified.

  14. Electromagnetic analysis of the Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector test blanket module set

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Youngmin; Ku, Duck Young; Lee, Dong Won; Ahn, Mu-Young; Park, Yi-Hyun; Cho, Seungyon

    2016-01-01

    Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) test blanket module set (TBM-set) will be installed at equatorial port #18 of Vacuum Vessel in ITER in order to test the breeding blanket performance for forthcoming fusion power plant. Since ITER tokamak has a set of electromagnetic coils (Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field and Toroidal Field coil set) around Vacuum Vessel, the HCCR TBM-set, the TBM and associated shield, is greatly influenced by magnetic field generated by these coils. In the case of fast transient electromagnetic events such as major disruption, vertical displacement event or magnet fast discharge, magnetic field and induced eddy current results in huge electromagnetic load, known as Lorentz load, on the HCCR TBM-set. In addition, the TBM-set experiences electromagnetic load due to magnetization of the structural material not only during the fast transient events but also during normal operation since the HCCR TBM adopts Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel as a structural material. This is known as Maxwell load which includes Lorentz load as well as load due to magnetization of structure material. This paper presents electromagnetic analysis results for the HCCR TBM-set. For analysis, a 20° sector finite model was constructed considering ITER configuration such as Vacuum Vessel, ITER shield blankets, Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field, Toroidal Field coil set as well as the HCCR TBM-set. Three major disruptions (operational event, likely event and highly unlikely event) were selected for analysis based on the load specifications. ANSYS-EMAG was used as a calculation tool. The results of EM analysis will be used as input data for the structural analysis.

  15. Electromagnetic analysis of the Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector test blanket module set

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-11-01

    Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) test blanket module set (TBM-set) will be installed at equatorial port #18 of Vacuum Vessel in ITER in order to test the breeding blanket performance for forthcoming fusion power plant. Since ITER tokamak has a set of electromagnetic coils (Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field and Toroidal Field coil set) around Vacuum Vessel, the HCCR TBM-set, the TBM and associated shield, is greatly influenced by magnetic field generated by these coils. In the case of fast transient electromagnetic events such as major disruption, vertical displacement event or magnet fast discharge, magnetic field and induced eddy current results in huge electromagnetic load, known as Lorentz load, on the HCCR TBM-set. In addition, the TBM-set experiences electromagnetic load due to magnetization of the structural material not only during the fast transient events but also during normal operation since the HCCR TBM adopts Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel as a structural material. This is known as Maxwell load which includes Lorentz load as well as load due to magnetization of structure material. This paper presents electromagnetic analysis results for the HCCR TBM-set. For analysis, a 20° sector finite model was constructed considering ITER configuration such as Vacuum Vessel, ITER shield blankets, Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field, Toroidal Field coil set as well as the HCCR TBM-set. Three major disruptions (operational event, likely event and highly unlikely event) were selected for analysis based on the load specifications. ANSYS-EMAG was used as a calculation tool. The results of EM analysis will be used as input data for the structural analysis.

  16. Parental Endorsement of Spanking and Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in African American and Hispanic Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coley, Rebekah Levine; Kull, Melissa A.; Carrano, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    This study assessed prospective, bidirectional associations between maternal endorsement of spanking and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in low-income urban African American and Hispanic (N = 592) families drawn from the Three City Study. Children in sample families were followed from early childhood through middle childhood with three sets of interviews and assessments at ages 3, 4, and 9 years. Cross-lagged path analyses tested longitudinal bidirectional associations between parental endorsement of spanking and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems, with multi-group comparisons employed to test group differences between race/ethnic groups. African American and Hispanic mothers showed similar endorsements of spanking. Results suggest that associations between spanking endorsement and child functioning were due primarily to parenting effects, with spanking predicting changes in children’s behaviors, rather than child evocative effects, with limited evidence of child behaviors predicting changes in parental spanking. Maternal spanking endorsement predicted short-term decreases in children’s internalizing problems in early childhood, but over the longer term spanking was associated with increased internalizing and externalizing problems for both African American and Hispanic children in middle childhood among economically disadvantaged families. PMID:24364363

  17. External quality assurance of malaria nucleic acid testing for clinical trials and eradication surveillance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Sean C; Hermsen, Cornelus C; Douglas, Alexander D; Edwards, Nick J; Petersen, Ines; Fahle, Gary A; Adams, Matthew; Berry, Andrea A; Billman, Zachary P; Gilbert, Sarah C; Laurens, Matthew B; Leroy, Odile; Lyke, Kristen E; Plowe, Christopher V; Seilie, Annette M; Strauss, Kathleen A; Teelen, Karina; Hill, Adrian V S; Sauerwein, Robert W

    2014-01-01

    Nucleic acid testing (NAT) for malaria parasites is an increasingly recommended diagnostic endpoint in clinical trials of vaccine and drug candidates and is also important in surveillance of malaria control and elimination efforts. A variety of reported NAT assays have been described, yet no formal external quality assurance (EQA) program provides validation for the assays in use. Here, we report results of an EQA exercise for malaria NAT assays. Among five centers conducting controlled human malaria infection trials, all centers achieved 100% specificity and demonstrated limits of detection consistent with each laboratory's pre-stated expectations. Quantitative bias of reported results compared to expected results was generally Quality Assessment program that fulfills the need for EQA of malaria NAT assays worldwide.

  18. Analysis of Leadership Dynamics in Educational Settings during Times of External and Internal Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jäppinen, Aini-Kristiina

    2017-01-01

    Background: The article concerns the tensions that can arise during demanding external, and consequential internal changes and considers how educational leadership is able to respond to them. Leadership is here understood as a collaborative endeavour, producing shared sense-making in situations of tension. Purpose: The main research question was:…

  19. Recommendations for translation and reliability testing of International Spinal Cord Injury Data Sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biering-Sørensen, F; Alexander, M S; Burns, S; Charlifue, S; DeVivo, M; Dietz, V; Krassioukov, A; Marino, R; Noonan, V; Post, M W M; Stripling, T; Vogel, L; Wing, P

    2011-03-01

    To provide recommendations regarding translation and reliability testing of International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Data Sets. The Executive Committee for the International SCI Standards and Data Sets. Translations of any specific International SCI Data Set can be accomplished by translation from the English version into the target language, and be followed by a back-translation into English, to confirm that the original meaning has been preserved. Another approach is to have the initial translation performed by translators who have knowledge of SCI, and afterwards controlled by other person(s) with the same kind of knowledge. The translation process includes both language translation and cultural adaptation, and therefore shall not be made word for word, but will strive to include conceptual equivalence. At a minimum, the inter-rater reliability should be tested by no less than two independent observers, and preferably in multiple countries. Translations must include information on the name, role and background of everyone involved in the translation process, and shall be dated and noted with a version number. By following the proposed guidelines, translated data sets should assure comparability of data acquisition across countries and cultures. If the translation process identifies irregularities or misrepresentation in either the original English version or the target language, the working group for the particular International SCI Data Set shall revise the data set accordingly, which may include re-wording of the original English version in order to accomplish a compromise in the content of the data set.

  20. Monitoring training response in young Friesian dressage horses using two different standardised exercise tests (SETs)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Bruijn, Cornelis Marinus; Houterman, Willem; Ploeg, Margreet; Ducro, Bart; Boshuizen, Berit; Goethals, Klaartje; Verdegaal, Elisabeth-Lidwien; Delesalle, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Most Friesian horses reach their anaerobic threshold during a standardized exercise test (SET) which requires lower intensity exercise than daily routine training. AIM: to study strengths and weaknesses of an alternative SET-protocol. Two different SETs (SETA and SETB) were applied

  1. Monitoring training response in young Friesian dressage horses using two different standardised exercise tests (SETs)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bruijn, de Cornelis Marinus; Houterman, Willem; Ploeg, Margreet; Ducro, Bart; Boshuizen, Berit; Goethals, Klaartje; Verdegaal, Elisabeth Lidwien; Delesalle, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    Background: Most Friesian horses reach their anaerobic threshold during a standardized exercise test (SET) which requires lower intensity exercise than daily routine training. Aim: to study strengths and weaknesses of an alternative SET-protocol. Two different SETs (SETA and SETB) were applied

  2. Retrospective dose assessment for the population living in areas of local fallout from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Part 1: external exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordeev, Konstantin; Shinkarev, Sergey; Ilyin, Leonid; Bouville, Andre; Luckyanov, Nickolas; Simon, Steven L.; Hoshi, Masaharu

    2006-01-01

    A short analysis of all 111 atmospheric events conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) in 1949-1962 with regard to significant off-site exposure (more than 5 mSv of the effective dose during the first year after the explosion) has been made. The analytical method used to assess external exposure to the residents living in settlements near the STS is described. This method makes used of the archival data on the radiological conditions, including the measurements of exposure rate. Special attention was given to the residents of Dolon and Kanonerka villages exposed mainly as a result of the first test, detonated on August 29, 1949. For the residents of those settlements born in 1935, the dose estimates calculated according to the analytical method, are compared to those derived from the thermoluminescence measurements in bricks and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements in teeth. The methods described in this paper were used for external dose assessment for the cohort members at an initial stage of an ongoing epidemiological study conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Recently revised methods and estimates of external exposure for that cohort are given in another paper (Simon et al.) in this conference. (author)

  3. Association test based on SNP set: logistic kernel machine based test vs. principal component analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Zhao

    Full Text Available GWAS has facilitated greatly the discovery of risk SNPs associated with complex diseases. Traditional methods analyze SNP individually and are limited by low power and reproducibility since correction for multiple comparisons is necessary. Several methods have been proposed based on grouping SNPs into SNP sets using biological knowledge and/or genomic features. In this article, we compare the linear kernel machine based test (LKM and principal components analysis based approach (PCA using simulated datasets under the scenarios of 0 to 3 causal SNPs, as well as simple and complex linkage disequilibrium (LD structures of the simulated regions. Our simulation study demonstrates that both LKM and PCA can control the type I error at the significance level of 0.05. If the causal SNP is in strong LD with the genotyped SNPs, both the PCA with a small number of principal components (PCs and the LKM with kernel of linear or identical-by-state function are valid tests. However, if the LD structure is complex, such as several LD blocks in the SNP set, or when the causal SNP is not in the LD block in which most of the genotyped SNPs reside, more PCs should be included to capture the information of the causal SNP. Simulation studies also demonstrate the ability of LKM and PCA to combine information from multiple causal SNPs and to provide increased power over individual SNP analysis. We also apply LKM and PCA to analyze two SNP sets extracted from an actual GWAS dataset on non-small cell lung cancer.

  4. 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.

  5. Externalizing symptoms, effortful control, and intrusive parenting: A test of bidirectional longitudinal relations during early childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenberg, Nancy; Taylor, Zoe E; Widaman, Keith F; Spinrad, Tracy L

    2015-11-01

    At approximately 30, 42, and 54 months of age (N = 231), the relations among children's externalizing symptoms, intrusive maternal parenting, and children's effortful control (EC) were examined. Both intrusive parenting and low EC have been related to psychopathology, but children's externalizing problems and low EC might affect the quality of parenting and one another. Mothers' intrusive behavior with their children was assessed with observations, children's EC was measured with mothers' and caregivers' reports, and children's externalizing symptoms were assessed with mothers', fathers', and caregivers' reports. In a structural equation panel model, bidirectional relations between intrusive parenting and EC were found: EC at 30 and 42 months predicted low levels of intrusive parenting a year later, controlling for prior levels of parenting and vice versa. Moreover, high levels of children's externalizing problems at both 30 and 42 months negatively predicted EC a year later, controlling for prior levels of EC. Although externalizing problems positively predicted high EC over time, this appeared to be a suppression effect because these variables had a strong negative pattern in the zero-order correlations. Moreover, when controlling for the stability of intrusive parenting, EC, and externalizing (all exhibited significant stability across time) and the aforementioned cross-lagged predictive paths, EC and externalizing problems were still negatively related within the 54-month assessment. The findings are consistent with the view that children's externalizing behavior undermines their EC and contributes to intrusive mothering and that relations between intrusive parenting and EC are bidirectional across time. Thus, interventions that focus on modifying children's externalizing problems (as well as the quality of parenting) might affect the quality of parenting they receive and, hence, subsequent problems with adjustment.

  6. Test set up description and performances for HAWAII-2RG detector characterization at ESTEC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crouzet, P.-E.; ter Haar, J.; de Wit, F.; Beaufort, T.; Butler, B.; Smit, H.; van der Luijt, C.; Martin, D.

    2012-07-01

    In the frame work of the European Space Agency's Cosmic Vision program, the Euclid mission has the objective to map the geometry of the Dark Universe. Galaxies and clusters of galaxies will be observed in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths by an imaging and spectroscopic channel. For the Near Infrared Spectrometer instrument (NISP), the state-of-the-art HAWAII-2RG detectors will be used, associated with the SIDECAR ASIC readout electronic which will perform the image frame acquisitions. To characterize and validate the performance of these detectors, a test bench has been designed, tested and validated. This publication describes the pre-tests performed to build the set up dedicated to dark current measurements and tests requiring reasonably uniform light levels (such as for conversion gain measurements). Successful cryogenic and vacuum tests on commercial LEDs and photodiodes are shown. An optimized feed through in stainless steel with a V-groove to pot the flex cable connecting the SIDECAR ASIC to the room temperature board (JADE2) has been designed and tested. The test set up for quantum efficiency measurements consisting of a lamp, a monochromator, an integrating sphere and set of cold filters, and which is currently under construction will ensure a uniform illumination across the detector with variations lower than 2%. A dedicated spot projector for intra-pixel measurements has been designed and built to reach a spot diameter of 5 μm at 920nm with 2nm of bandwidth [1].

  7. Instructions to Adopt an External Focus Enhance Muscular Endurance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchant, David C.; Greig, Matt; Bullough, Jonathan; Hitchen, Daniel

    2011-01-01

    The influence of internal (movement focus) and external (outcome focus) attentional-focusing instructions on muscular endurance were investigated using three exercise protocols with experienced exercisers. Twenty-three participants completed a maximal repetition, assisted bench-press test on a Smith's machine. An external focus of attention…

  8. Update of the external cost for environmental damage (for Flanders) with regard to air pollution and climatic change; Actualisering van de externe milieuschadekosten (algemeen voor Vlaanderen) met betrekking tot luchtverontreiniging en klimaatverandering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Nocker, L.; Michiels, H.; Deutsch, F.; Lefebvre, W.; Buekers, J.; Torfs, R. [Unit Ruimtelijke Milieuaspecten, VITO, Mol (Belgium)

    2010-12-15

    This report contains a set of indicators for calculating external costs of air-polluting substances and greenhouse gases. The external costs of environmental damage relate to the damage to human health, eco systems, buildings and economy as a result of an activity. This leads to loss of welfare for inhabitants in Flanders and abroad for the current and future generations. The magnitude and evolution of the external or environmental damage cost resulting from air pollution is one of the indicators for the MIRA report that translates the state of the environment into consequences for man and economy. [Dutch] Dit rapport bevat een set van kengetallen voor de berekening van de externe kosten van luchtverontreinigende stoffen en broeikasgassen. De externe kosten of milieuschadekosten hebben betrekking op de schade aan menselijke gezondheid, ecosystemen, gebouwen en economie als gevolg van een activiteit. Dit leidt tot een verlies aan welvaart voor inwoners in Vlaanderen en het buitenland, voor deze en toekomstige generaties. De omvang en evolutie van de externe of milieuschadekosten ten gevolge van luchtverontreiniging ia 1 van de indicatoren voor het MIRA rapport die de toestand van het milieu vertaalt naar gevolgen voor mens en economie.

  9. Improving small RNA-seq by using a synthetic spike-in set for size-range quality control together with a set for data normalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Locati, Mauro D; Terpstra, Inez; de Leeuw, Wim C; Kuzak, Mateusz; Rauwerda, Han; Ensink, Wim A; van Leeuwen, Selina; Nehrdich, Ulrike; Spaink, Herman P; Jonker, Martijs J; Breit, Timo M; Dekker, Rob J

    2015-08-18

    There is an increasing interest in complementing RNA-seq experiments with small-RNA (sRNA) expression data to obtain a comprehensive view of a transcriptome. Currently, two main experimental challenges concerning sRNA-seq exist: how to check the size distribution of isolated sRNAs, given the sensitive size-selection steps in the protocol; and how to normalize data between samples, given the low complexity of sRNA types. We here present two separate sets of synthetic RNA spike-ins for monitoring size-selection and for performing data normalization in sRNA-seq. The size-range quality control (SRQC) spike-in set, consisting of 11 oligoribonucleotides (10-70 nucleotides), was tested by intentionally altering the size-selection protocol and verified via several comparative experiments. We demonstrate that the SRQC set is useful to reproducibly track down biases in the size-selection in sRNA-seq. The external reference for data-normalization (ERDN) spike-in set, consisting of 19 oligoribonucleotides, was developed for sample-to-sample normalization in differential-expression analysis of sRNA-seq data. Testing and applying the ERDN set showed that it can reproducibly detect differential expression over a dynamic range of 2(18). Hence, biological variation in sRNA composition and content between samples is preserved while technical variation is effectively minimized. Together, both spike-in sets can significantly improve the technical reproducibility of sRNA-seq. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  10. Movement of the external ear in human embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kagurasho, Miho; Yamada, Shigehito; Uwabe, Chigako; Kose, Katsumi; Takakuwa, Tetsuya

    2012-02-01

    External ears, one of the major face components, show an interesting movement during craniofacial morphogenesis in human embryo. The present study was performed to see if movement of the external ears in a human embryo could be explained by differential growth. In all, 171 samples between Carnegie stage (CS) 17 and CS 23 were selected from MR image datasets of human embryos obtained from the Kyoto Collection of Human Embryos. The three-dimensional absolute position of 13 representative anatomical landmarks, including external and internal ears, from MRI data was traced to evaluate the movement between the different stages with identical magnification. Two different sets of reference axes were selected for evaluation and comparison of the movements. When the pituitary gland and the first cervical vertebra were selected as a reference axis, the 13 anatomical landmarks of the face spread out within the same region as the embryo enlarged and changed shape. The external ear did move mainly laterally, but not cranially. The distance between the external and internal ear stayed approximately constant. Three-dimensionally, the external ear located in the caudal ventral parts of the internal ear in CS 17, moved mainly laterally until CS 23. When surface landmarks eyes and mouth were selected as a reference axis, external ears moved from the caudal lateral ventral region to the position between eyes and mouth during development. The results indicate that movement of all anatomical landmarks, including external and internal ears, can be explained by differential growth. Also, when the external ear is recognized as one of the facial landmarks and having a relative position to other landmarks such as the eyes and mouth, the external ears seem to move cranially. © 2012 Kagurasho et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  11. 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)

  12. Development of a test set for adjustment of residential furnaces and boilers. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1980-01-01

    A program was undertaken to design and develop a portable test set for simplified field adjustment of residential furnaces and boilers to achieve peak operating efficiency. Advanced technology was applied to provide continuous analysis of flue gases and the display of temperature, oxygen concentrations, smoke value and furnace efficiency. Prototype models were constructed and delivered to Brookhaven National Laboratory for further testing. A survey of furnace dealers was conducted, and a commercialization plan was developed based on survey responses and the status of the equipment developed under the program. Goals for a marketable test set and development steps to achieve a projected energy savings were determined and recommended. Recommendations for specific areas of further development are included.

  13. Performance tests of external moderators of a PGNAA setup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naqvi, A.A.; Fazal-ur-Rehman,; Al-Jarallah, M.I.; Abu-Jarad, F.; Maslehuddin, M.

    2003-01-01

    Performance tests of external cylindrical moderators of an accelerator-based prompt gamma ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) setup have been carried out through thermal neutrons and prompt γ-ray yield measurements. The PGNAA setup is to be used for analysis of cement samples. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of geometry of cylindrical moderator on yield of thermal neutrons and prompt γ-rays for two different types of moderator assemblies. One of the moderators was to be used with a small sample and the other to be used with a large sample. Fast and thermal neutron yield was measured inside the sample volume as a function of the front moderator thickness as well as sample length. Neutron yield measurement was carried out at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals 350 keV pulsed beam accelerator using nuclear track detectors. The pulsed 200 keV deuteron beam with 5 ns pulse width and 31.25 kHz frequency was used to produce 2.8 MeV neutrons via D(d,n) reaction. Neutron yield measurements showed that the large sample moderator has a smaller yield of thermal neutrons as compared to the small sample moderator, which is in complete agreement with the results of Monte Carlo yield calculations of the thermal and fast neutrons from both the moderators. Finally, the prompt γ-ray yield from a Portland cement sample was measured using the two moderators and was compared with each other. As predicted by Monte Carlo simulations, in spite of a smaller yield of thermal neutrons, the large sample moderator has a higher yield of prompt γ-rays

  14. Performance tests of external moderators of a PGNAA setup

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Naqvi, A.A. E-mail: aanaqvi@kfupm.edu.sa; Fazal-ur-Rehman,; Al-Jarallah, M.I.; Abu-Jarad, F.; Maslehuddin, M

    2003-01-01

    Performance tests of external cylindrical moderators of an accelerator-based prompt gamma ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) setup have been carried out through thermal neutrons and prompt {gamma}-ray yield measurements. The PGNAA setup is to be used for analysis of cement samples. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of geometry of cylindrical moderator on yield of thermal neutrons and prompt {gamma}-rays for two different types of moderator assemblies. One of the moderators was to be used with a small sample and the other to be used with a large sample. Fast and thermal neutron yield was measured inside the sample volume as a function of the front moderator thickness as well as sample length. Neutron yield measurement was carried out at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals 350 keV pulsed beam accelerator using nuclear track detectors. The pulsed 200 keV deuteron beam with 5 ns pulse width and 31.25 kHz frequency was used to produce 2.8 MeV neutrons via D(d,n) reaction. Neutron yield measurements showed that the large sample moderator has a smaller yield of thermal neutrons as compared to the small sample moderator, which is in complete agreement with the results of Monte Carlo yield calculations of the thermal and fast neutrons from both the moderators. Finally, the prompt {gamma}-ray yield from a Portland cement sample was measured using the two moderators and was compared with each other. As predicted by Monte Carlo simulations, in spite of a smaller yield of thermal neutrons, the large sample moderator has a higher yield of prompt {gamma}-rays.

  15. ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: external quality assessment and comparative testing for reference and in-clinic laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camus, Melinda S; Flatland, Bente; Freeman, Kathleen P; Cruz Cardona, Janice A

    2015-12-01

    The purpose of this document is to educate providers of veterinary laboratory diagnostic testing in any setting about comparative testing. These guidelines will define, explain, and illustrate the importance of a multi-faceted laboratory quality management program which includes comparative testing. The guidelines will provide suggestions for implementation of such testing, including which samples should be tested, frequency of testing, and recommendations for result interpretation. Examples and a list of vendors and manufacturers supplying control materials and services to veterinary laboratories are also included. © 2015 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

  16. Use of hot set and gel content test in QA/QC for irradiation of commercial products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruzalina Baharin; Siti Aiasah Hashim; Zulkafli Ghazali; Zarina Mohd Noor

    2006-01-01

    Currently, irradiation of polyolefin heat shrinkable tube is the main commercial activity at Alurtron. Other products include medical devices and cosmetic products. As required by the quality management system, ISO 9001:2000, Alurtron is responsible to ensure that customer received their irradiation dose as requested. At present two test methods are employed namely, hot set and gel content measurement to verify received dose . Hot set test is a physical test to determine longitudinal shrinkage of the irradiated products. Whereas gel content measurement determine to certain extend the degree of crosslinking occurred in polymeric material upon irradiation, in the customer products. Both test are routinely used to cross-check the dose required by customer. This paper outlines the correlation between hot set and gel content measurement of customer products. (Author)

  17. The Development and Piloting of Parallel Scales Measuring External and Internal HIV and Tuberculosis Stigma Among Healthcare Workers in the Free State Province, South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wouters, Edwin; Rau, Asta; Engelbrecht, Michelle; Uebel, Kerry; Siegel, Jacob; Masquillier, Caroline; Kigozi, Gladys; Sommerland, Nina; Yassi, Annalee

    2016-05-15

    The dual burden of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is severely impacting the South African healthcare workforce. However, the use of on-site occupational health services is hampered by stigma among the healthcare workforce. The success of stigma-reduction interventions is difficult to evaluate because of a dearth of appropriate scientific tools to measure stigma in this specific professional setting. The current pilot study aimed to develop and test a range of scales measuring different aspects of stigma-internal and external stigma toward tuberculosis as well as HIV-in a South African healthcare setting. The study employed data of a sample of 200 staff members of a large hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Confirmatory factor analysis produced 7 scales, displaying internal construct validity: (1) colleagues' external HIV stigma, (2) colleagues' actions against external HIV stigma, (3) respondent's external HIV stigma, (4) respondent's internal HIV stigma, (5) colleagues' external tuberculosis stigma, (6) respondent's external tuberculosis stigma, and (7) respondent's internal tuberculosis stigma. Subsequent analyses (reliability analysis, structural equation modeling) demonstrated that the scales displayed good psychometric properties in terms of reliability and external construct validity. The study outcomes support the use of the developed scales as a valid and reliable means to measure levels of tuberculosis- and HIV-related stigma among the healthcare workforce in a resource-limited context. Future studies should build on these findings to fine-tune the instruments and apply them to larger study populations across a range of different resource-limited healthcare settings with high HIV and tuberculosis prevalence. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version: Cost analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamasato, Kelly; Kaneshiro, Bliss; Salcedo, Jennifer

    2015-07-01

    Neuraxial blockade (epidural or spinal anesthesia/analgesia) with external cephalic version increases the external cephalic version success rate. Hospitals and insurers may affect access to neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version, but the costs to these institutions remain largely unstudied. The objective of this study was to perform a cost analysis of neuraxial blockade use during external cephalic version from hospital and insurance payer perspectives. Secondarily, we estimated the effect of neuraxial blockade on cesarean delivery rates. A decision-analysis model was developed using costs and probabilities occurring prenatally through the delivery hospital admission. Model inputs were derived from the literature, national databases, and local supply costs. Univariate and bivariate sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to assess model robustness. Neuraxial blockade was cost saving to both hospitals ($30 per delivery) and insurers ($539 per delivery) using baseline estimates. From both perspectives, however, the model was sensitive to multiple variables. Monte Carlo simulation indicated neuraxial blockade to be more costly in approximately 50% of scenarios. The model demonstrated that routine use of neuraxial blockade during external cephalic version, compared to no neuraxial blockade, prevented 17 cesarean deliveries for every 100 external cephalic versions attempted. Neuraxial blockade is associated with minimal hospital and insurer cost changes in the setting of external cephalic version, while reducing the cesarean delivery rate. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2015 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  19. A design for a high voltage magnet coil ringer test set

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koska, W.; Sims, R.E.

    1992-04-01

    By discharging a bank of charged capacitors through a high power SCR switch into an SSC dipole magnet assembly, it is possible to ''ring'' the coil and develop a voltage stress of greater than 50 volts turn-to-turn, thereby verifying the insulation integrity. We will present an overview of the test set design for a 2 kV isolated SCR firing circuit, including safety features, selectable capacitor banks, and digital waveform storage system. Results from testing typical coils and magnets will be included. Possible upgrades are also discussed

  20. 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...

  1. Applying the theory of planned behaviour to explain HIV testing in antenatal settings in Addis Ababa - a cohort study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background To facilitate access to the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services, HIV counselling and testing are offered routinely in antenatal care settings. Focusing a cohort of pregnant women attending public and private antenatal care facilities, this study applied an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to explain intended- and actual HIV testing. Methods A sequential exploratory mixed methods study was conducted in Addis Ababa in 2009. The study involved first time antenatal attendees from public- and private health care facilities. Three Focus Group Discussions were conducted to inform the TPB questionnaire. A total of 3033 women completed the baseline TPB interviews, including attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intention with respect to HIV testing, whereas 2928 completed actual HIV testing at follow up. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, Fisher's Exact tests, Internal consistency reliability, Pearson's correlation, Linear regression, Logistic regression and using Epidemiological indices. P-values < 0.05 was considered significant and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used for the odds ratio. Results The TPB explained 9.2% and 16.4% of the variance in intention among public- and private health facility attendees. Intention and perceived barriers explained 2.4% and external variables explained 7% of the total variance in HIV testing. Positive and negative predictive values of intention were 96% and 6% respectively. Across both groups, subjective norm explained a substantial amount of variance in intention, followed by attitudes. Women intended to test for HIV if they perceived social support and anticipated positive consequences following test performance. Type of counselling did not modify the link between intended and actual HIV testing. Conclusion The TPB explained substantial amount of variance in intention to test but was less sufficient in explaining

  2. Abnormalities of the external genitalia and groins among primary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Abnormalities of the male external genitalia and groin, a set of lesions which may be congenital or acquired, are rather obscured to .... some have no gross functional or morphological import .... Disorders of the testis, scrotum and.

  3. Expanding the test set: Chemicals with potential to disrupt mammalian brain development

    Science.gov (United States)

    High-throughput test methods including molecular, cellular, and alternative species-based assays that examine critical events of normal brain development are being developed for detection of developmental neurotoxcants. As new assays are developed, a "training set' of chemicals i...

  4. [Size of testes and epididymes in boys up to 17 years of life assessed by ultrasound method and method of external linear measurements].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osemlak, Paweł

    2011-01-01

    1. Determination of the size of testes and epididymes on the right and left side, in healthy boys in various age groups with use of non-invasive ultrasound examination method and the method of external linear measurements. 2. Determination of age, when intensive growth of testicular and epididymal size starts. 3. Determination whether there are statistically significant differences between the size of the right and the left testis, as well as between the right and left epididymis. 4. Evaluation of the ultrasound method and method of external linear measurements in their use for scientific investigations. 309 boys, aged from 1 day to 17 years of life, treated in the Clinical Department of Paediatric Surgery and Traumatology of the Medical University in Lublin from 2009 to 2010 due to diseases needed to be treated surgically, but not the scrotum, were examined in this study. No pathologies influencing the development of genital organs were found in these boys. Dimension of the testes was studied with ultrasound method and with method of external linear measurements. Dimension of epididymes was only examined with ultrasound method. In every age group the author calculated mean arithmetical values for: testiscular length, thickness, width and volume, as well as epididymal depth and basis. With consideration of standard deviation (X+/-1 SD) it was possible to define the range of dimension of healthy testes and epididymes and their change with age. Final dimensions of the right and left testis as well as of the right and left epididymis were compared. Dimensions of the testis on the same side of body acquired with the ultrasound method and acquired with the method of external linear measurements were compared. Statistical work-up with Wilcoxon test for two dependent groups was implemented. Ultrasound evaluation pointed to intensive 2.5-times increase in testicular length and width, and 2-times increase in testicular thickness in boys aged 10 to 17 years. Mean volume of

  5. Dynamic Stress Testing Is Unnecessary for Unimalleolar Supination-External Rotation Ankle Fractures with Minimal Fracture Displacement on Lateral Radiographs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nortunen, Simo; Leskelä, Hannu-Ville; Haapasalo, Heidi; Flinkkilä, Tapio; Ohtonen, Pasi; Pakarinen, Harri

    2017-03-15

    This study aimed to identify factors from standard radiographs that contributed to the stability of the ankle mortise in patients with isolated supination-external rotation fractures of the lateral malleolus (OTA/AO 44-B). Non-stress radiographs of the mortise and lateral views, without medial clear space widening or incongruity, were prospectively collected for 286 consecutive patients (mean age, 45 years [range, 16 to 85 years]), including 144 female patients (mean age, 50 years [range, 17 to 85 years]) and 142 male patients (mean age, 40 years [range, 16 to 84 years]) from 2 trauma centers. The radiographs were analyzed for fracture morphology by 2 orthopaedic surgeons, who were blinded to each other's measurements and to the results of external rotation stress radiographs (the reference for stability). Factors significantly associated with ankle mortise stability were tested in multiple logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed for continuous variables to determine optimal thresholds. A sensitivity of >90% was used as the criterion for an optimal threshold. According to external rotation stress radiographs, 217 patients (75.9%) had a stable injury, defined as that with a medial clear space of ankle mortise were female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.5 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4 to 4.6]), a posterior diastasis of fracture fragments (OR, 7.3 [95% CI, 2.1 to 26.3]). When the posterior diastasis was fracture fragments were present, the probability of a stable ankle mortise was 0.98 for 48 female patients (16.8%) and 0.94 for 37 male patients (12.9%). Patients with noncomminuted lateral malleolar fractures (85 patients [29.7%]) could be diagnosed with a stable ankle mortise without further stress testing, when the fracture line widths were <2 mm on lateral radiographs. Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

  6. Mapping the MMPI-2-RF Substantive Scales Onto Internalizing, Externalizing, and Thought Dysfunction Dimensions in a Forensic Inpatient Setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero, Isabella E; Toorabally, Nasreen; Burchett, Danielle; Tarescavage, Anthony M; Glassmire, David M

    2017-01-01

    Contemporary models of psychopathology-encompassing internalizing, externalizing, and thought dysfunction factors-have gained significant support. Although research indicates the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008 /2011) measures these domains of psychopathology, this study addresses extant limitations in MMPI-2-RF diagnostic validity research by examining associations between all MMPI-2-RF substantive scales and broad dichotomous indicators of internalizing, externalizing, and thought dysfunction diagnoses in a sample of 1,110 forensic inpatients. Comparing those with and without internalizing diagnoses, notable effects were observed for Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism-Revised (NEGE-r), Emotional/Internalizing Dysfunction (EID), Dysfunctional Negative Emotions (RC7), Demoralization (RCd), and several other internalizing and somatic/cognitive scales. Comparing those with and without thought dysfunction diagnoses, the largest hypothesized differences occurred for Thought Dysfunction (THD), Aberrant Experiences (RC8), and Psychoticism-Revised (PSYC-r), although unanticipated differences were observed on internalizing and interpersonal scales, likely reflecting the high prevalence of internalizing dysfunction in forensic inpatients not experiencing thought dysfunction. Comparing those with and without externalizing diagnoses, the largest effects were for Substance Abuse (SUB), Antisocial Behavior (RC4), Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction (BXD), Juvenile Conduct Problems (JCP), and Disconstraint-Revised (DISC-r). Multivariate models evidenced similar results. Findings support the construct validity of MMPI-2-RF scales as measures of internalizing, thought, and externalizing dysfunction.

  7. Efficient external memory structures for range-aggregate queries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agarwal, P.K.; Yang, J.; Arge, L.

    2013-01-01

    We present external memory data structures for efficiently answering range-aggregate queries. The range-aggregate problem is defined as follows: Given a set of weighted points in Rd, compute the aggregate of the weights of the points that lie inside a d-dimensional orthogonal query rectangle. The...

  8. Testing links between childhood positive peer relations and externalizing outcomes through a randomized controlled intervention study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witvliet, Miranda; van Lier, Pol A C; Cuijpers, Pim; Koot, Hans M

    2009-10-01

    In this study, the authors used a randomized controlled trial to explore the link between having positive peer relations and externalizing outcomes in 758 children followed from kindergarten to the end of 2nd grade. Children were randomly assigned to the Good Behavior Game (GBG), a universal classroom-based preventive intervention, or a control condition. Children's acceptance by peers, their number of mutual friends, and their proximity to others were assessed annually through peer ratings. Externalizing behavior was annually rated by teachers. Reductions in children's externalizing behavior and improvements in positive peer relations were found among GBG children, as compared with control-group children. Reductions in externalizing behavior appeared to be partly mediated by the improvements in peer acceptance. This mediating role of peer acceptance was found for boys only. The results suggest that positive peer relations are not just markers, but they are environmental mediators of boys' externalizing behavior development. Implications for research and prevention are discussed. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

  9. Management of fractures in field settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, David E; St Jean, Guy

    2008-11-01

    Limb fractures are common in farm animals, are most commonly found in young stock, and often occur subsequent to trauma during dystocia or handling. Cattle are excellent patients for treatment of orthopedic injuries because they spend a majority of time lying down, have a tremendous potential for bone healing, are more resistant than other animals to contralateral limb breakdown and stress laminitis, and usually do not resist having orthopedic devices on their limbs. This article describes management of fractures, especially for cattle, in field settings; explains how the principles of external skeletal fixation are adapted for cattle; discusses the application of external skeletal fixation to individual bones, and reviews potential complications in the use of external skeletal fixation.

  10. Optimum location of external markers using feature selection algorithms for real-time tumor tracking in external-beam radiotherapy: a virtual phantom study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nankali, Saber; Torshabi, Ahmad Esmaili; Miandoab, Payam Samadi; Baghizadeh, Amin

    2016-01-08

    In external-beam radiotherapy, using external markers is one of the most reliable tools to predict tumor position, in clinical applications. The main challenge in this approach is tumor motion tracking with highest accuracy that depends heavily on external markers location, and this issue is the objective of this study. Four commercially available feature selection algorithms entitled 1) Correlation-based Feature Selection, 2) Classifier, 3) Principal Components, and 4) Relief were proposed to find optimum location of external markers in combination with two "Genetic" and "Ranker" searching procedures. The performance of these algorithms has been evaluated using four-dimensional extended cardiac-torso anthropomorphic phantom. Six tumors in lung, three tumors in liver, and 49 points on the thorax surface were taken into account to simulate internal and external motions, respectively. The root mean square error of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) as prediction model was considered as metric for quantitatively evaluating the performance of proposed feature selection algorithms. To do this, the thorax surface region was divided into nine smaller segments and predefined tumors motion was predicted by ANFIS using external motion data of given markers at each small segment, separately. Our comparative results showed that all feature selection algorithms can reasonably select specific external markers from those segments where the root mean square error of the ANFIS model is minimum. Moreover, the performance accuracy of proposed feature selection algorithms was compared, separately. For this, each tumor motion was predicted using motion data of those external markers selected by each feature selection algorithm. Duncan statistical test, followed by F-test, on final results reflected that all proposed feature selection algorithms have the same performance accuracy for lung tumors. But for liver tumors, a correlation-based feature selection algorithm, in

  11. Experience With Routine Vaginal pH Testing in a Family Practice Setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana J. Pavletic

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Despite recommendations by Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pH testing is infrequently performed during the evaluation of vaginitis. Consequently, little information exists on its use in a primary care setting.

  12. Possible effects of external electrical fields on the corrosion of copper in bentonite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taxen, Claes (Swerea KIMAB (Sweden))

    2011-12-15

    External potentials that develop across a repository may interact with the copper canister. A study was undertaken to investigate the potential corrosion effects of voltage differences in a repository. A set of experiments was performed to study the tendency of copper in bentonite to corrode under influence of an externally applied electrical field. A model study was made to estimate possible corrosion effects of an external electrical field on a full-scale canister in the KBS-3 concept. The interaction between the repository represented by a copper canister in bentonite, and an external electrical field is illustrated with an example

  13. Cross-sectional evaluation of an internet-based hearing screening test in an occupational setting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sheikh Rashid, Marya; Leensen, Monique Cj; de Laat, Jan Apm; Dreschler, Wouter A.

    2017-01-01

    Objectives The Occupational Earcheck (OEC) is an online internet test to detect high-frequency hearing loss for the purposes of occupational hearing screening. In this study, we evaluated the OEC in an occupational setting in order to assess test sensitivity, specificity, and validity. Methods A

  14. Should Rehabilitation Specialists Use External Focus Instructions When Motor Learning Is Fostered? A Systematic Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanja H. Kakebeeke

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available According to the Constrained Action Hypothesis, motor learning is believed to be more efficient when an external focus (EF of motor control is given to the performer instead of an internal focus (IF of motor control. This systematic review investigated whether findings of studies focusing on the Constrained Action Hypothesis may be transferred to rehabilitation settings by assessing the methodological quality and risk of bias (ROB of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs. Of the 18 selected reports representing 20 RCTs, the methodological quality was rather low, and the majority of the reports appeared to have a high ROB. The 18 reports included 68 patients tested in a rehabilitation setting and 725 healthy participants. The time scale of the motor learning processes presented in the selected articles was heterogenic. The results of this systematic review indicate that the assumption that an external focus of control is to be preferred during motor learning processes is not sufficiently substantiated. The level of available evidence is not large enough to warrant transfer to patient populations (including children and the elderly and raises doubts about research with healthy individuals. This implies that based on the methodology used so far, there seems to be insufficient evidence for the superiority of an external focus of control, neither in healthy individuals nor in clinical populations. The relationship between EF instructions and motor learning research and its effect in both patient rehabilitation settings and healthy populations requires further exploration. Future adequately powered studies with low ROB and with rehabilitation populations that are followed over extended time periods should, therefore, be performed to substantiate or refute the assumption of the superiority of an EF in motor learning.

  15. Dyslexic adults can learn from repeated stimulus presentation but have difficulties in excluding external noise.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel L Beattie

    Full Text Available We examined whether the characteristic impairments of dyslexia are due to a deficit in excluding external noise or a deficit in taking advantage of repeated stimulus presentation. We compared non-impaired adults and adults with poor reading performance on a visual letter detection task that varied two aspects: the presence or absence of background visual noise, and a small or large stimulus set. There was no interaction between group and stimulus set size, indicating that the poor readers took advantage of repeated stimulus presentation as well as the non-impaired readers. The poor readers had higher thresholds than non-impaired readers in the presence of high external noise, but not in the absence of external noise. The results support the hypothesis that an external noise exclusion deficit, not a perceptual anchoring deficit, impairs reading for adults.

  16. Assessment of Technologies for the Space Shuttle External Tank Thermal Protection System and Recommendations for Technology Improvement - Part III: Material Property Characterization, Analysis, and Test Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gates, Thomas S.; Johnson, Theodore F.; Whitley, Karen S.

    2005-01-01

    The objective of this report is to contribute to the independent assessment of the Space Shuttle External Tank Foam Material. This report specifically addresses material modeling, characterization testing, data reduction methods, and data pedigree. A brief description of the External Tank foam materials, locations, and standard failure modes is provided to develop suitable background information. A review of mechanics based analysis methods from the open literature is used to provide an assessment of the state-of-the-art in material modeling of closed cell foams. Further, this report assesses the existing material property database and investigates sources of material property variability. The report presents identified deficiencies in testing methods and procedures, recommendations for additional testing as required, identification of near-term improvements that should be pursued, and long-term capabilities or enhancements that should be developed.

  17. Building Protection Against External Ionizing Fallout Radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dillon, Michael B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Homann, Steven G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2016-12-01

    A nuclear explosion has the potential to injure or kill tens to hundreds of thousands of people through exposure to fallout (external gamma) radiation. Existing buildings can protect their occupants (reducing external radiation exposures) by placing material and distance between fallout particles and indoor individuals. This protection is not well captured in current fallout risk assessment models and so the US Department of Defense is implementing the Regional Shelter Analysis methodology to improve the ability of the Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability (HPAC) model to account for building protection. This report supports the HPAC improvement effort by identifying a set of building attributes (next page) that, when collectively specified, are sufficient to calculate reasonably accurate, i.e., within a factor of 2, fallout shelter quality estimates for many individual buildings. The set of building attributes were determined by first identifying the key physics controlling building protection from fallout radiation and then assessing which building attributes are relevant to the identified physics. This approach was evaluated by developing a screening model (PFscreen) based on the identified physics and comparing the screening model results against the set of existing independent experimental, theoretical, and modeled building protection estimates. In the interests of transparency, we have developed a benchmark dataset containing (a) most of the relevant primary experimental data published by prior generations of fallout protection scientists as well as (b) the screening model results.

  18. Economic communication model set

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zvereva, Olga M.; Berg, Dmitry B.

    2017-06-01

    This paper details findings from the research work targeted at economic communications investigation with agent-based models usage. The agent-based model set was engineered to simulate economic communications. Money in the form of internal and external currencies was introduced into the models to support exchanges in communications. Every model, being based on the general concept, has its own peculiarities in algorithm and input data set since it was engineered to solve the specific problem. Several and different origin data sets were used in experiments: theoretic sets were estimated on the basis of static Leontief's equilibrium equation and the real set was constructed on the basis of statistical data. While simulation experiments, communication process was observed in dynamics, and system macroparameters were estimated. This research approved that combination of an agent-based and mathematical model can cause a synergetic effect.

  19. 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...

  20. Computer-facilitated rapid HIV testing in emergency care settings: provider and patient usability and acceptability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spielberg, Freya; Kurth, Ann E; Severynen, Anneleen; Hsieh, Yu-Hsiang; Moring-Parris, Daniel; Mackenzie, Sara; Rothman, Richard

    2011-06-01

    Providers in emergency care settings (ECSs) often face barriers to expanded HIV testing. We undertook formative research to understand the potential utility of a computer tool, "CARE," to facilitate rapid HIV testing in ECSs. Computer tool usability and acceptability were assessed among 35 adult patients, and provider focus groups were held, in two ECSs in Washington State and Maryland. The computer tool was usable by patients of varying computer literacy. Patients appreciated the tool's privacy and lack of judgment and their ability to reflect on HIV risks and create risk reduction plans. Staff voiced concerns regarding ECS-based HIV testing generally, including resources for follow-up of newly diagnosed people. Computer-delivered HIV testing support was acceptable and usable among low-literacy populations in two ECSs. Such tools may help circumvent some practical barriers associated with routine HIV testing in busy settings though linkages to care will still be needed.

  1. Does external evaluation of laboratories improve patient safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noble, Michael A

    2007-01-01

    Laboratory accreditation and External Quality Assessment (also called proficiency testing) are mainstays of laboratory quality assessment and performance. Both practices are associated with examples of improved laboratory performance. The relationship between laboratory performance and improved patient safety is more difficult to assess because of the many variables that are involved with patient outcome. Despite this difficulty, the argument to continue external evaluation of laboratories is too compelling to consider the alternative.

  2. External Quality Assessment for KRAS Testing Is Needed: Setup of a European Program and Report of the First Joined Regional Quality Assessment Rounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellon, Ellen; Ligtenberg, Marjolijn J.L.; Tejpar, Sabine; Cox, Karen; de Hertogh, Gert; de Stricker, Karin; Edsjö, Anders; Gorgoulis, Vassilis; Höfler, Gerald; Jung, Andreas; Kotsinas, Athanassios; Laurent-Puig, Pierre; López-Ríos, Fernando; Hansen, Tine Plato; Rouleau, Etienne; Vandenberghe, Peter; van Krieken, Johan J.M.

    2011-01-01

    The use of epidermal growth factor receptor–targeting antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer has been restricted to patients with wild-type KRAS tumors by the European Medicines Agency since 2008, based on data showing a lack of efficacy and potential harm in patients with mutant KRAS tumors. In an effort to ensure optimal, uniform, and reliable community-based KRAS testing throughout Europe, a KRAS external quality assessment (EQA) scheme was set up. The first large assessment round included 59 laboratories from eight different European countries. For each country, one regional scheme organizer prepared and distributed the samples for the participants of their own country. The samples included unstained sections of 10 invasive colorectal carcinomas with known KRAS mutation status. The samples were centrally validated by one of two reference laboratories. The laboratories were allowed to use their own preferred method for histological evaluation, DNA isolation, and mutation analysis. In this study, we analyze the setup of the KRAS scheme. We analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the regional scheme organization by analyzing the outcome of genotyping results, analysis of tumor percentage, and written reports. We conclude that only 70% of laboratories correctly identified the KRAS mutational status in all samples. Both the false-positive and false-negative results observed negatively affect patient care. Reports of the KRAS test results often lacked essential information. We aim to further expand this program to more laboratories to provide a robust estimate of the quality of KRAS testing in Europe, and provide the basis for remedial measures and harmonization. PMID:21441573

  3. External and internal geometry of European adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertrand, Samuel; Skalli, Wafa; Delacherie, Laurent; Bonneau, Dominique; Kalifa, Gabriel; Mitton, David

    2006-12-15

    The primary objective of the study was to bring a deeper knowledge of the human anthropometry, investigating the external and internal body geometry of small women, mid-sized men and tall men. Sixty-four healthy European adults were recruited. External measurements were performed using classical anthropometric instruments. Internal measurements of the trunk bones were performed using a stereo-radiographic 3D reconstruction technique. Besides the original procedure presented in this paper for performing in vivo geometrical data acquisition on numerous volunteers, this study provides an extensive description of both external and internal (trunk skeleton) human body geometry for three morphotypes. Moreover, this study proposes a global external and internal geometrical description of 5th female 50th male and 95th male percentile subjects. This study resulted in a unique geometrical database enabling improvement for numerical models of the human body for crash test simulation and offering numerous possibilities in the anthropometry field.

  4. Sling-based Exercise for External Rotator Muscles: Effects on Shoulder Profile in Young Recreational Tennis Players

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goulet, Charles; Rogowski, Isabelle

    2016-12-19

    Context: Tennis playing generates specific adaptations, particularly at the dominant shoulder. It remains to be established whether shoulder strength balance can be restored by sling-based training for adolescent recreational tennis players. Objective: We added a sling-based exercise for shoulder external rotators to investigate its effects on external rotator muscle strength, on internal rotator muscle strength, on glenohumeral range of motion and on tennis serve performance. Design: Test-retest design. Setting: Tennis training sports facilities. Participants: Twelve adolescent male players volunteered to participate in this study (age: 13.3 ± 0.5 years; height: 1.64 ± 0.07 cm, mass: 51.7 ± 5.8 kg, International Tennis Number: 8). Intervention: The procedure spanned 10 weeks. For the first five weeks, players performed their regular training (RT) twice a week. For the last five weeks, a sling-based exercise (SE) for strengthening the shoulder external rotator muscles was added to their regular training. Main Outcome Measures: Maximal isometric strength of shoulder external and internal rotator muscles and glenohumeral range of motion in external and internal rotation were assessed in both shoulders. Serve performance was also evaluated by accuracy and post-impact ball velocity, using a radar gun. Results: No change was found in any measurement after the RT period. Significant increases in external (~+5%; pexternal/internal strength ratio (~+4%; pexternal rotator muscles appears effective in restoring strength balance at the dominant shoulder, and may prevent adolescent tennis players from sustaining degenerative shoulder problems which could later impair their performance of daily and work-related tasks.

  5. 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

  6. Negatively correlated local and global stock externalities: tax or subsidy?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zili Yang

    2006-01-01

    Fossil fuel combustion generates both CO 2 and SO 2 . CO 2 is the most important greenhouse gas; SO 2 can cause serious local pollution. But it can alleviate the potential global warming because of negative radiative forcing. Such a phenomenon can be characterized as negatively correlated local and global stock externalities. In this paper, we set up an optimal control problem of negatively correlated local and global stock externality provision. The efficiency conditions for this problem are derived. These conditions modify the Samuelson rules for optimal provision of externalities. In addition, we examine several policy related scenarios of negatively correlated local and global stock externality provisions. Finally, we discuss policy implications and limitation of the theoretical results derived in this paper. We also indicate applications of the theoretical results here to empirical research, particularly to economic analysis of multiple-gas issues in climate change. (Author)

  7. Motivation and Goal-Setting in College Athletes

    OpenAIRE

    Cash, Erin

    2009-01-01

    Motivation and goal-setting are important concepts in athletics and sport and exercise psychology. However, little research has compared motivation and goal-setting by gender. The self-determination theory was used and the purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference between male and female athletes when looking at amotivation, external regulation, identified regulation, intrinsic motivation, and goal-setting. One hundred and six student-athletes (fifty one males and f...

  8. COOPERATION AND COORDINATION BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AUDITING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DIANA DUMITRESCU

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Between external and internal auditors it is necessary to be a good cooperation and coordination; both professionals have to be involved in building a good working relationship. Objectives of the external and internal auditors are different from the company point of view, but in the achievement of the specific goals, there are interactions and work cooperation. If the internal auditors work together with the external auditors the results will be an increasing of the quality and the effectiveness of the organization`s systems and activities. If the external auditors work together with the internal auditors will result a decreasing of the amount of the testing they do, and as consequences’ a reducing of the fees. Because there are many benefits of the cooperation between external and internal auditing it is important to find out how could be coordinated these two professional activities. This study has the purpose to examine the most important provisions that promote such kind of cooperation and work like necessary tools for coordination and to identify the Romanian`s internal and external auditors perceptions regarding that cooperation and coordination. The objective of the study is to identify the nature of the relationship between the internal audit function and the organizations’ external auditors regarding their interactions and their cooperation.

  9. Shear behavior of concrete beams externally prestressed with Parafil ropes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.H. Ghallab

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Although extensive work has been carried out investigating the use of external prestressing system for flexural strengthening, a few studies regarding the shear behavior of externally prestressed beams can be found. Five beams, four of them were externally strengthened using Parafil rope, were loaded up to failure to investigate the effect of shear span/depth ratio, external prestressing force and concrete strength on their shear behavior. Test results showed that the shear span to depth ratio has a significant effect on both the shear strength and failure mode of the strengthened beams and the presence of external prestressing force increased the ultimate load of the tested beams by about 75%. Equations proposed by different codes for both the conventional reinforced concrete beams and for ordinary prestressed beams were used to evaluate the obtained experimental results. In general, codes equations showed a high level of conservatism in predicting the shear strength of the beams. Also, using the full strength rather than half of the concrete shear strength in the Egyptian code PC-method improves the accuracy of the calculated ultimate shear strength.

  10. Precision assessment of model-based RSA for a total knee prosthesis in a biplanar set-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trozzi, C; Kaptein, B L; Garling, E H; Shelyakova, T; Russo, A; Bragonzoni, L; Martelli, S

    2008-10-01

    Model-based Roentgen Stereophotogrammetric Analysis (RSA) was recently developed for the measurement of prosthesis micromotion. Its main advantage is that markers do not need to be attached to the implants as traditional marker-based RSA requires. Model-based RSA has only been tested in uniplanar radiographic set-ups. A biplanar set-up would theoretically facilitate the pose estimation algorithm, since radiographic projections would show more different shape features of the implants than in uniplanar images. We tested the precision of model-based RSA and compared it with that of the traditional marker-based method in a biplanar set-up. Micromotions of both tibial and femoral components were measured with both the techniques from double examinations of patients participating in a clinical study. The results showed that in the biplanar set-up model-based RSA presents a homogeneous distribution of precision for all the translation directions, but an inhomogeneous error for rotations, especially internal-external rotation presented higher errors than rotations about the transverse and sagittal axes. Model-based RSA was less precise than the marker-based method, although the differences were not significant for the translations and rotations of the tibial component, with the exception of the internal-external rotations. For both prosthesis components the precisions of model-based RSA were below 0.2 mm for all the translations, and below 0.3 degrees for rotations about transverse and sagittal axes. These values are still acceptable for clinical studies aimed at evaluating total knee prosthesis micromotion. In a biplanar set-up model-based RSA is a valid alternative to traditional marker-based RSA where marking of the prosthesis is an enormous disadvantage.

  11. Urine testing and urinary tract infections in febrile infants seen in office settings: the Pediatric Research in Office Settings' Febrile Infant Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, Thomas B; Bernzweig, Jane A; Takayama, John I; Finch, Stacia A; Wasserman, Richard C; Pantell, Robert H

    2002-01-01

    To determine the predictors and results of urine testing of young febrile infants seen in office settings. Prospective cohort study. Offices of 573 pediatric practitioners from 219 practices in the American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatric Research in Office Settings' research network. A total of 3066 infants 3 months or younger with temperatures of 38 degrees C or higher were evaluated and treated according to the judgment of their practitioners. Urine testing results, early and late urinary tract infections (UTIs), and UTIs with bacteremia. Fifty-four percent of the infants initially had urine tested, of whom 10% had a UTI. The height of the fever was associated with urine testing and a UTI among those tested (adjusted odds ratio per degree Celsius, 2.2 for both). Younger age, ill appearance, and lack of a fever source were associated with urine testing but not with a UTI, whereas lack of circumcision (adjusted odds ratio, 11.6), female sex (adjusted odds ratio, 5.4), and longer duration of fever (adjusted odds ratio, 1.8 for fever lasting > or = 24 hours) were not associated with urine testing but were associated with a UTI. Bacteremia accompanied the UTI in 10% of the patients, including 17% of those younger than 1 month. Among 807 infants not initially tested or treated with antibiotics, only 2 had a subsequent documented UTI; both did well. Practitioners order urine tests selectively, focusing on younger and more ill-appearing infants and on those without an apparent fever source. Such selective urine testing, with close follow-up, was associated with few late UTIs in this large study. Urine testing should focus particularly on uncircumcised boys, girls, the youngest and sickest infants, and those with persistent fever.

  12. Estimation of maximal oxygen uptake via submaximal exercise testing in sports, clinical, and home settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sartor, Francesco; Vernillo, Gianluca; de Morree, Helma M; Bonomi, Alberto G; La Torre, Antonio; Kubis, Hans-Peter; Veicsteinas, Arsenio

    2013-09-01

    Assessment of the functional capacity of the cardiovascular system is essential in sports medicine. For athletes, the maximal oxygen uptake [Formula: see text] provides valuable information about their aerobic power. In the clinical setting, the (VO(2max)) provides important diagnostic and prognostic information in several clinical populations, such as patients with coronary artery disease or heart failure. Likewise, VO(2max) assessment can be very important to evaluate fitness in asymptomatic adults. Although direct determination of [VO(2max) is the most accurate method, it requires a maximal level of exertion, which brings a higher risk of adverse events in individuals with an intermediate to high risk of cardiovascular problems. Estimation of VO(2max) during submaximal exercise testing can offer a precious alternative. Over the past decades, many protocols have been developed for this purpose. The present review gives an overview of these submaximal protocols and aims to facilitate appropriate test selection in sports, clinical, and home settings. Several factors must be considered when selecting a protocol: (i) The population being tested and its specific needs in terms of safety, supervision, and accuracy and repeatability of the VO(2max) estimation. (ii) The parameters upon which the prediction is based (e.g. heart rate, power output, rating of perceived exertion [RPE]), as well as the need for additional clinically relevant parameters (e.g. blood pressure, ECG). (iii) The appropriate test modality that should meet the above-mentioned requirements should also be in line with the functional mobility of the target population, and depends on the available equipment. In the sports setting, high repeatability is crucial to track training-induced seasonal changes. In the clinical setting, special attention must be paid to the test modality, because multiple physiological parameters often need to be measured during test execution. When estimating VO(2max), one has

  13. 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.

  14. Progress in engineering design of Indian LLCB TBM set for testing in ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhuri, Paritosh; Ranjithkumar, S.; Sharma, Deepak; Danani, Chandan; Swami, H.L.; Bhattacharya, R.; Patel, Anita; Kumar, E. Rajendra; Vyas, K.N.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The tritium breeding for LLCB TBM has been evaluated by neutronic analysis. • Details of thermal-hydraulic analyses performed for FW and internal components of LLCB TBM and shield block have been provided.. • The optimum dimensions of CB zones and Pb–Li flow have been selected to have the maximum temperatures of all components used to lie within their respective temperature window. • The design and thermal analysis of shield block and attachment system have been performed. - Abstract: The Indian Lead–Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) is the Indian DEMO relevant blanket module, as a part of the TBM program in ITER. The LLCB TBM will be tested from the first phase of ITER operation in one-half of an ITER port no. 2. LLCB TBM-set consists of LLCB TBM module and shield block, which are attached with the help of attachment systems. This LLCB TBM set is inserted in a water-cooled stainless steel frame called ‘TBM frame’, which also provides the separation between the neighboring TBM-sets (Chinese TBM set) in port no. 2. In LLCB TBM, high-pressure helium gas is used to cool the first wall (FW) structure and lead–lithium eutectic (Pb–Li) flowing separately around the ceramic breeder (CB) pebble bed to cool the TBM internals which are heated due to the volumetric neutron heating during plasma operation. Low-pressure helium is purged inside the CB zones to extract the bred tritium. Thermal-structural analyses have been performed independently on LLCB TBM and shield block for TBM set using ANSYS. This paper will also describe the performance analysis of individual components of LLCB TBM set and their different configurations to optimize their performances

  15. Rational Calibration of Four IEC 61400-1 Extreme External Conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Gunner Chr.; Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose

    2008-01-01

    Based on a set of asymptotic statistical models on closed form this paper presents a rational and consistent calibration of four extreme external conditions defined in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-1 standard: extreme operating gust, extreme wind shear, extreme coheren...... and proposed specifications of the magnitudes of the extreme external wind conditions are highlighted and discussed using an illustrative example based on two selected terrain types. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....... gust with direction change and extreme wind direction change. These four extreme external conditions are used in the definition of six of the IEC 61400-1 ultimate load cases. The statistical models are based on simple and easily accessible mean wind speed and turbulence characteristics...

  16. Identifying genetic marker sets associated with phenotypes via an efficient adaptive score test

    KAUST Repository

    Cai, T.; Lin, X.; Carroll, R. J.

    2012-01-01

    the overall effect of a marker-set have been actively studied in recent years. For example, score tests derived under an Empirical Bayes (EB) framework (Liu and others, 2007. Semiparametric regression of multidimensional genetic pathway data: least

  17. The Influence of Visual Cues on Sound Externalization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carvajal, Juan Camilo Gil; Santurette, Sébastien; Cubick, Jens

    while listeners wore both earplugs and blindfolds. Half of the listeners were then blindfolded during testing but were provided auditory awareness of the room via a controlled noise source (condition A). The other half could see the room but were shielded from room-related acoustic input and tested......Background: The externalization of virtual sounds reproduced via binaural headphone-based auralization systems has been reported to be less robust when the listening environment differs from the room in which binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) were recorded. It has been debated whether.......Methods: Eighteen naïve listeners rated the externalization of virtual stimuli in terms of perceived distance, azimuthal localization, and compactness in three rooms: 1) a standard IEC listening room, 2) a small reverberant room, and 3) a large dry room. Before testing, individual BRIRs were recorded in room 1...

  18. Lack of grading agreement among international hemostasis external quality assessment programs

    OpenAIRE

    Olson, John D.; Jennings, Ian; Meijer, Piet; Bon, Chantal; Bonar, Roslyn; Favaloro, Emmanuel J.; Higgins, Russell A.; Keeney, Michael; Mammen, Joy; Marlar, Richard A.; Meley, Roland; Nair, Sukesh C.; Nichols, William L.; Raby, Anne; Reverter, Joan C.

    2018-01-01

    Laboratory quality programs rely on internal quality control and external quality assessment (EQA). EQA programs provide unknown specimens for the laboratory to test. The laboratory's result is compared with other (peer) laboratories performing the same test. EQA programs assign target values using a variety of methods statistical tools and performance assessment of ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ is made. EQA provider members of the international organization, external quality assurance in thrombosis and h...

  19. Development and external validation of a new PTA assessment scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacobs Bram

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA is a key symptom of traumatic brain injury (TBI. Accurate assessment of PTA is imperative in guiding clinical decision making. Our aim was to develop and externally validate a short, examiner independent and practical PTA scale, by selecting the most discriminative items from existing scales and using a three-word memory test. Methods Mild, moderate and severe TBI patients and control subjects were assessed in two separate cohorts, one for derivation and one for validation, using a questionnaire comprised of items from existing PTA scales. We tested which individual items best discriminated between TBI patients and controls, represented by sensitivity and specificity. We then created our PTA scale based on these results. This new scale was externally evaluated for its discriminative value using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC analysis and compared to existing PTA scales. Results The derivation cohort included 126 TBI patients and 31 control subjects; the validation cohort consisted of 132 patients and 30 controls. A set of seven items was eventually selected to comprise the new PTA scale: age, name of hospital, time, day of week, month, mode of transport and recall of three words. This scale demonstrated adequate discriminative values compared to existing PTA scales on three consecutive administrations in the validation cohort. Conclusion We introduce a valid, practical and examiner independent PTA scale, which is suitable for mild TBI patients at the emergency department and yet still valuable for the follow-up of more severely injured TBI patients.

  20. Stigma associated with sexually transmissible infection testing in an online testing environment: examining the perspectives of youth in Vancouver, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karamouzian, Mohammad; Knight, Rod; Davis, Wendy M; Gilbert, Mark; Shoveller, Jean

    2018-02-01

    Background Online sexually transmissible infection (STI) testing is increasingly available and has shown promising results across different settings. However, evidence on how stigma associated with STI testing may be experienced by youth in the context of these online services is limited. A convenience sample of 71 youth (aged 15-24 years) both male and female was engaged through online and offline recruitment strategies in Vancouver, Canada. Through semistructured and exploratory interviews, participants were asked about their perceptions of stigma associated with STI testing in an online testing environment. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Youth came from a diverse set of sociodemographic backgrounds and most (n=46, 65%) had previously accessed STI testing in clinic-based settings. Participants' perceptions pointed to the benefits of online testing for reducing the external stigma despite the potential persistence of internalised stigma. Notions of hegemonic masculinity and emphasised femininity were also present in the participants' descriptions of the role of gender in accessing online STI testing. Online STI testing could potentially ameliorate the experiences of participants in regards to the stigma associated with STI testing; however, participants' internalised feelings of shame and stigma around testing for STI may continue to persist. Our findings underscore the need to revisit and re-evaluate existing STI testing services to provide less anxiety-inducing testing environments for youth.

  1. 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

  2. Research on mechanical and sensoric set-up for high strain rate testing of high performance fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unger, R.; Schegner, P.; Nocke, A.; Cherif, C.

    2017-10-01

    Within this research project, the tensile behavior of high performance fibers, such as carbon fibers, is investigated under high velocity loads. This contribution (paper) focuses on the clamp set-up of two testing machines. Based on a kinematic model, weight optimized clamps are designed and evaluated. By analyzing the complex dynamic behavior of conventional high velocity testing machines, it has been shown that the impact typically exhibits an elastic characteristic. This leads to barely predictable breaking speeds and will not work at higher speeds when acceleration force exceeds material specifications. Therefore, a plastic impact behavior has to be achieved, even at lower testing speeds. This type of impact behavior at lower speeds can be realized by means of some minor test set-up adaptions.

  3. How Does Breadth of External Stakeholder Co-creation Influence Innovation Performance?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markovic, Stefan; Bagherzadeh, Mehdi

    2018-01-01

    . This contradictory empirical evidence highlights the need to unpack this relationship and examine which mediating variables can ensure that co-creating with various types of external stakeholders results in improved innovation performance. Accordingly, this article investigates the impact of breadth of external...... stakeholder co-creation on innovation performance, considering the mediating roles of knowledge sharing and product innovation. The paper draws on a cross-industrial sample of 1516 Spanish firms. Data are analyzed using a set of ordinary-least-squares regression models. Results show that breadth of external...... stakeholder co-creation is not directly related to innovation performance. Instead, this relationship is either fully mediated by product innovation, or follows the path through knowledge sharing and then product innovation....

  4. SHOULDER EXTERNAL ROTATOR STRENGTH IN RESPONSE TO VARIOUS SITTING POSTURES: A CONTROLLED LABORATORY STUDY.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pheasant, Steven; Haydt, Richard; Gottstein, Thomas; Grasso, Anthony; Lombard, Nicholas; Stone, Brandon

    2018-02-01

    The forward head rounded shoulder (FHRS) sitting posture has been associated with decreased shoulder complex muscle strength and function. Upon clinical observation, the adverse effects of the FHRS sitting posture on shoulder complex isometric muscle strength is also present when testing controls for scapular position. The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of various sitting postures on shoulder external rotator muscle isometric strength when the strength testing controls for scapular position. A cohort study, with subjects serving as their own controls. One hundred subjects ages 20-26 participated in the study. Each subject was placed in a neutral cervical sitting (NCS) posture which was maintained for five minutes after which the strength of the dominant shoulder external rotators was immediately tested with the glenohumeral joint in the neutral position using a Micro-FET3 Hand Held Muscle Testing Dynamometer (HHMTD). Each subject was returned to the NCS posture for subsequent external rotator strength testing after five minutes in a FHRS sitting posture, five additional minutes in the NCS posture and five minutes in a retracted cervical sitting (RCS) posture resulting in each subjects' external rotator strength being tested on four occasions. Subjects were randomized for order between the FHRS and RCS postures. Mean strength values for each condition were normalized to the mean strength value for the 1 st NCS condition for each subject. A statistically significant decline in shoulder external rotator strength following the FHRS sitting posture occurred compared to the appropriate postural conditions (pexternal rotator strength following five minutes in the FHRS sitting posture. The average percentage of strength decline in those with greater than a 10% reduction in external rotator strength was 19%. Sixty-four percent of the subjects experienced less than a 10% decline in shoulder external rotator strength in response to the FHRS sitting posture

  5. The REVAMP trial to evaluate HIV resistance testing in sub-Saharan Africa: a case study in clinical trial design in resource limited settings to optimize effectiveness and cost effectiveness estimates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siedner, Mark J; Bwana, Mwebesa B; Moosa, Mahomed-Yunus S; Paul, Michelle; Pillay, Selvan; McCluskey, Suzanne; Aturinda, Isaac; Ard, Kevin; Muyindike, Winnie; Moodley, Pravikrishnen; Brijkumar, Jaysingh; Rautenberg, Tamlyn; George, Gavin; Johnson, Brent; Gandhi, Rajesh T; Sunpath, Henry; Marconi, Vincent C

    2017-07-01

    In sub-Saharan Africa, rates of sustained HIV virologic suppression remain below international goals. HIV resistance testing, while common in resource-rich settings, has not gained traction due to concerns about cost and sustainability. We designed a randomized clinical trial to determine the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of routine HIV resistance testing in sub-Saharan Africa. We describe challenges common to intervention studies in resource-limited settings, and strategies used to address them, including: (1) optimizing generalizability and cost-effectiveness estimates to promote transition from study results to policy; (2) minimizing bias due to patient attrition; and (3) addressing ethical issues related to enrollment of pregnant women. The study randomizes people in Uganda and South Africa with virologic failure on first-line therapy to standard of care virologic monitoring or immediate resistance testing. To strengthen external validity, study procedures are conducted within publicly supported laboratory and clinical facilities using local staff. To optimize cost estimates, we collect primary data on quality of life and medical resource utilization. To minimize losses from observation, we collect locally relevant contact information, including Whatsapp account details, for field-based tracking of missing participants. Finally, pregnant women are followed with an adapted protocol which includes an increased visit frequency to minimize risk to them and their fetuses. REVAMP is a pragammatic randomized clinical trial designed to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of HIV resistance testing versus standard of care in sub-Saharan Africa. We anticipate the results will directly inform HIV policy in sub-Saharan Africa to optimize care for HIV-infected patients.

  6. An Empirical Investigation of External Debt - Military Expenditure Nexus in Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khalid ZAMAN

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to empirically investigate a two-way statistical relationship between the real external debt and real military expenditure in the context of Bangladesh. A time series co-integration and Granger causality tests have been employed from 1980 - 2009 for analysis. The empirical results support the bi-directional causality between the external debt and economic growth, while unidirectional causality runs from military spending to external debt.

  7. Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Industry Application External Hazard Analyses Problem Statement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Szilard, Ronaldo Henriques [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Coleman, Justin [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Smith, Curtis L. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Prescott, Steven [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Kammerer, Annie [Annie Kammerer Consulting, Rye, NH (United States); Youngblood, Robert [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Pope, Chad [Idaho State Univ., Pocatello, ID (United States)

    2015-07-01

    Risk-Informed Margin Management Industry Application on External Events. More specifically, combined events, seismically induced external flooding analyses for a generic nuclear power plant with a generic site soil, and generic power plant system and structure. The focus of this report is to define the problem above, set up the analysis, describe the methods to be used, tools to be applied to each problem, and data analysis and validation associated with the above.

  8. Effect of external jet-flow deflector geometry on OTW aero-acoustic characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vonglahn, U.; Groesbeck, D.

    1976-01-01

    The effect of geometry variations in the design of external deflectors for use with over-the-wing (OTW) configurations was studied at model scale and subsonic jet velocities. Included in the variations were deflector size and angle as well as wing size and flap setting. A conical nozzle (5.2-cm diameter) mounted at 0.1 chord above and downstream of the wing leading edges was used. The data indicate that external deflectors provide satisfactory takeoff and approach aerodynamic performance and acoustic characteristics for OTW configurations. These characteristics together with expected good cruise aerodynamics, since external deflectors are storable, may provide optimum OTW design configurations.

  9. The bidirectional pathways between internalizing and externalizing problems and academic performance from 6 to 18 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Ende, Jan; Verhulst, Frank C; Tiemeier, Henning

    2016-08-01

    Internalizing and externalizing problems are associated with poor academic performance, both concurrently and longitudinally. Important questions are whether problems precede academic performance or vice versa, whether both internalizing and externalizing are associated with academic problems when simultaneously tested, and whether associations and their direction depend on the informant providing information. These questions were addressed in a sample of 816 children who were assessed four times. The children were 6-10 years at baseline and 14-18 years at the last assessment. Parent-reported internalizing and externalizing problems and teacher-reported academic performance were tested in cross-lagged models to examine bidirectional paths between these constructs. These models were compared with cross-lagged models testing paths between teacher-reported internalizing and externalizing problems and parent-reported academic performance. Both final models revealed similar pathways from mostly externalizing problems to academic performance. No paths emerged from internalizing problems to academic performance. Moreover, paths from academic performance to internalizing and externalizing problems were only found when teachers reported on children's problems and not for parent-reported problems. Additional model tests revealed that paths were observed in both childhood and adolescence. Externalizing problems place children at increased risk of poor academic performance and should therefore be the target for interventions.

  10. Testing a parametric function against a nonparametric alternative in IV and GMM settings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gørgens, Tue; Wurtz, Allan

    This paper develops a specification test for functional form for models identified by moment restrictions, including IV and GMM settings. The general framework is one where the moment restrictions are specified as functions of data, a finite-dimensional parameter vector, and a nonparametric real ...

  11. Biomechanical responses of PMHS in moderate-speed rear impacts and development of response targets for evaluating the internal and external biofidelity of ATDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Yun-Seok; Bolte, John H; Moorhouse, Kevin; Donnelly, Bruce; Herriott, Rodney; Mallory, Ann

    2012-10-01

    The objectives of this study were to obtain biomechanical responses of post mortem human subjects (PMHS) by subjecting them to two moderate-speed rear impact sled test conditions (8.5g, 17 km/h; 10.5g, 24 km/h) while positioned in an experimental seat system, and to create biomechanical targets for internal and external biofidelity evaluation of rear impact ATDs. The experimental seat was designed to measure external loads on the head restraint (4 load cells), seat back (6 load cells), and seat pan (4 load cells) such that subject dynamic interaction with the seat could be evaluated. This seat system was capable of simulating the dynamic characteristics of modern vehicle seat backs by considering the moment-rotation properties of a typical passenger vehicle, thus providing a more realistic test environment than using a rigid seat with a non-rotating seat back as done in previous studies. Instrumentation used to measure biomechanical responses of the PMHS included both accelerometers and angular rate sensors (ARS). A total of fourteen sled tests using eight PMHS (males 175.8 ± 6.2 cm of stature and 78.4 ± 7.2 kg of weight) provided data sets of seven PMHS for both test conditions. The biomechanical responses are described at both speeds, and cervical spine injuries are documented. Biomechanical targets are also created for internal and external biofidelity evaluation of rear impact anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs).

  12. External ear anomalies and hearing impairment in Noonan Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Trier, Dorothée C; van Nierop, Josephine; Draaisma, Jos M Th; van der Burgt, Ineke; Kunst, Henricus; Croonen, Ellen A; Admiraal, Ronald J C

    2015-06-01

    This is the first cohort in which hearing impairment and external ear anomalies in Noonan Syndrome are described extensively. Retrospective analysis of the otorhinolaryngological and clinical genetic data from 97 Noonan Syndrome (NS) patients. Forty-four NS patients were seen by an otorhinolaryngologist for the analysis of hearing impairment. In our cohort 80 of the 97 patients were genetically tested. In 71 of these mutations were found: in 48 patients a mutation in PTPN11, in 10 patients in SOS1, in 5 patients in SHOC2, in 5 patients in RAF1, in 1 patient in MAP2K2, in 1 patient in KRAS and in 1 patient in A2ML1. External ear anomalies were reported in 75 NS patients (77%). In 69 patients the ears were low-set, 28 patients had posteriorly rotated ears, 14 patients showed protruding ears and 18 had thickened helices. Hearing impairment was detected in 34 NS patients. Nine patients had sensorineural hearing impairment, two a permanent conductive hearing impairment, two other patients had mixed hearing impairment and 20 patients had conductive hearing impairment in the past, caused by otitis media with effusion. Their temporary conductive hearing impairment resolved between the ages of 2 and 18 years. Sensorineural hearing impairment varied between mild high-frequency hearing impairment and profound (uni- and bilateral) hearing impairment and was progressive in three patients. Four NS patients received cochlear implants for their severe sensorineural hearing impairment. The cohort is small for genotype-phenotype correlations, but sensorineural hearing impairment, especially the bilateral severe hearing impairment, was only seen in patients with a PTPN11 mutation. NS is characterized by dysmorphic external ear anomalies and both sensorineural and conductive hearing impairment. Audiological examinations are recommended in all patients with Noonan Syndrome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. TEST BEAM COORDINATION: Major upgrade of the ATLAS Test Beam network infrastructure

    CERN Multimedia

    Di Girolamo, B; Pasqualucci, E

    Based on the positive experience gained last year by the Muon group with the adoption of a completely isolated private network for the data acquisition, already last year for the 2002 Combined Pixel-Tilecal-Muon Test Beam, we adopted the private network solution. The main advantage of the isolation from the common CERN network infrastructure is the complete independence from possible problems that could affect the network in the area, intended to serve many other users, and the possibility to have a completely independent management of the IP addresses assignment. Moreover the presence of a firewall in the private network allows a better protection against possible external hackers, allowing users to transparently access the external word. A Fast Ethernet network has been set up as a control network. It relies on a backbone 24-port Fast Ethernet switch on which, in a tree structure, are connected several smaller switches dedicated to each sub-detector. In this way each sub-detector produces its own traffic...

  14. Is Air War College Teaching the Right Leadership Skill Sets?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-02-15

    Following are the skill sets for strategic leaders: • Critical Thinking (includes Conceptual Competence/ Decision Making / Strategic Thinking... Decision Making / Strategic Thinking) • Creative Thinking (includes Conceptual Flexibility) • Integrating internal and external environments • Long Range... Making / Strategic Thinking Yes Integrating Internal and External Environments Yes Long Range Vision Yes Team Performance Facilitation/Team Building

  15. The influence of applied internal and external rotation on the pivot shift phenomenon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopf, Sebastian; Musahl, Volker; Perka, Carsten; Kauert, Ralf; Hoburg, Arnd; Becker, Roland

    2017-04-01

    The pivot shift test is performed in different techniques and the rotation of the tibia seems to have a significant impact on the amount of the pivot shift phenomenon. It has been hypothesised that external rotation will increase the phenomenon due to less tension at the iliotibial band in knee extension. Twenty-four patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency were included prospectively. The pivot shift test was performed bilaterally in internal and external tibial rotation under general anaesthesia. Knee motion was captured using a femoral and a tibial inertial sensor. The difference between positive and negative peak values in Euclidean norm of acceleration was calculated to evaluate the amount of the pivot shift phenomenon. The pivot shift phenomenon was significantly increased in patients with ACL insufficiency when the test was performed in external [mean 5.2 ms - 2 (95% CI 4.3-6.0)] compared to internal tibial rotation [mean 4.4 ms - 2 (95% CI 3.5-5.4)] (p = 0.002). In healthy, contralateral knees did not show any difference between external [mean 4.0 ms - 2 (95% CI 3.3-4.7)] and internal tibial rotation [mean 4.0 ms - 2 (95% CI 3.4-4.6)] (ns). The pivot shift phenomenon was increased with external rotation in ACL-insufficient knees, and therefore, one should perform the pivot shift test, rather, in external rotation to easily evoke the, sometimes difficult to detect, pivot shift phenomenon. I (diagnostic study).

  16. The use of CT density changes at internal tissue interfaces to correlate internal organ motion with an external surrogate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaede, Stewart; Yu, Edward; Van Dyk, Jake; Battista, Jerry [Radiation Oncology Program, London Regional Cancer Program, London, Ontario (Canada); Carnes, Gregory; Lee, Ting-Yim [Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario (Canada)

    2009-01-21

    The purpose of this paper is to describe a non-invasive method to monitor the motion of internal organs affected by respiration without using external markers or spirometry, to test the correlation with external markers, and to calculate any time shift between the datasets. Ten lung cancer patients were CT scanned with a GE LightSpeed Plus 4-Slice CT scanner operating in a cine mode. We retrospectively reconstructed the raw CT data to obtain consecutive 0.5 s reconstructions at 0.1 s intervals to increase image sampling. We defined regions of interest containing tissue interfaces, including tumour/lung interfaces that move due to breathing on multiple axial slices and measured the mean CT number versus respiratory phase. Tumour motion was directly correlated with external marker motion, acquired simultaneously, using the sample coefficient of determination, r{sup 2}. Only three of the ten patients showed correlation higher than r{sup 2} = 0.80 between tumour motion and external marker position. However, after taking into account time shifts (ranging between 0 s and 0.4 s) between the two data sets, all ten patients showed correlation better than r{sup 2} = 0.8. This non-invasive method for monitoring the motion of internal organs is an effective tool that can assess the use of external markers for 4D-CT imaging and respiratory-gated radiotherapy on a patient-specific basis.

  17. Evaluation of the Standard Setting on the 2005 Grade 12 National Assessment of Educational Progress Mathematics Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sireci, Stephen G.; Hauger, Jeffrey B.; Wells, Craig S.; Shea, Christine; Zenisky, April L.

    2009-01-01

    The National Assessment Governing Board used a new method to set achievement level standards on the 2005 Grade 12 NAEP Math test. In this article, we summarize our independent evaluation of the process used to set these standards. The evaluation data included observations of the standard-setting meeting, observations of advisory committee meetings…

  18. Reactions of Internal and External Test-Anxious Students to Counseling and Behavior Therapies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, Meredith L.; Dies, Robert R.

    1974-01-01

    Results from this study showed that external subjects provided with counseling and systematic desensitization felt that they retained too much control of therapy, while internals generally indicated an optional amount of control in counseling. (Author)

  19. Insulin compatibility with polymer materials used in external pump infusion systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melberg, S G; Havelund, S; Villumsen, J; Brange, J

    1988-04-01

    In a study designed to mimic actual user conditions for external insulin pump infusion, the insulin quality after passage through the infusion set was assessed by various analytical methods, including high performance liquid chromatography. The two infusion sets tested consisted of, firstly, a polyvinylchloride/rubber syringe and a polyvinylchloride catheter sterilized by gamma irradiation and, secondly, a polyethylene/polypropylene syringe connected to a polyethylene catheter and sterilized by ethylene oxide. The insulin solution delivered through the PVC infusion set showed a reduction of preservative to less than 30% of the initial content and increased formation of chemical transformation products of insulin varying from twice the reference level during the first day to more than three times on the third day. By contrast, the polyethylene/polypropylene infusion system showed only a minor decrease in preservative content and no increase in chemical transformation. These effects were observed irrespective of the brand of insulin and were not affected by increase of the zinc content of the insulin solution. Investigation of the influence of the sterilization methods performed on polyvinylchloride and polyethylene catheters revealed that gamma irradiated polyvinylchloride catheters were markedly harmful to the insulin solution, whereas ethylene oxide sterilization did not influence the chemical stability of insulin.

  20. Parent Alcoholism Impacts the Severity and Timing of Children's Externalizing Symptoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussong, Andrea M.; Huang, Wenjing; Curran, Patrick J.; Chassin, Laurie; Zucker, Robert A.

    2010-01-01

    Although previous studies show that children of alcoholic parents have higher rates of externalizing symptoms compared to their peers, it remains unclear whether the timing of children's externalizing symptoms is linked to that of their parent's alcohol-related symptoms. Using a multilevel modeling approach, we tested whether children aged 2…

  1. Establishing an external quality assessment scheme for point-of-care international normalized ratio in Thailand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tientadakul, P; Chuntarut, A

    2015-08-01

    Effective warfarin therapy management has gained national interest, resulting in the increased use of point-of-care testing (POCT) for international normalized ratio (INR). External quality assessment (EQA) is recommended to ensure quality of the testing. CoaguChek XS and CoaguChek XS Plus are the only commonly available POCT INR monitors in Thailand. Therefore, Thailand NEQAS for Blood Coagulation initiated the scheme for POCT INR in 2013, including only hospitals using these devices. Questionnaires were sent to the hospitals, enquiring about their interest in EQA participation. Two surveys were distributed; each included five certified European Concerted Action on Anticoagulation (ECAA) INR plasma sets. Unsatisfactory performance was indicated by a 15% deviation from the certified mean INR value. There were 156 hospitals using the devices. Thirty-five hospitals responded to the questionnaires. Medical personnel undertaking POCT INR were limited to laboratory staff in 29 (83%) of these centers, and 31 hospitals actually participated. The medians of results from participants were the same or nearly the same as the certified mean INRs. External quality assessment for POCT INR in Thailand is feasible using the ECAA plasmas as control materials. The results therefore appear encouraging to other developing countries to establish their own EQA schemes. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Book Review: EU External Relations Law: Text, Cases and Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graham Butler

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This latest textbook contributing to the field of EU external relations law is unique in that it is the first such book in the post-Treaty of Lisbon environment to take a wide-angled look on as many aspects of the growing area as it continues to develop within the legal parameters as set by the Treaties, and it is suitably placed to become the core text for teaching this expanding EU policy field. In their book, EU External Relations Law: Text, Cases and Materials, Van Vooren and Wessel seek to fill the gap in up-to-date literature from a legal standpoint in the field of external relations of the EU, with a book that is suitable for delivery as a core textbook for students of all levels. Their analysis covering fifteen long chapters offers the reader a comprehensive insight into the world of EU external relations law, and allows for a thoroughly better understanding of all the encapsulated issues that are at play.

  3. Does Rational Selection of Training and Test Sets Improve the Outcome of QSAR Modeling?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prior to using a quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model for external predictions, its predictive power should be established and validated. In the absence of a true external dataset, the best way to validate the predictive ability of a model is to perform its s...

  4. Hänsel, Gretel and the slime mould—how an external spatial memory aids navigation in complex environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith-Ferguson, Jules; Latty, Tanya; Beekman, Madeleine; Reid, Chris R

    2017-01-01

    The ability to navigate through an environment is critical to most organisms’ ability to survive and reproduce. The presence of a memory system greatly enhances navigational success. Therefore, natural selection is likely to drive the creation of memory systems, even in non-neuronal organisms, if having such a system is adaptive. Here we examine if the external spatial memory system present in the acellular slime mould, Physarum polycephalum , provides an adaptive advantage for resource acquisition. P. polycephalum lays tracks of extracellular slime as it moves through its environment. Previous work has shown that the presence of extracellular slime allows the organism to escape from a trap in laboratory experiments simply by avoiding areas previously explored. Here we further investigate the benefits of using extracellular slime as an external spatial memory by testing the organism’s ability to navigate through environments of differing complexity with and without the ability to use its external memory. Our results suggest that the external memory has an adaptive advantage in ‘open’ and simple bounded environments. However, in a complex bounded environment, the extracellular slime provides no advantage, and may even negatively affect the organism’s navigational abilities. Our results indicate that the exact experimental set up matters if one wants to fully understand how the presence of extracellular slime affects the slime mould’s search behaviour. (paper)

  5. Hänsel, Gretel and the slime mould—how an external spatial memory aids navigation in complex environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith-Ferguson, Jules; Reid, Chris R.; Latty, Tanya; Beekman, Madeleine

    2017-10-01

    The ability to navigate through an environment is critical to most organisms’ ability to survive and reproduce. The presence of a memory system greatly enhances navigational success. Therefore, natural selection is likely to drive the creation of memory systems, even in non-neuronal organisms, if having such a system is adaptive. Here we examine if the external spatial memory system present in the acellular slime mould, Physarum polycephalum, provides an adaptive advantage for resource acquisition. P. polycephalum lays tracks of extracellular slime as it moves through its environment. Previous work has shown that the presence of extracellular slime allows the organism to escape from a trap in laboratory experiments simply by avoiding areas previously explored. Here we further investigate the benefits of using extracellular slime as an external spatial memory by testing the organism’s ability to navigate through environments of differing complexity with and without the ability to use its external memory. Our results suggest that the external memory has an adaptive advantage in ‘open’ and simple bounded environments. However, in a complex bounded environment, the extracellular slime provides no advantage, and may even negatively affect the organism’s navigational abilities. Our results indicate that the exact experimental set up matters if one wants to fully understand how the presence of extracellular slime affects the slime mould’s search behaviour.

  6. Fuel-coolant interaction visualization test for in-vessel corium retention external reactor vessel cooling (IVR-ERVC) condition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Na, Young Su; Hong, Seong Ho; Song, Jin Ho; Hong, Seong Wan [Severe Accident and PHWR Safety Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    A visualization test of the fuel-coolant interaction in the Test for Real cOrium Interaction with water (TROI) test facility was carried out. To experimentally simulate the In-Vessel corium Retention (IVR)- External Reactor Vessel Cooling (ERVC) conditions, prototypic corium was released directly into the coolant water without a free fall in a gas phase before making contact with the coolant. Corium (34.39 kg) consisting of uranium oxide and zirconium oxide with a weight ratio of 8:2 was superheated, and 22.54 kg of the 34.39 kg corium was passed through water contained in a transparent interaction vessel. An image of the corium jet behavior in the coolant was taken by a high-speed camera every millisecond. Thermocouple junctions installed in the vertical direction of the coolant were cut sequentially by the falling corium jet. It was clearly observed that the visualization image of the corium jet taken during the fuel-coolant interaction corresponded with the temperature variations in the direction of the falling melt. The corium penetrated through the coolant, and the jet leading edge velocity was 2.0 m/s. Debris smaller than 1 mm was 15% of the total weight of the debris collected after a fuel-coolant interaction test, and the mass median diameter was 2.9 mm.

  7. A Cryogenic Test Set-Up for the Qualification of Pre-Series Test Cells for the LHC Cryogenic Distribution Line

    CERN Document Server

    Livran, J; Parente, C; Riddone, G; Rybkowski, D; Veillet, N

    2000-01-01

    Three pre-series Test Cells of the LHC Cryogenic Distribution Line (QRL) [1], manufactured by three European industrial companies, will be tested in the year 2000 to qualify the design chosen and verify the thermal and mechanical performances. A dedicated test stand (170 m x 13 m) has been built for extensive testing and performance assessment of the pre-series units in parallel. They will be fed with saturated liquid helium at 4.2 K supplied by a mobile helium dewar. In addition, LN2 cooled helium will be used for cool-down and thermal shielding. For each of the three pre-series units, a set of end boxes has been designed and manufactured at CERN. This paper presents the layout of the cryogenic system for the pre-series units, the calorimetric methods as well as the results of the thermal calculation of the end box test.

  8. External quality assurance of malaria nucleic acid testing for clinical trials and eradication surveillance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sean C Murphy

    Full Text Available Nucleic acid testing (NAT for malaria parasites is an increasingly recommended diagnostic endpoint in clinical trials of vaccine and drug candidates and is also important in surveillance of malaria control and elimination efforts. A variety of reported NAT assays have been described, yet no formal external quality assurance (EQA program provides validation for the assays in use. Here, we report results of an EQA exercise for malaria NAT assays. Among five centers conducting controlled human malaria infection trials, all centers achieved 100% specificity and demonstrated limits of detection consistent with each laboratory's pre-stated expectations. Quantitative bias of reported results compared to expected results was generally <0.5 log10 parasites/mL except for one laboratory where the EQA effort identified likely reasons for a general quantitative shift. The within-laboratory variation for all assays was low at <10% coefficient of variation across a range of parasite densities. Based on this study, we propose to create a Molecular Malaria Quality Assessment program that fulfills the need for EQA of malaria NAT assays worldwide.

  9. GSMA: Gene Set Matrix Analysis, An Automated Method for Rapid Hypothesis Testing of Gene Expression Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Cheadle

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Microarray technology has become highly valuable for identifying complex global changes in gene expression patterns. The assignment of functional information to these complex patterns remains a challenging task in effectively interpreting data and correlating results from across experiments, projects and laboratories. Methods which allow the rapid and robust evaluation of multiple functional hypotheses increase the power of individual researchers to data mine gene expression data more efficiently.Results: We have developed (gene set matrix analysis GSMA as a useful method for the rapid testing of group-wise up- or downregulation of gene expression simultaneously for multiple lists of genes (gene sets against entire distributions of gene expression changes (datasets for single or multiple experiments. The utility of GSMA lies in its flexibility to rapidly poll gene sets related by known biological function or as designated solely by the end-user against large numbers of datasets simultaneously.Conclusions: GSMA provides a simple and straightforward method for hypothesis testing in which genes are tested by groups across multiple datasets for patterns of expression enrichment.

  10. Family Violence Pathways and Externalizing Behavior in Youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozzay, Melanie L; Joy, Lendi N; Verona, Edelyn

    2017-08-01

    While studies suggest that youth who experience violence in the home are more likely to engage in externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, substance use, rule breaking), research is needed to understand factors that may explain how family violence is linked to externalizing, and whether there may be gender-specific trajectories to this outcome. The present study used a cross-sectional design and multigroup, path analytic modeling to test the degree to which personality traits (negative emotionality, constraint) in boys and girls (Model 1), as well as status offending primarily in girls (Model 2), may help explain relationships between exposure to familial adversity (witnessing family violence and child abuse) and adolescent externalizing behaviors in a mixed-gender, community sample with both caregiver and youth reports ( N = 237, 57% female, 10-17 years old). Results indicated that personality traits fully explained the relationship between witnessing family violence and externalizing and partially explained the relationship between child abuse and externalizing among youth. Despite theory suggesting a female-specific trajectory involving status offenses, both models were similarly relevant for boys and girls. These findings have implications for understanding processes by which adverse family circumstances may relate to externalizing behavior in youth. Preliminary suggestions are provided for future longitudinal research, policy changes, and clinical techniques that may be essential in preventing the progression to long-term adverse outcomes among youth.

  11. DENSE MOLECULAR CORES BEING EXTERNALLY HEATED

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Gwanjeong; Lee, Chang Won; Kim, Mi-Ryang [Radio Astronomy division, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Gopinathan, Maheswar [Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Manora Peak, Nainital 263129 (India); Jeong, Woong-Seob, E-mail: archer81@kasi.re.kr [Department of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajungro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34113 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-06-20

    We present results of our study of eight dense cores, previously classified as starless, using infrared (3–160 μ m) imaging observations with the AKARI telescope and molecular line (HCN and N{sub 2}H{sup +}) mapping observations with the KVN telescope. Combining our results with the archival IR to millimeter continuum data, we examined the starless nature of these eight cores. Two of the eight cores are found to harbor faint protostars having luminosities of ∼0.3–4.4 L {sub ⊙}. The other six cores are found to remain starless and probably are in a dynamically transitional state. The temperature maps produced using multi-wavelength images show an enhancement of about 3–6 K toward the outer boundary of these cores, suggesting that they are most likely being heated externally by nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields. Large virial parameters and an overdominance of red asymmetric line profiles over the cores may indicate that the cores are set into either an expansion or an oscillatory motion, probably due to the external heating. Most of the starless cores show a coreshine effect due to the scattering of light by the micron-sized dust grains. This may imply that the age of the cores is of the order of ∼10{sup 5} years, which is consistent with the timescale required for the cores to evolve into an oscillatory stage due to external perturbation. Our observational results support the idea that the external feedback from nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields may play an important role in the dynamical evolution of the cores.

  12. Effect of workload setting on propulsion technique in handrim wheelchair propulsion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Drongelen, Stefan; Arnet, Ursina; Veeger, Dirkjan H E J; van der Woude, Lucas H V

    2013-03-01

    To investigate the influence of workload setting (speed at constant power, method to impose power) on the propulsion technique (i.e. force and timing characteristics) in handrim wheelchair propulsion. Twelve able-bodied men participated in this study. External forces were measured during handrim wheelchair propulsion on a motor driven treadmill at different velocities and constant power output (to test the forced effect of speed) and at power outputs imposed by incline vs. pulley system (to test the effect of method to impose power). Outcome measures were the force and timing variables of the propulsion technique. FEF and timing variables showed significant differences between the speed conditions when propelling at the same power output (p propulsion technique parameters despite an overall constant power output. Copyright © 2012 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Externalizing shame responses in children: The role of fragile positive self-esteem

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thomaes, Sander

    2007-01-01

    When faced with shame, children can either respond in submissive ways to withdraw from their environment or in externalizing ways to oppose their environment. This study tested the hypothesis that fragile-positive views of self predispose children to respond in externalizing ways to shame

  14. Externalizing shame responses in children: The role of fragile-positive self-esteem

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thomaes, S.; Stegge, G.T.M.; Olthof, T.

    2007-01-01

    When faced with shame, children can either respond in submissive ways to withdraw from their environment or in externalizing ways to oppose their environment. This study tested the hypothesis that fragile-positive views of self predispose children to respond in externalizing ways to shame

  15. Maternal medical risks during pregnancy and childhood externalizing behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Dylan B; Vaughn, Michael G

    2018-04-25

    Research has indicated that maternal health during the prenatal period and at delivery carries far reaching significance for the development of offspring. Even so, the role of the accumulation of maternal medical risks during pregnancy in the development of externalizing behavior during childhood has generally been overlooked. The present study investigates whether the accumulation of maternal medical risks during the prenatal period is positively associated with childhood externalizing behavior, and whether this association is stronger among male offspring. We examined a large, nationally representative sample of children who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). Information concerning maternal medical history, including the presence of a number of medical risks during pregnancy, was obtained through hospital records. A subsample of children with both parent and teacher reports of externalizing behavior during kindergarten was employed in the present study. A greater number of maternal medical risks during pregnancy increased the odds of childhood externalizing behavior across settings, but only among male offspring. The predicted probability of persistent externalizing behavior among males increased from .084 in the absence of maternal medical risks during pregnancy to .241 in the presence of three or more maternal medical risks during pregnancy. Our findings suggest that maternal medical risks during the prenatal period can have far-reaching consequences for the behavioral development of male offspring. Treatment of medical risks among expectant mothers may have the added benefit of reducing the likelihood of childhood externalizing behavior among male progeny. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Development of a relationship between external measurements and reinforcement stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brault, Andre; Hoult, Neil A.; Lees, Janet M.

    2015-03-01

    As many countries around the world face an aging infrastructure crisis, there is an increasing need to develop more accurate monitoring and assessment techniques for reinforced concrete structures. One of the challenges associated with assessing existing infrastructure is correlating externally measured parameters such as crack widths and surface strains with reinforcement stresses as this is dependent on a number of variables. The current research investigates how the use of distributed fiber optic sensors to measure reinforcement strain can be correlated with digital image correlation measurements of crack widths to relate external crack width measurements to reinforcement stresses. An initial set of experiments was undertaken involving a series of small-scale beam specimens tested in three-point bending with variable reinforcement properties. Relationships between crack widths and internal reinforcement strains were observed including that both the diameter and number of bars affected the measured maximum strain and crack width. A model that uses measured crack width to estimate reinforcement strain was presented and compared to the experimental results. The model was found to provide accurate estimates of load carrying capacity for a given crack width, however, the model was potentially less accurate when crack widths were used to estimate the experimental reinforcement strains. The need for more experimental data to validate the conclusions of this research was also highlighted.

  17. An experimental investigation for external RC shear wall applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaltakci, M. Y.; Ozturk, M.; Arslan, M. H.

    2010-09-01

    The strength and rigidity of most reinforced concrete (RC) buildings in Turkey, which are frequently hit by destructive earthquakes, is not at a sufficient level. Therefore, the result of earthquakes is a significant loss of life and property. The strengthening method most commonly preferred for these type of RC buildings is the application of RC infilled walls (shear walls) in the frame openings of the building. However, since the whole building has to be emptied and additional heavy costs arise during this type of strengthening, users prefer not to strengthen their buildings despite the heavy risk they are exposed to. Therefore, it is necessary to develop easier-to-apply and more effective methods for the rapid strengthening of housing and the heavily-used public buildings which cannot be emptied during the strengthening process (such as hospitals and schools). This study empirically analyses the different methods of a new system which can meet this need. In this new system, named "external shear wall application", RC shear walls are applied on the external surface of the building, along the frame plane rather than in the building. To this end, 7 test samples in 1/2 and 1/3 geometrical scale were designed to analyse the efficiency of the strengthening technique where the shear wall leans on the frame from outside of the building (external shear wall application) and of the strengthening technique where a specific space is left between the frame and the external shear wall by using a coupling beam to connect elements (application of external shear wall with coupling beam). Test results showed that the maximum lateral load capacity, initial rigidity and energy dissipation behaviours of the samples strengthened with external shear wall were much better than those of the bare frames.

  18. An experimental investigation for external RC shear wall applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Y. Kaltakci

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The strength and rigidity of most reinforced concrete (RC buildings in Turkey, which are frequently hit by destructive earthquakes, is not at a sufficient level. Therefore, the result of earthquakes is a significant loss of life and property. The strengthening method most commonly preferred for these type of RC buildings is the application of RC infilled walls (shear walls in the frame openings of the building. However, since the whole building has to be emptied and additional heavy costs arise during this type of strengthening, users prefer not to strengthen their buildings despite the heavy risk they are exposed to. Therefore, it is necessary to develop easier-to-apply and more effective methods for the rapid strengthening of housing and the heavily-used public buildings which cannot be emptied during the strengthening process (such as hospitals and schools. This study empirically analyses the different methods of a new system which can meet this need. In this new system, named "external shear wall application", RC shear walls are applied on the external surface of the building, along the frame plane rather than in the building. To this end, 7 test samples in 1/2 and 1/3 geometrical scale were designed to analyse the efficiency of the strengthening technique where the shear wall leans on the frame from outside of the building (external shear wall application and of the strengthening technique where a specific space is left between the frame and the external shear wall by using a coupling beam to connect elements (application of external shear wall with coupling beam. Test results showed that the maximum lateral load capacity, initial rigidity and energy dissipation behaviours of the samples strengthened with external shear wall were much better than those of the bare frames.

  19. Variational Level Set Method for Two-Stage Image Segmentation Based on Morphological Gradients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zemin Ren

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We use variational level set method and transition region extraction techniques to achieve image segmentation task. The proposed scheme is done by two steps. We first develop a novel algorithm to extract transition region based on the morphological gradient. After this, we integrate the transition region into a variational level set framework and develop a novel geometric active contour model, which include an external energy based on transition region and fractional order edge indicator function. The external energy is used to drive the zero level set toward the desired image features, such as object boundaries. Due to this external energy, the proposed model allows for more flexible initialization. The fractional order edge indicator function is incorporated into the length regularization term to diminish the influence of noise. Moreover, internal energy is added into the proposed model to penalize the deviation of the level set function from a signed distance function. The results evolution of the level set function is the gradient flow that minimizes the overall energy functional. The proposed model has been applied to both synthetic and real images with promising results.

  20. Mobile Landing Platform with Core Capability Set (MLP w/CCS): Combined Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and Live Fire Test and Evaluation Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-07-01

    SUBTITLE Mobile Landing Platform with Core Capability Set (MLP w/CCS) Combined Initial Operational Test and Evaluation ( IOT &E) and Live Fire Test and...based on data from a series of integrated test events, a dedicated end-to-end Initial Operational Test and Evaluation ( IOT &E), and two Marine Corps...Internally Transportable Vehicles (ITVs).   ii the LMSR to anchor within a few miles of the shore. Using MLP (CCS), the equipment is transported ashore

  1. Low-wealth Entrepreneurs and Access to External Financing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frid, Casey J.; Wyman, David M.; Gartner, Bill

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: -The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between low-wealth business founders in the USA and external startup funding. Specifically, the authors test whether a founders’ low personal net worth is correlated with a lower probability of acquiring funding from outside sources...... demonstrates the importance of personal wealth as a factor in acquiring external startup financing compared to human capital, industry, or personal characteristics. Social implications: -If the ability to acquire external funding is significantly constrained, the quality of the opportunity and the skill...... endowments at the outset. Originality/value: -Unlike prior studies, the data used are not subject to survivor bias or an underrepresentation of self-employment. The statistical model jointly estimates acquisition of financing and the amount received. This resolves selection and censoring problems. Finally...

  2. Full-scale testing of leakage of blast waves inside a partially vented room exposed to external air blast loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Codina, R.; Ambrosini, D.

    2018-03-01

    For the last few decades, the effects of blast loading on structures have been studied by many researchers around the world. Explosions can be caused by events such as industrial accidents, military conflicts or terrorist attacks. Urban centers have been prone to various threats including car bombs, suicide attacks, and improvised explosive devices. Partially vented constructions subjected to external blast loading represent an important topic in protective engineering. The assessment of blast survivability inside structures and the development of design provisions with respect to internal elements require the study of the propagation and leakage of blast waves inside buildings. In this paper, full-scale tests are performed to study the effects of the leakage of blast waves inside a partially vented room that is subjected to different external blast loadings. The results obtained may be useful for proving the validity of different methods of calculation, both empirical and numerical. Moreover, the experimental results are compared with those computed using the empirical curves of the US Defense report/manual UFC 3-340. Finally, results of the dynamic response of the front masonry wall are presented in terms of accelerations and an iso-damage diagram.

  3. Parenting and Children's Externalizing Problems in Substance-Abusing Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanger, Catherine; Dumenci, Levent; Kamon, Jody; Burstein, Marcy

    2004-01-01

    This study tested associations in path models among positive and negative parenting and children's rule-breaking behavior, aggressive and oppositional behavior, and attention problems for families with a drug-dependent parent. A structural model tested relations between parenting and children's externalizing problems for 251 families with 399…

  4. Evaluation of Calypte AWARE HIV-1/2 OMT antibody test as a screening test in an Indian setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingole N

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Integrated counselling and testing centres (ICTC provide counselling and blood testing facilities for HIV diagnosis. Oral fluid tests provide an alternative for people whodo not want blood to be drawn. Also, it avoids the risk of occupational exposure. The goal of this study was to evaluate the utility of Calypte AWARE HIV-1/2 OMT antibody test as a screening test in an Indian setting. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out after ethics committee approval in 250 adult ICTC clients. Blood was collected and tested from these clients for HIV diagnosis as per routine policy and the results were considered as the gold standard. Also, after another written informed consent, oral fluid was collected from the clients and tested for the presence of HIV antibodies. Twenty five clients who had and 25 clients who had not completed their secondary school education (Group A and Group B, respectively were also asked to perform and interpret the test on their own and their findings and experiences were noted. Result: The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the oral fluid antibody test were 100%, 98.51%, 94.11% and 100%, respectively. Seventy six percent of clients preferred oral fluid testing. Group B found it difficult to perform the test as compared to Group A and this difference was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: Oral fluid testing can be used as a screening test for HIV diagnosis; however, confirmation of reactive results by blood-based tests is a must.

  5. Machine replacement, Network Externalities and Investment Cycles

    OpenAIRE

    Juan Ruiz

    2003-01-01

    This paper presents a model where agents decide on the timing of replacement of ageing machines. The optimal replacement policy for an agent is influenced by other agents' decisions because the productivity of a particular vintage displays network externalities that set in with a lag. In equilibrium, agents follow innovation cycles with a frequency that is lower than optimal, so there is too much delay. One extreme case is the possibility of inefficient collapse: for some parameters there is ...

  6. Analysis of quality control tests done by the Canadian power utilities on their external dosimetry systems (June 1985 to May 1988)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poirier, G.S.

    1989-04-01

    The Canadian nuclear power utilities, Hydro Quebec, New Brunswick Electric Power Commission and Ontario Hydro, use thermoluminescent dosimetry systems to perform their own external beta/gamma dosimetry. In order to help ensure that these systems perform satisfactorily, they are subjected to routine quality control testing by their parent organizations. The test results for the period of June 1985 to May 1988 have been analyzed, at the AECB, using the pass criterion which was originally agreed upon by the organizations involved. The present analysis offers a comparison of the performance of the different sites which operate such a service. Finally, recommendations are made in the hope that they will help the organizations in refining their dosimetry

  7. External field-induced chaos in classical and quantum Hamiltonian systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, W.C.

    1986-01-01

    Classical nonlinear nonintegrable systems exhibit dense sets of resonance zones in phase space. Global chaotic motion appears when neighboring resonance zones overlap. The chaotic motion signifies the destruction of a quasi constant of motion. The motion of a particle, trapped in one of the wells of a sinusoidal, potential driven by a monochromatic external field was studied. Global chaotic behavior sets in when the amplitude of the external field reaches a critical value. The particle then escapes the well. The critical values are found to be in good agreement with a resonance overlap criterion rather than a renormalization-group scheme. A similar system was then studied, but with the particle being confined in an infinite square well potential instead. A stochastic layer is found in the low-energy part of the phase space. The resonance zone structure is found to be in excellent agreement with predictions. The critical values for the onset of global chaotic behavior are found to be in excellent agreement with the renormalization group scheme. The quantum version of the second model above was then considered. In a similar fashion, the external field induces quantum resonance zones. The spectral statistics were computed, and a transition of statistics from Poissonian to Wigner-like was found as overlap of quantum resonances occurs. This also signifies the destruction of a quasi-constant of motion

  8. False negative rate of syndesmotic injury in pronation-external rotation stage IV ankle fractures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kwang-Soon Song

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: To investigate false negative rate in the diagnosis of diastasis on initial static anteroposterior radiograph and reliability of intraoperative external rotational stress test for detection of concealed disruption of syndesmosis in pronation external rotation (PER stage IV (Lauge-Hansen ankle fractures. Materials and Methods: We prospectively studied 34 PER stage IV ankle fractures between September 2001 and September 2008. Twenty (59% patients show syndesmotic injury on initial anteroposterior radiographs. We performed an intraoperative external rotation stress test in other 14 patients with suspicious PER stage IV ankle fractures, which showed no defined syndesmotic injury on anteroposterior radiographs inspite of a medial malleolar fracture, an oblique fibular fracture above the syndesmosis and fracture of the posterior tubercle of the tibia. Results: All 14 fractures showed different degrees of tibiofibular clear space (TFCS and tibiofibular overlapping (TFO on the external rotation stress test radiograph compared to the initial plain anteroposterior radiograph. It is important to understand the fracture pattern characterstic of PER stage IV ankle fractures even though it appears normal on anteroposterior radiographs, it is to be confirmed for the concealed syndesmotic injury through a routine intraoperative external rotational stress radiograph.

  9. Concepts in context: Processing mental state concepts with internal or external focus involves different neural systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oosterwijk, Suzanne; Mackey, Scott; Wilson-Mendenhall, Christine; Winkielman, Piotr; Paulus, Martin P.

    2015-01-01

    According to embodied cognition theories concepts are contextually-situated and grounded in neural systems that produce experiential states. This view predicts that processing mental state concepts recruits neural regions associated with different aspects of experience depending on the context in which people understand a concept. This neuroimaging study tested this prediction using a set of sentences that described emotional (e.g., fear, joy) and non-emotional (e.g., thinking, hunger) mental states with internal focus (i.e. focusing on bodily sensations and introspection) or external focus (i.e. focusing on expression and action). Consistent with our predictions, data suggested that the inferior frontal gyrus, a region associated with action representation, was engaged more by external than internal sentences. By contrast, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a region associated with the generation of internal states, was engaged more by internal emotion sentences than external sentence categories. Similar patterns emerged when we examined the relationship between neural activity and independent ratings of sentence focus. Furthermore, ratings of emotion were associated with activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, whereas ratings of activity were associated with activation in the inferior frontal gyrus. These results suggest that mental state concepts are represented in a dynamic way, using context-relevant interoceptive and sensorimotor resources. PMID:25748274

  10. Foreign direct investment, institutional development, and environmental externalities: evidence from China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Danny T; Chen, Wendy Y

    2014-03-15

    The question of how foreign direct investment (FDI) affects a host country's natural environment has generated much debate but little consensus. Building on an institution-based theory, this article examines how the institutional development of a host setting affects the degree of FDI-related environmental externalities in China (specifically, industrial sulfur dioxide emissions). With a panel data set of 287 Chinese cities, over the period 2002-2009, this study reveals that FDI in general induces negative environmental externalities. Investments from OECD countries increase sulfur dioxide emissions, whereas FDI from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan shows no significant effect. Institutional development reduces the impacts of FDI across the board. By focusing on the moderating role of institutions, this study sheds new light on the long-debated relationships among FDI, institutions, and the environments of the host countries. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Unilateral vestibular loss impairs external space representation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liliane Borel

    Full Text Available The vestibular system is responsible for a wide range of postural and oculomotor functions and maintains an internal, updated representation of the position and movement of the head in space. In this study, we assessed whether unilateral vestibular loss affects external space representation. Patients with Menière's disease and healthy participants were instructed to point to memorized targets in near (peripersonal and far (extrapersonal spaces in the absence or presence of a visual background. These individuals were also required to estimate their body pointing direction. Menière's disease patients were tested before unilateral vestibular neurotomy and during the recovery period (one week and one month after the operation, and healthy participants were tested at similar times. Unilateral vestibular loss impaired the representation of both the external space and the body pointing direction: in the dark, the configuration of perceived targets was shifted toward the lesioned side and compressed toward the contralesioned hemifield, with higher pointing error in the near space. Performance varied according to the time elapsed after neurotomy: deficits were stronger during the early stages, while gradual compensation occurred subsequently. These findings provide the first demonstration of the critical role of vestibular signals in the representation of external space and of body pointing direction in the early stages after unilateral vestibular loss.

  12. [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.

  13. Evaluation of farmed cod products by a trained sensory panel and consumers in different test settings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sveinsdottir, K.; Martinsdottir, E.; Thorsdottir, F.; Schelvis-Smit, A.A.M.; Kole, A.; Thorsdottir, I.

    2010-01-01

    Sensory characteristics of farmed cod exposed to low or conventional stress levels prior to slaughter were evaluated by a trained sensory panel. Consumers in two different settings, central location test (CLT) and home-use test (HUT), also tasted the products and rated them according to overall

  14. Performance of different mono- and multiplex nucleic acid amplification tests on a multipathogen external quality assessment panel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loens, K; van Loon, A M; Coenjaerts, F; van Aarle, Y; Goossens, H; Wallace, P; Claas, E J C; Ieven, M

    2012-03-01

    An external quality assessment (EQA) panel consisting of a total of 48 samples in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid or transport medium was prepared in collaboration with Quality Control for Molecular Diagnostics (QCMD) (www.qcmd.org). The panel was used to assess the proficiency of the three laboratories that would be responsible for examining the 6,000 samples to be collected in the GRACE Network of Excellence (www.grace-lrti.org). The main objective was to decide on the best-performing testing approach for the detection of influenza viruses A and B, parainfluenza virus types 1 to 3, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus, coronavirus, rhinovirus, adenovirus, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila by nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAATs). Two approaches were chosen: (i) laboratories testing samples using their in-house procedures for extraction and amplification and (ii) laboratories using their in-house amplification procedures on centrally extracted samples. Furthermore, three commercially available multiplex NAAT tests-the ResPlex (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany), RespiFinder plus (PathoFinder, Maastricht, The Netherlands), and RespiFinder Smart 21 (PathoFinder) tests-were evaluated by examination of the same EQA panel by the manufacturer. No large differences among the 3 laboratories were noticed when the performances of the assays developed in-house in combination with the in-house extraction procedures were compared. Also, the extraction procedure (central versus local) had little effect on performance. However, large differences in amplification efficacy were found between the commercially available tests; acceptable results were obtained by using the PathoFinder assays.

  15. A Comparison of Emission Taxes and Permit Markets for Controlling Correlated Externalities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caplan, A.J. [Department of Economics, Utah State University, 3530 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-3530 (United States)

    2006-08-15

    This paper provides an answer to the question: Are emission taxes an efficient and self-enforcing mechanism to control correlated externality problems? By 'correlated externalities' we mean multiple pollutants that are jointly produced by a single source but cause differentiated regional and global externalities. By 'self-enforcing' we mean a mechanism that accounts for the endogeneity that exists between competing jurisdictions in the setting of environmental policy within a federation of regions. This mechanism incorporates sequential decision making among the jurisdictions and therefore determines an equilibrium based on the concept of subgame perfection. We find that, unlike joint domestic and international tradable permit markets, joint emission taxes and a hybrid scheme of permits and taxes are neither efficient nor self-enforcing.

  16. A Comparison of Emission Taxes and Permit Markets for Controlling Correlated Externalities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caplan, A.J.

    2006-01-01

    This paper provides an answer to the question: Are emission taxes an efficient and self-enforcing mechanism to control correlated externality problems? By 'correlated externalities' we mean multiple pollutants that are jointly produced by a single source but cause differentiated regional and global externalities. By 'self-enforcing' we mean a mechanism that accounts for the endogeneity that exists between competing jurisdictions in the setting of environmental policy within a federation of regions. This mechanism incorporates sequential decision making among the jurisdictions and therefore determines an equilibrium based on the concept of subgame perfection. We find that, unlike joint domestic and international tradable permit markets, joint emission taxes and a hybrid scheme of permits and taxes are neither efficient nor self-enforcing

  17. 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.

  18. 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

  19. Quality of basic life support education and automated external defibrillator setting in schools in Ishikawa, Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takamura, Akiteru; Ito, Sayori; Maruyama, Kaori; Ryo, Yusuke; Saito, Manami; Fujimura, Shuhei; Ishiura, Yuna; Hori, Ariyuki

    2017-03-01

    Automated external defibrillators (AED) have been installed in schools in Japan since 2004, and the government strongly recommends teaching basic life support (BLS). We therefore examined the quality of BLS education and AED installation in schools. We conducted a prefecture-wide questionnaire survey of all primary and junior high schools in 2016, to assess BLS education and AED installation against the recommendations of the Japan Circulation Society. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared test. In total, 195 schools out of 315 (62%) responded, of which 38% have introduced BLS education for children. BLS training was held in a smaller proportion of primary schools (18%) than junior high schools (86%). More than 90% of primary school staff had undergone BLS training in the previous 2 years. The most common locations of AED were the gymnasium (32%) followed by entrance hall (28%), staffroom (25%), and infirmary (12%). The reasons given for location were that it was obvious (34%), convenient for staff (32%), could be used out of hours (17%), and the most likely location for a heart attack (15%). Approximately 18% of schools reported that it takes >5 min to reach the AED from the furthest point. BLS training, AED location, and understanding of both are not sufficient to save children's lives efficiently. Authorities should make recommendations about the correct number of AED, and their location, and provide more information to improve the quality of BLS training in schools. © 2016 Japan Pediatric Society.

  20. HIV rapid testing in a Veterans Affairs hospital ED setting: a 5-year sustainability evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knapp, Herschel; Hagedorn, Hildi; Anaya, Henry D

    2014-08-01

    Routine HIV testing in primary care settings is now recommended in the United States. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has increased the number of patients tested for HIV, but overall HIV testing rates in VA remain low. A proven strategy for increasing such testing involves nurse-initiated HIV rapid testing (HIV RT). The purpose of this work was to use a mixed methodology approach to evaluate the 5-year sustainability of an intervention that implemented HIV RT in a VA emergency department setting in a large, urban VA medical center to reduce missed diagnostic and treatment opportunities in this vulnerable patient population. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted with providers and stakeholders. Interview notes were qualitatively coded for emerging themes. Quarterly testing rates were evaluated for a 5-year time span starting from the launch in July 2008. Findings indicate that HIV RT was sustained by the enthusiasm of 2 clinical champions who oversaw the registered nurses responsible for conducting the testing. The departure of the clinical champions was correlated with a substantial drop-off in testing. Findings also indicate potential strategies for improving sustainability including engaging senior leadership in the project, engaging line staff in the implementation planning from the start to increase ownership over the innovation, incorporating information into initial training explaining the importance of the innovation to quality patient care, providing ongoing training to maintain skills, and providing routine progress reports to staff to demonstrate the ongoing impact of their efforts. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. Overview of the ICRP/ICRU adult reference computational phantoms and dose conversion coefficients for external idealised exposures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endo, Akira; Petoussi-Henss, Nina; Zankl, Maria; Schlattl, Helmut; Bolch, Wesley E.; Eckerman, Keith F.; Hertel, Nolan E.; Hunt, John G.; Pelliccioni, Maurizio; Menzel, Hans-Georg

    2014-01-01

    This paper reviews the ICRP Publications 110 and 116 describing the reference computational phantoms and dose conversion coefficients for external exposures. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in its 2007 Recommendations made several revisions to the methods of calculation of the protection quantities. In order to implement these recommendations, the DOCAL task group of the ICRP developed computational phantoms representing the reference adult male and female and then calculated a set of dose conversion coefficients for various types of idealised external exposures. This paper focuses on the dose conversion coefficients for neutrons and investigates their relationship with the conversion coefficients of the protection and operational quantities of ICRP Publication 74. Contributing factors to the differences between these sets of conversion coefficients are discussed in terms of the changes in phantoms employed and the radiation and tissue weighting factors. This paper briefly reviews the reference computational phantoms and dose conversion coefficients for external exposures that were published jointly by ICRP and ICRU. Both these publications appeared as a consequence of the ICRP 2007 Recommendations; to implement these recommendations, the ICRP has developed reference computational phantoms representing the adult male and female. These phantoms are used to calculate reference dose conversion coefficients for external and internal sources. Using the reference phantoms and methodology consistent with the 2007 Recommendations, dose conversion coefficients for both effective doses and organ-absorbed doses for various types of idealised external exposures have been calculated. These data sets supersede the existing ICRP/ICRU data sets and expand the particle types and energy ranges. For neutrons, the new effective dose conversion coefficients become smaller compared with those in ICRP74, for energies below hundreds of keV. This is mainly

  2. Servicing HEP experiments with a complete set of ready integreated and configured common software components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roiser, Stefan; Gaspar, Ana; Perrin, Yves; Kruzelecki, Karol

    2010-01-01

    The LCG Applications Area at CERN provides basic software components for the LHC experiments such as ROOT, POOL, COOL which are developed in house and also a set of 'external' software packages (70) which are needed in addition such as Python, Boost, Qt, CLHEP, etc. These packages target many different areas of HEP computing such as data persistency, math, simulation, grid computing, databases, graphics, etc. Other packages provide tools for documentation, debugging, scripting languages and compilers. All these packages are provided in a consistent manner on different compilers, architectures and operating systems. The Software Process and Infrastructure project (SPI) [1] is responsible for the continous testing, coordination, release and deployment of these software packages. The main driving force for the actions carried out by SPI are the needs of the LHC experiments, but also other HEP experiments could profit from the set of consistent libraries provided and receive a stable and well tested foundation to build their experiment software frameworks. This presentation will first provide a brief description of the tools and services provided for the coordination, testing, release, deployment and presentation of LCG/AA software packages and then focus on a second set of tools provided for outside LHC experiments to deploy a stable set of HEP related software packages both as binary distribution or from source.

  3. Servicing HEP experiments with a complete set of ready integreated and configured common software components

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roiser, Stefan; Gaspar, Ana; Perrin, Yves [CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23, PH Department, SFT Group (Switzerland); Kruzelecki, Karol, E-mail: stefan.roiser@cern.c, E-mail: ana.gaspar@cern.c, E-mail: yves.perrin@cern.c, E-mail: karol.kruzelecki@cern.c [CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23, PH Department, LBC Group (Switzerland)

    2010-04-01

    The LCG Applications Area at CERN provides basic software components for the LHC experiments such as ROOT, POOL, COOL which are developed in house and also a set of 'external' software packages (70) which are needed in addition such as Python, Boost, Qt, CLHEP, etc. These packages target many different areas of HEP computing such as data persistency, math, simulation, grid computing, databases, graphics, etc. Other packages provide tools for documentation, debugging, scripting languages and compilers. All these packages are provided in a consistent manner on different compilers, architectures and operating systems. The Software Process and Infrastructure project (SPI) [1] is responsible for the continous testing, coordination, release and deployment of these software packages. The main driving force for the actions carried out by SPI are the needs of the LHC experiments, but also other HEP experiments could profit from the set of consistent libraries provided and receive a stable and well tested foundation to build their experiment software frameworks. This presentation will first provide a brief description of the tools and services provided for the coordination, testing, release, deployment and presentation of LCG/AA software packages and then focus on a second set of tools provided for outside LHC experiments to deploy a stable set of HEP related software packages both as binary distribution or from source.

  4. REACH, non-testing approaches and the urgent need for a change in mind set

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schaafsma, G.; Kroese, E.D.; Tielemans, E.L.J.P.; Sandt, J.J.M. van de; Leeuwen, C.J. van

    2009-01-01

    The objectives of REACH cannot be achieved under the current risk assessment approach. A change in mind set among all the relevant stakeholders is needed: risk assessment should move away from a labor-intensive and animal-consuming approach to intelligent and pragmatic testing, by combining exposure

  5. Report on external occupational dosimetry in Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-12-01

    In light of the new recommendations of the ICRP in Report 60 on dose quantities and dose limits, this working group was set up to examine the implications for external dosimetry in Canada. The operational quantities proposed by the ICRU are discussed in detail with regard to their applicability in Canada. The current occupational dosimetry services available in Canada are described as well as the several performance intercomparisons that have been carried out within the country as well as internationally. Recommendations are given with respect to standards for dosimetry, including accuracy and precision. More practical advice is given on the choice of dosimeter to use for external dosimetry, frequency of monitoring, and who should be monitored. Specific advice is given on the monitoring of pregnant workers and problem of non-uniform irradiation. Accident and emergency dosimetry are dealt with briefly. Suggestions are given regarding record keeping both for employers and for the national dose registry. 48 refs., 6 tabs., 1 fig

  6. External-beam PIXE analysis of small sculptures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gyodi, I.; Demeter, I.; Hollos-Nagy, K.; Kovacs, I.; Szokefalvi-Nagy, Z.

    1999-01-01

    Non-destructive analysis of precious art objects is an important tool to solve provenance problems or to facilitate restoration. External beam PIXE analysis is one of the most powerful and popular methods used in this respect. The paper summarises the external beam PIXE set-up at the Accelerator Laboratory in Budapest, and two selected applications are described. Different parts of a small Cambodian metal sculpture probably made in the 11th century were analysed. It was observed that the sculpture was composed of an iron core and an outer bronze shell. This sculptural technique was well known in the Middle-East but no indication has been found about its use in the Far-East, yet. Before its restoration paint traces on a wooden relief of St. Jerome made by an unknown artist in about 1600 were analysed. Different white and red paints were distinguished at selected points and the presence of titanium on a certain part of the relief was attributed to a repainting in modern times

  7. Digital test objects (D.T.O.) for treatment planning systems quality control in external beam radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denis, E.

    2008-04-01

    This work presents the conception and implementation of new automatic and quantitative quality assessment methods for geometric treatment planning in external radiotherapy. Treatment planning Systems (T.P.S.) quality control is mandatory in France and in the world because of encountered risks but the physical tools recommended to lead this quality control are not adapted to the situation. We present a new methodology for control quality based on the definition of Digital Test Objects (D.T.O.) that are directly introduced in the T.P.S. without acquisition device. These D.T.O. are consistently defined in a continuous and discrete modes. The T.P.S. responses to input D.T.O. are compared to theoretical results thanks to figures of merit specifically designed for each elementary control. The tests we carried out during this study allow to validate our solutions for the quality assessment of the auto-contouring, auto-margining, isocenter computation, collimator conformation and digitally reconstructed radiograph generation tools, as well as our solutions for marker positioning, collimator and displayed bean rotation, incidence, divergence and dimensions. Quality assessment solutions we propose are then fast and effective (no acquisition by the device, reduced manipulations), and more precise thanks to the continuous-discrete equivalence realized at the beginning of the modelling

  8. Impact of Total, Internal and External Government Debt on Interest Rate in Pakistan

    OpenAIRE

    Perveen, Asma; Munir, Kashif

    2017-01-01

    The objective of the study is to examine impact of total, internal and external government debt on nominal interest rate in Pakistan. To attain these objectives, the study used annual time series data from 1973 to 2016. The study used loanable fund theory as theoretical model and ARDL bound testing approach for cointegration and Granger causality test to estimate the results. The results of the study found negative relation between total government debt, external debt and nominal interest rat...

  9. Fast generation of multiple resolution instances of raster data sets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arge, Lars; Haverkort, Herman; Tsirogiannis, Constantinos

    2012-01-01

    In many GIS applications it is important to study the characteristics of a raster data set at multiple resolutions. Often this is done by generating several coarser resolution rasters from a fine resolution raster. In this paper we describe efficient algorithms for different variants of this prob......In many GIS applications it is important to study the characteristics of a raster data set at multiple resolutions. Often this is done by generating several coarser resolution rasters from a fine resolution raster. In this paper we describe efficient algorithms for different variants...... in the main memory of the computer. We also provide two algorithms that solve this problem in external memory, that is when the input raster is larger than the main memory. The first external algorithm is very easy to implement and requires O(sort(N)) data block transfers from/to the external memory....... For this variant we describe an algorithm that runs in (U logN) time in internal memory, where U is the size of the output. We show how this algorithm can be adapted to perform efficiently in the external memory using O(sort(U)) data transfers from the disk. We have also implemented two of the presented algorithms...

  10. Do executive functions explain the covariance between internalizing and externalizing behaviors?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatoum, Alexander S; Rhee, Soo Hyun; Corley, Robin P; Hewitt, John K; Friedman, Naomi P

    2017-11-16

    This study examined whether executive functions (EFs) might be common features of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems across development. We examined relations between three EF latent variables (a common EF factor and factors specific to updating working memory and shifting sets), constructed from nine laboratory tasks administered at age 17, to latent growth intercept (capturing stability) and slope (capturing change) factors of teacher- and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing behaviors in 885 individual twins aged 7 to 16 years. We then estimated the proportion of intercept-intercept and slope-slope correlations predicted by EF as well as the association between EFs and a common psychopathology factor (P factor) estimated from all 9 years of internalizing and externalizing measures. Common EF was negatively associated with the intercepts of teacher-rated internalizing and externalizing behavior in males, and explained 32% of their covariance; in the P factor model, common EF was associated with the P factor in males. Shifting-specific was positively associated with the externalizing slope across sex. EFs did not explain covariation between parent-rated behaviors. These results suggest that EFs are associated with stable problem behavior variation, explain small proportions of covariance, and are a risk factor that that may depend on gender.

  11. Strategic orientations and cooperation of external agents in the innovation process of rural enterprises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Francisco dos Reis Neto

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This article provides empirical evidence for the relationship between the market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and collaboration of external actors in the processes of incremental and radical innovations in rural enterprises. The research tested two sets of assumptions: first, the relation between contributions of strategic orientation and innovation processes; and second, collaborations of external stakeholders in the implementation of innovation processes. Data were collected from 208 rural enterprises and analyzed with the use of techniques of partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results showed that the market orientation contributes to the development of incremental innovation, and that the entrepreneurial orientation contributes to the implementation of the incremental and radical innovations. Specific agents (buyers, suppliers of goods and services, consultants, and others producers, collaborate positively in implementing incremental innovation; however, generic agents do not. The generic agents (universities and specialized public organizations are the ones that most intervene in radical innovations. The use of consistent theory in the areas of strategy, marketing and management in identifying that some of their causal relationships are confirmed for rural businesses unlike others, due to the structure of the market and the products produced by them.

  12. Effects on fatigue life of gate valves due to higher torque switch settings during operability testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richins, W.D.; Snow, S.D.; Miller, G.K.; Russell, M.J.; Ware, A.G.

    1995-12-01

    Some motor operated valves now have higher torque switch settings due to regulatory requirements to ensure valve operability with appropriate margins at design basis conditions. Verifying operability with these settings imposes higher stem loads during periodic inservice testing. These higher test loads increase stresses in the various valve internal parts which may in turn increase the fatigue usage factors. This increased fatigue is judged to be a concern primarily in the valve disks, seats, yokes, stems, and stem nuts. Although the motor operators may also have significantly increased loading, they are being evaluated by the manufacturers and are beyond the scope of this study. Two gate valves representative of both relatively weak and strong valves commonly used in commercial nuclear applications were selected for fatigue analyses. Detailed dimensional and test data were available for both valves from previous studies at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Finite element models were developed to estimate maximum stresses in the internal parts of the valves and to identity the critical areas within the valves where fatigue may be a concern. Loads were estimated using industry standard equations for calculating torque switch settings prior and subsequent to the testing requirements of USNRC Generic Letter 89--10. Test data were used to determine both; (1) the overshoot load between torque switch trip and final seating of the disk during valve closing and (2) the stem thrust required to open the valves. The ranges of peak stresses thus determined were then used to estimate the increase in the fatigue usage factors due to the higher stem thrust loads. The usages that would be accumulated by 100 base cycles plus one or eight test cycles per year over 40 and 60 years of operation were calculated

  13. AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF RUSSIAN BANKING AND NON-FINANCIAL SECTORS' VULNERABILITY TO POSSIBLE EXTERNAL FINANCIAL SHOCK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Егор Николаевич Поляков

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The article explains to what extent currency mismatch in banking and non-financial sectors determine vulnerability of Russian economy with respect to possible external shock. The authors explain how Central Bank of Russia exchange rate policy depends on currency mismatches and to what extent currency mismatches determined the slowdown of Russian economy during the financial crisis. The article shows the dynamics of currency mismatch from 2004 to 2012 year. The authors offer the model of the relationship between capital flight and external debt of private sector. The authors present the results of stress test of Russian economy. The stress test implies external shock similar to external shock of the end of 2008. According to stress test as of end of 2012 both banking and private sectors are less vulnerable to possible external shock. Meanwhile authors made a conclusion that vulnerability of a private sector remains unacceptably high. The authors recommend 2 ways how to decelerate the currency mismatch of a private sector. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-6-8

  14. Experimental data and boundary conditions for a Double-Skin Facade building in external air curtain mode

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Olena Kalyanova; Heiselberg, Per; Jensen, Rasmus Lund

    Frequent discussions of double skin façade energy performance have started a dialogue about the methods, models and tools for simulation of double façade systems and reliability of their results. Their reliability will increase with empirical validation of the software. Detailed experimental work...... was carried out in a full scale test facility ‘The Cube’, in order to compile three sets of high quality experimental data for validation purposes. The data sets are available for preheating mode, external air curtain mode and transparent insulation mode. The objective of this article is to provide the reader......’. This covers such problem areas as measurements of naturally induced air flow, measurements of air temperature under direct solar radiation exposure, etc. Finally, in order to create a solid foundation for software validation, the uncertainty and limitations in the experimental results are discussed. In part...

  15. Internalization of external cost for the production and distribution of electricity in Flanders, Belgium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torfs, R.; De Nocker, L.; Schrooten, L.; Aernouts, K.; Liekens, I.

    2005-04-01

    This report elaborates the external costs of electricity production and distribution in Flanders, Belgium, and tests them against prices and taxes for electricity use. The authors examined whether these external costs decrease in time and whether such a decrease leads to internalization in the price for the users through taxes, levies or other economic instruments. The external costs mainly include external environmental costs caused by air pollution and greenhouse gases, but also damage caused by accidents, hindrance and radioactive substances that may be released. [nl

  16. Effect of external jet-flow deflector geometry on OTW aero-acoustic characteristics. [Over-The-Wing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Von Glahn, U.; Groesbeck, D.

    1976-01-01

    The effect of geometry variations in the design of external deflectors for use with OTW configurations was studied at model scale and subsonic jet velocities. Included in the variations were deflector size and angle as well as wing size and flap setting. A conical nozzle (5.2-cm diameter) mounted at 0.1 chord above and downstream of the wing leading edges was used. The data indicate that external deflectors provide satisfactory take-off and approach aerodynamic performance and acoustic characteristics for OTW configurations. These characteristics together with expected good cruise aerodynamics, since external deflectors are storable, may provide optimum OTW design configurations.

  17. The introduction of syphilis point of care tests in resource limited settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marks, Michael; Mabey, David Cw

    2017-04-01

    Syphilis remains an important and preventable cause of stillbirth and neonatal mortality. About 1 million women with active syphilis become pregnant each year. Without treatment, 25% of them will deliver a stillborn baby and 33% a low birth weight baby with an increased chance of dying in the first month of life. Adverse pregnancy outcomes due to syphilis can be prevented by screening pregnant women, and treating those who test positive with a single dose of penicillin before 28 weeks' gestation. Areas covered: This manuscript covers the impact of syphilis on pregnancy outcome, the diagnosis of syphilis, with a special focus on point of care (POC) tests, and challenges to the introduction of POC tests, and their potential impact on the control and prevention of syphilis in resource limited settings. Expert commentary: POC tests for syphilis are available which meet the ASSURED criteria, and could make syphilis screening accessible to all women anywhere in the world who attend an antenatal clinic. High quality dual POC tests for HIV and syphilis could ensure that well-funded programmes for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV can contribute towards increased coverage of antenatal syphilis screening, and prevent more than 300,000 adverse pregnancy outcomes due to syphilis annually. Alongside investment to increase availability of syphilis POC tests, operational research is needed to understand how best to improve screening of pregnant women and to translate test availability into improved pregnancy outcomes.

  18. Effect of Caffeine on Attention and Alertness Measured in a Home-Setting, Using Web-Based Cognition Tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasman, Wilrike J; Boessen, Ruud; Donner, Yoni; Clabbers, Nard; Boorsma, André

    2017-09-07

    There is an increasing interest among nutritional researchers to perform lifestyle and nutritional intervention studies in a home setting instead of testing subjects in a clinical unit. The term used in other disciplines is 'ecological validity' stressing a realistic situation. This becomes more and more feasible because devices and self-tests that enable such studies are more commonly available. Here, we present such a study in which we reproduced the effect of caffeine on attention and alertness in an at-home setting. The study was aimed to reproduce the effect of caffeine on attention and alertness using a Web-based study environment of subjects, at home, performing different Web-based cognition tests. The study was designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Subjects were provided with coffee sachets (2 with and 2 without caffeine). They were also provided with a written instruction of the test days. Healthy volunteers consumed a cup of coffee after an overnight fast. Each intervention was repeated once. Before and 1 hour after coffee consumption subjects performed Web-based cognitive performance tests at home, which measured alertness and attention, established by 3 computerized tests provided by QuantifiedMind. Each test was performed for 5 minutes. Web-based recruitment was fast and efficient. Within 2 weeks, 102 subjects applied, of whom 70 were eligible. Of the 66 subjects who started the study, 53 completed all 4 test sessions (80%), indicating that they were able to perform the do it yourself tests, at home, correctly. The Go-No Go cognition test performed at home showed the same significant improvement in reaction time with caffeine as found in controlled studies in a metabolic ward (P=.02). For coding and N-back the second block was performed approximately 10% faster. No effect was seen on correctness. The study showed that the effects of caffeine consumption on a cognition test in an at-home setting revealed similar

  19. Priority setting: what constitutes success? A conceptual framework for successful priority setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sibbald, Shannon L; Singer, Peter A; Upshur, Ross; Martin, Douglas K

    2009-03-05

    The sustainability of healthcare systems worldwide is threatened by a growing demand for services and expensive innovative technologies. Decision makers struggle in this environment to set priorities appropriately, particularly because they lack consensus about which values should guide their decisions. One way to approach this problem is to determine what all relevant stakeholders understand successful priority setting to mean. The goal of this research was to develop a conceptual framework for successful priority setting. Three separate empirical studies were completed using qualitative data collection methods (one-on-one interviews with healthcare decision makers from across Canada; focus groups with representation of patients, caregivers and policy makers; and Delphi study including scholars and decision makers from five countries). This paper synthesizes the findings from three studies into a framework of ten separate but interconnected elements germane to successful priority setting: stakeholder understanding, shifted priorities/reallocation of resources, decision making quality, stakeholder acceptance and satisfaction, positive externalities, stakeholder engagement, use of explicit process, information management, consideration of values and context, and revision or appeals mechanism. The ten elements specify both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of priority setting and relate to both process and outcome components. To our knowledge, this is the first framework that describes successful priority setting. The ten elements identified in this research provide guidance for decision makers and a common language to discuss priority setting success and work toward improving priority setting efforts.

  20. The external dimension of the Sixth Environment Action Programme: an evaluation of implementing policy instruments: final report

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adelle, C.; Fajardo del Castillo, T.; Pallemaerts, M.; Withana, S.; Van Den Bossche, K.

    2010-01-01

    This report evaluates the EU’s progress on the external dimension of the 6EAP, with a particular focus on the EU’s consumption and production of global natural resources. It explores the EU’s activities in pursuit of its objectives set out in the 6EAP which relate to the external dimension by

  1. An experimental set-up to test heatmoisture exchangers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    N. Ünal (N.); J.C. Pompe (Jan); W.P. Holland (Wim); I. Gultuna; P.E.M. Huygen; K. Jabaaij (K.); C. Ince (Can); B. Saygin (B.); H.A. Bruining (Hajo)

    1995-01-01

    textabstractObjectives: The purpose of this study was to build an experimental set-up to assess continuously the humidification, heating and resistance properties of heat-moisture exchangers (HMEs) under clinical conditions. Design: The experimental set-up consists of a patient model, measurement

  2. Improvement of the quality of BRAF testing in melanomas with nationwide external quality assessment, for the BRAF EQA group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emile, Jean-François; Hofman, Paul; Sabourin, Jean-Christophe; Laurent-Puig, Pierre; Tisserand, Julie; Bergougnoux, Loic; Nowak, Frédérique; Faucher, Gladwys; Surel, Sylvie; Lamy, Aude; Lecorre, Delphine; Helias-Rodzewicz, Zofia

    2013-01-01

    Knowledge about tumour gene mutation status is essential for the treatment of increasing numbers of cancer patients, and testing quality has a major impact on treatment response and cost. In 2012, 4,629 tests for BRAF p.V600 were performed in France, in patients with melanomas. Two batches of unstained melanoma sections were sent, in May and November 2012, to the 46 laboratories supported by the French National Institute of Cancer (INCa). An external quality assessment (EQA) evaluated mutation status, response times and compliance with INCa recommendations. All the French laboratories involved in testing participated in the EQA. Fourteen different methods were used to detect BRAF mutations, most consisting of combinations of in-house techniques. False responses were noted in 25/520 cases (4.8%), 11 of which concerned confusion between p.V600E and p.V600K. Thus, 2.7% of responses would have led to inappropriate treatment. Within six months, mean response times decreased from 22 to 12 days (P<0.001), and the percentage of samples evaluated by a pathologist for tumour cell content increased, from 75.2% to 96.9% (P<0.001). Despite the use of non-certified methods, the false response rate was low. Nationwide EQA can improve the quality of molecular pathology tests on tumours

  3. Down the slippery slop: Utility incorporation of environmental externalities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vandenberg, A.J.; Tempchin, R.S.; Mitnick, S.A.; Harron, A.L.

    1993-01-01

    Advocates of incorporating environmental externalities in electric utility decision-making have concentrated on new electric generating resources, with some success. Such public utility commission actions compel utilities to consider, explicitly, the cost of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other emission of power-plants when comparing the economics of new generating resources with those of other resource options (e.g., demand-side management and gas-fired non-utility generator projects). This paper summarizes a study which estimated costs of incorporating externalities in utility system operations. We also present an analysis of the Tellus work in this area, and contrast Tellus' methodology, assumptions and results with our own. Estimates of the cost of incorporating externalities in system operations is rather large, in terms of the increased fuel and purchased power cost that ratepayers would have to bear. For the eight cases we examined, the incorporation of externalities caused fuel and purchased power cost to be 9.3 to 69.5 percent higher, relative to what it would have been under traditional generating unit commitment and dispatch. Furthermore, we believe that these estimates of fuel and purchased power cost increases are conservative. In particular, because our analyses focused on utility system operations in 1995, the key assumption about the fuel cost differential (i.e., coal versus natural gas) probably underestimates the differential in later years, significantly, when virtually all forecasters foresee faster cost escalation rates for gas. In general, the higher the fuel cost differential, the faster cost escalation rates for gas. In general, the higher the fuel cost differential, the greater the cost of an externality policy. Unless the record is set straight soon, the idea that incorporating externalities is virtually costless will further spread in the regulatory community and among government policy-makers

  4. Nonlinear Analysis of the Space Shuttle Superlightweight External Fuel Tank

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemeth, Michael P.; Britt, Vicki O.; Collins, Timothy J.; Starnes, James H., Jr.

    1996-01-01

    Results of buckling and nonlinear analyses of the Space Shuttle external tank superlightweight liquid-oxygen (LO2) tank are presented. Modeling details and results are presented for two prelaunch loading conditions and for two full-scale structural tests that were conducted on the original external tank. The results illustrate three distinctly different types of nonlinear response for thin-walled shells subjected to combined mechanical and thermal loads. The nonlinear response phenomena consist of bifurcation-type buckling, short-wavelength nonlinear bending, and nonlinear collapse associated with a limit point. For each case, the results show that accurate predictions of non- linear behavior generally require a large-scale, high-fidelity finite-element model. Results are also presented that show that a fluid-filled launch-vehicle shell can be highly sensitive to initial geometric imperfections. In addition, results presented for two full-scale structural tests of the original standard-weight external tank suggest that the finite-element modeling approach used in the present study is sufficient for representing the nonlinear behavior of the superlightweight LO2 tank.

  5. TACT: A Set of MSC/PATRAN- and MSC/NASTRAN- based Modal Correlation Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlowe, Jill M.; Dixon, Genevieve D.

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes the functionality and demonstrates the utility of the Test Analysis Correlation Tools (TACT), a suite of MSC/PATRAN Command Language (PCL) tools which automate the process of correlating finite element models to modal survey test data. The initial release of TACT provides a basic yet complete set of tools for performing correlation totally inside the PATRAN/NASTRAN environment. Features include a step-by-step menu structure, pre-test accelerometer set evaluation and selection, analysis and test result export/import in Universal File Format, calculation of frequency percent difference and cross-orthogonality correlation results using NASTRAN, creation and manipulation of mode pairs, and five different ways of viewing synchronized animations of analysis and test modal results. For the PATRAN-based analyst, TACT eliminates the repetitive, time-consuming and error-prone steps associated with transferring finite element data to a third-party modal correlation package, which allows the analyst to spend more time on the more challenging task of model updating. The usefulness of this software is presented using a case history, the correlation for a NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) low aspect ratio research wind tunnel model. To demonstrate the improvements that TACT offers the MSC/PATRAN- and MSC/DIASTRAN- based structural analysis community, a comparison of the modal correlation process using TACT within PATRAN versus external third-party modal correlation packages is presented.

  6. Pilot Integration of HIV Screening and Healthcare Settings with Multi- Component Social Network and Partner Testing for HIV Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rentz, Michael F; Ruffner, Andrew H; Ancona, Rachel M; Hart, Kimberly W; Kues, John R; Barczak, Christopher M; Lindsell, Christopher J; Fichtenbaum, Carl J; Lyons, Michael S

    2017-11-23

    Healthcare settings screen broadly for HIV. Public health settings use social network and partner testing ("Transmission Network Targeting (TNT)") to select high-risk individuals based on their contacts. HIV screening and TNT systems are not integrated, and healthcare settings have not implemented TNT. The study aimed to evaluate pilot implementation of multi-component, multi-venue TNT in conjunction with HIV screening by a healthcare setting. Our urban, academic health center implemented a TNT program in collaboration with the local health department for five months during 2011. High-risk or HIV positive patients of the infectious diseases clinic and emergency department HIV screening program were recruited to access social and partner networks via compensated peer-referral, testing of companions present with them, and partner notification services. Contacts became the next-generation index cases in a snowball recruitment strategy. The pilot TNT program yielded 485 HIV tests for 482 individuals through eight generations of recruitment with five (1.0%; 95% CI = 0.4%, 2.3%) new diagnoses. Of these, 246 (51.0%; 95% CI = 46.6%, 55.5%) reported that they had not been tested for HIV within the last 12 months and 383 (79.5%; 95% CI = 75.7%, 82.9%) had not been tested by the existing ED screening program within the last five years. TNT complements population screening by more directly targeting high-risk individuals and by expanding the population receiving testing. Information from existing healthcare services could be used to seed TNT programs, or TNT could be implemented within healthcare settings. Research evaluating multi-component, multi-venue HIV detection is necessary to maximize complementary approaches while minimizing redundancy. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  7. Three Rounds of External Quality Assessment in France to Evaluate the Performance of 28 Platforms for Multiparametric Molecular Testing in Metastatic Colorectal and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dequeker, E.M.; Keppens, C.; Egele, C.; Delen, S.; Lamy, A.; Lemoine, A.; Sabourin, J.C.; Andrieu, C.; Ligtenberg, M.; Fetique, D.; Tops, B.; Descarpentries, C.; Blons, H.; Denoux, Y.; Aube, C.; Penault-Llorca, F.; Hofman, P.; Leroy, K.; Marechal, C. Le; Doucet, L.; Duranton-Tanneur, V.; Pedeutour, F.; Soubeyran, I.; Cote, J.F.; Emile, J.F.; Vignaud, J.M.; Monhoven, N.; Haddad, V.; Laurent-Puig, P.; Krieken, H. van; Nowak, F.; Lonchamp, E.; Bellocq, J.P.; Rouleau, E.

    2016-01-01

    Personalized medicine has gained increasing importance in clinical oncology, and several clinically important biomarkers are implemented in routine practice. In an effort to guarantee high quality of molecular testing in France, three subsequent external quality assessment rounds were organized at

  8. Cluster-based query expansion using external collections in medical information retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Heung-Seon; Jung, Yuchul

    2015-12-01

    Utilizing external collections to improve retrieval performance is challenging research because various test collections are created for different purposes. Improving medical information retrieval has also gained much attention as various types of medical documents have become available to researchers ever since they started storing them in machine processable formats. In this paper, we propose an effective method of utilizing external collections based on the pseudo relevance feedback approach. Our method incorporates the structure of external collections in estimating individual components in the final feedback model. Extensive experiments on three medical collections (TREC CDS, CLEF eHealth, and OHSUMED) were performed, and the results were compared with a representative expansion approach utilizing the external collections to show the superiority of our method. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. TEST BEAM COORDINATION: The 2004 Test Beam Calorimetry set-up in H8

    CERN Multimedia

    Aleksa, M; Di Girolamo, B; Ferrari, C; Giugni, D; Santoni, C; Wingerter, I

    A new table has been designed, built and finally mounted to position the LAr cryostat in front of the Tilecal modules. The new table has been connected to the existing Tilecal table to be able to move the full set-up along eta values between 0 and 1.2. The table has been conceived by D. Giugni (INFN Milano and now CERN PH) and modeled by G. Braga (INFN Milano) in spring-summer 2003. The realization of the table has been done by an Italian firm (MatecImpianti, Fenegrò, Como) under the supervision of S. Coelli (INFN Milano) starting August 2003. Figure 1 shows the table assembled at the firm (left). Figure 1: The Tilecal-LAr table: in Fenegro (left) and at CERN (right). In November 2003 the table has been delivered to CERN and put in temporary storage to be assembled after the preparation of the Tilecal zone. In February 2004 two technicians from the firm and the team of technician coordinated by C. Ferrari (CERN AB/ATB), assembled, tested and commissioned the table under the supervision of S. Coelli...

  10. 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.

  11. 76 FR 55384 - External Peer Review Meeting for the Draft Guidance of Applying Quantitative Data To Develop Data...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-07

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA/100/J-11/001; FRL-9460-1] External Peer Review Meeting for... attend this peer review meeting as observers. Time will be set aside for observers to give brief oral... the draft document, EPA intends to consider the comments from the external peer review meeting along...

  12. Prediction of prostate cancer in unscreened men: external validation of a risk calculator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Vugt, Heidi A; Roobol, Monique J; Kranse, Ries; Määttänen, Liisa; Finne, Patrik; Hugosson, Jonas; Bangma, Chris H; Schröder, Fritz H; Steyerberg, Ewout W

    2011-04-01

    Prediction models need external validation to assess their value beyond the setting where the model was derived from. To assess the external validity of the European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) risk calculator (www.prostatecancer-riskcalculator.com) for the probability of having a positive prostate biopsy (P(posb)). The ERSPC risk calculator was based on data of the initial screening round of the ERSPC section Rotterdam and validated in 1825 and 531 men biopsied at the initial screening round in the Finnish and Swedish sections of the ERSPC respectively. P(posb) was calculated using serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), outcome of digital rectal examination (DRE), transrectal ultrasound and ultrasound assessed prostate volume. The external validity was assessed for the presence of cancer at biopsy by calibration (agreement between observed and predicted outcomes), discrimination (separation of those with and without cancer), and decision curves (for clinical usefulness). Prostate cancer was detected in 469 men (26%) of the Finnish cohort and in 124 men (23%) of the Swedish cohort. Systematic miscalibration was present in both cohorts (mean predicted probability 34% versus 26% observed, and 29% versus 23% observed, both pscreened men, but overestimated the risk of a positive biopsy. Further research is necessary to assess the performance and applicability of the ERSPC risk calculator when a clinical setting is considered rather than a screening setting. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Security of supply: a neglected fossil fuel externality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cavallo, A.J.

    1995-01-01

    Various groups have attempted to set a monetary value on the externalities of fossil fuel usage based on damages caused by emissions of particulates, sulfur dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen and carbon. One externality that has been neglected in this type of analysis, however, is the cost of maintaining a secure supply of fossil fuels. Military expenditures for this purpose are relatively easy to quantify based on US Department of Defense and Office of Management and Budget figures, and amount to between $1 and more than $3 per million Btu, based on total fossil fuel consumption in the US. Open acknowledgment of such expenses would, at the very least, have a profound effect on the perceived competitiveness of all non-fossil fuel technologies. It should also provide a simple and easily comprehended rationale for an energy content (Btu) charge on all fossil fuels. (Author)

  14. KEUNTUNGAN PENGGUNAAN EXTERNAL FUNCTION PADA DATABASE POSTGRESQL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahrun Hartono

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Database id a central data for an information system, there were many database system applications that revolve both paid and free. PostgreSQL is one of the free database system and it has the powerful feature, one of the feature that make it different with others sysem is a function features, where the users can make their function by them selves by using spesific programming language, then it can be called return for executed. In this research the writer tries for conducting additional data testing by using INSERT Query and External Function Query on the terminal/command prompt and web browser. From the result of the trial, the research found that the average of time in additional data processing on the terminal/command prompt by using INSERT Query was 185.293 ms and the average of time External Function Query proccess was 129.52 ms, while the average of time in additional data processing on web browser by using INSERT Query was 168.363 ms and External Function Query was 145.64 ms. There was a difference both of the query, but the important thing and should be noted that external function is a command was defined by stand alone by the user, this matter lets the user to determine a specify command that they need.

  15. Intravenous nitroglycerin for external cephalic version: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilton, Jennifer; Allan, Bruce; Swaby, Cheryl; Wahba, Raouf; Wah, Raouf; Jarrell, John; Wood, Stephen; Ross, Sue; Tran, Quynh

    2009-09-01

    To estimate whether treatment with intravenous nitroglycerin for uterine relaxation increases the chance of successful external cephalic version. Two double-blind, randomized clinical trials were undertaken: one in nulliparous women and a second in multiparous women. Women presenting for external cephalic version at term were eligible to participate. The primary outcome was immediate success of external cephalic version. Other outcomes were presentation at delivery, cesarean delivery rate, and side effects and complications. Sample size calculations were based on a 100% increase in success of external cephalic version with a one-sided analysis and alpha=0.05 (80% power). In total, 126 women were recruited-82 in the nulliparous trial and 44 in the multiparous trial. Seven patients did not have external cephalic version before delivery but were included in the analysis of success of external cephalic version. One patient was lost to follow-up. The external cephalic version success rate for nulliparous patients was 24% (10 of 42) in patients who received nitroglycerin compared with 8% (3 of 40) in those who receive placebo (P=.04, one-sided Fisher exact test, odds ratio 3.85, lower bound 1.22). In multiparous patients, the external cephalic version success rate did not differ significantly between groups: 44% (10 of 23) in the nitroglycerin group compared with 43% (9 of 21) in the placebo group (P=.60). Treatment with intravenous nitroglycerin increased the rate of successful external cephalic version in nulliparous, but not in multiparous, women. Treatment with intravenous nitroglycerin appeared to be safe, but our numbers were too small to rule out rare serious adverse effects. I.

  16. Direct and synthetic testing of switchgear in Germany

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haenisch, R

    1963-12-13

    Details are given of a high power testing station for switchgear and dielectric testing, incorporating an impulse generator of 2.4 MV (ultimately 3.6 MV), installed in a parabolic shaped hall with copper roof forming a Faraday cage with a maximum height of 82 ft and floor area of 137 ft x 118 ft. This design has the purpose of avoiding influences of external fields entering the hall and of containing within the hall radiations set up by test procedures. The surge generator has a terminal short-circuit capacity of 4,300 MVA and allows for synthetic testing at 25,000-MVA breaking capacities at 500-kV rating (ultamately 750 kV). Details of generator construction are given and particular attention is directed at safety features and future expansion of rating facilities.

  17. External built residential environment characteristics that affect mental health of adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochodo, Charles; Ndetei, D M; Moturi, W N; Otieno, J O

    2014-10-01

    External built residential environment characteristics include aspects of building design such as types of walls, doors and windows, green spaces, density of houses per unit area, and waste disposal facilities. Neighborhoods that are characterized by poor quality external built environment can contribute to psychosocial stress and increase the likelihood of mental health disorders. This study investigated the relationship between characteristics of external built residential environment and mental health disorders in selected residences of Nakuru Municipality, Kenya. External built residential environment characteristics were investigated for 544 residents living in different residential areas that were categorized by their socioeconomic status. Medically validated interview schedules were used to determine mental health of residents in the respective neighborhoods. The relationship between characteristics of the external built residential environment and mental health of residents was determined by multivariable logistic regression analyses and chi-square tests. The results show that walling materials used on buildings, density of dwelling units, state of street lighting, types of doors, states of roofs, and states of windows are some built external residential environment characteristics that affect mental health of adult males and females. Urban residential areas that are characterized by poor quality external built environment substantially expose the population to daily stressors and inconveniences that increase the likelihood of developing mental health disorders.

  18. 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...

  19. Effect of External Loading on Force and Power Production During Plyometric Push-ups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinshaw, Taylour J; Stephenson, Mitchell L; Sha, Zhanxin; Dai, Boyi

    2018-04-01

    Hinshaw, TJ, Stephenson, ML, Sha, Z, and Dai, B. Effect of external loading on force and power production during plyometric push-ups. J Strength Cond Res 32(4): 1099-1108, 2018-One common exercise to train upper-body strength and power is the push-up. Training at the loads that would produce the greatest power is an effective way to increase peak power. The purpose of the current study was to quantify the changes in peak force, peak power, and peak velocity among a modified plyometric push-up and plyometric push-ups with or without external loading in physically active young adults. Eighteen male and 17 female participants completed 4 push-ups: (a) modified plyometric push-up on the knees, (b) plyometric push-up without external loading, (c) plyometric push-up with an external load of 5% of body weight, and (d) plyometric push-up with an external load of 10% of body weight. Two force platforms were set up to collect vertical ground reaction forces at the hands and feet. The modified plyometric push-up demonstrated the lowest force, power, and velocity (5.4≥ Cohen's dz ≥1.2). Peak force and force at peak velocity increased (3.8≥ Cohen's dz ≥0.3) and peak velocity and velocity at peak power decreased (1.4≥ Cohen's dz ≥0.8) for the push-up without external loading compared with the 2 push-ups with external loading. No significant differences were observed for peak power among the push-ups with or without external loading (0.4≥ Cohen's dz ≥0.1). Although peak power is similar with or without external loading, push-ups without external loading may be more beneficial for a quick movement, and push-ups with external loading may be more beneficial for a greater force production.

  20. Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Locke, Edwin A.; Latham, Gary P.

    2002-01-01

    Summarizes 35 years of empirical research on goal-setting theory, describing core findings of the theory, mechanisms by which goals operate, moderators of goal effects, the relation of goals and satisfaction, and the role of goals as mediators of incentives. Explains the external validity and practical significance of goal setting theory,…

  1. Development and pilot test of a new set of good practice indicators for chronic cancer pain management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saturno, P J; Martinez-Nicolas, I; Robles-Garcia, I S; López-Soriano, F; Angel-García, D

    2015-01-01

    Pain is among the most important symptoms in terms of prevalence and cause of distress for cancer patients and their families. However, there is a lack of clearly defined measures of quality pain management to identify problems and monitor changes in improvement initiatives. We built a comprehensive set of evidence-based indicators following a four-step model: (1) review and systematization of existing guidelines to list evidence-based recommendations; (2) review and systematization of existing indicators matching the recommendations; (3) development of new indicators to complete a set of measures for the identified recommendations; and (4) pilot test (in hospital and primary care settings) for feasibility, reliability (kappa), and usefulness for the identification of quality problems using the lot quality acceptance sampling (LQAS) method and estimates of compliance. Twenty-two indicators were eventually pilot tested. Seventeen were feasible in hospitals and 12 in all settings. Feasibility barriers included difficulties in identifying target patients, deficient clinical records and low prevalence of cases for some indicators. Reliability was mostly very good or excellent (k > 0.8). Four indicators, all of them related to medication and prevention of side effects, had acceptable compliance at 75%/40% LQAS level. Other important medication-related indicators (i.e., adjustment to pain intensity, prescription for breakthrough pain) and indicators concerning patient-centred care (i.e., attention to psychological distress and educational needs) had very low compliance, highlighting specific quality gaps. A set of good practice indicators has been built and pilot tested as a feasible, reliable and useful quality monitoring tool, and underscoring particular and important areas for improvement. © 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

  2. Trace element fingerprinting of jewellery rubies by external beam PIXE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calligaro, T.; Poirot, J.-P.; Querre, G.

    1999-01-01

    External beam PIXE analysis allows the non-destructive in situ characterisation of gemstones mounted on jewellery pieces. This technique was used for the determination of the geographical origin of 64 rubies set on a high-valued necklace. The trace element content of these gemstones was measured and compared to that of a set of rubies of known sources. Multivariate statistical processing of the results allowed us to infer the provenance of rubies: one comes from Thailand/Cambodia deposit while the remaining are attributed to Burma. This highlights the complementary capabilities of PIXE and conventional geological observations

  3. Trace element fingerprinting of jewellery rubies by external beam PIXE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Calligaro, T. E-mail: calli@culture.nl; Poirot, J.-P.; Querre, G

    1999-04-02

    External beam PIXE analysis allows the non-destructive in situ characterisation of gemstones mounted on jewellery pieces. This technique was used for the determination of the geographical origin of 64 rubies set on a high-valued necklace. The trace element content of these gemstones was measured and compared to that of a set of rubies of known sources. Multivariate statistical processing of the results allowed us to infer the provenance of rubies: one comes from Thailand/Cambodia deposit while the remaining are attributed to Burma. This highlights the complementary capabilities of PIXE and conventional geological observations.

  4. A rare case of anastomosis between the external and internal jugular veins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karapantzos, Ilias; Zarogoulidis, Paul; Charalampidis, Charalampos; Karapantzou, Chrysanthi; Kioumis, Ioannis; Tsakiridis, Kosmas; Mpakas, Andrew; Sachpekidis, Nikolaos; Organtzis, John; Porpodis, Konstantinos; Zarogoulidis, Konstantinos; Pitsiou, Georgia; Zissimopoulos, Athanasios; Kosmidis, Christoforos; Fouka, Evagelia; Demetriou, Theodoros

    2016-01-01

    Jugular veins bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart. There are two sets of external and internal veins. The external jugular vein receives the greater part of the blood from the cranium and the deep parts of the face. It commences from the substance of the parotid gland and runs down the neck at the posterior border of sternocleidomastoideus and ends in the subclavian vein in front of the scalenus anterior. The external jugular vein is covered by the platysma and its upper half runs parallel with the great auricular nerve. There is also another minor jugular vein, the anterior, draining the submaxillary region. In our patient, we recognized a shunt between the external and internal jugular veins. It appeared in the middle of the veins, between the pair of valves, which are placed ~2.5 cm above the termination of the vessel. The anastomosis was fully functional, and there was no problem in the blood pressure of the patient. Moreover, the shunt was not associated with any systemic disease.

  5. Internal and external quasicrystal inflation center and their scaling factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masakova, Z.; Patera, J.; Pelantova, E.

    1998-01-01

    The properties of quasicrystals of the cut and project type - namely, self-similarities or so-called inflation properties - are studied. A complete description is given for centers of the scaling symmetry of a quasicrystal, and the relevant scaling factors are determined for each 'inflation center'. If the center is a quasicrystal point, it is called an 'internal inflation center'; otherwise, it is an 'external' one. It turns out that, for any quasicrystal point u, the set of appropriate scaling factors is a u-dependent one-dimensional quasicrystal. There are infinitely many scaling factors common to all internal inflation centers. The description of external inflation centers, which are plentiful in any quasicrystal, is a slight modification of a similar description for the interval ones

  6. Siting a municipal solid waste disposal facility, part II: the effects of external criteria on the final decision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korucu, M Kemal; Karademir, Aykan

    2014-02-01

    The procedure of a multi-criteria decision analysis supported by the geographic information systems was applied to the site selection process of a planning municipal solid waste management practice based on twelve different scenarios. The scenarios included two different decision tree modes and two different weighting models for three different area requirements. The suitability rankings of the suitable sites obtained from the application of the decision procedure for the scenarios were assessed by a factorial experimental design concerning the effect of some external criteria on the final decision of the site selection process. The external criteria used in the factorial experimental design were defined as "Risk perception and approval of stakeholders" and "Visibility". The effects of the presence of these criteria in the decision trees were evaluated in detail. For a quantitative expression of the differentiations observed in the suitability rankings, the ranking data were subjected to ANOVA test after a normalization process. Then the results of these tests were evaluated by Tukey test to measure the effects of external criteria on the final decision. The results of Tukey tests indicated that the involvement of the external criteria into the decision trees produced statistically meaningful differentiations in the suitability rankings. Since the external criteria could cause considerable external costs during the operation of the disposal facilities, the presence of these criteria in the decision tree in addition to the other criteria related to environmental and legislative requisites could prevent subsequent external costs in the first place.

  7. Blanket testing in NET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chazalon, M.; Daenner, W.; Libin, B.

    1989-01-01

    The testing stages in NET for the performance assessment of the various breeding blanket concepts developed at the present time in Europe for DEMO (LiPb and ceramic blankets) and the requirements upon NET to perform these tests are reviewed. Typical locations available in NET for blanket testing are the central outboard segments and the horizontal ports of in-vessel sectors. These test positions will be connectable with external test loops. The number of test loops (helium, water, liquid metal) will be such that each major class of blankets can be tested in NET. The test positions, the boundary conditions and the external test loops are identified and the requirements for test blankets are summarized (author). 6

  8. Containment atmosphere response to external sprays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, J.; Almenas, K.

    1995-01-01

    The application of external sprays to a containment steel shell can be an effective energy removal method and has been proposed in the passive AP-600 design. Reduction of the steel shell temperature in contact with the containment atmosphere enhances both heat and mass transfer driving forces. Large scale experimental data in this area is scarce, therefore the measurements obtained from the E series tests conducted at the German HDR facility deserve special attention. These long term tests simulated various severe accident conditions, including external spraying of the hemispherical steel shell. This investigation focuses upon the integral response of the HDR containment atmosphere during spray periods and upon methods by which lumped parameter system codes, like CONTAIN, model the underlying condensation phenomena. Increases in spray water flowrates above a minimum value were ineffective at improving containment pressure reduction since the limiting resistance for energy transfer lies in the noncondensable-vapor boundary layer at the inner condensing surface. The spray created an unstable condition by cooling the upper layers of a heated atmosphere and thus inducing global natural circulation flows in the facility and subsequently, abrupt changes in lighter-than-air noncondensable (J 2 /He) concentrations. Modeling results using the CONTAIN code are outlined and code limitations are delineated

  9. Containment atmosphere response to external sprays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Green, J.; Almenas, K. [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

    1995-09-01

    The application of external sprays to a containment steel shell can be an effective energy removal method and has been proposed in the passive AP-600 design. Reduction of the steel shell temperature in contact with the containment atmosphere enhances both heat and mass transfer driving forces. Large scale experimental data in this area is scarce, therefore the measurements obtained from the E series tests conducted at the German HDR facility deserve special attention. These long term tests simulated various severe accident conditions, including external spraying of the hemispherical steel shell. This investigation focuses upon the integral response of the HDR containment atmosphere during spray periods and upon methods by which lumped parameter system codes, like CONTAIN, model the underlying condensation phenomena. Increases in spray water flowrates above a minimum value were ineffective at improving containment pressure reduction since the limiting resistance for energy transfer lies in the noncondensable-vapor boundary layer at the inner condensing surface. The spray created an unstable condition by cooling the upper layers of a heated atmosphere and thus inducing global natural circulation flows in the facility and subsequently, abrupt changes in lighter-than-air noncondensable (J{sub 2}/He) concentrations. Modeling results using the CONTAIN code are outlined and code limitations are delineated.

  10. External Benefit Evaluation of Renewable Energy Power in China for Sustainability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huiru Zhao

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available China’s renewable energy power has developed rapidly in recent years. Evaluating the external benefits of renewable energy power can provide a reference for the Chinese government to set diverse development goals and to implement differentiated supporting policies for different renewable energy power types, which can promote their sustainable development. In this paper, a hybrid MCDM method was applied to evaluate the external benefits of China’s renewable energy power. Firstly, the impacts of renewable energy power accessing the power grid for multiple stakeholders in the electric power system were analyzed. Secondly, the external benefit evaluation index system for renewable energy power was built from the economic, social and environmental factors, based on the concept of sustainability. Then, the basic theory of the hybrid MCDM method employed in this paper was introduced in two parts: the superiority linguistic ratings and entropy weighting method for index weight determination and the fuzzy grey relation analysis for ranking alternatives. Finally, the external benefits of wind power, solar PV power and biomass power were evaluated. Taking a regional electric power system as an example, the results show that PV power has the greatest external benefit, followed by wind power and biomass power. Therefore, more policies supporting PV power should be put in place to promote the harmonious and sustainable development of the whole renewable energy power industry.

  11. Generating a taxonomy of spatially cued attention for visual discrimination: Effects of judgment precision and set size on attention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hetley, Richard; Dosher, Barbara Anne; Lu, Zhong-Lin

    2014-01-01

    Attention precues improve the performance of perceptual tasks in many but not all circumstances. These spatial attention effects may depend upon display set size or workload, and have been variously attributed to external noise filtering, stimulus enhancement, contrast gain, or response gain, or to uncertainty or other decision effects. In this study, we document systematically different effects of spatial attention in low- and high-precision judgments, with and without external noise, and in different set sizes in order to contribute to the development of a taxonomy of spatial attention. An elaborated perceptual template model (ePTM) provides an integrated account of a complex set of effects of spatial attention with just two attention factors: a set-size dependent exclusion or filtering of external noise and a narrowing of the perceptual template to focus on the signal stimulus. These results are related to the previous literature by classifying the judgment precision and presence of external noise masks in those experiments, suggesting a taxonomy of spatially cued attention in discrimination accuracy. PMID:24939234

  12. Generating a taxonomy of spatially cued attention for visual discrimination: effects of judgment precision and set size on attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hetley, Richard; Dosher, Barbara Anne; Lu, Zhong-Lin

    2014-11-01

    Attention precues improve the performance of perceptual tasks in many but not all circumstances. These spatial attention effects may depend upon display set size or workload, and have been variously attributed to external noise filtering, stimulus enhancement, contrast gain, or response gain, or to uncertainty or other decision effects. In this study, we document systematically different effects of spatial attention in low- and high-precision judgments, with and without external noise, and in different set sizes in order to contribute to the development of a taxonomy of spatial attention. An elaborated perceptual template model (ePTM) provides an integrated account of a complex set of effects of spatial attention with just two attention factors: a set-size dependent exclusion or filtering of external noise and a narrowing of the perceptual template to focus on the signal stimulus. These results are related to the previous literature by classifying the judgment precision and presence of external noise masks in those experiments, suggesting a taxonomy of spatially cued attention in discrimination accuracy.

  13. HIV Rapid Testing in a VA Emergency Department Setting: Cost Analysis at 5 Years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knapp, Herschel; Chan, Kee

    2015-07-01

    To conduct a comprehensive cost-minimization analysis to comprehend the financial attributes of the first 5 years of an implementation wherein emergency department (ED) registered nurses administered HIV oral rapid tests to patients. A health science research implementation team coordinated with ED stakeholders and staff to provide training, implementation guidelines, and support to launch ED registered nurse-administered HIV oral rapid testing. Deidentified quantitative data were gathered from the electronic medical records detailing quarterly HIV rapid test rates in the ED setting spanning the first 5 years. Comprehensive cost analyses were conducted to evaluate the financial impact of this implementation. At 5 years, a total of 2,620 tests were conducted with a quarterly mean of 131 ± 81. Despite quarterly variability in testing rates, regression analysis revealed an average increase of 3.58 tests per quarter. Over the course of this implementation, Veterans Health Administration policy transitioned from written to verbal consent for HIV testing, serving to reduce the time and cost(s) associated with the testing process. Our data indicated salient health outcome benefits for patients with respect to the potential for earlier detection, and associated long-run cost savings. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Individual external exposures from Nevada Test Site fallout for Utah leukemia cases and controls

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lloyd, R.D.; Gren, D.C.; Simon, S.L.; Wrenn, M.E.; Hawthorne, H.A.; Lotz, T.M.; Stevens, W.; Till, J.E.

    1990-01-01

    External gamma-ray exposures from fallout originating at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) have been assigned to 6,507 individual subjects (1,177 leukemia cases and 5,330 control subjects) who died as Utah residents between 1952 and 1981. Leukemia cases were identified, confirmed, and classified by cell type from the Utah Cancer Registry, Utah State vital records, and medical records. Residential histories were obtained from the Deceased Membership File (DMF) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), supplemented by information from the LDS Church Census Records that were taken in 1950, 1955, and 1960-62. Control subjects were selected randomly within age strata from the DMF and were frequency-matched to the cases by age at death and for sex. Individual radiation exposures were assigned as a function of residence location and time interval for each residence during the fallout period (1951-1958) using geographic exposure data taken from the literature. Temporal distribution of exposure for subjects who resided in more than one locality or who were born or died during the fallout period was determined from data of other investigators. Calculated gamma-ray exposures for each place of residence were summed for each subject to yield the exposure to fallout from the NTS

  15. Complex dynamics in Josephson system with two external forcing terms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Jianping; Feng Wei; Jing Zhujun

    2006-01-01

    Josephson system with two external forcing terms is investigated. By applying Melnikov method, we prove that criterion of existence of chaos under periodic perturbation. By second-order averaging method and Melnikov method, we obtain the criterion of existence of chaos in averaged system under quasi-periodic perturbation for ω 2 =ω 1 +εν, and cannot prove the criterion of existence of chaos in averaged system under quasi-periodic perturbation for ω 2 =nω 1 +εν (n>=2 and n-bar N), where ν is not rational to ω 1 . We also study the effects of the parameters of system on dynamical behaviors by using numerical simulation. The numerical simulations, including bifurcation diagram of fixed points, bifurcation diagram of system in three- and two-dimensional space, homoclinic and heteroclinic bifurcation surface, Maximum Lyapunov exponent, phase portraits, Poincare map, are also plotted to illustrate theoretical analysis, and to expose the complex dynamical behaviors, including the period-n (n=1,2,5,7) orbits in different chaotic regions, cascades of period-doubling bifurcation from period-1, 2 and 5 orbits, reverse period-doubling bifurcation, onset of chaos which occurs more than once for two given external frequencies and chaos suddenly converting to periodic orbits, transient chaos with complex periodic windows and crisis, reverse period-5 bubble, non-attracting chaotic set and nice attracting chaotic set. In particular, we observe that the system can leave chaotic region to periodic motion by adjusting damping α, amplitude f 1 and frequency ω 2 of external forcing which can be considered as a control strategy

  16. An analysis of critical heat flux on the external surface of the reactor vessel lower head

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Soo Hyung; Baek, Won Pil; Chang, Soon Heung

    1999-01-01

    CHF (Critical heat flux) on the external surface of the reactor vessel lower head is major key in the evaluation on the feasibility of IVR-EVC (In-Vessel Retention through External Vessel Cooling) concept. To identify the CHF on the external surface, considerable works have been performed. Through the review on the previous works related to the CHF on the external surface, liquid subcooling, induced flow along the external surface, ICI (In-Core Instrument) nozzle and minimum gap are identified as major parameters. According to the present analysis, the effects of the ICI nozzle and minimum gap on CHF are pronounced at the upstream of test vessel: on the other hand, the induced flow considerably affects the CHF at downstream of test vessel. In addition, the subcooling effect is shown at all of test vessel, and decreases with the increase in the elevation of test vessel. In the real application of the IVR-EVC concept, vertical position is known as a limiting position, at which thermal margin is the minimum. So, it is very important to precisely predict the CHF at vertical position in a viewpoint of gaining more thermal margins. However, the effects of the liquid subcooling and induced flow do not seem to be adequately included in the CHF correlations suggested by previous works, especially at the downstream positions

  17. The role of reverberation-related binaural cues in the externalization of speech.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catic, Jasmina; Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

    2015-08-01

    The perception of externalization of speech sounds was investigated with respect to the monaural and binaural cues available at the listeners' ears in a reverberant environment. Individualized binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) were used to simulate externalized sound sources via headphones. The measured BRIRs were subsequently modified such that the proportion of the response containing binaural vs monaural information was varied. Normal-hearing listeners were presented with speech sounds convolved with such modified BRIRs. Monaural reverberation cues were found to be sufficient for the externalization of a lateral sound source. In contrast, for a frontal source, an increased amount of binaural cues from reflections was required in order to obtain well externalized sound images. It was demonstrated that the interaction between the interaural cues of the direct sound and the reverberation strongly affects the perception of externalization. An analysis of the short-term binaural cues showed that the amount of fluctuations of the binaural cues corresponded well to the externalization ratings obtained in the listening tests. The results further suggested that the precedence effect is involved in the auditory processing of the dynamic binaural cues that are utilized for externalization perception.

  18. Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the nasopharyngeal boundaries and its functional integration with the face and external basicranium among extant hominoids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagano, Anthony S; Laitman, Jeffrey T

    2015-01-01

    The nasopharynx is a centrally located but understudied upper respiratory tract component. This study tested hypotheses related to the functional integration of the nasopharyngeal boundaries with the facial skeleton and external basicranium over the course of development in humans and nonhuman hominoids. It was hypothesized that facial morphology (width, length, and kyphosis) is related to nasopharyngeal width and choanal morphology, whereas relative external basicranial proportions are related to nasopharyngeal depth. Human infants were used as models of extreme orthognathy and external basicranial retroflexion, whereas nonhuman hominoids were used to model greater relative prognathism and external basicranial retroflexion. Both of these groups were contrasted against adult humans, who exhibit both extreme orthognathy and external basicranial flexion. Three-dimensional landmark coordinate data were collected from age-graded series of Homo, Pan, Gorilla, Pongo, and Hylobates. Generalized Procrustes Analysis was performed, and multivariate shape differences were evaluated via principal components analysis. Additionally, linear measures were extracted from the Procrustes-corrected sets of landmark data. Results indicate that human adults are indeed distinct from all groups in possessing a relatively shallow nasopharyngeal roof and shorter, more flexed external basicranial axis. Human adults and infants both exhibit greater relative choanal and nasopharyngeal width. Nonhuman hominoid faces tended to become airorhynch into adulthood, whereas humans exhibited the opposite trend. When pooling all the hominoids, facial width and palate length were strongly correlated with choanal and nasopharyngeal width, whereas facial kyphosis was strongly correlated with choanal orientation. The hypotheses were supported as the results indicated a morphologic relationship among nasopharyngeal boundaries, the facial skeleton, and the external basicranium. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Proficiency Test Program Involvement as a Tool for External Quality Control for Radiochemistry and Environmental Laboratory, Malaysian Nuclear Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nurrul Assyikeen Mohd Jaffary; Wo, Y.M.; Zal U'yun Wan Mahmood; Norfaizal Mohamed; Abdul Kadir Ishak; Noor Fadzilah Yusof; Jalal Sharib

    2016-01-01

    As the only Laboratory in Malaysia under the IAEA Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) Network, the Radiochemistry and Environmental Laboratory (RAS), Malaysian Nuclear Agency participates in the proficiency test programmes organised by ALMERA to achieve mutual acceptance of analytical data. The ALMERA has been providing quality support of proficiency tests using sets of different samples matrices and radionuclide levels typically encountered in environmental and food monitoring laboratories. The involvement of RAS laboratory in the IAEA proficiency tests gives opportunity to improve the laboratory capability and personnel skills in the field of radioactivity testing. (author)

  20. Efficacy of External Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) with and without Mitomycin-C in Chronic Dacryocystitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukhtar, S. A.; Jamil, A. Z.; Ali, Z.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To compare the efficacy of external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) with and without intraoperative application of mitomycin-C in patients with chronic dacryocystitis. Study Design: An experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Ophthalmology, Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH), Bahawalpur, from September 2009 to December 2010. Methodology: One hundred and sixty patients with chronic dacryocystitis undergoing external DCR were divided into two groups comprising of 80 patients each. Group A included patients, who underwent external DCR with intraoperative use of mitomycin-C. Group B included those patients who were not administered intraoperative mitomycin-C. Sociodemographic information and the data regarding the patency of the lacrimal drainage system by irrigation with normal saline were collected at the end of the third month after the surgery. Chi-square test was used, at 95% confidence level, as the test of significance to compare the success of surgery between the two groups. Results: Surgical success rate (efficacy) in group 'A' was found to be 97.5% and 86.25% in group 'B'. The difference in success rate was statistically significant (p=0.017). Conclusion: External dacryocystorhinostomy with intraoperative mitomycin-C is more efficacious in achieving lacrimal system patency than external dacryocystorhinostomy without mitomycin-C. (author)

  1. Prototyping and testing of the Continuous External Rogowski ITER magnetic sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moreau, Ph., E-mail: philippe.jacques.moreau@cea.fr [CEA, IRFM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Le-Luyer, A.; Malard, P.; Pastor, P.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Spuig, P. [CEA, IRFM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Lister, J.; Toussaint, M.; Marmillod, P.; Testa, D. [Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, EPFL (Switzerland); Peruzzo, S. [Consorzio RFX, Association EURATOM-ENEA, C.so Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova (Italy); Knaster, J. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France); IFMIF EVEDA, Rokkasho (Japan); Vayakis, G.; Hughes, S.; Patel, K.M. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France)

    2013-10-15

    Highlights: ► ITER Continuous External Rogowski (CER) are designed for plasma and vacuum vessel current measurement. ► CER are located in the casing of Toroidal Field Coils and thus will operate at 4 K. ► The design of the sensors has been completed. ► CER prototypes have been manufactured by 2 suppliers. ► The R and D campaign on CER prototypes consisted in the measurement of about 100 parameters to characterize the CER. -- Abstract: The measurement of the plasma current in ITER plays an outstanding role as it is part of the machine protection and is a safety-relevant measurement: it will be used in relation with regulatory limits to show that the operation remains within the safe envelope defined in the ITER license. The Continuous External Rogowski (CER) is an inductive sensor designed for current measurements and located in the casing of 3 Toroidal Field Coils (TFCs). After the completion of the design of the CER, 4 prototypes of the sensor were manufactured and R and D activities were performed under a Grant with the European Domestic Agency (F4E-GRT-012). The work was carried out between 2010 and 2011 by the ITERMAG consortium comprising 3 laboratories: CRPP (Switzerland) as leader, CEA (France) and RFX (Italy). The R and D campaign on CER prototypes consisted in the measurement of about 100 parameters to characterize the CER in terms of electrical, thermal, mechanical and also of vacuum compatibility. From these results, electromagnetic modeling of the CER response was performed. It is demonstrated that the CER fulfills ITER requirements. However, the vacuum compatibility of the prototype has to be improved and solutions to cope with this issue are proposed.

  2. Prototyping and testing of the Continuous External Rogowski ITER magnetic sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreau, Ph.; Le-Luyer, A.; Malard, P.; Pastor, P.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Spuig, P.; Lister, J.; Toussaint, M.; Marmillod, P.; Testa, D.; Peruzzo, S.; Knaster, J.; Vayakis, G.; Hughes, S.; Patel, K.M.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► ITER Continuous External Rogowski (CER) are designed for plasma and vacuum vessel current measurement. ► CER are located in the casing of Toroidal Field Coils and thus will operate at 4 K. ► The design of the sensors has been completed. ► CER prototypes have been manufactured by 2 suppliers. ► The R and D campaign on CER prototypes consisted in the measurement of about 100 parameters to characterize the CER. -- Abstract: The measurement of the plasma current in ITER plays an outstanding role as it is part of the machine protection and is a safety-relevant measurement: it will be used in relation with regulatory limits to show that the operation remains within the safe envelope defined in the ITER license. The Continuous External Rogowski (CER) is an inductive sensor designed for current measurements and located in the casing of 3 Toroidal Field Coils (TFCs). After the completion of the design of the CER, 4 prototypes of the sensor were manufactured and R and D activities were performed under a Grant with the European Domestic Agency (F4E-GRT-012). The work was carried out between 2010 and 2011 by the ITERMAG consortium comprising 3 laboratories: CRPP (Switzerland) as leader, CEA (France) and RFX (Italy). The R and D campaign on CER prototypes consisted in the measurement of about 100 parameters to characterize the CER in terms of electrical, thermal, mechanical and also of vacuum compatibility. From these results, electromagnetic modeling of the CER response was performed. It is demonstrated that the CER fulfills ITER requirements. However, the vacuum compatibility of the prototype has to be improved and solutions to cope with this issue are proposed

  3. 45 CFR 147.136 - Internal claims and appeals and external review processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., appropriateness, health care setting, level of care, or effectiveness of a covered benefit. (ii) The State process... pay the cost of the IRO for conducting the external review. Notwithstanding this requirement, the... not impose, for example, a $500 minimum claims threshold. (vi) The State process must allow at least...

  4. The relationships between internal and external training load models during basketball training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scanlan, Aaron T; Wen, Neal; Tucker, Patrick S; Dalbo, Vincent J

    2014-09-01

    The present investigation described and compared the internal and external training loads during basketball training. Eight semiprofessional male basketball players (mean ± SD, age: 26.3 ± 6.7 years; stature: 188.1 ± 6.2 cm; body mass: 92.0 ± 13.8 kg) were monitored across a 7-week period during the preparatory phase of the annual training plan. A total of 44 total sessions were monitored. Player session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE), heart rate, and accelerometer data were collected across each training session. Internal training load was determined using the sRPE, training impulse (TRIMP), and summated-heart-rate-zones (SHRZ) training load models. External training load was calculated using an established accelerometer algorithm. Pearson product-moment correlations with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to determine the relationships between internal and external training load models. Significant moderate relationships were observed between external training load and the sRPE (r42 = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.23-0.69, p external training load and the SHRZ model (r42 = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.38-0.77, p internal and external training load models, the magnitude of the correlations and low commonality suggest that internal training load models measure different constructs of the training process than the accelerometer training load model in basketball settings. Basketball coaching and conditioning professionals should not assume a linear dose-response between accelerometer and internal training load models during training and are recommended to combine internal and external approaches when monitoring training load in players.

  5. Results of application of external fixation with different types of fixators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grubor Predrag

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Extra-focal or external fixation is the method of fracture fixation through the healthy part of the bone using pins or wires. Objective. The aim was to determine which external splints (Ortofix, Mitković, Charnley and Ilizarov had the best biomechanical properties in primary stabilization of spiral, transverse and commutative bone fractures. Methods. To determine the investigation methodology of biomechanical characteristics of the external fixator we used mathematical and computer simulator (software, juvidur physical model and clinical examination. Results. Values of advancing fragments in millimetres obtained by the study of mathematical and computer simulator (software: Charnley - 0.080 mm, Mitković M 20 - 0.785 mm, Ilizarov - 2.245 mm and Ortofix - 1.400 mm. In testing the juvidur model the following values were obtained: the external fixator Mitković M20 - 1.380 mm, Ortofix - 1.470 mm, Ilizarov - 2.410 mm, and Charnley - 2.510 mm. Clinical research of biomechanical characteristics of the effect of vertical force yielded the following results: Mitković M20 - 0.89 mm, Ortofix - 0.14 mm, Charnley - 0.80 mm and Ilizarov - 1.23 mm. Conclusion. When determining the total number of the stability test splints under the effect of vertical force (compression and force effect in antero-posterior, later-lateral plane of cross, spiral and comminuted long bone fractures, the best unified biomechanical stability was shown by the following external fixators: firstly, Mitković M20 (0.93mm, secondly, Charnley fixator (1.14 mm, thirdly, Ortofix (1.22 mm, and fourthly, Ilizarov (1.60 mm.

  6. Noninvasive external cardiac pacing for thallium-201 scintigraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feldman, M.D.; Warren, S.E.; Gervino, E.V.

    1988-01-01

    Improvements in noninvasive external cardiac pacing have led to a technique with reliable electrical capture and tolerable patient discomfort. To assess the use of this modality of pacing in combination with thallium scintigraphy as a noninvasive pacing stress test, we applied simultaneous noninvasive cardiac pacing, hemodynamic monitoring, and thallium-201 scintigraphy in 14 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for chest pain syndromes. Two patients had normal coronary arteries, while the remaining 12 had significant coronary artery disease. Thallium scintigraphic responses to pacing were compared to routine exercise thallium stress testing in nine of these 14 patients. All patients were noninvasively paced to more than 85% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate. Twelve patients demonstrated reversible thallium defects, which corresponded in 11 cases to significant lesions seen on coronary angiography. Of nine patients who underwent both pacing and exercise thallium stress tests, comparable maximal rate-pressure products were achieved. Moreover, thallium imaging at peak pacing and during delayed views did not differ significantly from exercise thallium scintigraphy. A limiting factor associated with the technique was local patient discomfort, which occurred to some degree in all patients. We conclude that noninvasive external cardiac pacing together with thallium scintigraphy is capable of detecting significant coronary artery disease and may be comparable to routine exercise thallium stress testing. This new modality of stress testing could be useful in patients unable to undergo the exercise required for standard exercise tolerance testing, particularly if improvements in the technology can be found to reduce further the local discomfort

  7. Players' perceptions of accountability factors in secondary school sports settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hastie, P A

    1993-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to gauge the extent to which students believed that the accountability strategies employed by their coaches had significant effects on their involvement in sports training sessions. Questionnaire data from 235 secondary school athletes were analyzed using linear structural relations to test a model of accountability hypothesized as operating in these coaching settings. The accountability strategy of active instruction was found to be a variable that significantly affected the students' valuing of their coaches as well as their task involvement. However, the rewards/consequences variable was not found to be a predictor of valuing or task involvement, suggesting that these athletes seemed more task oriented than reliant on external sanctions. The results of this study can only be generalized to team sport settings. Detailed examination needs to be made of the processes through which accountability factors operate for other contexts, including individual sports and competitive levels. Further research could also be undertaken into gender differences, especially in relation to the gender of coaches.

  8. External Validation of a Prediction Model for Successful External Cephalic Version

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Hundt, Marcella; Vlemmix, Floortje; Kok, Marjolein; van der Steeg, Jan W.; Bais, Joke M.; Mol, Ben W.; van der Post, Joris A.

    2012-01-01

    We sought external validation of a prediction model for the probability of a successful external cephalic version (ECV). We evaluated the performance of the prediction model with calibration and discrimination. For clinical practice, we developed a score chart to calculate the probability of a

  9. 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.

  10. Capturing value from external NPD collaboration — the significant role of market information processing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tandrup, Thomas

    . By including customers, suppliers, competitors, universities, and other external experts in the development process, firms gain access to information, knowledge, and ideas that otherwise would have been out of reach. Extensive previous research has documented the beneficial effects of collaborating with many...... sources.This study contributes to the existing knowledge of firms’ use of external sources in new product development. A model is presented that tests the effectiveness of external collaboration when multiple external sources have to be managed simultaneously. Also, firms’ ability to process information...... of determining whether it is any more difficult to collaborate with external sources and process information about products that are completely new to the market.This thesis presents a model that points out how difficult it is to collaborate with many external sources unless the firm has the right formal...

  11. Nonlinear Analysis of the Space Shuttle Super-Lightweight External Fuel Tank

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemeth, Michael P.; Britt, Vicki O.; Collins, Timothy J.; Starnes, James H., Jr.

    1996-01-01

    The results of buckling and nonlinear analyses of the Space Shuttle External Tank super-lightweight liquid oxygen (LOX) tank are presented. Modeling details and results are presented for two prelaunch loading conditions and for two full-scale structural tests conducted on the original external tank. These results illustrate three distinctly different types of nonlinear responses for thin-walled shells subjected to combined mechanical and thermal loads. These nonlinear response phenomena consist of bifurcation-type buckling, short-wavelength nonlinear bending, and nonlinear collapse associated with a limit point. For each case, the results show that accurate predictions of nonlinear behavior generally require a large scale high-fidelity finite element model. Results are also presented that show that a fluid filled launch vehicle shell can be highly sensitive to initial geometric imperfections. In addition, results presented for two full scale structural tests of the original standard weight external tank suggest that the finite element modeling approach used in the present study is sufficient for representing the nonlinear behavior of the super lightweight LOX tank.

  12. The application of external vibration monitoring to reactors with concrete pressure vessels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammill, W.J.

    1979-01-01

    The application of external vibration monitoring techniques to advanced gas cooled reactors (AGR) which have concrete pressure vessels is considered. A monitoring system for a particular AGR coolant circuit structure is developed, whose primary objective is to detect impacting of two components, although the detection of forced vibration response is also considered. Experimental results from instrumented components in the reactor and data from rig tests on full size units have been used together with a mathematical model of some elements of the transmission path in order to establish its dynamic characteristics and relate internal component vibration to externally measured signals. The application of external vibration monitoring to the external detection of the forced vibration response of an internal reactor assembly and the remote monitoring of circulator sound output is discussed. (author)

  13. Externalizing behavior and impulsivity in the children of alcoholics: A case-control study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayyanar Sugaparaneetharan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Context: Reduced behavioural inhibition, characterized by impulsivity and disruptive behaviour disorders, has been identified as a developmental precursor of alcoholism with a considerable genetic component. Aims: The present study aimed to assess whether children of fathers with alcohol dependence have high impulsivity and externalizing behaviours. Setting and Design: Observational case-control study, done in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Southern India. Materials and Methods: The present case-control study recruited 50 children aged 7 to 14 years of fathers with alcohol dependence and 50 age- and gender-matched children of fathers without alcohol dependence. The two groups were compared using the DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD, the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics used to summarise the study findings. Cases and controls were compared on BIS and CBCL scores using a general linear model (GLM. All analyses were two tailed and test P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The children of fathers with alcohol dependence were more likely to meet criteria for ADHD (30% versus 10%, χ2 = 6.250, P = 0.012. After controlling for age and gender, impulsivity scores on the BIS tended to be higher in the cases (F = 2.410, P = 0.055 than controls, mainly in the non-planning domains (F = 3.650, P = 0.008. Similarly, externalizing behaviours on CBCL were more common in the cases than controls (F = 2.817, P = 0.029. Conclusions: Children of fathers with alcohol dependence had greater impulsivity and externalizing behaviours. This may represent a behavioural phenotype as well as a potential target for early intervention.

  14. ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 3. Coal and lignite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berry, J.; Holland, M.; Lee, D.

    1995-01-01

    Awareness of the environmental damage resulting from human activity, particularly concerning 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 XII (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

  15. A Novel Handmade External Fixator for Phalangeal and Metacarpal Fractures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Davod Jafari

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Background The value of external fixation in complex hand injuries is well established. Expenses and technical difficulties of commercial mini external fixator sets have led to the innovation of handmade external fixators. These fixators are used as versatile facilities to treat certain hand fractures. Usually, these structures are made by k-wires crossed filled with cement plastic tube. However, these fixators have multiple deficiencies that should be addressed. Objectives In this study, we described in detail the surgical technique of a handmade concrete like mini external fixator and report its clinical use and results. Methods Our handmade external fixator was applied for 52 patients with 56 fractures. Only 5% of the fractures were closed, non-comminuted extra-articular, and the other 51 fractures were more complex injuries. The mean follow up time was 9.3 months. At the end of the follow up, radiologic and functional assessment (DASH: Disability of arm, shoulder and hand and TAM: Total active motion was evaluated. Results All 56 fractures were united completely. None of the cases experienced pin loosening or reduction loss. Of the fractures, 8.9% malunited due to fracture complexity. The mean dash score was 3.76. TAM was excellent in 45% of the fractures; it was good in 7% and fair in 4%. Conclusions This type of handmade external fixator is simple, lightweight, and cheap. Furthermore, all implements are readily available in most operating fields. The probability of loosening has been greatly diminished because of the concrete like structure. Easy and fast assembly and good clinical and functional results are the other advantages of this technique. Due to the less complication and benefits, this technique could be used for many phalangeal and metacarpal fractures with confidence.

  16. Test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the Barthel Index-based Supplementary Scales in patients with stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ya-Chen; Yu, Wan-Hui; Hsueh, I-Ping; Chen, Sheng-Shiung; Hsieh, Ching-Lin

    2017-10-01

    A lack of evidence on the test-retest reliability and responsiveness limits the utility of the BI-based Supplementary Scales (BI-SS) in both clinical and research settings. To examine the test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the BI-based Supplementary Scales (BI-SS) in patients with stroke. A repeated-assessments design (1 week apart) was used to examine the test-retest reliability of the BI-SS. For the responsiveness study, the participants were assessed with the BI-SS and BI (treated as an external criterion) at admission to and discharge from rehabilitation wards. Seven outpatient rehabilitation units and one inpatient rehabilitation unit. Outpatients with chronic stroke. Eighty-four outpatients with chronic stroke participated in the test-retest reliability study. Fifty-seven inpatients completed baseline and follow-up assessments in the responsiveness study. For the test-retest reliability study, the values of the intra-class correlation coefficient and the overall percentage of minimal detectable change for the Ability Scale and Self-perceived Difficulty Scale were 0.97, 12.8%, and 0.78, 35.8%, respectively. For the responsiveness study, the standardized effect size and standardized response mean (representing internal responsiveness) of the Ability Scale and Self-perceived Difficulty Scale were 1.17 and 1.56, and 0.78 and 0.89, respectively. Regarding external responsiveness, the change in score of the Ability Scale had significant and moderate association with that of the BI (r=0.61, Ptest-retest reliability and sufficient responsiveness for patients with stroke. However, the Self-perceived Difficulty Scale of the BI-SS has substantial random measurement error and insufficient external responsiveness, which may affect its utility in clinical settings. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence of psychometric properties of the BI-SS for assessing ability and self-perceived difficulty of ADL in patients with stroke.

  17. 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)

  18. Information retrieval pathways for health information exchange in multiple care settings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kierkegaard, Patrick; Kaushal, Rainu; Vest, Joshua R.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives To determine which health information exchange (HIE) technologies and information retrieval pathways healthcare professionals relied on to meet their information needs in the context of laboratory test results, radiological images and reports, and medication histories. Study Design...... The study reveals that healthcare professionals used a complex combination of information retrieval pathways for HIE to obtain clinical information from external organizations. The choice for each approach was setting- and information-specific, but was also highly dynamic across users and their information...... needs. Conclusions Our findings about the complex nature of information sharing in healthcare provide insights for informatics professionals about the usage of information; indicate the need for managerial support within each organization; and suggest approaches to improve systems for organizations...

  19. Recruitment in an indicated prevention program for externalizing behavior - parental participation decisions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beckers Gabriele

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Parents are the ones who decide whether or not to participate in parent focused prevention trials. Their decisions may be affected by internal factors (e.g., personality, attitudes, sociodemographic characteristics or external barriers. Some of these barriers are study-related and others are intervention-related. Internal as well as external barriers are especially important at the screening stage, which aims to identify children and families at risk and for whom the indicated prevention programs are designed. Few studies have reported their screening procedure in detail or analyzed differences between participants and dropouts or predictors of dropout. Rates of participation in prevention programs are also of interest and are an important contributor to the efficacy of a prevention procedure. Methods In this study, we analyzed the process of parent recruitment within an efficacy study of the indicated Prevention Program for Externalizing Problem behavior (PEP. We determined the retention rate at each step of the study, and examined differences between participants and dropouts/decliners. Predictors of dropout at each step were identified using logistic regression. Results Retention rates at the different steps during the course of the trial from screening to participation in the training ranged from 63.8% (pre-test to 81.1% (participation in more than 50% of the training sessions. Parents who dropped out of the study were characterized by having a child with lower symptom intensity by parent rating but higher ratings by teachers in most cases. Low socioeconomic status and related variables were also identified as predictors of dropout in the screening (first step and for training intensity (last step. Conclusions Special attention should be paid to families at increased risk for non-participation when implementing the prevention program in routine care settings. Trial Registration ISRCTN12686222

  20. When attention wanders: Pupillometric signatures of fluctuations in external attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konishi, Mahiko; Brown, Kevin; Battaglini, Luca; Smallwood, Jonathan

    2017-11-01

    Attention is not always directed to events in the external environment. On occasion our thoughts wander to people and places distant from the here and now. Sometimes, this lack of external attention can compromise ongoing task performance. In the current study we set out to understand the extent to which states of internal and external attention can be determined using pupillometry as an index of ongoing cognition. In two experiments we found that periods of slow responding were associated with elevations in the baseline pupil signal over three and a half seconds prior to a behavioural response. In the second experiment we found that unlike behavioural lapses, states of off-task thought, particularly those associated with a focus on the past and with an intrusive quality, were associated with reductions in the size of the pupil over the same window prior to the probe. These data show that both states of large and small baseline pupil size are linked to states when attention is not effectively focused on the external environment, although these states have different qualities. More generally, these findings illustrate that subjective and objective markers of task performance may not be equivalent and underscore the importance of developing objective indicators that can allow these different states to be understood. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Treatment of severe porcine tracheomalacia with a 3-dimensionally printed, bioresorbable, external airway splint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zopf, David A.; Flanagan, Colleen L.; Wheeler, Matthew; Hollister, Scott J.; Green, Glenn E.

    2015-01-01

    Importance The study demonstrates an application for 3-dimensional (3D) printing that may serve as an effective intervention for severe tracheobronchomalacia. Objective A novel 3D printed, bioresorbable airway splint is tested for efficacy in extending survival in an animal model of severe, life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia. Participants Evaluation of an external airway splint for severe, life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia in a porcine animal model. Setting Multi-institutional and multidisciplinary collaboration between biomedical engineering laboratories and an academic animal surgery center. Interventions Experimental analysis of a 3D printed, bioresorbable airway splint is assessed in a porcine animal model of life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia. The open-cylindrical, bellow shaped porous polycaprolactone splint is placed externally and designed to suspend the underlying collapsed airway. Control animals (n=3) undergoing tracheal cartilage division and inner tracheal lumen dissociation and experimental animals (n=3) receiving the same model with overlying placement of the newly developed airway splint were evaluated. Main Outcomes and Measures An animal model for severe, life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia is proposed. Complete or near complete tracheal lumen collapse was observed in each animal with resolution of symptoms in all of the experimental animals after splint placement. Using our severe tracheobronchomalacia animal model, survival was significantly longer in duration in the experimental group receiving the airway splint after model creation when compared to model creation alone (p = 0.0495). Mortality in the experimental group was related to infection. Conclusions A multidisciplinary effort producing a CAD/CAM, bioresorbable tracheobronchial splint was tested in a porcine model of severe tracheomalacia and was found to extend survival. PMID:24232078

  2. WHO global salm-surv external quality assurance system (EQAS): an important step toward improving the quality of Salmonella serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing worldwide

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, A.; Aarestrup, Frank Møller; Angulo, F. J.

    2002-01-01

    % of the results were correct. For susceptibility testing, 92% of the results were in agreement with the expected results. However, only 78% of the performed tests with the E. coli ATCC 25922 reference strain were within the quality control range specified by National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards...... susceptibility testing through international training courses and an External Quality Assurance System (EQAS). In 2000, 44 WHO Global Salm-Surv member laboratories from 35 countries determined the serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern for eight "blinded" Salmonella isolates. For serotyping, 73...... (NCCLS) guidelines. These EQAS results demonstrate the need for further training to improve the performance of some of the laboratories. WHO Global Salm-Surv activities, including international training courses and EQAS, represent an important step toward improving the quality of Salmonella serotyping...

  3. External quality assessment in the voluntary counseling and testing centers in the Brazilian Amazon using dried tube specimens: results of an effectiveness evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andréa Mônica Brandão Beber

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION : In 2011, the Brazilian Ministry of Health rolled out a program for the external quality assessment of rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV tests using the dried tube specimen (DTS method (EQA-RT/DTS-HIV. Our objective was to evaluate the implementation of this program at 71 voluntary counseling and testing centers (VCTCs in the Brazilian Legal Amazonian area one year after its introduction. METHODS : Quantitative and qualitative study that analyzed secondary data and interviews with healthcare workers (HCWs (n=39 and VCTC coordinators (n=32 were performed. The assessment used 18 key indicators to evaluate the three dimensions of the program's logical framework: structure, process, and result. Each indicator was scored from 1-4, and the aggregate results corresponding to the dimensions were expressed as proportions. The results were compared to the perceptions of the HCWs and coordinators regarding the EQA-RT/DTS-HIV program. RESULTS: The aggregate scores for the three dimensions of structure, process, and result were 91.7%, 78.6%, and 95%, respectively. The lowest score in each dimension corresponded to a different indicator: access to Quali-TR online system 39% (structure, registration in Quali-TR online system 38.7% (process, and VCTC completed the full process in the program's first round 63.4% (result. Approximately 36% of the HCWs and 52% of the coordinators reported enhanced trust in the program for its rapid HIV testing performance. CONCLUSIONS: All three program dimensions exhibited satisfactory results (>75%. Nevertheless, the study findings highlight the need to improve certain program components. Additionally, long-term follow-ups is needed to provide a more thorough picture of the process for external quality assessment.

  4. Comprehensive Understanding of Ductility Loss Mechanisms in Various Steels with External and Internal Hydrogen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takakuwa, Osamu; Yamabe, Junichiro; Matsunaga, Hisao; Furuya, Yoshiyuki; Matsuoka, Saburo

    2017-11-01

    Hydrogen-induced ductility loss and related fracture morphologies are comprehensively discussed in consideration of the hydrogen distribution in a specimen with external and internal hydrogen by using 300-series austenitic stainless steels (Types 304, 316, 316L), high-strength austenitic stainless steels (HP160, XM-19), precipitation-hardened iron-based super alloy (A286), low-alloy Cr-Mo steel (JIS-SCM435), and low-carbon steel (JIS-SM490B). External hydrogen is realized by a non-charged specimen tested in high-pressure gaseous hydrogen, and internal hydrogen is realized by a hydrogen-charged specimen tested in air or inert gas. Fracture morphologies obtained by slow-strain-rate tensile tests (SSRT) of the materials with external or internal hydrogen could be comprehensively categorized into five types: hydrogen-induced successive crack growth, ordinary void formation, small-sized void formation related to the void sheet, large-sized void formation, and facet formation. The mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement are broadly classified into hydrogen-enhanced decohesion (HEDE) and hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity (HELP). In the HEDE model, hydrogen weakens interatomic bonds, whereas in the HELP model, hydrogen enhances localized slip deformations. Although various fracture morphologies are produced by external or internal hydrogen, these morphologies can be explained by the HELP model rather than by the HEDE model.

  5. Examination of the component of the scattered radiation by external monitor chamber using the EGS4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiota, Y.; Tabushi, K.; Kito, S.

    2005-01-01

    The output beams of the liner accelerator are radiated by an accelerated electron and a dose rate usually fluctuates. The variation affects the shape of a dose distribution in dosimetry. The external monitor chamber is often used for monitoring the variation. Generally the external monitor chamber is set above the water phantom. Therefore, if the irradiation field is small, the scattered radiation due to the external monitor chamber may affect a measurement dose. This work is to examine the component of the scattered radiation generated by external monitor chamber, and to investigate the effect on measurement dose using the EGS4 code and the Klein-Nishina formula. The shapes and the peak energies were corresponding to the spectra of EGS4 and the Klein-Nishina formula. Therefore the main interaction at the external monitor chamber is Compton scatter. The effect of the scattered radiation and the change of the dose distribution were few. However the dose decreased to about 1% under the position of the external monitor chamber. Therefore we should pay the attention to the distance between the external monitor chamber and the measurement chamber. (author)

  6. Heisenberg representation for secondary-quantized fields in nonstationary external fields and dielectric nonlinear medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobashev, A.A.; Mostepanenko, V.M.

    1993-01-01

    Heisenberg formalism is developed for creation-annihilation operators of quantum fields propagating in nonstationary external fields. Quantum fields with spin 0,1/2, 1 are considered in the presence of such external fields as electromagnetic, scalar and the field of nonstationary dielectric properties of nonlinear medium. Elliptic operator parametrically depending on time is constructed. In Heisenberg representation field variables are decomposed over eigenfunction of this operator. The relation between Heisenberg creation-annihilation operators and the operators obtained in the frame of diagonalization of Hamiltonian with Bogoliubov transformations is set up

  7. Power generation choice in the presence of environmental externalities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sundqvist, Thomas

    2002-08-01

    This dissertation consists of an introductory part and six self-contained papers, all related to the issue of power generation choice in the presence of environmental externalities. Paper 1 provides a critical survey of a large number of electricity externality studies carried out during the last decades, and discusses a number of conceptual, policy-related and, in some cases, unresolved questions in the economic valuation of electricity externalities. These include: (a) the definition of externalities; (b) the choices of scope, relevant parameter input assumptions, and methodology; (c) the role of 'green' consumer demand in replacing external cost assessments; and (d) the behavioral assumptions and ethical principles underlying external cost valuation. Paper 2 focuses on explaining the variability of results among the external cost studies carried out so far by providing an econometric analysis of a large sample of externality studies. Most importantly, the paper concludes that an important explanation for the reported disparities can be attributed to the overall methodological choice employed. Paper 3 explores some of the ethical limits of environmental valuation, and analyzes what the implications are of these limits for the social choice between different power sources. The main thesis of the paper is that the scope of electricity externalities where non-market valuation can be applied from an ethical point of view is likely to be narrower than commonly assumed. Papers 4 and 5 use the choice experiment method to estimate how the environmental impacts arising from hydroelectric production are perceived and valued by Swedish houseowning households and non-residential consumers. The basis of the choice exercise is taken in the criteria set up by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation under which existing hydropower in Sweden can be labeled as 'green' electricity. Data are gathered using mail-out surveys to 1000 households and 845 private

  8. Comparison of Test and Finite Element Analysis for Two Full-Scale Helicopter Crash Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annett, Martin S.; Horta,Lucas G.

    2011-01-01

    Finite element analyses have been performed for two full-scale crash tests of an MD-500 helicopter. The first crash test was conducted to evaluate the performance of a composite deployable energy absorber under combined flight loads. In the second crash test, the energy absorber was removed to establish the baseline loads. The use of an energy absorbing device reduced the impact acceleration levels by a factor of three. Accelerations and kinematic data collected from the crash tests were compared to analytical results. Details of the full-scale crash tests and development of the system-integrated finite element model are briefly described along with direct comparisons of acceleration magnitudes and durations for the first full-scale crash test. Because load levels were significantly different between tests, models developed for the purposes of predicting the overall system response with external energy absorbers were not adequate under more severe conditions seen in the second crash test. Relative error comparisons were inadequate to guide model calibration. A newly developed model calibration approach that includes uncertainty estimation, parameter sensitivity, impact shape orthogonality, and numerical optimization was used for the second full-scale crash test. The calibrated parameter set reduced 2-norm prediction error by 51% but did not improve impact shape orthogonality.

  9. External unit for a semi-implantable middle ear hearing device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garverick, S L; Kane, M; Ko, W H; Maniglia, A J

    1997-06-01

    A miniaturized, low-power external unit has been developed for the clinical trials of a semi-implantable middle ear electromagnetic hearing device (SIMEHD) which uses radio-frequency telemetry to couple sound signals to the internal unit. The external unit is based on a commercial hearing aid which provides proven audio amplification and compression. Its receiver is replaced by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which: 1) adjusts the direct-current bias of the audio input according to its peak value; 2) converts the audio signal to a one-bit digital form using sigma-delta modulation; 3) modulates the sigma-delta output with a radio-frequency (RF) oscillator; and 4) drives the external RF coil and tuning capacitor using a field-effect transistor operated in class D. The external unit functions as expected and has been used to operate bench-top tests to the SIMEHD. Measured current consumption is 1.65-2.15 mA, which projects to a battery lifetime of about 15 days. Bandwidth is 6 kHz and harmonic distortion is about 2%.

  10. An analysis of control scheme and test results of fast feedback power supply

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, Shivam Kumar; Gupta, C.N.; Shah, Kunal; Makwana, Moti

    2017-01-01

    Real time Plasma Position Control is essential for obtaining long duration plasma in tokamaks. For that purpose four external coils has been installed in toroidal direction. Magnetic field of these coils interact with the plasma and tries to keep it radially stable in vacuum vessel to avoid direct contact of plasma to wall of tokamak. A fast feedback power supply has been installed in Aditya Tokamak which is able to set the appropriate current in either direction and current magnitude in external coils on the fast scale. In this paper, an analysis of control scheme and testing of Fast Feedback Power Supply (FFPS) has been described. FFPS is IGBT based H-bridge inverter programmable power supply

  11. 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...

  12. The evaluation of upper body muscle activity during the performance of external chest compressions in simulated hypogravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krygiel, Rebecca G.; Waye, Abigail B.; Baptista, Rafael Reimann; Heidner, Gustavo Sandri; Rehnberg, Lucas; Russomano, Thais

    2014-04-01

    BACKGROUND: This original study evaluated the electromyograph (EMG) activity of four upper body muscles: triceps brachii, erector spinae, upper rectus abdominis, and pectoralis major, while external chest compressions (ECCs) were performed in simulated Martian hypogravity using a Body Suspension Device, counterweight system, and standard full body cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) mannequin. METHOD: 20 young, healthy male subjects were recruited. One hundred compressions divided into four sets, with roughly six seconds between each set to indicate 'ventilation', were performed within approximately a 1.5 minute protocol. Chest compression rate, depth and number were measured along with the subject's heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). RESULTS: All mean values were used in two-tailed t-tests using SPSS to compare +1 Gz values (control) versus simulated hypogravity values. The AHA (2005) compression standards were maintained in hypogravity. RPE and HR increased by 32% (p training regimes in case of a serious cardiac event in hypogravity.

  13. Pathways to Children's Externalizing Behavior: A Three-Generation Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brook, Judith S.; Zhang, Chenshu; Balka, Elinor B.; Brook, David W.

    2012-01-01

    In this study, based on Family Interactional Theory (FIT), the authors tested a longitudinal model of the intergenerational effects of the grandmothers' parent-child relationships and the grandparents' smoking on the grandchildren's externalizing behavior via parents' psychological symptoms, tobacco use, and child rearing. Using Mplus, the authors…

  14. External corners as heat bridges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berber, J.

    1984-08-01

    The maximum additional heat loss in vertical external corners depending on wall thickness is determined. In order to amire at a low k-value, a much smaller wall thickness is required in externally insulated walls than in monolithic constructions; the greater loss of heat bridge with external insulation stands in contrast to a higher loss in thick, monolithic walls. In relation to total losses, the additional losses through external corners are practically negligible.

  15. First international external quality assessment of molecular detection of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camille Escadafal

    Full Text Available Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is a zoonosis caused by a Nairovirus of the family Bunyaviridae. Infection is transmitted to humans mostly by Hyalomma ticks and also by direct contact with the blood or tissues of infected humans or viremic livestock. Clinical features usually include a rapid progression characterized by hemorrhage, myalgia and fever, with a lethality rate up to 30%. CCHF is one of the most widely distributed viral hemorrhagic fevers and has been reported in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as parts of Europe. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment against CCHF virus (CCHFV infections. In this context, an accurate diagnosis as well as a reliable surveillance of CCHFV infections is essential. Diagnostic techniques include virus culture, serology and molecular methods, which are now increasingly used. The European Network for the Diagnostics of "Imported" Viral Diseases organized the first international external quality assessment of CCHVF molecular diagnostics in 2011 to assess the efficiency and accurateness of CCHFV molecular methods applied by expert laboratories. A proficiency test panel of 15 samples was distributed to the participants including 10 different CCHFV preparations generated from infected cell cultures, a preparation of plasmid cloned with the nucleoprotein of CCHFV, two CCHFV RNA preparations and two negative controls. Forty-four laboratories worldwide participated in the EQA study and 53 data sets were received. Twenty data sets (38% met all criteria with optimal performance, 10 (19% with acceptable performance, while 23 (43% reported results showing a need for improvement. Differences in performance depended on the method used, the type of strain tested, the concentration of the sample tested and the laboratory performing the test. These results indicate that there is still a need for improving testing conditions and standardizing protocols for the molecular detection of Crimean

  16. Comparison of Test Procedures and Energy Efficiency Criteria in Selected International Standards & Labeling Programs for Copy Machines, External Power Supplies, LED Displays, Residential Gas Cooktops and Televisions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Nina [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Zhou, Nan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fridley, David [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2012-03-01

    This report presents a technical review of international minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), voluntary and mandatory energy efficiency labels and test procedures for five products being considered for new or revised MEPS in China: copy machines, external power supply, LED displays, residential gas cooktops and flat-screen televisions. For each product, an overview of the scope of existing international standards and labeling programs, energy values and energy performance metrics and description and detailed summary table of criteria and procedures in major test standards are presented.

  17. Results of Use of WHO Global Salm-Surv External Quality Assurance System for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Salmonella Isolates from 2000 to 2007

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hendriksen, Rene S.; Seyfarth, Anne Mette; Jensen, Arne Bent

    2009-01-01

    laboratories in 102 countries participated in at least one EQAS iteration. A large number of laboratories reported results for the E. coli ATCC 25922 reference strain which were outside the quality control ranges. Critical deviations for susceptibility testing of the Salmonella isolates varied from 4% in 2000......An international External Quality Assurance System (EQAS) for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Salmonella was initiated in 2000 by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Salm-Surv in order to enhance the capacities of national reference laboratories to obtain reliable data....... In particular, further training and dissemination of information on quality control, appropriate interpretive criteria (breakpoints), and harmonization of the methodology worldwide through WHO Global Salm-Surv and other programs will contribute to the generation of comparable and reliable antimicrobial...

  18. Children's learning of tennis skills is facilitated by external focus instructions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Hadler

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study examined the effects of instructions promoting external versus internal foci of attention on the learning of a tennis forehand stroke in 11-year old children. Three groups of participants practiced hitting tennis balls at a target. External focus group participants were instructed to direct their attention to the movement of the racquet, while participants in the internal focus group were asked to direct their attention to the movements of their arm. Participants in a control group did not receive attentional focus instructions. Two days after the practice phase (60 trials, learning was assessed in retention and transfer tests. The results showed that the external focus group demonstrated greater accuracy in hitting a target relative to the two other groups in retention, and relative to the internal focus group in transfer. We conclude that instructions inducing an external focus of attention can enhance children's sport skill learning.

  19. Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kal, E. C.; van der Kamp, J.; Houdijk, H.; Groet, E.; van Bennekom, C. A. M.; Scherder, E. J. A.

    2015-01-01

    Dual-task performance is often impaired after stroke. This may be resolved by enhancing patients’ automaticity of movement. This study sets out to test the constrained action hypothesis, which holds that automaticity of movement is enhanced by triggering an external focus (on movement effects), rather than an internal focus (on movement execution). Thirty-nine individuals with chronic, unilateral stroke performed a one-leg-stepping task with both legs in single- and dual-task conditions. Attentional focus was manipulated with instructions. Motor performance (movement speed), movement automaticity (fluency of movement), and dual-task performance (dual-task costs) were assessed. The effects of focus on movement speed, single- and dual-task movement fluency, and dual-task costs were analysed with generalized estimating equations. Results showed that, overall, single-task performance was unaffected by focus (p = .341). Regarding movement fluency, no main effects of focus were found in single- or dual-task conditions (p’s ≥ .13). However, focus by leg interactions suggested that an external focus reduced movement fluency of the paretic leg compared to an internal focus (single-task conditions: p = .068; dual-task conditions: p = .084). An external focus also tended to result in inferior dual-task performance (β = -2.38, p = .065). Finally, a near-significant interaction (β = 2.36, p = .055) suggested that dual-task performance was more constrained by patients’ attentional capacity in external focus conditions. We conclude that, compared to an internal focus, an external focus did not result in more automated movements in chronic stroke patients. Contrary to expectations, trends were found for enhanced automaticity with an internal focus. These findings might be due to patients’ strong preference to use an internal focus in daily life. Future work needs to establish the more permanent effects of learning with different attentional foci on re-automating motor

  20. Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kal, E C; van der Kamp, J; Houdijk, H; Groet, E; van Bennekom, C A M; Scherder, E J A

    2015-01-01

    Dual-task performance is often impaired after stroke. This may be resolved by enhancing patients' automaticity of movement. This study sets out to test the constrained action hypothesis, which holds that automaticity of movement is enhanced by triggering an external focus (on movement effects), rather than an internal focus (on movement execution). Thirty-nine individuals with chronic, unilateral stroke performed a one-leg-stepping task with both legs in single- and dual-task conditions. Attentional focus was manipulated with instructions. Motor performance (movement speed), movement automaticity (fluency of movement), and dual-task performance (dual-task costs) were assessed. The effects of focus on movement speed, single- and dual-task movement fluency, and dual-task costs were analysed with generalized estimating equations. Results showed that, overall, single-task performance was unaffected by focus (p = .341). Regarding movement fluency, no main effects of focus were found in single- or dual-task conditions (p's ≥ .13). However, focus by leg interactions suggested that an external focus reduced movement fluency of the paretic leg compared to an internal focus (single-task conditions: p = .068; dual-task conditions: p = .084). An external focus also tended to result in inferior dual-task performance (β = -2.38, p = .065). Finally, a near-significant interaction (β = 2.36, p = .055) suggested that dual-task performance was more constrained by patients' attentional capacity in external focus conditions. We conclude that, compared to an internal focus, an external focus did not result in more automated movements in chronic stroke patients. Contrary to expectations, trends were found for enhanced automaticity with an internal focus. These findings might be due to patients' strong preference to use an internal focus in daily life. Future work needs to establish the more permanent effects of learning with different attentional foci on re-automating motor control

  1. Methodology for the analysis of external flooding in CN Asco-II and CN Vandellos during the performance of stress tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aleman, A.; Cobas, I.; Sabater, J.; Canadell, F.; Garces, L.; Otero, M.

    2012-01-01

    The work carried out in relation to extemal floods have allowed synthesized in a unique methodology to obtain the entire process of margins against external flooding, including identification of the extemal external events could cause flooding.

  2. gsSKAT: Rapid gene set analysis and multiple testing correction for rare-variant association studies using weighted linear kernels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Nicholas B; McDonnell, Shannon; Cannon Albright, Lisa; Teerlink, Craig; Stanford, Janet; Ostrander, Elaine A; Isaacs, William B; Xu, Jianfeng; Cooney, Kathleen A; Lange, Ethan; Schleutker, Johanna; Carpten, John D; Powell, Isaac; Bailey-Wilson, Joan E; Cussenot, Olivier; Cancel-Tassin, Geraldine; Giles, Graham G; MacInnis, Robert J; Maier, Christiane; Whittemore, Alice S; Hsieh, Chih-Lin; Wiklund, Fredrik; Catalona, William J; Foulkes, William; Mandal, Diptasri; Eeles, Rosalind; Kote-Jarai, Zsofia; Ackerman, Michael J; Olson, Timothy M; Klein, Christopher J; Thibodeau, Stephen N; Schaid, Daniel J

    2017-05-01

    Next-generation sequencing technologies have afforded unprecedented characterization of low-frequency and rare genetic variation. Due to low power for single-variant testing, aggregative methods are commonly used to combine observed rare variation within a single gene. Causal variation may also aggregate across multiple genes within relevant biomolecular pathways. Kernel-machine regression and adaptive testing methods for aggregative rare-variant association testing have been demonstrated to be powerful approaches for pathway-level analysis, although these methods tend to be computationally intensive at high-variant dimensionality and require access to complete data. An additional analytical issue in scans of large pathway definition sets is multiple testing correction. Gene set definitions may exhibit substantial genic overlap, and the impact of the resultant correlation in test statistics on Type I error rate control for large agnostic gene set scans has not been fully explored. Herein, we first outline a statistical strategy for aggregative rare-variant analysis using component gene-level linear kernel score test summary statistics as well as derive simple estimators of the effective number of tests for family-wise error rate control. We then conduct extensive simulation studies to characterize the behavior of our approach relative to direct application of kernel and adaptive methods under a variety of conditions. We also apply our method to two case-control studies, respectively, evaluating rare variation in hereditary prostate cancer and schizophrenia. Finally, we provide open-source R code for public use to facilitate easy application of our methods to existing rare-variant analysis results. © 2017 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

  3. Study of creep collapse of tubes subject to external pressure at elevated temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takikawa, N.

    1982-01-01

    Intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) tubes of VHTR form the boundary between the primary and secondary coolants of the reactor. The tubes are subject to external pressures at a postulated secondary coolant depressurization accident, which might lead to creep collapse. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the integrity against creep collapse by analysis. The objective of this work is to study a simplified analytical method for predicting collapse time of a curved tube subjected to an external pressure. The study is made based on the comparison of experimental collapse time of curved and straight tubes. Creep collapse tests were conducted under an elevated temperature and an external pressure. Test results showed that curved tubes had longer collapse time than straight tubes with the same cross sectional ovality. The simplified analytical method for a curved tube is proposed in this report, which is to compute collapse time of a straight tube with the same ovality. And in this method the computed time is considered as collapse time of the curved tube. The above test results show that this simplified method gives the conservative collapse time. And it is confirmed by additional IHX tube tests that the method is applicable to creep collapse analysis of IHX tubes

  4. Clinical application of in vivo dosimetry for external telecobalt machine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohammed, H. H. M.

    2011-01-01

    In external beam radiotherapy quality assurance is carried out on the individual components of treatment chain. The patient simulating device, planning system and treatment machine are tested regularly according to set protocols developed by national and international organizations. Even thought these individual systems are not tested for errors which can be made in the transfer between the systems. The best quality assurance for the treatment planning chain. In vivo dosimetry is used as a quality assurance tool for verifying dosimetry as either the entrance or exit surface of the patient undergoing external beam radiotherapy. It is a proven reliable method of checking overall treatment accuracy, allowing verification of dosimetry and dose calculation as well as patient treatment setup. Accurate in vivo dosimetry is carried out if diodes and thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs). the main detector types in use for in vivo dosimetry, are carefully calibrated and the factors influencing their sensitivity are taken into account. The aim of this study was to verify the response of TLDs type (LiF: Mg, Cu, p) use in radiotherapy, to establish calibration procedure for TLDs and to evaluate entrance dose obtained by the treatment planning system with measured dose using thermoluminescence detectors. Calibration of TLDs was done using Cobalt-60 teletherapy machine, linearity and calibration factors were determined. Measurements were performed in random phantom for breast irradiation (for the breast irradiation ( For the breast irradiation technique considered, wedge field was used). All TLDs were processed and analyzed at RICK. In vivo dosimetry represents a technique that has been widely employed to evaluate the dose to the patient mainly in radiotherapy. Thermoluminescent dosimeters are considered the gold stander for in vivo dosimetry and do not require cables for measurements which makes them ideal for mail based studies and have no dose rate or temperature dependence

  5. Externalizing behavior from early childhood to adolescence: Prediction from inhibition, language, parenting, and attachment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roskam, Isabelle

    2018-03-22

    The aim of the current research was to disentangle four theoretically sound models of externalizing behavior etiology (i.e., attachment, language, inhibition, and parenting) by testing their relation with behavioral trajectories from early childhood to adolescence. The aim was achieved through a 10-year prospective longitudinal study conducted over five waves with 111 referred children aged 3 to 5 years at the onset of the study. Clinical referral was primarily based on externalizing behavior. A multimethod (questionnaires, testing, and observations) approach was used to estimate the four predictors in early childhood. In line with previous studies, the results show a significant decrease of externalizing behavior from early childhood to adolescence. The decline was negatively related to mothers' coercive parenting and positively related to attachment security in early childhood, but not related to inhibition and language. The study has implications for research into externalizing behavior etiology recommending to gather hypotheses from various theoretically sound models to put them into competition with one another. The study also has implications for clinical practice by providing clear indications for prevention and early intervention.

  6. Laboratory diagnosis of the rare anaemias: external quality assessment benefits patient care

    OpenAIRE

    Barbara De La Salle; Andrea Mosca; Renata Paleari; Vasileios Rapanakis; Keith Hyde

    2013-01-01

    Since its introduction in the 1960s, external quality assessment has developed to become an essential component of the quality management system of the diagnostic laboratory. External quality assessment provides a long term, retrospective view of laboratory performance, demonstrating the competence of the laboratory to others. The ENERCA project (the European Network for Rare and Congenital Anaemias) has established a list of core laboratory tests that are used in the diagnosis of rare and co...

  7. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov Based Test for Comparing the Predictive Accuracy of Two Sets of Forecasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Hassani

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a complement statistical test for distinguishing between the predictive accuracy of two sets of forecasts. We propose a non-parametric test founded upon the principles of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS test, referred to as the KS Predictive Accuracy (KSPA test. The KSPA test is able to serve two distinct purposes. Initially, the test seeks to determine whether there exists a statistically significant difference between the distribution of forecast errors, and secondly it exploits the principles of stochastic dominance to determine whether the forecasts with the lower error also reports a stochastically smaller error than forecasts from a competing model, and thereby enables distinguishing between the predictive accuracy of forecasts. We perform a simulation study for the size and power of the proposed test and report the results for different noise distributions, sample sizes and forecasting horizons. The simulation results indicate that the KSPA test is correctly sized, and robust in the face of varying forecasting horizons and sample sizes along with significant accuracy gains reported especially in the case of small sample sizes. Real world applications are also considered to illustrate the applicability of the proposed KSPA test in practice.

  8. A practical method to calculate head scatter factors in wedged rectangular and irregular MLC shaped beams for external and internal wedges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georg, Dietmar; Olofsson, Joergen; Kuenzler, Thomas; Aiginger, Hannes; Karlsson, Mikael

    2004-01-01

    Factor based methods for absorbed dose or monitor unit calculations are often based on separate data sets for open and wedged beams. The determination of basic beam parameters can be rather time consuming, unless equivalent square methods are applied. When considering irregular wedged beams shaped with a multileaf collimator, parametrization methods for dosimetric quantities, e.g. output ratios or wedge factors as a function of field size and shape, become even more important. A practical method is presented to derive wedged output ratios in air (S c,w ) for any rectangular field and for any irregular MLC shaped beam. This method was based on open field output ratios in air (S c ) for a field with the same collimator setting, and a relation f w between S c,w and S c . The relation f w can be determined from measured output ratios in air for a few open and wedged fields including the maximum wedged field size. The function f w and its parametrization were dependent on wedge angle and treatment head design, i.e. they were different for internal and external wedges. The proposed method was tested for rectangular wedged fields on three accelerators with internal wedges (GE, Elekta, BBC) and two accelerators with external wedges (Varian). For symmetric regular beams the average deviation between calculated and measured S c,w /S c ratios was 0.3% for external wedges and about 0.6% for internal wedges. Maximum deviations of 1.8% were obtained for elongated rectangular fields on the GE and ELEKTA linacs with an internal wedge. The same accuracy was achieved for irregular MLC shaped wedged beams on the accelerators with MLC and internal wedges (GE and Elekta), with an average deviation <1% for the fields tested. The proposed method to determine output ratios in air for wedged beams from output ratios of open beams, combined with equivalent square approaches, can be easily integrated in empirical or semi-empirical methods for monitor unit calculations

  9. Does External Knowledge Sourcing Enhance Market Performance? Evidence from the Korean Manufacturing Industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kibaek; Yoo, Jaeheung; Choi, Munkee; Zo, Hangjung; Ciganek, Andrew P

    2016-01-01

    Firms continuously search for external knowledge that can contribute to product innovation, which may ultimately increase market performance. The relationship between external knowledge sourcing and market performance is not well-documented. The extant literature primarily examines the causal relationship between external knowledge sources and product innovation performance or to identify factors which moderates the relationship between external knowledge sourcing and product innovation. Non-technological innovations, such as organization and marketing innovations, intervene in the process of external knowledge sourcing to product innovation to market performance but has not been extensively examined. This study addresses two research questions: does external knowledge sourcing lead to market performance and how does external knowledge sourcing interact with a firm's different innovation activities to enhance market performance. This study proposes a comprehensive model to capture the causal mechanism from external knowledge sourcing to market performance. The research model was tested using survey data from manufacturing firms in South Korea and the results demonstrate a strong statistical relationship in the path of external knowledge sourcing (EKS) to product innovation performance (PIP) to market performance (MP). Organizational innovation is an antecedent to EKS while marketing innovation is a consequence of EKS, which significantly influences PIP and MP. The results imply that any potential EKS effort should also consider organizational innovations which may ultimately enhance market performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed as well as concluding remarks.

  10. Syndesmotic fixation in supination-external rotation ankle fractures: a prospective randomized study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pakarinen, Harri J; Flinkkilä, Tapio E; Ohtonen, Pasi P; Hyvönen, Pekka H; Lakovaara, Martti T; Leppilahti, Juhana I; Ristiniemi, Jukka Y

    2011-12-01

    This study was designed to assess whether transfixion of an unstable syndesmosis is necessary in supination-external rotation (Lauge-Hansen SE/Weber B)-type ankle fractures. A prospective study of 140 patients with unilateral Lauge-Hansen supination-external rotation type 4 ankle fractures was done. After bony fixation, the 7.5-Nm standardized external rotation (ER) stress test for both ankles was performed under fluoroscopy. A positive stress examination was defined as a difference of more than 2 mm side-to-side in the tibiotalar or tibiofibular clear spaces on mortise radiographs. If the stress test was positive, the patient was randomized to either syndesmotic transfixion with 3.5-mm tricortical screws or no syndesmotic fixation. Clinical outcome was assessed using the Olerud-Molander scoring system, RAND 36-Item Health Survey, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to measure pain and function after a minimum 1-year of followup. Twenty four (17%) of 140 patients had positive standardized 7.5-Nm ER stress tests after malleolar fixation. The stress view was positive three times on tibiotalar clear space, seven on tibiofibular clear space, and 14 times on both tibiotalar and tibiofibular clear spaces. There was no significant difference between the two randomization groups with regards to Olerud-Molander functional score, VAS scale measuring pain and function, or RAND 36-Item Health Survey pain or physical function at 1 year. Relevant syndesmotic injuries are rare in supination-external rotation ankle fractures, and syndesmotic transfixion with a screw did not influence the functional outcome or pain after the 1-year followup compared with no fixation.

  11. Beyond the internalism/externalism debate: the constitution of the space of perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenay, Charles; Steiner, Pierre

    2010-12-01

    This paper tackles the problem of the nature of the space of perception. Based both on philosophical arguments and on results obtained from original experimental situations, it attempts to show how space is constituted concretely, before any distinction between the "inner" and the "outer" can be made. It thus sheds light on the presuppositions of the well-known debate between internalism and externalism in the philosophy of mind; it argues in favor of the latter position, but with arguments that are foundationally antecedent to this debate. We call the position we defend enactive externalism. It is based on experimental settings which, in virtue of their minimalism, make it possible both to defend a sensori-motor/enactive theory of perception; and, especially, to inquire into the origin of the space of perception, showing how it is concretely enacted before the controversy between internalism and externalism can even take place. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Trade misinvoicing, external debt and sustainable development: A Nigerian example

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Collins C. Ngwakwe

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper evaluated how trade misinvoicing orchestrates external debt in Nigeria and its obstructive tendencies on Nigeria’s sustainable economic development. The paper is pertinent, given that Nigeria is among the top ten developing countries in the world who are victims of substantial illicit trade misinvoicing outflows. The methodological approach is a mix of descriptive analysis (using tables and graphs and a t-test of difference in means between trade misinvoicing outflow from Nigeria, external debt and official development assistance (OD in Nigeria for the period 2003 – 2012. Findings indicate that as trade misinvoicing outflow increased during the period 2003 -2012, Nigeria’s external debt increased yearly. Results from the statistical t-test showed that the mean difference in trade misinvoicing outflow is significantly greater than the mean differences in external debt and official development assistance received into Nigeria. This finding attests to the huge internal financial resources that Nigeria lost during the period 2003 - 2012 through illicit trade misinvoicing outflow. The analysis further disclosed that trade misinvoicing outflow has hampered Nigeria’s stride to sustainable economic development given the record increases in unemployment, poverty, lack of access to sanitation facilities, low percentage of qualified health staff to child birth and a widening income inequality as measured by GINI index. The paper concludes that the drainage of Nigeria’s internal financial resources through illicit trade misinvoicing has denied Nigeria the needed finance to enhance the actualisation of sustainable economic development. Recommendations are proffered to assist in halting trade misinvoicing outflow from Nigeria.

  13. Accuracy of urine circulating cathodic antigen (CCA test for Schistosoma mansoni diagnosis in different settings of Côte d'Ivoire.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean T Coulibaly

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Promising results have been reported for a urine circulating cathodic antigen (CCA test for the diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni. We assessed the accuracy of a commercially available CCA cassette test (designated CCA-A and an experimental formulation (CCA-B for S. mansoni diagnosis. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in three settings of Côte d'Ivoire: settings A and B are endemic for S. mansoni, whereas S. haematobium co-exists in setting C. Overall, 446 children, aged 8-12 years, submitted multiple stool and urine samples. For S. mansoni diagnosis, stool samples were examined with triplicate Kato-Katz, whereas urine samples were tested with CCA-A. The first stool and urine samples were additionally subjected to an ether-concentration technique and CCA-B, respectively. Urine samples were examined for S. haematobium using a filtration method, and for microhematuria using Hemastix dipsticks. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Considering nine Kato-Katz as diagnostic 'gold' standard, the prevalence of S. mansoni in setting A, B and C was 32.9%, 53.1% and 91.8%, respectively. The sensitivity of triplicate Kato-Katz from the first stool and a single CCA-A test was 47.9% and 56.3% (setting A, 73.9% and 69.6% (setting B, and 94.2% and 89.6% (setting C. The respective sensitivity of a single CCA-B was 10.4%, 29.9% and 75.0%. The ether-concentration technique showed a low sensitivity for S. mansoni diagnosis (8.3-41.0%. The specificity of CCA-A was moderate (76.9-84.2%; CCA-B was high (96.7-100%. The likelihood of a CCA-A color reaction increased with higher S. mansoni fecal egg counts (odds ratio: 1.07, p<0.001. A concurrent S. haematobium infection or the presence of microhematuria did not influence the CCA-A test results for S. mansoni diagnosis. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: CCA-A showed similar sensitivity than triplicate Kato-Katz for S. mansoni diagnosis with no cross-reactivity to S. haematobium and microhematuria. The low sensitivity

  14. An in situ neutron diffraction study of shape setting shape memory NiTi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benafan, O.; Padula, S.A.; Noebe, R.D.; Brown, D.W.; Clausen, B.; Vaidyanathan, R.

    2013-01-01

    A bulk polycrystalline Ni 49.9 Ti 50.1 (at.%) shape memory alloy specimen was shape set while neutron diffraction spectra were simultaneously acquired. The objective was to correlate internal stress, phase volume fraction, and texture measurements (from neutron diffraction spectra) with the macroscopic stress and shape changes (from load cell and extensometry measurements) during the shape setting procedure and subsequent shape recovery. Experimental results showed the evolution of the martensitic transformation (lattice strains, phase fractions and texture) against external constraints during both heating and cooling. Constrained heating resulted in a build-up of stresses during the martensite to austenite transformation, followed by stress relaxation due to thermal expansion, final conversion of retained martensite, and recovery processes. Constrained cooling also resulted in stress build-up arising from thermal contraction and early formation of martensite, followed by relaxation as the austenite fully transformed to martensite. Comparisons were also made between specimens pre-shape set and post-shape set with and without external constraints. The specimens displayed similar shape memory behavior consistent with the microstructure of the shape set sample, which was mostly unchanged by the shape setting process and similar to that of the as-received material

  15. Implications of Public External Debt for Social Spending: A Case Study of Selected Asian Developing Countries

    OpenAIRE

    Sadia Shabbir; Hafiz M. Yasin

    2015-01-01

    For developing countries with budgetary and balance-of-payments gaps to meet, maintaining large stakes of external debt is not free of cost. Highly indebted countries have to set aside a sizeable fraction of their scarce resources to service their debt, which naturally affects their development spending in general and allocations for the social sector in particular. This study examines the behavior of seven developing Asian countries and analyzes the impact of public external debt on social s...

  16. Prevalence of external ear disorders in Belgian stray cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bollez, Anouck; de Rooster, Hilde; Furcas, Alessandra; Vandenabeele, Sophie

    2018-02-01

    Objectives Feline otitis externa is a multifactorial dermatological disorder about which very little is known. The objective of this study was to map the prevalence of external ear canal disorders and the pathogens causing otitis externa in stray cats roaming around the region of Ghent, Belgium. Methods One hundred and thirty stray cats were randomly selected during a local trap-neuter-return programme. All cats were European Shorthairs. This study included clinical, otoscopic and cytological evaluation of both external ears of each cat. Prospective data used as parameters in this study included the sex, age and body condition score of each cat, as well as the presence of nasal and/or ocular discharge, and the results of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) Snap tests. Results Remarkably, very few (sub)clinical problems of the external ear canal were found in the stray cat population. Malassezia species was by far the most common organism found in the external ear canals of the 130 stray cats. A total of 96/130 (74%) cats were found to have Malassezia species organisms present in one or both ears based on the cytological examination. No correlation was found between the parameters of sex, age, body condition score, the presence of nasal and/or ocular discharge and FIV and FeLV status, and the presence of parasites, bacteria or yeasts. Conclusions and relevance This study provides more information about the normal state of the external ear canal of stray cats. The ears of most stray cats are relatively healthy. The presence of Malassezia species organisms in the external ear canal is not rare among stray cats.

  17. Radioactive contamination on land and external radiation dose in residential areas around the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: a review of our studies since 1995

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoshi, M.; Yamamoto, M.; Sakaguchi, A.; Takada, J.; Apsalikov, K.N.; Gusev, B.I.

    2004-01-01

    A review is presented on our studies about radioactive contamination on land and external radiation doses to residents by the thermoluminescence technique, performed around the former Soviet Union's Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan since 1995. Surface and core soil samples have been collected from different sites around the SNTS and long-lived radionuclides such as 137 Cs and Pu isotopes were measured. Unlike 137 Cs, the inventories of 239,240 Pu for most of the sites we visited were several to a few hundred times higher than those (40-120 Bq/m 2 ) for global fallout observed in Japan. Pu in soil around the SNTS was found to be tightly incorporated into various sizes of particles formed in the course of the condensation of melting materials, such as vaporized soil and bomb components. Lower atomic ratios of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu (0.03-0.05) for samples indicated that the nuclear tests conducted at the SNTS resulted in a relatively large amount of close-in fallout Pu even in the outside regions. External radiation doses to residents near the SNTS were evaluated by the thermoluminescence technique for brick samples collected from several settlements: Dolon, Semipalatinsk and Ust'-Kamenogorsk cities. The external radiation doses to population were estimated to be up to 1.0 Gy for resident in Dolon settlement. The doses in other two cities were evaluated to be several hundreds mGy. The present doses in Ust'-Kamenogorsk City were consistent with the human acute health effect on the citizens just after 1956 fallout. (author)

  18. Electron-correlation based externally predictive QSARs for mutagenicity of nitrated-PAHs in Salmonella typhimurium TA100.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reenu; Vikas

    2014-03-01

    In quantitative modeling, there are two major aspects that decide reliability and real external predictivity of a structure-activity relationship (SAR) based on quantum chemical descriptors. First, the information encoded in employed molecular descriptors, computed through a quantum-mechanical method, should be precisely estimated. The accuracy of the quantum-mechanical method, however, is dependent upon the amount of electron-correlation it incorporates. Second, the real external predictivity of a developed quantitative SAR (QSAR) should be validated employing an external prediction set. In this work, to analyze the role of electron-correlation, QSAR models are developed for a set of 51 ubiquitous pollutants, namely, nitrated monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitrated-AHs and PAHs) having mutagenic activity in TA100 strain of Salmonella typhimurium. The quality of the models, through state-of-the-art external validation procedures employing an external prediction set, is compared to the best models known in the literature for mutagenicity. The molecular descriptors whose electron-correlation contribution is analyzed include total energy, energy of HOMO and LUMO, and commonly employed electron-density based descriptors such as chemical hardness, chemical softness, absolute electronegativity and electrophilicity index. The electron-correlation based QSARs are also compared with those developed using quantum-mechanical descriptors computed with advanced semi-empirical (SE) methods such as PM6, PM7, RM1, and ab initio methods, namely, the Hartree-Fock (HF) and the density functional theory (DFT). The models, developed using electron-correlation contribution of the quantum-mechanical descriptors, are found to be not only reliable but also satisfactorily predictive when compared to the existing robust models. The robustness of the models based on descriptors computed through advanced SE methods, is also observed to be comparable to those developed with

  19. Performance Targets and External Benchmarking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Ivar; Hansen, Allan; Vámosi, Tamás S.

    Research on relative performance measures, transfer pricing, beyond budgeting initiatives, target costing, piece rates systems and value based management has for decades underlined the importance of external benchmarking in performance management. Research conceptualises external benchmarking...... as a market mechanism that can be brought inside the firm to provide incentives for continuous improvement and the development of competitive advances. However, whereas extant research primarily has focused on the importance and effects of using external benchmarks, less attention has been directed towards...... the conditions upon which the market mechanism is performing within organizations. This paper aims to contribute to research by providing more insight to the conditions for the use of external benchmarking as an element in performance management in organizations. Our study explores a particular type of external...

  20. Effects of external rotation on anteroposterior translations in the shoulder: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Andrew J; Debski, Richard E; Voycheck, Carrie A; McMahon, Patrick J

    2014-08-01

    Using physical examination to make the diagnosis of shoulder instability can be difficult, because typical examination maneuvers are qualitative, difficult to standardize, and not reproducible. Measuring shoulder translation is especially difficult, which is a particular problem, because measuring it inaccurately may result in improper treatment of instability. The objective of this study was to use a magnetic motion tracking system to quantify the effects of external rotation of the abducted shoulder on a simulated simple translation test in healthy subjects. Specifically, we hypothesized that (1) increasing external rotation of the abducted shoulder would result in decreasing translation; (2) intraobserver repeatability would be less than 2 mm at all external rotation positions; and (3) mean side-to-side differences would be less than 2 mm at all external rotation positions. The intraobserver repeatability and side-to-side differences of AP translation were quantified with a noninvasive magnetic motion tracking system and automated data analysis routine in nine healthy subjects at four positions of external rotation with the arm abducted. A shoulder positioning apparatus was used to maintain the desired arm position. No differences in translations between the positions of external rotation were found (p = 0.48). Intraobserver repeatability was 1.1 mm (SD, 0.8 mm) and mean side-to-side differences were small: 2.7 mm (SD, 2.8 mm), 2.8 mm (SD, 1.8 mm), 2.5 mm (SD, 1.8 mm), and 4.0 mm (SD, 2.6 mm) at 0°, 20°, 40°, and 60° of external rotation, respectively. The intraobserver repeatability was strong and the side-to-side differences in translation were small with the magnetic motion tracking system, which is encouraging for development of an improved quantitative test to assess shoulder translation for fast and low-cost diagnosis of shoulder instability. Clinicians may not have to position the contralateral, normal, abducted shoulder in precisely the same position

  1. Macroeconomic Adjustment in Armenia: The Role of External Factors

    OpenAIRE

    Van Aarle, Bas

    2011-01-01

    This paper develops a small macroeconomic model of the Armenian economy. After setting up the model and its estimation, a number of macroeconomic scenarios is analyzed in the form of out-of-sample simulations. We analyze the transmissions in the model of a number of macroeconomic shocks and policy scenarios to obtain a better understanding of their possible effects on the internal and external balance of the Armenian economy. A special focus is put on the role of exchange rate and monetary ma...

  2. An experimental set-up to test heat-moisture exchangers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Unal, N.; Pompe, J. C.; Holland, W. P.; Gültuna, I.; Huygen, P. E.; Jabaaij, K.; Ince, C.; Saygin, B.; Bruining, H. A.

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to build an experimental set-up to assess continuously the humidification, heating and resistance properties of heat-moisture exchangers (HMEs) under clinical conditions. The experimental set-up consists of a patient model, measurement systems and a ventilator. Surgical

  3. Diminished neural responses predict enhanced intrinsic motivation and sensitivity to external incentive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsden, Karen E; Ma, Wei Ji; Deci, Edward L; Ryan, Richard M; Chiu, Pearl H

    2015-06-01

    The duration and quality of human performance depend on both intrinsic motivation and external incentives. However, little is known about the neuroscientific basis of this interplay between internal and external motivators. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural substrates of intrinsic motivation, operationalized as the free-choice time spent on a task when this was not required, and tested the neural and behavioral effects of external reward on intrinsic motivation. We found that increased duration of free-choice time was predicted by generally diminished neural responses in regions associated with cognitive and affective regulation. By comparison, the possibility of additional reward improved task accuracy, and specifically increased neural and behavioral responses following errors. Those individuals with the smallest neural responses associated with intrinsic motivation exhibited the greatest error-related neural enhancement under the external contingency of possible reward. Together, these data suggest that human performance is guided by a "tonic" and "phasic" relationship between the neural substrates of intrinsic motivation (tonic) and the impact of external incentives (phasic).

  4. External quality assurance performance of clinical research laboratories in sub-saharan Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amukele, Timothy K; Michael, Kurt; Hanes, Mary; Miller, Robert E; Jackson, J Brooks

    2012-11-01

    Patient Safety Monitoring in International Laboratories (JHU-SMILE) is a resource at Johns Hopkins University that supports and monitors laboratories in National Institutes of Health-funded international clinical trials. To determine the impact of the JHU-SMILE quality assurance scheme in sub-Saharan African laboratories, we reviewed 40 to 60 months of external quality assurance (EQA) results of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in these laboratories. We reviewed the performance of 8 analytes: albumin, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, sodium, WBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and the human immunodeficiency virus antibody rapid test. Over the 40- to 60-month observation period, the sub-Saharan laboratories had a 1.63% failure rate, which was 40% lower than the 2011 CAP-wide rate of 2.8%. Seventy-six percent of the observed EQA failures occurred in 4 of the 21 laboratories. These results demonstrate that a system of remote monitoring, feedback, and audits can support quality in low-resource settings, even in places without strong regulatory support for laboratory quality.

  5. Rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in low-income settings: An evaluation of the test-negative design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Lauren M; Halloran, M Elizabeth; Rowhani-Rahbar, Ali; Neuzil, Kathleen M; Victor, John C

    2017-01-03

    The test-negative design (TND), an epidemiologic method currently used to measure rotavirus vaccine (RV) effectiveness, compares the vaccination status of rotavirus-positive cases and rotavirus-negative controls meeting a pre-defined case definition for acute gastroenteritis. Despite the use of this study design in low-income settings, the TND has not been evaluated to measure rotavirus vaccine effectiveness. This study builds upon prior methods to evaluate the use of the TND for influenza vaccine using a randomized controlled clinical trial database. Test-negative vaccine effectiveness (VE-TND) estimates were derived from three large randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) of monovalent (RV1) and pentavalent (RV5) rotavirus vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Derived VE-TND estimates were compared to the original RCT vaccine efficacy estimates (VE-RCTs). The core assumption of the TND (i.e., rotavirus vaccine has no effect on rotavirus-negative diarrhea) was also assessed. TND vaccine effectiveness estimates were nearly equivalent to original RCT vaccine efficacy estimates. Neither RV had a substantial effect on rotavirus-negative diarrhea. This study supports the TND as an appropriate epidemiologic study design to measure rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in low-income settings. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. Analytical performance specifications for external quality assessment - definitions and descriptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Graham R D; Albarede, Stephanie; Kesseler, Dagmar; MacKenzie, Finlay; Mammen, Joy; Pedersen, Morten; Stavelin, Anne; Thelen, Marc; Thomas, Annette; Twomey, Patrick J; Ventura, Emma; Panteghini, Mauro

    2017-06-27

    External Quality Assurance (EQA) is vital to ensure acceptable analytical quality in medical laboratories. A key component of an EQA scheme is an analytical performance specification (APS) for each measurand that a laboratory can use to assess the extent of deviation of the obtained results from the target value. A consensus conference held in Milan in 2014 has proposed three models to set APS and these can be applied to setting APS for EQA. A goal arising from this conference is the harmonisation of EQA APS between different schemes to deliver consistent quality messages to laboratories irrespective of location and the choice of EQA provider. At this time there are wide differences in the APS used in different EQA schemes for the same measurands. Contributing factors to this variation are that the APS in different schemes are established using different criteria, applied to different types of data (e.g. single data points, multiple data points), used for different goals (e.g. improvement of analytical quality; licensing), and with the aim of eliciting different responses from participants. This paper provides recommendations from the European Federation of Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) Task and Finish Group on Performance Specifications for External Quality Assurance Schemes (TFG-APSEQA) and on clear terminology for EQA APS. The recommended terminology covers six elements required to understand APS: 1) a statement on the EQA material matrix and its commutability; 2) the method used to assign the target value; 3) the data set to which APS are applied; 4) the applicable analytical property being assessed (i.e. total error, bias, imprecision, uncertainty); 5) the rationale for the selection of the APS; and 6) the type of the Milan model(s) used to set the APS. The terminology is required for EQA participants and other interested parties to understand the meaning of meeting or not meeting APS.

  7. [The external evaluation of study quality: the role in maintaining the reliability of laboratory information].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Men'shikov, V V

    2013-08-01

    The external evaluation of quality of clinical laboratory examinations was gradually introduced in USSR medical laboratories since 1970s. In Russia, in the middle of 1990 a unified all-national system of external evaluation quality was organized known as the Federal center of external evaluation of quality at the basis of laboratory of the state research center of preventive medicine. The main positions of policy in this area were neatly formulated in the guidance documents of ministry of Health. Nowadays, the center of external evaluation of quality proposes 100 and more types of control studies and permanently extends their specter starting from interests of different disciplines of clinical medicine. The consistent participation of laboratories in the cycles of external evaluation of quality intrinsically promotes improvement of indicators of properness and precision of analysis results and increases reliability of laboratory information. However, a significant percentage of laboratories does not participate at all in external evaluation of quality or takes part in control process irregularly and in limited number of tests. The managers of a number of medical organizations disregard the application of the proposed possibilities to increase reliability of laboratory information and limit financing of studies in the field of quality control. The article proposes to adopt the national standard on the basis of ISO 17043 "Evaluation of compliance. The common requirements of professional competence testing".

  8. External Otitis (Swimmer's Ear)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... otitis. Fungal external otitis (otomycosis), typically caused by Aspergillus niger or Candida albicans, is less common. Boils are ... in the ear. Fungal external otitis caused by Aspergillus niger usually causes grayish black or yellow dots (called ...

  9. External validation of the ability of the DRAGON score to predict outcome after thrombolysis treatment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ovesen, Christian Aavang; Christensen, Anders; Nielsen, J K

    2013-01-01

    Easy-to-perform and valid assessment scales for the effect of thrombolysis are essential in hyperacute stroke settings. Because of this we performed an external validation of the DRAGON scale proposed by Strbian et al. in a Danish cohort. All patients treated with intravenous recombinant plasmino......Easy-to-perform and valid assessment scales for the effect of thrombolysis are essential in hyperacute stroke settings. Because of this we performed an external validation of the DRAGON scale proposed by Strbian et al. in a Danish cohort. All patients treated with intravenous recombinant...... and their modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was assessed after 3 months. Three hundred and three patients were included in the analysis. The DRAGON scale proved to have a good discriminative ability for predicting highly unfavourable outcome (mRS 5-6) (area under the curve-receiver operating characteristic [AUC-ROC]: 0...

  10. Assessment of Diaphragm and External Intercostals Fatigue from Surface EMG using Cervical Magnetic Stimulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ya-Ju Chang

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available This study was designed: (1 to test the reliability of surface electromyography (sEMG recording of the diaphragm and external intercostals contractions response to cervical magnetic stimulation (CMS, (2 to examine the amount and the types of inspiratory muscle fatigue that developed after maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV maneuvers.Ten male college students without physical disability (22.1±2.0 years old participated in the study and each completed a control (quiet breathing trial and a fatigue (MVV maneuvers trial sequentially. In the quiet breathing trial, the subjects maintained quiet breathing for five minutes. The subjects performed five maximal static inspiratory efforts and received five CMS before and after the quiet breathing. In the MVV trial, subjects performed five maximal inspiratory efforts and received five CMS before, immediately after, and ten minutes after two sets of MVV maneuvers performed five minutes apart. Maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax, sEMG of diaphragm and external intercostals during maximal static inspiratory efforts and during CMS were recorded. In the quiet breathing trial, high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC=0.95-0.99 were observed in all the variables. In the MVV trial, the PImax, the EMG amplitude and the median power frequency during maximal static inspiratory efforts significantly decreased in both the diaphragm and the external intercostals immediately after the MVV maneuvers Sensors 2008, 8 2175 (P 0.05. It is concluded that the sEMG recordings of the diaphragm during maximal static inspiratory efforts and in response to CMS allow reproducible sequential assessment of diaphragm contractility. MVV maneuvers resulted in inspiratory muscles fatigue, possibly central fatigue.

  11. Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snoddy, Cynthia

    2010-01-01

    Scope: The Main Propulsion Test Article integrated the main propulsion subsystem with the clustered Space Shuttle Main Engines, the External Tank and associated GSE. The test program consisted of cryogenic tanking tests and short- and long duration static firings including gimbaling and throttling. The test program was conducted on the S1-C test stand (Position B-2) at the National Space Technology Laboratories (NSTL)/Stennis Space Center. 3 tanking tests and 20 hot fire tests conducted between December 21 1 1977 and December 17, 1980 Configuration: The main propulsion test article consisted of the three space shuttle main engines, flightweight external tank, flightweight aft fuselage, interface section and a boilerplate mid/fwd fuselage truss structure.

  12. Reliability of a Computerized Neurocognitive Test in Baseline Concussion Testing of High School Athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, James; Duerson, Drew

    2015-07-01

    Baseline assessments using computerized neurocognitive tests are frequently used in the management of sport-related concussions. Such testing is often done on an annual basis in a community setting. Reliability is a fundamental test characteristic that should be established for such tests. Our study examined the test-retest reliability of a computerized neurocognitive test in high school athletes over 1 year. Repeated measures design. Two American high schools. High school athletes (N = 117) participating in American football or soccer during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 academic years. All study participants completed 2 baseline computerized neurocognitive tests taken 1 year apart at their respective schools. The test measures performance on 4 cognitive tasks: identification speed (Attention), detection speed (Processing Speed), one card learning accuracy (Learning), and one back speed (Working Memory). Reliability was assessed by measuring the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between the repeated measures of the 4 cognitive tasks. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated as a secondary outcome measure. The measure for identification speed performed best (ICC = 0.672; 95% confidence interval, 0.559-0.760) and the measure for one card learning accuracy performed worst (ICC = 0.401; 95% confidence interval, 0.237-0.542). All tests had marginal or low reliability. In a population of high school athletes, computerized neurocognitive testing performed in a community setting demonstrated low to marginal test-retest reliability on baseline assessments 1 year apart. Further investigation should focus on (1) improving the reliability of individual tasks tested, (2) controlling for external factors that might affect test performance, and (3) identifying the ideal time interval to repeat baseline testing in high school athletes. Computerized neurocognitive tests are used frequently in high school athletes, often within a model of baseline testing

  13. External Ear Resonant Amplitude and Frequency of 3-7 Year Old Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amir Hossein Zare

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To measure external ear resonant amplitude and frequency in children (3-7 years old and to compare with adult measures. Method and materials: The external ear resonance peak amplitude and frequency of 63 children 3-7 years old were recorded. All of the children had normal tympanogram and there was no cerumen in external auditory canal. 20 adult of 21-24 years old (10 male , 10 female were selected in order to compare with children that had normal tympanogram. The tests included : 1-otoscopy 2- tympanometry 3-microphone probe tube test. Results: The average of resonance peak frequency for children and adult is 4200 Hz and 3200 Hz , respectively. The resonance frequency of children had significantly diffrence with average of resonance frequency in adults. The average of resonance peak amplitude for children and adult is 17.70 dB and 17.17 dB , respectively. Conclusion: Resonant frequency and amplitude affect the hearing aid prescription and fitting process and calculating insertion gain; so, this measures seem should be considered in children hearing aid fitting.

  14. Computerized Tests of Team Performance and Crew Coordination Suitable for Military/Aviation Settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawson, Ben D; Britt, Thomas W; Kelley, Amanda M; Athy, Jeremy R; Legan, Shauna M

    2017-08-01

    The coordination of team effort on shared tasks is an area of inquiry. A number of tests of team performance in challenging environments have been developed without comparison or standardization. This article provides a systematic review of the most accessible and usable low-to-medium fidelity computerized tests of team performance and determines which are most applicable to military- and aviation-relevant research, such as studies of group command, control, communication, and crew coordination. A search was conducted to identify computerized measures of team performance. In addition to extensive literature searches (DTIC, Psychinfo, PubMed), the authors reached out to team performance researchers at conferences and through electronic communication. Identified were 57 potential tests according to 6 specific selection criteria (e.g., the requirement for automated collection of team performance and coordination processes, the use of military-relevant scenarios). The following seven tests (listed alphabetically) were considered most suitable for military needs: Agent Enabled Decision Group Environment (AEDGE), C3Conflict, the C3 (Command, Control, & Communications) Interactive Task for Identifying Emerging Situations (NeoCITIES), Distributed Dynamic Decision Making (DDD), Duo Wondrous Original Method Basic Awareness/Airmanship Test (DuoWOMBAT), the Leader Development Simulator (LDS), and the Planning Task for Teams (PLATT). Strengths and weaknesses of these tests are described and recommendations offered to help researchers identify the test most suitable for their particular needs. Adoption of a few standard computerized test batteries to study team performance would facilitate the evaluation of interventions intended to enhance group performance in multiple challenging military and aerospace operational environments.Lawson BD, Britt TW, Kelley AM, Athy JR, Legan SM. Computerized tests of team performance and crew coordination suitable for military/aviation settings

  15. Rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in low-income settings: An evaluation of the test-negative design

    OpenAIRE

    Schwartz, Lauren M.; Halloran, M. Elizabeth; Rowhani-Rahbar, Ali; Neuzil, Kathleen M.; Victor, John C.

    2017-01-01

    Background The test-negative design (TND), an epidemiologic method currently used to measure rotavirus vaccine (RV) effectiveness, compares the vaccination status of rotavirus-positive cases and rotavirus-negative controls meeting a pre-defined case definition for acute gastroenteritis. Despite the use of this study design in low-income settings, the TND has not been evaluated to measure rotavirus vaccine effectiveness. Methods This study builds upon prior methods to evaluate the use of the T...

  16. Congenital External Carotid-External Jugular Arteriovenous Fistula: Diagnosis With Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faghihi Langroudi, Taraneh; Arjmand Shabestari, Abbas; Pourghorban, Ramin; Khalili Pouya, Ensi

    2015-01-01

    Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) between the external carotid artery and external jugular vein is extremely rare, with only few cases reported in the literature so far. Most of these AVFs have been either iatrogenic or secondary to previous trauma. Herein, we report a 42-year-old woman with congenital AVF between the external carotid artery and external jugular vein, presenting with palpitation and dyspnea. The patient was suffering from mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. On physical examination, a thrill on the left side of the neck and an audible bruit over the left mandibular angle were detected. The possibility of abnormal AVF was considered and it was confirmed on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), inferring that this modality is not only fast and non-invasive, but also accurate in detecting vascular abnormalities

  17. Analysis of quality control tests done by the Canadian power utilities on their external dosimetry systems (June 1988 to May 1993)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butt, K.A.; Poirier, G.S.

    1995-09-01

    The Canadian nuclear power utilities, Hydro-Quebec, New Brunswick Electric Power Commission and Ontario Hydro, use thermoluminescent dosimetry systems to perform their own external beta/gamma dosimetry. In order to help ensure that these systems perform satisfactorily, they are subjected to routine quality control testing by their parent organizations. The test results for the period of June 1988 to May 1993 have been analyzed, at the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB), using the pass criterion which was originally agreed upon the organizations involved and which is described in section 2.3 of this document. The present analysis offers an indication of the performance of the different sites which operate such a service. Comparisons are made each site's performance during the period June 1985 to May 1988 which has been summarized previously (INFO--0301). Finally, recommendations are made in the hope that they will help the organizations in refining their dosimetry. (author) 1 ref., 7 tabs

  18. Internalization of external costs for nuclear power in Romania

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrei, Veronica; Ghita, Sorin; Ionita, Gheorghe; Gheorghe-Sorescu, Antonius; Glodeanu, Florin

    2006-01-01

    A technology that competes against alternatives on a full cost basis is not sustainable - no matter how environmentally friendly is. Competitive performance, however, means more than lower costs. Additional factors as the following have to be considered as criteria ensuring a sustainable energy development: - environmentally compatibility - intergenerational compatibility - power demand compatibility - socio-political compatibility - geopolitical compatibility. Some factors are less difficult to express in al.) Recent Cold Fterms (e.g. the economic value of degraded public health) than others (e.g. the economic value of reliable supplies or lack of public acceptance) but their quantifications are fraught with uncertainty, vary greatly from location to location and cannot be generalized. Still, these factors often tilt the balance in favor or disfavor of a particular technology. From a public perspective, a set of costs called 'external costs' are important. By definition these costs are external to standard private sector cost accounting schemes. They are necessarily paid for, not as a cost of doing business, but by society. The concept of externalities has been referred to in the economic literature since early in the 20th century. In 1974, the Council of OECD recommended the application by governments of the 'Polluter Pays Principle', defined in the early 1970s as a means to allocate costs of pollution prevention and control measures to pollutants, and thereby to consumers of their products, rather than to society as a whole. The externality may be defined as 'a cost or benefit that is not included in the market price of a commodity because it is not included in the supply price or demand price. An externality is produced when the economic activity of one actor (or group of actors) has a positive or negative impact on the welfare function of another actor (or group of actors) and when the former fails to be fully compensated, or to fully compensate the latter

  19. Energy policy and externalities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertel, E.; Fraser, P.

    2002-01-01

    External costs of energy have been assessed in a number of authoritative and reliable studies based upon widely accepted methodologies such as life cycle analysis (LCA). However, although those costs are recognised by most stakeholders and decision makers, results from analytical work on externalities and LCA studies are seldom used in policy making. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) convened a joint workshop in November 2001 to offer experts and policy makers an opportunity to present state-of-the-art results from analytical work on externalities and debate issues related to the relevance of external costs and LCA for policy-making purposes. The findings from the workshop highlight the need for further work in the field and the potential rote of international organisations like the IEA and the NEA in this context. (authors)

  20. Externally Verifiable Oblivious RAM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gancher Joshua

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available We present the idea of externally verifiable oblivious RAM (ORAM. Our goal is to allow a client and server carrying out an ORAM protocol to have disputes adjudicated by a third party, allowing for the enforcement of penalties against an unreliable or malicious server. We give a security definition that guarantees protection not only against a malicious server but also against a client making false accusations. We then give modifications of the Path ORAM [15] and Ring ORAM [9] protocols that meet this security definition. These protocols both have the same asymptotic runtimes as the semi-honest original versions and require the external verifier to be involved only when the client or server deviates from the protocol. Finally, we implement externally verified ORAM, along with an automated cryptocurrency contract to use as the external verifier.

  1. Malignant external otitis: CT evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curtin, H.D.; Wolfe, P.; May, M.

    1982-01-01

    Malignant external otitis is an aggressive infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa that most often occurs in elderly diabetics. Malignant external otitis often spreads inferiorly from the external canal to involve the subtemporal area and progresses medially towards the petrous apex leading to multiple cranial nerve palsies. The computed tomographic (CT) findings in malignant external otitis include obliteration of the normal fat planes in the subtemporal area as well as patchy destruction of the bony cortex of the mastoid. The point of exit of the various cranial nerves can be identified on CT scans, and the extent of the inflammatory mass correlates well with the clinical findings. Four cases of malignant external otitis are presented. In each case CT provided a good demonstration of involvement of the soft tissues at the base of the skull

  2. External costs of electricity; Les couts externes de l'electricite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rabl, A. [Ecole des Mines de Paris, 75 (France); Spadaro, J.V. [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna (Austria)

    2005-07-01

    This article presents a synthesis of the ExternE project (External costs of Energy) of the European community about the external costs of power generation. Pollution impacts are calculated using an 'impact pathways' analysis, i.e. an analysis of the emission - dispersion - dose-response function - cost evaluation chain. Results are presented for different fuel cycles (with several technological variants) with their confidence intervals. The environmental impact costs are particularly high for coal: for instance, in France, for coal-fired power plants it is of the same order as the electricity retail price. For natural gas, this cost is about a third of the one for coal. On the contrary, the environmental impact costs for nuclear and renewable energies are low, typically of few per cent of the electricity price. The main part of these costs corresponds to the sanitary impacts, in particular the untimely mortality. In order to avoid any controversy about the cost evaluation of mortality, the reduction of the expectation of life due to the different fuel cycles is also indicated and the risks linked with nuclear energy are presented using several comparisons. (J.S.)

  3. Consistent Set of Experiments from ICSBEP Handbook for Evaluation of Criticality Calculation Prediction of Apparatus of External Fuel Cycle with Different Fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Golovko, Yury E. [FSUE ' SSC RF-IPPE' , 249033, Bondarenko Square 1, Obninsk (Russian Federation)

    2008-07-01

    Experiments with plutonium, low enriched uranium and uranium-233 from the ICSBEP1 Handbook are being considered in this paper. Among these experiments it was selected only those, which seem to be the most relevant to the evaluation of uncertainty of critical mass of mixtures of plutonium or low enriched uranium or uranium-233 with light water. All selected experiments were examined and covariance matrices of criticality uncertainties were developed along with some uncertainties were revised. Statistical analysis of these experiments was performed and some contradictions were discovered and eliminated. Evaluation of accuracy of prediction of criticality calculations was performed using the internally consistent set of experiments with plutonium, low enriched uranium and uranium-233 remained after the statistical analyses. The application objects for the evaluation of calculational prediction of criticality were water-reflected spherical systems of homogeneous aqueous mixtures of plutonium or low enriched uranium or uranium-233 of different concentrations which are simplified models of apparatus of external fuel cycle. It is shows that the procedure allows to considerably reduce uncertainty in k{sub eff} caused by the uncertainties in neutron cross-sections. Also it is shows that the results are practically independent of initial covariance matrices of nuclear data uncertainties. (authors)

  4. Internal and External Imagery Effects on Tennis Skills Among Novices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dana, Amir; Gozalzadeh, Elmira

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of internal and external visual imagery perspectives on performance accuracy of open and closed tennis skills (i.e., serve, forehand, and backhand) among novices. Thirty-six young male novices, aged 15-18 years, from a summer tennis program participated. Following initial skill acquisition (12 sessions), baseline assessments of imagery ability and imagery perspective preference were used to assign participants to one of three groups: internal imagery ( n = 12), external imagery ( n = 12), or a no-imagery (mental math exercise) control group ( n = 12). The experimental interventions of 15 minutes of mental imagery (internal or external) or mental math exercises followed by 15 minutes of physical practice were held three times a week for six weeks. The performance accuracy of the groups on the serve, forehand, and backhand strokes was measured at pre- and post-test using videotaping. Results showed significant increases in the performance accuracy of all three tennis strokes in all three groups, but serve accuracy in the internal imagery group and forehand accuracy in the external imagery group showed greater improvements, while backhand accuracy was similarly improved in all three groups. These findings highlight differential efficacy of internal and external visual imagery for performance improvement on complex sport skills in early stage motor learning.

  5. Does External Knowledge Sourcing Enhance Market Performance? Evidence from the Korean Manufacturing Industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kibaek; Yoo, Jaeheung; Choi, Munkee; Zo, Hangjung; Ciganek, Andrew P.

    2016-01-01

    Firms continuously search for external knowledge that can contribute to product innovation, which may ultimately increase market performance. The relationship between external knowledge sourcing and market performance is not well-documented. The extant literature primarily examines the causal relationship between external knowledge sources and product innovation performance or to identify factors which moderates the relationship between external knowledge sourcing and product innovation. Non-technological innovations, such as organization and marketing innovations, intervene in the process of external knowledge sourcing to product innovation to market performance but has not been extensively examined. This study addresses two research questions: does external knowledge sourcing lead to market performance and how does external knowledge sourcing interact with a firm’s different innovation activities to enhance market performance. This study proposes a comprehensive model to capture the causal mechanism from external knowledge sourcing to market performance. The research model was tested using survey data from manufacturing firms in South Korea and the results demonstrate a strong statistical relationship in the path of external knowledge sourcing (EKS) to product innovation performance (PIP) to market performance (MP). Organizational innovation is an antecedent to EKS while marketing innovation is a consequence of EKS, which significantly influences PIP and MP. The results imply that any potential EKS effort should also consider organizational innovations which may ultimately enhance market performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed as well as concluding remarks. PMID:28006022

  6. Health-related external cost assessment in Europe: methodological developments from ExternE to the 2013 Clean Air Policy Package.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Kamp, Jonathan; Bachmann, Till M

    2015-03-03

    "Getting the prices right" through internalizing external costs is a guiding principle of environmental policy making, one recent example being the EU Clean Air Policy Package released at the end of 2013. It is supported by impact assessments, including monetary valuation of environmental and health damages. For over 20 years, related methodologies have been developed in Europe in the Externalities of Energy (ExternE) project series and follow-up activities. In this study, we aim at analyzing the main methodological developments over time from the 1990s until today with a focus on classical air pollution-induced human health damage costs. An up-to-date assessment including the latest European recommendations is also applied. Using a case from the energy sector, we identify major influencing parameters: differences in exposure modeling and related data lead to variations in damage costs of up to 21%; concerning risk assessment and monetary valuation, differences in assessing long-term exposure mortality risks together with assumptions on particle toxicity explain most of the observed changes in damage costs. These still debated influencing parameters deserve particular attention when damage costs are used to support environmental policy making.

  7. The external energy policy of the European Union

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lesourne, J.; Keppler, Jan Horst; Goetz, Roland; Van der Linde, Coby

    2008-01-01

    This third monograph of the Ifri program on European Governance and Geopolitics of Energy is devoted to the program's first annual conference on the 'External Energy Policy of the European Union'. The conference took place from January 31 to February 1, 2008, at the Palais Egmont, in Brussels, Belgium. Representatives of the European Commission, national governments, academia, and industry examined the European perspectives on the highly topical issue of external energy policy and assessed their relative prospects. The purpose of the conference was to take stock of current policies and to develop perspectives for the future. This monograph comprises five chapters: - A background paper prepared by Jacques Lesourne. A version of this document was given to the speakers prior the conference. It provided a set of questions that were designed to orient their reflection. - Three background papers that introduced some of the questions to be addressed during the three sessions. These papers were written by Jan Horst Keppler, professor at Universite Paris-Dauphine and Senior Research Associate at the Ifri Energy Program; Roland Goetz, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin; and Coby van der Linde, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP). - An assessment of the main points raised during the exchanges among the conference participants and an evaluation of the European Union's external energy policy written by J. Lesourne

  8. The external energy policy of the European Union

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lesourne, J.; Keppler, Jan Horst; Goetz, Roland; Van der Linde, Coby

    2008-07-01

    This third monograph of the Ifri program on European Governance and Geopolitics of Energy is devoted to the program's first annual conference on the 'External Energy Policy of the European Union'. The conference took place from January 31 to February 1, 2008, at the Palais Egmont, in Brussels, Belgium. Representatives of the European Commission, national governments, academia, and industry examined the European perspectives on the highly topical issue of external energy policy and assessed their relative prospects. The purpose of the conference was to take stock of current policies and to develop perspectives for the future. This monograph comprises five chapters: - A background paper prepared by Jacques Lesourne. A version of this document was given to the speakers prior the conference. It provided a set of questions that were designed to orient their reflection. - Three background papers that introduced some of the questions to be addressed during the three sessions. These papers were written by Jan Horst Keppler, professor at Universite Paris-Dauphine and Senior Research Associate at the Ifri Energy Program; Roland Goetz, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin; and Coby van der Linde, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP). - An assessment of the main points raised during the exchanges among the conference participants and an evaluation of the European Union's external energy policy written by J. Lesourne

  9. Technical basis document for external events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    OBERG, B.D.

    2003-01-01

    This document supports the Tank Farms Documented Safety Analysis and presents the technical basis for the FR-equencies of externally initiated accidents. The consequences of externally initiated events are discussed in other documents that correspond to the accident that was caused by the external event. The external events include aircraft crash, vehicle accident, range fire, and rail accident

  10. Gas in the rectum tends to reduce during radical external beam radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Naoki; Mizuno, Norifumo; Endo, Haruna; Ogita, Mami; Kawamori, Jiro; Sekigucho, Kenji; Hatanaka, Shogo; Takahashi, Osamu; Tamaki, Seiichi; Shikama, Naoto

    2014-01-01

    This study aims to clarify the time-course of gas accumulation in the rectum during treatment as guidance for the management of rectal volumes. We reviewed 2042 sets (35.2 sets per patient) of anteroposterior and right–left mega voltage (MV) images obtained for daily set-up from 58 patients who underwent radical external beam radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer. The patients were instructed to take magnesium oxide tablets during radiotherapy. They were also encouraged to avoid foods that might cause intestinal gas during radiotherapy. Gas accumulation in the rectum was graded into three classes by the same radiation oncologist. If no gas was seen in the rectum, it was classified as grade 0. A small amount of gas was classified as grade 1, whereas a marked amount of gas that required removal was classified as grade 2. Of the 2042 sets of MV images, grades 1 and 2 gas accumulation were seen in 332 (16%) and 156 (8%), respectively. By the trend test, gas accumulation significantly decreased towards the end of treatment (P=0.02 for grade 1 or 2 and P=0.02 for grade 2). On multivariate analysis, we did not identify any significant independent predictors for either baseline gas accumulation or gas reduction. Gas accumulation tended to decrease until the end of treatment. This tendency should be reconfirmed by other institutions.

  11. The effect of internal and external fields of view on visually induced motion sickness

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, J.E.; Vries, S.C. de; Emmerik, M.L. van; Groen, E.L.

    2010-01-01

    Field of view (FOV) is said to affect visually induced motion sickness. FOV, however, is characterized by an internal setting used by the graphics generator (iFOV) and an external factor determined by screen size and viewing distance (eFOV). We hypothesized that especially the incongruence between

  12. An external focus of attention enhances motor learning in children with intellectual disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiviacowsky, S; Wulf, G; Avila, L T G

    2013-07-01

    The present study examined whether the learning benefits of an external focus of attention (i.e., on the movement effect) relative to an internal focus (i.e. on the movement), found previously in non-disabled children and adults would also be found in children with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Participants (n = 24; average age: 12.2 years) with mild intellectual deficiency (IQ = 51-69) practiced throwing beanbags at a target. In the external focus group, participants were instructed to direct their attention to the movement of the beanbag, while in the internal focus group, participants were asked to direct their attention to the movement of their hand. The practice phase consisted of 40 trials, and attentional focus reminders were given after every third trial. Learning was assessed 1 day later by retention and transfer (greater target distance) tests, each consisting of 10 trials. No focus reminders were given on that day. The external focus group demonstrated more effective learning than the internal focus group, as evidenced by more accurate tosses on the transfer test. The present findings show that instructions that induce an external focus of attention can enhance motor learning in children with IDs. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, MENCAP & IASSID.

  13. Treatment of Recurrent Eczematous External Otitis with Honey Eardrops: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henatsch, Darius; Nabuurs, Cindy H; van de Goor, Rens M; Wolffs, Petra F; Stokroos, Robert J

    2017-10-01

    Eczematous external otitis is a chronic inflammatory disease and often difficult to treat. Our objective was to investigate the clinical effect and in vitro antibacterial potential of medical honey eardrops as treatment of eczematous external otitis. In a prospective study, 15 patients diagnosed with recurrent eczematous external otitis were treated with medical honey eardrops for 2 weeks. The following clinical outcomes were evaluated: visual analog scale of ear complaints, score of eczema, and eradication of bacterial infection. Furthermore, the antibacterial effect of honey eardrops against different bacterial strains was tested in vitro. Treatment resulted in less discomfort and itching and decreased signs of eczema, with high patient satisfaction and without adverse reactions. Honey eardrops showed a strong in vitro inhibitory activity against all tested strains but did not eradicate Staphylococcus aureus infection in vivo. The results of this preliminary study indicate a possible role of honey eardrops in eczematous ear disease.

  14. Reliability Quantification Method for Safety Critical Software Based on a Finite Test Set

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Sung Min; Kim, Hee Eun; Kang, Hyun Gook; Lee, Seung Jun

    2014-01-01

    Software inside of digitalized system have very important role because it may cause irreversible consequence and affect the whole system as common cause failure. However, test-based reliability quantification method for some safety critical software has limitations caused by difficulties in developing input sets as a form of trajectory which is series of successive values of variables. To address these limitations, this study proposed another method which conduct the test using combination of single values of variables. To substitute the trajectory form of input using combination of variables, the possible range of each variable should be identified. For this purpose, assigned range of each variable, logical relations between variables, plant dynamics under certain situation, and characteristics of obtaining information of digital device are considered. A feasibility of the proposed method was confirmed through an application to the Reactor Protection System (RPS) software trip logic

  15. Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents: Familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C.J.M. Buschgens (Cathelijne); M.A.G. van Aken (Marcel); S.H.N. Swinkels (Sophie); J. Ormel (Johan Hans); F.C. Verhulst (Frank); J.K. Buitelaar (Jan)

    2010-01-01

    textabstractThe aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in

  16. Study on transport safety of fresh MOX fuel. Performance of the cladding tube of fresh MOX fuel against external water pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Chihiro

    1999-01-01

    It is important to know the ability of the cladding tube for fresh MOX fuel against external water pressure when they were hypothetically sunk into the sea for unknown reasons. In order to evaluate the ability of cladding tubes for MOX fresh fuel against external water pressure, external water pressure tests were carried out. Resistible limit of cladding tubes against external water pressure is defined when cladding tubes are deformed largely due to buckling etc. The test results show cladding tube of BWR type can resist an external water pressure of 69 MPa (a depth of water of 7,000 m) and that of PWR type fuel can resist an external water pressure of 54 MPa (a depth of water of 5,500 m). Moreover, leak tightness is maintained at an external water pressure of 73 MPa (a depth of water of 7,400 m) for BWR type cladding tubes and at an external water pressure of 98 MPa (a depth of water of 10,000 m) for PWR type cladding tubes. (author)

  17. Time-dependent anisotropic external sources in transient 3-D transport code TORT-TD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seubert, A.; Pautz, A.; Becker, M.; Dagan, R.

    2009-01-01

    This paper describes the implementation of a time-dependent distributed external source in TORT-TD by explicitly considering the external source in the ''fixed-source'' term of the implicitly time-discretised 3-D discrete ordinates transport equation. Anisotropy of the external source is represented by a spherical harmonics series expansion similar to the angular fluxes. The YALINA-Thermal subcritical assembly serves as a test case. The configuration with 280 fuel rods has been analysed with TORT-TD using cross sections in 18 energy groups and P1 scattering order generated by the KAPROS code system. Good agreement is achieved concerning the multiplication factor. The response of the system to an artificial time-dependent source consisting of two square-wave pulses demonstrates the time-dependent external source capability of TORT-TD. The result is physically plausible as judged from validation calculations. (orig.)

  18. 10 CFR Appendix Z to Subpart B of... - Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of External Power Supplies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... operation when the external power supply is connected to the main electricity supply and the output is (or “all outputs are” for a multiple-voltage external power supply) connected to a load (or “loads” for a... any mechanical, optical, or electronic switches that automatically disconnect mains power from the...

  19. The Diagnostic Accuracy of Clinical and External Pelvimetry in Prediction of Dystocia in Nulliparous Women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R Alijahan

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Clinical pelvimetry is very uncomfortable for the patient and is associated with subjective error, while external pelvimetry is a simple and acceptable method for patients. The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of clinical and external pelvimetry in prediction of dystocia in nulliparous women. Methods: In this study between December 2008 and January 2009, 447 nulliparous women with a single pregnancy in vertex presentation and gestational age 38-42 weeks referring to the Ommolbanin hospital of Mashhad were included. External pelvic dimensions were assessed at the time of admission and clinical pelvimetry was performed by another examiner. These measurements were not available to the clinician in charge of the delivery. Dystocia was defined as caesarean section and vacuum or forceps delivery for abnormal progress of labor ( active uterine contractions, arrest of cervical dilatation or cervical dilatation less than 1 cm /h in the active phase for 2 hours, prolongation of second stage beyond 2 hours or fetal head descent less than 1cm/h. Statistical tests included Fisher exact test and Chi- square test. Results: The highest sensitivity obtained from clinical pelvimetry was 33.3% and related to diagonal conjugate less than 11.5 cm. The sensitivity of external pelvic dimensions was higher than clinical pelvimetry that was highest for the Michaelis transverse diameter(60.72%. Conclusion: External pelvimetry in comparison to clinical pelvimetry is a better method for identifying dystocia in nulliparous women and can replace clinical pelvimetry in antenatal care programs.

  20. [Multi-Target Recognition of Internal and External Defects of Potato by Semi-Transmission Hyperspectral Imaging and Manifold Learning Algorithm].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Tao; Li, Xiao-yu; Jin, Rui; Ku, Jing; Xu, Sen-miao; Xu, Meng-ling; Wu, Zhen-zhong; Kong, De-guo

    2015-04-01

    The present paper put forward a non-destructive detection method which combines semi-transmission hyperspectral imaging technology with manifold learning dimension reduction algorithm and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) to recognize internal and external defects in potatoes simultaneously. Three hundred fifteen potatoes were bought in farmers market as research object, and semi-transmission hyperspectral image acquisition system was constructed to acquire the hyperspectral images of normal external defects (bud and green rind) and internal defect (hollow heart) potatoes. In order to conform to the actual production, defect part is randomly put right, side and back to the acquisition probe when the hyperspectral images of external defects potatoes are acquired. The average spectrums (390-1,040 nm) were extracted from the region of interests for spectral preprocessing. Then three kinds of manifold learning algorithm were respectively utilized to reduce the dimension of spectrum data, including supervised locally linear embedding (SLLE), locally linear embedding (LLE) and isometric mapping (ISOMAP), the low-dimensional data gotten by manifold learning algorithms is used as model input, Error Correcting Output Code (ECOC) and LSSVM were combined to develop the multi-target classification model. By comparing and analyzing results of the three models, we concluded that SLLE is the optimal manifold learning dimension reduction algorithm, and the SLLE-LSSVM model is determined to get the best recognition rate for recognizing internal and external defects potatoes. For test set data, the single recognition rate of normal, bud, green rind and hollow heart potato reached 96.83%, 86.96%, 86.96% and 95% respectively, and he hybrid recognition rate was 93.02%. The results indicate that combining the semi-transmission hyperspectral imaging technology with SLLE-LSSVM is a feasible qualitative analytical method which can simultaneously recognize the internal and

  1. Externalities of fuel cycles 'ExternE' project. Economic valuation. Economical valuation: An impact pathway approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markandya, A.

    1994-01-01

    The EC/US study of the external costs of fuel cycles is designed to trace through all the environmental impacts arising from the use of a particular fuel, from the 'cradle' to the 'grave'; to quantify these impacts as far as possible (giving priority to those that are the considered the most important) and to value the damages arising from them in money terms as far as possible (again keeping to the priority listing established by the physical quantification). The fuel cycle has been identified as consisting of the following elements: activities -> emissions/burdens; emissions/burdens -> physical environmental impacts; physical impacts -> external environmental impacts; external impacts -> costs of these impacts. The activities consist of all the operations that are carried out in connection with the extraction transportation, use in electricity generation and finally disposal of the fuel. The emissions or burdens arising from the cycle result in physical impacts, which in turn imply certain environmental impacts. An illustration of a typical fuel cycle (coal) audits environmental impacts is given in Figures. The work of the fuels cycle study teams is to complete the valuation of the shaded areas but giving priority to those impacts that are likely to be quantitatively important. .Each fuel cycle is evaluated in a location-specific context, so that it refers to the impacts arising from the use of coal, or gas or whatever fuel is being considered at an actual plant that is operating. The purpose of this report on economic valuation is to: (a) examine the literature or economic valuation of environmental externalities in Europe; (b) assess its relevance to the fuel cycle study and (c) make recommendations on how the detailed analysis of the individual fuel cycles should use the economic valuation. It is important to recognize that the report is not a complete survey of all the research ever done on environmental valuation. Although as complete a survey of all the

  2. A Mediation Model of Interparental Collaboration, Parenting Practices, and Child Externalizing Behavior in a Clinical Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kjobli, John; Hagen, Kristine Amlund

    2009-01-01

    The present study examined maternal and paternal parenting practices as mediators of the link between interparental collaboration and children's externalizing behavior. Parent gender was tested as a moderator of the associations. A clinical sample consisting of 136 children with externalizing problems and their families participated in the study.…

  3. Different contributions of internal reviewers and external experts to labelling decisions on therapeutic indications in new drug reviews in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokota, M; Kusama, M; Matsuki, N; Ono, S

    2013-12-01

    External experts play an important role in shaping regulatory decisions in the new drug review process in the United States, Europe and Japan. No rigorous study has been performed addressing how and to what extent external experts, in contrast to internal reviewers in the agency, influence the regulatory decisions during new drug reviews. We examined their contributions in Japanese regulatory reviews in contrast to the internal reviewers, focusing on the labelling decision on therapeutic indications. With the data set of 219 new molecular entities (NMEs) approved in Japan from 2000 to 2009, we observed how proposed indications in labelling were modified in a stepwise manner during the review process and conducted multinomial logistic analysis to examine the possible mechanism behind. We found that interim assessment of indications by the internal reviewers was modified substantially by the influence of the external experts in about 20% of the 219 NMEs. Our analysis suggested that internal reviewers provided their opinion mainly based on strict review discipline, whereas external experts added flexibility and reality to their reviews. Our analysis revealed different evaluations between internal reviewers and external experts during regulatory discussions in new drug reviews and how the external panel contributes to changing internal decisions. This study provides a new and quantitative approach to better label setting by emphasizing the contributions of each stakeholder in new drug reviews, which would improve the efficiency, quality and transparency of new drug reviews to enhance public health. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Testing problem-solving capacities: differences between individual testing and social group setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krasheninnikova, Anastasia; Schneider, Jutta M

    2014-09-01

    Testing animals individually in problem-solving tasks limits distractions of the subjects during the test, so that they can fully concentrate on the problem. However, such individual performance may not indicate the problem-solving capacity that is commonly employed in the wild when individuals are faced with a novel problem in their social groups, where the presence of a conspecific influences an individual's behaviour. To assess the validity of data gathered from parrots when tested individually, we compared the performance on patterned-string tasks among parrots tested singly and parrots tested in social context. We tested two captive groups of orange-winged amazons (Amazona amazonica) with several patterned-string tasks. Despite the differences in the testing environment (singly vs. social context), parrots from both groups performed similarly. However, we found that the willingness to participate in the tasks was significantly higher for the individuals tested in social context. The study provides further evidence for the crucial influence of social context on individual's response to a challenging situation such as a problem-solving test.

  5. PIXE/PIGE characterisation of emeralds using an external micro-beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calligaro, T.; Dran, J.-C.; Poirot, J.-P.; Querre, G.; Salomon, J.; Zwaan, J.C.

    2000-01-01

    A large collection of emeralds of various occurrences has been analysed by PIXE/PIGE in view to establish a compositional database. Major elements (Be, Si, Al) and trace elements (Li, F, Na, Mg, Ca, Rb, Cs and transition metals) are determined using an external 3 MeV proton micro-beam. Elemental micro-mapping permits to select the useful provenance tracers. This database was applied to infer the origin of several ancient emeralds set on historical jewels

  6. Risk and protective factors for internalizing and externalizing outcomes among HIV-affected youth in Haiti.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Michelle; Betancourt, Theresa; Eustache, Eddy; Oswald, Catherine; Louis, Ermaze; Mukherjee, Joia; Surkan, Pamela J; Smith Fawzi, Mary C

    2015-01-01

    The present study aims to: (1) estimate the levels of internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors among youth affected by HIV in central Haiti; and (2) examine the risk and protective factors associated with these outcomes to identify potential areas of intervention for HIV-affected youth. Baseline data for 492 youth affected by HIV (ages 10-17) and their 330 caregivers were collected for a pilot study of a psychosocial support intervention. Participants were recruited from a list of HIV-positive patients receiving care at Partners In Health/Zanmi Lasante clinic sites. Internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Demographic, economic, and social indicators were collected using a structured questionnaire administered by trained social workers. Youth affected by HIV in central Haiti displayed high levels of internalizing and, to a lesser degree, externalizing symptoms. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated risk factors most strongly associated with internalizing symptoms (socioeconomic status, parental depressive symptoms) and externalizing behaviors (household living arrangements, such as living with a stepparent). Social support had a protective effect on externalizing behaviors for both caregiver (β=-0.03, p=0.01) and self-report (β=-0.05, pHaiti and similar resource-limited settings.

  7. Experimental validation of a radio frequency photogun as external electron

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stragier, X.F.D.; Luiten, O.J.; Geer, van der S.B.; Wiel, van der M.J.

    2011-01-01

    A purpose-built RF-photogun as external electron injector for a laser wakefield accelerator has been thoroughly tested. Different properties of the RF-photogun have been measured such as energy, energy spread and transverse emittance. The focus of this study is the investigation of the smallest

  8. National CO2 policy and externalities. Some general equilibrium results for Switzerland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Felder, Stefan; Schleiniger, Reto

    2002-01-01

    Switzerland, following the Kyoto agreement, plans to reduce CO 2 emissions by 10% over the next decade with a tax on the use of fossil fuels. This policy, while having a marginal effect on global CO 2 emission levels, will have a positive effect on local environmental quality. However, since different sources of energy produce different local external effects, a uniform CO 2 tax is ill targeted. This paper shows that a policy setting tax rates equal to the lower bounds of the estimated local marginal external effects would reduce the national CO 2 level by 30%. Using a computable general equilibrium model of the Swiss economy, it also finds substantial efficiency gains of Pigovian taxes as compared to a uniform CO 2 tax

  9. Immunity and Community in Italian War Novels Set in Afghanistan

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Rooy, R.; Jansen, M.

    2017-01-01

    The concept of immunity as developed by Roberto Esposito is complementary with the category of community and contrasts the notion of security with that of external contamination. In this article, the logic of immunity is applied to two 2012 Italian war novels set in Afghanistan, namely Melania

  10. An experimental study of heat transfer characteristics of single and two-phase flows in an annular tube with external vibrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaki, Adel M.; Abou El-Kassem, S.K.; Abdalla Hanafi

    2003-01-01

    An experimental study of the external vibration effect on the heat transfer characteristics of single and two-phase flows in an annular tube is carried out. An experimental set-up was constructed to study the heat transfer in a stationary, as well as, in oscillating annular tube. The annular tube was heated electrically through the inner surface, which is a stainless steel tube (St 304) 13 mm outer diameter, while the outer tube, of 3.7 cm inner diameter, made from a glass. The experimental set-up was equipped with a vibrating system to excite the annular tube in the frequency range of 0 up to 134 Hz. Several sensors for measuring wall and fluid temperatures, heat fluxes and volume flow rates of both phases were used. The obtained results show that the heat transfer coefficient can be significantly increased by vibration of the test section. (author)

  11. Porous photonic crystal external cavity laser biosensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Qinglan [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Peh, Jessie; Hergenrother, Paul J. [Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Cunningham, Brian T. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)

    2016-08-15

    We report the design, fabrication, and testing of a photonic crystal (PC) biosensor structure that incorporates a porous high refractive index TiO{sub 2} dielectric film that enables immobilization of capture proteins within an enhanced surface-area volume that spatially overlaps with the regions of resonant electromagnetic fields where biomolecular binding can produce the greatest shifts in photonic crystal resonant wavelength. Despite the nanoscale porosity of the sensor structure, the PC slab exhibits narrowband and high efficiency resonant reflection, enabling the structure to serve as a wavelength-tunable element of an external cavity laser. In the context of sensing small molecule interactions with much larger immobilized proteins, we demonstrate that the porous structure provides 3.7× larger biosensor signals than an equivalent nonporous structure, while the external cavity laser (ECL) detection method provides capability for sensing picometer-scale shifts in the PC resonant wavelength caused by small molecule binding. The porous ECL achieves a record high figure of merit for label-free optical biosensors.

  12. Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents : familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buschgens, Cathelijne J. M.; van Aken, Marcel A. G.; Swinkels, Sophie H. N.; Ormel, Johan; Verhulst, Frank C.; Buitelaar, Jan K.

    The aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in TRAILS, a large

  13. Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents: familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buschgens, C.J.M.; Aken, M.A.G. van; Swinkels, S.H.N.; Ormel, J.; Verhulst, F.C.; Buitelaar, J.K.

    2010-01-01

    The aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in TRAILS, a large

  14. Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents: familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buschgens, C.J.M.; van Aken, M.A.G.; Swinkels, S.H.N.; Ormel, J.; Verhulst, F.C.; Buitelaar, J.K.

    2010-01-01

    The aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in TRAILS, a large

  15. A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the safety, clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and satisfaction with point of care testing in a general practice setting - rationale, design and baseline characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurence, Caroline; Gialamas, Angela; Yelland, Lisa; Bubner, Tanya; Ryan, Philip; Willson, Kristyn; Glastonbury, Briony; Gill, Janice; Shephard, Mark; Beilby, Justin

    2008-08-06

    Point of care testing (PoCT) may be a useful adjunct in the management of chronic conditions in general practice (GP). The provision of pathology test results at the time of the consultation could lead to enhanced clinical management, better health outcomes, greater convenience and satisfaction for patients and general practitioners (GPs), and savings in costs and time. It could also result in inappropriate testing, increased consultations and poor health outcomes resulting from inaccurate results. Currently there are very few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in GP that have investigated these aspects of PoCT. The Point of Care Testing in General Practice Trial (PoCT Trial) was an Australian Government funded multi-centre, cluster randomised controlled trial to determine the safety, clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and satisfaction of PoCT in a GP setting.The PoCT Trial covered an 18 month period with the intervention consisting of the use of PoCT for seven tests used in the management of patients with diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and patients on anticoagulant therapy. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients within target range, a measure of therapeutic control. In addition, the PoCT Trial investigated the safety of PoCT, impact of PoCT on patient compliance to medication, stakeholder satisfaction, cost effectiveness of PoCT versus laboratory testing, and influence of geographic location. The paper provides an overview of the Trial Design, the rationale for the research methodology chosen and how the Trial was implemented in a GP environment. The evaluation protocol and data collection processes took into account the large number of patients, the broad range of practice types distributed over a large geographic area, and the inclusion of pathology test results from multiple pathology laboratories.The evaluation protocol developed reflects the complexity of the Trial setting, the Trial Design and the approach taken within the funding

  16. 60 GHz Antenna Diagnostics from Planar Near Field Antenna Measurement Without External Frequency Conversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Popa, Paula Irina; Pivnenko, Sergey; Breinbjerg, Olav

    2015-01-01

    ,J.M. Nielsen, O. Breinbjerg, 60 GHz Antenna Measurement Setup using a VNA without External Frequency Conversion,36th Annual Symposium of the Antenna Measurement Technique Association ,October 12-17,Tucson, Arizona, 2014]. In this work we extend the validation of this 60 GHz planar near-field (PNF) set...

  17. The effect of elbow angle and external moment on load sharing of elbow muscles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Praagman, M.; Chadwick, E.K.J.; van der Helm, F.C.T.; Veeger, H.E.J.

    2010-01-01

    To study elbow muscle load sharing we investigated the effect of external flexion-extension (FE) and pronation-supination (PS) moments and elbow angle on muscle activation and oxygen consumption (V̇O2).Two data sets were obtained. First, (n=6) electromyography (EMG) of elbow flexors (long and short

  18. Energy policy and externalities: an overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pearce, D.

    2002-01-01

    Substantial progress has been made in estimating the monetary value of the environmental impacts of different energy systems. Perhaps the best known study in Europe is that sponsored by the European Commission and known as the ExternE programme. In the USA a comparable project is that jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the European Commission. There are many others. In each case what is sought is a monetary value of an environmental impact arising from a unit of energy, usually standardised as a kilowatt hour. These environmental impacts are usually termed 'externalities'. An externality exists if two conditions are met. First, some negative (or positive) impact is generated by an economic activity and imposed on third parties. Second, that impact must not be priced in the market place, i.e. if the effect is negative, no compensation is paid by the generator of the externality to the sufferer. If the effect is positive, the generator of the externality must not appropriate the gains to the third party, e.g. via some price that is charged. In the energy externality literature, the procedure of expressing the externalities in, say, cents or milli-euros (1000 th of an Euro = m-euro) per kWh results in an 'adder'. An adder is simply the unit externality cost added to the standard resource cost of energy. Thus, if an electricity source costs X m/euros to produce or deliver, the final social cost of it is (X+y) m-euros where y is the externality adder. While externality adders have been researched most in the context of energy, they are increasingly being estimated for other economic sectors, notably transport and agriculture. This paper presents the uses of such figures. (author)

  19. Points in the set-up of tests for fMRI. Toward the delineation of language-competent areas in clinical practice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takashima, Hisaharu; Ejima, Mitsuhiro; Takeyama, Mamoru; Yamaguchi, Masami; Sato, Yoshino

    2001-01-01

    This hospital has performed fMRI of language-competent areas of the brain to identify the language-dominant hemisphere and obtain the configuration of the focus in the language-dominant side of the brain. Until now, signals have been detected in only two of fifteen patients who were diagnosed by language tests of a last-syllable word chain. In the present experiment, we tried to have subjects select the type of test. The result was that changes in signals were detected in eight of ten patients. Although the set-up of tests for fMRI is said to hold significant value, clear-cut studies to back this up have rarely been seen. Because clinical medicine treats patients who have difficulty in communication or suffer from aphasia, it is important to take into consideration individual variations and to set up a test suitable for, or achievable by, these individuals. The present method enabled us to avoid failure in examination caused by unsuccessful tests. (author)

  20. Points in the set-up of tests for fMRI. Toward the delineation of language-competent areas in clinical practice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takashima, Hisaharu; Ejima, Mitsuhiro; Takeyama, Mamoru; Yamaguchi, Masami; Sato, Yoshino [Tokyo Women' s Medical Coll. (Japan). Hospital

    2001-06-01

    This hospital has performed fMRI of language-competent areas of the brain to identify the language-dominant hemisphere and obtain the configuration of the focus in the language-dominant side of the brain. Until now, signals have been detected in only two of fifteen patients who were diagnosed by language tests of a last-syllable word chain. In the present experiment, we tried to have subjects select the type of test. The result was that changes in signals were detected in eight of ten patients. Although the set-up of tests for fMRI is said to hold significant value, clear-cut studies to back this up have rarely been seen. Because clinical medicine treats patients who have difficulty in communication or suffer from aphasia, it is important to take into consideration individual variations and to set up a test suitable for, or achievable by, these individuals. The present method enabled us to avoid failure in examination caused by unsuccessful tests. (author)