Ignition of alkane-rich FACE gasoline fuels and their surrogate mixtures

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani

2015-01-01

Petroleum derived gasoline is the most used transportation fuel for light-duty vehicles. In order to better understand gasoline combustion, this study investigated the ignition propensity of two alkane-rich FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasoline test fuels and their corresponding PRF (primary reference fuel) blend in fundamental combustion experiments. Shock tube ignition delay times were measured in two separate facilities at pressures of 10, 20, and 40 bar, temperatures from 715 to 1500 K, and two equivalence ratios. Rapid compression machine ignition delay times were measured for fuel/air mixtures at pressures of 20 and 40 bar, temperatures from 632 to 745 K, and two equivalence ratios. Detailed hydrocarbon analysis was also performed on the FACE gasoline fuels, and the results were used to formulate multi-component gasoline surrogate mixtures. Detailed chemical kinetic modeling results are presented herein to provide insights into the relevance of utilizing PRF and multi-component surrogate mixtures to reproduce the ignition behavior of the alkane-rich FACE gasoline fuels. The two FACE gasoline fuels and their corresponding PRF mixture displayed similar ignition behavior at intermediate and high temperatures, but differences were observed at low temperatures. These trends were mimicked by corresponding surrogate mixture models, except for the amount of heat release in the first stage of a two-stage ignition events, when observed. © 2014 The Combustion Institute.

Designing a Surrogate Fuel for Gas-to-Liquid Derived Diesel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Choudhury, H. A.; Intikhab, S.; Kalakul, Sawitree

2017-01-01

loads, diesel fuel surpasses the total hydrocarbon (THC) emissions for both the surrogate and the GTL fuel. No significant variation in CO and CO2 emissions for MI-5, GTL diesel and conventional diesel is observed. Analysis of combustion as well as emission behavior of the fuels helps to understand...

Oxidation of Alkane Rich Gasoline Fuels and their Surrogates in a Motored Engine

KAUST Repository

Shankar, Vijai S B

2015-03-30

The validation of surrogates formulated using a computational framework by Ahmed et al.[1]for two purely paraffinic gasoline fuels labelled FACE A and FACE C was undertaken in this study. The ability of these surrogate mixtures to be used in modelling LTC engines was accessed by comparison of their low temperature oxidation chemistry with that of the respective parent fuel as well as a PRF based on RON. This was done by testing the surrogate mixtures in a modified Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine running in Controlled Autoignition Mode (CAI) mode. The engine was run at a constant speed of 600 rpm at an equivalence ratio of 0.5 with the intake temperature at 150 °C and a pressure of 98 kPa. The low temperature reactivity of the fuels were studied by varying the compression ratio of the engine from the point were very only small low temperature heat release was observed to a point beyond which auto-ignition of the fuel/air mixture occurred. The apparent heat release rates of different fuels was calculated from the pressure histories using first law analysis and the CA 50 times of the low temperature heat release (LTHR) were compared. The surrogates reproduced the cool flame behavior of the parent fuels better than the PRF across all compression ratios.

Oxidation of Alkane Rich Gasoline Fuels and their Surrogates in a Motored Engine

KAUST Repository

Shankar, Vijai S B; Al-Qurashi, Khalid; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Atef, Nour; Chung, Suk-Ho; Roberts, William L.; Sarathy, Mani

2015-01-01

The validation of surrogates formulated using a computational framework by Ahmed et al.[1]for two purely paraffinic gasoline fuels labelled FACE A and FACE C was undertaken in this study. The ability of these surrogate mixtures to be used in modelling LTC engines was accessed by comparison of their low temperature oxidation chemistry with that of the respective parent fuel as well as a PRF based on RON. This was done by testing the surrogate mixtures in a modified Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine running in Controlled Autoignition Mode (CAI) mode. The engine was run at a constant speed of 600 rpm at an equivalence ratio of 0.5 with the intake temperature at 150 °C and a pressure of 98 kPa. The low temperature reactivity of the fuels were studied by varying the compression ratio of the engine from the point were very only small low temperature heat release was observed to a point beyond which auto-ignition of the fuel/air mixture occurred. The apparent heat release rates of different fuels was calculated from the pressure histories using first law analysis and the CA 50 times of the low temperature heat release (LTHR) were compared. The surrogates reproduced the cool flame behavior of the parent fuels better than the PRF across all compression ratios.

A surrogate fuel formulation to characterize heating and evaporation of light naphtha droplets

KAUST Repository

Kabil, I.

2018-03-08

Light naphtha (LN) is gaining interest in internal combustion (IC) engine applications due to its low refining cost and higher heating values compared to commercial gasoline. To properly describe the chemical and physical behavior of the LN fuel under IC engine conditions, a systematic procedure to develop unified physical and chemical surrogates is described. The reduced component models to describe the chemical characteristics of LN are combined with the effective thermal conductivity/effective diffusivity (ETC/ED) model to represent the accurate evaporation behavior. Three surrogate fuels consisting of three to five components are presented and their performance in heating and evaporation of a single LN droplet is compared against the conventional primary reference fuel (PRF65) surrogate which is based on chemical aspects only. Unlike the previous approaches, the new surrogates also target matching the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio and research octane number in order to accurately describe the chemical behavior of the fuel. Subsequently, the performance of the surrogates in describing spray characteristics is tested by computational simulations compared with experimental measurements. The simulations were carried out using CONVERGE CFD package. The ETC/ED model was implemented into CONVERGE using user-defined functions. The predicted spray penetration length for the developed surrogates shows good agreement with the experimental data. At engine-like conditions, the ETC/ED model predicts higher vapor mass than the infinite thermal conductivity/infinite diffusivity model, hence showing the expected trend by incorporating the realistic droplet heating process.

A surrogate fuel formulation to characterize heating and evaporation of light naphtha droplets

KAUST Repository

Kabil, I.; Sim, J.; Badra, J.A.; Eldrainy, Y.; Abdelghaffar, W.; Mubarak Ali, M. Jaasim; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Sarathy, Mani; Im, Hong G.; Elwardani, Ahmed Elsaid

2018-01-01

Light naphtha (LN) is gaining interest in internal combustion (IC) engine applications due to its low refining cost and higher heating values compared to commercial gasoline. To properly describe the chemical and physical behavior of the LN fuel under IC engine conditions, a systematic procedure to develop unified physical and chemical surrogates is described. The reduced component models to describe the chemical characteristics of LN are combined with the effective thermal conductivity/effective diffusivity (ETC/ED) model to represent the accurate evaporation behavior. Three surrogate fuels consisting of three to five components are presented and their performance in heating and evaporation of a single LN droplet is compared against the conventional primary reference fuel (PRF65) surrogate which is based on chemical aspects only. Unlike the previous approaches, the new surrogates also target matching the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio and research octane number in order to accurately describe the chemical behavior of the fuel. Subsequently, the performance of the surrogates in describing spray characteristics is tested by computational simulations compared with experimental measurements. The simulations were carried out using CONVERGE CFD package. The ETC/ED model was implemented into CONVERGE using user-defined functions. The predicted spray penetration length for the developed surrogates shows good agreement with the experimental data. At engine-like conditions, the ETC/ED model predicts higher vapor mass than the infinite thermal conductivity/infinite diffusivity model, hence showing the expected trend by incorporating the realistic droplet heating process.

Flame chemistry of alkane-rich gasoline fuels and a surrogate using photoionization mass spectrometry: I. Primary reference fuel

KAUST Repository

Selim, H.

2015-03-30

Improving the gasoline engines performance requires thorough understanding of their fundamental chemistry of combustion. Since the actual gasoline fuels are difficult to examine, due to the lack of knowledge about their exact composition as well as their numerous fuel components, the approach of using simpler gasoline fuels with limited number of components or using surrogate fuels has become more common. In this study, the combustion chemistry of laminar premixed flame of different gasoline fuels/surrogate has been examined. In this particular paper, the primary reference fuel, PRF84, has been examined at equivalence ratio of 1 and pressure of 20 Torr. The gas analysis was conducted using vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry.

Flame chemistry of alkane-rich gasoline fuels and a surrogate using photoionization mass spectrometry: I. Primary reference fuel

KAUST Repository

Selim, H.; Lucassen, A.; Hansen, N.; Sarathy, Mani

2015-01-01

Improving the gasoline engines performance requires thorough understanding of their fundamental chemistry of combustion. Since the actual gasoline fuels are difficult to examine, due to the lack of knowledge about their exact composition as well as their numerous fuel components, the approach of using simpler gasoline fuels with limited number of components or using surrogate fuels has become more common. In this study, the combustion chemistry of laminar premixed flame of different gasoline fuels/surrogate has been examined. In this particular paper, the primary reference fuel, PRF84, has been examined at equivalence ratio of 1 and pressure of 20 Torr. The gas analysis was conducted using vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry.

A new formulation of physical surrogates of FACE A gasoline fuel based on heating and evaporation characteristics

KAUST Repository

Elwardani, Ahmed Elsaid; Sazhin, S.S.; Im, Hong G.

2016-01-01

The US Department of Energy has formulated various sets of gasoline fuels, called fuels for advanced combustion engines (FACE), which are consistent in composition and properties. The analysis of heating and evaporation of FACE A gasoline fuel (paraffin-rich) is studied by replacing the 66 components with 19 components to represent this fuel. The reduction in the number of components is based on merging components from the same chemical groups and having the same chemical formula, which have very close thermophysical properties; the components with the highest initial compositions are chosen to be the representative components. Modelling of heating and evaporation of FACE A gasoline fuel and various surrogates is carried out based on the effective thermal conductivity/effective diffusivity model (ETC/ED). The model takes into account the effect of finite liquid thermal conductivity, finite liquid mass diffusivity and recirculation inside the droplets due to their non-zero velocities relative to the ambient air. Four surrogates of FACE A found in the literature are used in the analysis. These surrogates include the five component surrogate chosen for its ability to match the ignition delay time of the FACE A gasoline fuel (Surr1), the primary reference fuel surrogate (PRF84) that matches the research octane number (RON) of FACE A, the one that matches hydrogen-to-carbon ratio (H/C), RON, density and distillation curve with FACE A (Surr2), and the one that matches the RON based on mole fraction linear blending (Surr3). It is shown that these surrogates cannot predict adequately the time evolution of surface temperatures and radii of FACE A droplets. New 'physical' surrogates with 8, 7 and 6 components (Surr4, Surr5, and Surr6) are introduced to match the evaporation characteristics of FACE A. It is found that Surr5 (7 components surrogate) can predict droplet lifetime and time evolution of surface temperature of a FACE A droplet with errors of up to 5% and 0

A new formulation of physical surrogates of FACE A gasoline fuel based on heating and evaporation characteristics

KAUST Repository

Elwardani, Ahmed Elsaid

2016-02-19

The US Department of Energy has formulated various sets of gasoline fuels, called fuels for advanced combustion engines (FACE), which are consistent in composition and properties. The analysis of heating and evaporation of FACE A gasoline fuel (paraffin-rich) is studied by replacing the 66 components with 19 components to represent this fuel. The reduction in the number of components is based on merging components from the same chemical groups and having the same chemical formula, which have very close thermophysical properties; the components with the highest initial compositions are chosen to be the representative components. Modelling of heating and evaporation of FACE A gasoline fuel and various surrogates is carried out based on the effective thermal conductivity/effective diffusivity model (ETC/ED). The model takes into account the effect of finite liquid thermal conductivity, finite liquid mass diffusivity and recirculation inside the droplets due to their non-zero velocities relative to the ambient air. Four surrogates of FACE A found in the literature are used in the analysis. These surrogates include the five component surrogate chosen for its ability to match the ignition delay time of the FACE A gasoline fuel (Surr1), the primary reference fuel surrogate (PRF84) that matches the research octane number (RON) of FACE A, the one that matches hydrogen-to-carbon ratio (H/C), RON, density and distillation curve with FACE A (Surr2), and the one that matches the RON based on mole fraction linear blending (Surr3). It is shown that these surrogates cannot predict adequately the time evolution of surface temperatures and radii of FACE A droplets. New \\'physical\\' surrogates with 8, 7 and 6 components (Surr4, Surr5, and Surr6) are introduced to match the evaporation characteristics of FACE A. It is found that Surr5 (7 components surrogate) can predict droplet lifetime and time evolution of surface temperature of a FACE A droplet with errors of up to 5% and 0

Premixed flame chemistry of a gasoline primary reference fuel surrogate

KAUST Repository

Selim, Hatem; Mohamed, Samah; Hansen, Nils; Sarathy, Mani

2017-01-01

Investigating the combustion chemistry of gasoline surrogate fuels promises to improve detailed reaction mechanisms used for simulating their combustion. In this work, the combustion chemistry of one of the simplest, but most frequently used

Soot formation characteristics of gasoline surrogate fuels in counterflow diffusion flames

KAUST Repository

Choi, Byungchul; Choi, Sangkyu; Chung, Suk-Ho

2011-01-01

The characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and soot for gasoline surrogate fuels have been investigated in counterflow diffusion flames by adopting laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and laser-induced incandescence (LII) techniques

Premixed flame chemistry of a gasoline primary reference fuel surrogate

KAUST Repository

Selim, Hatem

2017-03-10

Investigating the combustion chemistry of gasoline surrogate fuels promises to improve detailed reaction mechanisms used for simulating their combustion. In this work, the combustion chemistry of one of the simplest, but most frequently used gasoline surrogates – primary reference fuel 84 (PRF 84, 84 vol% iso-octane and 16 vol% n-heptane), has been examined in a stoichiometric premixed laminar flame. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron light source for species photoionization was used. Reactants, major end-products, stable intermediates, free radicals, and isomeric species were detected and quantified. Numerical simulations were conducted using a detailed chemical kinetic model with the most recently available high temperature sub-mechanisms for iso-octane and heptane, built on the top of an updated pentane isomers model and AramcoMech 2.0 (C0C4) base chemistry. A detailed interpretation of the major differences between the mechanistic pathways of both fuel components is given. A comparison between the experimental and numerical results is depicted and rate of production and sensitivity analyses are shown for the species with considerable disagreement between the experimental and numerical findings.

Integration of computational modeling and experimental techniques to design fuel surrogates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Choudhury, H.A.; Intikhab, S.; Kalakul, Sawitree

2017-01-01

performance. A simplified alternative is to develop surrogate fuels that have fewer compounds and emulate certain important desired physical properties of the target fuels. Six gasoline blends were formulated through a computer aided model based technique “Mixed Integer Non-Linear Programming” (MINLP...... Virtual Process-Product Design Laboratory (VPPD-Lab) are applied onto the defined compositions of the surrogate gasoline. The aim is to primarily verify the defined composition of gasoline by means of VPPD-Lab. ρ, η and RVP are calculated with more accuracy and constraints such as distillation curve...... and flash point on the blend design are also considered. A post-design experiment-based verification step is proposed to further improve and fine-tune the “best” selected gasoline blends following the computation work. Here, advanced experimental techniques are used to measure the RVP, ρ, η, RON...

Pre-Flight Ground Testing of the Full-Scale HIFiRE-1 at Fully Duplicated Flight Conditions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wadhams, Tim P; MacLean, Matthew G; Holden, Michael S; Mundy, Erik

2008-01-01

As part of an experimental study to obtain detailed heating and pressure data over the full-scale HIFiRE-1 flight geometry, CUBRC has completed a 30-run matrix of ground tests, sponsored by the AFOSR...

A reaction mechanism for gasoline surrogate fuels for large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

KAUST Repository

Raj, Abhijeet; Charry Prada, Iran David; Amer, Ahmad Amer; Chung, Suk-Ho

2012-01-01

This work aims to develop a reaction mechanism for gasoline surrogate fuels (n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene) with an emphasis on the formation of large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Starting from an existing base mechanism for gasoline

HIFiRE-1 Turbulent Shock Boundary Layer Interaction - Flight Data and Computations (Postprint)

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

STATEMENT. *//Signature// //Signature// ROGER L. KIMMEL MICHAEL S. BROWN, Chief Project Manager Hypersonic Sciences Branch...propulsion, propulsion-airframe integration, aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics, high temperature materials and structures, thermal management ...Stanfield, S., Borg , M., “Analysis of HIFiRE-1 Transition Data,” NATO Research and Technology Agency, Specialists Meeting AVT-200/RSM-030 on

Compositional effects on PAH and soot formation in counterflow diffusion flames of gasoline surrogate fuels

KAUST Repository

Park, Sungwoo

2017-02-05

Gasoline surrogate fuels are widely used to understand the fundamental combustion properties of complex refinery gasoline fuels. In this study, the compositional effects on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and soot formation were investigated experimentally for gasoline surrogate mixtures comprising n-heptane, iso-octane, and toluene in counterflow diffusion flames. A comprehensive kinetic model for the gasoline surrogate mixtures was developed to accurately predict the fuel oxidation along with the formation of PAHs and soot in flames. This combined model was first tested against ignition delay times and laminar burning velocities data. The proposed model for the formation and growth of PAHs up to coronene (C24H12) was based on previous studies and was tested against existing and present new experimental data. Additionally, in the accompanied soot model, PAHs with sizes larger than (including) pyrene were used for the inception of soot particles, followed by particle coagulations and PAH condensation/chemical reactions on soot surfaces. The major pathways for the formation of PAHs were also identified for the surrogate mixtures. The model accurately captures the synergistic PAH formation characteristics observed experimentally for n-heptane/toluene and iso-octane/toluene binary mixtures. Furthermore, the present experimental and modeling results also elucidated different trends in the formation of larger PAHs and soot between binary n-heptane/iso-octane and ternary n-heptane/iso-octane/toluene mixtures. Propargyl radicals (C3H3) were shown to be important in the formation and growth of PAHs for n-heptane/iso-octane mixtures when the iso-octane concentration increased; however, reactions involving benzyl radicals (C6H5CH2) played a significant role in the formation of PAHs for n-heptane/iso-octane/toluene mixtures. These results indicated that the formation of PAHs and subsequently soot was strongly affected by the composition of gasoline surrogate mixtures.

Compositional effects on PAH and soot formation in counterflow diffusion flames of gasoline surrogate fuels

KAUST Repository

Park, Sungwoo; Wang, Yu; Chung, Suk-Ho; Sarathy, Mani

2017-01-01

Gasoline surrogate fuels are widely used to understand the fundamental combustion properties of complex refinery gasoline fuels. In this study, the compositional effects on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and soot formation were investigated experimentally for gasoline surrogate mixtures comprising n-heptane, iso-octane, and toluene in counterflow diffusion flames. A comprehensive kinetic model for the gasoline surrogate mixtures was developed to accurately predict the fuel oxidation along with the formation of PAHs and soot in flames. This combined model was first tested against ignition delay times and laminar burning velocities data. The proposed model for the formation and growth of PAHs up to coronene (C24H12) was based on previous studies and was tested against existing and present new experimental data. Additionally, in the accompanied soot model, PAHs with sizes larger than (including) pyrene were used for the inception of soot particles, followed by particle coagulations and PAH condensation/chemical reactions on soot surfaces. The major pathways for the formation of PAHs were also identified for the surrogate mixtures. The model accurately captures the synergistic PAH formation characteristics observed experimentally for n-heptane/toluene and iso-octane/toluene binary mixtures. Furthermore, the present experimental and modeling results also elucidated different trends in the formation of larger PAHs and soot between binary n-heptane/iso-octane and ternary n-heptane/iso-octane/toluene mixtures. Propargyl radicals (C3H3) were shown to be important in the formation and growth of PAHs for n-heptane/iso-octane mixtures when the iso-octane concentration increased; however, reactions involving benzyl radicals (C6H5CH2) played a significant role in the formation of PAHs for n-heptane/iso-octane/toluene mixtures. These results indicated that the formation of PAHs and subsequently soot was strongly affected by the composition of gasoline surrogate mixtures.

Laminar and Turbulent Flow Calculations for the Hifire-5B Flight Test

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

STATES AIR FORCE AFRL-RQ-WP-TP-2017-0172 LAMINAR AND TURBULENT FLOW CALCULATIONS FOR THE HIFIRE-5B FLIGHT TEST Roger L. Kimmel Hypersonic Sciences...stationary instabilities of the three-dimensional flow as the grid becomes finer. It may not be possible to obtain a strictly laminar basic state on a very...fine grid. A basic state solution was desired for the laminar flow calculations, and the oscillations observed in Fig. 3 were judged to be undesirable

Characterization of n-heptane as a single component Diesel surrogate fuel. EHPC test set-up implementation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meijer, M.

2010-06-15

The availability of accurately measured fuel properties, during an injection event under engine relevant conditions is critical within the surrogate fuel approach. There is a need to perform in-house measurements in order to validate developed and new models. A well defined and accurately measured data-set will facilitate on-going work for sophisticated engine related in-cylinder combustion modeling. In this work pure n-heptane fuel is used as a single component surrogate fuel and is studied in a high-pressure constant volume optical test set-up. N-heptane is often used as a single component surrogate diesel fuel since it has a comparable Cetane number as European diesel. Detailed chemical-kinetic mechanisms for low-, intermediate-, and high-temperature n-heptane oxidation are available and several models exist that have sufficiently reduced dimensionality (number of species and reactions) to enable their use in CFD (Computational Fluid Mechanics) simulations. This report discusses the route and implementation to perform such an accurate and relevant n-heptane measurement series. The aim is to combine the efforts of earlier presented EHPC (Eindhoven High Pressure Cell) related work and new approaches, into the proposed surrogate fuel measurement series. The following aspects, related to the applied constant volume combustion chamber set-up, are studied and implemented: Extending the operating ranges towards relevant engine conditions; Study the accuracy and sensitivities of the different measurement steps; Implementing different optical diagnostic principles; and Implement a standardized and robust post processing routine. The different optical diagnostic principles used in this work are: high-speed Schlieren, Mie scattering and beginnings are made to implement a simultaneous LII LIF (Laser Induced Incandescence - Laser Induced Fluorescence) set-up using a new ICCD (Intensified Charge Coupled Device) camera with dual imaging feature. Combining the different

Evaluation and Development of Chemical Kinetic Mechanism Reduction Scheme for Biodiesel and Diesel Fuel Surrogates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poon, Hiew Mun; Ng, Hoon Kiat; Gan, Suyin

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the existing chemical kinetic mechanism reduction techniques. From here, an appropriate reduction scheme was developed to create compact yet comprehensive surrogate models for both diesel and biodiesel fuels for diesel engine applications. The reduction...... techniques applied here were Directed Relation Graph (DRG), DRG with Error Propagation, DRG-aided Sensitivity Analysis, and DRG with Error Propagation and Sensitivity Analysis. Nonetheless, the reduced mechanisms generated via these techniques were not sufficiently small for application in multi......-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study. A new reduction scheme was therefore formulated. A 68-species mechanism for biodiesel surrogate and a 49-species mechanism for diesel surrogate were successfully derived from the respective detailed mechanisms. An overall 97% reduction in species number...

Development of correlations for combustion modelling with supercritical surrogate jet fuels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raja Sekhar Dondapati

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Supercritical fluid technology finds its application in almost all engineering aspects in one or other way. Technology of clean jet fuel combustion is also seeing supercritical fluids as one of their contender in order to mitigate the challenges related to global warming and health issues occurred due to unwanted emissions which are found to be the by-products in conventional jet engine combustion. As jet fuel is a blend of hundred of hydrocarbons, thus estimation of chemical kinetics and emission characteristics while simulation become much complex. Advancement in supercritical jet fuel combustion technology demands reliable property statistics of jet fuel as a function temperature and pressure. Therefore, in the present work one jet fuel surrogate (n-dodecane which has been recognized as the constituent of real jet fuel is studied and thermophysical properties of each is evaluated in the supercritical regime. Correlation has been developed for two transport properties namely density and viscosity at the critical pressure and over a wide range of temperatures (TC + 100 K. Further, to endorse the reliability of the developed correlation, two arithmetical parameters have been evaluated which illustrates an outstanding agreement between the data obtained from online NIST Web-Book and the developed correlation.

A reaction mechanism for gasoline surrogate fuels for large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

KAUST Repository

Raj, Abhijeet

2012-02-01

This work aims to develop a reaction mechanism for gasoline surrogate fuels (n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene) with an emphasis on the formation of large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Starting from an existing base mechanism for gasoline surrogate fuels with the largest chemical species being pyrene (C 16H 10), this new mechanism is generated by adding PAH sub-mechanisms to account for the formation and growth of PAHs up to coronene (C 24H 12). The density functional theory (DFT) and the transition state theory (TST) have been adopted to evaluate the rate constants for several PAH reactions. The mechanism is validated in the premixed laminar flames of n-heptane, iso-octane, benzene and ethylene. The characteristics of PAH formation in the counterflow diffusion flames of iso-octane/toluene and n-heptane/toluene mixtures have also been tested for both the soot formation and soot formation/oxidation flame conditions. The predictions of the concentrations of large PAHs in the premixed flames having available experimental data are significantly improved with the new mechanism as compared to the base mechanism. The major pathways for the formation of large PAHs are identified. The test of the counterflow diffusion flames successfully predicts the PAH behavior exhibiting a synergistic effect observed experimentally for the mixture fuels, irrespective of the type of flame (soot formation flame or soot formation/oxidation flame). The reactions that lead to this synergistic effect in PAH formation are identified through the rate-of-production analysis. © 2011 The Combustion Institute.

A comparative study of the oxidation characteristics of two gasoline fuels and an n-heptane/iso-octane surrogate mixture

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour

2015-01-01

Ignition delay times and CO, H2O, OH and CO2 time-histories were measured behind reflected shock waves for two FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasolines and one PRF (Primary Reference Fuel) blend. The FACE gasolines chosen for this work are primarily paraffinic and have the same octane rating (∼RON = 84) as the PRF blend, but contain varying amounts of iso- and n-paraffins. Species time-histories and ignition delay times were measured using laser absorption methods over a temperature range of 1350-1550 K and pressures near 2 atm. Measured species time-histories and ignition delay times of the PRF blend and the two FACE fuels agreed reasonably well. However, when compared to recent gasoline surrogate mechanisms, the simulations did not capture some of the kinetic trends found in the species profiles. To our knowledge, this work provides some of the first shock tube species time-history data for gasoline fuels and PRF surrogates and should enable further improvements in detailed kinetic mechanisms of gasoline fuels.

Laminar Burning Velocities of Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines (FACE) Gasoline and Gasoline Surrogates with and without Ethanol Blending Associated with Octane Rating

KAUST Repository

Mannaa, Ossama

2016-05-04

Laminar burning velocities of fuels for advanced combustion engines (FACE) C gasoline and of several blends of surrogate toluene reference fuels (TRFs) (n-heptane, iso-octane, and toluene mixtures) of the same research octane number are presented. Effects of ethanol addition on laminar flame speed of FACE-C and its surrogate are addressed. Measurements were conducted using a constant volume spherical combustion vessel in the constant pressure, stable flame regime at an initial temperature of 358 K and initial pressures up to 0.6 MPa with the equivalence ratios ranging from 0.8 to 1.6. Comparable values in the laminar burning velocities were measured for the FACE-C gasoline and the proposed surrogate fuel (17.60% n-heptane + 77.40% iso-octane + 5% toluene) over the range of experimental conditions. Sensitivity of flame propagation to total stretch rate effects and thermo-diffusive instability was quantified by determining Markstein length. Two percentages of an oxygenated fuel of ethanol as an additive, namely, 60 vol% and 85 vol% were investigated. The addition of ethanol to FACE-C and its surrogate TRF-1 (17.60% n-heptane + 77.40% iso-octane + 5% toluene) resulted in a relatively similar increase in the laminar burning velocities. The high-pressure measured values of Markstein length for the studied fuels blended with ethanol showed minimal influence of ethanol addition on the flame’s response to stretch rate and thermo-diffusive instability. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.

Laminar Burning Velocities of Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines (FACE) Gasoline and Gasoline Surrogates with and without Ethanol Blending Associated with Octane Rating

KAUST Repository

Mannaa, Ossama; Mansour, Morkous S.; Roberts, William L.; Chung, Suk-Ho

2016-01-01

Laminar burning velocities of fuels for advanced combustion engines (FACE) C gasoline and of several blends of surrogate toluene reference fuels (TRFs) (n-heptane, iso-octane, and toluene mixtures) of the same research octane number are presented. Effects of ethanol addition on laminar flame speed of FACE-C and its surrogate are addressed. Measurements were conducted using a constant volume spherical combustion vessel in the constant pressure, stable flame regime at an initial temperature of 358 K and initial pressures up to 0.6 MPa with the equivalence ratios ranging from 0.8 to 1.6. Comparable values in the laminar burning velocities were measured for the FACE-C gasoline and the proposed surrogate fuel (17.60% n-heptane + 77.40% iso-octane + 5% toluene) over the range of experimental conditions. Sensitivity of flame propagation to total stretch rate effects and thermo-diffusive instability was quantified by determining Markstein length. Two percentages of an oxygenated fuel of ethanol as an additive, namely, 60 vol% and 85 vol% were investigated. The addition of ethanol to FACE-C and its surrogate TRF-1 (17.60% n-heptane + 77.40% iso-octane + 5% toluene) resulted in a relatively similar increase in the laminar burning velocities. The high-pressure measured values of Markstein length for the studied fuels blended with ethanol showed minimal influence of ethanol addition on the flame’s response to stretch rate and thermo-diffusive instability. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.

High-temperature deformation and processing maps of Zr-4 metal matrix with dispersed coated surrogate nuclear fuel particles

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jing; Liu, Huiqun; Zhang, Ruiqian; Li, Gang; Yi, Danqing; Lin, Gaoyong; Guo, Zhen; Liu, Shaoqiang

2018-06-01

High-temperature compression deformation of a Zr-4 metal matrix with dispersed coated surrogate nuclear fuel particles was investigated at 750 °C-950 °C with a strain rate of 0.01-1.0 s-1 and height reduction of 20%. Scanning electron microscopy was utilized to investigate the influence of the deformation conditions on the microstructure of the composite and damage to the coated surrogate fuel particles. The results indicated that the flow stress of the composite increased with increasing strain rate and decreasing temperature. The true stress-strain curves showed obvious serrated oscillation characteristics. There were stable deformation ranges at the initial deformation stage with low true strain at strain rate 0.01 s-1 for all measured temperatures. Additionally, the coating on the surface of the surrogate nuclear fuel particles was damaged when the Zr-4 matrix was deformed at conditions of high strain rate and low temperature. The deformation stability was obtained from the processing maps and microstructural characterization. The high-temperature deformation activation energy was 354.22, 407.68, and 433.81 kJ/mol at true strains of 0.02, 0.08, and 0.15, respectively. The optimum deformation parameters for the composite were 900-950 °C and 0.01 s-1. These results are expected to provide guidance for subsequent determination of possible hot working processes for this composite.

Surrogate fuel assembly multi-axis shaker tests to simulate normal conditions of rail and truck transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McConnell, Paul E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Koenig, Greg John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Uncapher, William Leonard [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Grey, Carissa [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Engelhardt, Charles [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Saltzstein, Sylvia J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sorenson, Ken B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-05-01

This report describes the third set of tests (the “DCLa shaker tests”) of an instrumented surrogate PWR fuel assembly. The purpose of this set of tests was to measure strains and accelerations on Zircaloy-4 fuel rods when the PWR assembly was subjected to rail and truck loadings simulating normal conditions of transport when affixed to a multi-axis shaker. This is the first set of tests of the assembly simulating rail normal conditions of transport.

Surrogate fuel assembly multi-axis shaker tests to simulate normal conditions of rail and truck transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McConnell, Paul E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Koenig, Greg John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Uncapher, William Leonard [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Grey, Carissa [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Engelhardt, Charles [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Saltzstein, Sylvia J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sorenson, Ken B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-05-12

This report describes the third set of tests (the “DCL^a shaker tests”) of an instrumented surrogate PWR fuel assembly. The purpose of this set of tests was to measure strains and accelerations on Zircaloy-4 fuel rods when the PWR assembly was subjected to rail and truck loadings simulating normal conditions of transport when affixed to a multi-axis shaker. This is the first set of tests of the assembly simulating rail normal conditions of transport.

A high-temperature, short-duration method of fabricating surrogate fuel microkernels for carbide-based TRISO nuclear fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasudevamurthy, G.; Radecka, A.; Massey, C.

2015-01-01

High-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology is a frontrunner among generation IV nuclear reactor designs. Among the advanced nuclear fuel forms proposed for these reactors, dispersion-type fuel consisting of microencapsulated uranium di-oxide kernels, popularly known as tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel, has emerged as the fuel form of choice. Generation IV gas-cooled fast reactors offer the benefit of recycling nuclear waste with increased burn-ups in addition to producing the required power and hydrogen. Uranium carbide has shown great potential to replace uranium di-oxide for use in these fast spectrum reactors. Uranium carbide microkernels for fast reactor TRISO fuel have traditionally been fabricated by long-duration carbothermic reduction and sintering of precursor uranium dioxide microkernels produced using sol-gel techniques. These long-duration conversion processes are often plagued by issues such as final product purity and process parameters that are detrimental to minor actinide retention. In this context a relatively simple, high-temperature but relatively quick-rotating electrode arc melting method to fabricate microkernels directly from a feedstock electrode was investigated. The process was demonstrated using surrogate tungsten carbide on account of its easy availability, accessibility and the similarity of its melting point relative to uranium carbide and uranium di-oxide.

A high-temperature, short-duration method of fabricating surrogate fuel microkernels for carbide-based TRISO nuclear fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasudevamurthy, G.; Radecka, A.; Massey, C. [Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond, VA (United States). High Temperature Materials Lab.

2015-07-01

High-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology is a frontrunner among generation IV nuclear reactor designs. Among the advanced nuclear fuel forms proposed for these reactors, dispersion-type fuel consisting of microencapsulated uranium di-oxide kernels, popularly known as tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel, has emerged as the fuel form of choice. Generation IV gas-cooled fast reactors offer the benefit of recycling nuclear waste with increased burn-ups in addition to producing the required power and hydrogen. Uranium carbide has shown great potential to replace uranium di-oxide for use in these fast spectrum reactors. Uranium carbide microkernels for fast reactor TRISO fuel have traditionally been fabricated by long-duration carbothermic reduction and sintering of precursor uranium dioxide microkernels produced using sol-gel techniques. These long-duration conversion processes are often plagued by issues such as final product purity and process parameters that are detrimental to minor actinide retention. In this context a relatively simple, high-temperature but relatively quick-rotating electrode arc melting method to fabricate microkernels directly from a feedstock electrode was investigated. The process was demonstrated using surrogate tungsten carbide on account of its easy availability, accessibility and the similarity of its melting point relative to uranium carbide and uranium di-oxide.

Characteristics of spray from a GDI fuel injector for naphtha and surrogate fuels

KAUST Repository

Wang, Libing

2016-11-18

Characterization of the spray angle, penetration, and droplet size distribution is important to analyze the spray and atomization quality. In this paper, the spray structure development and atomization characterization of two naphtha fuels, namely light naphtha (LN) and whole naphtha (WN) and two reference fuel surrogates, i.e. toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF) and primary reference fuel (PRF) were investigated using a gasoline direct injection (GDI) fuel injector. The experimental setup included a fuel injection system, a high-speed imaging system, and a droplet size measurement system. Spray images were taken by using a high-speed camera for spray angle and penetration analysis. Sauter mean diameter, Dv(10), Dv(50), Dv(90), and particle size distribution were measured using a laser diffraction technique. Results show that the injection process is very consistent for different runs and the time averaged spray angles during the measuring period are 103.45°, 102.84°, 102.46° and 107.61° for LN, WN, TPRF and PRF, respectively. The spray front remains relatively flat during the early stage of the fuel injection process. The peak penetration velocities are 80 m/s, 75 m/s, 75 m/s and 79 m/s for LN, WN, TPRF and PRF, respectively. Then velocities decrease until the end of the injection and stay relatively stable. The transient particle size and the time-averaged particle size were also analyzed and discussed. The concentration weighted average value generally shows higher values than the arithmetic average results. The average data for WN is usually the second smallest except for Dv90, of which WN is the biggest. Generally the arithmetic average particle sizes of PRF are usually the smallest, and the sizes does not change much with the measuring locations. For droplet size distribution results, LN and WN show bimodal distributions for all the locations while TPRF and PRF shows both bimodal and single peak distribution patterns. The results imply that droplet size

Rail-Cask Tests: Normal-Conditionsof- Transport Tests of Surrogate PWR Fuel Assemblies in an ENSA ENUN 32P Cask.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McConnell, Paul E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ross, Steven [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Grey, Carissa Ann [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Uncapher, William Leonard [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Arviso, Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Garmendia, Rafael [Equipos Nucleares Sociedad Anonima, Madrid (Spain); Fernandez Perez, Ismael [Equipos Nucleares Sociedad Anonima, Madrid (Spain); Palacio, Alejandro [Equipos Nucleares Sociedad Anonima, Madrid (Spain); Calleja, Guillermo [Equipos Nucleares Sociedad Anonima, Madrid (Spain); Garrido, David [COORDINADORA, Madrid (Spain); Rodriguez Casas, Ana [COORDINADORA, Madrid (Spain); Gonzalez Garcia, Luis [COORDINADORA, Madrid (Spain); Chilton, Lyman Wes [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ammerman, Douglas J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Walz, Jacob [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Gershon, Sabina [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Saltzstein, Sylvia J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sorenson, Ken [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Klymyshyn, Nicholas [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hanson, Brady [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Pena, Ruben [Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, CO (United States); Walker, Russell [Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Pueblo, CO (United States)

2018-01-01

This report describes tests conducted using a full-size rail cask, the ENSA ENUN 32P, involving handling of the cask and transport of the cask via truck, ships, and rail. The purpose of the tests was to measure strains and accelerations on surrogate pressurized water reactor fuel rods when the fuel assemblies were subjected to Normal Conditions of Transport within the rail cask. In addition, accelerations were measured on the transport platform, the cask cradle, the cask, and the basket within the cask holding the assemblies. These tests were an international collaboration that included Equipos Nucleares S.A., Sandia National Laboratories, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Coordinadora Internacional de Cargas S.A., the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency, and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. All test results in this report are PRELIMINARY – complete analyses of test data will be completed and reported in FY18. However, preliminarily: The strains were exceedingly low on the surrogate fuel rods during the rail-cask tests for all the transport and handling modes. The test results provide a compelling technical basis for the safe transport of spent fuel.

Ecological effects of alternative fuel-reduction treatments: highlights of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate study (FFS)

Science.gov (United States)

James D. McIver; Scott L. Stephens; James K. Agee; Jamie Barbour; Ralph E. J. Boerner; Carl B. Edminster; Karen L. Erickson; Kerry L. Farris; Christopher J. Fettig; Carl E. Fiedler; Sally Haase; Stephen C. Hart; Jon E. Keeley; Eric E. Knapp; John F. Lehmkuhl; Jason J. Moghaddas; William Otrosina; Kenneth W. Outcalt; Dylan W. Schwilk; Carl N. Skinner; Thomas A. Waldrop; C. Phillip Weatherspoon; Daniel A. Yaussy; Andrew Youngblood; Steve Zack

2012-01-01

The 12-site National Fire and Fire Surrogate study (FFS) was a multivariate experiment that evaluated ecological consequences of alternative fuel-reduction treatments in seasonally dry forests of the US. Each site was a replicated experiment with a common design that compared an un-manipulated control, prescribed fire, mechanical and mechanical + fire treatments....

A study on the smelting of electrolytically reduced spent fuel by using surrogates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hur, Jin-Mok; Jeong, Myoung-Soo; Cho, Soo-Haeng; Seo, Chung-Seok; Park, Seong-Won

2005-01-01

A smelting as a part of the advanced spent fuel conditioning process (ACP) was studied by using surrogate materials. Residual salts including LiCl-Li 2 O were successfully separated from the metal components by an evaporation at 950degC. The melting of the metal was characterized, especially by considering the oxidation of the fine metal particles. The operation procedure of the smelting was set up as 1) removal of residual salts, 2) melting of the metal powder, and 3) a solidification of the melted mass to an ingot. (author)

Electrochemical reduction of CerMet fuels for transmutation using surrogate CeO2-Mo pellets

Science.gov (United States)

Claux, B.; Souček, P.; Malmbeck, R.; Rodrigues, A.; Glatz, J.-P.

2017-08-01

One of the concepts chosen for the transmutation of minor actinides in Accelerator Driven Systems or fast reactors proposes the use of fuels and targets containing minor actinides oxides embedded in an inert matrix either composed of molybdenum metal (CerMet fuel) or of ceramic magnesium oxide (CerCer fuel). Since the sufficient transmutation cannot be achieved in a single step, it requires multi-recycling of the fuel including recovery of the not transmuted minor actinides. In the present work, a pyrochemical process for treatment of Mo metal inert matrix based CerMet fuels is studied, particularly the electroreduction in molten chloride salt as a head-end step required prior the main separation process. At the initial stage, different inactive pellets simulating the fuel containing CeO2 as minor actinide surrogates were examined. The main studied parameters of the process efficiency were the porosity and composition of the pellets and the process parameters as current density and passed charge. The results indicated the feasibility of the process, gave insight into its limiting parameters and defined the parameters for the future experiment on minor actinide containing material.

Soot formation characteristics of gasoline surrogate fuels in counterflow diffusion flames

KAUST Repository

Choi, Byungchul

2011-01-01

The characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and soot for gasoline surrogate fuels have been investigated in counterflow diffusion flames by adopting laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and laser-induced incandescence (LII) techniques for both soot formation and soot formation/oxidation flames. Tested fuels were three binary mixtures from the primary reference fuels of n-heptane, iso-octane, and toluene. The result showed that PAH and soot maintained near zero level for all mixtures of n-heptane/iso-octane case under present experimental conditions. For n-heptane/toluene and iso-octane/toluene mixtures, PAH initially increased and then decreased with the toluene ratio, exhibiting a synergistic effect. The soot formation increased monotonically with the toluene ratio, however the effect of toluene on soot formation was minimal for relatively small toluene ratios. These results implied that even though toluene had a dominant role in soot and PAH formations, small amount of toluene had a minimal effect on soot formation. Numerical simulations have also been conducted by adopting recently proposed two kinetic mechanisms. The synergistic behavior of aromatic rings was predicted similar to the experimental PAH measurement, however, the degree of the synergistic effect was over-predicted for the soot formation flame, indicating the need for refinements in the kinetic mechanisms. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Combustion Institute. All rights reserved.

Combustion Kinetic Studies of Gasolines and Surrogates

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour

2016-11-01

Future thrusts for gasoline engine development can be broadly summarized into two categories: (i) efficiency improvements in conventional spark ignition engines, and (ii) development of advance compression ignition (ACI) concepts. Efficiency improvements in conventional spark ignition engines requires downsizing (and turbocharging) which may be achieved by using high octane gasolines, whereas, low octane gasolines fuels are anticipated for ACI concepts. The current work provides the essential combustion kinetic data, targeting both thrusts, that is needed to develop high fidelity gasoline surrogate mechanisms and surrogate complexity guidelines. Ignition delay times of a wide range of certified gasolines and surrogates are reported here. These measurements were performed in shock tubes and rapid compression machines over a wide range of experimental conditions (650 – 1250 K, 10 – 40 bar) relevant to internal combustion engines. Using the measured the data and chemical kinetic analyses, the surrogate complexity requirements for these gasolines in homogeneous environments are specified. For the discussions presented here, gasolines are classified into three categories: (i)\\tLow octane gasolines including Saudi Aramco’s light naphtha fuel (anti-knock index, AKI = (RON + MON)/2 = 64; Sensitivity (S) = RON – MON = 1), certified FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasoline I and J (AKI ~ 70, S = 0.7 and 3 respectively), and their Primary Reference Fuels (PRF, mixtures of n-heptane and iso-octane) and multi-component surrogates. (ii)\\t Mid octane gasolines including FACE A and C (AKI ~ 84, S ~ 0 and 1 respectively) and their PRF surrogates. Laser absorption measurements of intermediate and product species formed during gasoline/surrogate oxidation are also reported. (iii)\\t A wide range of n-heptane/iso-octane/toluene (TPRF) blends to adequately represent the octane and sensitivity requirements of high octane gasolines including FACE gasoline F and G

Thermal Expansion Property of U-Zr Alloys and U-Zr-Ce Alloys as a Surrogate Metallic Fuel for SFR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sun Ki; Lee, Jong Tak; Oh, Seok Jin; Ko, Young Mo; Kim, Ki Hwan; Woo, Youn Myung; Lee, Chan Bock

2010-01-01

Metal fuels was selected for fueling many of the first reactors in the US, including the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I) and the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) in Idaho, the FERMI-I reactor, and the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) in the UK. Metallic U.Pu.Zr alloys were the reference fuel for the US Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) program. An extensive database on the performance of advanced metal fuels was generated as a result of the operation of these reactors and the IFR program. In this study, the U-Zr binary alloys and U-Zr-Ce ternary alloys as surrogate metallic fuel were fabricated in lower pressure Ar environment by gravity casting. The melt temperature was approximately 1,500 .deg. C. Thermal expansion of the fuel during normal operation is related with fuel performance in a reactor. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the thermal expansion of the fuel in order to warrant a good prediction the fuel performance

Partial oxidation of jet fuels over Rh/Al_2O_3. Design and reaction kinetics of sulfur-containing surrogates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baer, Julian Nicolaas

2016-01-01

The conversion of logistic fuels via catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) on Rh/Al_2O_3 at short contact times is an efficient method for generating hydrogen-rich synthesis gas. Depending on the inlet conditions, fuel, and catalyst, high syngas yields, low by-product formation, and rates of high fuel conversion can be achieved. CPOX is relevant for mobile hydrogen generation, e.g., on board of airplanes in order to increase the fuel efficiency via fuel cell-based auxiliary power units. Jet fuels contain hundreds of different hydrocarbons and a significant amount of sulfur. The hydrocarbon composition and sulfur content of a jet fuel vary depending on distributor, origin, and refinement of the crude oil. Little is known about the influence of the various compounds on the synthesis-gas yield and the impact of sulfur on the product yield. In this work, the influence of three main chemical compounds of a jet fuel (aromatics, alkanes, and sulfur compounds) on syngas selectivity, the catalyst deactivation process, and reaction sequence is unraveled. As representative components of alkanes and aromatics, n-dodecane and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene were chosen for ex-situ and in-situ investigations on the CPOX over Rh/Al_2O_3, respectively. Additionally, for a fixed paraffin-to-aromatics ratio, benzothiophene or dibenzothiophene were added as a sulfur component in three different concentrations. The knowledge gained about the catalytic partial oxidation of jet fuels and their surrogates is used to identify requirements for jet fuels in mobile applications based on CPOX and to optimize the overall system efficiency. The results show an influence of the surrogate composition on syngas selectivity. The tendency for syngas formation increases with higher paraffin contents. A growing tendency for by-product formation can be observed with increasing aromatics contents in the fuel. The impact of sulfur on the reaction system shows an immediate change in the product distribution. An

Calculation of average molecular parameters, functional groups, and a surrogate molecule for heavy fuel oils using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Abdul Jameel, Abdul Gani; Elbaz, Ayman M.; Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.; Roberts, William L.; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is primarily used as fuel in marine engines and in boilers to generate electricity. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a powerful analytical tool for structure elucidation and in this study, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy were used for the structural characterization of 2 HFO samples. The NMR data was combined with elemental analysis and average molecular weight to quantify average molecular parameters (AMPs), such as the number of paraffinic carbons, naphthenic carbons, aromatic hydrogens, olefinic hydrogens, etc. in the HFO samples. Recent formulae published in the literature were used for calculating various derived AMPs like aromaticity factor 〖(f〗_a), C/H ratio, average paraffinic chain length (¯n), naphthenic ring number 〖(R〗_N), aromatic ring number〖 (R〗_A), total ring number〖 (R〗_T), aromatic condensation index (φ) and aromatic condensation degree (Ω). These derived AMPs help in understanding the overall structure of the fuel. A total of 19 functional groups were defined to represent the HFO samples, and their respective concentrations were calculated by formulating balance equations that equate the concentration of the functional groups with the concentration of the AMPs. Heteroatoms like sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen were also included in the functional groups. Surrogate molecules were finally constructed to represent the average structure of the molecules present in the HFO samples. This surrogate molecule can be used for property estimation of the HFO samples and also serve as a surrogate to represent the molecular structure for use in kinetic studies.

Calculation of average molecular parameters, functional groups, and a surrogate molecule for heavy fuel oils using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Abdul Jameel, Abdul Gani

2016-04-22

Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is primarily used as fuel in marine engines and in boilers to generate electricity. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a powerful analytical tool for structure elucidation and in this study, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy were used for the structural characterization of 2 HFO samples. The NMR data was combined with elemental analysis and average molecular weight to quantify average molecular parameters (AMPs), such as the number of paraffinic carbons, naphthenic carbons, aromatic hydrogens, olefinic hydrogens, etc. in the HFO samples. Recent formulae published in the literature were used for calculating various derived AMPs like aromaticity factor 〖(f〗_a), C/H ratio, average paraffinic chain length (¯n), naphthenic ring number 〖(R〗_N), aromatic ring number〖 (R〗_A), total ring number〖 (R〗_T), aromatic condensation index (φ) and aromatic condensation degree (Ω). These derived AMPs help in understanding the overall structure of the fuel. A total of 19 functional groups were defined to represent the HFO samples, and their respective concentrations were calculated by formulating balance equations that equate the concentration of the functional groups with the concentration of the AMPs. Heteroatoms like sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen were also included in the functional groups. Surrogate molecules were finally constructed to represent the average structure of the molecules present in the HFO samples. This surrogate molecule can be used for property estimation of the HFO samples and also serve as a surrogate to represent the molecular structure for use in kinetic studies.

Partial oxidation of jet fuels over Rh/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Design and reaction kinetics of sulfur-containing surrogates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baer, Julian Nicolaas

2016-07-01

The conversion of logistic fuels via catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) on Rh/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} at short contact times is an efficient method for generating hydrogen-rich synthesis gas. Depending on the inlet conditions, fuel, and catalyst, high syngas yields, low by-product formation, and rates of high fuel conversion can be achieved. CPOX is relevant for mobile hydrogen generation, e.g., on board of airplanes in order to increase the fuel efficiency via fuel cell-based auxiliary power units. Jet fuels contain hundreds of different hydrocarbons and a significant amount of sulfur. The hydrocarbon composition and sulfur content of a jet fuel vary depending on distributor, origin, and refinement of the crude oil. Little is known about the influence of the various compounds on the synthesis-gas yield and the impact of sulfur on the product yield. In this work, the influence of three main chemical compounds of a jet fuel (aromatics, alkanes, and sulfur compounds) on syngas selectivity, the catalyst deactivation process, and reaction sequence is unraveled. As representative components of alkanes and aromatics, n-dodecane and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene were chosen for ex-situ and in-situ investigations on the CPOX over Rh/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, respectively. Additionally, for a fixed paraffin-to-aromatics ratio, benzothiophene or dibenzothiophene were added as a sulfur component in three different concentrations. The knowledge gained about the catalytic partial oxidation of jet fuels and their surrogates is used to identify requirements for jet fuels in mobile applications based on CPOX and to optimize the overall system efficiency. The results show an influence of the surrogate composition on syngas selectivity. The tendency for syngas formation increases with higher paraffin contents. A growing tendency for by-product formation can be observed with increasing aromatics contents in the fuel. The impact of sulfur on the reaction system shows an immediate change in the product

Laminar Flame Speeds of Gasoline Surrogates Measured with the Flat Flame Method

KAUST Repository

Liao, Y.-H.

2016-01-27

© 2016 American Chemical Society. The adiabatic, laminar flame speeds of gasoline surrogates at atmospheric pressure over a range of equivalence ratios of = 0.8-1.3 and unburned gas temperatures of 298-400 K are measured with the flat flame method, which produces a one-dimensional flat flame free of stretch. Surrogates used in the current work are the primary reference fuels (PRFs, mixtures of n-heptane and isooctane), the toluene reference fuels (TRFs, mixtures of toluene and PRFs), and the ethanol reference fuels (ERFs, mixtures of ethanol and PRFs). In general, there is good agreement between the present work and the literature data for single-component fuel and PRF mixtures. Surrogates of TRF mixtures are found to exhibit comparable flame speeds to a real gasoline, while there is discrepancy observed between isooctane and gasoline. Moreover, the laminar flame speeds of TRF mixtures with similar fractions of n-heptane are found to be insensitive to the quantity of toluene in the mixture. Mixtures of ERFs exhibit comparable flame speeds to those of TRFs with similar mole fractions of n-heptane and isooctane.

Comparative Numerical Study of Four Biodiesel Surrogates for Application on Diesel 0D Phenomenological Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claude Valery Ngayihi Abbe

2016-01-01

Full Text Available To meet more stringent norms and standards concerning engine performances and emissions, engine manufacturers need to develop new technologies enhancing the nonpolluting properties of the fuels. In that sense, the testing and development of alternative fuels such as biodiesel are of great importance. Fuel testing is nowadays a matter of experimental and numerical work. Researches on diesel engine’s fuel involve the use of surrogates, for which the combustion mechanisms are well known and relatively similar to the investigated fuel. Biodiesel, due to its complex molecular configuration, is still the subject of numerous investigations in that area. This study presents the comparison of four biodiesel surrogates, methyl-butanoate, ethyl-butyrate, methyl-decanoate, and methyl-9-decenoate, in a 0D phenomenological combustion model. They were investigated for in-cylinder pressure, thermal efficiency, and NOx emissions. Experiments were performed on a six-cylinder turbocharged DI diesel engine fuelled by methyl ester (MEB and ethyl ester (EEB biodiesel from wasted frying oil. Results showed that, among the four surrogates, methyl butanoate presented better results for all the studied parameters. In-cylinder pressure and thermal efficiency were predicted with good accuracy by the four surrogates. NOx emissions were well predicted for methyl butanoate but for the other three gave approximation errors over 50%.

Hypersonic Transition Analysis for HIFiRE Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fei; Choudhari, Meelan; Chang, Chau-Lyan; Kimmel, Roger; Adamczak, David; Smith, Mark

2012-01-01

The HIFiRE-1 flight experiment provided a valuable database pertaining to boundary layer transition over a 7-degree half-angle, circular cone model from supersonic to hypersonic Mach numbers, and a range of Reynolds numbers and angles of attack. This paper reports selected findings from the ongoing computational analysis of the measured in-flight transition behavior. Transition during the ascent phase at nearly zero degree angle of attack is dominated by second mode instabilities except in the vicinity of the cone meridian where a roughness element was placed midway along the length of the cone. The growth of first mode instabilities is found to be weak at all trajectory points analyzed from the ascent phase. For times less than approximately 18.5 seconds into the flight, the peak amplification ratio for second mode disturbances is sufficiently small because of the lower Mach numbers at earlier times, so that the transition behavior inferred from the measurements is attributed to an unknown physical mechanism, potentially related to step discontinuities in surface height near the locations of a change in the surface material. Based on the time histories of temperature and/or heat flux at transducer locations within the aft portion of the cone, the onset of transition correlated with a linear N-factor, based on parabolized stability equations, of approximately 13. Due to the large angles of attack during the re-entry phase, crossflow instability may play a significant role in transition. Computations also indicate the presence of pronounced crossflow separation over a significant portion of the trajectory segment that is relevant to transition analysis.

Fabrication and Characterization of Surrogate TRISO Particles Using 800μm ZrO₂ Kernels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jolly, Brian C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Helmreich, Grant [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Cooley, Kevin M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Dyer, John [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Terrani, Kurt [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-07-01

In support of fully ceramic microencapsulated (FCM) fuel development, coating development work is ongoing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to produce tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles with both UN kernels and surrogate (uranium-free) kernels. The nitride kernels are used to increase fissile density in these SiC-matrix fuel pellets with details described elsewhere. The surrogate TRISO particles are necessary for separate effects testing and for utilization in the consolidation process development. This report focuses on the fabrication and characterization of surrogate TRISO particles which use 800μm in diameter ZrO₂ microspheres as the kernel.

Mechanical Properties of K Basin Sludge Constituents and Their Surrogates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delegard, Calvin H.; Schmidt, Andrew J.; Chenault, Jeffrey W.

2004-01-01

A survey of the technical literature was performed to summarize the mechanical properties of inorganic components in K Basins sludge. The components included gibbsite, ferrihydrite, lepidocrocite and goethite, hematite, quartz, anorthite, calcite, basalt, Zircaloy, aluminum, and, in particular, irradiated uranium metal and uranium dioxide. Review of the technical literature showed that information on the hardness of uranium metal at irradiation exposures similar to those experienced by the N Reactor fuel present in the K Basins (typically up to 3000 MWd/t) were not available. Measurements therefore were performed to determine the hardness of coupons taken from three irradiated N Reactor uranium metal fuel elements taken from K Basins. Hardness values averaged 30 ± 8 Rockwell C units, similar to values previously reported for uranium irradiated to ∼1200 MWd/t. The physical properties of candidate uranium metal and uranium dioxide surrogates were gathered and compared. Surrogates having properties closest to those of irradiated uranium metal appear to be alloys of tungsten. The surrogate for uranium dioxide, present both as particles and agglomerates in actual K Basin sludge, likely requires two materials. Cerium oxide, CeO2, was identified as a surrogate of the smaller UO2 particles while steel grit was identified for the UO2 agglomerates

Different interest group views of fuels treatments: survey results from fire and fire surrogate treatments in a Sierran mixed conifer forest, California, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Sarah McCaffrey; Jason J. Moghaddas; Scott L. Stephens

2008-01-01

The present paper discusses results from a survey about the acceptance of and preferences for fuels treatments of participants following a field tour of the University of California Blodgett Forest Fire and Fire Surrogate Study Site. Although original expectations were that tours would be composed of general members of the public, individual tour groups ultimately were...

Reduced Gasoline Surrogate (Toluene/n-Heptane/iso-Octane) Chemical Kinetic Model for Compression Ignition Simulations

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani; Atef, Nour; Alfazazi, Adamu; Badra, Jihad; Zhang, Yu; Tzanetakis, Tom; Pei, Yuanjiang

2018-01-01

Toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF) (mixture of toluene, iso-octane and heptane) is a suitable surrogate to represent a wide spectrum of real fuels with varying octane sensitivity. Investigating different surrogates in engine simulations is a prerequisite to identify the best matching mixture. However, running 3D engine simulations using detailed models is currently impossible and reduction of detailed models is essential. This work presents an AramcoMech reduced kinetic model developed at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) for simulating complex TPRF surrogate blends. A semi-decoupling approach was used together with species and reaction lumping to obtain a reduced kinetic model. The model was widely validated against experimental data including shock tube ignition delay times and premixed laminar flame speeds. Finally, the model was utilized to simulate the combustion of a low reactivity gasoline fuel under partially premixed combustion conditions.

Reduced Gasoline Surrogate (Toluene/n-Heptane/iso-Octane) Chemical Kinetic Model for Compression Ignition Simulations

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani

2018-04-03

Toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF) (mixture of toluene, iso-octane and heptane) is a suitable surrogate to represent a wide spectrum of real fuels with varying octane sensitivity. Investigating different surrogates in engine simulations is a prerequisite to identify the best matching mixture. However, running 3D engine simulations using detailed models is currently impossible and reduction of detailed models is essential. This work presents an AramcoMech reduced kinetic model developed at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) for simulating complex TPRF surrogate blends. A semi-decoupling approach was used together with species and reaction lumping to obtain a reduced kinetic model. The model was widely validated against experimental data including shock tube ignition delay times and premixed laminar flame speeds. Finally, the model was utilized to simulate the combustion of a low reactivity gasoline fuel under partially premixed combustion conditions.

HIFiRE-1 Turbulent Shock Boundary Layer Interaction - Flight Data and Computations

Science.gov (United States)

Kimmel, Roger L.; Prabhu, Dinesh

2015-01-01

The Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) program is a hypersonic flight test program executed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). This flight contained a cylinder-flare induced shock boundary layer interaction (SBLI). Computations of the interaction were conducted for a number of times during the ascent. The DPLR code used for predictions was calibrated against ground test data prior to exercising the code at flight conditions. Generally, the computations predicted the upstream influence and interaction pressures very well. Plateau pressures on the cylinder were predicted well at all conditions. Although the experimental heat transfer showed a large amount of scatter, especially at low heating levels, the measured heat transfer agreed well with computations. The primary discrepancy between the experiment and computation occurred in the pressures measured on the flare during second stage burn. Measured pressures exhibited large overshoots late in the second stage burn, the mechanism of which is unknown. The good agreement between flight measurements and CFD helps validate the philosophy of calibrating CFD against ground test, prior to exercising it at flight conditions.

Mapping surrogate gasoline compositions into RON/MON space

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morgan, N.; Smallbone, A.; Bhave, A.; Kraft, M.; Cracknell, R.; Kalghatgi, G.T.

2010-01-01

In this paper, new experimentally determined octane numbers (RON and MON) of blends of a tri-component surrogate consisting of toluene, n-heptane, i-octane (called toluene reference fuel TRF) arranged in an augmented simplex design are used to derive a simple response surface model for the octane

Initiation of depleted uranium oxide and spent fuel testing for the spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molecke, M.A.; Gregson, M.W.; Sorenson, K.B. [Sandia National Labs. (United States); Billone, M.C.; Tsai, H. [Argonne National Lab. (United States); Koch, W.; Nolte, O. [Fraunhofer Inst. fuer Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin (Germany); Pretzsch, G.; Lange, F. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (Germany); Autrusson, B.; Loiseau, O. [Inst. de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (France); Thompson, N.S.; Hibbs, R.S. [U.S. Dept. of Energy (United States); Young, F.I.; Mo, T. [U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (United States)

2004-07-01

We provide a detailed overview of an ongoing, multinational test program that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolized materials plus volatilized fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high energy density device, HEDD. The program participants in the U.S. plus Germany, France, and the U.K., part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks, WGSTSC have strongly supported and coordinated this research program. Sandia National Laboratories, SNL, has the lead role for conducting this research program; test program support is provided by both the U.S. Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. WGSTSC partners need this research to better understand potential radiological impacts from sabotage of nuclear material shipments and storage casks, and to support subsequent risk assessments, modeling, and preventative measures. We provide a summary of the overall, multi-phase test design and a description of all explosive containment and aerosol collection test components used. We focus on the recently initiated tests on ''surrogate'' spent fuel, unirradiated depleted uranium oxide, and forthcoming actual spent fuel tests. The depleted uranium oxide test rodlets were prepared by the Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, in France. These surrogate test rodlets closely match the diameter of the test rodlets of actual spent fuel from the H.B. Robinson reactor (high burnup PWR fuel) and the Surry reactor (lower, medium burnup PWR fuel), generated from U.S. reactors. The characterization of the spent fuels and fabrication into short, pressurized rodlets has been performed by Argonne National Laboratory, for testing at SNL. The ratio of the aerosol and respirable particles released from HEDD-impacted spent

Laminar burning velocities at elevated pressures for gasoline and gasoline surrogates associated with RON

KAUST Repository

Mannaa, Ossama

2015-06-01

The development and validation of a new gasoline surrogate using laminar flame speed as a target parameter is presented. Laminar burning velocities were measured using a constant-volume spherical vessel with ignition at the center of the vessel. Tested fuels included iso-octane, n-heptane, toluene, various mixtures of primary reference fuels (PRFs) and toluene reference fuels (TRFs) and three gasoline fuels of 70, 85 and 95 RON (FACE J, C and F) at the initial temperature of 358K and pressures up to 0.6MPa in the equivalence ratio ranging from 0.8 to 1.6. Normalized laminar burning velocity data were mapped into a tri-component mixture space at different experimental conditions to allocate different gasoline surrogates for different gasoline fuels, having RON of 70, 85 and 95. The surrogates of TRF-70-4 (17.94% iso-C8H18 +42.06% n-C7H16 +40% C7H8), TRF-85-1 (77.4% iso-C8H18 +17.6% n-C7H16 +5% C7H8), and TRF-95-1 (88.47% iso-C8H18 +6.53% n-C7H16 +5% C7H8) of RON 70, 85 and 95, respectively, are shown to successfully emulate the burning rate characteristics of the gasoline fuels associated with these RONs under the various experimental conditions investigated. An empirical correlation was derived to obtain laminar burning velocities at pressures that are experimentally unattainable as high as 3.0MPa. Laminar burning velocities were comparable to the simulated values for lean and stoichiometric flames but they were relatively higher than the simulated values for rich flames. A flame instability assessment was conducted by determining Markstein length, critical Pecklet number, and critical Karlovitz number at the onset of flame instability.

Pollutant emissions from gasoline combustion. 1. Dependence on fuel structural functionalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hongzhi R; Eddings, Eric G; Sarofim, Adel F

2008-08-01

To study the formation of air pollutants and soot precursors (e.g., acetylene, 1,3-butadiene, benzene, and higher aromatics) from aliphatic and aromatic fractions of gasoline fuels, the Utah Surrogate Mechanisms is extended to include submechanisms of gasoline surrogate compounds using a set of mechanism generation techniques. The mechanism yields very good predictions of species concentrations in premixed flames of n-heptane, isooctane, benzene, cyclohexane, olefins, oxygenates, and gasoline using a 23-component surrogate formulation. The 1,3-butadiene emission comes mainly from minor fuel fractions of olefins and cyclohexane. The benzene formation potential of gasoline components shows the following trends as functions of (i) chemical class: n-paraffins produced by the real fuel should have priority when selecting candidate surrogate components for combustion simulations.

Surrogate formulations for thermal treatment of low-level mixed waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stockdale, J.A.D.; Bostick, W.D.; Hoffmann, D.P.; Lee, H.T.

1994-01-01

The evaluation and comparison of proposed thermal treatment systems for mixed wastes can be expedited by tests in which the radioactive components of the wastes are replaced by surrogate materials chosen to mimic, as far as is possible, the chemical and physical properties of the radioactive materials of concern. In this work, sponsored by the Mixed Waste Integrated Project of the US Department of Energy, the authors have examined reported experience with such surrogates and suggest a simplified standard list of materials for use in tests of thermal treatment systems. The chief radioactive nuclides of concern in the treatment of mixed wastes are 239 Pu, 238 U, 235 U, 137 Cs, 103 Ru, 99 Tc, and 90 Sr. These nuclides are largely by-products of uranium enrichment, reactor fuel reprocessing, and weapons program activities. Cs, Ru, and Sr all have stable isotopes that can be used as perfect surrogates for the radioactive forms. Technetium exists only in radioactive form, as do plutonium and uranium. If one wishes to preclude radioactive contamination of the thermal treatment system under trial burn, surrogate elements must be chosen for these three. For technetium, the authors suggest the use of natural ruthenium, and for both plutonium and uranium, they recommend cerium. The seven radionuclides listed can therefore be simulated by a surrogate package containing stable isotopes of ruthenium, strontium, cesium, and cerium

Autoignition of straight-run naphtha: A promising fuel for advanced compression ignition engines

KAUST Repository

Alabbad, Mohammed; Issayev, Gani; Badra, Jihad; Voice, Alexander K.; Giri, Binod; Djebbi, Khalil; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Sarathy, Mani; Farooq, Aamir

2017-01-01

Naphtha, a low-octane distillate fuel, has been proposed as a promising low-cost fuel for advanced compression ignition engine technologies. Experimental and modelling studies have been conducted in this work to assess autoignition characteristics of naphtha for use in advanced engines. Ignition delay times of a certified straight-run naphtha fuel, supplied by Haltermann Solutions, were measured in a shock tube and a rapid comparison machine over wide ranges of experimental conditions (20 and 60 bar, 620–1223 K, ϕ = 0.5, 1 and 2). The Haltermann straight-run naphtha (HSRN) has research octane number (RON) of 60 and motor octane number (MON) of 58.3, with carbon range spanning C3–C9. Reactivity of HSRN was compared, via experiments and simulations, with three suitably formulated surrogates: a two-component PRF (n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, a three-component TPRF (toluene/n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, and a six-component surrogate. All surrogates reasonably captured the ignition delays of HSRN at high and intermediate temperatures. However, at low temperatures (T < 750 K), the six-component surrogate performed the best in emulating the reactivity of naphtha fuel. Temperature sensitivity and rate of production analyses revealed that the presence of cyclo-alkanes in naphtha inhibits the overall fuel reactivity. Zero-dimensional engine simulations showed that PRF is a good autoignition surrogate for naphtha at high engine loads, however, the six-component surrogate is needed to match the combustion phasing of naphtha at low engine loads.

Autoignition of straight-run naphtha: A promising fuel for advanced compression ignition engines

KAUST Repository

Alabbad, Mohammed

2017-11-24

Naphtha, a low-octane distillate fuel, has been proposed as a promising low-cost fuel for advanced compression ignition engine technologies. Experimental and modelling studies have been conducted in this work to assess autoignition characteristics of naphtha for use in advanced engines. Ignition delay times of a certified straight-run naphtha fuel, supplied by Haltermann Solutions, were measured in a shock tube and a rapid comparison machine over wide ranges of experimental conditions (20 and 60 bar, 620–1223 K, ϕ = 0.5, 1 and 2). The Haltermann straight-run naphtha (HSRN) has research octane number (RON) of 60 and motor octane number (MON) of 58.3, with carbon range spanning C3–C9. Reactivity of HSRN was compared, via experiments and simulations, with three suitably formulated surrogates: a two-component PRF (n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, a three-component TPRF (toluene/n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, and a six-component surrogate. All surrogates reasonably captured the ignition delays of HSRN at high and intermediate temperatures. However, at low temperatures (T < 750 K), the six-component surrogate performed the best in emulating the reactivity of naphtha fuel. Temperature sensitivity and rate of production analyses revealed that the presence of cyclo-alkanes in naphtha inhibits the overall fuel reactivity. Zero-dimensional engine simulations showed that PRF is a good autoignition surrogate for naphtha at high engine loads, however, the six-component surrogate is needed to match the combustion phasing of naphtha at low engine loads.

Ignition delay measurements of light naphtha: A fully blended low octane fuel

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour

2016-06-15

Light naphtha is a fully blended, low-octane (RON. = 64.5, MON. = 63.5), highly paraffinic (>. 90% paraffinic content) fuel, and is one of the first distillates obtained during the crude oil refining process. Light naphtha is an attractive low-cost fuel candidate for advanced low-temperature compression ignition engines where autoignition is the primary control mechanism. We measured ignition delay times for light naphtha in a shock tube and a rapid compression machine (RCM) over a broad range of temperatures (640-1250. K), pressures (20 and 40. bar) and equivalence ratios (0.5, 1 and 2). Ignition delay times were modeled using a two-component primary reference fuel (PRF) surrogate and a multi-component surrogate. Both surrogates adequately captured the measured ignition delay times of light naphtha under shock tube conditions. However, for low-temperature RCM conditions, simulations with the multi-component surrogate showed better agreement with experimental data. These simulated surrogate trends were confirmed by measuring the ignition delay times of the PRF and multi-component surrogates in the RCM at . P = 20. bar, . ϕ = 2. Detailed kinetic analyses were undertaken to ascertain the dependence of the surrogates\\' reactivity on their chemical composition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fundamental autoignition study on the reactivity of a low-octane fully blended fuel and the use of a suitably formulated multi-component surrogate to model its behavior.

Initiation of depleted uranium oxide and spent fuel testing for the spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molecke, M.A.; Gregson, M.W.; Sorenson, K.B.

2004-01-01

We provide a detailed overview of an on-going, multinational test programme that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolised materials plus volatilised fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high-energy/density device. The programme participants in the United States plus Germany, France and the United Kingdom, part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks (WGSTSC) have strongly supported and coordinated this research programme. Sandia National Laboratories has the lead role for conducting this research programme; test programme support is provided by both the US Department of Energy and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We provide a summary of the overall, multiphase test design and a description of all explosive containment and aerosol collection test components used. We focus on the recently initiated tests on 'surrogate' spent fuel, unirradiated depleted uranium oxide and forthcoming actual spent fuel tests. We briefly summarise similar results from completed surrogate tests that used non-radioactive, sintered cerium oxide ceramic pellets in test rods. (author)

Shock Tube Measurements for Liquid Fuels Combustion

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hanson, Ronald K

2006-01-01

...) fundamental studies of fuel spray evaporation rates and ignition times of low-vapor pressure fuels such as JP-8, diesel fuel and normal alkane surrogates in a new aerosol shock tube using state...

Effectiveness of Fire and Fire Surrogate Treatments For Controlling Wildfire Behavior in Piedmont Forests: A Simulation Study

Science.gov (United States)

Helen H. Mohr; Thomas A. Waldrop; Sandra Rideout; Ross J. Phillips; Charles T. Flint

2004-01-01

The need for fuel reduction has increased in United States forests due to decades of fire exclusion. Excessive fuel buildup has led to uncharacteristically severe fires in areas with historically short-interval, low-to-moderate-intensity fire regimes. The National Fire and Fire Surrogate (NFFS) Study compared the impacts of three fuel-reduction treatments on numerous...

Thermal Analysis of Surrogate Simulated Molten Salts with Metal Chloride Impurities for Electrorefining Used Nuclear Fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toni Y. Gutknecht; Guy L. Fredrickson; Vivek Utgikar

2012-04-01

This project is a fundamental study to measure thermal properties (liquidus, solidus, phase transformation, and enthalpy) of molten salt systems of interest to electrorefining operations, which are used in both the fuel cycle research & development mission and the spent fuel treatment mission of the Department of Energy. During electrorefining operations the electrolyte accumulates elements more active than uranium (transuranics, fission products and bond sodium). The accumulation needs to be closely monitored because the thermal properties of the electrolyte will change as the concentration of the impurities increases. During electrorefining (processing techniques used at the Idaho National Laboratory to separate uranium from spent nuclear fuel) it is important for the electrolyte to remain in a homogeneous liquid phase for operational safeguard and criticality reasons. The phase stability of molten salts in an electrorefiner may be adversely affected by the buildup of fission products in the electrolyte. Potential situations that need to be avoided are: (i) build up of fissile elements in the salt approaching the criticality limits specified for the vessel (ii) freezing of the salts due to change in the liquidus temperature and (iii) phase separation (non-homogenous solution) of elements. The stability (and homogeneity) of the phases can potentially be monitored through the thermal characterization of the salts, which can be a function of impurity concentration. This work describes the experimental results of typical salts compositions, consisting of chlorides of strontium, samarium, praseodymium, lanthanum, barium, cerium, cesium, neodymium, sodium and gadolinium (as a surrogate for both uranium and plutonium), used in the processing of used nuclear fuels. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to analyze numerous salt samples providing results on the thermal properties. The property of most interest to pyroprocessing is the liquidus temperature. It was

Chemical Kinetic Insights into the Octane Number and Octane Sensitivity of Gasoline Surrogate Mixtures

KAUST Repository

Singh, Eshan

2017-02-01

Gasoline octane number is a significant empirical parameter for the optimization and development of internal combustion engines capable of resisting knock. Although extensive databases and blending rules to estimate the octane numbers of mixtures have been developed and the effects of molecular structure on autoignition properties are somewhat understood, a comprehensive theoretical chemistry-based foundation for blending effects of fuels on engine operations is still to be developed. In this study, we present models that correlate the research octane number (RON) and motor octane number (MON) with simulated homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay times of stoichiometric fuel/air mixtures. These correlations attempt to bridge the gap between the fundamental autoignition behavior of the fuel (e.g., its chemistry and how reactivity changes with temperature and pressure) and engine properties such as its knocking behavior in a cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine. The study encompasses a total of 79 hydrocarbon gasoline surrogate mixtures including 11 primary reference fuels (PRF), 43 toluene primary reference fuels (TPRF), and 19 multicomponent (MC) surrogate mixtures. In addition to TPRF mixture components of iso-octane/n-heptane/toluene, MC mixtures, including n-heptane, iso-octane, toluene, 1-hexene, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, were blended and tested to mimic real gasoline sensitivity. ASTM testing protocols D-2699 and D-2700 were used to measure the RON and MON of the MC mixtures in a CFR engine, while the PRF and TPRF mixtures’ octane ratings were obtained from the literature. The mixtures cover a RON range of 0–100, with the majority being in the 70–100 range. A parametric simulation study across a temperature range of 650–950 K and pressure range of 15–50 bar was carried out in a constant-volume homogeneous batch reactor to calculate chemical kinetic ignition delay times. Regression tools were utilized to find the conditions at which RON and MON

Jet-stirred reactor oxidation of alkane-rich FACE gasoline fuels

KAUST Repository

Chen, Bingjie

2016-06-23

Understanding species evolution upon gasoline fuel oxidation can aid in mitigating harmful emissions and improving combustion efficiency. Experimentally measured speciation profiles are also important targets for surrogate fuel kinetic models. This work presents the low- and high-temperature oxidation of two alkane-rich FACE gasolines (A and C, Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) in a jet-stirred reactor at 10. bar and equivalence ratios from 0.5 to 2 by probe sampling combined with gas chromatography and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectrometry analysis. Detailed speciation profiles as a function of temperature are presented and compared to understand the combustion chemistry of these two real fuels. Simulations were conducted using three surrogates (i.e., FGA2, FGC2, and FRF 84), which have similar physical and chemical properties as the two gasolines. The experimental results reveal that the reactivity and major product distributions of these two alkane-rich FACE fuels are very similar, indicating that they have similar global reactivity despite their different compositions. The simulation results using all the surrogates capture the two-stage oxidation behavior of the two FACE gasolines, but the extent of low temperature reactivity is over-predicted. The simulations were analyzed, with a focus on the n-heptane and n-butane sub-mechanisms, to help direct the future model development and surrogate fuel formulation strategies.

Jet-stirred reactor oxidation of alkane-rich FACE gasoline fuels

KAUST Repository

Chen, Bingjie; Togbé , Casimir; Wang, Zhandong; Dagaut, Philippe; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

Understanding species evolution upon gasoline fuel oxidation can aid in mitigating harmful emissions and improving combustion efficiency. Experimentally measured speciation profiles are also important targets for surrogate fuel kinetic models. This work presents the low- and high-temperature oxidation of two alkane-rich FACE gasolines (A and C, Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) in a jet-stirred reactor at 10. bar and equivalence ratios from 0.5 to 2 by probe sampling combined with gas chromatography and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectrometry analysis. Detailed speciation profiles as a function of temperature are presented and compared to understand the combustion chemistry of these two real fuels. Simulations were conducted using three surrogates (i.e., FGA2, FGC2, and FRF 84), which have similar physical and chemical properties as the two gasolines. The experimental results reveal that the reactivity and major product distributions of these two alkane-rich FACE fuels are very similar, indicating that they have similar global reactivity despite their different compositions. The simulation results using all the surrogates capture the two-stage oxidation behavior of the two FACE gasolines, but the extent of low temperature reactivity is over-predicted. The simulations were analyzed, with a focus on the n-heptane and n-butane sub-mechanisms, to help direct the future model development and surrogate fuel formulation strategies.

Birds as biodiversity surrogates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Frank Wugt; Bladt, Jesper Stentoft; Balmford, Andrew

2012-01-01

1. Most biodiversity is still unknown, and therefore, priority areas for conservation typically are identified based on the presence of surrogates, or indicator groups. Birds are commonly used as surrogates of biodiversity owing to the wide availability of relevant data and their broad popular...... and applications.?Good surrogates of biodiversity are necessary to help identify conservation areas that will be effective in preventing species extinctions. Birds perform fairly well as surrogates in cases where birds are relatively speciose, but overall effectiveness will be improved by adding additional data...... from other taxa, in particular from range-restricted species. Conservation solutions with focus on birds as biodiversity surrogate could therefore benefit from also incorporating species data from other taxa....

Modelling of heating and evaporation of gasoline fuel droplets: A comparative analysis of approximations

KAUST Repository

Elwardani, Ahmed Elsaid

2013-09-01

Modelling of gasoline fuel droplet heating and evaporation processes is investigated using several approximations of this fuel. These are quasi-components used in the quasi-discrete model and the approximations of these quasi-components (Surrogate I (molar fractions: 83.0% n-C 6H14 + 15.6% n-C10H22 + 1.4% n-C14H30) and Surrogate II (molar fractions: 83.0% n-C7H16 + 15.6% n-C11H24 + 1.4% n-C15H32)). Also, we have used Surrogate A (molar fractions: 56% n-C7H16 + 28% iso-C8H 18 + 17% C7H8) and Surrogate B (molar fractions: 63% n-C7H16 + 20% iso-C8H 18 + 17% C7H8), originally introduced based on the closeness of the ignition delay of surrogates to that of gasoline fuel. The predictions of droplet radii and temperatures based on three quasi-components and their approximations (Surrogates I and II) are shown to be much more accurate than the predictions using Surrogates A and B. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the effects of fuel properties and injection timing in partially premixed compression ignition of low octane fuels

KAUST Repository

Naser, Nimal

2017-06-29

A better understanding on the effects of fuel properties and injection timing is required to improve the performance of advanced engines based on low temperature combustion concepts. In this work, an experimental and computational study was conducted to investigate the effects of physical and chemical kinetic properties of low octane fuels and their surrogates in partially premixed compression ignition (PPCI) engines. The main objective was to identify the relative importance of physical versus chemical kinetic properties in predicting practical fuel combustion behavior across a range of injection timings. Two fuel/surrogate pairs were chosen for comparison: light naphtha (LN) versus the primary reference fuel (PRF) with research octane number of 65 (PRF 65), and FACE (fuels for advanced combustion engines) I gasoline versus PRF 70. Two sets of parametric studies were conducted: the first varied the amount of injected fuel mass at different injection timings to match a fixed combustion phasing, and the second maintained the same injected fuel mass at each injection timing to assess resulting combustion phasing changes. Full-cycle computational fluid dynamic engine simulations were conducted by accounting for differences in the physical properties of the original and surrogate fuels, while employing identical chemical kinetics. The simulations were found to capture trends observed in the experiments, while providing details on spatial mixing and chemical reactivity for different fuels and injection timings. It was found that differences in physical properties become increasingly important as injection timing was progressively delayed from premixed conditions, and this was rationalized by analysis of mixture stratification patterns resulting from injection of fuels with different physical properties. The results suggest that accurate descriptions of both physical and chemical behavior of fuels are critical in predictive simulations of PPCI engines for a wide range of

On the effects of fuel properties and injection timing in partially premixed compression ignition of low octane fuels

KAUST Repository

Naser, Nimal; Jaasim, Mohammed; Atef, Nour; Chung, Suk-Ho; Im, Hong G.; Sarathy, Mani

2017-01-01

A better understanding on the effects of fuel properties and injection timing is required to improve the performance of advanced engines based on low temperature combustion concepts. In this work, an experimental and computational study was conducted to investigate the effects of physical and chemical kinetic properties of low octane fuels and their surrogates in partially premixed compression ignition (PPCI) engines. The main objective was to identify the relative importance of physical versus chemical kinetic properties in predicting practical fuel combustion behavior across a range of injection timings. Two fuel/surrogate pairs were chosen for comparison: light naphtha (LN) versus the primary reference fuel (PRF) with research octane number of 65 (PRF 65), and FACE (fuels for advanced combustion engines) I gasoline versus PRF 70. Two sets of parametric studies were conducted: the first varied the amount of injected fuel mass at different injection timings to match a fixed combustion phasing, and the second maintained the same injected fuel mass at each injection timing to assess resulting combustion phasing changes. Full-cycle computational fluid dynamic engine simulations were conducted by accounting for differences in the physical properties of the original and surrogate fuels, while employing identical chemical kinetics. The simulations were found to capture trends observed in the experiments, while providing details on spatial mixing and chemical reactivity for different fuels and injection timings. It was found that differences in physical properties become increasingly important as injection timing was progressively delayed from premixed conditions, and this was rationalized by analysis of mixture stratification patterns resulting from injection of fuels with different physical properties. The results suggest that accurate descriptions of both physical and chemical behavior of fuels are critical in predictive simulations of PPCI engines for a wide range of

Predicting the Liquid Lengths of Heavy Hydrogen Fuels

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hoogterp, Laura L

2003-01-01

.... Using models formulated by previous researchers as well as the thermodynamic properties for three fuel surrogates the liquid length can be determined for diesel fuel, JP8 as well as provide a model...

Assessing Uncertainties in Boundary Layer Transition Predictions for HIFiRE-1 at Non-zero Angles of Attack

Science.gov (United States)

Marek, Lindsay C.

2011-01-01

Boundary layer stability was analyzed for the HIFiRE-1 flight vehicle geometry for ground tests conducted at the CUBRC LENS I hypersonic shock test facility and the Langley Research Center (LaRC) 20- inch Mach 6 Tunnel. Boundary layer stability results were compared to transition onset location obtained from discrete heat transfer measurements from thin film gauges during the CUBRC test and spatially continuous heat transfer measurements from thermal phosphor paint data during the LaRC test. The focus of this analysis was on conditions at non-zero angles of attack as stability analysis has already been performed at zero degrees angle of attack. Also, the transition onset data obtained during flight testing was at nonzero angles of attack, so this analysis could be expanded in the future to include the results of the flight test data. Stability analysis was performed using the 2D parabolized stability software suite STABL (Stability and Transition Analysis for Hypersonic Boundary Layers) developed at the University of Minnesota and the mean flow solutions were computed using the DPLR finite volume Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. A center line slice of the 3D mean flow solution was used for the stability analysis to incorporate the angle of attack effects while still taking advantage of the 2D STABL software suite. The N-factors at transition onset and the value of Re(sub theta)/M(sub e), commonly used to predict boundary layer transition onset, were compared for all conditions analyzed. Ground test data was analyzed at Mach 7.2 and Mach 6.0 and angles of attack of 1deg, 3deg and 5deg. At these conditions, the flow was found to be second mode dominant for the HIFiRE-1 slender cone geometry. On the leeward side of the vehicle, a strong trend of transition onset location with angle of attack was observed as the boundary layer on the leeward side of the vehicle developed inflection points at streamwise positions on the vehicle that correlated to

A Brief Review of Past INL Work Assessing Radionuclide Content in TMI-2 Melted Fuel Debris: The Use of 144Ce as a Surrogate for Pu Accountancy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D. L. Chichester; S. J. Thompson

2013-09-01

This report serves as a literature review of prior work performed at Idaho National Laboratory, and its predecessor organizations Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), studying radionuclide partitioning within the melted fuel debris of the reactor of the Three Mile Island 2 (TMI-2) nuclear power plant. The purpose of this review is to document prior published work that provides supporting evidence of the utility of using 144Ce as a surrogate for plutonium within melted fuel debris. When the TMI-2 accident occurred no quantitative nondestructive analysis (NDA) techniques existed that could assay plutonium in the unconventional wastes from the reactor. However, unpublished work performed at INL by D. W. Akers in the late 1980s through the 1990s demonstrated that passive gamma-ray spectrometry of 144Ce could potentially be used to develop a semi-quantitative correlation for estimating plutonium content in these materials. The fate and transport of radioisotopes in fuel from different regions of the core, including uranium, fission products, and actinides, appear to be well characterized based on the maximum temperature reached by fuel in different parts of the core and the melting point, boiling point, and volatility of those radioisotopes. Also, the chemical interactions between fuel, fuel cladding, control elements, and core structural components appears to have played a large role in determining when and how fuel relocation occurred in the core; perhaps the most important of these reaction appears to be related to the formation of mixed-material alloys, eutectics, in the fuel cladding. Because of its high melting point, low volatility, and similar chemical behavior to plutonium, the element cerium appears to have behaved similarly to plutonium during the evolution of the TMI-2 accident. Anecdotal evidence extrapolated from open-source literature strengthens this logical feasibility for

Surrogate waveform models

Science.gov (United States)

Blackman, Jonathan; Field, Scott; Galley, Chad; Scheel, Mark; Szilagyi, Bela; Tiglio, Manuel

2015-04-01

With the advanced detector era just around the corner, there is a strong need for fast and accurate models of gravitational waveforms from compact binary coalescence. Fast surrogate models can be built out of an accurate but slow waveform model with minimal to no loss in accuracy, but may require a large number of evaluations of the underlying model. This may be prohibitively expensive if the underlying is extremely slow, for example if we wish to build a surrogate for numerical relativity. We examine alternate choices to building surrogate models which allow for a more sparse set of input waveforms. Research supported in part by NSERC.

Ecological consequences of alternative fuel reduction treatments in seasonally dry forests: the national fire and fire surrogate study

Science.gov (United States)

J.D. McIver; C.J. Fettig

2010-01-01

This special issue of Forest Science features the national Fire and Fire Surrogate study (FFS), a niultisite, multivariate research project that evaluates the ecological consequences of prescribed fire and its mechanical surrogates in seasonally dry forests of the United States. The need for a comprehensive national FFS study stemmed from concern that information on...

Shock Tube/Laser Absorption Studies of Jet Fuels at Low Temperatures (600-1200K)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-27

Davidson, Ronald K. Hanson. A second-generation aerosol shock tube and its use in studying ignition delay times of large biodiesel surrogates, 28th... Biodiesel Surrogate behind Reflected Shock Waves,” 8th US National Combustion Meeting, Paper 070RK-0008 Park City, UT 5/2013.   These  studies provide...www.elsevier .com/locate / fuel 1. Introduction Normal alkanes have been widely used as fuels and are major components of many commercial transportation fuels

Licensing Surrogate Decision-Makers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosoff, Philip M

2017-06-01

As medical technology continues to improve, more people will live longer lives with multiple chronic illnesses with increasing cumulative debilitation, including cognitive dysfunction. Combined with the aging of society in most developed countries, an ever-growing number of patients will require surrogate decision-makers. While advance care planning by patients still capable of expressing their preferences about medical interventions and end-of-life care can improve the quality and accuracy of surrogate decisions, this is often not the case, not infrequently leading to demands for ineffective, inappropriate and prolonged interventions. In 1980 LaFollette called for the licensing of prospective parents, basing his argument on the harm they can do to vulnerable people (children). In this paper, I apply his arguments to surrogate decision-makers for cognitively incapacitated patients, rhetorically suggesting that we require potential surrogates to qualify for this position by demonstrating their ability to make reasonable and rational decisions for others. I employ this theoretical approach to argue that the loose criteria by which we authorize surrogates' generally unchallenged power should be reconsidered.

Surrogate losses: Understandings of pregnancy loss and assisted reproduction among surrogate mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Berend, Zsuzsa

2010-06-01

I explore surrogate mothers' narrative construction of pregnancy loss on surrogacy support websites. Communicating via the Internet, women construct the public online world of surrogacy. Drawing on anthropological and sociological literature I investigate the connections between conceptualizations of loss and understandings of technological practices and the consequences of these understandings for assisted reproduction. Surrogate mothers define loss broadly, ranging from failure to conceive to miscarriage and stillbirth; loss means the failure to give a baby to the intended parents. Assisted reproductive technologies contribute to loss by raising expectations of success, by attempting to maximize results through the transfer of multiple fertilized ova, and by early monitoring and testing. However, surrogates collectively understand technology as a positive force and advocate for reproductive technology. Surrogates' resolve to "give the gift of life" makes them vulnerable to failure and loss, yet also informs repeated efforts to bear children for others with technological assistance.

Surrogacy: the experiences of surrogate mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jadva, Vasanti; Murray, Clare; Lycett, Emma; MacCallum, Fiona; Golombok, Susan

2003-10-01

This study examined the motivations, experiences and psychological consequences of surrogacy for surrogate mothers. Thirty-four women who had given birth to a surrogate child approximately 1 year previously were interviewed by trained researchers, and the data rated using standardized coding criteria. Information was obtained on: (i) reasons for the woman's decision to become a surrogate mother; (ii) her retrospective view of the relationship with the commissioning couple before the pregnancy, during the pregnancy, and after the birth; (iii) her experiences during and after relinquishing the child; and (iv) how others reacted to her decision to become a surrogate mother. It was found that surrogate mothers do not generally experience major problems in their relationship with the commissioning couple, in handing over the baby, or from the reactions of those around them. The emotional problems experienced by some surrogate mothers in the weeks following the birth appeared to lessen over time. Surrogate mothers do not appear to experience psychological problems as a result of the surrogacy arrangement.

Experimental and numerical studies of burning velocities and kinetic modeling for practical and surrogate fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhenwei

To help understand the fuel oxidation process in practical combustion environments, laminar flame speeds and high temperature chemical kinetic models were studied for several practical fuels and "surrogate" fuels, such as propane, dimethyl ether (DME), and primary reference fuel (PRF) mixtures, gasoline and n-decane. The PIV system developed for the present work is described. The general principles for PIV measurements are outlined and the specific considerations are also reported. Laminar flame speeds were determined for propane/air over a range of equivalence ratios at initial temperature of 298 K, 500 K and 650 K and atmospheric pressure. Several data sets for propane/air laminar flame speeds with N 2 dilution are also reported. These results are compared to the literature data collected at the same conditions. The propane flame speed is also numerically calculated with a detailed kinetic model and multi component diffusion, including Soret effects. This thesis also presents experimentally determined laminar flame speeds for primary reference fuel (PRF) mixtures of n-heptane/iso-octane and real gasoline fuel at different initial temperature and at atmospheric pressure. Nitrogen dilution effects on the laminar flame speed are also studied for selected equivalence ratios at the same conditions. A minimization of detailed kinetic model for PRF mixtures on laminar flame speed conditions was performed and the measured flame speeds were compared with numerical predictions using this model. The measured laminar flame speeds of n-decane/air mixtures at 500 K and at atmospheric pressure with and without dilution were determined. The measured flame speeds are significantly different that those predicted using existing published kinetic models, including a model validated previously against high temperature data from flow reactor, jet-stirred reactor, shock tube ignition delay, and burner stabilized flame experiments. A significant update of this model is described which

Ceria-thoria pellet manufacturing in preparation for plutonia-thoria LWR fuel production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drera, Saleem S., E-mail: saleem.drera@scatec.no [Thor Energy AS, Karenslyst allé 9C, 0278 Oslo (Norway); Björk, Klara Insulander [Thor Energy AS, Karenslyst allé 9C, 0278 Oslo (Norway); Sobieska, Matylda [Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), Nuclear Materials, Os allé 5, NO-1777, Halden (Norway)

2016-10-15

Thorium dioxide (thoria) has potential to assist in niche roles as fuel for light water reactors (LWRs). One such application for thoria is its use as the fertile component to burn plutonium in a mixed oxide fuel (MOX). Thor Energy and an international consortium are currently irradiating plutonia-thoria (Th-MOX) fuel in an effort to produce data for its licensing basis. During fuel-manufacturing research and development (R&D), surrogate materials were utilized to highlight procedures and build experience. Cerium dioxide (ceria) provides a good surrogate platform to replicate the chemical nature of plutonium dioxide. The project’s fuel manufacturing R&D focused on powder metallurgical techniques to ensure manufacturability with the current commercial MOX fuel production infrastructure. The following paper highlights basics of the ceria-thoria fuel production including powder milling, pellet pressing and pellet sintering. Green pellets and sintered pellets were manufactured with average densities of 67.0% and 95.5% that of theoretical density respectively. - Highlights: • High quality Ce−Th fuel production can be accomplished by utilizing powder metallurgical procedures. • Powder morphology is key to obtaining high density fuels. • Optimal pellet pressing is obtained when 3.5–4 tons of force is applied by the pellet press for powder compaction. • Pellet sintering is accomplished effectively in an Air oxidizing atmosphere. • Based on this surrogate work, expected (Th,Pu)O{sub 2} fuel density is 95.5% of theoretical density.

Dissolution of Used Nuclear Fuel Using a TBP/N-Paraffin Solvent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rudisill, T. S. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Shehee, T. C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Jones, D. H. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); DelCul, G. D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-10-02

The dissolution of unirradiated used nuclear fuel (UNF) pellets pretreated for tritium removal was demonstrated using a tributly phosphate (TBP) solvent. Dissolution of pretreated fuel in TBP could potentially combine dissolution with two cycle of solvent extraction required for separating the actinides and lanthanides from other fission products. Dissolutions were performed using UNF surrogates prepared from both uranyl nitrate and uranium trioxide produced from the pretreatment process by adding selected actinide and stable fission product elements. In laboratory-scale experiments, the U dissolution efficiency ranged from 80-99+% for both the nitrate and oxide surrogate fuels. On average, 80% of the Pu and 50% of the Np and Am in the nitrate surrogate dissolved; however, little of the transuranic elements dissolved in the oxide form. The majority of the 3+ lanthanide elements dissolved. Only small amounts of Sr (0-1.6%) and Mo (0.1-1.7%) and essentially no Cs, Ru, Zr, or Pd dissolved.

AECL's progress in developing the DUPIC fuel fabrication process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, J.D.; Cox, D.S.

1995-01-01

Spent Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel can be used directly in CANDU reactors without the need for wet chemical reprocessing or reenrichment. Considerable experimental progress has been made in verifying the practicality of this fuel cycle, including hot-cell experiments using spent PWR fuels and out-cell trials using surrogate fuels. This paper describes the current status of these experiments. (author)

Toward a Psychology of Surrogate Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Tunney, Richard J; Ziegler, Fenja V

2015-11-01

In everyday life, many of the decisions that we make are made on behalf of other people. A growing body of research suggests that we often, but not always, make different decisions on behalf of other people than the other person would choose. This is problematic in the practical case of legally designated surrogate decision makers, who may not meet the substituted judgment standard. Here, we review evidence from studies of surrogate decision making and examine the extent to which surrogate decision making accurately predicts the recipient's wishes, or if it is an incomplete or distorted application of the surrogate's own decision-making processes. We find no existing domain-general model of surrogate decision making. We propose a framework by which surrogate decision making can be assessed and a novel domain-general theory as a unifying explanatory concept for surrogate decisions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Used fuel rail shock and vibration testing options analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ross, Steven B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Best, Ralph E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Klymyshyn, Nicholas A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Jensen, Philip J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Maheras, Steven J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-09-25

The objective of the rail shock and vibration tests is to complete the framework needed to quantify loads of fuel assembly components that are necessary to guide materials research and establish a technical basis for review organizations such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A significant body of experimental and numerical modeling data exists to quantify loads and failure limits applicable to normal conditions of transport (NCT) rail transport, but the data are based on assumptions that can only be verified through experimental testing. The test options presented in this report represent possible paths for acquiring the data that are needed to confirm the assumptions of previous work, validate modeling methods that will be needed for evaluating transported fuel on a case-by-case basis, and inform material test campaigns on the anticipated range of fuel loading. The ultimate goal of this testing is to close all of the existing knowledge gaps related to the loading of used fuel under NCT conditions and inform the experiments and analysis program on specific endpoints for their research. The options include tests that would use an actual railcar, surrogate assemblies, and real or simulated rail transportation casks. The railcar carrying the cradle, cask, and surrogate fuel assembly payload would be moved in a train operating over rail track modified or selected to impart shock and vibration forces that occur during normal rail transportation. Computer modeling would be used to help design surrogates that may be needed for a rail cask, a cask’s internal basket, and a transport cradle. The objective of the design of surrogate components would be to provide a test platform that effectively simulates responses to rail shock and vibration loads that would be exhibited by state-of-the-art rail cask, basket, and/or cradle structures. The computer models would also be used to help determine the placement of instrumentation (accelerometers and strain gauges

Use of Surrogate end points in HTA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mangiapane, Sandra

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The different actors involved in health system decision-making and regulation have to deal with the question which are valid parameters to assess the health value of health technologies.So called surrogate endpoints represent in the best case preliminary steps in the casual chain leading to the relevant outcome (e. g. mortality, morbidity and are not usually directly perceptible by patients. Surrogate endpoints are not only used in trials of pharmaceuticals but also in studies of other technologies. Their use in the assessment of the benefit of a health technology is however problematic. In this report we intend to answer the following research questions: Which criteria need to be fulfilled for a surrogate parameter to be considered a valid endpoint? Which methods have been described in the literature for the assessment of the validity of surrogate endpoints? Which methodological recommendations concerning the use of surrogate endpoints have been made by international HTA agencies? Which place has been given to surrogate endpoints in international and German HTA reports? For this purpose, we choose three different approaches. Firstly, we conduct a review of the methodological literature dealing with the issue of surrogate endpoints and their validation. Secondly, we analyse current methodological guidelines of HTA agencies members of the International network of agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA as well as of agencies concerned with assessments for reimbursement purposes. Finally, we analyse the outcome parameter used in a sample of HTA reports available for the public. The analysis of methodological guidelines shows a very cautious position of HTA institutions regarding the use of surrogate endpoints in technology assessment. Surrogate endpoints have not been prominently used in HTA reports. None of the analysed reports based its conclusions solely on the results of surrogate endpoints. The analysis of German HTA reports shows a

Actinide nitride ceramic transmutation fuels for the Futurix-FTA irradiation experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voit, St.; McClellan, K.; Stanek, Ch.; Maloy, St.

2007-01-01

Full text of publication follows. The transmutation of plutonium and other minor actinides is an important component of an advanced nuclear fuel cycle. The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) is currently considering mono-nitrides as potential transmutation fuel material on account of the mutual solubility of actinide mono-nitrides as well as their desirable thermal characteristics. The feedstock is most commonly produced by a carbothermic reduction/nitridisation process, as it is for this programme. Fuel pellet fabrication is accomplished via a cold press/sinter approach. In order to allow for easier investigation of the synthesis and fabrication processes, surrogate material studies are used to compliment the actinide activities. Fuel compositions of particular interest denoted as low fertile (i.e. containing uranium) and non-fertile (i.e. not containing uranium) are (PuAmNp) 0.5 U 0.5 N and (PuAm) 0.42 Zr 0.58 N, respectively. The AFCI programme is investigating the validity of these fuel forms via Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) and Phenix irradiations. Here, we report on the recent progress of actinide-nitride transmutation fuel development and production for the Futurix-FTA irradiation experiment. Furthermore, we highlight specific cases where the complimentary approach of surrogate studies and actinide development aid in the understanding complex material issues. In order to allow for easier investigation of the fundamental materials properties, surrogate materials have been used. The amount of surrogate in each compound was determined by comparing both molar concentration and lattice parameter mismatch via Vegard Law. Cerium was chosen to simultaneously substitute for Pu, Am and Np, while depleted U was chosen to substitute for enriched U. Another goal of this work was the optimisation of added graphite during carbothermic reduction in order to minimise the duration of the carbon removal step (i.e. heat treatment under H 2 containing gas). One proposed

Surrogate versus couple therapy in vaginismus.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Zion, Itzhak; Rothschild, Shelly; Chudakov, Bella; Aloni, Ronit

2007-05-01

Women who do not have a cooperative partner cannot complete the usual therapeutic process in the treatment of vaginismus, because they cannot progress to the stage of practicing the insertion of the man partner's fingers and the insertion of a penis. To compare traditional couple therapy with therapy utilizing a surrogate partner. The study was controlled and retrospective. Data were obtained from the treatment charts of patients who had come to the clinic for treatment of vaginismus. Sixteen vaginismus patients who were treated with a man surrogate partner were compared with 16 vaginismus patients who were treated with their own partners. Successful pain-free intercourse upon completion of therapy. One hundred percent of the surrogate patients succeeded in penile-vaginal intercourse compared with 75% in the couples group (P = 0.1). All surrogate patients ended the therapy because it was fully successful, compared with 69% in the couples group. Twelve percent of the couples group ended the therapy because it failed, and 19% because the couples decided to separate. Treating vaginismus with a man surrogate partner was at least as effective as couple therapy. Surrogate therapy may be considered for vaginismus patients who have no cooperative partner.

Nonspinning numerical relativity waveform surrogates: assessing the model

Science.gov (United States)

Field, Scott; Blackman, Jonathan; Galley, Chad; Scheel, Mark; Szilagyi, Bela; Tiglio, Manuel

2015-04-01

Recently, multi-modal gravitational waveform surrogate models have been built directly from data numerically generated by the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC). I will describe ways in which the surrogate model error can be quantified. This task, in turn, requires (i) characterizing differences between waveforms computed by SpEC with those predicted by the surrogate model and (ii) estimating errors associated with the SpEC waveforms from which the surrogate is built. Both pieces can have numerous sources of numerical and systematic errors. We make an attempt to study the most dominant error sources and, ultimately, the surrogate model's fidelity. These investigations yield information about the surrogate model's uncertainty as a function of time (or frequency) and parameter, and could be useful in parameter estimation studies which seek to incorporate model error. Finally, I will conclude by comparing the numerical relativity surrogate model to other inspiral-merger-ringdown models. A companion talk will cover the building of multi-modal surrogate models.

Self- and surrogate-reported communication functioning in aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Doyle, Patrick J; Hula, William D; Austermann Hula, Shannon N; Stone, Clement A; Wambaugh, Julie L; Ross, Katherine B; Schumacher, James G

2013-06-01

To evaluate the dimensionality and measurement invariance of the aphasia communication outcome measure (ACOM), a self- and surrogate-reported measure of communicative functioning in aphasia. Responses to a large pool of items describing communication activities were collected from 133 community-dwelling persons with aphasia of ≥ 1 month post-onset and their associated surrogate respondents. These responses were evaluated using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. Chi-square difference tests of nested factor models were used to evaluate patient-surrogate measurement invariance and the equality of factor score means and variances. Association and agreement between self- and surrogate reports were examined using correlation and scatterplots of pairwise patient-surrogate differences. Three single-factor scales (Talking, Comprehension, and Writing) approximating patient-surrogate measurement invariance were identified. The variance of patient-reported scores on the Talking and Writing scales was higher than surrogate-reported variances on these scales. Correlations between self- and surrogate reports were moderate-to-strong, but there were significant disagreements in a substantial number of individual cases. Despite minimal bias and relatively strong association, surrogate reports of communicative functioning in aphasia are not reliable substitutes for self-reports by persons with aphasia. Furthermore, although measurement invariance is necessary for direct comparison of self- and surrogate reports, the costs of obtaining invariance in terms of scale reliability and content validity may be substantial. Development of non-invariant self- and surrogate report scales may be preferable for some applications.

Application of Self-Propagating High Temperature Synthesis to the Fabrication of Actinide Bearing Nitride and Other Ceramic Nuclear Fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, John J.; Reigel, Marissa M.; Donohoue, Collin D.

2009-01-01

The project uses an exothermic combustion synthesis reaction, termed self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), to produce high quality, reproducible nitride fuels and other ceramic type nuclear fuels (cercers and cermets, etc.) in conjunction with the fabrication of transmutation fuels. The major research objective of the project is determining the fundamental SHS processing parameters by first using manganese as a surrogate for americium to produce dense Zr-Mn-N ceramic compounds. These fundamental principles will then be transferred to the production of dense Zr-Am-N ceramic materials. A further research objective in the research program is generating fundamental SHS processing data to the synthesis of (i) Pu-Am-Zr-N and (ii) U-Pu-Am-N ceramic fuels. In this case, Ce will be used as the surrogate for Pu, Mn as the surrogate for Am, and depleted uranium as the surrogate for U. Once sufficient fundamental data has been determined for these surrogate systems, the information will be transferred to Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for synthesis of Zr-Am-N, Pu-Am-Zr-N and U-Pu-Am-N ceramic fuels. The high vapor pressures of americium (Am) and americium nitride (AmN) are cause for concern in producing nitride ceramic nuclear fuel that contains Am. Along with the problem of Am retention during the sintering phases of current processing methods, are additional concerns of producing a consistent product of desirable homogeneity, density and porosity. Similar difficulties have been experienced during the laboratory scale process development stage of producing metal alloys containing Am wherein compact powder sintering methods had to be abandoned. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a low-temperature or low-heat fuel fabrication process for the synthesis of Am-containing ceramic fuels. Self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS), also called combustion synthesis, offers such an alternative process for the synthesis of Am nitride fuels. Although SHS

Dermal Exposure to Jet Fuel JP-8 Significantly Contributes to the Production of Urinary Naphthols in Fuel-Cell Maintenance Workers

OpenAIRE

Chao, Yi-Chun E.; Kupper, Lawrence L.; Serdar, Berrin; Egeghy, Peter P.; Rappaport, Stephen M.; Nylander-French, Leena A.

2005-01-01

Jet propulsion fuel 8 (JP-8) is the major jet fuel used worldwide and has been recognized as a major source of chemical exposure, both inhalation and dermal, for fuel-cell maintenance workers. We investigated the contributions of dermal and inhalation exposure to JP-8 to the total body dose of U.S. Air Force fuel-cell maintenance workers using naphthalene as a surrogate for JP-8 exposure. Dermal, breathing zone, and exhaled breath measurements of naphthalene were obtained using tape-strip sam...

ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE SURROGATE MATERNITY PRACTICE

OpenAIRE

TÜRK, Rukiye; TERZİOĞLU, Fusun

2014-01-01

The assisted reproductive technology was initially considered to be a treatment tool for infertile couples. However, as it was started in time to use the uteri of other women for the embryos of the other ones, the concept of surrogate maternity appeared.The surrogate maternity is practiced in three types. In the first type of surrogate maternity, the sperm of the spouse of the prospective mother is inseminated with the ovum of the surrogate mother. The second method is the in-vitro inseminati...

Psychosocial aspects of surrogate motherhood.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Akker, Olga B A

2007-01-01

This review addresses the psychosocial research carried out on surrogacy triads (surrogate mothers, commissioning mothers and offspring) and shows that research has focused on a number of specific issues: attachment and disclosure to surrogate offspring; experiences, characteristics and motivations of surrogate mothers; and changes in profiles of the commissioning/intended mothers. Virtually all studies have used highly selected samples making generalizations difficult. There have been a notable lack of theory, no interventions and only a handful of longitudinal studies or studies comparing different populations. Few studies have specifically questioned the meaning of and need for a family or the influence and impact that professionals, treatment availability and financial factors have on the choices made for surrogate and intended mothers. Societal attitudes have changed somewhat; however, according to public opinion, women giving up babies still fall outside the acceptable remit. Surrogate and intended mothers appear to reconcile their unusual choice through a process of cognitive restructuring, and the success or failure of this cognitive appraisal affects people's willingness to be open and honest about their choices. Normal population surveys, on the contrary, are less accepting of third party reproduction; they have no personal need to reconsider and hence maintain their original normative cognitively consonant state.

Metal Matrix Microencapsulated Fuel Technology for LWR Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terrani, Kurt A.; Bell, Gary L.; Kiggans, Jim; Snead, Lance Lewis

2012-01-01

An overview of the metal matrix microencapsulated (M3) fuel concept for the specific LWR application has been provided. Basic fuel properties and characteristics that aim to improve operational reliability, enlarge performance envelope, and enhance safety margins under design-basis accident scenarios are summarized. Fabrication of M3 rodlets with various coated fuel particles over a temperature range of 800-1300 C is discussed. Results from preliminary irradiation testing of LWR M3 rodlets with surrogate coated fuel particles are also reported.

Response of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to fire and fire surrogate fuel reduction treatments in a southern Appalachian hardwood forest

Science.gov (United States)

Greenberg, C.H.; Otis, D.L.; Waldrop, T.A.

2006-01-01

An experiment conducted as part of the multidisciplinary National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study was designed to determine effects of three fuel reduction techniques on small mammals and habitat structure in the southern Appalachian mountains. Four experimental units, each >14-ha were contained within each of three replicate blocks at the Green River Game Land, Polk County, NC. Treatments were (1) prescribed burning (B); (2) mechanical felling of shrubs and small trees (M); (3) mechanical felling + burning (MB); (4) controls (C). Mechanical understory felling treatments were conducted in winter 2001-2002, and prescribed burning was conducted in March 2003. After treatment, there were fewer live trees, more snags, and greater canopy openness in MB than in other treatments. Leaf litter depth was reduced by burning in both B and MB treatments, and tall shrub cover was reduced in all fuel reduction treatments compared to C. Coarse woody debris pieces and percent cover were similar among treatments and controls. We captured 990 individuals of eight rodent species a total of 2823 times. Because white-footed mice composed >79% of all captures, we focused on this species. Populations in experimental units increased 228% on average between 2001 and 2002, but there was no evidence of an effect of the mechanical treatment. From 2002 to 2003, all units again showed an average increase in relative population size, but increases were greater in MB than in the other treatments. Age structure and male to female ratio were not affected by the fuel reduction treatment. Average adult body weight declined from 2001 to 2002, but less so in M than in units that remained C in both years. The proportion of mice captured near coarse woody debris was similar to the proportion captured in open areas for all treatments, indicating that white-footed mice did not use coarse woody debris preferentially or change their use patterns in response to fuel reduction treatments. Land managers should

Surrogate Analysis and Index Developer (SAID) tool

Science.gov (United States)

Domanski, Marian M.; Straub, Timothy D.; Landers, Mark N.

2015-10-01

The use of acoustic and other parameters as surrogates for suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) in rivers has been successful in multiple applications across the Nation. Tools to process and evaluate the data are critical to advancing the operational use of surrogates along with the subsequent development of regression models from which real-time sediment concentrations can be made available to the public. Recent developments in both areas are having an immediate impact on surrogate research and on surrogate monitoring sites currently (2015) in operation.

Low temperature oxidation, co-oxidation and auto-ignition of olefinic and aromatic blending compounds: Experimental study of interactions during the oxidation of a surrogate fuel; Oxydation, co-oxydation et auto-inflammation a basses temperatures d'alcenes et aromatiques types: etude experimentale des interactions au sein d'un carburant-modele

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vanhove, G.

2004-12-15

The low-temperature (600-900 K) and high-pressure (5-25 bar) oxidation and auto-ignition of the three position isomers of hexene, of binary mixtures of 1-hexene, toluene and iso-octane, and of a surrogate fuel composed of these three compounds were studied in motor conditions using a rapid compression machine. Auto-ignition delay times were measured as long as intermediate products concentrations during the delay. The results show that the oxidation chemistry of the hexenes is very dependent on the position of the double bond inside the molecule, and that strong interactions between the oxidation mechanisms of hydrocarbons in mixtures can occur. The data obtained concerning the surrogate fuel give a good insight into the behaviour of a practical gasoline after an homogeneous charge compression. (author)

Processing of surrogate nuclear fuel pellets for better dimensional control with dry bag isostatic pressing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoggan, Rita E., E-mail: Rita.hoggan@inl.gov; Zuck, Larry D., E-mail: Larry.zuck@inl.gov; Cannon, W. Roger, E-mail: cannon@rutgers.edu; Lessing, Paul A., E-mail: p.a.l.2@hotmail.com

2016-12-15

A study of improved methods of processing fuel pellets was undertaken using ceria and zirconia/yttria/alumina as surrogates. Through proper granulation, elimination of fines and vertical vibration (tapping) of the parts bag prior to dry bag isostatic pressing (DBIP), reproducibility of diameter profiles among multiple pellets of ceria was improved by almost an order of magnitude. Reproducibility of sintered pellets in these studies was sufficient to allow pellets to be introduced into the cladding with a gap between the pellet and cladding on the order of 50 μm to 100 μm but not a uniform gap with tolerance of ±12 μm as is currently required. Deviation from the mean diameter along the length of multiple pellets, and deviation from roundness, decreased after sintering. This is not generally observed with dry pressed pellets. Sintered shrinkage was uniform to ±0.05% and thus, as an alternative, pellets may be machined to tolerance before sintering, thus avoiding the waste associated with post-sinter grinding. - Highlights: • Three methods of granule preparation for two different powder sources were outlined and compared using tap density curves. • A dry bag isostatic press was used to fabricate pellets and longer rods. Thus longer pellets could be fabricated by this technique. • Vertical vibrations to pack granules decreased variation in dimensions from pellet to pellet by a factor of nine. • Sintering shrinkage varied by only 0.1% along the length of a rod. Thus green machining prior to sintering could result in tight tolerances.

A Large-Scale Study of Surrogate Physicality and Gesturing on Human–Surrogate Interactions in a Public Space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kangsoo Kim

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Technological human surrogates, including robotic and virtual humans, have been popularly used in various scenarios, including training, education, and entertainment. Prior research has investigated the effects of the surrogate’s physicality and gesturing in human perceptions and social influence of the surrogate. However, those studies have been carried out in research laboratories, where the participants were aware that it was an experiment, and the participant demographics are typically relatively narrow—e.g., college students. In this paper, we describe and share results from a large-scale exploratory user study involving 7,685 people in a public space, where they were unaware of the experimental nature of the setting, to investigate the effects of surrogate physicality and gesturing on their behavior during human–surrogate interactions. We evaluate human behaviors using several variables, such as proactivity and reactivity, and proximity. We have identified several interesting phenomena that could lead to hypotheses developed as part of future hypothesis-based studies. Based on the measurements of the variables, we believe people are more likely to be engaged in a human–surrogate interaction when the surrogate is physically present, but movements and gesturing with its body parts have not shown the expected benefits for the interaction engagement. Regarding the demographics of the people in the study, we found higher overall engagement for females than males, and higher reactivity for younger than older people. We discuss implications for practitioners aiming to design a technological surrogate that will directly interact with real humans.

Fuel effects on illumination ignition delay and soot lift-off length in diesel combustion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frijters, P.J.M.; Vallen, R.G.M.; Somers, L.M.T.; Luijten, C.C.M.; Baert, R.S.G.; Skevis, G.

2007-01-01

Ignition behavior of different fuels is investigated by recording broadband soot luminosity at high speed (60 kHz).The tested fuels are regular low sulphur EN 590:2004 fuel, EN 14214:2003 (FAME), n-heptane and IDEA (2component surrogate fuel), all with a Cetane Index between 51 and 57. For this an

Ethical Problems Related to Surrogate Motherhood

OpenAIRE

Erdem Aydin

2006-01-01

Being unable to have children is an important problem for married couples. At present, new reproduction techniques help these couples while those who can not find any solution try new approaches. One of these is the phenomenon of surrogate motherhood, which is based upon an agreement between the infertile couple and surrogate mother. Surrogate mother may conceive with the sperm of the male of the involved couple as well as by the transfer of the embryo formed by invitro fertilization. Couples...

Role of Volatility in the Development of JP-8 Surrogates for Diesel Engine Application

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

rail solenoid injector with a single-hole nozzle is mounted at an angle about 28º from the vertical axis, delivering the fuel into the center of the...the combustion chamber along the axial direction. The first thermocouple measures the charge temperature close by the injector nozzle , and the second...Development of JP-8 Surrogates for Diesel Engine Application Author, co-author (Do NOT enter this information. It will be pulled from participant

Ignition of alkane-rich FACE gasoline fuels and their surrogate mixtures

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani; Kukkadapu, Goutham; Mehl, Marco; Wang, Weijing; Javed, Tamour; Park, Sungwoo; Oehlschlaeger, Matthew A.; Farooq, Aamir; Pitz, William J.; Sung, Chihjen

2015-01-01

Engines) gasoline test fuels and their corresponding PRF (primary reference fuel) blend in fundamental combustion experiments. Shock tube ignition delay times were measured in two separate facilities at pressures of 10, 20, and 40 bar, temperatures from

Impact of thermodynamic properties and heat loss on ignition of transportation fuels in rapid compression machines

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Ahfaz

2018-01-30

Rapid compression machines (RCM) are extensively used to study autoignition of a wide variety of fuels at engine relevant conditions. Fuels ranging from pure species to full boiling range gasoline and diesel can be studied in an RCM to develop a better understanding of autoignition kinetics in low to intermediate temperature ranges. In an RCM, autoignition is achieved by compressing a fuel/oxidizer mixture to higher pressure and temperature, thereby initiating chemical reactions promoting ignition. During these experiments, the pressure is continuously monitored and is used to deduce significant events such as the end of compression and the onset of ignition. The pressure profile is also used to assess the temperature evolution of the gas mixture with time using the adiabatic core hypothesis and the heat capacity ratio of the gas mixture. In such RCM studies, real transportation fuels containing many components are often represented by simpler surrogate fuels. While simpler surrogates such as primary reference fuels (PRFs) and ternary primary reference fuel (TPRFs) can match research and motor octane number of transportation fuels, they may not accurately replicate thermodynamic properties (including heat capacity ratio). This non-conformity could exhibit significant discrepancies in the end of compression temperature, thereby affecting ignition delay (τign) measurements. Another aspect of RCMs that can affect τign measurement is post compression heat loss, which depends on various RCM parameters including geometry, extent of insulation, pre-heating temperature etc. To, better understand the effects of these non-chemical kinetic parameters on τign, thermodynamic properties of a number of FACE G gasoline surrogates were calculated and simulated in a multi-zone RCM model. The problem was further investigated using a variance based analysis and individual sensitivities were calculated. This study highlights the effects on τign due to thermodynamic properties of

Impact of thermodynamic properties and heat loss on ignition of transportation fuels in rapid compression machines

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Ahfaz; Hantouche, Mireille; Khurshid, Muneeb; Mohamed, Samah; Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Farooq, Aamir; Roberts, William L.; Knio, Omar; Sarathy, Mani

2018-01-01

Rapid compression machines (RCM) are extensively used to study autoignition of a wide variety of fuels at engine relevant conditions. Fuels ranging from pure species to full boiling range gasoline and diesel can be studied in an RCM to develop a better understanding of autoignition kinetics in low to intermediate temperature ranges. In an RCM, autoignition is achieved by compressing a fuel/oxidizer mixture to higher pressure and temperature, thereby initiating chemical reactions promoting ignition. During these experiments, the pressure is continuously monitored and is used to deduce significant events such as the end of compression and the onset of ignition. The pressure profile is also used to assess the temperature evolution of the gas mixture with time using the adiabatic core hypothesis and the heat capacity ratio of the gas mixture. In such RCM studies, real transportation fuels containing many components are often represented by simpler surrogate fuels. While simpler surrogates such as primary reference fuels (PRFs) and ternary primary reference fuel (TPRFs) can match research and motor octane number of transportation fuels, they may not accurately replicate thermodynamic properties (including heat capacity ratio). This non-conformity could exhibit significant discrepancies in the end of compression temperature, thereby affecting ignition delay (τign) measurements. Another aspect of RCMs that can affect τign measurement is post compression heat loss, which depends on various RCM parameters including geometry, extent of insulation, pre-heating temperature etc. To, better understand the effects of these non-chemical kinetic parameters on τign, thermodynamic properties of a number of FACE G gasoline surrogates were calculated and simulated in a multi-zone RCM model. The problem was further investigated using a variance based analysis and individual sensitivities were calculated. This study highlights the effects on τign due to thermodynamic properties of

Hypothesis test for synchronization: twin surrogates revisited.

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, M Carmen; Thiel, Marco; Kurths, Jürgen; Mergenthaler, Konstantin; Engbert, Ralf

2009-03-01

The method of twin surrogates has been introduced to test for phase synchronization of complex systems in the case of passive experiments. In this paper we derive new analytical expressions for the number of twins depending on the size of the neighborhood, as well as on the length of the trajectory. This allows us to determine the optimal parameters for the generation of twin surrogates. Furthermore, we determine the quality of the twin surrogates with respect to several linear and nonlinear statistics depending on the parameters of the method. In the second part of the paper we perform a hypothesis test for phase synchronization in the case of experimental data from fixational eye movements. These miniature eye movements have been shown to play a central role in neural information processing underlying the perception of static visual scenes. The high number of data sets (21 subjects and 30 trials per person) allows us to compare the generated twin surrogates with the "natural" surrogates that correspond to the different trials. We show that the generated twin surrogates reproduce very well all linear and nonlinear characteristics of the underlying experimental system. The synchronization analysis of fixational eye movements by means of twin surrogates reveals that the synchronization between the left and right eye is significant, indicating that either the centers in the brain stem generating fixational eye movements are closely linked, or, alternatively that there is only one center controlling both eyes.

So not mothers: responsibility for surrogate orphans.

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, Jennifer A; Murphy, Timothy F

2018-04-12

The law ordinarily recognises the woman who gives birth as the mother of a child, but in certain jurisdictions, it will recognise the commissioning couple as the legal parents of a child born to a commercial surrogate. Some commissioning parents have, however, effectively abandoned the children they commission, and in such cases, commercial surrogates may find themselves facing unexpected maternal responsibility for children they had fully intended to give up. Any assumption that commercial surrogates ought to assume maternal responsibility for abandoned children runs contrary to the moral suppositions that typically govern contract surrogacy, in particular, assumptions that gestational carriers are not 'mothers' in any morally significant sense. In general, commercial gestational surrogates are almost entirely conceptualised as 'vessels'. In a moral sense, it is deeply inconsistent to expect commercial surrogates to assume maternal responsibility simply because commissioning parents abandon children for one reason or another. We identify several instances of child abandonment and discuss their implications with regard to the moral conceptualisation of commercial gestational surrogates. We conclude that if gestational surrogates are to remain conceptualised as mere vessels, they should not be expected to assume responsibility for children abandoned by commissioning parents, not even the limited responsibility of giving them up for adoption or surrendering them to the state. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Surrogate Modeling for Geometry Optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rojas Larrazabal, Marielba de la Caridad; Abraham, Yonas; Holzwarth, Natalie

2009-01-01

A new approach for optimizing the nuclear geometry of an atomic system is described. Instead of the original expensive objective function (energy functional), a small number of simpler surrogates is used.......A new approach for optimizing the nuclear geometry of an atomic system is described. Instead of the original expensive objective function (energy functional), a small number of simpler surrogates is used....

Neutron-induced cross-sections via the surrogate method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boutoux, G.

2011-11-01

The surrogate reaction method is an indirect way of determining neutron-induced cross sections through transfer or inelastic scattering reactions. This method presents the advantage that in some cases the target material is stable or less radioactive than the material required for a neutron-induced measurement. The method is based on the hypothesis that the excited nucleus is a compound nucleus whose decay depends essentially on its excitation energy and on the spin and parity state of the populated compound state. Nevertheless, the spin and parity population differences between the compound-nuclei produced in the neutron and transfer-induced reactions may be different. This work reviews the surrogate method and its validity. Neutron-induced fission cross sections obtained with the surrogate method are in general good agreement. However, it is not yet clear to what extent the surrogate method can be applied to infer radiative capture cross sections. We performed an experiment to determine the gamma decay probabilities for 176 Lu and 173 Yb by using the surrogate reactions 174 Yb( 3 He,pγ) 176 Lu * and 174 Yb( 3 He,αγ) 173 Yb * , respectively, and compare them with the well-known corresponding probabilities obtained in the 175 Lu(n,γ) and 172 Yb(n,γ) reactions. This experiment provides answers to understand why, in the case of gamma-decay, the surrogate method gives significant deviations compared to the corresponding neutron-induced reaction. In this work, we have also assessed whether the surrogate method can be applied to extract capture probabilities in the actinide region. Previous experiments on fission have also been reinterpreted. Thus, this work provides new insights into the surrogate method. This work is organised in the following way: in chapter 1, the theoretical aspects related to the surrogate method will be introduced. The validity of the surrogate method will be investigated by means of statistical model calculations. In chapter 2, a review on

Application of the Advanced Distillation Curve Method to Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engine Gasolines

KAUST Repository

Burger, Jessica L.; Schneider, Nico; Bruno, Thomas J.

2015-01-01

. To make changes in the most time- and cost-effective manner, it is imperative that new computational tools and surrogate fuels are developed. Currently, sets of fuels are being characterized by industry groups, such as the Coordinating Research Council

Bedload-surrogate monitoring technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, John R.; Laronne, Jonathan B.; Marr, Jeffrey D.G.

2010-01-01

Advances in technologies for quantifying bedload fluxes and in some cases bedload size distributions in rivers show promise toward supplanting traditional physical samplers and sampling methods predicated on the collection and analysis of physical bedload samples. Four workshops held from 2002 to 2007 directly or peripherally addressed bedload-surrogate technologies, and results from these workshops have been compiled to evaluate the state-of-the-art in bedload monitoring. Papers from the 2007 workshop are published for the first time with this report. Selected research and publications since the 2007 workshop also are presented. Traditional samplers used for some or all of the last eight decades include box or basket samplers, pan or tray samplers, pressure-difference samplers, and trough or pit samplers. Although still useful, the future niche of these devices may be as a means for calibrating bedload-surrogate technologies operating with active- and passive-type sensors, in many cases continuously and automatically at a river site. Active sensors include acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), sonar, radar, and smart sensors. Passive sensors include geophones (pipes or plates) in direct contact with the streambed, hydrophones deployed in the water column, impact columns, and magnetic detection. The ADCP for sand and geophones for gravel are currently the most developed techniques, several of which have been calibrated under both laboratory and field conditions. Although none of the bedload-surrogate technologies described herein are broadly accepted for use in large-scale monitoring programs, several are under evaluation. The benefits of verifying and operationally deploying selected bedload-surrogate monitoring technologies could be considerable, providing for more frequent and consistent, less expensive, and arguably more accurate bedload data obtained with reduced personal risk for use in managing the world's sedimentary resources. Twenty-six papers are

Ethical Problems Related to Surrogate Motherhood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erdem Aydin

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Being unable to have children is an important problem for married couples. At present, new reproduction techniques help these couples while those who can not find any solution try new approaches. One of these is the phenomenon of surrogate motherhood, which is based upon an agreement between the infertile couple and surrogate mother. Surrogate mother may conceive with the sperm of the male of the involved couple as well as by the transfer of the embryo formed by invitro fertilization. Couples who choose to have a child born from a pregnancy or to whom they are genetically partially connected rather than adopting a child give rise to the emergence of some ethical problems. Traditional family notion based upon having children after the union of the reproductive cells of the mother and father do not receive the pheneomenon of surrogate mother favourably. Such practices are criticised as they are far from being natural and other ethical problems are faced in the implementation.

The Reparative Motive in Surrogate Mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanefield, Linda

1999-01-01

Explores the motivations of surrogate mothers, focusing on underlying reparative motive--to compensate for or repair an earlier loss or sense of damage. Provides an overview of the typical surrogate's characteristics and personality, discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the reparative motive, and considers the tension between reparation and…

Imaging Seeker Surrogate for IRCM evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schleijpen, H.M.A.; Carpenter, S.R.; Mellier, B.; Dimmeler, A.

2007-01-01

NATO-SCI-139 and its predecessor groups have more than a decade of history in the evaluation and recommendation of EO and IR Countermeasures against anti-aircraft missiles. Surrogate Seekers have proven to be a valuable tool for this work. The use of surrogate seekers in international co-operations

The psychological well-being and prenatal bonding of gestational surrogates.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamba, N; Jadva, V; Kadam, K; Golombok, S

2018-02-23

How does the psychological well-being and prenatal bonding of Indian surrogates differ from a comparison group of mothers? Surrogates had higher levels of depression during pregnancy and post-birth, displayed lower emotional connection with the unborn baby, and greater care towards the healthy growth of the foetus, than the comparison group of mothers. Studies in the West have found that surrogates do not suffer long-term psychological harm. One study has shown that surrogates bond less with the foetus than expectant mothers. This study uses a prospective, longitudinal and cross-sectional design. Surrogates and a matched group of expectant mothers were seen twice, during 4-9 months of pregnancy and 4-6 months after the birth. Semi-structured interviews and standardized questionnaires were administered to 50 surrogates and 69 expectant mothers during pregnancy and 45 surrogates and 49 expectant mothers post-birth. All gestational surrogates were hosting pregnancies for international intended parents. Surrogates had higher levels of depression compared to the comparison group of mothers, during pregnancy and post-birth (P surrogacy and criticism from others were found to be predictive of higher depression in surrogates post-birth (P < 0.05). Regarding prenatal bonding, surrogates interacted less with and thought less about the foetus but adopted better eating habits and were more likely to avoid unhealthy practices during pregnancy, than expectant mothers (P < 0.05). No associations were found between greater prenatal bonding and greater psychological distress during pregnancy or after relinquishment. All surrogates were recruited from one clinic in Mumbai, and thus the representativeness of this sample is not known. Also, the possibility of socially desirable responding from surrogates cannot be ruled out. As this is the first study of the psychological well-being of surrogates in low-income countries, the findings have important policy implications. Providing

Physical and chemical comparison of soot in hydrocarbon and biodiesel fuel diffusion flames: A study of model and commercial fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matti Maricq, M. [Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (United States)

2011-01-15

Data are presented to compare soot formation in both surrogate and practical fatty acid methyl ester biodiesel and petroleum fuel diffusion flames. The approach here uses differential mobility analysis to follow the size distributions and electrical charge of soot particles as they evolve in the flame, and laser ablation particle mass spectrometry to elucidate their composition. Qualitatively, these soot properties exhibit a remarkably similar development along the flames. The size distributions begin as a single mode of precursor nanoparticles, evolve through a bimodal phase marking the onset of aggregate formation, and end in a self preserving mode of fractal-like particles. Both biodiesel and hydrocarbon fuels yield a common soot composition dominated by C{sub x}H{sub y}{sup +} ions, stabilomer PAHs, and fullerenes in the positive ion mass spectrum, and C{sub x}{sup -} and C{sub 2x}H{sup -} in the negative ion spectrum. These ion intensities initially grow with height in the diffusion flames, but then decline during later stages, consistent with soot carbonization. There are important quantitative differences between fuels. The surrogate biodiesel fuel methyl butanoate substantially reduces soot levels, but soot formation and evolution in this flame are delayed relative to both soy and petroleum fuels. In contrast, soots from soy and hexadecane flames exhibit nearly quantitative agreement in their size distribution and composition profiles with height, suggesting similar soot precursor chemistry. (author)

Development of a skeletal multi-component fuel reaction mechanism based on decoupling methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohan, Balaji; Tay, Kun Lin; Yang, Wenming; Chua, Kian Jon

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A compact multi-component skeletal reaction mechanism was developed. • Combined bio-diesel and PRF mechanism was proposed. • The mechanism consists of 68 species and 183 reactions. • Well validated against ignition delay times, flame speed and engine results. - Abstract: A new coupled bio-diesel surrogate and primary reference fuel (PRF) oxidation skeletal mechanism has been developed. The bio-diesel surrogate sub-mechanism consists of oxidation sub-mechanisms of Methyl decanoate (MD), Methyl 9-decenoate (MD9D) and n-Heptane fuel components. The MD and MD9D are chosen to represent the saturated and unsaturated methyl esters respectively in bio-diesel fuels. Then, a reduced iso-Octane oxidation sub-mechanism is added to the bio-diesel surrogate sub-mechanism. Then, all the sub-mechanisms are integrated to a reduced C_2–C_3 mechanism, detailed H_2/CO/C_1 mechanism and reduced NO_x mechanism based on decoupling methodology. The final mechanism consisted of 68 species and 183 reactions. The mechanism was well validated with shock-tube ignition delay times, laminar flame speed and 3D engine simulations.

Experimental Measurement and Numerical Modeling of the Effective Thermal Conductivity of TRISO Fuel Compacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Folsom, Charles

2015-01-01

Accurate modeling capability of thermal conductivity of tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel compacts is important to fuel performance modeling and safety of Generation IV reactors. To date, the effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel compacts has not been measured directly. The composite fuel is a complicated structure comprised of layered particles in a graphite matrix. In this work, finite element modeling is used to validate an analytic ETC model for application to the composite fuel material for particle-volume fractions up to 40%. The effect of each individual layer of a TRISO particle is analyzed showing that the overall ETC of the compact is most sensitive to the outer layer constituent. In conjunction with the modeling results, the thermal conductivity of matrix-graphite compacts and the ETC of surrogate TRISO fuel compacts have been successfully measured using a previously developed measurement system. The ETC of the surrogate fuel compacts varies between 50-30 W m -1 K -1 over a temperature range of 50-600°C. As a result of the numerical modeling and experimental measurements of the fuel compacts, a new model and approach for analyzing the effect of compact constituent materials on ETC is proposed that can estimate the fuel compact ETC with approximately 15-20% more accuracy than the old method. Using the ETC model with measured thermal conductivity of the graphite matrix-only material indicate that, in the composite form, the matrix material has a much greater thermal conductivity, which is attributed to the high anisotropy of graphite thermal conductivity. Therefore, simpler measurements of individual TRISO compact constituents combined with an analytic ETC model, will not provide accurate predictions of overall ETC of the compacts emphasizing the need for measurements of composite, surrogate compacts.

34 CFR 303.406 - Surrogate parents.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Surrogate parents. 303.406 Section 303.406 Education... DISABILITIES Procedural Safeguards General § 303.406 Surrogate parents. (a) General. Each lead agency shall ensure that the rights of children eligible under this part are protected if— (1) No parent (as defined...

34 CFR 300.519 - Surrogate parents.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Surrogate parents. 300.519 Section 300.519 Education... DISABILITIES Procedural Safeguards Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children § 300.519 Surrogate parents... parent (as defined in § 300.30) can be identified; (2) The public agency, after reasonable efforts...

Interpretations, perspectives and intentions in surrogate motherhood

OpenAIRE

van Zyl, L.; van Niekerk, A.

2000-01-01

In this paper we examine the questions "What does it mean to be a surrogate mother?" and "What would be an appropriate perspective for a surrogate mother to have on her pregnancy?" In response to the objection that such contracts are alienating or dehumanising since they require women to suppress their evolving perspective on their pregnancies, liberal supporters of surrogate motherhood argue that the freedom to contract includes the freedom to enter a contract to bear a child for an infertil...

Emotional experiences in surrogate mothers: A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmari Tehran, Hoda; Tashi, Shohreh; Mehran, Nahid; Eskandari, Narges; Dadkhah Tehrani, Tahmineh

2014-07-01

Surrogacy is one of the new techniques of assisted reproduction technology in which a woman carries and bears a child for another woman. In Iran, many Shia clerics and jurists considered it permissible so there is no religious prohibition for it. In addition to the risk of physical complications for complete surrogate mothers, the possibility of psychological complications resulted from emotional attachment to a living creature in the surrogate mother as another injury requires counseling and assessment prior to acceptance by infertile couples and complete surrogate mothers. The purpose of this study was to assess the emotional experiences of surrogate mothers. This was a qualitative, phenomenological study. We selected eight complete surrogate mothers in Isfahan. We used convenient sampling method and in-depth interview to collect the information. The data analysis was fulfilled via Colaizzi's seven-stage method. Reliability and validity study of the roots in the four-axis was done. The findings of these interviews were classified into two main themes and four sub themes: acquired experiences in pregnancy (feelings toward pregnancy, relationship with family, relatives and commissioning couple) and consequences of surrogacy (complications of pregnancy, religious and financial problems of surrogacy). Surrogacy pregnancy should be considered as high-risk emotional experience because many of surrogate mothers may face negative experiences. Therefore, it is recommended that surrogates should receive professional counseling prior to, during and following pregnancy.

Error modeling for surrogates of dynamical systems using machine learning: Machine-learning-based error model for surrogates of dynamical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trehan, Sumeet; Carlberg, Kevin T.; Durlofsky, Louis J.

2017-01-01

A machine learning–based framework for modeling the error introduced by surrogate models of parameterized dynamical systems is proposed. The framework entails the use of high-dimensional regression techniques (eg, random forests, and LASSO) to map a large set of inexpensively computed “error indicators” (ie, features) produced by the surrogate model at a given time instance to a prediction of the surrogate-model error in a quantity of interest (QoI). This eliminates the need for the user to hand-select a small number of informative features. The methodology requires a training set of parameter instances at which the time-dependent surrogate-model error is computed by simulating both the high-fidelity and surrogate models. Using these training data, the method first determines regression-model locality (via classification or clustering) and subsequently constructs a “local” regression model to predict the time-instantaneous error within each identified region of feature space. We consider 2 uses for the resulting error model: (1) as a correction to the surrogate-model QoI prediction at each time instance and (2) as a way to statistically model arbitrary functions of the time-dependent surrogate-model error (eg, time-integrated errors). We then apply the proposed framework to model errors in reduced-order models of nonlinear oil-water subsurface flow simulations, with time-varying well-control (bottom-hole pressure) parameters. The reduced-order models used in this work entail application of trajectory piecewise linearization in conjunction with proper orthogonal decomposition. Moreover, when the first use of the method is considered, numerical experiments demonstrate consistent improvement in accuracy in the time-instantaneous QoI prediction relative to the original surrogate model, across a large number of test cases. When the second use is considered, results show that the proposed method provides accurate statistical predictions of the time- and well

Fuel powder production from ductile uranium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, C.R.; Meyer, M.K.

1998-01-01

Metallic uranium alloys are candidate materials for use as the fuel phase in very-high-density LEU dispersion fuels. These ductile alloys cannot be converted to powder form by the processes routinely used for oxides or intermetallics. Three methods of powder production from uranium alloys have been investigated within the US-RERTR program. These processes are grinding, cryogenic milling, and hydride-dehydride. In addition, a gas atomization process was investigated using gold as a surrogate for uranium. (author)

Surrogate end points in clinical research: hazardous to your health.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimes, David A; Schulz, Kenneth F

2005-05-01

Surrogate end points in clinical research pose real danger. A surrogate end point is an outcome measure, commonly a laboratory test, that substitutes for a clinical event of true importance. Resistance to activated protein C, for example, has been used as a surrogate for venous thrombosis in women using oral contraceptives. Other examples of inappropriate surrogate end points in contraception include the postcoital test instead of pregnancy to evaluate new spermicides, breakage and slippage instead of pregnancy to evaluate condoms, and bone mineral density instead of fracture to assess the safety of depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate. None of these markers captures the effect of the treatment on the true outcome. A valid surrogate end point must both correlate with and accurately predict the outcome of interest. Although many surrogate markers correlate with an outcome, few have been shown to capture the effect of a treatment (for example, oral contraceptives) on the outcome (venous thrombosis). As a result, thousands of useless and misleading reports on surrogate end points litter the medical literature. New drugs have been shown to benefit a surrogate marker, but, paradoxically, triple the risk of death. Thousands of patients have died needlessly because of reliance on invalid surrogate markers. Researchers should avoid surrogate end points unless they have been validated; that requires at least one well done trial using both the surrogate and true outcome. The clinical maxim that "a difference to be a difference must make a difference" applies to research as well. Clinical research should focus on outcomes that matter.

Surrogate-Based Optimization of Biogeochemical Transport Models

Science.gov (United States)

Prieß, Malte; Slawig, Thomas

2010-09-01

First approaches towards a surrogate-based optimization method for a one-dimensional marine biogeochemical model of NPZD type are presented. The model, developed by Oschlies and Garcon [1], simulates the distribution of nitrogen, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus in a water column and is driven by ocean circulation data. A key issue is to minimize the misfit between the model output and given observational data. Our aim is to reduce the overall optimization cost avoiding expensive function and derivative evaluations by using a surrogate model replacing the high-fidelity model in focus. This in particular becomes important for more complex three-dimensional models. We analyse a coarsening in the discretization of the model equations as one way to create such a surrogate. Here the numerical stability crucially depends upon the discrete stepsize in time and space and the biochemical terms. We show that for given model parameters the level of grid coarsening can be choosen accordingly yielding a stable and satisfactory surrogate. As one example of a surrogate-based optimization method we present results of the Aggressive Space Mapping technique (developed by John W. Bandler [2, 3]) applied to the optimization of this one-dimensional biogeochemical transport model.

Innovative fossil fuel fired vitrification technology for soil remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-08-01

Vortex has successfully completed Phase 1 of the ''Innovative Fossil Fuel Fired Vitrification Technology for Soil Remediation'' program with the Department of Energy (DOE) Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC). The Combustion and Melting System (CMS) has processed 7000 pounds of material representative of contaminated soil that is found at DOE sites. The soil was spiked with Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metals surrogates, an organic contaminant, and a surrogate radionuclide. The samples taken during the tests confirmed that virtually all of the radionuclide was retained in the glass and that it did not leach to the environment. The organic contaminant, anthracene, was destroyed during the test with a Destruction and Removal Efficiency (DRE) of at least 99.99%. RCRA metal surrogates, that were in the vitrified product, were retained and will not leach to the environment--as confirmed by the TCLP testing. Semi-volatile RCRA metal surrogates were captured by the Air Pollution Control (APC) system, and data on the amount of metal oxide particulate and the chemical composition of the particulate were established for use in the Phase 2 APC system design. This topical report will present a summary of the activities conducted during Phase 1 of the ''Innovative Fossil Fuel Fired Vitrification Technology for Soil Remediation'' program. The report includes the detail technical data generated during the experimental program and the design and cost data for the preliminary Phase 2 plant

Establishment of Experimental Apparatus and Mechanical Test for SFR Metallic Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sun Ki; Lee, Chong Tak; Oh, Seok Jin; Ko, Young Mo; Kim, Ki Hwan; Woo, Yoon Myung; Lee, Chan Bock

2010-12-01

U-Zr binary alloys and U-Zr-Ce ternary alloys as SFR surrogate metallic fuels were fabricated by a casting process. Tensile tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the fuels. As a results, the mechanical properties such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation were measured. In this report, these experimental results are presented

[The surrogate: Partner in the shared decision-making].

Science.gov (United States)

Sarradon-Eck, Aline; Capodano, Géraldine; Bureau, Eve; Julian-Reynier, Claire

2016-01-01

The legislative process of the surrogate appears to be unclear to health professionals and to patients and next of kin. To better adapt this process to the clinical practice our objective was here to document how the persons designated as surrogate perceived their role and how they described the difficulties encountered in oncology. Qualitative survey with an ethnographic approach carried out in 2014-2015, fieldwork, face-to-face interviews (n=26 including 20 surrogates and 6 patients) in a mobile palliative care unit located at a Regional Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Close relationship, psychological and cognitive competences were the main attribute to designate a surrogate. Perceived roles included the fact to be involved in decisions, to protect the patient, to be present, and to be a messenger. This process gives the next of kin the feeling to be part of the patient management. In the context of divorced families, it sometimes allows to rehabilitate and to reinforce the affective links. Our data highlight the confusion between the designation of the 'person to call' and 'the surrogate'. Our results highlight the 'surrogate' protective role of the patient, and the positive sides of the process, in particular in the context of divorced/rebuilt families. We recommend splitting the process to designate the 'person to call' and the 'surrogate', as administrative and medical duties, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Spent Fuel Ratio Estimates from Numerical Models in ALE3D

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Margraf, J. D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Dunn, T. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-08-02

Potential threat of intentional sabotage of spent nuclear fuel storage facilities is of significant importance to national security. Paramount is the study of focused energy attacks on these materials and the potential release of aerosolized hazardous particulates into the environment. Depleted uranium oxide (DUO₂) is often chosen as a surrogate material for testing due to the unreasonable cost and safety demands for conducting full-scale tests with real spent nuclear fuel. To account for differences in mechanical response resulting in changes to particle distribution it is necessary to scale the DUO₂ results to get a proper measure for spent fuel. This is accomplished with the spent fuel ratio (SFR), the ratio of respirable aerosol mass released due to identical damage conditions between a spent fuel and a surrogate material like depleted uranium oxide (DUO₂). A very limited number of full-scale experiments have been carried out to capture this data, and the oft-questioned validity of the results typically leads to overly-conservative risk estimates. In the present work, the ALE3D hydrocode is used to simulate DUO₂ and spent nuclear fuel pellets impacted by metal jets. The results demonstrate an alternative approach to estimate the respirable release fraction of fragmented nuclear fuel.

Altruistic surrogacy: the necessary objectification of surrogate mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Tieu, M M

2009-03-01

One of the major concerns about surrogacy is the potential harm that may be inflicted upon the surrogate mother and the child after relinquishment. Even if one were to take the liberal view that surrogacy should be presumptively allowed on the basis of autonomy and/or compassion, evidence of harm must be taken seriously. In this paper I review the evidence from psychological studies on the effect that relinquishing a child has on the surrogate mother and while it appears that many surrogates are able to cope with relinquishment, I argue that there are good reasons, grounded in empirical evidence, to support the view that the subsequent management of the relinquishment necessarily objectifies the surrogate mother.

Spent fuel sabotage test program, characterization of aerosol dispersal : interim final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregson, Michael Warren; Brockmann, John E.; Loiseau, Olivier; Klennert, Lindsay A.; Nolte, Oliver; Molecke, Martin Alan; Autrusson, Bruno A.; Koch, Wolfgang; Pretzsch, Gunter Guido; Brucher, Wenzel; Steyskal, Michele D.

2008-01-01

This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program provides source-term data that are relevant to plausible sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks and associated risk assessments. We present details and significant results obtained from this program from 2001 through 2007. Measured aerosol results include: respirable fractions produced; amounts, nuclide content, and produced particle size distributions and morphology; measurements of volatile fission product species enhanced sorption--enrichment factors onto respirable particles; and, status on determination of the spent fuel ratio, SFR, needed for scaling studies. Emphasis is provided on recent Phase 3 tests using depleted uranium oxide pellets plus non-radioactive fission product dopants in surrogate spent fuel test rodlets, plus the latest surrogate cerium oxide results and aerosol laboratory supporting calibration work. The DUO 2 , CeO 2 , plus fission product dopant aerosol particle results are compared with available historical data. We also provide a status review on continuing preparations for the final Phase 4 in this program, tests using individual short rodlets containing actual spent fuel from U.S. PWR reactors, with both high- and lower-burnup fuel. The source-term data, aerosol results, and program design have been tailored to support and guide follow-on computer modeling of aerosol dispersal hazards and radiological consequence assessments. This spent fuel sabotage, aerosol test program was performed primarily at Sandia National Laboratories, with support provided by both the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This program has significant input from, and is cooperatively supported and

Spent fuel sabotage test program, characterization of aerosol dispersal : interim final report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gregson, Michael Warren; Brockmann, John E.; Loiseau, Olivier (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, France); Klennert, Lindsay A.; Nolte, Oliver (Fraunhofer Institut fur Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin, Germany); Molecke, Martin Alan; Autrusson, Bruno A. (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, France); Koch, Wolfgang (Fraunhofer Institut fur Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin, Germany); Pretzsch, Gunter Guido (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Brucher, Wenzel (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Steyskal, Michele D.

2008-03-01

This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program provides source-term data that are relevant to plausible sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks and associated risk assessments. We present details and significant results obtained from this program from 2001 through 2007. Measured aerosol results include: respirable fractions produced; amounts, nuclide content, and produced particle size distributions and morphology; measurements of volatile fission product species enhanced sorption--enrichment factors onto respirable particles; and, status on determination of the spent fuel ratio, SFR, needed for scaling studies. Emphasis is provided on recent Phase 3 tests using depleted uranium oxide pellets plus non-radioactive fission product dopants in surrogate spent fuel test rodlets, plus the latest surrogate cerium oxide results and aerosol laboratory supporting calibration work. The DUO{sub 2}, CeO{sub 2}, plus fission product dopant aerosol particle results are compared with available historical data. We also provide a status review on continuing preparations for the final Phase 4 in this program, tests using individual short rodlets containing actual spent fuel from U.S. PWR reactors, with both high- and lower-burnup fuel. The source-term data, aerosol results, and program design have been tailored to support and guide follow-on computer modeling of aerosol dispersal hazards and radiological consequence assessments. This spent fuel sabotage, aerosol test program was performed primarily at Sandia National Laboratories, with support provided by both the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This program has significant input from, and is cooperatively

A novel surrogate index for hepatic insulin resistance.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Vangipurapu, J

2011-03-01

In epidemiological and genetic studies surrogate indices are needed to investigate insulin resistance in different insulin-sensitive tissues. Our objective was to develop a surrogate index for hepatic insulin resistance.

Development of a diesel substitute fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reiter, Anton; Mair-Zelenka, Philipp [Graz Univ. of Technology (Austria). Inst. of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology; Zeymer, Marc [OMV Refining and Marketing GmbH, Vienna (Austria). MRDI-D Product Development and Innovation

2013-06-01

Substitute fuels composed of few real chemical compounds are an alternative characterisation approach for conventional fuels as opposed to the traditional pseudo-component method. With the algorithm proposed in this paper the generation of such substitutes will be facilitated and well-established thermodynamic methods can be applied for physical property-data prediction. Based on some quality criteria like true boiling-point curve, liquid density, C/H ratio, or cloud point of a target fuel a surrogate which meets these properties is determined by fitting its composition. The application and capabilities of the algorithm developed are demonstrated by means of an exemplary diesel substitute fuel. The substitute mixture obtained can be generated and used for evaluation of property-prediction methods. Furthermore this approach can help to understand the effects of mixing fossil fuels with biogenic compounds. (orig.)

Attitudes toward surrogate motherhood in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnan, V

1994-01-01

The issue of surrogate motherhood captured worldwide attention with the Baby M case in the United States. Some medical practitioners now claim that the surrogate arrangement may be the answer for certain women who are unable to conceive children naturally. Feminist activists are highly critical about the issue. In her landmark book The Mother Machine, Corea (1985) called surrogates "breeders," women whose bodies are being used by men. Lawyers and ethicists debate whether surrogacy is baby selling or not, and religious fundamentalists have condemned any form of procreation outside the "normal" or "natural" form of sexual relations within a marriage. But what do Canadian women think about commercial surrogacy? Findings pertaining to this issue from the latest national fertility survey of 5,315 women in the reproductive ages of 18-49 are reported.

TRISO-coated spent fuel processing using a Grind-Leach head-end

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, Barry B.; Del Cul, Guillermo D.; Mattus, Catherine H.; Collins, Emory D.

2005-01-01

Processing of TRISO-coated HTGR fuels with the grind-leach process requires that the fuel be finely pulverized for efficient and effective acid dissolution of the fuel components. Mechanical size reduction of the fuel is being investigated with jet mill technology as the final milling step. Laboratory experiments were performed with surrogates of crushed fuel compacts that indicate that milling to very small particle sizes is feasible. The size distribution of the milled product is sensitive to the solids feed rate, and the distribution may be bimodal which could support an effective solid-solid separation. (author)

Combustion of High Molecular Weight Hydrocarbon Fuels and JP-8 at Moderate Pressures

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-26

1. Introduction Fundamental knowledge of mechanisms of autoignition of condensed hydrocarbon fuels at elevated pressures is essential for accurate...particular JP-8) and surrogates of jet-fuels in laminar non-uniform flows at elevated pressures upto 2.5 MPa. Experimental and kinetic modeling studies...AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES) U.S. Army Research Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 Combustion, Jet Fuels, JP-8, Elevated

Molybdenum-base cermet fuel development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurwell, W.E.; Moss, R.W.; Pilger, J.P.; White, G.D.

1987-07-01

Development of a multimegawatt (MMW) space nuclear power system requires identification and resolution of several technical feasibility issues before selecting one or more promising system concepts. Demonstration of reactor fuel fabrication technology is required for cermet-fueled reactor concepts. MMW reactor fuel development activity at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is focused on producing a molybdenum-matrix uranium-nitride (UN) fueled cermet. This cermet is to have a high matrix density (≥95%) for high strength and high thermal conductance coupled with a high particle (UN) porosity (∼25%) for retention of released fission gas at high burnup. Fabrication process development involves the use of porous TiN microspheres as surrogate fuel material until porous UN microspheres become available. Process development has been conducted in the areas of microsphere synthesis, particle sealing/coating, and high-energy-rate forming (HERF) and vacuum hot press consolidation techniques. This paper summarizes the status of these activities

Spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio program : FY 2004 test and data summary.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brucher, Wenzel (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Koch, Wolfgang (Fraunhofer Institut fur Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin, Germany); Pretzsch, Gunter Guido (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Loiseau, Olivier (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, France); Mo, Tin (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC); Billone, Michael C. (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL); Autrusson, Bruno A. (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, France); Young, F. I. (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC); Coats, Richard Lee; Burtseva, Tatiana (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL); Luna, Robert Earl; Dickey, Roy R.; Sorenson, Ken Bryce; Nolte, Oliver (Fraunhofer Institut fur Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin, Germany); Thompson, Nancy Slater (U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC); Hibbs, Russell S. (U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC); Gregson, Michael Warren; Lange, Florentin (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Molecke, Martin Alan; Tsai, Han-Chung (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL)

2005-07-01

This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program has been underway for several years. This program provides data that are relevant to some sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks, and associated risk assessments. The program also provides significant technical and political benefits in international cooperation. We are quantifying the Spent Fuel Ratio (SFR), the ratio of the aerosol particles released from HEDD-impacted actual spent fuel to the aerosol particles produced from surrogate materials, measured under closely matched test conditions, in a contained test chamber. In addition, we are measuring the amounts, nuclide content, size distribution of the released aerosol materials, and enhanced sorption of volatile fission product nuclides onto specific aerosol particle size fractions. These data are the input for follow-on modeling studies to quantify respirable hazards, associated radiological risk assessments, vulnerability assessments, and potential cask physical protection design modifications. This document includes an updated description of the test program and test components for all work and plans made, or revised, during FY 2004. It also serves as a program status report as of the end of FY 2004. All available test results, observations, and aerosol analyses plus interpretations--primarily for surrogate material Phase 2 tests, series 2/5A through 2/9B, using cerium oxide sintered ceramic pellets are included. Advanced plans and progress are described for upcoming tests with unirradiated, depleted uranium oxide and actual spent fuel test rodlets. This spent fuel sabotage--aerosol test program is coordinated with the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of

Spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio program : FY 2004 test and data summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brucher, Wenzel; Koch, Wolfgang; Pretzsch, Gunter Guido; Loiseau, Olivier; Mo, Tin; Billone, Michael C.; Autrusson, Bruno A.; Young, F. I.; Coats, Richard Lee; Burtseva, Tatiana; Luna, Robert Earl; Dickey, Roy R.; Sorenson, Ken Bryce; Nolte, Oliver; Thompson, Nancy Slater; Hibbs, Russell S.; Gregson, Michael Warren; Lange, Florentin; Molecke, Martin Alan; Tsai, Han-Chung

2005-01-01

This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program has been underway for several years. This program provides data that are relevant to some sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks, and associated risk assessments. The program also provides significant technical and political benefits in international cooperation. We are quantifying the Spent Fuel Ratio (SFR), the ratio of the aerosol particles released from HEDD-impacted actual spent fuel to the aerosol particles produced from surrogate materials, measured under closely matched test conditions, in a contained test chamber. In addition, we are measuring the amounts, nuclide content, size distribution of the released aerosol materials, and enhanced sorption of volatile fission product nuclides onto specific aerosol particle size fractions. These data are the input for follow-on modeling studies to quantify respirable hazards, associated radiological risk assessments, vulnerability assessments, and potential cask physical protection design modifications. This document includes an updated description of the test program and test components for all work and plans made, or revised, during FY 2004. It also serves as a program status report as of the end of FY 2004. All available test results, observations, and aerosol analyses plus interpretations--primarily for surrogate material Phase 2 tests, series 2/5A through 2/9B, using cerium oxide sintered ceramic pellets are included. Advanced plans and progress are described for upcoming tests with unirradiated, depleted uranium oxide and actual spent fuel test rodlets. This spent fuel sabotage--aerosol test program is coordinated with the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of

The Different Moral Bases of Patient and Surrogate Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Brudney, Daniel

2018-01-01

My topic is a problem with our practice of surrogate decision-making in health care, namely, the problem of the surrogate who is not doing her job-the surrogate who cannot be reached or the surrogate who seems to refuse to understand or to be unable to understand the clinical situation. The analysis raises a question about the surrogate who simply disagrees with the medical team. One might think that such a surrogate is doing her job-the team just doesn't like how she is doing it. My analysis raises the question of whether (or perhaps when) she should be overridden. In approaching this problem, I focus not on the range of difficulties in practice but on the underlying moral conceptual issue. My concern will be to show that the moral values that underpin patient decision-making are fundamentally different from those that underpin surrogate decision-making. Identifying the distinctions will set parameters for any successful solution to the "Who should decide?" A patient has a specific kind of moral right to make her own medical decisions. A surrogate has no analogous moral right to decide for someone else. We want the surrogate to make the decision because we believe that she has a relevant epistemological advantage over anyone else on the scene. If and when she has no such advantage or if she refuses or is unable to use it, then there might not be sufficient reason to let her be the decision-maker. © 2018 The Hastings Center.

Evaluation and comparison of predictive individual-level general surrogates.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabriel, Erin E; Sachs, Michael C; Halloran, M Elizabeth

2018-07-01

An intermediate response measure that accurately predicts efficacy in a new setting at the individual level could be used both for prediction and personalized medical decisions. In this article, we define a predictive individual-level general surrogate (PIGS), which is an individual-level intermediate response that can be used to accurately predict individual efficacy in a new setting. While methods for evaluating trial-level general surrogates, which are predictors of trial-level efficacy, have been developed previously, few, if any, methods have been developed to evaluate individual-level general surrogates, and no methods have formalized the use of cross-validation to quantify the expected prediction error. Our proposed method uses existing methods of individual-level surrogate evaluation within a given clinical trial setting in combination with cross-validation over a set of clinical trials to evaluate surrogate quality and to estimate the absolute prediction error that is expected in a new trial setting when using a PIGS. Simulations show that our method performs well across a variety of scenarios. We use our method to evaluate and to compare candidate individual-level general surrogates over a set of multi-national trials of a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine.

Statistical characteristics of surrogate data based on geophysical measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Venema

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the statistical properties of a range of measurements are compared with those of their surrogate time series. Seven different records are studied, amongst others, historical time series of mean daily temperature, daily rain sums and runoff from two rivers, and cloud measurements. Seven different algorithms are used to generate the surrogate time series. The best-known method is the iterative amplitude adjusted Fourier transform (IAAFT algorithm, which is able to reproduce the measured distribution as well as the power spectrum. Using this setup, the measurements and their surrogates are compared with respect to their power spectrum, increment distribution, structure functions, annual percentiles and return values. It is found that the surrogates that reproduce the power spectrum and the distribution of the measurements are able to closely match the increment distributions and the structure functions of the measurements, but this often does not hold for surrogates that only mimic the power spectrum of the measurement. However, even the best performing surrogates do not have asymmetric increment distributions, i.e., they cannot reproduce nonlinear dynamical processes that are asymmetric in time. Furthermore, we have found deviations of the structure functions on small scales.

Fuel Surrogate Physical Property Effects on Direct Injection Spray and Ignition Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

to thousands of hydrocarbon (HC) species. Such a large number of species in high fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with detailed chemistry...Violi University of Michigan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Corresponding author: Angela Violi (avioli@umich.edu...UNCLASSIFIED 1 Introduction Typical hydrocarbon fuels used in internal combustion engines, such as gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel, are composed of hundreds

Development of U-frame bending system for studying the vibration integrity of spent nuclear fuel

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong; Wang, Jy-An John; Tan, Ting; Jiang, Hao; Cox, Thomas S.; Howard, Rob L.; Bevard, Bruce B.; Flanagan, Michelle

2013-09-01

A bending fatigue system developed to evaluate the response of spent nuclear fuel rods to vibration loads is presented. A U-frame testing setup is used for imposing bending loads on the fuel rod specimen. The U-frame setup consists of two rigid arms, side connecting plates to the rigid arms, and linkages to a universal testing machine. The test specimen's curvature is obtained through a three-point deflection measurement method. The tests using surrogate specimens with stainless steel cladding revealed increased flexural rigidity under unidirectional cyclic bending, significant effect of cladding-pellets bonding on the response of surrogate rods, and substantial cyclic softening in reverse bending mode. These phenomena may cast light on the expected response of a spent nuclear fuel rod. The developed U-frame system is thus verified and demonstrated to be ready for further pursuit in hot-cell tests.

Reduced cost mission design using surrogate models

Science.gov (United States)

Feldhacker, Juliana D.; Jones, Brandon A.; Doostan, Alireza; Hampton, Jerrad

2016-01-01

This paper uses surrogate models to reduce the computational cost associated with spacecraft mission design in three-body dynamical systems. Sampling-based least squares regression is used to project the system response onto a set of orthogonal bases, providing a representation of the ΔV required for rendezvous as a reduced-order surrogate model. Models are presented for mid-field rendezvous of spacecraft in orbits in the Earth-Moon circular restricted three-body problem, including a halo orbit about the Earth-Moon L2 libration point (EML-2) and a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) about the Moon. In each case, the initial position of the spacecraft, the time of flight, and the separation between the chaser and the target vehicles are all considered as design inputs. The results show that sample sizes on the order of 102 are sufficient to produce accurate surrogates, with RMS errors reaching 0.2 m/s for the halo orbit and falling below 0.01 m/s for the DRO. A single function call to the resulting surrogate is up to two orders of magnitude faster than computing the same solution using full fidelity propagators. The expansion coefficients solved for in the surrogates are then used to conduct a global sensitivity analysis of the ΔV on each of the input parameters, which identifies the separation between the spacecraft as the primary contributor to the ΔV cost. Finally, the models are demonstrated to be useful for cheap evaluation of the cost function in constrained optimization problems seeking to minimize the ΔV required for rendezvous. These surrogate models show significant advantages for mission design in three-body systems, in terms of both computational cost and capabilities, over traditional Monte Carlo methods.

System Reliability Analysis Capability and Surrogate Model Application in RAVEN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabiti, Cristian [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Alfonsi, Andrea [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Huang, Dongli [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Gleicher, Frederick [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Wang, Bei [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Adbel-Khalik, Hany S. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Pascucci, Valerio [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Smith, Curtis L. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-11-01

This report collect the effort performed to improve the reliability analysis capabilities of the RAVEN code and explore new opportunity in the usage of surrogate model by extending the current RAVEN capabilities to multi physics surrogate models and construction of surrogate models for high dimensionality fields.

Active Subspaces for Wind Plant Surrogate Modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

King, Ryan N [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Quick, Julian [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dykes, Katherine L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Adcock, Christiane [Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2018-01-12

Understanding the uncertainty in wind plant performance is crucial to their cost-effective design and operation. However, conventional approaches to uncertainty quantification (UQ), such as Monte Carlo techniques or surrogate modeling, are often computationally intractable for utility-scale wind plants because of poor congergence rates or the curse of dimensionality. In this paper we demonstrate that wind plant power uncertainty can be well represented with a low-dimensional active subspace, thereby achieving a significant reduction in the dimension of the surrogate modeling problem. We apply the active sub-spaces technique to UQ of plant power output with respect to uncertainty in turbine axial induction factors, and find a single active subspace direction dominates the sensitivity in power output. When this single active subspace direction is used to construct a quadratic surrogate model, the number of model unknowns can be reduced by up to 3 orders of magnitude without compromising performance on unseen test data. We conclude that the dimension reduction achieved with active subspaces makes surrogate-based UQ approaches tractable for utility-scale wind plants.

Surrogate Model for Recirculation Phase LBLOCA and DET Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fynan, Douglas A; Ahn, Kwang-Il; Lee, John C.

2014-01-01

In the nuclear safety field, response surfaces were used in the first demonstration of the code scaling, applicability, and uncertainty (CSAU) methodology to quantify the uncertainty of the peak clad temperature (PCT) during a large-break loss-of-coolant accident (LBLOCA). Surrogates could have applications in other nuclear safety areas such as dynamic probabilistic safety assessment (PSA). Dynamic PSA attempts to couple the probabilistic nature of failure events, component transitions, and human reliability to deterministic calculations of time-dependent nuclear power plant (NPP) responses usually through the use of thermal-hydraulic (TH) system codes. The overall mathematical complexity of the dynamic PSA architectures with many embedded computational expensive TH code calculations with large input/output data streams have limited realistic studies of NPPs. This paper presents a time-dependent surrogate model for the recirculation phase of a hot leg LBLOCA in the OPR-1000. The surrogate model is developed through the ACE algorithm, a powerful nonparametric regression technique, trained on RELAP5 simulations of the LBLOCA. Benchmarking of the surrogate is presented and an application to a simplified dynamic event tree (DET). A time-dependent surrogate model to predict core subcooling during the recirculation phase of a hot leg LBLOCA in the OPR-1000 has been developed. The surrogate assumed the structure of a general discrete time dynamic model and learned the nonlinear functional form by performing nonparametric regression on RELAP5 simulations with the ACE algorithm. The surrogate model input parameters represent mass and energy flux terms to the RCS that appeared as user supplied or code calculated boundary conditions in the RELAP5 model. The surrogate accurately predicted the TH behavior of the core for a variety of HPSI system performance and containment conditions when compared with RELAP5 simulations. The surrogate was applied in a DET application replacing

Adaptive surrogate model based multiobjective optimization for coastal aquifer management

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jian; Yang, Yun; Wu, Jianfeng; Wu, Jichun; Sun, Xiaomin; Lin, Jin

2018-06-01

In this study, a novel surrogate model assisted multiobjective memetic algorithm (SMOMA) is developed for optimal pumping strategies of large-scale coastal groundwater problems. The proposed SMOMA integrates an efficient data-driven surrogate model with an improved non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm-II (NSGAII) that employs a local search operator to accelerate its convergence in optimization. The surrogate model based on Kernel Extreme Learning Machine (KELM) is developed and evaluated as an approximate simulator to generate the patterns of regional groundwater flow and salinity levels in coastal aquifers for reducing huge computational burden. The KELM model is adaptively trained during evolutionary search to satisfy desired fidelity level of surrogate so that it inhibits error accumulation of forecasting and results in correctly converging to true Pareto-optimal front. The proposed methodology is then applied to a large-scale coastal aquifer management in Baldwin County, Alabama. Objectives of minimizing the saltwater mass increase and maximizing the total pumping rate in the coastal aquifers are considered. The optimal solutions achieved by the proposed adaptive surrogate model are compared against those solutions obtained from one-shot surrogate model and original simulation model. The adaptive surrogate model does not only improve the prediction accuracy of Pareto-optimal solutions compared with those by the one-shot surrogate model, but also maintains the equivalent quality of Pareto-optimal solutions compared with those by NSGAII coupled with original simulation model, while retaining the advantage of surrogate models in reducing computational burden up to 94% of time-saving. This study shows that the proposed methodology is a computationally efficient and promising tool for multiobjective optimizations of coastal aquifer managements.

Surrogate motherhood as a medical treatment procedure for women's infertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Jovic, Olga S

2011-03-01

The content of this work is conceived on the research of the consequences of surrogate motherhood as a process of assisted procreation, which represent a way of parenthood in cases when it is not possible to realize parenthood through a natural way. Surrogate motherhood is a process in which a woman (surrogate mother) agrees to carry a pregnancy with the intent to give the child to the couple with whom she has made a contract on surrogate maternity after the birth. This process of conception and birth makes the determination of the child's origin on its mother's side hard to determine, because of the distinction of the genetic and gestation phases of the two women. The concept of surrogate motherhood is to appear in two forms, depending on the existence or the non-existence of the genetic link between the surrogate mother and the child she gives birth to. There are gestation (full) and genetic (partial) surrogates each with different modalities and legal and ethical implications. In Serbia, Infertility Treatment and the Bio-medically Assisted Procreation Act from 2009 explicitly forbids surrogate motherhood, despite the fact that an infertile couple decides to use it, as a rule, after having tried all other treatment procedures, in cases when there is a diagnosis but the conventional treatment applied has not produced the desired results. Given the fact that no one has the right to ignore the sufferings of people who cannot procreate naturally, the medical practice and legal science in our country plead for a formulation of a legal framework in which to apply surrogate motherhood as an infertility treatment, under particular conditions.

Surrogate motherhood

OpenAIRE

Arteta-Acosta Cindy

2011-01-01

Surrogate motherhood, also known as surrogacy, has recently become achance to exercise the right of paternity by some people. Surrogacy itself did notinvolve a disadvantaged idea, but when this is coupled with scientific experimentsand economic and personal interests, requires intervention of the State tolegislate about consequences arising from the unlimited execution of this practice. Since 70’s,developed countries have been creating laws, decrees and regulations to regulateassisted reprodu...

Catalytic Reforming of Higher Hydrocarbon Fuels to Hydrogen: Process Investigations with Regard to Auxiliary Power Units

OpenAIRE

Kaltschmitt, Torsten

2012-01-01

This thesis discusses the investigation of the catalytic partial oxidation on rhodium-coated honeycomb catalysts with respect to the conversion of a model surrogate fuel and commercial diesel fuel into hydrogen for the use in auxiliary power units. Furthermore, the influence of simulated tail-gas recycling was investigated.

Urethral and periurethral dosimetry in prostate brachytherapy: is there a convenient surrogate?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bucci, Joseph; Spadinger, Ingrid; Hilts, Michelle; Sidhu, Sabeena; Smith, Clarke; Keyes, Mira; Morris, W. James

2002-01-01

Purpose: To assess and compare two models for a surrogate urethra to be used for postimplant dosimetry in prostate brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: Twenty men with a urinary catheter present at the time of postimplant computed tomographic imaging were studied. Urethral and periurethral volumes were defined as 5-mm and 10-mm diameter volumes, respectively. Three contours of each were used: one contour of the true urethra (and periurethra), and two surrogate models. The true volumes were centered on the catheter center. One surrogate model used volumes centered on the geometrical center of each prostate contour (centered surrogate). The other surrogate model was based on the average deviation of the true urethra from a reference line through the geometrical center of the axial midplane of the prostate (deviated surrogate). Maximum point doses and the D 10 , D 25 , D 50 , D 90 , V 100 , V 120 , and V 150 of the true and surrogate volumes were measured and compared (D n is the minimum dose [Gy] received by n% of the structure, and V m is the volume [%] of the structure that received m% of the prescribed dose) as well as the distances between the surrogate urethras and the true urethra. Results: Doses determined from both surrogate urethral and periurethral volumes were in good agreement with the true urethral and periurethral doses except in the superior third of the gland. The deviated surrogate provided a physically superior likeness to the true urethra. Certain dose-volume histogram (DVH)-based parameters could also be predicted reasonably well on the basis of the surrogates. Correlation coefficients ≥0.85 were seen for D 25 , D 50 , V 100 , V 120 , and V 150 for both models. All the other parameters had correlation coefficients in the range of 0.73 - 0.85. Conclusions: Both surrogate models predicted true urethral dosimetry reasonably well. It is recommended that the simpler deviated surrogate would be a more suitable surrogate for routine clinical practice

Term clouds as surrogates for user generated speech

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tsagkias, M.; Larson, M.; de Rijke, M.; Myaeng, S.-H.; Oard, D.W.; Sebastiani, F.; Chua, T.-S.; Leong, M.-K.

2008-01-01

User generated spoken audio remains a challenge for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology and content-based audio surrogates derived from ASR-transcripts must be error robust. An investigation of the use of term clouds as surrogates for podcasts demonstrates that ASR term clouds closely

Outcomes for Gestational Carriers Versus Traditional Surrogates in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, Erika L; Berenson, Abbey B

2018-05-01

Little is known about the obstetric and procedural outcomes of traditional surrogates and gestational carriers. Participants included 222 women living in the United States who completed a brief online survey between November 2015 and February 2016. Differences between gestational carriers (n = 204) and traditional surrogates (n = 18) in demographic characteristics, pregnancy outcomes, and procedural outcomes were examined using chi-squared tests, Fisher's exact tests, and t-tests. Out of 248 eligible respondents, 222 surveys were complete, for a response rate of 89.5%. Overall, obstetric outcomes were similar among gestational carriers and traditional surrogates. Traditional surrogates were more likely than gestational carriers to have a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised score of 16 or higher (37.5% vs. 4.0%). Gestational carriers reported higher mean compensation ($27,162.80 vs. $17,070.07) and were more likely to travel over 400 miles (46.0% vs. 0.0%) than traditional surrogates. Procedural differences, but not differences in obstetric outcomes, emerged between gestational carriers and traditional surrogates. To ensure that both traditional surrogates and gestational carriers receive optimal medical care, it may be necessary to extend practice guidelines to ensure that traditional surrogates are offered the same level of care offered to gestational carriers.

Solid oxide fuel cell performance comparison fueled by methane, MeOH, EtOH and gasoline surrogate C_8H_1_8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liso, Vincenzo; Cinti, Giovanni; Nielsen, Mads P.; Desideri, Umberto

2016-01-01

Carbon deposition is a major cause of degradation in solid oxide fuel cell systems. The ability to predict carbon formation in reforming processes is thus absolutely necessary for stable operation of solid oxide fuel cell systems. In the open literature it is found that the steam input is always considered in large excess compared to what required by the reforming process with the purpose of reducing carbon formation and avoiding rapid degradation of the cell performance. This makes it difficult to consistently compare system performance with different fuels. In this work, the molar compositions at equilibrium are calculated for a minimum steam to carbon ratio for each fuel type. We carry out a thermodynamic analysis of fuel/steam system using Gibbs Free Energy minimization method. A mathematical relationship between Lagrange's multipliers and carbon activity in the gas phase was deduced. Minimum steam required for the reforming process for each fuel was related to the heat required for the reforming process and fuel cell open circuit voltage. Furthermore, in an experimental test, steam reforming product compositions were used to evaluate and compare SOFC performance with different hydrocarbons. Comparing the model to the experimental activity, it is revealed that at temperatures exceeding 800 °C the gas composition is dominated by hydrogen and carbon monoxide for any of the fuels considered leading to similar cell polarization curves performance for different fuels. The main effect on the performance is related to OCV values which are dependent on different steam content for each fuel. It was concluded that the magnitude of the heat requested for the fuel reforming process is the major difference in system performance when comparing different fuels. However, reforming kinetic effects can become predominant rather than thermodynamics, especially at lower temperatures.

Development of U-frame bending system for studying the vibration integrity of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hong; Wang, Jy-An John; Tan, Ting; Jiang, Hao; Cox, Thomas S.; Howard, Rob L.; Bevard, Bruce B.; Flanagan, Michelle

2013-01-01

A bending fatigue system developed to evaluate the response of spent nuclear fuel rods to vibration loads is presented. A U-frame testing setup is used for imposing bending loads on the fuel rod specimen. The U-frame setup consists of two rigid arms, side connecting plates to the rigid arms, and linkages to a universal testing machine. The test specimen’s curvature is obtained through a three-point deflection measurement method. The tests using surrogate specimens with stainless steel cladding revealed increased flexural rigidity under unidirectional cyclic bending, significant effect of cladding-pellets bonding on the response of surrogate rods, and substantial cyclic softening in reverse bending mode. These phenomena may cast light on the expected response of a spent nuclear fuel rod. The developed U-frame system is thus verified and demonstrated to be ready for further pursuit in hot-cell tests

Ignition delay measurements of light naphtha: A fully blended low octane fuel

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour; Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Badra, Jihad; Djebbi, Khalil; Beshir, Mohamed; Ji, Weiqi; Sarathy, Mani; Farooq, Aamir

2016-01-01

. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fundamental autoignition study on the reactivity of a low-octane fully blended fuel and the use of a suitably formulated multi-component surrogate to model its behavior.

Economic Statistical Design of Variable Sampling Interval X¯$\\overline X $ Control Chart Based on Surrogate Variable Using Genetic Algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Tae-Hoon

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In many cases, a X¯$\\overline X $ control chart based on a performance variable is used in industrial fields. Typically, the control chart monitors the measurements of a performance variable itself. However, if the performance variable is too costly or impossible to measure, and a less expensive surrogate variable is available, the process may be more efficiently controlled using surrogate variables. In this paper, we present a model for the economic statistical design of a VSI (Variable Sampling Interval X¯$\\overline X $ control chart using a surrogate variable that is linearly correlated with the performance variable. We derive the total average profit model from an economic viewpoint and apply the model to a Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR nuclear fuel measurement system and derive the optimal result using genetic algorithms. Compared with the control chart based on a performance variable, the proposed model gives a larger expected net income per unit of time in the long-run if the correlation between the performance variable and the surrogate variable is relatively high. The proposed model was confined to the sample mean control chart under the assumption that a single assignable cause occurs according to the Poisson process. However, the model may also be extended to other types of control charts using a single or multiple assignable cause assumptions such as VSS (Variable Sample Size X¯$\\overline X $ control chart, EWMA, CUSUM charts and so on.

Human surrogate neck response to +Gz vertical impact

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rooij, L. van; Uittenbogaard, J.

2011-01-01

For the evaluation of impact scenarios with a substantial vertical component, the performance of current human surrogates - the RID 3D hardware dummy and two numerical human models - was evaluated. Volunteer tests with 10G and 6G pulses were compared to reconstructed tests with human surrogates.

Improving Communication With Surrogate Decision-Makers: A Pilot Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Meltzer, Ellen C; Shi, Zhenzhen; Suppes, Alexandra; Hersh, Jennifer E; Orlander, Jay D; Calhoun, Aaron W; Tung, Judy; Logio, Lia; Manna, Ruth; Bialer, Philip A; Acres, Cathleen A; Fins, Joseph J

2017-08-01

Difficult conversations in medical care often occur between physicians and patients' surrogates, individuals entrusted with medical decisions for patients who lack the capacity to make them. Poor communication between patients' surrogates and physicians may exacerbate anxiety and guilt for surrogates, and may contribute to physician stress and burnout. This pilot study assesses the effectiveness of an experiential learning workshop that was conducted in a clinical setting, and aimed at improving resident physician communication skills with a focus on surrogate decision-making. From April through June 2016, we assessed internal medicine residents' baseline communication skills through an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) with actors representing standardized surrogates. After an intensive, 6-hour communication skills workshop, residents were reassessed via an OSCE on the same day. A faculty facilitator and the surrogate evaluated participants' communication skills via the expanded Gap Kalamazoo Consensus Statement Assessment Form. Wilcoxon signed rank tests (α of .05) compared mean pre- and postworkshop scores. Of 44 residents, 33 (75%) participated. Participants' average preworkshop OSCE scores ( M  = 3.3, SD = 0.9) were significantly lower than postworkshop scores ( M  = 4.3; SD = 0.8; Z  = 4.193; P  decision-making benefit from focused interventions. Our pilot assessment of a workshop showed promise, and additionally demonstrated the feasibility of bringing OSCEs and simulated encounters into a busy clinical practice.

Application of the Advanced Distillation Curve Method to Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engine Gasolines

KAUST Repository

Burger, Jessica L.

2015-07-16

© This article not subject to U.S. Copyright. Published 2015 by the American Chemical Society. Incremental but fundamental changes are currently being made to fuel composition and combustion strategies to diversify energy feedstocks, decrease pollution, and increase engine efficiency. The increase in parameter space (by having many variables in play simultaneously) makes it difficult at best to propose strategic changes to engine and fuel design by use of conventional build-and-test methodology. To make changes in the most time- and cost-effective manner, it is imperative that new computational tools and surrogate fuels are developed. Currently, sets of fuels are being characterized by industry groups, such as the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) and other entities, so that researchers in different laboratories have access to fuels with consistent properties. In this work, six gasolines (FACE A, C, F, G, I, and J) are characterized by the advanced distillation curve (ADC) method to determine the composition and enthalpy of combustion in various distillate volume fractions. Tracking the composition and enthalpy of distillate fractions provides valuable information for determining structure property relationships, and moreover, it provides the basis for the development of equations of state that can describe the thermodynamic properties of these complex mixtures and lead to development of surrogate fuels composed of major hydrocarbon classes found in target fuels.

Surrogate alcohol: what do we know and where do we go?

Science.gov (United States)

Lachenmeier, Dirk W; Rehm, Jürgen; Gmel, Gerhard

2007-10-01

Consumption of surrogate alcohols (i.e., nonbeverage alcohols and illegally produced alcohols) was shown to impact on different causes of death, not only poisoning or liver disease, and appears to be a major public health problem in Russia and elsewhere. A computer-assisted literature review on chemical composition and health consequences of "surrogate alcohol" was conducted and more than 70 references were identified. A wider definition of the term "surrogate alcohol" was derived, including both nonbeverage alcohols and illegally produced alcohols that contain nonbeverage alcohols. Surrogate alcohol may contain substances that cause severe health consequences including death. Known toxic constituents include lead, which may lead to chronic toxicity, and methanol, which leads to acute poisoning. On the other hand, the role of higher alcohols (e.g., propanol, isobutanol, and isoamyl alcohol) in the etiology of surrogate-associated diseases is currently unclear. Whether other constituents of surrogates have contributed to the high all-cause mortality over and above the effect of ethanol in recent studies also remains unclear. Given the high public health importance associated with the consumption of surrogate alcohols, further knowledge on its chemical composition is required as well as research on its links to various disease endpoints should be undertaken with priority. Some interventions to reduce the harm resulting from surrogate alcohol could be undertaken already at this point. For example, the use of methanol or methanol-containing wood alcohol should be abolished in denatured alcohol. Other possible surrogates (e.g., automobile products) should be treated with bittering agents to avoid consumption.

Hepatology may have problems with putative surrogate outcome measures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gluud, Christian; Brok, Jesper; Gong, Yan

2007-01-01

A surrogate outcome measure is a laboratory measurement, a physical sign, or another intermediate substitute that is able to predict an intervention's effect on a clinically meaningful outcome. A clinical outcome detects how a patient feels, functions, or survives. Surrogate outcome measures occur...... faster or more often, are cheaper, and/or are less invasively achieved than the clinical outcome. In practice, validation is surprisingly often overlooked, especially if a biologic plausible rationale is proposed. Surrogate outcomes must be validated before use. The first step in validation...... predicts the intervention's effect on the clinical outcome. In hepatology a number of putative surrogate outcomes are used both in clinical research and in clinical practice without having been properly validated. Sustained virological response to interferons and ribavirin in patients with chronic...

Analysis of exergy loss of gasoline surrogate combustion process based on detailed chemical kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Hongjie; Yan, Feng; Yu, Hao; Su, W.H.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We explored the exergy loss sources of gasoline engine like combustion process. • The model combined non-equilibrium thermodynamics with detailed chemical kinetics. • We explored effects of initial conditions on exergy loss of combustion process. • Exergy loss decreases 15% of fuel chemical exergy by design of initial conditions. • Correspondingly, the second law efficiency increases from 38.9% to 68.9%. - Abstract: Chemical reaction is the most important source of combustion irreversibility in premixed conditions, but details of the exergy loss mechanisms have not been explored yet. In this study numerical analysis based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics combined with detailed chemical kinetics is conducted to explore the exergy loss mechanism of gasoline engine like combustion process which is simplified as constant volume combustion. The fuel is represented by the common accepted gasoline surrogates which consist of four components: iso-octane (57%), n-heptane (16%), toluene (23%), and 2-pentene (4%). We find that overall exergy loss is mainly composed of three peaks along combustion generated from chemical reactions in three stages, the conversion from large fuel molecules into small molecules (as Stage 1), the H 2 O 2 loop-related reactions (as Stage 2), and the violent oxidation reactions of CO, H, and O (as Stage 3). The effects of individual combustion boundaries, including temperature, pressure, equivalence ratio, oxygen concentration, on combustion exergy loss have been widely investigated. The combined effects of combustion boundaries on the total loss of gasoline surrogates are also investigated. We find that in a gasoline engine with a compression ratio of 10, the total loss can be reduced from 31.3% to 24.3% using lean combustion. The total loss can be further reduced to 22.4% by introducing exhaust gas recirculation and boosting the inlet charge. If the compression ratio is increased to 17, the total loss can be decreased to

A cross-cultural study on surrogate mother's empathy and maternal-foetal attachment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenceau, Ellen Schenkel; Mazzucca, Luis; Tisseron, Serge; Pizitz, Todd D

2015-06-01

Traditional and gestational surrogate mothers assist infertile couples by carrying their children. In 2005, a meta-analysis on surrogacy was conducted but no study had examined empathy and maternal-foetal attachment of surrogate mothers. Assessments of surrogate mothers show no sign of psychopathology, but one study showed differences on several MMPI-2 scales compared to a normative sample: surrogate mothers identified with stereotypically masculine traits such as assertiveness and competition. They had a higher self-esteem and lower levels of anxiety and depression. To determine if there is a difference in empathy and maternal-foetal attachment of surrogate mothers compared to a comparison group of mothers. Three groups of European traditional and gestational surrogate mothers (n=10), Anglo-Saxon traditional and gestational surrogate mothers (n=34) and a European normative sample of mothers (n=32) completed four published psychometric instruments: the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (empathy index), the Hospital Anxiety and Depressions Scale and the MC20, a social desirability scale. Pregnant surrogate mothers filled the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (n=11). Statistical non-parametric analyses of variance were conducted. Depending on cultural background, surrogate mothers present differences in terms of empathy, anxiety and depression, social desirability and quality of attachment to the foetus compared to a normative sample. Environment plays a role for traditional and gestational surrogacy. Surrogate mothers of both groups are less anxious and depressed than normative samples. Maternal-foetal attachment is strong with a slightly lower quality of attachment. Surrogate mother's empathy indexes are similar to normative samples, sometimes higher. Copyright © 2014 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health information-seeking on behalf of others: characteristics of "surrogate seekers".

Science.gov (United States)

Cutrona, Sarah L; Mazor, Kathleen M; Vieux, Sana N; Luger, Tana M; Volkman, Julie E; Finney Rutten, Lila J

2015-03-01

Understanding the behaviors of surrogate seekers (those who seek health information for others) may guide efforts to improve health information transmission. We used 2011-2012 data from the Health Information National Trends Survey to describe behaviors of online surrogate seekers. Respondents were asked about use of the Internet for surrogate-seeking over the prior 12 months. Data were weighted to calculate population estimates. Two thirds (66.6%) reported surrogate-seeking. Compared to those who sought health information online for only themselves, surrogate seekers were more likely to live in households with others (weighted percent 89.4 vs. 82.5% of self-seekers; p user-generated content: email communication with healthcare providers; visits to social networking sites to read and share about medical topics and participation in online health support groups. On multivariate analysis, those who had looked online for healthcare providers were more likely to be surrogate seekers (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.08-2.59). In addition to seeking health information, surrogate seekers create and pass along communications that may influence medical care decisions. Research is needed to identify ways to facilitate transmission of accurate health information.

Solubility of actinides and surrogates in nuclear glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, Ch.

2003-01-01

The nuclear wastes are currently incorporated in borosilicate glass matrices. The resulting glass must be perfectly homogeneous. The work discussed here is a study of actinide (thorium and plutonium) solubility in borosilicate glass, undertaken to assess the extent of actinide solubility in the glass and to understand the mechanisms controlling actinide solubilization. Glass specimens containing; actinide surrogates were used to prepare and optimize the fabrication of radioactive glass samples. These preliminary studies revealed that actinide Surrogates solubility in the glass was enhanced by controlling the processing temperature, the dissolution kinetic of the surrogate precursors, the glass composition and the oxidizing versus reducing conditions. The actinide solubility was investigated in the borosilicate glass. The evolution of thorium solubility in borosilicate glass was determined for temperatures ranging from 1200 deg C to 1400 deg C.Borosilicate glass specimens containing plutonium were fabricated. The experimental result showed that the plutonium solubility limit ranged from 1 to 2.5 wt% PuO 2 at 1200 deg C. A structural approach based on the determination of the local structure around actinides and their surrogates by EXAFS spectroscopy was used to determine their structural role in the glass and the nature of their bonding with the vitreous network. This approach revealed a correlation between the length of these bonds and the solubility of the actinides and their surrogates. (author)

Litter Decomposition and Soil Respiration Responses to Fuel-Reduction Treatments in Piedmond Loblolly Pine Forests

Science.gov (United States)

Mac A. Callaham; Peter H. Anderson; Thomas A. Waldrop; Darren J. Lione; Victor B. Shelburne

2004-01-01

As part of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study, we measured the short-term effects of different fuel-management practices on leaf litter decomposition and soil respiration in loblolly pine stands on the upper Piedmont of South Carolina. These stands had been subjected to a factorial arrangement of experimental fuel-management treatments that included prescribed...

Gallium-cladding compatibility testing plan: Phase 3: Test plan for centrally heated surrogate rodlet test. Revision 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, R.N.; Baldwin, C.A.; Wilson, D.F.

1998-07-01

The Fissile Materials Disposition Program (FMDP) is investigating the use of weapons grade plutonium in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for light-water reactors (LWR). Commercial MOX fuel has been successfully used in overseas reactors for many years; however, weapons derived fuel may differ from the previous commercial fuels because of small amounts of gallium impurities. A concern presently exists that the gallium may migrate out of the fuel, react with and weaken the clad, and thereby promote loss of fuel pin integrity. Phases 1 and 2 of the gallium task are presently underway to investigate the types of reactions that occur between gallium and clad materials. This is a Level-2 document as defined in the Fissile Materials Disposition Program Light-Water Reactor Mixed-Oxide Fuel Irradiation Test Project Plan. This Plan summarizes the projected Phase 3 Gallium-Cladding compatibility heating test and the follow-on post test examination (PTE). This work will be performed using centrally-heated surrogate pellets, to avoid unnecessary complexities and costs associated with working with plutonium and an irradiation environment. Two sets of rodlets containing pellets prepared by two different methods will be heated. Both sets will have an initial bulk gallium content of approximately 10 ppm. The major emphasis of the PTE task will be to examine the material interactions, particularly indications of gallium transport from the pellets to the clad

Conservative strategy-based ensemble surrogate model for optimal groundwater remediation design at DNAPLs-contaminated sites

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Qi; Lu, Wenxi; Lin, Jin; Deng, Wenbing; Cheng, Weiguo

2017-08-01

The surrogate-based simulation-optimization techniques are frequently used for optimal groundwater remediation design. When this technique is used, surrogate errors caused by surrogate-modeling uncertainty may lead to generation of infeasible designs. In this paper, a conservative strategy that pushes the optimal design into the feasible region was used to address surrogate-modeling uncertainty. In addition, chance-constrained programming (CCP) was adopted to compare with the conservative strategy in addressing this uncertainty. Three methods, multi-gene genetic programming (MGGP), Kriging (KRG) and support vector regression (SVR), were used to construct surrogate models for a time-consuming multi-phase flow model. To improve the performance of the surrogate model, ensemble surrogates were constructed based on combinations of different stand-alone surrogate models. The results show that: (1) the surrogate-modeling uncertainty was successfully addressed by the conservative strategy, which means that this method is promising for addressing surrogate-modeling uncertainty. (2) The ensemble surrogate model that combines MGGP with KRG showed the most favorable performance, which indicates that this ensemble surrogate can utilize both stand-alone surrogate models to improve the performance of the surrogate model.

Demonstration of Subscale Cermet Fuel Specimen Fabrication Approach Using Spark Plasma Sintering and Diffusion Bonding

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Marvin W.; Tucker, Dennis S.; Benensky, Kelsa M.

2018-01-01

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) has the potential to expand the limits of human space exploration by enabling crewed missions to Mars and beyond. The viability of NTP hinges on the development of a robust nuclear fuel material that can perform in the harsh operating environment (> or = 2500K, reactive hydrogen) of a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) engine. Efforts are ongoing to develop fuel material and to assemble fuel elements that will be stable during the service life of an NTR. Ceramic-metal (cermet) fuels are being actively pursued by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) due to their demonstrated high-temperature stability and hydrogen compatibility. Building on past cermet fuel development research, experiments were conducted to investigate a modern fabrication approach for cermet fuel elements. The experiments used consolidated tungsten (W)-60vol%zirconia (ZrO2) compacts that were formed via spark plasma sintering (SPS). The consolidated compacts were stacked and diffusion bonded to assess the integrity of the bond lines and internal cooling channel cladding. The assessment included hot hydrogen testing of the manufactured surrogate fuel and pure W for 45 minutes at 2500 K in the compact fuel element environmental test (CFEET) system. Performance of bonded W-ZrO2 rods was compared to bonded pure W rods to access bond line integrity and composite stability. Bonded surrogate fuels retained structural integrity throughout testing and incurred minimal mass loss.

Surrogate for oropharyngeal cancer HPV status in cancer database studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Megwalu, Uchechukwu C; Chen, Michelle M; Ma, Yifei; Divi, Vasu

2017-12-01

The utility of cancer databases for oropharyngeal cancer studies is limited by lack of information on human papillomavirus (HPV) status. The purpose of this study was to develop a surrogate that can be used to adjust for the effect of HPV status on survival. The study cohort included 6419 patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma between 2004 and 2012, identified in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The HPV surrogate score was developed using a logistic regression model predicting HPV-positive status. The HPV surrogate score was predictive of HPV status (area under the curve [AUC] 0.73; accuracy of 70.4%). Similar to HPV-positive tumors, HPV surrogate positive tumors were associated with improved overall survival (OS; hazard ratio [HR] 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.91; P = .005), after adjusting for important covariates. The HPV surrogate score is useful for adjusting for the effect of HPV status on survival in studies utilizing cancer databases. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Error modeling for surrogates of dynamical systems using machine learning

Science.gov (United States)

Trehan, Sumeet; Carlberg, Kevin T.; Durlofsky, Louis J.

2017-12-01

A machine-learning-based framework for modeling the error introduced by surrogate models of parameterized dynamical systems is proposed. The framework entails the use of high-dimensional regression techniques (e.g., random forests, LASSO) to map a large set of inexpensively computed `error indicators' (i.e., features) produced by the surrogate model at a given time instance to a prediction of the surrogate-model error in a quantity of interest (QoI). This eliminates the need for the user to hand-select a small number of informative features. The methodology requires a training set of parameter instances at which the time-dependent surrogate-model error is computed by simulating both the high-fidelity and surrogate models. Using these training data, the method first determines regression-model locality (via classification or clustering), and subsequently constructs a `local' regression model to predict the time-instantaneous error within each identified region of feature space. We consider two uses for the resulting error model: (1) as a correction to the surrogate-model QoI prediction at each time instance, and (2) as a way to statistically model arbitrary functions of the time-dependent surrogate-model error (e.g., time-integrated errors). We apply the proposed framework to model errors in reduced-order models of nonlinear oil--water subsurface flow simulations. The reduced-order models used in this work entail application of trajectory piecewise linearization with proper orthogonal decomposition. When the first use of the method is considered, numerical experiments demonstrate consistent improvement in accuracy in the time-instantaneous QoI prediction relative to the original surrogate model, across a large number of test cases. When the second use is considered, results show that the proposed method provides accurate statistical predictions of the time- and well-averaged errors.

Systematic review: the effect on surrogates of making treatment decisions for others.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendler, David; Rid, Annette

2011-03-01

Clinical practice relies on surrogates to make or help to make treatment decisions for incapacitated adults; however, the effect of this practice on surrogates has not been evaluated. To assess the effect on surrogates of making treatment decisions for adults who cannot make their own decisions. Empirical studies published in English and listed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, BIOETHICSLINE, PsycINFO, or Scopus before 1 July 2010. Eligible studies provided quantitative or qualitative empirical data, by evaluating surrogates, regarding the effect on surrogates of making treatment decisions for an incapacitated adult. Information on study location, number and type of surrogates, timing of data collection, type of decisions, patient setting, methods, main findings, and limitations. 40 studies, 29 using qualitative and 11 using quantitative methods, provided data on 2854 surrogates, more than one half of whom were family members of the patient. Most surrogates were surveyed several months to years after making treatment decisions, the majority of which were end-of-life decisions. The quantitative studies found that at least one third of surrogates experienced a negative emotional burden as the result of making treatment decisions. The qualitative studies reported that many or most surrogates experienced negative emotional burden. The negative effects on surrogates were often substantial and typically lasted months or, in some cases, years. The most common negative effects cited by surrogates were stress, guilt over the decisions they made, and doubt regarding whether they had made the right decisions. Nine of the 40 studies also reported beneficial effects on a few surrogates, the most common of which were supporting the patient and feeling a sense of satisfaction. Knowing which treatment is consistent with the patient's preferences was frequently cited as reducing the negative effect on surrogates. Thirty-two of the 40 articles reported data collected in the United States

Mother-daughter in vitro fertilization triplet surrogate pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Michelow, M C; Bernstein, J; Jacobson, M J; McLoughlin, J L; Rubenstein, D; Hacking, A I; Preddy, S; Van der Wat, I J

1988-02-01

A successful triplet pregnancy has been established in a surrogate gestational mother following the transfer of five embryos fertilized in vitro. The oocytes were donated by her biological daughter, and the sperm obtained from the daughter's husband. The daughter's infertility followed a total abdominal hysterectomy performed for a postpartum hemorrhage as a result of a placenta accreta. Synchronization of both their menstrual cycles was obtained using oral contraceptive suppression for 2 months, followed by stimulation of both the surrogate gestational mother and her daughter such that embryo transfer would occur at least 48 hr after the surrogate gestational mother's own ovulation. This case raises a number of medical, social, psychological, and ethical issues.

A Priori Analysis of a Compressible Flamelet Model using RANS Data for a Dual-Mode Scramjet Combustor

Science.gov (United States)

Quinlan, Jesse R.; Drozda, Tomasz G.; McDaniel, James C.; Lacaze, Guilhem; Oefelein, Joseph

2015-01-01

In an effort to make large eddy simulation of hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet combustors more computationally accessible using realistic chemical reaction mechanisms, a compressible flamelet/progress variable (FPV) model was proposed that extends current FPV model formulations to high-speed, compressible flows. Development of this model relied on observations garnered from an a priori analysis of the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) data obtained for the Hypersonic International Flight Research and Experimentation (HI-FiRE) dual-mode scramjet combustor. The RANS data were obtained using a reduced chemical mechanism for the combustion of a JP-7 surrogate and were validated using avail- able experimental data. These RANS data were then post-processed to obtain, in an a priori fashion, the scalar fields corresponding to an FPV-based modeling approach. In the current work, in addition to the proposed compressible flamelet model, a standard incompressible FPV model was also considered. Several candidate progress variables were investigated for their ability to recover static temperature and major and minor product species. The effects of pressure and temperature on the tabulated progress variable source term were characterized, and model coupling terms embedded in the Reynolds- averaged Navier-Stokes equations were studied. Finally, results for the novel compressible flamelet/progress variable model were presented to demonstrate the improvement attained by modeling the effects of pressure and flamelet boundary conditions on the combustion.

Uncertainty quantification for accident management using ACE surrogates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varuttamaseni, A.; Lee, J. C.; Youngblood, R. W.

2012-01-01

The alternating conditional expectation (ACE) regression method is used to generate RELAP5 surrogates which are then used to determine the distribution of the peak clad temperature (PCT) during the loss of feedwater accident coupled with a subsequent initiation of the feed and bleed (F and B) operation in the Zion-1 nuclear power plant. The construction of the surrogates assumes conditional independence relations among key reactor parameters. The choice of parameters to model is based on the macroscopic balance statements governing the behavior of the reactor. The peak clad temperature is calculated based on the independent variables that are known to be important in determining the success of the F and B operation. The relationship between these independent variables and the plant parameters such as coolant pressure and temperature is represented by surrogates that are constructed based on 45 RELAP5 cases. The time-dependent PCT for different values of F and B parameters is calculated by sampling the independent variables from their probability distributions and propagating the information through two layers of surrogates. The results of our analysis show that the ACE surrogates are able to satisfactorily reproduce the behavior of the plant parameters even though a quasi-static assumption is primarily used in their construction. The PCT is found to be lower in cases where the F and B operation is initiated, compared to the case without F and B, regardless of the F and B parameters used. (authors)

Fabrication and characterization of CeO{sub 2} pellets for simulation of nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García-Ostos, C.; Rodríguez-Ortiz, J.A. [Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Seville, Seville (Spain); Arévalo, C., E-mail: carevalo@us.es [Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Seville, Seville (Spain); Cobos, J. [CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense, 40, Madrid (Spain); Gotor, F.J. [Materials Science Institute of Seville (CSIC-US), Av. Américo Vespucio, 49, 41092 Seville (Spain); Torres, Y. [Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Seville, Seville (Spain)

2016-03-15

Highlights: • CeO{sub 2} is presented as a surrogate material for UO{sub 2} to study nuclear fuel. • Powder-metallurgy methods are applied to fabricate CeO{sub 2} pellets with controlled porosity. • An optimization of the fabrication parameters is established. • Microstructural and tribo-mechanical characterizations are performed. • Properties are compared to those of the nuclear fuel. - Abstract: Cerium Oxide, CeO{sub 2}, has been shown as a surrogate material to understand irradiated Mixed Oxide (MOX) based matrix fuel for nuclear power plants due to its similar structure, chemical and mechanical properties. In this work, CeO{sub 2} pellets with controlled porosity have been developed through conventional powder-metallurgy process. Influence of the main processing parameters (binder content, compaction pressure, sintering temperature and sintering time) on porosity and volumetric contraction values has been studied. Microstructure and physical properties of sintered compacts have also been characterized through several techniques. Mechanical properties such as dynamic Young's modulus, hardness and fracture toughness have been determined and connected to powder-metallurgy parameters. Simulation of nuclear fuel after reactor utilization with radial gradient porosity is proposed.

TOXICITY OF PENTACHLOROPHENOL TO ENDANGERED AND SURROGATE FISH SPECIES

Science.gov (United States)

Water quality criteria (WQC) generally are based on the responses of easily cultured and tested surrogate species. Little is known about the relative sensitivity of surrogate and endangered species. The objective of this study was to compare acute and chronic (early life-stage) ...

Effectiveness of biological surrogates for predicting patterns of marine biodiversity: a global meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camille Mellin

Full Text Available The use of biological surrogates as proxies for biodiversity patterns is gaining popularity, particularly in marine systems where field surveys can be expensive and species richness high. Yet, uncertainty regarding their applicability remains because of inconsistency of definitions, a lack of standard methods for estimating effectiveness, and variable spatial scales considered. We present a Bayesian meta-analysis of the effectiveness of biological surrogates in marine ecosystems. Surrogate effectiveness was defined both as the proportion of surrogacy tests where predictions based on surrogates were better than random (i.e., low probability of making a Type I error; P and as the predictability of targets using surrogates (R(2. A total of 264 published surrogacy tests combined with prior probabilities elicited from eight international experts demonstrated that the habitat, spatial scale, type of surrogate and statistical method used all influenced surrogate effectiveness, at least according to either P or R(2. The type of surrogate used (higher-taxa, cross-taxa or subset taxa was the best predictor of P, with the higher-taxa surrogates outperforming all others. The marine habitat was the best predictor of R(2, with particularly low predictability in tropical reefs. Surrogate effectiveness was greatest for higher-taxa surrogates at a <10-km spatial scale, in low-complexity marine habitats such as soft bottoms, and using multivariate-based methods. Comparisons with terrestrial studies in terms of the methods used to study surrogates revealed that marine applications still ignore some problems with several widely used statistical approaches to surrogacy. Our study provides a benchmark for the reliable use of biological surrogates in marine ecosystems, and highlights directions for future development of biological surrogates in predicting biodiversity.

Gating treatment delivery QA based on a surrogate motion analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chojnowski, J.; Simpson, E.

2011-01-01

Full text: To develop a methodology to estimate intrafractional target position error during a phase-based gated treatment. Westmead Cancer Care Centre is using respiratory correlated phase-based gated beam delivery in the treatment of lung cancer. The gating technique is managed by the Varian Real-time Position Management (RPM) system, version 1.7.5. A 6-dot block is placed on the abdomen of the patient and acts as a surrogate for the target motion. During a treatment session, the motion of the surrogate can be recorded by RPM application. Analysis of the surrogate motion file by in-house developed software allows the intrafractional error of the treatment session to be computed. To validate the computed error, a simple test that involves the introduction of deliberate errors is performed. Errors of up to 1.1 cm are introduced to a metal marker placed on a surrogate using the Varian Breathing Phantom. The moving marker was scanned in prospective mode using a GE Lightspeed 16 CT scanner. Using the CT images, a difference of the marker position with and without introduced errors is compared to the calculated errors based on the surrogate motion. The average and standard deviation of a difference between calculated target position errors and measured introduced artificial errors of the marker position is 0.02 cm and 0.07 cm respectively. Conclusion The calculated target positional error based on surrogate motion analysis provides a quantitative measure of intrafractional target positional errors during treatment. Routine QA for gated treatment using surrogate motion analysis is relatively quick and simple.

One mum too few: maternal status in host surrogate motherhood arrangements.

Science.gov (United States)

Oultram, Stuart

2015-06-01

In a host surrogate motherhood arrangement, the surrogate agrees to be implanted with, and carry to term, an embryo created from the commissioning couple's gametes. When the surrogate child is born, it is the surrogate mother who, according to UK law, holds the legal status of mother. By contrast, the commissioning mother possesses no maternal status and she can only attain it once the surrogate agrees to the completion of the arrangement. One consequence of this is that, in the event that a host arrangement fails, the commissioning mother is left without maternal status. In this paper, I argue that this denial of maternal status misrepresents the commissioning mother's role in the host arrangement and her relationship with the surrogate child. Consequently, I suggest that commissioning mothers participating in host surrogacy arrangements ought to be granted the status of mother in the event that the arrangement fails. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Legal regulation of surrogate motherhood in Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Frenkel, D A

2001-01-01

The Israeli Law on surrogate motherhood demands a preconception agreement to include payments to be made to the surrogate mother. Surrogacy arrangements with family members are forbidden. Commercial surrogacy is allowed and encouraged. The Law causes many problems. Validity of consent given by surrogate mothers is doubtful. Possible future psychological harm are ignored. There is a danger of "commodification" of children. Abusing women of low socio-economic status as breeding machines may be another outcome. No clear responsibility is imposed on the "intended parents" for an impaired child. The law ignores possibility of divorce or death of the "intended parents" before the child's birth. Splitting motherhood is another social problem that has to be dealt with. So far the sperm of the husband from the "intended parents" has to be used, but further steps may follow. It is not certain that a policy of "positive eugenics" will not develop.

Disinfection byproduct regulatory compliance surrogates and bromide-associated risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolb, Chelsea; Francis, Royce A; VanBriesen, Jeanne M

2017-08-01

Natural and anthropogenic factors can alter bromide concentrations in drinking water sources. Increasing source water bromide concentrations increases the formation and alters the speciation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formed during drinking water treatment. Brominated DBPs are more toxic than their chlorinated analogs, and thus have a greater impact on human health. However, DBPs are regulated based on the mass sum of DBPs within a given class (e.g., trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids), not based on species-specific risk or extent of bromine incorporation. The regulated surrogate measures are intended to protect against not only the species they directly represent, but also against unregulated DBPs that are not routinely measured. Surrogates that do not incorporate effects of increasing bromide may not adequately capture human health risk associated with drinking water when source water bromide is elevated. The present study analyzes trihalomethanes (THMs), measured as TTHM, with varying source water bromide concentrations, and assesses its correlation with brominated THM, TTHM risk and species-specific THM concentrations and associated risk. Alternative potential surrogates are evaluated to assess their ability to capture THM risk under different source water bromide concentration conditions. The results of the present study indicate that TTHM does not adequately capture risk of the regulated species when source water bromide concentrations are elevated, and thus would also likely be an inadequate surrogate for many unregulated brominated species. Alternative surrogate measures, including THM 3 and the bromodichloromethane concentration, are more robust surrogates for species-specific THM risk at varying source water bromide concentrations. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Estimating fuel octane numbers from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay times

KAUST Repository

Naser, Nimal

2017-11-05

Fuel octane numbers are directly related to the autoignition properties of fuel/air mixtures in spark ignition (SI) engines. This work presents a methodology to estimate the research and the motor octane numbers (RON and MON) from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay time (IDT) data calculated at various pressures and temperatures. The hypothesis under investigation is that at specific conditions of pressure and temperature (i.e., RON-like and MON-like conditions), fuels with IDT identical to that of a primary reference fuel (PRF) have the same octane rating. To test this hypothesis, IDTs with a detailed gasoline surrogate chemical kinetic model have been calculated at various temperatures and pressures. From this dataset, temperatures that best represent RON and MON have been correlated at a specified pressure. Correlations for pressures in the range of 10–50 bar were obtained. The proposed correlations were validated with toluene reference fuels (TRF), toluene primary reference fuels (TPRF), ethanol reference fuels (ERF), PRFs and TPRFs with ethanol, and multi-component gasoline surrogate mixtures. The predicted RON and MON showed satisfactory accuracy against measurements obtained by the standard ASTM methods and blending rules, demonstrating that the present methodology can be a viable tool for a first approximation. The correlations were also validated against an extensive set of experimental IDT data obtained from literature with a high degree of accuracy in RON/MON prediction. Conditions in homogeneous reactors such as shock tubes and rapid compression machines that are relevant to modern SI engines were also identified. Uncertainty analysis of the proposed correlations with linear error propagation theory is also presented.

Estimating fuel octane numbers from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay times

KAUST Repository

Naser, Nimal; Sarathy, Mani; Chung, Suk-Ho

2017-01-01

Fuel octane numbers are directly related to the autoignition properties of fuel/air mixtures in spark ignition (SI) engines. This work presents a methodology to estimate the research and the motor octane numbers (RON and MON) from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay time (IDT) data calculated at various pressures and temperatures. The hypothesis under investigation is that at specific conditions of pressure and temperature (i.e., RON-like and MON-like conditions), fuels with IDT identical to that of a primary reference fuel (PRF) have the same octane rating. To test this hypothesis, IDTs with a detailed gasoline surrogate chemical kinetic model have been calculated at various temperatures and pressures. From this dataset, temperatures that best represent RON and MON have been correlated at a specified pressure. Correlations for pressures in the range of 10–50 bar were obtained. The proposed correlations were validated with toluene reference fuels (TRF), toluene primary reference fuels (TPRF), ethanol reference fuels (ERF), PRFs and TPRFs with ethanol, and multi-component gasoline surrogate mixtures. The predicted RON and MON showed satisfactory accuracy against measurements obtained by the standard ASTM methods and blending rules, demonstrating that the present methodology can be a viable tool for a first approximation. The correlations were also validated against an extensive set of experimental IDT data obtained from literature with a high degree of accuracy in RON/MON prediction. Conditions in homogeneous reactors such as shock tubes and rapid compression machines that are relevant to modern SI engines were also identified. Uncertainty analysis of the proposed correlations with linear error propagation theory is also presented.

Comparing and combining biomarkers as principle surrogates for time-to-event clinical endpoints.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabriel, Erin E; Sachs, Michael C; Gilbert, Peter B

2015-02-10

Principal surrogate endpoints are useful as targets for phase I and II trials. In many recent trials, multiple post-randomization biomarkers are measured. However, few statistical methods exist for comparison of or combination of biomarkers as principal surrogates, and none of these methods to our knowledge utilize time-to-event clinical endpoint information. We propose a Weibull model extension of the semi-parametric estimated maximum likelihood method that allows for the inclusion of multiple biomarkers in the same risk model as multivariate candidate principal surrogates. We propose several methods for comparing candidate principal surrogates and evaluating multivariate principal surrogates. These include the time-dependent and surrogate-dependent true and false positive fraction, the time-dependent and the integrated standardized total gain, and the cumulative distribution function of the risk difference. We illustrate the operating characteristics of our proposed methods in simulations and outline how these statistics can be used to evaluate and compare candidate principal surrogates. We use these methods to investigate candidate surrogates in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Surrogate Parenthood Act 1988 (No. 65 of 1988), 6 October 1988.

Science.gov (United States)

1988-01-01

This document contains provisions of the 1988 Queensland Australia Act prohibiting surrogate parenthood contracts. The Act defines "surrogate parent" and "prescribed contract" and prohibits the publication of any type of document which intends to induce a person to act as a surrogate parent, to seek such a person, or to state willingness to act as a surrogate. Offering to enter into a prescribed contract holds a penalty of 100 penalty units or three years' imprisonment or both. This Act applies if the offense occurs in Queensland or if the offender is normally a resident of Queensland, irrespective of where the offense occurs.

Developments in Surrogating Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans van Dormolen

2005-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, I would like to talk about the developments in surrogating methods for preservation. My main focus will be on the technical aspects of preservation surrogates. This means that I will tell you something about my job as Quality Manager Microfilming for the Netherlands’ national preservation program, Metamorfoze, which is coordinated by the National Library. I am responsible for the quality of the preservation microfilms, which are produced for Metamorfoze. Firstly, I will elaborate on developments in preservation methods in relation to the following subjects: · Preservation microfilms · Scanning of preservation microfilms · Preservation scanning · Computer Output Microfilm. In the closing paragraphs of this paper, I would like to tell you something about the methylene blue test. This is an important test for long-term storage of preservation microfilms. Also, I will give you a brief report on the Cellulose Acetate Microfilm Conference that was held in the British Library in London, May 2005.

Surrogate pregnancy: a guide for Canadian prenatal health care providers

OpenAIRE

Reilly, Dan R.

2007-01-01

Providing health care for a woman with a surrogate pregnancy involves unique challenges. Although the ethical debate surrounding surrogacy continues, Canada has banned commercial, but not altruistic, surrogacy. In the event of a custody dispute between a surrogate mother and the individual(s) intending to parent the child, it is unclear how Canadian courts would rule. The prenatal health care provider must take extra care to protect the autonomy and privacy rights of the surrogate. There is l...

The psychological well-being and prenatal bonding of gestational surrogates.

OpenAIRE

Lamba, Nishtha; Jadva, Vasanti Harish; Kadam, K; Golombok, Susan Esther

2018-01-01

Study question: How does the psychological well-being and prenatal bonding of Indian surrogates differ from a comparison group of mothers? Summary answer: Surrogates had higher levels of depression during pregnancy and post-birth, displayed lower emotional connection with the unborn baby, and greater care towards the healthy growth of the foetus, than the comparison group of mothers. What is already known: Studies in the West have found that surrogates do not suffer long-term psychol...

Surrogate utility estimation by long-term partners and unfamiliar dyads.

Science.gov (United States)

Tunney, Richard J; Ziegler, Fenja V

2015-01-01

To what extent are people able to make predictions about other people's preferences and values?We report two experiments that present a novel method assessing some of the basic processes in surrogate decision-making, namely surrogate-utility estimation. In each experiment participants formed dyads who were asked to assign utilities to health related items and commodity items, and to predict their partner's utility judgments for the same items. In experiment one we showed that older adults in long-term relationships were able to accurately predict their partner's wishes. In experiment two we showed that younger adults who were relatively unfamiliar with one another were also able to predict other people's wishes. Crucially we demonstrated that these judgments were accurate even after partialling out each participant's own preferences indicating that in order to make surrogate utility estimations people engage in perspective-taking rather than simple anchoring and adjustment, suggesting that utility estimation is not the cause of inaccuracy in surrogate decision-making. The data and implications are discussed with respect to theories of surrogate decision-making.

Surrogate utility estimation by long-term partners and unfamiliar dyads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard J Tunney

2015-03-01

Full Text Available To what extent are people able to make predictions about other people’s preferences and values? We report two experiments that present a novel method assessing some of the basic processes in surrogate decision-making, namely surrogate-utility estimation. In each experiment participants formed dyads who were asked to assign utilities to health related items and commodity items, and to predict their partner’s utility judgments for the same items. In experiment one we showed that older adults in long-term relationships were able to accurately predict their partner’s wishes. In experiment two we showed that younger adults who were relatively unfamiliar with one another were also able to predict other people’s wishes. Crucially we demonstrated that these judgments were accurate even after partialling out each participant’s own preferences indicating that in order to make surrogate utility estimations people engage in perspective-taking rather than simple anchoring and adjustment, suggesting that utility estimation is not the cause of inaccuracy in surrogate decision-making. The data and implications are discussed with respect to theories of surrogate decision-making.

Advances in Automated QA/QC for TRISO Fuel Particle Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hockey, Ronald L.; Bond, Leonard J.; Batishko, Charles R.; Gray, Joseph N.; Saurwein, John J.; Lowden, Richard A.

2004-01-01

Fuel in most Generation IV reactor designs typically encompasses billions of the TRISO particles. Present day QA/QC methods, done manually and in many cases destructively, cannot economically test a statistically significant fraction of the large number of the individual fuel particles required. Fully automated inspection technologies are essential to economical TRISO fuel particle production. A combination of in-line nondestructive (NDE) measurements employing electromagnetic induction and digital optical imaging analysis is currently under investigation and preliminary data indicate the potential for meeting the demands of this application. To calibrate high-speed NDE methods, surrogate fuel particle samples are being coated with layers containing a wide array of defect types found to degrade fuel performance and these are being characterized via high-resolution CT and digital radiographic images

Physical and chemical effects of low octane gasoline fuels on compression ignition combustion

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad

2016-09-30

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines running on low octane gasoline fuels are considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition engines. In this study, three fuels with different chemical and physical characteristics have been investigated in single cylinder engine running in GCI combustion mode at part-load conditions both experimentally and numerically. The studied fuels are: Saudi Aramco light naphtha (SALN) (Research octane number (RON) = 62 and final boiling point (FBP) = 91 °C), Haltermann straight run naphtha (HSRN) (RON = 60 and FBP = 140 °C) and a primary reference fuel (PRF65) (RON = 65 and FBP = 99 °C). Injection sweeps, where the start of injection (SOI) is changed between −60 and −11 CAD aTDC, have been performed for the three fuels. Full cycle computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were executed using PRFs as chemical surrogates for the naphtha fuels. Physical surrogates based on the evaporation characteristics of the naphtha streams have been developed and their properties have been implemented in the engine simulations. It was found that the three fuels have similar combustion phasings and emissions at the conditions tested in this work with minor differences at SOI earlier than −30 CAD aTDC. These trends were successfully reproduced by the CFD calculations. The chemical and physical effects were further investigated numerically. It was found that the physical characteristics of the fuel significantly affect the combustion for injections earlier than −30 CAD aTDC because of the low evaporation rates of the fuel because of the higher boiling temperature of the fuel and the colder in-cylinder air during injection. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

Fuel Effects on Nozzle Flow and Spray Using Fully Coupled Eulerian Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

extinction and auto - ignition for surrogates were in good agreements with jet fuel data. Note that Honnet et al. (9) also introduced a widely used......with a wide set of data from shock tubes, rapid compression machines, jet stirred reactors, burner stabilized premixed flames and freely

Development of a Human Cranial Bone Surrogate for Impact Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, Jack C.; Merkle, Andrew C.; Carneal, Catherine M.; Voo, Liming M.; Johannes, Matthew S.; Paulson, Jeff M.; Tankard, Sara; Uy, O. Manny

2013-01-01

In order to replicate the fracture behavior of the intact human skull under impact it becomes necessary to develop a material having the mechanical properties of cranial bone. The most important properties to replicate in a surrogate human skull were found to be the fracture toughness and tensile strength of the cranial tables as well as the bending strength of the three-layer (inner table-diplöe-outer table) architecture of the human skull. The materials selected to represent the surrogate cranial tables consisted of two different epoxy resins systems with random milled glass fiber to enhance the strength and stiffness and the materials to represent the surrogate diplöe consisted of three low density foams. Forty-one three-point bending fracture toughness tests were performed on nine material combinations. The materials that best represented the fracture toughness of cranial tables were then selected and formed into tensile samples and tested. These materials were then used with the two surrogate diplöe foam materials to create the three-layer surrogate cranial bone samples for three-point bending tests. Drop tower tests were performed on flat samples created from these materials and the fracture patterns were very similar to the linear fractures in pendulum impacts of intact human skulls, previously reported in the literature. The surrogate cranial tables had the quasi-static fracture toughness and tensile strength of 2.5 MPa√ m and 53 ± 4.9 MPa, respectively, while the same properties of human compact bone were 3.1 ± 1.8 MPa√ m and 68 ± 18 MPa, respectively. The cranial surrogate had a quasi-static bending strength of 68 ± 5.7 MPa, while that of cranial bone was 82 ± 26 MPa. This material/design is currently being used to construct spherical shell samples for drop tower and ballistic tests.

Separation of Nuclear Fuel Surrogates from Silicon Carbide Inert Matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baney, Ronald

2008-01-01

The objective of this project has been to identify a process for separating transuranic species from silicon carbide (SiC). Silicon carbide has become one of the prime candidates for the matrix in inert matrix fuels, (IMF) being designed to reduce plutonium inventories and the long half-lives actinides through transmutation since complete reaction is not practical it become necessary to separate the non-transmuted materials from the silicon carbide matrix for ultimate reprocessing. This work reports a method for that required process

Psychological Well-Being, Maternal-Foetal Bonding and Experiences of Indian Surrogates

OpenAIRE

Lamba, Nishtha

2018-01-01

Over the past two decades, India has become an international hub of cross-border surrogacy. The extreme economic and cultural differences between international couples seeking surrogacy and the surrogates themselves, clinics compromising health of surrogates for profit, the stigmatisation of surrogacy in India, and the constant surveillance of these women living in a ‘surrogate house’, have raised concerns regarding the potentially negative psychological impact of surrogacy on Indian surrogat...

Reduced order surrogate modelling (ROSM) of high dimensional deterministic simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Mitry, Mina

Often, computationally expensive engineering simulations can prohibit the engineering design process. As a result, designers may turn to a less computationally demanding approximate, or surrogate, model to facilitate their design process. However, owing to the the curse of dimensionality, classical surrogate models become too computationally expensive for high dimensional data. To address this limitation of classical methods, we develop linear and non-linear Reduced Order Surrogate Modelling (ROSM) techniques. Two algorithms are presented, which are based on a combination of linear/kernel principal component analysis and radial basis functions. These algorithms are applied to subsonic and transonic aerodynamic data, as well as a model for a chemical spill in a channel. The results of this thesis show that ROSM can provide a significant computational benefit over classical surrogate modelling, sometimes at the expense of a minor loss in accuracy.

Spent fuel sabotage aerosol test program :FY 2005-06 testing and aerosol data summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregson, Michael Warren; Brockmann, John E.; Nolte, O.; Loiseau, O.; Koch, W.; Molecke, Martin Alan; Autrusson, Bruno; Pretzsch, Gunter Guido; Billone, M. C.; Lucero, Daniel A.; Burtseva, T.; Brucher, W; Steyskal, Michele D.

2006-01-01

This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program has been underway for several years. This program provides source-term data that are relevant to some sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks, and associated risk assessments. This document focuses on an updated description of the test program and test components for all work and plans made, or revised, primarily during FY 2005 and about the first two-thirds of FY 2006. It also serves as a program status report as of the end of May 2006. We provide details on the significant findings on aerosol results and observations from the recently completed Phase 2 surrogate material tests using cerium oxide ceramic pellets in test rodlets plus non-radioactive fission product dopants. Results include: respirable fractions produced; amounts, nuclide content, and produced particle size distributions and morphology; status on determination of the spent fuel ratio, SFR (the ratio of respirable particles from real spent fuel/respirables from surrogate spent fuel, measured under closely matched test conditions, in a contained test chamber); and, measurements of enhanced volatile fission product species sorption onto respirable particles. We discuss progress and results for the first three, recently performed Phase 3 tests using depleted uranium oxide, DUO 2 , test rodlets. We will also review the status of preparations and the final Phase 4 tests in this program, using short rodlets containing actual spent fuel from U.S. PWR reactors, with both high- and lower-burnup fuel. These data plus testing results and design are tailored to support and guide, follow-on computer modeling of aerosol dispersal hazards and radiological consequence assessments

Global Optimization Employing Gaussian Process-Based Bayesian Surrogates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roland Preuss

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The simulation of complex physics models may lead to enormous computer running times. Since the simulations are expensive it is necessary to exploit the computational budget in the best possible manner. If for a few input parameter settings an output data set has been acquired, one could be interested in taking these data as a basis for finding an extremum and possibly an input parameter set for further computer simulations to determine it—a task which belongs to the realm of global optimization. Within the Bayesian framework we utilize Gaussian processes for the creation of a surrogate model function adjusted self-consistently via hyperparameters to represent the data. Although the probability distribution of the hyperparameters may be widely spread over phase space, we make the assumption that only the use of their expectation values is sufficient. While this shortcut facilitates a quickly accessible surrogate, it is somewhat justified by the fact that we are not interested in a full representation of the model by the surrogate but to reveal its maximum. To accomplish this the surrogate is fed to a utility function whose extremum determines the new parameter set for the next data point to obtain. Moreover, we propose to alternate between two utility functions—expected improvement and maximum variance—in order to avoid the drawbacks of each. Subsequent data points are drawn from the model function until the procedure either remains in the points found or the surrogate model does not change with the iteration. The procedure is applied to mock data in one and two dimensions in order to demonstrate proof of principle of the proposed approach.

Surrogate motherhood in illness that does not cause infertility

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Surrogate motherhood in South Africa (SA) is regulated by the. Children's Act,[1] the National Health Act[2] and its regulations,[3] and court cases.[4-6] The Children's Act formulates the legal requirement for a commissioning parent or parents to legally access surrogacy:[1]. 'A court may not confirm a surrogate motherhood ...

Surrogate mothering: exploitation or empowerment?

Science.gov (United States)

Purdy, Laura M

1989-01-01

The morality of surrogate mothering is analyzed from a "consequentialist" framework which attempts to separate those consequences that invariably accompany a given act from those that accompany it only in particular circumstances. Critics of surrogacy argue that it transfers the burden and risk of pregnancy onto another woman, separates sex and reproduction, and separates reproduction and childrearing; none of these acts is necessarily wrong, either morally or for women's or society's basic interests. While surrogate mothering can be rendered immoral if women are coerced into the practice or become victims of subordinating or penalizing contracts, it has the potential to empower women and increase their status in society by providing a job that is less risky and more enjoyable than other jobs women are forced to take and by achieving greater social recognition for reproductive labor.

Selection of Surrogate Bacteria for Use in Food Safety Challenge Studies: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Mengyi; Gurtler, Joshua B

2017-09-01

Nonpathogenic surrogate bacteria are prevalently used in a variety of food challenge studies in place of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Clostridium botulinum because of safety and sanitary concerns. Surrogate bacteria should have growth characteristics and/or inactivation kinetics similar to those of target pathogens under given conditions in challenge studies. It is of great importance to carefully select and validate potential surrogate bacteria when verifying microbial inactivation processes. A validated surrogate responds similar to the targeted pathogen when tested for inactivation kinetics, growth parameters, or survivability under given conditions in agreement with appropriate statistical analyses. However, a considerable number of food studies involving putative surrogate bacteria lack convincing validation sources or adequate validation processes. Most of the validation information for surrogates in these studies is anecdotal and has been collected from previous publications but may not be sufficient for given conditions in the study at hand. This review is limited to an overview of select studies and discussion of the general criteria and approaches for selecting potential surrogate bacteria under given conditions. The review also includes a list of documented bacterial pathogen surrogates and their corresponding food products and treatments to provide guidance for future studies.

Innovative fossil fuel fired vitrification technology for soil remediation. Phase 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-01-01

Vortec has successfully completed Phase 1 of the ``Innovative Fossil Fuel Fired Vitrification Technology for Soil Remediation`` program. The Combustion and Melting System (CMS) has processed 7000 pounds of material representative of contaminated soil that is found at DOE sites. The soil was spiked with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metals surrogates, an organic contaminant, and a surrogate radionuclide. The samples taken during the tests confirmed that virtually all of the radionuclide was retained in the glass and that it did not leach to the environment-as confirmed by both ANS 16.1 and Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) testing. The organic contaminant, anthracene, was destroyed during the test with a Destruction and Removal Efficiency (DRE) of at least 99.99%. RCRA metal surrogates, that were in the vitrified product, were retained and did not leach to the environment as confirmed by the TCLP testing. Semi-volatile RCRA metal surrogates were captured by the Air Pollution Control (APC) system, and data on the amount of metal oxide particulate and the chemical composition of the particulate were established for use in the Phase 2 APC subsystem design.

Surrogate decision making and intellectual virtue.

Science.gov (United States)

Bock, Gregory L

2014-01-01

Patients can be harmed by a religiously motivated surrogate decision maker whose decisions are contrary to the standard of care; therefore, surrogate decision making should be held to a high standard. Stewart Eskew and Christopher Meyers proposed a two-part rule for deciding which religiously based decisions to honor: (1) a secular reason condition and (2) a rationality condition. The second condition is based on a coherence theory of rationality, which they claim is accessible, generous, and culturally sensitive. In this article, I will propose strengthening the rationality condition by grounding it in a theory of intellectual virtue, which is both rigorous and culturally sensitive. Copyright 2014 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Public’s Approach to Surrogate Consent for Dementia Research: Cautious Pragmatism

Science.gov (United States)

De Vries, Raymond; Ryan, Kerry A.; Stanczyk, Aimee; Appelbaum, Paul S.; Damschroder, Laura; Knopman, David S.; Kim, Scott Y. H.

2011-01-01

Objectives To describe how members of the older general public deliberate with one another in finding solutions to the dilemma of involving decisionally incapable persons in dementia research. Design, Setting, and Participants 160 persons aged 50+ who participated in an all-day deliberative democracy (DD) session on the ethics of surrogate consent for dementia research. The DD day consisted of both extensive, interactive education with experts in clinical research and ethics, as well as small group deliberations. Measurements Audiotaped small group deliberations were transcribed and analyzed, and the main thematic elements were coded. Results During deliberation, participants acknowledged the limitations of advanced research directives and discussed ways to improve their use. Although there was consensus about the necessity of surrogate consent, the participants recognized potential pitfalls and looked for ways to safeguard the process. Participants supporting surrogate consent for research emphasized societal and individual benefit, the importance of assent, and trust in surrogates and the oversight system. Other participants felt that the high risk of some research scenarios was not sufficiently offset by benefits to patients or society. Conclusions Members of the older general public are able to make use of in-depth education and peer deliberation to provide reasoned and informed opinions on the ethical use of surrogate consent for dementia research. The public’s approach to surrogate consent is one of cautious pragmatism: an overall trust in science and future surrogates with awareness of the potential pitfalls, suggesting that their trust cannot be taken for granted. PMID:23498383

Fast Prediction and Evaluation of Gravitational Waveforms Using Surrogate Models

Science.gov (United States)

Field, Scott E.; Galley, Chad R.; Hesthaven, Jan S.; Kaye, Jason; Tiglio, Manuel

2014-07-01

We propose a solution to the problem of quickly and accurately predicting gravitational waveforms within any given physical model. The method is relevant for both real-time applications and more traditional scenarios where the generation of waveforms using standard methods can be prohibitively expensive. Our approach is based on three offline steps resulting in an accurate reduced order model in both parameter and physical dimensions that can be used as a surrogate for the true or fiducial waveform family. First, a set of m parameter values is determined using a greedy algorithm from which a reduced basis representation is constructed. Second, these m parameters induce the selection of m time values for interpolating a waveform time series using an empirical interpolant that is built for the fiducial waveform family. Third, a fit in the parameter dimension is performed for the waveform's value at each of these m times. The cost of predicting L waveform time samples for a generic parameter choice is of order O(mL+mcfit) online operations, where cfit denotes the fitting function operation count and, typically, m ≪L. The result is a compact, computationally efficient, and accurate surrogate model that retains the original physics of the fiducial waveform family while also being fast to evaluate. We generate accurate surrogate models for effective-one-body waveforms of nonspinning binary black hole coalescences with durations as long as 105M, mass ratios from 1 to 10, and for multiple spherical harmonic modes. We find that these surrogates are more than 3 orders of magnitude faster to evaluate as compared to the cost of generating effective-one-body waveforms in standard ways. Surrogate model building for other waveform families and models follows the same steps and has the same low computational online scaling cost. For expensive numerical simulations of binary black hole coalescences, we thus anticipate extremely large speedups in generating new waveforms with a

Surrogate Endpoint Evaluation: Principal Stratification Criteria and the Prentice Definition.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, Peter B; Gabriel, Erin E; Huang, Ying; Chan, Ivan S F

2015-09-01

A common problem of interest within a randomized clinical trial is the evaluation of an inexpensive response endpoint as a valid surrogate endpoint for a clinical endpoint, where a chief purpose of a valid surrogate is to provide a way to make correct inferences on clinical treatment effects in future studies without needing to collect the clinical endpoint data. Within the principal stratification framework for addressing this problem based on data from a single randomized clinical efficacy trial, a variety of definitions and criteria for a good surrogate endpoint have been proposed, all based on or closely related to the "principal effects" or "causal effect predictiveness (CEP)" surface. We discuss CEP-based criteria for a useful surrogate endpoint, including (1) the meaning and relative importance of proposed criteria including average causal necessity (ACN), average causal sufficiency (ACS), and large clinical effect modification; (2) the relationship between these criteria and the Prentice definition of a valid surrogate endpoint; and (3) the relationship between these criteria and the consistency criterion (i.e., assurance against the "surrogate paradox"). This includes the result that ACN plus a strong version of ACS generally do not imply the Prentice definition nor the consistency criterion, but they do have these implications in special cases. Moreover, the converse does not hold except in a special case with a binary candidate surrogate. The results highlight that assumptions about the treatment effect on the clinical endpoint before the candidate surrogate is measured are influential for the ability to draw conclusions about the Prentice definition or consistency. In addition, we emphasize that in some scenarios that occur commonly in practice, the principal strata sub-populations for inference are identifiable from the observable data, in which cases the principal stratification framework has relatively high utility for the purpose of effect

Surrogate Endpoint Evaluation: Principal Stratification Criteria and the Prentice Definition

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, Peter B.; Gabriel, Erin E.; Huang, Ying; Chan, Ivan S.F.

2015-01-01

A common problem of interest within a randomized clinical trial is the evaluation of an inexpensive response endpoint as a valid surrogate endpoint for a clinical endpoint, where a chief purpose of a valid surrogate is to provide a way to make correct inferences on clinical treatment effects in future studies without needing to collect the clinical endpoint data. Within the principal stratification framework for addressing this problem based on data from a single randomized clinical efficacy trial, a variety of definitions and criteria for a good surrogate endpoint have been proposed, all based on or closely related to the “principal effects” or “causal effect predictiveness (CEP)” surface. We discuss CEP-based criteria for a useful surrogate endpoint, including (1) the meaning and relative importance of proposed criteria including average causal necessity (ACN), average causal sufficiency (ACS), and large clinical effect modification; (2) the relationship between these criteria and the Prentice definition of a valid surrogate endpoint; and (3) the relationship between these criteria and the consistency criterion (i.e., assurance against the “surrogate paradox”). This includes the result that ACN plus a strong version of ACS generally do not imply the Prentice definition nor the consistency criterion, but they do have these implications in special cases. Moreover, the converse does not hold except in a special case with a binary candidate surrogate. The results highlight that assumptions about the treatment effect on the clinical endpoint before the candidate surrogate is measured are influential for the ability to draw conclusions about the Prentice definition or consistency. In addition, we emphasize that in some scenarios that occur commonly in practice, the principal strata sub-populations for inference are identifiable from the observable data, in which cases the principal stratification framework has relatively high utility for the purpose of

Critical care physicians’ approaches to negotiating with surrogate decision makers: a qualitative study

Science.gov (United States)

Brush, David R.; Brown, Crystal E.; Alexander, G. Caleb

2013-01-01

Objective To describe how critical care physicians manage conflicts with surrogates about withdrawing or withholding patients’ life support. Design Qualitative analysis of key informant interviews with critical care physicians during 2010. We transcribed interviews verbatim and used grounded theory to code and revise a taxonomy of themes and to identify illustrative quotes. Setting 3 academic medical centers, 1 academic-affiliated medical center and 4 private practice groups or private hospitals in a large Midwestern city Subjects 14 critical care physicians Measurements and main results Physicians reported tailoring their approach to address specific reasons for disagreement with surrogates. Five common approaches were identified: (1) building trust, (2) educating and informing, (3) providing surrogates more time, (4) adjusting surrogate and physician roles, and (5) highlighting specific values. When mistrust was an issue, physicians endeavored to build a more trusting relationship with the surrogate before re-addressing decision making. Physicians also reported correcting misunderstandings by providing targeted education, and some reported highlighting specific patient, surrogate, or physician values that they hoped would guide surrogates to agree with them. When surrogates struggled with decision making roles, physicians attempted to reinforce the concept of substituted judgment. Physicians noted that some surrogates needed time to “come to terms” with the patent’s illness before agreeing with physicians. Many physicians had witnessed colleagues negotiate in ways they found objectionable, such as providing misleading information, injecting their own values into the negotiation, or behaving unprofessionally towards surrogates. While some physicians viewed their efforts to encourage surrogates’ agreement as persuasive, others strongly denied persuading surrogates and described their actions as “guiding” or “negotiating.” Conclusions Physicians

Comments on Surrogates measures and consistent surrogates (by Tyler VanderWeele)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

as a criterion for “good” surrogate, why can’t we create a new, formal definition of “ surrogacy ” that (1) will automatically avoid the paradox and (2...requirement of avoiding the paradox could not, in itself, constitute a satisfactory definition of surrogacy . As with other paradoxes of causal...situation in practice. A treatment that has such a negative direct effect on outcome would rarely be a candidate for surrogacy analysis. In practice

Plutonium and surrogate fission products in a composite ceramic waste form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esh, D. W.; Frank, S. M.; Goff, K. M.; Johnson, S. G.; Moschetti, T. L.; O'Holleran, T.

1999-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory is developing a ceramic waste form to immobilize salt containing fission products and transuranic elements. Preliminary results have been presented for ceramic waste forms containing surrogate fission products such as cesium and the lanthanides. In this work results from scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction are presented in greater detail for ceramic waste forms containing surrogate fission products. Additionally, results for waste forms containing plutonium and surrogate fission products are presented. Most of the surrogate fission products appear to be silicates or aluminosilicates whereas the plutonium is usually found in an oxide form. There is also evidence for the presence of plutonium within the sodalite phase although the chemical speciation of the plutonium is not known

Preparation and characterization of the perovskite catalysts : activity studies for diesel surrogate (dodecane) reforming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kondakindi, R.; Kundu, A.; Karan, K.; Peppley, B. [Queen' s-RMC Fuel Cell Research Centre, Kingston, ON (Canada)

2009-07-01

Canada's northern communities rely on diesel fuel for generating electricity. The process of converting diesel to electricity in internal combustion engines is not efficient and generates significant amounts of unwanted products. This paper presented an alternative process whereby diesel is reformed into hydrogen-rich reformate which can then be fed to a solid oxide fuel cell. This alternative process converts energy more efficiently and eliminates the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot. This study focused on the development of LaFeO{sub 3} based perovskite catalysts for diesel reforming. The activity of the perovskite catalysts was assessed for steam reforming of dodecane, a surrogate for diesel. In order to study the effect on catalytic activity, various perovskite materials were prepared by doping the perovskite at A-site to minimize the coke deposition and at B-site to improve the activity. Preliminary results for dodecane reforming for selected perovskites were promising. Additional testing is underway regarding catalyst activity and stability studies as well carbon and sulphur poisoning.

Emotional experiences in surrogate mothers: A qualitative study

OpenAIRE

Ahmari Tehran, Hoda; Tashi, Shohreh; Mehran, Nahid; Eskandari, Narges; Dadkhah Tehrani, Tahmineh

2014-01-01

Background: Surrogacy is one of the new techniques of assisted reproduction technology in which a woman carries and bears a child for another woman. In Iran, many Shia clerics and jurists considered it permissible so there is no religious prohibition for it. In addition to the risk of physical complications for complete surrogate mothers, the possibility of psychological complications resulted from emotional attachment to a living creature in the surrogate mother as another injury requires co...

Surrogate marker evaluation from an information theory perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Ariel; Molenberghs, Geert

2007-03-01

The last 20 years have seen lots of work in the area of surrogate marker validation, partly devoted to frame the evaluation in a multitrial framework, leading to definitions in terms of the quality of trial- and individual-level association between a potential surrogate and a true endpoint (Buyse et al., 2000, Biostatistics 1, 49-67). A drawback is that different settings have led to different measures at the individual level. Here, we use information theory to create a unified framework, leading to a definition of surrogacy with an intuitive interpretation, offering interpretational advantages, and applicable in a wide range of situations. Our method provides a better insight into the chances of finding a good surrogate endpoint in a given situation. We further show that some of the previous proposals follow as special cases of our method. We illustrate our methodology using data from a clinical study in psychiatry.

The development and experimental validation of a reduced ternary kinetic mechanism for the auto-ignition at HCCI conditions, proposing a global reaction path for ternary gasoline surrogates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim; Cavadias, Simeon; Amouroux, Jacques [UPMC Universite Paris 06, LGPPTS, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France)

2009-02-15

To acquire a high amount of information of the behaviour of the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) auto-ignition process, a reduced surrogate mechanism has been composed out of reduced n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene mechanisms, containing 62 reactions and 49 species. This mechanism has been validated numerically in a 0D HCCI engine code against more detailed mechanisms (inlet temperature varying from 290 to 500 K, the equivalence ratio from 0.2 to 0.7 and the compression ratio from 8 to 18) and experimentally against experimental shock tube and rapid compression machine data from the literature at pressures between 9 and 55 bar and temperatures between 700 and 1400 K for several fuels: the pure compounds n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene as well as binary and ternary mixtures of these compounds. For this validation, stoichiometric mixtures and mixtures with an equivalence ratio of 0.5 are used. The experimental validation is extended by comparing the surrogate mechanism to experimental data from an HCCI engine. A global reaction pathway is proposed for the auto-ignition of a surrogate gasoline, using the surrogate mechanism, in order to show the interactions that the three compounds can have with one another during the auto-ignition of a ternary mixture. (author)

Effectiveness of external respiratory surrogates for in vivo liver motion estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Kai-Hsiang; Ho, Ming-Chih; Yeh, Chi-Chuan; Chen, Yu-Chien; Lian, Feng-Li; Lin, Win-Li; Yen, Jia-Yush; Chen, Yung-Yaw

2012-01-01

Purpose: Due to low frame rate of MRI and high radiation damage from fluoroscopy and CT, liver motion estimation using external respiratory surrogate signals seems to be a better approach to track liver motion in real-time for liver tumor treatments in radiotherapy and thermotherapy. This work proposes a liver motion estimation method based on external respiratory surrogate signals. Animal experiments are also conducted to investigate related issues, such as the sensor arrangement, multisensor fusion, and the effective time period. Methods: Liver motion and abdominal motion are both induced by respiration and are proved to be highly correlated. Contrary to the difficult direct measurement of the liver motion, the abdominal motion can be easily accessed. Based on this idea, our study is split into the model-fitting stage and the motion estimation stage. In the first stage, the correlation between the surrogates and the liver motion is studied and established via linear regression method. In the second stage, the liver motion is estimated by the surrogate signals with the correlation model. Animal experiments on cases of single surrogate signal, multisurrogate signals, and long-term surrogate signals are conducted and discussed to verify the practical use of this approach. Results: The results show that the best single sensor location is at the middle of the upper abdomen, while multisurrogate models are generally better than the single ones. The estimation error is reduced from 0.6 mm for the single surrogate models to 0.4 mm for the multisurrogate models. The long-term validity of the estimation models is quite satisfactory within the period of 10 min with the estimation error less than 1.4 mm. Conclusions: External respiratory surrogate signals from the abdomen motion produces good performance for liver motion estimation in real-time. Multisurrogate signals enhance estimation accuracy, and the estimation model can maintain its accuracy for at least 10 min. This

Real-time characterization of partially observed epidemics using surrogate models.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Safta, Cosmin; Ray, Jaideep; Lefantzi, Sophia; Crary, David (Applied Research Associates, Arlington, VA); Sargsyan, Khachik; Cheng, Karen (Applied Research Associates, Arlington, VA)

2011-09-01

We present a statistical method, predicated on the use of surrogate models, for the 'real-time' characterization of partially observed epidemics. Observations consist of counts of symptomatic patients, diagnosed with the disease, that may be available in the early epoch of an ongoing outbreak. Characterization, in this context, refers to estimation of epidemiological parameters that can be used to provide short-term forecasts of the ongoing epidemic, as well as to provide gross information on the dynamics of the etiologic agent in the affected population e.g., the time-dependent infection rate. The characterization problem is formulated as a Bayesian inverse problem, and epidemiological parameters are estimated as distributions using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, thus quantifying the uncertainty in the estimates. In some cases, the inverse problem can be computationally expensive, primarily due to the epidemic simulator used inside the inversion algorithm. We present a method, based on replacing the epidemiological model with computationally inexpensive surrogates, that can reduce the computational time to minutes, without a significant loss of accuracy. The surrogates are created by projecting the output of an epidemiological model on a set of polynomial chaos bases; thereafter, computations involving the surrogate model reduce to evaluations of a polynomial. We find that the epidemic characterizations obtained with the surrogate models is very close to that obtained with the original model. We also find that the number of projections required to construct a surrogate model is O(10)-O(10{sup 2}) less than the number of samples required by the MCMC to construct a stationary posterior distribution; thus, depending upon the epidemiological models in question, it may be possible to omit the offline creation and caching of surrogate models, prior to their use in an inverse problem. The technique is demonstrated on synthetic data as well as

Summary of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Geoffrey Wayne [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Leonard, Philip [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hartline, Ernest Leon [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Tian, Hongzhao [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-05-05

High Explosives Science and Technology (M-7) completed all required formulation and testing of Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) surrogates on April 27, 2016 as specified in PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B, "Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) Surrogate Formulation and Testing Standard Procedure", released February 16, 2016. This report summarizes the results of the work and also includes additional documentation required in that test plan. All formulation and testing was carried out according to PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B. The work was carried out in three rounds, with the full matrix of samples formulated and tested in each round. Results from the first round of formulation and testing were documented in memorandum M7-J6-6042, " Results from First Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing." Results from the second round of formulation and testing were documented in M7-16-6053 , "Results from the Second Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing." Initial results from the third round were documented in M7-16-6057, "Initial Results from the Third Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Formulation and Testing."

Surrogate Marker Evaluation from an Information Theory Perspective

OpenAIRE

Alonso Abad, Ariel; Molenberghs, Geert

2006-01-01

The last 20 years have seen lots of work in the area of surrogate marker validation, partly devoted to frame the evaluation in a multitrial framework, leading to definitions in terms of the quality of trial- and individual-level association between a potential surrogate and a true endpoint (Buyse et al., 2000, Biostatistics 1, 49–67). A drawback is that different settings have led to different measures at the individual level. Here, we use information theory to create a unified framework, lea...

Children of surrogate mothers: psychological well-being, family relationships and experiences of surrogacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jadva, V; Imrie, S

2014-01-01

What impact does surrogacy have on the surrogates' own children? The children of surrogate mothers do not experience any negative consequences as a result of their mother's decision to be a surrogate, irrespective of whether or not the surrogate uses her own egg. Participants were recruited as part of a study of the long-term effects of surrogacy for surrogates and their family members. Data were collected from 36 children of surrogates at a single time point. Participants whose mother had been a surrogate 5-15 years prior to interview and who were aged over 12 years were eligible to take part. Thirty-six participants (14 male and 22 female) aged 12-25 years were interviewed (response rate = 52%). Questionnaires assessing psychological health and family functioning were administered. Forty-four per cent (15) of participants' mothers had undergone gestational surrogacy, 39% (14) had used their own egg (genetic surrogacy) and 19% (7) had completed both types of surrogacy. Most surrogates' children (86%, 31) had a positive view of their mother's surrogacy. Forty-seven per cent (17) of children were in contact with the surrogacy child and all reported good relationships with him/her. Forty per cent (14) of children referred to the child as a sibling or half-sibling and this did not differ between genetic and gestational surrogacy. Most children (89%, 32), reported a positive view of family life, with all enjoying spending time with their mother. Mean scores on the questionnaire assessments of psychological health and self-esteem were within the normal range and did not differ by surrogacy type. The sample size for this study was relatively small and not all children chose to take part, therefore their views cannot be known. Nevertheless, this is the first study to assess the experiences of surrogacy from the perspective of the surrogates' own children. There may be some bias from the inclusion of siblings from the same family. Findings of this study show that family

Fast Prediction and Evaluation of Gravitational Waveforms Using Surrogate Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott E. Field

2014-07-01

Full Text Available We propose a solution to the problem of quickly and accurately predicting gravitational waveforms within any given physical model. The method is relevant for both real-time applications and more traditional scenarios where the generation of waveforms using standard methods can be prohibitively expensive. Our approach is based on three offline steps resulting in an accurate reduced order model in both parameter and physical dimensions that can be used as a surrogate for the true or fiducial waveform family. First, a set of m parameter values is determined using a greedy algorithm from which a reduced basis representation is constructed. Second, these m parameters induce the selection of m time values for interpolating a waveform time series using an empirical interpolant that is built for the fiducial waveform family. Third, a fit in the parameter dimension is performed for the waveform’s value at each of these m times. The cost of predicting L waveform time samples for a generic parameter choice is of order O(mL+mc_{fit} online operations, where c_{fit} denotes the fitting function operation count and, typically, m≪L. The result is a compact, computationally efficient, and accurate surrogate model that retains the original physics of the fiducial waveform family while also being fast to evaluate. We generate accurate surrogate models for effective-one-body waveforms of nonspinning binary black hole coalescences with durations as long as 10^{5}M, mass ratios from 1 to 10, and for multiple spherical harmonic modes. We find that these surrogates are more than 3 orders of magnitude faster to evaluate as compared to the cost of generating effective-one-body waveforms in standard ways. Surrogate model building for other waveform families and models follows the same steps and has the same low computational online scaling cost. For expensive numerical simulations of binary black hole coalescences, we thus anticipate extremely large speedups in

[Biomedical Perspective of the Surrogate Motherhood].

Science.gov (United States)

Jouve de la Barreda, Nicolás

2017-01-01

The subrogated motherhood takes place when an embryo created by in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology is implanted in a surrogate, sometimes called a gestational mother, by means a contract with her. It can imply to natural families (woman and man) with or without infertility problems, or to monoparental or biparental families of the same sex. Concerning the origin of the gametes used in the IVF emerges different implications on the genetic relationship of the resulting child with the surrogate and the future parents. The subrogated motherhood was initially considered an option to solve infertility problems. Nevertheless this practice has become a possible and attractive option as a source of economic resources for poor women. The cases of benefit of a pregnancy without mediating a contract are exceptional and they are not properly cases of ″subrogated maternity″ but of ″altruistic maternity″ and must be considered as heterologous in vitro fertilization. In this article are analyzed the medical, genetic and bioethics aspects of this new derivation of the fertilization in vitro. As points of special attention are considered the following questions: Is it the surrogate motherhood used preferably to solve infertility problems? Is not this actually a new form of exploitation of the woman? Does not suppose an attack to the natural family? Does not suppose in addition an attack to the dignity of the human being?

Engagement in Advance Care Planning and Surrogates' Knowledge of Patients' Treatment Goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Fried, Terri R; Zenoni, Maria; Iannone, Lynne; O'Leary, John; Fenton, Brenda T

2017-08-01

A key objective of advance care planning (ACP) is improving surrogates' knowledge of patients' treatment goals. Little is known about whether ACP outside of a trial accomplishes this. The objective was to examine patient and surrogate reports of ACP engagement and associations with surrogate knowledge of goals. Cohort study SETTING: Primary care in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 350 community-dwelling veterans age ≥55 years and the individual they would choose to make medical decisions on their behalf, interviewed separately. Treatment goals were assessed by veterans' ratings of 3 health states: severe physical disability, cognitive disability, and pain, as an acceptable or unacceptable result of treatment for severe illness. Surrogates had knowledge if they correctly predicted all 3 responses. Veterans and surrogates were asked about living will and health care proxy completion and communication about life-sustaining treatment and quality versus quantity of life (QOL). Over 40% of dyads agreed that the veteran had not completed a living will or health care proxy and that there was no QOL communication. For each activity, sizeable proportions (18-34%) disagreed about participation. In dyads who agreed QOL communication had occurred, 30% of surrogates had knowledge, compared to 21% in dyads who agreed communication had not occurred and 15% in dyads who disagreed (P = .01). This relationship persisted in multivariable analysis. Agreement about other ACP activities was not associated with knowledge. Disagreement about ACP participation was common. Agreement about communication regarding QOL was modestly associated with surrogate knowledge of treatment goals. Eliciting surrogates' perspectives is critical to ACP. Even dyads who agree about participation may need additional support for successful engagement. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

Preliminary Effects of Prescribed Burning and Thinning as Fuel Reduction Treatments on the Piedmont Soils of the Clemson Experimental Forest

Science.gov (United States)

Victor B. Shelburne; M. Forbes Boyle; Darren J. Lione; Thomas A. Waldrop

2004-01-01

This study is a component of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate (NFFS) Study which is an integrated national network of long-term interdisciplinary research to facilitate broad applicability of fuel impacts. This part of the NFFS study in the Piedmont of South Carolina studied three ways of reducing fuel loads (prescribed burning, thinning, and the two in combination...

Development of multi-component diesel surrogate fuel models – Part II:Validation of the integrated mechanisms in 0-D kinetic and 2-D CFD spray combustion simulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poon, Hiew Mun; Pang, Kar Mun; Ng, Hoon Kiat

2016-01-01

), cyclohexane(CHX) and toluene developed in Part I are applied in this work. They are combined to produce two different versions of multi-component diesel surrogate models in the form of MCDS1 (HXN + HMN)and MCDS2 (HXN + HMN + toluene + CHX). The integrated mechanisms are then comprehensively validated in zero......-dimensional chemical kinetic simulations under a wide range of shock tube and jetstirred reactor conditions. Subsequently, the fidelity of the surrogate models is further evaluated in two-dimensional CFD spray combustion simulations. Simulation results show that ignition delay (ID) prediction corresponds well...... an increase of maximum local soot volume fraction by a factor of2.1 when the ambient temperature increases from 900 K to 1000 K, while the prediction by MCDS1 is lower at 1.6. This trend qualitatively agrees with the experimental observation. This work demonstrates that MCDS1 serves as a potential surrogate...

Patient Preferences and Surrogate Decision Making in Neuroscience Intensive Care Units

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Xuemei; Robinson, Jennifer; Muehlschlegel, Susanne; White, Douglas B.; Holloway, Robert G.; Sheth, Kevin N.; Fraenkel, Liana; Hwang, David Y.

2016-01-01

In the neuroscience intensive care unit (NICU), most patients lack the capacity to make their own preferences known. This fact leads to situations where surrogate decision makers must fill the role of the patient in terms of making preference-based treatment decisions, oftentimes in challenging situations where prognosis is uncertain. The neurointensivist has a large responsibility and role to play in this shared decision making process. This review covers how NICU patient preferences are determined through existing advance care documentation or surrogate decision makers and how the optimum roles of the physician and surrogate decision maker are addressed. We outline the process of reaching a shared decision between family and care team and describe a practice for conducting optimum family meetings based on studies of ICU families in crisis. We review challenges in the decision making process between surrogate decision makers and medical teams in neurocritical care settings, as well as methods to ameliorate conflicts. Ultimately, the goal of shared decision making is to increase knowledge amongst surrogates and care providers, decrease decisional conflict, promote realistic expectations and preference-centered treatment strategies, and lift the emotional burden on families of neurocritical care patients. PMID:25990137

The effect of framing on surrogate optimism bias: A simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Dev; Cohen, Elan D; Barnato, Amber E

2016-04-01

To explore the effect of emotion priming and physician communication behaviors on optimism bias. We conducted a 5 × 2 between-subject randomized factorial experiment using a Web-based interactive video designed to simulate a family meeting for a critically ill spouse/parent. Eligibility included age at least 35 years and self-identifying as the surrogate for a spouse/parent. The primary outcome was the surrogate's election of code status. We defined optimism bias as the surrogate's estimate of prognosis with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) > their recollection of the physician's estimate. Of 373 respondents, 256 (69%) logged in and were randomized and 220 (86%) had nonmissing data for prognosis. Sixty-seven (30%) of 220 overall and 56 of (32%) 173 with an accurate recollection of the physician's estimate had optimism bias. Optimism bias correlated with choosing CPR (P optimism bias. Framing the decision as the patient's vs the surrogate's (25% vs 36%, P = .066) and describing the alternative to CPR as "allow natural death" instead of "do not resuscitate" (25% vs 37%, P = .035) decreased optimism bias. Framing of CPR choice during code status conversations may influence surrogates' optimism bias. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The representation of healthcare end users' perspectives by surrogates in healthcare decisions: a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Syed Ghulam Sarwar; Farrow, Alexandra; Robinson, Ian

2009-12-01

The representation of end users' perspectives in healthcare decisions requires involvement of their surrogates when the end users, i.e. certain patients, elderly people, children and people with disabilities, are unable to present their views. To review critical issues, and the advantages and disadvantages of involving surrogates in representing end users' perspectives in healthcare decisions. A systematic review of literature published in peer-reviewed journals from 1990 to 2005. Findings show that surrogates are used widely in health care and that they are necessary to represent end users' perspectives in healthcare decisions when the latter are unable to do so themselves. Critical issues in using surrogates include key ethical, social, cultural, legal and medico-technological factors; ascertaining the best interest of end users; potential conflict of interest; possible biased decisions and the burden on surrogates. The key advantage of surrogate involvement in healthcare decisions is their ability to represent end users' needs, values and wishes. The main disadvantages include potential discrepancies between the decisions and conclusions of surrogates and end users; the failure of surrogates to predict end users' preferences accurately and the lack of certainty that useful information will be obtained through the surrogacy process. This systematic review has revealed that the involvement of surrogates is an additional vital way to represent end users' perspectives in healthcare decisions where for a range of reasons their opinions are unable to be effectively ascertained. However, because of the heterogeneity of surrogates and end users, the selection of appropriate surrogates and deploying surrogate decisions require particularly careful consideration of their value in individual cases; thus, subsequent decision-making must be reviewed on a case-to-case basis to seek to ensure that the best interests, needs and wishes of the end user are fully and accurately

Is blood pressure reduction a valid surrogate endpoint for stroke prevention? an analysis incorporating a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, a by-trial weighted errors-in-variables regression, the surrogate threshold effect (STE) and the biomarker-surrogacy (BioSurrogate) evaluation schema (BSES)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Blood pressure is considered to be a leading example of a valid surrogate endpoint. The aims of this study were to (i) formally evaluate systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduction as a surrogate endpoint for stroke prevention and (ii) determine what blood pressure reduction would predict a stroke benefit. Methods We identified randomised trials of at least six months duration comparing any pharmacologic anti-hypertensive treatment to placebo or no treatment, and reporting baseline blood pressure, on-trial blood pressure, and fatal and non-fatal stroke. Trials with fewer than five strokes in at least one arm were excluded. Errors-in-variables weighted least squares regression modelled the reduction in stroke as a function of systolic blood pressure reduction and diastolic blood pressure reduction respectively. The lower 95% prediction band was used to determine the minimum systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure difference, the surrogate threshold effect (STE), below which there would be no predicted stroke benefit. The STE was used to generate the surrogate threshold effect proportion (STEP), a surrogacy metric, which with the R-squared trial-level association was used to evaluate blood pressure as a surrogate endpoint for stroke using the Biomarker-Surrogacy Evaluation Schema (BSES3). Results In 18 qualifying trials representing all pharmacologic drug classes of antihypertensives, assuming a reliability coefficient of 0.9, the surrogate threshold effect for a stroke benefit was 7.1 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 2.4 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure. The trial-level association was 0.41 and 0.64 and the STEP was 66% and 78% for systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively. The STE and STEP were more robust to measurement error in the independent variable than R-squared trial-level associations. Using the BSES3, assuming a reliability coefficient of 0.9, systolic blood pressure was a B + grade and diastolic blood pressure

An experimental and numerical analysis of the HCCI auto-ignition process of primary reference fuels, toluene reference fuels and diesel fuel in an engine, varying the engine parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim; Cavadias, Simeon [UPMC Universite Paris 06, LGPPTS, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert, 2, place de la Gare de Ceinture, 78210 St Cyr-I' Ecole (France); Gilbert, Philippe [UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert, 2, place de la Gare de Ceinture, 78210 St Cyr-I' Ecole (France)

2008-11-15

For a future HCCI engine to operate under conditions that adhere to environmental restrictions, reducing fuel consumption and maintaining or increasing at the same time the engine efficiency, the choice of the fuel is crucial. For this purpose, this paper presents an auto-ignition investigation concerning the primary reference fuels, toluene reference fuels and diesel fuel, in order to study the effect of linear alkanes, branched alkanes and aromatics on the auto-ignition. The auto-ignition of these fuels has been studied at inlet temperatures from 25 to 120 C, at equivalence ratios from 0.18 to 0.53 and at compression ratios from 6 to 13.5, in order to extend the range of investigation and to assess the usability of these parameters to control the auto-ignition. It appeared that both iso-octane and toluene delayed the ignition with respect to n-heptane, while toluene has the strongest effect. This means that aromatics have higher inhibiting effects than branched alkanes. In an increasing order, the inlet temperature, equivalence ratio and compression ratio had a promoting effect on the ignition delays. A previously experimentally validated reduced surrogate mechanism, for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene, has been used to explain observations of the auto-ignition process. (author)

Hall et al., 2016 Artificial Turf Surrogate Surface Methods Paper Data File

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Mercury dry deposition data quantified via static water surrogate surface (SWSS) and artificial turf surrogate surface (ATSS) collectors. This dataset is associated...

Surrogatvalidierung durch Korrelation und Surrogate Threshold Effect – Ergebnisse von Simulationsstudien

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gillhaus, Johanna

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Progression-free survival (PFS is often used instead of the patient-relevant endpoint overall survival (OS in cancer clinical trials. In order for PFS to be accepted as a patient-relevant outcome within the benefit assessment of pharmaceuticals in accordance with the German Social Code, Book Five (SGB V, section 35a, it has to be validated as a surrogate endpoint for OS in the relevant indication. As part of a rapid report the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen – IQWiG presented methods for surrogate endpoints validation and recommendations for correlation-based procedures. These methods include the evaluation of the certainty of conclusion of study results and the correlation between estimates of surrogate outcome and patient-relevant outcome on trial-level. The correlation is estimated by sample Pearson correlation coefficient or coefficient of determination and respective confidence interval (CI. Requirements for surrogate validation are a high correlation and a high certainty of conclusion of the study results. In case of medium correlation IQWiG methods propose applying the concept of surrogate threshold effect (STE to determine thresholds for the estimate of the surrogate endpoint.Methods: In simulation studies we investigate the requirements for a successful surrogate validation when applying a correlation-based approach. Simulation parameters are the estimates of the surrogate and the patient-relevant outcome, the correlation between them, the number of patients and the number of studies. We analyzed different scenarios in order to figure out parameters contributing to high correlation. Furthermore, we investigate requirements of the STE method, allowing conclusions on patient-relevant endpoints by means of surrogate endpoints. Finally, in consideration of IQWiG methods we analyze the challenges of surrogate validation in practical use

Long-Term Stability Testing Results Using Surrogates And Sorbents For Savannah River Site Organic And Aqueous Wastestreams - 10016

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, H.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has tasked MSE Technology Applications, Inc. (MSE) with evaluating the long-term stability of various commercially available sorbent materials to solidify two organic surrogate wastestreams (both volatile and nonvolatile), a volatile organic surrogate with a residual aqueous phase, an aqueous surrogate, and an aqueous surrogate with a residual organic phase. The Savannah River Site (SRS) Legacy and F-Canyon plutonium/uranium extraction (PUREX) process waste surrogates constituted the volatile organic surrogates, and various oils constituted the nonvolatile organic surrogates. The aqueous surrogates included a rainwater surrogate and an aqueous organic surrogate. MSE also evaluated the PUREX surrogate with a residual aqueous component with and without aqueous type sorbent materials. Solidification of the various surrogate wastestreams listed above was performed from 2004 to 2006 at the MSE Test Facility located in Butte, Montana. This paper summarizes the comparison of the initial liquid release test (LRT) values with LRT results obtained during subsequent sampling events in an attempt to understand and define the long-term stability characteristics for the solidified wastestreams.

An improved and explicit surrogate variable analysis procedure by coefficient adjustment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seunggeun; Sun, Wei; Wright, Fred A; Zou, Fei

2017-06-01

Unobserved environmental, demographic, and technical factors can negatively affect the estimation and testing of the effects of primary variables. Surrogate variable analysis, proposed to tackle this problem, has been widely used in genomic studies. To estimate hidden factors that are correlated with the primary variables, surrogate variable analysis performs principal component analysis either on a subset of features or on all features, but weighting each differently. However, existing approaches may fail to identify hidden factors that are strongly correlated with the primary variables, and the extra step of feature selection and weight calculation makes the theoretical investigation of surrogate variable analysis challenging. In this paper, we propose an improved surrogate variable analysis using all measured features that has a natural connection with restricted least squares, which allows us to study its theoretical properties. Simulation studies and real data analysis show that the method is competitive to state-of-the-art methods.

A fast surrogate model tailor-made for real time control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borup, Morten; Thrysøe, Cecilie; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten

A surrogate model of a detailed hydraulic urban drainage model is created for supplying inflow forecasts to an MPC model for 31 separate locations. The original model is subdivided into 66 relationships extracted from the original model. The surrogate model is 9000 times faster than the original...... model, with just a minor deviation from the original model results....

Act relating to surrogate parenthood contracts, 10 February 1988.

Science.gov (United States)

1988-01-01

This Nebraska Act provides that surrogate parenthood contracts are void and unenforceable and that the "biological father of a child born pursuant to such a contract shall have all the rights and obligations imposed by law with respect to the child." A surrogate parenthood contract is defined as "a contract by which a woman is to be compensated for bearing a child of a man who is not her husband." full text

Using Finite Model Analysis and Out of Hot Cell Surrogate Rod Testing to Analyze High Burnup Used Nuclear Fuel Mechanical Properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Jy-An John [ORNL; Jiang, Hao [ORNL; Wang, Hong [ORNL

2014-07-01

Based on a series of FEA simulations, the discussions and the conclusions concerning the impact of the interface bonding efficiency to SNF vibration integrity are provided in this report; this includes the moment carrying capacity distribution between pellets and clad, and the impact of cohesion bonding on the flexural rigidity of the surrogate rod system. As progressive de-bonding occurs at the pellet-pellet interfaces and at the pellet-clad interface, the load ratio of the bending moment carrying capacity gradually shifts from the pellets to the clad; the clad starts to carry a significant portion of the bending moment resistance until reaching the full de-bonding state at the pellet-pellet interface regions. This results in localized plastic deformation of the clad at the pellet-pellet-clad interface region; the associated plastic deformations of SS clad leads to a significant degradation in the stiffness of the surrogate rod. For instance, the flexural rigidity was reduced by 39% from the perfect bond state to the de-bonded state at the pellet-pellet interfaces.

The composition of surrogate and illegal alcohol products in Estonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Katrin; Väli, Marika; Szucs, Sándor; Adány, Róza; McKee, Martin

2006-01-01

To identify the composition of illegal and surrogate alcohol products consumed in Estonia. The initial source of information was a series of visits made in August 2005 to a soup kitchen in central Tartu, Estonia. Individuals were asked for brief details of their personal circumstances, what they normally drank, and in addition they were asked to bring samples of the substances they usually consumed. In other cases, the substances identified were purchased by the investigators or from informal contacts in north-eastern part of Estonia, an area that is well known for illegal alcohol consumption. Samples were tested for chemical contents. We identified a range of alcohol-containing substances that are consumed, although, not intended for consumption. These comprised medicinal products, aftershaves, illegally produced spirits, and fire-lighting fuel. The medicinal compounds contained, on average, 67% ethanol by volume; the aftershaves contained slightly less. Both were typically pure, with a few containing detectable quantities of isoamyl alcohol. The illegally produced alcohol contained, on average, 43% ethanol by volume, ranging from 32 to 53%. However, many also contained detectable quantities of long chain alcohols. These substances are half the price or less of commercial vodka, with fire lighting fuels especially inexpensive. There is in Estonia a range of alcohol-containing substances easily available at low cost. Some contain substantially higher concentrations of ethanol than commercial spirits and others also contain toxic long chain alcohols.

Surrogate alcohol containing methanol, social deprivation and public health in Novosibirsk, Russia.

Science.gov (United States)

Neufeld, Maria; Lachenmeier, Dirk; Hausler, Thomas; Rehm, Jürgen

2016-11-01

Surrogate alcohol, i.e. alcohol not intended or not officially intended for human consumption, continues to play an important role in alcohol consumption in Russia, especially for people with alcohol dependence. Among the different types of surrogate alcohol, there are windshield washer antifreeze liquids; these products are the cheapest kinds of non-beverage alcohol available and thus likely to be used by the most deprived and marginalised groups such as homeless people with alcohol dependence. Although it is well known, that non-beverage alcohol is used for consumption by various groups in Russia, and although there are laws to prohibit the use of methanol as part of windshield washer antifreeze liquids for the very reason that such products could be used as surrogate alcohol, we detected products in retail sale which were a mix of water and methanol only. Methanol poses serious health threats including blindness and death, and there had been repeated methanol deaths from surrogate alcohol in Russia over the last years. If law-enforcement does not change for surrogate products, we can expect more methanol-resulting deaths in the most deprived and marginalized groups of people with alcohol dependence in Russia. In addition, ingredients with questionable safety profiles such as formic acid should also be prohibited in non-beverage alcohol products that are likely to be consumed as surrogate alcohol. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A comprehensive detailed kinetic mechanism for the simulation of transportation fuels

KAUST Repository

Mehl, Marco; Zhang, Kuiwen; Wagnon, Scott; Kukkadapu, Goutham; Westbrook, Charles K.; Pitz, William J.; Zhang, Yinjia; Curran, Henry J.; Al Rachidi, Mariam; Atef, Nour; Sarathy, Mani; Ahmed, Ahfaz

2017-01-01

This work presents a recently compiled comprehensive model for transportations fuels resulting from the collaboration of three research groups: LLNL, NUI Galway and KAUST. In the past 5 years new fundamental calculations led to significant improvements in the fidelity of detailed kinetic models of important surrogate components (e.g. n-heptane, iso-octane, toluene…) improving predictions of the combustion behavior of pure components and mixtures. By extending the newly adopted reaction rate rules, mechanisms for components that were not included in the previous LLNL gasoline and diesel surrogate mechanisms were developed (e.g. polyalkylated aromatics, cycloalkanes, components from bio-logical sources…). The major features of this updated and extended model are presented together with validation comparisons, examples of applications and future directions.

A comprehensive detailed kinetic mechanism for the simulation of transportation fuels

KAUST Repository

Mehl, Marco

2017-02-27

This work presents a recently compiled comprehensive model for transportations fuels resulting from the collaboration of three research groups: LLNL, NUI Galway and KAUST. In the past 5 years new fundamental calculations led to significant improvements in the fidelity of detailed kinetic models of important surrogate components (e.g. n-heptane, iso-octane, toluene…) improving predictions of the combustion behavior of pure components and mixtures. By extending the newly adopted reaction rate rules, mechanisms for components that were not included in the previous LLNL gasoline and diesel surrogate mechanisms were developed (e.g. polyalkylated aromatics, cycloalkanes, components from bio-logical sources…). The major features of this updated and extended model are presented together with validation comparisons, examples of applications and future directions.

Response of Reptiles and Amphibians to Repeated Fuel Reduction Treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Charlotte E. Matthews; Christopher E. Moorman; Cathryn H. Greenberg; Thomas A. Waldrop

2010-01-01

Recent use of prescribed fire and fire surrogates to reduce fuel hazards has spurred interest in their effects on wildlife. Studies of fire in the southern Appalachian Mountains (USA) have documented few effects on reptiles and amphibians. However, these studies were conducted after only one fire and for only a short time (1–3 yr) after the fire. From mid-May to mid-...

Is blood pressure reduction a valid surrogate endpoint for stroke prevention? an analysis incorporating a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, a by-trial weighted errors-in-variables regression, the surrogate threshold effect (STE and the biomarker-surrogacy (BioSurrogate evaluation schema (BSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lassere Marissa N

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Blood pressure is considered to be a leading example of a valid surrogate endpoint. The aims of this study were to (i formally evaluate systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduction as a surrogate endpoint for stroke prevention and (ii determine what blood pressure reduction would predict a stroke benefit. Methods We identified randomised trials of at least six months duration comparing any pharmacologic anti-hypertensive treatment to placebo or no treatment, and reporting baseline blood pressure, on-trial blood pressure, and fatal and non-fatal stroke. Trials with fewer than five strokes in at least one arm were excluded. Errors-in-variables weighted least squares regression modelled the reduction in stroke as a function of systolic blood pressure reduction and diastolic blood pressure reduction respectively. The lower 95% prediction band was used to determine the minimum systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure difference, the surrogate threshold effect (STE, below which there would be no predicted stroke benefit. The STE was used to generate the surrogate threshold effect proportion (STEP, a surrogacy metric, which with the R-squared trial-level association was used to evaluate blood pressure as a surrogate endpoint for stroke using the Biomarker-Surrogacy Evaluation Schema (BSES3. Results In 18 qualifying trials representing all pharmacologic drug classes of antihypertensives, assuming a reliability coefficient of 0.9, the surrogate threshold effect for a stroke benefit was 7.1 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 2.4 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure. The trial-level association was 0.41 and 0.64 and the STEP was 66% and 78% for systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively. The STE and STEP were more robust to measurement error in the independent variable than R-squared trial-level associations. Using the BSES3, assuming a reliability coefficient of 0.9, systolic blood pressure was a B + grade and

Development of Coated Particle Fuel Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young Woo; Kim, B. G.; Kim, S. H.

2007-06-01

Uranium kernel fabrication technology using a wet chemical so-gel method, a key technology in the coated particle fuel area, is established up to the calcination step and the first sintering of UO2 kernel was attempted. Experiments on the parametric study of the coating process using the surrogate ZrO2 kernel give the optimum conditions for the PyC and SiC coating layer and ZrC coating conditions were obtained for the vaporization of the ZrCl4 precursor and coating condition from ZrC coating experiments using plate-type graphite substrate. In addition, by development of fuel performance analysis code a part of the code system is completed which enables the participation to the benchmark calculation and comparison in the IAEA collaborated research program. The technologies for irradiation and post irradiation examination, which are important in developing the HTGR fuel technology of its first kind in Korea was started to develop and, through a feasibility study and preliminary analysis, the technologies required to be developed are identified for further development as well as the QC-related basic technologies are reviewed, analyzed and identified for the own technology development. Development of kernel fabrication technology can be enhanced for the remaining sintering technology and completed based on the technologies developed in this phase. In the coating technology, the optimum conditions obtained using a surrogate ZrO2 kernel material can be applied for the uranium kernel coating process development. Also, after completion of the code development in the next phase, more extended participation to the international collaboration for benchmark calculation can be anticipated which will enable an improvement of the whole code system. Technology development started in this phase will be more extended and further focused on the detailed technology development to be required for the related technology establishment

Surrogate Assisted Design Optimization of an Air Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rameez Badhurshah

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Surrogates are cheaper to evaluate and assist in designing systems with lesser time. On the other hand, the surrogates are problem dependent and they need evaluation for each problem to find a suitable surrogate. The Kriging variants such as ordinary, universal, and blind along with commonly used response surface approximation (RSA model were used in the present problem, to optimize the performance of an air impulse turbine used for ocean wave energy harvesting by CFD analysis. A three-level full factorial design was employed to find sample points in the design space for two design variables. A Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes solver was used to evaluate the objective function responses, and these responses along with the design variables were used to construct the Kriging variants and RSA functions. A hybrid genetic algorithm was used to find the optimal point in the design space. It was found that the best optimal design was produced by the universal Kriging while the blind Kriging produced the worst. The present approach is suggested for renewable energy application.

Surrogate pregnancy: a guide for Canadian prenatal health care providers

Science.gov (United States)

Reilly, Dan R.

2007-01-01

Providing health care for a woman with a surrogate pregnancy involves unique challenges. Although the ethical debate surrounding surrogacy continues, Canada has banned commercial, but not altruistic, surrogacy. In the event of a custody dispute between a surrogate mother and the individual(s) intending to parent the child, it is unclear how Canadian courts would rule. The prenatal health care provider must take extra care to protect the autonomy and privacy rights of the surrogate. There is limited evidence about the medical and psychological risks ofsurrogacy. Whether theoretical concerns about these risks are clinically relevant remains unknown. In the face of these uncertainties, the prenatal health care provider should have a low threshold for seeking obstetrical, social work, ethical and legal support. PMID:17296962

Surrogate pregnancy: a guide for Canadian prenatal health care providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Reilly, Dan R

2007-02-13

Providing health care for a woman with a surrogate pregnancy involves unique challenges. Although the ethical debate surrounding surrogacy continues, Canada has banned commercial, but not altruistic, surrogacy. In the event of a custody dispute between a surrogate mother and the individual(s) intending to parent the child, it is unclear how Canadian courts would rule. The prenatal health care provider must take extra care to protect the autonomy and privacy rights of the surrogate. There is limited evidence about the medical and psychological risks of surrogacy. Whether theoretical concerns about these risks are clinically relevant remains unknown. In the face of these uncertainties, the prenatal health care provider should have a low threshold for seeking obstetrical, social work, ethical and legal support.

Coastal aquifer management under parameter uncertainty: Ensemble surrogate modeling based simulation-optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Janardhanan, S.; Datta, B.

2011-12-01

Surrogate models are widely used to develop computationally efficient simulation-optimization models to solve complex groundwater management problems. Artificial intelligence based models are most often used for this purpose where they are trained using predictor-predictand data obtained from a numerical simulation model. Most often this is implemented with the assumption that the parameters and boundary conditions used in the numerical simulation model are perfectly known. However, in most practical situations these values are uncertain. Under these circumstances the application of such approximation surrogates becomes limited. In our study we develop a surrogate model based coupled simulation optimization methodology for determining optimal pumping strategies for coastal aquifers considering parameter uncertainty. An ensemble surrogate modeling approach is used along with multiple realization optimization. The methodology is used to solve a multi-objective coastal aquifer management problem considering two conflicting objectives. Hydraulic conductivity and the aquifer recharge are considered as uncertain values. Three dimensional coupled flow and transport simulation model FEMWATER is used to simulate the aquifer responses for a number of scenarios corresponding to Latin hypercube samples of pumping and uncertain parameters to generate input-output patterns for training the surrogate models. Non-parametric bootstrap sampling of this original data set is used to generate multiple data sets which belong to different regions in the multi-dimensional decision and parameter space. These data sets are used to train and test multiple surrogate models based on genetic programming. The ensemble of surrogate models is then linked to a multi-objective genetic algorithm to solve the pumping optimization problem. Two conflicting objectives, viz, maximizing total pumping from beneficial wells and minimizing the total pumping from barrier wells for hydraulic control of

In-cylinder visualization and engine out emissions from CI to PPC for fuels with different properties

KAUST Repository

An, Yanzhao

2018-02-27

This study investigated the transition from conventional Compression Ignition (CI) to Partially Premixed Combustion (PPC) in an optical engine for fuels with differing properties. Combustion stratification and emissions were measured with diesel, naphtha and their corresponding surrogate fuels, N-heptane and PRF50. The aim of the study is to link the combustion images with engine out emissions and mixture homogeneity. Single injection strategy with the change of start of injection (SOI) from late to early injections was employed. Results show that combustion phasing trend is similar for diesel/N-heptane as well as for naphtha/PRF50 as the SOI moved from late injection timing to early injection timing. However, there is a significant difference in combustion phasing behavior for gasoline like fuels (naphtha and PRF50) and diesel fuels (diesel and N-heptane). CO emissions show an inverted V-shaped trend with one single peak in the transition zone. A “W” shape trend, with two bottoms at various dilution rates is observed for the UHC emissions. NOX emissions are high in the transition zone and decreased to lower levels in CI and PPC zones. NOX emissions are significantly reduced by reducing the intake O2 concentration with nitrogen. Except for diesel, the other three fuels show lower soot emissions. When compared to diesel like fuels, the natural luminosity of the images are lower for gasoline like fuels, indicating better premixed combustion. As the SOI is changed from CI to PPC mode, the combustion stratification increases towards a peak value in the transition zone and then decreases to a low level in PPC zone. A competition exists between the intake temperature and the dilution rate for the combustion stratification. The level of stratification is higher for real fuels (diesel and naphtha) when compared to surrogate fuel (N-heptane and PRF50).

Observation of Burial and Migration of Instrumented Surrogate Munitions Deployed in the Swash Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Cristaudo, D.; Puleo, J. A.; Bruder, B. L.

2017-12-01

Munitions (also known as unexploded ordnance; UXO) in the nearshore environment due to past military activities, may be found on the beach, constituting a risk for beach users. Munitions may be transported from offshore to shallower water and/or migrate along the coast. In addition, munitions may bury in place or be exhumed due to hydrodynamic forcing. Observations on munitions mobility have generally been collected offshore, while observations in the swash zone are scarce. The swash zone is the region of the beach alternately covered by wave runup where hydrodynamic processes may be intense. Studies of munitions mobility require the use of realistic surrogates to quantify mobility/burial and hydrodynamic forcing conditions. Four surrogates (BLU-61 Cluster Bomb, 81 mm Mortar, M151-70 Hydra Rocket and M107 155 mm High Explosive Howitzer) were developed and tested during large-scale laboratory and field studies. Surrogates house sensors that measure different components of motion. Errors between real munitions and surrogate parameters (mass, center of gravity and axial moment of inertia) are all within an absolute error of 20%. Internal munitions sensors consist of inertial motion units (for acceleration and angular velocity in and around the three directions and orientation), pressure transducers (for water depth above surrogate), shock recorders (for high frequency acceleration to detect wave impact on the surrogate), and an in-house designed array of optical sensors (for burial/exposure and rolling). An in situ array of sensors to measure hydrodynamics, bed morphology and sediment concentrations, was deployed in the swash zone, aligned with the surrogate deployment. Data collected during the studies will be shown highlighting surrogate sensor capabilities. Sensors response will be compared with GPS measurements and imagery from cameras overlooking the study sites of surrogate position as a function of time. Examples of burial/exposure and migration of surrogates

The social context for surrogates' motivations and satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Berend, Zsuzsa

2014-10-01

This Commentary takes up two of the main findings by Imrie and Jadva's study, namely surrogates' satisfaction with the post-surrogacy contact with intended parents and their motivation for surrogacy. It argues that the findings are in keeping with other qualitative research on surrogacy and that this similarity is not the result of the similarity of surrogates' psychological makeup. The Commentary highlights the centrality of social meanings and definitions, and following Howard Becker, insists on taking into account the collective doings that inform and shape individual feelings and behaviour. Copyright © 2014 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using multiscale spatial models to assess potential surrogate habitat for an imperiled reptile.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer M Fill

Full Text Available In evaluating conservation and management options for species, practitioners might consider surrogate habitats at multiple scales when estimating available habitat or modeling species' potential distributions based on suitable habitats, especially when native environments are rare. Species' dependence on surrogates likely increases as optimal habitat is degraded and lost due to anthropogenic landscape change, and thus surrogate habitats may be vital for an imperiled species' survival in highly modified landscapes. We used spatial habitat models to examine a potential surrogate habitat for an imperiled ambush predator (eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus; EDB at two scales. The EDB is an apex predator indigenous to imperiled longleaf pine ecosystems (Pinus palustris of the southeastern United States. Loss of native open-canopy pine savannas and woodlands has been suggested as the principal cause of the species' extensive decline. We examined EDB habitat selection in the Coastal Plain tidewater region to evaluate the role of marsh as a potential surrogate habitat and to further quantify the species' habitat requirements at two scales: home range (HR and within the home range (WHR. We studied EDBs using radiotelemetry and employed an information-theoretic approach and logistic regression to model habitat selection as use vs.We failed to detect a positive association with marsh as a surrogate habitat at the HR scale; rather, EDBs exhibited significantly negative associations with all landscape patches except pine savanna. Within home range selection was characterized by a negative association with forest and a positive association with ground cover, which suggests that EDBs may use surrogate habitats of similar structure, including marsh, within their home ranges. While our HR analysis did not support tidal marsh as a surrogate habitat, marsh may still provide resources for EDBs at smaller scales.

Effectiveness of biodiversity surrogates for conservation planning: different measures of effectiveness generate a kaleidoscope of variation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hedley S Grantham

Full Text Available Conservation planners represent many aspects of biodiversity by using surrogates with spatial distributions readily observed or quantified, but tests of their effectiveness have produced varied and conflicting results. We identified four factors likely to have a strong influence on the apparent effectiveness of surrogates: (1 the choice of surrogate; (2 differences among study regions, which might be large and unquantified (3 the test method, that is, how effectiveness is quantified, and (4 the test features that the surrogates are intended to represent. Analysis of an unusually rich dataset enabled us, for the first time, to disentangle these factors and to compare their individual and interacting influences. Using two data-rich regions, we estimated effectiveness using five alternative methods: two forms of incidental representation, two forms of species accumulation index and irreplaceability correlation, to assess the performance of 'forest ecosystems' and 'environmental units' as surrogates for six groups of threatened species-the test features-mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, plants and all of these combined. Four methods tested the effectiveness of the surrogates by selecting areas for conservation of the surrogates then estimating how effective those areas were at representing test features. One method measured the spatial match between conservation priorities for surrogates and test features. For methods that selected conservation areas, we measured effectiveness using two analytical approaches: (1 when representation targets for the surrogates were achieved (incidental representation, or (2 progressively as areas were selected (species accumulation index. We estimated the spatial correlation of conservation priorities using an index known as summed irreplaceability. In general, the effectiveness of surrogates for our taxa (mostly threatened species was low, although environmental units tended to be more effective than forest ecosystems

Methylene blue as a lignin surrogate in manganese peroxidase reaction systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Goby, Jeffrey D; Penner, Michael H; Lajoie, Curtis A; Kelly, Christine J

2017-11-15

Manganese peroxidase (MnP) is associated with lignin degradation and is thus relevant to lignocellulosic-utilization technologies. Technological applications require reaction mixture optimization. A surrogate substrate can facilitate this if its susceptibility to degradation is easily monitored and mirrors that of lignin. The dye methylene blue (MB) was evaluated in these respects as a surrogate substrate by testing its reactivity in reaction mixtures containing relevant redox mediators (dicarboxylic acids, fatty acids). Relative rates of MB degradation were compared to available literature reports of lignin degradation under similar conditions, and suggest that MB can be a useful lignin surrogate in MnP systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Families in the making: gestational surrogate mothers in California

OpenAIRE

Bjørn, Henriette Hårseide

2014-01-01

This thesis is based on a field work I conducted in California from January to June 2012, where I explore how gestational surrogate mothers experience the process of surrogacy and how California law has dealt with ART-cases. Through exploring surrogacy from different view point, and in particular from the view of surrogate mothers, this has given an insightful view into surrogacy in California. I have identified two court cases which are important for the establishment of parental rights in s...

Influence of ethanol and EGR on laminar burning behaviors of FACE-C gasoline and its surrogate

KAUST Repository

Mannaa, Ossama Abde El Hamid; Mansour, Morkous; Roberts, William L.; Chung, Suk-Ho

2017-01-01

Laminar burning velocities of FACE-C gasoline and a surrogate comprised of toluene primary reference fuels (TPRFs) were investigated under the effects of EGR dilution and ethanol blending. Measurements were conducted in a spherical constant volume combustion chamber for a range of equivalence ratios from 0.8 to 1.6 at initial temperatures and pressures up to 383 K and 0.6 MPa, respectively. These measurements highlighted the effects of real combustion residuals at mole fractions up to 0.3 and various volumetric percentages of ethanol blending. For both studied fuels, significant reductions in stretched and un-stretched flame speeds were observed for mixtures laden with real combustion residuals. Blends with less than 50% ethanol showed a minimal enhancement in the flame speed. By combining both EGR and ethanol blending, the flame speed reduction by EGR can be compensated for with ethanol addition. For example, up to 10% of EGR requires 60% ethanol blending to maintain the same flame speed. Flame stability enhancement by EGR addition was also quantified through the determination of the Markstein length.

Influence of ethanol and EGR on laminar burning behaviors of FACE-C gasoline and its surrogate

KAUST Repository

Mannaa, Ossama Abde El Hamid

2017-10-31

Laminar burning velocities of FACE-C gasoline and a surrogate comprised of toluene primary reference fuels (TPRFs) were investigated under the effects of EGR dilution and ethanol blending. Measurements were conducted in a spherical constant volume combustion chamber for a range of equivalence ratios from 0.8 to 1.6 at initial temperatures and pressures up to 383 K and 0.6 MPa, respectively. These measurements highlighted the effects of real combustion residuals at mole fractions up to 0.3 and various volumetric percentages of ethanol blending. For both studied fuels, significant reductions in stretched and un-stretched flame speeds were observed for mixtures laden with real combustion residuals. Blends with less than 50% ethanol showed a minimal enhancement in the flame speed. By combining both EGR and ethanol blending, the flame speed reduction by EGR can be compensated for with ethanol addition. For example, up to 10% of EGR requires 60% ethanol blending to maintain the same flame speed. Flame stability enhancement by EGR addition was also quantified through the determination of the Markstein length.

Alternative Fabrication of Recycling Fast Reactor Metal Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ki-Hwan; Kim, Jong Hwan; Song, Hoon; Kim, Hyung-Tae; Lee, Chan-Bock

2015-01-01

Metal fuels such as U-Zr/U-Pu-Zr alloys have been considered as a nuclear fuel for a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) related to the closed fuel cycle for managing minor actinides and reducing a high radioactivity levels since the 1980s. In order to develop innovative fabrication method of metal fuel for preventing the evaporation of volatile elements such as Am, modified casting under inert atmosphere has been applied for metal fuel slugs for SFR. Alternative fabrication method of fuel slugs has been introduced to develop an improved fabrication process of metal fuel for preventing the evaporation of volatile elements. In this study, metal fuel slugs for SFR have been fabricated by modified casting method, and characterized to evaluate the feasibility of the alternative fabrication method. In order to prevent evaporation of volatile elements such as Am and improve quality of fuel slugs, alternative fabrication methods of metal fuel slugs have been studied in KAERI. U-10Zr-5Mn fuel slug containing volatile surrogate element Mn was soundly cast by modified injection casting under modest pressure. Evaporation of Mn during alternative casting could not be detected by chemical analysis. Mn element was most recovered with prevention of evaporation by alternative casting. Modified injection casting has been selected as an alternative fabrication method in KAERI, considering evaporation prevention, and proven benefits of high productivity, high yield, and good remote control

Multi-model polynomial chaos surrogate dictionary for Bayesian inference in elasticity problems

KAUST Repository

Contreras, Andres A.; Le Maî tre, Olivier P.; Aquino, Wilkins; Knio, Omar

2016-01-01

of stiff inclusions embedded in a soft matrix, mimicking tumors in soft tissues. We rely on a polynomial chaos (PC) surrogate to accelerate the inference process. The PC surrogate predicts the dependence of the displacements field with the random elastic

Application of computational fluid dynamics and surrogate-coupled evolutionary computing to enhance centrifugal-pump performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sayed Ahmed Imran Bellary

2016-01-01

Full Text Available To reduce the total design and optimization time, numerical analysis with surrogate-based approaches is being used in turbomachinery optimization. In this work, multiple surrogates are coupled with an evolutionary genetic algorithm to find the Pareto optimal fronts (PoFs of two centrifugal pumps with different specifications in order to enhance their performance. The two pumps were used a centrifugal pump commonly used in industry (Case I and an electrical submersible pump used in the petroleum industry (Case II. The objectives are to enhance head and efficiency of the pumps at specific flow rates. Surrogates such as response surface approximation (RSA, Kriging (KRG, neural networks and weighted-average surrogates (WASs were used to determine the PoFs. To obtain the objective functions’ values and to understand the flow physics, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations were solved. It is found that the WAS performs better for both the objectives than any other individual surrogate. The best individual surrogates or the best predicted error sum of squares (PRESS surrogate (BPS obtained from cross-validation (CV error estimations produced better PoFs but was still unable to compete with the WAS. The high CV error-producing surrogate produced the worst PoFs. The performance improvement in this study is due to the change in flow pattern in the passage of the impeller of the pumps.

Surrogate Motherhood II: Reflections after "Baby M."

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Lita Linzer

1988-01-01

Discusses the "Baby M" surrogate motherhood case which has produced heated debate in popular media, legal publications, and other professional journals. Summarizes arguments offered and reasoning behind actions of judiciary. (Author/ABL)

Modeling of Heating and Evaporation of FACE I Gasoline Fuel and its Surrogates

KAUST Repository

Elwardani, Ahmed Elsaid; Badra, Jihad; Sim, Jaeheon; Khurshid, Muneeb; Sarathy, Mani; Im, Hong G.

2016-01-01

) of approximately 70. The detailed hydrocarbon analysis (DHA) of FACE I shows that it contains 33 components. This large number of components cannot be handled in fuel spray simulation where thousands of droplets are directly injected in combustion chamber

Numerical Simulations of Hollow Cone Injection and Gasoline Compression Ignition Combustion With Naphtha Fuels

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad A.

2016-01-11

) and toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF) surrogates. The effects of fuel temperature and chemical kinetic mechanisms have also been studied. The heating and evaporative characteristics of the low octane gasoline fuel and its PRF and TPRF surrogates were examined. Copyright © 2015 by ASME.

LVAD patients' and surrogates' perspectives on SPIRIT-HF: An advance care planning discussion.

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Maureen; Song, Mi-Kyung; Devane-Johnson, Stephanie

2016-01-01

To describe LVAD patients' and surrogates' experiences with, and perspectives on SPIRIT-HF, an advance care planning (ACP) intervention. ACP is important for patients with LVAD, yet little is known about their experiences or those of their surrogates who have participated in ACP discussions. We used qualitative content analysis techniques to conduct a secondary analysis of 28 interviews with patients with LVAD (n = 14) and their surrogates (n = 14) who had participated in an RCT pilot study of SPIRIT-HF. Main themes from the data include: 1) sharing their HF stories was very beneficial; 2) participating in SPIRIT-HF led to greater peace of mind for patients and surrogates; 3) "one size does not fit all" when it comes to timing of ACP discussions. An understanding patient and surrogate perspectives may inform clinicians' approach to ACP discussions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validating (d,p gamma) as a Surrogate for Neutron Capture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ratkiewicz, A. [Rutgers University; Cizewski, J. A. [Rutgers University; Pain, S. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Adekola, A. S. [Rutgers University; Burke, J. T. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Casperson, R.J. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Fotiades, N. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); McCleskey, M. [Texas A& M University; Burcher, S. [Rutgers University; Shand, C. M. [Rutgers Univ./Univ. of Surrey, UK; Austin, R. A. E. [Saint Mary’s University, Halifa, Canada; Baugher, T. [Rutgers University; Carpenter, M. P. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Devlin, M. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Escher, J. E. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Hardy, S. [Rutgers Univ./Univ. of Surrey, UK; Hatarik, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Howard, M. [Rutgers University; Hughes, R. [University of Richmond, VA; Jones, K. L. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Kozub, R. L. [Tennessee Technological University (TTU); Lister, C. J. [University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Manning, B. [Rutgers University; O' Donnell, J. M. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Peters, W. A. [Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU); Ross, T.J. [University of Richmond, VA; Scielzo, N.D. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Seweryniak, D. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Zhu, S. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)

2015-01-01

The r-process is responsible for creating roughly half of the elements heavier than iron. It has recently become understood that the rates at which neutron capture reactions proceed at late times in the rprocess may dramatically affect the final abundance pattern. However, direct measurements of neutron capture reaction rates on exotic nuclei are exceptionally difficult, necessitating the development of indirect approaches such as the surrogate technique. The (d,py) reaction at low energies was identified as a promising surrogate for the (n,y) reaction, as both reactions share many characteristics. We report on a program to validate (d,py) as a surrogate for (n,y) using 95Mo as a target. The experimental campaign includes direct measurements of the y-ray intensities from the decay of excited states populated in the 95Mo(n,y) and 95Mo(d,py) reactions.

Development of an instrumented spinal cord surrogate using optical fibers: A feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Facchinello, Yann; Wagnac, Éric; Ung, Bora; Petit, Yvan; Pradhan, Prabin; Peyrache, Louis-Marie; Mac-Thiong, Jean-Marc

2017-10-01

In vitro replication of traumatic spinal cord injury is necessary to understand its biomechanics and to improve animal models. During a traumatic spinal cord injury, the spinal cord withstands an impaction at high velocity. In order to fully assess the impaction, the use of spinal canal occlusion sensor is necessary. A physical spinal cord surrogate is also often used to simulate the presence of the spinal cord and its surrounding structures. In this study, an instrumented physical spinal cord surrogate is presented and validated. The sensing is based on light transmission loss observed in embedded bare optical fibers subjected to bending. The instrumented surrogate exhibits similar mechanical properties under static compression compared to fresh porcine spinal cords. The instrumented surrogate has a compression sensing threshold of 40% that matches the smallest compression values leading to neurological injuries. The signal obtained from the sensor allows calculating the compression of the spinal cord surrogate with a maximum of 5% deviation. Excellent repeatability was also observed under repetitive loading. The proposed instrumented spinal cord surrogate is promising with satisfying mechanical properties and good sensing capability. It is the first attempt at proposing a method to assess the internal loads sustained by the spinal cord during a traumatic injury. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surrogate screening models for the low physical activity criterion of frailty.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckel, Sandrah P; Bandeen-Roche, Karen; Chaves, Paulo H M; Fried, Linda P; Louis, Thomas A

2011-06-01

Low physical activity, one of five criteria in a validated clinical phenotype of frailty, is assessed by a standardized, semiquantitative questionnaire on up to 20 leisure time activities. Because of the time demanded to collect the interview data, it has been challenging to translate to studies other than the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), for which it was developed. Considering subsets of activities, we identified and evaluated streamlined surrogate assessment methods and compared them to one implemented in the Women's Health and Aging Study (WHAS). Using data on men and women ages 65 and older from the CHS, we applied logistic regression models to rank activities by "relative influence" in predicting low physical activity.We considered subsets of the most influential activities as inputs to potential surrogate models (logistic regressions). We evaluated predictive accuracy and predictive validity using the area under receiver operating characteristic curves and assessed criterion validity using proportional hazards models relating frailty status (defined using the surrogate) to mortality. Walking for exercise and moderately strenuous household chores were highly influential for both genders. Women required fewer activities than men for accurate classification. The WHAS model (8 CHS activities) was an effective surrogate, but a surrogate using 6 activities (walking, chores, gardening, general exercise, mowing and golfing) was also highly predictive. We recommend a 6 activity questionnaire to assess physical activity for men and women. If efficiency is essential and the study involves only women, fewer activities can be included.

Test procedures for polyester immobilized salt-containing surrogate mixed wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biyani, R.K.; Hendrickson, D.W.

1997-01-01

These test procedures are written to meet the procedural needs of the Test Plan for immobilization of salt containing surrogate mixed waste using polymer resins, HNF-SD-RE-TP-026 and to ensure adequacy of conduct and collection of samples and data. This testing will demonstrate the use of four different polyester vinyl ester resins in the solidification of surrogate liquid and dry wastes, similar to some mixed wastes generated by DOE operations

First Trimester Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets Syndrome in a Surrogate Pregnancy

OpenAIRE

Myer, Emily; Hill, James

2015-01-01

Background The occurrence of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome before 20 weeks of gestation is rare. HELLP is a possible but rare syndrome in gestational surrogate pregnancies for surrogates with risk factors for development of preeclampsia. Case A 32-year-old patient with chronic hypertension and positive antinuclear antibody presented for prenatal care at 13 weeks and 1 day. She was a surrogate for the embryo of a 43-year-old couple. By 15 weeks she developed...

Narrative Interest Standard: A Novel Approach to Surrogate Decision-Making for People With Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkins, James M

2017-06-17

Dementia is a common neurodegenerative process that can significantly impair decision-making capacity as the disease progresses. When a person is found to lack capacity to make a decision, a surrogate decision-maker is generally sought to aid in decision-making. Typical bases for surrogate decision-making include the substituted judgment standard and the best interest standard. Given the heterogeneous and progressive course of dementia, however, these standards for surrogate decision-making are often insufficient in providing guidance for the decision-making for a person with dementia, escalating the likelihood of conflict in these decisions. In this article, the narrative interest standard is presented as a novel and more appropriate approach to surrogate decision-making for people with dementia. Through case presentation and ethical analysis, the standard mechanisms for surrogate decision-making for people with dementia are reviewed and critiqued. The narrative interest standard is then introduced and discussed as a dementia-specific model for surrogate decision-making. Through incorporation of elements of a best interest standard in focusing on the current benefit-burden ratio and elements of narrative to provide context, history, and flexibility for values and preferences that may change over time, the narrative interest standard allows for elaboration of an enriched context for surrogate decision-making for people with dementia. More importantly, however, a narrative approach encourages the direct contribution from people with dementia in authoring the story of what matters to them in their lives.

Experimental Validation of Surrogate Models for Predicting the Draping of Physical Interpolating Surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Esben Toke; Lund, Erik; Lindgaard, Esben

2018-01-01

This paper concerns the experimental validation of two surrogate models through a benchmark study involving two different variable shape mould prototype systems. The surrogate models in question are different methods based on kriging and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), which were developed...... to the performance of the studied surrogate models. By comparing surrogate model performance for the two variable shape mould systems, and through a numerical study involving simple finite element models, the underlying cause of this effect is explained. It is concluded that for a variable shape mould prototype...... hypercube approach. This sampling method allows for generating a space filling and high-quality sample plan that respects mechanical constraints of the variable shape mould systems. Through the benchmark study, it is found that mechanical freeplay in the modeled system is severely detrimental...

An Efficient Constraint Boundary Sampling Method for Sequential RBDO Using Kriging Surrogate Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jihoon; Jang, Junyong; Kim, Shinyu; Lee, Tae Hee [Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Sugil; Kim, Hyung Woo; Hong, Sup [Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-06-15

Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) requires a high computational cost owing to its reliability analysis. A surrogate model is introduced to reduce the computational cost in RBDO. The accuracy of the reliability depends on the accuracy of the surrogate model of constraint boundaries in the surrogated-model-based RBDO. In earlier researches, constraint boundary sampling (CBS) was proposed to approximate accurately the boundaries of constraints by locating sample points on the boundaries of constraints. However, because CBS uses sample points on all constraint boundaries, it creates superfluous sample points. In this paper, efficient constraint boundary sampling (ECBS) is proposed to enhance the efficiency of CBS. ECBS uses the statistical information of a kriging surrogate model to locate sample points on or near the RBDO solution. The efficiency of ECBS is verified by mathematical examples.

Fabrication of uranium alloy fuel slug for sodium-cooled fast reactor by injection casting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jong Hwan Kim; Hoon Song; Ki Hwan Kim; Chan Bock Lee

2014-01-01

Metal fuel slugs of U-Zr alloys for a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) have been fabricated using an injection casting method. However, casting alloys containing volatile radioactive constituents such as Am can cause problems in a conventional injection casting method. Therefore, in this study, several injection-casting methods were applied to evaluate the volatility of the metal-fuel elements and control the transport of volatile elements. Mn was selected as a volatile surrogate alloy since it possesses a total vapor pressure equivalent to that of minor actinide-bearing fuels for SFRs. U-10 wt% Zr and U-10 wt% Zr-5 wt% Mn metal fuels were prepared, and the casting processes were evaluated. The casting soundness of the fuel slugs was characterized by gamma-ray radiography and immersion density measurements. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical composition of fuel slugs. Fuel losses after casting were also evaluated according to the casting conditions. (author)

Surrogate Models for Online Monitoring and Process Troubleshooting of NBR Emulsion Copolymerization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandra Mouli R. Madhuranthakam

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Chemical processes with complex reaction mechanisms generally lead to dynamic models which, while beneficial for predicting and capturing the detailed process behavior, are not readily amenable for direct use in online applications related to process operation, optimisation, control, and troubleshooting. Surrogate models can help overcome this problem. In this research article, the first part focuses on obtaining surrogate models for emulsion copolymerization of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR, which is usually produced in a train of continuous stirred tank reactors. The predictions and/or profiles for several performance characteristics such as conversion, number of polymer particles, copolymer composition, and weight-average molecular weight, obtained using surrogate models are compared with those obtained using the detailed mechanistic model. In the second part of this article, optimal flow profiles based on dynamic optimisation using the surrogate models are obtained for the production of NBR emulsions with the objective of minimising the off-specification product generated during grade transitions.

Neutron-induced cross sections of actinides via the surrogate-reaction method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tveten G. M.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The surrogate-reaction method is an indirect way of determining cross sections for reactions that proceed through a compound nucleus. This technique may enable neutron-induced cross sections to be extracted for short-lived nuclei that otherwise cannot be measured. However, the validity of the surrogate method for extracting capture cross sections has to be investigated. In this work we study the reactions 238U(d,p239U, 238U(3He,t238Np, 238U(3He,4He237U as surrogates for neutroninduced reactions on 238U, 237Np and 236U, respectively, for which good quality data exist. The experimental set-up enabled the measurement of fission and gamma-decay probabilities. First results are presented and discussed.

Innovative fossil fuel fired vitrification technology for soil remediation. Volume 1, Phase 1: Annual report, September 28, 1992--August 31, 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-08-01

Vortex has successfully completed Phase 1 of the ``Innovative Fossil Fuel Fired Vitrification Technology for Soil Remediation`` program with the Department of Energy (DOE) Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC). The Combustion and Melting System (CMS) has processed 7000 pounds of material representative of contaminated soil that is found at DOE sites. The soil was spiked with Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metals surrogates, an organic contaminant, and a surrogate radionuclide. The samples taken during the tests confirmed that virtually all of the radionuclide was retained in the glass and that it did not leach to the environment. The organic contaminant, anthracene, was destroyed during the test with a Destruction and Removal Efficiency (DRE) of at least 99.99%. RCRA metal surrogates, that were in the vitrified product, were retained and will not leach to the environment--as confirmed by the TCLP testing. Semi-volatile RCRA metal surrogates were captured by the Air Pollution Control (APC) system, and data on the amount of metal oxide particulate and the chemical composition of the particulate were established for use in the Phase 2 APC system design. This topical report will present a summary of the activities conducted during Phase 1 of the ``Innovative Fossil Fuel Fired Vitrification Technology for Soil Remediation`` program. The report includes the detail technical data generated during the experimental program and the design and cost data for the preliminary Phase 2 plant.

Regression calibration with more surrogates than mismeasured variables

KAUST Repository

Kipnis, Victor

2012-06-29

In a recent paper (Weller EA, Milton DK, Eisen EA, Spiegelman D. Regression calibration for logistic regression with multiple surrogates for one exposure. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference 2007; 137: 449-461), the authors discussed fitting logistic regression models when a scalar main explanatory variable is measured with error by several surrogates, that is, a situation with more surrogates than variables measured with error. They compared two methods of adjusting for measurement error using a regression calibration approximate model as if it were exact. One is the standard regression calibration approach consisting of substituting an estimated conditional expectation of the true covariate given observed data in the logistic regression. The other is a novel two-stage approach when the logistic regression is fitted to multiple surrogates, and then a linear combination of estimated slopes is formed as the estimate of interest. Applying estimated asymptotic variances for both methods in a single data set with some sensitivity analysis, the authors asserted superiority of their two-stage approach. We investigate this claim in some detail. A troubling aspect of the proposed two-stage method is that, unlike standard regression calibration and a natural form of maximum likelihood, the resulting estimates are not invariant to reparameterization of nuisance parameters in the model. We show, however, that, under the regression calibration approximation, the two-stage method is asymptotically equivalent to a maximum likelihood formulation, and is therefore in theory superior to standard regression calibration. However, our extensive finite-sample simulations in the practically important parameter space where the regression calibration model provides a good approximation failed to uncover such superiority of the two-stage method. We also discuss extensions to different data structures.

Regression calibration with more surrogates than mismeasured variables

KAUST Repository

Kipnis, Victor; Midthune, Douglas; Freedman, Laurence S.; Carroll, Raymond J.

2012-01-01

In a recent paper (Weller EA, Milton DK, Eisen EA, Spiegelman D. Regression calibration for logistic regression with multiple surrogates for one exposure. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference 2007; 137: 449-461), the authors discussed fitting logistic regression models when a scalar main explanatory variable is measured with error by several surrogates, that is, a situation with more surrogates than variables measured with error. They compared two methods of adjusting for measurement error using a regression calibration approximate model as if it were exact. One is the standard regression calibration approach consisting of substituting an estimated conditional expectation of the true covariate given observed data in the logistic regression. The other is a novel two-stage approach when the logistic regression is fitted to multiple surrogates, and then a linear combination of estimated slopes is formed as the estimate of interest. Applying estimated asymptotic variances for both methods in a single data set with some sensitivity analysis, the authors asserted superiority of their two-stage approach. We investigate this claim in some detail. A troubling aspect of the proposed two-stage method is that, unlike standard regression calibration and a natural form of maximum likelihood, the resulting estimates are not invariant to reparameterization of nuisance parameters in the model. We show, however, that, under the regression calibration approximation, the two-stage method is asymptotically equivalent to a maximum likelihood formulation, and is therefore in theory superior to standard regression calibration. However, our extensive finite-sample simulations in the practically important parameter space where the regression calibration model provides a good approximation failed to uncover such superiority of the two-stage method. We also discuss extensions to different data structures.

Love as a regulative ideal in surrogate decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Stonestreet, Erica Lucast

2014-10-01

This discussion aims to give a normative theoretical basis for a "best judgment" model of surrogate decision making rooted in a regulative ideal of love. Currently, there are two basic models of surrogate decision making for incompetent patients: the "substituted judgment" model and the "best interests" model. The former draws on the value of autonomy and responds with respect; the latter draws on the value of welfare and responds with beneficence. It can be difficult to determine which of these two models is more appropriate for a given patient, and both approaches may seem inadequate for a surrogate who loves the patient. The proposed "best judgment" model effectively draws on the values incorporated in each of the traditional standards, but does so because these values are important to someone who loves a patient, since love responds to the patient as the specific person she is. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Mapping people's views regarding the acceptability of surrogate motherhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Petitfils, Charlotte; Munoz Sastre, Maria Teresa; Sorum, Paul Clay; Mullet, Etienne

2017-02-01

The aims of the present study were to map French laypersons' views regarding the acceptability of maternal surrogacy and to delineate the circumstances under which surrogacy is considered, by different groups of people, as especially problematic. Participants (N = 236) were presented with a number of scenarios depicting the circumstances in which a couple has contracted with a surrogate mother and were asked to indicate the extent to which such a contract may present a moral problem. The scenarios were created by varying four factors: the type of surrogacy (traditional or gestational), the surrogate mother's level of autonomy, the family context in which the surrogate mother lives, and whether surrogacy was commercial or altruistic. Three qualitatively different personal positions were found: (a) a majority group for which surrogacy always (30%) or often (34%) presents a moral problem, (b) a minority group (14%) for which maternal surrogacy does not systematically present a moral problem, and (c) another minority group (22%) for which circumstances - mainly the mother's level of autonomy and the family context in which she lives - were completely determining.

Neutron-induced capture cross sections via the surrogate reaction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boutoux, G.; Jurado, B.; Aiche, M.; Barreau, G.; Capellan, N.; Companis, I.; Czajkowski, S.; Dassie, D.; Haas, B.; Mathieu, L.; Meot, V.; Bail, A.; Bauge, E.; Daugas, J. M.; Faul, T.; Gaudefroy, L.; Morel, P.; Pillet, N.; Roig, O.; Romain, P.; Taieb, J.; Theroine, C.; Burke, J.T.; Companis, I.; Derkx, X.; Gunsing, F.; Matea, I.; Tassan-Got, L.; Porquet, M.G.; Serot, O.

2011-01-01

The surrogate reaction method is an indirect way of determining cross sections for nuclear reactions that proceed through a compound nucleus. This technique enables neutron-induced cross sections to be extracted for nuclear reactions on short-lived unstable nuclei that otherwise can not be measured. This technique has been successfully applied to determine the neutron-induced fission cross sections of several short-lived nuclei. In this work, we investigate whether this powerful technique can also be used to determine of neutron-induced capture cross sections. For this purpose we use the surrogate reaction 174 Yb( 3 He, pγ) 176 Lu to infer the well known 175 Lu(n, γ) cross section and compare the results with the directly measured neutron-induced data. This surrogate experiment has been performed in March 2010. The experimental technique used and the first preliminary results will be presented. (authors)

Validating (d,pγ) as a surrogate for neutron capture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratkiewicz, A.; Cizewski, J. A.; Pain, S. D.; Adekola, A. S.; Burke, J. T.; Casperson, R. J.; Fotiadis, Nikolaos; McCleskey, M.; Burcher, S.; Shand, C. M; Austin, R. A. E.; Baugher, T.; Carpenter, M. P.; Devlin, Matthew James; Escher, J. E.; Hardy, S.; Hatarik, R.; Howard, M. E.; Hughes, R. O.; Jones, K. L.; Kozub, R. L.; Lister, C. J.; Manning, B.; O'Donnell, John M.; Peters, W. A.; Ross, T. J.; Scielzo, N. D.; Seweryniak, D.; Zhu, S.

2015-01-01

The r-process is responsible for creating roughly half of the elements heavier than iron. It has recently become understood that the rates at which neutron capture reactions proceed at late times in the r-process may dramatically affect the final abundance pattern. However, direct measurements of neutron capture reaction rates on exotic nuclei are exceptionally difficult, necessitating the development of indirect approaches such as the surrogate technique. The (d,pγ) reaction at low energies was identified as a promising surrogate for the (n,γ) reaction, as both reactions share many characteristics. We report on a program to validate (d,pγ) as a surrogate for (n,γ) using 95Mo as a target. The experimental campaign includes direct measurements of the γ-ray intensities from the decay of excited states populated in the 95Mo(n,γ) and 95Mo(d,pγ) reactions.

Robust estimation of the proportion of treatment effect explained by surrogate marker information.

Science.gov (United States)

Parast, Layla; McDermott, Mary M; Tian, Lu

2016-05-10

In randomized treatment studies where the primary outcome requires long follow-up of patients and/or expensive or invasive obtainment procedures, the availability of a surrogate marker that could be used to estimate the treatment effect and could potentially be observed earlier than the primary outcome would allow researchers to make conclusions regarding the treatment effect with less required follow-up time and resources. The Prentice criterion for a valid surrogate marker requires that a test for treatment effect on the surrogate marker also be a valid test for treatment effect on the primary outcome of interest. Based on this criterion, methods have been developed to define and estimate the proportion of treatment effect on the primary outcome that is explained by the treatment effect on the surrogate marker. These methods aim to identify useful statistical surrogates that capture a large proportion of the treatment effect. However, current methods to estimate this proportion usually require restrictive model assumptions that may not hold in practice and thus may lead to biased estimates of this quantity. In this paper, we propose a nonparametric procedure to estimate the proportion of treatment effect on the primary outcome that is explained by the treatment effect on a potential surrogate marker and extend this procedure to a setting with multiple surrogate markers. We compare our approach with previously proposed model-based approaches and propose a variance estimation procedure based on a perturbation-resampling method. Simulation studies demonstrate that the procedure performs well in finite samples and outperforms model-based procedures when the specified models are not correct. We illustrate our proposed procedure using a data set from a randomized study investigating a group-mediated cognitive behavioral intervention for peripheral artery disease participants. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Time-varying surrogate data to assess nonlinearity in nonstationary time series: application to heart rate variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Faes, Luca; Zhao, He; Chon, Ki H; Nollo, Giandomenico

2009-03-01

We propose a method to extend to time-varying (TV) systems the procedure for generating typical surrogate time series, in order to test the presence of nonlinear dynamics in potentially nonstationary signals. The method is based on fitting a TV autoregressive (AR) model to the original series and then regressing the model coefficients with random replacements of the model residuals to generate TV AR surrogate series. The proposed surrogate series were used in combination with a TV sample entropy (SE) discriminating statistic to assess nonlinearity in both simulated and experimental time series, in comparison with traditional time-invariant (TIV) surrogates combined with the TIV SE discriminating statistic. Analysis of simulated time series showed that using TIV surrogates, linear nonstationary time series may be erroneously regarded as nonlinear and weak TV nonlinearities may remain unrevealed, while the use of TV AR surrogates markedly increases the probability of a correct interpretation. Application to short (500 beats) heart rate variability (HRV) time series recorded at rest (R), after head-up tilt (T), and during paced breathing (PB) showed: 1) modifications of the SE statistic that were well interpretable with the known cardiovascular physiology; 2) significant contribution of nonlinear dynamics to HRV in all conditions, with significant increase during PB at 0.2 Hz respiration rate; and 3) a disagreement between TV AR surrogates and TIV surrogates in about a quarter of the series, suggesting that nonstationarity may affect HRV recordings and bias the outcome of the traditional surrogate-based nonlinearity test.

Results from Second Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Geoffrey Wayne [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Leonard, Philip [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hartline, Ernest Leon [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Tian, Hongzhao [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2016-04-04

High Explosives and Technology (M-7) completed the second round of formulation and testing of Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) surrogates on March 17, 2016. This report summarizes the results of the work and also includes additional documentation required under test plan PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B, "Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) Surrogate Formulation and Testing Standard Procedure", released February 16, 2016. All formulation and testing was carried out according to PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B. Results from the first round of formulation and testing were documented in memorandum M7-16-6042, "Results from First Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing."

Gasoline surrogate modeling of gasoline ignition in a rapid compression machine and comparison to experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mehl, M; Kukkadapu, G; Kumar, K; Sarathy, S M; Pitz, W J; Sung, S J

2011-09-15

The use of gasoline in homogeneous charge compression ignition engines (HCCI) and in duel fuel diesel - gasoline engines, has increased the need to understand its compression ignition processes under engine-like conditions. These processes need to be studied under well-controlled conditions in order to quantify low temperature heat release and to provide fundamental validation data for chemical kinetic models. With this in mind, an experimental campaign has been undertaken in a rapid compression machine (RCM) to measure the ignition of gasoline mixtures over a wide range of compression temperatures and for different compression pressures. By measuring the pressure history during ignition, information on the first stage ignition (when observed) and second stage ignition are captured along with information on the phasing of the heat release. Heat release processes during ignition are important because gasoline is known to exhibit low temperature heat release, intermediate temperature heat release and high temperature heat release. In an HCCI engine, the occurrence of low-temperature and intermediate-temperature heat release can be exploited to obtain higher load operation and has become a topic of much interest for engine researchers. Consequently, it is important to understand these processes under well-controlled conditions. A four-component gasoline surrogate model (including n-heptane, iso-octane, toluene, and 2-pentene) has been developed to simulate real gasolines. An appropriate surrogate mixture of the four components has been developed to simulate the specific gasoline used in the RCM experiments. This chemical kinetic surrogate model was then used to simulate the RCM experimental results for real gasoline. The experimental and modeling results covered ultra-lean to stoichiometric mixtures, compressed temperatures of 640-950 K, and compression pressures of 20 and 40 bar. The agreement between the experiments and model is encouraging in terms of first

Attachment and Detachment Behavior of Human Adenovirus and Surrogates in Fine Granular Limestone Aquifer Material.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevenson, Margaret E; Sommer, Regina; Lindner, Gerhard; Farnleitner, Andreas H; Toze, Simon; Kirschner, Alexander K T; Blaschke, Alfred P; Sidhu, Jatinder P S

2015-09-01

The transport of human adenovirus, nanoparticles, and PRD1 and MS2 bacteriophages was tested in fine granular limestone aquifer material taken from a borehole at a managed aquifer recharge site in Adelaide, South Australia. Comparison of transport and removal of virus surrogates with the pathogenic virus is necessary to understand the differences between the virus and surrogate. Because experiments using pathogenic viruses cannot be done in the field, laboratory tests using flow-through soil columns were used. Results show that PRD1 is the most appropriate surrogate for adenovirus in an aquifer dominated by calcite material but not under high ionic strength or high pH conditions. It was also found that straining due to size and the charge of the colloid were not dominant removal mechanisms in this system. Implications of this study indicate that a certain surrogate may not represent a specific pathogen solely based on similar size, morphology, and/or surface charge. Moreover, if a particular surrogate is representative of a pathogen in one aquifer system, it may not be the most appropriate surrogate in another porous media system. This was apparent in the inferior performance of MS2 as a surrogate, which is commonly used in virus transport studies. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Revisiting photodynamic therapy dosimetry: reductionist & surrogate approaches to facilitate clinical success

Science.gov (United States)

Pogue, Brian W.; Elliott, Jonathan T.; Kanick, Stephen C.; Davis, Scott C.; Samkoe, Kimberley S.; Maytin, Edward V.; Pereira, Stephen P.; Hasan, Tayyaba

2016-04-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be a highly complex treatment, with many parameters influencing treatment efficacy. The extent to which dosimetry is used to monitor and standardize treatment delivery varies widely, ranging from measurement of a single surrogate marker to comprehensive approaches that aim to measure or estimate as many relevant parameters as possible. Today, most clinical PDT treatments are still administered with little more than application of a prescribed drug dose and timed light delivery, and thus the role of patient-specific dosimetry has not reached widespread clinical adoption. This disconnect is at least partly due to the inherent conflict between the need to measure and understand multiple parameters in vivo in order to optimize treatment, and the need for expedience in the clinic and in the regulatory and commercialization process. Thus, a methodical approach to selecting primary dosimetry metrics is required at each stage of translation of a treatment procedure, moving from complex measurements to understand PDT mechanisms in pre-clinical and early phase I trials, towards the identification and application of essential dose-limiting and/or surrogate measurements in phase II/III trials. If successful, identifying the essential and/or reliable surrogate dosimetry measurements should help facilitate increased adoption of clinical PDT. In this paper, examples of essential dosimetry points and surrogate dosimetry tools that may be implemented in phase II/III trials are discussed. For example, the treatment efficacy as limited by light penetration in interstitial PDT may be predicted by the amount of contrast uptake in CT, and so this could be utilized as a surrogate dosimetry measurement to prescribe light doses based upon pre-treatment contrast. Success of clinical ALA-based skin lesion treatment is predicted almost uniquely by the explicit or implicit measurements of photosensitizer and photobleaching, yet the individualization of treatment

FENOMENA SURROGATE MOTHER (IBU PENGGANTI DALAM PERSPEKTIF ISLAM DITINJAU DARI HADIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurul Alifah Rahmawati

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this modern era, there is a finding in technology in the field of genetically changes which try to help the married couple with no children for a long time of marriage. This change can be seen in the existence of an infant with infitro fertilization, sperm banks, or magic box that can save sperm and ovum as they are in the real womb. As the time is gone, the practice of infant with  infitro fertilization and artificial insemination have developed in some forms of activity which are forbidden in Islam. One of the forbidden forms is infitro insemination or artificial insemination which uses the sperm and ovum from a marriage couple and put it in another woman’s womb. This practice is called as Surrogate Mother. Actually there is no verses in the al-Qur’an which strictly stated about the prohibition on the practice of infitro infant using another woman’s womb (Surrogate mother. But it does not mean that al-Qur’an does not give any solution and also guidance in solving the law of this problem. There are some syar’i theorems that can be used as references in the issue of surrogate mother, for example Q.S Maryam verse 3-5 which give us command to keep praying and trying to get descendents, Q.S al-Baqarah verse 223 which states that a wife is the best place for farming and also hadith of the prophet Muhammad SAW which forbid a man to give his sperm to another woman who is not their wife. Moreover, the practice of this surrogate mother is also contradictory with with al-maqasid al-shariah because it can cause a mixed Nasab. Based on those reasons, the writer is interested in analyzing how is the surrogate mother phenomenon in the view of hadith and its contextualization dealing with the children’s position in the law of Waris (inheritance. Based on the literature analysis done by the writer, it can be concluded that the practice of surrogate mother is forbidden according to Ulama because it gives more mudharat (negative effects than

Short-term response of ground-dwelling arthropods to prescribed fire and mechanical fuel reduction in a Southern Appalachian upland hardwood forest

Science.gov (United States)

Cathryn H. Greenberg; T.G. Forrest; Thomas. Waldrop

2010-01-01

As part of the multidisciplinary National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study, we used drift fences with pitfall traps to determine how three fuel reduction treatments affected ground-dwelling macroarthropods in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Four experimental units, each

Calibration of an agricultural-hydrological model (RZWQM2) using surrogate global optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Xi, Maolong; Lu, Dan; Gui, Dongwei; Qi, Zhiming; Zhang, Guannan

2017-01-01

Robust calibration of an agricultural-hydrological model is critical for simulating crop yield and water quality and making reasonable agricultural management. However, calibration of the agricultural-hydrological system models is challenging because of model complexity, the existence of strong parameter correlation, and significant computational requirements. Therefore, only a limited number of simulations can be allowed in any attempt to find a near-optimal solution within an affordable time, which greatly restricts the successful application of the model. The goal of this study is to locate the optimal solution of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) given a limited simulation time, so as to improve the model simulation and help make rational and effective agricultural-hydrological decisions. To this end, we propose a computationally efficient global optimization procedure using sparse-grid based surrogates. We first used advanced sparse grid (SG) interpolation to construct a surrogate system of the actual RZWQM2, and then we calibrate the surrogate model using the global optimization algorithm, Quantum-behaved Particle Swarm Optimization (QPSO). As the surrogate model is a polynomial with fast evaluation, it can be efficiently evaluated with a sufficiently large number of times during the optimization, which facilitates the global search. We calibrate seven model parameters against five years of yield, drain flow, and NO3-N loss data from a subsurface-drained corn-soybean field in Iowa. Results indicate that an accurate surrogate model can be created for the RZWQM2 with a relatively small number of SG points (i.e., RZWQM2 runs). Compared to the conventional QPSO algorithm, our surrogate-based optimization method can achieve a smaller objective function value and better calibration performance using a fewer number of expensive RZWQM2 executions, which greatly improves computational efficiency.

First Trimester Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets Syndrome in a Surrogate Pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Myer, Emily; Hill, James

2015-10-01

Background The occurrence of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome before 20 weeks of gestation is rare. HELLP is a possible but rare syndrome in gestational surrogate pregnancies for surrogates with risk factors for development of preeclampsia. Case A 32-year-old patient with chronic hypertension and positive antinuclear antibody presented for prenatal care at 13 weeks and 1 day. She was a surrogate for the embryo of a 43-year-old couple. By 15 weeks she developed uncontrolled hypertension requiring hospitalization. She was expectantly managed until her condition deteriorated. At 16 weeks and 1 day she developed hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, thrombocytopenia, and fetal demise. Conclusions HELLP syndrome is rare and carries a significant morbidity and mortality for the mother and fetus. Clinicians should encourage the surrogate to share her medical history with the embryo donor for appropriate counseling on pregnancy risks.

Committee-Based Active Learning for Surrogate-Assisted Particle Swarm Optimization of Expensive Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Handing; Jin, Yaochu; Doherty, John

2017-09-01

Function evaluations (FEs) of many real-world optimization problems are time or resource consuming, posing a serious challenge to the application of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) to solve these problems. To address this challenge, the research on surrogate-assisted EAs has attracted increasing attention from both academia and industry over the past decades. However, most existing surrogate-assisted EAs (SAEAs) either still require thousands of expensive FEs to obtain acceptable solutions, or are only applied to very low-dimensional problems. In this paper, a novel surrogate-assisted particle swarm optimization (PSO) inspired from committee-based active learning (CAL) is proposed. In the proposed algorithm, a global model management strategy inspired from CAL is developed, which searches for the best and most uncertain solutions according to a surrogate ensemble using a PSO algorithm and evaluates these solutions using the expensive objective function. In addition, a local surrogate model is built around the best solution obtained so far. Then, a PSO algorithm searches on the local surrogate to find its optimum and evaluates it. The evolutionary search using the global model management strategy switches to the local search once no further improvement can be observed, and vice versa. This iterative search process continues until the computational budget is exhausted. Experimental results comparing the proposed algorithm with a few state-of-the-art SAEAs on both benchmark problems up to 30 decision variables as well as an airfoil design problem demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to achieve better or competitive solutions with a limited budget of hundreds of exact FEs.

Counterfactual reasoning in surrogate decision making -- another look.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Mats; Broström, Linus

2011-06-01

Incompetent patients need to have someone else make decisions on their behalf. According to the Substituted Judgment Standard the surrogate decision maker ought to make the decision that the patient would have made, had he or she been competent. Objections have been raised against this traditional construal of the standard on the grounds that it involves flawed counterfactual reasoning, and amendments have been suggested within the framework of possible worlds semantics. The paper shows that while this approach may circumvent the alleged problem, the way it has so far been elaborated reflects insufficient understanding of the moral underpinnings of the idea of substituted judgment. Proper recognition of these moral underpinnings has potentially far-reaching implications for our normative assumptions about accuracy and objectivity in surrogate decision making.

Combustion Kinetic Studies of Gasolines and Surrogates

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour

2016-01-01

. These measurements were performed in shock tubes and rapid compression machines over a wide range of experimental conditions (650 – 1250 K, 10 – 40 bar) relevant to internal combustion engines. Using the measured the data and chemical kinetic analyses, the surrogate

Numerical Simulations of Hollow-Cone Injection and Gasoline Compression Ignition Combustion With Naphtha Fuels

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad A.

2016-01-29

tested and compared with the experimental data. An optimum combination has been identified and applied in the combusting GCI simulations. Linear instability sheet atomization (LISA) breakup model and modified Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor (KH-RT) break models proved to work the best for the investigated injector. Comparisons between various existing spray models and a parametric study have been carried out to study the effects of various spray parameters. The fuel effects have been tested by using three different primary reference fuel (PRF) and toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF) surrogates. The effects of fuel temperature and chemical kinetic mechanisms have also been studied. The heating and evaporative characteristics of the low octane gasoline fuel and its PRF and TPRF surrogates were examined. Copyright © 2016 by ASME.

Decision conflict and regret among surrogate decision makers in the medical intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Jesse J; Morris, Peter; Files, D Clark; Gower, Emily; Young, Michael

2016-04-01

Family members of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit face significant morbidity. It may be the decision-making process that plays a significant role in the psychological morbidity associated with being a surrogate in the ICU. We hypothesize that family members facing end-of-life decisions will have more decisional conflict and decisional regret than those facing non-end-of-life decisions. We enrolled a sample of adult patients and their surrogates in a tertiary care, academic medical intensive care unit. We queried the surrogates regarding decisions they had made on behalf of the patient and assessed decision conflict. We then contacted the family member again to assess decision regret. Forty (95%) of 42 surrogates were able to identify at least 1 decision they had made on behalf of the patient. End-of-life decisions (defined as do not resuscitate [DNR]/do not intubate [DNI] or continuation of life support) accounted for 19 of 40 decisions (47.5%). Overall, the average Decision Conflict Scale (DCS) score was 21.9 of 100 (range 0-100, with 0 being little decisional conflict and 100 being great decisional conflict). The average DCS score for families facing end-of-life decisions was 25.5 compared with 18.7 for all other decisions. Those facing end-of-life decisions scored higher on the uncertainty subscale (subset of DCS questions that indicates level of certainty regarding decision) with a mean score of 43.4 compared with all other decisions with a mean score of 27.0. Overall, very few surrogates experienced decisional regret with an average DRS score of 13.4 of 100. Nearly all surrogates enrolled were faced with decision-making responsibilities on behalf of his or her critically ill family member. In our small pilot study, we found more decisional conflict in those surrogates facing end-of-life decisions, specifically on the subset of questions dealing with uncertainty. Surrogates report low levels of decisional regret. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier

Mitigating Errors in External Respiratory Surrogate-Based Models of Tumor Position

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, Kathleen T.; McAvoy, Thomas J.; George, Rohini; Dieterich, Sonja; D'Souza, Warren D.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the effect of tumor site, measurement precision, tumor–surrogate correlation, training data selection, model design, and interpatient and interfraction variations on the accuracy of external marker-based models of tumor position. Methods and Materials: Cyberknife Synchrony system log files comprising synchronously acquired positions of external markers and the tumor from 167 treatment fractions were analyzed. The accuracy of Synchrony, ordinary-least-squares regression, and partial-least-squares regression models for predicting the tumor position from the external markers was evaluated. The quantity and timing of the data used to build the predictive model were varied. The effects of tumor–surrogate correlation and the precision in both the tumor and the external surrogate position measurements were explored by adding noise to the data. Results: The tumor position prediction errors increased during the duration of a fraction. Increasing the training data quantities did not always lead to more accurate models. Adding uncorrelated noise to the external marker-based inputs degraded the tumor–surrogate correlation models by 16% for partial-least-squares and 57% for ordinary-least-squares. External marker and tumor position measurement errors led to tumor position prediction changes 0.3–3.6 times the magnitude of the measurement errors, varying widely with model algorithm. The tumor position prediction errors were significantly associated with the patient index but not with the fraction index or tumor site. Partial-least-squares was as accurate as Synchrony and more accurate than ordinary-least-squares. Conclusions: The accuracy of surrogate-based inferential models of tumor position was affected by all the investigated factors, except for the tumor site and fraction index.

Mitigating Errors in External Respiratory Surrogate-Based Models of Tumor Position

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malinowski, Kathleen T. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); McAvoy, Thomas J. [Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Institute of Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); George, Rohini [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); Dieterich, Sonja [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA (United States); D' Souza, Warren D., E-mail: wdsou001@umaryland.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

2012-04-01

Purpose: To investigate the effect of tumor site, measurement precision, tumor-surrogate correlation, training data selection, model design, and interpatient and interfraction variations on the accuracy of external marker-based models of tumor position. Methods and Materials: Cyberknife Synchrony system log files comprising synchronously acquired positions of external markers and the tumor from 167 treatment fractions were analyzed. The accuracy of Synchrony, ordinary-least-squares regression, and partial-least-squares regression models for predicting the tumor position from the external markers was evaluated. The quantity and timing of the data used to build the predictive model were varied. The effects of tumor-surrogate correlation and the precision in both the tumor and the external surrogate position measurements were explored by adding noise to the data. Results: The tumor position prediction errors increased during the duration of a fraction. Increasing the training data quantities did not always lead to more accurate models. Adding uncorrelated noise to the external marker-based inputs degraded the tumor-surrogate correlation models by 16% for partial-least-squares and 57% for ordinary-least-squares. External marker and tumor position measurement errors led to tumor position prediction changes 0.3-3.6 times the magnitude of the measurement errors, varying widely with model algorithm. The tumor position prediction errors were significantly associated with the patient index but not with the fraction index or tumor site. Partial-least-squares was as accurate as Synchrony and more accurate than ordinary-least-squares. Conclusions: The accuracy of surrogate-based inferential models of tumor position was affected by all the investigated factors, except for the tumor site and fraction index.

Comparison of respiratory surrogates for gated lung radiotherapy without internal fiducials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korreman, S.; Mostafavi, H.; Le, Q.T.; Boyer, A.

2006-01-01

An investigation was carried out to compare the ability of two respiratory surrogates to mimic actual lung tumor motion during audio coaching. The investigation employed video clips acquired after patients had had fiducial markers implanted in lung tumors to be used for image-guided stereoscopic radiotherapy. The positions of the markers in the clips were measured within the video frames and used as the standard for tumor volume motion. An external marker was tracked optically during the fluoroscopic acquisitions. An image correlation technique was developed to compute a gating signal from the fluoroscopic images. The correlation gating trace was similar to the optical gating trace in the phase regions of the respiratory cycle used for gating. A cross correlation analysis and comparison of the external optical marker gating with internal fluoroscopic gating was performed. The fluoroscopic image correlation surrogate was found to be superior to the external optical surrogate in the AP-views in four out of six cases. In one of the remaining two cases, the two surrogates performed comparably, while in the last case, the external fiducial trace performed best. It was concluded that fluoroscopic gating based on correlation of native image features in the fluoroscopic images will be adequate for respiratory gating

Comparison of respiratory surrogates for gated lung radiotherapy without internal fiducials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korreman, S. [Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen (Denmark). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Mostafavi, H. [Varian Medical Systems, Mountain View, CA (United States). Gintzon Technology Center; Le, Q.T.; Boyer, A. [Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, CA (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology

2006-09-15

An investigation was carried out to compare the ability of two respiratory surrogates to mimic actual lung tumor motion during audio coaching. The investigation employed video clips acquired after patients had had fiducial markers implanted in lung tumors to be used for image-guided stereoscopic radiotherapy. The positions of the markers in the clips were measured within the video frames and used as the standard for tumor volume motion. An external marker was tracked optically during the fluoroscopic acquisitions. An image correlation technique was developed to compute a gating signal from the fluoroscopic images. The correlation gating trace was similar to the optical gating trace in the phase regions of the respiratory cycle used for gating. A cross correlation analysis and comparison of the external optical marker gating with internal fluoroscopic gating was performed. The fluoroscopic image correlation surrogate was found to be superior to the external optical surrogate in the AP-views in four out of six cases. In one of the remaining two cases, the two surrogates performed comparably, while in the last case, the external fiducial trace performed best. It was concluded that fluoroscopic gating based on correlation of native image features in the fluoroscopic images will be adequate for respiratory gating.

Biomedically assisted reproduction and child birth: Surrogate motherhood in comparative European law and Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kovaček-Stanić Gordana

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Surrogate motherhood is an arrangement in which a woman agrees to carry and deliver a child for another couple who ordered the pregnancy. This procedure is applied today in Great Britain, Holland (although without legal regulations, Israel, Greece, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, the USA and Australia, and it is forbidden in France, Austria, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Slovenia. There are two types of surrogacy, one when the woman gives birth to a child who is genetically her own ("partial", genetic surrogacy, and the other where the surrogate mother only carries and gives birth to a child, whereby the child is genetically from the couple that wanted the child, or the fertilized egg is from a third woman (donor, or the embryo was donated ("full", "total", gestational surrogacy. In these cases two women take part in conception and birth of the child while in the last case there is a third woman who will raise the child. Biologically observed, the woman whose egg has been fertilized may be called the genetic mother, while the woman who carried the pregnancy and gave birth to the child - the gestational carrier. Taking into consideration that the Preliminary Draft of the Serbian Civil Law anticipates the introduction of surrogate motherhood into domestic law, we believe restrictive solutions should first be taken into consideration. This would mean that only full surrogating should be allowed, namely the egg should be from the woman who wants the child and not the surrogate mother. In domestic conditions, genetic surrogation should not be allowed as it leads to confusion in family relations, and kinships still have an important social and legal significance in our country. The surrogate mother should be a woman who has already given birth, because in that way any possible shocks which might arise after birth when the woman who has to handover the child to the intended couple would be avoided. The next condition would be that persons involved in this

Neutron-induced cross sections of actinides via the surrogate-reaction method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ducasse Q.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The surrogate-reaction method is an indirect way of determining cross sections for reactions that proceed through a compound nucleus. This technique may enable neutron-induced cross sections to be extracted for short-lived nuclei that otherwise cannot be measured. However, the validity of the surrogate method has to be investigated. In particular, the absence of a compound nucleus formation and the Jπ dependence of the decay probabilities may question the method. In this work we study the reactions 238U(d,p239U, 238U(3He,t238Np, 238U(3He,4He237U as surrogates for neutron-induced reactions on 238U, 237Np and 236U, respectively, for which good quality data exist. The experimental set-up enabled the measurement of fission and gamma-decay probabilities. The first results are hereby presented.

The development of CVR coatings for PBR fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Barletta, R. E.; Vanier, P. E.; Dowell, M. B.; Lennartz, J. A.

Particle bed reactors (PBR's) are being developed for both space power and propulsion applications. These reactors operate with exhaust gas temperatures of 2500 to 3000 K and fuel temperatures hundreds of degrees higher. One fuel design for these reactors consists of uranium carbide encapsulated in either carbon or graphite. This fuel kernel must be protected from the coolant gas, usually H2, both to prevent attack of the kernel and to limit fission product release. Refractory carbide coatings have been proposed for this purpose. The typical coating process used for this is a chemical vapor deposition. Testing of other components have indicated the superiority of refractory carbide coatings applied using a chemical vapor reaction (CVR) process, however technology to apply these coatings to large numbers of fuel particles with diameters on the order of 500 pm were not readily available. A process to deposit these CVR coatings on surrogate fuel consisting of graphite particles is described. Several types of coatings have been applied to the graphite substrate: NbC in various thicknesses and a bilayer coating consisting of NbC and TaC with a intermediate layer of pyrolytic graphite. These coated particles have been characterized prior to test; results are presented.

The long-term experiences of surrogates: relationships and contact with surrogacy families in genetic and gestational surrogacy arrangements.

Science.gov (United States)

Imrie, Susan; Jadva, Vasanti

2014-10-01

This study examined the contact arrangements and relationships between surrogates and surrogacy families and whether these outcomes differed according to the type of surrogacy undertaken. Surrogates' motivations for carrying out multiple surrogacy arrangements were also examined, and surrogates' psychological health was assessed. Semi-structured interviews were administered to 34 women who had given birth to a child conceived through surrogacy approximately 7 years prior to interview. Some surrogates had carried out multiple surrogacy arrangements, and data were collected on the frequency, type of contact, and surrogate's feelings about the level of contact in each surrogacy arrangement, the surrogate's relationship with each child and parent, and her experience of, and motivation for, each surrogacy. Questionnaire measures of psychological health were administered. Surrogates had completed a total of 102 surrogacy arrangements and remained in contact with the majority of families, and reported positive relationships in most cases. Surrogates were happy with their level of contact in the majority of arrangements and most were viewed as positive experiences. Few differences were found according to surrogacy type. The primary motivation given for multiple surrogacy arrangements was to help couples have a sibling for an existing child. Most surrogates showed no psychological health problems at the time of data collection. Copyright © 2014 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of surrogate travel to lower training costs and reduce person-rems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scully, M.C.; Porter, N.J.; Scott, J.W.

1985-01-01

In the commercial nuclear power industry where access on site may be prohibited by regulations, procedures, or the potential of extremely high radiation levels, a surrogate travel system has potential for the reduction of both exposure and personnel training time. A prototype surrogate travel system using a microcomputer-assisted laser optical video disc has been developed by Southern California Edison and Combustion Engineering

A conceptual model of the role of communication in surrogate decision making for hospitalized adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Torke, Alexia M; Petronio, Sandra; Sachs, Greg A; Helft, Paul R; Purnell, Christianna

2012-04-01

To build a conceptual model of the role of communication in decision making, based on literature from medicine, communication studies and medical ethics. We proposed a model and described each construct in detail. We review what is known about interpersonal and patient-physician communication, described literature about surrogate-clinician communication, and discussed implications for our developing model. The communication literature proposes two major elements of interpersonal communication: information processing and relationship building. These elements are composed of constructs such as information disclosure and emotional support that are likely to be relevant to decision making. We propose these elements of communication impact decision making, which in turn affects outcomes for both patients and surrogates. Decision making quality may also mediate the relationship between communication and outcomes. Although many elements of the model have been studied in relation to patient-clinician communication, there is limited data about surrogate decision making. There is evidence of high surrogate distress associated with decision making that may be alleviated by communication-focused interventions. More research is needed to test the relationships proposed in the model. Good communication with surrogates may improve both the quality of medical decisions and outcomes for the patient and surrogate. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surrogate analysis and index developer (SAID) tool and real-time data dissemination utilities

Science.gov (United States)

Domanski, Marian M.; Straub, Timothy D.; Wood, Molly S.; Landers, Mark N.; Wall, Gary R.; Brady, Steven J.

2015-01-01

The use of acoustic and other parameters as surrogates for suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) in rivers has been successful in multiple applications across the Nation. Critical to advancing the operational use of surrogates are tools to process and evaluate the data along with the subsequent development of regression models from which real-time sediment concentrations can be made available to the public. Recent developments in both areas are having an immediate impact on surrogate research, and on surrogate monitoring sites currently in operation. The Surrogate Analysis and Index Developer (SAID) standalone tool, under development by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), assists in the creation of regression models that relate response and explanatory variables by providing visual and quantitative diagnostics to the user. SAID also processes acoustic parameters to be used as explanatory variables for suspended-sediment concentrations. The sediment acoustic method utilizes acoustic parameters from fixed-mount stationary equipment. The background theory and method used by the tool have been described in recent publications, and the tool also serves to support sediment-acoustic-index methods being drafted by the multi-agency Sediment Acoustic Leadership Team (SALT), and other surrogate guidelines like USGS Techniques and Methods 3-C4 for turbidity and SSC. The regression models in SAID can be used in utilities that have been developed to work with the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) and for the USGS National Real-Time Water Quality (NRTWQ) Web site. The real-time dissemination of predicted SSC and prediction intervals for each time step has substantial potential to improve understanding of sediment-related water-quality and associated engineering and ecological management decisions.

Mechanical properties of fuel debris for defueling toward decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshino, Takanori; Kitagaki, Toru; Yano, Kimihiko; Okamura, Nobuo; Koizumi, Kenji; Ohara, Hiroshi; Fukasawa, Tetsuo

2015-01-01

In the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F), safe and steady defueling work is required. Before defueling 1F, it is necessary to evaluate fuel debris for properties related to the defueling procedure and technology. While defueling after the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 (TMI-2) accident, a core boring system played an important role. Considering the working principle of core boring, hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness were found to be important fuel debris properties that had a profound effect on the performance of the boring machine. It is speculated that uranium and zirconium oxide solid solution ((U,Zr)O_2) is one of the major materials of fuel debris in 1F, according to the TMI-2 accident experience and the results of past severe accident studies. In addition, the Zr content of 1F fuel debris is expected to be higher than that of TMI-2 debris, because the 1F reactors were boiling-water reactor (BWR). In this report, the mechanical properties of (U,Zr)O_2 are evaluated in the ZrO_2 content range from 10% to 65%. The hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness were measured by Vickers test, ultrasonic pulse echo method, and indentation fracture method, respectively. In the ZrO_2 content range under 50%, the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of (U,Zr)O_2 increased, and the elastic modulus decreased slightly with ZrO_2 content. In the case of 55% and 65% ZrO_2, all of those measures increased slightly with ZrO_2 content. Summarizing those results, ZrO_2 content affects mechanical properties significantly in the case of low ZrO_2 content. Higher Zr content (exceeding 50%) has little effect on mechanical properties. In the future, nonradioactive surrogate debris will be necessary for small-scale functional and large-scale mockup tests of various defueling technologies. These results are useful to select the material for surrogate debris. (author)

Smelting Associated with the Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hur, J-M.; Jeong, M-S.; Lee, W-K.; Cho, S-H.; Seo, C-S.; Park, S-W.

2004-01-01

The smelting process associated with the advanced spent fuel conditioning process (ACP) of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute was studied by using surrogate materials. Considering the vaporization behaviors of input materials, the operation procedure of smelting was set up as (1) removal of residual salts, (2) melting of metal powder, and (3) removal of dross from a metal ingot. The behaviors of porous MgO crucible during smelting were tested and the chemical stability of MgO in the salt-being atmosphere was confirmed

An empirical assessment and comparison of species-based and habitat-based surrogates: a case study of forest vertebrates and large old trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindenmayer, David B; Barton, Philip S; Lane, Peter W; Westgate, Martin J; McBurney, Lachlan; Blair, David; Gibbons, Philip; Likens, Gene E

2014-01-01

A holy grail of conservation is to find simple but reliable measures of environmental change to guide management. For example, particular species or particular habitat attributes are often used as proxies for the abundance or diversity of a subset of other taxa. However, the efficacy of such kinds of species-based surrogates and habitat-based surrogates is rarely assessed, nor are different kinds of surrogates compared in terms of their relative effectiveness. We use 30-year datasets on arboreal marsupials and vegetation structure to quantify the effectiveness of: (1) the abundance of a particular species of arboreal marsupial as a species-based surrogate for other arboreal marsupial taxa, (2) hollow-bearing tree abundance as a habitat-based surrogate for arboreal marsupial abundance, and (3) a combination of species- and habitat-based surrogates. We also quantify the robustness of species-based and habitat-based surrogates over time. We then use the same approach to model overall species richness of arboreal marsupials. We show that a species-based surrogate can appear to be a valid surrogate until a habitat-based surrogate is co-examined, after which the effectiveness of the former is lost. The addition of a species-based surrogate to a habitat-based surrogate made little difference in explaining arboreal marsupial abundance, but altered the co-occurrence relationship between species. Hence, there was limited value in simultaneously using a combination of kinds of surrogates. The habitat-based surrogate also generally performed significantly better and was easier and less costly to gather than the species-based surrogate. We found that over 30 years of study, the relationships which underpinned the habitat-based surrogate generally remained positive but variable over time. Our work highlights why it is important to compare the effectiveness of different broad classes of surrogates and identify situations when either species- or habitat-based surrogates are likely

Surrogacy families 10 years on: relationship with the surrogate, decisions over disclosure and children's understanding of their surrogacy origins

Science.gov (United States)

Jadva, V.; Blake, L.; Casey, P.; Golombok, S.

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND This study aimed to prospectively examine families created using surrogacy over a 10-year period in the UK with respect to intending parents' and children's relationship with the surrogate mother, parents' decisions over disclosure and children's understanding of the nature of their conception. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were administered by trained researchers to intending mothers, intending fathers and children on four occasions over a 10-year period. Forty-two families (19 with a genetic surrogate mother) participated when the child was 1-year old and by age 10 years, 33 families remained in the study. Data were collected on the frequency of contact with the surrogate mother, relationship with the surrogate, disclosure of surrogacy to the child and the child's understanding of their surrogacy birth. RESULTS Frequency of contact between surrogacy families and their surrogate mother decreased over time, particularly for families whose surrogate was a previously unknown genetic carrier (P surrogate mother's egg was used to conceive the child). Most families reported harmonious relationships with their surrogate mother. At age 10 years, 19 (90%) children who had been informed of the nature of their conception had a good understanding of this and 13 of the 14 children who were in contact with their surrogate reported that they liked her. CONCLUSIONS Surrogacy families maintained good relationships with the surrogate mother over time. Children felt positive about their surrogate mother and their surrogacy birth. The sample size of this study was small and further, larger investigations are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. PMID:22814484

Surrogate mobility and orientation affect the early neurobehavioral development of infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Science.gov (United States)

Dettmer, Amanda M; Ruggiero, Angela M; Novak, Melinda A; Meyer, Jerrold S; Suomi, Stephen J

2008-05-01

A biological mother's movement appears necessary for optimal development in infant monkeys. However, nursery-reared monkeys are typically provided with inanimate surrogate mothers that move very little. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a novel, highly mobile surrogate mother on motor development, exploration, and reactions to novelty. Six infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were reared on mobile hanging surrogates (MS) and compared to six infants reared on standard stationary rocking surrogates (RS) and to 9-15 infants reared with their biological mothers (MR) for early developmental outcome. We predicted that MS infants would develop more similarly to MR infants than RS infants. In neonatal assessments conducted at Day 30, both MS and MR infants showed more highly developed motor activity than RS infants on measures of grasping (p = .009), coordination (p = .038), spontaneous crawl (p = .009), and balance (p = .003). At 2-3 months of age, both MS and MR infants displayed higher levels of exploration in the home cage than RS infants (p = .016). In a novel situation in which only MS and RS infants were tested, MS infants spent less time near their surrogates in the first five minutes of the test session than RS infants (p = .05), indicating a higher level of comfort. Collectively, these results suggest that when nursery-rearing of infant monkeys is necessary, a mobile hanging surrogate may encourage more normative development of gross motor skills and exploratory behavior and may serve as a useful alternative to stationary or rocking surrogates.

Robust best linear estimation for regression analysis using surrogate and instrumental variables.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, C Y

2012-04-01

We investigate methods for regression analysis when covariates are measured with errors. In a subset of the whole cohort, a surrogate variable is available for the true unobserved exposure variable. The surrogate variable satisfies the classical measurement error model, but it may not have repeated measurements. In addition to the surrogate variables that are available among the subjects in the calibration sample, we assume that there is an instrumental variable (IV) that is available for all study subjects. An IV is correlated with the unobserved true exposure variable and hence can be useful in the estimation of the regression coefficients. We propose a robust best linear estimator that uses all the available data, which is the most efficient among a class of consistent estimators. The proposed estimator is shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal under very weak distributional assumptions. For Poisson or linear regression, the proposed estimator is consistent even if the measurement error from the surrogate or IV is heteroscedastic. Finite-sample performance of the proposed estimator is examined and compared with other estimators via intensive simulation studies. The proposed method and other methods are applied to a bladder cancer case-control study.

Annual sediment flux estimates in a tidal strait using surrogate measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Ganju, N.K.; Schoellhamer, D.H.

2006-01-01

Annual suspended-sediment flux estimates through Carquinez Strait (the seaward boundary of Suisun Bay, California) are provided based on surrogate measurements for advective, dispersive, and Stokes drift flux. The surrogates are landward watershed discharge, suspended-sediment concentration at one location in the Strait, and the longitudinal salinity gradient. The first two surrogates substitute for tidally averaged discharge and velocity-weighted suspended-sediment concentration in the Strait, thereby providing advective flux estimates, while Stokes drift is estimated with suspended-sediment concentration alone. Dispersive flux is estimated using the product of longitudinal salinity gradient and the root-mean-square value of velocity-weighted suspended-sediment concentration as an added surrogate variable. Cross-sectional measurements validated the use of surrogates during the monitoring period. During high freshwater flow advective and dispersive flux were in the seaward direction, while landward dispersive flux dominated and advective flux approached zero during low freshwater flow. Stokes drift flux was consistently in the landward direction. Wetter than average years led to net export from Suisun Bay, while dry years led to net sediment import. Relatively low watershed sediment fluxes to Suisun Bay contribute to net export during the wet season, while gravitational circulation in Carquinez Strait and higher suspended-sediment concentrations in San Pablo Bay (seaward end of Carquinez Strait) are responsible for the net import of sediment during the dry season. Annual predictions of suspended-sediment fluxes, using these methods, will allow for a sediment budget for Suisun Bay, which has implications for marsh restoration and nutrient/contaminant transport. These methods also provide a general framework for estimating sediment fluxes in estuarine environments, where temporal and spatial variability of transport are large. ?? 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Surrogate Based Uni/Multi-Objective Optimization and Distribution Estimation Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, W.; Duan, Q.; Huo, X.

2017-12-01

Parameter calibration has been demonstrated as an effective way to improve the performance of dynamic models, such as hydrological models, land surface models, weather and climate models etc. Traditional optimization algorithms usually cost a huge number of model evaluations, making dynamic model calibration very difficult, or even computationally prohibitive. With the help of a serious of recently developed adaptive surrogate-modelling based optimization methods: uni-objective optimization method ASMO, multi-objective optimization method MO-ASMO, and probability distribution estimation method ASMO-PODE, the number of model evaluations can be significantly reduced to several hundreds, making it possible to calibrate very expensive dynamic models, such as regional high resolution land surface models, weather forecast models such as WRF, and intermediate complexity earth system models such as LOVECLIM. This presentation provides a brief introduction to the common framework of adaptive surrogate-based optimization algorithms of ASMO, MO-ASMO and ASMO-PODE, a case study of Common Land Model (CoLM) calibration in Heihe river basin in Northwest China, and an outlook of the potential applications of the surrogate-based optimization methods.

Meet the surrogate fish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Bob; Neitzel, Duane; Moxon, Suzanne

1999-01-01

This article gives details of the US Department of Energy's innovative research into the development of a sensor system that will work as a surrogate fish to provide information to aid the design of fish-friendly turbines for hydroelectric power plants. The selection of the dams for the testing of sensor fish, the release and recovery of the sensor fish, the recording of the physical forces exerted on fish as they pass through the turbines, and use of the information gathered to build more sensor fish are discussed. Fish investigations conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are briefly described. (UK)

Metal waste forms from treatment of EBR-II spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abraham, D. P.

1998-01-01

Demonstration of Argonne National Laboratory's electrometallurgical treatment of spent nuclear fuel is currently being conducted on irradiated, metallic driver fuel and blanket fuel elements from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) in Idaho. The residual metallic material from the electrometallurgical treatment process is consolidated into an ingot, the metal waste form (MWF), by employing an induction furnace in a hot cell. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical analyses have been performed on irradiated cladding hulls from the driver fuel, and on samples from the alloy ingots. This paper presents the microstructures of the radioactive ingots and compares them with observations on simulated waste forms prepared using non-irradiated material. These simulated waste forms have the baseline composition of stainless steel - 15 wt % zirconium (SS-15Zr). Additions of noble metal elements, which serve as surrogates for fission products, and actinides are made to that baseline composition. The partitioning of noble metal and actinide elements into alloy phases and the role of zirconium for incorporating these elements is discussed in this paper

Fabrication and Characterization of Surrogate Glasses Aimed to Validate Nuclear Forensic Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

the glass formed during a nuclear event, trinitite [14]. The SiO2 composition is generally greater than 50% for trinitite and can vary appreciably...CHARACTERIZATION OF SURROGATE GLASSES AIMED TO VALIDATE NUCLEAR FORENSIC TECHNIQUES by Ken G. Foos December 2017 Thesis Advisor: Claudia...December 2017 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SURROGATE GLASSES AIMED TO

Post-irradiation examinations of inert matrix nitride fuel irradiated in JMTR (01F-51A capsule)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwai, Takashi; Nakajima, Kunihisa; Kikuchi, Hironobu; Honda, Junichi; Hatakeyama, Yuichi; Ono, Katsuto; Matsui, Hiroki; Arai, Yasuo

2007-03-01

A plutonium nitride fuel pin containing inert matrix such as ZrN and TiN was encapsulated in 01F-51A and irradiated in JMTR. Minor actinides are surrogated by plutonium. Average linear powers and burnups were 408W/cm, 30000MWd/t(Zr+Pu) [132000MWd/t-Pu] for (Zr,Pu)N and 355W/cm, 38000MWd/t(Ti+Pu) [153000MWd/t-Pu] for (TiN,PuN). The irradiated capsule was transported to Reactor Fuel Examination Facility and subjected to non-destructive and destructive post irradiation examinations. Any failure was not observed in the irradiated fuel pin. Very low fission gas release rate of about 1.6% was measured. The inner surface of cladding tube did not show any signs of chemical interaction with fuel pellet. (author)

Revisiting photodynamic therapy dosimetry: reductionist and surrogate approaches to facilitate clinical success

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogue, Brian W; Elliott, Jonathan T; Kanick, Stephen C; Davis, Scott C; Samkoe, Kimberley S; Maytin, Edward V; Pereira, Stephen P; Hasan, Tayyaba

2016-01-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be a highly complex treatment, with many parameters influencing treatment efficacy. The extent to which dosimetry is used to monitor and standardize treatment delivery varies widely, ranging from measurement of a single surrogate marker to comprehensive approaches that aim to measure or estimate as many relevant parameters as possible. Today, most clinical PDT treatments are still administered with little more than application of a prescribed drug dose and timed light delivery, and thus the role of patient-specific dosimetry has not reached widespread clinical adoption. This disconnect is at least partly due to the inherent conflict between the need to measure and understand multiple parameters in vivo in order to optimize treatment, and the need for expedience in the clinic and in the regulatory and commercialization process. Thus, a methodical approach to selecting primary dosimetry metrics is required at each stage of translation of a treatment procedure, moving from complex measurements to understand PDT mechanisms in pre-clinical and early phase I trials, towards the identification and application of essential dose-limiting and/or surrogate measurements in phase II/III trials. If successful, identifying the essential and/or reliable surrogate dosimetry measurements should help facilitate increased adoption of clinical PDT. In this paper, examples of essential dosimetry points and surrogate dosimetry tools that may be implemented in phase II/III trials are discussed. For example, the treatment efficacy as limited by light penetration in interstitial PDT may be predicted by the amount of contrast uptake in CT, and so this could be utilized as a surrogate dosimetry measurement to prescribe light doses based upon pre-treatment contrast. Success of clinical ALA-based skin lesion treatment is predicted almost uniquely by the explicit or implicit measurements of photosensitizer and photobleaching, yet the individualization of treatment

A rapid situation assessment of the market for surrogate and illegal alcohols in Tallinn, Estonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pärna, Kersti; Lang, Katrin; Raju, Kadi; Väli, Marika; McKee, Martin

2007-01-01

To understand the phenomenon of consumption of surrogate and illegal alcohols in Tallinn, capital of Estonia. This study, conducted in Tallinn in May 2006, used rapid situation assessment. Interviews with key informants in relevant settings such as emergency departments of hospitals, accommodation for the homeless, police etc. (n = 22), with alcohol abusers (n = 33), natural observations of surrogate sale and consumption venues (n = 46), and tracking of trade data were carried out. Key informants confirmed that consumption of illegal and surrogate alcohols are widely used by alcohol abusers, a finding confirmed by the alcohol abusers. Availability of surrogates varied by area of the city, mainly sold from street kiosks. Illegally produced spirits were also easily available. Sales of surrogates appear to have increased in recent years. A range of alcohol-containing substances that appear to be easily available at low cost, and that have high concentration of ethanol or contaminants known to be toxic, were identified in Tallinn. Alcohol policies in Estonia should address the consumption and availability of these substances.

Numerical studies of a compact gasoline reformer for fuel cell vehicle applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McIntyre, C.S.; Harrison, S.J.; Oosthuizen, P.H.; Peppley, B.A.

2004-01-01

There has been recent interest in the development of compact fuel processors to produce hydrogen for fuel cell powered vehicles. Gasoline is a promising candidate for distributed or on-board processing because of its high energy density and well-developed infrastructure. A compact fuel processor is under development which utilizes autothermal reforming (ATR) to extract hydrogen from iso-octane, which is used as a surrogate for gasoline. The processor consists of a double-pass packed-bed catalytic reactor to promote partial oxidation, steam reforming, and water-gas-shift reactions. As part of this system development, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package was used to model flow and chemical reactions. Reformer performance is presented in terms of hydrogen content in the product stream, reformer efficiency (LHV efficiency) and iso-octane conversion. Results are compared to on-going experimental studies. (author)

Overview of Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints in Drug Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John A. Wagner

2002-01-01

Full Text Available There are numerous factors that recommend the use of biomarkers in drug development including the ability to provide a rational basis for selection of lead compounds, as an aid in determining or refining mechanism of action or pathophysiology, and the ability to work towards qualification and use of a biomarker as a surrogate endpoint. Examples of biomarkers come from many different means of clinical and laboratory measurement. Total cholesterol is an example of a clinically useful biomarker that was successfully qualified for use as a surrogate endpoint. Biomarkers require validation in most circumstances. Validation of biomarker assays is a necessary component to delivery of high-quality research data necessary for effective use of biomarkers. Qualification is necessary for use of a biomarker as a surrogate endpoint. Putative biomarkers are typically identified because of a relationship to known or hypothetical steps in a pathophysiologic cascade. Biomarker discovery can also be effected by expression profiling experiment using a variety of array technologies and related methods. For example, expression profiling experiments enabled the discovery of adipocyte related complement protein of 30 kD (Acrp30 or adiponectin as a biomarker for in vivo activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR γ activity.

Simultaneous tumor and surrogate motion tracking with dynamic MRI for radiation therapy planning

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Seyoun; Farah, Rana; Shea, Steven M.; Tryggestad, Erik; Hales, Russell; Lee, Junghoon

2018-01-01

Respiration-induced tumor motion is a major obstacle for achieving high-precision radiotherapy of cancers in the thoracic and abdominal regions. Surrogate-based estimation and tracking methods are commonly used in radiotherapy, but with limited understanding of quantified correlation to tumor motion. In this study, we propose a method to simultaneously track the lung tumor and external surrogates to evaluate their spatial correlation in a quantitative way using dynamic MRI, which allows real-time acquisition without ionizing radiation exposure. To capture the lung and whole tumor, four MRI-compatible fiducials are placed on the patient’s chest and upper abdomen. Two different types of acquisitions are performed in the sagittal orientation including multi-slice 2D cine MRIs to reconstruct 4D-MRI and two-slice 2D cine MRIs to simultaneously track the tumor and fiducials. A phase-binned 4D-MRI is first reconstructed from multi-slice MR images using body area as a respiratory surrogate and groupwise registration. The 4D-MRI provides 3D template volumes for different breathing phases. 3D tumor position is calculated by 3D-2D template matching in which 3D tumor templates in the 4D-MRI reconstruction and the 2D cine MRIs from the two-slice tracking dataset are registered. 3D trajectories of the external surrogates are derived via matching a 3D geometrical model of the fiducials to their segmentations on the 2D cine MRIs. We tested our method on ten lung cancer patients. Using a correlation analysis, the 3D tumor trajectory demonstrates a noticeable phase mismatch and significant cycle-to-cycle motion variation, while the external surrogate was not sensitive enough to capture such variations. Additionally, there was significant phase mismatch between surrogate signals obtained from the fiducials at different locations.

Surrogacy assessment using principal stratification when surrogate and outcome measures are multivariate normal.

Science.gov (United States)

Conlon, Anna S C; Taylor, Jeremy M G; Elliott, Michael R

2014-04-01

In clinical trials, a surrogate outcome variable (S) can be measured before the outcome of interest (T) and may provide early information regarding the treatment (Z) effect on T. Using the principal surrogacy framework introduced by Frangakis and Rubin (2002. Principal stratification in causal inference. Biometrics 58, 21-29), we consider an approach that has a causal interpretation and develop a Bayesian estimation strategy for surrogate validation when the joint distribution of potential surrogate and outcome measures is multivariate normal. From the joint conditional distribution of the potential outcomes of T, given the potential outcomes of S, we propose surrogacy validation measures from this model. As the model is not fully identifiable from the data, we propose some reasonable prior distributions and assumptions that can be placed on weakly identified parameters to aid in estimation. We explore the relationship between our surrogacy measures and the surrogacy measures proposed by Prentice (1989. Surrogate endpoints in clinical trials: definition and operational criteria. Statistics in Medicine 8, 431-440). The method is applied to data from a macular degeneration study and an ovarian cancer study.

Critical review of norovirus surrogates in food safety research: rationale for considering volunteer studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Gary P

2012-03-01

The inability to propagate human norovirus (NoV) or to clearly differentiate infectious from noninfectious virus particles has led to the use of surrogate viruses, like feline calicivirus (FCV) and murine norovirus-1 (MNV), which are propagatable in cell culture. The use of surrogates is predicated on the assumption that they generally mimic the viruses they represent; however, studies are proving this concept invalid. In direct comparisons between FCV and MNV, their susceptibility to temperatures, environmental and food processing conditions, and disinfectants are dramatically different. Differences have also been noted between the inactivation of NoV and its surrogates, thus questioning the validity of surrogates. Considerable research funding is provided globally each year to conduct surrogate studies on NoVs; however, there is little demonstrated benefit derived from these studies in regard to the development of virus inactivation techniques or food processing strategies. Human challenge studies are needed to determine which processing techniques are effective in reducing NoVs in foods. A major obstacle to clinical trials on NoVs is the perception that such trials are too costly and risky, but in reality, there is far more cost and risk in allowing millions of unsuspecting consumers to contract NoV illness each year, when practical interventions are only a few volunteer studies away. A number of clinical trials have been conducted, providing important insights into NoV inactivation. A shift in research priorities from surrogate research to volunteer studies is essential if we are to identify realistic, practical, and scientifically valid processing approaches to improve food safety.

Comparative study of surrogate models for groundwater contamination source identification at DNAPL-contaminated sites

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Zeyu; Lu, Wenxi

2018-05-01

Knowledge of groundwater contamination sources is critical for effectively protecting groundwater resources, estimating risks, mitigating disaster, and designing remediation strategies. Many methods for groundwater contamination source identification (GCSI) have been developed in recent years, including the simulation-optimization technique. This study proposes utilizing a support vector regression (SVR) model and a kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) model to enrich the content of the surrogate model. The surrogate model was itself key in replacing the simulation model, reducing the huge computational burden of iterations in the simulation-optimization technique to solve GCSI problems, especially in GCSI problems of aquifers contaminated by dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). A comparative study between the Kriging, SVR, and KELM models is reported. Additionally, there is analysis of the influence of parameter optimization and the structure of the training sample dataset on the approximation accuracy of the surrogate model. It was found that the KELM model was the most accurate surrogate model, and its performance was significantly improved after parameter optimization. The approximation accuracy of the surrogate model to the simulation model did not always improve with increasing numbers of training samples. Using the appropriate number of training samples was critical for improving the performance of the surrogate model and avoiding unnecessary computational workload. It was concluded that the KELM model developed in this work could reasonably predict system responses in given operation conditions. Replacing the simulation model with a KELM model considerably reduced the computational burden of the simulation-optimization process and also maintained high computation accuracy.

Surrogate consent to non-beneficial research: erring on the right side when substituted judgments may be inaccurate.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Mats; Broström, Linus

2016-04-01

Part of the standard protection of decisionally incapacitated research subjects is a prohibition against enrolling them unless surrogate decision makers authorize it. A common view is that surrogates primarily ought to make their decisions based on what the decisionally incapacitated subject would have wanted regarding research participation. However, empirical studies indicate that surrogate predictions about such preferences are not very accurate. The focus of this article is the significance of surrogate accuracy in the context of research that is not expected to benefit the research subject. We identify three morally relevant asymmetries between being enrolled and not being enrolled in such non-beneficial research, and conclude that when there is a non-negligible probability that surrogates' predictions are wrong, it will generally be better to err on the side of not authorizing enrollment.

The ethics of commercial surrogate mothering: a response to Casey Humbyrd.

Science.gov (United States)

Omonzejele, Peter F

2011-01-01

This article critically examines the argument advanced by Casey Humbyrd in support of international commercial surrogate mothering. It finds her arguments unconvincing especially at the point of implementation. This is because the author was unable to demonstrate how regulation and her notion offair compensation would not lead to undue inducement and exploitation in resource-poor settings where urgent needs often exist. In fact, the argument advanced in this article is that commercial surrogate mothering cannot but be exploitative in so far as urgent and compelling needs exist. To logically drive home this point, the elements of exploitation were discussed in order to show that regulation and fair compensation cannot prevent exploitative transaction in commercial surrogate mothering arrangements. This may happen in the same way as regulation and compensation framework have not been successful in preventing the allegations of exploitation in the research context especially where studies are conducted in resource-poor countries.

Surrogacy families 10 years on: relationship with the surrogate, decisions over disclosure and children's understanding of their surrogacy origins.

Science.gov (United States)

Jadva, V; Blake, L; Casey, P; Golombok, S

2012-10-01

This study aimed to prospectively examine families created using surrogacy over a 10-year period in the UK with respect to intending parents' and children's relationship with the surrogate mother, parents' decisions over disclosure and children's understanding of the nature of their conception. Semi-structured interviews were administered by trained researchers to intending mothers, intending fathers and children on four occasions over a 10-year period. Forty-two families (19 with a genetic surrogate mother) participated when the child was 1-year old and by age 10 years, 33 families remained in the study. Data were collected on the frequency of contact with the surrogate mother, relationship with the surrogate, disclosure of surrogacy to the child and the child's understanding of their surrogacy birth. Frequency of contact between surrogacy families and their surrogate mother decreased over time, particularly for families whose surrogate was a previously unknown genetic carrier (P Surrogacy families maintained good relationships with the surrogate mother over time. Children felt positive about their surrogate mother and their surrogacy birth. The sample size of this study was small and further, larger investigations are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Someone to Lean on: Assessment and Implications of Social Surrogate Use in Childhood

Science.gov (United States)

Arbeau, Kimberley A.; Coplan, Robert J.; Matheson, Adrienne

2012-01-01

A social surrogate is a person who helps a shy individual deal with the stresses of a social situation. Previous research has only investigated social surrogate use in adults. The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate a new self-report measure of social surrogacy in middle childhood and to explore the implications of this…

Gay father surrogacy families: relationships with surrogates and egg donors and parental disclosure of children's origins.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Lucy; Carone, Nicola; Slutsky, Jenna; Raffanello, Elizabeth; Ehrhardt, Anke A; Golombok, Susan

2016-11-01

To study the nature and quality of relationships between gay father families and their surrogates and egg donors and parental disclosure of children's origins. Cross-sectional study. Family homes. Parents in 40 gay father families with 3-9-year-old children born through surrogacy. Administration of a semistructured interview. Relationships between parents, children, surrogates, and egg donors and parental disclosure of children's origins were examined using a semistructured interview. The majority of fathers were content with the level of contact they had with the surrogate, with those who were discontent wanting more contact. Fathers were more likely to maintain relationships with surrogates than egg donors, and almost all families had started the process of talking to their children about their origins, with the level of detail and children's understanding increasing with the age of the child. In gay father surrogacy families with young children, relationships between parents, children, surrogates, and egg donors are generally positive. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Advances in estimation technology of thermal conductivity of irradiated fuels (1). Application of a thermal microscope to measure the thermal conductivity of the second phases in irradiated pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uno, Masayoshi; Murakami, Yukihiro

2011-01-01

CeO 2 sample as a surrogate for fuel and BaCeO 3 and BaMoO 4 samples as surrogates for the second phases, which have a lower thermal conductivity than the fuel matrix, were made. The thermal conductivity of these samples was measured by a thermal microscope. In this method, the thermal conductivity of a small region (e.g. 20 μm x 20 μm) of the sample can be measured. The valid thermal conductivity values for all the samples were obtained and the conditions of sample surface preparation and the thermal microscope measurement were found out. The thermal conductivity of a CeO 2 composite pellet which had the BaCeO 3 or BaMoO 4 second phase layer was also estimated. (author)

Performance of surrogate high-level waste glass in the presence of iron corrosion products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, V.; Pan, Y.M.

2004-01-01

Radionuclide release from a waste package (WP) is a series of processes that depend upon the composition and flux of groundwater contacting the waste-forms (WF); the corrosion rate of WP containers and internal components made of Alloy 22, 316L SS, 304L SS and carbon steel; the dissolution rate of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) glass and spent nuclear fuel (SNF); the solubility of radionuclides; and the retention of radionuclides in secondary mineral phases. In this study, forward reaction rate measurements were made on a surrogate HLW glass in the presence of FeCl 3 species. Results indicate that the forward reaction rate increases with an increase in the FeCl 3 concentration. The addition of FeCl 3 causes the drop in the pH due to hydrolysis of Fe 3+ ions in the solution. Results based on the radionuclide concentrations and dissolution rates for HLW glass and SNF indicate that the contribution from glass is similar to SNF at 75 deg C. (authors)

Process optimization of a non-circular drawing sequence based on multi-surrogate assisted meta-heuristic algorithms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pholdee, Nantiwat; Bureerat, Su Jin [Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen (Thailand); Baek, Hyun Moo [DTaQ, Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Im, Yong Taek [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-08-15

Process optimization of a Non-circular drawing (NCD) sequence of a pearlitic steel wire was performed to improve the mechanical properties of a drawn wire based on surrogate assisted meta-heuristic algorithms. The objective function was introduced to minimize inhomogeneity of effective strain distribution at the cross-section of the drawn wire, which could deteriorate delamination characteristics of the drawn wires. The design variables introduced were die geometry and reduction of area of the NCD sequence. Several surrogate models and their combinations with the weighted sum technique were utilized. In the process optimization of the NCD sequence, the surrogate models were used to predict effective strain distributions at the cross-section of the drawn wire. Optimization using Differential evolution (DE) algorithm was performed, while the objective function was calculated from the predicted effective strains. The accuracy of all surrogate models was investigated, while optimum results were compared with the previous study available in the literature. It was found that hybrid surrogate models can improve prediction accuracy compared to a single surrogate model. The best result was obtained from the combination of Kriging (KG) and Support vector regression (SVR) models, while the second best was obtained from the combination of four surrogate models: Polynomial response surface (PRS), Radial basic function (RBF), KG, and SVR. The optimum results found in this study showed better effective strain homogeneity at the cross-section of the drawn wire with the same total reduction of area of the previous work available in the literature for fewer number of passes. The multi-surrogate models with the weighted sum technique were found to be powerful in improving the delamination characteristics of the drawn wire and reducing the production cost.

Videotrees: Improving video surrogate presentation using hierarchy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, Michel; Heeren, W.F.L.; van Dijk, Elisabeth M.A.G.

As the amount of available video content increases, so does the need for better ways of browsing all this material. Because the nature of video makes it hard to process, the need arises for adequate surrogates for video that can readily be skimmed and browsed. In this paper, the effects of the use

Analysis of uncertainty propagation in nuclear fuel cycle scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krivtchik, Guillaume

2014-01-01

Nuclear scenario studies model nuclear fleet over a given period. They enable the comparison of different options for the reactor fleet evolution, and the management of the future fuel cycle materials, from mining to disposal, based on criteria such as installed capacity per reactor technology, mass inventories and flows, in the fuel cycle and in the waste. Uncertainties associated with nuclear data and scenario parameters (fuel, reactors and facilities characteristics) propagate along the isotopic chains in depletion calculations, and through out the scenario history, which reduces the precision of the results. The aim of this work is to develop, implement and use a stochastic uncertainty propagation methodology adapted to scenario studies. The method chosen is based on development of depletion computation surrogate models, which reduce the scenario studies computation time, and whose parameters include perturbations of the depletion model; and fabrication of equivalence model which take into account cross-sections perturbations for computation of fresh fuel enrichment. Then the uncertainty propagation methodology is applied to different scenarios of interest, considering different options of evolution for the French PWR fleet with SFR deployment. (author) [fr

Black-footed ferrets and Siberian polecats as ecological surrogates and ecological equivalents

Science.gov (United States)

Biggins, D.E.; Hanebury, L.R.; Miller, B.J.; Powell, R.A.

2011-01-01

Ecologically equivalent species serve similar functions in different communities, and an ecological surrogate species can be used as a substitute for an equivalent species in a community. Siberian polecats (Mustela eversmanii) and black-footed ferrets (M. nigripes) have long been considered ecological equivalents. Polecats also have been used as investigational surrogates for black-footed ferrets, yet the similarities and differences between the 2 species are poorly understood. We contrasted activity patterns of radiotagged polecats and ferrets released onto ferret habitat. Ferrets tended to be nocturnal and most active after midnight. Polecats were not highly selective for any period of the day or night. Ferrets and polecats moved most during brightly moonlit nights. The diel activity pattern of ferrets was consistent with avoidance of coyotes (Canis latrans) and diurnal birds of prey. Similarly, polecat activity was consistent with avoidance of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in their natural range. Intraguild predation (including interference competition) is inferred as a selective force influencing behaviors of these mustelines. Examination of our data suggests that black-footed ferrets and Siberian polecats might be ecological equivalents but are not perfect surrogates. Nonetheless, polecats as surrogates for black-footed ferrets have provided critical insight needed, especially related to predation, to improve the success of ferret reintroductions. ?? 2011 American Society of Mammalogists.

Ovulation Statuses of Surrogate Gilts Are Associated with the Efficiency of Excellent Pig Cloning.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanjun Huan

Full Text Available Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT is an assisted reproductive technique that can produce multiple copies of excellent livestock. However, low cloning efficiency limits the application of SCNT. In this study, we systematically investigated the major influencing factors related to the overall cloning efficiency in pigs. Here, 13620 cloned embryos derived from excellent pigs were transferred into 79 surrogate gilts, and 119 live cloned piglets were eventually generated. During cloning, group of cloned embryos derived from excellent Landrace or Large white pigs presented no significant differences of cleavage and blastocyst rates, blastocyst cell numbers, surrogate pregnancy and delivery rates, average numbers of piglets born and alive and cloning efficiencies, and group of 101-150, 151-200 or 201-250 cloned embryos transferred per surrogate also displayed a similar developmental efficiency. When estrus stage of surrogate gilts was compared, group of embryo transfer on Day 2 of estrus showed significantly higher pregnancy rate, delivery rate, average number of piglets born, average alive piglet number or cloning efficiency than group on Day 1, Day 3, Day 4 or Day 5, respectively (P<0.05. And, in comparison with the preovulation and postovulation groups, group of surrogate gilts during periovulation displayed a significantly higher overall cloning efficiency (P<0.05. Further investigation of surrogate estrus stage and ovulation status displayed that ovulation status was the real factor underlying estrus stage to determine the overall cloning efficiency. And more, follicle puncture for preovulation, not transfer position shallowed for preovulation or deepened for postovulation, significantly improved the average number of piglets alive and cloning efficiency (P<0.05. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that ovulation status of surrogate gilts was the fundamental factor determining the overall cloning efficiency of excellent pigs, and follicle

A computational methodology for formulating gasoline surrogate fuels with accurate physical and chemical kinetic properties

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Ahfaz; Goteng, Gokop; Shankar, Vijai; Al-Qurashi, Khalid; Roberts, William L.; Sarathy, Mani

2015-01-01

simpler molecular composition that represent real fuel behavior in one or more aspects are needed to enable repeatable experimental and computational combustion investigations. This study presents a novel computational methodology for formulating

Surrogate model approach for improving the performance of reactive transport simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Jatnieks, Janis; De Lucia, Marco; Sips, Mike; Dransch, Doris

2016-04-01

Reactive transport models can serve a large number of important geoscientific applications involving underground resources in industry and scientific research. It is common for simulation of reactive transport to consist of at least two coupled simulation models. First is a hydrodynamics simulator that is responsible for simulating the flow of groundwaters and transport of solutes. Hydrodynamics simulators are well established technology and can be very efficient. When hydrodynamics simulations are performed without coupled geochemistry, their spatial geometries can span millions of elements even when running on desktop workstations. Second is a geochemical simulation model that is coupled to the hydrodynamics simulator. Geochemical simulation models are much more computationally costly. This is a problem that makes reactive transport simulations spanning millions of spatial elements very difficult to achieve. To address this problem we propose to replace the coupled geochemical simulation model with a surrogate model. A surrogate is a statistical model created to include only the necessary subset of simulator complexity for a particular scenario. To demonstrate the viability of such an approach we tested it on a popular reactive transport benchmark problem that involves 1D Calcite transport. This is a published benchmark problem (Kolditz, 2012) for simulation models and for this reason we use it to test the surrogate model approach. To do this we tried a number of statistical models available through the caret and DiceEval packages for R, to be used as surrogate models. These were trained on randomly sampled subset of the input-output data from the geochemical simulation model used in the original reactive transport simulation. For validation we use the surrogate model to predict the simulator output using the part of sampled input data that was not used for training the statistical model. For this scenario we find that the multivariate adaptive regression splines

Failed surrogate conceptions: social and ethical aspects of preconception disruptions during commercial surrogacy in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Sayani; Schicktanz, Silke

2016-09-19

During a commercial surrogacy arrangement, the event of embryo transfer can be seen as the formal starting point of the arrangement. However, it is common for surrogates to undergo a failed attempt at pregnancy conception or missed conception after an embryo transfer. This paper attempts to argue that such failed attempts can be understood as a loss. It aims to reconstruct the experiences of loss and grief of the surrogates and the intended parents as a consequence of their collective failure to conceive a surrogate pregnancy. Drawing on a qualitative study conducted over a period of eight months between 2014 and 2015 at two fertility clinics in Delhi and two in Kolkata, India, this paper examines the experiences of the surrogates and the intended parents when faced with missed conceptions or failed conceptions during a surrogacy arrangement. We argue that while the surrogate grieves the non-arrival of a 'good news' as an uncertain loss, the intended parents experience yet another, failure in addition to the losses they might have incurred during their previous fertility treatments. The body of the surrogate becomes a site of 'a lost opportunity'. The surrogate embodies a loss in her quest to achieve social mobility and the intended parents experience a disembodied pregnancy loss. This very emotional experience stands in stark contrast to the conceptualisation of such failed attempts as non-events within the discourse of the surrogacy industry. The experience of loss of the intended parents is recognised but their grief is given no space. We argue that such ambiguity around the nature of losses resulting out of a missed or failed conception during surrogacy is an outcome of lack of interpersonal relationship between the surrogate and the intended parents. Since commercial surrogacy is a relational process, the only way in which the experiences of losses and failures of the actors at the preconception stage can be better addressed is through developing close

Surrogate-based optimization of hydraulic fracturing in pre-existing fracture networks

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mingjie; Sun, Yunwei; Fu, Pengcheng; Carrigan, Charles R.; Lu, Zhiming; Tong, Charles H.; Buscheck, Thomas A.

2013-08-01

Hydraulic fracturing has been used widely to stimulate production of oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy in formations with low natural permeability. Numerical optimization of fracture stimulation often requires a large number of evaluations of objective functions and constraints from forward hydraulic fracturing models, which are computationally expensive and even prohibitive in some situations. Moreover, there are a variety of uncertainties associated with the pre-existing fracture distributions and rock mechanical properties, which affect the optimized decisions for hydraulic fracturing. In this study, a surrogate-based approach is developed for efficient optimization of hydraulic fracturing well design in the presence of natural-system uncertainties. The fractal dimension is derived from the simulated fracturing network as the objective for maximizing energy recovery sweep efficiency. The surrogate model, which is constructed using training data from high-fidelity fracturing models for mapping the relationship between uncertain input parameters and the fractal dimension, provides fast approximation of the objective functions and constraints. A suite of surrogate models constructed using different fitting methods is evaluated and validated for fast predictions. Global sensitivity analysis is conducted to gain insights into the impact of the input variables on the output of interest, and further used for parameter screening. The high efficiency of the surrogate-based approach is demonstrated for three optimization scenarios with different and uncertain ambient conditions. Our results suggest the critical importance of considering uncertain pre-existing fracture networks in optimization studies of hydraulic fracturing.

Incorporating surrogate species and seascape connectivity to improve marine conservation outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Olds, Andrew D; Connolly, Rod M; Pitt, Kylie A; Maxwell, Paul S; Aswani, Shankar; Albert, Simon

2014-08-01

Conservation focuses on maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but gaps in our knowledge of species biology and ecological processes often impede progress. For this reason, focal species and habitats are used as surrogates for multispecies conservation, but species-based approaches are not widely adopted in marine ecosystems. Reserves in the Solomon Islands were designed on the basis of local ecological knowledge to conserve bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) and to protect food security and ecosystem functioning. Bumphead parrotfish are an iconic threatened species and may be a useful surrogate for multispecies conservation. They move across tropical seascapes throughout their life history, in a pattern of habitat use that is shared with many other species. We examined their value as a conservation surrogate and assessed the importance of seascape connectivity (i.e., the physical connectedness of patches in the seascape) among reefs, mangroves, and seagrass to marine reserve performance. Reserves were designed for bumphead parrotfish, but also enhanced the abundance of other species. Integration of local ecological knowledge and seascape connectivity enhanced the abundance of 17 other harvested fish species in local reserves. This result has important implications for ecosystem functioning and local villagers because many of these species perform important ecological processes and provide the foundation for extensive subsistence fisheries. Our findings suggest greater success in maintaining and restoring marine ecosystems may be achieved when they are managed to conserve surrogate species and preserve functional seascape connections. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Numerical Investigation of Crossflow Instability on the HIFiRE-5

Science.gov (United States)

Lakebrink, Matthew T.

Stability analysis was performed with the Langley Stability and Transition Analysis Code (LASTRAC) on a 38.1% scale model of the HIFiRE-5 elliptic-cone forebody to study crossflow-induced transition in hypersonic boundary layers. A resolution study consisting of three grids (30e6, 45e6, and 91e6 points) indicated that the fine grid was sufficiently resolved. Results were largely insensitive to grid resolution over the acreage and near the attachment line. The percent variation in second-mode properties along the semi-minor axis was less than 1% between the medium and fine grids. The variation in crossflow-wave properties was less than 0.04% between the medium and fine grids. Comparisons were made between crossflow-wave properties computed using quasi-parallel Linear Stability Theory (LST), the Linear Parabolized Stability Equations (LPSE), and surface marching or two-plane LPSE (2pLPSE). Sensitivity to marching path was also explored by performing analysis along Group-Velocity Lines (GVL) and Inviscid Streamlines (ISL). The wave properties were largely insensitive to analysis type and marching path, with the greatest variation near the attachment line. The LPSE-growth rates were as much as 20% greater than LST. Results from LPSE and 2pLPSE were similar except near the attachment line, where 2pLPSE growth rates were about 30% greater. Growth rates for crossflow and second-mode waves computed with 2pLPSE were compared to Spatial BiGlobal (SBG) analysis. Crossflow growth rates agreed well between 2pLPSE and SBG, indicating that the more expensive SBG approach is unnecessary for crossflow computation over the acreage. Second-mode growth rates along the attachment line had similar peak frequencies between the various methods, but 2pLPSE and LST growth rates were as much as 200% and 30% greater than SBG respectively. These results represent the first comparison between SBG and conventional techniques for crossflow waves, and help to define best practices for the use of

Concordance Between Veterans' Self-Report and Documentation of Surrogate Decision Makers: Implications for Quality Measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Garner, Kimberly K; Dubbert, Patricia; Lensing, Shelly; Sullivan, Dennis H

2017-01-01

The Measuring What Matters initiative of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association identified documentation of a surrogate decision maker as one of the top 10 quality indicators in the acute hospital and hospice settings. To better understand the potential implementation of this Measuring What Matters quality measure #8, Documentation of Surrogate in outpatient primary care settings by describing primary care patients' self-reported identification and documentation of a surrogate decision maker. Examination of patient responses to self-assessment questions from advance health care planning educational groups conducted in one medical center primary care clinic and seven community-based outpatient primary care clinics. We assessed the concordance between patient reports of identifying and naming a surrogate decision maker and having completed an advance directive (AD) with presence of an AD in the electronic medical record. Of veterans without a documented AD on file, more than half (66%) reported that they had talked with someone they trusted and nearly half (52%) reported that they had named someone to communicate their preferences. Our clinical project data suggest that many more veterans may have initiated communications with surrogate decision makers than is evident in the electronic medical record. System changes are needed to close the gap between veterans' plans for a surrogate decision maker and the documentation available to acute care health care providers. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Evaluation of bone surrogates for indirect and direct ballistic fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Bir, Cynthia; Andrecovich, Chris; DeMaio, Marlene; Dougherty, Paul J

2016-04-01

The mechanism of injury for fractures to long bones has been studied for both direct ballistic loading as well as indirect. However, the majority of these studies have been conducted on both post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) and animal surrogates which have constraints in terms of storage, preparation and testing. The identification of a validated bone surrogate for use in forensic, medical and engineering testing would provide the ability to investigate ballistic loading without these constraints. Two specific bone surrogates, Sawbones and Synbone, were evaluated in comparison to PMHS for both direct and indirect ballistic loading. For the direct loading, the mean velocity to produce fracture was 121 ± 19 m/s for the PMHS, which was statistically different from the Sawbones (140 ± 7 m/s) and Synbone (146 ± 3 m/s). The average distance to fracture in the indirect loading was .70 cm for the PMHS. The Synbone had a statistically similar average distance to fracture (.61 cm, p=0.54) however the Sawbones average distance to fracture was statistically different (.41 cm, pballistic testing was not identified and future work is warranted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous Thermal Analysis of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wayne, David Matthew [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-05-13

The actinide engineering and science group (MET-1) have completed simultaneous thermal analysis and offgas analysis by mass spectrometry (STA-MS) of remediated nitrate salt (RNS) surrogates formulated by the high explosives science and technology group (M-7). The 1.0 to 1.5g surrogate samples were first analyzed as received, then a new set was analyzed with 100-200mL 10M HNO₃ +0.3 MHF added, and a third set was analyzed after 200 mL of a concentrated Pu-AM spike (in 10M HNO₃ +0.3 MHF) was added. The acid and spike solutions were formulated by the actinide analytical chemistry group (C-AAC) using reagent-grade HNO₃ and HF, which was also used to dissolve a small quantity of mixed, high-fired PuO₂/ AmO₂ oxide.

Making fire and fire surrogate science available: a summary of regional workshops with clients

Science.gov (United States)

Andrew Youngblood; Heidi Bigler-Cole; Christopher J. Fettig; Carl Fiedler; Eric E. Knapp; John F. Lehmkuhl; Kenneth W. Outcalt; Carl N. Skinner; Scott L. Stephens; Thomas A. Waldrop

2007-01-01

Operational-scale experiments that evaluate the consequences of fire and mechanical "surrogates" for natural disturbance events are essential to better understand strategies for reducing the incidence and severity of wildfire. The national Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study was initiated in 1999 to establish an integrated network of long-term studies...

Five criteria for using a surrogate endpoint to predict treatment effect based on data from multiple previous trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Stuart G

2018-02-20

A surrogate endpoint in a randomized clinical trial is an endpoint that occurs after randomization and before the true, clinically meaningful, endpoint that yields conclusions about the effect of treatment on true endpoint. A surrogate endpoint can accelerate the evaluation of new treatments but at the risk of misleading conclusions. Therefore, criteria are needed for deciding whether to use a surrogate endpoint in a new trial. For the meta-analytic setting of multiple previous trials, each with the same pair of surrogate and true endpoints, this article formulates 5 criteria for using a surrogate endpoint in a new trial to predict the effect of treatment on the true endpoint in the new trial. The first 2 criteria, which are easily computed from a zero-intercept linear random effects model, involve statistical considerations: an acceptable sample size multiplier and an acceptable prediction separation score. The remaining 3 criteria involve clinical and biological considerations: similarity of biological mechanisms of treatments between the new trial and previous trials, similarity of secondary treatments following the surrogate endpoint between the new trial and previous trials, and a negligible risk of harmful side effects arising after the observation of the surrogate endpoint in the new trial. These 5 criteria constitute an appropriately high bar for using a surrogate endpoint to make a definitive treatment recommendation. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Voices of African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic surrogates on the burdens of end-of-life decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Braun, Ursula K; Beyth, Rebecca J; Ford, Marvella E; McCullough, Laurence B

2008-03-01

End-of-life decisions are frequently made by patients' surrogates. Race and ethnicity may affect such decision making. Few studies have described how different racial/ethnic groups experience end-of-life surrogate decision making. To describe the self-reported experience the self-reported experience of African-American, Caucasian, and Hispanic surrogate decision makers of seriously ill patients and to examine the relationship of race, ethnicity, and culture to that experience. Purposive sample to include racial/ethnic minorities in a qualitative study using focus group interviews. The participants of the study were 44 experienced, mostly female, surrogate decision makers for older veterans. Transcripts were qualitatively analyzed to identify major themes, with particular attention to themes that might be unique to each of the three groups. The experience of burden of end-of-life decision making was similar in all three groups. This burden in its medical, personal, and familial dimensions is compounded by uncertainty about prognosis and the patient's preferences. Racial/ethnic variations of responses to this burden concerned the physician-family relationship, religion and faith, and past experiences with race/ethnicity concordant versus non-concordant physicians. Regardless of race/ethnicity, surrogates for seriously ill patients appeared to experience increased significant, multidimensional burdens of decision making under conditions of uncertainty about a patient's preferences. This aspect of the burden of surrogate decision making may not be fully appreciated by physicians. Physicians should identify and be especially attentive to strategies used by surrogates, which may vary by race/ethnicity, to reduce the uncertainty about a patient's preferences and thus the burden of surrogate decision making to assist them in this difficult process.

Laboratory stabilization/solidification of surrogate and actual mixed-waste sludge in glass and grout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spence, R.D.; Gilliam, T.M.; Mattus, C.H.; Mattus, A.J.

1998-01-01

Grouting and vitrification are currently the most likely stabilization/solidification technologies for mixed wastes. Grouting has been used to stabilize and solidify hazardous and low-level waste for decades. Vitrification has long been developed as a high-level-waste alternative and has been under development recently as an alternative treatment technology for low-level mixed waste. Laboratory testing has been performed to develop grout and vitrification formulas for mixed-waste sludges currently stored in underground tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and to compare these waste forms. Envelopes, or operating windows, for both grout and soda-lime-silica glass formulations for a surrogate sludge were developed. One formulation within each envelope was selected for testing the sensitivity of performance to variations (±10 wt%) in the waste form composition and variations in the surrogate sludge composition over the range previously characterized in the sludges. In addition, one sludge sample of an actual mixed-waste tank was obtained, a surrogate was developed for this sludge sample, and grout and glass samples were prepared and tested in the laboratory using both surrogate and the actual sludge. The sensitivity testing of a surrogate tank sludge in selected glass and grout formulations is discussed in this paper, along with the hot-cell testing of an actual tank sludge sample

Residual salt separation from simulated spent nuclear fuel reduced in a LiCl-Li2O salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hur, Jin-Mok; Hong, Sun-Seok; Seo, Chung-Seok

2006-01-01

The electrochemical reduction of spent nuclear fuel in LiCl-Li 2 O molten salt for the conditioning of spent nuclear fuel requires the separation of the residual salts from a reduced metal product after the reduction process. Considering the behavior of spent nuclear fuel during the electrochemical reduction process, a surrogate material matrix was constructed and inactive tests on a salt separation were carried out to produce the data required for active tests. Fresh uranium metal prepared from the electrochemical reduction of U 3 O 8 powder was used as the surrogates of the spent nuclear fuel Atomic Energy Society of Japan, Tokyo, Japan, All rights reservedopyriprocess. LiCl, Li 2 O, Y 2 O 3 and SrCl 2 were selected as the components of the residual salts. Interactions between the salts and their influence on the separation of the residual salts were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). Eutectic melting of LiCl-Li 2 O and LiCl-SrCl 2 led to a melting point which was lower than that of the LiCl molten salt was observed. Residual salts were separated by a vaporization method. Co-vaporization of LiCl-Li 2 O and LiCl-SrCl 2 was achieved below the temperatures which could make the uranium metal oxidation by Li 2 O possible. The salt vaporization rates at 950degC were measured as follows: LiCl-8 wt% Li 2 O>LiCl>LiCl-8 wt% SrCl 2 >SrCl 2 . (author)

Evaluating β Diversity as a Surrogate for Species Representation at Fine Scale.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Beier

Full Text Available Species turnover or β diversity is a conceptually attractive surrogate for conservation planning. However, there has been only 1 attempt to determine how well sites selected to maximize β diversity represent species, and that test was done at a scale too coarse (2,500 km2 sites to inform most conservation decisions. We used 8 plant datasets, 3 bird datasets, and 1 mammal dataset to evaluate whether sites selected to span β diversity will efficiently represent species at finer scale (sites sizes < 1 ha to 625 km2. We used ordinations to characterize dissimilarity in species assemblages (β diversity among plots (inventory data or among grid cells (atlas data. We then selected sites to maximize β diversity and used the Species Accumulation Index, SAI, to evaluate how efficiently the surrogate (selecting sites for maximum β diversity represented species in the same taxon. Across all 12 datasets, sites selected for maximum β diversity represented species with a median efficiency of 24% (i.e., the surrogate was 24% more effective than random selection of sites, and an interquartile range of 4% to 41% efficiency. β diversity was a better surrogate for bird datasets than for plant datasets, and for atlas datasets with 10-km to 14-km grid cells than for atlas datasets with 25-km grid cells. We conclude that β diversity is more than a mere descriptor of how species are distributed on the landscape; in particular β diversity might be useful to maximize the complementarity of a set of sites. Because we tested only within-taxon surrogacy, our results do not prove that β diversity is useful for conservation planning. But our results do justify further investigation to identify the circumstances in which β diversity performs well, and to evaluate it as a cross-taxon surrogate.

Induction of lactation in the intended mother of a surrogate pregnancy: case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Biervliet, F P; Maguiness, S D; Hay, D M; Killick, S R; Atkin, S L

2001-03-01

A case of a successful induction of lactation in a commissioning mother of a surrogate pregnancy is reported. Induction of lactation was achieved with oral metoclopramide which was well tolerated. Alternative methods to induce lactation are reviewed. The advantages of breast-feeding and the relative ease with which lactation can be induced after a surrogate pregnancy would suggest that this could be offered to all commissioning mothers.

Numerical Simulations of High Reactivity Gasoline Fuel Sprays under Vaporizing and Reactive Conditions

KAUST Repository

Mohan, Balaji; Jaasim, Mohammed; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Hernandez Perez, Francisco; Sim, Jaeheon; Roberts, William L.; Sarathy, Mani; Im, Hong G.

2018-01-01

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines are becoming more popular alternative for conventional spark engines to harvest the advantage of high volatility. Recent experimental study demonstrated that high reactivity gasoline fuel can be operated in a conventional mixing controlled combustion mode producing lower soot emissions than that of diesel fuel under similar efficiency and NOx level [1]. Therefore, there is much interest in using gasoline-like fuels in compression ignition engines. In order to improve the fidelity of simulation-based GCI combustion system development, it is mandatory to enhance the prediction of spray combustion of gasoline-like fuels. The purpose of this study is to model the spray characteristics of high reactivity gasoline fuels and validate the models with experimental results obtained through an optically accessible constant volume vessel under vaporizing [2] and reactive conditions [3]. For reacting cases, a comparison of PRF and KAUST multi-component surrogate (KMCS) mechanism was done to obtain good agreement with the experimental ignition delay. From this study, some recommendations were proposed for GCI combustion modelling framework using gasoline like fuels.

Numerical Simulations of High Reactivity Gasoline Fuel Sprays under Vaporizing and Reactive Conditions

KAUST Repository

Mohan, Balaji

2018-04-03

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines are becoming more popular alternative for conventional spark engines to harvest the advantage of high volatility. Recent experimental study demonstrated that high reactivity gasoline fuel can be operated in a conventional mixing controlled combustion mode producing lower soot emissions than that of diesel fuel under similar efficiency and NOx level [1]. Therefore, there is much interest in using gasoline-like fuels in compression ignition engines. In order to improve the fidelity of simulation-based GCI combustion system development, it is mandatory to enhance the prediction of spray combustion of gasoline-like fuels. The purpose of this study is to model the spray characteristics of high reactivity gasoline fuels and validate the models with experimental results obtained through an optically accessible constant volume vessel under vaporizing [2] and reactive conditions [3]. For reacting cases, a comparison of PRF and KAUST multi-component surrogate (KMCS) mechanism was done to obtain good agreement with the experimental ignition delay. From this study, some recommendations were proposed for GCI combustion modelling framework using gasoline like fuels.

The Proposed Use of Unmanned Aerial System Surrogate Research Aircraft for National Airspace System Integration Research

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, Charles T., III

2011-01-01

Research is needed to determine what procedures, aircraft sensors and other systems will be required to allow Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to safely operate with manned aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). This paper explores the use of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Surrogate research aircraft to serve as platforms for UAS systems research, development, and flight testing. These aircraft would be manned with safety pilots and researchers that would allow for flight operations almost anywhere in the NAS without the need for a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of Authorization (COA). With pilot override capability, these UAS Surrogate aircraft would be controlled from ground stations like true UAS s. It would be possible to file and fly these UAS Surrogate aircraft in the NAS with normal traffic and they would be better platforms for real world UAS research and development over existing vehicles flying in restricted ranges or other sterilized airspace. These UAS surrogate aircraft could be outfitted with research systems as required such as computers, state sensors, video recording, data acquisition, data link, telemetry, instrumentation, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). These surrogate aircraft could also be linked to onboard or ground based simulation facilities to further extend UAS research capabilities. Potential areas for UAS Surrogate research include the development, flight test and evaluation of sensors to aide in the process of air traffic "see-and-avoid". These and other sensors could be evaluated in real-time and compared with onboard human evaluation pilots. This paper examines the feasibility of using UAS Surrogate research aircraft as test platforms for a variety of UAS related research.

SU-C-BRF-07: A Pattern Fusion Algorithm for Multi-Step Ahead Prediction of Surrogate Motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zawisza, I; Yan, H; Yin, F

2014-01-01

Purpose: To assure that tumor motion is within the radiation field during high-dose and high-precision radiosurgery, real-time imaging and surrogate monitoring are employed. These methods are useful in providing real-time tumor/surrogate motion but no future information is available. In order to anticipate future tumor/surrogate motion and track target location precisely, an algorithm is developed and investigated for estimating surrogate motion multiple-steps ahead. Methods: The study utilized a one-dimensional surrogate motion signal divided into three components: (a) training component containing the primary data including the first frame to the beginning of the input subsequence; (b) input subsequence component of the surrogate signal used as input to the prediction algorithm: (c) output subsequence component is the remaining signal used as the known output of the prediction algorithm for validation. The prediction algorithm consists of three major steps: (1) extracting subsequences from training component which best-match the input subsequence according to given criterion; (2) calculating weighting factors from these best-matched subsequence; (3) collecting the proceeding parts of the subsequences and combining them together with assigned weighting factors to form output. The prediction algorithm was examined for several patients, and its performance is assessed based on the correlation between prediction and known output. Results: Respiratory motion data was collected for 20 patients using the RPM system. The output subsequence is the last 50 samples (∼2 seconds) of a surrogate signal, and the input subsequence was 100 (∼3 seconds) frames prior to the output subsequence. Based on the analysis of correlation coefficient between predicted and known output subsequence, the average correlation is 0.9644±0.0394 and 0.9789±0.0239 for equal-weighting and relative-weighting strategies, respectively. Conclusion: Preliminary results indicate that the prediction

Integrating surrogate models into subsurface simulation framework allows computation of complex reactive transport scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

De Lucia, Marco; Kempka, Thomas; Jatnieks, Janis; Kühn, Michael

2017-04-01

Reactive transport simulations - where geochemical reactions are coupled with hydrodynamic transport of reactants - are extremely time consuming and suffer from significant numerical issues. Given the high uncertainties inherently associated with the geochemical models, which also constitute the major computational bottleneck, such requirements may seem inappropriate and probably constitute the main limitation for their wide application. A promising way to ease and speed-up such coupled simulations is achievable employing statistical surrogates instead of "full-physics" geochemical models [1]. Data-driven surrogates are reduced models obtained on a set of pre-calculated "full physics" simulations, capturing their principal features while being extremely fast to compute. Model reduction of course comes at price of a precision loss; however, this appears justified in presence of large uncertainties regarding the parametrization of geochemical processes. This contribution illustrates the integration of surrogates into the flexible simulation framework currently being developed by the authors' research group [2]. The high level language of choice for obtaining and dealing with surrogate models is R, which profits from state-of-the-art methods for statistical analysis of large simulations ensembles. A stand-alone advective mass transport module was furthermore developed in order to add such capability to any multiphase finite volume hydrodynamic simulator within the simulation framework. We present 2D and 3D case studies benchmarking the performance of surrogates and "full physics" chemistry in scenarios pertaining the assessment of geological subsurface utilization. [1] Jatnieks, J., De Lucia, M., Dransch, D., Sips, M.: "Data-driven surrogate model approach for improving the performance of reactive transport simulations.", Energy Procedia 97, 2016, p. 447-453. [2] Kempka, T., Nakaten, B., De Lucia, M., Nakaten, N., Otto, C., Pohl, M., Chabab [Tillner], E., Kühn, M

Dynamic impact indentation of hydrated biological tissues and tissue surrogate gels

Science.gov (United States)

Ilke Kalcioglu, Z.; Qu, Meng; Strawhecker, Kenneth E.; Shazly, Tarek; Edelman, Elazer; VanLandingham, Mark R.; Smith, James F.; Van Vliet, Krystyn J.

2011-03-01

For both materials engineering research and applied biomedicine, a growing need exists to quantify mechanical behaviour of tissues under defined hydration and loading conditions. In particular, characterisation under dynamic contact-loading conditions can enable quantitative predictions of deformation due to high rate 'impact' events typical of industrial accidents and ballistic insults. The impact indentation responses were examined of both hydrated tissues and candidate tissue surrogate materials. The goals of this work were to determine the mechanical response of fully hydrated soft tissues under defined dynamic loading conditions, and to identify design principles by which synthetic, air-stable polymers could mimic those responses. Soft tissues from two organs (liver and heart), a commercially available tissue surrogate gel (Perma-Gel™) and three styrenic block copolymer gels were investigated. Impact indentation enabled quantification of resistance to penetration and energy dissipative constants under the rates and energy densities of interest for tissue surrogate applications. These analyses indicated that the energy dissipation capacity under dynamic impact increased with increasing diblock concentration in the styrenic gels. Under the impact rates employed (2 mm/s to 20 mm/s, corresponding to approximate strain energy densities from 0.4 kJ/m3 to 20 kJ/m3), the energy dissipation capacities of fully hydrated soft tissues were ultimately well matched by a 50/50 triblock/diblock composition that is stable in ambient environments. More generally, the methodologies detailed here facilitate further optimisation of impact energy dissipation capacity of polymer-based tissue surrogate materials, either in air or in fluids.

Combining endangered plants and animals as surrogates to identify priority conservation areas in Yunnan, China

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Feiling; Hu, Jinming; Wu, Ruidong

2016-08-01

Suitable surrogates are critical for identifying optimal priority conservation areas (PCAs) to protect regional biodiversity. This study explored the efficiency of using endangered plants and animals as surrogates for identifying PCAs at the county level in Yunnan, southwest China. We ran the Dobson algorithm under three surrogate scenarios at 75% and 100% conservation levels and identified four types of PCAs. Assessment of the protection efficiencies of the four types of PCAs showed that endangered plants had higher surrogacy values than endangered animals but that the two were not substitutable; coupled endangered plants and animals as surrogates yielded a higher surrogacy value than endangered plants or animals as surrogates; the plant-animal priority areas (PAPAs) was the optimal among the four types of PCAs for conserving both endangered plants and animals in Yunnan. PAPAs could well represent overall species diversity distribution patterns and overlap with critical biogeographical regions in Yunnan. Fourteen priority units in PAPAs should be urgently considered as optimizing Yunnan’s protected area system. The spatial pattern of PAPAs at the 100% conservation level could be conceptualized into three connected conservation belts, providing a valuable reference for optimizing the layout of the in situ protected area system in Yunnan.

Successful surrogate pregnancy after ovarian transposition, pelvic irradiation and hysterectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zinger, Michael; Liu, James H; Husseinzadeh, Nader; Thomas, Michael A

2004-07-01

Treatment of cervical cancer is often effective but at the cost of the woman's fertility. Ovarian transposition with subsequent oocyte retrieval and surrogate pregnancy can enable these patients to become genetic parents. We present the third reported such case. A 22-year-old woman was diagnosed with bulky, stage IB cervical cancer. Following transposition of both ovaries to the upper abdomen, she underwent pelvic irradiation followed by total abdominal hysterectomy. Eleven years later she presented for assisted reproduction. Two oocytes were retrieved following ovarian stimulation and transcutaneous, abdominal oocyte retrieval. One embryo was transferred to the gestational surrogate, resulting in a single intrauterine pregnancy and successful delivery at term. These procedures can preservefertility while successfully treating cervical cancer.

Adaptive surrogate modeling for response surface approximations with application to bayesian inference

KAUST Repository

Prudhomme, Serge; Bryant, Corey M.

2015-01-01

Parameter estimation for complex models using Bayesian inference is usually a very costly process as it requires a large number of solves of the forward problem. We show here how the construction of adaptive surrogate models using a posteriori error estimates for quantities of interest can significantly reduce the computational cost in problems of statistical inference. As surrogate models provide only approximations of the true solutions of the forward problem, it is nevertheless necessary to control these errors in order to construct an accurate reduced model with respect to the observables utilized in the identification of the model parameters. Effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a numerical example dealing with the Spalart–Allmaras model for the simulation of turbulent channel flows. In particular, we illustrate how Bayesian model selection using the adapted surrogate model in place of solving the coupled nonlinear equations leads to the same quality of results while requiring fewer nonlinear PDE solves.

Adaptive surrogate modeling for response surface approximations with application to bayesian inference

KAUST Repository

Prudhomme, Serge

2015-09-17

Parameter estimation for complex models using Bayesian inference is usually a very costly process as it requires a large number of solves of the forward problem. We show here how the construction of adaptive surrogate models using a posteriori error estimates for quantities of interest can significantly reduce the computational cost in problems of statistical inference. As surrogate models provide only approximations of the true solutions of the forward problem, it is nevertheless necessary to control these errors in order to construct an accurate reduced model with respect to the observables utilized in the identification of the model parameters. Effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a numerical example dealing with the Spalart–Allmaras model for the simulation of turbulent channel flows. In particular, we illustrate how Bayesian model selection using the adapted surrogate model in place of solving the coupled nonlinear equations leads to the same quality of results while requiring fewer nonlinear PDE solves.

Efficient surrogate models for reliability analysis of systems with multiple failure modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bichon, Barron J.; McFarland, John M.; Mahadevan, Sankaran

2011-01-01

Despite many advances in the field of computational reliability analysis, the efficient estimation of the reliability of a system with multiple failure modes remains a persistent challenge. Various sampling and analytical methods are available, but they typically require accepting a tradeoff between accuracy and computational efficiency. In this work, a surrogate-based approach is presented that simultaneously addresses the issues of accuracy, efficiency, and unimportant failure modes. The method is based on the creation of Gaussian process surrogate models that are required to be locally accurate only in the regions of the component limit states that contribute to system failure. This approach to constructing surrogate models is demonstrated to be both an efficient and accurate method for system-level reliability analysis. - Highlights: → Extends efficient global reliability analysis to systems with multiple failure modes. → Constructs locally accurate Gaussian process models of each response. → Highly efficient and accurate method for assessing system reliability. → Effectiveness is demonstrated on several test problems from the literature.

Understanding premixed flame chemistry of gasoline fuels by comparing quantities of interest

KAUST Repository

Selim, Hatem

2016-07-23

Gasoline fuels are complex mixtures that vary in composition depending on crude oil feedstocks and refining processes. Gasoline combustion in high-speed spark ignition engines is governed by flame propagation, so understanding fuel composition effects on premixed flame chemistry is important. In this study, the combustion chemistry of low-pressure, burner-stabilized, premixed flames of two gasoline fuels was investigated under stoichiometric conditions. Flame speciation was conducted using vacuum-ultraviolet synchrotron photoionization time-of-flight molecular beam mass spectroscopy. Stable end-products, intermediate hydrocarbons, and free radicals were detected and quantified. In addition, several isomeric species in the reaction pool were distinguished and quantified with the help of the highly tunable synchrotron radiation. A comparison between the products of both flames is presented and the major differences are highlighted. Premixed flame numerical simulations were conducted using surrogate fuel kinetic models for each flame. Furthermore, a new approach was developed to elucidate the main discrepancies between experimental measurements and the numerical predictions by comparing quantities of interest. © 2016.

Dermal exposure to jet fuel JP-8 significantly contributes to the production of urinary naphthols in fuel-cell maintenance workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Yi-Chun E; Kupper, Lawrence L; Serdar, Berrin; Egeghy, Peter P; Rappaport, Stephen M; Nylander-French, Leena A

2006-02-01

Jet propulsion fuel 8 (JP-8) is the major jet fuel used worldwide and has been recognized as a major source of chemical exposure, both inhalation and dermal, for fuel-cell maintenance workers. We investigated the contributions of dermal and inhalation exposure to JP-8 to the total body dose of U.S. Air Force fuel-cell maintenance workers using naphthalene as a surrogate for JP-8 exposure. Dermal, breathing zone, and exhaled breath measurements of naphthalene were obtained using tape-strip sampling, passive monitoring, and glass bulbs, respectively. Levels of urinary 1- and 2-naphthols were determined in urine samples and used as biomarkers of JP-8 exposure. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relative contributions of dermal and inhalation exposure to JP-8, and demographic and work-related covariates, to the levels of urinary naphthols. Our results show that both inhalation exposure and smoking significantly contributed to urinary 1-naphthol levels. The contribution of dermal exposure was significantly associated with levels of urinary 2-naphthol but not with urinary 1-naphthol among fuel-cell maintenance workers who wore supplied-air respirators. We conclude that dermal exposure to JP-8 significantly contributes to the systemic dose and affects the levels of urinary naphthalene metabolites. Future work on dermal xenobiotic metabolism and toxicokinetic studies are warranted in order to gain additional knowledge on naphthalene metabolism in the skin and the contribution to systemic exposure.

Real-time tumor motion estimation using respiratory surrogate via memory-based learning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Ruijiang; Xing Lei; Lewis, John H; Berbeco, Ross I

2012-01-01

Respiratory tumor motion is a major challenge in radiation therapy for thoracic and abdominal cancers. Effective motion management requires an accurate knowledge of the real-time tumor motion. External respiration monitoring devices (optical, etc) provide a noninvasive, non-ionizing, low-cost and practical approach to obtain the respiratory signal. Due to the highly complex and nonlinear relations between tumor and surrogate motion, its ultimate success hinges on the ability to accurately infer the tumor motion from respiratory surrogates. Given their widespread use in the clinic, such a method is critically needed. We propose to use a powerful memory-based learning method to find the complex relations between tumor motion and respiratory surrogates. The method first stores the training data in memory and then finds relevant data to answer a particular query. Nearby data points are assigned high relevance (or weights) and conversely distant data are assigned low relevance. By fitting relatively simple models to local patches instead of fitting one single global model, it is able to capture highly nonlinear and complex relations between the internal tumor motion and external surrogates accurately. Due to the local nature of weighting functions, the method is inherently robust to outliers in the training data. Moreover, both training and adapting to new data are performed almost instantaneously with memory-based learning, making it suitable for dynamically following variable internal/external relations. We evaluated the method using respiratory motion data from 11 patients. The data set consists of simultaneous measurement of 3D tumor motion and 1D abdominal surface (used as the surrogate signal in this study). There are a total of 171 respiratory traces, with an average peak-to-peak amplitude of ∼15 mm and average duration of ∼115 s per trace. Given only 5 s (roughly one breath) pretreatment training data, the method achieved an average 3D error of 1.5 mm and 95

Real-time tumor motion estimation using respiratory surrogate via memory-based learning

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ruijiang; Lewis, John H.; Berbeco, Ross I.; Xing, Lei

2012-08-01

Respiratory tumor motion is a major challenge in radiation therapy for thoracic and abdominal cancers. Effective motion management requires an accurate knowledge of the real-time tumor motion. External respiration monitoring devices (optical, etc) provide a noninvasive, non-ionizing, low-cost and practical approach to obtain the respiratory signal. Due to the highly complex and nonlinear relations between tumor and surrogate motion, its ultimate success hinges on the ability to accurately infer the tumor motion from respiratory surrogates. Given their widespread use in the clinic, such a method is critically needed. We propose to use a powerful memory-based learning method to find the complex relations between tumor motion and respiratory surrogates. The method first stores the training data in memory and then finds relevant data to answer a particular query. Nearby data points are assigned high relevance (or weights) and conversely distant data are assigned low relevance. By fitting relatively simple models to local patches instead of fitting one single global model, it is able to capture highly nonlinear and complex relations between the internal tumor motion and external surrogates accurately. Due to the local nature of weighting functions, the method is inherently robust to outliers in the training data. Moreover, both training and adapting to new data are performed almost instantaneously with memory-based learning, making it suitable for dynamically following variable internal/external relations. We evaluated the method using respiratory motion data from 11 patients. The data set consists of simultaneous measurement of 3D tumor motion and 1D abdominal surface (used as the surrogate signal in this study). There are a total of 171 respiratory traces, with an average peak-to-peak amplitude of ∼15 mm and average duration of ∼115 s per trace. Given only 5 s (roughly one breath) pretreatment training data, the method achieved an average 3D error of 1.5 mm and 95

Surrogate mothers 10 years on: a longitudinal study of psychological well-being and relationships with the parents and child.

Science.gov (United States)

Jadva, V; Imrie, S; Golombok, S

2015-02-01

How do the psychological health and experiences of surrogate mothers change from 1 year to 10 years following the birth of the surrogacy child? The psychological well-being of surrogate mothers did not change 10 years following the birth, with all remaining positive about the surrogacy arrangement and the majority continuing to report good mental health. Studies have found that surrogates may find the weeks following the birth difficult, but do not experience psychological problems 6 months or 1 year later. Research has also shown that surrogates can form close relationships with the intended parents during the pregnancy which may continue after the birth. This study used a prospective longitudinal design, in which 20 surrogates were seen at two time points: 1 year following the birth of the surrogacy child and 10 years later. The 20 surrogates (representing 59% of the original sample) participated in a semi-structured interview and completed self-report questionnaires. Eleven surrogates were gestational carriers and nine surrogates had used their own oocyte (genetic surrogacy). Four were previously known to the intended parents and 16 were previously not known. Ten years following the birth of the surrogacy child, surrogate mothers scored within the normal range for self-esteem and did not show signs of depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. Marital quality remained positive over time. All surrogates reported that their expectations of their relationship with the intended parents had been either met or exceeded and most reported positive feelings towards the child. In terms of expectations for the future, most surrogates reported that they would like to maintain contact or would be available to the child if the child wished to contact them. None expressed regrets about their involvement in surrogacy. The sample size of this study was small and the women may not be representative of all surrogates. Therefore the extent to which these findings can

Fog Density Estimation and Image Defogging Based on Surrogate Modeling for Optical Depth.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yutong; Sun, Changming; Zhao, Yu; Yang, Li

2017-05-03

In order to estimate fog density correctly and to remove fog from foggy images appropriately, a surrogate model for optical depth is presented in this paper. We comprehensively investigate various fog-relevant features and propose a novel feature based on the hue, saturation, and value color space which correlate well with the perception of fog density. We use a surrogate-based method to learn a refined polynomial regression model for optical depth with informative fog-relevant features such as dark-channel, saturation-value, and chroma which are selected on the basis of sensitivity analysis. Based on the obtained accurate surrogate model for optical depth, an effective method for fog density estimation and image defogging is proposed. The effectiveness of our proposed method is verified quantitatively and qualitatively by the experimental results on both synthetic and real-world foggy images.

Developing the role of the social worker as coordinator of services at the surrogate parenting center.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagin, Roni; Cohen, Miri; Greenblatt, Lee; Solomon, Hanah; Itskovitz-Eldor, Joseph

2004-01-01

A law permitting couples to conceive biological children through surrogacy was legislated in Israel in March 1996. The Rambam Medical Center has established the only nonprofit Surrogate Parenting Center at a public hospital in Israel. The multidisciplinary teamwork at the Center is case managed by a social worker. An important role of the social work intervention is consultation and support for the couple and the surrogate at all stages of the process. The case study presented in the article illustrates the need for sensitive and professional intervention due to the complexity of the surrogacy process and the crisis it involves for both the surrogate and the couple. In light of the growing parenting surrogacy cases in the United States, Europe, and Israel, a structured social work intervention model is described, which may be implemented at public or private surrogate parenting centers.

Higher taxa as surrogates of species richness of spiders in insect-resistant transgenic rice

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Sheng Lin; Min-Sheng You; Liette Vasseur; Guang Yang; Feng-Jing Liu; Feng Guo

2012-01-01

Biodiversity assessments can often be time- and resource-consuming.Several alternative approaches have been proposed to reduce sampling efforts,including indicator taxa and surrogates.In this study,we examine the reliability of higher taxon surrogates to predict species richness in two experimental rice fields of Fujian Province,southeastern China during 2005 and 2009.Spider samples in transgenic and nontransgenic plots were collected using a suction sampler.Both the genus and family surrogates had significant and positive linear relationships with species richness in the transgenic and nontransgenic rice fields.The rice varieties did not significantly influence the linear relationships.Our findings suggest that higher-taxon surrogacy could be a useful alternative to complete species inventory for risk assessments of transgenic rice.

Predicting freshwater habitat integrity using land-use surrogates

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2007-04-02

Apr 2, 2007 ... Quantification of potential surrogates of freshwater habitat integrity. We chose a series of land-use variables that might be suitable predictors for assessing freshwater habitat integrity from the land cover map (CSIR 2005) and added separate GIS surfaces for human population density and the distribution of ...

SURROGATE SPECIES IN ASSESSING CONTAMINANT RISK FOR ENDANGERED FISHES

Science.gov (United States)

Rainbow trout, fathead minnows, and sheepshead minnows were tested as surrogate species to assess contaminant risk for 17 endangered fishes and one toad species. Acute toxicity tests were conducted with carbaryl, copper, 4-nonylphenol, pentachlorophenol, and permethrin in accord...

Triazole-linked DNA as a primer surrogate in the synthesis of first-strand cDNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujino, Tomoko; Yasumoto, Ken-ichi; Yamazaki, Naomi; Hasome, Ai; Sogawa, Kazuhiro; Isobe, Hiroyuki

2011-11-04

A phosphate-eliminated nonnatural oligonucleotide serves as a primer surrogate in reverse transcription reaction of mRNA. Despite of the nonnatural triazole linkages in the surrogate, the reverse transcriptase effectively elongated cDNA sequences on the 3'-downstream of the primer by transcription of the complementary sequence of mRNA. A structure-activity comparison with the reference natural oligonucleotides shows the superior priming activity of the surrogate containing triazole-linkages. The nonnatural linkages also protect the transcribed cDNA from digestion reactions with 5'-exonuclease and enable us to remove noise transcripts of unknown origins. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Surrogate endpoints for overall survival in digestive oncology trials: which candidates? A questionnaires survey among clinicians and methodologists

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Methy, Nicolas; Bedenne, Laurent; Bonnetain, Franck

2010-01-01

Overall survival (OS) is the gold standard for the demonstration of a clinical benefit in cancer trials. Replacement of OS by a surrogate endpoint allows to reduce trial duration. To date, few surrogate endpoints have been validated in digestive oncology. The aim of this study was to draw up an ordered list of potential surrogate endpoints for OS in digestive cancer trials, by way of a survey among clinicians and methodologists. Secondary objective was to obtain their opinion on surrogacy and quality of life (QoL). In 2007 and 2008, self administered sequential questionnaires were sent to a panel of French clinicians and methodologists involved in the conduct of cancer clinical trials. In the first questionnaire, panellists were asked to choose the most important characteristics defining a surrogate among six proposals, to give advantages and drawbacks of the surrogates, and to answer questions about their validation and use. Then they had to suggest potential surrogate endpoints for OS in each of the following tumour sites: oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, biliary tract, lymphoma, colon, rectum, and anus. They finally gave their opinion on QoL as surrogate endpoint. In the second questionnaire, they had to classify the previously proposed candidate surrogates from the most (position N1) to the least relevant in their opinion. Frequency at which the endpoints were chosen as first, second or third most relevant surrogates was calculated and served as final ranking. Response rate was 30% (24/80) in the first round and 20% (16/80) in the second one. Participants highlighted key points concerning surrogacy. In particular, they reminded that a surrogate endpoint is expected to predict clinical benefit in a well-defined therapeutic situation. Half of them thought it was not relevant to study QoL as surrogate for OS. DFS, in the neoadjuvant settings or early stages, and PFS, in the non operable or metastatic settings, were ranked first, with a frequency of more than

Surrogate endpoints for overall survival in digestive oncology trials: which candidates? A questionnaires survey among clinicians and methodologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Methy, Nicolas; Bedenne, Laurent; Bonnetain, Franck

2010-06-10

Overall survival (OS) is the gold standard for the demonstration of a clinical benefit in cancer trials. Replacement of OS by a surrogate endpoint allows to reduce trial duration. To date, few surrogate endpoints have been validated in digestive oncology. The aim of this study was to draw up an ordered list of potential surrogate endpoints for OS in digestive cancer trials, by way of a survey among clinicians and methodologists. Secondary objective was to obtain their opinion on surrogacy and quality of life (QoL). In 2007 and 2008, self administered sequential questionnaires were sent to a panel of French clinicians and methodologists involved in the conduct of cancer clinical trials. In the first questionnaire, panellists were asked to choose the most important characteristics defining a surrogate among six proposals, to give advantages and drawbacks of the surrogates, and to answer questions about their validation and use. Then they had to suggest potential surrogate endpoints for OS in each of the following tumour sites: oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, biliary tract, lymphoma, colon, rectum, and anus. They finally gave their opinion on QoL as surrogate endpoint. In the second questionnaire, they had to classify the previously proposed candidate surrogates from the most (position #1) to the least relevant in their opinion.Frequency at which the endpoints were chosen as first, second or third most relevant surrogates was calculated and served as final ranking. Response rate was 30% (24/80) in the first round and 20% (16/80) in the second one. Participants highlighted key points concerning surrogacy. In particular, they reminded that a surrogate endpoint is expected to predict clinical benefit in a well-defined therapeutic situation. Half of them thought it was not relevant to study QoL as surrogate for OS.DFS, in the neoadjuvant settings or early stages, and PFS, in the non operable or metastatic settings, were ranked first, with a frequency of more than 69

Coastal aquifer management based on surrogate models and multi-objective optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Mantoglou, A.; Kourakos, G.

2011-12-01

The demand for fresh water in coastal areas and islands can be very high, especially in summer months, due to increased local needs and tourism. In order to satisfy demand, a combined management plan is proposed which involves: i) desalinization (if needed) of pumped water to a potable level using reverse osmosis and ii) injection of biologically treated waste water into the aquifer. The management plan is formulated into a multiobjective optimization framework, where simultaneous minimization of economic and environmental costs is desired; subject to a constraint to satisfy demand. The method requires modeling tools, which are able to predict the salinity levels of the aquifer in response to different alternative management scenarios. Variable density models can simulate the interaction between fresh and saltwater; however, they are computationally intractable when integrated in optimization algorithms. In order to alleviate this problem, a multi objective optimization algorithm is developed combining surrogate models based on Modular Neural Networks [MOSA(MNN)]. The surrogate models are trained adaptively during optimization based on a Genetic Algorithm. In the crossover step of the genetic algorithm, each pair of parents generates a pool of offspring. All offspring are evaluated based on the fast surrogate model. Then only the most promising offspring are evaluated based on the exact numerical model. This eliminates errors in Pareto solution due to imprecise predictions of the surrogate model. Three new criteria for selecting the most promising offspring were proposed, which improve the Pareto set and maintain the diversity of the optimum solutions. The method has important advancements compared to previous methods, e.g. alleviation of propagation of errors due to surrogate model approximations. The method is applied to a real coastal aquifer in the island of Santorini which is a very touristy island with high water demands. The results show that the algorithm

Using surrogate biomarkers to improve measurement error models in nutritional epidemiology

Science.gov (United States)

Keogh, Ruth H; White, Ian R; Rodwell, Sheila A

2013-01-01

Nutritional epidemiology relies largely on self-reported measures of dietary intake, errors in which give biased estimated diet–disease associations. Self-reported measurements come from questionnaires and food records. Unbiased biomarkers are scarce; however, surrogate biomarkers, which are correlated with intake but not unbiased, can also be useful. It is important to quantify and correct for the effects of measurement error on diet–disease associations. Challenges arise because there is no gold standard, and errors in self-reported measurements are correlated with true intake and each other. We describe an extended model for error in questionnaire, food record, and surrogate biomarker measurements. The focus is on estimating the degree of bias in estimated diet–disease associations due to measurement error. In particular, we propose using sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of changes in values of model parameters which are usually assumed fixed. The methods are motivated by and applied to measures of fruit and vegetable intake from questionnaires, 7-day diet diaries, and surrogate biomarker (plasma vitamin C) from over 25000 participants in the Norfolk cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Our results show that the estimated effects of error in self-reported measurements are highly sensitive to model assumptions, resulting in anything from a large attenuation to a small amplification in the diet–disease association. Commonly made assumptions could result in a large overcorrection for the effects of measurement error. Increased understanding of relationships between potential surrogate biomarkers and true dietary intake is essential for obtaining good estimates of the effects of measurement error in self-reported measurements on observed diet–disease associations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:23553407

Definitions and validation criteria for biomarkers and surrogate endpoints: development and testing of a quantitative hierarchical levels of evidence schema.

Science.gov (United States)

Lassere, Marissa N; Johnson, Kent R; Boers, Maarten; Tugwell, Peter; Brooks, Peter; Simon, Lee; Strand, Vibeke; Conaghan, Philip G; Ostergaard, Mikkel; Maksymowych, Walter P; Landewe, Robert; Bresnihan, Barry; Tak, Paul-Peter; Wakefield, Richard; Mease, Philip; Bingham, Clifton O; Hughes, Michael; Altman, Doug; Buyse, Marc; Galbraith, Sally; Wells, George

2007-03-01

There are clear advantages to using biomarkers and surrogate endpoints, but concerns about clinical and statistical validity and systematic methods to evaluate these aspects hinder their efficient application. Our objective was to review the literature on biomarkers and surrogates to develop a hierarchical schema that systematically evaluates and ranks the surrogacy status of biomarkers and surrogates; and to obtain feedback from stakeholders. After a systematic search of Medline and Embase on biomarkers, surrogate (outcomes, endpoints, markers, indicators), intermediate endpoints, and leading indicators, a quantitative surrogate validation schema was developed and subsequently evaluated at a stakeholder workshop. The search identified several classification schema and definitions. Components of these were incorporated into a new quantitative surrogate validation level of evidence schema that evaluates biomarkers along 4 domains: Target, Study Design, Statistical Strength, and Penalties. Scores derived from 3 domains the Target that the marker is being substituted for, the Design of the (best) evidence, and the Statistical strength are additive. Penalties are then applied if there is serious counterevidence. A total score (0 to 15) determines the level of evidence, with Level 1 the strongest and Level 5 the weakest. It was proposed that the term "surrogate" be restricted to markers attaining Levels 1 or 2 only. Most stakeholders agreed that this operationalization of the National Institutes of Health definitions of biomarker, surrogate endpoint, and clinical endpoint was useful. Further development and application of this schema provides incentives and guidance for effective biomarker and surrogate endpoint research, and more efficient drug discovery, development, and approval.

Iran's experience with surrogate motherhood: an Islamic view and ethical concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Aramesh, K

2009-05-01

Gestational surrogacy as a treatment for infertility is being practised in some well-known medical institutions in Tehran and some other cities in Iran. While the majority of Muslims in the world are Sunni, the majority of Iranians are Shiite. Most Sunni scholars do not permit surrogate motherhood, since it involves introducing the sperm of a man into the uterus of a woman to whom he is not married. Most Shiite scholars, however, have issued jurisprudential decrees (fatwas) that allow surrogate motherhood as a treatment for infertility, albeit only for legal couples. They regard this practice as transferring an embryo or fetus from one womb to another, which is not forbidden in Shiite jurisprudence. Nevertheless, there are some controversies concerning some issues such as kinship and inheritance. The main ethical concern of Iran's experience with gestational surrogacy is the monetary relation between the intended couple and the surrogate mother. While monetary remuneration is practised in Iran and allowed by religious authorities, it seems to suffer from ethical problems. This article proposes that this kind of monetary relation should be modified and limited to reimbursement of normal costs. Such modification requires new legislation and religious decrees.

A longitudinal pre-pregnancy to post-delivery comparison of genetic and gestational surrogate and intended mothers: confidence and genealogy.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Den Akker, Olga B A

2005-12-01

For women opting to use surrogacy to overcome subfertility, a choice can be made to have a genetically related or unrelated baby. Similarly, women opting to become surrogate mothers also have to choose to gestate and relinquish a genetically related or unrelated baby. This study explored the cognitions behind the initial choices made and determined the strength of those cognitions six months post-delivery of the surrogate baby. Surrogate and Intended mothers (N=81) undergoing Artificial Insemination (AI, genetic) or Embryo Transfer (ET, gestational) were studied separately (four groups) at the start of their surrogate arrangement and those with a positive outcome (n=34) were re-interviewed at six months post-relinquishment. There were significant differences between surrogate and intended mothers in their confidence about the arrangement. Beliefs about the importance of a genetic link were predictors of ET arrangements. Responses were consistent over a one and a half-year study period. The ethical and clinical implications of the results are discussed in relation to appropriate self-selection and confidence with the surrogate process and the importance of genetic offspring.

Effects of a Mechanical Response-Contingent Surrogate on the Development of Behaviors in Nursery-Reared Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Science.gov (United States)

Brunelli, Rebecca L; Blake, Jennifer; Willits, Neil; Rommeck, Ina; McCowan, Brenda

2014-01-01

Nursery-reared infants have several behavioral and physiologic differences from their mother-reared counterparts. We investigated whether a response-contingent surrogate mitigated some of those differences by decreasing fearfulness and partner-clinging and increasing environmental exploration in nursery-reared infants continuously paired with a peer. Six nursery-reared infant rhesus macaques (in pairs) were given a mechanical responsive surrogate (RS), and 6 (in pairs) were given an identical but nonresponsive surrogate (NRS). The 2 treatment groups were compared and then combined into a single group of all 12 of surrogate-exposed animals (CS) that was compared with a nonsurrogate control group (NS) of 10 nursery-reared infants. Results showed significant differences between CS and NS infants but no significant differences between the RS and NRS infants. As compared with NS infants, CS infants showed less partner-clinging, less affiliation directed toward only partner, and more foraging and tactile–oral exploration of the environment. These advantageous effects support additional research to develop improved surrogate and the implementation of surrogate programs for nursery-reared infants. PMID:25255068

Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, C.J.

1997-05-01

Since 1989, the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) at the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory (INEEL) has been included on the National Priority List for remediation. Arc- and plasma-heated furnaces are being considered for converting the radioactive mixed waste buried in the SDA to a stabilized-vitreous form. Nonradioactive, surrogate SDA wastes have been melted during tests in these types of furnaces, but data are needed on the behavior of transuranic (TRU) constituents, primarily plutonium, during thermal treatment. To begin collecting this data, plutonium-spiked SDA surrogates were processed in a bench-scale arc furnace to quantify the fate of the plutonium and other hazardous and nonhazardous metals. Test conditions included elevating the organic, lead, chloride, and sodium contents of the surrogates. Blends having higher organic contents caused furnace power levels to fluctuate. An organic content corresponding to 50% INEEL soil in a soil-waste blend was the highest achievable before power fluctuations made operating conditions unacceptable. The glass, metal, and off-gas solids produced from each surrogate blend tested were analyzed for elemental (including plutonium) content and the partitioning of each element to the corresponding phase was calculated

Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freeman, C.J.

1997-05-01

Since 1989, the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) at the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory (INEEL) has been included on the National Priority List for remediation. Arc- and plasma-heated furnaces are being considered for converting the radioactive mixed waste buried in the SDA to a stabilized-vitreous form. Nonradioactive, surrogate SDA wastes have been melted during tests in these types of furnaces, but data are needed on the behavior of transuranic (TRU) constituents, primarily plutonium, during thermal treatment. To begin collecting this data, plutonium-spiked SDA surrogates were processed in a bench-scale arc furnace to quantify the fate of the plutonium and other hazardous and nonhazardous metals. Test conditions included elevating the organic, lead, chloride, and sodium contents of the surrogates. Blends having higher organic contents caused furnace power levels to fluctuate. An organic content corresponding to 50% INEEL soil in a soil-waste blend was the highest achievable before power fluctuations made operating conditions unacceptable. The glass, metal, and off-gas solids produced from each surrogate blend tested were analyzed for elemental (including plutonium) content and the partitioning of each element to the corresponding phase was calculated.

Pre- and post-irradiation characterization and properties measurements of ZrC coated surrogate TRISO particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasudevamurthy, Gokul [ORNL; Katoh, Yutai [ORNL; Hunn, John D [ORNL; Snead, Lance Lewis [ORNL

2010-09-01

Zirconium carbide is a candidate to either replace or supplement silicon carbide as a coating material in TRISO fuel particles for high temperature gas-cooled reactor fuels. Six sets of ZrC coated surrogate microsphere samples, fabricated by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency using the fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition method, were irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These developmental samples available for the irradiation experiment were in conditions of either as-fabricated coated particles or particles that had been heat-treated to simulate the fuel compacting process. Five sets of samples were composed of nominally stoichiometric compositions, with the sixth being richer in carbon (C/Zr = 1.4). The samples were irradiated at 800 and 1250 C with fast neutron fluences of 2 and 6 dpa. Post-irradiation, the samples were retrieved from the irradiation capsules followed by microstructural examination performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis Laboratory. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's Advanced Gas Reactor program as part of International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative collaboration with Japan. This report includes progress from that INERI collaboration, as well as results of some follow-up examination of the irradiated specimens. Post-irradiation examination items included microstructural characterization, and nanoindentation hardness/modulus measurements. The examinations revealed grain size enhancement and softening as the primary effects of both heat-treatment and irradiation in stoichiometric ZrC with a non-layered, homogeneous grain structure, raising serious concerns on the mechanical suitability of these particular developmental coatings as a replacement for SiC in TRISO fuel. Samples with either free carbon or carbon-rich layers dispersed in the ZrC coatings experienced negligible grain size

Development of a treatment technology for diluting highly enriched AL-based DOE spent nuclear fuel: principles and practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, T.M.; Duncan, A.J.; Peacock, H.B.; Fisher, D.L.

2001-01-01

The Savannah River Site is the U.S. Department of Energy's preferred site for return and treatment of all aluminum-base, spent, research and test reactor fuel assemblies. There are over 20,000 spent fuel assemblies now stored in different countries around the world, and by 2035 many will be returned to SRS for treatment and interim storage. Interim storage canisters at SRS will be sent to a Mined Geologic Repository for long-term geologic storage. Laboratory and plant layout of a full-scale process for irradiated fuel has been completed. Tests of the off gas absorption system have been initiated using both surrogate and irradiated RERTR mini fuel plates. An pilot-scale L-Area Experimental Facility (LEF) is planned to validate induction furnace operations, remote handling, and the off gas system for trapping volatile elements under plant operating conditions. (authors)

A comparative study of the oxidation characteristics of two gasoline fuels and an n-heptane/iso-octane surrogate mixture

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour; Nasir, Ehson F.; Es-sebbar, Et-touhami; Farooq, Aamir

2015-01-01

Ignition delay times and CO, H2O, OH and CO2 time-histories were measured behind reflected shock waves for two FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasolines and one PRF (Primary Reference Fuel) blend. The FACE gasolines chosen for this work

Long-term follow-up after cervical cancer treatment and subsequent successful surrogate pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Agorastos, T; Zafrakas, M; Mastrominas, M

2009-08-01

Preservation of fertility is a major concern for premenopausal women after diagnosis of cervical cancer. Successful surrogate pregnancy after treatment for cervical cancer has very rarely been reported. In the present report, a case of successful surrogate pregnancy after radical hysterectomy, lymphadenectomy and ovarian transposition for cervical cancer, followed by radiation therapy, is presented. After stimulation of the transposed ovaries using the short gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue protocol, four oocytes were retrieved transabdominally from the genetic mother. IVF followed and two embryos were transferred to the surrogate mother, leading to an uneventful singleton pregnancy, and ultimately normal vaginal delivery of a healthy female infant at term. The unique aspect in this case is the long-lasting favourable outcome for both genetic mother and child, observed during 8.5 years of follow-up, the longest follow-up period reported to date in such cases.

Quantitative GPCR and ion channel transcriptomics in primary alveolar macrophages and macrophage surrogates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Groot-Kormelink Paul J

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Alveolar macrophages are one of the first lines of defence against invading pathogens and play a central role in modulating both the innate and acquired immune systems. By responding to endogenous stimuli within the lung, alveolar macrophages contribute towards the regulation of the local inflammatory microenvironment, the initiation of wound healing and the pathogenesis of viral and bacterial infections. Despite the availability of protocols for isolating primary alveolar macrophages from the lung these cells remain recalcitrant to expansion in-vitro and therefore surrogate cell types, such as monocyte derived macrophages and phorbol ester-differentiated cell lines (e.g. U937, THP-1, HL60 are frequently used to model macrophage function. Methods The availability of high throughput gene expression technologies for accurate quantification of transcript levels enables the re-evaluation of these surrogate cell types for use as cellular models of the alveolar macrophage. Utilising high-throughput TaqMan arrays and focussing on dynamically regulated families of integral membrane proteins, we explore the similarities and differences in G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR and ion channel expression in alveolar macrophages and their widely used surrogates. Results The complete non-sensory GPCR and ion channel transcriptome is described for primary alveolar macrophages and macrophage surrogates. The expression of numerous GPCRs and ion channels whose expression were hitherto not described in human alveolar macrophages are compared across primary macrophages and commonly used macrophage cell models. Several membrane proteins known to have critical roles in regulating macrophage function, including CXCR6, CCR8 and TRPV4, were found to be highly expressed in macrophages but not expressed in PMA-differentiated surrogates. Conclusions The data described in this report provides insight into the appropriate choice of cell models for

How taxonomic diversity, community structure, and sample size determine the reliability of higher taxon surrogates.

Science.gov (United States)

Neeson, Thomas M; Van Rijn, Itai; Mandelik, Yael

2013-07-01

Ecologists and paleontologists often rely on higher taxon surrogates instead of complete inventories of biological diversity. Despite their intrinsic appeal, the performance of these surrogates has been markedly inconsistent across empirical studies, to the extent that there is no consensus on appropriate taxonomic resolution (i.e., whether genus- or family-level categories are more appropriate) or their overall usefulness. A framework linking the reliability of higher taxon surrogates to biogeographic setting would allow for the interpretation of previously published work and provide some needed guidance regarding the actual application of these surrogates in biodiversity assessments, conservation planning, and the interpretation of the fossil record. We developed a mathematical model to show how taxonomic diversity, community structure, and sampling effort together affect three measures of higher taxon performance: the correlation between species and higher taxon richness, the relative shapes and asymptotes of species and higher taxon accumulation curves, and the efficiency of higher taxa in a complementarity-based reserve-selection algorithm. In our model, higher taxon surrogates performed well in communities in which a few common species were most abundant, and less well in communities with many equally abundant species. Furthermore, higher taxon surrogates performed well when there was a small mean and variance in the number of species per higher taxa. We also show that empirically measured species-higher-taxon correlations can be partly spurious (i.e., a mathematical artifact), except when the species accumulation curve has reached an asymptote. This particular result is of considerable practical interest given the widespread use of rapid survey methods in biodiversity assessment and the application of higher taxon methods to taxa in which species accumulation curves rarely reach an asymptote, e.g., insects.

An Evaluation of Two Internal Surrogates for Determining the Three-Dimensional Position of Peripheral Lung Tumors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spoelstra, F.O.B.; Sornsen de Koste, van J.R.; Vincent, A.D.; Cuijpers, J.P.; Slotman, B.J.; Senan, S.

2009-01-01

Purpose: Both carina and diaphragm positions have been used as surrogates during respiratory-gated radiotherapy. We studied the correlation of both surrogates with three-dimensional (3D) tumor position. Methods and Materials: A total of 59 repeat artifact-free four-dimensional (4D) computed

Differences in behaviour and physiology between adult surrogate-reared and mother-reared Cynomolgous monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luijk, I.A.F. van; Timmermans, P.J.A.; Sweep, C.G.J.; Willems, J.; Vossen, J.M.H.

2000-01-01

Previous studies of the effects of rearing conditions on exploratory behaviour revealed that 80% of monkeys reared in peer groups with surrogate mothers developed neophobia, whereas only 15 % of mother-reared monkeys did. Young surrogate-reared and, especially, isolated rhesus monkeys are known to

Psychological trait and state characteristics, social support and attitudes to the surrogate pregnancy and baby.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Akker, Olga B A

2007-08-01

Personality differences between surrogate mothers (SMs) who gestate and relinquish and intended mothers (IMs) who commission a genetically related or unrelated baby have been unexplored in the UK. Furthermore, the psychological effects of the arrangement have not been determined in a prospective longitudinal study, making this the first quantitative report of psychological functioning in SMs and IMs. SMs and IMs (n = 81: 61 surrogate, 20 intended) undergoing genetic or gestational surrogacy (4 groups) were assessed by postal questionnaire during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Those with a positive outcome were assessed again in the first week, at 6 weeks and 6 months post-delivery of the surrogate baby. There were no significant differences between or within SM and IM groups on personality characteristics. Social support, marital harmony and state anxiety differed significantly (to P pregnancy and the baby were also observed between groups during pregnancy (to P surrogate arrangement are notable and occur over an extended period of time. It also shows that psychological screening and support prior to, during and following surrogacy is indicated.

Qualitative comparison of bremsstrahlung X-rays and 800 MeV protons for tomography of urania fuel pellets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morris, C. L.; Bourke, M.; Byler, D. D.; Chen, C. F.; Hogan, G.; Hunter, J. F.; Kwiatkowski, K.; Mariam, F. G.; McClellan, K. J.; Merrill, F.; Morley, D. J.; Saunders, A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

2013-02-15

We present an assessment of x-rays and proton tomography as tools for studying the time dependence of the development of damage in fuel rods. We also show data taken with existing facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory that support this assessment. Data on surrogate fuel rods have been taken using the 800 MeV proton radiography (pRad) facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), and with a 450 keV bremsstrahlung X-ray tomography facility. The proton radiography pRad facility at LANSCE can provide good position resolution (<70 {mu}m has been demonstrate, 20 {mu}m seems feasible with minor changes) for tomography on activated fuel rods. Bremsstrahlung x-rays may be able to provide better than 100 {mu}m resolution but further development of sources, collimation, and detectors is necessary for x-rays to deal with the background radiation for tomography of activated fuel rods.

Qualitative comparison of bremsstrahlung X-rays and 800 MeV protons for tomography of urania fuel pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, C. L.; Bourke, M.; Byler, D. D.; Chen, C. F.; Hogan, G.; Hunter, J. F.; Kwiatkowski, K.; Mariam, F. G.; McClellan, K. J.; Merrill, F.; Morley, D. J.; Saunders, A.

2013-01-01

We present an assessment of x-rays and proton tomography as tools for studying the time dependence of the development of damage in fuel rods. We also show data taken with existing facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory that support this assessment. Data on surrogate fuel rods have been taken using the 800 MeV proton radiography (pRad) facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), and with a 450 keV bremsstrahlung X-ray tomography facility. The proton radiography pRad facility at LANSCE can provide good position resolution (<70 μm has been demonstrate, 20 μm seems feasible with minor changes) for tomography on activated fuel rods. Bremsstrahlung x-rays may be able to provide better than 100 μm resolution but further development of sources, collimation, and detectors is necessary for x-rays to deal with the background radiation for tomography of activated fuel rods.

Environmental and geographic variables are effective surrogates for genetic variation in conservation planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Jeffrey O; Rhodes, Jonathan R; Riginos, Cynthia; Fuller, Richard A

2017-11-28

Protected areas buffer species from anthropogenic threats and provide places for the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity to continue. However, genetic variation, the raw material for evolution, is difficult to capture in conservation planning, not least because genetic data require considerable resources to obtain and analyze. Here we show that freely available environmental and geographic distance variables can be highly effective surrogates in conservation planning for representing adaptive and neutral intraspecific genetic variation. We obtained occurrence and genetic data from the IntraBioDiv project for 27 plant species collected over the European Alps using a gridded sampling scheme. For each species, we identified loci that were potentially under selection using outlier loci methods, and mapped their main gradients of adaptive and neutral genetic variation across the grid cells. We then used the cells as planning units to prioritize protected area acquisitions. First, we verified that the spatial patterns of environmental and geographic variation were correlated, respectively, with adaptive and neutral genetic variation. Second, we showed that these surrogates can predict the proportion of genetic variation secured in randomly generated solutions. Finally, we discovered that solutions based only on surrogate information secured substantial amounts of adaptive and neutral genetic variation. Our work paves the way for widespread integration of surrogates for genetic variation into conservation planning.

Surrogate endpoints for overall survival in digestive oncology trials: which candidates? A questionnaires survey among clinicians and methodologists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bonnetain Franck

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Overall survival (OS is the gold standard for the demonstration of a clinical benefit in cancer trials. Replacement of OS by a surrogate endpoint allows to reduce trial duration. To date, few surrogate endpoints have been validated in digestive oncology. The aim of this study was to draw up an ordered list of potential surrogate endpoints for OS in digestive cancer trials, by way of a survey among clinicians and methodologists. Secondary objective was to obtain their opinion on surrogacy and quality of life (QoL. Methods In 2007 and 2008, self administered sequential questionnaires were sent to a panel of French clinicians and methodologists involved in the conduct of cancer clinical trials. In the first questionnaire, panellists were asked to choose the most important characteristics defining a surrogate among six proposals, to give advantages and drawbacks of the surrogates, and to answer questions about their validation and use. Then they had to suggest potential surrogate endpoints for OS in each of the following tumour sites: oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, biliary tract, lymphoma, colon, rectum, and anus. They finally gave their opinion on QoL as surrogate endpoint. In the second questionnaire, they had to classify the previously proposed candidate surrogates from the most (position #1 to the least relevant in their opinion. Frequency at which the endpoints were chosen as first, second or third most relevant surrogates was calculated and served as final ranking. Results Response rate was 30% (24/80 in the first round and 20% (16/80 in the second one. Participants highlighted key points concerning surrogacy. In particular, they reminded that a surrogate endpoint is expected to predict clinical benefit in a well-defined therapeutic situation. Half of them thought it was not relevant to study QoL as surrogate for OS. DFS, in the neoadjuvant settings or early stages, and PFS, in the non operable or metastatic settings

Surrogate mothers 10 years on: A longitudinal study of psychological wellbeing and relationships with the parents and child

OpenAIRE

Jadva, Vasanti Harish; Imrie, S; Golombok, Susan Esther

2014-01-01

Study Question: How do surrogates psychological health and experiences of surrogacy change from one year to ten years following the birth of the surrogacy child? Summary answer: Surrogates’ psychological well-being did not change ten years following the birth, with the majority continuing to report good mental health andall surrogates remained positive about the surrogacy arrangement. What is known already: Studies have found that surrogates may find the weeks following the birth difficu...

Fast and Accurate Prediction of Numerical Relativity Waveforms from Binary Black Hole Coalescences Using Surrogate Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackman, Jonathan; Field, Scott E; Galley, Chad R; Szilágyi, Béla; Scheel, Mark A; Tiglio, Manuel; Hemberger, Daniel A

2015-09-18

Simulating a binary black hole coalescence by solving Einstein's equations is computationally expensive, requiring days to months of supercomputing time. Using reduced order modeling techniques, we construct an accurate surrogate model, which is evaluated in a millisecond to a second, for numerical relativity (NR) waveforms from nonspinning binary black hole coalescences with mass ratios in [1, 10] and durations corresponding to about 15 orbits before merger. We assess the model's uncertainty and show that our modeling strategy predicts NR waveforms not used for the surrogate's training with errors nearly as small as the numerical error of the NR code. Our model includes all spherical-harmonic _{-2}Y_{ℓm} waveform modes resolved by the NR code up to ℓ=8. We compare our surrogate model to effective one body waveforms from 50M_{⊙} to 300M_{⊙} for advanced LIGO detectors and find that the surrogate is always more faithful (by at least an order of magnitude in most cases).

An evaluation of culture results during treatment for tuberculosis as surrogate endpoints for treatment failure and relapse.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick P J Phillips

Full Text Available It is widely acknowledged that new regimens are urgently needed for the treatment of tuberculosis. The primary endpoint in the Phase III trials is a composite outcome of failure at the end of treatment or relapse after stopping treatment. Such trials are usually both long and expensive. Valid surrogate endpoints measured during or at the end of treatment could dramatically reduce both the time and cost of assessing the effectiveness of new regimens. The objective of this study was to evaluate sputum culture results on solid media during treatment as surrogate endpoints for poor outcome. Data were obtained from twelve randomised controlled trials conducted by the British Medical Research Council in the 1970s and 80s in East Africa and East Asia, consisting of 6974 participants and 49 different treatment regimens. The month two culture result was shown to be a poor surrogate in East Africa but a good surrogate in Hong Kong. In contrast, the month three culture was a good surrogate in trials conducted in East Africa but not in Hong Kong. As well as differences in location, ethnicity and probable strain of Mycobacteria tuberculosis, Hong Kong trials more often evaluated regimens with rifampicin throughout and intermittent regimens, and patients in East African trials more often presented with extensive cavitation and were slower to convert to culture negative during treatment. An endpoint that is a summary measure of the longitudinal profile of culture results over time or that is able to detect the presence of M. tuberculosis later in treatment is more likely to be a better endpoint for a phase II trial than a culture result at a single time point and may prove to be an acceptable surrogate. More data are needed before any endpoint can be used as a surrogate in a confirmatory phase III trial.

Development of a post-intensive care unit storytelling intervention for surrogates involved in decisions to limit life-sustaining treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenker, Yael; Dew, Mary Amanda; Reynolds, Charles F; Arnold, Robert M; Tiver, Greer A; Barnato, Amber E

2015-06-01

Surrogates involved in decisions to limit life-sustaining treatment for a loved one in the intensive care unit (ICU) are at increased risk for adverse psychological outcomes that can last for months to years after the ICU experience. Post-ICU interventions to reduce surrogate distress have not yet been developed. We sought to (1) describe a conceptual framework underlying the beneficial mental health effects of storytelling, and (2) present formative work developing a storytelling intervention to reduce distress for recently bereaved surrogates. An interdisciplinary team conceived the idea for a storytelling intervention based on evidence from narrative theory that storytelling reduces distress from traumatic events through emotional disclosure, cognitive processing, and social connection. We developed an initial storytelling guide based on this theory and the clinical perspectives of team members. We then conducted a case series with recently bereaved surrogates to iteratively test and modify the guide. The storytelling guide covered three key domains of the surrogate's experience of the patient's illness and death: antecedents, ICU experience, and aftermath. The facilitator focused on the parts of a story that appeared to generate strong emotions and used nonjudgmental statements to attend to these emotions. Between September 2012 and May 2013, we identified 28 eligible surrogates from a medical ICU and consented 20 for medical record review and recontact; 10 became eligible, of whom 6 consented and completed the storytelling intervention. The single-session storytelling intervention lasted from 40 to 92 minutes. All storytelling participants endorsed the intervention as acceptable, and five of six reported it as helpful. Surrogate storytelling is an innovative and acceptable post-ICU intervention for recently bereaved surrogates and should be evaluated further.

Accelerated Monte Carlo system reliability analysis through machine-learning-based surrogate models of network connectivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, R.E.; Song, J.; Work, D.B.

2017-01-01

The two-terminal reliability problem in system reliability analysis is known to be computationally intractable for large infrastructure graphs. Monte Carlo techniques can estimate the probability of a disconnection between two points in a network by selecting a representative sample of network component failure realizations and determining the source-terminal connectivity of each realization. To reduce the runtime required for the Monte Carlo approximation, this article proposes an approximate framework in which the connectivity check of each sample is estimated using a machine-learning-based classifier. The framework is implemented using both a support vector machine (SVM) and a logistic regression based surrogate model. Numerical experiments are performed on the California gas distribution network using the epicenter and magnitude of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake as well as randomly-generated earthquakes. It is shown that the SVM and logistic regression surrogate models are able to predict network connectivity with accuracies of 99% for both methods, and are 1–2 orders of magnitude faster than using a Monte Carlo method with an exact connectivity check. - Highlights: • Surrogate models of network connectivity are developed by machine-learning algorithms. • Developed surrogate models can reduce the runtime required for Monte Carlo simulations. • Support vector machine and logistic regressions are employed to develop surrogate models. • Numerical example of California gas distribution network demonstrate the proposed approach. • The developed models have accuracies 99%, and are 1–2 orders of magnitude faster than MCS.

Surrogacy: outcomes for surrogate mothers, children and the resulting families-a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Söderström-Anttila, Viveca; Wennerholm, Ulla-Britt; Loft, Anne; Pinborg, Anja; Aittomäki, Kristiina; Romundstad, Liv Bente; Bergh, Christina

2016-01-01

Surrogacy is a highly debated method mainly used for treating women with infertility caused by uterine factors. This systematic review summarizes current levels of knowledge of the obstetric, medical and psychological outcomes for the surrogate mothers, the intended parents and children born as a result of surrogacy. PubMed, Cochrane and Embase databases up to February 2015 were searched. Cohort studies and case series were included. Original studies published in English and the Scandinavian languages were included. In case of double publications, the latest study was included. Abstracts only and case reports were excluded. Studies with a control group and case series (more than three cases) were included. Cohort studies, but not case series, were assessed for methodological quality, in terms of risk of bias. We examined a variety of main outcomes for the surrogate mothers, children and intended mothers, including obstetric outcome, relationship between surrogate mother and intended couple, surrogate's experiences after relinquishing the child, preterm birth, low birthweight, birth defects, perinatal mortality, child psychological development, parent-child relationship, and disclosure to the child. The search returned 1795 articles of which 55 met the inclusion criteria. The medical outcome for the children was satisfactory and comparable to previous results for children conceived after fresh IVF and oocyte donation. The rate of multiple pregnancies was 2.6-75.0%. Preterm birth rate in singletons varied between 0 and 11.5% and low birthweight occurred in between 0 and 11.1% of cases. At the age of 10 years there were no major psychological differences between children born after surrogacy and children born after other types of assisted reproductive technology (ART) or after natural conception. The obstetric outcomes for the surrogate mothers were mainly reported from case series. Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy were reported in between 3.2 and 10% of cases and

Safety assessment of spent-fuel transportation in extreme environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandoval, R.P.; Weber, J.P.; Newton, G.J.

1981-01-01

Preliminary estimates of the health effects and/or consequences resulting from a malevolent attack on a spent fuel truck shipment in downtown New York City have been made. This estimate is based upon a measured quantity (0.78 +- 0.05 g) of respirable radioactive material released from a 1/4 scale event. A linear extrapolation from the 1/4 scale event to the generic full scale event has been made and an aerosolized release fraction (0.0023 percent) of the total heavy metal inventory of a three-PWR assembly truck cask has been calculated. Although scaling of the source term parameters is tentative at this point in the program, a full scale experiment is planned in 1981 to verify the scaling methodology used in these calculations. A preliminary correlation between spent fuel and surrogate fuel source terms has been shown to be feasible and that radionuclide size partitioning can be determined experimentally. Finally, it has been shown, based on our preliminary experimental source term data, that a maximum of 25 total latent cancer fatalities could occur, assuming a release in downtown New York City. This is 20 times smaller than the latent cancer fatalities predicted in the Urban Study

The Biomarker-Surrogacy Evaluation Schema: a review of the biomarker-surrogate literature and a proposal for a criterion-based, quantitative, multidimensional hierarchical levels of evidence schema for evaluating the status of biomarkers as surrogate endpoints.

Science.gov (United States)

Lassere, Marissa N

2008-06-01

There are clear advantages to using biomarkers and surrogate endpoints, but concerns about clinical and statistical validity and systematic methods to evaluate these aspects hinder their efficient application. Section 2 is a systematic, historical review of the biomarker-surrogate endpoint literature with special reference to the nomenclature, the systems of classification and statistical methods developed for their evaluation. In Section 3 an explicit, criterion-based, quantitative, multidimensional hierarchical levels of evidence schema - Biomarker-Surrogacy Evaluation Schema - is proposed to evaluate and co-ordinate the multiple dimensions (biological, epidemiological, statistical, clinical trial and risk-benefit evidence) of the biomarker clinical endpoint relationships. The schema systematically evaluates and ranks the surrogacy status of biomarkers and surrogate endpoints using defined levels of evidence. The schema incorporates the three independent domains: Study Design, Target Outcome and Statistical Evaluation. Each domain has items ranked from zero to five. An additional category called Penalties incorporates additional considerations of biological plausibility, risk-benefit and generalizability. The total score (0-15) determines the level of evidence, with Level 1 the strongest and Level 5 the weakest. The term ;surrogate' is restricted to markers attaining Levels 1 or 2 only. Surrogacy status of markers can then be directly compared within and across different areas of medicine to guide individual, trial-based or drug-development decisions. This schema would facilitate communication between clinical, researcher, regulatory, industry and consumer participants necessary for evaluation of the biomarker-surrogate-clinical endpoint relationship in their different settings.

Definitions and validation criteria for biomarkers and surrogate endpoints: development and testing of a quantitative hierarchical levels of evidence schema

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassere, Marissa N; Johnson, Kent R; Boers, Maarten

2007-01-01

endpoints, and leading indicators, a quantitative surrogate validation schema was developed and subsequently evaluated at a stakeholder workshop. RESULTS: The search identified several classification schema and definitions. Components of these were incorporated into a new quantitative surrogate validation...... of the National Institutes of Health definitions of biomarker, surrogate endpoint, and clinical endpoint was useful. CONCLUSION: Further development and application of this schema provides incentives and guidance for effective biomarker and surrogate endpoint research, and more efficient drug discovery...... are then applied if there is serious counterevidence. A total score (0 to 15) determines the level of evidence, with Level 1 the strongest and Level 5 the weakest. It was proposed that the term "surrogate" be restricted to markers attaining Levels 1 or 2 only. Most stakeholders agreed that this operationalization...

Development and pilot testing of a decision aid for surrogates of patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Christopher E.; Lewis, Carmen L.; Hanson, Laura C.; Hough, Catherine L.; Kahn, Jeremy M.; White, Douglas B.; Song, Mi-Kyung; Tulsky, James A.; Carson, Shannon S.

2013-01-01

Objective Shared decision making is inadequate in intensive care units (ICUs). Decision aids can improve decision making quality, though their role in an ICU setting is unclear. We aimed to develop and pilot test a decision aid for shared decision makers of patients undergoing prolonged mechanical ventilation. Setting ICUs at three medical centers. Subjects 53 surrogate decision makers and 58 physicians. Design and interventions We developed the decision aid using defined methodological guidelines. After an iterative revision process, formative cognitive testing was performed among surrogate-physician dyads. Next, we compared the decision aid to usual care control in a prospective, before/after design study. Measurements and main results Primary outcomes were physician-surrogate discordance for expected patient survival, comprehension of relevant medical information, and the quality of communication. Compared to control, the intervention group had lower surrogate-physician discordance (7 [10] vs 43 [21]), greater comprehension (11.4 [0.7] vs 6.1 [3.7]), and improved quality of communication (8.7 [1.3] vs 8.4 [1.3]) (all ppost-intervention. Hospital costs were lower in the intervention group ($110,609 vs $178,618; p=0.044); mortality did not differ by group (38% vs 50%, p=0.95). 94% of surrogates and 100% of physicians reported that the decision aid was useful in decision making. Conclusion We developed a prolonged mechanical ventilation decision aid that is feasible, acceptable, and associated with both improved decision making quality and less resource utilization. Further evaluation using a randomized controlled trial design is needed to evaluate the decision aid's effect on long-term patient and surrogate outcomes. PMID:22635048