Technology and At-Risk Young Readers and Their Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Blachowicz, Camille L. Z.; Bates, Ann; Berne, Jennifer; Bridgman, Teresa; Chaney, Jeanne; Perney, Jan

2009-01-01

This study examined the ways in which 18 first-grade teachers and their students in 11 high-risk urban schools began to use literacy-focused technology. The goal of the study was to observe the technology in use by the students, to observe the classroom dynamics and teachers' instructional choices centered around technology use, to look at student…

The high-risk plaque initiative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falk, Erling; Sillesen, Henrik; Muntendam, Pieter

2011-01-01

The High-Risk Plaque (HRP) Initiative is a research and development effort to advance the understanding, recognition, and management of asymptomatic individuals at risk for a near-term atherothrombotic event such as myocardial infarction or stroke. Clinical studies using the newest technologies...... have been initiated, including the BioImage Study in which novel approaches are tested in a typical health plan population. Asymptomatic at-risk individuals were enrolled, including a survey-only group (n = 865), a group undergoing traditional risk factor scoring (n = 718), and a group in which all...

Risk-based systems analysis for emerging technologies: Applications of a technology risk assessment model to public decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quadrel, M.J.; Fowler, K.M.; Cameron, R.; Treat, R.J.; McCormack, W.D.; Cruse, J.

1995-01-01

The risk-based systems analysis model was designed to establish funding priorities among competing technologies for tank waste remediation. The model addresses a gap in the Department of Energy's (DOE's) ''toolkit'' for establishing funding priorities among emerging technologies by providing disciplined risk and cost assessments of candidate technologies within the context of a complete remediation system. The model is comprised of a risk and cost assessment and a decision interface. The former assesses the potential reductions in risk and cost offered by new technology relative to the baseline risk and cost of an entire system. The latter places this critical information in context of other values articulated by decision makers and stakeholders in the DOE system. The risk assessment portion of the model is demonstrated for two candidate technologies for tank waste retrieval (arm-based mechanical retrieval -- the ''long reach arm'') and subsurface barriers (close-coupled chemical barriers). Relative changes from the base case in cost and risk are presented for these two technologies to illustrate how the model works. The model and associated software build on previous work performed for DOE's Office of Technology Development and the former Underground Storage Tank Integrated Demonstration, and complement a decision making tool presented at Waste Management 1994 for integrating technical judgements and non-technical (stakeholder) values when making technology funding decisions

Agricultural Technology, Risk, and Gender

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arndt, Channing; Tarp, Finn

2000-01-01

Interactions between agricultural technology improvements, risk-reducing behavior, and gender roles in agricultural production in Mozambique are examined. The analysis employs a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model that explicitly incorporates key features of the economy. These include......: detailed accounting of marketing margins, home consumption, risk, and gender roles in agricultural production. Our results show that agricultural technology improvements benefit both male and female occupants of rural households. Due to economic interactions, agricultural technology improvements...

Managing and understanding risk perception of surface leaks from CCS sites: risk assessment for emerging technologies and low-probability, high-consequence events

Science.gov (United States)

Augustin, C. M.

2015-12-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a partial solution to the greenhouse gas emissions problem. As CCS has become mainstream, researchers have raised multiple risk assessment issues typical of emerging technologies. In our research, we examine issues occuring when stored carbon dioxide (CO2) migrates to the near-surface or surface. We believe that both the public misperception and the physical reality of potential environmental, health, and commercial impacts of leak events from such subsurface sites have prevented widespread adoption of CCS. This paper is presented in three parts; the first is an evaluation of the systemic risk of a CCS site CO2 leak and models indicating potential likelihood of a leakage event. As the likelihood of a CCS site leak is stochastic and nonlinear, we present several Bayesian simulations for leak events based on research done with other low-probability, high-consequence gaseous pollutant releases. Though we found a large, acute leak to be exceptionally rare, we demonstrate potential for a localized, chronic leak at a CCS site. To that end, we present the second piece of this paper. Using a combination of spatio-temporal models and reaction-path models, we demonstrate the interplay between leak migrations, material interactions, and atmospheric dispersion for leaks of various duration and volume. These leak-event scenarios have implications for human, environmental, and economic health; they also have a significant impact on implementation support. Public acceptance of CCS is essential for a national low-carbon future, and this is what we address in the final part of this paper. We demonstrate that CCS remains unknown to the general public in the United States. Despite its unknown state, we provide survey findings -analyzed in Slovic and Weber's 2002 framework - that show a high unknown, high dread risk perception of leaks from a CCS site. Secondary findings are a

Concurrent and Subsequent Associations between Daily Digital Technology Use and High-Risk Adolescents' Mental Health Symptoms

Science.gov (United States)

George, Madeleine J.; Russell, Michael A.; Piontak, Joy R.; Odgers, Candice L.

2018-01-01

Adolescents are spending an unprecedented amount of time using digital technologies (especially mobile technologies), and there are concerns that adolescents' constant connectivity is associated with poor mental health, particularly among at-risk adolescents. Participants included 151 adolescents at risk for mental health problems (M[subscript…

Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Development Risk Management Framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snowberg, David [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Weber, Jochem [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-09-01

Over the past decade, the global marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) industry has suffered a number of serious technological and commercial setbacks. To help reduce the risks of industry failures and advance the development of new technologies, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed an MHK Risk Management Framework. By addressing uncertainties, the MHK Risk Management Framework increases the likelihood of successful development of an MHK technology. It covers projects of any technical readiness level (TRL) or technical performance level (TPL) and all risk types (e.g. technological risk, regulatory risk, commercial risk) over the development cycle. This framework is intended for the development and deployment of a single MHK technology—not for multiple device deployments within a plant. This risk framework is intended to meet DOE’s risk management expectations for the MHK technology research and development efforts of the Water Power Program (see Appendix A). It also provides an overview of other relevant risk management tools and documentation.1 This framework emphasizes design and risk reviews as formal gates to ensure risks are managed throughout the technology development cycle. Section 1 presents the recommended technology development cycle, Sections 2 and 3 present tools to assess the TRL and TPL of the project, respectively. Section 4 presents a risk management process with design and risk reviews for actively managing risk within the project, and Section 5 presents a detailed description of a risk registry to collect the risk management information into one living document. Section 6 presents recommendations for collecting and using lessons learned throughout the development process.

Risk calculations in the manufacturing technology selection process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Farooq, S.; O'Brien, C.

2010-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present result obtained from a developed technology selection framework and provide a detailed insight into the risk calculations and their implications in manufacturing technology selection process. Design/methodology/approach - The results illustrated...... in the paper are the outcome of an action research study that was conducted in an aerospace company. Findings - The paper highlights the role of risk calculations in manufacturing technology selection process by elaborating the contribution of risk associated with manufacturing technology alternatives...... in the shape of opportunities and threats in different decision-making environments. Practical implications - The research quantifies the risk associated with different available manufacturing technology alternatives. This quantification of risk crystallises the process of technology selection decision making...

Development of Risk Management Technology/Development of Risk-Informed Application Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Joon Eon; Kim, K. Y.; Ahn, K. I.; Lee, Y. H.; Lim, H. G.; Jung, W. S.; Choi, S. Y.; Han, S. J.; Ha, J. J.; Hwang, M. J.; Park, S. Y.; Yoon, C

2007-06-15

This project aims at developing risk-informed application technologies to enhance the safety and economy of nuclear power plant altogether. For this, the Integrated Level 1 and 2 PSA model is developed. In addition, the fire and internal flooding PSA models are improved according to the PSA standard of U.S.A. To solve the issues of domestic PSA model, the best-estimate thermal hydraulic analyses are preformed for the ATWS and LSSB. In order to reduce the uncertainty of PSA, several new PSA technologies are developed: (1) more exact quantification of large fault tree, (2) importance measure including the effects of external PSA. As feasibility studies of Option 2 and 3, the class of 6 systems' SSC are re-classified based on the risk information and the sensitivity analyses is performed for the EDG starting time, respectively. It is also improved that the methodology to identify the vital area of NPP. The research results of this project can be used in the regulatory body and the industry projects for risk-informed applications.

Development of Risk Management Technology/Development of Risk-Informed Application Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Joon Eon; Kim, K. Y.; Ahn, K. I.; Lee, Y. H.; Lim, H. G.; Jung, W. S.; Choi, S. Y.; Han, S. J.; Ha, J. J.; Hwang, M. J.; Park, S. Y.; Yoon, C.

2007-06-01

This project aims at developing risk-informed application technologies to enhance the safety and economy of nuclear power plant altogether. For this, the Integrated Level 1 and 2 PSA model is developed. In addition, the fire and internal flooding PSA models are improved according to the PSA standard of U.S.A. To solve the issues of domestic PSA model, the best-estimate thermal hydraulic analyses are preformed for the ATWS and LSSB. In order to reduce the uncertainty of PSA, several new PSA technologies are developed: (1) more exact quantification of large fault tree, (2) importance measure including the effects of external PSA. As feasibility studies of Option 2 and 3, the class of 6 systems' SSC are re-classified based on the risk information and the sensitivity analyses is performed for the EDG starting time, respectively. It is also improved that the methodology to identify the vital area of NPP. The research results of this project can be used in the regulatory body and the industry projects for risk-informed applications

Development of Integrated Assessment Technology of Risk and Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jun Eon; Kang, Dae Il; Kang, Hyun Gook

2010-04-01

The main idea and contents are summarized as below 1) Development of new risk/performance assessment system innovating old labor-intensive risk assessment structure - New consolidated risk assessment technology from various hazard(flood, fire, seismic in NPP) - BOP model development for performance monitoring - Consolidated risk/performance management system for consistency and efficiency of NPP 2) Resolution technology for pending issues in PSA - Base technology for PSA of digital I and C system - Base technology for seismic PSA reflecting domestic seismic characteristics and aging effect - Uncertainty reduction technology for level 2 PSA and best estimation of containment failure frequency 3) Next generation risk/performance assessment technology - Human-induced error reduction technology for efficient operation of a NPP

Using technology to assess and intervene with illicit drug-using persons at risk for HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Horvath, Keith J; Lammert, Sara; LeGrand, Sara; Muessig, Kathryn E; Bauermeister, José A

2017-09-01

This review describes recent literature on novel ways technology is used for assessment of illicit drug use and HIV risk behaviours, suggestions for optimizing intervention acceptability, and recently completed and ongoing technology-based interventions for drug-using persons at risk for HIV and others with high rates of drug use and HIV risk behaviour. Among studies (n = 5) comparing technology-based to traditional assessment methods, those using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) had high rates of reported drug use and high concordance with traditional assessment methods. The two recent studies assessing the acceptability of mHealth approaches overall demonstrate high interest in these approaches. Current or in-progress technology-based interventions (n = 8) are delivered using mobile apps (n = 5), text messaging (n = 2) and computers (n = 1). Most intervention studies are in progress or do not report intervention outcomes; the results from one efficacy trial showed significantly higher HIV testing rates among persons in need of drug treatment. Studies are needed to continually assess technology adoption and intervention preferences among drug-using populations to ensure that interventions are appropriately matched to users. Large-scale technology-based intervention trials to assess the efficacy of these approaches, as well as the impact of individual intervention components, on drug use and other high-risk behaviours are recommended.

The spectre of uncertainty in communicating technological risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broesius, Michael T. [Univ. of California, Livermore, CA (United States)

1993-12-01

The literature does not clearly describe the potential moral and ethical conflicts that can exist between technology sponsors and the technical communicators whose job it is to present potentially risky technology to the non-technical people most likely to be imperiled by such risk. Equally important, the literature does not address the issue of uncertainty -- not the uncertainty likely to be experienced by the community at risk, but the unreliable processes and methodologies used by technology sponsors to define, quantify, and develop strategies to mitigate technological risks. In this paper, the author goes beyond a description of risk communication, the nature of the generally predictable interaction between technology advocates and non-technically trained individuals, and current trends in the field. Although that kind of information is critical to the success of any risk communication activity, and he has included it when necessary to provide background and perspective, without knowing how and why risk assessment is done, it has limited practical applicability outside the sterile, value-free vacuum in which it is usually framed. Technical communicators, particularly those responsible for communicating potential technological risk, must also understand the social, political, economic, statistical, and ethical issues they will invariably encounter.

Use of advanced treatment technologies among men at low risk of dying from prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Bruce L; Zhang, Yun; Schroeck, Florian R; Skolarus, Ted A; Wei, John T; Montie, James E; Gilbert, Scott M; Strope, Seth A; Dunn, Rodney L; Miller, David C; Hollenbeck, Brent K

2013-06-26

The use of advanced treatment technologies (ie, intensity-modulated radiotherapy [IMRT] and robotic prostatectomy) for prostate cancer is increasing. The extent to which these advanced treatment technologies have disseminated among patients at low risk of dying from prostate cancer is uncertain. To assess the use of advanced treatment technologies, compared with prior standards (ie, traditional external beam radiation treatment [EBRT] and open radical prostatectomy) and observation, among men with a low risk of dying from prostate cancer. Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data, we identified a retrospective cohort of men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2004 and 2009 who underwent IMRT (n = 23,633), EBRT (n = 3926), robotic prostatectomy (n = 5881), open radical prostatectomy (n = 6123), or observation (n = 16,384). Follow-up data were available through December 31, 2010. The use of advanced treatment technologies among men unlikely to die from prostate cancer, as assessed by low-risk disease (clinical stage ≤T2a, biopsy Gleason score ≤6, and prostate-specific antigen level ≤10 ng/mL), high risk of noncancer mortality (based on the predicted probability of death within 10 years in the absence of a cancer diagnosis), or both. In our cohort, the use of advanced treatment technologies increased from 32% (95% CI, 30%-33%) to 44% (95% CI, 43%-46%) among men with low-risk disease (P risk of noncancer mortality (P use of these advanced treatment technologies among men with both low-risk disease and high risk of noncancer mortality increased from 25% (95% CI, 23%-28%) to 34% (95% CI, 31%-37%) (P use of advanced treatment technologies for men unlikely to die from prostate cancer increased from 13% (95% CI, 12%-14%), or 129.2 per 1000 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, to 24% (95% CI, 24%-25%), or 244.2 per 1000 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (P risk disease, high risk of noncancer mortality, or both, the use of

Spent Nuclear Fuel Alternative Technology Risk Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perella, V.F.

1999-11-29

A Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Task Team (RRTT) was chartered by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Spent Fuel Management with the responsibility to recommend a course of action leading to a final technology selection for the interim management and ultimate disposition of the foreign and domestic aluminum-based research reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF) under DOE''s jurisdiction. The RRTT evaluated eleven potential SNF management technologies and recommended that two technologies, direct co-disposal and an isotopic dilution alternative, either press and dilute or melt and dilute, be developed in parallel. Based upon that recommendation, the Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) organized the SNF Alternative Technology Program to further develop the direct co-disposal and melt and dilute technologies and provide a WSRC recommendation to DOE for a preferred SNF alternative management technology. A technology risk assessment was conducted as a first step in this recommendation process to determine if either, or both, of the technologies posed significant risks that would make them unsuitable for further development. This report provides the results of that technology risk assessment.

Spent Nuclear Fuel Alternative Technology Risk Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perella, V.F.

1999-01-01

A Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Task Team (RRTT) was chartered by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Spent Fuel Management with the responsibility to recommend a course of action leading to a final technology selection for the interim management and ultimate disposition of the foreign and domestic aluminum-based research reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF) under DOE''s jurisdiction. The RRTT evaluated eleven potential SNF management technologies and recommended that two technologies, direct co-disposal and an isotopic dilution alternative, either press and dilute or melt and dilute, be developed in parallel. Based upon that recommendation, the Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) organized the SNF Alternative Technology Program to further develop the direct co-disposal and melt and dilute technologies and provide a WSRC recommendation to DOE for a preferred SNF alternative management technology. A technology risk assessment was conducted as a first step in this recommendation process to determine if either, or both, of the technologies posed significant risks that would make them unsuitable for further development. This report provides the results of that technology risk assessment

Risk Management Technologies With Logic and Probabilistic Models

CERN Document Server

Solozhentsev, E D

2012-01-01

This book presents intellectual, innovative, information technologies (I3-technologies) based on logical and probabilistic (LP) risk models. The technologies presented here consider such models for structurally complex systems and processes with logical links and with random events in economics and technology.  The volume describes the following components of risk management technologies: LP-calculus; classes of LP-models of risk and efficiency; procedures for different classes; special software for different classes; examples of applications; methods for the estimation of probabilities of events based on expert information. Also described are a variety of training courses in these topics. The classes of risk models treated here are: LP-modeling, LP-classification, LP-efficiency, and LP-forecasting. Particular attention is paid to LP-models of risk of failure to resolve difficult economic and technical problems. Amongst the  discussed  procedures of I3-technologies  are the construction of  LP-models,...

Enacting Risk in Independent Technological Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berglund, Henrik; Hellström, Tomas

2002-01-01

The present study aims at investigating the role of risk in the activity of independent technological venturing. Altogether, 12 deep-interviews were conducted with technological entrepreneurs, who had taken part in the inventive, developmental and the commercialisation phases of a technology......-based innovation process. The interviews revealed a number of enactment approaches through which these innovators encountered and affected (dealt with or transformed) risk within the innovation process. Factors thus developed from the empirical material included human capital, pace and priority, the world moves...... for the benefit of innovation management....

Risk - interface between law and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

Due to the rapid developments of technology, the subject of this congress has received central significance. It basically deals with the question of how advantages created by technology can be utilized by simultaneously avoiding any possible disadvantages that may arise from them. In the first part of this meeting, engineers present their considerations concerning risk assessment and risk comparisons, while the second part deals with the significance of scientific standardization. The third part elaborates on the evaluation of technical risks from the legal point of view. (orig./HP) [de

Got risk? risk-centric perspective for spacecraft technology decision-making

Science.gov (United States)

Feather, Martin S.; Cornford, Steven L.; Moran, Kelly

2004-01-01

A risk-based decision-making methodology conceived and developed at JPL and NASA has been used to aid in decision making for spacecraft technology assessment, adoption, development and operation. It takes a risk-centric perspective, through which risks are used as a reasoning step to interpose between mission objectives and risk mitigation measures.

Interest in use of mHealth technology in HIV prevention and associated factors among high-risk drug users enrolled in methadone maintenance program.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrestha, Roman; Karki, Pramila; Copenhaver, Michael

2017-09-01

The adoption of mobile technologies for health (mHealth) in healthcare has grown considerably in recent years, but systematic assessment of interest in the use of mHealth in HIV prevention efforts among people who use drugs (PWUD) is lacking. We therefore examined interest in use of mHealth technology in HIV prevention and associated individual-level factors among high-risk PWUD enrolled in methadone maintenance program. A total of 400 HIV-negative PWUD, who reported drug- and/or sex-related risk behaviors completed a standardized assessment using audio computer assisted self-interview (ACASI). Results revealed significant interest in using mHealth-based approaches for specific purposes, including: to receive medication reminders (72.3%), to receive information about HIV risk reduction (65.8%), and to assess HIV risk behaviors (76.5%). Multivariate analysis showed that interest in receiving medication reminders was associated with currently taking medication and being neurocognitively impaired, whereas interest in receiving HIV-risk reduction information was associated with being non-white, married, and perceiving the person was at high-risk for contracting HIV. Similarly, participants' interested in using mHealth for HIV risk behavior assessment was associated with having recently visited a healthcare provider and exhibiting depressive symptoms. Overall, this study demonstrated that high-risk PWUD are interested in using mHealth-based tools as a key part of an HIV prevention approach within a common type of drug treatment settings. Thus, formative research on preferences for design and functionality of mHealth-based HIV prevention tools are now needed, followed by practical development, implementation, and evaluation of these new intervention strategies.

Information technologies for taking into account risks in business development programme

Science.gov (United States)

Kalach, A. V.; Khasianov, R. R.; Rossikhina, L. V.; Zybin, D. G.; Melnik, A. A.

2018-05-01

The paper describes the information technologies for taking into account risks in business development programme, which rely on the algorithm for assessment of programme project risks and the algorithm of programme forming with constrained financing of high-risk projects taken into account. A method of lower-bound estimate is suggested for subsets of solutions. The corresponding theorem and lemma and their proofs are given.

The Performativity of Risk Management Frameworks and Technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neerup Themsen, Tim; Skærbæk, Peter

2018-01-01

This article examines the long-term dynamics among a best-practice risk management framework, risk management technologies and the translation of uncertainties into risks by using a longitudinal case study of a large mega-project. We show that the framework and technologies through the visual power...... of impure risks challenges the predictions of the framework causing a false sense of security for the project objectives, and that the continuous readjustment of technologies, in particular, is necessary to ensure the long-term realisation of these predictions. Finally, this article contributes...... of inscriptions and the purifying work of risk consultants as experts establish the boundaries of the forms of uncertainties that are accepted and included as risks. We term the accepted and included risks ‘pure risks’ and the risks excluded after disagreement ‘impure risks’. We also show that the construction...

Natural-technological risk assessment and management

Science.gov (United States)

Burova, Valentina; Frolova, Nina

2016-04-01

EM-DAT statistical data on human impact and economic damages in the 1st semester 2015 are the highest since 2011: 41% of disasters were floods, responsible for 39% of economic damage and 7% of events were earthquakes responsible for 59% of total death toll. This suggests that disaster risk assessment and management still need to be improved and stay the principle issue in national and international related programs. The paper investigates the risk assessment and management practice in the Russian Federation at different levels. The method is proposed to identify the territories characterized by integrated natural-technological hazard. The maps of the Russian Federation zoning according to the integrated natural-technological hazard level are presented, as well as the procedure of updating the integrated hazard level taking into account the activity of separate processes. Special attention is paid to data bases on past natural and technological processes consequences, which are used for verification of current hazard estimation. The examples of natural-technological risk zoning for the country and some regions territory are presented. Different output risk indexes: both social and economic, are estimated taking into account requirements of end-users. In order to increase the safety of population of the Russian Federation the trans-boundaries hazards are also taken into account.

Managing information technology security risk

Science.gov (United States)

Gilliam, David

2003-01-01

Information Technology (IT) Security Risk Management is a critical task for the organization to protect against the loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability of IT resources. As systems bgecome more complex and diverse and and attacks from intrusions and malicious content increase, it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage IT security risk. This paper describes a two-pronged approach in addressing IT security risk and risk management in the organization: 1) an institutional enterprise appraoch, and 2) a project life cycle approach.

Affect and Acceptability: Exploring Teachers' Technology-Related Risk Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Sarah K.

2011-01-01

Educational change, such as technology integration, involves risk. Teachers are encouraged to "take risks", but what risks they are asked to take and how do they perceive these risks? Developing an understanding of teachers' technology-related risk perceptions can help explain their choices and behaviours. This paper presents a way to…

Benefits and risks of smart home technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, Charlie; Hargreaves, Tom; Hauxwell-Baldwin, Richard

2017-01-01

Smart homes are a priority area of strategic energy planning and national policy. The market adoption of smart home technologies (SHTs) relies on prospective users perceiving clear benefits with acceptable levels of risk. This paper characterises the perceived benefits and risks of SHTs from multiple perspectives. A representative national survey of UK homeowners (n=1025) finds prospective users have positive perceptions of the multiple functionality of SHTs including energy management. Ceding autonomy and independence in the home for increased technological control are the main perceived risks. An additional survey of actual SHT users (n=42) participating in a smart home field trial identifies the key role of early adopters in lowering perceived SHT risks for the mass market. Content analysis of SHT marketing material (n=62) finds the SHT industry are insufficiently emphasising measures to build consumer confidence on data security and privacy. Policymakers can play an important role in mitigating perceived risks, and supporting the energy-management potential of a smart-home future. Policy measures to support SHT market development include design and operating standards, guidelines on data and privacy, quality control, and in situ research programmes. Policy experiences with domestic energy efficiency technologies and with national smart meter roll-outs offer useful precedents. - Highlights: • Representative national survey of prospective smart home users. • Comparative analysis of three datasets to analyse perceived benefits and risks of smart home technologies. • Distinctive characteristics identified of early adopters who seed market growth. • Comparison of user perceptions with industry marketing. • Detailed policy recommendations to support energy benefits of smart home technologies.

Problems in the communication of technological risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiedemann, P.M.; Hennen, L.

1989-01-01

The authors discuss the problems in the communication of technological risks. They show that - contrary to a current popular belief - acceptance problems are not attributable to information deficits: such problems are caused rather by the fact that risks are perceived differently by the various groups in science, industry, politics and the larger public. Nevertheless, improved information about technology may help to find acceptable compromises and, thus, to prevent social conflicts to erupt over technology and to geopardize the basic political consensus. (orig.) [de

Technology development risk assessment and mixed interests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borrelli, G.; Sartori, S.

1992-05-01

The main purpose of this work is to demonstrate by means of a critical analysis of the state-of-the-art in technological and environmental risk analysis and decision making, that risk and environmental management decisions involve heterogeneous groups of social actors, each representing conflicting interests. It is argued that risk analyses should therefore be based on social interaction and communication paradigma, as well as, on a new rational way of thinking concerning the optimum choice of suitable technological development strategies leading towards a publicly acceptable balance between national energy-economic strategic necessities and social and individual perception of risk

Improving Operational Risk Management Using Business Performance Management Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bram Pieket Weeserik

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Operational Risk Management (ORM comprises the continuous management of risks resulting from: human actions, internal processes, systems, and external events. With increasing requirements, complexity and a growing volume of risks, information systems provide benefits for integrating risk management activities and optimizing performance. Business Performance Management (BPM technologies are believed to provide a solution for effective Operational Risk Management by offering several combined technologies including: work flow, data warehousing, (advanced analytics, reporting and dashboards. BPM technologies can be integrated with an organization’s Planning & Control cycle and related to strategic objectives. This manuscript aims to show how ORM can benefit from BPM technologies via the development and practical validation of a new maturity model. The B4ORM maturity model was developed following the Design Science Research approach. The maturity model relates specific maturity levels of ORM processes with BPM technologies applicable for a specific maturity stage. There appears to be a strong relationship (0.78 with ORM process maturity and supporting BPM technologies. The B4ORM maturity model as described in this manuscript provides an ideal path of BPM technologies related to six distinctive stages of ORM, leading towards technologies suitable for continuous improvement of ORM processes and organization-wide integration.

Quantification of Technology Innovation Usinga Risk-Based Framework

OpenAIRE

Gerard E. Sleefe

2010-01-01

There is significant interest in achieving technology innovation through new product development activities. It is recognized, however, that traditional project management practices focused only on performance, cost, and schedule attributes, can often lead to risk mitigation strategies that limit new technology innovation. In this paper, a new approach is proposed for formally managing and quantifying technology innovation. This approach uses a risk-based framework that s...

Respect for autonomy and technological risks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Asveld, L.

2008-01-01

Technological developments can undermine the autonomy of the individual. Autonomy is one's ability to make and act upon decisions according to one's own moral framework. Respect for autonomy dictates that risks should not be imposed on the individual without her consent. Technological developments

Identification of risk factors of computer information technologies in education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hrebniak M.P.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The basic direction of development of secondary school and vocational training is computer training of schoolchildren and students, including distance forms of education and widespread usage of world information systems. The purpose of the work is to determine risk factors for schoolchildren and students, when using modern information and computer technologies. Results of researches allowed to establish dynamics of formation of skills using computer information technologies in education and characteristics of mental ability among schoolchildren and students during training in high school. Common risk factors, while operating CIT, are: intensification and formalization of intellectual activity, adverse ergonomic parameters, unfavorable working posture, excess of hygiene standards by chemical and physical characteristics. The priority preventive directions in applying computer information technology in education are: improvement of optimal visual parameters of activity, rationalization of ergonomic parameters, minimizing of adverse effects of chemical and physical conditions, rationalization of work and rest activity.

The risk of nuclear power in Germany compared with the risk other electricity generating technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preiss, P.; Wissel, S.; Fahl, U.; Friedrich, R.; Voss, A.

2013-01-01

The report shows that no electricity generation technology is without risk and without environmental impact. Taking into account the quantifiable risks of loss expenses in case of accidents the study shows that the health hazards and economical risk are by trend about equal for nuclear power and renewable energy sources. The study is based on the statement that the severe accident in Fukushima-Daiichi cannot be ascribed to so-called remaining risk since the NPP was not designed for tsunamis of the size that occurred in 2011 although this size was of high probability and that the calculated very low probabilities for severe accidents in German nuclear power plants correspond to the reality.

Technological risks and social conflicts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conrad, J.; Krebsbach-Gnath, C.

1980-12-01

Research on acceptance, perception and assessment of risks clearly shows that perception of risk by the public is based more on subjective assessments than on scientifically objective risk values. Risk perception by the public is influenced by a number of factors. Risk is still a central point in the conflict and always plays a major role in the opposition toward dangerous technologies. Risk forms the thematic focus for the controversy. The development of the actual conflict, the positions, interests, adaptation problems and processes of the various societal institutions, the conditions, prospects, and forms of antinuclear protest and the subjects and structures, symmetries and changes of argument in the public discussion on nuclear energy are analyzed and represented in detail in this report. (orig./HSCH) [de

Nanotechnology risk perceptions and communication: emerging technologies, emerging challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Pidgeon, Nick; Harthorn, Barbara; Satterfield, Terre

2011-11-01

Nanotechnology involves the fabrication, manipulation, and control of materials at the atomic level and may also bring novel uncertainties and risks. Potential parallels with other controversial technologies mean there is a need to develop a comprehensive understanding of processes of public perception of nanotechnology uncertainties, risks, and benefits, alongside related communication issues. Study of perceptions, at so early a stage in the development trajectory of a technology, is probably unique in the risk perception and communication field. As such it also brings new methodological and conceptual challenges. These include: dealing with the inherent diversity of the nanotechnology field itself; the unfamiliar and intangible nature of the concept, with few analogies to anchor mental models or risk perceptions; and the ethical and value questions underlying many nanotechnology debates. Utilizing the lens of social amplification of risk, and drawing upon the various contributions to this special issue of Risk Analysis on Nanotechnology Risk Perceptions and Communication, nanotechnology may at present be an attenuated hazard. The generic idea of "upstream public engagement" for emerging technologies such as nanotechnology is also discussed, alongside its importance for future work with emerging technologies in the risk communication field. © 2011 Society for Risk Analysis.

Engaging At-Risk Students with Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Duttweiler, Patricia Cloud

1992-01-01

Educational technology can be used to engage students in interesting activities through which teachers can present skills, concepts, and problems to be solved. At-risk students benefit from the investigation of relevant real world problems and the immediate feedback and privacy that technology affords. (EA)

Implications of Fuzziness for the Practical Management of High-Stakes Risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Jablonowski

2010-04-01

Full Text Available High-stakes (dangerous, catastrophic risks take on a wider profile as progress unfolds. What are the impacts of technological and social change on the risk landscape? Due to the complexities and dynamics involved, we can only answer these questions approximately. By using the concept of fuzziness, we can formalize our imprecision about high-stakes risk, and therefore place their management on a stronger footing. We review here the impacts of fuzziness, i.e., knowledge imperfection, on high-stakes risk management, including its implementation via computationally intelligent decision aids.

Dealing with uncertainty and pursuing superior technology options in risk management-The inherency risk analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helland, Aasgeir

2009-01-01

Current regulatory systems focus on the state of scientific evidence as the predominant factor for how to handle risks to human health and the environment. However, production and assessment of risk information are costly and time-consuming, and firms have an intrinsic disincentive to produce and distribute information about risks of their products as this could endanger their production opportunities and sales. An emphasis on more or better science may result in insufficient thought and attention going into the exploration of technology alternatives, and that risk management policies miss out on the possible achievement of a more favorable set of consequences. In this article, a method is proposed that combines risk assessment with the search for alternative technological options as a part of the risk management procedure. The method proposed is the inherency risk analysis where the first stage focuses on the original agent subject to investigation, the second stage focuses on identifying technological options whereas the third stage reviews the different alternatives, searching for the most attractive tradeoffs between costs and inherent safety. This is then used as a fundament for deciding which technology option to pursue. This method aims at providing a solution-focused, systematic technology-based approach for addressing and setting priorities for environmental problems. By combining risk assessment with a structured approach to identify superior technology options within a risk management system, the result could very well be a win-win situation for both company and the environment.

Physics and high technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao Liqin; Ma Junru.

1992-01-01

At present, the development of high technology has opened a new chapter in world's history of science and technology. This review describes the great impact of physics on high technology in six different fields (energy technology, new materials, information technology, biotechnology, space technology, and Ocean technology). It is shown that the new concepts and new methods created in physics and the special conditions and measurements established for physics researches not only deepen human's knowledge about nature but also point out new directions for engineering and technology. The achievements in physics have been more and more applied to high technology, while the development of high technology has explored some new research areas and raised many novel, important projects for physics. Therefore, it is important for us to strengthen the research on these major problems in physics

The role of new technologies in risks from natural hazards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, J.S.

1982-01-01

The author places some prior natural hazards research into the context of risk from new technologies to show that some beneficial technologies increase the risk from natural hazards. He examines the role of new technologies in risks from natural hazards in a historical perspective, using examples from research on mountain hazards

effectiveness of technological options for minimising production risks

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ACSS

preferred technologies in reducing production risk related to climate variability in Eastern Uganda. Data for this study were ..... Set of technological options employed by farmers to reduce climate-induced production risk. Dummy = 1 if farmer. 0.71. 0.46 ..... cation exchange capacity for holding nutrients against leaching loss.

Technology and Risk Sciences Program. FY99 Annual Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regens, James L.

2000-01-01

In making the transition from weapons production to environmental restoration, DOE has found that it needs to develop reliable means of defining and understanding health and environmental risks and of selecting cost-efficient environmental management technologies so that cleanup activities can be appropriately directed. Through the Technology and Risk Sciences Project, the Entergy Spatial Analysis Research Laboratory attempts to provide DOE with products that incorporate spatial analysis techniques in the risk assessment, communication, and management processes; design and evaluate methods for evaluating innovative environmental technologies; and collaborate and access technical information on risk assessment methodologies, including multimedia modeling and environmental technologies in Russia and the Ukraine, while in addition training and developing the skills of the next generation of scientists and environmental professionals

Technology and Risk Sciences Program. FY99 Annual Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Regens, James L.

2000-01-01

In making the transition from weapons production to environmental restoration, DOE has found that it needs to develop reliable means of defining and understanding health and environmental risks and of selecting cost-efficient environmental management technologies so that cleanup activities can be appropriately directed. Through the Technology and Risk Sciences Project, the Entergy Spatial Analysis Research Laboratory attempts to provide DOE with products that incorporate spatial analysis techniques in the risk assessment, communication, and management processes; design and evaluate methods for evaluating innovative environmental technologies; and collaborate and access technical information on risk assessment methodologies, including multimedia modeling and environmental technologies in Russia and the Ukraine, while in addition training and developing the skills of the next generation of scientists and environmental professionals.

The systematic risk study in technology companies at Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcio Marcelo Belli

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This work tested if brasilian technology companies has a greater systematic risk than traditional companies in Brazil. For to achieve tje purpose, two companies samples , one of technology companies and the other of traditional companies, were composed. The tecnique employed was a multiple regression analysis considering a dichotomous variable wich represents the technological factor and another numerical variable wich represents the intangibility degree of  companies. As a dependent variable was considered the CAPM systematic risk. The results indicated that technology companies have a greater systematic risk than traditional companies regardless of the degree of intangibility.

2017 Emerging Technology Domains Risk Survey

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

REV-03.18.2016.0 2017 Emerging Technology Domains Risk Survey Daniel Klinedinst Joel Land Kyle O’Meara October 2017 TECHNICAL REPORT CMU/SEI...Distribution Statement A: Approved for Public Release. Distribution is Unlimited. List of Tables Table 1: New and Emerging Technologies 2 Table 2: Security...Impact of New and Emerging Technologies 4 Table 3: Severity Classifications and Impact Scores 5 CMU/SEI-2017-TR-008 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

The Risk Management in New Technology Deployment to Nuclear Power Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Kil Young; Roh, Myung Sub [KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

This paper figures out that it is required to build the structured and integrated risk management system in enterprise level. By means of it, the accumulated data and experience of work can be shared and transferred effectively among workers, and consequently design mistake or error can be reduced. It has been requested to upgrade and replace equipment in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with new technology because of obsolescence and spare parts issues, and demands for higher performance. The processes for the new technology deployment to NPP, however, may have risks causing the unpredictable outcomes leading to the degradation of performance or operation. Therefore, the proper risk management is essential for ensuring safety and performance of NPP since it provides means to identify risks and minimizing their impacts. For these reason, this paper aims at investigating how the risk is managed and presents the proper risk management in project for the deployment of new technology to NPP. This paper investigated how the risk is managed in the NPP industry. Risk is perceived as a negative term that brings negative impact on project objectives. 10 key risks are identified and classified as high risk on cost, time, scope, or quality in compliance with the criteria seeking 'Safety First'. Design mistake or error' can significantly influence three project objectives while the rest risks can significantly influence one or two project objectives. However, it is also found that there are neither structured ways nor a systematical approach to perform the proper risk management. As a result, risk management such as identification, assessment, and response is mostly performed in the individual level laying much weight on experience since the most common methods are past experience and review of similar case.

The Risk Management in New Technology Deployment to Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Kil Young; Roh, Myung Sub

2013-01-01

This paper figures out that it is required to build the structured and integrated risk management system in enterprise level. By means of it, the accumulated data and experience of work can be shared and transferred effectively among workers, and consequently design mistake or error can be reduced. It has been requested to upgrade and replace equipment in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with new technology because of obsolescence and spare parts issues, and demands for higher performance. The processes for the new technology deployment to NPP, however, may have risks causing the unpredictable outcomes leading to the degradation of performance or operation. Therefore, the proper risk management is essential for ensuring safety and performance of NPP since it provides means to identify risks and minimizing their impacts. For these reason, this paper aims at investigating how the risk is managed and presents the proper risk management in project for the deployment of new technology to NPP. This paper investigated how the risk is managed in the NPP industry. Risk is perceived as a negative term that brings negative impact on project objectives. 10 key risks are identified and classified as high risk on cost, time, scope, or quality in compliance with the criteria seeking 'Safety First'. Design mistake or error' can significantly influence three project objectives while the rest risks can significantly influence one or two project objectives. However, it is also found that there are neither structured ways nor a systematical approach to perform the proper risk management. As a result, risk management such as identification, assessment, and response is mostly performed in the individual level laying much weight on experience since the most common methods are past experience and review of similar case

Incorporating the Technology Roadmap Uncertainties into the Project Risk Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonnema, B.E.

2002-01-01

This paper describes two methods, Technology Roadmapping and Project Risk Assessment, which were used to identify and manage the technical risks relating to the treatment of sodium bearing waste at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The waste treatment technology under consideration was Direct Vitrification. The primary objective of the Technology Roadmap is to identify technical data uncertainties for the technologies involved and to prioritize the testing or development studies to fill the data gaps. Similarly, project management's objective for a multi-million dollar construction project includes managing all the key risks in accordance to DOE O 413.3 - ''Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets.'' In the early stages, the Project Risk Assessment is based upon a qualitative analysis for each risk's probability and consequence. In order to clearly prioritize the work to resolve the technical issues identified in the Technology Roadmap, the issues must be cross- referenced to the project's Risk Assessment. This will enable the project to get the best value for the cost to mitigate the risks

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high risk for surgical complications: summary assessment of the California Technology Assessment Forum.

Science.gov (United States)

Tice, Jeffrey A; Sellke, Frank W; Schaff, Hartzell V

2014-08-01

The California Technology Assessment Forum is dedicated to assessment and public reporting of syntheses of available data on medical technologies. In this assessment, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was evaluated for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are at high risk for complications. In this assessment, 5 criteria were used: Regulatory approval, sufficient scientific evidence to allow conclusions on effectiveness, evidence that the technology improves net health outcomes, evidence that the technology is as beneficial as established methods, and availability of the technology outside investigational settings. In this assessment, all 5 criteria were judged to have been met. The primary benefit of TAVR is the ability to treat AS in patients who would otherwise be ineligible for surgical aortic valve replacement. It may also be useful for patients at high surgical risk by potentially reducing periprocedural complications and avoiding the morbidity and recovery from undergoing heart surgery. Potential harms include the need for conversion to an open procedure, perioperative death, myocardial infarction, stroke, bleeding, valve embolization, aortic regurgitation, heart block that requires a permanent pacemaker, renal failure, pulmonary failure, and major vascular complications such as cardiac perforation or arterial dissection. Potential long-term harms include death, stroke, valve failure or clotting, and endocarditis. As highlighted at the February 2012 California Technology Assessment Forum meeting, the dispersion of this technology to new centers across the United States must proceed with careful thought given to training and proctoring multidisciplinary teams to become new centers of excellence. TAVR is a potentially lifesaving procedure that may improve quality of life for patients at high risk for surgical AVR. However, attention needs to be paid to appropriate patient selection, their preoperative evaluation, surgical techniques, and

Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

Industrial production in high-wage countries like Germany is still at risk. Yet, there are many counter-examples in which producing companies dominate their competitors by not only compensating for their specific disadvantages in terms of factor costs (e.g. wages, energy, duties and taxes) but rather by minimising waste using synchronising integrativity as well as by obtaining superior adaptivity on alternating conditions. In order to respond to the issue of economic sustainability of industrial production in high-wage countries, the leading production engineering and material research scientists of RWTH Aachen University together with renowned companies have established the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries”. This compendium comprises the cluster’s scientific results as well as a selection of business and technology cases, in which these results have been successfully implemented into industrial practice in close cooperation with more than 30 companies of ...

Risk-based systems analysis of emerging high-level waste tank remediation technologies. Volume 2: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, B.B.; Cameron, R.J.; McCormack, W.D.

1994-08-01

The objective of DOE's Radioactive Waste Tank Remediation Technology Focus Area is to identify and develop new technologies that will reduce the risk and/or cost of remediating DOE underground waste storage tanks and tank contents. There are, however, many more technology investment opportunities than the current budget can support. Current technology development selection methods evaluate new technologies in isolation from other components of an overall tank waste remediation system. This report describes a System Analysis Model developed under the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD) Underground Storage Tank-Integrated Demonstration (UST-ID) program. The report identifies the project objectives and provides a description of the model. Development of the first ''demonstration'' version of this model and a trial application have been completed and the results are presented. This model will continue to evolve as it undergoes additional user review and testing

Risk-based systems analysis of emerging high-level waste tank remediation technologies. Volume 2: Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peters, B.B.; Cameron, R.J.; McCormack, W.D. [Enserch Environmental Corp., Richland, WA (United States)

1994-08-01

The objective of DOE`s Radioactive Waste Tank Remediation Technology Focus Area is to identify and develop new technologies that will reduce the risk and/or cost of remediating DOE underground waste storage tanks and tank contents. There are, however, many more technology investment opportunities than the current budget can support. Current technology development selection methods evaluate new technologies in isolation from other components of an overall tank waste remediation system. This report describes a System Analysis Model developed under the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD) Underground Storage Tank-Integrated Demonstration (UST-ID) program. The report identifies the project objectives and provides a description of the model. Development of the first ``demonstration`` version of this model and a trial application have been completed and the results are presented. This model will continue to evolve as it undergoes additional user review and testing.

Health risks of energy technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travis, C.C.; Etnier, E.L.

1983-01-01

This volume examines occupational, public health, and environmental risks of the coal fuel cycle, the nuclear fuel cycle, and unconventional energy technologies. The 6 chapters explore in detail the relationship between energy economics and risk analysis, assess the problems of applying traditional cost-benefit analysis to long-term environmental problems (such as global carbon dioxide levels), and consider questions about the public's perception and acceptance of risk. Also included is an examination of the global risks associated with current and proposed levels of energy production and comsumption from all major sources. A separate abstract was prepared for each of the 6 chapters; all are included in Energy Abstracts for Policy Analysis (EAPA) and four in Energy Research Abstracts

The risks of technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauptmanns, U.; Werner, W.; Herttrich, M.

1987-01-01

The book presents a complete survey of the methods and procedures applied for risk assessment, referring in particular to the field of nuclear engineering, but dealing also with risk assessment in the sector of the chemical industry and of the power industry, comparing the risks of various technologies for energy production. The material presented shows that a risk assessment study requires information and knowledge from a great variety of subject fields, evaluating and merging the information collected into a complete survey being the main task of risk assessment. It also becomes clear that despite the strong commitment to research in this field, there still remain unresolved problems and phenomena, so that risk assessment bears a certain degree of uncertainty. The results and the mutual connections are represented in words only, so that the reader can do without mathematical knowledge. Many studies and their results are presented, and their explanation in the overall framework allows insight into the connections and an evaluation of usefulness. The status report on risk assessment prepared in August 1984 by the GRS (Society for Reactor Safety) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, has been taken as a basis for this book which consists of many individual contributions. (orig./HP) With 45 figs [de

Sources, behaviour, and environmental and human health risks of high-technology rare earth elements as emerging contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Gwenzi, Willis; Mangori, Lynda; Danha, Concilia; Chaukura, Nhamo; Dunjana, Nothando; Sanganyado, Edmond

2018-04-26

Recent studies show that high-technology rare earth elements (REEs) of anthropogenic origin occur in the environment including in aquatic systems, suggesting REEs are contaminants of emerging concern. However, compared to organic contaminants, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews on the anthropogenic sources, environmental behaviour, and public and ecological health risks of REEs. The current review aims to: (1) identify anthropogenic sources, transfer mechanisms, and environmental behaviour of REEs; (2) highlight the human and ecological health risks of REEs and propose mitigation measures; and (3) identify knowledge gaps and future research directions. Out of the 17 REEs, La, Gd, Ce and Eu are the most studied. The main sources of anthropogenic REE include; medical facilities, petroleum refining, mining and technology industries, fertilizers, livestock feeds, and electronic wastes and recycling plants. REEs are mobilized and transported in the environment by hydrological and wind-driven processes. Ecotoxicological effects include reduced plant growth, function and nutritional quality, genotoxicity and neurotoxicity in animals, trophic bioaccumulation, chronic and acute toxicities in soil organisms. Human exposure to REEs occurs via ingestion of contaminated water and food, inhalation, and direct intake during medical administration. REEs have been detected in human hair, nails, and biofluids. In humans, REEs cause nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and severe damage to nephrological systems associated with Gd-based contrast agents, dysfunctional neurological disorder, fibrotic tissue injury, oxidative stress, pneumoconiosis, cytotoxicity, anti-testicular effects, and male sterility. Barring REEs in medical devices, epidemiological evidence directly linking REEs in the environment to human health conditions remains weak. To minimize health risks, a conceptual framework and possible mitigation measures are highlighted. Future research is needed to better understand

Health risks in perspective: Judging health risks of energy technologies. Revision 5/94

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowe, M.D.

1992-09-01

The purpose of this report is to provide perspective on the various risks to which man is routinely exposed. It serves as a basis for understanding the meaning of quantitative risk estimates and for comparing new or newly-discovered risks with other, better-understood risks. Specific emphasis is placed on health risks of energy technologies. This report is not a risk assessment; nor does it contain instructions on how to do a risk assessment. Rather, it provides background information on how most of us think about risks and why it is difficult to do it rationally, it provides a philosophy and data with which to do a better job of judging risks more rationally, and it provides an overview of where risks of energy technologies fit within the spectrum of all risks. Much of the quantitative information provided here is on relative risk of dying of various causes. This is not because risk of dying is seen as the most important kind of risk, but because the statistics on mortality rates by cause are the highest quality data available on health risks in the general population.

BBN-Based Portfolio Risk Assessment for NASA Technology R&D Outcome

Science.gov (United States)

Geuther, Steven C.; Shih, Ann T.

2016-01-01

The NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) vision falls into six strategic thrusts that are aimed to support the challenges of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). In order to achieve the goals of the ARMD vision, the Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) is committed to developing and delivering new technologies. To meet the dual challenges of constrained resources and timely technology delivery, program portfolio risk assessment is critical for communication and decision-making. This paper describes how Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) is applied to assess the probability of a technology meeting the expected outcome. The network takes into account the different risk factors of technology development and implementation phases. The use of BBNs allows for all technologies of projects in a program portfolio to be separately examined and compared. In addition, the technology interaction effects are modeled through the application of object-oriented BBNs. The paper discusses the development of simplified project risk BBNs and presents various risk results. The results presented include the probability of project risks not meeting success criteria, the risk drivers under uncertainty via sensitivity analysis, and what-if analysis. Finally, the paper shows how program portfolio risk can be assessed using risk results from BBNs of projects in the portfolio.

Technological risks and social conflicts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conrad, J.; Krebsbach-Gnath, C.

1980-12-01

This volume of materials is part of the report on 'Technological risks and social conflicts. Political risk strategies in the field of nuclear power'. The interested reader who wants to deepen his knowledge on the results and reasoning of the main report, will here find detailed explanations and brief drafts of subprojects; fundamental aspects of problems are presented in detail, and theoretical-conceptional, methodological and scientific-political points of view are explained. Furthermore it contains general reflections on the application-oriented research by order, a review of the status of risk research, historical considerations on the nuclear energy conflict, and finally explanations are attempted for the nuclear energy conflict. (orig./HSCH) [de

Determination and acceptance of the risks of technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jungermann, H.

1982-01-01

As a consequence of the problems posed by modern technologies (e.g. nuclear power), a new discipline 'risk assessment' has developed over the last decade. The paper describes, first, some studies on determinants of perceived risk, e.g. frequency of accidents, catastrophic potential, voluntariness, dreadfulness, and controllability. Cognitive factors which help explaining research findings include availability, overconfidence, and perceptual set. Secondly, studies on the acceptability of risk are presented in which the focus is on the relation between perceived risk and perceived benefit. Following this, a brief outline of methods is given that have been suggested for determining the acceptability of risk (revealed preferences, expressed preferences, cost-benefit analysis, and decision analysis). Finally, the impact of the development of risky technologies and of risk research is discussed as it is evidenced in the controversies that have emerged within the scientific community, between science and politics, and between science and the public. (orig./HSCH) [de

Low-technology assisted reproduction and the risk of preterm birth in a hospital-based cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Messerlian, Carmen; Platt, Robert W; Tan, Seang-Lin; Gagnon, Robert; Basso, Olga

2015-01-01

To estimate the risk of preterm birth in singleton infants conceived through low-technology assisted reproduction (intrauterine insemination and/or ovulation induction/stimulation). Hospital-based cohort study. University-affiliated hospital. Singleton babies born between 2001 and 2007 to 16,712 couples with no reported infertility (reference category), 378 babies conceived with low-technology treatment; 437 conceived with high-technology treatment; and 620 conceived naturally after a period of infertility. None. Treatment data were obtained from couples undergoing standard infertility investigation and care. Preterm birth, defined at three clinical endpoints: assisted reproduction appeared to be a moderately strong predictor of preterm birth, with similar associations observed in the high-technology treatment group. After adjusting for confounders, as well as the shared characteristics of infertile couples, associations were attenuated but remained significant, suggesting that part of the risk is likely attributable to the treatment. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Managing the Perception of Advanced Technology Risks in Mission Proposals

Science.gov (United States)

Bellisario, Sebastian Nickolai

2012-01-01

Through my work in the project proposal office I became interested in how technology advancement efforts affect competitive mission proposals. Technology development allows for new instruments and functionality. However, including technology advancement in a mission proposal often increases perceived risk. Risk mitigation has a major impact on the overall evaluation of the proposal and whether the mission is selected. In order to evaluate the different approaches proposals took I compared the proposals claims of heritage and technology advancement to the sponsor feedback provided in the NASA debriefs. I examined a set of Discovery 2010 Mission proposals to draw patterns in how they were evaluated and come up with a set of recommendations for future mission proposals in how they should approach technology advancement to reduce the perceived risk.

Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Compendium

Science.gov (United States)

Meinhold, A.; Greene, B.; Dussich, J.; Sorkin, A.; Olsen, W.

2017-01-01

The Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) Principal Center and its predecessor organization the Acquisition Pollution Prevention Program (AP2) supported the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in identifying technology solutions to risks and costs to NASA programs driven by environmental regulations and requirements. TEERM researched the commercial and government marketplace to locate viable and available technologies that met NASAs needs. TEERM focused on addressing environmentally-driven risks of direct concern to NASA programs and facilities, including hazardous materials in NASA operations and materials that became obsolescent because of environmental regulations. TEERM projects aimed to reduce cost; ensure the health and safety of people, assets, and the environment; promote efficiency; and minimize duplication. Major TEERM and AP2 projects focused on waste minimization and hazardous waste treatment, recycling, corrosion prevention and control, solvent and ozone depleting substances substitution, and aqueous based cleaners. In 2017, NASA made the decision to terminate the TEERM Principal Center. This Compendium Report documents TEERM and AP2 project successes. The Compendium Report traces the evolution of TEERM based on evolving risks and requirements for NASA and its relationship to the Space Shuttle Program, the United States Department of Defense, the European Space Agency, and other public and private stakeholders. This Compendium Report also documents project details from Project Summaries and Joint Test Plans and describes project stakeholders and collaborative effort results.

Feasibility of risk-informed technology for japanese nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Tomoo; Fujioka, Terutaka; Kirimoto, Yorihiro; Ueda, Nobuyuki; Kinoshita, Izumi; Kashima, Koichi

2000-01-01

Risk-informed technology utilizes Probabilistic Safety Assessment for streamlining the maintenance of nuclear power plants. With this technology, plant components are categorized as either high or low-safety-significant components. The Maintenance requirements focuses on high safety-significant components and are relieved for low safety significant ones. This is expected to reduce plant cost while maintaining safety. We investigated especially risk-informed inservice inspection of piping in U.S. nuclear power plants in the interest of determining its feasibility for Japanese plants. Quantitative and qualitative RI-ISI methods were developed by the ASME/Westinghouse Owners Group and EPRI, respectively. These methods have been incorporated in the ASME Section 11 Code Cases and endorsed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The quantitative method evaluates component segment risks in terms of pipe failure probability calculated with a probabilistic fracture mechanics(PFM) model and pipe failure impact categorization on core damage frequency(CDF) calculated with PSA. The qualitative method uses pipe failure potential categorization derived from the plant service experiences and pipe failure impact on CDF derived from the PSA insight. The PFM model is applicable only to failures from initial welding defects and stress corrosion cracking, therefore it does not cover such significant failure mechanisms found in nuclear power plants as corrosion or high-cycle fatigue, etc.. Thus, a qualitative failure potential categorization method was developed on the basis of the service experiences of the U.S. nuclear power plants, so that appropriate categorization rules must be developed on the service experiences in Japanese plants. Accordingly, we have devised a software framework with a computer-aided system for the selection of risk significant elements. This system consists of a piping failure database module, a piping failure analysis module, and a piping failure potential

Public attitudes in relation to the risks presented by new technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cave, L.; Holmes, R.E.; Holmes, P.J.

1978-01-01

Studies on societal attitudes during the nineteenth century to risks introduced by new technologies indicate that the present day reluctance on the part of society to accept a level of risk, which on a national basis appears to be insignificant, in order to have the benefits of a new technology at a reasonable cost, may not be a new phenomenon. Conditions are postulated in which historical data on public attitudes to risk are valid, and the application of this approach is illustrated by a study of societal attitudes in the nineteenth century to the risks presented by the new technology of railway travel in the United Kingdom. It is concluded that the interpretation of relevant data from the abundant historical records available may provide a valuable insight into the reaction of society to present-day and future technological risks

Risk disparities in the globalisation of assisted reproductive technology: the case of Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Jung-Ok

2013-01-01

This paper analyses the disparities in risks associated with biomedical technology focusing on the results of assisted reproductive technology (ART). ART among biomedical technologies transferred to Asia is a representative case that reveals in its clinical use and related scientific research the global politics of technology. This study notes the global politics at work in the recognition of and reaction to such risks. While many Asian countries aggressively pursue technological development, weak legislative and administrative regulations have created various problems and controversial cases. This study asserts that risks associated with technology are characterised as social facts not natural ones or mere 'side effects', since technological development and risk are closely intertwined.

Health risks in perspective: Judging health risks of energy technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowe, M.D.

1992-09-18

Almost daily, Americans receive reports from the mass news media about some new and frightening risk to health and welfare. Most such reports emphasize the newsworthiness of the risks -- the possibility of a crisis, disagreements among experts, how things happened, who is responsible for fixing them, how much will it cost, conflict among parties involved, etc. As a rule, the magnitudes of the risks, or the difficulty of estimating those magnitudes, have limited newsworthiness, and so they are not mentioned. Because of this emphasis in the news media, most people outside the risk assessment community must judge the relative significance of the various risks to which we all are exposed with only that information deemed newsworthy by reporters. This information is biased and shows risks in isolation. There is no basis for understanding and comparing the relative importance of risks among themselves, or for comparing one risk, perhaps a new or newly-discovered one, in the field of all risks. The purpose of this report is to provide perspective on the various risks to which we are routinely exposed. It serves as a basis for understanding the meaning of quantitative risk estimates and for comparing new or newly-discovered risks with other, better-understood risks. Specific emphasis is placed on health risks of energy technologies.

High-Risk List

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

economy. The World Bank has said that “corruption creates an unfavorable business environment by undermining the operation efficiency of firms and... Bank Began as ‘Ponzi Scheme,’” 11/27/2012. 64 Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, Unfinished Business : The Follow...HIGH RISK AREA 7: Oversight 51 HIGH-RISK AREA 8: Strategy and Planning 55 CONCLUSION HIGH RISK LIST I JANUARY 11, 2017 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Risk-benefit evaluation for large technological systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okrent, D.

1979-01-01

The related topics of risk-benefit analysis, risk analysis, and risk-acceptance criteria (How safe is safe enough) are of growing importance. An interdisciplinary study on various aspects of these topics, including applications to nuclear power, was recently completed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with the support of the National Science Foundation. In addition to more than 30 topical reports and various open-literature publications, a final report (UCLA-ENG-7777) to the study, titled ''A Generalized Evaluation Approach to Risk--Benefit for Large Technological Systems and Its Application to Nuclear Power'', was issued in early 1978. This article briefly summarizes portions of the final report dealing with general aspects of risk-benefit methodology, societal knowledge and perception of risk, and risk-acceptance criteria

Diagnosis and Management of High Risk Group for Gastric Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Hyuk; Kim, Nayoung

2015-01-01

Gastric cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. To reduce the socioeconomic burden related to gastric cancer, it is very important to identify and manage high risk group for gastric cancer. In this review, we describe the general risk factors for gastric cancer and define high risk group for gastric cancer. We discuss strategies for the effective management of patients for the prevention and early detection of gastric cancer. Atrophic gastritis (AG) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) are the most significant risk factors for gastric cancer. Therefore, the accurate selection of individuals with AG and IM may be a key strategy for the prevention and/or early detection of gastric cancer. Although endoscopic evaluation using enhanced technologies such as narrow band imaging-magnification, the serum pepsinogen test, Helicobacter pylori serology, and trefoil factor 3 have been evaluated, a gold standard method to accurately select individuals with AG and IM has not emerged. In terms of managing patients at high risk of gastric cancer, it remains uncertain whether H. pylori eradication reverses and/or prevents the progression of AG and IM. Although endoscopic surveillance in high risk patients is expected to be beneficial, further prospective studies in large populations are needed to determine the optimal surveillance interval. PMID:25547086

Technological Aspects: High Voltage

CERN Document Server

Faircloth, D.C.

2013-12-16

This paper covers the theory and technological aspects of high-voltage design for ion sources. Electric field strengths are critical to understanding high-voltage breakdown. The equations governing electric fields and the techniques to solve them are discussed. The fundamental physics of high-voltage breakdown and electrical discharges are outlined. Different types of electrical discharges are catalogued and their behaviour in environments ranging from air to vacuum are detailed. The importance of surfaces is discussed. The principles of designing electrodes and insulators are introduced. The use of high-voltage platforms and their relation to system design are discussed. The use of commercially available high-voltage technology such as connectors, feedthroughs and cables are considered. Different power supply technologies and their procurement are briefly outlined. High-voltage safety, electric shocks and system design rules are covered.

Waiting for Disasters: A Risk Reduction Assessment of Technological Disasters

Science.gov (United States)

Rovins, Jane; Winningham, Sam

2010-05-01

This session provides a risk reduction/mitigation assessment of natural hazards causation of technological disasters and possible solution. People use technology in an attempt to not only control their environment but nature itself in order to make them feel safe and productive. Most strategies for managing hazards followed a traditional planning model i.e. study the problem, identify and implement a solution, and move on to the next problem. This approach is often viewed as static model and risk reduction is more of an upward, positive, linear trend. However, technological disasters do not allow risk reduction action to neatly fit this upward, positive, linear trend with actual or potential threats to the environment and society. There are different types of technological disasters, including industrial accidents; pipeline ruptures; accidents at power, water and heat supply systems and other lines of communication; sudden collapse of buildings and mines; air crashes; shipwrecks; automobile and railway accidents to name a few. Natural factors can play an essential role in triggering or magnifying technological disasters. They can result from the direct destruction of given technical objects by a hazardous natural process such as the destruction of an atomic power plant or chemical plant due to an earthquake. Other examples would include the destruction of communications or infrastructure systems by heavy snowfalls, strong winds, avalanches. Events in the past ten years clearly demonstrate that natural disasters and the technological disasters that accompany them are not problems that can be solved in isolation and risk reduction can play an important part. Risk reduction was designed to head off the continuing rising financial and structural tolls from disasters. All Hazard Risk Reduction planning was supposed to include not only natural, but technological, and human-made disasters as well. The subsequent disaster risk reduction (DRR) indicators were to provide the

Improving Operational Risk Management Using Business Performance Management Technologies

OpenAIRE

Bram Pieket Weeserik; Marco Spruit

2018-01-01

Operational Risk Management (ORM) comprises the continuous management of risks resulting from: human actions, internal processes, systems, and external events. With increasing requirements, complexity and a growing volume of risks, information systems provide benefits for integrating risk management activities and optimizing performance. Business Performance Management (BPM) technologies are believed to provide a solution for effective Operational Risk Management by offering several combined ...

Farm Technologies and Production Risk in the Face of Climate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In countries where insurance and credit markets are thin or missing, production and consumption risks play a critical role in the choice and use of production inputs and adoption of new farm technologies. This paper investigated the effect of selected farm technologies and their risk implications in different rainfall patterns of ...

Risk assessment research and technology assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albach, H.; Schade, D.; Sinn, H.

1991-01-01

The concepts and approaches for technology assessment, the targets and scientific principles, as well as recognizable deficits and recommendations concerning purposeful strategies for the promotion of this research field require a dialog between those concerned. Conception, deficits, and the necessary measures for risk assessment research and technology assessment were discussed as well as ethical aspects. The problematic nature of using organisms altered through genetic engineering in the open land, traffic and transport, site restoration, nuclear energy, and isotope applications were subjects particularly dealt with. (DG) [de

Additional risk of end-of-the-pipe geoengineering technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Bohle, Martin

2014-05-01

qualitatively from the known successes. They do not tackle the initial cause, namely the carbon-dioxide inputs that are too high. This is their additional specific risk. 'The acceptability of geoengineering will be determined as much by social, legal and political issues as by scientific and technical factors', conclude Adam Corner and Nick Pidgeon (2010) when reviewing social and ethical implications of geoengineering the climate. It is to debate in that context that most geoengineering technologies are 'end of the pipe technologies', what involves an additional specific risk. Should these technologies be part of the toolbox to tackle anthropogenic climate change? Adam Corner and Nick Pidgeon 2010, Geoengineering the climate: The social and ethical implications, Environment Vol. 52.

Thin Mirror Shaping Technology for High-Throughput X-ray Telescopes

Science.gov (United States)

Schattenburg, Mark

This proposal is submitted to the NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences program (ROSES-2012) in response to NASA Research Announcement NNH12ZDA001N- APRA. It is targeted to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) program element under the Supporting Technology category. Powerful x-ray telescope mirrors are critical components of a raft of small-to-large mission concepts under consideration by NASA. The science questions addressed by these missions have certainly never been more compelling and the need to fulfill NASA s core missions of exploring the universe and strengthening our nation s technology base has never been greater. Unfortunately, budgetary constraints are driving NASA to consider the cost/benefit and risk factors of new missions more carefully than ever. New technology for producing x-ray telescopes with increased resolution and collecting area, while holding down cost, are key to meeting these goals and sustaining a thriving high-energy astrophysics enterprise in the US. We propose to develop advanced technology which will lead to thin-shell x-ray telescope mirrors rivaling the Chandra x-ray telescope in spatial resolution but with 10-100X larger area all at significantly reduced weight, risk and cost. The proposed effort builds on previous research at MIT and complements NASA-supported research at other institutions. We are currently pursuing two thin-mirror technology development tracks which we propose to extend and accelerate with NASA support. The first research track utilizes rapidly-maturing thermal glass slumping technology which uses porous ceramic air-bearing mandrels to shape glass mirrors without touching, thus avoiding surface-induced mid-range spatial frequency ripples. A second research track seeks to remove any remaining mid- to long-range errors in mirrors by using scanning ion-beam implant to impart small, highly deterministic and very stable amounts of stress into thin glass, utilizing local

Technological Aspects: High Voltage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faircloth, D C

2013-01-01

This paper covers the theory and technological aspects of high-voltage design for ion sources. Electric field strengths are critical to understanding high-voltage breakdown. The equations governing electric fields and the techniques to solve them are discussed. The fundamental physics of high-voltage breakdown and electrical discharges are outlined. Different types of electrical discharges are catalogued and their behaviour in environments ranging from air to vacuum are detailed. The importance of surfaces is discussed. The principles of designing electrodes and insulators are introduced. The use of high-voltage platforms and their relation to system design are discussed. The use of commercially available high-voltage technology such as connectors, feedthroughs and cables are considered. Different power supply technologies and their procurement are briefly outlined. High-voltage safety, electric shocks and system design rules are covered. (author)

A study on determinants of risk perception and attitude structures concerning nuclear power technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchida, Shoji; Kitada, Atsuko; Ato, Kazunori

2000-01-01

Many people claim that nuclear power technology should be subjected to stricter safety criteria than other mega-technologies, and some insist that every risk should be eliminated from the technology. For the future of nuclear technology it is one of the most important tasks to provide insight for the people seeking zero-risk safety from nuclear technology by understanding the mechanism of risk perception, especially the mechanism resulting in the zero-risk imperative. Specifically we describe the distribution of the people claiming zero-risk technology, risk perceptions and their factors, as well as the relationship between the risk perceptions and attitude structures. Our societies enjoy the benefits of mega-technologies, however at the same time we have some costs to put them to practical use, especially the costs on environments and on human health. And so, on decision-making processes of whether and how much we will practically use mega-technologies, public acceptance or consensus in societies are absolutely indispensable. Through the decision-making processes in societies, some people sometimes do not accept the 'risk evaluation' that scientists and technologists made. Some people believe that our lives should and could be perfectly safe (zero-risk perception), and they think or insist that we should not use the mega-technologies if we are not able to achieve perfect safety. In Japan, many people seem to have typical zero-risk perception toward nuclear power technology. While other people think that anywhere in our world we have no perfect safety, and that 'risk' should be evaluated by the ratio between costs and benefits (comparative-risk perception). On the other hand, in our democratic societies, we have political rules that the electorates, common people, ultimately decide whether mega-technologies are used or not, and how much costs are to be spent to reduce hazards. So, it is important to clarify the nature of the common people's risk perceptions and

Assessment of major nuclear technologies with decision and risk analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winterfeldt, D. von

1995-01-01

Selecting technologies for major nuclear programs involves several complexities, including multiple stakeholders, multiple conflicting objectives, uncertainties, and risk. In addition, the programmatic risks related to the schedule, cost, and performance of these technologies often become major issues in the selection process. This paper describes a decision analysis approach for addressing these complexities in a logical manner

The potential risks from metals bottlenecks to the deployment of Strategic Energy Technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moss, R.L.; Tzimas, E.; Kara, H.; Willis, P.; Kooroshy, J.

2013-01-01

This paper examines the use of materials, in particular metals, in six low-carbon energy technologies of the European Union's Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), namely nuclear, solar, wind, bioenergy, carbon capture and storage and electricity grids. The projected average annual demand for metals in the SET-Plan technologies for the decades up to 2020 and 2030 is compared to the known global production volume in 2010. From an initial inventory of over 50 metals, 14 metals were identified that will require 1% or more of the 2010 world supply per annum between 2020 and 2030. These 14 metals are cadmium, dysprosium, gallium, hafnium, indium, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, niobium, selenium, silver, tellurium, tin and vanadium. These metals were examined further by analysing the effect of market and geo-political factors of supply and demand, which highlighted five metals to represent a high risk to large-scale technology deployment, namely: neodymium, dysprosium, indium, tellurium and gallium. The five metals were further analysed with respect to the wind and solar sectors, showing that the demand of these metals could increase significantly depending on future sub-technology choices. Mitigation strategies to alleviate potential shortages are also discussed, e.g. extending primary output; re-use, re-cycling and waste reduction; and substitution. - Highlights: ► Over 50 metals and their usage in six low-carbon energy technologies are analysed. ► 14 metals are identified that will require 1% or more of the 2010 world supply per annum. ► The 14 metals are further examined with respect to market and geo-political factors. ► 5 metals Nd, Dy, In, Te and Ga are a high risk to large-scale technology deployment. ► Demand for the 5 metals increases for sub-technology choices in PV and wind energy

Two-scale evaluation of remediation technologies for a contaminated site by applying economic input-output life cycle assessment: risk-cost, risk-energy consumption and risk-CO2 emission.

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Yasushi; Katayama, Arata

2011-09-15

A two-scale evaluation concept of remediation technologies for a contaminated site was expanded by introducing life cycle costing (LCC) and economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA). The expanded evaluation index, the rescue number for soil (RN(SOIL)) with LCC and EIO-LCA, comprises two scales, such as risk-cost, risk-energy consumption or risk-CO(2) emission of a remediation. The effectiveness of RN(SOIL) with LCC and EIO-LCA was examined in a typical contamination and remediation scenario in which dieldrin contaminated an agricultural field. Remediation was simulated using four technologies: disposal, high temperature thermal desorption, biopile and landfarming. Energy consumption and CO(2) emission were determined from a life cycle inventory analysis using monetary-based intensity based on an input-output table. The values of RN(SOIL) based on risk-cost, risk-energy consumption and risk-CO(2) emission were calculated, and then rankings of the candidates were compiled according to RN(SOIL) values. A comparison between three rankings showed the different ranking orders. The existence of differences in ranking order indicates that the scales would not have reciprocal compatibility for two-scale evaluation and that each scale should be used independently. The RN(SOIL) with LCA will be helpful in selecting a technology, provided an appropriate scale is determined. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risks related to the use of eHealth technologies - an exploratory study

OpenAIRE

Ossebaard, Hans Cornelis; de Bruijn, Adrie; van Gemert-Pijnen, Julia E.W.C.; Geertsma, R.E.

2013-01-01

More awareness is needed about the risks of e-Health technology. While information regarding its potential is abundant, the risks associated with the use of information (including mobile) and communication technology in health care have scarcely been addressed. In order to implement e-Health technology successfully and safely, the evaluation of their benefits should be integrated into and complemented with systematic risk assessment. This is the main recommendation resulting from an explorato...

Does a too risk-averse approach to the implementation of new radiotherapy technologies delay their clinical use?

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, R; Nyström, H; Fiorino, C; Thwaites, D

2015-07-01

Radiotherapy is a generally safe treatment modality in practice; nevertheless, recent well-reported accidents also confirm its potential risks. However, this may obstruct or delay the introduction of new technologies and treatment strategies/techniques into clinical practice. Risks must be addressed and judged in a realistic context: risks must be assessed realistically. Introducing new technology may introduce new possibilities of errors. However, delaying the introduction of such new technology therefore means that patients are denied the potentially better treatment opportunities. Despite the difficulty in quantitatively assessing the risks on both sides of the possible choice of actions, including the "lost opportunity", the best estimates should be included in the overall risk-benefit and cost-benefit analysis. Radiotherapy requires a sufficiently high level of support for the safety, precision and accuracy required: radiotherapy development and implementation is exciting. However, it has been anxious with a constant awareness of the consequences of mistakes or misunderstandings. Recent history can be used to show that for introduction of advanced radiotherapy, the risk-averse medical physicist can act as an electrical fuse in a complex circuit. The lack of sufficient medical physics resource or expertise can short out this fuse and leave systems unsafe. Future technological developments will continue to present further safety and risk challenges. The important evolution of radiotherapy brings different management opinions and strategies. Advanced radiotherapy technologies can and should be safely implemented in as timely a manner as possible for the patient groups where clinical benefit is indicated.

Benefits and risks of smart home technologies

OpenAIRE

Wilson, Charlie; Hargreaves, Tom; Hauxwell-Baldwin, Richard

2017-01-01

Smart homes are a priority area of strategic energy planning and national policy. The market adoption of smart home technologies (SHTs) relies on prospective users perceiving clear benefits with acceptable levels of risk. This paper characterises the perceived benefits and risks of SHTs from multiple perspectives. A representative national survey of UK homeowners (n=1025) finds prospective users have positive perceptions of the multiple functionality of SHTs including energy management. Cedin...

Development of Very High Temperature Reactor Design Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Won Jae; Noh, J. M.; Kim, K. S.

2007-05-01

To develop design technologies for the VHTR (Very High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor) of 950 .deg. C outlet temperature for an efficient hydrogen production, key studies were performed, which include evaluation technology for the performance and safety of VHTR, and development of design and analysis codes. First, to evaluate the performance of VHTR, a series of analyses has been carried out for core characteristics at 950 .deg. C, cooled-vessel adopting internal flow path through the graphite structure, compact heat exchanger with periodic channel configuration, intermediate loop system, risk/performance-informed method, and high temperature structural integrity. Through the analyses of major accidents such as HPCC and LPCC, safety evaluation of both VHTR and RCCS has been also performed. In addition, prototype codes have been developed for a nuclear design, system loop design, system performance analysis, air-ingress accident analysis, fission product/tritium transport analysis, graphite structure seismic analysis and hydrogen explosion analysis, and they are being verified and validated through a lot of international collaborations

Five walls against risk communication of nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, Tomoko

2012-01-01

The author has made efforts to establish risk communication in the nuclear industry since the JCO criticality accident. Some people understood the importance and the usefulness of risk communication both for local residents and their own business. Others, however, thought it troublesome, costly, and useless for their organization and nuclear safety. I think, unfortunately, experiences after the Fukushima accident force them to hesitate at communicating risks with the public more and more. I will discuss why and how risk communication of nuclear technology is difficult. (author)

Technological risk: Perception and handling in the EEC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuster, G.

1980-01-01

The Europeans tend to believe that in their own country science is put to use for the benefit of people in general. But this reductance is accompanied by a widespread feeling in all countries that politicians do not give serious enough consideration to the choices that have to be made in this field. The more technology interferes with the moral and physical sphere of man, the more cautious people are, considering such technology to be risky. The more public opinion is conscious of what is at stake with possible risks and hazards, the more people are inclined to run these risks and hazards. (DG)

A perspective on the comparison of risks from different technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kastenberg, W.E.; Griesmeyer, J.M.; Johnson, D.H.

1982-01-01

Comparisons between the risks of various technologies have been used in evaluating different technologies which produce particular benefits, in developing perspectives on the acceptability of risks, and in developing suitable priorities for risk reductions. Although difficult and controversial these comparisons will continue to be used in design, in regulation and in the socio-political process. In this paper, some of the problems that arise in the comparison of risk are discussed. These include the choice of the proper range of impacts to be addressed in the risk assessments, the difficulty of ensuring completeness in the treatment of the impacts that are addressed, and uncertainties that arise from modeling and from the scarcity of data and its interpretation. In addition, the disparate manner in which the various risks are manifested (types, magnitude and distribution of consequences as well as frequency) makes the comparison of the risks controversial

The role of economic incentives for managing technological risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunreuther, H.

1995-01-01

A key issue facing society in dealing with the management of technological facilities is balancing the costs of reducing risks with the relevant benefits. These tradeoffs are difficult for both experts and laypersons to make when there is limited objective data on the nature of the health and safety risks. Economic incentives, such as insurance and compensation, can play an important role in reducing and preventing losses associated with technological facilities if they are coupled with appropriate regulations and/or standards. They also can communicate information to the public on the price associated with different levels of risk. The talk will focus on how these policy tools can be utilized for improving the risk management process in conjunction with risk assessment. The siting of facilities for storing and disposing of potentially hazardous wastes will be used to illustrate these concepts and indicate how the public can be made a more integral part of the process

Technology assessment - a workable way out of the 'risk society'?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller-Brandeck-Bocquet, G.

1988-01-01

On the basis of concrete experience and results in the risk assessment process concerning nuclear technology in the Federal Republic of Germany it becomes apparent that technology asessment can make a contribution towards the required technology domestication. The 'risk management' of the circle of nuclear power generators and the consulting and licensing bodies having failed, a new phase of technology assessment began in 1970, whereby proponents and opponents of nuclear energy had a say. Parallel research on the safety of light water reactors and fast breeders gave valuable insight into the danger potential of nuclear energy while the latent risk of technology assessment misuse became apparent in the decision-finding process concerning the problem of radioactive waste management. In the end it were the Enquete Commission 'Future Nuclear Energy Policy' of the German Bundestag and the studies on social agreeability of energy supply systems which resulted in the perspective of a future without the use of nuclear power being a realistic option. The general findings of technology assessment, e.g. the cognition that there can be no scientific decision in favour of assuming responsibility for nuclear energy, opens up new views and possibilities for acting for the decision-makers in the field of energy policy. (orig./HSCH) [de

Risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancies following assisted reproductive technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Opdahl, S; Henningsen, A A; Tiitinen, A

2015-01-01

STUDY QUESTION: Is the risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancies conceived following specific assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures different from the risk in spontaneously conceived (SC) pregnancies? SUMMARY ANSWER: ART pregnancies had a higher risk of hypertensive disorders, in ...

A review of research on the identification of factors influencing the social response to technological risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otway, H.J.

1977-01-01

Many countries are experiencing a period in which traditional values are being questioned; plans for technological development are being met by a variety of individual and group demands for a closer examination of the associated benefits and risks and a consideration of social values and concerns in the regulatory process. This has created conditions of conflict with some groups sponsoring proposals intended to fulfill perceived social needs while other groups, with different perceptions of society's needs, work actively in opposition. Only in recent years, as the rate of technological innovation has increased, has significant attention been given to the rapid rate of social and cultural change and the associated risks which have emerged. The degree to which an individual responds to these changes is related to his perception of their importance in his life; likewise, the repsonse to risk situations, on the individual and societal level, is based upon how the risks are perceived. The social response to the introduction of nuclear power provides an interesting case in point: here several studies have indicated that nuclear power plants might be considered ''safe''; however, nuclear power is nevertheless being opposed in many countries by those who perceive it as an unacceptable source of risk. This paper reviews research oriented toward understanding the response to technological risks through identification of the specific technical, social and psychological factors which influence their perception. Several such factors have been identified which relate to the risk object, the individual at risk, and the risk situation in which the individual encounters this object. Nuclear power was found to be characterised by more of the factors tending to increase risk perception than was any other technology. It is hypothesized that, in part due to its high ''risk visibility'' and an unconscious psychological coupling with the death imagery of nuclear weapons, nuclear energy

The deadly sins of high technology: Superphenix, Eurotunnel, Ariane 5.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, R.; Jeanmougin, Ch.

1998-01-01

Based on a detailed analysis of civil or military high technology projects (Superphenix reactor, English Channel tunnel, Ariane 5 launcher, etc..), mainly of European origin, this book reveals seven systematic sins in the realization of these projects: an abolishment of controls, a premature construction, a manumission of suppliers, a no-share of risks attitude, political manipulations, fraudulence and secrecy. (J.S.)

Innovative activity of high-technology companies as assessment and forecasting object

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. E. Sklyarov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Innovation activities, as well as innovations, are closely related meanings, and like many others economical definitions, have a broad range of meanings. Main characteristics and attributes of innovation involves new or significantly improved product, that’s being used, or in other words, found its application, and innovative activities – activities focused on realization of innovations. In this article, innovations are mainly considered in terms of high-technology production, evidence from Russian space industry. There are 5 basic stages of lifecycle of innovative project in considered industry: initiation, development, realization, expansion, consumption. Practically, third or fourth, or even both of these stages, often missing because there is no need of them. R&D activities, or even further serial production, based on previous developments, is an innovation activity, because these activities are stages of innovative projects lifecycle itself. Then it seems legit, to draw a conclusion, that in terms of high-technology production, company’s primary activity equals innovative activity. Basic characteristics of innovative activity of high-technology companies as assessment and forecasting object involves high level of uncertainty at every stage of projects lifecycle, high dependency on funding level of this activity, and high level and erratic structure of risk. All the above mentioned, means that assessment and forecasting of innovative activity of high-technology companies, needs development of its own methodological tools for each industry.

Risk and Performance Technologies: Identifying the Keys to Successful Implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McClain, Lynn; Smith, Art; O'Regan, Patrick

2002-01-01

The nuclear power industry has been utilizing risk and performance based technologies for over thirty years. Applications of these technologies have included risk assessment (e.g. Individual Plant Examinations), burden reduction (e.g. Risk-Informed Inservice Inspection, RI-ISI) and risk management (Maintenance Rule, 10CFR50.65). Over the last five to ten years the number of risk-informed (RI) burden reduction initiatives has increased. Unfortunately, the efficiencies of some of these applications have been questionable. This paper investigates those attributes necessary to support successful, cost-effective RI-applications. The premise to this paper is that by understanding the key attributes that support one successful application, insights can be gleaned that will streamline/coordinate future RI-applications. This paper is an extension to a paper presented at the Pressure Vessel and Piping (PVP-2001) Conference. In that paper, a number issues and opportunities were identified that needed to be assessed in order to support future (and efficient) RI-applications. It was noted in the paper that a proper understanding and resolution of these issues will facilitate implementation of risk and performance technology in the operation, maintenance and design disciplines. In addition, it will provide the foundation necessary to support regulatory review and approval. (authors)

Risk assessments of innovative technologies for treatment of mixed waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ragaini, R.C.; Aycock, M.T.; Russell, J.E.

1993-01-01

The mission of the US Department of Energy's (DOE'S) Mixed Waste Integrated Program (MWIP) is to develop complete and appropriate technologies for the treatment of DOE mixed low-level waste and transuranic wastes in order to ensure that all affected DOE installations and projects can come into compliance with environmental law and meet DOE's 30-yr cleanup and operational goals. The MWIP will achieve its goal by developing technologies that are in compliance with regulatory requirements, are socially and politically viable, and are cost beneficial and effective in disposed waste source term and volume reduction. The project management plan for MWIP requires that technologies be evaluated in accordance with criteria that rank technologies with regard to performance, risk, and cost-effectiveness. This paper addresses the methodology used to rank alternative mixed-water treatment technologies with regard to relative risk

Examining the Relative Influence of Risk and Control on Intention to Adopt Risky Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumeet Gupta

2010-12-01

Full Text Available For technologies such as electronic commerce, mobile payments, internet and mobile banking etc. customers are concerned about security issues that arise as a result of adoption of these technologies. However, in practice, we find that customers forgo their considerations of risk in the technology, if the benefits of using the technology overpower the risks involved in using the technology. Understanding their relative roles in technology adoption will help technology developers focus their efforts on either of them to improve technology adoption. Results of this study reveal that in adopting a technology, customers are guided more by the perception of control rather than by the perception of risk. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Risk perceptions and technological hazards: a contextual view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, G.; Simmons, P.; Irwin, A.; Wynne, B.

1998-01-01

Full text of publication follows: the study of public perceptions of risk has given rise to a number of different (and sometimes conflicting) perspectives. Although the differences between these approaches are not trivial, recent reviews have suggested that there may be some points of convergence. In particular, recent work within the different traditions has emphasised the importance of factors such as trust and power for understanding public perceptions of risk. These factors take us beyond the characteristics of the risks themselves, which were the focus of influential work in the psychometric tradition and into a consideration of the social and cultural context within which potentially hazardous technologies are encountered and evaluated. In this paper we examine the way in which the lay public understand and respond to a particular class of technological risks - those associated with site-based major accident hazards. On the basis of empirical research, we argue that an appreciation of the different contexts within which citizens encounter such risks is crucial to understanding the dynamics of public concerns. We illustrate our argument by examining the different ways in which contextual factors influence perceptions. The discussion draws upon a recently completed study of public perceptions of the risks at seven major hazard sites in the UK, which was funded the by UK Health and Safety Executive. (authors)

Risk-Informed Decision Making: Application to Technology Development Alternative Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Dezfuli, Homayoon; Maggio, Gaspare; Everett, Christopher

2010-01-01

NASA NPR 8000.4A, Agency Risk Management Procedural Requirements, defines risk management in terms of two complementary processes: Risk-informed Decision Making (RIDM) and Continuous Risk Management (CRM). The RIDM process is used to inform decision making by emphasizing proper use of risk analysis to make decisions that impact all mission execution domains (e.g., safety, technical, cost, and schedule) for program/projects and mission support organizations. The RIDM process supports the selection of an alternative prior to program commitment. The CRM process is used to manage risk associated with the implementation of the selected alternative. The two processes work together to foster proactive risk management at NASA. The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Headquarters has developed a technical handbook to provide guidance for implementing the RIDM process in the context of NASA risk management and systems engineering. This paper summarizes the key concepts and procedures of the RIDM process as presented in the handbook, and also illustrates how the RIDM process can be applied to the selection of technology investments as NASA's new technology development programs are initiated.

Integrating Technology into the Curriculum for "At-Risk" Youth

Science.gov (United States)

McCall, Denise

2009-01-01

This Independent Learning Project (ILP) discusses the best practices in educational technology to improve the behavior, instruction, and learning of at-risk youth, for whom technology offers unique opportunities. Research is compiled from numerous scholarly print and online sources. A guide for teachers provides detailed strategies, software…

Risk Perception of an Emergent Technology: The Case of Hydrogen Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rob Flynn

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Although hydrogen has been used in industry for many years as a chemical commodity, its use as a fuel or energy carrier is relatively new and expert knowledge about its associated risks is neither complete nor consensual. Public awareness of hydrogen energy and attitudes towards a future hydrogen economy are yet to be systematically investigated. This paper opens by discussing alternative conceptualisations of risk, then focuses on issues surrounding the use of emerging technologies based on hydrogen energy. It summarises expert assessments of risks associated with hydrogen. It goes on to review debates about public perceptions of risk, and in doing so makes comparisons with public perceptions of other emergent technologies—Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS, Genetically Modified Organisms and Food (GM and Nanotechnology (NT—for which there is considerable scientific uncertainty and relatively little public awareness. The paper finally examines arguments about public engagement and "upstream" consultation in the development of new technologies. It is argued that scientific and technological uncertainties are perceived in varying ways and different stakeholders and different publics focus on different aspects or types of risk. Attempting to move public consultation further "upstream" may not avoid this, because the framing of risks and benefits is necessarily embedded in a cultural and ideological context, and is subject to change as experience of the emergent technology unfolds. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0601194

RISK ANALYSIS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION OUTSOURCING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edmir Parada Vasques Prado

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This research aims at evaluating the risk analysis process in Information Technology and Communication (ICT outsourcing conducted by organizations of the private sector. The research is characterized by being a descriptive, quantitative and transversal type study, which was used the survey method. Data were collected through questionnaire, the sample is not random and we used a convenience sampling process. The research made contributions to understanding the risk analysis process in ICT services outsourcing, and identified statistically significant relationships between risk analysis, organization's size and its industry, and between risk analysis and diversity of outsourced services

Risks related to the use of eHealth technologies - an exploratory study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ossebaard, Hans Cornelis; de Bruijn, Adrie; van Gemert-Pijnen, Julia E.W.C.; Geertsma, R.E.

2013-01-01

More awareness is needed about the risks of e-Health technology. While information regarding its potential is abundant, the risks associated with the use of information (including mobile) and communication technology in health care have scarcely been addressed. In order to implement e-Health

Analysis of risk management during AP1000 equipment technology transfer and localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Yongjun; Guan Rui

2009-01-01

This article analyzes the risk factors existing in AP1000 equipment technology transfer and localization process by describing the invitation for bid, tender evaluation and contract negotiation process of the third-generation nuclear power plant technology introduction project of China and discusses the classification, evaluation and analysis methods of risks, and puts forward some referential suggestions for the successful introduction of equipment technology for AP1000 nuclear project. (authors)

Role of high technology in the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cain, D.G.

1986-01-01

A discussion of high technology identifies the characteristics which distinguish it from conventional technologies, and the impact high technology will have in the nuclear power industry in the near future. The basic theme is that high technology is an ensemble of competing technological developments that shifts with time and technological innovation. The attributes which current distinguish high technology are compactness, plasticity, convergence, and intelligence. These high technology attributes are presented as a prelude to some examples of high technology developments which are just beginning to penetrate the nuclear industry. Concluding remarks address some of the challenges which must be faced in order to assure that high technology is successfully adapted and used

Key technologies and risk management of deep tunnel construction at Jinping II hydropower station

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunsheng Zhang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The four diversion tunnels at Jinping II hydropower station represent the deepest underground project yet conducted in China, with an overburden depth of 1500–2000 m and a maximum depth of 2525 m. The tunnel structure was subjected to a maximum external water pressure of 10.22 MPa and the maximum single-point groundwater inflow of 7.3 m3/s. The success of the project construction was related to numerous challenging issues such as the stability of the rock mass surrounding the deep tunnels, strong rockburst prevention and control, and the treatment of high-pressure, large-volume groundwater infiltration. During the construction period, a series of new technologies was developed for the purpose of risk control in the deep tunnel project. Nondestructive sampling and in-situ measurement technologies were employed to fully characterize the formation and development of excavation damaged zones (EDZs, and to evaluate the mechanical behaviors of deep rocks. The time effect of marble fracture propagation, the brittle–ductile–plastic transition of marble, and the temporal development of rock mass fracture and damage induced by high geostress were characterized. The safe construction of deep tunnels was achieved under a high risk of strong rockburst using active measures, a support system comprised of lining, grouting, and external water pressure reduction techniques that addressed the coupled effect of high geostress, high external water pressure, and a comprehensive early-warning system. A complete set of technologies for the treatment of high-pressure and large-volume groundwater infiltration was developed. Monitoring results indicated that the Jinping II hydropower station has been generally stable since it was put into operation in 2014.

The role of scientific knowledge in the public's perceptions of energy technology risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoutenborough, James W.; Vedlitz, Arnold

2016-01-01

It is important for policy makers to have an accurate understanding of public attitudes toward pressing issues to help inform their decision making. Researchers consistently find that the public’s receipt of and correct processing of scientific information and knowledge are essential for its problem solving. Different levels of understanding of specific energy technologies may produce different risk assessments across technologies within this issue domain. How this differential risk assessment occurs and the role that scientific information may play in it is not yet well known. This project seeks to determine the role that perceived and objective scientific knowledge may play in the public’s risk assessments of different energy technologies. Our findings suggest that scientific knowledge does temper public risk evaluations of different energy technologies, therefore linking more clearly the connection between science knowledge, scientific trust, and issue problem identification. - Highlights: •We examine influence of assessed and perceived knowledge on public risk perceptions. •We model effect of knowledge type on publics’ perceptions of three energy risks. •All models show those with higher assessed knowledge see risks more like experts do. •Perceived knowledge is less reliable predictor of public rating risk like experts. •Greater scientific grasp of issues by public needed for accurate risk assessment.

Risk-based systems analysis of emerging high-level waste tank remediation technologies. Volume 1: Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, B.B.; Cameron, R.J.; McCormack, W.D.

1994-08-01

This report describes a System Analysis Model developed under the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD) Underground Storage Tank-Integrated Demonstration (UST-ID) program to aid technology development funding decisions for radioactive tank waste remediation. Current technology development selection methods evaluate new technologies in isolation from other components of an overall tank waste remediation system. These methods do not show the relative effect of new technologies on tank remediation systems as a whole. Consequently, DOE may spend its resources on technologies that promise to improve a single function but have a small or possibly negative, impact on the overall system, or DOE may overlook a technology that does not address a high priority problem in the system but that does, if implemented, offer sufficient overall improvements. Systems engineering and detailed analyses often conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA 1969) use a ''whole system'' approach but are costly, too time-consuming, and often not sufficiently focused to support the needs of the technology program decision-makers. An alternative approach is required to evaluate these systems impacts but still meet the budget and schedule needs of the technology program

Using the Remote Sensing and GIS Technology for Erosion Risk Mapping of Kartalkaya Dam Watershed in Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah E. Akay

2008-08-01

Full Text Available The soil erosion is the most serious environmental problem in watershed areas in Turkey. The main factors affecting the amount of soil erosion include vegetation cover, topography, soil, and climate. In order to describe the areas with high soil erosion risks and to develop adequate erosion prevention measures in the watersheds of dams, erosion risk maps should be generated considering these factors. Remote Sensing (RS and Geographic Information System (GIS technologies were used for erosion risk mapping in Kartalkaya Dam Watershed of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, based on the methodology implemented in COoRdination of INformation on the Environment (CORINE model. ASTER imagery was used to generate a land use/cover classification in ERDAS Imagine. The digital maps of the other factors (topography, soil types, and climate were generated in ArcGIS v9.2, and were then integrated as CORINE input files to produce erosion risk maps. The results indicate that 33.82%, 35.44%, and 30.74% of the study area were under low, moderate, and high actual erosion risks, respectively. The CORINE model integrated with RS and GIS technologies has great potential for producing accurate and inexpensive erosion risk maps in Turkey.

Emerging technologies in healthcare: navigating risks, evaluating rewards.

Science.gov (United States)

McGrady, Elizabeth; Conger, Sue; Blanke, Sandra; Landry, Brett J L

2010-01-01

The purpose of this prescriptive research is to help decision makers become better informed about three technologies emerging in the healthcare arena by providing a basic description of the technology and describing their current applications, future healthcare deployment, potential risks, and related managerial issues. Two of the technologies, radio frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning systems (GPS), are currently available to healthcare organizations and appear capable of decreasing cost but may require significant initial investment and have disruptive potential. The third technology, nanotechnology, has limited current use but may revolutionize both the delivery of medicine and hospital infrastructure management. With cautious attention to managerial issues and meticulous attention to implementation details, healthcare organizations that can successfully navigate the coming technologically driven paradigm shifts will emerge more resilient organizations.

Risk management in methodologies of information technology and communications projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Carrillo

2013-12-01

Full Text Available (Received: 2013/10/02 - Accepted: 2013/12/13At present there are methodologies that have several alternatives and methods to manage projects of Information and Communication Technologies. However, these do not cover a solution for the technology events that can occur in the industry, government, education, among others. In the technology market there are several models to identify and analyze risks according to relevant aspects of their area of specialty e.g. projects, in software development, communications, information security and business alignment. For this reason, this research conducted an evaluation of risk management activities of the methodologies used mostly to know which of them includes more correspondence with basic elements of IT using a rating scale.

Risk and society: The interaction of science, technology and public policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waterstone, M.

1992-01-01

Risk and Society is the sixth volume in Kluwer's Technology, Risk, and Society series, and like the previous volumes in this series, it is made up of papers presented at a symposium convened in 1989 to discuss the changing interactions of technology and society and definitions of risk. The papers presented all center around risk as a constructed phenomenon. The first paper is a general overview of concepts of risk in society and the changing emphasis on risk in the last two decades. The papers represent four main topic areas: Risk, science and public policy; Allocating scarce medical resources; Nuclear power and nuclear waste disposal; and Setting standards for air quality. Three papers, representing three different points of view, are presented in each topic area. The contributors cover a range of issues in this format, and the combined effect is a good overview of the issues with which risk assessors, risk managers, and public policymakers must grapple if constructive use is to be made of risk in public decision-making

Information Technology Sector Baseline Risk Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

2009-08-01

alternative root be economically advantageous , an actor’s ability to exploit market forces and create an alternative root would be significantly improved...conduct their operations. Therefore, a loss or disruption to Internet services would not be advantageous for the desired outcomes of these syndicates.26... eCommerce Service loss or disruption [C] Traffic Redirection [C] = Undesired consequence Information Technology Sector Baseline Risk Assessment

Leadership of risk decision making in a complex, technology organization: The deliberative decision making model

Science.gov (United States)

Flaming, Susan C.

2007-12-01

The continuing saga of satellite technology development is as much a story of successful risk management as of innovative engineering. How do program leaders on complex, technology projects manage high stakes risks that threaten business success and satellite performance? This grounded theory study of risk decision making portrays decision leadership practices at one communication satellite company. Integrated product team (IPT) leaders of multi-million dollar programs were interviewed and observed to develop an extensive description of the leadership skills required to navigate organizational influences and drive challenging risk decisions to closure. Based on the study's findings the researcher proposes a new decision making model, Deliberative Decision Making, to describe the program leaders' cognitive and organizational leadership practices. This Deliberative Model extends the insights of prominent decision making models including the rational (or classical) and the naturalistic and qualifies claims made by bounded rationality theory. The Deliberative Model describes how leaders proactively engage resources to play a variety of decision leadership roles. The Model incorporates six distinct types of leadership decision activities, undertaken in varying sequence based on the challenges posed by specific risks. Novel features of the Deliberative Decision Model include: an inventory of leadership methods for managing task challenges, potential stakeholder bias and debates; four types of leadership meta-decisions that guide decision processes, and aligned organizational culture. Both supporting and constraining organizational influences were observed as leaders managed major risks, requiring active leadership on the most difficult decisions. Although the company's engineering culture emphasized the importance of data-based decisions, the uncertainties intrinsic to satellite risks required expert engineering judgment to be exercised throughout. An investigation into

Recent innovation of geospatial information technology to support disaster risk management and responses

Science.gov (United States)

Une, Hiroshi; Nakano, Takayuki

2018-05-01

Geographic location is one of the most fundamental and indispensable information elements in the field of disaster response and prevention. For example, in the case of the Tohoku Earthquake in 2011, aerial photos taken immediately after the earthquake greatly improved information sharing among different government offices and facilitated rescue and recovery operations, and maps prepared after the disaster assisted in the rapid reconstruction of affected local communities. Thanks to the recent development of geospatial information technology, this information has become more essential for disaster response activities. Advancements in web mapping technology allows us to better understand the situation by overlaying various location-specific data on base maps on the web and specifying the areas on which activities should be focused. Through 3-D modelling technology, we can have a more realistic understanding of the relationship between disaster and topography. Geospatial information technology can sup-port proper preparation and emergency responses against disasters by individuals and local communities through hazard mapping and other information services using mobile devices. Thus, geospatial information technology is playing a more vital role on all stages of disaster risk management and responses. In acknowledging geospatial information's vital role in disaster risk reduction, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, repeatedly reveals the importance of utilizing geospatial information technology for disaster risk reduction. This presentation aims to report the recent practical applications of geospatial information technology for disaster risk management and responses.

Brachytherapy boost and cancer-specific mortality in favorable high-risk versus other high-risk prostate cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinayak Muralidhar

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose : Recent retrospective data suggest that brachytherapy (BT boost may confer a cancer-specific survival benefit in radiation-managed high-risk prostate cancer. We sought to determine whether this survival benefit would extend to the recently defined favorable high-risk subgroup of prostate cancer patients (T1c, Gleason 4 + 4 = 8, PSA 20 ng/ml. Material and methods: We identified 45,078 patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database with cT1c-T3aN0M0 intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer diagnosed 2004-2011 treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT only or EBRT plus BT. We used multivariable competing risks regression to determine differences in the rate of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM after EBRT + BT or EBRT alone in patients with intermediate-risk, favorable high-risk, or other high-risk disease after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. Results : EBRT + BT was not associated with an improvement in 5-year PCSM compared to EBRT alone among patients with favorable high-risk disease (1.6% vs. 1.8%; adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]: 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21-1.52, p = 0.258, and intermediate-risk disease (0.8% vs. 1.0%, AHR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.59-1.16, p = 0.270. Others with high-risk disease had significantly lower 5-year PCSM when treated with EBRT + BT compared with EBRT alone (3.9% vs. 5.3%; AHR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.55-0.95; p = 0.022. Conclusions : Brachytherapy boost is associated with a decreased rate of PCSM in some men with high-risk prostate cancer but not among patients with favorable high-risk disease. Our results suggest that the recently-defined “favorable high-risk” category may be used to personalize therapy for men with high-risk disease.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging as an Adjunct to Mammography for Breast Cancer Screening in Women at Less Than High Risk for Breast Cancer: A Health Technology Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Nikitovic-Jokic, Milica; Holubowich, Corinne

2016-01-01

Background Screening with mammography can detect breast cancer early, before clinical symptoms appear. Some cancers, however, are not captured with mammography screening alone. Among women at high risk for breast cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been suggested as a safe adjunct (supplemental) screening tool that can detect breast cancers missed on screening mammography, potentially reducing the number of deaths associated with the disease. However, the use of adjunct screening tests may also increase the number of false-positive test results, which may lead to unnecessary follow-up testing, as well as patient stress and anxiety. We investigated the benefits and harms of MRI as an adjunct to mammography compared with mammography alone for screening women at less than high risk (average or higher than average risk) for breast cancer. Methods We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) Health Technology Assessment Database, and National Health Service (NHS) Economic Evaluation Database, from January 2002 to January 2016, for evidence of effectiveness, harms, and diagnostic accuracy. Only studies evaluating the use of screening breast MRI as an adjunct to mammography in the specified populations were included. Results No studies in women at less than high risk for breast cancer met our inclusion criteria. Conclusions It remains uncertain if the use of adjunct screening breast MRI in women at less than high risk (average or higher than average risk) for breast cancer will reduce breast cancer–related mortality without significant increases in unnecessary follow-up testing and treatment. PMID:27990198

New technologies in the management of risk and violence in forensic settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Tully, John; Larkin, Fintan; Fahy, Thomas

2015-06-01

Novel technological interventions are increasingly used in mental health settings. In this article, we describe 3 novel technological strategies in use for management of risk and violence in 2 forensic psychiatry settings in the United Kingdom: electronic monitoring by GPS-based tracking devices of patients on leave from a medium secure service in London, and closed circuit television (CCTV) monitoring and motion sensor technology at Broadmoor high secure hospital. A common theme is the use of these technologies to improve the completeness and accuracy of data used by clinicians to make clinical decisions. Another common thread is that each of these strategies supports and improves current clinical approaches rather than drastically changing them. The technologies offer a broad range of benefits. These include less restrictive options for patients, improved accountability of both staff and patients, less invasive testing, improved automated record-keeping, and better assurance reporting. Services utilizing technologies need also be aware of limitations. Technologies may be seen as unduly restrictive by patients and advocates, and technical issues may reduce effectiveness. It is vital that the types of technological innovations described in this article should be subject to thorough evaluation that addresses cost effectiveness, qualitative analysis of patients' attitudes, safety, and ethical considerations.

Risk factor scenario in an industrial set-up: Need for an effective screening tool to assess the high-risk group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iyer Uma

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Industrial and technological revolution has resulted in nutrition transition. This calls for analyzing the risk factor scenario in the industrial population. Objective: The objective was to map the prevalence and assess the risk factors of industrial employees. Materials and Methods: The employees of a large petrochemical industry were enrolled (N=269 for the study. Risk factors were elicited through a structured questionnaire. Parameters monitored were fasting blood sugar and lipid profile. Relative risk was calculated to find out significant predictor variables. Results: The employees had high prevalence of overweight (27%, obesity (22%, central obesity (48.7%, prehypertension (43.2%, hypertension (36.6%, and dyslipidemia (41.4%. They had erroneous dietary habits such as low intake of fruits and vegetables and high fat intake. Most of the employees had low physical activity levels. The prevalence of smoking (13.5%, tobacco (28.2%, and alcohol use (22.2% were also high with 15.1% having multiple habits. One-fifth of the employees had metabolic syndrome (MS. Seven predictor variables, namely, family history, BMI, WHR, blood pressure, physical inactivity, TG, and TG/H were identified and used to develop the risk score card to identify people at high risk of CVD and DM. Conclusion: Multiple risk factor scenario among the industrial population studied calls for effective intervention strategies and policy changes to combat the burden of non-communicable diseases. The risk score card can be used to screen the high-risk group in the industrial population.

Integrated risk management in South Africa: between technological features and organisational reality

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Simonis, I

2009-01-01

Full Text Available cost interoperable information and communication technology (ICT) solutions to effectively mitigate disaster risk by addressing all phases of disaster risk management from risk assessment to recovery; paving the way to improved risk governance...

High performance fuel technology development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koon, Yang Hyun; Kim, Keon Sik; Park, Jeong Yong; Yang, Yong Sik; In, Wang Kee; Kim, Hyung Kyu [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-01-15

{omicron} Development of High Plasticity and Annular Pellet - Development of strong candidates of ultra high burn-up fuel pellets for a PCI remedy - Development of fabrication technology of annular fuel pellet {omicron} Development of High Performance Cladding Materials - Irradiation test of HANA claddings in Halden research reactor and the evaluation of the in-pile performance - Development of the final candidates for the next generation cladding materials. - Development of the manufacturing technology for the dual-cooled fuel cladding tubes. {omicron} Irradiated Fuel Performance Evaluation Technology Development - Development of performance analysis code system for the dual-cooled fuel - Development of fuel performance-proving technology {omicron} Feasibility Studies on Dual-Cooled Annular Fuel Core - Analysis on the property of a reactor core with dual-cooled fuel - Feasibility evaluation on the dual-cooled fuel core {omicron} Development of Design Technology for Dual-Cooled Fuel Structure - Definition of technical issues and invention of concept for dual-cooled fuel structure - Basic design and development of main structure components for dual- cooled fuel - Basic design of a dual-cooled fuel rod.

Progress in high-energy laser technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyanaga, Noriaki; Kitagawa, Yoneyoshi; Nakatsuka, Masahiro; Kanabe, Tadashi; Okuda, Isao

2005-01-01

The technological development of high-energy lasers is one of the key issues in laser fusion research. This paper reviews several technologies on the Nd:glass laser and KrF excimer laser that are being used in the current laser fusion experiments and related plasma experiments. Based on the GEKKO laser technology, a new high-energy Nd: glass laser system, which can deliver energy from 10 kJ (boad-band operation) to 20 kJ (narrow-band operation), is under construction. The key topics in KrF laser development are improved efficiency and repetitive operation, which aim at the development of a laser driven for fusion reactor. Ultra-intense-laser technology is also very important for fast ignition research. The key technology for obtaining the petawatt output with high beam quality is reviewed. Regarding the uniform laser irradiation required for high-density compression, the beam-smoothing methods on the GEKKO XII laser are reviewed. Finally, we discuss the present status of MJ-class lasers throughout the world, and summarize by presenting the feasibility of various applications of the high-energy lasers to a wide range of scientific and technological fields. (author)

Modern Risk Assessment for Nuclear Power Plants High-Voltage Substations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ioan, S.; Hurdubetiu, S.; Marza, F.; Mocanu, M.; Stefan, M.

2002-01-01

The paper describes a first Romanian attempt to set up the methodology for risk assessment and control within high-voltage substations, developed for the Nuclear power plant in Cernavoda (Romania). Considering the present risk assessment methods the MENER Project will develop a new methodology, in line with the European Community legislation and with the specific regional needs. In order to correctly shape the necessary resources required by a risk analysis a large size enterprise (a nuclear power plant) is selected and the following five indicators will be estimated: the economic profit, environmental risk, indirect (future) risk, technology improvement and physic and psychological risk. The results are expected to considerably facilitate risk assessment, by: evaluating project acceptability; evaluating equipment compliance to regulatory criteria; estimating excluding clearances; easing the design of emergency programmes; identifying the equipment use restrictions; identifying the risk sources; selecting the maintenance and risk reduction methods; testing the procedures leading to future regulatory norms; suitability of the risk management system modification. The immediate result of employing modern risk assessment methods could be the decrease by one third of the expenses required by environment protection, staff health and labor safety and quality management. (author)

Climbing Up the Technology Ladder? High-Technology Exports in China and Latin America

OpenAIRE

Gallagher, Kevin P.; Porzecanski, Roberto

2008-01-01

In this paper we determine the “dynamic revealed competitiveness position” (DRCP) of nations for high technology exports between 1980 and 2005. We find that the developed world has lost significant market share in high technology and that China has climbed the high technology ladder during this period. In 1980 China was ranked 99th of all nations in terms of the percentage of global exports in high technology. By 2005 China climbed to second place in the world, first place if high technology ...

Engaging with residents' perceived risks and benefits about technologies as a way of resolving remediation dilemmas.

Science.gov (United States)

Prior, Jason; Rai, Tapan

2017-12-01

In recent decades the diversity of remediation technologies has increased significantly, with the breadth of technologies ranging from dig and dump to emergent technologies like phytoremediation and nanoremediation. The benefits of these technologies to the environment and human health are believed to be substantial. However, they also potentially constitute risks. Whilst there is a growing body of knowledge about the risks and benefits of these technologies from the perspective of experts, little is known about how residents perceive the risks and benefits of the application of these technologies to address contaminants in their local environment. This absence of knowledge poses a challenge to remediation practitioners and policy makers who are increasingly seeking to engage these affected local residents in choosing technology applications. Building on broader research into the perceived benefits and risks of technologies, and data from a telephone survey of 2009 residents living near 13 contaminated sites in Australia, regression analysis of closed-ended survey questions and coding of open-ended questions are combined to identify the main predictors of resident's perceived levels of risk and benefit to resident's health and to their local environment from remediation technologies. This research identifies a range of factors associated with the residents' physical context, their engagement with institutions during remediation processes, and the technologies which are associated with residents' level of perceived risk and benefit for human health and the local environment. The analysis found that bioremediation technologies were perceived as less risky and more beneficial than chemical, thermal and physical technologies. The paper also supports broader technology research that reports an inverse correlation between levels of perceived risks and benefits. In addition, the paper reveals the types of risks and benefits to human health and the local environment that

State investments in high-technology job growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Leicht, Kevin T; Jenkins, J Craig

2017-07-01

Since the early 1970's state and local governments have launched an array of economic development programs designed to promote high-technology development. The question our analysis addresses is whether these programs promote long-term high-technology employment growth net of state location and agglomeration advantages. Proponents talk about an infrastructure strategy that promotes investment in public research and specialized infrastructure to attract and grow new high technology industries in specific locations, and a more decentralized entrepreneurial strategy that reinforces local agglomeration capacities by investing in new enterprises and products, promoting the development of local networks and partnerships. Our results support the entrepreneurial strategy, suggesting that state governments can accelerate high technology development by adopting market-supportive programs that complement private sector initiatives. In addition to positive direct benefits of technology deployment/transfer programs and SBIR programs, entrepreneurial programs affect change in high-technology employment in concert with existing locational and agglomeration advantages. Rural (i.e. low population density) states tend to benefit by technology development programs. Infrastructure strategy programs also facilitate high technology job growth in places where local advantages already exist. Our results suggest that critics of industrial policy are correct that high technology growth is organic and endogenous, yet state governments are able to "pick winners and losers" in ways that grow their local economy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Not all risks are equal: the risk taking inventory for high-risk sports.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodman, Tim; Barlow, Matt; Bandura, Comille; Hill, Miles; Kupciw, Dominika; Macgregor, Alexandra

2013-10-01

Although high-risk sport participants are typically considered a homogenous risk-taking population, attitudes to risk within the high-risk domain can vary considerably. As no validated measure allows researchers to assess risk taking within this domain, we validated the Risk Taking Inventory (RTI) for high-risk sport across four studies. The RTI comprises seven items across two factors: deliberate risk taking and precautionary behaviors. In Study 1 (n = 341), the inventory was refined and tested via a confirmatory factor analysis used in an exploratory fashion. The subsequent three studies confirmed the RTI's good model-data fit via three further separate confirmatory factor analyses. In Study 2 (n = 518) and in Study 3 (n = 290), concurrent validity was also confirmed via associations with other related traits (sensation seeking, behavioral activation, behavioral inhibition, impulsivity, self-esteem, extraversion, and conscientiousness). In Study 4 (n = 365), predictive validity was confirmed via associations with mean accidents and mean close calls in the high-risk domain. Finally, in Study 4, the self-report version of the inventory was significantly associated with an informant version of the inventory. The measure will allow researchers and practitioners to investigate risk taking as a variable that is conceptually distinct from participation in a high-risk sport.

Application of a risk analysis method to different technologies for producing a monoclonal antibody employed in hepatitis B vaccine manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Milá, Lorely; Valdés, Rodolfo; Tamayo, Andrés; Padilla, Sigifredo; Ferro, Williams

2012-03-01

CB.Hep-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) is used for a recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine manufacturing, which is included in a worldwide vaccination program against Hepatitis B disease. The use of this mAb as immunoligand has been addressed into one of the most efficient steps of active pharmaceutical ingredient purification process. Regarding this, Quality Risk Management (QRM) provides an excellent framework for the risk management use in pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality decision-making applications. Consequently, this study sought applying a prospective risk analysis methodology Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) as QRM tool for analyzing different CB.Hep-1 mAb manufacturing technologies. As main conclusions FMEA was successfully used to assess risks associated with potential problems in CB.Hep-1 mAb manufacturing processes. The severity and occurrence of risks analysis evidenced that the percentage of very high severe risks ranged 31.0-38.7% of all risks and the huge majority of risks have a very low occurrence level (61.9-83.3%) in all assessed technologies. Finally, additive Risk Priority Number, was descending ordered as follow: transgenic plants (2636), ascites (2577), transgenic animals (2046) and hollow fiber bioreactors (1654), which also corroborated that in vitro technology, should be the technology of choice for CB.Hep-1 mAb manufacturing in terms of risks and mAb molecule quality. Copyright © 2011 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population information on major technological risks and specially on nuclear risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Choudens, H.

1992-01-01

Following Chernobyl accident which has revealed in France a strong need for information on technological risks among population and a lack in its organization, the Mayor of Grenoble City who was also at this time, Environment Minister in French Government had initiated in lsere Region an important operation of consideration of action, which has to been undertaken to correct theses lacks. Among ten actions retained one of them was the creation of an Association for Information of the public for Prevention of major risks. This Association has first initiated a consultation on the perception by the population of the different major risks (Industrial and Naturals) in view of the results of this consultation, Medical Professions were the first concerned and a publication 'Medicine and Nuclear risk' has been elaborated and distributed to all doctors of the Region. A Memento on Nuclear risk as then been written and largely distributed in the region, especially in the medias. A booklet on nuclear risk and behavior in case of nuclear accident has then been realized and distributed to all people around Electronuclear Reactors of the Region and to children in the schools. In complement, public meetings have been organized in these sectors to inform, and discuss with the population. (author)

Managing Risk on a Technology Development Project/Advanced Mirror System Demonstrator

Science.gov (United States)

Byberg, Alicia; Russell, J. Kevin; Stahl, Phil (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The risk management study applied to the Advanced Mirror System Demonstrator (AMSD), a precursor mirror technology development for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) is documented. The AMSD will be developed as a segment of a lightweight primary mirror system that can be produced at a low cost and with a short manufacturing schedule. The technology gained from the program will support the risk mitigation strategy for the NGST, as well as other government agency space mirror programs.

Novel sensing technology in fall risk assessment in older adults: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ruopeng; Sosnoff, Jacob J

2018-01-16

Falls are a major health problem for older adults with significant physical and psychological consequences. A first step of successful fall prevention is to identify those at risk of falling. Recent advancement in sensing technology offers the possibility of objective, low-cost and easy-to-implement fall risk assessment. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the current state of sensing technology on providing objective fall risk assessment in older adults. A systematic review was conducted in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement (PRISMA). Twenty-two studies out of 855 articles were systematically identified and included in this review. Pertinent methodological features (sensing technique, assessment activities, outcome variables, and fall discrimination/prediction models) were extracted from each article. Four major sensing technologies (inertial sensors, video/depth camera, pressure sensing platform and laser sensing) were reported to provide accurate fall risk diagnostic in older adults. Steady state walking, static/dynamic balance, and functional mobility were used as the assessment activity. A diverse range of diagnostic accuracy across studies (47.9% - 100%) were reported, due to variation in measured kinematic/kinetic parameters and modelling techniques. A wide range of sensor technologies have been utilized in fall risk assessment in older adults. Overall, these devices have the potential to provide an accurate, inexpensive, and easy-to-implement fall risk assessment. However, the variation in measured parameters, assessment tools, sensor sites, movement tasks, and modelling techniques, precludes a firm conclusion on their ability to predict future falls. Future work is needed to determine a clinical meaningful and easy to interpret fall risk diagnosis utilizing sensing technology. Additionally, the gap between functional evaluation and user experience to technology should be addressed.

A Risk Management Framework to Characterize Black Swan Risks: A Case Study of Lightning Effects on Insensitive High Explosives

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Gary A.

Effective and efficient risk management processes include the use of high fidelity modeling and simulation during the concept exploration phase as part of the technology and risk assessment activities, with testing and evaluation tasks occurring in later design development phases. However, some safety requirements and design architectures may be dominated by the low probability/high consequence "Black Swan" vulnerabilities that require very early testing to characterize and efficiently mitigate. Failure to address these unique risks has led to catastrophic systems failures including the space shuttle Challenger, Deepwater Horizon, Fukushima nuclear reactor, and Katrina dike failures. Discovering and addressing these risks later in the design and development process can be very costly or even lead to project cancellation. This paper examines the need for risk management process adoption of early hazard phenomenology testing to inform the technical risk assessment, requirements definition and conceptual design. A case study of the lightning design vulnerability of the insensitive high explosives being used in construction, mining, demolition, and defense industries will be presented to examine the impact of this vulnerability testing during the concept exploration phase of the design effort. While these insensitive high explosives are far less sensitive to accidental initiation by fire, impact, friction or even electrical stimuli, their full range of sensitivities have not been characterized and ensuring safe engineering design and operations during events such as lightning storms requires vulnerability testing during the risk assessment phase.

Adversarial risks in social experiments with new technologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pieters, Wolter; Dechesne, Francien; van der Poel, Ibo; Asveld, Lotte; Mehos, Donna C.

2017-01-01

Studies that approach the deployment of new technologies as social experiments have mostly focused on unintentional effects, notably safety. We argue for the inclusion of adversarial risks or security aspects that are the result of intentional, strategic behavior of actors, who aim at using the

A Framework for Integrating Knowledge Management with Risk Management for Information Technology Projects (RiskManiT)

Science.gov (United States)

Karadsheh, Louay A.

2010-01-01

This research focused on the challenges experienced when executing risk management activities for information technology projects. The lack of adequate knowledge management support of risk management activities has caused many project failures in the past. The research objective was to propose a conceptual framework of the Knowledge-Based Risk…

Technologies for Assessing Behavioral and Cognitive Markers of Suicide Risk

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

assessing behavioral and cognitive markers of risk for suicide among U.S. Army National Guard personnel. Journal of Environmental Research and Public Policy...effective ways to prevent injury and death from suicide • No reliable method for predicting suicide risk in military personnel • Behavioral (e.g...AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0632 TITLE: Technologies for Assessing Behavioral and Cognitive Markers of Suicide Risk PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brian

High Center Volume Does Not Mitigate Risk Associated with Using High Donor Risk Organs in Liver Transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Beal, Eliza W; Black, Sylvester M; Mumtaz, Khalid; Hayes, Don; El-Hinnawi, Ashraf; Washburn, Kenneth; Tumin, Dmitry

2017-09-01

High-risk donor allografts increase access to liver transplant, but potentially reduce patient and graft survival. It is unclear whether the risk associated with using marginal donor livers is mitigated by increasing center experience. The United Network for Organ Sharing registry was queried for adult first-time liver transplant recipients between 2/2002 and 12/2015. High donor risk was defined as donor risk index >1.9, and 1-year patient and graft survival were compared according to donor risk index in small and large centers. Multivariable Cox regression estimated the hazard ratio (HR) associated with using high-risk donor organs, according to a continuous measure of annual center volume. The analysis included 51,770 patients. In 67 small and 67 large centers, high donor risk index predicted increased mortality (p = 0.001). In multivariable analysis, high-donor risk index allografts predicted greater mortality hazard at centers performing 20 liver transplants per year (HR 1.35; 95% CI 1.22, 1.49; p donor risk index and center volume was not statistically significant (p = 0.747), confirming that the risk associated with using marginal donor livers was comparable between smaller and larger centers. Results were consistent when examining graft loss. At both small and large centers, high-risk donor allografts were associated with reduced patient and graft survival after liver transplant. Specific strategies to mitigate the risk of liver transplant involving high-risk donors are needed, in addition to accumulation of center expertise.

Risk Management in Information Technology Project: An Empirical Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kornelius Irfandhi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The companies are facing some risks due to changes in a dynamic environment. If risks are not managed properly, it will have some negative impacts on the companies at the present and the future. One important function of the Information Technology (IT governance is risk management. Risk management in IT project aims to provide a safe environment for IT projects undertaken. Risk management becomes an important process for the success of IT projects. This article discussed the risk of IT project and whether there was a relationship between risk management and the success of the project. The method used was performing a literature review of several scientific articles which published between 2010 and 2014. The results of this study are the presence of risk management and risk manager influence the success of the project. Risk analysis and risk monitoring and control also have a relationship with the subjective performance of IT projects. If risk management is applied properly, the chance of the success of the projects undertaken can be increased. 

Development of Very High Temperature Reactor Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Won Jae; Noh, J. M.; Kim, Y. H.

2009-04-01

For an efficient production of nuclear hydrogen, the VHTR (Very High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor) of 950 .deg. C outlet temperature and the interfacing system for the hydrogen production are required. We have developed various evaluation technologies for the performance and safety of VHTR through the accomplishment of this project. First, to evaluate the performance of VHTR, a series of analyses has been performed such as core characteristics at 950 .deg. C, applicability of cooled-vessel, intermediate loop system and high temperature structural integrity. Through the analyses of major accidents such as HPCC and LPCC and the analysis of the risk/performance-informed method, VHTR safety evaluation has been also performed. In addition, various design analysis codes have been developed for a nuclear design, system loop design, system performance analysis, air-ingress accident analysis, fission product/tritium transport analysis, graphite structure seismic analysis and hydrogen explosion analysis, and they are being verified and validated through a lot of international collaborations

NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Remediation Technology Collaboration Development

Science.gov (United States)

Romeo, James

2013-01-01

NASA is committed to finding solutions to agency cleanup problems that are better, cheaper, and more effective than the status quo. Unfortunately, some potential solutions involve innovative technologies for which NASA remediation managers may not have a high level of understanding or confidence. Since 2004, NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Mississippi has been pumping groundwater contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and other halogenated volatile organic compounds (HVOC) from their cleanup location designated "Area G" through extraction wells to an aboveground treatment system. Over time, however, the effectiveness of this treatment strategy has diminished and an alternative approach is needed. In 2012, professionals from NASA's Principal Center for Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) introduced SSC managers to an innovative technology for enhancing the performance of SSC's existing pump and treat system. The technology, generally referred to as in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), involves slowly and continuously injecting a strong but safe chemical oxidant into the groundwater. Treatment is enhanced by a "surfactant-type effect" which causes residual contamination from saturated soil to be released into the dissolved-phase where it can be readily oxidized. Any dissolved-phase contamination that was not oxidized can be collected by the extraction well network and treated aboveground. SSC was not familiar with the technology so to increase their confidence, TEERM identified a contractor who was willing to demonstrate their product and process at a significantly reduced price. An initial, small-scale demonstration of ISCO began at sse in March 2012 and completed in August 2012. This successful demonstration was followed by three larger-scale ISCO demonstrations between August and December 2012. The contractor's innovative Continuous Injection System (CIS) incorporated "green" and sustainable technologies and practices. A slow

75 FR 9007 - National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Technology Capstone Workshop Risk...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-26

... Nanotechnology: Public Meeting ACTION: Notice of public meeting. SUMMARY: The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee... and Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications (ELSI) of Nanotechnology. Risk Management Methods is one...

Development of high burnup nuclear fuel technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suk, Ho Chun; Kang, Young Hwan; Jung, Jin Gone; Hwang, Won; Park, Zoo Hwan; Ryu, Woo Seog; Kim, Bong Goo; Kim, Il Gone

1987-04-01

The objectives of the project are mainly to develope both design and manufacturing technologies for 600 MWe-CANDU-PHWR-type high burnup nuclear fuel, and secondly to build up the foundation of PWR high burnup nuclear fuel technology on the basis of KAERI technology localized upon the standard 600 MWe-CANDU- PHWR nuclear fuel. So, as in the first stage, the goal of the program in the last one year was set up mainly to establish the concept of the nuclear fuel pellet design and manufacturing. The economic incentives for high burnup nuclear fuel technology development are improvement of fuel utilization, backend costs plant operation, etc. Forming the most important incentives of fuel cycle costs reduction and improvement of power operation, etc., the development of high burnup nuclear fuel technology and also the research on the incore fuel management and safety and technologies are necessary in this country

Risk calculations for energy conservation technologies: the likelihood of realizing design-phase expectations in new construction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greden, Lara; Vaidya, Prasad; Baker, Chris; Eijadi, David; McDougall, Tom [The Weidt Group (United States)

2007-07-01

The risk that a technology will not be implemented or operated as designed is a significant barrier that impedes owners from adopting new energy-conserving building technologies. This results in a feedback loop that encourages decision makers to minimize risk by sticking with the status quo, regardless of the environmental impact. Different technology categories have different levels and types of risks associated with them.This study assigns levels of risk to technologies by tracing a set of envelope systems, lighting designs, lighting controls, HVAC systems, and HVAC controls in a data set of 38 buildings from the design phase through the initial implementation phase. The likelihood that a technology gets implemented and works as expected is assessed, and risk factors for the various technologies are calculated. Explanations for the levels of risk are supported by interviews with third-party reviewers who serve to assist design teams and owners through the construction phase. Results show that daylighting technologies, including dimming daylighting controls, have the highest risk of not being implemented - when otherwise chosen at the selection phase - while roof insulation and lighting designs are most likely to be fully and correctly implemented. Analysis comparing the risk to the energy conservation opportunity indicates the need for prioritization and support during the design and construction phases to realize expected levels of energy conservation. Overall, the interviewees said the most common reasons for lower than expected energy savings are that energy conservation measures were cut-out during value engineering or cut-out due to later decisions that a technology was functionally risky. This research supports large scale investments in energy conservation technologies for buildings through rebate programs, code improvements, and design guides created by large owners. It identifies technologies that need a higher degree of building management effort and

Risk and benefit perceptions of mobile phone and base station technology in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

van Kleef, Ellen; Fischer, Arnout R H; Khan, Moin; Frewer, Lynn J

2010-06-01

Research in developed countries showed that many citizens perceive that radio signals transmitted by mobile phones and base stations represent potential health risks. Less research has been conducted in developing countries focused on citizen perceptions of risks and benefits, despite the recent and rapid introduction of mobile communication technologies. This study aims to identify factors that are influential in determining the tradeoffs that Bangladeshi citizens make between risks and benefits in terms of mobile phone technology acceptance and health concerns associated with the technology. Bangladesh was selected as representative of many developing countries inasmuch as terrestrial telephone infrastructure is insubstantial, and mobile phone use has expanded rapidly over the last decade, even among the poor. Issues of importance were identified in a small-scale qualitative study among Bangladeshi citizens (n = 13), followed by a survey within a sample of Bangladeshi citizens (n = 500). The results demonstrate that, in general, the perceived benefits of mobile phone technology outweigh the risks. The perceived benefits are primarily related to the social and personal advantages of mobile phone use, including the ability to receive emergency news about floods, cyclones, and other natural disasters. Base stations were seen as a symbol of societal advance. The results furthermore suggest that overall risk perceptions are relatively low, in particular health risks, and are primarily driven by perceptions that related to crime and social inconvenience. Perceived health risks are relatively small. These findings show that risk communication and management may be particularly effective when contextual factors of the society where the system is implemented are taken into consideration.

Integrating emerging earth science technologies into disaster risk management: an enterprise architecture approach

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, J. D.; Hao, W.; Chettri, S. R.

2014-12-01

Disaster risk management has grown to rely on earth observations, multi-source data analysis, numerical modeling, and interagency information sharing. The practice and outcomes of disaster risk management will likely undergo further change as several emerging earth science technologies come of age: mobile devices; location-based services; ubiquitous sensors; drones; small satellites; satellite direct readout; Big Data analytics; cloud computing; Web services for predictive modeling, semantic reconciliation, and collaboration; and many others. Integrating these new technologies well requires developing and adapting them to meet current needs; but also rethinking current practice to draw on new capabilities to reach additional objectives. This requires a holistic view of the disaster risk management enterprise and of the analytical or operational capabilities afforded by these technologies. One helpful tool for this assessment, the GEOSS Architecture for the Use of Remote Sensing Products in Disaster Management and Risk Assessment (Evans & Moe, 2013), considers all phases of the disaster risk management lifecycle for a comprehensive set of natural hazard types, and outlines common clusters of activities and their use of information and computation resources. We are using these architectural views, together with insights from current practice, to highlight effective, interrelated roles for emerging earth science technologies in disaster risk management. These roles may be helpful in creating roadmaps for research and development investment at national and international levels.

Integrating mHealth Mobile Applications to Reduce High Risk Drinking among Underage Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kazemi, Donna M.; Cochran, Allyson R.; Kelly, John F.; Cornelius, Judith B.; Belk, Catherine

2014-01-01

Objective: College students embrace mobile cell phones (MCPs) as a primary communication and entertainment device. The aim of this study was to investigate college students' perceptions toward using mHealth technology to deliver interventions to prevent high-risk drinking and associated consequences. Design/setting: Four focus group interviews…

High temperature vapors science and technology

CERN Document Server

Hastie, John

2012-01-01

High Temperature Vapors: Science and Technology focuses on the relationship of the basic science of high-temperature vapors to some areas of discernible practical importance in modern science and technology. The major high-temperature problem areas selected for discussion include chemical vapor transport and deposition; the vapor phase aspects of corrosion, combustion, and energy systems; and extraterrestrial high-temperature species. This book is comprised of seven chapters and begins with an introduction to the nature of the high-temperature vapor state, the scope and literature of high-temp

Reducing Risk of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Collegiate Music Ensembles Using Ambient Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Jason; Chesky, Kris

2017-09-01

Student musicians are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) as they develop skills and perform during instructional activities. Studies using longitudinal dosimeter data show that pedagogical procedures and instructor behaviors are highly predictive of NIHL risk, thus implying the need for innovative approaches to increase instructor competency in managing instructional activities without interfering with artistic and academic freedom. Ambient information systems, an emerging trend in human-computer interaction that infuses psychological behavioral theories into technologies, can help construct informative risk-regulating systems. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of introducing an ambient information system into the ensemble setting. The system used two ambient displays and a counterbalanced within-subjects treatment study design with six jazz ensemble instructors to determine if the system could induce a behavior change that alters trends in measures resulting from dosimeter data. This study assessed efficacy using time series analysis to determine changes in eight statistical measures of behavior over a 9-wk period. Analysis showed that the system was effective, as all instructors showed changes in a combination of measures. This study is in an important step in developing non-interfering technology to reduce NIHL among academic musicians.

High technology revisited: definition and position

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenhuis, H.J.; de Bruijn, E.J.

2006-01-01

This paper proposes a new approach to defining high technology by distinguishing two different aspects. First, complexity, which is a more or less a `static' view on high technology and is applied to both the final product as well as the production process. Second, the newness, relates to a

Screening, early detection, education, and trends for melanoma: current status (2007-2013) and future directions: Part I. Epidemiology, high-risk groups, clinical strategies, and diagnostic technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Jonathan E; Swetter, Susan M; Fu, Teresa; Geller, Alan C

2014-10-01

While most cancers have shown both decreased incidence and mortality over the past several decades, the incidence of melanoma has continued to grow, and mortality has only recently stabilized in the United States and in many other countries. Certain populations, such as men >60 years of age and lower socioeconomic status groups, face a greater burden from disease. For any given stage and across all ages, men have shown worse melanoma survival than women, and low socioeconomic status groups have increased levels of mortality. Novel risk factors can help identify populations at greatest risk for melanoma and can aid in targeted early detection. Risk assessment tools have been created to identify high-risk patients based on various factors, and these tools can reduce the number of patients needed to screen for melanoma detection. Diagnostic techniques, such as dermatoscopy and total body photography, and new technologies, such as multispectral imaging, may increase the accuracy and reliability of early melanoma detection. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A metasynthesis of risk perception in women with high risk pregnancies.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Suzanne; Ayers, Susan; Holden, Des

2014-04-01

risk perception in women with high risk pregnancies affects their decisions about perinatal care and is of interest to anyone involved in the care of pregnant women. This paper provides a metasynthesis of qualitative studies of risk perception in women with high risk pregnancies. a systematic search of eight electronic databases was conducted. Additional papers were obtained through searching references of identified articles. Six studies were identified that reported qualitative research into risk perception in relation to high risk pregnancy. A metasynthesis was developed to describe and interpret the studies. the synthesis resulted in the identification of five themes: determinants of risk perception; not seeing it the way others do; normality versus risk; if the infant is ok, I׳m ok; managing risk. this metasynthesis suggests women at high risk during pregnancy use multiple sources of information to determine their risk status. It shows women are aware of the risks posed by their pregnancies but do not perceive risk in the same way as healthcare professionals. They will take steps to ensure the health of themselves and their infants but these may not include following all medical recommendations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GREEN TECHNOLOGY FORESIGHT OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY: HYPE OR POTENTIALS - THE CHALLENGES FROM NANOTECHNOLOGY, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ICT

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

2004-01-01

The paper describes the theoretical and methodological approach in an ongoing Danish technology foresight project focusing on the environmental potentials and risks of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information and communication technology (ICT). The paper gives a short overview of some...

Research on Occupational Safety, Health Management and Risk Control Technology in Coal Mines.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lu-Jie; Cao, Qing-Gui; Yu, Kai; Wang, Lin-Lin; Wang, Hai-Bin

2018-04-26

This paper studies the occupational safety and health management methods as well as risk control technology associated with the coal mining industry, including daily management of occupational safety and health, identification and assessment of risks, early warning and dynamic monitoring of risks, etc.; also, a B/S mode software (Geting Coal Mine, Jining, Shandong, China), i.e., Coal Mine Occupational Safety and Health Management and Risk Control System, is developed to attain the aforementioned objectives, namely promoting the coal mine occupational safety and health management based on early warning and dynamic monitoring of risks. Furthermore, the practical effectiveness and the associated pattern for applying this software package to coal mining is analyzed. The study indicates that the presently developed coal mine occupational safety and health management and risk control technology and the associated software can support the occupational safety and health management efforts in coal mines in a standardized and effective manner. It can also control the accident risks scientifically and effectively; its effective implementation can further improve the coal mine occupational safety and health management mechanism, and further enhance the risk management approaches. Besides, its implementation indicates that the occupational safety and health management and risk control technology has been established based on a benign cycle involving dynamic feedback and scientific development, which can provide a reliable assurance to the safe operation of coal mines.

[Detecting high risk pregnancy].

Science.gov (United States)

Doret, Muriel; Gaucherand, Pascal

2009-12-20

Antenatal care is aiming to reduce maternal land foetal mortality and morbidity. Maternal and foetal mortality can be due to different causes. Their knowledge allows identifying pregnancy (high risk pregnancy) with factors associated with an increased risk for maternal and/or foetal mortality and serious morbidity. Identification of high risk pregnancies and initiation of appropriate treatment and/or surveillance should improve maternal and/or foetal outcome. New risk factors are continuously described thanks to improvement in antenatal care and development in biology and cytopathology, increasing complexity in identifying high risk pregnancies. Level of risk can change all over the pregnancy. Ideally, it should be evaluated prior to the pregnancy and at each antenatal visit. Clinical examination is able to screen for intra-uterin growth restriction, pre-eclampsia, threatened for preterm labour; ultrasounds help in the diagnosis of foetal morphological anomalies, foetal chromosomal anomalies, placenta praevia and abnormal foetal growth; biological exams are used to screen for pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, trisomy 21 (for which screening method just changed), rhesus immunisation, seroconversion for toxoplasmosis or rubeola, unknown infectious disease (syphilis, hepatitis B, VIH). During pregnancy, most of the preventive strategies have to be initiated during the first trimester or even before conception. Prevention for neural-tube defects, neonatal hypocalcemia and listeriosis should be performed for all women. On the opposite, some measures are concerning only women with risk factors such as prevention for toxoplasmosis, rhesus immunization (which recently changed), tobacco complications and pre-eclampsia and intra-uterine growth factor restriction.

Measuring Profitability Impacts of Information Technology: Use of Risk Adjusted Measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Anil; Harmon, Glynn

2003-01-01

Focuses on understanding how investments in information technology are reflected in the income statements and balance sheets of firms. Shows that the relationship between information technology investments and corporate profitability is much better explained by using risk-adjusted measures of corporate profitability than using the same measures…

Economic reassessment of energy technologies with risk-management techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohr, Markus; Unger, Hermann

1999-01-01

A new approach for the reassessment of modern energy technologies is discussed. This mainly addresses renewable-energy systems, like photovoltaics or wind converters. A new number called the 'Marginal Energy Risk Price (MERP) for Hedging' is introduced. (Author)

Risk - interface between law and technology. Risiko - Schnittstelle zwischen Recht und Technik. Vortraege

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1982-01-01

Due to the rapid developments of technology, the subject of this congress has received central significance. It basically deals with the question of how advantages created by technology can be utilized by simultaneously avoiding any possible disadvantages that may arise from them. In the first part of this meeting, engineers present their considerations concerning risk assessment and risk comparisons, while the second part deals with the significance of scientific standardization. The third part elaborates on the evaluation of technical risks from the legal point of view.

A New Approach in the Design of High-Risk Infusion Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Murphy

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The syringe infusion pump has been established as the instrument of choice for high-risk infusions, where potent drugs are often delivered at low rates of flow. However, numerous instances of unexpected flow error with consequent patient physiological impact have been reported. These include unwanted bolus delivery on release of line occlusion, dosage fluctuation due to pump height change and fluid reflux within the multiple pump installations now common in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU. This article examines the performance of a typical ICU syringe infusion pump and identifies mechanical compliance, inherent in commercial designs, as a source of flow error that should not be ignored by equipment designers. A prototype low compliance system is described and tested with performance compared to the conventional design, demonstrating advantages in terms of lower flow error.

Diabetes and Technology for Increased Activity (DaTA Study: The effects of exercise and technology on heart rate variability and metabolic syndrome risk factors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melanie I Stuckey

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This study tested the hypothesis that an eight-week exercise intervention supported by mobile health (mHealth technology would improve metabolic syndrome (MetS risk factors and heart rate variability (HRV in a population with MetS risk factors. Participants (n=12; 3 male; aged 56.9±7.0y reported to the laboratory for assessment of MetS risk factors and fitness (VO2max at baseline (V0 and after eight-weeks (V2 of intervention. Participants received an individualized exercise prescription and a mHealth technology kit for remote monitoring of blood pressure (BP, blood glucose, physical activity and body weight via smartphone. Participants underwent 24-h ambulatory monitoring of R-R intervals following V0 and V2. Low and high frequency powers of HRV were assessed from the recording and the ratio of low-to-high frequency powers and low and high frequency power in normalized units were calculated. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed that waist circumference (V0: 113.1±11.0cm, V2: 108.1±14.7cm; p=0.004 and diastolic BP (V0: 81±6mmHg, V2: 76±11mmHg; p=0.04 were reduced and VO2max increased (V0: 31.3ml/kg/min, V2: 34.8ml/kg/min; p=0.02 with no changes in other MetS risk factors. Low and high frequency powers in normalized units were reduced (V0: 75.5±12.0, V2: 72.0±12.1; p=0.03 and increased (V0: 24.5±12.0, V2: 28.0±12.1; p=0.03, respectively, with no other changes in HRV. Over the intervention period, changes in systolic BP were correlated negatively with the changes in R-R interval (r=-0.600; p=0.04 and positively with the changes in heart rate (r=0.611; p=0.03, with no other associations between MetS risk factors and HRV parameters. Thus, this eight-week mHealth supported exercise intervention improved MetS risk factors and HRV parameters, but only changes in systolic BP were associated with improved autonomic function.

Reviews of Geospatial Information Technology and Collaborative Data Delivery for Disaster Risk Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroyuki Miyazaki

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Due to the fact that geospatial information technology is considered necessary for disaster risk management (DRM, the need for more effective collaborations between providers and end users in data delivery is increasing. This paper reviews the following: (i schemes of disaster risk management and collaborative data operation in DRM; (ii geospatial information technology in terms of applications to the schemes reviewed; and (iii ongoing practices of collaborative data delivery with the schemes reviewed. This paper concludes by discussing the future of collaborative data delivery and the progress of the technologies.

Risk perception in women with high-risk pregnancies

OpenAIRE

Lee, S.

2014-01-01

Risk perception in women with high risk pregnancies affects the decisions they make about antenatal care and so may therefore influence the wellbeing of mother and baby. This article addresses the factors which influence women when making risk assessments and how these assessments may differ from those of healthcare professionals.\\ud \\ud Women use multiple sources of information to determine their risk status including advice from professionals, from other trusted sources, and their own intui...

Modular, Reconfigurable, High-Energy Technology Development

Science.gov (United States)

Carrington, Connie; Howell, Joe

2006-01-01

The Modular, Reconfigurable High-Energy (MRHE) Technology Demonstrator project was to have been a series of ground-based demonstrations to mature critical technologies needed for in-space assembly of a highpower high-voltage modular spacecraft in low Earth orbit, enabling the development of future modular solar-powered exploration cargo-transport vehicles and infrastructure. MRHE was a project in the High Energy Space Systems (HESS) Program, within NASA's Exploration Systems Research and Technology (ESR&T) Program. NASA participants included Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Glenn Research Center (GRC). Contractor participants were the Boeing Phantom Works in Huntsville, AL, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA, ENTECH, Inc. in Keller, TX, and the University of AL Huntsville (UAH). MRHE's technical objectives were to mature: (a) lightweight, efficient, high-voltage, radiation-resistant solar power generation (SPG) technologies; (b) innovative, lightweight, efficient thermal management systems; (c) efficient, 100kW-class, high-voltage power delivery systems from an SPG to an electric thruster system; (d) autonomous rendezvous and docking technology for in-space assembly of modular, reconfigurable spacecraft; (e) robotic assembly of modular space systems; and (f) modular, reconfigurable distributed avionics technologies. Maturation of these technologies was to be implemented through a series of increasingly-inclusive laboratory demonstrations that would have integrated and demonstrated two systems-of-systems: (a) the autonomous rendezvous and docking of modular spacecraft with deployable structures, robotic assembly, reconfiguration both during assembly and (b) the development and integration of an advanced thermal heat pipe and a high-voltage power delivery system with a representative lightweight high-voltage SPG array. In addition, an integrated simulation testbed would have been developed

Assessing systemwide occupational health and safety risks of energy technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowe, M.D.

1982-01-01

Input-output modelling is now being used to assess systemwide occupational and public health and safety risks of energy technologies. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of this method are presented and some of its important limitations are discussed. Its primary advantage is that it provides a standard method with which to compare technologies on a consistent basis without extensive economic analysis. Among the disadvantages are limited range of applicability, limited spectrum of health impacts, and inability to identify unusual health impacts unique to a new technology. (author)

Redefining the issues of risk and public acceptance. The social viability of technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wynne, B [Lancaster Univ. (UK). School of Independent Studies

1983-02-01

A conceptual framework is proposed within which the notion of risk as normally used in risk assessment (RA) could be enlarged in line with the real substance of social issues of technology policy, to help avoid RA's threatened irrelevance to social decision making. It is argued that the frequent organizational incoherence and thus the unviability of modern technology arises from 'social alienation' between the innovation-commitment phase and the implementation of the technology in society. The roles of technical elites and of particular concepts of technology in this alienation are emphasized. One of the case studies deals with 'Nuclear power - myths of scientific and organizational realism' and discusses the UK nuclear 'programme' and the Three Mile Island accident.

Using new technology to keep oil shipping risks in check

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niini, M.

2001-01-01

The opening of a new crude of terminal at Primorsk on the Karelian Isthmus north of St. Petersburg at the beginning of 2002 win bring a new set of major environmental risks to the waters of the Gulf of Finland Kvaerner Masa-Yards has developed new technology ideally suited to ships using the new terminal. The company's double-hulled, 'double-acting tanker' concept and 'oblique icebreaker' represent a new generation of cost-effective solutions. The highly regulated nature of the domestic oil market in Russia makes exports an attractive option for local producers, as does the current high level of world crude prices. Oil production in Russia in 2000 increased by 6% compared to 1999, to 323 million tonnes, and exports rose by over 15%, to 143 million tonnes. Getting crude to the customer is becoming increasingly difficult, however. The capacity of the Bosporous to handle shipments from the Caspian has probably reached its current ceiling, of some 50 million t/a. Further north, a number of political and economic tensions surround Russia's pipelines through Latvia and Lithuania; and some 20 million t/a are already being exported by rail through Tallinn. Part of Russia's solution to this ongoing problem has been to launch construction of a new, green field terminal at Primorsk on the Karelian Isthmus between St. Petersburg and the Finnish-Russian border. The first stage of the terminal, capable of handling 12 million t/a, is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2002; the terminal's second stage, planned for completion later, will have a capacity of 40 million t/a. If the project comes to full fruition, the result will be one supertanker a day sailing down the Gulf of Finland past Helsinki. The Primorsk terminal brings with it a new set of risks. Central to these is the fact that the route to the terminal passes through shallow water and winds be- tween a number of islands in the nearby archipelago. Another major risk is associated with the difficult ice

Development of high-level radioactive waste treatment and conversion technologies 'Dry decontamination technology development for highly radioactive contaminants'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Won Zin; Lee, K. W.; Won, H. J.; Jung, C. J.; Choi, W. K.; Kim, G. N.; Moon, J. K.

2001-04-01

The followings were studied through the project entitled 'Dry Decontamination Technology Development for Highly Radioactive Contaminants'. 1.Contaminant Characteristics Analysis of Domestic Nuclear Fuel Cycle Projects(NFCP) and Applicability Study of the Unit Dry-Decontamination Techniques A. Classification of contaminated equipments and characteristics analysis of contaminants B. Applicability study of the unit dry-decontamination techniques 2.Performance Evaluation of Unit Dry Decontamination Technique A. PFC decontamination technique B. CO2 decontamination technique C. Plasma decontamination technique 3.Development of Residual Radiation Assessment Methodology for High Radioactive Facility Decontamination A. Development of radioactive nuclide diffusion model on highly radioactive facility structure B. Obtainment of the procedure for assessment of residual radiation dose 4.Establishment of the Design Concept of Dry Decontamination Process Equipment Applicable to Highly Radioactive Contaminants 5.TRIGA soil unit decontamination technology development A. Development of soil washing and flushing technologies B. Development of electrokinetic soil decontamination technology

A methodology for spacecraft technology insertion analysis balancing benefit, cost, and risk

Science.gov (United States)

Bearden, David Allen

Emerging technologies are changing the way space missions are developed and implemented. Technology development programs are proceeding with the goal of enhancing spacecraft performance and reducing mass and cost. However, it is often the case that technology insertion assessment activities, in the interest of maximizing performance and/or mass reduction, do not consider synergistic system-level effects. Furthermore, even though technical risks are often identified as a large cost and schedule driver, many design processes ignore effects of cost and schedule uncertainty. This research is based on the hypothesis that technology selection is a problem of balancing interrelated (and potentially competing) objectives. Current spacecraft technology selection approaches are summarized, and a Methodology for Evaluating and Ranking Insertion of Technology (MERIT) that expands on these practices to attack otherwise unsolved problems is demonstrated. MERIT combines the modern techniques of technology maturity measures, parametric models, genetic algorithms, and risk assessment (cost and schedule) in a unique manner to resolve very difficult issues including: user-generated uncertainty, relationships between cost/schedule and complexity, and technology "portfolio" management. While the methodology is sufficiently generic that it may in theory be applied to a number of technology insertion problems, this research focuses on application to the specific case of small (<500 kg) satellite design. Small satellite missions are of particular interest because they are often developed under rigid programmatic (cost and schedule) constraints and are motivated to introduce advanced technologies into the design. MERIT is demonstrated for programs procured under varying conditions and constraints such as stringent performance goals, not-to-exceed costs, or hard schedule requirements. MERIT'S contributions to the engineering community are its: unique coupling of the aspects of performance

Work stress and subsequent risk of internet addiction among information technology engineers in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sung-Wei; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen; Pikhart, Hynek; Peasey, Anne; Chen, Shih-Tse; Tsai, Ming-Chen

2014-08-01

Work stress, as defined by the Demand-Control-Support (DCS) model and the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model, has been found to predict risks for depression, anxiety, and substance addictions, but little research is available on work stress and Internet addiction. The aims of this study are to assess whether the DCS and ERI models predict subsequent risks of Internet addiction, and to examine whether these associations might be mediated by depression and anxiety. A longitudinal study was conducted in a sample (N=2,550) of 21-55 year old information technology engineers without Internet addiction. Data collection included questionnaires covering work stress, demographic factors, psychosocial factors, substance addictions, Internet-related factors, depression and anxiety at wave 1, and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) at wave 2. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the associations between work stress and IAT; path analysis was adopted to evaluate potentially mediating roles of depression and anxiety. After 6.2 months of follow-up, 14.0% of subjects became problematic Internet users (IAT 40-69) and 4.1% pathological Internet users (IAT 70-100). Job strain was associated with an increased risk of Internet addiction (odds ratio [OR] of having a higher IAT outcome vs. a lower outcome was 1.53); high work social support reduced the risk of Internet addiction (OR=0.62). High ER ratio (OR=1.61) and high overcommitment (OR=1.68) were associated with increased risks of Internet addiction. Work stress defined by the DCS and ERI models predicted subsequent risks of Internet addiction.

Regulatory Risk Reduction for Advanced Reactor Technologies - FY2016 Status and Work Plan Summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moe, Wayne Leland

2016-01-01

Millions of public and private sector dollars have been invested over recent decades to realize greater efficiency, reliability, and the inherent and passive safety offered by advanced nuclear reactor technologies. However, a major challenge in experiencing those benefits resides in the existing U.S. regulatory framework. This framework governs all commercial nuclear plant construction, operations, and safety issues and is highly large light water reactor (LWR) technology centric. The framework must be modernized to effectively deal with non-LWR advanced designs if those designs are to become part of the U.S energy supply. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Regulatory Risk Reduction (RRR) initiative, managed by the Regulatory Affairs Department at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is establishing a capability that can systematically retire extraneous licensing risks associated with regulatory framework incompatibilities. This capability proposes to rely heavily on the perspectives of the affected regulated community (i.e., commercial advanced reactor designers/vendors and prospective owner/operators) yet remain tuned to assuring public safety and acceptability by regulators responsible for license issuance. The extent to which broad industry perspectives are being incorporated into the proposed framework makes this initiative unique and of potential benefit to all future domestic non-LWR applicants

The impact of high-risk drivers and benefits of limiting their driving degree of freedom.

Science.gov (United States)

Habtemichael, Filmon G; de Picado-Santos, Luis

2013-11-01

The perception of drivers regarding risk-taking behaviour is widely varied. High-risk drivers are the segment of drivers who are disproportionately represented in the majority of crashes. This study examines the typologies of drivers in risk-taking behaviour, the common high-risk driving errors (speeding, close following, abrupt lane-changing and impaired driving), their safety consequences and the technological (ITS) devices for their detection and correction. Limiting the driving degree of freedom of high-risk drivers is proposed and its benefits on safety as well as traffic operations are quantified using VISSIM microscopic traffic simulation at various proportions of high-risk drivers; namely, 4%, 8% and 12%. Assessment of the safety benefits was carried out by using the technique of simulated vehicle conflicts which was validated against historic crashes, and reduction in travel time was used to quantify the operational benefits. The findings imply that limiting the freedom of high-risk drivers resulted in a reduction of crashes by 12%, 21% and 27% in congested traffic conditions; 9%, 13% and 18% in lightly congested traffic conditions as well as 9%, 10% and 17% in non-congested traffic conditions for high-risk drivers in proportions of 4%, 8% and 12% respectively. Moreover, the surrogate safety measures indicated that there was a reduction in crash severity levels. The operational benefits amounted to savings of nearly 1% in travel time for all the proportions of high-risk drivers considered. The study concluded that limiting the freedom of high-risk drivers has safety and operational benefits; though there could be social, legal and institutional concerns for its practical implementation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

China's High-technology Standards Development

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

There are several major technology standards, including audio video coding (AVS), automotive electronics, third generation (3G) mobile phones, mobile television, wireless networks and digital terrestrial television broadcasting, that have been released or are currently under development in China. This article offers a detailed analysis of each standard and studies their impact on China's high-technology industry.

Prescription of the High Risk Narcotics and Trading or Illicit Purchasing of High Risk Narcotics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicoleta-Elena Buzatu

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The present essay will analyze the offence of prescribing high risk narcotics and trading or illicit purchasing of high risk narcotics, as it was regulated - together with other offences - by Law no 143 of July 26, 2000 on preventing and fighting against the traffic and illicit consumption of narcotics. The same law defines the meaning of such a phrase “substances which are under national control” by mentioning the fact that they are the narcotics and their precursors listed in Annexes I-IV of the law. The analysis of the offence of prescribing the high risk narcotics and trading or illicit purchasing of high risk narcotics is following the already known structure mentioned in the doctrine and which consists of: object and subjects of the offence, its constituent content: the objective side with its material element, the immediate consequence and causality connections; the subjective side of the offence, as well as forms and modalities of these offences, and the applicable sanctions, of course.

The responsibility of technology. Weighting goods - risk assessment - codes of conduct

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenk, H.; Maring, M.

1991-01-01

Under the heading 'The responsibility of technology' nineteen authors contribute to the following topics: Basic questions of weighting 'goods' relating to resources, the relationship of technical possibilities and (self)restraint of individuals and collectives, striving for knowledge and appropriate limits, possibilities of directing and influencing technology and questions concerning (the limits of) individual and collective responsibility. Dealt with in more detail are: The assessment of technical risks and uncertainties from an ethical and legal point of view, problems in nuclear research and technology illustrated by the example of Chernobyl, information technology, and the influence of the press when presenting technology matters. (orig./HSCH) [de

Redefining the issues of risk and public acceptance. The social viability of technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wynne, B. (Lancaster Univ. (UK). School of Independent Studies)

1983-02-01

A conceptual framework is proposed within which the notion of risk as normally used in risk assessment (RA) could be enlarged in line with the real substance of social issues of technology policy, to help avoid RA's threatened irrelevance to social decision making. It is argued that the frequent organizational incoherence and thus the unviability of modern technology arises from 'social alienation' between the innovation-commitment phase and the implementation of the technology in society. The roles of technical elites and of particular concepts of technology in this alienation are emphasized. One of the case studies deals with 'Nuclear power - myths of scientific and organizational realism' and discusses the UK nuclear 'programme' and the Three Mile Island accident.

Alternative Shape of Suction Caisson to Reduce Risk of Buckling under high Pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Søren; Andersen, Lars Vabbersgaard; Ibsen, Lars Bo

2013-01-01

Using large suction caissons for offshore wind turbines is an upcoming technology also referred to as bucket foundations. During operation the bucket foundation is loaded by a large overturning moment from the wind turbine and the wave loads. However, during installation the bucket is loaded...... cylindrical monopod foundation made of steel. In this paper, an alternative design/shape of the suction caisson, having a smaller risk of buckling under high pressure is presented. The risk of structural buckling is addressed using numerical methods to determine the buckling pressures of the re...

Radical prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Yossepowitch, Ofer; Eastham, James A

2008-06-01

Consensus recommendations for the identification and treatment of men whose apparent organ confined prostate cancer has high risk features are lacking. Despite ongoing refinements in surgical technique and improvements in morbidity and functional outcomes, the tradition of steering high-risk patients away from radical prostatectomy (RP) remains steadfast. We performed a medical literature search in English using MEDLINE/PubMed that addressed high risk prostate cancer. We analyzed the literature with respect to the historical evolution of this concept, current risk stratification schemes and treatment guidelines and related short and long term outcomes following RP. Contemporary evidence suggest that patients classified with high-risk prostate cancer by commonly used definitions do not have a uniformly poor prognosis after RP. Many cancers categorized clinically as high risk are actually pathologically confined to the prostate, and most men with such cancers who undergo RP are alive and free of additional therapy long after surgery. RP in the high-risk setting appears to be associated with a similar morbidity as in lower-risk patients. Men with clinically localized high-risk prostate cancer should not be categorically disqualified from local definitive therapy with RP. With careful attention to surgical technique, cancer control rates should improve further, and adverse effects on quality of life after RP should continue to decrease.

Development of very high temperature reactor design technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Won Jae; Noh, Jan Man

2012-04-01

or an efficient production of nuclear hydrogen, the VHTR (Very High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor) of 950 .deg. C outlet temperature and the interfacing system for the hydrogen production are required. We have developed various evaluation technologies for the performance and safety of VHTR through the accomplishment of this project. First, to evaluate the performance of VHTR, a series of analyses has been performed such as core characteristics at 950 .deg. C, applicability of cooled-vessel, intermediate loop system and high temperature structural integrity. Through the analyses of major accidents such as HPCC and LPCC and the analysis of the risk/performance-informed method, VHTR safety evaluation has been also performed. In addition, various design analysis codes have been developed for a nuclear design, system loop design, system performance analysis, fission product/tritium transport analysis, core thermo-fluid analysis, system layout analysis, graphite structure seismic analysis and hydrogen exposion analysis, and they are being verified and validated through a lot of international collaborations

An operative dengue risk stratification system in Argentina based on geospatial technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ximena Porcasi

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Based on an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the National Space Activities Commission in Argentina, an integrated informatics platform for dengue risk using geospatial technology for the surveillance and prediction of risk areas for dengue fever has been designed. The task was focused on developing stratification based on environmental (historical and current, viral, social and entomological situation for >3,000 cities as part of a system. The platform, developed with open-source software with pattern design, following the European Space Agency standards for space informatics, delivers two products: a national risk map consisting of point vectors for each city/town/locality and an approximate 50 m resolution urban risk map modelling the risk inside selected high-risk cities. The operative system, architecture and tools used in the development are described, including a detailed list of end users’ requirements. Additionally, an algorithm based on bibliography and landscape epidemiology concepts is presented and discussed. The system, in operation since September 2011, is capable of continuously improving the algorithms producing improved risk stratifications without a complete set of inputs. The platform was specifically developed for surveillance of dengue fever as this disease has reemerged in Argentina but the aim is to widen the scope to include also other relevant vector-borne diseases such as chagas, malaria and leishmaniasis as well as other countries belonging to south region of Latin America.

The Risk Evaluation of Agricultural High-tech Investment Project%农业高新技术投资项目风险评价

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

陆迁; 苗姗姗

2005-01-01

The agricultural high-tech investment project (AHIP) is characterized by technology-intensive, high risk and great profit. This article analyzes essential factors of the risks of the agricultural high-tech investment projects and the traditional risk evaluation method of agricultural projects. We think that the applications of the sensitivity analysis and probability are defective. Therefore, this article introduces a structural model to evaluate the risks of the agricultural high-tech investment projects and the system of the concrete evaluation indexes.

Artificial Intelligence Applications to High-Technology Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Dede, Christopher

1987-01-01

Discusses the use of artificial intelligence to improve occupational instruction in complex subjects with high performance goals, such as those required for high-technology jobs. Highlights include intelligent computer assisted instruction, examples in space technology training, intelligent simulation environments, and the need for adult training…

High Cost/High Risk Components to Chalcogenide Molded Lens Model: Molding Preforms and Mold Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernacki, Bruce E.

2012-10-05

This brief report contains a critique of two key components of FiveFocal's cost model for glass compression molding of chalcogenide lenses for infrared applications. Molding preforms and mold technology have the greatest influence on the ultimate cost of the product and help determine the volumes needed to select glass molding over conventional single-point diamond turning or grinding and polishing. This brief report highlights key areas of both technologies with recommendations for further study.

Italian competitiveness in high technology industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrari, S.; Palma, D.; Amendola, G.

1993-01-01

A sectoral analysis of 1978-1991 trends in the invention, manufacturing and marketing, in Italy, of high technology goods suggests the need for greater R ampersand D investment by government and private industry and a broadening of the number and type of industries now contributing to the strengthening of this nation's overall high technology industrial base. This is especially the case with regard to the electronics sector in view of the strategic importance of this vital industry and the strong competition being given by the newly industrialized countries located on the Pacific Rim. With reference to the European Communities common market strategies, intended as a buffer against future unified efforts by North American and Pacific Rim countries to consolidate global market share in high technology goods, recent investment trends reveal that Italy's response thus far has been slow and asymmetric

Client experiences with perinatal healthcare for high-risk and low-risk women

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Stenus, Cherelle M.V.; Boere-Boonekamp, Magda M.; Kerkhof, Erna F.G.M.; Need, Ariana

2018-01-01

Problem: It is unknown if client experiences with perinatal healthcare differ between low-risk and high-risk women. Background: In the Netherlands, risk selection divides pregnant women into low- and high-risk groups. Receiving news that a pregnancy or childbirth has an increased likelihood of

Information technology project risk management in Peru

OpenAIRE

Del Carpio Gallegos, Javier

2014-01-01

This article shows how some principles, uses, and practices of risk management are applied in information technology projects in Peru; in the last four years, in representative sectors like manufacturing, banking, information and communications, academics institutions, construction, government, consulting, services, and others. El presente artículo muestra algunos principios, usos y prácticas de cómo la gestión de riesgos de proyectos de tecnología se ha llevado a cabo en los últimos cuatr...

Silicates materials of high vacuum technology

CERN Document Server

Espe, Werner

2013-01-01

Materials of High Vacuum Technology, Volume 2: Silicates covers silicate insulators of special importance to vacuum technology. The book discusses the manufacture, composition, and physical and chemical properties of technical glasses, quartz glass, quartzware, vycor glass, ceramic materials, mica, and asbestos.

Improving antenatal risk assessment in women exposed to high risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Natasha; Newman, Louise K; Hunter, Mick; Dunlop, Adrian

2015-01-01

Antenatal substance use and related psychosocial risk factors are known to increase the likelihood of child protection involvement; less is known about the predictive nature of maternal reflective functioning (RF) in this population. This preliminary study assessed psychosocial and psychological risk factors for a group of substance dependent women exposed to high risks in pregnancy, and their impact on child protection involvement. Pregnant women on opiate substitution treatment (n = 11) and a comparison group (n = 15) were recruited during their third trimester to complete measures of RF (Pregnancy Interview), childhood trauma, mental health and psychosocial assessments. At postnatal follow-up, RF was reassessed (Parent Development Interview - Revised Short Version) and mother-infant dyads were videotaped to assess emotional availability (EA). Child protection services were contacted to determine if any concerns had been raised for infant safety. Significant between-group differences were observed for demographics, psychosocial factors, trauma and mental health symptoms. Unexpectedly, no significant differences were found for RF or EA between groups. Eight women in the 'exposed to high risks' group became involved with child protection services. Reflective functioning was not significantly associated with psychosocial risk factors, and therefore did not mediate the outcome of child protection involvement. Women 'exposed to high risks' were equally able to generate a model of their own and their infants' mental states and should not be seen within a deficit perspective. Further research is required to better understand the range of risk factors that predict child protection involvement in high risk groups. © The Author(s) 2013.

Risk, security and technology: governing football supporters in the twenty-first century

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spaaij, R.

2013-01-01

This paper critically examines the security and risk management technologies that are being used to conduct and pre-empt the behaviour of football supporters. It is shown how, in the Netherlands, pre-emptive risk management in the governing of football supporters involves a dispersed and fragmented

[A model list of high risk drugs].

Science.gov (United States)

Cotrina Luque, J; Guerrero Aznar, M D; Alvarez del Vayo Benito, C; Jimenez Mesa, E; Guzman Laura, K P; Fernández Fernández, L

2013-12-01

«High-risk drugs» are those that have a very high «risk» of causing death or serious injury if an error occurs during its use. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has prepared a high-risk drugs list applicable to the general population (with no differences between the pediatric and adult population). Thus, there is a lack of information for the pediatric population. The main objective of this work is to develop a high-risk drug list adapted to the neonatal or pediatric population as a reference model for the pediatric hospital health workforce. We made a literature search in May 2012 to identify any published lists or references in relation to pediatric and/or neonatal high-risk drugs. A total of 15 studies were found, from which 9 were selected. A model list was developed mainly based on the ISMP one, adding strongly perceived pediatric risk drugs and removing those where the pediatric use was anecdotal. There is no published list that suits pediatric risk management. The list of pediatric and neonatal high-risk drugs presented here could be a «reference list of high-risk drugs » for pediatric hospitals. Using this list and training will help to prevent medication errors in each drug supply chain (prescribing, transcribing, dispensing and administration). Copyright © 2013 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

A metasynthesis of risk perception in women with high risk pregnancies

OpenAIRE

Lee, S.; Ayers, S.; Holden, D.

2014-01-01

Introduction: Risk perception in women with high risk pregnancies affects their decisions about perinatal care and is of interest to anyone involved in the care of pregnant women. This paper provides a metasynthesis of qualitative studies of risk perception in women with high risk pregnancies.\\ud \\ud Methods: A systematic search of eight electronic databases was conducted. Additional papers were obtained through searching references of identified articles. Six studies were identified that rep...

Regulatory Risk Reduction for Advanced Reactor Technologies – FY2016 Status and Work Plan Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moe, Wayne Leland [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-08-01

Millions of public and private sector dollars have been invested over recent decades to realize greater efficiency, reliability, and the inherent and passive safety offered by advanced nuclear reactor technologies. However, a major challenge in experiencing those benefits resides in the existing U.S. regulatory framework. This framework governs all commercial nuclear plant construction, operations, and safety issues and is highly large light water reactor (LWR) technology centric. The framework must be modernized to effectively deal with non-LWR advanced designs if those designs are to become part of the U.S energy supply. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Regulatory Risk Reduction (RRR) initiative, managed by the Regulatory Affairs Department at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is establishing a capability that can systematically retire extraneous licensing risks associated with regulatory framework incompatibilities. This capability proposes to rely heavily on the perspectives of the affected regulated community (i.e., commercial advanced reactor designers/vendors and prospective owner/operators) yet remain tuned to assuring public safety and acceptability by regulators responsible for license issuance. The extent to which broad industry perspectives are being incorporated into the proposed framework makes this initiative unique and of potential benefit to all future domestic non-LWR applicants

Governance of innovation and appropriateness of hospitalization for high-risk pregnancy: the TOCOMAT system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tagliaferri, Salvatore; Ippolito, Adelaide; Cuccaro, Patrizia; Annunziata, Maria Laura; Campanile, Marta; Di Lieto, Andrea

2013-07-01

Over the last 30 years, a great increase in the application of technologies in public health, with an undisputed impact on both the effectiveness of performance and the investment and management costs, has occurred. This evidence has induced the development of assessment tools to clarify the relationships among resources, outputs, and outcomes of technological innovations. This analysis was developed in order to examine the use of a telematic system for reporting remotely transmitted cardiotocographic traces, specifically (1) its impact on the health organization and on the appropriateness of the care setting used and (2) the efficiency of its adoption in a regional network. We adopted a case-control study on patients' medical records during the first 4 months of 2009, 2010, and 2011 and a cost analysis of resources used for the creation of a computerized telecardiotocography network connecting eight peripheral areas to the operations center. The case-control study showed a reduction in the average hospital stay days for high-risk patients (1.32) and for low-risk patient (1.7) with a total of cost savings of €89,628 for high-risk patients and €170,170 for low-risk patients. The cost savings of the regional network was €20,769.04. The adoption of a remote transmission system of cardiotocography provided a managerial and economic advantage in the reduction of inappropriate admissions for prepartum symptoms and an improvement in the admission indicators (hospital stay days).

Technology, risk and participation: The attitude of society towards insecurity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wynne, B.

1983-01-01

The way society deals with risks in connection with society's judgement and decision on technological developments is discussed. If technology is a social phenomenon one must attribute more importance to unknown changes of social values resulting from these decisions and to unforeseen physical effects. One should therefore shift from fact analysis as a basis of decisions to a critical analysis of the creditworthyness, responsibility and degree to which the views of the decision-making institutions and elites are understood by society. (DG) [de

Superconducting radio frequency technology: Expanding the horizons of physics and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grunder, H.A.; Leemann, C.W.; Sundelin, R.M.; Hartline, B.K.

1986-01-01

This paper describes a major new technology supporting the further evolution of accelerators: superconducting radio frequency (SRF) technology, which is today on the verge of large-scale application in accelerators. Originally foreseen in the early 1960s as a promising technology, SRF only recently has overcome several technological and practical hurdles. SRF accelerating structures promise low rf losses and high gradients under cw operation. High-quality, intense cw beams can be accelerated without risk of melting the structure and without requiring enormous amounts of input rf power

Where is high technology taking nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veall, N.

1985-01-01

The question is posed as to whether high technology in nuclear medicine might lead to the nuclear medicine practitioner possibly finishing up working for the machine rather than the improvement of health care in its widest sense. A brief examination of some pros and cons of high technology nuclear medicine is given. (U.K.)

[Nuclear medicine in Spain: high technology 2013].

Science.gov (United States)

Soriano Castrejón, A M; Prats Rivera, E; Alonso Farto, J C; Vallejo Casas, J A; Rodriguez Gasen, A; Setoain Perego, J; Arbizu Lostao, J

2014-01-01

This article details the high technology equipment in Spain obtained through a survey sent to the three main provider companies of equipment installed in Spain. The geographical distribution of high technology by Autonomous Communities and its antiquity have been analyzed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMNIM. All rights reserved.

Examining the Relationship among High-School Teachers' Technology Self-Efficacy, Attitudes towards Technology Integration, and Quality of Technology Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzales, Stacey

2013-01-01

This quantitative study explored the relationships among high-school teachers' (n = 74) technology self-efficacy, teachers' attitudes towards technology integration, and quality of teachers' technology integration into instruction. This study offered the unique perspectives of in-service high-school teachers as they have first-hand experience…

Development of intergrated accident management assessment technology; development of interface modules of risk-monitoring system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, S. K.; Park, S. K.; Seok, H.; Kim, D. K.; Han, J. K.; Park, B. R. [KOPEC, Taejeon (Korea)

2002-03-01

Based on the development of interface modules with FORTE.- DynaRM can quantify risk model very fast (Very frequent risk model quantification is needed for configuration risk management).- risk monitoring system technology transfer to foreign NPPs. Contribution to component failure and maintenance control automation with the development of Tagging control System. On-Line risk monitoring system development by joint team between Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and KOPEC is a request by KEPCO. The softwares developed in this study is easily implemented at domestic NPPs without extra study or cost. Economic benefit and Software export to foreign NPPs are expected because of the development of technology related to risk monitoring system and its management. 6 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab. (Author)

Resuscitation of newborn in high risk deliveries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yousaf, U.F.; Hayat, S.

2015-01-01

High risk deliveries are usually associated with increased neonatal mortality and morbidity. Neonatal resuscitation can appreciably affect the outcome in these types of deliveries. Presence of personnel trained in basic neonatal resuscitation at the time of delivery can play an important role in reducing perinatal complications in neonates at risk. The study was carried out to evaluate the effects of newborn resuscitation on neonatal outcome in high risk deliveries. Methods: This descriptive case series was carried out at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. Ninety consecutive high risk deliveries were included and attended by paediatricians trained in newborn resuscitation. Babies delivered by elective Caesarean section, normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries and still births were excluded. Neonatal resuscitation was performed in babies who failed to initiate breathing in the first minute after birth. Data was analyzed using SPSS-16.0. Results: A total of 90 high risk deliveries were included in the study. Emergency caesarean section was the mode of delivery in 94.4% (n=85) cases and spontaneous vaginal delivery in 5.6% (n=5). Preterm pregnancy was the major high risk factor. Newborn resuscitation was required in 37.8% (n=34) of all high risk deliveries (p=0.013). All the new-borns who required resuscitation survived. Conclusion: New-born resuscitation is required in high risk pregnancies and personnel trained in newborn resuscitation should be available at the time of delivery. (author)

American Brachytherapy Society Task Group Report: Combination of brachytherapy and external beam radiation for high-risk prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Spratt, Daniel E; Soni, Payal D; McLaughlin, Patrick W; Merrick, Gregory S; Stock, Richard G; Blasko, John C; Zelefsky, Michael J

To review outcomes for high-risk prostate cancer treated with combined modality radiation therapy (CMRT) utilizing external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with a brachytherapy boost. The available literature for high-risk prostate cancer treated with combined modality radiation therapy was reviewed and summarized. At this time, the literature suggests that the majority of high-risk cancers are curable with multimodal treatment. Several large retrospective studies and three prospective randomized trials comparing CMRT to dose-escalated EBRT have demonstrated superior biochemical control with CMRT. Longer followup of the randomized trials will be required to determine if this will translate to a benefit in metastasis-free survival, disease-specific survival, and overall survival. Although greater toxicity has been associated with CMRT compared to EBRT, recent studies suggest that technological advances that allow better definition and sparing of critical adjacent structures as well as increasing experience with brachytherapy have improved implant quality and the toxicity profile of brachytherapy. The role of androgen deprivation therapy is well established in the external beam literature for high-risk disease, but there is controversy regarding the applicability of these data in the setting of dose escalation. At this time, there is not sufficient evidence for the omission of androgen deprivation therapy with dose escalation in this population. Comparisons with surgery remain limited by differences in patient selection, but the evidence would suggest better disease control with CMRT compared to surgery alone. Due to a series of technological advances, modern combination series have demonstrated unparalleled rates of disease control in the high-risk population. Given the evidence from recent randomized trials, combination therapy may become the standard of care for high-risk cancers. Copyright © 2016 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All

Risks perception and the public acceptance of nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, Walter Mendes; Gavazza, Sergio; Estrada, Julio J.S.

2000-01-01

This work establishes a methodology to evaluate the public acceptance of nuclear technology taking into consideration several risk concepts. Basic concepts of the nuclear science were transmitted, in form of lectures and courses, to the 13,439 Goiania residents, after the closing of the decontamination works, caused by the violation of the source of 137 Cs, of a teletherapy machine, in 1987. The results of the indicators shown that public's individuals perceive radiation risks and develop behaviors according to a constructive outline. The public does not know technical terms, being quite influenced by media, from where gets information of interest. The public orders the risks, relating them to accidents according to subjective criteria and models them as unknown, new and not observed at short period, establishing destruction, environmental catastrophe and diseases images. (author)

Regulating the unknown: Managing the occupational health risks of nanomedical technologies and nanopharmaceuticals in the research laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Ersin, Ozlem Hacer

Novel technologies and their resultant products demand fresh ways of thinking about pre-market risk analysis and post-market surveillance. A regulatory framework that is responsive to emerging knowledge about the hazards of novel technologies offers repeatable and transparent processes and remains economically and socially feasible. Workers are an especially vulnerable population who are exposed to unknown hazards of novel technologies and serve often as unwitting sentinels of impending risks. This Grounded Theory-based case study identifies gaps in our current ability to regulate novel technologies so as to minimize occupational health risks and offers necessary modifications for an environment that is conducive to proper regulation. Nanopharmaceuticals and the nano-based technologies at their base are used by way of exemplar technologies that are currently taxing the ability of the regulatory system to provide adequate oversight. Ambiguities of definition, absence of a tracking system (of who is doing nanotechnology research), and the paucity of scientific evidence to support risk management efforts are among the findings of the study and need to be addressed as ameliorative steps toward an effective regulatory structure.

Development of high-level radioactive waste treatment and conversion technologies 'Dry decontamination technology development for highly radioactive contaminants'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Won Zin; Lee, K. W.; Won, H. J.; Jung, C. J.; Choi, W. K.; Kim, G. N.; Moon, J. K

2001-04-01

The followings were studied through the project entitled 'Dry Decontamination Technology Development for Highly Radioactive Contaminants'. 1.Contaminant Characteristics Analysis of Domestic Nuclear Fuel Cycle Projects(NFCP) and Applicability Study of the Unit Dry-Decontamination Techniques A. Classification of contaminated equipments and characteristics analysis of contaminants B. Applicability study of the unit dry-decontamination techniques 2.Performance Evaluation of Unit Dry Decontamination Technique A. PFC decontamination technique B. CO2 decontamination technique C. Plasma decontamination technique 3.Development of Residual Radiation Assessment Methodology for High Radioactive Facility Decontamination A. Development of radioactive nuclide diffusion model on highly radioactive facility structure B. Obtainment of the procedure for assessment of residual radiation dose 4.Establishment of the Design Concept of Dry Decontamination Process Equipment Applicable to Highly Radioactive Contaminants 5.TRIGA soil unit decontamination technology development A. Development of soil washing and flushing technologies B. Development of electrokinetic soil decontamination technology.

Foresight Study on the Risk Governance of New Technologies: The Case of Nanotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

Read, Sheona A K; Kass, Gary S; Sutcliffe, Hilary R; Hankin, Steven M

2016-05-01

Technology-led innovation represents an important driver of European economic and industrial competitiveness and offers solutions to societal challenges. In order to facilitate responsible innovation and public acceptance, a need exists to identify and implement oversight approaches focused on the effective risk governance of emerging technologies. This article describes a foresight study on the governance of new technologies, using nanotechnology as a case example. Following a mapping of the governance landscape, four plausible foresight scenarios were developed, capturing critical uncertainties for nanotechnology governance. Key governance elements were then stress tested within these scenarios to see how well they might perform in a range of possible futures and to inform identification of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for nanotechnology governance in Europe. Based on the study outcomes, recommendations are proposed regarding the development of governance associated with the responsible development of new technologies. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Risk analysis and technology assessment in support of technology development: Putting responsible innovation in practice in a case study for nanotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

van Wezel, Annemarie P; van Lente, Harro; van de Sandt, Johannes Jm; Bouwmeester, Hans; Vandeberg, Rens Lj; Sips, Adrienne Jam

2018-01-01

Governments invest in "key enabling technologies," such as nanotechnology, to solve societal challenges and boost the economy. At the same time, governmental agencies demand risk reduction to prohibit any often unknown adverse effects, and industrial parties demand smart approaches to reduce uncertainties. Responsible research and innovation (RRI) is therefore a central theme in policy making. Risk analysis and technology assessment, together referred to as "RATA," can provide a basis to assess human, environmental, and societal risks of new technological developments during the various stages of technological development. This assessment can help both governmental authorities and innovative industry to move forward in a sustainable manner. Here we describe the developed procedures and products and our experiences to bring RATA in practice within a large Dutch nanotechnology consortium. This is an example of how to put responsible innovation in practice as an integrated part of a research program, how to increase awareness of RATA, and how to help technology developers perform and use RATA. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:9-16. © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Risk-informed technology developments for nuclear power plants within the ASME in 2000-2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wesley Rowley, C.; Balkey, K.R.

2001-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide information on developments within the ASME to support risk-informing NRC regulations for nuclear power plants. This paper builds on a publication at ICONE-8 that discussed ASME risk-informed nuclear power plant initiatives, both in Research and in Codes and Standards, particularly those related to risk-informing Part 50 of the 10 CFR (Code of federal regulations). During the past year, the ASME BNCS formed a Task Force to focus the Society's efforts to support risk-informing 10 CFR Part 50. Key efforts underway that are guided by the task force include finalizing the ASME PRA (probability risk assessment) Standard, developing a Code Case to risk-inform the repair, replacement, and modification activities for ASME components, and developing a Code Case to risk-inform the safety classification of pressure boundary components. Several other initiatives are also under investigation such as introducing risk insights into other ASME nuclear codes and standards supported by appropriate research and technical basis information. Supplementary information will also be provided to update an initial high level plan of ASME risk-informed initiatives for nuclear power plants that was presented at ICONE-8, including plans to communicate these risk-informed technology developments to the public. The authors included and acknowledged contributions from several other cognizant members of the ASME BNCS (board on nuclear codes standards) Task Group on RIP50 in the paper. (authors)

Cost, Time, and Risk Assessment of Different Wave Energy Converter Technology Development Trajectories: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weber, Jochem W [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Laird, Daniel [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Costello, Ronan [Wave Venture; Roberts, Jesse [Sandia National Laboratories; Bull, Diana [Sandia National Laboratories; Babarit, Aurelien [Ecole Centrale de Nantes; Nielsen, Kim [Ramboll; Ferreira, Claudio Bittencourt [DNV-GL; Kennedy, Ben [Wave Venture

2017-09-14

This paper presents a comparative assessment of three fundamentally different wave energy converter technology development trajectories. The three technology development trajectories are expressed and visualised as a function of technology readiness levels and technology performance levels. The assessment shows that development trajectories that initially prioritize technology readiness over technology performance are likely to require twice the development time, consume a threefold of the development cost, and are prone to a risk of technical or commercial failure of one order of magnitude higher than those development trajectories that initially prioritize technology performance over technology readiness.

Methodology Development for Assessment of Spaceport Technology Returns and Risks

Science.gov (United States)

Joglekar, Prafulla; Zapata, Edgar

2001-01-01

As part of Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) challenge to open the space frontier, new spaceport technologies must be developed, matured and successfully transitioned to operational systems. R&D investment decisions can be considered from multiple perspectives. Near mid and far term technology horizons must be understood. Because a multitude of technology investment opportunities are available, we must identify choices that promise the greatest likelihood of significant lifecycle At the same time, the costs and risks of any choice must be well understood and balanced against its potential returns The problem is not one of simply rank- ordering projects in terms of their desirability. KSC wants to determine a portfolio of projects that simultaneously satisfies multiple goals, such as getting the biggest bang for the buck, supporting projects that may be too risky for private funding, staying within annual budget cycles without foregoing the requirements of a long term technology vision, and ensuring the development of a diversity of technologies that, support the variety of operational functions involved in space transportation. This work aims to assist in the development of in methods and techniques that support strategic technology investment decisions and ease the process of determining an optimal portfolio of spaceport R&D investments. Available literature on risks and returns to R&D is reviewed and most useful pieces are brought to the attention of the Spaceport Technology Development Office (STDO). KSC's current project management procedures are reviewed. It is found that the "one size fits all" nature of KSC's existing procedures and project selection criteria is not conducive to prudent decision-making. Directions for improving KSC's - procedures and criteria are outlined. With help of a contractor, STDO is currently developing a tool, named Change Management Analysis Tool (CMAT)/ Portfolio Analysis Tool (PAT), to assist KSC's R&D portfolio determination. A

MOOCs, High Technology, and Higher Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Rhoads, Robert A.

2015-01-01

In "MOOCs, High Technology, and Higher Learning," Robert A. Rhoads places the OpenCourseWare (OCW) movement into the larger context of a revolution in educational technology. In doing so, he seeks to bring greater balance to increasingly polarized discussions of massively open online courses (MOOCs) and show their ongoing relevance to…

Seismic risk evaluation within the technology neutral framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, B.C.; Apostolakis, G.E.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We examine seismic risk within the Technology Neutral Framework (TNF). ► We find that the risk goals in the TNF to be stringent compared with current goals. ► We note that the current fleet reactors would not meet the TNF goals. ► We recommend that an initiating frequency cutoff of 10 −5 per year be use in evaluating seismic risk. - Abstract: The NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research has proposed a risk-informed and performance-based licensing process that is referred to as the technology neutral framework (TNF). In the TNF, licensing basis events (LBEs), determined using probabilistic risk assessment methods, take the place of design basis accidents. These LBEs are constructed by grouping together accident sequences with similar phenomenology. All event sequences with a mean frequency greater than 10 −7 per reactor year are to be considered as part of the licensing basis. Imposing such a limit would require that earthquakes with a mean return period of ten million years be considered as part of the licensing basis. It is difficult to get seismic hazards (i.e., ground accelerations) from expert seismologists at such low frequencies. This is because it is difficult or impossible to confidently say what the seismic hazard might be at these extremely low frequencies. A linear extrapolation in log-log space of hazard curves at the Clinton site down to 10 −7 per year leads to a peak ground acceleration of about 4.5 g. A Weibull distribution is also used to fit the curve leading to a peak ground acceleration of about 2.6 g. These extrapolations demonstrate the extreme nature of rare earthquakes. Even when seismic isolation is implemented, the TNF goal is not met. The problem appears to be that there is no limit on initiating event frequency in the TNF. Demonstrating that a design meets the goals of the TNF would be nearly impossible. A frequency limit for earthquakes could be imposed at a frequency of about 10 −5 per year to focus on

Risk management and organizational systems for high-level radioactive waste disposal: Issues and priorities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emel, J.; Cook, B.; Kasperson, R.; Brown, H.; Guble, R.; Himmelberger, J.; Tuller, S.

1988-09-01

The discussion to follow explores the nature of the high-level radioactive waste disposal tasks and their implications for the design and organizational structure of effective risk management systems. We organize this discussion in a set of interrelated tasks that draw upon both relevant theory and accumulated experience. Specifically these tasks are to assess the management implications of the high levels of technical and social uncertainty that characterize the technology and mission; to identify the elements of organizational theory that bear upon risk management system design; to explore these theoretical issues in the context of two hypothetical risk scenarios associated with radioactive waste disposal; to consider the appropriate role of engineered and geological barriers; to examine briefly issues implicit in DOE's past waste management performance, with special attention to the Hanford facility; and to suggest findings and recommendations that require further attention. 74 refs

Fairness hypothesis and managing the risks of societal technology choices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cantor, R.; Rayner, S.

1986-08-01

Much of the literature on risk perception and management has asked how society should resolve the question, ''How safe is safe enough'' There has been political and technical disagreement over the types of answers that may be given, as well as over the social values attached to perceived probabilities and magnitudes of various outcomes. Despite controversy, there seems to have been a large measure of consensus that, ''How safe is safe enough'' is the right question to ask. This paper sets out to question that assumption. Various ingenious techniques of risk analysis have sought to discover the real risks inherent in various activities, but from a sociocultural viewpoint it can be seen that no single answer can be given to the problem of adequate safety in a complex society which contains a wide variety of perceptual biases about danger, expectations of the good life, and levels of demand for safety. The paper argues that, from a societal risk-management perspective, we should be addressing a different range of questions that views societal risk as a whole rather than as the sum of individual hazards. Resolving the question, ''How safe is safe enough'' is less important in making societal technology choices than ''How fair is safe enough?'' A recent empirical pilot study is reported which explored the fairness hypotheses in the context of nuclear power. The results indicate that the process of technology choice should recognize explicitly the preferred principles different parties hold with respect to obtaining consent from those affected by the risks, distributing the liabilities, and justifying trust in the relevant institutions. The paper closes with a discussion of future prospects for the fairness approach in areas such as noxious facility siting

Advances in high pressure science and technology: proceedings of the fourth national conference on high pressure science and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yousuf, Mohammad; Subramanian, N.; Govinda Rajan, K.

1997-09-01

The proceedings of the fourth National Conference on High Pressure Science and Technology covers a wide area of research and development activities in the field of high pressure science and technology, broadly classified into the following themes: mechanical behaviour of materials; instrumentation and methods in high pressure research; pressure calibration, standards and safety aspects; phase transitions; shock induced reactions; mineral science, geophysics, geochemistry and planetary sciences; optical, electronic and transport properties; synthesis of materials; soft condensed matter physics and liquid crystals; computational methods in high pressure research. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

New technologies for the support of risk management. A systems-engineering point of view for the creation of risk information systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beroggi, G.E.G.

1995-01-01

Within the framework of the poly project, the partial project 'Methodical Fundamentals and Computer Supported Risk Management' has developed two RISs (Risk Information Systems). The aim of the present book is to present the viewpoints gained in these new technologies and model formation attempts with which new RISs can be conceived and created. Because of the numerous new attempts, a compromise had to be made between the breadth and depth of the discussions whereby the breadth was preferred; which means that the aim is to define the broad range of RIS development as comprehensively as possible. The reader is meant to be motivated to think about the new technologies and their role in risk management. figs., tabs., refs

Emerging Radiation Health-Risk Mitigation Technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, J.W.; Cucinotta, F.A.; Schimmerling, W.

2004-01-01

Past space missions beyond the confines of the Earth's protective magnetic field have been of short duration and protection from the effects of solar particle events was of primary concern. The extension of operational infrastructure beyond low-Earth orbit to enable routine access to more interesting regions of space will require protection from the hazards of the accumulated exposures of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR). There are significant challenges in providing protection from the long-duration exposure to GCR: the human risks to the exposures are highly uncertain and safety requirements places unreasonable demands in supplying sufficient shielding materials in the design. A vigorous approach to future radiation health-risk mitigation requires a triage of techniques (using biological and technical factors) and reduction of the uncertainty in radiation risk models. The present paper discusses the triage of factors for risk mitigation with associated materials issues and engineering design methods

Technological risk: A problem of growing concern to government

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaeckel, H.

1980-01-01

The enumeration of rudimentary technological risks alone shows that the governments of the European states must provide both diagnosis and therapy if the continent is not to degenerate into something between a fully automated chamber of horrors and a sordid refuse dump. Each of the European countries has introduced a great deal of valuable legislation. These laws are clearly inadequate. (DG)

HIGH VOLTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS, INC.ELECTRON BEAM TECHNOLOGY - INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT

Science.gov (United States)

This report evaluates a high-voltage electron beam (E-beam) technology's ability to destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other contaminants present in liquid wastes. Specifically, this report discusses performance and economic data from a Superfund Innovative Technology...

A reliable and consistent production technology for high volume compacted graphite iron castings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Jincheng

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The demands for improved engine performance, fuel economy, durability, and lower emissions provide a continual challenge for engine designers. The use of Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI has been established for successful high volume series production in the passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle and industrial power sectors over the last decade. The increased demand for CGI engine components provides new opportunities for the cast iron foundry industry to establish efficient and robust CGI volume production processes, in China and globally. The production window range for stable CGI is narrow and constantly moving. Therefore, any one step single addition of magnesium alloy and the inoculant cannot ensure a reliable and consistent production process for complicated CGI engine castings. The present paper introduces the SinterCast thermal analysis process control system that provides for the consistent production of CGI with low nodularity and reduced porosity, without risking the formation of flake graphite. The technology is currently being used in high volume Chinese foundry production. The Chinese foundry industry can develop complicated high demand CGI engine castings with the proper process control technology.

Infrastructure Systems Interdependencies and Risk Informed Decision Making (RIDM: Impact Scenario Analysis of Infrastructure Risks Induced by Natural, Technological and Intentional Hazards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rudolph Frederick Stapelberg

2008-10-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews current research into infrastructure systems interdependencies with regard to safesty risks induced by natural, technological and intentional hazards. The paper further considers risk informed decision-making.

Pilot research project of risk communication on nuclear technology and its utilization. Toward communication and collaboration with community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, Tomoko

2003-01-01

Although the importance of risk communication has been pointed out over the last decade in nuclear community, both public authorities and nuclear industry have not conducted the definite actions yet. It will be reflected in the public eye that nuclear community's attitude toward communication and consultation with the public about risk issues is half-hearted, comparing with chemical and food safety fields which recently launched their risk communication activities. In this study, we conduct risk communication experiments on some risk issues associated with nuclear technology and its utilization in Tokai village, for the purpose of establishment of risk communication in our society that might be one of the new relationships between science and technology and society. The outcomes of FY2002 study are the following threefold; 1) preparation of risk communication experiments on nuclear technology and its utilization, 2) assessment of social effects of risk communication activities, 3) preparation of practical guidebook for risk communication experiments. (J.P.N.)

Public 'in'tolerance of technological hazards and risk policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simmons, P.; Walker, G.; Irwin, A.; Wynne, B.

1998-01-01

Full text of publication follows: it has been recognised that the notion that there is an 'acceptable' level of risk to the public from technological hazards is in many cases inappropriate. UK government policy on major industrial hazards is informed by the principle of 'tolerability' of risk (TOR). In the paper we examine this principle and how it relates to the views of people who live day-to-day with such hazards. The analysis of public views is based on the results of a Q-method study carried out in the course of recent research funded by the UK Health and Safety Executive. The Q-method study distinguishes between different bases of public toleration - and lack of toleration - of risk. The study found lack a toleration to be based on a single cluster of factors, whereas the bases for public toleration of risk were far more differentiated. The results are outlined in the paper. In the concluding section of the paper we examine the implications of these results for policy, in particular for the application of the TOR principle when setting risk criteria. (authors)

Financial risk management for new technology integration in energy planning under uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, Sajjad; Elsholkami, Mohamed; Elkamel, Ali; Du, Juan; Ydstie, Erik B.; Douglas, Peter L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Financial risk associated with over or underproduction of electricity is studied. • A two-stage stochastic model that considers parameter uncertainties is developed. • The model was applied to a real case to meet projected electricity demand of a fleet of generating stations. • Incorporation of financial risk resulted in an increase in electricity cost. • The selection of technologies was the same as that obtained from a deterministic model. - Abstract: This paper proposes a new methodology to include financial risk management in the framework of two-stage stochastic programming for energy planning under uncertainties in demand and fuel price. A deterministic mixed integer linear programming formulation is extended to a two-stage stochastic programming model in order to take into account random parameters that have discrete and finite probabilistic distributions. This was applied to a case study focusing on planning the capacity supply to meet the projected electricity demand for the fleet of electricity generation stations owned and operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG). The objective of the proposed mathematical model is to minimize cost subject to environmental constraints. The case study is investigated by considering only existing technologies and also by considering the integration of new technologies that help achieve stricter carbon reduction requirements

Trend on High-speed Power Line Communication Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, Osamu

High-speed power line communication (PLC) is useful technology to easily build the communication networks, because construction of new infrastructure is not necessary. In Europe and America, PLC has been used for broadband networks since the beginning of 21th century. In Japan, high-speed PLC was deregulated only indoor usage in 2006. Afterward it has been widely used for home area network, LAN in hotels and school buildings and so on. And recently, PLC is greatly concerned as communication technology for smart grid network. In this paper, the author surveys the high-speed PLC technology and its current status.

Multijunction Photovoltaic Technologies for High-Performance Concentrators: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McConnell, R.; Symko-Davies, M.

2006-05-01

Multijunction solar cells provide high-performance technology pathways leading to potentially low-cost electricity generated from concentrated sunlight. The National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has funded different III-V multijunction solar cell technologies and various solar concentration approaches. Within this group of projects, III-V solar cell efficiencies of 41% are close at hand and will likely be reported in these conference proceedings. Companies with well-developed solar concentrator structures foresee installed system costs of $3/watt--half of today's costs--within the next 2 to 5 years as these high-efficiency photovoltaic technologies are incorporated into their concentrator photovoltaic systems. These technology improvements are timely as new large-scale multi-megawatt markets, appropriate for high performance PV concentrators, open around the world.

Patients at High-Risk for Surgical Site Infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueck, Krislynn M; Kao, Lillian S

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant healthcare quality issue, resulting in increased morbidity, disability, length of stay, resource utilization, and costs. Identification of high-risk patients may improve pre-operative counseling, inform resource utilization, and allow modifications in peri-operative management to optimize outcomes. Review of the pertinent English-language literature. High-risk surgical patients may be identified on the basis of individual risk factors or combinations of factors. In particular, statistical models and risk calculators may be useful in predicting infectious risks, both in general and for SSIs. These models differ in the number of variables; inclusion of pre-operative, intra-operative, or post-operative variables; ease of calculation; and specificity for particular procedures. Furthermore, the models differ in their accuracy in stratifying risk. Biomarkers may be a promising way to identify patients at high risk of infectious complications. Although multiple strategies exist for identifying surgical patients at high risk for SSIs, no one strategy is superior for all patients. Further efforts are necessary to determine if risk stratification in combination with risk modification can reduce SSIs in these patient populations.

Fact Sheet for Friction Materials Manufacturing Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review

Science.gov (United States)

proposed amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Friction Materials Manufacturing Facilities to address the results of the residual risk and technology review

The HTA Risk Analysis Chart: Visualising the Need for and Potential Value of Managed Entry Agreements in Health Technology Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimm, Sabine Elisabeth; Strong, Mark; Brennan, Alan; Wailoo, Allan J

2017-12-01

Recent changes to the regulatory landscape of pharmaceuticals may sometimes require reimbursement authorities to issue guidance on technologies that have a less mature evidence base. Decision makers need to be aware of risks associated with such health technology assessment (HTA) decisions and the potential to manage this risk through managed entry agreements (MEAs). This work develops methods for quantifying risk associated with specific MEAs and for clearly communicating this to decision makers. We develop the 'HTA risk analysis chart', in which we present the payer strategy and uncertainty burden (P-SUB) as a measure of overall risk. The P-SUB consists of the payer uncertainty burden (PUB), the risk stemming from decision uncertainty as to which is the truly optimal technology from the relevant set of technologies, and the payer strategy burden (PSB), the additional risk of approving a technology that is not expected to be optimal. We demonstrate the approach using three recent technology appraisals from the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), each of which considered a price-based MEA. The HTA risk analysis chart was calculated using results from standard probabilistic sensitivity analyses. In all three HTAs, the new interventions were associated with substantial risk as measured by the P-SUB. For one of these technologies, the P-SUB was reduced to zero with the proposed price reduction, making this intervention cost effective with near complete certainty. For the other two, the risk reduced substantially with a much reduced PSB and a slightly increased PUB. The HTA risk analysis chart shows the risk that the healthcare payer incurs under unresolved decision uncertainty and when considering recommending a technology that is not expected to be optimal given current evidence. This allows the simultaneous consideration of financial and data-collection MEA schemes in an easily understood format. The use of HTA risk analysis charts will

Inspection technology for high pressure pipes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jae H.; Lee, Jae C.; Eum, Heung S.; Choi, Yu R.; Moon, Soon S.; Jang, Jong H

2000-02-01

Various kinds of defects are likely to be occurred in the welds of high pressure pipes in nuclear power plants. Considering the recent accident of Zuruga nuclear power plant in Japan, reasonable policy is strongly requested for the high pressure pipe integrity. In this study, we developed the technologies to inspect pipe welds automatically. After development of scanning robot prototype in the first research year, we developed and implemented the algorithm of automatic tracking of the scanning robot along the weld line of the pipes. We use laser slit beam on weld area and capture the image using digital camera. Through processing of the captures image, we finally determine the weld line automatically. In addition, we investigated a new technology on micro systems for developing micro scanning robotic inspection of the pipe welds. The technology developed in this study is being transferred to the industry. (author)

Marketing mix for consumer high technology products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dovleac, L.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper includes an analysis upon the variables of marketing mix for high technology products used for individual consumption. There are exposed the essential aspects related to marketing policies and strategies used by high technology companies for providing consumers the best solutions tailored to their needs. A special attention is given to the necessity for inclusion in the marketing mix of the fifth element – the assistance and informational support for customers.

Information Technology Portfolio Management and the Real Options Method (ROM): Managing the Risks of IT Investments in the Department of the Navy (DON)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Davis, Jeffery

2003-01-01

.... The Navy portion of those funds is over 55 billion. Rapid change and increasing uncertainty in the technology field has resulted in a high degree of financial risk associated with IT capital investment decisions...

Evaluating the Paper-to-Screen Translation of Participant-Aided Sociograms with High-Risk Participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Hogan, Bernie; Melville, Joshua R; Philips, Gregory Lee; Janulis, Patrick; Contractor, Noshir; Mustanski, Brian S; Birkett, Michelle

2016-05-01

While much social network data exists online, key network metrics for high-risk populations must still be captured through self-report. This practice has suffered from numerous limitations in workflow and response burden. However, advances in technology, network drawing libraries and databases are making interactive network drawing increasingly feasible. We describe the translation of an analog-based technique for capturing personal networks into a digital framework termed netCanvas that addresses many existing shortcomings such as: 1) complex data entry; 2) extensive interviewer intervention and field setup; 3) difficulties in data reuse; and 4) a lack of dynamic visualizations. We test this implementation within a health behavior study of a high-risk and difficult-to-reach population. We provide a within-subjects comparison between paper and touchscreens. We assert that touchscreen-based social network capture is now a viable alternative for highly sensitive data and social network data entry tasks.

The influence of the NPD architecture on NPD decision-making in high and low technology markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Kristina Risom

on the market. Therefore the paper investigates the influence of a stage-gate structure and cross-functional teamwork on the go/no-go decision-making within the phases of the development process for different market conditions. Data is collected with an Internet survey questionnaire from 43 large companies...... and controlling the decision-making in the NPD process thereby reducing the risk of new products failing on the market. Research finds that the structure of the new product development process and a high interaction between organizational units when developing new products enhance the likelihood of success...... on high and low technology market producing consumer products. Results reveal that the survival of product ideas within the NPD process is significant different for companies in high and low technology markets, but that the stage-gate structure of the new product development process is of less importance...

Priorities for technology development and policy to reduce the risk from radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duggan, Ruth Ann

2010-01-01

The Standing Committee on International Security of Radioactive and Nuclear Materials in the Nonproliferation and Arms Control Division conducted its fourth annual workshop in February 2010 on Reducing the Risk from Radioactive and Nuclear Materials. This workshop examined new technologies in real-time tracking of radioactive materials, new risks and policy issues in transportation security, the best practices and challenges found in addressing illicit radioactive materials trafficking, industry leadership in reducing proliferation risk, and verification of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Article VI. Technology gaps, policy gaps, and prioritization for addressing the identified gaps were discussed. Participants included academia, policy makers, radioactive materials users, physical security and safeguards specialists, and vendors of radioactive sources and transportation services. This paper summarizes the results of this workshop with the recommendations and calls to action for the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) membership community.

Outage Risk Assessment and Management (ORAM) technology to improve outage safety and economics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalra, S.P.

2004-01-01

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has undertaken an aggressive program, called ORAM (Outage Risk Assessment and Management), to provide utilities with tools and technology to assist in managing risk during the planning and conduct of outages. The ORAM program consists of the following 6 steps: i) Perform utility surveys and visits on shutdown risk management needs, ii) Perform probabilistic shutdown safety assessments (PSSAs) to identify generic insights that can be incorporated into risk management guidelines and identify selected areas for the development of contingency actions, iii) Develop risk management guidelines (RMG's) that provide a systematic approach to the planning and conduct of outages from a safety perspective. Incorporate insights from the shutdown safety assessments and other operating experience into the RMG's. iv) Develop selected contingency actions including a thermalhydraulic tool kit to address higher risk time periods and activities identified in the shutdown safety assessments, v) Develop computer software that integrates all of the above capability into an easy to use tool for effective shutdown operation management for utilities, vi) Provide assistance in the transfer of this technology and the application of these tools. This paper briefly describes the technical approach and tools developed under EPRI's ORAM program and its applications for improving outage safety and economics. (author)

Assessment and status report High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor gas-turbine technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

Purpose of this report is to present a brief summary assessment of the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor - Gas Turbine (HTGR-GT) technology. The focal point for the study was a potential 2000 MW(t)/800 MW(e) HTGR-GT commercial plant. Principal findings of the study were that: the HTGR-GT is feasible, but with significantly greater development risk than the HTGR-SC (Steam Cycle). At the level of performance corresponding to the reference design, no incremental economic incentive can be identified for the HTGR-GT to offset the increased development costs and risk relative to the HTGR-SC. The relative economics of the HTGR-GT and HTGR-SC are not significantly impacted by dry cooling considerations. While reduced cycel complexity may ultimately result in a reliability advantage for the HTGR-GT, the value of that potential advantage was not quantified

Having a Go: Looking at Teachers' Experience of Risk-Taking in Technology Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Sarah K.; Gigliotti, Amanda

2016-01-01

Risk is an integral part of change. Technology-related change in teachers' practice is guided by confidence engaging in and beliefs about integration. However, it is also affected by how teachers feel about taking risks, experimenting and change. This paper presents a theoretical framework of affect and emotion to understand how teachers…

Minimal support technology and in situ resource utilization for risk management of planetary spaceflight missions

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, K. L.; Rygalov, V. Ye.; Johnson, S. B.

2009-04-01

All artificial systems and components in space degrade at higher rates than on Earth, depending in part on environmental conditions, design approach, assembly technologies, and the materials used. This degradation involves not only the hardware and software systems but the humans that interact with those systems. All technological functions and systems can be expressed through functional dependence: [Function]˜[ERU]∗[RUIS]∗[ISR]/[DR];where [ERU]efficiency (rate) of environmental resource utilization[RUIS]resource utilization infrastructure[ISR]in situ resources[DR]degradation rateThe limited resources of spaceflight and open space for autonomous missions require a high reliability (maximum possible, approaching 100%) for system functioning and operation, and must minimize the rate of any system degradation. To date, only a continuous human presence with a system in the spaceflight environment can absolutely mitigate those degradations. This mitigation is based on environmental amelioration for both the technology systems, as repair of data and spare parts, and the humans, as exercise and psychological support. Such maintenance now requires huge infrastructures, including research and development complexes and management agencies, which currently cannot move beyond the Earth. When considering what is required to move manned spaceflight from near Earth stations to remote locations such as Mars, what are the minimal technologies and infrastructures necessary for autonomous restoration of a degrading system in space? In all of the known system factors of a mission to Mars that reduce the mass load, increase the reliability, and reduce the mission’s overall risk, the current common denominator is the use of undeveloped or untested technologies. None of the technologies required to significantly reduce the risk for critical systems are currently available at acceptable readiness levels. Long term interplanetary missions require that space programs produce a craft

Man, technology and risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renn, O

1981-06-01

Using the instruments of empirical social sciences, a cross-section study was conducted comprising experiments on qualitative risk characteristics, in-depth interviews on mechanisms of risk perception and representative surveys of the public on technical risk sources, in particular with regard to nuclear energy. The results of these studies show that person-related expectations in respect of risk consequences, the possibility of personal influencing control, the severeness of risk consequences and one's own risk propensity play a significant role in the evaluation of risks. (Translated from German, original report Juel-Spez--67).

Investigative report, science committee of Aggregate corporation Radiological technologist society of the Oita prefecture. Questionnaires research on security control of department of radiological technology of medical facilities in the Oita prefecture. The second report. Research on high risk incident measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eto, Yoshihiro; Mano, Isao; Takagi, Ikuya; Murakami, Yasunori; Sueyoshi, Seiji; Yoshimoto, Asahi

2007-01-01

Oita association of radiological technologists carried out the questionnaires about the measures against high lisk incidental in department of radiological technology at the medical facilities in Oita. We distributed the questionnaire to 102 facilities, which are worked by the technologists (member), and got response from 91 facilities (89%). Research contents are Patient verification method'' ''Input and verification of patient attribute'' ''Infection in hospital'' ''Stumbles and falls of patient'' Contrast enhancement CT'' ''Something related to pacemaker'' ''MRI inspection and the magnetic substance'' ''Remedy mistake'' and ''Risk management''. The Result, Low level recognition contents of medical accident measures are ''Contrast enhancement CT'' ''Stumbles and falls of patient'' Risk management of department of radiological technology''. (author)

Predicting 30- to 120-Day Readmission Risk among Medicare Fee-for-Service Patients Using Nonmedical Workers and Mobile Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostrovsky, Andrey; O'Connor, Lori; Marshall, Olivia; Angelo, Amanda; Barrett, Kelsy; Majeski, Emily; Handrus, Maxwell; Levy, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

Hospital readmissions are a large source of wasteful healthcare spending, and current care transition models are too expensive to be sustainable. One way to circumvent cost-prohibitive care transition programs is complement nurse-staffed care transition programs with those staffed by less expensive nonmedical workers. A major barrier to utilizing nonmedical workers is determining the appropriate time to escalate care to a clinician with a wider scope of practice. The objective of this study is to show how mobile technology can use the observations of nonmedical workers to stratify patients on the basis of their hospital readmission risk. An area agency on aging in Massachusetts implemented a quality improvement project with the aim of reducing 30-day hospital readmission rates using a modified care transition intervention supported by mobile predictive analytics technology. Proprietary readmission risk prediction algorithms were used to predict 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120-day readmission risk. The risk score derived from the nonmedical workers' observations had a significant association with 30-day readmission rate with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.12 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1 .09-1.15) compared to an OR of 1.25 (95 percent CI, 1.19-1.32) for the risk score using nurse observations. Risk scores using nurse interpretation of nonmedical workers' observations show that patients in the high-risk category had significantly higher readmission rates than patients in the baseline-risk and mild-risk categories at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after discharge. Of the 1,064 elevated-risk alerts that were triaged, 1,049 (98.6 percent) involved the nurse care manager, 804 (75.6 percent) involved the patient, 768 (72.2 percent) involved the health coach, 461 (43.3 percent) involved skilled nursing, and 235 (22.1 percent) involved the outpatient physician in the coordination of care in response to the alert. The predictive nature of the 30-day readmission risk scores is influenced

The framework which aims at improving compatibility of the high-level radioactive waste disposal technology with social values and the role of risk communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, Shuichi; Kanda, Keiji

2002-01-01

Public perception on safety is the key factor for achieving public acceptance of the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal program. Past studies on public perception and HLW management have confirmed that the public do not share the confidence of the experts in safety and feasibility of HLW disposal. The importance of a more comprehensive approach to enhance acceptability of the HLW disposal technology is recognized. This paper proposes a framework for inducing the implementers and regulators to improve compatibility of the HLW disposal technology with social values. In this framework, the implementers and regulators identify technical components which are subject to substantial influence from public concerns. Then, they manage these components through the following actions: 1) establishing policies, targets and plans to make these components compatible with social values, 2) developing and utilizing the components based on the above policies, targets and plans, 3) checking the extent of compatibility through intensive risk communication and 4) improving the process of developing and utilizing the components. This framework requires information disclosure and evaluation by an independent body which are expected to intensify the incentive to take the above actions. Canada's environmental assessment review process regarding the HLW disposal concept suggests that this framework could work effectively. (author)

[Targeting high-risk drugs to optimize clinical pharmacists' intervention].

Science.gov (United States)

Mouterde, Anne-Laure; Bourdelin, Magali; Maison, Ophélie; Coursier, Sandra; Bontemps, Hervé

2016-12-01

By the Order of 6 April 2011, the pharmacist must validate all the prescriptions containing "high-risk drugs" or those of "patients at risk". To optimize this clinical pharmacy activity, we identified high-risk drugs. A list of high-risk drugs has been established using literature, pharmacists' interventions (PI) performed in our hospital and a survey sent to hospital pharmacists. In a prospective study (analysis of 100 prescriptions for each high-risk drug selected), we have identified the most relevant to target. We obtained a statistically significant PI rate (P<0.05) for digoxin, oral anticoagulants direct, oral methotrexate and colchicine. This method of targeted pharmaceutical validation based on high-risk drugs is relevant to detect patients with high risk of medicine-related illness. Copyright © 2016 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The estimated risk for coronary heart disease and prevalence of dyslipidemia among workers of information technology industries in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shao-Chi; Chien, Kuo-Liong; Tsai, Wei-I; Ho, Yi-Lwun; Chen, Ming-Fong

2011-03-18

Individuals working in information technology (IT) industries suffer from high work stress, possibly causing adverse impacts on their health. However, studies of cardiovascular risk factors among these workers are lacking. The aims of this study were to evaluate the estimated risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and prevalence of dyslipidemia among IT workers. A total of 941 employees from 11 IT companies were enrolled and the anthropometrics and serum lipid profiles were measured. The 10-year risk for CHD was calculated based on the Framingham risk score. Compared with lipid profiles in a representative sample (n=6589), IT workers had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, low level of HDL-C, and high level of LDL-C in each age group. Their overall estimated 10-year risk for CHD was higher than the average risk of an age- and gender-matched population (2.91% vs. 2.79%, p=0.027). Working for more than 10h/day was associated with a higher estimated CHD risk (3.62% vs. 2.54%, p<0.01). A higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia was noted among IT workers. Their estimated 10-year CHD risk was also higher than average. More aggressive interventions to reduce the risk of CHD in this population are needed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Global mining risk footprint of critical metals necessary for low-carbon technologies: the case of neodymium, cobalt, and platinum in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Nansai, Keisuke; Nakajima, Kenichi; Kagawa, Shigemi; Kondo, Yasushi; Shigetomi, Yosuke; Suh, Sangwon

2015-02-17

Meeting the 2-degree global warming target requires wide adoption of low-carbon energy technologies. Many such technologies rely on the use of precious metals, however, increasing the dependence of national economies on these resources. Among such metals, those with supply security concerns are referred to as critical metals. Using the Policy Potential Index developed by the Fraser Institute, this study developed a new footprint indicator, the mining risk footprint (MRF), to quantify the mining risk directly and indirectly affecting a national economy through its consumption of critical metals. We formulated the MRF as a product of the material footprint (MF) of the consuming country and the mining risks of the countries where the materials are mined. A case study was conducted for the 2005 Japanese economy to determine the MF and MRF for three critical metals essential for emerging energy technologies: neodymium, cobalt and platinum. The results indicate that in 2005 the MFs generated by Japanese domestic final demand, that is, the consumption-based metal output of Japan, were 1.0 × 10(3) t for neodymium, 9.4 × 10(3) t for cobalt, and 2.1 × 10 t for platinum. Export demand contributes most to the MF, accounting for 3.0 × 10(3) t, 1.3 × 10(5) t, and 3.1 × 10 t, respectively. The MRFs of Japanese total final demand (domestic plus export) were calculated to be 1.7 × 10 points for neodymium, 4.5 × 10(-2) points for cobalt, and 5.6 points for platinum, implying that the Japanese economy is incurring a high mining risk through its use of neodymium. This country's MRFs are all dominated by export demand. The paper concludes by discussing the policy implications and future research directions for measuring the MFs and MRFs of critical metals. For countries poorly endowed with mineral resources, adopting low-carbon energy technologies may imply a shifting of risk from carbon resources to other natural resources, in particular critical metals, and a trade

Overview on the high power excimer laser technology

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jingru

2013-05-01

High power excimer laser has essential applications in the fields of high energy density physics, inertial fusion energy and industry owing to its advantages such as short wavelength, high gain, wide bandwidth, energy scalable and repetition operating ability. This overview is aimed at an introduction and evaluation of enormous endeavor of the international high power excimer laser community in the last 30 years. The main technologies of high power excimer laser are reviewed, which include the pumping source technology, angular multiplexing and pulse compressing, beam-smoothing and homogenous irradiation, high efficiency and repetitive operation et al. A high power XeCl laser system developed in NINT of China is described in detail.

New information on high risk breast screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riedl, C.C.; Ponhold, L.; Gruber, R.; Pinker, K.; Helbich, T.H.

2010-01-01

Women with an elevated risk for breast cancer require intensified screening beginning at an early age. Such high risk screening differs considerably from screening in the general population. After an expert has evaluated the exact risk a breast MRI examination should be offered at least once a year and beginning latest at the age of 30 depending on the patients risk category. Complementary mammograms should not be performed before the age of 35. An additional ultrasound examination is no longer recommended. To ensure a high sensitivity and specificity high risk screening should be performed only at a nationally or regionally approved and audited service. Adequate knowledge about the phenotypical characteristics of familial breast cancer is essential. Besides the common malignant phenotypes, benign morphologies (round or oval shape and smooth margins) as well as a low prevalence of calcifications have been described. Using MRI benign contrast media kinetics as well as non-solid lesions with focal, regional and segmental enhancement can often be visualized. (orig.) [de

High-Risk and Low-Risk Human Papillomavirus and the Absolute Risk of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia or Cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Louise T; Frederiksen, Kirsten; Munk, Christian

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the absolute risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 or cervical cancer (CIN 3 or worse) after detection of low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and after a negative high-risk HPV test. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, consecutive liquid......-based cervical cytology samples were collected from women screened for cervical cancer in Copenhagen, Denmark, during 2002-2005. Samples were tested with a clinical test for 13 high-risk and five low-risk HPV types. The cohort (N=35,539; aged 14-90 years) was monitored in a nationwide pathology register for up...... cytology. Detection of low-risk HPV does not predict CIN 3 or worse. Cervical cancer screening should not include testing for low-risk HPV types. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II....

Risks of Stigmatisation Resulting from Assistive Technologies for Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder

OpenAIRE

Fiachra O’Brolcháin; Bert Gordijn

2018-01-01

Assistive technologies (ATs) are currently being developed for cohorts of vulnerable people, including persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This paper focuses on the risks that the development of ATs for persons with ASD might lead to increased risks of stigmatisation. Firstly, we assess the ways in which the use of ATs might result in the stigmatisation of users, alongside the corollary question of risks associated with a refusal to use ATs in the event of their being socially expect...

VOCs elimination and health risk reduction in e-waste dismantling workshop using integrated techniques of electrostatic precipitation with advanced oxidation technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jiangyao [State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Huang, Yong [State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Li, Guiying [State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640 (China); An, Taicheng, E-mail: antc99@gig.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Hu, Yunkun; Li, Yunlu [Guangzhou Longest Environmental Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510660 (China)

2016-01-25

Highlights: • Pilot-scale investigation of VOCs removal during e-waste dismantling process. • EP-PC-ozonation integrated reactor show high and stable removal ability to VOCs. • Health risks of target VOCs decrease significantly after the treatment. - Abstract: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during the electronic waste dismantling process (EWDP) were treated at a pilot scale, using integrated electrostatic precipitation (EP)-advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs, subsequent photocatalysis (PC) and ozonation). Although no obvious alteration was seen in VOC concentration and composition, EP technology removed 47.2% of total suspended particles, greatly reducing the negative effect of particles on subsequent AOTs. After the AOT treatment, average removal efficiencies of 95.7%, 95.4%, 87.4%, and 97.5% were achieved for aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, as well as nitrogen- and oxygen-containing compounds, respectively, over 60-day treatment period. Furthermore, high elimination capacities were also seen using hybrid technique of PC with ozonation; this was due to the PC unit’s high loading rates and excellent pre-treatment abilities, and the ozonation unit’s high elimination capacity. In addition, the non-cancer and cancer risks, as well as the occupational exposure cancer risk, for workers exposed to emitted VOCs in workshop were reduced dramatically after the integrated technique treatment. Results demonstrated that the integrated technique led to highly efficient and stable VOC removal from EWDP emissions at a pilot scale. This study points to an efficient approach for atmospheric purification and improving human health in e-waste recycling regions.

NPP operation and modern high technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuznetsov, V.V.

1992-01-01

Examples are considered of modern high technology introduction into daily practice of NPP operation, namely: satellite communication systems, robots, non-destructive testing, optical-fiber techniques, laser measuring means and others

High-Speed Sealift Technology Development Plan

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

.... The purpose of the project was to define the technology investments required to enable development of the high-speed commercial and military ships needed to provide realistic future mission capabilities...

High-risk PCI: how to define it today?

Science.gov (United States)

DE Marzo, Vincenzo; D'Amario, Domenico; Galli, Mattia; Vergallo, Rocco; Porto, Italo

2018-04-11

Before the percutaneous spread, the mortality rate of patients with coronary heart disease not suitable for cardiac surgery was markedly high. This limit has been progressively exceeded with the advent of minimally invasive approaches, which, although was initially intended exclusively for low risk patients, was then employed in complex patients often too compromised to undergo cardiac surgery. Given to the rising of high-risk population, due to an increase of patients with multiple chronic conditions linked to the best care offered, we are witnessing an expansion of the high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) population. Despite defining what high-risk is remains still unclear, all proposed definitions of high-risk PCI combine features related to three clinical areas: 1) patient risk factors and comorbidities (incorporating those which preclude surgical or percutaneous revascularization such as diabetes, COPD, CKD, lung disease, frailty, advanced age); 2) location of the disease and complexity of coronary anatomy (including multi-vessel disease, left main disease, CTO, bifurcations); 3) hemodynamic clinical status (ventricular dysfunction, concomitant valvular disease or unstable characteristics). Since cardiologists have ascertained the encouraging results in terms of efficacy and rewards compared to the low-risks patients, the important role of treating high-risk patients is becoming more and more relevant to the point that current guidelines have now changed the appropriateness of percutaneous interventions indications. Considering the complexity in managing higher-risk patients with coronary artery disease, the next step to ensure the best care for this type of patients is to create a team-based model of cooperation in order to properly establish the right treatment for the right patient.

High-level waste management technology program plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harmon, H.D.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this plan is to document the integrated technology program plan for the Savannah River Site (SRS) High-Level Waste (HLW) Management System. The mission of the SRS HLW System is to receive and store SRS high-level wastes in a see and environmentally sound, and to convert these wastes into forms suitable for final disposal. These final disposal forms are borosilicate glass to be sent to the Federal Repository, Saltstone grout to be disposed of on site, and treated waste water to be released to the environment via a permitted outfall. Thus, the technology development activities described herein are those activities required to enable successful accomplishment of this mission. The technology program is based on specific needs of the SRS HLW System and organized following the systems engineering level 3 functions. Technology needs for each level 3 function are listed as reference, enhancements, and alternatives. Finally, FY-95 funding, deliverables, and schedules are s in Chapter IV with details on the specific tasks that are funded in FY-95 provided in Appendix A. The information in this report represents the vision of activities as defined at the beginning of the fiscal year. Depending on emergent issues, funding changes, and other factors, programs and milestones may be adjusted during the fiscal year. The FY-95 SRS HLW technology program strongly emphasizes startup support for the Defense Waste Processing Facility and In-Tank Precipitation. Closure of technical issues associated with these operations has been given highest priority. Consequently, efforts on longer term enhancements and alternatives are receiving minimal funding. However, High-Level Waste Management is committed to participation in the national Radioactive Waste Tank Remediation Technology Focus Area. 4 refs., 5 figs., 9 tabs.

High-level waste management technology program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, H.D.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this plan is to document the integrated technology program plan for the Savannah River Site (SRS) High-Level Waste (HLW) Management System. The mission of the SRS HLW System is to receive and store SRS high-level wastes in a see and environmentally sound, and to convert these wastes into forms suitable for final disposal. These final disposal forms are borosilicate glass to be sent to the Federal Repository, Saltstone grout to be disposed of on site, and treated waste water to be released to the environment via a permitted outfall. Thus, the technology development activities described herein are those activities required to enable successful accomplishment of this mission. The technology program is based on specific needs of the SRS HLW System and organized following the systems engineering level 3 functions. Technology needs for each level 3 function are listed as reference, enhancements, and alternatives. Finally, FY-95 funding, deliverables, and schedules are s in Chapter IV with details on the specific tasks that are funded in FY-95 provided in Appendix A. The information in this report represents the vision of activities as defined at the beginning of the fiscal year. Depending on emergent issues, funding changes, and other factors, programs and milestones may be adjusted during the fiscal year. The FY-95 SRS HLW technology program strongly emphasizes startup support for the Defense Waste Processing Facility and In-Tank Precipitation. Closure of technical issues associated with these operations has been given highest priority. Consequently, efforts on longer term enhancements and alternatives are receiving minimal funding. However, High-Level Waste Management is committed to participation in the national Radioactive Waste Tank Remediation Technology Focus Area. 4 refs., 5 figs., 9 tabs

Design definition study of a life/cruise fan technology V/STOL aircraft. Volume 2, addendum 2: Program risk assessment

Science.gov (United States)

1975-01-01

The results are presented of a risk assessment study conducted on two technology aircraft. The aircraft system components were reviewed and assessed for risk based on: (1) complexity relative to state-of-the-art, (2) manufacturing and qualification testing, (3) availability and delays, and (4) cost/schedule impact. These assessments were based on five risk nomenclatures: low, minor, moderate, high, and extreme. Each aircraft system was assigned an overall risk rating depending upon its contribution to the capability of the aircraft to achieve the performance goals. The slightly lower Sabreliner performance margin is due to the restricted flight envelope, the fixed landing gear, and internal fuel capacity. The Sabreliner with retractable gear and allowed to fly at its best speed and altitude would reflect performance margins similar to the New Airframe. These significant margins, inherent with the MCAIR three gas generator/three fan propulsion system, are major modifiers to risk assessment of both aircraft. The estimated risk and the associated key system and performance areas are tabulated.

New Pulsed Power Technology for High Current Accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caporaso, G J

2002-01-01

Recent advances in solid-state modulators now permit the design of a new class of high current accelerators. These new accelerators will be able to operate in burst mode at frequencies of several MHz with unprecedented flexibility and precision in pulse format. These new modulators can drive accelerators to high average powers that far exceed those of any other technology and can be used to enable precision beam manipulations. New insulator technology combined with novel pulse forming lines and switching may enable the construction of a new type of high gradient, high current accelerator. Recent developments in these areas will be reviewed

The Technological Input-output Efficiency of High-technology Enterprises in China Based on the DEA method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Jing

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High-technology enterprises play the leader role in the regional economic progress, but nowadays technological resources have many problems such as division, separation and dispersing. It’s an urgent problem to be solved that how to evaluate input-output productivity of technological resources towards industries and regions scientifically and efficiently. Firstly the article analyzes the input-output efficiency status of technological resources at home and abroad. Then high-technology enterprises in 29 provinces, as the subject of evaluation, are analyzed for their operation efficiency by DEA. The article states the suggestions like balanced development among regions and reasonable structure of input and output by comparing the differences among regions. And the article estimates the technological resources configuration efficiency of 5 leader industries and explains the developmental characteristics and direction among industries. And on these bases the article conducts hypothesis testing for inner elements which might have an influence on the operational efficiency by Tobit model. Finally, the paper proposes many suggestions to the benefits of promoting the productivity of high-technology enterprise according to the comprehensive analysis.

A Novel Hybrid Approach for Technology Selection in the Information Technology Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nima Garoosi Mokhtarzadeh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available High-tech companies are rapidly growing in the world. Research and development (hereafter R&D department strength is the main asset that allows a firm to achieve a competitive advantage in high-tech businesses. The allocated budget to this sector is finite; thus, integration, human resource, risk and budget limitations should be considered to choose the most valuable project in the best portion of time. This paper investigates a case study from a high-tech company in Iran to prioritize the most attractive technologies for the R&D department. The case consists of twenty three technology options and the goal is to find the most attractive projects to sort them out for implementation in the R&D department. In this research, scholars proposed the best–worst method (henceforth BWM to find the weight of the criteria of the attractive technologies in first step and utilize the newly developed method total area based on orthogonal vectors (henceforward TAOV to sort the selected technologies based upon the identified criteria. Project integration is one of the least-noticed subjects in scientific papers; therefore, the researchers presented a zero or one linear programming (ZOLP model to optimize and schedule the implementation procedure on the project risk, budget and time limitation simultaneously. The results indicate that starting few but attractive projects in the first years and postponing the rest to the future, helps a firm to manage funds and gain profit with the least amount of risk.

An Investigation of Biases and Framing Effects for Risk Analysis: An Information Technology Context

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Stuart A.

2012-01-01

An elusive and problematic theme of risk management has been managers' ability to effectively measure information technology (IT) risk in terms of degree of impact and probability of occurrence. The background of this problem delves deep into the rational understanding of probability, expected value, economic behavior, and subjective judgment.…

Technology Leadership in Malaysia's High Performance School

Science.gov (United States)

Yieng, Wong Ai; Daud, Khadijah Binti

2017-01-01

Headmaster as leader of the school also plays a role as a technology leader. This applies to the high performance schools (HPS) headmaster as well. The HPS excel in all aspects of education. In this study, researcher is interested in examining the role of the headmaster as a technology leader through interviews with three headmasters of high…

RISK ASSESSMENT OF SURFACE WATERS ASSOCIATED WITH WATER CIRCULATION TECHNOLOGIES ON TROUT FARMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Sidoruk

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Dynamic development of aquaculture has led to an increasing impact on the status of surface waters. Fish production generates wastes that, at high concentrations, may present a serious risk to the aquatic environment. Studies on the assessment of the impact of water management technologies in trout production on the quality of surface waters were conducted in 2011. Six farms were selected for the studies and were divided into two groups based on water management solutions (n = 3: farms with a flow through system (FTS and farms with a recirculation aquaculture system (RAS. On all farms, water measurement points were set and they depicted the quality of inflow water, the quality of water in ponds and the quality of outflow water. The studies did not demonstrate any impact of applied technology on electrolyte conductivity or calcium and magnesium concentrations in outflow water from a trout operation. In addition, it was found that the use of water for production purposes resulted in a slight increase in phosphorus and total nitrogen concentrations in waste waters.

High-yield pulping effluent treatment technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, W.X.; Hsieh, J.S.

1993-03-01

The objective of this report is to examine the high-yield (mechanical) pulp processes with respect to environmental issues affected by the discharge of their waste streams. Various statistics are given that support the view that high-yield pulping processes will have major growth in the US regions where pulp mills are located, and sites for projects in the development phase are indicated. Conventional and innovative effluent-treatment technologies applicable to these processes are reviewed. The different types of mechanical pulping or high-yield processes are explained, and the chemical additives are discussed. The important relationship between pulp yield and measure of BOD in the effluent is graphically presented. Effluent contaminants are identified, along with other important characteristics of the streams. Current and proposed environmental limitations specifically related to mechanical pulp production are reviewed. Conventional and innovative effluent-treatment technologies are discussed, along with their principle applications, uses, advantages, and disadvantages. Sludge management and disposal techniques become an intimate part of the treatment of waste streams. The conclusion is made that conventional technologies can successfully treat effluent streams under current waste-water discharge limitations, but these systems may not be adequate when stricter standards are imposed. At present, the most important issue in the treatment of pulp-mill waste is the management and disposal of the resultant sludge

International legal framework for geoengineering: Managing the risks of an emerging technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Du, Haomiao

2016-01-01

The present book “International Legal Framework for Geoengineering – Managing the Risks of an Emerging Technology” is about international law and an emerging technology called geoengineering, which refers to the large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment for counteracting anthropogenic

Fix It with TAPE: Repurposing Technology to Be Assistive Technology for Students with High-Incidence Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Bouck, Emily C.; Shurr, Jordan C.; Tom, Kinsey; Jasper, Andrea D.; Bassette, Laura; Miller, Bridget; Flanagan, Sara M.

2012-01-01

This article discusses how practitioners can repurpose technology--common and socially desirable technology in particular--to be assistive technology for students with high-incidence disabilities. The authors provide a framework for practitioners to consider technology for repurposing: TAPE (Transportable, Available, Practical, Engaging) and…

Overview: Defense high-level waste technology program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shupe, M.W.; Turner, D.A.

1987-01-01

Defense high-level waste generated by atomic energy defense activities is stored on an interim basis at three U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) operating locations; the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina, the Hanford Site in Washington, and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in Idaho. Responsibility for the permanent disposal of this waste resides with DOE's Office of Defense Waste and Transportation Management. The objective of the Defense High-Level Wast Technology Program is to develop the technology for ending interim storage and achieving permanent disposal of all U.S. defense high-level waste. New and readily retrievable high-level waste are immobilized for disposal in a geologic repository. Other high-level waste will be stabilized in-place if, after completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, it is determined, on a site-specific basis, that this option is safe, cost effective and environmentally sound. The immediate program focus is on implementing the waste disposal strategy selected in compliance with the NEPA process at Savannah River, while continuing progress toward development of final waste disposal strategies at Hanford and Idaho. This paper presents an overview of the technology development program which supports these waste management activities and an assessment of the impact that recent and anticipated legal and institutional developments are expected to have on the program

Export controls on high technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frank, N.K.

1987-01-01

A overview of the Export Administration Act of 1979 and subsequent regulations and amendments focuses on how licensing requirements and restrictions against boycott affect high technology exports. The purpose of these controls is to limit the export of technology with possible military applications, as well as to advance US foreign policy and protect the economy without imposing too great a restriction on the principles of free trade. Thus, the act encompasses political, economic, and security goals. Problems of predictability arise when embargoes or other controls are imposed for political or foreign policy reasons without regard to economic impacts. Amendments have attempted to streamline the exporting process, particularly in the area of computer and software licensing.

Trust, Perceived Risk, Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness as Factors Related to mHealth Technology Use.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnall, Rebecca; Higgins, Tracy; Brown, William; Carballo-Dieguez, Alex; Bakken, Suzanne

2015-01-01

Mobile technology use is nearly ubiquitous which affords the opportunity for using these technologies for modifying health related behaviors. At the same time, use of mobile health (mHealth) technology raises privacy and security concerns of consumers. The goal of this analysis was to understand the perceived ease of use, usefulness, risk and trust that contribute to behavioral intention to use a mobile application for meeting the healthcare needs of persons living with HIV (PLWH). To understand these issues, we conducted focus group sessions with 50 persons living with HIV and 30 HIV healthcare providers. We used the e-commerce acceptance model to analyze our focus group data. Findings from the study demonstrated the need for mHealth to be perceived as useful, easy to use, with little perceived risk accompanied by a measure of trust in the creators of the technology. Findings from this work can inform future work on patients and providers' perceptions of risk, trust, ease of use and usefulness of mHealth technology.

Technology Use, Preferences, and Capacity in Injured Patients at Risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Cory M; Van Eaton, Erik G; Russo, Joan E; Kelly, Victoria C; Jurkovich, Gregory J; Darnell, Doyanne A; Whiteside, Lauren K; Wang, Jin; Parker, Lea E; Payne, Thomas H; Mooney, Sean D; Bush, Nigel; Zatzick, Douglas F

2017-01-01

This investigation comprehensively assessed the technology use, preferences, and capacity of diverse injured trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. A total of 121 patients participating in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of stepped collaborative care targeting PTSD symptoms were administered baseline one-, three-, and six-month interviews that assessed technology use. Longitudinal data about the instability of patient cell phone ownership and phone numbers were collected from follow-up interviews. PTSD symptoms were also assessed over the course of the six months after injury. Regression analyses explored the associations between cell phone instability and PTSD symptoms. At baseline, 71.9% (n = 87) of patients reported current cell phone ownership, and over half (58.2%, n = 46) of these patients possessed basic cell phones. Only 19.0% (n = 23) of patients had no change in cell phone number or physical phone over the course of the six months postinjury. In regression models that adjusted for relevant clinical and demographic characteristics, cell phone instability was associated with higher six-month postinjury PTSD symptom levels (p risk for the development of PTSD have unique technology use patterns, including high rates of cell phone instability. These observations should be strongly considered when developing technology-supported interventions for injured patients with PTSD.

Risk Factor Assessment Branch (RFAB)

Science.gov (United States)

The Risk Factor Assessment Branch (RFAB) focuses on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of high-quality risk factor metrics, methods, tools, technologies, and resources for use across the cancer research continuum, and the assessment of cancer-related risk factors in the population.

High-Risk Organizations. Resilience And Safety; Organizaciones de alto riesgo. Resiliencia y Seguridad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sola, R.; Sora, B.

2007-07-01

The growing social demand that took place during the second half of the 20th Century brought fast development of complex technologies. These technologies generated new risks, that together with the lack of prevention methodologies increased the amount of incidents and accidents; for example, Bhopal (1984), Chernobyl (1986), Tokaimura (1999), Columbia (2003), Prestige (2002). In order to prevent these tragic events, several knowledge models were developed. These were oriented to analyze the causes of accidents and to obtain the necessary learning to avoid the production of these types of accidents. Consequently, this reactive approach allowed the implementation of corrective measures but not the anticipation or prevention of these undesirable events. The need to prevent such events has prompted a new approach, which does not only identify causes but also reasons, contexts and organizational behaviours in new situations. This new approach is known as engineering resilience. Its aim is to promote that socio-technical systems use all their capabilities and to be able to deploy new capacities in order to adapt to unexpected situations far from unacceptable limits of risk. Thus, high reliability organizations can continue their production in a safe way. (Author) 44 refs.

Renal transplantation in high cardiovascular risk patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Bittar, Julio; Arenas, Paula; Chiurchiu, Carlos; de la Fuente, Jorge; de Arteaga, Javier; Douthat, Walter; Massari, Pablo U

2009-10-01

Current transplant success allows recipients with previous contraindications to transplant to have access to this procedure with more frequency and safety. The concept of high-risk patient has changed since the first stages of transplantation. In the first studies, the high-risk concept was based on probability of early graft failure or on a patient's clinical condition to cope with high perioperatory morbimortality. Later on, this concept implied immunological factors that were crucial to ensure transplant success because hypersensitized or polytransfused patients experienced a higher risk of acute rejection and subsequent graft loss. Afterward, the presence of various comorbidities would redefine the high-risk concept for renal transplant mainly considering recipient's clinical aspects. Currently, the change in epidemiological characteristics of patients starting dialysis causes that we now deal with a greater increase of elderly patients, diabetic patients, and patients with history of cardiovascular disease. Today, high-risk patients are those with clinical features that predict an increase in the risk of perioperative morbimortality or death with functioning graft. In this review, we will attempted to analyze currents results of renal transplant outcomes in terms of patients and graft survival in elderly patients, diabetic patients, and patients with previous cardiovascular disease from the most recent experiences in the literature and from experiences in our center. In any of the groups previously analyzed, survival offered by renal transplant is significantly higher compared to dialysis. Besides, these patients are the recipient group that benefit the most with the transplant because their mortality while remaining on dialysis is extremely high. Hence, renal transplantation should be offered more frequently to older patients, diabetic patients, and patients with pretransplant cardiac and peripheral vascular disease. A positive attitude toward renal

Morality and ethics in high technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schroeter, K.U.

2003-01-01

The ethical debate about what is feasible culminates, for one side, in the indignant moral question whether man is allowed to do all he is able to do and, for the other side, in the very obligation to keep redefining the limits of creation, and to act accordingly. Consequently, the Young Generation, at their meeting in Gronau, Westphalia (about which we reported), discussed about ''High Technology - Responsible on Ethical and Moral Grounds?'' The paper presented to the participants by pastor Kai Uwe Schroeter reflects this dichotomy, but also takes a clear position in favor of the expansion of nuclear power. This issue of atw contains a revised version of the paper. It is published in the hope that it will furnish arguments for the philosophical and ethical debates about high technology. (orig.) [de

Study on the high level radioactive wastes geological isolation seen from the social acceptance of science and technology. (1) The explanation based on the principle of risk and benefit for another field specialist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, Ryutaro; Tanaka, Satoru; Nagasaki, Shinya

2009-01-01

Generally speaking, a vast, advanced and unfamiliar science and technology is unacceptable by public for the fear of its unknown nature. The siting problem for the disposal of high level radioactive wastes is one of the typical examples. This study examined the desirable research scheme for geological disposal of the high level radioactive wastes seen from social acceptance of science and technology in the deductive approach by the technical essence described in the first report. As the safety is the most prioritized concern in the research of radioactive waste disposal, the correlation between safety and cost has not been argued. Therefore, the argument has only turned in seeking for limitless safety without paying attention to an economic principle. In this report, as the examination evolving from a social acceptability, the author tries to explain the safety together with cost information in accordance with the principle of the risk benefit. As a result, it turned out that the relation between the existing Japanese default proposal (H12 report) and overseas examples can be figured out to explain their relative position by the safety and cost correlation diagram made in accordance with the risk benefit principle. The nuclear field specialist can discuss a relative location of the Japanese disposal concept by this correlation diagram with another field specialist. (author)

High Spectral Density Optical Communication Technologies

CERN Document Server

Nakazawa, Masataka; Miyazaki, Tetsuya

2010-01-01

The latest hot topics of high-spectral density optical communication systems using digital coherent optical fibre communication technologies are covered by this book. History and meaning of a "renaissance" of the technology, requirements to the Peta-bit/s class "new generation network" are also covered in the first part of this book. The main topics treated are electronic and optical devices, digital signal processing including forward error correction, modulation formats as well as transmission and application systems. The book serves as a reference to researchers and engineers.

High density data storage principle, technology, and materials

CERN Document Server

Zhu, Daoben

2009-01-01

The explosive increase in information and the miniaturization of electronic devices demand new recording technologies and materials that combine high density, fast response, long retention time and rewriting capability. As predicted, the current silicon-based computer circuits are reaching their physical limits. Further miniaturization of the electronic components and increase in data storage density are vital for the next generation of IT equipment such as ultra high-speed mobile computing, communication devices and sophisticated sensors. This original book presents a comprehensive introduction to the significant research achievements on high-density data storage from the aspects of recording mechanisms, materials and fabrication technologies, which are promising for overcoming the physical limits of current data storage systems. The book serves as an useful guide for the development of optimized materials, technologies and device structures for future information storage, and will lead readers to the fascin...

Developments in remote sensing technology enable more detailed urban flood risk analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Denniss, A.; Tewkesbury, A.

2009-04-01

digital airborne sensors, both optical and lidar, to produce the input layer for surface water flood modelling. A national flood map product has been created. The new product utilises sophisticated modelling techniques, perfected over many years, which harness graphical processing power. This product will prove particularly valuable for risk assessment decision support within insurance/reinsurance, property/environmental, utilities, risk management and government agencies. However, it is not just the ground elevation that determines the behaviour of surface water. By combining height information (surface and terrain) with high resolution aerial photography and colour infrared imagery, a high definition land cover mapping dataset (LandBase) is being produced, which provides a precise measure of sealed versus non sealed surface. This will allows even more sophisticated modelling of flood scenarios. Thus, the value of airborne survey data can be demonstrated by flood risk analysis down to individual addresses in urban areas. However for some risks, an even more detailed survey may be justified. In order to achieve this, Infoterra is testing new 360˚ mobile lidar technology. Collecting lidar data from a moving vehicle allows each street to be mapped in very high detail, allowing precise information about the location, size and shape of features such as kerbstones, gullies, road camber and building threshold level to be captured quickly and accurately. These data can then be used to model the problem of overland flood risk at the scale of individual properties. Whilst at present it might be impractical to undertake such detailed modelling for all properties, these techniques can certainly be used to improve the flood risk analysis of key locations. This paper will demonstrate how these new high resolution remote sensing techniques can be combined to provide a new resolution of detail to aid urban flood modelling.

Current high-level waste solidification technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonner, W.F.; Ross, W.A.

1976-01-01

Technology has been developed in the U.S. and abroad for solidification of high-level waste from nuclear power production. Several processes have been demonstrated with actual radioactive waste and are now being prepared for use in the commercial nuclear industry. Conversion of the waste to a glass form is favored because of its high degree of nondispersibility and safety

Managing quality inside a high-technology project organization

OpenAIRE

Jokinen, T. (Tauno)

2004-01-01

Abstract This action research addresses the deployment of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles in a high-technology new product development organisation. During the period of study, the organisation grew fast. High-technology product development and hypergrowth provided a unique combination of extreme conditions for the study. The existing concepts of TQM are presented as an organised map enabling strategic analysis for an implementation plan. The history of TQM dates back to the ...

Specialized surveillance for individuals at high risk for melanoma: a cost analysis of a high-risk clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Watts, Caroline G; Cust, Anne E; Menzies, Scott W; Coates, Elliot; Mann, Graham J; Morton, Rachael L

2015-02-01

Regular surveillance of individuals at high risk for cutaneous melanoma improves early detection and reduces unnecessary excisions; however, a cost analysis of this specialized service has not been undertaken. To determine the mean cost per patient of surveillance in a high-risk clinic from the health service and societal perspectives. We used a bottom-up microcosting method to measure resource use in a consecutive sample of 102 patients treated in a high-risk hospital-based clinic in Australia during a 12-month period. Surveillance and treatment of melanoma. All surveillance and treatment procedures were identified through direct observation, review of medical records, and interviews with staff and were valued using scheduled fees from the Australian government. Societal costs included transportation and loss of productivity. The mean number of clinic visits per year was 2.7 (95% CI, 2.5-2.8) for surveillance and 3.8 (95% CI, 3.4-4.1) for patients requiring surgical excisions. The mean annual cost per patient to the health system was A $882 (95% CI, A $783-$982) (US $599 [95% CI, US $532-$665]); the cost discounted across 20 years was A $11,546 (95% CI, A $10,263-$12,829) (US $7839 [95% CI, US $6969-$8710]). The mean annual societal cost per patient (excluding health system costs) was A $972 (95% CI, A $899-$1045) (US $660 [95% CI, US $611-$710]); the cost discounted across 20 years was A $12,721 (95% CI, A $12,554-$14,463) (US $8637 [95% CI, US $8523-$9820]). Diagnosis of melanoma or nonmelanoma skin cancer and frequent excisions for benign lesions in a relatively small number of patients was responsible for positively skewed health system costs. Microcosting techniques provide an accurate cost estimate for the provision of a specialized service. The high societal cost reflects the time that patients are willing to invest to attend the high-risk clinic. This alternative model of care for a high-risk population has relevance for decision making about health policy.

Towards a framework for teaching about information technology risk in health care: Simulating threats to health data and patient safety

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth M. Borycki

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper the author describes work towards developing an integrative framework for educating health information technology professionals about technology risk. The framework considers multiple sources of risk to health data quality and integrity that can result from the use of health information technology (HIT and can be used to teach health professional students about these risks when using health technologies. This framework encompasses issues and problems that may arise from varied sources, including intentional alterations (e.g. resulting from hacking and security breaches as well as unintentional breaches and corruption of data (e.g. resulting from technical problems, or from technology-induced errors. The framework that is described has several levels: the level of human factors and usability of HIT, the level of monitoring of security and accuracy, the HIT architectural level, the level of operational and physical checks, the level of healthcare quality assurance policies and the data risk management strategies level. Approaches to monitoring and simulation of risk are also discussed, including a discussion of an innovative approach to monitoring potential quality issues. This is followed by a discussion of the application (using computer simulations to educate both students and health information technology professionals about the impact and spread of technology-induced and related types of data errors involving HIT.

Public perceptions of the risks of an unfamiliar technology: The case of using nuclear energy sources for space missions

Science.gov (United States)

Maharik, Michael

This thesis addresses the public perception of the risk of a technology not widely known to laypeople. Its aims were (1) to characterize public perceptions of the risk of using nuclear energy in space and decisions related to this risk, and (2) to extend the 'mental model' methodology to studying public perception of unfamiliar, risky technologies. A model of the physical processes capable of creating risks from using nuclear energy sources in space was first constructed. Then, knowledge and beliefs related to this topic were elicited from three different groups of people. The generality of the findings was examined in a constructive replication with environmentally-oriented people. The possibility of involving the public in decision-making processes related to engineering macro-design was then investigated. Finally, a communication regarding these risk processes was developed and evaluated in an experiment comparing it with communications produced by NASA. Although they included large portions of the expert model, people's beliefs also had gaps and misconceptions. Respondents often used scientific terms without a clear understanding of what they meant. Respondents' mental models sometimes contained scattered and inconsistent entries. The impact of pre-existing mental models was clearly seen. Different groups of people had different patterns of knowledge and beliefs. Nevertheless, respondents expressed reasonable and coherent opinions on choices among engineering options. The CMU brochure, derived from the study of readers' existing mental models, provided a better risk communication tool than NASA's material, reflecting primarily experts' perspective. The better performance of subjects reading either brochure generally reflected adding knowledge on issues that they had not previously known, rather than correcting wrong beliefs. The communication study confirmed a hypothesis that improving knowledge on risk processes related to the use of a technology causes a more

Physical activity barriers and motivators among high-risk employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Paguntalan, John C; Gregoski, Mathew

2016-11-22

Worksite wellness programs offer an ideal setting to target high-risk sedentary workers to improve health status. Lack of physical activity is associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease and mortality. Despite the risks, the number of sedentary workers is increasing. This study examined the perceived barriers and motivators for physical activity among employees at high-risk for coronary heart disease. A purposive sample of 24 high-risk workers participating in a wellness program in rural South Carolina were enrolled in the study. Qualitative data was obtained through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Grounded theory was used to analyze qualitative data, and identify overarching themes. Physical limitations due to pain and weakness, lack of motivation, and lack of time emerged as the main barriers to physical activity. Family relationships were reported as the strongest motivator along with social support and potential health benefits. Findings highlight the unique experience of high-risk workers with physical activity. The findingsunderscore the need to design and implement effective interventions specifically designed to meet the needs of high-risk employees.

Towards precision prevention: Technologies for identifying healthy individuals with high risk of disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagel, Zachary D; Engelward, Bevin P; Brenner, David J; Begley, Thomas J; Sobol, Robert W; Bielas, Jason H; Stambrook, Peter J; Wei, Qingyi; Hu, Jennifer J; Terry, Mary Beth; Dilworth, Caroline; McAllister, Kimberly A; Reinlib, Les; Worth, Leroy; Shaughnessy, Daniel T

2017-08-01

The rise of advanced technologies for characterizing human populations at the molecular level, from sequence to function, is shifting disease prevention paradigms toward personalized strategies. Because minimization of adverse outcomes is a key driver for treatment decisions for diseased populations, developing personalized therapy strategies represent an important dimension of both precision medicine and personalized prevention. In this commentary, we highlight recently developed enabling technologies in the field of DNA damage, DNA repair, and mutagenesis. We propose that omics approaches and functional assays can be integrated into population studies that fuse basic, translational and clinical research with commercial expertise in order to accelerate personalized prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases linked to aberrant responses to DNA damage. This collaborative approach is generally applicable to efforts to develop data-driven, individualized prevention and treatment strategies for other diseases. We also recommend strategies for maximizing the use of biological samples for epidemiological studies, and for applying emerging technologies to clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-risk regions and outbreak modelling of tularemia in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Desvars-Larrive, A; Liu, X; Hjertqvist, M; Sjöstedt, A; Johansson, A; Rydén, P

2017-02-01

Sweden reports large and variable numbers of human tularemia cases, but the high-risk regions are anecdotally defined and factors explaining annual variations are poorly understood. Here, high-risk regions were identified by spatial cluster analysis on disease surveillance data for 1984-2012. Negative binomial regression with five previously validated predictors (including predicted mosquito abundance and predictors based on local weather data) was used to model the annual number of tularemia cases within the high-risk regions. Seven high-risk regions were identified with annual incidences of 3·8-44 cases/100 000 inhabitants, accounting for 56·4% of the tularemia cases but only 9·3% of Sweden's population. For all high-risk regions, most cases occurred between July and September. The regression models explained the annual variation of tularemia cases within most high-risk regions and discriminated between years with and without outbreaks. In conclusion, tularemia in Sweden is concentrated in a few high-risk regions and shows high annual and seasonal variations. We present reproducible methods for identifying tularemia high-risk regions and modelling tularemia cases within these regions. The results may help health authorities to target populations at risk and lay the foundation for developing an early warning system for outbreaks.

Novel High Pressure Pump-on-a-Chip Technology, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — HJ Science & Technology, Inc. proposes to develop a novel high pressure "pump-on-a-chip" (HPPOC) technology capable of generating high pressure and flow rate on...

Laser prostatectomy in high-risk patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tayib, Abdulmalik M.

2008-01-01

Objective was to evaluate the short-term tolerability and outcome of high power green light potassium titanyl phosphate laser prostatectomy in high-risk patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Eleven high risk operative patients were included in this study at the International Medical Center, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between January and September 2007. Patients enrolled in this study underwent preoperative and postoperative, cardiac and anesthesia evaluation. Clinical presentations, ultrasound of urinary tract and preoperative laboratory investigation were recorded. All patients underwent high power green light laser prostatectomy using the green light photo vaporization system with setting of 120 watts. The intraoperative and postoperative complications and follow-up were recorded. The patient's age varied between 65-82 years with a mean age of 75.3+-8.6 years old. Seven patients presented with refractory acute urinary retention and 4 patients presented with severe lower urinary tract symptoms. The average prostate volume was 61.22 cc. All patients had uneventful intra- and postoperative course, without the intensive care. The average blood loss was insignificant and only one of the patients required blood transfusion. Foley catheters were removed one day after the procedure. All patients voided satisfactorily after removal of catheter and 8 patients complained of urgency. High power green light laser prostatectomy is a safe and effective method of treating symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia in patients with high operative risk. (author)

Risk-adaptive optimization: Selective boosting of high-risk tumor subvolumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yusung; Tome, Wolfgang A.

2006-01-01

Background and Purpose: A tumor subvolume-based, risk-adaptive optimization strategy is presented. Methods and Materials: Risk-adaptive optimization employs a biologic objective function instead of an objective function based on physical dose constraints. Using this biologic objective function, tumor control probability (TCP) is maximized for different tumor risk regions while at the same time minimizing normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for organs at risk. The feasibility of risk-adaptive optimization was investigated for a variety of tumor subvolume geometries, risk-levels, and slopes of the TCP curve. Furthermore, the impact of a correlation parameter, δ, between TCP and NTCP on risk-adaptive optimization was investigated. Results: Employing risk-adaptive optimization, it is possible in a prostate cancer model to increase the equivalent uniform dose (EUD) by up to 35.4 Gy in tumor subvolumes having the highest risk classification without increasing predicted normal tissue complications in organs at risk. For all tumor subvolume geometries investigated, we found that the EUD to high-risk tumor subvolumes could be increased significantly without increasing normal tissue complications above those expected from a treatment plan aiming for uniform dose coverage of the planning target volume. We furthermore found that the tumor subvolume with the highest risk classification had the largest influence on the design of the risk-adaptive dose distribution. The parameter δ had little effect on risk-adaptive optimization. However, the clinical parameters D 5 and γ 5 that represent the risk classification of tumor subvolumes had the largest impact on risk-adaptive optimization. Conclusions: On the whole, risk-adaptive optimization yields heterogeneous dose distributions that match the risk level distribution of different subvolumes within the tumor volume

Accident Precursor Analysis and Management: Reducing Technological Risk Through Diligence

Science.gov (United States)

Phimister, James R. (Editor); Bier, Vicki M. (Editor); Kunreuther, Howard C. (Editor)

2004-01-01

Almost every year there is at least one technological disaster that highlights the challenge of managing technological risk. On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia and her crew were lost during reentry into the atmosphere. In the summer of 2003, there was a blackout that left millions of people in the northeast United States without electricity. Forensic analyses, congressional hearings, investigations by scientific boards and panels, and journalistic and academic research have yielded a wealth of information about the events that led up to each disaster, and questions have arisen. Why were the events that led to the accident not recognized as harbingers? Why were risk-reducing steps not taken? This line of questioning is based on the assumption that signals before an accident can and should be recognized. To examine the validity of this assumption, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) undertook the Accident Precursors Project in February 2003. The project was overseen by a committee of experts from the safety and risk-sciences communities. Rather than examining a single accident or incident, the committee decided to investigate how different organizations anticipate and assess the likelihood of accidents from accident precursors. The project culminated in a workshop held in Washington, D.C., in July 2003. This report includes the papers presented at the workshop, as well as findings and recommendations based on the workshop results and committee discussions. The papers describe precursor strategies in aviation, the chemical industry, health care, nuclear power and security operations. In addition to current practices, they also address some areas for future research.

Development of high-level waste solidification technology 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Joon Hyung; Kim, Hwan Young; Kim, In Tae [and others

1999-02-01

Spent nuclear fuel contains useful nuclides as valuable resource materials for energy, heat and catalyst. High-level wastes (HLW) are expected to be generated from the R and D activities and reuse processes. It is necessary to develop vitrification or advanced solidification technologies for the safe long-term management of high level wastes. As a first step to establish HLW vitrification technology, characterization of HLWs that would arise at KAERI site, glass melting experiments with a lab-scale high frequency induction melter, and fabrication and property evaluation of base-glass made of used HEPA filter media and additives were performed. Basic study on the fabrication and characterization of candidate ceramic waste form (Synroc) was also carried out. These HLW solidification technologies would be directly useful for carrying out the R and Ds on the nuclear fuel cycle and waste management. (author). 70 refs., 29 tabs., 35 figs.

An approach to societal risk acceptance criteria and risk management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okrent, D.; Whipple, C.

1977-06-01

A quantitative approach to risk acceptance criteria and risk management is proposed for activities involving risk to individuals not receiving direct benefits, such as employment, from the activity. Societal activities are divided into major facilities or technologies, all or part of which are categorized as essential, beneficial, or peripheral, and a decreasing level of acceptable risk to the most exposed individual is proposed (say, 0.0002/year for essential, 0.00001/year for beneficial, and 0.000002/year for peripheral activity). The risk would be assessed at a high confidence level (say, 90%), thereby providing an incentive to the gaining of better knowledge. Each risk-producing facility, technology, etc., would have to undergo assessment both of risk to the individual and to society. The cost of the latter would have to be internalized, probably via a tax paid to the Federal Government, which in turn would redistribute the benefit as national health insurance or reduced taxes to the individual. Risk aversion to large events would be built into the internalization of the cost of risk

Who Takes Risks in High-Risk Sports? A Typological Personality Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Castanier, Carole; Le Scanff, Christine; Woodman, Tim

2010-01-01

We investigated the risk-taking behaviors of 302 men involved in high-risk sports (downhill skiing, mountaineering, rock climbing, paragliding, or skydiving). The sportsmen were classified using a typological approach to personality based on eight personality types, which were constructed from combinations of neuroticism, extraversion, and…

Forest fire risk zonation mapping using remote sensing technology

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Sunil; Arora, M. K.

2006-12-01

Forest fires cause major losses to forest cover and disturb the ecological balance in our region. Rise in temperature during summer season causing increased dryness, increased activity of human beings in the forest areas, and the type of forest cover in the Garhwal Himalayas are some of the reasons that lead to forest fires. Therefore, generation of forest fire risk maps becomes necessary so that preventive measures can be taken at appropriate time. These risk maps shall indicate the zonation of the areas which are in very high, high, medium and low risk zones with regard to forest fire in the region. In this paper, an attempt has been made to generate the forest fire risk maps based on remote sensing data and other geographical variables responsible for the occurrence of fire. These include altitude, temperature and soil variations. Key thematic data layers pertaining to these variables have been generated using various techniques. A rule-based approach has been used and implemented in GIS environment to estimate fuel load and fuel index leading to the derivation of fire risk zonation index and subsequently to fire risk zonation maps. The fire risk maps thus generated have been validated on the ground for forest types as well as for forest fire risk areas. These maps would help the state forest departments in prioritizing their strategy for combating forest fires particularly during the fire seasons.

A social work study high-risk behavior among teenagers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Reza Iravani

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Teenagers are believed the people who are supposed to build the world's future. High-risk behaviors such as addiction to drugs, smoking cigarettes, sex, etc. could significantly hurts teenagers and there must be some supporting programs to reduce these issues as much as possible. This paper performs an empirical investigation to study the different factors influencing high- risk behavior among teenagers who live in a city of Esfahan, Iran. The proposed study designs a questionnaire and distribute between two groups of female and male teenagers. The results indicate that while there is a meaningful relationship between high-risk behaviors and average high school marks among male students there is no meaningful relationship between high-risk behaviors and high school grades among female students. The results also indicate that there is a meaningful difference between gender and high-risk behavior. The season of birth for female and male students is another important factor for having high-risk behaviors. While the order of birth plays an important role among male students, the order of birth is not an important factor among female teenagers. Finally, the results indicate that teenagers' parental financial affordability plays a vital role on both female and male teenagers.

Evaluation of Risk Management Strategies for a Low-Cost, High-Risk Project

Science.gov (United States)

Shishko, Robert; Jorgensen, Edward J.

1996-01-01

This paper summarizes work in progress to define and implement a risk management process tailored to a low-cost, high-risk, NASA mission -the Microrover Flight Experiment (MFEX, commonly called the Mars microrover).

Regulatory uncertainty and the associated business risk for emerging technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoerr, Robert A.

2011-01-01

An oversight system specifically concerned with nanomaterials should be flexible enough to take into account the unique aspects of individual novel materials and the settings in which they might be used, while recognizing that heretofore unrecognized safety issues may require future modifications. This article considers a question not explicitly considered by the project team: what is the risk that uncertainty over how regulatory oversight will be applied to nanomaterials will delay or block the development of this emerging technology, thereby depriving human health of potential and substantial benefits? An ambiguous regulatory environment could delay the availability of valuable new technology and therapeutics for human health by reducing access to investment capital. Venture capitalists list regulatory uncertainty as a major reason not to invest at all in certain areas. Uncertainty is far more difficult to evaluate than risk, which lends itself to quantitative models and can be factored into projections of return on possible investments. Loss of time has a large impact on investment return. An examination of regulatory case histories suggests that an increase in regulatory resting requirement, where the path is well-defined, is far less costly than a delay of a year or more in achieving product approval and market launch.

Regulatory uncertainty and the associated business risk for emerging technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Hoerr, Robert A.

2011-04-01

An oversight system specifically concerned with nanomaterials should be flexible enough to take into account the unique aspects of individual novel materials and the settings in which they might be used, while recognizing that heretofore unrecognized safety issues may require future modifications. This article considers a question not explicitly considered by the project team: what is the risk that uncertainty over how regulatory oversight will be applied to nanomaterials will delay or block the development of this emerging technology, thereby depriving human health of potential and substantial benefits? An ambiguous regulatory environment could delay the availability of valuable new technology and therapeutics for human health by reducing access to investment capital. Venture capitalists list regulatory uncertainty as a major reason not to invest at all in certain areas. Uncertainty is far more difficult to evaluate than risk, which lends itself to quantitative models and can be factored into projections of return on possible investments. Loss of time has a large impact on investment return. An examination of regulatory case histories suggests that an increase in regulatory resting requirement, where the path is well-defined, is far less costly than a delay of a year or more in achieving product approval and market launch.

Trust, Perceived Risk, Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness as Factors Related to mHealth Technology Use

Science.gov (United States)

Schnall, Rebecca; Higgins, Tracy; Brown, William; Carballo-Dieguez, Alex; Bakken, Suzanne

2017-01-01

Mobile technology use is nearly ubiquitous which affords the opportunity for using these technologies for modifying health related behaviors. At the same time, use of mobile health (mHealth) technology raises privacy and security concerns of consumers. The goal of this analysis was to understand the perceived ease of use, usefulness, risk and trust that contribute to behavioral intention to use a mobile application for meeting the healthcare needs of persons living with HIV (PLWH). To understand these issues, we conducted focus group sessions with 50 persons living with HIV and 30 HIV healthcare providers. We used the e-commerce acceptance model to analyze our focus group data. Findings from the study demonstrated the need for mHealth to be perceived as useful, easy to use, with little perceived risk accompanied by a measure of trust in the creators of the technology. Findings from this work can inform future work on patients and providers’ perceptions of risk, trust, ease of use and usefulness of mHealth technology. PMID:26262094

Use and clinical efficacy of standard and health information technology fall risk assessment tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Teh, Ruth C; Wilson, Anne; Ranasinghe, Damith; Visvanathan, Renuka

2017-12-01

To evaluate the health information technology (HIT) compared to Fall Risk for Older Persons (FROP) tool in fall risk screening. A HIT tool trial was conducted on the geriatric evaluation and management (GEM, n = 111) and acute medical units (AMU, n = 424). Health information technology and FROP scores were higher on GEM versus AMU, with no differences between people who fell and people who did not fall. Both score completion rates were similar, and their values correlated marginally (Spearman's correlation coefficient 0.33, P falls. Hospital fall rates trended towards reduction on AMU (4.20 vs 6.96, P = 0.15) and increase on GEM (10.98 vs 6.52, P = 0.54) with HIT tool implementation. Health information technology tool acceptability and scoring were comparable to FROP screening, with mixed effects on fall rate with HIT tool implementation. Clinician partnership remains key to effective tool development. © 2017 AJA Inc.

New technology based on clamping for high gradient radio frequency photogun

Science.gov (United States)

Alesini, David; Battisti, Antonio; Ferrario, Massimo; Foggetta, Luca; Lollo, Valerio; Ficcadenti, Luca; Pettinacci, Valerio; Custodio, Sean; Pirez, Eylene; Musumeci, Pietro; Palumbo, Luigi

2015-09-01

High gradient rf photoguns have been a key development to enable several applications of high quality electron beams. They allow the generation of beams with very high peak current and low transverse emittance, satisfying the tight demands for free-electron lasers, energy recovery linacs, Compton/Thomson sources and high-energy linear colliders. In the present paper we present the design of a new rf photogun recently developed in the framework of the SPARC_LAB photoinjector activities at the laboratories of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Frascati (LNF-INFN, Italy). This design implements several new features from the electromagnetic point of view and, more important, a novel technology for its realization that does not involve any brazing process. From the electromagnetic point of view the gun presents high mode separation, low peak surface electric field at the iris and minimized pulsed heating on the coupler. For the realization, we have implemented a novel fabrication design that, avoiding brazing, strongly reduces the cost, the realization time and the risk of failure. Details on the electromagnetic design, low power rf measurements and high power radiofrequency and beam tests performed at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) are discussed in the paper.

Coordination of Regional Structures’ Interests Concerning Investment Resources of Educational Services of Enterprises under High-Risk Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Semchuk Zhanna V.

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The development of professional education in the context of interaction with the labor market has been analyzed and inconsistencies of professional and economic nature have been revealed. Reasons for the imbalance in the structure of the market for labor and education have been identified, and it was noted that they have a negative impact on the economic security of educational institutions and cause the accumulation of negative factors as well. Elements of foreign experience in forecasting economic development and associated with it changes in educational services with regard to high-risk conditions have been considered for the purpose of its application in Ukraine. A conceptual model of information technology for coordination of regional structures’ interests concerning investment resources of educational services of enterprises under high-risk conditions has been proposed. The information technology is based on the econometric model for optimizing enterprise Internet payment systems, criterion of hierarchical games theories, multiobjective optimization, active systems, the model for diagnosing internal and external threats to the economic security of the educational institution; means and methodology of the system-value approach; algorithms for recognition of crisis situations; the optimization model for forecasting crisis situations and managing risk as well as the decision-making system for coordination of regional structures’ interests concerning investment resources based on the model of a program-designtarget complex

Risk factors and the occurrence of cerebral palsy in high risk infants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Setyo Handryastuti

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background The incidence of cerebral palsy (CP has increased due to better survival rates of high-risk babies. Early detection and time to the occurrence of CP in the first year of life is important in order to provide early intervention. Objectives To determine the proportion of CP in high-risk babies, the time to the occurrence of CP in the first year, and assess possible associations between risk factors of CP and time to the occurrence of CP. Methods A prospective cohort study was done on 150 high-risk babies up to the age of 12 months. We obtained history of motor ability and assessed primitive reflexes and postural reactions of subjects at the ages of 4 and 6 months. The diagnosis of CP was established at 6 and 12 months of age. Results The proportion of CP was 26% at 6 months and 24% at 12 months of age. Significant risk factors associated with CP at 6 and 12 months of age were cerebral ultrasound abnormalities, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and intracranial hemorrhage. In 88.7% of subjects with CP, CP was detected in the first 6 months. Mean age at the occurrence of CP was 9.99 months (95%CI 9.46 to 10.53. Risk factors that significantly affected the time to the occurrence of CP by survival analysis were ultrasound abnormalities and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Conclusions Cerebral palsy can be detected as early as the first 6 months of life. Cerebral ultrasound abnormalities and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy are the risk factors associated with CP.

Factors Influencing Cancer Risk Perception in High Risk Populations: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Patients at higher than average risk of heritable cancer may process risk information differently than the general population. However, little is known about clinical, demographic, or psychosocial predictors that may impact risk perception in these groups. The objective of this study was to characterize factors associated with perceived risk of developing cancer in groups at high risk for cancer based on genetics or family history. Methods We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsycInfo, and Scopus from inception through April 2009 for English-language, original investigations in humans using core concepts of "risk" and "cancer." We abstracted key information and then further restricted articles dealing with perceived risk of developing cancer due to inherited risk. Results Of 1028 titles identified, 53 articles met our criteria. Most (92%) used an observational design and focused on women (70%) with a family history of or contemplating genetic testing for breast cancer. Of the 53 studies, 36 focused on patients who had not had genetic testing for cancer risk, 17 included studies of patients who had undergone genetic testing for cancer risk. Family history of cancer, previous prophylactic tests and treatments, and younger age were associated with cancer risk perception. In addition, beliefs about the preventability and severity of cancer, personality factors such as "monitoring" personality, the ability to process numerical information, as well as distress/worry also were associated with cancer risk perception. Few studies addressed non-breast cancer or risk perception in specific demographic groups (e.g. elderly or minority groups) and few employed theory-driven analytic strategies to decipher interrelationships of factors. Conclusions Several factors influence cancer risk perception in patients at elevated risk for cancer. The science of characterizing and improving risk perception in cancer for high risk groups, although evolving, is still

Factors Influencing Cancer Risk Perception in High Risk Populations: A Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tilburt Jon C

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Patients at higher than average risk of heritable cancer may process risk information differently than the general population. However, little is known about clinical, demographic, or psychosocial predictors that may impact risk perception in these groups. The objective of this study was to characterize factors associated with perceived risk of developing cancer in groups at high risk for cancer based on genetics or family history. Methods We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsycInfo, and Scopus from inception through April 2009 for English-language, original investigations in humans using core concepts of "risk" and "cancer." We abstracted key information and then further restricted articles dealing with perceived risk of developing cancer due to inherited risk. Results Of 1028 titles identified, 53 articles met our criteria. Most (92% used an observational design and focused on women (70% with a family history of or contemplating genetic testing for breast cancer. Of the 53 studies, 36 focused on patients who had not had genetic testing for cancer risk, 17 included studies of patients who had undergone genetic testing for cancer risk. Family history of cancer, previous prophylactic tests and treatments, and younger age were associated with cancer risk perception. In addition, beliefs about the preventability and severity of cancer, personality factors such as "monitoring" personality, the ability to process numerical information, as well as distress/worry also were associated with cancer risk perception. Few studies addressed non-breast cancer or risk perception in specific demographic groups (e.g. elderly or minority groups and few employed theory-driven analytic strategies to decipher interrelationships of factors. Conclusions Several factors influence cancer risk perception in patients at elevated risk for cancer. The science of characterizing and improving risk perception in cancer for high risk groups, although

Study on the knowledge management of strategic alliances in high technology enterprises

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TANG Yu; WANG Hong-qi; WANG Shan-shan

2005-01-01

With the development of knowledge economy, the competition between high technology enterprises has gradually evolved into the competition of core competence based on knowledge, because high technology enterprises are typical knowledge-based enterprises. Few enterprises, especially for high technology firms, have all of the knowledge they need to compete effectively in the marketplace both at home and abroad, so more and more high technology companies are taking the advantage of strategic alliances to get their complementary knowledge. Since knowledge is the source of an enterprise' s competitiveness, knowledge management has become the most important means for enterprises to gain competitive advantage. There has been an increased growth in the literature on strategic alliances in recent decades. But what is less discussed in the existing literature on strategic alliances is the issue of knowledge management of strategic alliances in high technology enterprises. Based on the characteristics of strategic alliances in high technology enterprises, and in line with the implication and the goal of knowledge management, this study tries to delve into this issue. The paper analyzes the key factors relevant to the knowledge management of strategic alliances in high technology enterprises and proposes guide lines on the process and measures that should be taken in the knowledge management of strategic alliances in high technology enterprises.

Communicating Low-Probability High-Consequence Risk, Uncertainty and Expert Confidence: Induced Seismicity of Deep Geothermal Energy and Shale Gas.

Science.gov (United States)

Knoblauch, Theresa A K; Stauffacher, Michael; Trutnevyte, Evelina

2018-04-01

Subsurface energy activities entail the risk of induced seismicity including low-probability high-consequence (LPHC) events. For designing respective risk communication, the scientific literature lacks empirical evidence of how the public reacts to different written risk communication formats about such LPHC events and to related uncertainty or expert confidence. This study presents findings from an online experiment (N = 590) that empirically tested the public's responses to risk communication about induced seismicity and to different technology frames, namely deep geothermal energy (DGE) and shale gas (between-subject design). Three incrementally different formats of written risk communication were tested: (i) qualitative, (ii) qualitative and quantitative, and (iii) qualitative and quantitative with risk comparison. Respondents found the latter two the easiest to understand, the most exact, and liked them the most. Adding uncertainty and expert confidence statements made the risk communication less clear, less easy to understand and increased concern. Above all, the technology for which risks are communicated and its acceptance mattered strongly: respondents in the shale gas condition found the identical risk communication less trustworthy and more concerning than in the DGE conditions. They also liked the risk communication overall less. For practitioners in DGE or shale gas projects, the study shows that the public would appreciate efforts in describing LPHC risks with numbers and optionally risk comparisons. However, there seems to be a trade-off between aiming for transparency by disclosing uncertainty and limited expert confidence, and thereby decreasing clarity and increasing concern in the view of the public. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Lecture note on circuit technology for high energy physics experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeda, Hirokazu.

1992-07-01

This lecture gives basic ideas and practice of the circuit technology for high energy physics experiment. The program of this lecture gives access to the integrated circuit technology to be applied for a high luminosity hadron collider experiment. (author)

Multi-technology option strategy for long term R and D programs on plutonium technologies. Minimizing proliferation risks and preparing for the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Tatsujiro

1997-01-01

Plutonium programs worldwide are now facing major economic, political and technical challenges. New strategies need to address two distinctive global concerns: minimizing proliferation risks associated with plutonium use, and keeping the options alive to prepare for uncertain energy future. In order to meet those challenges, this paper proposes the introduction of 'multi-technology option strategy'. Such strategy is designed to keep so-called 'technological readiness' state of plutonium technologies worldwide without committing to a fixed technology option and exploring more innovative various technology options. This paper also suggests that such R and D programs can be coordinated and shared among nations that are interested in future plutonium use, and such cooperation can improve transparency of sensitive R and D programs. (author)

Psychological characteristics in high-risk MSM in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Guanzhi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Men who have sex with men (MSM have become a high-risk group of HIV infection in China. To date, little is known regarding the behavioral, social and psychological characteristics in Chinese MSM, which makes the implementation of preventive and therapeutic strategies for this high-risk subpopulation of people extremely difficult. Methods A total of 714 questionnaires were retrieved from the database of a Chinese government-sponsored National Key Research Project titled "Risk Analysis and Strategic Prevention of HIV Transmission from MSM to the General Population in China". The respondents were categorized into a high-risk group and a control group. Their behavioral, social and psychological characteristics were comparatively analyzed. Results Of the 714 MSM analyzed, 59 (8.26% had high-risk homosexual behaviors. This sub-group of MSM had a higher in-marriage rate, a higher monthly income, heavier alcohol consumption and more serious problems with sexual abuse in childhood, intentional suicide attempts and mistaken assumption on condom's role in protecting HIV infection, as compared with the control group (P P > 0.05. A vast majority of the individuals in both behavior categories expressed support of legally protected gay clubs as well as gay marriage legislation in China. There was a strong correlation between high-risk behaviors and sexual abuse in childhood, alcohol drinking, income level and a mistaken belief in perfect HIV protection through the use of condoms. Conclusions MSM with and without high-risk homosexual behaviors have different social and psychological characteristics, which should be taken into account when implementing behavioral and therapeutic interventions aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS transmission among MSM as well as from MSM to the general population in China.

Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) multibeam antenna technology verification experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta, Roberto J.; Larko, Jeffrey M.; Lagin, Alan R.

1992-01-01

The Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) is a key to reaching NASA's goal of developing high-risk, advanced communications technology using multiple frequency bands to support the nation's future communication needs. Using the multiple, dynamic hopping spot beams, and advanced on board switching and processing systems, ACTS will open a new era in communications satellite technology. One of the key technologies to be validated as part of the ACTS program is the multibeam antenna with rapidly reconfigurable hopping and fixed spot beam to serve users equipped with small-aperature terminals within the coverage areas. The proposed antenna technology experiments are designed to evaluate in-orbit ACTS multibeam antenna performance (radiation pattern, gain, cross pol levels, etc.).

Cost/benefit of high technology in diagnostic radiology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goethlin, J.H.

1987-08-01

High technology is frequently blamed as a main cause for the last decade's disproportionate rise in health expenditure. Total costs for all large diagnostic and therapeutic appliances are typically less than 1% of annual expenditure on health care. CT, DSA, MRI, interventional radiology, ESWL, US, mammography, computers in radiology and PACS may save 10-80% of total cost for diagnosis and treatment of disease. Expenditure on high technology is in general vastly overestimated. Because of its medical utility, a slower deployment cannot be desirable. (orig.)

Cost/benefit of high technology in diagnostic radiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goethlin, J.H.

1987-01-01

High technology is frequently blamed as a main cause for the last decade's disproportionate rise in health expenditure. Total costs for all large diagnostic and therapeutic appliances are typically less than 1% of annual expenditure on health care. CT, DSA, MRI, interventional radiology, ESWL, US, mammography, computers in radiology and PACS may save 10-80% of total cost for diagnosis and treatment of disease. Expenditure on high technology is in general vastly overestimated. Because of its medical utility, a slower deployment cannot be desirable. (orig.)

Predictive risk modelling under different data access scenarios: who is identified as high risk and for how long?

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Tracy L; Kaldor, Jill; Sutherland, Kim; Humphries, Jacob; Jorm, Louisa R; Levesque, Jean-Frederic

2018-01-01

Objective This observational study critically explored the performance of different predictive risk models simulating three data access scenarios, comparing: (1) sociodemographic and clinical profiles; (2) consistency in high-risk designation across models; and (3) persistence of high-risk status over time. Methods Cross-sectional health survey data (2006–2009) for more than 260 000 Australian adults 45+ years were linked to longitudinal individual hospital, primary care, pharmacy and mortality data. Three risk models predicting acute emergency hospitalisations were explored, simulating conditions where data are accessed through primary care practice management systems, or through hospital-based electronic records, or through a hypothetical ‘full’ model using a wider array of linked data. High-risk patients were identified using different risk score thresholds. Models were reapplied monthly for 24 months to assess persistence in high-risk categorisation. Results The three models displayed similar statistical performance. Three-quarters of patients in the high-risk quintile from the ‘full’ model were also identified using the primary care or hospital-based models, with the remaining patients differing according to age, frailty, multimorbidity, self-rated health, polypharmacy, prior hospitalisations and imminent mortality. The use of higher risk prediction thresholds resulted in lower levels of agreement in high-risk designation across models and greater morbidity and mortality in identified patient populations. Persistence of high-risk status varied across approaches according to updated information on utilisation history, with up to 25% of patients reassessed as lower risk within 1 year. Conclusion/implications Small differences in risk predictors or risk thresholds resulted in comparatively large differences in who was classified as high risk and for how long. Pragmatic predictive risk modelling design decisions based on data availability or projected

High energy beam manufacturing technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geskin, E.S.; Leu, M.C.

1989-01-01

Technological progress continues to enable us to utilize ever widening ranges of physical and chemical conditions for material processing. The increasing cost of energy, raw materials and environmental control make implementation of advanced technologies inevitable. One of the principal avenues in the development of material processing is the increase of the intensity, accuracy, flexibility and stability of energy flow to the processing site. The use of different forms of energy beams is an effective way to meet these sometimes incompatible requirements. The first important technological applications of high energy beams were welding and flame cutting. Subsequently a number of different kinds of beams have been used to solve different problems of part geometry control and improvement of surface characteristics. Properties and applications of different specific beams were subjects of a number of fundamental studies. It is important now to develop a generic theory of beam based manufacturing. The creation of a theory dealing with general principles of beam generation and beam-material interaction will enhance manufacturing science as well as practice. For example, such a theory will provide a format approach for selection and integration of different kinds of beams for a particular application. And obviously, this theory will enable us to integrate the knowledge bases of different manufacturing technologies. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, as well as a number of more technical, although less exciting, publications demonstrate both the feasibility and effectiveness of the generic approach to the description of beam oriented technology. Without any attempt to compete with Wells, we still hope that this volume will contribute to the creation of the theory of beam oriented manufacturing

Future directions of defense programs high-level waste technology programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chee, T.C.; Shupe, M.W.; Turner, D.A.; Campbell, M.H.

1987-01-01

The Department of Energy has been managing high-level waste from the production of nuclear materials for defense activities over the last forty years. An objective for the Defense Waste and Transportation Management program is to develop technology which ensures the safe, permanent disposal of all defense radioactive wastes. Technology programs are underway to address the long-term strategy for permanent disposal of high-level waste generated at each Department of Energy site. Technology is being developed for assessing the hazards, environmental impacts, and costs of each long-term disposal alternative for selection and implementation. This paper addresses key technology development areas, and consideration of recent regulatory requirements associated with the long-term management of defense radioactive high-level waste

Integrating renewable energy technologies in the electric supply industry: A risk management approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoff, T.E. [Pacific Energy Group, Walnut Creek, CA (United States)

1997-07-01

Regulatory and technical forces are causing electric utilities to move from a natural monopoly to a more competitive environment. Associated with this movement is an increasing concern about how to manage the risks associated with the electric supply business. One approach to managing risks is to purchase financial instruments such as options and futures contracts. Another approach is to own physical assets that have low risk attributes or characteristics. This research evaluates how investments in renewable energy technologies can mitigate risks in the electric supply industry. It identifies risks that are known to be of concern to utilities and other power producers. These risks include uncertainty in fuel prices, demand, environmental regulations, capital cost, supply, and market structure. The research then determines how investments in renewables can mitigate these risks. Methods are developed to calculate the value of renewables in terms of their attributes of fuel costs, environmental costs, lead-time, modularity, availability, initial capital costs, and investment reversibility. Examples illustrate how to apply the methods.

Rethinking risk assessment for emerging technology first-in-human trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Genske, Anna; Engel-Glatter, Sabrina

2016-03-01

Recent progress in synthetic biology (SynBio) has enabled the development of novel therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of human disease. In the near future, first-in-human trials (FIH) will be indicated. FIH trials mark a key milestone in the translation of medical SynBio applications into clinical practice. Fostered by uncertainty of possible adverse events for trial participants, a variety of ethical concerns emerge with regards to SynBio FIH trials, including 'risk' minimization. These concerns are associated with any FIH trial, however, due to the novelty of the approach, they become more pronounced for medical applications of emerging technologies (emTech) like SynBio. To minimize potential harm for trial participants, scholars, guidelines, regulations and policy makers alike suggest using 'risk assessment' as evaluation tool for such trials. Conversely, in the context of emTech FIH trials, we believe it to be at least questionable to contextualize uncertainty of potential adverse events as 'risk' and apply traditional risk assessment methods. Hence, this issue needs to be discussed to enable alterations of the evaluation process before the translational phase of SynBio applications begins. In this paper, we will take the opportunity to start the debate and highlight how a misunderstanding of the concept of risk, and the possibilities and limitations of risk assessment, respectively, might impair decision-making by the relevant regulatory authorities and research ethics committees, and discuss possible solutions to tackle the issue.

Public perceptions of the risks of an unfamiliar technology: The case of using nuclear energy sources for space missions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maharik, M.

1992-01-01

This thesis addresses the public perception of the risk of a technology not widely known to lay people. Its aims were (a) to characterize public perceptions of the risk of using nuclear energy in space and decisions related to this risk, and (b) to extend the mental model methodology to studying public perception of unfamiliar, risky technologies. A model of the physical processes capable of creating risks from using nuclear energy sources in space was first constructed. Then, knowledge and beliefs related to this topic were elicited from three different groups of people. The generality of the findings were examined in a constructive replication with environmentally-oriented people. The possibility of involving the public in decision-making processes related to engineering macro-design was then investigated. Finally, a communication regarding these risk processes was developed and evaluated in an experiment comparing it with communications produced by NASA. Recommendations related to the design and targeting of risk communication, and to public participation in decision making on using new and risky technologies, are derived

An agent based architecture for high-risk neonate management at neonatal intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Malak, Jaleh Shoshtarian; Safdari, Reza; Zeraati, Hojjat; Nayeri, Fatemeh Sadat; Mohammadzadeh, Niloofar; Farajollah, Seide Sedighe Seied

2018-01-01

In recent years, the use of new tools and technologies has decreased the neonatal mortality rate. Despite the positive effect of using these technologies, the decisions are complex and uncertain in critical conditions when the neonate is preterm or has a low birth weight or malformations. There is a need to automate the high-risk neonate management process by creating real-time and more precise decision support tools. To create a collaborative and real-time environment to manage neonates with critical conditions at the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and to overcome high-risk neonate management weaknesses by applying a multi agent based analysis and design methodology as a new solution for NICU management. This study was a basic research for medical informatics method development that was carried out in 2017. The requirement analysis was done by reviewing articles on NICU Decision Support Systems. PubMed, Science Direct, and IEEE databases were searched. Only English articles published after 1990 were included; also, a needs assessment was done by reviewing the extracted features and current processes at the NICU environment where the research was conducted. We analyzed the requirements and identified the main system roles (agents) and interactions by a comparative study of existing NICU decision support systems. The Universal Multi Agent Platform (UMAP) was applied to implement a prototype of our multi agent based high-risk neonate management architecture. Local environment agents interacted inside a container and each container interacted with external resources, including other NICU systems and consultation centers. In the NICU container, the main identified agents were reception, monitoring, NICU registry, and outcome prediction, which interacted with human agents including nurses and physicians. Managing patients at the NICU units requires online data collection, real-time collaboration, and management of many components. Multi agent systems are applied as

Global climate change: Mitigation opportunities high efficiency large chiller technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stanga, M.V.

1997-12-31

This paper, comprised of presentation viewgraphs, examines the impact of high efficiency large chiller technology on world electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Background data are summarized, and sample calculations are presented. Calculations show that presently available high energy efficiency chiller technology has the ability to substantially reduce energy consumption from large chillers. If this technology is widely implemented on a global basis, it could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 65 million tons by 2010.

Electricity Generation in Fiji: Assessing the Impact of Renewable Technologies on Costs and Financial Risk

OpenAIRE

Dornan, Matthew; Jotzo, Frank

2011-01-01

In recent years, renewable energy technologies have been advocated in Fiji on the basis that they improve energy security and serve as a risk-mitigation measure against oil price volatility. Despite this, there have been few attempts to measure the impact of renewable technologies on energy security. That analysis is important if the benefits of renewable energy technologies in Fiji are to be adequately evaluated. This paper develops and applies a method for assessing the potential contributi...

Presenting a Framework for Evaluating and Prioritizing Risk of Information Technology Outsourcing: Perspective of Experts in Information Systems Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

abbas Keramati

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Information technology outsourcing projects have advantages including: reduced costs, improved service quality, creation of competitive advantage, etc. When these projects are being outsourced, lack of attention to their risks causes the lost of anticipated benefits and contributes to failure. As for the growing trend of information technology outsourcing projects in Iran, the purpose of this study is to identify the risks of information technology outsourcing projects, evaluate and prioritize them based on the perspective of experts in information systems design. For achieving these goals, key articles were reviewed and comprehensive list of 12 risk factors were identified. For prioritizing, a Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (F-ANP structure has been provided and the risk factors were laid in it. Then, by using a questionnaire, 13 experts' viewpoints were collected. The results show that the factor of "supplier" and the sub-factor of "Lack of skills of supplier in IT operations" are the most important factors for success and failure of information technology outsourcing projects in the perspective of experts in information systems design.

Management of Skin Cancer in the High-Risk Patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Behan, James W; Sutton, Adam; Wysong, Ashley

2016-12-01

Skin cancer is the most common of human cancers and outnumbers all other types of cancer combined in the USA by over threefold. The majority of non-melanoma skin cancers are easily treated with surgery or locally destructive techniques performed under local anesthesia in the cost-effective outpatient setting. However, there is a subset of "high-risk" cases that prove challenging in terms of morbidity, mortality, adjuvant treatment required, as well as overall cost to the health care system. In our opinion, the term "high risk" when applied to skin cancer can mean one of three things: a high-risk tumor with aggressive histologic and/or clinical features with an elevated risk for local recurrence or regional/distant metastasis, a high-risk patient with the ongoing development of multiple skin cancers, and a high-risk patient based on immunosuppression. We have recently proposed classifying NMSC as a chronic disease in a certain subset of patients. Although no consensus definition exists for a chronic disease in medicine, there are three components that are present in most definitions: duration of at least 1 year, need for ongoing medical care, and functional impairment and/or alteration of activities of daily living (ADLs) and quality of life (QOL). Immunosuppression can refer to exogenous (organ or stem cell transplant patients,) or endogenous (HIV, leukemia, lymphoma, genodermatoses with DNA mismatch repair problems or other immunosuppression) causes. These patients are at risk for high-risk tumors and/or the development of multiple tumors.

The "polyenviromic risk score": Aggregating environmental risk factors predicts conversion to psychosis in familial high-risk subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Padmanabhan, Jaya L; Shah, Jai L; Tandon, Neeraj; Keshavan, Matcheri S

2017-03-01

Young relatives of individuals with schizophrenia (i.e. youth at familial high-risk, FHR) are at increased risk of developing psychotic disorders, and show higher rates of psychiatric symptoms, cognitive and neurobiological abnormalities than non-relatives. It is not known whether overall exposure to environmental risk factors increases risk of conversion to psychosis in FHR subjects. Subjects consisted of a pilot longitudinal sample of 83 young FHR subjects. As a proof of principle, we examined whether an aggregate score of exposure to environmental risk factors, which we term a 'polyenviromic risk score' (PERS), could predict conversion to psychosis. The PERS combines known environmental risk factors including cannabis use, urbanicity, season of birth, paternal age, obstetric and perinatal complications, and various types of childhood adversity, each weighted by its odds ratio for association with psychosis in the literature. A higher PERS was significantly associated with conversion to psychosis in young, familial high-risk subjects (OR=1.97, p=0.009). A model combining the PERS and clinical predictors had a sensitivity of 27% and specificity of 96%. An aggregate index of environmental risk may help predict conversion to psychosis in FHR subjects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High Temperature Syngas Cleanup Technology Scale-up and Demonstration Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gardner, Ben [Research Triangle Inst. (RTI), Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Turk, Brian [Research Triangle Inst. (RTI), Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Denton, David [Research Triangle Inst. (RTI), Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Gupta, Raghubir [Research Triangle Inst. (RTI), Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

2015-09-30

Gasification is a technology for clean energy conversion of diverse feedstocks into a wide variety of useful products such as chemicals, fertilizers, fuels, electric power, and hydrogen. Existing technologies can be employed to clean the syngas from gasification processes to meet the demands of such applications, but they are expensive to build and operate and consume a significant fraction of overall parasitic energy requirements, thus lowering overall process efficiency. RTI International has developed a warm syngas desulfurization process (WDP) utilizing a transport-bed reactor design and a proprietary attrition-resistant, high-capacity solid sorbent with excellent performance replicated at lab, bench, and pilot scales. Results indicated that WDP technology can improve both efficiency and cost of gasification plants. The WDP technology achieved ~99.9% removal of total sulfur (as either H₂S or COS) from coal-derived syngas at temperatures as high as 600°C and over a wide range of pressures (20-80 bar, pressure independent performance) and sulfur concentrations. Based on the success of these tests, RTI negotiated a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy for precommercial testing of this technology at Tampa Electric Company’s Polk Power Station IGCC facility in Tampa, Florida. The project scope also included a sweet water-gas-shift process for hydrogen enrichment and an activated amine process for 90+% total carbon capture. Because the activated amine process provides some additional non-selective sulfur removal, the integration of these processes was expected to reduce overall sulfur in the syngas to sub-ppmv concentrations, suitable for most syngas applications. The overall objective of this project was to mitigate the technical risks associated with the scale up and integration of the WDP and carbon dioxide capture technologies, enabling subsequent commercial-scale demonstration. The warm syngas cleanup pre-commercial test unit

High technology supporting nuclear power industry in CRIEPI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Nobuyuki

2009-01-01

As a central research institute of electric power industry, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) has carried out R and D on broad range of topics such as power generation, power transmission, power distribution, power application and energy economics and society, aiming to develop prospective and advanced technologies, fundamental reinforce technologies and next-generation core technologies. To realize low-carbon society to cope with enhancement of global environmental issues, nuclear power is highly recommended as large-scale power with low-carbon emission. At the new start of serial explanation on advanced technologies, R and D on electric power industry was outlined. (T. Tanaka)

Cyberbullying in those at clinical high risk for psychosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Magaud, Emilie; Nyman, Karissa; Addington, Jean

2013-11-01

Several studies suggest an association between experiences of childhood trauma including bullying and the development of psychotic symptoms. The use of communications technology has created a new media for bullying called 'cyberbullying'. Research has demonstrated associations between traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Negative effects of cyberbullying appear similar in nature and severity to the reported effects of traditional bullying. Our aim was to examine the prevalence and correlates of cyberbullying in those at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. Fifty young people at CHR for psychosis were administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire with added questions about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying was reported in 38% of the sample. Those who experienced cyberbullying also reported experiencing previous trauma. It is possible that cyberbullying may be a problem for those at CHR of psychosis, and due to the vulnerable nature of these young people may have longitudinal implications. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Risk-Taking Behavior of Technology Firms: The Role of Performance Feedback in the Video Game Industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Situmeang, F.B.; Gemser, G.; Wijnberg, N.M.; Leenders, M.A.A.M.

This study focuses on what drives technology-driven companies to engage in risk-taking behavior by serving new markets. Building on the behavioral theory of the firm and prospect theory, this study suggests that technology-driven organizations tend to respond to past performance rather than future

Correlation between high-risk pregnancy and developmental delay ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: The future development of children is considered more than ever now due to the advances in medical knowledge and thus the increase in survival rates of high-risk infants. This study investigated the correlation between high-risk pregnancy and developmental delay in children aged 4- 60 months. Methods: ...

High-Risk Stress Fractures: Diagnosis and Management.

Science.gov (United States)

McInnis, Kelly C; Ramey, Lindsay N

2016-03-01

Stress fractures are common overuse injuries in athletes. They occur during periods of increased training without adequate rest, disrupting normal bone reparative mechanisms. There are a host of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including biochemical and biomechanical, that put athletes at risk. In most stress fractures, the diagnosis is primarily clinical, with imaging indicated at times, and management focused on symptom-free relative rest with advancement of activity as tolerated. Overall, stress fractures in athletes have an excellent prognosis for return to sport, with little risk of complication. There is a subset of injuries that have a greater risk of fracture progression, delayed healing, and nonunion and are generally more challenging to treat with nonoperative care. Specific locations of high-risk stress fracture include the femoral neck (tension side), patella, anterior tibia, medial malleolus, talus, tarsal navicular, proximal fifth metatarsal, and great toe sesamoids. These sites share a characteristic region of high tensile load and low blood flow. High-risk stress fractures require a more aggressive approach to evaluation, with imaging often necessary, to confirm early and accurate diagnosis and initiate immediate treatment. Treatment consists of nonweight-bearing immobilization, often with a prolonged period away from sport, and a more methodic and careful reintroduction to athletic activity. These stress fractures may require surgical intervention. A high index of suspicion is essential to avoid delayed diagnosis and optimize outcomes in this subset of stress fractures. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Future Vehicle Technologies : high performance transportation innovations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pratt, T. [Future Vehicle Technologies Inc., Maple Ridge, BC (Canada)

2010-07-01

Battery management systems (BMS) were discussed in this presentation, with particular reference to the basic BMS design considerations; safety; undisclosed information about BMS; the essence of BMS; and Future Vehicle Technologies' BMS solution. Basic BMS design considerations that were presented included the balancing methodology; prismatic/cylindrical cells; cell protection; accuracy; PCB design, size and components; communications protocol; cost of manufacture; and expandability. In terms of safety, the presentation addressed lithium fires; high voltage; high voltage ground detection; crash/rollover shutdown; complete pack shutdown capability; and heat shields, casings, and impact protection. BMS bus bar engineering considerations were discussed along with good chip design. It was concluded that FVTs advantage is a unique skillset in automotive technology and the development of speed and cost effectiveness. tabs., figs.

Analysis of risk factors for persistent infection of asymptomatic women with high-risk human papilloma virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Nianmin; Lu, Qiang; Zhang, Jiao; Li, Li; Zhang, Junnan; Zhang, Fanglei; Dong, Yanhong; Zhang, Xinyue; Zhang, Zheng; Gao, Wenhui

2017-06-03

This study aims to prevent persistentinfection, reduce the incidence of cervical cancer, and improve women's health by understanding the theoretical basis of the risk factors for continuous infection of asymptomatic women with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) strains via information collected, which includes the persistent infection rate and the most prevalent HPV strain types of high risk to asymptomatic women in the high-risk area of cervical cancer in Linfen, Shanxi Province. Based on the method of cluster sampling, locations were chosen from the industrial county and agricultural county of Linfen, Shanxi Province, namely the Xiangfen and Quwo counties. Use of the convenience sampling (CS) method enables the identification of women who have sex but without symptoms of abnormal cervix for analyzing risk factors of HPV-DNA detection and performing a retrospective questionnaire survey in these 2 counties. Firstly, cervical exfoliated cell samples were collected for thin-layer liquid-based cytology test (TCT), and simultaneously testing high-risk type HPV DNA, then samples with positive testing results were retested to identify the infected HPV types. The 6-month period of testing was done to derive the 6-month persistent infection rate. The retrospective survey included concepts addressed in the questionnaire: basic situation of the research objects, menstrual history, marital status, pregnancy history, sexual habits and other aspects. The questionnaire was divided into a case group and a comparison group, which are based on the high-risk HPV-DNA testing result to ascertain whether or not there is persistent infection. Statistical analysis employed Epidate3.1 software for date entry, SPSS17.0 for date statistical analysis. Select statistic charts, Chi-Square Analysis, single-factor analysis and multivariate Logistic regression analysis to analyze the protective factors and risk factors of high-risk HPV infection. Risk factors are predicted by using the

Structured Innovation of High-Performance Wave Energy Converter Technology: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weber, Jochem W. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Laird, Daniel [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2018-01-25

Wave energy converter (WEC) technology development has not yet delivered the desired commercial maturity nor, and more importantly, the techno-economic performance. The reasons for this have been recognized and fundamental requirements for successful WEC technology development have been identified. This paper describes a multi-year project pursued in collaboration by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories to innovate and develop new WEC technology. It specifies the project strategy, shows how this differs from the state-of-the-art approach and presents some early project results. Based on the specification of fundamental functional requirements of WEC technology, structured innovation and systemic problem solving methodologies are applied to invent and identify new WEC technology concepts. Using Technology Performance Levels (TPL) as an assessment metric of the techno-economic performance potential, high performance technology concepts are identified and selected for further development. System performance is numerically modelled and optimized and key performance aspects are empirically validated. The project deliverables are WEC technology specifications of high techno-economic performance technologies of TPL 7 or higher at TRL 3 with some key technology challenges investigated at higher TRL. These wave energy converter technology specifications will be made available to industry for further, full development and commercialisation (TRL 4 - TRL 9).

Computer technologies for industrial risk prevention and emergency management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balduccelli, C.; Bologna, S.; Di Costanzo, G.; Vicoli, G.

1996-07-01

This document provides an overview about problems related to the engineering of computer based systems for industrial risk prevention and emergency management. Such systems are rather complex and subject to precise reliability and safety requirements. With the evolution of informatic technologies, such systems are becoming to be the means for building protective barriers for reduction of risk associated with plant operations. For giving more generality to this document, and for not concentrating on only a specific plant, the emergency management systems will be dealt with more details than ones for accident prevention. The document is organized in six chapters. Chapter one is an introduction to the problem and to its state of art, with particular emphasis to the aspects of safety requirements definition. Chapter two is an introduction to the problems related to the emergency management and to the training of operators in charge of this task. Chapter three deals in details the topic of the Training Support Systems, in particular about MUSTER (multi-user system for training and evaluation of environmental emergency response) system. Chapter four deals in details the topic of decision support systems, in particular about ISEM (information technology support for emergency management) system. Chapter five illustrates an application of support to the operators of Civil Protection Department for the management of emergencies in the fields of industrial chemical. Chapter six is about a synthesis of the state of art and the future possibilities, identifying some research and development activities more promising for the future

Technology development for high temperature logging tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veneruso, A.F.; Coquat, J.A.

1979-01-01

A set of prototype, high temperature logging tools (temperature, pressure and flow) were tested successfully to temperatures up to 275/sup 0/C in a Union geothermal well during November 1978 as part of the Geothermal Logging Instrumentation Development Program. This program is being conducted by Sandia Laboratories for the Department of Energy's Division of Geothermal Energy. The progress and plans of this industry based program to develop and apply the high temperature instrumentation technology needed to make reliable geothermal borehole measurements are described. Specifically, this program is upgrading existing sondes for improved high temperature performance, as well as applying new materials (elastomers, polymers, metals and ceramics) and developing component technology such as high temperature cables, cableheads and electronics to make borehole measurements such as formation temperature, flow rate, high resolution pressure and fracture mapping. In order to satisfy critical existing needs, the near term goal is for operation up to 275/sup 0/C and 7000 psi by the end of FY80. The long term goal is for operation up to 350/sup 0/C and 20,000 psi by the end of FY84.

Tubal Factor Infertility and Perinatal Risk After Assisted Reproductive Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Kawwass, Jennifer F.; Crawford, Sara; Kissin, Dmitry M.; Session, Donna R.; Boulet, Sheree; Jamieson, Denise J.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To assess trends of tubal factor infertility and to evaluate risk of miscarriage and delivery of preterm or low birth weight (LBW) neonates among women with tubal factor infertility using assisted reproductive technology (ART). METHODS We assessed trends of tubal factor infertility among all fresh and frozen, donor, and nondonor ART cycles performed annually in the United States between 2000 and 2010 (N=1,418,774) using the National ART Surveillance System. The data set was then limited to fresh, nondonor in vitro fertilization cycles resulting in pregnancy to compare perinatal outcomes for cycles associated with tubal compared with male factor infertility. We performed bivariate and multivariable analyses controlling for maternal characteristics and calculated adjusted risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS The percentage of ART cycles associated with tubal factor infertility diagnoses decreased from 2000 to 2010 (26.02–14.81%). Compared with male factor infertility, tubal factor portended an increased risk of miscarriage (14.0% compared with 12.7%, adjusted RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04–1.12); risk was increased for both early and late miscarriage. Singleton neonates born to women with tubal factor infertility had an increased risk of pre-term birth (15.8% compared with 11.6%, adjusted RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.20–1.34) and LBW (10.9% compared with 8.5%, adjusted RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.20–1.36). Significant increases in risk persisted for early and late preterm delivery and very low and moderately LBW delivery. A significantly elevated risk was also detected for twin, but not triplet, pregnancies. CONCLUSION Tubal factor infertility, which is decreasing in prevalence in the United States, is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, and LBW delivery as compared with couples with male factor infertility using ART. PMID:23812461

The Very High Risk Prostate Cancer – a Contemporary Update

Science.gov (United States)

Mano, Roy; Eastham, James; Yossepowitch, Ofer

2017-01-01

Background Treatment of high-risk prostate cancer has evolved considerably over the past two decades, yet patients with very high-risk features may still experience poor outcome despite aggressive therapy. We review the contemporary literature focusing on current definitions, role of modern imaging and treatment alternatives in very high-risk prostate cancer. Methods We searched the MEDLINE database for all clinical trials or practice guidelines published in English between 2000 – 2016 with the following search terms: ‘prostatic neoplasms’ (MeSH Terms) AND (‘high risk’ (keyword) OR ‘locally advanced’ (keyword) OR ‘node positive’ (keyword)). Abstracts pertaining to very high-risk prostate cancer were evaluated and 40 pertinent studies served as the basis for this review. Results The term ‘very’ high-risk prostate cancer remains ill defined. The EAU and NCCN guidelines provide the only available definitions, categorizing those with clinical stage T3-4 or minimal nodal involvement as very-high risk irrespective of PSA level or biopsy Gleason score. Modern imaging with mpMRI and PET-PSMA scans plays a role in pretreatment assessment. Local definitive therapy by external beam radiation combined with androgen deprivation is supported by several randomized clinical trials whereas the role of surgery in the very high-risk setting combined with adjuvant radiation/ androgen deprivation therapy is emerging. Growing evidence suggest neoadjuvant taxane based chemotherapy in the context of a multimodal approach may be beneficial. Conclusions Men with very high-risk tumors may benefit from local definitive treatment in the setting of a multimodal regimen, offering local control and possibly cure in well selected patients. Further studies are necessary to better characterize the ‘very’ high-risk category and determine the optimal therapy for the individual patient. PMID:27618950

Distracted Walking, Bicycling, and Driving: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mobile Technology and Youth Crash Risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Stavrinos, Despina; Pope, Caitlin N; Shen, Jiabin; Schwebel, David C

2018-01-01

This article examined the impact of mobile technology on young pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. A systematic search yielded 41 articles meeting inclusion criteria: peer-reviewed, published before February 1, 2016, behavioral outcome related to pedestrian, bicycling, or driving in the presence of mobile technology use, youth sample. Eleven studies were meta-analyzed to evaluate increased risk for crash/near-crash while distracted. Risk of bias and quality of research were assessed. Across methodologies, developmental stages, and type of distracting task, mobile technology use impairs youth safety on the road. Quality of evidence was low (pedestrian) to moderate (driving). Findings are discussed from the perspective of cognitive and visual distractions. Policy and behavioral efforts should continue to reduce mobile technology use in transportation settings. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Risk of Cancer in Children Conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Reigstad, Marte Myhre; Larsen, Inger Kristin; Myklebust, Tor Åge; Robsahm, Trude Eid; Oldereid, Nan Birgitte; Brinton, Louise A; Storeng, Ritsa

2016-03-01

An increasing number of children are born after assisted reproductive technology (ART), and monitoring their long-term health effects is of interest. This study compares cancer risk in children conceived by ART to that in children conceived without. The Medical Birth Registry of Norway contains individual information on all children born in Norway (including information of ART conceptions). All children born between 1984 and 2011 constituted the study cohort, and cancer data were obtained from the Cancer Registry of Norway. Follow-up started at date of birth and ended on the date of the first cancer diagnosis, death, emigration, or December 31, 2011. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of overall cancer risk between children conceived by ART and those not. Cancer risk was also assessed separately for all childhood cancer types. The study cohort comprised 1 628 658 children, of which 25 782 were conceived by ART. Of the total 4554 cancers, 51 occurred in ART-conceived children. Risk of overall cancer was not significantly elevated (HR 1.21; 95% CI 0.90-1.63). However, increased risk of leukemia was observed for children conceived by ART compared with those who were not (HR 1.67; 95% CI 1.02-2.73). Elevated risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma was also found for ART-conceived children (HR 3.63; 95% CI 1.12-11.72), although this was based on small numbers. This population-based cohort study found elevated risks of leukemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma in children conceived by ART. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The profile of high-risk pregnancy in El-Mansoura city.

Science.gov (United States)

Yassin, Shadia A T; Gamal El-Deen, Amany A; Emam, Mohamed A; Omer, Abeer K F

2005-01-01

Proper screening techniques should be used for all pregnant women attending antenatal clinics to pick up the factors that qualify the pregnant women for a risky pregnancy. High-risk pregnancy identification is a challenging work. This study aimed to describe the profile of high-risk pregnancy in El-Mansoura city. The study was conducted on 750 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in three hospitals in El-Mansoura city, where 250 women were chosen from each setting. A modified version of Morrison and Olsen (1979) high risk scoring inventory tool was used to collect the socioeconomic, biological, medical, reproductive and current pregnancy risk factors in the study sample. It also assessed the risk level whether low, moderate or high. The results revealed that among all women, 63.8% of the sample were at a high-risk, while 25.0 % of them were at a moderate-risk and only 11.2% were at low-risk. About 70.0% of the high-risk pregnant women were in their third trimester followed by 23.0% in the second trimester and only 7.1% were in the first trimester. About 5.9% of the women were at a high-risk because of polluted housing condition, 1.9% because of heart diseases Class capital I, Ukrainian or II, 5.2% because of diabetes mellitus, 4.2% because of hypertension and 14.9% because of previous cesarean section. On the other hand 14.8% women were at moderate risk because of their illiteracy, 29.2% of them for being short, 14.7%, 10.6% of them because of being teenagers or over 35 years of age, respectively, 12.6% of because they had a history of gestational diabetes and 32.8%of them because of anemia, 23.2% because urinary tract infection, 16.9% because of albuminuria, and 12.0% because of glucoseuria. Finally identifying the profile of high -risk pregnancy women is mandatory.

Establishing a Program for Individuals at High Risk for Breast Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Cadiz, Fernando; Kuerer, Henry M.; Puga, Julio; Camacho, Jamile; Cunill, Eduardo; Arun, Banu

2013-01-01

Our need to create a program for individuals at high risk for breast cancer development led us to research the available data on such programs. In this paper, we summarize our findings and our thinking process as we developed our own program. Breast cancer incidence is increasing worldwide. Even though there are known risk factors for breast cancer development, approximately 60% of patients with breast cancer have no known risk factor, although this situation will probably change with further research, especially in genetics. For patients with risk factors based on personal or family history, different models are available for assessing and quantifying risk. Assignment of risk levels permits tailored screening and risk reduction strategies. Potential benefits of specialized programs for women with high breast cancer risk include more cost -effective interventions as a result of patient stratification on the basis of risk; generation of valuable data to advance science; and differentiation of breast programs from other breast cancer units, which can result in increased revenue that can be directed to further improvements in patient care. Guidelines for care of patients at high risk for breast cancer are available from various groups. However, running a high-risk breast program involves much more than applying a guideline. Each high-risk program needs to be designed by its institution with consideration of local resources and country legislation, especially related to genetic issues. Development of a successful high-risk program includes identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; developing a promotion plan; choosing a risk assessment tool; defining “high risk”; and planning screening and risk reduction strategies for the specific population served by the program. The information in this article may be useful for other institutions considering creation of programs for patients with high breast cancer risk. PMID:23833688

Assessing Risk in Costing High-energy Accelerators: from Existing Projects to the Future Linear Collider

CERN Document Server

Lebrun, Philippe

2010-01-01

High-energy accelerators are large projects funded by public money, developed over the years and constructed via major industrial contracts both in advanced technology and in more conventional domains such as civil engineering and infrastructure, for which they often constitute one-of markets. Assessing their cost, as well as the risk and uncertainty associated with this assessment is therefore an essential part of project preparation and a justified requirement by the funding agencies. Stemming from the experience with large circular colliders at CERN, LEP and LHC, as well as with the Main Injector, the Tevatron Collider Experiments and Accelerator Upgrades, and the NOvA Experiment at Fermilab, we discuss sources of cost variance and derive cost risk assessment methods applicable to the future linear collider, through its two technical approaches for ILC and CLIC. We also address disparities in cost risk assessment imposed by regional differences in regulations, procedures and practices.

Drug response prediction in high-risk multiple myeloma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vangsted, A J; Helm-Petersen, S; Cowland, J B

2018-01-01

from high-risk patients by GEP70 at diagnosis from Total Therapy 2 and 3A to predict the response by the DRP score of drugs used in the treatment of myeloma patients. The DRP score stratified patients further. High-risk myeloma with a predicted sensitivity to melphalan by the DRP score had a prolonged...

[Study on ecological risk assessment technology of fluoride pollution from arid oasis soil].

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Su-Yin; Li, Ping; Wang, Sheng-Li; Nan, Zhong-Ren

2014-03-01

According to translocation regulation of fluoride in the typical oasis soil-plant system under field, an ecological risk assessment model of fluoride was established, and this model was used to assess ecological risk to fluoride pollution from suburban oasis soils in Baiyin City, which was specifically expressed with the potential ecological risk of bioavailability (ER(bc)) model to assess ecological risk of fluoride pollution in oasis regions. Results showed that the ecological risk indices of fluoride pollution from this region were 1.37-24.81, the level of risk at most sites was high to very high, the average ecological risk index was 11.28, belonged to very high risk. This indicated that in the suburb soil of Baiyin City needs to be concerned about the remediation of fluoride pollution.

Emerging Technologies for Environmental Remediation: Integrating Data and Judgment.

Science.gov (United States)

Bates, Matthew E; Grieger, Khara D; Trump, Benjamin D; Keisler, Jeffrey M; Plourde, Kenton J; Linkov, Igor

2016-01-05

Emerging technologies present significant challenges to researchers, decision-makers, industry professionals, and other stakeholder groups due to the lack of quantitative risk, benefit, and cost data associated with their use. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) can support early decisions for emerging technologies when data is too sparse or uncertain for traditional risk assessment. It does this by integrating expert judgment with available quantitative and qualitative inputs across multiple criteria to provide relative technology scores. Here, an MCDA framework provides preliminary insights on the suitability of emerging technologies for environmental remediation by comparing nanotechnology and synthetic biology to conventional remediation methods. Subject matter experts provided judgments regarding the importance of criteria used in the evaluations and scored the technologies with respect to those criteria. The results indicate that synthetic biology may be preferred over nanotechnology and conventional methods for high expected benefits and low deployment costs but that conventional technology may be preferred over emerging technologies for reduced risks and development costs. In the absence of field data regarding the risks, benefits, and costs of emerging technologies, structuring evidence-based expert judgment through a weighted hierarchy of topical questions may be helpful to inform preliminary risk governance and guide emerging technology development and policy.

Seroepidemiological Study of Brucellosis in High Risk Groups in Boyerahmad 1384

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AM Khosravani

2007-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that may have a major public health and economic impact in most countries. The disease appears as a Malt fever in humans and abortion in animals. This study was designed to determine the serologic titer of Brucella in high risk and non high risk people in Boyerahmad. Materials & Methods: A retrospective seroepidemiological study was performed on samples collected from 604 high risk and non high risk people using Rose Bengol test, tube standard test as a rapid test and 2 mercaptoethanol (2ME and comb's wright as a confirmatory test. The data collected were analyzed by X2 test via SPSS. Results: Seroprevalence of Brucellosis in high risk people appeared to be high in the Rose Bengal and tube standard test (TST 6.62 at titer ≥1/40 whereas for non high risk it was 0%. Confirmation test in high risk people was shown with 2ME in four people. Conclusion: Brucellosis is a major cause of disease in high risk people which can be due to direct or indirect contact with diary products of the related animals.

Monograph on safety in high power and high energy advanced technologies and medical applications of lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

This monograph is intended for creating awareness amongst the safety and health professionals of nuclear and radiation facilities on hazards involved in high power and high energy advanced technologies as well as on how development of advanced technologies can benefit the common people

Toward a sustainable biorefinery using high-gravity technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiros, Charilaos; Janssen, Matty; Bystrom, Roberth

2017-01-01

The realization of process solutions for a sustainable bioeconomy depends on the efficient processing of biomass. High-gravity technology is one important alternative to realizing such solutions. The aims of this work were to expand the knowledge-base on lignocellulosic bioconversion processes...... at high solids content, to advance the current technologies for production of second-generation liquid biofuels, to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed process by using life cycle assessment (LCA), and to develop and present a technically, economically, and environmentally sound process....... Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....

People at High Risk of Developing Flu-Related Complications

Science.gov (United States)

... Influenza Types Seasonal Avian Swine Variant Pandemic Other People at High Risk of Developing Flu–Related Complications ... related complications if they get sick with influenza. People at High Risk for Developing Flu-Related Complications ...

DEVELOPMENT OF RISK-BASED AND TECHNOLOGY-INDEPENDENT SAFETY CRITERIA FOR GENERATION IV SYSTEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

William E. Kastenberg; Edward Blandford; Lance Kim

2009-03-31

This project has developed quantitative safety goals for Generation IV (Gen IV) nuclear energy systems. These safety goals are risk based and technology independent. The foundations for a new approach to risk analysis has been developed, along with a new operational definition of risk. This project has furthered the current state-of-the-art by developing quantitative safety goals for both Gen IV reactors and for the overall Gen IV nuclear fuel cycle. The risk analysis approach developed will quantify performance measures, characterize uncertainty, and address a more comprehensive view of safety as it relates to the overall system. Appropriate safety criteria are necessary to manage risk in a prudent and cost-effective manner. This study is also important for government agencies responsible for managing, reviewing, and for approving advanced reactor systems because they are charged with assuring the health and safety of the public.

DEVELOPMENT OF RISK-BASED AND TECHNOLOGY-INDEPENDENT SAFETY CRITERIA FOR GENERATION IV SYSTEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kastenberg, William E.; Blandford, Edward; Kim, Lance

2009-01-01

This project has developed quantitative safety goals for Generation IV (Gen IV) nuclear energy systems. These safety goals are risk based and technology independent. The foundations for a new approach to risk analysis has been developed, along with a new operational definition of risk. This project has furthered the current state-of-the-art by developing quantitative safety goals for both Gen IV reactors and for the overall Gen IV nuclear fuel cycle. The risk analysis approach developed will quantify performance measures, characterize uncertainty, and address a more comprehensive view of safety as it relates to the overall system. Appropriate safety criteria are necessary to manage risk in a prudent and cost-effective manner. This study is also important for government agencies responsible for managing, reviewing, and for approving advanced reactor systems because they are charged with assuring the health and safety of the public

Diagnostic accuracy of high-definition CT coronary angiography in high-risk patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iyengar, S.S.; Morgan-Hughes, G.; Ukoumunne, O.; Clayton, B.; Davies, E.J.; Nikolaou, V.; Hyde, C.J.; Shore, A.C.; Roobottom, C.A.

2016-01-01

Aim: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) using a combination of high-definition CT (HD-CTCA) and high level of reader experience, with invasive coronary angiography (ICA) as the reference standard, in high-risk patients for the investigation of coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and methods: Three hundred high-risk patients underwent HD-CTCA and ICA. Independent experts evaluated the images for the presence of significant CAD, defined primarily as the presence of moderate (≥50%) stenosis and secondarily as the presence of severe (≥70%) stenosis in at least one coronary segment, in a blinded fashion. HD-CTCA was compared to ICA as the reference standard. Results: No patients were excluded. Two hundred and six patients (69%) had moderate and 178 (59%) had severe stenosis in at least one vessel at ICA. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 97.1%, 97.9%, 99% and 93.9% for moderate stenosis, and 98.9%, 93.4%, 95.7% and 98.3%, for severe stenosis, on a per-patient basis. Conclusion: The combination of HD-CTCA and experienced readers applied to a high-risk population, results in high diagnostic accuracy comparable to ICA. Modern generation CT systems in experienced hands might be considered for an expanded role. - Highlights: • Diagnostic accuracy of High-Definition CT Angiography (HD-CTCA) has been assessed. • Invasive Coronary angiography (ICA) is the reference standard. • Diagnostic accuracy of HD-CTCA is comparable to ICA. • Diagnostic accuracy is not affected by coronary calcium or stents. • HD-CTCA provides a non-invasive alternative in high-risk patients.

Survey on the Technology Readiness Level of R and D projects for a Technical Risk Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, S. J.; Chang, J.; Lee, K. Y.

2008-01-01

The purpose of applying the Technology Readiness Level/Design Readiness Level (TRL/DRL) in technical risk management is to make technology assessments, and improve communication among researchers with a consistent, systematic technology readiness Technical risk management for the Nuclear Hydrogen Production project was adopted of experience assessed with Delphi Method from the Next Generation Nuclear Plant(NGNP)of the DOE to improve the poor contactor management of the major projects which experienced cost increases and/or schedule delays in long-term. In the current phase that is doing key technology research and development projects, the technology readiness level was reviewed and applied to the Nuclear Hydrogen Production project to prepare an input for the next design phases. Based on the previous works, pre-conceptional design and key R and D works for the Nuclear Hydrogen Design and Development(NHDD) projects and the results of key research and development projects, the TRL was applied to assess the levels and compared with the advanced design stages of Westinghouse Electric Co. With this process, several issues were identified to apply the design and technology level to the familiar steps of design process and research and development projects. In order to resolve these issues, it is needed to systematically adjust and modify the current process with TRLs

Strategy Planning of Technology Development for High Speed Railways : Electrical Parts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Y. J.; Kim, K. H.; Rim, G. H.; Ha, H. D.; Park, K. Y.; Lee, J. D.; Kang, D. H. [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (Korea, Republic of)

1996-11-01

At the beginning of 1996, Government has set up the Technology Development Program for High Speed Railways as a national project. Accordingly, the detailed action planning has been established with the collaboration works between Ministry of Construction and Transport and Ministry of Commerce and Trade. On the other hand, the current technology status of domestic manufacturer and many related organizations in Korea only reveals the lack of capabilities in producing the high speed trains. Without the technology transfer programs from the advanced foreign manufacturer (GEC-Alsthom), the domestic manufacturers could not produce HSR. Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute has steered the study to integrate the domestic engineering and technology units specialized in the diversified areas by formulating the feasible collaboration structure between KERI and many organizations on the technology basis. The long term action planning both with the strategic guide and on the technology basis shall be the key function to upgrade the current technology status feasibly for development of the advanced high speed train of 350 km/h. (author). refs., figs., tabs.

The clinical profile of high-risk mentally disordered offenders.

Science.gov (United States)

Yiend, Jenny; Freestone, Mark; Vazquez-Montes, Maria; Holland, Josephine; Burns, Tom

2013-07-01

High-risk mentally disordered offenders present a diverse array of clinical characteristics. To contain and effectively treat this heterogeneous population requires a full understanding of the group's clinical profile. This study aimed to identify and validate clusters of clinically coherent profiles within one high-risk mentally disordered population in the UK. Latent class analysis (a statistical technique to identify clustering of variance from a set of categorical variables) was applied to 174 cases using clinical diagnostic information to identify the most parsimonious model of best fit. Validity analyses were performed. Three identified classes were a 'delinquent' group (n = 119) characterised by poor educational history, strong criminal careers and high recidivism risk; a 'primary psychopathy' group (n = 38) characterised by good educational profiles and homicide offences and an 'expressive psychopathy' group (n = 17) presenting the lowest risk and characterised by more special educational needs and sexual offences. Individuals classed as high-risk mentally disordered offenders can be loosely segregated into three discrete subtypes: 'delinquent', 'psychopathic' or 'expressive psychopathic', respectively. These groups represent different levels of risk to society and reflect differing treatment needs.

Carotid Stenting in Patients With High Risk Versus Standard Risk for Open Carotid Endarterectomy (REAL-1 Trial).

Science.gov (United States)

De Haro, Joaquin; Michel, Ignacio; Bleda, Silvia; Cañibano, Cristina; Acin, Francisco

2017-07-15

Carotid stenting (CAS) has been mainly offered to those patients considered at "high risk" for open carotid endarterectomy based on available data from large randomized clinical trials. However, several recent studies have called medical "high risk" into question for CAS indication. The REAL-1 trial evaluated the safety and perioperative and long-term effectiveness in patients with significant carotid artery stenosis with "high-risk" criteria treated with CAS and proximal protection device (MOMA) compared with those with standard surgical-risk features. This nonrandomized double-arm registry included 125 patients (40% symptomatic), 71 (56%) with "standard-risk" and 54 (44%) with "high-risk" criteria. The primary end point was the cumulative incidence of any major adverse event, a composite of stroke, myocardial infarction, and death within 30 days after the intervention or ipsilateral stroke after 30 days and up to 4 years. There was no significant difference in primary end point rate at 30 days between patients at "standard risk" and those with "high risk" (1.4% vs 1.9% respectively; hazard ratio for "standard risk" 1.1; 95% CI 0.8 to 1.2, p = 0.77) nor estimated 4-year rate of ipsilateral stroke (1.3% vs 1.8%; hazard ratio for "standard risk" 1.05, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.14, p = 0.9). In conclusion, 4-year postprocedure results demonstrated that CAS with proximal device (MOMA) is safe and effective for patients with and without "high-risk" for carotid endarterectomy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental risks and environmental justice, or how titanic risks are not so titanic after all.

Science.gov (United States)

Alario, Margarita V; Freudenburg, William R

2010-01-01

Some of the best-known social scientific theories of risks are those that have been elaborated by Anthony Giddens and Ulrich Beck. Although their arguments differ greatly, they agree in seeing the technologically induced risks of today's "Risk Society" as global - so pervasive that they transcend all socioeconomic as well as geopolitical and national boundaries. Most empirical work, however, provides greater support for a theoretical tradition exemplified by Short and Erikson. In this paper, we argue that many of the technological mega-risks described by Giddens and Beck as "transcending" social boundaries are better described as "Titanic risks," referring not so much to their colossal impact as to the fact that - as was the case for the majority of the victims on the Titanic - actual risks are related to victims' socioeconomic as well as sociogeographic locations. Previous research has shown this to be the case with high-risk technologies, such as nuclear energy and weaponry, and also with localized ones, such as toxic waste disposal. This article illustrates that the same is true even for the most genuinely "global" risks of all, namely those associated with global climate disruption.

Predicting reattendance at a high-risk breast cancer clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Ormseth, Sarah R; Wellisch, David K; Aréchiga, Adam E; Draper, Taylor L

2015-10-01

The research about follow-up patterns of women attending high-risk breast-cancer clinics is sparse. This study sought to profile daughters of breast-cancer patients who are likely to return versus those unlikely to return for follow-up care in a high-risk clinic. Our investigation included 131 patients attending the UCLA Revlon Breast Center High Risk Clinic. Predictor variables included age, computed breast-cancer risk, participants' perceived personal risk, clinically significant depressive symptomatology (CES-D score ≥ 16), current level of anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and survival status of participants' mothers (survived or passed away from breast cancer). A greater likelihood of reattendance was associated with older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.07, p = 0.004), computed breast-cancer risk (AOR = 1.10, p = 0.017), absence of depressive symptomatology (AOR = 0.25, p = 0.009), past psychiatric diagnosis (AOR = 3.14, p = 0.029), and maternal loss to breast cancer (AOR = 2.59, p = 0.034). Also, an interaction was found between mother's survival and perceived risk (p = 0.019), such that reattendance was associated with higher perceived risk among participants whose mothers survived (AOR = 1.04, p = 0.002), but not those whose mothers died (AOR = 0.99, p = 0.685). Furthermore, a nonlinear inverted "U" relationship was observed between state anxiety and reattendance (p = 0.037); participants with moderate anxiety were more likely to reattend than those with low or high anxiety levels. Demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors were found to be independently associated with reattendance to a high-risk breast-cancer clinic. Explication of the profiles of women who may or may not reattend may serve to inform the development and implementation of interventions to increase the likelihood of follow-up care.

Innovative technology summary report: High-speed clamshell pipe cutter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-09-01

The Hanford Site C Reactor Technology Demonstration Group demonstrated the High-Speed Clamshell Pipe Cutter technology, developed and marketed by Tri Tool Inc. (Rancho Cordova, California). The models demonstrated are portable, split-frame pipe lathes that require minimal radial and axial clearances for severing and/or beveling in-line pipe with ranges of 25 cm to 41 cm and 46 cm to 61 cm nominal diameter. The radial clearance requirement from the walls, floors, or adjacent pipes is 18 cm. The lathes were supplied with carbide insert conversion kits for the cutting bits for the high-speed technique that was demonstrated. Given site-specific factors, this demonstration showed the cost of the improved technology to be approximately 30% higher than the traditional (baseline) technology (oxyacetylene torch) cost of $14,400 for 10 cuts of contaminated 41-cm and 61-cm-diameter pipe at C Reactor. Actual cutting times were faster than the baseline technology; however, moving/staging the equipment took longer. Unlike the baseline torch, clamshell lathes do not involve applied heat, flames, or smoke and can be operated remotely, thereby helping personal exposures to be as low as reasonably achievable. The baseline technology was demonstrated at the C Reactor north and south water pipe tunnels August 19--22, 1997. The improved technology was demonstrated in the gas pipe tunnel December 15--19

High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office: a mission overview

Science.gov (United States)

Seeley, Don D.; Slater, John M.

2004-10-01

The High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office (HEL-JTO) was established in 2000 for the purpose of developing and executing a comprehensive investment strategy for HEL science and technology that would underpin weapons development. The JTO is currently sponsoring 80 programs across industry, academia, and government agencies with a budget of approximately $60 million. The competitively awarded programs are chosen to advance the current state of the art in HEL technology and fill technology gaps, thus providing a broad capability that can be harvested in acquisition programs by the military services.

Relationship between Background Parenchymal Enhancement on High-risk Screening MRI and Future Breast Cancer Risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimm, Lars J; Saha, Ashirbani; Ghate, Sujata V; Kim, Connie; Soo, Mary Scott; Yoon, Sora C; Mazurowski, Maciej A

2018-03-27

To determine if background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) on screening breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in high-risk women correlates with future cancer. All screening breast MRIs (n = 1039) in high-risk women at our institution from August 1, 2004, to July 30, 2013, were identified. Sixty-one patients who subsequently developed breast cancer were matched 1:2 by age and high-risk indication with patients who did not develop breast cancer (n = 122). Five fellowship-trained breast radiologists independently recorded the BPE. The median reader BPE for each case was calculated and compared between the cancer and control cohorts. Cancer cohort patients were high-risk because of a history of radiation therapy (10%, 6 of 61), high-risk lesion (18%, 11 of 61), or breast cancer (30%, 18 of 61); BRCA mutation (18%, 11 of 61); or family history (25%, 15 of 61). Subsequent malignancies were invasive ductal carcinoma (64%, 39 of 61), ductal carcinoma in situ (30%, 18 of 61) and invasive lobular carcinoma (7%, 4of 61). BPE was significantly higher in the cancer cohort than in the control cohort (P = 0.01). Women with mild, moderate, or marked BPE were 2.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than women with minimal BPE (odds ratio = 2.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.3-4.8, P = .005). There was fair interreader agreement (κ = 0.39). High-risk women with greater than minimal BPE at screening MRI have increased risk of future breast cancer. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative evaluation by lifecycle and risk assessment of agrobiological and technological routes of production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moll, H.C.; Schoot Uiterkamp, A.J.M.

The application of lifecycle and risk assessment methodologies for environmental assessment of agricultural products is growing and produces interesting results. This allows comparisons between agricultural and technological routes of production. An evaluation of such assessments provides increased

Genetic Alterations and Their Clinical Implications in High-Recurrence Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Min-Young; Ku, Bo Mi; Kim, Hae Su; Lee, Ji Yun; Lim, Sung Hee; Sun, Jong-Mu; Lee, Se-Hoon; Park, Keunchil; Oh, Young Lyun; Hong, Mineui; Jeong, Han-Sin; Son, Young-Ik; Baek, Chung-Hwan; Ahn, Myung-Ju

2017-10-01

Papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) frequently involve genetic alterations. The objective of this study was to investigate genetic alterations and further explore the relationships between these genetic alterations and clinicopathological characteristics in a high-recurrence risk (node positive, N1) PTC group. Tumor tissue blocks were obtained from 240 surgically resected patients with histologically confirmed stage III/IV (pT3/4 or N1) PTCs. We screened gene fusions using NanoString's nCounter technology and mutational analysis was performed by direct DNA sequencing. Data describing the clinicopathological characteristics and clinical courses were retrospectively collected. Of the 240 PTC patients, 207 (86.3%) had at least one genetic alteration, including BRAF mutation in 190 patients (79.2%), PIK3CA mutation in 25 patients (10.4%), NTRK1/3 fusion in six patients (2.5%), and RET fusion in 24 patients (10.0%). Concomitant presence of more than two genetic alterations was seen in 36 patients (15%). PTCs harboring BRAF mutation were associated with RET wild-type expression (p=0.001). RET fusion genes have been found to occur with significantly higher frequency in N1b stage patients (p=0.003) or groups of patients aged 45 years or older (p=0.031); however, no significant correlation was found between other genetic alterations. There was no trend toward favorable recurrence-free survival or overall survival among patients lacking genetic alterations. In the selected high-recurrence risk PTC group, most patients had more than one genetic alteration. However, these known alterations could not entirely account for clinicopathological features of high-recurrence risk PTC.

High power density superconducting rotating machines—development status and technology roadmap

Science.gov (United States)

Haran, Kiruba S.; Kalsi, Swarn; Arndt, Tabea; Karmaker, Haran; Badcock, Rod; Buckley, Bob; Haugan, Timothy; Izumi, Mitsuru; Loder, David; Bray, James W.; Masson, Philippe; Stautner, Ernst Wolfgang

2017-12-01

Superconducting technology applications in electric machines have long been pursued due to their significant advantages of higher efficiency and power density over conventional technology. However, in spite of many successful technology demonstrations, commercial adoption has been slow, presumably because the threshold for value versus cost and technology risk has not yet been crossed. One likely path for disruptive superconducting technology in commercial products could be in applications where its advantages become key enablers for systems which are not practical with conventional technology. To help systems engineers assess the viability of such future solutions, we present a technology roadmap for superconducting machines. The timeline considered was ten years to attain a Technology Readiness Level of 6+, with systems demonstrated in a relevant environment. Future projections, by definition, are based on the judgment of specialists, and can be subjective. Attempts have been made to obtain input from a broad set of organizations for an inclusive opinion. This document was generated through a series of teleconferences and in-person meetings, including meetings at the 2015 IEEE PES General meeting in Denver, CO, the 2015 ECCE in Montreal, Canada, and a final workshop in April 2016 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign that brought together a broad group of technical experts spanning the industry, government and academia.