Preface (to: Advances in Computer Entertainment)

OpenAIRE

Romão, Teresa; Nijholt, Antinus; Romão, Teresa; Reidsma, Dennis

2012-01-01

These are the proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment ACE 2012). ACE has become the leading scientific forum for dissemination of cutting-edge research results in the area of entertainment computing. Interactive entertainment is one of the most vibrant areas of interest in modern society and is amongst the fastest growing industries in the world. ACE 2012 will bring together leading researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to prese...

Visiting entertainment venues and sexual health in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Wu, Zunyou; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Guan, Jihui; Yin, Yueping; Detels, Roger; Wu, Sheng; Lee, Sung-Jae; Cao, Haijun; Lin, Chunqing; Rou, Keming; Liu, Zhendong

2009-10-01

Entertainment venues in China are associated with risky sexual behavior. Most previous studies related to entertainment venues in China have focused on sex workers and commercial sex, but this study addressed sexual health in a sample of the general urban population. A randomly selected sample of market vendors (n = 4,510) from an eastern city was recruited and assessed to examine relationships between entertainment venue visits and sexual risk. Both behavioral (self-reports of unprotected sex) and biomedical (STD test results) measures were used. About 18% of the sample (26.8% of men and 9% of women) reported visiting entertainment venues in the past 30 days. Those who visited entertainment venues were more likely to be male, younger, single, with higher education, and to have more discretionary income. For both men and women, visiting entertainment venues was a significant predictor for unprotected sex and STD infection. Gender differences were observed in predicting unprotected sex and STD infections. Entertainment venues could be potential sites for place-based intervention programs and outreach for the general population.

Entertainment computing, social transformation and the quantum field

OpenAIRE

Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Nijholt, A.; Reidsma, D.; Hondorp, H.

2009-01-01

Entertainment computing is on its way getting an established academic discipline. The scope of entertainment computing is quite broad (see the scope of the international journal Entertainment Computing). One unifying idea in this diverse community of entertainment researchers and developers might be a normative position to enhance human living through social transformation. One possible option in this direction is a shared `conscious' field. Several ideas about a new kind of field based on qu...

Entertainment, Dance and Northern Mohawk Showmanship.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanchard, David

1983-01-01

Examines the nature and history of the Kahnawake Mohawk settlement's participation in the entertainment industry, including some of the Iroquoian roots of ritual parody that contributed to Mohawk performance. Notes some of the effects of entertainment on the settlement's traditional culture. (SB)

Biosignal controlled recommendation in entertainment systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, H.

2010-01-01

With the explosive growth of the entertainment contents and the ubiquitous access of them via fixed or mobile computing devices, recommendation systems become essential tools to help the user to find the right entertainment at the right time and location. I envision that by integrating the bio

11 CFR 7.20 - Gifts, entertainment, and favors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 11 Federal Elections 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Gifts, entertainment, and favors. 7.20 Section... of Special Commission Employees § 7.20 Gifts, entertainment, and favors. Except as provided at 11 CFR... a gift, gratuity, loan, entertainment, or favor for himself or herself, or for another person...

Digital Entertainment: Zukunftstrends der Computer-Entertainment-Industrie

OpenAIRE

Janson, A.

2002-01-01

Die Computer Entertainment Industrie existiert seit den frühen siebziger Jahren und ist seitdem einem stetigen Wachstums- und Veränderungsprozess unterzogen. Mittlerweile weist die Branche nach aktuellen Schätzungen weltweit einen jährlichen Umsatz von 18 bis 25 Milliarden US Dollar auf und ist in Hinblick auf Entwicklungskosten, Nutzerzahlen und Renditen durchaus mit der internationalen Filmindustrie vergleichbar. Die Entwicklung von Hardwaretechnologien (Grafikkarten, innovative Eingabegerä...

Elevation in response to entertainment portrayals of moral virtue

OpenAIRE

Oliver, M. B.; Hartmann, T.; Woolley, J.

2012-01-01

Media psychologists have long puzzled over how individuals can experience enjoyment from entertainment such as tragedies that often elicit profound feelings of sadness. The present research examines the idea that a focus on "meaningful" entertainment and affective responses identified as "elevation" may provide a framework for understanding many examples of sad or dramatic entertainment. The results of this study suggest that many types of meaningful cinematic entertainment feature portrayals...

New initiative links scientists and entertainers

Science.gov (United States)

Gwynne, Peter

2009-01-01

The US National Academy of Sciences has teamed up with Hollywood to improve the quality of science portrayed in films, TV shows and video games. The new Science and Entertainment Exchange (SEE) aims to create better links between entertainment-industry professionals and scientists to improve the credibility of programming related to science.

48 CFR 31.205-14 - Entertainment costs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Entertainment costs. 31... CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS CONTRACT COST PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES Contracts With Commercial Organizations 31.205-14 Entertainment costs. Costs of amusement, diversions, social activities, and any directly...

An Education in Entertainment – Possible Trends in Southeast Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benny Lim

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The term Entertainment Industry has been used interchangeably with the term Creative Industries and also has been suggested to be part of the creative industries. The creative industries seeks to provide commercially viable artistic and creative products, known as intellectual property, and in the process of such provision, contributes to the nation’s creative economy. From an education perspective in Southeast Asia, two observations can be made. Firstly, the focus of education in relation to the entertainment industry has always been technical. Secondly, the introduction of the concepts of the creative industries in Southeast Asia has spurred new trends in the education of the entertainment industry. Outside of Southeast Asia, there have been a growing number of academic programs in the field of Entertainment. From within Southeast Asia, Malaysia has taken the lead to introduce two new trends in the entertainment education – entertainment management and entertainment arts.

Enjoyment and entertainment in east and west

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.

2004-01-01

From a users perspective entertainment is based on enjoyment in using these products or services. How and which cultural differences between eastern and western cultures are influencing enjoyment and the design of entertainment technology is described in this paper. In particular the underlying

Handbook of digital games and entertainment technologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nakatsu, R.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Ciancarini, P.

2017-01-01

The topics treated in this handbook cover all areas of games and entertainment technologies, such as digital entertainment; technology, design/art, and sociology. The handbook consists of contributions from top class scholars and researchers from the interdisciplinary topic areas. The aim of this

Centre for Workers’ Management end line report - MFS II country evaluations, Civil Society component

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klaver, D.C.; Wadhwa, S.; Pandey, R.; Madaan, A.; Prasad Mohapatra, B.

2015-01-01

This report describes the findings of the end line assessment of the Centre for Workers’ Management (CWM) in India, which is a partner of Hivos. It assesses CWM’s contribution towards strengthening Civil Society in India whilst using the CIVICUS analytical framework. It is a follow-up of a baseline

Sensors for Entertainment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Lamberti

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Sensors are becoming ubiquitous in all areas of science, technology, and society. In this Special Issue on “Sensors for Entertainment”, developments in progress and the current state of application scenarios for sensors in the field of entertainment is explored.

Visiting Entertainment Venues and Sexual Health in China

OpenAIRE

Li, Li; Wu, Zunyou; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Guan, Jihui; Yin, Yueping; Detels, Roger; Wu, Sheng; Lee, Sung-Jae; Cao, Haijun; Lin, Chunqing; Rou, Keming; Liu, Zhendong

2008-01-01

Entertainment venues in China are associated with risky sexual behavior. Most previous studies related to entertainment venues in China have focused on sex workers and commercial sex, but this study addressed sexual health in a sample of the general urban population. A randomly selected sample of market vendors (n = 4,510) from an eastern city was recruited and assessed to examine relationships between entertainment venue visits and sexual risk. Both behavioral (self-reports of unprotected se...

Special issue on advances in computer entertainment: editorial

OpenAIRE

Romão, T.; Romão, Teresa; Nijholt, Antinus; Cheok, J.D.; Cheok, Adrian David

2015-01-01

This special issue of the International Journal of Arts and Technology comprises a selection of papers from ACE 2012, the 9th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment (Nijholt et al., 2012). ACE is the leading scientific forum for dissemination of cutting-edge research results in the area of entertainment computing. The main goal of ACE is to stimulate discussion in the development of new and compelling entertainment computing and interactive art concepts and application...

Brain-computer interface controlled gaming: evaluation of usability by severely motor restricted end-users.

Science.gov (United States)

Holz, Elisa Mira; Höhne, Johannes; Staiger-Sälzer, Pit; Tangermann, Michael; Kübler, Andrea

2013-10-01

Connect-Four, a new sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) based brain-computer interface (BCI) gaming application, was evaluated by four severely motor restricted end-users; two were in the locked-in state and had unreliable eye-movement. Following the user-centred approach, usability of the BCI prototype was evaluated in terms of effectiveness (accuracy), efficiency (information transfer rate (ITR) and subjective workload) and users' satisfaction. Online performance varied strongly across users and sessions (median accuracy (%) of end-users: A=.65; B=.60; C=.47; D=.77). Our results thus yielded low to medium effectiveness in three end-users and high effectiveness in one end-user. Consequently, ITR was low (0.05-1.44bits/min). Only two end-users were able to play the game in free-mode. Total workload was moderate but varied strongly across sessions. Main sources of workload were mental and temporal demand. Furthermore, frustration contributed to the subjective workload of two end-users. Nevertheless, most end-users accepted the BCI application well and rated satisfaction medium to high. Sources for dissatisfaction were (1) electrode gel and cap, (2) low effectiveness, (3) time-consuming adjustment and (4) not easy-to-use BCI equipment. All four end-users indicated ease of use as being one of the most important aspect of BCI. Effectiveness and efficiency are lower as compared to applications using the event-related potential as input channel. Nevertheless, the SMR-BCI application was satisfactorily accepted by the end-users and two of four could imagine using the BCI application in their daily life. Thus, despite moderate effectiveness and efficiency BCIs might be an option when controlling an application for entertainment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The problematic internet entertainment use scale for adolescents: prevalence of problem internet use in Spanish high school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez-Fernandez, Olatz; Freixa-Blanxart, Montserrat; Honrubia-Serrano, Maria Luisa

2013-02-01

Many researchers and professionals have reported nonsubstance addiction to online entertainments in adolescents. However, very few scales have been designed to assess problem Internet use in this population, in spite of their high exposure and obvious vulnerability. The aim of this study was to review the currently available scales for assessing problematic Internet use and to validate a new scale of this kind for use, specifically in this age group, the Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adolescents. The research was carried out in Spain in a gender-balanced sample of 1131 high school students aged between 12 and 18 years. Psychometric analyses showed the scale to be unidimensional, with excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.92), good construct validity, and positive associations with alternative measures of maladaptive Internet use. This self-administered scale can rapidly measure the presence of symptoms of behavioral addiction to online videogames and social networking sites, as well as their degree of severity. The results estimate the prevalence of this problematic behavior in Spanish adolescents to be around 5 percent.

Pro-socially shareable entertainment television programmes: a programming alternative in developing countries?

Science.gov (United States)

Singhal, A; Svenkerud, P J

1994-12-01

Over the period 1975-82, the Mexican television network created and aired seven entertainment soap operas promoting educational-development themes like adult literacy, smaller family size norms, and an higher social status for women. These emissions earned high ratings in Mexico and in other Latin American countries where they were subsequently broadcast. Evidence suggests that many of the social objectives of the soaps were met. In light of such success, the authors investigated the potential of pro-socially shareable entertainment television programs in developing countries. These programs use entertaining media formats to carry pro-social messages to a wide, yet culturally-proximate audience group. Entertainment television genres such as melodramatic soap operas offer certain advantages for carrying pro-socially shareable messages to audiences. The possibility of using other television genres and media channels, however, also needs to be seriously considered. Pro-socially shareable entertainment programs do have their limitations and problems, with a certain degree of message dilution invariably accompanying the quest for shareability. Targeting specific problems in specific audience groups is difficult and the identity of a relatively small homogeneous group can be threatened in a larger culturally proximate group. The value-laden nature of pro-social content can also be problematic.

Beyond Pleasure: Exploring the Eudaimonic Entertainment Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, Werner; Hofer, Matthias; Schramm, Holger

2012-01-01

We examine the notion of eudaimonic entertainment during exposure to a sad but meaningful movie, using a new measure consisting of 5 dimensions derived from research on positive psychology. We, thereby, transfer the conception of eudaimonic well-being to the conception of entertainment. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis show that the 5…

Electricity for the entertainment electrician & technician

CERN Document Server

Cadena, Richard

2012-01-01

Basic Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician will reinforce the fundamentals of electricity, power distribution, safety, and show you the latest technology on things like:* IGBTs* sine-wave dimming* all of the latest software applications (list to come)In the ever-changing entertainment technology field, this book will give you enough information to prepare you for a future in the industry or reinforce the practical experience you have already gained. If you understand the principles in this book, you will

Positive effects of entertainment technology on human behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Jacquart, R.

2004-01-01

From a users' perspective entertainment is based on enjoyment in using these products or services. How and which cultural differences between eastern and western cultures are influencing enjoyment and the design of entertainment technology is described in this paper. In particular the underlying

Listening, watching, and reading: the structure and correlates of entertainment preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Rentfrow, Peter J; Goldberg, Lewis R; Zilca, Ran

2011-04-01

People spend considerable amounts of time and money listening to music, watching TV and movies, and reading books and magazines, yet almost no attention in psychology has been devoted to understanding individual differences in preferences for such entertainment. The present research was designed to examine the structure and correlates of entertainment genre preferences. Analyses of the genre preferences of more than 3,000 individuals revealed a remarkably clear factor structure. Using multiple samples, methods, and geographic regions, data converged to reveal five entertainment-preference dimensions: Communal, Aesthetic, Dark, Thrilling, and Cerebral. Preferences for these entertainment dimensions were uniquely related to demographics and personality traits. Results also indicated that personality accounted for significant proportions of variance in entertainment preferences over and above demographics. The results provide a foundation for developing and testing hypotheses about the psychology of entertainment preferences. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Entertainment computing : inaugural editorial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nakatsu, R.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.

2009-01-01

Entertainment computing is on its way getting an established research arena in industry and academia as well. To bring all the different contributing research communities together shared resources (e.g. email distribution list, conference series, and journals), organizational structures (e.g.

Elevation in response to entertainment portrayals of moral virtue

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oliver, M. B.; Hartmann, T.; Woolley, J.

2012-01-01

Media psychologists have long puzzled over how individuals can experience enjoyment from entertainment such as tragedies that often elicit profound feelings of sadness. The present research examines the idea that a focus on "meaningful" entertainment and affective responses identified as "elevation"

Organizing a Campus Seminar on Careers in Entertainment.

Science.gov (United States)

Walt Disney Productions, Anaheim, CA.

Developed by Walt Disney Productions as part of a project granted by the Career Education Program of the Office of Education, this handbook is designed to help college and university fine arts departments in planning and carrying out an on-campus seminar on careers in entertainment. Sections include Why Hold a Seminar on Careers in Entertainment?,…

77 FR 50204 - Star Entertainment Group, Inc., Order of Suspension of Trading

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-20

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500-1] Star Entertainment Group, Inc., Order of... lack of current and accurate information concerning the securities of Star Entertainment Group, Inc. (``Star Entertainment'') because of questions regarding the accuracy of the company's financial statements...

Handbook of digital games and entertainment technologies

CERN Document Server

Rauterberg, Matthias; Ciancarini, Paolo

2017-01-01

The topics treated in this handbook cover all areas of games and entertainment technologies, such as digital entertainment; technology, design/art, and sociology. The handbook consists of contributions from top class scholars and researchers from the interdisciplinary topic areas.  The aim of this handbook is to serving as a key reference work in the field and provides readers with a holistic picture of this interdisciplinary field covering technical issues, aesthetic/design issues, and sociological issues. At present, there is no reference work in the field that provides such a broad and complete picture of the field. Engineers and researchers who want to learn about this emerging area will be able to find adequate answers regarding technology issues on digital entertainment. Designers and artists can learn how their skills and expertise can contribute to this emerging area. Also researchers working in the field of sociology and psychology will find how their experience and knowledge are connected to other ...

Trading as Entertainment?

OpenAIRE

Daniel Dorn; Paul Sengmueller

2009-01-01

Among 1,000 German brokerage clients for whom both survey responses and actual trading records are available, investors who report enjoying investing or gambling turn over their portfolio at twice the rate of their peers. Including entertainment attributes as additional explanatory variables in cross-sectional regressions of portfolio turnover on objective investor attributes more than doubles the fraction of the total variation of portfolio turnover that can be explained. The results are rob...

Fenomena ‘Entertainment Architecture’ di Indonesia dan Perkembangan dalam Arsitektur

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Endah Nuffida

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Fenomena ‘entertainment architecture’ berkembang pada paruh akhir abad 20 di dunia yang ditandai dengan kehadiran karya-karya arsitektur yang dibangun dengan tujuan utama sebagai hiburan yang atraktif bagi penggunanya. Kajian ini merupakan upaya untuk menganalisis munculnya fenomena ‘entertainment architecture’ sebagai sebuah tipe dalam karya arsitektur, khususnya di Indonesia. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian kualitatif dengan paradigma naturalistik Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dan menemukan pengertian ‘entertainment architecture’, berbagai karakteristik tertentu dalam bentuk rupa dan wujud arsitekturalnya dan bagaimana karakteristik tersebut dapat dibaca sebagai sebuah tipe dalam perkembangan arsitektur. Hasil kajian memberikan kesimpulan bahwa fenomena ‘entertainment architecture’ di Indonesia dapat dibaca sebagai perkembangan gagasan baru dalam paras berpikir dan membuat arsitektur melalui bahasa bangunan yang tertampilkan melalui sosok, tampang dan wujudnya yang berbeda dengan bahasa bangunan yang telah ada sebelumnya.

Use of Sexuality-Focused Entertainment Media in Sex Education

Science.gov (United States)

Neustifter, Ruth; Blumer, Markie L. C.; O'Reilly, Jessica; Ramirez, Francisco

2015-01-01

The literature on the impact of entertainment media on sex education is typically pathology-focused, unclear regarding the effects of such usage, and void of dialogue between those who actually work in the areas of sexuality education and entertainment. To address this gap, this paper is the product of joint authorship between media figures from…

MANAGING HIGH-END, HIGH-VOLUME INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gembong Baskoro

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discuses the concept of managing high-end, high-volume innovative products. High-end, high-volume consumer products are products that have considerable influence to the way of life. Characteristic of High-end, high-volume consumer products are (1 short cycle time, (2 quick obsolete time, and (3 rapid price erosion. Beside the disadvantages that they are high risk for manufacturers, if manufacturers are able to understand precisely the consumer needs then they have the potential benefit or success to be the market leader. High innovation implies to high utilization of the user, therefore these products can influence indirectly to the way of people life. The objective of managing them is to achieve sustainability of the products development and innovation. This paper observes the behavior of these products in companies operated in high-end, high-volume consumer product.

77 FR 45480 - Deductions for Entertainment Use of Business Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

... Deductions for Entertainment Use of Business Aircraft AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury... business aircraft for entertainment. These final regulations affect taxpayers that deduct expenses for... section 274 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) of deductions for the use of business aircraft for...

Embedding gesture recognition into airplane seats for in-flight entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Westelaken, H.F.M.; Hu, J.; Liu, H.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.

2011-01-01

In order to reduce both psychological and physical stress in air travel, sensors are integrated into airplane seats to detect gestures as input for in-flight entertainment systems. The content provided by the entertainment systems helps to reduce psychological stress, and gesture recognition is used

Entertainment in View of Politicians in Ancient Greece and Rome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valdas Pruskus

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The article discloses the cultural and social conditions of the entertainment phenomenon in Ancient Greece and Rome and the attitude of the authorities to it. The appearance of entertainment is closely related to the worship of cult of Gods. It is shown that the Romans being more materialistic and pragmatic paid less attention to spiritual entertainment than Greeks who fostered dramatic performances. Greek rulers and noblemen saw relaxational and educational function of the entertainment and also considered it as reducing tension and promoting solidarity. However, they did not intrude into its practical organization and had only a monitoring position, whereas the Romans were more interested in daily life and its bodily pleasures. Accordingly in recreational activities – games there dominated the spirit of competition, especially the gladiators games, which were bloody and cruel, but heated passions of spectators whose majority was comprised of plebs. There is shown that the authorities considered the entertainment as an effective tool to reach political aims, especially for gaining the support of commons in various elections, so they financed gladiators’ performances generously.This tradition is still topical in the flow of years. These days it has become the constituent part of the political marketing.

War Isn’t Hell, It’s Entertainment: 

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubart, Rikke

The interdisciplinary anthology War Isn’t Hell, It’s Entertainment analyses the relationship between war and the military on the one hand, and, on the other hand, entertainment, fiction, visual media, and cultural products. It examines war and film stars; war and films; war memorials; war...

Integrating gesture recognition in airplane seats for in-flight entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Westelaken, H.F.M.; Hu, J.; Liu, H.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Pan, Z.; Zhang, X.; El Rhalibi, A.; Woo, W.; Li, Y.

2008-01-01

In order to reduce both the psychological and physical stress in air travel, sensors are integrated in airplane seats to detect the gestures as input for in-flight entertainment systems. The content provided by the entertainment systems helps to reduce the psychological stress, and the gesture

Promoting Occupational Safety and Health for Cambodian Entertainment Sector Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Lee-Nah; Howard, Richard; Torriente, Anna Maria; Por, Chuong

2016-08-01

Cambodia has developed booming textile, garment, tourism, and entertainment service industries since the mid-1990s. The 2007 global financial crisis pushed many garment workers, who lost their jobs, into the entertainment sector. Entertainment workers are typically engaged informally by their employers and are subjected to long working hours, sexual harassment, and violence. Many who sell beverages are forced into excessive alcohol consumption as part of their work. Many are also expected by their employers and clients to provide sexual services. To address unsafe and unhealthy working conditions for these workers, an innovative occupational safety and health regulation was adopted in 2014. This first-of-its-kind occupational safety and health regulation was developed jointly by the Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and employers' and workers' organizations in the entertainment sector. The implementation of this regulation can also be a viable contribution of occupational safety and health to HIV interventions for these workers. © The Author(s) 2016.

26 CFR 1.274-1 - Disallowance of certain entertainment, gift and travel expenses.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Disallowance of certain entertainment, gift and... certain entertainment, gift and travel expenses. Section 274 disallows in whole, or in part, certain expenditures for entertainment, gifts and travel which would otherwise be allowable under Chapter 1 of the Code...

Children's Television: More than Mere Entertainment

Science.gov (United States)

Leifer, Aimee Dorr; And Others

1974-01-01

The authors propose that television, while entertaining children, also socializes them. To support this conclusion they review the literature regarding effects of television content on aggressive and prosocial behavior and social attitudes. (Editor)

Pengaruh Entertainment, Irritating dan Informativeness Iklan di Website di Kalangan Mahasiswa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edy Supriyadi

2010-09-01

Full Text Available There are several advantages and disadvantages and advertising via the Internet. The appeal of advertising may also arise from given information element, the element of comfort but also sometimes lead to disturbing or irritation elements. The limited number of Internet users in Indonesia and the different backgrounds of individual Internet users in Indonesia certainly provide a different assessment of the advertisements contained on the Internet. There are 3 factors which was the starting point to explain how consumers interpret the value of advertising, namely: informativeness, entertainment and irritation. This research aims to discover whether there is a relationship between entertainment, informativeness, and irritation toward advertising values and whether there is a relationship between entertainment and advertising values toward attitude towards web advertising using statistics tools of path analysis and multiple regression. The research shows that there is a significant relationship between independent variables such as informativeness, entertainment and irritation simultaneously toward the advertising value but there are no significant relationship between entertainment and informativeness toward the advertising value individually.  In the other model there is a significant relationship between informativeness, irritation and advertising values with the attitude towards web advertising.

Football on television: technological evolution and entertainment language

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor José Siquieri Savenhago

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The first broadcast of a World Cup footballon television, to Brazil was in 1970, via Embratel. Before that, the people followed the games of the Brazilian team on the radio. Gradually, the owners of television networks realized that football could generate good financial results, with the exposing of advertisements during the broadcasts, similar to what was already done on the radio. Thus, the television, focused on the growth of audience and number of advertisers, covered football with a language of entertainment. The narration of the matches, in which the figure of the narrator is more like that of an entertainer, and improvement of the transmission technologies that improve the image quality every day, take away from football the characteristic of being just a sport to occupy the place of an entertainment. In this context, the sport becomes an article of purchase and sale. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how this entertainment language was made up on Brazilian television, based on the broadcast sports, especially football, and like the television, which represented a technological leapin the country over the radio, assumed of the sport, country’s most popular as a commodity, interfering with the dynamics of Brazilian society. Finally, an attempt to understand how the researches that allow a technological development change behaviors and vice versa, that is, how the demands of society lead to a race to develop new technologies.

Entertainment nature of modern television: prospects and trends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Андрій Олександрович Недо

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This article describes trends of the development of entertainment television in Ukraine as westernization, McDonaldization, tabloidization, development of post-show. Westernization is viewed as the process of borrowing commercial formats of entertainment shows from the US and Western Europe. McDonaldization is considered as a process of simplifying program formats. Tabloidization is shown as a process of manipulating the viewer’s attention through lively and provocative announcements of programs. Development of post-show is covered as a process of creating programs that supplement reality shows

Client Centred Desing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørngreen, Rikke; Nielsen, Janni; Levinsen, Karin

2008-01-01

In this paper we argue for the use of Client Centred preparation phases when designing complex systems. Through Client Centred Design human computer interaction can extend the focus on end-users to alse encompass the client's needs, context and resources....

[The scientific entertainer in primary health care].

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega-Calvo, Manuel; Santos, José Manuel; Lapetra, José

2012-09-01

The scientific method is capable of being applied in primary care. In this article we defend the role of the "scientific entertainer "as strategic and necessary in achieving this goal. The task has to include playful and light-hearted content. We explore some words in English that may help us to understand the concept of "scientific entertainer" from a semantic point of view (showman, master of ceremonies, entrepreneur, go-between) also in Spanish language (counsellor, mediator, methodologist) and finally in Latin and Greek (tripalium, negotium, chronos, kairos). We define the clinical, manager or research health-worker who is skilled in primary care as a "primarylogist". Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Home automation becomes home entertainment. Emotion replaces function; Hausautomation sucht Naehe zum Home-Entertainment. Emotion verdraengt Funktion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmid, W.

2006-09-15

Home automation commonly applies to control of lighting, shading, heating, safety etc., i.e. a purely functional concept. Recently, many systems have come to integrate home entertainment as well: Bang and Olufsen and Revox meets heating, light, and ventilation. (orig.)

Framework for emotional mobile computation for creating entertainment experience

Science.gov (United States)

Lugmayr, Artur R.

2007-02-01

Ambient media are media, which are manifesting in the natural environment of the consumer. The perceivable borders between the media and the context, where the media is used are getting more and more blurred. The consumer is moving through a digital space of services throughout his daily life. As we are developing towards an experience society, the central point in the development of services is the creation of a consumer experience. This paper reviews possibilities and potentials of the creation of entertainment experiences with mobile phone platforms. It reviews sensor network capable of acquiring consumer behavior data, interactivity strategies, psychological models for emotional computation on mobile phones, and lays the foundations of a nomadic experience society. The paper rounds up with a presentation of several different possible service scenarios in the field of entertainment and leisure computation on mobiles. The goal of this paper is to present a framework and evaluation of possibilities of applying sensor technology on mobile platforms to create an increasing consumer entertainment experience.

Moving educational role-play beyond entertainment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duus Henriksen, Thomas

2010-01-01

Educational role-play has long proved an effective tool for consultants trying to develop the skills that employees are using for performing certain job functions. However, while educational role-play often is presented as an entertaining means for learning, such insistence on making learning gam...

Educational role-play: moving beyond entertainment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duus Henriksen, Thomas

This paper presents a controversial approach to innovating educational role-play. It is argued that we should stop thinking games as an entertaining mean for facilitating participation, and instead try to see games as a content provider and feedback mechanism. A theoretical model is presented...

The Influence of Popular Culture and Entertainment Media on Adult Education

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Patricia M.

2007-01-01

The idea that popular culture and entertainment media influence us in both conscious and unconscious ways is not new. The use of alternative spaces, such as internet sites, for creating entertainment will continue to influence society and challenge educators. The importance of the internet was reflected in Time magazine's choosing YOU (meaning the…

Transportation into narrative worlds: implications for entertainment media influences on tobacco use.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Melanie C; Clark, Jenna L

2013-03-01

A growing body of research suggests that smoking portrayals in movies influence adolescent tobacco use. However, the mechanism for this influence remains unclear. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of research on narrative transportation theory, particularly as applied to movies and smoking. We propose that this theory can provide a valuable framework for guiding research on the role of entertainment media in smoking and other addictive behaviors. We review empirical work on transportation theory and highlight the psychological mechanisms underlying transportation effects. 'Transportation into narrative worlds' refers to cognitive, emotional and imagery engagement into a narrative (including movies and entertainment media). We link this work with research on the effects of movie smoking. Research suggests that individuals who are more highly transported into narratives show greater attitude, belief and behavior change. Transportation effects work through reducing counterarguing, creating connections (identification and liking) with characters and increasing perceptions of realism and emotional involvement. We propose several future directions and research challenges for applying a transportation framework to the issue of entertainment media effects on smoking and tobacco disparities. Understanding factors contributing to transportation may provide a more nuanced view of who will be affected by movie smoking, and understanding the psychological processes underlying narrative persuasion may guide intervention efforts. Narrative transportation theory suggests that individuals' cognitive, emotional and imagery immersion in a narrative is a key mechanism of attitude, belief and behavior change. This theory provides a potentially generative and psychologically grounded framework for increasing knowledge about the boundary conditions and processes underlying the effects of entertainment media on tobacco use. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for

77 FR 45520 - Reimbursed Entertainment Expenses

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

... as compensation and wages, the employee may be able to deduct the expense as an employee business...(e)(3) has the same meaning as in section 62(2)(A) (dealing with employee business expenses, later... Reimbursed Entertainment Expenses AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice of...

New drugs and patient-centred end-points in old age: setting the wheels in motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Mangoni, Arduino A; Pilotto, Alberto

2016-01-01

Older patients with various degrees of frailty and disability, a key population target of pharmacological interventions in acute and chronic disease states, are virtually neglected in pre-marketing studies assessing the efficacy and safety of investigational drugs. Moreover, aggressively pursuing established therapeutic targets in old age, e.g. blood pressure, serum glucose or cholesterol concentrations, is not necessarily associated with the beneficial effects, and the acceptable safety, reported in younger patient cohorts. Measures of self-reported health and functional status might represent additional, more meaningful, therapeutic end-points in the older population, particularly in patients with significant frailty and relatively short life expectancy, e.g. in the presence of cancer and/or neurodegenerative disease conditions. Strategies enhancing early knowledge about key pharmacological characteristics of investigational drugs targeting older adults are discussed, together with the rationale for incorporating non-traditional, patient-centred, end-points in this ever-increasing group.

A Framework for a Context-Aware Elderly Entertainment Support System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Anwar Hossain

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Elderly people constitute a major portion of world’s population. Many of them are physically and mentally vulnerable and need continuous support for their health and well-being. There is a growing trend that these elderly people are placed in an ambient assisted living environment (AAL with an aim to receive better care and support. In such settings, a lot of attention has been given to continuous health monitoring for maintaining physical health status. However, much less attention has been given toward understanding the entertainment needs of the elderly people, which is an important factor relevant to their mental health and joyful living. This paper thus addresses the entertainment needs of the elderly and proposes a framework of an elderly entertainment support system. The proposed framework enables different categories of residents (e.g., elderly people and caregivers to access various media services in both implicit and explicit manner in order to enhance the quality of their living experience in different contexts. Our experimental results demonstrate the viability of the proposed framework. We believe that the proposed approach will establish the need to develop entertainment systems and services for the elderly people and allow us to sensibly address the problems associated with their independent, happy and active living.

A Framework for a Context-Aware Elderly Entertainment Support System

Science.gov (United States)

Hossain, M. Anwar; Alamri, Atif; Almogren, Ahmad S.; Hossain, SK Alamgir; Parra, Jorge

2014-01-01

Elderly people constitute a major portion of world's population. Many of them are physically and mentally vulnerable and need continuous support for their health and well-being. There is a growing trend that these elderly people are placed in an ambient assisted living environment (AAL) with an aim to receive better care and support. In such settings, a lot of attention has been given to continuous health monitoring for maintaining physical health status. However, much less attention has been given toward understanding the entertainment needs of the elderly people, which is an important factor relevant to their mental health and joyful living. This paper thus addresses the entertainment needs of the elderly and proposes a framework of an elderly entertainment support system. The proposed framework enables different categories of residents (e.g., elderly people and caregivers) to access various media services in both implicit and explicit manner in order to enhance the quality of their living experience in different contexts. Our experimental results demonstrate the viability of the proposed framework. We believe that the proposed approach will establish the need to develop entertainment systems and services for the elderly people and allow us to sensibly address the problems associated with their independent, happy and active living. PMID:24936946

Player Types, Play Styles, and Play Complexity: Updating the Entertainment Grid

Science.gov (United States)

Rademacher Mena, Ricardo Javier

2012-01-01

In a previous work the author created the Education and Entertainment Grid by combining various taxonomies from the fields of play and learning. In this paper, a section of this grid known as the Entertainment Grid will be extended by including previously unused elements of Richard Bartle's online player types and Robert Caillois' play complexity.…

The literary myth of the double in entertainment media content

OpenAIRE

Robson Souza dos Santos

2011-01-01

This article discusses how the myth of the literary double stands in entertainment media, becoming a recurrent figure of cinema productions, and, later on, of soap operas, the main entertainment vehicle in latin-american countries. Frequently, the image of the double or stunt-man, in literature and soap opera productions, has been directly associated with the creature’s desire of becoming creator, and that myth is the main focus of discussion in this article.

CHEETAH: circuit-switched high-speed end-to-end transport architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Veeraraghavan, Malathi; Zheng, Xuan; Lee, Hyuk; Gardner, M.; Feng, Wuchun

2003-10-01

Leveraging the dominance of Ethernet in LANs and SONET/SDH in MANs and WANs, we propose a service called CHEETAH (Circuit-switched High-speed End-to-End Transport ArcHitecture). The service concept is to provide end hosts with high-speed, end-to-end circuit connectivity on a call-by-call shared basis, where a "circuit" consists of Ethernet segments at the ends that are mapped into Ethernet-over-SONET long-distance circuits. This paper focuses on the file-transfer application for such circuits. For this application, the CHEETAH service is proposed as an add-on to the primary Internet access service already in place for enterprise hosts. This allows an end host that is sending a file to first attempt setting up an end-to-end Ethernet/EoS circuit, and if rejected, fall back to the TCP/IP path. If the circuit setup is successful, the end host will enjoy a much shorter file-transfer delay than on the TCP/IP path. To determine the conditions under which an end host with access to the CHEETAH service should attempt circuit setup, we analyze mean file-transfer delays as a function of call blocking probability in the circuit-switched network, probability of packet loss in the IP network, round-trip times, link rates, and so on.

AIRSF: a new entertainment adaptive framework for stress free air tTravels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, H.; Hu, J.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Inakage, M.; Cheok, A.D.

2008-01-01

In this paper, we present a new entertainment adaptive framework AIRSF for stress free air travels. Based on the passenger’s current and target comfort states, user entertainment preference, and context of use, the system uses a Markov decision process to recommend context-aware and personalized

STRATEGI PEMASARAN PUBLIC RELATIONS MD ENTERTAINMENT PADA PEMASARAN FILM HABIBIE & AINUN

OpenAIRE

Trisna Adi Permana; Lilis Puspitasari

2015-01-01

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui perencanaan, implementasi serta evaluasi dari strategi Marketing Public Relations yang ditetapkan PR MD Entertainment pada film Habibie & Ainun pada tahun 2012-2013. Metode yang dilakukan adalah metode deskriptif yang bertujuan melukiskan secara sistematis fakta atau karakteristik populasi tertentu atau bidang tertentu secara faktual dan cermat. Hasil penelitian menunjukan PR MD Entertainment telah melakukan tahapan-tahapan atau Teknik...

Cyber entertainment system using an immersive networked virtual environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ihara, Masayuki; Honda, Shinkuro; Kobayashi, Minoru; Ishibashi, Satoshi

2002-05-01

Authors are examining a cyber entertainment system that applies IPT (Immersive Projection Technology) displays to the entertainment field. This system enables users who are in remote locations to communicate with each other so that they feel as if they are together. Moreover, the system enables those users to experience a high degree of presence, this is due to provision of stereoscopic vision as well as a haptic interface and stereo sound. This paper introduces this system from the viewpoint of space sharing across the network and elucidates its operation using the theme of golf. The system is developed by integrating avatar control, an I/O device, communication links, virtual interaction, mixed reality, and physical simulations. Pairs of these environments are connected across the network. This allows the two players to experience competition. An avatar of each player is displayed by the other player's IPT display in the remote location and is driven by only two magnetic sensors. That is, in the proposed system, users don't need to wear any data suit with a lot of sensors and they are able to play golf without any encumbrance.

The Back-end of User Centred Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, Astrid Heidemann

2015-01-01

User Centred Innovation (UCI) has during the past decade developed into a widely acknowledged approach to innovation. Yet, in spite of plethora of methods and tools for conducting UCI, companies continue to struggle in relation to creating the desired effect UCI. In this paper, it is proposed tha...... of such challenges calls for a new focus in UCI research on interorganizational alignment and cross-functional collaboration....

45 CFR 73.735-502 - Permissible acceptance of gifts, entertainment, and favors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... acceptance of gifts, entertainment, and favors. (a) An employee may accept a gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or similar favor of monetary value which stems from a family relationship such as that between the employee and his or her parents, spouse or children, if it is clear that the relationship is...

Strategi Pemasaran Public Relations Md Entertainment Pada Pemasaran Film Habibie & Ainun

OpenAIRE

Permana, Trisna Adi; Puspitasari, Lilis

2015-01-01

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui perencanaan, implementasi serta evaluasi dari strategiMarketing Public Relations yang ditetapkan PR MD Entertainment pada film Habibie & Ainun pada tahun2012-2013. Metode yang dilakukan adalah metode deskriptif yang bertujuan melukiskan secara sistematisfakta atau karakteristik populasi tertentu atau bidang tertentu secara faktual dan cermat. Hasil penelitianmenunjukan PR MD Entertainment telah melakukan tahapan-tahapan atau Teknik PR pada film Ha...

Real-Time Analysis of Beats in Music for Entertainment Robots

OpenAIRE

Yue-Der Lin; Ting-Tsao Wu; Yu-Ren Chen; Yen-Ting Lin; Wen-Hsiu Chen; Shih-Fan Wang; Jinghom Chakhap

2012-01-01

The dancing actions for entertainment robots are usually designed in advance and saved in a database according to the beats and rhythm of the given music. This research is devoted to developing a real-time algorithm that can detect the primary information of the music needed for the actions of entertainment robots. The computation of the proposed algorithm is very efficient and can satisfy the requirement of real-time processing by a digital signal controller. The digitized music signal is fi...

Incorporating Cultural Sensitivity into Interactive Entertainment-Education for Diabetes Self-Management Designed for Hispanic Audiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Kline, Kimberly N; Montealegre, Jane R; Rustveld, Luis O; Glover, Talar L; Chauca, Glori; Reed, Brian C; Jibaja-Weiss, Maria L

2016-06-01

Diabetes self-management education can improve outcomes in adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, Hispanics, a group that carries a large burden of disease, may not participate in diabetes education programs. Audience engagement with entertainment-education has been associated with improved health education outcomes and may engage and empower Hispanic users to active self-care. Successful use of entertainment-education relies on the use of characters and situations with whom the viewers can feel some sense of involvement and for Hispanic audiences is encouraged when storylines and characters are culturally sensitive. In this study, we used a mixed methods approach that included descriptive statistics of closed-ended and content analysis of open-ended questions to measure the cultural sensitivity of the telenovela portion of a novel technology-based application called Sugar, Heart, and Life (SHL). Specifically, we analyzed the responses of 123 male and female patients diagnosed with uncontrolled T2DM to determine viewer involvement with characters and situations in the telenovela, viewer perceived self-efficacy in following recommendations, as well as viewer satisfaction with the program. Our findings indicate that the SHL application achieved its goal of creating a user-friendly program that depicted realistic, culturally sensitive characters and storylines that resonated with Hispanic audiences and ultimately fostered perceived self-efficacy related to following recommendations given about healthy lifestyle changes for diabetes self-management. These findings suggest that the SHL application is a culturally sensitive health education intervention for use by Hispanic male and female individuals that may empower them in self-management of T2DM.

Forecasting the experience of future entertainment technology: “Interactive Storytelling” and media enjoyment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klimmt, C.; Roth, C.; Vermeulen, I.E.; Vorderer, P.A.; Roth, F.S.

2012-01-01

Advances in gaming and other entertainment technologies are evolving rapidly and create new conceptual challenges for understanding and explaining the user experiences they can facilitate. The present article reports a prospective study on a particularly promising entertainment technology of the

77 FR 40082 - Certain Gaming and Entertainment Consoles, Related Software, and Components Thereof...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-06

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-745] Certain Gaming and Entertainment... gaming and entertainment consoles, related software, and components thereof by reason of infringement of... finally concluded that an industry exists within the United States that practices the '896, '094, '571...

Ugandan Adolescents' Sources, Interpretation and Evaluation of Sexual Content in Entertainment Media Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Ann Neville; Nalugya, Evangeline; Gabolya, Charles; Lagot, Sarah; Mulwanya, Richard; Kiva, Joseph; Nabasaaka, Grace; Chibita, Monica

2016-01-01

Although mounting evidence in Western nations indicates that entertainment media influence young people's sexual socialisation, virtually no research has addressed the topic in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study employed 14 focus groups of Ugandan high school students to identify media through which they were exposed to sexual content, how they…

Creation of nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond with high resolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pezzagna, Sebastien; Meijer, Jan [Rubion, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum (Germany); Wildanger, Dominik; Hell, Stefan W. [Department of NanoBiophotonics, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen (Germany); Mazarov, Paul; Wieck, Andreas D. [Lehrstuhl fuer Angewandte Festkoerperphysik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum (Germany); Naydenov, Boris; Jelezko, Fedor; Wrachtrup, Joerg [3. Institute of Physics, University of Stuttgart (Germany)

2010-07-01

Nowadays, diamond and the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) colour centres constitute the best solid-state system in view of quantum-computing applications. It has also been shown recently that single NV centres could be used as nanoscale magnetic sensors. Such applications require the creation of single NV centres with very high resolution and with a high efficiency. The nano-implanter at the university of Bochum provides low energy nitrogen ions which can be implanted through a hole pierced in the tip of an atomic force microscope. Ultrapure diamond samples have been implanted with spot sizes of 50nm and less. Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy has been used to characterise and resolve the implanted spots.

Listening, Watching, and Reading: The Structure and Correlates of Entertainment Preferences

OpenAIRE

Rentfrow, Peter J.; Goldberg, Lewis R.; Zilca, Ran

2011-01-01

People spend considerable amounts of time and money listening to music, watching TV and movies, and reading books and magazines, yet almost no attention in psychology has been devoted to understanding individual differences in preferences for such entertainment. The present research was designed to examine the structure and correlates of entertainment genre preferences. Analyses of the genre preferences of over 3,000 individuals revealed a remarkably clear factor structure. Using multiple sam...

High-end encroachment patterns of new products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rhee, van der B.; Schmidt, G.; Orden, van J.

2012-01-01

Previous research describes two key ways in which a new product may encroach on an existing market. In high-end encroachment, the new product first sells to high-end customers and then diffuses down-market; in low-end encroachment, the new product enters at the low end and encroaches up-market. This

78 FR 32690 - Certain Gaming and Entertainment Consoles, Related Software, and Components Thereof; Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-31

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-752] Certain Gaming and Entertainment... importation of certain gaming and entertainment consoles, related software, and components thereof by reason... violation of [[Page 32691

A Review on Stereoscopic 3D: Home Entertainment for the Twenty First Century

Science.gov (United States)

Karajeh, Huda; Maqableh, Mahmoud; Masa'deh, Ra'ed

2014-12-01

In the last few years, stereoscopic developed very rapidly and employed in many different fields such as entertainment. Due to the importance of entertainment aspect of stereoscopic 3D (S3D) applications, a review of the current state of S3D development in entertainment technology is conducted. In this paper, a novel survey of the stereoscopic entertainment aspects is presented by discussing the significant development of a 3D cinema, the major development of 3DTV, the issues related to 3D video content and 3D video games. Moreover, we reviewed some problems that can be caused in the viewers' visual system from watching stereoscopic contents. Some stereoscopic viewers are not satisfied as they are frustrated from wearing glasses, have visual fatigue, complain from unavailability of 3D contents, and/or complain from some sickness. Therefore, we will discuss stereoscopic visual discomfort and to what extend the viewer will have an eye fatigue while watching 3D contents or playing 3D games. The suggested solutions in the literature for this problem are discussed.

Entertainment and music magazine reading and binge drinking among a group of juvenile offenders.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomsen, Steven R; Rekve, Dag

2006-01-01

This study examines the relative contribution of exposure to entertainment and music magazines on binge drinking among a group of teenagers under the supervision of a juvenile court system in a medium-sized western United States community. Despite having a large proportion of adolescent readers, entertainment and music magazines typically include a substantial number of advertisements for alcoholic beverages in each issue. Data were collected via a self-report questionnaire administered to 342 juvenile offenders (ages 12-18 years). Three-quarters of our respondents reported they have used alcohol and about 37% indicated they were binge drinkers. As anticipated, binge drinkers were more frequent readers of entertainment and music magazines than non-binge drinkers. Binge drinkers also estimated that larger portions of their classmates used alcohol and would be more accepting of regular drinking than non-binge drinkers. Results of a multivariate logistic regression analysis to predict whether our subjects typically consumed five or more drinks during a drinking episode indicated that perceived ease of access, age, gender, the number of best friends who drink, parental drinking (inversely), and entertainment and music magazine reading frequency were significant predictors of binge drinking. We conclude that the predictive influence entertainment and music magazine reading frequency may actually reflect a selectivity bias among a segment of the youth sub-culture already inclined toward alcohol use and abuse. We recommend that entertainment and music magazine reading should be considered only within the constellation of other risk factors when assessing risk for potential alcohol abuse.

The history of TC 14 on entertainment computing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nakatsu, R.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Brunnstein, K.; Zemanek, H.

2011-01-01

Entertainment computing is on its way getting an established research arena in industry and academia as well. To bring all the different contributing research communities together shared resources (e.g. email distribution list, conference series, and journals), organizational structures (e.g.

Ambient culture: a possible future for entertainment computing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Lygmayr, A.; Golebiowski, P.

2007-01-01

We provide an overview over cultural differences between East and West, as starting point for the development of entertainment technology towards cultural transformation. We argue for the importance of future entertainmant technology to contribute to cultural transformation processes in the large.

Underestimating advertising: innovation and unpriced entertainment

OpenAIRE

Leonard I. Nakamura

2005-01-01

Leonard Nakamura states that despite consumers’ lack of respect for advertising, it nonetheless plays a significant role in the economy. For one thing, it helps consumers find out about new products, and new products have been rising in economic importance. It also plays a role in subsidizing broadcast entertainment and news programs. Ultimately, Nakamura shows that although advertising contributes to consumer welfare, its contribution is missing from our measures of output.

Sensors for the Senses: Meaning-making via self-active entertainment experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony Brooks

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In his ACM Computers in Entertainment article, titled "Artist and Audience: Emerging the Nano-entertainment experience", the author posited on how Inhabited Information Spaces, created as core catalyst of research, may be questioned as a multisensory future virtual work of art. This themed Human-Computer Interaction for Entertainment contribution for the EAI INTETAIN 2015 conference builds upon the earlier work by questioning meaning making from such self-active entertainment experiences. Contextually, self-active relates to actor empowerment via ICT, whilst entertainment refers to HCI paradigms that are fun, engaging, and enjoyable. Conceptualizing, designing and realizing alternative digital media entertainment situations in stage performance, interactive installations and exhibitions at leading Museums for Modern Art, National and International major events, contributed to development of a sensor-based system conceived as a platform to investigate meaning making having societal impact beyond art. The system involves arrays of selectable sensor profiles mixed and matched according to requirements. Sensing of human input can be through worn (biosignal e.g. EEG, ECG, EMG, GSR, held, and/or non-worn sensors (volumetric, linear and planar interface profiles. Mapping of sourced human data is to a variety of digital content including art-based (music making, digital painting, lighting effects, video games, Virtual Reality and robotic devices. System adaptability promotes participant profile matching e.g. according to desired outcome. All ages and abilities are potential users. Preceding the commonly known camera-based game controllers such as EyeToy, Wii, and Kinect; the SoundScapes Virtual Interactive Space system has been used in institutes, hospitals and clinics to empower people with impairment to unconsciously push their limits of functionality via creative and playful expression. Rehabilitation is less mundane and boring, where variety of ICT

Business Models of High Performance Computing Centres in Higher Education in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Eurich, Markus; Calleja, Paul; Boutellier, Roman

2013-01-01

High performance computing (HPC) service centres are a vital part of the academic infrastructure of higher education organisations. However, despite their importance for research and the necessary high capital expenditures, business research on HPC service centres is mostly missing. From a business perspective, it is important to find an answer to…

Noise exposure and hearing impairment among Chinese restaurant workers and entertainment employees in Hong Kong.

Science.gov (United States)

Lao, Xiang Qian; Yu, Ignatius Tak Sun; Au, Dennis Kin Kwok; Chiu, Yuk Lan; Wong, Claudie Chiu Yi; Wong, Tze Wai

2013-01-01

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a major concern in the non-manufacturing industries. This study aimed to investigate the occupational noise exposure and the NIHL among Chinese restaurant workers and entertainment employees working in the service industry in Hong Kong. This cross-sectional survey involved a total of 1,670 participants. Among them, 937 were randomly selected from the workers of Chinese restaurants and 733 were selected from workers in three entertainment sectors: radio and television stations; cultural performance halls or auditoria of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD); and karaoke bars. Noise exposure levels were measured in the sampled restaurants and entertainment sectors. Each participant received an audiometric screening test. Those who were found to have abnormalities were required to take another diagnostic test in the health center. The "Klockhoff digit" method was used to classify NIHL in the present study. The main source of noise inside restaurants was the stoves. The mean hearing thresholds showed a typical dip at 3 to 6 KHz and a substantial proportion (23.7%) of the workers fulfilled the criteria for presumptive NIHL. For entertainment sectors, employees in radio and television stations generally had higher exposure levels than those in the halls or auditoria of the LCSD and karaoke bars. The mean hearing thresholds showed a typical dip at 6 KHz and a substantial proportion of the employees fulfilled the criteria for presumptive NIHL (38.6%, 95%CI: 35.1-42.1%). Being male, older, and having longer service and daily alcohol consumption were associated with noise-induced hearing impairment both in restaurant workers and entertainment employees. Excessive noise exposure is common in the Chinese restaurant and entertainment industries and a substantial proportion of restaurant workers and entertainment employees suffer from NIHL. Comprehensive hearing conservation programs should be introduced to the service industry

Ice Sheet System Model as Educational Entertainment

Science.gov (United States)

Perez, G.

2013-12-01

Understanding the importance of polar ice sheets and their role in the evolution of Sea Level Rise (SLR), as well as Climate Change, is of paramount importance for policy makers as well as the public and schools at large. For example, polar ice sheets and glaciers currently account for 1/3 of the SLR signal, a ratio that will increase in the near to long-term future, which has tremendous societal ramifications. Consequently, it is important to increase awareness about our changing planet. In our increasingly digital society, mobile and web applications are burgeoning venues for such outreach. The Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM) is a software that was developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/CalTech/NASA, in collaboration with University of California Irvine (UCI), with the goal of better understanding the evolution of polar ice sheets. It is a state-of-the-art framework, which relies on higher-end cluster-computing to address some of the aforementioned challenges. In addition, it is a flexible framework that can be deployed on any hardware; in particular, on mobile platforms such as Android or iOS smart phones. Here, we look at how the ISSM development team managed to port their model to these platforms, what the implications are for improving how scientists disseminate their results, and how a broader audience may familiarize themselves with running complex climate models in simplified scenarios which are highly educational and entertaining in content. We also look at the future plans toward a web portal fully integrated with mobile technologies to deliver the best content to the public, and to provide educational plans/lessons that can be used in grades K-12 as well as collegiate under-graduate and graduate programs.

Explaining the Effects of Narrative in an Entertainment Television Program: Overcoming Resistance to Persuasion

Science.gov (United States)

Moyer-Guse, Emily; Nabi, Robin L.

2010-01-01

Research has examined the ability of entertainment-education (E-E) programs to influence behavior across a variety of health and social issues. However, less is known about the underlying mechanisms that account for these effects. In keeping with the extended elaboration likelihood model (E-ELM) and the entertainment overcoming resistance model…

Meaning in life as a source of entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Delden, Robertus Wilhelmus; Reidsma, Dennis; Katayose, Haruhiro; Nijholt, Antinus

2013-01-01

In this paper we mean to introduce into the field of entertainment computing an overview of insights concerning fundamental human needs. Researchers such as Hassenzahl and Desmet, discuss design approaches based on psychological insights from various and varied sources. We collect these and expand

Developing Educational and Entertaining Virtual Humans using Elckerlyc

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reidsma, Dennis; van Welbergen, H.; Paul, Ronald C.; van de Laar, B.L.A.; Nijholt, Antinus; Yang, Hyun Seung; Malaka, Rainer; Hoshino, Junichi; Han, Jung Hyun

2010-01-01

Virtual humans (VHs) are used in many educational and entertainment settings: training and serious gaming, interactive information kiosks, tour guides, tutoring, interactive virtual dancers, and much more. Building a complete VH from scratch is a daunting task, and it makes sense to rely on existing

Viewership and Listenership of Health – Related Entertainment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Also, about 93.5% of respondents participated in health-related EE programmes beyond mere listening and watching. Education ranked as the highest benefit derived by respondents from listening to/watching EE programmes, followed by information and entertainment respectively. The study concluded that viewership and ...

18 CFR 706.202 - Gifts, entertainment, and favors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... to: (1) Obvious family or personal relationships, such as those between the employee and his parents... EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT Conduct and Responsibilities of Employees § 706.202 Gifts, entertainment, and favors. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, an employee shall...

Using identification in entertainment-education drama serials to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study used two entertainment-education drama serials which were designed using Albert Bandura's theoretical framework to communicate positive messages of women's rights to real life audiences in select communities. The study sought to find out if there was any significant relationship i.e. identification between TV ...

Editorial : Special Issue on Advances in Computer Entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Romão, Teresa; Nijholt, Anton; Cheok, Adrian David

2015-01-01

This special issue of the International Journal of Arts and Technology comprises a selection of papers from ACE 2012, the 9th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment (Nijholt et al., 2012). ACE is the leading scientific forum for the dissemination of cutting-edge research

Associations between sport and screen-entertainment with mental health problems in 5-year-old children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dezateux Carol

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Few studies have examined the benefits of regular physical activity, and risks of sedentary behaviour, in young children. This study investigated associations between participation in sports and screen-entertainment (as components of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and emotional and behavioural problems in this population. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of data from 13470 children (50.9% boys participating in the nationally representative UK Millennium Cohort Study. Time spent participating in sports clubs outside of school, and using screen-entertainment, was reported by the child's mother at child age 5 years, when mental health was also measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results 45% of children did not participate in sport clubs and 61% used screen-entertainment for ≥ 2 hours per day. Children who participated in sport had fewer total difficulties; emotional, conduct, hyperactivity-inattention and peer relationship problems; and more prosocial behaviours. These relationships were similar in boys and girls. Boys and girls who used screen-entertainment for any duration, and participated in sport, had fewer emotional and behavioural problems, and more prosocial behaviours, than children who used screen-entertainment for ≥ 2 hours per day and did not participate in sport. Conclusions Longer durations of screen-entertainment usage are not associated with mental health problems in young children. However, our findings suggest an association between sport and better mental health. Further research based on longitudinal data is required to examine causal pathways in these associations and to determine the potential role of this and other forms of physical activity in preventing mental health disorders.

Entertainment-Retail Centers in Hong Kong and Los Angeles: Trends and Lessons

OpenAIRE

Clara Irazabal; Surajit Chakravarty

2007-01-01

This paper seeks to answer the question of why Entertainment Retail Centers (ERCs) develop as they do and what we can expect from these centers of consumption in the near future. Beginning with a "network" view of cities, where cities are nodes in an integrated economic system, the paper examines the evolution of and recent trends in the design of Entertainment Retail Centers (ERCs) in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. The analysis is organized along four related themes - land use, transportation, u...

Assessment of personal exposures to optical radiation in large entertainment venues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonner, R.; O'Hagan, J. B.; Khazova, M.

2012-01-01

Workplace exposure to optical radiation from artificial sources is regulated in Europe under the Artificial Optical Radiation Directive 2006/25/EC implemented in the UK as The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010. The entertainment environment often presents an extremely complex situation for the assessment of occupational exposures. Multiple illumination sources, continuously changing illumination conditions and people moving during performances add further complexity to the assessment. This document proposes a methodology for assessing the risks arising from exposure to optical radiation and presents detailed case studies of practical assessment for two large entertainment venues. (authors)

"That's cool, you're a musician and you drink": Exploring entertainers' accounts of their unique workplace relationship with alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Forsyth, Alasdair J M; Lennox, Jemma C; Emslie, Carol

2016-10-01

This qualitative research investigates the alcohol experiences of entertainers who perform within licensed premises. Previous, mainly quantitative, studies have found that entertainers, specifically musicians, are an occupational group who drink excessively. This qualitative study draws on a wider sample of entertainers to examine their accounts of drinking in the workplace and the explanations they provide for this. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews (n=24) with band-members, variety acts and DJs in Glasgow, Scotland. This revealed a workplace characterised by continual opportunities for often free alcohol consumption. Unlike most occupations, for entertainers 'drinking-on-the-job' was normative, expected, and sometimes encouraged by peers, the public, employers or sponsors. Entertainers also experienced performance-related incentives to drink before, during and/or after a show; including anxiety, matching their intoxication level to the audience's, and 'reward-drinking'. This qualitative research confirms the unique nature of the entertainer-alcohol link, even in comparison to that found within other leisure industry occupations. While providing some explanation as to why entertainers might drink excessively, participants' accounts also suggested potential strategies for avoiding the negative outcomes of workplace drinking. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-End Scientific Computing

Science.gov (United States)

EPA uses high-end scientific computing, geospatial services and remote sensing/imagery analysis to support EPA's mission. The Center for Environmental Computing (CEC) assists the Agency's program offices and regions to meet staff needs in these areas.

"Entertainment-education:" an idea whose time has come.

Science.gov (United States)

Piotrow, P T

1994-03-01

The "enter-educate" technique, which presents educational messages in the guise of entertainment, is being used effectively all over the world. Soap operas depict the struggles of a single mother or of a father who has infected his family with AIDS, songs remind listeners that contraception gives them choices, and animated videos breathe new life into sex education. The Johns Hopkins University has supported approximately 36 television series and specials, 9 radio dramas, 3 songs, and 9 music videos. Other organizations are expanding their work in this field. Surveys before and after exposure to enter-educate productions and clinic records can be used to measure changes in attitudes and behavior attributable to the productions. Evaluations of projects have shown that the audience pays attention and then moves from understanding to agreement to action (such as talking to their spouse or family, going to a clinic, using family planning, or practicing safer sex). The theoretical basis for the enter-educate approach can be traced to Aristotle who discussed the capacity for drama to convey moral teaching. More recently, Albert Bandura developed a theory of social learning which states that people learn by observing and adapting the behavior of others to their own lives. Miguel Sabido, a Mexican producer, applied Bandura's theory to develop the first enter-educate soap operas. The enter-educate approach is pervasive (through rapidly spreading mass media), popular (people seek entertainment), personal (depicting the private lives of the characters), passionate (invoking intense emotions), persuasive (through audience identification with characters), practical (since the talent and delivery infrastructure already exists), and profitable (entertainment pays its way, can generate profits and promote careers, and is cost-effective).

GWDC Expands High-End Market Share

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2008-01-01

@@ It is a decision of great significance for GWDC to expand high-end market share in order to realize its transformation of development strategy and improve its development quality. As an important step of GWDC to explore high-end market, Oman PDO Project marks the first time that the Chinese petroleum engineering service team cooperates with the transnational petroleum corporations ranking first three in the world.

Noise exposure and hearing impairment among Chinese restaurant workers and entertainment employees in Hong Kong.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang Qian Lao

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL is a major concern in the non-manufacturing industries. This study aimed to investigate the occupational noise exposure and the NIHL among Chinese restaurant workers and entertainment employees working in the service industry in Hong Kong. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey involved a total of 1,670 participants. Among them, 937 were randomly selected from the workers of Chinese restaurants and 733 were selected from workers in three entertainment sectors: radio and television stations; cultural performance halls or auditoria of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD; and karaoke bars. Noise exposure levels were measured in the sampled restaurants and entertainment sectors. Each participant received an audiometric screening test. Those who were found to have abnormalities were required to take another diagnostic test in the health center. The "Klockhoff digit" method was used to classify NIHL in the present study. RESULTS: The main source of noise inside restaurants was the stoves. The mean hearing thresholds showed a typical dip at 3 to 6 KHz and a substantial proportion (23.7% of the workers fulfilled the criteria for presumptive NIHL. For entertainment sectors, employees in radio and television stations generally had higher exposure levels than those in the halls or auditoria of the LCSD and karaoke bars. The mean hearing thresholds showed a typical dip at 6 KHz and a substantial proportion of the employees fulfilled the criteria for presumptive NIHL (38.6%, 95%CI: 35.1-42.1%. Being male, older, and having longer service and daily alcohol consumption were associated with noise-induced hearing impairment both in restaurant workers and entertainment employees. CONCLUSION: Excessive noise exposure is common in the Chinese restaurant and entertainment industries and a substantial proportion of restaurant workers and entertainment employees suffer from NIHL. Comprehensive hearing

Laser entertainment and light shows in education

Science.gov (United States)

Sabaratnam, Andrew T.; Symons, Charles

2002-05-01

Laser shows and beam effects have been a source of entertainment since its first public performance May 9, 1969, at Mills College in Oakland, California. Since 1997, the Photonics Center, NgeeAnn Polytechnic, Singapore, has been using laser shows as a teaching tool. Students are able to exhibit their creative skills and learn at the same time how lasers are used in the entertainment industry. Students will acquire a number of skills including handling three- phase power supply, operation of cooling system, and laser alignment. Students also acquire an appreciation of the arts, learning about shapes and contours as they develop graphics for the shows. After holography, laser show animation provides a combination of the arts and technology. This paper aims to briefly describe how a krypton-argon laser, galvanometer scanners, a polychromatic acousto-optic modulator and related electronics are put together to develop a laser projector. The paper also describes how students are trained to make their own laser animation and beam effects with music, and at the same time have an appreciation of the operation of a Class IV laser and the handling of optical components.

Testing measurement equivalence of eudaimonic and hedonic entertainment motivations in a cross-cultural comparison

OpenAIRE

Odağ, Özen; Hofer, Matthias; Schneider, Frank M; Knop, Katharina

2016-01-01

Within Hofstede’s framework of individualistic and collectivistic cultures, this contribution examines measurement equivalence of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations in two different cultures, namely Germany representing a more individualistic culture (N = 180) and Turkey representing a more collectivistic culture (N = 97). By means of a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, we could secure configural invariance for both hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations across...

The Mass Media of Entertainment and Human Survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorney, Roderic; Steele, Gary

Urgently needed for human survival is a means of influencing large numbers of people to put into rapid action measures which could neutralize such menances as pollution, overpopulation, and violence. Though the cumulative effect of the mass media is not fully established, media entertainment may be the most influential institution in our society.…

Teachers Should Not Only Inform but Also Entertain

Science.gov (United States)

Kubli, Fritz

2007-01-01

Teaching is, in many respects, an art. Teachers must strike the right balance between sometimes opposite demands. On the one hand, they should lead students to scientific insights; and on the other hand, their teaching should be attractive. Teachers should not only inform, but also entertain. Experiments and stories can help them to combine these…

Hollywood on tobacco: how the entertainment industry understands tobacco portrayal

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, D.; Carol, J.; Balbach, E.; McGee, S.

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE—To determine how people in the California-based entertainment industry think about the portrayal of tobacco use in movies and on television. Specifically, to explore who decides when to include tobacco in a project; how that decision is made; what issues are considered; what messages are intended; whether and how the issue of secondhand smoke is considered; and what advocacy methods might be useful in influencing future decisions about tobacco portrayal.
DESIGN—Qualitative in-depth interviews of entertainment industry personnel,with a semi-structured interview protocol to guide the interview.
SUBJECTS—54 subjects drawn from a convenience sample of writers, actors, directors, producers, studio executives, and others involved in the film industry.
RESULTS—Hollywood is heterogeneous with varying perspectives on rates of tobacco use portrayal; intentionality of the decision to use and the necessity to portray tobacco use; and its degree of acceptance of responsibility for influencing societal smoking. Tobacco depiction may originate with the writer, actor, or director and is included most frequently to elucidate character or portray reality. On-camera smoking is influenced by actors' off-camera tobacco use.
CONCLUSIONS—The research presented can help advocates better understand the norms and values of those working within the entertainment industry and thereby assist them in creating more effective change strategies.


Keywords: films; movies; television; tobacco use PMID:10629243

Probing two-centre interference in molecular high harmonic generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vozzi, C; Calegari, F; Benedetti, E; Berlasso, R; Sansone, G; Stagira, S; Nisoli, M; Altucci, C; Velotta, R; Torres, R; Heesel, E; Kajumba, N; Marangos, J P

2006-01-01

Two-centre interference in the recombination step of molecular high harmonic generation (HHG) has been probed in CO 2 and O 2 . We report the order dependence of characteristic enhancements or suppressions of high harmonic production in aligned samples of both molecules. In CO 2 , a robust destructive interference was seen consistent with the known separation of the oxygen atoms that are active in HHG. In O 2 , a harmonic enhancement was found indicating constructive interference. A good agreement was found with a simple two-centre interference model that includes the angular distribution function of the sample. The effective momentum of the electron wave was determined from the spectral position of these interferences. Ellipticity-dependent studies in CO 2 clearly show how the destructive interference can be 'switched off' by increasing the degree of ellipticity and thus shifting the effective resonance condition

Users’ Perceptions Using Low-End and High-End Mobile-Rendered HMDs: A Comparative Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.-Carmen Juan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Currently, it is possible to combine Mobile-Rendered Head-Mounted Displays (MR HMDs with smartphones to have Augmented Reality platforms. The differences between these types of platforms can affect the user’s experiences and satisfaction. This paper presents a study that analyses the user’s perception when using the same Augmented Reality app with two MR HMD (low-end and high-end. Our study evaluates the user’s experience taking into account several factors (control, sensory, distraction, ergonomics and realism. An Augmalpha-lowerented Reality app was developed to carry out the comparison for two MR HMDs. The application had exactly the same visual appearance and functionality for both devices. Forty adults participated in our study. From the results, there were no statistically significant differences for the users’ experience for the different factors when using the two MR HMDs, except for the ergonomic factors in favour of the high-end MR HMD. Even though the scores for the high-end MR HMD were higher in nearly all of the questions, both MR HMDs provided a very satisfying viewing experience with very high scores. The results were independent of gender and age. The participants rated the high-end MR HMD as the best one. Nevertheless, when they were asked which MR HMD they would buy, the participants chose the low-end MR HMD taking into account its price.

Centre of the Cell: Science Comes to Life.

Science.gov (United States)

Balkwill, Frances; Chambers, Katie

2015-01-01

Centre of the Cell is a unique biomedical science education centre, a widening participation and outreach project in London's East End. This article describes Centre of the Cell's first five years of operation, the evolution of the project in response to audience demand, and the impact of siting a major public engagement project within a research laboratory.

The Lessons Oscar Taught Us: Data Science and Media & Entertainment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Michael; McClarren, Ryan; Gaughan, Conor

2013-06-01

Farsite Group, a data science firm based in Columbus, Ohio, launched a highly visible campaign in early 2013 to use predictive analytics to forecast the winners of the 85th Annual Academy Awards. The initiative was fun and exciting for the millions of Oscar viewers, but it also illustrated how data science could be further deployed in the media and entertainment industries. This article explores the current and potential use cases for big data and predictive analytics in those industries. It further discusses how the Farsite Forecast was built, as well as how the model was iterated, how the projections performed, and what lessons were learned in the process.

Factors associated with induced abortion among female entertainment workers: a cross-sectional study in Cambodia.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Siyan; Tuot, Sovannary; Chhoun, Pheak; Pal, Khuondyla; Tith, Khimuy; Brody, Carinne

2015-07-31

To explore risk factors associated with induced abortion among sexually active female entertainment workers (FEWs) in Cambodia. Cross-sectional study. Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia. This study included 556 FEWs aged 18-47 years randomly selected from entertainment establishments in the two cities in 2014 using a two-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. History of induced abortion during the time working as a FEW. Of the total sample, 45.6% reported currently using a contraceptive method with condom (42.4%) being the most common method, followed by pills (25.6%). One-fourth (25%) of the respondents reported having been pregnant at least once, and 21.4% reported having at least one induced abortion during the time working as a FEW. After controlling for other covariates in a multivariate logistic regression model, FEWs with a history of induced abortion remained significantly more likely to be currently working in a karaoke bar (AOR=1.75, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.78), to have worked longer as a FEW (AOR=1.42, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.43), to have had a greater number of sexual partners in the past 12 months (AOR=1.86, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.54), to be currently using a contraceptive method (AOR=1.52, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.29), to be able to find condoms when they needed them (AOR=2.03, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.82), and to report inconsistent condom use with non-commercial partners in the past 3 months (AOR=1.62, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.44). This study highlights the high rates of unwanted pregnancies that ended in induced abortions among FEWs in Cambodia. Access of FEWs to quality sexual and reproductive healthcare services is deemed a high priority. Integrated interventions to improve sexual and reproductive health among these vulnerable women should be tailored to reach the most-at-risk groups. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go

A/B Testing in Improving Conversion on a Website : Case: Sanoma Entertainment Oy

OpenAIRE

Arento, Thomas

2010-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to study marketing possibilities of improved conversion rates on websites. The study was made for Sanoma Entertainment Oy’s Gaming & Online unit. The main objective was to explore A/B testing as a tool to improve conversion rates by increasing click-through rates. The secondary objective was to test Google Website Optimizer as an A/B testing tool in comparison to current methods of A/B testing in Sanoma Entertainment Oy. The results of this study will be used as ...

Open-Ended Behavioral Complexity for Evolved Virtual Creatures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lessin, Dan; Fussell, Don; Miikkulainen, Risto

2013-01-01

notable exception to this progress. Despite the potential benefits, there has been no clear increase in the behavioral complexity of evolved virtual creatures (EVCs) beyond the light following demonstrated in Sims' original work. This paper presents an open-ended method to move beyond this limit, making...... creature with behavioral complexity that clearly exceeds previously achieved levels. ESP thus demonstrates that EVCs may indeed have the potential to one day rival the behavioral complexity--and therefore the entertainment value--of their non-virtual counterparts....

Alcohol-related crime in city entertainment precincts: Public perception and experience of alcohol-related crime and support for strategies to reduce such crime.

Science.gov (United States)

Tindall, Jenny; Groombridge, Daniel; Wiggers, John; Gillham, Karen; Palmer, Darren; Clinton-McHarg, Tara; Lecathelinais, Christophe; Miller, Peter

2016-05-01

Bars, pubs and taverns in cities are often concentrated in entertainment precincts that are associated with higher rates of alcohol-related crime. This study assessed public perception and experiences of such crime in two city entertainment precincts, and support for alcohol-related crime reduction strategies. A cross-sectional household telephone survey in two Australian regions assessed: perception and experiences of crime; support for crime reduction strategies; and differences in such perceptions and support. Six hundred ninety-four people completed the survey (32%). Most agreed that alcohol was a problem in their entertainment precinct (90%) with violence the most common alcohol-related problem reported (97%). Almost all crime reduction strategies were supported by more than 50% of participants, including visitors to the entertainment precincts, with the latter being slightly less likely to support earlier closing and restrictions on premises density. Participants in one region were more likely to support earlier closing and lock-out times. Those at-risk of acute alcohol harm were less likely to support more restrictive policies. High levels of community concern and support for alcohol harm-reduction strategies, including restrictive strategies, provide policy makers with a basis for implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce such harms in city entertainment precincts. [Tindall J, Groombridge D, Wiggers J, Gillham K, Palmer D, Clinton-McHarg T, Lecathelinais C, Miller P. Alcohol-related crime in city entertainment precincts: Public perception and experience of alcohol-related crime and support for strategies to reduce such crime. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:263-272]. © 2015 The Authors. Drug and Alcohol Review published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

A comparative study of blood alcohol concentrations in Australian night-time entertainment districts.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Peter; Pennay, Amy; Droste, Nicolas; Butler, Erin; Jenkinson, Rebecca; Hyder, Shannon; Quinn, Brendan; Chikritzhs, Tanya; Tomsen, Stephen; Wadds, Phillip; Jones, Sandra C; Palmer, Darren; Barrie, Lance; Lam, Tina; Gilmore, William; Lubman, Dan I

2014-07-01

There is little research describing how intoxication levels change throughout the night in entertainment districts. This research aims to describe levels of alcohol intoxication across multiple Australian metropolitan and regional nightlife districts. This study was conducted in the night-time entertainment districts of three metropolitan cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Perth) and two regional cities (Wollongong and Geelong) in Australia. Data collection occurred approximately fortnightly in each city on a Friday or Saturday night between 8 pm and 5 am. Brief structured interviews (3-10 min) and breathalyser tests were undertaken in busy thoroughfares over six months. Of the 7037 individuals approached to participate in the study, 6998 [61.8% male, mean age 24.89 years (standard deviation 6.37; range 18-73)] agreed to be interviewed. There was a linear increase in blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels throughout the night. Post hoc testing revealed significantly more highly intoxicated participants (i.e. BAC above 0.10 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood) after midnight (P gender differences disappeared by 3 am. There was no age differences in intoxication earlier in the night, but after midnight, patrons over the age of 21 showed increasing BAC levels. There is a consistent trend across the cities of high to very high levels of intoxication later in the night, with trends after midnight being significantly different to those before. © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Androids: application of EAP as artificial muscles to entertainment industry

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, D.; Pioggia, G.; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; de Rossi, D.

2001-01-01

The classic movie Metropolis (1926), which is nowadays considered a cinema milestone, has shown the possibility to build robots called androids that are science and fiction run together to realize a dream: the human-like robot. In that movie, Dr. Rotwang transforms a simple and cold calculating robot into the body of a beautiful woman. Robots have often been depicted as metal creatures with cold steel bodies, but there is no reason why metals should be the only kind of material for construction of robots. The authors examined the issues related to applying electroactive polymers materials (EAP) to the entertainment industry. EAP are offering attractive characteristics with the potential to produce more realistic models of living creatures at significantly lower cost. This paper seeks to elucidate how EAP might infiltrate and ultimately revolutionize entertainment, showing some applicative examples.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre annual report : 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The main thrust of the various research and development (R and D) activities of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Bombay, is towards the implementation of India's nuclear power programme. To that end, its R and D activities cover the entire nuclear fuel cycle, reactor technology; applications of radioisotopes and radiations in agriculture, medicine and industries; and radiation protection in nuclear installations. The report presents in summarised form the R and D activities carried out during 1989 in the chapters entitled: Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Materials and Materials Sciences, Radioisotopes, Reactors, Fuel Cycle, Radiological Safety and Protection, Electronics and Instrumentation, Engineering Services, Life Sciences and General. At the end of each chapter, a list of publications by the staff scientists in the corresponding subject field is given. The list includes published journal articles and technical reports, and papers presented at conferences, symposia etc. The report also covers the R and D activities of the outstation units of BARC, namely, Nuclear Research Laboratory, Srinagar; High Altitude Research Laboratory, Gulmarg; and Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Calcutta. BARC is also engaged in basic an applied research in frontier areas of science such as plasma and fusion physics, accelerators and lasers, high temperature superconductivity, condensed matter physics, high pressure physics, high resolution spectroscopy, chemical reaction dynamics and laser induced chemistry, electronics and robotics: radiation biology, and genetic engineering. Report is illustrated with a number of figures, graphs, and coloured pictures. (M.G.B.) figs., refs

Approaching Science by Watching TV: What Do Entertainment Programs Contribute to Viewers' Competence in Genetic Engineering?

Science.gov (United States)

Weinmann, Carina; Löb, Charlotte; Mattheiß, Tamara; Vorderer, Peter

2013-01-01

This study examined the potential of entertainment-education (E-E) for promoting engagement with a science issue. It was assumed that certain entertaining features of a media experience increase viewers' perceived knowledge about an issue. Drawing on different theoretical models of E-E and on persuasive effects of narrative media messages, three…

75 FR 6709 - United States, et al. v. Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. and Live Nation Inc.; Proposed Final...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-10

... Live Music Entertainment Industry 15. The components of the live music entertainment industry pertinent... American Music business principally involves the promotion of live music events at Live Nation owned and/or... generate substantial income from live music events. Major concert venues that generate substantial income...

Adolescent Weight Preoccupation: Influencing Factors and Entertainment Media Exposure

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, John; Yoo, Jeong-Ju

2010-01-01

This study examined how boys' and girls' weight preoccupation varied by grade level, parent-child relationships, self-classified weight, entertainment media exposure levels, and gender. Seventh-grade girls (n = 190) and boys (n = 132) and 10th-grade girls (n = 99) and boys (n = 67) participated. Girls were more likely to report weight…

Advertisements for children's entertainment products in a popular parenting magazine: sedentary or active?

Science.gov (United States)

Basch, Corey H; Kecojevic, Aleksandar; Cadorett, Valerie; Basch, Charles E

2017-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe advertisements of children's entertainment products in a popular magazine, Parents, and to determine if they illustrated behavior that was physically active or sedentary. Methods: The sample was comprised of Parents magazines (January 2010 to December 2015). Coding involved determining if the advertisement was promoting sedentary or active behavior. Results: Nearly all of the 169 advertisements in the sample (n = 166; 97.6%) were for products that depicted sedentary behavior. The most common types of entertainment products advertised were DVDs (n = 72), plastic stacking products (n = 18), books (n=14), and electronic devices (n = 13). The most popular theme that appeared in the advertisements was the entertainment product would enhance intelligence (n = 85; 50.3%, 95% CI: 0.43-0.58). The overwhelming majority (n = 136; 80.5%. 95% CI: 0.76-0.87) of the advertisements involved the presence of a character. Conclusion: This type of advertising does not contribute to the nation's goals of increasing physical activity among youth.

Like Fun Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of the Entertainment Programs in BiH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanja Dokić Mrša

2015-09-01

Full Text Available According to the data from the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entertaining programme constitutes a quarter of all TV stations broadcast (24.9% and more than half of radio stations broadcast (53.66%. The content analysis of television programmes of three public broadcasters (BHT 1, RTRS, FTV as well as two commercial TV stations with nationwide coverage (TV Hayat and TV BN in prime time (from 17 to 23 hours on weekly base, based on the review of the programmes, showed that entertainment is one of the most important segments of television programmes, on both commercial TV stations, as well as public service in BiH. Qualitative analysis of Grand Show, that stands for the one of the most popular music and entertainment shows, not only in BiH, but wider, for almost two decades, indicates that this show belongs to kitsch culture. Furthermore, certain similarities between reality show programs like Big Brother or Farm and french Theatre of the absurd were found.

I was totally there! : understanding engagement in entertainment-ducation narratives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeuwen, van L.

2015-01-01

Summary

I was totally there!: Understanding engagement in entertainment-education narratives

By Lonneke van Leeuwen

Introduction
Narratives have the power to influence their recipients’ health behaviors.

Building an applied activation analysis centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartosek, J.; Kasparec, I.; Masek, J.

1972-01-01

Requirements are defined and all available background material is reported and discussed for the building up of a centre of applied activation analysis in Czechoslovakia. A detailed analysis of potential users and the centre's envisaged availability is also presented as part of the submitted study. A brief economic analysis is annexed. The study covers the situation up to the end of 1972. (J.K.)

Use of "entertainment" chimpanzees in commercials distorts public perception regarding their conservation status.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kara K Schroepfer

Full Text Available Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes are often used in movies, commercials and print advertisements with the intention of eliciting a humorous response from audiences. The portrayal of chimpanzees in unnatural, human-like situations may have a negative effect on the public's understanding of their endangered status in the wild while making them appear as suitable pets. Alternatively, media content that elicits a positive emotional response toward chimpanzees may increase the public's commitment to chimpanzee conservation. To test these competing hypotheses, participants (n = 165 watched a series of commercials in an experiment framed as a marketing study. Imbedded within the same series of commercials was one of three chimpanzee videos. Participants either watched 1 a chimpanzee conservation commercial, 2 commercials containing "entertainment" chimpanzees or 3 control footage of the natural behavior of wild chimpanzees. Results from a post-viewing questionnaire reveal that participants who watched the conservation message understood that chimpanzees were endangered and unsuitable as pets at higher levels than those viewing the control footage. Meanwhile participants watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees showed a decrease in understanding relative to those watching the control footage. In addition, when participants were given the opportunity to donate part of their earnings from the experiment to a conservation charity, donations were least frequent in the group watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees. Control questions show that participants did not detect the purpose of the study. These results firmly support the hypothesis that use of entertainment chimpanzees in the popular media negatively distorts the public's perception and hinders chimpanzee conservation efforts.

Why do fans attend world Wrestling Entertainment? | Kruger | South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This research examined the travel motives of South African World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fans at a live Smackdown event in July 2011, which was part of the WWE's world tour. Based on these motives, different market segments at the events were identified and profiled. This was the first time that the motives of ...

The Language of Entertainment News Is a Serious Business

Science.gov (United States)

Marjanovic, Tatjana

2013-01-01

An essentially qualitative structural and semantic analysis is performed on the text of an "American Idol" coverage posted on yahoo.com January 24, 2013, constituting a micro-corpus of 2,739 words. Since such stories feature entertainment laced with a shot of drama and scandal, most of us share similar expectations as to what packaging…

Guest editorial preface : Special Issue on Advances in Computer Entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Anton; Romão, Teresa; Cheok, Adrian D.

2013-01-01

This special issue of the International Journal of Creative Interfaces and Computer Graphics contains a selection of papers from ACE 2012, the 9th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment (Nijholt et al., 2012). ACE is the leading scientific forum for dissemination of

Physician-related barriers to communication and patient- and family-centred decision-making towards the end of life in intensive care: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, Mieke; Deliens, Luc; Houttekier, Dirk

2014-11-18

Although many terminally ill people are admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) at the end of life, their care is often inadequate because of poor communication by physicians and lack of patient- and family-centred care. The aim of this systematic literature review was to describe physician-related barriers to adequate communication within the team and with patients and families, as well as barriers to patient- and family-centred decision-making, towards the end of life in the ICU. We base our discussion and evaluation on the quality indicators for end-of-life care in the ICU developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Critical Care End-of-Life Peer Workgroup. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO) were searched, using controlled vocabulary and free text words, for potentially relevant records published between 2003 and 2013 in English or Dutch. Studies were included if the authors reported on physician-related and physician-reported barriers to adequate communication and decision-making. Barriers were categorized as being related to physicians' knowledge, physicians' attitudes or physicians' practice. Study quality was assessed using design-specific tools. Evidence for barriers was graded according to the quantity and quality of studies in which the barriers were reported. Of 2,191 potentially relevant records, 36 studies were withheld for data synthesis. We determined 90 barriers, of which 46 were related to physicians' attitudes, 24 to physicians' knowledge and 20 to physicians' practice. Stronger evidence was found for physicians' lack of communication training and skills, their attitudes towards death in the ICU, their focus on clinical parameters and their lack of confidence in their own judgment of their patient's true condition. We conclude that many physician-related barriers hinder adequate communication and shared decision-making in ICUs. Better physician education and palliative care guidelines are needed to enhance

Self-centring technique for fibre optic microlens mounting using a concave cone-etched fibre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demagh, Nacer-Eddine; Guessoum, Assia; Zegari, Rabah; Gharbi, Tijani

2011-01-01

Several techniques of centring a microlens onto the fibre optic end face are studied. In most of them, microsphere lenses are centred with the aid of high-accuracy micro-positioners. This process is complicated with regard to the difficulty in manipulating microsphere lenses. In this paper, a simple and accurate self-centring method for mounting microsphere lenses using a concave cone etched fibre (Demagh et al 2006 Meas. Sci. Technol. 17 119–22) is described. This technique allows the centring of a wide variety of microlens radii, typically 7 µm to over 24 µm. The proposed process, however, is not affected by any spatial positioning control of microspheres. In over 85% of the attempts, the microsphere lenses were centred on the fibre axis to within 0.12 µm

Historical centres: changing definitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberta Lazzarotti

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Since the end of the Second World War, the architectural and planning culture has been showing a fluctuating attention to the theme of historical centres and their enhancement. First of all this uneven progress explains the difficulty to reach a homogeneous definition and this is still lacking. During a long phase of this period, the historical parts of the town were considered as objects to be preserved in an integral way, as urban monuments. This is mostly due to the high symbolic value of these settlements, that represent fundamental landmarks. Identity building and empowerment of local communities are indispensable conditions for any development programme, especially in the case of centres or other historic environments at risk of abandonment. The progressive evolution of this concept brings awareness of the impossibility of separating – either in analytical or in planning terms ­ historical centres from their urban and territorial contexts, which are linked by mutual, deep relationships. This article attempts to retrace the steps signaled by the publication of international documents and conventions, from the Charter of Gubbio (1960 to the Charter of Krakow and the European Landscape Convention (2000; they obviously represent particular points of view, not exhaustive of the richness of the positions in the debate, but extremely significant in terms of diffusion and consensus.

Getting the story right: making computer-generated stories more entertaining

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oinonen, K.M.; Theune, Mariet; Nijholt, Antinus; Heylen, Dirk K.J.; Maybury, Mark; Stock, Oliviero; Wahlster, Wolfgang

2005-01-01

In this paper we describe our efforts to increase the entertainment value of the stories generated by our story generation system, the Virtual Storyteller, at the levels of plot creation, discourse generation and spoken language presentation. We also discuss the construction of a story database that

STORIES OF PROSTITUTION: READINGS OF ENTERTAINMENT IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRAZIL

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Renata Ferreira Vieira

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Censored by parents and conservative critics, stories about prostitutes have always been "forbidden" readings that, in addition to stimulating the book trade over the years, offered readers entertainment through the "euphoria and sensations" caused by the stuffed works with obscene plots and / or sexual insinuations. It is in this perception of reading, in nineteenth-century Brazil, who were the novels about the "women of life" like Lucíola (1862, the Brazilian writer José de Alencar (1829-1877,and Nana (1880, the French writer Émile Zola (1840-1902. Affiliated, respectively, with romantic and naturalistic esthetics, Lucíola and Nana fictionalize the live of two young prostitutes in a nineteenth-century patriarchal society. In order to understand how these novels were appropriated as "entertainment literature" by the reading public of the time, this article will investigate the trajectory of publication, circulation and reception of these works through the theoretical assumptions of the history of books and reading (CHARTIER, 1990 .

The use of mobile technology for online shopping and entertainment among older adults in Finland

OpenAIRE

Kuoppamäki, Sanna-Mari; Taipale, Sakari; Wilska, Terhi-Anna

2017-01-01

Older adults are becoming an important market segment for all internet-based services, but few studies to date have considered older adults as online shoppers and users of entertainment media. Utilising the concept of life course, this article investigates the use of mobile technologies for online shopping and entertainment among consumers aged 55 to 74. The data were collected with a web-based survey completed by a panel of respondents representing Finnish television viewers (N = 322). The r...

Using Internet as Entertainment among Users Aged between 25 to 40 in Tehran

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Behzad Dowran

2008-11-01

Full Text Available This article is the report of research conducted to answer two main questions; first, to what extent and under which forms using internet as entertainment is prevalent among users aged between 24 to 40 years in Tehran? And second has this kind of usage changed with passage of time (since the beginning of usage until the time of research? The research was designed and conducted with descriptive and qualitative method and the relevant data were gathered by using the techniques of deep interview with a sample (15 persons of the statistical population of users (the first generation of internet users in Tehran. The findings show that using internet as entertainment among the sample is usual usages which include chatting, blogging, music downloading, browsing the webs containing pornographic materials and Orcat in terms of leaning order. The responses of interviewees show that after the passage of ten years, using internet as entertainment has significantly declined. Chatting, browsing the webs containing pornographic material and cybernetic searching in terms of learning order have been mentioned the usual forms in early periods of internet usage.

Preference learning for cognitive modeling: a case study on entertainment preferences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yannakakis, Georgios; Maragoudakis, Manolis; Hallam, John

2009-01-01

Learning from preferences, which provide means for expressing a subject's desires, constitutes an important topic in machine learning research. This paper presents a comparative study of four alternative instance preference learning algorithms (both linear and nonlinear). The case study...... investigated is to learn to predict the expressed entertainment preferences of children when playing physical games built on their personalized playing features (entertainment modeling). Two of the approaches are derived from the literature--the large-margin algorithm (LMA) and preference learning...... with Gaussian processes--while the remaining two are custom-designed approaches for the problem under investigation: meta-LMA and neuroevolution. Preference learning techniques are combined with feature set selection methods permitting the construction of effective preference models, given suitable individual...

International research centre launched

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1965-01-01

Full text: The first scientific research and educational institution to be set up on a completely international basis was officially inaugurated in Trieste on 5 October 1964 by the Director General of IAEA, Dr. Sigvard Eklund, when he opened the first seminar of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. As evidence of the international nature of the institution he noted that the scientists who would work and teach there during the first year represented sixteen different countries. By the end of 1964, the Centre building was nearing completion and three of the five floors were occupied. A successful symposium had been held on the subject of plasma physics, and a score of professors and fellows were at work, from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Greece, India, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A dozen scientific papers had been issued as preprints. The main purpose of the Centre is to foster the advancement of theoretical physics through training and research; at first the chief subject will be high-energy and elementary particle physics. Plasma physics, low energy physics and solid-state physics will also be dealt with. Special attention is paid to the needs of the developing countries. Of the 25 fellows selected for the academic year 1964-65, more than half are from South America, Africa and Asia. In conjunction with the Research Centre, there is an Advanced School for theoretical Physics to provide graduate training for fellows who need such preparation before they embark upon research. The Centre works under the guidance of a Scientific Council comprising the president, Prof. M. Sandoval-Vallarta (Nuclear Energy Commission of Mexico); Prof. A. Abragam (Saclay, France); Prof. R. Oppenheimer (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA); Dr. V. Soloviev (Dubna, USSR); Prof V.F. Weiskopf (Director General, CERN) ; Prof Abdus Salam (Imperial College, London) ; Prof. P. Budini (University of Trieste

Live Entertainment in a Fairytale Art-Peripheral Tourist Setting

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Laila EL-Mahgary

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This article introduces a multidisciplinary study in which the different fields of musicology, social sciences and children’s ‘fairytale’ literature blend together. The interest in this topic came from a lack of attention in past studies on the art-peripheral performers’ and audiences’ experiences with the more popular form of entertainment in art-peripheral tourist settings. Another fundamental purpose for this research is to explore the important role of the art-peripheral ‘fairytale’ settings in transforming the different groups of hosts’ and guests’ everyday rational characters and performances, as they transgress from their cultural norms, and move through the liminal spaces of the sea. Consequently, new identities in Hurghada’s hotels’ fairytale scenes are being formed, and which are the outcome of localized and western, cultural, political, economic, and social constructions. The empirical method in this study puts emphasis on the texts of classical fairytale stories, which are used as an architextual model developed in the course of earlier research undertaken by the author. It is also well worth mentioning, that Hurghada’s art-peripheral hotel settings generate cultural tourism from the simple consumption of entertainment and popular music.

Fibre optic sensor on robot end effector for flexible assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yung, K.L.; Lau, W.S.; Choi, C.K.; Shan, Y.Y.

1995-01-01

A fibre optic sensor system was constructed for use on robot end effectors for flexible assembly. The sensor detected the deviations between robot end effector and the workpiece. The signal was fed back to robot controller to shift the end effector until the centre of end effector and the centre of workpiece were aligned at the correct orientation. Then workpiece can be grasped symmetrically. Sensor fusion concept was used to guard against sensor system failure. Fuzzy linguistic variable and control rule concept were introduced in the sensor integration. The experimental setup for the sensor integrated system was shown. The accuracy was also discussed

Digital Facial Augmentation for Interactive Entertainment

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Naoto Hieda

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Digital projection technology allows for effective and entertaining spatial augmented reality applications. Leveraging the capabilities of reasonably accurate object tracking using commodity cameras and/or depth sensors to determine the 3D position and pose of objects in real time, it is possible to project dynamic graphical content on arbitrary surfaces, such as a person’s face. Coupling these capabilities with a simple drawing application, participants can have the experience of "painting" on someone’s face, or even on their own, by observing the projection in a mirror. Similarly, integrating 2D rigid-body, fluid and gravity simulation, one may interact with virtual objects projected on their own face or body.

Automatic centring and bonding of lenses

Science.gov (United States)

Krey, Stefan; Heinisch, J.; Dumitrescu, E.

2007-05-01

We present an automatic bonding station which is able to center and bond individual lenses or doublets to a barrel with sub micron centring accuracy. The complete manufacturing cycle includes the glue dispensing and UV curing. During the process the state of centring is continuously controlled by the vision software, and the final result is recorded to a file for process statistics. Simple pass or fail results are displayed to the operator at the end of the process.

Storage system software solutions for high-end user needs

Science.gov (United States)

Hogan, Carole B.

1992-01-01

Today's high-end storage user is one that requires rapid access to a reliable terabyte-capacity storage system running in a distributed environment. This paper discusses conventional storage system software and concludes that this software, designed for other purposes, cannot meet high-end storage requirements. The paper also reviews the philosophy and design of evolving storage system software. It concludes that this new software, designed with high-end requirements in mind, provides the potential for solving not only the storage needs of today but those of the foreseeable future as well.

Promoting Prosocial Beliefs And Behavior Toward People With Disabilities In Nepal Through A Children’s Entertainment-Education Program

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William J Brown

2011-10-01

Full Text Available PurposeThis quasi-experimental field study examines the prosocial influences of a children's entertainment-education television programme, Khushi Ko Sansar, on children’s beliefs and intended behaviour towards people with disabilities in Nepal.MethodPre-test and post-test survey data were gathered from 357 Nepali children from nine communities that took part in the study. The children were shown two television episodes in which the star of the programmes, a dog named Khush, befriends and visits people with disabilities.ResultsPost-test results show that children developed strong identification with Khush and adopted his prosocial beliefs and behaviour towards people with disabilities.ConclusionsThe authors conclude that the entertainment-education television programme, Khushi Ko Sansar, provided a positive role model for children who encounter people with disabilities. Implications of these findings suggest that entertainment-education media can improve the treatment of people with disabilities and can promote beneficial health beliefs and practices.Key words: Children’s television, entertainment-education, Nepal, people with disabilities, role modelsdoi 10.5463/DCID.v22i2.33 

Work in Progress: Gender and Politics in Late Elizabethan Progress Entertainments

Science.gov (United States)

Kolkovich, Elizabeth Zeman

2009-01-01

This dissertation analyzes the understudied dramatic genre of Elizabethan progress entertainments, the political ideologies it conveys, and especially the female alliances it enacts. Aristocrats staged these outdoor, episodic pageants on their country estates during Elizabeth I's summer "progress" visits, 1575-1602. While previous scholars…

Prevalence and correlates of drink driving within patrons of Australian night-time entertainment precincts.

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, Ashlee; Coomber, Kerri; Hyder, Shannon; Droste, Nic; Pennay, Amy; Jenkinson, Rebecca; Mayshak, Richelle; Miller, Peter G

2016-10-01

Drink driving is a significant public health concern, and contributes to many road fatalities worldwide. The current study is the first to examine the prevalence and correlates of drink driving behavior in a sample of night-time entertainment precinct attendees in Australia. Interviews were conducted with 4214 night-time entertainment precinct attendees in two metropolitan and three regional cities in Australia. Seven correlates of self-reported drink driving were examined: gender, age, occupation, blood alcohol concentration (BAC), alcohol consumed prior to attending a licensed venue, energy drink consumption, and other drug consumption. Fourteen percent of night-time entertainment precinct attendees reported drink driving in the past three months. Bivariate logistic regression models indicated that males were significantly more likely than females to report drink driving in the past three months. Blue-collar workers and sales/clerical/administrative workers were significantly more likely to report drink driving behavior in the past three months than white-collar workers. The likelihood of reporting drink driving during the three months prior to interview significantly increased as BAC on the current night out increased, and when patrons reported engaging in pre-drinking or other drug use. The multivariate model presented a similar pattern of results, however BAC and pre-drinking on the night of the interview were no longer independent significant predictors. Males, blue collar/sales/clerical/administrative workers, and illicit drug consumers were more likely to report engaging in drink driving behavior than their counterparts. Interventions should focus on addressing the considerable proportion night-time entertainment precinct attendees who report engaging in drink driving behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Indoor air pollution (PM2.5) due to secondhand smoke in selected hospitality and entertainment venues of Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Nafees, Asaad Ahmed; Taj, Tahir; Kadir, Muhammad Masood; Fatmi, Zafar; Lee, Kiyoung; Sathiakumar, Nalini

2012-09-01

To determine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM(2.5)) levels at various hospitality and entertainment venues of Karachi, Pakistan. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at various locations in Karachi, during July 2009. Sampling was performed at 20 enclosed public places, including hospitality (restaurants and cafés) and entertainment (snooker/billiard clubs and gaming zones) venues. PM(2.5) levels were measured using an aerosol monitor. All entertainment venues had higher indoor PM(2.5) levels as compared to the immediate outdoors. The indoor PM(2.5) levels ranged from 25 to 390 μg/m(3) and the outdoor PM(2.5) levels ranged from 18 to 96 μg/m(3). The overall mean indoor PM(2.5) level was 138.8 μg/m(3) (± 112.8). Among the four types of venues, the highest mean indoor PM(2.5) level was reported from snooker/billiard clubs: 264.7 μg/m(3) (± 85.4) and the lowest from restaurants: 66.4 μg/m(3) (± 57.6) while the indoor/outdoor ratio ranged from 0.97 to 10.2, highest being at the snooker/billiard clubs. The smoking density ranged from 0.21 to 0.57, highest being at gaming zones. The indoor PM(2.5) concentration and smoking density were not significantly correlated (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.113; p = 0.636). This study demonstrates unacceptably high levels of PM(2.5) exposure associated with secondhand smoke (SHS) at various entertainment venues of Karachi even after 8 years since the promulgation of smoke-free ordinance (2002) in Pakistan; however, better compliance may be evident at hospitality venues. The results of this study call for effective implementation and enforcement of smoke-free environment at public places in the country.

Proposed medical applications of the National Accelerator Centre facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, D.T.L.

1982-01-01

The National Accelerator Centre is at present under construction at Faure, near Cape Town. The complex will house a 200 MeV separated-sector cyclotron which will provide high quality beams for nuclear physics and related diciplines as well as high intensity beams for medical use. The medical aspects catered for will include particle radiotherapy, isotope production and possibly proton radiography. A 30-bed hospital is to be constructed on the site. Building operations are well advanced and the medical facilities should be available for use by the end of 1984

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre: annual report 1986-87

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The Research and Development (R and D) work and achievements of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, during the financial year 1986-1987 are reported. The R and D activities of BARC cover the entire nuclear fuel cycle, production and use of radioisotopes, radiation protection and also basic research in several disciplines. The report is presented in the chapters entitled: Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Materials and Materials Science, Life Sciences, Radioisotopes, Reactors, Fuel Cycle, Health and Safety, Electronics and Instrumentation, Engineering and General Services. At the end of each chapter are listed the journal articles published, the paper presented at conferences, symposia etc. and technical reports issued by the scientists of BARC in the subject field indicated by the title of the chapter. The R and D work of the outstation units of BARC, namely, Nuclear Research Laboratory at Srinagar, High Altitute Research Laboratory at Gulmarg, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre at Calcutta and Gauribidanur Seismic Array near Bangalore are also described in the report. The report concludes with a brief account of: (1) transfer of technologies developed at the Centre, (2) activities related to human resource development for nuclear programmes of the country, and (3) progress of design and construction work of Centre for Advanced Technology at Indore. (M.G.B.)

Impact of Entertainment Motivational Drivers on User Acceptance of Online Social Network Banner Advertising: A Gratification Perspective

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Mir Imran Anwar

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Social media has phenomenally changed the communication landscape. Particularly social network sites have received enormous popularity and user acceptance globally. The business model of many social network sites is based on advertising. The survival of these social network sites depends on the user acceptance of advertising appearing on these websites. Users usually accept the advertising which is consistent with their motivations for using social network sites. The current study examines the underlying dimensions of entertainment motivation for using social network sites and their impact on user acceptance of social network advertising. Analysis of data from 450 university students show entertainment motivation for using social network sites a multidimensional (SNSs construct consisting of enjoyment, social escapism, relaxation and pass time factors. Furthermore, the results exhibit that SNSs entertainment motivation partially impacts user acceptance of social network advertising.

Travel Series as TV Entertainment: Genre characteristics and touristic views on foreign countries

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Anne Marit Waade

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Why is it not the deprived developing country, but rather the tempting destination the host arrives in when guiding the audience in a travel series? And how can we explore the specific combination of entertainment and education that travel series represent? Basically the travel series genre is a hybrid of journalistic documentary, entertaining lifestyle series and TV ads and the different series put different emphasis on the different genre elements. Travel series represent a certain kind of mediated consumption and they reflect lifestyle identity in relation to touristic consumer cultures. Like other lifestyle series dealing with consumption products and lifestyle markers encompassing fashion, food, garden, design and interior that balance somewhere between journalism and advertising, travel series typically deal with destinations, travel modes, cultural experiences and food as commodities. To understand the cultural and democratic value of travel series as a popular TV genre in the context of public service broadcasting, it is not the fact that the series contain educative and enlightening information about foreign cultures told in an entertaining and popular way that are of my interest. Rather it is tourism and media consumer culture as such, one has to expound as valuable democratic and cultural practice. The article presents different matrices of the respectively cultural and consumer knowledge that the different types of travel series include.

Automobile, construction and entertainment business sector influences on sedentary lifestyles.

Science.gov (United States)

Parra, Diana C; de Sá, Thiago H; Monteiro, Carlos A; Freudenberg, Nicholas

2018-04-01

Sedentary lifestyles contribute to premature death and health inequalities. Researchers have studied personal and community-level determinants of inactivity but few have analyzed corporate influences. To reframe the public health debate on inactivity and open new doors for public sector intervention, we conducted a scoping review of evidence from several disciplines to describe how the business and political practices of the automobile, construction, and entertainment sectors have encouraged sedentary lifestyles. In the last 50 years, these industries have found it profitable to produce motor vehicles, housing, and entertainment, which intentionally or unintentionally discourage physical activity. Ceding primary authority for policy decisions in these sectors to the market-based economy has enabled the growth of powerful lobbies that encourage and maintain sedentary lifestyles. To counteract these influences, public health and civil society need to confront more upstream economic and social determinants of sedentary lifestyles. Building on evidence from efforts to change harmful tobacco, alcohol and food industry practices, we propose the creation of research and policy agendas that contribute to public health practice that can modify corporate practices that contribute to physical, social and political environments that discourage physical activity.

Design and performance Assessment of an Airborne Ice Sounding Radar Front-End

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hernández, Carlos Cilla; Krozer, Viktor; Vidkjær, Jens

2008-01-01

The paper describes the design and experimental performance assessment of the RF front-end of an airborne P-band ice sounding radar. The ice sounder design features newly developed components at a centre frequency of 435 MHz, such as, antenna 20% bandwidth at RL ≪ 13 dB, compact high power in...

The werther effect of two celebrity suicides: an entertainer and a politician.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Hyun Kim

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Suicide is a major health problem in Korea. Extensive media exposure of celebrity suicide may induce imitative suicide, a phenomenon called the Werther effect. We examined the increased suicide risk following the suicides of an entertainer and a politician, and identified the relative suicide risks. METHODS: News articles about the celebrity suicides were obtained from three major newspapers and analysed for quantitative and qualitative features. Imitative suicide risk was investigated by applying a Poisson time series autoregression model with suicide mortality data from the National Statistics Office for 1.5 years before and 1.5 years after each celebrity's suicide. The period with a significantly increased number of suicides immediately after the celebrity's suicide determined the Werther effect band. The relative risk during this period was examined for different ages, genders, and suicide methods. RESULTS: News reports were more numerous and they contained more positive definitions about the entertainer's suicide. The risk of suicide deaths rose markedly after both celebrity suicides. However, the Werther effect band was longer for the entertainer (6 weeks than for the politician (4 weeks. The relative suicide risk was significant for almost all ages and both genders during that of both individuals. Use of the same suicide method was a prominent risk factor after both celebrity suicides. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the existence of imitative suicide behaviours, suggesting a facilitation effect of media reports. Guidelines for responsible media reporting need to be implemented to enhance public mental health in Korea.

ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS – PART OF TOURISM ACTIVITIES

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Dionisie Marian TURCU

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The work aims to highlight the niche forms of tourism (active tourism and ecotourism, showing similarities and differences between them. However it argues the need to introduce the occupation of rural tourism entertainer, showing the main tasks incumbent upon it to organize leisure tourists. The research was conducted by studying the latest articles in the field and by consulting specific websites.

Play-Personas: Behaviours and Belief Systems in User-Centred Game Design

Science.gov (United States)

Canossa, Alessandro; Drachen, Anders

Game designers attempt to ignite affective, emotional responses from players via engineering game designs to incite definite user experiences. Theories of emotion state that definite emotional responses are individual, and caused by the individual interaction sequence or history. Engendering desired emotions in the audience of traditional audiovisual media is a considerable challenge; however it is potentially even more difficult to achieve the same goal for the audience of interactive entertainment, because a substantial degree of control rests in the hand of the end user rather than the designer. This paper presents a possible solution to the challenge of integrating the user in the design of interactive entertainment such as computer games by employing the "persona" framework introduced by Alan Cooper. This approach is already in use in interaction design. The method can be improved by complementing the traditional narrative description of personas with quantitative, data-oriented models of predicted patterns of user behaviour for a specific computer game Additionally, persona constructs can be applied both as design-oriented metaphors during the development of games, and as analytical lenses to existing games, e.g. for evaluation of patterns of player behaviour.

The challenges of social marketing of organ donation: news and entertainment coverage of donation and transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Tyler R; Morgan, Susan E; Chewning, Lisa V

2008-01-01

While great strides have been made in persuading the public to become potential organ donors, actual behavior has not yet caught up with the nearly universally favorable attitudes the public expresses toward donation. This paper explores the issue by situating the social marketing of organ donation against a broader backdrop of entertainment and news media coverage of organ donation. Organ donation storylines are featured on broadcast television in medical and legal dramas, soap operas, and other television serials approximately four times per month (not including most cable networks), and feature storylines that promote myths and fears of the organ donation process. National news and other non-fictionalized coverage of organ donation are even more common, with stories appearing over twenty times a month on average. These stories tend to be one-dimensional and highly sensationalized in their coverage. The marketing of organ donation for entertainment essentially creates a counter-campaign to organ donation, with greater resources and reach than social marketers have access to. Understanding the broader environmental context of organ donation messages highlights the issues faced by social marketing campaigns in persuading the public to become potential donors.

Heavy Sexual Content Versus Safer Sex Content: A Content Analysis of the Entertainment Education Drama Shuga.

Science.gov (United States)

Booker, Nancy Achieng'; Miller, Ann Neville; Ngure, Peter

2016-12-01

Extremely popular with Kenyan youth, the entertainment-education drama Shuga was designed with specific goals of promoting condom use, single versus multiple sexual partners, and destigmatization of HIV. Almost as soon as it aired, however, it generated controversy due to its extensive sexual themes and relatively explicit portrayal of sexual issues. To determine how safer sex, antistigma messages, and overall sexual content were integrated into Shuga, we conducted a content analysis. Results indicated that condom use and HIV destigmatization messages were frequently and clearly communicated. Negative consequences for risky sexual behavior were communicated over the course of the entire series. Messages about multiple concurrent partnerships were not evident. In addition, in terms of scenes per hour of programming, Shuga had 10.3 times the amount of sexual content overall, 8.2 times the amount of sexual talk, 17.8 times the amount of sexual behavior, and 9.4 times the amount of sexual intercourse as found in previous analysis of U.S. entertainment programming. Research is needed to determine how these factors may interact to influence adolescent viewers of entertainment education dramas.

Swedish High-End Apparel Online

OpenAIRE

Hansson, Christoffer; Grabe, Thomas; Thomander, Karolina

2010-01-01

The study aims to through a qualitative case study describe how six Swedish high-end apparel companies attributed as part of “the Swedish fashion wonder” with online distribution have been affected by six chosen factors. The six factors presented are extracted from previous studies and consist of customer relationships, intermediary relationships, pricing, costs and revenue, competitors and impact on the brand. The results show that customer relationships is an important factor that most comp...

Affective Interface Adaptations in the Musickiosk Interactive Entertainment Application

Science.gov (United States)

Malatesta, L.; Raouzaiou, A.; Pearce, L.; Karpouzis, K.

The current work presents the affective interface adaptations in the Musickiosk application. Adaptive interaction poses several open questions since there is no unique way of mapping affective factors of user behaviour to the output of the system. Musickiosk uses a non-contact interface and implicit interaction through emotional affect rather than explicit interaction where a gesture, sound or other input directly maps to an output behaviour - as in traditional entertainment applications. PAD model is used for characterizing the different affective states and emotions.

Attracting Pupils and Students to Natural Sciences: Challenges in Higher Education on the Example of Science Learning Centre Bioskop Masaryk University (Brno, the Czech Republic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ondřej Konečný

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Many universities in the Czech Republic lack students´ interest in the studies of natural science. That is why all the universities have to come up with an idea how to popularize these scientific fields to attract potential university applicants. One of the ways of achieving that is to create educational centres, which are able, thanks to these programmes, to approach students of primary and secondary schools and show them the natural sciences. The presented example of one particular educational centre (Bioskop Masaryk University, Brno, the Czech Republic evaluates the success rate of their activities while using written questionnaire survey among the visitors of the programmes (students of primary and secondary schools as well as their pedagogues. The results have shown that thanks to these activities the centre created quality conditions for popularization of natural sciences. The results have also proven the centre´s ability to present natural sciences in an attractive and entertaining way to students of elementary and secondary schools. These students expressed their interest in the study of natural sciences and they would like to visit the centre again

'Amusements are provided': asylum entertainment and recreation in Australia and New Zealand c.1860-c.1945.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKinnon, Dolly

2009-01-01

This chapter examines the official 'entertainment', in all its forms, provided to inmates in Australian and New Zealand asylums--later mental hospitals--between c.1860 and c.1945. Visitors came into asylum grounds and patients were permitted periods of leave, all for the purposes of entertainment and recreation. Surviving recreation buildings, their grounds and institutional archives, bear silent witness to the noisy and lively recreational activities of past patients, staff and visitors. This chapter reconstructs these practices in twenty public and three private asylums from this period by examining a diverse range of sources, including archives, histories of asylums and newspaper articles.

Entertainment Education and Social Change: Evaluating a Children's Soap Opera in Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

de Block, Liesbeth

2012-01-01

This article discusses audience responses to a children's soap opera produced and broadcast in Kenya. It examines the evaluation process in relation to qualitative audience research within Cultural Studies. It challenges an Entertainment-Education model of media as vehicles for messages and links strongly with Communication for Social Change…

Fuel cycle centres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagen, M.

1977-01-01

The concept of co-locating and integrating fuel cycle facilities at one site is discussed. This concept offers considerable advantages, especially in minimizing the amount of radioactive material to be transported on public roads. Safeguards and physical protection as relating to such an integrated system of facilities are analysed in detail, also industrial and commercial questions. An overall risk-benefit evaluation turns out to be in favour of fuel cycle centres. These centres seem to be specifically attractive with regard to the back end of the fuel cycle, including on-site disposal of radioactive wastes. The respective German approach is presented as an example. Special emphasis is given to the site selection procedures in this case. Time scale and cost for the implementation of this concept are important factors to be looked at. Since participation of governmental institutions in these centres seems to be indispensable their respective roles as compared to industry must be clearly defined. The idea of adjusting fuel cycle centres to regional rather than national use might be an attractive option, depending on the specific parameters in the region, though results of existing multinational ventures are inconclusive in this respect. Major difficulties might be expected e.g. because of different national safety regulations and standards as well as commercial conditions among partner countries. Public acceptance in the host country seems to be another stumbling block for the realization of this type of multinational facilities

Status report of the end-to-end ASKAP software system: towards early science operations

Science.gov (United States)

Guzman, Juan Carlos; Chapman, Jessica; Marquarding, Malte; Whiting, Matthew

2016-08-01

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a novel centimetre radio synthesis telescope currently in the commissioning phase and located in the midwest region of Western Australia. It comprises of 36 x 12 m diameter reflector antennas each equipped with state-of-the-art and award winning Phased Array Feeds (PAF) technology. The PAFs provide a wide, 30 square degree field-of-view by forming up to 36 separate dual-polarisation beams at once. This results in a high data rate: 70 TB of correlated visibilities in an 8-hour observation, requiring custom-written, high-performance software running in dedicated High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities. The first six antennas equipped with first-generation PAF technology (Mark I), named the Boolardy Engineering Test Array (BETA) have been in use since 2014 as a platform to test PAF calibration and imaging techniques, and along the way it has been producing some great science results. Commissioning of the ASKAP Array Release 1, that is the first six antennas with second-generation PAFs (Mark II) is currently under way. An integral part of the instrument is the Central Processor platform hosted at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre in Perth, which executes custom-written software pipelines, designed specifically to meet the ASKAP imaging requirements of wide field of view and high dynamic range. There are three key hardware components of the Central Processor: The ingest nodes (16 x node cluster), the fast temporary storage (1 PB Lustre file system) and the processing supercomputer (200 TFlop system). This High-Performance Computing (HPC) platform is managed and supported by the Pawsey support team. Due to the limited amount of data generated by BETA and the first ASKAP Array Release, the Central Processor platform has been running in a more "traditional" or user-interactive mode. But this is about to change: integration and verification of the online ingest pipeline starts in early 2016, which is required to support the full

Bumball: Highly Engaging, Highly Inclusive, and Highly Entertaining

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Amber; Barney, David; Wilkinson, Carol

2014-01-01

Physical educators are always looking for new and exciting games and activities in which students can participate. This article describes Bumball, a high-intensity game that provides the opportunity for students to use many common game skills, such as hand-eye coordination, passing to a target, running, playing defense, and getting to an open…

Investigation of techniques for energy-efficient new-build data centres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Buck, A.; Afman, M.; Van Lieshout, M. [CE Delft, Delft (Netherlands); Harryvan, D. [Mansystems, Den Haag (Netherlands)

2013-05-15

Data centres are becoming an increasingly important sector of the Dutch economy, but are also substantial and rapidly growing energy consumers, currently responsible for approximately 1.5% of national electricity use. In recent years a range of technical options have been developed that permit major improvements in the energy efficiency of data centres. In this context CE Delft has investigated in-depth a number of options for new-build data centres. All these options limit energy use and are economically and technically feasible. The study was conducted for the Dutch government's NL Agency in close cooperation with the trade association Nederland ICT and individual data centres, as well as national and local government authorities. The study consists of an extensive literature study and entailed interviews with suppliers of energy-efficient techniques. Based on detailed data delivered by these suppliers, model calculations were performed to predict the energy performance at different loading degrees. The results were validated with data centre operators. The results show that a high degree of energy efficiency can be achieved. Various combinations of techniques available to this end can deliver EUEs below 1.2. This is a significant step beyond the EUE of 1.3 used as a reference. EUE, Energy Usage Efficiency, is a measure of how energy-efficient a data centre provides its services. A crucial factor in all technology combinations is substantial use of 'free cooling', i.e. utilising natural sources of cold. The efficient variants use technology geared to maximising such use. The type of power supply is another key factor, and in this respect modular construction is pivotal. Operational aspects are also important for achieving high efficiencies. The report is to serve as a basis for guidelines for local government in the framework of environmental permits.

A Televised Entertainment-Education Drama to Promote Positive Discussion about Organ Donation

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, Georges E.; Rintamaki, Lance S.

2014-01-01

This article investigates pathways between the exposure to an entertainment-education (E-E) television drama called "Three Rivers" and positive discussion of organ donation among viewers of the drama in the United States. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online advertising for a period of one week. Survey participants…

The Factors and Features of Museum Fatigue in Science Centres Felt by Korean Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Minchul; Dillon, Justin; Song, Jinwoong

2018-03-01

One of the objectives of science education in science centres has been the enhancement of interest in science. However, museum fatigue has a negative impact on interest. Museum fatigue has been described as physical tiredness or a decrease in visitors' interest in a museum. The learning experience of students in science centres is also influenced by museum fatigue. The purpose of this study is to identify the phenomena of museum fatigue in science centres and to identity how it is manifested. First, we identified the factors causing museum fatigue in science centres using the data from an open-ended questionnaire which was given to 597 primary, middle and high school students in South Korea. From the responses to the questionnaire, 50 factors causing museum fatigue in science centres were identified. A second Likert-type questionnaire with the 50 factors of museum fatigue in science centres was administered to 610 primary, middle and high school students in South Korea. Using reliability and factor analyses, we developed a framework of the factors causing museum fatigue in science centres, which consists of three contexts, 12 categories and 50 factors. Secondly, through statistical analyses including T test and ANOVA analysis, the features of students' museum fatigue in science centres were analysed and compared regarding student gender, school level, interest in science, grade of school science, the number of visits, and type of visit. The results, which were found to be statistically significant, are reported and discussed. The findings of this study are intended to serve for a deeper understanding and practical improvement of science learning in science centres.

How to predict a high rate of inappropriateness for upper endoscopy in an endoscopic centre?

Science.gov (United States)

Buri, L; Bersani, G; Hassan, C; Anti, M; Bianco, M A; Cipolletta, L; Di Giulio, E; Di Matteo, G; Familiari, L; Ficano, L; Loriga, P; Morini, S; Pietropaolo, V; Zambelli, A; Grossi, E; Intraligi, M; Tessari, F; Buscema, M

2010-09-01

Inappropriateness of upper endoscopy (EGD) indication causes decreased diagnostic yield. Our aim of was to identify predictors of appropriateness rate for EGD among endoscopic centres. A post-hoc analysis of two multicentre cross-sectional studies, including 6270 and 8252 patients consecutively referred to EGD in 44 (group A) and 55 (group B) endoscopic Italian centres in 2003 and 2007, respectively, was performed. A multiple forward stepwise regression was applied to group A, and independently validated in group B. A <70% threshold was adopted to define inadequate appropriateness rate clustered by centre. discrete variability of clustered appropriateness rates among the 44 group A centres was observed (median: 77%; range: 41-97%), and a <70% appropriateness rate was detected in 11 (25%). Independent predictors of centre appropriateness rate were: percentage of patients referred by general practitioners (GP), rate of urgent examinations, prevalence of relevant diseases, and academic status. For group B, sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver operating characteristic curve of the model in detecting centres with a <70% appropriateness rate were 54%, 93% and 0.72, respectively. A simple predictive rule, based on rate of patients referred by GPs, rate of urgent examinations, prevalence of relevant diseases and academic status, identified a small subset of centres characterised by a high rate of inappropriateness. These centres may be presumed to obtain the largest benefit from targeted educational programs. Copyright (c) 2010 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual Enhancement for Sports Entertainment by Vision-Based Augmented Reality

OpenAIRE

Uematsu, Yuko; Saito, Hideo

2008-01-01

This paper presents visually enhanced sports entertainment applications: AR Baseball Presentation System and Interactive AR Bowling System. We utilize vision-based augmented reality for getting immersive feeling. First application is an observation system of a virtual baseball game on the tabletop. 3D virtual players are playing a game on a real baseball field model, so that users can observe the game from favorite view points through a handheld monitor with a web camera....

Using Entertainment Media to Inform Student Affairs Teaching and Practice Related to Sex and Gender

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Tracy L.

2004-01-01

This chapter presents several strategies for teaching about sex and gender using entertainment media and explores critical issues related to content development, the delivery process, and evaluation methods.

Conceptual Framework for Educational Disaster Centre "save the Children Life"

Science.gov (United States)

Bandrova, T.; Kouteva, M.; Pashova, L.; Savova, D.; Marinova, S.

2015-08-01

Millions of people are affected by natural and man-made disasters each year, among which women, children, elderly persons, people with disabilities or special needs, prisoners, certain members of ethnic minorities, people with language barriers, and the impoverished are the most vulnerable population groups in case of emergencies. Many national and international organizations are involved in Early Warning and Crisis Management training, particularly focused on the special target to safe children and improve their knowledge about disasters. The success of these efforts is based on providing the specific information about disaster preparedness and emergency in adapted for children educational materials, accompanied with simple illustrative explanations for easy and fast understanding of the disasters. The active participation of the children in the educational activities through appropriate presenting the information, short training seminars and entertaining games will increase their resilience and will contribute significantly to their preparedness and adequate response in emergency situations. This paper aims to present the conceptual framework of a project for establishing an Educational Disaster Centre (EDC) "Save the children life" at University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG), providing relevant justification of the necessity to organize such centre in Bulgaria and discussing good practices in Europe and worldwide for children' education and training in case of disastrous event. General concepts for educational materials and children training are shared. Appropriate equipment for the EDC is shortly described.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre: annual report 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-12-01

The research and development (R and D) work carried out in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Bombay during 1988 is summarised and presented in the sections entitled Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Materials and Materials Science, Radioisotopes, Reactors, Fuel cycle, Radiological Safety and Protection, Electronics and Instrumentation, Engineering Services, Life Sciences and General. At the end of each section a list of publications is also given. The R and D work of the outstation units of BARC, namely, Nuclear Research Laboratory, Srinagar; High Altitute Research Laboratory, Gulmarg and Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Calcutta are also described in this report. Some of the highlights of the work during the year are: (1) Medium Energy Heavy Ion Accelerator (MEHIA) facility set up jointly by BARC and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) at TIFR premises became fully operational in September 1988. A number of new compositions of high temperature supconducting materials were synthesized. The highest transition temperature achieved was 125 K. Research work to improve the quality of sintered uranium oxide pellets achieved the purpose. Nuclear fuels were fabricated by using sol-gel process. R and D work for 235 MWe and 500 MWe PHWR type reactors is continuing. Conceptual design of the fuel handling system for the prototype fast breeder reactor was finalised. 233 U+Al alloy fuel for Kamini reactor was fabricated. Progress has been made in industrial applications of enzymes. Various applications of radioisotopes are being continued. Certain technologies and processes developed in the Centre were transferred to commercial agencies for large scale exploitation. (M.G.B.)

Organisational and environmental characteristics of residential aged care units providing highly person-centred care: a cross sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sjögren, Karin; Lindkvist, Marie; Sandman, Per-Olof; Zingmark, Karin; Edvardsson, David

2017-01-01

Few studies have empirically investigated factors that define residential aged care units that are perceived as being highly person-centred. The purpose of this study was to explore factors characterising residential aged care units perceived as being highly person-centred, with a focus on organisational and environmental variables, as well as residents' and staff' characteristics. A cross-sectional design was used. Residents ( n  = 1460) and staff ( n  = 1213) data from 151 residential care units were collected, as well as data relating to characteristics of the organisation and environment, and data measuring degree of person-centred care. Participating staff provided self-reported data and conducted proxy ratings on residents . Descriptive and comparative statistics, independent samples t-test, Chi 2 test, Eta Squared and Phi coefficient were used to analyse data. Highly person-centred residential aged care units were characterized by having a shared philosophy of care, a satisfactory leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration and social support from colleagues and leaders, a dementia-friendly physical environment, staff having time to spend with residents, and a smaller unit size. Residential aged care units with higher levels of person-centred care had a higher proportion of staff with continuing education in dementia care, and a higher proportion of staff receiving regular supervision, compared to units with lower levels of person-centred care. It is important to target organisational and environmental factors, such as a shared philosophy of care, staff use of time, the physical environment, interdisciplinary support, and support from leaders and colleagues, to improve person-centred care in residential care units. Managers and leaders seeking to facilitate person-centred care in daily practice need to consider their own role in supporting, encouraging, and supervising staff.

Fade In: Exploring The Effects of Technological Change on Consumers and Firm Revenues in Home Entertainment Markets for Film

OpenAIRE

Axarlian, Gabriel Pablo

2015-01-01

AbstractFADE IN:EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE ON CONSUMERS AND FIRM REVENUES IN HOME ENTERTAINMENT MARKETS FOR FILM Gabriel Axarlian This dissertation is composed of three related works, two of which are similar in data and time span with the third being more independent in this respect. The three works focus on the nature of the film industry’s adaptation to changing technologies in home entertainment markets. My analysis studies the effectiveness of new strategies as well ...

Boobs, Boxing, and Bombs: Problematizing the Entertainment of Spike TV

OpenAIRE

Walton, Gerald; Potvin, L.

2009-01-01

Spike is the only television network in North America “for men.” Its motto, “Get more action,” is suggestive of pursuits of various forms of violence. We conceptualize Spike not as trivial entertainment, but rather as a form of pop culture that erodes the gains of feminists who have challenged the prevalence of normalized hegemonic masculinity (HM). Our paper highlights themes of Spike content, and connects those themes to the literature on HM. Moreover, we validate the identities and lives ...

The Centre of High-Performance Scientific Computing, Geoverbund, ABC/J - Geosciences enabled by HPSC

Science.gov (United States)

Kollet, Stefan; Görgen, Klaus; Vereecken, Harry; Gasper, Fabian; Hendricks-Franssen, Harrie-Jan; Keune, Jessica; Kulkarni, Ketan; Kurtz, Wolfgang; Sharples, Wendy; Shrestha, Prabhakar; Simmer, Clemens; Sulis, Mauro; Vanderborght, Jan

2016-04-01

The Centre of High-Performance Scientific Computing (HPSC TerrSys) was founded 2011 to establish a centre of competence in high-performance scientific computing in terrestrial systems and the geosciences enabling fundamental and applied geoscientific research in the Geoverbund ABC/J (geoscientfic research alliance of the Universities of Aachen, Cologne, Bonn and the Research Centre Jülich, Germany). The specific goals of HPSC TerrSys are to achieve relevance at the national and international level in (i) the development and application of HPSC technologies in the geoscientific community; (ii) student education; (iii) HPSC services and support also to the wider geoscientific community; and in (iv) the industry and public sectors via e.g., useful applications and data products. A key feature of HPSC TerrSys is the Simulation Laboratory Terrestrial Systems, which is located at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and provides extensive capabilities with respect to porting, profiling, tuning and performance monitoring of geoscientific software in JSC's supercomputing environment. We will present a summary of success stories of HPSC applications including integrated terrestrial model development, parallel profiling and its application from watersheds to the continent; massively parallel data assimilation using physics-based models and ensemble methods; quasi-operational terrestrial water and energy monitoring; and convection permitting climate simulations over Europe. The success stories stress the need for a formalized education of students in the application of HPSC technologies in future.

The mathematics of various entertaining subjects

CERN Document Server

Rosenhouse, Jason

Volume 1 : The history of mathematics is filled with major breakthroughs resulting from solutions to recreational problems. Problems of interest to gamblers led to the modern theory of probability, for example, and surreal numbers were inspired by the game of Go. Yet even with such groundbreaking findings and a wealth of popular-level books exploring puzzles and brainteasers, research in recreational mathematics has often been neglected. The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects brings together authors from a variety of specialties to present fascinating problems and solutions in recreational mathematics. Contributors to the book show how sophisticated mathematics can help construct mazes that look like famous people, how the analysis of crossword puzzles has much in common with understanding epidemics, and how the theory of electrical circuits is useful in understanding the classic Towers of Hanoi puzzle. The card game SET is related to the theory of error-correcting codes, and simple tic-tac-toe tak...

Entertaining Democracy in the Era of Neo-Liberalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Curran

2016-08-01

Full Text Available James Curran’s article “Entertaining democracy in the Era of Neo-liberalism” is an essay written from the 13th SBPJor Conference Meeting in Campo Grande in 2015; a conference in which he was the opening speaker. The article was approved for publication in the BJR at the end of 2015, but we have decided to publish it in a special edition of Journalism and Democracy as it deals precisely with this issue. Curran begins the article by questioning the current state of democracy as it pertains to the decline of the nation state and the emergence of transnational institutions of deliberation which he calls “multilevel governance” but “is not matched by the development of a multilevel sense of citizenship”. As almost a prelude to the Brexit, Curran draws attention to the fact that the English do not consider themselves European despite being a part of the European Union. He tied this nationalist ideal not only to the British, but to other country populations in general. In a world dominated by transnational corporations and the presence and constancy of national media “supporting a national identity” he predicted that “Attempts at new institutional building are out of step with media development”. His analysis highlights several problems that are weakening modern democracy like “the increasing centralization of power by political leaders” and the “increasingly unrepresentative nature of the political class  rendering them in some countries almost a ‘separate caste’”. Reading Curran’s text allows us to reflect on the situation in Brazil. At first, it is pessimistic and places meanings that we have lobbied for outside of our borders: “Governments are less able to govern; political power is becoming more centralized; and the unelected influence of big business is becoming greater”. The media also has a hand in contributing towards a “growing sense of disconnection from politics”, making reference to politics as

45 CFR 73.735-503 - Criminal provisions relating to gifts, entertainment, and favors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... insurance, profit-sharing, stock bonus or other employee welfare or benefit plan maintained by a former... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Criminal provisions relating to gifts, entertainment, and favors. 73.735-503 Section 73.735-503 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

Screening for congenital heart malformations in child health centres

OpenAIRE

Juttmann, Rikard

1999-01-01

textabstractThe objective of this thesis is to clarify the effectiveness and the efficiency of screening for congenital heart malformations in Dutch child health centres and the possibilities to optimise this prevention programme. To this end the following main questions will be addressed. 1. Does screening for congenital heart malformations, as actually performed in Dutch child health centres, prevent adverse outcomes of these disorders in the short and long run? What would be the answer to ...

Potential marketing plan for Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. to China

OpenAIRE

Li, Weishen

2013-01-01

The purpose of this thesis was to create a marketing plan for Sony Computer Enter-tainment, Inc. (SCE) for its market entry in mainland China. SCE is a major Japanese video game company which develops and manufactures video game consoles and game software on a global scale. SCE belongs to Sony Cooperation. Sony operates almost its every single business in China except the video game business due to the internal factors of China. Along with the great increase of Chinese people’s purchas-ing po...

Environmental benefits of electrification and end-use efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMenamin, J.S.; Monforte, F.A.; Sioshansi, F.P.

1997-01-01

Significant reductions in greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants can be achieved through continued substitution of clean, efficient electrotechnologies for fossil fuel-based technologies. Continued improvements in the efficiency of electrical appliances already in use will further increase the environmental benefits of electricity. Over the last several decades, electricity use in the US has grown strongly. Over a 35 year period 1960-95, electric utility sales increased more than fourfold, from under 700 billion kWh (BkWh) to almost 3,000 BkWh. This increase was due, in part, to a growing economy, but it also reflects the increasingly broad application of electricity to provide comfort, convenience, entertainment, safety and productivity. Reflecting this expanding role, energy used for electricity generation by utilities has nearly doubled, increasing from 19 percent of US primary energy use in 1960 to about 36 percent in 1995. Environmental factors have also provided support to policies that promote improved end-use efficiency. More efficient end-use equipment allows consumers to obtain the same level of end-use services with less electricity. Reduced electricity consumption levels imply reduced generation requirements and therefore, lower levels of emissions associated with generation. Beginning in the mid-1970's, and stimulated by abrupt increases in fossil fuel prices, both government and utility policies began to emphasize end-use efficiency

Analysis of different research activities and description of parties within the Swedish Knowledge Centre for Renewable Transportation Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lundgren, Joakim [Bio4Energy, Luleaa (Sweden); Wallberg, Ola [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden)

2012-07-01

The Swedish Knowledge Centre for Renewable Transportation Fuels (f3) is a nationwide centre, which through cooperation and a systems approach will contribute to the development of sustainable fossil free fuels for transportation. The centre will, through joint efforts by the centre partners, perform syntheses of current research about the production of renewable fuels as well as supplementing research, such as comparative systems analyses of fuels, processes, raw materials and plant design. f3 provides a platform for collaboration between centre partners, with a common vision of sustainable fuels for transportation and common objectives. The centre partners include Sweden's most active universities and research institutes within the field, as well as a number of highly relevant industrial companies. New fuels will be an important component of a strategy to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on petroleum. The Swedish Government has established a vision for the Swedish transport industry to function without fossil fuels by 2030. Such a development requires a concerted response, with participation from all stake holders. Swedish researchers in various disciplines and at various colleges and institutes have a unique breadth and they are at the forefront in several areas of knowledge appropriate for a centre for renewable fuels. Through collaboration, f3 should help to link engineering and systems research and communicate results and conclusions from these research efforts. Within the f3 centre, several parties with different research activities are represented. This document is a snapshot of the different parties at the end of 2011 where the stake holders are described and their current research is highlighted. Also, the different projects conducted by the parties have been categorized and presented at the end of the document.

Exposure to scenic lighting devices: risk to the health of entertainment professionals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salsi, S.; Barlier-Salsi, A.

2013-01-01

The European directive 2006/25/EC on minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from optical radiation provides for risk assessment in workplaces. This is particularly important in entertainment, where intentional exposure to spotlights may be required for periods of 8 hours per working day. The aim of the study was to provide the lighting engineers with information, relative to the risks associated with spotlights, to help them to estimate the risks a priori of a lighting plan. This study consisted of determining the risks associated with 63 different spotlights, then distributing them into 4 groups of risks defined by the standard EN 62471, in calculating their permissible minimal exposure distance, corresponding to the use of 1 and 5 spotlights for a daily exposure time of 8 hours. This study highlighted that spotlights may cause health problems for entertainment workers. The classification proposed by the standard EN 62471 is not sufficient to estimate the risks of a lighting plan. Furthermore, the permissible minimal exposure distance and the permissible maximal exposure time do not constitute relevant parameters to reduce the risks to acceptable values. (authors)

RTEMS CENTRE- Support and Maintenance CENTRE to RTEMS Operating System

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, H.; Constantino, A.; Coutunho, M.; Freitas, D.; Faustino, S.; Mota, M.; Colaço, P.; Zulianello, M.

2008-08-01

RTEMS stands for Real-Time Operating System for Multiprocessor Systems. It is a full featured Real Time Operating System that supports a variety of open APIs and interface standards. It provides a high performance environment for embedded applications, including a fixed-priority preemptive/non-preemptive scheduler, a comprehensive set of multitasking operations and a large range of supported architectures. Support and maintenance CENTRE to RTEMS operating system (RTEMS CENTRE) is a joint initiative of ESA-Portugal Task force, aiming to build a strong technical competence in the space flight (on- board) software, to offer support, maintenance and improvements to RTEMS. This paper provides a high level description of the current and future activities of the RTEMS CENTRE. It presents a brief description of the RTEMS operating system, a description of the tools developed and distributed to the community [1] and the improvements to be made to the operating system, including facilitation for the qualification of RTEMS (4.8.0) [2] for the space missions.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) annual report 1985-86

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The research and development (R and D) activities and accomplishments during the financial year 1985-86 of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay are reported. The BARC is a multidisciplinary laboratory engaged in R and D activities in the field of nuclear energy. The main thrust of the R and D activities of the Centre is aimed at: (1) achieving targets of India's nuclear power programme, (2) indigenisation of the various steps in the nuclear fuel cycle, (3) developing and propagating peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology in the country in fields such as agriculture, medicine and industry, (4) providing scientific support to regulatory functions associated with nuclear facilities and radiation protection activities in the country. The salient features of these R and D activities are described in the chapters entitled: (1) physical sciences, (2) chemical sciences, (3) materials and materials sciences, (4) life sciences, (5) radioisotopes, (6) reactors, (7) fuel cycle, (8) health and safety, (9) electronics and instrumentation, and (10) technical services. A list of publications by the staff-members during the report period is given at the end of each chapter. The R and D activities of the outstation units of BARC, namely, Nuclear Research Laboratory at Srinagar, High Altitude Research Laboratory at Gulmarg, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre at Calcutta and Gauribidanur Seismic Array near Bangalore are also covered in the report. Other activities of the Centre include technology transfer and manpower training which are also described briefly. (M.G.B.)

Comparing the effects of entertainment and educational television programming on risky sexual behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Moyer-Gusé, Emily; Nabi, Robin L

2011-01-01

Entertainment-education (E-E) may offer an effective way to reduce risky behavior by modeling healthy behaviors. Although there is some empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of the E-E strategy, much of this research has been conducted in countries with different media landscapes than that of the United States and controlled experiments in this context are rare. Moreover, empirical tests of the relative effectiveness of E-E messages and other message formats are needed. In this study, 437 undergraduates participated in a three-wave panel experiment in which they viewed one of three programs (E-E, education, or entertainment). Safer sex intentions and behaviors were measured several days before, immediately following, and 2 weeks after exposure. Results demonstrate that effects of exposure to this E-E program vary depending on gender and past experience with sexual intercourse. In particular, females and those who had not initiated sexual intercourse showed the strongest effects. Discussion of theoretical implications and suggestions for future research are provided. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Class and Gender in Prime-Time Television Entertainment: Observations from a Socialist Feminist Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Steeves, H. Leslie; Smith, Marilyn Crafton

1987-01-01

Assesses representations of women in television entertainment programs from a socialist feminist perspective. Elaborates on socialist feminist theory, presents concepts for an analysis of both class and gender oppression, and argues that most socialist feminist cultural studies do not address these categories adequately. Uses these concepts to…

Toimenpide-ehdotuksia sosiaaliseen mediaan : case: Sony Music Entertainment Finland Oy

OpenAIRE

Marttila, Noora

2016-01-01

Tämä opinnäytetyö toteutettiin toimeksiantona Sony Music Entertainment Finland Oy levy-yhtiölle. Toimeksiantaja on kansainvälinen yritys joka on yksi Suomen suurimmista levy-yhtiöistä. Yritys käyttää sosiaalista mediaa osana digitaalista markkinointiaan. Sitä käytetään erityisesti artistien sekä julkaisujen tunnettuuden lisäämiseen. Sosiaalinen media on kasvava markkinoinnin keino, joka oikein hyödynnettynä voi johtaa hyviin lopputuloksiin. Tämän työn tarkoituksena on antaa yrityksell...

Entertainment Capture through Heart Rate Activity in Physical Interactive Playgrounds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yannakakis, Georgios; Hallam, John; Lund, Henrik Hautop

2008-01-01

children’s physiological signals, an estimator of the degree to which games provided by the playground engage the players. For this purpose children’s heart rate (HR) signals, and their expressed preferences of how much “fun” particular game variants are, are obtained from experiments using games...... that predict reported entertainment preferences given HR features. These models are expressed as artificial neural networks and are demonstrated and evaluated on two Playware games and two control tasks requiring physical activity. The best network is able to correctly match expressed preferences in 64...

CRITICAL ISSUES IN HIGH END COMPUTING - FINAL REPORT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corones, James [Krell Institute

2013-09-23

High-End computing (HEC) has been a driver for advances in science and engineering for the past four decades. Increasingly HEC has become a significant element in the national security, economic vitality, and competitiveness of the United States. Advances in HEC provide results that cut across traditional disciplinary and organizational boundaries. This program provides opportunities to share information about HEC systems and computational techniques across multiple disciplines and organizations through conferences and exhibitions of HEC advances held in Washington DC so that mission agency staff, scientists, and industry can come together with White House, Congressional and Legislative staff in an environment conducive to the sharing of technical information, accomplishments, goals, and plans. A common thread across this series of conferences is the understanding of computational science and applied mathematics techniques across a diverse set of application areas of interest to the Nation. The specific objectives of this program are: Program Objective 1. To provide opportunities to share information about advances in high-end computing systems and computational techniques between mission critical agencies, agency laboratories, academics, and industry. Program Objective 2. To gather pertinent data, address specific topics of wide interest to mission critical agencies. Program Objective 3. To promote a continuing discussion of critical issues in high-end computing. Program Objective 4.To provide a venue where a multidisciplinary scientific audience can discuss the difficulties applying computational science techniques to specific problems and can specify future research that, if successful, will eliminate these problems.

High yield polyol synthesis of round- and sharp-end silver nanowires with high aspect ratio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nekahi, A.; Marashi, S.P.H., E-mail: pmarashi@aut.ac.ir; Fatmesari, D. Haghshenas

2016-12-01

Long silver nanowires (average length of 28 μm, average aspect ratio of 130) with uniform diameter along their length were produced by polyol synthesis of AgNO{sub 3} in ethylene glycol in the presence of PVP as preferential growth agent. Nanowires were produced with no addition of chloride salts such as NaCl or CuCl{sub 2} (or other additives such as Na{sub 2}S) which are usually used for lowering reduction rate of Ag ions by additional etchant of O{sub 2}/Cl{sup −}. Lower reduction rate was obtained by increasing the injection time of PVP and AgNO{sub 3} solutions, which was the significant factor in the formation of nanowires. Therefore, there was enough time for reduced Ag atoms to be deposited preferentially in the direction of PVP chains, resulting in high yield (the fraction of nanowires in the products) of nanowires (more than 95%) with high aspect ratio. The produced nanowires had both round- and sharp-ends with pentagonal cross section. Higher energy level of Ag atoms in borders of MTPs, which increases the dissolution rate of precipitated atoms, in addition to partial melting of MTPs at high synthesis temperatures, leads to the curving of the surfaces of exposed (111) crystalline planes in some MTPs and the formation of round-end silver nanowires. - Highlights: • Long silver nanowires with high aspect ratio of 130 were produced. • More than 95% nanowires were produced in products. • The produced nanowires had round- and sharp-ends with pentagonal cross section. • Additives were needed neither for high yield synthesis nor for round-end nanowires. • Melting and etching of MTPs in high energy borders resulted to round-end nanowires.

The Werther Effect of Two Celebrity Suicides: an Entertainer and a Politician

OpenAIRE

Kim, Jae-Hyun; Park, Eun-Cheol; Nam, Jung-Mo; Park, SoHee; Cho, Jaelim; Kim, Sun-Jung; Choi, Jae-Woo; Cho, Eun

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: Suicide is a major health problem in Korea. Extensive media exposure of celebrity suicide may induce imitative suicide, a phenomenon called the Werther effect. We examined the increased suicide risk following the suicides of an entertainer and a politician, and identified the relative suicide risks. METHODS: News articles about the celebrity suicides were obtained from three major newspapers and analysed for quantitative and qualitative features. Imitative suicide risk was investigat...

Entertaining Whilst Defacing Websites: Psychological Games for Hackers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashish K Das

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate various characteristics from both victims as defaced websites and defacers that linked to a risk of being defaced through a set of descriptive analysis. Background: The current figures from a spectrum of sources, both academic and non-academic reports, proved a progressive increase of website defacement attacks to numerous organisations. Methodology: This study obtains a set of data from Zone-H site, which is accessible to the public, including 99,437 defaced websites. The descriptive analysis is applied in order to understand the motives of defacers and the probability of website re-defacements through the statistical investigation. Findings: The motives for defacing websites are driven mainly due to entertaining reasons. This in turn has an implication on the type of techniques defacers attack websites.

Exploring the requirements for multimodal interaction for mobile devices in an end-to-end journey context.

Science.gov (United States)

Krehl, Claudia; Sharples, Sarah

2012-01-01

The paper investigates the requirements for multimodal interaction on mobile devices in an end-to-end journey context. Traditional interfaces are deemed cumbersome and inefficient for exchanging information with the user. Multimodal interaction provides a different user-centred approach allowing for more natural and intuitive interaction between humans and computers. It is especially suitable for mobile interaction as it can overcome additional constraints including small screens, awkward keypads, and continuously changing settings - an inherent property of mobility. This paper is based on end-to-end journeys where users encounter several contexts during their journeys. Interviews and focus groups explore the requirements for multimodal interaction design for mobile devices by examining journey stages and identifying the users' information needs and sources. Findings suggest that multimodal communication is crucial when users multitask. Choosing suitable modalities depend on user context, characteristics and tasks.

Centre-based day care for children younger than five years of age in high-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

van Urk, Felix C; Brown, Taylor W; Waller, Rebecca; Mayo-Wilson, Evan

2014-09-23

A large proportion of children younger than five years of age in high-income countries experience significant non-parental care. Centre-based day care services may influence the development of children and the economic situation of parents. To assess the effects of centre-based day care without additional interventions (e.g. psychological or medical services, parent training) on the development and well-being of children and families in high-income countries (as defined by the World Bank 2011). In April 2014, we searched CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and eight other databases. We also searched two trials registers and the reference lists of relevant studies. We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials of centre-based day care for children younger than five years of age. We excluded studies that involved co-interventions not directed toward children (e.g. parent programmes, home visits, teacher training). We included the following outcomes: child cognitive development (primary outcome), child psychosocial development, maternal and family outcomes and child long-term outcomes. Two review authors independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted data from the single included study. We contacted investigators to obtain missing information. We included in the review one trial, involving 120 families and 143 children. Risk of bias was high because of contamination between groups, as 63% of control group participants accessed day care services separate from those offered within the intervention. No evidence suggested that centre-based day care, rather than no treatment (care at home), improved or worsened children's cognitive ability (Griffiths Mental Development Scale, standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.01 to 0.69, 127 participants, 1 study, very low-quality evidence) or psychosocial development (parental report of abnormal development, risk ratio (RR

Analysing the role of ICT in bridging the digital divide amongst ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

annaline

was done at four schools and one adult education centre in South Africa ... radically improve teaching. .... the education, training, shopping, entertainment and communications ... and internships to immerse kids in the intellectual challenges they will ... this trajectory. .... Through him, four institutions — three high schools.

Coupling single NV-centres to high-Q whispering gallery modes of a preselected frequency-matched microresonator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schietinger, Stefan; Benson, Oliver

2009-01-01

In this paper, we report the controlled coupling of fluorescence from a single NV-centre in a single nanodiamond to the high-Q modes of a preselected microsphere. Microspheres from an ensemble with a finite size distribution can be characterized precisely via white light Mie-scattering. The mode spectrum of individual spheres can be determined with high precision. A sphere with an appropriate spectrum can be selected, and a nanodiamond containing a single NV-centre can be coupled to it. The spectral position of the calculated lowest order whispering gallery modes are found to be in very good agreement with the experimentally observed resonances of the coupled fluorescence from the single NV-re.

78 FR 70579 - Deluxe Laboratories, Inc., a Division of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Inc. Hollywood...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-26

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-82,442] Deluxe Laboratories, Inc., a Division of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Inc. Hollywood, California; Notice of Revised Determination on Reconsideration On July 23, 2013, the Department of Labor (Department) issued a Notice of Affirmative Determination Regarding...

Screening for congenital heart malformations in child health centres

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.E. Juttmann (Rikard)

1999-01-01

textabstractThe objective of this thesis is to clarify the effectiveness and the efficiency of screening for congenital heart malformations in Dutch child health centres and the possibilities to optimise this prevention programme. To this end the following main questions will be addressed. 1. Does

Completing the cycle : Energy and Resource Recovery Centres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dickson, D. [Pearl Earth Sciences, Corp., Ajax, Ontario (Canada)]. E-mail: ddickson@pearlearth.com

2006-07-01

Pearl Earth Sciences, Corp.'s Energy and Resource Recovery Centres support technologies that will provide long-term environmental and economical benefits to industry and society at large. Using a closed-loop production process with zero emissions we offer producers of waste a solution for their end of life products. Our prime goals are to have the flexibility to respond to individual waste market challenges using innovative ultra-high-temperature plasma conversion technology and to focus on the production of value-added industrial products such as a clean synthesis gas (ProGaz), Hydrogen, metals and other recovered materials. The syn-gas with its high hydrogen content can be used in the emerging 'distributed power generation' markets, to power automotive, stationary and portable fuel cells, as well as Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles; chemical processing or direct feed to a pipeline.

Completing the cycle : Energy and Resource Recovery Centres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickson, D.

2006-01-01

Pearl Earth Sciences, Corp.'s Energy and Resource Recovery Centres support technologies that will provide long-term environmental and economical benefits to industry and society at large. Using a closed-loop production process with zero emissions we offer producers of waste a solution for their end of life products. Our prime goals are to have the flexibility to respond to individual waste market challenges using innovative ultra-high-temperature plasma conversion technology and to focus on the production of value-added industrial products such as a clean synthesis gas (ProGaz), Hydrogen, metals and other recovered materials. The syn-gas with its high hydrogen content can be used in the emerging 'distributed power generation' markets, to power automotive, stationary and portable fuel cells, as well as Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles; chemical processing or direct feed to a pipeline

RTEMS Centre - Support and Maintenance Centre to RTEMS Operating System

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, H.; Constantino, A.; Freitas, D.; Coutinho, M.; Faustino, S.; Mota, M.; Colaço, P.; Sousa, J.; Dias, L.; Damjanovic, B.; Zulianello, M.; Rufino, J.

2009-05-01

RTEMS CENTRE - Support and Maintenance Centre to RTEMS Operating System is a joint ESA/Portuguese Task Force initiative to develop a support and maintenance centre to the Real-Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems (RTEMS). This paper gives a high level visibility of the progress, the results obtained and the future work in the RTEMS CENTRE [6] and in the RTEMS Improvement [7] projects. RTEMS CENTRE started officially in November 2006, with the RTEMS 4.6.99.2 version. A full analysis of RTEMS operating system was produced. The architecture was analysed in terms of conceptual, organizational and operational concepts. The original objectives [1] of the centre were primarily to create and maintain technical expertise and competences in this RTOS, to develop a website to provide the European Space Community an entry point for obtaining support (http://rtemscentre.edisoft.pt), to design, develop, maintain and integrate some RTEMS support tools (Timeline Tool, Configuration and Management Tools), to maintain flight libraries and Board Support Packages, to develop a strong relationship with the World RTEMS Community and finally to produce some considerations in ARINC-653, DO-178B and ECSS E-40 standards. RTEMS Improvement is the continuation of the RTEMS CENTRE. Currently the RTEMS, version 4.8.0, is being facilitated for a future qualification. In this work, the validation material is being produced following the Galileo Software Standards Development Assurance Level B [5]. RTEMS is being completely tested, errors analysed, dead and deactivated code removed and tests produced to achieve 100% statement and decision coverage of source code [2]. The SW to exploit the LEON Memory Management Unit (MMU) hardware will be also added. A brief description of the expected implementations will be given.

Kansei games : entertaining your emotions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salem, B.I.; Nakatsu, R.

2007-01-01

Essentially Kansei Games are a new concept of games that focus on delivering a constructive positive experience to the game player. We wish to do this by addressing the player needs, requirements and desires. We propose a Needs Requirements and Desires (NRD) model where the self is at the centre,

The Entertainment-Education Strategy in Sexual Assault Prevention: A Comparison of Theoretical Foundations and a Test of Effectiveness in a College Campus Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Hust, Stacey J T; Adams, Paula M; Willoughby, Jessica Fitts; Ren, Chunbo; Lei, Ming; Ran, Weina; Marett, Emily Garrigues

2017-09-01

Among the existing sexual assault prevention efforts on college campuses, few use mass communication strategies designed to simultaneously entertain and educate. Although many entertainment-education efforts are guided by social cognitive theory, other theories may be useful in entertainment-education design. Previous research has found that social cognitive theory and social norms theory can successfully influence participants' perceived norms and efficacy related to sexual assault reduction; however, whether such results can be replicated in a naturalistic setting and the extent to which the guiding theoretical foundation may influence outcomes remain unknown. We used a pre- and posttest field experiment with college students in residence halls to assess how different theoretical foundations may influence effects. Over the course of a semester, the participants viewed eight mini-magazines developed using (1) social cognitive theory, (2) social norms theory, (3) a combination of both theoretical frameworks, or (4) a control condition with no sexual assault prevention messaging. Participants in the combined content condition had greater levels of self-efficacy related to sexual assault prevention and more accurate norm perceptions. There were also effects for the mini-magazines developed with only one theoretical framework. Overall, we found that multiple theories can effectively guide entertainment-education message development.

Scientific Education and the New Interactive Museums

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toharia, M.

1997-01-01

Interactive science centres which very soon achieved unprecedentedly high worldwide popularity levels, have now become a complementary, but indispensable tool, for more traditional education. They offer the change to learn science thorough all the senses and even as a form of entertainment for all ages. (Author)

Short-pulse generation in a diode-end-pumped solid-state laser

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Ngcobo, S

2010-09-01

Full Text Available , Development of High Average Power Picosecond Laser Systems, Opto- Electronic Devices, (2002). INTRODUCTION A Nd:YVO4 modelocked laser has been constructed using a resonator designed according to the theoretical parameters. The laser produced pulses... theoretical PQSML,th of 2.08W. Short-Pulse Generation in a Diode-End-Pumped Solid-State Laser S. Ngcobo1,2, C. Bollig1 and H. Von Bergmann2 1CSIR National Laser Centre, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa 2Laser Research Center, University...

Cryogenic receiver front-end with sharp skirt characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Narahashi, S [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Satoh, K [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Kawai, K [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Koizumi, D [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Nojima, T [Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808 (Japan)

2006-05-15

This paper presents an experimental cryogenic receiver front-end (CRFE) with sharp skirt characteristics for mobile base stations. The CRFE comprises a high-temperature superconducting filter, a cryogenic low-noise amplifier, and a highly reliable cryostat that is very compact. The major characteristics of the proposed CRFE measured at 70 K are a centre frequency of 1.95 GHz, passband width of 20 MHz, sharp selectivity of 20 dB/100 kHz, 1.4 dB ripple, 31.3 dB average passband gain, and average passband equivalent noise temperature of 47.9 K. The CRFE weighs 19 kg and occupies 35 l. Random failure of the cryostat is also evaluated by a continuous operation test using four identical ones simultaneously. The cryostat used in the CRFE has a high reliability level of over five years of continuous maintenance-free operation.

Integrating entertainment and scientific rigor to facilitate a co-creation of knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Hezel, Bernd; Broschkowski, Ephraim; Kropp, Jürgen

2013-04-01

The advancing research on the changing climate system and on its impacts has uncovered the magnitude of the expectable societal implications. It therefore created substantial awareness of the problem with stakeholders and the general public. But despite this awareness, unsustainable trends have continued untamed. For a transition towards a sustainable world it is, apparently, not enough to disseminate the "scientific truth" and wait for the people to "understand". In order to remedy this problem it is rather necessary to develop new entertaining formats to communicate the complex topic in an integrated and comprehensive way. Beyond that, it could be helpful to acknowledge that science can only generate part of the knowledge that is necessary for the transformation. The nature of the problem and its deep societal implications call for a co-creation of knowledge by science and society in order to enable change. In this spirit the RAMSES project (Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities) follows a dialogic communication approach allowing for a co-formulation of research questions by stakeholders. A web-based audio-visual guidance application presents embedded scientific information in an entertaining and intuitive way on the basis of a "complexity on demand" approach. It aims at enabling decision making despite uncertainty and it entails a reframing of the project's research according to applied and local knowledge.

Neighbourhood Centres – Organisation, Management and Finance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jacob Norvig

to identify different financial models and analyse economic sustainability. As regards organisational and management models data were collected through documentary sources and by means of personal interviews and field visits to ten centres. Even within the analysed limited population of centres economic...... public subsidy. Some of the centres have high number of users on a daily basis, whereas others are only rarely used. It is explored how organisation, management and financial set-up differs among the centres. Quantitative data on financial issues and annual accounts of fifteen centres were analysed...... and institutional sustainability varies significantly. In organisational terms centres range from fully-integrated in the municipal administration to independent voluntary managed centres. In terms of financial, or economic, models variation is less pronounced as all centres to some degree are dependent on current...

The complete guide to high-end audio

CERN Document Server

Harley, Robert

2015-01-01

An updated edition of what many consider the "bible of high-end audio"   In this newly revised and updated fifth edition, Robert Harley, editor in chief of the Absolute Sound magazine, tells you everything you need to know about buying and enjoying high-quality hi-fi. With this book, discover how to get the best sound for your money, how to identify the weak links in your system and upgrade where it will do the most good, how to set up and tweak your system for maximum performance, and how to become a more perceptive and appreciative listener. Just a few of the secrets you will learn cover hi

Research on the development efficiency of regional high-end talent in China: A complex network approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhen; Wang, Minggang; Tian, Lixin; Zhang, Wenbin

2017-01-01

In this paper, based on the panel data of 31 provinces and cities in China from 1991 to 2016, the regional development efficiency matrix of high-end talent is obtained by DEA method, and the matrix is converted into a continuous change of complex networks through the construction of sliding window. Using a series of continuous changes in the complex network topology statistics, the characteristics of regional high-end talent development efficiency system are analyzed. And the results show that the average development efficiency of high-end talent in the western region is at a low level. After 2005, the national regional high-end talent development efficiency network has both short-range relevance and long-range relevance in the evolution process. The central region plays an important intermediary role in the national regional high-end talent development system. And the western region has high clustering characteristics. With the implementation of the high-end talent policies with regional characteristics by different provinces and cities, the relevance of high-end talent development efficiency in various provinces and cities presents a weakening trend, and the geographical characteristics of high-end talent are more and more obvious.

75 FR 80843 - In the Matter of Certain Gaming and Entertainment Consoles, Related Software, and Components...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-23

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Inv. No. 337-TA-752] In the Matter of Certain Gaming and... the sale within the United States after importation of certain gaming and entertainment consoles...,094 (``the `094 patent''). The complaint further alleges that an industry in the United States exists...

A two-centre comparison of left ventricular ejection fraction measured by gated blood pool imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shuter, B.; Skelton, P.; Goodier, C.; Hutton, B.; Barben, S.; Patterson, H.

1984-01-01

This study demonstrates the variability that can exist between two centres where different techniques are used for gated cardiac analysis. Significant statistical differences were demonstrated despite both methods being adequately validated with low interobserver variation within each centre. These differences were largely due to problems in the definition of the atrio-ventricular boundary at end-systole. Despite statistical variations, the clinical status of at least 90% of patients was judged the same at the two centres

49 CFR 231.2 - Hopper cars and high-side gondolas with fixed ends.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Hopper cars and high-side gondolas with fixed ends... cars and high-side gondolas with fixed ends. (Cars with sides more than 36 inches above the floor are high-side cars.) (a) Hand brakes—(1) Number. Same as specified for “Box and other house cars” (see...

Strategy of Education, Entertainment and Physical Activity for Women who Suffer Breast Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Antonia Afre Socorro

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Some research works attempt to establish new and more effective methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, since it continues being one of the most harmful frequent neoplasms in Cuba and in the world. The present aim of study is to elaborate a strategy of education, amusement and physical activity tasks for women with breast cancer to the improvement of their standard of life. An explanatory cuasi-experimental research was carried out, which consists on a proposal of education, entertainment and physical activities to be put into practice in most of the patients with diagnosis of breast cancer from Pinar del Río city. The observation, documental review and the structured interview to medical, sports and community people were used. A Strategy of actions was elaborated keeping in mind certain items or components like: beneficiaries, methodology to be used, resources and evaluation. Games, trips, shops on topics of interest, culinary activities and dancing were proposed like complement of a moderate physical exercise, all them controlled by qualified professionals of health and sport. It was concluded that education, entertainment and physical activity contribute to increase the quality of life and the social interaction in women with breast cancer.

End design of the SSC 58 mm High Gradient Quadrupole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caspi, S.

1992-01-01

The ''end'' design of the High Gradient Quad. was done with consideration to the integrated field harmonics, the iron contribution, and the maximum field at the conductor. Magnetic analysis was done on the return end only, however the physical dimension of the lead end were determined as well. Using the cross-section of the windings and Cook's program BEND, we generated the physical end windings around the return end. Placing a single wire at the center of each turn the integrated gradient was computed and iterating on the end block spacers the integrated harmonics minimized. The final geometry was then used for more, extensive calculations, such as the field at the conductor and the 3D field harmonics. For this detailed calculation we have placed a single line current at the center of each strand and included the iron contribution (μ = ∞), see Appendix C. With the termination of the iron serving as a reference, the maximum length of the inner and outer layers are 182 mm and 215 mm respectively. The magnetic length of the end was computed from the gradient function A 2 and was found to be 142 mm. In reality we expect the physical length of the end to be somewhat larger, however this should have little or no effect on the magnetic length. The gradient in the straight section is 212.44 T/m at 7000 A and the integrated value of the gradient is -3.01665 E5 (G) in the end region marked by the magnetic length of the end. The respective integrated harmonics for the end 12 pole and 20 pole are -10.6658 (G/CM 4 ) and 0.7279 (G/cm 8 ) corresponding to b 6 = 0.351 , b 10 = -0.024 units. The above was computed from the values of A 2 , A 6 , and A 10

Social Issue Entertainment 2.0: How pop culture, behavioral science and impact evaluation can motivate social and environmental change (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Shome, D.

2010-12-01

Mainstream entertainment’s influence on our cognition, emotions, and behavior is often profound. Mass media permeates both the public and private spheres of society, saturating communities with messages from a diverse range of sources. While advertisers regularly take advantage of the extensive reach and influence of the media, social scientists, policy makers, and nonprofits have seen little success in incorporating social and environmental messaging into entertainment. Harmony Institute’s goal is to harness the power of mainstream media to provide US audiences with entertainment that educates on social and environmental issues and increases both individual and community action. The entertainment the Institute helps to produce connects with viewers on both a cognitive and emotional level. The Institute uses innovative methods across disciplines in order to measure entertainment’s impact and influence. Since its founding two years ago, the Institute has worked on a wide range of projects that have helped to establish its methodology for measured impact that applies behavioral science theory and entertainment to social and environmental issues. Projects spanning media platforms and social/environmental issues have included a web serial drama incorporating issues of water conservation and ocean stewardship into the narrative and a fotonovela for Hispanic youth in Houston focused on local environmental issues. In summer 2010, the Harmony Institute released FTW! Net Neutrality For The Win: How Entertainment and the Science of Influence Can Save Your Internet, an issue-specific communications guide about open Internet access that explains how to craft a communications strategy that connects with audiences using behavioral science research findings. In 2010-2011, the Institute will focus on measuring the impact and influence that media can have on social and environmental issues. The Institute has developed a comprehensive media evaluation methodology that employs

Using drawings to understand the child's experience of child-centred care on admission to a paediatric high dependency unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Mandie; Whitehead, Lisa

2018-01-01

Family- and child-centred care are philosophies of care used within paediatrics where the family and/or the child are central to healthcare delivery. This study explored the lived experience of hospitalized school-aged children admitted to a paediatric high dependency unit in New Zealand to gain insight into child-centred care from a child's perspective. An interpretive thematic approach was used where the child was asked to draw a picture of 'a person in the hospital' that was further explored through interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim with an inductive thematic analysis completed, drawing on the child-centred care framework. Twenty-six school-aged children participated. The pictures included drawings of family, staff, children and themselves. The themes generated from the interviews were relationships with themselves, family and staff and psychosocial, emotional and physical support. Children described themselves as co-creators of their own healthcare experience, consistent with child-centred care, while drawing on the principles of family-centred care. Further exploration of the concepts of 'participation versus protection' and 'child as becoming versus child as being' will contribute to translation and integration of child-centred care and family-centred care principles into practice, theory, research and policy.

Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Six-Month Follow-Up Review of Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Game Industries. A Report to Congress.

Science.gov (United States)

Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC.

In September 2000, the Federal Trade Commission issued a report on marketing violent entertainment to children. The Commission found that all three segments of the entertainment industry intentionally promoted products to children that warranted parental cautions. This report provides a look at the advertising practices to see if the industries…

Colour centre-free perovskite single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, Pierre-Olivier; Petit, Johan; Goldner, Philippe; Viana, Bruno

2009-01-01

Yb 3+ :YAlO 3 (YAP) and Yb 3+ :GdAlO 3 (GAP) are interesting 1 μm high-power laser media thanks to their very good thermo-mechanical properties. However, as-grown perovskite single crystals exhibit colour centres. Parasitic thermal load generated by these centres is deleterious for high-power laser action and can lead to crystal damages. Moreover these defects decrease Yb 3+ lifetime. They are related to trapped holes on the oxygen network. In the present work, several schemes to remove colour centres are presented. Attention is focused on cerium codoping, thermal annealing under reducing atmosphere and growth of non-stoechiometric compounds.

Realism in paediatric emergency simulations: A prospective comparison of in situ, low fidelity and centre-based, high fidelity scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Leary, Fenton; Pegiazoglou, Ioannis; McGarvey, Kathryn; Novakov, Ruza; Wolfsberger, Ingrid; Peat, Jennifer

2018-02-01

To measure scenario participant and faculty self-reported realism, engagement and learning for the low fidelity, in situ simulations and compare this to high fidelity, centre-based simulations. A prospective survey of scenario participants and faculty completing in situ and centre-based paediatric simulations. There were 382 responses, 276 from scenario participants and 106 from faculty with 241 responses from in situ and 141 from centre-based simulations. Scenario participant responses showed significantly higher ratings for the centre-based simulations for respiratory rate (P = 0.007), pulse (P = 0.036), breath sounds (P = 0.002), heart sounds (P realism for engagement and learning. © 2017 The Authors Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Jules Stein, MD: Ophthalmologist, Entertainment Magnate, and Advocate for Vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Straatsma, Bradley R; Weeks, David F

2016-04-01

To report the lifetime activities and accomplishments of Jules Stein, MD. Retrospective review. Assessment of published and unpublished biographical material. Jules Stein combined his love of music and medicine with organizational skills to achieve successive careers as a musician, an ophthalmologist, an entertainment magnate, and an advocate for vision. To preserve vision, he founded Research to Prevent Blindness, founded the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and led a multiyear campaign to establish the National Eye Institute. With successive careers and extraordinary achievements, Jules Stein created an enduring legacy of benefits to ophthalmology, vision research, and the prevention of blindness. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Volcanic Infrasound - A technical topic communicated in an entertaining way

Science.gov (United States)

Kerlow, Isaac

2017-04-01

Volcanic Infrasound is a 9-minute film about using infrasound waves to detect and measure volcanic eruptions as they unfold. The film was made by an interdisciplinary team of filmmakers and scientists for a general audience. The movie explains the basic facts of using infrasound to detect volcanic activity, and it also shows volcano researchers as they install infrasound sensors in a natural reserve in the middle of the city. This is the first in a series of films that seek to address natural hazards of relevance to Singapore, a country shielded from violent hazards. This presentation reviews the science communication techniques and assumptions used to develop and produce this entertaining scientific documentary short. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/192206460

[Patients' perception on attention received from Health Centres non-sanitary staff].

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz Moral, R; Alba Dios, A; Jiménez García, C; González Neubauer, V; García Torres, M; Pérula de Torres, L A; Barrios Blasco, L

2011-01-01

To know patients' perceptions about relational aspects and technical procedures when they are attended by the administrative staff in Health Centres. To assess the utility of two ways for measuring satisfaction. Cross-sectional study carried out in people attending the administrative sections of Health Centres for diverse reasons. Just after the interaction with the administrative they were interviewed using two different questions for assessing their opinions and satisfaction with communicational and technical aspects related with their demands. Descriptive analysis. Significant differences among mean was explored by χ(2) test. Open-ended questions were grouped in categories in a process involving three researchers independently. Over than 90% (360) of the attendees declared to be satisfied or very satisfied with the service received from the staff personal. Nevertheless, among 18-36% gave suggestions for improving the service after their consultation. Independently the domain explored, people suggested the communicational, personal capability, quality and quantity of explanations and waiting time as the main aspects to be improved. Surveys with open-ended questions are more useful to assess the quality of the attention the citizens receive from no-sanitary staff in Health Centres. These type of questions are also more useful for detecting problems and planning new interventions. Relational and informative issues seem to be the most prioritary areas to improve in this section of Health Centres. Copyright © 2010 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Linux toys II 9 Cool New Projects for Home, Office, and Entertainment

CERN Document Server

Negus, Christopher

2006-01-01

Builds on the success of the original Linux Toys (0-7645-2508-5) and adds projects using different Linux distributionsAll-new toys in this edition include a car computer system with built-in entertainment and navigation features, bootable movies, a home surveillance monitor, a LEGO Mindstorms robot, and a weather mapping stationIntroduces small business opportunities with an Internet radio station and Internet caf ̌projectsCompanion Web site features specialized hardware drivers, software interfaces, music and game software, project descriptions, and discussion forumsIncludes a CD-ROM with scr

Digital storytelling a creator's guide to interactive entertainment

CERN Document Server

Miller, Carolyn Handler

2014-01-01

Digital Storytelling shows you how to create immersive, interactive narratives across a multitude of platforms, devices, and media. From age-old storytelling techniques to cutting-edge development processes, this book covers creating stories for all forms of New Media, including transmedia storytelling, video games, mobile apps, and second screen experiences. The way a story is told, a message is delivered, or a narrative is navigated has changed dramatically over the last few years. Stories are told through video games, interactive books, and social media. Stories are told on all sorts of different platforms and through all sorts of different devices. They're immersive, letting the user interact with the story and letting the user enter the story and shape it themselves.This book features case studies that cover a great spectrum of platforms and different story genres. It also shows you how to plan processes for developing interactive narratives for all forms of entertainment and non-fiction purposes: educat...

European Trade – Where is Going? Retail Entertainment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viorica JELEV

2017-12-01

Full Text Available As competition grows, brand manager imagination needs to work, and sales growth solutions need to focus on customer focus attention. It is a difficult task if all brands offer discounts in the malls they are in, and the announcement of differentiation is put to the attention of specialists who offer solutions for fun of any kind for the clients. The article aims to present the evolution of world trade in recent years and the various ways of diversion invented by retailers to keep customers in store chains longer for them to buy more. I will also present the off-line consumer profile, as found in the specialty studies and the adaptation of the entertainment methods according to these shoper typologies. The conclusion of this article will focus on what the link between entertaiment and retail is, the new concept of RETAILTAIMENT that leads to increased sales and profits of economic agents.

High prevalence of frailty in end-stage renal disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Drost, Diederik; Kalf, Annette; Vogtlander, Nils; van Munster, Barbara C.

Purpose Prognosis of the increasing number of elderly patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is poor with high risk of functional decline and mortality. Frailty seems to be a good predictor for those patients that will not benefit from dialysis. Varying prevalences between populations are

VME as a front-end electronics system in high energy physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohska, T.K.

1990-01-01

It is only a few years since the VME became a standard system, yet the VME system is already so much more popular than other systems. The VME system was developed for industrial applications and not for the scientific research, and high energy physics field is a tiny market when compared with the industrial market. Considerations made here indicate that the VME system would be a good one for a rear-end system, but would not be a good candidate for front-end electronics in physics experiments. Furthermore, there is a fear that the VXI bus could become popular in this field of instrumentation since the VXI system is backed up by major suppliers of instrumentation in the high energy physics field. VXI would not be an adequate system for front-end electronics, yet advertised to be one. It would be worse to see the VXI system to become a standard system for high energy physics instrumentation than the VME system to be one. The VXI system would do a mediocre job so that people might be misled to think that the VXI system can be used as front-end system. (N.K.)

Playboy Entertainment for Men Braille Edition June 1996:In collaboration with Rosita McKenzie

OpenAIRE

Douglas, Caroline

2010-01-01

'Playboy Entertainment for Men' features a passage of text read aloud from an article in the 1996 Braille edition of Playboy. The work interrogates issues of femininity, gender and prevailing relations of representation. Capturing the 'female' touch reading the 'male' gaze, it prompts dialogue between touch and the spoken word; seeing and projected fantasy; and text and image. The video was the recipient of the 9th International Keller Award.

Progress in LAr EndCap Calorimetry: News from the Hadronic EndCap Group.

CERN Multimedia

Oram, C.J.

With module production and testing completed for the Hadronic EndCap calorimeter, the attention of the HEC group is heavily directed towards wheel assembly in building 180. Three of the four HEC wheels are now assembled and rotated, and work is progressing on assembling the final wheel. This year has been a busy year for the installation of components in the EndCap C cryostat: the signal feedthrough installation was completed April 22nd, the pre-sampler shortly thereafter and the Electro-Magnetic EndCap August 13th. This allowed the HEC group to start transferring the HEC wheels from the T6A storage cradle into the cryostat. The operation started in mid-September and has progressed, on or ahead of schedule, since then with the major milestones being: Insertion of 67 ton front HEC wheel October 3rd Insertion of 90 ton rear HEC wheel October 22nd. The wheel alignment has proved to be excellent, with the position of the centre of the front(rear) wheel with respect to the nominal position being displaced b...

Do narrative engagement and recipients’ thoughts explain the impact of an entertainment-education narrative on discouraging binge drinking?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Leeuwen, L.; van den Putte, B.; Renes, R.J.; Leeuwis, C.

2017-01-01

Previous research suggests that narrative engagement (NE) in entertainment-education (E-E) narratives reduces counterarguing, thereby leading to E-E impact on behavior. It is, however, unclear how different NE processes (narrative understanding, attentional focus, emotional engagement, narrative

Technical characteristics of the TRISPAL system high-energy end

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meot, F.

1996-04-01

This document presents an overview of the principle design of the high-energy end of the TRISPAL high-intensity LINAC system, with detailed schemes of the different constituent parts and of the beam envelopes. This schemes are presented with the geometric and magnetic parameters of the optical elements. The aim of this document is to allow the cost evaluation of the complete system. (J.S.). 5 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs., 1 append

The Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

High expectations for Norway's Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME).The FME centres address a broad range of areas, allcentral to developing the energy sector of the future. The activities of the eight centres established in 2009 focus on renewable energy, raising energy efficiency, energy planning, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). In 2011 three new FME centres were established which focus on social science-related energy research. The FME scheme is a direct follow-up of the broad-based political agreement on climate policy achieved in the Storting in January 2008, and of the national RandD Energi21 strategy submitted in February 2008 to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. In April 2008 the Research Council of Norway's Executive Board decided to launch a process to establish centres for environment-friendly energy research, and a funding announcement was issued that same year. In 2010 it was decided that additional FME centres would be established in the field of social science-related energy research. After a thorough assessment of each project (based on feasibility, scientific merit, potential to generate value creation and innovation, and composition of the consortium) eight applicants were selected to become FME centres in February 2009. A new call for proposals was issued in 2010, and three more centres were awarded FME status in February 2011. The objective of the FME scheme is to establish time-limited research centres which conduct concentrated, focused and long-term research of high international calibre in order to solve specific challenges in the energy sphere. The selected centres must exhibit higher goals, a longer-term perspective and a more concentrated focus than is required under other funding instruments for the same scientific area. The make-up of the centres is critical to achieving this objective. The centres bring together Norway's leading research institutions and key players in private enterprise, the

Galileo's Treatment for the Centre of Gravity of Solids

Science.gov (United States)

Worner, C. H.; Iommi-Amunategui, G.

2007-01-01

The appendix on the centres of gravity that appears at the end of Galileo's book, "Two New Sciences", is analysed. It is shown that the method used by Galileo in this work has an interesting reasoning and also shows preliminary ideas about scaling and advances some ideas about series convergence. In addition, we note that the geometrical language…

Advances in Computer Entertainment : 9th International Conference, ACE 2012, Kathmandu, Nepal, November 3-5, 2012. Proceedings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Anton; Romão, Teresa; Reidsma, Dennis

2012-01-01

This book constitutes the refereed conference proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment, ACE 2012, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in November 2012. The 10 full paper and 19 short papers presented together with 5 papers from the special track Arts and Culture

77 FR 4389 - In the Matter of Tornado Gold International Corp., Twin Faces East Entertainment Corp., Universal...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-27

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500-1] In the Matter of Tornado Gold International Corp., Twin Faces East Entertainment Corp., Universal Ice Blast, Inc., US Farms, Inc., US Microbics... concerning the securities of Tornado Gold International Corp. because it has not filed any periodic reports...

Redundancy in Systems Which Entertain a Model of Themselves: Interaction Information and the Self-Organization of Anticipation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loet Leydesdorff

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Mutual information among three or more dimensions (μ* = –Q has been considered as interaction information. However, Krippendorff [1,2] has shown that this measure cannot be interpreted as a unique property of the interactions and has proposed an alternative measure of interaction information based on iterative approximation of maximum entropies. Q can then be considered as a measure of the difference between interaction information and redundancy generated in a model entertained by an observer. I argue that this provides us with a measure of the imprint of a second-order observing system—a model entertained by the system itself—on the underlying information processing. The second-order system communicates meaning hyper-incursively; an observation instantiates this meaning-processing within the information processing. The net results may add to or reduce the prevailing uncertainty. The model is tested empirically for the case where textual organization can be expected to contain intellectual organization in terms of distributions of title words, author names, and cited references.

: tous les projets | Page 470 | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Date de début : 5 septembre 2007. End Date: 23 janvier 2010. Sujet: COMMUNITY FACILITIES, INFORMATION CENTRES, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, COMPUTERS, Internet. Région: Bangladesh, Central Asia, Far East Asia, South Asia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Viet Nam, Thailand. Financement total : CA$ 137,926.00.

: tous les projets | Page 483 | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Date de début : 31 mars 2008. End Date: 31 janvier 2010. Sujet: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION CENTRES, COMMUNITY FACILITIES, INFORMATION NETWORKS. Région: Egypt, Middle East, North of Sahara, South of Sahara, Central Asia, Far East Asia, South Asia, Lebanon, Syria. Financement total ...

Gender, Work, and HIV Risk: Determinants of Risky Sexual Behavior among Female Entertainment Workers in China

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiushi; Xia, Guomei

2006-01-01

We proposed to integrate cognitive and social factors in the study of unprotected commercial sex. Data from 159 female entertainment workers from 15 establishments in Shanghai who reported commercial sex in the month prior to interview were used to test the approach. Two-sample t tests and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to examine…

Energy efficiency in U.K. shopping centres

Science.gov (United States)

Mangiarotti, Michela

Energy efficiency in shopping centres means providing comfortable internal environment and services to the occupants with minimum energy use in a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner. This research considers the interaction of three factors affecting the energy efficiency of shopping centres: i) performance of the building fabric and services ii) management of the building in terms of operation, control, maintenance and replacement of the building fabric and services, and company's energy policy iii) occupants' expectation for comfort and awareness of energy efficiency. The aim of the investigation is to determine the role of the above factors in the energy consumption and carbon emissions of shopping centres and the scope for reducing this energy usage by changing one or all the three factors. The study also attempts to prioritize the changes in the above factors that are more cost-effective at reducing that energy consumption and identify the benefits and main economic and legal drivers for energy efficiency in shopping centres. To achieve these targets, three case studies have been analysed. Using energy data from bills, the performance of the selected case studies has been assessed to establish trends and current energy consumption and carbon emissions of shopping centres and their related causes. A regression analysis has attempted to break down the energy consumption of the landlords' area by end-use to identify the main sources of energy usage and consequently introduce cost-effective measures for saving energy. A monitoring and occupants' survey in both landlords' and tenants' areas have been carried out at the same time to compare the objective data of the environmental conditions with the subjective impressions of shoppers and shopkeepers. In particular, the monitoring aimed at assessing the internal environment to identify possible causes of discomfort and opportunities for introducing energy saving measures. The survey looked at

Internet end-to-end performance monitoring for the High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, W.

2000-01-01

Modern High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics (HENP) experiments at Laboratories around the world present a significant challenge to wide area networks. Petabytes (1015) or exabytes (1018) of data will be generated during the lifetime of the experiment. Much of this data will be distributed via the Internet to the experiment's collaborators at Universities and Institutes throughout the world for analysis. In order to assess the feasibility of the computing goals of these and future experiments, the HENP networking community is actively monitoring performance across a large part of the Internet used by its collaborators. Since 1995, the pingER project has been collecting data on ping packet loss and round trip times. In January 2000, there are 28 monitoring sites in 15 countries gathering data on over 2,000 end-to-end pairs. HENP labs such as SLAC, Fermi Lab and CERN are using Advanced Network's Surveyor project and monitoring performance from one-way delay of UDP packets. More recently several HENP sites have become involved with NLANR's active measurement program (AMP). In addition SLAC and CERN are part of the RIPE test-traffic project and SLAC is home for a NIMI machine. The large End-to-end performance monitoring infrastructure allows the HENP networking community to chart long term trends and closely examine short term glitches across a wide range of networks and connections. The different methodologies provide opportunities to compare results based on different protocols and statistical samples. Understanding agreement and discrepancies between results provides particular insight into the nature of the network. This paper will highlight the practical side of monitoring by reviewing the special needs of High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics experiments and provide an overview of the experience of measuring performance across a large number of interconnected networks throughout the world with various methodologies. In particular, results from each project

Internet end-to-end performance monitoring for the High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics community

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, W.

2000-02-22

Modern High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics (HENP) experiments at Laboratories around the world present a significant challenge to wide area networks. Petabytes (1015) or exabytes (1018) of data will be generated during the lifetime of the experiment. Much of this data will be distributed via the Internet to the experiment's collaborators at Universities and Institutes throughout the world for analysis. In order to assess the feasibility of the computing goals of these and future experiments, the HENP networking community is actively monitoring performance across a large part of the Internet used by its collaborators. Since 1995, the pingER project has been collecting data on ping packet loss and round trip times. In January 2000, there are 28 monitoring sites in 15 countries gathering data on over 2,000 end-to-end pairs. HENP labs such as SLAC, Fermi Lab and CERN are using Advanced Network's Surveyor project and monitoring performance from one-way delay of UDP packets. More recently several HENP sites have become involved with NLANR's active measurement program (AMP). In addition SLAC and CERN are part of the RIPE test-traffic project and SLAC is home for a NIMI machine. The large End-to-end performance monitoring infrastructure allows the HENP networking community to chart long term trends and closely examine short term glitches across a wide range of networks and connections. The different methodologies provide opportunities to compare results based on different protocols and statistical samples. Understanding agreement and discrepancies between results provides particular insight into the nature of the network. This paper will highlight the practical side of monitoring by reviewing the special needs of High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics experiments and provide an overview of the experience of measuring performance across a large number of interconnected networks throughout the world with various methodologies. In particular, results

The Werther Effect of Two Celebrity Suicides: an Entertainer and a Politician

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jae-Hyun; Park, Eun-Cheol; Nam, Jung-Mo; Park, SoHee; Cho, Jaelim; Kim, Sun-Jung; Choi, Jae-Woo; Cho, Eun

2013-01-01

Purpose Suicide is a major health problem in Korea. Extensive media exposure of celebrity suicide may induce imitative suicide, a phenomenon called the Werther effect. We examined the increased suicide risk following the suicides of an entertainer and a politician, and identified the relative suicide risks. Methods News articles about the celebrity suicides were obtained from three major newspapers and analysed for quantitative and qualitative features. Imitative suicide risk was investigated by applying a Poisson time series autoregression model with suicide mortality data from the National Statistics Office for 1.5 years before and 1.5 years after each celebrity’s suicide. The period with a significantly increased number of suicides immediately after the celebrity’s suicide determined the Werther effect band. The relative risk during this period was examined for different ages, genders, and suicide methods. Results News reports were more numerous and they contained more positive definitions about the entertainer’s suicide. The risk of suicide deaths rose markedly after both celebrity suicides. However, the Werther effect band was longer for the entertainer (6 weeks) than for the politician (4 weeks). The relative suicide risk was significant for almost all ages and both genders during that of both individuals. Use of the same suicide method was a prominent risk factor after both celebrity suicides. Conclusions Our results confirm the existence of imitative suicide behaviours, suggesting a facilitation effect of media reports. Guidelines for responsible media reporting need to be implemented to enhance public mental health in Korea. PMID:24386428

Rape as Spectator Sport and Creepshot Entertainment: Social Media and the Valorization of Lack of Consent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly Oliver

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Lack of consent is valorized within popular culture to the point that sexual assault has become a spectator sport and creepshot entertainment on social media. Indeed, the valorization of nonconsensual sex has reached the extreme where sex with unconscious girls, especially accompanied by photographs as trophies, has become a goal of some boys and men.

High-End Computing Challenges in Aerospace Design and Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, F. Ronald

2004-01-01

High-End Computing (HEC) has had significant impact on aerospace design and engineering and is poised to make even more in the future. In this paper we describe four aerospace design and engineering challenges: Digital Flight, Launch Simulation, Rocket Fuel System and Digital Astronaut. The paper discusses modeling capabilities needed for each challenge and presents projections of future near and far-term HEC computing requirements. NASA's HEC Project Columbia is described and programming strategies presented that are necessary to achieve high real performance.

Practical End-to-End Performance Testing Tool for High Speed 3G-Based Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Shinbo, Hiroyuki; Tagami, Atsushi; Ano, Shigehiro; Hasegawa, Toru; Suzuki, Kenji

High speed IP communication is a killer application for 3rd generation (3G) mobile systems. Thus 3G network operators should perform extensive tests to check whether expected end-to-end performances are provided to customers under various environments. An important objective of such tests is to check whether network nodes fulfill requirements to durations of processing packets because a long duration of such processing causes performance degradation. This requires testers (persons who do tests) to precisely know how long a packet is hold by various network nodes. Without any tool's help, this task is time-consuming and error prone. Thus we propose a multi-point packet header analysis tool which extracts and records packet headers with synchronized timestamps at multiple observation points. Such recorded packet headers enable testers to calculate such holding durations. The notable feature of this tool is that it is implemented on off-the shelf hardware platforms, i.e., lap-top personal computers. The key challenges of the implementation are precise clock synchronization without any special hardware and a sophisticated header extraction algorithm without any drop.

End-of-life decisions: an important theme in the care for people with intellectual disabilities.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wagemans, A.; Schrojenstein Lantman, H.M.J. van; Tuffrey-Wijne, I.; Widdershoven, G.; Curfs, L.M.G.

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: While end-of-life decisions in the general population have received attention in several countries, not much is known about this in people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Therefore, the prevalence and nature of end-of-life decisions were investigated in a Dutch centre providing

Large-scale fuel cycle centres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smiley, S.H.; Black, K.M.

1977-01-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has considered the nuclear energy centre concept for fuel cycle plants in the Nuclear Energy Centre Site Survey 1975 (NECSS-75) Rep. No. NUREG-0001, an important study mandated by the US Congress in the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 which created the NRC. For this study, the NRC defined fuel cycle centres as consisting of fuel reprocessing and mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plants, and optional high-level waste and transuranic waste management facilities. A range of fuel cycle centre sizes corresponded to the fuel throughput of power plants with a total capacity of 50,000-300,000MW(e). The types of fuel cycle facilities located at the fuel cycle centre permit the assessment of the role of fuel cycle centres in enhancing the safeguard of strategic special nuclear materials - plutonium and mixed oxides. Siting fuel cycle centres presents a smaller problem than siting reactors. A single reprocessing plant of the scale projected for use in the USA (1500-2000t/a) can reprocess fuel from reactors producing 50,000-65,000MW(e). Only two or three fuel cycle centres of the upper limit size considered in the NECSS-75 would be required in the USA by the year 2000. The NECSS-75 fuel cycle centre evaluation showed that large-scale fuel cycle centres present no real technical siting difficulties from a radiological effluent and safety standpoint. Some construction economies may be achievable with fuel cycle centres, which offer opportunities to improve waste-management systems. Combined centres consisting of reactors and fuel reprocessing and mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plants were also studied in the NECSS. Such centres can eliminate shipment not only of Pu but also mixed-oxide fuel. Increased fuel cycle costs result from implementation of combined centres unless the fuel reprocessing plants are commercial-sized. Development of Pu-burning reactors could reduce any economic penalties of combined centres. The need for effective fissile

Asians seek end to girls' trafficking.

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

Each year, approximately 1 million Asian children under 18 years old, many of them female, become prostitutes. With regard to this problem, the Summit Foundation, the United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, and the Centre for Development and Population Activities are sponsoring a conference entitled "Girls' Rights, Society's Responsibility: Taking Action Against Child Sexual Exploitation," on December 8-10, 1997, at the Nehru Centre, Worli, Bombay. Policy makers from government, the legal and police professions, corporations, the tourism industry, and grassroots organizations will attend. Representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand will develop coordinated strategies to end the abuse. The experiences of community-based nongovernmental organizations will be used to develop approaches to prevent exploitation, provide surveillance, and rehabilitate girls who have been exploited. The Nehru Centre, Jet Airways, and the President Hotel of Bombay will provide support. Participants are to include the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, UNIFEM, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Oxfam, CIDA, SIDA, NORAD, and many corporations (Bata, Apeejay, Pepsi, Tata, Godrej, Mahindra and Mahindra, and hotel and tourist businesses).

High-power diode-end-pumped Tm:YLF slab laser delivering 189 W at 1890 nm

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Koen, W

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Laser Delivering 189 W at 1890 nm W. Koen, H.J. Strauss, C. Bollig and M.J.D. Esser CSIR National Laser Centre, Meiring Naude Road, Brummeria, Pretoria, 0001 wkoen@csir.co.za Abstract: We present a high-power Tm:YLF slab laser double...

Patient-centred outcomes research: perspectives of patient stakeholders.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhatre, Sumedha; Gallo, Joseph J; Wittink, Marsha; Schwartz, J Sanford; Jayadevappa, Ravishankar

2017-11-01

To elicit patient stakeholders' experience and perspectives about patient-centred care. Qualitative. A large urban healthcare system. Four patient stakeholders who are prostate cancer survivors. Experience and perspectives of patient stakeholders regarding patient-centred care and treatment decisions. Our patient stakeholders represented a diverse socio-demographic group. The patient stakeholders identified engagement and dialogue with physicians as crucial elements of patient-centred care model. The degree of patient-centred care was observed to be dependent on the situations. High severity conditions warranted a higher level of patient involvement, compared to mild conditions. They agreed that patient-centred care should not mean that patients can demand inappropriate treatments. An important attribute of patient-centred outcomes research model is the involvement of stakeholders. However, we have limited knowledge about the experience of patient stakeholders in patient-centred outcomes research. Our study indicates that patient stakeholders offer a unique perspective as researchers and policy-makers aim to precisely define patient-centred research and care.

Clinical Impact of Education Provision on Determining Advance Care Planning Decisions among End Stage Renal Disease Patients Receiving Regular Hemodialysis in University Malaya Medical Centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Hing Wong, Albert; Chin, Loh Ee; Ping, Tan Li; Peng, Ng Kok; Kun, Lim Soo

2016-01-01

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process of shared decision-making about future health-care plans between patients, health care providers, and family members, should patients becomes incapable of participating in medical treatment decisions. ACP discussions enhance patient's autonomy, focus on patient's values and treatment preferences, and promote patient-centered care. ACP is integrated as part of clinical practice in Singapore and the United States. To assess the clinical impact of education provision on determining ACP decisions among end-stage renal disease patients on regular hemodialysis at University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). To study the knowledge and attitude of patients toward ACP and end-of-life issues. Fifty-six patients were recruited from UMMC. About 43 questions pretest survey adapted from Lyon's ACP survey and Moss's cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attitude survey was given to patients to answer. An educational brochure is then introduced to these patients, and a posttest survey carried out after that. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Opinion on ACP, including CPR decisions, showed an upward trend on the importance percentage after the educational brochure exposure, but this was statistically not significant. Seventy-five percent of participants had never heard of ACP before, and only 3.6% had actually prepared a written advanced directive. The ACP educational brochure clinically impacts patients' preferences and decisions toward end-of-life care; however, this is statistically not significant. Majority of patients have poor knowledge on ACP. This study lays the foundation for execution of future larger scale clinical trials, and ultimately, the incorporation of ACP into clinical practice in Malaysia.

Anarchic desires : deconstructing sexual and moral representations in Joe Orton's entertaining mr. sloane

OpenAIRE

Werner Almeida Alves

2007-01-01

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo apresentar uma leitura da peça Entertaining Mr. Sloane do dramaturgo inglês Joe Orton, investigando de que formas os artifícios literários são construídos para interromper as representações normativas sobre sexualidade e moralidade. Na obra de Orton, os comportamentos e discursos das personagens ignoram autoridades representativas de instituições que, como a família, trabalham para ratificar a noção de modos sexuais ligados à matrix heterossexual que c...

Two centre problems in relativistic atomic physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McConnell, Sean R.

2013-01-09

The work contained within this thesis is concerned with the explanation and usage of a set of theoretical procedures for the study of static and dynamic two-centre problems in the relativistic framework of Dirac's equation. Two distinctly different theories for handling time-dependent atomic interactions are reviewed, namely semi-classical perturbation theory and a non-perturbative numerical technique based on the coupled channel equation to directly solve the time-dependent, two-centre Dirac equation. The non-perturbative numerical technique has been developed independently and the calculations performed with it are entirely new. Calculations for ionisation cross sections and state occupancies are conducted for both these methods. The non-perturbative technique for relativistic two-centre problems is extensively explained and, given its novelty, a probity test is conducted between this technique and that of the well established perturbation theory in calculating K-and L-shell ionisation cross sections for the alpha decay of initially Hydrogen-like Polonium. To that end, an in depth outline of the perturbative technique is also made for both collision and decay processes. As well as the comparison test mentioned, this technique is also applied to the analysis of cross sections of the promotion of a single electron into the positive continuum from either a K- or L-shell due to the alpha decay of heavy, neutral nuclei (Gadolinium, Polonium and Thorium). Dirac-Coulomb eigenfunctions centred on the parent nucleus of the decay pair are taken as the basis for use in the cross section calculations utilising first order, semi-classical pertubation theory. The excellent congruence between both techniques justifies the usage of the non-perturbative algorithms in the subsequent analysis of collisions between very heavy, highly charged ions. As such, a set of calculations are performed examining the bound and continuum state occupancy of the electronic levels during a

Back-end interconnection. A generic concept for high volume manufacturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bosman, J.; Budel, T.; De Kok, C.J.G.M.

2013-10-15

The general method to realize series connection in thin film PV modules is monolithical interconnection through a sequence of laser scribes (P1, P2 and P3) and layer depositions. This method however implies that the deposition processes are interrupted several times, an undesirable situation in high volume processing. In order to eliminate this drawback we focus our developments on the so called 'back-end interconnection concept' in which series interconnection takes place AFTER the deposition of the functional layers of the thin film PV device. The process of making a back-end interconnection combines laser scribing, curing, sintering and inkjet processes. These different processes interacts with each other and are investigated in order to create processing strategies that are robust to ensure high volume production. The generic approach created a technology base that can be applied to any thin film PV technology.

ERP ASSIMILATION: AN END-USER APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hurbean Luminita

2013-07-01

The paper discusses the ERP adoption based on the IT assimilation theory. The ERP lifecycle is associated with the IT assimilation steps. We propose a distribution of these steps along the lifecycle. Derived from the findings in the reviewed literature we will focus the cultural factors, in particular those related to the end-users (determined as a major impact factor in our previous study: Negovan et al., 2011. Our empirical study is centred on the end-users perspective and it tries to determine if and how their behaviour affects the achievement of the ERP assimilation steps. The paper reasons that organizations that understand the IT assimilation steps correlated to the ERP implementation critical factors are more likely to implement and use ERP successfully.

Perspectives on a 'Sit Less, Move More' Intervention in Australian Emergency Call Centres.

Science.gov (United States)

Chau, Josephine Y; Engelen, Lina; Burks-Young, Sarah; Daley, Michelle; Maxwell, Jen-Kui; Milton, Karen; Bauman, Adrian

2016-01-01

Prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. Workplace programs that aim to reduce sitting time (sit less) and increase physical activity (move more) have targeted desk-based workers in corporate and university settings with promising results. However, little is known about 'move more, sit less' programs for workers in other types of jobs and industries, such as shift workers. This formative research examines the perceptions of a 'sit less, move more' program in an Australian Emergency Call Centre that operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Participants were employees (N = 39, 72% female, 50% aged 36-55 years) recruited from Emergency Services control centres located in New South Wales, Australia. The 'sit less, move more' intervention, consisting of emails, posters and timer lights, was co-designed with the management team and tailored to the control centre environment and work practices, which already included electronic height-adjustable sit-stand workstations for all call centre staff. Participants reported their perceptions and experiences of the intervention in a self-report online questionnaire, and directly to the research team during regular site visits. Questionnaire topics included barriers and facilitators to standing while working, mental wellbeing, effects on work performance, and workplace satisfaction. Field notes and open-ended response data were analysed in an iterative process during and after data collection to identify the main themes. Whilst participants already had sit-stand workstations, use of the desks in the standing position varied and sometimes were contrary to expectations (e.g, less tired standing than sitting; standing when experiencing high call stress). Participants emphasised the "challenging" and "unrelenting" nature of their work. They reported sleep issues ("always tired"), work stress ("non-stop demands"), and feeling mentally and physically drained due to shift work and length of shifts

France: Improvement measures implemented at the Centre de la Manche

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The French repository at the Centre de la Manche was the first near surface disposal facility in France. It underwent numerous operational improvements from 1969 to 1994. For example, WAC were introduced in 1979 after a number of operating years with a very simple set of proper disposal requirements and conditions. The long term safety objectives have been continuously improved and were formalized in 1985 in the 'Basic Safety Rules'. Initially and according to its activity, the waste, packaged in various forms (drums, etc.), was either buried in earth trenches or placed in concrete lined trenches. Rainwater was collected in a sump located at the downgradient end of each trench, and then conveyed to a retention tank. Depending on its activity it was either sent to the adjacent Sainte-Helene River or discharged into the sea via the COGEMA installations. After one year of operation, the earth trenches were deemed unsafe and abandoned. In 1976, the Sainte-Helene River adjacent to the centre was contaminated with tritium at values that were high yet below the regulatory limit. The structures responsible for the tritium leak were old concreted trenches in which the waste was immobilized by sand. These concreted trenches were opened, modified and rebuilt. The faulty packages were retrieved and reconditioned in special drums. Acceptance thresholds for tritiated waste were then reduced and inspections conducted at the generators. This incident nevertheless left a trace that persists today in the groundwater table and in the streams around the Centre. During the 25 years of operation of the Centre de la Manche, from 1969 to 1994, long term safety principles have been gradually developed and consolidated. These principles were reflected in the Fundamental Safety Rules that serve as reference for the WAC. By the end of its operation in 1994 the repository, with an area of 600 x 300 m, had accepted 527 214 m 3 of waste. When disposal activities were terminated, a final cover

Design guidelines for mobile information and entertainment services based on the Radio538 ringtunes i-mode service case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kar, E. van de; Maitland, C.F.; Wehn de Montalvo, U.W.C.; Bouwman, H.

2003-01-01

The mobile telecommunications industry is undergoing rapid change, which is increasing the interdependency of firms in the sector. Mobile information and entertainment services will be delivered through inter-organizational networks of firms. This means the problems of service design must be

Representations of Celebrities’ Weight and Shape during Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Content Analysis of Three Entertainment Magazine Websites

Science.gov (United States)

Gow, Rachel W.; Lydecker, Janet A.; Lamanna, Jennifer D.; Mazzeo, Suzanne E.

2011-01-01

Entertainment magazine websites provide a continuous stream of celebrity news accessed by over 13 million unique viewers each month. Celebrities’ experiences of pregnancy and new motherhood appear to be popular topics within these media outlets; however, little research has investigated the content of this coverage. In this study, investigators coded articles (N = 387) published between August 1, 2007 and August 1, 2008 on three popular entertainment magazine websites. Relatively few articles about celebrities’ pregnancies discussed weight (13%) or shape (30%), and an even smaller proportion (6.2%) included any discussion of postpartum body dissatisfaction. This suggests a gap between portrayal of celebrities’ pregnancies and postpartum experiences and those of non-celebrity women. This disparity is concerning as it might lead to unrealistic expectations about pregnancy and postpartum for both pregnant readers and a more general audience. This study provides important initial information about the messages these media provide regarding pregnancy-related appearance. PMID:21873126

Representations of celebrities' weight and shape during pregnancy and postpartum: a content analysis of three entertainment magazine websites.

Science.gov (United States)

Gow, Rachel W; Lydecker, Janet A; Lamanna, Jennifer D; Mazzeo, Suzanne E

2012-01-01

Entertainment magazine websites provide a continuous stream of celebrity news accessed by over 13 million unique viewers each month. Celebrities' experiences of pregnancy and new motherhood appear to be popular topics within these media outlets; however, little research has investigated the content of this coverage. In this study, investigators coded articles (N=387) published between August 1, 2007 and August 1, 2008 on three popular entertainment magazine websites. Relatively few articles about celebrities' pregnancies discussed weight (13%) or shape (30%), and an even smaller proportion (6.2%) included any discussion of postpartum body dissatisfaction. This suggests a gap between portrayal of celebrities' pregnancies and postpartum experiences and those of non-celebrity women. This disparity is concerning as it might lead to unrealistic expectations about pregnancy and postpartum for both pregnant readers and a more general audience. This study provides important initial information about the messages these media provide regarding pregnancy-related appearance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brazil : tous les projets | Page 10 | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Le Centro de Tecnologia e Sociedade (CTS - centre pour la technologie et la société) fait partie de la Faculté de droit de la Fundação Getulio Vargas à Rio de Janeiro. Date de début : 23 mars 2006. End Date: 11 septembre 2007. Sujet: CULTURAL INDUSTRY, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION SERVICES, ...

Nigeria : tous les projets | Page 4 | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Le Centro de Tecnologia e Sociedade (CTS - centre pour la technologie et la société) fait partie de la Faculté de droit de la Fundação Getulio Vargas à Rio de Janeiro. Date de début : 23 mars 2006. End Date: 11 septembre 2007. Sujet: CULTURAL INDUSTRY, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION SERVICES, ...

Nigeria : tous les projets | Page 5 | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Le Centro de Tecnologia e Sociedade (CTS - centre pour la technologie et la société) fait partie de la Faculté de droit de la Fundação Getulio Vargas à Rio de Janeiro. Date de début : 23 mars 2006. End Date: 11 septembre 2007. Sujet: CULTURAL INDUSTRY, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION SERVICES, ...

Ethiopia : tous les projets | Page 3 | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Le gouvernement de l'Éthiopie utilise de plus en plus les résultats de recherche dans l'élaboration de ses politiques et un nombre croissant de professionnels axés sur la recherche sont chargés des politiques. Date de début : 2 juillet 2009. End Date: 28 octobre 2014. Sujet: RESEARCH CENTRES, RESEARCH ...

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masera, M.; Rasmussen, K.

1993-01-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gow, H.B.F.

1991-01-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perschke, A.; Kirchsteiger, C.

1996-01-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gow, H.B.F.

1991-11-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gow, H.B.F.; Carditello, I.

1993-04-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 9

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perschke, A.

1995-01-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gow, H.B.F.

1992-06-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. Bulletin no. 11

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perschke, A.; Kirchsteiger, C.; Carnevali, C.

1997-01-01

The Directorate-General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection of the Commission of the European Communities is responsible for the effective and harmonized implementation of the Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities. To this end, the Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Competent Authorities responsible for the implementation of this Directive in the twelve Member States, carries out a whole range of activities. One of the most essential areas for action identified was the need for a systematic diffusion of information concerning the practical implementation of the Directive in the Member States, including the technical rules and guidelines applied, the safety practices and the lessons learnt from major accidents. Therefore, the Commission decided to set up a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR). This Documentation Centre is run by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), at Ispra, Italy, among its support activities on the implementation of the Directive. The Documentation Centre will collect, classify and review technical rules, guidelines and documents concerning the requirements of the Directive, as well as the safety of industrial installations produced by governments, administrative, scientific or technical bodies, national or international organizations and industrial or professional associations. Documents on major accidents in the form of reports, videotapes will also be collected and reviewed. The Centre is accessible to interested visitors, documents which are not covered by copyright and are not restricted can be obtained from the Documentation Centre on request. Periodical volumes which will feature the inventory, including abstracts, of the collected material will be published and made available to all interested parties. The Centre will also publish documents devoted to compare existing

Optimal catchment area and primary PCI centre volume revisited

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schoos, Mikkel Malby; Pedersen, Frants; Holmvang, Lene

2015-01-01

AIMS: The currently stated optimal catchment population for a pPCI centre is 300,000-1,100,000, resulting in 200-800 procedures/year. pPCI centres are increasing in number even within small geographic areas. We describe the organisation and quality of care after merging two high-volume centres...

SU-E-T-282: Dose Measurements with An End-To-End Audit Phantom for Stereotactic Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, R; Artschan, R [Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW (Australia); Thwaites, D [University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Lehmann, J [Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW (Australia); University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW (Australia)

2015-06-15

Purpose: Report on dose measurements as part of an end-to-end test for stereotactic radiotherapy, using a new audit tool, which allows audits to be performed efficiently either by an onsite team or as a postal audit. Methods: Film measurements have been performed with a new Stereotactic Cube Phantom. The phantom has been designed to perform Winston Lutz type position verification measurements and dose measurements in one setup. It comprises a plastic cube with a high density ball in its centre (used for MV imaging with film or EPID) and low density markers in the periphery (used for Cone Beam Computed Tomography, CBCT imaging). It also features strategically placed gold markers near the posterior and right surfaces, which can be used to calculate phantom rotations on MV images. Slit-like openings allow insertion of film or other detectors.The phantom was scanned and small field treatment plans were created. The fields do not traverse any inhomogeneities of the phantom on their paths to the measurement location. The phantom was setup at the delivery system using CBCT imaging. The calculated treatment fields were delivered, each with a piece of radiochromic film (EBT3) placed in the anterior film holder of the phantom. MU had been selected in planning to achieve similar exposures on all films. Calibration films were exposed in solid water for dose levels around the expected doses. Films were scanned and analysed following established procedures. Results: Setup of the cube showed excellent suitability for CBCT 3D alignment. MV imaging with EPID allowed for clear identification of all markers. Film based dose measurements showed good agreement for MLC created fields down to 0.5 mm × 0.5 mm. Conclusion: An end-to-end audit phantom for stereotactic radiotherapy has been developed and tested.

High pregnancy incidence and low contraceptive use among a prospective cohort of female entertainment and sex workers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Science.gov (United States)

Duff, Putu; Evans, Jennifer L; Stein, Ellen S; Page, Kimberly; Maher, Lisa

2018-05-03

While HIV and unintended pregnancies are both occupational risks faced by female sex workers, the epidemiology of pregnancy and its drivers in this population remains understudied. This includes Cambodia, where the drivers of pregnancy among female entertainment and sex workers (FESW) remain unknown. The current study aimed to examine factors associated with incident pregnancy, as well as describe contraceptive use among FESW in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This analysis drew from the Young Women's Health Study (YWHS)-2, a 12-month observational cohort of 220 FESW aged 15-29 years, conducted between August 2009 and August 2010. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were conducted at baseline and quarterly thereafter, alongside HIV and pregnancy testing. Bivariate and multivariable extended Cox regression analysis was used to examine correlates of incident pregnancy. At baseline, 6.8% of participants were pregnant, and only 10.8% reported using hormonal contraceptives, with 11.3% reporting an abortion in the past 3 months. Pregnancy incidence was high, at 22/100 person-years (95% CI: 16.3-30.1). In multivariable analysis, younger age (19-24 years versus 25-29 years) (Adjusted Hazards Ratio (AHR): 2.28; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.22-4.27), lower income (400,000-600,000 Riel (≤150$USD) versus > 600,000 Riel (> 150$USD)) (AHR 2.63; 95% CI 1.02-6.77) positively predicted pregnancy, while higher self-reported condom self-efficacy were associated with reduced pregnancy incidence (AHR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81-0.98). Results document high incidence of pregnancy and unmet reproductive health needs among FESWs in Cambodia. Findings point to an urgent need for multi-level interventions, including venue-based HIV/STI and violence prevention interventions, in the context of legal and policy reform. High pregnancy incidence in this population may also undermine recruitment and retention into HIV prevention intervention trials. The exploration of innovative and comprehensive sex

Rationale and design for SHAREHD: a quality improvement collaborative to scale up Shared Haemodialysis Care for patients on centre based haemodialysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fotheringham, James; Barnes, Tania; Dunn, Louese; Lee, Sonia; Ariss, Steven; Young, Tracey; Walters, Stephen J; Laboi, Paul; Henwood, Andy; Gair, Rachel; Wilkie, Martin

2017-11-24

The study objective is to assess the effectiveness and economic impact of a structured programme to support patient involvement in centre-based haemodialysis and to understand what works for whom in what circumstances and why. It implements a program of Shared Haemodialysis Care (SHC) that aims to improve experience and outcomes for those who are treated with centre-based haemodialysis, and give more patients the confidence to dialyse independently both at centres and at home. The 24 month mixed methods cohort evaluation of 600 prevalent centre based HD patients is nested within a 30 month quality improvement program that aims to scale up SHC at 12 dialysis centres across England. SHC describes an intervention where patients who receive centre-based haemodialysis are given the opportunity to learn, engage with and undertake tasks associated with their treatment. Following a 6-month set up period, a phased implementation programme is initiated across 12 dialysis units using a randomised stepped wedge design with 6 centres participating in each of 2 steps, each lasting 6 months. The intervention utilises quality improvement methodologies involving rapid tests of change to determine the most appropriate mechanisms for implementation in the context of a learning collaborative. Running parallel with the stepped wedge intervention is a mixed methods cohort evaluation that employs patient questionnaires and interviews, and will link with routinely collected data at the end of the study period. The primary outcome measure is the number of patients performing at least 5 dialysis-related tasks collected using 3 monthly questionnaires. Secondary outcomes measures include: the number of people choosing to perform home haemodialysis or dialyse independently in-centre by the end of the study period; end-user recommendation; home dialysis establishment delay; staff impact and confidence; hospitalisation; infection and health economics. The results from this study will provide

A Case Study of User-Centred Design in Four Swiss RUP Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljiljana Vukelja

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We analysed four Rational Unified Process (RUP projects in Switzerland that identified themselves as following a user-centred approach. Grounded theory served for analysis of 12 interviews with software developers, project managers, and UI specialists. For each professional group we analysed their work context, motivations, work practices, and strategies used to overcome the obstacles to user-centred design. Results show that end users did not participate in the projects. Instead of working directly with end users, participants used data from marketing research or consulted colleagues from other departments. Prototypes played an important role. We suggest the following remedies: (1 developing methods for easy integration of existing company knowledge about products with usability features, (2 professionalising UI design by educating project stakeholders in standard UI design, (3 creating an approved pool of company's personas for UI specialists' work, and (4 educating customers on their right to get good user interfaces.

MO-B-BRB-04: 3D Dosimetry in End-To-End Dosimetry QA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibbott, G. [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (United States)

2016-06-15

Full three-dimensional (3D) dosimetry using volumetric chemical dosimeters probed by 3D imaging systems has long been a promising technique for the radiation therapy clinic, since it provides a unique methodology for dose measurements in the volume irradiated using complex conformal delivery techniques such as IMRT and VMAT. To date true 3D dosimetry is still not widely practiced in the community; it has been confined to centres of specialized expertise especially for quality assurance or commissioning roles where other dosimetry techniques are difficult to implement. The potential for improved clinical applicability has been advanced considerably in the last decade by the development of improved 3D dosimeters (e.g., radiochromic plastics, radiochromic gel dosimeters and normoxic polymer gel systems) and by improved readout protocols using optical computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. In this session, established users of some current 3D chemical dosimeters will briefly review the current status of 3D dosimetry, describe several dosimeters and their appropriate imaging for dose readout, present workflow procedures required for good dosimetry, and analyze some limitations for applications in select settings. We will review the application of 3D dosimetry to various clinical situations describing how 3D approaches can complement other dose delivery validation approaches already available in the clinic. The applications presented will be selected to inform attendees of the unique features provided by full 3D techniques. Learning Objectives: L. John Schreiner: Background and Motivation Understand recent developments enabling clinically practical 3D dosimetry, Appreciate 3D dosimetry workflow and dosimetry procedures, and Observe select examples from the clinic. Sofie Ceberg: Application to dynamic radiotherapy Observe full dosimetry under dynamic radiotherapy during respiratory motion, and Understand how the measurement of high resolution dose data in an

Depression and its correlations with health-risk behaviors and social capital among female migrants working in entertainment venues in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qiaohong; Operario, Don; Zaller, Nickolas; Huang, Wen; Dong, Yanyan; Zhang, Hongbo

2018-01-01

Among the dramatic increased internal migration in China in past three decades, a considerable proportion of young females migrated to urban areas and found employment in "entertainment venues", who may be vulnerable to psychological distress. This study examines the prevalence of depression and explores its associations with health-risk behaviors and social capital among this subgroup. 358 female migrants were recruited from entertainment venues in a rapidly growing urban city in China. A survey which included measures of depressive symptoms, health-risk behaviors, social capital, and socio-demographic characteristics was administered. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify the independent correlates of depression. Of participants, 31.0% had clinically significant depressive symptoms (CES-D score ≥ 16). In multivariable models, greater likelihood of depressive symptoms was associated with working in massage centers/hotels (OR = 3.20, 95% CI: 1.80-5.70), having probable alcohol dependence (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.22-4.16), self-reported lifetime use of illicit drugs (OR = 2.98, 95% CI: 1.26-7.06), growing up in a non-nuclear family (OR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.18-5.16), and poor social capital (OR = 6.01, 95% CI = 2.02-17.87). Intervention strategies to address the high prevalence of depression among female migrants are needed, and should also aim to reduce problematic alcohol and drug use, improve social capital, and target women working in massage centers or hotels.

Evaluation of current care effectiveness: a survey of hypertension guideline implementation in Finnish health centres

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alanen, Seija I; Johannala-Kemppainen, Riitta; Ijäs, Jarja J

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent and style of implementation of the Hypertension Guideline (HT Guideline) in Finnish primary health centres, and to identify a scale of contrasting implementation styles in the health centres (with the two ends of the scale being referred to as information...... implementers or disseminators respectively). DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. Development of a questionnaire and criteria for assessing the extent and style of implementation of the HT Guideline. SETTING: Primary healthcare. SUBJECTS: All head physicians and senior nursing officers in Finnish health centres (n...... =290). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The extent of adoption of the HT Guideline in health centres and the characteristics associated with the implementation style. RESULTS: Responses were received from 410 senior medical staff (246 senior nursing officers and 164 head physicians) representing altogether 264...

A wideband high-linearity RF receiver front-end in CMOS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arkesteijn, V.J.; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram

This paper presents a wideband high-linearity RF receiver-front-end, implemented in standard 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The design employs a noise-canceling LNA in combination with two passive mixers, followed by lowpass-filtering and amplification at IF. The achieved bandwidth is >2 GHz, with a noise

Medical applications of accelerators at Tata Memorial Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinshaw, K.A.

2003-01-01

The Tata Memorial Centre constitutes the national comprehensive cancer centre for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research on cancer. It is well equipped with sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment capable of delivering External Beam Radiotherapy (Ebert) and Brachytherapy. Nearly 400 patients receive Ebert daily at the institute from a team of highly skilled and dedicated radiation oncologists, medical physicists and technologists, making it one of the busiest centres in the country

Design of an end station for a high current ion implantation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kranik, J.R.

1979-01-01

During the last 4 to 5 years IBM has been involved in an effort to develop a high current Ion Implantation system with pre-deposition capabilities. The system is dedicated to Arsenic implants, involving doses > 1 x 10 15 ions/cm 2 in the energy range of 30 to 60 keV. A major portion of this effort involved the design of an associated end station capable of producing high uniformity implants with beam currents in the 0.5 to 6.0 mA range. The end station contains all components from the exit of the analyzing magnet, including the exit beamline, process chamber, scan system, wafer handling system, high vacuum pumping package, beam optics, dosimetry system, and associated electronic controls. The unit was restricted to a six wafer (82 mm) batch size to maintain process line compatibility. In addition, implant dose non-uniformity objectives were established at +- 3% (2σ) within a wafer and +- 2% (2σ) wafer-to-wafer. Also, the system was to be capable of implanting 24 wafers/hour at a dose of 7.5 x 10 15 ions/cm 2 . Major consideration in the design was afforded to high reliability, ease of maintenance and production level throughput capabilities. The rationale and evolution of the final end station design is described. (author)

Neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment of high-risk retinoblastoma: a report from the German Retinoblastoma Referral Centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Künkele, Annette; Wilm, Josephine; Holdt, Markus; Lohmann, Dietmar; Bornfeld, Norbert; Eggert, Angelika; Temming, Petra; Schulte, Johannes H

2015-07-01

Retinoblastoma can extend beyond the structures of the eye, where cells can enter the bloodstream and cause metastases. Various types of protocols for adjuvant treatment risk-adapted according to histopathological risk factors are used worldwide. Between 1997 and 2009, 420 children were diagnosed with retinoblastoma at the German Retinoblastoma Referral Centre and risk factors were assessed. Patients with post-laminar optic nerve infiltration or choroid or minor scleral invasion received six courses of adjuvant chemotherapy using vincristine, etoposide, carboplatin and cyclophosphamide (group 1). Patients with microscopic extension beyond the sclera to the resection margin of the optic nerve or potential spread due to vitrectomy received chemotherapy plus orbital radiotherapy (group 2). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was performed in patients with local extraocular invasion detected on MRI. Following this protocol, 42 of the 420 patients and 21 referred from other centres showed high-risk histopathological factors qualifying for adjuvant therapy (57 in group 1 and 6 in group 2). Seven of the 63 patients received neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment. During a mean follow-up of 5.8 (range 0.4-15.4) years, one of six patients in group 2 developed metastases and died. No patients died from toxicity. The 5-year overall survival was 100% for group 1 and 80% for group 2. This retrospective single-site study reveals a 10% incidence of high-risk features in children with retinoblastoma diagnosed at the German Retinoblastoma Referral Centre. Overall survival rates of 98.3% underline the safety of this adjuvant chemotherapy protocol and its efficiency in preventing metastasis. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

: tous les projets | Page 316 | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Le Centre INSAN à l'Université Al-Quds, à Jérusalem-Est, tient à étoffer ses programmes de recherche sur les droits et la citoyenneté des femmes. Date de début : 1 février 2010. End Date: 31 mars 2011. Sujet: WOMEN'S RIGHTS, RESEARCH CAPACITY, MIDDLE EAST, GENDER DISCRIMINATION, SOCIAL ASPECTS.

: tous les projets | Page 429 | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

La Consumer Unity &Trust Society (CUTS International) est un organisme international de recherche, de défense des droits et de réseautage qui est établi en Inde et a des centres de ressources au Kenya, au Vietnam, au Royaume-Uni et en Zambie. Date de début : 1 juillet 2008. End Date: 24 mars 2011.

A Design-Based introduction to learning centres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne Kristine Petersen

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In the last decades, outskirt areas in Denmark have suffered from depopulation and economic decline, a development that has led to a centralised education system where higher education institutions are vested in a central body in urban areas rather than in rural communities. University College Zealand has initiated a research project in collaboration with three municipalities in the region of Zealand and partners from the Nordic countries, which investigates the potential of municipal learning centres as a means to solve educational challenges in outskirt areas. A municipal learning centre is a physical location owned by a municipality, which offers (asynchronous courses through digital couplings to higher education institutions. The paper presents research findings showing that the development of an ecosystem based on collaboration between municipalities, higher education institutions and private and public businesses is pivotal for achieving a sustainable model for online education in rural areas. Furthermore, the paper presents a series of thinking technologies in the form of models and categories, which can be used as tools for establishing learning centres and designing learning activities for learning centres. --- Kommuner placeret i yderområder i Danmark har i de seneste årtier oplevet affolkning og økonomisk nedgang, og denne udvikling har medvirket til et centraliseret uddannelsessystem, hvor videregående uddannelsesinstitutioner flyttes fra yderområder til større byer. University College Sjælland har igangsat et forskningsprojekt i samarbejde med tre kommuner i Region Sjælland og partnere fra de nordiske lande, som har til formål at undersøge hvorvidt uddannelseskonceptet kommunale læringscentre kan medvirke til at løse uddannelsesudfordringer i landets yderområder. Et kommunalt læringscenter er en fysisk lokation som ejes af en kommune, som gennem læringscenteret kan give borgere mulighed for at tage et kursus eller en

Towards the end of the technical stop

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2010-01-01

After several weeks of hard work, the short technical stop of the LHC accelerator is coming to an end. Following a very intense campaign to repair and retest many thousand high voltage connectors, the upgraded magnet protection system is being commissioned. During this period, the current in the main dipole and quadrupole magnets is carefully increased up to 6kA, required to collide protons at 7TeV centre-of-mass energy. This has been achieved for most of the sectors.   The parameters of the upgraded magnet protection system are accurately calibrated. This operation is needed in order for the magnet protection system to be triggered only when a real problem occurs. The system is now able to detect a transition from superconducting to normal conducting state of the superconducting cable joints between magnets, a necessary condition to operate the magnet system above 2kA. Highly accurate measurements of the joint resistances have been performed by stepping up the current to 5kA. The magnets and the...

Social Worker Perceptions of the Portrayal of the Profession in the News and Entertainment Media: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Zugazaga, Carole B.; Surette, Raymond B.; Mendez, Monica; Otto, Charles W.

2006-01-01

This exploratory study describes social workers' perceptions of the depiction of the social work profession found in the news and entertainment media. A random sample of 665 MSW social workers who were members of the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers were surveyed regarding how they felt the profession was depicted in…

C-NET: the Centre for Nuclear Energy Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, J.W.

2011-01-01

The Centre for Nuclear Energy Technology was established as part of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at The University of Manchester in 2009 to focus the UK research on front-end nuclear technologies. This includes plant-life extension, new build, naval propulsion and next generation reactors. Building on £4M of government funding through the North West Development Agency (NWDA), C-NET will act as a hub for nuclear research in the North West of England collaborating with both universities and industry. (author)

Dosimetric inter-institutional comparison in European radiotherapy centres: Results of IAEA supported treatment planning system audit.

Science.gov (United States)

Gershkevitsh, Eduard; Pesznyak, Csilla; Petrovic, Borislava; Grezdo, Joseph; Chelminski, Krzysztof; do Carmo Lopes, Maria; Izewska, Joanna; Van Dyk, Jacob

2014-05-01

One of the newer audit modalities operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) involves audits of treatment planning systems (TPS) in radiotherapy. The main focus of the audit is the dosimetry verification of the delivery of a radiation treatment plan for three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiotherapy using high energy photon beams. The audit has been carried out in eight European countries - Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, Poland and Portugal. The corresponding results are presented. The TPS audit reviews the dosimetry, treatment planning and radiotherapy delivery processes using the 'end-to-end' approach, i.e. following the pathway similar to that of the patient, through imaging, treatment planning and dose delivery. The audit is implemented at the national level with IAEA assistance. The national counterparts conduct the TPS audit at local radiotherapy centres through on-site visits. TPS calculated doses are compared with ion chamber measurements performed in an anthropomorphic phantom for eight test cases per algorithm/beam. A set of pre-defined agreement criteria is used to analyse the performance of TPSs. TPS audit was carried out in 60 radiotherapy centres. In total, 190 data sets (combination of algorithm and beam quality) have been collected and reviewed. Dosimetry problems requiring interventions were discovered in about 10% of datasets. In addition, suboptimal beam modelling in TPSs was discovered in a number of cases. The TPS audit project using the IAEA methodology has verified the treatment planning system calculations for 3D conformal radiotherapy in a group of radiotherapy centres in Europe. It contributed to achieving better understanding of the performance of TPSs and helped to resolve issues related to imaging, dosimetry and treatment planning.

De Novo Ultrascale Atomistic Simulations On High-End Parallel Supercomputers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakano, A; Kalia, R K; Nomura, K; Sharma, A; Vashishta, P; Shimojo, F; van Duin, A; Goddard, III, W A; Biswas, R; Srivastava, D; Yang, L H

2006-09-04

We present a de novo hierarchical simulation framework for first-principles based predictive simulations of materials and their validation on high-end parallel supercomputers and geographically distributed clusters. In this framework, high-end chemically reactive and non-reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations explore a wide solution space to discover microscopic mechanisms that govern macroscopic material properties, into which highly accurate quantum mechanical (QM) simulations are embedded to validate the discovered mechanisms and quantify the uncertainty of the solution. The framework includes an embedded divide-and-conquer (EDC) algorithmic framework for the design of linear-scaling simulation algorithms with minimal bandwidth complexity and tight error control. The EDC framework also enables adaptive hierarchical simulation with automated model transitioning assisted by graph-based event tracking. A tunable hierarchical cellular decomposition parallelization framework then maps the O(N) EDC algorithms onto Petaflops computers, while achieving performance tunability through a hierarchy of parameterized cell data/computation structures, as well as its implementation using hybrid Grid remote procedure call + message passing + threads programming. High-end computing platforms such as IBM BlueGene/L, SGI Altix 3000 and the NSF TeraGrid provide an excellent test grounds for the framework. On these platforms, we have achieved unprecedented scales of quantum-mechanically accurate and well validated, chemically reactive atomistic simulations--1.06 billion-atom fast reactive force-field MD and 11.8 million-atom (1.04 trillion grid points) quantum-mechanical MD in the framework of the EDC density functional theory on adaptive multigrids--in addition to 134 billion-atom non-reactive space-time multiresolution MD, with the parallel efficiency as high as 0.998 on 65,536 dual-processor BlueGene/L nodes. We have also achieved an automated execution of hierarchical QM

Psychiatric rehabilitation in community-based day centres: motivation and satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Eklund, Mona; Tjörnstrand, Carina

2013-11-01

This study investigated attendees' motivation and motives for participation in day centres and their satisfaction with the rehabilitation, while also addressing the influence of day centre orientation (work- or meeting-place orientation), gender and age. Ninety-three Swedish day centre attendees participated in a cross-sectional study and completed questionnaires about motivation, motives, and satisfaction with the rehabilitation. Data were analysed with non-parametric statistics. The participants were highly motivated for going to the day centre and set clear goals for their rehabilitation. Female gender, but not age, was associated with stronger motivation. The strongest motives for going to the day centre were getting structure to the day and socializing. Attendees at work-oriented day centres more often expressed that they went there to get structure to the day and gain social status. Satisfaction with the rehabilitation was high, and the most common wishes for further opportunities concerned earning money and learning new things. The rehabilitation largely seemed to meet the attendees' needs, but the findings indicated that further developments were desired, such as participation in work on the open market and more work-like occupations in the day centre, accompanied by some kind of remuneration.

FERMI: a digital Front End and Readout MIcrosystem for high resolution calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexanian, H.; Appelquist, G.; Bailly, P.

1995-01-01

We present a digital solution for the front-end electronics of high resolution calorimeters at future colliders. It is based on analogue signal compression, high speed A/D converters, a fully programmable pipeline and a digital signal processing (DSP) chain with local intelligence and system supervision. This digital solution is aimed at providing maximal front-end processing power by performing waveform analysis using DSP methods. For the system integration of the multichannel device a multi-chip, silicon-on-silicon multi-chip module (MCM) has been adopted. This solution allows a high level of integration of complex analogue and digital functions, with excellent flexibility in mixing technologies for the different functional blocks. This type of multichip integration provides a high degree of reliability and programmability at both the function and the system level, with the additional possibility of customising the microsystem to detector-specific requirements. For enhanced reliability in high radiation environments, fault tolerance strategies, i.e. redundancy, reconfigurability, majority voting and coding for error detection and correction, are integrated into the design. ((orig.))

Arts and Entertainment Career Conference. Walt Disney Studios. Final Project Performance Report, July 31, 1978-July 31, 1979.

Science.gov (United States)

Walt Disney Productions, Anaheim, CA.

The intention of a project was (1) to encourage college and university deans and heads of performing arts departments to hold an Arts and Entertainment Career Seminar on their own compus for faculty and performing arts majors and (2) to provide these institutions with written and visual materials for such a seminar. Two conferences were held, one…

A model-based software development methodology for high-end automotive components

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ravanan, Mahmoud

2014-01-01

This report provides a model-based software development methodology for high-end automotive components. The V-model is used as a process model throughout the development of the software platform. It offers a framework that simplifies the relation between requirements, design, implementation,

The Imperial College Thermophysical Properties Data Centre

Science.gov (United States)

Angus, S.; Cole, W. A.; Craven, R.; de Reuck, K. M.; Trengove, R. D.; Wakeham, W. A.

1986-07-01

The IUPAC Thermodynamic Tables Project Centre in London has at its disposal considerable expertise on the production and utilization of high-accuracy equations of state which represent the thermodynamic properties of substances. For some years they have been content to propagate this information by the traditional method of book production, but the increasing use of the computer in industry for process design has shown that an additional method was needed. The setting up of the IUPAC Transport Properties Project Centre, also at Imperial College, whose products would also be in demand by industry, afforded the occasion for a new look at the problem. The solution has been to set up the Imperial College Thermophysical Properties Data Centre, which embraces the two IUPAC Project Centres, and for it to establish a link with the existing Physical Properties Data Service of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, thus providing for the dissemination of the available information without involving the Centres in problems such as those of marketing and advertising. This paper outlines the activities of the Centres and discusses the problems in bringing their products to the attention of industry in suitable form.

Manche centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-05-01

After a general presentation of radioactivity and radioactive wastes and of the French national agency for the management of radioactive wastes (ANDRA), this brochure gives a general overview of the Manche low- and medium-level radioactive waste disposal centre: principles of storage safety, waste containers (first confinement barrier), storage facility and cover (second confinement barrier), the underground (third confinement barrier), the impact of the centre on its environment, and the control of radioactivity in the vicinity of the centre. (J.S.)

Evaluation of strategies for end storage of high-level reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

This report evaluates a national strategy for end-storage of used high-level reactor fuel from the research reactors at Kjeller and in Halden. This strategy presupposes that all the important phases in handling the high-level material, including temporary storage and deposition, are covered. The quantity of spent fuel from Norwegian reactors is quite small. In addition to the technological issues, ethical, environmental, safety and economical requirements are emphasized

Strategic project selection based on evidential reasoning approach for high-end equipment manufacturing industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Guangyan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available With the rapid development of science and technology, emerging information technologies have significantly changed the daily life of people. In such context, strategic project selection for high-end equipment manufacturing industries faces more and more complexities and uncertainties with the consideration of several complex criteria. For example, a group of experts rather than a single expert should be invited to select strategic project for high-end equipment manufacturing industries and the experts may feel difficulty to express their preferences towards different strategic projects due to their limited cognitive capabilities. In order to handle these complexities and uncertainties, the criteria framework of strategic project selection is firstly constructed based on the characteristics of high-end equipment manufacturing industries and then evidential reasoning (ER approach is introduced in this paper to help experts express their uncertain preferences and aggregate these preferences to generate an appropriate strategic project. A real case of strategic project selection in a high-speed train manufacturing enterprise is investigated to demonstrate the validity of the ER approach in solving strategic project selection problem.

The Belgian nuclear research centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moons, F.

2001-01-01

The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre is almost exclusively devoted to nuclear R and D and services and is able to generate 50% of its resources (out of 75 million Euro) by contract work and services. The main areas of research include nuclear reactor safety, radioactive waste management, radiation protection and safeguards. The high flux reactor BR2 is extensively used to test fuel and structural materials. PWR-plant BR3 is devoted to the scientific analysis of decommissioning problems. The Centre has a strong programme on the applications of radioisotopes and radiation in medicine and industry. The centre has plans to develop an accelerator driven spallation neutron source for various applications. It has initiated programmes to disseminate correct information on issues of nuclear energy production and non-energy nuclear applications to different target groups. It has strong linkages with the IAEA, OECD-NEA and the Euratom. (author)

Innovative strategy for effective critical laboratory result management: end-to-end process using automation and manual call centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Ti, Lian Kah; Ang, Sophia Bee Leng; Saw, Sharon; Sethi, Sunil Kumar; Yip, James W L

2012-08-01

Timely reporting and acknowledgement are crucial steps in critical laboratory results (CLR) management. The authors previously showed that an automated pathway incorporating short messaging system (SMS) texts, auto-escalation, and manual telephone back-up improved the rate and speed of physician acknowledgement compared with manual telephone calling alone. This study investigated if it also improved the rate and speed of physician intervention to CLR and whether utilising the manual back-up affected intervention rates. Data from seven audits between November 2007 and January 2011 were analysed. These audits were carried out to assess the robustness of CLR reporting process in the authors' institution. Comparisons were made in the rate and speed of acknowledgement and intervention between the audits performed before and after automation. Using the automation audits, the authors compared intervention data between communication with SMS only and when manual intervention was required. 1680 CLR were reported during the audit periods. Automation improved the rate (100% vs 84.2%; pautomation audits, the use of SMS only did not improve physician intervention rates. The automated communication pathway improved physician intervention rate and time in tandem with improved acknowledgement rate and time when compared with manual telephone calling. The use of manual intervention to augment automation did not adversely affect physician intervention rate, implying that an end-to-end pathway was more important than automation alone.

49 CFR 231.3 - Drop-end high-side gondola cars.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Drop-end high-side gondola cars. 231.3 Section 231... gondola cars. (a) Hand brakes—(1) Number. Same as specified for “Box and other house cars” (see § 231.1(a)(1)). (2) Dimensions. Same as specified for “Box and other house cars” (see § 231.1(a)(2)). (3...

France. The Centre de la Manche disposal facility: Entering into the institutional control period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The Centre de la Manche disposal facility, created by decree in 1969, is the first French near-surface radioactive waste disposal facility. It lies at the northwest end of the Cotentin peninsula, next to the COGEMA-La Hague fuel reprocessing plant. The Centre de la Manche facility occupies an area of about 150,000 m 2 . Its operation was terminated in late June 1994 with about 500,000 m 3 of packages disposed of. Operating feedback from the Centre de la Manche was used to design the second French disposal facility, located in the Aube, which has been receiving LILW since 1992. Since the end of the operating period, ANDRA has been preparing the statutory files to prepare the Centre de la Manche for its entry into the institutional control period. A new government decree will set the framework in which the Centre will evolve in this period. The regulatory process includes the filing of an application with the ministries concerned, containing a file with the requisite statutory documents, including an impact study of the facility on its environment as well as a hazard study. The file will then be submitted to a public inquiry, an essential informative period of the project designed to make a compilation of criticisms and suggestions from the public. In support of the application, a safety report has been sent to the Nuclear Installation Safety Directorate (DSIN) for a decision on the admissibility of the application. Recently, the Group of experts appointed by the DSIN which examined it has come out in favor of the creation of a new basic nuclear installation (i.e., a new government agency) for the institutional control period. A draft decree will then be submitted to the approval of the Interministerial Commission for Basic Nuclear Installations. This process, initiated in 1994, is nearing completion

High-energy high-efficiency Nd:YLF laser end-pump by 808 nm diode

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qinglei; Mo, Haiding; Zhao, Jay

2018-04-01

A model is developed to calculate the optimal pump position for end-pump configuration. The 808 nm wing pump is employed to spread the absorption inside the crystal. By the optimal laser cavity design, a high-energy high-efficiency Nd:YLF laser operating at 1053 nm is presented. In cw operation, a 13.6 W power is obtained with a slope efficiency of 51% with respect to 30 W incident pump power. The beam quality is near diffraction limited with M2 ∼ 1.02. In Q-switch operation, a pulse energy of 5 mJ is achieved with a peak power of 125 kW at 1 kHz repetition rate.

The ideal Atomic Centre; Le Centre Atomique ideal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mas, R [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1965-07-01

The author presents considerations which should prove to be of interest to all those who have to design, to construct and to operate a nuclear research centre. A large number of the ideas presented can also be applied to non-nuclear scientific research centres. In his report the author reviews: various problems with which the constructor is faced: ground-plan, infrastructure, buildings and the large units of scientific equipment in the centre, and those problems facing the director: maintenance, production, supplies, security. The author stresses the relationship which ought to exist between the research workers and the management. With this aim in view he proposes the creation of National School for Administration in Research which would train administrative executives for public or private organisations; they would be specialised in the fields of fundamental or applied research. (author) [French] L'auteur propose une base de reflexions a tous ceux qui doivent concevoir, realiser et faire vivre un Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires. Un grand nombre des idees exprimees peut d'ailleurs s'appliquer a un Centre d'Etudes Scientifiques non nucleaires. Dans son ouvrage, l'auteur passe en revue les differents problemes qui se posent au constructeur: plan, masse, infrastructure, batiments et grands appareils du Centre, et ceux qu'a a resoudre le directeur: entretien, fabrication, approvisionnements, securite. L'auteur insiste sur l'aspect des rapports qui doivent exister entre les chercheurs et ceux qui les administrent. Il propose a cette fin la creation d'une Ecole Nationale d'Administration de la Recherche qui formerait des cadres administratifs pour les organismes publics ou prives, specialises dans la Recherche fondamentale ou appliquee. (auteur)

Distributed Large Data-Object Environments: End-to-End Performance Analysis of High Speed Distributed Storage Systems in Wide Area ATM Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, William; Tierney, Brian; Lee, Jason; Hoo, Gary; Thompson, Mary

1996-01-01

We have developed and deployed a distributed-parallel storage system (DPSS) in several high speed asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) wide area networks (WAN) testbeds to support several different types of data-intensive applications. Architecturally, the DPSS is a network striped disk array, but is fairly unique in that its implementation allows applications complete freedom to determine optimal data layout, replication and/or coding redundancy strategy, security policy, and dynamic reconfiguration. In conjunction with the DPSS, we have developed a 'top-to-bottom, end-to-end' performance monitoring and analysis methodology that has allowed us to characterize all aspects of the DPSS operating in high speed ATM networks. In particular, we have run a variety of performance monitoring experiments involving the DPSS in the MAGIC testbed, which is a large scale, high speed, ATM network and we describe our experience using the monitoring methodology to identify and correct problems that limit the performance of high speed distributed applications. Finally, the DPSS is part of an overall architecture for using high speed, WAN's for enabling the routine, location independent use of large data-objects. Since this is part of the motivation for a distributed storage system, we describe this architecture.

The HILW-LL (high- and intermediate-level waste, long-lived) disposal project: working toward building the Cigeo Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal; Le projet HA-MAVL: vers la realisation du centre industriel de stockage geologique Cigeo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Labalette, Th. [Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Dechets Radioactifs - ANDRA, Dir. des Projets, 92 - Chatenay Malabry (France)

2011-02-15

The French Act of 28 June 2006 identifies reversible disposal in deep geological facilities as the benchmark solution for long-term management of high-level waste (HLW) and for intermediate-level long-lived waste (ILW-LL). The Act tasks ANDRA (national agency for the management of radioactive wastes) with the pursuit of studies and research on the choice of a site and the design of the repository, with a view to examining the licence application in 2015 and, provided that the licence is granted, to make the facility operational by 2025. At the end of 2009, ANDRA submitted to the Government its proposals regarding the site and the design of the Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal, known as CIGEO. With the definition of a possible area for the construction of underground disposal facilities, one of the key stages in the project has been achieved. The choice of a surface site will be validated following the public consultation scheduled for the end of 2012. The project is now on the point of entering the definition stage (preliminary design). CIGEO will be a nuclear facility unlike any other. It will be built and operated for a period of over 100 years. For it to be successful, the project must meet certain requirements related to its integration in the local area, industrial planning, safety and reversibility, while also controlling costs. Reversibility is a very important concept that will be defined by law. It is ANDRA's responsibility to ensure that a reasonable balance is found between these different concerns. (author)

Attitude of Farmers towards Kisan Call Centres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shely Mary Koshy

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The present study was conducted to measure the attitude of farmers in Kerala, India towards Kisan Call Centre (KCC. Kisan Call Centre provides free agricultural advisory services to every citizen involved in agriculture through a toll free number. One hundred and fifty farmers who have utilized the Kisan Call Centre service were selected from the database of KCC. The results showed that the respondents had moderately favourable attitude towards KCC followed by highly favourable attitude. The variables digital divide, temporal awareness on KCC, satisfaction towards KCC and utilization of KCC were found to have a positive correlation with the attitude of respondents towards KCC.

Visual Enhancement for Sports Entertainment by Vision-Based Augmented Reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hideo Saito

2008-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents visually enhanced sports entertainment applications: AR Baseball Presentation System and Interactive AR Bowling System. We utilize vision-based augmented reality for getting immersive feeling. First application is an observation system of a virtual baseball game on the tabletop. 3D virtual players are playing a game on a real baseball field model, so that users can observe the game from favorite view points through a handheld monitor with a web camera. Second application is a bowling system which allows users to roll a real ball down a real bowling lane model on the tabletop and knock down virtual pins. The users watch the virtual pins through the monitor. The lane and the ball are also tracked by vision-based tracking. In those applications, we utilize multiple 2D markers distributed at arbitrary positions and directions. Even though the geometrical relationship among the markers is unknown, we can track the camera in very wide area.

Framing in Entertainment-Education: Effects on Processes of Narrative Persuasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Brusse, Elsbeth D Asbeek; Fransen, Marieke L; Smit, Edith G

2017-12-01

Nowadays, entertainment-education (E-E) is often used as a persuasive strategy to stimulate prosocial behavior. Although E-E is mostly regarded as a persuasive strategy in itself, in an increasing number of E-E programs several persuasive strategies are used to communicate the educational message to the audience. This study investigates the effects of a strategy widely used in health communication, but not previously studied in the field of E-E: framing. To this means we examined the effect of two different ways an E-E message can be framed: by emphasizing either the losses of not performing the behavior in question or the gains of performing this behavior. A serial multiple mediation model showed that framing affected intention to refrain from drunk cycling via counterarguing and attitude toward drunk cycling; the use of a gain frame decreased counterarguing, which decreased the attitude toward drunk cycling. This subsequently resulted in a higher intention to refrain from this behavior. Implications of these results are discussed.

Nuclear research centres - The Egyptian experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdelrazek, I.D.

2001-01-01

The Atomic Energy Authority of Egypt has four research centres located at two sites. Its research reactors are devoted to the production of isotopes, neutron beam experiments, activation analysis and materials research. The accelerators are devoted to the production of short lived isotopes for medical applications and materials R and D. Irradiation technology is used for sterilization of medical supplies and food preservation. High level of expertise in those centres is also useful for other developmental activities in Egypt. (author)

Effectively selling astronomy to the public -- fusing lessons learned from education, entertainment, advertising and public relations

Science.gov (United States)

Pallone, Arthur; Day, Jacque

2010-03-01

A great celestial story is only as effective as the teller of the tale. With passion and knowledge at the helm, we must search for ways to pass on enthusiasm to others while conveying sound science. Based on our experiences, we present an integrated approach -- one that borrows elements from education, entertainment, advertising, and public relations -- to choose an event, hook and keep the public's attention while making them want more, and provide some tips for increasing media presence.

Training centres in Latin America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1959-01-01

Early 1958 the Brazilian representative on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency - supported by the Governors from Argentina and Guatemala -proposed that a study should be made of the possibility of setting up one or more atomic energy training centres in Latin America. On the Board's recommendation, the Director General of the Agency appointed a fact-finding team to make anon-the-spot study. In drafting this report the team was invited to consider the following points: (a) The need for establishing one or more regional training centres; (b) Existing facilities that are being or could be used for training, together with technical data concerning them; (c) The general scientific technological and industrial conditions of the countries visited insofar as they have a bearing on their training needs and capabilities. The authors of the report conclude that 'a training centre in radio-botany should provide vitally needed knowledge and vitally needed specialists to all the agricultural installations in Latin America. A training centre like this might provide an excellent model upon which to base training centres in other areas'. The report recommends that: 1. The Agency should meet the requests of Latin American universities by, for example, supplying equipment and sending experts; 2. At least one specialized training centre should be established as soon as possible. Taking as an example the field of radio-botany, such a centre would provide trained specialists in radio-botany to agricultural institutions throughout Latin America and also provide basic research results vital to agriculture. The cost of new facilities might be of the order of $7 500 000, with an annual budget of approximately $650 000. Staff required: 40 scientists and 175 employees; 3. Whenever it appears feasible to gather necessary staff of high creative ability and established productivity and when funds can be made available for facilities, equipment and operating costs, at

Training centres in Latin America

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1959-04-15

Early 1958 the Brazilian representative on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency - supported by the Governors from Argentina and Guatemala -proposed that a study should be made of the possibility of setting up one or more atomic energy training centres in Latin America. On the Board's recommendation, the Director General of the Agency appointed a fact-finding team to make anon-the-spot study. In drafting this report the team was invited to consider the following points: (a) The need for establishing one or more regional training centres; (b) Existing facilities that are being or could be used for training, together with technical data concerning them; (c) The general scientific technological and industrial conditions of the countries visited insofar as they have a bearing on their training needs and capabilities. The authors of the report conclude that 'a training centre in radio-botany should provide vitally needed knowledge and vitally needed specialists to all the agricultural installations in Latin America. A training centre like this might provide an excellent model upon which to base training centres in other areas'. The report recommends that: 1. The Agency should meet the requests of Latin American universities by, for example, supplying equipment and sending experts; 2. At least one specialized training centre should be established as soon as possible. Taking as an example the field of radio-botany, such a centre would provide trained specialists in radio-botany to agricultural institutions throughout Latin America and also provide basic research results vital to agriculture. The cost of new facilities might be of the order of $7 500 000, with an annual budget of approximately $650 000. Staff required: 40 scientists and 175 employees; 3. Whenever it appears feasible to gather necessary staff of high creative ability and established productivity and when funds can be made available for facilities, equipment and operating costs, at

The population of planetary nebulae near the Galactic Centre: chemical abundances

Science.gov (United States)

Mollá, M.; Cavichia, O.; Costa, R. D. D.; Maciel, W. J.

2017-10-01

In this work, we report physical parameters and abundances derived for a sample of 15 high extinction planetary nebulae located in the inner 2° of the Galactic bulge, based on low dispersion spectroscopy secured at the SOAR telescope using the Goodman spectrograph. The new data allow us to extend our database including older, weaker objects that are at the faint end of the planetary nebulae luminosity function. The data provide chemical compositions for PNe located in this region of the bulge to explore the chemical enrichment history of the central region of the Galactic bulge. The results show that the abundances of our sample are skewed to higher metallicities than previous data in the outer regions of the bulge. This can indicate a faster chemical enrichment taking place at the Galactic centre.

Towards People-Centred Economic Reintegration? An Analysis of the Economic Reintegration Strategy of Demobilised Combatants in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Thorsell

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the suitability of the economic reintegration strategy for former Colombian combatants, taking into account the challenges facing this population. It argues that the international discourse primarily consists of a market-centred versus a people-centred perspective, each with a distinct approach to economic reintegration. The paper finds that in Colombia there was a lack of inclusion of key stakeholders in the initial design of the process. As a result, the economic reintegration strategy ended up merely accommodating certain neoliberal ideals and thereby leaned towards a market-centred approach. Lately, steps have been taken towards an increasingly people-centred approach. This is currently reflected in improved results of the process, which predict a brighter future for economic reintegration of former combatants in Colombia.

Exploring the use of entertainment-education YouTube videos focused on infection prevention and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Kathryn; Kilpatrick, Claire; Storr, Julie; Seale, Holly

2018-06-05

As a communications strategy, education entertainment has been used to inform, influence, and shift societal and individual behaviors. Recently, there has been an increasing number of entertainment-education YouTube videos focused on hand hygiene. However, there is currently no understanding about the quality of these videos; therefore, this study aimed to explore the social media content and user engagement with these videos. The search terms "hand hygiene" and "hand hygiene education" were used to query YouTube. Video content had to be directed at a health care professional audience. Using author designed checklists, each video was systematically evaluated and grouped according to educational usefulness and was subsequently evaluated against the categories of attractiveness, comprehension, and persuasiveness. A total of 400 videos were screened, with 70 videos retained for analysis. Of these, 55.7% (n = 39) were categorized as educationally useful. Overall, educationally useful videos scored higher than noneducationally useful videos across the categories of attractiveness, comprehension, and persuasiveness. Miscommunication of the concept of My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene was observed in several of the YouTube videos. The availability of educationally useful videos in relation to hand hygiene is evident; however, it is clear that there are opportunities for contributors using this medium to strengthen their alignment with social media best practice principles to maximize the effectiveness, reach, and sustainability of their content. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Playing it safe: Patron safety strategies and experience of violence in night-time entertainment districts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jin; Droste, Nicolas; Curtis, Ashlee; Zinkiewicz, Lucy; Miller, Peter

2018-03-01

Incidences of violence are elevated in night-time entertainment districts. Research suggests that safety-related behavioural strategies adopted while drinking can reduce negative alcohol-related outcomes. The current study investigates the use of safety strategies and its association with experiences of violence among patrons from the general population. Patron interviews (N = 3949) were conducted in and around licenced venues in Newcastle (New South Wales) and Geelong (Victoria) during peak trading hours (Friday and Saturday, 21:00-01:00 h). Participants (mean age = 24.3, SD = 5.8; male 54.4%) were asked to report what measures, if any, they used to keep safe when drinking and whether they had been involved in a violent incident in the last 12 months. After controlling for patron demographics and location, the use of multiple (more than one) safety strategies was significantly associated with reduced odds of involvement in a violent incident (odds ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.49-0.85, P = 0.002). Significant gender differences were observed in the number and type of safety strategies reported. Increasing the number of safety-related behaviours during drinking occasions is associated with a small but significant reduction in experiencing alcohol-related harms, such as violence. [Zhou J, Droste N, Curtis A, Zinkiewicz L, Miller P. Playing it safe: Patron safety strategies and experience of violence in night-time entertainment districts. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Branded entertainment: los contenidos de entretenimiento como herramienta de comunicación de marketing. Un estudio de su situación actual en España 

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J de Aguilera-Moyano

2015-09-01

Full Text Available En el nuevo contexto de marketing surgen herramientas de comunicación como el branded entertainment; un tipo de mensaje híbrido con elque las marcas producen contenidos de entretenimiento. Metodología: Este estudio tiene como objetivo mejorar el conocimiento del branded entertainment y su situación en España así como sus expectativas de futuro. Se ha realizado una investigación exploratoria utilizando como técnica metodológica la entrevista en profundidad aplicada a un grupo de expertos en creación y distribución de branded entertainment. Resultados y conclusiones: Los resultados muestran: existe un amplio conocimiento de sus posibilidades como técnica de comunicación comercial; los contenidos producidos deben ser relevantes para competir con otros productos de entretenimiento; se espera un notable incremento en su utilización ante la pérdida de eficacia de las tácticas intrusivas; y se percibe como la herramienta de comunicación más adecuada para generar engagement del consumidor.

Canadian Irradiation Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-05-01

The Canadian Irradiation Centre is a non-profit cooperative project between Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Radiochemical Company and Universite du Quebec, Institut Armand-Frappier, Centre for Applied Research in Food Science. The Centre's objectives are to develop, demonstrate and promote Canada's radiation processing technology and its applications by conducting applied research; training technical, professional and scientific personnel; educating industry and government; demonstrating operational and scientific procedures; developing processing procedures and standards, and performing product and market acceptance trials. This pamphlet outlines the history of radoation technology and the services offered by the Canadian Irradiation Centre

Manche storage Centre. Information report on nuclear safety and radiation protection 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

After a presentation of the Manche Storage Centre (CSM), the first French center of surface storage of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes, of its history, its buildings and activities, of the multi-layer cover, of the water management system (installation, controls, sampling), this report then describes the measures related to nuclear safety, the management of conventional and nuclear wastes produced by the Centre, the other impacts, the control, maintenance and follow-up of installations, the radiation protection and security of the center, the incidents and accidents that occurred at the facility, and the public information and communication actions. Recommendations of the Health and safety Committee (CHSCT) are reported at the end

CMS Centre at CERN

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

A new "CMS Centre" is being established on the CERN Meyrin site by the CMS collaboration. It will be a focal point for communications, where physicists will work together on data quality monitoring, detector calibration, offline analysis of physics events, and CMS computing operations. Construction of the CMS Centre begins in the historic Proton Synchrotron (PS) control room. The historic Proton Synchrotron (PS) control room, Opened by Niels Bohr in 1960, will be reused by CMS to built its control centre. TThe LHC@FNAL Centre, in operation at Fermilab in the US, will work very closely with the CMS Centre, as well as the CERN Control Centre. (Photo Fermilab)The historic Proton Synchrotron (PS) control room is about to start a new life. Opened by Niels Bohr in 1960, the room will be reused by CMS to built its control centre. When finished, it will resemble the CERN Contro...

Multi-technology control centre to integrate 460 MW renewables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

The new RWE Innogy Aersa Control Centre that has been certified to act as an interface with CECRE (the Renewable Energy Control Centre) since February 2015, connects RWE’s 20 renewable energy facilities with REE, the Spanish Electricity Grid. As a result, it ensures that wind farms, in addition to hydropower and solar plants, can inject the energy generated by its 460 MW installed safely and with no penalties. Green Eagle Solutions, a provider of software solutions for renewable energy companies, has collaborated with RWE in the development of this Control Centre, meeting the high standards of quality and safety required by RWE. This centre uses CompactSCADA® technology to integrate power generation facilities that need to be integrated in a Control Centre to communicate with REE’s CECRE. (Author)

Perspectives on a ‘Sit Less, Move More’ Intervention in Australian Emergency Call Centres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle Daley

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. Workplace programs that aim to reduce sitting time (sit less and increase physical activity (move more have targeted desk-based workers in corporate and university settings with promising results. However, little is known about ‘move more, sit less’ programs for workers in other types of jobs and industries, such as shift workers. This formative research examines the perceptions of a ‘sit less, move more’ program in an Australian Emergency Call Centre that operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Methods: Participants were employees (N = 39, 72% female, 50% aged 36–55 years recruited from Emergency Services control centres located in New South Wales, Australia. The ‘sit less, move more’ intervention, consisting of emails, posters and timer lights, was co-designed with the management team and tailored to the control centre environment and work practices, which already included electronic height-adjustable sit-stand workstations for all call centre staff. Participants reported their perceptions and experiences of the intervention in a self-report online questionnaire, and directly to the research team during regular site visits. Questionnaire topics included barriers and facilitators to standing while working, mental wellbeing, effects on work performance, and workplace satisfaction. Field notes and open-ended response data were analysed in an iterative process during and after data collection to identify the main themes. Results: Whilst participants already had sit-stand workstations, use of the desks in the standing position varied and sometimes were contrary to expectations (e.g, less tired standing than sitting; standing when experiencing high call stress. Participants emphasised the “challenging” and “unrelenting” nature of their work. They reported sleep issues (“always tired”, work stress (“non-stop demands”, and feeling

Human-centred Governance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bason, Christian

2017-01-01

Design approaches are now being applied all over the world as a powerful approach to innovating public policies and services. Christian Bason, author of Leading public design: Discovering human-centred governance, argues that by bringing design methods into play, public managers can lead change...... with citizens at the centre, and discover a new model for steering public organisations: human-centred governance....

A Comparison of High- and Low-Distress Marriages that End in Divorce

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Paul R.; Hohmann-Marriott, Bryndl

2007-01-01

We used data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households to study high- and low-distress marriages that end in divorce. A cluster analysis of 509 couples who divorced between waves revealed that about half were in high-distress relationships and the rest in low-distress relationships. These 2 groups were not artifacts of…

The End-of-Life Phase of High-Grade Glioma Patients: Dying With Dignity?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sizoo, E.M.; Taphoorn, M.J.B.; Uitdehaag, B.M.J.; Heimans, J.J.; Deliens, L.; Reijneveld, J.C.; Pasman, H.R.W.

2013-01-01

Background. In the end-of-life (EOL) phase, high-grade glioma (HGG) patients have a high symptom burden and often lose independence because of physical and cognitive dysfunction. This might affect the patient's personal dignity. We aimed to (a) assess the proportion of HGG patients dying with

The oral food desensitization in the Italian allergy centres.

Science.gov (United States)

Meglio, P; Caminiti, L; Pajno, G B; Dello Iacono, I; Tripodi, S; Verga, M C; Martelli, A

2015-05-01

Attempts aimed at inducing food tolerance through oral food desensitization (OFD) for the treatment of IgE-mediated food allergies are increasing. In Italy, a number of allergy centres offer this procedure. To collect information on how these centres are organized, how patients are selected, the methods used to administer OFD and how adverse reactions are managed. A questionnaire was e-mailed to all the Italian allergy centres offering OFD. The survey shows a high degree of variability between centres. A correct diagnosis of food allergy is crucial for selecting patients for OFD. In the Italian allergy centres, oral food challenges are mostly open label (84%), but in 16% of cases they are single-blind (8%) or double-blind (8%). A high proportion of allergy centres (83%) offer OFD to children presenting forms of anaphylaxis triggered by traces--or very low doses--of food allergen. The majority of allergy centres (76%) enroll patients over 3 years of age, with 44% enrolling patients above the age of 5. Not-controlled asthma, unreliability of parents in the management of OFD and/or risk of adverse events, are the main reasons for exclusion from the procedure. Although OFD may sometimes be successful and may be considered a valid alternative to an elimination diet, further randomized controlled trials are needed, in order to clarify some controversial points, such as the characteristics of the child undergoing OFD, and the methods of food preparation and administration. Moreover, further studies should further investigate OFD safety, efficacy and costs.

Work experiences among attendees of day centres for people with psychiatric disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Eklund, Mona; Sandlund, Mikael

2015-01-01

It is possible that people with psychiatric disabilities who visit day centres have previous work experiences that may be seen as resources for their current engagement in day centre activities. Research in this respect seems to lack, however. To investigate work experiences among attendees at day centres for people with psychiatric disabilities and relationships with current type of day centre (work-oriented, meeting place-oriented or mixed), engagement in day centre activities, motivation and socio-demographic and health-related factors. Seventy-seven attendees responded to questionnaires. Global Assessment of Functioning, GAF, was also used. Work was categorised into Group I (professionals, semi-professionals), Group II (clerical support, services workers) and Group III (e.g. craft workers, elementary occupations). Almost everyone had previously had open-market employment; more than half for ≥ 10 years. Group I was more common in mixed centres, Group II in meeting place-oriented ones and Group III in work-oriented ones. Group I more frequently had college degree and was rated high on GAF functioning. Women were over-represented in Group II, and men in Group III and in meeting place-oriented centres. Attending mixed centres was more likely when having a college degree, scoring high on GAF functioning and being highly engaged in activities. Attendees at work-oriented day centres were characterised by being motivated for spending time alone and reporting a diagnosis of psychosis. The participants had unused working capacity. No clear-cut relationships were found between work experiences and the investigated correlates.

A Bayes Theory-Based Modeling Algorithm to End-to-end Network Traffic

OpenAIRE

Zhao Hong-hao; Meng Fan-bo; Zhao Si-wen; Zhao Si-hang; Lu Yi

2016-01-01

Recently, network traffic has exponentially increasing due to all kind of applications, such as mobile Internet, smart cities, smart transportations, Internet of things, and so on. the end-to-end network traffic becomes more important for traffic engineering. Usually end-to-end traffic estimation is highly difficult. This paper proposes a Bayes theory-based method to model the end-to-end network traffic. Firstly, the end-to-end network traffic is described as a independent identically distrib...

Linn kui meelelahutuskeskus = An Urban Entertainment Centre / Jaap Jan Berg

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Berg, Jaap Jan

2007-01-01

Uue näo saanud Hollandi uuslinna Almere linnakeskusest, kus on panustatud arhitektuurile, meelelahutuslikkusele ja kesklinna autosõbralikkusele. Arhitektuuribüroo OMA Almere üldplaneeringust. Uue keskuse väljaehitamisse kaasatud arhitekte ja büroosid. 8 värv. vaadet

Downtown Study Centre: An Open-Ended ABE Program in an Urban Shopping Mall

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, David

1976-01-01

Describes an adult basic education facility after one year of operation in an urban shopping mall in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The center is an informal open-ended classroom and advising center where part-time adult learners study an individualized curriculum. Summarizes the major findings of a program evaluation. (EM)

The EU-project United4Health: User-centred design of an information system for a Norwegian telemedicine service.

Science.gov (United States)

Smaradottir, Berglind; Gerdes, Martin; Martinez, Santiago; Fensli, Rune

2016-10-01

Organizational changes of health care services in Norway brought to light a need for new clinical pathways. This study presents the design and evaluation of an information system for a new telemedicine service for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients after hospital discharge. A user-centred design approach was employed composed of a workshop with end-users, two user tests and a field trial. For data collection, qualitative methods such as observations, semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire were used. User workshop's outcome informed the implementation of the system initial prototype, evaluated by end-users in a usability laboratory. Several usability and functionality issues were identified and solved, such as the interface between the initial colour scheme and the triage colours. Iterative refinements were made and a second user evaluation showed that the main issues were solved. The responses to a questionnaire presented a high score of user satisfaction. In the final phase, a field trial showed satisfactory use of the system. This study showed how the target end-users groups were actively involved in identifying the needs, suggestions and preferences. These aspects were addressed in the development of an information system through a user-centred design process. The process efficiently enabled users to give feedback about design and functionality. Continuous refinement of the system was the key to full development and suitability for the telemedicine service. This research was a result of the international cooperation between partners within the project United4Health, a part of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research of the European Union. © The Author(s) 2015.

The end-of-life phase of high-grade glioma patients: dying with dignity?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sizoo, Eefje M.; Taphoorn, Martin J. B.; Uitdehaag, Bernard; Heimans, Jan J.; Deliens, Luc; Reijneveld, Jaap C.; Pasman, H. Roeline W.

2013-01-01

In the end-of-life (EOL) phase, high-grade glioma (HGG) patients have a high symptom burden and often lose independence because of physical and cognitive dysfunction. This might affect the patient's personal dignity. We aimed to (a) assess the proportion of HGG patients dying with dignity as

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

Science.gov (United States)

Lyne, Mark; Galloway, Andrew

2012-02-01

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

Thermoluminescence of Z1 centres in Sr-doped KCl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamavisdar, V.S.; Moholkar, S.C.; Deshmukh, B.T.

1980-01-01

It is well known for alkali halides doped with divalent metal impurities that exposure to high energetic radiation and subsequent F band bleaching leads to the formation of Z 1 centres. Optical absorption measurements have shown that a low concentration of Z 1 centres is produced along with F centres during irradiation without any optical bleaching. Now the question is whether Z 1 centres are really formed along with F centres during irradiation. The aim of the present paper was to study the formation of a small amount of Z 1 centres during irradiation with the help of optical absorption and thermoluminescence measurements. The crystals of KCl:Sr were exposed to γ-rays for different doses. The TL curve for the crystal exposed to a minimum dose of γ-rays shows a TL peak at 457 K and a weak shoulder in the region 400 K to 408 K. The TL curve of the crystal exposed to maximum dose of rays shows the peak at 408 K with a greater intensity. Upon F band bleaching 408 K peak increases in intensity and optical absorption is also broadened. It is shown that the peak at 457 K is due to F centres and the peak at 408 K is due to Z 1 centres. These results clearly show that a small anount of Z 1 centres is really formed along with F centres during irradiation. (author)

The HILW-LL (high- and intermediate-level waste, long-lived) disposal project: working toward building the Cigeo Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labalette, Th.

2011-01-01

The French Act of 28 June 2006 identifies reversible disposal in deep geological facilities as the benchmark solution for long-term management of high-level waste (HLW) and for intermediate-level long-lived waste (ILW-LL). The Act tasks ANDRA (national agency for the management of radioactive wastes) with the pursuit of studies and research on the choice of a site and the design of the repository, with a view to examining the licence application in 2015 and, provided that the licence is granted, to make the facility operational by 2025. At the end of 2009, ANDRA submitted to the Government its proposals regarding the site and the design of the Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal, known as CIGEO. With the definition of a possible area for the construction of underground disposal facilities, one of the key stages in the project has been achieved. The choice of a surface site will be validated following the public consultation scheduled for the end of 2012. The project is now on the point of entering the definition stage (preliminary design). CIGEO will be a nuclear facility unlike any other. It will be built and operated for a period of over 100 years. For it to be successful, the project must meet certain requirements related to its integration in the local area, industrial planning, safety and reversibility, while also controlling costs. Reversibility is a very important concept that will be defined by law. It is ANDRA's responsibility to ensure that a reasonable balance is found between these different concerns. (author)

Copyright Cartels or Legitimate Joint Ventures? What the MusicNet and Pressplay Litigation Means for the Entertainment Industry's New Distribution Models

OpenAIRE

Landy, Rachel

2012-01-01

Starr v. Sony BMG Music Entertainment illustrates the inherent tension between copyright holders seeking to enforce their exclusive rights and antitrust doctrine. In Starr, competing record labels pooled their copyrights into digital distribution joint ventures, MusicNet and Pressplay. Such collaboration toes a thin line between cartel-like ...

Why a well-designed HR shared service provider fails to create end-user value?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijerink, Jeroen Gerard; Bondarouk, Tatiana; Looise, Jan C.

2011-01-01

Human resource shared services centres (HR SSCs) are foreseen as improving HR service delivery for their end-users: employees, line managers and decentralized HR professionals. Although the concept expects the benefits of HR SSCs to come from centralizing knowledge and decentralizing the control

FINANCING INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE CENTRE DEVELOPMENT REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hada Teodor

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the main financing instruments (projects used in the Centre Region, approaching aspects regarding the Centre Development Region, such as its features in terms of the geographical profile of employment. In regard to the involvement of the population to the economic life, statistics show relatively low values of the overall activity and employment rates recorded primarily in the rural area. If we consider only the population included in the age group 15 to 64, the active population represent 62.2% of total, and the employment rate is 56.3% of the total active population, both declining in the last 15-20 years. At regional level, in order to implement the regional development policy in accordance with Law no. 315/2004 on regional development in Romania, two institutions are functioning: Regional Development Board and Centru Regional Development Agency. The paper also presents the use dynamics of funds in the Centre Region. Starting with 2007, Centru Regional Development Agency has become an intermediary body within ROP 2007-2013 with the role of promoting and managing the funds allocated to this region. In regard to the stage of implementation of ROP in the Centre Region, starting with February 25th, 2011, all 12 key areas of intervention of the programme were launched and a number of 1.053 projects were submitted in the Centre Region for a total amount of 1.033,99 million euro, the paper showing a diagram of the submitted projects. There is also a diagram of the amounts requested for funding the projects submitted until February 25th, 2011 at the Centru RDA and the available financing budgets on priority axes. Until February 25th, 2011, a number of 174 projects were contracted under ROP for a total value of 1.549.430.419,97 lei. In the end, we review the main indicators of the contracted projects. They belong to rural development, transport infrastructure, social infrastructure, regional and local business environment, tourism

Development of end group for 1.3 GHZ nine cell SCRF cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yedle, Ajay; Bagre, Manish; Maurya, Tilak; Yadav, Anand; Puntambekar, Avinash; Mahawar, Ashish; Mohania, Praveen; Shrivastava, Purushottam; Joshi, Satish Chandra

2013-01-01

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) is developing 1.3 GHz superconducting radio frequency (SCRF) cavities as part of SCRF technology development. The 1.3 GHz nine cell SCRF cavities comprise of multiple cells and end groups at each end. These end groups are important parts of a multi-cell cavity. They serve as interface for putting RF power to cavity, pick up the signal for various RF control and have higher order modes (HOM) coupler. The multiple parts with intricate shape, complex weld geometry and stringent RF requirements pose various challenges in their manufacturing. This paper presents the efforts on development of end groups comprising of manufacturing of various parts, their fabrication by electron beam welding process and pre-qualification including mechanical measurement, vacuum leak testing RF measurement. (author)

Research on the co-movement between high-end talent and economic growth: A complex network approach

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhen; Wang, Minggang; Xu, Hua; Zhang, Wenbin; Tian, Lixin

2018-02-01

The major goal of this paper is to focus on the co-movement between high-end talent and economic growth by a complex network approach. Firstly, the national high-end talent development efficiency from 1990 to 2015 is taken as the quantitative index to measure the development of high-end talent. The added values of the primary industry, secondary industry, tertiary industry are selected as economic growth indexes, and all the selected sample data are standardized by the mean value processing method. Secondly, let seven months as the length of the sliding window, and one month as the sliding step, then the grey correlation degrees between systems are measured using the slope correlation degrees, and the grey correlation degree sequence is mapped into the symbol series composed by three symbols { Y , O , N } based on the coarse graining method. Let three characters as a mode, the nodes are obtained by the modes according to the time sequence. Let the transformation between the modal be the edge, and the times of the transformation be weight, then the co-movement networks between national high-end talent development efficiency and the added values of the primary industry, secondary industry, tertiary industry are built respectively. Finally, the dynamic characteristics of the networks are analysed by the node strength, strength distribution, weighted clustering coefficient, conversion cycle of the modes and the transition between the co-movement modes. The results indicate that there are mutual influence and promotion relations between the national high-end talent development efficiency and the added values of the primary, secondary and tertiary industry.

Interaction of centres on nucleate boiling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chekanov, V.V.

1977-01-01

An experimental set-up is described which enables to analyse the growth of a bubble on a heater, the frequency of succession of the bubbles, etc., by the change in the electric signal from a photomultiplier, onto whose photocathode the bubble is projected. The change in the first moments of the statistical distribution of the corresponding parameters (growth time, frequency of succession, and so on) is adopted as the measure of the external effect on the vapour formation centre. It is shown that for single-bubble boiling the greatest effect is exerted by the acoustic waves produced by the bubble in the growth period; during developed boiling one observes mutual suppression of centres spaced at a distance of the order of the detachment diameter. As the heat flux increases, the correlation of the motion of the interface over the heater surface increases as well. When the correlation radius becomes equal to the centre-to-centre distance, the first crisis sets in. It is suggested that heaters with a variable coefficient of temperature conductance along the heat-releasing surface must withstand high subcritical heat fluxes

Appendiceal Goblet Cell Carcinoids: Management Considerations from a Reference Peritoneal Tumour Service Centre and ENETS Centre of Excellence.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamarca, Angela; Nonaka, Daisuke; Lopez Escola, Cristina; Hubner, Richard A; O'Dwyer, Sarah; Chakrabarty, Bipasha; Fulford, Paul; Valle, Juan W

2016-01-01

Appendix goblet cell carcinoids are known to share histological features of adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine tumours. Due to their low incidence, quality evidence is lacking for the management of these patients. We performed a single-centre retrospective study of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of appendiceal goblet cell carcinoid (GCC; 1996-2014). Patients were divided into curative intent (CI) and palliative intent (PI) cohorts. Our primary end point was overall survival (OS). Seventy-four patients were eligible; 76% were treated with CI [surgery only (36%), cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC; 36%), adjuvant chemotherapy (20%) and a combination of CRS and HIPEC followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (9%)], and 23% had advanced-stage disease amenable to palliative treatment (chemotherapy or supportive care) only. Completion right hemicolectomy, performed in 64% of the CI cohort, did not impact on the relapse rate or disease-free survival. FOLFOX chemotherapy was used in both the adjuvant and palliative settings; safety was as expected, and we observed a high rate (60%) of disease control in the palliative cohort. The estimated median OS (all patients), disease-free survival (CI patients) and progression-free survival (PI patients) were 52.1 (95% CI 29.4-90.3), 75.9 (26.6-not reached) and 5.3 (0.6-5.7) months, respectively. Age and stage were independent factors associated with OS in the multivariable analysis. Tang classification showed a trend for impact on OS. No benefit from specific adjuvant approach was identified; however, selection bias for treatment approach was observed. Prospective trials are needed to define optimal approaches in GCC. All GCC patients should be managed by specialized centres due to their esoteric behaviour; we provide management considerations based on our experience and conclusions. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A track chamber with controlled heat centres as a vertex detector for very high energy physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shcherbakov, Yu.A.

1989-01-01

A high-pressure vertex detector for high energy experiments is proposed on the basis of development of a new track detector of charged particles, which is a chamber with controlled centres. A possible design of this chamber is discussed. Laser illumination of a streamer chamber allows enough light for reading the information by means of a CCD device. Some characteristics of the set-up are considered in the paper. A possibility of using a new method for suppression of diffusion is discussed. 30 refs.; 7 figs.; 3 tabs

High Dynamic Range Cognitive Radio Front Ends: Architecture to Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Ashok, Arun; Subbiah, Iyappan; Varga, Gabor; Schrey, Moritz; Heinen, Stefan

2016-07-01

Advent of TV white space digitization has released frequencies from 470 MHz to 790 MHz to be utilized opportunistically. The secondary user can utilize these so called TV spaces in the absence of primary users. The most important challenge for this coexistence is mutual interference. While the strong TV stations can completely saturate the receiver of the cognitive radio (CR), the cognitive radio spurious tones can disturb other primary users and white space devices. The aim of this paper is to address the challenges for enabling cognitive radio applications in WLAN and LTE. In this process, architectural considerations for the design of cognitive radio front ends are discussed. With high-IF converters, faster and flexible implementation of CR enabled WLAN and LTE are shown. The effectiveness of the architecture is shown by evaluating the CR front ends for compliance of standards namely 802.11b/g (WLAN) and 3GPP TS 36.101 (LTE).

Cooling solutions in an operational data centre: A case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fakhim, B.; Behnia, M.; Armfield, S.W.; Srinarayana, N.

2011-01-01

The rapid growth in data centres - large computing infrastructures containing vast quantities of data processing and storage equipment - has resulted in their consumption of up to 100 times more energy per square metre than office accommodation. The decrease in processing server sizes and the more efficient use of space and server processing are challenging data centre facilities to provide more power and cooling, significantly increasing energy demands. Energy consumption of data centres can be severely and unnecessarily high due to inadequate localised cooling and densely packed server rack layouts. However, as heat dissipation in data centres rises by orders of magnitude, inefficiencies such as air recirculation causing hot spots and flow short-circuiting will have a significant impact on the thermal manageability and energy efficiency of the cooling infrastructure. Therefore, an efficient thermal management of high-powered electronic equipment is a significant challenge for cooling of data centres. To highlight the importance of some of these issues, in this project, an operational data centre has been studied. Field measurements of temperature have been performed. Numerical analysis of flow and temperature fields is conducted in order to evaluate the thermal behaviour of the data centre. A number of undesirable hot spots have been identified. To rectify the problem, a few practical design and remedial solutions to improve the cooling effectiveness have been proposed and examined to allow a reduced air-conditioning power requirement. The findings lead to a better understanding of the cooling issues and the respective proposed solutions allow an improved design for future data centres. - Highlights: → Study of flow and temperature distribution in an operational data centre. → Both field measurements and numerical simulations are conducted. → Numerical simulations are validated by field measurements. → Various modifications to improve the thermal

Haiti | IDRC - International Development Research Centre

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... for the environment, reduced spending on food, increased self-esteem, and stronger ... The consortium acts as a knowledge centre and explores communication ... train teachers and researchers in high-quality science and technology skills ...

Centre de Spectrometrie Nucleaire et de Spectrometrie de Masse - CSNSM/Centre for nuclear and mass spectroscopy, Activity Report 1995-1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The Centre for nuclear and mass spectroscopy (CSNSM) is a CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) laboratory affiliated with Paris-Sud University. The CSNSM is involved in pluri-disciplinary activities covering various scientific domains: Nuclear Structure (SNO), Nuclear Astrophysics (AN), Solid State Astrophysics (AS), Solid State Physics (PS) and Chemical Physics of Irradiation. This document presents the activity of the Centre during the 1995-1997 years: 1 - Nuclear structure: structure of first well states, superdeformation, high-spin state populations of stable or neutron-rich nuclei, high-k isomers physics, theoretical works, technical developments; 2 - Nuclear astrophysics; 3 - Basic symmetries; 4 - Accelerator-based mass spectroscopy; 5 - Solid State Astrophysics; 6 - Physics and Chemistry of Irradiation; 7 - Solid State Physics; 8 - SEMIRAMIS (ion source and ion beam handling); 9 - Computer Department; 10 - Electronics Group; 11 - Mechanics Department; 12 - Permanent training; 13 - Health and safety; 14 - Seminars and communications; 15 - Dissertations; 16 - Publications; 17 - Staff

Human-Centred Design Workshops in Collaborative Strategic Design Projects: An Educational and Professional Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Liem, Andre; Sanders, Elizabeth B.-N.

2013-01-01

It has been found that the implementation of Human-centred Design (HCD) methods in the Fuzzy Front-End is not likely to lead to diversification in educational product planning exercises, where time lines are short and executors lack experience. Companies, interested to collaborate with Master-level Industrial Design students on strategic design…

Delayed primary end-to-end anastomosis for traumatic long segment urethral stricture and its short-term outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajarshi Kumar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the aetiology of posterior urethral stricture in children and analysis of results after delayed primary repair with extensive distal urethral mobilisation. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out in a tertiary care centre from January 2009 to December 2013. Results: Eight children with median age 7.5 years (range 4–11 years, underwent delayed anastomotic urethroplasty: Six through perineal and two through combined perineal and transpubic approach. All the eight children had long-segment >2 cm stricture: Three posterior and five anterior urethral stricture. On a mean follow-up period of 33 months (range 24–48 m, all were passing urine with good flow and stream. Conclusion: End-to-end anastomosis in post-traumatic long segment posterior urethral stricture between prostatic and penile urethra in children is possible by perineal or combined perineal and transpubic approach with good results without any urethral replacement.

The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond: the electronic solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doherty, M W; Hollenberg, L C L; Manson, N B; Delaney, P

2011-01-01

The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centre is a unique defect in diamond that possesses properties highly suited to many applications, including quantum information processing, quantum metrology and biolabelling. Although the unique properties of the centre have been extensively documented and utilized, a detailed understanding of the physics of the centre has not yet been achieved. Indeed, there persist a number of points of contention regarding the electronic structure of the centre, such as the ordering of the dark intermediate singlet states. Without a detailed model of the centre's electronic structure, the understanding of the system's unique dynamical properties cannot effectively progress. In this work, the molecular model of the defect centre is fully developed to provide a self-consistent model of the complete electronic structure of the centre. The application of the model to describe the effects of electric, magnetic and strain interactions, as well as the variation of the centre's fine structure with temperature, provides an invaluable tool to those studying the centre and a means of designing future empirical and ab initio studies of this important defect.

The Australian centre for RF bioeffects research (ACRBR) - an NHMRC centre of research excellence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, A.; Croft, R.; Abramson, M.; Anderson, V.; Cosic, I.; Finnie, J.; McKenzie, R.

2004-01-01

research are already adequately covered the internationally based IARC study. However, epidemiological research investigating associations of mobile phone exposure and non-malignant health outcomes in the general community is less well treated. A cohort study of teenage school children, an age group identified as a priority research area, will be monitored for an initial period of three years. Dosimetry: Technical reviews consistently identified rigorous dosimetry as a key issue for ensuring the validity of results within a given study and consistency of results between studies. This requires that a well-characterised standard methodology and suite of tools be utilised for the provision of dosimetry to research programs that are run within the Centre. The technical reviews have also raised concerns regarding the application of compliance techniques in RF human exposure standards, based on adult models, to children. Further, there remain questions as to applicability of current compliance techniques to the rapidly changing new communications technologies, particularly as they relate to nonhandset issues (wireless LANs, mobile data enabled palmtops and laptops etc). The Centre will undertake both physical and computational studies to improve the understanding of dosimetric sensitivity to normal population variations such as size, ethnicity, and age and how these impact on current compliance techniques employing standard human models cited in many protocols The Centre will not only advance the international body of knowledge on this subject, but also train new scientists in this multifaceted area of research. Outcomes of the research will be input into public policy and standards setting and regulatory processes. The Centre will also act as a publicly accessible information resource centre on this highly sensitive issue for the general community. Copyright (2004) Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine

A High-Frequency Isolation (HFI Charging DC Port Combining a Front-End Three-Level Converter with a Back-End LLC Resonant Converter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guowei Cai

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The high-frequency isolation (HFI charging DC port can serve as the interface between unipolar/bipolar DC buses and electric vehicles (EVs through the two-power-stage system structure that combines the front-end three-level converter with the back-end logical link control (LLC resonant converter. The DC output voltage can be maintained within the desired voltage range by the front-end converter. The electrical isolation can be realized by the back-end LLC converter, which has the bus converter function. According to the three-level topology, the low-voltage rating power devices can be adapted for half-voltage stress of the total DC grid, and the PWM phase-shift control can double the equivalent switching frequency to greatly reduce the filter volume. LLC resonant converters have advance characteristics of inverter-side zero-voltage-switching (ZVS and rectifier-side zero-current switching (ZCS. In particular, it can achieve better performance under quasi-resonant frequency mode. Additionally, the magnetizing current can be modified following different DC output voltages, which have the self-adaptation ZVS condition for decreasing the circulating current. Here, the principles of the proposed topology are analyzed in detail, and the design conditions of the three-level output filter and high-frequency isolation transformer are explored. Finally, a 20 kW prototype with the 760 V input and 200–500 V output are designed and tested. The experimental results are demonstrated to verify the validity and performance of this charging DC port system structure.

Centre de Spectrometrie Nucleaire et de Spectrometrie de Masse - CSNSM/Centre for nuclear and mass spectroscopy, Activity Report 1985-1986-1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The Centre for nuclear and mass spectroscopy (CSNSM) is a CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) laboratory affiliated with Paris-Sud University. The CSNSM is involved in pluri-disciplinary activities covering various scientific domains: Nuclear Structure (SNO), Nuclear Astrophysics (AN), Solid State Astrophysics (AS), Solid State Physics (PS) and Chemical Physics of Irradiation. This document presents the activity of the Centre during the 1985-1986-1987 years: 1 - Teams presentation; 2 - Abstracts: On the borderline of spectroscopy; Atomic spectroscopy and low-energy low-spin nuclear structure; high-energy high-spin nuclear structure; Theories and models; Nuclear astrophysics; Accelerator-based mass spectroscopy; Solid State Physics; Study of charged particles irradiation effects in astrophysics, geophysics and material sciences; Technical developments for the RF mass spectrometer and for Obelix; Technical developments for ion beams; Technical developments in electronics and their applications; CNSM's Computer Department; Developments in cryogenics; 3 - Staff and publications

Health centres' view of the services provided by a university hospital laboratory: Use of satisfaction surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Oja, Paula; Kouri, Timo; Pakarinen, Arto

2010-01-01

Customer orientation has gained increasing attention in healthcare. A customer satisfaction survey is one way to raise areas and topics for quality improvement. However, it seems that customer satisfaction surveys have not resulted in quality improvement in healthcare. This article reports how the authors' university hospital laboratory has used customer satisfaction surveys targeted at the health centres in their hospital district. Closed-ended statements of the questionnaire were planned to cover the essential aspects of laboratory services. In addition, an open-ended question asked what was considered to be the most important problem in services. The questionnaires were sent to the medical directors of the health centres. The open-ended question proved to be very useful because the responses specified the main problems in service. Based on the responses, selected dissatisfied customers were contacted to specify their responses and possible corrective actions were taken. It is concluded that a satisfaction survey can be used as a screening tool to identify topics of dissatisfaction. In addition, further clarifications with selected customers are needed to specify the causes for their dissatisfaction and to undertake proper corrective actions. PMID:20205616

A Heliospheric Weather Expert Service Centre for ESA's Space Situational Awareness Space Weather Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, D.; Perry, C. H.

2017-12-01

The Heliospheric Weather Expert Service Centre (H-ESC) is one of five thematic virtual centres that are currently being developed as part of ESA's Space Situational Awareness pre-operational Space Weather service. In this presentation we introduce the current products and service that the H-ESC is providing. The immediate and downstream user groups that the centre is aiming to support are discussed. A description is provided on how the H-ESC is largely built on adoption and tailoring of federated products from expert groups around Europe and how these can be used to add value to the overall system. Having only recently been established the H-ESC is continuing to address gaps in its capabilities. Some of the priorities for products, their assessment, validation and integration into the system are discussed together with plans for bespoke development activities tailored to specific end-user group needs.

Design-corrected variation by centre in mortality reduction in the ERSPC randomised prostate cancer screening trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Hakama, Matti; Moss, Sue M; Stenman, Ulf-Hakan; Roobol, Monique J; Zappa, Marco; Carlsson, Sigrid; Randazzo, Marco; Nelen, Vera; Hugosson, Jonas

2017-06-01

Objectives To calculate design-corrected estimates of the effect of screening on prostate cancer mortality by centre in the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC). Setting The ERSPC has shown a 21% reduction in prostate cancer mortality in men invited to screening with follow-up truncated at 13 years. Centres either used pre-consent randomisation (effectiveness design) or post-consent randomisation (efficacy design). Methods In six centres (three effectiveness design, three efficacy design) with follow-up until the end of 2010, or maximum 13 years, the effect of screening was estimated as both effectiveness (mortality reduction in the target population) and efficacy (reduction in those actually screened). Results The overall crude prostate cancer mortality risk ratio in the intervention arm vs control arm for the six centres was 0.79 ranging from a 14% increase to a 38% reduction. The risk ratio was 0.85 in centres with effectiveness design and 0.73 in those with efficacy design. After correcting for design, overall efficacy was 27%, 24% in pre-consent and 29% in post-consent centres, ranging between a 12% increase and a 52% reduction. Conclusion The estimated overall effect of screening in attenders (efficacy) was a 27% reduction in prostate cancer mortality at 13 years' follow-up. The variation in efficacy between centres was greater than the range in risk ratio without correction for design. The centre-specific variation in the mortality reduction could not be accounted for by the randomisation method.

The distribution of E-centres concentration in the minerals of the wall-rocks of uranium deposit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kislyakov, Ya.M.; Moiseev, B.M.; Rakov, L.T.; Kulagin, Eh.G.

1975-01-01

Electron paramagnetic resonance was used to investigate the distribution of electron-hole centres caused by natural radioactive irradiation in terrigenous arcosic rocks and their principal mineral components (quartz-feldspar concretions, white and smoky quartz, feldspars). The relationship between concentrations of E-centres and the uranium content of the rocks reflects the genetic features of the uranium mineralization. Taking one specific deposit as an example, the author shows the proportional dependence between uranium content and E-centre concentration. The dependence reflects the practically simultraneous formation of the main mass of epigenetic mineralization. The hypothesis that older (syngenetic) ore deposits may have existed was not confirmed. Despite the long interval between sedimentary accumulation end epigenesis, no significant surplus concentrations of E-centres were found in epigenetic-metamorphic rocks. Anomalous concentrations of uranium and E-centres are caused by uranium migration during later epigenetic processes superimposed on the mesozoic ore-controlling zonality. One result of this migration is the formation in limonitized rocks of ''augen'' ores for which low concentrations of paramagnetic centres are typical. For the study of the distribution of E-centres in rocks from uranium deposits, it is possible to use polymineral mixtures. For the proper interpratation of the data obtained, however, account must be taken of the sensitivity to irradiation of the various mineral components, particularly the various forms of quartz, which is the principal natural dosimeter. (E.G.)

High Dynamic Range RF Front End with Noise Cancellation and Linearization for WiMAX Receivers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.-M. Wu

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This research deals with verification of the high dynamic range for a heterodyne radio frequency (RF front end. A 2.6 GHz RF front end is designed and implemented in a hybrid microwave integrated circuit (HMIC for worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX receivers. The heterodyne RF front end consists of a low-noise amplifier (LNA with noise cancellation, an RF bandpass filter (BPF, a downconverter with linearization, and an intermediate frequency (IF BPF. A noise canceling technique used in the low-noise amplifier eliminates a thermal noise and then reduces the noise figure (NF of the RF front end by 0.9 dB. Use of a downconverter with diode linearizer also compensates for gain compression, which increases the input-referred third-order intercept point (IIP3 of the RF front end by 4.3 dB. The proposed method substantially increases the spurious-free dynamic range (DRf of the RF front end by 3.5 dB.

Birth centre confinement at the Queen Victoria Medical Centre. I. Obstetric and neonatal outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, J; Hudson, H; Lumley, J; Morris, N; Rao, J; Spensley, J

1981-10-03

A review of hte first 175 confinements at the Queen Victoria Medical Centre Birth Centre is presented. The design, structure and function of hte Birth Centre is described and the safety of the programme demonstrated. Seventy-four pregnancies (42%) accepted for Birth Centre confinement required transfer because of antepartum or intrapartum complications. There were satisfactory obstetric and neonatal outcomes in all pregnancies. The first year's experience has allowed a reassessment of the risk factors, which will permit greater use of the Birth Centre without any increases risk to mothers or babies.

A large multi-centre European study validates high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as a clinical biomarker for the diagnosis of diabetes subtypes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thanabalasingham, G.; Shah, N.; Vaxillaire, M.

2011-01-01

CRP) levels are lower in UK patients with hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF1A)-MODY than in other diabetes subtypes. In this large multi-centre study we aimed to assess the clinical validity of hsCRP as a diagnostic biomarker, examine the genotype-phenotype relationship and compare different hsCRP assays....... High-sensitivity CRP levels were analysed in individuals with HNF1A-MODY (n = 457), glucokinase (GCK)-MODY (n = 404), hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4A)-MODY (n = 54) and type 2 diabetes (n = 582) from seven European centres. Three common assays for hsCRP analysis were evaluated. We excluded 121......) a parts per thousand yenaEuro parts per thousand 0.91, p a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand 1 x 10(-5)). Across the seven centres, the C-statistic for distinguishing HNF1A-MODY from young adult-onset type 2 diabetes ranged from 0.79 to 0.97, indicating high discriminative accuracy...

Attitudes and Opinions from the Nation's High Achieving Teens: 26th Annual Survey of High Achievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Who's Who among American High School Students, Lake Forest, IL.

A national survey of 3,351 high achieving high school students (junior and senior level) was conducted. All students had A or B averages. Topics covered include lifestyles, political beliefs, violence and entertainment, education, cheating, school violence, sexual violence and date rape, peer pressure, popularity, suicide, drugs and alcohol,…

The Search for Centre

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, April

2006-01-01

This paper acknowledges the importance of a dancer's centre but likewise highlights the problematic nature of the communication of this concept from dance teacher to student. After a brief introduction of orthodox approaches in finding centre, this paper suggests a method of locating centre through the ancient somatic technique.

Evaluation of the high-temperature materials programme of the Joint Research Centre (1980-85)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glenny, R.J.E.; Boehm, H.; Gellings, P.J.; Gobin, P.; Lanzavecchia, G.; Nicholaides, C.

1986-01-01

This report covers the findings of the external panel of experts set up to evaluate the results of the Community's programme in the field of high-temperature materials (1980-85), carried out at the Petten establishment of the Joint Research Centre. The evaluation covers the quality and relevance of the research, the usefulness of the results and the role played by the JRC in this field at the European level. The report describes and gives comments on the content, structure and management of the five projects constituting the current programme, outlines the methods and procedures used during the evaluation and gives a number of recommendations pertinent to future activities

Spaces, practices and culture & entertainment consumer for the youth of the Salvador city in the Rio Vermelho area

OpenAIRE

Araujo, Sergio Sobreira; Universidade Federal da Bahia

2013-01-01

The practices and consumption of culture today are interwoven with the senses of entertainment, so that the cultural enjoyment enables the eruption of new meanings for identity contexts. Due to the redesign of corporate settings by incorporating digital technologies, new paradigms are defined for sociability and conviviality, especially among the younger population. Based on these assumptions, this study set out to examine, through the analysis of data obtained in field research, relationship...

A Bayes Theory-Based Modeling Algorithm to End-to-end Network Traffic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Hong-hao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, network traffic has exponentially increasing due to all kind of applications, such as mobile Internet, smart cities, smart transportations, Internet of things, and so on. the end-to-end network traffic becomes more important for traffic engineering. Usually end-to-end traffic estimation is highly difficult. This paper proposes a Bayes theory-based method to model the end-to-end network traffic. Firstly, the end-to-end network traffic is described as a independent identically distributed normal process. Then the Bases theory is used to characterize the end-to-end network traffic. By calculating the parameters, the model is determined correctly. Simulation results show that our approach is feasible and effective.

Specific recognition of the C-terminal end of A beta 42 by a high affinity monoclonal antibody

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axelsen, Trine Veje; Holm, Arne; Birkelund, Svend

2009-01-01

The neurotoxic peptide A beta(42) is derived from the amyloid precursor protein by proteolytic cleavage and is deposited in the brain of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study we generate a high affinity monoclonal antibody that targets the C-terminal end of A beta(42......) with high specificity. By this is meant that the paratope of the antibody must enclose the C-terminal end of A beta(42) including the carboxy-group of amino acid 42, and not just recognize a linear epitope in the C-terminal part of A beta. This has been accomplished by using a unique antigen construct made...... by the Ligand Presenting Assembly technology (LPA technology). This strategy results in dimeric presentation of the free C-terminal end of A beta(42). The generated Mab A beta1.1 is indeed specific for the C-terminal end of A beta(42) to which it binds with high affinity. Mab A beta1.1 recognizes the epitope...

Manche storage Centre. Information report on nuclear safety and radiation protection 2014. Annual report 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-06-01

After a presentation of the Manche Storage Centre (CSM), the first French centre of surface storage of weakly and moderately radioactive wastes, of its history, its buildings and activities, of the multi-layer cover, of the water management system (installation, controls, sampling), this report then describes the measures related to nuclear safety (principles and objectives), the management of conventional and nuclear wastes produced by the Centre and its other environmental impacts. The follow up of the installations and of their effluents and releases are then addressed: origin, locations and results of radiological controls of rainfalls, of risky effluents, of underground waters, of rivers, impacts of the Centre on its environment (releases in the sea, in rivers, in sediments). The measures related to radiation protection are described: principles, staff dosimetry, and personnel safety. The next part presents the nuclear event scale (INES) and indicates that no incident occurred in 2014. Finally the actions related to public information and transparency are summarized. Recommendations of the CHSCT are reported at the end

The Management Advisory Committee of the Inspection Validation Centre seventh report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-07-01

The Management Advisory Committee of the Inspection Validation Centre (IVC/MAC) was set up to review the policy, scope, procedure and operation of the Inspection Validation Centre (IVC), to supervise its operation and to advise and report to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) appropriately. The IVC was established at the UKAEA Risley Laboratory, to validate the procedures, personnel and equipment proposed by Nuclear Electric for use in the ultrasonic inspection at various stages of the fabrication, erection and operation of the Sizewell 'B' Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and such other components as are identified by the utility. It is operated by the UKAEA to work as an independent organisation under contract to Nuclear Electric, and results are reported to Nuclear Electric together with the conclusions of the Centre in relation to the validation of individual techniques. At the meetings of the IVC/MAC, the progress on the manufacture of the pressure vessel is also outlined by the PWR Project Director. The vessel has now undergone the final stress relief and post-hydro inspection and is due to be delivered to the Sizewell site before the end of 1990. (author)

End effect braking force reduction in high-speed single-sided linear induction machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiri, Abbas; Shoulaie, Abbas

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A new analytical equation to model the end effect braking force of SLIM is derived. ► Equations for efficiency, power factor and output thrust are analytically derived. ► The effect of design variables on the performance of the motor is analyzed. ► An optimization method is employed to minimize the end effect braking force (EEBF). ► The results show that EEBF is minimized by appropriate selection of motor parameters. - Abstract: Linear induction motors have been widely employed in industry because of their simple structure and low construction cost. However, they suffer from low efficiency and power factor. In addition, existence of so called end effect influences their performance especially in high speeds. The end effect deteriorates the performance of the motor by producing braking force. So, in this paper, by using Duncan equivalent circuit model, a new analytical equation is proposed to model end effect braking force. Employing the proposed equation and considering all phenomena involved in the single-sided linear induction motor, a simple design procedure is presented and the effect of different design variables on the performance of the motor is analyzed. A multi-objective optimization method based on genetic algorithm is introduced to maximize efficiency and power factor, as well as to minimize the end effect braking force, simultaneously. Finally, to validate the optimization results, 2D finite element method is employed.

The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond: the electronic solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doherty, M W; Hollenberg, L C L [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Manson, N B [Laser Physics Centre, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200 (Australia); Delaney, P, E-mail: marcuswd@unimelb.edu.au [School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom)

2011-02-15

The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centre is a unique defect in diamond that possesses properties highly suited to many applications, including quantum information processing, quantum metrology and biolabelling. Although the unique properties of the centre have been extensively documented and utilized, a detailed understanding of the physics of the centre has not yet been achieved. Indeed, there persist a number of points of contention regarding the electronic structure of the centre, such as the ordering of the dark intermediate singlet states. Without a detailed model of the centre's electronic structure, the understanding of the system's unique dynamical properties cannot effectively progress. In this work, the molecular model of the defect centre is fully developed to provide a self-consistent model of the complete electronic structure of the centre. The application of the model to describe the effects of electric, magnetic and strain interactions, as well as the variation of the centre's fine structure with temperature, provides an invaluable tool to those studying the centre and a means of designing future empirical and ab initio studies of this important defect.

Intermodal Logistics Centres and Freight Corridors – Concepts and Trends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norbert Wagener

2017-09-01

Full Text Available . Background: The development of international freight corridors, as the Trans European Network and new rail and inland shipping corridors in Asia and Africa, require efficient logistics centres along these corridors which serve as intermodal interfaces and provide a variety of different logistics service functions. The definition of the term logistics centre differs between countries and implies different functionalities. Locations are often selected randomly and business models are opportunity driven, especially in highly dynamic and less regulated new emerging economies. In particular Freight Villages as a special form of logistics centres have a high impact on regional development and serve as cargo generator for freight corridors. Consideration of general principles how to establish Freight Villages could improve the effectiveness of these logistics centres along freight corridors. Methods: Based on a literature review a comprehensive and hierarchical definition of logistics centres will be discussed and applied. From experiences in the development of logistics centres in several countries, especially in Germany and Lithuania, challenges and concepts concerning regulatory framework, determination of location and business and financing models are discussed. Results: Concerning the definition of logistics centres a hierarchical definition is applied which comprises different levels of logistics centres depending on the scope of the value adding and the functionality. As general principles for the development of Freight Villages the active role of the state, master planning, objective location finding, participation and co-operation of different stakeholders in the business model and a stepwise scheme for financing are introduced. Major trends for the future development of Freight Villages are the digitalization of supply chains, the application of new intermodal technologies and of innovative telematics systems, solutions for low emission and

Family-centred care of children in hospital - a concept analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Gitte; Frederiksen, Kirsten

2011-01-01

from 1951 to 2009 resulted in a sample of 25 research articles. Review methods.  A theoretical concept analysis influenced by Risjord's distinction between theoretical and colloquial analyses and based on the principles developed by Morse, Hupcey and Penrod was used to examine the structure...... of professionals and families, mostly represented by mothers. Few attempts have been made to operationalize the concept. Conclusion.  Family-centred care is a partially mature and highly abstract concept. Developing a theory of family-centred care could position the concept in a theoretical context and should also......mikkelsen g. & frederiksen k. (2011) Family-centred care of children in hospital - a concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing67(5), 1152-1162. ABSTRACT: Aim.  This paper reports a concept analysis of family-centred nursing care of hospitalized children. Background.  Family-centred care...

Assessment of ART centres in India: client perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Sogarwal, Ruchi; Bachani, Damodar

2009-05-01

Drug adherence and quality of antiretroviral therapy (ART) services are the keys for the successful ART programme. Hence, an attempt has been made to assess ART centres in India from client perspectives that are receiving services from the centres. Data were gathered through exit interviews with 1366 clients from 27 ART centres that were selected on the basis of drug adherence and client load. Analyses revealed that more than 80 per cent of the clients reported overall satisfaction with the services availed from the centre and 60 per cent reported that the quality of life has improved to a great extent after getting ART. Most of the clients strongly demanded to open ART centre in each district for better access as that will increase drug adherence and eventually control the HIV progression. It has been found that as many as 14% of respondents, ever been on ART, reported non-adherence and 70% of them cited distance and economic factors as the reasons for non-adherence. Study concludes that while majority of the clients were satisfied with ART services, shortage of staff, high level of non-drug adherence, long distances and poor referring system are the weak areas requiring attention.

The Aube centre; Le Centre de l`Aube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-07-01

This educational booklet is devoted to a general presentation of the Aube radioactive wastes storage centre. After a short presentation of the Andra, the French national agency for the management of radioactive wastes, it gives some general information about radioactive wastes (origin, classification), containers (quality assurance and different types), wastes transportation (planning, safety), and about the Aube centre itself: description, treatment and conditioning of drums (compacting and injection), storage facilities, geological situation of the site, and environmental controls. (J.S.)

Bureaucracy, professionalization and school centred innovation strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Paul

1990-03-01

This paper examines an attempt to promote a school centred innovation strategy within a highly centralized educational system. The School Based Curriculum Project Scheme, which was introduced into Hong Kong in 1988, is analysed in terms of a professional-bureaucratic dichotomy. It is argued that the operational details of the scheme are designed to satisfy a range of bureaucratic concerns and these are not conducive to promoting the professional work ethic which is required for school centred innovation. Finally the paper identifies the implications which arise for policies designed to promote curriculum innovation.

REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR GAS TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION'S 2002 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mary Lang

2003-03-01

This is the final technical report for the U.S. Department of Energy Grant DE-FG26-02NT41445 for Membership in the International Centre for Gas Technology Information. The grant period began January 1, 2002 and ended December 31, 2002. The primary purpose of this grant was to continue U.S. country membership in the International Energy Agency's International Centre for Gas Technology Information (ICGTI) for calendar year 2002. The mission of ICGTI is to promote international cooperation and collaboration on natural gas technology development and commercialization. This final technical report describes ICGTI's 2002 activities, in which U.S. country membership in ICGTI was sustained and supported, but ICGTI's activities were curtailed by loss of funding.

A Front End for Multipetawatt Lasers Based on a High-Energy, High-Average-Power Optical Parametric Chirped-Pulse Amplifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagnoud, V.

2004-01-01

We report on a high-energy, high-average-power optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier developed as the front end for the OMEGA EP laser. The amplifier provides a gain larger than 109 in two stages leading to a total energy of 400 mJ with a pump-to-signal conversion efficiency higher than 25%

Awareness and attitudes towards emergency contraceptive pills among young people in the entertainment places, Vientiane City, Lao PDR

OpenAIRE

Sychareun, Vanphanom; Hansana, Visanou; Phengsavanh, Alongkone; Phongsavan, Keokedthong

2013-01-01

Background Emergency Contraception is not officially available to the public sector in Laos. The potential of emergency contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies is well documented in developed countries, but in Laos no studies of ECPs exist. This study aimed to assess knowledge of and attitudes towards emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) in Vientiane, the capital city of the Lao PDR. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 500 young adults in entertainment venues by using t...

A multicentre 'end to end' dosimetry audit of motion management (4DCT-defined motion envelope) in radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Antony L; Nash, David; Kearton, John R; Jafari, Shakardokht M; Muscat, Sarah

2017-12-01

External dosimetry audit is valuable for the assurance of radiotherapy quality. However, motion management has not been rigorously audited, despite its complexity and importance for accuracy. We describe the first end-to-end dosimetry audit for non-SABR (stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy) lung treatments, measuring dose accumulation in a moving target, and assessing adequacy of target dose coverage. A respiratory motion lung-phantom with custom-designed insert was used. Dose was measured with radiochromic film, employing triple-channel dosimetry and uncertainty reduction. The host's 4DCT scan, outlining and planning techniques were used. Measurements with the phantom static and then moving at treatment delivery separated inherent treatment uncertainties from motion effects. Calculated and measured dose distributions were compared by isodose overlay, gamma analysis, and we introduce the concept of 'dose plane histograms' for clinically relevant interpretation of film dosimetry. 12 radiotherapy centres and 19 plans were audited: conformal, IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy) and VMAT (volumetric modulated radiotherapy). Excellent agreement between planned and static-phantom results were seen (mean gamma pass 98.7% at 3% 2 mm). Dose blurring was evident in the moving-phantom measurements (mean gamma pass 88.2% at 3% 2 mm). Planning techniques for motion management were adequate to deliver the intended moving-target dose coverage. A novel, clinically-relevant, end-to-end dosimetry audit of motion management strategies in radiotherapy is reported. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

From the Experience of Interactivity and Entertainment to Lower Intention to Smoke: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Path Analysis of a Web-Based Smoking Prevention Program for Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, Georges Elias; Wang, Hua; Calabro, Karen Sue; Mitra, Natasha; Shegog, Ross; Prokhorov, Alexander V

2017-02-16

Web-based programs for smoking prevention are being increasingly used with some success among adolescents. However, little is known about the mechanisms that link the experience of such programs to intended nicotine or tobacco control outcomes. Based on the experiential learning theory and extended elaboration likelihood model, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of a Web-based intervention, A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE), on adolescents' intention to smoke, while considering the experience of interactivity and entertainment as predictors of reduced intention to smoke, under a transitional user experience model. A total of 101 adolescents were recruited from after-school programs, provided consent, screened, and randomized in a single-blinded format to 1 of 2 conditions: the full ASPIRE program as the experimental condition (n=50) or an online , text-based version of ASPIRE as the control condition (n=51). Data were collected at baseline and immediate follow-up. Repeated-measures mixed-effects models and path analyses were conducted. A total of 82 participants completed the study and were included in the analysis. Participants in the experimental condition were more likely to show a decrease in their intention to smoke than those in the control condition (beta=-0.18, P=.008). Perceived interactivity (beta=-0.27, P=.004) and entertainment (beta=-0.20, P=.04) were each associated with a decrease in intention to smoke independently. Results of path analyses indicated that perceived interactivity and perceived entertainment mediated the relationship between ASPIRE use and emotional involvement. Furthermore, perceived presence mediated the relationship between perceived interactivity and emotional involvement. There was a direct relationship between perceived entertainment and emotional involvement. Emotional involvement predicted a decrease in intention to smoke (beta=-0.16, P=.04). Adolescents' experience of interactivity and entertainment

Drivers of maternity care in high-income countries: can health systems support woman-centred care?

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Dorothy; Guise, Jeanne-Marie; Shah, Neel; Gemzell-Danielsson, Kristina; Joseph, K S; Levy, Barbara; Wong, Fontayne; Woodd, Susannah; Main, Elliott K

2016-11-05

In high-income countries, medical interventions to address the known risks associated with pregnancy and birth have been largely successful and have resulted in very low levels of maternal and neonatal mortality. In this Series paper, we present the main care delivery models, with case studies of the USA and Sweden, and examine the main drivers of these models. Although nearly all births are attended by a skilled birth attendant and are in an institution, practice, cadre, facility size, and place of birth vary widely; for example, births occur in homes, birth centres, midwifery-led birthing units in hospitals, and in high intervention hospital birthing facilities. Not all care is evidenced-based, and some care provision may be harmful. Fear prevails among subsets of women and providers. In some settings, medical liability costs are enormous, human resource shortages are common, and costs of providing care can be very high. New challenges linked to alteration of epidemiology, such as obesity and older age during pregnancy, are also present. Data are often not readily available to inform policy and practice in a timely way and surveillance requires greater attention and investment. Outcomes are not equitable, and disadvantaged segments of the population face access issues and substantially elevated risks. At the same time, examples of excellence and progress exist, from clinical interventions to models of care and practice. Labourists (who provide care for all the facility's women for labour and delivery) are discussed as a potential solution. Quality and safety factors are informed by women's experiences, as well as medical evidence. Progress requires the ability to normalise birth for most women, with integrated services available if complications develop. We also discuss mechanisms to improve quality of care and highlight areas where research can address knowledge gaps with potential for impact. Evaluation of models that provide woman-centred care and the best

Debris mitigation measures by satellite design and operational methods - Findings from the DLR space debris End-to-End Service

Science.gov (United States)

Sdunnus, H.; Beltrami, P.; Janovsky, R.; Koppenwallner, G.; Krag, H.; Reimerdes, H.; Schäfer, F.

Debris Mitigation has been recognised as an issue to be addressed by the space faring nations around the world. Currently, there are various activities going on, aiming at the establishment of debris mitigation guidelines on various levels, reaching from the UN down to national space agencies. Though guidelines established on the national level already provide concrete information how things should be done (rather that specifying what should be done or providing fundamental principles) potential users of the guidelines will still have the need to explore the technical, management, and financial implications of the guidelines for their projects. Those questions are addressed by the so called "Space Debris End-to-End Service" project, which has been initiated as a national initiative of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). Based on a review of already existing mitigation guidelines or guidelines under development and following an identification of needs from a circle of industrial users the "End-to-End Service Gu idelines" have been established for designer and operators of spacecraft. The End-to-End Service Guidelines are based on requirements addressed by the mitigation guidelines and provide recommendations how and when the technical consideration of the mitigation guidelines should take place. By referencing requirements from the mitigation guidelines, the End-to-End Service Guidelines address the consideration of debris mitigation measures by spacecraft design and operational measures. This paper will give an introduction to the End-to-End Service Guidelines. It will focus on the proposals made for mitigation measures by the S/C system design, i.e. on protective design measures inside the spacecraft and on design measures, e.g. innovative protective (shielding) systems. Furthermore, approaches on the analytical optimisation of protective systems will be presented, aiming at the minimisation of shield mass under conservation of the protective effects. On the

High-efficiency organic solar cells based on end-functional-group-modified poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong Soo; Lee, Ji Hwang [School of Environmental Science and Engineering Polymer Research Institute, Pohang University of Science and Engineering Pohang, 790-784 (Korea); Lee, Youngmin; Park, Jong Hwan; Kim, Jin Kon; Cho, Kilwon [Department of Chemical Engineering Polymer Research Institute, Pohang University of Science and Engineering Pohang, 790-784 (Korea)

2010-03-26

Photovoltaic devices of end-functional-group-modified poly 3-(hexylthiophene)/[6,6]-phenyl-C{sub 61} butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) are fabricated with thermal annealing. The surface energies between donor and acceptor were matched by varying the end group, which can be used to control vertical and horizontal phase separation in the active layer, leading mixed nanomorphology with optimized phase separation, low series resistance, and high performance for solar cell devices. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Physician-staffed emergency helicopter reduces transportation time from alarm call to highly specialized centre

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fjaeldstad, A.

2013-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Since 2007, the number of Danish emergency departments has decreased from 44 to 21. Longer distances to specialized treatment have increased the demand for advanced prehospital treatment. A Danish 24/7 Helicopter Emergency Medical System (HEMS) project in western Denmark was initiated......-to-centre) for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or severe injury (Injury Severity Score > 15). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this prospective study with a matched historical control group, the time-to-doctor and the time-to-centre for patients with STEMI or severe injury transported by HEMS were...

SAP Nuclear Competence Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrlova, Z.

2009-01-01

In this issue we continue and introduce the SAP Nuclear Competence Centre and its head Mr. Igor Dzama. SAP Nuclear Competence Centrum is one of the fi rst competence centres outside ENEL headquarters. It should operate in Slovakia and should have competencies within the whole Enel group. We are currently dealing with the issues of organisation and funding. We are trying to balance the accountability to the NPP directors and to the management of the competence centres at Enel headquarters; we are looking at the relations between the competence centres within the group and defining the services that we will provide for the NPPs. author)

Utilizing Domain Knowledge in End-to-End Audio Processing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tax, Tycho; Antich, Jose Luis Diez; Purwins, Hendrik

2017-01-01

to learn the commonly-used log-scaled mel-spectrogram transformation. Secondly, we demonstrate that upon initializing the first layers of an end-to-end CNN classifier with the learned transformation, convergence and performance on the ESC-50 environmental sound classification dataset are similar to a CNN......-based model trained on the highly pre-processed log-scaled mel-spectrogram features....

What factors encourage high levels of student participation in a self-access centre?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith Barrs

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The motivation to write about Self-Access Centres (SACs comes from experiencing a marked difference in the frequency and depth of student participation at two separate centres; one in a university in Japan and one in a private language school in England. In this context ‘frequency’ means how often the students use the centre and ‘depth’ means in what ways and to what extent the equipment and resources are used. At the SAC in Japan, the facilities are continually exploited by a large number of students with many of them visiting three or four times a week, on an optional basis, for usually over an hour each time. The activities in which the students are engaged include listening to music while annotating lyrics, practising pronunciation in speaking booths, reading English language novels and graded-readers, and communicating in the target-language with other students and learning advisors. In contrast, the SAC at the institution in England is only frequented by a very small number of students and the activities are generally limited to the issuance and return of books and the use of computers for online social networking, which is usually conducted in the native languages of the students.

Timing of intervention in high-risk non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes in PCI versus non-PCI centres : Sub-group analysis of the ELISA-3 trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Badings, E A; Remkes, W S; Dambrink, J-H E; The, S H K; Van Wijngaarden, J; Tjeerdsma, G; Rasoul, S; Timmer, J R; van der Wielen, M L J; Lok, D J A; van 't Hof, A W J

2016-03-01

To compare the effect of timing of intervention in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus non-PCI centres. A post-hoc sub-analysis was performed of the ELISA III trial, a randomised multicentre trial investigating outcome of early ( 48 h) angiography and revascularisation in 542 patients with high-risk NSTE-ACS. 90 patients were randomised in non-PCI centres and tended to benefit more from an early invasive strategy than patients included in the PCI centre (relative risk 0.23 vs. 0.85 [p for interaction = 0.089] for incidence of the combined primary endpoint of death, reinfarction and recurrent ischaemia after 30 days of follow-up). This was largely driven by reduction in recurrent ischaemia. In non-PCI centres, patients randomised to the late group had a 4 and 7 day longer period until PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting, respectively. This difference was less pronounced in the PCI centre. This post-hoc analysis from the ELISA-3 trial suggests that NSTE-ACS patients initially hospitalised in non-PCI centres show the largest benefit from early angiography and revascularisation, associated with a shorter waiting time to revascularisation. Improved patient logistics and transfer between non-PCI and PCI centres might therefore result in better clinical outcome.

Effects of unstratified and centre-stratified randomization in multi-centre clinical trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Anisimov, Vladimir V

2011-01-01

This paper deals with the analysis of randomization effects in multi-centre clinical trials. The two randomization schemes most often used in clinical trials are considered: unstratified and centre-stratified block-permuted randomization. The prediction of the number of patients randomized to different treatment arms in different regions during the recruitment period accounting for the stochastic nature of the recruitment and effects of multiple centres is investigated. A new analytic approach using a Poisson-gamma patient recruitment model (patients arrive at different centres according to Poisson processes with rates sampled from a gamma distributed population) and its further extensions is proposed. Closed-form expressions for corresponding distributions of the predicted number of the patients randomized in different regions are derived. In the case of two treatments, the properties of the total imbalance in the number of patients on treatment arms caused by using centre-stratified randomization are investigated and for a large number of centres a normal approximation of imbalance is proved. The impact of imbalance on the power of the study is considered. It is shown that the loss of statistical power is practically negligible and can be compensated by a minor increase in sample size. The influence of patient dropout is also investigated. The impact of randomization on predicted drug supply overage is discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of the Advanced CANDU Reactor control centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malcolm, S.; Leger, R.

2004-01-01

The next generation CANDU control centre is being designed for the Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR) station. The design is based upon the recent Qinshan control room with further upgrades to meet customer needs with respect to high capacity factor with low Operation, Maintenance and Administration (OM and A) costs. This evolutionary design includes the long proven functionality at several existing CANDU control centres such as the 4-unit station at Darlington, with advanced features made possible by new control and display technology. Additionally, ACR control centres address characteristics resulting from Human Factors Engineering (HFE) analysis of control centre operations in order to further enhance personnel awareness of system and plant status. Statistics show that up to 70% of plant significant events, which have caused plant outages, have a root cause attributable to the human from such sources as complex interfaces, procedures, maintenance and management practices. Consequently, special attention is made for the application of HFE throughout the ACR design process. The design process follows a systematic analytical approach to define operations staff information and information presentation requirements. The resultant human-system interfaces (HSI) such as those for monitoring, annunciation and control information are then verified and validated against the system design requirements to provide a high confidence level that adequate and correct information is being provided in a timely manner to support the necessary operational tasks. The ACR control centre provides plant staff with an improved operability capability due to the combination of systematic design and enhanced operating features. Significant design processes (i.e. development) or design features which contribute to this improved operability, include: Design Process: Project HFE Program Plan - intent, scope, timeliness and interfacing; HFE aspects of design process - procedures and instructions

Development of the advanced CANDU reactor control centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malcolm, S.; Leger, R.

2004-01-01

The next generation CANDU control centre is being designed for the Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR) station. The design is based upon the recent Qinshan control room with further upgrades to meet customer needs with respect to high capacity factor with low Operation, Maintenance and Administration (OM and A) costs. This evolutionary design includes the long proven functionality at several existing CANDU control centres such as the 4-unit station at Darlington, with advanced features made possible by new control and display technology. Additionally, ACR control centres address characteristics resulting from Human Factors Engineering (HFE) analysis of control centre operations in order to further enhance personnel awareness of system and plant status. Statistics show that up to 70% of plant significant events, which have caused plant outages, have a root cause attributable to the human from such sources as complex interfaces, procedures, maintenance and management practices. Consequently, special attention is made for the application of HFE throughout the ACR design process. The design process follows a systematic analytical approach to define operations staff information and information presentation requirements. The resultant human-system interfaces (HSI) such as those for monitoring, annunciation and control information are then verified and validated against the system design requirements to provide a high confidence level that adequate and correct information is being provided in a timely manner to support the necessary operational tasks. The ACR control centre provides plant staff with an improved operability capability due to the combination of systematic design and enhanced operating features. Significant design processes (i.e. development) or design features which contribute to this improved operability, include: Design Process: Project HFE Program Plan - intent, scope, timeliness and interfacing; HFE aspects of design process - procedures and instructions

Uganda | IDRC - International Development Research Centre

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Our funding helped develop the Uganda Health Information Network, an electronic ... Hand-held computers, mobile caching services, and mobile telephones enable ... Now used in hundreds of health centres, the technology has enhanced healthcare ... promote land policies that are fair to women; stimulate high-quality, ...

Strategy definition of a new business opportunity in mobile-casual gaming: Partnership between Nmusic and Rovio Entertainment Ltd.

OpenAIRE

Correia, Ana Claúdia Moreira

2014-01-01

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics The music and mobile gaming industries are fast growing industries, where innovation plays a key role. These industries are driven by technology innovation and grew with the increase of the consumption of mobile devices. Taking advantage from this fact, Nmusic1 with a partnership with Rovio Entertainment2 decided to offer the global ma...

Defining and describing birth centres in the Netherlands - a component study of the Dutch Birth Centre Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hermus, M A A; Boesveld, I C; Hitzert, M; Franx, A; de Graaf, J P; Steegers, E A P; Wiegers, T A; van der Pal-de Bruin, K M

2017-07-03

During the last decade, a rapid increase of birth locations for low-risk births, other than conventional obstetric units, has been seen in the Netherlands. Internationally some of such locations are called birth centres. The varying international definitions for birth centres are not directly applicable for use within the Dutch obstetric system. A standard definition for a birth centre in the Netherlands is lacking. This study aimed to develop a definition of birth centres for use in the Netherlands, to identify these centres and to describe their characteristics. International definitions of birth centres were analysed to find common descriptions. In July 2013 the Dutch Birth Centre Questionnaire was sent to 46 selected Dutch birth locations that might qualify as birth centre. Questions included: location, reason for establishment, women served, philosophies, facilities that support physiological birth, hotel-facilities, management, environment and transfer procedures in case of referral. Birth centres were visited to confirm the findings from the Dutch Birth Centre Questionnaire and to measure distance and time in case of referral to obstetric care. From all 46 birth locations the questionnaires were received. Based on this information a Dutch definition of a birth centre was constructed. This definition reads: "Birth centres are midwifery-managed locations that offer care to low risk women during labour and birth. They have a homelike environment and provide facilities to support physiological birth. Community midwives take primary professional responsibility for care. In case of referral the obstetric caregiver takes over the professional responsibility of care." Of the 46 selected birth locations 23 fulfilled this definition. Three types of birth centres were distinguished based on their location in relation to the nearest obstetric unit: freestanding (n = 3), alongside (n = 14) and on-site (n = 6). Transfer in case of referral was necessary for all

Personalized Avatars for Mobile Entertainment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomislav Kosutic

2006-01-01

Full Text Available With evolution in computer and mobile networking technologies comes the challenge of offering novel and complex multimedia applications and end-user services in heterogeneous environments for both developers and service providers. This paper describes one novel service, called LiveMail that explores the potential of existing face animation technologies for innovative and attractive services intended for the mobile market. This prototype service allows mobile subscribers to communicate using personalized 3D face models created from images taken by their phone cameras. The user can take a snapshot of someone's face – a friend, famous person, themselves, even a pet – using the mobile phone's camera. After a quick manipulation on the phone, a 3D model of that face is created and can be animated simply by typing in some text. Speech and appropriate animation of the face are created automatically by speech synthesis. Furthermore, these highly personalized animations can be sent to others as real 3D animated messages or as short videos in MMS. The clients were implemented on different platforms, and different network and face animation techniques, and connected into one complex system. This paper presents the architecture and experience gained in building such a system.

HIV treatment cascade among female entertainment and sex workers in Cambodia: impact of amphetamine use and an HIV prevention program.

Science.gov (United States)

Muth, Sokunny; Len, Aynar; Evans, Jennifer L; Phou, Maly; Chhit, Sophal; Neak, Yuthea; Ngak, Song; Stein, Ellen S; Carrico, Adam W; Maher, Lisa; Page, Kimberly

2017-09-05

HIV prevalence remains high in Cambodia among female entertainment and sex workers (FESW), and amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use significantly increases risk of infection. A successful continuum of care (CoC) is key to effective clinical care and prevention. This study aimed to describe the HIV CoC in HIV-positive FESW. We examined CoC outcomes among HIV-positive FESW participating in the Cambodia Integrated HIV and Drug Prevention Implementation (CIPI) study, being implemented in ten provinces. CIPI is a trial aimed at reducing ATS use concomitant with the SMARTgirl HIV prevention program. From 2013 to 2016, 1198 FESW ≥ 18 years old who reported multiple sex partners and/or transactional sex were recruited. We identified 88 HIV-positive women at baseline. We described linkage to care as 12-month retention and viral suppression (HIV-positive women was 32 years [interquartile range (IQR) 28, 35]; 50% were working in entertainment venues and 50% as freelance sex workers; 70% reported SMARTgirl membership. In the past 3 months, women reported a median of 15 sex partners, 38% reported unprotected sex, and 55% reported using ATS. Overall, 88% were receiving HIV care, 83% were on antiretroviral therapy, 39% were retained in care at 12 months, and 23% were virally suppressed. SMARTgirl membership was independently associated with fourfold greater odds of 12-month retention in care (AOR = 4.16, 95% CI 1.38, 12.56). Those at high risk for an ATS use disorder had 91% lower odds of 12-month retention in care (AOR = 0.09, 95% CI 0.01, 0.72). Viral suppression was independently associated with SMARTgirl membership, older age, reporting of STI symptoms, worse symptoms of psychological distress, and greater numbers of sex partners. This is the first study to characterize the HIV CoC in Cambodian FESW. While most women were successfully linked to HIV care, retention and viral suppression were low. Tailored programs like SMARTgirl, targeting the broader population of

The end-of-life phase of high-grade glioma patients: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sizoo, E.M.; Pasman, H.R.W.; Dirven, L.; Marosi, C.; Grisold, W.; Stockhammer, G.; Egeter, J.; Grant, R.; Chang, S.; Heimans, J.J.; Deliens, L.; Reijneveld, J.C.; Taphoorn, M.J.B.

2014-01-01

Background: High-grade gliomas (HGG) are rare and incurable; yet, these neoplasms result in a disproportionate share of cancer morbidity and mortality. Treatment of HGG patients is directed not merely towards prolonging life but also towards quality of life, which becomes the major goal in the end

Primitive entertainment prank calls in the work of counseling psychologist on Children helpline

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.A. Geronimus

2014-08-01

Full Text Available We explore the challenges faced by counseling psychologist when working at the Children's Helpline in cases of prank calls. The category of prank calls include such calls, when the caller asks the psychologist to discuss the imaginary situation, or do not formulate a query at all. On the basis of empirical data, we revealed the main varieties of such calls: call jokes, fantasy calls, intrusive calls, insulting calls, prank calls, calls of a sexual nature, dating calls. We explore the possible motivations of children and adolescents, entertaining by phone calls: experimentation with new social roles, expression of negative emotions, cognitive motivation, etc. We show the principles and strategies of counselors of Children's helpline working with this type of calls: they are based on cultural-historical psychology ideas and V. Satir communicative styles model.

Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic

Science.gov (United States)

Balfanz, Robert; Bridgeland, John M.; Moore, Laura A.; Fox, Joanna Hornig

2010-01-01

The central message of this report is that some states and school districts are raising their high school graduation rates with scalable solutions in the public schools, showing the nation they can end the high school dropout crisis. America made progress not only in suburbs and towns, but also in urban districts and in states across the South.…

The Two Cultures of Electricity: Between Entertainment and Edification in Victorian Science

Science.gov (United States)

Morus, Iwan Rhys

2007-06-01

Reviewing Fleeming Jenkin's Electricity and Magnetism in Nature in 1873 an anonymous reviewer (probably James Clerk Maxwell) remarked that "at the present time there are two sciences of electricity — one that of the lecture-room and the popular treatise; the other that of the testing-office and the engineer's specifications." In this paper I want to look behind Maxwell's remark and examine the relationship between the "two sciences" of electricity during the third quarter or so of the 19th century. In particular I want to look at them in terms of their instrumental technologies. How did apparatus travel between the lecture-room or exhibition-hall and the testing-office or the laboratory? How did skills cross between these different spaces? How did the earlier Victorian culture of electricity as "entertainment and edification" become transformed into late 19th century metrological culture? How did these cultures overlap and how did they differ?

Formalizing the potential of stereoscopic 3D user experience in interactive entertainment

Science.gov (United States)

Schild, Jonas; Masuch, Maic

2015-03-01

The use of stereoscopic 3D vision affects how interactive entertainment has to be developed as well as how it is experienced by the audience. The large amount of possibly impacting factors and variety as well as a certain subtlety of measured effects on user experience make it difficult to grasp the overall potential of using S3D vision. In a comprehensive approach, we (a) present a development framework which summarizes possible variables in display technology, content creation and human factors, and (b) list a scheme of S3D user experience effects concerning initial fascination, emotions, performance, and behavior as well as negative feelings of discomfort and complexity. As a major contribution we propose a qualitative formalization which derives dependencies between development factors and user effects. The argumentation is based on several previously published user studies. We further show how to apply this formula to identify possible opportunities and threats in content creation as well as how to pursue future steps for a possible quantification.

In situ high-frequency UV-Vis spectrometer probes for investigating runoff processes and end member stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwab, Michael; Weiler, Markus; Pfister, Laurent; Klaus, Julian

2014-05-01

In recent years, several limitations as to the application of end member mixing analysis with isotope and geochemical tracers have been revealed: unstable end member solutions, inputs varying in space and time, and unrealistic mixing assumptions. In addition, the necessary high-frequency sampling using conventional methods is time and resources consuming, and hence most sampling rates are not suitable for capturing the response times of the majority of observed headwater catchments. However, high-frequency observations are considered fundamental for gaining new insights into hydrological systems. In our study, we have used two portable, in situ, high-frequency UV-Vis spectrometers (spectro::lyser; scan Messtechnik GmbH) to investigate the variability of several signatures in streamflow and end member stability. The spectro::lyser measures TOC, DOC, nitrate and the light absorption spectrum from 220 to 720 nm with 2.5 nm increment. The Weierbach catchment (0.45 km2) in the Attert basin (297 km2) in Luxemburg is a small headwater research catchment (operated by the CRP Gabriel Lippmann), which is completely forested and underlain by schist bedrock. The catchment is equipped with a dense network of hydrological instruments and for this study, the outlet of the Weierbach catchment was equipped with one spectro::lyser, permanently sensing stream water at a 15 minutes time step over several months. Hydrometric and meteorologic data was compared with the high-frequency spectro::lyser time series of TOC, DOC, nitrate and the light absorption spectrum, to get a first insight into the behaviour of the catchment under different environmental conditions. As a preliminary step for a successful end member mixing analysis, the stability of rainfall, soil water, and groundwater was tested with one spectro::lyser, both temporally and spatially. Thereby, we focused on the investigation of changes and patterns of the light absorption spectrum of the different end members and the

Exploring the changing multidimensional experiences of frail older people towards the end of life: a narrative study

OpenAIRE

Lloyd, Anna Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Background Palliative care services have widened beyond cancer in recent years, yet frail older adults rarely receive such services. There is a need to understand the dynamic multidimensional end-of-life experiences of this group in order to assess how or if a palliative approach could be beneficial. Physical end-of-life trajectories for frail older people have been described but there remains little person centred research that describes changing experiences across physical...

Family-centred care delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Mayo-Bruinsma, Liesha; Hogg, William; Taljaard, Monica; Dahrouge, Simone

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective To determine whether models of primary care service delivery differ in their provision of family-centred care (FCC) and to identify practice characteristics associated with FCC. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Primary care practices in Ontario (ie, 35 salaried community health centres, 35 fee-for-service practices, 32 capitation-based health service organizations, and 35 blended remuneration family health networks) that belong to 4 models of primary care service delivery. Participants A total of 137 practices, 363 providers, and 5144 patients. Main outcome measures Measures of FCC in patient and provider surveys were based on the Primary Care Assessment Tool. Statistical analyses were conducted using linear mixed regression models and generalized estimating equations. Results Patient-reported FCC scores were high and did not vary significantly by primary care model. Larger panel size in a practice was associated with lower odds of patients reporting FCC. Provider-reported FCC scores were significantly higher in community health centres than in family health networks (P = .035). A larger number of nurse practitioners and clinical services on-site were both associated with higher FCC scores, while scores decreased as the number of family physicians in a practice increased and if practices were more rural. Conclusion Based on provider and patient reports, primary care reform strategies that encourage larger practices and more patients per family physician might compromise the provision of FCC, while strategies that encourage multidisciplinary practices and a range of services might increase FCC. PMID:24235195

Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in entertainment media: a phenomenon requiring stronger controls in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Awa, Fatimah M S; El Naga, Randa Abou; Labib, Sahar; Latif, Nisreen Abdel

2018-04-05

Tobacco use and placement of tobacco products in television (TV) productions and movies is a way to promote tobacco use while avoiding tobacco advertising bans that exist in most countries. The fact that such productions are broadcast widely and viewed by millions, including children and young people, is of concern. This paper reviews the evidence on the use of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) in TV and films in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the ways to combat it. Evidence from Egypt shows considerable and increasing use of tobacco products by actors on screen, including female actors, in programmes aired during Ramadan in 2015-2017. A study of Iranian movies in 2015 showed that tobacco scenes in Iranian movies were increasing. In 2014, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean held a consultative meeting on TAPS in drama. The consultation recommended regulating the tobacco presence in movies and TV through complete implementation of Article 13 of the WHO FCTC, and raising the issue to the WHO FCTC Conference of the Parties. In 2016, the Conference of the Parties called on parties to consider scaling up the implementation of WHO FCTC Article 13 and monitoring the use of TAPS in entertainment media in accordance with national legislation. A comprehensive approach is essential to end the tobacco industry's use of TV productions and movies to promote their products. Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2018. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).

Birth centre confinement at the Queen Victoria Medical Centre: four years' experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, N; Campbell, J; Biro, M A; Lumley, J; Rao, J; Spensley, J

1986-06-09

A review of the first four years of the functioning of the birth centre at the Queen Victoria Medical Centre is presented. In that time, 1040 pregnant women were accepted for confinement there. Of these, 52 withdrew for non-obstetric reasons, while 470 were transferred to alternative obstetrical care--274 because of antepartum complications and 196 because of intrapartum problems. Therefore, 518 women were delivered in the birth centre. The care of the women is entrusted almost entirely to a team of midwives and this review demonstrates an enviable safety record.

The end-of-life phase of high-grade glioma patients: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sizoo, Eefje M.; Pasman, H. Roeline W.; Dirven, Linda; Marosi, Christine; Grisold, Wolfgang; Stockhammer, Günther; Egeter, Jonas; Grant, Robin; Chang, Susan; Heimans, Jan J.; Deliens, Luc; Reijneveld, Jaap C.; Taphoorn, Martin J. B.

2014-01-01

High-grade gliomas (HGG) are rare and incurable; yet, these neoplasms result in a disproportionate share of cancer morbidity and mortality. Treatment of HGG patients is directed not merely towards prolonging life but also towards quality of life, which becomes the major goal in the end of life

The spectrum of pelvic fracture urethral injuries and posterior urethroplasty in an Italian high-volume centre, from 1980 to 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbagli, Guido; Sansalone, Salvatore; Romano, Giuseppe; Lazzeri, Massimo

2015-03-01

To describe the emergency and delayed treatment of patients with pelvic fracture urethral injuries (PFUI) presenting to an Italian high-volume centre. In a retrospective, observational study we evaluated the spectrum of PFUI and posterior urethroplasty in an Italian high-volume centre, from 1980 to 2013. Patients requiring emergency treatment for PFUI and delayed treatment for pelvic fracture urethral defects (PFUD) were included. Patients with incomplete clinical records were excluded from the study. Descriptive statistical methods were applied. In all, 159 male patients (median age 35 years) were included in the study. A traffic accident was the most frequent (42.8%) cause of PFUI, and accidents at work were reported as the cause of trauma in 34% of patients. Agricultural accidents decreased from 24.4% to 6.2% over the course of the survey. A suprapubic cystostomy was the most frequent (49%) emergency treatment in patients with PFUI. The use of surgical realignment decreased from 31.7% to 6.2%, and endoscopic realignment increased from 9.7% to 35.3%. A bulbo-prostatic anastomosis was the most frequent (62.9%) delayed treatment in patients with PFUD. The use of the Badenoch pull-through decreased from 19.5% to 2.6%, and endoscopic holmium laser urethrotomy increased from 4.9% to 32.7%. The spectrum of PFUI and subsequent treatment of PFUD has changed greatly over the last 10 years at our centre. These changes involved patient age, aetiology, emergency and delayed treatments, and were found to be related to changes in the economy and lifestyle of the Italian patients.

System-centred tobacco management: from 'whole-person' to 'whole-system' change.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonevski, Billie

2014-01-01

Patient-centred tobacco management is a pragmatic approach for helping smokers achieve their goals in terms of either cessation or harm reduction. However, the success of the approach is dependent on clinicians embracing and delivering it as intended. There are a number of structural and systemic organisational barriers which are limiting clinician-delivered patient-centred tobacco dependence. In response, 'whole system' approaches which help support clinicians in the delivery of patient-centred tobacco management are required. Health system changes to support clinicians and facilitate the delivery of patient-centred tobacco management are worth further investigation, particularly in settings where tobacco smoking rates are high. © 2013 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

GALACTICNUCLEUS: A high angular resolution JHKs imaging survey of the Galactic centre. I. Methodology, performance, and near-infrared extinction towards the Galactic centre

Science.gov (United States)

Nogueras-Lara, F.; Gallego-Calvente, A. T.; Dong, H.; Gallego-Cano, E.; Girard, J. H. V.; Hilker, M.; de Zeeuw, P. T.; Feldmeier-Krause, A.; Nishiyama, S.; Najarro, F.; Neumayer, N.; Schödel, R.

2018-03-01

Context. The Galactic centre (GC) is of fundamental astrophysical interest, but existing near-infrared surveys fall short covering it adequately, either in terms of angular resolution, multi-wavelength coverage, or both. Here we introduce the GALACTICNUCLEUS survey, a JHKs imaging survey of the centre of the Milky Way with a 0.2″ angular resolution. Aim. The purpose of this paper is to present the observations of Field 1 of our survey, centred approximately on SgrA* with an approximate size of 7.95' × 3.43'. We describe the observational set-up and data reduction pipeline and discuss the quality of the data. Finally, we present the analysis of the data. Methods: The data were acquired with the near-infrared camera High Acuity Wide field K-band Imager (HAWK-I) at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). Short readout times in combination with the speckle holography algorithm allowed us to produce final images with a stable, Gaussian PSF (point spread function) of 0.2″ FWHM (full width at half maximum). Astrometric calibration is achieved via the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) survey and photometric calibration is based on the SIRIUS/Infrared Survey Facility telescope (IRSF) survey. The quality of the data is assessed by comparison between observations of the same field with different detectors of HAWK-I and at different times. Results: We reach 5σ detection limits of approximately J = 22, H = 21, and Ks = 20. The photometric uncertainties are less than 0.05 at J ≲ 20, H ≲ 17, and Ks ≲ 16. We can distinguish five stellar populations in the colour-magnitude diagrams; three of them appear to belong to foreground spiral arms, and the other two correspond to high- and low-extinction star groups at the GC. We use our data to analyse the near-infrared extinction curve and find some evidence for a possible difference between the extinction index between J - H and H - Ks. However, we conclude that it can be described very well by a power law with an index of

Egypt | IDRC - International Development Research Centre

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Our research support in Egypt has shifted focus with the country's changing needs. ... With support from IDRC and other partners, the university established the Alexandria Research Centre for ... stimulate technology start ups; prepare youth for in high-demand jobs in retail, hospitality, ... Careers · Contact Us · Site map.

Leading Highly Performing Children's Centres: Supporting the Development of the "Accidental Leaders"

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Andy; Sharp, Caroline; Handscomb, Graham

2016-01-01

There is wide recognition that early childhood experiences are critical to a child's development and their subsequent life chances. However, little research has been undertaken into leadership in early years settings, which is so influential in this regard. This article summarizes research into the leadership of Sure Start Children's Centres,…

A practice model for rural district nursing success in end-of-life advocacy care.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Frances M; Fitzgerald, Les; Bish, Melanie R

2017-08-24

The development of a practice model for rural district nursing successful end-of-life advocacy care. Resources to help people live well in the end stages of life in rural areas can be limited and difficult to access. District nurse advocacy may promote end-of-life choice for people living at home in rural Australia. The lack of evidence available internationally to inform practice in this context was addressed by exploratory study. A pragmatic mixed method study approved by the University Faculty Ethics Committee and conducted from March 2014 to August 2015 was used to explore the successful end-of-life advocacy of 98 rural Australian district nurses. The findings and results were integrated then compared with theory in this article to develop concepts for a practice model. The model illustrates rural district nurse advocacy success based on respect for the rights and values of people. Advocacy action is motivated by the emotional responses of nurses to the end-of-life vulnerability people experience. The combination of willing investment in relationships, knowing the rural people and resources, and feeling supported, together enables district nurses to develop therapeutic emotional intelligence. This skill promotes moral agency in reflection and advocacy action to overcome emotional and ethical care challenges of access and choice using holistic assessment, communication, organisation of resources and empowering support for the self-determination of person-centred end-of-life goals. Recommendations are proposed from the theoretical concepts in the model. Testing the model in practice is recommended to gain the perceptions of a broader range of rural people both giving and receiving end-of-life-care. A model developed by gathering and comparing district nursing experiences and understanding using mixed methods and existing theory offers evidence for practice of a philosophy of successful person-centred advocacy care in a field of nursing that lacks specific

Les télécentres, centres de communications polyvalents | CRDI ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

12 juil. 2011 ... ... la raison de leur absence et beaucoup répondent qu'ils ont eu une ... fournisseur de service Internet du télécentre, qui se trouve à Maputo ... Le télécentre s'est révélé être un fournisseur de services utile et recherché par les ...

Varying temperature and silicon content in nanodiamond growth: effects on silicon-vacancy centres.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sumin; Leong, Victor; Davydov, Valery A; Agafonov, Viatcheslav N; Cheong, Marcus W O; Kalashnikov, Dmitry A; Krivitsky, Leonid A

2018-02-28

Nanodidamonds containing colour centres open up many applications in quantum information processing, metrology, and quantum sensing. However, controlling the synthesis of nanodiamonds containing silicon vacancy (SiV) centres is still not well understood. Here we study nanodiamonds produced by a high-pressure high-temperature method without catalyst metals, focusing on two samples with clear SiV signatures. Different growth temperatures and relative content of silicon in the initial compound between the samples altered their nanodiamond size distributions and abundance of SiV centres. Our results show that nanodiamond growth can be controlled and optimised for different applications.

Blood, Monstrosity and Violent Imagery: Grand-Guignol, the French Theatre of Horror as a Form of Violent Entertainment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanja Jurković

2013-12-01

Full Text Available During the sixty-year period of its existence, Grand-Guignol, the French theatre of horror, gained a status of a legendary theatre which dealt with horrors and terrors of human mind, successfully connecting faits divers (common, everyday facts with the erotic and titillating scenes of violence on stage. The performance style, the writing, the special effects, and the directorship over the course of years, made this theatre a legendary place where blood flowed in streams and people fainted during performances, in this way making its indelible mark in horror genre today. In this paper, the author is trying to focus the attention on the theatre of Grand-Guignol as a form of violent entertainment and the way the representations of violence and horror enacted on its stage affected the audience, through Goldstein’s theory of the importance of visual imagery in different media today. Furthermore, through comparison of violent acts presented on the stage of the Grand-Guignol and the atmosphere they create in the viewer’s mind with some of the aspects of Artaud’s vision of his theatre of cruelty, the author attempts to show how this form of violent entertainment in the theatrical media influences the vision of that same violence within the audience, with the sense of security as the main idea in which the viewers feel safe to enjoy, envision and in a way become the participants in the performances enacted on the small stage of the Grand-Guignol.

Automatic provisioning of end-to-end QoS into the home

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brewka, Lukasz Jerzy; Skoldström, Pontus; Nelis, Jelle

2011-01-01

Due to a growing number of high bandwidth applications today (such as HDTV), and an increasing amount of network and cloud based applications, service providers need to pay attention to QoS in their networks. We believe there is a need for an end-to-end approach reaching into the home as well....... The Home Gateway (HG) as a key component of the home network is crucial for enabling the end-to-end solutions. UPnP-QoS has been proposed as an inhome solution for resource reservations. In this paper we assess a solution for automatic QoS reservations, on behalf of non-UPnP-QoS aware applications....... Additionally we focus on an integrated end-to-end solution, combining GMPLS-based reservations in e.g., access/metro and UPnP-QoS based reservation in the home network....

Social Interaction Needs and Entertainment Approaches to Pregnancy Well-Being in mHealth Technology Design for Low-Income Transmigrant Women: Qualitative Codesign Study.

Science.gov (United States)

AlJaberi, Hana

2018-04-13

Low-income Caribbean transmigrant women face unique health challenges during pregnancy that set forth multidimensional implications for the design of mobile health (mHealth). Acknowledgment of the unique health needs of low-income Caribbean immigrant women in the United States and what that entails regarding technology design remains rarely examined in the literature of mHealth technologies. The goal of this study was to reveal the needs and gaps in mHealth interventions for pregnant immigrant women not yet realized in this field. These understandings reveal design opportunities for mHealth. The use of the qualitative participatory action research approach of codesign workshops in this study resulted in design solutions by the participants after reflecting on their earlier focus group discussions. The highlights are not the resulting designs per se but rather the inferences derived from the researcher reflecting on these designs. The designs exposed two themes relevant to this paper. First, the participants desired the inclusion and rebuilding of social and organizational relationships in mHealth. The resulting designs formulate an understanding of the women's health-related social support needs and how technology can facilitate them. Second, the participants wanted entertainment with an element of social participation incorporated in mHealth pregnancy management interventions. This brings attention to the role entertainment can add to the impact mHealth can deliver for pregnancy well-being. The study concluded with an examination of social and entertainment design implications that reveal pregnant immigrant women's virtual health-related sharing habits, choice of sharing interaction scenarios during pregnancy (eg, local, long distance, one-way, two-way, and many-many), and choice of sharing media (eg, text, voice, and video). Additionally, the study revealed exclusions to social sharing capabilities in health technologies for these women. ©Hana Al

Inverted end-Hall-type low-energy high-current gaseous ion source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oks, E. M.; Vizir, A. V.; Shandrikov, M. V.; Yushkov, G. Yu.; Grishin, D. M.; Anders, A.; Baldwin, D. A.

2008-01-01

A novel approach to low-energy, high-current, gaseous ion beam generation was explored and an ion source based on this technique has been developed. The source utilizes a dc high-current (up to 20 A) gaseous discharge with electron injection into the region of ion generation. Compared to the conventional end-Hall ion source, the locations of the discharge anode and cathode are inverted: the cathode is placed inside the source and the anode outside, and correspondingly, the discharge current is in the opposite direction. The discharge operates in a diverging axial magnetic field, similar to the end-Hall source. Electron generation and injection is accomplished by using an additional arc discharge with a ''cold'' (filamentless) hollow cathode. Low plasma contamination is achieved by using a low discharge voltage (avoidance of sputtering), as well as by a special geometric configuration of the emitter discharge electrodes, thereby filtering (removing) the erosion products stemming from the emitter cathode. The device produces a dc ion flow with energy below 20 eV and current up to 2.5 A onto a collector of 500 cm 2 at 25 cm from the source edge, at a pressure ≥0.02 Pa and gas flow rate ≥14 SCCM. The ion energy spread is 2 to 3 eV (rms). The source is characterized by high reliability, low maintenance, and long lifetime. The beam contains less than 0.1% of metallic ions. The specific electric energy consumption is 400 eV per ion registered at the collector. The source operates with noble gases, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrocarbons. Utilizing biasing, it can be used for plasma sputtering, etching, and other ion technologies

Training centres - organization and management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovar, P.

1986-01-01

In the lecture 'Training centres - organization and management' some principles and requirements which influence the organization, management and activity pattern of nuclear training centres, are briefly introduced. It is demonstrated, step by step, how these general principles are implemented in the development of the Czechoslovak nuclear power programme, it means, how the training of the NPP personnel proceeds in Czechoslovak nuclear training centres. General principles which are selected: a connection between the capacity of the training centre and the scope and needs of the nuclear power programme, a position of the training center within the institutional set-up, a structure and organization of the training system which complies with the system of NPP construction, reflect the pattern and the activity of the nuclear training centre and nuclear power technical level, a research group of workers in the nuclear training centre, main tasks and technical facilities, management of the training process and a transfer of knowledge and research results into the training process. The lecture is supplemented by pictures and slides. (orig.)

Copycat Suicide Induced by Entertainment Celebrity Suicides in South Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Soo Ah; Sung, Ji Min; Park, Jin Young

2016-01-01

Objective Throughout the past several years, there have been a number of entertainment celebrity suicides in South Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the clustering of suicides following celebrities' suicides in South Korea from 2005 to 2008, particularly according to certain characteristics. Methods Seven celebrity suicides were examined and defined using the Korean Integrated Newspaper Database System (KINDS) and from these, we considered four affected periods occurring 28 days after each celebrity's suicide. A Poisson time-series autoregression model was used to estimate the relative risk of the total suicide number for each affected period from 2005 to 2008. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate whether there were specific increases in the numbers of suicides in subgroups matching each celebrity. Results There were significant increases in the risk of suicide during the affected periods. Remarkable increases were found in the subgroups matching each celebrity, especially in the group in which all factors (sex, age, and method) were similar. Conclusion This study provides confirmation that a significant copycat effect was induced by these celebrities' suicides, especially among people who identified more with the celebrities. This implies that countermeasures for upright media coverage of celebrity suicides should be discussed and practiced properly in South Korea. PMID:26766949

Traducción de videojuegos: análisis de la localización de Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment, 2016)

OpenAIRE

Miñana Capón, Miguel Ángel

2017-01-01

TFG RECOMENDADO POR EL CENTRO. La finalidad de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado es estudiar los resultados del proceso de localización de los textos en pantalla de Overwatch, un videojuego desarrollado por Blizzard Entertainment en 2016. Con este fin, se divide el trabajo en dos bloques fundamentales. El primer bloque es el marco teórico, en el que se explica la creciente importancia de dos industrias jóvenes, la industria de los videojuegos y la de la localización; se enmarca el concepto de loca...

Research and development activities of High Pressure Physics Division (October 1993 - March 1996)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyanchandani, Jyoti; Gangrade, B.K.

1996-07-01

The research and development activities of the High Pressure Physics Division during the period October 1993-March 1996 are reported in the form of collection of papers presented in journals, conference proceedings and abstracts in conferences and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) technical reports. The report is organised in two sections: (A) High Pressure Physics Division, and (B) Seismology Section. A list of staff members is enclosed at the end

Research and development activities of High Pressure Physics Division (October 1993 - March 1996)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gyanchandani, Jyoti; Gangrade, B K [eds.; High Pressure Physics Div., Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India)

1996-07-01

The research and development activities of the High Pressure Physics Division during the period October 1993-March 1996 are reported in the form of collection of papers presented in journals, conference proceedings and abstracts in conferences and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) technical reports. The report is organised in two sections: (A) High Pressure Physics Division, and (B) Seismology Section. A list of staff members is enclosed at the end.

Human-centred radiological software techniques supporting improved nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szoeke, Istvan; Johnsen, Terje

2013-01-01

The Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) is an international research foundation for energy and nuclear technology. IFE is also the host for the international OECD Halden Reactor Project. The Software Engineering Department in the Man Technology Organisation at IFE is a leading international centre of competence for the development and evaluation of human-centred technologies, process visualisation, and the lifecycle of high integrity software important to safety. This paper is an attempt to give a general overview of the current, and some of the foreseen, research and development of human-centred radiological software technologies at the Software Engineering department to meet with the need of improved radiological safety for not only nuclear industry but also other industries around the world. (author)

A Human-Centred Tangible approach to learning Computational Thinking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tommaso Turchi

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Computational Thinking has recently become a focus of many teaching and research domains; it encapsulates those thinking skills integral to solving complex problems using a computer, thus being widely applicable in our society. It is influencing research across many disciplines and also coming into the limelight of education, mostly thanks to public initiatives such as the Hour of Code. In this paper we present our arguments for promoting Computational Thinking in education through the Human-centred paradigm of Tangible End-User Development, namely by exploiting objects whose interactions with the physical environment are mapped to digital actions performed on the system.

Call Centre- Computer Telephone Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dražen Kovačević

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Call centre largely came into being as a result of consumerneeds converging with enabling technology- and by the companiesrecognising the revenue opportunities generated by meetingthose needs thereby increasing customer satisfaction. Regardlessof the specific application or activity of a Call centre, customersatisfaction with the interaction is critical to the revenuegenerated or protected by the Call centre. Physical(v, Call centreset up is a place that includes computer, telephone and supervisorstation. Call centre can be available 24 hours a day - whenthe customer wants to make a purchase, needs information, orsimply wishes to register a complaint.

Evaluation of End Mill Coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

L. J. Lazarus; R. L. Hester,

2005-08-01

Milling tests were run on families of High Speed Steel (HSS) end mills to determine their lives while machining 304 Stainless Steel. The end mills tested were made from M7, M42 and T15-CPM High Speed Steels. The end mills were also evaluated with no coatings as well as with Titanium Nitride (TiN) and Titanium Carbo-Nitride (TiCN) coatings to determine which combination of HSS and coating provided the highest increase in end mill life while increasing the cost of the tool the least. We found end mill made from M42 gave us the largest increase in tool life with the least increase in cost. The results of this study will be used by Cutting Tool Engineering in determining which end mill descriptions will be dropped from our tool catalog.

Cutting Temperature Investigation of AISI H13 in High Speed End Milling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Riza

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Heat produced at the tool-chip interface during high speed milling operations have been known as a significant factor that affect to tool life and workpiece geometry or properties. This paper aims to investigate cutting temperature behaviours of AISI H13 (48 HRC under high speed machining circumstances during pocketing. The experiments were conducted on CNC vertical machining centre by using PVD coated carbide insert. Milling processes were done at cutting speeds 150, 200 and 250 m/min and feed rate were 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15 mm/tooth. Depths of cut applied were 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2 mm. Tool path method applied in this experiment was contour in. Results presented in this paper indicate that by increasing cutting speed the cutting temperature is lower than low cutting speed. However, by decreasing feed rate leads to cutting temperature low. Cutting temperature phenomena at the corner of pocket milling were also investigated. The phenomena showed that cutting temperature tends to decrease a moment when cutter comes to the corner of pocket and turning point of tool path and increase extremely a moment before leaving the corner and turning point.

Addressing the challenges of patient-centred design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen LaBat

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Patient-centred design is a relatively new term, but a longstanding concept in clinical practice. This discussion looks at patient-centred design and explores the relationships of patient-centred design to universal design, user-centred design and the newer human-centred design. It also explores why interdisciplinary approaches are needed for patient-centred design and how interdisciplinary collaboration works to address the challenges of patient centred design. Successful patient-centred solutions can grow from collaborations which include shared visions, understanding of both the nature and degree of variation in the patient,materials, and the designed solution, clear regular communication among all parties with careful definition of terms, and respect for the inherent cultures of all disciplines involved.

Creative Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare in High School.

Science.gov (United States)

Dienstfrey, Sherri R.

William Shakespeare should be taught in high schools in an entertaining fashion so the high school student will appreciate his genius, keen insights, and talents. A strategy to accomplish this goal starts with simple material and progresses to the more difficult. Shakespeare's personal and historical background are presented in a short lecture,…

Ethylene homo- and copolymerization chain-transfers: A perspective from supported (n BuCp) 2 ZrCl 2 catalyst active centre distribution

KAUST Repository

Atiqullah, Muhammad

2015-04-01

Polymerization chain termination reactions and unsaturation of the polymer backbone end are related. Therefore, in this study, the parameters resulting from the modelling of the active centre distribution of the supported catalyst - silica/MAO/(nBuCp)2ZrCl2 - were applied to evaluate the active-centre-dependent ethylene homo- and copolymerization rates, as well as the corresponding chain termination rates. This approach, from a microkinetic mechanistic viewpoint, elucidates better the 1-hexene-induced positive comonomer effect and chain transfer phenomenon. The kinetic expressions, developed on the basis of the proposed polymerization mechanisms, illustrate how the active site type-dependent chain transfer phenomenon is influenced by the different apparent termination rate constants and momoner concentrations. The active centre-specific molecular weight M ni (for the above homo- and copolymer), as a function of chain transfer probability, p CTi, varied as follows: log (p C Ti) = log (mwru) - log (Mn i), where mw ru is the molecular weight of the repeat unit. The physical significance of this finding has been explained. The homo- and copolymer backbones showed all the three chain end unsaturations (vinyl, vinylidene, and trans-vinylene). The postulated polymerization mechanisms reveal the underlying polymer chemistry. The results of the present study will contribute to develop in future supported metallocene catalysts that will be useful to synthesize polyethylene precursors having varying chain end unsaturations, which can be eventually used to prepare functional polyethylenes. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2015 Indian Academy of Sciences.

Investigation on Effect of Material Hardness in High Speed CNC End Milling Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. V. Dhandapani

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This research paper analyzes the effects of material properties on surface roughness, material removal rate, and tool wear on high speed CNC end milling process with various ferrous and nonferrous materials. The challenge of material specific decision on the process parameters of spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut, coolant flow rate, cutting tool material, and type of coating for the cutting tool for required quality and quantity of production is addressed. Generally, decision made by the operator on floor is based on suggested values of the tool manufacturer or by trial and error method. This paper describes effect of various parameters on the surface roughness characteristics of the precision machining part. The prediction method suggested is based on various experimental analysis of parameters in different compositions of input conditions which would benefit the industry on standardization of high speed CNC end milling processes. The results show a basis for selection of parameters to get better results of surface roughness values as predicted by the case study results.

Investigation on Effect of Material Hardness in High Speed CNC End Milling Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhandapani, N V; Thangarasu, V S; Sureshkannan, G

2015-01-01

This research paper analyzes the effects of material properties on surface roughness, material removal rate, and tool wear on high speed CNC end milling process with various ferrous and nonferrous materials. The challenge of material specific decision on the process parameters of spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut, coolant flow rate, cutting tool material, and type of coating for the cutting tool for required quality and quantity of production is addressed. Generally, decision made by the operator on floor is based on suggested values of the tool manufacturer or by trial and error method. This paper describes effect of various parameters on the surface roughness characteristics of the precision machining part. The prediction method suggested is based on various experimental analysis of parameters in different compositions of input conditions which would benefit the industry on standardization of high speed CNC end milling processes. The results show a basis for selection of parameters to get better results of surface roughness values as predicted by the case study results.

An ASIC implementation of digital front-end electronics for a high resolution PET scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newport, D.F.; Young, J.W.

1993-01-01

AN Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) has been designed and fabricated which implements many of the current functions found in the digital front-end electronics for a high resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner. The ASIC performs crystal selection, energy qualification, time correction, and event counting functions for block technology high resolution PET scanners. Digitized x and y position, event energy, and time information are used by the ASIC to determine block crystal number, qualify the event based on energy, and correct the event time. In addition, event counting and block dead time calculations are performed for system dead time corrections. A loadable sequencer for controlling the analog front-end electronics is also implemented. The ASIC is implemented in a 37,000 gate, 1.0 micron CMOS gate-array and is capable of handling 4 million events/second while reducing parts count, cost, and power consumption over current board-level designs

Ultra-wideband wireless receiver front-end for high-speed indoor applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhe-Yang Huang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Low-noise, ultra-wideband (UWB wireless receiver front-end circuits were presented in this study. A two-stage common-source low-noise amplifier with wideband input impedance matching network, an active-balun and a double-balanced down-conversion mixer were adopted in the UWB wireless receiver front-end. The proposed wireless receiver front-end circuits were implemented in 0.18 μm radio-frequency-CMOS process. The maximum down-conversion power gain of the front-end is 25.8 dB; minimum single-sideband noise figure of the front-end is 4.9 dB over complete UWB band ranging from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. Power consumption including buffers is 39.2 mW.

Feasibility study on data collection in the electricity sector for the household goods, home entertainment, office, communications and industrial areas; Machbarkeitsstudie Datenerhebung im Elektrizitaetsbereich, Bereiche Hausgeraete, Unterhaltungselektronik, Buero- und Kommunikationsgeraete, Industrie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huser, A. [Encontrol GmbH, Niederrohrdorf (Switzerland); Schaltegger, B. [Meyer und Schaltegger AG, St. Gallen (Switzerland); Baumgartner, W. [Basics AG, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2001-07-01

To improve the data situation, and as a management instrument, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy wants to create a quantitative overview of the consumption of electrical energy. In a feasibility study carried out for this purpose, the current data situation was investigated and it showed in which range of applications and at what cost detailed information could be gathered. The investigation is part of a comprehensive study concerning the opportunities for improvement of the electrical energy statistics. In principle, the entire electrical energy consumption of Switzerland will be covered. This report embraces the household equipment, entertainment electronic equipment, office and communications equipment and the industrial consumer groups. In various sectors, survey and calculation models can be supplied that provide data of a high quality. It can be shown that a massive improvement in the data situation, compared to the current situation, can be achieved at a moderate cost. In the case of household equipment, entertainment electronic equipment, office and communications equipment, good quality data can be ascertained with a bottom-up estimate. Various empirical studies, as well as the linking of this data, are necessary for this. Because of the complexity and diversity of equipment in the industrial consumer group, other methodological estimates will be proposed. (author)

[Interdisciplinary healthcare centres--a way of organising healthcare in the future from a health insurer's perspective].

Science.gov (United States)

Hecke, Torsten L; Hoyer, Jens Martin

2009-01-01

The German healthcare system modernization act enables healthcare providers to fund interdisciplinary healthcare centres. The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) is a statutory health sickness fund that has contracted with some of the interdisciplinary healthcare centres named ATRIO-MED to achieve high-quality medical care and healthcare management. A range of patient-centred services is described in the cooperation agreement; in addition to central medical patient records one of the core competencies includes integrated pathways for defined diagnosis. The concept of the interdisciplinary healthcare centre is highly accepted among patients. It will serve as a platform for future TK healthcare policies.

Exposures to atmospheric effects in the entertainment industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Teschke, Kay; Chow, Yat; van Netten, Chris; Varughese, Sunil; Kennedy, Susan M; Brauer, Michael

2005-05-01

Theatrical fogs are commonly used in the entertainment industry to create special atmospheric effects during filming and live productions. We examined exposures to mineral oil-and glycol-based theatrical fogs to determine what fluids and effects were commonly used, to measure the size distributions of the aerosols, and to identify factors associated with personal exposure levels. In nonperformance jobs in a range of production types (television, film, live theater, and concerts),we measured airborne concentrations of inhalable aerosol,aldehydes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and collected observations about the sites and tasks performed. Both mineral oil and glycols were observed in use on about one-half the production days in the study. The most common effect produced was a generalized haze over the entire set. Mean personal inhalable aerosol concentrations were 0.70 mg/m3(range 0.02 to 4.1). The mean proportion of total aerosol mass less than 3.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter was 61%. Exposures were higher when mineral oils, rather than glycols, were used to generate fogs. Higher exposures were also associated with movie and television productions, with using more than one fog machine, with increased time spent in visible fog, and for those employed as "grips." Decreased exposures were associated with increasing room temperature, with increasing distance from fog machines, and for those employed as "sound technicians." Exposures to theatrical fogs are just beginning to be measured. It is important to consider these exposures in light of any health effects observed, since existing occupational exposure limits were developed in other industries where the aerosol composition differs from that of theatrical fogs.

Cultural diversity and entertainment in the media ambience of the spectacle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edson Farias

2017-06-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7984.2017v16n35p178 The scope of this figurative-procedural analysis is the correlation between communication and cultural diversity. Firstly, it is discussed the role played by image in contemporary Western culture. It is affirmed, then, that the audiovisual production integrates the transactions between sociohuman and machinic networks, which not only support and question the forms and means of symbolization, but also correspond to a late example of this same interaction. More specifically, the analysis falls on the interaction of audiovisual production with other modes of production and circulation of symbolic goods, especially in the setting of mediatic environments, in the very act of recomposing other modes of symbolization as contents of these socio-technical environments. The examination of the convergence of televisual media and the carnival ludic-aesthetic eventgenre of the Rio de Janeiro Samba Schools Parade demonstrates that in the reconstitution of the spectacle-show’s ambience, it is possible to observe mechanisms of contemporary entertainment, and especially the mechanism of cultural valuing of a given social expression.

Highly integrated front-end electronics for spaceborne fluxgate sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnes, W; Valavanoglou, A; Hagen, C; Jernej, I; Baumjohann, W; Oberst, M; Hauer, H; Neubauer, H; Pierce, D; Means, J; Falkner, P

2008-01-01

Scientific instruments for challenging and cost-optimized space missions have to reduce their resource requirements while keeping the high performance levels of conventional instruments. In this context the development of an instrument front-end ASIC (0.35 µm CMOS from austriamicrosystems) for magnetic field sensors based on the fluxgate principle was undertaken. It is based on the combination of the conventional readout electronics of a fluxgate magnetometer with the control loop of a sigma-delta modulator for a direct digitization of the magnetic field. The analogue part is based on a modified 2–2 cascaded sigma-delta modulator. The digital part includes a primary (128 Hz output) and secondary decimation filter (2, 4, 8,..., 64 Hz output) as well as a serial synchronous interface. The chip area is 20 mm 2 and the total power consumption is 60 mW. It has been demonstrated that the overall functionality and performance of the magnetometer front-end ASIC (MFA) is sufficient for scientific applications in space. Noise performance (SNR of 89 dB with a bandwidth of 30 Hz) and offset stability ( −1 MFA temperature, −1 is acceptable. Only a cross-tone phenomenon must be avoided in future designs even though it is possible to mitigate the effect to a level that is tolerable. The MFA stays within its parameters up to 170 krad of total ionizing dose and it keeps full functionality up to more than 300 krad. The threshold for latch-ups is 14 MeV cm 2 mg −1

Colour centres in LiF for measurement of abssorbed doses up to 100 MGy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLaughlin, W.L.

1996-01-01

Radiation damage studies on electronic components, polymers, composites, ceramics, metals and insulating materials exposed to very large doses of ionising photons and particles (i.e. electrons, protons, and neutrons) require reproducible and accurate passive dosimetry. Absorbed doses in the range 10 2 -2 x 10 6 Gy have previously been measured with optical quality, undoped LiF by spectrophotometry of radiation-induced absorption bands of stable colour centres. These include the relatively stable F centre (247 nm), M centre (443 nm), R 1 centre (315 nm), R 2 centre (374 nm), and N 2 centre (547 nm). It is now possible to extend this range to 10 8 Gy by spectrophotometry of the N 1 centre (517 nm) and an 'X' centre (785 nm). These dosemeters can be used from cryogenic (4 K) to relatively high radiation temperatures (up to 500 K). The radiation-induced coloration can be bleached for re-use of the dosemeters by a two hour thermal annealing treatment at 830 K. (Author)

Marketing plan for the introduction of a new high-end detection tool

OpenAIRE

Gibernau Torres, Alvaro

2010-01-01

The folowing master thesis focuses on the development of the marketing plan for a new high-end radar based detection tool. It was written in colaboration with Hilti Corp., one of the leading manufacturers of detection systems in the worldwide building construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to define the marketing mix (product, price, placement, and promotion) in order to present the market-entry strategy and eventualy become the most important ...

The inclusions of Mg-B (MgB12?) as potential pinning centres in high-pressure-high-temperature-synthesized or sintered magnesium diboride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prikhna, T A; Gawalek, W; Savchuk, Ya M; Habisreuther, T; Wendt, M; Sergienko, N V; Moshchil, V E; Nagorny, P; Schmidt, Ch; Dellith, J; Dittrich, U; Litzkendorf, D; Melnikov, V S; Sverdun, V B

2007-01-01

A systematic study of the structure and superconductive characteristics of high-pressure-high-temperature (2 GPa, 700-1000 deg. C )-synthesized and sintered MgB 2 without additions from different initial powders was performed. Among various secondary phases Mg-B inclusions with a stoichiometry close to MgB 12 were identified. With an increasing amount of these inclusions the critical current density increased. So these inclusions can be feasible pinning centres in MgB 2 . The highest j c values in zero field were 1300 kA cm -2 at 10 K, 780 kA cm -2 at 20 K and 62 kA cm -2 at 35 K and in 1 T field were 1200 kA cm -2 at 10 K, 515 kA cm -2 at 20 K and 0.1 kA cm -2 at 35 K for high-pressure-synthesized magnesium diboride and the field of irreversibility at 20 K reached 8 T. The average grain sizes calculated from x-ray examinations in materials having high j c were 15-37 nm

Energy centre microgrid model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasonen, R.

2011-09-15

A simulation model of Energy centre microgrid made with PSCAD simulation software version 4.2.1 has been built in SGEM Smart Grids and Energy Markets (SGEM) work package 6.6. Microgrid is an autonomous electric power system which can operate separate from common distribution system. The idea of energy centre microgrid concept was considered in Master of Science thesis 'Community Microgrid - A Building block of Finnish Smart Grid'. The name of energy centre microgrid comes from a fact that production and storage units are concentrated into a single location, an energy centre. This centre feeds the loads which can be households or industrial loads. Power direction flow on the demand side remains same compared to the current distribution system and allows to the use of standard fuse protection in the system. The model consists of photovoltaic solar array, battery unit, variable frequency boost converter, inverter, isolation transformer and demand side (load) model. The model is capable to automatically switch to islanded mode when there is a fault in outside grid and back to parallel operation mode when fault is removed. The modelled system responses well to load changes and total harmonic distortion related to 50Hz base frequency is kept under 1.5% while operating and feeding passive load. (orig.)

Many-core technologies: The move to energy-efficient, high-throughput x86 computing (TFLOPS on a chip)

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

With Moore's Law alive and well, more and more parallelism is introduced into all computing platforms at all levels of integration and programming to achieve higher performance and energy efficiency. Especially in the area of High-Performance Computing (HPC) users can entertain a combination of different hardware and software parallel architectures and programming environments. Those technologies range from vectorization and SIMD computation over shared memory multi-threading (e.g. OpenMP) to distributed memory message passing (e.g. MPI) on cluster systems. We will discuss HPC industry trends and Intel's approach to it from processor/system architectures and research activities to hardware and software tools technologies. This includes the recently announced new Intel(r) Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture for highly-parallel workloads and general purpose, energy efficient TFLOPS performance, some of its architectural features and its programming environment. At the end we will have a br...

Wheelchairmanship Project. A Program to Educate Personnel in the Transportation, Hotel and Restaurant, and Entertainment Industries in Improved Techniques for Serving Disabled People. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Anita P.; And Others

In a project designed to train customer service personnel in improved methods of assisting the physically disabled, audio-visual training materials were developed and presented during 2-week courses involving 1,058 employees at transportation, hotel/restaurant, and entertainment centers in 25 cities. The participants judged the training program…

Ultra-high mobility transparent organic thin film transistors grown by an off-centre spin-coating method.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Yongbo; Giri, Gaurav; Ayzner, Alexander L; Zoombelt, Arjan P; Mannsfeld, Stefan C B; Chen, Jihua; Nordlund, Dennis; Toney, Michael F; Huang, Jinsong; Bao, Zhenan

2014-01-01

Organic semiconductors with higher carrier mobility and better transparency have been actively pursued for numerous applications, such as flat-panel display backplane and sensor arrays. The carrier mobility is an important figure of merit and is sensitively influenced by the crystallinity and the molecular arrangement in a crystal lattice. Here we describe the growth of a highly aligned meta-stable structure of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) from a blended solution of C8-BTBT and polystyrene by using a novel off-centre spin-coating method. Combined with a vertical phase separation of the blend, the highly aligned, meta-stable C8-BTBT films provide a significantly increased thin film transistor hole mobility up to 43 cm(2) Vs(-1) (25 cm(2) Vs(-1) on average), which is the highest value reported to date for all organic molecules. The resulting transistors show high transparency of >90% over the visible spectrum, indicating their potential for transparent, high-performance organic electronics.

High-resolution Observations of Downflows at One End of a Pre-eruption Filament

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Qin; Deng, Na; Jing, Ju; Wang, Haimin, E-mail: ql47@njit.edu [Space Weather Research Laboratory, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102-1982 (United States)

2017-06-01

Studying the dynamics of filaments at the pre-eruption phase can shed light on the precursor of eruptive events. Such high-resolution studies (of the order of 0.″1) are highly desirable yet very rare. In this work, we present a detailed observation of a pre-eruption evolution of a filament obtained by the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope (NST) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). One end of the filament is anchored at the sunspot in the NOAA active region (AR) 11515, which is well observed by NST H α off-bands from four hours before to one hour after the filament eruption. A M1.6 flare is associated with the eruption. We observed persistent downflowing materials along the H α multi-threaded component of the loop toward the AR end during the pre-eruption phase. We traced the trajectories of plasma blobs along the H α threads and obtained a plane-of-sky velocity of 45 km s{sup −1} on average. Furthermore, we estimated the real velocities of the downflows and the altitude of the filament by matching the observed H α threads with magnetic field lines extrapolated from a nonlinear force-free field model. Observations of chromospheric brightenings at the footpoints of the falling plasma blobs are also presented. The lower limit of the kinetic energy per second of the downflows through the brightenings is found to be ∼10{sup 21} erg. Larger FOV observations from BBSO full-disk H α images show that the AR end of the filament started ascending four hours before the flare. We attribute the observed downflows at the AR end of the filament to the draining effect of the filament rising prior to its eruption. During the slow-rise phase, the downflows continuously drained away ∼10{sup 15}g mass from the filament over a few hours, which is believed to be essential for the instability, and could be an important precursor of eruptive events.

International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste. Scientific activities in 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-10-01

The annual report of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics from Trieste for 1995 contains three parts. Part 1 includes statistical data on the main activities of the Centre. Part 2 presents the scientific programme in various fields (Physics of Condensed Matter, Physics of High and Intermediate Energies, Mathematics, Physics and Energy, Physics of the Environment, Physics of Living State, Applied Physics and Miscellaneous) as well as other activities such as diploma course, long-term scientific visitors, associate members and federation arrangements, training and research at Italian laboratories, external activities, books and equipment donation programme, awards, and meetings hosted. Part 3 lists the publications issued in 1995 and gives information about the library of the Centre. 6 tabs

International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste. Scientific activities in 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-10-01

The annual report of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics from Trieste for 1995 contains three parts. Part 1 includes statistical data on the main activities of the Centre. Part 2 presents the scientific programme in various fields (Physics of Condensed Matter, Physics of High and Intermediate Energies, Mathematics, Physics and Energy, Physics of the Environment, Physics of Living State, Applied Physics and Miscellaneous) as well as other activities such as diploma course, long-term scientific visitors, associate members and federation arrangements, training and research at Italian laboratories, external activities, books and equipment donation programme, awards, and meetings hosted. Part 3 lists the publications issued in 1995 and gives information about the library of the Centre. 6 tabs.

Sex with sweethearts: Exploring factors associated with inconsistent condom use among unmarried female entertainment workers in Cambodia.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Siyan; Tuot, Sovannary; Chhoun, Pheak; Pal, Khuondyla; Ngin, Chanrith; Chhim, Kolab; Brody, Carinne

2017-01-05

Despite the success in promoting condom use in commercial relationships, condom use with regular, noncommercial partners remains low among key populations in Cambodia. This study explores factors associated inconsistent condom use with sweethearts among unmarried sexually active female entertainment workers (FEWs). In 2014, the probability proportional to size sampling method was used to randomly select 204 FEWs from entertainment venues in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap for face-to-face interviews. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine independent determinants of inconsistent condom use. Of total, 31.4% of the respondents reported consistent condom use with sweethearts in the past three months. After adjustment, respondents who reported inconsistent condom use with sweethearts remained significantly less likely to report having received any form of sexual and reproductive health education (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.22-0.99), but more likely to report having been tested for HIV in the past six months (AOR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.03-4.65). They were significantly more likely to report having used higher amount of alcohol in the past three months (AOR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.01-1.99) and currently using a contraceptive method other than condoms such as pills (AOR = 4.46, 95% CI = 1.34-10.52) or other methods (AOR = 9.75, 95% CI = 2.07-9.86). The rate of consistent condom use in romantic relationships among unmarried FEWs in this study is considerably low. The importance of consistent condom use with regular, non-commercial partners should be emphasized in the education sessions and materials, particularly for FEWs who use non-barrier contraceptive methods.

Recent progress in accelerator activities at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, P.D.

2013-01-01

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore is a premier national institute engaged in R and D work in front-line areas of accelerator science, technology, and applications. The Centre has designed, developed, and commissioned two synchrotron radiation sources: Indus-1 and Indus-2, serving as national facilities. The Centre is pursuing various other accelerator activities viz. development of a high energy proton accelerator for a spallation neutron source, electron accelerators for food irradiation and industrial applications and free electron lasers (FEL) in THz and IR spectral region, study of innovative schemes of laser driven electron acceleration, and development of advanced technologies to support these activities such as superconducting RF (SCRF) technology, cryogenics, RF power, magnets, ultra high vacuum and control instrumentation. In this talk, an overview of the progress made in accelerator activities at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology in recent years is be presented

Materials and devices with applications in high-end organic transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeya, J.; Uemura, T.; Sakai, K.; Okada, Y.

2014-01-01

The development of functional materials typically benefits from an understanding of the microscopic mechanisms by which those materials operate. To accelerate the development of organic semiconductor devices with industrial applications in flexible and printed electronics, it is essential to elucidate the mechanisms of charge transport associated with molecular-scale charge transfer. In this study, we employed Hall effect measurements to differentiate coherent band transport from site-to-site hopping. The results of tests using several different molecular systems as the active semiconductor layers demonstrate that high-mobility charge transport in recently-developed solution-crystallized organic transistors is the result of a band-like mechanism. These materials, which have the potential to be organic transistors exhibiting the highest speeds ever obtained, are significantly different from the conventional lower-mobility organic semiconductors with incoherent hopping-like transport mechanisms which were studied in the previous century. They may be categorized as “high-end” organic semiconductors, characterized by their coherent electronic states and high values of mobility which are close to or greater than 10 cm 2 /Vs. - Highlights: • Transport in high-mobility solution-crystallized organic transistors is band-like. • High-end organic semiconductors carry coherent electrons with mobility > 10 cm 2 /Vs. • Hall-effect measurement differentiates coherent band transport from hopping. • We found an anomalous pressure effect in organic semiconductors

Flexible End2End Workflow Automation of Hit-Discovery Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Holzmüller-Laue, Silke; Göde, Bernd; Thurow, Kerstin

2014-08-01

The article considers a new approach of more complex laboratory automation at the workflow layer. The authors purpose the automation of end2end workflows. The combination of all relevant subprocesses-whether automated or manually performed, independently, and in which organizational unit-results in end2end processes that include all result dependencies. The end2end approach focuses on not only the classical experiments in synthesis or screening, but also on auxiliary processes such as the production and storage of chemicals, cell culturing, and maintenance as well as preparatory activities and analyses of experiments. Furthermore, the connection of control flow and data flow in the same process model leads to reducing of effort of the data transfer between the involved systems, including the necessary data transformations. This end2end laboratory automation can be realized effectively with the modern methods of business process management (BPM). This approach is based on a new standardization of the process-modeling notation Business Process Model and Notation 2.0. In drug discovery, several scientific disciplines act together with manifold modern methods, technologies, and a wide range of automated instruments for the discovery and design of target-based drugs. The article discusses the novel BPM-based automation concept with an implemented example of a high-throughput screening of previously synthesized compound libraries. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Highly efficient blue OLEDs based on diphenylaminofluorenylstyrenes end-capped with heterocyclic aromatics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Suhyun [Department of Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Kum Hee; Kim, Young Kwan [Department of Information Display, Hongik University, Seoul 121-791 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Seung Soo, E-mail: ssyoon@skku.edu [Department of Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

In this paper, we have designed four diphenylaminofluorenylstyrene derivatives end-capped with heterocyclic aromatic groups, such as 9-phenylcabazole, 4-dibenzofuran, 2-benzoxazole, 2-quinoxaline, respectively. These materials showed blue to red fluorescence with maximum emission wavelengths of 476–611 nm, respectively, which were dependent on the structural and electronic nature of end-capping groups. To explore the electroluminescent properties of these materials, multilayer OLEDs were fabricated in the following sequence: ITO/DNTPD (40 nm)/NPB (20 nm)/2% doped in MADN (20 nm)/Alq{sub 3} (40 nm)/Liq. (1 nm)/Al. Among those, a device exhibited a highly efficient blue emission with the maximum luminance of 14,480 cd/m{sup 2} at 9 V, the luminous efficiency of 5.38 cd/A at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}, power efficiency of 2.77 lm/W at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}, and CIE{sub x,y} coordinates of (0.147, 0.152) at 8 V, respectively.

A differential low-voltage high gain current-mode integrated RF receiver front-end

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Chunhua; Ma Minglin; Sun Jingru; Du Sichun; Guo Xiaorong; He Haizhen, E-mail: wch1227164@sina.com [School of Information Science and Technology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

2011-02-15

A differential low-voltage high gain current-mode integrated RF front end for an 802.11b WLAN is proposed. It contains a differential transconductance low noise amplifier (G{sub m}-LNA) and a differential current-mode down converted mixer. The single terminal of the G{sub m}-LNA contains just one MOS transistor, two capacitors and two inductors. The gate-source shunt capacitors, C{sub x1} and C{sub x2}, can not only reduce the effects of gate-source C{sub gs} on resonance frequency and input-matching impedance, but they also enable the gate inductance L{sub g1,2} to be selected at a very small value. The current-mode mixer is composed of four switched current mirrors. Adjusting the ratio of the drain channel sizes of the switched current mirrors can increase the gain of the mixer and accordingly increase the gain of RF receiver front-end. The RF front-end operates under 1 V supply voltage. The receiver RFIC was fabricated using a chartered 0.18 {mu}m CMOS process. The integrated RF receiver front-end has a measured power conversion gain of 17.48 dB and an input referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) of -7.02 dBm. The total noise figure is 4.5 dB and the power is only 14 mW by post-simulations. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Evidence supporting a promotora-delivered entertainment education intervention for improving mothers' dietary intake: the Entre Familia: Reflejos de Salud Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayala, Guadalupe X; Ibarra, Leticia; Horton, Lucy; Arredondo, Elva M; Slymen, Donald J; Engelberg, Moshe; Rock, Cheryl L; Hernandez, Erika; Parada, Humberto; Elder, John P

2015-01-01

Entertainment education and the promotora model are 2 evidence-based health communication strategies. This study examined their combined effect on promoting healthy eating among mothers in a family-based intervention. Participants were 361 Mexican-origin families living in Imperial County, California, who were randomly assigned to an intervention or delayed treatment condition. The intervention involved promotoras (community health workers) who delivered 11 home visits and 4 telephone calls. Home visits included a 12-minute episode of a 9-part situation comedy depicting a family struggling with making healthy eating choices; an accompanying family workbook was reviewed to build skills and left with the family. Baseline and immediate postintervention data were collected from the mothers, including the primary outcome of daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Other dietary and psychosocial factors related to healthy eating were examined. At postintervention, mothers in the intervention reported increases in daily vegetable servings (p ≤ .05); however, no changes were observed in fruit consumption. Improvements were observed in behavioral strategies to increase fiber (p ≤ .001) and to decrease fat intake (p ≤ .001), unhealthy eating behaviors (p ≤ .001), and individual (p ≤ .05) and family-related (p ≤ .01) perceived barriers to healthy eating. Entertainment education and promotoras engaged families and improved mothers' diets. Further research should examine the dose needed for greater changes.

Demographic and Substance Use Factors Associated with Non-Violent Alcohol-Related Injuries among Patrons of Australian Night-Time Entertainment Districts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerri Coomber

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study examined the relationship between patron demographics, substance use, and experience of recent alcohol-related accidents and injuries that were not due to interpersonal violence in night-time entertainment districts. Cross-sectional interviews (n = 4016 were conducted around licensed venues in entertainment districts of five Australian cities. Demographic factors associated with non-violent alcohol-related injuries were examined, including gender, age, and occupation. The association between substance use on the night of interview; blood alcohol concentration (BAC, pre-drinking, energy drink consumption, and illicit drug use; and experience of injury was also explored. Thirteen percent of participants reported an alcohol-related injury within the past three months. Respondents aged younger than 25 years were significantly more likely to report an alcohol-related injury. Further, a significant occupation effect was found indicating the rate of alcohol-related injury was lower in managers/professionals compared to non-office workers. The likelihood of prior alcohol-related injury significantly increased with BAC, and self-reported pre-drinking, energy drink, or illicit drug consumption on the night of interview. These findings provide an indication of the demographic and substance use-related associations with alcohol-related injuries and, therefore, potential avenues of population-level policy intervention. Policy responses to alcohol-related harm must also account for an assessment and costing of non-violent injuries.

Demographic and Substance Use Factors Associated with Non-Violent Alcohol-Related Injuries among Patrons of Australian Night-Time Entertainment Districts.

Science.gov (United States)

Coomber, Kerri; Mayshak, Richelle; Hyder, Shannon; Droste, Nicolas; Curtis, Ashlee; Pennay, Amy; Gilmore, William; Lam, Tina; Chikritzhs, Tanya; Miller, Peter G

2017-01-12

This study examined the relationship between patron demographics, substance use, and experience of recent alcohol-related accidents and injuries that were not due to interpersonal violence in night-time entertainment districts. Cross-sectional interviews ( n = 4016) were conducted around licensed venues in entertainment districts of five Australian cities. Demographic factors associated with non-violent alcohol-related injuries were examined, including gender, age, and occupation. The association between substance use on the night of interview; blood alcohol concentration (BAC), pre-drinking, energy drink consumption, and illicit drug use; and experience of injury was also explored. Thirteen percent of participants reported an alcohol-related injury within the past three months. Respondents aged younger than 25 years were significantly more likely to report an alcohol-related injury. Further, a significant occupation effect was found indicating the rate of alcohol-related injury was lower in managers/professionals compared to non-office workers. The likelihood of prior alcohol-related injury significantly increased with BAC, and self-reported pre-drinking, energy drink, or illicit drug consumption on the night of interview. These findings provide an indication of the demographic and substance use-related associations with alcohol-related injuries and, therefore, potential avenues of population-level policy intervention. Policy responses to alcohol-related harm must also account for an assessment and costing of non-violent injuries.

Optimizing Data Centre Energy and Environmental Costs

Science.gov (United States)

Aikema, David Hendrik

Data centres use an estimated 2% of US electrical power which accounts for much of their total cost of ownership. This consumption continues to grow, further straining power grids attempting to integrate more renewable energy. This dissertation focuses on assessing and reducing data centre environmental and financial costs. Emissions of projects undertaken to lower the data centre environmental footprints can be assessed and the emission reduction projects compared using an ISO-14064-2-compliant greenhouse gas reduction protocol outlined herein. I was closely involved with the development of the protocol. Full lifecycle analysis and verifying that projects exceed business-as-usual expectations are addressed, and a test project is described. Consuming power when it is low cost or when renewable energy is available can be used to reduce the financial and environmental costs of computing. Adaptation based on the power price showed 10--50% potential savings in typical cases, and local renewable energy use could be increased by 10--80%. Allowing a fraction of high-priority tasks to proceed unimpeded still allows significant savings. Power grid operators use mechanisms called ancillary services to address variation and system failures, paying organizations to alter power consumption on request. By bidding to offer these services, data centres may be able to lower their energy costs while reducing their environmental impact. If providing contingency reserves which require only infrequent action, savings of up to 12% were seen in simulations. Greater power cost savings are possible for those ceding more control to the power grid operator. Coordinating multiple data centres adds overhead, and altering at which data centre requests are processed based on changes in the financial or environmental costs of power is likely to increase this overhead. Tests of virtual machine migrations showed that in some cases there was no visible increase in power use while in others power use

Mutual aid: native employment centre swings into action with help from industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenz, A.

1998-01-01

Establishment of the First Nations Employment and Training Centre on the Tsuu Tina Reserve, near Calgary, was recently announced by the Indian Resource Council, an organization that represents most of Canada's oil and gas producing tribes. The Centre is a result of cooperation between the Council and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). Its objective is to identify training needs in the industry and then deliver the training commensurate with those needs. It will maintain a database of employment information, serve as a referral agency and work towards the overall goal of self-sufficiency. The training centre will be the hub of a wheel from which training programs at various First Nations colleges and reserves will branch off. Resources and expertise will be provided by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the Petroleum Industry Training Service. Interest in the new Centre is high as more than 50 inquiries have been received in the first week following the announcement. Self-sufficiency is high on the Indian Resources Council's agenda. Not surprisingly, the new employment and training centre is seen as an important first step towards building a skilled work force that will, in due course, lead to self-sufficiency. The intensive consultation between First Nations leaders and industry representatives that preceded the establishment of the Centre is also expected to improve relations between the sometimes contradictory interests of industry and First Nations in the resource-rich countryside of western and northern Canada

Advances in high-field superconducting composites by addition of artificial pinning centres to niobium-titanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooley, L.D.; Motowidlo, L.R.

1999-01-01

Artificial pinning-centre (APC) niobium-titanium composites attain critical current density J c values higher than 4000 A mm -2 at 5 T, 4.2 K, surpassing the barrier reached by the conventional Nb-Ti composite process. At 2 T APC composites achieve more than double the J c of conventional composites, making them particularly well suited for low-field applications. On the other hand, APC composites are inferior to conventional composites at 8 T, due to weak high-field pinning and reduced upper critical field. This review discusses fabrication techniques, microstructural development and superconducting and flux-pinning properties of APC composites. Key elements and underlying issues for achieving higher J c are identified and discussed in terms of the current state of the art. (author)

The politics of patient-centred care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreindler, Sara A

2015-10-01

Despite widespread belief in the importance of patient-centred care, it remains difficult to create a system in which all groups work together for the good of the patient. Part of the problem may be that the issue of patient-centred care itself can be used to prosecute intergroup conflict. This qualitative study of texts examined the presence and nature of intergroup language within the discourse on patient-centred care. A systematic SCOPUS and Google search identified 85 peer-reviewed and grey literature reports that engaged with the concept of patient-centred care. Discourse analysis, informed by the social identity approach, examined how writers defined and portrayed various groups. Managers, physicians and nurses all used the discourse of patient-centred care to imply that their own group was patient centred while other group(s) were not. Patient organizations tended to downplay or even deny the role of managers and providers in promoting patient centredness, and some used the concept to advocate for controversial health policies. Intergroup themes were even more obvious in the rhetoric of political groups across the ideological spectrum. In contrast to accounts that juxtaposed in-groups and out-groups, those from reportedly patient-centred organizations defined a 'mosaic' in-group that encompassed managers, providers and patients. The seemingly benign concept of patient-centred care can easily become a weapon on an intergroup battlefield. Understanding this dimension may help organizations resolve the intergroup tensions that prevent collective achievement of a patient-centred system. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Nuclear technology centre. Preserving and developing competence and resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiren, I.

1995-01-01

The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm provides one third of Sweden's capacity for engineering studies and technical research at the post-high-school level. Altogether, the institute includes about 8000 students and 900 active postgraduate students and has a staff of nearly 2500. The research activities cover a broad spectrum of the natural sciences and technology, as well as architecture, industrial economics, urban planning, work science and environmental technology. In 1993, a Nuclear Technology Centre was established at the institute. The purpose of this Centre is to stimulate education and research in nuclear technology in order to contribute to the preservation and development of competence in the nuclear field. The formation of the Centre should be regarded as one of several recent initiatives aimed at maintaining a high level of safety and reliability in the operation of nuclear power plants at a time when there are political manoeuvres to phase out nuclear energy in Sweden. The paper summarizes the motives that led to the formation of the Centre, its goals and organization, and its initial activities and results. The paper may be of interest to similar organizations in other countries which are also faced with uncertainties regarding the future of existing nuclear power plants or of current programmes, and which consider that co-operation between the industry and universities is an important factor in ensuring the quality of technological development. (author). 4 refs

Terms and Conditions for Travel Grants

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

It is the individual's responsibility to comply with the visa regulations of any country visited or in transit. ... The Centre will not entertain any claim for work permits ... terminate the agreement, or with your accord, defer performance until such time ...

Experience building and operating the CMS Tier-1 computing centres

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, M.; Bakken, J.; Bonacorsi, D.; Brew, C.; Charlot, C.; Huang, Chih-Hao; Colling, D.; Dumitrescu, C.; Fagan, D.; Fassi, F.; Fisk, I.; Flix, J.; Giacchetti, L.; Gomez-Ceballos, G.; Gowdy, S.; Grandi, C.; Gutsche, O.; Hahn, K.; Holzman, B.; Jackson, J.; Kreuzer, P.; Kuo, C. M.; Mason, D.; Pukhaeva, N.; Qin, G.; Quast, G.; Rossman, P.; Sartirana, A.; Scheurer, A.; Schott, G.; Shih, J.; Tader, P.; Thompson, R.; Tiradani, A.; Trunov, A.

2010-04-01

The CMS Collaboration relies on 7 globally distributed Tier-1 computing centres located at large universities and national laboratories for a second custodial copy of the CMS RAW data and primary copy of the simulated data, data serving capacity to Tier-2 centres for analysis, and the bulk of the reprocessing and event selection capacity in the experiment. The Tier-1 sites have a challenging role in CMS because they are expected to ingest and archive data from both CERN and regional Tier-2 centres, while they export data to a global mesh of Tier-2s at rates comparable to the raw export data rate from CERN. The combined capacity of the Tier-1 centres is more than twice the resources located at CERN and efficiently utilizing this large distributed resources represents a challenge. In this article we will discuss the experience building, operating, and utilizing the CMS Tier-1 computing centres. We will summarize the facility challenges at the Tier-1s including the stable operations of CMS services, the ability to scale to large numbers of processing requests and large volumes of data, and the ability to provide custodial storage and high performance data serving. We will also present the operations experience utilizing the distributed Tier-1 centres from a distance: transferring data, submitting data serving requests, and submitting batch processing requests.

Experience building and operating the CMS Tier-1 computing centres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albert, M; Bakken, J; Huang, Chih-Hao; Dumitrescu, C; Fagan, D; Fisk, I; Giacchetti, L; Gutsche, O; Holzman, B; Bonacorsi, D; Grandi, C; Brew, C; Jackson, J; Charlot, C; Colling, D; Fassi, F; Flix, J; Gomez-Ceballos, G; Hahn, K; Gowdy, S

2010-01-01

The CMS Collaboration relies on 7 globally distributed Tier-1 computing centres located at large universities and national laboratories for a second custodial copy of the CMS RAW data and primary copy of the simulated data, data serving capacity to Tier-2 centres for analysis, and the bulk of the reprocessing and event selection capacity in the experiment. The Tier-1 sites have a challenging role in CMS because they are expected to ingest and archive data from both CERN and regional Tier-2 centres, while they export data to a global mesh of Tier-2s at rates comparable to the raw export data rate from CERN. The combined capacity of the Tier-1 centres is more than twice the resources located at CERN and efficiently utilizing this large distributed resources represents a challenge. In this article we will discuss the experience building, operating, and utilizing the CMS Tier-1 computing centres. We will summarize the facility challenges at the Tier-1s including the stable operations of CMS services, the ability to scale to large numbers of processing requests and large volumes of data, and the ability to provide custodial storage and high performance data serving. We will also present the operations experience utilizing the distributed Tier-1 centres from a distance: transferring data, submitting data serving requests, and submitting batch processing requests.

Prevalence of Use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) to Vape Recreational Drugs by Club Patrons in South London.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurtle, Natalie; Abouchedid, Rachelle; Archer, John R H; Ho, James; Yamamoto, Takahiro; Dargan, Paul I; Wood, David M

2017-03-01

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, often called e-cigarettes) are nicotine delivery devices that heat nicotine into vapour that is inhaled, a process called 'vaping'. Use eclipsed nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) in 2014 but ENDS role in smoking cessation remains controversial. Safety has not been proven and there have been reports to US poison centres regarding potential ENDS-related nicotine toxicity. A further concern is use of ENDS to vape recreational drugs, but there is limited data to substantiate this. The aim of this study was to report on ENDS use to vape recreational drugs in patrons of a South London nightclub where high prevalence of recreational drug use has previously been shown. A convenience sample of 101 participants was surveyed in March 2015 as part of a larger survey on drug use. Individuals were asked if they used ENDS to vape nicotine and/or other substances (and if so which substances). Ninety (89.1 %) of respondents were male with median age of 28 years (IQR 23-34). Eighty (79.2 %) currently smoked cigarettes; 20 (19.8 %) currently used ENDS for nicotine. Six (5.9 %) reported using ENDS to take other substances: 2 for 'liquid cannabis' and 4 did not elaborate on the substance(s) used. Of these 6, 3 were using ENDS to vape nicotine and 3 had never used them for nicotine. 5.9 % of individuals in this sample reported using ENDS to vape substances other than nicotine. Further work is required in larger populations to determine how common this is, evaluate which agents are being vaped and to inform appropriate public education.

Communications strategy for the Chernobyl Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurilchik, Mykola; Green, Len

2000-01-01

This Communications Strategy was developed for the International Chernobyl Centre (ICC) as part of a joint UK/Ukraine project, sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry and NNC Limited. The Plan was developed during four weeks of workshop discussions in the UK between staff from the centre and experienced PR Professionals from NNC Limited. The requirements for a sustained communications activity at the ICC go much further than simply enhancing or promoting the Centre's scientific and technical activities. Raising sufficient awareness of the Centre among potential funding agents and commercial partners is critical to its future development as a major centre for international co-operation and research. It is only through establishing and developing effective communications that the Centre will become well enough known and understood both within the Ukraine, and internationally, to secure its long term future. However, as the workshop programme unfolded, it also became clear that communications was in itself a legitimate and necessary function of the Centre, and part of the foundations of its existence. The Centre has a fundamental role as an 'information exchange', collecting and communicating information from within the Ukraine to the rest of the world, and interpreting world interest and attitudes to the Ukraine Government and nuclear industry. As such compliments the efforts of individual power plant and corporate PR functions within the Ukraine nuclear energy sector

Time-Space Flexibility and Work: Analyzing the “Anywhere and Anytime Office” in the Entertainment, New Media, and Arts Sector

OpenAIRE

Leila Valoura

2013-01-01

The applied cultural analysis work presented in this article was conducted with independent professionals who work in a flexible time-space format – known as telework – for the entertainment, new media, and arts sector in the Los Angeles area. Most participants are associates of the production and post-production boutique “Studio Can” as well as the curatorial new media and arts nonprofit organization “PalMarte.” When working in a flexible time-space format, boundaries between leisure/family ...

Discussion on 'Centres of excellence' in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riad, S.

1999-01-01

In Africa, Centres of Excellence should be oriented to build up scientific and technological capacity in the four topics of international Monitoring System related technologies, namely, seismic monitoring, hydro acoustic monitoring, infrasound monitoring and radionuclides monitoring. Training programs on these topics should be a major objective. A network of such centres should be established in a number of African countries. Centres should be equipped with means and materials for on-line course dispatch to interested training centres or research institutions. African centres should develop strong relationship among themselves through information and data exchange and sharing, harmonization of training programs. National data centres may be established as a component of the African Centre of Excellence. States Signatories may authorize the establishment of a specific fund to support the activities of the African center

Conceptualização de um evento à luz do brand entertainment e ativação de marcas

OpenAIRE

Costa, Guilherme Ribeiro

2015-01-01

Trabalho de projeto apresentado à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing. O presente trabalho de projeto procura ativar a marca League of Legends, conhecida mundialmente, e estreitar e reforçar as ligações com a sua comunidade portuguesa através do brand entertainment e, em específico através da ferramenta “eventos”. Trata-se de desenvolver este evento e as suas atividades, tendo por base conferências de...

The development of the Person-Centred Situational Leadership Framework: Revealing the being of person-centredness in nursing homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, Brighide M; McCance, Tanya; McCormack, Brendan; Brown, Donna

2018-01-01

To implement and evaluate the effect of using the Person-Centred Situational Leadership Framework to develop person-centred care within nursing homes. Many models of nursing leadership have been developed internationally in recent years but do not fit with the emergent complex philosophy of nursing home care. This study develops the Person-Centred Situational Leadership Framework that supports this philosophy. It forms the theoretical basis of the action research study described in this article. This was a complex action research study using the following multiple methods: nonparticipatory observation using the Workplace Culture Critical Analysis Tool (n = 30); critical and reflective dialogues with participants (n = 39) at time 1 (beginning of study), time 2 (end of study) and time 3 (6 months after study had ended); narratives from residents at time 1 and time 2 (n = 8); focus groups with staff at time 2 (n = 12) and reflective field notes. Different approaches to analyse the data were adopted for the different data sources, and the overall results of the thematic analysis were brought together using cognitive mapping. The Person-Centred Situational Leadership Framework captures seven core attributes of the leader that facilitate person-centredness in others: relating to the essence of being; harmonising actions with the vision; balancing concern for compliance with concern for person-centredness; connecting with the other person in the instant; intentionally enthusing the other person to act; listening to the other person with the heart; and unifying through collaboration, appreciation and trust. This study led to a theoretical contribution in relation to the Person-Centred Practice Framework. It makes an important key contribution internationally to the gap in knowledge about leadership in residential care facilities for older people. The findings can be seen to have significant applicability internationally, across other care settings and contexts. �

A Multifunctional Brain-Computer Interface Intended for Home Use: An Evaluation with Healthy Participants and Potential End Users with Dry and Gel-Based Electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Käthner, Ivo; Halder, Sebastian; Hintermüller, Christoph; Espinosa, Arnau; Guger, Christoph; Miralles, Felip; Vargiu, Eloisa; Dauwalder, Stefan; Rafael-Palou, Xavier; Solà, Marc; Daly, Jean M.; Armstrong, Elaine; Martin, Suzanne; Kübler, Andrea

2017-01-01

Current brain-computer interface (BCIs) software is often tailored to the needs of scientists and technicians and therefore complex to allow for versatile use. To facilitate home use of BCIs a multifunctional P300 BCI with a graphical user interface intended for non-expert set-up and control was designed and implemented. The system includes applications for spelling, web access, entertainment, artistic expression and environmental control. In addition to new software, it also includes new hardware for the recording of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The EEG system consists of a small and wireless amplifier attached to a cap that can be equipped with gel-based or dry contact electrodes. The system was systematically evaluated with a healthy sample, and targeted end users of BCI technology, i.e., people with a varying degree of motor impairment tested the BCI in a series of individual case studies. Usability was assessed in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. Feedback of users was gathered with structured questionnaires. Two groups of healthy participants completed an experimental protocol with the gel-based and the dry contact electrodes (N = 10 each). The results demonstrated that all healthy participants gained control over the system and achieved satisfactory to high accuracies with both gel-based and dry electrodes (average error rates of 6 and 13%). Average satisfaction ratings were high, but certain aspects of the system such as the wearing comfort of the dry electrodes and design of the cap, and speed (in both groups) were criticized by some participants. Six potential end users tested the system during supervised sessions. The achieved accuracies varied greatly from no control to high control with accuracies comparable to that of healthy volunteers. Satisfaction ratings of the two end-users that gained control of the system were lower as compared to healthy participants. The advantages and disadvantages of the BCI and its applications