WorldWideScience

Sample records for higher technical complexity

  1. Catastrophic failure in complex socio-technical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weir, D.

    2004-01-01

    This paper reviews the sequences leading to catastrophic failures in complex socio-technical systems. It traces some of the elements of an analytic framework to that proposed by Beer in Decision and Control, first published in 1966, and argues that these ideas are centrally relevant to a topic on which research interest has developed subsequently, the study of crises, catastrophes and disasters in complex socio-technical systems in high technology sectors. But while the system perspective is central, it is not by itself entirely adequate. The problems discussed cannot be discussed simply in terms of system parameters like variety, redundancy and complexity. Much empirical research supports the view that these systems typically operate in degraded mode. The degradations may be primarily initiated within the social components of the socio-technical system. Such variables as hierarchical position, actors' motivations and intentions are relevant to explain the ways in which communication systems typically operate to filter out messages from lower participants and to ignore the 'soft signals' issuing from small-scale and intermittent malfunctions. (author)

  2. THE MODEL OF LIFELONG EDUCATION IN A TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY AS A MULTILEVEL EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svetlana V. Sergeyeva

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: the current leading trend of the educational development is characterised by its continuity. Institutions of higher education as multi-level educational complexes nurture favourable conditions for realisation of the strategy of lifelong education. Today a technical university offering training of future engineers is facing a topic issue of creating a multilevel educational complex. Materials and Methods: this paper is put together on the basis of modern Russian and foreign scientific literature about lifelong education. The authors used theoretical methods of scientific research: systemstructural analysis, synthesis, modeling, analysis and generalisations of concepts. Results: the paper presents a model of lifelong education developed by authors for a technical university as a multilevel educational complex. It is realised through a set of principles: multi-level and continuity, integration, conformity and quality, mobility, anticipation, openness, social partnership and feedback. In accordance with the purpose, objectives and principles, the content part of the model is formed. The syllabi following the described model are run in accordance with the training levels undertaken by a technical university as a multilevel educational complex. All syllabi are based on the gradual nature of their implementation. In this regard, the authors highlight three phases: diagnostic, constructive and transformative, assessing. Discussion and Conclusions: the expected result of the created model of lifelong education development in a technical university as a multilevel educational complex is presented by a graduate trained for effective professional activity, competitive, prepared and sought-after at the regional labour market.

  3. Trends and EIE higher education response to the current global technical challenges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poboroniuc, Marian; Livint, Gheorghe; Friesel, Anna

    2014-01-01

    Education Institutions (SALEIE), an EU supported project, gathers together a global team aiming to provide higher education models in the EIE disciplines that can respond to the key global technical challenges. This paper deals with findings within the SALEIE project's work package WP3 (Global Challenges......), namely: state-of-the-art in implementation of the Bologna recommendation for Bachelor and Master, technical challenges that the EIE higher education faces nowadays, and existing models in EIE higher education and their degree of response to key global technical challenges....

  4. FRAM Modelling Complex Socio-technical Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Hollnagel, Erik

    2012-01-01

    There has not yet been a comprehensive method that goes behind 'human error' and beyond the failure concept, and various complicated accidents have accentuated the need for it. The Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) fulfils that need. This book presents a detailed and tested method that can be used to model how complex and dynamic socio-technical systems work, and understand both why things sometimes go wrong but also why they normally succeed.

  5. Quality Assurance in Higher Technical Education and the Context of Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olufunmilayo T. Iyunade, Ph.D

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Recent empirical evidences on higher technical education at a national scale focused on the relevance, student’s poor perception, low enrolment and progression rates, and the growing impact of globalization on the management of higher technical and vocational education with little or no reference point to the factor of quality assurance. This paper therefore correlates quality assurance factors in higher technical education and the context of youth empowerment for sustainable development. A survey of public technical colleges was done in Ogun State. From an estimate population of 637 final year students and 28 instructors and management staff, a simple of 376 students and 17 instructors and management staff were selected using the stratify random sampling technique. A 4-point rating scale validated questionnaires tagged: ‘Higher Technical Education, Youth Empowerment and Sustainable Development Scale (HTEYESDS (r=0.79, complemented with focus Group Discussion (FGD was used for data collection. Three research questions were raised and answered. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics of Pearson correlation, multiple regression and analysis of variance at 0.05 apha level. Results showed that poor quality assurance limits the capacity of higher technical education in the empowerment of youth for sustainable development (82.6%. Quality assurance factors significantly correlated with higher technical education in the empowerment of youth for sustainable development (r=0.188; P < 0.05. It was therefore recommended that government should neither neglect nor compromise the factors of quality assurance in higher technical education as they predicts youth empowerment drive in the system.

  6. RESEARCH OF PROBLEMS OF DESIGN OF COMPLEX TECHNICAL PROVIDING AND THE GENERALIZED MODEL OF THEIR DECISION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Skrypnikov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Summary. In this work the general ideas of a method of V. I. Skurikhin taking into account the specified features develop and questions of the analysis and synthesis of a complex of technical means, with finishing them to the level suitable for use in engineering practice of design of information management systems are in more detail considered. In work the general system approach to the solution of questions of a choice of technical means of the information management system is created, the general technique of the sys tem analysis and synthesis of a complex of the technical means and its subsystems providing achievement of extreme value of criterion of efficiency of functioning of a technical complex of the information management system is developed. The main attention is paid to the applied party of system researches of complex technical providing, in particular, to definition of criteria of quality of functioning of a technical complex, development of methods of the analysis of information base of the information management system and definition of requirements to technical means, and also methods of structural synthesis of the main subsystems of complex technical providing. Thus, the purpose is research on the basis of system approach of complex technical providing the information management system and development of a number of methods of the analysis and the synthesis of complex technical providing suitable for use in engineering practice of design of systems. The well-known paradox of development of management information consists of that parameters of the system, and consequently, and requirements to the complex hardware, can not be strictly reasonable to development of algorithms and programs, and vice versa. The possible method of overcoming of these difficulties is prognostication of structure and parameters of complex hardware for certain management informations on the early stages of development, with subsequent clarification and

  7. Complex Technical Solution for Renewable Energy

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    Cristian Paul Chioncel

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a complex technical solution for implementing renewable energy, namely: wind, solar photovoltaic and hydraulics. Because wind and solar photovoltaic energy habe a highly random character, it is required to find solution to store the product energy for unfavorable periods, without wind or solar radiations. This could be achieved using the third type of renewable energy, the hydraulic one, obtained from an hydroelectric pumped storage plant (HPSP, located in the imediate vicinity of the wind and solar photovoltaic plant.

  8. Complex investigation of thermo-technical parameters of Ruskov andesite

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    František Krepelka

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available The research of thermo-technical parameters of Ruskov andesite was made as a part of the complex research of its properties as well as of rock disintegration by the action of chemical flame on the rock surface, i.e. thermal spalling in particular. Thermal spalling is a process in which thermal stresses are induced in the surface layer of rock whose surface is thereby disintegrated into small parts, the so called spalls, by the brittle manner. The evaluation of thermo-technical properties of the studied rocks is necessary for the qualification and quantification of the thermal spalling process. The measured and evaluated parameters were the coefficient of linear thermal expansion, the coefficient of thermal conductivity, the specific heat capacity and the coefficient of thermal diffusivity. Andesite from the Ruskov locality was chosen as a basic experimental material for the investigation of thermal spalling upon preliminary experiments. The estimated thermo-technical parameters were analyzed regarding the application of thermal spalling for the disintegration of the Ruskov andesite. The outcome as that the values of determine thermo-technical parameters established an expectation for its successful application.

  9. Strategic Management for Competitive Advantage: A Case Study of Higher Technical and Vocational Education in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hsun-I; Lee, Cheng-Fei

    2012-01-01

    Higher technical and vocational education institutions in Taiwan face the pressure of an oversupply of student places and fierce competition from domestic and international institutions. To cope with these challenges, higher technical and vocational education institutions that are better equipped to respond to market requirements are expected to…

  10. MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS OF TECHNICAL OPERATION FOR ONBOARD COMPLEXES AND FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS OF AVIONICS

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    Sergey Viktorovich Kuznetsov

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Modern aircraft are equipped with complicated systems and complexes of avionics. Aircraft and its avionics tech- nical operation process is observed as a process with changing of operation states. Mathematical models of avionics pro- cesses and systems of technical operation are represented as Markov chains, Markov and semi-Markov processes. The pur- pose is to develop the graph-models of avionics technical operation processes, describing their work in flight, as well as during maintenance on the ground in the various systems of technical operation. The graph-models of processes and sys- tems of on-board complexes and functional avionics systems in flight are proposed. They are based on the state tables. The models are specified for the various technical operation systems: the system with control of the reliability level, the system with parameters control and the system with resource control. The events, which cause the avionics complexes and func- tional systems change their technical state, are failures and faults of built-in test equipment. Avionics system of technical operation with reliability level control is applicable for objects with constant or slowly varying in time failure rate. Avion- ics system of technical operation with resource control is mainly used for objects with increasing over time failure rate. Avionics system of technical operation with parameters control is used for objects with increasing over time failure rate and with generalized parameters, which can provide forecasting and assign the borders of before-fail technical states. The pro- posed formal graphical approach avionics complexes and systems models designing is the basis for models and complex systems and facilities construction, both for a single aircraft and for an airline aircraft fleet, or even for the entire aircraft fleet of some specific type. The ultimate graph-models for avionics in various systems of technical operation permit the beginning of

  11. Identifying technical aliases in SELDI mass spectra of complex mixtures of proteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Biomarker discovery datasets created using mass spectrum protein profiling of complex mixtures of proteins contain many peaks that represent the same protein with different charge states. Correlated variables such as these can confound the statistical analyses of proteomic data. Previously we developed an algorithm that clustered mass spectrum peaks that were biologically or technically correlated. Here we demonstrate an algorithm that clusters correlated technical aliases only. Results In this paper, we propose a preprocessing algorithm that can be used for grouping technical aliases in mass spectrometry protein profiling data. The stringency of the variance allowed for clustering is customizable, thereby affecting the number of peaks that are clustered. Subsequent analysis of the clusters, instead of individual peaks, helps reduce difficulties associated with technically-correlated data, and can aid more efficient biomarker identification. Conclusions This software can be used to pre-process and thereby decrease the complexity of protein profiling proteomics data, thus simplifying the subsequent analysis of biomarkers by decreasing the number of tests. The software is also a practical tool for identifying which features to investigate further by purification, identification and confirmation. PMID:24010718

  12. Relationships between economic and technical research in nuclear power complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drahny, M.; Martinek, J.

    1984-01-01

    The period from projecting and construction to operation and decommissioning of a nuclear power plant spans approximately 5a years. During this period it is necessary to resolve a range of technical, economic and social research problems. Even more complicated is the nuclear power complex as a whole. The respective technical and economic aspects are interactive and cannot be solved separately. It is therefore suggested that the respective national research and development program be linked with the national program of economic research, this both at the preparatory stage, in the course of work and during the evaluation of achieved results. (Ha)

  13. The Marketability of Technical Graduates from Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) Offering Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): A Case from Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajadurai, Jegatheesan; Sapuan, Noraina Mazuin; Daud, Salina; Abidin, Nurazariah

    2018-01-01

    Technical, Vocational Education and Training has been viewed as a means of developing a nation. The marketability of technical graduates is reliant on whether these graduates possess the attributes demanded by their respective industries. Hence, this study aims to investigate the gap between the key attributes of Higher Education Institutions'…

  14. Lifelong learning of humanitarian in the training system for bachelors in higher technical education

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    Gorbunov Vladimir Ivanovich

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problem of the humanitarisation of higher technical education. In detail, analysing the history of this issue, the authors of the article substantiate the system-forming role of humanitarian knowledge, primarily literature and history, in the process of forming the competencies of bachelors in technical specialty. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of general cultural and moral values in the training of scientific and technical intelligentsia. The article proposes the introduction into the learning process a number of integrated disciplines that are of applied nature and are aimed at the development of both professional thinking and the universal abilities of students. Based on their own experience in teaching integrated disciplines and theoretical understanding of the question posed, the authors of the article singled out the fundamental features of the systemic concept of lifelong learning of humanitarian in the training system for bachelors in higher technical education, that not only enable them to master the general cultural competencies required in educational standards, but also develop stable personal qualities understood in Russian society as intelligence.

  15. Complex socio-technical systems: Characterization and management guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Righi, Angela Weber; Saurin, Tarcisio Abreu

    2015-09-01

    Although ergonomics has paid increasing attention to the perspective of complexity, methods for its operationalization are scarce. This study introduces a framework for the operationalization of the "attribute view" of complexity, which involves: (i) the delimitation of the socio-technical system (STS); (ii) the description of four complexity attributes, namely a large number of elements in dynamic interactions, a wide diversity of elements, unexpected variability, and resilience; (iii) the assessment of six management guidelines, namely design slack, give visibility to processes and outcomes, anticipate and monitor the impacts of small changes, monitor the gap between prescription and practice, encourage diversity of perspectives when making decisions, and create an environment that supports resilience; and (iv) the identification of leverage points for improving the STS design, based on both the analysis of relationships among the attributes and their classification as irreducible/manageable complexity, and liability/asset. The use of the framework is illustrated by the study of an emergency department of a University hospital. Data collection involved analysis of documents, observations of work at the front-line, interviews with employees, and the application of questionnaires. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  16. The substantive core of introduction of the saving production into educational process of the higher technical educational institution

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    Світлана Станіславівна Єрмакова

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Problem and topicality of research consist in the study of theoretical and methodological problems at using the base of saving production in the higher educational institutions taking into account the special features of its activity, specificity of problems and tasks.Aim of the article was the grounding of the system of development of the higher technical education on the principles of economy. The problems consist in disclosure and substantiation of the elements of development of the higher technical education system taking into account the principles of saving production; determination of the possible use of saving production instruments in higher education sphere especially in the modern educational institution.Methods of research were the following: methods of analysis, prognostication, diagnostics, observation, pedagogical experiment.The concretized essence of saving use of the higher technical educational institution resources embodied in experimental monitoring technology of professional training of the future specialists in the higher technological educational institution on the base of idea of saving production. There was proved pedagogical expediency of advanced training of the future specialists in the process of their professional training in the higher technical educational institution on the base of saving production at its professional activity. There were substantiated: the lean-technology of professional training in the higher technical educational institution in the context of idea of continuous education based on principles of saving “production of knowledge” is the system of continuous monitoring of educational process effectiveness and of the saving use of its possibilities in the higher technical educational institution as the dominant of the future engineers training that is directed on the permanent revelation and neutralization of educational losses for the development of professionalism and creation at the expense

  17. Numerical simulation of deformation and failure processes of a complex technical object under impact loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraus, E. I.; Shabalin, I. I.; Shabalin, T. I.

    2018-04-01

    The main points of development of numerical tools for simulation of deformation and failure of complex technical objects under nonstationary conditions of extreme loading are presented. The possibility of extending the dynamic method for construction of difference grids to the 3D case is shown. A 3D realization of discrete-continuum approach to the deformation and failure of complex technical objects is carried out. The efficiency of the existing software package for 3D modelling is shown.

  18. Technical project of complex fast cycle heat treatment of hydrogenous coal preparation

    OpenAIRE

    Moiseev, V. A.; Andrienko, V. G.; Pileckij, V. G.; Urvancev, A. I.; Gvozdyakov, Dmitry Vasilievich; Gubin, Vladimir Evgenievich; Matveev, Aleksandr Sergeevich; Savostiyanova, Ludmila Viktorovna

    2015-01-01

    Problems of heat-treated milled hydrogenous coal preparation site creation in leading fast cycle heat treatment complex were considered. Conditions for effective use of electrostatic methods of heat-treated milled hydrogenous coal preparation were set. Technical project of heat treatment of milled hydrogenous coal preparation site was developed including coupling of working equipment complex on fast heat treatment and experimental samples of equipment being designed for manufacturing. It was ...

  19. A Quiet Revolution--International Influence, Domestic Elites and the Transformation of Higher Technical Education in Ireland 1959-72

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, John

    2011-01-01

    The upgrading of higher technical education which began in the 1960s marked the most influential intervention by the Irish government in the third-level sector since the establishment of the independent Irish state. A series of reforming initiatives extended educational opportunity and transformed the status of technical education at higher level.…

  20. Characterizing complexity in socio-technical systems: a case study of a SAMU Medical Regulation Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Righi, Angela Weber; Wachs, Priscila; Saurin, Tarcísio Abreu

    2012-01-01

    Complexity theory has been adopted by a number of studies as a benchmark to investigate the performance of socio-technical systems, especially those that are characterized by relevant cognitive work. However, there is little guidance on how to assess, systematically, the extent to which a system is complex. The main objective of this study is to carry out a systematic analysis of a SAMU (Mobile Emergency Medical Service) Medical Regulation Center in Brazil, based on the core characteristics of complex systems presented by previous studies. The assessment was based on direct observations and nine interviews: three of them with regulator of emergencies medical doctor, three with radio operators and three with telephone attendants. The results indicated that, to a great extent, the core characteristics of complexity are magnified) due to basic shortcomings in the design of the work system. Thus, some recommendations are put forward with a view to reducing unnecessary complexity that hinders the performance of the socio-technical system.

  1. Linac4 Technical Design Report

    CERN Document Server

    Arnaudon, L; Baylac, M; Bellodi, G; Body, Y; Borburgh, J; Bourquin, P; Broere, J; Brunner, O; Bruno, L; Carli, C; Caspers, Friedhelm; Cousineau, S M; Cuvet, Y; De Almeida Martins, C; Dobers, T; Fowler, T; Garoby, R; Gerigk, F; Goddard, B; Hanke, K; Hori, M; Jones, M; Kahle, K; Kalbreier, Willi; Kroyer, T; Küchler, D; Lombardi, A M; López-Hernandez, L A; Magistris, M; Martini, M; Maury, S; Page, E; Paoluzzi, M; Pasini, M; Raich, U; Rossi, C; Royer, J P; Sargsyan, E; Serrano, J; Scrivens, R; Silari, M; Timmins, M; Venturini-Delsolaro, W; Vretenar, M; Wegner, R; Weterings, W; Zickler, T

    2006-01-01

    Linac4 is an H- linear accelerator, intended to replace Linac2 as injector to the PS Booster (PSB). By delivering to the PSB a beam at 160 MeV energy, Linac4 will provide the conditions to double the brightness and intensity of the beam from the PSB, thus removing the first bottleneck towards higher brightness for the LHC and simplifying operation. Moreover, this new linac constitutes an essential component of any of the envisaged LHC upgrade scenarios and could open the way to future extensions of the CERN accelerator complex towards higher performance. This Technical Design Report presents a detailed technical overview of the Linac4 design as it stands at end 2006.

  2. Reactivity of Zinc Halide Complexes Containing Camphor-Derived Guanidine Ligands with Technical rac-Lactide

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    Angela Metz

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Three new zinc complexes with monoamine–guanidine hybridligands have been prepared, characterized by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy, and tested in the solvent-free ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide. Initially the ligands were synthesized from camphoric acid to obtain TMGca and DMEGca and then reacted with zinc(II halides to form zinc complexes. All complexes have a distorted tetrahedral coordination. They were utilized as catalysts in the solvent-free polymerization of technical rac-lactide at 150 °C. Colorless polylactide (PLA can be produced and after 2 h conversion up to 60% was reached. Furthermore, one zinc chlorido complex was tested with different qualities of lactide (technical and recrystallized and with/without the addition of benzyl alcohol as a co-initiator. The kinetics were monitored by in situ FT-IR or 1H NMR spectroscopy. All kinetic measurements show first-order behavior with respect to lactide. The influence of the chiral complexes on the stereocontrol of PLA was examined. Moreover, with MALDI-ToF measurements the end-group of the obtained polymer was determined. DFT and NBO calculations give further insight into the coordination properties. All in all, these systems are robust against impurities and water in the lactide monomer and show great catalytic activity in the ROP of lactide.

  3. The concept of the pedagogical system of the higher technical educational establishment: essential characteristics of its components

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    Ольга Петрівна Лучанінова

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the essential characteristics of the components of the concept of modern educational system of higher technical educational institutions.We believe that the important role in organization of pedagogical system of the modern higher technical educational establishment belongs to qualitatively new approaches: humanistic and ideological, andragogical, facilitating, personal, cultural, diversificational, cordocentrism, systematic and activity approach, interactive.The concept of pedagogical system will be effective, if the main fundamentals of the Concept are included into the plans of pedagogical work of the higher educational establishments and their structural subdivisions; if the organizational and methodological facilities and studying and generalizing of the experience in organization of the pedagogical activities in the other higher educational establishments are prepared; if the scientific and methodological conferences, seminars, round-table discussion meetings, trainings and so on are organized and held; if we  promote active exchange of the theoretical and methodological aspects of the pedagogical system, of new approaches, forms and methods of the pedagogical activities; if we consider the questions of the Concept implementation at the meetings of the pedagogical work councils, educational and methodological commissions and the like.The offered authors Concept of the pedagogical system of the higher technical educational establishment should help the educators modulate the pedagogical process, involve various institutions and the society to the active participation in the educational and pedagogical process.

  4. How a submarine returns to periscope depth: analysing complex socio-technical systems using Cognitive Work Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanton, Neville A; Bessell, Kevin

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents the application of Cognitive Work Analysis to the description of the functions, situations, activities, decisions, strategies, and competencies of a Trafalgar class submarine when performing the function of returning to periscope depth. All five phases of Cognitive Work Analysis are presented, namely: Work Domain Analysis, Control Task Analysis, Strategies Analysis, Social Organisation and Cooperation Analysis, and Worker Competencies Analysis. Complex socio-technical systems are difficult to analyse but Cognitive Work Analysis offers an integrated way of analysing complex systems with the core of functional means-ends analysis underlying all of the other representations. The joined-up analysis offers a coherent framework for understanding how socio-technical systems work. Data were collected through observation and interviews at different sites across the UK. The resultant representations present a statement of how the work domain and current activities are configured in this complex socio-technical system. This is intended to provide a baseline, from which all future conceptions of the domain may be compared. The strength of the analysis is in the multiple representations from which the constraints acting on the work may be analysed. Future research needs to challenge the assumptions behind these constraints in order to develop new ways of working. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  5. The Integrated Complex of Marketing of Higher Education Services

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    Zhehus Olena V.

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The article, on the basis of generalization of scientific views of foreign and domestic scientists, substantiates the integrated model of marketing of higher education products and services with consideration of their specificities. The obtained result is the «5Р + S» model, which includes the newly introduced poli-element «proposition», combining the interrelated and indivisible elements of «product», «people» and «process», as well as the traditional elements of the service marketing complex: «price», «place», «promotion», «physical evidence». The «social-marketing» element has been added to the integrated model on the basis of the high societal importance of educational services. Altogether, the proposed integrated model of the complex of marketing of higher education products and services is a symbiosis of commercial and non-commercial marketing, which will enhance social and economic efficiency of functioning of higher educational institution.

  6. THE IMPORTANCE OF INDIVIDUAL APPROACH IN TEACHING HIGHER MATHEMATICS AT TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES

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    Medvedeva Natal'ya Aleksandrovna

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the importance of an individual approach when considering the time needed for learning basic technical courses of a technical University (such as higher mathematics, physics, etc. to motivate a student to obtain 100% standard of mastering the educational material using the experience of the Department of mathematics. In the modern conditions of the world of information technologies it is extremely important to teach people how to handle information independently and, what is the most important, to assess it. As you know, universities set a certain studying time for each academic subject fixed by curriculum. But time should not be a constant component. Obviously, such a new approach will require innovation in the methodological literature. Using the experience of the Department of Mathematics of MGSU the author offers methodical developments and research works for studying under the direction of a teacher along with standard digestion of the curriculum.

  7. DEVELOPMENT OF MAPLE IN TRAINING HIGHER MATHEMATICS

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    Volodymyr M. Mykhalevych

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The relevance of the material presented in this paper due to the need to develop and implement new information technologies in teaching higher mathematics with the use of systems of symbolic mathematics. Brief analysis of the Maple and Mathematica is given. The basic results of authors on working out of a training complex on higher mathematics are given. The complex was created in an environment of symbolic mathematics Maple. Procedure simulators, which give the whole process of model solutions of mathematical problems are a major element of the complex. The results of such procedures for typical problems from different sections of higher mathematics in accordance with the program for technical universities are represented. Questions the benefits and methods of using such programs, in particular those related to deficits of licensed copies of Maple was touched.

  8. Protein scaffolds and higher-order complexes in synthetic biology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    den Hamer, A.; Rosier, B.J.H.M.; Brunsveld, L.; de Greef, T.F.A.; Ryadnov, M.; Brunsveld, L.; Suga, H.

    2017-01-01

    Interactions between proteins control molecular functions such as signalling or metabolic activity. Assembly of proteins via scaffold proteins or in higher-order complexes is a key regulatory mechanism. Understanding and functionally applying this concept requires the construction, study, and

  9. Practice in development and utilization of program-technical complex (PTK) in in-reactor control systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gribov, A.A.; Kuzil, A.C.; Padun, S.P.; Surnachov, S.I.; Jakovlev, G.V.

    2001-01-01

    Experience with the development and utilization of the program-technical complex PTK 'KRUIZ' is analyzed in the paper. A peculiarity of PTK is the orientation on acquisition, processing and diagnostics of signals from in-reactor sensors (thermocouples and SPD). The PTK 'KRUIZ' represents a new generation of tools open for further development, oriented specifically on the use in in-reactor control systems in modernized and built power units of the WWER type. In the PTK 'KRUIZ', methods, models and algorithms proved in nuclear power plants are used accounting for the utilization of up to date technical tools and systematic technical solutions. Experience with the use of basic elements of the PTK 'KRUIZ' at existing WWER reactors including peculiarities of temperature control in nuclear power plants are also dealt within the paper. (Authors)

  10. A Novel Interdisciplinary Approach to Socio-Technical Complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassetti, Chiara

    The chapter presents a novel interdisciplinary approach that integrates micro-sociological analysis into computer-vision and pattern-recognition modeling and algorithms, the purpose being to tackle socio-technical complexity at a systemic yet micro-grounded level. The approach is empirically-grounded and both theoretically- and analytically-driven, yet systemic and multidimensional, semi-supervised and computable, and oriented towards large scale applications. The chapter describes the proposed approach especially as for its sociological foundations, and as applied to the analysis of a particular setting --i.e. sport-spectator crowds. Crowds, better defined as large gatherings, are almost ever-present in our societies, and capturing their dynamics is crucial. From social sciences to public safety management and emergency response, modeling and predicting large gatherings' presence and dynamics, thus possibly preventing critical situations and being able to properly react to them, is fundamental. This is where semi/automated technologies can make the difference. The work presented in this chapter is intended as a scientific step towards such an objective.

  11. Higher-Order Structure in Bacterial VapBC Toxin-Antitoxin Complexes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bendtsen, Kirstine L; Brodersen, Ditlev E

    2017-01-01

    Toxin-antitoxin systems are widespread in the bacterial kingdom, including in pathogenic species, where they allow rapid adaptation to changing environmental conditions through selective inhibition of key cellular processes, such as DNA replication or protein translation. Under normal growth...... that allow auto-regulation of transcription by direct binding to promoter DNA. In this chapter, we review our current understanding of the structural characteristics of type II toxin-antitoxin complexes in bacterial cells, with a special emphasis on the staggering variety of higher-order architecture...... conditions, type II toxins are inhibited through tight protein-protein interaction with a cognate antitoxin protein. This toxin-antitoxin complex associates into a higher-order macromolecular structure, typically heterotetrameric or heterooctameric, exposing two DNA binding domains on the antitoxin...

  12. Massification and Diversity of Higher Education Systems: Interplay of Complex Dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guri-Rosenblit, Sarah; Sebkova, Helena; Teichler, Ulrich

    2007-01-01

    This paper provides a synthetic overview of the complex dimensions that shape the interrelations between the massification of higher education systems and their structure and composition. Many higher education systems worldwide expanded extensively in the last decades, and have undergone wide and deep structural changes. Most notably, the…

  13. US Accreditation in Mexico: Quality in Higher Education as Symbol, Performance and Translation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanco-Ramirez, Gerardo

    2015-01-01

    Quality practices in higher education involve more than mere compliance with standards and technical mandates; given the complexity of the decisions involved in quality in higher education, this concept, quality, can be analyzed as symbol and performance. This paper utilizes translation as heuristic to analyze the implementation of US…

  14. Higher Education Provision Using Systems Thinking Approach--Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhukaram, Anandhi Vivekanandan; Sgouropoulou, Cleo; Feldman, Gerald; Amini, Ardavan

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to highlight the complexities involved in higher education provision and how systems thinking and socio-technical systems (STS) thinking approach can be used to understand the education ecosystem. Systems thinking perspective is provided using two case studies: the development of European Learner Mobility (EuroLM)…

  15. Application of tritium-labeled complex technical mixture of PCB congeners as radiotracer in ecological investigations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, A.A.

    2005-01-01

    The quantitative analysis of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) is enough difficult analytical task. According to IUPAC nomenclature it is described more than 200 possible PCB congeners from which about 150 congeners are present at an environment. At the same time in environment PCBs are present as complex technical mixes of congeners (trade names include Apirolio, Aroclor, Clophen, Fenchlor, Kanechlor, Phenoclor, Pyralene, Pyranol, Pyroclor, Santotherm FR, and Sovol). In routine practice of gas chromatography analysis the quantitative measurement of PCB marker congeners is applied. In the most samples containing PCBs, there are often several dozens of different congeners. For practical reasons, all of them are not always measured, but the most important congeners are used as indicators. In Belgian chicken incident, only seven abundant congeners were usually measured: congeners with IUPAC numbers 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180 (2,4,4 '-TriCB, 2,2 ', 5,5 '-TCB, 2,2 ', 4,5,5 '-PeCB, 2,3 ', 4,4 ', 5-PeCB, 2,2 ', 3,4,4 ', 5 '-HxCB, 2,2 ', 4,4 ', 5,5 '-HxCB, 2,2 ', 3,4,4 ', 5,5 '-HpCB, respectively). The seven congeners are estimated to constitute about one third of all PCBs in the contaminated feed. Such measurement can give the big error in a quantitative estimation of PCBs contents in a sample. As alternative method of quantitative measurement PCBs the radiochemical method with use radioactive labeled PCBs as radiotracer can be used. We had been developed a method of synthesis of labeled by thermally activated tritium a complex technical mixture of PCBs congeners - Sovol. We had been showed a basic opportunity of receiving of uniformly tritium labeled mixture of PCBs congeners without structural failure of mixture. The tritium labeled preparation of complex technical mixture of PCBs congeners (Sovol) has been received. On the basis of received tritium labeled preparation of PCBs (Sovol) we had been developed the following quantitative and qualitative radiochemical

  16. Design and implementation of the control system for nuclear plant VVER-1000. Instrumentation (program technical complexes)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siora, A.; Tokarev, V.; Bakhmach, E.

    2004-01-01

    Program-technical complexes (PTC) are designed as control and protection systems in water-moderated atomic reactors, including emergency and preventive systems, automatic control, unloading, reactor capacity limitation and accelerated preventive protection systems. Utilization of programmable logic integrated circuits from world leading manufacturers makes the complexes simple in structure, compact, with low energy demands and mutually independent for key and supporting functions The results of PTC assessment and implementation in Ukraine are outlined. Opportunities for a future development of RADIJ company in the area of control and protection systems for VVER reactors are also discussed

  17. MITT writer and MITT writer advanced development: Developing authoring and training systems for complex technical domains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiederholt, Bradley J.; Browning, Elica J.; Norton, Jeffrey E.; Johnson, William B.

    1991-01-01

    MITT Writer is a software system for developing computer based training for complex technical domains. A training system produced by MITT Writer allows a student to learn and practice troubleshooting and diagnostic skills. The MITT (Microcomputer Intelligence for Technical Training) architecture is a reasonable approach to simulation based diagnostic training. MITT delivers training on available computing equipment, delivers challenging training and simulation scenarios, and has economical development and maintenance costs. A 15 month effort was undertaken in which the MITT Writer system was developed. A workshop was also conducted to train instructors in how to use MITT Writer. Earlier versions were used to develop an Intelligent Tutoring System for troubleshooting the Minuteman Missile Message Processing System.

  18. 4th July 2011 - Russian Deputy Director-General Director of Directorate for Scientific and Technical Complex ROSATOM V. Pershukov in the ATLAS underground experimental area with Adviser T. Kurtyka, ATLAS Technical Coordinator M. Nessi and ATLAS Russian users.

    CERN Multimedia

    Maximilien Brice

    2011-01-01

    4th July 2011 - Russian Deputy Director-General Director of Directorate for Scientific and Technical Complex ROSATOM V. Pershukov in the ATLAS underground experimental area with Adviser T. Kurtyka, ATLAS Technical Coordinator M. Nessi and ATLAS Russian users.

  19. Diffusion in higher dimensional SYK model with complex fermions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Wenhe; Ge, Xian-Hui; Yang, Guo-Hong

    2018-01-01

    We construct a new higher dimensional SYK model with complex fermions on bipartite lattices. As an extension of the original zero-dimensional SYK model, we focus on the one-dimension case, and similar Hamiltonian can be obtained in higher dimensions. This model has a conserved U(1) fermion number Q and a conjugate chemical potential μ. We evaluate the thermal and charge diffusion constants via large q expansion at low temperature limit. The results show that the diffusivity depends on the ratio of free Majorana fermions to Majorana fermions with SYK interactions. The transport properties and the butterfly velocity are accordingly calculated at low temperature. The specific heat and the thermal conductivity are proportional to the temperature. The electrical resistivity also has a linear temperature dependence term.

  20. Optimizing structure of complex technical system by heterogeneous vector criterion in interval form

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lysenko, A. V.; Kochegarov, I. I.; Yurkov, N. K.; Grishko, A. K.

    2018-05-01

    The article examines the methods of development and multi-criteria choice of the preferred structural variant of the complex technical system at the early stages of its life cycle in the absence of sufficient knowledge of parameters and variables for optimizing this structure. The suggested methods takes into consideration the various fuzzy input data connected with the heterogeneous quality criteria of the designed system and the parameters set by their variation range. The suggested approach is based on the complex use of methods of interval analysis, fuzzy sets theory, and the decision-making theory. As a result, the method for normalizing heterogeneous quality criteria has been developed on the basis of establishing preference relations in the interval form. The method of building preferential relations in the interval form on the basis of the vector of heterogeneous quality criteria suggest the use of membership functions instead of the coefficients considering the criteria value. The former show the degree of proximity of the realization of the designed system to the efficient or Pareto optimal variants. The study analyzes the example of choosing the optimal variant for the complex system using heterogeneous quality criteria.

  1. Modernization and establishment of computer controlled technical complex to receive and process data from the space crafts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaluzhniy, E.; Muhamedgaliev, A.; Bimagambetov, T; Usenov, F.

    1996-01-01

    Laboratory-Researching Base of the Scientific and Research Institute of Radio Electronics includes the complex of radio-electronic facilities, that have either military or civil assignments. Analysis of technical features of the complex and of its potential showed the potentials of modernization of the complex in the interest of solving national economical and applied scientific problems subject to sufficient modernization level. In the present report the modernization of the telemetric station and of the quanta-optical system 'Sazhen' is examined. Modernization of the telemetric station (originally designated to receive and register the telemetric information in the meter and decimeter range of waves) consists of the development of the high-frequency tract of the station up to 8192 MHz (the frequency of the space system G osuro 01 ) and the development of the system of decoding and registration of the data of distance sounding. Modernization of the quanta-optical system (originally designated for highly precise measurement of the space ship orbit elements at the altitude up to 40,000 km) consists of adding the functions of collecting coordinate and the functions of astronomic pass instrument with the photoelectric registration and automatic information searching. Realization of the modernization will make possible to create technical instruments of the system of the operative space monitoring of the Kazakstan, s territory and to get the instrument, materializing the natural sample of the universal time

  2. Faster Defect Resolution with Higher Technical Quality of Software

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luijten, B.; Visser, J.

    2010-01-01

    We performed an empirical study of the relation between technical quality of software products and the defect resolution performance of their maintainers. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that ratings for source code maintainability, as employed by the SIG quality model, are correlated with

  3. Complex Systems and Dependability

    CERN Document Server

    Zamojski, Wojciech; Sugier, Jaroslaw

    2012-01-01

    Typical contemporary complex system is a multifaceted amalgamation of technical, information, organization, software and human (users, administrators and management) resources. Complexity of such a system comes not only from its involved technical and organizational structure but mainly from complexity of information processes that must be implemented in the operational environment (data processing, monitoring, management, etc.). In such case traditional methods of reliability analysis focused mainly on technical level are usually insufficient in performance evaluation and more innovative meth

  4. A longitudinal study of higher-order thinking skills: working memory and fluid reasoning in childhood enhance complex problem solving in adolescence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greiff, Samuel; Wüstenberg, Sascha; Goetz, Thomas; Vainikainen, Mari-Pauliina; Hautamäki, Jarkko; Bornstein, Marc H.

    2015-01-01

    Scientists have studied the development of the human mind for decades and have accumulated an impressive number of empirical studies that have provided ample support for the notion that early cognitive performance during infancy and childhood is an important predictor of later cognitive performance during adulthood. As children move from childhood into adolescence, their mental development increasingly involves higher-order cognitive skills that are crucial for successful planning, decision-making, and problem solving skills. However, few studies have employed higher-order thinking skills such as complex problem solving (CPS) as developmental outcomes in adolescents. To fill this gap, we tested a longitudinal developmental model in a sample of 2,021 Finnish sixth grade students (M = 12.41 years, SD = 0.52; 1,041 female, 978 male, 2 missing sex). We assessed working memory (WM) and fluid reasoning (FR) at age 12 as predictors of two CPS dimensions: knowledge acquisition and knowledge application. We further assessed students’ CPS performance 3 years later as a developmental outcome (N = 1696; M = 15.22 years, SD = 0.43; 867 female, 829 male). Missing data partly occurred due to dropout and technical problems during the first days of testing and varied across indicators and time with a mean of 27.2%. Results revealed that FR was a strong predictor of both CPS dimensions, whereas WM exhibited only a small influence on one of the two CPS dimensions. These results provide strong support for the view that CPS involves FR and, to a lesser extent, WM in childhood and from there evolves into an increasingly complex structure of higher-order cognitive skills in adolescence. PMID:26283992

  5. A longitudinal study of higher-order thinking skills: working memory and fluid reasoning in childhood enhance complex problem solving in adolescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greiff, Samuel; Wüstenberg, Sascha; Goetz, Thomas; Vainikainen, Mari-Pauliina; Hautamäki, Jarkko; Bornstein, Marc H

    2015-01-01

    Scientists have studied the development of the human mind for decades and have accumulated an impressive number of empirical studies that have provided ample support for the notion that early cognitive performance during infancy and childhood is an important predictor of later cognitive performance during adulthood. As children move from childhood into adolescence, their mental development increasingly involves higher-order cognitive skills that are crucial for successful planning, decision-making, and problem solving skills. However, few studies have employed higher-order thinking skills such as complex problem solving (CPS) as developmental outcomes in adolescents. To fill this gap, we tested a longitudinal developmental model in a sample of 2,021 Finnish sixth grade students (M = 12.41 years, SD = 0.52; 1,041 female, 978 male, 2 missing sex). We assessed working memory (WM) and fluid reasoning (FR) at age 12 as predictors of two CPS dimensions: knowledge acquisition and knowledge application. We further assessed students' CPS performance 3 years later as a developmental outcome (N = 1696; M = 15.22 years, SD = 0.43; 867 female, 829 male). Missing data partly occurred due to dropout and technical problems during the first days of testing and varied across indicators and time with a mean of 27.2%. Results revealed that FR was a strong predictor of both CPS dimensions, whereas WM exhibited only a small influence on one of the two CPS dimensions. These results provide strong support for the view that CPS involves FR and, to a lesser extent, WM in childhood and from there evolves into an increasingly complex structure of higher-order cognitive skills in adolescence.

  6. A building technical management system optimizes the energy recovery in a swimming pool-skating rink complex; Une GTB optimise la recuperation d'energie d'un complexe piscine-patinoire

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    2003-04-01

    The municipal skating rink of La Roche-sur-Yon (France) is supplied by a direct expansion refrigerating system. The energy recovered from this system allows to heat the sport complex made of a 25 m swimming pool and of a ludic pool. A technical management system ensures the control and management of the overall technical equipments. The automation of the system has permitted to optimize the energy costs which have remained practically unchanged since 20 years, even after the extension of the main pool and the increase of the number of visitors. (J.S.)

  7. Non-Technical Skills Bingo-a game to facilitate the learning of complex concepts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dieckmann, Peter; Glavin, Ronnie; Hartvigsen Grønholm Jepsen, Rikke Malene; Krage, Ralf

    2016-01-01

    Acquiring the concepts of non-technical skills (NTS) beyond a superficial level is a challenge for healthcare professionals and simulation faculty. Current simulation-based approaches to teach NTS are challenged when learners have to master NTS concepts, clinically challenging situations, and simulation as a complex technique. The combination of all three aspects might overwhelm learners. To facilitate the deeper comprehension of NTS concepts, we describe an innovative video-based game, the Non-Technical Skills (NTS) Bingo. Participants get NTS Bingo cards that show five NTS elements each. While observing (non-medical) video clips, they try to find examples for the elements on their cards, typically observable behaviours that match a given element. After the video, participants "defend" their solution in a discussion with the game leader and other players. This discussion and the reflection aim to deepen the processing of the NTS concepts. We provide practical guidance for the conduct of NTS Bingo, including a selection of usable video clips and tips for the facilitated discussion after a clip. We use NTS in anaesthesia as example and provide guidance on how to adapt NTS Bingo to other disciplines. NTS Bingo is based on theoretical considerations on concept learning, which we describe to support the rationale for its conduct.

  8. The power of non-determinism in higher-order implicit complexity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kop, Cynthia Louisa Martina; Simonsen, Jakob Grue

    2017-01-01

    We investigate the power of non-determinism in purely functional programming languages with higher-order types. Specifically, we consider cons-free programs of varying data orders, equipped with explicit non-deterministic choice. Cons-freeness roughly means that data constructors cannot occur...... in function bodies and all manipulation of storage space thus has to happen indirectly using the call stack. While cons-free programs have previously been used by several authors to characterise complexity classes, the work on non-deterministic programs has almost exclusively considered programs of data order...... 0. Previous work has shown that adding explicit non-determinism to consfree programs taking data of order 0 does not increase expressivity; we prove that this—dramatically—is not the case for higher data orders: adding non-determinism to programs with data order at least 1 allows...

  9. Governance of Technical Education in India : Key Issues, Principles, and Case Studies

    OpenAIRE

    Blom, Andreas; Cheong, Jannette

    2010-01-01

    Tertiary education, and in particular technical and engineering education, is critical to India's aspirations of strengthening its reputation as a major competitive player in the Global knowledge economy. The system is huge and complex, and there is a consensus that reforms are imperative. Issues of fair access and affordable participation in higher education are critical if India is to em...

  10. Visualizing interdependencies in technical design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oosterman, B.J.; Gaalman, G.J.C.; Kuijpers, F.P.J.; Riiahuhta, A.; Pulkkinen, A.

    2001-01-01

    The control and understanding of complex design processes is an important issue in practice and theory. Recent research shows that documentation and analysis of technical interactions between design tasks (using Design Structure Matrices) gives a thorough understanding of the underlying complex

  11. The Engineering Graphics Olimpiad as a Means for Students’ Creative Professional Competence Formation in the Technical Higher School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. S. Bushmakina

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the creative professional competence development by the technical high school students – the prospective building engineers – by means of the Engineering Graphics Olympiad. The authors in- vestigate the concepts of the creative competences, creative abilities, creative professional competences, and denote the structure of the engineering- graphic competence. Its main components, singled out by the group expert assessment, form the basis for the Olympiad content regarding its selection and major rounds. For the more argumentative selection it is recommended to provide the pedagogic expertise corresponding with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standards and considering the students’ level. The formation levels of the competence in question are discussed along with the corresponding knowledge and skills. The authors present the brief analysis of the research outcomes and make a conclusion about the necessity of stu- dents’ additional preparatory work regarding the specificity of the engineering graphics training in the technical higher school. 

  12. Facilitating Site Specific and Citizens Advisory Boards: Running Effective Meetings that Involve Complex Technical Issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeman, J.

    2009-01-01

    the Board with a different level of knowledge and interest? A facilitator need not be a scientist or an engineer, but he or she must be proactive in learning the site issues, responsive to concerns about meeting content that is too technical or not technical enough, and resilient when working with individuals for whom the goals of the Board are not necessarily their own. When an SSAB or a CAB is working together purposively with ground rules understood and respect given to each Board member, a facilitator is free to develop effective processes to help Board participants and the members of the public focus on the content and substance of their work together. What are the processes that confront the challenge of ensuring that SSAB and CAB members understand complex technical cleanup issues? How can a facilitator be effective in working with members of the public so that their input is as valuable as possible while balanced with the goals of the Board? This paper will explore the unique environments of this nation's SSABs and CABs; discuss the nature of issues that come before the Boards; examine the make-up of the Boards regarding their potential for understanding complex technical issues and discuss facilitation techniques that provide structure while encouraging participation, interactive work on the tasks at hand, and satisfaction. (authors)

  13. Evaluating Safety Culture Under the Socio-Technical Complex Systems Perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lemos, F. L. de

    2016-01-01

    Since the term “safety culture” was coined, it has gained more and more attention as an effort to achieve higher levels of system safety. A good deal of effort has been done in order to better define, evaluate and implement safety culture programs in organizations throughout all industries, and especially in the Nuclear Industry. Unfortunately, despite all those efforts, we continue to witness accidents that are, in great part, attributed to flaws in the safety culture of the organization. Fukushima nuclear accident is one example of a serious accident in which flaws in the safety culture has been pointed to as one of the main contributors. In general, the definitions of safety culture emphasise the social aspect of the system. While the definitions also include the relations with the technical aspects, it does so in a general sense. For example, the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) defines safety culture as: “The assembly of characteristics and attitudes in organizations and individuals which establishes that, as an overriding priority, nuclear plant safety issues receives the attention warranted by their significance.” By the way safety culture is defined we can infer that it represents a property of a social system, or a property of the social aspect of the system. In this sense, the social system is a component of the whole system. Where, “system” is understood to be comprised of a social (humans) and technical (equipment) aspects, as a Nuclear Power Plant, for example. Therefore, treating safety culture as an identity on its own right, finding and fixing flaws in the safety culture may not be enough to improve safety of the system. We also needed to evaluate all the interactions between the components that comprise all the aspects of the system. In some cases a flaw in the safety culture can easily be detected, such as an employee not wearing appropriate individual protection equipment, e.g., dosimeter, or when basic safety

  14. Higher education provision using systems thinking approach - case studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhukaram, Anandhi Vivekanandan; Sgouropoulou, Cleo; Feldman, Gerald; Amini, Ardavan

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to highlight the complexities involved in higher education provision and how systems thinking and socio-technical systems (STS) thinking approach can be used to understand the education ecosystem. Systems thinking perspective is provided using two case studies: the development of European Learner Mobility (EuroLM) service and the delivery of Enterprise System Management (ESM) course at the Birmingham City University, UK. The case studies present how systems thinking using STS approaches like applied organisational change and Cognitive Work Analysis can be used to capture a conceptual model of the education system for understanding the interactions and relationships between the people, technology, processes and the organisations. Using systems thinking perspective, EuroLM has developed a set of technical standards addressed to the European systems developers and ESM delivery ensures that students communicate and collaborate.

  15. Complex-mass shell renormalization of the higher-derivative electrodynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turcati, Rodrigo [SISSA, Trieste (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Departamento de Fisica e Quimica, Vitoria, ES (Brazil); Laboratorio de Fisica Experimental (LAFEX), Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Neves, Mario Junior [Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Fisica, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

    2016-08-15

    We consider a higher-derivative extension of QED modified by the addition of a gauge-invariant dimension-6 kinetic operator in the U(1) gauge sector. The Feynman diagrams at one-loop level are then computed. The modification in the spin-1 sector leads the electron self-energy and vertex corrections diagrams finite in the ultraviolet regime. Indeed, no regularization prescription is used to calculate these diagrams because the modified propagator always occurs coupled to conserved currents. Moreover, besides the usual massless pole in the spin-1 sector, there is the emergence of a massive one, which becomes complex when computing the radiative corrections at one-loop order. This imaginary part defines the finite decay width of the massive mode. To check consistency, we also derive the decay length using the electron-positron elastic scattering and show that both results are equivalent. Because the presence of this unstable mode, the standard renormalization procedures cannot be used and is necessary adopt an appropriate framework to perform the perturbative renormalization. For this purpose, we apply the complex-mass shell scheme (CMS) to renormalize the aforementioned model. As an application of the formalism developed, we estimate a quantum bound on the massive parameter using the measurement of the electron anomalous magnetic moment and compute the Uehling potential. At the end, the renormalization group is analyzed. (orig.)

  16. Technical-economic parameters of the new oil shale mining-chemical complex in Northeast Estonia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuzmiv, I.; Fraiman, J.

    2006-01-01

    The history of oil shale mining in Estonia has reached its century mark. Three oil shale branches have been formed and have been working on the basis of Estonian oil shale deposits: the mining industry (underground and surface extraction), the power industry (heat and electric energy generation), and the chemical industry (gas and synthetic oils). The authors attempted to summarize the experience of the activities of these branches and to make into a whole the results of their research developments in the past years, as well as to form a notion about perspectives of oil shale in Estonia. Variants of the mining-chemical oil shale complex production and trade patterns differed from used ones. Mining methods, thermal processing of oil shale, and solid, liquid, and gas waste recovery have been studied, analyzed, and worked out up to the present. Setting up a flexible trade structure within the framework of that complex is considered the main economic mechanism capable of balancing production costs of such a complex with its earnings, which could respond properly to any, even peak, fluctuations of the market for final products processed from oil shale. Data of the working 'Estonia' oil shale mine were used as the basis of the analysis and practical conclusions. Information on the mine being projected in the region of Ojamaa in the northeast of Estonia was taken as the data of the worthwhile supplier. Oil shale processing chemical complex is considered in two structural alternatives: in technological chain with the 'Estonia' mine (the first variant), and the projected mine of a new technical level (the second variant). (author)

  17. SPECIFIC FEATURES OF HIGHER EFFICIENCY IN FUNCTIONING OF ROAD-TRANSPORT COMPLEX IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. G. Solodkaya

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The road-transport complex objectively reflects the essence of efficient transportation process which is carried out by transport facilities along the highways. The complex  emphasizes an equivalent contribution of transport facilities and highways in a unified transportation process. Efficiency of the state economy rigidly depends on availability of the developed and well-functioning network of highways. Countries with the developed economy which have generally finished creation of national highway networks continue to invest money in public road systems that stimulates development of industrial sectors, agriculture and trade, etc. Their progress and efficient functioning is possible only with the balanced, overall development of the road-transport complex of the country. Functioning of the road-transport complex is inextricable connected with the operation of automotive transport and road infrastructure. Interaction of these two components of the unified economic system is determined by technical characteristics of the automotive transport and transport and operational indices of  the highways. Development of methods for optimum organization of management for functioning of the road complex is considered as an important problem of the national economy while forming market economy mechanisms. Further growth of capital expenditures including  investments will be needed in order to ensure such road conditions that meet the requirements of modern and perspective road traffic. Management of the highway network conditions presupposes a selection of such set of regulatory impacts on road conditions which will allow to minimize expenses in the road-transport complex. Elaboration and realization of the most efficient repair measures serve as such regulatory impact. The purpose is achieved while solving the problem pertaining to minimization of expenses on  transportations in the road-transport complex in the process of the realization of the most

  18. Relationship between intraoperative non-technical performance and technical events in bariatric surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fecso, A B; Kuzulugil, S S; Babaoglu, C; Bener, A B; Grantcharov, T P

    2018-03-30

    The operating theatre is a unique environment with complex team interactions, where technical and non-technical performance affect patient outcomes. The correlation between technical and non-technical performance, however, remains underinvestigated. The purpose of this study was to explore these interactions in the operating theatre. A prospective single-centre observational study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical centre. One surgeon and three fellows participated as main operators. All patients who underwent a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and had the procedures captured using the Operating Room Black Box ® platform were included. Technical assessment was performed using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills and Generic Error Rating Tool instruments. For non-technical assessment, the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills (SPLINTS) tools were used. Spearman rank-order correlation and N-gram statistics were conducted. Fifty-six patients were included in the study and 90 procedural steps (gastrojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy) were analysed. There was a moderate to strong correlation between technical adverse events (r s  = 0·417-0·687), rectifications (r s  = 0·380-0·768) and non-technical performance of the surgical and nursing teams (NOTSS and SPLINTS). N-gram statistics showed that after technical errors, events and prior rectifications, the staff surgeon and the scrub nurse exhibited the most positive non-technical behaviours, irrespective of operator (staff surgeon or fellow). This study demonstrated that technical and non-technical performances are related, on both an individual and a team level. Valuable data can be obtained around intraoperative errors, events and rectifications. © 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Zeaxanthin Radical Cation Formation in Minor Light-Harvesting Complexes of Higher Plant Antenna

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Avenson, Thomas H.; Ahn, Tae Kyu; Zigmantas, Donatas; Niyogi, Krishna K.; Li, Zhirong; Ballottari, Matteo; Bassi, Roberto; Fleming, Graham R.

    2008-01-31

    Previous work on intact thylakoid membranes showed that transient formation of a zeaxanthin radical cation was correlated with regulation of photosynthetic light-harvesting via energy-dependent quenching. A molecular mechanism for such quenching was proposed to involve charge transfer within a chlorophyll-zeaxanthin heterodimer. Using near infrared (880-1100 nm) transient absorption spectroscopy, we demonstrate that carotenoid (mainly zeaxanthin) radical cation generation occurs solely in isolated minor light-harvesting complexes that bind zeaxanthin, consistent with the engagement of charge transfer quenching therein. We estimated that less than 0.5percent of the isolated minor complexes undergo charge transfer quenching in vitro, whereas the fraction of minor complexes estimated to be engaged in charge transfer quenching in isolated thylakoids was more than 80 times higher. We conclude that minor complexes which bind zeaxanthin are sites of charge transfer quenching in vivo and that they can assume Non-quenching and Quenching conformations, the equilibrium LHC(N)<--> LHC(Q) of which is modulated by the transthylakoid pH gradient, the PsbS protein, and protein-protein interactions.

  20. Flight Technical Error Analysis of the SATS Higher Volume Operations Simulation and Flight Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Daniel M.; Consiglio, Maria C.; Murdoch, Jennifer L.; Adams, Catherine H.

    2005-01-01

    This paper provides an analysis of Flight Technical Error (FTE) from recent SATS experiments, called the Higher Volume Operations (HVO) Simulation and Flight experiments, which NASA conducted to determine pilot acceptability of the HVO concept for normal operating conditions. Reported are FTE results from simulation and flight experiment data indicating the SATS HVO concept is viable and acceptable to low-time instrument rated pilots when compared with today s system (baseline). Described is the comparative FTE analysis of lateral, vertical, and airspeed deviations from the baseline and SATS HVO experimental flight procedures. Based on FTE analysis, all evaluation subjects, low-time instrument-rated pilots, flew the HVO procedures safely and proficiently in comparison to today s system. In all cases, the results of the flight experiment validated the results of the simulation experiment and confirm the utility of the simulation platform for comparative Human in the Loop (HITL) studies of SATS HVO and Baseline operations.

  1. Development experience and development prospect оf electromechanical technological complexes of movement and positioning of technic shelf development equipment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    А. Е. Козярук

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available From the example of active semisubmersible drilling rigs it is shown characteristics of electromechanical complexes of drill rigs and anchor position control systems on the base of controlled electric drive with directcurrent motors. It is presented suggestions which allow increasing electric power and service reliability criteria through the use of semiconductor converters supplied from power semiconductor converter with active front end in technological drilling systems, propulsion and position control systems of electromechanical systems on the base of noncontact asynchronous motors. It is outlined information about experience of using such kind of electromechanical complexes at the objects of mining industry working in difficult operating conditions. It is presented information about developing of electromechanical complexes of displacement systems, position control systems, technological and technical shelf development equipment and their characteristics. Also it is outlined structures and examples of designing modern high efficiency systems with contactless actuating motors.

  2. STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL MODEL OF FORMING INFORMATIONAL COMPETENCE OF TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taras Ostapchuk

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The article elaborates and analyses the structural and functional model of formation of information competence of technical university students. The system and mutual relationships between its elements are revealed. It is found out that the presence of the target structure of the proposed model, process and result-evaluative blocks ensure its functioning and the opportunity to optimize the learning process for technical school students’ information training. It is established that the formation of technical university students’ information competence based on components such as motivational value, as well as operational activity, cognitive, and reflexive one. These criteria (motivation, operational and activity, cognitive, reflective, indexes and levels (reproductive, technologized, constructive forming technical university students’ information competence are disclosed. Expediency of complex organizational and educational conditions in the stages of information competence is justified. The complex organizational and pedagogical conditions include: orientation in the organization and implementation of class work for technical university students’ positive value treatment; the issue of forming professionalism; informatization of educational and socio-cultural environment of higher technical educational institutions; orientation of technical university students’ training to the demands of European and international standards on information competence as a factor in the formation of competitiveness at the labor market; introducing a special course curriculum that will provide competence formation due to the use of information technology in professional activities. Forms (lecture, visualization, problem lecture, combined lecture, scientific online conference, recitals, excursions, etc., tools (computer lab, multimedia projector, interactive whiteboard, multimedia technology (audio, video, the Internet technologies; social networks, etc

  3. Socio-Technical Perspective on Interdisciplinary Interactions During the Development of Complex Engineered Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGowan, Anna-Maria R.; Daly, Shanna; Baker, Wayne; Papalambros, panos; Seifert, Colleen

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates interdisciplinary interactions that take place during the research, development, and early conceptual design phases in the design of large-scale complex engineered systems (LaCES) such as aerospace vehicles. These interactions, that take place throughout a large engineering development organization, become the initial conditions of the systems engineering process that ultimately leads to the development of a viable system. This paper summarizes some of the challenges and opportunities regarding social and organizational issues that emerged from a qualitative study using ethnographic and survey data. The analysis reveals several socio-technical couplings between the engineered system and the organization that creates it. Survey respondents noted the importance of interdisciplinary interactions and their benefits to the engineered system as well as substantial challenges in interdisciplinary interactions. Noted benefits included enhanced knowledge and problem mitigation and noted obstacles centered on organizational and human dynamics. Findings suggest that addressing the social challenges may be a critical need in enabling interdisciplinary interactions

  4. The Design Model of Multilevel Estimation Means for Students’ Competence Assessment at Technical Higher School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. F. Shikhova

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper considers the research findings aimed at the developing the new quality testing technique for students assessment at Technical Higher School. The model of multilevel estimation means is provided for diagnosing the level of general cultural and professional competences of students doing a bachelor degree in technological fields. The model implies the integrative character of specialists training - the combination of both the psycho-pedagogic (invariable and engineering (variable components, as well as the qualimetric approach substantiating the system of students competence estimation and providing the most adequate assessment means. The principles of designing the multilevel estimation means are defined along with the methodology approaches to their implementation. For the reasonable selection of estimation means, the system of quality criteria is proposed by the authors, being based on the group expert assessment. The research findings can be used for designing the competence-oriented estimation means. 

  5. NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 15: Technical uncertainty and project complexity as correlates of information use by US industry-affiliated aerospace engineers and scientists: Results of an exploratory investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Glassman, Nanci A.; Affelder, Linda O.; Hecht, Laura M.; Kennedy, John M.; Barclay, Rebecca O.

    1993-01-01

    An exploratory study was conducted that investigated the influence of technical uncertainty and project complexity on information use by U.S. industry-affiliated aerospace engineers and scientists. The study utilized survey research in the form of a self-administered mail questionnaire. U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) mailing list served as the study population. The adjusted response rate was 67 percent. The survey instrument is appendix C to this report. Statistically significant relationships were found to exist between technical uncertainty, project complexity, and information use. Statistically significant relationships were found to exist between technical uncertainty, project complexity, and the use of federally funded aerospace R&D. The results of this investigation are relevant to researchers investigating information-seeking behavior of aerospace engineers. They are also relevant to R&D managers and policy planners concerned with transferring the results of federally funded aerospace R&D to the U.S. aerospace industry.

  6. Why and How to Advance Technical Copywriting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henson, Leigh

    1996-01-01

    States that promotional writing for industrial/high-tech products, or technical copywriting, is gaining more attention in technical communication, although it is neglected in higher education. Testifies to the significance of technical copywriting. Suggests that dialogical audience analysis and an emphasis on rational appeal will contribute to…

  7. QUALITY ASSURANCE IN RWANDAN HIGHER LEARNING EDUCATION: IS THE SYSTEM ADAPTIVE OR COMPLEX?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nathan Kanuma Taremwa

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Developing knowledge infrastructure by massive investments in education and training are taken as a benchmark in facilitating the acceleration and possible increases in skills, capacities and competences of Rwandan people has become apriority issue in the recent years. This notion is relevant to vision 2020 where human resource development and building of a knowledge based economy are fundamental pillars. In the past years, several policy reforms have taken place in education sector. However, the overarching question is if such reforms are becoming adaptive or complex and if such reforms will not compromise the quality of education in higher learning education in Rwanda? The main objective of the study was to investigate the impact of changes in Higher Learning Institutions on the quality of education in Rwanda. This research had three hypotheses, namely; there is an impact of changes in Higher Learning Institutions on quality of education in Rwanda; the current complexity in Rwandan education system is affecting the quality of education in HLIs; Tailoring education system to the regional reforms and implementation strategies is affecting the quality of education in Rwanda. This study was carried out in 10 higher learning institutions (5 public, 5 private and 2 Ministry of Education directorates (HEC and REB. Key informants were the senior management/head of institutions, experienced academic staff, and students. The parameters considered included; the learning methods, assessment styles, workloads, language of instruction, merging of public HLIs, curriculum, and the transformation of some private higher learning institutions into company forms. Main research instruments were questionnaires and interview guides. Both qualitative and quantitative research was collected. Analyses were done using SPSS and excel packages. Major findings indicate that the system is still in transition with indicative gaps. Ample time would therefore be necessary for

  8. Fractal zeta functions and fractal drums higher-dimensional theory of complex dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Lapidus, Michel L; Žubrinić, Darko

    2017-01-01

    This monograph gives a state-of-the-art and accessible treatment of a new general higher-dimensional theory of complex dimensions, valid for arbitrary bounded subsets of Euclidean spaces, as well as for their natural generalization, relative fractal drums. It provides a significant extension of the existing theory of zeta functions for fractal strings to fractal sets and arbitrary bounded sets in Euclidean spaces of any dimension. Two new classes of fractal zeta functions are introduced, namely, the distance and tube zeta functions of bounded sets, and their key properties are investigated. The theory is developed step-by-step at a slow pace, and every step is well motivated by numerous examples, historical remarks and comments, relating the objects under investigation to other concepts. Special emphasis is placed on the study of complex dimensions of bounded sets and their connections with the notions of Minkowski content and Minkowski measurability, as well as on fractal tube formulas. It is shown for the f...

  9. Complexity in practice: understanding primary care as a complex adaptive system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beverley Ellis

    2010-06-01

    Conclusions The results are real-world exemplars of the emergent properties of complex adaptive systems. Improving clinical governance in primary care requires both complex social interactions and underpinning informatics. The socio-technical lessons learned from this research should inform future management approaches.

  10. Program-technical complex for collection, processing and archiving of the physical information about chain nuclear reaction based on VMEbus. I. Subsystem for energy supplying control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alpatov, S.V.; Golovanova, Eh.Z.; Gorskaya, E.A.; Dobryanskij, V.M.; Makan'kin, A.M.; Puzynin, V.I.; Samojlov, V.N.; Cheker, A.V.

    1996-01-01

    The substantiation of choice of the hardware and software for integration in program-technical complex is given. The complex is intended for automation of the physical experiments connected with chain nuclear reaction investigations. The subsystem for energy supplying control of experiment is considered in detail. For building the subsystem the 'client-server' architecture is used. The subsystem includes the work station and VMEbus measuring modules in the net. The description of the programs and result formats are given. 5 refs., 6 figs

  11. A View of Aesthetic Labour Practice in Higher Technical and Vocational Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cheng-Hua

    2017-01-01

    Even though aesthetic labour has gradually revealed social and economic value in the employment market, little research has been carried out on the connection and practice of aesthetic labour in technical and vocational education. Front-line ground staffs account for the largest proportion of the employees of airlines and can provide colleges with…

  12. Managing Complexity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maylath, Bruce; Vandepitte, Sonia; Minacori, Patricia

    2013-01-01

    and into French. The complexity of the undertaking proved to be a central element in the students' learning, as the collaboration closely resembles the complexity of international documentation workplaces of language service providers. © Association of Teachers of Technical Writing.......This article discusses the largest and most complex international learning-by-doing project to date- a project involving translation from Danish and Dutch into English and editing into American English alongside a project involving writing, usability testing, and translation from English into Dutch...

  13. Quantifying resilience for resilience engineering of socio technical systems

    OpenAIRE

    Häring, Ivo; Ebenhöch, Stefan; Stolz, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    Resilience engineering can be defined to comprise originally technical, engineering and natural science approaches to improve the resilience and sustainability of socio technical cyber-physical systems of various complexities with respect to disruptive events. It is argued how this emerging interdisciplinary technical and societal science approach may contribute to civil and societal security research. In this context, the article lists expected benefits of quantifying resilience. Along the r...

  14. Workforce Investments: State Strategies to Preserve Higher-Cost Career Education Programs in Community and Technical Colleges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shulock, Nancy; Lewis, Jodi; Tan, Connie

    2013-01-01

    In today's highly-skilled economy, rewarding career pathways are available to those who acquire technical skills by enrolling in certificate and associate degree programs in a community or technical college. Such programs are often more costly to offer than liberal arts and sciences programs that prepare students to transfer to four-year…

  15. Technical Note: Approximate Bayesian parameterization of a complex tropical forest model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartig, F.; Dislich, C.; Wiegand, T.; Huth, A.

    2013-08-01

    Inverse parameter estimation of process-based models is a long-standing problem in ecology and evolution. A key problem of inverse parameter estimation is to define a metric that quantifies how well model predictions fit to the data. Such a metric can be expressed by general cost or objective functions, but statistical inversion approaches are based on a particular metric, the probability of observing the data given the model, known as the likelihood. Deriving likelihoods for dynamic models requires making assumptions about the probability for observations to deviate from mean model predictions. For technical reasons, these assumptions are usually derived without explicit consideration of the processes in the simulation. Only in recent years have new methods become available that allow generating likelihoods directly from stochastic simulations. Previous applications of these approximate Bayesian methods have concentrated on relatively simple models. Here, we report on the application of a simulation-based likelihood approximation for FORMIND, a parameter-rich individual-based model of tropical forest dynamics. We show that approximate Bayesian inference, based on a parametric likelihood approximation placed in a conventional MCMC, performs well in retrieving known parameter values from virtual field data generated by the forest model. We analyze the results of the parameter estimation, examine the sensitivity towards the choice and aggregation of model outputs and observed data (summary statistics), and show results from using this method to fit the FORMIND model to field data from an Ecuadorian tropical forest. Finally, we discuss differences of this approach to Approximate Bayesian Computing (ABC), another commonly used method to generate simulation-based likelihood approximations. Our results demonstrate that simulation-based inference, which offers considerable conceptual advantages over more traditional methods for inverse parameter estimation, can

  16. Teaching audience analysis to the technical student

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debs, M. B.; Brillhart, L. V.

    1981-01-01

    Teaching audience analysis, as practiced in a technical writing course for engineering students, is discussed. Audience analysis is described as the task of defining the audience for a particular piece of writing and determining those characteristics of the audience which constrain the writer and effect reception of the message. A mature technical writing style that shows the tension produced when a text is written to be read and understood is considered in terms of audience analysis. Techniques include: (1) conveying to students the concept that a reader with certain expectations exist, (2) team teaching to preserve the context of a given technical discipline, and (3) assigning a technical report that addresses a variety of readers, thus establishing the complexity of audience oriented writing.

  17. Socio-Technical Considerations for the Use of Blockchain Technology in Healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Ming Chao; Yee, Kwang Chien; Nøhr, Christian

    2018-01-01

    Blockchain technology is often considered as the fourth industrial revolution that will change the world. The enthusiasm of the transformative nature of blockchain technology has infiltrated healthcare. Blockchain is often seen as the much needed and perfect technology for healthcare, addressing the difficult and complex issues of security and inter-operability. More importantly, the "value" and trust-based system can deliver automated action and response via its smart contract mechanism. Healthcare, however, is a complex system. Health information technology (HIT) so far, has not delivered its promise of transforming healthcare due to its complex socio-technical and context sensitive interaction. The introduction of blockchain technology will need to consider a whole range of socio-technical issues in order to improve the quality and safety of patient care. This paper presents a discussion on these socio-technical issues. More importantly, this paper argues that in order to achieve the best outcome from blockchain technology, there is a need to consider a clinical transformation from "information" to "value " and trust. This paper argues that urgent research is needed to address these socio-technical issues in order to facilitate best outcomes for blockchain in healthcare. These socio-technical issues must then be further evaluated by means of working prototypes in the medical domain in coming years.

  18. Global Biofuels at the Crossroads: An Overview of Technical, Policy, and Investment Complexities in the Sustainability of Biofuel Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen Araújo

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Biofuels have the potential to alter the transport and agricultural sectors of decarbonizing societies. Yet, the sustainability of these fuels has been questioned in recent years in connection with food versus fuel trade-offs, carbon accounting, and land use. Recognizing the complicated playing field for current decision-makers, we examine the technical attributes, policy, and global investment activity for biofuels (primarily liquids. Differences in feedstock and fuel types are considered, in addition to policy approaches of major producer countries. Issues with recent, policy-driven trade developments are highlighted to emphasize how systemic complexities associated with sustainability must also be managed. We conclude with near-term areas to watch.

  19. Writer`s guide for technical procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-12-01

    A primary objective of operations conducted in the US Department of Energy (DOE) complex is safety. Procedures are a critical element of maintaining a safety envelope to ensure safe facility operation. This DOE Writer`s Guide for Technical Procedures addresses the content, format, and style of technical procedures that prescribe production, operation of equipment and facilities, and maintenance activities. The DOE Writer`s Guide for Management Control Procedures and DOE Writer`s Guide for Emergency and Alarm Response Procedures are being developed to assist writers in developing nontechnical procedures. DOE is providing this guide to assist writers across the DOE complex in producing accurate, complete, and usable procedures that promote safe and efficient operations that comply with DOE orders, including DOE Order 5480.19, Conduct of Operations for DOE Facilities, and 5480.6, Safety of Department of Energy-Owned Nuclear Reactors.

  20. 222-S Laboratory complex hazards assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutton, L.N.

    1996-01-01

    This document establishes the technical basis in support of Emergency Planning activities for the 222-S Laboratory Complex on the Hanford Site. Through this document, the technical basis for the development of facility specific Emergency Action Levels and Emergency Planning Zone is demonstrated

  1. Technical writing versus technical writing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillingham, J. W.

    1981-01-01

    Two terms, two job categories, 'technical writer' and 'technical author' are discussed in terms of industrial and business requirements and standards. A distinction between 'technical writing' and technical 'writing' is made. The term 'technical editor' is also considered. Problems inherent in the design of programs to prepare and train students for these jobs are discussed. A closer alliance between industry and academia is suggested as a means of preparing students with competent technical communication skills (especially writing and editing skills) and good technical skills.

  2. Core Capabilities and Technical Enhancement -- FY-98 Annual Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, David Lynn

    1999-04-01

    The Core Capability and Technical Enhancement (CC&TE) Program, a part of the Verification, Validation, and Engineering Assessment Program, was implemented to enhance and augment the technical capabilities of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The purpose for strengthening the technical capabilities of the INEEL is to provide the technical base to serve effectively as the Environmental Management Laboratory for the Office of Environmental Management (EM). An analysis of EM's science and technology needs as well as the technology investments currently being made by EM across the complex was used to formulate a portfolio of research activities designed to address EM's needs without overlapping work being done elsewhere. An additional purpose is to enhance and maintain the technical capabilities and research infrastructure at the INEEL. This is a progress report for fiscal year 1998 for the five CC&TE research investment areas: (a) transport aspects of selective mass transport agents, (b) chemistry of environmental surfaces, (c) materials dynamics, (d) characterization science, and (e) computational simulation of mechanical and chemical systems. In addition to the five purely technical research areas, this report deals with the science and technology foundations element of the CC&TE from the standpoint of program management and complex-wide issues. This report also provides details of ongoing and future work in all six areas.

  3. Core capabilities and technical enhancement, FY-98 annual report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, D.L.

    1999-04-01

    The Core Capability and Technical Enhancement (CCTE) Program, a part of the Verification, Validation, and Engineering Assessment Program, was implemented to enhance and augment the technical capabilities of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The purpose for strengthening the technical capabilities of the INEEL is to provide the technical base to serve effectively as the Environmental Management Laboratory for the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM). An analysis of EM's science and technology needs as well as the technology investments currently being made by EM across the complex was used to formulate a portfolio of research activities designed to address EM's needs without overlapping work being done elsewhere. An additional purpose is to enhance and maintain the technical capabilities and research infrastructure at the INEEL. This is a progress report for fiscal year 1998 for the five CCTE research investment areas: (a) transport aspects of selective mass transport agents, (b) chemistry of environmental surfaces, (c) materials dynamics, (d) characterization science, and (e) computational simulation of mechanical and chemical systems. In addition to the five purely technical research areas, this report deals with the science and technology foundations element of the CCTE from the standpoint of program management and complex-wide issues. This report also provides details of ongoing and future work in all six areas.

  4. Cognitive training for technical and non-technical skills in robotic surgery: a randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raison, Nicholas; Ahmed, Kamran; Abe, Takashige; Brunckhorst, Oliver; Novara, Giacomo; Buffi, Nicolò; McIlhenny, Craig; van der Poel, Henk; van Hemelrijck, Mieke; Gavazzi, Andrea; Dasgupta, Prokar

    2018-05-07

    To investigate the effectiveness of motor imagery (MI) for technical skill and non-technical skill (NTS) training in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). A single-blind, parallel-group randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Vattikuti Institute of Robotic Surgery, King's College London. Novice surgeons were recruited by open invitation in 2015. After basic robotic skills training, participants underwent simple randomisation to either MI training or standard training. All participants completed a robotic urethrovesical anastomosis task within a simulated operating room. In addition to the technical task, participants were required to manage three scripted NTS scenarios. Assessment was performed by five blinded expert surgeons and a NTS expert using validated tools for evaluating technical skills [Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS)] and NTS [Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS)]. Quality of MI was assessed using a revised Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ). In all, 33 participants underwent MI training and 29 underwent standard training. Interrater reliability was high, Krippendorff's α = 0.85. After MI training, the mean (sd) GEARS score was significantly higher than after standard training, at 13.1 (3.25) vs 11.4 (2.97) (P = 0.03). There was no difference in mean NOTSS scores, at 25.8 vs 26.4 (P = 0.77). MI training was successful with significantly higher imagery scores than standard training (mean MIQ score 5.1 vs 4.5, P = 0.04). Motor imagery is an effective training tool for improving technical skill in MIS even in novice participants. No beneficial effect for NTS was found. © 2018 The Authors BJU International © 2018 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Chaotic Phenomena in Technical Control Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mosekilde, Erik

    1997-01-01

    The paper discusses a number of examples of technical control systems that can exhibit deterministic chaos and other forms of complex nonlinear behavior. These examples include thermostatically regulated radiators, closely placed refrigirators, and industrial cooling compressors. The paper contin...

  6. 10th International Conference on Dependability and Complex Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Mazurkiewicz, Jacek; Sugier, Jarosław; Walkowiak, Tomasz; Kacprzyk, Janusz

    2015-01-01

    Building upon a long tradition of scientifi c conferences dealing with problems of reliability in technical systems, in 2006 Department of Computer Engineering at Wrocław University of Technology established DepCoS-RELCOMEX series of events in order to promote a comprehensive approach to evaluation of system performability which is now commonly called dependability. Contemporary complex systems integrate variety of technical, information, soft ware and human (users, administrators and management) resources. Their complexity comes not only from involved technical and organizational structures but mainly from complexity of information processes that must be implemented in specific operational environment (data processing, monitoring, management, etc.). In such a case traditional methods of reliability evaluation focused mainly on technical levels are insufficient and more innovative, multidisciplinary methods of dependability analysis must be applied. Selection of submissions for these proceedings exemplify di...

  7. Flow assurance : complex phase behavior and complex work requires confidence and vigilance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, L.D. [ConocoPhillips, Major Projects, Advanced Integrated Simulation, Houston, TX (United States)

    2008-07-01

    Petroleum exploration and development projects and operations increasingly rely on flow assurance definition. Flow assurance is an integrating discipline as it follows the fluid from the reservoir to the market. Flow assurance works across complex technical and non-technical interfaces, including the reservoir, well completions, operation processes, project management, physical/organic chemistry, fluid mechanics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and corrosion. The phase behaviour in real fluids also has complex interfaces. The understanding and management of flow assurance of complex phase behaviour must be well communicated in order to enable proper selection, execution, and operation of development concepts designed to manage successful production within the fluid's phase behaviour. Simulation tools facilitate the translation of science into engineering. Academic, industrial, and field research is the core of these tools. The author cautioned that vigilance is required to assist and identify the right time to move innovation into the core tools.

  8. Modelling and Analysing Socio-Technical Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aslanyan, Zaruhi; Ivanova, Marieta Georgieva; Nielson, Flemming

    2015-01-01

    Modern organisations are complex, socio-technical systems consisting of a mixture of physical infrastructure, human actors, policies and processes. An in-creasing number of attacks on these organisations exploits vulnerabilities on all different levels, for example combining a malware attack...

  9. Modeling and Analysing Socio-Technical Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aslanyan, Zaruhi; Ivanova, Marieta G.; Nielson, Flemming; Probst, Christian W.

    2015-01-01

    Modern organisations are complex, socio-technical systems consisting of a mixture of physical infrastructure, human actors, policies and processes. An in- creasing number of attacks on these organisations exploits vulnerabilities on all different levels, for example combining a malware attack with

  10. Communication complexity and information complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pankratov, Denis

    Information complexity enables the use of information-theoretic tools in communication complexity theory. Prior to the results presented in this thesis, information complexity was mainly used for proving lower bounds and direct-sum theorems in the setting of communication complexity. We present three results that demonstrate new connections between information complexity and communication complexity. In the first contribution we thoroughly study the information complexity of the smallest nontrivial two-party function: the AND function. While computing the communication complexity of AND is trivial, computing its exact information complexity presents a major technical challenge. In overcoming this challenge, we reveal that information complexity gives rise to rich geometrical structures. Our analysis of information complexity relies on new analytic techniques and new characterizations of communication protocols. We also uncover a connection of information complexity to the theory of elliptic partial differential equations. Once we compute the exact information complexity of AND, we can compute exact communication complexity of several related functions on n-bit inputs with some additional technical work. Previous combinatorial and algebraic techniques could only prove bounds of the form theta( n). Interestingly, this level of precision is typical in the area of information theory, so our result demonstrates that this meta-property of precise bounds carries over to information complexity and in certain cases even to communication complexity. Our result does not only strengthen the lower bound on communication complexity of disjointness by making it more exact, but it also shows that information complexity provides the exact upper bound on communication complexity. In fact, this result is more general and applies to a whole class of communication problems. In the second contribution, we use self-reduction methods to prove strong lower bounds on the information

  11. Integrating technical and non-technical skills coaching in an acute trauma surgery team training: Is it too much?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alken, Alexander; Luursema, Jan-Maarten; Weenk, Mariska; Yauw, Simon; Fluit, Cornelia; van Goor, Harry

    2017-08-25

    Research on effective integration of technical and non-technical skills in surgery team training is sparse. In a previous study we found that surgical teachers predominantly coached on technical and hardly on non-technical skills during the Definitive Surgical and Anesthetic Trauma Care (DSATC) integrated acute trauma surgery team training. This study aims to investigate whether the priming of teachers could increase the amount of non-technical skills coaching during such a training. Coaching activities of 12 surgical teachers were recorded on audio and video. Six teachers were primed on non-technical skills coaching prior to the training. Six others received no priming and served as controls. Blind observers reviewed the recordings of 2 training scenario's and scored whether the observed behaviors were directed on technical or non-technical skills. We compared the frequency of the non-technical skills coaching between the primed and the non-primed teachers and analyzed for differences according to the trainees' level of experience. Surgical teachers coached trainees during the highly realistic DSATC integrated acute trauma surgery team training. Trainees performed damage control surgery in operating teams on anesthetized porcine models during 6 training scenario's. Twelve experienced surgical teachers participated in this study. Coaching on non-technical skills was limited to about 5%. The primed teachers did not coach more often on non-technical skills than the non-primed teachers. We found no differences in the frequency of non-technical skills coaching based on the trainees' level of experience. Priming experienced surgical teachers does not increase the coaching on non-technical skills. The current DSATC acute trauma surgery team training seems too complex for integrating training on technical and non-technical skills. Patient care, Practice based learning and improvement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The Technical Student Programme draws Norwegians

    CERN Multimedia

    2005-01-01

    Erik Hejne, second from left, Chairman of the Technical Students Committee, and Jens Vigen, who is concerned spefically with Norwegian students at CERN, with some of the Norwegian technical students who arrived at CERN in spring 2005, together with their teachers. From mid-April, CERN's PH and IT Departments are hosting ten Norwegian students from Bergen University College, the Sør-Trøndelag University College and the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim to take part in the Laboratory's Technical Student Programme. The Technical Student Programme is open to students of universities and technical higher education establishments in the Member States who, in the course of their studies, are required to complete a period of professional training in industry or in a laboratory. Around 70 Technical Students come to work at CERN each year. Selected by a committee, they spend between six months and one year with the Organization. The programme is funded by CERN. However, once the Laboratory's quota of...

  13. Energy efficiency interventions in UK higher education institutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altan, Hasim

    2010-01-01

    This paper provides an insight into energy efficiency interventions studies, focusing on issues arising in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) in particular. Based on a review of the context for energy efficiency and carbon reduction programmes in the UK and the trends in higher education sector, existing external and internal policies and initiatives and their relevant issues are extensively discussed. To explore the efficacy of some internal intervention strategies, such as technical, non-technical and management interventions, a survey was conducted among UK higher education institutions between February and April 2008. Consultation responses show that there are a relatively high percentage of institutions (83%) that have embarked on both technical and non-technical initiatives, which is a demonstration to the joined-up approach in such area. Major barriers for intervention studies are also identified, including lack of methodology, non-clarity of energy demand and consumption issues, difficulty in establishing assessment boundaries, problems with regards to indices and their effectiveness and so on. Besides establishing clear targets for carbon reductions within the sector, it is concluded that it is important to develop systems for effectively measuring and evaluating the impact of different policies, regulations and schemes in the future as the first step to explore. - Research Highlights: → The research provides an insight into energy efficiency interventions studies, focusing particularly on issues arising in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). → Based on a review of the context for energy efficiency and carbon reduction programmes in the UK and the trends in higher education sector, existing external and internal policies and initiatives, and their relevant issues are extensively discussed. → To explore the efficacy of some internal intervention strategies, such as technical, non-technical and management interventions, a survey was conducted

  14. Technical efficiency analysis for oilseed sunflower farms: a case study in Erzurum, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Külekçi, Murat

    2010-07-01

    The main purpose of this study was to examine the technical efficiency of farms producing sunflower in Erzurum, Turkey and to identify factors that might be causing inefficiency. Stochastic frontier analysis was used to measure technical efficiency. One hundred and seventeen randomly selected farms were interviewed for farm-level data in the 2004-2005 production period. Results revealed that the mean technical efficiency for the sunflower farms, estimated by the stochastic production frontier, is 64%. At full technical efficiency, on average, the farmers could reduce their inputs by around 56% without reducing their sunflower production, simply by improving technical efficiency. In the inefficiency model the parameter estimates showed that older farmers, higher level of farmer's education, more experienced farmers, larger farm size and higher information score resulted in lower technical inefficiency, while bigger family size and more credit usage resulted in higher technical inefficiency. This study proposes strategies such as providing better extension services and farmer-training programmes, including more educated people in sunflower farming and also expanding the sunflower-growing area through provision of adequate facilities in order to increase technical efficiency.

  15. Team dynamics in complex projects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oeij, P.; Vroome, E.E.M. de; Dhondt, S.; Gaspersz, J.B.R.

    2012-01-01

    Complexity of projects is hotly debated and a factor which affects innovativeness of team performance. Much attention in the past is paid to technical complexity and many issues are related to natural and physical sciences. A growing awareness of the importance of socioorganisational issues is

  16. Reduction of product platform complexity by vectorial Euclidean algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Navarrete, Israel Aguilera; Guzman, Alejandro A. Lozano

    2013-01-01

    In traditional machine, equipment and devices design, technical solutions are practically independent, thus increasing designs cost and complexity. Overcoming this situation has been tackled just using designer's experience. In this work, a product platform complexity reduction is presented based on a matrix representation of technical solutions versus product properties. This matrix represents the product platform. From this matrix, the Euclidean distances among technical solutions are obtained. Thus, the vectorial distances among technical solutions are identified in a new matrix of order of the number of technical solutions identified. This new matrix can be reorganized in groups with a hierarchical structure, in such a way that modular design of products is now more tractable. As a result of this procedure, the minimum vector distances are found thus being possible to identify the best technical solutions for the design problem raised. Application of these concepts is shown with two examples.

  17. A comparison of two methods for estimating the technical costs of external beam radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayman, James A.; Lash, Kathy A.; Tao, May L.; Halman, Marc A.

    2000-01-01

    treatment courses were as follows: palliative 'simple' $1,285 vs. $1,195; palliative 'complex' $2,345 vs. $1,769; curative breast $6,757 vs. $4,850; and curative prostate $9,453 vs. $7,498. Accordingly, the CCR estimates were 8%, 33%, 39%, and 26% higher than the CAS cost estimates, respectively. The primary cause of the difference between the estimates was the daily cost of delivering a 'complex' treatment. In fact, if corrected the difference between the estimates fell to 0%, 1%, 4%, and 0%, respectively. Similar results were observed for both methods when the analysis was repeated using data from another academic institution. Medicare reimbursement was also slightly lower than, but remarkably close to, the costs estimated by the CAS approach. Conclusions: For 'complex' treatment courses, which represent the vast majority of external beam treatments, technical costs estimated using the CCR approach appear to be significantly higher than those estimated using procedure-specific cost estimates. Because cost-effectiveness analyses of radiation therapy tend to be sensitive to the cost of treatment, the use of higher costs will result in radiation therapy appearing less cost-effective

  18. Physico technical conditions of X-ray study on the Russian X-ray diagnostic complexes Medics-R and Telemedics-R

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blinov, N.N.; Blinov, N.M. ml

    1999-01-01

    The exposure tables developed on the basis of technical tests and experience in applying new foreign X-ray films in combination with the national calcium-tungstate (TIS) and yttrium (YIS) intensification screens are proposed for the purpose of establishing the image electrical parameters (voltage and the X-ray tube current, exposure time) by certain geometry of the roentgenological study at the Medics-R and Telemedics-R complexes (focus, focal distance, raster-, screen- and film type). The difference in the screens sensitivity by work with the green-sensitive films depending on the anode voltage applied constitutes 2.5 (40-60 kV) up to 1.8 (above 60 kV). Attention is also paid to application of automatic means [ru

  19. Complexity, Contract Design and Incentive Design in the Construction Management Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Beg, Zeshawn Afsari

    2015-01-01

    In this paper I examine how one construction management company uses contract design and incentive design to respond to aspects of task complexity and relationship complexity present in its construction projects. In terms of contract design, I find that the company is unable to increase its use of cost-plus pricing when faced with technically complex projects. Instead, the company uses increased pre-execution design modification and price markups when technically complex projects are contract...

  20. Higher genus correlators for the complex matrix model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ambjorn, J.; Kristhansen, C.F.; Makeenko, Y.M.

    1992-01-01

    In this paper, the authors describe an iterative scheme which allows us to calculate any multi-loop correlator for the complex matrix model to any genus using only the first in the chain of loop equations. The method works for a completely general potential and the results contain no explicit reference to the couplings. The genus g contribution to the m-loop correlator depends on a finite number of parameters, namely at most 4g - 2 + m. The authors find the generating functional explicitly up to genus three. The authors show as well that the model is equivalent to an external field problem for the complex matrix model with a logarithmic potential

  1. The light-harvesting complexes of higher plant Photosystem I: Lhca1/4 and Lhca2/3 form two red-emitting heterodimers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wientjes, I.E.; Croce, R.

    2011-01-01

    The outer antenna of higher-plant PSI (Photosystem I) is composed of four complexes [Lhc (light-harvesting complex) a1-Lhca4] belonging to the light-harvesting protein family. Difficulties in their purification have so far prevented the determination of their properties and most of the knowledge

  2. The light-harvesting complexes of higher-plant Photosystem I : Lhca1/4 and Lhca2/3 form two red-emitting heterodimers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wientjes, Emilie; Croce, Roberta

    2011-01-01

    The outer antenna of higher-plant PSI (Photosystem I) is composed of four complexes [Lhc (light-harvesting complex) al-Lhca4] belonging to the light-harvesting protein family. Difficulties in their purification have so far prevented the determination of their properties and most of the knowledge

  3. Non-Technical Skill Gaps in Australian Business Graduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Denise; Chapman, Elaine

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The need for "job-ready" graduates has catalysed the development of non-technical skills in higher education institutions worldwide. Continued criticism of business school outcomes has provoked this examination of non-technical skill deficiencies in Australian business graduates. The purpose of this paper is to compare findings…

  4. Investigation of colourless complexes of thorium, hafnium and zirconium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiciak, S.; Stefanowicz, T.; Gontarz, H.; Swit, Z.

    1980-01-01

    The investigations conducted in the Institute of General Chemistry of Poznan Technical University in partial cooperation with Kharkhof Technical University related with thorium, hafnium and zirconium complexes are reviewed. (author)

  5. Promoting Creative Thinking Ability Using Contextual Learning Model in Technical Drawing Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mursid, R.

    2018-02-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is influence; the differences in the results between students that learn drawing techniques taught by the Contextual Innovative Model (CIM) and taught by Direct Instructional Model (DIM), the differences in achievement among students of technical drawing that have High Creative Thinking Ability (HCTA) with Low Creative Thinking Ability (LCTA), and the interaction between the learning model with the ability to think creatively to the achievement technical drawing. Quasi-experimental research method. Results of research appoint that: the achievement of students that learned technical drawing by using CIM is higher than the students that learned technical drawing by using DIM, the achievement of students of technical drawings HCTA is higher than the achievement of students who have technical drawing LCTA, and there are interactions between the use of learning models and creative thinking abilities in influencing student achievement technical drawing.

  6. Higher derivative discontinuous solutions to linear ordinary differential equations: a new route to complexity?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Datta, Dhurjati Prasad; Bose, Manoj Kumar

    2004-01-01

    We present a new one parameter family of second derivative discontinuous solutions to the simplest scale invariant linear ordinary differential equation. We also point out how the construction could be extended to generate families of higher derivative discontinuous solutions as well. The discontinuity can occur only for a subset of even order derivatives, viz., 2nd, 4th, 8th, 16th,.... The solutions are shown to break the discrete parity (reflection) symmetry of the underlying equation. These results are expected to gain significance in the contemporary search of a new dynamical principle for understanding complex phenomena in nature

  7. Modelling Social-Technical Attacks with Timed Automata

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    David, Nicolas; David, Alexandre; Hansen, Rene Rydhof

    2015-01-01

    . In this paper we develop an approach towards modelling socio-technical systems in general and socio-technical attacks in particular, using timed automata and illustrate its application by a complex case study. Thanks to automated model checking and automata theory, we can automatically generate possible attacks...... in our model and perform analysis and simulation of both model and attack, revealing details about the specific interaction between attacker and victim. Using timed automata also allows for intuitive modelling of systems, in which quantities like time and cost can be easily added and analysed....

  8. Workforce Development, Higher Education and Productive Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hordern, Jim

    2014-01-01

    Workforce development partnerships between higher education institutions and employers involve distinctive social and technical dynamics that differ from dominant higher education practices in the UK. The New Labour government encouraged such partnerships in England, including through the use of funding that aimed to stimulate reform to…

  9. Technical Efficiency and Organ Transplant Performance: A Mixed-Method Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    de-Pablos-Heredero, Carmen; Fernández-Renedo, Carlos; Medina-Merodio, Jose-Amelio

    2015-01-01

    Mixed methods research is interesting to understand complex processes. Organ transplants are complex processes in need of improved final performance in times of budgetary restrictions. As the main objective a mixed method approach is used in this article to quantify the technical efficiency and the excellence achieved in organ transplant systems and to prove the influence of organizational structures and internal processes in the observed technical efficiency. The results show that it is possible to implement mechanisms for the measurement of the different components by making use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The analysis show a positive relationship between the levels related to the Baldrige indicators and the observed technical efficiency in the donation and transplant units of the 11 analyzed hospitals. Therefore it is possible to conclude that high levels in the Baldrige indexes are a necessary condition to reach an increased level of the service offered. PMID:25950653

  10. Using multidetector-row CT in neonates with complex congenital heart disease to replace diagnostic cardiac catheterization for anatomical investigation: initial experiences in technical and clinical feasibility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Tain; Tsai, I.C.; Chen, Min-Chi; Fu, Yun-Ching; Jan, Sheng-Lin; Wang, Chung-Chi; Chang, Yen

    2006-01-01

    Echocardiography is the first-line modality for the investigation of neonatal congenital heart disease. Diagnostic cardiac catheterization, which has a small but recognized risk, is usually performed if echocardiography fails to provide a confident evaluation of the lesions. To verify the technical and clinical feasibilities of replacing diagnostic cardiac catheterization with multidetector-row CT (MDCT) in neonatal complex congenital heart disease. Over a 1-year period we prospectively enrolled all neonates with complex congenital heart disease referred for diagnostic cardiac catheterization after initial assessment by echocardiography. MDCT was performed using a 40-detector-row CT scanner with dual syringe injection. A multidisciplinary congenital heart disease team evaluated the MDCT images and decided if further diagnostic cardiac catheterization was necessary. The accuracy of MDCT in detecting separate cardiovascular anomalies and bolus geometry of contrast enhancement were calculated. A total of 14 neonates were included in the study. No further diagnostic cardiac catheterization was needed in any neonate. The accuracy of MDCT in diagnosing separate cardiovascular anomalies was 98% (53/54) with only one atrial septal defect missed in a patient with coarctation syndrome. The average cardiovascular enhancement in evaluated chambers was 471 HU. No obvious beam-hardening artefact was observed. The technical and clinical feasibility of MDCT in complex congenital heart disease in neonates is confirmed. After initial assessment with echocardiography, MDCT could probably replace diagnostic cardiac catheterization for further anatomical clarification in neonates. (orig.)

  11. Trust in technology a socio-technical perspective

    CERN Document Server

    Clarke, Karen; Rouncefield, Mark

    2006-01-01

    Encapsulates work done in the DIRC project (Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Dependability), bringing together a range of disciplinary approaches - computer science, sociology and software engineering - to produce a socio-technical systems perspective on the issues surrounding trust in technology in complex settings.

  12. How to be an Effective Technical Writer?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Solaiman Ali

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract--This paper has focused on technical writing as a skill for engineers. It has sought to define technical writing and throw light on the content and technique of writing the various components of successful technical reports (for example, articles, papers, or research reports, such as theses and dissertations. Then, it has highlighted other special features and principles of effective technical writing. The material in this paper is divided into seven major parts. Part 1 (Technical writing for engineers stresses that a successful engineering career requires strong writing skills. Part 2 (How to write the major sections or elements of a report describes the techniques of writing the abstract, introduction, literature review, procedure/methods & materials, results, discussion, conclusion, and recommendations. Part 3 (Special features of technical writing brings into focus some of the special features of technical writing such as tables & graphs in the text, graphics in instructions, team writing, ethics (plagiarism, document sources, three citation styles and IEEE reference style. Part 4 (Technical usage deals with writing abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms, numbers, units of measurement, and equations.Part 5 (Technical style highlights the imperative writing style and other features of technical writing such as the use of active and passive voices, plain vs. complex syntax, avoiding redundant or superfluous expressions, and vague generalities, using words or expressions with visual impact, the past tense to describe experimental work, the present tense to describe hypotheses, principles, theories and truths, and breaking up the text of the report into short sections. Part 6 (Document specifications emphasizes the technical writer’s need to conform to such document specifications as word count, format, font, number of words per line of text imposed. Part 7 (Reader-friendly technical writing suggests choosing the varied writing modes

  13. Managing teams performing complex innovation projects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oeij, P.R.A.; Vroome, E.M.M. de; Dhondt, S.; Gaspersz, J.B.R.

    2012-01-01

    Complexity of projects is hotly debated and a factor which affects innovativeness of team performance. Much attention in the past is paid to technical complexity and many issues are related to natural and physical sciences. A growing awareness of the importance of socio-organisational issues is

  14. Battling Data Breaches: For Higher Education Institutions, Data Breach Prevention is More Complex than for Industry and Business

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Madeline

    2015-01-01

    Data breach prevention is a battle, rarely plain and never simple. For higher education institutions, the Sisyphean aspects of the task are more complex than for industry and business. Two-year colleges have payrolls and vendor contracts like those enterprises. They also have public record and student confidentiality requirements. Colleges must…

  15. Science, engineering and technical service capabilities of Nevada higher education organizations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-09-01

    The objective of this document is to increase the current dialogue between members of Nevada`s higher education system and the leadership of the federal scientific community in Nevada in order to start and expand collaborative relationships. This section provides introductory material on Nevada institutions of higher education and research together with background information on the need for increased federal collaboration with Nevada higher education institutions.

  16. A Structured Reasoning Space for Design of Complex, Socio-Technical Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-10-01

    Battery Charge Dgti Sound Level Track & Album Sound uJ w LPwr Voltage-Sensing (Soae Ausnnt Selection Production Figure A-7. A predominantly technical...brittle in an unanticipated situation because it is based on event-dependent goals. 95 IPOD Functional Descriptions Means-Ends Relations E Music while...Traveling & Why [What >1 Running SPortable, Spontane us Selection of Music , Durable, Compact, Why What’ How Useable in all Countries, Noise -- :> a

  17. Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area (SCFA) Lead Laboratory Providing Technical Assistance to the DOE Weapons Complex in Subsurface Contamination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wright, J. A. Jr.; Corey, J. C.

    2002-01-01

    The Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area (SCFA), a DOE-HQ EM-50 organization, is hosted and managed at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina. SCFA is an integrated program chartered to find technology and scientific solutions to address DOE subsurface environmental restoration problems throughout the DOE Weapons Complex. Since its inception in 1989, the SCFA program has resulted in a total of 269 deployments of 83 innovative technologies. Until recently, the primary thrust of the program has been to develop, demonstrate, and deploy those remediation technology alternatives that are solutions to technology needs identified by the DOE Sites. Over the last several years, the DOE Sites began to express a need not only for innovative technologies, but also for technical assistance. In response to this need, DOE-HQ EM-50, in collaboration with and in support of a Strategic Lab Council recommendation directed each of its Focus Areas to implement a Lead Laboratory Concept to enhance their technical capabilities. Because each Focus Area is unique as defined by the contrast in either the type of contaminants involved or the environments in which they are found, the Focus Areas were given latitude in how they set up and implemented the Lead Lab Concept. The configuration of choice for the SCFA was a Lead-Partner Lab arrangement. Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) teamed with the SCFA as the Focus Area's Lead Laboratory. SRTC then partnered with the DOE National Laboratories to create a virtual consulting function within DOE. The National Laboratories were established to help solve the Nation's most difficult problems, drawing from a resource pool of the most talented and gifted scientists and engineers. Following that logic, SRTC, through the Lead-Partner Lab arrangement, has that same resource base to draw from to provide assistance to any SCFA DOE customer throughout the Complex. This paper briefly describes how this particular arrangement is organized and

  18. 2011 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TECHNICAL EXCHANGE - SUMMARY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seitz, R.

    2011-12-30

    The Performance Assessment Community of Practice (PA CoP) was developed in 2008 to improve consistency and quality in the preparation of performance assessments (PAs) and risk assessments across the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex. The term, PA, is used to represent all of these modeling applications in this report. The PA CoP goals are to foster the exchange of information among PA practitioners and to share lessons learned from PAs conducted for DOE, commercial disposal facilities, and international entities. Technical exchanges and workshops are a cornerstone of PA CoP activities. Previous technical exchanges have addressed Engineered Barriers (2009 - http://www.cresp.org/education/workshops/pacop/), the Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management and the Cementitious Barriers Partnership (2010 - http://srnl.doe.gov/copexchange/links.htm). Each technical exchange also includes summary presentations regarding activities at DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other organizations (e.g., International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)) as well as a number of presentations from selected sites to provide insight and perspective from on-going modeling activities. Through the deployment of PA Assistance Teams, the PA CoP has also been engaged in the development of new PAs across the DOE Complex. As a way of improving consistency in the preparation of new PAs, the teams provide technical advice and share experiences, noteworthy practices, and lessons learned from previous Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility Federal Review Group (LFRG) reviews. Teams have provided support for PAs at Hanford, Idaho, Paducah and Portsmouth. The third annual PA CoP Technical Exchange was held on May 25-26, 2011 in Atlanta, GA. The PA CoP Steering Committee Meeting held its first meeting on May 24 prior to the Technical Exchange. Decision making using models and software quality assurance were the topical emphasis for the exchange. A new feature at the 2011 technical

  19. Independent technical review, handbook

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-02-01

    Purpose Provide an independent engineering review of the major projects being funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. The independent engineering review will address questions of whether the engineering practice is sufficiently developed to a point where a major project can be executed without significant technical problems. The independent review will focus on questions related to: (1) Adequacy of development of the technical base of understanding; (2) Status of development and availability of technology among the various alternatives; (3) Status and availability of the industrial infrastructure to support project design, equipment fabrication, facility construction, and process and program/project operation; (4) Adequacy of the design effort to provide a sound foundation to support execution of project; (5) Ability of the organization to fully integrate the system, and direct, manage, and control the execution of a complex major project

  20. Independent technical review, handbook

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-02-01

    Purpose Provide an independent engineering review of the major projects being funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. The independent engineering review will address questions of whether the engineering practice is sufficiently developed to a point where a major project can be executed without significant technical problems. The independent review will focus on questions related to: (1) Adequacy of development of the technical base of understanding; (2) Status of development and availability of technology among the various alternatives; (3) Status and availability of the industrial infrastructure to support project design, equipment fabrication, facility construction, and process and program/project operation; (4) Adequacy of the design effort to provide a sound foundation to support execution of project; (5) Ability of the organization to fully integrate the system, and direct, manage, and control the execution of a complex major project.

  1. Structure of the higher plant light harvesting complex I: In vivo characterization and structural interdependence of the Lhca proteins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klimmek, F.; Ganeteg, U.; Ihalainen, J.A.; van Roon, H.; Jensen, P.E.; Scheller, H.V.; Dekker, J.P.; Jansson, S.

    2005-01-01

    We have investigated the structure of the higher plant light harvesting complex of photosystem I (LHCI) by analyzing PSI-LHCI particles isolated from a set of Arabidopsis plant lines, each lacking a specific Lhca (Lhca1-4) polypeptide. Functional antenna size measurements support the recent finding

  2. Structure of the higher plant light harvesting complex I: in vivo characterization and structural interdependence of the Lhca proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimmek, Frank; Ganeteg, Ulrika; Ihalainen, Janne A; van Roon, Henny; Jensen, Poul E; Scheller, Henrik V; Dekker, Jan P; Jansson, Stefan

    2005-03-01

    We have investigated the structure of the higher plant light harvesting complex of photosystem I (LHCI) by analyzing PSI-LHCI particles isolated from a set of Arabidopsis plant lines, each lacking a specific Lhca (Lhca1-4) polypeptide. Functional antenna size measurements support the recent finding that there are four Lhca proteins per PSI in the crystal structure [Ben-Shem, A., Frolow, F., and Nelson, N. (2003) Nature 426, 630-635]. According to HPLC analyses the number of pigment molecules bound within the LHCI is higher than expected from reconstitution studies or analyses of isolated native LHCI. Comparison of the spectra of the particles from the different lines reveals chlorophyll absorption bands peaking at 696, 688, 665, and 655 nm that are not present in isolated PSI or LHCI. These bands presumably originate from "gap" or "linker" pigments that are cooperatively coordinated by the Lhca and/or PSI proteins, which we have tentatively localized in the PSI-LHCI complex.

  3. Technical leadership development: Speeding up the process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilger, W.T.; Shropshire, J.C.; Coleman, S.L.; Collins, R.

    1993-01-01

    This paper describes the Applied Engineering Fundamentals Course, a 14-week course designed for newly hired U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) engineers and scientists who will assume oversight responsibilities at technically complex facilities. This course includes formal education and training, an applications course in the field, and rotational assignments

  4. Informational Reinforcement of Students’ Course Design Aimed at Promoting Engineers Training Quality in Technical Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. N. Guzanov

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Using the modern information technologies in educational process is regarded as one of the main directions in training the qualified specialists with systematic engineering thinking. The optimum combination of various educational technologies and computerized resources can improve teaching quality and promote students’ professional level. Taking as an example one of the basic technical disciplines of the engineering training curriculum at a technical higher school, the authors describe the computerized technology facilitating the course design. The technology in question - the «Reduktor» courseware - adapts the complex product of Autodesk –AutoCAD for educational purposes. The above program is the enhanced interface of AutoCAD, linked to the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and the reference data library used for designing the reduction gear. The experimental research, based on the qualimetric approach and continuous diagnostic and prognostic monitoring of the key indices of knowledge acquisition, proves the effectiveness of informational reinforcement of students self-dependent work. 

  5. Integrating technical analysis and public values in risk-based decision making

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bohnenblust, Hans; Slovic, Paul

    1998-01-01

    Simple technical analysis cannot capture the complex scope of preferences or values of society and individuals. However, decision making needs to be sustained by formal analysis. The paper describes a policy framework which incorporates both technical analysis and aspects of public values. The framework can be used as a decision supporting tool and helps decision makers to make more informed and more transparent decisions about safety issues

  6. TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AND TECHNICAL LEVEL INDICATORS APPLICATION FOR CIVIL AIRCRAFT FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES ANALYSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vadim V. Efimov

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Functional properties characterize the purpose of the aircraft and are described by its flight performance characteristics such as range and cruising speed, payload, runway characteristics, etc. Functional properties also characterize the aircraft efficiency that determines the objective need for their analysis by both aircraft designers and operators in conditions of permanent and systematic efficiency increase necessity. When choosing the aircraft, it is important for the operator to make sure that a selected aircraft type has a high level of functional properties, which will allow it to provide high operational efficiency without obsolescence in the long term. However, when choosing from several aircraft types the operator has to face the fact that some characteristics of considered aircraft variants are better and the others are worse that does not allow to definitely determine what aircraft type has a higher level of functional properties.The possibility of applying technical efficiency indicators and a generalized technical level indicator for analyzing the functional properties of civil aviation aircraft is explored in this article. Fuel, weight and target efficiency values as well as the previously improved technical level indicator value were calculated for the different generations and modifications of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families of medium-range airplanes, which was followed by the results interpretation within one airplane generation and when moving historically from one airplane generation to another. According to analysis results it is concluded that it is impossible to define the change of the aircraft functional properties level by the change in the values of separate technical efficiency indicators. Thus, it is proposed to use a generalized technical level indicator that determines the level of aircraft technical perfection for purpose and to use efficiency indicators to analyze the cost of providing this level of

  7. Technical specifications requirements: Automated reasoning applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lidsky, L.M.; Dobrzeniecki, A.B.

    1990-03-01

    Several software systems were developed and tested to determine what advantages could be gained from explicitly translating complicated regulatory requirements into computerized relationships. The Technical Specifications for US nuclear power plants were chosen as the test-bed application domain, and two analysis systems were developed to monitor plant compliance with operational limits, and track and schedule equipment test and maintenance activities mandated by Technical Specifications. Choosing PROLOG as the computer language to represent these regulatory requirements resulted in a natural match between the semantic structure of the written specifications and the corollary coded rules. Additional research results affirmed the utility of declarative programming styles, explicit management of problem complexity, and attention to the robustness and flexibility of the overall software systems. 5 refs., 2 figs

  8. CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES IN MANAGEMENT AND EDUCATIONAL PROCESS OF UKRAINIAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu. Tryus

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This study analyzes opportunities for using cloud technologies in higher education in Ukraine. On the basis of principles of the system approach, it examines the main task of cloud technologies, strategic and tactical goals of cloud computing at the technical universities, as well as problems that arise in their implementation in the educational process. The paper discusses the main trends in the use of cloud technologies in higher technical education, analyzes cloud services used by leading technical universities in Ukraine in management and learning. The typical structure of a Technical University is considered with public, private, and hybrid clouds. The experience of Cherkasy State Technological University in the use of cloud technologies at management and learning is presented. Considerations are particularly given to distance support, mobile, and blending learning, virtualization mechanism to support the students learning at natural, mathematical sciences and engineering through the utilization of individual desktops.

  9. Independent Technical (open-quotes Red Teamclose quotes) Reviews

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thullen, P.; Bennett, D.R.; Kosiewicz, S.T.; Weaver, D.L.

    1995-01-01

    Offices under the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) in the Department of Energy (DOE) and some National Laboratories are using Independent Technical or open-quotes Red Teamclose quotes Reviews to understand and improve the performance of major projects, major system acquisitions, programs and organizations. A core group formed in 1991 by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, has organized teams of commercial and private consultants to perform over fifteen Independent Technical Reviews (ITRs) throughout the DOE Complex. This paper discusses: review initiation, team formation, methodology, site response, and observations gathered over the past three years

  10. Methods for communicating technical information as public information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zara, S.A.

    1987-01-01

    Many challenges face the nuclear industry, especially in the waste management area. One of the biggest challenges is effective communication with the general public. Technical complexity, combined with the public's lack of knowledge and negative emotional response, complicate clear communication of radioactive waste management issues. The purpose of this session is to present and discuss methods for overcoming these obstacles and effectively transmitting technical information as public information. The methods presented encompass audio, visual, and print approaches to message transmission. To support these methods, the author also discusses techniques, based on current research, for improving the communication process

  11. Prediction of higher cost of antiretroviral therapy (ART) according to clinical complexity. A validated clinical index.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velasco, Cesar; Pérez, Inaki; Podzamczer, Daniel; Llibre, Josep Maria; Domingo, Pere; González-García, Juan; Puig, Inma; Ayala, Pilar; Martín, Mayte; Trilla, Antoni; Lázaro, Pablo; Gatell, Josep Maria

    2016-03-01

    The financing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is generally determined by the cost incurred in the previous year, the number of patients on treatment, and the evidence-based recommendations, but not the clinical characteristics of the population. To establish a score relating the cost of ART and patient clinical complexity in order to understand the costing differences between hospitals in the region that could be explained by the clinical complexity of their population. Retrospective analysis of patients receiving ART in a tertiary hospital between 2009 and 2011. Factors potentially associated with a higher cost of ART were assessed by bivariate and multivariate analysis. Two predictive models of "high-cost" were developed. The normalized estimated (adjusted for the complexity scores) costs were calculated and compared with the normalized real costs. In the Hospital Index, 631 (16.8%) of the 3758 patients receiving ART were responsible for a "high-cost" subgroup, defined as the highest 25% of spending on ART. Baseline variables that were significant predictors of high cost in the Clinic-B model in the multivariate analysis were: route of transmission of HIV, AIDS criteria, Spanish nationality, year of initiation of ART, CD4+ lymphocyte count nadir, and number of hospital admissions. The Clinic-B score ranged from 0 to 13, and the mean value (5.97) was lower than the overall mean value of the four hospitals (6.16). The clinical complexity of the HIV patient influences the cost of ART. The Clinic-B and Clinic-BF scores predicted patients with high cost of ART and could be used to compare and allocate costs corrected for the patient clinical complexity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

  12. The technical support organization at BNL is twenty years old

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Indusi, J.P.

    1988-01-01

    The Technical Support Organization was established by the Atomic Energy Commission in January 1968 at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The original idea came from a small group of scientists at BNL. The group included Willy Higinbotham, Herb Kouts, Frank Miles, Richard Dodson, and Gerhardt Friedlander. The AEC endorsed the idea of a technical support group to provide technical assistance to AEC's Office of Safeguards and Materials Management and they sent requests for expressions of interest throughout the complex. For a number of reasons, to be discussed in the paper, the Technical Support Organization was established at BNL. An early project was the Conceptual Design for Safeguarding Nuclear Material which formed the first logical and systematic description of the integration of several elements into a safeguards system for protecting nuclear materials. Many other projects were undertaken over the years. TSO today provides technical assistance to the DOE Office of Safeguards and Secuirty, the Office of Classification and Technology Policy, and the Office of Security Evaluations. Technical support to the IAEA is provided under the Program of Technical Assistance to Agency Safeguards (POTAS). Recently, TSO began a program of technical assistance to the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in the area of nuclear systems security

  13. Cooperation, complexity and adaptation: higher education capacity initiatives in international development assistance programmes in sub-Saharan Africa.

    OpenAIRE

    McEvoy, Peter

    2018-01-01

    At a time when global relations are characterised by great complexity, uncertainty and inequality, the role of higher education is crucial for a balanced and coherent development strategy, and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is especially true for countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a critical need to generate knowledge that can be used in the service of social and economic development, human rights and climate change adaptation. The study concern...

  14. Agent-Based Modeling and Analysis of Socio-Technical Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sharpanskykh, O.

    2011-01-01

    Socio-technical systems are characterized by high structural and behavioral complexities, which impede understanding and modeling of such systems. In particular, reciprocal relations between diverse local system processes that determine global system dynamics are not well understood. In this article

  15. Contextualizing Distributed Leadership in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sewerin, Thomas; Holmberg, Robert

    2017-01-01

    This case study of development in a technical university situates distributed leadership in higher education in an organizational perspective. Analysis of documentation from development programs and interviews with 10 faculty members showed that leadership practices were related to different institutional logics prominent in four key activities in…

  16. Managing complexity insights, concepts, applications

    CERN Document Server

    Helbing, Dirk

    2007-01-01

    Each chapter in Managing Complexity focuses on analyzing real-world complex systems and transferring knowledge from the complex-systems sciences to applications in business, industry and society. The interdisciplinary contributions range from markets and production through logistics, traffic control, and critical infrastructures, up to network design, information systems, social conflicts and building consensus. They serve to raise readers' awareness concerning the often counter-intuitive behavior of complex systems and to help them integrate insights gained in complexity research into everyday planning, decision making, strategic optimization, and policy. Intended for a broad readership, the contributions have been kept largely non-technical and address a general, scientifically literate audience involved in corporate, academic, and public institutions.

  17. TECHNICAL SUPPORT AS A BASIS OF HIGH AVAILABILITY LEVEL AND IT SYSTEM SERVICE QUALITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dejan Vidojevic

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available This work presents the development and implementation methodology of technical support in IT1system operation. Methodology is developed and applied in realistic system (Information system of the Tax administration - DIS 2003, which is technically very complex and highly distributed. The results of IT system availability assessment and identification of the critical components are input parameters in the process of establishing of the technical support. The importance of technical support for achieving optimal IT system availability and IT service quality is assessed according to its operation during one year. The history of technical support system operation is a basis for further continuous improvement.

  18. Fifty years of Technical Cooperation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established in Vienna in 1957. The Statute of the IAEA, approved by 81 nations, founded the organization on three pillars: nuclear verification; safety and security; and the transfer of technology. Today, these three pillars still remain at the heart of the organization's work. However, the way in which the IAEA carries out this work, particularly with regard to technology transfer, has changed greatly over the years. When the IAEA opened for business, nuclear science and technology were in their infancy. Many Member States had no nuclear capacity at all. The IAEA's 'technical assistance' programme, as it was then known, was modest. Early projects were small in scale and short lived, focusing mainly on building human capacities and creating institutions and facilities that would support the introduction of nuclear technology in a safe and effective manner. Today, the picture is more complex. Instead of merely offering assistance, the IAEA focuses on cooperation for sustainable socioeconomic development, building on the skills and infrastructure that Member States have acquired over the past five decades. Member States are full partners in the process, guiding the IAEA's technical cooperation activities, setting national and regional priorities, and offering training opportunities and technical support to the IAEA and to other Member States. Technical cooperation between developing countries is facilitated and supported through regional cooperative agreements. Regional centres of expertise play an important role in sharing the benefits of nuclear science and technology among Member States

  19. Technical efficiency of FDI firms in the Vietnamese manufacturing sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vu Hoang Duong

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The study examines technical efficiency of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI firms in the Vietnamese manufacturing sector by applying stochastic production frontier model and making use of cross-sectional data in the period 2009-2013. The average level of technical efficiency of FDI firms is about 60% and it is higher than that of domestic firms (including private firms and state-owned firms. In addition, the study also analyses correlation between technical efficiency of FDI firms and other factors. It finds that there are positive correlations between FDI technical efficiency and net revenue per labour, firm’s age or export activities in 2013. However, the study is unable to find evidence of a relationship between FDI technical efficiency and infrastructure or firm’s investment activities.

  20. Modeling technical change in climate analysis: evidence from agricultural crop damages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Adeel; Devadason, Evelyn S; Al-Amin, Abul Quasem

    2017-05-01

    This study accounts for the Hicks neutral technical change in a calibrated model of climate analysis, to identify the optimum level of technical change for addressing climate changes. It demonstrates the reduction to crop damages, the costs to technical change, and the net gains for the adoption of technical change for a climate-sensitive Pakistan economy. The calibrated model assesses the net gains of technical change for the overall economy and at the agriculture-specific level. The study finds that the gains of technical change are overwhelmingly higher than the costs across the agriculture subsectors. The gains and costs following technical change differ substantially for different crops. More importantly, the study finds a cost-effective optimal level of technical change that potentially reduces crop damages to a minimum possible level. The study therefore contends that the climate policy for Pakistan should consider the role of technical change in addressing climate impacts on the agriculture sector.

  1. Technical review of the da Vinci surgical telemanipulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freschi, C; Ferrari, V; Melfi, F; Ferrari, M; Mosca, F; Cuschieri, A

    2013-12-01

    The da Vinci robotic surgical telemanipulator has been utilized in several surgical specialties for varied procedures, and the users' experiences have been widely published. To date, no detailed system technical analyses have been performed. A detailed review was performed of all publications and patents about the technical aspects of the da Vinci robotic system. Published technical literature on the da Vinci system highlight strengths and weaknesses of the robot design. While the system facilitates complex surgical operations and has a low malfunction rate, the lack of haptic (especially tactile) feedback and collisions between the robotic arms remain the major limitations of the system. Accurate, preplanned positioning of access ports is essential. Knowledge of the technical aspects of the da Vinci robot is important for optimal use. We confirmed the excellent system functionality and ease of use for surgeons without an engineering background. Research and development of the surgical robot has been predominant in the literature. Future trends address robot miniaturization and intelligent control design. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Prototype for an automated technical specification information system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quinn, E.L.; Mills, R.H.; Groves, J.E.

    1985-01-01

    The Southern California Edison (SCE) Automated Technical Specification Information System (ATSIS) at the San Onofre nuclear generating station (SONGS) has been developed as a prototype for an on-line information management system. This system provides an appropriate level of update, inquiry, and report generation capabilities to help support plant operators at SONGS in their efforts to anticipate, identify, document, and track certain actions and activities associated with plant technical specifications and associated limiting conditions of operation (LCOs). Substantially increased emphasis is being placed on adherence to nuclear regulatory requirements and commitments contained on the operating licenses of nuclear power plants. Additionally, as each year passes, such requirements are becoming increasingly detailed and complex, making it more and more difficult to track and ensure total compliance with the many and varied requirements. To assist the operations department at SONGs in meeting their regulatory commitments, in January 1985 SCE commenced gathering together the leading technical expertise available in the industry to develop a computerized system to track all technical specification-related equipment for operability and impact on LCOs

  3. Network learning as an educational principle in higher education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kruijf, de M.; Stobbelaar, D.J.

    2015-01-01

    The traditional way of educating nature management students, in which students are trained to solve relatively simple and technical problems, is no longer sufficient. Societies are changing towards a network society, which makes nature management more complex. This asks for new competences and new

  4. [Classification and review of technical devices for hypoxia therapy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopata, V O; Berezovs'kyĭ, V Ia; Levashov, M I; Kyienko, V M

    2003-01-01

    In the report there considered and compared the functional and constructive features of hipoxicators, divided in classification groups. The complex of medico-technical requirements to hipoxicators is formulated; prospects of perfection of therapeutic and diagnostic methods for hypoxitherapy and their hardware are estimated.

  5. Influence of admission marks on the academic performance of technical architecture students

    OpenAIRE

    Gaspar Fàbregas, Kàtia; Núñez Andrés, María Amparo; Rodríguez Jordana, Juan; Jordana Riba, Francisco de Paula

    2016-01-01

    Traditionally, students from higher training cycle and upper secondary school education access higher technical education with a wide range of access marks in each group. The purpose of this article is to analyse how students’ backgrounds and access marks really influence their success in the first academic year and further evolution to obtain the degree of Technical Architecture. To achieve this aim, the progress of students from different backgrounds was analysed for three acade...

  6. 1996 DOE technical standards program workshop: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-07-01

    The workshop theme is `The Strategic Standardization Initiative - A Technology Exchange and Global Competitiveness Challenge for DOE.` The workshop goal is to inform the DOE technical standards community of strategic standardization activities taking place in the Department, other Government agencies, standards developing organizations, and industry. Individuals working on technical standards will be challenged to improve cooperation and communications with the involved organizations in response to the initiative. Workshop sessions include presentations by representatives from various Government agencies that focus on coordination among and participation of Government personnel in the voluntary standards process; reports by standards organizations, industry, and DOE representatives on current technology exchange programs; and how the road ahead appears for `information superhighway` standardization. Another session highlights successful standardization case studies selected from several sites across the DOE complex. The workshop concludes with a panel discussion on the goals and objectives of the DOE Technical Standards Program as envisioned by senior DOE management. The annual workshop on technical standards has proven to be an effective medium for communicating information related to standards throughout the DOE community. Technical standards are used to transfer technology and standardize work processes to produce consistent, acceptable results. They provide a practical solution to the Department`s challenge to protect the environment and the health and safety of the public and workers during all facility operations. Through standards, the technologies of industries and governments worldwide are available to DOE. The DOE Technical Standards Program, a Department-wide effort that crosscuts all organizations and disciplines, links the Department to those technologies.

  7. Elements of complexity in subsurface modeling, exemplified with three case studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freedman, Vicky L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Truex, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Rockhold, Mark [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Bacon, Diana H. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Freshley, Mark D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Wellman, Dawn M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2017-04-03

    There are complexity elements to consider when applying subsurface flow and transport models to support environmental analyses. Modelers balance the benefits and costs of modeling along the spectrum of complexity, taking into account the attributes of more simple models (e.g., lower cost, faster execution, easier to explain, less mechanistic) and the attributes of more complex models (higher cost, slower execution, harder to explain, more mechanistic and technically defensible). In this paper, modeling complexity is examined with respect to considering this balance. The discussion of modeling complexity is organized into three primary elements: 1) modeling approach, 2) description of process, and 3) description of heterogeneity. Three examples are used to examine these complexity elements. Two of the examples use simulations generated from a complex model to develop simpler models for efficient use in model applications. The first example is designed to support performance evaluation of soil vapor extraction remediation in terms of groundwater protection. The second example investigates the importance of simulating different categories of geochemical reactions for carbon sequestration and selecting appropriate simplifications for use in evaluating sequestration scenarios. In the third example, the modeling history for a uranium-contaminated site demonstrates that conservative parameter estimates were inadequate surrogates for complex, critical processes and there is discussion on the selection of more appropriate model complexity for this application. All three examples highlight how complexity considerations are essential to create scientifically defensible models that achieve a balance between model simplification and complexity.

  8. Tribal Colleges and Universitie/American Indian Higher Education Consortium Advanced Manufacturing Technical Assistance Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atcitty, Stanley [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-09-01

    The National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) created a Minority Serving Institution Partnership Plan (MSIPP) to 1) align investments in a university capacity and workforce development with the NNSA mission to develop the needed skills and talent for NNSA’s enduring technical workforce at the laboratories and production plants and 2) to enhance research and education at under-represented colleges and universities. Out of this effort, MSIPP launched a new program in early FY17 focused on Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The following report summarizes the project focus and status update during this reporting period.

  9. Tribal Colleges and Universitie/American Indian Higher Education Consortium Advanced Manufacturing Technical Assistance Project.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atcitty, Stanley [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2018-02-01

    The National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) created a Minority Serving Institution Partnership Plan (MSIPP) to 1) align investments in a university capacity and workforce development with the NNSA mission to develop the needed skills and talent for NNSA’s enduring technical workforce at the laboratories and production plants and 2) to enhance research and education at under-represented colleges and universities. Out of this effort, MSIPP launched a new program in early FY17 focused on Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The following report summarizes the project focus and status update during this reporting period.

  10. Incorporating organizational factors into Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) of complex socio-technical systems: A hybrid technique formalization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohaghegh, Zahra; Kazemi, Reza; Mosleh, Ali

    2009-01-01

    This paper is a result of a research with the primary purpose of extending Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) modeling frameworks to include the effects of organizational factors as the deeper, more fundamental causes of accidents and incidents. There have been significant improvements in the sophistication of quantitative methods of safety and risk assessment, but the progress on techniques most suitable for organizational safety risk frameworks has been limited. The focus of this paper is on the choice of 'representational schemes' and 'techniques.' A methodology for selecting appropriate candidate techniques and their integration in the form of a 'hybrid' approach is proposed. Then an example is given through an integration of System Dynamics (SD), Bayesian Belief Network (BBN), Event Sequence Diagram (ESD), and Fault Tree (FT) in order to demonstrate the feasibility and value of hybrid techniques. The proposed hybrid approach integrates deterministic and probabilistic modeling perspectives, and provides a flexible risk management tool for complex socio-technical systems. An application of the hybrid technique is provided in the aviation safety domain, focusing on airline maintenance systems. The example demonstrates how the hybrid method can be used to analyze the dynamic effects of organizational factors on system risk

  11. INDOT Technical Training Plan : [Technical Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    A wide range of job classifications, increasing technical : performance expectations, licensing and certification requirements, : budget restrictions and frequent department : reorganization has made technical training of employees : more difficult, ...

  12. Identification of mine rescue equipment reduction gears technical condition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerike, B. L.; Klishin, V. I.; Kuzin, E. G.

    2017-09-01

    The article presents the reasons for adopting intelligent service of mine belt conveyer drives concerning evaluation of their technical condition based on the diagnostic techniques instead of regular preventative maintenance. The article reveals the diagnostic results of belt conveyer drive reduction gears condition taking into account the parameters of lubricating oil, vibration and temperature. Usage of a complex approach to evaluate technical conditions allows reliability of the forecast to be improved, which makes it possible not only to prevent accidental breakdowns and eliminate unscheduled downtime, but also to bring sufficient economic benefits through reduction of the term and scope of work during overhauls.

  13. Artificial intelligence system for technical diagnostics of photomasks

    OpenAIRE

    Kozin A. A.; Kozina Yu. Yu.

    2012-01-01

    The developed artificial intelligence system has a high level of noise immunity, so its inclusion in the hardware and software for technical diagnostics of photomasks will reduce the hardware requirements for its execution, and thereby reduce the cost of the complex. As a result it will allow to make a small-scale production profitable.

  14. Liability and automation : issues and challenges for socio-technical systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Contissa, G.; Laukyte, M.; Sartor, G.; Schebesta, H.; Masutti, A.; Lanzi, P.; Marti, P.; Tomasello, P.

    2013-01-01

    Who is responsible for accidents in highly automated systems? How do we apportion liability among the various participants in complex socio-technical organisations? How can different liability regulations at different levels (supranational, national, local) be harmonized? How do we provide for

  15. Effects of humic substances on the migration of radionuclides: complexation and transport of actinides. First technical progress report (work period 01.97 - 12.97)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buckau, G.

    1998-08-01

    The present report describes progress within the first year of the EC-project 'Effects of Humic Substances on the Migration of Radionuclides: Complexation and Transport of Actinides'. The project is conducted within the EC-Cluster 'Radionuclide Transport/Retardation Processes'. Contrary to formal requirements of the Commission, this report with a great deal of detail is established already after one year of project work. It is scheduled to be followed by a second technical progress report covering the second year of the project. In agreement with the contractual obligations a final report of similar technical detail will also be generated. The report contains an executive summary written by the coordinator (FZK/INE) with strong support from the other three task leaders (BGS, CEA-SGC and RMC-E). More detailed results are given by individual contributions of the project partners in 13 annexes. In the executive summary report the origin of results presented is given, also serving as guidance for finding more detailed results in the annexes. Not all results are discussed or referred to in the executive summary report and thus readers with a deeper interest also need to consult the annexes. (orig.)

  16. Selection of rational technical solutions in designing a robotized assembly complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrov, B.M.; Rasulbekov, R.I.

    1984-01-01

    One of the methods permitting a more objective approach to decision making in design is the method of ordered search which, in combination with the methods of expert estimate was used in designing the robotized assembly-finishing complex for automobile tires. The assembly-finishing complex consists of a number of functionally independent parts, i.e., modules provided with manipulators and mutually connected by a transport system with intermediate storage. The modified method of ordered search, examined in the present work, was therefore used for each module separately, and not for the complex as a whole. We will examine the main principles of our approach to the selection of design solutions for the example of a module for laying on the bottom-cushion cords

  17. Underground nuclear energy complexes - technical and economic advantages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Myers, Carl W [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Kunze, Jay F [IDAHO STATE UNIV; Giraud, Kellen M [BABECOCK AND WILCOX; Mahar, James M [IDAHO STATE UNIV

    2010-01-01

    Underground nuclear power plant parks have been projected to be economically feasible compared to above ground instalIations. This paper includes a thorough cost analysis of the savings, compared to above ground facilities, resulting from in-place entombment (decommissioning) of facilities at the end of their life. reduced costs of security for the lifetime of the various facilities in the underground park. reduced transportation costs. and reduced costs in the operation of the waste storage complex (also underground). compared to the fair share of the costs of operating a national waste repository.

  18. Ultrashort optical solitons in the cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with higher-order terms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fewo, Serge I.; Kofane, Timoleon C.; Ngabireng, Claude M.

    2008-01-01

    With the help of the Maxwell equations, a basic equation modeling the propagation of ultrashort optical solitons in optical fiber is derived, namely the higher-order complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (HCGLE). Considering this one-dimensional HCGLE, we obtain a set of differential equations characterizing the variation of the pulse parameters called collective variables (CVs), of a pulse propagating in dispersion-managed (DM) fiber optic-links. Equations obtained are investigated numerically in order to observe the behaviour of pulse parameters along the optical fiber. A fully numerical simulation of the one-dimensional HCGLE finally tests the results of the CV theory. A good agreement between both methods is observed. Among various behaviours, chaotic pulses, attenuate pulses and stable pulses can be obtained under certain parameter values. (author)

  19. Higher Education Systems 3.0: Harnessing Systemness, Delivering Performance. Critical Issues in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, Jason E., Ed.; Johnstone, D. Bruce, Ed.

    2013-01-01

    This thought-provoking volume brings together scholars and system leaders to analyze some of the most pressing and complex issues now facing higher education systems and society. Higher Education Systems 3.0 focuses on the remaking of higher education coordination in an era of increased accountability, greater calls for productivity, and…

  20. Worker Characteristics moderate the Impact of Socio - technical Workplace Interventions on Job Satisfaction

    OpenAIRE

    Mörtl, Peter; Schafler, Marlene; Lacueva-Pérez, Francisco José

    2017-01-01

    Workers’ job satisfaction is considered a critical indicator for the effectiveness of socio-technical interventions in the work place. However, job satisfaction represents a complex psychological phenomenon with many contributing factors that can be difficult to assess. To facilitate assessments of job satisfaction we review psychological theories and metrics of job satisfaction to investigate implications for socio-technical interventions. The findings suggest that the design and introductio...

  1. Environmental data quality problems: ''Technical'' vs. ''legal'' defensibility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luker, R.S.; Brooks, M.C.; Stagg, D.D.

    1995-01-01

    Two significant aspects of environmental data quality are currently being emphasized throughout the industry as critical precursors to environmental decision making: technical integrity and legal defensibility. Because audit findings and consequent perceptions by a client often pose more questions than answers--especially with respect to the ''systemic'' nature and significance of problems based on nonstatistical, ad hoc sampling of large programs--quality assurance in environmental restoration must do more than implement traditional administrative controls. A major problem persists in achieving a consensus opinion between quality assurance and technical staff on the significance of various data problems. This case study compares and contrasts ''technical integrity'' and ''legal defensibility'', and provides performance measures developed to optimize both components in a large, complex DOE environmental restoration program. Performance measures of both administrative and technical processes are being used to ensure that conclusions drawn concerning ''systematic'' problems are not premature, and are founded on thorough, representative aspects of the program. Improved methods to reach consensus opinions on environmental decision-making are imperative and environmental data quality, the cornerstone on which the decisions are built, must be not only scientifically solid, but perceived as solid, if stakeholders are to be satisfied

  2. Necessity of creating digital tools to ensure efficiency of technical means

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakov, V. I.; Zakharova, O. V.

    2018-05-01

    The authors estimated the problems of functioning of technical objects. The article notes that the increasing complexity of automation systems may lead to an increase of the redundant resource in proportion to the number of components and relationships in the system, and to the need of the redundant resource constant change that can make implementation of traditional structures with redundancy unnecessarily costly (Standby System, Fault Tolerance, High Availability). It proposes the idea of creating digital tools to ensure efficiency of technical facilities.

  3. A higher-complex carbohydrate diet in gestational diabetes mellitus achieves glucose targets and lowers postprandial lipids: a randomized crossover study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Teri L; Van Pelt, Rachael E; Anderson, Molly A; Daniels, Linda J; West, Nancy A; Donahoo, William T; Friedman, Jacob E; Barbour, Linda A

    2014-01-01

    The conventional diet approach to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) advocates carbohydrate restriction, resulting in higher fat (HF), also a substrate for fetal fat accretion and associated with maternal insulin resistance. Consequently, there is no consensus about the ideal GDM diet. We hypothesized that, compared with a conventional, lower-carbohydrate/HF diet (40% carbohydrate/45% fat/15% protein), consumption of a higher-complex carbohydrate (HCC)/lower-fat (LF) Choosing Healthy Options in Carbohydrate Energy (CHOICE) diet (60/25/15%) would result in 24-h glucose area under the curve (AUC) profiles within therapeutic targets and lower postprandial lipids. Using a randomized, crossover design, we provided 16 GDM women (BMI 34 ± 1 kg/m2) with two 3-day isocaloric diets at 31 ± 0.5 weeks (washout between diets) and performed continuous glucose monitoring. On day 4 of each diet, we determined postprandial (5 h) glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TGs), and free fatty acids (FFAs) following a controlled breakfast meal. There were no between-diet differences for fasting or mean nocturnal glucose, but 24-h AUC was slightly higher (∼6%) on the HCC/LF CHOICE diet (P = 0.02). The continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) revealed modestly higher 1- and 2-h postprandial glucose on CHOICE (1 h, 115 ± 2 vs. 107 ± 3 mg/dL, P ≤ 0.01; 2 h, 106 ± 3 vs. 97 ± 3 mg/dL, P = 0.001) but well below current targets. After breakfast, 5-h glucose and insulin AUCs were slightly higher (P diet. This highly controlled study randomizing isocaloric diets and using a CGMS is the first to show that liberalizing complex carbohydrates and reducing fat still achieved glycemia below current treatment targets and lower postprandial FFAs. This diet strategy may have important implications for preventing macrosomia.

  4. Artificial intelligence system for technical diagnostics of photomasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kozin A. A.

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available The developed artificial intelligence system has a high level of noise immunity, so its inclusion in the hardware and software for technical diagnostics of photomasks will reduce the hardware requirements for its execution, and thereby reduce the cost of the complex. As a result it will allow to make a small-scale production profitable.

  5. Technical training: AXEL-2009 - Introduction to Particle Accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2009-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2009: Learning for the LHC! AXEL-2009 is a course series on particle accelerators, given at CERN within the framework of the 2009 Technical Training Program. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the ‘PS Shutdown Course’), the general accelerator physics module as been organized since 2003 as a joint venture between the AB Department and Technical Training Service, and is open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2009 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is also open to technicians, engineers, and physicists interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge of accelerators. However, some basic knowledge of trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course series will be composed of 10 one-hour lectures (mornings and afternoons) from 19 to 23 January 2009, and will be given i...

  6. Technical Training: AXEL-2005 - Introduction to Particle Accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    Monique Duval

    2005-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2005: Learning for the LHC! AXEL-2005 is a course series on particle accelerators, given at CERN within the framework of the 2005 Technical Training Programme. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the 'PS Shutdown Course', now AB/OP), the general accelerator physics section is organised since 2003 as a joint venture between the AB department and Technical Training, and is open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2005 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is open to all people (technicians, engineers, physicists) interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge on accelerators. However, some basic knowledge on trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course will be given in French on course supports in English; questions and answers possible in both languages. AXEL-2005 - I...

  7. Technical training: AXEL-2006 - Introduction to Particle Accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    Davide Vitè

    2006-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2006: Learning for the LHC! AXEL-2006 is a course series on particle accelerators, given at CERN within the framework of the 2006 Technical Training Programme. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the 'PS Shutdown Course'), the general accelerator physics module is organised since 2003 as a joint venture between the AB department and Technical Training, and is open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2006 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is open to technicians, engineers, and physicists interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge on accelerators. However, some basic knowledge on trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course series will be composed of 10 one-hour lectures (mornings and afternoons) during the week 6-10 February March 2006, and given in English...

  8. Technical Training: AXEL-2005: Introduction to Particle Accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    Monique Duval

    2005-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2005: Learning for the LHC! AXEL-2005 is a course series on particle accelerators, given at CERN within the framework of the 2005 Technical Training Programme. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the 'PS Shutdown Course', now AB/OP), the general accelerator physics section is organised since 2003 as a joint venture between the AB department and Technical Training, and is open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2005 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is open to all people (technicians, engineers, physicists) interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge on accelerators. However, some basic knowledge on trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course series will be composed of 10 one-hour lectures (mornings and afternoons) during the week 14-18 March 2005, given in Fr...

  9. Technical training: AXEL-2009 - Introduction to Particle Accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2009: Learning for the LHC! AXEL-2009 is a course series on particle accelerators, given at CERN within the framework of the 2009 Technical Training Program. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the ‘PS Shutdown Course’), the general accelerator physics module is organized since 2003 as a joint venture between the AB department and Technical Training, and is open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2009 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is open to technicians, engineers, and physicists interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge on accelerators. However, some basic knowledge on trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course series will be composed of 10 one-hour lectures (mornings and afternoons) from the 19th – 23rd of January 2009, and given in English with...

  10. Technical training: AXEL-2010 - Introduction to particle accelerators

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2010-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2010: Learning for the LHC! AXEL-2010 is a course series on particle accelerators, given at CERN within the framework of the 2010 Technical Training Program. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the ‘PS Shutdown Course’), the general accelerator physics module is organized since 2003 as a joint venture between the BE department and Technical Training, and is open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2010 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is open to technicians, engineers, and physicists interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge on accelerators. However, some basic knowledge on trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course series will be composed of 10 one-hour lectures (mornings and afternoons) from the 1st – 5th of February 201...

  11. Liability and automation : issues and challenges for socio-technical systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Contissa, Giuseppe; Laukyte, Migle; Sartor, Giovanni; Schebesta, H.; Masutti, Anna; Lanzi, Paola; Marti, Patrizia; Paola, Tomasello

    2013-01-01


    Who is responsible for accidents in highly automated systems? How do we apportion liability among the various participants in complex socio-technical organisations? How can different liability regulations at different levels (supranational, national, local) be harmonized? How do we provide for

  12. Counting loop diagrams: computational complexity of higher-order amplitude evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eijk, E. van; Kleiss, R.; Lazopoulos, A.

    2004-01-01

    We discuss the computational complexity of the perturbative evaluation of scattering amplitudes, both by the Caravaglios-Moretti algorithm and by direct evaluation of the individual diagrams. For a self-interacting scalar theory, we determine the complexity as a function of the number of external legs. We describe a method for obtaining the number of topologically inequivalent Feynman graphs containing closed loops, and apply this to 1- and 2-loop amplitudes. We also compute the number of graphs weighted by their symmetry factors, thus arriving at exact and asymptotic estimates for the average symmetry factor of diagrams. We present results for the asymptotic number of diagrams up to 10 loops, and prove that the average symmetry factor approaches unity as the number of external legs becomes large. (orig.)

  13. Non-Technical Skills Bingo-a game to facilitate the learning of complex concepts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dieckmann, Gerhard Peter; Glavin, Ronnie; Jepsen, Rikke Malene Hartvigsen Grønholm

    2016-01-01

    Acquiring the concepts of non-technical skills (NTS) beyond a superficial level is a challenge for healthcare professionals and simulation faculty. Current simulation-based approaches to teach NTS are challenged when learners have to master NTS concepts, clinically challenging situations, and sim....... NTS Bingo is based on theoretical considerations on concept learning, which we describe to support the rationale for its conduct....

  14. 11th International Conference on Dependability and Complex Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Mazurkiewicz, Jacek; Sugier, Jarosław; Walkowiak, Tomasz; Kacprzyk, Janusz

    2016-01-01

    These proceedings present the results of the Eleventh International Conference on Dependability and Complex Systems DepCoS-RELCOMEX which took place in a picturesque Brunów Palace in Poland from 27th June to 1st July, 2016. DepCoS-RELCOMEX is a series of international conferences organized annually by Department of Computer Engineering of Wrocław University of Science and Technology since 2006. The roots of the series go as far back as to the seventies of the previous century – the first RELCOMEX conference took place in 1977 – and now its main aim is to promote a multi-disciplinary approach to dependability problems in theory and engineering practice of complex systems. Complex systems, nowadays most often computer-based and distributed, are built upon a variety of technical, information, software and human resources. The challenges in their design, analysis and maintenance not only originate from the involved technical and organizational structures but also from the complexity of the information proce...

  15. Enhanced π-Back-Donation as a Way to Higher Coordination Numbers in d10 [M(NHC)n] Complexes: A DFT Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nitsch, J.; Wolters, L.P.; Fonseca Guerra, C.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.; Steffen, A.

    2016-01-01

    We aim to understand the electronic factors determining the stability and coordination number of d10 transition-metal complexes bearing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, with a particular emphasis on higher coordinated species. In this DFT study on the formation and bonding of Group 9–12 d10

  16. Enhanced pi-Back-Donation as a Way to Higher Coordination Numbers in d10 [M(NHC)n] Complexes: A DFT Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nitsch, J.S.; Wolters, L.P.; Fonseca Guerra, C.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.; Steffen, A.

    2017-01-01

    We aim to understand the electronic factors determining the stability and coordination number of d10 transition-metal complexes bearing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, with a particular emphasis on higher coordinated species. In this DFT study on the formation and bonding of Group 9–12 d10

  17. Conceptualizing and Assessing Higher-Order Thinking in Reading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afflerbach, Peter; Cho, Byeong-Young; Kim, Jong-Yun

    2015-01-01

    Students engage in higher-order thinking as they read complex texts and perform complex reading-related tasks. However, the most consequential assessments, high-stakes tests, are currently limited in providing information about students' higher-order thinking. In this article, we describe higher-order thinking in relation to reading. We provide a…

  18. Solid Waste Burial Grounds/Central Waste Complex hazards assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broz, R.E.

    1994-01-01

    This document establishes the technical basis in support of Emergency Planning Activities for Solid Waste Burial Grounds/Central Waste Complex on the Hanford Site. The document represents an acceptable interpretation of the implementing guidance document for DOE Order 5500.3A. Through this document, the technical basis for the development of facility specific Emergency Action Levels and the Emergency Planning Zone is documented

  19. Features of the technical training athletes with hearing impaired in various sports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khurtyk D.V.

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available It was analysed scientific-methodical and specialized literature on adaptive sports: table tennis, basketball, judo, skiing. It is conducted interviews with leading coaches working in the Deaflympic sport. Monitor the training process of elite athletes with hearing impairments, specializing in ski racing. Found that for technical training of athletes use the principle of learning the exercises and improvement from simple to complex with the rote. It was shown the necessity of attracting able-bodied athletes in the training process deflimpiytsev to optimize their technical training. The data obtained allow us to determine the direction of improving the technical skills of this category of athletes.

  20. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF TRANSPORT CARGO COMPLEX

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. M. Okorokov

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Making the qualitative administrative decisions defining strategy and tactics of transport cargo complexes development, and also its subsystems, is possible only in the presence of flexible optimization model. This model has to consider multiparametricity and multicriteriality of the given task, uncertainty and vagueness of input information, and also to provide process automation of searching the best parameters of the given production facility. The purpose of the research is to develop procedures for the strategic management of complex with view of the most important factors and their stochastic nature, which will execute the improvement of technical equipment of TCC. Methodology. The problem of strategic management is based on solving the complex of issues of the optimal number of shunting locomotives, optimal processing capability of handling the front and rational capacity of warehouses. The problem is solved on the basis of the proposed optimality criterion – the specific set of profit per unit of capital assets of freight industry. The listed problems are solved using simulation modeling of the freight industry. Findings. The use of developed procedure allows one to improve the technical equipment of the freight stations and complexes. Originality. For the first time it was developed the procedure of strategic management of development. This procedure allows taking into account the probabilistic nature of demand for services of transport freight complexes and technological processes of client services on the complex stations. The proposed procedure can be applied during when planning the investments in the creation of transport freight complexes. Practical value. Use as a basic tool of simulation models of complex cargo operation allows estimating the effectiveness of the capital investments, the level of operating costs, as well as the quality of meeting the demands of potential customers in transportations at the stage of

  1. Status of Indian Women in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghara, Tushar Kanti

    2016-01-01

    Women education and empowerment are the indicators of development. Women education ensures the holistic and long development. It includes equitable and increased access to technical and vocational education and training, higher education and research with due attention to quality assurance. This communication has taken a look on women…

  2. Fostering Creative Problem Solvers in Higher Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhou, Chunfang

    2016-01-01

    to meet such challenges. This chapter aims to illustrate how to understand: 1) complexity as the nature of professional practice; 2) creative problem solving as the core skill in professional practice; 3) creativity as interplay between persons and their environment; 4) higher education as the context......Recent studies have emphasized issues of social emergence based on thinking of societies as complex systems. The complexity of professional practice has been recognized as the root of challenges for higher education. To foster creative problem solvers is a key response of higher education in order...... of fostering creative problem solvers; and 5) some innovative strategies such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and building a learning environment by Information Communication Technology (ICT) as potential strategies of creativity development. Accordingly, this chapter contributes to bridge the complexity...

  3. Leadership Misplacement: How Can This Affect Institutions of Higher Education?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Victor C. X.; Sedivy-Benton, Amy Lynn

    2016-01-01

    Well-reasoned leadership theories are described in many academic books, yet they may not apply specifically to practices in higher education. In higher education, the absence of tailored leadership theories is compounded by the lack of technical skills or leadership ethics, resulting in leadership issues that impact the organization. To illustrate…

  4. Predictors of employer satisfaction: technical and non-technical skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danielson, Jared A; Wu, Tsui-Feng; Fales-Williams, Amanda J; Kirk, Ryan A; Preast, Vanessa A

    2012-01-01

    Employers of 2007-2009 graduates from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine were asked to respond to a survey regarding their overall satisfaction with their new employees as well as their new employees' preparation in several technical and non-technical skill areas. Seventy-five responses contained complete data and were used in the analysis. Four technical skill areas (data collection, data interpretation, planning, and taking action) and five non-technical skill areas (interpersonal skills, ability to deal with legal issues, business skills, making referrals, and problem solving) were identified. All of the skill area subscales listed above had appropriate reliability (Cronbach's alpha>0.70) and were positively and significantly correlated with overall employer satisfaction. Results of two simultaneous regression analyses indicated that of the four technical skill areas, taking action is the most salient predictor of employer satisfaction. Of the five non-technical skill areas, interpersonal skills, business skills, making referrals, and problem solving were the most important skills in predicting employer satisfaction. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that all technical skills explained 25% of the variation in employer satisfaction; non-technical skills explained an additional 42% of the variation in employer satisfaction.

  5. Technical standards in the law of technical safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marburger, P.

    1985-01-01

    Technical standards are of great importance for the closer definition of inexact terms of law, for instance ''generally accepted technical rules'', ''state of the art'', ''state of science and technology'' or similar normative terms, in the law of technical safety. The paper discusses with whom the authority for regulating this sector of law rests, deals with the different ways of how technical standards are used by the law (''anticipated expert opinion'', reference to such standards in law and administration) and points out demands on the procedure of standardization. (orig.) [de

  6. Can branding by health care provider organizations drive the delivery of higher technical and service quality?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snihurowych, Roman R; Cornelius, Felix; Amelung, Volker Eric

    2009-01-01

    Despite the widespread use of branding in nearly all other major industries, most health care service delivery organizations have not fully embraced the practices and processes of branding. Facilitating the increased and appropriate use of branding among health care delivery organizations may improve service and technical quality for patients. This article introduces the concepts of branding, as well as making the case that the use of branding may improve the quality and financial performance of organizations. The concepts of branding are reviewed, with examples from the literature used to demonstrate their potential application within health care service delivery. The role of branding for individual organizations is framed by broader implications for health care markets. Branding strategies may have a number of positive effects on health care service delivery, including improved technical and service quality. This may be achieved through more transparent and efficient consumer choice, reduced costs related to improved patient retention, and improved communication and appropriateness of care. Patient satisfaction may be directly increased as a result of branding. More research into branding could result in significant quality improvements for individual organizations, while benefiting patients and the health system as a whole.

  7. Model-Driven Information Security Risk Assessment of Socio-Technical Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ionita, Dan

    2018-01-01

    As more aspects of life transition to the digital domain, computer systems become increasingly complex but also more social. But assessing a socio-technical system is no trivial task: it often requires intimate knowledge of the system, awareness of the social dynamics and trust relationships of its

  8. Incorporating organizational factors into Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) of complex socio-technical systems: A hybrid technique formalization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohaghegh, Zahra [Center for Risk and Reliability, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States)], E-mail: mohagheg@umd.edu; Kazemi, Reza; Mosleh, Ali [Center for Risk and Reliability, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States)

    2009-05-15

    This paper is a result of a research with the primary purpose of extending Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) modeling frameworks to include the effects of organizational factors as the deeper, more fundamental causes of accidents and incidents. There have been significant improvements in the sophistication of quantitative methods of safety and risk assessment, but the progress on techniques most suitable for organizational safety risk frameworks has been limited. The focus of this paper is on the choice of 'representational schemes' and 'techniques.' A methodology for selecting appropriate candidate techniques and their integration in the form of a 'hybrid' approach is proposed. Then an example is given through an integration of System Dynamics (SD), Bayesian Belief Network (BBN), Event Sequence Diagram (ESD), and Fault Tree (FT) in order to demonstrate the feasibility and value of hybrid techniques. The proposed hybrid approach integrates deterministic and probabilistic modeling perspectives, and provides a flexible risk management tool for complex socio-technical systems. An application of the hybrid technique is provided in the aviation safety domain, focusing on airline maintenance systems. The example demonstrates how the hybrid method can be used to analyze the dynamic effects of organizational factors on system risk.

  9. Technical requirement of experiments and facilities for fusion nuclear technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdou, M.; Tillak, M.; Gierszwski, P.; Grover, J.; Puigh, R.; Sze, D.K.; Berwald, D.

    1986-06-01

    The technical issues and requirements of experiments and facilities for fusion nuclear technology (FNT) have been investigated. The nuclear subsystems addressed are: a) blanket, b) radiation shield, c) tritium processing system, and d) plasma interactive components. Emphasis has been placed on the important and complex development problems of the blanket. A technical planning process for FNT has been developed and applied, including four major elements: 1) characterization of issues, 2) quantification of testing requirements, 3) evaluation of facilities, and 4) development of a test plan to identify the role, timing, characteristics and costs of major experiments and facilities

  10. 76 FR 64083 - Reliability Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-17

    ... Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a Technical Conference on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and... reliability that were identified in earlier Commission technical conferences. The conference also will discuss...

  11. A technical solution to a difficult problem - An update

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asselstine, J.K.

    1985-01-01

    A goal of the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor Program (RERTR) established by the U.S. Department of Energy is to develop the technical means needed to utilize LEU instead of HEU fuels in research and test reactors and to do so without operational penalties and without affecting safety characteristics. This goal has been pursued now for seven years in cooperation with many of you who are participants in this conference. The program has made significant progress in the development, demonstration and application of new LEU research reactor fuels. According to recent projections, the percentage of HEU fuel in international commerce which is technically replaceable with LEU fuels has been growing steadily as research continues. There appears to be no technical barrier to eventual replacement of HEU fuel with LEU fuel in research and test reactors. While there are many politically complex and technically difficult issues involved in nonproliferation, I conclude that the use of highly enriched weapons grade uranium as a fuel in civilian research reactors stands out as one problem which has a straight forward technical solution. The technical solution is the effort you in the RERTR program are embarked on. Once that solution is in hand, the operators of research reactors are urged to take political and legal initiatives to make the conversion happen. By effecting this conversion they will help minimize the trade in highly enriched uranium and make the world a little safer

  12. A technical solution to a difficult problem - An update

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Asselstine, J K

    1985-07-01

    A goal of the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor Program (RERTR) established by the U.S. Department of Energy is to develop the technical means needed to utilize LEU instead of HEU fuels in research and test reactors and to do so without operational penalties and without affecting safety characteristics. This goal has been pursued now for seven years in cooperation with many of you who are participants in this conference. The program has made significant progress in the development, demonstration and application of new LEU research reactor fuels. According to recent projections, the percentage of HEU fuel in international commerce which is technically replaceable with LEU fuels has been growing steadily as research continues. There appears to be no technical barrier to eventual replacement of HEU fuel with LEU fuel in research and test reactors. While there are many politically complex and technically difficult issues involved in nonproliferation, I conclude that the use of highly enriched weapons grade uranium as a fuel in civilian research reactors stands out as one problem which has a straight forward technical solution. The technical solution is the effort you in the RERTR program are embarked on. Once that solution is in hand, the operators of research reactors are urged to take political and legal initiatives to make the conversion happen. By effecting this conversion they will help minimize the trade in highly enriched uranium and make the world a little safer.

  13. Prototype design for a predictive model to improve evacuation operations : technical report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-01

    Mass evacuations of the Texas Gulf Coast remain a difficult challenge. These events are massive in scale, : highly complex, and entail an intricate, ever-changing conglomeration of technical and jurisdictional issues. : This project focused primarily...

  14. Teaching Technical Writing - Towards Technical Writing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kastberg, Peter

    2000-01-01

    In this paper I will present key aspects of the curriculum for the university degree in technical translation that I have designed for and subsequently implemented at the German Department of the Aarhus School of Business, Denmark. My starting point will be a critical discussion of the norm that ...... of technical writing.......In this paper I will present key aspects of the curriculum for the university degree in technical translation that I have designed for and subsequently implemented at the German Department of the Aarhus School of Business, Denmark. My starting point will be a critical discussion of the norm...... that used to govern what the quality of an LSP text should be as opposed to the standpoint, which I advocate. By way of summing up, I will show how a university curriculum is designed so that - upon graduation - the technical translator could also be methodological quite well suited to take on the challenge...

  15. The South African developmental landscape: restricted potentials or expansive, complex adaptive opportunities?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C J Burman

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This article argues that the South African developmental landscape is currently locked into an overly technical, path dependent paradigm that is unlikely to be capable of embracing the complex challenges identified by the recent National Development Plan. The article explores the internal logic of the existing path dependent, technical condition from the perspective of complexity, in the context of the Department of Science and Technology’s Fifth Grand Challenge and “continuous change”. It is argued that drawing ideas from complexity into future developmental trajectories can add value to the National Development Plan: Vision 2030, but to do so will require dynamic mind-set shifts across multiple developmental scales and interfaces if new approaches to managing development that embraces complexity, rather than denies it, is to emerge. Keywords: development; complexity; path dependency; epistemological vigilance; sense-making; National Development Plan Disciplines: Complexity Studies; Transdisciplinary studies; Management studies; Public management; Political studies; Economics; Development Studies

  16. Technical and economical evaluation of tape drip and drip line irrigation systems in a strawberry greenhouse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soghra HOSSEINIAN

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This study was done in a strawberry greenhouse to examine the technical and the economical evaluation of two drip irrigation systems including the tape and the drip line in the northern part of Iran. The result showed that all of the technical indices with tape were higher than drip line, and due to statistical analysis reveal a significant difference (P < 0.05. Yield and water productivity (WP with tape were higher than drip line (P < 0.05. Benefit per drop (BPD and net benefit per drop (NBPD with tape were higher than drip line. Net present value, internal rate of capital return and benefit to cost ratio in drip line were higher than tape. In general, regarding technical evaluation tape was better than drip line, besides according to the economical evaluation the drip ­lines were better than tape.

  17. Technical aspects of preservation of architectural heritage of Modern in Serbia

    OpenAIRE

    Kuzović Duško

    2016-01-01

    This paper analyzes the technical and technological problems of preserving architecture from the period 1945-1990. Complex social and economic conditions hinder the proper approach to the preservation of Modernist architecture. Modern functions that are inserted into objects of Modern require complex changes to the building. If changes are not made in accordance with the principles of profession risk to completely lose the architectural value of the buildings. It is necessary to specify the t...

  18. Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). Complex problems made easy; Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). Complexe vraagstukken behapbaar maken

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Oeffelen, E.C.M.; Van Zundert, K.; Westerlaekn, A.C. [TNO, Delft (Netherlands)

    2011-12-15

    The existing housing stock needs to become smarter and more sustainable in its energy use. From a technical viewpoint, renovations can usually be realized successfully, but the multitude of preconditions such as phasing and the degree of inconvenience for residents often turn renovation into a complex matter. The MCDM method can be a suitable instrument in handling complex renovation issues. [Dutch] In de bestaande woningvoorraad moet slimmer en vooral duurzamer met energie worden omgegaan. Technisch gezien is een renovatie vaak goed realiseerbaar, maar vele randvoorwaarden, zoals fasering en mate van overlast voor bewoners, maken renovatievraagstukken vaak complex. De MCDM-methodiek kan een geschikt hulpmiddel zijn bij het aanpakken van complexe renovatievraagstukken.

  19. Accessibility of higher education: the right to higher education in comparative approach

    OpenAIRE

    Pūraitė, Aurelija

    2011-01-01

    At present there is an unprecedented demand for and a great diversification in higher education, as well as an increased awareness of its vital importance for socio-cultural and economic development. The complexity of the right to education is especially at issue while discussing the right to higher education, which on a national level is non-compulsory, even though the number of people who have acquired higher education during the second half of the twentieth century has tripled. Therefore t...

  20. Studies on combined model based on functional objectives of large scale complex engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuting, Wang; Jingchun, Feng; Jiabao, Sun

    2018-03-01

    As various functions were included in large scale complex engineering, and each function would be conducted with completion of one or more projects, combined projects affecting their functions should be located. Based on the types of project portfolio, the relationship of projects and their functional objectives were analyzed. On that premise, portfolio projects-technics based on their functional objectives were introduced, then we studied and raised the principles of portfolio projects-technics based on the functional objectives of projects. In addition, The processes of combined projects were also constructed. With the help of portfolio projects-technics based on the functional objectives of projects, our research findings laid a good foundation for management of large scale complex engineering portfolio management.

  1. Analysis of education conditions in higher educational institutions of Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Олександр Петрович Бурмістенков

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with some issues related to higher technical education conditions in Ukraine, namely, training and certification of graduates of schools, training of students in higher educational institutions and motivation of students to study and teachers to improve teaching methods and deep research within the walls of institution. The causes of education level reduction are expressed. The propositions are made for improving the higher education quality

  2. Reliability of Dubbed Technical Systems with Built-In Control Device

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Аnischenko

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper substantiates a selection of passive or active system for dubbing technical systems in accordance with characteristics pertaining to probability of no-failure operation and mean–time-between failures with due account of non-reliability of a built-in control device and systems complexity

  3. Practical boundary surveying legal and technical principles

    CERN Document Server

    Gay, Paul

    2015-01-01

    This guide to boundary surveying provides landowners, land surveyors, students and others with the necessary foundation to understand boundary surveying techniques and the common legal issues that govern boundary establishment.  Boundary surveying is sometimes mistakenly considered a strictly technical discipline with simple and straightforward technical solutions.  In reality, boundary establishment is often a difficult and complex matter, requiring years of experience and a thorough understanding of boundary law.  This book helps readers to understand the challenges often encountered by boundary surveyors and some of the available solutions. Using only simple and logically explained mathematics, the principles and practice of boundary surveying are demystified for those without prior experience, and the focused coverage of pivotal issues such as easements and setting lot corners will aid even licensed practitioners in untangling thorny cases. Practical advice on using both basic and advanced instruments ...

  4. 78 FR 27963 - Reliability Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-13

    ... Technical Conference; Notice of Technical Conference Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a Technical Conference on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This... technical support for webcasts and offers the option of listening to the meeting via phone-bridge for a fee...

  5. Coordination of the commissioning of the LHC technical systems

    CERN Document Server

    Saban, R; Casas Lino, M P; Fernandez Robles, C; Pojer, M; Schmidt, R; Solfaroli Camillocci, M; Vergara Fernandez, A

    2008-01-01

    The Large Hadron Collider operation relies on 1232 superconducting dipoles with a field of 8.33T and 400 superconducting quadrupoles with a strength of 220 T/m powered at 12kA, operating in superfluid He at 1.9K. For dipoles and quadrupoles as well as for many other magnets more than 1700 power converters are necessary to feed the superconducting circuits. A sophisticated magnet protection system is crucial to detect a quench and safely extract the energy stored in the circuits (about 1GJ only in one of the dipole circuits) after a resistive transition. Besides, in such complex architecture, many technical services (e.g. cooling and ventilation, technical network, electrical distribution, GSM network, controls system, etc.) have to be reliably available during commissioning. Consequently, the commissioning of the technical systems and the associated infrastructures has been carefully studied. Procedures, automatic control and analysis tools, repositories for test data, management structures for carrying out a...

  6. Information technologies in technical education

    OpenAIRE

    Кравченя, Э. М.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of researches is working out of the concept of filling of discipline «Information and computer technologies in formation» the first step of higher education entered into curricula was at engineering-pedagogical faculty BNTU. It is shown that as a result of discipline studying there is an expansion of outlook and formation at students of technical college of independent thinking in the field of modern and perspective information technology.

  7. Developing and Improving Student Non-Technical Skills in IT Education: A Literature Review and Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcia Hagen

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to identify portions of the literature in the areas of Information Technology (IT management, skills development, and curriculum development that support the design of a holistic conceptual framework for instruction in non-technical skills within the IT higher education context. This article review provides a framework for understanding how the critical success factors related to IT and Information Systems (IS professional success is impacted by developing students’ non-technical skills. The article culminates in a holistic conceptual framework for developing non-technical skills within the IT higher education context. Implications for theory and research are provided.

  8. Career and Technical Education. 2016 Annual Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Utah System of Higher Education, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a key ingredient to meet the needs of Utah's economy. Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) institutions offer CTE programs in all regions of the state, working closely with local business and industry leaders to develop and deliver programs specifically tailored to local workforce development needs. This…

  9. Career and Technical Education. 2015 Annual Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Utah System of Higher Education, 2015

    2015-01-01

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a key ingredient to meet the needs of Utah's economy. Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) institutions offer CTE programs in all regions of the state, working closely with local business and industry leaders to develop and deliver programs specifically tailored to local workforce development needs. This…

  10. Non-technical skills of surgeons and anaesthetists in simulated operating theatre crises.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doumouras, A G; Hamidi, M; Lung, K; Tarola, C L; Tsao, M W; Scott, J W; Smink, D S; Yule, S

    2017-07-01

    Deficiencies in non-technical skills (NTS) have been increasingly implicated in avoidable operating theatre errors. Accordingly, this study sought to characterize the impact of surgeon and anaesthetist non-technical skills on time to crisis resolution in a simulated operating theatre. Non-technical skills were assessed during 26 simulated crises (haemorrhage and airway emergency) performed by surgical teams. Teams consisted of surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses. Behaviour was assessed by four trained raters using the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) rating scales before and during the crisis phase of each scenario. The primary endpoint was time to crisis resolution; secondary endpoints included NTS scores before and during the crisis. A cross-classified linear mixed-effects model was used for the final analysis. Thirteen different surgical teams were assessed. Higher NTS ratings resulted in significantly faster crisis resolution. For anaesthetists, every 1-point increase in ANTS score was associated with a decrease of 53·50 (95 per cent c.i. 31·13 to 75·87) s in time to crisis resolution (P technical skills scores were lower during the crisis phase of the scenarios than those measured before the crisis for both surgeons and anaesthetists. A higher level of NTS of surgeons and anaesthetists led to quicker crisis resolution in a simulated operating theatre environment. © 2017 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Structure of the automated uchebno-methodical complex on technical disciplines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Вячеслав Михайлович Дмитриев

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available In article it is put and the problem of automation and information of process of training of students on the basis of the entered system-organizational forms which have received in aggregate the name of education methodical complexes on discipline dares.

  12. Open-Source Learning Management Systems: A Predictive Model for Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Rooij, S. Williams

    2012-01-01

    The present study investigated the role of pedagogical, technical, and institutional profile factors in an institution of higher education's decision to select an open-source learning management system (LMS). Drawing on the results of previous research that measured patterns of deployment of open-source software (OSS) in US higher education and…

  13. Career and Technical Education Teacher Shortage: A Successful Model for Recruitment and Retention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkin, Thomas; Nwoke, Godfrey I.

    2011-01-01

    The role of Career and Technical Education (CTE) as a major source of skilled workers for the American economy and a vital component of American education is well established. Several recent studies show that when CTE programs combine rigorous academic standards and industry-based technical content, the result is higher academic achievement and…

  14. Agricultural Technical Maintenance in the Republic of Belarus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Pavlova

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available In the process of market reforms introduction of maintenance system as a body of interrelated means, normative documents and executor of services and works with the purpose to ensure efficient designated machinery application and its serviceable condition within the whole service life period takes rather important significance. In order to provide commodity producers with the required types of service it is necessary to create competitive market of service executors. It is recognized that the dealer′s system is the most efficient one out of a great variety of existing and new structures, forms and methods of technical maintenance organization. The system of technical maintenance in the agroindustrial complex of Belarus should ensure profitable conditions of the production activity to all its participants: machinery manufacturers, their users and commercial agents.

  15. Technical Efficiency of Wet Season Melon Farming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ananti Yekti

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Melon is one of high-value horticulture commodity which is cultivated widely in Kulon Progo regency. The nature of agricultural products is heavily dependent on the season, so it causes the prices of agricultural products always fluctuated every time. In wet season the price of agricultural products tends to be more expensive. Melon cultivation in wet season provide an opportunity to earn higher profits than in the dry season. The price of agricultural products tends to be more expensive in wet season, thus melon cultivation in wet season prospectively generate high profits. In order to achieve high profitability, melon farming has to be done efficiently. Objective of this study was to 1 determined the factors that influence melon production in wet season 2 measured technical efficiency of melon farming and 3 identified the factors that influanced technical efficiency. Data collected during April – June 2014. Location determined by multistage cluster sampling. 45 samples of farmers who cultivated melon during wet season obtained based on quota sampling technique. Technical efficiency was measured using Cobb-Douglas Stochastic Frontier. The result reveals that 1 land use, quantity of seed, K fertilizer contributed significantly increasing melon production, while N fertilizer decreased melon production significantly 2 technical efficiency indeces ranged from 0.40 to 0.99, with a mean of  0.77; 3 farmer’s experience gave significant influence to technical efficiency of melon farming in wet season.

  16. Making Sense of Data from Complex Assessments. CSE Technical Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mislevy, Robert J.; Steinberg, Linda S.; Almond, Russell G.; Breyer, F. Jay; Johnson, Lynn

    Advances in cognitive psychology deepen the understanding of how students gain and use knowledge and broaden the range of performances and situations researchers want to see to acquire evidence about students' developing knowledge. Advances in technology make it possible to capture more complex performances in assessment settings by including, as…

  17. Mental Fatigue: Impairment of Technical Performance in Small-Sided Soccer Games.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badin, Oliver O; Smith, Mitchell R; Conte, Daniele; Coutts, Aaron J

    2016-11-01

    To assess the effects of mental fatigue on physical and technical performance in small-sided soccer games. Twenty soccer players (age 17.8 ± 1.0 y, height 179 ± 5 cm, body mass 72.4 ± 6.8 kg, playing experience 8.3 ± 1.4 y) from an Australian National Premier League soccer club volunteered to participate in this randomized crossover investigation. Participants played 15-min 5-vs-5 small-sided games (SSGs) without goalkeepers on 2 occasions separated by 1 wk. Before the SSG, 1 team watched a 30-min emotionally neutral documentary (control), while the other performed 30 min of a computer-based Stroop task (mental fatigue). Subjective ratings of mental and physical fatigue were recorded before and after treatment and after the SSG. Motivation was assessed before treatment and SSG; mental effort was assessed after treatment and SSG. Player activity profiles and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout the SSG, whereas ratings of perceived exertion (RPEs) were recorded before the SSG and immediately after each half. Video recordings of the SSG allowed for notational analysis of technical variables. Subjective ratings of mental fatigue and effort were higher after the Stroop task, whereas motivation for the upcoming SSG was similar between conditions. HR during the SSG was possibly higher in the control condition, whereas RPE was likely higher in the mental-fatigue condition. Mental fatigue had an unclear effect on most physical-performance variables but impaired most technical-performance variables. Mental fatigue impairs technical but not physical performance in small-sided soccer games.

  18. Team members' affective responses to patterns of intragroup interdependence and job complexity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van der Vegt, G.S.; Emans, B.J.M.; Van de Vliert, E.

    2000-01-01

    In this questionnaire study, the relations between the affective reactions of 114 technical consultants and both intragroup interdependence and job complexity were examined Individual-level task interdependence and job complexity were found to be positively related to individual job satisfaction,

  19. Financial technical indicator based on chaotic bagging predictors for adaptive stock selection in Japanese and American markets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Tomoya; Ohkura, Yuushi

    2016-01-01

    In order to examine the predictability and profitability of financial markets, we introduce three ideas to improve the traditional technical analysis to detect investment timings more quickly. Firstly, a nonlinear prediction model is considered as an effective way to enhance this detection power by learning complex behavioral patterns hidden in financial markets. Secondly, the bagging algorithm can be applied to quantify the confidence in predictions and compose new technical indicators. Thirdly, we also introduce how to select more profitable stocks to improve investment performance by the two-step selection: the first step selects more predictable stocks during the learning period, and then the second step adaptively and dynamically selects the most confident stock showing the most significant technical signal in each investment. Finally, some investment simulations based on real financial data show that these ideas are successful in overcoming complex financial markets.

  20. The Marketing of Higher Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooker, George; Noble, Michael

    1985-01-01

    Formal college and university marketing programs are challenging to develop and implement because of the complexity of the marketing mix, the perceived inappropriateness of a traditional marketing officer, the number of diverse groups with input, the uniqueness of higher education institutions, and the difficulty in identifying higher education…

  1. The Need for Higher Education in Iran. Technical Report No. 16.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lusignan, Bruce B.; And Others

    The role of television in meeting the need for higher education in Iran is discussed. Topics covered in the first chapter include impact on a typical curriculum, transition characteristics, television production techniques, cost effectiveness, additional applications, and centralization or duplication. The second chapter presents a planning…

  2. Longitudinal Trend Analysis of Performance Indicators for South Carolina's Technical Colleges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hossain, Mohammad Nurul

    2010-01-01

    This study included an analysis of the trend of performance indicators for the technical college sector of higher education in South Carolina. In response to demands for accountability and transparency in higher education, the state of South Carolina developed sector specific performance indicators to measure various educational outcomes for each…

  3. Microcomputer Intelligence for Technical Training (MITT): The evolution of an intelligent tutoring system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Jeffrey E.; Wiederholt, Bradley J.; Johnson, William B.

    1990-01-01

    Microcomputer Intelligence for Technical Training (MITT) uses Intelligent Tutoring System (OTS) technology to deliver diagnostic training in a variety of complex technical domains. Over the past six years, MITT technology has been used to develop training systems for nuclear power plant diesel generator diagnosis, Space Shuttle fuel cell diagnosis, and message processing diagnosis for the Minuteman missile. Presented here is an overview of the MITT system, describing the evolution of the MITT software and the benefits of using the MITT system.

  4. Factorial complexity and Morally Debatable Behaviors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grimaldo Muchotrigo, Mirian P.

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Currently, from the scientific and professional practice point of view, comes out the necessity to know more about moral permissiveness, as it seems to be an increase in “moral relativism”.. Because it, it this is important to have tools to collect valid and reliable information about moral in social situations defined as social and personal behavior issue. This paper presents a technical note of The Morally Debatable Behaviors Scale (MDBS from Harding & Phillips (1986, which was developed in USA and mainly focused on young people and adults. This technical note makes direct reference to a recent Latin American study (Merino & Grimaldo, 2010; this article focuses on the internal structure and the problems associated with evidences of factorial complexity among items of the MDBS. This means that the interpretation of scores is not factorially simple and could not be achieved by a conceptual distinction between the latent constructs applied to the study sample.. The results in the previous study of the factorial complexity leads the researcher to decide whether an instrument for measuring this aspect may contain a reasonable amount of complexity that is consistent with what is in reality, or look for the unidimensional and simple structure.

  5. Technical Support Essentials Advice to Succeed in Technical Support

    CERN Document Server

    Sanchez, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    Technical Support Essentials is a book about the many facets of technical support. It attempts to provide a wide array of topics to serve as points of improvement, discussion, or simply topics that you might want to learn. The topics range from good work habits to the way technical supportgroups establish their own style of work. This book applies theories, models, and concepts synthesized from existing research in other fields-such as management, economics, leadership, and psychology-and connects them to technical support. The goal is to build on the work of others and allow their success to

  6. Workshop on Recent Trends in Complex Methods for Partial Differential Equations

    CERN Document Server

    Celebi, A; Tutschke, Wolfgang

    1999-01-01

    This volume is a collection of manscripts mainly originating from talks and lectures given at the Workshop on Recent Trends in Complex Methods for Par­ tial Differential Equations held from July 6 to 10, 1998 at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, sponsored by The Scientific and Tech­ nical Research Council of Turkey and the Middle East Technical University. This workshop is a continuation oftwo workshops from 1988 and 1993 at the In­ ternational Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy entitled Functional analytic Methods in Complex Analysis and Applications to Partial Differential Equations. Since classical complex analysis of one and several variables has a long tra­ dition it is of high level. But most of its basic problems are solved nowadays so that within the last few decades it has lost more and more attention. The area of complex and functional analytic methods in partial differential equations, however, is still a growing and flourishing field, in particular as these ...

  7. Cost and technical efficiency of physician practices: a stochastic frontier approach using panel data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heimeshoff, Mareike; Schreyögg, Jonas; Kwietniewski, Lukas

    2014-06-01

    This is the first study to use stochastic frontier analysis to estimate both the technical and cost efficiency of physician practices. The analysis is based on panel data from 3,126 physician practices for the years 2006 through 2008. We specified the technical and cost frontiers as translog function, using the one-step approach of Battese and Coelli to detect factors that influence the efficiency of general practitioners and specialists. Variables that were not analyzed previously in this context (e.g., the degree of practice specialization) and a range of control variables such as a patients' case-mix were included in the estimation. Our results suggest that it is important to investigate both technical and cost efficiency, as results may depend on the type of efficiency analyzed. For example, the technical efficiency of group practices was significantly higher than that of solo practices, whereas the results for cost efficiency differed. This may be due to indivisibilities in expensive technical equipment, which can lead to different types of health care services being provided by different practice types (i.e., with group practices using more expensive inputs, leading to higher costs per case despite these practices being technically more efficient). Other practice characteristics such as participation in disease management programs show the same impact throughout both cost and technical efficiency: participation in disease management programs led to an increase in both, technical and cost efficiency, and may also have had positive effects on the quality of care. Future studies should take quality-related issues into account.

  8. The State of Early Childhood Higher Education in California. Technical Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Austin, Lea J. E.; Kipnis, Fran; Whitebook, Marcy; Sakai, Laura

    2015-01-01

    Teacher preparation in the field of early childhood education (ECE) has historically included a variety of higher education degree programs, in various child-related disciplines, all of which have generally been considered equally acceptable. And too often, these highly diverse degree programs are assumed to produce equivalent results. In…

  9. Imagining Technicities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liboriussen, Bjarke; Plesner, Ursula

    2011-01-01

    to the elements of taste and skill. In the final analysis those references were synthesized as five imagined technicities: the architect, the engineer, the client, the Chinese, and the Virtual World native. Because technicities are often assumed and rarely discussed as actants who influence practice, their role......, this article focuses on innovative uses of virtual worlds in architecture. We interviewed architects, industrial designers and other practitioners. Conceptually supported by an understanding of technicity found in Cultural Studies, the interviews were then coded with a focus on interviewees’ references...... in cooperation and development of ICTs seems to pass unnoticed. However, since they are aligned into ICTs, technicities impact innovation....

  10. High-level waste program integration within the DOE complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valentine, J.H.; Malone, K.; Schaus, P.S.

    1998-03-01

    Eleven major Department of Energy (DOE) site contractors were chartered by the Assistant Secretary to use a systems engineering approach to develop and evaluate technically defensible cost savings opportunities across the complex. Known as the complex-wide Environmental Management Integration (EMI), this process evaluated all the major DOE waste streams including high level waste (HLW). Across the DOE complex, this waste stream has the highest life cycle cost and is scheduled to take until at least 2035 before all HLW is processed for disposal. Technical contract experts from the four DOE sites that manage high level waste participated in the integration analysis: Hanford, Savannah River Site (SRS), Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), and West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). In addition, subject matter experts from the Yucca Mountain Project and the Tanks Focus Area participated in the analysis. Also, departmental representatives from the US Department of Energy Headquarters (DOE-HQ) monitored the analysis and results. Workouts were held throughout the year to develop recommendations to achieve a complex-wide integrated program. From this effort, the HLW Environmental Management (EM) Team identified a set of programmatic and technical opportunities that could result in potential cost savings and avoidance in excess of $18 billion and an accelerated completion of the HLW mission by seven years. The cost savings, schedule improvements, and volume reduction are attributed to a multifaceted HLW treatment disposal strategy which involves waste pretreatment, standardized waste matrices, risk-based retrieval, early development and deployment of a shipping system for glass canisters, and reasonable, low cost tank closure

  11. Recreational technical diving part 1: an introduction to technical diving methods and activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Simon J; Doolette, David J

    2013-06-01

    Technical divers use gases other than air and advanced equipment configurations to conduct dives that are deeper and/or longer than typical recreational air dives. The use of oxygen-nitrogen (nitrox) mixes with oxygen fractions higher than air results in longer no-decompression limits for shallow diving, and faster decompression from deeper dives. For depths beyond the air-diving range, technical divers mix helium, a light non-narcotic gas, with nitrogen and oxygen to produce 'trimix'. These blends are tailored to the depth of intended use with a fraction of oxygen calculated to produce an inspired oxygen partial pressure unlikely to cause cerebral oxygen toxicity and a nitrogen fraction calculated to produce a tolerable degree of nitrogen narcosis. A typical deep technical dive will involve the use of trimix at the target depth with changes to gases containing more oxygen and less inert gas during the decompression. Open-circuit scuba may be used to carry and utilise such gases, but this is very wasteful of expensive helium. There is increasing use of closed-circuit 'rebreather' devices. These recycle expired gas and potentially limit gas consumption to a small amount of inert gas to maintain the volume of the breathing circuit during descent and the amount of oxygen metabolised by the diver. This paper reviews the basic approach to planning and execution of dives using these methods to better inform physicians of the physical demands and risks.

  12. Technical Training: Technical Training Seminar

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    Tuesday 30 March TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR From 9:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:00 hrs - Council Chamber, Salle B, Salle des Pas Perdus National Instruments (NI) on Tour 2004 Claudia Jüngel, Evrem Yarkin, Joel Clerc, Hervé Baour / NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS The special event NI on Tour 2004, run in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, will be at CERN on March 30. Technical seminars and free introductory courses will be offered all day long in the Council Chamber, Salle B, and Salle des Pas Perdus (buildings 61 and 503). Technical conferences: 09:00 - 12:00 Data acquisition systems on PCs. Industrial measurement and control techniques. 13:00 - 16:00 Advanced LabVIEW software and PXI instrumentation. Measuring instruments and system components for teststand automation. Introductory courses: 09:00 - 12:00 DIAdem: Data analysis and presentation 13:00 - 16:00 Data acquisition with LabVIEW Language: English and French Free special seminar. Registration is recommended with National Instruments Switzerland (please sp...

  13. Technical Training: Technical Training Seminar

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    Tuesday 30 March TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR From 9:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:00 hrs - Council Chamber, Salle B, Salle des Pas Perdus National Instruments (NI) on Tour 2004 Claudia Jüngel, Evrem Yarkin, Joel Clerc, Hervé Baour / NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS The special event NI on Tour 2004, run in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, will be at CERN on March 30. Technical seminars and free introductory courses will be offered all day long in the Council Chamber, Salle B, and Salle des Pas Perdus (buildings 61 and 503). Technical conferences: 09:00 - 12:00 Data acquisition systems on PCs. Industrial measurement and control techniques. 13:00 - 16:00 Advanced LabVIEW software and PXI instrumentation. Measuring instruments and system components for teststand automation. Introductory courses: 09:00 - 12:00 DIAdem: Data analysis and presentation 13:00 - 16:00 Data acquisition with LabVIEW Language: English and French Free special seminar. Registration is recommended with National Instruments Swi...

  14. Technical Training: Technical Training Seminar

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    TECHNICAL TRAINING Monique Duval tel. 74924 technical.training@cern.ch Monday 9 February 2004 From 10:00 to 12:00 - IT Auditorium - bldg. 31, 3rd floor ANSOFT High-Frequency Seminar David Prestaux, Application Engineer, ANSOFT F-78535 BUC, France This Technical Training seminar will present two Ansoft application products: Ansoft HFSS and Ansoft Designer. Ansoft HFSS makes use of the Finite Element Method (FEM) to calculate field solutions from first principles. It can accurately predict all high-frequency behaviours such as dispersion, mode conversion, and losses due to materials and radiation. Ansoft Designer is a suite of design tools to fully integrate high-frequency, physics-based electromagnetic simulations into a seamless system-level simulation environment. Ansoft Designer uses a simple interface to give complete control over every design task, by a method allowing multiple solvers, Solver on Demand. • Introduction • Overview of the Ansoft Total solution • Ansoft HFSS 9...

  15. The State of Early Childhood Higher Education in Nebraska. Technical Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakai, Laura; Austin, Lea J. E.; Bloechliger, Olivia; Whitebook, Marcy; Amanta, Felippa

    2015-01-01

    Teacher preparation in the field of early childhood education (ECE) has historically included a variety of higher education degree programs, in various child-related disciplines, all of which have generally been considered equally acceptable. And too often, these highly diverse degree programs are assumed to produce equivalent results (Maxwell,…

  16. Tele-maintenance 'intelligent' system for technical plants result management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Concetti, Massimo; Cuccioletta, Roberto; Fedele, Lorenzo; Mercuri, Giampiero

    2009-01-01

    The management of technical plant for productivity and safety is generally a complex activity, particularly when many plants distributed in the territory are considered (i.e. the more and more frequent case of outsourced plants maintenance by specialized companies), granted quality and cost results are required (i.e. the case of some rather innovative contract solutions) and the technology involved is heterogeneous and innovative (i.e. electro-mechanical plants). In order to efficiently achieve the above aims an 'intelligent' maintenance-management system for the distant monitoring and controlling by a remote control center has been developed. The so-called GrAMS (granted availability management system) system is conceived to give to organizations involved in technical-industrial plants management the possibility to tend to a 'well-known availability' and 'zero-failures' management. In particular, this study deals with the diagnostic aspects and safety level of technical plants (such as elevators, thermo-technical plants, etc.), and with the involvement of ad hoc designed software analysis tools based on neural networks and reliability indicators. Part of the research dealing with the tele-maintenance intelligent system has been financed by the Italian High Institute for Safety (ISPESL) and led to the development of a pre-industrial prototype whose realization and testing is here described

  17. Geometric function theory in higher dimension

    CERN Document Server

    2017-01-01

    The book collects the most relevant outcomes from the INdAM Workshop “Geometric Function Theory in Higher Dimension” held in Cortona on September 5-9, 2016. The Workshop was mainly devoted to discussions of basic open problems in the area, and this volume follows the same line. In particular, it offers a selection of original contributions on Loewner theory in one and higher dimensions, semigroups theory, iteration theory and related topics. Written by experts in geometric function theory in one and several complex variables, it focuses on new research frontiers in this area and on challenging open problems. The book is intended for graduate students and researchers working in complex analysis, several complex variables and geometric function theory.

  18. Managing Complexity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chassin, David P.; Posse, Christian; Malard, Joel M.

    2004-08-01

    Physical analogs have shown considerable promise for understanding the behavior of complex adaptive systems, including macroeconomics, biological systems, social networks, and electric power markets. Many of today’s most challenging technical and policy questions can be reduced to a distributed economic control problem. Indeed, economically-based control of large-scale systems is founded on the conjecture that the price-based regulation (e.g., auctions, markets) results in an optimal allocation of resources and emergent optimal system control. This paper explores the state of the art in the use physical analogs for understanding the behavior of some econophysical systems and to deriving stable and robust control strategies for them. In particular we review and discussion applications of some analytic methods based on the thermodynamic metaphor according to which the interplay between system entropy and conservation laws gives rise to intuitive and governing global properties of complex systems that cannot be otherwise understood.

  19. Higher dimensional discrete Cheeger inequalities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Gundert

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available For graphs there exists a strong connection between spectral and combinatorial expansion properties. This is expressed, e.g., by the discrete Cheeger inequality, the lower bound of which states that $\\lambda(G \\leq h(G$, where $\\lambda(G$ is the second smallest eigenvalue of the Laplacian of a graph $G$ and $h(G$ is the Cheeger constant measuring the edge expansion of $G$. We are interested in generalizations of expansion properties to finite simplicial complexes of higher dimension (or uniform hypergraphs. Whereas higher dimensional Laplacians were introduced already in 1945 by Eckmann, the generalization of edge expansion to simplicial complexes is not straightforward. Recently, a topologically motivated notion analogous to edge expansion that is based on $\\mathbb{Z}_2$-cohomology was introduced by Gromov and independently by Linial, Meshulam and Wallach. It is known that for this generalization there is no direct higher dimensional analogue of the lower bound of the Cheeger inequality. A different, combinatorially motivated generalization of the Cheeger constant, denoted by $h(X$, was studied by Parzanchevski, Rosenthal and Tessler. They showed that indeed $\\lambda(X \\leq h(X$, where $\\lambda(X$ is the smallest non-trivial eigenvalue of the ($(k-1$-dimensional upper Laplacian, for the case of $k$-dimensional simplicial complexes $X$ with complete $(k-1$-skeleton. Whether this inequality also holds for $k$-dimensional complexes with non-com\\-plete$(k-1$-skeleton has been an open question.We give two proofs of the inequality for arbitrary complexes. The proofs differ strongly in the methods and structures employed,and each allows for a different kind of additional strengthening of the original result.

  20. On the Rise: The Role of Career and Technical Education in Arizona's Future. 21st Century Career and Technical Education Pathways

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Sapna

    2013-01-01

    This report examines the potential of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Arizona in terms of providing employers certified skills need to compete regionally, nationally and internationally and students avenues for higher education, quality of life and job satisfaction. An appendix on "Estimating the Effect of CTE on High School…

  1. Convection in complex shaped vessel; Convection dans des enceintes de forme complexe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-07-01

    The 8 november 2000, the SFT (Societe Francaise de Thermique) organized a technical day on the convection in complex shaped vessels. Nine papers have been presented in the domains of the heat transfers, the natural convection, the fluid distribution, the thermosyphon effect, the steam flow in a sterilization cycle and the transformers cooling. Eight papers are analyzed in ETDE and one paper dealing with the natural convection in spent fuels depository is analyzed in INIS. (A.L.B.)

  2. Technical and economic analysis of hydrogen refuelling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nistor, Silviu; Dave, Saraansh; Fan, Zhong; Sooriyabandara, Mahesh

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Technical and economic models of a hydrogen station for vehicles refuelling. • Hydrogen demand from fuel cell electric vehicles modelled stochastically. • Study case based on a UK pilot project. • Operation of the H_2 station using combined energy from wind and power grid is preferred. • Return on investment of 5–10 years is possible for the hydrogen station. - Abstract: This paper focuses on technical and economic analysis of a hydrogen refilling station to provide operational insight through tight coupling of technical models of physical processes and economic models. This allows the dynamic relationships of the system to be captured and analysed to provide short/medium term analytical capability to support system design, planning, and financing. The modelling developed here highlights the need to closely link technical and economic models for technology led projects where technical capability and commercial feasibility are important. The results show that hydrogen fuel can be competitive with petrol on a GBP/KG basis if the return on investment period is over 10 years for PEM electrolysers and 5 for Alkaline electrolysers. We also show that subsidies on capital costs (as reflected by some R&D funding programs) make both PEM and Alkaline technologies cheaper than the equivalent price of petrol, which suggests more emphasis should be put on commercialising R&D funded projects as they have commercial advantages. The paper also shows that a combined wind and grid connected station is preferable so that a higher number of customers are served (i.e. minimum shortage of hydrogen).

  3. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical devices: a complex environment and multifaceted problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Patricia Ah; Woodward, Andrew J

    2015-01-01

    The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This multifaceted problem must be viewed from a systemic perspective if adequate protection is to be put in place and patient safety concerns addressed. This requires technical controls, governance, resilience measures, consolidated reporting, context expertise, regulation, and standards. It is evident that a coordinated, proactive approach to address this complex challenge is essential. In the interim, patient safety is under threat.

  4. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical devices: a complex environment and multifaceted problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Patricia AH; Woodward, Andrew J

    2015-01-01

    The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This multifaceted problem must be viewed from a systemic perspective if adequate protection is to be put in place and patient safety concerns addressed. This requires technical controls, governance, resilience measures, consolidated reporting, context expertise, regulation, and standards. It is evident that a coordinated, proactive approach to address this complex challenge is essential. In the interim, patient safety is under threat. PMID:26229513

  5. The Commissioning of the LHC Technical Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Saban, R; Baggiolini, V; Ballarino, A; Barbero-Soto, E; Bellesia, B; Bordry, Frederick; Bozzini, D; Casas-Lino, M-P; Chareyre, V; Claudet, S; Coelingh, G-J; Dahlerup-Petersen, K; Denz, R; Fehér, S; Flora, R; Gruwé, M; Kain, V; Kirby, G; Koratzinos, M; Lauckner, R; Le Naour, S; Mess, K-H; Millet, F; Montabonnet, V; Nisbet, D; Perea-Solano, B; Pojer, M; Principe, R; Rabehl, R; Rijllart, A; Redaelli, S; Rodríguez-Mateos, F; Schmidt, R; Serio, L; Siemko, A; Solfaroli-Camillocci, M; Thiesen, H; Venturini, W; Vergara-Fernandez, A; Verweij, A; Zerlauth, M

    2007-01-01

    The LHC is an accelerator with unprecedented complexity where the energy stored in magnets and the beams exceeds other accelerators by one-to-two orders of magnitude. To ensure a safe and efficient machine start-up without being plagued by technical problems, a phase of "hardware commissioning" was introduced: a thorough commissioning of technical systems without beam. This activity started in June 2005 with the commissioning of individual systems, followed by operating a full sector, one eighth of the machine; the commissioning is expected to last until spring 2008 when commissioning with beam will start. The LHC architecture allows the commissioning of each of the eight sectors independently from the others, before the installation of other sectors is complete. An important effort went into the definition of the programme and the organization of the coordination in the field, as well as in the preparation of the tools to record and analyze test results. This paper discusses the experience with this approach...

  6. Future Directions for Research on Online Technical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horvitz, Brian S.

    2017-01-01

    Most research on online learning in higher education has been focused on general education at four-year institutions. There is a need for more research that focuses on online and hybrid education at community colleges in technical education fields. This issue includes articles from eight National Science Foundation funded projects doing innovative…

  7. An architecture and methodology for the design and development of Technical Information Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Capobianchi, R.; Mautref, M.; van Keulen, Maurice; Balsters, H.

    In order to meet demands in the context of Technical Information Systems (TIS) pertaining to reliability, extensibility, maintainability, etc., we have developed an architectural framework with accompanying methodological guidelines for designing such systems. With the framework, we aim at complex

  8. Tool-based Risk Assessment of Cloud Infrastructures as Socio-Technical Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nidd, Michael; Ivanova, Marieta Georgieva; Probst, Christian W.

    2015-01-01

    Assessing risk in cloud infrastructures is difficult. Typical cloud infrastructures contain potentially thousands of nodes that are highly interconnected and dynamic. Another important component is the set of human actors who get access to data and computing infrastructure. The cloud infrastructure...... exercise for cloud infrastructures using the socio-technical model developed in the TRESPASS project; after showing how to model typical components of a cloud infrastructure, we show how attacks are identified on this model and discuss their connection to risk assessment. The technical part of the model...... is extracted automatically from the configuration of the cloud infrastructure, which is especially important for systems so dynamic and complex....

  9. Higher Complexity of Infection and Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium vivax Than Plasmodium falciparum across all Malaria Transmission Zones of Papua New Guinea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fola, Abebe A.; Harrison, G. L. Abby; Hazairin, Mita Hapsari; Barnadas, Céline; Hetzel, Manuel W.; Iga, Jonah; Siba, Peter M.; Mueller, Ivo; Barry, Alyssa E.

    2017-01-01

    Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax have varying transmission dynamics that are informed by molecular epidemiology. This study aimed to determine the complexity of infection and genetic diversity of P. vivax and P. falciparum throughout Papua New Guinea (PNG) to evaluate transmission dynamics across the country. In 2008–2009, a nationwide malaria indicator survey collected 8,936 samples from all 16 endemic provinces of PNG. Of these, 892 positive P. vivax samples were genotyped at PvMS16 and PvmspF3, and 758 positive P. falciparum samples were genotyped at Pfmsp2. The data were analyzed for multiplicity of infection (MOI) and genetic diversity. Overall, P. vivax had higher polyclonality (71%) and mean MOI (2.32) than P. falciparum (20%, 1.39). These measures were significantly associated with prevalence for P. falciparum but not for P. vivax. The genetic diversity of P. vivax (PvMS16: expected heterozygosity = 0.95, 0.85–0.98; PvMsp1F3: 0.78, 0.66–0.89) was higher and less variable than that of P. falciparum (Pfmsp2: 0.89, 0.65–0.97). Significant associations of MOI with allelic richness (rho = 0.69, P = 0.009) and expected heterozygosity (rho = 0.87, P < 0.001) were observed for P. falciparum. Conversely, genetic diversity was not correlated with polyclonality nor mean MOI for P. vivax. The results demonstrate higher complexity of infection and genetic diversity of P. vivax across the country. Although P. falciparum shows a strong association of these parameters with prevalence, a lack of association was observed for P. vivax and is consistent with higher potential for outcrossing of this species. PMID:28070005

  10. Career Technical Education: Keeping Adult Learners Competitive for High-Demand Jobs

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, 2011

    2011-01-01

    In today's turbulent economy, how can adult workers best position themselves to secure jobs in high-demand fields where they are more likely to remain competitive and earn more? Further, how can employers up-skill current employees so that they meet increasingly complex job demands? Research indicates that Career Technical Education (CTE) aligned…

  11. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY): Derived Variables. Technical Report 64

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2012

    2012-01-01

    This technical report describes the 24 derived variables developed for users of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data. The variables fall into the categories education, employment and social, and help to simplify the complexity of the LSAY data by providing useful indicators for analysis. To help LSAY data users understand and…

  12. The use of a checklist improves anaesthesiologists' technical and non-technical performance for simulated malignant hyperthermia management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, Jean-Baptiste; Gouin, Antoine; Damm, Cédric; Compère, Vincent; Veber, Benoît; Dureuil, Bertrand

    2018-02-01

    Anaesthesiologists may occasionally manage life-threatening operating room (OR) emergencies. Managing OR emergencies implies real-time analysis of often complicated situations, prompt medical knowledge retrieval, coordinated teamwork and effective decision making in stressful settings. Checklists are recommended to improve performance and reduce the risk of medical errors. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of the French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care's (SFAR) "Malignant Hyperthermia" (MH) checklist on a simulated episode of MH crisis and management thereof by registered anesthesiologists. Twenty-four anaesthesiologists were allocated to 2 groups (checklist and control). Their technical performance in adherence with the SFAR guidelines was assessed by a 30-point score and their non-technical performance was assessed by the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) score. Every task completion was assessed independently. Data are shown as median (first-third quartiles). Anaesthesiologists in the checklist group had higher technical performance scores (24/30 (21.5-25) vs 18/30 (15.5-19.5), P=0.002) and ANTS scores (56.5/60 (47.5-58) vs 48.5/60 (41-50.5), P=0.024). They administered the complete initial dose of dantrolene (2mg/kg) more quickly (15.7 minutes [13.9-18.3] vs 22.4 minutes [18.6-25]) than the control group (P=0.017). However, anaesthesiologists deemed the usability of the checklist to be perfectible. Registered anaesthesiologists' use of the MH checklist during a simulation session widely improved their adherence to guidelines and non-technical skills. This study strongly suggests the benefit of checklist tools for emergency management. Notwithstanding, better awareness and training for anaesthesiologists could further improve the use of this tool. Copyright © 2017 Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. Diagnostics of Technical Condition of Gear Units of Belt Conveyors for the Aggregate of Methods of Nondestructive Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzin, Evgeny G.; Gerike, Boris L.; Drozdenko, Yuriy V.; Lupiy, Michael G.; Grigoryeva, Natalya V.

    2017-10-01

    The article reviews the issues of complex use of methods of technical diagnostics of gearboxes for belt conveyors, with the aim of creating an effective system of maintenance. The article is showing the results of the evaluation of the technical condition of the drives of belt conveyors based on vibration monitoring and thermal parameters, and analysis of lubricating oil.

  14. Simulation of long-term influence from technical systems on permafrost with various short-scale and hourly operation modes in Arctic region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaganova, N. A.

    2017-12-01

    Technogenic and climatic influences have a significant impact on the degradation of permafrost. Long-term forecasts of such changes during long-time periods have to be taken into account in the oil and gas and construction industries in view to development the Arctic and Subarctic regions. There are considered constantly operating technical systems (for example, oil and gas wells) that affect changes in permafrost, as well as the technical systems that have a short-term impact on permafrost (for example, flare systems for emergency flaring of associated gas). The second type of technical systems is rather complex for simulation, since it is required to reserve both short and long-scales in computations with variable time steps describing the complex technological processes. The main attention is paid to the simulation of long-term influence on the permafrost from the second type of the technical systems.

  15. A stochastic frontier analysis of technical efficiency of fish cage culture in Peninsular Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Gazi Md Nurul; Tai, Shzee Yew; Kusairi, Mohd Noh

    2016-01-01

    Cage culture plays an important role in achieving higher output and generating more export earnings in Malaysia. However, the cost of fingerlings, feed and labour have increased substantially for cage culture in the coastal areas in Peninsular Malaysia. This paper uses farm level data gathered from Manjung, Perak and Kota Tinggi, Johor to investigate the technical efficiency of brackish water fish cage culture using the stochastic frontier approach. The technical efficiency was estimated and specifically the factors affecting technical inefficiencies of fish cage culture system in Malaysia was investigated. On average, 37 percent of the sampled fish cage farms are technically efficient. The results suggest very high degrees of technical inefficiency exist among the cage culturists. This implies that great potential exists to increase fish production through improved efficiency in cage culture management in Peninsular Malaysia. The results indicate that farmers obtained grouper fingerlings from other neighboring countries due to scarcity of fingerlings from wild sources. The cost of feeding for grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) requires relatively higher costs compared to seabass (Lates calcarifer) production in cage farms in the study areas. Initiatives to undertake extension programmes at the farm level are needed to help cage culturists in utilizing their resources more efficiently in order to substantially enhance their fish production.

  16. A model of cardiopulmonary bypass staged training integrating technical and non-technical skills dedicated to cardiac trainees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fouilloux, V; Doguet, F; Kotsakis, A; Dubrowski, A; Berdah, S

    2015-03-01

    To develop a standardized simulation-based curriculum to teach medical knowledge and technical, communication and critical thinking skills necessary to initiate and wean from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to junior cardiac trainees (CTs) in France. Performance on post-curricular tests was compared between CTs who participated in the new curriculum to those who did not. The simulation-based curriculum was developed by content and education experts. Simulations sequentially taught the skills necessary for initiating and weaning from CPB as well as managing crises by adding fidelity and complexity to scenarios. Nine CTs were randomly assigned to the new curriculum (n=5) or the traditional curriculum (n=4). Skills were assessed using tests of medical knowledge and technical, communication (GRS) and critical thinking (SCT) skills. A two-sample Wilcoxon rank-sum test compared average scores between the two groups. Alpha of 0.05 was set to indicate statistically significant differences. The resutls revealed that CTs in the new curriculum significantly outperformed CTs in the traditional curriculum on technical (18.2 vs 14.8, p=0.05) and communication (3.5 vs 2.2, p=0.013) skills. There was no significant difference between CTs in the new curriculum in the Script Concordance Test (16.5 vs 14.8, p=0.141) and knowledge tests (26.9 vs 24.6, p=0.14) compared to CTs in the traditional curriculum. Our new curriculum teaches communication and technical skills necessary for CPB. The results of this pilot study are encouraging and relevant. They give grounds for future research with a larger panel of trainees. Based on the current distribution of scores, a sample size of 12 CTs per group should yield significant results for all tests. © The Author(s) 2014.

  17. Technical innovation and management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Yang Cheol

    1982-08-15

    This book gives explanations of the conception of technical innovation, development plan in Korea, connection between technology and a growth factor in national income, problem of technical innovation in developing country, analysis on cooperation between a developed country and a developing country, evaluation and strategy of technical development in Korea, technical innovation of industry, management of technical industry, analysis of special condition in Korea.

  18. Technical innovation and management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Yang Cheol

    1982-08-01

    This book gives explanations of the conception of technical innovation, development plan in Korea, connection between technology and a growth factor in national income, problem of technical innovation in developing country, analysis on cooperation between a developed country and a developing country, evaluation and strategy of technical development in Korea, technical innovation of industry, management of technical industry, analysis of special condition in Korea.

  19. Mathematical Analysis of Evolution, Information, and Complexity

    CERN Document Server

    Arendt, Wolfgang

    2009-01-01

    Mathematical Analysis of Evolution, Information, and Complexity deals with the analysis of evolution, information and complexity. The time evolution of systems or processes is a central question in science, this text covers a broad range of problems including diffusion processes, neuronal networks, quantum theory and cosmology. Bringing together a wide collection of research in mathematics, information theory, physics and other scientific and technical areas, this new title offers elementary and thus easily accessible introductions to the various fields of research addressed in the book.

  20. Internal design of technical systems under conditions of uncertainty

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krasnoshchekov, P S; Morozov, V V; Fedorov, V V

    1982-03-01

    An investigation is made of a model of internal design of a complex technical system in the presence of uncertain factors. The influence of an opponent on the design is examined. The concepts of hierarchical and balanced compatibility between the criteria of the designer, the opponent and the segregations functions are introduced and studied. The connection between the approach proposed and the methods of artificial intelligence is discussed. 5 references.

  1. Efficiency mark of the two-product power complex of nuclear power plant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khrustalev, V. A.; Suchkov, V. M.

    2017-11-01

    The article discusses the combining nuclear power plants (NPP) with pressurized water reactors and distillation-desalination plants (DDP), their joint mode of operation during periods of coating failures of the electric power load graphs and thermo-economical efficiency. Along with the release of heat and generation of electric energy a desalination complex with the nuclear power plant produces distillate. Part of the selected steam “irretrievably lost” with a mix of condensation of this vapor in a desalination machine with a flow of water for distillation. It means that this steam transforms into condition of acquired product - distillate. The article presents technical solutions for the return of the working fluid for turbine К-1000-60/1500-2 и К-1200-6,8/50, as well as permissible part of low pressure regime according to the number of desalination units for each turbine. Patent for the proposed two-product energy complex, obtained by Gagarin State Technical University is analyzed. The energy complex has such system advantages as increasing the capacity factor of a nuclear reactor and also allows to solve the problem of shortage of fresh water. Thermo-economics effectiveness of this complex is determined by introducing a factor-“thermo-economic index”. During analyzing of the results of the calculations of a thermo-economic index we can see a strong influence of the cost factor of the distillate on the market. Then higher participation of the desalination plant in coverage of the failures of the graphs of the electric loading then smaller the payback period of the NPP. It is manifested more clearly, as it’s shown in the article, when pricing options depend on time of day and the configuration of the daily electric load diagram. In the geographical locations of the NPPs with PWR the Russian performance in a number of regions with low freshwater resources and weak internal electrical connections combined with DDP might be one of the ways to improve the

  2. Department of Energy environmental management complex-wide integration using systems engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fairbourn, P.

    1997-01-01

    A systems engineering approach was successfully used to recommend changes to environmental management activities across the DOE Complex. A team of technical experts and systems engineers developed alternatives that could save tax payers billions of dollars if the barriers are removed to allow complete implementation. The alternatives are technically-based and defensible, and are being worked through the stakeholder review process. The integration process and implementing project structure are both discussed

  3. The Frankenstein Complex

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Boris Brorman

    2016-01-01

    In his polemic essay Boris Brorman Jensen raises the issue of a perceived academic reluctance to acknowledge the impact of real-world pragmatics on the architectural expression of built architecture. “One might claim that parts of architectural academia suffer from a Frankenstein complex that seems...... to feed a certain academic fear of dealing with the messiness of the real world. This professional fear that the political, social, technical, economic and legal realities will fundamentally weaken and compromise pure architectural thinking rests on the misperception that architecture is not, essentially...

  4. Energy Efficiency of Higher Education Buildings: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soares, Nelson; Pereira, Luísa Dias; Ferreira, João; Conceição, Pedro; da Silva, Patrícia Pereira

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to propose an energy efficiency plan (with technical and behavioural improvement measures) for a Portuguese higher education building--the Teaching Building of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra (FEUC). Design/methodology/approach: The study was developed in the context of both the "Green…

  5. Virtual Reality and Multiple Intelligences: Potentials for Higher Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLellan, Hilary

    1994-01-01

    Discussion of the use of virtual reality in higher education looks at how this emerging computer-based technology can promote learning that engages all seven forms of intelligence proposed in H. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Technical and conceptual issues in implementation of virtual reality in education are also examined.…

  6. Metric-driven Robust Design – Robustness Quantification of Complex Engineering Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Göhler, Simon Moritz

    2017-01-01

    by the Danish Council for Strategic Research. Other supporters of the project have been MAN Diesel & Turbo A/S, DTU Mechanical Engineering, DTU Chemical Engineering, Sandia National Laboratories USA, Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU) and University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus......This PhD dissertation was carried out at the Technical University of Denmark in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and has been supervised by Associate Professor Anders Ivarsson and co-supervised by Professor Jesper Schramm. The project has been a part of the RADIADE project funded....... The continuing stringency of emission regulations for marine diesel engines forces a deeper understanding of the complex physical processes occurring inside the engine cylinder. A deeper understanding can lead to higher accuracy of predictive numerical models, thereby enabling evaluation of multiple engine...

  7. Balancing human and technical reliability in the design of advanced nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Papin, Bernard

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: ► Human factors exigencies are often overseen during the early design phases of NPP. ► Optimization of reactors safety is only based on technical reliability considerations. ► The search for more technical reliability often leads to more system complexity. ► System complexity is a major contributor to the operator's poor performance. ► Our method enables to assess plant complexity and it's impact on human performance. - Abstract: The strong influence of human factors (HF) on the safety of nuclear facilities is nowadays recognised and the designers are now enforced to consider HF requirements in the design of new facilities. Yet, this consideration of human factors requirements is still more or less restricted to the latest phases of the projects, essentially for the design of human-system interfaces (HSI's) and control rooms, although the design options influencing at most the human performance in operation are indeed fixed during the very early phases of the new reactors projects. The main reason of this late consideration of HF is that there exist few methods and models for anticipating the influence of fundamental design options on the future performance of operation teams. This paper describes a set of new tools permitting (i) determination of the impact of the fundamental process design options on the future activity of the operation teams and (ii) assessment of the influence of these operational constraints on teams performance. These tools are intended to guide the design of future 4th generation (GEN4) reactors, within the frame of a global risk-informed design approach, considering technical and human reliability exigencies in a balanced way.

  8. INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT MECHANISMS OF RUSSIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Makirov

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Higher school innovative development state programs and projects are created and start functioning in Russia. The «Education» priority national project is of special importance. Support of minor innovative entrepreneurship in higher schools and its interaction with production enterprises makes an essential part of this activity. The recently approved National Research University Concept is of great importance too. Measures are being taken on information support to these programs and projects as well as on improvement of legislation basis related to research, development, technical and innovative activities of higher schools. The Nizhny Novgorod State University experience is a good example of implementation of the state support to minor innovative business.

  9. [Change management: An analysis of actors; perceptions about technical assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribesse, Nathalie; Iyeti, Alain; Macq, Jean

    2015-01-01

    Technical assistance (TA) is a common component of health system strengthening interventions. This type of intervention is too often designed and evaluated according to a logic that fails to take into account social complexity. Actors' perceptions are one element of this complexity. This article presents a study conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo designed to identify perceptions concerning two types of technical support providers for health system strengthening: long-term technical assistants (agents of development agencies) and provincial technical advisors (agents of the Ministry of Health). Interviews were conducted with an innovative tool inspired by the principles of systems thinking. Interviewees were actors involved in a TA intervention in the province of Bandundu. Their expectations regarding TA providers were identified in terms of personal characteristics (knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills), roles, and styles of interaction for capacity building ("interventionist/ prescriptive axes"). Interviewees emphasized the importance of mutual learning and the quality of interactions, which depends on TA provider's interpersonal skills and mutual willingness. Perceptions of TA provider's characteristics tend to be similar, but several differences were observed concerning the expectations about the roles of TAs, and the style that should be adopted for capacity building. Ignoring these differences in expectations may be a threat to the effectiveness of TA.

  10. Multilateral collaboration between technical communicators and translators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vandepitte, Sonia; Maylath, Bruce; Mousten, Birthe

    2016-01-01

    This article describes a multilateral international project (Thompson and Carter 1973, Moreno-Lopez 2004) in technical communication and translator training programmes and discusses its use of technologies in what is seen as the largest and most complex international learning-by-doing collaboration...... to date. The project is a student collaboration involving two sets of cross-cultural virtual teams who either translate from Danish and Dutch into English and review (or edit) into American English or who are involved in international collaborative writing by Spaniards and Americans, usability testing...

  11. Competition and Performance in European Higher Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Teixeira, Pedro; Biscaia, Ricardo; Rocha, Vera

    2014-01-01

    Higher education institutions face today a demanding and complex context in which they are asked to fulfill multiple roles. Many of these challenges have to be faced in a complex financial context in which traditional modes of funding have been transformed and public sources are not as generous...... as they often were in the past.Like in many other public services, in recent years it became a rather common statement that higher education institutions should be more efficient in the use of taxpayers’ resources, which had a clear impact in visible changes in the funding of public higher education in Europe....... In this paper we will analyse the major trends in higher education funding in Europe and underline to what extent the current debates about higher education and its funding have been significantly influenced by economic considerations. We will identify some of the main issues that dominate the current debate...

  12. Neural classifiers for learning higher-order correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gueler, M.

    1999-01-01

    Studies by various authors suggest that higher-order networks can be more powerful and biologically more plausible with respect to the more traditional multilayer networks. These architecture make explicit use of nonlinear interactions between input variables in the form of higher-order units or product units. If it is known a priori that the problem to be implemented possesses a given set of invariances like in the translation, rotation, and scale invariant recognition problems, those invariances can be encoded, thus eliminating all higher-order terms which are incompatible with the invariances. In general, however, it is a serious set-back that the complexity of learning increases exponentially with the size of inputs. This paper reviews higher-order networks and introduces an implicit representation in which learning complexity is mainly decided by the number of higher-order terms to be learned and increases only linearly with the input size

  13. Neural Classifiers for Learning Higher-Order Correlations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güler, Marifi

    1999-01-01

    Studies by various authors suggest that higher-order networks can be more powerful and are biologically more plausible with respect to the more traditional multilayer networks. These architectures make explicit use of nonlinear interactions between input variables in the form of higher-order units or product units. If it is known a priori that the problem to be implemented possesses a given set of invariances like in the translation, rotation, and scale invariant pattern recognition problems, those invariances can be encoded, thus eliminating all higher-order terms which are incompatible with the invariances. In general, however, it is a serious set-back that the complexity of learning increases exponentially with the size of inputs. This paper reviews higher-order networks and introduces an implicit representation in which learning complexity is mainly decided by the number of higher-order terms to be learned and increases only linearly with the input size.

  14. Leveraging Independent Management and Chief Engineer Hierarchy: Vertically and Horizontally-Derived Technical Authority Value

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barley, Bryan; Newhouse, Marilyn

    2012-01-01

    In the development of complex spacecraft missions, project management authority is usually extended hierarchically from NASA's highest agency levels down to the implementing institution's project team level, through both the center and the program. In parallel with management authority, NASA utilizes a complementary, but independent, hierarchy of technical authority (TA) that extends from the agency level to the project, again, through both the center and the program. The chief engineers (CEs) who serve in this technical authority capacity oversee and report on the technical status and ensure sound engineering practices, controls, and management of the projects and programs. At the lowest level, implementing institutions assign project CEs to technically engage projects, lead development teams, and ensure sound technical principles, processes, and issue resolution. At the middle level, programs and centers independently use CEs to ensure the technical success of their projects and programs. At the agency level, NASA's mission directorate CEs maintain technical cognizance over every program and project in their directorate and advise directorate management on the technical, cost, schedule, and programmatic health of each. As part of this vertically-extended CE team, a program level CE manages a continually varying balance between penetration depth and breadth across his or her assigned missions. Teamwork issues and information integration become critical for management at all levels to ensure value-added use of both the synergy available between CEs at the various agency levels, and the independence of the technical authority at each organization.

  15. Technical Network

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    In order to optimize the management of the Technical Network (TN), to ease the understanding and purpose of devices connected to the TN, and to improve security incident handling, the Technical Network Administrators and the CNIC WG have asked IT/CS to verify the "description" and "tag" fields of devices connected to the TN. Therefore, persons responsible for systems connected to the TN will receive email notifications from IT/CS asking them to add the corresponding information in the network database. Thank you very much for your cooperation. The Technical Network Administrators & the CNIC WG

  16. When Higher Working Memory Capacity Hinders Insight

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeCaro, Marci S.; Van Stockum, Charles A., Jr.; Wieth, Mareike B.

    2016-01-01

    Higher working memory capacity (WMC) improves performance on a range of cognitive and academic tasks. However, a greater ability to control attention sometimes leads individuals with higher WMC to persist in using complex, attention-demanding approaches that are suboptimal for a given task. We examined whether higher WMC would hinder insight…

  17. Legitimizing Technical Communication in English Departments: Carolyn Miller's "Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Patrick

    2006-01-01

    Carolyn Miller's oft-cited "Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing," published in 1979, tries to give technical communication faculty more cultural capital in English departments controlled by literature professors. Miller replaces a positivistic emphasis in technical communication pedagogy with rhetoric. She shows how technical knowledge is…

  18. Strategy of technical innovation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Ga Jong

    1990-12-01

    This book deals with policy of scientific technique and technical innovation such as research for development and types of technical innovation, historical development and process of technical innovation, economic growth, technology change and investment for research and development, structure and form of technical transfer with the meaning process, from, structure and theory, economic growth and investment of research and development with experiential analysis and case study on strategy of technical innovation in electron and fine chemical industry.

  19. Urology technical and non-technical skills development: the emerging role of simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashid, Prem; Gianduzzo, Troy R J

    2016-04-01

    To review the emerging role of technical and non-technical simulation in urological education and training. A review was conducted to examine the current role of simulation in urology training. A PUBMED search of the terms 'urology training', 'urology simulation' and 'urology education' revealed 11,504 titles. Three hundred and fifty-seven abstracts were identified as English language, peer reviewed papers pertaining to the role of simulation in urology and related topics. Key papers were used to explore themes. Some cross-referenced papers were also included. There is an ongoing need to ensure that training time is efficiently utilised while ensuring that optimal technical and non-technical skills are achieved. Changing working conditions and the need to minimise patient harm by inadvertent errors must be taken into account. Simulation models for specific technical aspects have been the mainstay of graduated step-wise low and high fidelity training. Whole scenario environments as well as non-technical aspects can be slowly incorporated into the curriculum. Doing so should also help define what have been challenging competencies to teach and evaluate. Dedicated time, resources and trainer up-skilling are important. Concurrent studies are needed to help evaluate the effectiveness of introducing step-wise simulation for technical and non-technical competencies. Simulation based learning remains the best avenue of progressing surgical education. Technical and non-technical simulation could be used in the selection process. There are good economic, logistic and safety reasons to pursue the process of ongoing development of simulation co-curricula. While the role of simulation is assured, its progress will depend on a structured program that takes advantage of what can be delivered via this medium. Overall, simulation can be developed further for urological training programs to encompass technical and non-technical skill development at all stages, including

  20. The Future Cybersecurity Workforce: Going Beyond Technical Skills for Successful Cyber Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica Dawson

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available One of the challenges in writing an article reviewing the current state of cyber education and workforce development is that there is a paucity of quantitative assessment regarding the cognitive aptitudes, work roles, or team organization required by cybersecurity professionals to be successful. In this review, we argue that the people who operate within the cyber domain need a combination of technical skills, domain specific knowledge, and social intelligence to be successful. They, like the networks they operate, must also be reliable, trustworthy, and resilient. Defining the knowledge, skills, attributes, and other characteristics is not as simple as defining a group of technical skills that people can be trained on; the complexity of the cyber domain makes this a unique challenge. There has been little research devoted to exactly what attributes individuals in the cyber domain need. What research does exist places an emphasis on technical and engineering skills while discounting the important social and organizational influences that dictate success or failure in everyday settings. This paper reviews the literature on cyber expertise and cyber workforce development to identify gaps and then argues for the important contribution of social fit in the highly complex and heterogenous cyber workforce. We then identify six assumptions for the future of cybersecurity workforce development, including the requirement for systemic thinkers, team players, a love for continued learning, strong communication ability, a sense of civic duty, and a blend of technical and social skill. Finally, we make recommendations for social and cognitive metrics which may be indicative of future performance in cyber work roles to provide a roadmap for future scholars.

  1. The Future Cybersecurity Workforce: Going Beyond Technical Skills for Successful Cyber Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dawson, Jessica; Thomson, Robert

    2018-01-01

    One of the challenges in writing an article reviewing the current state of cyber education and workforce development is that there is a paucity of quantitative assessment regarding the cognitive aptitudes, work roles, or team organization required by cybersecurity professionals to be successful. In this review, we argue that the people who operate within the cyber domain need a combination of technical skills, domain specific knowledge, and social intelligence to be successful. They, like the networks they operate, must also be reliable, trustworthy, and resilient. Defining the knowledge, skills, attributes, and other characteristics is not as simple as defining a group of technical skills that people can be trained on; the complexity of the cyber domain makes this a unique challenge. There has been little research devoted to exactly what attributes individuals in the cyber domain need. What research does exist places an emphasis on technical and engineering skills while discounting the important social and organizational influences that dictate success or failure in everyday settings. This paper reviews the literature on cyber expertise and cyber workforce development to identify gaps and then argues for the important contribution of social fit in the highly complex and heterogenous cyber workforce. We then identify six assumptions for the future of cybersecurity workforce development, including the requirement for systemic thinkers, team players, a love for continued learning, strong communication ability, a sense of civic duty, and a blend of technical and social skill. Finally, we make recommendations for social and cognitive metrics which may be indicative of future performance in cyber work roles to provide a roadmap for future scholars.

  2. Operating environment threats influence on the maritime ferry technical system safety – the numerical approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuligowska Ewa

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The material given in this paper delivers the procedure for numerical approach that allows finding the main practically important safety characteristics of the complex technical systems at the variable operation conditions including operating environment threats. The obtained results are applied to the safety evaluation of the maritime ferry technical system. It is assumed that the conditional safety functions are different at various operation states and have the exponential forms. Using the procedure and the program written in Mathematica, the considered maritime ferry technical system main characteristics including: the conditional and the unconditional expected values and standard deviations of the system lifetimes, the unconditional safety function and the risk function are determined.

  3. Training of technical staff and technical staff managers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moody, G.F.

    1991-01-01

    The purpose of Technical Staff and Technical Staff Managers training is to provide job skills enhancement to individuals selected to fill key technical positions within a nuclear utility. This training is unique in that unlike other training programs accredited by the National Academy for Nuclear Training, it does not lead to specific task qualification. The problems encountered when determining the student population and curriculum are a direct result of this major difference. Major problems encountered are determining who should attend the training, what amount of training is necessary and sufficient, and how to obtain the best feedback in order to effect substantive program improvements. These topics will be explored and possible solutions discussed

  4. Technical Network

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    In order to optimise the management of the Technical Network (TN), to facilitate understanding of the purpose of devices connected to the TN and to improve security incident handling, the Technical Network Administrators and the CNIC WG have asked IT/CS to verify the "description" and "tag" fields of devices connected to the TN. Therefore, persons responsible for systems connected to the TN will receive e-mails from IT/CS asking them to add the corresponding information in the network database at "network-cern-ch". Thank you very much for your cooperation. The Technical Network Administrators & the CNIC WG

  5. Development of technical information processing system (VII)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Tae Whan; Choi, Kwang; Oh, Jeong Hoon; Jeong, Hyun Sook; Keum, Jong Yong

    1995-12-01

    The goal of this project is to establish integrated environment focused on enhanced information services to researchers through the providing of acquisition information, key phrase retrieval function, journal content information linked with various subsystems already developed. The results of the project are as follows. 1. It is possible to serve information on unreceivable materials among required materials throughout the system. 2. Retrieval efficiency is increased by the adding of key phrase retrieval function. 3. Rapidity of information service is enhanced by the providing of journal contents of each issue received and work performance of contents service is become higher. 4. It is possible to acquire, store, serve technical information needed in R and D synthetically and systematically throughout the development of total system linked with various subsystems required to technical information management and service. 21 refs. (Author)

  6. A meta-analysis of motivational interviewing process: Technical, relational, and conditional process models of change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magill, Molly; Apodaca, Timothy R; Borsari, Brian; Gaume, Jacques; Hoadley, Ariel; Gordon, Rebecca E F; Tonigan, J Scott; Moyers, Theresa

    2018-02-01

    In the present meta-analysis, we test the technical and relational hypotheses of Motivational Interviewing (MI) efficacy. We also propose an a priori conditional process model where heterogeneity of technical path effect sizes should be explained by interpersonal/relational (i.e., empathy, MI Spirit) and intrapersonal (i.e., client treatment seeking status) moderators. A systematic review identified k = 58 reports, describing 36 primary studies and 40 effect sizes (N = 3,025 participants). Statistical methods calculated the inverse variance-weighted pooled correlation coefficient for the therapist to client and the client to outcome paths across multiple target behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, other drug use, other behavior change). Therapist MI-consistent skills were correlated with more client change talk (r = .55, p technical hypothesis was supported. Specifically, proportion MI consistency was related to higher proportion change talk (r = .11, p = .004) and higher proportion change talk was related to reductions in risk behavior at follow up (r = -.16, p technical hypothesis path effect sizes was partially explained by inter- and intrapersonal moderators. This meta-analysis provides additional support for the technical hypothesis of MI efficacy; future research on the relational hypothesis should occur in the field rather than in the context of clinical trials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. TECHNICAL COORDINATION

    CERN Multimedia

    A. Ball

    2010-01-01

    Operational Experience At the end of the first full-year running period of LHC, CMS is established as a reliable, robust and mature experiment. In particular common systems and infrastructure faults accounted for <0.6 % CMS downtime during LHC pp physics. Technical operation throughout the entire year was rather smooth, the main faults requiring UXC access being sub-detector power systems and rack-cooling turbines. All such problems were corrected during scheduled technical stops, in the shadow of tunnel access needed by the LHC, or in negotiated accesses or access extensions. Nevertheless, the number of necessary accesses to the UXC averaged more than one per week and the technical stops were inevitably packed with work packages, typically 30 being executed within a few days, placing a high load on the coordination and area management teams. It is an appropriate moment for CMS Technical Coordination to thank all those in many CERN departments and in the Collaboration, who were involved in CMS techni...

  8. The Formation of Methodical Approach to Estimation of Scientific-Research, Scientific-Technical, and Innovative Activity of Institutions of Higher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yermachenko Volodymyr Ye.

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The research is aimed at developing a methodical approach to the construction of an innovative system of estimation of research, scientific, technical, and innovative activities of higher education institutions (HEI on the basis of elaborate structured system of indicators. The proposed methodical approach contains five stages, the research discloses the content of each of them. Based on the results of a comparative analysis of international and national systems of HEI-rating, as well as the usage of economic and mathematical instrumentarium, a list of indicators for estimating their scientific activities in terms of the selected factors and directions of estimation was formed and substantiated. An approach to formation of cluster aggregates of HEI by the criterion of their scientific performance has been suggested. Proposals on formation of a HEI-rating within the limits of the allocated homogeneous groups by means of the system of integral indicators were developed. Prospects for further scientific researches in this direction imply formation of directions of development of managerial decisions in accordance with the obtained results of rating, which will be directed on strengthening and search for new ways of development of scientific activity of HEI, increase of its level of competitiveness and image, and also strengthening of its contribution to the solution of actual problems of economy and society.

  9. CERN Technical Training 2003: Learning for the LHC!

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    AXEL-2003 - Introduction to Particle Accelerators AXEL-2003 is a course given at CERN within the framework of the Technical Training Programme. The course will present an introduction to particle accelerators. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the "PS Shutdown Course"), and organised by the ex-PS division until last year, it is now organised as a joint venture between the AB division and Technical Training, and open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2003 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is open to all people (technicians, engineers, physicists) interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge on accelerators. However, some basic knowledge on trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course and the course supports will be in English, with questions and answers also in French. Lectures wil...

  10. CERN Technical Training 2003: Learning for the LHC!

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    AXEL-2003  -  Introduction to Particle Accelerators   AXEL-2003 is a course given at CERN within the framework of the Technical Training Programme. The course will present an introduction to particle accelerators. Known in the past as the PS Complex Operation Course (or the "PS Shutdown Course"), and organised by the ex-PS division until last year, it is now organised as a joint venture between the AB division and Technical Training, and open to a wider CERN community. The AXEL-2003 course series is designed for technicians who are operating an accelerator, or whose work is closely linked to accelerators, but it is open to all people (technicians, engineers, physicists) interested in this field. The course does not require any prior knowledge on accelerators. However, some basic knowledge on trigonometry, matrices and differential equations, and some basic notions of magnetism would be an advantage. The course and the course supports will be in English, with questions and answers also in French. Lectur...

  11. The use of PROLOG for computerized Technical Specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lidsky, L.M.; Lanning, D.D.; Dobrzeniecki, A.B.; Meyers, K.; Reese, T.G.

    1987-01-01

    The task of deciding whether a particular nuclear plant condition is in compliance with its Technical Specifications is, in principle, algorithmic. However, the implicit algorithm is so complex and the required level of confidence in code validity is so high that traditional methods of computerized analysis have proven unsatisfactory. PROLOG provides a close match to the explicit semantic structure of the written specifications, a good tool for analysis of the implicit subsystem operability trees and, by virtue of its declarative style and imbedded logical structure, greatly simplifies the problem of code validation. LCOM, a PROLOG representation of a subset of BWR Technical Specifications, was developed to explore the applicability of PROLOG in this problem domain and to provide benchmark data for full-scale implementations. The declarative style and built-in unification mechanism of PROLOG does substantially simplify the process of program construction and validation. Extrapolations indicate processing times for a complete Tech Spec implementation of ≤ 1 minute in systems capable of ≥ 20 KLIPS

  12. Digital technical map of Košice city

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Štefan Kuzevič

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available The digital map of a city is comprised complex of the map. Process of creation of the digital map of a city is time consuming and financially demanding. The digital map is created as co-operation of the local authority, technology network administrator, companies, and local government. The exact and current digital map of the city utilizable for multilateral applications is the result of this co-operation. The digital map of city catch all important phenomenon and objects which are needed for making decisions and planning to all grades controlling the local authority. The Geographic information systems tools make possible updating digital map, analyses and syntheses spatial phenomena and theirs relationships. The digital map of city is created step by step. The digital technical map of city is one of very important part of the digital map. Illustration of the part digital technical map of Košice is showed in the Fig. 1.

  13. Overview of Commercial Building Partnerships in Higher Education

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schatz, Glenn [Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Washington, DC (United States)

    2013-03-01

    Higher education uses less energy per square foot than most commercial building sectors. However, higher education campuses house energy-intensive laboratories and data centers that may spend more than this average; laboratories, in particular, are disproportionately represented in the higher education sector. The Commercial Building Partnership (CBP), a public/private, cost-shared program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), paired selected commercial building owners and operators with representatives of DOE, its national laboratories, and private-sector technical experts. These teams explored energy-saving measures across building systems–including some considered too costly or technologically challenging–and used advanced energy modeling to achieve peak whole-building performance. Modeling results were then included in new construction or retrofit designs to achieve significant energy reductions.

  14. THE PROBLEMS OF MODELING THE RELIABILITY STRUCTURE OF THE COMPLEX TECHNICAL SYSTEM ON THE BASIS OF A STEAM‐WATER SYSTEM OF THE ENGINE ROOM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leszek CHYBOWSKI

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available In the paper the concept of a system structure with particular emphasis on the reliability structure has been presented. Advantages and disadvantages of modeling the reliability structure of a system using reliability block diagrams (RBD have been shown. RBD models of a marine steam‐water system constructed according to the concept of ‘multi‐component’, ‘one component’ and mixed models have been discussed. Critical remarks on the practical application of models which recognize only the structural surplus have been dealt with. The significant value of the model by professors Smalko and Jaźwiński called by them ‘default reliability structure’ has been pointed out. The necessity of building a new type of models: quality‐quantity, useful in the methodology developed by the author's multi-criteria analysis of importance of elements in the reliability structure of complex technical systems.

  15. Overconfidence of Vocational Education Students When Entering Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowden, Mark P.; Abhayawansa, Subhash; Bahtsevanoglou, John

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: There is evidence that students who attend Technical and Further Education (TAFE) prior to entering higher education underperform in their first year of study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of self-efficacy in understanding the performance of students who completed TAFE in the previous year in a first year subject of…

  16. External quality assurance agencies and excellence in higher education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josep Grifoll

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The article presents briefly the complexity of the concept of “excellence” in higher education. Taking into account this reality, the fundamental question is how agencies can consider this complexity in building up criteria on excellence and the use of the concept “excellence” in their improvement strategies and accountability processes in the sector of higher education. Public-private nature of higher education and its growing internationalisation have significant impact on how excellence in education is described and promoted as a tool.

  17. Technical Performance Analysis of Iran Premier League Soccer Players in 2012-2013 Season

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javani Mohsen

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose of study : analysis of IRAN premier league soccer players’ technical performance in season 2012-2013, using a computerized match analysis system (Borhan Mobin Development Management Co, IRAN. Material and methods: in this study, data were obtained from 120 players, who performed in competitions 90 minutes. The players were classified into 3 positional roles: defenders, midfielders and forwards. Technical performance variables analysis included: total passes, total successful passes, pass accuracy, total shots; total shots to target, shot accuracy, ball interception and ball losses. The data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Tukey post hoc test. Results : The findings of this study showed that players performed about 45 passes per competition. Midfielders and defenders had significantly higher number of passes than forwards. Pass accuracy was about 67% and there were no significant differences between positional roles. Also, the players performed about 0.8 shots per competition, forwards and midfielders had significantly higher number of shots than defenders. Shot accuracy was about 31%; midfielders and forwards had significantly higher shot accuracy than defenders. Forwards showed significantly lower ball interception and higher ball losses than other positions. Conclusion : The result of this study showed that there were significant differences between some technical actions in positional roles. Therefore, coaches can use this information for individualization of training according to playing positions and for optimization of training in the amateur game.

  18. Theoretical and technical fundamentals of pressing porous powder articles of the complex shape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reut, O.; Piatsiushyk, Y.; Makarchuk, D.; Yakubouski, A.

    2001-01-01

    Intensification of technological processes, limited by the square of the surface of an active element porous powder field, is possible at the expense of magnification of the square of the surface of the latter by its addition. Thus the overall dimensions of such skew field are preserved. The analytical dependence of the factor of magnification of the surface K on geometrical parameters of a powder article of the complex shape is obtained. The optimization of these parameters in view of technological limitations for the maximization of K is carried out. The technique of calculating of the intense - deformed state of the powder skew field of the complex geometrical shape in the isostatic pressing is developed. The basic correlation permitting to calculate strain and deformation fields when pressing are gained. The technique of dry isostatic pressing of the article of the complex shape and the corresponding deforming instrument are developed. (author)

  19. Reflecting socio-technical combinations in radioactive waste management. Results from the InSOTEC European research project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kallenbach-Herbert, Beate; Bergmans, Anne; Martell, Meritxell; Schroeder, Jantine

    2015-01-01

    InSOTEC is a three-year collaborative social sciences research project funded under the European Atomic Energy Community's 7th Framework Programme FP7. The project aims to generate a better understanding of the complex interplay between the technical and the social in the context of geological disposal of radioactive waste. In doing so, InSOTEC has moved beyond the social and technical division that is frequently being found in this context by - investigating the consideration of social sciences and the recognition of socio-technical combinations in research programs on geological disposal, - analyzing the socio-technical entanglement in selected contexts like siting, reversibility and retrievability, demonstrating safety and technology transfer on the basis of case studies, and - exploring the integration of diverse stakeholders in technology oriented networks. The analyses reveal that activities in the context of geological disposal, whether related to research, planning, siting etc., rather support the divide of social and technical aspects than fostering the consideration of their entanglement. Reasons identified for this are manifold. The wish to reduce complexity by focusing stakeholder involvement on social questions and fixing the technical part ''when acceptance is reached'' is only one of them. However, the analyses also show that over the long timescales of repository planning and implementation, robust management strategies must provide the flexibility to adapt to both technical and social developments and demands. Understanding the socio-technical interplay and creating structures for its consideration provides the basis for dealing with this challenge. This presentation will focus on the main findings of the InSOTEC project with regard to the consideration of socio-technical combinations in practice. These insights are currently under development and will be finalized at the end of the project in June 2014. We will reflect on

  20. Reflecting socio-technical combinations in radioactive waste management. Results from the InSOTEC European research project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kallenbach-Herbert, Beate [Oeko-Institut e.V., Darmstadt (Germany); Bergmans, Anne [Antwerp Univ. (Belgium); Martell, Meritxell [Merience Strategic Thinking, Olerdola (Spain); Schroeder, Jantine [Antwerp Univ. (Belgium); SCK - CEN, Mol (Belgium)

    2015-07-01

    InSOTEC is a three-year collaborative social sciences research project funded under the European Atomic Energy Community's 7th Framework Programme FP7. The project aims to generate a better understanding of the complex interplay between the technical and the social in the context of geological disposal of radioactive waste. In doing so, InSOTEC has moved beyond the social and technical division that is frequently being found in this context by - investigating the consideration of social sciences and the recognition of socio-technical combinations in research programs on geological disposal, - analyzing the socio-technical entanglement in selected contexts like siting, reversibility and retrievability, demonstrating safety and technology transfer on the basis of case studies, and - exploring the integration of diverse stakeholders in technology oriented networks. The analyses reveal that activities in the context of geological disposal, whether related to research, planning, siting etc., rather support the divide of social and technical aspects than fostering the consideration of their entanglement. Reasons identified for this are manifold. The wish to reduce complexity by focusing stakeholder involvement on social questions and fixing the technical part ''when acceptance is reached'' is only one of them. However, the analyses also show that over the long timescales of repository planning and implementation, robust management strategies must provide the flexibility to adapt to both technical and social developments and demands. Understanding the socio-technical interplay and creating structures for its consideration provides the basis for dealing with this challenge. This presentation will focus on the main findings of the InSOTEC project with regard to the consideration of socio-technical combinations in practice. These insights are currently under development and will be finalized at the end of the project in June 2014. We will reflect on

  1. Handbook of Technical Communication

    OpenAIRE

    Mehler , Alexander; Romary , Laurent; Gibbon , Dafydd

    2012-01-01

    International audience; The handbook "Technical Communication" brings together a variety of topics which range from the role of technical media in human communication to the linguistic, multimodal enhancement of present-day technologies. It covers the area of computer-mediated text, voice and multimedia communication as well as of technical documentation. In doing so, the handbook takes professional and private communication into account. Special emphasis is put on technical communication bas...

  2. MODELS AND METHODS OF SAFETY-ORIENTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Олег Богданович ЗАЧКО

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The methods and models of safety-oriented project management of the development of complex systems are proposed resulting from the convergence of existing approaches in project management in contrast to the mechanism of value-oriented management. A cognitive model of safety oriented project management of the development of complex systems is developed, which provides a synergistic effect that is to move the system from the original (pre condition in an optimal one from the viewpoint of life safety - post-project state. The approach of assessment the project complexity is proposed, which consists in taking into account the seasonal component of a time characteristic of life cycles of complex organizational and technical systems with occupancy. This enabled to take into account the seasonal component in simulation models of life cycle of the product operation in complex organizational and technical system, modeling the critical points of operation of systems with occupancy, which forms a new methodology for safety-oriented management of projects, programs and portfolios of projects with the formalization of the elements of complexity.

  3. Risks, doubt, scientific and technical expert appraisement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Decrop, G.

    1993-01-01

    In complex systems which compose modern societies, expert report is going to take an increasing place. In its usual definition, expert is justified by a superior authority, his knowledge comes from experience, he is present as a third party where he has to work. It is often forgotten two other important points, connected with the situation: it is a tangling of technical or natural systems with a social system and above all there is a risk of uncertainty. Then, the job of expert is different from scientific work done in laboratories and different from operational work done by engineers

  4. Stability in licensing requirements: a technical perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szalay, R.A.

    1978-01-01

    The serious difficulties encountered in the licensing procedure for nuclear power plants in the United States have resulted in the elaboration of a Bill on the siting and licensing of nuclear installations for the purpose of reforming the present system. The author fears, however, that this Bill will not reduce the complexity of present regulations and will be unable to reach the object sought which is to reduce the length of the procedure; he analyses the technical and political reasons underlying this situation, and in particular the role of the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (NEA) [fr

  5. Expressive/Exploratory Technical Writing (XTW) in Engineering: Shifting the Technical Writing Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warnock, Scott; Kahn, Michael

    2007-01-01

    While the importance of "expressive writing," or informal, self-directed writing, has been well established, teachers underutilize it, particularly in technical writing courses. We introduce the term expressive/exploratory technical writing (XTW), which is the use of informal, self-directed writing to problem-solve in technical fields. We describe…

  6. 1970-1995: An IMHE Perspective on Higher Education in Transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeVasseur, Paul M.

    1996-01-01

    An address made to a conference of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Program on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) reviews IMHE's origins and progress over its 25-year history. Evolution of a number of technical issues, substantive issues, and structures of university governance is analyzed, and major…

  7. The Role of Higher Harmonics In Musical Interval Perception

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krantz, Richard; Douthett, Jack

    2011-10-01

    Using an alternative parameterization of the roughness curve we make direct use of critical band results to investigate the role of higher harmonics on the perception of tonal consonance. We scale the spectral amplitudes in the complex home tone and complex interval tone to simulate acoustic signals of constant energy. Our analysis reveals that even with a relatively small addition of higher harmonics the perfect fifth emerges as a consonant interval with more, musically important, just intervals emerging as consonant as more and more energy is shifted into higher frequencies.

  8. Fracture mechanics and residual fatigue life analysis for complex stress fields. Technical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Besuner, P.M.

    1975-07-01

    This report reviews the development and application of an influence function method for calculating stress intensity factors and residual fatigue life for two- and three-dimensional structures with complex stress fields and geometries. Through elastic superposition, the method properly accounts for redistribution of stress as the crack grows through the structure. The analytical methods used and the computer programs necessary for computation and application of load independent influence functions are presented. A new exact solution is obtained for the buried elliptical crack, under an arbitrary Mode I stress field, for stress intensity factors at four positions around the crack front. The IF method is then applied to two fracture mechanics problems with complex stress fields and geometries. These problems are of current interest to the electric power generating industry and include (1) the fatigue analysis of a crack in a pipe weld under nominal and residual stresses and (2) fatigue analysis of a reactor pressure vessel nozzle corner crack under a complex bivariate stress field

  9. Technical rules in law

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Debelius, J

    1978-08-01

    An important source of knowledge for technical experts is the state of the art reflected by catalogues of technical rules. Technical rules may also achieve importance in law due to a legal transformation standard. Here, rigid and flexible reference are controversial with regard to their admissibility from the point of view of constitutional law. In case of a divergence from the generally accepted technical rules, it is assumed - refutably - that the necessary care had not been taken. Technical rules are one out of several sources of information; they have no normative effect. This may result in a duty of anyone applying them to review the state of technology himself.

  10. Technical rules in law

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debelius, J.

    1978-01-01

    An important source of knowledge for technical experts is the state of the art reflected by catalogues of technical rules. Technical rules may also achieve importance in law due to a legal transformation standard. Here, rigid and flexible reference are controversial with regard to their admissibility from the point of view of constitutional law. In case of a divergence from the generally accepted technical rules, it is assumed - refutably - that the necessary care had not been taken. Technical rules are one out of several sources of information; they have no normative effect. This may result in a duty of anyone applying them to review the state of technology himself. (orig.) [de

  11. TECHNICAL COORDINATION

    CERN Multimedia

    A. Ball

    2010-01-01

    Operational Experience Since the closure of the detector in February, the technical operation of CMS has been quite smooth and reliable. Some minor interventions in UXC were required to cure failures of power supplies, fans, readout boards and rack cooling connections, but all these failures were repaired in scheduled technical stops or parasitically during access dedicated to fixing LHC technical problems. The only occasion when CMS had to request an access between fills was to search for the source of an alarm from the leak-detection cables mounted in the DT racks. After a few minutes of diagnostic search, a leaking air-purge was found. Replacement was complete within 2 hours. This incident demonstrated once more the value of these leak detection cables; the system will be further extended (during the end of year technical stop) to cover more racks in UXC and the floor beneath the detector. The magnet has also been operating reliably and reacted correctly to the 14s power cut on 29 May (see below). In or...

  12. Career and technical education system: Estimates and opinions of the graduates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A T Gasparishvili

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is based on the results of the project “Education, labor market and social behavior of the youth under the current economic situation”, in which the sociological study of the professional orientations and plans of the Russian career and technical schools graduates was conducted. The graduates explained their reasons for the career choice, and what factors influenced such a decision, discussed their plans after graduation, expressed their opinions on the quality of education and the educational level necessary to be successful in life. According to the research data, the graduates aim to pursue a higher education degree to become more competitive in the labor market. For most of them, the career and technical education system is an intermediate, “secondary” step in the planned life trajectory. The research data also show significant differences in the motives of certain groups, for instance, students of medical and pedagogical colleges are more committed to the moral values of serving the society than those who plan to work in the commercial sector, service sector, etc. Thus, the data of the study is useful for planning and changing the state and departmental policies in both career and technical education and higher education.

  13. Improving Technical, Tactical and Psychological Preparation of Freestyle Wrestlers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pakulin Serhij

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: 1 to justify the ways of improvement of training free style wrestlers to improve the results of their activities and competitive sports skills; 2 to identify the areas of improvement of psychological preparation and the structure of complex psycho-pedagogical methods for optimizing mental condition of free style wrestlers. Material and methods: The following methods were used in the study: analysis and synthesis of the scientific data of methodological literature; pedagogical supervision; survey (interview, questionnaire; analysis of freestyle wrestlers competitive activity; testing of physical and psychological fitness; pedagogical experiment; methods of mathematical and statistical analysis of research results. Results: it has been demonstrated that there is a necessity to improve technical, tactical and psychological preparation of freestyle fighters; the basic problems of the process have been defined. Conclusion: 1 the method of preparation of freestyle wrestlers has been grounded and the feasibility of its use for rapid making the best technical and tactical decisions in a competitive activity has been proved. It is proposed to include specific tactical training methods for each action and various combinations of basic actions into the coach program of wrestling; 2 the directions of improving psychological preparation and the structure of complex psychological and pedagogical methods of optimizing the mental condition of free style wrestlers are substantiated.

  14. Intraoperative adverse events can be compensated by technical performance in neonates and infants after cardiac surgery: a prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nathan, Meena; Karamichalis, John M; Liu, Hua; del Nido, Pedro; Pigula, Frank; Thiagarajan, Ravi; Bacha, Emile A

    2011-11-01

    Our objective was to define the relationship between surgical technical performance score, intraoperative adverse events, and major postoperative adverse events in complex pediatric cardiac repairs. Infants younger than 6 months were prospectively followed up until discharge from the hospital. Technical performance scores were graded as optimal, adequate, or inadequate based on discharge echocardiograms and need for reintervention after initial surgery. Case complexity was determined by Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) category, and preoperative illness severity was assessed by Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) III score. Intraoperative adverse events were prospectively monitored. Outcomes were analyzed using nonparametric methods and a logistic regression model. A total of 166 patients (RACHS 4-6 [49%]), neonates [50%]) were observed. Sixty-one (37%) had at least 1 intraoperative adverse event, and 47 (28.3%) had at least 1 major postoperative adverse event. There was no correlation between intraoperative adverse events and RACHS, preoperative PRISM III, technical performance score, or postoperative adverse events on multivariate analysis. For the entire cohort, better technical performance score resulted in lower postoperative adverse events, lower postoperative PRISM, and lower length of stay and ventilation time (P events, including surgical revisions, provided technical performance score is at least adequate. Copyright © 2011 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Obesity as defined by waist circumference but not body mass index is associated with higher renal mass complexity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertrand, Laura A; Thomas, Lewis J; Li, Peng; Buchta, Claire M; Boi, Shannon K; Orlandella, Rachael M; Brown, James A; Nepple, Kenneth G; Norian, Lyse A

    2017-11-01

    Obesity, typically defined as a body mass index (BMI)≥30kg/m 2 , is an established risk factor for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) but is paradoxically linked to less advanced disease at diagnosis and improved outcomes. However, BMI has inherent flaws, and alternate obesity-defining metrics that emphasize abdominal fat are available. We investigated 3 obesity-defining metrics, to better examine the associations of abdominal fat vs. generalized obesity with renal tumor stage, grade, or R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score. In a prospective cohort of 99 subjects with renal masses undergoing resection and no evidence of metastatic disease, obesity was assessed using 3 metrics: body mass index (BMI), radiographic waist circumference (WC), and retrorenal fat (RRF) pad distance. R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry scores were calculated based on preoperative CT or MRI. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify associations between obesity metrics and nephrometry score, tumor grade, and tumor stage. In the 99 subjects, surgery was partial nephrectomy in 51 and radical nephrectomy in 48. Pathology showed benign masses in 11 and RCC in 88 (of which 20 had stage T3 disease). WC was positively correlated with nephrometry score, even after controlling for age, sex, race, and diabetes status (P = 0.02), whereas BMI and RRF were not (P = 0.13, and P = 0.57, respectively). WC in stage T2/T3 subjects was higher than in subjects with benign masses (P = 0.03). In contrast, subjects with Fuhrman grade 1 and 2 tumors had higher BMI (Pobesity measured by WC, but not BMI or RRF, is associated with increased renal mass complexity. Tumor Fuhrman grade exhibited a different trend, with both high WC and BMI associated with lower-grade tumors. Our findings indicate that WC and BMI are not interchangeable obesity metrics. Further evaluation of RCC-specific outcomes using WC vs. BMI is warranted to better understand the complex relationship between general vs. abdominal obesity and RCC

  16. Conjoint utility analysis of technical maturity and project progress of construction project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma Wei

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, taking construction project as the research object, the relationship between the project maturity index calculated by the construction project technical risks with different fine degree and the project progress index is studied, and the equilibrium relationship between the Party A’s utility curve and the Party B’s cost curve of using project maturity index and project progress index as the research variables is analyzed. The results show that, when the construction project technical risk division is more precise, the conjoint utility of the project's technical maturity index and the project progress is higher, and the project’s Party A and Party B two sides are closer to the optimal equilibrium. This shows that the construction project technical risk must be finely divided, and managed and controlled respectively, which will help to improve the conjoint utility of the project Party A and Party B two sides.

  17. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging contrast media injectors: technical feature review – what is really needed?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Friebe M

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Michael Friebe Institute of Medical Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany Abstract: There has been little technical innovation over the last few years for contrast media (CM injectors that are used for diagnostic imaging (computed tomography [CT], magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], and hybrid imaging systems, such as positron emission tomography–CT or magnetic resonance–positron emission tomography examinations. The medical need of CM for the enhancement of diagnostic images has been around for a long time, but the application of the CM into the blood stream comes with potential medical complications for the patient and requires a lot of operator experience and training. Most power injector systems that are currently used can do significantly more than what is typically required; this complexity however, adds error potential and cost. This paper focuses on the main features that CM injector systems should have and highlights the technical developments that are useful to have but which add complexity and cost, increase setup time, and require intensive training for safe use. CM injection protocols are very different between CT and MRI, with CT requiring many more variances, has a need for multiphase protocols, and requires a higher timing accuracy. A CM injector used in the MRI suite, on the other-hand, could only need a relatively time insensitive injection with a standard injection flow rate and a volume that is dependent on the patients’ weight. This would make easy and lightweight systems possible, which are able to safely and accurately perform the injection task, while allowing full MRI compatibility with relatively low cost investment and consumable costs. Keywords: power injector, contrast media injection, injection protocols, MRI compatibility

  18. Governance of Change in Socio-technical and Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borrás, Susana; Edler, Jakob

    of the governance of change in these complex systems. These pillars focus on the opportunity structures & capable agents, governance instrumentation, democratic legitimacy, and learning & reflexivity within the system. These pillars are the theoretical foundations from which a set of specific assumptions......-technical and innovation systems (ST&I systems). In so doing, it fills a gap in the existing literature. Taking the starting point from a workable concept of governance of change with normative but especially with analytical dimensions, the paper identifies four pillars as building blocks for a theoretical explanation...

  19. Methodology for quantitative assessment of technical condition in industrial systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinbach, C [Marintek AS (Norway); Soerli, A [Statoil (Norway)

    1999-12-31

    As part of the Eureka project Ageing Management a methodology has been developed to assess the technical condition of industrial systems. The first part of the presentation argues for the use of technical condition parameters in the context of maintenance strategies. Thereafter the term `technical condition` is defined more thoroughly as it is used within the project. It is claimed that the technical condition of a system - such as a feed water system of a nuclear power plant, or a water injection system on an oil platform - may be determined by aggregating the condition of its smaller components using a hierarchic approach. The hierarchy has to be defined in co-operation with experienced personnel and reflects the impact of degradation of elements on a lower level to nodes higher in the hierarchy. The impact is divided into five categories with respect to safety, environment, availability, costs and man-hours. To determine the technical condition of the bottom elements of the hierarchy, available data is used from both an on-line condition monitoring system and maintenance history. The second part of the presentation introduces the prototype software tool TeCoMan which utilises the theory and applies it to installations of the participating companies. First results and gained experiences with the method and tool are discussed. (orig.)

  20. Methodology for quantitative assessment of technical condition in industrial systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinbach, C. [Marintek AS (Norway); Soerli, A. [Statoil (Norway)

    1998-12-31

    As part of the Eureka project Ageing Management a methodology has been developed to assess the technical condition of industrial systems. The first part of the presentation argues for the use of technical condition parameters in the context of maintenance strategies. Thereafter the term `technical condition` is defined more thoroughly as it is used within the project. It is claimed that the technical condition of a system - such as a feed water system of a nuclear power plant, or a water injection system on an oil platform - may be determined by aggregating the condition of its smaller components using a hierarchic approach. The hierarchy has to be defined in co-operation with experienced personnel and reflects the impact of degradation of elements on a lower level to nodes higher in the hierarchy. The impact is divided into five categories with respect to safety, environment, availability, costs and man-hours. To determine the technical condition of the bottom elements of the hierarchy, available data is used from both an on-line condition monitoring system and maintenance history. The second part of the presentation introduces the prototype software tool TeCoMan which utilises the theory and applies it to installations of the participating companies. First results and gained experiences with the method and tool are discussed. (orig.)

  1. Main factors of efficiency of automated radiographic complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akopov, V.S.; Voronin, S.A.; Grachev, A.V.; Golenishchev, I.A.; Majorov, A.N.; Meshalkin, I.A.

    1978-01-01

    The amount of work providing an assessment of the efficiency of a complex for automatized radiographic control is considered. The technique involves four stages. An analysis was performed to ascertain the efficiency of control of flaw detectability with regard to each of the stages of radiographic control. The relationships used in determining control efficiency and cited in the paper serve as a foundation for optimizing the technical parameters of the devices of the automatized complex and for creating calculation methods for generalized assessments of the efficiency of radiographic control

  2. "Surgery interrupted": The effect of multitasking on cognitive and technical tasks in medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, C H; Schneider, E; Shostrom, V; Schenarts, P J

    2017-02-01

    Today's medical learners are Millennials, and reportedly, multitasking pros. We aim to evaluate effect of multitasking on cognitive and technical skills. 16 medical students completed a mock page and laceration closure separately on day 1 and day 13, and in parallel on day 14. Suturing was graded using GRS and mock pages scored. Total time, suturing and loading times, and percent correct on mock page were compared. Percent correct on mock page improved from days 1-13 and 14 (p multitasking results in longer times to complete the complex component of the technical task. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Constraints In The Production Of Technical Teachers In Imo State ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The problem of lack of technical and vocational teachers is biting hard in Imo State School System ranging from Introductory Technology in Junior Secondary Schools to Higher Institutions. Introductory technology for instance is a compulsory subject in junior secondary schools but the teachers are very few that only about ...

  4. Technical support organization of national regulators: Challenges and strategy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mallick, S.A.; Maqbul, N.; Kanwal, S.; Hashmi, J.A.

    2007-01-01

    Design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants has always been a complex activity and so is regulating the nuclear power plants. The rapid innovation in design of nuclear power plants with substantial increase in design life from 40 years to 60 years is now considered a norm. The public acceptability of nuclear as a clean source of energy is also on the increase but with this increase is also the demand for more safety against accidental release of radioactivity. It is therefore essential that high standards of nuclear and radiation safety should be maintained and applied all over the world. However the increase acceptability will also lead to a rapid growth in nuclear energy generation capacity both in terms of construction of new nuclear power plants as well as life extension of older nuclear power plants. This will result in an unprecedented pressure on the national regulators during the licensing process. Nuclear and radiation safety are based on technical, administrative and organizational provisions. There is, therefore, a need to separate the technical review and assessment work from the main licensing process by delegating this responsibility to the technical support organizations so that regulatory decision making is not driven by the time constraints imposed by the licensing process. The paper examines the role technical support organization can play to enhance quality of technical review and thereby the effectiveness of national regulators. For the national regulators that belong to countries that import nuclear power plants and may lack an advanced industrial infrastructure at par with other exporting countries, the establishment of technical support organization within a regulatory body or as a separate organization is gaining increased importance. Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) has realized this importance and proposed the Government of Pakistan for allocation of Rs. 480.00 million ($ 8 million) for the establishment of

  5. Technical efficiency in the Chilean agribusiness sector

    OpenAIRE

    Rivera Aedo, Edinson; Lakner, Sebastian; Brümmer, Bernhard

    2011-01-01

    The reform-process towards a higher world-market orientation has a long tradition in Chile, with all its strengths and weaknesses. The food processing industry is highly competitive on the worldmarket. The following paper investigates the technical efficiency of the Chilean food processing industry between 2001 and 2007. We used a data-set from the 5,941 of firms in food processing industry. The observations are taken of the 'Annual National Industrial Survey'. The method of stochastic fronti...

  6. Methodology for technical risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waganer, L.M.; Zuckerman, D.S.

    1983-01-01

    A methodology has been developed for and applied to the assessment of the technical risks associated with an evolving technology. This methodology, originally developed for fusion by K. W. Billman and F. R. Scott at EPRI, has been applied to assess the technical risk of a fuel system for a fusion reactor. Technical risk is defined as the risk that a particular technology or component which is currently under development will not achieve a set of required technical specifications (i.e. probability of failure). The individual steps in the technical risk assessment are summarized. The first step in this methodology is to clearly and completely quantify the technical requirements for the particular system being examined. The next step is to identify and define subsystems and various options which appear capable of achieving the required technical performance. The subsystem options are then characterized regarding subsystem functions, interface requirements with the subsystems and systems, important components, developmental obstacles and technical limitations. Key technical subsystem performance parameters are identified which directly or indirectly relate to the system technical specifications. Past, existing and future technical performance data from subsystem experts are obtained by using a Bayesian Interrogation technique. The input data is solicited in the form of probability functions. Thus the output performance of the system is expressed as probability functions

  7. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY): 1995 Cohort Derived Variables. Technical Report 69

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2012

    2012-01-01

    This technical report details the derived variables developed for users of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data. The derived variables fall into the categories education, employment and social, and help to simplify the complexity of the LSAY data by providing useful indicators for analysis. To help LSAY data users understand…

  8. Technology of perfection to technical tactical preparedness of skilled footballers in microcycles of competition period.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Doroshenko E.Y.

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Technology of perfection to technical tactical to preparedness of skilled footballers in the microcycles of preparation of competition process is considered. It is shown that for development of this technology key positions of general theory of preparation of sportsmen are used in Olympic and professional sport and technical tactical actions of players taking into account the internal and external parameters of the physical loading. Information of training process of footballers of youth composition of command «Metallurgist» (Zaporozhia is utillized in research. It is analysed and generalized information of complex scientific group. The program of perfection of technical and tactical preparedness is developed. It is set that the use of this program will allow to optimize individual, group and command technical tactical preparedness of skilled footballers on the basis of account of parameters of playing actions and factors, детерминирующих a physical capacity.

  9. METHODOLOGY AND ALGORITHM OF OPTIMIZATION OF THE NEED OF SETTLEMENTS FOR TECHNICAL INSPECTION LINES FOR VEHICLES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maslennikov Valeriy Aleksandrovich

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The current methods of predicting the demand of the community for the lines of technical inspection of vehicles do not fully take into account the probabilistic and statistical nature of the complaints of car owners. This results in significant mistakes in the determination of the number of such lines, accompanied by insufficient rhythm of their operation. The design errors related to the complexity of accurate account for calendar fluctuations of the number of appeals can be partially or completely eliminated by using mathematical apparatus of the queuing theory. In this case, the complex technical system is considered as an open multi-channel queuing system with limited queue length. The received flows and serviced requests are considered to be the simplest. From a practical point of view, the replacement of one type of computational model by the other allows ensuring a more sustainable mode of calculating operations using the computer. The paper also provides a calculation expression for defining the lower and upper confidence limits of the dispersion of the average values of the number of arrivals of vehicles at the technical inspection that allows setting the interval of uncertainty for searching the optimal solution.

  10. Technical report writing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidoli, Carol A.

    1992-01-01

    This manual covers the fundamentals of organizing, writing, and reviewing NASA technical reports. It was written to improve the writing skills of LeRC technical authors and the overall quality of their reports.

  11. Functional architecture of higher plant photosystem II supercomplexes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Caffarri, Stefano; Kouril, Roman; Kereiche, Sami; Boekema, Egbert J.; Croce, Roberta; Kereïche, Sami

    2009-01-01

    Photosystem II ( PSII) is a large multiprotein complex, which catalyses water splitting and plastoquinone reduction necessary to transform sunlight into chemical energy. Detailed functional and structural studies of the complex from higher plants have been hampered by the impossibility to purify it

  12. Illustrator's view of more-effective technical communication through computer graphics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DeGasperi, K.D.

    1981-01-01

    The need for dynamic and well-designed presentations is critical for effective technical communication. Computer graphics as an art media tool for the illustrator often surpasses other available media. After the speed of the computer, its capability to produce an increible range of complex color schemes makes it such an invaluable aid. However, it is evident that this medium is frequently not used to its fullest capacity in the field of technical communication. This is because of the lack of well-designed visual presentations. In particular, this situation is often caused by the improper use of color, the lack of contrast, and visual continuity. Improving the state-of-the-art in the area of visual presentations is achievable by including graphic design techniques, a common-reference language, and by improving versatility in graphics programs and software packages

  13. USING OF ROBOTS-MANIPULATORS IN LABORATORY WORKS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viktor Yehorov

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Studying of technical disciplines in higher education institution as a rule consists of 2 parts – theories and practice. Practice, is a type of educational process which allows to realize theoretical knowledge to the applied sphere. In particular it allows to provide an object visually, creating its image and visually adequate perception. This work is devoted to development of laboratory base of technical college with use of robots manipulators on occupations. Its relevance is shown. The overview of modern stands is provided in different higher education institutions, the analysis of their benefits and shortcomings is this. The task of creation of the robot manipulator for sorting of objects of color is set. The robot model including an automatic management system it is developed. The sensor of color, the regulator and the executive mechanism allowing to move objects to the corresponding reservoirs is its part. Possibilities of further development of a question, in particular, creations of physical model for use are given in laboratory works.

  14. USING OF ROBOTS-MANIPULATORS IN LABORATORY WORKS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Yehorov

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Studying of technical disciplines in higher education institution as a rule consists of 2 parts – theories and practice. Practice, is a type of educational process which allows to realize theoretical knowledge to the applied sphere. In particular it allows to provide an object visually, creating its image and visually adequate perception. This work is devoted to development of laboratory base of technical college with use of robots manipulators on occupations. Its relevance is shown. The overview of modern stands is provided in different higher education institutions, the analysis of their benefits and shortcomings is this. The task of creation of the robot manipulator for sorting of objects of color is set. The robot model including an automatic management system it is developed. The sensor of color, the regulator and the executive mechanism allowing to move objects to the corresponding reservoirs is its part. Possibilities of further development of a question, in particular, creations of physical model for use are given in laboratory works.

  15. Some experiences of implementing TQM in higher education in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahlgaard, Jens Jørn; Madsen, Ole Nørgaard

    1999-01-01

    in classroom. Parallel with the project at the technical college different projects on quality improvement activities at the Aarhus School of Business were started up. The focus of the first project was on involving students as partners in education as well as in research. Another project was on how...... to establish a student satisfaction measurement system. The last project deals with establishing an overall Mission Statement with supporting values for the whole business school.......The paper deals with Danish experiences of implementing TQM in Higher Education. The conclusions from an international seminar on quality management in education (1993) became the catalyst of a research project on implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) at a technical college. The European...

  16. Nuclear weapons complex. Weaknesses in DOE's nonnuclear consolidation plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wells, James E. Jr.; Fenzel, William F.; Schulze, John R.; Gaffigan, Mark E.

    1992-11-01

    nuclear site or a national laboratory. Without a thorough analysis of all consolidation possibilities, DOE cannot be assured that its preferred option minimizes costs and technical risks. Second, the cost of consolidation is not fully known because the NCP did not include all consolidation costs. The NCP's estimate of $352 million to implement its preferred option does not include costs such as an additional $47 million for terminating personnel. Moreover, other costs related to decontaminating and decommissioning facilities and to transferring work that the facilities conduct for others were not included. DOE's own detailed cost estimates conducted since the NCP was released show that costs for the preferred alternative are increasing. Third, the NCP did not fully address the technical risks of nonnuclear consolidation. The NCP assumed that the technical risk of moving each nonnuclear activity was the same. No additional weight was given in the analysis to moving those activities, such as the manufacture of neutron generators, that DOE acknowledges pose the greatest technical risks. Furthermore, the NCP did not assess the technical risk of an accelerated consolidation schedule, particularly its impact on the production of limited-life components - those components that must be periodically replaced to keep the nuclear weapons operational. Since the NCP's release in March 1992, DOE has continued to study various aspects of consolidation. Among other things, DOE is studying some additional options for consolidating nonnuclear activities, re-examining the costs in more detail, and reviewing the overall size and capabilities of the future complex. However, even with these additional studies DOE needs to do more to be assured that all reasonable options have been explored and that technical risks have been thoroughly examined

  17. VANDAL technical overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Unsworth, M.D.

    1989-07-01

    This document is concerned with the technicalities of the VANDAL code and covers the technical details of each of the systems modules in turn. Covered are SAMPLING, FLOW, VAULT, GEOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE and TIMESTEPPING. (author)

  18. Socio-technical Betwixtness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bossen, Claus

    2017-01-01

    the intrinsically social and technical interwovenness of design, and the necessity of including affected people and stakeholders in the design process. This betwixtness of socio-technical design is demonstrated by the analysis of two IT systems for healthcare: a foundational model for electronic healthcare records......This chapter focusses on two challenges for socio-technical design: Having to choose between different rationales for design, and the adequate understanding and depiction of the work to be redesigned. These two challenges betwixt the otherwise strong tenets of socio-technical design of pointing out......, and an IT system organizing hospital porters’ work. The conceptual background for the analysis of the cases is provided by a short introduction to different rationales for organizational design, and by pointing to the differences between a linear, rationalistic versus an interactional depiction of work....

  19. Balancing technical and user objectives in the redesign of a peruvian cookstove

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kendall S. Thacker

    Full Text Available Over the past decade a large amount of research has been dedicated in academic literature to improving the technical capabilities of improved cookstoves; primarily the performance efficiency and reduction of emissions. Unfortunately, as published literature has highlighted, the trade-offs that result from placing such a concentrated emphasis on these technical objectives is that improved cookstoves lack the same level of usability as the traditional cookstoves. Thus, users often return to using their traditional stoves and the potential impact of the improved cookstoves is never fully realized. In order for improved cookstoves to have greater impact, there must be better balance between the two competing design objectives of technical capabilities and usability. This paper explores the challenges and benefits associated with achieving the appropriate balance, and demonstrates its application through the modification of a traditional cookstove used in the Tambogrande region of Peru. This modification includes an inexpensive set of pot skirts that integrate directly with the traditional stove. These pot skirts allow for varying sizes and number of pots, and the use of traditional fuels. Laboratory testing, using the Water Boiling Test (WBT, identified the skirts' technical improvements: 41.7% increased thermal efficiency, 32.7% decreased fuel consumption, 28.8% decreased time to boil. Field testing was performed to determine the pot skirts acceptance and compatibility with the traditional cookstoves, with over 75% of the participants recognizing some type of benefit. Although the technical improvements of these pot skirts are less than other cookstoves on the market, the higher levels of usability are likely to lead to a more positive end-user reaction, which could potentially lead to higher rates of adoption and impact. Though these results are primarily focused on the application of improved cookstoves, the need for more balance between

  20. Exploring the relationship between anaesthesiologists' non-technical and technical skills

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gjeraa, K; Jepsen, R M H G; Rewers, M

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: A combination of non-technical skills (NTS) and technical skills (TS) is crucial for anaesthetic patient management. However, a deeper understanding of the relationship between these two skills remains to be explored. We investigated the characteristics of trainee anaesthesiologists...... the customised version of the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills System, ANTSdk, and an adapted TS checklist for calculating the correlation between NTS and TS. Written descriptions of the observed NTS were analysed using directed content analysis. RESULTS: The correlation between the NTS and the TS ratings......, concrete NTS were developed to aid the understanding, training and use of NTS....

  1. Econometric Methods for Causal Evaluation of Education Policies and Practices: A Non-Technical Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlotter, Martin; Schwerdt, Guido; Woessmann, Ludger

    2011-01-01

    Education policy-makers and practitioners want to know which policies and practices can best achieve their goals. But research that can inform evidence-based policy often requires complex methods to distinguish causation from accidental association. Avoiding econometric jargon and technical detail, this paper explains the main idea and intuition…

  2. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical devices: a complex environment and multifaceted problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Williams PAH

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Patricia AH Williams, Andrew J Woodward eHealth Research Group and Security Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia Abstract: The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This multifaceted problem must be viewed from a systemic perspective if adequate protection is to be put in place and patient safety concerns addressed. This requires technical controls, governance, resilience measures, consolidated reporting, context expertise, regulation, and standards. It is evident that a coordinated, proactive approach to address this complex challenge is essential. In the interim, patient safety is under threat. Keywords: cybersecurity, security, safety, wireless, risk, medical devices

  3. Using the calculational simulating complexes when making the computer process control systems for NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimakov, V.N.; Chernykh, V.P.

    1998-01-01

    The problems on creating calculational-simulating (CSC) and their application by developing the program and program-technical means for computer-aided process control systems at NPP are considered. The abo- ve complex is based on the all-mode real time mathematical model, functioning at a special complex of computerized means

  4. Renovation of the hotel complex

    OpenAIRE

    DRHA, Aleš

    2012-01-01

    The theme of this work is reconstruction the hotel complex. The theoretical part informs readers about tourism, marketing and how to build a business plan. Analytical part shows the issue of tourism in the region and technical condition of the hotel. In the synthetic part is suggested business plan to hotel reconstruction, marketing mix for tourism and financial plan, that shows operating costs and revenues. The investment could be paid off by the 13th year since the start of the hotel service.

  5. Technical Evaluation Report 14: Chat and Instant Messaging Systems (synchronous: Report 2/ 3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen Kinsel

    2002-10-01

    Full Text Available This study extends the earlier review of online chat systems (Report 6, by reviewing a further seven products that provide text-based instant messaging (IM. The functionality of these products in distance education contexts is stressed in relation to their comparative costs, complexity, control, clarity, technical framework, and other functional options.

  6. Paul Scherrer Institute Scientific and Technical Report 2000. Volume VI: Large Research Facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foroughi, Fereydoun; Bercher, Renate; Buechli, Carmen; Zumkeller, Lotty

    2001-01-01

    The PSI Department Large Research Facilities (GFA) joins the efforts to provide an excellent research environment to Swiss and foreign research groups on the experimental facilities driven by our high intensity proton accelerator complex. Its divisions care for the running, maintenance and enhancement of the accelerator complex, the primary proton beamlines, the targets and the secondary beams as well as the neutron spallation source SINQ. The division for technical support and coordination provides for technical support to the research facility complementary to the basic logistic available from the department for logistics and marketing. Besides running the facilities, the staff of the department is also involved in theoretical and experimental research projects. Some of them address basic scientific questions mainly concerning the properties of micro- or nanostructured materials: experiments as well as large scale computer simulations of molecular dynamics were performed to investigate nonclassical materials properties. Others are related to improvements or extensions of the capabilities of our facilities. We also report on intriguing results from applications of the neutron capture radiography, the prompt gamma activation method and the isotope production facility at SINQ

  7. Paul Scherrer Institute Scientific and Technical Report 2000. Volume VI: Large Research Facilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Foroughi, Fereydoun; Bercher, Renate; Buechli, Carmen; Zumkeller, Lotty [eds.

    2001-07-01

    The PSI Department Large Research Facilities (GFA) joins the efforts to provide an excellent research environment to Swiss and foreign research groups on the experimental facilities driven by our high intensity proton accelerator complex. Its divisions care for the running, maintenance and enhancement of the accelerator complex, the primary proton beamlines, the targets and the secondary beams as well as the neutron spallation source SINQ. The division for technical support and coordination provides for technical support to the research facility complementary to the basic logistic available from the department for logistics and marketing. Besides running the facilities, the staff of the department is also involved in theoretical and experimental research projects. Some of them address basic scientific questions mainly concerning the properties of micro- or nanostructured materials: experiments as well as large scale computer simulations of molecular dynamics were performed to investigate nonclassical materials properties. Others are related to improvements or extensions of the capabilities of our facilities. We also report on intriguing results from applications of the neutron capture radiography, the prompt gamma activation method and the isotope production facility at SINQ.

  8. A protochlorophyllide light-harvesting complex involved in de-etiolation of higher plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reinbothe, C.; Lebedev, N.; Reinbothe, S.

    1999-01-01

    When etiolated angiosperm seedlings break through the soil after germination, they are immediately exposed to sunlight, but at this stage they are unable to perform photosynthesis1. In the absence of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, two other porphyrin species cooperate as the basic light-harvesting structure of etiolated plants. Protochlorophyllide a and protochlorophyllide b (ref. 2) form supramolecular complexes with NADPH and two closely related NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) proteins—PORA and PORB (ref. 3)—in the prolamellar body of etioplasts. Here we report that these light-harvesting POR–protochlorophyllide complexes, named LHPP, are essential for the establishment of the photosynthetic apparatus and also confer photoprotection on the plant. They collect sunlight for rapid chlorophyll a biosynthesis and, simultaneously, dissipate excess light energy in the bulk of non-photoreducible protochlorophyllide b. Based on this dual function, it seems that LHPP provides the link between skotomorphogenesis and photosynthesis that is required for efficient de-etiolation

  9. Human practice in the life cycle of complex systems. Challenges and methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nuutinen, M. (ed.) [VTT Building and Transport, Espoo (Finland); Luoma, J. (ed.) [VTT Industrial Systems, Espoo (Finland)

    2005-12-15

    This book describes the current and near future challenges in work and traffic environments in light of the rapid technology development. It focuses on the following domains: road and vessel traffic, nuclear power production, automatic mining, steel factory and the pulp and paper industry. Each example concerns complex technical systems where human practice and behaviour has an important role for the safety, efficiency and productivity of the system. The articles illustrate the enormous field of humanrelated research when considering the design, validation, implementation, operation and maintenance of complex sociotechnical systems. Nevertheless, these 14 chapters are only examples of the range of questions related to the issue. The authors of the book are VTT experts in work or traffic psychology and research, system usability, risk and safety analysis, virtual environments and they have experience in studying different domains. This book is an attempt to open up the complex world of human-technology interaction for readers facing practical problems with complex systems. It is aimed to help a technical or organisational designer, a policy- maker, an expert or a user, the one who works or lives within the technology. (orig.)

  10. Human practice in the life cycle of complex systems. Challenges and methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nuutinen, M.; Luoma, J.

    2005-12-01

    This book describes the current and near future challenges in work and traffic environments in light of the rapid technology development. It focuses on the following domains: road and vessel traffic, nuclear power production, automatic mining, steel factory and the pulp and paper industry. Each example concerns complex technical systems where human practice and behaviour has an important role for the safety, efficiency and productivity of the system. The articles illustrate the enormous field of human-related research when considering the design, validation, implementation, operation and maintenance of complex sociotechnical systems. Nevertheless, these 14 chapters are only examples of the range of questions related to the issue. The authors of the book are VTT experts in work or traffic psychology and research, system usability, risk and safety analysis, virtual environments and they have experience in studying different domains. This book is an attempt to open up the complex world of human-technology interaction for readers facing practical problems with complex systems. It is aimed to help a technical or organisational designer, a policy-maker, an expert or 'a user', the one who works or lives within the technology. (orig.)

  11. Mobile Complex For Rapid Diagnosis of the Technological System Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gavrilin Alexey

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article shows the up-to-dateness of the new informing and measuring tools and technologies development. It is reviewed the mobile complex for runtime diagnostics of technological system “machine-toolinstrument- detail”. It was found that the use of the complex allows to identify the frequency area in which the appearance of resonance of the technological system elements is possible, and thus to draw a conclusion on the technical state of the diagnosed object. It is concluded that there is the prospects for the use of the above mentioned mobile complex for vibration diagnostics.

  12. Technical Agency in Practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krummheuer, Antonia Lina

    2015-01-01

    ) description of hybrid networks in which human and non-human actants are granted agency without differentiating different kinds of agency, EMCA focuses on the member's perspectives and the situated construction of technical agency that is made relevant within an ongoing interaction. Based on an EMCA analysis......The paper combines the discussion of technical agency and hybrid networks of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) with an ethnomethodological/conversation analytical (EMCA) perspective on situated practices in which participants ascribe agency to technical artefacts. While ANT works with (ethnographic...... of three video recordings of situations in which technical agency is made relevant by the human participants, the paper demonstrates different ways in which agency is granted to technical artefacts. Human participants can treat a technology as communication partner, as an active part (and actant...

  13. Relationship between non-technical skills and technical performance during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: does stress have an influence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krage, Ralf; Zwaan, Laura; Tjon Soei Len, Lian; Kolenbrander, Mark W; van Groeningen, Dick; Loer, Stephan A; Wagner, Cordula; Schober, Patrick

    2017-11-01

    Non-technical skills, such as task management, leadership, situational awareness, communication and decision-making refer to cognitive, behavioural and social skills that contribute to safe and efficient team performance. The importance of these skills during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is increasingly emphasised. Nonetheless, the relationship between non-technical skills and technical performance is poorly understood. We hypothesise that non-technical skills become increasingly important under stressful conditions when individuals are distracted from their tasks, and investigated the relationship between non-technical and technical skills under control conditions and when external stressors are present. In this simulator-based randomised cross-over study, 30 anaesthesiologists and anaesthesia residents from the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, participated in two different CPR scenarios in random order. In one scenario, external stressors (radio noise and a distractive scripted family member) were added, while the other scenario without stressors served as control condition. Non-technical performance of the team leader and technical performance of the team were measured using the 'Anaesthetists' Non-technical Skill' score and a recently developed technical skills score. Analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients were used for statistical analyses. Non-technical performance declined when external stressors were present (adjusted mean difference 3.9 points, 95% CI 2.4 to 5.5 points). A significant correlation between non-technical and technical performance scores was observed when external stressors were present (r=0.67, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.83, ptechnical performance score (task management, team working, situation awareness, decision-making). During CPR with external stressors, the team's technical performance is related to the non-technical skills of the team leader. This may have important implications for training of

  14. Problems of Technical Standards Teaching in the Context of the Globalization and Euro-Integration in Higher Education System of Ukraine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kornuta, Olena; Pryhorovska, Tetiana

    2015-01-01

    Globalization and Ukraine association with EU imply including Ukrainian universities into the world scientific space. The aim of this article is to analyze the problem of drawing standards teaching, based on the experience of Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas (Ukraine) and to summarize the experience of post Soviet…

  15. CT-Guided Microwave Ablation of 45 Renal Tumors: Analysis of Procedure Complexity Utilizing a Percutaneous Renal Ablation Complexity Scoring System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansilla, Alberto V; Bivins, Eugene E; Contreras, Francisco; Hernandez, Manuel A; Kohler, Nathan; Pepe, Julie W

    2017-02-01

    To develop a scoring system that stratifies complexity of percutaneous ablation of renal tumors. Analysis was performed of 36 consecutive patients (mean age, 64 y; range, 30-89 y) who underwent CT-guided microwave (MW) ablation of 45 renal tumors (mean tumor diameter, 2.4 cm; range, 1.2-4.0 cm). Technical success and effectiveness were determined based on intraprocedural and follow-up imaging studies. The RENAL score and the proposed percutaneous renal ablation complexity (P-RAC) score were calculated for each tumor. Technical success was 93.3% (n = 42). Biopsy of 38 of 45 renal tumors revealed 23 renal cell carcinomas. Median follow-up period was 9.7 months (range, 2.9-46.8 months). There were no tumor recurrences. One major complication, ureteropelvic junction stricture, occurred (2.6%). The P-RAC score was found to differ statistically from the RENAL score (t = 3.754, df = 44, P = .001). A positive correlation was found between the P-RAC score and number of antenna insertions (r = .378, n = 45, P = .011) and procedure duration (r = .328, n = 45, P = .028). No correlation was found between the RENAL score and number of MW antenna insertions (r = .110, n = 45, P = .472) or procedure duration (r = .263, n = 45, P = .081). Hydrodissection was significantly more common in the P-RAC high-complexity category than in low-complexity category (χ 2 = 12.073, df = 2, P = .002). The P-RAC score may be useful in stratifying percutaneous renal ablation complexity. Further studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to validate the P-RAC score and to determine if it can predict risk of complications. Copyright © 2016 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Final Technical Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glasser, Alan H. [Fusion Theory and Computation Inc., Kingston, WA (United States)

    2018-02-02

    Final technical report on DE-SC0016106. This is the final technical report for a portion of the multi-institutional CEMM project. This report is centered around 3 publications and a seminar presentation, which have been submitted to E-Link.

  17. Technical noise supplement : TeNS : a technical supplement to the Traffic Noise Analysis Protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-10-01

    The purpose of this Technical Noise Supplement (TeNS) is to provide technical background : information on transportation-related noise in general and highway traffic noise in : particular. It is designed to elaborate on technical concepts and procedu...

  18. CRM ADOPTION IN A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guy-Emmanuel Rigo

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available More and more organisations, from private to public sectors, are pursuing higher levels of customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. With this intent, higher education institutions (HEI have adopted CRM – Customer Relationship Management. In order to analyse some of the interesting aspects of this phenomenon n, we conducted an action research in a European Institute. The main research question we answered is “how to adopt a CRM strategy in a Higher Education Institution?” Some of the main findings of this study are (1 even though HEI’s main customer is the student, there are others stakeholders that a CRM project must consider; (2 universities can use their internal resources to implement a CRM project successfully; and (3 using Agile software methodology is an effective way to define clearer, more objective and more assertive technical requirements which result in a CRM software that meet send user’s expectations and organizational strategic goals. These findings can help other HEIs

  19. Towards an evaluation framework for complex social systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Diane M.; Kay, Nigel

    While there is growing realisation that the world in which we live in is highly complex with multiple interdependencies and irreducibly open to outside influence, how to make these 'systems' more manageable is still a significant outstanding issue. As (2004) suggests, applying the theoretical principles of Complex Systems may help solve complex problems in this complex world. While Bar-Yam provides examples of forward-thinking organisations which have begun to see the relevance of complex systems principles, for many organisations the language and concepts of complexity science such as self-organisation and unpredictability while they make theoretical sense offer no practical or acceptable method of implementation to those more familiar with definitive facts and classical hierarchical, deterministic approaches to control. Complexity Science explains why designed systems or interventions may not function as anticipated in differing environments, without providing a silver bullet which enables control or engineering of the system to ensure the desired results. One familiar process which might, if implemented with complex systems in mind, provide the basis of an accessible and understandable framework that enables policy makers and practitioners to better design and manage complex socio-technical systems is that of evaluation.

  20. Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste: A Long-Term Socio-Technical Experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schröder, Jantine

    2016-06-01

    In this article we investigate whether long-term radioactive waste management by means of geological disposal can be understood as a social experiment. Geological disposal is a rather particular technology in the way it deals with the analytical and ethical complexities implied by the idea of technological innovation as social experimentation, because it is presented as a technology that ultimately functions without human involvement. We argue that, even when the long term function of the 'social' is foreseen to be restricted to safeguarding the functioning of the 'technical', geological disposal is still a social experiment. In order to better understand this argument and explore how it could be addressed, we elaborate the idea of social experimentation with the notion of co-production and the analytical tools of delegation, prescription and network as developed by actor-network theory. In doing so we emphasize that geological disposal inherently involves relations between surface and subsurface, between humans and nonhumans, between the social, material and natural realm, and that these relations require recognition and further elaboration. In other words, we argue that geological disposal concurrently is a social and a technical experiment, or better, a long-term socio-technical experiment. We end with proposing the idea of 'actor-networking' as a sensitizing concept for future research into what geological disposal as a socio-technical experiment could look like.

  1. Defining "The Weakest Link" Comparative Security in Complex Systems of Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieters, Wolter

    2013-01-01

    Cloud architectures are complex socio-technical systems of systems, consisting not only of technological components and their connections, but also of physical premises and employees. When analysing security of such systems and considering countermeasures, the notion of "weakest link" often appears.

  2. Comparing technical efficiency of farms with an automatic milking system and a conventional milking system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steeneveld, W; Tauer, L W; Hogeveen, H; Oude Lansink, A G J M

    2012-12-01

    Changing from a conventional milking system (CMS) to an automatic milking system (AMS) necessitates a new management approach and a corresponding change in labor tasks. Together with labor savings, AMS farms have been found to have higher capital costs, primarily because of higher maintenance costs and depreciation. Therefore, it is hypothesized that AMS farms differ from CMS farms in capital:labor ratio and possibly their technical efficiency, at least during a transition learning period. The current study used actual farm accounting data from dairy farms in the Netherlands with an AMS and a CMS to investigate the empirical substitution of capital for labor in the AMS farms and to determine if the technical efficiency of the AMS farms differed from the CMS farms. The technical efficiency estimates were obtained with data envelopment analysis. The 63 AMS farms and the 337 CMS farms in the data set did not differ in general farm characteristics such as the number of cows, number of hectares, and the amount of milk quota. Farms with AMS have significantly higher capital costs (€12.71 per 100 kg of milk) than CMS farms (€10.10 per 100 kg of milk). Total labor costs and net outputs were not significantly different between AMS and CMS farms. A clear substitution of capital for labor with the adoption of an AMS could not be observed. Although the AMS farms have a slightly lower technical efficiency (0.76) than the CMS farms (0.78), a significant difference in these estimates was not observed. This indicates that the farms were not different in their ability to use inputs (capital, labor, cows, and land) to produce outputs (total farm revenues). The technical efficiency of farms invested in an AMS in 2008 or earlier was not different from the farms invested in 2009 or 2010, indicating that a learning effect during the transition period was not observed. The results indicate that the economic performance of AMS and CMS farms are similar. What these results show is that

  3. An Effective Health and Medical Technical Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogarty, Jennifer A.

    2009-01-01

    The NASA Governance model directed the formation of three Technical Authorities, Engineering; Safety and Mission Assurance; and Health and Medical, to ensure that risks are identified and adjudicated efficiently and transparently in concert with the spaceflight programs and projects. The Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA) has been implemented at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and consists of the Chief Medical Office (CMO), the Deputy CMO, and HMTA Delegates. The JSC HMTA achieves the goals of risk identification and adjudication through the discharge of the appropriate technical expertise to human space flight programs and projects and the escalation of issues within program and technical authority boards. The JSC HMTA relies on subject matter experts (SMEs) in the Space Life Sciences Directorate at JSC as well as experts from other Centers to work crew health and performance issues at the technical level, develop requirements, oversee implementation and validation of requirements, and identify risks and non-compliances. Once a risk or potential noncompliance has been identified and reported to the programs or projects, the JSC HMTA begins to track it and closely monitor the program's or project's response. As a risk is developed or a non-compliance negotiated, positions from various levels of decision makers are sought at the program and project control boards. The HMTA may support a program or project position if it is satisfied with the decision making and vetting processes (ex. the subject matter expert voiced his/her concerns and all dissenting opinions were documented) and finds that the position both acknowledges the risk and cost of the mitigation and resolves the issue without changing NASA risk posture. The HMTA may disagree with a program or project position if the NASA risk posture has been elevated or obfuscated. If the HMTA does disagree with the program or project position, it will appeal to successively higher levels of authority so that

  4. Inconsistency of Minkowski higher-derivative theories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aglietti, Ugo G. [Universita di Roma ' ' La Sapienza' ' , Dipartimento di Fisica, Rome (Italy); Anselmi, Damiano [Universita di Pisa, Dipartimento di Fisica ' ' Enrico Fermi' ' , Pisa (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa (Italy)

    2017-02-15

    We show that Minkowski higher-derivative quantum field theories are generically inconsistent, because they generate nonlocal, non-hermitian ultraviolet divergences, which cannot be removed by means of standard renormalization procedures. By ''Minkowski theories'' we mean theories that are defined directly in Minkowski spacetime. The problems occur when the propagators have complex poles, so that the correlation functions cannot be obtained as the analytic continuations of their Euclidean versions. The usual power counting rules fail and are replaced by much weaker ones. Self-energies generate complex divergences proportional to inverse powers of D'Alembertians. Three-point functions give more involved nonlocal divergences, which couple to infrared effects. We illustrate the violations of the locality and hermiticity of counterterms in scalar models and higher-derivative gravity. (orig.)

  5. The detectability lemma and its applications to quantum Hamiltonian complexity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aharonov, Dorit; Arad, Itai; Vazirani, Umesh; Landau, Zeph

    2011-01-01

    Quantum Hamiltonian complexity, an emerging area at the intersection of condensed matter physics and quantum complexity theory, studies the properties of local Hamiltonians and their ground states. In this paper we focus on a seemingly specialized technical tool, the detectability lemma (DL), introduced in the context of the quantum PCP challenge (Aharonov et al 2009 arXiv:0811.3412), which is a major open question in quantum Hamiltonian complexity. We show that a reformulated version of the lemma is a versatile tool that can be used in place of the celebrated Lieb-Robinson (LR) bound to prove several important results in quantum Hamiltonian complexity. The resulting proofs are much simpler, more combinatorial and provide a plausible path toward tackling some fundamental open questions in Hamiltonian complexity. We provide an alternative simpler proof of the DL that removes a key restriction in the original statement (Aharonov et al 2009 arXiv:0811.3412), making it more suitable for the broader context of quantum Hamiltonian complexity. Specifically, we first use the DL to provide a one-page proof of Hastings' result that the correlations in the ground states of gapped Hamiltonians decay exponentially with distance (Hastings 2004 Phys. Rev. B 69 104431). We then apply the DL to derive a simpler and more intuitive proof of Hastings' seminal one-dimensional (1D) area law (Hastings 2007 J. Stat. Mech. (2007) P8024) (both these proofs are restricted to frustration-free systems). Proving the area law for two and higher dimensions is one of the most important open questions in the field of Hamiltonian complexity, and the combinatorial nature of the DL-based proof holds out hope for a possible generalization. Indeed, soon after the first publication of the methods presented here, they were applied to derive exponential improvements to Hastings' result (Arad et al 2011, Aharonov et al 2011) in the case of frustration-free 1D systems. Finally, we also provide a more general

  6. Writing a technical note.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, K H; Peh, W C G

    2010-02-01

    A technical note is a short article giving a brief description of a specific development, technique or procedure, or it may describe a modification of an existing technique, procedure or device applicable to medicine. The technique, procedure or device described should have practical value and should contribute to clinical diagnosis or management. It could also present a software tool, or an experimental or computational method. Technical notes are variously referred to as technical innovations or technical developments. The main criteria for publication will be the novelty of concepts involved, the validity of the technique and its potential for clinical applications.

  7. Technical Elements (CCT1)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Kirsten Engelund; Wittchen, Kim Bjarne

    2017-01-01

    Many of the aspects dealt with in the CA EPBD are closely interlinked with each other and may refer to both new and existing buildings, as well as to inspection and certification. This is also true for technical aspects, such as the calculation methodologies, and how to include technical systems......’ efficiency or how to integrate renewable energy within them. The central team for Technical Elements deals with issues of a technical nature, which are common to new and existing buildings, and/or with minimum demands, certification and inspection. This report focuses on the implementation of Articles 3, 4...

  8. Superrenormalizable quantum gravity with complex ghosts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Modesto

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available We suggest and briefly review a new sort of superrenormalizable models of higher derivative quantum gravity. The higher derivative terms in the action can be introduced in such a way that all the unphysical massive states have complex poles. According to the literature on Lee–Wick quantization, in this case the theory can be formulated as unitary, since all massive ghosts-like degrees of freedom are unstable. Keywords: Quantum gravity, Higher derivatives, Complex poles

  9. Fractionation, analysis, and PCA modeling of properties of four technical lignins for prediction of their application potential in binders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gosselink, R.J.A.; Dam, van J.E.G.; Jong, de E.; Scott, E.L.; Sanders, J.P.M.

    2010-01-01

    Functional properties of technical lignins need to be characterized in more detail to become a higher added value renewable raw material for the chemical industry. The suitability of a lignin from different plants or trees obtained by different technical processes can only be predicted for selected

  10. A guide to technical information regarding TMI-2 [Three Mile Island Unit 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aucliar, K.D.; Epler, J.

    1988-01-01

    A considerable amount of information has been obtained and documented concerning the March 1979 accident and its consequences at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) nuclear generating station. The information has been essential in (a) understanding the nature, progression, and extent of the damage from the accident; (b) assessing the effects of this damage on the plant's facilities, systems, equipment, and surrounding environment; and (c) planning, preparation, performance, and evaluation of the accident recovery activities. The composite of all of this literature is the technical information available at TMI-2. The issues raised by the accident are far-reaching and complex, and the technical information has usefulness beyond its application at TMI-2. Issues raised as a result of the accident pose questions that are technical, legal, financial, and political in nature. However, because the quantity of information is vast, this paper focuses on the technical data generated as a result of the TMI-2 accident recovery activities. Most of the written information generated during the TMI-2 recovery program was provided to meet the needs of the various key participants in the recovery. The informational needs of these groups varied widely; consequently, their motivation for record retention, content, and structure revolved around serving those needs. This paper provides some guidance to those researchers interested in investigating technical data as it relates to TMI-2

  11. United States: Ukraine Technical Exchange II trip report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moak, D.J.; Wendling, M.A.

    1995-02-01

    May 15--21, 1994, the first technical conference was held at Hanford between Ukraine-Chornobyl, Westinghouse Hanford, and SAIC, to exchange technical information and experience gained in cleanup and stabilization of radioactive contamination at Hanford and Chornobyl. Protocol was signed for a second exchange and technology demonstration program in Kiev and near Chornobyl power plants. Technical Exchange No. 2 was held from August 28--September 9, 1994, with 3 focus areas: field demonstration of DOE-Hanford technologies and application to cleanup of contaminated lands resulting from 1986 Chornobyl accident; application of other US DOE-technologies; and observation/evaluation of Ukraine-developed technologies for potential application in USA. Three radiological mapping systems were demonstrated near Chornobyl: man-carried Ultrasonic Ranging and Data System, a mobile radiological data system, and NOMAD field gamma spectroscopy system. The Ukraine-Chornobyl team hosted technical presentations, discussions and field trips for 4.5 days, providing insight on the Chornobyl problem and allowing the US team to present overviews on DOE technologies that may be applicable to the Chornobyl situation. It is concluded that Ukrainian scientists have tremendous talent and expended considerable energy in attempting to tackle such a problem, but economic and cultural conditions with Ukraine have prevented them from acquiring the resources to implement basic aspects of characterization and remediation activities. Most of their publications are in Russian only. Their translation, plus resources to carry out proposals for bench scale and field demonstration projects, could benefit the DOE complex and other nuclear programs. The considerable cultural and economic change occurring in Ukraine, is providing opportunities for private industries to assist in the changes and for DOE, others to apply cleanup technologies, and it is essential that close institutional relations be established

  12. Towards technical interoperability in telemedicine.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Craft, Richard Layne, II

    2004-05-01

    For telemedicine to realize the vision of anywhere, anytime access to care, the question of how to create a fully interoperable technical infrastructure must be addressed. After briefly discussing how 'technical interoperability' compares with other types of interoperability being addressed in the telemedicine community today, this paper describes reasons for pursuing technical interoperability, presents a proposed framework for realizing technical interoperability, identifies key issues that will need to be addressed if technical interoperability is to be achieved, and suggests a course of action that the telemedicine community might follow to accomplish this goal.

  13. Nuclear Criticality Safety Organization guidance for the development of continuing technical training. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carroll, K.J.; Taylor, R.G.; Worley, C.A.

    1997-01-01

    The Nuclear Criticality Safety Organization (NCSO) is committed to developing and maintaining a staff of highly qualified personnel to meet the current and anticipated needs in nuclear criticality safety at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant and throughout the DOE complex. Continuing technical training is training outside of the initial qualification program to address identified organization-wide needs. Typically, this training is used to improve organization performance in the conduct of business. This document provides guidelines for the development of the technical portions of the Continuing Training Program. It is not a step-by-step procedure, but a collection of considerations to be used during the development process

  14. Complex Systems Design & Management : Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Complex Systems Design & Management

    CERN Document Server

    Caseau, Yves; Krob, Daniel; Rauzy, Antoine

    2013-01-01

    This book contains all refereed papers that were accepted to the third edition of the « Complex Systems Design & Management » (CSD&M 2012) international conference that took place in Paris (France) from December 12-14, 2012. (Website: http://www.csdm2012.csdm.fr)  These proceedings cover the most recent trends in the emerging field of complex systems sciences & practices from an industrial and academic perspective, including the main industrial domains (transport, defense & security, electronics, energy & environment, e-services), scientific & technical topics (systems fundamentals, systems architecture& engineering, systems metrics & quality, systemic  tools) and system types (transportation systems, embedded systems, software & information systems, systems of systems, artificial ecosystems). The CSD&M 2012 conference is organized under the guidance of the CESAMES non-profit organization (http://www.cesames.net).

  15. Complex Mobile Independent Power Station for Urban Areas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tunik, A. A.; Tolstoy, M. Y.

    2017-11-01

    A new type of a complex mobile independent power station developed in the Department of Engineering Communications and Life-Support Systems of Irkutsk National Research Technical University, is presented in this article. This station contains only solar panel, wind turbine, accumulator, diesel generator and microbial fuel cell for to produce electric energy, heat pump and solar collector to generate heat energy and also wastewater treatment plant and new complex control system. The complex mobile independent power station is intended for full power supply of a different kind of consumers located even in remote areas thus reducing their dependence from centralized energy supply systems, decrease the fossil fuel consumption, improve the environment of urban areas and solve the problems of the purification of industrial and municipal wastewater.

  16. Validation of Product Properties Considering a High Variety of Complex Products

    OpenAIRE

    Kortler, S.;Kohn, A.;Lindemann, U.

    2017-01-01

    Validation processes are becoming more and more complex. Due to rising technical capabilities and a wide variety of customer requirements, OEMs are increasing their product variety in order to increase profits. According to the various characteristics of subcontracted components involved in complex products, the product variety can be very high. The impacts of the involved subcontracted components on the composed product variety during the product’s application are difficult to predict. This ...

  17. Reliability Standards of Complex Engineering Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galperin, E. M.; Zayko, V. A.; Gorshkalev, P. A.

    2017-11-01

    Production and manufacture play an important role in today’s modern society. Industrial production is nowadays characterized by increased and complex communications between its parts. The problem of preventing accidents in a large industrial enterprise becomes especially relevant. In these circumstances, the reliability of enterprise functioning is of particular importance. Potential damage caused by an accident at such enterprise may lead to substantial material losses and, in some cases, can even cause a loss of human lives. That is why industrial enterprise functioning reliability is immensely important. In terms of their reliability, industrial facilities (objects) are divided into simple and complex. Simple objects are characterized by only two conditions: operable and non-operable. A complex object exists in more than two conditions. The main characteristic here is the stability of its operation. This paper develops the reliability indicator combining the set theory methodology and a state space method. Both are widely used to analyze dynamically developing probability processes. The research also introduces a set of reliability indicators for complex technical systems.

  18. Mu2e Technical Design Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bartoszek, L.; et al.

    2014-10-01

    Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the Mu2e Collaboration, composed of about 155 scientists and engineers from 28 universities and laboratories around the world, have collaborated to create this technical design for a new facility to study charged lepton flavor violation using the existing Department of Energy investment in the Fermilab accelerator complex. Mu2e proposes to measure the ratio of the rate of the neutrinoless, coherent conversion of muons into electrons in the field of a nucleus, relative to the rate of ordinary muon capture on the nucleus. The conversion process is an example of charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV), a process that has never been observed experimentally. The significant motivation behind the search for muon-to-electron conversion is discussed in Chapter 3.

  19. Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change. Can the IPCC Technical Guidelines be applied?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klein, R.J.T.; Nicholls, R.J.; Mimura, Nobuo

    1999-01-01

    This paper evaluates the IPCC Technical Guidelines for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations with respect to the guidance offered for coastal-adaptation assessment. It appears that the IPCC Technical Guidelines focus strongly on implementation. This paper uses both conceptual, and empirical information is used in this paper to show that coastal adaptation embraces more than selecting one of the 'technical' options to respond to sea-level rise (retreat, accommodate or protect). Coastal adaptation is a more complex and iterative process with a series of policy cycles. To be effective, an expanded adaptation framework involving four steps is suggested, including (1) information collection and awareness raising; (2) planning and design; (3) implementation, and (4) monitoring and evaluation. The incomplete coverage of these four steps in existing coastal-adaptation assessments constrains the development of adaptation strategies that are supported by the relevant actors and integrated into existing management. Researchers and policy-makers are recommended to work together to establish a framework for adaptation that is integrated within current coastal management processes and practices and takes a broader view on the subject. 46 refs

  20. Applying to Higher Education: Information Sources and Choice Factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simoes, Claudia; Soares, Ana Maria

    2010-01-01

    Higher education institutions are facing increasingly complex challenges, which demand a deeper understanding of the sources prospective students use when applying to a higher education institution. This research centres on students' decision-making process for higher education institutions, focusing on the pre-purchase period, and, in particular,…

  1. Higher Toda brackets and Massey products

    OpenAIRE

    Baues, Hans-Joachim; Blanc, David; Gondhali, Shilpa

    2015-01-01

    We provide a uniform definition of higher order Toda brackets in a general setting, covering the known cases of long Toda brackets for topological spaces and chain complexes and Massey products for differential graded algebras, among others.

  2. Technical Failure of MR Elastography Examinations of the Liver: Experience from a Large Single-Center Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Mathilde; Corcuera-Solano, Idoia; Lo, Grace; Esses, Steven; Liao, Joseph; Besa, Cecilia; Chen, Nelson; Abraham, Ginu; Fung, Maggie; Babb, James S; Ehman, Richard L; Taouli, Bachir

    2017-08-01

    Purpose To assess the determinants of technical failure of magnetic resonance (MR) elastography of the liver in a large single-center study. Materials and Methods This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board. Seven hundred eighty-one MR elastography examinations performed in 691 consecutive patients (mean age, 58 years; male patients, 434 [62.8%]) in a single center between June 2013 and August 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. MR elastography was performed at 3.0 T (n = 443) or 1.5 T (n = 338) by using a gradient-recalled-echo pulse sequence. MR elastography and anatomic image analysis were performed by two observers. Additional observers measured liver T2* and fat fraction. Technical failure was defined as no pixel value with a confidence index higher than 95% and/or no apparent shear waves imaged. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess potential predictive factors of technical failure of MR elastography. Results The technical failure rate of MR elastography at 1.5 T was 3.5% (12 of 338), while it was higher, 15.3% (68 of 443), at 3.0 T. On the basis of univariate analysis, body mass index, liver iron deposition, massive ascites, use of 3.0 T, presence of cirrhosis, and alcoholic liver disease were all significantly associated with failure of MR elastography (P analysis, only body mass index, liver iron deposition, massive ascites, and use of 3.0 T were significantly associated with failure of MR elastography (P technical failure rate of MR elastography with a gradient-recalled-echo pulse sequence was low at 1.5 T but substantially higher at 3.0 T. Massive ascites, iron deposition, and high body mass index were additional independent factors associated with failure of MR elastography of the liver with a two-dimensional gradient-recalled-echo pulse sequence. © RSNA, 2017.

  3. Two-photon excited fluorescence from higher electronic states of chlorophylls in photosynthetic antenna complexes a new approach to detect strong excitonic chlorophyll a/b coupling

    CERN Document Server

    Leupold, D; Ehlert, J; Irrgang, K D; Renger, G; Lokstein, H

    2002-01-01

    Stepwise two-photon excitation of chlorophyll a and b in the higher plant main light-harvesting complex (LHC II) and the minor complex CP29 (as well as in organic solution) with 100-fs pulses in the Q/sub y/ region results in a weak blue fluorescence. The dependence of the spectral shape of the blue fluorescence on excitation wavelength offers a new approach to elucidate the long-standing problem of the origin of spectral "chlorophyll forms" in pigment-protein complexes, in particular the characterization of chlorophyll a/b-heterodimers. As a first result we present evidence for the existence of strong chlorophyll a/b-interactions (excitonically coupled transitions at 650 and 680 nm) in LHC II at ambient temperature. In comparison with LHC II, the experiments with CP29 provide further evidence that the lowest energy chlorophyll a transition (at ~680 nm) is not excitonically coupled to chlorophyll b. (22 refs).

  4. Measurable Control System Security through Ideal Driven Technical Metrics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miles McQueen; Wayne Boyer; Sean McBride; Marie Farrar; Zachary Tudor

    2008-01-01

    The Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division supported development of a small set of security ideals as a framework to establish measurable control systems security. Based on these ideals, a draft set of proposed technical metrics was developed to allow control systems owner-operators to track improvements or degradations in their individual control systems security posture. The technical metrics development effort included review and evaluation of over thirty metrics-related documents. On the bases of complexity, ambiguity, or misleading and distorting effects the metrics identified during the reviews were determined to be weaker than necessary to aid defense against the myriad threats posed by cyber-terrorism to human safety, as well as to economic prosperity. Using the results of our metrics review and the set of security ideals as a starting point for metrics development, we identified thirteen potential technical metrics - with at least one metric supporting each ideal. Two case study applications of the ideals and thirteen metrics to control systems were then performed to establish potential difficulties in applying both the ideals and the metrics. The case studies resulted in no changes to the ideals, and only a few deletions and refinements to the thirteen potential metrics. This led to a final proposed set of ten core technical metrics. To further validate the security ideals, the modifications made to the original thirteen potential metrics, and the final proposed set of ten core metrics, seven separate control systems security assessments performed over the past three years were reviewed for findings and recommended mitigations. These findings and mitigations were then mapped to the security ideals and metrics to assess gaps in their coverage. The mappings indicated that there are no gaps in the security ideals and that the ten core technical metrics provide significant coverage of standard security issues with 87% coverage. Based

  5. The Development of Technical and Vocational Education in India--A Case Study in Quality Improvement. Case Studies on Technical and Vocational Education in Asia and the Pacific.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Arun K.

    Education has a place of high priority on India's development agenda. The technical/vocational education (TVE) system is multisectoral with each ministry responsible for labor force development in that sector. The TVE programs in the formal education system are either state delivered or financed. The higher secondary vocational education program…

  6. Co-evolution of intelligent socio-technical systems modelling and applications in large scale emergency and transport domains

    CERN Document Server

    2013-01-01

    As the interconnectivity between humans through technical devices is becoming ubiquitous, the next step is already in the making: ambient intelligence, i.e. smart (technical) environments, which will eventually play the same active role in communication as the human players, leading to a co-evolution in all domains where real-time communication is essential. This topical volume, based on the findings of the Socionical European research project, gives equal attention to two highly relevant domains of applications: transport, specifically traffic, dynamics from the viewpoint of a socio-technical interaction and evacuation scenarios for large-scale emergency situations. Care was taken to investigate as much as possible the limits of scalability and to combine the modeling using complex systems science approaches with relevant data analysis.

  7. Complex plasmas scientific challenges and technological opportunities

    CERN Document Server

    Lopez, Jose; Becker, Kurt; Thomsen, Hauke

    2014-01-01

    This book provides the reader with an introduction to the physics of complex plasmas, a discussion of the specific scientific and technical challenges they present, and an overview of their potential technological applications. Complex plasmas differ from conventional high-temperature plasmas in several ways: they may contain additional species, including nanometer- to micrometer-sized particles, negative ions, molecules and radicals, and they may exhibit strong correlations or quantum effects. This book introduces the classical and quantum mechanical approaches used to describe and simulate complex plasmas. It also covers some key experimental techniques used in the analysis of these plasmas, including calorimetric probe methods, IR absorption techniques and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The final part of the book reviews the emerging applications of microcavity and microchannel plasmas, the synthesis and assembly of nanomaterials through plasma electrochemistry, the large-scale generation of ozone using mi...

  8. Complex Adaptive Systems of Systems (CASOS) engineering environment.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Detry, Richard Joseph; Linebarger, John Michael; Finley, Patrick D.; Maffitt, S. Louise; Glass, Robert John, Jr.; Beyeler, Walter Eugene; Ames, Arlo Leroy

    2012-02-01

    Complex Adaptive Systems of Systems, or CASoS, are vastly complex physical-socio-technical systems which we must understand to design a secure future for the nation. The Phoenix initiative implements CASoS Engineering principles combining the bottom up Complex Systems and Complex Adaptive Systems view with the top down Systems Engineering and System-of-Systems view. CASoS Engineering theory and practice must be conducted together to develop a discipline that is grounded in reality, extends our understanding of how CASoS behave and allows us to better control the outcomes. The pull of applications (real world problems) is critical to this effort, as is the articulation of a CASoS Engineering Framework that grounds an engineering approach in the theory of complex adaptive systems of systems. Successful application of the CASoS Engineering Framework requires modeling, simulation and analysis (MS and A) capabilities and the cultivation of a CASoS Engineering Community of Practice through knowledge sharing and facilitation. The CASoS Engineering Environment, itself a complex adaptive system of systems, constitutes the two platforms that provide these capabilities.

  9. MedlinePlus Connect: Technical Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... MedlinePlus Connect → Technical Information URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/connect/technical.html MedlinePlus Connect: Technical ... will change.) Old URLs New URLs Web Application https://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/services/mpconnect.cfm? ...

  10. Technical Training: Technical Training Seminar

    CERN Multimedia

    2004-01-01

    TECHNICAL TRAINING Monique Duval tel. 74924 technical.training@cern.ch Tuesday 3 February 2004 From 09:00 to 13:30 - Training Centre Auditorium - bldg. 593, room 11 USB (Universal Serial Bus) CYPRESS Seminar Claudia Colombini, Field Application Engineer CYPRESS ActiveComp Electronic GmbH D-85077 MANCHING, Germany As a pioneer in USB, CYPRESS sets the standard for cost-effective solutions without sacrificing functionality, performance or reliability. Having shipped over 200 million USB devices, Cypress is the undisputed market leader and demonstrates unmatched USB expertise. With the industry's broadest selection of USB solutions, Cypress has the right silicon, software and support for every USB application, from Low-speed to High-Speed and USB On-The-Go (OTG). 9:00 - 10:30 Overview of USB systems. USB CYPRESS product overview. Peripherals: Low Speed, Full Speed, High Speed (1.1 and 2.0). Hub Solutions, Embedded Host Solutions, On-The-Go (OTG) and wireless USB. USB Development Tools (first part) 10:30 -...

  11. Technical Writing: Past, Present and Future

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathes, J. C. (Compiler); Pinelli, T. E. (Compiler)

    1981-01-01

    The training of technical writers and the objectives of such education are discussed. Special emphasis was placed on the communication between technical personnel and non-technical personnel. The liabilities that affect technical writers were also discussed.

  12. TECHNICAL CULTURE AND HUMAN AXJOSPHERE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ­Krystyna Chałas

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Technical culture is the value of each historical period. It is the subject of the ongoing development. While it is a value which is associated with different categories of values, mainly material, cognitive, social. Between culture and these three categories of values ​ there is a cognitive effect. Technical culture determines the quality of human axjosphere. The aim of this study is to show the relationships and dependencies between technical culture and the structures in which a person lives and works. It is mainly about the answer to the question of which values of technical culture are closely related to and what are the inter dependencies? The primary task is to define the concept of the technical culture and to show its teaching essence. The second task boils down to indicate the range of values ​​inherent in the culture of technology, determining the value of the technological culture and values, which are developed by the technical culture. Indication of the interaction between the technical culture and values ​​is the third task.

  13. Technical specification use and application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williamson, D.; Hoffman, D.R.

    1991-01-01

    Since early 1988 intensive efforts have been under way to produce a new and improved Standard Technical Specification. The program involves a coordinated effort between utility personnel representing each of the four nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) product lines, the NSSS vendors, and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This intensive work period is actually the culmination of a decade of rhetoric about shortcomings of the existing technical specifications. Work on the improved technical specifications provided a unique forum for intense philosophical discussions between the users and enforcers of technical specifications, the outcome of which could have an impact on all licensees. Some of the more intriguing difficulties in the use and application of existing technical specifications, as well as discussions of the resolutions being applied in the improved technical specifications and the dilemmas remaining to be resolved are discussed in the paper

  14. Australian Business Graduates' Perceptions of Non-Technical Skills within the Workplace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roepen, Dean

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore non-technical skills from the perspective of Australian business graduates who had recently made the transition from higher education into full-time employment. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-methods approach was applied through the use of an online survey containing closed and open-ended…

  15. Technical resource documents and technical handbooks for hazardous-wastes management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schomaker, N.B.; Bliss, T.M.

    1986-07-01

    The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing a series of Technical Resource Documents (TRD's) and Technical Handbooks to provide best engineering control technology to meet the needs of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) respectively. These documents and handbooks are basically compilation of research efforts of the Land Pollution Control Division (LPCD) to date. The specific areas of research being conducted under the RCRA land disposal program relate to laboratory, pilot and field validation studies in cover systems, waste leaching and solidification, liner systems and disposal facility evaluation. The technical handbooks provide the EPA Program Offices and Regions, as well as the states and other interested parties, with the latest information relevant to remedial actions.

  16. System aspects of managing international scientific and technical as well as manufacturing economic cooperation in the nuclear power field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drahny, M.

    1988-01-01

    International scientific and technical cooperation in nuclear power is discussed from the angle of systems control aspects. Integration benefit and the development stages of the integration process are mainly treated. The researcher-user relations are analysed in detail in scientific and technical cooperation and its links to economic cooperation. In nuclear power within COMECON countries, the most important field of cooperation currently is the complex program of scientific and technical progress of the COMECON member countries till the year 2000, especially its third priority trend called Accelerated Development of Nuclear Power. The following new quality should be thereby provided for the participating states: the achievement of the world peak standards of technical and economic parameters; the reflection of scientific and technical and economic cooperation in a complete innovatory cycle Science-Technology-Production-Application; the achievement of direct labor relations of the participating research, development, production and end user organizations. (Z.M.). 1 fig., 16 refs

  17. Advances in complex societal, environmental and engineered systems

    CERN Document Server

    Essaaidi, Mohammad

    2017-01-01

    This book addresses recent technological progress that has led to an increased complexity in many natural and artificial systems. The resulting complexity research due to the emergence of new properties and spatio-temporal interactions among a large number of system elements - and between the system and its environment - is the primary focus of this text. This volume is divided into three parts: Part one focuses on societal and ecological systems, Part two deals with approaches for understanding, modeling, predicting and mastering socio-technical systems, and Part three includes real-life examples. Each chapter has its own special features; it is a self-contained contribution of distinguished experts working on different fields of science and technology relevant to the study of complex systems. Advances in Complex Systems of Contemporary Reality: Societal, Environmental and Engineered Systems will provide postgraduate students, researchers and managers with qualitative and quantitative methods for handling th...

  18. Performance of technical trading rules: evidence from Southeast Asian stock markets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tharavanij, Piyapas; Siraprapasiri, Vasan; Rajchamaha, Kittichai

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines the profitability of technical trading rules in the five Southeast Asian stock markets. The data cover a period of 14 years from January 2000 to December 2013. The instruments investigated are five Southeast Asian stock market indices: SET index (Thailand), FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLC index (Malaysia), FTSE Straits Times index (Singapore), JSX Composite index (Indonesia), and PSE composite index (the Philippines). Trading strategies investigated include Relative Strength Index, Stochastic oscillator, Moving Average Convergence-Divergence, Directional Movement Indicator and On Balance Volume. Performances are compared to a simple Buy-and-Hold. Statistical tests are also performed. Our empirical results show a strong performance of technical trading rules in an emerging stock market of Thailand but not in a more mature stock market of Singapore. The technical trading rules also generate statistical significant returns in the Malaysian, Indonesian and the Philippine markets. However, after taking transaction costs into account, most technical trading rules do not generate net returns. This fact suggests different levels of market efficiency among Southeast Asian stock markets. This paper finds three new insights. Firstly, technical indicators does not help much in terms of market timing. Basically, traders cannot expect to buy at a relative low price and sell at a relative high price by just using technical trading rules. Secondly, technical trading rules can be beneficial to individual investors as they help them to counter the behavioral bias called disposition effects which is the tendency to sell winning stocks too soon and holding on to losing stocks too long. Thirdly, even profitable strategies could not reliably predict subsequent market directions. They make money from having a higher average profit from profitable trades than an average loss from unprofitable ones.

  19. Technical standards in nuclear area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grimberg, M.

    1978-01-01

    The technical standardization in nuclear area is discussed. Also, the competence of CNEN in standardization pursuit is analysed. Moreover, the process of working up of technical standards is explained; in addition, some kinds of technical standards are discussed. (author) [pt

  20. Access to Higher Education in China: Differences in Opportunity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Houxiong

    2011-01-01

    Access to higher education in China has opened up significantly in the move towards a mass higher education system. However, aggregate growth does not necessarily imply fair or reasonable distribution of opportunity. In fact, the expansion of higher education has a rather more complex influence on opportunity when admissions statistics are viewed…

  1. Adaptation of non-technical skills behavioural markers for delivery room simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracco, Fabrizio; Masini, Michele; De Tonetti, Gabriele; Brogioni, Francesca; Amidani, Arianna; Monichino, Sara; Maltoni, Alessandra; Dato, Andrea; Grattarola, Claudia; Cordone, Massimo; Torre, Giancarlo; Launo, Claudio; Chiorri, Carlo; Celleno, Danilo

    2017-03-17

    Simulation in healthcare has proved to be a useful method in improving skills and increasing the safety of clinical operations. The debriefing session, after the simulated scenario, is the core of the simulation, since it allows participants to integrate the experience with the theoretical frameworks and the procedural guidelines. There is consistent evidence for the relevance of non-technical skills (NTS) for the safe and efficient accomplishment of operations. However, the observation, assessment and feedback on these skills is particularly complex, because the process needs expert observers and the feedback is often provided in judgmental and ineffective ways. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and test a set of observation and rating forms for the NTS behavioural markers of multi-professional teams involved in delivery room emergency simulations (MINTS-DR, Multi-professional Inventory for Non-Technical Skills in the Delivery Room). The MINTS-DR was developed by adapting the existing tools and, when needed, by designing new tools according to the literature. We followed a bottom-up process accompanied by interviews and co-design between practitioners and psychology experts. The forms were specific for anaesthetists, gynaecologists, nurses/midwives, assistants, plus a global team assessment tool. We administered the tools in five editions of a simulation training course that involved 48 practitioners. Ratings on usability and usefulness were collected. The mean ratings of the usability and usefulness of the tools were not statistically different to or higher than 4 on a 5-point rating scale. In either case no significant differences were found across professional categories. The MINTS-DR is quick and easy to administer. It is judged to be a useful asset in maximising the learning experience that is provided by the simulation.

  2. The R85m President Brand joint metallurgical complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Payne, Adam.

    1977-01-01

    The uranium plant at President Brand, which was built in 1971 and opened last year, is now being extended. The plant forms only part of the extensive joint metallurgical complex being developed by Anglo American Corp. in the Free State, costing a total R85million. This article examines technical details of the recovery processes involved

  3. Dynamics in Higher Education Politics: A Theoretical Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kauko, Jaakko

    2013-01-01

    This article presents a model for analysing dynamics in higher education politics (DHEP). Theoretically the model draws on the conceptual history of political contingency, agenda-setting theories and previous research on higher education dynamics. According to the model, socio-historical complexity can best be analysed along two dimensions: the…

  4. Technical Writing Tips

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, Patrick M.

    2004-01-01

    The main reason engineers, technicians, and programmers write poor technical documents is because they have had little training or experience in that area. This article addresses some of the basics that students can use to master technical writing tasks. The article covers the most common problems writers make and offers suggestions for improving…

  5. Teaching environmental sustainability in higher education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Itard, L.C.M.; Van den Bogaard, M.E.D.; Hasselaar, E.

    2010-01-01

    The challenges of sustainable engineering and design are complex and so are the challenges of teaching sustainability to higher education students. This paper deals with teaching environmental sustainability, with a specific focus on the sustainability of buildings. The paper addresses specifically

  6. Cellulose biosynthesis in higher plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krystyna Kudlicka

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge of the control and regulation of cellulose synthesis is fundamental to an understanding of plant development since cellulose is the primary structural component of plant cell walls. In vivo, the polymerization step requires a coordinated transport of substrates across membranes and relies on delicate orientations of the membrane-associated synthase complexes. Little is known about the properties of the enzyme complexes, and many questions about the biosynthesis of cell wall components at the cell surface still remain unanswered. Attempts to purify cellulose synthase from higher plants have not been successful because of the liability of enzymes upon isolation and lack of reliable in vitro assays. Membrane preparations from higher plant cells incorporate UDP-glucose into a glucan polymer, but this invariably turns out to be predominantly β -1,3-linked rather than β -1,4-linked glucans. Various hypotheses have been advanced to explain this phenomenon. One idea is that callose and cellulose-synthase systems are the same, but cell disruption activates callose synthesis preferentially. A second concept suggests that a regulatory protein as a part of the cellulose-synthase complex is rapidly degraded upon cell disruption. With new methods of enzyme isolation and analysis of the in vitro product, recent advances have been made in the isolation of an active synthase from the plasma membrane whereby cellulose synthase was separated from callose synthase.

  7. TECHNICAL COORDINATION

    CERN Multimedia

    A. Ball

    Overview From a technical perspective, CMS has been in “beam operation” state since 6th November. The detector is fully closed with all components operational and the magnetic field is normally at the nominal 3.8T. The UXC cavern is normally closed with the radiation veto set. Access to UXC is now only possible during downtimes of LHC. Such accesses must be carefully planned, documented and carried out in agreement with CMS Technical Coordination, Experimental Area Management, LHC programme coordination and the CCC. Material flow in and out of UXC is now strictly controlled. Access to USC remains possible at any time, although, for safety reasons, it is necessary to register with the shift crew in the control room before going down.It is obligatory for all material leaving UXC to pass through the underground buffer zone for RP scanning, database entry and appropriate labeling for traceability. Technical coordination (notably Stephane Bally and Christoph Schaefer), the shift crew and run ...

  8. TECHNICAL COORDINATION

    CERN Multimedia

    A. Ball and W. Zeuner

    2011-01-01

    In this report we will review the main achievements of the Technical Stop and the progress of several centrally-managed projects to support CMS operation and maintenance and prepare the way for upgrades. Overview of the extended Technical Stop  The principal objectives of the extended Technical Stop affecting the detector itself were the installation of the TOTEM T1 telescopes on both ends, the readjustment of the alignment link-disk in YE-2, the replacement of the light-guide sleeves for all PMs of both HFs, and some repairs on TOTEM T2 and CASTOR. The most significant tasks were, however, concentrated on the supporting infrastructure. A detailed line-by-line leak search was performed in the C6F14 cooling system of the Tracker, followed by the installation of variable-frequency drives on the pump motors of the SS1 and SS2 tracker cooling plants to reduce pressure transients during start-up. In the electrical system, larger harmonic filters were installed in ...

  9. Ferromagnetic dinuclear mixed-valence Mn(II)/Mn(III) complexes: building blocks for the higher nuclearity complexes. structure, magnetic properties, and density functional theory calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hänninen, Mikko M; Välivaara, Juha; Mota, Antonio J; Colacio, Enrique; Lloret, Francesc; Sillanpää, Reijo

    2013-02-18

    A series of six mixed-valence Mn(II)/Mn(III) dinuclear complexes were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. The reactivity of the complexes was surveyed, and structures of three additional trinuclear mixed-valence Mn(III)/Mn(II)/Mn(III) species were resolved. The magnetic properties of the complexes were studied in detail both experimentally and theoretically. All dinuclear complexes show ferromagnetic intramolecular interactions, which were justified on the basis of the electronic structures of the Mn(II) and Mn(III) ions. The large Mn(II)-O-Mn(III) bond angle and small distortion of the Mn(II) cation from the ideal square pyramidal geometry were shown to enhance the ferromagnetic interactions since these geometrical conditions seem to favor the orthogonal arrangement of the magnetic orbitals.

  10. Examining the Impact of Non-Technical Security Management Factors on Information Security Management in Health Informatics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imam, Abbas H.

    2013-01-01

    Complexity of information security has become a major issue for organizations due to incessant threats to information assets. Healthcare organizations are particularly concerned with security owing to the inherent vulnerability of sensitive information assets in health informatics. While the non-technical security management elements have been at…

  11. Technical intelligence and culture: Nut cracking in humans and chimpanzees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boesch, Christophe; Bombjaková, Daša; Boyette, Adam; Meier, Amelia

    2017-06-01

    According to the technical intelligence hypothesis, humans are superior to all other animal species in understanding and using tools. However, the vast majority of comparative studies between humans and chimpanzees, both proficient tool users, have not controlled for the effects of age, prior knowledge, past experience, rearing conditions, or differences in experimental procedures. We tested whether humans are superior to chimpanzees in selecting better tools, using them more dexteriously, achieving higher performance and gaining access to more resource as predicted under the technical intelligence hypothesis. Aka and Mbendjele hunter-gatherers in the rainforest of Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, respectively, and Taï chimpanzees in the rainforest of Côte d'Ivoire were observed cracking hard Panda oleosa nuts with different tools, as well as the soft Coula edulis and Elaeis guinensis nuts. The nut-cracking techniques, hammer material selection and two efficiency measures were compared. As predicted, the Aka and the Mbendjele were able to exploit more species of hard nuts in the forest than chimpanzees. However, the chimpanzees were sometimes more efficient than the humans. Social roles differed between the two species, with the Aka and especially the Mbendjele exhibiting cooperation between nut-crackers whereas the chimpanzees were mainly individualistic. Observations of nut-cracking by humans and chimpanzees only partially supported the technical intelligence hypothesis as higher degrees of flexibility in tool selection seen in chimpanzees compensated for use of less efficient tool material than in humans. Nut cracking was a stronger social undertaking in humans than in chimpanzees. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. International Socio-Technical Challenges for Geological Disposal (InSOTEC): Project Aims and Preliminary Results - 12236

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergmans, Anne; Schroeder, Jantine [University of Antwerp, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, 2000 Antwerp (Belgium); Simmons, Peter [University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, NR4 7TJ Norwich (United Kingdom); Barthe, Yannick; Meyer, Morgan [CNRS, Ecole des Mines, 75272 Paris (France); Sundqvist, Goeran [Universitetet i Oslo, Centre for Studies of Technology, Innovation and Culture, 0851 Oslo (Norway); Martell, Merixell [MERIENCE Strategic Thinking, 08734 Olerdola (Spain); Kallenbach-Herbert, Beate [Oeko Institut, 64295 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2012-07-01

    InSOTEC is a social sciences research project which aims to generate a better understanding of the complex interplay between the technical and the social in radioactive waste management and, in particular, in the design and implementation of geological disposal. It currently investigates and analyses the most striking socio-technical challenges to implementing geological disposal of radioactive waste in 14 national programs. A focus is put on situations and issues where the relationship between the technical and social components is still unstable, ambiguous and controversial, and where negotiations are taking place in terms of problem definitions and preferred solutions. Such negotiations can vary from relatively minor contestation, over mild commotion, to strong and open conflicts. Concrete examples of socio-technical challenges are: the question of siting, introducing the notion of reversibility / retrievability into the concept of geological disposal, or monitoring for confidence building. In a second stage the InSOTEC partners aim to develop a fine-grained understanding of how the technical and the social influence, shape, build upon each other in the case of radioactive waste management and the design and implementation of geological disposal. How are socio-technical combinations in this field translated and materialized into the solutions finally adopted? With what kinds of tools and instruments are they being integrated? Complementary to providing better theoretical insight into these socio-technical challenges/combinations, InSOTEC aims to provide concrete suggestions on how to address these within national and international contexts. To this end, InSOTEC will deliver insights into how mechanisms for interaction between the technical community and a broad range of socio-political actors could be developed. (authors)

  13. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR INFORMATION AND EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE AT A HIGHER INSTITUTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evgeniia Nikolaevna Kikot

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The question of organization of contemporary education process is getting more important nowadays in the conditions of ICT (information and communication technologies and e-education usage.This defines one of the most important methodological and research directions in the university – creation of informational-educational course unit complex as the foundation of e-University resource.The foundation of informational-educational course unit complex creation are the concepts of openness, accessibility, clearness, personalisation and that allow to built the requirements system to the complex creation and its substantial content.The main functions of informational educational complex are detected: informational, educational, controlling and communicative.It’s defined that into the basis of scientific justification of new structure elements of informational-educational of course unit complex development and introduction is necessary to include creation of e-workbook, e-workshops in order to organize theoretical and practical e-conferences.Development of ICT in education that provides e-education application assume establishment of distance learning techno-logies for educational programme implementation.

  14. LHC Availability 2017: Technical Stop 1 to Technical Stop 2

    CERN Document Server

    Todd, Benjamin; Apollonio, Andrea; Walsh, David John; CERN. Geneva. ATS Department

    2017-01-01

    This document summarises the LHC machine availability for the period of Technical Stop 1 (TS1) to Technical Stop 2 (TS2) in 2017. This period was dedicated to proton physics with a bunch spacing of 25ns. This note has been produced and ratified by the Availability Working Group which has complied fault information for the period in question using the Accelerator Fault Tracker.

  15. Technical evaluation report of the Fort St. Vrain final draft upgraded technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, C.Y.

    1989-01-01

    This report is a technical evaluation of the final draft of the Fort St. Vrain (FSV) Upgraded Technical Specifications (UT/S) as issued by Public Service of Colorado (PSC) on May 27, 1988 with subsequent supplemental updates issued on June 15, 1988 and August 5, 1988. It has been compared for consistency, and safety conservatism with the Fort St. Vrain (FSV) Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), the FSV Safety Evaluation Report (SER), the Facility Operating License, DPR-34, and all amendments to the Facility Operating License issued as of June 1, 1988, and Appendix A to the Operating License DPR-34, Technical Specifications. Because of the age of the plant, no supplements to the Fort St. Vrain SER have been issued since the original SER was not issued as a WASH or a NUREG report. This made it necessary to review all amendments to the Facility Operating License since they would contain the safety evaluations done to support changes to the Facility Operating License. The upgraded Fort St. Vrain Technical Specifications were also broadly compared with the latest Westinghouse Standard Technical Specifications (WSTS) to assure that what was proposed for Fort St. Vrain was consistent with the latest NRC staff practices for standard technical specifications

  16. The technical supervision interface

    CERN Document Server

    Sollander, P

    1998-01-01

    The Technical Control Room (TCR) is currently using 30 different applications for the remote supervision of the technical infrastructure at CERN. These applications have all been developed with the CERN made Uniform Man Machine Interface (UMMI) tools built in 1990. However, the visualization technology has evolved phenomenally since 1990, the Technical Data Server (TDS) has radically changed our control system architecture, and the standardization and the maintenance of the UMMI applications have become important issues as their number increases. The Technical Supervision Interface is intended to replace the UMMI and solve the above problems. Using a standard WWW-browser for the display, it will be inherently multi-platform and hence available for control room operators, equipment specialists and on-call personnel.

  17. Engineering Technical Review Planning Briefing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Terrie

    2012-01-01

    The general topics covered in the engineering technical planning briefing are 1) overviews of NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Engineering, 2) the NASA Systems Engineering(SE) Engine and its implementation , 3) the NASA Project Life Cycle, 4) MSFC Technical Management Branch Services in relation to the SE Engine and the Project Life Cycle , 5) Technical Reviews, 6) NASA Human Factor Design Guidance , and 7) the MSFC Human Factors Team. The engineering technical review portion of the presentation is the primary focus of the overall presentation and will address the definition of a design review, execution guidance, the essential stages of a technical review, and the overall review planning life cycle. Examples of a technical review plan content, review approaches, review schedules, and the review process will be provided and discussed. The human factors portion of the presentation will focus on the NASA guidance for human factors. Human factors definition, categories, design guidance, and human factor specialist roles will be addressed. In addition, the NASA Systems Engineering Engine description, definition, and application will be reviewed as background leading into the NASA Project Life Cycle Overview and technical review planning discussion.

  18. Strategies and Rubrics for Teaching Chaos and Complex Systems Theories as Elaborating, Self-Organizing, and Fractionating Evolutionary Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fichter, Lynn S.; Pyle, E. J.; Whitmeyer, S. J.

    2010-01-01

    To say Earth systems are complex, is not the same as saying they are a complex system. A complex system, in the technical sense, is a group of -agents (individual interacting units, like birds in a flock, sand grains in a ripple, or individual units of friction along a fault zone), existing far from equilibrium, interacting through positive and…

  19. Technical training: places available

    CERN Multimedia

    2014-01-01

    If you would like more information on a course, or have any other inquiry/suggestions, please contact Technical.Training@cern.ch. Eva Stern and Elise Romero, Technical Training Administration (Tel: 74924)

  20. Technical training: places available

    CERN Document Server

    2013-01-01

    If you would like more information on a course, or for any other inquiry/suggestions, please contact Technical.Training@cern.ch. Eva Stern and Elise Romero, Technical Training Administration (Tel: 74924)

  1. Technical training - places available

    CERN Document Server

    2013-01-01

    If you would like more information on a course, or have any other inquiry/suggestions, please contact Technical.Training@cern.ch. Eva Stern and Elise Romero, Technical Training Administration (Tel: 74924)

  2. Globalization, Information Technology and Higher Education in Nigeria: The Roles of Library Professionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uwhekadom, Ejimaji Emmanuel; Olawolu, Oladunni Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    The influence of globalization and information technology on higher education in Nigeria was investigated through a descriptive survey design. Forty-five professional librarians from University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni Port Harcourt, Federal College of Education (Technical) Omoku Rivers…

  3. Song Walker Harmony Space: Embodied Interaction Design for Complex Musical Skills

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bouwer, A.; Holland, S.; Dalgleish, M.; Holland, S.; Wilkie, K.; Mulholland, P.; Seago, A.

    2013-01-01

    Tonal Harmony is widely considered to be the most technical and complex part of music theory. Consequently harmonic skills can be hard to acquire. Furthermore, experience of the flexible manipulation of harmony in real time generally requires the ability to play an instrument. Even for those with

  4. 49 CFR 552.6 - Technical review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Technical review. 552.6 Section 552.6... § 552.6 Technical review. The appropriate Associate Administrator conducts a technical review of the petition. The technical review may consist of an analysis of the material submitted, together with...

  5. Assessing Complexity in Learning Outcomes--A Comparison between the SOLO Taxonomy and the Model of Hierarchical Complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stålne, Kristian; Kjellström, Sofia; Utriainen, Jukka

    2016-01-01

    An important aspect of higher education is to educate students who can manage complex relationships and solve complex problems. Teachers need to be able to evaluate course content with regard to complexity, as well as evaluate students' ability to assimilate complex content and express it in the form of a learning outcome. One model for evaluating…

  6. Technical training: places available

    CERN Multimedia

    2014-01-01

    If you would like more information on a course, or have any other inquiry/suggestions, please contact Technical.Training@cern.ch. Eva Stern and Marie Lahchimi, Technical Training Administration (Tel: 74924)

  7. Technical progress safeguards future. Technischer Fortschritt sichert die Zukunft

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1985-01-01

    'Technical progress safeguards future', the guiding theme of the 1985 conference of German engineers, calls for discussion. In five lectures representatives of the subdivisions of 'VDI' issued their statements from the viewpoints of their special fields. These lectures were completed by reports on the part of the remaining VDI subdivisions, which are published together with the lectures in this volume. The complex guiding theme is meant to stimulate discussion, which should be conducted also with representatives of other sciences and the public. The volume contains a.o. contributions regarding future prospects, given certain modifications in construction engineering and user behaviour in the sector heating and air-conditioning, regarding the development of new construction techniques to protect the environment, and regarding clean air as an international concern of engineers. For these three contributions separate entries were made. Other presentations relate to: automobile production technology; energy supply as an engineering task; information, invention, innovation as stages of technical progress; progress in materials technology; noise of motor vehicles - current state and future prospects. (orig./HSCH).

  8. Quality assured technical documentation for nuclear power generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ault, M.P.

    1992-01-01

    Present day large scale industry in general is made up of highly complex technology subjected to many rigorous external controls and constraints. This is particularly so in the nuclear power industry where it is essential that materials and services provided during the phases of construction, commissioning and operations, conform precisely to requirements as specified. Failure to do this could lead to unit shut-down and loss of income. For over 25 years, a central unit within the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) developed an enviable reputation for the production of high class technical documentation essential during power station commissioning and operations phases. Following privatization of the electricity supply industry in 1991 the unit became a stand-alone organization and since 1989 has been known as Technical Publications Management Services (TPMS). TPMS with its many years of experience now offers its services to industry in general as well as to the electricity supply industry. Work currently being undertaken by TPMS is described here. Recent contracts obtained for work at Sizewell and for Severn Trent Water indicate the continuing and expanding need for specialist documentation services. (author)

  9. Political Connections, Government Subsidies and Technical Innovation of Wind Energy Companies in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiaan Qu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Developing wind energy is one of the win win measures in response to climate changes and energy security. In order to promote technical innovation in the wind-energy industry, the government grants various fiscal subsidies to wind-energy companies every year. To acquire these subsidies, enterprises often employ those with political backgrounds as members of the board of directors and board of supervisors. On the one hand, the acquisition of subsidies may indeed promote the technical innovation capacity of enterprises, but, on the other hand, due to the existence of “the grabbing hand”, the technical innovation capacity of enterprises may be weakened. We selected 35 Chinese wind-energy listed companies to analyze the relationship between political connections, subsidies and the technical innovation capacity. Results indicate that, political connections to an enterprise weaken its innovative potential and achievement. Moreover, the higher the strength of political connections is, the stronger the negative impact it will bring to the innovative capacity of the enterprise. Modulation of government subsidies, however, can alleviate the negative effects of political connections.

  10. The Skills Cline: Higher Education and the Supply-Demand Complex in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cosser, Michael

    2010-01-01

    This paper investigates the relationship between Grade 12 learner preferences for study in higher education, student enrolment in higher education programmes, and student graduations in different programme areas, considering the match between these supply-side indicators and a forecast of skills demand in South Africa as a first step towards…

  11. Technical training: places available

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    If you would like more information on a course, or for any other inquiry/suggestions, please contact Technical.Training@cern.ch. Eva Stern and Elise Romero, Technical Training Administration (Tél : 74924)  

  12. The NIOSH Radiation Dose Reconstruction Project: managing technical challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moeller, Matthew P; Townsend, Ronald D; Dooley, David A

    2008-07-01

    Approximately two years after promulgation of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Office of Compensation and Analysis Support selected a contractor team to perform many aspects of the radiation dose reconstruction process. The project scope and schedule necessitated the development of an organization involving a comparatively large number of health physicists. From the initial stages, there were many technical and managerial challenges that required continuous planning, integration, and conflict resolution. This paper identifies those challenges and describes the resolutions and lessons learned. These insights are hopefully useful to managers of similar scientific projects, especially those requiring significant data, technical methods, and calculations. The most complex challenge has been to complete defensible, individualized dose reconstructions that support timely compensation decisions at an acceptable production level. Adherence to applying claimant-favorable and transparent science consistent with the requirements of the Act has been the key to establishing credibility, which is essential to this large and complex project involving tens of thousands of individual stakeholders. The initial challenges included garnering sufficient and capable scientific staff, developing an effective infrastructure, establishing necessary methods and procedures, and integrating activities to ensure consistent, quality products. The continuing challenges include maintaining the project focus on recommending a compensation determination (rather than generating an accurate dose reconstruction), managing the associated very large data and information management challenges, and ensuring quality control and assurance in the presence of an evolving infrastructure. The lessons learned concern project credibility, claimant favorability, project priorities, quality and consistency, and critical

  13. Not just trust: factors influencing learners' attempts to perform technical skills on real patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bannister, Susan L; Dolson, Mark S; Lingard, Lorelei; Keegan, David A

    2018-06-01

    As part of their training, physicians are required to learn how to perform technical skills on patients. The previous literature reveals that this learning is complex and that many opportunities to perform these skills are not converted into attempts to do so by learners. This study sought to explore and understand this phenomenon better. A multi-phased qualitative study including ethnographic observations, interviews and focus groups was conducted to explore the factors that influence technical skill learning. In a tertiary paediatric emergency department, staff physician preceptors, residents, nurses and respiratory therapists were observed in the delivery and teaching of technical skills over a 3-month period. A constant comparison methodology was used to analyse the data and to develop a constructivist grounded theory. We conducted 419 hours of observation, 18 interviews and four focus groups. We observed 287 instances of technical skills, of which 27.5% were attempted by residents. Thematic analysis identified 14 factors, grouped into three categories, which influenced whether residents attempted technical skills on real patients. Learner factors included resident initiative, perceived need for skill acquisition and competing priorities. Teacher factors consisted of competing priorities, interest in teaching, perceived need for residents to acquire skills, attributions about learners, assessments of competency, and trust. Environmental factors were competition from other learners, judgement that the patient was appropriate, buy-in from team members, consent from patient or caregivers, and physical environment constraints. Our findings suggest that neither the presence of a learner in a clinical environment nor the trust of the supervisor is sufficient to ensure the learner will attempt a technical skill. We characterise this phenomenon as representing a pool of opportunities to conduct technical skills on live patients that shrinks to a much smaller pool of

  14. Physiological and Technical Demands of No Dribble Game Drill in Young Basketball Players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conte, Daniele; Favero, Terence G; Niederhausen, Meike; Capranica, Laura; Tessitore, Antonio

    2015-12-01

    This study assessed the physiological and technical demands of no dribble game drill (NDGD) in comparison with a regular drill (RD). Twenty-three young basketball players performed RDs and NDGDs in a random order. All basketball rules were followed for RDs, whereas dribbling was not permitted for NDGDs. The independent variable was the drill condition, and the dependent variables were percentage of maximal heart rate (%HRmax), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), Edwards training load (TL), and the following technical actions (TAs): pass (total, correct, wrong, and percent of correct passes), shot (total, scored, missed, and percent of made shots), interception, steal, turnover, and rebound. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were applied to assess differences between NDGD and RD conditions for each dependent variable, and the level of statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results showed higher values for %HRmax (p = 0.007), Edwards TL (p = 0.006), and RPE (p = 0.027) in NDGD compared with RD condition. Technical action analysis revealed higher values in NDGD than RD for total (p = 0.000), correct (p = 0.000), and wrong pass (p = 0.005), and interception (p = 0.001), whereas no significant differences were found for the other TAs. The main finding of this study was that NDGD condition elicited a greater physiological demand and a higher number of passes and interceptions than the RD one. Basketball coaches should consider the NDGD as a viable method to increase the physiological load of their training sessions and to teach passing skills in a game-based situation.

  15. Technical Assistance Plan (TAP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    A Technical Assistance Plan (TAP) enables community groups to retain the services of an independent technical advisor and to provide resources for a community group to help inform other community members about site decisions.

  16. Reader-Centered Technical Writing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayanan, M.

    2012-12-01

    Technical writing is an essential part of professional communication and in recent years it has shifted from a genre-based approach. Formerly, technical writing primarily focused on generating templates of documents and sometimes it was creating or reproducing traditional forms with minor modifications and updates. Now, technical writing looks at the situations surrounding the need to write. This involves deep thinking about the goals and objectives of the project on hand. Furthermore, one observes that it is very important for any participatory process to have the full support of management. This support needs to be well understood and believed by employees. Professional writing may be very persuasive in some cases. When presented in the appropriate context, technical writing can persuade a company to improve work conditions ensuring employee safety and timely production. However, one must recognize that lot of professional writing still continues to make use of reports and instruction manuals. Normally, technical and professional writing addresses four aspects. Objective: The need for generating a given professionally written technical document and the goals the document is expected to achieve and accomplish. Clientele: The clientele who will utilize the technical document. This may include the people in the organization. This may also include "unintended readers." Customers: The population that may be affected by the content of the technical document generated. This includes the stakeholders who will be influenced. Environment: The background in which the document is created. Also, the nature of the situation that warranted the generation of the document. Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget's view of Learning focuses on three aspects. The author likes to extend Jean Piaget's ideas to students, who are asked to prepare and submit Reader-Centered Technical Writing reports and exercises. Assimilation: Writers may benefit specifically, by assimilating a new object into

  17. Assessing Students' Technical Skill Attainment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jorgensen, Haley

    2010-01-01

    The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) is working to comply with the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Perkins) to ensure that its graduates have mastered the technical skills needed by business and industry. The legislation requires that each state identify and approve program assessment strategies…

  18. Carotenoid-binding sites of the major light-harvesting complex II of higher plants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Croce, Roberta; Weiss, Saskia; Bassi, Roberto

    1999-01-01

    Recombinant light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) proteins with modified carotenoid composition have been obtained by in vitro reconstitution of the Lhcb1 protein overexpressed in bacteria. The monomeric protein possesses three xanthophyll-binding sites. The L1 and L2 sites, localized by electron

  19. International comparisons of the technical efficiency of the hospital sector: panel data analysis of OECD countries using parametric and non-parametric approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varabyova, Yauheniya; Schreyögg, Jonas

    2013-09-01

    There is a growing interest in the cross-country comparisons of the performance of national health care systems. The present work provides a comparison of the technical efficiency of the hospital sector using unbalanced panel data from OECD countries over the period 2000-2009. The estimation of the technical efficiency of the hospital sector is performed using nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) and parametric stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Internal and external validity of findings is assessed by estimating the Spearman rank correlations between the results obtained in different model specifications. The panel-data analyses using two-step DEA and one-stage SFA show that countries, which have higher health care expenditure per capita, tend to have a more technically efficient hospital sector. Whether the expenditure is financed through private or public sources is not related to the technical efficiency of the hospital sector. On the other hand, the hospital sector in countries with higher income inequality and longer average hospital length of stay is less technically efficient. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  20. Categorification and higher representation theory

    CERN Document Server

    Beliakova, Anna

    2017-01-01

    The emergent mathematical philosophy of categorification is reshaping our view of modern mathematics by uncovering a hidden layer of structure in mathematics, revealing richer and more robust structures capable of describing more complex phenomena. Categorified representation theory, or higher representation theory, aims to understand a new level of structure present in representation theory. Rather than studying actions of algebras on vector spaces where algebra elements act by linear endomorphisms of the vector space, higher representation theory describes the structure present when algebras act on categories, with algebra elements acting by functors. The new level of structure in higher representation theory arises by studying the natural transformations between functors. This enhanced perspective brings into play a powerful new set of tools that deepens our understanding of traditional representation theory. This volume exhibits some of the current trends in higher representation theory and the diverse te...

  1. Technical and economic considerations of extra high voltage power transmission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kahnt, R

    1966-09-01

    The reasons for the employment of higher transmission voltages are listed and the points decisive for the selection of three phase ac or dc systems are reviewed. The technical and economic problems arising in three phase extra high voltage transmission are discussed. These include selection of voltage, economical design of power lines, insulation problems, power supply dependability, equipment rating and reactive power and stability problems.

  2. Simulation-based ureteroscopy skills training curriculum with integration of technical and non-technical skills: a randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunckhorst, Oliver; Shahid, Shahab; Aydin, Abdullatif; McIlhenny, Craig; Khan, Shahid; Raza, Syed Johar; Sahai, Arun; Brewin, James; Bello, Fernando; Kneebone, Roger; Khan, Muhammad Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

    2015-09-01

    Current training modalities within ureteroscopy have been extensively validated and must now be integrated within a comprehensive curriculum. Additionally, non-technical skills often cause surgical error and little research has been conducted to combine this with technical skills teaching. This study therefore aimed to develop and validate a curriculum for semi-rigid ureteroscopy, integrating both technical and non-technical skills teaching within the programme. Delphi methodology was utilised for curriculum development and content validation, with a randomised trial then conducted (n = 32) for curriculum evaluation. The developed curriculum consisted of four modules; initially developing basic technical skills and subsequently integrating non-technical skills teaching. Sixteen participants underwent the simulation-based curriculum and were subsequently assessed, together with the control cohort (n = 16) within a full immersion environment. Both technical (Time to completion, OSATS and a task specific checklist) and non-technical (NOTSS) outcome measures were recorded with parametric and non-parametric analyses used depending on the distribution of our data as evaluated by a Shapiro-Wilk test. Improvements within the intervention cohort demonstrated educational value across all technical and non-technical parameters recorded, including time to completion (p technical and non-technical skills teaching is both educationally valuable and feasible. Additionally, the curriculum offers a validated simulation-based training modality within ureteroscopy and a framework for the development of other simulation-based programmes.

  3. Squeezing of higher order Hermite-Gauss modes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lassen, Mikael Østergaard

    2008-01-01

    The present paper gives an overview of the experimental generation of squeezing in higher order Hermite-Gaussian modes with an optical parametric ampli¯er (OPA). This work was awarded with The European Optical Society (EOS) price 2007. The purpose of the prize is to encourage a European dimension...... in research in pure and applied optics. The EOS prize is awarded based on the selection criteria of high professionalism, academic and technical quality. Following the EOS Prize rules, the conditions for eligibility are that the work was performed in Europe and that it is published under the auspices...

  4. Self vs expert assessment of technical and non-technical skills in high fidelity simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arora, Sonal; Miskovic, Danilo; Hull, Louise; Moorthy, Krishna; Aggarwal, Rajesh; Johannsson, Helgi; Gautama, Sanjay; Kneebone, Roger; Sevdalis, Nick

    2011-10-01

    Accurate assessment is imperative for learning, feedback and progression. The aim of this study was to examine whether surgeons can accurately self-assess their technical and nontechnical skills compared with expert faculty members' assessments. Twenty-five surgeons performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in a simulated operating room. Technical and nontechnical performance was assessed by participants and faculty members using the validated Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) and the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons scale (NOTSS). Assessment of technical performance correlated between self and faculty members' ratings for experienced (median score, 30.0 vs 31.0; ρ = .831; P = .001) and inexperienced (median score, 22.0 vs 28.0; ρ = .761; P = .003) surgeons. Assessment of nontechnical skills between self and faculty members did not correlate for experienced surgeons (median score, 8.0 vs 10.5; ρ = -.375; P = .229) or their more inexperienced counterparts (median score, 9.0 vs 7.0; ρ = -.018; P = .953). Surgeons can accurately self-assess their technical skills in virtual reality LC. Conversely, formal assessment with faculty members' input is required for nontechnical skills, for which surgeons lack insight into their behaviours. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Technical Support and Transfer of Geothrmal Technical Knowledge and Information

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John W. Lund; Toni" Boyd

    2007-11-14

    The Geo-Heat Center (GHC) staff provided responses to 1442 technical support requests during the contract period (April 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007), which were six quarters under this contract. Our website, consisting of 1900 files, also contributes to our technical assistance activity. Downloaded files were 1,889,323 (3,448 per day) from our website, the total number of users was 1,365,258 (2,491 per day), and the total number of hits were 6,008,500 (10,064 per day). The GHC staff attended 60 workshops, short course and professional meeting and made 29 technical presentations. The staff also prepared and mailed out 2,000 copies of each of five issues of the GHC Quaterly Bulletin which contained 26 articles. We also mailed out approximately 5,000 papers and publications to interested individuals and organizations.

  6. Treatment of Children with Protein – Losing Enteropathy After Fontan and Other Complex Congenital Heart Disease Procedures in Condition with Limited Human and Technical Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bejiqi, Ramush; Retkoceri, Ragip; Zeka, Naim; Bejiqi, Hana; Vuqiterna, Armend; Maloku, Arlinda

    2014-01-01

    Background Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is a disorder characterized by abnormal and often profound enteric protein loss. It’s relatively uncommon complication of Fontan and other complex congenital heart disease (CCHD) procedures. Because of the complexity and rarity of this disease process, the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of protein-losing enteropathy remain poorly understood, and attempts at treatment seldom yield long-term success. Aim of presentation is to describe single centre experience in diagnosis, evaluation, management and treatment of children with protein-losing enteropathy after Fontan and other CCHD procedures in the current era and in centre with limited human and technical resources, follows with a comprehensive review of protein-losing enteropathy publications, and concludes with suggestions for prevention and treatment. Material and methodology Retrospectively we analyzed patients with CCHD and protein-losing enteropathy in our institution, starting from January 2000 to December 2012. The including criteria were age between two and 17 years, to have a complex congenital heart disease and available complete documentation of cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass. Results Of all patients we evaluated 18 cases with protein-losing enteropathy, aged 6 to 19 years (mean 14±9); there were three children who had undergone screening procedure for D-transposition, one Tetralogy of Fallot, and remaining 14 patients had undergone Fontan procedures; (anatomic diagnosis are: six with tricuspid atresia, seven with d-transposition, double outlet right ventricle and pulmonary atresia and two with hypoplastic left heart syndrome). The diagnosis of protein-losing enteropathy was made at median age of 5.6 years, ranging from 13 months to 15 years. Diagnosis was made using alpha 1-antitrypsin as a gold marker in stool. By physical examination in 14 patients edema was found, in three ascites, and six patients had pleural effusion. Laboratory findings

  7. Citation analysis of Computer Standards & Interfaces: Technical or also non-technical focus?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G. van de Kaa (Geerten); H.J. de Vries (Henk); B. Baskaran (Balakumaran)

    2015-01-01

    textabstractThis paper analyzes to which extent research published in Computer Standards & Interfaces (CSI) has a technical focus. We find that CSI has been following its scope very closely in the last three years and that the majority of its publications have a technical focus. Articles published

  8. Research on the EDM Technology for Micro-holes at Complex Spatial Locations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Y Liu, J.; Guo, J. M.; Sun, D. J.; Cai, Y. H.; Ding, L. T.; Jiang, H.

    2017-12-01

    For the demands on machining micro-holes at complex spatial location, several key technical problems are conquered such as micro-Electron Discharge Machining (micro-EDM) power supply system’s development, the host structure’s design and machining process technical. Through developing low-voltage power supply circuit, high-voltage circuit, micro and precision machining circuit and clearance detection system, the narrow pulse and high frequency six-axis EDM machining power supply system is developed to meet the demands on micro-hole discharging machining. With the method of combining the CAD structure design, CAE simulation analysis, modal test, ODS (Operational Deflection Shapes) test and theoretical analysis, the host construction and key axes of the machine tool are optimized to meet the position demands of the micro-holes. Through developing the special deionized water filtration system to make sure that the machining process is stable enough. To verify the machining equipment and processing technical developed in this paper through developing the micro-hole’s processing flow and test on the real machine tool. As shown in the final test results: the efficient micro-EDM machining pulse power supply system, machine tool host system, deionized filtration system and processing method developed in this paper meet the demands on machining micro-holes at complex spatial locations.

  9. Control of heavy loads at nuclear power plants: Resolution of Generic Technical Activity A-36. Technical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    George, H.J.

    1980-07-01

    This report summarizes work performed by the NRC staff in the resolution of Generic Technical Activity A-36, Control of Heavy Loads Near Spent Fuel. Generic Technical Activity A-36 is one of the generic technical subjects designated as unresolved safety issues pursuant to Section 210 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. The report describes the technical studies and evaluations performed by the NRC staff, the staff's guidelines based on these studies, and the staff's plans for implementaton of its technical guidelines

  10. Intervention complexity--a conceptual framework to inform priority-setting in health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gericke, Christian A; Kurowski, Christoph; Ranson, M Kent; Mills, Anne

    2005-04-01

    Health interventions vary substantially in the degree of effort required to implement them. To some extent this is apparent in their financial cost, but the nature and availability of non-financial resources is often of similar importance. In particular, human resource requirements are frequently a major constraint. We propose a conceptual framework for the analysis of interventions according to their degree of technical complexity; this complements the notion of institutional capacity in considering the feasibility of implementing an intervention. Interventions are categorized into four dimensions: characteristics of the basic intervention; characteristics of delivery; requirements on government capacity; and usage characteristics. The analysis of intervention complexity should lead to a better understanding of supply- and demand-side constraints to scaling up, indicate priorities for further research and development, and can point to potential areas for improvement of specific aspects of each intervention to close the gap between the complexity of an intervention and the capacity to implement it. The framework is illustrated using the examples of scaling up condom social marketing programmes, and the DOTS strategy for tuberculosis control in highly resource-constrained countries. The framework could be used as a tool for policy-makers, planners and programme managers when considering the expansion of existing projects or the introduction of new interventions. Intervention complexity thus complements the considerations of burden of disease, cost-effectiveness, affordability and political feasibility in health policy decision-making. Reducing the technical complexity of interventions will be crucial to meeting the health-related Millennium Development Goals.

  11. Intervention complexity--a conceptual framework to inform priority-setting in health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gericke, Christian A.; Kurowski, Christoph; Ranson, M. Kent; Mills, Anne

    2005-01-01

    Health interventions vary substantially in the degree of effort required to implement them. To some extent this is apparent in their financial cost, but the nature and availability of non-financial resources is often of similar importance. In particular, human resource requirements are frequently a major constraint. We propose a conceptual framework for the analysis of interventions according to their degree of technical complexity; this complements the notion of institutional capacity in considering the feasibility of implementing an intervention. Interventions are categorized into four dimensions: characteristics of the basic intervention; characteristics of delivery; requirements on government capacity; and usage characteristics. The analysis of intervention complexity should lead to a better understanding of supply- and demand-side constraints to scaling up, indicate priorities for further research and development, and can point to potential areas for improvement of specific aspects of each intervention to close the gap between the complexity of an intervention and the capacity to implement it. The framework is illustrated using the examples of scaling up condom social marketing programmes, and the DOTS strategy for tuberculosis control in highly resource-constrained countries. The framework could be used as a tool for policy-makers, planners and programme managers when considering the expansion of existing projects or the introduction of new interventions. Intervention complexity thus complements the considerations of burden of disease, cost-effectiveness, affordability and political feasibility in health policy decision-making. Reducing the technical complexity of interventions will be crucial to meeting the health-related Millennium Development Goals. PMID:15868020

  12. Tanning lamps ultraviolet emissions and compliance with technical standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonino, A.; Facta, S.; Saudino, S.; Anglesio, L.; D'Amore, G.

    2009-01-01

    In this work the compliance of tanning lamps with technical standards EN 60335-2-27 'Household and similar electrical appliances-Safety. Part 2: Particular requirements for appliances for skin exposure to ultraviolet and infrared radiation' was analysed. Results of this analysis showed that none of the examined technical documentation produced by the lamps manufacturers is fully compliant with the standard technique. Furthermore data reported in the same manuals, such as effective radiant exposure or irradiance, would indicate that these sources may be the cause of undue exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. For this reason a measurement campaign on UV lamps used in tanning salons was organised. The first results of these measurements seem to confirm the doubts raised from the analysis of the lamp manuals: the use of a tanning lamp can lead to UV radiation exposure levels higher than reference maximum values recommended by EN 60335-2-27. (authors)

  13. Report From the International Linear Collider Technical Review Committee

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loew, Gregory A.

    2003-01-01

    The International Linear Collider Technical Review Committee (ILC-TRC), formed in 1994, was reconvened in February 2001 by the International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA) to assess the current technical status of all electron-positron linear collider designs at hand in the world: TESLA, JLC-C, JLC-X/NLC and CLIC. The ILC-TRC worked for exactly two years and submitted its report to ICFA in February 2003. This paper presents the motivation behind the study, the charge to the committee and its organization, a table of machine parameters for 500 GeV c.m. energy and later upgrades to higher energies, the methodology used to assess the designs, and a ranked list of R and D tasks still deemed necessary between now and the time any one of the projects is selected by the HEP community and begins construction. Possible future developments are briefly discussed

  14. The higher level of complexity of K-Ras4B activation at the membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Hyunbum; Banerjee, Avik; Chavan, Tanmay S; Lu, Shaoyong; Zhang, Jian; Gaponenko, Vadim; Nussinov, Ruth

    2016-04-01

    Is nucleotide exchange sufficient to activate K-Ras4B? To signal, oncogenic rat sarcoma (Ras) anchors in the membrane and recruits effectors by exposing its effector lobe. With the use of NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we observed that in solution, farnesylated guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP)-bound K-Ras4B is predominantly autoinhibited by its hypervariable region (HVR), whereas the GTP-bound state favors an activated, HVR-released state. On the anionic membrane, the catalytic domain adopts multiple orientations, including parallel (∼180°) and perpendicular (∼90°) alignments of the allosteric helices, with respect to the membrane surface direction. In the autoinhibited state, the HVR is sandwiched between the effector lobe and the membrane; in the active state, with membrane-anchored farnesyl and unrestrained HVR, the catalytic domain fluctuates reinlessly, exposing its effector-binding site. Dimerization and clustering can reduce the fluctuations. This achieves preorganized, productive conformations. Notably, we also observe HVR-autoinhibited K-Ras4B-GTP states, with GDP-bound-like orientations of the helices. Thus, we propose that the GDP/GTP exchange may not be sufficient for activation; instead, our results suggest that the GDP/GTP exchange, HVR sequestration, farnesyl insertion, and orientation/localization of the catalytic domain at the membrane conjointly determine the active or inactive state of K-Ras4B. Importantly, K-Ras4B-GTP can exist in active and inactive states; on its own, GTP binding may not compel K-Ras4B activation.-Jang, H., Banerjee, A., Chavan, T. S, Lu, S., Zhang, J., Gaponenko, V., Nussinov, R. The higher level of complexity of K-Ras4B activation at the membrane. © FASEB.

  15. Technical report writing today

    CERN Document Server

    Riordan, Daniel G

    2014-01-01

    "Technical Report Writing Today" provides thorough coverage of technical writing basics, techniques, and applications. Through a practical focus with varied examples and exercises, students internalize the skills necessary to produce clear and effective documents and reports. Project worksheets help students organize their thoughts and prepare for assignments, and focus boxes highlight key information and recent developments in technical communication. Extensive individual and collaborative exercises expose students to different kinds of technical writing problems and solutions. Annotated student examples - more than 100 in all - illustrate different writing styles and approaches to problems. Numerous short and long examples throughout the text demonstrate solutions for handling writing assignments in current career situations. The four-color artwork in the chapter on creating visuals keeps pace with contemporary workplace capabilities. The Tenth Edition offers the latest information on using electronic resum...

  16. Higher-order tensors in diffusion imaging

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schultz, T.; Fuster, A.; Ghosh, A.; Deriche, R.; Florack, L.M.J.; Lim, L.H.; Westin, C.-F.; Vilanova, A.; Burgeth, B.

    2014-01-01

    Diffusion imaging is a noninvasive tool for probing the microstructure of fibrous nerve and muscle tissue. Higher-order tensors provide a powerful mathematical language to model and analyze the large and complex data that is generated by its modern variants such as High Angular Resolution Diffusion

  17. Regular pipeline maintenance of gas pipeline using technical operational diagnostics methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Volentic, J [Gas Transportation Department, Slovensky plynarensky priemysel, Slovak Gas Industry, Bratislava (Slovakia)

    1998-12-31

    Slovensky plynarensky priemysel (SPP) has operated 17 487 km of gas pipelines in 1995. The length of the long-line pipelines reached 5 191 km, distribution network was 12 296 km. The international transit system of long-line gas pipelines ranged 1 939 km of pipelines of various dimensions. The described scale of transport and distribution system represents a multibillion investments stored in the ground, which are exposed to the environmental influences and to pipeline operational stresses. In spite of all technical and maintenance arrangements, which have to be performed upon operating gas pipelines, the gradual ageing takes place anyway, expressed in degradation process both in steel tube, as well as in the anti-corrosion coating. Within a certain time horizon, a consistent and regular application of methods and means of in-service technical diagnostics and rehabilitation of existing pipeline systems make it possible to save substantial investment funds, postponing the need in funds for a complex or partial reconstruction or a new construction of a specific gas section. The purpose of this presentation is to report on the implementation of the programme of in-service technical diagnostics of gas pipelines within the framework of regular maintenance of SPP s.p. Bratislava high pressure gas pipelines. (orig.) 6 refs.

  18. Regular pipeline maintenance of gas pipeline using technical operational diagnostics methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Volentic, J. [Gas Transportation Department, Slovensky plynarensky priemysel, Slovak Gas Industry, Bratislava (Slovakia)

    1997-12-31

    Slovensky plynarensky priemysel (SPP) has operated 17 487 km of gas pipelines in 1995. The length of the long-line pipelines reached 5 191 km, distribution network was 12 296 km. The international transit system of long-line gas pipelines ranged 1 939 km of pipelines of various dimensions. The described scale of transport and distribution system represents a multibillion investments stored in the ground, which are exposed to the environmental influences and to pipeline operational stresses. In spite of all technical and maintenance arrangements, which have to be performed upon operating gas pipelines, the gradual ageing takes place anyway, expressed in degradation process both in steel tube, as well as in the anti-corrosion coating. Within a certain time horizon, a consistent and regular application of methods and means of in-service technical diagnostics and rehabilitation of existing pipeline systems make it possible to save substantial investment funds, postponing the need in funds for a complex or partial reconstruction or a new construction of a specific gas section. The purpose of this presentation is to report on the implementation of the programme of in-service technical diagnostics of gas pipelines within the framework of regular maintenance of SPP s.p. Bratislava high pressure gas pipelines. (orig.) 6 refs.

  19. Flying in Clear Skies: Technical Arguments Influencing ANAC Regulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcello Fragano Baird

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Regulatory agencies possess the particularity of being controlled by non-elected politicians whose power is derived from delegations made by incumbent powers. There exists, however, a concern with the creation of institutional mechanisms that permit public participation, thus guaranteeing greater democratization and social control of the regulatory process. One of these participatory mechanisms is the public hearing, which was not given much attention by Brazilian literature on lobbying and interest groups. This article seeks to contribute to fill this gap, focusing on the impact of interest groups acting upon the National Civil Aviation Agency, ANAC. Analyzing comments sent to the public hearings, we identified the commentators and the intensity of their participation, the impact of their efforts as measured by the rate of comment incorporation, and we explained why some comments are incorporated and others are not. We organized an original data base of the comments made at all ANAC public hearings between 2007 and May 2012. We analyzed 518 comments concerning 48 regulations. To test participant influence, we classified the comments by degree of technicality, economic or legal argument, authorship, and request for regulation. To understand the incorporation process, we used regression models through which we presented evidence that a comment's incorporation is directly related to its degree of technicality. Technical comments, which effectively subsidize the resolution, have a higher chance of being incorporated. Even more than corporate power or its force of participation, the technical quality proved to be the main factor for comment incorporation.

  20. Factors Affecting Women Enrolment In Technical Institutions In Tanzania A Case Study Of Arusha Technical College

    OpenAIRE

    Glory B. Kaaya; Dr. Esther Waiganjo

    2015-01-01

    Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting women enrolment in Technical Institutions in Tanzania by focusing on the women. The study examined in detail the factors affecting women enrolment in Technical institutions and Arusha Technical College in particular as well as exploring sexual dynamics within Technical Institutions. Moreover a number of theoretical frameworks were concerned basing on the objectives a case study design was employed involving both qua...

  1. Interplay among Technical, Socio-Emotional and Personal Factors in Written Feedback Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Ivan

    2018-01-01

    The centrality of written feedback is clearly seen from the proliferation of research in the context of higher education. As an increasingly expanding field in research, the majority of written feedback studies have been interested in investigating the technical aspect of how feedback should be given in order to promote student learning. More…

  2. Subsurface Contaminant Focus Area: Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA)--Programmatic, Technical, and Regulatory Issues

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krupka, Kenneth M.; Martin, Wayne J.

    2001-07-23

    Natural attenuation processes are commonly used for remediation of contaminated sites. A variety of natural processes occur without human intervention at all sites to varying rates and degrees of effectiveness to attenuate (decrease) the mass, toxicity, mobility, volume, or concentration of organic and inorganic contaminants in soil, groundwater, and surface water systems. The objective of this review is to identify potential technical investments to be incorporated in the Subsurface Contaminant Focus Area Strategic Plan for monitored natural attenuation. When implemented, the technical investments will help evaluate and implement monitored natural attenuation as a remediation option at DOE sites. The outcome of this review is a set of conclusions and general recommendations regarding research needs, programmatic guidance, and stakeholder issues pertaining to monitored natural attenuation for the DOE complex.

  3. Technical Report Writing Today

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Riordan, Daniel G.

    2014-01-01

    Section 1: Technical Communication Basics (8 chapters on tech com, audiences, tech com process, tech com style, researching, designing pages, using visual aids, describing). Section 2: Technical Communication Applications (7 chapters on sets of instructions, informal reports and email, developing...

  4. Technical Training: WBTechT offers online training

    CERN Multimedia

    Monique Duval

    2005-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2005 The 2005 CERN Web-Based Technical Training portal is a computer-skills site offering multimedia learning. Visit http://www.course-source.net/sites/cern/ to self-register, consult the available programmes or request a course via EDH. A self-directed online course costs 50.- CHF for desktop applications and 90.- CHF for technical applications for three months' unlimited access. Visit the WBTechT portal or http://www.cern.ch/TechnicalTraining, and contact Technical.Training@cern.ch or your DTOs to find out more information. ENSEIGNEMENT TECHNIQUE TECHNICAL TRAINING Monique Duval 74924 technical.training@cern.ch

  5. Technical Training: WBTechT offers online training

    CERN Multimedia

    Monique Duval

    2005-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2005 The 2005 CERN Web-Based Technical Training (WBTechT) portal is a computer-skills site offering multimedia learning. Visit http://www.course-source.net/sites/cern/ to self-register, consult the available programmes or request a course via EDH. A self-directed online course costs 50.- CHF for desktop applications and 90.- CHF for technical applications for three months' unlimited access. Visit the WBTechT portal or http://www.cern.ch/TechnicalTraining, and contact Technical.Training@cern.ch or your DTO to find out more information. ENSEIGNEMENT TECHNIQUE TECHNICAL TRAINING Monique Duval 74924 technical.training@cern.ch

  6. Net-Zero Energy Technical Shelter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Chen; Heiselberg, Per; Jensen, Rasmus Lund

    2014-01-01

    Technical shelters are the basic structures for storing electronic and technical equipment, and commonly used for telecommunication base station, windmill, gas station, etc. Due to their high internal heat load density and special operation schedule, they consume more energy than normal residential...... or commercial buildings. On the other hand, it is a big challenge to power the technical shelter in remote area where the grids are either not available or the expansion of grid is expensive. In order to minimize the energy consumption and obtain a reliable and cost-efficient power solution for technical...... shelter, this study will apply the net-zero energy concept into the technical shelter design. The energy conservation can be achieved by proper design of building envelop and optimization of the cooling strategies. Both experiments and numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the indoor...

  7. Technical planning activity: Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1987-01-01

    In April 1985, the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Fusion Energy commissioned the Technical Planning Activity (TPA). The purpose of this activity was to develop a technical planning methodology and prepare technical plans in support of the strategic and policy framework of the Magnetic Fusion Program Plan issued by DOE in February 1985. Although this report represents the views of only the US magnetic fusion community, it is international in scope in the sense that the technical plans contained herein describe the full scope of the tasks that are prerequisites for the commercialization of fusion energy. The TPA has developed a well-structured methodology that includes detailed definitions of technical issues, definitions of program areas and elements, statements of research and development objectives, identification of key decision points and milestones, and descriptions of facility requirements.

  8. Technical planning activity: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-01-01

    In April 1985, the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Fusion Energy commissioned the Technical Planning Activity (TPA). The purpose of this activity was to develop a technical planning methodology and prepare technical plans in support of the strategic and policy framework of the Magnetic Fusion Program Plan issued by DOE in February 1985. Although this report represents the views of only the US magnetic fusion community, it is international in scope in the sense that the technical plans contained herein describe the full scope of the tasks that are prerequisites for the commercialization of fusion energy. The TPA has developed a well-structured methodology that includes detailed definitions of technical issues, definitions of program areas and elements, statements of research and development objectives, identification of key decision points and milestones, and descriptions of facility requirements

  9. [Analysis of work-related fatigue characteristics and its influencing factors in scientific and technical personnel].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ting; Zhou, Dinglun; Song, Mingying; Lan, Yajia

    2015-02-01

    To investigate the current status and characteristics of work-related fatigue among scientific and technical personnel and its associated factors, and to provide a scientific basis for further interventions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the staff from a single scientific institution, using a self-administered questionnaire. Basic information of participants, Fatigue Scale-14, and Job Content Questionnaire were collected. The prevalence of work-related fatigue among the scientific and technical personnel was 54.6%; work-related fatigue was positively correlated with occupational stress (rs = 0.384, P work-related fatigue included occupational stress profiles, social support, and educational status. A higher risk of work-related fatigue was found in the staff under high stress, compared with those under low stress (OR = 8.5, 95%CI = 3.9∼18.7). Social support served as a protective factor for work-related fatigue, while a higher level of education was correlated with more severe work-related fatigue. Work-related fatigue is common and serious among scientific and technical personnel, especially in those under high stress. Effective interventions according to occupational stress are of great importance to reduce work-related fatigue.

  10. THE METHOD OF FORMING A RATIONAL ASPECT OF THE ONBOARD COMPLEX OF RADAR DEFENSE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. B. Guseynov

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The urgency of the problem of increasing the efficiency by reducing the visibility of aircraft and installing radio interference on the radio-electronic systems of the air defense complex is substantiated. The main characteristics of the on-board electronic radio protection system of an unmanned aerial vehicle are determined. When designing a low-visibility aircraft, it is advisable to simultaneously solve three-level tasks – the formation of a technical task for the design of aircraft, technical proposals and design sketches. In solving the problems of the first level, operational-tactical, flight-technical characteristics of the aircraft are analyzed and requirements for indicators of visibility are justified, the second one – a matrix of alternative design solutions is formed and rational structural solutions for the airborne complex and aircraft appearance as a whole are determined, the third one determines optimal design -Ballistic, geometric design parameters of technical solutions and aircraft in general. The statement of the problem is formulated in the article. A block diagram of the analysis of design solutions for the placement of an active noise station on board an unmanned aerial vehicle and optimization of their parameters based on a complex "cost-effectiveness" criterion is given. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the influence of alternative technical solutions on low visibility and their design parameters on geometric, aerodynamic, energy, ballistic, thermal characteristics, mass, cost, indicators of visibility and combat effectiveness. The structural and logical scheme for solving the problem for a given technical assignment for the design of an unmanned aerial vehicle includes the following steps: the formation of the initial information and the development of a "support" version of the aircraft structure; formation of a morphological matrix of design decisions on aircraft; compatibility assessment

  11. The NOvA Technical Design Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayres, D.S.; Drake, G.R.; Goodman, M.C.; Grudzinski, J.J.; Guarino, V.J.; Talaga, R.L.; Zhao, A.; Stamoulis, P.; Stiliaris, E.; Tzanakos, G.; Zois, M.

    2007-01-01

    Technical Design Report (TDR) describes the preliminary design of the NOvA accelerator upgrades, NOvA detectors, detector halls and detector sites. Compared to the March 2006 and November 2006 NOvA Conceptual Design Reports (CDR), critical value engineering studies have been completed and the alternatives still active in the CDR have been narrowed to achieve a preliminary technical design ready for a Critical Decision 2 review. Many aspects of NOvA described this TDR are complete to a level far beyond a preliminary design. In particular, the access road to the NOvA Far Detector site in Minnesota has an advanced technical design at a level appropriate for a Critical Decision 3a review. Several components of the accelerator upgrade and new neutrino detectors also have advanced technical designs appropriate for a Critical Decision 3a review. Chapter 1 is an Executive Summary with a short description of the NOvA project. Chapter 2 describes how the Fermilab NuMI beam will provide a narrow band beam of neutrinos for NOvA. Chapter 3 gives an updated overview of the scientific basis for the NOvA experiment, focusing on the primary goal to extend the search for ν μ → ν e oscillations and measure the sin 2 (2θ 13 ) parameter. This parameter has not been measured in any previous experiment and NOvA would extend the search by about an order of magnitude beyond the current limit. A secondary goal is to measure the dominant mode oscillation parameters, sin 2 (2θ 23 ) and Δm 32 2 to a more precise level than previous experiments. Additional physics goals for NOvA are also discussed. Chapter 4 describes the Scientific Design Criteria which the Fermilab accelerator complex, NOvA detectors and NOvA detector sites must satisfy to meet the physics goals discussed in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 is an overview of the NOvA project. The changes in the design relative to the NOvA CDR are discussed. Chapter 6 summarizes the NOvA design performance relative to the Design Criteria set out

  12. OSH technical reference manual

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1993-11-01

    In an evaluation of the Department of Energy (DOE) Occupational Safety and Health programs for government-owned contractor-operated (GOCO) activities, the Department of Labor`s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended a technical information exchange program. The intent was to share written safety and health programs, plans, training manuals, and materials within the entire DOE community. The OSH Technical Reference (OTR) helps support the secretary`s response to the OSHA finding by providing a one-stop resource and referral for technical information that relates to safe operations and practice. It also serves as a technical information exchange tool to reference DOE-wide materials pertinent to specific safety topics and, with some modification, as a training aid. The OTR bridges the gap between general safety documents and very specific requirements documents. It is tailored to the DOE community and incorporates DOE field experience.

  13. Technical and economic considerations of extra high voltage power transmission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kahnt, R

    1966-09-01

    The reasons for the employment of higher transmission voltages are listed and the points decisive for the selection of three phase ac or dc systems are reviewed. This is followed by treatment of the technical and economic problems arising in three phase-extra high voltage transmission. These include selection of voltage, economical design of power lines, insulation problems, power supply dependability, equipment rating, and reactive power and stability problems.

  14. Fourth International Conference on Complex Systems Design & Management

    CERN Document Server

    Boulanger, Frédéric; Krob, Daniel; Marchal, Clotilde

    2014-01-01

    This book contains all refereed papers that were accepted to the fourth edition of the « Complex Systems Design & Management » (CSD&M 2013) international conference which took place in Paris (France) from December 4-6, 2013. These proceedings cover the most recent trends in the emerging field of complex systems sciences & practices from an industrial and academic perspective, including the main industrial domains (transport, defense & security, electronics, energy & environment, e-services), scientific & technical topics (systems fundamentals, systems architecture & engineering, systems metrics & quality, systemic tools) and system types (transportation systems, embedded systems, software & information systems, systems of systems, artificial ecosystems). The CSD&M 2013 conference is organized under the guidance of the CESAMES non-profit organization

  15. A conservation ontology and knowledge base to support delivery of technical assistance to agricultural producers in the united states

    Science.gov (United States)

    Information systems supporting the delivery of conservation technical assistance by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to agricultural producers on working lands have become increasingly complex over the past 25 years. They are constrained by inconsistent coordination of domain knowl...

  16. Technical basis for dose reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anspaugh, L.R.

    1996-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to consider two general topics: Technical considerations of why dose-reconstruction studies should or should not be performed and methods of dose reconstruction. The first topic is of general and growing interest as the number of dose-reconstruction studies increases, and one asks the question whether it is necessary to perform a dose reconstruction for virtually every site at which, for example, the Department of Energy (DOE) has operated a nuclear-related facility. And there is the broader question of how one might logically draw the line at performing or not performing dose-reconstruction (radiological and chemical) studies for virtually every industrial complex in the entire country. The second question is also of general interest. There is no single correct way to perform a dose-reconstruction study, and it is important not to follow blindly a single method to the point that cheaper, faster, more accurate, and more transparent methods might not be developed and applied. 90 refs., 4 tabs

  17. Technical basis for dose reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anspaugh, L.R.

    1996-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to consider two general topics: technical considerations of why dose-reconstruction studies should or should not be performed and methods of dose reconstruction. The first topic is of general and growing interest as the number of dose-reconstruction studies increases, and one asks the question whether it is necessary to perform a dose reconstruction for virtually every site at which, for example, the Department of Energy (DOE) has operated a nuclear-related facility. And there is the broader question of how one might logically draw the line at performing or not performing dose-reconstruction (radiological and chemical) studies for virtually every industrial complex in the entire country. The second question is also of general interest. There is no single correct way to perform a dose-reconstruction study, and it is important not to follow blindly a single method to the point that cheaper, faster, more accurate, and more transparent methods might not be developed and applied

  18. International conference Caspy-95. Caspian region: economy, ecology, mineral resources. Technical abstracts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon,

    1996-12-31

    The collection of technical abstracts submitted to the International conference Caspy-95 held in Moscow (the Russian Federation), June 20-23, 1995, contains 166 presentations in the following fields: (1) Sea levels`s fluctuation and changes of water balance; (2) Geodynamics of the Caspian region; (3) Prospecting, exploration and exploitation of oil and gas fields; (4) Ecological and environmental problems; (5) Complex monitoring and engineering coastal protection; (6) Social-economical and legal aspects of natural resources usage.

  19. International conference Caspy-95. Caspian region: economy, ecology, mineral resources. Technical abstracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1995-01-01

    The collection of technical abstracts submitted to the International conference Caspy-95 held in Moscow (the Russian Federation), June 20-23, 1995, contains 166 presentations in the following fields: 1) Sea levels's fluctuation and changes of water balance; 2) Geodynamics of the Caspian region; 3) Prospecting, exploration and exploitation of oil and gas fields; 4) Ecological and environmental problems; 5) Complex monitoring and engineering coastal protection; 6) Social-economical and legal aspects of natural resources usage

  20. The logic of Technical Standardisation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nedergaard, Peter

    In this paper technical standardisation is understood and explained in a model where economic analysis is coupled with an analysis of the political system as proposed in rational choice theory. The aim is to answer both the question why various countries (e.g. the United States versus European...... countries) let either the market or public intervention determine the mode of technical standardisation and the possible implications of these two ways of organizing technical standardisation from an economic and a political point of view. Based upon the analysis of the paper a couple of general policy...... recommendations are made concerning the mode of technical standardisation....

  1. Guiding and Modelling Quality Improvement in Higher Education Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Little, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    The article considers the process of creating quality improvement in higher education institutions from the point of view of current organisational theory and social-science modelling techniques. The author considers the higher education institution as a functioning complex of rules, norms and other organisational features and reviews the social…

  2. Re/imagining Higher Education Pedagogies: Gender, Emotion and Difference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Penny Jane

    2015-01-01

    This article explores work published in "Teaching in Higher Education" that critically engages complex questions of difference and emotion in higher education pedagogies. It considers the ways that difference is connected to gender and misrecognition, and is experienced at the level of emotion, often through symbolic forms of violence…

  3. A Distributed Leadership Change Process Model for Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Sandra; Harvey, Marina

    2017-01-01

    The higher education sector operates in an increasingly complex global environment that is placing it under considerable stress and resulting in widespread change to the operating context and leadership of higher education institutions. The outcome has been the increased likelihood of conflict between academics and senior leaders, presaging the…

  4. Higher-order stochastic differential equations and the positive Wigner function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drummond, P. D.

    2017-12-01

    General higher-order stochastic processes that correspond to any diffusion-type tensor of higher than second order are obtained. The relationship of multivariate higher-order stochastic differential equations with tensor decomposition theory and tensor rank is explained. Techniques for generating the requisite complex higher-order noise are proved to exist either using polar coordinates and γ distributions, or from products of Gaussian variates. This method is shown to allow the calculation of the dynamics of the Wigner function, after it is extended to a complex phase space. The results are illustrated physically through dynamical calculations of the positive Wigner distribution for three-mode parametric downconversion, widely used in quantum optics. The approach eliminates paradoxes arising from truncation of the higher derivative terms in Wigner function time evolution. Anomalous results of negative populations and vacuum scattering found in truncated Wigner quantum simulations in quantum optics and Bose-Einstein condensate dynamics are shown not to occur with this type of stochastic theory.

  5. Mechanical Engineering Department technical abstracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denney, R.M.

    1982-01-01

    The Mechanical Engineering Department publishes listings of technical abstracts twice a year to inform readers of the broad range of technical activities in the Department, and to promote an exchange of ideas. Details of the work covered by an abstract may be obtained by contacting the author(s). Overall information about current activities of each of the Department's seven divisions precedes the technical abstracts

  6. Exponential rise of dynamical complexity in quantum computing through projections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgarth, Daniel Klaus; Facchi, Paolo; Giovannetti, Vittorio; Nakazato, Hiromichi; Pascazio, Saverio; Yuasa, Kazuya

    2014-10-10

    The ability of quantum systems to host exponentially complex dynamics has the potential to revolutionize science and technology. Therefore, much effort has been devoted to developing of protocols for computation, communication and metrology, which exploit this scaling, despite formidable technical difficulties. Here we show that the mere frequent observation of a small part of a quantum system can turn its dynamics from a very simple one into an exponentially complex one, capable of universal quantum computation. After discussing examples, we go on to show that this effect is generally to be expected: almost any quantum dynamics becomes universal once 'observed' as outlined above. Conversely, we show that any complex quantum dynamics can be 'purified' into a simpler one in larger dimensions. We conclude by demonstrating that even local noise can lead to an exponentially complex dynamics.

  7. Understanding Project Based Production through Socio-technical Modularity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thuesen, Christian Langhoff

    This paper develops an approach for understanding Project Based Production. This form of production is characterized by unique deliverables, high complexity, high value, high risk, profound uncertainty and many stakeholders and is increasingly important the postmodern society. Common to the pract......This paper develops an approach for understanding Project Based Production. This form of production is characterized by unique deliverables, high complexity, high value, high risk, profound uncertainty and many stakeholders and is increasingly important the postmodern society. Common...... to the practices of PBP and other production practices is the goal of balancing the dilemma between creativity and productivity. In response to industrialized production, the concept of modularity gained popularity for addressing this dilemma by exploring product, process and organization structures. However...... with the starting point in system theory and a strong bias towards industrial production, the predominant understanding of modularity faces difficulty in explaining practices of Project Based Production in both social – technical and dynamic – stable aspects. Illustrated by a case the paper addresses this gap...

  8. RNA-seq: technical variability and sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background RNA-seq is revolutionizing the way we study transcriptomes. mRNA can be surveyed without prior knowledge of gene transcripts. Alternative splicing of transcript isoforms and the identification of previously unknown exons are being reported. Initial reports of differences in exon usage, and splicing between samples as well as quantitative differences among samples are beginning to surface. Biological variation has been reported to be larger than technical variation. In addition, technical variation has been reported to be in line with expectations due to random sampling. However, strategies for dealing with technical variation will differ depending on the magnitude. The size of technical variance, and the role of sampling are examined in this manuscript. Results In this study three independent Solexa/Illumina experiments containing technical replicates are analyzed. When coverage is low, large disagreements between technical replicates are apparent. Exon detection between technical replicates is highly variable when the coverage is less than 5 reads per nucleotide and estimates of gene expression are more likely to disagree when coverage is low. Although large disagreements in the estimates of expression are observed at all levels of coverage. Conclusions Technical variability is too high to ignore. Technical variability results in inconsistent detection of exons at low levels of coverage. Further, the estimate of the relative abundance of a transcript can substantially disagree, even when coverage levels are high. This may be due to the low sampling fraction and if so, it will persist as an issue needing to be addressed in experimental design even as the next wave of technology produces larger numbers of reads. We provide practical recommendations for dealing with the technical variability, without dramatic cost increases. PMID:21645359

  9. Decree No 82-531 of 22 June 1982 on the Higher Council for Nuclear Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-01-01

    This Decree lays down the composition of the Higher Council for Nuclear Safety which comprises representatives of parliament and of various ministries and scientific, technical, economic circles covering industry, energy, environment, defense, labour, as well as health and safety. (NEA) [fr

  10. Definition of technical risks in terms of law

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossnagel, A.

    1986-01-01

    The legal system has to acknowledge that complete absence of risk is unattainable. The core question of the law governing technological issues therefore is: How safe is safe enough. The law cannot entirely prohibit technical risks; all it can do is aiming at proper control of unavoidable risks, making a distribution between permissible and non-permissible risks, the consequence of this approach being that a permissible risk cannot be termed to be unlawful once it because a real event. It certainly is a difficult task to find legal rules and provisions that are so perfectly geared to the technical facts and problems that they really allow technology to be controlled, supervised and, if necessary, kept in check along the lines set by the law. The article in hand discusses some proposals as to the formulation of technical risks in terms of law in order to improve existing provisions in the body of law. As an example of what needs improvement, the author discusses the acceptance and acceptability of a hazardous activity, which, the author says, is not guaranteed by the procedure alone that is currently available, namely administrative procedure and licensing procedure. The administrative procedures are said to be insufficient and not complex enough to gather all necessary and relevant information for solving the problems involved. The proposal in the article therefore is to put the question 'How safe is safe enough' to the inhabitants of the region concerned, so that the acceptance of a hazardous activity would depend on a licence issued by the competent authority, and on the approval of the population affected, as certained by a non-compulsory administrative referendum. (orig./HSCH) [de

  11. Supplemental design requirements document solid waste operations complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ocampo, V.P.; Boothe, G.F.; Broz, D.R.; Eaton, H.E.; Greager, T.M.; Huckfeldt, R.A.; Kooiker, S.L.; Lamberd, D.L.; Lang, L.L.; Myers, J.B.

    1994-11-01

    This document provides additional and supplemental information to the WHC-SD-W112-FDC-001, WHC-SD-W113-FDC-001, and WHC-SD-W100-FDC-001. It provides additional requirements for the design and summarizes Westinghouse Hanford Company key design guidance and establishes the technical baseline agreements to be used for definitive design common to the Solid Waste Operations Complex (SWOC) Facilities (Project W-112, Project W-113, and WRAP 2A)

  12. Datamart use for complex data retrieval in an ArcIMS application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scherma, S. (Steven); Bolivar, Stephen L.

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes the use of datamarts and data warehousing concepts to expedite retrieval and display of complex attribute data from multi-million record databases. Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed an Internet application (SMART) using ArcIMS that relies on datamarts to quickly retrieve attribute data, associated with, but not contained within GIS layers. The volume of data and the complex relationships within the transactional database made data display within ArcIMS impractical without the use of datamarts. The technical issues and solutions involved in the development are discussed.

  13. Organometallic neptunium(III) complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutkiewicz, Michał S; Farnaby, Joy H; Apostolidis, Christos; Colineau, Eric; Walter, Olaf; Magnani, Nicola; Gardiner, Michael G; Love, Jason B; Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas; Caciuffo, Roberto; Arnold, Polly L

    2016-08-01

    Studies of transuranic organometallic complexes provide a particularly valuable insight into covalent contributions to the metal-ligand bonding, in which the subtle differences between the transuranium actinide ions and their lighter lanthanide counterparts are of fundamental importance for the effective remediation of nuclear waste. Unlike the organometallic chemistry of uranium, which has focused strongly on U(III) and has seen some spectacular advances, that of the transuranics is significantly technically more challenging and has remained dormant. In the case of neptunium, it is limited mainly to Np(IV). Here we report the synthesis of three new Np(III) organometallic compounds and the characterization of their molecular and electronic structures. These studies suggest that Np(III) complexes could act as single-molecule magnets, and that the lower oxidation state of Np(II) is chemically accessible. In comparison with lanthanide analogues, significant d- and f-electron contributions to key Np(III) orbitals are observed, which shows that fundamental neptunium organometallic chemistry can provide new insights into the behaviour of f-elements.

  14. Organometallic neptunium(III) complexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutkiewicz, Michał S.; Farnaby, Joy H.; Apostolidis, Christos; Colineau, Eric; Walter, Olaf; Magnani, Nicola; Gardiner, Michael G.; Love, Jason B.; Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas; Caciuffo, Roberto; Arnold, Polly L.

    2016-08-01

    Studies of transuranic organometallic complexes provide a particularly valuable insight into covalent contributions to the metal-ligand bonding, in which the subtle differences between the transuranium actinide ions and their lighter lanthanide counterparts are of fundamental importance for the effective remediation of nuclear waste. Unlike the organometallic chemistry of uranium, which has focused strongly on UIII and has seen some spectacular advances, that of the transuranics is significantly technically more challenging and has remained dormant. In the case of neptunium, it is limited mainly to NpIV. Here we report the synthesis of three new NpIII organometallic compounds and the characterization of their molecular and electronic structures. These studies suggest that NpIII complexes could act as single-molecule magnets, and that the lower oxidation state of NpII is chemically accessible. In comparison with lanthanide analogues, significant d- and f-electron contributions to key NpIII orbitals are observed, which shows that fundamental neptunium organometallic chemistry can provide new insights into the behaviour of f-elements.

  15. Who recognises technical standards in TTIP?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Purnhagen, K.

    2018-01-01

    Current political discussions on the relationship of technical standards to the Transatlantic, Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) concern the question whether TTIP can provide a transatlantic level playing field for technical standards, and whether this will negatively affect technical

  16. Ninth International Conference on Dependability and Complex Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Mazurkiewicz, Jacek; Sugier, Jarosław; Walkowiak, Tomasz; Kacprzyk, Janusz

    2014-01-01

    DepCoS – RELCOMEX is an annual series of conferences organized by Wrocław University of Technology to promote a comprehensive approach to evaluation of system performability which is now commonly called dependability. In contrast to classic analyses which were concentrated on reliability of technical resources and structures built from them, dependability is based on multi-disciplinary approach to theory, technology, and maintenance of a system considered to be a multifaceted amalgamation of technical, information, organization, software and human (users, administrators, supervisors, etc.) resources. Diversity of processes being realized (data processing, system management, system monitoring, etc.), their concurrency and their reliance on in-system intelligence often severely impedes construction of strict mathematical models and calls for application of intelligent and soft computing methods. This book presents the proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Dependability and Complex Systems DepC...

  17. Pareto analysis of critical factors affecting technical institution evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor Gambhir

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available With the change of education policy in 1991, more and more technical institutions are being set up in India. Some of these institutions provide quality education, but others are merely concentrating on quantity. These stakeholders are in a state of confusion about decision to select the best institute for their higher educational studies. Although various agencies including print media provide ranking of these institutions every year, but their results are controversial and biased. In this paper, the authors have made an endeavor to find the critical factors for technical institution evaluation from literature survey. A Pareto analysis has also been performed to find the intensity of these critical factors in evaluation. This will not only help the stake holders in taking right decisions but will also help the management of institutions in benchmarking for identifying the most important critical areas to improve the existing system. This will in turn help Indian economy.

  18. Everyday value conflicts and integrative complexity of thought.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myyry, Liisa

    2002-12-01

    This study examined the value pluralism model in everyday value conflicts, and the effect of issue context on complexity of thought. According to the cognitive manager model we hypothesized that respondents would obtain a higher level of integrative complexity on personal issues that on professional and general issues. We also explored the relations of integrative complexity to value priorities, measured by the Schwartz Value Survey, and to emotional empathy. The value pluralism model was not supported by the data collected from 126 university students from social science, business and technology. The cognitive manager model was partially confirmed by data from females but not from males. Concerning value priorities, more complex respondents had higher regard for self-transcendence values, and less complex respondents for self-enhancement values Emotional empathy was also significantly related to complexity score.

  19. Final Scientific/Technical Report for award DE-FC--07-00AL67053

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dixon, Cathy

    2005-01-01

    The project ''Creating an Educational Consortium to Support the Recruitment and Retention of Expertise for the Nuclear Weapons Complex'' was also known as the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) University Fellowship Program. Since its inception, the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative program and its predecessor, the Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) program, have engaged university researchers and students in the sciences necessary to answer technical questions related to reducing high-level waste volumes, optimizing the economics and performance of Yucca Mountain, reducing the technical need for a second repository, reducing the long-term inventories of plutonium in spent fuel, and enabling the proliferation-resistant recovery of the energy contained in spent fuel. The Advanced Fuel Cycle University Fellowship Program is intended to support top students across the nation in a variety of disciplines that will be required to support transmutation research and technology development in the coming decades

  20. The higher level of complexity of K-Ras4B activation at the membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Hyunbum; Banerjee, Avik; Chavan, Tanmay S.; Lu, Shaoyong; Zhang, Jian; Gaponenko, Vadim; Nussinov, Ruth

    2016-01-01

    Is nucleotide exchange sufficient to activate K-Ras4B? To signal, oncogenic rat sarcoma (Ras) anchors in the membrane and recruits effectors by exposing its effector lobe. With the use of NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we observed that in solution, farnesylated guanosine 5′-diphosphate (GDP)-bound K-Ras4B is predominantly autoinhibited by its hypervariable region (HVR), whereas the GTP-bound state favors an activated, HVR-released state. On the anionic membrane, the catalytic domain adopts multiple orientations, including parallel (∼180°) and perpendicular (∼90°) alignments of the allosteric helices, with respect to the membrane surface direction. In the autoinhibited state, the HVR is sandwiched between the effector lobe and the membrane; in the active state, with membrane-anchored farnesyl and unrestrained HVR, the catalytic domain fluctuates reinlessly, exposing its effector-binding site. Dimerization and clustering can reduce the fluctuations. This achieves preorganized, productive conformations. Notably, we also observe HVR-autoinhibited K-Ras4B-GTP states, with GDP-bound-like orientations of the helices. Thus, we propose that the GDP/GTP exchange may not be sufficient for activation; instead, our results suggest that the GDP/GTP exchange, HVR sequestration, farnesyl insertion, and orientation/localization of the catalytic domain at the membrane conjointly determine the active or inactive state of K-Ras4B. Importantly, K-Ras4B-GTP can exist in active and inactive states; on its own, GTP binding may not compel K-Ras4B activation.—Jang, H., Banerjee, A., Chavan, T. S, Lu, S., Zhang, J., Gaponenko, V., Nussinov, R. The higher level of complexity of K-Ras4B activation at the membrane. PMID:26718888