Check Verbraucherpolitik und Verbraucherbeteiligung

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hagen, Kornelia; Micklitz, Hans-W.; Oehler, Andreas

2013-01-01

The paper discusses the opportunities for an empirically grounded decision support system as an instrument for independent and scientifically based consumer policy consulting. To date, consumer policy is dominated by the information paradigm and the leitbild of the rational, sovereign...... and information-seeking consumer. Yet, both everyday practice and research in behavioural economics show that this view lacks empirical ground. In fact, there are different consumer types and different forms of rationalities at work. Effective consumer policy making should be based on the empirically revealed...... an empirically based “Check Consumer Policy and Consumer Participation” as a systematic decision and evaluation tool for policy makers. This check should be independent from the government and should be grounded on an empirical view of the consumer. Consumer policy tools should be tested with real consumers...

Improvement of seawater booster pump outlet check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xuning; Du Yansong; Huang Huimin

2010-01-01

Conventional island seawater booster pump set of QNPC 310 MWe unit are very important in the whole circulating cooling system, and the integrate function of seawater booster pump outlet check valve is the foundation of steady operation of the seawater booster pump set. The article mainly introduce that through the analyses to the reason to the problem that the seawater booster pump outlet check valve of QNPC 310 MWe unit appeared in past years by our team, and considering the influence of operation condition and circumstance, the team improve the seawater booster pump outlet check valve from swing check valve to shuttle check valve which operate more appropriately in the system. By the test of continuous practice, we make further modification to the inner structure of shuttle check valve contrapuntally, and therefore we solve the problem in seawater booster pump outlet check valve fundamentally which has troubled the security of system operation in past years, so we realize the aim of technical improvement and ensure that the system operate in safety and stability. (authors)

Reliability of published data on radionuclide half lives - relevance to the use of reference sources for checking instrument performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waldock, P.M.

1999-01-01

Long-lived calibrated radioisotopes are frequently used for checking of instrumentation used in the measurement of radiation; examples include: radioisotope assay meters, radiation monitors and sample counting equipment. In 1986 we purchased a radioisotope calibrator (Capintec CRC120) which was supplied with a number of long-lived check sources by the manufacturer, one of which was barium-133. The source came with its own calibration certificate and a quoted half life of 10.74 years ± 0.05 years, traceable to the National Bureau of Standards in the USA, and is consistent with data published by the National Nuclear Data Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1985 (Tuli 1985). However, we noted at the time that this is significantly different to the value of 7.2 years quoted in the Radiochemical Manual (Wilson 1966) published by the Radiochemical Centre, Amersham (now Nycomed-Amersham), and more recently we have noted that it is significantly different to the value of 10.53 years currently quoted on various Internet sites including the University of Sheffield Chemistry Department (Winter 1999). Further investigation showed similar or worse variations of published half lives with time for several radioisotopes. Letter-to-the-editor

The N2N instrument to evaluate healthy work environments: an Italian validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Palese, Alvisa; Dante, Angelo; Tonzar, Laura; Balboni, Bernardo

2014-02-01

The aims of the study were to (a) validate N2N Healthy Work Environment tool, (b) assess the healthiness of work environments as perceived by nurses themselves and (c) identify the factors associated with Italian nurses' perception of work environment healthiness. The linguistic and cultural adaptation of USA-N2N Healthy Work Environments was achieved through a process of forward/backward translation. Content validity was assessed by three expert nurses. The stability of the instrument was checked with a test/retest evaluation. The instrument psychometric properties, the confirmatory factor analysis as well the healthiness of the work environment and its determinant factors were evaluated with a sample of 294 nurses. The content and face validity of the N2N Healthy Work Environment instrument was confirmed. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency (α of 0.82), excellent stability values (ρ > 0.70) and high levels of acceptability (response rate: 96.4 %). The confirmatory factor analysis has corroborated the existence of two factors as documented in the original instrument (Mays et al. in J Nurs Manag 19:18-26, 2011). Eighty-seven (29.6 %) nurses perceived the work environment where they work as "healthy". Working under a functional model of care delivery (χ(2) 24.856, p 0.000) and being responsible for one project or more (χ(2) 5.256, p 0.021) were associated with healthy environments. The instrument--valid and reliable, short in the number of items, easy to understand and based on international standards--allows a systematic assessment of the healthiness of the environment and might provide not only the opportunity to evaluate the effects of new organizational models and interventions, but also the possibility to activate a process of self-analysis and a process of ongoing review. The instrument can be used to systematically check the healthiness of Italian working environments, allowing for organizational diagnosis, targeted interventions and

Measurement control program for NDA instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsue, S.T.; Marks, T.

1983-01-01

Measurement control checks for nondestructive assay instruments have been a constant and continuing concern at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This paper summarizes the evolution of the measurement control checks in the various high-resolution gamma systems we have developed. In-plant experiences with these systems and checks will be discussed. Based on these experiences, a set of measurement control checks is recommended for high-resolution gamma-ray systems

CAPD Software Development for Automatic Piping System Design: Checking Piping Pocket, Checking Valve Level and Flexibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ari Satmoko; Edi Karyanta; Dedy Haryanto; Abdul Hafid; Sudarno; Kussigit Santosa; Pinitoyo, A.; Demon Handoyo

2003-01-01

One of several steps in industrial plant construction is preparing piping layout drawing. In this drawing, pipe and all other pieces such as instrumentation, equipment, structure should be modeled A software called CAPD was developed to replace and to behave as piping drafter or designer. CAPD was successfully developed by adding both subprogram CHKUPIPE and CHKMANV. The first subprogram can check and gives warning if there is piping pocket in the piping system. The second can identify valve position and then check whether valve can be handled by operator hand The main program CAPD was also successfully modified in order to be capable in limiting the maximum length of straight pipe. By limiting the length, piping flexibility can be increased. (author)

Calibration of radiation monitoring instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1973-01-01

Radiation protection is dependent on good radiation monitoring, and properly calibrated instruments are essential for this work. Simple procedures for periodically checking and recalibrating different kinds of radiation monitoring instruments are shown in this training film

Calibration of radiation monitoring instruments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1974-12-31

Radiation protection is dependent on good radiation monitoring, and properly calibrated instruments are essential for this work. Simple procedures for periodically checking and recalibrating different kinds of radiation monitoring instruments are shown in this training film

Calibration of "Babyline" RP instruments

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

  If you have old RP instrumentation of the “Babyline” type, as shown in the photo, please contact the Radiation Protection Group (Joffrey Germa, 73171) to have the instrument checked and calibrated. Thank you. Radiation Protection Group

The Canadian experience in performing accuracy checks on administered doses of radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santry, Dallas

1998-01-01

A calibration service was introduced in 1986 to assist the Canadian nuclear medicine community in determining more accurately the amount of radioactive material administered to patients for either diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. This aspect of a quality assurance program in nuclear medicine provides an accuracy check on instruments and the technologists using them. The calibration report issued constitutes direct traceability of a facility to a national standards laboratory. Nuclides most frequently calibrated are 99m Tc and 131 I. Others include 67 Ga, 111 In, 123 I, 125 I and 201 Tl. All samples received are analysed for radionuclidic impurities by high-resolution X-ray and gamma-ray spectrometry. Ten years of testing has shown that, except for a few conscientious departments, accuracy checks on radionuclide (dose) calibrators are not a high priority. There are 285 nuclear medicine facilities in Canada and, since there is no legal requirement that the calibrators be checked for accuracy, only 29 have had their instruments checked using this service. Of these, 14 perform annual accuracy checks with NRCC. In this paper, the results of the intercomparisons are described, and quality control problems associated with the use of radionuclide calibrators in nuclear medicine are discussed

Economical valuation of standing-stability checks on light-poles; Wirtschaftliche Bewertung der Standsicherheitspruefung an Lichtmasten. Pruefungen wirtschaftlicher als Mastaustausch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bathe, J.; Feige, S. [Hochschule (FH), Zittau/Goerlitz (Germany); Tempel, S. [Stadtwerke Zittau GmbH, Zittau (Germany)

2002-03-25

In order to minimise the possible liability due to negligence, it is necessary for companies that operate road-lights to care for their safety as well. One point of consideration therefore is testing for instability which, due to corrosion, increases specifically with age. This duty can be fulfilled, either by exchanging the poles regularly, or by checking their standing-stability and exchanging only those necessary. In the following article, the question is discussed under which circumstances standing stability tests are more economical than simply exchanging poles regularly. (orig.) [German] Betreiber von Strassenbeleuchtungen muessen fuer die Sicherheit der Anlagen sorgen, um eine Haftung wegen Fahrlaessigkeit auszuschliessen. Ein Aspekt dabei ist die Standsicherheit der Lichtmasten. Dieser Pflicht kann entweder durch einen regelmaessigen Austausch oder durch eine Standsicherheitspruefung aelterer Masten mit bedarfsgerechtem Austausch nicht mehr normgerechter Masten Rechnung getragen werden. Die Verfasser diskutieren, unter welchen Bedingungen Standsicherheitspruefungen wirtschaftlich vorteilhafter als ein regelmaessiger Mastaustausch sind. (orig.)

Energy Audit Checks - A socioeconomic assessment; Energikartlaeggningscheckar - En samhaellsekonomisk utvaerdering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-09-01

This review is part of the Swedish Energy Agency's work with skills and methodology development on economic analyzes. The present socioeconomic analysis is the first of its kind to evaluate the current support for energy audit checks and is based on the instrument's purpose, goals and obstacles. Cost effectiveness is the main focus, as well as a description of the instrument's benefits and costs. The evaluation also aims to further develop the instrument in conjunction with the implementation of energy efficiency directive. Proposals for new instruments have however not been part of the mission.

Perencanaan Check Dam Sungai Glugu Kabupaten Grobogan, Jawa Tengah

OpenAIRE

Kusuma, Abhibawa Tegar; Wijayanti, Deny; Atmojo, Pranoto Sapto; Edhisono, Sutarto

2015-01-01

Glugu River is a tributary of the Lusi River under the authority of the Central River Region Pemali - Juana, precisely located in the administrative area of the Grobogan Regency. Location of Glugu River located upstream, gave effect to the degradation of the river channel, so as to stabilize the river flow necessary to design coservation structure on Glugu River, that is check dam.The data used for design check dam are the primary data (geotechnical, geometry Glugu River, and water when the f...

An Integrated Approach of Model checking and Temporal Fault Tree for System Safety Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koh, Kwang Yong; Seong, Poong Hyun [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2009-10-15

Digitalization of instruments and control systems in nuclear power plants offers the potential to improve plant safety and reliability through features such as increased hardware reliability and stability, and improved failure detection capability. It however makes the systems and their safety analysis more complex. Originally, safety analysis was applied to hardware system components and formal methods mainly to software. For software-controlled or digitalized systems, it is necessary to integrate both. Fault tree analysis (FTA) which has been one of the most widely used safety analysis technique in nuclear industry suffers from several drawbacks as described in. In this work, to resolve the problems, FTA and model checking are integrated to provide formal, automated and qualitative assistance to informal and/or quantitative safety analysis. Our approach proposes to build a formal model of the system together with fault trees. We introduce several temporal gates based on timed computational tree logic (TCTL) to capture absolute time behaviors of the system and to give concrete semantics to fault tree gates to reduce errors during the analysis, and use model checking technique to automate the reasoning process of FTA.

40 CFR 90.325 - Analyzer interference checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... broadening the absorption band of the measured gas, and in CLD instruments by the interfering gas quenching... quench check. The two gases of concern for CLD (and HCLD) analyzers are CO2 and water vapor. Quench... the CO2 NDIR and CLD (or HCLD). Record the CO2 and NO values as “b” and “c” respectively. (iii) Shut...

42 CFR 493.1254 - Standard: Maintenance and function checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...'s equipment, instruments, or test systems. The laboratory must perform and document the following... available and modified by the laboratory, or maintenance and function check protocols are not provided by the manufacturer. The laboratory must do the following: (1)(i) Establish a maintenance protocol that...

Additional considerations regarding the choice of measurement control check frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruckner, L.A.

1993-01-01

In a previous paper, factors involved in the choice of frequency of instrument measurement control checks were presented. Unfortunately, some discussions were inadvertently omitted from the paper during the process of review, editing and printing. That material is presented here

Numerical consistency check between two approaches to radiative ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

approaches for a consistency check on numerical accuracy, and find out the stabil- ... ln(MR/1 GeV) to top-quark mass scale t0(= ln(mt/1 GeV)) where t0 ≤ t ≤ tR, we ..... It is in general to tone down the solar mixing angle through further fine.

Check, check, double check: checking the autopilot causes distrust : Experimental studies on the effects of compulsive perseveration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dek, E.C.P.

2015-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent doubt. The majority of patients with OCD engage in repeated checking to reduce these feelings of uncertainty. However, numerous studies demonstrated that repetitive behavior ironically increases uncertainty: perseverative checking

A Versatile Technique to Enable Sub-milli-Kelvin Instrument Stability for Precise Radial Velocity Measurements: Tests with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder

Science.gov (United States)

Stefansson, Gudmundur; Hearty, Frederick; Robertson, Paul; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Anderson, Tyler; Levi, Eric; Bender, Chad; Nelson, Matthew; Monson, Andrew; Blank, Basil; Halverson, Samuel; Henderson, Chuck; Ramsey, Lawrence; Roy, Arpita; Schwab, Christian; Terrien, Ryan

2016-12-01

Insufficient instrument thermomechanical stability is one of the many roadblocks for achieving 10 cm s-1 Doppler radial velocity precision, the precision needed to detect Earth-twins orbiting solar-type stars. Highly temperature and pressure stabilized spectrographs allow us to better calibrate out instrumental drifts, thereby helping in distinguishing instrumental noise from astrophysical stellar signals. We present the design and performance of the Environmental Control System (ECS) for the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF), a high-resolution (R = 50,000) fiber-fed near-infrared (NIR) spectrograph for the 10 {{m}} Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory. HPF will operate at 180 {{K}}, driven by the choice of an H2RG NIR detector array with a 1.7 μ {{m}} cutoff. This ECS has demonstrated 0.6 {mK} rms stability over 15 days at both 180 and 300 {{K}}, and maintained high-quality vacuum (\\lt {10}-7 {Torr}) over months, during long-term stability tests conducted without a planned passive thermal enclosure surrounding the vacuum chamber. This control scheme is versatile and can be applied as a blueprint to stabilize future NIR and optical high-precision Doppler instruments over a wide temperature range from ˜77 {{K}} to elevated room temperatures. A similar ECS is being implemented to stabilize NEID, the NASA/NSF NN-EXPLORE spectrograph for the 3.5 {{m}} WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak, operating at 300 {{K}}. A [full SolidWorks 3D-CAD model] and a comprehensive parts list of the HPF ECS are included with this manuscript to facilitate the adaptation of this versatile environmental control scheme in the broader astronomical community. Certain commercial equipment, instruments, or materials are identified in this paper in order to specify the experimental procedure adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the materials or equipment

Construct Validity evidence for the Intercultural Readiness Check against the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Zee, KI; Brinkmann, U

The psychometric qualities of the intercultural readiness check (IRC) were evaluated against an existing instrument for multicultural effectiveness: the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). The IRC has scales for intercultural sensitivity, intercultural communication, intercultural

Construct validity evidence for the intercultural readiness check against the multicultural personality questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Zee, K.I.; Brinkmann, Ursula

The psychometric qualities of the intercultural readiness check (IRC) were evaluated against an existing instrument for multicultural effectiveness: the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). The IRC has scales for intercultural sensitivity, intercultural communication, intercultural

Discussion on the installation checking method of precast composite floor slab with lattice girders

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li; Jin, Xing; Wang, Yahui; Zhou, Hele; Gu, Jianing

2018-03-01

Based on the installation checking requirements of China’s current standards and the international norms for prefabricated structural precast components, it proposed an installation checking method for precast composite floor slab with lattice girders. By taking an equivalent composite beam consisted of a single lattice girder and the precast concrete slab as the checking object, compression instability stress of upper chords and yield stress of slab distribution reinforcement at the maximum positive moment, tensile yield stress of upper chords, slab normal section normal compression stress and shear instability stress of diagonal bars at the maximum negative moment were checked. And the bending stress and deflection of support beams, strength and compression stability bearing capacity of the vertical support, shear bearing capacity of the bolt and compression bearing capacity of steel tube wall at the bolt were checked at the same time. Every different checking object was given a specific load value and load combination. Application of installation checking method was given and testified by example.

The Effects of Check-In, Check-Up, Check-Out for Students with Moderate Intellectual Disability during On- and Off-Site Vocational Training

Science.gov (United States)

Boden, Lauren J.; Jolivette, Kristine; Alberto, Paul A.

2018-01-01

Check-in/check-out is a secondary-tier intervention within the positive behavior interventions and supports framework. Check-in/check-out pairs the use of an adult mentor with a daily progress report to help students meet individualized behavioral goals. This study adds to the research base by examining the effects of check-in, check-up, check-out…

Regular health checks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grønhøj Larsen, Christian; Jørgensen, Karsten Juhl; Gøtzsche, Peter C

2012-01-01

To investigate whether Danish providers of general health checks present a balanced account of possible benefits and harms on their websites and whether the health checks are evidence-based.......To investigate whether Danish providers of general health checks present a balanced account of possible benefits and harms on their websites and whether the health checks are evidence-based....

Stability Tests of Positive Fractional Continuous-time Linear Systems with Delays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tadeusz Kaczorek

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Necessary and sufficient conditions for the asymptotic stability of positive fractional continuous-time linear systems with many delays are established. It is shown that: 1 the asymptotic stability of the positive fractional system is independent of their delays, 2 the checking of the asymptotic stability of the positive fractional systems with delays can be reduced to checking of the asymptotic stability of positive standard linear systems without delays.

Perencanaan Check Damsungai Lebugini Kabupatenkudus, Jawa Tengah

OpenAIRE

Amirullah, Fikri; Nalendro, Raditya; Wahyuni, Sri Eko; Salamun, Salamun

2014-01-01

Lebugini River is the branch of Juanariverswhich is under the authority of the Central River Region Pemali - Juana, precisely located in the administrative area of the Kudus District. The location, which is on the upstream,causes degradation of the river channel, thus, to stabilize the river channel, the local Goverment should have a plan to build the conservation building. The dataused for the planning of check dam areprimary data (geotechnical data, the geometry of Lebugini river, and also ...

Checking Java Programs

CERN Document Server

Darwin, Ian

2007-01-01

This Short Cut tells you about tools that will improve the quality of your Java code, using checking above and beyond what the standard tools do, including: Using javac options, JUnit and assertions Making your IDE work harder Checking your source code with PMD Checking your compiled code (.class files) with FindBugs Checking your program's run-time behavior with Java PathFinder

Designing stability tests of nuclear instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viererbl, L.; Novakova, O.

1981-01-01

The stability tests used are described including the test of the peak maximum position differential measurement, the test of the pulse rate measurement using integral evaluation, the quality test, the chi 2 test, the 3σ test. The test of measuring pulse rate by integral evaluation was found to be the most accurate. Its modifications and generalization gave the proposed stability tests, viz., the A test and the B test. Examples are described of stability tests for a spectrometric system, the NRG 302 dose rate converter, a proportional counter. (H.S.)

Independent checks of linear accelerators equipped with multileaf collimators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlikova, I.; Ekendahl, D.; Horakova, I.

2005-01-01

National Radiation Protection Institute (NRPI) provides independent checks of therapeutic equipment as a part of state supervision. In the end of 2003, the audit was broaden for linear accelerators equipped with multileaf collimators (MLC). NRPI provides TLD postal audits and on-site independent checks. This contribution describes tests for multileaf collimators and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique that are accomplished within the independent on-site check of linear accelerators. The character and type of tests that are necessary to pursue for multileaf collimator depends on application technique. There are three basic application of the MLC. The first we call 'static MLC' and it serves for replacing conventional blocking or for adjusting the field shape to match the beam's-eye view projection of a planning target volume during an arc rotation of the x-ray beam. This procedure is called conformal radiotherapy. The most advanced technique with MLC is intensity modulated radiation therapy. The dose can be delivered to the patient with IMRT in various different ways: dynamic MLC, segmented MLC and IMRT arc therapy. Independent audits represent an important instrument of quality assurance. Methodology for independent check of static MLC was successfully verified on two types of accelerators: Varian and Elekta. Results from pilot measurements with dynamic MLC imply that the methodology is applicable for Varian accelerators. In the future, the experience with other types of linear accelerators will contribute to renovation, modification, and broaden independent checks methodology. (authors)

A novel cognitive intervention for compulsive checking: Targeting maladaptive beliefs about memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcolado, Gillian M; Radomsky, Adam S

2016-12-01

Compulsive checking is one of the most common symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Recently it has been proposed that those who check compulsively may believe their memory is poor, rather than having an actual memory impairment. The current study sought to develop and assess a brief cognitive intervention focused on improving maladaptive beliefs about memory, as they pertain to both checking symptoms and memory performance. Participants (N = 24) with a diagnosis of OCD and clinical levels of checking symptomatology were randomly assigned either to receive two weekly 1-hour therapy sessions or to self-monitor during a similar waitlist period. Time spent checking, checking symptoms, maladaptive beliefs about memory, and visuospatial memory were assessed both pre- and post-treatment/waitlist. Results showed that compared to the waitlist condition, individuals in the treatment condition displayed significant decreases in their maladaptive beliefs about memory and checking symptoms from pre- to post-intervention. They also exhibited increased recall performance on a measure of visuospatial memory. Changes in beliefs about memory were predictors of reduced post-intervention checking, but were not predictive of increased post-intervention memory scores. The lack of long term follow-up data and use of a waitlist control leave questions about the stability and specificity of the intervention. Findings provide preliminary evidence that strategies targeting beliefs about memory may be worthy of inclusion in cognitive-behavioural approaches to treating compulsive checking. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of an instrument for fast monitoring of radiotherapy equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoury, H.J.; Almeida Melo, F. de; Patriota, J.H.; Oliveira Lira, C.B. de

1990-01-01

Radiation therapy machines need a constant monitoring to assure tumoral dose accuracy. Special attention must be given to linear accelerators which should be checked frequently. By this reason, an instrument was developed at the Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory DEN/UFPE to measure the output energy and beam symmetry. This instrument use three silicon photodiodes as radiation detectors. Two of then were localized at 5cm and 10cm depht at the central axis and one at 5 cm from the center, at the lateral irradiated field. Changes in the photon spectrum are detected by the ratio of upper to lower photodiode response. The radiation field uniformity is checked by the lateral photodiode. (author) [pt

Interfacing to accelerator instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shea, T.J.

1995-01-01

As the sensory system for an accelerator, the beam instrumentation provides a tremendous amount of diagnostic information. Access to this information can vary from periodic spot checks by operators to high bandwidth data acquisition during studies. In this paper, example applications will illustrate the requirements on interfaces between the control system and the instrumentation hardware. A survey of the major accelerator facilities will identify the most popular interface standards. The impact of developments such as isochronous protocols and embedded digital signal processing will also be discussed

Space shuttle prototype check valve development

Science.gov (United States)

Tellier, G. F.

1976-01-01

Contaminant-resistant seal designs and a dynamically stable prototype check valve for the orbital maneuvering and reaction control helium pressurization systems of the space shuttle were developed. Polymer and carbide seal models were designed and tested. Perfluoroelastomers compatible with N2O4 and N2H4 types were evaluated and compared with Teflon in flat and captive seal models. Low load sealing and contamination resistance tests demonstrated cutter seal superiority over polymer seals. Ceramic and carbide materials were evaluated for N2O4 service using exposure to RFNA as a worst case screen; chemically vapor deposited tungsten carbide was shown to be impervious to the acid after 6 months immersion. A unique carbide shell poppet/cutter seat check valve was designed and tested to demonstrate low cracking pressure ( 2.0 psid), dynamic stability under all test bench flow conditions, contamination resistance (0.001 inch CRES wires cut with 1.5 pound seat load) and long life of 100,000 cycles (leakage 1.0 scc/hr helium from 0.1 to 400 psig).

14 CFR 121.411 - Qualifications: Check airmen (airplane) and check airmen (simulator).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Qualifications: Check airmen (airplane) and... § 121.411 Qualifications: Check airmen (airplane) and check airmen (simulator). (a) For the purposes of this section and § 121.413: (1) A check airman (airplane) is a person who is qualified, and permitted...

Survey and analysis of radiation safety management systems at medical institutions. Second report. Radiation measurement, calibration of radiation survey meters, and periodic check of installations, equipment, and protection instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohba, Hisateru; Ogasawara, Katsuhiko; Aburano, Tamio

2006-01-01

We carried out a questionnaire survey to determine the actual situation of radiation safety management measures in all medical institutions in Japan that had nuclear medicine facilities. The questionnaire consisted of questions concerning the evaluation of shielding capacity; radiation measurement; periodic checks of installations, equipment, and protection instruments; and the calibration of radiation survey meters. The analysis was undertaken according to region, type of establishment, and number of beds. The overall response rate was 60 percent. For the evaluation of shielding capacity, the outsourcing rate was 53 percent of the total. For the radiation measurements of ''leakage radiation dose and radioactive contamination'' and contamination of radioactive substances in the air'', the outsourcing rates were 28 percent and 35 percent of the total, respectively (p<0.001, according to region and establishment). For the periodic check of radiation protection instruments, the implementation rate was 98 percent, and the outsourcing rate was 32 percent for radiation survey meters and 47 percent for lead aprons. The non-implemented rate for calibration of radiation survey meters was 25 percent of the total (p<0.001, according to region and establishment). The outsourcing rate for calibration of radiation survey meters accounted for 87 percent of the total, and of these medical institutions, 72 percent undertook annual calibration. The implementation rate for patient exposure measurement was 20 percent of the total (p<0.001, according to number of beds), and of these medical institutions 46 percent recorded measurement outcome. (author)

Development of emotional stability scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Chaturvedi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Emotional stability remains the central theme in personality studies. The concept of stable emotional behavior at any level is that which reflects the fruits of normal emotional development. The study aims at development of an emotional stability scale. Materials and Methods: Based on available literature the components of emotional stability were identified and 250 items were developed, covering each component. Two-stage elimination of items was carried out, i.e. through judges′ opinions and item analysis. Results: Fifty items with highest ′t′ values covering 5 dimensions of emotional stability viz pessimism vs. optimism, anxiety vs. calm, aggression vs. tolerance., dependence vs. autonomy., apathy vs. empathy were retained in the final scale. Reliability as checked by Cronbach′s alpha was .81 and by split half method it was .79. Content validity and construct validity were checked. Norms are given in the form of cumulative percentages. Conclusion: Based on the psychometric principles a 50 item, self-administered 5 point Lickert type rating scale was developed for measurement of emotional stability.

System for automatic checking of nuclear radiation detectors of sparkle type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutierrez O, E.; Vilchis P, A.; Romero G, M.; Torres B, M.A.; Garcia H, J.M.

2001-01-01

In this work an automatic system of checking of nuclear detectors of sparkle type is described. This system is used in laboratory for the checking of the parameters which define the reliable operation of each detector, also it compares the obtained results with those proportionated by the manufacturer for the operator can emit the acceptance or rejection criteria. The checking system consists of an acquisition data card with a digital signal processor (DSP) as central device, a programmable high voltage source and an insertion and conversion module. These components interact with a personal computer to provide to the operator the energy spectra, the nuclear pulse form and the merit figure. The obtained results are showed in graphic form and/or numerical values and it is possible store them in a data file and/or in printed form. For facilitating the interaction of the computer with the user, the system software was realized with a commercial language of graphic programming (virtual instrumentation). (Author)

Check valve

Science.gov (United States)

Upton, H.A.; Garcia, P.

1999-08-24

A check valve for use in a GDCS of a nuclear reactor and having a motor driven disk including a rotatable armature for rotating the check valve disk over its entire range of motion is described. In one embodiment, the check valve includes a valve body having a coolant flow channel extending therethrough. The coolant flow channel includes an inlet end and an outlet end. A valve body seat is located on an inner surface of the valve body. The check valve further includes a disk assembly, sometimes referred to as the motor driven disc, having a counterweight and a disk shaped valve. The disk valve includes a disk base having a seat for seating with the valve body seat. The disk assembly further includes a first hinge pin member which extends at least partially through the disk assembly and is engaged to the disk. The disk valve is rotatable relative to the first hinge pin member. The check valve also includes a motor having a stator frame with a stator bore therein. An armature is rotatably positioned within the stator bore and the armature is coupled to the disk valve to cause the disk valve to rotate about its full range of motion. 5 figs.

Check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upton, H.A.; Garcia, P.

1999-01-01

A check valve for use in a GDCS of a nuclear reactor and having a motor driven disk including a rotatable armature for rotating the check valve disk over its entire range of motion is described. In one embodiment, the check valve includes a valve body having a coolant flow channel extending therethrough. The coolant flow channel includes an inlet end and an outlet end. A valve body seat is located on an inner surface of the valve body. The check valve further includes a disk assembly, sometimes referred to as the motor driven disc, having a counterweight and a disk shaped valve. The disk valve includes a disk base having a seat for seating with the valve body seat. The disk assembly further includes a first hinge pin member which extends at least partially through the disk assembly and is engaged to the disk. The disk valve is rotatable relative to the first hinge pin member. The check valve also includes a motor having a stator frame with a stator bore therein. An armature is rotatably positioned within the stator bore and the armature is coupled to the disk valve to cause the disk valve to rotate about its full range of motion. 5 figs

14 CFR 91.1089 - Qualifications: Check pilots (aircraft) and check pilots (simulator).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Qualifications: Check pilots (aircraft) and check pilots (simulator). 91.1089 Section 91.1089 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... RULES Fractional Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1089 Qualifications: Check pilots...

WE-E-BRB-10: DosCheck - an Electronic Chart Checking Tool for Dosimetrists.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, D; Wu, Y; Yaddanapudi, S; Moore, K; Pierbuxg, B; Brame, S; Mutic, S

2012-06-01

In addition to treatment planning, dosimetrists have to prepare documentation and manually enter data in treatment management system (TMS) which did not transfer or setup automatically. The required documents and data are dependent on the disease site, treatment machine and clinical workflow. Errors and inconsistencies can cause redundant work, treatment delays and potentially treatment errors. To address these issues, an electronic checking software tool, DosCheck was clinically implemented to check the existence of necessary documentations and the integrity of manually-entered data. The purpose of this software is to reduce the frequency of human errors and to improve efficiency. DosCheck reads data and documents from 1) TMS, 2) Pinnacle TPS, and 3) DICOM plan files stored in a DICOM-RT PACS. It processes documents in Word and PDF format, treatment plan data in Pinnacle native format and DICOM format, and Mosaiq data in database records. The software cross-checks data accuracy and consistency by following rules that are pre-defined according to the clinical requirements and treatment sties. It interacts with dosimetrists and presents instantaneous results via graphical user interface. DosCheck has been implemented in C#. It performs a full check for a patient with 20 seconds. It has been clinically commissioned and is used daily by all dosimetrists at our institution. Retrospective analysis shows that DosCheck identifies 30% to 40% of previously reported dosimetrist human errors. Additional ∼30% errors are checked by other tools that could be integrated DosCheck in the near future. As an electronic data checking tool, DosCheck can obtain and process data and documents from multiple clinical computer systems in the radiation oncology department, and perform checks according to clinical rules. It is able to improve the accuracy and efficiency of clinical data and document process, and therefore to reduce any potential inconsistencies and errors. © 2012 American

Unified instrumentation for determining fissile and radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voronov, V.L.; Gorokhov, V.A.; Drozdov, V.Yu.; Morozov, O.S.; Novikov, V.M.

1999-01-01

The instrumentation is aimed to equip various facilities: nuclear facilities (including radioactive plant and nuclear material storages), border check stations at the customs, transport junctions, administrative buildings and other facilities. The monitor under design are based on the gamma-spectrometric method of radiation monitoring which consists in recording and analyzing characteristics of X-ray and gamma-sources power spectra within the range of 40-3000 keV at the background level whose value is measured and taken into account during the signal analysis. The designed universal set of instrumentation based on common technical solutions and metrological support plus its small dimensions allows to install it actually in any check point without any significant changes in the room lay-out to facilitate its maintenance [ru

Jointly-check iterative decoding algorithm for quantum sparse graph codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jun-Hu, Shao; Bao-Ming, Bai; Wei, Lin; Lin, Zhou

2010-01-01

For quantum sparse graph codes with stabilizer formalism, the unavoidable girth-four cycles in their Tanner graphs greatly degrade the iterative decoding performance with a standard belief-propagation (BP) algorithm. In this paper, we present a jointly-check iterative algorithm suitable for decoding quantum sparse graph codes efficiently. Numerical simulations show that this modified method outperforms the standard BP algorithm with an obvious performance improvement. (general)

Heart check: the development and evolution of an organizational heart health assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Golaszewski, Thomas; Fisher, Brian

2002-01-01

The purpose of this article is to document the development, testing, and application of an organizational assessment tool used to measure employer support for heart health. Additional information is presented on its future research and applications plan. This article represents the pooling of results from multiple studies using a variety of designs, including pilot tests, cross-sectional analyses, and quasi-experiments. Worksites covering the spectrum of employers across industry types and size, and throughout all of New York State. Over 10,000 New York employees and 1000 New York employers are represented in the multiple phases of this research. Heart Check is a 226-item inventory designed to measure such features in the worksite as organizational foundations, administrative supports, tobacco control, nutrition support, physical activity support, stress management, screening services, and company demographics. Additional side studies used professional judgments and behavioral surveys. As an assessment tool Heart Check shows evidence for reliability and validity. Applications of the instrument show characteristics that define high-scoring companies, quasi standards for New York employers, and, when applied during interventions, positive changes in organizational support levels. A relatively inexpensive, easy-to-use, and metrically tested instrument exists for measuring the construct of organizational support for employee heart health. The instrument shows promise as part of a system to enhance heart health through public health-based interventions in the workplace.

Array-level stability enhancement of 50 nm AlxOy ReRAM

Science.gov (United States)

Iwasaki, Tomoko Ogura; Ning, Sheyang; Yamazawa, Hiroki; Takeuchi, Ken

2015-12-01

ReRAM's low voltage and low current programmability are attractive features to solve the scaling issues of conventional floating gate Flash. However, read instability in ReRAM is a critical issue, due to random telegraph noise (RTN), sensitivity to disturb and retention. In this work, the array-level characteristics of read stability in 50 nm AlxOy ReRAM are investigated and a circuit technique to improve stability is proposed and evaluated. First, in order to quantitatively assess memory cell stability, a method of stability characterization is defined. Next, based on this methodology, a proposal to improve read stability, called ;stability check loop; is evaluated. The stability check loop is a stability verification procedure, by which, instability improvement of 7×, and read error rate improvement of 40% are obtained.

Use of a personal computer for instrumentation testing at the FFTF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, D.A.

1985-01-01

The FFTF uses computers to assist in performance of instrumentation calibration checks for Technical Specification compliance. When the computers used for these checks are not available, back-up methods must be used. A method of using a personal computer to serve as a back-up is discussed, and the hardware used is described

Model checking methodology for large systems, faults and asynchronous behaviour. SARANA 2011 work report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lahtinen, J.; Launiainen, T.; Heljanko, K.; Ropponen, J.

2012-01-01

Digital instrumentation and control (I and C) systems are challenging to verify. They enable complicated control functions, and the state spaces of the models easily become too large for comprehensive verification through traditional methods. Model checking is a formal method that can be used for system verification. A number of efficient model checking systems are available that provide analysis tools to determine automatically whether a given state machine model satisfies the desired safety properties. This report reviews the work performed in the Safety Evaluation and Reliability Analysis of Nuclear Automation (SARANA) project in 2011 regarding model checking. We have developed new, more exact modelling methods that are able to capture the behaviour of a system more realistically. In particular, we have developed more detailed fault models depicting the hardware configuration of a system, and methodology to model function-block-based systems asynchronously. In order to improve the usability of our model checking methods, we have developed an algorithm for model checking large modular systems. The algorithm can be used to verify properties of a model that could otherwise not be verified in a straightforward manner. (orig.)

Model checking methodology for large systems, faults and asynchronous behaviour. SARANA 2011 work report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lahtinen, J. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland); Launiainen, T.; Heljanko, K.; Ropponen, J. [Aalto Univ., Espoo (Finland). Dept. of Information and Computer Science

2012-07-01

Digital instrumentation and control (I and C) systems are challenging to verify. They enable complicated control functions, and the state spaces of the models easily become too large for comprehensive verification through traditional methods. Model checking is a formal method that can be used for system verification. A number of efficient model checking systems are available that provide analysis tools to determine automatically whether a given state machine model satisfies the desired safety properties. This report reviews the work performed in the Safety Evaluation and Reliability Analysis of Nuclear Automation (SARANA) project in 2011 regarding model checking. We have developed new, more exact modelling methods that are able to capture the behaviour of a system more realistically. In particular, we have developed more detailed fault models depicting the hardware configuration of a system, and methodology to model function-block-based systems asynchronously. In order to improve the usability of our model checking methods, we have developed an algorithm for model checking large modular systems. The algorithm can be used to verify properties of a model that could otherwise not be verified in a straightforward manner. (orig.)

Automatic checking of heavy element content in polymetallic ores directly in transportation containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varvaritsa, V.P.; Mamikon'yan, S.V.; Nagornyj, V.Ya.

1981-01-01

An automatic measuring instrument has been developed and used to check rapidly the content of lead in ores transported by trolley cars, dump trucks, dump cars or other open containers. The measuring technique is based on gamma backscattering and X-ray fluorescence. Influences of container movements, volumetric density changes and matrix effects on the achievable accuracy are briefly discussed

[Airport security check of medical substances used during patient repatriation].

Science.gov (United States)

Felkai, Péter

2012-09-16

During airport security check of passenger luggage, hazardous items and substances are prohibited to be taken into the restricted safety zone of the airport and the aircraft. Among equipment of the medical staff escorting the patient, there are several devices and materials which are considered hazardous for security reasons. However, medical equipment and substances are indispensable for treating patients during the flight. The aim of the author was to present his experience obtained with the use of an instrument developed for testing liquids, aerosols and gels for security reasons. An instrument based on Raman spectroscopy was used for the identification of medical substances. The results confirmed that the instrument was able to recognize the tested medical substances. The non-destructive testing maintained sample integrity and asepsis. The data indicate that the instrument has a promising utility for the identification of medical substances. It seems important that during repatriation medical substances should be selected not only on the ground of their medical necessity, but their packaging should be also taken into consideration. It is necessary to perform more tests on different medical substances used in emergency care in order to make the database of medical substances stored in the library of instrument more complete.

Robust Stability and Stabilization of Interval Uncertain Descriptor Fractional-Order Systems with the Fractional-Order α: The 1≤α<2 Case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuanhua Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Stability and stabilization of fractional-order interval system is investigated. By adding parameters to linear matrix inequalities, necessary and sufficient conditions for stability and stabilization of the system are obtained. The results on stability check for uncertain FO-LTI systems with interval coefficients of dimension n only need to solve one 4n-by-4n LMI. Numerical examples are presented to shown the effectiveness of our results.

Health physics instrumentation - a progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maushart, R.

1992-01-01

Health Physics Instruments have changed rather dramatically in the past decade. On the one hand, technological innovations like Microprocessors, data storage facilities and imaging displays have altered shape, size and appearance of the classical devices, particularly the hand-held ones. On the other hand, instruments are increasingly being considered as an integral part of Radiation Protection procedures and organizations, supporting a smooth and reliable implementation of all necessary measures. This implies ease of operation, and extensive self-checking and performance control features. Since there are different categories of users with quite different degrees of motivation and training, the measuring instruments of the future will have to be adapted to specific types of users. Instruments for 'professional' radiation protection - for example in nuclear power plants and nuclear technology - will differ from instruments used in the radionuclide laboratory, where radiation protection will necessarily have to be done as a 'side-job'. (author)

Repeated checking causes memory distrust

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Hout, M.; Kindt, M.

2003-01-01

This paper attempts to explain why in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) checkers distrust in memory persists despite extensive checking. It is argued that: (1) repeated checking increases familiarity with the issues checked; (2) increased familiarity promotes conceptual processing which inhibits

Ex Vivo Evaluation of Cementless Acetabular Cup Stability Using Impact Analyses with a Hammer Instrumented with Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tijou, Antoine; Rosi, Giuseppe; Hernigou, Philippe; Flouzat-Lachaniette, Charles-Henri; Haïat, Guillaume

2017-12-27

The acetabular cup (AC) implant stability is determinant for the success of cementless hip arthroplasty. A method based on the analysis of the impact force applied during the press-fit insertion of the AC implant using a hammer instrumented with a force sensor was developed to assess the AC implant stability. The aim of the present study was to investigate the performance of a method using a hammer equipped with strain sensors to retrieve the AC implant stability. Different AC implants were inserted in five bovine samples with different stability conditions leading to 57 configurations. The AC implant was impacted 16 times by the two hammers consecutively. For each impact; an indicator I S (respectively I F ) determined by analyzing the time variation of the signal corresponding to the averaged strain (respectively force) obtained with the stress (respectively strain) hammer was calculated. The pull-out force F was measured for each configuration. F was significantly correlated with I S (R² = 0.79) and I F (R² = 0.80). The present method has the advantage of not modifying the shape of the hammer that can be sterilized easily. This study opens new paths towards the development of a decision support system to assess the AC implant stability.

Uncertainty considerations for interferometric stability testing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ellis, J.D.; Joo, K.N.; Verlaan, A.L.; Spronck, J.W.

2008-01-01

Material stability is an important parameter for EUV lithography, space instrumentation, and metrology in general. In both EUV lithography and space, more information is needed about material stability during an atmospheric to vacuum transition. For metrology instruments in general, determining the

The Mars Science Laboratory Organic Check Material

Science.gov (United States)

Conrad, Pamela G.; Eigenbrode, J. E.; Mogensen, C. T.; VonderHeydt, M. O.; Glavin, D. P.; Mahaffy, P. M.; Johnson, J. A.

2011-01-01

The Organic Check Material (OCM) has been developed for use on the Mars Science Laboratory mission to serve as a sample standard for verification of organic cleanliness and characterization of potential sample alteration as a function of the sample acquisition and portioning process on the Curiosity rover. OCM samples will be acquired using the same procedures for drilling, portioning and delivery as are used to study martian samples with The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite during MSL surface operations. Because the SAM suite is highly sensitive to organic molecules, the mission can better verify the cleanliness of Curiosity's sample acquisition hardware if a known material can be processed through SAM and compared with the results obtained from martian samples.

Stability of neutral type descriptor system with mixed delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hong; Li Houbiao; Zhong Shouming

2007-01-01

In this paper, the stability problems of general neutral type descriptor system with mixed delays are considered. Some new delay-independent stability and robust stability criteria, which are simpler and less conservative than existing results, are derived in terms of the stability of a new operator I and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Therefore, criteria can be easily checked by utilizing the Matlab LMI toolbox

What is a good health check? An interview study of health check providers' views and practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Stol, Yrrah H; Asscher, Eva C A; Schermer, Maartje H N

2017-10-02

Health checks identify (risk factors for) disease in people without symptoms. They may be offered by the government through population screenings and by other providers to individual users as 'personal health checks'. Health check providers' perspective of 'good' health checks may further the debate on the ethical evaluation and possible regulation of these personal health checks. In 2015, we interviewed twenty Dutch health check providers on criteria for 'good' health checks, and the role these criteria play in their practices. Providers unanimously formulate a number of minimal criteria: Checks must focus on (risk factors for) treatable/preventable disease; Tests must be reliable and clinically valid; Participation must be informed and voluntary; Checks should provide more benefits than harms; Governmental screenings should be cost-effective. Aspirational criteria mentioned were: Follow-up care should be provided; Providers should be skilled and experienced professionals that put the benefit of (potential) users first; Providers should take time and attention. Some criteria were contested: People should be free to test on any (risk factor for) disease; Health checks should only be performed in people at high risk for disease that are likely to implement health advice; Follow up care of privately funded tests should not drain on collective resources. Providers do not always fulfil their own criteria. Their reasons reveal conflicts between criteria, conflicts between criteria and other ethical values, and point to components in the (Dutch) organisation of health care that hinder an ethical provision of health checks. Moreover, providers consider informed consent a criterion that is hard to establish in practice. According to providers, personal health checks should meet the same criteria as population screenings, with the exception of cost-effectiveness. Providers do not always fulfil their own criteria. Results indicate that in thinking about the ethics of health

Parallel Algorithms for Model Checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Pol, Jaco; Mousavi, Mohammad Reza; Sgall, Jiri

2017-01-01

Model checking is an automated verification procedure, which checks that a model of a system satisfies certain properties. These properties are typically expressed in some temporal logic, like LTL and CTL. Algorithms for LTL model checking (linear time logic) are based on automata theory and graph

''Cutie Pie,'' A portable radiation instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballou, C.O.

1947-01-01

A portable beta and gamma radiation meter of exceedingly small dimensions and weight has been developed. User acceptance has been more enthusiastic than any previous instrument of its type. The circuit, using one Victoreen V-32 tube, is the simplest electronic circuit possible for radiation work and gives high sensitivity. Stability exceeds anything of comparable sensitivity which has come to our attention. The short term stability is due to a circuit which prevents emission before the cathode reaches operating temperature. Long term stability has been improved by evacuating the tube enclosure and switch. The complete, one unit instrument, weighs four pounds two ounces, and is carried with a pistol grip. Exclusive of chamber and handle, its dimensions are 3'' wide, 6 1/2'' long, and 5'' high. The case is formed of aluminum and is designed to give excellent visibility of the meter. Three ranges of approximately 50, 500 and 5000 mr/hr have been incorporated in the instruments. The instrument has been named ''Cutie Pie'' due to its diminutive size

Real-time instrument-failure detection in the LOFT pressurizer using functional redundancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tylee, J.L.

1982-07-01

The functional redundancy approach to detecting instrument failures in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) pressurizer is described and evaluated. This real-time method uses a bank of Kalman filters (one for each instrument) to generate optimal estimates of the pressurizer state. By performing consistency checks between the output of each filter, failed instruments can be identified. Simulation results and actual pressurizer data are used to demonstrate the capabilities of the technique

Solution assay instrument operations manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, T.K.; Marks, T.; Parker, J.L.

1983-09-01

An at-line solution assay instrument (SAI) has been developed and installed in a plutonium purification and americium recovery process area in the Los Alamos Plutonium Processing Facility. The instrument was designed for accurate, timely, and simultaneous nondestructive analysis of plutonium and americium in process solutions that have a wide range of concentrations and americium/plutonium ratios and for routine operation by process technicians who lack instrumentation background. The SAI, based on transmission-corrected, high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy, has two measurement stations attached to a single multichannel analyzer/computer system. To ensure the quality of assay results, the SAI has an internal measurement control program, which requires daily and weekly check runs and monitors key aspects of all assay runs. For a 25-ml sample, the assay precision is 5 g/l within a 2000-s count time

Check valves aging assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haynes, H.D.

1991-01-01

In support of the NRC Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has carried out an assessment of several check value diagnostic monitoring methods, in particular, those based on measurements of acoustic emission, ultrasonics, and magnetic flux. The evaluations have focussed on the capabilities of each method to provide information useful in determining check valve aging and service wear effects, check valve failures, and undesirable operating modes. This paper describes the benefits and limitations associated with each method and includes recent laboratory and field test data, including data obtained from the vendors who recently participated in a comprehensive series of tests directed by a nuclear industry users group. In addition, as part of the ORNL Advanced Diagnostic Engineering Research and Development Center (ADEC), two novel nonintrusive monitoring methods were developed that provide several unique capabilities. These methods, based on external ac- an dc-magnetic monitoring are also described. None of the examined methods could, by themselves, monitor both the instantaneous position and motion of check valve internals and valve leakage; however, the combination of acoustic emission monitoring with one of the other methods provides the means to determine vital check valve operational information

Analysis of an emergency diesel generator control system by compositional model checking. MODSAFE 2010 work report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lahtinen, J.; Bjoerkman, K.; Valkonen, J.; Frits, J.; Niemelae, I.

2010-12-01

Digital instrumentation and control (I and C) systems containing programmable logic controllers are challenging to verify. They enable complicated control functions and the state spaces (number of distinct values of inputs, outputs and internal memory) of the designs easily become too large for comprehensive manual inspection. Model checking is a formal method that can be used for verifying that systems have been correctly designed. A number of efficient model checking systems are available which provide analysis tools that are able to determine automatically whether a given state machine model satisfies the desired safety properties. The practical case analysed in this research project is called an 'emergency diesel generator control system' and its purpose is to provide reserve power to critical devices and computers that must be available without interruption. This report describes 1) the development of a compositional approach for checking the models in large system designs, 2) the development of a modular model checking approach for modelling function block diagrams with the Uppaal model checker and 3) the experience of utilising the new modelling approaches in practice. (orig.)

27 CFR 70.101 - Bad checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bad checks. 70.101 Section....101 Bad checks. If any check or money order in payment of any amount receivable under Title 26 of the... appropriate TTB officer that such check was tendered in good faith and that such person had reasonable cause...

CAREM-25 Steam Generator Stability Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabiti, A.; Delmastro, D.

2003-01-01

In this work the stability of a once-through CAREM-25 steam generator is analyzed.A fix nodes numerical model, that allows the modelling of the liquid, two-phase and superheated steam zones, is implemented.This model was checked against a mobile finite elements model under saturated steam conditions at the channel exit and a good agreement was obtained.Finally the stability of a CAREM steam generator is studied and the range of in let restrictions that a assure the system stability is analyzed

Check In / Check Out. The Public Space as an Internet of Things

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van t Hof, C.C.G.; van Est, R.; Daemen, F.

2011-01-01

Mobile phones, public transport smart cards, security cameras and GPS systems in our car - we are surrounded by digital devices. They track us, guide us, help us, and control us. The book Check In / Check Out. The Public Space as an Internet of Things shows us how our digital and physical worlds are

Check in / check out : the public space as an internet of things

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hof, van 't C.; Est, van R.; Daemen, F.

2011-01-01

Mobile phones, public transport smart cards, security cameras and GPS systems in our car - we are surrounded by digital devices. They track us, guide us, help us, and control us. The book Check In / Check Out. The Public Space as an Internet of Things shows us how our digital and physical worlds are

What is a good health check? An interview study of health check providers' views and practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Y. Stol (Yrrah); E.C.A. Asscher (Eva); M.H.N. Schermer (Maartje)

2017-01-01

markdownabstract__Background:__ Health checks identify (risk factors for) disease in people without symptoms. They may be offered by the government through population screenings and by other providers to individual users as 'personal health checks'. Health check providers' perspective of 'good'

checkCIF/PLATON (full publication check)

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

editor handling your paper, to upload your CIF via our web site. PLATON version of 05/02/2014; check.def file version of 05/02/2014. Datablock I - ellipsoid plot http://vm02b.iucr.org/cgi-bin/checkcif_hkl.pl（第 3／4 页）2014-2-12 09:09:12 ...

Model checking optimal finite-horizon control for probabilistic gene regulatory networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Ou; Guo, Zonghao; Niu, Yun; Liao, Wenyuan

2017-12-14

Probabilistic Boolean networks (PBNs) have been proposed for analyzing external control in gene regulatory networks with incorporation of uncertainty. A context-sensitive PBN with perturbation (CS-PBNp), extending a PBN with context-sensitivity to reflect the inherent biological stability and random perturbations to express the impact of external stimuli, is considered to be more suitable for modeling small biological systems intervened by conditions from the outside. In this paper, we apply probabilistic model checking, a formal verification technique, to optimal control for a CS-PBNp that minimizes the expected cost over a finite control horizon. We first describe a procedure of modeling a CS-PBNp using the language provided by a widely used probabilistic model checker PRISM. We then analyze the reward-based temporal properties and the computation in probabilistic model checking; based on the analysis, we provide a method to formulate the optimal control problem as minimum reachability reward properties. Furthermore, we incorporate control and state cost information into the PRISM code of a CS-PBNp such that automated model checking a minimum reachability reward property on the code gives the solution to the optimal control problem. We conduct experiments on two examples, an apoptosis network and a WNT5A network. Preliminary experiment results show the feasibility and effectiveness of our approach. The approach based on probabilistic model checking for optimal control avoids explicit computation of large-size state transition relations associated with PBNs. It enables a natural depiction of the dynamics of gene regulatory networks, and provides a canonical form to formulate optimal control problems using temporal properties that can be automated solved by leveraging the analysis power of underlying model checking engines. This work will be helpful for further utilization of the advances in formal verification techniques in system biology.

An automatic drawing system for a report radioactive contamination check

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saneyoshi, Keiji; Tomita, Satoru; Yoda, Isao

2002-01-01

An Automatic drawing system for a report of surface contamination check in a radiation controlled area has been developed. The system can print out the report applied for the format provided by the law from the raw data that is the output from measuring instruments. The task of a worker is only to insert an FD storing the data into a PC and to push a button. The system also yields contamination maps to indicate contamination points clearly. With this system the time to complete the report from the raw data could be decreased from more than two hours to 4 minutes. (author)

Model Checking Markov Chains: Techniques and Tools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zapreev, I.S.

2008-01-01

This dissertation deals with four important aspects of model checking Markov chains: the development of efficient model-checking tools, the improvement of model-checking algorithms, the efficiency of the state-space reduction techniques, and the development of simulation-based model-checking

System for managing operation of instrument in atomic power plant facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinzawa, Katsuo.

1982-01-01

Purpose: To facilitate the management of the operating state of instruments operated in a site without necessity of large revision and additional cables of the instruments. Constitution: Tag-shaped instrument recognition indicators and instrument operation indicators for indicating the operating states of the respective instruments are mounted on the instruments such as openable valves. Each instrument recognition indicator represents the type and symbol of the instrument, and each instrument operation indicator represents the operating state such as open state or closed state of the valve of theinstrument. A reader reads a recorded data when the reader is touched to a magnetic plate and a magnetic sheet, and the data is recorded by a recorder on the magnetic tape. In this manner, the leakage of checking the data can be prevented, and the load of an operator can be alleviated. (Kamimura, M.)

Model Checking Structured Infinite Markov Chains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remke, Anne Katharina Ingrid

2008-01-01

In the past probabilistic model checking hast mostly been restricted to finite state models. This thesis explores the possibilities of model checking with continuous stochastic logic (CSL) on infinite-state Markov chains. We present an in-depth treatment of model checking algorithms for two special

Software tool for physics chart checks.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, H Harold; Wu, Yu; Yang, Deshan; Mutic, Sasa

2014-01-01

Physics chart check has long been a central quality assurance (QC) measure in radiation oncology. The purpose of this work is to describe a software tool that aims to accomplish simplification, standardization, automation, and forced functions in the process. Nationally recognized guidelines, including American College of Radiology and American Society for Radiation Oncology guidelines and technical standards, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group reports were identified, studied, and summarized. Meanwhile, the reported events related to physics chart check service were analyzed using an event reporting and learning system. A number of shortfalls in the chart check process were identified. To address these problems, a software tool was designed and developed under Microsoft. Net in C# to hardwire as many components as possible at each stage of the process. The software consists of the following 4 independent modules: (1) chart check management; (2) pretreatment and during treatment chart check assistant; (3) posttreatment chart check assistant; and (4) quarterly peer-review management. The users were a large group of physicists in the author's radiation oncology clinic. During over 1 year of use the tool has proven very helpful in chart checking management, communication, documentation, and maintaining consistency. The software tool presented in this work aims to assist physicists at each stage of the physics chart check process. The software tool is potentially useful for any radiation oncology clinics that are either in the process of pursuing or maintaining the American College of Radiology accreditation.

25 CFR 115.704 - May we accept for deposit into a trust account retirement checks/payments or pension fund checks...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... checks/payments or pension fund checks/payments even though those funds are not specified in § 115.702... May we accept for deposit into a trust account retirement checks/payments or pension fund checks.../payments or pension fund checks/payments or any funds from sources that are not identified in the table in...

Two‐year experience with the commercial Gamma Knife Check software

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatnagar, Jagdish; Bednarz, Greg; Novotny, Josef; Flickinger, John; Lunsford, L. Dade; Huq, M. Saiful

2016-01-01

The Gamma Knife Check software is an FDA approved second check system for dose calculations in Gamma Knife radiosurgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and the stability of the commercial software package as a tool for independent dose verification. The Gamma Knife Check software version 8.4 was commissioned for a Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion and a 4C unit at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in May 2012. Independent dose verifications were performed using this software for 319 radiosurgery cases on the Perfexion and 283 radiosurgery cases on the 4C units. The cases on each machine were divided into groups according to their diagnoses, and an averaged absolute percent dose difference for each group was calculated. The percentage dose difference for each treatment target was obtained as the relative difference between the Gamma Knife Check dose and the dose from the tissue maximum ratio algorithm (TMR 10) from the GammaPlan software version 10 at the reference point. For treatment plans with imaging skull definition, results obtained from the Gamma Knife Check software using the measurement‐based skull definition method are used for comparison. The collected dose difference data were also analyzed in terms of the distance from the treatment target to the skull, the number of treatment shots used for the target, and the gamma angles of the treatment shots. The averaged percent dose differences between the Gamma Knife Check software and the GammaPlan treatment planning system are 0.3%, 0.89%, 1.24%, 1.09%, 0.83%, 0.55%, 0.33%, and 1.49% for the trigeminal neuralgia, acoustic neuroma, arteriovenous malformation (AVM), meningioma, pituitary adenoma, glioma, functional disorders, and metastasis cases on the Perfexion unit. The corresponding averaged percent dose differences for the 4C unit are 0.33%, 1.2%, 2.78% 1.99%, 1.4%, 1.92%, 0.62%, and 1.51%, respectively. The dose difference is, in general, larger for treatment targets in the

[Pre-verbality in focusing and the need for self check. An attempt at "focusing check"].

Science.gov (United States)

Masui, T; Ikemi, A; Murayama, S

1983-06-01

Though the Focusing process is not entirely non-verbal, in Focusing, careful attention is paid by the Focuser and the Listener to the pre-verbal experiential process. In other words, Focusing involves attending to the felt sense that is not easily expressed in words immediately. Hence, during the process of learning to Focus, the Focusing teacher attempts to communicate the experiences of Focusing to the student which are not easily done by words. Due to such difficulties, the Focusing student may (and quite frequently does) mistake the experiential process in Focusing with other processes. Often, the felt sense can be confused with other phenomena such as "autogenic discharge". Also the Focuser may not stay with the felt sense and drift into "free association" or frequently, certain processes in "meditation" can be confused with Focusing. Therefore, there is a need for a "check" by which the Focusing student can confirm the Focusing experience for himself. For the Focusing student, such a "check" serves not only to confirm the Focusing process, but also an aid to learning Focusing. We will report here a "Focusing Check" which we developed by translating Eugene Gendlin's "Focusing Check" and making several modifications in it so that it will be more understandable to the Japanese. Along with the "Focusing Check" we developed, the authors discuss the need for such a check.

QuickChecking static analysis properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Midtgaard, Jan; Møller, Anders

2017-01-01

A static analysis can check programs for potential errors. A natural question that arises is therefore: who checks the checker? Researchers have given this question varying attention, ranging from basic testing techniques, informal monotonicity arguments, thorough pen-and-paper soundness proofs....... Moreover, we offer a number of generic, type-safe combinators to check transfer functions and operators on lattices, to help ensure that these are, eg, monotone, strict, or invariant. We substantiate our claims by quickchecking a type analysis for the Lua programming language....

Comparison of non-invasive tear film stability measurement techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Michael Tm; Murphy, Paul J; Blades, Kenneth J; Craig, Jennifer P

2018-01-01

Measurement of tear film stability is commonly used to give an indication of tear film quality but a number of non-invasive techniques exists within the clinical setting. This study sought to compare three non-invasive tear film stability measurement techniques: instrument-mounted wide-field white light clinical interferometry, instrument-mounted keratoscopy and hand-held keratoscopy. Twenty-two subjects were recruited in a prospective, randomised, masked, cross-over study. Tear film break-up or thinning time was measured non-invasively by independent experienced examiners, with each of the three devices, in a randomised order, within an hour. Significant correlation was observed between instrument-mounted interferometric and keratoscopic measurements (p 0.05). Tear film stability values obtained from the hand-held device were significantly shorter and demonstrated narrower spread than the other two instruments (all p 0.05). Good clinical agreement exists between the instrument-mounted interferometric and keratoscopic measurements but not between the hand-held device and either of the instrument-mounted techniques. The results highlight the importance of specifying the instrument employed to record non-invasive tear film stability. © 2017 Optometry Australia.

Simple Check Valves for Microfluidic Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Willis, Peter A.; Greer, Harold F.; Smith, J. Anthony

2010-01-01

A simple design concept for check valves has been adopted for microfluidic devices that consist mostly of (1) deformable fluorocarbon polymer membranes sandwiched between (2) borosilicate float glass wafers into which channels, valve seats, and holes have been etched. The first microfluidic devices in which these check valves are intended to be used are micro-capillary electrophoresis (microCE) devices undergoing development for use on Mars in detecting compounds indicative of life. In this application, it will be necessary to store some liquid samples in reservoirs in the devices for subsequent laboratory analysis, and check valves are needed to prevent cross-contamination of the samples. The simple check-valve design concept is also applicable to other microfluidic devices and to fluidic devices in general. These check valves are simplified microscopic versions of conventional rubber- flap check valves that are parts of numerous industrial and consumer products. These check valves are fabricated, not as separate components, but as integral parts of microfluidic devices. A check valve according to this concept consists of suitably shaped portions of a deformable membrane and the two glass wafers between which the membrane is sandwiched (see figure). The valve flap is formed by making an approximately semicircular cut in the membrane. The flap is centered over a hole in the lower glass wafer, through which hole the liquid in question is intended to flow upward into a wider hole, channel, or reservoir in the upper glass wafer. The radius of the cut exceeds the radius of the hole by an amount large enough to prevent settling of the flap into the hole. As in a conventional rubber-flap check valve, back pressure in the liquid pushes the flap against the valve seat (in this case, the valve seat is the adjacent surface of the lower glass wafer), thereby forming a seal that prevents backflow.

Modelling of coupled self-actuating safety, relief and damped check valve systems with the codes TRAC-PF1 and ROLAST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neumann, U.; Puzalowski, R.; Grimm, I.

1985-01-01

Numerical valve models for simulation of selfactuating safety valves and damped check valves are introduced for the computer programs TRAC-PF1 and ROLAST. As examples of application post-test calculations and stability analysis are given. (orig.)

25 CFR 11.421 - Bad checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bad checks. 11.421 Section 11.421 Indians BUREAU OF... Criminal Offenses § 11.421 Bad checks. (a) A person who issues or passes a check or similar sight order for..., and the issuer failed to make good within 10 days after receiving notice of that refusal. ...

QuickChecking Static Analysis Properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Midtgaard, Jan; Møller, Anders

2015-01-01

A static analysis can check programs for potential errors. A natural question that arises is therefore: who checks the checker? Researchers have given this question varying attention, ranging from basic testing techniques, informal monotonicity arguments, thorough pen-and-paper soundness proofs...... of a lattice. Moreover, we offer a number of generic, type-safe combinators to check transfer functions and operators on lattices, to help ensure that these are, e.g., monotone, strict, or invariant. We substantiate our claims by quickchecking a type analysis for the Lua programming language...

Role of maintenance of analytical instruments in the proceedings of quality control laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haribabu, A.; Sailoo, C.C.; Balaji Rao, Y.; Subba Rao, Y.

2015-01-01

Control Laboratory being a centralized analytical facility of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) is engaged in chemical qualification of all nuclear materials processed/produced at NFC. The primary responsibility of control laboratory is to provide timely analytical results of raw materials, intermediates and final products to all the production plants of NFC for downstream processing. Annual analytical load of nearly five lakhs of estimations are being carried out at laboratory. For this purpose a gamut of analytical facilities ranging from classical methods like gravimetry, volumetry etc. to fully automated state-of-art analytical instruments like ICP-AES, Gas Analysers, Flame and Graphite Furnace-AAS, Direct Reading Emission Spectrometer (DRES), RF GD-OES, TIMS, WD-XRFS, ED-XRFS, Laser based PSD Analyser, Laser Fluorimeter, UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, Gamma Ray Spectrometer, Ion-Chromatography, Gas Chromatography are used to acquire analytical data to see the suitability of products for their intended use. Depending on the applications, analysts validate their procedures, calibrate their instruments, and perform additional instrument checks, such as system suitability tests and analysis of in-process quality control check samples. With the increasing sophistication and automation of analytical instruments, an increasing demand has been placed on maintenance engineers to qualify these instruments for the purpose

Diagnostic information in compliance checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramezani Taghiabadi, E.; Fahland, D.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.

2012-01-01

Compliance checking is gaining importance as today's organizations need to show that operational processes are executed in a controlled manner while satisfying predefined (legal) requirements. Deviations may be costly and expose the organization to severe risks. Compliance checking is of growing

Intrinsic stability of technical superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veringa, H.J.

1981-10-01

For the operation of technical superconductors under high current density conditions, the superconducting wires composing high current cables should be intrinsically stabilized. In this report the various important stability criteria are derived and investigated on their validity. An experimental set up is made to check the occurrence of magnetic instabilities if the different applicable criteria are violated. It is found that the observed instabilities can be predicted on the basis of the model given in this report. Production of high current cables based upon composites made by the ECN technique seems to be possible. (Auth.)

Non intrusive check valve diagnostics at Bruce A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsch, S.P.

1997-01-01

Bruce A purchased non intrusive check valve diagnostic equipment in 1995 to ensure operability and availability of critical check valves in the Station. Diagnostics can be used to locate and monitor check valve degradation modes. Bruce A initiated a pilot program targeting check valves with flow through them and ones that completed open or close cycles. Approaches to determine how to confirm operability of passive check valves using non intrusive techniques were explored. A sample population of seventy-three check valves was selected to run the pilot program on prior to complete implementation. The pilot program produced some significant results and some inconclusive results. The program revealed a major finding that check valve performance modeling is required to ensure continuous operability of check valves. (author)

Non intrusive check valve diagnostics at Bruce A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marsch, S.P. [Ontario Hydro, Bruce Nuclear Generating Station A, Tiverton, ON (Canada)

1997-07-01

Bruce A purchased non intrusive check valve diagnostic equipment in 1995 to ensure operability and availability of critical check valves in the Station. Diagnostics can be used to locate and monitor check valve degradation modes. Bruce A initiated a pilot program targeting check valves with flow through them and ones that completed open or close cycles. Approaches to determine how to confirm operability of passive check valves using non intrusive techniques were explored. A sample population of seventy-three check valves was selected to run the pilot program on prior to complete implementation. The pilot program produced some significant results and some inconclusive results. The program revealed a major finding that check valve performance modeling is required to ensure continuous operability of check valves. (author)

Implementing Check in/Check out for Students with Intellectual Disability in Self-Contained Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Boden, Lauren J.; Ennis, Robin P.; Jolivette, Kristine

2012-01-01

Check in/check out (CICO) is a secondary-tier intervention implemented within the framework of schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) that uses school-based contingencies to encourage positive behavior. CICO is a five-step cycle which uses daily progress report cards (DPR) to monitor progress toward schoolwide or…

Is the Routine Check Nephrostogram Following Percutaneous Antegrade Ureteric Stent Placement Necessary?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soh, Keng Chuan; Tay, Kiang Hiong; Tan, Bien Soo; MM Htoo, Austin; HG Lo, Richard; Lin, Shueh En

2008-01-01

Our aim was to review our experience with percutaneous antegrade ureteric stent (PAUS) placement and to determine if the routinely conducted check nephrostogram on the day following ureteric stent placement was necessary. Retrospective review of patients who had undergone PAUS placement between January 2004 and December 2005 was performed. There were 83 subjects (36 males, 47 females), with a mean age of 59.9 years (range, 22-94 years). Average follow-up duration was 7.1 months (range, 1-24 months). The most common indications for PAUS placement were ureteric obstruction due to metastatic disease (n = 56) and urinary calculi (n = 34). Technical success was 93.2% (96/103 attempts), with no major immediate procedure-related complications or mortalities. The Bard 7Fr Urosoft DJ Stent was used in more than 95% of the cases. Eighty-one of 89 (91.0%) check nephrostograms demonstrated a patent ureteric stent with resultant safety catheter removal. Three check nephrostograms revealed distal stent migration requiring repositioning by a goose-snare, while five others showed stent occlusion necessitating permanent external drainage by nephrostomy drainage catheter reinsertion. Following PAUS placement, the serum creatinine level improved or stabilized in 82% of patients. The serum creatinine outcome difference between the groups with benign and malignant indications for PAUS placement was not statistically significant (p = 0.145) but resolution of hydronephrosis was significantly better (p = 0.008) in patients with benign indications. Percutaneous antegrade ureteric stent placement is a safe and effective means of relief for ureteric obstruction. The check nephrostogram following ureteric stent placement was unnecessary in the majority of patients

Determinants of The Application of Macro Prudential Instruments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakaria Firano

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The use of macro prudential instruments today gives rise to a major debate within the walls of central banks and other authorities in charge of financial stability. Contrary to micro prudential instruments, whose effects remain limited, macro prudential instruments are different in nature and can affect the stability of the financial system. By influencing the financial cycle and the financial structure of financial institutions, the use of such instruments should be conducted with great vigilance as well as macroeconomic and financial expertise. But the experiences of central banks in this area are sketchy, and only some emerging countries have experience using these types of instruments in different ways. This paper presents an analysis of instruments of macro prudential policy and attempts to empirically demonstrate that these instruments should be used only in specific economic and financial situations. Indeed, the results obtained, using modeling bivariate panel, confirm that these instruments are more effective when used to mitigate the euphoria of financial and economic cycles. In this sense, the output gap, describing the economic cycle, and the Z-score are the intermediate variables for the activation of capital instruments. Moreover, the liquidity ratio and changes in bank profitability are the two early warning indicators for activation of liquidity instruments.

Stability and alignment do not improve by using patient-specific instrumentation in total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosse, Nienke M; Heesterbeek, Petra J C; Schimmel, Janneke J P; van Hellemondt, Gijs G; Wymenga, Ate B; Defoort, Koen C

2018-06-01

The primary aim of the study was to examine stability and alignment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) and conventional instrumentation (CI). The hypothesis was that stability and alignment would be better using PSI than CI, 12 months postoperatively. The secondary aim included the evaluation of clinical outcomes after TKA. In this prospective randomized controlled trial, 42 patients with knee osteoarthritis received a Genesis II PS prosthesis with either PSI or CI. Patients visited the hospital preoperatively and postoperatively after 6 weeks and 3 and 12 months. To evaluate stability, varus-valgus laxity was determined in extension and flexion using stress radiographs 12 months postoperatively. Three months postoperatively, a long-leg radiograph and CT scan were obtained to measure hip-knee-ankle (HKA) alignment and component rotation. Furthermore, frontal and sagittal alignment of the components, the Knee Society Score, VAS Pain, VAS Satisfaction, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome score, Patella score (Kujala), University of California Los Angeles activity score, anterior-posterior laxity, (serious) adverse device-related events, and intraoperative complications were reported. The clinical outcomes were compared using independent t tests or non-parametric alternatives, and repeated measurements ANOVA with a significance level of p stability, HKA angle, and rotational alignment. In four patients, the PSI did not fit correctly on the tibia and/or femur requiring intraoperative modifications. Both groups improved significantly over time on all clinical outcomes, with no significant differences between the groups 12 months postoperatively. The PSI group showed less tibial slope than the patients in the CI group [PSI 2.6° versus CI 4.8° (p = 0.02)]. Finally, the PSI group more frequently received a thinner insert size than the CI group (p = 0.03). Patients operated with PSI did not differ from CI in

Estimation of reliability on digital plant protection system in nuclear power plants using fault simulation with self-checking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jun Seok; Kim, Suk Joon; Seong, Poong Hyun

2004-01-01

Safety-critical digital systems in nuclear power plants require high design reliability. Reliable software design and accurate prediction methods for the system reliability are important problems. In the reliability analysis, the error detection coverage of the system is one of the crucial factors, however, it is difficult to evaluate the error detection coverage of digital instrumentation and control system in nuclear power plants due to complexity of the system. To evaluate the error detection coverage for high efficiency and low cost, the simulation based fault injections with self checking are needed for digital instrumentation and control system in nuclear power plants. The target system is local coincidence logic in digital plant protection system and a simplified software modeling for this target system is used in this work. C++ based hardware description of micro computer simulator system is used to evaluate the error detection coverage of the system. From the simulation result, it is possible to estimate the error detection coverage of digital plant protection system in nuclear power plants using simulation based fault injection method with self checking. (author)

Establishing Validity of the Thai Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Matney, Gabriel; Jackson, Jack L., II.; Panarach, Yupadee

2016-01-01

This article presents our work in translating the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI) from English to Thai and our resulting investigation of validity with Thai preservice teachers. The translation process occurred over several meetings between two U.S. mathematics educators and one Thai mathematics educator. To check for…

Compositional and Quantitative Model Checking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2010-01-01

This paper gives a survey of a composition model checking methodology and its succesfull instantiation to the model checking of networks of finite-state, timed, hybrid and probabilistic systems with respect; to suitable quantitative versions of the modal mu-calculus [Koz82]. The method is based...

Goat production check list

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Jørgen; Nielsen, Mette Benedicte Olaf; Madsen, Jørgen

2009-01-01

This check list, financed by DanChurchAid, highlights all issues should be carefully investigated before investing in distribution of goats and in interventions to assist poor rural communities to improve their livelihood through goat production.......This check list, financed by DanChurchAid, highlights all issues should be carefully investigated before investing in distribution of goats and in interventions to assist poor rural communities to improve their livelihood through goat production....

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 229 - Routing Number Guide to Next-Day Availability Checks and Local Checks

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Checks and Local Checks A Appendix A to Part 229 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND COLLECTION OF CHECKS... Association. The routing number takes two forms: a fractional form and a nine-digit form. A paying bank...

Model Checking Real-Time Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bouyer, Patricia; Fahrenberg, Uli; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2018-01-01

This chapter surveys timed automata as a formalism for model checking real-time systems. We begin with introducing the model, as an extension of finite-state automata with real-valued variables for measuring time. We then present the main model-checking results in this framework, and give a hint...

Can i just check...? Effects of edit check questions on measurement error and survey estimates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lugtig, Peter; Jäckle, Annette

2014-01-01

Household income is difficult to measure, since it requires the collection of information about all potential income sources for each member of a household.Weassess the effects of two types of edit check questions on measurement error and survey estimates: within-wave edit checks use responses to

Stability and linearity control of spectrometric channels of the Cherenkov counters using controllable units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kollar, D.; Kollarova, L.; Khorvat, P.

1976-01-01

A system is elaborated to control stability and linearity of the Cherenkov counter spectrometric channels in an experiment on a magnetic monopole search. Linearity of a light characteristic of a photoelectric multiplier is checked with the help of the calibrated light-strikings of light emitting diodes with flare intensity adjusted by controlling generator voltage across the mercury body. A program algorithm is presented for checking stability and linearity of the Cherenkov counter spectrometric channels which helps to consider the fatigue effects of the photoelectric multiplier resulting from the considerable loads

Model Checking a Self-Stabilizing Distributed Clock Synchronization Protocol for Arbitrary Digraphs

Science.gov (United States)

Malekpour, Mahyar R.

2011-01-01

This report presents the mechanical verification of a self-stabilizing distributed clock synchronization protocol for arbitrary digraphs in the absence of faults. This protocol does not rely on assumptions about the initial state of the system, other than the presence of at least one node, and no central clock or a centrally generated signal, pulse, or message is used. The system under study is an arbitrary, non-partitioned digraph ranging from fully connected to 1-connected networks of nodes while allowing for differences in the network elements. Nodes are anonymous, i.e., they do not have unique identities. There is no theoretical limit on the maximum number of participating nodes. The only constraint on the behavior of the node is that the interactions with other nodes are restricted to defined links and interfaces. This protocol deterministically converges within a time bound that is a linear function of the self-stabilization period.

Model-Checking Discrete Duration Calculus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Michael Reichhardt

1994-01-01

can do model-checking. The subset we consider is expressive enough to formalize the requirements to the gas burner system given by A.P. Ravn (1993); but only for a discrete time domain. Model-checking is done by reducing the correctness problem ℳ|=𝒟 to the inclusion problem of regular...

Rigorous noise test and calibration check of strong-motion instrumentation at the Conrad Observatory in Austria.

Science.gov (United States)

Steiner, R.; Costa, G.; Lenhardt, W.; Horn, N.; Suhadolc, P.

2012-04-01

In the framework of the European InterregIV Italy/Austria project: "HAREIA - Historical and Recent Earthquakes in Italy and Austria" the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) and Mathematic and Geosciences Department of University of Trieste (DMG) are upgrading the transfrontier seismic network of South-Eastern Alps with new 12 accelerometric stations to enhance the strong motion instrument density near the Austria/Italy border. Various public institutions of the provinces Alto Adige (Bolzano Province), Veneto (ARPAV) and Friuli Venezia Giulia (Regional Civil Defense) in Italy and in the Austrian province of Tyrol are involved in the project. The site selection was carried out to improve the present local network geometry thus meeting the needs of public Institutions in the involved regions. In Tyrol and Alto Adige some strategic buildings (hospitals and public buildings) have been selected, whereas in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia the sites are in the free field, mainly located near villages. The instruments will be installed in an innovative box, designed by ZAMG, that provides electric and water isolation. The common choice regarding the instrument selection has been the new Kinemetrics Basalt ® accelerograph to guarantee homogeneity with the already installed instrumentation and compatibility with the software already in use at the different seismic institutions in the area. Prior to deployment the equipment was tested at the Conrad Observatory and a common set-up has been devised. The Conrad Observatory, seismically particularly quiet, permits to analyze both the sensor and the acquisition system noise. The instruments were connected to the network and the data sent in real-time to the ZAMG data center in Vienna and the DMG data center in Trieste. The data have been collected in the database and analyzed using signal processing modules PQLX and Matlab. The data analysis of the recordings at the ultra-quiet Conrad Observatory pointed out

[Validation of a German-language Version of the Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ) in Adolescents with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa].

Science.gov (United States)

Steinfeld, Beate; Bauer, Anika; Waldorf, Manuel; Engel, Nicole; Braks, Karsten; Huber, Thomas J; Vocks, Silja

2017-01-01

Body-related checking behavior, as a behavioral manifestation of a disturbed body image, fosters the development and maintenance of eating disorders. The Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ) is the most commonly used questionnaire for measuring body-related checking behavior internationally. To date, validation studies are only available for adult populations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to statistically test the German-language version of the BCQ in adolescents. A total of N=129 female adolescents were examined, comprising n=57 with Anorexia Nervosa, n=24 with Bulimia Nervosa, and n=48 healthy female adolescents. A confirmatory factor analysis supports the subdivision of the BCQ into a general factor and the subfactors "overall appearance", "specific body parts" and "idiosyncratic checking", which was also found in the original version. The internal consistencies are good (α≥0.81), and the BCQ is able to differentiate well between adolescents with and without eating disorders. Significant correlations between the BCQ and other body image questionnaires point to a good convergent validity. The German-language BCQ thus constitutes a valid and reliable instrument for measuring body-related checking behavior among adolescents in clinical research and practice. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Validity and usefulness of members reports of implementation progress in a quality improvement initiative: findings from the Team Check-up Tool (TCT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marsteller Jill A

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Team-based interventions are effective for improving safety and quality of healthcare. However, contextual factors, such as team functioning, leadership, and organizational support, can vary significantly across teams and affect the level of implementation success. Yet, the science for measuring context is immature. The goal of this study is to validate measures from a short instrument tailored to track dynamic context and progress for a team-based quality improvement (QI intervention. Methods Design: Secondary cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of data from a clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT of a team-based quality improvement intervention to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI rates in intensive care units (ICUs. Setting: Forty-six ICUs located within 35 faith-based, not-for-profit community hospitals across 12 states in the U.S. Population: Team members participating in an ICU-based QI intervention. Measures: The primary measure is the Team Check-up Tool (TCT, an original instrument that assesses context and progress of a team-based QI intervention. The TCT is administered monthly. Validation measures include CLABSI rate, Team Functioning Survey (TFS and Practice Environment Scale (PES from the Nursing Work Index. Analysis: Temporal stability, responsiveness and validity of the TCT. Results We found evidence supporting the temporal stability, construct validity, and responsiveness of TCT measures of intervention activities, perceived group-level behaviors, and barriers to team progress. Conclusions The TCT demonstrates good measurement reliability, validity, and responsiveness. By having more validated measures on implementation context, researchers can more readily conduct rigorous studies to identify contextual variables linked to key intervention and patient outcomes and strengthen the evidence base on successful spread of efficacious team-based interventions. QI teams

Electronic instrument for radon daughter dosimetry. Report of investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durkin, J.

1977-01-01

Due to the daily exposures of uranium mining personnel to 222Rn daughters, a device is needed which will continually monitor the individual's exposure. Such a device has been built and tested and is known as the Radon Daughter Dosimeter. This is an electronic instrument using a solid-state detector and circuitry. The system permits the evaluation of cumulative exposures to airborne radon progeny, expressed in units of Working Level Hours (WL-HRS). The instrument is a personal device worn by the individual throughout the working shift. Since the instrument is in close proximity to the miner and measures continual exposure, it provides an accurate account of total cumulative exposure, thus avoiding the errors caused by the present technique of spot checking of the environment

31 CFR 248.6 - Recovery of original check.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Recovery of original check. 248.6... § 248.6 Recovery of original check. (a) If the claimant recovers an original check after he has... or agency concerned regarding the negotiability of such original check. (b) In the event the...

Model checking of safety-critical software in the nuclear engineering domain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lahtinen, J.; Valkonen, J.; Björkman, K.; Frits, J.; Niemelä, I.; Heljanko, K.

2012-01-01

Instrumentation and control (I and C) systems play a vital role in the operation of safety-critical processes. Digital programmable logic controllers (PLC) enable sophisticated control tasks which sets high requirements for system validation and verification methods. Testing and simulation have an important role in the overall verification of a system but are not suitable for comprehensive evaluation because only a limited number of system behaviors can be analyzed due to time limitations. Testing is also performed too late in the development lifecycle and thus the correction of design errors is expensive. This paper discusses the role of formal methods in software development in the area of nuclear engineering. It puts forward model checking, a computer-aided formal method for verifying the correctness of a system design model, as a promising approach to system verification. The main contribution of the paper is the development of systematic methodology for modeling safety critical systems in the nuclear domain. Two case studies are reviewed, in which we have found errors that were previously not detected. We also discuss the actions that should be taken in order to increase confidence in the model checking process.

CMM Interim Check (U)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montano, Joshua Daniel [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-03-23

Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) are widely used in industry, throughout the Nuclear Weapons Complex and at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to verify part conformance to design definition. Calibration cycles for CMMs at LANL are predominantly one year in length. Unfortunately, several nonconformance reports have been generated to document the discovery of a certified machine found out of tolerance during a calibration closeout. In an effort to reduce risk to product quality two solutions were proposed – shorten the calibration cycle which could be costly, or perform an interim check to monitor the machine’s performance between cycles. The CMM interim check discussed makes use of Renishaw’s Machine Checking Gauge. This off-the-shelf product simulates a large sphere within a CMM’s measurement volume and allows for error estimation. Data was gathered, analyzed, and simulated from seven machines in seventeen different configurations to create statistical process control run charts for on-the-floor monitoring.

A digital frequency stabilization system of external cavity diode laser based on LabVIEW FPGA

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhuohuan; Hu, Zhaohui; Qi, Lu; Wang, Tao

2015-10-01

Frequency stabilization for external cavity diode laser has played an important role in physics research. Many laser frequency locking solutions have been proposed by researchers. Traditionally, the locking process was accomplished by analog system, which has fast feedback control response speed. However, analog system is susceptible to the effects of environment. In order to improve the automation level and reliability of the frequency stabilization system, we take a grating-feedback external cavity diode laser as the laser source and set up a digital frequency stabilization system based on National Instrument's FPGA (NI FPGA). The system consists of a saturated absorption frequency stabilization of beam path, a differential photoelectric detector, a NI FPGA board and a host computer. Many functions, such as piezoelectric transducer (PZT) sweeping, atomic saturation absorption signal acquisition, signal peak identification, error signal obtaining and laser PZT voltage feedback controlling, are totally completed by LabVIEW FPGA program. Compared with the analog system, the system built by the logic gate circuits, performs stable and reliable. User interface programmed by LabVIEW is friendly. Besides, benefited from the characteristics of reconfiguration, the LabVIEW program is good at transplanting in other NI FPGA boards. Most of all, the system periodically checks the error signal. Once the abnormal error signal is detected, FPGA will restart frequency stabilization process without manual control. Through detecting the fluctuation of error signal of the atomic saturation absorption spectrum line in the frequency locking state, we can infer that the laser frequency stability can reach 1MHz.

Some emergency instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burgess, P H

1986-10-01

The widespread release of activity and the resultant spread of contamination after the Chernobyl accident resulted in requests to NRPB to provide instruments for, and expertise in, the measurement of radiation. The most common request was for advice on the usefulness of existing instruments, but Board staff were also involved in their adaptation or in the development of new instruments specially to meet the circumstances of the accident. The accident occurred on 26 April. On 1 May, NRPB was involved at Heathrow Airport in the monitoring of the British students who had returned from Kiev and Minsk. The main purpose was to reassure the students by checking that their persons and belongings did not have significant surface contamination. Additional measurements were also made of iodine activity in thyroid using hand-held detectors or a mobile body monitor. This operation was arranged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which had also received numerous requests for instruments from embassies and consulates in countries close to the scene of the accident. There was concern for the well-being of staff and other United Kingdom nationals who resided in or intended to visit the most affected countries. The board supplied suitable instruments, and the FCO distributed them to embassies. The frequency of environmental monitoring was increased from 29 April in anticipation of contamination and appropriate Board instrumentation was deployed. After the Chernobyl cloud arrived in the UK on 2 May, there were numerous requests from local government, public authorities, private companies and members of the public for information and advice on monitoring equipment and procedures. Some of these requirements could be met with existing equipment but members of the public were usually advised not to proceed. At a later stage, the contamination of foodstuffs and livestock required the development of an instrument capable of detecting low levels of {sup 137}Cs and {sup 134}Cs in food

Environmental Reality Check.

Science.gov (United States)

Manicone, Santo

2001-01-01

Discusses the importance of educational facilities conducting "reality check" self-audits to uncover the real truth behind underlying environmental problems. An environmental compliance multimedia checklist is included. (GR)

Instrument to determine prestress remaining in a damaged bridge girder

Science.gov (United States)

Civjan, Scott A.; Jirsa, James O.; Carrasquillo, Ramon L.; Fowler, David W.

1998-03-01

An instrument has been developed to estimate stress levels in prestress strands in existing members. The prototype instrument applies a lateral load to an exposed prestressing strand and measures the resulting displacements. The instrument was calibrated for 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) diameter seven-wire strand with exposed lengths of 1.5 feet (0.46 m) to 3.75 feet (1.14 m). It was tested to determine its accuracy, precision, and usefulness in the field. Strand forces were consistently estimated to within ten percent of the actual load. The device was also utilized in the placement of strand splices and was found to be more reliable in checking induced strand tensions than the standard torque wrench method.

7 CFR 1944.540 - Requesting TSA checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 13 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Requesting TSA checks. 1944.540 Section 1944.540... TSA checks. (a) The initial TSA check may cover the applicant's needs for the first calendar month. If... the next whole month. (b) The initial advance of TSA grant funds may not be requested simultaneously...

40 CFR 86.328-79 - Leak checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Leak checks. 86.328-79 Section 86.328... Gasoline-Fueled and Diesel-Fueled Heavy-Duty Engines; Gaseous Exhaust Test Procedures § 86.328-79 Leak checks. (a) Vacuum side leak check. (1) Any location within the analysis system where a vacuum leak could...

Methodology for Check Valve Selection to Maintain the Integrity of Pipeline against the Check Valve Slam for the KIJANG Research Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dayong; Yoon, Hyungi; Seo, Kyoungwoo; Kim, Seonhoon [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The check valve slam results in a water hammer and unexpected system pressure rise in the pipeline. Sometimes, the pressure rise by check valve slam in the pipeline exceeds the design pressure and then it causes the rupture of pipeline. Therefore, check valve slam significantly influences on the integrity of pipe. Especially, this it is most likely to occur by check valve installed in the discharge of pump when one pump trips among the two or more running in parallel pump system. This study focuses on the check valve selection to maintain the integrity of PCS pipeline against the check valve slam. If design head for KJRR PCS pipeline is higher than the sum of static head and 11 m, any type check valves can be installed at the discharge of pump. However, if design head for KJRR PCS pipeline is lower than the sum of static head and 11 m, installation of swing and ball check on the discharge of pump must be avoid to prevent the rupture of PCS pipeline.

Methodology for Check Valve Selection to Maintain the Integrity of Pipeline against the Check Valve Slam for the KIJANG Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dayong; Yoon, Hyungi; Seo, Kyoungwoo; Kim, Seonhoon

2016-01-01

The check valve slam results in a water hammer and unexpected system pressure rise in the pipeline. Sometimes, the pressure rise by check valve slam in the pipeline exceeds the design pressure and then it causes the rupture of pipeline. Therefore, check valve slam significantly influences on the integrity of pipe. Especially, this it is most likely to occur by check valve installed in the discharge of pump when one pump trips among the two or more running in parallel pump system. This study focuses on the check valve selection to maintain the integrity of PCS pipeline against the check valve slam. If design head for KJRR PCS pipeline is higher than the sum of static head and 11 m, any type check valves can be installed at the discharge of pump. However, if design head for KJRR PCS pipeline is lower than the sum of static head and 11 m, installation of swing and ball check on the discharge of pump must be avoid to prevent the rupture of PCS pipeline

Incremental Integrity Checking: Limitations and Possibilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Henning; Martinenghi, Davide

2005-01-01

Integrity checking is an essential means for the preservation of the intended semantics of a deductive database. Incrementality is the only feasible approach to checking and can be obtained with respect to given update patterns by exploiting query optimization techniques. By reducing the problem...... to query containment, we show that no procedure exists that always returns the best incremental test (aka simplification of integrity constraints), and this according to any reasonable criterion measuring the checking effort. In spite of this theoretical limitation, we develop an effective procedure...

Swing check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eminger, H.E.

1977-01-01

A swing check valve which includes a valve body having an inlet and outlet is described. A recess in the valve body designed to hold a seal ring and a check valve disc swingable between open and closed positions. The disc is supported by a high strength wire secured at one end in a support spacer pinned through bearing blocks fixed to the valve body and at its other end in a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the disc. The parts are designed and chosen such to provide a lightweight valve disc which is held open by minimum velocity of fluid flowing through the valve which thus reduces oscillations and accompanying wear of bearings supporting the valve operating parts. (Auth.)

Plant experience with check valves in passive systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pahladsingh, R R [GKN Joint Nuclear Power Plant, Dodewaard (Netherlands)

1996-12-01

In the design of the advanced nuclear reactors there is a tendency to introduce more passive safety systems. The 25 year old design of the GKN nuclear reactor is different from the present BWR reactors because of some special features, such as the Natural Circulation - and the Passive Isolation Condenser system. When reviewing the design, one can conclude that the plant has 25 years of experience with check valves in passive systems and as passive components in systems. The result of this experience has been modeled in a plant-specific ``living PSA`` for the plant. A data-analysis has been performed on components which are related to the safety systems in the plant. As part of this study also the check valves have been taken in consideration. At GKN, the check valves have shown to be reliable components in the systems and no catastrophic failures have been experienced during the 25 years of operation. Especially the Isolation Condenser with its operation experience can contribute substantially to the insight of check valves in stand-by position at reactor pressure and operating by gravity under different pressure conditions. With the introduction of several passive systems in the SBWR-600 design, such as the Isolation Condensers, Gravity Driven Cooling, and Suppression Pool Cooling System, the issue of reliability of check valves in these systems is actual. Some critical aspects for study in connection with check valves are: What is the reliability of a check valve in a system at reactor pressure, to open on demand; what is the reliability of a check valve in a system at low pressure (gravity), to open on demand; what is the reliability of a check valve to open/close when the stand-by check wave is at zero differential pressure. The plant experience with check valves in a few essential safety systems is described and a brief introduction will be made about the application of check valves in the design of the new generation reactors is given. (author). 6 figs, 1 tab.

Automatization and familiarity in repeated checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dek, E.C.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/313959552; van den Hout, M.A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/070445354; Giele, C.L.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/318754460; Engelhard, I.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/239681533

2015-01-01

Repetitive, compulsive-like checking of an object leads to reductions in memory confidence, vividness, and detail. Experimental research suggests that this is caused by increased familiarity with perceptual characteristics of the stimulus and automatization of the checking procedure (Dek, van den

Measuring Instruments Control Methodology Performance for Analog Electronics Remote Labs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Unai Hernandez-Jayo

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the work that has been developed in parallel to the VISIR project. The objective of this paper is to present the results of the validations processes that have been carried out to check the control methodology. This method has been developed with the aim of being independent of the instruments of the labs.

Strong stabilization servo controller with optimization of performance criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarjaš, Andrej; Svečko, Rajko; Chowdhury, Amor

2011-07-01

Synthesis of a simple robust controller with a pole placement technique and a H(∞) metrics is the method used for control of a servo mechanism with BLDC and BDC electric motors. The method includes solving a polynomial equation on the basis of the chosen characteristic polynomial using the Manabe standard polynomial form and parametric solutions. Parametric solutions are introduced directly into the structure of the servo controller. On the basis of the chosen parametric solutions the robustness of a closed-loop system is assessed through uncertainty models and assessment of the norm ‖•‖(∞). The design procedure and the optimization are performed with a genetic algorithm differential evolution - DE. The DE optimization method determines a suboptimal solution throughout the optimization on the basis of a spectrally square polynomial and Šiljak's absolute stability test. The stability of the designed controller during the optimization is being checked with Lipatov's stability condition. Both utilized approaches: Šiljak's test and Lipatov's condition, check the robustness and stability characteristics on the basis of the polynomial's coefficients, and are very convenient for automated design of closed-loop control and for application in optimization algorithms such as DE. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic information in temporal compliance checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramezani Taghiabadi, E.; Fahland, D.; Dongen, van B.F.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.

2012-01-01

Compliance checking is gaining importance as today’s organizations need to show that operational processes are executed in a controlled manner while satisfying prede¿ned (legal) requirements. Deviations may be costly and expose the organization to severe risks. Compliance checking is of growing

31 CFR 245.8 - Receipt or recovery of original check.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Receipt or recovery of original check... CHECKS § 245.8 Receipt or recovery of original check. (a) If the original check is received or recovered... of instructions with respect to the negotiability of such check. (b) If the original check is...

Absolute stability of nonlinear systems with time delays and applications to neural networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinzhi Liu

2001-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, absolute stability of nonlinear systems with time delays is investigated. Sufficient conditions on absolute stability are derived by using the comparison principle and differential inequalities. These conditions are simple and easy to check. In addition, exponential stability conditions for some special cases of nonlinear delay systems are discussed. Applications of those results to cellular neural networks are presented.

Forgetting what you have checked: a link between working memory impairment and checking behaviors in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaafari, N; Frasca, M; Rigalleau, F; Rachid, F; Gil, R; Olié, J-P; Guehl, D; Burbaud, P; Aouizerate, B; Rotgé, J-Y; Vibert, N

2013-02-01

Compulsive checking behaviors are common in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Several authors have suggested that these checking rituals could be related to memory deficits. Our aim was to test whether patients with OCD show working memory impairment in relation to their checking behavior. We evaluated the verbal and visuospatial components of patients' and controls' working memory using the reading span and backward location span tests. Checking behaviors were measured by recording participants' eye movements during an image comparison task using a non-invasive, infra-red TOBII 1750 eyetracker. Participants were seated, head-free, in a natural position in front of the eyetracker screen where the images were displayed. Patients with OCD made more gaze moves to compare images than controls. Both patients' working memory spans were reduced, and the patients' deficit in the comparison task was negatively related to their working memory spans. This work demonstrates that checking behavior in OCD is linked to a general reduction of the patients' verbal and visuospatial working memory span. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Model Checking Infinite-State Markov Chains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remke, Anne Katharina Ingrid; Haverkort, Boudewijn R.H.M.; Cloth, L.

2004-01-01

In this paper algorithms for model checking CSL (continuous stochastic logic) against infinite-state continuous-time Markov chains of so-called quasi birth-death type are developed. In doing so we extend the applicability of CSL model checking beyond the recently proposed case for finite-state

38 CFR 21.4505 - Check delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Check delivery. 21.4505...) VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EDUCATION Education Loans § 21.4505 Check delivery. (a) General. Education... surviving spouse is enrolled for delivery by the educational institution. (b) Delivery and certification. (1...

check cif.pdf

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

AMMIN

Calculated. Reported. Volume ... PLAT094_ALERT_2_C Ratio of Maximum / Minimum Residual Density .... 3.24 Report ... checkCIF was carefully designed to identify outliers and unusual parameters, but every test has its limitations and alerts ...

46 CFR 10.214 - Security Check.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Security Check. 10.214 Section 10.214 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MERCHANT MARINE OFFICERS AND SEAMEN MERCHANT MARINER CREDENTIAL General Requirements for All Merchant Mariner Credentials § 10.214 Security Check. Until April 15, 2009...

Assessing women's sexuality after cancer therapy: checking assumptions with the focus group technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruner, D W; Boyd, C P

1999-12-01

Cancer and cancer therapies impair sexual health in a multitude of ways. The promotion of sexual health is therefore vital for preserving quality of life and is an integral part of total or holistic cancer management. Nursing, to provide holistic care, requires research that is meaningful to patients as well as the profession to develop educational and interventional studies to promote sexual health and coping. To obtain meaningful research data instruments that are reliable, valid, and pertinent to patients' needs are required. Several sexual functioning instruments were reviewed for this study and found to be lacking in either a conceptual foundation or psychometric validation. Without a defined conceptual framework, authors of the instruments must have made certain assumptions regarding what women undergoing cancer therapy experience and what they perceive as important. To check these assumptions before assessing women's sexuality after cancer therapies in a larger study, a pilot study was designed to compare what women experience and perceive as important regarding their sexuality with what is assessed in several currently available research instruments, using the focus group technique. Based on the focus group findings, current sexual functioning questionnaires may be lacking in pertinent areas of concern for women treated for breast or gynecologic malignancies. Better conceptual foundations may help future questionnaire design. Self-regulation theory may provide an acceptable conceptual framework from which to develop a sexual functioning questionnaire.

7 CFR 58.243 - Checking quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Checking quality. 58.243 Section 58.243 Agriculture... Procedures § 58.243 Checking quality. All milk, milk products and dry milk products shall be subject to inspection and analysis by the dairy plant for quality and condition throughout each processing operation...

Mothers' use of and attitudes to BabyCheck.

OpenAIRE

Thomson, Hilary; Ross, Sue; Wilson, Philip; McConnachie, Alex; Watson, Richard

2002-01-01

A copy of BabyCheck was sent to 497 mothers shortly after the birth of their baby. Six months later they were sent a questionnaire asking about their use of and attitudes to, BabyCheck. Questionnaires were returned by 323 (65%) mothers; 215 (67%) of them reported reading BabyCheck, the majority found it easy to understand (74%) and agreed with the advice (67%). Eighty-four (26%) of the mothers who returned the questionnaires reported using BabyCheck when their baby was ill; of these, 71% agre...

CMM Interim Check Design of Experiments (U)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montano, Joshua Daniel [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-07-29

Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) are widely used in industry, throughout the Nuclear Weapons Complex and at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to verify part conformance to design definition. Calibration cycles for CMMs at LANL are predominantly one year in length and include a weekly interim check to reduce risk. The CMM interim check makes use of Renishaw’s Machine Checking Gauge which is an off-the-shelf product simulates a large sphere within a CMM’s measurement volume and allows for error estimation. As verification on the interim check process a design of experiments investigation was proposed to test a couple of key factors (location and inspector). The results from the two-factor factorial experiment proved that location influenced results more than the inspector or interaction.

7 CFR 1421.11 - Spot checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Spot checks. 1421.11 Section 1421.11 Agriculture... ASSISTANCE LOANS AND LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENTS FOR 2008 THROUGH 2012 General § 1421.11 Spot checks. (a) CCC... CCC access to the farm and storage facility as necessary to conduct collateral inspections, or “spot...

32 CFR 635.6 - Name checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Name checks. 635.6 Section 635.6 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTING Records Administration § 635.6 Name checks. (a) Information contained in military police records may be...

45 CFR 201.70 - Treatment of replacement checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Treatment of replacement checks. 201.70 Section... STATES FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS Review and Audits § 201.70 Treatment of replacement checks. (a... (FFP) for replacement checks under titles I, VI-A, X, XIV, XVI (AABD) except under the circumstances...

Recent improvements in check valve monitoring methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haynes, H.D.

1991-01-01

In support of the NRC Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program, ORNL has carried out an evaluation of three check valve monitoring methods: acoustic emission, ultrasonic inspection, and magnetic flux signature analysis (MFSA). This work has focussed on determining the capabilities of each method to provide diagnostic information useful in determining check valve aging and service wear effects (degradation) and undesirable operating modes. In addition, as part of the ORNL Advanced Diagnostic Engineering Research and Development Center (ADEC), two novel nonintrusive monitoring methods were developed (external ac- and dc-magnetic monitoring) that provide several improvements over the other methods. None of the examined methods could, by themselves, monitor the instantaneous position and motion of check valve internals and valve leakage; however, the combination of acoustic emission monitoring with one of the other methods provides the means to determine vital check valve operational information. This paper describes the benefits and limitations associated with each method and includes recent laboratory and field test data to illustrate the capabilities of these methods to detect simulated check valve degradation. 3 refs., 22 figs., 4 tabs

Recent improvements in check valve monitoring methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haynes, H.D.

1990-01-01

In support of the NRC Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program, ORNL has carried out an evaluation of three check valve monitoring methods: acoustic emission, ultrasonic inspection, and magnetic flux signature analysis (MFSA). This work has focused on determining the capabilities of each method to provide diagnostic information useful in determining check valve aging and service wear effects (degradation) and undesirable operating modes. In addition, as part of the ORNL Advanced Diagnostic Engineering Research and Development Center (ADEC), two noval nonintrusive monitoring methods were developed (external ac- and dc-magnetic monitoring) that provide several improvements over the other methods. None of the examined methods could, by themselves, monitor the instantaneous position and motion of check valve internals and valve leakage; however, the combination of acoustic emission monitoring with one of the other methods provides the means to determine vital check valve operational information. This paper describes the benefits and limitations associated with each method and includes recent laboratory and field test data to illustrate the capabilities of these methods to detect simulated check valve degradation. 3 refs., 22 figs., 4 tabs

Intensity-Stabilized Fast-Scanned Direct Absorption Spectroscopy Instrumentation Based on a Distributed Feedback Laser with Detection Sensitivity down to 4 × 10−6

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gang Zhao

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A novel, intensity-stabilized, fast-scanned, direct absorption spectroscopy (IS-FS-DAS instrumentation, based on a distributed feedback (DFB diode laser, is developed. A fiber-coupled polarization rotator and a fiber-coupled polarizer are used to stabilize the intensity of the laser, which significantly reduces its relative intensity noise (RIN. The influence of white noise is reduced by fast scanning over the spectral feature (at 1 kHz, followed by averaging. By combining these two noise-reducing techniques, it is demonstrated that direct absorption spectroscopy (DAS can be swiftly performed down to a limit of detection (LOD (1σ of 4 × 10−6, which opens up a number of new applications.

Cross-cultural and factorial validity of PTSD check list-military version (PCL-M) in Sinhalese language.

Science.gov (United States)

Semage, Saveen N; Sivayogan, Sivagurunadan; Forbes, David; O'Donnell, Meaghan; Monaragala, Roshan M M; Lockwood, Emma; Dunt, David

2013-01-01

There are currently no validated instruments to assess the burden of combat-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Sinhalese-the main spoken language in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this research was to establish the cross-cultural and structural validity of the PTSD Check List-Military Version (PCL-M) translated into Sinhalese. Expert committee consensus generation as well as translation-back translation approaches were used to establish the semantic, conceptual, and content equivalence of the Sinhalese and English versions of the PCL-M. Four translations of each item were made. In the absence of any "gold standard" psychometric instrument in Sinhalese to establish the criterion validity for the PCL-M (SIN), the study utilized more informal checks for assessment of validity and Sri Lankan cutoffs for caseness for PTSD to establish the psychometric strength of the translated instrument along with standard reliability analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on PCL-M scoring of a random sample of 1,586 soldiers to examine construct validity. Thirteen of the 17 items were selected by popular vote, and the remaining 4 through discussion and consensus. Reliability measured by Cronbach's-α was 0.944 for the total scale and 0.812, 0.869, and 0.895 for the three DSM-IV sub-scales (re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal), respectively. The desired cutoff point for the translated instrument was determined to be 44. The five-factor model by Elhai et al. and the four-factor model by King et al. fitted best, demonstrating good fit to all three fit indices, while the four-factor model and the DSM-IV three-factor model by Simms et al. only had acceptable levels of fit for root mean squared error of approximation. χ(2) difference test comparing the two better-fitting models suggests that the five-factor model by Elhai et al. has the better fit. The PCL-M (SIN) version is suitable for use in the study of PTSD in the Sri Lankan military forces, as

Check valve diagnostics utilizing acoustic and magnetic technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agostinelli, A.

1991-01-01

The potential hazards associated with check valve failures make it necessary to detect check valve problems before they cause significant damage. In the nuclear industry, check valve failures are known to have resulted in damaging water hammer conditions, overpressurization of low pressure systems, steam binding of auxiliary feedwater pumps, and other serious component damage in power plant environments. Similar problems exist in fossil power and various process industries, but the resources dedicated to valve maintenance issues are greatly reduced. However, the trend toward plant life extension, predictive maintenance, and maximum operating efficiency will raise the general awareness of check valve maintenance in commercial (non-nuclear) applications. Although this paper includes specific references to the nuclear industry, the check valve problem conditions and diagnostic techniques apply across all power and process plant environments. The ability to accurately diagnose check valve conditions using non-intrusive, predictive maintenance testing methods allows for a more cost-efficient, productive maintenance program. One particular diagnostic system, called Quickcheck trademark, assists utilities in addressing these concerns. This article presents actual field test data and analysis that demonstrate the power of check valve diagnostics. Prior to presenting the field data, a brief overview of the system is overviewed

Acceptance Test Procedure for New Pumping and Instrumentation Control Skid M

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KOCH, M.R.

1999-01-01

This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) verifies proper construction per the design drawings and tests for proper functioning of the Pumping and Instrumentation Control (PIC) skid ''M''. The Scope section lists the systems and functions to be checked. This ATP will be performed at the Site Fabrication Service's (SFS) shop upon completion of construction of the PIC skid

Acceptance Test Procedure for New Pumping Instrumentation and Control Skid ''V''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KOCH, M.R.

2000-01-01

This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) verifies proper construction per the design drawings and tests for proper functioning of the Pumping Instrumentation and Control (PIC) skid ''V''. The scope section lists the systems and functions to be checked. This ATP will be performed at the Site Fabrication Services (SFS) shop upon completion of the construction of the PIC skid

Statistical Model Checking of Rich Models and Properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Danny Bøgsted

in undecidability issues for the traditional model checking approaches. Statistical model checking has proven itself a valuable supplement to model checking and this thesis is concerned with extending this software validation technique to stochastic hybrid systems. The thesis consists of two parts: the first part...... motivates why existing model checking technology should be supplemented by new techniques. It also contains a brief introduction to probability theory and concepts covered by the six papers making up the second part. The first two papers are concerned with developing online monitoring techniques...... systems. The fifth paper shows how stochastic hybrid automata are useful for modelling biological systems and the final paper is concerned with showing how statistical model checking is efficiently distributed. In parallel with developing the theory contained in the papers, a substantial part of this work...

UTP and Temporal Logic Model Checking

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Hugh; Ciobanu, Gabriel; Freitas, Leo

In this paper we give an additional perspective to the formal verification of programs through temporal logic model checking, which uses Hoare and He Unifying Theories of Programming (UTP). Our perspective emphasizes the use of UTP designs, an alphabetised relational calculus expressed as a pre/post condition pair of relations, to verify state or temporal assertions about programs. The temporal model checking relation is derived from a satisfaction relation between the model and its properties. The contribution of this paper is that it shows a UTP perspective to temporal logic model checking. The approach includes the notion of efficiency found in traditional model checkers, which reduced a state explosion problem through the use of efficient data structures

Natural Analoges as a Check of Predicted Drift Stability at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J. Stuckless

2006-01-01

Calculations made by the U.S. Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain Project as part of the licensing of a proposed geologic repository (in southwestern Nevada) for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, predict that emplacement tunnels will remain open with little collapse long after ground support has disintegrated. This conclusion includes the effects of anticipated seismic events. Natural analogues cannot provide a quantitative test of this conclusion, but they can provide a reasonableness test by examining the natural and anthropogenic examples of stability of subterranean openings. Available data from a variety of sources, combined with limited observations by the author, show that natural underground openings tend to resist collapse for millions of years and that anthropogenic subterranean openings have remained open from before recorded history through today. This stability is true even in seismically active areas. In fact, the archaeological record is heavily skewed toward preservation of underground structures relative to those found at the surface

Natural Analoges as a Check of Predicted Drift Stability at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Stuckless

2006-03-10

Calculations made by the U.S. Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain Project as part of the licensing of a proposed geologic repository (in southwestern Nevada) for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, predict that emplacement tunnels will remain open with little collapse long after ground support has disintegrated. This conclusion includes the effects of anticipated seismic events. Natural analogues cannot provide a quantitative test of this conclusion, but they can provide a reasonableness test by examining the natural and anthropogenic examples of stability of subterranean openings. Available data from a variety of sources, combined with limited observations by the author, show that natural underground openings tend to resist collapse for millions of years and that anthropogenic subterranean openings have remained open from before recorded history through today. This stability is true even in seismically active areas. In fact, the archaeological record is heavily skewed toward preservation of underground structures relative to those found at the surface.

Coverage Metrics for Model Checking

Science.gov (United States)

Penix, John; Visser, Willem; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

When using model checking to verify programs in practice, it is not usually possible to achieve complete coverage of the system. In this position paper we describe ongoing research within the Automated Software Engineering group at NASA Ames on the use of test coverage metrics to measure partial coverage and provide heuristic guidance for program model checking. We are specifically interested in applying and developing coverage metrics for concurrent programs that might be used to support certification of next generation avionics software.

First experiences with the LHC BLM sanity checks

Science.gov (United States)

Emery, J.; Dehning, B.; Effinger, E.; Nordt, A.; Sapinski, M. G.; Zamantzas, C.

2010-12-01

The reliability concerns have driven the design of the Large Hardron Collider (LHC) Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system from the early stage of the studies up to the present commissioning and the latest development of diagnostic tools. To protect the system against non-conformities, new ways of automatic checking have been developed and implemented. These checks are regularly and systematically executed by the LHC operation team to ensure that the system status is after each test "as good as new". The sanity checks are part of this strategy. They are testing the electrical part of the detectors (ionisation chamber or secondary emission detector), their cable connections to the front-end electronics, further connections to the back-end electronics and their ability to request a beam abort. During the installation and in the early commissioning phase, these checks have shown their ability to find also non-conformities caused by unexpected failure event scenarios. In every day operation, a non-conformity discovered by this check inhibits any further injections into the LHC until the check confirms the absence of non-conformities.

First experiences with the LHC BLM sanity checks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, J; Dehning, B; Effinger, E; Nordt, A; Sapinski, M G; Zamantzas, C

2010-01-01

The reliability concerns have driven the design of the Large Hardron Collider (LHC) Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system from the early stage of the studies up to the present commissioning and the latest development of diagnostic tools. To protect the system against non-conformities, new ways of automatic checking have been developed and implemented. These checks are regularly and systematically executed by the LHC operation team to ensure that the system status is after each test a s good as new . The sanity checks are part of this strategy. They are testing the electrical part of the detectors (ionisation chamber or secondary emission detector), their cable connections to the front-end electronics, further connections to the back-end electronics and their ability to request a beam abort. During the installation and in the early commissioning phase, these checks have shown their ability to find also non-conformities caused by unexpected failure event scenarios. In every day operation, a non-conformity discovered by this check inhibits any further injections into the LHC until the check confirms the absence of non-conformities.

First experiences with the LHC BLM sanity checks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emery, J; Dehning, B; Effinger, E; Nordt, A; Sapinski, M G; Zamantzas, C, E-mail: Jonathan.emery@cern.ch [CERN, CH-1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland)

2010-12-15

The reliability concerns have driven the design of the Large Hardron Collider (LHC) Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system from the early stage of the studies up to the present commissioning and the latest development of diagnostic tools. To protect the system against non-conformities, new ways of automatic checking have been developed and implemented. These checks are regularly and systematically executed by the LHC operation team to ensure that the system status is after each test {sup a}s good as new{sup .} The sanity checks are part of this strategy. They are testing the electrical part of the detectors (ionisation chamber or secondary emission detector), their cable connections to the front-end electronics, further connections to the back-end electronics and their ability to request a beam abort. During the installation and in the early commissioning phase, these checks have shown their ability to find also non-conformities caused by unexpected failure event scenarios. In every day operation, a non-conformity discovered by this check inhibits any further injections into the LHC until the check confirms the absence of non-conformities.

Direct measurement of Cu surface self-diffusion on a checked surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cousty, Jacques; Peix, Roger; Perraillon, Bernard.

1976-01-01

A radiotracer technique ( 64 Cu) was developed to measure surface diffusion on copper surfaces of total impurity concentration not exceeding some 10 -3 monolayers. The apparatus used consists of a slow electron diffraction device, an Auger analysis spectrometer (CMA), an ion gun and an evaporation device assembled in an ultra-vacuum chamber holding a residual pressure below 10 -10 Torr. A sample handler enables the surface studied to be positioned in front of each of these instruments. During the diffusion treatment the chemical composition of the surface is checked intermittently, and afterwards the spread of the deposit is measured outside the ultravacuum chamber. Slices several microns thick are removed and dissolved separately in dishes containing HNO 3 . The activity is then measured with a flow counter [fr

Nuclear power plant control and instrumentation activities in Argentina during 1989-1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenzetti, J.R.

1992-01-01

A brief resume of the activities in the different areas of control and instrumentation is included. As there was a delay in the construction of the new power plant most of the effort were dedicated to the plants that they are in operation. It has been added instrumentation to have better information in the control room and to check new variables of the plant according with the experience learned from the operation. It was dedicated special strength in the areas of training simulators and in service inspection. (author)

Do alcohol compliance checks decrease underage sales at neighboring establishments?

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Darin J; Smolenski, Derek J; Toomey, Traci L; Carlin, Bradley P; Wagenaar, Alexander C

2013-11-01

Underage alcohol compliance checks conducted by law enforcement agencies can reduce the likelihood of illegal alcohol sales at checked alcohol establishments, and theory suggests that an alcohol establishment that is checked may warn nearby establishments that compliance checks are being conducted in the area. In this study, we examined whether the effects of compliance checks diffuse to neighboring establishments. We used data from the Complying with the Minimum Drinking Age trial, which included more than 2,000 compliance checks conducted at more than 900 alcohol establishments. The primary outcome was the sale of alcohol to a pseudo-underage buyer without the need for age identification. A multilevel logistic regression was used to model the effect of a compliance check at each establishment as well as the effect of compliance checks at neighboring establishments within 500 m (stratified into four equal-radius concentric rings), after buyer, license, establishment, and community-level variables were controlled for. We observed a decrease in the likelihood of establishments selling alcohol to underage youth after they had been checked by law enforcement, but these effects quickly decayed over time. Establishments that had a close neighbor (within 125 m) checked in the past 90 days were also less likely to sell alcohol to young-appearing buyers. The spatial effect of compliance checks on other establishments decayed rapidly with increasing distance. Results confirm the hypothesis that the effects of police compliance checks do spill over to neighboring establishments. These findings have implications for the development of an optimal schedule of police compliance checks.

Quantum Kronecker sum-product low-density parity-check codes with finite rate

Science.gov (United States)

Kovalev, Alexey A.; Pryadko, Leonid P.

2013-07-01

We introduce an ansatz for quantum codes which gives the hypergraph-product (generalized toric) codes by Tillich and Zémor and generalized bicycle codes by MacKay as limiting cases. The construction allows for both the lower and the upper bounds on the minimum distance; they scale as a square root of the block length. Many thus defined codes have a finite rate and limited-weight stabilizer generators, an analog of classical low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. Compared to the hypergraph-product codes, hyperbicycle codes generally have a wider range of parameters; in particular, they can have a higher rate while preserving the estimated error threshold.

Checking and Balancing: Banking and Budgeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Thypin, Marilyn; Glasner, Lynne

A short fictional work for limited English speakers is presented that relates a young couple's experience in learning about managing their money more carefully by budgeting and maintaining a checking account. Since the couple did not have a checking account, they had to go to their savings bank in order to pay each bill and they had to keep cash…

Glovebox pressure relief and check valve

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blaedel, K.L.

1986-03-17

This device is a combined pressure relief valve and check valve providing overpressure protection and preventing back flow into an inert atmosphere enclosure. The pressure relief is embodied by a submerged vent line in a mercury reservior, the releif pressure being a function of the submerged depth. The pressure relief can be vented into an exhaust system and the relieving pressure is only slightly influenced by the varying pressure in the exhaust system. The check valve is embodied by a ball which floats on the mercury column and contacts a seat whenever vacuum exists within the glovebox enclosure. Alternatively, the check valve is embodied by a vertical column of mercury, the maximum back pressure being a function of the height of the column of mercury.

Glovebox pressure relief and check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blaedel, K.L.

1986-01-01

This device is a combined pressure relief valve and check valve providing overpressure protection and preventing back flow into an inert atmosphere enclosure. The pressure relief is embodied by a submerged vent line in a mercury reservior, the releif pressure being a function of the submerged depth. The pressure relief can be vented into an exhaust system and the relieving pressure is only slightly influenced by the varying pressure in the exhaust system. The check valve is embodied by a ball which floats on the mercury column and contacts a seat whenever vacuum exists within the glovebox enclosure. Alternatively, the check valve is embodied by a vertical column of mercury, the maximum back pressure being a function of the height of the column of mercury

Repeated checking induces uncertainty about future threat

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giele, C.L.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/318754460; Engelhard, I.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/239681533; van den Hout, M.A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/070445354; Dek, E.C.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/313959552; Damstra, Marianne; Douma, Ellen

2015-01-01

Studies have shown that obsessive-compulsive (OC) -like repeated checking paradoxically increases memory uncertainty. This study tested if checking also induces uncertainty about future threat by impairing the distinction between danger and safety cues. Participants (n = 54) engaged in a simulated

Periodic oscillation and exponential stability of delayed CNNs

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Jinde

2000-05-01

Both the global exponential stability and the periodic oscillation of a class of delayed cellular neural networks (DCNNs) is further studied in this Letter. By applying some new analysis techniques and constructing suitable Lyapunov functionals, some simple and new sufficient conditions are given ensuring global exponential stability and the existence of periodic oscillatory solution of DCNNs. These conditions can be applied to design globally exponentially stable DCNNs and periodic oscillatory DCNNs and easily checked in practice by simple algebraic methods. These play an important role in the design and applications of DCNNs.

COUNTERMAJORITARIAN INSTITUTIONS IN THE RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION OF 1993 AS AN INSTRUMENT ENSURING CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL STABILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Shakhray

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article enriches the discussion on the legal reasons and conditions fostering the viability of democratic constitutions by analyzing the rich experience of the Russian Constitution of 1993. Particular attention is paid to the concept of countermajoritarian institutions. The authors elaborate the idea that countermajoritarian institutions can play an important role in ensuring the viability (put in other terms, the proper balance between stability, adaptability, and dynamic development of modern democratic constitutions as well as political regimes.The article presents evidence-based data showing that the President and the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation systematically acted as countermajoritarian institutions at the initial stage of the implementation of the “blueprint for the future” set down in the 1993 Russian Constitution. As a result of the activities of these institutions, strong legal frameworks were created that are necessary for the establishment of anew constitutional system of the Russian state and law.Today, the Russian Constitution of 1993 is one of the longest lasting democratic constitutions in the world (the average “life expectancy” of democratic constitutions adopted over the past 250 years is about seventeen years. The study of the countermajoritarian provisions in the 1993 Russian Constitution is of both theoretical and practical importance. In particular, the results of the study can be useful in creating efficient legal instruments for the maintenance of political stability and social development management both within sovereign states and within interstate communities.

Inkjet 3D printed check microvalve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walczak, Rafał; Adamski, Krzysztof; Lizanets, Danylo

2017-01-01

3D printing enables fast and relatively easy fabrication of various microfluidic structures including microvalves. A check microvalve is the simplest valve enabling control of the fluid flow in microchannels. Proper operation of the check valve is ensured by a movable element that tightens the valve seat during backward flow and enables free flow for forward pressure. Thus, knowledge of the mechanical properties of the movable element is crucial for optimal design and operation of the valve. In this paper, we present for the first time the results of investigations on basic mechanical properties of the building material used in multijet 3D printing. Specified mechanical properties were used in the design and fabrication of two types of check microvalve—with deflecting or hinge-fixed microflap—with 200 µ m and 300 µ m thickness. Results of numerical simulation and experimental data of the microflap deflection were obtained and compared. The valves were successfully 3D printed and characterised. Opening/closing characteristics of the microvalve for forward and backward pressures were determined. Thus, proper operation of the check microvalve so developed was confirmed. (technical note)

Systematic Review of the Check-In, Check-Out Intervention for Students at Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Hawken, Leanne S.; Bundock, Kaitlin; Kladis, Kristin; O'Keeffe, Breda; Barret, Courtenay A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this systematic literature review was to summarize outcomes of the Check-in Check-out (CICO) intervention across elementary and secondary settings. Twenty-eight studies utilizing both single subject and group (experimental and quasi-experimental) designs were included in this review. Median effect sizes across the eight group…

Neighborhood Disadvantage, Residential Stability, and Perceptions of Instrumental Support among New Mothers

Science.gov (United States)

Turney, Kristin; Harknett, Kristen

2010-01-01

Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey (N = 4,211), this study examines neighborhood disadvantage and perceptions of instrumental support among mothers with young children. The authors find that (a) living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with less instrumental support, particularly financial…

Next-generation nozzle check valve significantly reduces operating costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roorda, O. [SMX International, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2009-01-15

Check valves perform an important function in preventing reverse flow and protecting plant and mechanical equipment. However, the variety of different types of valves and extreme differences in performance even within one type can change maintenance requirements and life cycle costs, amounting to millions of dollars over the typical 15-year design life of piping components. A next-generation non-slam nozzle check valve which prevents return flow has greatly reduced operating costs by protecting the mechanical equipment in a piping system. This article described the check valve varieties such as the swing check valve, a dual-plate check valve, and nozzle check valves. Advancements in optimized design of a non-slam nozzle check valve were also discussed, with particular reference to computer flow modelling such as computational fluid dynamics; computer stress modelling such as finite element analysis; and flow testing (using rapid prototype development and flow loop testing), both to improve dynamic performance and reduce hydraulic losses. The benefits of maximized dynamic performance and minimized pressure loss from the new designed valve were also outlined. It was concluded that this latest non-slam nozzle check valve design has potential applications in natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and oil pipelines, including subsea applications, as well as refineries, and petrochemical plants among others, and is suitable for horizontal and vertical installation. The result of this next-generation nozzle check valve design is not only superior performance, and effective protection of mechanical equipment but also minimized life cycle costs. 1 fig.

Experimental Facility for Checking the Possibility to Obtain Super-High Temperature Due to Acoustic Cavitation

CERN Document Server

Miller, M B; Sobolev, Yu G; Kostenko, B F

2004-01-01

An experimental facility developed for checking the possibility to obtain super-high temperature sufficient for thermonuclear reaction D($d, n$)$^{3}$He in an acoustic cavitation is described. The acoustic part of the instrumentation consists of a resonator and a system exciting high amplitude of the acoustic field within the resonator. The cavitation process is controlled with the use of fast neutron pulses. The instrument includes a system of pumping out solute gases from the liquid (acetone enriched with deuterium up to 99{\\%}) without losses of matter. Measuring of the field is based on the calibration procedure including observation of sonoluminescence. The system of detection and identification of D($d, n$)$^{3}$He reaction is based on a scintillation detector of fast neutrons and a system of measuring multiparameter events by the correlation technique with separation of the neutrons from the $\\gamma $-radiation background (pulse shape discrimination).

Principle and opening-closing character analysis of DC check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Xu; Zhou Yu

2006-01-01

When the behaviour of main pump in PWR power plant change, as a result of arresting fluid countercurrent current by check valve, water hammer phenomena met occur more or less in loop. Serious water hammer not only met brought incident of over pressure, imperil pressure boundary, but also may engender check valve lapse. DC check valve is a kind of new theory check valve, is designed to avoid serious water hammer phenomena at tradition check valve closing, the analyses and experiment indicate that DC check valve can availably solve water hammer problem in the loop, and be able to reliably prevent fluid countercurrent. (authors)

The use of check valve performance data to support new concepts (probabilistic risk assessment, condition monitoring) for check valve program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hart, K.A.; Gower, D.

1996-12-01

The concept of developing an integrated check valve database based on the Nuclear Power Reliability Data System (NPRDS) data was presented at the last Symposium. The Nuclear Industry Check Valve Group (NIC), working in cooperation with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has completed an operational database of check valve performance from 1984 to the present. NIC has committed to the nuclear industry to periodically update the data and maintain this information accessible. As the new concepts of probabilistic risk analysis and condition monitoring are integrated into the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code, a critical element will be performance data. From check valve performance data, feasible failure modes and rates can be established. When a failure rate or frequency of failures can be established based on a significant enough population (sampling), a more solid foundation for focusing resources and determining appropriate frequencies and testing can be determined. The presentation will give the updated status of the NIC Check Valve Performance Database covering (1) methodology used to combine the original ORNL data; (2) process/controls established for continuing update and refinement of the data; (3) discussion of how this data is being utilized by (a) OM-22 for condition monitoring, and (b) risk-based inservice testing work of Westinghouse Owners` Group; and (4) results/trends of data evaluations. At the 1994 Symposium, ORNL provided an update as of 1991 to their original work of 1984 -1990 which they had performed to characterize check valve degradations and failures in the nuclear industry. These characterizations will be updated to 1995 and additional reviews provided to give insight into the current condition and trends of check valve performance.

The use of check valve performance data to support new concepts (probabilistic risk assessment, condition monitoring) for check valve program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, K.A.; Gower, D.

1996-01-01

The concept of developing an integrated check valve database based on the Nuclear Power Reliability Data System (NPRDS) data was presented at the last Symposium. The Nuclear Industry Check Valve Group (NIC), working in cooperation with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has completed an operational database of check valve performance from 1984 to the present. NIC has committed to the nuclear industry to periodically update the data and maintain this information accessible. As the new concepts of probabilistic risk analysis and condition monitoring are integrated into the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code, a critical element will be performance data. From check valve performance data, feasible failure modes and rates can be established. When a failure rate or frequency of failures can be established based on a significant enough population (sampling), a more solid foundation for focusing resources and determining appropriate frequencies and testing can be determined. The presentation will give the updated status of the NIC Check Valve Performance Database covering (1) methodology used to combine the original ORNL data; (2) process/controls established for continuing update and refinement of the data; (3) discussion of how this data is being utilized by (a) OM-22 for condition monitoring, and (b) risk-based inservice testing work of Westinghouse Owners' Group; and (4) results/trends of data evaluations. At the 1994 Symposium, ORNL provided an update as of 1991 to their original work of 1984 -1990 which they had performed to characterize check valve degradations and failures in the nuclear industry. These characterizations will be updated to 1995 and additional reviews provided to give insight into the current condition and trends of check valve performance

Global robust exponential stability analysis for interval recurrent neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Shengyuan; Lam, James; Ho, Daniel W.C.; Zou Yun

2004-01-01

This Letter investigates the problem of robust global exponential stability analysis for interval recurrent neural networks (RNNs) via the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. The values of the time-invariant uncertain parameters are assumed to be bounded within given compact sets. An improved condition for the existence of a unique equilibrium point and its global exponential stability of RNNs with known parameters is proposed. Based on this, a sufficient condition for the global robust exponential stability for interval RNNs is obtained. Both of the conditions are expressed in terms of LMIs, which can be checked easily by various recently developed convex optimization algorithms. Examples are provided to demonstrate the reduced conservatism of the proposed exponential stability condition

Partial-order reduction for GPU model checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neele, T.S.; Wijs, A.J.; Bošnački, D.; van de Pol, J.C.

2016-01-01

Model checking using GPUs has seen increased popularity over the last years. Because GPUs have a limited amount of memory, only small to medium-sized systems can be verified. For on-the-fly explicitstate model checking, we improve memory efficiency by applying partialorder reduction. We propose

40 CFR 89.317 - NOX converter check.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false NOX converter check. 89.317 Section 89.317 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED..., the chemiluminescent oxides of nitrogen analyzer shall be checked for NO2 to NO converter efficiency...

Assessment of check-dam groundwater recharge with water-balance calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Djuma, Hakan; Bruggeman, Adriana; Camera, Corrado; Eliades, Marinos

2017-04-01

Studies on the enhancement of groundwater recharge by check-dams in arid and semi-arid environments mainly focus on deriving water infiltration rates from the check-dam ponding areas. This is usually achieved by applying simple water balance models, more advanced models (e.g., two dimensional groundwater models) and field tests (e.g., infiltrometer test or soil pit tests). Recharge behind the check-dam can be affected by the built-up of sediment as a result of erosion in the upstream watershed area. This natural process can increase the uncertainty in the estimates of the recharged water volume, especially for water balance calculations. Few water balance field studies of individual check-dams have been presented in the literature and none of them presented associated uncertainties of their estimates. The objectives of this study are i) to assess the effect of a check-dam on groundwater recharge from an ephemeral river; and ii) to assess annual sedimentation at the check-dam during a 4-year period. The study was conducted on a check-dam in the semi-arid island of Cyprus. Field campaigns were carried out to measure water flow, water depth and check-dam topography in order to establish check-dam water height, volume, evaporation, outflow and recharge relations. Topographic surveys were repeated at the end of consecutive hydrological years to estimate the sediment built up in the reservoir area of the check dam. Also, sediment samples were collected from the check-dam reservoir area for bulk-density analyses. To quantify the groundwater recharge, a water balance model was applied at two locations: at the check-dam and corresponding reservoir area, and at a 4-km stretch of the river bed without check-dam. Results showed that a check-dam with a storage capacity of 25,000 m3 was able to recharge to the aquifer, in four years, a total of 12 million m3 out of the 42 million m3 of measured (or modelled) streamflow. Recharge from the analyzed 4-km long river section without

Design Through Integration of On-Board Calibration Device with Imaging Spectroscopy Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Stange, Michael

2012-01-01

The main purpose of the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy (AVIRIS) project is to "identify, measure, and monitor constituents of the Earth's surface and atmosphere based on molecular absorption and particle scattering signatures." The project designs, builds, and tests various imaging spectroscopy instruments that use On-Board Calibration devices (OBC) to check the accuracy of the data collected by the spectrometers. The imaging instrument records the spectral signatures of light collected during flight. To verify the data is correct, the OBC shines light which is collected by the imaging spectrometer and compared against previous calibration data to track spectral response changes in the instrument. The spectral data has the calibration applied to it based on the readings from the OBC data in order to ensure accuracy.

AUTOMATED HOTEL CHECK-IN SERTA DAMPAKNYA PADA TENAGA KERJA LOKAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ni Gusti Nyoman Suci Murni

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The tourism sector is one of the most heavily influenced sectors of information technology. Hotels that are a component of tourism cannot be separated from these influences, especially in information services, room reservations, check-in / check-out service, and other services. With the sophistication of information technology, everyone can access any information, from anywhere; at a very cheap price even every country provides free facilities for that purpose. This study uses qualitative methods where the data source obtained by looking for some libraries related to self check-in. The results show that there are some differences that applied between the check-in manual and self check-in, and the impact caused by the application of self check-in. The positive impact of self check-in are speeding up the check-in process, saving payrolls, simplifying services, simplifying reporting, and saving time. While the negative impacts such as reducing employment in developing countries, reducing social communication / human touch, reducing the understanding of cross cultural understanding, allowing the occurrence of crime (cyber crime as well as very expensive initial cost.

CARMENES instrument overview

Science.gov (United States)

Quirrenbach, A.; Amado, P. J.; Caballero, J. A.; Mundt, R.; Reiners, A.; Ribas, I.; Seifert, W.; Abril, M.; Aceituno, J.; Alonso-Floriano, F. J.; Ammler-von Eiff, M.; Antona Jiménez, R.; Anwand-Heerwart, H.; Azzaro, M.; Bauer, F.; Barrado, D.; Becerril, S.; Béjar, V. J. S.; Benítez, D.; Berdiñas, Z. M.; Cárdenas, M. C.; Casal, E.; Claret, A.; Colomé, J.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Czesla, S.; Doellinger, M.; Dreizler, S.; Feiz, C.; Fernández, M.; Galadí, D.; Gálvez-Ortiz, M. C.; García-Piquer, A.; García-Vargas, M. L.; Garrido, R.; Gesa, L.; Gómez Galera, V.; González Álvarez, E.; González Hernández, J. I.; Grözinger, U.; Guàrdia, J.; Guenther, E. W.; de Guindos, E.; Gutiérrez-Soto, J.; Hagen, H.-J.; Hatzes, A. P.; Hauschildt, P. H.; Helmling, J.; Henning, T.; Hermann, D.; Hernández Castaño, L.; Herrero, E.; Hidalgo, D.; Holgado, G.; Huber, A.; Huber, K. F.; Jeffers, S.; Joergens, V.; de Juan, E.; Kehr, M.; Klein, R.; Kürster, M.; Lamert, A.; Lalitha, S.; Laun, W.; Lemke, U.; Lenzen, R.; López del Fresno, Mauro; López Martí, B.; López-Santiago, J.; Mall, U.; Mandel, H.; Martín, E. L.; Martín-Ruiz, S.; Martínez-Rodríguez, H.; Marvin, C. J.; Mathar, R. J.; Mirabet, E.; Montes, D.; Morales Muñoz, R.; Moya, A.; Naranjo, V.; Ofir, A.; Oreiro, R.; Pallé, E.; Panduro, J.; Passegger, V.-M.; Pérez-Calpena, A.; Pérez Medialdea, D.; Perger, M.; Pluto, M.; Ramón, A.; Rebolo, R.; Redondo, P.; Reffert, S.; Reinhardt, S.; Rhode, P.; Rix, H.-W.; Rodler, F.; Rodríguez, E.; Rodríguez-López, C.; Rodríguez-Pérez, E.; Rohloff, R.-R.; Rosich, A.; Sánchez-Blanco, E.; Sánchez Carrasco, M. A.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Sarmiento, L. F.; Schäfer, S.; Schiller, J.; Schmidt, C.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.; Solano, E.; Stahl, O.; Storz, C.; Stürmer, J.; Suárez, J. C.; Ulbrich, R. G.; Veredas, G.; Wagner, K.; Winkler, J.; Zapatero Osorio, M. R.; Zechmeister, M.; Abellán de Paco, F. J.; Anglada-Escudé, G.; del Burgo, C.; Klutsch, A.; Lizon, J. L.; López-Morales, M.; Morales, J. C.; Perryman, M. A. C.; Tulloch, S. M.; Xu, W.

2014-07-01

This paper gives an overview of the CARMENES instrument and of the survey that will be carried out with it during the first years of operation. CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) is a next-generation radial-velocity instrument under construction for the 3.5m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory by a consortium of eleven Spanish and German institutions. The scientific goal of the project is conducting a 600-night exoplanet survey targeting ~ 300 M dwarfs with the completed instrument. The CARMENES instrument consists of two separate echelle spectrographs covering the wavelength range from 0.55 to 1.7 μm at a spectral resolution of R = 82,000, fed by fibers from the Cassegrain focus of the telescope. The spectrographs are housed in vacuum tanks providing the temperature-stabilized environments necessary to enable a 1 m/s radial velocity precision employing a simultaneous calibration with an emission-line lamp or with a Fabry-Perot etalon. For mid-M to late-M spectral types, the wavelength range around 1.0 μm (Y band) is the most important wavelength region for radial velocity work. Therefore, the efficiency of CARMENES has been optimized in this range. The CARMENES instrument consists of two spectrographs, one equipped with a 4k x 4k pixel CCD for the range 0.55 - 1.05 μm, and one with two 2k x 2k pixel HgCdTe detectors for the range from 0.95 - 1.7μm. Each spectrograph will be coupled to the 3.5m telescope with two optical fibers, one for the target, and one for calibration light. The front end contains a dichroic beam splitter and an atmospheric dispersion corrector, to feed the light into the fibers leading to the spectrographs. Guiding is performed with a separate camera; on-axis as well as off-axis guiding modes are implemented. Fibers with octagonal cross-section are employed to ensure good stability of the output in the presence of residual guiding errors. The

SPEED ROLLER STAND MEASUREMENT SYSTEM CHECKING TECHNIQUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Zybtsev

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The study has shown that the accuracy of brakes checking by inertial stands depends upon the applied methods of measurement of braking parameters (stand slowing down, braking distance, brakes triggering time, current speed as well as the methods of metrological checking of measuring system canals.

Partial-Order Reduction for GPU Model Checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neele, T.; Wijs, A.; Bosnacki, D.; van de Pol, Jan Cornelis; Artho, C; Legay, A.; Peled, D.

2016-01-01

Model checking using GPUs has seen increased popularity over the last years. Because GPUs have a limited amount of memory, only small to medium-sized systems can be verified. For on-the-fly explicit-state model checking, we improve memory efficiency by applying partial-order reduction. We propose

40 CFR 86.327-79 - Quench checks; NOX analyzer.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... any flow rate into the reaction chamber. This includes, but is not limited to, sample capillary, ozone... Quench checks; NOX analyzer. (a) Perform the reaction chamber quench check for each model of high vacuum reaction chamber analyzer prior to initial use. (b) Perform the reaction chamber quench check for each new...

Studies on {sup 63}Ni based check-light sources for TL readers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagpal, J.S.; Venkataraman, G. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Radiation Protection Services Div.; Udhayakyumar, J. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology; Page, A.G. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Radiochemistry Div.

1995-12-31

The performance of indigenously produced, electrodeposited {sup 63}Ni sources having 10 mm x 10 mm active area and individually coupled to a plastic scintillator has been studied. TL phosphors such as CaF{sub 2}, CaF{sub 2}:Dy, CaF{sub 2}:Tm, CaF{sub 2}:Eu, TLD-100 and CaSO{sub 4}:Dy with {sup 63}Ni have been studied for their possible use as check-light sources for testing TL readers. Stability at ambient temperatures (298-323 K), build-up and decrease of light output with time have been examined. A preliminary study of the fluorescent species in the gamma irradiated plastic scintillator has been made. (author).

NRC valve performance test program - check valve testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeanmougin, N.M.

1987-01-01

The Valve Performance Test Program addresses the current requirements for testing of pressure isolation valves (PIVs) in light water reactors. Leak rate monitoring is the current method used by operating commercial power plants to survey the condition of their PIVs. ETEC testing of three check valves (4-inch, 6-inch, and 12-inch nominal diameters) indicates that leak rate testing is not a reliable method for detecting impending valve failure. Acoustic emission monitoring of check valves shows promise as a method of detecting loosened internals damage. Future efforts will focus on evaluation of acoustic emission monitoring as a technique for determining check valve condition. Three gate valves also will be tested to evaluate whether the check valve results are applicable to gate type PIVs

Engineering Abstractions in Model Checking and Testing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Achenbach, Michael; Ostermann, Klaus

2009-01-01

Abstractions are used in model checking to tackle problems like state space explosion or modeling of IO. The application of these abstractions in real software development processes, however, lacks engineering support. This is one reason why model checking is not widely used in practice yet...... and testing is still state of the art in falsification. We show how user-defined abstractions can be integrated into a Java PathFinder setting with tools like AspectJ or Javassist and discuss implications of remaining weaknesses of these tools. We believe that a principled engineering approach to designing...... and implementing abstractions will improve the applicability of model checking in practice....

Stability analysis of fuzzy parametric uncertain systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhiwani, R J; Patre, B M

2011-10-01

In this paper, the determination of stability margin, gain and phase margin aspects of fuzzy parametric uncertain systems are dealt. The stability analysis of uncertain linear systems with coefficients described by fuzzy functions is studied. A complexity reduced technique for determining the stability margin for FPUS is proposed. The method suggested is dependent on the order of the characteristic polynomial. In order to find the stability margin of interval polynomials of order less than 5, it is not always necessary to determine and check all four Kharitonov's polynomials. It has been shown that, for determining stability margin of FPUS of order five, four, and three we require only 3, 2, and 1 Kharitonov's polynomials respectively. Only for sixth and higher order polynomials, a complete set of Kharitonov's polynomials are needed to determine the stability margin. Thus for lower order systems, the calculations are reduced to a large extent. This idea has been extended to determine the stability margin of fuzzy interval polynomials. It is also shown that the gain and phase margin of FPUS can be determined analytically without using graphical techniques. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

12 CFR 229.36 - Presentment and issuance of checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Section 229.36 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND COLLECTION OF CHECKS (REGULATION CC) Collection of Checks § 229... on the check, whether in magnetic ink or in fractional form; (3) At any branch or head office, if the...

FIZCON, ENDF/B Cross-Sections Redundancy Check

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunford, Charles L.

2007-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: FIZCON is a program for checking that an evaluated data file has valid data and conforms to recommended procedures. Version 7.01 (April 2005): set success flag after return from beginning; fixed valid level check for an isomer; fixed subsection energy range test in ckf9; changed lower limit on potential scattering test; fixed error in j-value test when l=0 and i=0; added one more significant figure to union grid check and sum up output messages; partial fission cross sections mt=19,20,21 and 38 did not require secondary energy distributions in file 5; corrected product test for elastic scattering; moved potential scattering test to psyche. Version 7.02 (May 2005): Fixed resonance parameter sum test. 2 - Method of solution: FIZCON can recognise the difference between ENDF-6 and ENDF-5 formats and performs its tests accordingly. Some of the tests performed include: data arrays are in increasing energy order; resonance parameter widths add up to the total; Q-values are reasonable and consistent; no required sections are missing and all cover the proper energy range; secondary distributions are normalized to 1.0; energy conservation in decay spectra. Optional tests can be performed to check the redundant cross sections, and algorithms can be used to check for possible incorrect entry of data values (Deviant Point test)

Calibration of radiation protection area monitoring instruments in Sudan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suliman, I.I.; Youssif, B.E.; Beineen, A.A.; Hassan, M.

2010-01-01

This article presents results of measurements for the calibration of radiation protection area monitoring instruments carried out during the period 2006-2008 at Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory of Sudan. The work performed included quality assurance measurements, measurements for the dosimeter calibrations and uncertainty analysis. Calibrations were performed using 137 Cs gamma ray sources produced by OB 85 and OB 34/1 gamma calibrators producing air kerma rate that ranged from 10 μGy/h to 50 mGy/h. Area monitoring instruments were calibrated in terms of ambient dose equivalent, H*(10) derived using air kerma to ambient dose equivalent conversion coefficients. Results are presented for 78 area monitoring instruments representing most commonly used types in Sudan. Radioactive check source measurements for the reference chamber showed deviation within 1% limit. The accuracy in the beam output measurements was within 5% internationally considered as acceptable. The results highlighted the importance of radiation protection calibrations. Regulations are further need to ensure safety aspect really meet the required international standards.

[Memory Checking Tests].

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Joseph T.

Two basic tests for checking memory skills are included in these appendices. The first, the General Information Test, uses the same 150 items for each of its two versions. One version is a completion-type test which measures recall by requiring the examinee to supply a specific response. The other version supplements each of the 150 items with…

Check Sample Abstracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Alter, David; Grenache, David G; Bosler, David S; Karcher, Raymond E; Nichols, James; Rajadhyaksha, Aparna; Camelo-Piragua, Sandra; Rauch, Carol; Huddleston, Brent J; Frank, Elizabeth L; Sluss, Patrick M; Lewandrowski, Kent; Eichhorn, John H; Hall, Janet E; Rahman, Saud S; McPherson, Richard A; Kiechle, Frederick L; Hammett-Stabler, Catherine; Pierce, Kristin A; Kloehn, Erica A; Thomas, Patricia A; Walts, Ann E; Madan, Rashna; Schlesinger, Kathie; Nawgiri, Ranjana; Bhutani, Manoop; Kanber, Yonca; Abati, Andrea; Atkins, Kristen A; Farrar, Robert; Gopez, Evelyn Valencerina; Jhala, Darshana; Griffin, Sonya; Jhala, Khushboo; Jhala, Nirag; Bentz, Joel S; Emerson, Lyska; Chadwick, Barbara E; Barroeta, Julieta E; Baloch, Zubair W; Collins, Brian T; Middleton, Owen L; Davis, Gregory G; Haden-Pinneri, Kathryn; Chu, Albert Y; Keylock, Joren B; Ramoso, Robert; Thoene, Cynthia A; Stewart, Donna; Pierce, Arand; Barry, Michelle; Aljinovic, Nika; Gardner, David L; Barry, Michelle; Shields, Lisa B E; Arnold, Jack; Stewart, Donna; Martin, Erica L; Rakow, Rex J; Paddock, Christopher; Zaki, Sherif R; Prahlow, Joseph A; Stewart, Donna; Shields, Lisa B E; Rolf, Cristin M; Falzon, Andrew L; Hudacki, Rachel; Mazzella, Fermina M; Bethel, Melissa; Zarrin-Khameh, Neda; Gresik, M Vicky; Gill, Ryan; Karlon, William; Etzell, Joan; Deftos, Michael; Karlon, William J; Etzell, Joan E; Wang, Endi; Lu, Chuanyi M; Manion, Elizabeth; Rosenthal, Nancy; Wang, Endi; Lu, Chuanyi M; Tang, Patrick; Petric, Martin; Schade, Andrew E; Hall, Geraldine S; Oethinger, Margret; Hall, Geraldine; Picton, Avis R; Hoang, Linda; Imperial, Miguel Ranoa; Kibsey, Pamela; Waites, Ken; Duffy, Lynn; Hall, Geraldine S; Salangsang, Jo-Anne M; Bravo, Lulette Tricia C; Oethinger, Margaret D; Veras, Emanuela; Silva, Elvia; Vicens, Jimena; Silva, Elvio; Keylock, Joren; Hempel, James; Rushing, Elizabeth; Posligua, Lorena E; Deavers, Michael T; Nash, Jason W; Basturk, Olca; Perle, Mary Ann; Greco, Alba; Lee, Peng; Maru, Dipen; Weydert, Jamie Allen; Stevens, Todd M; Brownlee, Noel A; Kemper, April E; Williams, H James; Oliverio, Brock J; Al-Agha, Osama M; Eskue, Kyle L; Newlands, Shawn D; Eltorky, Mahmoud A; Puri, Puja K; Royer, Michael C; Rush, Walter L; Tavora, Fabio; Galvin, Jeffrey R; Franks, Teri J; Carter, James Elliot; Kahn, Andrea Graciela; Lozada Muñoz, Luis R; Houghton, Dan; Land, Kevin J; Nester, Theresa; Gildea, Jacob; Lefkowitz, Jerry; Lacount, Rachel A; Thompson, Hannis W; Refaai, Majed A; Quillen, Karen; Lopez, Ana Ortega; Goldfinger, Dennis; Muram, Talia; Thompson, Hannis

2009-02-01

The following abstracts are compiled from Check Sample exercises published in 2008. These peer-reviewed case studies assist laboratory professionals with continuing medical education and are developed in the areas of clinical chemistry, cytopathology, forensic pathology, hematology, microbiology, surgical pathology, and transfusion medicine. Abstracts for all exercises published in the program will appear annually in AJCP.

Globally exponential stability condition of a class of neural networks with time-varying delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, T.-L.; Yan, J.-J.; Cheng, C.-J.; Hwang, C.-C.

2005-01-01

In this Letter, the globally exponential stability for a class of neural networks including Hopfield neural networks and cellular neural networks with time-varying delays is investigated. Based on the Lyapunov stability method, a novel and less conservative exponential stability condition is derived. The condition is delay-dependent and easily applied only by checking the Hamiltonian matrix with no eigenvalues on the imaginary axis instead of directly solving an algebraic Riccati equation. Furthermore, the exponential stability degree is more easily assigned than those reported in the literature. Some examples are given to demonstrate validity and excellence of the presented stability condition herein

Some criteria for robust stability of Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Weili; Xu Baoguo

2008-01-01

This paper considers the problem of robust stability of Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with time-varying delays. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique, some sufficient conditions are derived to ensure the global robust convergence of the equilibrium point. The proposed LMI conditions can be checked easily by recently developed algorithms solving LMIs. Comparisons between our results and previous results admits our results establish a new set of stability criteria for delayed Cohen-Grossberg neural networks. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of our results

Implementing Model-Check for Employee and Management Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Corey; LaPha, Steven

2013-01-01

This presentation will discuss methods to which ModelCheck can be implemented to not only improve model quality, but also satisfy both employees and management through different sets of quality checks. This approach allows a standard set of modeling practices to be upheld throughout a company, with minimal interaction required by the end user. The presenter will demonstrate how to create multiple ModelCheck standards, preventing users from evading the system, and how it can improve the quality of drawings and models.

Stability characteristics of the 500 mw Indian PFBR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anuraj Vijayan L.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available After the successful operation of the fast breeder test reactor for over two decades, India is now nearing the completion of a 500 MW (electrical prototype fast breeder reactor. This commercial scale power reactor is a sodium-cooled, pool-type, mixed-oxide fuelled fast reactor. The stability characteristics of the reactor are an important safety aspect to be studied. In the present work, linear stability of the prototype fast breeder reactor analysis is carried out using the transfer function method, while the stability of the system is checked via the Nyquist criteria. For the completeness of the study, transient analysis with various kinds of reactivity perturbations was carried out. The response of the system in both cases indicated that the system is stable.

Family Triad Systemic Scale: An Instrument for Assessment of Relationships between Couple and Families of Origin

OpenAIRE

مونا چراغی; محمدعلی مظاهری; فرشته موتابی; لیلی پناغی; منصوره السادات صادقی; خدیجه سلمانی

2017-01-01

Because of noticeable role of relationships with in-laws in prediction of marital adjustment and satisfaction in Iran, it is necessary to provide an instrument based on Family Triad Systemic Model (FTSM) to assess the relationships between couple and two original families. The objective of present study was providing the instrument and checking the psychometric properties of it. An item pool (107 items) was created by using other related tools, interviews by experts and married people. Then 4...

Microprocessor-based, on-line decision aid for resolving conflicting nuclear reactor instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alesso, H.P.

1981-01-01

We describe one design for a microprocessor-based, on-line decision aid for identifying and resolving false, conflicting, or misleading instrument indications resulting from certain systems interactions for a pressurized water reactor. The system processes sensor signals from groups of instruments that track together under nominal transient and certain accident conditions, and alarms when they do not track together. We examine multiple-casualty systems interaction and formulate a trial grouping of variables that track together under specified conditions. A two-of-three type redundancy check of key variables provides alarm and indication of conflicting information when one signal suddenly tracks in opposition due to multiple casualty, instrument failure, and/or locally abnormal conditions. Since a vote count of two of three variables in conflict as inconclusive evidence, the system is not designed to provide tripping or corrective action, but improves the operator/instrument interface by providing additional and partially digested information

Ares I Scale Model Acoustic Tests Instrumentation for Acoustic and Pressure Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, Magda B.; Counter, Douglas D.

2011-01-01

The Ares I Scale Model Acoustic Test (ASMAT) was a development test performed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) East Test Area (ETA) Test Stand 116. The test article included a 5% scale Ares I vehicle model and tower mounted on the Mobile Launcher. Acoustic and pressure data were measured by approximately 200 instruments located throughout the test article. There were four primary ASMAT instrument suites: ignition overpressure (IOP), lift-off acoustics (LOA), ground acoustics (GA), and spatial correlation (SC). Each instrumentation suite incorporated different sensor models which were selected based upon measurement requirements. These requirements included the type of measurement, exposure to the environment, instrumentation check-outs and data acquisition. The sensors were attached to the test article using different mounts and brackets dependent upon the location of the sensor. This presentation addresses the observed effect of the sensors and mounts on the acoustic and pressure measurements.

The criticality check and its applicability for nuclear material accounting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez Espinoza, V.H.; Adam, E.; Knorr, J.

1988-01-01

Different procedures are used by the realization of nuclear material check by the IAEA. The criticality check belongs to these methods and it appropriates especially to verification of the nuclear material inventory of reactors. General aspects of the applicability of this check procedure are formulated and application criteria are deduced. By the example of solid-moderated homogeneous zero-power reactors it is demonstrated the unsecurity which is to be reckoned by applying the criticality check. Finally a possibility for the reduction of errors in core material determination by additional measuring methods without questioning the criticality check method is presented. (author)

RISKS AND CONSTRAINTS FOR THE MONETARY STABILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camelia MILEA

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Starting from the definition according to which monetary stability requires an appropriate level of liquidity in an economy with dynamic objectives, of growth and job creation, non-inflationary in terms of price stability, based on the analysis of the effects of some relevant economic phenomena and on the economic literature, in this article, the author has highlighted some of the risks to monetary stability. One of the major risks is represented by the loss of its instruments, i.e. the instruments for liquidity management, through monetary and exchange rate policies. Another important risk is represented by the capital fluctuation due to various shocks: exchange rate, political, financial and capital account liberalization. Also, as a result of the analysis of relevant studies and of the effects of the European integration in terms of monetary stability, the author has shown the elements on which depends monetary stability. Among these, there are: the existence of an institutional framework with a clear goal and a proper degree of responsibility, strong operational independence of monetary policy, monetary policy implementation with a view to ensuring an appropriate balance between discipline and discretion, the level of the interest rate of monetary policy, the efficiency of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy, the existence of a viable and stable financial system, the existence of enough instruments at hand for the central bank, the structure and soundness of the financial and banking system. The paper is a capitalization of the research project “Global Risks for the Financial and Monetary Stability. Implications for Romania and European Union” elaborated in 2013, at “Victor Slăvescu” Centre for Financial and Monetary Research.

Calibration and check light source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nejedla, B; Krotil, J

1979-02-15

The light source is designed for calibrating photomultipliers and checking the function of the thermoluminescent dosemeters evaluation equipment. The check light source consists of a polymer material-based (polyvinyl toluene) plastic scintillator and a 2-phenyl-5-(4-bisphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol and/or paraterphenyl activator, and of emission spectrum shifters for response in the green and the blue light regions. The plastic scintillator is sealed in a case to whose bottom a radiation source is fixed, such as a /sup 90/Sr-/sup 90/Y source of an activity of 1.85x10/sup 3/s/sup -1/ to 0.74x10/sup 9/s/sup -1/.

A levitation instrument for containerless study of molten materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Nordine, Paul C; Merkley, Dennis; Sickel, Jeffrey; Finkelman, Steve; Telle, Rainer; Kaiser, Arno; Prieler, Robert

2012-12-01

A new aero-acoustic levitation instrument (AAL) has been installed at the Institute for Mineral Engineering at RWTH University in Aachen, Germany. The AAL employs acoustically stabilized gas jet levitation with laser-beam heating and melting to create a contact-free containerless environment for high temperature materials research. Contamination-free study of liquids is possible at temperatures in excess of 3000 °C and of undercooled liquids at temperatures far below the melting point. Digital control technology advances the art of containerless experiments to obtain long-term levitation stability, allowing new experiments in extreme temperature materials research and to study operation of the levitation instrument itself. Experiments with liquid Al(2)O(3) at temperatures more than 3200 °C, 1200 °C above the melting point, and with liquid Y(3)Al(5)O(12) far below the melting point are reported. Fast pyrometry and video recording instruments yield crystallization rates in undercooled liquid Al(2)O(3) as a function of temperature. Levitation of dense liquid HfO(2) at temperatures above 2900 °C is demonstrated. Capabilities are described for resonant frequency matching in the three-axis acoustic positioning system, acoustic control of sample spin, and position control of standing wave nodes to stabilize levitation under changing experimental conditions. Further development and application of the levitation technology is discussed based on the results of experiments and modeling of instrument operations.

26 CFR 301.6657-1 - Bad checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Bad checks. 301.6657-1 Section 301.6657-1... Additions to the Tax and Additional Amounts § 301.6657-1 Bad checks. (a) In general. Except as provided in... district director that it was tendered in good faith with reasonable cause to believe that it would be duly...

Vertical pump with free floating check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindsay, M.

1980-01-01

A vertical pump is described which has a bottom discharge with a free floating check valve disposed in the outlet plenum thereof. The free floating check valve comprises a spherical member with a hemispherical cage-like member attached thereto which is capable of allowing forward or reverse flow under appropriate conditions while preventing reverse flow under inappropriate conditions

Content Validation and Semantic Evaluation of a Check-List Elaborated for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Priscila Farage

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Conditions associated to the consumption of gluten have emerged as a major health care concern and the treatment consists on a lifelong gluten-free diet. Providing safe food for these individuals includes adapting to safety procedures within the food chain and preventing gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food. However, a gluten cross-contamination prevention protocol or check-list has not yet been validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform the content validation and semantic evaluation of a check-list elaborated for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services. The preliminary version of the check-list was elaborated based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216 and Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275, the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000 and the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Program documents. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimal of 80% of agreement between the experts (W-values ≥ 0.8. Moreover, items should have a mean ≥4 in the evaluation of importance (Likert scale from 1 to 5 and clarity (Likert scale from 0 to 5 in order to be maintained in the instrument. The final version of the check-list was composed of 84 items, divided into 12 sections. After being redesigned and re-evaluated, the items were considered important and comprehensive by the experts (both with W-values ≥ 0.89. The check-list developed was validated with respect to content and approved in the semantic evaluation.

Content Validation and Semantic Evaluation of a Check-List Elaborated for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Farage, Priscila; Puppin Zandonadi, Renata; Cortez Ginani, Verônica; Gandolfi, Lenora; Pratesi, Riccardo; de Medeiros Nóbrega, Yanna Karla

2017-01-06

Conditions associated to the consumption of gluten have emerged as a major health care concern and the treatment consists on a lifelong gluten-free diet. Providing safe food for these individuals includes adapting to safety procedures within the food chain and preventing gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food. However, a gluten cross-contamination prevention protocol or check-list has not yet been validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform the content validation and semantic evaluation of a check-list elaborated for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services. The preliminary version of the check-list was elaborated based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216) and Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275), the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000) and the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Program documents. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimal of 80% of agreement between the experts (W-values ≥ 0.8). Moreover, items should have a mean ≥4 in the evaluation of importance (Likert scale from 1 to 5) and clarity (Likert scale from 0 to 5) in order to be maintained in the instrument. The final version of the check-list was composed of 84 items, divided into 12 sections. After being redesigned and re-evaluated, the items were considered important and comprehensive by the experts (both with W-values ≥ 0.89). The check-list developed was validated with respect to content and approved in the semantic evaluation.

Model Checking Temporal Logic Formulas Using Sticker Automata

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Changwei; Wu, Huanmei

2017-01-01

As an important complex problem, the temporal logic model checking problem is still far from being fully resolved under the circumstance of DNA computing, especially Computation Tree Logic (CTL), Interval Temporal Logic (ITL), and Projection Temporal Logic (PTL), because there is still a lack of approaches for DNA model checking. To address this challenge, a model checking method is proposed for checking the basic formulas in the above three temporal logic types with DNA molecules. First, one-type single-stranded DNA molecules are employed to encode the Finite State Automaton (FSA) model of the given basic formula so that a sticker automaton is obtained. On the other hand, other single-stranded DNA molecules are employed to encode the given system model so that the input strings of the sticker automaton are obtained. Next, a series of biochemical reactions are conducted between the above two types of single-stranded DNA molecules. It can then be decided whether the system satisfies the formula or not. As a result, we have developed a DNA-based approach for checking all the basic formulas of CTL, ITL, and PTL. The simulated results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new method. PMID:29119114

Deployment of check-in nodes in complex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhong-Yuan; Ma, Jian-Feng

2017-01-01

In many real complex networks such as the city road networks and highway networks, vehicles often have to pass through some specially functioned nodes to receive check-in like services such as gas supplement at gas stations. Based on existing network structures, to guarantee every shortest path including at least a check-in node, the location selection of all check-in nodes is very essential and important to make vehicles to easily visit these check-in nodes, and it is still remains an open problem in complex network studies. In this work, we aim to find possible solutions for this problem. We first convert it into a set cover problem which is NP-complete and propose to employ the greedy algorithm to achieve an approximate result. Inspired by heuristic information of network structure, we discuss other four check-in node location deployment methods including high betweenness first (HBF), high degree first (HDF), random and low degree first (LDF). Finally, we compose extensive simulations in classical scale-free networks, random networks and real network models, and the results can well confirm the effectiveness of the greedy algorithm. This work has potential applications into many real networks.

Counting systems in wavelength and energy dispersive spectrometry: the principle and how to check and to adjust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maurice, Francoise

1978-03-01

The purpose of this report is to define the optimum operating conditions of the whole counting systems in wavelength dispersive spectrometry (mostly used in conjunction with electron microprobes) and in energy dispersive spectrometry (more often connected to scanning electron microscopes). For both these techniques, the principle of the detector and its attached counting electronics is recalled; a check list is then given for verifying the qualities of the apparatus and detecting the defects; finally the best operating conditions are defined as essential in an analytical instrument whose reliability has to be perfect [fr

The impact of gender on the assessment of body checking behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Alfano, Lauren; Hildebrandt, Tom; Bannon, Katie; Walker, Catherine; Walton, Kate E

2011-01-01

Body checking includes any behavior aimed at global or specific evaluations of appearance characteristics. Men and women are believed to express these behaviors differently, possibly reflecting different socialization. However, there has been no empirical test of the impact of gender on body checking. A total of 1024 male and female college students completed two measures of body checking, the Body Checking Questionnaire and the Male Body Checking Questionnaire. Using multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, differential item functioning (DIF) was explored in a composite of these measures. Two global latent factors were identified (female and male body checking severity), and there were expected gender differences in these factors even after controlling for DIF. Ten items were found to be unbiased by gender and provide a suitable brief measure of body checking for mixed gender research. Practical applications for body checking assessment and theoretical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compliance checking of data-aware and resource-aware compliance requirements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramezani Taghiabadi, E.; Gromov, V.; Fahland, D.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.; Meersman, R.; Panetto, H.; Dillon, T.; Missikoff, M.; Liu, L.; Pastor, O.; Cuzzocrea, A.; Sllis, T.

2014-01-01

Compliance checking is gaining importance as today’s organizations need to show that their business practices are in accordance with predefined (legal) requirements. Current compliance checking techniques are mostly focused on checking the control-flow perspective of business processes. This paper

Adjustments in channel morphology due to land-use changes and check dam installation in mountain torrents of Calabria (Southern Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Fortugno, Diego; Zema, Demetrio Antonio; Bombino, Giuseppe; Tamburino, Vincenzo; Quinonero Rubio, Juan Manuel; Boix-Fayos, Carolina

2016-04-01

reforestation in increasing hillslope protection from erosion and disconnectivity of water and sediment flows towards the active channel. The residual sediment deficit circulating in the watershed suggests the need of slight management interventions, as, for instance, the conversion of the existing check dams into open structures, allowing a definite channel and coast stability.

UK Department of Environment Quality Checking Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgoyne, K.E.; Green, T.H.; Maxwell, D.J.; Smith, D.L.G.

1990-01-01

The purpose of Taywood Engineering Ltd was to develop and evaluate techniques for the non-destructive and destructive examination of both low and intermediate level radioactive waste packages. The contract also included a study on the conceptual design and cost of a permanent Waste Quality Checking facility. The June 1986 contract was completed in November 1989. A second contract was awarded in September 1989 to extend the scope to include Quality Checking of hazardous waste and to increase the throughput of low level waste. This paper highlights the techniques developed during these programmes and applied to a range of real low level waste packages. The feasibility of operating a pilot scale facility for the independent Quality Checking of LLW has been successfully demonstrated. (orig.)

Model checking exact cost for attack scenarios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aslanyan, Zaruhi; Nielson, Flemming

2017-01-01

Attack trees constitute a powerful tool for modelling security threats. Many security analyses of attack trees can be seamlessly expressed as model checking of Markov Decision Processes obtained from the attack trees, thus reaping the benefits of a coherent framework and a mature tool support....... However, current model checking does not encompass the exact cost analysis of an attack, which is standard for attack trees. Our first contribution is the logic erPCTL with cost-related operators. The extended logic allows to analyse the probability of an event satisfying given cost bounds and to compute...... the exact cost of an event. Our second contribution is the model checking algorithm for erPCTL. Finally, we apply our framework to the analysis of attack trees....

Cycle time reduction by Html report in mask checking flow

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jian-Cheng; Lu, Min-Ying; Fang, Xiang; Shen, Ming-Feng; Ma, Shou-Yuan; Yang, Chuen-Huei; Tsai, Joe; Lee, Rachel; Deng, Erwin; Lin, Ling-Chieh; Liao, Hung-Yueh; Tsai, Jenny; Bowhill, Amanda; Vu, Hien; Russell, Gordon

2017-07-01

The Mask Data Correctness Check (MDCC) is a reticle-level, multi-layer DRC-like check evolved from mask rule check (MRC). The MDCC uses extended job deck (EJB) to achieve mask composition and to perform a detailed check for positioning and integrity of each component of the reticle. Different design patterns on the mask will be mapped to different layers. Therefore, users may be able to review the whole reticle and check the interactions between different designs before the final mask pattern file is available. However, many types of MDCC check results, such as errors from overlapping patterns usually have very large and complex-shaped highlighted areas covering the boundary of the design. Users have to load the result OASIS file and overlap it to the original database that was assembled in MDCC process on a layout viewer, then search for the details of the check results. We introduce a quick result-reviewing method based on an html format report generated by Calibre® RVE. In the report generation process, we analyze and extract the essential part of result OASIS file to a result database (RDB) file by standard verification rule format (SVRF) commands. Calibre® RVE automatically loads the assembled reticle pattern and generates screen shots of these check results. All the processes are automatically triggered just after the MDCC process finishes. Users just have to open the html report to get the information they need: for example, check summary, captured images of results and their coordinates.

About the study of irradiation effects on in-core instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angelino, G.

1972-01-01

The knowledge of in-core instrumentation performances is a very important item when irradiations of technological interest are concerned. When measurement of small changes in mechanical or thermal properties is of major importance, the effect of neutron and gamma irradiation on various transducers must be thoroughly evaluated. A rig mock-up was irradiated in the Triga Mark II Reactor of the Pavia University to assess the possibility of carrying out a study on irradiation effects on in-core instrumentation. Data on neutron flux distribution and γ-heating effect were collected from this preliminary experiment; at the same time a complete check was performed on rig assembling procedure, on the behaviour under operating conditions, and on the reactor loading and unloading operations. (author)

Context-aware compliance checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Werf, van der J.M.E.M.; Verbeek, H.M.W.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.; Barros, A.; Gal, A.; Kindler, E.

2012-01-01

Organizations face more and more the burden to show that their business is compliant with respect to many different boundaries. The activity of compliance checking is commonly referred to as auditing. As information systems supporting the organization’s business record their usage, process mining

A voice-actuated wind tunnel model leak checking system

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, William E.

1989-01-01

A computer program has been developed that improves the efficiency of wind tunnel model leak checking. The program uses a voice recognition unit to relay a technician's commands to the computer. The computer, after receiving a command, can respond to the technician via a voice response unit. Information about the model pressure orifice being checked is displayed on a gas-plasma terminal. On command, the program records up to 30 seconds of pressure data. After the recording is complete, the raw data and a straight line fit of the data are plotted on the terminal. This allows the technician to make a decision on the integrity of the orifice being checked. All results of the leak check program are stored in a database file that can be listed on the line printer for record keeping purposes or displayed on the terminal to help the technician find unchecked orifices. This program allows one technician to check a model for leaks instead of the two or three previously required.

Effect of citronella essential oil fractions as oil phase on emulsion stability

Science.gov (United States)

Septiyanti, Melati; Meliana, Yenny; Agustian, Egi

2017-11-01

The emulsion system consists of water, oil and surfactant. In order to create stable emulsion system, the composition and formulation between water phase, surfactant and oil phase are very important. Essential oil such as citronella oil has been known as active ingredient which has ability as insect repellent. This research studied the effect of citronella oil and its fraction as oil phase on emulsion stability. The cycle stability test was conducted to check the emulsion stability and it was monitored by pH, density, viscosity, particle size, refractive index, zeta potential, physical appearance and FTIR for 4 weeks. Citronellal fraction has better stability compared to citronella oil and rhodinol fraction with slight change of physical and chemical properties before and after the cycle stability test. However, it is need further study to enhance the stability of the emulsion stability for this formulation.

Get Your Kids Moving and Check Some Chores off Your List

Science.gov (United States)

... Check Recipe Certification Program Nutrition Requirements Heart-Check Professional Resources Contact the Heart-Check Certification Program Simple Cooking and Recipes Dining Out Choosing a Restaurant Deciphering ...

PSYCHE, ENDF/B Data Consistency Check in ENDF Format

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunford, Charles L.

2007-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: PSYCHE is a program for checking the physics content of an evaluated data file. It can recognise the difference between ENDF-5 or ENDF-6 formats and performs its tests accordingly. Version 7.01 (April 2005): set success flag after return from begin, added potential scattering test formerly in Fizcon. Version 7.02 (May 2005): Fixed bug in calculation of L=2 penetrability. 2 - Method of solution: PSYCHE checks for energy conservation for emitted neutrons and photons, checks Wick's limit for elastic scattering, analyses resonance parameter statistics, calculates thermal cross sections and resonance integrals, examines continuity across resonance region boundaries and checks 'Q' values against mass tables

Consistency Checking of Web Service Contracts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cambronero, M. Emilia; Okika, Joseph C.; Ravn, Anders Peter

2008-01-01

Behavioural properties are analyzed for web service contracts formulated in Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) and Choreography Description Language (CDL). The key result reported is an automated technique to check consistency between protocol aspects of the contracts. The contracts...... are abstracted to (timed) automata and from there a simulation is set up, which is checked using automated tools for analyzing networks of finite state processes. Here we use the Concurrency Work Bench. The proposed techniques are illustrated with a case study that include otherwise difficult to analyze fault...

BrainCheck - a very brief tool to detect incipient cognitive decline: optimized case-finding combining patient- and informant-based data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrensperger, Michael M; Taylor, Kirsten I; Berres, Manfred; Foldi, Nancy S; Dellenbach, Myriam; Bopp, Irene; Gold, Gabriel; von Gunten, Armin; Inglin, Daniel; Müri, René; Rüegger, Brigitte; Kressig, Reto W; Monsch, Andreas U

2014-01-01

Optimal identification of subtle cognitive impairment in the primary care setting requires a very brief tool combining (a) patients' subjective impairments, (b) cognitive testing, and (c) information from informants. The present study developed a new, very quick and easily administered case-finding tool combining these assessments ('BrainCheck') and tested the feasibility and validity of this instrument in two independent studies. We developed a case-finding tool comprised of patient-directed (a) questions about memory and depression and (b) clock drawing, and (c) the informant-directed 7-item version of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Feasibility study: 52 general practitioners rated the feasibility and acceptance of the patient-directed tool. Validation study: An independent group of 288 Memory Clinic patients (mean ± SD age = 76.6 ± 7.9, education = 12.0 ± 2.6; 53.8% female) with diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment (n = 80), probable Alzheimer's disease (n = 185), or major depression (n = 23) and 126 demographically matched, cognitively healthy volunteer participants (age = 75.2 ± 8.8, education = 12.5 ± 2.7; 40% female) partook. All patient and healthy control participants were administered the patient-directed tool, and informants of 113 patient and 70 healthy control participants completed the very short IQCODE. Feasibility study: General practitioners rated the patient-directed tool as highly feasible and acceptable. Validation study: A Classification and Regression Tree analysis generated an algorithm to categorize patient-directed data which resulted in a correct classification rate (CCR) of 81.2% (sensitivity = 83.0%, specificity = 79.4%). Critically, the CCR of the combined patient- and informant-directed instruments (BrainCheck) reached nearly 90% (that is 89.4%; sensitivity = 97.4%, specificity = 81.6%). A new and very brief instrument for

Checking BEBC superconducting magnet

CERN Multimedia

CERN PhotoLab

1974-01-01

The superconducting coils of the magnet for the 3.7 m Big European Bubble Chamber (BEBC) had to be checked, see Annual Report 1974, p. 60. The photo shows a dismantled pancake. By December 1974 the magnet reached again the field design value of 3.5 T.

Quality checking of radioactive and hazardous waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billington, D.M.; Burgoyne, S.M.J.; Dale, C.J.

1992-01-01

This report describes the work of the HMIP Waste Quality Checking Laboratory (WQCL) for the period September 1989 -August 1991. The WQCL has conducted research and development of procedures for the receipt, sampling and analysis of low level solid radioactive waste (LLW), intermediate level radioactive waste (ILW) and hazardous chemical waste (HW). Operational facilities have been commissioned for quality checking both LLW and HW. Waste quality checking has been completed on LLW packages seized from the UK waste disposal route by HMIP Inspectors. Packages have ranged in size from the 200 litre steel drum to half-height ISO freight container. Development work was continued on methods of sample extraction and radio-chemical analysis for cement encapsulated ILW in the form of magnox, graphite and stainless steel. This work was undertaken on non-radioactive simulants. (author)

Model Checking Markov Reward Models with Impulse Rewards

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cloth, Lucia; Katoen, Joost-Pieter; Khattri, Maneesh; Pulungan, Reza; Bondavalli, Andrea; Haverkort, Boudewijn; Tang, Dong

This paper considers model checking of Markov reward models (MRMs), continuous-time Markov chains with state rewards as well as impulse rewards. The reward extension of the logic CSL (Continuous Stochastic Logic) is interpreted over such MRMs, and two numerical algorithms are provided to check the

Checking Consistency of Pedigree Information is NP-complete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aceto, Luca; Hansen, Jens A.; Ingolfsdottir, Anna

Consistency checking is a fundamental computational problem in genetics. Given a pedigree and information on the genotypes of some of the individuals in it, the aim of consistency checking is to determine whether these data are consistent with the classic Mendelian laws of inheritance. This probl...

Strategic Planning through Model Checking of ATL Formulae

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jamroga, W.J.; Rutkowski, L.; Siekmann, J.; Tadeusiewicz, R.; Zadeh, L.A.

2004-01-01

Model checking of temporal logic has already been proposed for automatic planning. In this paper, we introduce a simple adaptation of the ATL model checking algorithm that returns a strategy to achieve given goal. We point out that the algorithm generalizes minimaxing, and that ATL models generalize

First experiences with the LHC BLM sanity checks

CERN Document Server

Emery, J; Effinger, E; Nordt, A; Sapinski, M G; Zamantzas, C

2010-01-01

The reliability concerns have driven the design of the Large Hardron Collider (LHC) Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system from the early stage of the studies up to the present commissioning and the latest development of diagnostic tools. To protect the system against non-conformities, new ways of automatic checking have been developed and implemented. These checks are regularly and systematically executed by the LHC operation team to ensure that the system status is after each test "as good as new". The sanity checks are part of this strategy. They are testing the electrical part of the detectors (ionisation chamber or secondary emission detector), their cable connections to the front-end electronics, further connections to the back-end electronics and their ability to request a beam abort. During the installation and in the early commissioning phase, these checks have shown their ability to find also non-conformities caused by unexpected failure event scenarios. In every day operation, a non-conformity discovere...

Review and analysis of check valve failure data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Todd, M.D.; Casada, D.A.

1992-01-01

Check valve operating problems in recent years have resulted in significant operating transients, increased cost and decreased system availability. There has been, in response, additional attention given to check valves by utilities, as well as the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Operation and Maintenance Committee. All these organizations have the fundamental goal of ensuring reliable operation of check valves. A key ingredient to an engineering-oriented reliability improvement effort is a thorough understanding of relevant historical experience. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is currently conducting a detailed review of historical failure data available through the Institute of Nuclear Power Operation's Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System. The focus of the review is on check valve failures that have involved significant degradation of the valve internal parts. A variety of parameters are being considered during the review, including size, age, system of service, method of failure discovery, the affected valve parts, attributed causes, and corrective actions

Stability analysis for stochastic BAM nonlinear neural network with delays

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Z. W.; Shu, H. S.; Wei, G. L.

2008-02-01

In this paper, stochastic bidirectional associative memory neural networks with constant or time-varying delays is considered. Based on a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and the stochastic stability analysis theory, we derive several sufficient conditions in order to guarantee the global asymptotically stable in the mean square. Our investigation shows that the stochastic bidirectional associative memory neural networks are globally asymptotically stable in the mean square if there are solutions to some linear matrix inequalities(LMIs). Hence, the global asymptotic stability of the stochastic bidirectional associative memory neural networks can be easily checked by the Matlab LMI toolbox. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed global asymptotic stability criteria.

Stability analysis for stochastic BAM nonlinear neural network with delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv, Z W; Shu, H S; Wei, G L

2008-01-01

In this paper, stochastic bidirectional associative memory neural networks with constant or time-varying delays is considered. Based on a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and the stochastic stability analysis theory, we derive several sufficient conditions in order to guarantee the global asymptotically stable in the mean square. Our investigation shows that the stochastic bidirectional associative memory neural networks are globally asymptotically stable in the mean square if there are solutions to some linear matrix inequalities(LMIs). Hence, the global asymptotic stability of the stochastic bidirectional associative memory neural networks can be easily checked by the Matlab LMI toolbox. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed global asymptotic stability criteria

Mean square stabilization and mean square exponential stabilization of stochastic BAM neural networks with Markovian jumping parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye, Zhiyong; Zhang, He; Zhang, Hongyu; Zhang, Hua; Lu, Guichen

2015-01-01

Highlights: •This paper introduces a non-conservative Lyapunov functional. •The achieved results impose non-conservative and can be widely used. •The conditions are easily checked by the Matlab LMI Tool Box. The desired state feedback controller can be well represented by the conditions. -- Abstract: This paper addresses the mean square exponential stabilization problem of stochastic bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with Markovian jumping parameters and time-varying delays. By establishing a proper Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and combining with LMIs technique, several sufficient conditions are derived for ensuring exponential stabilization in the mean square sense of such stochastic BAM neural networks. In addition, the achieved results are not difficult to verify for determining the mean square exponential stabilization of delayed BAM neural networks with Markovian jumping parameters and impose less restrictive and less conservative than the ones in previous papers. Finally, numerical results are given to show the effectiveness and applicability of the achieved results

Safety and Availability Checking for User Authorization Queries in RBAC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian-feng Lu

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces the notion of safety and availability checking for user authorization query processing, and develop a recursive algorithm use the ideas from backtracking-based search techniques to search for the optimal solution. For the availability checking, we introduce the notion of max activatable set (MAS, and show formally how MAS can be determined in a hybrid role hierarchy. For the safety checking, we give a formal definition of dynamic separation-of-duty (DSoD policies, and show how to reduce the safety checking for DSoD to a SAT instance.

The Problem of the Instrument Stabilization During Hydrographic Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felski Andrzej

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Performing any measurement on watercraft is connected with many additional difficulties caused by the sea-environment. The most important is the problem of spatial stabilization of measurement systems, which are usually fastened to craft body. As soon as usually these measurement are executed during the move of the craft additional question is the accuracy of execution the planed trajectory.

The Activity Check of Brachytherapy Isotope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Gun Oh; Lee, Byung Koo; Kwon, Young Ho

2004-01-01

An isotope Ir-192, which is used in brachytherapy depends on import in whole quantities. There are a few ways for its activity. measurement using Welltype chamber or the way to rely on authentic decay table of manufacturer. In-air dosimetry using Farmer Chamber, etc. In this paper, let me introduce the way using Farmer chamber which is easier and simple. With the Farmer chamber and source calibration jig, take a measurement the activity of an isotope Ir-192 and compare the value with the value from decay table of manufacturer and check the activity of source. The result of measurement, compared the value from decay table, by ±2.1. (which belongs to recommendable value for AAPM ±5% as difference of error range). It is possible to use on clinical medicine. With the increase in use of brachytherapy, the increase of import is essential. And an accurate activity check of source is compulsory. For the activity check of source, it was possible to use Farmer chamber and source calibration jig without additional purchase of Well type chamber.

Risk Assessment Stability: A Revalidation Study of the Arizona Risk/Needs Assessment Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Schwalbe, Craig S.

2009-01-01

The actuarial method is the gold standard for risk assessment in child welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice. It produces risk classifications that are highly predictive and that may be robust to sampling error. This article reports a revalidation study of the Arizona Risk/Needs Assessment instrument, an actuarial instrument for juvenile…

31 CFR 211.1 - Withholding delivery of checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Withholding delivery of checks. 211.1 Section 211.1 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) FISCAL SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE DELIVERY OF CHECKS AND WARRANTS TO...

Multi-Valued Modal Fixed Point Logics for Model Checking

Science.gov (United States)

Nishizawa, Koki

In this paper, I will show how multi-valued logics are used for model checking. Model checking is an automatic technique to analyze correctness of hardware and software systems. A model checker is based on a temporal logic or a modal fixed point logic. That is to say, a system to be checked is formalized as a Kripke model, a property to be satisfied by the system is formalized as a temporal formula or a modal formula, and the model checker checks that the Kripke model satisfies the formula. Although most existing model checkers are based on 2-valued logics, recently new attempts have been made to extend the underlying logics of model checkers to multi-valued logics. I will summarize these new results.

Estimated emission reductions from California's enhanced Smog Check program.

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Brett C; Wenzel, Thomas P

2003-06-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires that states evaluate the effectiveness of their vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs. This study demonstrates an evaluation approach that estimates mass emission reductions over time and includes the effect of I/M on vehicle deterioration. It includes a quantitative assessment of benefits from pre-inspection maintenance and repairs and accounts for the selection bias effect that occurs when intermittent high emitters are tested. We report estimates of one-cycle emission benefits of California's Enhanced Smog Check program, ca. 1999. Program benefits equivalent to metric tons per day of prevented emissions were calculated with a "bottom-up" approach that combined average per vehicle reductions in mass emission rates (g/gal) with average per vehicle activity, resolved by model year. Accelerated simulation mode test data from the statewide vehicle information database (VID) and from roadside Smog Check testing were used to determine 2-yr emission profiles of vehicles passing through Smog Check and infer emission profiles that would occur without Smog Check. The number of vehicles participating in Smog Check was also determined from the VID. We estimate that in 1999 Smog Check reduced tailpipe emissions of HC, CO, and NO(x) by 97, 1690, and 81 t/d, respectively. These correspond to 26, 34, and 14% of the HC, CO, and NO(x) that would have been emitted by vehicles in the absence of Smog Check. These estimates are highly sensitive to assumptions about vehicle deterioration in the absence of Smog Check. Considering the estimated uncertainty in these assumptions yields a range for calculated benefits: 46-128 t/d of HC, 860-2200 t/d of CO, and 60-91 t/d of NO(x). Repair of vehicles that failed an initial, official Smog Check appears to be the most important mechanism of emission reductions, but pre-inspection maintenance and repair also contributed substantially. Benefits from removal of nonpassing

THE REGULATION OF MONEY CIRCULATION ON THE BASIS OF USING METHODS AND INSTRUMENTS OF MONETARY POLICY

OpenAIRE

S. Mishchenko; S. Naumenkova

2013-01-01

In the article it was researched the instruments and mechanism of safeguarding stability of money market on the basis of implementing the optimal monetary policy regime. It was determined the main directions of appliance the monetary policy methods and instruments to guiding money market stability and it was also investigated the influence of transmission mechanism on providing the soundness of money circulations.

Instrument failure detection of flow measurement in the feedwater system of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Racz, A.

1990-12-01

The applicability of two different methods for early detection of instrument failures of the flow measurement in feedwater systems are investigated. Both methods are based on Kalman filtering technique of stochastic processes. The reliability of the model for description of a feedwater system is checked by comparing calculated values with measured data. Possible instrument failures are simulated in order to show the capability of the proposed procedures. A practical measurement system arrangement is suggested. (author) 10 refs.; 16 figs.; 4 tabs

Delivery quality assurance with ArcCHECK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neilson, Christopher; Klein, Michael; Barnett, Rob; Yartsev, Slav

2013-01-01

Radiation therapy requires delivery quality assurance (DQA) to ensure that treatment is accurate and closely follows the plan. We report our experience with the ArcCHECK phantom and investigate its potential optimization for the DQA process. One-hundred seventy DQA plans from 84 patients were studied. Plans were classified into 2 groups: those with the target situated on the diodes of the ArcCHECK (D plans) and those with the target situated at the center (C plans). Gamma pass rates for 8 target sites were examined. The parameters used to analyze the data included 3%/3 mm with the Van Dyk percent difference criteria (VD) on, 3%/3 mm with the VD off, 2%/2 mm with the VD on, and x/3 mm with the VD on and the percentage dosimetric agreement “x” for diode plans adjusted. D plans typically displayed maximum planned dose (MPD) on the cylindrical surface containing ArcCHECK diodes than center plans, resulting in inflated gamma pass rates. When this was taken into account by adjusting the percentage dosimetric agreement, C plans outperformed D plans by an average of 3.5%. ArcCHECK can streamline the DQA process, consuming less time and resources than radiographic films. It is unnecessary to generate 2 DQA plans for each patient; a single center plan will suffice. Six of 8 target sites consistently displayed pass rates well within our acceptance criteria; the lesser performance of head and neck and spinal sites can be attributed to marginally lower doses and increased high gradient of plans

Control device intended for a gamma radiation measuring instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

This invention concerns a monitoring device for a gamma radiation measuring instrument or radiation meter, in which the radiation to be measured brings about, inter alia, the ionisation of a gas and the generation of current pulses. The dial of this meter is generally calibrated in roentgens per hour, i.e. in radiation rate units. This instrument of very simple design is remarkable for its operating reliability. Preferably placed at the inlet to a radioactive area, it enables every user of a ratemeter to check, over the entire measuring range of this instrument, its proper operation prior to entering the area. To this effect, the monitoring device in question has a thick wall lead castle, having an internal cavity in which is mounted a radioactive source delivering a gamma radiation with given constant characteristics, through a measurement window closed by a calibrated plug. Lead doors articulated on the castle can be superimposed on this window to bring about a given attenuation of the radiation coming from the source and delivered to the exterior of the castle [fr

Assessment of diagnostic methods for determining degradation of check valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haynes, H.D.; Farmer, W.S.

1992-01-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has carried out a comprehensive aging assessment of check valves in support of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program. This paper provides a summary of the ORNL check valve aging assessment with emphasis on the identification, evaluation, and application of check valve monitoring methods and techniques. Several check valve monitoring methods are described and compared. These methods include: acoustic emission monitoring, ultrasonic inspection, magnetic flux signature analysis (MFSA), external magnetics. These diagnostic technologies were shown to be useful in determining check valve condition (e.g., disc position, disc motion, and seat leakage), although none of the methods was by itself, successful in monitoring all three condition indicators. The combination of acoustic emission with either ultrasonics or one of the magnetic technologies, however, yields a monitoring system that succeeds in providing the sensitivity to detect all major check valve operating conditions. Other areas covered in the paper include descriptions of relevant regulatory issues, utility group activities, and interactions ORNL has had with outside organizations for the purpose of disseminating research results

Double checking medicines: defence against error or contributory factor?

Science.gov (United States)

Armitage, Gerry

2008-08-01

The double checking of medicines in health care is a contestable procedure. It occupies an obvious position in health care practice and is understood to be an effective defence against medication error but the process is variable and the outcomes have not been exposed to testing. This paper presents an appraisal of the process using data from part of a larger study on the contributory factors in medication errors and their reporting. Previous research studies are reviewed; data are analysed from a review of 991 drug error reports and a subsequent series of 40 in-depth interviews with health professionals in an acute hospital in northern England. The incident reports showed that errors occurred despite double checking but that action taken did not appear to investigate the checking process. Most interview participants (34) talked extensively about double checking but believed the process to be inconsistent. Four key categories were apparent: deference to authority, reduction of responsibility, automatic processing and lack of time. Solutions to the problems were also offered, which are discussed with several recommendations. Double checking medicines should be a selective and systematic procedure informed by key principles and encompassing certain behaviours. Psychological research may be instructive in reducing checking errors but the aviation industry may also have a part to play in increasing error wisdom and reducing risk.

Global Exponential Stability of Periodic Oscillation for Nonautonomous BAM Neural Networks with Distributed Delay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongli Liu

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We derive a new criterion for checking the global stability of periodic oscillation of bidirectional associative memory (BAM neural networks with periodic coefficients and distributed delay, and find that the criterion relies on the Lipschitz constants of the signal transmission functions, weights of the neural network, and delay kernels. The proposed model transforms the original interacting network into matrix analysis problem which is easy to check, thereby significantly reducing the computational complexity and making analysis of periodic oscillation for even large-scale networks.

Global exponential stability and existence of periodic solutions of CNNs with delays

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Meifang

2002-07-01

In this Letter, we establish general sufficient conditions for global exponential stability and existence of periodic solutions of a class of cellular neural networks (CNNs) with delays. The key to proving the sufficient conditions is the construction of a new Lyapunov functional. An elementary inequality, which may be of independent interest, has been employed in the proof. Checking the sufficient conditions is often reduced to checking some algebraic relations among certain set of parameter. Our sufficient conditions recover the known results in literature as special cases. Finally, we give two examples to illustrate the usage of our main results.

Instruments used to measure or check {alpha}, {beta}, {gamma} activity and neutron emission in the course of processing ore or irradiated fuel; Appareils de mesure ou de controle {alpha}, {beta}, {gamma}, n, des circuits des usines de traitement du minerai ou du combustible irradie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blanc, A; Brunet, M; Kermagoret, M; Labeyrie, J; Roux, G; Vasseur, J; Weil, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1959-07-01

One of the methods checking ores in the course of treatment is the rapid quantitative determination of thorium. This measurement is carried out by means of a scintillation instrument which shows the {beta} and {alpha} coincidences of ThC and ThC'. The treatment of irradiated fuel is accompanied by a large number of radioactive checks relative to the performance of the fixation and elution operations of uranium in the ion exchangers, to the concentration of radioactivity of effluent sent from the plant into watercourses. The operations of fixation and elution of the uranium are checked automatically by an instrument which takes a sample of 5 cm{sup 3} of solution, evaporates it and measures its activity every 10 or 20 minutes. Plutonium concentrations are measured: - in the presence of strong {beta} {gamma} activities, by means of rotating cylinder detectors; - in the presence of weak {beta} {gamma} activities, by means of {alpha} detectors scanning a constant level liquid surface; - by means of fission chambers relatively insensitive to {gamma}. Fission product concentrations are measured by chambers, counters or scintillators, according to the amount of {gamma} activity present. Finally, the activity of effluent to be emptied into watercourses is checked by means of a scintillation instrument, which measures the {alpha} activity on the one hand, and on the other hand the {beta} {gamma} activity of residue from a 100 cm{sup 3} sample taken and evaporated in 20 minutes. (author) [French] Parmi les controles relatifs au minerai en cours de traitement, figure le dosage rapide de thorium. Cette mesure est realisee au moyen d'un appareillage a scintillation qui met en evidence la coincidence des emissions {beta} et {alpha} du ThC et du ThC'. Le traitement des combustibles irradies s'accompagne d'un grand nombre de controles radioactifs portant sur le fonctionnement des operations de fixation et d'elution de l'uranium dans les echangeurs d'ions, sur la concentration du

AMMI analysis to evaluate the adaptability and phenotypic stability of sugarcane genotypes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luís Cláudio Inácio da Silveira

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Sugarcane (Saccharum sp. is one of the most important crops in Brazil. The high demand for sugarcane-derived products has stimulated the expansion of sugarcane cultivation in recent years, exploring different environments. The adaptability and the phenotypic stability of sugarcane genotypes in the Minas Gerais state, Brazil, were evaluated based on the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI method. We evaluated 15 genotypes (13 clones and two checks: RB867515 and RB72454 in nine environments. The average of two cuttings for the variable tons of pol per hectare (TPH measure was used to discriminate genotypes. Besides the check RB867515 (20.44 t ha-1, the genotype RB987935 showed a high average TPH (20.71 t ha-1, general adaptability and phenotypic stability, and should be suitable for cultivation in the target region. The AMMI method allowed for easy visual identification of superior genotypes for each set of environments.

Related Fact Checks: a tool for combating fake news

OpenAIRE

Guha, Sreya

2017-01-01

The emergence of "Fake News" and misinformation via online news and social media has spurred an interest in computational tools to combat this phenomenon. In this paper we present a new "Related Fact Checks" service, which can help a reader critically evaluate an article and make a judgment on its veracity by bringing up fact checks that are relevant to the article. We describe the core technical problems that need to be solved in building a "Related Fact Checks" service, and present results ...

Check-up Measurement (update). Deliverable D5.22

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Holtzer, A.C.G.; Giessen, A.M.D. van der; Djurica, M.

2015-01-01

This deliverable D5.22 presents the GEN6 check-up measurement. It describes the most prominent outcomes of the GEN6 project up to this point in time. The check-up measurement helps to focus the monitoring towards the most relevant achievements of the project, such that an efficient and well-targeted

In-core flow measurement and calibration of gags using on-load instrumented stringers in a C.A.G.R. at Hinkley Point 'B'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, W.E.; Carrick, I.H.

1982-06-01

The initial fuel loading of the first CAGR at Hinkley Point included 5 specially instrumented stringers (OLIS) each containing a flow-measuring venturi and additional thermocouples. Venturi absolute and differential pressures were measured by transducers mounted on the pile-cap. Transducers and thermocouples were routed to a computer/logger and processed into stringer performance data. The venturi was engineered to comply closely with appropriate British Standards but compromises were made to minimise interaction with other functions of the OLIS plug unit, justifying rig calibration of venturis to check for deviation in behaviour. High accuracy and reliability of the flow measuring system were established by thorough commissioning procedures. The transducers were selected for low sensitivity to their operational environment. Nevertheless calibration of all transducers was carried out both in laboratory and in-situ. Errors introduced by signal processing were identified and zero drift monitored. Pipe-runs were scrupulously leak-tested and leak sensitivity was evaluated. After one year re-calibration and recommissioning gave confidence of long term stability. Measurements of stringer behaviour were collected in a series of tests spanning the full range of both the setting of the channel flow control gags and the reactor power. Throughout these tests comprehensive monitoring, with intercalibration between the OLIS and comparison with installed reactor instrumentation has quantified residual error. These measurements were used to check the theoretical model used by the station for channel flow assessment. The excellent agreement obtained justified proceeding to the derivation of a universal gag resistance calibration applying to all power levels. In performance tests aimed at evaluation of overall generating efficiency, the theoretical model was used to make accurate estimates of reactor power and flow which agreed well with estimates based directly on further OLIS

Treasury Check Verification Query (TCVQ)

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — The TCVQ system determines the SSN of an individual whose check has been returned to a local field office. The FO is able to request this information via the TCVQ...

Progress Check Module; Basic Electricity and Electronics Individualized Learning System. Progress Check Booklet.

Science.gov (United States)

Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington, DC.

The Progress Check Booklet is designed to be used by the student working in the programed course to determine if he has mastered the concepts in the course booklets on: electrical current; voltage; resistance; measuring current and voltage in series circuits; relationships of current, voltage, and resistance; parellel circuits; combination…

THE REGULATION OF MONEY CIRCULATION ON THE BASIS OF USING METHODS AND INSTRUMENTS OF MONETARY POLICY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Mishchenko

2013-05-01

Full Text Available In the article it was researched the instruments and mechanism of safeguarding stability of money market on the basis of implementing the optimal monetary policy regime. It was determined the main directions of appliance the monetary policy methods and instruments to guiding money market stability and it was also investigated the influence of transmission mechanism on providing the soundness of money circulations.

31 CFR 10.31 - Negotiation of taxpayer checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Negotiation of taxpayer checks. 10.31 Section 10.31 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the Secretary of the Treasury PRACTICE BEFORE THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE Duties and Restrictions Relating to Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service § 10.31 Negotiation of taxpayer checks. ...

Digibaro pressure instrument onboard the Phoenix Lander

Science.gov (United States)

Harri, A.-M.; Polkko, J.; Kahanpää, H. H.; Schmidt, W.; Genzer, M. M.; Haukka, H.; Savijarv1, H.; Kauhanen, J.

2009-04-01

The Phoenix Lander landed successfully on the Martian northern polar region. The mission is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Scout program. Pressure observations onboard the Phoenix lander were performed by an FMI (Finnish Meteorological Institute) instrument, based on a silicon diaphragm sensor head manufactured by Vaisala Inc., combined with MDA data processing electronics. The pressure instrument performed successfully throughout the Phoenix mission. The pressure instrument had 3 pressure sensor heads. One of these was the primary sensor head and the other two were used for monitoring the condition of the primary sensor head during the mission. During the mission the primary sensor was read with a sampling interval of 2 s and the other two were read less frequently as a check of instrument health. The pressure sensor system had a real-time data-processing and calibration algorithm that allowed the removal of temperature dependent calibration effects. In the same manner as the temperature sensor, a total of 256 data records (8.53 min) were buffered and they could either be stored at full resolution, or processed to provide mean, standard deviation, maximum and minimum values for storage on the Phoenix Lander's Meteorological (MET) unit.The time constant was approximately 3s due to locational constraints and dust filtering requirements. Using algorithms compensating for the time constant effect the temporal resolution was good enough to detect pressure drops associated with the passage of nearby dust devils.

Evaluation of indices for voltage stability monitoring using PMU measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sindy Lorena Ramirez Perdomo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Large disturbances such as voltage collapse and its consequences represent a large challenge to the operational safety of power systems. Therefore, it is important to have indicators of the presence of voltage stability problems in real time. Using phasor measure-ments of voltage and current that are presented in Phasor Measurement Units (PMU, indices for voltage stability monitoring can be calculated in real time. This paper presents some indices for voltage stability monitoring using PMU measurements. Evaluation of such indices on a simplified system was carried out, and the indices were classified according to their method of calculation. Finally, one of these indices was used with the New England 39-bus system under different operating scenarios, including load increments, line output and generator output, to check the indices’ behavior for voltage stability monitoring based on synchronized local measurements.

42 CFR 433.40 - Treatment of uncashed or cancelled (voided) Medicaid checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) Medicaid checks. 433.40 Section 433.40 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT...) Medicaid checks. (a) Purpose. This section provides the rules to ensure that States refund the Federal...— Cancelled (voided) check means a Medicaid check issued by a State or fiscal agent which prior to its being...

Application of risk-based methods to inservice testing of check valves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Closky, N.B.; Balkey, K.R.; McAllister, W.J. [and others

1996-12-01

Research efforts have been underway in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and industry to define appropriate methods for the application of risk-based technology in the development of inservice testing (IST) programs for pumps and valves in nuclear steam supply systems. This paper discusses a pilot application of these methods to the inservice testing of check valves in the emergency core cooling system of Georgia Power`s Vogtle nuclear power station. The results of the probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) are used to divide the check valves into risk-significant and less-risk-significant groups. This information is reviewed by a plant expert panel along with the consideration of appropriate deterministic insights to finally categorize the check valves into more safety-significant and less safety-significant component groups. All of the more safety-significant check valves are further evaluated in detail using a failure modes and causes analysis (FMCA) to assist in defining effective IST strategies. A template has been designed to evaluate how effective current and emerging tests for check valves are in detecting failures or in finding significant conditions that are precursors to failure for the likely failure causes. This information is then used to design and evaluate appropriate IST strategies that consider both the test method and frequency. A few of the less safety-significant check valves are also evaluated using this process since differences exist in check valve design, function, and operating conditions. Appropriate test strategies are selected for each check valve that has been evaluated based on safety and cost considerations. Test strategies are inferred from this information for the other check valves based on similar check valve conditions. Sensitivity studies are performed using the PSA model to arrive at an overall IST program that maintains or enhances safety at the lowest achievable cost.

Remote versus face-to-face check-ups for asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kew, Kayleigh M; Cates, Christopher J

2016-04-18

Asthma remains a significant cause of avoidable morbidity and mortality. Regular check-ups with a healthcare professional are essential to monitor symptoms and adjust medication.Health services worldwide are considering telephone and internet technologies as a way to manage the rising number of people with asthma and other long-term health conditions. This may serve to improve health and reduce the burden on emergency and inpatient services. Remote check-ups may represent an unobtrusive and efficient way of maintaining contact with patients, but it is uncertain whether conducting check-ups in this way is effective or whether it may have unexpected negative consequences. To assess the safety and efficacy of conducting asthma check-ups remotely versus usual face-to-face consultations. We identified trials from the Cochrane Airways Review Group Specialised Register (CAGR) up to 24 November 2015. We also searched www.clinicaltrials.gov, the World Health Organization (WHO) trials portal, reference lists of other reviews and contacted trial authors for additional information. We included parallel randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adults or children with asthma that compared remote check-ups conducted using any form of technology versus standard face-to-face consultations. We excluded studies that used automated telehealth interventions that did not include personalised contact with a health professional. We included studies reported as full-text articles, as abstracts only and unpublished data. Two review authors screened the literature search results and independently extracted risk of bias and numerical data. We resolved any disagreements by consensus, and we contacted study authors for missing information.We analysed dichotomous data as odds ratios (ORs) using study participants as the unit of analysis, and continuous data as mean differences using the random-effects models. We rated all outcomes using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and

Pre-Alignment Checks. Automotive Mechanics. Steering & Suspension. Instructor's Guide [and] Student Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Spignesi, B.

This instructional package, one in a series of individualized instructional units on automotive steering and suspension, consists of a student guide and an instructor guide dealing with prealignment checks. Covered in the module are the following steps in a prealignment check: checking the ride height of a vehicle, checking the ball joints and the…

Is drive for muscularity related to body checking behaviors in men athletes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo de Sousa Fortes

Full Text Available Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between drive for muscularity and body checking behaviors in men athletes. Two hundred and twelve Brazilian athletes over 15 years of age participated. We used the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS to evaluate the drive for muscularity. The Male Body Checking Questionnaire was used to assess body checking behaviors. The findings demonstrated a relationship between the "body image-oriented muscularity" subscale of the DMS and body checking behaviors (p = 0.001. The results indicated differences in body checking among athletes with high and low levels of drive for muscularity. We concluded that drive for muscularity was related to body checking behaviors in men athletes.

[Assessment of municipal management of oral health in primary care: data collection instrument accuracy].

Science.gov (United States)

Pires, Diego Anselmi; Colussi, Claudia Flemming; Calvo, Maria Cristina Marino

2014-11-01

This validation study seeks to check the accuracy of an evaluation model. In an evaluation, it is necessary to validate the precision and reliability of the data collection instrument. In this study, the Management Assessment of Oral Health in Primary Care in Santa Catarina was used as a benchmark to calculate the indicators. Its model analyzes primary data, collected via an electronic form, and secondary data, available in the Unified Health System (SUS) database. For this study, the form was applied in the cities of Santa Catarina's Coal Region at two different moments to check its reproducibility, followed by a discussion over the answers with the researcher. The results obtained were analyzed and debated in a consensus workshop with specialists in the field, detecting inaccuracies relating to the concept, the source used and the profile of the respondents themselves. The gross agreement rate in the two data collections was 87%, and the inaccuracies amounted to 36% of the answers. Preferential source suggestions, question modifications and guidelines for the correct filling out of the form were some of the proposed changes, improving the original matrix and the data collection instrument.

Assessing Personality and Mood With Adjective Check List Methodology: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Robert J.

2005-01-01

This article addresses the benefits and problems in using adjective check list methodology to assess personality. Recent developments in this assessment method are reviewed, emphasizing seminal adjective-based personality tests (Gough's Adjective Check List), mood tests (Lubin's Depressive Adjective Test, Multiple Affect Adjective Check List),…

Spot-checks to measure general hygiene practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonego, Ina L; Mosler, Hans-Joachim

2016-01-01

A variety of hygiene behaviors are fundamental to the prevention of diarrhea. We used spot-checks in a survey of 761 households in Burundi to examine whether something we could call general hygiene practice is responsible for more specific hygiene behaviors, ranging from handwashing to sweeping the floor. Using structural equation modeling, we showed that clusters of hygiene behavior, such as primary caregivers' cleanliness and household cleanliness, explained the spot-check findings well. Within our model, general hygiene practice as overall concept explained the more specific clusters of hygiene behavior well. Furthermore, the higher general hygiene practice, the more likely children were to be categorized healthy (r = 0.46). General hygiene practice was correlated with commitment to hygiene (r = 0.52), indicating a strong association to psychosocial determinants. The results show that different hygiene behaviors co-occur regularly. Using spot-checks, the general hygiene practice of a household can be rated quickly and easily.

Model Checking Algorithms for CTMDPs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buchholz, Peter; Hahn, Ernst Moritz; Hermanns, Holger

2011-01-01

Continuous Stochastic Logic (CSL) can be interpreted over continuoustime Markov decision processes (CTMDPs) to specify quantitative properties of stochastic systems that allow some external control. Model checking CSL formulae over CTMDPs requires then the computation of optimal control strategie...

Efficient probabilistic model checking on general purpose graphic processors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosnacki, D.; Edelkamp, S.; Sulewski, D.; Pasareanu, C.S.

2009-01-01

We present algorithms for parallel probabilistic model checking on general purpose graphic processing units (GPGPUs). For this purpose we exploit the fact that some of the basic algorithms for probabilistic model checking rely on matrix vector multiplication. Since this kind of linear algebraic

On the C(R) stability of uncertain singularly perturbed systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Y.-J.

2009-01-01

In this paper, a simple criterion for the C(R) stability of uncertain singularly perturbed systems is proposed. Such a criterion can be easily checked by some algebraic inequality. The upper bound of the singular perturbation parameter ε is also given by estimating the unique positive zero of specific function. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the main result

CrossCheck plagiarism screening : Experience of the Journal of Epidemiology

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Katsumi

Due to technological advances in the past two decades, researchers now have unprecedented access to a tremendous amount of useful information. However, because of the extreme pressure to publish, this abundance of information can sometimes tempt researchers to commit scientific misconduct. A serious form of such misconduct is plagiarism. Editors are always concerned about the possibility of publishing plagiarized manuscripts. The plagiarism detection tool CrossCheck allows editors to scan and analyze manuscripts effectively. The Journal of Epidemiology took part in a trial of CrossCheck, and this article discusses the concerns journal editors might have regarding the use of CrossCheck and its analysis. In addition, potential problems identified by CrossCheck, including self-plagiarism, are introduced.

A Method for Model Checking Feature Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Thomas; Le Guilly, Thibaut; Ravn, Anders Peter

2015-01-01

This paper presents a method to check for feature interactions in a system assembled from independently developed concurrent processes as found in many reactive systems. The method combines and refines existing definitions and adds a set of activities. The activities describe how to populate the ...... the definitions with models to ensure that all interactions are captured. The method is illustrated on a home automation example with model checking as analysis tool. In particular, the modelling formalism is timed automata and the analysis uses UPPAAL to find interactions....

Verifying the performance of instrumentation under adverse environmental conditions in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navorro, S.M.; Gonzalez-Granda, C.

1983-01-01

The current standards concerning the environmental qualification of electrical equipment and instrumentation, although extensive and consistent, are likely to be modified or improved in the short term, but will certainly not undergo any fundamental changes. At present, there is a requirement that the condition of equipment in plants in operation or approaching operational status should be checked and monitored for compliance with the relevant standards. One method of checking and monitoring electrical equipment and instrumentation basically consists in determining the environmental conditions in the various areas where safety-related equipment is being installed and then carrying out a study, component by component, using a pre-established form which summarizes the qualification requirements. The form consists of three different columns: the first contains information on the component; the second, information on the environmental conditions for which the component is to be certified or has been certified; and the third, information on the reference documents relating to those conditions. This form makes it possible to determine deficiencies, which are then collated in a table. Once the criteria for acceptance or refusal have been established, the necessary justification or proposal for corrective action is drawn up. Tolerances, accessories and subsequent tests are examples of grounds for justifying requalification, a change of an instrument or of its position, protection of the instrument and additional analyses. These are the possible corrective measures, and a careful study has to be made in order to determine which is the most appropriate measure in each case. A study of this type calls for experts in various fields. Co-operation between the organizations dealing with environmental qualification is desirable in order to facilitate the gathering of data and the adoption of uniform approaches. (author)

Experimental investigation of the check valve behaviour when the flow is reversing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Himr D.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Check valve in a pipeline is supposed to prevent the reverse flow and to allow the flow in the positive direction. The construction of check valves follows these requirements, but the check valve must not cause pressure pulsations in transients. It means when the fluid is accelerating or decelerating. The article describes an experimental investigation of a swing check valve when the flow is changing its direction. The check valve was placed in an experimental circuit, where the pressure on the upstream and downstream side of the valve was measured and the current value of flow rate was determined. The goal was to simulate conditions in the real system, where the check valve slam had been observed.

Incidence of Deformation and Fracture of Twisted File Adaptive Instruments after Repeated Clinical Use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gianluca Gambarini

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of deformation and fracture of twisted file adaptive nickel-titanium instruments after repeated clinical use and to identify and check whether the three instruments within the small/medium sequence showed similar or different visible signs of metal fatigue. Material and Methods: One-hundred twenty twisted file adaptive (TFA packs were collected after clinically used to prepare three molars and were inspected for deformations and fracture. Results: The overall incidence of deformation was 22.2%, which was not evenly distributed within the instruments: 15% for small/medium (SM1 (n = 18, 38.33% for SM2 (n = 46 and 13.33% for the SM3 instruments (n = 16. The defect rate of SM2 instruments was statistically higher than the other two (P < 0.001. The fracture rate was 0.83% (n = 3, being two SM2 instruments and one SM3. Conclusions: It was observed a very low defect rate after clinical use of twisted file adaptive rotary instruments. The untwisting of flutes was significantly more frequent than fracture, which might act as prevention for breakage. The results highlight the fact that clinicians should be aware that instruments within a sequence might be differently subjected to intracanal stress.

Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI) for JPSS-2

Science.gov (United States)

Georgieva, Elena; Priestley, Kory; Dunn, Barry; Cageao, Richard; Barki, Anum; Osmundsen, Jim; Turczynski, Craig; Abedin, Nurul

2015-01-01

Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI) will be one of five instruments flying aboard the JPSS-2 spacecraft, a polar-orbiting sun-synchronous satellite in Low Earth Orbit. RBI is a passive remote sensing instrument that will follow the successful legacy of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments to make measurement of Earth's short and longwave radiation budget. The goal of RBI is to provide an independent measurement of the broadband reflected solar radiance and Earth's emitted thermal radiance by using three spectral bands (Shortwave, Longwave, and Total) that will have the same overlapped point spread function (PSF) footprint on Earth. To ensure precise NIST-traceable calibration in space the RBI sensor is designed to use a visible calibration target (VCT), a solar calibration target (SCT), and an infrared calibration target (ICT) containing phase change cells (PCC) to enable on-board temperature calibration. The VCT is a thermally controlled integrating sphere with space grade Spectralon covering the inner surface. Two sides of the sphere will have fiber-coupled laser diodes in the UV to IR wavelength region. An electrical substitution radiometer on the integrating sphere will monitor the long term stability of the sources and the possible degradation of the Spectralon in space. In addition the radiometric calibration operations will use the Spectralon diffusers of the SCT to provide accurate measurements of Solar degradation. All those stable on-orbit references will ensure that calibration stability is maintained over the RBI sensor lifetime. For the preflight calibration the RBI will view five calibration sources - two integrating spheres and three CrIS (Cross-track Infrared Sounder ) -like blackbodies whose outputs will be validated with NIST calibration approach. Thermopile are the selected detectors for the RBI. The sensor has a requirement to perform lunar calibration in addition to solar calibration in space in a way similar to CERES

Masking potency and whiteness of noise at various noise check sizes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kukkonen, H; Rovamo, J; Näsänen, R

1995-02-01

The masking effect of spatial noise can be increased by increasing either the rms contrast or check size of noise. In this study, the authors investigated the largest noise check size that still mimics the effect of white noise in grating detection and how it depends on the bandwidth and spatial frequency of a grating. The authors measured contrast energy thresholds, E, for vertical cosine gratings at various spatial frequencies and bandwidths. Gratings were embedded in two-dimensional spatial noise. The side length of the square noise checks was varied in the experiments. The spectral density, N(0,0), of white spatial noise at zero frequency was calculated by multiplying the noise check area by the rms contrast of noise squared. The physical signal-to-noise ratio at threshold [E/N(0,0)]0.5 was initially constant but then started to decrease. The largest noise check that still produced a constant physical signal-to-noise ratio at threshold was directly proportional to the spatial frequency. When expressed as a fraction of grating cycle, the largest noise check size depended only on stimulus bandwidth. The smallest number of noise checks per grating cycle needed to mimic the effect of white noise decreased from 4.2 to 2.6 when the number of grating cycles increased from 1 to 64. Spatial noise can be regarded as white in grating detection if there are at least four square noise checks per grating cycle at all spatial frequencies.

Intelligent Data Visualization for Cross-Checking Spacecraft System Diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Ong, James C.; Remolina, Emilio; Breeden, David; Stroozas, Brett A.; Mohammed, John L.

2012-01-01

Any reasoning system is fallible, so crew members and flight controllers must be able to cross-check automated diagnoses of spacecraft or habitat problems by considering alternate diagnoses and analyzing related evidence. Cross-checking improves diagnostic accuracy because people can apply information processing heuristics, pattern recognition techniques, and reasoning methods that the automated diagnostic system may not possess. Over time, cross-checking also enables crew members to become comfortable with how the diagnostic reasoning system performs, so the system can earn the crew s trust. We developed intelligent data visualization software that helps users cross-check automated diagnoses of system faults more effectively. The user interface displays scrollable arrays of timelines and time-series graphs, which are tightly integrated with an interactive, color-coded system schematic to show important spatial-temporal data patterns. Signal processing and rule-based diagnostic reasoning automatically identify alternate hypotheses and data patterns that support or rebut the original and alternate diagnoses. A color-coded matrix display summarizes the supporting or rebutting evidence for each diagnosis, and a drill-down capability enables crew members to quickly view graphs and timelines of the underlying data. This system demonstrates that modest amounts of diagnostic reasoning, combined with interactive, information-dense data visualizations, can accelerate system diagnosis and cross-checking.

Design and Implementation of Electric Steering Gear Inspection System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Based on Virtual Instruments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Xing

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A kind of UAV electric servo detection system based on Virtual Instrument is designed in this paper, including the hardware platform based on PC-DAQ virtual instrument architecture and the software platform based on LabVIEW function, structure and system implementation methods. The function, structure and system implementation method of software platform is also described. The gear limits checking, zero testing, time domain characteristics test results showed that the system achieves testing requirements well, and can complete detection of electric steering gear automatically, fast, easy and accurate.

Thermal stability of biodiesel and its blends: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jain, Siddharth; Sharma, M.P. [Biofuel Research Laboratory, Alternate Hydro Energy Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667 (India)

2011-01-15

The vegetable oil, fats and their biodiesel suffer with the drawback of deterioration of its quality during long term storage unlike petroleum diesel due to large number of environmental and other factors making the fuel stability and quality questionable. There are various types of stabilities like oxidation, storage and thermal, playing key roles in making the fuel unstable. The present paper is an attempt to review the work done so far on the thermal stability of biodiesel and their blends with diesel under different conditions. The mechanism of thermal deterioration of vegetable oils, various methods of stability measurement including a new proposed method based on Karl Fischer coulometer, an alternative to conventional Rancimat test has been discussed. No correlations have been found in the literature among the results of various methods used. The effect of antioxidants on the stability parameters has also been discussed. TGA/DTA has been found as an effective method to check the deterioration of oil with respect to temperature using activation energy and order of reaction as the parameter to monitor the deterioration of oil. (author)

Study of check image using computed radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Hiroshi

2002-01-01

There are two image forming methods both a check image and a portal image in the linacogram. It has been established the image forming method in the check image using computed radiography (CR). On the other hand, it is not established the image forming method in the portal image using CR yet. Usually, in the electric portal imaging device (EPID) is mainly used just before radiotherapy start. The usefulness of the portal image forming method by CR using in place of EPID is possible to confirm the precision for determining to specific position at the irradiate part and to the irradiate method for the human organs. There are some technical problems that, since in the early time, the linac graphy (LG) image have low resolution power. In order to improve to the resolution power in LG image, CR image technologies have been introduced to the check image forming method. Heavy metallic sheet (HMS) is used to the front side of CR-IP cassette, and high contactness sponge is used to the back side of the cassette. Improved contactness between HMS and imaging plate (IP) by means of the high contactness sponge contributed to improve the resolution power in the check images. A lot of paper which is connected with these information have been reported. Imaging plate ST-III should be used to maintain high sensitivity in the check film image forming method. The same image forming method in the check image established by CR has been introduced into the portal image forming method in order to improve the resolution power. However, as a result, it couldn't acquired high resolution image forming in the portal images because of the combination of ST-III and radiotherapy dose. After several trials, it has been recognized that HR-V imaging plate for mammography is the most useful application to maintain high resolution power in the portal images. Also, it is possible to modify the image quality by changing GS parameter which is one of image processing parameters in CR. Furthermore, in case

Model checking biological systems described using ambient calculus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mardare, Radu Iulian; Priami, Corrado; Qualia, Paola

2005-01-01

Model checking biological systems described using ambient calculus. In Proc. of the second International Workshop on Computational Methods in Systems Biology (CMSB04), Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics 3082:85-103, Springer, 2005.......Model checking biological systems described using ambient calculus. In Proc. of the second International Workshop on Computational Methods in Systems Biology (CMSB04), Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics 3082:85-103, Springer, 2005....

Model Checking the Remote Agent Planner

Science.gov (United States)

Khatib, Lina; Muscettola, Nicola; Havelund, Klaus; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This work tackles the problem of using Model Checking for the purpose of verifying the HSTS (Scheduling Testbed System) planning system. HSTS is the planner and scheduler of the remote agent autonomous control system deployed in Deep Space One (DS1). Model Checking allows for the verification of domain models as well as planning entries. We have chosen the real-time model checker UPPAAL for this work. We start by motivating our work in the introduction. Then we give a brief description of HSTS and UPPAAL. After that, we give a sketch for the mapping of HSTS models into UPPAAL and we present samples of plan model properties one may want to verify.

Two new portable survey instruments: the field phoswich detector and the Wee Pee Pee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umbarger, C.J.; Wolf, M.A.

1978-01-01

As part of a continuing program to upgrade the health physics survey instrumentation at Los Alamos, we have recently developed two new portable instruments. The first is a fully portable phoswich detector for low energy photons from small amounts of plutonium and americium in the field. The instrument has a background that is 2 to 3 times lower than an equivalent thin NaI detector. The instrument features an aural popper, analogue rate meter, and timer/scaler with liquid crystal display. The second instrument, called the ''Wee Pee Wee,'' is an alpha air proportional probe with complete electronics and readout package mounted on the probe itself. The entire package has a mass of 0.66 kg (1.45 lb) and is carried and operated in one hand. For monitoring shoes and other places where it is difficult to read the count-rate meter, the meter is made detachable for clipping to a shirt pocket, etc. An audio popper, range scales to 100 K cpm, and visual checks for high voltage and battery levels are also included

Clinimetric properties of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Quick Exposure Check (QEC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria L. C. Comper

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Most of the available instruments aimed to assess risk exposure associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders were originally developed in English, which makes their use difficult in countries such as Brazil. OBJECTIVE: To test the clinimetric properties of the Quick Exposure Check (QEC instrument previously adapted into Brazilian-Portuguese. METHOD: The original version of the QEC was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Brazilian-Portuguese and tested with 107 workers in two sectors of a textile factory. The internal consistency and construct validity were tested using only baseline values from the participants while reproducibility (reliability and agreement was evaluated in a test-retest design with a seven-day interval. RESULTS: The adapted version presented appropriate levels of internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.76; moderate intra-observer reliability (ICCs ranging from 0.41 to 0.60; moderate to substantial inter-observer reliability (ICCs ranging between 0.62 and 0.86. The standard error of the measurement (SEM ranged from 8.3 to 11.2 points. Moderate levels of construct validity (Pearson's r=0.38 were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian version of the QEC has appropriate clinimetric properties for measuring different levels of exposure to ergonomics risk factors and can now be used by Brazilian researchers and Occupational Health professionals.

New results on global exponential stability of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Shengyuan; Chu Yuming; Lu Junwei

2006-01-01

This Letter provides new sufficient conditions for the existence, uniqueness and global exponential stability of the equilibrium point of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays by employing Lyapunov functions and using the Halanay inequality. The time-varying delays are not necessarily differentiable. Both Lipschitz continuous activation functions and monotone nondecreasing activation functions are considered. The derived stability criteria are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be checked easily by resorting to recently developed algorithms solving LMIs. Furthermore, the proposed stability results are less conservative than some previous ones in the literature, which is demonstrated via some numerical examples

New results on global exponential stability of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu Shengyuan [Department of Automation, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094 (China)]. E-mail: syxu02@yahoo.com.cn; Chu Yuming [Department of Mathematics, Huzhou Teacher' s College, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000 (China); Lu Junwei [School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, 78 Bancang Street, Nanjing, 210042 (China)

2006-04-03

This Letter provides new sufficient conditions for the existence, uniqueness and global exponential stability of the equilibrium point of recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays by employing Lyapunov functions and using the Halanay inequality. The time-varying delays are not necessarily differentiable. Both Lipschitz continuous activation functions and monotone nondecreasing activation functions are considered. The derived stability criteria are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be checked easily by resorting to recently developed algorithms solving LMIs. Furthermore, the proposed stability results are less conservative than some previous ones in the literature, which is demonstrated via some numerical examples.

Simple nonparametric checks for model data fit in CAT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, R.R.

2005-01-01

In this paper, the usefulness of several nonparametric checks is discussed in a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) context. Although there is no tradition of nonparametric scalability in CAT, it can be argued that scalability checks can be useful to investigate, for example, the quality of item

Dynamic State Space Partitioning for External Memory Model Checking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evangelista, Sami; Kristensen, Lars Michael

2009-01-01

We describe a dynamic partitioning scheme usable by model checking techniques that divide the state space into partitions, such as most external memory and distributed model checking algorithms. The goal of the scheme is to reduce the number of transitions that link states belonging to different...

Creating Büchi automata for multi-valued model checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vijzelaar, Stefan J.J.; Fokkink, Wan J.

2017-01-01

In explicit state model checking of linear temporal logic properties, a Büchi automaton encodes a temporal property. It interleaves with a Kripke model to form a state space, which is searched for counterexamples. Multi-valued model checking considers additional truth values beyond the Boolean true

Recent applications of microprocessor-based instruments in nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cash, N.R.; Dennis, U.E.

1988-01-01

The incorporation of microprocessors in the design of nuclear power plant instrumentation has led to levels of measurement and control not available previously. In addition to the expected expansion of functional (system) capability, numerous desirable features now are possible. The added ability to both self-calibrate and perform compensation algorithms has led to dramatic improvements in accuracies, response times, and noise rejection. Automated performance checking and self-testing simplify troubleshooting and required periodic surveillance. Alphanumeric displays allow both menu-driven operation and user-prompting, which, in turn, contribute to mistake avoidance. New features of these microprocessor-based instruments are of specific benefit in nuclear power reactors, were safety is of prime concern. Greater reliability and accuracy can be provided. Shortened calibration, surveillance, and repair times reduce the exposure to unnecessary challenges of the plant's protection systems that can arise from spurious noise signals

Acoustic emission testing of piston check valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, D.L.

1994-01-01

Based on test experience at Comanche Peak Unit 1, an acoustic emission data evaluation matrix for piston check valves has been developed. The degradations represented in this matrix were selected based on Edwards piston check valve failure data reported in the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System. Evidence to support this matrix was collected from site test data on a variety of valve types. Although still under refinement, the matrix provides three major attributes for closure verification, which have proven useful in developing test procedures for inservice testing and preventing unnecessary disassembly

Symbolic Dependency Graphs for PCTL Model-Checking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mariegaard, Anders; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2017-01-01

We consider the problem of model-checking a subset of probabilistic CTL, interpreted over (discrete-time) Markov reward models, allowing the specification of lower bounds on the probability of the set of paths satisfying a cost-bounded path formula. We first consider a reduction to fixed-point co......We consider the problem of model-checking a subset of probabilistic CTL, interpreted over (discrete-time) Markov reward models, allowing the specification of lower bounds on the probability of the set of paths satisfying a cost-bounded path formula. We first consider a reduction to fixed...

Checking in: An Analysis of the (Lack of) Body Checking in Women's Ice Hockey

Science.gov (United States)

Weaving, Charlene; Roberts, Samuel

2012-01-01

Despite the growing popularity of women's ice hockey in North America, players continue to face limitations because of the prohibition of body checking. In this paper, we argue from a liberal feminist philosophical perspective that this prohibition reinforces existing traditional stereotypes of female athletes. Because the women's game does not…

Global exponential stability analysis on impulsive BAM neural networks with distributed delays

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yao-Tang; Yang, Chang-Bo

2006-12-01

Using M-matrix and topological degree tool, sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence, uniqueness and global exponential stability of the equilibrium point of bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with distributed delays and subjected to impulsive state displacements at fixed instants of time by constructing a suitable Lyapunov functional. The results remove the usual assumptions that the boundedness, monotonicity, and differentiability of the activation functions. It is shown that in some cases, the stability criteria can be easily checked. Finally, an illustrative example is given to show the effectiveness of the presented criteria.

16 CFR 240.12 - Checking customer's use of payments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Checking customer's use of payments. 240.12 Section 240.12 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION GUIDES AND TRADE PRACTICE RULES GUIDES FOR ADVERTISING ALLOWANCES AND OTHER MERCHANDISING PAYMENTS AND SERVICES § 240.12 Checking customer's use of...

Global robust stability of neural networks with multiple discrete delays and distributed delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Ming; Cui Baotong

2009-01-01

The problem of global robust stability is investigated for a class of uncertain neural networks with both multiple discrete time-varying delays and distributed time-varying delays. The uncertainties are assumed to be of norm-bounded form and the activation functions are supposed to be bounded and globally Lipschitz continuous. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality technique, some robust stability conditions guaranteeing the global robust convergence of the equilibrium point are derived. The proposed LMI-based criteria are computationally efficient as they can be easily checked by using recently developed algorithms in solving LMIs. Two examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed results.

Regular Check-Ups Are Important

Science.gov (United States)

... Attack Wear Red for Heart Health Tools for Pregnant Women, New Moms, Women Considering Pregnancy Be a Healthy ... your community (i.e. a faith-based setting, workplace, school, or civic group) ... screening on National Women’s Check-Up Day (the day after Mother’s Day ...

Checking behavioral conformance of artifacts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fahland, D.; Leoni, de M.; Dongen, van B.F.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.

2011-01-01

The usefulness of process models (e.g., for analysis, improvement, or execution) strongly depends on their ability to describe reality. Conformance checking is a technique to validate how good a given process model describes recorded executions of the actual process. Recently, artifacts have been

Progress realized by numerized Eddy current checking-chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerin, F.; Blanchet, A.

1985-01-01

Until the last ten years , the tubes of the Steam Generators of the Nuclear Stations were inspected by means of Eddy Current with analogical checkings-chains. HBS Company has perfected a numerized checking-chain allowing transmission up to 300 m of the E.C. signals. In a near future, it will be then possible to do periodical inspections of Steam Generators from cabins located out of the reactor building [fr

Deformation and fracture of K3 rotary nickel-titanium endodontic instruments after clinical use.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, S M; Deng, M; Wang, P P; Chen, X M; Zheng, L W; Li, H L

2016-11-01

The aim was to evaluate the incidence and type of defects that occurred with K3 rotary nickel-titanium instruments during routine clinical use. A total of 2397 K3 (G-PACKS, SybronEndo, West Collins, Orange, CA, USA) instruments were collected from a graduate endodontic clinic over 21 months. All the instruments were limited to a maximum use of 30 canal preparations. The collected instruments were measured by a digital caliper to determine whether any fractures had occurred and then were visually inspected for deformation and fracture under a stereomicroscope. The surfaces of fractured instruments were further evaluated under a scanning electron microscope. Data were analysed using chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The incidence of instrument defect was 5.63%, consisting of 3.59% fractures and 2.05% deformations. The defect rates of 0.04 and 0.06 files were statistically higher than the other taper groups (P  0.05). For the fractured instruments, 63.95% failed from flexural fatigue, whilst 36.05% failed from torsion. Flexural fracture was the major mode of fracture for instruments with larger taper. A routine check for instrument integrity particularly for 0.04 and 0.06 files at high magnification is recommended after each clinical use. © 2015 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Stability of Beriplast P fibrin sealant: storage and reconstitution.

Science.gov (United States)

Eberhard, Ulrich; Broder, Martin; Witzke, Günther

2006-04-26

This study was performed to investigate the stability of Beriplast P fibrin sealant (FS) across a range of storage conditions, both pre- and post-reconstitution. Storage stability of the FS was evaluated during long-term refrigeration (24 months) with or without interim storage at elevated temperatures (40 degrees C for 1 week and 25 degrees C for 1 and 3 months). Stability of individual FS components was assessed by measuring: fibrinogen content, Factor XIII activity (FXIII), thrombin activity and aprotinin potency. The package integrity of each component was also checked (sterility testing, moisture content and pH). Storage stability was also evaluated by testing the reconstituted product for adhesion (tearing force testing after mixing the solutions) and sterility. Reconstitution stability was evaluated following 3-months' storage, for up to 50 h post-reconstitution using the same tests as for the storage stability investigations. Pre-defined specifications were met for fibrinogen content, Factor XIII activity, and thrombin activity, demonstrating storage stability. Package integrity and the functionality and sterility of the reconstituted product were confirmed throughout. Reconstitution stability was demonstrated for up to 50 h following reconstitution, in terms of both tearing force and sterility tests. In conclusion, the storage stability of Beriplast P was demonstrated over a range of 24-month storage schedules including interim exposure to elevated temperature, and the reconstituted product was stable for up to 50 h.

[Factors Associated with Stress Check Attendance: Possible Effect of Timing of Annual Health Examination].

Science.gov (United States)

Ishimaru, Tomohiro; Hattori, Michihiro; Nagata, Masako; Kuwahara, Keisuke; Watanabe, Seiji; Mori, Koji

2018-01-01

The stress check program has been part of annual employees' health screening since 2015. Employees are recommended, but not obliged, to undergo the stress check offered. This study was designed to examine the factors associated with stress check attendance. A total of 31,156 Japanese employees who underwent an annual health examination and a stress check service at an Occupational Health Service Center in 2016 participated in this study. Data from the annual health examination and stress check service included stress check attendance, date of attendance (if implemented), gender, age, workplace industry, number of employees at the workplace, and tobacco and alcohol consumption. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. The mean rate of stress check attendance was 90.8%. A higher rate of stress check attendance was associated with a lower duration from the annual health examination, age ≥30 years, construction and transport industry, and 50-999 employees at the workplace. A lower rate of stress check attendance was associated with medical and welfare industry and ≥1,000 employees at the workplace. These findings provide insights into developing strategies for improving the rate of stress check attendance. In particular, stress check attendance may improve if the stress check service and annual health examination are conducted simultaneously.

Development of a butterfly check valve model under natural circulation conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, Yuxian; Yu, Lei; Fu, Shengwei; Zhang, Fan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Bases on Lim’s swing check valve model, a butterfly check valve model was developed. • The method to quantify the friction torque T F in Li’s model was corrected. • The developed model was implemented into the RELAP5 code and verified. - Abstract: A butterfly check valve is widely used to prevent a reverse flow in the pipe lines of a marine nuclear power plant. Under some conditions, the natural circulation conditions in particular, the fluid velocity through the butterfly check valve might become too low to hold the valve disk fully open, thereby the flow resistance of the butterfly check valve varies with the location of the valve disk and as a result the fluid flow is significantly affected by the dynamic motion of the valve disk. Simulation of a pipe line that includes some butterfly check valves, especially under natural circulation conditions, is thus complicated. This paper focuses on the development of a butterfly check valve model to enhance the capability of the thermal–hydraulic system code and the developed model is implemented into the RELAP5 code. Both steady-state calculations and transient calculations were carried out for the primary loop system of a marine nuclear power plant and the calculation results are compared with the experimental data for verification purpose. The simulation results show an agreement with the experimental data

Discrete-time rewards model-checked

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Larsen, K.G.; Andova, S.; Niebert, Peter; Hermanns, H.; Katoen, Joost P.

2003-01-01

This paper presents a model-checking approach for analyzing discrete-time Markov reward models. For this purpose, the temporal logic probabilistic CTL is extended with reward constraints. This allows to formulate complex measures – involving expected as well as accumulated rewards – in a precise and

Schedulability of Herschel revisited using statistical model checking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

David, Alexandre; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Legay, Axel

2015-01-01

-approximation technique. We can safely conclude that the system is schedulable for varying values of BCET. For the cases where deadlines are violated, we use polyhedra to try to confirm the witnesses. Our alternative method to confirm non-schedulability uses statistical model-checking (SMC) to generate counter...... and blocking times of tasks. Consequently, the method may falsely declare deadline violations that will never occur during execution. This paper is a continuation of previous work of the authors in applying extended timed automata model checking (using the tool UPPAAL) to obtain more exact schedulability...... analysis, here in the presence of non-deterministic computation times of tasks given by intervals [BCET,WCET]. Computation intervals with preemptive schedulers make the schedulability analysis of the resulting task model undecidable. Our contribution is to propose a combination of model checking techniques...

Remote preenrollment checking of consent forms to reduce nonconformity.

Science.gov (United States)

Journot, Valérie; Pérusat-Villetorte, Sophie; Bouyssou, Caroline; Couffin-Cadiergues, Sandrine; Tall, Aminata; Chêne, Geneviève

2013-01-01

In biomedical research, the signed consent form must be checked for compliance with regulatory requirements. Checking usually is performed on site, most frequently after a participant's final enrollment. We piloted a procedure for remote preenrollment consent forms checking. We applied it in five trials and assessed its efficiency to reduce form nonconformity before participant enrollment. Our clinical trials unit (CTU) routinely uses a consent form with an additional copy that contains a pattern that partially masks the participant's name and signature. After completion and signatures by the participant and investigator, this masked copy is faxed to the CTU for checking. In case of detected nonconformity, the CTU suspends the participant's enrollment until the form is brought into compliance. We checked nonconformities of consent forms both remotely before enrollment and on site in five trials conducted in our CTU. We tabulated the number and nature of nonconformities by location of detection: at the CTU or on site. We used these data for a pseudo before-and-after analysis and estimated the efficiency of this remote checking procedure in terms of reduction of nonconformities before enrollment as compared to the standard on-site checking procedure. We searched for nonconformity determinants among characteristics of trials, consent forms, investigator sites, and participants through multivariate logistic regression so as to identify opportunities for improvement in our procedure. Five trials, starting sequentially but running concurrently, with remote preenrollment and on-site checking of consent forms from 415 participants screened in 2006-2009 led to 518 consent forms checked; 94 nonconformities were detected in 75 forms, 75 (80%) remotely and 19 more (20%) on site. Nonconformities infrequently concerned dates of signatures (7%) and information about participants (12%). Most nonconformities dealt with investigator information (76%), primarily contact information

Monitoring Instrument Performance in Regional Broadband Seismic Network Using Ambient Seismic Noise

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, F.; Lyu, S.; Lin, J.

2017-12-01

In the past ten years, the number of seismic stations has increased significantly, and regional seismic networks with advanced technology have been gradually developed all over the world. The resulting broadband data help to improve the seismological research. It is important to monitor the performance of broadband instruments in a new network in a long period of time to ensure the accuracy of seismic records. Here, we propose a method that uses ambient noise data in the period range 5-25 s to monitor instrument performance and check data quality in situ. The method is based on an analysis of amplitude and phase index parameters calculated from pairwise cross-correlations of three stations, which provides multiple references for reliable error estimates. Index parameters calculated daily during a two-year observation period are evaluated to identify stations with instrument response errors in near real time. During data processing, initial instrument responses are used in place of available instrument responses to simulate instrument response errors, which are then used to verify our results. We also examine feasibility of the tailing noise using data from stations selected from USArray in different locations and analyze the possible instrumental errors resulting in time-shifts used to verify the method. Additionally, we show an application that effects of instrument response errors that experience pole-zeros variations on monitoring temporal variations in crustal properties appear statistically significant velocity perturbation larger than the standard deviation. The results indicate that monitoring seismic instrument performance helps eliminate data pollution before analysis begins.

Engineering Analysis of the Recovered SAFOD Borehole Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Wade

2014-01-01

The basic data set was acquired during 18 instrumentation setting tests conducted from 2004 through 2007 as part of SAFOD. Active hydrocarbon-rich water invaded the borehole because the borehole had not sealed at the bottom. For this reason, the water in the casing reached the cable head and caused a malfunction. Attempts were made to use better O rings, Krytox oil, and epoxy seal, but all failed. In most of these deployments, standard wire-line was used and the average failure time was two weeks. Based on design review, many improvements such as stainless tube encapsulate electric cables, all-metal seals, and Swageloks were applied. Setting of improved downhole instrument packages was carried out in the autumn of 2008. Still, these instruments could not endure the high temperature environment of 120 degrees Celsius for a long period of time, and all were offline in less than a month. A SAFOD engineering subcommittee was established in 2010 to investigate the problems caused through an examination of the removed instruments. It became clear that fluid including active hydrocarbons had invaded the stainless tubing from the seal part and caused all instruments to fail. Based on the above-mentioned experience, recommendations for the future are as follows. - Perform strict oversight of subcontractors. - Perform robust risk analysis and prepare a risk mitigation plan. - Multiple checks should be performed on points of failure by different people. - If possible, avoid the use of active electronics in environments like those in SAFOD. - Components must be rated for use in the temperature range of the environment in which they are to be used. - If a failure occurs, remove the instrumentation in a timely manner. - The SAFOD POD design was not inherently flawed but poorly implemented. (author)

Confiabilidade do Instrumento para Classificação de Idosos quanto à Capacidade para o Autocuidado Reliability of the Instrument for Classifying Elderly People's Capacity for Self-care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Helena Morgani de Almeida

2008-04-01

careful grouping of the responses. This led to the formulation of a simplified version of the instrument. The stability of this version was assessed using the kappa coefficient and the internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: The stability ranged from moderate to excellent. The internal consistency was checked only for areas that were shown to be appropriate for using the methodology, based on calculations of Cronbach's alpha: three of the six questions in the "social profile" area and the blocks of basic and instrumental activities of daily living in the "functional capacity" area, which respectively consisted of nine and eight activities. CONCLUSIONS: Following the stability and internal consistency tests, the instrument made it possible to succinctly and simply classify elderly people with regard to their functional capacity for basic and instrumental activities, and to characterize them regarding other aspects of self-care. The evidence regarding its reliability and validity could be expanded by means of new studies.

Complementarity and stability conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Howard Georgi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available We discuss the issue of complementarity between the confining phase and the Higgs phase for gauge theories in which there are no light particles below the scale of confinement or spontaneous symmetry breaking. We show with a number of examples that even though the low energy effective theories are the same (and trivial, discontinuous changes in the structure of heavy stable particles can signal a phase transition and thus we can sometimes argue that two phases which have different structures of heavy particles that cannot be continuously connected and thus the phases cannot be complementary. We discuss what this means and suggest that such “stability conditions” can be a useful physical check for complementarity.

The importance of drug checking outside the context of nightlife in Slovenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sande, Matej; Šabić, Simona

2018-01-12

The main purpose of the research was to evaluate the implementation of the drug checking service in Slovenia and to obtain the opinion of users included in harm reduction programmes for high-risk drug users and of drug users in nightlife settings on drug checking, the reasons for drug checking, and their attitude towards adulterants in the drugs that they use. The two final unrepresentative research samples included 102 respondents from harm reduction programmes and 554 respondents from the online sample. The questionnaire was designed based on analysis of the interviews conducted with professionals from the programmes, who took part in the drug checking project, and based on previous research on drug use in nightlife. The main findings related to users' opinions on the drug checking service are that users from both samples perceive drug checking as a contribution to risk reduction and that they find providing information for them about the harmful adulterants and substances that they use very important. In addition, users from both samples considered accessibility of the drug checking service as very important and would be in favour of brief counselling at the collection of the drug sample. One of the salient differences between samples was that nightlife drug users found it more important to recognise substances in the drugs that they use. Drug users from two different samples attach a relatively high importance to the drug checking service, and they consider it to be a contribution to risk reduction. As well as drug users in nightlife settings, high-risk drug users also perceive the drug checking service to be important, which is relevant in the phase of planning drug checking services outside the context of nightlife and for the act of incorporating these services into contemporary harm reduction policy.

Influence of check dams on debris-flow run-out intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Remaître

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Debris flows are very dangerous phenomena claiming thousands of lives and millions of Euros each year over the world. Disaster mitigation includes non-structural (hazard mapping, insurance policies, active structural (drainage systems and passive structural (check dams, stilling basins countermeasures. Since over twenty years, many efforts are devoted by the scientific and engineering communities to the design of proper devices able to capture the debris-flow volume and/or break down the energy. If considerable theoretical and numerical work has been performed on the size, the shape and structure of check dams, allowing the definition of general design criteria, it is worth noting that less research has focused on the optimal location of these dams along the debris-flow pathway.

In this paper, a methodological framework is proposed to evaluate the influence of the number and the location of the check dams on the reduction of the debris-flow intensity (in term of flow thickness, flow velocity and volume. A debris-flow model is used to simulate the run-out of the debris flow. The model uses the Janbu force diagram to resolve the force equilibrium equations; a bingham fluid rheology is introduced and represents the resistance term. The model has been calibrated on two muddy debris-flow events that occurred in 1996 and 2003 at the Faucon watershed (South French Alps.

Influence of the check dams on the debris-flow intensity is quantified taking into account several check dams configurations (number and location as input geometrical parameters. Results indicate that debris-flow intensity is decreasing with the distance between the source area and the first check dams. The study demonstrates that a small number of check dams located near the source area may decrease substantially the debris-flow intensity on the alluvial fans.

Radiation protection commissioning of neutron beam instruments at the OPAL research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkes, Alison; Saratsopoulos, John; Deura, Michael; Kenny, Pat

2008-01-01

The neutron beam facilities at the 20 MW OPAL Research Reactor were commissioned in 2007 and 2008. The initial suite of eight neutron beam instruments on two thermal neutron guides, two cold neutron guides and one thermal beam port located at the reactor face, together with their associated shielding were progressively installed and commissioned according to their individual project plans. Radiation surveys were systematically conducted as reactor power was raised in a step-wise manner to 20 MW in order to validate instrument shielding design and performance. The performance of each neutron guide was assessed by neutron energy spectrum and flux measurements. The activation of beam line components, decay times assessments and access procedures for Bragg Institute beam instrument scientists were established. The multiple configurations for each instrument and the influence of operating more than one instrument or beamline simultaneously were also tested. Areas of interest were the shielding around the secondary shutters, guide shield and bunker shield interfaces and monochromator doors. The shielding performance, safety interlock checks, improvements, radiation exposures and related radiation protection challenges are discussed. This paper discusses the health physics experience of commissioning the OPAL Research Reactor neutron beam facilities and describes health physics results, actions taken and lessons learned during commissioning. (author)

Overview of Prevention for Water Hammer by Check Valve Action in Nuclear Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dayong; Yoon, Hyungi; Seo, Kyoungwoo; Kim, Seonhoon

2016-01-01

Water hammer can cause serious damage to pumping system and unexpected system pressure rise in the pipeline. In nuclear reactor, water hammer can influence on the integrity of safety related system. Water hammer in nuclear reactor have been caused by voiding in normally water-filled lines, steam condensation line containing both steam and water, as well as by rapid check valve action. Therefore, this study focuses on the water hammer by check valve among the sources of water hammer occurrence and suggests proper methodology for check valve type selection against water hammer. This study focuses on the water hammer by check valve action among the sources of water hammer occurrence and suggests proper methodology for check valve type selection against water hammer. If the inadvertent pump trip or pipe rupture in high velocity and pressure pipe is predicted, the fast response check valve such as tiled disc, dual disc and nozzle check valve should be installed in the system. If the inadvertent pump trip or pipe rupture in very high velocity and pressure pipe and excessively large revered flow velocity are predicted, the very slowly closing check valve such as controlled closure check valve should be installed in the system

Overview of Prevention for Water Hammer by Check Valve Action in Nuclear Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dayong; Yoon, Hyungi; Seo, Kyoungwoo; Kim, Seonhoon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Water hammer can cause serious damage to pumping system and unexpected system pressure rise in the pipeline. In nuclear reactor, water hammer can influence on the integrity of safety related system. Water hammer in nuclear reactor have been caused by voiding in normally water-filled lines, steam condensation line containing both steam and water, as well as by rapid check valve action. Therefore, this study focuses on the water hammer by check valve among the sources of water hammer occurrence and suggests proper methodology for check valve type selection against water hammer. This study focuses on the water hammer by check valve action among the sources of water hammer occurrence and suggests proper methodology for check valve type selection against water hammer. If the inadvertent pump trip or pipe rupture in high velocity and pressure pipe is predicted, the fast response check valve such as tiled disc, dual disc and nozzle check valve should be installed in the system. If the inadvertent pump trip or pipe rupture in very high velocity and pressure pipe and excessively large revered flow velocity are predicted, the very slowly closing check valve such as controlled closure check valve should be installed in the system.

Efficient Multi-Valued Bounded Model Checking for LTL over Quasi-Boolean Algebras

OpenAIRE

Andrade, Jefferson O.; Kameyama, Yukiyoshi

2012-01-01

Multi-valued Model Checking extends classical, two-valued model checking to multi-valued logic such as Quasi-Boolean logic. The added expressivity is useful in dealing with such concepts as incompleteness and uncertainty in target systems, while it comes with the cost of time and space. Chechik and others proposed an efficient reduction from multi-valued model checking problems to two-valued ones, but to the authors' knowledge, no study was done for multi-valued bounded model checking. In thi...

Transient analysis for a system with a tilted disc check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeung, Jaesik; Lee, Kyukwang; Cho, Daegwan

2014-01-01

Check valves are used to prevent reverse flow conditions in a variety of systems in nuclear power plants. When a check valve is closed by a reverse flow, the transient load can jeopardize the structural integrity on the piping system and its supports. It may also damage intended function of the in-line components even though the severity of the load differs and depends strongly on types of the check valves. To incorporate the transient load in the piping system, it is very important to properly predict the system response to transients such as a check valve closure accompanied by pump trip and to evaluate the system transient. The one-dimensional transient simulation codes such as the RELAP5/MOD3.3 and TRACE were used. There has not been a single model that integrates the two codes to handle the behavior of a tilted disc check valve, which is designed to mitigate check valve slams by shorting the travel of the disc. In this paper a model is presented to predict the dynamic motion of a tilted disc check valve in the transient simulation using the RELAP5/MOD3.3 code and the model is incorporated in a system transient analysis using control variables of the code. In addition, transient analysis for Essential Service Water (ESW) system is performed using the proposed model and the associated load is evaluated for the system. (author)

Determination of phosphorus in wheat grass samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, S.D.; Rajurkar, N.S.; Acharya, R.; Nair, A.G.C.; Reddy, A.V.R.

2005-01-01

An instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) method using β-counting was used to determine phosphorus in wheat grass; grown in three different conditions. The phosphorus concentration was found to be in the range of 950-23000 mg/g in the samples grown in different conditions. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by determining phosphorus in three reference materials and the % deviations were within 10%. Reliability of the method was checked by following the half-life of the 32 P. (author)

Efficient Multi-Valued Bounded Model Checking for LTL over Quasi-Boolean Algebras

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Jefferson O.; Kameyama, Yukiyoshi

Multi-valued Model Checking extends classical, two-valued model checking to multi-valued logic such as Quasi-Boolean logic. The added expressivity is useful in dealing with such concepts as incompleteness and uncertainty in target systems, while it comes with the cost of time and space. Chechik and others proposed an efficient reduction from multi-valued model checking problems to two-valued ones, but to the authors' knowledge, no study was done for multi-valued bounded model checking. In this paper, we propose a novel, efficient algorithm for multi-valued bounded model checking. A notable feature of our algorithm is that it is not based on reduction of multi-values into two-values; instead, it generates a single formula which represents multi-valuedness by a suitable encoding, and asks a standard SAT solver to check its satisfiability. Our experimental results show a significant improvement in the number of variables and clauses and also in execution time compared with the reduction-based one.

Check, please. Don't expect after-dinner mints.

Science.gov (United States)

1994-03-30

That's because when the check arrives, there'll be condoms instead. Cabbage and Condoms, a Thai restaurant overseen by the Bangkok-based Population and Development Association, serves both items. The eatery plans to open its first overseas outlet in Beijing next month. "We have been working with Chinese family-planning groups and chose Beijing because it is the capital of the world's most populous country," says PDA founding chairman Mechai Viravaidya, who is widely known as "Mr. Condom" for his promotion of the device to stem population growth and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Stressing public awareness over coercion represents the next wave of birth control in China. The country's population is projected to hit 1.65 billion stabilizing around 2044. "Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy," quips Mechai. Cabbages and condoms plans to serve Chinese and Thai dishes and offer karaoke. Profits will go to promoting birth control and AIDS awareness. The opening is timely: the World Health Organization recently urged China to boost its efforts to fight the spread of AIDS. Officially the country has 1159 cases of the disease, but the real number may be a lot higher. The PDA also plans to open restaurants in Vietnam, Australia and the US. full text

Stochastic stability analysis for delayed neural networks of neutral type with Markovian jump parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou Xuyang; Cui Baotong

2009-01-01

In this paper, the problem of stochastic stability for a class of delayed neural networks of neutral type with Markovian jump parameters is investigated. The jumping parameters are modelled as a continuous-time, discrete-state Markov process. A sufficient condition guaranteeing the stochastic stability of the equilibrium point is derived for the Markovian jumping delayed neural networks (MJDNNs) with neutral type. The stability criterion not only eliminates the differences between excitatory and inhibitory effects on the neural networks, but also can be conveniently checked. The sufficient condition obtained can be essentially solved in terms of linear matrix inequality. A numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.

Global asymptotic stability analysis of bidirectional associative memory neural networks with time delays.

Science.gov (United States)

Arik, Sabri

2005-05-01

This paper presents a sufficient condition for the existence, uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium point for bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with distributed time delays. The results impose constraint conditions on the network parameters of neural system independently of the delay parameter, and they are applicable to all continuous nonmonotonic neuron activation functions. It is shown that in some special cases of the results, the stability criteria can be easily checked. Some examples are also given to compare the results with the previous results derived in the literature.

Overview of intercalibration of satellite instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Chander, G.; Hewison, T.J.; Fox, N.; Wu, X.; Xiong, X.; Blackwell, W.J.

2013-01-01

Inter-calibration of satellite instruments is critical for detection and quantification of changes in the Earth’s environment, weather forecasting, understanding climate processes, and monitoring climate and land cover change. These applications use data from many satellites; for the data to be inter-operable, the instruments must be cross-calibrated. To meet the stringent needs of such applications requires that instruments provide reliable, accurate, and consistent measurements over time. Robust techniques are required to ensure that observations from different instruments can be normalized to a common scale that the community agrees on. The long-term reliability of this process needs to be sustained in accordance with established reference standards and best practices. Furthermore, establishing physical meaning to the information through robust Système International d'unités (SI) traceable Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) is essential to fully understand the parameters under observation. The processes of calibration, correction, stability monitoring, and quality assurance need to be underpinned and evidenced by comparison with “peer instruments” and, ideally, highly calibrated in-orbit reference instruments. Inter-calibration between instruments is a central pillar of the Cal/Val strategies of many national and international satellite remote sensing organizations. Inter-calibration techniques as outlined in this paper not only provide a practical means of identifying and correcting relative biases in radiometric calibration between instruments but also enable potential data gaps between measurement records in a critical time series to be bridged. Use of a robust set of internationally agreed upon and coordinated inter-calibration techniques will lead to significant improvement in the consistency between satellite instruments and facilitate accurate monitoring of the Earth’s climate at uncertainty levels needed to detect and attribute the mechanisms

Exponential stability of uncertain stochastic neural networks with mixed time-delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zidong; Lauria, Stanislao; Fang Jian'an; Liu Xiaohui

2007-01-01

This paper is concerned with the global exponential stability analysis problem for a class of stochastic neural networks with mixed time-delays and parameter uncertainties. The mixed delays comprise discrete and distributed time-delays, the parameter uncertainties are norm-bounded, and the neural networks are subjected to stochastic disturbances described in terms of a Brownian motion. The purpose of the stability analysis problem is to derive easy-to-test criteria under which the delayed stochastic neural network is globally, robustly, exponentially stable in the mean square for all admissible parameter uncertainties. By resorting to the Lyapunov-Krasovskii stability theory and the stochastic analysis tools, sufficient stability conditions are established by using an efficient linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. The proposed criteria can be checked readily by using recently developed numerical packages, where no tuning of parameters is required. An example is provided to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed criteria

Magnetic Check Valve

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Brian G.; Bozeman, Richard J., Jr.

1994-01-01

Poppet in proposed check valve restored to closed condition by magnetic attraction instead of spring force. Oscillations suppressed, with consequent reduction of wear. Stationary magnetic disk mounted just upstream of poppet, also containing magnet. Valve body nonmagnetic. Forward pressure or flow would push poppet away from stationary magnetic disk so fluid flows easily around poppet. Stop in valve body prevents poppet from being swept away. When flow stopped or started to reverse, magnetic attraction draws poppet back to disk. Poppet then engages floating O-ring, thereby closing valve and preventing reverse flow. Floating O-ring facilitates sealing at low loads.

Member Checking: A Tool to Enhance Trustworthiness or Merely a Nod to Validation?

Science.gov (United States)

Birt, Linda; Scott, Suzanne; Cavers, Debbie; Campbell, Christine; Walter, Fiona

2016-06-22

The trustworthiness of results is the bedrock of high quality qualitative research. Member checking, also known as participant or respondent validation, is a technique for exploring the credibility of results. Data or results are returned to participants to check for accuracy and resonance with their experiences. Member checking is often mentioned as one in a list of validation techniques. This simplistic reporting might not acknowledge the value of using the method, nor its juxtaposition with the interpretative stance of qualitative research. In this commentary, we critique how member checking has been used in published research, before describing and evaluating an innovative in-depth member checking technique, Synthesized Member Checking. The method was used in a study with patients diagnosed with melanoma. Synthesized Member Checking addresses the co-constructed nature of knowledge by providing participants with the opportunity to engage with, and add to, interview and interpreted data, several months after their semi-structured interview. © The Author(s) 2016.

Employees are ambivalent about health checks in the occupational setting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Damman, O.C.; van der Beek, A.J.; Timmermans, D.R.M.

2015-01-01

Background: Employees are increasingly provided with preventive health checks. However, participation rates are low and several ethical issues arise, such as a potential perceived threat to autonomy and privacy. Aims: To assess what employees think about preventive health checks in the occupational

Evaluation of Dosimetry Check software for IMRT patient-specific quality assurance.

Science.gov (United States)

Narayanasamy, Ganesh; Zalman, Travis; Ha, Chul S; Papanikolaou, Niko; Stathakis, Sotirios

2015-05-08

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of the Dosimetry Check system for patient-specific IMRT QA. Typical QA methods measure the dose in an array dosimeter surrounded by homogenous medium for which the treatment plan has been recomputed. With the Dosimetry Check system, fluence measurements acquired on a portal dosimeter is applied to the patient's CT scans. Instead of making dose comparisons in a plane, Dosimetry Check system produces isodose lines and dose-volume histograms based on the planning CT images. By exporting the dose distribution from the treatment planning system into the Dosimetry Check system, one is able to make a direct comparison between the calculated dose and the planned dose. The versatility of the software is evaluated with respect to the two IMRT techniques - step and shoot and volumetric arc therapy. The system analyzed measurements made using EPID, PTW seven29, and IBA MatriXX, and an intercomparison study was performed. Plans from patients previously treated at our institution with treated anatomical site on brain, head & neck, liver, lung, and prostate were analyzed using Dosimetry Check system for any anatomical site dependence. We have recommendations and possible precautions that may be necessary to ensure proper QA with the Dosimetry Check system.

First experiences with the LHC BLM sanity checks

OpenAIRE

Emery, J; Dehning, B; Effinger, E; Nordt, A; Sapinski, M G; Zamantzas, C

2010-01-01

The reliability concerns have driven the design of the Large Hardron Collider (LHC) Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system from the early stage of the studies up to the present commissioning and the latest development of diagnostic tools. To protect the system against non-conformities, new ways of automatic checking have been developed and implemented. These checks are regularly and systematically executed by the LHC operation team to ensure that the system status is after each test "as good as ne...

SU-D-BRD-03: Improving Plan Quality with Automation of Treatment Plan Checks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Covington, E; Younge, K; Chen, X; Lee, C; Matuszak, M; Kessler, M; Acosta, E; Orow, A; Filpansick, S; Moran, J; Keranen, W

2015-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of an automated plan check tool to improve first-time plan quality as well as standardize and document performance of physics plan checks. Methods: The Plan Checker Tool (PCT) uses the Eclipse Scripting API to check and compare data from the treatment planning system (TPS) and treatment management system (TMS). PCT was created to improve first-time plan quality, reduce patient delays, increase efficiency of our electronic workflow, and to standardize and partially automate plan checks in the TPS. A framework was developed which can be configured with different reference values and types of checks. One example is the prescribed dose check where PCT flags the user when the planned dose and the prescribed dose disagree. PCT includes a comprehensive checklist of automated and manual checks that are documented when performed by the user. A PDF report is created and automatically uploaded into the TMS. Prior to and during PCT development, errors caught during plan checks and also patient delays were tracked in order to prioritize which checks should be automated. The most common and significant errors were determined. Results: Nineteen of 33 checklist items were automated with data extracted with the PCT. These include checks for prescription, reference point and machine scheduling errors which are three of the top six causes of patient delays related to physics and dosimetry. Since the clinical roll-out, no delays have been due to errors that are automatically flagged by the PCT. Development continues to automate the remaining checks. Conclusion: With PCT, 57% of the physics plan checklist has been partially or fully automated. Treatment delays have declined since release of the PCT for clinical use. By tracking delays and errors, we have been able to measure the effectiveness of automating checks and are using this information to prioritize future development. This project was supported in part by P01CA059827

SU-D-BRD-03: Improving Plan Quality with Automation of Treatment Plan Checks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Covington, E; Younge, K; Chen, X; Lee, C; Matuszak, M; Kessler, M; Acosta, E; Orow, A; Filpansick, S; Moran, J [University of Michigan Hospital and Health System, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Keranen, W [Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of an automated plan check tool to improve first-time plan quality as well as standardize and document performance of physics plan checks. Methods: The Plan Checker Tool (PCT) uses the Eclipse Scripting API to check and compare data from the treatment planning system (TPS) and treatment management system (TMS). PCT was created to improve first-time plan quality, reduce patient delays, increase efficiency of our electronic workflow, and to standardize and partially automate plan checks in the TPS. A framework was developed which can be configured with different reference values and types of checks. One example is the prescribed dose check where PCT flags the user when the planned dose and the prescribed dose disagree. PCT includes a comprehensive checklist of automated and manual checks that are documented when performed by the user. A PDF report is created and automatically uploaded into the TMS. Prior to and during PCT development, errors caught during plan checks and also patient delays were tracked in order to prioritize which checks should be automated. The most common and significant errors were determined. Results: Nineteen of 33 checklist items were automated with data extracted with the PCT. These include checks for prescription, reference point and machine scheduling errors which are three of the top six causes of patient delays related to physics and dosimetry. Since the clinical roll-out, no delays have been due to errors that are automatically flagged by the PCT. Development continues to automate the remaining checks. Conclusion: With PCT, 57% of the physics plan checklist has been partially or fully automated. Treatment delays have declined since release of the PCT for clinical use. By tracking delays and errors, we have been able to measure the effectiveness of automating checks and are using this information to prioritize future development. This project was supported in part by P01CA059827.

Determination Of The QUART Ion Chamber Stability By Using Medical Linear Accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasukha.

1990-01-01

The Quality Assurance Radiation Therapy (QUART) ion chamber was designed for quality assurance measurements of the medical linear accelerator at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Westmead Hospital in Sydney-Australia. The ion chamber has been calibrated by using the 6 MV medical linear accelerator against the farmer dosimeter. The Medical Physics Department Protocol, Westmead Hospital, Sydney (Australia) was used to check the stability of QUART ion chamber by determination of calibration factor for a period of time. It was found that the stability of the seven chambers were less than 2% for more than 125 days. (author). 4 refs, 7 figs

What are check dams made for? An historical perspective from the French experience

Science.gov (United States)

Piton, Guillaume; Carladous, Simon; Recking, Alain

2015-04-01

The mitigation of torrent related hazards is an important issue in mountainous regions. Structural mitigation measures have been implemented on hill slopes and in streambeds for more than 150 years in all Europe. Check dams play a key role in these mitigation plans and can have highly variable functions (horizontal and vertical stabilization of streambeds, consolidation of hillslopes' toe, retention of sediments, modulations of high solid discharges, lowering of streambed slope, etc.). Thousands of structures had been built more than a century ago. Since their construction, land uses evolved, torrent control works, associated with reforestation, curtailed a part of the sediment production. According to field experience, defining the initial and current functions of some old structures can remain challenging in some cases. To better understand for which purposes thousands of these structures were built during the 19th and 20th centuries , we analyzed old books to determine: what was the history of the comprehension of the processes involved in torrent related hazards? and; how the use of check dams evolved to take into account this improving comprehension? i.e. how the human actions on watercourses co-evolved with scientific knowledge from the early 19th centuries to nowadays? The presentation does not aim to determine who, the first, addressed any scientific question: equivalent history and scientific works took place in all regions of the world at different time and the French were not the first to build check dams and to undertook watershed scale mitigation plans. But the French example is interesting because the torrent control works were planned in mountainous regions at the country scale (the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Massif Central). Initial plans were to reforest mountains, relying on civil engineering works if needed. Their implementation , through the French Mountain Lands' reforestation and grass seeding laws of 1860 and 1864, proved to be difficult for

21 CFR 1301.93 - Sources of information for employee checks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... OF MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AND DISPENSERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Employee Screening-Non-Practitioners § 1301.93 Sources of information for employee checks. DEA recommends that inquiries concerning... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Sources of information for employee checks. 1301...

Protein Analysis Using Real-Time PCR Instrumentation: Incorporation in an Integrated, Inquiry-Based Project

Science.gov (United States)

Southard, Jonathan N.

2014-01-01

Instrumentation for real-time PCR is used primarily for amplification and quantitation of nucleic acids. The capability to measure fluorescence while controlling temperature in multiple samples can also be applied to the analysis of proteins. Conformational stability and changes in stability due to ligand binding are easily assessed. Protein…

Behavioral Consistency of C and Verilog Programs Using Bounded Model Checking

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Clarke, Edmund; Kroening, Daniel; Yorav, Karen

2003-01-01

.... We describe experimental results on various reactive present an algorithm that checks behavioral consistency between an ANSI-C program and a circuit given in Verilog using Bounded Model Checking...

Global exponential stability of BAM neural networks with time-varying delays: The discrete-time case

Science.gov (United States)

Raja, R.; Marshal Anthoni, S.

2011-02-01

This paper deals with the problem of stability analysis for a class of discrete-time bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with time-varying delays. By employing the Lyapunov functional and linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach, a new sufficient conditions is proposed for the global exponential stability of discrete-time BAM neural networks. The proposed LMI based results can be easily checked by LMI control toolbox. Moreover, an example is also provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Reducing Lookups for Invariant Checking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Jakob Grauenkjær; Clausen, Christian; Andersen, Kristoffer Just

2013-01-01

This paper helps reduce the cost of invariant checking in cases where access to data is expensive. Assume that a set of variables satisfy a given invariant and a request is received to update a subset of them. We reduce the set of variables to inspect, in order to verify that the invariant is still...

Bank Stability and Competition: Evidence from Albanian Banking Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerti SHIJAKU

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the inter-temporal competition – stability nexus after the global financial crises. For this reason, the empirical estimation approach follows a five – step procedure. First, we utilise quarterly macroeconomic and balance sheet and income statement data for 16 banks operating in the Albanian banking sector over the period 2008 – 2015. Second, we calculate a new composite index as a measure of bank stability conditions, which includes a wide set of information rather than focusing only on one aspect of risk. Then, we construct a proxy for bank competition such as the Boone indicator. Empirical estimations are based on the General Method of Moments approach. A set of robustness checks include also the use of other alternative proxy of competition such as the Lerner index and the efficientadjusted Lerner index, profit elasticity and the Herfindahl index. Empirical results strongly support the “competition – stability” view after the global financial crises - that higher degree of competition boosts further bank stability conditions. Results further indicate that greater concentration has also a negative impact on bank stability. Results imply also that bank stability is positively linked with macroeconomic conditions and capital ratio and inverse with operational efficiency. Finally, we do not find a non-linear relationship between competition and stability.

Stability Analysis for a Multi-Camera Photogrammetric System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayman Habib

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Consumer-grade digital cameras suffer from geometrical instability that may cause problems when used in photogrammetric applications. This paper provides a comprehensive review of this issue of interior orientation parameter variation over time, it explains the common ways used for coping with the issue, and describes the existing methods for performing stability analysis for a single camera. The paper then points out the lack of coverage of stability analysis for multi-camera systems, suggests a modification of the collinearity model to be used for the calibration of an entire photogrammetric system, and proposes three methods for system stability analysis. The proposed methods explore the impact of the changes in interior orientation and relative orientation/mounting parameters on the reconstruction process. Rather than relying on ground truth in real datasets to check the system calibration stability, the proposed methods are simulation-based. Experiment results are shown, where a multi-camera photogrammetric system was calibrated three times, and stability analysis was performed on the system calibration parameters from the three sessions. The proposed simulation-based methods provided results that were compatible with a real-data based approach for evaluating the impact of changes in the system calibration parameters on the three-dimensional reconstruction.

European Funds – Instrument for Economic Stability/Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anca Simina POPESCU

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The enlargement of European Union has finally brought a growth of public resources designed for regional policy, but also visible disparities between the member states. The objective of a stronger social and economic cohesion, of reduction of differences of social and economic development between the member states and EU regions, as well as the promotion of sustainable development of EU are reached through structural funds, the European financing being designed to serve as lever regarding public investments in associated countries. This work analyses the elements which assure economic stability in Romania, in the last year of programming period 2007-2013, following the crisis which disturbed global economy. The emphasis is laid on non-refundable EU funds allotted for Romania, which were analyzed both from the point of view of approved projects (but whose implementation did not start yet and regarding the contracted projects under way.

Framework for Preserving Financial Stability in Montenegro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Žugić Radoje

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The global financial crisis has challenged the traditional monetary policy framework of one instrument (short-term interest rates - one objective (price stability. More and more central banks nowadays consider financial stability as a monetary policy objective, whereas the Central Bank of Montenegro is the only one that has identified financial stability as its primary objective. As this is a relatively new objective, all central banks endeavouring to attain this objective have been facing numerous difficulties. Therefore, the article analyzes some of these difficulties such as defining financial (instability, the selection of indicators, macroeconomic environment for preserving financial stability, and the like. The main objective of the paper is to analyse the framework for preserving financial stability in Montenegro and the challenges that the Central Bank of Montenegro has been facing in accomplishing this objective

Stability of detecting system using NaI(Tl)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuo Yunshang; Lei Zhangyun; Zen Yu; Gong Hua

1996-01-01

A detecting system using NaI(Tl) is widely used in research and industry of nuclear science and other fields. For providing the high accuracy and working well under inclement environment, the stability of detecting system using NaI(Tl) is very important. The variation of environment temperature, the change of counting rate and long time continuous working of detector will cause un-negligible effect on the measurement. Three approaches were used. They are: 1) temperature control (It makes the effect of the variation of environment temperature on the measurement negligible.); 2) spectrum stabilizing (It adjust the peak position of the spectrum when the counting rate changes.); and 3) auto-checking and adjusting (It adjusts the drift of the NaI(Tl) detecting system when it works continuously)

Not Just right experiences as ironic result of perseverative checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dis, E.A.M.; van den Hout, M.A.

2016-01-01

Objective: patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocD) typically report to have “not just right experiences” (NJRE). up till now it is unclear which behavioral ocD features may give rise to NJREs. We used an induced checking paradigm to experimentally study whether perseverative checking

Detecting The Expected Rate of Return Volatility of Financing Instruments of Indonesian Islamic Banking through GARCH Modeling (Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurul Huda

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Objective - Islamic banks are banks which its activities, both fund raising and funds distribution are on the basis of Islamic principles, namely buying and selling and profit sharing. Islamic banking is aimed at supporting the implementation of national development in order to improve justice, togetherness, and equitable distribution of welfare. In pursuit of supporting the implementation of national development, Islamic banking often faced stability problems of financing instruments being operated. In this case, it is measured by the gap between the actual rate of return and the expected rate of return. The individual actual RoR of this instrument will generate an expected rate of return. This raises the gap or difference between the actual rate of return and the expected rate of return of individual instruments, which in this case is called the abnormal rate of return. The stability of abnormal rate of return of individual instruments is certainly influenced by the stability of the expected rate of return. Expected rate of return has a volatility or fluctuation levels for each financing instrument. It is also a key element or material basis for the establishment of a variance of individual instruments. Variance in this case indicates the level of uncertainty of the rate of return. Individual variance is the origin of the instrument base for variance in the portfolio finance that further a portfolio analysis. So, this paper is going to analyze the level of expected RoR volatility as an initial step to see and predict the stability of the fluctuations in the rate of return of Indonesian Islamic financing instruments.Methods – Probability of Occurence, Expected Rate of Return (RoR and GARCH (Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity.Results - The expected RoR volatility of the murabaha and istishna financing instruments tend to be more volatile than expected RoR volatility of musharaka and qardh financing instruments

Magnetically operated check valve

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Brian G.; Bozeman, Richard J., Jr.

1994-06-01

A magnetically operated check valve is disclosed. The valve is comprised of a valve body and a movable poppet disposed therein. A magnet attracts the poppet to hold the valve shut until the force of fluid flow through the valve overcomes the magnetic attraction and moves the poppet to an unseated, open position. The poppet and magnet are configured and disposed to trap a magnetically attracted particulate and prevent it from flowing to a valve seating region.

Comparison among manual instruments and PathFile and Mtwo rotary instruments to create a glide path in the root canal preparation of curved canals.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Vanessa de Oliveira; Bueno, Carlos Eduardo da Silveira; Cunha, Rodrigo Sanches; Pinheiro, Sérgio Luiz; Fontana, Carlos Eduardo; de Martin, Alexandre Sigrist

2012-01-01

Nickel-titanium rotary instruments reduce procedural errors and the time required to finish root canal preparation. The goal of this study was to evaluate the occurrences of apical transportation and canal aberrations produced with different instruments used to create a glide path in the preparation of curved root canals, namely manual K-files (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and PathFile (Dentsply Maillefer) and Mtwo (Sweden and Martina, Padua, Italy) nickel-titanium rotary files. The mesial canals of 45 mandibular first and second molars (with curvature angles between 25° and 35°) were selected for this study. The specimens were divided randomly into 3 groups with 15 canals each, and canal preparation was performed by an endodontist using #10-15-20 K-type stainless steel manual files (group M), #13-16-19 PathFile rotary instruments (group PF), and #10-15-20 Mtwo rotary instruments (group MT). The double digital radiograph technique was used, pre- and postinstrumentation, to assess whether apical transportation and/or aberration in root canal morphology occurred. The initial and final images of the central axis of the canals were compared by superimposition through computerized analysis and with the aid of magnification. The specimens were analyzed by 3 evaluators, whose calibration was checked using the Kendall agreement test. No apical transportation or aberration in root canal morphology occurred in any of the teeth; therefore, no statistical analysis was conducted. Neither the manual instruments nor the PathFile or Mtwo rotary instruments used to create a glide path had any influence on the occurrence of apical transportation or produced any canal aberration. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MetBaro - Pressure Instrument for Mars MetNet Lander

Science.gov (United States)

Polkko, J.; Haukka, H.; Harri, A.-M.; Schmidt, W.; Leinonen, J.; Mäkinen, T.

2009-04-01

THE METNET MISSION FOCUSED ON THE Martian atmospheric science is based on a new semihard landing vehicle called the MetNet Lander (MNL). The MNL will have a versatile science payload focused on the atmospheric science of Mars. The scientific payload of the MetNet Mission encompasses separate instrument packages for the atmospheric entry and descent phase and for the surface operation phase. MetBaro is the pressure instrument of MetNet Lander designed to work on Martian surface. It is based on Barocap® technology developed by Vaisala, Inc. MetBaro is a capacitic type of sensing device where capasitor plates are moved by ambient pressure. MetBaro device consists of two pressure transducers including a total of 6 Barocap® sensor heads of high-stability and high-resolution types. The long-term stability of MetBaro is in order of 20…50 µBar and resolution a few µBar. MetBaro is small, lightweighed and has low power consumption. It weighs about 50g without wires and controlling FPGA, and consumes 15 mW of power. A similar device has successfully flown in Phoenix mission, where it performed months of measurements on Martian ground. Another device is also part of the Mars Science Laboratory REMS instrument (to be launched in 2011).

A naturalistic examination of body checking and dietary restriction in women with anorexia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Lavender, Jason M; Wonderlich, Stephen A; Crosby, Ross D; Engel, Scott G; Mitchell, James E; Crow, Scott; Peterson, Carol B; Le Grange, Daniel

2013-08-01

Body checking has been conceptualized as a behavioral manifestation of the core overvaluation of eating, shape, and weight concerns underlying eating disorder psychopathology. Cognitive-behavioral theories suggest that body checking behaviors may function to maintain dietary restriction. The current study examined the association between body checking frequency and dietary restriction among women with anorexia nervosa (AN) in the natural environment. Women (N = 118) with full or partial AN completed baseline clinical interviews and a two-week ecological momentary assessment protocol, during which they reported on body checking behaviors (i.e., checking whether one's thighs touch; checking joints/bones for fat) and dietary restriction (i.e., 8 waking hours without eating; consuming less than 1200 calories per day). Average daily body checking frequency was positively associated with baseline eating disorder symptoms and body mass index. Daily body checking frequency was associated with both forms of dietary restriction on the same day, as well as the following day. Results support the theorized association between body checking and overvaluation of shape and weight, and suggest that targeting such behaviors in treatment may have utility in reducing dietary restriction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Psychometric properties of an instrument for assessing cyber-sex addiction].

Science.gov (United States)

Ballester Arnal, Rafael; Gil Llario, Ma Dolores; Gómez Martínez, Sandra; Gil Juliá, Beatriz

2010-11-01

Psychometric properties of an instrument for assessing cyber-sex addiction. Cyber-sex addiction is a «new pathology» whose prevalence has grown rapidly in recent years. Therefore, it is important to have validated assessment instruments. The aim of this study was the adaptation and validation of the Internet Sex Screening Test (ISST) for its use in a Spanish population. The instrument was administered to 1239 Spanish college students. The results yielded five components that account for 47.5% of the variance. Internal consistency was .88 and temporal stability was .84. Moreover, the instrument had adequate convergent and discriminant validity and was related to other behaviors such as the use of pornography, internet addiction, number of hours online and sexual frequency. Therefore, this tool is proposed as an appropriate measure to assess cyber-sex addiction.

Model Checking Timed Automata with Priorities using DBM Subtraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

David, Alexandre; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Pettersson, Paul

2006-01-01

In this paper we describe an extension of timed automata with priorities, and efficient algorithms to compute subtraction on DBMs (difference bounded matrices), needed in symbolic model-checking of timed automata with priorities. The subtraction is one of the few operations on DBMs that result...... in a non-convex set needing sets of DBMs for representation. Our subtraction algorithms are efficient in the sense that the number of generated DBMs is significantly reduced compared to a naive algorithm. The overhead in time is compensated by the gain from reducing the number of resulting DBMs since...... this number affects the performance of symbolic model-checking. The uses of the DBM subtraction operation extend beyond timed automata with priorities. It is also useful for allowing guards on transitions with urgent actions, deadlock checking, and timed games....

A review of historical check valve failure data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casada, D.A.; Todd, M.D.

1992-01-01

Check valve operating problems in recent years have resulted in significant operating transients, increased cost, and decreased system availability. In response, additional attention has been given to check valves by utilities, as well as the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Operation and Maintenance Committee. All these organizations have the fundamental goal of ensuring reliable operation of check valves. A key ingredient of an engineering-oriented reliability improvement effort is a thorough understanding of relevant historical experience. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is currently conducting a detailed review of historical failure data available through the Institute of Nuclear Power Operation's Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System. The focus of the review is on check valve failures that have involved significant degradation of the valve internal parts. A variety of parameters are being considered during the review, including size, age, system of service, method of failure discovery, the affected valve parts, attributed causes, and corrective actions. This work is being carried out under the auspices of the NRC's Nuclear Plant Aging Research program. At this time, the study is approximately 50% complete. All failure records have been reviewed and categorized, and preliminary tabulation and correlation of data is underway. The bulk of the tabulation and correlation portion of the work is expected to be completed by the end of June 1992. A report draft is expected in the fall of 1992

Statistical Model Checking for Biological Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

David, Alexandre; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Legay, Axel

2014-01-01

Statistical Model Checking (SMC) is a highly scalable simulation-based verification approach for testing and estimating the probability that a stochastic system satisfies a given linear temporal property. The technique has been applied to (discrete and continuous time) Markov chains, stochastic...

Model checking mobile ad hoc networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghassemi, Fatemeh; Fokkink, Wan

2016-01-01

Modeling arbitrary connectivity changes within mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) makes application of automated formal verification challenging. We use constrained labeled transition systems as a semantic model to represent mobility. To model check MANET protocols with respect to the underlying

Political and judicial checks on corruption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alt, James E.; Lassen, David Dreyer

2008-01-01

This paper investigates the effects of checks and balances on corruption. Within a presidential system, effective separation of powers is achieved under a divided government, with the executive and legislative branches being controlled by different political parties. When government is unified...

Stability of reference class ionization chambers used for radiotherapy dosimetry: IAEA experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czap, L.; Meghzifene, A.; Shortt, K.R.; Andreo, P.

2002-01-01

The IAEA calibrates ionization chambers, used in radiotherapy, for its Member States. The calibrations are either for Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratories (SSDLs) or hospitals from countries without a SSDL. For that purpose, the IAEA calibrates mainly reference class instruments that are in turn used to cross-calibrate field class instruments at the hospital. Typically, the IAEA calibrates about 30-40 ionization chambers per year, of which about half are new chambers purchased by the IAEA for its Member States using Technical Cooperation funds. The IAEA database includes the calibration coefficients of 189 reference class ionization chambers of the following types: NE-2561/2611, NE-2571, W-30001/W-30010. The results of the calibrations and recalibrations of the ionization chambers in terms of air kerma and absorbed dose to water are presented and discussed. The ratio of 60 Co calibration coefficients N D,w /N K , labelled C K , was determined for all chambers. The use of C K as a chamber dependent parameter and quality control indicator to check the results of the routine IAEA calibrations is discussed. In the process of its routine calibrations, the IAEA identified a specific problem related to the W- 30001 ionization chambers. The stability of these chambers was found to exceed the 0.5% tolerance limit set by the International IEC standard. Other SSDLs reported similar findings. The manufacturer stopped the production of these W-30001 chambers to investigate the reasons for this anomalous behaviour. After identifying and correcting the problem, the manufacturer produced a new type of ionization chamber. Five of these chambers were tested at the IAEA and found to be within the tolerance limit

[Gnathosonics study of the occlusal stability of orthodontic patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ruo-Ping; Tyson, Kenneth W

2008-02-18

To analysis the stability of the occlusion before and after the orthodontic treatment by gnathosonics; To evaluate the reliability of the stethoscope method by comparing the subjective(stethoscopy) and objective(digital occlusal sound recording) methods of checking the occlusal sound. Sixty-four new patients with malocclusion were selected as the before treatment group, these patients were not subject to any previous orthodontic treatment, facial surgery or injury; the treatment complete group included 15 patients who were just debonded the fixed appliance. Both stethoscope and digital occlusal sound recording were used to evaluate the occlusal sound. The occlusal stability before and after orthodontic treatment was compared depending on the results from the objective examination. The stability of the occlusion between different types of malocclusion before treatment was compared also. The veracity and reliability of the stethoscope method were analysis using the objective method as the golden standard. (1) 43.75%(28/64) of the 64 new patients showed unstable occlusal sound. ANOVA test showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the unstable rates in different type of malocclusion. (2) 40% (6/15) of the 15 treatment complete patients had unstable occlusions. (3) There were no statistically significant differences between the unstable rate pre- and post-treatment. (4) The veracity of the stethoscopes was 81.01% (64/79). (5) Kappa test showed that the stethoscopes and the digital recording method were consistent; the Kappa value was 0.488, Pocclusion rate between the two groups, and between the different types of malocclusion before treatment. (2) Using stethoscopes method to check the occlusal sound is reliable. The veracity could be improved significantly with increased experiences.

PREREQUISITE PROGRAMMES IN OWN CHECKS IN STATUTORY AND VOLUNTARY LEGISLATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Guidi

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Prerequisite Programmes approach is a requirement for implementing a correct own check plan. This new approach, born according to the European Legislation, is completely recognized by third Nation Authorities and private Inspection and Accreditation Bodies. This method is the basis to verify if an own check system is under control and to verify if corrective actions are built up to warrant hygienic production standards. The present work demonstrate that a correct own check plan is built up only by a Pre Requisites Program approach. The new UNI EN ISO 22000:2005 standard describe this concept specifying the difference between PRP and CCP.

Towards an automated checked baggage inspection system augmented with robots

Science.gov (United States)

DeDonato, Matthew P.; Dimitrov, Velin; Padır, Taskin

2014-05-01

We present a novel system for enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of checked baggage screening process at airports. The system requirements address the identification and retrieval of objects of interest that are prohibited in a checked luggage. The automated testbed is comprised of a Baxter research robot designed by Rethink Robotics for luggage and object manipulation, and a down-looking overhead RGB-D sensor for inspection and detection. We discuss an overview of current system implementations, areas of opportunity for improvements, robot system integration challenges, details of the proposed software architecture and experimental results from a case study for identifying various kinds of lighters in checked bags.

Boundedness and stability for recurrent neural networks with variable coefficients and time-varying delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang Jinling; Cao Jinde

2003-01-01

In this Letter, the problems of boundedness and stability for a general class of non-autonomous recurrent neural networks with variable coefficients and time-varying delays are analyzed via employing Young inequality technique and Lyapunov method. Some simple sufficient conditions are given for boundedness and stability of the solutions for the recurrent neural networks. These results generalize and improve the previous works, and they are easy to check and apply in practice. Two illustrative examples and their numerical simulations are also given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results

Study of parental models: building an instrument for their exploration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Francisco Martínez Licona

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: This research presents the construction of an attributional questionnaire concerning the different parental models and factors that are involved in family interactions. Method: A mixed methodology was used as a foundation to develop items and respective pilots that allowed checking the validity and internal consistency of the instrument using expert judgment. Results: An instrument of 36 statements was organized into 12 categories to explore the parental models according to the following factors: parental models, breeding patterns, attachment bonds and guidelines for success, and promoted inside family contexts. Analyzing these factors contributes to the children’s development within the familiar frown, and the opportunity for socio-educational intervention. Conclusion: It is assumed that the family context is as decisive as the school context; therefore, exploring the nature of parental models is required to understand the features and influences that contribute to the development of young people in any social context.

Preventing the threat of credit-card fraud: Factors influencing cashiers' identification-checking behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Downing, Christopher; Howard, E Henry; Goodwin, Christina; Geller, E Scott

2016-01-01

Two studies examined factors influencing cashiers' identification (ID)-checking behavior in order to inform the development of interventions to prevent credit-card fraud. In both studies, research assistants made credit purchases in various stores and noted the cashiers' ID-checking behavior. In the first study, the store type, whether the cashier swiped the credit/debit card, the amount of the purchase, and whether the credit/debit card was signed significantly influenced ID-checking behavior. In the second study, an A-B-A design was used to evaluate the impact of a "Check my ID" prompt placed on the credit/debit card. The prompt increased cashiers' ID-checking behavior from 5.9% at Baseline to 10.3% during the Intervention. When the prompt was removed, the cashiers' ID-checking behavior decreased to 7.2%. Implications for further intervention research to prevent credit-card fraud are discussed.

Radiation systems for luggage and parcel checks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honomichl, V.

1989-01-01

The current radioscopic systems of luggage check in air traffic are based on the principle of intensifying the brightness of half-tone images on the fluorescent screen of an image intensifier, or use of very sensitive pick-up tubes with digital image processing. Computers are used for signal processing and the image is produced on a display unit. Sources of continuous or pulse X-ray radiation are used. The signals from the detector are amplified, converted and stored in a buffer and then displayed. The scanning systems use a narrow beam or, to improve rapidity and sensitivity of scanning, a sector beam of radiation. Equipment is described from Heinemann (FRG) featuring a band of 576 or 768 detectors and microprocessor controlled semiconductor tv cameras. Characteristics are also presented of equipment from Aeradio Ltd (U.K.) and Philips (FRG) companies. Attention is devoted to equipment from American Science and Engineering (U.S.) showing high quality imaging even at low radiation doses. Briefly described are portable check systems for inspection of small luggage and parcels. Characteristics are presented of systems for checking vehicles and containers in naval, air, rail and road transport. The principles and performance are described of the systems. (J.B.). 4 figs

Performance Evaluation Factors: Designing an Instrument for National Health Network in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sassan Ghorbani-Kalkhajeh

2016-04-01

Full Text Available As a systematic process for gathering and analyzing data, performance evaluation could be used as a valid method to highlight levels of success and to identify strength and weakness of ongoing programs. The aim of the present study was to develop an instrument for evaluating rural health centers in Iran. Based on related literature and experts’ views, eight crucial fields of performance evaluation, and a questionnaire including 100 items were formed. The participants of the study were 525 people having health related jobs in rural or urban health centers. Reliability and validity requirements were checked; exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used. Factor analysis identified 11 components which embraced 60 items. Components were named as planning, control, coordination, structure, setting and facilities, education, customers’ satisfaction, staff’s job satisfaction, disease surveillance, mother-child care, and effectiveness which are presented as a model for performance evaluation. The obtained instrument embraces all required factors suggested by experts and literature hence it can be used as an evaluation instrument in both rural and urban health centers.

Who uses NHS health checks? Investigating the impact of ethnicity and gender and method of invitation on uptake of NHS health checks.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Erica J; Sharp, Chloe; Randhawa, Gurch; Guppy, Andy; Gangotra, Raj; Cox, Jonathon

2016-01-20

NHS Health Checks is a national risk assessment prevention programme for all individuals aged 40-74 that reside in England. Through the systematic assessment of an individual's ten year disease risk, this programme aims to provide early identification and subsequent management of this risk. However, there is limited evidence on how socio-demographic factors impact on uptake and what influence the invitation method has on uptake to this programme. NHS Health Check data from April 2013 to March 2014 was analysed (N = 50,485) for all 30 GP Practices in Luton, a culturally diverse town in England, UK. Data was collected for age, ethnicity, uptake (attendance and non attendance) and invitation method (letter written, verbal face-to-face, telephone). Actual usage of NHS Health Checks was determined for each ethnic group of the population and compared using Chi-square analysis. The overall uptake rate for Luton was 44 %, markedly lower that the set target of 50-75 %. The findings revealed a variation of uptake in relation to age, gender, level of deprivation. Ethnicity and gender variations were also found, with 'White British' 'Black Caribbean' and 'Indian' patients most likely to take up a NHS Health Check. However, patients from 'Any Other White Background' and 'Black African' were significantly less likely to uptake an NHS Health Check compared to all other ethnic groups. Ethnicity and gender differences were also noted in relation to invitation method. The findings revealed that different invitation methods were effective for different ethnic and gender groups. Therefore, it is suggested that established protocols of invitation are specifically designed for maximizing the response rate for each population group. Future research should now focus on uncovering the barriers to uptake in particular culturally diverse population groups to determine how public health teams can better engage with these communities.

Model Checking Feature Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Le Guilly, Thibaut; Olsen, Petur; Pedersen, Thomas

2015-01-01

This paper presents an offline approach to analyzing feature interactions in embedded systems. The approach consists of a systematic process to gather the necessary information about system components and their models. The model is first specified in terms of predicates, before being refined to t...... to timed automata. The consistency of the model is verified at different development stages, and the correct linkage between the predicates and their semantic model is checked. The approach is illustrated on a use case from home automation....

Functional check of telescoping transfer pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharpe, C.L.

1994-01-01

Activities are defined which constitute a functional check of a telescoping transfer pump (TTP). This report is written to the Procedures group of HLW and particularly applies to those TTP's which are the sole means of emergency transfer from a HLW waste tank

Effects of inserted depth of wall penetration on basal stability of foundation pits

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Aizhao; Shen, Hao; Sun, Jinguo

2017-05-01

Evaluation of basal heave stability is one of important design checks for excavations in soft clays. The commonly used classical calculation method based on limit equilibrium theory and the safety coefficient formula recommended by the current code, do not consider the influence of supporting structure of foundation pit depth heave stability, which results in conservative. Considering the wall stiffness and strength, the effective stress changes in different depth of soil, the frictional resistance between the retaining wall and the passive zone, the vertical shear resistance of the soil behind the wall and other factors. The modified safety factor calculation formula of foundation pit stability is presented, comparison analysis of calculation method combined with examples. The calculation results show that the safety factor of foundation pit stability is improved considering the influence of supporting structure depth, the calculation results are more reasonable.

PVeStA: A Parallel Statistical Model Checking and Quantitative Analysis Tool

KAUST Repository

AlTurki, Musab

2011-01-01

Statistical model checking is an attractive formal analysis method for probabilistic systems such as, for example, cyber-physical systems which are often probabilistic in nature. This paper is about drastically increasing the scalability of statistical model checking, and making such scalability of analysis available to tools like Maude, where probabilistic systems can be specified at a high level as probabilistic rewrite theories. It presents PVeStA, an extension and parallelization of the VeStA statistical model checking tool [10]. PVeStA supports statistical model checking of probabilistic real-time systems specified as either: (i) discrete or continuous Markov Chains; or (ii) probabilistic rewrite theories in Maude. Furthermore, the properties that it can model check can be expressed in either: (i) PCTL/CSL, or (ii) the QuaTEx quantitative temporal logic. As our experiments show, the performance gains obtained from parallelization can be very high. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Ambipolar potential measurement plans and instrumentation. Final report, 1 October 1980-30 September 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlbacka, G.; Stringfield, R.; Glaros, S.; Buck, V.; Larsen, J.; Burr, L.; Boyle, M.; Lepage, J.; Cirigliano, R.

1983-03-01

A Thomson parabola charged particle spectrometer was built with an energy resolution of 80 keV and an active silicon detector array that is read by a computer-compatible CAMAC. The instrument was checked out at the University of Rochester Omega Laser facility. Experiments to measure the ambipolar potential and the dE/dx thermonuclear target to within 50 keV are now possible. The ion temperature of the burn can be determined to within 10%

CheckMATE 2: From the model to the limit

Science.gov (United States)

Dercks, Daniel; Desai, Nishita; Kim, Jong Soo; Rolbiecki, Krzysztof; Tattersall, Jamie; Weber, Torsten

2017-12-01

We present the latest developments to the CheckMATE program that allows models of new physics to be easily tested against the recent LHC data. To achieve this goal, the core of CheckMATE now contains over 60 LHC analyses of which 12 are from the 13 TeV run. The main new feature is that CheckMATE 2 now integrates the Monte Carlo event generation via MadGraph5_aMC@NLO and Pythia 8. This allows users to go directly from a SLHA file or UFO model to the result of whether a model is allowed or not. In addition, the integration of the event generation leads to a significant increase in the speed of the program. Many other improvements have also been made, including the possibility to now combine signal regions to give a total likelihood for a model.

48 CFR 22.406-7 - Compliance checking.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS APPLICATION OF LABOR LAWS TO GOVERNMENT ACQUISITIONS Labor Standards for Contracts... inspections to check type of work performed, number and classification of workers, and fulfillment of posting...

SOLA-LOOP analysis of a back pressure check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travis, J.R.

1984-01-01

The SOLA-LOOP computer code for transient, nonequilibrium, two-phase flows in networks has been coupled with a simple valve model to analyze a feedwater pipe breakage with a back-pressure check valve. Three tests from the Superheated Steam Reactor Safety Program Project (PHDR) at Kahl, West Germany, are analyzed, and the calculated transient back-pressure check valve behavior and fluid dynamics effects are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimentally measured data

Development of a stainless steel check valve for cryogenic applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veenstra, T.T.; Venhorst, G.C.F.; Venhorst, G.C.F.; Burger, Johannes Faas; Holland, Herman J.; ter Brake, Hermanus J.M.; Sirbi, A.; Rogalla, Horst

2007-01-01

This paper describes the development of a check valve for use in a sorption compressor that will drive a 10 mW 4.5 K Joule–Thomson cryocooler. For the check valve extremely low backflow rates are tolerable at an operating temperature of the valve of 50 K. To fulfill these requirements, the sealing

Gender Check - veel kord soolisusest Ida-Euroopa kunstis / Mare Tralla

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tralla, Mare, 1967-

2010-01-01

Novembris 2010 Viinis toimunud konverentsist, kus analüüsiti näituse "Gender Check. Feminiinsus ja maskuliinsus Ida-Euroopa kunstis" kogemust ning sellele eelnenud ja järgnenud uurimistöö tulemusi. Esitleti artiklite kogumikku "Gender check: a reader : art and theory in Eastern Europe". "Gender Checki" projekti edasisest saatusest ja mõjust

Fraud by using a check | Azarian | Journal of Fundamental and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

If someone used check as a tool to fraud and looting of property of others, should they just be subject to check law, and according to the provisions of the law are prosecuted? Are crook people the same as honorable merchants that due to some unwanted changes and fluctuations in the market and social conditions

IAEA experience with authentication of in-plant NDA instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Augustson, R.H.; Dermendjiev, E.

1983-01-01

The paper discusses IAEA experience with permanently installed measuring equipment, i.e. in-plant NDA instrumentation, which often has advantages over portable equipment, such as improved accuracy, automated sample handling and data collection, and capacity for higher throughput. In some cases, in-plant equipment is the only means of making a field measurement. However, the use of in-plant equipment requires an additional set of inspector procedures to ensure that the instrument is working correctly and has not been tampered with. This process of verifying instrument performance is called authentication. General guidelines for approaches to authentication have been studied and formulated by an IAEA Advisory Group Meeting held in November 1981. Procedures for specific instruments have been developed in some cases with the help of national support programmes. The field application of authentication is accomplished by incorporating specific actions into inspection procedures. Results are written down as part of the working papers and included in the final inspection report. For quantitative checks such as measurement of a working standard the results are sent along with the inspection measurements to the Agency for inclusion in the safeguards data base. The in-plant equipment may be owned by the facility, a State, a safeguards organization or the Agency. In each case, the use of the in-plant equipment will necessitate additional interactions between facility operator and inspector, in order to judge the impact on plant operation, and understand what is being measured and what can go wrong. The paper discusses the IAEA's experience gained in the field application of authentication procedures for instrument systems such as weighing and volume measuring devices, rod scanners, neutron activation systems and K-edge densitometers

Type checking with open type functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schrijvers, Tom; Jones, Simon Peyton; Chakravarty, Manual

2008-01-01

We report on an extension of Haskell with open type-level functions and equality constraints that unifies earlier work on GADTs, functional dependencies, and associated types. The contribution of the paper is that we identify and characterise the key technical challenge of entailment checking; an...

Slicing AADL specifications for model checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Odenbrett, M.R.; Nguyen, V.Y.; Noll, T.

2010-01-01

To combat the state-space explosion problem in model checking larger systems, abstraction techniques can be employed. Here, methods that operate on the system specification before constructing its state space are preferable to those that try to minimize the resulting transition system as they

CAREN-4, ENDF/B Utility, Discontinuity Check at Resonance Region Boundary. CHECK-4, ENDF/B Utility, Structure Consistency Check and Format Check. CRECT, ENDF/B Utility, Data Correlation and Data Update. DICT-4, ENDF/B Utility, Section Table of Contents Generator. LISTF-4, ENDF/B Utility, Data Listing. RIGEL-4, ENDF/B Utility, Data Retrieval, BCD to BIN Conversion. SUMUP-4, ENDF/B Utility, Partial Cross-Sections Sum Check Against Tot Cross-Sections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1975-08-01

Description of problem or function: These programs are updated versions of ENDF/B checking, retrieval, and display codes capable of processing the Version-IV data files. RIGEL4 retrieves ENDF/B data and changes mode (BCD-BIN) or arrangement. Updated version processes decay data (mf=1, mt=457) and error files. CHECK4 checks the structure, consistency, and formats of ENDF data files. Updated version recognizes newly defined mt and mf numbers, checks mt=457 and the formats of the error files, contains RSIC photon file changes. SUMUP4 checks whether partial cross sections add up to the total. Updated version flags grid points present in the partial cross section, absent in the total. LISTF4 produces interpreted listings of ENDF/B data. Updated version lists mt=457, skips over error files, contains minor corrections. PLOTF4 produces plots of ENDF/B data. Updated version plots mt=457, skips over error files, contains minor corrections. RESEND processes ENDF materials with resonance parameters into a pointwise form. Capability of processing Adler-Adler parameters added. CRECT corrects ENDF/B data files. DICT4 generates a section table of contents (dictionary) for ENDF/B materials. CAREN4 tests for discontinuities across the limits of resonance ranges of an ENDF/B material. Updated version contains minor corrections.

Radiotherapy treatment checking procedures throughout Australasia: results of a survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duggan, L.; Kron, T.; Howlett, S.

1996-01-01

In July 1995, a questionnaire was forwarded to thirty two physicists overseeing Radiation Oncology Departments and brachytherapy in hospitals throughout Australia and New Zealand. From the thirty seven hospitals reached by this survey, details were gathered on thirty hospitals, including the Newcastle In most radiotherapy centres where treatment planning is performed by radiation therapists, at least some of the treatment sheets and their calculations are double checked by radiotherapy physicists. While 23% checked the treatment sheets of all patients, in the majority of centres physicists were found to check only a minor selection, that is, less than 20% of all treatment sheets. Only in six centres physicists were not involved. 5 refs., 4 tabs., 5 figs

Instrumented module of the ATLAS tile calorimeter

CERN Multimedia

Laurent Guiraud

1998-01-01

The ATLAS tile calorimeter consists of steel absorber plates interspersed with plastic scintillator tiles. Interactions of high-energy hadrons in the plates transform the incident energy into a 'hadronic shower'. When shower particles traverse the scintillating tiles, the latter emit an amount of light proportional to the incident energy. This light is transmitted along readout fibres to a photomultiplier, where a detectable electrical signal is produced. These pictures show one of 64 modules or 'wedges' of the barrel part of the tile calorimeter, which are arranged to form a cylinder around the beam axis. The wedge has been instrumented with scintillators and readout fibres. Photos 03, 06: Checking the routing of the readout fibres into the girder that houses the photomultipliers. Photo 04: A view of the fibre bundles inside the girder.

WCET Analysis of ARM Processors using Real-Time Model Checking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toft, Martin; Olesen, Mads Christian; Dalsgaard, Andreas

2009-01-01

This paper presents a flexible method that utilises real-time model checking to determine safe and sharp WCETs for processes running on hardware platforms featuring pipelining and caching.......This paper presents a flexible method that utilises real-time model checking to determine safe and sharp WCETs for processes running on hardware platforms featuring pipelining and caching....

Stability of the Regular Hayward Thin-Shell Wormholes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sharif

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to construct regular Hayward thin-shell wormholes and analyze their stability. We adopt Israel formalism to calculate surface stresses of the shell and check the null and weak energy conditions for the constructed wormholes. It is found that the stress-energy tensor components violate the null and weak energy conditions leading to the presence of exotic matter at the throat. We analyze the attractive and repulsive characteristics of wormholes corresponding to ar>0 and ar<0, respectively. We also explore stability conditions for the existence of traversable thin-shell wormholes with arbitrarily small amount of fluid describing cosmic expansion. We find that the space-time has nonphysical regions which give rise to event horizon for 0stability of thin-shell wormholes.

Examination of the long-term stability of radiation survey meters and electronic pocket dosemeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chida, K.; Nishimura, Y.; Sato, Y.; Endo, A.; Sakamoto, M.; Hoshi, C.; Zuguchi, M.

2008-01-01

To describe the stability of radiation survey meters (RSMs) and electronic pocket dosemeters (EPDs), we examined 28 EPDs and 24 RSMs: 12 used NaI(Tl) scintillation RSMs and 12 used Geiger-Muller (GM) RSMs. We used simple methods for the relative calibration of the 24 RSMs and 28 EPDs. The RSM and EPD measurements were compared with a calibrated RSM and EPD (reference: traceable from the national standard of exposure) using a homemade measurement device to maintain the reproducibility of the measurements with reference radiation sources (i.e. 137 Cs, 90 Sr and 67 Ga). The response of RSMs and EPDs, especially after prolonged use, should be checked periodically. In particular, GMRSMs that have been in use for many years have very low sensitivity and poor reproducibility. Our simple method for the relative calibration of RSMs and EPDs was shown to be effective for quality assurance purposes in checking RSMs and EPDs. We recommend regular checks and calibration for sustained performance of RSMs and EPDs. (authors)

Assessment and management of ageing of electrical instrumentation and control cables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pachner, J. [International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, Vienna (Austria); Burnay, S.G. [John Knott Associates Ltd., Newbury (United Kingdom)

2001-07-01

This paper presents a summary of the results of an IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project (CRP) on Management of Ageing of In-containment Instrumentation and Control (I and C) Cables addressing current practices and techniques for assessing and managing ageing degradation of cables in real nuclear power plant (NPP) environments. These practices and techniques include environmental qualification, identification of cables of concern, condition monitoring, and predictive modelling. The paper shows how they should be integrated within a plant-specific ageing management programme utilising a systematic ageing management process, which is an adaptation of Deming Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to ageing management. (author)

Assessment and management of ageing of electrical instrumentation and control cables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pachner, J.; Burnay, S.G.

2001-01-01

This paper presents a summary of the results of an IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project (CRP) on Management of Ageing of In-containment Instrumentation and Control (I and C) Cables addressing current practices and techniques for assessing and managing ageing degradation of cables in real nuclear power plant (NPP) environments. These practices and techniques include environmental qualification, identification of cables of concern, condition monitoring, and predictive modelling. The paper shows how they should be integrated within a plant-specific ageing management programme utilising a systematic ageing management process, which is an adaptation of Deming Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to ageing management. (author)

Polarity Checks in Sectors 23 & 78

CERN Document Server

Calaga, R; Lamont, M; Ponce, L; Sun, Y; Tomás, R; Venturini-Delsolaro, W; Zimmermann, F

2009-01-01

During the first three LHC synchronization tests on August 10, August 24, and September 7, 2008, linear and higher-order polarity checks were performed with beam 1 in Sector 23 and beam 2 in Sector 78. The main principle of these checks was to launch free betatron oscillations and use the difference trajectory measurements with respect to inverted polarities of circuits under investigation. In the case of zero nominal strength for a circuit, a finite value was introduced. The magnet circuits subjected to these tests were the QT and QTL trim quadrupoles, the MQS skew quadrupoles, the SF and SD arc sextupole circuits, the MCS b3 spool pieces, the OD and OF Landau octupoles, and the MSS skew sextupoles. For some of these circuits sensitivity was enhanced by introducing large momentum offsets. To detect and remove improve spurious contributions from initially off-center orbits, four sets of trajectories were recorded, namely with and without oscillation, and with two magnet strength settings, respectively. We rep...

Onboard calibration and monitoring for the SWIFT instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahnama, P; McDade, I; Shepherd, G; Gault, W

2012-01-01

The SWIFT (Stratospheric Wind Interferometer for Transport studies) instrument is a proposed space-based field-widened Doppler Michelson interferometer designed to measure stratospheric winds and ozone densities using a passive optical technique called Doppler Michelson imaging interferometry. The onboard calibration and monitoring procedures for the SWIFT instrument are described in this paper. Sample results of the simulations of onboard calibration measurements are presented and discussed. This paper also discusses the results of the derivation of the calibrations and monitoring requirements for the SWIFT instrument. SWIFT's measurement technique and viewing geometry are briefly described. The reference phase calibration and filter monitoring for the SWIFT instrument are two of the main critical design issues. In this paper it is shown that in order to meet SWIFT's science requirements, Michelson interferometer optical path difference monitoring corresponding to a phase calibration accuracy of ∼10 −3 radians, filter passband monitoring corresponding to phase accuracy of ∼5 × 10 −3 radians and a thermal stability of 10 −3 K s −1 are required. (paper)

Two sides of the same coin? A new instrument to assess body checking and avoidance behaviors in eating disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Legenbauer, Tanja; Martin, Franziska; Blaschke, Ariane; Schwenzfeier, Anne; Blechert, Jens; Schnicker, Katja

2017-06-01

Body checking (BC) and avoidance behaviors (BA) are the dominant behavioral features of body image disturbances (BID) that characterize most individuals with eating disorders (EDs). Whereas BC can be reliably assessed, a valid assessment tool for BA is lacking, preventing an adequate assessment of BID differences across different EDs (anorexia nervosa, AN; bulimia nervosa, BN; binge eating disorder, BED). A total of 310 women with EDs and 112 nonclinical controls completed measures of BC-, BA- and ED-related symptoms. BA did not differentiate between EDs, whereas BC did: it was highest in AN and BN, and lowest in BED. Multivariate analyses also discriminated AN from BN based on BC. Given that results are of preliminary nature, evidence is promising that EDs can be discriminated from healthy controls and that differential BID profiles for the behavioral component among ED subgroups exist. However, replication of the factor structure remains open within ED subsamples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SU-D-BRD-01: An Automated Physics Weekly Chart Checking System Supporting ARIA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, X; Yang, D [Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: A software tool was developed in this study to perform automatic weekly physics chart check on the patient data in ARIA. The tool accesses the electronic patient data directly from ARIA server and checks the accuracy of treatment deliveries, and generates reports which summarize the delivery history and highlight the errors. Methods: The tool has four modules. 1) The database interface is designed to directly access treatment delivery data from the ARIA database before reorganizing the data into the patient chart tree (PCT). 2) PCT is a core data structure designed to store and organize the data in logical hierarchies, and to be passed among functions. 3) The treatment data check module analyzes the organized data in PCT and stores the checking results into PCT. 4) Report generation module generates reports containing the treatment delivery summary, chart checking results and plots of daily treatment setup parameters (couch table positions, shifts of image guidance). The errors that are found by the tool are highlighted with colors. Results: The weekly check tool has been implemented in MATLAB and clinically tested at two major cancer centers. Javascript, cascading style sheets (CSS) and dynamic HTML were employed to create the user-interactive reports. It takes 0.06 second to search the delivery records of one beam with PCT and compare the delivery records with beam plan. The reports, saved in the HTML files on shared network folder, can be accessed by web browser on computers and mobile devices. Conclusion: The presented weekly check tool is useful to check the electronic patient treatment data in Varian ARIA system. It could be more efficient and reliable than the manually check by physicists. The work was partially supported by a research grant from Varian Medical System.

SU-D-BRD-01: An Automated Physics Weekly Chart Checking System Supporting ARIA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, X; Yang, D

2015-01-01

Purpose: A software tool was developed in this study to perform automatic weekly physics chart check on the patient data in ARIA. The tool accesses the electronic patient data directly from ARIA server and checks the accuracy of treatment deliveries, and generates reports which summarize the delivery history and highlight the errors. Methods: The tool has four modules. 1) The database interface is designed to directly access treatment delivery data from the ARIA database before reorganizing the data into the patient chart tree (PCT). 2) PCT is a core data structure designed to store and organize the data in logical hierarchies, and to be passed among functions. 3) The treatment data check module analyzes the organized data in PCT and stores the checking results into PCT. 4) Report generation module generates reports containing the treatment delivery summary, chart checking results and plots of daily treatment setup parameters (couch table positions, shifts of image guidance). The errors that are found by the tool are highlighted with colors. Results: The weekly check tool has been implemented in MATLAB and clinically tested at two major cancer centers. Javascript, cascading style sheets (CSS) and dynamic HTML were employed to create the user-interactive reports. It takes 0.06 second to search the delivery records of one beam with PCT and compare the delivery records with beam plan. The reports, saved in the HTML files on shared network folder, can be accessed by web browser on computers and mobile devices. Conclusion: The presented weekly check tool is useful to check the electronic patient treatment data in Varian ARIA system. It could be more efficient and reliable than the manually check by physicists. The work was partially supported by a research grant from Varian Medical System

The B4 school check behaviour measures: findings from the Hawke's Bay evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedley, Cath; Thompson, Shona; Morris Matthews, Kay; Pentecost, Mandy; Wivell, Judy; Frost, Ariana Stockdale; Morris, Helen

2012-11-01

The Before (B4) School Check is a free health and development check delivered by specifically trained nurses to four year old children throughout New Zealand, aimed to identify and address any health, behavioural, social or developmental concerns that could affect a child's ability to get the most benefit from school. Reported here are the results of an evaluation of the B4 School Checks in Hawke's Bay, focusing specifically on children assessed at the 84 School Check with behaviour issues as determined by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Health Hawke's Bay (HHB) records were reviewed to understand the number and demographics of the children assessed with behaviour issues at the B4 School Checks up to 31 August 2011, and the interventions to which they were referred. Telephone Interviews were conducted with 36 parents/caregivers of these children to address the questions, what difference did the B4 School Check make to children assessed with behaviour issues and what aspects of the B4 School Check delivery contributed to successful outcomes for these children? Results showed that child behaviour issues in Hawke's Bay were identified in more boys than girls and concentrated in more deprived families. Māori children were represented in numbers disproportional to the regional population. The majority of referrals for child behaviour directed parents/caregivers to non-governmental organisations for family support and parenting programmes. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data derived from the interviews with parents/caregivers and results indicated high levels of satisfaction with the B4 School Check for behaviour and the referred outcomes. Implications for nursing practice arise from these findings in that they identify factors which contribute to what does and does not work well for achieving successful outcomes from the B4 School Check for behaviour.

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: Sm

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

checkCIF/PLATON report. You have not supplied any structure factors. As a result the full set of tests cannot be run. THIS REPORT IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. IF USED AS PART OF A REVIEW PROCEDURE. FOR PUBLICATION, IT SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE EXPERTISE OF AN EXPERIENCED. CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: neu

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

checkCIF/PLATON report. You have not supplied any structure factors. As a result the full set of tests cannot be run. THIS REPORT IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. IF USED AS PART OF A REVIEW PROCEDURE. FOR PUBLICATION, IT SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE EXPERTISE OF AN EXPERIENCED. CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: shelxl

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

checkCIF/PLATON report. You have not supplied any structure factors. As a result the full set of tests cannot be run. THIS REPORT IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. IF USED AS PART OF A REVIEW PROCEDURE. FOR PUBLICATION, IT SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE EXPERTISE OF AN EXPERIENCED. CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: 6

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

checkCIF/PLATON report. You have not supplied any structure factors. As a result the full set of tests cannot be run. THIS REPORT IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. IF USED AS PART OF A REVIEW PROCEDURE. FOR PUBLICATION, IT SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE EXPERTISE OF AN EXPERIENCED. CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: 2

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

checkCIF/PLATON report. You have not supplied any structure factors. As a result the full set of tests cannot be run. THIS REPORT IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. IF USED AS PART OF A REVIEW PROCEDURE. FOR PUBLICATION, IT SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE EXPERTISE OF AN EXPERIENCED. CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: sm

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

checkCIF/PLATON report. You have not supplied any structure factors. As a result the full set of tests cannot be run. THIS REPORT IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. IF USED AS PART OF A REVIEW PROCEDURE. FOR PUBLICATION, IT SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE EXPERTISE OF AN EXPERIENCED. CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ...

Independent procedure of checking dose calculations using an independent calculus algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez Rozos, A.; Jerez Sainz, I.; Carrasco Rodriguez, J. L.

2006-01-01

In radiotherapy it is recommended the use of an independent procedure of checking dose calculations, in order to verify the main treatment planning system and double check every patient dosimetry. In this work we present and automatic spreadsheet that import data from planning system using IMPAC/RTP format and verify monitor unit calculation using an independent calculus algorithm. Additionally, it perform a personalized analysis of dose volume histograms and several radiobiological parameters like TCP and NTCP. Finally, the application automatically generate a clinical dosimetry report for every patient, including treatment fields, fractionation, independent check results, dose volume analysis, and first day forms. (Author)

Take the Reins on Model Quality with ModelCHECK and Gatekeeper

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Corey

2012-01-01

Model quality and consistency has been an issue for us due to the diverse experience level and imaginative modeling techniques of our users. Fortunately, setting up ModelCHECK and Gatekeeper to enforce our best practices has helped greatly, but it wasn't easy. There were many challenges associated with setting up ModelCHECK and Gatekeeper including: limited documentation, restrictions within ModelCHECK, and resistance from end users. However, we consider ours a success story. In this presentation we will describe how we overcame these obstacles and present some of the details of how we configured them to work for us.

77 FR 38714 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for the TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-28

... TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION..., the IRS is soliciting comments concerning the TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires. DATES: Written... [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires. OMB...

Spinal instrumentation for unstable C1-2 injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Mizuno, J; Nakagawa, H

1999-06-01

Seventeen patients with unstable C1-2 injuries were treated between 1990 and 1997. Various methods of instrumentation surgery were performed in 16 patients, excluding a case of atlantoaxial rotatory fixation. Posterior stabilization was carried out in 14 cases using Halifax interlaminar clamp, Sof'wire or Danek cable, or more recently, transarticular screws. Transodontoid anterior screw fixation was performed in four cases of odontoid process fractures, with posterior instrumentation in two cases because of malunion. Rigid internal fixation by instrumentation surgery for the unstable C1-2 injury avoids long-term application of a Halo brace and facilitates early rehabilitation. However, the procedure is technically demanding with the risk of neural and vascular injuries, particularly with posterior screw fixation. Sagittal reconstruction of thin-sliced computed tomography scans at the C1-2 region, neuronavigator, and intraoperative fluoroscopy are essential to allow preoperative surgical planning and intraoperative guidance.

NL(q) Theory: A Neural Control Framework with Global Asymptotic Stability Criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandewalle, Joos; De Moor, Bart L.R.; Suykens, Johan A.K.

1997-06-01

In this paper a framework for model-based neural control design is presented, consisting of nonlinear state space models and controllers, parametrized by multilayer feedforward neural networks. The models and closed-loop systems are transformed into so-called NL(q) system form. NL(q) systems represent a large class of nonlinear dynamical systems consisting of q layers with alternating linear and static nonlinear operators that satisfy a sector condition. For such NL(q)s sufficient conditions for global asymptotic stability, input/output stability (dissipativity with finite L(2)-gain) and robust stability and performance are presented. The stability criteria are expressed as linear matrix inequalities. In the analysis problem it is shown how stability of a given controller can be checked. In the synthesis problem two methods for neural control design are discussed. In the first method Narendra's dynamic backpropagation for tracking on a set of specific reference inputs is modified with an NL(q) stability constraint in order to ensure, e.g., closed-loop stability. In a second method control design is done without tracking on specific reference inputs, but based on the input/output stability criteria itself, within a standard plant framework as this is done, for example, in H( infinity ) control theory and &mgr; theory. Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Evidence for the safety assurance of the radiation associated equipments for stat-up check

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Yasuyuki; Igarashi, Hiroshi; Saito, Kyoko; Kawaharada, Yasuhiro; Hirano, Kunihiro; Murase, Kenya; Mochizuki, Teruhito

2008-01-01

Based on the new amendment of the Medical Service Law and the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, the safety control for the medical equipments and devices was strengthened; and a radiological technologist should be stipulated as a safety control manager for the medical equipments and devices. Although it is thought that Start-up check is important for the safety assurance, the enforcement situation is not clear until now. In this report, on the occasion of the start-up of the new Law, questionnaire about the start up check (time and a check items) were investigated from 56 hospitals applying the visit interview. Modality by modality check up time was obtained from 261 institutions by the descriptive study paper type. Start-up check and arming up were applied for almost all modalities about 30 minutes before start of the clinical tests. The check up items for the medical equipments and devices depended on each hospital. Therefore, safety assurance should be established, cooperating with the medical equipment distributors, the hospital sharing the checked results for the patients' safety. (author)

The influence of social anxiety on the body checking behaviors of female college students.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Emily K; Warren, Cortney S

2014-09-01

Social anxiety and eating pathology frequently co-occur. However, there is limited research examining the relationship between anxiety and body checking, aside from one study in which social physique anxiety partially mediated the relationship between body checking cognitions and body checking behavior (Haase, Mountford, & Waller, 2007). In an independent sample of 567 college women, we tested the fit of Haase and colleagues' foundational model but did not find evidence of mediation. Thus we tested the fit of an expanded path model that included eating pathology and clinical impairment. In the best-fitting path model (CFI=.991; RMSEA=.083) eating pathology and social physique anxiety positively predicted body checking, and body checking positively predicted clinical impairment. Therefore, women who endorse social physique anxiety may be more likely to engage in body checking behaviors and experience impaired psychosocial functioning. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Diversity and ambivalence in general practitioners' attitudes towards preventive health checks - a qualitative study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Anne; Christensen, Bo; Maindal, Helle Terkildsen

2012-01-01

.The purpose of our study is to describe GPs' attitudes towards and concerns about providing preventive health checks and to describe their experiences with the health checks that they provide in daily practice. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted based on three semi-structured focus group...... practice. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that health checks are performed differently. Their quality differs, and the GPs perform the health check based on their personal attitude towards this service and prevention in general. Our analysis suggests that the doctors are basically uncertain about the best...... that there was great diversity in the content. The GPs were somewhat ambivalent towards health checks. Many GPs found the service beneficial for the patients. Concurrently, they had reservations about promoting ill-health, they questioned whether the health checks were a core mission of primary care, and they were...

Mitigating check valve slamming and subsequentwater hammer events for PPFS using MOC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Wenxi; Su Guanghui; Wang Gaopeng; Qiu Suizheng; Xiao Zejun

2009-01-01

The method of characteristic (MOC) was adopted to analyze the check valve-induced water hammer behaviors for a Parallel Pumps Feedwater System (PPFS) during the alternate startup process. The motion of check valve disc was simulated using inertial valve model. Transient parameters including the pressure oscillation, local flow velocity and slamming of the check valve disc etc. have been obtained. The results showed that severe slamming between the valve disc and valve seat occurred during the alternate startup of parallel pumps. The induced maximum pressure vibration amplitude is up to 5.0 MPa. The scheme of appending a damping torque to slow down the check valve closing speed was also performed to mitigate of water hammer. It has been numerically approved to be an effective approach. (authors)

Mitigating check valve slamming and subsequentwater hammer events for PPFS using MOC

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TIAN Wenxi; SU Guanghui; WANG Gaopeng; QIU Suizheng; XIAO Zejun

2009-01-01

The method of characteristic (MOC) was adopted to analyze the check valve-induced water hammer behaviors for a Parallel Pumps Feedwater System (PPFS) during the alternate startup process. The motion of check valve disc was simulated using inertial valve model. Transient parameters including the pressure oscillation, local flow velocity and slamming of the check valve disc etc. have been obtained. The results showed that severe slamming between the valve disc and valve seat occurred during the alternate startup of parallel pumps. The induced maximum pressure vibration amplitude is up to 5.0 MPa. The scheme of appending a damping torque to slow down the check valve closing speed was also performed to mitigate of water hammer. It has been numerically approved to be an effective approach.

Existence and exponential stability of almost periodic solution for Hopfield-type neural networks with impulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Huiying; Xia Yonghui

2008-01-01

In this paper, some sufficient conditions are obtained for checking the existence and exponential stability of almost periodic solution for bidirectional associative memory Hopfield-type neural networks with impulse. The approaches are based on contraction principle and Gronwall-Bellman's inequality. This paper is considering the almost periodic solution for impulsive Hopfield-type neural networks

Surveillance of instrumentation channels at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thie, J.A.

1989-06-01

Surveillance activities at nuclear plants, involving-calibrations, functional tests, and simple checks, have many associated problems. These problems are of the following four types: administrative, equipment, human, and systemic. An extensive search of the literature has led to 63 generic classes of problems falling within these types and involving instrumentation department activities. The classification system is that which writers of incidents are essentially using, based on historical traditions, in naming their problems' causes. An interesting finding in the search was the strong correlation of this project to many aspects of industrial safety; technology transfer opportunities from the latter are identified. A survey of plant instrumentation experts was conducted to obtain a ranking of the most important problems. Classes of solutions to these problems are listed and discussed. Outlined is a possible methodology of matching these solutions to problems. Finally applications of this study are listed, and include extensions to training, operations, and maintenance departments of power plants. Appendices give several general examples for each problem class and many specific suggestions from experts on addressing the problems felt to be more important. 15 refs., 2 figs., 6 tabs

The development of fusion sensor techniques for condition monitoring of a check valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seong, S.H.; Kim, J.S.; Hur, S.; Kim, J.T.; Park, W.M.; Cha, D.B.

2004-01-01

The failures of check valves are one of the most important problems in nuclear power plants because the reverse flows through the failed check valve impact on the healthy hydraulic loop. The present test method of finding out the mechanical failure of a check valve is very risky in the radiated environments during normal operation. In addition, the detection of failures in the overhaul period is very costly and tedious because many check valves are used in the plants and manual disassembly work is required. We have suggested the fusion sensor technology for detecting the failures of check valves through measuring and analyzing the backward leakage flow and mechanical vibration without disassembling the check valve. The fusion sensor means that more than two sensors are used in order to identify and analyze the changes of the frequency response between the failed check valve and healthy check valve. We use the accelerometer and acoustic emission sensor as an alternative to the fusion sensor methodology. We have found that the acoustic emission sensor would be capable of directly detecting a high frequency acoustic wave generated from backward leakage flow itself at a low pressure and temperature. The accelerometer for detecting the mechanical vibration induced from leakage flows would, also, be useful at a high pressure and temperature from the previous studies. The effectiveness of this system is that it is possible for predictive maintenance and information of the problem valve will be captured and it reduces the radiation exposure for the maintenance personnel during power operation as well as the maintenance period. (orig.)

Assembly-line health check up in digitalized hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yalan; Yao, Bin; Zhang, Zigang

2002-01-01

The health check up flow of digital hospital can be consulted with the assembly line of industry factory. Because they have the following same features: highly specialized workstation, closeness and continuance, rhythm, balanced production, continuous production. The essential prerequisites are as the follows: The inspecting items and methods should be stable; advanced product mix and stable production design; standardized raw material, consumption, procedure, inspection method; there are lots of request for health inspection; the customers move at the least unit; the space arrangement should be reasonable; the time arrangement should be proportion. With the computer net, the digital inspection can achieves the raw material controlling accurately. The basis of check up line concerns about equipment, net and software, data collection, and personnel. The group technology is used in the health inspection flow design of the digital hospital in the field of items customers and zone redivided. The digital assembly linemic health inspect has the following stages: member registering, notice, check in, arrange order, time control, report, feedback and analysis. The assembly linemic has following advantages: increasing the productivity, the space utility, satisfaction of customer, fund returning, lowering the cost and ensuring the quality.

The method of a joint intraday security check system based on cloud computing

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Wei; Feng, Changyou; Zhou, Caiqi; Cai, Zhi; Dan, Xu; Dai, Sai; Zhang, Chuancheng

2017-01-01

The intraday security check is the core application in the dispatching control system. The existing security check calculation only uses the dispatch center’s local model and data as the functional margin. This paper introduces the design of all-grid intraday joint security check system based on cloud computing and its implementation. To reduce the effect of subarea bad data on the all-grid security check, a new power flow algorithm basing on comparison and adjustment with inter-provincial tie-line plan is presented. And the numerical example illustrated the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.

47 CFR 1.1165 - Payment by cashier's check for regulatory fees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Payment by cashier's check for regulatory fees. 1.1165 Section 1.1165 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL PRACTICE AND... regulatory fees. Payment by cashier's check may be required when a person or organization makes payment, on...

Using Canonical Forms for Isomorphism Reduction in Graph-based Model Checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kant, Gijs

Graph isomorphism checking can be used in graph-based model checking to achieve symmetry reduction. Instead of one-to-one comparing the graph representations of states, canonical forms of state graphs can be computed. These canonical forms can be used to store and compare states. However, computing

78 FR 63565 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for the TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-24

... TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION..., the IRS is soliciting comments concerning the TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires. DATES: Written... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: TE/GE Compliance Check Questionnaires. OMB Number: 1545-2071. Form Number: Not...

FINANCIAL STABILITY - A THEORETICAL APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Vasilescu

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Central banks have become poles of stability and decisive factors of globalization. Financialstability represents a national issue, a public asset, that requires both an intervention of public judicious authoritiesand their cooperation with private sector. Given the integration of financial markets during the last decades in bothdeveloped and developing countries, as direct result of globalization, liberalization and deregulation processes, andthe high degree of innovation they felt over time, a shift in market participants’ perceptions on the importance ofstable financial systems in economic growth arose. The global context characterized by the interdependence ofmarkets and institutions, emergence of new techniques and instruments, increasing international capital flowsstressed the new meanings of the analysis of financial stability.

Global exponential stability of fuzzy cellular neural networks with delays and reaction-diffusion terms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jian; Lu Junguo

2008-01-01

In this paper, we study the global exponential stability of fuzzy cellular neural networks with delays and reaction-diffusion terms. By constructing a suitable Lyapunov functional and utilizing some inequality techniques, we obtain a sufficient condition for the uniqueness and global exponential stability of the equilibrium solution for a class of fuzzy cellular neural networks with delays and reaction-diffusion terms. The result imposes constraint conditions on the network parameters independently of the delay parameter. The result is also easy to check and plays an important role in the design and application of globally exponentially stable fuzzy neural circuits

SU-D-BRD-04: The Impact of Automatic Radiation Therapy Plan Checks in Treatment Planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gopan, O; Yang, F; Ford, E

2015-01-01

Purpose: The physics plan check verifies various aspects of a treatment plan after dosimetrists have finished creating the plan. Some errors in the plan which are caught by the physics check could be caught earlier in the departmental workflow. The purpose of this project was to evaluate a plan checking script that can be run within the treatment planning system (TPS) by the dosimetrists prior to plan approval and export to the record and verify system. Methods: A script was created in the Pinnacle TPS to automatically check 15 aspects of a plan for clinical practice conformity. The script outputs a list of checks which the plan has passed and a list of checks which the plan has failed so that appropriate adjustments can be made. For this study, the script was run on a total of 108 plans: IMRT (46/108), VMAT (35/108) and SBRT (27/108). Results: Of the plans checked by the script, 77/108 (71%) failed at least one of the fifteen checks. IMRT plans resulted in more failed checks (91%) than VMAT (51%) or SBRT (63%), due to the high failure rate of an IMRT-specific check, which checks that no IMRT segment < 5 MU. The dose grid size and couch removal checks caught errors in 10% and 14% of all plans – errors that ultimately may have resulted in harm to the patient. Conclusion: Approximately three-fourths of the plans being examined contain errors that could be caught by dosimetrists running an automated script embedded in the TPS. The results of this study will improve the departmental workflow by cutting down on the number of plans that, due to these types of errors, necessitate re-planning and re-approval of plans, increase dosimetrist and physician workload and, in urgent cases, inconvenience patients by causing treatment delays

Stability of matter-wave solitons in optical lattices

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Sk. Golam; Roy, S. K.; Talukdar, B.

2010-08-01

We consider localized states of both single- and two-component Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) confined in a potential resulting from the superposition of linear and nonlinear optical lattices and make use of Vakhitov-Kolokolov criterion to investigate the effect of nonlinear lattice on the stability of the soliton solutions in the linear optical lattice (LOL). For the single-component case we show that a weak nonlinear lattice has very little effect on the stability of such solitons while sufficiently strong nonlinear optical lattice (NOL) squeezes them to produce narrow bound states. For two-component condensates we find that when the strength of the NOL (γ1) is less than that of the LOL (V0) a relatively weak intra-atomic interaction (IAI) has little effect on the stability of the component solitons. This is true for both attractive and repulsive IAI. A strong attractive IAI, however, squeezes the BEC solitons while a similar repulsive IAI makes the component solitons wider. For γ1 > V0, only a strong attractive IAI squeezes the BEC solitons but the squeezing effect is less prominent than that found for γ1 < V0. We make useful checks on the results of our semianalytical stability analysis by solving the appropriate Gross-Pitaevskii equations numerically.

The instrumental genesis process in future primary teachers using Dynamic Geometry Software

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-López, Natalia

2018-05-01

This paper, which describes a study undertaken with pairs of future primary teachers using GeoGebra software to solve geometry problems, includes a brief literature review, the theoretical framework and methodology used. An analysis of the instrumental genesis process for a pair participating in the case study is also provided. This analysis addresses the techniques and types of dragging used, the obstacles to learning encountered, a description of the interaction between the pair and their interaction with the teacher, and the type of language used. Based on this analysis, possibilities and limitations of the instrumental genesis process are identified for the development of geometric competencies such as conjecture creation, property checking and problem researching. It is also suggested that the methodology used in the analysis of the problem solving process may be useful for those teachers and researchers who want to integrate Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) in their classrooms.

A Laser-Induced Fluorescence Instrument for Aircraft Measurements of Sulfur Dioxide in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Rollins, Andrew W.; Thornberry, Troy D.; Ciciora, Steven J.; McLaughlin, Richard J.; Watts, Laurel A.; Hanisco, Thomas F.; Baumann, Esther; Giorgetta, Fabrizio R.; Bui, Thaopaul V.; Fahey, David W.

2016-01-01

This work describes the development and testing of a new instrument for in situ measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO2) on airborne platforms in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). The instrument is based on the laser-induced fluorescence technique and uses the fifth harmonic of a tunable fiber-amplified semiconductor diode laser system at 1084.5 nm to excite SO2 at 216.9 nm. Sensitivity and background checks are achieved in flight by additions of SO2 calibration gas and zero air, respectively. Aircraft demonstration was performed during the NASA Volcano Plume Investigation Readiness and Gas-Phase and Aerosol Sulfur (VIRGAS) experiment, which was a series of flights using the NASA WB-57F during October 2015 based at Ellington Field and Harlingen, Texas. During these flights, the instrument successfully measured SO2 in the UTLS at background (non-volcanic) conditions with a precision of 2 ppt at 10 s and an overall uncertainty determined primarily by instrument drifts of +/- (16% + 0.9 ppt).

Participation in preventive health check-ups among 19,351 women in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefanie Schülein

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In Germany, a biennial preventive health check-up has been available for individuals aged 35 and older since 1989. The check-up includes identification of cardiovascular disease risk factors and examinations for diabetes mellitus type 2 and kidney disease. Participation in preventive health check-ups among 19,351 women aged 35 to 74 in Germany in 2004 was investigated. Logistic regression was performed to examine associations between participation and age, marital status, education, socio-economic status (SES and region of residence. In total, 53.4% of women attended at least every two years, 23.4% attended irregularly and 23.2% never attended. In adjusted models, single, divorced, separated or widowed women were less likely to have a preventive health check-up at least every two years compared to married women (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.57–0.71, while women in eastern Germany were less likely to participate (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.75–0.86 than women in western Germany. Education showed no association with having a preventive health check-up at least every two years; however, women with low SES were less likely to participate compared to those with high SES (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.74–0.92. About half of eligible women reported participating in health check-ups at least every two years, with participation varying according to socio-demographic characteristics. Women who are less likely to participate may benefit from receiving invitation letters within the framework of an organised programme. The benefits of general health checks, however, need to be evaluated.

Notification: Purchase Card and Convenience Check Audit

Science.gov (United States)

Project #OA-FY13-0116, April 11, 2013. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General, is beginning the fieldwork phase of its audit of the agency’s purchase card and convenience check programs.

[Transcultural adaptation of an instrument to evaluate hearing handicap in workers with noise-induced hearing loss].

Science.gov (United States)

Holanda, Wanessa Tenório Gonçalves; de Lima, Maria Luiza Carvalho; Figueiroa, José Natal

2011-01-01

The noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a chronic and irreversible disease resulting of the exposure to noise in high levels at work. Even in the beginning, this hearing loss can damage in many degrees the worker's quality of life. Before this study, there wasn't an instrument, in Portuguese, to evaluate the psychosocial disadvantages of workers with NIHL. The aim of this research was to make a transcultural adaptation of an especific instrument to evaluate the hearing handicap from the original language to Portuguese, and check the reliability and legitimacy. The selected instrument passed by a process of semantic equivalence that was conducted in five stages: translation, back translation, critical appraisal of the versions, pre-test and a final review by a multi-professional group to develop a consensual version of the instrument for current use in Brazil. The instrument called "Inabilities Scale and Hearing Handicap" had, in general, acceptable psychometric measures, considering the little size of the sample and the fact that workers' hearing loss weren't too significant. Therefore, the Portuguese version of this instrument needs to be further tested in a representative sample of Brazilian workers with NIHL to ratify its utility in order to evaluate hearing handicap in this population.

The Design of E-Traveler’s Check with Efficiency and Mutual Authentication

OpenAIRE

Chin-Chen Chang; Shih-Chang Chang

2010-01-01

Nowadays, traveling has become a popular leisure activity in our daily lives. Travelers can either use cash or credit cards to pay their bills. However, there is risk of cash being robbed or credit cards being copied. The traveler’s check, which is a third choice, comes in to get travelers around such risks and to protect their rights. Nevertheless, traditional travelers’ checks cannot keep imposters from forging and cashing them illegally. Hence, we propose a new type of check, called the e-...

General health checks in adults for reducing morbidity and mortality from disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krogsbøll, Lasse T; Jørgensen, Karsten Juhl; Grønhøj Larsen, Christian

2012-01-01

General health checks are common elements of health care in some countries. These aim to detect disease and risk factors for disease with the purpose of reducing morbidity and mortality. Most of the commonly used screening tests offered in general health checks have been incompletely studied. Als......, screening leads to increased use of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, which can be harmful as well as beneficial. It is, therefore, important to assess whether general health checks do more good than harm....

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: shelx

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

7 ALERT level G = General information/check it is not something unexpected. 0 ALERT type 1 CIF construction/syntax error, inconsistent or missing data. 3 ALERT type 2 Indicator that the structure ... However, the purpose of your study may justify the reported deviations and the more serious of these should normally be ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: 1

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

6 ALERT level G = General information/check it is not something unexpected. 2 ALERT type 1 CIF construction/syntax error, inconsistent or missing data. 8 ALERT type 2 Indicator that the structure ... However, the purpose of your study may justify the reported deviations and the more serious of these should normally be ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: 3

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

5 ALERT level G = General information/check it is not something unexpected. 5 ALERT type 1 CIF construction/syntax error, inconsistent or missing data. 15 ALERT type 2 Indicator that the structure ... However, the purpose of your study may justify the reported deviations and the more serious of these should normally be ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: 3

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

5 ALERT level G = General information/check it is not something unexpected. 0 ALERT type 1 CIF construction/syntax error, inconsistent or missing data. 3 ALERT type 2 Indicator that the structure ... However, the purpose of your study may justify the reported deviations and the more serious of these should normally be ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: shelxl

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

6 ALERT level G = General information/check it is not something unexpected. 0 ALERT type 1 CIF construction/syntax error, inconsistent or missing data. 4 ALERT type 2 Indicator that the structure ... However, the purpose of your study may justify the reported deviations and the more serious of these should normally be ...

Separation of Powers: Checks and Balances.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Bonnie

1988-01-01

This article offers a class activity on separation of powers and checks and balances within the U.S. government. Based on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's attempt to push through legislation for the New Deal of the 1930s by "packing" the U.S. Supreme Court, the activity includes worksheets and teaching suggestions. (JDH)

SU-F-T-96: A New Paradigm of Weekly Chart Checking for Radiation Therapy Clinics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, J; Pompos, A; Jiang, S; Yan, Y

2016-01-01

Purpose: To put forth an innovative clinical paradigm for weekly chart checking so that treatment status is periodically checked accurately and efficiently. This study also aims to help optimize the chart checking clinical workflow in a busy radiation therapy clinic. Methods: It is mandated by the Texas Administrative code to check patient charts of radiation therapy once a week or every five fractions, however it varies drastically among institutions in terms of when and how it is done. Some do it every day, but a lot of efforts are wasted on opening ineligible charts; some do it on a fixed day but the distribution of intervals between subsequent checks is not optimal. To establish an optimal chart checking procedure, a new paradigm was developed to achieve 1) charts are checked more accurately and more efficiently; 2) charts are checked on optimal days without any miss; 3) workload is evened out throughout a week when multiple physicists are involved. All active charts will be accessed by querying the R&V system. Priority is assigned to each chart based on the number of days before the next due date followed by sorting and workload distribution steps. New charts are also taken into account when distributing the workload so it is reasonably even throughout the week. Results: Our clinical workflow became more streamlined and smooth. In addition, charts get checked in a more timely fashion so that errors would get caught earlier should they occur. Conclusion: We developed a new weekly chart checking diagram. It helps physicists check charts in a timely manner, saves their time in busy clinics, and consequently reduces possible errors.

SU-F-T-96: A New Paradigm of Weekly Chart Checking for Radiation Therapy Clinics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, J; Pompos, A; Jiang, S; Yan, Y [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To put forth an innovative clinical paradigm for weekly chart checking so that treatment status is periodically checked accurately and efficiently. This study also aims to help optimize the chart checking clinical workflow in a busy radiation therapy clinic. Methods: It is mandated by the Texas Administrative code to check patient charts of radiation therapy once a week or every five fractions, however it varies drastically among institutions in terms of when and how it is done. Some do it every day, but a lot of efforts are wasted on opening ineligible charts; some do it on a fixed day but the distribution of intervals between subsequent checks is not optimal. To establish an optimal chart checking procedure, a new paradigm was developed to achieve 1) charts are checked more accurately and more efficiently; 2) charts are checked on optimal days without any miss; 3) workload is evened out throughout a week when multiple physicists are involved. All active charts will be accessed by querying the R&V system. Priority is assigned to each chart based on the number of days before the next due date followed by sorting and workload distribution steps. New charts are also taken into account when distributing the workload so it is reasonably even throughout the week. Results: Our clinical workflow became more streamlined and smooth. In addition, charts get checked in a more timely fashion so that errors would get caught earlier should they occur. Conclusion: We developed a new weekly chart checking diagram. It helps physicists check charts in a timely manner, saves their time in busy clinics, and consequently reduces possible errors.

28 CFR 105.23 - Procedure for requesting criminal history record check.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... record checks solely for the purpose of screening its private security officers; and that it will abide... employee to submit those prints for a state and national criminal history record check. An authorized... specified by the SIB. (c) Upon receipt of an employee's fingerprints, the SIB shall perform a fingerprint...

A high-precision instrument for mapping of rotational errors in rotary stages

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Weihe; Lauer, Kenneth; Chu, Yong; Nazaretski, Evgeny

2014-10-02

A rotational stage is a key component of every X-ray instrument capable of providing tomographic or diffraction measurements. To perform accurate three-dimensional reconstructions, runout errors due to imperfect rotation (e.g.circle of confusion) must be quantified and corrected. A dedicated instrument capable of full characterization and circle of confusion mapping in rotary stages down to the sub-10 nm level has been developed. A high-stability design, with an array of five capacitive sensors, allows simultaneous measurements of wobble, radial and axial displacements. The developed instrument has been used for characterization of two mechanical stages which are part of an X-ray microscope.

Body checking and eating cognitions in Brazilian outpatients with eating disorders and non psychiatric controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Kachani, Adriana Trejger; Barroso, Lucia Pereira; Brasiliano, Silvia; Cordás, Táki Athanássios; Hochgraf, Patrícia Brunfentrinker

2015-12-01

Compare inadequate eating behaviors and their relationship to body checking in three groups: patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and a control group (C). Eighty three outpatients with eating disorders (ED) and 40 controls completed eating attitudes and body checking questionnaires. The overall relationship between the eating attitude and body checking was statistically significant in all three groups. The worse the eating attitude, the greater the body checking behavior. However, when we look at each group individually, the relationship was only statistically significant in the AN group (r=.354, p=0.020). The lower the desired weight and the worse the eating attitude, the more people check themselves, although in the presence of an ED the relationship between body checking and food restrictions is greater. In patients displaying the AN subgroup, body checking is also related to continued dietary control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Error Checking for Chinese Query by Mining Web Log

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianyong Duan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available For the search engine, error-input query is a common phenomenon. This paper uses web log as the training set for the query error checking. Through the n-gram language model that is trained by web log, the queries are analyzed and checked. Some features including query words and their number are introduced into the model. At the same time data smoothing algorithm is used to solve data sparseness problem. It will improve the overall accuracy of the n-gram model. The experimental results show that it is effective.

FIXUP2007, ENDF Format Redundant Cross-Sections Check

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: FIXUP is designed to read evaluated data in the ENDF/B format, perform corrections and output the results in the ENDF/B format. One of the most important functions of this code is to redefine all redundant cross sections to be exactly equal to the sum of its parts. IAEA1309/11: This version includes the updates up to January 30, 2007. Changes in ENDF/B-VII Format and procedures, as well as the evaluations themselves, make it impossible for versions of the ENDF/B pre-processing codes earlier than PREPRO 2007 (2007 Version) to accurately process current ENDF/B-VII evaluations. The present code can handle all existing ENDF/B-VI evaluations through release 8, which will be the last release of ENDF/B-VI. Modifications from previous versions: - Fixup VERS. 2007-1 (Jan. 2007): checked against all ENDF/B-VII; increased page size from 60,000 to 600,000 data points 2 - Method of solution: FIXUP: All MAT numbers on an ENDF/B tape are processed; each MAT is treated separately. Within each MAT, each section before and after MF=3 is read, checked/corrected and output. When MF=3 is located, all cross sections are read, sections deleted, created, checked/corrected (based on user input) and after several intermediate stages written to output. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The program uses only the ENDF/B BCD format tape and copy all sections except File 3 as read. It is assumed that the data is correctly coded. No error checking is performed. Since File 3 data are in identical format for ENDF/B versions I through VI, the program can be used with all these versions. - All data in file 3 and 23 must be linearly interpolable

A rapid, ensemble and free energy based method for engineering protein stabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Naganathan, Athi N

2013-05-02

Engineering the conformational stabilities of proteins through mutations has immense potential in biotechnological applications. It is, however, an inherently challenging problem given the weak noncovalent nature of the stabilizing interactions. In this regard, we present here a robust and fast strategy to engineer protein stabilities through mutations involving charged residues using a structure-based statistical mechanical model that accounts for the ensemble nature of folding. We validate the method by predicting the absolute changes in stability for 138 experimental mutations from 16 different proteins and enzymes with a correlation of 0.65 and importantly with a success rate of 81%. Multiple point mutants are predicted with a higher success rate (90%) that is validated further by comparing meosphile-thermophile protein pairs. In parallel, we devise a methodology to rapidly engineer mutations in silico which we benchmark against experimental mutations of ubiquitin (correlation of 0.95) and check for its feasibility on a larger therapeutic protein DNase I. We expect the method to be of importance as a first and rapid step to screen for protein mutants with specific stability in the biotechnology industry, in the construction of stability maps at the residue level (i.e., hot spots), and as a robust tool to probe for mutations that enhance the stability of protein-based drugs.

Classification and checking model of pedestrian crossing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Delgado Méndez

2012-11-01

After realizing this investigation it can be confirmed that the functionality of a pedestrian crossing depends on almost a hundred parameters which must be checked or measured, in turn proving that this design and construction process is indeed complex.

Decentralized Consistency Checking in Cross-organizational Workflows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wombacher, Andreas

Service Oriented Architectures facilitate loosely coupled composed services, which are established in a decentralized way. One challenge for such composed services is to guarantee consistency, i.e., deadlock-freeness. This paper presents a decentralized approach to consistency checking, which

Blood Pressure Matters: Keep Hypertension in Check

Science.gov (United States)

... 2016 Print this issue Blood Pressure Matters Keep Hypertension in Check En español Send us your comments ... 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure, but many don’t realize it. High blood ...

Thermal architecture of the SPICA/SAFARI instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, Ivan; Duband, Lionel; Duval, Jean-Marc; Jackson, Brian; Jellema, Willem; Kooijman, Peter Paul; Luchier, Nicolas; Tirolien, Thierry; van Weers, Henk

2012-09-01

The SAFARI instrument is a far infrared imaging spectrometer that is a core instrument of the SPICA mission. Thanks to the large (3 meter) SPICA cold telescope, the ultra sensitive detectors and a powerful Fourier Transform Spectrometer, this instrument will give access to the faintest light never observed in the 34 μm - 210 μm bandwidth with a high spectral resolution. To achieve this goal, TES detectors, that need to be cooled at a temperature as low as 50 mK, have been chosen. The thermal architecture of the SAFARI focal plane unit (FPU) which fulfils the TES detector thermal requirements is presented. In particular, an original 50 mK cooler concept based on a sorption cooler in series with an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator will be used. The thermal design of the detector focal plane array (FPA) that uses three temperature stages to limit the loads on the lowest temperature stage, will be also described. The current SAFARI thermal budget estimations are presented and discussed regarding the limited SPICA allocations. Finally, preliminary thermal sensitivity analysis dealing with thermal stability requirements is presented.

Selling a gun to a stranger without a background check: acceptable behaviour?

Science.gov (United States)

Hemenway, David; Azrael, Deborah; Miller, Matthew

2017-06-24

One way that guns get into the wrong hands is via gun sales without a background check. While the large majority of Americans support laws requiring universal background checks, no prior study has assessed whether Americans think it is acceptable behaviour to sell a gun to a stranger without a background check, whether or not there is a law against it. We sponsored a nationally representative survey of over 3900 American adults, oversampling gun owners, using an online panel provided by the survey firm Growth for Knowledge. Over 72% of American adults agree or strongly agree with the statement that 'whether it is legal or not, it is NOT acceptable to sell a gun to a stranger without a background check' and 11% disagree or strongly disagree. Subgroups less likely to agree are young adults, men, conservatives, those with less than a high school education and gun owners. Reducing the number of guns sold without a background check could help reduce the flow of guns to felons. Changes in normative attitudes and behaviours, as well as changes in law, could help accomplish this goal. Most Americans, including gun owners, believe selling a gun to a stranger without a background check is not acceptable behaviour. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Asymptomatic brain tumor detected at brain check-up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onizuka, Masanari; Suyama, Kazuhiko; Shibayama, Akira; Hiura, Tsuyoshi; Horie, Nobutaka; Miyazaki, Hisaya

2001-01-01

Brain check-up was performed in 4000 healthy subjects who underwent medical and radiological examinations for possible brain diseases in our hospital from April 1996 to March 2000. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed 11 brain tumors which consisted of six meningiomas, three pituitary adenomas, one astrocytoma, and one epidermoid cyst. The detection rate of incidental brain tumor in our hospital was 0.3%. Nine patients underwent surgery, with one case of morbidity due to postoperative transient oculomotor nerve paresis. The widespread use of brain check-up may increasingly detect asymptomatic brain tumors. Surgical indications for such lesions remain unclear, and the strategy for treatment should be determined with consideration of the patient's wishes. (author)

Toward improved design of check dam systems: A case study in the Loess Plateau, China

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Debasish; Galelli, Stefano; Tang, Honglei; Ran, Qihua

2018-04-01

Check dams are one of the most common strategies for controlling sediment transport in erosion prone areas, along with soil and water conservation measures. However, existing mathematical models that simulate sediment production and delivery are often unable to simulate how the storage capacity of check dams varies with time. To explicitly account for this process-and to support the design of check dam systems-we developed a modelling framework consisting of two components, namely (1) the spatially distributed Soil Erosion and Sediment Delivery Model (WaTEM/SEDEM), and (2) a network-based model of check dam storage dynamics. The two models are run sequentially, with the second model receiving the initial sediment input to check dams from WaTEM/SEDEM. The framework is first applied to Shejiagou catchment, a 4.26 km2 area located in the Loess Plateau, China, where we study the effect of the existing check dam system on sediment dynamics. Results show that the deployment of check dams altered significantly the sediment delivery ratio of the catchment. Furthermore, the network-based model reveals a large variability in the life expectancy of check dams and abrupt changes in their filling rates. The application of the framework to six alternative check dam deployment scenarios is then used to illustrate its usefulness for planning purposes, and to derive some insights on the effect of key decision variables, such as the number, size, and site location of check dams. Simulation results suggest that better performance-in terms of life expectancy and sediment delivery ratio-could have been achieved with an alternative deployment strategy.

Efficient Semantics-Based Compliance Checking Using LTL Formulae and Unfolding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Song

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Business process models are required to be in line with frequently changing regulations, policies, and environments. In the field of intelligent modeling, organisations concern automated business process compliance checking as the manual verification is a time-consuming and inefficient work. There exist two key issues for business process compliance checking. One is the definition of a business process retrieval language that can be employed to capture the compliance rules, the other concerns efficient evaluation of these rules. Traditional syntax-based retrieval approaches cannot deal with various important requirements of compliance checking in practice. Although a retrieval language that is based on semantics can overcome the drawback of syntax-based ones, it suffers from the well-known state space explosion. In this paper, we define a semantics-based process model query language through simplifying a property specification pattern system without affecting its expressiveness. We use this language to capture semantics-based compliance rules and constraints. We also propose a feasible approach in such a way that the compliance checking will not suffer from the state space explosion as much as possible. A tool is implemented to evaluate the efficiency. An experiment conducted on three model collections illustrates that our technology is very efficient.

Assessment of the measurement properties of the post stroke motor function instruments available in Brazil: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, Elaine; Teixeira-Salmela, Luci F; Simões, Luan; Guerra, Ana C C; Lemos, Andrea

2016-03-15

While there are several instruments in Brazil that measure motor function in patients after stroke, it is unknown whether the measurement properties of these instruments are appropriate. To identify the motor function instruments available in Brazil for patients after stroke. To assess the methodological quality of the studies and the results related to the measurement properties of these instruments. Two independent reviewers conducted searches on PubMed, LILACS, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus. Studies that aimed to cross-culturally adapt an existing instrument or create a Brazilian instrument and test at least one measurement property related to motor function in patients after stroke were included. The methodological quality of these studies was checked by the COSMIN checklist with 4-point rating scale and the results of the measurement properties were analyzed by the criteria developed by Terwee et al. A total of 11 instruments were considered eligible, none of which were created in Brazil. The process of cross-cultural adaptation was inadequate in 10 out of 11 instruments due to the lack of back-translation or due to inappropriate target population. All of the instruments presented flaws in the measurement properties, especially reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. The flaws observed in both cross-cultural adaptation process and testing measurement properties make the results inconclusive on the validity of the available instruments. Adequate procedures of cross-cultural adaptation and measurement properties of these instruments are strongly needed.

Assessment of the measurement properties of the post stroke motor function instruments available in Brazil: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaine Lima

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background While there are several instruments in Brazil that measure motor function in patients after stroke, it is unknown whether the measurement properties of these instruments are appropriate. Objective To identify the motor function instruments available in Brazil for patients after stroke. To assess the methodological quality of the studies and the results related to the measurement properties of these instruments. Method Two independent reviewers conducted searches on PubMed, LILACS, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus. Studies that aimed to cross-culturally adapt an existing instrument or create a Brazilian instrument and test at least one measurement property related to motor function in patients after stroke were included. The methodological quality of these studies was checked by the COSMIN checklist with 4-point rating scale and the results of the measurement properties were analyzed by the criteria developed by Terwee et al. Results A total of 11 instruments were considered eligible, none of which were created in Brazil. The process of cross-cultural adaptation was inadequate in 10 out of 11 instruments due to the lack of back-translation or due to inappropriate target population. All of the instruments presented flaws in the measurement properties, especially reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. Conclusion The flaws observed in both cross-cultural adaptation process and testing measurement properties make the results inconclusive on the validity of the available instruments. Adequate procedures of cross-cultural adaptation and measurement properties of these instruments are strongly needed.

Experimental and analytical studies on waterhammer generated by the closing of check valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huet, J.L.; Garcia, J.L.; Coppolani, P.; Ziegler, B.

1987-01-01

A double-guillotine rupture on a water line upstream from a check valve generates a severe transient between the check valve and the pressure vessel on the downstream side. Successively following phenomena occur: - decrease then reversal of the flow, - closing of the check valve with impact of the plug on its seat, - waterhammer propagating in the pipe downstream from the check valve. The COMMISARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE (C.E.A.) FRAMATOME and ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE (E.D.F.) have undertaken a joint program in order to: - investigate the behavior uf the check valve in the event of a sudden closure, - evaluate the pressure and flow transient in the line. The program includes: - full scale tests in two loops, CLAUDIA (C.E.A.) and ECLAIR (E.D.F.), - analytical studies in order to qualify the calculation codes. This paper describes the experimental program and presents the analysis results for a benchmark test

Handbook on care, handling and protection of nuclear medicine instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-11-01

Instruments are fundamental to successful nuclear medicine practice. They must be properly installed in an environment in which they can give accurate and uninterrupted service. They have to be properly and carefully operated and supported throughout their life by regular care and maintenance. If something is wrong with a key instrument all well trained staff members are idle and all purchased radiopharmaceuticals become useless. Overall responsibility for instrumentation rests with the directors of nuclear medicine centres. They should support their electronic engineers, medical physicists, technologists and physicians to plan and implement the care and protection of nuclear medicine instruments, see that they are properly maintained, and kept in optimum working condition by regular checks. Protection should be considered, and provided for, before installing any new instrument. The protective devices are part of the new installation and should be well maintained along with the instrument throughout its life. Thus protection needs careful planning, particularly at the beginning of a new instrumentation programme. It can affect selection, procurement, acceptance testing, and the design of quality control and maintenance routines. These activities should be considered as important in their own right. They should not be mixed in with other functions or left to take care of themselves in the daily rush to get through routine work. Experience suggests that more than half of all failures of electronic equipment are due to damage by external electrical disturbances. Section 2 of this handbook aims to help instrument users in nuclear medicine centres to understand the nature of the various types of disturbance, and to protect against them. Section 3 shows how air conditioning can help to protect instrumentation. Section 4 lists some practical tips to avoid accidental damage due to mishandling. A computer program for use with Personal Computers, ''EPC Expert'' is described

Model Checking - Automated Verification of Computational Systems

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 14; Issue 7. Model Checking - Automated Verification of Computational Systems. Madhavan Mukund. General Article Volume 14 Issue 7 July 2009 pp 667-681. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

Combining monitoring with run-time assertion checking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gouw, Stijn de

2013-01-01

We develop a new technique for Run-time Checking for two object-oriented languages: Java and the Abstract Behavioral Specification language ABS. In object-oriented languages, objects communicate by sending each other messages. Assuming encapsulation, the behavior of objects is completely

Multi-Core Emptiness Checking of Timed Büchi Automata using Inclusion Abstraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laarman, Alfons; Olesen, Mads Chr.; Dalsgaard, Andreas

2013-01-01

This paper contributes to the multi-core model checking of timed automata (TA) with respect to liveness properties, by investigating checking of TA Büchi emptiness under the very coarse inclusion abstraction or zone subsumption, an open problem in this field. We show that in general Büchi emptiness...... parallel LTL model checking algorithm for timed automata. The algorithms are implemented in LTSmin, and experimental evaluations show the effectiveness and scalability of both contributions: subsumption halves the number of states in the real-world FDDI case study, and the multi-core algorithm yields...

The check sheet for diagnosis of postmortem CT. Development and the first impression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Naoya; Higuchi, Takeshi; Shiotani, Motoi; Sato, Suguru; Maeda, Haruo; Hirose, Yasuo

2010-01-01

We developed the check sheet for diagnosis of postmortem CT. We listed the findings that had been reported as causes of death, postmortem changes, and changes caused by cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the sheet. We used the check sheet for 26 postmortem CT of cases with cardiopulmonary arrest on arrival. The causes of death were proposed in 11 cases. The check sheet was useful to diagnose postmortem CT. (author)

Determination of stability of epimetamorphic rock slope using Minimax Probability Machine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoj Kumar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article employs Minimax Probability Machine (MPM for the prediction of the stability status of epimetamorphic rock slope. The MPM gives a worst-case bound on the probability of misclassification of future data points. Bulk density (d, height (H, inclination (β, cohesion (c and internal friction angle (φ have been used as input of the MPM. This study uses the MPM as a classification technique. Two models {Linear Minimax Probability Machine (LMPM and Kernelized Minimax Probability Machine (KMPM} have been developed. The generalization capability of the developed models has been checked by a case study. The experimental results demonstrate that MPM-based approaches are promising tools for the prediction of the stability status of epimetamorphic rock slope.

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: 1

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

(Positive) Residual Density 13.61 eA-3. PLAT201_ALERT_2_B Isotropic non-H Atoms in Main Residue(s) . ... Weight Differ by .. 4.99 Check. PLAT094_ALERT_2_C Ratio of Maximum / Minimum Residual Density . ... 9 ALERT type 1 CIF construction/syntax error, inconsistent or missing data. 20 ALERT type 2 Indicator that ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: platon

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

checkCIF/PLATON report. Structure factors have been supplied for datablock(s) platon. No syntax errors found. CIF dictionary Interpreting this report. Datablock: platon. Bond precision: C-C = 0.0033 A. Wavelength=0.71073. Cell: a=16.345(7) b=6.288(3) c=19.938(8) alpha=90 beta=96.169(7) gamma=90. Temperature:.

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: I

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The relevant atom site should be identified. STRVA01_ALERT_4_C. Flack test results are ambiguous. ... 7 ALERT type 3 Indicator that the structure quality may be low. 5 ALERT type 4 Improvement, methodology, query or ... paper, to upload your CIF via our web site. PLATON version of 20/08/2014; check.def file version of ...

checkCIF/PLATON report Datablock: shelxl

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

6 ALERT level G = General information/check it is not something unexpected. 1 ALERT type 1 CIF construction/syntax error, inconsistent or missing data. 15 ALERT type 2 Indicator that the structure model may be wrong or deficient. 9 ALERT type 3 Indicator that the structure quality may be low. 1 ALERT type 4 Improvement, ...

Development of the Electron Drift Instrument (EDI) for Cluster

Science.gov (United States)

Quinn, Jack; Christensen, John L. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Electron Drift Instrument (EDI) is a new technique for measuring electric fields in space by detecting the effect on weak beams of test electrons. This U.S. portions of the technique, flight hardware, and flight software were developed for the Cluster mission under this contract. Dr. Goetz Paschmann of the Max Planck Institute in Garching, Germany, was the Principle Investigator for Cluster EDI. Hardware for Cluster was developed in the U.S. at the University of New Hampshire, Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, and University of California, San Diego. The Cluster satellites carrying the original EDI instruments were lost in the catastrophic launch failure of first flight of the Arianne-V rocket in 1996. Following that loss, NASA and ESA approved a rebuild of the Cluster mission, for which all four satellites were successfully launched in the Summer of 2000. Limited operations of EDI were also obtained on the Equator-S satellite, which was launched in December, 1997. A satellite failure caused a loss of the Equator-S mission after only 5 months, but these operations were extremely valuable in learning about the characteristics and operations of the complex EDI instrument. The Cluster mission, satellites, and instruments underwent an extensive on-orbit commissioning phase in the Fall of 2000, carrying over through January 2001. During this period all elements of the instruments were checked and careful measurements of inter-experiments interferences were made. EDI is currently working exceptionally well in orbit. Initial results verify that all aspects of the instrument are working as planned, and returning highly valuable scientific information. The first two papers describing EDI on-orbit results have been submitted for publication in April, 2001. The principles of the EDI technique, and its implementation on Cluster are described in two papers by Paschmann et al., attached as Appendices A and B. The EDI presentation at the formal Cluster Commissioning

Layout of PWR in-core instrumentation system tubing and support structure with Bechtel 3D-CADD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichikawa, T.; Pfeifer, B.W.; Mulay, J.N.

1987-01-01

The optimization study of the PWR In-Core Instrumentation System (ICIS) tubing layout and support structure presented an opportunity to utilize the Bechtel 3D-CADD program to perform this task. This paper provides a brief summary of the Bechtel 3D-CADD program development and capabilities and outlines the process of developing and optimizing the ICIS tube layout. Specific aspects relating to the ICIS tube layout criteria, support, alignment, electronic interference check and erection sequence are provided. (orig.)

Energy reduction through voltage scaling and lightweight checking

Science.gov (United States)

Kadric, Edin