Retroviral DNA integration: ASLV, HIV, and MLV show distinct target site preferences.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rick S Mitchell

2004-08-01

Full Text Available The completion of the human genome sequence has made possible genome-wide studies of retroviral DNA integration. Here we report an analysis of 3,127 integration site sequences from human cells. We compared retroviral vectors derived from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, avian sarcoma-leukosis virus (ASLV, and murine leukemia virus (MLV. Effects of gene activity on integration targeting were assessed by transcriptional profiling of infected cells. Integration by HIV vectors, analyzed in two primary cell types and several cell lines, strongly favored active genes. An analysis of the effects of tissue-specific transcription showed that it resulted in tissue-specific integration targeting by HIV, though the effect was quantitatively modest. Chromosomal regions rich in expressed genes were favored for HIV integration, but these regions were found to be interleaved with unfavorable regions at CpG islands. MLV vectors showed a strong bias in favor of integration near transcription start sites, as reported previously. ASLV vectors showed only a weak preference for active genes and no preference for transcription start regions. Thus, each of the three retroviruses studied showed unique integration site preferences, suggesting that virus-specific binding of integration complexes to chromatin features likely guides site selection.

Review of intense irradiation data and discussion on structural integrity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, K.; Jitsukawa, S.; Okubo, N. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan)

2007-07-01

Full text of publication follows: Mechanical property data on austenitic stainless steels and F82H have been reviewed to discuss for developing structural integrity methodologies of intensely irradiated components such as first walls. The following have been already clarified: (1) Fracture ductility is still high even though tensile rupture elongation is reduced remarkably. (2) Strain-hardening occurs in true stress-logarithmic strain (true strain) relationship. Work-softening behavior observed in nominal stress-nominal strain curves is simply resulted from a reduction of work hardening rate accompanied by the increase of flow stress level by irradiation. The review lead to an innovative design concept for application to intensely irradiated components. A special consideration is given to unique feature of bending moment in developing design methodology for preventing ductile fracture of intensely irradiated materials. Another discussion is also made on how to simulate mechanical behavior of intensely irradiated components, because mechanical testing of component-wise specimens after intense irradiation is inevitable for the development of design concepts, although irradiation on such a large scale specimen seems to be almost impossible with current irradiation facilities. (authors)

First detection of global dawn-dusk ionospheric current intensities using Ampere's integral law on Orsted orbits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stauning, P.; Primdahl, Fritz

2000-01-01

-to-dusk ionospheric current is found to be proportional to the gee-effective solar wind electric field and is around 1 million ampere for a typical solar wind electric field of 2 mV/m. Dividing the Ampere integral into semi-orbit parts has enabled us to show that the hemispherical total current intensities depend......The magnetic measurements by the Orsted satellite in noon-midnight orbits have enabled the derivation of the global dawn-dusk oriented ionospheric currents from an Ampere's law closed loop line integral of the geomagnetic vector field along the satellite track. The globally integrated dawn...... on the respective polar cap conductivities, which relate to the daily and seasonally varying solar illumination. The more illuminated hemisphere conveys up to three times more current from dawn to dusk than does the less illuminated....

Integral Management of Irrigation Water in Intensive Horticultural Systems of Almería

OpenAIRE

Pedro Garcia-Caparros; Juana Isabel Contreras; Rafael Baeza; Maria Luz Segura; Maria Teresa Lao

2017-01-01

The development of intensive horticulture in Almería, with a huge increase in greenhouse surface area, is related to three essential factors: climatic characteristics, groundwater use and mulching sandy soil. The purpose of the present paper is to draw a picture of the integral management of water irrigation in the intensive horticultural systems in the region, by identifying the most significant water resource contributions and alternative water resources. Results indicate that the use of gr...

Data-intensive science

CERN Document Server

Critchlow, Terence

2013-01-01

Data-intensive science has the potential to transform scientific research and quickly translate scientific progress into complete solutions, policies, and economic success. But this collaborative science is still lacking the effective access and exchange of knowledge among scientists, researchers, and policy makers across a range of disciplines. Bringing together leaders from multiple scientific disciplines, Data-Intensive Science shows how a comprehensive integration of various techniques and technological advances can effectively harness the vast amount of data being generated and significan

Integral Management of Irrigation Water in Intensive Horticultural Systems of Almería

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Garcia-Caparros

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The development of intensive horticulture in Almería, with a huge increase in greenhouse surface area, is related to three essential factors: climatic characteristics, groundwater use and mulching sandy soil. The purpose of the present paper is to draw a picture of the integral management of water irrigation in the intensive horticultural systems in the region, by identifying the most significant water resource contributions and alternative water resources. Results indicate that the use of groundwater for the irrigation of horticultural crops in the greenhouses presents a high degree of overexploitation of the aquifers, but due to the continuous search for alternative water resources, such as desalinated and reclaimed water, as well as in-depth knowledge of the integral management of water irrigation through automated fertigation and localized irrigation systems, the current status of the water resources could be sustainable. Moreover, being conscious of the pollution generated by agricultural leachates, the horticultural system of Almería is implementing complementary sustainable systems such as recirculation, cascade cropping systems and phytodepuration for the reuse of the leachate. Considering all these factors, it can be concluded that the intensive horticultural system is on the right path towards respecting the environment and being sustainable in terms of water use.

Nationwide Buildings Energy Research enabled through an integrated Data Intensive Scientific Workflow and Advanced Analysis Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kleese van Dam, Kerstin [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lansing, Carina S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Elsethagen, Todd O. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hathaway, John E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Guillen, Zoe C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Dirks, James A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Skorski, Daniel C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Stephan, Eric G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gorrissen, Willy J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gorton, Ian [Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Liu, Yan [Concordia Univ., Montreal, QC (Canada)

2014-01-28

Modern workflow systems enable scientists to run ensemble simulations at unprecedented scales and levels of complexity, allowing them to study system sizes previously impossible to achieve, due to the inherent resource requirements needed for the modeling work. However as a result of these new capabilities the science teams suddenly also face unprecedented data volumes that they are unable to analyze with their existing tools and methodologies in a timely fashion. In this paper we will describe the ongoing development work to create an integrated data intensive scientific workflow and analysis environment that offers researchers the ability to easily create and execute complex simulation studies and provides them with different scalable methods to analyze the resulting data volumes. The integration of simulation and analysis environments is hereby not only a question of ease of use, but supports fundamental functions in the correlated analysis of simulation input, execution details and derived results for multi-variant, complex studies. To this end the team extended and integrated the existing capabilities of the Velo data management and analysis infrastructure, the MeDICi data intensive workflow system and RHIPE the R for Hadoop version of the well-known statistics package, as well as developing a new visual analytics interface for the result exploitation by multi-domain users. The capabilities of the new environment are demonstrated on a use case that focusses on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) building energy team, showing how they were able to take their previously local scale simulations to a nationwide level by utilizing data intensive computing techniques not only for their modeling work, but also for the subsequent analysis of their modeling results. As part of the PNNL research initiative PRIMA (Platform for Regional Integrated Modeling and Analysis) the team performed an initial 3 year study of building energy demands for the US Eastern

Integrated intensities and flipping ratios in neutron diffraction by perfect magnetic crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guigay, J.P.; Schlenker, M.

1979-01-01

A theoretical study of neutron diffraction by perfect magnetic crystals is presented which shows that when the magnetization is perpendicular to the diffraction vector (β- π/2), the dispersion surface is made up of two hyperbolic surfaces corresponding to simple polarization states and the results of the two-beam dynamical theory for non-magnetic crystals can be directly applied. The asymptotic properties of the dispersion surface are of the dispersion surface are also discussed in the more general case (β is not equal to π/2) and an analytical treatment of the kinematical limit is presented. Integrated intensities and flipping ratios outside this limit can only be calculated numerically. It is shown that the wave fields defined by the different points of the dispersion surface are polarized in the (g, B 0 ) plane; this is a generalization of the fact that they are (+-) states with respect to B 0 in the simple case (β=π/2). (UK)

Direct integration of intensity-level data from Affymetrix and Illumina microarrays improves statistical power for robust reanalysis

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Turnbull Arran K

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Affymetrix GeneChips and Illumina BeadArrays are the most widely used commercial single channel gene expression microarrays. Public data repositories are an extremely valuable resource, providing array-derived gene expression measurements from many thousands of experiments. Unfortunately many of these studies are underpowered and it is desirable to improve power by combining data from more than one study; we sought to determine whether platform-specific bias precludes direct integration of probe intensity signals for combined reanalysis. Results Using Affymetrix and Illumina data from the microarray quality control project, from our own clinical samples, and from additional publicly available datasets we evaluated several approaches to directly integrate intensity level expression data from the two platforms. After mapping probe sequences to Ensembl genes we demonstrate that, ComBat and cross platform normalisation (XPN, significantly outperform mean-centering and distance-weighted discrimination (DWD in terms of minimising inter-platform variance. In particular we observed that DWD, a popular method used in a number of previous studies, removed systematic bias at the expense of genuine biological variability, potentially reducing legitimate biological differences from integrated datasets. Conclusion Normalised and batch-corrected intensity-level data from Affymetrix and Illumina microarrays can be directly combined to generate biologically meaningful results with improved statistical power for robust, integrated reanalysis.

The integration of DVH-based planning aspects into a convex intensity modulated radiation therapy optimization framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kratt, Karin; Scherrer, Alexander

2009-01-01

The formulation of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning aspects frequently uses the dose-volume histogram (DVH), whereas plan computations often happen in the more desirable convex IMRT optimization framework. Inspired by a recent publication of Zinchenko et al (2008 Phys. Med. Biol. 53 3231-50), this work addresses the integration of DVH-based planning aspects into this framework from a general point of view. It first provides the basic mathematical requirements on the evaluation functions in order to support such an incorporation. Then it introduces the condition number as a description for how precisely DVH-based planning aspects can be reformulated in terms of evaluation functions. Exemplary numerical studies for the generalized equivalent uniform dose and a physical constraint function show the influence of function parameter values and DVH approximation on the condition number. The work concludes by formulating the aspects that should be taken into account for an appropriate integration of DVH-based planning aspects. (note)

The integration of DVH-based planning aspects into a convex intensity modulated radiation therapy optimization framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kratt, Karin [Faculty of Mathematics, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern (Germany); Scherrer, Alexander [Department of Optimization, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM), Kaiserslautern (Germany)], E-mail: alexander.scherrer@itwm.fraunhofer.de

2009-06-21

The formulation of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning aspects frequently uses the dose-volume histogram (DVH), whereas plan computations often happen in the more desirable convex IMRT optimization framework. Inspired by a recent publication of Zinchenko et al (2008 Phys. Med. Biol. 53 3231-50), this work addresses the integration of DVH-based planning aspects into this framework from a general point of view. It first provides the basic mathematical requirements on the evaluation functions in order to support such an incorporation. Then it introduces the condition number as a description for how precisely DVH-based planning aspects can be reformulated in terms of evaluation functions. Exemplary numerical studies for the generalized equivalent uniform dose and a physical constraint function show the influence of function parameter values and DVH approximation on the condition number. The work concludes by formulating the aspects that should be taken into account for an appropriate integration of DVH-based planning aspects. (note)

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&AS by R&D Intensive Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shantanu Dutta

2009-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, we evaluate the impact of R&D intensity on acquiring firms’ abnormal returns by examining 925 Canadian completed deals between 1993 and 2002 that have information on R&D expenditures. While examining the returns to acquiring firm shareholders in the R&D intensive firms we evaluate two competing hypotheses: ‘growth potential hypothesis’ and ‘integration failure hypothesis’. According to the ‘growth potential hypothesis’, in light of the growth potential of the targets acquired by R&D intensive firms, investors are likely to react positively. ‘Integration failure hypothesis’ focuses on integration difficulties of a target by an R&D intensive firms and suggests that investor might be skeptical of such acquisitions and react negatively. Our results show that R&D intensity (i.e. R&D expenditure by sales has a positive and significant effect on cumulative abnormal returns of the acquiring firms around the announcement dates. This implies that market generally favors the M&A deals by R&D intensive firms. An analysis of the differentiating characteristics reveal that R&D firms have a significantly higher growth potential and undertake more stock financed deals compared to the non R&D firms. Further, our results show that there is no significant change in long-term operating performance subsequent to the M&A deals for both R&D firms and non R&D firms. In general, our results show support for ‘growth potential hypothesis’.

Demonstrating the Effectiveness of an Integrated and Intensive Research Methods and Statistics Course Sequence

Science.gov (United States)

Pliske, Rebecca M.; Caldwell, Tracy L.; Calin-Jageman, Robert J.; Taylor-Ritzler, Tina

2015-01-01

We developed a two-semester series of intensive (six-contact hours per week) behavioral research methods courses with an integrated statistics curriculum. Our approach includes the use of team-based learning, authentic projects, and Excel and SPSS. We assessed the effectiveness of our approach by examining our students' content area scores on the…

Angular distributions of plasma edge velocity and integrated intensity: Update on specific impulse for Ablative Laser Propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jun; Pakhomov, Andrew V.

2005-04-01

This work concludes our discussion of the image processing technique developed earlier for determination of specific impulse (Isp) for Ablative Laser Propulsion (ALP). The plasma plumes are recorded with a time-resolved intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera. The plasma was formed in vacuum (˜ 3×10-3 Torr) by focusing output pulses of a laser system (100-ps pulsewidth at 532 nm wavelength and ˜35 mJ energy) on surfaces of C (graphite), Al, Si, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sn, and Pb elements. Angular profiles for integrated intensity and plasma expansion velocity were determined for the tested elements. Such profiles were used further for assessment of specific impulse. Specific impulses derived from angular distributions of plasma expansion velocity and integral intensity appeared in excellent agreement with the data derived earlier from force measurements.

Angular distributions of plasma edge velocity and integrated intensity: Update on specific impulse for Ablative Laser Propulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Jun; Pakhomov, Andrew V.

2005-01-01

This work concludes our discussion of the image processing technique developed earlier for determination of specific impulse (Isp) for Ablative Laser Propulsion (ALP). The plasma plumes are recorded with a time-resolved intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera. The plasma was formed in vacuum (∼ 3x10-3 Torr) by focusing output pulses of a laser system (100-ps pulsewidth at 532 nm wavelength and ∼35 mJ energy) on surfaces of C (graphite), Al, Si, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sn, and Pb elements. Angular profiles for integrated intensity and plasma expansion velocity were determined for the tested elements. Such profiles were used further for assessment of specific impulse. Specific impulses derived from angular distributions of plasma expansion velocity and integral intensity appeared in excellent agreement with the data derived earlier from force measurements

An integrated DEA PCA numerical taxonomy approach for energy efficiency assessment and consumption optimization in energy intensive manufacturing sectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azadeh, A.; Amalnick, M.S.; Ghaderi, S.F.; Asadzadeh, S.M.

2007-01-01

This paper introduces an integrated approach based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), principal component analysis (PCA) and numerical taxonomy (NT) for total energy efficiency assessment and optimization in energy intensive manufacturing sectors. Total energy efficiency assessment and optimization of the proposed approach considers structural indicators in addition conventional consumption and manufacturing sector output indicators. The validity of the DEA model is verified and validated by PCA and NT through Spearman correlation experiment. Moreover, the proposed approach uses the measure-specific super-efficiency DEA model for sensitivity analysis to determine the critical energy carriers. Four energy intensive manufacturing sectors are discussed in this paper: iron and steel, pulp and paper, petroleum refining and cement manufacturing sectors. To show superiority and applicability, the proposed approach has been applied to refinery sub-sectors of some OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries. This study has several unique features which are: (1) a total approach which considers structural indicators in addition to conventional energy efficiency indicators; (2) a verification and validation mechanism for DEA by PCA and NT and (3) utilization of DEA for total energy efficiency assessment and consumption optimization of energy intensive manufacturing sectors

A plastic stress intensity factor approach to turbine disk structural integrity assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Shlyannikov

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This study based on a new fracture mechanics parameter is concerned with assessing the integrity of cracked steam turbine disk which operate under startup-shutdown cyclic loading conditions. Damage accumulation and growth in service have occurred on the inner surface of slot fillet of key. In order to determine elastic-plastic fracture mechanics parameters full-size stress-strain state analysis of turbine disk was performed for a quote-elliptical part-through cracks under considering loading conditions. As a result distributions of elastic and plastic stress intensity factors along crack front in slot fillet of key of turbine disk depending on surface crack form are defined. An engineering approach to the prediction of carrying capacity of cracked turbine disk which is sensitive to the loading history at maintenance is proposed. The predictions of the rate of crack growth and residual lifetime of steam turbine disk are compared for elastic and elastic-plastic solutions. It is shown that the previously proposed elastic crack growth models provide overestimate the lifetime with respect to the present one. An advantage to use the plastic stress intensity factor to characterize the fracture resistance as the self-dependent unified parameter for a variety of turbine disk configurations rather than the magnitude of the elastic stress intensity factors alone is discussed.

Carbon and nitrogen cycling in an integrated soybean-beef cattle production system under different grazing intensities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joice Mari Assmann

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract:The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of grazing intensity on the decomposition of cover crop pasture, dung, and soybean residues, as well as the C and N release rates from these residues in a long-term integrated soybean-beef cattle system under no-tillage. The experiment was initiated in 2001, with soybean cultivated in summer and black oat + Italian ryegrass in winter. The treatments consisted of four sward heights (10, 20, 30, and 40 cm, plus an ungrazed area, as the control. In 2009-2011, residues from pasture, dung, and soybean stems and leaves were placed in nylon-mesh litter bags and allowed to decompose for up to 258 days. With increasing grazing intensity, residual dry matter of the pasture decreased and that of dung increased. Pasture and dung lignin concentrations and C release rates were lower with moderate grazing intensity. C and N release rates from soybean residues are not affected by grazing intensity. The moderate grazing intensity produces higher quality residues, both for pasture and dung. Total C and N release is influenced by the greater residual dry matter produced when pastures were either lightly grazed or ungrazed.

Facial Expression Overrides Lumbopelvic Kinematics for Clinical Judgements about Low Back Pain Intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Courbalay

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Through real-time behavioral observation systems, pain behaviors are commonly used by clinicians to estimate pain intensity in patients with low back pain. However, little is known about how clinicians rely on pain-related behaviors to make their judgment. According to the Information Integration Theory (IIT framework, this study aimed at investigating how clinicians value and integrate information from lumbopelvic kinematics (LK, a protective pain behavior, and facial expression intensity (FEI, a communicative pain behavior, to estimate pain in patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP. Methods. Twenty-one experienced clinicians and twenty-one novice clinicians were asked to estimate back pain intensity from a virtual character performing a trunk flexion-extension task. Results. Results revealed that both populations relied on facial expression and that only half of the participants in each group integrated FEI and LK to estimate cLBP intensity. Among participants who integrated the two pain behaviors, averaging rule predominated among others. Results showed that experienced clinicians relied equally on FEI and LK to estimate pain, whereas novice clinicians mostly relied on FEI. Discussion. The use of additive rule of integration does not appear to be systematic when assessing others’ pain. When assessing pain intensity, communicative and protective pain behaviors may have different relevance.

Integral fast reactor shows its mettle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Ya.; Lajnberri, M.; Barris, L.; Uoters, L.

1988-01-01

The main aspects of the problem of developing a closed fuel cycle at a NPP built in the so-called integrated version when a fast reactor and the plant for spent fuel regeneration and fuel element production are located in the same site (IFR project), are considered. The technologies of U-Pu-Zr alloy fuel reprocessing and production based on high-temperature metallurgical process and the method of casting under pressure are described. The demonstration of practical feasibility of the fuel cycle on the basis of the IFR reactor is planned for 1990

Low Intensity Focused tDCS Over the Motor Cortex Shows Inefficacy to Improve Motor Imagery Performance

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Irma N. Angulo-Sherman

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is a brain stimulation technique that can enhance motor activity by stimulating the motor path. Thus, tDCS has the potential of improving the performance of brain-computer interfaces during motor neurorehabilitation. tDCS effects depend on several aspects, including the current density, which usually varies between 0.02 and 0.08 mA/cm2, and the location of the stimulation electrodes. Hence, testing tDCS montages at several current levels would allow the selection of current parameters for improving stimulation outcomes and the comparison of montages. In a previous study, we found that cortico-cerebellar tDCS shows potential of enhancing right-hand motor imagery. In this paper, we aim to evaluate the effects of the focal stimulation of the motor cortex over motor imagery. In particular, the effect of supplying tDCS with a 4 × 1 ring montage, which consists in placing an anode on the motor cortex and four cathodes around it, over motor imagery was assessed with different current densities. Electroencephalographic (EEG classification into rest or right-hand/feet motor imagery was evaluated on five healthy subjects for two stimulation schemes: applying tDCS for 10 min on the (1 right-hand or (2 feet motor cortex before EEG recording. Accuracy differences related to the tDCS intensity, as well as μ and β band power changes, were tested for each subject and tDCS modality. In addition, a simulation of the electric field induced by the montage was used to describe its effect on the brain. Results show no improvement trends on classification for the evaluated currents, which is in accordance with the observation of variable EEG band power results despite the focused stimulation. The lack of effects is probably related to the underestimation of the current intensity required to apply a particular current density for small electrodes and the relatively short inter-electrode distance. Hence, higher current

Face-body integration of intense emotional expressions of victory and defeat.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lili Wang

Full Text Available Human facial expressions can be recognized rapidly and effortlessly. However, for intense emotions from real life, positive and negative facial expressions are difficult to discriminate and the judgment of facial expressions is biased towards simultaneously perceived body expressions. This study employed event-related potentials (ERPs to investigate the neural dynamics involved in the integration of emotional signals from facial and body expressions of victory and defeat. Emotional expressions of professional players were used to create pictures of face-body compounds, with either matched or mismatched emotional expressions in faces and bodies. Behavioral results showed that congruent emotional information of face and body facilitated the recognition of facial expressions. ERP data revealed larger P1 amplitudes for incongruent compared to congruent stimuli. Also, a main effect of body valence on the P1 was observed, with enhanced amplitudes for the stimuli with losing compared to winning bodies. The main effect of body expression was also observed in N170 and N2, with winning bodies producing larger N170/N2 amplitudes. In the later stage, a significant interaction of congruence by body valence was found on the P3 component. Winning bodies elicited lager P3 amplitudes than losing bodies did when face and body conveyed congruent emotional signals. Beyond the knowledge based on prototypical facial and body expressions, the results of this study facilitate us to understand the complexity of emotion evaluation and categorization out of laboratory.

IM (Integrity Management) software must show flexibility to local codes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brors, Markus [ROSEN Technology and Research Center GmbH (Germany); Diggory, Ian [Macaw Engineering Ltd., Northumberland (United Kingdom)

2009-07-01

There are many internationally recognized codes and standards, such as API 1160 and ASME B31.8S, which help pipeline operators to manage and maintain the integrity of their pipeline networks. However, operators in many countries still use local codes that often reflect the history of pipeline developments in their region and are based on direct experience and research on their pipelines. As pipeline companies come under increasing regulatory and financial pressures to maintain the integrity of their networks, it is important that operators using regional codes are able to benchmark their integrity management schemes against these international standards. Any comprehensive Pipeline Integrity Management System (PIMS) software package should therefore not only incorporate industry standards for pipeline integrity assessment but also be capable of implementing regional codes for comparison purposes. This paper describes the challenges and benefits of incorporating one such set of regional pipeline standards into ROSEN Asset Integrity Management Software (ROAIMS). (author)

Integrated anaerobic/aerobic biological treatment for intensive swine production.

Science.gov (United States)

Bortone, Giuseppe

2009-11-01

Manure processing could help farmers to effectively manage nitrogen (N) surplus load. Many pig farms have to treat wastewater. Piggery wastewater treatment is a complex challenge, due to the high COD and N concentrations and low C/N ratio. Anaerobic digestion (AD) could be a convenient pre-treatment, particularly from the energetic view point and farm income, but this causes further reduction of C/N ratio and makes denitrification difficult. N removal can only be obtained integrating anaerobic/aerobic treatment by taking into account the best use of electron donors. Experiences gained in Italy during development of integrated biological treatment approaches for swine manure, from bench to full scale, are reported in this paper. Solid/liquid separation as pre-treatment of raw manure is an efficient strategy to facilitate liquid fraction treatment without significantly lowering C/N ratio. In Italy, two full scale SBRs showed excellent efficiency and reliability. Current renewable energy policy and incentives makes economically attractive the application of AD to the separated solid fraction using high solid anaerobic digester (HSAD) technology. Economic evaluation showed that energy production can reduce costs up to 60%, making sustainable the overall treatment.

Modified stress intensity factor as a crack growth parameter applicable under large scale yielding conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuoka, Tetsuo; Mizutani, Yoshihiro; Todoroki, Akira

2014-01-01

High-temperature water stress corrosion cracking has high tensile stress sensitivity, and its growth rate has been evaluated using the stress intensity factor, which is a linear fracture mechanics parameter. Stress corrosion cracking mainly occurs and propagates around welded metals or heat-affected zones. These regions have complex residual stress distributions and yield strength distributions because of input heat effects. The authors previously reported that the stress intensity factor becomes inapplicable when steep residual stress distributions or yield strength distributions occur along the crack propagation path, because small-scale yielding conditions deviate around those distributions. Here, when the stress intensity factor is modified by considering these distributions, the modified stress intensity factor may be used for crack growth evaluation for large-scale yielding. The authors previously proposed a modified stress intensity factor incorporating the stress distribution or yield strength distribution in front of the crack using the rate of change of stress intensity factor and yield strength. However, the applicable range of modified stress intensity factor for large-scale yielding was not clarified. In this study, the range was analytically investigated by comparison with the J-integral solution. A three-point bending specimen with parallel surface crack was adopted as the analytical model and the stress intensity factor, modified stress intensity factor and equivalent stress intensity factor derived from the J-integral were calculated and compared under large-scale yielding conditions. The modified stress intensity was closer to the equivalent stress intensity factor when compared with the stress intensity factor. If deviation from the J-integral solution is acceptable up to 2%, the modified stress intensity factor is applicable up to 30% of the J-integral limit, while the stress intensity factor is applicable up to 10%. These results showed that

Intensity of anxiety is modified via complex integrative stress circuitries.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Justin P; Prince, Melissa A; Achua, Justin K; Robertson, James M; Anderson, Raymond T; Ronan, Patrick J; Summers, Cliff H

2016-01-01

Escalation of anxious behavior while environmentally and socially relevant contextual events amplify the intensity of emotional response produces a testable gradient of anxiety shaped by integrative circuitries. Apprehension of the Stress-Alternatives Model apparatus (SAM) oval open field (OF) is measured by the active latency to escape, and is delayed by unfamiliarity with the passageway. Familiar OF escape is the least anxious behavior along the continuum, which can be reduced by anxiolytics such as icv neuropeptide S (NPS). Social aggression increases anxiousness in the SAM, reducing the number of mice willing to escape by 50%. The apprehension accompanying escape during social aggression is diminished by anxiolytics, such as exercise and corticotropin releasing-factor receptor 1 (CRF1) antagonism, but exacerbated by anxiogenic treatment, like antagonism of α2-adrenoreceptors. What is more, the anxiolytic CRF1 and anxiogenic α2-adrenoreceptor antagonists also modify behavioral phenotypes, with CRF1 antagonism allowing escape by previously submissive animals, and α2-adrenoreceptor antagonism hindering escape in mice that previously engaged in it. Gene expression of NPS and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the central amygdala (CeA), as well as corticosterone secretion, increased concomitantly with the escalating anxious content of the mouse-specific anxiety continuum. The general trend of CeA NPS and BDNF expression suggested that NPS production was promoted by increasing anxiousness, and that BDNF synthesis was associated with learning about ever-more anxious conditions. The intensity gradient for anxious behavior resulting from varying contextual conditions may yield an improved conceptualization of the complexity of mechanisms producing the natural continuum of human anxious conditions, and potential therapies that arise therefrom. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combined effect of Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 and HMB supplementation on muscle integrity and cytokine response during intense military training.

Science.gov (United States)

Gepner, Yftach; Hoffman, Jay R; Shemesh, Elad; Stout, Jeffrey R; Church, David D; Varanoske, Alyssa N; Zelicha, Hila; Shelef, Ilan; Chen, Yacov; Frankel, Hagai; Ostfeld, Ishay

2017-07-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the coadministration of the probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 (BC30) with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) calcium (CaHMB) to CaHMB alone on inflammatory response and muscle integrity during 40 days of intense military training. Soldiers were randomly assigned to one of two groups: CaHMB with BC30 (CaHMBBC30; n = 9) or CaHMB with placebo (CaHMBPL, n = 9). A third group of participants served as a control (CTL; n = 8). During the first 28 days soldiers were garrisoned on base and participated in the same training tasks. During the final 2 wk soldiers navigated 25-30 km per night in difficult terrain carrying ~35 kg of equipment. All assessments (blood draws and diffusion tensor imaging to assess muscle integrity) were conducted before and ~12 h after final supplement consumption. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze all blood and muscle measures. Significant attenuations were noted in IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, CX3CL1, and TNF-α for both CaHMBBC30 and CaHMBPL compared with CTL. Plasma IL-10 concentrations were significantly attenuated for CaHMBBC30 compared with CTL only. A significant decrease in apparent diffusion coefficients was also observed for CaHMBBC30 compared with CaHMBPL. Results provide further evidence that HMB supplementation may attenuate the inflammatory response to intense training and that the combination of the probiotic BC30 with CaHMB may be more beneficial than CaHMB alone in maintaining muscle integrity during intense military training. NEW & NOTEWORTHY β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) in its free acid form was reported to attenuate inflammation and maintain muscle integrity during military training. However, this formulation was difficult to maintain in the field. In this investigation, soldiers ingested HMB calcium (CaHMB) with Bacillus coagulans (BC30) or CaHMB alone during 40 days of training. Results indicated that CaHMB attenuated the inflammatory response and that BC30 combined with

Trade Liberalisation and Vertical Integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bache, Peter Arendorf; Laugesen, Anders Rosenstand

We build a three-country model of international trade in final goods and intermediate inputs and study the relation between four different types of trade liberalisation and vertical integration. Firms are heterogeneous with respect to both productivity and factor (headquarter) intensity. Final......-good producers face decisions on exporting, vertical integration of intermediate-input production, and whether the intermediate-input production should be offshored to a low-wage country. We find that the fractions of final-good producers that pursue either vertical integration, offshoring, or exporting are all...... increasing when intermediate-input trade or final-goods trade is liberalised. Finally, we provide guidance for testing the open-economy property rights theory of the firm using firm-level data and surprisingly show that the relationship between factor (headquarter) intensity and the likelihood of vertical...

[Structure and functional organization of integrated cardiac intensive care].

Science.gov (United States)

Scherillo, Marino; Miceli, Domenico; Tubaro, Marco; Guiducci, Umberto

2007-05-01

The early invasive strategy for the treatment of acute coronary syndromes and the increasing number of older and sicker patients requiring prolonged and more complex intensive care have induced many changes in the function of the intensive care units. These changes include the statement that specially trained cardiologists and cardiac nurses who can manage patients with acute cardiac conditions should staff the intensive care units. This document indicates the structure of the units and specific recommendations for the number of beds, monitoring system, respirators, pacemaker/defibrillators and additional equipment.

Environmental Design for Patient Families in Intensive Care Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahbub Rashid

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to define the role of environmental design in improving family integration with patient care in Intensive Care Units (ICUs. It argues that it is necessary to understand family needs, experience and behavioral responses in ICUs to develop effective models for family integration. With its two components—the “healing culture” promoting effective relationships between caregivers and care seekers, and the “environmental design” supporting the healing culture—a “healing environment of care” can be an effective family integration model. This paper presents evidence showing how environmental design may affect families in ICUs, and proposes design recommendations for creating a healing environment of care promoting family integration in ICUs.

Applying recursive numerical integration techniques for solving high dimensional integrals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammon, Andreas; Genz, Alan; Hartung, Tobias; Jansen, Karl; Volmer, Julia; Leoevey, Hernan

2016-11-01

The error scaling for Markov-Chain Monte Carlo techniques (MCMC) with N samples behaves like 1/√(N). This scaling makes it often very time intensive to reduce the error of computed observables, in particular for applications in lattice QCD. It is therefore highly desirable to have alternative methods at hand which show an improved error scaling. One candidate for such an alternative integration technique is the method of recursive numerical integration (RNI). The basic idea of this method is to use an efficient low-dimensional quadrature rule (usually of Gaussian type) and apply it iteratively to integrate over high-dimensional observables and Boltzmann weights. We present the application of such an algorithm to the topological rotor and the anharmonic oscillator and compare the error scaling to MCMC results. In particular, we demonstrate that the RNI technique shows an error scaling in the number of integration points m that is at least exponential.

Applying recursive numerical integration techniques for solving high dimensional integrals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ammon, Andreas [IVU Traffic Technologies AG, Berlin (Germany); Genz, Alan [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States). Dept. of Mathematics; Hartung, Tobias [King' s College, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Mathematics; Jansen, Karl; Volmer, Julia [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Leoevey, Hernan [Humboldt Univ. Berlin (Germany). Inst. fuer Mathematik

2016-11-15

The error scaling for Markov-Chain Monte Carlo techniques (MCMC) with N samples behaves like 1/√(N). This scaling makes it often very time intensive to reduce the error of computed observables, in particular for applications in lattice QCD. It is therefore highly desirable to have alternative methods at hand which show an improved error scaling. One candidate for such an alternative integration technique is the method of recursive numerical integration (RNI). The basic idea of this method is to use an efficient low-dimensional quadrature rule (usually of Gaussian type) and apply it iteratively to integrate over high-dimensional observables and Boltzmann weights. We present the application of such an algorithm to the topological rotor and the anharmonic oscillator and compare the error scaling to MCMC results. In particular, we demonstrate that the RNI technique shows an error scaling in the number of integration points m that is at least exponential.

Arthritis patients show long-term benefits from 3 weeks intensive exercise training directly following hospital discharge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bulthuis, Y.; Drossaers-Bakker, K.W.; Drossaers-Bakker, K.W.; Taal, Erik; Rasker, Johannes J.; Oostveen, J.; van 't Pad Bosch, P.; Oosterveld, F.; van de Laar, Mart A F J

2007-01-01

Objective: To examine the efficacy of short-term intensive exercise training (IET) directly following hospital discharge. - Methods: In the Disabled Arthritis Patients Post-hospitalization Intensive Exercise Rehabilitation (DAPPER) study, patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis were

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy With Simultaneous Integrated Boost in Patients With Brain Oligometastases: A Phase 1 Study (ISIDE-BM-1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferro, Marica [Radiotherapy Unit, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura “Giovanni Paolo II,” Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Campobasso (Italy); Chiesa, Silvia [Department of Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli,” Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome (Italy); Macchia, Gabriella, E-mail: gmacchia@rm.unicatt.it [Radiotherapy Unit, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura “Giovanni Paolo II,” Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Campobasso (Italy); Cilla, Savino [Medical Physics Unit, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura “Giovanni Paolo II,” Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Campobasso (Italy); Bertini, Federica [Radiation Oncology Center, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Frezza, Giovanni [Radiotherapy Department, Ospedale Bellaria, Bologna (Italy); Farioli, Andrea [Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Cammelli, Silvia [Radiation Oncology Center, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Balducci, Mario [Department of Radiotherapy, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli,” Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome (Italy); Ianiro, Anna [Medical Physics Unit, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura “Giovanni Paolo II,” Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Campobasso (Italy); Angelini, Anna Lisa; Compagnone, Gaetano [Medical Physics Unit, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna (Italy); and others

2017-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the maximum tolerated dose of intensity modulated radiation therapy simultaneous integrated boost whole-brain radiation therapy for palliative treatment of patients with <5 brain metastases using a standard linear accelerator. Materials and Methods: The whole brain plus 3-mm margin was defined as the planning target volume (PTV{sub wb}), whereas each brain metastasis, defined as the contrast-enhancing tumor on MRI T1 scans, plus a 3-mm isotropic margin, was defined as metastases PTV (PTV{sub m}). Radiation therapy was delivered in 10 daily fractions (2 weeks). Only the dose to PTV{sub m} was progressively increased in the patient cohorts (35 Gy, 40 Gy, 45 Gy, 50 Gy), whereas the PTV{sub wb} was always treated with 30 Gy (3 Gy per fraction) in all patients. The dose-limiting toxicity was evaluated providing that 3 months of follow-up had occurred after the treatment of a 6-patient cohort. Results: Thirty patients were enrolled in the study (dose PTV{sub m}: 35 Gy, 8 patients; 40 Gy, 6 patients; 45 Gy, 6 patients; 50 Gy, 10 patients). The number of treated brain metastases was 1 in 18 patients, 2 in 5 patients, 3 in 6 patients, and 4 in 1 patient. Three patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity: 1 patient at dose level 2 presented grade 3 (G3) skin toxicity; 1 patient at dose level 4 presented G3 neurologic toxicity; and 1 patient at the same level showed brain hemorrhage. Most patients showed G1 to 2 acute toxicity, in most cases skin (n=19) or neurologic (n=10). Twenty-seven were evaluable for response: 6 (22%) stable disease, 18 (67%) partial response, and 3 (11%) complete response. Median survival and 1-year overall survival were 12 months and 53%, respectively. No patient showed late toxicity. Conclusions: In this first prospective trial on the use of intensity modulated radiation therapy simultaneous integrated boost delivered with a standard linear accelerator in patients with brain oligometastases, a boost dose up to 50

Planning intensive care unit design using computer simulation modeling: optimizing integration of clinical, operational, and architectural requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

OʼHara, Susan

2014-01-01

Nurses have increasingly been regarded as critical members of the planning team as architects recognize their knowledge and value. But the nurses' role as knowledge experts can be expanded to leading efforts to integrate the clinical, operational, and architectural expertise through simulation modeling. Simulation modeling allows for the optimal merge of multifactorial data to understand the current state of the intensive care unit and predict future states. Nurses can champion the simulation modeling process and reap the benefits of a cost-effective way to test new designs, processes, staffing models, and future programming trends prior to implementation. Simulation modeling is an evidence-based planning approach, a standard, for integrating the sciences with real client data, to offer solutions for improving patient care.

Early rehabilitation in the intensive care unit: an integrative literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sosnowski, Kellie; Lin, Frances; Mitchell, Marion L; White, Hayden

2015-11-01

The aim of this review is to appraise current research which examines the impact of early rehabilitation practices on functional outcomes and quality of life in adult intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. A systematic literature search was undertaken; retrieved data was evaluated against a recognised evaluation tool; research findings were analysed and categorised into themes; and a synthesis of conclusions from each theme was presented as an integrated summation of the topic. Electronic databases of PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Ovid Medline and Google Scholar were searched using key search terms 'ICU acquired weakness', 'early rehabilitation' 'early mobility' and 'functional outcomes' combined with 'intensive care' and 'critical illness'. Additional literature was sourced from reference lists of relevant original publications. Five major themes related to the review objectives emerged from the analysis. These themes included: critically ill patients do not always receive physical therapy as a standard of care; ICU culture and resources determine early rehabilitation success; successful respiratory and physical rehabilitation interventions are tailored according to individual patient impairment; early exercise in the ICU prevents the neuromuscular complications of critical illness and improves functional status; early exercise in the ICU is effective, safe and feasible. A limited body of research supports early rehabilitation interventions to optimise the short term outcomes and long term quality of life for ICU survivors. Critical care nurses are in an excellent position to drive change within their departments ensuring that early rehabilitation practices are adopted and implemented. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) in nasopharyngeal cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Studer, Gabriela [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Univ. Hospital, Zurich (Switzerland); Peponi, Evangelia; Glanzmann, Christoph; Kunz, Guntram; Renner, Christoph; Tomuschat, Katja

2010-03-15

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of using simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) to treat nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) in a Caucasian cohort. Outcome was analyzed with respect to dose-volume histogram (DVH) values. Patients and Methods: Between 03/2002 and 01/2008, 39 NPC patients underwent SIB-IMRT (37 Caucasians; 31 males; mean age 53 years [16-78 years]). 41% presented with WHO (World Health Organization) type 1 unfavorable histology, 85% with stage III/IV disease. 19 patients had total gross tumor volume (GTV) 16-70 cm{sup 3} (mean 36 cm{sup 3}), while 16 had GTV > 70 cm{sup 3} (73-217 cm{sup 3}; mean 115 cm{sup 3}). All patients with stage II-IV disease received concomitant cisplatin. The prescribed SIB dose delivered to the planning target volume (PTV) was 70 Gy (2.00 Gy/fraction) in 17, 69.6 Gy (2.11 Gy/fraction) in 19, and 66 Gy (2.20 Gy/fraction) in three patients. Results: 3-year local relapse-free, nodal relapse-free, distant metastases-free, disease-free rates and overall survival were 86%, 89%, 85%, 72%, and 85% (median follow-up 30 months [8-71 months]). Histology was a significant prognostic factor concerning overall survival, with worst prognosis in WHO type 1 compared to type 2/3 (75% vs. 93%; p = 0.03). There was a trend in favor of WHO type 2/3 regarding local control (74% vs. 94%; p = 0.052). The PTV DVHs showed a slight left shift compared to reported series. Three patients developed grade 3 late effects (xerostomia [n=2], dysphagia [n=1], hearing loss [n=1]). Conclusion: In comparison with predominantly Asian NPC IMRT series in the literature, chemo-IMRT in the own Caucasian cohort, characterized by less radioresponsive WHO type 1, was equally effective. Treatment tolerance was excellent. (orig.)

Building Damage Estimation by Integration of Seismic Intensity Information and Satellite L-band SAR Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nobuoto Nojima

2010-09-01

Full Text Available For a quick and stable estimation of earthquake damaged buildings worldwide, using Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR loaded on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS satellite, a model combining the usage of satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR imagery and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA-scale seismic intensity is proposed. In order to expand the existing C-band SAR based damage estimation model into L-band SAR, this paper rebuilds a likelihood function for severe damage ratio, on the basis of dataset from Japanese Earth Resource Satellite-1 (JERS-1/SAR (L-band SAR images observed during the 1995 Kobe earthquake and its detailed ground truth data. The model which integrates the fragility functions of building damage in terms of seismic intensity and the proposed likelihood function is then applied to PALSAR images taken over the areas affected by the 2007 earthquake in Pisco, Peru. The accuracy of the proposed damage estimation model is examined by comparing the results of the analyses with field investigations and/or interpretation of high-resolution satellite images.

Relative intensity of bilateral trade flows, regional integration, and trade performance: the case of Brazil, 1984-1998

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silva Valquiria da

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research is to identify the component of trade that results specifically from bilateral relations and evaluate how the creation of trading blocs affects trade relations between countries. The trirapport coefficient of the relative intensity of bilateral agricultural sector trade flows between Brazil and other countries from 1984 and 1998 is used in the evaluation. In general, the results show that relative trade intensity between Brazil and its non-MERCOSUL trade partners fell after their entry into regional trade agreements (extra-bloc effect. The intra-bloc effect (trade expansion is reflected by changes in trade intensity between Brazil and the other MERCOSUL members and changes in trade intensity between NAFTA members Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

Importance of physiotherapy/nursing multidisciplinary integration about update newborn position in the neonatal intensive care unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa da Silva Neves Moreira Arakaki

Full Text Available AbstractIntroduction The high-risk newborns may require long periods of hospitalization until they reach clinical stability for hospital discharge. Avoiding babies to be in only one body position may be an effective way to cause respiratory and neuro-psycho-motor benefits, comfort and preventing pressure ulcers.Objectives This study investigated the impact of physiotherapy/nursing integration in update on body positioning of the newborn in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.Methods A questionnaire was administered to nurses and nursing technicians of the neonatal unit of Maternity School of UFRJ and nurses of the Advanced Course in Neonatal Nursing from the same institution. Two classes were taught by the physical therapist of the sector and the questions answered before and after these lessons. It was also a brief characterization of professional participants of the study. We used the Student's t test to compare the correct answers before (PRE and after (POST the classes, considering p < 0.05.Results There was a significant increase in the degree of knowledge of nurses and nursing technicians when compared the responses before (nurses: 68.8%; technicians: 70.1% and after classes (nurses: 78.4 %; technicians: 88.9%. The nurses were less than five years of graduated (45% and little time of professional experience in neonatology (60%. Forty-seven percent of technicians had less than five years of training and 82% had less than 10 years of experience.Conclusion The use of training by the nursing staff was significant, showing the importance of multidisciplinary approach and the integration of knowledge in the search for a humanized and effective care.

Transport of intense ion beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambertson, G.; Laslett, L.J.; Smith, L.

1977-01-01

The possibility of using intense bursts of heavy ions to initiate an inertially confined fusion reaction has stimulated interest in the transport of intense unneutralized heavy ion beams by quadrupole or solenoid systems. This problem was examined in some detail, using numerical integration of the coupled envelope equations for the quadrupole case. The general relations which emerge are used to develop examples of high energy transport systems and as a basis for discussing the limitations imposed by a transport system on achievable intensities for initial acceleration

Integrated approach to e-learning enhanced both subjective and objective knowledge of aEEG in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Poon, W B; Tagamolila, V; Toh, Y P; Cheng, Z R

2015-03-01

Various meta-analyses have shown that e-learning is as effective as traditional methods of continuing professional education. However, there are some disadvantages to e-learning, such as possible technical problems, the need for greater self-discipline, cost involved in developing programmes and limited direct interaction. Currently, most strategies for teaching amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide depend on traditional teaching methods. We implemented a programme that utilised an integrated approach to e-learning. The programme consisted of three sessions of supervised protected time e-learning in an NICU. The objective and subjective effectiveness of the approach was assessed through surveys administered to participants before and after the programme. A total of 37 NICU staff (32 nurses and 5 doctors) participated in the study. 93.1% of the participants appreciated the need to acquire knowledge of aEEG. We also saw a statistically significant improvement in the subjective knowledge score (p = 0.041) of the participants. The passing rates for identifying abnormal aEEG tracings (defined as ≥ 3 correct answers out of 5) also showed a statistically significant improvement (from 13.6% to 81.8%, p e-learning can help improve subjective and objective knowledge of aEEG.

Nitrification inhibitors mitigated reactive gaseous nitrogen intensity in intensive vegetable soils from China.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Changhua; Li, Bo; Xiong, Zhengqin

2018-01-15

Nitrification inhibitors, a promising tool for reducing nitrous oxide (N 2 O) losses and promoting nitrogen use efficiency by slowing nitrification, have gained extensive attention worldwide. However, there have been few attempts to explore the broad responses of multiple reactive gaseous nitrogen emissions of N 2 O, nitric oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH 3 ) and vegetable yield to nitrification inhibitor applications across intensive vegetable soils in China. A greenhouse pot experiment with five consecutive vegetable crops was performed to assess the efficacies of two nitrification inhibitors, namely, nitrapyrin and dicyandiamide on reactive gaseous nitrogen emissions, vegetable yield and reactive gaseous nitrogen intensity in four typical vegetable soils representing the intensive vegetable cropping systems across mainland China: an Acrisol from Hunan Province, an Anthrosol from Shanxi Province, a Cambisol from Shandong Province and a Phaeozem from Heilongjiang Province. The results showed soil type had significant influences on reactive gaseous nitrogen intensity, with reactive gaseous nitrogen emissions and yield mainly driven by soil factors: pH, nitrate, C:N ratio, cation exchange capacity and microbial biomass carbon. The highest reactive gaseous nitrogen emissions and reactive gaseous nitrogen intensity were in Acrisol while the highest vegetable yield occurred in Phaeozem. Nitrification inhibitor applications decreased N 2 O and NO emissions by 1.8-61.0% and 0.8-79.5%, respectively, but promoted NH 3 volatilization by 3.2-44.6% across all soils. Furthermore, significant positive correlations were observed between inhibited N 2 O+NO and stimulated NH 3 emissions with nitrification inhibitor additions across all soils, indicating that reduced nitrification posed the threat of NH 3 losses. Additionally, reactive gaseous nitrogen intensity was significantly reduced in the Anthrosol and Cambisol due to the reduced reactive gaseous nitrogen emissions and increased

How We Remember the Emotional Intensity of Past Musical Experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas eSchäfer

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Listening to music usually elicits emotions that can vary considerably in their intensity over the course of listening. Yet, after listening to a piece of music, people are easily able to evaluate the music’s overall emotional intensity. There are two different hypotheses about how affective experiences are temporally processed and integrated: (1 all moments’ intensities are integrated, resulting in an averaged value; (2 the overall evaluation is built from specific single moments, such as the moments of highest emotional intensity (peaks, the end, or a combination of these. Here we investigated what listeners do when building an overall evaluation of a musical experience. Participants listened to unknown songs and provided moment-to-moment ratings of experienced intensity of emotions. Subsequently, they evaluated the overall emotional intensity of each song. Results indicate that participants’ evaluations were predominantly influenced by their average impression but that, in addition, the peaks and end emotional intensities contributed substantially. These results indicate that both types of processes play a role: All moments are integrated into an averaged value but single moments might be assigned a higher value in the calculation of this average.

Study on the relationship between stress intensity factor and J integral for mixed mode crack with arbitrary inclination based on SBFEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, C L; Li, J B; Lin, G; Zhong, H

2010-01-01

The J integral and the stress intensity factor (SIF) K are both important research objects of fracture mechanics, and are often employed to establish criteria for crackpropagation. The relationship between them has always been a research hotspot. In this paper, the SIF can be obtained conveniently by the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) due to the fact that analytical solution can be obtained along the radial direction for stress singularity problems. The J integral can be solved analytically using the formulae between J and K for mixed mode crack with arbitrary inclination in elastic materials. Moreover, the J integral values obtained by this method are more accurate and convenient than by its definition. Factors that affect the accuracy of SIF and J integral, such as the distance between the crack and outer boundary, size of the discretized elements and partition of the domain into super-elements, are examined.

Theoretical calculation of shakeup intensities using Xa--SW wave functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tse, J.S.; Loubriel, G.

1981-01-01

The ground and 1s core hole state molecular wave functions of CH 4 , NH 3 , H 2 O, and HF obtained from Xa--SW calculations using the touching spheres (TS) and overlapping spheres (OS) approximations are used to calculate the intensity of shakeup satellites observed in their ls core level photoelectron spectra. The sudden approximation was assumed in the calculation. In case of TS Xa--SW wave functions, the one electron overlap integral inside the intersphere was calculated via Green's theorem. For OS Xa--SW wave functions, the integration over the awkwardly shaped intersphere region was circumvented by distributing the intersphere charge into the atomic spheres according to the charge partition scheme suggested by Case and Karplus. Our results show that there are no significant differences between the shakeup energies calculated from the TS and OS approximations. However, shakeup intensities calculated from TS Xa--SW wave functions are more reliable and in better numerical agreement with experiment

Impact of electronic medical record integration of a handoff tool on sign-out in a newborn intensive care unit

Science.gov (United States)

Palma, JP; Sharek, PJ; Longhurst, CA

2016-01-01

Objective To evaluate the impact of integrating a handoff tool into the electronic medical record (EMR) on sign-out accuracy, satisfaction and workflow in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design Prospective surveys of neonatal care providers in an academic children’s hospital 1 month before and 6 months following EMR integration of a standalone Microsoft Access neonatal handoff tool. Result Providers perceived sign-out information to be somewhat or very accurate at a rate of 78% with the standalone handoff tool and 91% with the EMR-integrated tool (P < 0.01). Before integration of neonatal sign-out into the EMR, 35% of providers were satisfied with the process of updating sign-out information and 71% were satisfied with the printed sign-out document; following EMR integration, 92% of providers were satisfied with the process of updating sign-out information (P < 0.01) and 98% were satisfied with the printed sign-out document (P < 0.01). Neonatal care providers reported spending a median of 11 to 15 min/day updating the standalone sign-out and 16 to 20 min/day updating the EMR-integrated sign-out (P = 0.026). The median percentage of total sign-out preparation time dedicated to transcribing information from the EMR was 25 to 49% before and <25% after EMR integration of the handoff tool (P < 0.01). Conclusion Integration of a NICU-specific handoff tool into an EMR resulted in improvements in perceived sign-out accuracy, provider satisfaction and at least one aspect of workflow. PMID:21273990

Intensive care unit nurses' information needs and recommendations for integrated displays to improve nurses' situation awareness.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Sven H; Weir, Charlene; Haar, Maral; Staggers, Nancy; Agutter, Jim; Görges, Matthias; Westenskow, Dwayne

2012-01-01

Fatal errors can occur in intensive care units (ICUs). Researchers claim that information integration at the bedside may improve nurses' situation awareness (SA) of patients and decrease errors. However, it is unclear which information should be integrated and in what form. Our research uses the theory of SA to analyze the type of tasks, and their associated information gaps. We aimed to provide recommendations for integrated, consolidated information displays to improve nurses' SA. Systematic observations methods were used to follow 19 ICU nurses for 38 hours in 3 clinical practice settings. Storyboard methods and concept mapping helped to categorize the observed tasks, the associated information needs, and the information gaps of the most frequent tasks by SA level. Consensus and discussion of the research team was used to propose recommendations to improve information displays at the bedside based on information deficits. Nurses performed 46 different tasks at a rate of 23.4 tasks per hour. The information needed to perform the most common tasks was often inaccessible, difficult to see at a distance or located on multiple monitoring devices. Current devices at the ICU bedside do not adequately support a nurse's information-gathering activities. Medication management was the most frequent category of tasks. Information gaps were present at all levels of SA and across most of the tasks. Using a theoretical model to understand information gaps can aid in designing functional requirements. Integrated information that enhances nurses' Situation Awareness may decrease errors and improve patient safety in the future.

Integration and Task Allocation: Evidence from Patient Care.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Guy; Rawley, Evan; Polsky, Daniel

2013-01-01

Using the universe of patient transitions from inpatient hospital care to skilled nursing facilities and home health care in 2005, we show how integration eliminates task misallocation problems between organizations. We find that vertical integration allows hospitals to shift patient recovery tasks downstream to lower-cost organizations by discharging patients earlier (and in poorer health) and increasing post-hospitalization service intensity. While integration facilitates a shift in the allocation of tasks and resources, health outcomes either improved or were unaffected by integration on average. The evidence suggests that integration solves coordination problems that arise in market exchange through improvements in the allocation of tasks across care settings.

Integration and Task Allocation: Evidence from Patient Care*

Science.gov (United States)

David, Guy; Rawley, Evan; Polsky, Daniel

2013-01-01

Using the universe of patient transitions from inpatient hospital care to skilled nursing facilities and home health care in 2005, we show how integration eliminates task misallocation problems between organizations. We find that vertical integration allows hospitals to shift patient recovery tasks downstream to lower-cost organizations by discharging patients earlier (and in poorer health) and increasing post-hospitalization service intensity. While integration facilitates a shift in the allocation of tasks and resources, health outcomes either improved or were unaffected by integration on average. The evidence suggests that integration solves coordination problems that arise in market exchange through improvements in the allocation of tasks across care settings. PMID:24415893

Ontology Design for Solving Computationally-Intensive Problems on Heterogeneous Architectures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossam M. Faheem

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Viewing a computationally-intensive problem as a self-contained challenge with its own hardware, software and scheduling strategies is an approach that should be investigated. We might suggest assigning heterogeneous hardware architectures to solve a problem, while parallel computing paradigms may play an important role in writing efficient code to solve the problem; moreover, the scheduling strategies may be examined as a possible solution. Depending on the problem complexity, finding the best possible solution using an integrated infrastructure of hardware, software and scheduling strategy can be a complex job. Developing and using ontologies and reasoning techniques play a significant role in reducing the complexity of identifying the components of such integrated infrastructures. Undertaking reasoning and inferencing regarding the domain concepts can help to find the best possible solution through a combination of hardware, software and scheduling strategies. In this paper, we present an ontology and show how we can use it to solve computationally-intensive problems from various domains. As a potential use for the idea, we present examples from the bioinformatics domain. Validation by using problems from the Elastic Optical Network domain has demonstrated the flexibility of the suggested ontology and its suitability for use with any other computationally-intensive problem domain.

Intensive variable and its application

CERN Document Server

Zheng, Xinqi; Yuan, Zhiyuan

2014-01-01

Opening with intensive variables theory, using a combination of static and dynamic GIS and integrating numerical calculation and spatial optimization, this book creates a framework and methodology for evaluating land use effect, among other concepts.

Stochastic conditional intensity processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bauwens, Luc; Hautsch, Nikolaus

2006-01-01

model allows for a wide range of (cross-)autocorrelation structures in multivariate point processes. The model is estimated by simulated maximum likelihood (SML) using the efficient importance sampling (EIS) technique. By modeling price intensities based on NYSE trading, we provide significant evidence......In this article, we introduce the so-called stochastic conditional intensity (SCI) model by extending Russell’s (1999) autoregressive conditional intensity (ACI) model by a latent common dynamic factor that jointly drives the individual intensity components. We show by simulations that the proposed...... for a joint latent factor and show that its inclusion allows for an improved and more parsimonious specification of the multivariate intensity process...

Measurement of profile and intensity of proton beam by an integrating current transformer and a segmented parallel-plate ion chamber for the AGS-spallation target experiment (ASTE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meigo, Shin-ichiro; Nakashima, Hiroshi; Takada, Hiroshi

2001-03-01

Profile and intensity of proton beams incident to a mercury target were measured for the experiments under AGS-spallation Target Experiment (ASTE) collaboration. Protons of 1.94, 12 and 24 GeV energy were measured for a temperature, pressure wave and neutronics in the mercury target. For the beam profile measurement, segmented parallel-plate ion chamber (CHIDORI) was used as the online detector. Imaging plates (IP) were also used for the profile measurement with aluminum activation foils as the image converter. An integrating current transformer (ICT) and activation method by Cu foil were used for the measurement of beam intensity. The beam profile obtained by CHIDORI gives a good agreement with the results with the IP. The beam intensity obtained by ICT agrees with the data obtained by the activation technique within ±3% for 12 and 24 GeV cases. Furthermore, these results show in good agreement with those obtained by the monitor of segmented wire ionization chamber (SWIC) and secondary emission chamber (SEC) installed by the AGS team. Therefore, a reliable beam monitor technique was established, so that the analysis of the experiment such as temperature and pressure wave can be normalized by the number of incident protons. (author)

SDN-NGenIA, a software defined next generation integrated architecture for HEP and data intensive science

Science.gov (United States)

Balcas, J.; Hendricks, T. W.; Kcira, D.; Mughal, A.; Newman, H.; Spiropulu, M.; Vlimant, J. R.

2017-10-01

The SDN Next Generation Integrated Architecture (SDN-NGeNIA) project addresses some of the key challenges facing the present and next generations of science programs in HEP, astrophysics, and other fields, whose potential discoveries depend on their ability to distribute, process and analyze globally distributed Petascale to Exascale datasets. The SDN-NGenIA system under development by Caltech and partner HEP and network teams is focused on the coordinated use of network, computing and storage infrastructures, through a set of developments that build on the experience gained in recently completed and previous projects that use dynamic circuits with bandwidth guarantees to support major network flows, as demonstrated across LHC Open Network Environment [1] and in large scale demonstrations over the last three years, and recently integrated with PhEDEx and Asynchronous Stage Out data management applications of the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. In addition to the general program goals of supporting the network needs of the LHC and other science programs with similar needs, a recent focus is the use of the Leadership HPC facility at Argonne National Lab (ALCF) for data intensive applications.

"Usability of data integration and visualization software for multidisciplinary pediatric intensive care: a human factors approach to assessing technology".

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ying Ling; Guerguerian, Anne-Marie; Tomasi, Jessica; Laussen, Peter; Trbovich, Patricia

2017-08-14

Intensive care clinicians use several sources of data in order to inform decision-making. We set out to evaluate a new interactive data integration platform called T3™ made available for pediatric intensive care. Three primary functions are supported: tracking of physiologic signals, displaying trajectory, and triggering decisions, by highlighting data or estimating risk of patient instability. We designed a human factors study to identify interface usability issues, to measure ease of use, and to describe interface features that may enable or hinder clinical tasks. Twenty-two participants, consisting of bedside intensive care physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists, tested the T3™ interface in a simulation laboratory setting. Twenty tasks were performed with a true-to-setting, fully functional, prototype, populated with physiological and therapeutic intervention patient data. Primary data visualization was time series and secondary visualizations were: 1) shading out-of-target values, 2) mini-trends with exaggerated maxima and minima (sparklines), and 3) bar graph of a 16-parameter indicator. Task completion was video recorded and assessed using a use error rating scale. Usability issues were classified in the context of task and type of clinician. A severity rating scale was used to rate potential clinical impact of usability issues. Time series supported tracking a single parameter but partially supported determining patient trajectory using multiple parameters. Visual pattern overload was observed with multiple parameter data streams. Automated data processing using shading and sparklines was often ignored but the 16-parameter data reduction algorithm, displayed as a persistent bar graph, was visually intuitive. However, by selecting or automatically processing data, triggering aids distorted the raw data that clinicians use regularly. Consequently, clinicians could not rely on new data representations because they did not know how they were

DIaaS: Data-Intensive workflows as a service - Enabling easy composition and deployment of data-intensive workflows on Virtual Research Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Filgueira, R.; Ferreira da Silva, R.; Deelman, E.; Atkinson, M.

2016-12-01

We present the Data-Intensive workflows as a Service (DIaaS) model for enabling easy data-intensive workflow composition and deployment on clouds using containers. DIaaS model backbone is Asterism, an integrated solution for running data-intensive stream-based applications on heterogeneous systems, which combines the benefits of dispel4py with Pegasus workflow systems. The stream-based executions of an Asterism workflow are managed by dispel4py, while the data movement between different e-Infrastructures, and the coordination of the application execution are automatically managed by Pegasus. DIaaS combines Asterism framework with Docker containers to provide an integrated, complete, easy-to-use, portable approach to run data-intensive workflows on distributed platforms. Three containers integrate the DIaaS model: a Pegasus node, and an MPI and an Apache Storm clusters. Container images are described as Dockerfiles (available online at http://github.com/dispel4py/pegasus_dispel4py), linked to Docker Hub for providing continuous integration (automated image builds), and image storing and sharing. In this model, all required software (workflow systems and execution engines) for running scientific applications are packed into the containers, which significantly reduces the effort (and possible human errors) required by scientists or VRE administrators to build such systems. The most common use of DIaaS will be to act as a backend of VREs or Scientific Gateways to run data-intensive applications, deploying cloud resources upon request. We have demonstrated the feasibility of DIaaS using the data-intensive seismic ambient noise cross-correlation application (Figure 1). The application preprocesses (Phase1) and cross-correlates (Phase2) traces from several seismic stations. The application is submitted via Pegasus (Container1), and Phase1 and Phase2 are executed in the MPI (Container2) and Storm (Container3) clusters respectively. Although both phases could be executed

Real-time monitoring of longitudinal electron bunch parameters by intensity-integrated and spectroscopic measurements of single coherent THz pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wesch, Stephan

2012-12-01

High-gain free-electron lasers (FELs) generate intense and monochromatic photon pulses with few tens of femtosecond duration. For this purpose, electron beams are accelerated to relativistic energies and shrunk longitudinally down to micrometer size.The diagnosis of theses compressed electron bunches is a challenge especially for MHz bunch repetition rates as provided by the FEL FLASH in Hamburg. In this thesis, coherently emitted THz radiation of single electron bunches were investigated, on which the longitudinal structure is imprinted. Two instruments were used: First, the FLASH bunch compression monitors, relying on the integrated intensity measurement of diffraction radiation, were modified to determine the overall length of every bunch behind the two bunch compressors (BC). A model was developed showing that their response is independent of the exact bunch shape for lengths below 200 μm (rms). This could experimentally be verified in the range between 50 and 190 μm within 7% accuracy for themonitor behind the last BC by comparison with measurements with the transverse deflecting structure (TDS). Second, a single-shot spectrometer with five staged reflective blazed gratings has been designed, build and commissioned. With its two grating sets, the wavelength ranges from 5.5 to 44 μm and 45 to 440 μm can be simultaneously detected by 118 fast pyroelectric elements. Measurements based on transition radiation spectra were compared with profiles recorded by the TDS.The shape of the spectra as well as the reconstructed temporal profiles (using the Kramers-Kronig relation for phase retrieval) are in excellent agreement. For bunches with a charge of 50 pC, bunch lengths down to 5 μm (fhwm) could be detected.

Intense Ion Pulses for Radiation Effects Research

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-01

induction linear accelerator that has been developed to deliver intense, up to 50 nC/pulse/mm2, sub-ns pulses of light ions with kinetic energy up to 1.2...II induction linear accelerator for intense ion beam pulses at Berkeley Lab. Figure 3. Helium current and integrated charge versus time at the...under contracts DE-AC02-205CH11231 and DE-AC52-07NA27344. JOURNAL OF RADIATION EFFECTS, Research and Engineering Vol. 35, No. 1, April 2017 158 INTENSE

Comparison of dosimetry distribution between three-dimension conformal and intensity modulated plan integrated with breath motion in postoperative radiation of gastric cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Wenjie; Zhang Zhen; Hu Weigang; Gu Weilie; Zhu Ji; Li Guichao; Cai Gang; Ma Xuejun

2010-01-01

Objective: To compare the dose distribution of the target and normal tissues in gastric cancers between three-dimension conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plan when respiratory motion factors integrated in the plan. Methods: From January 2005 to November 2006, 10 patients with post-operatively radiation of gastric cancer were enrolled in this study. Planning CT were acquired conventionally with free-breath mode and the static treatment plans of the 3DCRT and IMRT were designed respectively. Probability distribution functions (PDF) were generated and convoluted with the static dose distributions from 3DCRT and IMRT plans to obtain the integrated plans. The dose distributions of the target and normal tissues were compared between 3DCRT and IMRT integration treatment plans, such as V 45 of clinical target volume, V 40 of liver and V 15 , V 18 of left and right kidney. Results: In the respiratory integrated treatment planning, the target volume coverage and homogeneity with IMRT are superior to those with 3DCRT ((V 45 98% : 87% (t = -3.35, P =0.010), mean dose 46.81 Gy ±0.75 Gy : 45.99 Gy ± 1.12 Gy (t = -0.31, P=0.020)). The V 40 of the liver in IMRT are smaller than those in 3DCRT ( 12% : 16%; t=3.75, P=0.010). For the left kidney, the V 15 and V 18 in IMRT are smaller than those in 3DCRT ((34% : 50% (t = 2.17, P = 0.050) and 27% : 46% (t = 3.11, P = 0.020) ),but for the right kidney, V 15 and V 18 in 3DCRT are smaller than those in IMRT ((15% : 21% (t = - 2.42, P=0.040) and 11% : 15% (t= -2.71, P=0.030)). Conclusions: When respiratory motion factor integrated in the treatment plan, IMRT showed advantage both in target coverage and normal tissue sparing in the high dose region of liver and left kidney. (authors)

Integrating Environmental and Socio-Economic Indicators of a Linked Catchment-Coastal System Using Variable Environmental Intensity

Science.gov (United States)

Dymond, John R.; Davie, Tim J. A.; Fenemor, Andrew D.; Ekanayake, Jagath C.; Knight, Ben R.; Cole, Anthony O.; de Oca Munguia, Oscar Montes; Allen, Will J.; Young, Roger G.; Basher, Les R.; Dresser, Marc; Batstone, Chris J.

2010-09-01

Can we develop land use policy that balances the conflicting views of stakeholders in a catchment while moving toward long term sustainability? Adaptive management provides a strategy for this whereby measures of catchment performance are compared against performance goals in order to progressively improve policy. However, the feedback loop of adaptive management is often slow and irreversible impacts may result before policy has been adapted. In contrast, integrated modelling of future land use policy provides rapid feedback and potentially improves the chance of avoiding unwanted collapse events. Replacing measures of catchment performance with modelled catchment performance has usually required the dynamic linking of many models, both biophysical and socio-economic—and this requires much effort in software development. As an alternative, we propose the use of variable environmental intensity (defined as the ratio of environmental impact over economic output) in a loose coupling of models to provide a sufficient level of integration while avoiding significant effort required for software development. This model construct was applied to the Motueka Catchment of New Zealand where several biophysical (riverine water quantity, sediment, E. coli faecal bacteria, trout numbers, nitrogen transport, marine productivity) models, a socio-economic (gross output, gross margin, job numbers) model, and an agent-based model were linked. An extreme set of land use scenarios (historic, present, and intensive) were applied to this modelling framework. Results suggest that the catchment is presently in a near optimal land use configuration that is unlikely to benefit from further intensification. This would quickly put stress on water quantity (at low flow) and water quality ( E. coli). To date, this model evaluation is based on a theoretical test that explores the logical implications of intensification at an unlikely extreme in order to assess the implications of likely growth

Intense synaptic activity enhances temporal resolution in spinal motoneurons.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rune W Berg

Full Text Available In neurons, spike timing is determined by integration of synaptic potentials in delicate concert with intrinsic properties. Although the integration time is functionally crucial, it remains elusive during network activity. While mechanisms of rapid processing are well documented in sensory systems, agility in motor systems has received little attention. Here we analyze how intense synaptic activity affects integration time in spinal motoneurons during functional motor activity and report a 10-fold decrease. As a result, action potentials can only be predicted from the membrane potential within 10 ms of their occurrence and detected for less than 10 ms after their occurrence. Being shorter than the average inter-spike interval, the AHP has little effect on integration time and spike timing, which instead is entirely determined by fluctuations in membrane potential caused by the barrage of inhibitory and excitatory synaptic activity. By shortening the effective integration time, this intense synaptic input may serve to facilitate the generation of rapid changes in movements.

Integral test phantom for dosimetric quality assurance of image guided and intensity modulated stereotactic radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Létourneau, Daniel; Keller, Harald; Sharpe, Michael B; Jaffray, David A

2007-05-01

The objective of this work is to develop a dosimetric phantom quality assurance (QA) of linear accelerators capable of cone-beam CT (CBCT) image guided and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT). This phantom is to be used in an integral test to quantify in real-time both the performance of the image guidance and the dose delivery systems in terms of dose localization. The prototype IG-IMRT QA phantom consisted of a cylindrical imaging phantom (CatPhan) combined with an array of 11 radiation diodes mounted on a 10 cm diameter disk, oriented perpendicular to the phantom axis. Basic diode response characterization was performed for 6 and 18 MV photons. The diode response was compared to planning system calculations in the open and penumbrae regions of simple and complex beam arrangements. The clinical use of the QA phantom was illustrated in an integral test of an IG-IMRT treatment designed for a clinical spinal radiosurgery case. The sensitivity of the phantom to multileaf collimator (MLC) calibration and setup errors in the clinical setting was assessed by introducing errors in the IMRT plan or by displacing the phantom. The diodes offered good response linearity and long-term reproducibility for both 6 and 18 MV. Axial dosimetry of coplanar beams (in a plane containing the beam axes) was made possible with the nearly isoplanatic response of the diodes over 360 degrees of gantry (usually within +/-1%). For single beam geometry, errors in phantom placement as small as 0.5 mm could be accurately detected (in gradient > or = 1% /mm). In clinical setting, MLC systematic errors of 1 mm on a single MLC bank introduced in the IMRT plan were easily detectable with the QA phantom. The QA phantom demonstrated also sufficient sensitivity for the detection of setup errors as small as 1 mm for the IMRT delivery. These results demonstrated that the prototype can accurately and efficiently verify the entire IG-IMRT process. This tool, in conjunction with image guidance

Integral test phantom for dosimetric quality assurance of image guided and intensity modulated stereotactic radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Letourneau, Daniel; Keller, Harald; Sharpe, Michael B.; Jaffray, David A.

2007-01-01

The objective of this work is to develop a dosimetric phantom quality assurance (QA) of linear accelerators capable of cone-beam CT (CBCT) image guided and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT). This phantom is to be used in an integral test to quantify in real-time both the performance of the image guidance and the dose delivery systems in terms of dose localization. The prototype IG-IMRT QA phantom consisted of a cylindrical imaging phantom (CatPhan) combined with an array of 11 radiation diodes mounted on a 10 cm diameter disk, oriented perpendicular to the phantom axis. Basic diode response characterization was performed for 6 and 18 MV photons. The diode response was compared to planning system calculations in the open and penumbrae regions of simple and complex beam arrangements. The clinical use of the QA phantom was illustrated in an integral test of an IG-IMRT treatment designed for a clinical spinal radiosurgery case. The sensitivity of the phantom to multileaf collimator (MLC) calibration and setup errors in the clinical setting was assessed by introducing errors in the IMRT plan or by displacing the phantom. The diodes offered good response linearity and long-term reproducibility for both 6 and 18 MV. Axial dosimetry of coplanar beams (in a plane containing the beam axes) was made possible with the nearly isoplanatic response of the diodes over 360 deg. of gantry (usually within ±1%). For single beam geometry, errors in phantom placement as small as 0.5 mm could be accurately detected (in gradient ≥1%/mm). In clinical setting, MLC systematic errors of 1 mm on a single MLC bank introduced in the IMRT plan were easily detectable with the QA phantom. The QA phantom demonstrated also sufficient sensitivity for the detection of setup errors as small as 1 mm for the IMRT delivery. These results demonstrated that the prototype can accurately and efficiently verify the entire IG-IMRT process. This tool, in conjunction with image guidance capabilities

Accurate line intensities of methane from first-principles calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Nikitin, Andrei V.; Rey, Michael; Tyuterev, Vladimir G.

2017-10-01

In this work, we report first-principle theoretical predictions of methane spectral line intensities that are competitive with (and complementary to) the best laboratory measurements. A detailed comparison with the most accurate data shows that discrepancies in integrated polyad intensities are in the range of 0.4%-2.3%. This corresponds to estimations of the best available accuracy in laboratory Fourier Transform spectra measurements for this quantity. For relatively isolated strong lines the individual intensity deviations are in the same range. A comparison with the most precise laser measurements of the multiplet intensities in the 2ν3 band gives an agreement within the experimental error margins (about 1%). This is achieved for the first time for five-atomic molecules. In the Supplementary Material we provide the lists of theoretical intensities at 269 K for over 5000 strongest transitions in the range below 6166 cm-1. The advantage of the described method is that this offers a possibility to generate fully assigned exhaustive line lists at various temperature conditions. Extensive calculations up to 12,000 cm-1 including high-T predictions will be made freely available through the TheoReTS information system (http://theorets.univ-reims.fr, http://theorets.tsu.ru) that contains ab initio born line lists and provides a user-friendly graphical interface for a fast simulation of the absorption cross-sections and radiance.

High-dose simultaneously integrated breast boost using intensity-modulated radiotherapy and inverse optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurkmans, Coen W.; Meijer, Gert J.; Vliet-Vroegindeweij, Corine van; Sangen, Maurice J. van der; Cassee, Jorien

2006-01-01

Purpose: Recently a Phase III randomized trial has started comparing a boost of 16 Gy as part of whole-breast irradiation to a high boost of 26 Gy in young women. Our main aim was to develop an efficient simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) technique for the high-dose arm of the trial. Methods and Materials: Treatment planning was performed for 5 left-sided and 5 right-sided tumors. A tangential field intensity-modulated radiotherapy technique added to a sequentially planned 3-field boost (SEQ) was compared with a simultaneously planned technique (SIB) using inverse optimization. Normalized total dose (NTD)-corrected dose volume histogram parameters were calculated and compared. Results: The intended NTD was produced by 31 fractions of 1.66 Gy to the whole breast and 2.38 Gy to the boost volume. The average volume of the PTV-breast and PTV-boost receiving more than 95% of the prescribed dose was 97% or more for both techniques. Also, the mean lung dose and mean heart dose did not differ much between the techniques, with on average 3.5 Gy and 2.6 Gy for the SEQ and 3.8 Gy and 2.6 Gy for the SIB, respectively. However, the SIB resulted in a significantly more conformal irradiation of the PTV-boost. The volume of the PTV-breast, excluding the PTV-boost, receiving a dose higher than 95% of the boost dose could be reduced considerably using the SIB as compared with the SEQ from 129 cc (range, 48-262 cc) to 58 cc (range, 30-102 cc). Conclusions: A high-dose simultaneously integrated breast boost technique has been developed. The unwanted excessive dose to the breast was significantly reduced

Conformal radiotherapy with intensity modulation and integrated boost in the head and neck cancers: experience of the Curie Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toledano, I.; Serre, A.; Bensadoun, R.J.; Ortholan, C.; Racadot, S.; Calais, G.; Alfonsi, M.; Giraud, P.; Graff, P.; Serre, A.; Bensadoun, R.J.; Ortholan, C.; Racadot, S.; Calais, G.; Alfonsi, M.; Giraud, P.

2009-01-01

The modulated intensity radiotherapy (I.M.R.T.) is used in the treatment of cancers in superior aero digestive tracts to reduce the irradiation of parotids and to reduce the delayed xerostomia. This retrospective study presents the results got on the fourteen first patients according an original technique of I.M.R.T. with integrated boost. It appears that this technique is feasible and allows to reduce the xerostomia rate without modifying the local control rate. To limit the average dose to the parotids under 30 Gy seems reduce the incidence of severe xerostomia. (N.C.)

Effect of different substrates in aquaponic lettuce production associated with intensive tilapia farming with water recirculation systems

OpenAIRE

Geisenhoff, Luciano O.; Jordan, Rodrigo A.; Santos, Rodrigo C.; Oliveira, Fabricio C. de; Gomes, Eder P.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The integration of fish farming in intensive system and plant production, called "aquaponics" is practiced successfully in countries like the USA, Australia and Europe. In Brazil, this integration has attracted the attention of researchers and producers. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two substrates (crushed stone number 3, CS III and flexible polyurethane foam, FPF) on the production of aquaponic lettuce, moreover, to show that the residual wate...

Investigation of singularities of integral intensity of the relativistic particle bremsstrahlung radiation in a diamond crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avakyan, R.O.; Armaganyan, A.A.; Arutyunyan, L.G.; Iskandaryan, A.G.; Taroyan, S.P.

1981-01-01

The results are given of the theoretical processing of experimental data on the investigation of orientational dependences of integral intensity of coherent bremsstrahlung radiation (CBR) of superfast electrons in a diamond crystal. It is shown that in the case of ''point effect'' right up to the electrons incident angle, which is 0.1 mrad with respect to the crystallographic plane, the CBR theory gives a good description of experimental data. In the case of ''row effect'', in order to account for the divergence between the theory and experiment at small incident angles of electrons with respect to the crystallographic axis, it is assumed that the multiple scattering angle has an orientational dependence. By fitting the theoretical curve to experimental points the dependences are obtained of the multiple scattering angle change on the crystal orientation with respect to the electron beam

A conceptual framework for analysing and measuring land-use intensity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Erb, Karl-Heinz; Haberl, Helmut; Jepsen, Martin Rudbeck

2013-01-01

Large knowledge gaps currently exist that limit our ability to understand and characterise dynamics and patterns of land-use intensity: in particular, a comprehensive conceptual framework and a system of measurement are lacking. This situation hampers the development of a sound understanding...... of the mechanisms, determinants, and constraints underlying changes in land-use intensity. On the basis of a review of approaches for studying land-use intensity, we propose a conceptual framework to quantify and analyse land-use intensity. This framework integrates three dimensions: (a) input intensity, (b) output...

Ninety-six hours to build a prototype robot showing human emotions

CERN Multimedia

Stefania Pandolfi

2016-01-01

Thirty-five Master's students in the fields of business, design and engineering participated in an intensive five-day project-based introduction to programming and advanced electronics. The goal of the initiative was to build a fully functional prototype robot able to communicate and show at least four basic human emotions.    A group of students is presenting a prototype robot showing human emotions at IdeaSquare. With no previous experience in electronics or coding, groups of students from Portugal, Italy, Norway and Estonia were introduced to the basics of sensors, integrated circuits and actuators, and after just 96 hours they presented their functioning robots at IdeaSquare on Friday, 15 January. These robots, mostly built around Arduino boards and recycled materials, were able to display different human emotions as a response to external environmental inputs. The five-day workshop, called öBot, was organised by the IdeaSquare te...

Usability of computerized nursing process from the ICNP® in intensive care units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Couto Carvalho Barra

2015-04-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE To analyze the usability of Computerized Nursing Process (CNP from the ICNP® 1.0 in Intensive Care Units in accordance with the criteria established by the standards of the International Organization for Standardization and the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards of systems. METHOD This is a before-and-after semi-experimental quantitative study, with a sample of 34 participants (nurses, professors and systems programmers, carried out in three Intensive Care Units. RESULTS The evaluated criteria (use, content and interface showed that CNP has usability criteria, as it integrates a logical data structure, clinical assessment, diagnostics and nursing interventions. CONCLUSION The CNP is a source of information and knowledge that provide nurses with new ways of learning in intensive care, for it is a place that provides complete, comprehensive, and detailed content, supported by current and relevant data and scientific research information for Nursing practices.

Intensive field phenotyping of maize (Zea mays L.) root crowns identifies phenes and phene integration associated with plant growth and nitrogen acquisition.

Science.gov (United States)

York, Larry M; Lynch, Jonathan P

2015-09-01

Root architecture is an important regulator of nitrogen (N) acquisition. Existing methods to phenotype the root architecture of cereal crops are generally limited to seedlings or to the outer roots of mature root crowns. The functional integration of root phenes is poorly understood. In this study, intensive phenotyping of mature root crowns of maize was conducted to discover phenes and phene modules related to N acquisition. Twelve maize genotypes were grown under replete and deficient N regimes in the field in South Africa and eight in the USA. An image was captured for every whorl of nodal roots in each crown. Custom software was used to measure root phenes including nodal occupancy, angle, diameter, distance to branching, lateral branching, and lateral length. Variation existed for all root phenes within maize root crowns. Size-related phenes such as diameter and number were substantially influenced by nodal position, while angle, lateral density, and distance to branching were not. Greater distance to branching, the length from the shoot to the emergence of laterals, is proposed to be a novel phene state that minimizes placing roots in already explored soil. Root phenes from both older and younger whorls of nodal roots contributed to variation in shoot mass and N uptake. The additive integration of root phenes accounted for 70% of the variation observed in shoot mass in low N soil. These results demonstrate the utility of intensive phenotyping of mature root systems, as well as the importance of phene integration in soil resource acquisition. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Salivary Cortisol Reactivity in Preterm Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care: An Integrative Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evalotte Mörelius

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Recently, more and more researchers have been using salivary cortisol reactivity to evaluate stress in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU. The aim of this integrative literature review was to summarize the evidence of interventions leading to a change in salivary cortisol from the baseline in preterm infants in the NICU. The electronic databases of PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for relevant studies. The inclusion criteria were studies with preterm infants exposed to an intervention evaluated by salivary cortisol reactivity before discharge from the NICU, which were published in English. In total, 16 studies were included. Eye-screening examination and heel lance provoked an increase in the salivary cortisol level. Music, prone position, and co-bedding among twins decreased the salivary cortisol level. Several studies reported a low rate of successful saliva sampling or did not use control groups. Future studies need to focus on non-painful interventions in order to learn more about salivary cortisol regulation in preterm infants. Moreover, these studies should use study designs comprising homogenous gestational and postnatal age groups, control groups, and reliable analysis methods that are able to detect cortisol in small amounts of saliva.

Cryogenic semiconductor high-intensity radiation monitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmieri, V.G.; Bell, W.H.; Borer, K.; Casagrande, L.; Da Via, C.; Devine, S.R.H.; Dezillie, B.; Esposito, A.; Granata, V.; Hauler, F.; Jungermann, L.; Li, Z.; Lourenco, C.; Niinikoski, T.O.; Shea, V. O'; Ruggiero, G.; Sonderegger, P.

2003-01-01

This paper describes a novel technique to monitor high-intensity particle beams by means of a semiconductor detector. It consists of cooling a semiconductor detector down to cryogenic temperature to suppress the thermally generated leakage current and to precisely measure the integrated ionization signal. It will be shown that such a device provides very good linearity and a dynamic range wider than is possible with existing techniques. Moreover, thanks to the Lazarus effect, extreme radiation hardness can be achieved providing in turn absolute intensity measurements against precise calibration of the device at low beam flux

Generation of intensity duration frequency curves and intensity temporal variability pattern of intense rainfall for Lages/SC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Célio Orli Cardoso

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to analyze the frequency distribution and intensity temporal variability of intense rainfall for Lages/SC from diary pluviograph data. Data on annual series of maximum rainfalls from rain gauges of the CAV-UDESC Weather Station in Lages/SC were used from 2000 to 2009. Gumbel statistic distribution was applied in order to obtain the rainfall height and intensity in the following return periods: 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years. Results showed intensity-duration-frequency curves (I-D-F for those return periods, as well as I-D-F equations: i=2050.Tr0,20.(t+30-0,89, where i was the intensity, Tr was the rainfall return periods and t was the rainfall duration. For the intensity of temporal variability pattern along of the rainfall duration time, the convective, or advanced pattern was the predominant, with larger precipitate rainfalls in the first half of the duration. The same pattern presented larger occurrences in the spring and summer stations.

Coupling Intensive Land Use and Landscape Ecological Security for Urban Sustainability: An Integrated Socioeconomic Data and Spatial Metrics Analysis in Hangzhou City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoteng Cen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the unprecedented rate of urbanization throughout the world, human society is still facing the challenge of coordinating urban socioeconomic development and ecological conservation. In this article, we integrated socioeconomic data and spatial metrics to investigate the coupling relationship between intensive land use (ILU system and landscape ecological security (LES system for urban sustainable development, and to determine how these systems interact with each other. The values of ILU and LES were first calculated according to two evaluation subsystems under the pressure-state-response (PSR framework. A coupling model was then established to analyze the coupling relationship within these two subsystems. The results showed that the levels of both subsystems were generally increasing, but there were several fluctuation changes in LES. The interaction in each system was time lagged; urban land use/cover change (LUCC and ecosystem transformation were determined by political business cycles and influenced by specific factors. The coupling relationship underwent a coordinated development mode from 1992–2012. From the findings we concluded that the coupling system maintained a stable condition and underwent evolving threshold values. The integrated ILU and LES system was a coupling system in which subsystems were related to each other and internal elements had mutual effects. Finally, it was suggested that our results provided a multi-level interdisciplinary perspective on linking socioeconomic-ecological systems. The implications for urban sustainable development were also discussed.

Radiation-induced liver injury showing low intensity on T2-weighted images noted in Budd-Chiari syndrome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mori, Harushi [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Graduate School of Medicine; Yoshioka, Hiroshi; Saida, Yukihisa; Itai, Yuji [Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki (Japan). Inst. of Clinical Medicine; Mori, Kensaku [Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki (Japan). Hospital; Ahmadi, T. [Shahid Beheshti Univ. of Medical Sciences, Teheran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Okumura, Toshiyuki [Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital, Tomobe (Japan)

2002-04-01

Although it is documented that radiation can cause density or intensity changes on computed tomography or MR imaging in the irradiated hepatic parenchyma, few researchers have reported or understood the MR presentation of changes in hepatic parenchyma following radiotherapy in the patient with Budd-Chiari syndrome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the MR appearance of hepatic radiation injury in Budd-Chiari syndrome and to consider the underlying pathophysiology. The MR examinations of two patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome was compared with those of 11 patients without Budd-Chiari syndrome. The two groups, both of which suffered from hepatocellular carcinoma, underwent 50-72 Gy of proton-beam irradiation during a period of 14-43 days. Examinations including T1- and T2-weighted imaging, superparamagnetic iron oxide-enhanced imaging, and dynamic study were performed 3-10 weeks after the end of irradiation. Radiation-induced hepatic injury was observed as a low-intensity area on T2-weighted images and on delayed phase images of dynamic study in the Budd-Chiari patients, and as iso- or high-intensity areas on both images in the patients without Budd-Chiari syndrome. US-guided needle biopsy from the irradiated area in one patient with Budd-Chiari syndrome revealed mostly necrotic tissue and fibrous tissue. These MR features of hepatic radiation injury in Budd-Chiari syndrome were considered to be due to severe hepatic fibrosis. (author)

Early High-Intensity Versus Low-Intensity Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) by Bade et al

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mechlenburg, Inger; Skoffer, Birgit; Dalgas, Ulrik

2017-01-01

Recently, a paper entitled "Early High-Intensity Versus Low-Intensity Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial" was published in Arthritis Care Res by Bade et al. (1). We have read the paper with great interest and noted that the study shows essentially no diffe......Recently, a paper entitled "Early High-Intensity Versus Low-Intensity Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial" was published in Arthritis Care Res by Bade et al. (1). We have read the paper with great interest and noted that the study shows essentially...

MRI intensity inhomogeneity correction by combining intensity and spatial information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vovk, Uros; Pernus, Franjo; Likar, Bostjan

2004-01-01

We propose a novel fully automated method for retrospective correction of intensity inhomogeneity, which is an undesired phenomenon in many automatic image analysis tasks, especially if quantitative analysis is the final goal. Besides most commonly used intensity features, additional spatial image features are incorporated to improve inhomogeneity correction and to make it more dynamic, so that local intensity variations can be corrected more efficiently. The proposed method is a four-step iterative procedure in which a non-parametric inhomogeneity correction is conducted. First, the probability distribution of image intensities and corresponding second derivatives is obtained. Second, intensity correction forces, condensing the probability distribution along the intensity feature, are computed for each voxel. Third, the inhomogeneity correction field is estimated by regularization of all voxel forces, and fourth, the corresponding partial inhomogeneity correction is performed. The degree of inhomogeneity correction dynamics is determined by the size of regularization kernel. The method was qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated on simulated and real MR brain images. The obtained results show that the proposed method does not corrupt inhomogeneity-free images and successfully corrects intensity inhomogeneity artefacts even if these are more dynamic

Environmental comparison of intensive and integrated agriculture-aquaculture systems for striped catfish production in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, based on two existing case studies using life cycle assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kluts, I.N.; Potting, J.M.B.; Bosma, R.H.; Phong, L.T.; Udo, H.M.J.

2012-01-01

Vietnam is the largest producer for the export of striped catfish. Traditionally striped catfish production in the Mekong Delta took place in integrated agriculture–aquaculture systems, but has shifted recently to intensive systems to meet increasing export demands. A recent study quantified the

A digital intensity stabilization system for HeNe laser

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Zhimeng; Lu, Guangfeng; Yang, Kaiyong; Long, Xingwu; Huang, Yun

2012-02-01

A digital intensity stabilization system for HeNe laser is developed. Based on a switching power IC to design laser power supply and a general purpose microcontroller to realize digital PID control, the system constructs a closed loop to stabilize the laser intensity by regulating its discharge current. The laser tube is made of glass ceramics and its integrated structure is steady enough to eliminate intensity fluctuations at high frequency and attenuates all intensity fluctuations, and this makes it easy to tune the control loop. The control loop between discharge current and photodiode voltage eliminates the long-term drifts. The intensity stability of the HeNe laser with this system is 0.014% over 12 h.

CMOS Active-Pixel Image Sensor With Intensity-Driven Readout

Science.gov (United States)

Langenbacher, Harry T.; Fossum, Eric R.; Kemeny, Sabrina

1996-01-01

Proposed complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) integrated-circuit image sensor automatically provides readouts from pixels in order of decreasing illumination intensity. Sensor operated in integration mode. Particularly useful in number of image-sensing tasks, including diffractive laser range-finding, three-dimensional imaging, event-driven readout of sparse sensor arrays, and star tracking.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy using simultaneous-integrated boost for definitive treatment of locally advanced mucosal head and neck cancer: outcomes from a single-institution series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, Meredith; Guo, Linxin; Hanna, Catherine; Back, Michael; Guminski, Alex; Lee, Adrian; Eade, Thomas; Veivers, David; Wignall, Andrew

2013-01-01

The study aims to report outcomes for patients treated using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with simultaneous-integrated boost and weekly cisplatin for American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III/IV mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). Records for 67 patients treated definitively with IMRT for HNSCC were reviewed. By including only those treated with weekly cisplatin, 45 patients were eligible for analysis. Treatment outcomes, effect of patient, tumour and treatment characteristics on disease recurrence were analysed. All patients completed IMRT to 7000cGy in 35 fractions, with concurrent weekly cisplatin 40mg/m 2 (median 6 cycles). Median follow-up was 28 months for living patients. Two-year loco-regional recurrence-free, metastasis-free and overall survival were 85.4, 81.0 and 87.4%, respectively. Local recurrence occurred in three patients, and distant recurrence in eight patients. Our results show efficacy of IMRT and weekly cisplatin in the treatment of stage III/IV HNSCC at our institution with respect to loco-regional control.

The footprint of bottom trawling in European waters: distribution, intensity, and seabed integrity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eigaard, Ole Ritzau; Bastardie, Francois; Hinzen, N.T.

2017-01-01

for 2010-2012 at a grid cell resolution of 1 x 1 min longitude and latitude. Trawling intensity profiles with seabed impact at the surface and subsurface level are presented for 14 management areas in the North-east Atlantic, Baltic Sea and Mediterranean Sea. The footprint of the management areas ranged...... between 53-99% and 6-94% for the depth zone from 0 to 200 m (Shallow) and from 201 to 1000 m (Deep), respectively. The footprint was estimated as the total area of all grid cells that were trawled fully or partially. Excluding the untrawled proportions reduced the footprint estimates to 28-85% and 2......-77%. Largest footprints per unit landings were observed off Portugal and in the Mediterranean Sea. Mean trawling intensity ranged between 0.5 and 8.5 times per year, but was less in the Deep zone with a maximum intensity of 6.4. Highest intensities were recorded in the Skagerrak-Kattegat, Iberian Portuguese...

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy with Simultaneously Integrated Boost at University Hospital Centre Zagreb (KBC Zagreb)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barisic, L.; Bibic, J.; Grego, T.; Hrsak, H.; Kovacevic, N.

2013-01-01

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy technique (IMRT) is state of art in modern radiotherapy for bilateral Head and Neck (H and N) malignancies. IMRT of real patients is implemented at KBC Zagreb since June 2012. Our method is inspired partly by Hull IMRT technique. It differs from standard IMRT beam layout (7 beams, gantry angles in 51° steps) and it avoids direct irradiation of OARs. We also use simultaneous integrated boost (SIB IMRT) fractionation. The aim of this paper is to present in some details the whole process of our SIB IMRT including plan quality assurance. Results for several patients together with comparison with ConPas and standard IMRT are presented. In our department, in last several years, routine method for H and N cancer RT was ConPas. During this period we (together with ConPas plans) produced standard IMRT plans with seven equidistant fields for actual patients. Our comparative analysis showed clear superiority of IMRT over ConPas for H and N radiotherapy. Since spring 2012 we have produced also non-standard IMRT plans that are based on Hull (U.K.) experience, with beam gantry angles at 0, 50, 80, 150, 210, 280 and 310 degrees. Also, in this method, direct irradiation of OARs (particularly spinal cord) is avoided by shielding as initial constraint. This approach proved to be better than standard IMRT in all analyzed cases. Having all this in mind, we decided to implement 'our' IMRT technique on real patients. Second essential point of our method is SIB fractionation. It has dosimetric, logistic and radiobiological advantages over standard fractionation. IMRT plan QA is routinely performed using Seven29 and Gamma index method. We take 3 mm/3 % Gamma index and 85 % of passed points as passing rate.(author)

Organisational Culture Matters for System Integration in Health Care

Science.gov (United States)

Munir, Samina K.; Kay, Stephen

2003-01-01

This paper illustrates the importance of organisational culture for Clinical Information Systems (CIS) integration. The study is based on data collected in intensive care units in the UK and Denmark. Data were collected using qualitative methods, i.e., observations, interviews and shadowing of health care providers, together with a questionnaire at each site. The data are analysed to extract salient variables for CIS integration, and it is shown that these variables can be separated into two categories that describe the ‘Actual Usefulness’ of the system and the ‘Organisational Culture’. This model is then extended to show that CIS integration directly affects the work processes of the organisation, forming an iterative process of change as a CIS is introduced and integrated. PMID:14728220

Integrated beam orientation and scanning-spot optimization in intensity-modulated proton therapy for brain and unilateral head and neck tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Wenbo; O'Connor, Daniel; Nguyen, Dan; Yu, Victoria Y; Ruan, Dan; Dong, Lei; Sheng, Ke

2018-04-01

Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) is the state-of-the-art method of delivering proton radiotherapy. Previous research has been mainly focused on optimization of scanning spots with manually selected beam angles. Due to the computational complexity, the potential benefit of simultaneously optimizing beam orientations and spot pattern could not be realized. In this study, we developed a novel integrated beam orientation optimization (BOO) and scanning-spot optimization algorithm for intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT). A brain chordoma and three unilateral head-and-neck patients with a maximal target size of 112.49 cm 3 were included in this study. A total number of 1162 noncoplanar candidate beams evenly distributed across 4π steradians were included in the optimization. For each candidate beam, the pencil-beam doses of all scanning spots covering the PTV and a margin were calculated. The beam angle selection and spot intensity optimization problem was formulated to include three terms: a dose fidelity term to penalize the deviation of PTV and OAR doses from ideal dose distribution; an L1-norm sparsity term to reduce the number of active spots and improve delivery efficiency; a group sparsity term to control the number of active beams between 2 and 4. For the group sparsity term, convex L2,1-norm and nonconvex L2,1/2-norm were tested. For the dose fidelity term, both quadratic function and linearized equivalent uniform dose (LEUD) cost function were implemented. The optimization problem was solved using the Fast Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm (FISTA). The IMPT BOO method was tested on three head-and-neck patients and one skull base chordoma patient. The results were compared with IMPT plans created using column generation selected beams or manually selected beams. The L2,1-norm plan selected spatially aggregated beams, indicating potential degeneracy using this norm. L2,1/2-norm was able to select spatially separated beams and achieve

Crystalline silicon cell performance at low light intensities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reich, N.H.; van Sark, W.G.J.H.M.; Alsema, E.A.; Turkenburg, W.C. [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Department of Science, Techonology and Society, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht (Netherlands); Lof, R.W.; Schropp, R.E.I. [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Nanophotonics - Physics of Device, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.000, 3508 TA Utrecht (Netherlands); Sinke, W.C. [Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), P.O. Box 1, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands)

2009-09-15

Measured and modelled JV characteristics of crystalline silicon cells below one sun intensity have been investigated. First, the JV characteristics were measured between 3 and 1000 W/m{sup 2} at 6 light levels for 41 industrially produced mono- and multi-crystalline cells from 8 manufacturers, and at 29 intensity levels for a single multi-crystalline silicon between 0.01 and 1000 W/m{sup 2}. Based on this experimental data, the accuracy of the following four modelling approaches was evaluated: (1) empirical fill factor expressions, (2) a purely empirical function, (3) the one-diode model and (4) the two-diode model. Results show that the fill factor expressions and the empirical function fail at low light intensities, but a new empirical equation that gives accurate fits could be derived. The accuracy of both diode models are very high. However, the accuracy depends considerably on the used diode model parameter sets. While comparing different methods to determine diode model parameter sets, the two-diode model is found to be preferred in principle: particularly its capability in accurately modelling V{sub OC} and efficiency with one and the same parameter set makes the two-diode model superior. The simulated energy yields of the 41 commercial cells as a function of irradiance intensity suggest unbiased shunt resistances larger than about 10 k{omega} cm{sup 2} may help to avoid low energy yields of cells used under predominantly low light intensities. Such cells with diode currents not larger than about 10{sup -9} A/cm{sup 2} are excellent candidates for Product Integrated PV (PIPV) appliances. (author)

[Ethic rounds in intensive care. Possible instrument for a clinical-ethical assessment in intensive care units].

Science.gov (United States)

Scheffold, N; Paoli, A; Gross, J; Riemann, U; Hennersdorf, M

2012-10-01

Ethical problems, such as medical end-of-life decisions or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment are viewed as an essential task in intensive care units. This article presents the ethics rounds as an instrument for evaluation of ethical problems in intensive care medicine units. The benchmarks of ethical reflection during the ethics rounds are considerations of ethical theory of principle-oriented medical ethics. Besides organizational aspects and the institutional framework, the role of the ethicist is described. The essential evaluation steps, as a basis of the ethics rounds are presented. In contrast to the clinical ethics consultation, the ethicist in the ethics rounds model is integrated as a member of the ward round team. Therefore ethical problems may be identified and analyzed very early before the conflict escalates. This preventive strategy makes the ethics rounds a helpful instrument in intensive care units.

Comparing the costs and benefits of floating rice-based and intensive rice-based farming systems in the Mekong delta

OpenAIRE

Van Kien Nguyen; Oc Van Vo; Duc Ngoc Huynh

2015-01-01

This paper compares financial costs and benefits of floating rice-based and intensive rice farming systems using data from focus group discussions and household survey in four locations in the Mekong Delta. We argue that the net financial benefit per 1000m2 of integrated floating rice-based farming systems is greater than the net financial benefit of intensive rice farming system. The total net benefit of floating rice-leeks shows the highest net benefit (VND 24.8 mil./1000 m2), followed by f...

Knowledge-Intensive Gathering and Integration of Statistical Information on European Fisheries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klinkert, M.; Treur, J.; Verwaart, T.; Loganantharaj, R.; Palm, G.; Ali, M.

2000-01-01

Gathering, maintenance, integration and presentation of statistics are major activities of the Dutch Agricultural Economics Research Institute LEI. In this paper we explore how knowledge and agent technology can be exploited to support the information gathering and integration process. In

Comparison of long-term survival and toxicity of simultaneous integrated boost vs conventional fractionation with intensity-modulated radiotherapy for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao HM

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Hengmin Tao,1,2 Yumei Wei,1 Wei Huang,1 Xiujuan Gai,1,2 Baosheng Li11Department of 6th Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, 2School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Jinan University-Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, People’s Republic of ChinaAim: In recent years, the intensity-modulated radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost (IMRT-SIB and intensity-modulated radiotherapy with conventional fractionation (IMRT-CF have been involved in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC. However, the potential clinical effects and toxicities are still controversial.Methods: Here, 107 patients with biopsy-proven locally advanced NPC between March 2004 and January 2011 were enrolled in the retrospective study. Among them, 54 patients received IMRT-SIB, and 53 patients received IMRT-CF. Subsequently, overall survival (OS, 5-year progression-free survival (PFS, 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS, and relevant toxicities were analyzed.Results: In the present study, all patients completed the treatment, and the overall median follow-up time was 80 months (range: 8–126 months. The 5-year OS analysis revealed no significant difference between the IMRT-SIB and IMRT-CF groups (80.9% vs 80.5%, P=0.568. In addition, there were also no significant between-group differences in 5-year PFS (73.3% vs 74.4%, P=0.773 and 5-year LRFS (88.1% vs 90.8%, P=0.903. Notably, the dose to critical organs (spinal cord, brainstem, and parotid gland in patients treated by IMRT-CF was significantly lower than that in patients treated by IMRT-SIB (all P<0.05.Conclusion: Both IMRT-SIB and IMRT-CF techniques are effective in treating locally advanced NPC, with similar OS, PFS, and LRFS. However, IMRT-CF has more advantages than IMRT-SIB in protecting spinal cord, brainstem, and parotid gland from acute and late toxicities, such as xerostomia. Further prospective study is warranted to confirm our findings.Keywords: intensity

Active Provenance in Data-intensive Research

Science.gov (United States)

Spinuso, Alessandro; Mihajlovski, Andrej; Filgueira, Rosa; Atkinson, Malcolm

2017-04-01

Scientific communities are building platforms where the usage of data-intensive workflows is crucial to conduct their research campaigns. However managing and effectively support the understanding of the 'live' processes, fostering computational steering, sharing and re-use of data and methods, present several bottlenecks. These are often caused by the poor level of documentation on the methods and the data and how users interact with it. This work wants to explore how in such systems, flexibility in the management of the provenance and its adaptation to the different users and application contexts can lead to new opportunities for its exploitation, improving productivity. In particular, this work illustrates a conceptual and technical framework enabling tunable and actionable provenance in data-intensive workflow systems in support of reproducible science. It introduces the concept of Agile data-intensive systems to define the characteristic of our target platform. It shows a novel approach to the integration of provenance mechanisms, offering flexibility in the scale and in the precision of the provenance data collected, ensuring its relevance to the domain of the data-intensive task, fostering its rapid exploitation. The contributions address aspects of the scale of the provenance records, their usability and active role in the research life-cycle. We will discuss the use of dynamically generated provenance types as the approach for the integration of provenance mechanisms into a data-intensive workflow system. Enabling provenance can be transparent to the workflow user and developer, as well as fully controllable and customisable, depending from their expertise and the application's reproducibility, monitoring and validation requirements. The API that allows the realisation and adoption of a provenance type is presented, especially for what concerns the support of provenance profiling, contextualisation and precision. An actionable approach to provenance

Intensity limits for stationary and interacting multi-soliton complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sukhorukov, Andrey A.; Akhmediev, Nail N.

2002-01-01

We obtain an accurate estimate for the peak intensities of multi-soliton complexes for a Kerr-type nonlinearity in the (1+1) dimension problem. Using exact analytical solutions of the integrable set of nonlinear Schroedinger equations, we establish a rigorous relationship between the eigenvalues of incoherently-coupled fundamental solitons and the range of admissible intensities. A clear geometrical interpretation of this effect is given

Characteristics of Intrapreneurs in Scale-Intensive Service Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katja Maria Hydle

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This empirical paper explores the work of employees in charge of service innovation when firms develop and launch new scale-intensive services by addressing two re- search questions: i How do employees responsible for service innovation work? and ii what are the related managerial implications when developing and launching new scale-intensive services? To this end, 21 qualitative, in-depth interviews were con- ducted with employees in five large scale-intensive service firms. The findings suggest that the involvement of internal professionals is an asset when new scale-intensive services are developed, and that internal professionals act as intrapreneurs when they are involved in the development of radically new scale-intensive services. This paper integrates understanding from the innovation management literature with knowledge of professionals from extant literature on professional service firms since we find that professionals in scale-intensive firms act as intrapreneurs. Thus, this pa- per extends the theory on determinants of innovation in scale-intensive service firms, blending insights from both findings and theory.

Multidisciplinary integration in the context of integrated care – results from the North West London Integrated Care Pilot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Harris

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Background: In the context of integrated care, Multidisciplinary Group (MDG meetings involve participants from diverse professional groups and organizations and are potential vehicles to advance efficiency improvements within the local health economy.  We advance a novel method to evaluate the effectiveness of MDGs by measuring the extent to which participants integrate within MDG meetings and whether this integration leads to improved working. Methods: We purposively selected four MDG meetings, and conducted a content analysis of audio-recorded and transcribed case discussions. Two coders independently coded utterances according to their ‘integrative intensity’ which was defined against three a priori independent domains – the Level (i.e. Individual, Collective and Systems; the Valence (Problem, Information and Solution; the Focus (Concrete and Abstract. Inter- and intra-rater reliability was tested with Kappa scores on one randomly selected Case Discussion.  Standardized weighted mean integration scores were calculated for Case Discussions across utterance deciles, indicating how integrative intensity changed during the conversations. Results: Twenty-three Case Discussions in four different MDG groups were transcribed and coded. Inter- and intra-rater reliability was good as shown by the Prevalence and Bias Adjusted Kappa Scores for one randomly selected Case Discussion.  There were differences in the proportion of utterances per participant type (Consultant 14.6%; Presenting GP 38.75%; Chair 7.8%; Non-Presenting GP 2.25%; Allied Health Professional 4.8%. Utterances were predominantly coded at low levels of integrative intensity; however there was a gradual increase (R2=0.66 in integrative intensity during the Case Discussions.  Based on analysis of the minutes and action points arising from the Case Discussions, this improved integration did not translate into actions moving forward. Interpretation: We characterize the MDGs as

Integrated nanohole array surface plasmon resonance sensing device using a dual-wavelength source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escobedo, C; Vincent, S; Choudhury, A I K; Campbell, J; Gordon, R; Brolo, A G; Sinton, D

2011-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate a compact integrated nanohole array-based surface plasmon resonance sensing device. The unit includes a LED light source, driving circuitry, CCD detector, microfluidic network and computer interface, all assembled from readily available commercial components. A dual-wavelength LED scheme was implemented to increase spectral diversity and isolate intensity variations to be expected in the field. The prototype shows bulk sensitivity of 266 pixel intensity units/RIU and a limit of detection of 6 × 10 −4 RIU. Surface binding tests were performed, demonstrating functionality as a surface-based sensing system. This work is particularly relevant for low-cost point-of-care applications, especially those involving multiple tests and field studies. While nanohole arrays have been applied to many sensing applications, and their suitability to device integration is well established, this is the first demonstration of a fully integrated nanohole array-based sensing device.

Space-Charge Simulation of Integrable Rapid Cycling Synchrotron

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eldred, Jeffery [Fermilab; Valishev, Alexander [Fermilab

2017-05-01

Integrable optics is an innovation in particle accelerator design that enables strong nonlinear focusing without generating parametric resonances. We use a Synergia space-charge simulation to investigate the application of integrable optics to a high-intensity hadron ring that could replace the Fermilab Booster. We find that incorporating integrability into the design suppresses the beam halo generated by a mismatched KV beam. Our integrable rapid cycling synchrotron (iRCS) design includes other features of modern ring design such as low momentum compaction factor and harmonically canceling sextupoles. Experimental tests of high-intensity beams in integrable lattices will take place over the next several years at the Fermilab Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) and the University of Maryland Electron Ring (UMER).

An Integrated Framework for Effective and Efficient Communication with Families in the Adult Intensive Care Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Seaman, Jennifer B; Arnold, Robert M; Scheunemann, Leslie P; White, Douglas B

2017-06-01

The increased focus on patient and family-centered care in adult intensive care units (ICUs) has generated multiple platforms for clinician-family communication beyond traditional interdisciplinary family meetings (family meetings)-including family-centered rounds, bedside or telephone updates, and electronic family portals. Some clinicians and administrators are now using these platforms instead of conducting family meetings. For example, some institutions are moving toward using family-centered rounds as the main platform for clinician-family communication, and some physicians rely on brief daily updates to the family at the bedside or by phone, in lieu of family meetings. We argue that although each of these platforms is useful in some circumstances, there remains an important role for family meetings. We outline five goals of clinician-family communication-establishing trust, providing emotional support, conveying clinical information, understanding the patient as a person, and facilitating careful decision making-and we examine the extent to which various communication platforms are likely to achieve the goals. We argue that because no single platform can achieve all communication goals, an integrated strategy is needed. We present a model that integrates multiple communication platforms to effectively and efficiently support families across the arc of an ICU stay. Our framework employs bedside/telephone conversations and family-centered rounds throughout the admission to address high informational needs, along with well-timed family meetings that attend to families' emotions as well as patients' values and goals. This flexible model uses various communication platforms to achieve consistent, efficient communication throughout the ICU stay.

Gait Recognition and Walking Exercise Intensity Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bor-Shing Lin

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular patients consult doctors for advice regarding regular exercise, whereas obese patients must self-manage their weight. Because a system for permanently monitoring and tracking patients’ exercise intensities and workouts is necessary, a system for recognizing gait and estimating walking exercise intensity was proposed. For gait recognition analysis, αβ filters were used to improve the recognition of athletic attitude. Furthermore, empirical mode decomposition (EMD was used to filter the noise of patients’ attitude to acquire the Fourier transform energy spectrum. Linear discriminant analysis was then applied to this energy spectrum for training and recognition. When the gait or motion was recognized, the walking exercise intensity was estimated. In addition, this study addressed the correlation between inertia and exercise intensity by using the residual function of the EMD and quadratic approximation to filter the effect of the baseline drift integral of the acceleration sensor. The increase in the determination coefficient of the regression equation from 0.55 to 0.81 proved that the accuracy of the method for estimating walking exercise intensity proposed by Kurihara was improved in this study.

Simultaneous Integrated Boost Using Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Compared With Conventional Radiotherapy in Patients Treated With Concurrent Carboplatin and 5-Fluorouracil for Locally Advanced Oropharyngeal Carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clavel, Sebastien, E-mail: sebastien.clavel@umontreal.ca [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de l' Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada); Nguyen, David H.A.; Fortin, Bernard [Department of Radiation Oncology, Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, QC (Canada); Despres, Philippe [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de l' Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada); Khaouam, Nader [Department of Radiation Oncology, Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, QC (Canada); Donath, David [Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de l' Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada); Soulieres, Denis [Department of Medical Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de l' Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada); Guertin, Louis [Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Centre Hospitalier de l' Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada); Nguyen-Tan, Phuc Felix [Department of Radiation Oncology, Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, QC (Canada)

2012-02-01

Purpose: To compare, in a retrospective study, the toxicity and efficacy of simultaneous integrated boost using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) vs. conventional radiotherapy (CRT) in patients treated with concomitant carboplatin and 5-fluorouracil for locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. Methods and Materials: Between January 2000 and December 2007, 249 patients were treated with definitive chemoradiation. One hundred patients had 70 Gy in 33 fractions using IMRT, and 149 received CRT at 70 Gy in 35 fractions. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and locoregional control were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Median follow-up was 42 months. Three-year actuarial rates for locoregional control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were 95.1% vs. 84.4% (p = 0.005), 85.3% vs. 69.3% (p = 0.001), and 92.1% vs. 75.2% (p < 0.001) for IMRT and CRT, respectively. The benefit of the radiotherapy regimen on outcomes was also observed with a Cox multivariate analysis. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy was associated with less acute dermatitis and less xerostomia at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Conclusions: This study suggests that simultaneous integrated boost using IMRT is associated with favorable locoregional control and survival rates with less xerostomia and acute dermatitis than CRT when both are given concurrently with chemotherapy.

Simultaneous Integrated Boost Using Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Compared With Conventional Radiotherapy in Patients Treated With Concurrent Carboplatin and 5-Fluorouracil for Locally Advanced Oropharyngeal Carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clavel, Sébastien; Nguyen, David H.A.; Fortin, Bernard; Després, Philippe; Khaouam, Nader; Donath, David; Soulières, Denis; Guertin, Louis; Nguyen-Tan, Phuc Felix

2012-01-01

Purpose: To compare, in a retrospective study, the toxicity and efficacy of simultaneous integrated boost using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) vs. conventional radiotherapy (CRT) in patients treated with concomitant carboplatin and 5-fluorouracil for locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. Methods and Materials: Between January 2000 and December 2007, 249 patients were treated with definitive chemoradiation. One hundred patients had 70 Gy in 33 fractions using IMRT, and 149 received CRT at 70 Gy in 35 fractions. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and locoregional control were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Median follow-up was 42 months. Three-year actuarial rates for locoregional control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were 95.1% vs. 84.4% (p = 0.005), 85.3% vs. 69.3% (p = 0.001), and 92.1% vs. 75.2% (p < 0.001) for IMRT and CRT, respectively. The benefit of the radiotherapy regimen on outcomes was also observed with a Cox multivariate analysis. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy was associated with less acute dermatitis and less xerostomia at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Conclusions: This study suggests that simultaneous integrated boost using IMRT is associated with favorable locoregional control and survival rates with less xerostomia and acute dermatitis than CRT when both are given concurrently with chemotherapy.

Design Considerations for Proposed Fermilab Integrable RCS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eldred, Jeffrey [Fermilab; Valishev, Alexander

2017-03-02

Integrable optics is an innovation in particle accelerator design that provides strong nonlinear focusing while avoiding parametric resonances. One promising application of integrable optics is to overcome the traditional limits on accelerator intensity imposed by betatron tune-spread and collective instabilities. The efficacy of high-intensity integrable accelerators will be undergo comprehensive testing over the next several years at the Fermilab Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) and the University of Maryland Electron Ring (UMER). We propose an integrable Rapid-Cycling Synchrotron (iRCS) as a replacement for the Fermilab Booster to achieve multi-MW beam power for the Fermilab high-energy neutrino program. We provide a overview of the machine parameters and discuss an approach to lattice optimization. Integrable optics requires arcs with integer-pi phase advance followed by drifts with matched beta functions. We provide an example integrable lattice with features of a modern RCS - long dispersion-free drifts, low momentum compaction, superperiodicity, chromaticity correction, separate-function magnets, and bounded beta functions.

Simultaneous integrated boost-intensity modulated radiation therapy for inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Tae Hyun; Park, Joong-Won; Kim, Yeon-Joo; Kim, Bo Hyun; Woo, Sang Myung; Moon, Sung Ho; Kim, Sang Soo; Lee, Woo Jin; Kim, Dae Yong; Kim, Chang-Min [National Cancer Center, Center for Liver Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

The aim of this work was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of simultaneous integrated boost-intensity modulated radiation therapy (SIB-IMRT) in patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 53 patients with inoperable HCC underwent SIB-IMRT using two dose-fractionation schemes, depending on the proximity of gastrointestinal structures. The 41 patients in the low dose-fractionation (LD) group, with internal target volume (ITV) < 1 cm from gastrointestinal structures, received total doses of 55 and 44 Gy in 22 fractions to planning target volume 1 (PTV1) and 2 (PTV2), respectively. The 12 patients in the high dose-fractionation (HD) group, with ITV ≥ 1 cm from gastrointestinal structures, received total doses of 66 and 55 Gy in 22 fractions to the PTV1 and PTV2, respectively. Overall, treatment was well tolerated, with no grade > 3 toxicity. The LD group had larger sized tumors (median: 6 vs. 3.4 cm) and greater frequencies of vascular invasion (80.6 vs. 16.7 %) than patients in the HD group (p < 0.05 each). The median overall survival (OS) was 25.1 months and the actuarial 2-year local progression-free survival (LPFS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and OS rates were 67.3, 14.7, and 54.7 %, respectively. The HD group tended to show better tumor response (100 vs. 62.2 %, p = 0.039) and 2-year LPFS (85.7 vs. 59 %, p = 0.119), RFS (38.1 vs. 7.3 %, p = 0.063), and OS (83.3 vs. 44.3 %, p = 0.037) rates than the LD group. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor response was significantly associated with OS. SIB-IMRT is feasible and safe for patients with inoperable HCC. (orig.) [German] Ziel der Arbeit war es, die klinische Wirksamkeit und die Sicherheit der intensitaetsmodulierten Radiotherapie mit simultanem integriertem Boost (SIB-IMRT) fuer Patienten mit einem inoperablen hepatozellulaeren Karzinom (HCC) zu evaluieren. Bei 53 Patienten mit inoperablem HCC wurden zwei unterschiedliche Dosierungskonzepte je nach Lagebeziehung des

Integrating classification trees with local logistic regression in Intensive Care prognosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abu-Hanna, Ameen; de Keizer, Nicolette

2003-01-01

Health care effectiveness and efficiency are under constant scrutiny especially when treatment is quite costly as in the Intensive Care (IC). Currently there are various international quality of care programs for the evaluation of IC. At the heart of such quality of care programs lie prognostic

Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Bong Kyung; Kang, Min Kyul; Kim, Jae Chul [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Min Young; Choi, Gyu Seog; Kim, Jong Gwang; Kang, Byung Woog; Kim, Hye Jin; Park, Soo Yeun [Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

To evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) for preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (PCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), by comparing with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT). Patients who were treated with PCRT for LARC from 2015 January to 2016 December were retrospectively enrolled. Total doses of 45 Gy to 50.4 Gy with 3D-CRT or SIB-IMRT were administered concomitantly with 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin or capecitabine. Surgery was performed 8 weeks after PCRT. Between PCRT and surgery, one cycle of additional chemotherapy was administered. Pathologic tumor responses were compared between SIB-IMRT and 3D-CRT groups. Acute gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematologic, and skin toxicities were compared between the two groups based on the RTOG toxicity criteria. SIB-IMRT was used in 53 patients, and 3D-CRT in 41 patients. After PCRT, no significant differences were noted in tumor responses, pathologic complete response (9% vs. 7%; p = 1.000), pathologic tumor regression Grade 3 or higher (85% vs. 71%; p = 0.096), and R0 resection (87% vs. 85%; p = 0.843). Grade 2 genitourinary toxicities were significantly lesser in the SIB-IMRT group (8% vs. 24%; p = 0.023), but gastrointestinal toxicities were not different across the two groups. SIB-IMRT showed lower GU toxicity and similar tumor responses when compared with 3D-CRT in PCRT for LARC.

Aberdeen polygons: computer displays of physiological profiles for intensive care.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, C A; Logie, R H; Gilhooly, K J; Ross, D G; Ronald, A

1996-03-01

The clinician in an intensive therapy unit is presented regularly with a range of information about the current physiological state of the patients under care. This information typically comes from a variety of sources and in a variety of formats. A more integrated form of display incorporating several physiological parameters may be helpful therefore. Three experiments are reported that explored the potential use of analogue, polygon diagrams to display physiological data from patients undergoing intensive therapy. Experiment 1 demonstrated that information can be extracted readily from such diagrams comprising 8- or 10-sided polygons, but with an advantage for simpler polygons and for information displayed at the top of the diagram. Experiment 2 showed that colour coding removed these biases for simpler polygons and the top of the diagram, together with speeding the processing time. Experiment 3 used polygons displaying patterns of physiological data that were consistent with typical conditions observed in the intensive care unit. It was found that physicians can readily learn to recognize these patterns and to diagnose both the nature and severity of the patient's physiological state. These polygon diagrams appear to have some considerable potential for use in providing on-line summary information of a patient's physiological state.

Effects of High-Intensity Blood Flow Restriction Exercise on Muscle Fatigue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neto Gabriel R.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Strength training combined with blood flow restriction (BFR have been used to improve the levels of muscle adaptation. The aim of this paper was to investigate the acute effect of high intensity squats with and without blood flow restriction on muscular fatigue levels. Twelve athletes (aged 25.95 ± 0.84 years were randomized into two groups: without Blood Flow Restriction (NFR, n = 6 and With Blood Flow Restriction (WFR, n = 6 that performed a series of free weight squats with 80% 1-RM until concentric failure. The strength of the quadriceps extensors was assessed in a maximum voluntary isometric contraction integrated to signals from the surface electromyogram. The average frequency showed significant reductions in the WFR group for the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis muscles, and intergroup only for the vastus medialis. In conclusion, a set of squats at high intensity with BFR could compromise muscle strength immediately after exercise, however, differences were not significant between groups.

An Evaluation of Subseasonal Intensity Variation of the South Asian High in the CMIP5 Models

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, W.; Ren, X.

2017-12-01

The South Asian High (SAH) is a vital member among the Asian summer monsoon circulations in the upper troposphere located over the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas during boreal summer. This study presents an evaluation of the characteristics of SAH's subseasonal intensity variation simulated by 18 coupled models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is used on subseasonal anomalies in 100hPa geopotential height over 20°-40°N, 35°-110°E for June, July and August from 1979 to 2005. The first EOF mode from the ERA-Interim (denoted as observation) shows a monopole pattern capturing the strengthening/weakening of SAH. The power spectrum analysis of the corresponding principal component (PC1) time series shows a period about 10-30 days. In general, all the 18 coupled models can reproduce the monopole pattern and its subseasonal oscillation to a certain extent. The four well-simulated models are: ACCESS1-3, HadGEM2-CC, MRI-CGCM3 and BNU-ESM, which EOF1 show strong positive anomalies in the 100hPa geopotential height over the SAH's region and weak negative anomalies in their north side. Lead-lag regression shows that the evolution of the EOF1 from day -12 to +3 in the above four models is also reasonably simulated. In the observation, positive rainfall band moves northward from the equatorial Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengals and the Western North Pacific to the north of Indian Peninsula, south of Tibetan Plateau and Southeast China, accompanied by the increasing intensity of SAH. In the above four models, the northward movement of anomalous rainfall band can be well reproduced. In the observation, the spatial pattern of anomalies in integrated apparent heat source and integrated apparent moisture sink resemble that of rainfall, thus corresponding to anomalous condensation heat release. The anomalous heating stimulates positive height anomalies with an anomalous anticyclonic circulation to its

Energy intensity, target level of energy intensity, and room for improvement in energy intensity: An application to the study of regions in the EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Ming-Chung

2014-01-01

While the previous literature shows that a decline in energy intensity represents an improvement in energy use efficiency, it does not provide a target level of energy intensity, nor what room for improvement in terms of energy intensity could entail. This study establishes an indicator of such room for improvement in terms of energy intensity by measuring the difference between the target level of energy intensity and the actual energy intensity and thereby monitors energy use efficiency. The traditional indicator of energy intensity, defined as energy use over GDP, mainly estimates energy use efficiency, but is a partial effect between the energy input and GDP output. However, our proposed indicator of the room for improvement in terms of energy intensity is the total-factor effects based on the multiple-inputs model. By taking the 27 EU members to investigate their energy use efficiency using the indicator of the room for improvement in terms of energy intensity, this study concludes that an improvement in energy intensity does not fully depend on a decline in energy intensity, and we instead need to confirm whether the room for improvement in terms of energy intensity decreases. This finding is particularly relevant for energy policy-makers. - Highlights: • This paper establishes an indicator for the room for improvement in terms of energy intensity. • This study takes the 27 EU members to investigate their energy use efficiency. • A different result appears by using our proposed indicator

Esophageal acid sensitivity and mucosal integrity in patients with functional heartburn.

Science.gov (United States)

Weijenborg, P W; Smout, A J P M; Bredenoord, A J

2016-11-01

Patients with functional heartburn (FH) experience troublesome heartburn that is not related to gastroesophageal reflux. The etiology of the heartburn sensation in FH patients is unknown. In patients with reflux disease, esophageal hypersensitivity seems associated with impaired mucosal integrity. We aimed to determine esophageal sensitivity and mucosal integrity in FH and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients. In this prospective experimental study, we performed an acid perfusion test and upper endoscopy with biopsies in 12 patients with NERD and nine patients with FH. Mucosal integrity was measured during endoscopy using electrical tissue impedance spectroscopy and biopsy specimens were analyzed in Ussing chambers for transepithelial electrical resistance and transepithelial permeability. Lag time to heartburn perception was significantly longer in FH patients (median 12 min) than in NERD patients (median 3 min). Once perceived, intensity of heartburn was scored equal with median visual analog scale 6.5 and 7.1 respectively. Esophageal mucosal integrity was also comparable between FH and NERD patients, both in vivo extracellular impedance and ex vivo transepithelial resistance and permeability were similar. Patients with FH did not show acid hypersensitivity as seen in patients with NERD. However, once perceived, intensity of heartburn is similar. Esophageal mucosal integrity is similar between NERD and FH patients, and is therefore unlikely to be the underlying cause of the observed difference in esophageal acid perception. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An integrative review of supports, facilitators and barriers to patient-centred nursing in the intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakimowicz, Samantha; Perry, Lin; Lewis, Joanne

2017-12-01

To systematically review the literature describing factors perceived by nurses as impacting the provision of patient-centred nursing in the intensive care unit. Patient-centred nursing in critical care differs from other healthcare areas, and the aggressive curative environment of the ICU has potential to compromise some of its elements. Understanding critical care, nurses' perceptions of promoting and deterrent factors may inform development of strategies to support effective patient-centred nursing and job satisfaction in this workforce. An integrative literature review. Whittemore and Knafl's method was used with "best-fit" framework synthesis. CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline and EMBASE were searched for 2000-2016 literature using search terms drawn from the ICU patient-centred framework. In total, 3,079 papers were identified, with 23 retained after applying eligibility criteria. Five themes were identified: Nurse identity; Organisation; Communication; Relationships; and Ideology of ICU. Almost every theme and related categories referred to factors acting as barriers to patient-centred nursing in the ICU; only four referred to supports/facilitators. Findings showed that provision of patient-centred nursing may be compromised by some factors of the critical care environment, and illustrate the challenges and complexity of providing effective patient-centred nursing in this environment. Findings should be applied to address barriers and to enhance facilitators of effective patient-centred nursing in critical care. The emotional and physical demands of critical care nursing are major considerations; supporting these nurses to fulfil their challenging role may empower them in their professional quality of life and provide a basis for workforce retention as well as delivery of effective patient-centred nursing. Measures to enhance patient-centred nursing could promote critical care nurses' job satisfaction and workforce retention, and be applied more broadly and

Design of an Integrated Sensor Platform for Vital Sign Monitoring of Newborn Infants at Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Chen

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Continuous health status monitoring and advances in medical treatments have resulted in a significant increase of survival rate in critically ill infants admitted into Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs. The quality of life and long-term health prospects of the neonates depend increasingly on the reliability and comfort of the monitoring systems. In this paper, we present the design work of a smart jacket for vital sign monitoring of neonates at a NICU. The design represents a unique integration of sensor technology, user focus and design aspects. Textile sensors, a reflectance pulse oximeter and a wearable temperature sensor were proposed to be embedded into the smart jacket. Location of the sensor, materials and appearance were designed to optimize the functionality, patient comfort and the possibilities for aesthetic features. Prototypes were built for demonstrating the design concept and experimental results were obtained from tests on premature babies at the NICU of M�xima Medical Centre (MMC in Veldhoven, the Netherlands.

Infrared cross-sections and integrated band intensities of propylene: Temperature-dependent studies

KAUST Repository

Es-sebbar, Et-touhami; Alrefae, Majed; Farooq, Aamir

2014-01-01

intensities of propylene are essential for quantitative measurements and atmospheric modeling. We measured absolute IR cross-sections of propylene using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy over the wavenumber range of 400-6500cm-1 and at gas

Environmental Design for Patient Families in Intensive Care Units

OpenAIRE

Mahbub Rashid

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to define the role of environmental design in improving family integration with patient care in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). It argues that it is necessary to understand family needs, experience and behavioral responses in ICUs to develop effective models for family integration. With its two components—the “healing culture” promoting effective relationships between caregivers and care seekers, and the “environmental design” supporting the healing culture—a “healin...

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EXISTING INTENSIVE METHODS OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Mytnyk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the study and analysis of comparable existing intensive methods of teaching foreign languages. This work is carried out to identify the positive and negative aspects of intensive methods of teaching foreign languages. The author traces the idea of rational organization and intensification of teaching foreign languages from their inception to the moment of their preparation in an integrated system. advantages and disadvantages of the most popular methods of intensive training also analyzed the characteristic of different historical periods, namely cugestopedichny method G. Lozanov method activation of reserve possibilities of students G. Kitaygorodskoy, emotional-semantic method I. Schechter, an intensive course of learning a foreign language L. Gegechkori , sugestokibernetichny integral method of accelerated learning a foreign language B. Petrusinskogo, a crash course in the study of spoken language by immersion A. Plesnevich. Analyzed the principles of learning and the role of each method in the development of methods of intensive foreign language training. The author identified a number of advantages and disadvantages of intensive methods of teaching foreign languages: 1 the assimilation of a large number of linguistic, lexical and grammatical units; 2 active use of acquired knowledge, skills and abilities in the practice of oral speech communication in a foreign language; 3 the ability to use language material resulting not only in his speech, but also in understanding the interlocutor; 4 overcoming psychological barriers, including fear of the possibility of making a mistake; 5 high efficiency and fast learning; 6 too much new language material that is presented; 7 training of oral forms of communication; 8 decline of grammatical units and models.

Control of integrated micro-resonator wavelength via balanced homodyne locking.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Jonathan A; Lentine, Anthony L; Trotter, Douglas C; Starbuck, Andrew L

2014-05-05

We describe and experimentally demonstrate a method for active control of resonant modulators and filters in an integrated photonics platform. Variations in resonance frequency due to manufacturing processes and thermal fluctuations are corrected by way of balanced homodyne locking. The method is compact, insensitive to intensity fluctuations, minimally disturbs the micro-resonator, and does not require an arbitrary reference to lock. We demonstrate long-term stable locking of an integrated filter to a laser swept over 1.25 THz. In addition, we show locking of a modulator with low bit error rate while the chip temperature is varied from 5 to 60° C.

Trade Integration Effects in ASEAN Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yana Valeryevna Dyomina

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The paper examines evolution of trade integration process in ASEAN. The author employs three methods in order to evaluate the degree of ASEAN‘s trade integration that has been achieved over two decades since the signing of the Association of South-East Asian Nations Free Trade Area Agreement (AFTA in 1992. The high degree of trade integration among member states allows moving to the next stage of international economic integration (ASEAN countries are going to form ASEAN Community (the Common Market by the 1st of January 2016. So the study assesses the ASEAN’s preparedness to the Common Market by determining the share of mutual (intraregional trade, regional trade intensity index (RTII and trade integration effects (trade creation and trade diversion effects for each member state, 2 groups of ASEAN countries (ASEAN-6 and ASEAN-4 and the Association as a whole. The paper shows that despite the increase in the share of intraregional trade during the years of the AFTA functioning, the member states of ASEAN still demonstrate low levels of trade integration: a 75% of the Association’s external trade focuses on extra regional partners; b ASEAN as a whole has the low volume of RTII and among its member states only Singapore has the high one; c trade diversion effect prevails over trade creation one

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and conventional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for high-grade gliomas: Does IMRT increase the integral dose to normal brain?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermanto, Ulrich; Frija, Erik K.; Lii, MingFwu J.; Chang, Eric L.; Mahajan, Anita; Woo, Shiao Y.

2007-01-01

Purpose: To determine whether intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment increases the total integral dose of nontarget tissue relative to the conventional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) technique for high-grade gliomas. Methods and Materials: Twenty patients treated with 3D-CRT for glioblastoma multiforme were selected for a comparative dosimetric evaluation with IMRT. Original target volumes, organs at risk (OAR), and dose-volume constraints were used for replanning with IMRT. Predicted isodose distributions, cumulative dose-volume histograms of target volumes and OAR, normal tissue integral dose, target coverage, dose conformity, and normal tissue sparing with 3D-CRT and IMRT planning were compared. Statistical analyses were performed to determine differences. Results: In all 20 patients, IMRT maintained equivalent target coverage, improved target conformity (conformity index [CI] 95% 1.52 vs. 1.38, p mean by 19.8% and D max by 10.7%), optic chiasm (D mean by 25.3% and D max by 22.6%), right optic nerve (D mean by 37.3% and D max by 28.5%), and left optic nerve (D mean by 40.6% and D max by 36.7%), p ≤ 0.01. This was achieved without increasing the total nontarget integral dose by greater than 0.5%. Overall, total integral dose was reduced by 7-10% with IMRT, p < 0.001, without significantly increasing the 0.5-5 Gy low-dose volume. Conclusions: These results indicate that IMRT treatment for high-grade gliomas allows for improved target conformity, better critical tissue sparing, and importantly does so without increasing integral dose and the volume of normal tissue exposed to low doses of radiation

FBCT fast intensity measurement using TRIC cards

CERN Document Server

Allica, J C; Belohrad, D; Jensen, L; Lenardon, F; SØby, L

2015-01-01

At the CERN PS complex, precise fast intensity measurements are very important in order to optimize the transfer efficiencies between the different accelerators. Over the last two years a complete renovation has been ongoing, where the old electronics, based on analogue integrators, have been replaced by a fully digital system enclosed in a single VME based card. This new system called TRIC (Transformer Integration Card) is based on a 12 bit, 212 MS/s ADC and an FPGA for the signal processing. Also located on the same board one finds a 250 V/1.5 W DCDC converter used to generate precise calibration pulses.

Assessment of liquefaction potential during earthquakes by arias intensity

Science.gov (United States)

Kayen, R.E.; Mitchell, J.K.

1997-01-01

An Arias intensity approach to assess the liquefaction potential of soil deposits during earthquakes is proposed, using an energy-based measure of the severity of earthquake-shaking recorded on seismograms of the two horizontal components of ground motion. Values representing the severity of strong motion at depth in the soil column are associated with the liquefaction resistance of that layer, as measured by in situ penetration testing (SPT, CPT). This association results in a magnitude-independent boundary that envelopes initial liquefaction of soil in Arias intensity-normalized penetration resistance space. The Arias intensity approach is simple to apply and has proven to be highly reliable in assessing liquefaction potential. The advantages of using Arias intensity as a measure of earthquake-shaking severity in liquefaction assessment are: Arias intensity is derived from integration of the entire seismogram wave form, incorporating both the amplitude and duration elements of ground motion; all frequencies of recorded motion are considered; and Arias intensity is an appropriate measure to use when evaluating field penetration test methodologies that are inherently energy-based. Predictor equations describing the attenuation of Arias intensity as a function of earthquake magnitude and source distance are presented for rock, deep-stiff alluvium, and soft soil sites.

Current integrator using the voltage to frequency converter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ukai, K.; Gomi, K.

1975-01-01

A current integrator using the Voltage to Frequency Converter has been constructed to measure the beam intensity of the 1.3 GeV Electron Synchrotron at the INS. This integrator ranges the current 10 -7 to 10 -11 amperes and has been calibrated by the extracted electron beam and constant current sources. The accuracy of this integrator agrees with the previous integrator within 1%. (auth.)

Performance of a constructed wetland treating intensive shrimp aquaculture wastewater under high hydraulic loading rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Y.-F.; Jing, S.-R.; Lee, D.-Y.; Chang, Y.-F.; Chen, Y.-M.; Shih, K.-C.

2005-01-01

A water treatment unit, mainly consisting of free water surface (FWS) and subsurface flow (SF) constructed wetland cells, was integrated into a commercial-scale recirculating aquaculture system for intensive shrimp culture. This study investigated performance of the treatment wetlands for controlling water quality. The results showed that the FWS-SF cells effectively removed total suspended solids (55-66%), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (37-54%), total ammonia (64-66%) and nitrite (83-94%) from the recirculating water under high hydraulic loading rates (1.57-1.95 m/day). This led to a water quality that was suitable for shrimp culture and effluent that always satisfied the discharge standards. The area ratios of wetlands to culture tank being demonstrated (0.43) and calculated (0.096) in this study were both significantly lower than the reported values. Accordingly, a constructed wetland was technically and economically feasible for managing water quality of an intensive aquaculture system. - A constructed wetland was found to be technically and economically feasible for managing water quality of an intensive recirculating aquaculture system

Increasing intensity of TENS prevents analgesic tolerance in rats

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Karina L.; Sanada, Luciana S.; Rakel, Barbara A.; Sluka, Kathleen A.

2012-01-01

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) reduces hyperalgesia and pain. Both low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) TENS, delivered at the same intensity (90% motor threshold (MT)) daily, result in analgesic tolerance with repeated use by the 5th day of treatment. Thecurrentstudytestedif 1) increasingintensityby 10% per daypreventsthedevelopmentoftolerance to repeated TENS, and 2) iflowerintensity TENS (50 % MT) produces an equivalentreduction in hyperalgesia when compared to 90% MT TENS. Sprague-Dawley rats with unilateral knee joint inflammation (3% carrageenan) were separated according to the intensity of TENS used: Sham, 50% LF, 50% HF, 90% LF, 90% HF, and increased intensity by 10% per day (LF and HF). The reduced mechanical withdrawal threshold following the induction of inflammation was reversed by application of TENS applied at 90% MT and increasing intensity for the first 4 days. On the 5th day, the groups that received 90% MT intensity showed tolerance. Nevertheless, the group that received an increased intensity on each day still showed a reversal of the mechanical withdrawal threshold with TENS. These results show that the development of tolerance can be delayed by increasing intensity of TENS. PMID:22858165

SU-E-T-166: Evaluation of Integral Dose in Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer Patient

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Basheer, A; Hunag, J; Kaminski, J; Dasher, B; Howington, J; Stewart, J; Martin, D; Kong, F; Jin, J [Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA (Georgia)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) usually achieves higher conformity of radiation doses to targets and less delivery time than Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). We hypothesized that VMAT will increase integral dose (ID) to patients which will decrease the count of white blood count (WBC) lymphocytes, and consequently has a subsequent impact on the immune system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ID to patients undergoing IMRT and VMAT for Head and Neck cancers and its impact on the immune system. Methods: As a pilot study, 30 head and neck patients who received 9-fields IMRT or 3-arcs Radip-Arcbased VMAT were included in this study. Ten of these patients who received the VMAT plans were re-planned using IMRT with the same objectives. ID was calculated for all cases. All patients also had a baseline WBC obtained prior to treatment, and 3 sets of labs drawn during the course of radiation treatment. Results: For the 10 re-planned patients, the mean ID was 13.3 Gy/voxel (range 10.2–17.5 Gy/voxel) for the 9-fields IMRT plans, and was 15.9 Gy/voxel (range 12.4-20.9 Gy/voxel) for the 3-Arc VMAT plan (p=0.01). The integral dose was significant correlated with reducing WBC count during RT even when controlling for concurrent chemotherapy (R square =0.56, p=0.008). Conclusion: Although VMAT can deliver higher radiation dose conformality to targets, this benefit is achieved generally at the cost of greater integral doses to normal tissue outside the planning target volume (PTV). Lower WBC counts during RT were associated with higher Integral doses even when controlling for concurrent chemotherapy. This study is ongoing in our Institution to exam the impact of integral doses and WBC on overall survival.

Three-Year Outcomes of Breast Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy With Simultaneous Integrated Boost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, Mark W.; Godette, Karen D.; Whitaker, Daisy J.; Davis, Lawrence W.; Johnstone, Peter A.S.

2010-01-01

Purpose: To report our clinical experience using breast intensity-modulated radiation therapy with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB-IMRT). Methods and Materials: Retrospective review identified 354 Stage 0 to III breast cancer patients treated with SIB-IMRT after conservative surgery between 2003 and 2006. The most common fractionation (89%) simultaneously delivered 1.8 Gy to the ipsilateral breast tissue and 2.14 Gy to the resection cavity, yielding a breast dose of 45 Gy (25 fractions) and cavity dose 59.92 Gy (28 fractions), biologically equivalent for tumor control to 45 Gy to the breast with sequential 16-Gy boost (33 fractions). Results: A total of 356 breasts in 354 patients were treated: 282 with invasive breast cancer, and 74 with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). For left breast radiation, median cardiac V 15 was 2.9% and left ventricular V 15 1.7%. Median follow-up was 33 months (range, 4-73 months). Acute toxicity was Grade 1 in 57% of cases, Grade 2 in 43%, and Grade 3 in <1%. For invasive breast cancer, the 3-year overall survival was 97.6% and risk of any locoregional recurrence was 2.8%. For ductal carcinoma in situ, 3-year overall survival was 98% and risk of locoregional recurrence 1.4%. In 142 cases at a minimum of 3 years follow-up, global breast cosmesis was judged by physicians as good or excellent in 96.5% and fair in 3.5%. Conclusions: Breast SIB-IMRT reduced treatment duration by five fractions with a favorable acute toxicity profile and low cardiac dose for left breast treatment. At 3 years, locoregional control was excellent, and initial assessment suggested good or excellent cosmesis in a high percentage of evaluable patients.

QLab 3 show control projects for live performances & installations

CERN Document Server

Hopgood, Jeromy

2013-01-01

Used from Broadway to Britain's West End, QLab software is the tool of choice for many of the world's most prominent sound, projection, and integrated media designers. QLab 3 Show Control: Projects for Live Performances & Installations is a project-based book on QLab software covering sound, video, and show control. With information on both sound and video system basics and the more advanced functions of QLab such as MIDI show control, new OSC capabilities, networking, video effects, and microphone integration, each chapter's specific projects will allow you to learn the software's capabilitie

Mapping the continuous reciprocal space intensity distribution of X-ray serial crystallography.

Science.gov (United States)

Yefanov, Oleksandr; Gati, Cornelius; Bourenkov, Gleb; Kirian, Richard A; White, Thomas A; Spence, John C H; Chapman, Henry N; Barty, Anton

2014-07-17

Serial crystallography using X-ray free-electron lasers enables the collection of tens of thousands of measurements from an equal number of individual crystals, each of which can be smaller than 1 µm in size. This manuscript describes an alternative way of handling diffraction data recorded by serial femtosecond crystallography, by mapping the diffracted intensities into three-dimensional reciprocal space rather than integrating each image in two dimensions as in the classical approach. We call this procedure 'three-dimensional merging'. This procedure retains information about asymmetry in Bragg peaks and diffracted intensities between Bragg spots. This intensity distribution can be used to extract reflection intensities for structure determination and opens up novel avenues for post-refinement, while observed intensity between Bragg peaks and peak asymmetry are of potential use in novel direct phasing strategies.

Definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrent with systemic therapy for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: Outcomes from an integrated regional Australian cancer centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Masoud Rahbari, Reza; Winkley, Lauren; Hill, Jacques; Tahir, Abdul Rahim Mohammed; McKay, Michael; Last, Andrew; Shakespeare, Thomas P; Dwyer, Patrick

2016-06-01

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) incidence has increased over the past two decades largely because of an increase in human papilloma virus (HPV)-related OPSCC. We report here outcomes of definitive radiation therapy for OPSCC with simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in a regional Australian cancer centre. We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records (EMR) of all patients treated with IMRT for head and neck cancer. We included patients who received a curative intent IMRT for OPSCC (2010-2014). Of 61 patients, 80% were men, and the median age was 57 years. Ninety percent of our patients received concurrent systemic therapy, and 68% were p16 positive. The median radiotherapy dose received was 70 Gy in 35 fractions. The median follow up for surviving patients was 22 months. Twenty-four month actuarial data show that the loco-regional recurrence free, metastasis-free MFS, cancer-specific (CaSS) and overall survival percentages were 98.3%, 92.6%, 91% and 90.3%, respectively. We did not observe grades 4 or 5 acute or late toxicities, and 10 patients (16.2%) exhibited persistent grade 3 toxicity 6 months after completing the treatment. The results from curative IMRTs for OPSCC delivered in a regional cancer centre are comparable with results published by tertiary referral centres. A long-term follow up of this patient cohort will continue for further analyses and comparisons with tertiary centres. © 2016 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

Definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrent with systemic therapy for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: Outcomes from an integrated regional Australian cancer centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahbari, Reza M.; McKay, Michael; Dwyer, Patrick; Winkley, Lauren; Hill, Jacques; Last, Andrew; Tahir, Abdul R.M.; Shakespeare, Thomas P.

2016-01-01

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) incidence has increased over the past two decades largely because of an increase in human papilloma virus (HPV)-related OPSCC. We report here outcomes of definitive radiation therapy for OPSCC with simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in a regional Australian cancer centre. We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records (EMR) of all patients treated with IMRT for head and neck cancer. We included patients who received a curative intent IMRT for OPSCC (2010–2014). Of 61 patients, 80% were men, and the median age was 57 years. Ninety percent of our patients received concurrent systemic therapy, and 68% were p16 positive. The median radiotherapy dose received was 70 Gy in 35 fractions. The median follow up for surviving patients was 22 months. Twenty-four month actuarial data show that the loco-regional recurrence free, metastasis-free MFS, cancer-specific (CaSS) and overall survival percentages were 98.3%, 92.6%, 91% and 90.3%, respectively. We did not observe grades 4 or 5 acute or late toxicities, and 10 patients (16.2%) exhibited persistent grade 3 toxicity 6 months after completing the treatment. The results from curative IMRTs for OPSCC delivered in a regional cancer centre are comparable with results published by tertiary referral centres. A long-term follow up of this patient cohort will continue for further analyses and comparisons with tertiary centres.

Endoluminal ultrasound applicator with an integrated RF coil for high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging-guided high-intensity contact ultrasound thermotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rata, Mihaela; Salomir, Rares; Lafon, Cyril; Umathum, Reiner; Jenne, Juergen; Bock, Michael; Cotton, Francois

2008-01-01

High-intensity contact ultrasound (HICU) under MRI guidance may provide minimally invasive treatment of endocavitary digestive tumors in the esophagus, colon or rectum. In this study, a miniature receive-only coil was integrated into an endoscopic ultrasound applicator to offer high-resolution MRI guidance of thermotherapy. A cylindrical plastic support with an incorporated single element flat transducer (9.45 MHz, water cooling tip) was made and equipped with a rectangular RF loop coil surrounding the active element. The integrated coil provided significantly higher sensitivity than a four-element extracorporeal phased array coil, and the standard deviation of the MR thermometry (SDT) improved up to a factor of 7 at 10 mm depth in tissue. High-resolution morphological images (T1w-TFE and IR-T1w-TSE with a voxel size of 0.25 x 0.25 x 3 mm 3 ) and accurate thermometry data (the PRFS method with a voxel size of 0.5 x 0.5 x 5 mm 3 , 2.2 s/image, 0.3 deg. C voxel-wise SDT) were acquired in an ex vivo esophagus sample, on a clinical 1.5T scanner. The endoscopic device was actively operated under automatic temperature control, demonstrating a high level of accuracy (1.7% standard deviation, 1.1% error of mean value), which indicates that this technology may be suitable for HICU therapy of endoluminal cancer.

Endoluminal ultrasound applicator with an integrated RF coil for high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging-guided high-intensity contact ultrasound thermotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Rata, Mihaela; Salomir, Rares; Umathum, Reiner; Jenne, Jürgen; Lafon, Cyril; Cotton, François; Bock, Michael

2008-11-01

High-intensity contact ultrasound (HICU) under MRI guidance may provide minimally invasive treatment of endocavitary digestive tumors in the esophagus, colon or rectum. In this study, a miniature receive-only coil was integrated into an endoscopic ultrasound applicator to offer high-resolution MRI guidance of thermotherapy. A cylindrical plastic support with an incorporated single element flat transducer (9.45 MHz, water cooling tip) was made and equipped with a rectangular RF loop coil surrounding the active element. The integrated coil provided significantly higher sensitivity than a four-element extracorporeal phased array coil, and the standard deviation of the MR thermometry (SDT) improved up to a factor of 7 at 10 mm depth in tissue. High-resolution morphological images (T1w-TFE and IR-T1w-TSE with a voxel size of 0.25 × 0.25 × 3 mm3) and accurate thermometry data (the PRFS method with a voxel size of 0.5 × 0.5 × 5 mm3, 2.2 s/image, 0.3 °C voxel-wise SDT) were acquired in an ex vivo esophagus sample, on a clinical 1.5T scanner. The endoscopic device was actively operated under automatic temperature control, demonstrating a high level of accuracy (1.7% standard deviation, 1.1% error of mean value), which indicates that this technology may be suitable for HICU therapy of endoluminal cancer.

Confronting South Africa's water challenge: a decomposition analysis of water intensity

OpenAIRE

Kohler, Marcel

2016-01-01

Water is a vital natural resource, demanding careful management. It is essential for life and integral to virtually all economic activities, including energy and food production and the production of industrial outputs. The availability of clean water in sufficient quantities is not only a prerequisite for human health and well-being but the life-blood of freshwater ecosystems and the many services that these provide. Water resource intensity measures the intensity of water use in terms of vo...

Inverse planning of intensity modulated proton therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nill, S.; Oelfke, U.; Bortfeld, T.

2004-01-01

A common requirement of radiation therapy is that treatment planning for different radiation modalities is devised on the basis of the same treatment planning system (TPS). The present study presents a novel multi-modal TPS with separate modules for the dose calculation, the optimization engine and the graphical user interface, which allows to integrate different treatment modalities. For heavy-charged particles, both most promising techniques, the distal edge tracking (DET) and the 3-dimensional scanning (3D) technique can be optimized. As a first application, the quality of optimized intensity-modulated treatment plans for photons (IMXT) and protons (IMPT) was analyzed in one clinical case on the basis of the achieved physical dose distributions. A comparison of the proton plans with the photon plans showed no significant improvement in terms of target volume dose, however there was an improvement in terms of organs at risk as well as a clear reduction of the total integral dose. For the DET technique, it is possible to create a treatment plan with almost the same quality of the 3D technique, however with a clearly reduced number (factor of 5) of beam spots as well as a reduced optimization time. Due to its modular design, the system can be easily expanded to more sophisticated dose-calculation algorithms or to modeling of biological effects. (orig.) [de

Two visual targets for the price of one? : Pupil dilation shows reduced mental effort through temporal integration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolff, Michael J; Scholz, Sabine; Akyürek, Elkan G; van Rijn, Hedderik

In dynamic sensory environments, successive stimuli may be combined perceptually and represented as a single, comprehensive event by means of temporal integration. Such perceptual segmentation across time is intuitively plausible. However, the possible costs and benefits of temporal integration in

Integrating the pastoral component in agricultural systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho

2018-03-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT This paper aims to discuss the impact of the introduction of pastures and grazing animals in agricultural systems. For the purposes of this manuscript, we focus on within-farm integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS, typical of Southern Brazil. These ICLS are designed to create and enhance the synergisms and emergent properties have arisen from agricultural areas where livestock activities are integrated with crops. We show that the introduction of the crop component will affect less the preceding condition than the introduction of the livestock component. While the introduction of crops in pastoral systems represents increasing diversity of the plant component, the introduction of animals would represent the entry of new flows and interactions within the system. Thus, given the new complexity levels achieved from the introduction of grazing, the probability of arising emergent properties is theoretically much higher. However, grazing management is vital in determining the success or failure of such initiative. The grazing intensity practiced during the pasture phase would affect the canopy structure and the forage availability to animals. In adequate and moderate grazing intensities, it is possible to affirm that livestock combined with crops (ICLS has a potential positive impact. As important as the improvements that grazing animals can generate to the soil-plant components, the economic resilience remarkably increases when pasture rotations are introduced compared with purely agriculture systems, particularly in climate-risk situations. Thus, the integration of the pastoral component can enhance the sustainable intensification of food production, but it modifies simple, pure agricultural systems into more complex and knowledge-demanding production systems.

Integration of root phenes revealed by intensive phenotyping of root system architecture, anatomy, and physiology in cereals

Science.gov (United States)

York, Larry

2015-04-01

Food insecurity is among the greatest challenges humanity will face in the 21st century. Agricultural production in much of the world is constrained by the natural infertility of soil which restrains crops from reaching their yield potential. In developed nations, fertilizer inputs pollute air and water and contribute to climate change and environmental degradation. In poor nations low soil fertility is a primary constraint to food security and economic development. Water is almost always limiting crop growth in any system. Increasing the acquisition efficiency of soil resources is one method by which crop yields could be increased without the use of more fertilizers or irrigation. Cereals are the most widely grown crops, both in terms of land area and in yield, so optimizing uptake efficiency of cereals is an important goal. Roots are the primary interface between plant and soil and are responsible for the uptake of soil resources. The deployment of roots in space and time comprises root system architecture (RSA). Cereal RSA is a complex phenotype that aggregates many elemental phenes (elemental units of phenotype). Integration of root phenes will be determined by interactions through their effects on soil foraging and plant metabolism. Many architectural, metabolic, and physiological root phenes have been identified in maize, including: nodal root number, nodal root growth angle, lateral root density, lateral root length, aerenchyma, cortical cell size and number, and nitrate uptake kinetics. The utility of these phenes needs confirmation in maize and in other cereals. The maize root system is composed of an embryonic root system and nodal roots that emerge in successive whorls as the plant develops, and is similar to other cereals. Current phenotyping platforms often ignore the inner whorls and instead focus on the most visible outer whorls after excavating a maize root crown from soil. Here, an intensive phenotyping platform evaluating phenes of all nodal root

Integrated Optical lightguide device

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heideman, Rene; Lambeck, Paul; Veldhuis, G.J.

2005-01-01

In an integrated optical lightguide device including a light-transmitting core layer, an inclusion or buffer layer, and an active or cladding layer. The cladding layer is divided into segments. Groups of different segments exhibit different refractive indices, light intensity profiles or different

Integrated Optical lightguide device

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heideman, Rene; Lambeck, Paul; Veldhuis, G.J.

2000-01-01

In an integrated optical lightguide device including a light-transmitting core layer, an inclusion or buffer layer, and an active or cladding layer. The cladding layer is divided into segments. Groups of different segments exhibit different refractive indices, light intensity profiles or different

A possible constraint on regional precipitation intensity changes under global warming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gutowski, William J.; Kozak, K. A.; Arritt, R. W.

2007-01-01

Changes in daily precipitation versus intensity under a global warming scenario in two regional climate simulations of the United States show a well-recognized feature of more intense precipitation. More important, by resolving the precipitation intensity spectrum, the changes show a relatively...

Integration of Fractal Biosensor in a Digital Microfluidic Platform

KAUST Repository

Mashraei, Yousof

2016-06-08

The digital microfluidic (DMF) platform introduces many applications in biomedical assays. If it is to be commercially available to the public, it needs to have the essential features of smart sensing and a compact size. In this work, we report on a fractal electrode biosensor that is used for both droplet actuation and sensing C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration levels to assess cardiac disease risk. Our proposed electrode is the first two-terminal electrode design to be integrated into DMF platforms. A simulation of the electrical field distribution shows reduced peak intensities and uniform distribution of the field. When compared to a V-notch square electrode, the fractal electrode shows a superior performance in both aspects, i.e. field uniformity and intensity. These improvements are translated into a successful and responsive actuation of a water droplet with 100V. Likewise, the effective dielectric strength is improved by a 33% increase in the fractal electrode breakdown voltage. Additionally, the capability of the fractal electrode to work as a capacitive biosensor is evaluated with CRP quantification test. Selected fractal electrodes undergo a surface treatment to immobilize anti-CRP antibodies on their surface. The measurement shows a response to the added CRP in capacitance within three minutes. When the untreated electrodes were used for quantification, there was no significant change in capacitance, and this suggested that immobilization was necessary. The electrodes configuration in the fabricated DMF platform allows the fractal electrodes to be selectively used as biosensors, which means the device could be integrated into point-of-care applications.

Gated current integrator for the beam in the RR barrier buckets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A. Cadorn; C. Bhat; J. Crisp

2003-06-10

At the Fermilab Recycler Ring (RR), the antiproton (pbar) beam will be stored azimuthally in different segments created by barrier buckets. The beam in each segment may have widely varying intensities. They have developed a gated integrator system to measure the beam intensity in each of the barrier bucket. Here they discuss the design of the system and the results of beam measurements using the integrator.

Fast-electron-relaxation measurement for laser-solid interaction at relativistic laser intensities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, H.; Shepherd, R.; Chung, H. K.; Kemp, A.; Hansen, S. B.; Wilks, S. C.; Ping, Y.; Widmann, K.; Fournier, K. B.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Dyer, G.; Faenov, A.; Pikuz, T.

2007-01-01

We present measurements of the fast-electron-relaxation time in short-pulse (0.5 ps) laser-solid interactions for laser intensities of 10 17 , 10 18 , and 10 19 W/cm 2 , using a picosecond time-resolved x-ray spectrometer and a time-integrated electron spectrometer. We find that the laser coupling to hot electrons increases as the laser intensity becomes relativistic, and that the thermalization of fast electrons occurs over time scales on the order of 10 ps at all laser intensities. The experimental data are analyzed using a combination of models that include Kα generation, collisional coupling, and plasma expansion

A tunable lighting system integrated by inorganic and transparent organic light-emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing-jing; Zhang, Tao; Jin, Ya-fang; Liu, Shi-shen; Yuan, Shi-dong; Cui, Zhao; Zhang, Li; Wang, Wei-hui

2014-05-01

A tunable surface-emitting integrated lighting system is constructed using a combination of inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and transparent organic LEDs (OLEDs). An RB two-color LED is used to supply red and blue light emission, and a green organic LED is used to supply green light emission. Currents of the LED and OLED are tuned to produce a white color, showing different Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates and correlated color temperatures with a wide adjustable range. Such an integration can compensate for the lack of the LED's luminance uniformity and the transparent OLED's luminance intensity.

A Theoretical Framework Mapping Barriers of Integrating and Adopting Educational Techonology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khalid, Md. Saifuddin; Buus, Lillian

2018-01-01

In the field of educational technology, a decades-long research question is: what barriers exist in integration and adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in education educational technology? The intensity of integration and the rate of adoption are significantly low and the i......In the field of educational technology, a decades-long research question is: what barriers exist in integration and adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in education educational technology? The intensity of integration and the rate of adoption are significantly low......) adoption decision. Instead of “system blame” or “individual blame”, an integration and adoption approach should consider national holistic view for careful strategic changes in policies, procedures, and practices at each decision level of the educational system and related external systems....

Limited benefit of inversely optimised intensity modulation in breast conserving radiotherapy with simultaneously integrated boost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laan, Hans Paul van der; Dolsma, Wil V.; Schilstra, Cornelis; Korevaar, Erik W.; Bock, Geertruida H. de; Maduro, John H.; Langendijk, Johannes A.

2010-01-01

Background and purpose: To examine whether in breast-conserving radiotherapy (RT) with simultaneously integrated boost (SIB), application of inversely planned intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT-SIB) instead of three-dimensional RT (3D-CRT-SIB) has benefits that justify the additional costs, and to evaluate whether a potential benefit of IMRT-SIB depends on specific patient characteristics. Material and methods: 3D-CRT-SIB and various IMRT-SIB treatment plans were constructed and optimised for 30 patients with early stage left-sided breast cancer. Coverage of planning target volumes (PTVs) and dose delivered to organs at risk (OARs) were determined for each plan. Overlap between heart and breast PTV (OHB), size of breast and boost PTVs and boost location were examined in their ability to identify patients that might benefit from IMRT-SIB. Results: All plans had adequate PTV coverage. IMRT-SIB generally reduced dose levels delivered to heart, lungs, and normal breast tissue relative to 3D-CRT-SIB. However, IMRT-SIB benefit differed per patient. For many patients, comparable results were obtained with 3D-CRT-SIB, while patients with OHB > 1.4 cm and a relatively large boost PTV volume (>125 cm 3 ) gained most from the use of IMRT-SIB. Conclusions: In breast-conserving RT, results obtained with 3D-CRT-SIB and IMRT-SIB are generally comparable. Patient characteristics could be used to identify patients that are most likely to benefit from IMRT-SIB.

Time-resolved and temperature tuneable measurements of fluorescent intensity using a smartphone fluorimeter.

Science.gov (United States)

Hossain, Md Arafat; Canning, John; Yu, Zhikang; Ast, Sandra; Rutledge, Peter J; Wong, Joseph K-H; Jamalipour, Abbas; Crossley, Maxwell J

2017-05-30

A smartphone fluorimeter capable of time-based fluorescence intensity measurements at various temperatures is reported. Excitation is provided by an integrated UV LED (λ ex = 370 nm) and detection obtained using the in-built CMOS camera. A Peltier is integrated to allow measurements of the intensity over T = 10 to 40 °C. All components are controlled using a smartphone battery powered Arduino microcontroller and a customised Android application that allows sequential fluorescence imaging and quantification every δt = 4 seconds. The temperature dependence of fluorescence intensity for four emitters (rhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin and 6-(1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane)2-ethyl-naphthalimide) are characterised. The normalised fluorescence intensity over time of the latter chemosensor dye complex in the presence of Zn 2+ is observed to accelerate with an increasing rate constant, k = 1.94 min -1 at T = 15 °C and k = 3.64 min -1 at T = 30 °C, approaching a factor of ∼2 with only a change in temperature of ΔT = 15 °C. Thermally tuning these twist and bend associated rates to optimise sensor approaches and device applications is proposed.

Automatic Recognition of Seismic Intensity Based on RS and GIS: A Case Study in Wenchuan Ms8.0 Earthquake of China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiuwen Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, earthquakes have frequently occurred all over the world, which caused huge casualties and economic losses. It is very necessary and urgent to obtain the seismic intensity map timely so as to master the distribution of the disaster and provide supports for quick earthquake relief. Compared with traditional methods of drawing seismic intensity map, which require many investigations in the field of earthquake area or are too dependent on the empirical formulas, spatial information technologies such as Remote Sensing (RS and Geographical Information System (GIS can provide fast and economical way to automatically recognize the seismic intensity. With the integrated application of RS and GIS, this paper proposes a RS/GIS-based approach for automatic recognition of seismic intensity, in which RS is used to retrieve and extract the information on damages caused by earthquake, and GIS is applied to manage and display the data of seismic intensity. The case study in Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake in China shows that the information on seismic intensity can be automatically extracted from remotely sensed images as quickly as possible after earthquake occurrence, and the Digital Intensity Model (DIM can be used to visually query and display the distribution of seismic intensity.

Automatic recognition of seismic intensity based on RS and GIS: a case study in Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiuwen; Zhang, Yan; Yang, Xiaohong; Su, Bin

2014-01-01

In recent years, earthquakes have frequently occurred all over the world, which caused huge casualties and economic losses. It is very necessary and urgent to obtain the seismic intensity map timely so as to master the distribution of the disaster and provide supports for quick earthquake relief. Compared with traditional methods of drawing seismic intensity map, which require many investigations in the field of earthquake area or are too dependent on the empirical formulas, spatial information technologies such as Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) can provide fast and economical way to automatically recognize the seismic intensity. With the integrated application of RS and GIS, this paper proposes a RS/GIS-based approach for automatic recognition of seismic intensity, in which RS is used to retrieve and extract the information on damages caused by earthquake, and GIS is applied to manage and display the data of seismic intensity. The case study in Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake in China shows that the information on seismic intensity can be automatically extracted from remotely sensed images as quickly as possible after earthquake occurrence, and the Digital Intensity Model (DIM) can be used to visually query and display the distribution of seismic intensity.

The High Luminosity Challenge: potential and limitations of High Intensity High Brightness in the LHC and its injectors

CERN Document Server

De Maria, R; Banfi, D; Barranco, J; Bartosik, H; Benedetto, E; Bruce, R; Brüning, O; Calaga, R; Cerutti, F; Damerau, H; Esposito, L; Fartoukh, S; Fitterer, M; Garoby, R; Gilardoni, S; Giovannozzi, M; Goddard, B; Gorini, B; Hanke, K; Iadarola, G; Lamont, M; Meddahi, M; Métral, E; Mikulec, B; Mounet, N; Papaphilippou, Y; Pieloni, T; Redaelli, S; Rossi, L; Rumolo, G; Shaposhnikova, E; Sterbini, G; Todesco, E; Tomás, R; Zimmermann, F; Valishev, A

2014-01-01

High-intensity and high-brightness beams are key ingredients to maximize the LHC integrated luminosity and to exploit its full potential. This contribution describes the optimization of beam and machine parameters to maximize the integrated luminosity as seen by the LHC experiments, by taking into account the expected intensity and brightness reach of LHC itself and its injector chain as well as the capabilities of the detectors for next run and foreseen upgrade scenarios.

Intensity of interprofessional collaboration among intensive care nurses at a tertiary hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Serrano-Gemes, G; Rich-Ruiz, M

To measure the intensity of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in nurses of an intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary hospital, to check differences between the dimensions of the Intensity of Interprofessional Collaboration Questionnaire, and to identify the influence of personal variables. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 63 intensive care nurses selected by simple random sampling. Explanatory variables: age, sex, years of experience in nursing, years of experience in critical care, workday type and work shift type; variable of outcome: IPC. The IPC was measured by: Intensity of Interprofessional Collaboration Questionnaire. Descriptive and bivariate statistical analysis (IPC and its dimensions with explanatory variables). 73.8% were women, with a mean age of 46.54 (±6.076) years. The average years experience in nursing and critical care was 23.03 (±6.24) and 14.25 (±8.532), respectively. 77% had a full time and 95.1% had a rotating shift. 62.3% obtained average IPC values. Statistically significant differences were found (P<.05) between IPC (overall score) and overall assessment with years of experience in critical care. This study shows average levels of IPC; the nurses with less experience in critical care obtained higher IPC and overall assessment scores. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Enfermería Intensiva y Unidades Coronarias (SEEIUC). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Stress-intensity factors for a thick-walled cylinder containing an annular imbedded or external or internal surface crack

Science.gov (United States)

Erdol, R.; Erdogan, F.

1976-01-01

The elastostatic axisymmetric problem for a long thick-walled cylinder containing a ring-shaped internal or edge crack is considered. Using the standard transform technique the problem is formulated in terms of an integral equation which has a simple Cauchy kernel for the internal crack and a generalized Cauchy kernel for the edge crack as the dominant part. As examples the uniform axial load and the steady-state thermal stress problems have been solved and the related stress intensity factors have been calculated. Among other findings the results show that in the cylinder under uniform axial stress containing an internal crack the stress intensity factor at the inner tip is always greater than that at the outer tip for equal net ligament thicknesses and in the cylinder with an edge crack which is under a state of thermal stress the stress intensity factor is a decreasing function of the crack depth, tending to zero as the crack depth approaches the wall thickness.

Validation of the Social Networking Activity Intensity Scale among Junior Middle School Students in China

OpenAIRE

Li, Jibin; Lau, Joseph T. F.; Mo, Phoenix K. H.; Su, Xuefen; Wu, Anise M. S.; Tang, Jie; Qin, Zuguo

2016-01-01

Background Online social networking use has been integrated into adolescents? daily life and the intensity of online social networking use may have important consequences on adolescents? well-being. However, there are few validated instruments to measure social networking use intensity. The present study aims to develop the Social Networking Activity Intensity Scale (SNAIS) and validate it among junior middle school students in China. Methods A total of 910 students who were social networking...

Trends in integrated circuit design for particle physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atkin, E V

2017-01-01

Integrated circuits are one of the key complex units available to designers of multichannel detector setups. A whole number of factors makes Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) valuable for Particle Physics and Astrophysics experiments. Among them the most important ones are: integration scale, low power dissipation, radiation tolerance. In order to make possible future experiments in the intensity, cosmic, and energy frontiers today ASICs should provide new level of functionality at a new set of constraints and trade-offs, like low-noise high-dynamic range amplification and pulse shaping, high-speed waveform sampling, low power digitization, fast digital data processing, serialization and data transmission. All integrated circuits, necessary for physical instrumentation, should be radiation tolerant at an earlier not reached level (hundreds of Mrad) of total ionizing dose and allow minute almost 3D assemblies. The paper is based on literary source analysis and presents an overview of the state of the art and trends in nowadays chip design, using partially own ASIC lab experience. That shows a next stage of ising micro- and nanoelectronics in physical instrumentation. (paper)

Intensity modulated radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost vs. conventional radiotherapy with sequential boost for breast cancer - A preliminary result.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hsin-Hua; Hou, Ming-Feng; Chuang, Hung-Yi; Huang, Ming-Yii; Tsuei, Le-Ping; Chen, Fang-Ming; Ou-Yang, Fu; Huang, Chih-Jen

2015-10-01

This study was aimed to assess the acute dermatological adverse effect from two distinct RT techniques for breast cancer patients. We compared intensity-modulated radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost (IMRT-SIB) and conventional radiotherapy followed by sequential boost (CRT-SB). The study population was composed of 126 consecutive female breast cancer patients treated with breast conserving surgery. Sixty-six patients received IMRT-SIB to 2 dose levels simultaneously. They received 50.4 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction to the whole breast and 60.2 Gy at 2.15 Gy per fraction to the tumor bed by integral boost. Sixty patients in the CRT-SB group received 50 Gy in 25 fractions to the whole breast followed by a boost irradiation to tumor bed in 5-7 fractions to a total dose of 60-64 Gy. Acute skin toxicities were documented in agreement with the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3 (CTCAE v.3.0). Ninety-eight patients had grade 1 radiation dermatitis while 14 patients had grade 2. Among those with grade 2, there were 3 patients in IMRT-SIB group (4.5%) while 11 in CRT-SB group (18.3%). (P = 0.048) There was no patient with higher than grade 2 toxicity. Three year local control was 99.2%, 3-year disease free survival was 97.5% and 3-year overall survival was 99.2%. A significant reduction in the severity of acute radiation dermatitis from IMRT-SIB comparing with CRT-SB is demonstrated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FIFE-Jobsub: a grid submission system for intensity frontier experiments at Fermilab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Box, Dennis

2014-01-01

The Fermilab Intensity Frontier Experiments use an integrated submission system known as FIFE-jobsub, part of the FIFE (Fabric for Frontier Experiments) initiative, to submit batch jobs to the Open Science Grid. FIFE-jobsub eases the burden on experimenters by integrating data transfer and site selection details in an easy to use and well-documented format. FIFE-jobsub automates tedious details of maintaining grid proxies for the lifetime of the grid job. Data transfer is handled using the Intensity Frontier Data Handling Client (IFDHC) [1] tool suite, which facilitates selecting the appropriate data transfer method from many possibilities while protecting shared resources from overload. Chaining of job dependencies into Directed Acyclic Graphs (Condor DAGS) is well supported and made easier through the use of input flags and parameters.

FIFE-Jobsub: a grid submission system for intensity frontier experiments at Fermilab

Science.gov (United States)

Box, Dennis

2014-06-01

The Fermilab Intensity Frontier Experiments use an integrated submission system known as FIFE-jobsub, part of the FIFE (Fabric for Frontier Experiments) initiative, to submit batch jobs to the Open Science Grid. FIFE-jobsub eases the burden on experimenters by integrating data transfer and site selection details in an easy to use and well-documented format. FIFE-jobsub automates tedious details of maintaining grid proxies for the lifetime of the grid job. Data transfer is handled using the Intensity Frontier Data Handling Client (IFDHC) [1] tool suite, which facilitates selecting the appropriate data transfer method from many possibilities while protecting shared resources from overload. Chaining of job dependencies into Directed Acyclic Graphs (Condor DAGS) is well supported and made easier through the use of input flags and parameters.

Body Integrity Identity Disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blom, Rianne M.; Hennekam, Raoul C.; Denys, Damiaan

2012-01-01

Introduction: Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) is a rare, infrequently studied and highly secretive condition in which there is a mismatch between the mental body image and the physical body. Subjects suffering from BIID have an intense desire to amputate a major limb or severe the spinal

Increasing upper limb training intensity in chronic stroke using embodied virtual reality: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez-Marcos, Daniel; Chevalley, Odile; Schmidlin, Thomas; Garipelli, Gangadhar; Serino, Andrea; Vuadens, Philippe; Tadi, Tej; Blanke, Olaf; Millán, José D R

2017-11-17

Technology-mediated neurorehabilitation is suggested to enhance training intensity and therefore functional gains. Here, we used a novel virtual reality (VR) system for task-specific upper extremity training after stroke. The system offers interactive exercises integrating motor priming techniques and embodied visuomotor feedback. In this pilot study, we examined (i) rehabilitation dose and training intensity, (ii) functional improvements, and (iii) safety and tolerance when exposed to intensive VR rehabilitation. Ten outpatient stroke survivors with chronic (>6 months) upper extremity paresis participated in a ten-session VR-based upper limb rehabilitation program (2 sessions/week). All participants completed all sessions of the treatment. In total, they received a median of 403 min of upper limb therapy, with 290 min of effective training. Within that time, participants performed a median of 4713 goal-directed movements. Importantly, training intensity increased progressively across sessions from 13.2 to 17.3 movements per minute. Clinical measures show that despite being in the chronic phase, where recovery potential is thought to be limited, participants showed a median improvement rate of 5.3% in motor function (Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity; FMA-UE) post intervention compared to baseline, and of 15.4% at one-month follow-up. For three of them, this improvement was clinically significant. A significant improvement in shoulder active range of motion (AROM) was also observed at follow-up. Participants reported very low levels of pain, stress and fatigue following each session of training, indicating that the intensive VR intervention was well tolerated. No severe adverse events were reported. All participants expressed their interest in continuing the intervention at the hospital or even at home, suggesting high levels of adherence and motivation for the provided intervention. This pilot study showed how a dedicated VR system could deliver high

Confronting South Africa’s water challenge: A decomposition analysis of water intensity

OpenAIRE

Marcel Kohler

2016-01-01

Water is a vital natural resource, demanding careful management. It is essential for life and integral to virtually all economic activities, including energy and food production and the production of industrial outputs. The availability of clean water in sufficient quantities is not only a prerequisite for human health and well-being but the life-blood of freshwater ecosystems and the many services that these provide. Water resource intensity measures the intensity of water use in terms of vo...

Provincial energy intensity in China: The role of urbanization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Huijie

2015-01-01

Chinese policymakers have attached great importance to energy intensity reduction. However, the unprecedented urbanization process exercises additional pressure on the realization of energy intensity reduction targets. A better understanding of the impacts of urbanization is necessary for designing effective policies aimed at reaching the next energy intensity reduction targets. This paper empirically investigates the impacts of urbanization on China's aggregate and disaggregated energy intensities using a balanced panel dataset of 30 provinces covering the period from 2000 to 2012 and panel estimation techniques. The results show that urbanization significantly increases aggregate energy intensity, electricity intensity and coal intensity. - Highlights: • This paper investigates the determinants of China's energy intensity. • Urbanization is responsible for the increase in China's energy intensity. • The fluctuation in China's energy intensity is also affected by other key factors.

Short-term effects of implemented high intensity shoulder elevation during computer work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Mette K.; Samani, Afshin; Madeleine, Pascal

2009-01-01

computer work to prevent neck-shoulder pain may be possible without affecting the working routines. However, the unexpected reduction in clavicular trapezius rest during a pause with preceding high intensity contraction requires further investigation before high intensity shoulder elevations can......BACKGROUND: Work-site strength training sessions are shown effective to prevent and reduce neck-shoulder pain in computer workers, but difficult to integrate in normal working routines. A solution for avoiding neck-shoulder pain during computer work may be to implement high intensity voluntary...... contractions during the computer work. However, it is unknown how this may influence productivity, rate of perceived exertion (RPE) as well as activity and rest of neck-shoulder muscles during computer work. The aim of this study was to investigate short-term effects of a high intensity contraction...

Intensely irradiated steel components: Plastic and fracture properties, and a new concept of structural design criteria for assuring the structural integrity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Kazuhiko; Jitsukawa, Shiro; Okubo, Nariaki; Takada, Fumiki

2010-01-01

In order to develop a systematic and reasonable concept assuring the structural integrity of components under intense neutron irradiation, two basic tensile properties, true stress-true strain (TS-TS) curves and fracture strain, were investigated on an austenitic stainless steel and martensitic steel. Application of Swift equation is confirmed to a large plastic strain range of TS-TS curves. Fracture strain ε f data were well correlated as ε f + ε 0 = const. where ε 0 is the pre-strain representing the irradiation hardening. Based on those formulations and available experimental information, several critical issues to be dealt with in developing the concept were identified possible reduction in ductility, significant change in mechanical properties, remarkable cyclic softening and other unique cyclic properties observed during a high-cycle fatigue testing, and the redundancy of the plastic collapse concept to bending. Existing structural codes are all based on the assumption that there will be no significant changes in mechanical properties during operation, and of high ductility. Therefore, a new concept for assuring structural integrity is required for application not only to components with high ductility but also components with reduced ductility. First, potential failure modes were identified, and a new and systematic concept was proposed for preventing these modes of failure, introducing a new concept of categorizing the loadings by stability of deformation process to fracture (as type F and M loadings). Based on the basic concept, a detailed concept of how to protect against ductile fracture was given, and loading type-dependent limiting parameters were set. Finally, application of the detailed concept was presented, especially on determination of loading type (in numerical approach, the formulation of TS-TS curves and fracture strain derived above are needed), and on how to determine the limiting parameters as allowable limits. Experiments were done to

Intensely irradiated steel components: Plastic and fracture properties, and a new concept of structural design criteria for assuring the structural integrity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, Kazuhiko, E-mail: suzuki.kazuhiko@jaea.go.j [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate, 2-4 Shirane, Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken 319-1195 (Japan); Jitsukawa, Shiro; Okubo, Nariaki [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate, 2-4 Shirane, Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken 319-1195 (Japan); Takada, Fumiki [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Department of JMTR Operation, Narita-cho, Oarai-machi, Higashi-ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki-ken 311-1393 (Japan)

2010-06-15

In order to develop a systematic and reasonable concept assuring the structural integrity of components under intense neutron irradiation, two basic tensile properties, true stress-true strain (TS-TS) curves and fracture strain, were investigated on an austenitic stainless steel and martensitic steel. Application of Swift equation is confirmed to a large plastic strain range of TS-TS curves. Fracture strain epsilon{sub f} data were well correlated as epsilon{sub f} + epsilon{sub 0} = const. where epsilon{sub 0} is the pre-strain representing the irradiation hardening. Based on those formulations and available experimental information, several critical issues to be dealt with in developing the concept were identified possible reduction in ductility, significant change in mechanical properties, remarkable cyclic softening and other unique cyclic properties observed during a high-cycle fatigue testing, and the redundancy of the plastic collapse concept to bending. Existing structural codes are all based on the assumption that there will be no significant changes in mechanical properties during operation, and of high ductility. Therefore, a new concept for assuring structural integrity is required for application not only to components with high ductility but also components with reduced ductility. First, potential failure modes were identified, and a new and systematic concept was proposed for preventing these modes of failure, introducing a new concept of categorizing the loadings by stability of deformation process to fracture (as type F and M loadings). Based on the basic concept, a detailed concept of how to protect against ductile fracture was given, and loading type-dependent limiting parameters were set. Finally, application of the detailed concept was presented, especially on determination of loading type (in numerical approach, the formulation of TS-TS curves and fracture strain derived above are needed), and on how to determine the limiting parameters as

A New Displacement-based Approach to Calculate Stress Intensity Factors With the Boundary Element Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Gonzalez

Full Text Available Abstract The analysis of cracked brittle mechanical components considering linear elastic fracture mechanics is usually reduced to the evaluation of stress intensity factors (SIFs. The SIF calculation can be carried out experimentally, theoretically or numerically. Each methodology has its own advantages but the use of numerical methods has become very popular. Several schemes for numerical SIF calculations have been developed, the J-integral method being one of the most widely used because of its energy-like formulation. Additionally, some variations of the J-integral method, such as displacement-based methods, are also becoming popular due to their simplicity. In this work, a simple displacement-based scheme is proposed to calculate SIFs, and its performance is compared with contour integrals. These schemes are all implemented with the Boundary Element Method (BEM in order to exploit its advantages in crack growth modelling. Some simple examples are solved with the BEM and the calculated SIF values are compared against available solutions, showing good agreement between the different schemes.

Trade Liberalisation and Vertical Integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bache, Peter Arendorf; Laugesen, Anders

We build a three-country model of international trade in final goods and intermediate inputs and study the relation between different types of trade liberalisation and vertical integration. Firms are heterogeneous with respect to both productivity and factor intensity as observed in data. Final......-good producers face decisions on exporting, vertical integration of intermediate-input production, and whether the intermediate-input production should be offshored to a low-wage country. We find that the fractions of final-good producers that pursue either vertical integration, offshoring, or exporting are all...... increasing when intermediate-input or final-goods trade is liberalised and when the fixed cost of vertical integration is reduced. At the same time, one observes firms that shift away from either vertical integration, offshoring, or exporting. Further, we provide guidance for testing the open...

Simulation Based Exploration of Critical Zone Dynamics in Intensively Managed Landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, P.

2017-12-01

The advent of high-resolution measurements of topographic and (vertical) vegetation features using areal LiDAR are enabling us to resolve micro-scale ( 1m) landscape structural characteristics over large areas. Availability of hyperspectral measurements is further augmenting these LiDAR data by enabling the biogeochemical characterization of vegetation and soils at unprecedented spatial resolutions ( 1-10m). Such data have opened up novel opportunities for modeling Critical Zone processes and exploring questions that were not possible before. We show how an integrated 3-D model at 1m grid resolution can enable us to resolve micro-topographic and ecological dynamics and their control on hydrologic and biogeochemical processes over large areas. We address the computational challenge of such detailed modeling by exploiting hybrid CPU and GPU computing technologies. We show results of moisture, biogeochemical, and vegetation dynamics from studies in the Critical Zone Observatory for Intensively managed Landscapes (IMLCZO) in the Midwestern United States.

Exercise motivation: a cross-sectional analysis examining its relationships with frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilson Philip M

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is important to engage in regular physical activity in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle however a large portion of the population is insufficiently active. Understanding how different types of motivation contribute to exercise behavior is an important first step in identifying ways to increase exercise among individuals. The current study employs self-determination theory as a framework from which to examine how motivation contributes to various characteristics of exercise behavior. Methods Regular exercisers (N = 1079; n = 468 males; n = 612 females completed inventories which assessed the frequency, intensity, and duration with which they exercise, as well as the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire including four additional items assessing integrated regulation. Results Bivariate correlations revealed that all three behavioral indices (frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise were more highly correlated with more autonomous than controlling regulations. Regression analyses revealed that integrated and identified regulations predicted exercise frequency for males and females. Integrated regulation was found to be the only predictor of exercise duration across both genders. Finally, introjected regulation predicted exercise intensity for females only. Conclusions These findings suggest that exercise regulations that vary in their degree of internalization can differentially predict characteristics of exercise behavior. Furthermore, in the motivational profile of a regular exerciser, integrated regulation appears to be an important determinant of exercise behavior. These results highlight the importance of assessing integrated regulation in exercise settings where the goal of understanding motivated behavior has important health implications.

Integral or integrated marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davčik Nebojša

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Marketing theorists and experts try to develop business efficient organization and to get marketing performance at higher, business integrated level since its earliest beginnings. The core issue in this paperwork is the dialectic and practical approach dilemma should we develop integrated or integral marketing approach in the organization. The presented company cases as well as dialectic and functional explanations of this dilemma clearly shows that integrated marketing is narrower approach than integral marketing if we take as focal point new, unique and completed entity. In the integration the essence is in getting different parts together, which do not have to make necessary the new entity. The key elements in the definition of the integral marketing are necessity and holistic, e.g. necessity to develop new, holistic entity.

Ecoinformatics: supporting ecology as a data-intensive science

OpenAIRE

Michener, William H.; Jones, Matthew B.

2012-01-01

Ecology is evolving rapidly and increasingly changing into a more open, accountable, interdisciplinary, collaborative and data-intensive science. Discovering, integrating and analyzing massive amounts of heterogeneous data are central to ecology as researchers address complex ques- tions at scales from the gene to the biosphere. Ecoinfor- matics offers tools and approaches for managing ecological data and transforming the data into informa- tion and knowledge. Here, we review the state-of-the...

Automatic Extraction of Road Markings from Mobile Laser-Point Cloud Using Intensity Data

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, L.; Chen, Q.; Qin, C.; Wu, H.; Zhang, S.

2018-04-01

With the development of intelligent transportation, road's high precision information data has been widely applied in many fields. This paper proposes a concise and practical way to extract road marking information from point cloud data collected by mobile mapping system (MMS). The method contains three steps. Firstly, road surface is segmented through edge detection from scan lines. Then the intensity image is generated by inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation and the road marking is extracted by using adaptive threshold segmentation based on integral image without intensity calibration. Moreover, the noise is reduced by removing a small number of plaque pixels from binary image. Finally, point cloud mapped from binary image is clustered into marking objects according to Euclidean distance, and using a series of algorithms including template matching and feature attribute filtering for the classification of linear markings, arrow markings and guidelines. Through processing the point cloud data collected by RIEGL VUX-1 in case area, the results show that the F-score of marking extraction is 0.83, and the average classification rate is 0.9.

Photocurrent and photovoltage induced in a 2DEG under intense, pulsed THz radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, R.A.; Xu, W.; Pellemans, H.P.M.; Langerak, C.J.G.M.

1999-01-01

Full text: Intense THz radiation emitted by FELIX (Free Electron Laser for Infrared eXperiments) induces both photovoltage and photocurrent signals in a high-mobility (μ = 2 x 10 6 cm 2 /V s), low-density (n e = 2 x 10 11 cm -2 ) GaAs/AlGaAs-based 2DEG. Within the ∼5 μs FELIX macropulse, there is a rapid response in the longitudinal voltage of a Hall-bar sample, reproducible between pulses. A large response continues well after the pulse; this long-time-scale behaviour varies between pulses if the current exceeds a critical value (which decreases with radiation intensity and magnetic field). Within the macropulse, the photovoltage varies with magnetic field, saturating at low field (<100 mT). The photocurrent shows a rapid, non-resonant response, evident at integral filling factors in both longitudinal and transverse data, and a slower, cyclotron resonant response, peaking at ∼390 μs after the FELIX pulse. No anisotropy in the resistivity under polarised radiation was found

Integrating classification trees with local logistic regression in Intensive Care prognosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-Hanna, Ameen; de Keizer, Nicolette

2003-01-01

Health care effectiveness and efficiency are under constant scrutiny especially when treatment is quite costly as in the Intensive Care (IC). Currently there are various international quality of care programs for the evaluation of IC. At the heart of such quality of care programs lie prognostic models whose prediction of patient mortality can be used as a norm to which actual mortality is compared. The current generation of prognostic models in IC are statistical parametric models based on logistic regression. Given a description of a patient at admission, these models predict the probability of his or her survival. Typically, this patient description relies on an aggregate variable, called a score, that quantifies the severity of illness of the patient. The use of a parametric model and an aggregate score form adequate means to develop models when data is relatively scarce but it introduces the risk of bias. This paper motivates and suggests a method for studying and improving the performance behavior of current state-of-the-art IC prognostic models. Our method is based on machine learning and statistical ideas and relies on exploiting information that underlies a score variable. In particular, this underlying information is used to construct a classification tree whose nodes denote patient sub-populations. For these sub-populations, local models, most notably logistic regression ones, are developed using only the total score variable. We compare the performance of this hybrid model to that of a traditional global logistic regression model. We show that the hybrid model not only provides more insight into the data but also has a better performance. We pay special attention to the precision aspect of model performance and argue why precision is more important than discrimination ability.

IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A MOBILE MAPPING SYSTEM BASED ON INTEGRATED RANGE AND INTENSITY IMAGES FOR TRAFFIC SIGNS LOCALIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Shahbazi

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Recent advances in positioning techniques have made it possible to develop Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS for detection and 3D localization of various objects from a moving platform. On the other hand, automatic traffic sign recognition from an equipped mobile platform has recently been a challenging issue for both intelligent transportation and municipal database collection. However, there are several inevitable problems coherent to all the recognition methods completely relying on passive chromatic or grayscale images. This paper presents the implementation and evaluation of an operational MMS. Being distinct from the others, the developed MMS comprises one range camera based on Photonic Mixer Device (PMD technology and one standard 2D digital camera. The system benefits from certain algorithms to detect, recognize and localize the traffic signs by fusing the shape, color and object information from both range and intensity images. As the calibrating stage, a self-calibration method based on integrated bundle adjustment via joint setup with the digital camera is applied in this study for PMD camera calibration. As the result, an improvement of 83 % in RMS of range error and 72 % in RMS of coordinates residuals for PMD camera, over that achieved with basic calibration is realized in independent accuracy assessments. Furthermore, conventional photogrammetric techniques based on controlled network adjustment are utilized for platform calibration. Likewise, the well-known Extended Kalman Filtering (EKF is applied to integrate the navigation sensors, namely GPS and INS. The overall acquisition system along with the proposed techniques leads to 90 % true positive recognition and the average of 12 centimetres 3D positioning accuracy.

Changes in carbon intensity in China. Empirical findings from 1980-2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Ying; Wei, Yi-Ming; Liu, Lan-Cui; Wu, Gang; Tsai, Hsien-Tang

2007-01-01

China experienced sustainable, rapid economic growth over the period 1980-2003 but, at the same time, energy-related carbon intensity showed a downward trend. It begs the question, therefore, what factors were driving this decline in carbon intensity and will this decline be maintained in future? Moreover, what measures can be adopted to ensure a continual decline in carbon intensity? These questions led to increased research in the factors governing CO 2 emission in China. This paper quantifies the driving force behind China's primary energy-related carbon intensity and measures the material production sectors' final energy-related carbon intensity. Our results show that the overwhelming contributor to the decline of energy-related carbon intensity was the reduction in real energy intensity. However, policies that focus only on the decline in energy intensity are insufficient to further decrease carbon intensity. The change of primary energy mix can improve the decline of carbon intensity. This should focus on the material production sectors' development strategies and final energy use. Greater emphasis should be given to secondary industry, which needs national and regional governments' policy support. (author)

Conceptual framework of knowledge management for ethical decision-making support in neonatal intensive care.

Science.gov (United States)

Frize, Monique; Yang, Lan; Walker, Robin C; O'Connor, Annette M

2005-06-01

This research is built on the belief that artificial intelligence estimations need to be integrated into clinical social context to create value for health-care decisions. In sophisticated neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), decisions to continue or discontinue aggressive treatment are an integral part of clinical practice. High-quality evidence supports clinical decision-making, and a decision-aid tool based on specific outcome information for individual NICU patients will provide significant support for parents and caregivers in making difficult "ethical" treatment decisions. In our approach, information on a newborn patient's likely outcomes is integrated with the physician's interpretation and parents' perspectives into codified knowledge. Context-sensitive content adaptation delivers personalized and customized information to a variety of users, from physicians to parents. The system provides structuralized knowledge translation and exchange between all participants in the decision, facilitating collaborative decision-making that involves parents at every stage on whether to initiate, continue, limit, or terminate intensive care for their infant.

Artificial intelligence applications in the intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, C W; Marshall, B E

2001-02-01

To review the history and current applications of artificial intelligence in the intensive care unit. The MEDLINE database, bibliographies of selected articles, and current texts on the subject. The studies that were selected for review used artificial intelligence tools for a variety of intensive care applications, including direct patient care and retrospective database analysis. All literature relevant to the topic was reviewed. Although some of the earliest artificial intelligence (AI) applications were medically oriented, AI has not been widely accepted in medicine. Despite this, patient demographic, clinical, and billing data are increasingly available in an electronic format and therefore susceptible to analysis by intelligent software. Individual AI tools are specifically suited to different tasks, such as waveform analysis or device control. The intensive care environment is particularly suited to the implementation of AI tools because of the wealth of available data and the inherent opportunities for increased efficiency in inpatient care. A variety of new AI tools have become available in recent years that can function as intelligent assistants to clinicians, constantly monitoring electronic data streams for important trends, or adjusting the settings of bedside devices. The integration of these tools into the intensive care unit can be expected to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.

Locating irregularly shaped clusters of infection intensity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yiannakoulias, Niko; Wilson, Shona; Kariuki, H. Curtis

2010-01-01

of infection intensity identifies two small areas within the study region in which infection intensity is elevated, possibly due to local features of the physical or social environment. Collectively, our results show that the "greedy growth scan" is a suitable method for exploratory geographical analysis...... for cluster detection. Real data are based on samples of hookworm and S. mansoni from Kitengei, Makueni district, Kenya. Our analysis of simulated data shows how methods able to find irregular shapes are more likely to identify clusters along rivers than methods constrained to fixed geometries. Our analysis...

CO2 emissions abatement in the Nordic carbon-intensive industry – An end-game in sight?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rootzén, Johan; Johnsson, Filip

2015-01-01

Analysing different future trajectories of technological developments we assess the prospects for Nordic carbon-intensive industries to significantly reduce direct CO 2 emissions in the period 2010–2050. This analysis covers petroleum refining, integrated iron and steel production, and cement manufacturing in the four largest Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Our results show that the implementation of currently available abatement measures will not be enough to meet the ambitious emissions reduction targets envisaged for the Year 2050. We show how an extensive deployment of CCS (carbon capture and storage) could result in emissions reductions that are in line with such targets. However, large-scale introduction of CCS would come at a significant price in terms of energy use and the associated flows of captured CO 2 would place high requirements on timely planning of infrastructure for the transportation and storage of CO 2 . Further the assessment highlights the importance of, especially in the absence of successful deployment of CO 2 capture, encouraging increased use of biomass in the cement and integrated iron and steel industries, and of promoting the utilisation of alternative raw materials in cement manufacturing to complement efforts to improve energy efficiency. - Highlights: • Scenarios exploring the potential for reducing CO 2 emissions in Nordic industry. • Current measures not sufficient to comply with stringent emission reduction targets. • CCS enables carbon-intensive industries to comply with stringent reduction targets. • CCS would come at a high price in terms of energy use. • Without CO 2 capture increased use of biomass and alternative raw materials vital

Training intensity and sagittal curvature of the spine in male and female artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanz-Mengibar, Jose M; Sainz-de-Baranda, Pilar; Santonja-Medina, Fernando

2018-04-01

Specific adaptations of the spine in the sagittal plane have been described according to different sports disciplines. The goal of this study was to describe the integrative diagnosis of the sagittal morphotype of the spine in male and female artistic gymnasts. Forty-eight gymnasts were measured with an inclinometer. Thoracic and lumbar curves were quantified in standing position, in Sit and Reach and Slump Sitting in order to assess the sagittal spine posture and analyze if adaptations were related to training intensity. Correlation values of the sagittal plane spine measurements showed significantly increased thoracic kyphosis in men (-0.445, Partistic gymnastics; however, this sport seems to cause specific adaptations in postural hypolordosis, functional thoracic kyphosis and lumbar kyphotic attitude during sitting and trunk flexion. The implications of the functional adaptations observed in our results may require a preventive intervention in male and female artistic gymnasts can be assessed with the integrative diagnosis of the sagittal morphotype of the spine.

Earthquake Magnitude and Shaking Intensity Dependent Fragility Functions for Rapid Risk Assessment of Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-José Nollet

2018-01-01

Full Text Available An integrated web application, referred to as ER2 for rapid risk evaluator, is under development for a user-friendly seismic risk assessment by the non-expert public safety community. The assessment of likely negative consequences is based on pre-populated databases of seismic, building inventory and vulnerability parameters. To further accelerate the computation for near real-time analyses, implicit building fragility curves were developed as functions of the magnitude and the intensity of the seismic shaking defined with a single intensity measure, input spectral acceleration at 1.0 s implicitly considering the epicentral distance and local soil conditions. Damage probabilities were compared with those obtained with the standard fragility functions explicitly considering epicentral distances and local site classes in addition to the earthquake magnitudes and respective intensity of the seismic shaking. Different seismic scenarios were considered first for 53 building classes common in Eastern Canada, and then a reduced number of 24 combined building classes was proposed. Comparison of results indicate that the damage predictions with implicit fragility functions for short (M ≤ 5.5 and medium strong motion duration (5.5 < M ≤ 7.5 show low variation with distance and soil class, with average error of less than 3.6%.

Intensive care patient diaries in Scandinavia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egerod, Ingrid; Storli, Sissel Lisa; Åkerman, Eva

2011-01-01

Critical illness and intensive care therapy are often followed by psychological problems such as nightmares, hallucinations, delusions, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Intensive care patient diaries have been kept by nurses and the patients' family since the early 1990s...... in the Scandinavian countries to help critically ill patients come to terms with their illness after hospital discharge. The aim of the study was to describe and compare the emergence and evolution of intensive care patient diaries in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The study had a comparative international design using...... secondary analysis of qualitative data generated by key-informant telephone interviews with intensive care nurses (n=114). The study showed that diaries were introduced concurrently in the three Scandinavian countries as a grass-roots initiative by mutual cross-national inspiration. The concept has evolved...

[Intensive medicine in Spain].

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

the future of intensive care medicine in Spain and in Europe, recommendations are made towards specialization in intensive care medicine incorporating in the training program those competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that should be present an intensivist in Europe and that are extensively fulfilled by the current Spanish training program. The trajectory followed by intensive care medicine in Europe and recently in China, shows the increasing need of intensive care and the progressive recognition of the specialty in economically growing countries, and emphasizes the need of homogenization in the training of future specialists in intensive care medicine globally. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Mechanical Design of the Intensity Measurement Devices for the LHC

CERN Document Server

Belorhad, D; Odier, P; Thoulet, S

2008-01-01

The intensity measurement for the LHC ring is provided by eight current transformers (2×DCCT, 2×FBCT per beam). The measurement resolution of 1?Arms at 1s average for the DCCTs and ±10^9p in 25ns for the FBCTs is required. Such constraints call for low noise electronics and a compact magnetically shielded mechanical design. Correct integration of these devices into the vacuum system also requires the vacuum chambers equipped with the non-evaporable getter (NEG) film. The NEG is activated by heating the vacuum chamber to 200?C and more. Such temperatures affect the structure of the magnetic materials, which form the base part of the intensity measurement devices, and degrade their performace. A cooling circuit is needed. Due to the mechanical constraints, the cooling circuit, as well as heating element must form an integral part of the design. The aim of this paper is to present the solutions to these problems and discuss the mechanical construction of the DCCTs and FBCTs currently being installed in the LH...

Using grey intensity adjustment strategy to enhance the measurement accuracy of digital image correlation considering the effect of intensity saturation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bang-Jian; Wang, Quan-Bao; Duan, Deng-Ping; Chen, Ji-An

2018-05-01

Intensity saturation can cause decorrelation phenomenon and decrease the measurement accuracy in digital image correlation (DIC). In the paper, the grey intensity adjustment strategy is proposed to improve the measurement accuracy of DIC considering the effect of intensity saturation. First, the grey intensity adjustment strategy is described in detail, which can recover the truncated grey intensities of the saturated pixels and reduce the decorrelation phenomenon. The simulated speckle patterns are then employed to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed strategy, which indicates that the displacement accuracy can be improved by about 40% by the proposed strategy. Finally, the true experimental image is used to show the feasibility of the proposed strategy, which indicates that the displacement accuracy can be increased by about 10% by the proposed strategy.

Earthquake Intensity and Strong Motion Analysis Within SEISCOMP3

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, J.; Weber, B.; Ghasemi, H.; Cummins, P. R.; Murjaya, J.; Rudyanto, A.; Rößler, D.

2017-12-01

Measuring and predicting ground motion parameters including seismic intensities for earthquakes is crucial and subject to recent research in engineering seismology.gempa has developed the new SIGMA module for Seismic Intensity and Ground Motion Analysis. The module is based on the SeisComP3 framework extending it in the field of seismic hazard assessment and engineering seismology. SIGMA may work with or independently of SeisComP3 by supporting FDSN Web services for importing earthquake or station information and waveforms. It provides a user-friendly and modern graphical interface for semi-automatic and interactive strong motion data processing. SIGMA provides intensity and (P)SA maps based on GMPE's or recorded data. It calculates the most common strong motion parameters, e.g. PGA/PGV/PGD, Arias intensity and duration, Tp, Tm, CAV, SED and Fourier-, power- and response spectra. GMPE's are configurable. Supporting C++ and Python plug-ins, standard and customized GMPE's including the OpenQuake Hazard Library can be easily integrated and compared. Originally tailored to specifications by Geoscience Australia and BMKG (Indonesia) SIGMA has become a popular tool among SeisComP3 users concerned with seismic hazard and strong motion seismology.

Price-related sensitivities of greenhouse gas intensity targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller, Benito; Muller-Furstenberger, Georg

2003-12-01

Greenhouse gas intensities are an appealing tool to foster abatement without imposing constraints on economic growth. This paper shows, however, that the computation of intensities is subject to some significant statistical and conceptual problems which relate to the inflation proofing of GDP growth. It is shown that the choice of price-index, the updating of quantity weights and the choice of base year prices can have a significant impact upon the commitment of intensity targets

Intensity-modulated arc therapy with simultaneous integrated boost in the treatment of primary irresectable cervical cancer. Treatment planning, quality control, and clinical implementation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vandecasteele, Katrien; De Neve, Wilfried; De Gersem, Werner; Paelinck, Leen; Fonteyne, Valerie; De Wagter, Carlos; De Meerleer, Gert [Dept. of Radiotherapy, Ghent Univ. Hospital (Belgium); Delrue, Louke; Villeirs, Geert [Dept. of Radiology, Ghent Univ. Hospital (Belgium); Makar, Amin [Dept. of Gynecology, Ghent Univ. Hospital (Belgium)

2009-12-15

Purpose: to report on the planning procedure, quality control, and clinical implementation of intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) delivering a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) in patients with primary irresectable cervix carcinoma. Patients and methods: six patients underwent PET-CT (positron emission tomography-computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) before treatment planning. Prescription (25 fractions) was (1) a median dose (D{sub 50}) of 62, 58 and 56 Gy to the primary tumor (GTVcervix), primary clinical target volume (CTVcervix) and its planning target volume (PTVcervix), respectively; (2) a D{sub 50} of 60 Gy to the PET-positive lymph nodes (GTVnodes); (3) a minimal dose (D{sub 98}) of 45 Gy to the planning target volume of the elective lymph nodes (PTVnodes). IMAT plans were generated using an anatomy-based exclusion tool with the aid of weight and leaf position optimization. The dosimetric delivery of IMAT was validated preclinically using radiochromic film dosimetry. Results: five to nine arcs were needed to create valid IMAT plans. Dose constraints on D{sub 50} were not met in two patients (both GTVcervix: 1 Gy and 3 Gy less). D{sub 98} for PTVnodes was not met in three patients (1 Gy each). Film dosimetry showed excellent gamma evaluation. There were no treatment interruptions. Conclusion: IMAT allows delivering an SIB to the macroscopic tumor without compromising the dose to the elective lymph nodes or the organs at risk. The clinical implementation is feasible. (orig.)

Compensating Level-Dependent Frequency Representation in Auditory Cortex by Synaptic Integration of Corticocortical Input.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Max F K Happel

Full Text Available Robust perception of auditory objects over a large range of sound intensities is a fundamental feature of the auditory system. However, firing characteristics of single neurons across the entire auditory system, like the frequency tuning, can change significantly with stimulus intensity. Physiological correlates of level-constancy of auditory representations hence should be manifested on the level of larger neuronal assemblies or population patterns. In this study we have investigated how information of frequency and sound level is integrated on the circuit-level in the primary auditory cortex (AI of the Mongolian gerbil. We used a combination of pharmacological silencing of corticocortically relayed activity and laminar current source density (CSD analysis. Our data demonstrate that with increasing stimulus intensities progressively lower frequencies lead to the maximal impulse response within cortical input layers at a given cortical site inherited from thalamocortical synaptic inputs. We further identified a temporally precise intercolumnar synaptic convergence of early thalamocortical and horizontal corticocortical inputs. Later tone-evoked activity in upper layers showed a preservation of broad tonotopic tuning across sound levels without shifts towards lower frequencies. Synaptic integration within corticocortical circuits may hence contribute to a level-robust representation of auditory information on a neuronal population level in the auditory cortex.

Energy Level Composite Curves-a new graphical methodology for the integration of energy intensive processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anantharaman, Rahul; Abbas, Own Syed; Gundersen, Truls

2006-01-01

Pinch Analysis, Exergy Analysis and Optimization have all been used independently or in combination for the energy integration of process plants. In order to address the issue of energy integration, taking into account composition and pressure effects, the concept of energy level as proposed by [X. Feng, X.X. Zhu, Combining pinch and exergy analysis for process modifications, Appl. Therm. Eng. 17 (1997) 249] has been modified and expanded in this work. We have developed a strategy for energy integration that uses process simulation tools to define the interaction between the various subsystems in the plant and a graphical technique to help the engineer interpret the results of the simulation with physical insights that point towards exploring possible integration schemes to increase energy efficiency. The proposed graphical representation of energy levels of processes is very similar to the Composite Curves of Pinch Analysis-the interpretation of the Energy Level Composite Curves reduces to the Pinch Analysis case when dealing with heat transfer. Other similarities and differences are detailed in this work. Energy integration of a methanol plant is taken as a case study to test the efficacy of this methodology. Potential integration schemes are identified that would have been difficult to visualize without the help of the new graphical representation

High-intensity interval training evokes larger serum BDNF levels compared with intense continuous exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Saucedo Marquez, Cinthia Maria; Vanaudenaerde, Bart; Troosters, Thierry; Wenderoth, Nicole

2015-12-15

Exercise can have a positive effect on the brain by activating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-related processes. In healthy humans there appears to be a linear relationship between exercise intensity and the positive short-term effect of acute exercise on BDNF levels (i.e., the highest BDNF levels are reported after high-intensity exercise protocols). Here we performed two experiments to test the effectiveness of two high-intensity exercise protocols, both known to improve cardiovascular health, to determine whether they have a similar efficacy in affecting BDNF levels. Participants performed a continuous exercise (CON) protocol at 70% of maximal work rate and a high-intensity interval-training (HIT) protocol at 90% of maximal work rate for periods of 1 min alternating with 1 min of rest (both protocols lasted 20 min). We observed similar BDNF kinetics in both protocols, with maximal BDNF concentrations being reached toward the end of training (experiment 1). We then showed that both exercise protocols significantly increase BDNF levels compared with a rest condition (CON P = 0.04; HIT P exercise are slightly more effective than continuous high-intensity exercise for elevating serum BDNF. Additionally, 73% of the participants preferred the HIT protocol (P = 0.02). Therefore, we suggest that the HIT protocol might represent an effective and preferred intervention for elevating BDNF levels and potentially promoting brain health. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

How acquainting shows verbally

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hermann, Jesper

2004-01-01

A central tenet of the integrational view of language and communication is an anchoring in the acting and integrating behaviour of the communicants themselves. In this way the integrational approach has a certain phenomenological slant. What happens when this approach is combined with a ¿psycholo...... to some of William James' classical psychological observations. 16...... of linguistic exertion¿ based upon the descriptions of the  stream of thought, and of conception (>acquainting) by William James? Text-examples taken from an internet site for dieters illustrate the combined James'ian & integrational approach in practice. Some of the examples are also specifically related......A central tenet of the integrational view of language and communication is an anchoring in the acting and integrating behaviour of the communicants themselves. In this way the integrational approach has a certain phenomenological slant. What happens when this approach is combined with a ¿psychology...

Making thermodynamic functions of nanosystems intensive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nassimi, A M; Parsafar, G A

2007-01-01

The potential energy of interaction among particles in many systems is proportional to r -α . In systems for which α< d, we encounter nonextensive (nonintensive) thermodynamic functions, where d is the space dimension. A scaling parameter, N-tilde, has been introduced to make the nonextensive (nonintensive) thermodynamic functions of such systems extensive (intensive). Our simulation results show that this parameter is not capable of making the thermodynamic functions of a nanosystem extensive (intensive). Here we have presented a theoretical justification for N-tilde. Then we have generalized this scaling parameter to be capable of making the nonextensive (nonintensive) thermodynamic functions of nanosystems extensive (intensive). This generalized parameter is proportional to the potential energy per particle at zero temperature

Energy intensity and greenhouse gas emission of a purchase in the retail park service sector: An integrative approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farreny, Ramon; Gabarrell, Xavier; Rieradevall, Joan

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the energetic metabolism of a retail park service system under an integrative approach. Energy flow accounting was applied to a case study retail park in Spain, representative of the sector across Europe, after redefining the functional unit to account for both direct energy use (buildings, gardens and outdoor lighting) and indirect energy use (employee and customer transportation). A life cycle assessment (LCA) was then undertaken to determine energy global warming potential (GWP) and some energy intensity and greenhouse gases (GHG) emission indicators were defined and applied. The results emphasise the importance of service systems in global warming policies, as a potential emission of 9.26 kg CO 2 /purchase was obtained for the case study, relating to a consumption of 1.64 KOE of energy, of which 21.9% was spent on buildings and 57.9% on customer transportation. Some strategies to reduce these emissions were considered: increased supply, energy efficiency, changes in distribution of modes of transport, changes in location and changes in the mix of land uses. A combination of all of these elements in a new retail park could reduce GHG emissions by more than 50%, as it is planning strategies, which seem to be the most effective. (author)

Design and Calibration Tests of an Active Sound Intensity Probe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Kletschkowski

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an active sound intensity probe that can be used for sound source localization in standing wave fields. The probe consists of a sound hard tube that is terminated by a loudspeaker and an integrated pair of microphones. The microphones are used to decompose the standing wave field inside the tube into its incident and reflected part. The latter is cancelled by an adaptive controller that calculates proper driving signals for the loudspeaker. If the open end of the actively controlled tube is placed close to a vibrating surface, the radiated sound intensity can be determined by measuring the cross spectral density between the two microphones. A one-dimensional free field can be realized effectively, as first experiments performed on a simplified test bed have shown. Further tests proved that a prototype of the novel sound intensity probe can be calibrated.

Do intensity ratings and skin conductance responses reliably discriminate between different stimulus intensities in experimentally induced pain?

Science.gov (United States)

Breimhorst, Markus; Sandrock, Stephan; Fechir, Marcel; Hausenblas, Nadine; Geber, Christian; Birklein, Frank

2011-01-01

The present study addresses the question whether pain-intensity ratings and skin conductance responses (SCRs) are able to detect different intensities of phasic painful stimuli and to determine the reliability of this discrimination. For this purpose, 42 healthy participants of both genders were assigned to either electrical, mechanical, or laser heat-pain stimulation (each n = 14). A whole range of single brief painful stimuli were delivered on the right volar forearm of the dominant hand in a randomized order. Pain-intensity ratings and SCRs were analyzed. Using generalizability theory, individual and gender differences were the main contributors to the variability of both intensity ratings and SCRs. Most importantly, we showed that pain-intensity ratings are a reliable measure for the discrimination of different pain stimulus intensities in the applied modalities. The reliability of SCR was adequate when mechanical and heat stimuli were tested but failed for the discrimination of electrical stimuli. Further studies are needed to reveal the reason for this lack of accuracy for SCRs when applying electrical pain stimuli. Our study could help researchers to better understand the relationship between pain and activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Pain researchers are furthermore encouraged to consider individual and gender differences when measuring pain intensity and the concomitant SCRs in experimental settings. Copyright © 2011 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Time Integrated Soft X-ray Imaging in High Intensity Laser Experiments (thesis)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stafford, David [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

2009-01-01

2009 marks a significant achievement and the dawn of a new era in high intensity laser research with the final commissioning of all 192 beams at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). NIF is a department of energy (DOE) funded project more than 10 years in the making located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The following research was done as one of many preliminary experiments done to prepare for these historic events. The primary focus of the experimental campaign this paper addresses is to test and develop a thermal x-radiation source using a short pulse laser. This data is hoped to provide information about the thermal transport mechanisms important in the development of prediction models in High Energy Density (HED) science. One of several diagnostics fielded was a soft x-ray imager (SXRI) which is detailed in this paper. The SXRI will be used to measure the relative size of the heated region and also the relative level of specific x-ray emissions among several shot and target configurations. The laser system used was the Titan laser located in the Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Titan uses the JLF Janus Nd:glass laser west frontend system with a Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplification (OPCPA) in place of the nanosecond oscillator. The system is capable of producing laser intensities of over a petawatt with several tens of joules delivered in the beam.

Spectral evolution of the Atoll source 4U 1728-34 with RXTE and INTEGRAL: evidence for hard X-ray tail

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tarana, A.; Belloni, T.; Bazzano, A.; Homan, J.; Méndez, M.; Ubertini, P.; Comastri, A.; Angelini, L.; Cappi, M.

We report the temporal and spectral results on the INTEGRAL and RXTE 2006-2007 observation campaign of the Atoll source 4U 1728-34 (GX 354-0). The source shows, more than once, spectral evolution as revealed by the hardness intensity diagram. The soft state is well described by a Comptonization with

Integrative medicine for chronic pain

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Felix J.; Brüning, Alexander; Barcelona, Cyrus; Büssing, Arndt; Langhorst, Jost; Dobos, Gustav; Lauche, Romy; Cramer, Holger

2016-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Integrative medicine inpatient treatment has been shown to improve physical and mental health in patients with internal medicine conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a 2-week integrative medicine inpatient treatment in patients with chronic pain syndromes and the association of treatment success with patient-related process variables. Methods: Inpatients with chronic pain syndromes participating in a 2-week integrative medicine inpatient program were included. Patients’ pain intensity, pain disability, pain perception, quality of life, depression, and perceived stress were measured on admission, discharge, and 6 months after discharge. Likewise process variables including ability and will to change, emotional/rational disease acceptance, mindfulness, life and health satisfaction, and easiness of life were assessed. Results: A total of 310 inpatients (91% female, mean age 50.7 ± 12.4 year, 26.5% low back pain, and 22.9% fibromyalgia) were included. Using mixed linear models, significant improvements in pain intensity, pain disability, pain perception, quality of life, depression, and perceived stress were found (all P medicine inpatient treatment can benefit patients with chronic pain conditions. Functional improvements are associated with improved ability to change and implementation, disease acceptance, and satisfaction. PMID:27399133

Dosimetric Comparison of Three-Dimensional Conformal Proton Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy, and Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Treatment of Pediatric Craniopharyngiomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehling, Nicholas S. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); Grosshans, David R., E-mail: dgrossha@mdanderson.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); Bluett, Jaques B. [Department of Radiation Physics, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); Palmer, Matthew T. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); Song, Xiaofei; Amos, Richard A.; Sahoo, Narayan [Department of Radiation Physics, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); Meyer, Jeffrey J.; Mahajan, Anita; Woo, Shiao Y. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

2012-02-01

Purpose: Cranial irradiation in pediatric patients is associated with serious long-term adverse effects. We sought to determine whether both three-dimensional conformal proton radiotherapy (3D-PRT) and intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) compared with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) decrease integral dose to brain areas known to harbor neuronal stem cells, major blood vessels, and other normal brain structures for pediatric patients with craniopharyngiomas. Methods and Materials: IMRT, forward planned, passive scattering proton, and IMPT plans were generated and optimized for 10 pediatric patients. The dose was 50.4 Gy (or cobalt Gy equivalent) delivered in 28 fractions with the requirement for planning target volume (PTV) coverage of 95% or better. Integral dose data were calculated from differential dose-volume histograms. Results: The PTV target coverage was adequate for all modalities. IMRT and IMPT yielded the most conformal plans in comparison to 3D-PRT. Compared with IMRT, 3D-PRT and IMPT plans had a relative reduction of integral dose to the hippocampus (3D-PRT, 20.4; IMPT, 51.3%{sup Asterisk-Operator }), dentate gyrus (27.3, 75.0%{sup Asterisk-Operator }), and subventricular zone (4.5, 57.8%{sup Asterisk-Operator }). Vascular organs at risk also had reduced integral dose with the use of proton therapy (anterior cerebral arteries, 33.3{sup Asterisk-Operator }, 100.0%{sup Asterisk-Operator }; middle cerebral arteries, 25.9%{sup Asterisk-Operator }, 100%{sup Asterisk-Operator }; anterior communicating arteries, 30.8{sup Asterisk-Operator }, 41.7%{sup Asterisk-Operator }; and carotid arteries, 51.5{sup Asterisk-Operator }, 77.6{sup Asterisk-Operator }). Relative reduction of integral dose to the infratentorial brain (190.7{sup Asterisk-Operator }, 109.7%{sup Asterisk-Operator }), supratentorial brain without PTV (9.6, 26.8%{sup Asterisk-Operator }), brainstem (45.6, 22.4%{sup Asterisk-Operator }), and whole brain without PTV (19.4{sup Asterisk

Spectral integration in speech and non-speech sounds

Science.gov (United States)

Jacewicz, Ewa

2005-04-01

Spectral integration (or formant averaging) was proposed in vowel perception research to account for the observation that a reduction of the intensity of one of two closely spaced formants (as in /u/) produced a predictable shift in vowel quality [Delattre et al., Word 8, 195-210 (1952)]. A related observation was reported in psychoacoustics, indicating that when the components of a two-tone periodic complex differ in amplitude and frequency, its perceived pitch is shifted toward that of the more intense tone [Helmholtz, App. XIV (1875/1948)]. Subsequent research in both fields focused on the frequency interval that separates these two spectral components, in an attempt to determine the size of the bandwidth for spectral integration to occur. This talk will review the accumulated evidence for and against spectral integration within the hypothesized limit of 3.5 Bark for static and dynamic signals in speech perception and psychoacoustics. Based on similarities in the processing of speech and non-speech sounds, it is suggested that spectral integration may reflect a general property of the auditory system. A larger frequency bandwidth, possibly close to 3.5 Bark, may be utilized in integrating acoustic information, including speech, complex signals, or sound quality of a violin.

A three-dimensional integrated nanogenerator for effectively harvesting sound energy from the environment

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jinmei; Cui, Nuanyang; Gu, Long; Chen, Xiaobo; Bai, Suo; Zheng, Youbin; Hu, Caixia; Qin, Yong

2016-02-01

An integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (ITNG) with a three-dimensional structure benefiting sound propagation and adsorption is demonstrated to more effectively harvest sound energy with improved output performance. With different multifunctional integrated layers working harmonically, it could generate a short-circuit current up to 2.1 mA, an open-circuit voltage up to 232 V and the maximum charging rate can reach 453 μC s-1 for a 1 mF capacitor, which are 4.6 times, 2.6 times and 7.4 times the highest reported values, respectively. Further study shows that the ITNG works well under sound in a wide range of sound intensity levels (SILs) and frequencies, and its output is sensitive to the SIL and frequency of the sound, which reveals that the ITNG can act as a self-powered active sensor for real-time noise surveillance and health care. Moreover, this generator can be used to directly power the Fe(OH)3 sol electrophoresis and shows great potential as a wireless power supply in the electrochemical industry.An integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (ITNG) with a three-dimensional structure benefiting sound propagation and adsorption is demonstrated to more effectively harvest sound energy with improved output performance. With different multifunctional integrated layers working harmonically, it could generate a short-circuit current up to 2.1 mA, an open-circuit voltage up to 232 V and the maximum charging rate can reach 453 μC s-1 for a 1 mF capacitor, which are 4.6 times, 2.6 times and 7.4 times the highest reported values, respectively. Further study shows that the ITNG works well under sound in a wide range of sound intensity levels (SILs) and frequencies, and its output is sensitive to the SIL and frequency of the sound, which reveals that the ITNG can act as a self-powered active sensor for real-time noise surveillance and health care. Moreover, this generator can be used to directly power the Fe(OH)3 sol electrophoresis and shows great potential as a

Government expenditure and energy intensity in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuxiang, Karl; Chen, Zhongchang

2010-01-01

The recent economic stimulus package of China has raised growing concern about its potential impact on energy demand and efficiency. To what extent does such expansion of government expenditure influence energy intensity? This question has not been well answered by the previous research. Using provincial panel data, this paper provides some evidence of a link between government expenditure and energy intensity in China. The empirical results demonstrate that the expansion of government expenditure since Asian financial crisis has exerted a significant influence on energy intensity. An increase in government expenditure in China leads to an increase in energy intensity. Further analysis compares such relationships in different economic situations. The comparison shows that such positive effect of government expenditure remains significant after the alteration in economic situation. Therefore, the results suggest introducing some measures to consolidate China's existing gains in energy efficiency. The analysis also explains why the downward trend in energy intensity is reversed in China since 2002. (author)

Silicon photonic integrated circuits with electrically programmable non-volatile memory functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, J-F; Lim, A E-J; Luo, X-S; Fang, Q; Li, C; Jia, L X; Tu, X-G; Huang, Y; Zhou, H-F; Liow, T-Y; Lo, G-Q

2016-09-19

Conventional silicon photonic integrated circuits do not normally possess memory functions, which require on-chip power in order to maintain circuit states in tuned or field-configured switching routes. In this context, we present an electrically programmable add/drop microring resonator with a wavelength shift of 426 pm between the ON/OFF states. Electrical pulses are used to control the choice of the state. Our experimental results show a wavelength shift of 2.8 pm/ms and a light intensity variation of ~0.12 dB/ms for a fixed wavelength in the OFF state. Theoretically, our device can accommodate up to 65 states of multi-level memory functions. Such memory functions can be integrated into wavelength division mutiplexing (WDM) filters and applied to optical routers and computing architectures fulfilling large data downloading demands.

Measurement of the profile and intensity of the solar He I lambda 584-A resonance line

Science.gov (United States)

Maloy, J. O.; Hartmann, U. G.; Judge, D. L.; Carlson, R. W.

1978-01-01

The intensity and profile of the helium resonance line at 584 A from the entire disk of the sun was investigated by using a rocket-borne helium-filled spectrometer and a curve-of-growth technique. The line profile was found to be accurately represented by a Gaussian profile with full width at half maximum of 122 + or - 10 mA, while the integrated intensity was measured to be 2.6 + or - 1.3 billion photons/s per sq cm at solar activity levels of F(10.7) = 90.8 x 10 to the -22nd per sq m/Hz and Rz = 27. The measured line width is in good agreement with previous spectrographic measurements, but the integrated intensity is larger than most previous photoelectric measurements. However, the derived line center flux of 20 + or - 10 billion photons/s per sq cm/A is in good agreement with values inferred from airglow measurements.

Transfrontier macroseismic data exchange in NW Europe: examples of non-circular intensity distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Van Noten, Koen; Lecocq, Thomas; Hinzen, Klaus-G.; Sira, Christophe; Camelbeeck, Thierry

2016-04-01

Macroseismic data acquisition recently received a strong increase in interest due to public crowdsourcing through internet-based inquiries and real-time smartphone applications. Macroseismic analysis of felt earthquakes is important as the perception of people can be used to detect local/regional site effects in areas without instrumentation. We will demonstrate how post-processing macroseismic data improves the quality of real-time intensity evaluation of new events. Instead of using the classic DYFI representation in which internet intensities are averaged per community, we, first, geocoded all individual responses and structure the model area into 100 km2grid cells. Second, the average intensity of all answers within a grid cell is calculated. The resulting macroseismic grid cell distribution shows a less subjective and more homogeneous intensity distribution than the classical irregular community distribution and helps to improve the calculation of intensity attenuation functions. In this presentation, the 'Did You Feel It' (DYFI) macroseismic data of several >M4, e.g. the 2002 ML 4.9 Alsdorf and 2011 ML 4.3 Goch (Germany) and the 2015 ML 4.1 Ramsgate (UK), earthquakes felt in Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Luxemburg and UK are analysed. Integration of transfrontier DYFI data of the ROB-BNS, KNMI, BCSF and BGS networks results in a particular non-circular, distribution of the macroseismic data in which the felt area for all these examples extends significantly more in E-W than N-S direction. This intensity distribution cannot be explained by geometrical amplitude attenuation alone, but rather illustrates a low-pass filtering effect due to the south-to-north increasing thickness of cover sediments above the London-Brabant Massif. For the studied M4 to M5 earthquakes, the thick sediments attenuate seismic energy at higher frequencies and consequently less people feel the vibrations at the surface. This example of successful macroseismic data exchange

Comparison of Two Intensities of Aerobic Training (low intensity and High Intensity on Expression of Perlipin 2 Skeletal Muscle, Serum Glucose and Insulin levels in Streptozotocin-Diabetic Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Ghafari

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract   Background & aim: Lipid metabolism disorder plays an important role in insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and lipid drop proteins such as perlipine 2 (PLIN2 are effective in regulating intracellular fat metabolism. One of the suggested pathways for the effects of endurance activity in metabolic diseases is the effect of physical activity on intramuscular. Therefore, the purpose of this study was compare the intensity of aerobic exercise intensity (low intensity and high intensity on expression of PLIN2 skeletal muscle, serum glucose and insulin levels in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.   Methods: In this experimental study, 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of 8, including two intervention groups (low intensity endurance training group and high intensity continuous exercise group and one control group. After induction of diabetic rats by injection streptozotocin (55 mg / kg body weight, Intraperitoneally, endurance training was applied for eight weeks, three sessions per week in diabetic rats. Exercise intensity in the low-intensity group was equal to 5-8 m / min (equivalent to 50-60% Vo2max, the intensity of training in a high intensity training group was equivalent to a speed of 22-25 m / min (equivalent to 80% Vo2max and the control group did not receive intervene in this time. Relative protein expression of PLIN2 was performed using western blot technique. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test.   Results: The results of the intergroup comparison revealed a significant difference among three groups in the PLIN2 variables (p = 0.037. The results of post hoc test showed a significant increase in PLIN2 in high intensity training diabetic group compared to the control group (p = 0.033 However, there was no significant difference in PLIN2 level in the low exercise group compared to the control group (p = 0.18. Also, there was no significant difference between the low intensity and

Fan beam intensity modulated proton therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Patrick M.

A fan beam proton therapy is developed which delivers intensity modulated proton therapy using distal edge tracking. The system may be retrofit onto existing proton therapy gantries without alterations to infrastructure in order to improve treatments through intensity modulation. A novel range and intensity modulation system is designed using acrylic leaves that are inserted or retracted from subsections of the fan beam. Leaf thicknesses are chosen in a base-2 system and motivated in a binary manner. Dose spots from individual beam channels range between 1 and 5 cm. Integrated collimators attempting to limit crosstalk among beam channels are investigated, but found to be inferior to uncollimated beam channel modulators. A treatment planning system performing data manipulation in MATLAB and dose calculation in MCNPX is developed. Beamlet dose is calculated on patient CT data and a fan beam source is manually defined to produce accurate results. An energy deposition tally follows the CT grid, allowing straightforward registration of dose and image data. Simulations of beam channels assume that a beam channel either delivers dose to a distal edge spot or is intensity modulated. A final calculation is performed separately to determine the deliverable dose accounting for all sources of scatter. Treatment plans investigate the effects that varying system parameters have on dose distributions. Beam channel apertures may be as large as 20 mm because the sharp distal falloff characteristic of proton dose provides sufficient intensity modulation to meet dose objectives, even in the presence of coarse lateral resolution. Dose conformity suffers only when treatments are delivered from less than 10 angles. Jaw widths of 1--2 cm produce comparable dose distributions, but a jaw width of 4 cm produces unacceptable target coverage when maintaining critical structure avoidance. Treatment time for a prostate delivery is estimated to be on the order of 10 minutes. Neutron production

The Structural Changes in the Economy of Ukraine and its Energy Intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyzym Mykola O.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article is concerned with an analysis of structural changes in the economy of Ukraine in view of energy intensity of types of economic activity (TEA. On considering the main tendencies of development of Ukraine’s economy in 2000 – 2015, it has been proved that, unlike the world economy, its development is of more unevenly nature. In order to research structural changes in the domestic economy in the period from 2000 to 2015, the methodical approach consisting of a number of interconnected stages has been proposed. Using this approach: the structure of economy of Ukraine by TEA has been analyzed, the classification and structure of the TEA distribution by their importance have been suggested; the dynamics of TEA of Ukraine have been analyzed, the classification and structure of distribution of Ukraine’s TEA by dynamics of development has been proposed; a matrix of positioning of the TEA of Ukraine in the plane of «proportion – rate of change» has been built; the values have been calculated and directions of structural changes of TEA in economy of Ukraine have been defined; a characterization of the TEA of economy of Ukraine as to the degree of materiality of structural shift has been formed; the integral coefficients of structural shifts in economy for the studied period have been calculated; the classification of the TEA of Ukraine according to the level of energy intensity has been developed, the structure of economy by the energy intensity groups has been presented; the indices have been calculated and directions of structural shifts of groups with different energy intensity of TEA have been determined; the integral coefficients of structural shift of economy due to the groups of TEA with different energy intensity have been calculated; the general characterization of structural shifts of the TEA of Ukraine in 2000 – 2015 has been formed.

Relating Solar Energetic Particle Event Fluences to Peak Intensities

Science.gov (United States)

Kahler, Stephen W.; Ling, Alan G.

2018-02-01

Recently we (Kahler and Ling, Solar Phys. 292, 59, 2017: KL) have shown that time-intensity profiles [I(t)] of 14 large solar energetic particle (SEP) events can be fitted with a simple two-parameter fit, the modified Weibull function, which is characterized by shape and scaling parameters [α and β]. We now look for a simple correlation between an event peak energy intensity [Ip] and the time integral of I(t) over the event duration: the fluence [F]. We first ask how the ratio of F/Ip varies for the fits of the 14 KL events and then examine that ratio for three separate published statistical studies of SEP events in which both F and Ip were measured for comparisons of those parameters with various solar-flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) parameters. The three studies included SEP energies from a 4 - 13 MeV band to E > 100 MeV. Within each group of SEP events, we find a very robust correlation (CC > 0.90) in log-log plots of F versus Ip over four decades of Ip. The ratio increases from western to eastern longitudes. From the value of Ip for a given event, F can be estimated to within a standard deviation of a factor of {≤} 2. Log-log plots of two studies are consistent with slopes of unity, but the third study shows plot slopes of { 10 MeV to {>} 100 MeV. This difference is not explained.

SU-E-T-483: In Vivo Dosimetry of Conventional and Rotational Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Using Integral Quality Monitor (IQM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, L; Qian, J; Gonzales, R; Keck, J; Armour, E; Wong, J [Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy, sensitivity and constancy of integral quality monitor (IQM), a new system for in vivo dosimetry of conventional intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or rotational volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) Methods: A beta-version IQM system was commissioned on an Elekta Infinity LINAC equipped with 160-MLCs Agility head. The stationary and rotational dosimetric constancy of IQM was evaluated, using five-field IMRT and single-or double-arc VMAT plans for prostate and head-and-neck (H&N) patients. The plans were delivered three times over three days to assess the constancy of IQM response. Picket fence (PF) fields were used to evaluate the sensitivity of detecting MLC leaf errors. A single leaf offset was intentionally introduced during delivery of various PF fields with segment apertures of 3×1, 5×1, 10×1, and 24×1cm2. Both 2mm and 5mm decrease in the field width were used. Results: Repeated IQM measurements of prostate and H&N IMRT deliveries showed 0.4 and 0.5% average standard deviation (SD) for segment-by-segment comparison and 0.1 and 0.2% for cumulative comparison. The corresponding SDs for VMAT deliveries were 6.5, 9.4% and 0.7, 1.3%, respectively. Statistical analysis indicates that the dosimetric differences detected by IQM were significant (p < 0.05) in all PF test deliveries. The largest average IQM signal response of a 2 mm leaf error was found to be 2.1% and 5.1% by a 5mm leaf error for 3×1 cm2 field size. The same error in 24×1 cm2 generates a 0.7% and 1.4% difference in the signal. Conclusion: IQM provides an effective means for real-time dosimetric verification of IMRT/ VMAT treatment delivery. For VMAT delivery, the cumulative dosimetry of IQM needs to be used in clinical practice.

Rule-based Information Integration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Keijzer, Ander; van Keulen, Maurice

2005-01-01

In this report, we show the process of information integration. We specifically discuss the language used for integration. We show that integration consists of two phases, the schema mapping phase and the data integration phase. We formally define transformation rules, conversion, evolution and

A hybrid electron cyclotron resonance metal ion source with integrated sputter magnetron for the production of an intense Al{sup +} ion beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weichsel, T., E-mail: tim.weichsel@fep.fraunhofer.de; Hartung, U.; Kopte, T. [Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP, 01277 Dresden (Germany); Zschornack, G. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Dresden (Germany); Kreller, M.; Philipp, A. [DREEBIT GmbH, 01900 Grossroehrsdorf (Germany)

2015-09-15

A metal ion source prototype has been developed: a combination of magnetron sputter technology with 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source technology—a so called magnetron ECR ion source (MECRIS). An integrated ring-shaped sputter magnetron with an Al target is acting as a powerful metal atom supply in order to produce an intense current of singly charged metal ions. Preliminary experiments show that an Al{sup +} ion current with a density of 167 μA/cm{sup 2} is extracted from the source at an acceleration voltage of 27 kV. Spatially resolved double Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy were used to study the plasma states of the ion source: sputter magnetron, ECR, and MECRIS plasma. Electron density and temperature as well as Al atom density were determined as a function of microwave and sputter magnetron power. The effect of ECR heating is strongly pronounced in the center of the source. There the electron density is increased by one order of magnitude from 6 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −3} to 6 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} and the electron temperature is enhanced from about 5 eV to 12 eV, when the ECR plasma is ignited to the magnetron plasma. Operating the magnetron at constant power, it was observed that its discharge current is raised from 1.8 A to 4.8 A, when the ECR discharge was superimposed with a microwave power of 2 kW. At the same time, the discharge voltage decreased from about 560 V to 210 V, clearly indicating a higher plasma density of the MECRIS mode. The optical emission spectrum of the MECRIS plasma is dominated by lines of excited Al atoms and shows a significant contribution of lines arising from singly ionized Al. Plasma emission photography with a CCD camera was used to prove probe measurements and to identify separated plasma emission zones originating from the ECR and magnetron discharge.

Stress intensity factors for complete internal and external cracks in spherical shells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao, Y.J.; Chen, H.

1989-01-01

Cracks or flows found in the nuclear structure must be fully evaluated to assure the safety of the plant. The weight function method has been widely used in the determination of stress intensity factors for cracks under stress gradient e.g. for thermal shock loading. The unique features of the weight function method is that once the weight function for a particular cracked geometry is determined the stress intensity factors at the crack tip for any loading applied to the flawed structure can be calculated by a simple integration. In this paper the stress intensity factors of the complete, part-through internal and external cracks in a spherical shell are determined. The finite element method was used to develop the weight functions for the flawed geometry. The approximate crack surface profile was used to derive the weight functions. The stress intensity factors associated with the cracks in spherical shells under internal pressure are determined by both the weight functions and the direct finite element method

Transient phenomena in cosmic ray intensity during extreme events

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Rekha; Mishra, Rajesh K.

2008-04-01

In the present work an analysis has been made of the extreme events occurring during July 2005. Specifically, a rather intense Forbush decrease was observed at different neutron monitors all over the world during 16 July 2005. An effort has been made to study the effect of this unusual event on cosmic ray intensity as well as various solar and interplanetary plasma parameters. It is noteworthy that during 11 to 18 July 2005 the solar activity ranged from low to very active. Especially low levels occurred on 11, 15, and 17 July whereas high levels took place on 14 and 16 July 2005. The Sun is observed to be active during 11 to 18 July 2005, the interplanetary magnetic field intensity lies within 15 nT, and solar wind velocity was limited to ˜500 kms-1. The geomagnetic activity during this period remains very quiet, the Kp index did not exceed 5, the disturbance storm time Dst index remains ˜-70 nT and no sudden storm commencement has been detected during this period. It is noted that for the majority of the hours, the north/south component of the interplanetary magnetic field, Bz, remains negative, and the cosmic ray intensity increases and shows good/high correlation with Bz, as the polarity of Bz tends to shift from negative to positive values, the intensity decreases and shows good/high anti-correlation with Bz. The cosmic ray intensity tends to decrease with increase of interplanetary magnetic field strength (B) and shows anti-correlation for the majority of the days.

Trends in Intense Typhoon Minimum Sea Level Pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen L. Durden

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A number of recent publications have examined trends in the maximum wind speed of tropical cyclones in various basins. In this communication, the author focuses on typhoons in the western North Pacific. Rather than maximum wind speed, the intensity of the storms is measured by their lifetime minimum sea level pressure (MSLP. Quantile regression is used to test for trends in storms of extreme intensity. The results indicate that there is a trend of decreasing intensity in the most intense storms as measured by MSLP over the period 1951–2010. However, when the data are broken into intervals 1951–1987 and 1987–2010, neither interval has a significant trend, but the intensity quantiles for the two periods differ. Reasons for this are discussed, including the cessation of aircraft reconnaissance in 1987. The author also finds that the average typhoon intensity is greater in El Nino years, while the intensity of the strongest typhoons shows no significant relation to El Nino Southern Oscillation.

Thermal stress intensity factor for an axial crack in a clad cylinder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuo, An Yu; Deardorf, A.F.; Riccardella, P.C.

1993-01-01

Many clad pressure vessels have been found to have cracks running through the inside surface cladding and into the base material. Although Young's moduli and Poisson's ratios of the clad and base materials are about the same for most of the industrial applications, coefficients of thermal expansion of the two dissimilar materials, clad and base materials, are usually quite different. For example, low alloy ferritic steel is a common base material for reactor pressure vessels (RPV) and the vessels are usually clad with austenitic stainless steel. Young's moduli for the low alloy steel and stainless steel at 350 F are 29,000 ksi and 28,000 ksi, respectively, while their coefficients of thermal expansion are 7.47x10 -6 in/in and 9.50x10 -6 in/in-degree F, respectively. The mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion will cause high residual thermal stress even when the entire vessel is at a uniform temperature. This residual stress is one of the primary reasons why so many cracks have been found in the cladded components. In performing reactor pressure vessel integrity evaluation, such as computing probability of brittle fracture of the RPV, it is necessary to calculate stress intensity factors for cracks, which initiate from the clad material and run into the base metal. This paper presents a convenient method of calculating stress intensity factor for an axial crack emanating from the inside surface of a cladded cylinder under thermal loading. A J-integral like line integral was derived and used to calculate the stress intensity factors from finite element stress solutions of the problem

Growth performance, carcass yield and gait score of Marshal broiler chicken reared on intensive and semi intensive management systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oluwadiya, B. O.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The rearing system used in highly productive farms is often subjected to harsh criticism, one of the reasons being its failure to provide adequate welfare. A number of attempts have been made to introduce new technologies in rearing poultry for meat production aiming at improving rearing conditions, protecting the environment and enhancing the quality of poultry products. Given the above, one hundred and sixty eight unsexed 14-day old Marshall broiler chicks were used in a completely randomized design study to compare the effect of management systems (intensive and semi intensive on the growth performance, carcass characteristics and gait score of broiler chickens. The experiment lasted for 42 d. Data were collected on weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield and gait score. Result showed that birds on the intensive management system recorded higher weight gain (P 0.05; 66.94%, 11.44% than those in semi-intensive system (54.55%, 10.92%, respectively. For the gait score broiler birds on semi intensive management system recorded reduced number of cases of severe and slight leg problems (P < 0.05, 25.76% vs 49.3%. It was concluded that broiler birds should be reared on intensive management system for better growth performance and carcass yield. However, birds reared on semi intensive management system had fewer leg problems compared to birds reared on intensive management system. The fewer severe leg problems observed in birds on semi intensive management system will help improve their market value thereby making birds more profitable to rear on semi intensive management system.

The Effect of Previous Co-Worker Experience on the Survival of Knowledge Intensive Start-Ups

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Timmermans, Bram

The aim of the paper is to investigate the effect of previous co-worker experience on the survival of knowledge intensive start-ups. For the empirical analysis I use the Danish Integrated Database of Labor Market Research (IDA). This longitudinal employer-employee database allows me to identify co-worker...... experience among all members of the firm. In addition, I will make a distinction between ordinary start-ups and entrepreneurial spin-offs. The results show that previous co-worker experience has a positive effect on new firm survival. This effect appears to be valid predominantly for ordinary start-ups than...

Wavelength dependence of momentum-space images of low-energy electrons generated by short intense laser pulses at high intensities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maharjan, C M; Alnaser, A S; Litvinyuk, I; Ranitovic, P; Cocke, C L

2006-01-01

We have measured momentum-space images of low-energy electrons generated by the interaction of short intense laser pulses with argon atoms at high intensities. We have done this over a wavelength range from 400 to 800 nm. The spectra show considerable structure in both the energy and angular distributions of the electrons. Some, but not all, energy features can be identified as multi-photon resonances. The angular structure shows a regularity which transcends the resonant structure and may be due instead to diffraction. The complexity of the results defies easy model-dependent interpretations and invites full solutions to Schroedinger's equation for these systems

Prevalence of nursing diagnoses in an intensive care unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinicia de Holanda Cabral

2017-01-01

Full Text Available To identify the main nursing diagnostic titles used in the care of critically ill patients hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit, verifying the presence thereof in the diagnoses of NANDA International’s Taxonomy II. Methods: descriptive and documental study, in which 69 medical records of patients aged over 18 years were consulted. Results: 22 nursing diagnostic titles were found; the most frequent was risk for infection (99.0%, risk for skin integrity (75.0% and risk for aspiration (61.0%. Most diagnoses were in the domains safety/ protection (43.0% and activity/rest (26.5%. Conclusions: authors identified the main nursing diagnostic titles used in the care of critically ill patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and the presence thereof in the diagnoses of NANDA International’s Taxonomy II.

Pulsed-low intensity ultrasound enhances extracellular matrix production by fibroblasts encapsulated in alginate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siti PM Bohari

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, the effect of pulsed-low intensity ultrasound on cell proliferation, collagen production and glycosaminoglycan deposition by 3T3 fibroblasts encapsulated in alginate was evaluated. Hoechst 33258 assay for cell number, hydroxyproline assay for collagen content and dimethylamine blue assay for glycosaminoglycan content were performed on samples from cell cultures treated with pulsed-low intensity ultrasound and a control group. Pulsed-low intensity ultrasound shows no effect on cell proliferation, while collagen and glycosaminoglycan contents were consistently higher in the samples treated with pulsed-low intensity ultrasound, showing a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05 on day 10. Alcian blue staining showed that glycosaminoglycans were deposited around the cells in both groups. These results suggest that pulsed-low intensity ultrasound shows no effect on cell proliferation but has potential for inducing collagen and glycosaminoglycan production in cells cultured in alginate gels.

Integration of HIV in the Human Genome: Which Sites Are Preferential? A Genetic and Statistical Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Gonçalves, Juliana; Moreira, Elsa; Sequeira, Inês J.; Rodrigues, António S.; Rueff, José; Brás, Aldina

2016-01-01

Chromosomal fragile sites (FSs) are loci where gaps and breaks may occur and are preferential integration targets for some viruses, for example, Hepatitis B, Epstein-Barr virus, HPV16, HPV18, and MLV vectors. However, the integration of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Giemsa bands and in FSs is not yet completely clear. This study aimed to assess the integration preferences of HIV in FSs and in Giemsa bands using an in silico study. HIV integration positions from Jurkat cells were used and two nonparametric tests were applied to compare HIV integration in dark versus light bands and in FS versus non-FS (NFSs). The results show that light bands are preferential targets for integration of HIV-1 in Jurkat cells and also that it integrates with equal intensity in FSs and in NFSs. The data indicates that HIV displays different preferences for FSs compared to other viruses. The aim was to develop and apply an approach to predict the conditions and constraints of HIV insertion in the human genome which seems to adequately complement empirical data. PMID:27294106

The Association between Cigarette Smoking and Acne Intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taheri Ramin

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Acne vulgaris is a common chronic inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous unit. Different factors have been suggested to influence acne including diet, menstruation and occupation. The role of some of these factors on acne intensity is confirmed. The affect of Cigarette smoking on acne intensity has been suggested. In this research, we evaluated the association between cigarette smoking and the acne intensity.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 278 smoker and 277non smoker males referred to dermatology clinics of Semnan during 2006-2007. The dermatologists interviewing the patients completed questionnaires based on clinical diagnosis and intensity of acne. Data analysis was performed using t-test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square and Spearman coefficient tests. P-value less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Severe acne was observed in 16.6% of non-smokers and 22.7% of smokers. Distribution of acne intensity in both groups was significant (P=0.023. Association between duration of cigarette smoking and acne intensity was significant too (P<0.001. The association between dosage of cigarette smoking and acne intensity was also significant (P<0.001.Conclusion: Significant association between cigarette smoking and acne intensity showed that smoking withdrawal is helpful for reducing the acne intensity

Motivational intensity modulates attentional scope: evidence from behavioral and ERP studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lei; Zhang, Guangnan; Zhou, Renlai; Wang, Zuowei

2014-10-01

Previous studies have found that affective states with high motivational intensity narrow attentional scope, whereas affective states with low motivational intensity broaden attentional scope. This conclusion, however, is based on fragmented evidence based on several separate studies. The present study tests this conclusion within a single study using both behavioral (Experiment 1) and neurophysiological (Experiment 2) measures. Experiment 1 showed that individuals had the global precedence effect in the neutral affective state. However, the global precedence effect was reduced for affective states with high motivational intensity, whereas the global precedence effect was not significantly enhanced for those with low motivational intensity. Experiment 2 replicated these results with event-related potential (ERP) recording. ERP results showed that affective states with high motivational intensity induced smaller N2 and greater late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes than low motivational intensity and neutral affective states. However, no differences were found between the low motivational intensity and neutral affective states. Furthermore, smaller LPP predicted the tendency a global attentional focus in the frontal and central areas and larger LPP predicted a narrowed focus in the frontal area. The findings suggested that high motivational intensity of affective states can affect attentional scope.

Tissue-Based MRI Intensity Standardization: Application to Multicentric Datasets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas Robitaille

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Intensity standardization in MRI aims at correcting scanner-dependent intensity variations. Existing simple and robust techniques aim at matching the input image histogram onto a standard, while we think that standardization should aim at matching spatially corresponding tissue intensities. In this study, we present a novel automatic technique, called STI for STandardization of Intensities, which not only shares the simplicity and robustness of histogram-matching techniques, but also incorporates tissue spatial intensity information. STI uses joint intensity histograms to determine intensity correspondence in each tissue between the input and standard images. We compared STI to an existing histogram-matching technique on two multicentric datasets, Pilot E-ADNI and ADNI, by measuring the intensity error with respect to the standard image after performing nonlinear registration. The Pilot E-ADNI dataset consisted in 3 subjects each scanned in 7 different sites. The ADNI dataset consisted in 795 subjects scanned in more than 50 different sites. STI was superior to the histogram-matching technique, showing significantly better intensity matching for the brain white matter with respect to the standard image.

Assessing infrared intensity using the evaporation rate of liquid hydrogen inside a cryogenic integrating sphere for laser fusion targets

Science.gov (United States)

Iwano, K.; Iwamoto, A.; Asahina, T.; Yamanoi, K.; Arikawa, Y.; Nagatomo, H.; Nakai, M.; Norimatsu, T.; Azechi, H.

2017-07-01

Infrared (IR) heating processes have been studied to form a deuterium layer in an inertial confinement fusion target. To understand the relationship between the IR intensity and the fuel layering time constant, we have developed a new method to assess the IR intensity during irradiation. In our method, a glass flask acting as a dummy target is filled with liquid hydrogen (LH2) and is then irradiated with 2-μm light. The IR intensity is subsequently calculated from the time constant of the LH2 evaporation rate. Although LH2 evaporation is also caused by the heat inflow from the surroundings and by the background heat, the evaporation rate due to IR heating can be accurately determined by acquiring the time constant with and without irradiation. The experimentally measured IR intensity is 0.66 mW/cm2, which agrees well with a value estimated by considering the IR photon energy balance. Our results suggest that the present method can be used to measure the IR intensity inside a cryogenic system during IR irradiation of laser fusion targets.

Assessing infrared intensity using the evaporation rate of liquid hydrogen inside a cryogenic integrating sphere for laser fusion targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwano, K; Iwamoto, A; Asahina, T; Yamanoi, K; Arikawa, Y; Nagatomo, H; Nakai, M; Norimatsu, T; Azechi, H

2017-07-01

Infrared (IR) heating processes have been studied to form a deuterium layer in an inertial confinement fusion target. To understand the relationship between the IR intensity and the fuel layering time constant, we have developed a new method to assess the IR intensity during irradiation. In our method, a glass flask acting as a dummy target is filled with liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ) and is then irradiated with 2-μm light. The IR intensity is subsequently calculated from the time constant of the LH 2 evaporation rate. Although LH 2 evaporation is also caused by the heat inflow from the surroundings and by the background heat, the evaporation rate due to IR heating can be accurately determined by acquiring the time constant with and without irradiation. The experimentally measured IR intensity is 0.66 mW/cm 2 , which agrees well with a value estimated by considering the IR photon energy balance. Our results suggest that the present method can be used to measure the IR intensity inside a cryogenic system during IR irradiation of laser fusion targets.

Raman spectroscopy an intensity approach

CERN Document Server

Guozhen, Wu

2017-01-01

This book summarizes the highlights of our work on the bond polarizability approach to the intensity analysis. The topics covered include surface enhanced Raman scattering, Raman excited virtual states and Raman optical activity (ROA). The first chapter briefly introduces the Raman effect in a succinct but clear way. Chapter 2 deals with the normal mode analysis. This is a basic tool for our work. Chapter 3 introduces our proposed algorithm for the Raman intensity analysis. Chapter 4 heavily introduces the physical picture of Raman virtual states. Chapter 5 offers details so that the readers can have a comprehensive idea of Raman virtual states. Chapter 6 demonstrates how this bond polarizability algorithm is extended to ROA intensity analysis. Chapters 7 and 8 offer details on ROA, showing many findings on ROA mechanism that were not known or neglected before. Chapter 9 introduces our proposed classical treatment on ROA which, as combined with the results from the bond polarizability analysis, leads to a com...

Equivalence of some integrals of the radiation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chia, T.T.

1977-01-01

A definite integral which occurs in radiation theory is shown to be equal in value to another definite integral by evaluating the flux from a spherically symmetrical radiating sphere in two ways. As a corollary, an alternate proof of the invariance of the specific intensity of a ray in empty space along its path is presented. Furthermore, the equality of these two indefinite integrals leads to the conversion of members of a class of indefinite and definite integrals involving arbitrary functions of angle into other integrals. These transformations facilitate the calculation of some of these integrals which arise not only in the theory of radiation, but in other physical situations with spherical or axial symmetry - especially those in which inverse-square laws are involved. (Auth.)

Randomised study showed that recorded maternal voices reduced pain in preterm infants undergoing heel lance procedures in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Chirico, G; Cabano, R; Villa, G; Bigogno, A; Ardesi, M; Dioni, E

2017-10-01

Alleviating pain in neonates should be the goal of all caregivers. We evaluated whether recorded maternal voices were safe and effective in limiting pain in preterm infants undergoing heel lance procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit of an Italian children's hospital. This prospective, controlled study took place from December 2013 to December 2015. We enrolled 40 preterm infants, born at a 26-34 weeks of gestation, at a corrected gestational age 29-36 weeks and randomised them to listen or not listen to a recording of their mother's voice during a painful, routine heel lance for blood collection. Changes in the infants' Premature Infant Pain Profile, heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure during the procedure were compared by analysis of variance. Possible side effects, of apnoea, bradycardia, seizures and vomiting, were also recorded. Both groups showed a marked increase in PIPP scores and decrease in oxygen saturation during the procedure, but infants in the treatment group had significantly lower PIPP scores (p = 0.00002) and lower decreases in oxygen saturation (p = 0.0283). No significant side effects were observed. Using recorded maternal voices to limit pain in preterm infants undergoing heel lance procedures appeared safe and effective. ©2017 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption of heat-integrated distillation systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Gadalla, Mamdouh A; Olujic, Zarko; Jansens, Peter J; Jobson, Megan; Smith, Robin

2005-09-01

Distillation systems are energy and power intensive processes and contribute significantly to the greenhouse gases emissions (e.g. carbon dioxide). Reducing CO2 emissions is an absolute necessity and expensive challenge to the chemical process industries in orderto meetthe environmental targets as agreed in the Kyoto Protocol. A simple model for the calculation of CO2 emissions from heat-integrated distillation systems is introduced, considering typical process industry utility devices such as boilers, furnaces, and turbines. Furnaces and turbines consume large quantities of fuels to provide electricity and process heats. As a result, they produce considerable amounts of CO2 gas to the atmosphere. Boilers are necessary to supply steam for heating purposes; besides, they are also significant emissions contributors. The model is used in an optimization-based approach to optimize the process conditions of an existing crude oil atmospheric tower in order to reduce its CO2 emissions and energy demands. It is also applied to generate design options to reduce the emissions from a novel internally heat-integrated distillation column (HIDiC). A gas turbine can be integrated with these distillation systems for larger emissions reduction and further energy savings. Results show that existing crude oil installations can save up to 21% in energy and 22% in emissions, when the process conditions are optimized. Additionally, by integrating a gas turbine, the total emissions can be reduced further by 48%. Internal heat-integrated columns can be a good alternative to conventional heat pump and other energy intensive close boiling mixtures separations. Energy savings can reach up to 100% with respect to reboiler heat requirements. Emissions of these configurations are cut down by up to 83%, compared to conventional units, and by 36%, with respect to heat pump alternatives. Importantly, cost savings and more profit are gained in parallel to emissions minimization.

Green cheese: partial life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and energy intensity of integrated dairy production and bioenergy systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguirre-Villegas, H A; Passos-Fonseca, T H; Reinemann, D J; Armentano, L E; Wattiaux, M A; Cabrera, V E; Norman, J M; Larson, R

2015-03-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of integrating dairy and bioenergy systems on land use, net energy intensity (NEI), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A reference dairy farm system representative of Wisconsin was compared with a system that produces dairy and bioenergy products. This integrated system investigates the effects at the farm level when the cow diet and manure management practices are varied. The diets evaluated were supplemented with varying amounts of dry distillers grains with solubles and soybean meal and were balanced with different types of forages. The manure-management scenarios included manure land application, which is the most common manure disposal method in Wisconsin, and manure anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce biogas. A partial life cycle assessment from cradle to farm gate was conducted, where the system boundaries were expanded to include the production of biofuels in the analysis and the environmental burdens between milk and bioenergy products were partitioned by system expansion. Milk was considered the primary product and the functional unit, with ethanol, biodiesel, and biogas considered co-products. The production of the co-products was scaled according to milk production to meet the dietary requirements of each selected dairy ration. Results indicated that land use was 1.6 m2, NEI was 3.86 MJ, and GHG emissions were 1.02 kg of CO2-equivalents per kilogram of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) for the reference system. Within the integrated dairy and bioenergy system, diet scenarios that maximize dry distillers grains with solubles and implement AD had the largest reduction of GHG emissions and NEI, but the greatest increase in land use compared with the reference system. Average land use ranged from 1.68 to 2.01 m2/kg of FPCM; NEI ranged from -5.62 to -0.73 MJ/kg of FPCM; and GHG emissions ranged from 0.63 to 0.77 kg of CO2-equivalents/kg of FPCM. The AD contributed 65% of the NEI and 77% of the GHG

Challenges in reusing transactional data for daily documentation in neonatal intensive care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, G R; Lawson, E E; Lehmann, C U

2008-11-06

The reuse of transactional data for clinical documentation requires navigation of computational, institutional and adaptive barriers. We describe organizational and technical issues in developing and deploying a daily progress note tool in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit that reuses and aggregates data from a commercial integrated clinical information system.

Storage-Intensive Supercomputing Benchmark Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cohen, J; Dossa, D; Gokhale, M; Hysom, D; May, J; Pearce, R; Yoo, A

2007-10-30

: SuperMicro X7DBE Xeon Dual Socket Blackford Server Motherboard; 2 Intel Xeon Dual-Core 2.66 GHz processors; 1 GB DDR2 PC2-5300 RAM (2 x 512); 80GB Hard Drive (Seagate SATA II Barracuda). The Fusion board is presently capable of 4X in a PCIe slot. The image resampling benchmark was run on a dual Xeon workstation with NVIDIA graphics card (see Chapter 5 for full specification). An XtremeData Opteron+FPGA was used for the language classification application. We observed that these benchmarks are not uniformly I/O intensive. The only benchmark that showed greater that 50% of the time in I/O was the graph algorithm when it accessed data files over NFS. When local disk was used, the graph benchmark spent at most 40% of its time in I/O. The other benchmarks were CPU dominated. The image resampling benchmark and language classification showed order of magnitude speedup over software by using co-processor technology to offload the CPU-intensive kernels. Our experiments to date suggest that emerging hardware technologies offer significant benefit to boosting the performance of data-intensive algorithms. Using GPU and FPGA co-processors, we were able to improve performance by more than an order of magnitude on the benchmark algorithms, eliminating the processor bottleneck of CPU-bound tasks. Experiments with a prototype solid state nonvolative memory available today show 10X better throughput on random reads than disk, with a 2X speedup on a graph processing benchmark when compared to the use of local SATA disk.

A Novel Intensive Distribution Logistics Network Design and Profit Allocation Problem considering Sharing Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mi Gan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid growth of logistics distribution highlights the problems including the imperfect infrastructure of logistics distribution network, the serious shortage of distribution capacity of each individual enterprise, and the high cost of distribution in China. While the development of sharing economy makes it possible to achieve the integration of whole social logistic resources, big data technology can grasp customer’s logistics demand accurately on the basis of analyzing the customer’s logistics distribution preference, which contributes to the integration and optimization of the whole logistics resources. This paper proposes a kind of intensive distribution logistics network considering sharing economy, which assumes that all the social logistics suppliers build a strategic alliance, and individual idle logistics resources are also used to deal with distribution needs. Analyzing customer shopping behavior by the big data technology to determine customer’s logistics preference on the basis of dividing the customer’s logistics preference into high speed, low cost, and low pollution and then constructing the corresponding objective function model according to different logistics preferences, we obtain the intensive distribution logistics network model and solve it with heuristic algorithm. Furthermore, this paper analyzes the mechanism of interest distribution of the participants in the distribution network and puts forward an improved interval Shapley value method considering both satisfaction and contribution, with case verifying the feasibility and effectiveness of the model. The results showed that, compared with the traditional Shapley method, distribution coefficient calculated by the improved model could be fairer, improve stakeholder satisfaction, and promote the sustainable development of the alliance as well.

An experimental study on MRI signal intensity of albumin solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, In Oak; Chang, Kee Hyun; Han, Moon Hee; Song, Chi Sung; Yeon, Kyung Mo

1990-01-01

This in vitro study attempted to correlate magnetic resonance (MR) signal intensity with concentration of albumin solution in magnetic field strength of 2.0 Tesla (T) and 0.5T. MR imaging of bovine serum albumin solutions of various concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 g/dl was performed on both 2.0T and 0.5T MR units. The relative (with respect to normal saline) signal intensities of each albumin solution were measured in T1-weighted, proton density-weighted and T2-weighted MR images, correlated with albumin concentration on each pulse sequence, and compared between 2.0T and 0.5T. Additionally, the albumin concentrations showing signal intensities identical to those of white matter, cortical gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of normal brain MRI were determined by visual comparison of those images. 1. On T1-weighted (SE 400-500 msec/30 msec) images under 2.0T and 0.5T field strength, the signal intensity increased with increasing albumin concentrations up to about 30-35 g/dl and the decreased. For the solutions ranging from 0 to about 5 g/dl concentration, the signal intensities appeared isointense to normal saline on visual inspection. 2. On proton density-weighted (SE 2000-2500 msec/30 msec) images under 2.0T and 0.5T field strength, the signal intensity slightly increased with increasing albumin concentrations up to about 7.5-10 g/dl, and then gradually decreased. 3. On T2-weighted (SE 2000-2500 msec/80-100 msec) images under 2.0T and 0.5T field strength, the signal intensity slightly increased with increasing albumin concentrations up to about 7.5-10 g/dl, and then gradually decreased. Above the concentration of about 25-30 g/dl, the signal intensity appeared lower than that of normal saline on visual inspection. 4. Compared with the signal intensities of normal brain structures on T1-weighted images under 2.0T and 0.5T field strength, the signal intensities of the albumin solution below 2.5-5 g/dl concentration were similar to that of CSF, and those of

The design, operation and application of a low-cost electronic device for the determination of ion-intensity ratios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawson, A.M.; Bulmer, R.J.; Lowe, A.E.; Pickup, J.F.

1977-01-01

A low-cost electronic device to monitor two ions and provide the ratio of their intensities is described. The device operates in two modes, repetitive and accumulative. In the repetitive mode consecutive channels are integrated and their ratios displayed and printed, whereas in the accumulative mode, integrals of ion intensities are summed for a period before ratios are given. The unit has been designed principally for application in quantitative experiments using stable-isotope dilution with mass spectrometry. The precision of the ratios generated are demonstrated using hexachlorobutadiene mass ions and a calibration series of mixtures of phosphate and 18 O-labelled phosphate as internal standard

Stereotactic Image-Guided Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Using the HI-ART II Helical Tomotherapy System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmes, Timothy W.; Hudes, Richard; Dziuba, Sylwester; Kazi, Abdul; Hall, Mark; Dawson, Dana

2008-01-01

The highly integrated adaptive radiation therapy (HI-ART II) helical tomotherapy unit is a new radiotherapy machine designed to achieve highly precise and accurate treatments at all body sites. The precision and accuracy of the HI-ART II is similar to that provided by stereotactic radiosurgery systems, hence the historical distinction between external beam radiotherapy and stereotactic procedures based on differing precision requirements is removed for this device. The objectives of this work are: (1) to describe stereotactic helical tomotherapy processes (SRS, SBRT); (2) to show that the precision and accuracy of the HI-ART meet the requirements defined for SRS and SBRT; and (3) to describe the clinical implementation of a stereotactic image-guided intensity modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) system that incorporates optical motion management

Functional Neuroimaging of Emotionally Intense Autobiographical Memories in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

St. Jacques, Peggy L.; Botzung, Anne; Miles, Amanda; Rubin, David C.

2010-01-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects regions that support autobiographical memory (AM) retrieval, such as the hippocampus, amygdala and ventral medial prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, it is not well understood how PTSD may impact the neural mechanisms of memory retrieval for the personal past. We used a generic cue method combined with parametric modulation analysis and functional MRI (fMRI) to investigate the neural mechanisms affected by PTSD symptoms during the retrieval of a large sample of emotionally intense AMs. There were three main results. First, the PTSD group showed greater recruitment of the amygdala/hippocampus during the construction of negative versus positive emotionally intense AMs, when compared to controls. Second, across both the construction and elaboration phases of retrieval the PTSD group showed greater recruitment of the ventral medial PFC for negatively intense memories, but less recruitment for positively intense memories. Third, the PTSD group showed greater functional coupling between the ventral medial PFC and the amygdala for negatively intense memories, but less coupling for positively intense memories. In sum, the fMRI data suggest that there was greater recruitment and coupling of emotional brain regions during the retrieval of negatively intense AMs in the PTSD group when compared to controls. PMID:21109253

Dosimetric comparison of the related parameters between simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy and sequential boost conformal radiotherapy for postoperative malignant glioma of the brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao Qian; Lu Jie; Li Jianbin; Sun Tao; Bai Tong; Liu Tonghai; Yin Yong

2011-01-01

Objective: To compare the dosimetric of different parameter of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) with sequential boost conformal radiotherapy (SB-CRT) for postoperative malignant glioma of the brain. Methods: Ten patients with malignant glioma of brain were selected to study. Each patient was simulated all by CT and MRI, and the imagings of CT and MRI were all sent to Pinnacle 3 planning system. The fusion technology with MR-CT imaging was used on Pinnacle 3 planning system. The target volume was delineated and defined based on MRI. The postoperative residual lesion and resection cavity were defined as gross tumor volume (GTV) and expanded GTV some scope was defined as clinical target volume (CTV). The margins of GTV expanded 10 mm and 25 mm were defined as CTV1 and CTV2 respectively. CTV1 and CTV2 all enlarged 5 mm were defined as PTV1 and PTV2 respectively. The plans of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy and sequential boost conformal radiotherapy were respectively designed for each patient using Pinnacle 3 planning system and the dosimetric of different parameter was compared. The prescribe dose of SIB-IMRT was PTV1: 62.5 Gy/25 f, PTV2: 50.0 Gy/25 f; and SB-CRT was PTV1: 66.0 Gy/33 f, PTV2: 50.0 Gy/25 f. The dosimetries of different parameters of SIB-IMRT and SB-CRT were compared by using Paired-Samples T Test. Results: The maximum and mean dose of PTV1, PTV2, and brainstem were of significant difference (P 0.05). Conclusion: The SIB-IMRT plan is better than the SB-CRT plan. The CI and HI of SIB-IMRT are superior to SB-CRT. At the same time, it can preserve the important organs such as brainstem and reduce the mean dose of whole brain. On the other hand it can shorten the total period of therapy time. (authors)

Spill control and intensity monitoring for the Bevatron--Bevalac external particle beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barale, J.J.; Crebbin, K.C.

1975-03-01

Time-intensity modulation in beam spill can be of primary concern in some experiments. The major source of this beam structure is from main-guide field-magnet power supply ripple. If the time constants are appropriate, then final control of beam structure can be accomplished by closed loop control of the intensity of beam spill. The response characteristics of the feedback system will determine the final structure. At high beam fluxes signal to noise ratio of beam detectors, in the feedback loop, can be improved by at least four orders of magnitude by using photomultiplier tubes and a water Cherenkov counter in place of the normal secondary emission monitor. At beam fluxes below 10 10 particles per second (PPS), a plastic scintillator and photomultiplier tube are used in the feedback system. A plastic scintillator and photomultiplier are also used in the beam as intensity monitors. At intensities below about 10 7 PPS standard counting techniques are used. For intensities between 10 6 to 110 9 PPS, the photomultiplier is used as a current source driving an integrating circuit which is then calibrated to read the number of particles per pulse. (U.S.)

Nutritional support of children in the intensive care unit.

OpenAIRE

Seashore, J. H.

1984-01-01

Nutritional support is an integral and essential part of the management of 5-10 percent of hospitalized children. Children in the intensive care unit are particularly likely to develop malnutrition because of the nature and duration of their illness, and their inability to eat by mouth. This article reviews the physiology of starvation and the development of malnutrition in children. A method of estimating the nutritional requirements of children is presented. The techniques of nutritional su...

An Integrated Model of Knowledge Acquisition and Innovation: Examining the Mediation Effects of Knowledge Integration and Knowledge Application

Science.gov (United States)

Dahiyat, Samer E.

2015-01-01

The aim of this research is to empirically investigate the relationships among the three vital knowledge management processes of acquisition, integration and application, and their effects on organisational innovation in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Jordan; a knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) sector. Structural equation…

Travel intensity and climate policy: The influence of different mobility futures on the diffusion of battery integrated vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Longden, Thomas

2014-01-01

The importance of a focus on mobility and the kilometres travelled using light duty vehicles is reflected in the persistence of strong demand for personal mobility and emissions that tend to be linked with population and economic growth. Simulation results using the WITCH model show that changes in the kilometres driven per year using light duty vehicles have a notable impact on investments related to the development of battery related technologies. As a result, different mobility futures have notably different optimal vehicle fleet compositions. As climate policy becomes more stringent, achieving abatement with increased mobility implies large investments in battery related technologies in comparison to the 2010 level. The model results also show that the Electric Vehicles Initiative goal of a 2% share of vehicles in 2020 could be achieved with climate policy in place. However, notable cost reductions and the removal of barriers to diffusion will need to continue for the EVI goal to be achieved. - Highlights: • Travel intensity of GDP at the national level shows signs of stability over an extended period. • Different mobility futures imply notably different optimal vehicle fleet compositions. • As climate policy becomes more stringent, investments in battery related technologies increase substantially. • The model results show that the Electric Vehicles Initiative goal of a 2% share of vehicles in 2020 could be achieved. • Cost reductions and the removal of barriers to diffusion will need to continue for the EVI goal to be achieved

Evaluation of signal intensity of various thyroid tissues on MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baba, Koichiro; Imanishi, Yoshimasa [St. Marianna Univ., Kawasaki, Kanagawa (Japan). School of Medicine; Igarashi, Ryuukou; Shinagawa, Toshihito

2001-08-01

Although normal thyroid mainly consists of thyroid follicles and has large amount of water in them, it shows low signal intensity on T2 weighted MR image. In this paper, we analysed the signal intensity of the thyroid in clinical cases and investigated the relationship between signal intensity and iodine concentration. In forty-one patients who have clinically suspected thyroid diseases, fifty-three MRI examinations of the neck and forty-three thyroid CT examinations were performed. The MR imaging of the neck was performed with T1 weighted image, T2 weighted image, and STIR image. Iodine concentration of the thyroid was measured by the CT software which was originally made by one of the authors (Y.I.). The signal intensity on T2 weighted image negatively correlated with iodine concentration, although there was no relationship between iodine concentration and its signal intensity on T1 weighted image. On T2 weighted image, the intensity of thyroid with high iodine concentration showed a low signal and that of thyroid with low iodine concentration presented a high signal. The thyroid with chronic thyroiditis showed higher signal intensity than normal thyroid and adenmatous goiter on T2 weighted image and STIR image. On T2 weighted image and STIR image, the signal intensity of any thyroid nodules were higher than that of normal thyroid. In addition, follicular adenoma and partially malignant nodules showed a higher signal intensity than thyroid carcinomas. According to previous reports, decreased iodine concentration in thyroid follicles represents decreased concentration of iodine-binding proteins in follicles as well as decreased volume of follicular content in the thyroid. On MR imaging, very high concentration of protein in water solution does not only cause shortening of T1 relaxation time but also shortening of T2 relaxation time resulting in low signal intensity. In the present study, our data seem to suggest that very high concentration of iodine

Evaluation of signal intensity of various thyroid tissues on MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, Koichiro; Imanishi, Yoshimasa; Igarashi, Ryuukou; Shinagawa, Toshihito

2001-01-01

Although normal thyroid mainly consists of thyroid follicles and has large amount of water in them, it shows low signal intensity on T2 weighted MR image. In this paper, we analysed the signal intensity of the thyroid in clinical cases and investigated the relationship between signal intensity and iodine concentration. In forty-one patients who have clinically suspected thyroid diseases, fifty-three MRI examinations of the neck and forty-three thyroid CT examinations were performed. The MR imaging of the neck was performed with T1 weighted image, T2 weighted image, and STIR image. Iodine concentration of the thyroid was measured by the CT software which was originally made by one of the authors (Y.I.). The signal intensity on T2 weighted image negatively correlated with iodine concentration, although there was no relationship between iodine concentration and its signal intensity on T1 weighted image. On T2 weighted image, the intensity of thyroid with high iodine concentration showed a low signal and that of thyroid with low iodine concentration presented a high signal. The thyroid with chronic thyroiditis showed higher signal intensity than normal thyroid and adenmatous goiter on T2 weighted image and STIR image. On T2 weighted image and STIR image, the signal intensity of any thyroid nodules were higher than that of normal thyroid. In addition, follicular adenoma and partially malignant nodules showed a higher signal intensity than thyroid carcinomas. According to previous reports, decreased iodine concentration in thyroid follicles represents decreased concentration of iodine-binding proteins in follicles as well as decreased volume of follicular content in the thyroid. On MR imaging, very high concentration of protein in water solution does not only cause shortening of T1 relaxation time but also shortening of T2 relaxation time resulting in low signal intensity. In the present study, our data seem to suggest that very high concentration of iodine

Two electron response to an intense x-ray free electron laser pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, L R; Parker, J S; Meharg, K J; Armstrong, G S J; Taylor, K T

2009-01-01

New x-ray free electron lasers (FELs) promise an ultra-fast ultra-intense regime in which new physical phenomena, such as double core hole formation in at atom, should become directly observable. Ahead of x-ray FEL experiments, an initial key task is to theoretically explore such fundamental laser-atom interactions and processes. To study the response of a two-electron positive ion to an intense x-ray FEL pulse, our theoretical approach is a direct numerical integration, incorporating non-dipole Hamiltonian terms, of the full six-dimensional time-dependent Schroedinger equation. We present probabilities of double K-shell ionization in the two-electron positive ions Ne 8+ and Ar 16+ exposed to x-ray FEL pulses with frequencies in the range 50 au to 300 au and intensities in the range 10 17 to 10 22 W/cm 2 .

Optimal field splitting for large intensity-modulated fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamath, Srijit; Sahni, Sartaj; Ranka, Sanjay; Li, Jonathan; Palta, Jatinder

2004-01-01

The multileaf travel range limitations on some linear accelerators require the splitting of a large intensity-modulated field into two or more adjacent abutting intensity-modulated subfields. The abutting subfields are then delivered as separate treatment fields. This workaround not only increases the treatment delivery time but it also increases the total monitor units (MU) delivered to the patient for a given prescribed dose. It is imperative that the cumulative intensity map of the subfields is exactly the same as the intensity map of the large field generated by the dose optimization algorithm, while satisfying hardware constraints of the delivery system. In this work, we describe field splitting algorithms that split a large intensity-modulated field into two or more intensity-modulated subfields with and without feathering, with optimal MU efficiency while satisfying the hardware constraints. Compared to a field splitting technique (without feathering) used in a commercial planning system, our field splitting algorithm (without feathering) shows a decrease in total MU of up to 26% on clinical cases and up to 63% on synthetic cases

Collisionless energy absorption in the short-pulse intense laser-cluster interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kundu, M.; Bauer, D.

2006-01-01

In a previous paper [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 123401 (2006)] we have shown by means of three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations and a simple rigid-sphere model that nonlinear resonance absorption is the dominant collisionless absorption mechanism in the intense, short-pulse laser cluster interaction. In this paper we present a more detailed account of the matter. In particular we show that the absorption efficiency is almost independent of the laser polarization. In the rigid-sphere model, the absorbed energy increases by many orders of magnitude at a certain threshold laser intensity. The particle-in-cell results display maximum fractional absorption around the same intensity. We calculate the threshold intensity and show that it is underestimated by the common overbarrier ionization estimate

Preservation of renal function by intensive glycemic control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naoya Toriu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We report the case of a 67-year-old Japanese woman with type 1 diabetes mellitus. At 47 years of age, her hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c was 10.0%, and she had overt nephropathy. The first renal biopsy yielded a diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy. Intensive glycemic control was initiated and her HbA1c improved to 6.0%. Renal dysfunction showed no progression for 15 years. At 62 years of age, a second renal biopsy was performed. Glomerular lesions did not show progression but tubulointerstitial fibrosis and vascular lesions showed progression compared with the first biopsy. Intensive glycemic control can prevent the progression of glomerular lesions, but might not be effective for interstitial and vascular lesions.

Requirement Volatility, Standardization and Knowledge Integration in Software Projects: An Empirical Analysis on Outsourced IS Development Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajesri Govindaraju

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Information systems development (ISD projects are highly complex, with different groups of people having  to collaborate and exchange their knowledge. Considering the intensity of knowledge exchange that takes place in outsourced ISD projects, in this study a conceptual model was developed, aiming to examine the influence of four antecedents, i.e. standardization, requirement volatility, internal integration, and external integration, on two dependent variables, i.e. process performance and product performance. Data  were collected from 46 software companies in four big cities in Indonesia. The collected data were examined to verify the proposed theoretical model using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM technique. The results show that process performance is significantly influenced by internal integration and standardization, while product performance is  significantly influenced by external integration and  requirement volatility. This study contributes  to a better understanding of how knowledge integration can be managed in outsourced ISD projects in view of increasing their success.

Motivational intensity modulates the effects of positive emotions on set shifting after controlling physiological arousal.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ya; Siu, Angela F Y

2015-12-01

Recent research on the construct of emotion suggests the integration of a motivational dimension into the traditional two-dimension (subjective valence and physiological arousal) model. The motivational intensity of an emotional state should be taken into account while investigating the emotion-cognition relationship. This study examined how positive emotional states varying in motivational intensity influenced set shifting, after controlling the potential confounding impacts of physiological arousal. In Experiment 1, 155 volunteers performed a set-shifting task after being randomly assigned to five states: high- vs. low-motivating positive affect (interest vs. serenity), high- vs. low-motivating negative affect (disgust vs. anxiety), and neutral state. Eighty-five volunteers participated in Experiment 2, which further examined the effects of higher vs. lower degree of interest. Both experiments measured and compared participants' physiological arousal (blood pressure and pulse rate) under the normal and experimental conditions as the covariate. Results showed no difference in switching performance between the neutral and serenity groups. As compared with the neutral state, the high-motivating positive affect significantly increased set-switching reaction time costs, but reduced error rate costs; the higher the motivational intensity, the greater the time-costs impairment. This indicates a role of the high-motivating positive affect in regulating the balance between the flexible and stable cognitive control. Motivational intensity also modulated the effects of negative emotional states, i.e., disgust caused a larger increase in time costs than anxiety. Further exploration into neurobiological mechanisms that may mediate the emotional effects on set shifting is warranted. © 2015 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of light intensity and initial pH during hydrogen production by an integrated dark and photofermentation process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nath, Kaushik [Department of Chemical Engineering, GH Patel College of Engineering and Technology, Vallabh Vidyanagar 388 120, Gujarat (India); Das, Debabrata [Fermentation Technology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

2009-09-15

Photofermentation was carried out with the spent fermentation broth obtained from the anaerobic dark fermentation in a two-stage process. For the first stage, i.e. dark fermentation Enterobacter cloacae DM 11 was used as hydrogen producing microorganism. For photofermentation Rhodobacter sphaeroides O.U. 001, a photo-heterotrophic purple non-sulfur bacterium, was used. pH study revealed that cumulative hydrogen production was maximum at initial medium pH of 7.0 {+-} 0.2. Biomass yield was also high at the vicinity of pH 7.0 and it decreased as the pH increased from 7.0 to 8.0. Increased light intensity resulted in an increase in the total volume of hydrogen evolved and also hydrogen production rate. However, light conversion efficiency decreased by increasing light intensity. A four-fold increase in light intensity resulted in a three-fold decrease in light conversion efficiency although the cumulative volume of hydrogen gas production increased. It was observed that only a maximum of 0.51% light conversion efficiency could be achieved but at the expense of very low light intensity of 2500 lux (3.75 W m{sup -2}). (author)

China's numerical management system for reducing national energy intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huimin; Zhao, Xiaofan; Yu, Yuqing; Wu, Tong; Qi, Ye

2016-01-01

In China, the national target for energy intensity reduction, when integrated with target disaggregation and information feedback systems, constitutes a numerical management system, which is a hallmark of modern governance. This paper points out the technical weaknesses of China's current numerical management system. In the process of target disaggregation, the national target cannot be fully disaggregated to local governments, sectors and enterprises without omissions. At the same time, governments at lower levels face pressure for reducing energy intensity that exceeds their respective jurisdictions. In the process of information feedback, information failure is inevitable due to statistical inaccuracy. Furthermore, the monitoring system is unable to correct all errors, and data verification plays a limited role in the examination system. To address these problems, we recommend that the government: use total energy consumption as the primary indicator of energy management; reform the accounting and reporting of energy statistics toward greater consistency, timeliness and transparency; clearly define the responsibility of the higher levels of government. - Highlights: •We assess drawbacks of China's numerical management system for energy intensity. •The national energy intensity target cannot be fully disaggregated without omissions. •Data distortion is due to failures in statistics, monitoring and examination system. •Lower-level governments’ ability to meet energy target is weaker than their pressure. •We provide three policy recommendations for China's policy-makers.

Direct UV written Michelson interferometer for RZ signal generation using phase-to-intensity modulation conversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peucheret, Christophe; Geng, Yan; Zsigri, Beata

2005-01-01

An integrated Michelson delay interferometer structure making use of waveguide gratings as reflective elements is proposed and fabricated by direct ultraviolet writing. Successful return-to-zero alternate-mark-inversion signal generation using phase-to-intensity modulation conversion...

A study on CT attenuation and MR signal intensity of protein solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Joung Hae; Choi, Dae Seob; Kim, Soon; Lee, Hyeon Kyeong; Oh, Hyeon Hee; Kim, Seung Hyeon; Lee, Sung Woo; Chang, Kee Hyun; Chung, Jun Ho

2001-01-01

To correlate CT attenuation and MR signal intensity with concentration of protein solution. CT and MR examinations of a phantom containing bovine serum albumin solutions of various concentrations ranging from 0 to 55% were performed. CT Hounsfield units(HUs), MR signal intensities, and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of each albumin solution were measured, and CT HUs and MR signal intensities of the solutions were compared with those of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), white matter, and cortical gray matter. CT HU increased gradually with increasing albumin concentration. On T1-weighted images(T1WI), signal intensity increased with increasing albumin concentrations of up to 35% but then decreased. On T2-weighted images(T2Wl), gradually decreasing signal intensity and increasing albumin concentration were observed Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and diffusion-weighted images (DWls) showed that signal intensity peaked at a concentration of 10% and then gradually decreased. The ADC of the solution gradually decreased as concentration increased. Compared with those of normal brain structures, the CT HUs of solutions at concentrations of over 20% were higher than those of white and gray matter. At T1WI, the signal intensities of 10-45% solutions were similar to or higher than that of the gray matter. At T2Wl, the signal intensities of solutions above 25, 35, and 40% were lower than those of CSF, gray matter, and white matter, respectively. FLAIR images showed that the signal intensities of 5-35% solutions were higher than that of gray matter. The CT attenuation of albumin solution increased gradually with increasing concentration. MR signal intensities peaked at 35% concentration on T1WI and at 10% on FLAIR and DW images, respectively, and then gradually decreased. T2Wl and ADC map images showed gradually decreasing signal intensity and ADC as albumin concentration increased

Comprehensive diagnostic set for intense lithium ion hohlraum experiments on PBFA II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leeper, R.J.; Bailey, J.E.; Carlson, A.L.

1994-01-01

A review of the comprehensive diagnostic package developed at Sandia National Laboratories for intense lithium ion hohlraum target experiments on PBFA II will be presented. This package contains an extensive suite of x-ray spectral and imaging diagnostics that enable measurements of target radiation smoothing, hydro-motion, and temperature. The x-ray diagnostics include time-integrated and time-resolved pinhole cameras, energy-resolved 1-D streaked imaging diagnostics that enable measurements of target radiation smoothing, hydro-motion, and temperature. The x-ray diagnostics include time-integrated and time-resolved pinhole cameras, energy-resolved 1-D streaked imaging diagnostics, time-integrated and time-resolved grazing incidence spectrographs, a transmission grating spectrography, an elliptical crystal spectrograph, a bolometer array, an eleven element x-ray diode (XRD) array, and an eleven element PIN diode detector array. A hohlraum temperature measurement technique under development is a shock breakout diagnostic that measures the radiation pressure at the hohlraum wall. The incident Li beam symmetry and an estimate of incident Li beam power density are measured from ion beam-induced characteristic x-ray line and neutron emissions. An attempt to measure the Li beam intensity directly on target used Rutherford scattered ions into an ion movie camera and a magnetic spectrograph. The philosophy used in designing all the diagnostics in the set has emphasized redundant and independent measurements of fundamental physical quantities relevant to the performance of the target. Details of each diagnostic, its integration, data reduction procedures, and recent PBFA-II data will be discussed

Welfare of cattle kept in intensive silvopastoral systems: A case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariel Marcel Tarazona Morales

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of three different intensive silvopastoral systems (ISPS on cattle animal welfare (AW in Colombia. The three ISPS differed in area, plant composition, and grazing periods as follows: ISPS1 - low plant diversity in paddocks of 1200 m2, with grazing period of 24 h; ISPS2 - middle plant diversity in paddocks of 600 m2, with grazing period of 12 h; and ISPS3 - high plant diversity in paddocks of 600 m2, with grazing period of 24 h. Animal welfare was assessed using a wide range of criteria, which were integrated using L-spline functions and Choquet integrals to generate overall values. It was found that AW was good in all ISPS; the highest scoring criteria was for food and water, with 99, 97, and 100 points from a maximum of 100 for ISPSs 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Comfort showed values of 100 for all three systems, but good health was the most problematic criteria of the AW features with scores of 25, 40, and 36 for ISPSs 1, 2, and 3, respectively. All three ISPS showed excellent scores for appropriate behavior (82, 88, and 89. The welfare problems shown here were not specific to the individual ISPS, but were common to all livestock systems in the region. Despite the differences in diversity of plants, size of paddocks, and grazing period among the three ISPSs tested, all of them provide cattle with sufficient resources and a diverse environment, ensuring a good state of welfare to them.

The joint project for high-intensity proton accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-08-01

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) agreed to promote the joint project integrating both the Neutron Science Project (NSP) of JAERI and the Japan Hadron Facility Project (JHF) of KEK for comprehensive studies on basic science and technology using high-intensity proton accelerator. This document describes the joint proposal prepared by the Joint Project Team of JAERI and KEK to construct accelerators and research facilities necessary both for the NSP and the JHF at the site of JAERI Tokai Establishment. (author)

Energy and intensity modulated radiation therapy with electrons

OpenAIRE

Olofsson, Lennart

2005-01-01

In recent years intensity modulated radiation therapy with photons (xIMRT) has gained attention due to its ability to reduce the dose in the tissues close to the tumour volume. However, this technique also results in a large low dose volume. Electron IMRT (eIMRT) has the potential to reduce the integral dose to the patient due to the dose fall off in the electron depth dose curves. This dose fall off makes it possible to modulate the dose distribution in the direction of the beam by selecting...

Design features and performance of the LAMPF high-intensity beam area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agnew, L.; Grisham, D.; Macek, R.J.; Sommer, W.F.; Werbeck, R.D.

1983-01-01

LAMPF is a multi-purpose high-intensity meson factory capable of producing a 1 mA beam of 800-MeV protons. The three target cells and the beam stop facilities in the high intensity area have many special design features that are required for operation in the presence of high heat loads and intense radiation fields where accessibility is extremely limited. Reliable targets, beam windows, beam stops, beam transport and diagnostic components, vacuum enclosures, and auxiliary systems have been developed. Sophisticated remote-handling systems are employed for maintenance. Complex protection systems have been developed to guard against damage caused by errant beam. Beam availability approaching 90% has been achieved at currents of 600 to 700 μA. A new facility for direct proton and neutron radiation effects studies will be installed in 1985. The new facility will provide an integrated spallation neutron flux of up to 5 x 10 17 m -2 s -1 and will anable proton irradiation studies in the primary beam

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise improves sleep quality in men older adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shams Amir

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of present research was to investigate the effect of low and moderate intensity aerobic exercises on sleep quality in older adults. The statistical sample included 45 volunteer elderly men with age range of 60-70 years old that divided randomly in two experimental groups (aerobic exercise with low and moderate intensity and one control group. The maximum heart rate (MaxHR of subjects was obtained by subtracting one's age from 220. Furthermore, based on aerobic exercise type (40-50% MaxHR for low intensity group and 60-70% MaxHR for moderate intensity group the target MaxHR was calculated for each subject. The exercise protocol consisted of 8 weeks aerobic exercises (2 sessions in per-week based on Rockport one-mile walking/running test and the control group continued their daily activities. All subjects in per-test and post-test stages were completed the Petersburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI. Results in post-test stage showed that there were significant differences between control and experimental groups in sleep quality and its components (P<0.05. Also, the Tukey Post Hoc showed that the moderate intensity group scores in sleep quality and its components were better than other groups (P<0.05. Finally, the low intensity group scores were better than control group (P<0.05. Generally, the present research showed that the aerobic exercises with moderate intensity have a positive and significant effect on sleep quality and its components. Thus, based on these findings, the moderate intensity aerobic exercises as a useful and medical method for improve the sleep quality among community older adults was recommended.

Development of a precise long-time digital integrator for magnetic measurements in a tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurihara, Kenichi; Kawamata, Youichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment

1997-10-01

Long-time D-T burning operation in a tokamak requires that a magnetic sensor must work in an environment of 14-MeV intense neutron field, and that the measurement system must output precise magnetic field values. A method of time-integration of voltage produced in a simple pick-up coil seems to have preferable features of good time response, easy maintenance, and resistance to neutron irradiation. However, an inevitably-produced signal drift makes it difficult to apply the method to the long-time integral operation. To solve this problem, we have developed a new digital integrator (a voltage-to-frequency converter and an up-down counter) with testing the trial boards in the JT-60 magnetic measurements. This reports all of the problems and their measures through the development steps in details, and shows how to apply this method to the ITER operation. (author)

Spin and radiation in intense laser fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walser, M.W.; Urbach, D.J.; Hatsagortsyan, K.Z.; Hu, S.X.; Keitel, C.H.

2002-01-01

The spin dynamics and its reaction on the particle motion are investigated for free and bound electrons in intense linearly polarized laser fields. Employing both classical and quantum treatments we analytically evaluate the spin oscillation of free electrons in intense laser fields and indicate the effect of spin-orbit coupling on the motion of the electron. In Mott scattering an estimation for the spin oscillation is derived. In intense laser ion dynamics spin signatures are studied in detail with emphasis on high-order harmonic generation in the tunneling regime. First- and second-order calculations in the ratio of electron velocity and the speed of light show spin signatures in the radiation spectrum and spin-orbit effects in the electron polarization

Using an intervention mapping approach to develop a discharge protocol for intensive care patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.M.C. van Mol (Margo); M.D. Nijkamp (Marjan); Markham, C. (Christine); E. Ista (Erwin)

2017-01-01

textabstractBackground: Admission into an intensive care unit (ICU) may result in long-term physical, cognitive, and emotional consequences for patients and their relatives. The care of the critically ill patient does not end upon ICU discharge; therefore, integrated and ongoing care during and

Description of an Intensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Multidiagnostic Clients with Eating Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Federici, Anita; Wisniewski, Lucene; Ben-Porath, Denise

2012-01-01

The authors describe an intensive outpatient dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program for multidiagnostic clients with eating disorders who had not responded adequately to standard, empirically supported treatments for eating disorders. The program integrates DBT with empirically supported cognitive behavior therapy approaches that are well…

Immigrant community integration in world cities

Science.gov (United States)

Lamanna, Fabio; Lenormand, Maxime; Salas-Olmedo, María Henar; Romanillos, Gustavo; Gonçalves, Bruno

2018-01-01

As a consequence of the accelerated globalization process, today major cities all over the world are characterized by an increasing multiculturalism. The integration of immigrant communities may be affected by social polarization and spatial segregation. How are these dynamics evolving over time? To what extent the different policies launched to tackle these problems are working? These are critical questions traditionally addressed by studies based on surveys and census data. Such sources are safe to avoid spurious biases, but the data collection becomes an intensive and rather expensive work. Here, we conduct a comprehensive study on immigrant integration in 53 world cities by introducing an innovative approach: an analysis of the spatio-temporal communication patterns of immigrant and local communities based on language detection in Twitter and on novel metrics of spatial integration. We quantify the Power of Integration of cities –their capacity to spatially integrate diverse cultures– and characterize the relations between different cultures when acting as hosts or immigrants. PMID:29538383

Immigrant community integration in world cities.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Lamanna

Full Text Available As a consequence of the accelerated globalization process, today major cities all over the world are characterized by an increasing multiculturalism. The integration of immigrant communities may be affected by social polarization and spatial segregation. How are these dynamics evolving over time? To what extent the different policies launched to tackle these problems are working? These are critical questions traditionally addressed by studies based on surveys and census data. Such sources are safe to avoid spurious biases, but the data collection becomes an intensive and rather expensive work. Here, we conduct a comprehensive study on immigrant integration in 53 world cities by introducing an innovative approach: an analysis of the spatio-temporal communication patterns of immigrant and local communities based on language detection in Twitter and on novel metrics of spatial integration. We quantify the Power of Integration of cities -their capacity to spatially integrate diverse cultures- and characterize the relations between different cultures when acting as hosts or immigrants.

Real-time monitoring of longitudinal electron bunch parameters by intensity-integrated and spectroscopic measurements of single coherent THz pulses; Echtzeitbestimmung longitudinaler Elektronenstrahlparameter mittels absoluter Intensitaets- und Spektralmessung einzelner kohaerenter THz Strahlungspulse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wesch, Stephan

2012-12-15

High-gain free-electron lasers (FELs) generate intense and monochromatic photon pulses with few tens of femtosecond duration. For this purpose, electron beams are accelerated to relativistic energies and shrunk longitudinally down to micrometer size.The diagnosis of theses compressed electron bunches is a challenge especially for MHz bunch repetition rates as provided by the FEL FLASH in Hamburg. In this thesis, coherently emitted THz radiation of single electron bunches were investigated, on which the longitudinal structure is imprinted. Two instruments were used: First, the FLASH bunch compression monitors, relying on the integrated intensity measurement of diffraction radiation, were modified to determine the overall length of every bunch behind the two bunch compressors (BC). A model was developed showing that their response is independent of the exact bunch shape for lengths below 200 {mu}m (rms). This could experimentally be verified in the range between 50 and 190 {mu}m within 7% accuracy for themonitor behind the last BC by comparison with measurements with the transverse deflecting structure (TDS). Second, a single-shot spectrometer with five staged reflective blazed gratings has been designed, build and commissioned. With its two grating sets, the wavelength ranges from 5.5 to 44 {mu}m and 45 to 440 {mu}m can be simultaneously detected by 118 fast pyroelectric elements. Measurements based on transition radiation spectra were compared with profiles recorded by the TDS.The shape of the spectra as well as the reconstructed temporal profiles (using the Kramers-Kronig relation for phase retrieval) are in excellent agreement. For bunches with a charge of 50 pC, bunch lengths down to 5 {mu}m (fhwm) could be detected.

Signal intensity enhancement of laser ablated volume holograms

Science.gov (United States)

Versnel, J. M.; Williams, C.; Davidson, C. A. B.; Wilkinson, T. D.; Lowe, C. R.

2017-11-01

stabilize the metal nanoparticles within the matrix yield more intense holographic signals as the integrity of the fringe is more protected with increasing metal solubility.

Long Pulse Integrator of Variable Integral Time Constant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yong; Ji Zhenshan; Du Xiaoying; Wu Yichun; Li Shi; Luo Jiarong

2010-01-01

A kind of new long pulse integrator was designed based on the method of variable integral time constant and deducting integral drift by drift slope. The integral time constant can be changed by choosing different integral resistors, in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and avoid output saturation; the slope of integral drift of a certain period of time can be calculated by digital signal processing, which can be used to deduct the drift of original integral signal in real time to reduce the integral drift. The tests show that this kind of long pulse integrator is good at reducing integral drift, which also can eliminate the effects of changing integral time constant. According to experiments, the integral time constant can be changed by remote control and manual adjustment of integral drift is avoided, which can improve the experiment efficiency greatly and can be used for electromagnetic measurement in Tokamak experiment. (authors)

The future of intensive care medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanch, L; Annane, D; Antonelli, M; Chiche, J D; Cuñat, J; Girard, T D; Jiménez, E J; Quintel, M; Ugarte, S; Mancebo, J

2013-03-01

Intensive care medical training, whether as a primary specialty or as secondary add-on training, should include key competences to ensure a uniform standard of care, and the number of intensive care physicians needs to increase to keep pace with the growing and anticipated need. The organisation of intensive care in multiple specialty or central units is heterogeneous and evolving, but appropriate early treatment and access to a trained intensivist should be assured at all times, and intensivists should play a pivotal role in ensuring communication and high-quality care across hospital departments. Structures now exist to support clinical research in intensive care medicine, which should become part of routine patient management. However, more translational research is urgently needed to identify areas that show clinical promise and to apply research principles to the real-life clinical setting. Likewise, electronic networks can be used to share expertise and support research. Individuals, physicians and policy makers need to allow for individual choices and priorities in the management of critically ill patients while remaining within the limits of economic reality. Professional scientific societies play a pivotal role in supporting the establishment of a defined minimum level of intensive health care and in ensuring standardised levels of training and patient care by promoting interaction between physicians and policy makers. The perception of intensive care medicine among the general public could be improved by concerted efforts to increase awareness of the services provided and of the successes achieved. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Physiological and Transcriptional Responses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to d-Limonene Show Changes to the Cell Wall but Not to the Plasma Membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Brennan, Timothy C. R.; Nielsen, Lars K.

2013-01-01

Monoterpenes can, upon hydrogenation, be used as light-fraction components of sustainable aviation fuels. Fermentative production of monoterpenes in engineered microorganisms, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has gained attention as a potential route to deliver these next-generation fuels from renewable biomass. However, end product toxicity presents a formidable problem for microbial synthesis. Due to their hydrophobicity, monoterpene inhibition has long been attributed to membrane interference, but the molecular mechanism remains largely unsolved. In order to gain a better understanding of the mode of action, we analyzed the composition and structural integrity of the cell envelope as well as the transcriptional response of yeast cells treated with an inhibitory amount of d-limonene (107 mg/liter). We found no alterations in membrane fluidity, structural membrane integrity, or fatty acid composition after the solvent challenge. A 4-fold increase in the mean fluorescence intensity per cell (using calcofluor white stain) and increased sensitivity to cell wall-degrading enzymes demonstrated that limonene disrupts cell wall properties. Global transcript measurements confirmed the membrane integrity observations by showing no upregulation of ergosterol or fatty acid biosynthesis pathways, which are commonly overexpressed in yeast to reinforce membrane rigidity during ethanol exposure. Limonene shock did cause a compensatory response to cell wall damage through overexpression of several genes (ROM1, RLM1, PIR3, CTT1, YGP1, MLP1, PST1, and CWP1) involved with the cell wall integrity signaling pathway. This is the first report demonstrating that cell wall, rather than plasma membrane, deterioration is the main source of monoterpene inhibition. We show that limonene can alter the structure and function of the cell wall, which has a clear effect on cytokinesis. PMID:23542628

Neural processing of emotional-intensity predicts emotion regulation choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Shafir, Roni; Thiruchselvam, Ravi; Suri, Gaurav; Gross, James J; Sheppes, Gal

2016-12-01

Emotional-intensity is a core characteristic of affective events that strongly determines how individuals choose to regulate their emotions. Our conceptual framework suggests that in high emotional-intensity situations, individuals prefer to disengage attention using distraction, which can more effectively block highly potent emotional information, as compared with engagement reappraisal, which is preferred in low emotional-intensity. However, existing supporting evidence remains indirect because prior intensity categorization of emotional stimuli was based on subjective measures that are potentially biased and only represent the endpoint of emotional-intensity processing. Accordingly, this study provides the first direct evidence for the role of online emotional-intensity processing in predicting behavioral regulatory-choices. Utilizing the high temporal resolution of event-related potentials, we evaluated online neural processing of stimuli's emotional-intensity (late positive potential, LPP) prior to regulatory-choices between distraction and reappraisal. Results showed that enhanced neural processing of intensity (enhanced LPP amplitudes) uniquely predicted (above subjective measures of intensity) increased tendency to subsequently choose distraction over reappraisal. Additionally, regulatory-choices led to adaptive consequences, demonstrated in finding that actual implementation of distraction relative to reappraisal-choice resulted in stronger attenuation of LPPs and self-reported arousal. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Fully Automated Simultaneous Integrated Boosted-Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning Is Feasible for Head-and-Neck Cancer: A Prospective Clinical Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu Binbin, E-mail: binbin.wu@gunet.georgetown.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Department of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC (United States); McNutt, Todd [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Zahurak, Marianna [Department of Oncology Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Simari, Patricio [Autodesk Research, Toronto, ON (Canada); Pang, Dalong [Department of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC (United States); Taylor, Russell [Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Sanguineti, Giuseppe [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (United States)

2012-12-01

Purpose: To prospectively determine whether overlap volume histogram (OVH)-driven, automated simultaneous integrated boosted (SIB)-intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning for head-and-neck cancer can be implemented in clinics. Methods and Materials: A prospective study was designed to compare fully automated plans (APs) created by an OVH-driven, automated planning application with clinical plans (CPs) created by dosimetrists in a 3-dose-level (70 Gy, 63 Gy, and 58.1 Gy), head-and-neck SIB-IMRT planning. Because primary organ sparing (cord, brain, brainstem, mandible, and optic nerve/chiasm) always received the highest priority in clinical planning, the study aimed to show the noninferiority of APs with respect to PTV coverage and secondary organ sparing (parotid, brachial plexus, esophagus, larynx, inner ear, and oral mucosa). The sample size was determined a priori by a superiority hypothesis test that had 85% power to detect a 4% dose decrease in secondary organ sparing with a 2-sided alpha level of 0.05. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) regression model was used for statistical comparison. Results: Forty consecutive patients were accrued from July to December 2010. GEE analysis indicated that in APs, overall average dose to the secondary organs was reduced by 1.16 (95% CI = 0.09-2.33) with P=.04, overall average PTV coverage was increased by 0.26% (95% CI = 0.06-0.47) with P=.02 and overall average dose to the primary organs was reduced by 1.14 Gy (95% CI = 0.45-1.8) with P=.004. A physician determined that all APs could be delivered to patients, and APs were clinically superior in 27 of 40 cases. Conclusions: The application can be implemented in clinics as a fast, reliable, and consistent way of generating plans that need only minor adjustments to meet specific clinical needs.

Fully Automated Simultaneous Integrated Boosted–Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning Is Feasible for Head-and-Neck Cancer: A Prospective Clinical Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Binbin; McNutt, Todd; Zahurak, Marianna; Simari, Patricio; Pang, Dalong; Taylor, Russell; Sanguineti, Giuseppe

2012-01-01

Purpose: To prospectively determine whether overlap volume histogram (OVH)–driven, automated simultaneous integrated boosted (SIB)-intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning for head-and-neck cancer can be implemented in clinics. Methods and Materials: A prospective study was designed to compare fully automated plans (APs) created by an OVH-driven, automated planning application with clinical plans (CPs) created by dosimetrists in a 3-dose-level (70 Gy, 63 Gy, and 58.1 Gy), head-and-neck SIB-IMRT planning. Because primary organ sparing (cord, brain, brainstem, mandible, and optic nerve/chiasm) always received the highest priority in clinical planning, the study aimed to show the noninferiority of APs with respect to PTV coverage and secondary organ sparing (parotid, brachial plexus, esophagus, larynx, inner ear, and oral mucosa). The sample size was determined a priori by a superiority hypothesis test that had 85% power to detect a 4% dose decrease in secondary organ sparing with a 2-sided alpha level of 0.05. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) regression model was used for statistical comparison. Results: Forty consecutive patients were accrued from July to December 2010. GEE analysis indicated that in APs, overall average dose to the secondary organs was reduced by 1.16 (95% CI = 0.09-2.33) with P=.04, overall average PTV coverage was increased by 0.26% (95% CI = 0.06-0.47) with P=.02 and overall average dose to the primary organs was reduced by 1.14 Gy (95% CI = 0.45-1.8) with P=.004. A physician determined that all APs could be delivered to patients, and APs were clinically superior in 27 of 40 cases. Conclusions: The application can be implemented in clinics as a fast, reliable, and consistent way of generating plans that need only minor adjustments to meet specific clinical needs.

Brain responses to language-relevant musical features in adolescent cochlear implant users before and after an intensive music training program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bjørn; Weed, Ethan; Hansen, Mads

Brain responses to language-relevant musical features in adolescent cochlear implant users before and after an intensive music training program Petersen B.1,2, Weed E.1,3, Hansen M.1,4, Sørensen S.D.3 , Sandmann P.5 , Vuust P.1,2 1Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University......, rhythm and intensity). Difference waves for the rhythm deviant were analyzed in the time window between 300 and 320 ms. Separate mixed-model ANOVAs were performed for left and right fronto-central electrodes. Paired t-tests were used to analyze the behavioral data. Here we present preliminary analyses...... of ERP responses to the rhythm deviant stimuli and results from a behavioral rhythm discrimination test. For both left and right electrode sites we found a main effect of group, driven by higher mean amplitude in the NH group. There was no main effect of training. Left hemisphere sites showed...

The impact of parameter identification methods on drug therapy control in an intensive care unit

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hann, C.E.; Chase, J.G.; Ypma, M.F.; Elfring, J.; Nor, N.H.M.; Lawrence, P.; Shaw, G.M.

2008-01-01

This paper investigates the impact of fast parameter identification methods, which do not require any forward simulations, on model-based glucose control, using retrospective data in the Christchurch Hospital Intensive Care Unit. The integral-based identification method has been previously

Analysis of the overall energy intensity of alumina refinery process using unit process energy intensity and product ratio method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Liru; Aye, Lu [International Technologies Center (IDTC), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010 (Australia); Lu, Zhongwu [Institute of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004 (China); Zhang, Peihong [Department of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Architecture University, Shenyang 110168 (China)

2006-07-15

Alumina refinery is an energy intensive industry. Traditional energy saving methods employed have been single-equipment-orientated. Based on two concepts of 'energy carrier' and 'system', this paper presents a method that analyzes the effects of unit process energy intensity (e) and product ratio (p) on overall energy intensity of alumina. The important conclusion drawn from this method is that it is necessary to decrease both the unit process energy intensity and the product ratios in order to decrease the overall energy intensity of alumina, which may be taken as a future policy for energy saving. As a case study, the overall energy intensity of the Chinese Zhenzhou alumina refinery plant with Bayer-sinter combined method between 1995 and 2000 was analyzed. The result shows that the overall energy intensity of alumina in this plant decreased by 7.36 GJ/t-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} over this period, 49% of total energy saving is due to direct energy saving, and 51% is due to indirect energy saving. The emphasis in this paper is on decreasing product ratios of high-energy consumption unit processes, such as evaporation, slurry sintering, aluminium trihydrate calcining and desilication. Energy savings can be made (1) by increasing the proportion of Bayer and indirect digestion, (2) by increasing the grade of ore by ore dressing or importing some rich gibbsite and (3) by promoting the advancement in technology. (author)

INTEGRATION POLICY TOWARDS IMMIGRANTS: CURRENT EXPERIENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadiia Bureiko

2012-03-01

Full Text Available In the contemporary world the intensity of the immigration movements is constantly increasing. Countries which experience great immigrant flows are facing numerous problems which should be solved. The article studies the current immigration flows in EU countries, the United States of America and Canada and presents three main models of integration policy towards immigrants – political assimilation, functional integration and multicultural model. Separate models are distinguished for the Muslims’ integration. The author examines the peculiarities of every model and examines the conclusions provided by the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX concerning the situation of the immigrants’ integration in 31 countries in 2011. Among all the policy indicators the first that are defined are as follows: political participation, education, labour market mobility and anti-discrimination. The situation with immigrants’ integration in Ukraine is also studied as it is gaining a great attention of the authorities and the public. The measures and practical steps done regarding this situation in Ukraine in recent years are analyzed using the information offered by the State Migration Service of Ukraine.

Future of Chemical Engineering: Integrating Biology into the Undergraduate ChE Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Mosto, Patricia; Savelski, Mariano; Farrell, Stephanie H.; Hecht, Gregory B.

2007-01-01

Integrating biology in the chemical engineering curriculum seems to be the future for chemical engineering programs nation and worldwide. Rowan University's efforts to address this need include a unique chemical engineering curriculum with an intensive biology component integrated throughout from freshman to senior years. Freshman and Sophomore…

Two electron response to an intense x-ray free electron laser pulse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, L R; Parker, J S; Meharg, K J; Armstrong, G S J; Taylor, K T, E-mail: l.moore@qub.ac.u [DAMTP, David Bates Building, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN (United Kingdom)

2009-11-01

New x-ray free electron lasers (FELs) promise an ultra-fast ultra-intense regime in which new physical phenomena, such as double core hole formation in at atom, should become directly observable. Ahead of x-ray FEL experiments, an initial key task is to theoretically explore such fundamental laser-atom interactions and processes. To study the response of a two-electron positive ion to an intense x-ray FEL pulse, our theoretical approach is a direct numerical integration, incorporating non-dipole Hamiltonian terms, of the full six-dimensional time-dependent Schroedinger equation. We present probabilities of double K-shell ionization in the two-electron positive ions Ne{sup 8+} and Ar{sup 16+} exposed to x-ray FEL pulses with frequencies in the range 50 au to 300 au and intensities in the range 10{sup 17} to 10{sup 22} W/cm{sup 2}.

[Reimbursement of intensive care services in the German DRG system : Current problems and possible solutions].

Science.gov (United States)

Riessen, R; Hermes, C; Bodmann, K-F; Janssens, U; Markewitz, A

2018-02-01

The reimbursement of intensive care and nursing services in the German health system is based on the diagnosis-related groups (G-DRG) system. Due to the lack of a central hospital planning, the G‑DRG system has become the most important influence on the development of the German health system. Compared to other countries, intensive care in Germany is characterized by a high number of intensive care beds, a low nurse-to-patient ratio, no official definition of the level of care, and a minimal available data set from intensive care units (ICUs). Under the given circumstances, a shortage of qualified intensive care nurses and physicians is currently the largest threat for intensive care in Germany. To address these deficiencies, we suggest the following measures: (1) Integration of ICUs into the levels of care which are currently developed for emergency centers at hospitals. (2) Mandatory collection of structured data sets from all ICUs including quality criteria. (3) A reform of intensive care and nursing reimbursement under consideration of adequate staffing in the individual ICU. (4) Actions to improve ICU staffing and qualification.

An infrastructure for data-intensive seismology using ADMIRE: laying the bricks for a new data highway

Science.gov (United States)

Trani, L.; Spinuso, A.; Galea, M.; Atkinson, M.; Van Eck, T.; Vilotte, J.

2011-12-01

The data bonanza generated by today's digital revolution is forcing scientists to rethink their methodologies and working practices. Traditional approaches to knowledge discovery are pushed to their limit and struggle to keep apace with the data flows produced by modern systems. This work shows how the ADMIRE data-intensive architecture supports seismologists by enabling them to focus on their scientific goals and questions, abstracting away the underlying technology platform that enacts their data integration and analysis tasks. ADMIRE accomplishes this partly by recognizing 3 different types of experts that require clearly defined interfaces between their interaction: the domain expert who is the application specialist, the data-analysis expert who is a specialist in extracting information from data, and the data-intensive engineer who develops the infrastructure for data-intensive computation. In order to provide a context in which each category of expert may flourish, ADMIRE uses a 3-level architecture: the upper - tool - level supports the work of both domain and data-analysis experts, housing an extensive and evolving set of portals, tools and development environments; the lower - enactment - level houses a large and dynamic community of providers delivering data and data-intensive enactment environments as an evolving infrastructure that supports all of the work underway in the upper layer. Most data-intensive engineers work here; the crucial innovation lies in the middle level, a gateway that is a tightly defined and stable interface through which the two diverse and dynamic upper and lower layers communicate. This is a minimal and simple protocol and language (DISPEL), ultimately to be controlled by standards, so that the upper and lower communities may invest, secure in the knowledge that changes in this interface will be carefully managed. We implemented a well-established procedure for processing seismic ambient noise on the prototype architecture. The

Integration Of PanDA Workload Management System With Supercomputers for ATLAS and Data Intensive Science

Science.gov (United States)

Klimentov, A.; De, K.; Jha, S.; Maeno, T.; Nilsson, P.; Oleynik, D.; Panitkin, S.; Wells, J.; Wenaus, T.

2016-10-01

The.LHC, operating at CERN, is leading Big Data driven scientific explorations. Experiments at the LHC explore the fundamental nature of matter and the basic forces that shape our universe. ATLAS, one of the largest collaborations ever assembled in the sciences, is at the forefront of research at the LHC. To address an unprecedented multi-petabyte data processing challenge, the ATLAS experiment is relying on a heterogeneous distributed computational infrastructure. The ATLAS experiment uses PanDA (Production and Data Analysis) Workload Management System for managing the workflow for all data processing on over 150 data centers. Through PanDA, ATLAS physicists see a single computing facility that enables rapid scientific breakthroughs for the experiment, even though the data centers are physically scattered all over the world. While PanDA currently uses more than 250,000 cores with a peak performance of 0.3 petaFLOPS, LHC data taking runs require more resources than grid can possibly provide. To alleviate these challenges, LHC experiments are engaged in an ambitious program to expand the current computing model to include additional resources such as the opportunistic use of supercomputers. We will describe a project aimed at integration of PanDA WMS with supercomputers in United States, in particular with Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. Current approach utilizes modified PanDA pilot framework for job submission to the supercomputers batch queues and local data management, with light-weight MPI wrappers to run single threaded workloads in parallel on LCFs multi-core worker nodes. This implementation was tested with a variety of Monte-Carlo workloads on several supercomputing platforms for ALICE and ATLAS experiments and it is in full pro duction for the ATLAS since September 2015. We will present our current accomplishments with running PanDA at supercomputers and demonstrate our ability to use PanDA as a portal independent of the

Integration Of PanDA Workload Management System With Supercomputers for ATLAS and Data Intensive Science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klimentov, A; Maeno, T; Nilsson, P; Panitkin, S; Wenaus, T; De, K; Oleynik, D; Jha, S; Wells, J

2016-01-01

The.LHC, operating at CERN, is leading Big Data driven scientific explorations. Experiments at the LHC explore the fundamental nature of matter and the basic forces that shape our universe. ATLAS, one of the largest collaborations ever assembled in the sciences, is at the forefront of research at the LHC. To address an unprecedented multi-petabyte data processing challenge, the ATLAS experiment is relying on a heterogeneous distributed computational infrastructure. The ATLAS experiment uses PanDA (Production and Data Analysis) Workload Management System for managing the workflow for all data processing on over 150 data centers. Through PanDA, ATLAS physicists see a single computing facility that enables rapid scientific breakthroughs for the experiment, even though the data centers are physically scattered all over the world. While PanDA currently uses more than 250,000 cores with a peak performance of 0.3 petaFLOPS, LHC data taking runs require more resources than grid can possibly provide. To alleviate these challenges, LHC experiments are engaged in an ambitious program to expand the current computing model to include additional resources such as the opportunistic use of supercomputers. We will describe a project aimed at integration of PanDA WMS with supercomputers in United States, in particular with Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. Current approach utilizes modified PanDA pilot framework for job submission to the supercomputers batch queues and local data management, with light-weight MPI wrappers to run single threaded workloads in parallel on LCFs multi-core worker nodes. This implementation was tested with a variety of Monte-Carlo workloads on several supercomputing platforms for ALICE and ATLAS experiments and it is in full pro duction for the ATLAS since September 2015. We will present our current accomplishments with running PanDA at supercomputers and demonstrate our ability to use PanDA as a portal independent of the

Hybrid integrated sensor for position measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, B.; Schott, H.; Just, H.-J.

1986-01-01

The design, fabrication and performance of an integrated two-dimensional position sensitive photodetector are presented. The optoelectronic device used as sensitive element in the circuit is a full area position sensitive photodiode (PPD) with high linearity over the full sensitive area. The PPD is integrated with the analog electronics in a hybrid circuit using thick film technology. The analog electronics includes the signal amplification and the signal conditioning to form the output signals proportional to the light beam center position at the sensor surface and an output signal proportional to the light beam intensity. Using hybrid integration a new position sensitive transducer is developed giving output signals, transmiting in large distances without problems and driving directly actuators in any control system

Dependence of Moessbauer resonance intensities on vibrational lattice anisotropy in case of an axial electric field gradient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedt, J.M.

1976-01-01

The change in the hyperfine line intensities is discussed for various Moessbauer transitions in cases involving axial vibrational lattice anisotropy and axial electric field gradient at the resonant nucleus. The change in the relative intensities of the spectral components has been calculed numerically for the different types of Moessbauer transitions. Polynomial expansions are given to describe the functional dependence of the relative intensities on the magnitude of the vibration anisotropy. They may be used to extract the relevant parameters from experimental data without requiring the numerical integrations implied in the description of the Goldanskii-Karyagin effect [fr

Estimation of stress intensity factors for circumferential cracked pipes under welding residual stress filed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Chang Young; Kim, Yun Jae; Oh, Young Jin; Song, Tae Kwang; Kim, Yong Beum; Oh, Young Jin; Song, Tae Kwang; Kim, Yong Beum

2012-01-01

Recently, stress corrosion cracking(SCC) have been found in dissimilar metal welds of nozzles in some pressurized water reactors and on low carbon stainless steel piping systems of boiling water reactors. The important factor of SCC is the residual stress field caused by weld. For the evaluation of crack growth analysis due to SCC, stress intensity factor under a residual stress field should be estimated. Several solutions for stress intensity factor under residual stress field were recommended in flaw assessment codes such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Section XI, R6, American Petroleum Institute (API579). Some relevant works have been studied. Dong et al. evaluated stress intensity factors in welded structures. Miyazaki et al. estimated stress intensity factors of surface crack in simple stress fields. This paper presents a simple method to estimate stress intensity factors in welding residual stress field. For general application, results of structure integrity assessment codes KI solutions were compared Finite element analyses of welding simulation and cracked pipes are described. Comparison results of KI solutions and proposed simplified solution are presented in the works

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with correlated source-light-intensity errors

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Cong; Yu, Zong-Wen; Wang, Xiang-Bin

2018-04-01

We present an analysis for measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with correlated source-light-intensity errors. Numerical results show that the results here can greatly improve the key rate especially with large intensity fluctuations and channel attenuation compared with prior results if the intensity fluctuations of different sources are correlated.

Intensity-demodulated torsion sensor based on thin-core polarization-maintaining fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Xuexue; Zhang, Weigang; Zhang, Yanxin; Yang, Jiang; Chen, Lei; Kong, Lingxin; Zhang, Yunshan; Yu, Lin; Yan, Tieyi; Geng, Pengcheng

2018-05-01

An intensity-demodulated torsion sensor is designed and realized, which consists of a polarization ring as the sensing part and a section of thin-core polarization-maintaining fiber as the demodulation part. An intensity map of a sinusoidal change can be obtained at some specific wavelengths, and the experimental results correspond to the theoretical analysis well. The maximum sensitivity is about 0.29 dB/deg at the wavelength of 1584.6 nm, and the minimum sensitivity is about 0.10 dB/deg at the wavelength of 1510.2 nm. Meanwhile, the temperature characteristic is measured in the experiment. More broadly, the proposed structure can be used in an integrated smart device for loose-screw detection in devices in aeronautics and astronautics.

Survey of organizational research climates in three research intensive, doctoral granting universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, James A; Thrush, Carol R; Martinson, Brian C; May, Terry A; Stickler, Michelle; Callahan, Eileen C; Klomparens, Karen L

2014-12-01

The Survey of Organizational Research Climate (SOuRCe) is a new instrument that assesses dimensions of research integrity climate, including ethical leadership, socialization and communication processes, and policies, procedures, structures, and processes to address risks to research integrity. We present a descriptive analysis to characterize differences on the SOuRCe scales across departments, fields of study, and status categories (faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students) for 11,455 respondents from three research-intensive universities. Among the seven SOuRCe scales, variance explained by status and fields of study ranged from 7.6% (Advisor-Advisee Relations) to 16.2% (Integrity Norms). Department accounted for greater than 50% of the variance explained for each of the SOuRCe scales, ranging from 52.6% (Regulatory Quality) to 80.3% (Integrity Inhibitors). It is feasible to implement this instrument in large university settings across a broad range of fields, department types, and individual roles within academic units. Published baseline results provide initial data for institutions using the SOuRCe who wish to compare their own research integrity climates. © The Author(s) 2014.

Locating irregularly shaped clusters of infection intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niko Yiannakoulias

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Patterns of disease may take on irregular geographic shapes, especially when features of the physical environment influence risk. Identifying these patterns can be important for planning, and also identifying new environmental or social factors associated with high or low risk of illness. Until recently, cluster detection methods were limited in their ability to detect irregular spatial patterns, and limited to finding clusters that were roughly circular in shape. This approach has less power to detect irregularly-shaped, yet important spatial anomalies, particularly at high spatial resolutions. We employ a new method of finding irregularly-shaped spatial clusters at micro-geographical scales using both simulated and real data on Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm infection intensities. This method, which we refer to as the “greedy growth scan”, is a modification of the spatial scan method for cluster detection. Real data are based on samples of hookworm and S. mansoni from Kitengei, Makueni district, Kenya. Our analysis of simulated data shows how methods able to find irregular shapes are more likely to identify clusters along rivers than methods constrained to fixed geometries. Our analysis of infection intensity identifies two small areas within the study region in which infection intensity is elevated, possibly due to local features of the physical or social environment. Collectively, our results show that the “greedy growth scan” is a suitable method for exploratory geographical analysis of infection intensity data when irregular shapes are suspected, especially at micro-geographical scales.

The effects of integration and generation of immigrants on language and numeracy achievement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Driessen, G.; Merry, M.S.

2011-01-01

In many Western countries the pressure exerted on immigrants to integrate has become intense in recent years. Efforts to preserve their ethnic identity through multicultural recognition has now been replaced by the requirements of active civic participation and assimilation. Of course integration is

Stimulated Raman backscattering at high laser intensities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skoric, M M [Vinca Inst. of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade (Yugoslavia); Tajima, Toshiki; Sasaki, Akira; Maluckov, A; Jovanovic, M

1998-03-01

Signatures of Stimulated Raman backscattering of a short-pulse high-intensity laser interacting with an underdense plasma are discussed. We introduce a nonlinear three-wave interaction model that accounts for laser pump depletion and relativistic detuning. A mechanism is revealed based on a generic route to chaos, that predicts a progressive increase of the backscatter complexity with a growing laser intensity. Importance of kinetic effects is outlined and demonstrated in fluid-hybrid and particle simulations. As an application, we show that spectral anomalies of the backscatter, predicted by the above model, are consistent with recent sub-picosecond, high-intensity laser gas-target measurements at Livermore and elsewhere. Finally, a recently proposed scheme for generation of ultra-short, low-prepulse laser pulses by Raman backscattering in a thin foil target, is shown. (author)

A plastic stress intensity factor approach to turbine disk structural integrity assessment

OpenAIRE

Shlyannikov, V.; Zakharov, A.; Yarullin, R.

2016-01-01

This study based on a new fracture mechanics parameter is concerned with assessing the integrity of cracked steam turbine disk which operate under startup-shutdown cyclic loading conditions. Damage accumulation and growth in service have occurred on the inner surface of slot fillet of key. In order to determine elastic-plastic fracture mechanics parameters full-size stress-strain state analysis of turbine disk was performed for a quote-elliptical part-through cracks under consider...

JAERI-KEK joint project on high intensity proton accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagamiya, Shoji

2000-01-01

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and the High Energy Accelerator Organization (KEK) are promoting the joint project integrating both the Neutron Science Project (NSP) of JAERI and the Japan Hadron Facility Project (JHF) of KEK for comprehensive studies on basic science and technology using high-intensity proton accelerator. This paper describes the joint project prepared by the Joint Project Team of JAERI and KEK to construct accelerators and research facilities necessary both for the NSP and the JHF at the site of JAERI Tokai Establishment. (author)

Tornado intensity estimated from damage path dimensions.

Science.gov (United States)

Elsner, James B; Jagger, Thomas H; Elsner, Ian J

2014-01-01

The Newcastle/Moore and El Reno tornadoes of May 2013 are recent reminders of the destructive power of tornadoes. A direct estimate of a tornado's power is difficult and dangerous to get. An indirect estimate on a categorical scale is available from a post-storm survery of the damage. Wind speed bounds are attached to the scale, but the scale is not adequate for analyzing trends in tornado intensity separate from trends in tornado frequency. Here tornado intensity on a continuum is estimated from damage path length and width, which are measured on continuous scales and correlated to the EF rating. The wind speeds on the EF scale are treated as interval censored data and regressed onto the path dimensions and fatalities. The regression model indicates a 25% increase in expected intensity over a threshold intensity of 29 m s(-1) for a 100 km increase in path length and a 17% increase in expected intensity for a one km increase in path width. The model shows a 43% increase in the expected intensity when fatalities are observed controlling for path dimensions. The estimated wind speeds correlate at a level of .77 (.34, .93) [95% confidence interval] with a small sample of wind speeds estimated independently from a doppler radar calibration. The estimated wind speeds allow analyses to be done on the tornado database that are not possible with the categorical scale. The modeled intensities can be used in climatology and in environmental and engineering applications. Research is needed to understand the upward trends in path length and width.

Tornado intensity estimated from damage path dimensions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James B Elsner

Full Text Available The Newcastle/Moore and El Reno tornadoes of May 2013 are recent reminders of the destructive power of tornadoes. A direct estimate of a tornado's power is difficult and dangerous to get. An indirect estimate on a categorical scale is available from a post-storm survery of the damage. Wind speed bounds are attached to the scale, but the scale is not adequate for analyzing trends in tornado intensity separate from trends in tornado frequency. Here tornado intensity on a continuum is estimated from damage path length and width, which are measured on continuous scales and correlated to the EF rating. The wind speeds on the EF scale are treated as interval censored data and regressed onto the path dimensions and fatalities. The regression model indicates a 25% increase in expected intensity over a threshold intensity of 29 m s(-1 for a 100 km increase in path length and a 17% increase in expected intensity for a one km increase in path width. The model shows a 43% increase in the expected intensity when fatalities are observed controlling for path dimensions. The estimated wind speeds correlate at a level of .77 (.34, .93 [95% confidence interval] with a small sample of wind speeds estimated independently from a doppler radar calibration. The estimated wind speeds allow analyses to be done on the tornado database that are not possible with the categorical scale. The modeled intensities can be used in climatology and in environmental and engineering applications. Research is needed to understand the upward trends in path length and width.

Effects of extensive system versus semi-intensive and intensive systems on growth and carcass quality of dairy kids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Zurita Herrera

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to study the effects of three different management systems on growth and carcass quality of 61 Murciano-Granadina breed kids and their interaction with sex. In the extensive system, 21 kids were allocated to suckle from their dams on free-range pasture with no additional feedstuff. In the semi-intensive system, 20 kids were suckled from their dams and had access to alfalfa hay and cereal straw (no free-range pasture. In the intensive system, 20 kids were separated from the dams at birth and then fed with milk replacer and alfalfa hay. Animals were slaughtered at 7.00 ± 1.00 kg of average BW. The semi-intensive system and extensive system kids grew faster than intensive system animals (127, 113 and 96 g/d, respectively. Differences in energy intake may explain these differences. Intensive system kids displayed the lowest real dressing percentages, calculated as 100 × (hot carcass weight/empty body weight, due to high development of empty gastrointestinal tract. The long leg and carcass were larger in extensive system kids than in kids from other management systems, presumably due to high physical activity on the free-range pastures. The carcasses and cuts from semi-intensive system and extensive system kids displayed more fat than those of intensive system kids. Males grew faster than females (122 and 103 g/d, respectively. Carcasses in male kids showed a higher content of bones but a lower content of fat than carcasses in female kids. The extensive system is feasible for producing kid meat from a dairy breed.

AGS intensity upgrades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roser, T.

1995-01-01

After the successful completion of the AGS Booster and several upgrades of the AGS, a new intensity record of 6.3 x 10 13 protons per pulse accelerated to 24 GeV was achieved. The high intensity slow-extracted beam program at the AGS typically serves about five production targets and about eight experiments including three rare Kaon decay experiments. Further intensity upgrades are being discussed that could increase the average delivered beam intensity by up to a factor of four

Three-dimensional numerical studies of the temperature anisotropy instability in intense charged particle beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Startsev, Edward A.; Davidson, Ronald C.; Qin, Hong

2005-01-01

In neutral plasmas with a uniform magnetic field and strongly anisotropic distribution function (T parallel /T perpendicular 0 <<1). Such high-intensity beams are relevant to next-step experiments such as the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX), which would serve as proof-of-principal experiment for heavy-ion fusion

THE CENTER FOR DATA INTENSIVE COMPUTING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GLIMM,J.

2002-11-01

CDIC will provide state-of-the-art computational and computer science for the Laboratory and for the broader DOE and scientific community. We achieve this goal by performing advanced scientific computing research in the Laboratory's mission areas of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, Biological and Environmental Research, and Basic Energy Sciences. We also assist other groups at the Laboratory to reach new levels of achievement in computing. We are ''data intensive'' because the production and manipulation of large quantities of data are hallmarks of scientific research in the 21st century and are intrinsic features of major programs at Brookhaven. An integral part of our activity to accomplish this mission will be a close collaboration with the University at Stony Brook.

THE CENTER FOR DATA INTENSIVE COMPUTING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GLIMM,J.

2001-11-01

CDIC will provide state-of-the-art computational and computer science for the Laboratory and for the broader DOE and scientific community. We achieve this goal by performing advanced scientific computing research in the Laboratory's mission areas of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, Biological and Environmental Research, and Basic Energy Sciences. We also assist other groups at the Laboratory to reach new levels of achievement in computing. We are ''data intensive'' because the production and manipulation of large quantities of data are hallmarks of scientific research in the 21st century and are intrinsic features of major programs at Brookhaven. An integral part of our activity to accomplish this mission will be a close collaboration with the University at Stony Brook.

THE CENTER FOR DATA INTENSIVE COMPUTING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GLIMM, J.

2001-01-01

CDIC will provide state-of-the-art computational and computer science for the Laboratory and for the broader DOE and scientific community. We achieve this goal by performing advanced scientific computing research in the Laboratory's mission areas of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, Biological and Environmental Research, and Basic Energy Sciences. We also assist other groups at the Laboratory to reach new levels of achievement in computing. We are ''data intensive'' because the production and manipulation of large quantities of data are hallmarks of scientific research in the 21st century and are intrinsic features of major programs at Brookhaven. An integral part of our activity to accomplish this mission will be a close collaboration with the University at Stony Brook

THE CENTER FOR DATA INTENSIVE COMPUTING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GLIMM,J.

2003-11-01

CDIC will provide state-of-the-art computational and computer science for the Laboratory and for the broader DOE and scientific community. We achieve this goal by performing advanced scientific computing research in the Laboratory's mission areas of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, Biological and Environmental Research, and Basic Energy Sciences. We also assist other groups at the Laboratory to reach new levels of achievement in computing. We are ''data intensive'' because the production and manipulation of large quantities of data are hallmarks of scientific research in the 21st century and are intrinsic features of major programs at Brookhaven. An integral part of our activity to accomplish this mission will be a close collaboration with the University at Stony Brook.

Stressful life events and acute kidney injury in intensive and semi-intensive care unities.

Science.gov (United States)

Diniz, Denise Para; Marques, Daniella Aparecida; Blay, Sérgio Luis; Schor, Nestor

2012-03-01

Several studies point out that pathophysiological changes related to stress may influence renal function and are associated with disease onset and evolution. However, we have not found any studies about the influence of stress on renal function and acute kidney injury. To evaluate the association between stressful life events and acute kidney injury diagnosis, specifying the most stressful classes of events for these patients in the past 12 months. Case-control study. The study was carried out at Hospital São Paulo, in Universidade Federal de São Paulo and at Hospital dos Servidores do Estado de São Paulo, in Brazil. Patients with acute kidney injury and no chronic disease, admitted to the intensive or semi-intensive care units were included. Controls included patients in the same intensive care units with other acute diseases, except for the acute kidney injury, and also with no chronic disease. Out of the 579 patients initially identified, 475 answered to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) questionnaire and 398 were paired by age and gender (199 cases and 199 controls). The rate of stressful life events was statistically similar between cases and controls. The logistic regression analysis to detect associated effects of the independent variables to the stressful events showed that: increasing age and economic classes A and B in one of the hospitals (Hospital São Paulo - UNIFESP) increased the chance of a stressful life event (SLE). This study did not show association between the Acute Kidney Injury Group with a higher frequency of stressful life events, but that old age, higher income, and type of clinical center were associated.

Noise level in a neonatal intensive care unit in Santa Marta - Colombia.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido Galindo, Angélica Patricia; Camargo Caicedo, Yiniva; Velez-Pereira, Andres M

2017-09-30

The environment of neonatal intensive care units is influenced by numerous sources of noise emission, which contribute to raise the noise levels, and may cause hearing impairment and other physiological and psychological changes on the newborn, as well as problems with care staff. To evaluate the level and sources of noise in the neonatal intensive care unit. Sampled for 20 consecutive days every 60 seconds in A-weighting curves and fast mode with a Type I sound level meter. Recorded the average, maximum and minimum, and the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles. The values are integrated into hours and work shift, and studied by analysis of variance. The sources were characterized in thirds of octaves. The average level was 64.00 ±3.62 dB(A), with maximum of 76.04 ±5.73 dB(A), minimum of 54.84 ±2.61dB(A), and background noise of 57.95 ±2.83 dB(A). We found four sources with levels between 16.8-63.3 dB(A). Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the hours and work shift, with higher values in the early hours of the day. The values presented exceed the standards suggested by several organizations. The sources identified and measured recorded high values in low frequencies.

Integration method of 3D MR spectroscopy into treatment planning system for glioblastoma IMRT dose painting with integrated simultaneous boost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ken, Soléakhéna; Cassol, Emmanuelle; Delannes, Martine; Celsis, Pierre; Cohen-Jonathan, Elizabeth Moyal; Laprie, Anne; Vieillevigne, Laure; Franceries, Xavier; Simon, Luc; Supper, Caroline; Lotterie, Jean-Albert; Filleron, Thomas; Lubrano, Vincent; Berry, Isabelle

2013-01-01

To integrate 3D MR spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) in the treatment planning system (TPS) for glioblastoma dose painting to guide simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). For sixteen glioblastoma patients, we have simulated three types of dosimetry plans, one conventional plan of 60-Gy in 3D conformational radiotherapy (3D-CRT), one 60-Gy plan in IMRT and one 72-Gy plan in SIB-IMRT. All sixteen MRSI metabolic maps were integrated into TPS, using normalization with color-space conversion and threshold-based segmentation. The fusion between the metabolic maps and the planning CT scans were assessed. Dosimetry comparisons were performed between the different plans of 60-Gy 3D-CRT, 60-Gy IMRT and 72-Gy SIB-IMRT, the last plan was targeted on MRSI abnormalities and contrast enhancement (CE). Fusion assessment was performed for 160 transformations. It resulted in maximum differences <1.00 mm for translation parameters and ≤1.15° for rotation. Dosimetry plans of 72-Gy SIB-IMRT and 60-Gy IMRT showed a significantly decreased maximum dose to the brainstem (44.00 and 44.30 vs. 57.01 Gy) and decreased high dose-volumes to normal brain (19 and 20 vs. 23% and 7 and 7 vs. 12%) compared to 60-Gy 3D-CRT (p < 0.05). Delivering standard doses to conventional target and higher doses to new target volumes characterized by MRSI and CE is now possible and does not increase dose to organs at risk. MRSI and CE abnormalities are now integrated for glioblastoma SIB-IMRT, concomitant with temozolomide, in an ongoing multi-institutional phase-III clinical trial. Our method of MR spectroscopy maps integration to TPS is robust and reliable; integration to neuronavigation systems with this method could also improve glioblastoma resection or guide biopsies

The influence of fuel-air swirl intensity on flame structures of syngas swirl-stabilized diffusion flame

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Weiwei; Xiong, Yan; Mu, Kejin; Zhang, Zhedian; Wang, Yue; Xiao, Yunhan

2010-06-01

Flame structures of a syngas swirl-stabilized diffusion flame in a model combustor were measured using the OH-PLIF method under different fuel and air swirl intensity. The flame operated under atmospheric pressure with air and a typical low heating-value syngas with a composition of 28.5% CO, 22.5% H2 and 49% N2 at a thermal power of 34 kW. Results indicate that increasing the air swirl intensity with the same fuel, swirl intensity flame structures showed little difference except a small reduction of flame length; but also, with the same air swirl intensity, fuel swirl intensity showed great influence on flame shape, length and reaction zone distribution. Therefore, compared with air swirl intensity, fuel swirl intensity appeared a key effect on the flame structure for the model combustor. Instantaneous OH-PLIF images showed that three distinct typical structures with an obvious difference of reaction zone distribution were found at low swirl intensity, while a much compacter flame structure with a single, stable and uniform reaction zone distribution was found at large fuel-air swirl intensity. It means that larger swirl intensity leads to efficient, stable combustion of the syngas diffusion flame.

Becoming a father in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: an integrative review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruna de Souza Lima Marski

2015-07-01

Full Text Available ematurity and low birth weight are prevalent cases of children hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU in Brazil. The hospitalization of a child shortly after birth requires early separation from parents with ramifications for the development of maternity and paternity. This study has the objective to know the national and international scientific productions, published between 2007 and June 2012, addressing the aspects of becoming a father of a premature and/or low birth weight infant admitted in NICUs and to identify core promoters to the development of paternity in this situation. The results express lack of professional support to the father of the child born premature and/or with low birth weight hospitalized in NICUs, especially for disregarding the relationships with professionals. Such aspects were explored by the following thematic groups: Needs and contempt; Proximity; Transformation and every day life; Fathers and the NICU’s staff; and Paternity after hospital discharge. Relationships with professionals gain prominence as a hub for promoting fatherhood in this context with a view to comprehensive health care of children.

Measuring Physical Activity Intensity

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Compartir For more help with what counts as aerobic activity, watch this video: Windows Media Player, 4: ... ways to understand and measure the intensity of aerobic activity: relative intensity and absolute intensity. Relative Intensity ...

A robust and hierarchical approach for the automatic co-registration of intensity and visible images

Science.gov (United States)

González-Aguilera, Diego; Rodríguez-Gonzálvez, Pablo; Hernández-López, David; Luis Lerma, José

2012-09-01

This paper presents a new robust approach to integrate intensity and visible images which have been acquired with a terrestrial laser scanner and a calibrated digital camera, respectively. In particular, an automatic and hierarchical method for the co-registration of both sensors is developed. The approach integrates several existing solutions to improve the performance of the co-registration between range-based and visible images: the Affine Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (A-SIFT), the epipolar geometry, the collinearity equations, the Groebner basis solution and the RANdom SAmple Consensus (RANSAC), integrating a voting scheme. The approach presented herein improves the existing co-registration approaches in automation, robustness, reliability and accuracy.

Muonic X-ray intensities in phosphorus- and selenium modifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaeser, K.; Robert-Tissot, B.; Schaller, L.A.; Schellenberg, L.; Schneuwly, H.

1979-01-01

Muonic X-ray intensity measurements have been performed at SIN on allotropic modifications of phosphorus (white, red and black) and of selenium (red and black). Structure effects have been found in the intensity ratios of the K-series between amorphous and crystalline modifications of the same element. The effect in the higher series (Se) is less pronounced. On the other hand, the two crystalline phosphorus modifications (red and black) show the same intensity behavior. The root-mean-square radii 2 >sup(1/2) of phosphorus and (natural) selenium were found to be 3.187(3) fm and 4.138(1) fm respectively. (Auth.)

Integrated modelling of nitrate loads to coastal waters and land rent applied to catchment scale water management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacosen, T.; Refsgaard, A.; Jacobsen, Brian H.

Abstract The EU WFD requires an integrated approach to river basin management in order to meet environmental and ecological objectives. This paper presents concepts and full-scale application of an integrated modelling framework. The Ringkoebing Fjord basin is characterized by intensive agricultu...... in comprehensive, integrated modelling tools.......Abstract The EU WFD requires an integrated approach to river basin management in order to meet environmental and ecological objectives. This paper presents concepts and full-scale application of an integrated modelling framework. The Ringkoebing Fjord basin is characterized by intensive...... agricultural production and leakage of nitrate constitute a major pollution problem with respect groundwater aquifers (drinking water), fresh surface water systems (water quality of lakes) and coastal receiving waters (eutrophication). The case study presented illustrates an advanced modelling approach applied...

The Integrated Radiation Mapper Assistant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlton, R.E.; Tripp, L.R. [Odetics, Inc., Anaheim, CA (United States)

1995-03-01

The Integrated Radiation Mapper Assistant (IRMA) system combines state-of-the-art radiation sensors and microprocessor based analysis techniques to perform radiation surveys. Control of the survey function is from a control station located outside the radiation thus reducing time spent in radiation areas performing radiation surveys. The system consists of a directional radiation sensor, a laser range finder, two area radiation sensors, and a video camera mounted on a pan and tilt platform. THis sensor package is deployable on a remotely operated vehicle. The outputs of the system are radiation intensity maps identifying both radiation source intensities and radiation levels throughout the room being surveyed. After completion of the survey, the data can be removed from the control station computer for further analysis or archiving.

Identification of the support needs of individuals with severe mental illness using the Supports Intensity Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maribel Cruz

2013-09-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: to characterize the intensity of the support needs of individuals with severe mental illness. METHODS: quantitative and descriptive study that applied the Supports Intensity Scale to a sample comprising 182 individuals. RESULTS: the supports intensity profile identifies groups, individuals, and areas with different needs of support relative to the domains of home living, health, community living, learning, employment, and social living. As a whole, the intensity level of support needs found was low, and the domains with greater needs were employment and social. CONCLUSIONS: identification of the intensity of support needs is helpful in planning integral care and detecting professional training needs. The support provision-centered approach, associated with the person-related outcomes perspective, has been sparsely applied to individuals with mental illness, and this represents the main contribution of the present study. In addition, this study introduces novel approaches to assessment that are both concordant and an innovation in nursing because they might provide a tool for understanding other disabilities.

Brain morphometry shows effects of long-term musical practice in middle-aged keyboard players

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanna eGärtner

2013-09-01

Full Text Available To what extent does musical practice change the structure of the brain? In order to understand how long-lasting musical training changes brain structure, 20 male right-handed, middle-aged professional musicians and 19 matched controls were investigated. Among the musicians, 13 were pianists or organists with intensive practice regimes. The others were either music teachers at schools or string instrumentalists, who had studied the piano at least as a subsidiary subject, and practiced less intensively. The study was based on T1-weighted MR images, which were analyzed using Deformation Field Morphometry. Cytoarchitectonic probabilistic maps of cortical areas and subcortical nuclei as well as myeloarchitectonic maps of fiber tracts were used as regions of interest to compare volume differences in the brains of musicians and controls. In addition, maps of voxel-wise volume differences were computed and analyzed.Musicians showed a significantly better symmetric motor performance as well as a greater capability of controlling hand independence than controls. Structural MRI-data revealed significant volumetric differences between the brains of keyboard players, who practiced intensively and controls in right sensorimotor areas and the corticospinal tract as well as in the entorhinal cortex and the left superior parietal lobule. Moreover, they showed also larger volumes in a comparable set of regions than the less intensively practicing musicians. The structural changes in the sensory and motor systems correspond well to the behavioral results, and can be interpreted in terms of plasticity as a result of intensive motor training. Areas of the superior parietal lobule and the entorhinal cortex might be enlarged in musicians due to their special skills in sight-playing and memorizing of scores. In conclusion, intensive and specific musical training seems to have an impact on brain structure, not only during the sensitive period of childhood but throughout

Au-Graphene Hybrid Plasmonic Nanostructure Sensor Based on Intensity Shift

Science.gov (United States)

Alharbi, Raed; Irannejad, Mehrdad; Yavuz, Mustafa

2017-01-01

Integrating plasmonic materials, like gold with a two-dimensional material (e.g., graphene) enhances the light-material interaction and, hence, plasmonic properties of the metallic nanostructure. A localized surface plasmon resonance sensor is an effective platform for biomarker detection. They offer a better bulk surface (local) sensitivity than a regular surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor; however, they suffer from a lower figure of merit compared to that one in a propagating surface plasmon resonance sensors. In this work, a decorated multilayer graphene film with an Au nanostructures was proposed as a liquid sensor. The results showed a significant improvement in the figure of merit compared with other reported localized surface plasmon resonance sensors. The maximum figure of merit and intensity sensitivity of 240 and 55 RIU−1 (refractive index unit) at refractive index change of 0.001 were achieved which indicate the capability of the proposed sensor to detect a small change in concentration of liquids in the ng/mL level which is essential in early-stage cancer disease detection. PMID:28106850

Au-Graphene Hybrid Plasmonic Nanostructure Sensor Based on Intensity Shift

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raed Alharbi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Integrating plasmonic materials, like gold with a two-dimensional material (e.g., graphene enhances the light-material interaction and, hence, plasmonic properties of the metallic nanostructure. A localized surface plasmon resonance sensor is an effective platform for biomarker detection. They offer a better bulk surface (local sensitivity than a regular surface plasmon resonance (SPR sensor; however, they suffer from a lower figure of merit compared to that one in a propagating surface plasmon resonance sensors. In this work, a decorated multilayer graphene film with an Au nanostructures was proposed as a liquid sensor. The results showed a significant improvement in the figure of merit compared with other reported localized surface plasmon resonance sensors. The maximum figure of merit and intensity sensitivity of 240 and 55 RIU−1 (refractive index unit at refractive index change of 0.001 were achieved which indicate the capability of the proposed sensor to detect a small change in concentration of liquids in the ng/mL level which is essential in early-stage cancer disease detection.

Towards higher intensities

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2010-01-01

Over the past 2 weeks, commissioning of the machine protection system has advanced significantly, opening up the possibility of higher intensity collisions at 3.5 TeV. The intensity has been increased from 2 bunches of 1010 protons to 6 bunches of 2x1010 protons. Luminosities of 6x1028 cm-2s-1 have been achieved at the start of fills, a factor of 60 higher than those provided for the first collisions on 30 March.   The recent increase in LHC luminosity as recorded by the experiments. (Graph courtesy of the experiments and M. Ferro-Luzzi) To increase the luminosity further, the commissioning crews are now trying to push up the intensity of the individual proton bunches. After the successful injection of nominal intensity bunches containing 1.1x1011 protons, collisions were subsequently achieved at 450 GeV with these intensities. However, half-way through the first ramping of these nominal intensity bunches to 3.5 TeV on 15 May, a beam instability was observed, leading to partial beam loss...

Ab initio path-integral molecular dynamics and the quantum nature of hydrogen bonds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Yexin; Chen Ji; Wang Enge; Li Xin-Zheng

2016-01-01

The hydrogen bond (HB) is an important type of intermolecular interaction, which is generally weak, ubiquitous, and essential to life on earth. The small mass of hydrogen means that many properties of HBs are quantum mechanical in nature. In recent years, because of the development of computer simulation methods and computational power, the influence of nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) on the structural and energetic properties of some hydrogen bonded systems has been intensively studied. Here, we present a review of these studies by focussing on the explanation of the principles underlying the simulation methods, i.e., the ab initio path-integral molecular dynamics. Its extension in combination with the thermodynamic integration method for the calculation of free energies will also be introduced. We use two examples to show how this influence of NQEs in realistic systems is simulated in practice. (topical review)

Intensity-based fibre-optic sensing system using contrast modulation of subcarrier interference pattern

Science.gov (United States)

Adamovsky, G.; Sherer, T. N.; Maitland, D. J.

1989-01-01

A novel technique to compensate for unwanted intensity losses in a fiber-optic sensing system is described. The technique involves a continuous sinusoidal modulation of the light source intensity at radio frequencies and an intensity sensor placed in an unbalanced interferometer. The system shows high sensitivity and stability.

Electrophysiological Correlates of Changes in Reaction Time Based on Stimulus Intensity

Science.gov (United States)

Lakhani, Bimal; Vette, Albert H.; Mansfield, Avril; Miyasike-daSilva, Veronica; McIlroy, William E.

2012-01-01

Background Although reaction time is commonly used as an indicator of central nervous system integrity, little is currently understood about the mechanisms that determine processing time. In the current study, we are interested in determining the differences in electrophysiological events associated with significant changes in reaction time that could be elicited by changes in stimulus intensity. The primary objective is to assess the effect of increasing stimulus intensity on the latency and amplitude of afferent inputs to the somatosensory cortex, and their relation to reaction time. Methods Median nerve stimulation was applied to the non-dominant hand of 12 healthy young adults at two different stimulus intensities (HIGH & LOW). Participants were asked to either press a button as fast as possible with their dominant hand or remain quiet following the stimulus. Electroencephalography was used to measure somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and event related potentials (ERPs). Electromyography from the flexor digitorum superficialis of the button-pressing hand was used to assess reaction time. Response time was the time of button press. Results Reaction time and response time were significantly shorter following the HIGH intensity stimulus compared to the LOW intensity stimulus. There were no differences in SEP (N20 & P24) peak latencies and peak-to-peak amplitude for the two stimulus intensities. ERPs, locked to response time, demonstrated a significantly larger pre-movement negativity to positivity following the HIGH intensity stimulus over the Cz electrode. Discussion This work demonstrates that rapid reaction times are not attributable to the latency of afferent processing from the stimulated site to the somatosensory cortex, and those latency reductions occur further along the sensorimotor transformation pathway. Evidence from ERPs indicates that frontal planning areas such as the supplementary motor area may play a role in transforming the elevated sensory

Physiological adaptations to interval training and the role of exercise intensity.

Science.gov (United States)

MacInnis, Martin J; Gibala, Martin J

2017-05-01

Interval exercise typically involves repeated bouts of relatively intense exercise interspersed by short periods of recovery. A common classification scheme subdivides this method into high-intensity interval training (HIIT; 'near maximal' efforts) and sprint interval training (SIT; 'supramaximal' efforts). Both forms of interval training induce the classic physiological adaptations characteristic of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) such as increased aerobic capacity (V̇O2 max ) and mitochondrial content. This brief review considers the role of exercise intensity in mediating physiological adaptations to training, with a focus on the capacity for aerobic energy metabolism. With respect to skeletal muscle adaptations, cellular stress and the resultant metabolic signals for mitochondrial biogenesis depend largely on exercise intensity, with limited work suggesting that increases in mitochondrial content are superior after HIIT compared to MICT, at least when matched-work comparisons are made within the same individual. It is well established that SIT increases mitochondrial content to a similar extent to MICT despite a reduced exercise volume. At the whole-body level, V̇O2 max is generally increased more by HIIT than MICT for a given training volume, whereas SIT and MICT similarly improve V̇O2 max despite differences in training volume. There is less evidence available regarding the role of exercise intensity in mediating changes in skeletal muscle capillary density, maximum stroke volume and cardiac output, and blood volume. Furthermore, the interactions between intensity and duration and frequency have not been thoroughly explored. While interval training is clearly a potent stimulus for physiological remodelling in humans, the integrative response to this type of exercise warrants further attention, especially in comparison to traditional endurance training. © 2016 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.

Growing threat of intense tropical cyclones to East Asia over the period 1977–2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Doo-Sun R; Ho, Chang-Hoi; Kim, Joo-Hong

2014-01-01

The threat of intense tropical cyclones (TCs) to East Asia has increased in recent decades. Integrated analyses of five available TC data sets for the period 1977–2010 revealed that the growing threat of TCs primarily results from the significant shift that the spatial positions of the maximum intensity of TCs moved closer to East Asian coastlines from Vietnam to Japan. This shift incurs a robust increase in landfall intensity over east China, Korea and Japan. In contrast, an increase of TC genesis frequency over the northern part of the South China Sea leads to a reduction in the maximum TC intensity before landfall, because of their short lifetime; thus, there are no clear tendencies in the landfall intensity across Vietnam, south China and Taiwan. All changes are related to the strengthening of the Pacific Walker circulation, closely linked with the recent manifestation that the warming trend of sea surface temperature in the tropical western Pacific is much higher than that in the central to eastern Pacific. (paper)

Erdheim-Chester disease in a child with MR imaging showing regression of marrow changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, Chan Uhng; Go, Yang Sim; Kim, In Hwan; Kim, Chul Seong; Lee, Sang Yong

2005-01-01

Erdheim-Chester disease is a disseminated xanthogranulomatous infiltrative disease of unknown origin that generally presents in adulthood. A review of the English-language literature demonstrated that pediatric cases were extremely rare, and to our knowledge, only two cases, a 7- and 14-year-old, have been published. We report a case of Erdheim-Chester disease in a 10-year-old girl evaluated with MR imaging. Radiographs revealed typical bilateral, symmetric osteosclerosis of the metaphyseal regions of long bones of the upper and lower extremities. A histologic examination demonstrated foamy histiocytes in bone marrow smears. Bilateral symmetric low signal intensities of both proximal tibiae and distal femurs were demonstrated on T1-weighted MR images. After oral steroid therapy for 8 months, follow-up MR imaging showed remarkable restoration of normal high signal intensity in both the tibial and femoral metaphyses. To our knowledge, this may be the first case of Erdheim-Chester disease that showed normal restoration of the abnormal signal intensities in the metaphyses of long bones after steroid therapy. (orig.)

Earthworm assemblages in different intensity of agricultural uses and their relation to edaphic variables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LB Falco

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to relate earthworm assemblage structure with three different soil use intensities, and to indentify the physical, chemical, and microbiological soil variables that are associated to the observed differences. Three soil uses were evaluated: 1-Fifty year old naturalized grasslands, low use intensity; 2-Recent agricultural fields, intermediate use intensity, and 3-Fifty year old intensive agricultural fields, high use intensity. Three different sites for each soil use were evaluated from winter 2008 through summer 2011. Nine earthworm species were identified across all sampling sites. The sites shared five species: the native Microscolex dubius, and the introduced Aporrectodea caliginosa, A. rosea, Octalasion cyaneum, and O. lacteum, but they differed in relative abundance by soil use. The results show that the earthworm community structure is linked to and modulated by soil properties. Both species abundance and diversity showed significant differences depending on soil use intensity. A principal component analysis showed that species composition is closely related to the environmental variability. The ratio of native to exotic species was significantly lower in the intensive agricultural system when compared to the other two, lower disturbance systems. Microscolex dubius abundance was related to naturalized grasslands along with soil Ca, pH, mechanical resistance, and microbial respiration. Aporrectodea caliginosa abundance was related to high K levels, low enzymatic activity, slightly low pH, low Ca, and appeared related to the highly disturbed environment. Eukerria stagnalis and Aporrectodea rosea, commonly found in the recent agricultural system, were related to high soil moisture condition, low pH, low Ca and low enzymatic activity. These results show that earthworm assemblages can be good indicators of soil use intensities. In particular, Microscolex dubius, Aporrectodea caliginosa, and Aporrectodea rosea

Impact of global warming on the typhoon intensities during 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, N. Y.; Yang, S. H.; Elsner, J.; Chun, Y.

2017-12-01

The climate of 2015 was characterized by a strong El Nino, global warmth, and record setting tropical cyclone (TC) intensity for western North Pacific typhoons. In this study, the highest TC intensity in 32 years (1984-2015) is shown to be a consequence of above normal TC activity—following natural internal variation—and greater efficiency of intensity. The efficiency of intensity (EINT) is termed the `blasting effect' and refers to typhoon intensification at the expense of occurrence. Statistical models show that the EINT is mostly due to the anomalous warmth in the environment as indicated by global mean sea-surface temperature. In comparison, the EINT due to El Nino is negligibly small. This implies that the record-setting intensity of 2015 might not have occurred without environmental warming and suggests that a year with even greater TC intensity is possible in the near future when above normal activity coincides with another record EINT due to continuous warming.

Integrated test schedule for buried waste integrated demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, J.T.; McDonald, J.K.

1992-05-01

The Integrated Test Schedule incorporates the various schedules the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) supports into one document. This document contains the Federal Facilities Agreement and Consent Order schedules for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Hanford Reservation, Oak Ridge Reservation, and Fernald Environmental Materials Center. Included in the Integrated Test Schedule is the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration ''windows of opportunity'' schedule. The ''windows of opportunity'' schedule shows periods of time in which Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration Program-sponsored technology demonstrations could support key decisions in the Federal Facilities Agreement and Consent Order. Schedules for the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration-sponsored technology task plans are categorized by technology area and divided by current fiscal year and out-year. Total estimated costs for Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration-sponsored Technology Task Plans for FY-92 through FY-97 are $74.756M

CO2 emissions and economic activity: Short- and long-run economic determinants of scale, energy intensity and carbon intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Fredrik N.G.; Karpestam, Peter

2013-01-01

We analyze the short-term and the long-term determinants of energy intensity, carbon intensity and scale effects for eight developed economies and two emerging economies from 1973 to 2007. Our results show that there is a difference between the short-term and the long-term results and that climate policy are more likely to affect emission over the long-term than over the short-term. Climate policies should therefore be aimed at a time horizon of at least 8 years and year-on-year changes in emissions contains little information about the trend path of emissions. In the long-run capital accumulation is the main driver of emissions. Productivity growth reduces the energy intensity while the real oil price reduces both the energy intensity and the carbon intensity. The real oil price effect suggests that a global carbon tax is an important policy tool to reduce emissions, but our results also suggest that a carbon tax is likely to be insufficient decouple emission from economic growth. Such a decoupling is likely to require a structural transformation of the economy. The key policy challenge is thus to build new economic structures where investments in green technologies are more profitable. - Highlights: • We model determinants of scale, energy intensity and carbon intensity. • Using band spectrum regressions, we separate between short and long run effects. • Different economic variables affect emission in the short and long run. • CO 2 reducing policies should have a long run horizon of (at least 8 years). • A low carbon society requires a structural transformation of the economy

Increasing land-use intensity reverses the relative occupancy of two quadrupedal scavengers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua P Twining

Full Text Available Human land use is continuously altering the natural environment, yet the greater ecological implications of this change for many groups that are key to healthy ecosystem functioning remains uncharacterised in the tropics. Terrestrial scavenging vertebrates are one such group, providing integral ecosystem services through the removal of carrion which is a crucial component of both nutrient cycling and disease dynamics. To explore how anthropogenic processes may affect forest scavengers, we investigated the changes in the relative occupancy of two important terrestrial scavengers along a gradient of land use intensity, ranging from protected forest to oil palm plantation in Borneo. We found the Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga had highest, albeit variable, occupancy in areas of low land use intensity and the Southeast Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator macromaculatus had highest occupancy in areas of high land use intensity. Land use had no effect on the combined occupancy of the two species. In high land use intensity sites, individual water monitors were larger and had better body condition, but at population level had a highly biased sex ratio with more males than females and increased signs of intraspecific conflict. We did not assess scavenging rate or efficiency as a process, but the high occupancy rates and apparent health of the scavengers in high land use intensity landscapes suggests this ecological process is robust to land use change.

Application of integrated Landsat, geochemical and geophysical data in mineral exploration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conradsen, K.; Nilsson, G.; Thyrsted, T.; Gronlands Geologiske Undersogelse, Copenhagen, Denmark)

1985-01-01

In South Greenland (20000 sq. km) a remote sensing investigation is executed in connection with uranium exploration. The investigation includes analysis of Landsat data, conversion of geological, geochemical and geophysical data to image format compatible with Landsat images, and analysis of the total set of integrated data. The available geochemical data consisted of samples from 2000 sites, analyzed for U, K, Rb, Sr, Nb, Ga, Y, and Fe. The geophysical data comprised airborne gamma-spectrometric measurements and aeromagnetic data. The interpolation routines consisted of a kriging procedure for the geochemical data and a minimum curvature routine for the geophysical data. The analysis of the integrated data set is at a preliminary stage. As example a composite image showing Landsat channel 7, magnetic values, and Fe values as respectively intensity, hue and saturation is analyzed. It reveals alkaline intrusions and basaltic layers as anomalies while other anomalies cannot be accounted for on the basis of the present geological knowledge. 12 references

[Integrated intensive treatment of tinnitus: decrease of the tinnitus-related distress during a one-year follow-up study].

Science.gov (United States)

Mazurek, B; Seydel, C; Haupt, H; Szczepek, A; Klapp, B F; Schrom, T

2009-01-01

The therapy of the chronic tinnitus is aimed at improving the way patients cope with their tinnitus and at reducing the tinnitus-related distress. The present study investigated the changes of psychometric parameters that occurred in patients with chronic tinnitus after 7-days outpatient multidisciplinary therapy. The changes were monitored for up to 1 year in order to evaluate the long-term efficiency. Main emphasis of the intensive tinnitus therapy applied was placed on tinnitus habituation and on teaching the patients how to apply coping strategies. The main elements of the multimodal concept included progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson, physiotherapy, educative seminars, training of selective attention and, lastly, the change of judgment, attitude and behaviour towards tinnitus. Psychometric parameters and tinnitus-related distress were assessed prior to and after the therapy (at 3, 6 and 12 months) using the tinnitus questionnaire (TQ) according to Goebel and Hiller. Furthermore, subjects waiting for therapy (waiting list) were recruited to the control group and compared with the therapy group which had received therapy 3 months earlier. The therapy group showed a significant reduction of the TQ total score after 3 months as compared to the control group. Moreover, we observed a long-term, progressive positive outcome during the one-year follow-up. The TQ total score was reduced by 10.9 points. There was an obvious decrease of the emotional and cognitive distress as well as of the intrusiveness of tinnitus, as per evaluation of TQ subscales. The outpatient intensive multidisciplinary tinnitus therapy with long-term aftercare has proved to be an effective method in the treatment of patients with chronic tinnitus. The outpatient setting enables the instant implementation of strategies learned during therapy in the patients' everyday life.

Maximum Historical Seismic Intensity Map of S. Miguel Island (azores)

Science.gov (United States)

Silveira, D.; Gaspar, J. L.; Ferreira, T.; Queiroz, G.

The Azores archipelago is situated in the Atlantic Ocean where the American, African and Eurasian lithospheric plates meet. The so-called Azores Triple Junction located in the area where the Terceira Rift, a NW-SE to WNW-ESE fault system with a dextral component, intersects the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, with an approximate N-S direction, dominates its geological setting. S. Miguel Island is located in the eastern segment of the Terceira Rift, showing a high diversity of volcanic and tectonic structures. It is the largest Azorean island and includes three active trachytic central volcanoes with caldera (Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas) placed in the intersection of the NW-SE Ter- ceira Rift regional faults with an E-W deep fault system thought to be a relic of a Mid-Atlantic Ridge transform fault. N-S and NE-SW faults also occur in this con- text. Basaltic cinder cones emplaced along NW-SE fractures link that major volcanic structures. The easternmost part of the island comprises an inactive trachytic central volcano (Povoação) and an old basaltic volcanic complex (Nordeste). Since the settle- ment of the island, early in the XV century, several destructive earthquakes occurred in the Azores region. At least 11 events hit S. Miguel Island with high intensity, some of which caused several deaths and significant damages. The analysis of historical documents allowed reconstructing the history and the impact of all those earthquakes and new intensity maps using the 1998 European Macrosseismic Scale were produced for each event. The data was then integrated in order to obtain the maximum historical seismic intensity map of S. Miguel. This tool is regarded as an important document for hazard assessment and risk mitigation taking in account that indicates the location of dangerous seismogenic zones and provides a comprehensive set of data to be applied in land-use planning, emergency planning and building construction.

Compton spectra of atoms at high x-ray intensity

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Sang-Kil; Geffert, Otfried; Santra, Robin

2017-03-01

Compton scattering is the nonresonant inelastic scattering of an x-ray photon by an electron and has been used to probe the electron momentum distribution in gas-phase and condensed-matter samples. In the low x-ray intensity regime, Compton scattering from atoms dominantly comes from bound electrons in neutral atoms, neglecting contributions from bound electrons in ions and free (ionized) electrons. In contrast, in the high x-ray intensity regime, the sample experiences severe ionization via x-ray multiphoton multiple ionization dynamics. Thus, it becomes necessary to take into account all the contributions to the Compton scattering signal when atoms are exposed to high-intensity x-ray pulses provided by x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). In this paper, we investigate the Compton spectra of atoms at high x-ray intensity, using an extension of the integrated x-ray atomic physics toolkit, xatom. As the x-ray fluence increases, there is a significant contribution from ionized electrons to the Compton spectra, which gives rise to strong deviations from the Compton spectra of neutral atoms. The present study provides not only understanding of the fundamental XFEL-matter interaction but also crucial information for single-particle imaging experiments, where Compton scattering is no longer negligible. , which features invited work from the best early-career researchers working within the scope of J. Phys. B. This project is part of the Journal of Physics series’ 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017. Sang-Kil Son was selected by the Editorial Board of J. Phys. B as an Emerging Leader.

[Integrated intensive treatment of tinnitus: method and initial results].

Science.gov (United States)

Mazurek, B; Georgiewa, P; Seydel, C; Haupt, H; Scherer, H; Klapp, B F; Reisshauer, A

2005-07-01

In recent years, no major advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of tinnitus. Hence, the present therapeutic strategies aim at decoupling the subconscious from the perception of tinnitus. Mindful of the lessons drawn from existing tinnitus retraining and desensitisation therapies, a new integrated day hospital strategy of treatment lasting 7-14 days has been developed at the Charité Hospital and is presented in the present paper. The strategy for treating tinnitus in the proximity of patient domicile is designed for patients who feel disturbed in their world of perception and their efficiency due to tinnitus and give evidence of mental and physical strain. In view of the etiologically non-uniform and multiple events connected with tinnitus, consideration was also given to the fact that somatic and psychosocial factors are equally involved. Therefore, therapy should aim at diagnosing and therapeutically influencing those psychosocial factors that reduce the hearing impression to such an extent that the affected persons suffer from strain. The first results of therapy-dependent changes of 46 patients suffering from chronic tinnitus are presented. The data were evaluated before and after 7 days of treatment and 6 months after the end of treatment. Immediately after the treatment, the scores of both the tinnitus questionnaire (Goebel and Hiller) and the subscales improved significantly. These results were maintained during the 6-month post-treatment period and even improved.

An agro-ecological evaluation of aquaculture integration into farming systems of the Mekong Delta

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Phong, L.T.; Dam, van A.A.; Udo, H.M.J.; Mensvoort, van M.E.F.; Tri, L.Q.; Steenstra, F.A.; Zijpp, van der A.J.

2010-01-01

This study compared ecological sustainability of Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture (IAA) systems with different forms and intensity of aquaculture integration in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam: orchard-based and low-input fish (O-LF); rice-based and medium-input fish (R-MF); and rice-based and

Inhibition of enteric pathogens using integrated high intensity 405 nm LED on the surface of almonds

Science.gov (United States)

The disinfecting properties of 405 nm light were investigated against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and their non-pathogenic surrogates inoculated onto the surface of almonds. High intensity monochromatic light was generated from an array of narrow-band 405 nm light emitting diodes (LED). Al...

Concept for phase-to-intensity conversion in SOAs by facet reflections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blaaberg, Søren; Mørk, Jesper

2010-01-01

All-optical conversion from phase-modulated signals to intensity-modulated signals is theoretically demonstrated in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). Large-signal and small-signal calculations show significant conversion responses appearing as a result of even minute reflections at the end...... mirrors of the SOA. It is discussed how reflected phase-modulated signals can lead to interference resulting in intensity fluctuations that are amplified by the gain in a SOA. The effect can be utilized for deliberate conversion between optical modulation formats.......All-optical conversion from phase-modulated signals to intensity-modulated signals is theoretically demonstrated in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). Large-signal and small-signal calculations show significant conversion responses appearing as a result of even minute reflections at the end...

Transfrontier Macroseismic Data Exchange in Europe: Intensity Assessment of M>4 Earthquakes by a Grid Cell Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Van Noten, K.; Lecocq, T.; Sira, C.; Hinzen, K. G.; Camelbeeck, T.

2016-12-01

In the US, the USGS is the only institute that gathers macroseismic data through its online "Did You Feel It?" (DYFI) system allowing a homogeneous and consistent intensity assessment. In Europe, however, we face a much more complicated situation. As almost every nation has its own inquiry in their national language(s) and both the EMSC and the USGS run an international DYFI inquiry, responses to European transfrontier-felt seismic events are strongly fragmented across different institutes. To make a realistic ground motion intensity assessment, macroseismic databases need to be merged in a consistent way hereby dealing with duplicated responses, different intensity calculations and legal issues (observer's privacy). In this presentation, we merge macroseismic datasets by a grid cell approach. Instead of using the irregularly-shaped, arbitrary municipal boundaries, we structure the model area into (100 km2) grid cells and assign an intensity value to each grid cell based on all institutional (geocoded) responses in that cell. The resulting macroseismic grid cell distribution shows a less subjective and more homogeneous intensity distribution than the classic community distribution despite less datapoints are used after geocoding the participant's location. The method is demonstrated on the 2011 ML 4.3 (MW 3.7) Goch (Germany) and the 2015 ML 4.2 (MW 3.7) Ramsgate (UK) earthquakes both felt in NW Europe. Integration of data results in a non-circular distribution in which the felt area extends significantly more in E-W than in N-S direction, illustrating a low-pass filtering effect due to the south-to-north increasing thickness of cover sediments above the regional London-Brabant Massif. Ground motions were amplified and attenuated at places with a shallow and deep basement, respectively. To large extend, the shape of the attenuation model derived through the grid cell intensity points is rather similar as the Atkinson and Wald (2007) CEUS prediction. The attenuation

Unsmoothing the Cyborg: Technology and the Body in Integrated Dance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret M. Quinlan

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Contemporary cyborg theory tends to approach the integration of human bodies and technology innovations as if the cyborg were a unified whole. And, because of the potential of the cyborg body to help ameliorate disability, the cyborg has been suggested as a way to restore function to individuals living with disabilities. We investigate the deployment of the cyborg integrated dance company using theoretical concepts provided by Gilles Deleuze. Rather than observing a smoothly integrated whole, our ethnographic research reveals tensions within the cyborg body. Our analysis revealed three types of creative/reactive forces. Each of these forces comes from the effects/functions of the three striations of the cyborg body: (1 the effects/functions from the machine stria; (2 those from the human stria; and (3 those from the animal stria. Although together these striae constitute the assemblage of the cyborg, as each one takes on greater intensity such that the others are of decreased intensity, the hybridized whole of the cyborg becomes less functional as one is becoming-machine, becoming-human, or becoming-animal.

Analysis of Internet Usage Intensity in Iraq: An Ordered Logit Model

OpenAIRE

Almas Heshmati; Firas H. Al-Hammadany; Ashraf Bany-Mohammed

2013-01-01

Intensity of Internet use is significantly influenced by government policies, people’s levels of income, education, employment and general development and economic conditions. Iraq has very low Internet usage levels compared to the region and the world. This study uses an ordered logit model to analyse the intensity of Internet use in Iraq. The results showed that economic reasons (internet cost and income level) were key cause for low level usage intensity rates. About 68% of the population ...

Tomato Fruits Show Wide Phenomic Diversity but Fruit Developmental Genes Show Low Genomic Diversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vijee Mohan

Full Text Available Domestication of tomato has resulted in large diversity in fruit phenotypes. An intensive phenotyping of 127 tomato accessions from 20 countries revealed extensive morphological diversity in fruit traits. The diversity in fruit traits clustered the accessions into nine classes and identified certain promising lines having desirable traits pertaining to total soluble salts (TSS, carotenoids, ripening index, weight and shape. Factor analysis of the morphometric data from Tomato Analyzer showed that the fruit shape is a complex trait shared by several factors. The 100% variance between round and flat fruit shapes was explained by one discriminant function having a canonical correlation of 0.874 by stepwise discriminant analysis. A set of 10 genes (ACS2, COP1, CYC-B, RIN, MSH2, NAC-NOR, PHOT1, PHYA, PHYB and PSY1 involved in various plant developmental processes were screened for SNP polymorphism by EcoTILLING. The genetic diversity in these genes revealed a total of 36 non-synonymous and 18 synonymous changes leading to the identification of 28 haplotypes. The average frequency of polymorphism across the genes was 0.038/Kb. Significant negative Tajima'D statistic in two of the genes, ACS2 and PHOT1 indicated the presence of rare alleles in low frequency. Our study indicates that while there is low polymorphic diversity in the genes regulating plant development, the population shows wider phenotype diversity. Nonetheless, morphological and genetic diversity of the present collection can be further exploited as potential resources in future.

What induced China's energy intensity to fluctuate: 1997-2006?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, Hua; Fan, Ying; Wei, Yi-Ming

2007-01-01

China is the second largest energy consumer in the world. During 1997-2002, China's energy intensity declined by 33%. However, it rose by 10.7% over 2003-2005, and declined by 1.2% in 2006. What induced China's energy intensity to fluctuate so drastically? Industry accounts for approximately 70% of the total energy consumption in China. In this paper, we decompose China's industrial energy intensity changes between 1997 and 2002 into sectoral structural effects and efficiency effects (measured by sectoral energy intensities at two-digit level and including the shifts of product mix in the sub-sector or firm level), using Toernqvist and Sato-Vartia Index methods. The results show that in this period, efficiency effects possibly contributed to a majority of the decline, while the contribution from structural effects was less. During 2003-2005, the excessive expansion of high-energy consuming sub-sectors and the high investment ratio were foremost sources of the increasing energy intensity. Attributed to the government efforts, the energy intensity has started to decline slightly since July 2006. In future, to save more energy, in addition to technical progress, China should attach more importance to optimizing its sectoral structure, and lowering its investment ratio

Evaluation of stress intensity factors for bi-material interface cracks using displacement jump methods

Science.gov (United States)

Nehar, K. C.; Hachi, B. E.; Cazes, F.; Haboussi, M.

2017-12-01

The aim of the present work is to investigate the numerical modeling of interfacial cracks that may appear at the interface between two isotropic elastic materials. The extended finite element method is employed to analyze brittle and bi-material interfacial fatigue crack growth by computing the mixed mode stress intensity factors (SIF). Three different approaches are introduced to compute the SIFs. In the first one, mixed mode SIF is deduced from the computation of the contour integral as per the classical J-integral method, whereas a displacement method is used to evaluate the SIF by using either one or two displacement jumps located along the crack path in the second and third approaches. The displacement jump method is rather classical for mono-materials, but has to our knowledge not been used up to now for a bi-material. Hence, use of displacement jump for characterizing bi-material cracks constitutes the main contribution of the present study. Several benchmark tests including parametric studies are performed to show the effectiveness of these computational methodologies for SIF considering static and fatigue problems of bi-material structures. It is found that results based on the displacement jump methods are in a very good agreement with those of exact solutions, such as for the J-integral method, but with a larger domain of applicability and a better numerical efficiency (less time consuming and less spurious boundary effect).

Time variations in geomagnetic intensity

Science.gov (United States)

Valet, Jean-Pierre

2003-03-01

After many years spent by paleomagnetists studying the directional behavior of the Earth's magnetic field at all possible timescales, detailed measurements of field intensity are now needed to document the variations of the entire vector and to analyze the time evolution of the field components. A significant step has been achieved by combining intensity records derived from archeological materials and from lava flows in order to extract the global field changes over the past 12 kyr. A second significant step was due to the emergence of coherent records of relative paleointensity using the remanent magnetization of sediments to retrace the evolution of the dipole field. A third step was the juxtaposition of these signals with those derived from cosmogenic isotopes. Contemporaneous with the acquisition of records, new techniques have been developed to constrain the geomagnetic origin of the signals. Much activity has also been devoted to improving the quality of determinations of absolute paleointensity from volcanic rocks with new materials, proper selection of samples, and investigations of complex changes in magnetization during laboratory experiments. Altogether these developments brought us from a situation where the field changes were restricted to the past 40 kyr to the emergence of a coherent picture of the changes in the geomagnetic dipole moment for at least the past 1 Myr. On longer timescales the field variability and its average behavior is relatively well documented for the past 400 Myr. Section 3 gives a summary of most methods and techniques that are presently used to track the field intensity changes in the past. In each case, current limits and potential promises are discussed. The section 4 describes the field variations measured so far over various timescales covered by the archeomagnetic and the paleomagnetic records. Preference has always been given to composite records and databases in order to extract and discuss major and global geomagnetic

Understanding industrial energy use: Physical energy intensity changes in Indian manufacturing sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudhakara Reddy, B.; Kumar Ray, Binay

2011-01-01

This study develops and examines physical energy intensity indicators in five industrial sub-sectors-iron and steel, aluminum, textiles, paper, and cement-and investigates mitigation options for energy related CO 2 emissions (during 1991-2005). Decomposition analysis has been employed to separate the structural effect (share of different products in the sector) from pure intensity effect (efficiency increase through technical improvement) for each industry. The results show that the combined effect (considering both structural and intensity effects together) on both iron and steel and paper and pulp industries is negative while it is positive for aluminum and textiles. The intensity effect for all the industries, barring textiles, is negative showing improvement in energy efficiency; iron and steel in particular, has seen a decrease of 134 PJ in energy consumption owing to improvements in efficiency. However, energy intensity in textiles has risen by 47 PJ due to increased mechanization. Structural effect is positive in aluminum and iron and steel industries indicating a movement towards higher energy-intensive products. In the case of aluminum, positive structural effect dominates over negative intensive effect whereas negative intensive effect dominates iron and steel industry. The paper helps in designing policies for improving productivity and reduce energy consumption in India's manufacturing sector. - Highlights: → The study develops physical energy intensity indicators in industrial sub-sectors of India. → It identifies technological and other options for reduction in energy consumption. → The study quantifies savings in energy as well as CO 2 emissions. → The indicators are useful in examining structural changes.

Wages, Productivity and Work Intensity in the Great Depression

OpenAIRE

Julia Darby; Robert A Hart

2002-01-01

We show that U.S. manufacturing wages during the Great Depression were importantly determined by forces on firms' intensive margins. Short-run changes in work intensity and the longer-term goal of restoring full potential productivity combined to influence real wage growth. By contrast, the external effects of unemployment and replacement rates had much less impact. Empirical work is undertaken against the background of an efficient bargaining model that embraces employment, hours of work and...

Dependence of core heating properties on heating pulse duration and intensity

Science.gov (United States)

Johzaki, Tomoyuki; Nagatomo, Hideo; Sunahara, Atsushi; Cai, Hongbo; Sakagami, Hitoshi; Mima, Kunioki

2009-11-01

In the cone-guiding fast ignition, an imploded core is heated by the energy transport of fast electrons generated by the ultra-intense short-pulse laser at the cone inner surface. The fast core heating (˜800eV) has been demonstrated at integrated experiments with GEKKO-XII+ PW laser systems. As the next step, experiments using more powerful heating laser, FIREX, have been started at ILE, Osaka university. In FIREX-I (phase-I of FIREX), our goal is the demonstration of efficient core heating (Ti ˜ 5keV) using a newly developed 10kJ LFEX laser. In the first integrated experiments, the LFEX laser is operated with low energy mode (˜0.5kJ/4ps) to validate the previous GEKKO+PW experiments. Between the two experiments, though the laser energy is similar (˜0.5kJ), the duration is different; ˜0.5ps in the PW laser and ˜ 4ps in the LFEX laser. In this paper, we evaluate the dependence of core heating properties on the heating pulse duration on the basis of integrated simulations with FI^3 (Fast Ignition Integrated Interconnecting) code system.

Heating of underdense plasmas by intense lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruer, W.L.

1972-08-01

In this note we show that two intense driving fields with frequency much greater than the electron plasma frequency (ω/sub pe/), but with a frequency separation of nearly ω/sub pe/, will couple electron and ion plasma waves and drive them unstable. 6 refs

Collimator setting optimization in intensity modulated radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, M.; Hoban, P.

2001-01-01

Full text: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of collimator angle and bixel size settings in IMRT when using the step and shoot method of delivery. Of particular interest is minimisation of the total monitor units delivered. Beam intensity maps with bixel size 10 x 10 mm were segmented into MLC leaf sequences and the collimator angle optimised to minimise the total number of MU's. The monitor units were estimated from the maximum sum of positive-gradient intensity changes along the direction of leaf motion. To investigate the use of low resolution maps at optimum collimator angles, several high resolution maps with bixel size 5 x 5 mm were generated. These were resampled into bixel sizes, 5 x 10 mm and 10 x 10 mm and the collimator angle optimised to minimise the RMS error between the original and resampled map. Finally, a clinical IMRT case was investigated with the collimator angle optimised. Both the dose distribution and dose-volume histograms were compared between the standard IMRT plan and the optimised plan. For the 10 x 10 mm bixel maps there was a variation of 5% - 40% in monitor units at the different collimator angles. The maps with a high degree of radial symmetry showed little variation. For the resampled 5 x 5 mm maps, a small RMS error was achievable with a 5 x 10 mm bixel size at particular collimator positions. This was most noticeable for maps with an elongated intensity distribution. A comparison between the 5 x 5 mm bixel plan and the 5 x 10 mm showed no significant difference in dose distribution. The monitor units required to deliver an intensity modulated field can be reduced by rotating the collimator and aligning the direction of leaf motion with the axis of the fluence map that has the least intensity. Copyright (2001) Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine

Integrated Bali Cattle Development Model Under Oil Palm Plantation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasali Hakim Matondang

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Bali cattle have several advantages such as high fertility and carcass percentage, easy adaptation to the new environment as well. Bali cattle productivity has not been optimal yet. This is due to one of the limitation of feed resources, decreasing of grazing and agricultural land. The aim of this paper is to describe Bali cattle development integrated with oil palm plantations, which is expected to improve productivity and increase Bali cattle population. This integration model is carried out by raising Bali cattle under oil palm plantation through nucleus estate scheme model or individual farmers estates business. Some of Bali cattle raising systems have been applied in the integration of palm plantation-Bali cattle. One of the intensive systems can increase daily weight gain of 0.8 kg/head, calfcrop of 35% per year and has the potency for industrial development of feed and organic fertilizer. In the semi-intensive system, it can improve the production of oil palm fruit bunches (PFB more than 10%, increase harvested-crop area to 15 ha/farmer and reduce the amount of inorganic fertilizer. The extensive system can produce calfcrop ³70%, improve ³30% of PFB, increase business scale ³13 cows/farmer and reduce weeding costs ³16%. Integrated Bali cattle development may provide positive added value for both, palm oil business and cattle business.

Rainfed intensive crop systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Jørgen E

2014-01-01

This chapter focuses on the importance of intensive cropping systems in contributing to the world supply of food and feed. The impact of climate change on intensive crop production systems is also discussed.......This chapter focuses on the importance of intensive cropping systems in contributing to the world supply of food and feed. The impact of climate change on intensive crop production systems is also discussed....

Calculations of the stress intensity factor on a specimen for a four-point bend

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauerova, D.

1995-02-01

The stress intensity factor K I was calculated in dependence on the crack length in a sample for a (non-standard) four-point bend assuming elastic properties of the material. It is shown that the SYSTUS code gives the best results when calculating the K I value from the J-integral. 4 tabs., 12 figs., 4 refs

High signal intensity of fat on fast spin echo imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogura, Akio; Yamazaki, Masaru; Hongoh, Takaharu; Inoue, Hiroshi; Ishikuro, Akihiro

2000-01-01

The fast spin echo (FSE) technique of producing T 2 -weighted images in greatly reduced imaging times has recently been used for routine clinical study. FSE images show contrast that is very similar in most tissues to that of conventional SE images. However, fat shows a high signal intensity that is influenced by j-coupling and the magnetization transfer effect. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the higher signal intensity of fat is different among MRI systems and to examine the effects of j-coupling and magnetization transfer on the high signal intensity of fat on FSE. The contrast in signal intensity between fat and water was measured for various echo train lengths (ETL) with and without multislicing on FSE using a contrast phantom. Measurements were obtained with four different MRI systems. In addition, the effective T 2 values of fat were calculated for the above conditions. Results indicated that contrast for fat and water was reduced with increased ETL and by using multislicing and was different among the four MRI systems. The effective T 2 values of fat were extended for increased ETL and were not dependent on multislicing. They also differed among the four MRI systems. The extent of effective T 2 values was affected by j-coupling. In this study, it was indicated that the degree of the high signal intensity of fat on FSE differed for different MRI systems. In addition, the reasons for the high signal intensity of fat on FSE were related to the effects of j-coupling and magnetization transfer. (author)

Building integrated care systems: a case study of Bidasoa Integrated Health Organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuria Toro Polanco

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This paper analyses the implementation of integrated care policies in the Basque Country through the deployment of an Integrated Health Organisation in Bidasoa area during the period 2011–2014. Structural, functional and clinical integration policies have been employed with the aim to deliver integrated and person-centred care for patients, especially for those living with chronic conditions.Methods: This organisational case study used multiple data sources and methods in a pragmatic and reflexive manner to build a picture of the organisational development over a 4-year period. In order to measure the progress of integration three concepts have been measured: (i readiness for chronicity measured with Assessment of Readiness for Chronicity in Healthcare Organisations tool; (ii collaboration between clinicians from different care levels measured with the D'Amour Questionnaire, and (iii overall impact of integration through several indicators based on the Triple Aim Framework.Results: The measurement of organisational readiness for chronicity showed improvements in five of the six areas under evaluation. Similarly the collaboration between professionals of different care levels showed a steady improvement in each of the 10 items. Furthermore, the Triple Aim-based indicators showed a better experience of care in terms of patients’ perceptions of care coordination; a reduction in hospital utilisation, particularly for patients with complex chronic conditions; and cost-containment in terms of per capita expenditure.Conclusion: There is a significant amount of data that shows that Bidasoa Integrated Health Organisation has progressed in terms of delivering integrated care for chronic conditions with a positive impact on several Triple Aim outcomes.

Building integrated care systems: a case study of Bidasoa Integrated Health Organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuria Toro Polanco

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This paper analyses the implementation of integrated care policies in the Basque Country through the deployment of an Integrated Health Organisation in Bidasoa area during the period 2011–2014. Structural, functional and clinical integration policies have been employed with the aim to deliver integrated and person-centred care for patients, especially for those living with chronic conditions. Methods: This organisational case study used multiple data sources and methods in a pragmatic and reflexive manner to build a picture of the organisational development over a 4-year period. In order to measure the progress of integration three concepts have been measured: (i readiness for chronicity measured with Assessment of Readiness for Chronicity in Healthcare Organisations tool; (ii collaboration between clinicians from different care levels measured with the D'Amour Questionnaire, and (iii overall impact of integration through several indicators based on the Triple Aim Framework. Results: The measurement of organisational readiness for chronicity showed improvements in five of the six areas under evaluation. Similarly the collaboration between professionals of different care levels showed a steady improvement in each of the 10 items. Furthermore, the Triple Aim-based indicators showed a better experience of care in terms of patients’ perceptions of care coordination; a reduction in hospital utilisation, particularly for patients with complex chronic conditions; and cost-containment in terms of per capita expenditure. Conclusion: There is a significant amount of data that shows that Bidasoa Integrated Health Organisation has progressed in terms of delivering integrated care for chronic conditions with a positive impact on several Triple Aim outcomes.

Recruiting intensity

OpenAIRE

R. Jason Faberman

2014-01-01

To hire new workers, employers use a variety of recruiting methods in addition to posting a vacancy announcement. The intensity with which employers use these alternative methods can vary widely with a firm’s performance and with the business cycle. In fact, persistently low recruiting intensity helps to explain the sluggish pace of US job growth following the Great Recession.

Effect of Couple Stresses on the Stress Intensity Factors for Two Parallel Cracks in an Infinite Elastic Medium under Tension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shouetsu Itou

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Stresses around two parallel cracks of equal length in an infinite elastic medium are evaluated based on the linearized couple-stress theory under uniform tension normal to the cracks. Fourier transformations are used to reduce the boundary conditions with respect to the upper crack to dual integral equations. In order to solve these equations, the differences in the displacements and in the rotation at the upper crack are expanded through a series of functions that are zero valued outside the crack. The unknown coefficients in each series are solved in order to satisfy the boundary conditions inside the crack using the Schmidt method. The stresses are expressed in terms of infinite integrals, and the stress intensity factors can be determined using the characteristics of the integrands for an infinite value of the variable of integration. Numerical calculations are carried out for selected crack configurations, and the effect of the couple stresses on the stress intensity factors is revealed.

Cardiorespiratory fitness modulates the acute flow-mediated dilation response following high-intensity but not moderate-intensity exercise in elderly men.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Tom G; Perissiou, Maria; Windsor, Mark; Russell, Fraser; Golledge, Jonathan; Green, Daniel J; Askew, Christopher D

2017-05-01

Impaired endothelial function is observed with aging and in those with low cardiorespiratory fitness (V̇o 2peak ). Improvements in endothelial function with exercise training are somewhat dependent on the intensity of exercise. While the acute stimulus for this improvement is not completely understood, it may, in part, be due to the flow-mediated dilation (FMD) response to acute exercise. We examined the hypothesis that exercise intensity alters the brachial (systemic) FMD response in elderly men and is modulated by V̇o 2peak Forty-seven elderly men were stratified into lower (V̇o 2peak = 24.3 ± 2.9 ml·kg -1 ·min -1 ; n = 27) and higher fit groups (V̇o 2peak = 35.4 ± 5.5 ml·kg -1 ·min -1 ; n = 20) after a test of cycling peak power output (PPO). In randomized order, participants undertook moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE; 40% PPO) or high-intensity interval cycling exercise (HIIE; 70% PPO) or no-exercise control. Brachial FMD was assessed at rest and 10 and 60 min after exercise. FMD increased after MICE in both groups {increase of 0.86% [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.17-1.56], P = 0.01} and normalized after 60 min. In the lower fit group, FMD was reduced after HIIE [reduction of 0.85% (95% CI, 0.12-1.58), P = 0.02] and remained decreased at 60 min. In the higher fit group, FMD was unchanged immediately after HIIE and increased after 60 min [increase of 1.52% (95% CI, 0.41-2.62), P exercise control, FMD was reduced in both groups after 60 min ( P = 0.05). Exercise intensity alters the acute FMD response in elderly men and V̇o 2peak modulates the FMD response following HIIE but not MICE. The sustained decrease in FMD in the lower fit group following HIIE may represent a signal for vascular adaptation or endothelial fatigue. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study is the first to show that moderate-intensity continuous cycling exercise increased flow-mediated dilation (FMD) transiently before normalization of FMD after 1 h, irrespective of

Extensive and intensive margins and the choice of exchange rate regimes

OpenAIRE

Masashige Hamano; Pierre M. Picard

2013-01-01

This paper studies how the choice of fixed or flexible exchange rate regimes is affected by the existence of intensive and extensive margins. We study two models where firms enter during or before each period of production. We show how the the choice of those regimes depend on the level and the volatily of the intensive and extensive margins as well as on the congruence between consumers' preferences and the supply and diversity of products. We show that fixed exchange rate regimes are prefer...

Galactic cosmic-ray intensity to a heliocentric distance of 18 AU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Allen, J.A.

1980-01-01

An updated report is given of observations of galactic cosmic-ray intensity to heliocentric radial distance of 8.6 and 18.4 AU with Pioneer 11 and Pioneer 10, respectively. Solar activity via the magnetic structure of the interplanetary medium continues to modulate the intensity out to the greatest distance reached thus far. During the 7 year period 1972 March to 1979 March, the galactic cosmic-ray intensity E/sub p/>80 MeV as measured by detectors on Pioneers 10 and 11 exhibited aperiodic temporal variations by about a factor of 2 and on a time scale of the order of a year and quasi-persistent cyclic variations of 26 day period and amplitude a few percent. The former are attributed to overall changes in the magnetic field structure of the heliosphere, the latter to fast-slow solar wind streams in and near the ecliptic plane and not to toward-away magnetic field sectors. The apparent heliographic latitude dependence of intensity is 0( +- 1.5)% per 10 0 in the latitude range +7 0 .7 to +15. 0 8, though it is possible that radially dependent temporal variations over the large difference in the heliocentric radial distances of the two spacecraft may make this result of limited significance. For protons of energy E/sub p/>80 MeV, there is a fairly consistent heliocentric radial gradient of +2.1( +- 0.3)% per AU integral intensity until 1978 April--May, at which time a substantial disruption of the distribution of cosmic rays in the heliosphere occurred

Wave propagation through disordered media without backscattering and intensity variations

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Konstantinos G Makris; Andre Brandst(o)tter; Philipp Ambichl; Ziad H Musslimani; Stefan Rotter

2017-01-01

A fundamental manifestation of wave scattering in a disordered medium is the highly complex intensity pattern the waves acquire due to multi-path interference.Here we show that these intensity variations can be entirely suppressed by adding disorder-specific gain and loss components to the medium.The resulting constant-intensity waves in such non-Hermitian scattering landscapes are free of any backscattering and feature perfect transmission through the disorder.An experimental demonstration of these unique wave states is envisioned based on spatially modulated pump beams that can flexibly control the gain and loss components in an active medium.

The intensity of precipitation during extratropical cyclones in global warming simulations: a link to cyclone intensity?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watterson, I.G. [CSIRO Atmospheric Research, Aspendale (Australia)

2006-01-01

Simulations of global warming over the coming century from two CSIRO GCMs are analysed to assess changes in the intensity of extratropical cyclones, and the potential role of increased latent heating associated with precipitation during cyclones. A simple surface cyclone detection scheme is applied to a four-member ensemble of simulations from the Mark 2 GCM, under rising greenhouse gas concentrations. The seasonal distribution of cyclones appears broadly realistic during 1961-1990. By 2071-2100, with 3 K global warming, numbers over 20 deg N to 70 deg N decrease by 6% in winter and 2% annually, with similar results for the south. The average intensity of cyclones, from relative central pressure and other measures, is largely unchanged however. 30-yr extremes of dynamic intensity also show little clear change, including values averaged over continents. Mean rain rates at cyclone centres are typically at least double rates from all days. Rates during cyclones increase by an average 14% in the northern winter under global warming. Rates over adjacent grid squares and during the previous day increase similarly, as do extreme rates. Results from simulations of the higher-resolution (1.8 deg grid) Mark 3 GCM are similar, with widespread increases in rain rates but not in cyclone intensity. The analyses suggest that latent heating during storms increases, as anticipated due to the increased moisture capacity of the warmer atmosphere. However, any role for enhanced heating in storm development in the GCMs is apparently masked by other factors. An exception is a 5% increase in extreme intensity around 55 deg S in Mark 3, despite decreased numbers of lows, a factor assessed using extreme value theory. Further studies with yet higher-resolution models may be needed to examine the potential realism of these results, particularly with regard to extremes at smaller scale.

Compared to Palliative Care, Working in Intensive Care More than Doubles the Chances of Burnout: Results from a Nationwide Comparative Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Martins Pereira

Full Text Available Professionals working in intensive and palliative care units, hence caring for patients at the end-of-life, are at risk of developing burnout. Workplace conditions are determinant factors to develop this syndrome among professionals providing end-of-life care.To identify and compare burnout levels between professionals working in intensive and palliative care units; and to assess which workplace experiences are associated with burnout.A nationwide, multicentre quantitative comparative survey study was conducted in Portugal using the following instruments: Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, Questionnaire of workplace experiences and ethical decisions, and Questionnaire of socio-demographic and professional characteristics. A total of 355 professionals from 10 intensive care and 9 palliative care units participated in the survey. A series of univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed; odds ratio sidelong with 95% confidence intervals were calculated.27% of the professionals exhibited burnout. This was more frequent in intensive care units (OR = 2.525, 95% CI: 1.025-6.221, p = .006. Univariate regression analyses showed that higher burnout levels were significantly associated with conflicts, decisions to withhold/withdraw treatment, and implementing palliative sedation. When controlling for socio-demographic and educational characteristics, and setting (intensive care units versus palliative care units, higher burnout levels were significantly and positively associated with experiencing conflicts in the workplace. Having post-graduate education in intensive/palliative care was significantly but inversely associated to higher burnout levels.Compared to palliative care, working in intensive care units more than doubled the likelihood of exhibiting burnout. Experiencing conflicts (e.g., with patients and/or families, intra and/or inter-teams was the most significant determinant of burnout and having post

Compared to Palliative Care, Working in Intensive Care More than Doubles the Chances of Burnout: Results from a Nationwide Comparative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, Carla Margarida; Carvalho, Ana Sofia; Hernández-Marrero, Pablo

2016-01-01

Introduction Professionals working in intensive and palliative care units, hence caring for patients at the end-of-life, are at risk of developing burnout. Workplace conditions are determinant factors to develop this syndrome among professionals providing end-of-life care. Objectives To identify and compare burnout levels between professionals working in intensive and palliative care units; and to assess which workplace experiences are associated with burnout. Methods A nationwide, multicentre quantitative comparative survey study was conducted in Portugal using the following instruments: Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services Survey, Questionnaire of workplace experiences and ethical decisions, and Questionnaire of socio-demographic and professional characteristics. A total of 355 professionals from 10 intensive care and 9 palliative care units participated in the survey. A series of univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed; odds ratio sidelong with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results 27% of the professionals exhibited burnout. This was more frequent in intensive care units (OR = 2.525, 95% CI: 1.025–6.221, p = .006). Univariate regression analyses showed that higher burnout levels were significantly associated with conflicts, decisions to withhold/withdraw treatment, and implementing palliative sedation. When controlling for socio-demographic and educational characteristics, and setting (intensive care units versus palliative care units), higher burnout levels were significantly and positively associated with experiencing conflicts in the workplace. Having post-graduate education in intensive/palliative care was significantly but inversely associated to higher burnout levels. Conclusions Compared to palliative care, working in intensive care units more than doubled the likelihood of exhibiting burnout. Experiencing conflicts (e.g., with patients and/or families, intra and/or inter-teams) was the most significant

Measuring Physical Activity Intensity

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... 45 David, Age 65 Harold, Age 67 Data & Statistics Facts About Physical Activity Data, Trends and Maps ... relative intensity and absolute intensity. Relative Intensity The level of effort required by a person to do ...

Intensive fibrosarcoma-binding capability of the reconstituted analog and its antitumor activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jian; Du, Yue; Liu, Wen-Juan; Li, Liang; Li, Yi; Wang, Xiao-Fei; Yi, Hong-Fei; Shan, Chuan-Kun; Xia, Gui-Min; Liu, Xiu-Jun; Zhen, Yong-Su

2018-11-01

Fibrosarcomas are highly aggressive malignant tumors. It is urgently needed to explore targeted drugs and modalities for more effective therapy. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in tumor progression and metastasis, while several MMPs are highly expressed in fibrosarcomas. In addition, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2) displays specific interaction with MMPs. Therefore, TIMP2 may play an active role in the development of fibrosarcoma-targeting agents. In the current study, a TIMP2-based recombinant protein LT and its enediyne-integrated analog LTE were prepared; furthermore, the fibrosarcoma-binding intensity and antitumor activity were investigated. As shown, intense and selective binding capability of the protein LT to human fibrosarcoma specimens was confirmed by tissue microarray. Moreover, LTE, the enediyne-integrated analog of LT, exerted highly potent cytotoxicity to fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells, induced apoptosis, and caused G2/M arrest. LTE at 0.1 nM markedly suppressed the migration and invasion of HT1080 cells. LTE at tolerated dose of 0.6 mg/kg inhibited the tumor growth of fibrosarcoma xenograft in athymic mice. The study provides evidence that the TIMP2-based reconstituted analog LTE may be useful as a targeted drug for fibrosarcome therapy.

Segmentation of clustered cells in negative phase contrast images with integrated light intensity and cell shape information.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y; Wang, C; Zhang, Z

2018-05-01

Automated cell segmentation plays a key role in characterisations of cell behaviours for both biology research and clinical practices. Currently, the segmentation of clustered cells still remains as a challenge and is the main reason for false segmentation. In this study, the emphasis was put on the segmentation of clustered cells in negative phase contrast images. A new method was proposed to combine both light intensity and cell shape information through the construction of grey-weighted distance transform (GWDT) within preliminarily segmented areas. With the constructed GWDT, the clustered cells can be detected and then separated with a modified region skeleton-based method. Moreover, a contour expansion operation was applied to get optimised detection of cell boundaries. In this paper, the working principle and detailed procedure of the proposed method are described, followed by the evaluation of the method on clustered cell segmentation. Results show that the proposed method achieves an improved performance in clustered cell segmentation compared with other methods, with 85.8% and 97.16% accuracy rate for clustered cells and all cells, respectively. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

A high-performance trench capacitor integrated in a passive integration technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geiselbrechtinger, Angelika; Büyüktas, Kevni; Allers, Karl-Heinz; Hartung, Wolfgang

2009-01-01

The requirements for the electrical characteristics of passive on-chip devices become more and more important. The electrical performance of RF circuits is predominantly restricted by the passives. New technologies and new device concepts are necessary to meet the demands. In this work, a trench capacitor developed for RF applications is presented for the first time. This so-called SilCap (silicon capacitor) device features very high capacitance density, extreme low-voltage dependence, excellent temperature stability, good RF performance and a high breakthrough voltage. First, the device function and the technological concept are introduced. The concept is realized without implementing cost-intensive high-k materials. This trench capacitor is integrated in the front end of line of a passive integration technology. The achieved specific capacitance density is compared to a standard planar capacitor. Performance of the SilCap in terms of quality factor and breakthrough voltage is shown. Finally, reliability data of this trench capacitor are presented with special focus on extrinsic and dielectric lifetime

Changing intensity of interaction can resolve prisoner's dilemmas

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jiaqi; Zhang, Chunyan; Sun, Qinglin; Chen, Zengqiang; Zhang, Jianlei

2016-03-01

We put forward a computational model which mainly focuses on the effect of changing the intensity of interaction between individuals to study the evolutionary prisoner's dilemma game in social networks. In this model, an individual will unilaterally increase the intensity of interaction from it to some of its neighbors in case it is satisfied with the current income which it obtains from the neighbor; conversely, the individual will unilaterally reduce the intensity of interaction from it to its neighbor. We show that this simple evolutionary rule can effectively shift the survival barrier of cooperators and drastically facilitate the emergence of cooperation. Interestingly, for a fixed temptation to defect, there exists the smallest increment of intensity of interaction, resulting in a plateau of high cooperation level due to the positive feedback mechanism. Furthermore, we find good agreement between simulation results and theoretical predictions obtained from an extended pair-approximation method. Meanwhile, we illustrate the dynamical evolution of cooperators on the network, and investigate the impact of noise during the strategy updates.

Feature and Intensity Based Medical Image Registration Using Particle Swarm Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Basset, Mohamed; Fakhry, Ahmed E; El-Henawy, Ibrahim; Qiu, Tie; Sangaiah, Arun Kumar

2017-11-03

Image registration is an important aspect in medical image analysis, and kinds use in a variety of medical applications. Examples include diagnosis, pre/post surgery guidance, comparing/merging/integrating images from multi-modal like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Computed Tomography (CT). Whether registering images across modalities for a single patient or registering across patients for a single modality, registration is an effective way to combine information from different images into a normalized frame for reference. Registered datasets can be used for providing information relating to the structure, function, and pathology of the organ or individual being imaged. In this paper a hybrid approach for medical images registration has been developed. It employs a modified Mutual Information (MI) as a similarity metric and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method. Computation of mutual information is modified using a weighted linear combination of image intensity and image gradient vector flow (GVF) intensity. In this manner, statistical as well as spatial image information is included into the image registration process. Maximization of the modified mutual information is effected using the versatile Particle Swarm Optimization which is developed easily with adjusted less parameter. The developed approach has been tested and verified successfully on a number of medical image data sets that include images with missing parts, noise contamination, and/or of different modalities (CT, MRI). The registration results indicate the proposed model as accurate and effective, and show the posture contribution in inclusion of both statistical and spatial image data to the developed approach.

Nuclear energy = more jobs. [Capital-intensive vs labor-intensive systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brookes, L G

1979-07-01

In the April 1979 issue of Energy Manager, Dr. David Elliott of Open University says capital-intensive systems employ less labor per unit of output, concluding that nuclear energy represented a poor bargain in terms of money invested per job created. Responding to this earlier article, Dr. Brookes argues that capital-intensive systems may employ less labor per unit of output, but they also produce more output and income per worker. Dr. Brookes uses a simple analysis to illustrate how progress results by increasing capital investment and disagrees strongly with Elliotts conclusions - says output must become more capital-intensive to provide more employment opportunities. Further, he feels that Elliott and other antinuclear and environmentalist writers have fallen into the trap of the fallacy of composition - assuming that what is true for a small number of constituent parts taken singly is true also for the total system taken as a whole. Examples can be found in economics of microeconomic elements which do not add up to the expected macroeconomic composition, which explains why some capital-intensive strategies are good and others are not. The excess income produced by capital-intensive energy strategies supports the service and public administration sectors. 3 figures, 1 table. (DCK)

Constraint-induced aphasia therapy versus intensive semantic treatment in fluent aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilssens, Ineke; Vandenborre, Dorien; van Dun, Kim; Verhoeven, Jo; Visch-Brink, Evy; Mariën, Peter

2015-05-01

The authors compared the effectiveness of 2 intensive therapy methods: Constraint-Induced Aphasia Therapy (CIAT; Pulvermüller et al., 2001) and semantic therapy (BOX; Visch-Brink & Bajema, 2001). Nine patients with chronic fluent aphasia participated in a therapy program to establish behavioral treatment outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups (CIAT or BOX). Intensive therapy significantly improved verbal communication. However, BOX treatment showed a more pronounced improvement on two communication-namely, a standardized assessment for verbal communication, the Amsterdam Nijmegen Everyday Language Test (Blomert, Koster, & Kean, 1995), and a subjective rating scale, the Communicative Effectiveness Index (Lomas et al., 1989). All participants significantly improved on one (or more) subtests of the Aachen Aphasia Test (Graetz, de Bleser, & Willmes, 1992), an impairment-focused assessment. There was a treatment-specific effect. BOX treatment had a significant effect on language comprehension and semantics, whereas CIAT treatment affected language production and phonology. The findings indicate that in patients with fluent aphasia, (a) intensive treatment has a significant effect on language and verbal communication, (b) intensive therapy results in selective treatment effects, and (c) an intensive semantic treatment shows a more striking mean improvement on verbal communication in comparison with communication-based CIAT treatment.

Effects of stimulation intensity, gender and handedness upon auditory evoked potentials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susana Camposano

1992-03-01

Full Text Available Left handers and women show less anatomical brain asymmetry, larger corpus callosum and more bilateral representation of specific functions. Sensory and cognitive components of cortical auditory evoked potentials (AEF have been shown to be asymmetric in right handed males and to be influenced by stimulus intensity. In this study the influence of sex, handedness and stimulus intensity upon AEP components is investigated under basal conditions of passive attention. 14 right handed males, 14 right handed females, 14 left handed males, and 14 left handed females were studied while lying awake and paying passive attention to auditory stimulation (series of 100 binaural clicks, duration 1 msec, rate 1/sec, at four intensities. Cz, C3 and C4 referenced to linked mastoids and right EOG were recorded. Analysis time was 400 msec, average evoked potentials were based on 100 clicks. Stimulus intensity and gender affect early sensory components (P1N1 and N1P2 at central leads, asymmetry is influenced only by handedness, right handers showing larger P1N1 amplitudes over the right hemisphere.

Neurovascular Saturation Thresholds Under High Intensity Auditory Stimulation During Wake

Science.gov (United States)

Schei, Jennifer L.; Van Nortwick, Amy S.; Meighan, Peter C.; Rector, David M.

2012-01-01

Coupling between neural activity and hemodynamic responses is important in understanding brain function, interpreting brain imaging signals, and assessing pathological conditions. Tissue state is a major factor in neurovascular coupling and may alter the relationship between neural and hemodynamic activity. However, most neurovascular coupling studies are performed under anesthetized or sedated states which may have severe consequences on coupling mechanisms. Our previous studies showed that following prolonged periods of sleep deprivation, evoked hemodynamic responses were muted despite consistent electrical responses, suggesting that sustained neural activity may decrease vascular compliance and limit blood perfusion. To investigate potential perfusion limitations during natural waking conditions, we simultaneously measured evoked response potentials (ERPs) and evoked hemodynamic responses using optical imaging techniques to increasing intensity auditory stimulation. The relationship between evoked hemodynamic responses and integrated ERPs followed a sigmoid relationship where the hemodynamic response approached saturation at lower stimulus intensities than the ERP. If limits in blood perfusion are caused by stretching of the vessel wall, then these results suggest there may be decreased vascular compliance due to sustained neural activity during wake, which could limit vascular responsiveness and local blood perfusion. Conditions that stress cerebral vasculature, such as sleep deprivation and some pathologies (e.g., epilepsy), may further decrease vascular compliance, limit metabolic delivery, and cause tissue trauma. While ERPs and evoked hemodynamic responses provide an indication of the correlated neural activity and metabolic demand, the relationship between these two responses is complex and the different measurement techniques are not directly correlated. Future studies are required to verify these findings and further explore neurovascular coupling during

Fan-beam intensity modulated proton therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Patrick; Westerly, David; Mackie, Thomas

2013-11-01

This paper presents a concept for a proton therapy system capable of delivering intensity modulated proton therapy using a fan beam of protons. This system would allow present and future gantry-based facilities to deliver state-of-the-art proton therapy with the greater normal tissue sparing made possible by intensity modulation techniques. A method for producing a divergent fan beam of protons using a pair of electromagnetic quadrupoles is described and particle transport through the quadrupole doublet is simulated using a commercially available software package. To manipulate the fan beam of protons, a modulation device is developed. This modulator inserts or retracts acrylic leaves of varying thickness from subsections of the fan beam. Each subsection, or beam channel, creates what effectively becomes a beam spot within the fan area. Each channel is able to provide 0-255 mm of range shift for its associated beam spot, or stop the beam and act as an intensity modulator. Results of particle transport simulations through the quadrupole system are incorporated into the MCNPX Monte Carlo transport code along with a model of the range and intensity modulation device. Several design parameters were investigated and optimized, culminating in the ability to create topotherapy treatment plans using distal-edge tracking on both phantom and patient datasets. Beam transport calculations show that a pair of electromagnetic quadrupoles can be used to create a divergent fan beam of 200 MeV protons over a distance of 2.1 m. The quadrupole lengths were 30 and 48 cm, respectively, with transverse field gradients less than 20 T/m, which is within the range of water-cooled magnets for the quadrupole radii used. MCNPX simulations of topotherapy treatment plans suggest that, when using the distal edge tracking delivery method, many delivery angles are more important than insisting on narrow beam channel widths in order to obtain conformal target coverage. Overall, the sharp distal

Comparison of IMRT Treatment Plans Between Linac and Helical Tomotherapy Based on Integral Dose and Inhomogeneity Index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Chengyu; Penagaricano, Jose; Papanikolaou, Niko

2008-01-01

Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is an advanced treatment technology for radiation therapy. There are several treatment planning systems (TPS) that can generate IMRT plans. These plans may show different inhomogeneity indices to the planning target volume (PTV) and integral dose to organs at risk (OAR). In this study, we compared clinical cases covering different anatomical treatment sites, including head and neck, brain, lung, prostate, pelvis, and cranio-spinal axis. Two treatment plans were developed for each case using Pinnacle 3 and helical tomotherapy (HT) TPS. The inhomogeneity index of the PTV and the non-tumor integral dose (NTID) were calculated and compared for each case. Despite the difference in the number of effective beams, in several cases, NTID did not increase from HT as compared to the step-and-shoot delivery method. Six helical tomotherapy treatment plans for different treatment sites have been analyzed and compared against corresponding step-and-shoot plans generated with the Pinnacle 3 planning system. Results show that HT may produce plans with smaller integral doses to healthy organs, and fairly homogeneous doses to the target as compared to linac-based step-and-shoot IMRT planning in special treatment site such as cranio-spinal

Exercise intensity of cycle-touring events.

Science.gov (United States)

Neumayr, G; Pfister, R; Mitterbauer, G; Gaenzer, H; Sturm, W; Eibl, G; Hoertnagl, H

2002-10-01

The aim of the study was to analyze the exercise intensity of recreational cyclists participating in a cycling-touring event. In 14 male healthy recreational cyclists heart rate (HR) monitoring was performed during the Otztal Radmarathon 1999 (distance: 230 km; altitude difference: 5500 m) in order to evaluate the HR response and to estimate the cardiopulmonary strains for the less-trained athlete confronted with such a marathon. Four different exercise intensities were defined as percentages of maximal HR (HR(max)) as follows: recovery HR (HR(re)) 90 %. All athletes finished the competition successfully. The mean racing time was 10 h 14 min, the average speed 22.5 km/h. The mean HR(max) was 188 bpm, the average value of the measured HRs (HR(average)) was 145 bpm resulting in a mean HR(average)/HR(max) ratio of 0.77. Athletes spent 18.5 % (1 h 54 min) of total race time within HR(re), 28 % (2 h 52 min) within HR(ma), 39.5 % (4 h 02 min) within HR(ia), and 14 % (1 h 26 min) within HR(an). The vast majority of exercise was done under "aerobic conditions" (HR(re) + HR(ma) + HR(ia) = 86 % or 8 h 48 min) - confirming the knowledge that the aerobic energy supply is crucial for the performance of long-term exercise. The large amount of high exercise intensities (HR(ia) + HR(an) = 53.5 % or 5 h 30 min), however, features the intense cardiopulmonary strains evoked by such competitions. The HR response was related to the course profile with HRs significantly declining in all subjects to an extent of 10 % during the course of race. Our findings show that the exercise intensity borne by recreational cyclists during a cycle-touring event is high and very similar to that of professionals. With respect to the high cardiovascular strains a thorough medical screening is advisable for any participant of such an event combining both high volume and high intensity loads.

Integrative medicine for chronic pain: A cohort study using a process-outcome design in the context of a department for internal and integrative medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Felix J; Brüning, Alexander; Barcelona, Cyrus; Büssing, Arndt; Langhorst, Jost; Dobos, Gustav; Lauche, Romy; Cramer, Holger

2016-07-01

Integrative medicine inpatient treatment has been shown to improve physical and mental health in patients with internal medicine conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a 2-week integrative medicine inpatient treatment in patients with chronic pain syndromes and the association of treatment success with patient-related process variables. Inpatients with chronic pain syndromes participating in a 2-week integrative medicine inpatient program were included. Patients' pain intensity, pain disability, pain perception, quality of life, depression, and perceived stress were measured on admission, discharge, and 6 months after discharge. Likewise process variables including ability and will to change, emotional/rational disease acceptance, mindfulness, life and health satisfaction, and easiness of life were assessed. A total of 310 inpatients (91% female, mean age 50.7 ± 12.4 year, 26.5% low back pain, and 22.9% fibromyalgia) were included. Using mixed linear models, significant improvements in pain intensity, pain disability, pain perception, quality of life, depression, and perceived stress were found (all P medicine inpatient treatment can benefit patients with chronic pain conditions. Functional improvements are associated with improved ability to change and implementation, disease acceptance, and satisfaction.

PPAR-gamma agonist pioglitazone modifies craving intensity and brain white matter integrity in patients with primary cocaine use disorder: a double-blind randomized controlled pilot trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitz, Joy M; Green, Charles E; Hasan, Khader M; Vincent, Jessica; Suchting, Robert; Weaver, Michael F; Moeller, F Gerard; Narayana, Ponnada A; Cunningham, Kathryn A; Dineley, Kelly T; Lane, Scott D

2017-10-01

Pioglitazone (PIO), a potent agonist of PPAR-gamma, is a promising candidate treatment for cocaine use disorder (CUD). We tested the effects of PIO on targeted mechanisms relevant to CUD: cocaine craving and brain white matter (WM) integrity. Feasibility, medication compliance and tolerability were evaluated. Two-arm double-blind randomized controlled proof-of-concept pilot trial of PIO or placebo (PLC). Single-site out-patient treatment research clinic in Houston, TX, USA. Thirty treatment-seeking adults, 18 to 60 years old, with CUD. Eighteen participants (8 = PIO; 10 = PLC) completed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of WM integrity at pre-/post-treatment. Study medication was dispensed at thrice weekly visits along with once-weekly cognitive behavioral therapy for 12 weeks. Measures of target engagement mechanisms of interest included cocaine craving assessed by the Brief Substance Craving Scale (BSCS), the Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS), a visual analog scale (VAS) and change in WM integrity. Feasibility measures included number completing treatment, medication compliance (riboflavin detection) and tolerability (side effects, serious adverse events). Target engagement change in mechanisms of interest, defined as a ≥ 0.75 Bayesian posterior probability of an interaction existing favoring PIO over PLC, was demonstrated on measures of craving (BSCS, VAS) and WM integrity indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA) values. Outcomes indicated greater decrease in craving and greater increase in FA values in the PIO group. Feasibility was demonstrated by high completion rates among those starting treatment (21/26 = 80%) and medication compliance (≥ 80%). There were no reported serious adverse events for PIO. Compared with placebo, patients receiving pioglitazone show a higher likelihood of reduced cocaine craving and improved brain white matter integrity as a function of time in treatment. Pioglitazone shows good feasibility as a treatment for cocaine

Early intensive rehabilitation after oral cancer treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Bschorer, Maximilian; Schneider, Daniel; Hennig, Matthias; Frank, Bernd; Schön, Gerhard; Heiland, Max; Bschorer, Reinhard

2018-06-01

The treatment of oral cancer requires an effective rehabilitation strategy such as an early intensive rehabilitation (EIR) program. The medical records and data of 41 patients who participated in an EIR program and 20 control group patients were analyzed. These patients all underwent surgical resection of the primary tumor followed by microsurgical reconstruction using free flaps. The length of stay (LOS) at the acute care hospital was compared between the two groups. Four indexes were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the EIR program. EIR patients stayed an average of 11.6 fewer days at the acute care hospital. All indexes showed significant improvements (p < 0.001). The Barthel Index (BI) and the Early Intensive Rehabilitation Barthel Index (EIR-BI) improved by 36.0 and 103.6 points, respectively. At discharge, the Bogenhausener Dysphagia Score (BODS) had improved to a score of 11.0 compared to the 13.9 at admission. EIR patients had a Work Ability Index (WAI) score of 25.7. Length of stay at the acute care hospital can be reduced using early intensive rehabilitation if patients are transferred to an intensive rehabilitation clinic early. Copyright © 2018 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shifts of integration variable within four- and N-dimensional Feynman integrals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elias, V.; McKeon, G.; Mann, R.B.

1983-01-01

We resolve inconsistencies between integration in four dimensions, where shifts of integration variable may lead to surface terms, and dimensional regularization, where no surface terms accompany such shifts, by showing that surface terms arise only for discrete values of the dimension parameter. General formulas for variable-of-integration shifts within N-dimensional Feynman integrals are presented, and the VVA triangle anomaly is interpreted as a manifestation of surface terms occurring in exactly four dimensions

Backtracking Incremental Continuous Integration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T. van der Storm (Tijs); K. Kontogiannis (Kostas); C. Tjortjis; A. Winter

2008-01-01

htmlabstractFailing integration builds are show stoppers. Development activity is stalled because developers have to wait with integrating new changes until the problem is fixed and a successful build has been run. We show how backtracking can be used to mitigate the impact of build failures in the

Integrative taxonomy of Goezia spinulosa (Nematoda: Raphidascarididae) from arapaimas in the northwestern Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Maralina Torres da; Oliveira Cavalcante, Pedro Hercílio de; Camargo, Ana Carolina Alves de; Chagas Moutinho, Vanessa Aparecida das; Santos, Everton Gustavo Nunes Dos; Santos, Cláudia Portes

2017-08-15

Arapaima gigas, a fish with a high market value, has been farmed in different localities within Brazil. Among its parasites, adults of Goezia spinulosa are reported to cause ulcers in the stomach and to result in the death of farmed fingerlings. Due to the veterinary importance of this nematode in cultured arapaimas, an integrative taxonomic study is proposed, combining morphological, ultrastructural and genetic profiles of this parasite. The fish were obtained from semi-intensive fish farming in Acre State, Brazil. The fish measured 7-42cm in total length and the intensity of infection was 1-60 parasites per fish. The site of infection was mainly the stomach. Morphological and ultrastructural analyses of G. spinulosa showed the importance of its spiny body in firmly attaching the worm to the gastric mucosa, resulting in lesions, ulcers and deep gastric perforations of the stomach wall. New sequences for partial 18S rDNA, ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 rDNA, partial 28S rDNA, cox1 mtDNA and for cox2 mtDNA are presented. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on the partial 18S and 28S rDNA shows species of Goezia occur in a clade well separated from other genera in both analyses. Both the partial 18S and 28S rDNA genes represented good genetic markers for distinguishing genera of the Raphidascarididae, with exception of Hysterothylacium. This integrated taxonomic study produced a robust profile for G. spinulosa that will aid the diagnosis of both adults and larval stages from arapaimas and possible intermediate hosts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diurnal Variability in Chlorophyll-a, Carotenoids, CDOM and SO₄(2-) Intensity of Offshore Seawater Detected by an Underwater Fluorescence-Raman Spectral System.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jing; Ye, Wangquan; Guo, Jinjia; Luo, Zhao; Li, Ying

2016-07-13

A newly developed integrated fluorescence-Raman spectral system (λex = 532 nm) for detecting Chlorophyll-a (chl-a), Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), carotenoids and SO₄(2-) in situ was used to successfully investigate the diurnal variability of all above. Simultaneously using the integration of fluorescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy techniques provided comprehensive marine information due to the complementarity between the different excitation mechanisms and different selection rules. The investigation took place in offshore seawater of the Yellow Sea (36°05'40'' N, 120°31'32'' E) in October 2014. To detect chl-a, CDOM, carotenoids and SO₄(2-), the fluorescence-Raman spectral system was deployed. It was found that troughs of chl-a and CDOM fluorescence signal intensity were observed during high tides, while the signal intensity showed high values with larger fluctuations during ebb-tide. Chl-a and carotenoids were influenced by solar radiation within a day cycle by different detection techniques, as well as displaying similar and synchronous tendency. CDOM fluorescence cause interference to the measurement of SO₄(2-). To avoid such interference, the backup Raman spectroscopy system with λex = 785 nm was employed to detect SO₄(2-) concentration on the following day. The results demonstrated that the fluorescence-Raman spectral system has great potential in detection of chl-a, carotenoids, CDOM and SO₄(2-) in the ocean.

A flexible and portable powerpack by solid-state supercapacitor and dye-sensitized solar cell integration

Science.gov (United States)

Scalia, Alberto; Bella, Federico; Lamberti, Andrea; Bianco, Stefano; Gerbaldi, Claudio; Tresso, Elena; Pirri, Candido Fabrizio

2017-08-01

The recent need to benefit from electricity in every moment of daily life, particularly when the access to the electric grid is limited, is forcing the scientific and industrial community to an intensive effort towards the production of integrated energy harvesting and storage devices able to drive low power electronics. In this framework, flexibility represents a mandatory requirement to cover non-planar or bendable surfaces, more and more common in nowadays-electronic devices. To this purpose, here we present an innovative device consisting of a TiO2 nanotube-based dye sensitized solar cell and a graphene-based electrical double layer capacitor integrated in a flexible architecture. Both the units are obtained by easily scalable fabrication processes exploiting photopolymer membranes as electrolytes and metal grids as current collectors. The performance of the two units and of the integrated system are thoroughly investigated by electrochemical measurements also under different irradiation conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this work shows the highest energy conversion and storage efficiency (1.02%) ever attained under 1 Sun irradiation condition for a flexible dye-sensitized-based non-wired photocapacitor. Noteworthy, this value dramatically increases while lowering the illumination condition to 0.3 Sun, achieving a remarkable value of 1.46%, thus showing optimal performances in real operation conditions.

Geometrical theory to predict eccentric photorefraction intensity profiles in the human eye

Science.gov (United States)

Roorda, Austin; Campbell, Melanie C. W.; Bobier, W. R.

1995-08-01

In eccentric photorefraction, light returning from the retina of the eye is photographed by a camera focused on the eye's pupil. We use a geometrical model of eccentric photorefraction to generate intensity profiles across the pupil image. The intensity profiles for three different monochromatic aberration functions induced in a single eye are predicted and show good agreement with the measured eccentric photorefraction intensity profiles. A directional reflection from the retina is incorporated into the calculation. Intensity profiles for symmetric and asymmetric aberrations are generated and measured. The latter profile shows a dependency on the source position and the meridian. The magnitude of the effect of thresholding on measured pattern extents is predicted. Monochromatic aberrations in human eyes will cause deviations in the eccentric photorefraction measurements from traditional crescents caused by defocus and may cause misdiagnoses of ametropia or anisometropia. Our results suggest that measuring refraction along the vertical meridian is preferred for screening studies with the eccentric photorefractor.

The potential etiologic factors influencing tinnitus intensity in patients with temporomandibular disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirkol, Nermin; Demirkol, Mehmet; Usumez, Aslihan; Sari, Fatih; Akcaboy, Cihan

2017-08-30

To investigate the potential relationships between the intensity of tinnitus associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and potential etiologic factors, including age, gender, freeway space, sleep bruxism (SB), joint clicking, and headache. The sample was comprised of 90 patients without any hearing loss, as confirmed by otorhinolaryngology, who self-reported subjective tinnitus and simultaneous TMD, based on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD). The results showed a positive, weak correlation between the intensity of tinnitus and age (r = 0.225, p = 0.033). The presence of SB and headache were seen in higher proportions in the present sample, at 75.5% (n = 68) and 66.6% (n = 60), respectively. In a population of patients with subjective tinnitus and TMD, no significant associations were found between tinnitus intensity and age, freeway space, SB, clicking presence, and headache, though gender did show a weak correlation with tinnitus intensity.

Spin currents from Helium in intense-field photo-ionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, S; Mukherjee, Mahua; Chakrabarti, J; Faisal, F H M

2007-01-01

Spin dynamics is studied by computing spin-dependent ionization current of He in intense laser field in relativistic field theoretic method. Spin-flip and spin-asymmetry in current generation is obtained with circularly polarized light. The spin-flip is a dynamical effect of intense laser field on an ionized spinning electron. Transformation properties of the up and down spin ionization amplitudes show that the sign of spin can be controlled by a change of helicity of the laser photons from outside

A Nonlinear Observer for Integration of GPS and Inertial Navigation Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bjørnar Vik

2000-10-01

Full Text Available GPS and INS have complementary properties and they are therefore well suited for integration. The integrated solution offers better long term accuracy than a stand-alone INS, and better integrity, availability and continuity than a stand-alone GPS receiver, making it suitable for demanding applications. The integrated filter is nonlinear both in state and measurements, and the extended Kalman-filter has been used with good results, but it has not been proven globally stable, and it is also computationally intensive, especially within a direct integration architecture. In this work a nonlinear observer suitable for direct integration is presented. Global exponent ial stability of the origin of the combined attitude and velocity error systems is proven along with robust stability in the presence of noise and unmodelled dynamics.

Electron scattering in the presence of an intense electromagnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohan, M.; Chand, P.

1977-03-01

The general theory of electron scattering in the presence of an external electromagnetic field, provided by an intense laser beam, accompanied by absorption of n photons, each with energy hω, is discussed. The calculation leads to many summations over intermediate states. A general method for exactly evaluating several sums is described in detail. Numerical results show that the cross-section varies with intensity in a power law fashion

Experimental study on comprehensive utilization of solar energy and energy balance in an integrated solar house

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Huawei; Liu, Yuting; Shen, Jinqiu; Xiang, Can; He, Sinian; Wan, Zhongmin; Jiang, Meng; Duan, Chen; Shu, Shuiming

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Active and passive solar house technology is integrated in the solar house. • Solar thermal system and solar photoelectric system are measured and analyzed. • Energy balance and energy consumption are analyzed with valuable experimental data. • “Zero energy consumption” is truly achieved with the solar supply rate of 1.19 in winter. - Abstract: An integrated solar house with numerous advanced envelops is designed and constructed to investigate the comprehensive utilization of solar energy, energy efficiency and energy balance, which combines active solar house technology with passive solar house technology including solar photovoltaic system, solar water heating system, direct-gain door and windows. Solar radiation intensity, performance of the photovoltaic system, water temperature, and indoor and outdoor temperature are measured, results of the experiments indicate that solar glass window on the south wall can maintain the average indoor temperature at 21.4 °C in the case of average outdoor temperature at 11.2 °C without any external heat supply. The output current of the solar photovoltaic system shows the same trend as solar radiation intensity. When the intensity is 619.7 W/m"2, the instantaneous generation power could reach a value of 781.9 W, cumulative capacity throughout the day achieves 4.56 kW h and photovoltaic conversion efficiency 9.8%. When the average intensity throughout a day is 358 W/m"2, the solar water heating system could help to raise the temperature of 450 L water by 30 °C with its heat collecting efficiency being 37.4%. Through the analysis of the overall energy system in the solar house, it can be derived that this solar house could achieve “zero energy consumption” in winter with the solar supply rate at 1.19.

Micromachined diffraction based optical microphones and intensity probes with electrostatic force feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Bicen, Baris

Measuring acoustic pressure gradients is critical in many applications such as directional microphones for hearing aids and sound intensity probes. This measurement is especially challenging with decreasing microphone size, which reduces the sensitivity due to small spacing between the pressure ports. Novel, micromachined biomimetic microphone diaphragms are shown to provide high sensitivity to pressure gradients on one side of the diaphragm with low thermal mechanical noise. These structures have a dominant mode shape with see-saw like motion in the audio band, responding to pressure gradients as well as spurious higher order modes sensitive to pressure. In this dissertation, integration of a diffraction based optical detection method with these novel diaphragm structures to implement a low noise optical pressure gradient microphone is described and experimental characterization results are presented, showing 36 dBA noise level with 1mm port spacing, nearly an order of magnitude better than the current gradient microphones. The optical detection scheme also provides electrostatic actuation capability from both sides of the diaphragm separately which can be used for active force feedback. A 4-port electromechanical equivalent circuit model of this microphone with optical readout is developed to predict the overall response of the device to different acoustic and electrostatic excitations. The model includes the damping due to complex motion of air around the microphone diaphragm, and it calculates the detected optical signal on each side of the diaphragm as a combination of two separate dominant vibration modes. This equivalent circuit model is verified by experiments and used to predict the microphone response with different force feedback schemes. Single sided force feedback is used for active damping to improve the linearity and the frequency response of the microphone. Furthermore, it is shown that using two sided force feedback one can significantly suppress

The quick convolution of galaxy profiles, with application to power-law intensity distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, M.E.; Sparks, W.B.

1983-01-01

The two-dimensional convolution of a circularly symmetric galaxy model with a Gaussian point-spread function of dispersion σ reduces to a single integral. This is solved analytically for models with power-law intensity distributions and results are given which relate the apparent core radius to σ and the power-law index k. The convolution integral is also simplified for the case of a point-spread function corresponding to a circular aperture. Models of galactic nuclei with stellar density cusps can only be distinguished from alternatives with small core radii if both the brightness and seeing profiles are measured accurately. The results are applied to data on the light distribution at the Galactic Centre. (author)

Norm-Minimized Scattering Data from Intensity Spectra

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Seel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We apply the l1 minimizing technique of compressive sensing (CS to nonlinear quadratic observations. For the example of coherent X-ray scattering we provide the formulas for a Kalman filter approach to quadratic CS and show how to reconstruct the scattering data from their spatial intensity distribution.

Reducing nosocomial infections in neonatal intensive care.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Eileen; Alderdice, Fiona; McCall, Emma; Jenkins, John; Craig, Stanley

2010-09-01

Nosocomial infection is a common problem in neonatal intensive care. A pilot quality improvement initiative focussing on hand hygiene and aimed at reducing nosocomial infection in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants was introduced in five Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Line associated laboratory confirmed bloodstream infection (LCBSI) and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) were chosen as main outcome measures. In VLBW infants, the rate of line associated LCBSI per 1000 central venous catheter days fell by 24%. The rate of VAP per 1000 ventilator days in VLBW infants fell by 38%. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires showed a statistically significant increase in use of alcohol-based gels and increased knowledge of hand hygiene.

Coupling habitat suitability and ecosystem health with AEHRA to estimate E-flows under intensive human activities

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, C. S.; Yang, S. T.; Zhang, H. T.; Liu, C. M.; Sun, Y.; Yang, Z. Y.; Zhang, Y.; Dong, B. E.; Lim, R. P.

2017-08-01

Sustaining adequate environmental flows (e-flows) is a key principle for maintaining river biodiversity and ecosystem health, and for supporting sustainable water resource management in basins under intensive human activities. But few methods could correctly relate river health to e-flows assessment at the catchment scale when they are applied to rivers highly impacted by human activities. An effective method is presented in this study to closely link river health to e-flows assessment for rivers at the catchment scale. Key fish species, as indicators of ecosystem health, were selected by using the foodweb model. A multi-species-based habitat suitability model (MHSI) was improved, and coupled with dominance of the key fish species as well as the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) to enhance its accuracy in determining the fish-preferred key hydrologic habitat variables related to ecosystem health. Taking 5964 fish samples and concurrent hydrological habitat variables as the basis, the combination of key variables of flow-velocity and water-depth were determined and used to drive the Adapted Ecological Hydraulic Radius Approach (AEHRA) to study e-flows in a Chinese urban river impacted by intensive human activities. Results showed that upstream urbanization resulted in abnormal river-course geomorphology and consequently abnormal e-flows under intensive human activities. Selection of key species based on the foodweb and trophic levels of aquatic ecosystems can reflect a comprehensive requirement on e-flows of the whole aquatic ecosystem, which greatly increases its potential to be used as a guidance tool for rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems at large spatial scales. These findings have significant ramifications for catchment e-flows assessment under intensive human activities and for river ecohealth restoration in such rivers globally.

Detection of intensity bursts using Hawkes processes: An application to high-frequency financial data

Science.gov (United States)

Rambaldi, Marcello; Filimonov, Vladimir; Lillo, Fabrizio

2018-03-01

Given a stationary point process, an intensity burst is defined as a short time period during which the number of counts is larger than the typical count rate. It might signal a local nonstationarity or the presence of an external perturbation to the system. In this paper we propose a procedure for the detection of intensity bursts within the Hawkes process framework. By using a model selection scheme we show that our procedure can be used to detect intensity bursts when both their occurrence time and their total number is unknown. Moreover, the initial time of the burst can be determined with a precision given by the typical interevent time. We apply our methodology to the midprice change in foreign exchange (FX) markets showing that these bursts are frequent and that only a relatively small fraction is associated with news arrival. We show lead-lag relations in intensity burst occurrence across different FX rates and we discuss their relation with price jumps.

Ecoinformatics: supporting ecology as a data-intensive science.

Science.gov (United States)

Michener, William K; Jones, Matthew B

2012-02-01

Ecology is evolving rapidly and increasingly changing into a more open, accountable, interdisciplinary, collaborative and data-intensive science. Discovering, integrating and analyzing massive amounts of heterogeneous data are central to ecology as researchers address complex questions at scales from the gene to the biosphere. Ecoinformatics offers tools and approaches for managing ecological data and transforming the data into information and knowledge. Here, we review the state-of-the-art and recent advances in ecoinformatics that can benefit ecologists and environmental scientists as they tackle increasingly challenging questions that require voluminous amounts of data across disciplines and scales of space and time. We also highlight the challenges and opportunities that remain. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated energy optimisation for the cement industry: A case study perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swanepoel, Jan Adriaan; Mathews, Edward Henry; Vosloo, Jan; Liebenberg, Leon

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Integration of all energy-intensive components of a cement plant production process in a simulation package. • Uniquely, the simulation model incorporates constraints such as maintenance, production and dynamic energy costs. • The system was implemented on four different cement plants and a total energy cost saving of 7.1% was achieved. - Abstract: Energy costs play a major role in the cement production process. As much as 60% of total cost is allocated to energy and 18% to the consumption of electrical energy. Historically, energy cost savings were achieved by large infrastructure upgrades. These upgrades are often costly and lead to interruptions in production. In this paper the operation of all the energy intensive components of the cement production process are identified, modelled, integrated and optimised for minimum operational costs while meeting production targets. This integrated approach allows for simulation of the collective effect of individual production components. The system incorporates constraints such as maintenance, production and dynamic energy costs. No published research could be found where these constraints are incorporated into a single operational solution. The system was implemented on four cement plants and a total energy cost saving of 7% was achieved. This highlights the practical significance of an integrated approach to energy cost savings

Integral Review and its Editors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Ross

2005-06-01

Full Text Available In this introduction to Integral Review’s inaugural issue, we explain the meaning we give to the title of this electronic journal which is open-access, both refereed and peer-reviewed, and why that meaning is important for us in today’s world. The draft of the basic article, which was intensely discussed among the members of the editorial committee, was written by Sara Ross and Reinhard Fuhr,* and following it, other members of the editorial committee added their personal emphases in reference to the integral paradigm as well as their (critical evaluation of the premises made in the basic article. Thus Thomas Jordan offers a set of categories and criteria for integral qualities which turned out to be most important in practice and evaluation processes. Michel Bauwens makes distinctions about the multi-perspectival nature of the integral paradigm, points out ways to avoid four different kinds of reductionism, and highlights layers of awareness. Russ Volckman emphasizes the connection between the diversity of worldviews and methodologies, which allow us to also integrate recent developments in behavioral approaches in his professional field of organization and leadership development. Jonathan Reams emphasizes the new, transcendent quality of an integral approach that enables us to use different qualities of “reflection” flexibly and – as we have a meta-framework of human perceptions and values – to recognize everybody’s truth and feel compassionate with it. We then close with a discussion of the relationship between Integral Review and the mission of its non-profit publisher, ARINA, Inc.

Integral Review and its Editors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Ross

2005-06-01

Full Text Available In this introduction to Integral Review’s inaugural issue, we explain the meaning we give to the title of this electronic journal which is open-access, both refereed and peer-reviewed, and why that meaning is important for us in today’s world. The draft of the basic article, which was intensely discussed among the members of the editorial committee, was written by Sara Ross and Reinhard Fuhr,* and following it, other members of the editorial committee added their personal emphases in reference to the integral paradigm as well as their (critical evaluation of the premises made in the basic article. Thus Thomas Jordan offers a set of categories and criteria for integral qualities which turned out to be most important in practice and evaluation processes. Michel Bauwens makes distinctions about the multi-perspectival nature of the integral paradigm, points out ways to avoid four different kinds of reductionism, and highlights layers of awareness. Russ Volckman emphasizes the connection between the diversity of worldviews and methodologies, which allow us to also integrate recent developments in behavioral approaches in his professional field of organization and leadership development. Jonathan Reams emphasizes the new, transcendent quality of an integral approach that enables us to use different qualities of “reflection” flexibly and - as we have a meta-framework of human perceptions and values - to recognize everybody's truth and feel compassionate with it. We then close with a discussion of the relationship between Integral Review and the mission of its non-profit publisher, ARINA, Inc.

An integrated service excellence model for military test and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of this article is to introduce an Integrated Service Excellence Model (ISEM) for empowering the leadership core of the capital-intensive military test and evaluation facilities to provide strategic military test and evaluation services and to continuously improve service excellence by ensuring that all activities ...

Research and simulation of intense pulsed beam transfer in electrostatic accelerate tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chaolong; Shi Haiquan; Lu Jianqin

2012-01-01

To study intense pulsed beam transfer in electrostatic accelerate tube, the matrix method was applied to analyze the transport matrixes in electrostatic accelerate tube of non-intense pulsed beam and intense pulsed beam, and a computer code was written for the intense pulsed beam transporting in electrostatic accelerate tube. Optimization techniques were used to attain the given optical conditions and iteration procedures were adopted to compute intense pulsed beam for obtaining self-consistent solutions in this computer code. The calculations were carried out by using ACCT, TRACE-3D and TRANSPORT for different beam currents, respectively. The simulation results show that improvement of the accelerating voltage ratio can enhance focusing power of electrostatic accelerate tube, reduce beam loss and increase the transferring efficiency. (authors)

Economic structure and pollution intensity within the environmental input-output framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Llop, Maria [Departament d' Economia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avgda. Universitat no. 1, 43204 Reus (Spain)]. E-mail: maria.llop@urv.cat

2007-06-15

The environmental input-output approach reveals the channels through which the environmental burdens of production activities are transmitted throughout the economy. This paper uses the input-output framework and analyses the changes in Spanish emission multipliers during the period 1995-2000. By decomposing the total changes in multipliers into different components, it is possible to evaluate separately the effects of economic structure and pollution intensity captured by the environmental input-output model. Specifically, in this study, we distinguish between the effects on multipliers caused by changes in emission coefficients (the pollution intensity effects) and the effects on multipliers caused by changes in technical coefficients (the economic structure effects). Our results show a significant reduction in the pollution intensity of production activities, which contributed negatively to changes in emission multipliers. They also show that the economic structure contributed positively to changes in emission multipliers. Together, these two effects lead to a small reduction in multipliers during the period of analysis. My results also show significant differences in the individual behaviour of different sectors in terms of their contribution to multiplier changes. Since there are considerable differences in the way individual sectors affect the changes in emission levels, and in the intensity of these effects, this means that the final effects will basically depend on the activity considered.

Economic structure and pollution intensity within the environmental input-output framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llop, Maria

2007-01-01

The environmental input-output approach reveals the channels through which the environmental burdens of production activities are transmitted throughout the economy. This paper uses the input-output framework and analyses the changes in Spanish emission multipliers during the period 1995-2000. By decomposing the total changes in multipliers into different components, it is possible to evaluate separately the effects of economic structure and pollution intensity captured by the environmental input-output model. Specifically, in this study, we distinguish between the effects on multipliers caused by changes in emission coefficients (the pollution intensity effects) and the effects on multipliers caused by changes in technical coefficients (the economic structure effects). Our results show a significant reduction in the pollution intensity of production activities, which contributed negatively to changes in emission multipliers. They also show that the economic structure contributed positively to changes in emission multipliers. Together, these two effects lead to a small reduction in multipliers during the period of analysis. My results also show significant differences in the individual behaviour of different sectors in terms of their contribution to multiplier changes. Since there are considerable differences in the way individual sectors affect the changes in emission levels, and in the intensity of these effects, this means that the final effects will basically depend on the activity considered

Measurement of Change in the Knowledge and Attitude about Leprosy in Physiotherapy Students Undergoing Intensive One Week Training in Leprosy.

Science.gov (United States)

Prakashkumar, M D; Ebenezer, M; Richard, J

2014-01-01

Leprosy is a disease that causes not only physical problems, but also mental and social problems. In the post integration era, every health care professional needs to understand about leprosy, to be able to diagnose and treat them. Physiotherapy students, in their usual syllabus, have minimal exposure to leprosy, in spite of the fact that they have a major role in preventing impairments and disabilities caused by leprosy, as well as treating such impairments. In order to educate physiotherapy students on leprosy, a one-week intensive training course was organised. This study was done to assess if the intensive training to physiotherapy students resulted in increase in their knowledge on leprosy and change their attitude positively. A batch consisting of 42 physiotherapy students went through the one-week training programme. The improvement in knowledge and attitude were assessed through a pre-test and a post-test design. Results showed that there was significant improvement in knowledge (53.05%) and brought positive change in attitude (75.0%). Such training programmes are recommended for all physiotherapy students.

Discrimination of periodontal diseases using diffuse reflectance spectral intensity ratios

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra Sekhar, Prasanth; Betsy, Joseph; Presanthila, Janam; Subhash, Narayanan

2012-02-01

This clinical study was to demonstrate the applicability of diffuse reflectance (DR) intensity ratio R620/R575 in the quantification and discrimination of periodontitis and gingivitis from healthy gingiva. DR spectral measurements were carried out with white-light illumination from 70 healthy sites in 30 healthy volunteers, and 63 gingivitis- and 58 periodontitis-infected sites in 60 patients. Clinical parameters such as probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and gingival index were recorded in patient population. Diagnostic accuracies for discrimination of gingivitis and periodontitis from healthy gingiva were determined by comparison of spectral signatures with clinical parameters. Divergence of average DR spectral intensity ratio between control and test groups was studied using analysis of variance. The mean DR spectrum on normalization at 620 nm showed marked differences between healthy tissue, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Hemoglobin concentration and apparent SO2 (oxygen saturation) were also calculated for healthy, gingivitis, and periodontitis sites. DR spectral intensities at 545 and 575 nm showed a decreasing trend with progression of disease. Among the various DR intensity ratios studied, the R620/R575 ratio provided a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 94% for discrimination of healthy tissues from gingivitis and a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 100% for discrimination of gingivitis from periodontitis.

Nursing management and organizational ethics in the intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Wlody, Ginger Schafer

2007-02-01

This article describes organizational ethics issues involved in nursing management of an intensive care unit. The intensive care team and medical center management have the dual responsibility to create an ethical environment in which to provide optimum patient care. Addressing organizational ethics is key to creating that ethical environment in the intensive care unit. During the past 15-20 yrs, increasing costs in health care, competitive markets, the effect of high technology, and global business changes have set the stage for business and healthcare organizational conflicts that affect the ethical environment. Studies show that critical care nurses experience moral distress and are affected by the ethical climate of both the intensive care unit and the larger organization. Thus, nursing moral distress may result in problems related to recruitment and retention of staff. Other issues with organizational ethics ramifications that may occur in the intensive care unit include patient safety issues (including those related to disruptive behavior), intensive care unit leadership style, research ethics, allocation of resources, triage, and other economic issues. Current organizational ethics conflicts are discussed, a professional practice model is described, and multidisciplinary recommendations are put forth.

Wellbore Integrity Network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carey, James W. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Bachu, Stefan [Alberta Innovates

2012-06-21

In this presentation, we review the current state of knowledge on wellbore integrity as developed in the IEA Greenhouse Gas Programme's Wellbore Integrity Network. Wells are one of the primary risks to the successful implementation of CO{sub 2} storage programs. Experimental studies show that wellbore materials react with CO{sub 2} (carbonation of cement and corrosion of steel) but the impact on zonal isolation is unclear. Field studies of wells in CO{sub 2}-bearing fields show that CO{sub 2} does migrate external to casing. However, rates and amounts of CO{sub 2} have not been quantified. At the decade time scale, wellbore integrity is driven by construction quality and geomechanical processes. Over longer time-scales (> 100 years), chemical processes (cement degradation and corrosion) become more important, but competing geomechanical processes may preserve wellbore integrity.

Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration for Children with Autism: A Feasibility, Safety, Acceptability and Fidelity Study

Science.gov (United States)

Schaaf, Roseann C.; Benevides, Teal W.; Kelly, Donna; Mailloux-Maggio, Zoe

2012-01-01

Objective: To examine the feasibility, safety, and acceptability of a manualized protocol of occupational therapy using sensory integration principles for children with autism. Methods: Ten children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder ages 4-8 years received intensive occupational therapy intervention using sensory integration principles…

Control assessment for heat integrated systems. An industrial case study for ethanol recovery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mauricio Iglesias, Miguel; Huusom, Jakob Kjøbsted; Sin, Gürkan

2013-01-01

Heat integration is essential for reducing the energy consumption of process industries. However, it may render the dynamic operation more interactive and difficult to control. This paper assesses the implications of heat integration in controllability and performance in energy reduction....... The assessment, both on open loop and closed loop, was carried out based on an industrial case study and compared to a modified case without heat integration. Although the heat integrated system displayed a certain deterioration of controllability, the control system made possible an efficient operation....... The reduction of energy consumption achieved thanks to heat integration was considerably larger than the losses due to poor control of the process, confirming the importance of heat integration in energy intensive processes....

Choosing Not to Cheat: A Framework to Assess Students' Rationales for Abiding by Academic Integrity Policies

Science.gov (United States)

Kolb, Kenneth H.; Longest, Kyle C.; Singer, Alexa J.

2015-01-01

Writing intensive first-year seminars are well situated within the curriculum to teach about issues like cheating and plagiarism. Although most research on academic integrity focuses on how--and how much--students cheat, we take a different approach. We assess whether participation in writing intensive first-year seminars produces measurable…

Perceptual integration without conscious access.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahrenfort, Johannes J; van Leeuwen, Jonathan; Olivers, Christian N L; Hogendoorn, Hinze

2017-04-04

The visual system has the remarkable ability to integrate fragmentary visual input into a perceptually organized collection of surfaces and objects, a process we refer to as perceptual integration. Despite a long tradition of perception research, it is not known whether access to consciousness is required to complete perceptual integration. To investigate this question, we manipulated access to consciousness using the attentional blink. We show that, behaviorally, the attentional blink impairs conscious decisions about the presence of integrated surface structure from fragmented input. However, despite conscious access being impaired, the ability to decode the presence of integrated percepts remains intact, as shown through multivariate classification analyses of electroencephalogram (EEG) data. In contrast, when disrupting perception through masking, decisions about integrated percepts and decoding of integrated percepts are impaired in tandem, while leaving feedforward representations intact. Together, these data show that access consciousness and perceptual integration can be dissociated.

Psychological recovery after intensive care: Outcomes of a long-term quasi-experimental study of structured nurse-led follow-up.

Science.gov (United States)

Jónasdóttir, Rannveig J; Jónsdóttir, Helga; Gudmundsdottir, Berglind; Sigurdsson, Gisli H

2018-02-01

To compare psychological recovery of patients receiving structured nurse-led follow-up and patients receiving usual care after intensive care discharge. Quasi-experimental study. Single centre, university hospital, mixed intensive care patient population. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression measured three and four times over 12 months after intensive care discharge. Disturbing memories of the intensive care stay and psychological reactions (that one's life was in danger, threat to physical integrity, intense fear, helplessness, horror) three months after intensive care. A mixed effect model tested differences between the groups over time and regression model predicted post-traumatic stress at three months. The experimental group had significantly more symptoms of post-traumatic stress and anxiety than the control group over the 12 months. Patients from both groups had severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Patients with post-traumatic stress at three months had disturbing memories and psychological reactions. The structured nurse-led follow-up did not improve patients' measured outcomes of psychological recovery after intensive care. Patients with severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress are of concern. Emphasis needs to be placed on disturbing memories of the intensive care stay and psychological reactions when constructing intensive care nurse-led follow-up. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of the multiwavelength monolithic integrated fiber optics terminal

Science.gov (United States)

Chubb, C. R.; Bryan, D. A.; Powers, J. K.; Rice, R. R.; Nettle, V. H.; Dalke, E. A.; Reed, W. R.

1982-01-01

This paper describes the development of the Multiwavelength Monolithic Integrated Fiber Optic Terminal (MMIFOT) for the NASA Johnson Space Center. The program objective is to utilize guided wave optical technology to develop wavelength-multiplexing and -demultiplexing units, using a single mode optical fiber for transmission between terminals. Intensity modulated injection laser diodes, chirped diffraction gratings and thin film lenses are used to achieve the wavelength-multiplexing and -demultiplexing. The video and audio data transmission test of an integrated optical unit with a Luneburg collimation lens, waveguide diffraction grating and step index condensing lens is described.

Integration Of PanDA Workload Management System With Supercomputers for ATLAS and Data Intensive Science

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De, K [University of Texas at Arlington; Jha, S [Rutgers University; Klimentov, A [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Maeno, T [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Nilsson, P [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Oleynik, D [University of Texas at Arlington; Panitkin, S [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Wells, Jack C [ORNL; Wenaus, T [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)

2016-01-01

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), operating at the international CERN Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, is leading Big Data driven scientific explorations. Experiments at the LHC explore the fundamental nature of matter and the basic forces that shape our universe, and were recently credited for the discovery of a Higgs boson. ATLAS, one of the largest collaborations ever assembled in the sciences, is at the forefront of research at the LHC. To address an unprecedented multi-petabyte data processing challenge, the ATLAS experiment is relying on a heterogeneous distributed computational infrastructure. The ATLAS experiment uses PanDA (Production and Data Analysis) Workload Management System for managing the workflow for all data processing on over 150 data centers. Through PanDA, ATLAS physicists see a single computing facility that enables rapid scientific breakthroughs for the experiment, even though the data centers are physically scattered all over the world. While PanDA currently uses more than 250,000 cores with a peak performance of 0.3 petaFLOPS, LHC data taking runs require more resources than Grid computing can possibly provide. To alleviate these challenges, LHC experiments are engaged in an ambitious program to expand the current computing model to include additional resources such as the opportunistic use of supercomputers. We will describe a project aimed at integration of PanDA WMS with supercomputers in United States, Europe and Russia (in particular with Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), MIRA supercomputer at Argonne Leadership Computing Facilities (ALCF), Supercomputer at the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute , IT4 in Ostrava and others). Current approach utilizes modified PanDA pilot framework for job submission to the supercomputers batch queues and local data management, with light-weight MPI wrappers to run single threaded workloads in parallel on LCFs multi-core worker nodes. This implementation

Expansion of the ten steps to successful breastfeeding into neonatal intensive care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nyqvist, Kerstin Hedberg; Häggkvist, Anna-Pia; Hansen, Mette Ness

2012-01-01

The World Health Organization/United Nations Children's Fund Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative: Revised, Updated, and Expanded for Integrated Care (2009) identifies the need for expanding the guidelines originally developed for maternity units to include neonatal intensive care. For this purpose...... and infants: 1. The staff attitude to the mother must focus on the individual mother and her situation. 2. The facility must provide family-centered care, supported by the environment. 3. The health care system must ensure continuity of care, that is, continuity of pre-, peri-, and postnatal care and post......; and for external assessment to decide whether neonatal intensive/intermediate care units meet the conditions required to be designated as Baby-Friendly. The documents will be finalized after consultation with the World Health Organization/United Nations Children's Fund, and the goal is to offer these documents...

Anthropogenic Reorganization of Critical Zone in Intensively Managed Landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, P.; Anders, A. M.; Bettis, E. A., III; Blair, N. E.; Filley, T. R.; Grimley, D. A.; Le, P. V.; Lin, H.; Lin, Y. F. F.; Keefer, D. A.; Keefer, L. L.; Muste, M.; Packman, A. I.; Papanicolaou, T.; Rhoads, B. L.; Richardson, M.; Schnoebelen, D. J.; Stumpf, A.; Ward, A. S.; Wilson, C. G.; Woo, D.; Yan, Q.; Goodwell, A. E.

2016-12-01

Intensification of industrial agricultural practices has resulted in some of the most profound global impacts in the Anthropocene. These include eutrophication of lakes, rivers, and oceans from nutrient loading, degradation of arable land from the loss of fertile organic soils through erosion, and loss and degradation of soil organic matter from mechanical impacts on the soil, among others. As we prepare to feed additional 2 billion people by 2050 along with the emerging practices of farming for bioenergy production, these practices will intensify further whose goal is to overcome bio-geo-physical rate limitations and rate limiting states to enhance agricultural productivity. These rate-enhancing efforts generally target the fast response production processes, creating an imbalance with the slower assimilative processes in the Critical Zone that cascade through complex inter-dependencies across carbon, soil, water, nutrient and ecological systems. These imbalances modify stores and create gradients for flux, which over time reorganize the landscape, both in structure and function. In this presentation we show how these reorganizations are occurring in the Critical Zone of intensively managed landscapes, and argue that an integrated understanding of such profound changes are necessary for developing sustainable solutions for maintaining agricultural productivity and mitigating agriculture based environmental impacts.

Dose-response relationships between exercise intensity, cravings, and inhibitory control in methamphetamine dependence: An ERPs study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dongshi; Zhou, Chenglin; Zhao, Min; Wu, Xueping; Chang, Yu-Kai

2016-04-01

The present study integrated behavioral and neuroelectric approaches for determining the dose-response relationships between exercise intensity and methamphetamine (MA) craving and between exercise intensity and inhibitory control in individuals with MA dependence. Ninety-two individuals with MA dependence were randomly assigned to an exercise group (light, moderate, or vigorous intensity) or to a reading control group. The participants then completed a craving self-report at four time points: before exercise, during exercise, immediately after exercise, and 50 min after exercise. Event-related potentials were also recorded while the participants completed a standard Go/NoGo task and an MA-related Go/NoGo task approximately 20 min after exercise cessation. The reduction in self-reported MA craving scores of the moderate and vigorous intensity groups was greater than that of the light intensity and control groups during acute exercise as well as immediately and 50 min following exercise termination. Additionally, an inverted-U-shaped relationship between exercise intensity and inhibitory control was generally observed for the behavioral and neuroelectric indices, with the moderate intensity group exhibiting shorter Go reaction times, increased NoGo accuracy, and larger NoGo-N2 amplitudes. Acute exercise may provide benefits for MA-associated craving and inhibitory control in MA-dependent individuals, as revealed by behavioral and neuroelectric measures. Moderate-intensity exercise may be associated with more positive effects, providing preliminary evidence for the establishment of an exercise prescription regarding intensity for MA dependence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance of Multiplexed XY Resistive Micromegas detectors in a high intensity beam

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, D.; Burtsev, V.; Chumakov, A.; Cooke, D.; Depero, E.; Dermenev, A. V.; Donskov, S. V.; Dubinin, F.; Dusaev, R. R.; Emmenegger, S.; Fabich, A.; Frolov, V. N.; Gardikiotis, A.; Gninenko, S. N.; Hösgen, M.; Karneyeu, A. E.; Ketzer, B.; Kirsanov, M. M.; Konorov, I. V.; Kramarenko, V. A.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Levchenko, E.; Lyubovitskij, V. E.; Lysan, V.; Mamon, S.; Matveev, V. A.; Mikhailov, Yu. V.; Myalkovskiy, V. V.; Peshekhonov, V. D.; Peshekhonov, D. V.; Polyakov, V. A.; Radics, B.; Rubbia, A.; Samoylenko, V. D.; Tikhomirov, V. O.; Tlisov, D. A.; Toropin, A. N.; Vasilishin, B.; Arenas, G. Vasquez; Ulloa, P.; Crivelli, P.

2018-02-01

We present the performance of multiplexed XY resistive Micromegas detectors tested in the CERN SPS 100 GeV/c electron beam at intensities up to 3 . 3 × 105e- /(s ṡcm2) . So far, all studies with multiplexed Micromegas have only been reported for tests with radioactive sources and cosmic rays. The use of multiplexed modules in high intensity environments was not explored due to the effect of ambiguities in the reconstruction of the hit point caused by the multiplexing feature. For the specific mapping and beam intensities analyzed in this work with a multiplexing factor of five, more than 50% level of ambiguity is introduced due to particle pile-up as well as fake clusters due to the mapping feature. Our results prove that by using the additional information of cluster size and integrated charge from the signal clusters induced on the XY strips, the ambiguities can be reduced to a level below 2%. The tested detectors are used in the CERN NA64 experiment for tracking the incoming particles bending in a magnetic field in order to reconstruct their momentum. The average hit detection efficiency of each module was found to be ∼96% at the highest beam intensities. By using four modules a tracking resolution of 1.1% was obtained with ∼85% combined tracking efficiency.

Confronting South Africa’s water challenge: A decomposition analysis of water intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Kohler

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Water is a vital natural resource, demanding careful management. It is essential for life and integral to virtually all economic activities, including energy and food production and the production of industrial outputs. The availability of clean water in sufficient quantities is not only a prerequisite for human health and well-being but the life-blood of freshwater ecosystems and the many services that these provide. Water resource intensity measures the intensity of water use in terms of volume of water per unit of value added. It is an internationally accepted environmental indicator of the pressure of economic activity on a country’s water resources and therefore a reliable indicator of sustainable economic development. The indicator is particularly useful in the allocation of water resources between sectors of the economy since in waterstressed countries like South Africa, there is competition for water among various users, which makes it necessary to allocate water resources to economic activities that are less intensive in their use of water. This study focuses on economy-wide changes in South Africa’s water intensity using both decomposition and empirical estimation techniques in an effort to identify and understand the impact of economic activity on changes in the use of the economy’s water resources. It is hoped that this study will help inform South Africa’s water conservation and resource management policies

The fundamental determinants of financial integration in the European Union

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lemmen, J.J.G.; Eijffinger, S.C.W.

1995-01-01

This paper focuses on the fundamental determinants of the degree of financial integration in the European Union over the period 1973-1993. Using closed interest differentials to measure the intensity of capital controls and applying a panel data approach, we find realized inflation rates, government

Integrated optical readout for miniaturization of cantilever-based sensor system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordström, Maria; Zauner, Dan; Calleja, Montserrat

2007-01-01

The authors present the fabrication and characterization of an integrated optical readout scheme based on single-mode waveguides for cantilever-based sensors. The cantilever bending is read out by monitoring changes in the optical intensity of light transmitted through the cantilever that also acts...

Spin chains and Gustafson's integrals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derkachov, S.E; Manashov, A.N.; Regensburg Univ.

2016-12-01

The Gustafson's integrals are the multidimensional generalization of the classical Mellin-Barnes integrals. We show that some of these integrals arise from relations between matrix elements in the Sklyanin's representation of Separated Variables in the spin chain models. We also present several new integrals.

Decomposition analysis of the change of energy intensity of manufacturing industries in Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chontanawat, Jaruwan; Wiboonchutikula, Paitoon; Buddhivanich, Atinat

2014-01-01

The study computes and analyses the sources of the change of energy intensity of the manufacturing industries in Thailand during the period (1991–2011) using the decomposition method. The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index is computed and the results show that the energy intensity in the period (1991–2000) increased greatly from the increased energy intensity of each industry. In the more recent period (2000–2011) the energy intensity declined a little. However the decline was mainly from the structural change effect with negligible contribution from decreased energy intensity of each industry. The findings imply the need to balance industrial restructuring policies with efforts to reduce energy intensity for a sustainable economic development. Besides, there is much room for individual industries to improve their energy efficiency. Policies on restructuring energy prices and other non-price related measures should be devised to induce individual industries, particularly the highly energy intensive ones, to reduce their energy intensity. - Highlights: • Decomposing change of energy intensity of Thai manufacturing industries, 1991–2011. • 1991–2000 energy intensity rose due to increased energy intensity of each industry. • 2000–2011 energy intensity declined due mainly to the structural change effect. • Need to balance industrial restructuring policies to reduce energy intensity

Towards Coupling of Macroseismic Intensity with Structural Damage Indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Kouteva, Mihaela; Boshnakov, Krasimir

2016-04-01

Knowledge on basic data of ground motion acceleration time histories during earthquakes is essential to understanding the earthquake resistant behaviour of structures. Peak and integral ground motion parameters such as peak ground motion values (acceleration, velocity and displacement), measures of the frequency content of ground motion, duration of strong shaking and various intensity measures play important roles in seismic evaluation of existing facilities and design of new systems. Macroseismic intensity is an earthquake measure related to seismic hazard and seismic risk description. Having detailed ideas on the correlations between the earthquake damage potential and macroseismic intensity is an important issue in engineering seismology and earthquake engineering. Reliable earthquake hazard estimation is the major prerequisite to successful disaster risk management. The usage of advanced earthquake engineering approaches for structural response modelling is essential for reliable evaluation of the accumulated damages in the existing buildings and structures due to the history of seismic actions, occurred during their lifetime. Full nonlinear analysis taking into account single event or series of earthquakes and the large set of elaborated damage indices are suitable contemporary tools to cope with this responsible task. This paper presents some results on the correlation between observational damage states, ground motion parameters and selected analytical damage indices. Damage indices are computed on the base of nonlinear time history analysis of test reinforced structure, characterising the building stock of the Mediterranean region designed according the earthquake resistant requirements in mid XX-th century.

Developing knowledge intensive ideas in engineering education: the application of camp methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Heidemann Lassen, Astrid; Løwe Nielsen, Suna

2011-11-01

Background: Globalization, technological advancement, environmental problems, etc. challenge organizations not just to consider cost-effectiveness, but also to develop new ideas in order to build competitive advantages. Hence, methods to deliberately enhance creativity and facilitate its processes of development must also play a central role in engineering education. However, so far the engineering education literature provides little attention to the important discussion of how to develop knowledge intensive ideas based on creativity methods and concepts. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate how to design creative camps from which knowledge intensive ideas can unfold. Design/method/sample: A framework on integration of creativity and knowledge intensity is first developed, and then tested through the planning, execution and evaluation of a specialized creativity camp with focus on supply chain management. Detailed documentation of the learning processes of the participating 49 engineering and business students is developed through repeated interviews during the process as well as a survey. Results: The research illustrates the process of development of ideas, and how the participants through interdisciplinary collaboration, cognitive flexibility and joint ownership develop highly innovative and knowledge-intensive ideas, with direct relevance for the four companies whose problems they address. Conclusions: The article demonstrates how the creativity camp methodology holds the potential of combining advanced academic knowledge and creativity, to produce knowledge intensive ideas, when the design is based on ideas of experiential learning as well as creativity principles. This makes the method a highly relevant learning approach for engineering students in the search for skills to both develop and implement innovative ideas.

Origin of transient cosmic ray intensity variations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duggal, S.P.; Pomerantz, M.A.

1977-01-01

A new approach to determining the solar progenitor of transient cosmic ray intensity variations has revealed that in a statistical sense, solar flares, heretofore regarded as the predominant source of the modulation, actually do not precede the reduction in flux observed at earth. Superposed epoch analysis of the cosmic ray data with respect to the time of occurrence of all 379 solar flares of importance (Imp) < or =2 observed during solar cycle 20 (1964-1974 inclusive) shows that the onset of a decrease in the composite nucleonic intensity at polar stations occurs prior to the zero day (i.e., time of the flare) well before the arrival in the vicinity of earth of the associated solar plasma. The statistical significance of this result is confirmed by comparing the pooled variance determined from Chree analysis of an equal number of random epochs with that of the curve representing the flare epochs. Subdivision of the latter into three groups according to the heliographic longitude of the flares shows that whereas eastern flares might be associated with cosmic ray decreases, central (30degree to -30degree) and western flares cannot be thus related. A similar analysis of all flares of Imp< or =2 that occurred in a selected set of 24 extraordinary flare-rich active centers during 1964--1974 confirms these results and shows that the observed cosmic ray intensity decrease is, in fact, associated with the central meridian passage ( +- 1 day) of the active regions. Thus earlier conclusions concerning relationships between the heliolongitude of flares and their apparent effectiveness in producing Forbush decreases require reevaluation. The specific feature associated with solar active centers that is actually the principal source of transient modulations remanins to be identified

Fuel Mix Impacts from Transportation Fuel Carbon Intensity Standards in Multiple Jurisdictions

Science.gov (United States)

Witcover, J.

2017-12-01

Fuel carbon intensity standards have emerged as an important policy in jurisdictions looking to target transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for reduction. A carbon intensity standard rates transportation fuels based on analysis of lifecycle GHG emissions, and uses a system of deficits and tradable, bankable credits to reward increased use of fuels with lower carbon intensity ratings while disincentivizing use of fuels with higher carbon intensity ratings such as conventional fossil fuels. Jurisdictions with carbon intensity standards now in effect include California, Oregon, and British Columbia, all requiring 10% reductions in carbon intensity of the transport fuel pool over a 10-year period. The states and province have committed to grow demand for low carbon fuels in the region as part of collaboration on climate change policies. Canada is developing a carbon intensity standard with broader coverage, for fuels used in transport, industry, and buildings. This study shows a changing fuel mix in affected jurisdictions under the policy in terms of shifting contribution of transportation energy from alternative fuels and trends in shares of particular fuel pathways. It contrasts program designs across the jurisdictions with the policy, highlights the opportunities and challenges these pose for the alternative fuel market, and discusses the impact of having multiple policies alongside federal renewable fuel standards and sometimes local carbon pricing regimes. The results show how the market has responded thus far to a policy that incentivizes carbon saving anywhere along the supply chain at lowest cost, in ways that diverged from a priori policy expectations. Lessons for the policies moving forward are discussed.