Directions of Development of International Production Specialization Theory in Terms of Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lidiya Aleksandrovna Pankova

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the definition of directions of development of the theory of international production specialization in terms of integration based on new trends in various areas of international business. The author proposes a new concept of international industrial specialization in terms of integration. As a result of research the author came to the conclusion that in the current economic conditions the need for a free market constraints associated with the deepening global market failures is becoming more and more obvious. Therefore, in the process of international specialization of production in the conditions of integration of the country should be guided not by comparative advantage in the production of certain goods or services, but also by other criteria. These criteria are: financial criterion determining the financial situation in the country, the trade criterion, reflecting the possibility of benefiting from international trade, technological criterion, considering the technological security of the country in the field of specialization and the cyclical criterion, reflecting the situation in the world economy and the level of integration of the country. On the basis of these criteria, the author identifies three categories of countries according to their ability to benefit from an international industrial specialization in the integration process: effective export, export-neutral and export-inefficient countries.

International perspectives on mitigating laboratory biorisks.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinard, William J.; Salazar, Carlos A.

2010-11-01

The International Perspectives on Mitigating Laboratory Biorisks workshop, held at the Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey, from October 25 to 27, 2010, sought to promote discussion between experts and stakeholders from around the world on issues related to the management of biological risk in laboratories. The event was organized by Sandia National Laboratories International Biological Threat Reduction program, on behalf of the US Department of State Biosecurity Engagement Program and the US Department of Defense Cooperative Biological Engagement Program. The workshop came about as a response to US Under Secretary of State Ellen O. Tauscher's statements in Geneva on December 9, 2009, during the Annual Meeting of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Pursuant to those remarks, the workshop was intended to provide a forum for interested countries to share information on biorisk management training, standards, and needs. Over the course of the meeting's three days, participants discussed diverse topics such as the role of risk assessment in laboratory biorisk management, strategies for mitigating risk, measurement of performance and upkeep, international standards, training and building workforce competence, and the important role of government and regulation. The meeting concluded with affirmations of the utility of international cooperation in this sphere and recognition of positive prospects for the future. The workshop was organized as a series of short presentations by international experts on the field of biorisk management, followed by breakout sessions in which participants were divided into four groups and urged to discuss a particular topic with the aid of a facilitator and a set of guiding questions. Rapporteurs were present during the plenary session as well as breakout sessions and in particular were tasked with taking notes during discussions and reporting back to the assembled participants

Business analytics of specialized medical biochemistry laboratory using profit and loss acount

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vikica Buljanović

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction. By measuring the actual effectiveness of a medical biochemistry laboratory’s business operations, we can determine the accounting measure of laboratory’s profitability, where operating expenses of the laboratory are covered by the income generated from the services. A laboratory’s financial report can be based on a profit and loss account, which shows whether or not a business entity, i.e., the laboratory, is making a profit during a particular business period. Methods. Profitability of the Specialized Medical Biochemical Laboratory (Laboratory of the General County Hospital in Našice, Croatia, was determined using the profit and loss account for 2007. Business success was expressed using the accounting measures of marginal contribution, gross income, and operating income, which could show whether or not the laboratory was operating profitably. This procedure allowed us to identify indicators of successful or unsuccessful business operations of the Laboratory. Results. According to the profit and loss account, the operating profit was 719,926 HRK, i.e., the operating margin was 11.7%, indicating that the Laboratory was operating positively. After subtracting all operating expenses per 100 income units, 11.7 units profit remained from the Laboratory’s core business. Conclusion. The Specialized Medical Biochemical Laboratory of the General County Hospital in Našice generated income, i.e., it operated at a profit. The purpose of profit and loss account was to determine the Laboratory operations that had impact on its business effectiveness and could increase the actual profitability. If the laboratory operates at a loss, and no activities are undertaken that would reverse the business toward positive, the analysis may provide information on the cost for the society as a whole of the studied laboratory within the existing healthcare system.

Inflammation Thread Runs across Medical Laboratory Specialities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Urs Nydegger

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We work on the assumption that four major specialities or sectors of medical laboratory assays, comprising clinical chemistry, haematology, immunology, and microbiology, embraced by genome sequencing techniques, are routinely in use. Medical laboratory markers for inflammation serve as model: they are allotted to most fields of medical lab assays including genomics. Incessant coding of assays aligns each of them in the long lists of big data. As exemplified with the complement gene family, containing C2, C3, C8A, C8B, CFH, CFI, and ITGB2, heritability patterns/risk factors associated with diseases with genetic glitch of complement components are unfolding. The C4 component serum levels depend on sufficient vitamin D whilst low vitamin D is inversely related to IgG1, IgA, and C3 linking vitamin sufficiency to innate immunity. Whole genome sequencing of microbial organisms may distinguish virulent from nonvirulent and antibiotic resistant from nonresistant varieties of the same species and thus can be listed in personal big data banks including microbiological pathology; the big data warehouse continues to grow.

Building Transnational Bodies: Norway and the International Development of Laboratory Animal Science, ca. 1956–1980

Science.gov (United States)

Druglitrø, Tone; Kirk, Robert G. W.

2015-01-01

Argument This article adopts a historical perspective to examine the development of Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine, an auxiliary field which formed to facilitate the work of the biomedical sciences by systematically improving laboratory animal production, provision, and maintenance in the post Second World War period. We investigate how Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine co-developed at the local level (responding to national needs and concerns) yet was simultaneously transnational in orientation (responding to the scientific need that knowledge, practices, objects and animals circulate freely). Adapting the work of Tsing (2004), we argue that national differences provided the creative “friction” that helped drive the formation of Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine as a transnational endeavor. Our analysis engages with the themes of this special issue by focusing on the development of Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine in Norway, which both informed wider transnational developments and was formed by them. We show that Laboratory Animal Science and Medicine can only be properly understood from a spatial perspective; whilst it developed and was structured through national “centers,” its orientation was transnational necessitating international networks through which knowledge, practice, technologies, and animals circulated. More and better laboratory animals are today required than ever before, and this demand will continue to rise if it is to keep pace with the quickening tempo of biological and veterinary research. The provision of this living experimental material is no longer a local problem; local, that is, to the research institute. It has become a national concern, and, in some of its aspects . . . even international. (William Lane-Petter 1957, 240) PMID:24941794

[A history of internal medicine: medical specialization: as old as antiquity].

Science.gov (United States)

Echenberg, Donald

2007-11-28

This article presents a short review of the history of medical specialization and the evolution of internal medicine within the last two centuries. Medical specialization, far from being a recent phenomenon, existed in the Hellenistic world and in Rome. The development of specialization during the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century is credited to the rapid expansion of medical knowledge which made it impossible for a single doctor to encompass all the different spheres of the profession. The term innere medizin or internal medicine was adopted from German terminology in the 1880's. The Canadian society of internal medicine was formed in 1983 and its main goal is to promote a broad perspective of medical care and to master the complexity in medicine through a generalist approach.

Special issue “International Geomagnetic Reference Field—the twelfth generation”

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thébault, E.; Finlay, C. C.; Toh, H.

2015-01-01

This special issue of Earth, Planets and Space, synthesizes the efforts made during the construction of the twelfth generation of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF-12) that was released online in December 2014 (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/ igrf.html). The IGRF-12 is a ser......This special issue of Earth, Planets and Space, synthesizes the efforts made during the construction of the twelfth generation of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF-12) that was released online in December 2014 (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/ igrf.html). The IGRF-12...

A review of international underground laboratory developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Jianping; Yue Qian; Wu Shiyong; Shen Manbin

2011-01-01

Underground laboratories are essential for various important physics areas such as the search for dark matter, double beta decay, neutrino oscillation, and proton decay. At the same time, they are also a very important location for studying rock mechanics, earth structure evolution,and ecology. It is essential for a nation's basic research capability to construct and develop underground laboratories. In the past, China had no high-quality underground laboratory,in particular no deep underground laboratory,so her scientists could not work independently in major fields such as the search for dark matter,but had to collaborate with foreign scientists and share the space of foreign underground laboratories. In 2009, Tsinghua university collaborated with the Ertan Hydropower Development Company to construct an extremely deep underground laboratory, the first in China and currently the deepest in the world, in the Jinping traffic tunnel which was built to develop hydropower from the Yalong River in Sichuan province. This laboratory is named the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) and formally opened on December 12, 2010. It is now a major independent platform in China and can host various leading basic research projects. We present a brief review of the development of various international underground laboratories,and especially describe CJPL in detail. (authors)

Twenty years of an international nuclear laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suschny, O.

1982-01-01

The laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency were started in 1959 with a physics laboratory, a chemistry laboratory and an electronics workshop. Early work centred on absolute radionuclide calibrations and on assessments of the consequences of radioactive fallout from atomic weapons testing on the health of the people in Member States. Subsequently, work was started on the use of radioactive and stable isotopes in agriculture, in hydrology, in medical applications, in pest and insect control and with the entry into force of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty a Safeguard Analytical Laboratory was established to provide support for the Agency's safeguards inspection responsibilities. Together with WHO a network of 43 Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratories were set up in Member States to improve dosimetric accuracy in medicine and radiation protection worldwide. Throughout their history, the laboratories of the IAEA have lent great importance on their training programmes that have enabled many workers in nuclear or nuclear related research to gain experience. This emphasis on training has been stressed particularly to benefit research workers from developing countries

Special case waste located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory facilities: Survey report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forgy, J.R. Jr.

1995-11-01

Between October 1994 and October 1995, a data base was established at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide a current inventory of the radioactive waste materials, located at ORNL, for which the US Department of Energy (DOE) has no definite planned disposal alternatives. DOE refers to these waste materials as special case waste. To assist ORNL and DOE management in future planning, an inventory system was established and a baseline inventory prepared. This report provides the background of the ORNL special case waste survey project, as well as special case waste category definitions, both current and anticipated sources and locations of special case waste materials, and the survey and data management processes. Special case waste will be that waste material which, no matter how much practical characterization, treatment, and packaging is made, will never meet the acceptance criteria for permanent disposal at ORNL, and does not meet the criteria at a currently planned off-site permanent disposal facility

Validation criteria of an internal dosimetry laboratory in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfaro L, M. de las M.

2014-10-01

People working with radioactive materials, under certain circumstances (e.g. not using the proper protective equipment, an incident not covered, etc.) could be incorporated into the body. The radiation protection programs include direct measurement methods -in vivo- or indirect -in vitro- or both, to know that radioactive material is incorporated into the body. The monitoring measurements of internal contamination or (Radio-bioassay) are carried out with the purpose of determining the amount of radioactive material incorporated in the body; estimate the effective dose and committed dose; management administration of radiation protection; appropriate medical management; and to provide the data necessary for the legal requirements and the preservation of records. The measurement methods used in the monitoring of internal contamination must be validated by the combination of the following processes: calibration, using standards reference materials and/or simulators; execute systematic research, using control samples; and intercomparison between laboratories and performance tests. In this paper the validation criteria of an internal dosimetry laboratory in vivo are presented following the information provided by the standard ANSI N13-30-1996 and ISO/TEC 17025-2005 as are the criteria of facilities, staff training, interpretation of measurements, performance criteria for monitoring of internal contamination in vivo, results reporting and records retention. Thereby we achieve standardized quantitative performance criteria of truthfulness, accuracy and detection limit and a consensus on statistical definitions to establish the validation plan of a monitoring laboratory of internal contamination in vivo. (Author)

Critical Response to Special Section: International Academic Mobility

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Susan L.

2010-01-01

This article presents the author's response to a Special Section on international academic mobility. Universities--in all corners of the globe--are busy scoping, planning and advertising mobility programmes, as an essential component of academics' and students' learning experience, whilst governments and regional bodies around the world are…

IAEA Laboratory activities. The IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries, Cairo. Sixth report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1969-01-01

This sixth 'IAEA Laboratory Activities' report describes development and work during the year 1968. It includes activities of the IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, and the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries at Cairo. (author)

IAEA Laboratory activities. The IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries, Cairo. Fourth report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1967-01-01

This fourth 'IAEA Laboratory Activities' report describes development and work during the year 1966. It includes activities of the IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, and the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries at Cairo. (author)

Status Report on Laboratory Testing and International Collaborations in Salt.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhlman, Kristopher L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Matteo, Edward N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hadgu, Teklu [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Reedlunn, Benjamin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sobolik, Steven R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Mills, Melissa Marie [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kirkes, Leslie Dawn [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Xiong, Yongliang [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Icenhower, Jonathan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-09-01

This report is a summary of the international collaboration and laboratory work funded by the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Spent Fuel and Waste Science & Technology (SFWST) as part of the Sandia National Laboratories Salt R&D work package. This report satisfies milestone levelfour milestone M4SF-17SN010303014. Several stand-alone sections make up this summary report, each completed by the participants. The first two sections discuss international collaborations on geomechanical benchmarking exercises (WEIMOS) and bedded salt investigations (KOSINA), while the last three sections discuss laboratory work conducted on brucite solubility in brine, dissolution of borosilicate glass into brine, and partitioning of fission products into salt phases.

IAEA Laboratory Activities. The IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries, Cairo. Fifth Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1968-01-01

This fifth report describes development and work during the year 1967. It includes activities of the IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, and the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries at Cairo. Contents: The IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf: Introduction; Standardization of measurement and of analytical methods related to peaceful applications of nuclear energy; Services to Member States and International Organizations; Chemical and physico-chemical investigations relevant to the Agency's programme; Nuclear techniques in hydrology; Nuclear techniques in medicine; Nuclear techniques in agriculture; Nuclear electronics service and development; Administrative matters. — The International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco: Introduction; Research; Administrative matters. — The International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste: Assistance to developing countries; Research activities; Administrative matters; Annexes. — The Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries, Cairo: Introduction; The scientific programme of the Centre; Publications on work done at the Centre; Finance; Annex. Entirely in English. (author)

IAEA laboratory activities. The IAEA laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries, Cairo. 3rd report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1966-01-01

This third 'IAEA Laboratory Activities' report describes development and work during the year 1965. It includes activities of the IAEA Laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, and the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries at Cairo

MUSICAL-COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY: THE LABORATORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorbunova Irina B.

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with musically-computer technology in the educational system on example of the Educational and Methodical Laboratory Music & Computer Technologies at the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg. Interdisciplinary field of professional activities relates to the creation and application of specialized music software and hardware tools and the knowledges in music and informatics. A realization of the concept of musical-computer education in preparing music teachers is through basic educational programs of vocational training, supplementary education, professional development of teachers and methodical support via Internet. In addition, the laboratory Music & Computer Technologies engaged in scientific activity: it is, above all, specialized researches in the field of pedagogy and international conferences.

[Integrated skills laboratory concept for undergraduate training in internal medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Nikendei, C; Schilling, T; Nawroth, P; Hensel, M; Ho, A D; Schwenger, V; Zeier, M; Herzog, W; Schellberg, D; Katus, H A; Dengler, T; Stremmel, W; Müller, M; Jünger, J

2005-05-06

An amendment to the German medical curriculum in April 2002 will place basic practical skills at the centre of medical training. We report here on the implementation and evaluation of an obligatory, tutor-guided, and integrated skills laboratory concept in the field of internal medicine. To test the effectiveness of a skills laboratory training on OSCE performance a pilot study was carried out. The experimental group, of 77 students, participated in seven sessions of communication training, skills laboratory training, and bedside teaching, each lasting one and a half hours. The control group of 66 students had as many sessions but was only offered bedside-teaching. The evaluation of acceptance of skills' training as well as the related increase in individual competence is on-going (summer term 2004: n = 176 students). The integrated skills laboratory concept was rated at 3.5 (SD = 1.2) on a 5-point scale and was acknowledged as practice-oriented (M = 4.2; SD = 1.0) and relevant for doctors' everyday lives (M = 3.6; SD = 1.1). Increased levels of competence according to individual self-evaluations proved to be highly significant (p<.001), and results of the pilot study showed that the experimental group had a significantly better OSCE performance than the control group (p<.001). This pilot study shows that curriculum changes promoting basic clinical skills are effective and lead to an improved practical education of tomorrow's physicians. The integrated skills laboratory concept is well accepted and leads to a relevant increase in competence in the practice of internal medical. The presented skills laboratory concept in internal medicine is proving to be a viable and efficient learning tool.

Maximizing the use of Special Olympics International's Healthy Athletes database: A call to action.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, Meghann; Foley, John T; Temple, Viviene A

2018-02-01

There is a critical need for high-quality population-level data related to the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities. For more than 15 years Special Olympics International has been conducting free Healthy Athletes screenings at local, national and international events. The Healthy Athletes database is the largest known international database specifically on the health of people with intellectual disabilities; however, it is relatively under-utilized by the research community. A consensus meeting with two dozen North American researchers, stakeholders, clinicians and policymakers took place in Toronto, Canada. The purpose of the meeting was to: 1) establish the perceived utility of the database, and 2) to identify and prioritize 3-5 specific priorities related to using the Healthy Athletes database to promote the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities. There was unanimous agreement from the meeting participants that this database represents an immense opportunity both from the data already collected, and data that will be collected in the future. The 3 top priorities for the database were deemed to be: 1) establish the representativeness of data collected on Special Olympics athletes compared to the general population with intellectual disabilities, 2) create a scientific advisory group for Special Olympics International, and 3) use the data to improve Special Olympics programs around the world. The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes database includes data not found in any other source and should be used, in partnership with Special Olympics International, by researchers to significantly increase our knowledge and understanding of the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Conference scene: Summary of the 6th Conference of the Romanian Association of Medical Laboratories with international participation.

Science.gov (United States)

Carasevici, Eugen

2011-10-01

The Romanian Association of Medical Laboratories (RAML) conferences have acquired a reputation for standing out as the most prominent and efficient meetings in the national community of laboratory medicine, being a landmark of the development in this field in Romania and an active affiliation to international forums. This year, the conference setting was Piatra Neamt, in the northeast part of Romania, which produced a friendly and stimulating professional environment. As in previous years, leading experts in the fields of laboratory medicine attended the event. This year, we enjoyed the opportunity to have such distinguished guests as the members of the executive board of International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC); Graham Beastall, IFCC President; Päivi Hannele Laitinen, IFCC secretary; and Grazyna Sypniewska, IFCC Communication and Publication Division, and editor of the electronic journal of the IFCC. As usual, the conference program included all aspects of clinical laboratory activity, with a special focus on technology development, instrumentation and laboratory management. Fully aware of the fact that the complexity and depth of laboratory practice have undergone an impressive and rapid evolution, the specific goals of the event were to increase knowledge in the fundamentals of new molecular investigation, areas which show the tendency to become routine in our daily activity. In addition, laboratory management and the place of medical laboratories in the process of translational medicine were subjects of focus. The 6th Conference of the Romanian Association of Medical Laboratories was held from Wednesday 1st to Saturday 4th of June 2011. A total of 273 participants from all local branches of the Association attended. The scientific program included seven plenary sessions where 22 lectures and 18 short communications were delivered, and three poster sessions with 44 poster presentations. Session topics covered issues of

Traceability in laboratories; Trazabilidad en laboratorios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palacios, Tulio [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Buenos Aires (Argentina). Centro Atomico Constituyentes; Peretti, Matilde; Saravi, Margarita [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Buenos Aires (Argentina). Centro Atomico Ezeiza

1996-07-01

The testing and/or calibration laboratories main concern in to obtain reliability in the results delivered, therefore the accuracy and precision should be guaranteed. The regulations with respect to the quality systems makes special mention to the traceability in the equipment and in the measurements. In order to obtain that goal the laboratories are organized in national as well as in international nets to maintain the traceability to the primary standards. In the present work will be given the example of a particular laboratory in this regard. (author)

Internal quality control indicators of cervical cytopathology exams performed in laboratories monitored by the External Quality Control Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Ázara, Cinara Zago Silveira; Manrique, Edna Joana Cláudio; Tavares, Suelene Brito do Nascimento; de Souza, Nadja Lindany Alves; Amaral, Rita Goreti

2014-09-01

To evaluate the impact of continued education provided by an external quality control laboratory on the indicators of internal quality control of cytopathology exams. The internal quality assurance indicators for cytopathology exams from 12 laboratories monitored by the External Quality Control Laboratory were evaluated. Overall, 185,194 exams were included, 98,133 of which referred to the period preceding implementation of a continued education program, while 87,061 referred to the period following this intervention. Data were obtained from the Cervical Cancer Database of the Brazilian National Health Service. Following implementation of the continued education program, the positivity index (PI) remained within recommended limits in four laboratories. In another four laboratories, the PI progressed from below the limits to within the recommended standards. In one laboratory, the PI remained low, in two laboratories, it remained very low, and in one, it increased from very low to low. The percentage of exams compatible with a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) remained within the recommended limits in five laboratories, while in three laboratories it progressed from below the recommended levels to >0.4% of the total number of satisfactory exams, and in four laboratories it remained below the standard limit. Both the percentage of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) in relation to abnormal exams, and the ratio between ASC-US and intraepithelial lesions remained within recommended levels in all the laboratories investigated. An improvement was found in the indicators represented by the positivity index and the percentage of exams compatible with a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, showing that the role played by the external quality control laboratory in providing continued education contributed towards improving laboratory staff skills in detecting cervical cancer precursor lesions.

47 CFR 90.475 - Operation of internal transmitter control systems in specially equipped systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Operation of internal transmitter control... Control Internal Transmitter Control Systems § 90.475 Operation of internal transmitter control systems in specially equipped systems. (a) An internal transmitter control system need not be designed to meet the...

Hot Corrosion Test Facility at the NASA Lewis Special Projects Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Raymond C.; Cuy, Michael D.

1994-01-01

The Hot Corrosion Test Facility (HCTF) at the NASA Lewis Special Projects Laboratory (SPL) is a high-velocity, pressurized burner rig currently used to evaluate the environmental durability of advanced ceramic materials such as SiC and Si3N4. The HCTF uses laboratory service air which is preheated, mixed with jet fuel, and ignited to simulate the conditions of a gas turbine engine. Air, fuel, and water systems are computer-controlled to maintain test conditions which include maximum air flows of 250 kg/hr (550 lbm/hr), pressures of 100-600 kPa (1-6 atm), and gas temperatures exceeding 1500 C (2732 F). The HCTF provides a relatively inexpensive, yet sophisticated means for researchers to study the high-temperature oxidation of advanced materials, and the injection of a salt solution provides the added capability of conducting hot corrosion studies.

Introduction to the special issue 'unintended effects of international cooperation'.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Dirk-Jan; Schulpen, Lau

2018-06-01

The 'Evaluation and Program Planning' journal has contributed to the launch of an academic discussion of unintended effects of international cooperation, notably by publishing in 2016 articles by Bamberger, Tarsilla, & Hesse-Biber and by Jabeen. This special issue aims to take up the academic challenges as laid down by those authors, by providing among others a clear typology and applying it, by outlining various methodological options and testing them, and elaborating on suggestions on how to deal with the barriers that prevent unintended effects being taken into account. This special issue makes clear that it is possible to reduce the share of unforeseen effects of international cooperation. Turning the spotlight on unintended effects that can be anticipated, and aiming to make progress on uncovering those that are particularly difficult to detect and debunking those that are exaggerated is the task that lies ahead of us. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Special issue “International Geomagnetic Reference Field—the twelfth generation”

OpenAIRE

Thébault, E.; Finlay, C. C.; Toh, H.

2015-01-01

This special issue of Earth, Planets and Space, synthesizes the efforts made during the construction of the twelfth generation of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF-12) that was released online in December 2014 (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/ igrf.html). The IGRF-12 is a series of standard mathematical models describing the large scale internal part of the Earth’s magnetic field between epochs 1900.0 and 2015.0 with a forecast to epoch 2020.0. This activity has been main...

Proceedings of the Fourth International Seminar on Special Education (Cork, Ireland, September 8-12, 1969).

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, M. F., Ed.

Proceedings of the Fourth International Seminar on Special Education (Cork, Ireland, September 8-12, 1969) contain papers relating to the following themes: special education personnel, identification of the handicapped, general aspects of early education, special education methods, early education programs for the mentally handicapped, and early…

7 CFR 3402.6 - Overview of the special international study and/or thesis/dissertation research travel allowance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... thesis/dissertation research travel allowance. 3402.6 Section 3402.6 Agriculture Regulations of the... GRANTS PROGRAM Program Description § 3402.6 Overview of the special international study and/or thesis... special international study or thesis/dissertation research travel allowance, the Project Director must...

Developing a normative critique of international trade law: special & differential treatment

OpenAIRE

Garcia, Frank J.

2007-01-01

Although the problem of trade and inequality is central to the resolution of the WTO Doha Round and to contemporary trade policy in general, it is currently undertheorized from a normative perspective. In this paper I develop a normative critique of WTO special and differential treatment law, as a case study of how normative political theory can be applied to international economic law. Using Rawls' theory of Justice as Fairness, I argue both that special and differential treatment can play a...

[The balanced scorecard used as a management tool in a clinical laboratory: internal business processes indicators].

Science.gov (United States)

Salinas La Casta, Maria; Flores Pardo, Emilio; Uris Selles, Joaquín

2009-01-01

to propose a set of indicators as a management tool for a clinical laboratory, by using the balanced scorecard internal business processes perspective. indicators proposed are obtained from different sources; external proficiency testing of the Valencia Community Government, by means of internal surveys and laboratory information system registers. One year testing process proportion indicators results are showed. internal management indicators are proposed (process, appropriateness and proficiency testing). The process indicators results show gradual improvement since its establishment. after one years of using a conceptually solid Balanced Scorecard Internal business processes perspective indicators, the obtained results validate the usefulness as a laboratory management tool.

The Use of Specially Designed Tasks to Enhance Student Interest in the Cadaver Dissection Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Seok Hoon; Shin, Jwa-Seop; Hwang, Young-il

2012-01-01

Cadaver dissection is a key component of anatomy education. Unfortunately, students sometimes regard the process of dissection as uninteresting or stressful. To make laboratory time more interesting and to encourage discussion and collaborative learning among medical students, specially designed tasks were assigned to students throughout…

Accreditation and training on internal dosimetry in a laboratory network in Brazil: an increasing demand.

Science.gov (United States)

Dantas, B M; Dantas, A L A; Acar, M E D; Cardoso, J C S; Julião, L M Q C; Lima, M F; Taddei, M H T; Arine, D R; Alonso, T; Ramos, M A P; Fajgelj, A

2011-03-01

In recent years, Brazilian Nuclear Programme has been reviewed and updated by government authorities in face of the demand for energy supply and its associated environmental constraints. The immediate impact of new national programmes and projects in nuclear field is the increase in the number of exposed personnel and the consequent need for reliable dosimetry services in the country. Several Technical Documents related to internal dosimetry have been released by the International Atomic Energy Agency and International Commission on Radiological Protection. However, standard bioassay procedures and methodologies for bioassay data interpretation are still under discussion and, in some cases, both in routine and emergency internal monitoring, procedures can vary from one laboratory to another and responses may differ markedly among Dosimetry Laboratories. Thus, it may be difficult to interpret and use bioassay data generated from different laboratories of a network. The main goal of this work is to implement a National Network of Laboratories aimed to provide reliable internal monitoring services in Brazil. The establishment of harmonised in vivo and in vitro radioanalytical techniques, dose assessment methods and the implementation of the ISO/IEC 17025 requirements will result in the recognition of technical competence of the network.

A Game Theory Approach for Product Specialization in International Trade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioana-Veronica ALEXA

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Game theory, in its most basic form, considers two players and analyses the different strategies that they can use and the effect that these strategies will have on each player. International trade allows countries to use better their resources (labor, technology or capital. Since countries have different capital or natural resources, some of them will produce a good more efficiently than others and therefore could sell it cheaper than other countries. By using game theory in international trade we could determine if the H-O-S model is correct and what would be the best specialization for each country.

The International Time Service of the National Geographic Institute (IGNA Laboratory) Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, D.; Cimbaro, S.

2014-06-01

The "International Time Service" (Servicio Internacional de la Hora, SIH) at the Instituto Geográfico National Argentino (IGNA, formerly Instituto Geográfico Militar Argentino, IGMA), has contributed to the maintenance of the international time scale since its creation in 1931. In 2010 the IGNA started a process of upgrading its time laboratory with the objective of improving its contribution to the computation of the international reference time scales at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM).

Rockwell International Hot Laboratory decontamination and dismantlement interim progress report 1987-1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

None

1997-01-01

OAK A271 Rockwell International Hot Laboratory decontamination and dismantlement interim progress report 1987-1996. The Rockwell International Hot Laboratory (RIHL) is one of a number of former nuclear facilities undergoing decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL). The RIHL facility is in the later stages of dismantlement, with the final objective of returning the site location to its original natural state. This report documents the decontamination and dismantlement activities performed at the facility over the time period 1988 through 1996. At this time, the support buildings, all equipment associated with the facility, and the entire above-ground structure of the primary facility building (Building 020) have been removed. The basement portion of this building and the outside yard areas (primarily asphalt and soil) are scheduled for D and D activities beginning in 1997

International research laboratory on the moon: a proposal for a national commitment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keaton, P.W.; Gelfand, E.M.

1982-01-01

To demonstrate its leadership in space, the US could focus its space program on an exciting and achievable goal: to establish a self-sustaining international research laboratory on the Moon before the year 2000. Scientists from all over the world would use the laboratory for basic and applied programs in natural and social sciences. The knowledge gained would benefit everyone. The lunar research facility would be built with a broadly based infrastructure of stations, vehicles, and programs that can be envisioned as a pyramid resting on the Earth and reaching to the Moon. The first element of the infrastructure is the reusable Space Shuttle; the second is a manned low-Earth-orbit platform. Next is an orbital transfer vehicle for hauling cargoes between low Earth orbit and low lunar orbit. The final element is the manned self-sustaining international research laboratory. A key feature of this proposal is that each element can be economically useful at the same time as it is promoting international cooperation on Earth. A vigorous civilian program like that proposed here is our best guarantee that outer space will be used to strengthen our economy and address basic problems on Earth.

An analytical laboratory to facilitate international safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, B.E.; Muellner, P.; Deron, S.

1976-01-01

Member States which have concluded safeguards agreements accept safeguards on part or all of their nuclear facilities and nuclear materials. The Agreements enable the Agency to make inspections in order to verify the location, identity, quantity and composition of all safeguarded nuclear material. The independent analysis of samples of safeguards material is an essential part of the verification process. A new analytical laboratory has been made available to the Agency by the Austrian Government. This facility is staffed by the Agency with scientists and technicians from five Member States. Design criteria for the laboratory were defined by the Agency. Construction was carried out under the project management of the Oesterreichische Studiengesellschaft fuer Atomenergie Ges.m.b.H. Scientific equipment was procured by the Agency. Samples of feed and product material from the nuclear fuel cycle will constitute the main work load. Irradiated and unirradiated samples of uranium, plutonium and mixtures of both will be analysed for concentration and isotopic composition. Since highly diluted solutions of spent fuel will be the most active beta-gamma samples, shielded and remote manipulation facilities are not necessary. Ptentiometry, mass spectrometry and coulometry are the main techniques to be employed. Gravimetry, alpha and gamma spectrometry and emission spectroscopy will also be utilized as required. It is not intended that this laboratory, should carry the whole burden of the Agency's safeguards analytical work, but that it should function as a member of a network of international laboratories which has been set up by the Agency for this purpose. (author)

International nuclear power status 2002; International kernekraftstatus 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauritzen, B.; Majborn, B.; Nonboel, E.; Oelgaard, P.L. (eds.)

2003-03-01

This report is the ninth in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power with special emphasis on reactor safety. For 2002, the report contains: 1) General trends in the development of nuclear power; 2) Decommissioning of the nuclear facilities at Risoe National Laboratory: 3) Statistical information on nuclear power production (in 2001); 4) An overview of safety-relevant incidents in 2002; 5) The development in West Europe; 6) The development in East Europe; 7) The development in the rest of the world; 8) Development of reactor types; 9) The nuclear fuel cycle; 10) International nuclear organisations. (au)

76 FR 65752 - International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory Advisory Committee; Charter Renewal

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-24

... International and Interagency Relations, (202) 358-0550, National Aeronautics and Space Administration... NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION [Notice (11-104)] International Space Station (ISS... National Laboratory Advisory Committee is in the public interest in connection with the performance of...

[Experience of the development special medical technical laboratory for studies of effects caused by potent electromagnetic radiation in biologic objects].

Science.gov (United States)

Gorodetsky, B N; Kalyada, T V; Petrov, S V

2015-01-01

This article covers topics of creating special medical technical laboratory for medial and biologic studies concerning influence of potent high-frequency elecromagnetic radiation on various biologic objects. The authors gave example of such laboratory, described its construction features, purpose and main characteristics of the included devices.

Quality of the clinical laboratory department in a specialized hospital in Alexandria, Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

Elhoseeny, T A; Mohammad, E K

2013-01-01

Assessment and improvement of turnaround times (TAT) as well as customer satisfaction is essential for laboratory quality management. This study in a specialized hospital in Alexandria, Egypt measured the current TAT for outpatient department bilirubin samples and evaluated the satisfaction of physicians with aspects of clinical laboratory services. While the mean TAT for 110 bilirubin tests [58.1 (SD 31.8) min] was within the College of American Pathologists' benchmark, the 90th percentile was long (96.7 min); 62.7% of tests were reported within 60 min. The mean overall satisfaction score of physicians (range 1-5) was 3.46 (SD 0.49). The highest satisfaction rating was for staff courtesy while the lowest ratings were for laboratory management responsiveness, outpatient stat TAT and critical value notification. Quality or reliability of results was judged by physicians as the most important factor (32.3%), followed by routine test TAT (18.5%). Further analysis of the different steps of the TAT would be helpful and follow-up through examining outliers is recommended

Laboratory information management system: an example of international cooperation in Namibia.

Science.gov (United States)

Colangeli, Patrizia; Ferrilli, Monica; Quaranta, Fabrizio; Malizia, Elio; Mbulu, Rosa-Stella; Mukete, Esther; Iipumbu, Lukas; Kamhulu, Anna; Tjipura-Zaire, Georgina; Di Francesco, Cesare; Lelli, Rossella; Scacchia, Massimo

2012-01-01

The authors describe the project undertaken by the Istituto G. Caporale to provide a laboratory information management system (LIMS) to the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in Windhoek, Namibia. This robust laboratory management tool satisfies Namibia's information obligations under international quality standard ISO 17025:2005. The Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for Africa was designed to collect and manage all necessary information on samples, tests and test results. The system involves the entry of sample data on arrival, as required by Namibian sampling plans, the tracking of samples through the various sections of the CVL, the collection of test results, generation of test reports and monitoring of outbreaks through data interrogation functions, eliminating multiple registrations of the same data on paper records. It is a fundamental component of the Namibian veterinary information system.

Towards accreditation of MINT pesticide residue laboratory - a journey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nashriyah Mat; Salmah Moosa; Misman Sumin; Maizatul Akmam Mohd Nasir; Norimah Yusof

2005-01-01

The laboratory accreditation process under ISO/IEC 17025 is a complex journey, due to several compulsory inputs necessary for obtaining the accreditation. This paper dwells on most of those inputs in the context of MINT Pesticide Residue Laboratory (MPRL), including: 1) Quality work culture; 2) Management commitment; 3) Sustainability of laboratory service appointment; 4) Laboratory personnel; 5) Laboratory equipment; 6) Continual training of personnel; 7) Technical co-operation; 8) Laboratory safety; 9) Special and general budget; 10) Consultancy service; 11) Quality Manual, Procedure, Work Instruction and related documents; 12) Internal Quality Audit (IQA) by MINT Quality Unit, and 13) Teamwork spirit. Based on experience faced and knowledge gained, multiple problems arising during this journey towards MINT Pesticide Residue Laboratory accreditation are also discussed in general, including their solutions. (Author)

Laboratory information management system: an example of international cooperation in Namibia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrizia Colangeli

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The authors describe the project undertaken by the Istituto G. Caporale to provide a laboratory information management system (LIMS to the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL in Windhoek, Namibia. This robust laboratory management tool satisfies Namibia’s information obligations under international quality standard ISO 17025:2005. The Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS for Africa was designed to collect and manage all necessary information on samples, tests and test results. The system involves the entry of sample data on arrival, as required by Namibian sampling plans, the tracking of samples through the various sections of the CVL, the collection of test results, generation of test reports and monitoring of outbreaks through data interrogation functions, eliminating multiple registrations of the same data on paper records. It is a fundamental component of the Namibian veterinary information system.

Internal quality control of neutron activation analysis laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, S. H.; Mun, J. H.; BaeK, S. Y.; Jung, Y. S.; Kim, Y. J. [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2004-07-01

The importance for quality assurance and control in analytical laboratories has been emphasized, day by day. Internal quality control using certified reference materials(CRMs) can be one of effective methods for this purpose. In this study, 10 kinds of CRMs consisting of soil, sediment and biological matrix were analyzed. To evaluate the confidence of analytical results and the validation of testing method and procedure, the accuracy and the precision of the measured elements were treated statistically and the reproducibility was compared with those values produced before 2003.

SPECIAL ISSUE VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOPATHOLOGY: PROCEEDINGS 8TH INTERNATIONAL VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM

Science.gov (United States)

This is the Special Issue of Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. that summarizes the 8th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (8 th IVIS) held August 15th-19th, 2007, in Ouro Preto, Brazil. The 8 th IVIS highlighted the importance of veterinary immunology for animal health, vaccinology, reproducti...

Report on the International Society for Laboratory Hematology Survey on guidelines to support clinical hematology laboratory practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayward, C P M; Moffat, K A; George, T I; Proytcheva, M; Iorio, A

2016-05-01

Given the importance of evidence-based guidelines in health care, we surveyed the laboratory hematology community to determine their opinions on guideline development and their experience and interest in developing clinical hematology laboratory practice guidelines. The study was conducted using an online survey, distributed to members of the International Society for Laboratory Hematology (ISLH) in 2015, with analysis of collected, anonymized responses. A total of 245 individuals participated. Most worked in clinical and/or research laboratories (83%) or industry (11%). 42% felt there were gaps in current guidelines. The majority (58%) recommended that ISLH engages its membership in guideline development. Participants differed in their familiarity with, and use of, different organizations' guidelines. Participants felt it was important to follow best practice recommendations on guideline development, including engagement of experts, statement about conflict of interests and how they were managed, systematic review and grading evidence for recommendations, identifying recommendations lacking evidence or consensus, and public input and peer review of the guideline. Moreover, it was considered important to provide guidelines free of charge. Industry involvement in guidelines was considered less important. The clinical laboratory hematology community has high expectations of laboratory practice guidelines that are consistent with recent recommendations on evidence-based guideline development. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Annual course of retraining for the occupational exposure personnel of the laboratory of internal dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfaro L, M.M.

2002-09-01

The general objective of this report is to instruct the personnel in the basic concepts of radiological protection and in the Manual of Procedures of Radiological Safety of the Laboratory of Internal Dosimetry. Also, to exchange experiences during the activities that are carried out in the laboratory and in the knowledge of abnormal situations. The referred Manual consists of 14 procedures and 5 instructions which are listed in annex of this document. The content of this course consists of three topics: 1. Basic principles of radiological protection to reduce the received dose equivalent. 2. Use of radiation measurer equipment. 3. Emergency procedures of the laboratory of internal dosimetry. (Author)

IAEA laboratory activities. The IAEA laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries, Cairo. 1st report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1964-01-01

Since 1958 the General Conferences of the International Atomic Energy Agency have discussed the establishment of scientific centres which would help the Agency to carry out its statutory functions. Subsequently, decisions were taken which have led to the foundation of two laboratories and the establishment under the Agency's auspices of an isotope centre. The plans for the setting up of the Agency's Laboratory Vienna - Seibersdorf were approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in April 1 959, and the agreement on the Marine Biological Project at Monaco came into force in March 1961. In March 1963 the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab countries was opened. The first comprehensive report on the activities of the laboratories and the isotope centre is now published; it contains information on the development of the centres and their activities carried out in 1963. The Agency expresses its gratitude to the Governments of Austria, Monaco and the United Arab Republic for the generous assistance offered in connection with the establishment of the laboratories and the isotope centre

75 FR 29889 - Special Local Regulation for Marine Event; 2010 International Cup Regatta, Pasquotank River...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-28

...-AA08 Special Local Regulation for Marine Event; 2010 International Cup Regatta, Pasquotank River... traffic in a portion of the Pasquotank River, near Elizabeth City, NC, during the 2010 International Cup... event in 33 CFR 100.501 and 33 CFR Table to Sec. 100.501, No. 54. On June 5 and 6, 2010, Carolina Cup...

Implementation plans for buried transuranic waste and stored special-case waste at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bullock, M.G.; Rodriguez, R.R.

1987-05-01

This document presents the current implementation plans for buried transuranic waste and stored special-case waste at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Information contained in this report was also included in several Department of Energy (DOE) planning documents for the Defense Transuranic Waste Program. This information can be found in the following DOE documents: Comprehensive Implementation Plan for the DOE Defense Buried TRU Waste Program; Defense Waste Management Plan for Buried Transuranic-Contaminated Waste, Transuranic-Contaminated Waste, Transuranic-Contaminated Soil, and Difficult-to-Certify Transuranic Waste; and Defense Special-Case Transuranic Waste Implementation Plan. 11 refs

77 FR 9948 - International Conference on Harmonisation; Guidance on E7 Studies in Support of Special...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-21

...] International Conference on Harmonisation; Guidance on E7 Studies in Support of Special Populations; Geriatrics... Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance entitled ``E7 Studies... under the auspices of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for...

Special Issue: 14th International Symposium on Novel and Nano Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Woo-Byoung; Choa, Yong-Ho; Ahn, Hyo-Jin; Park, Il-Kyu

2017-09-01

This Special Issue of Applied Surface Science is intended to provide a collection of peer-reviewed contributions presented at the 14th International Symposium on Novel Nano Materials (ISNNM) held in Budapest, Hungary as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe from July 3 to July 8, 2016. All selected papers underwent the regular peer review process as set by the journal of Applied Surface Science and its publisher (Elsevier).

Method Validation Procedure in Gamma Spectroscopy Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Samad, O.; Baydoun, R.

2008-01-01

The present work describes the methodology followed for the application of ISO 17025 standards in gamma spectroscopy laboratory at the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission including the management and technical requirements. A set of documents, written procedures and records were prepared to achieve the management part. The technical requirements, internal method validation was applied through the estimation of trueness, repeatability , minimum detectable activity and combined uncertainty, participation in IAEA proficiency tests assure the external method validation, specially that the gamma spectroscopy lab is a member of ALMERA network (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurements of Environmental Radioactivity). Some of these results are presented in this paper. (author)

Quality control activities in the environmental radiology laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llaurado, M.; Quesada, D.; Rauret, G.; Tent, J.; Zapata, D.

2006-01-01

During the last twenty years many analytical laboratories have implemented quality assurance systems. A quality system implementation requires documentation of all activities (technical and management), evaluation of these activities and its continual improvement. Implementation and adequate management of all the elements a quality system includes are not enough to guarantee quality of the analytical results generated at a time. That is the aim of a group of specific activities labelled as quality control activities. The Laboratori de Radiologia Ambiental (Environmental Radiology Laboratory; LRA) at the University of Barcelona was created in 1984 to carry out part of the quality control assays of the Environmental Radiology Monitoring Programs around some of the Spanish nuclear power plants, which are developed by the Servei Catala d'Activitats Energetiques (SCAR) and the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN), organisations responsible for nuclear security and radiological protection. In these kind of laboratories, given the importance of the results they give, quality control activities become an essential aspect. In order to guarantee the quality of its analytical results, the LRA Direction decided to adopt the international standard UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 for its internal quality system and to accreditate some of the assays it carries out. In such as system, it is established, the laboratory shall monitor the validity of tests undertaken and data shall be recorded in such a way that trends are detectable. The present work shows the activities carried out in this way by the LRA, which are: Equipment control activities which in the special case of radiochemical techniques include measurement of backgrounds and blanks as well as periodical control of efficiency and resolution. Activities to assure the specifications settled by method validation, which are testing of reference materials and periodical analysis of control samples. Evaluation of the laboratory work quality

Work of the IAEA laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1962-01-01

Most of the IAEA laboratory facilities a r e now in full operation, and work has begun on a number of problems that can best be dealt with by an international centre. The laboratory at Seibersdorf, about 30 km from the Agency's headquarters in Vienna, started functioning in October last year, and a certain amount of work is also being done with a few facilities installed in the headquarters building. During the past year laboratory work has steadily increased and several programmes are now fully established. The Agency's laboratory is not intended to be a centre of independent research; in the main, its scope is governed by the scientific requirements of the Agency's programmes of assistance to its Member States and its role in connection with safety and security in atomic energy work. The functions of the laboratory are thus limited to (a) measurement of radionuclides and preparation of radioactive standards, (b) calibration and adaptation of measuring equipment, (c) quality control of special materials for nuclear technology, (d) measurement and analyses in connection with the Agency's safeguards and health and safety programme, and (e) services to Member States that can be provided with the facilities established for these tasks

International on Workshop Advances in Laboratory Testing & Modelling of Soils and Shales

CERN Document Server

Laloui, Lyesse

2017-01-01

In this spirit, the ATMSS International Workshop “Advances in Laboratory Testing & Modelling of Soils and Shales” (Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland; 18-20 January 2017) has been organized to promote the exchange of ideas, experience and state of the art among major experts active in the field of experimental testing and modelling of soils and shales. The Workshop has been organized under the auspices of the Technical Committees TC-101 “Laboratory Testing”, TC-106 “Unsaturated Soils” and TC-308 “Energy Geotechnics” of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. This volume contains the invited keynote and feature lectures, as well as the papers that have been presented at the Workshop. The topics of the lectures and papers cover a wide range of theoretical and experimental research, including unsaturated behaviour of soils and shales, multiphysical testing of geomaterials, hydro–mechanical behaviour of shales and stiff clays, the geomechanical behaviour of the ...

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Laboratories Seibersdorf and Vienna. Meeting the challenges of research and international co-operation in the application of nuclear techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krippl, E.

1999-08-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency therefore maintains a unique, multidisciplinary, analytical, research and training centre: the IAEA Laboratories, located at Seibersdorf near Vienna and at the Agency's Headquarters in the Vienna International Centre. They are organized in three branches: (i) the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory: Soil Science, Plant Breeding, Animal Production and Health, Entomology, Agrochemicals; (ii) the Physics, Chemistry and Instrumentation Laboratory: Chemistry, Instrumentation, Dosimetry, Isotope Hydrology; (iii) the Safeguards Analytical Laboratory: Isotopic Analysis, Chemical Analysis, Clean Laboratory. 'The Mission of the IAEA Laboratories is to contribute to the implementation of the Agency's programmes in food and agriculture, human health, physical and chemical sciences, water resources, industry, environment, radiation protection and safeguards verification'. Together with a General Services and Safety Section, which provides logistics, information, industrial safety and maintenance services and runs a mechanical workshop, the three groups form the 'Seibersdorf Laboratories' and are part of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. The Laboratories contribute an important share to projects fostering peaceful applications of radiation and isotopes and radiation protection, and play a significant part in the nuclear verification mechanism. All activities are therefore planned and implemented in close co-operation with relevant divisions and departments of the IAEA. In specific sectors, the Laboratories also operate in conjunction with other organizations in the UN system, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and with networks of national laboratories in Member States

Radioactive sources in chemical laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janzekovic, H.; Krizman, M.

2007-01-01

Radioactive sources including all radioactive materials exceeding exemption levels have to be registered in national databases according to international standards based on the recommendations ICRP 60 and a proper licensing should take place as described for example in the 96/29/EURATOM. In spite of that, unregistered sources could be found, usually due to the fact that the owner is not aware of radiation characteristics of sources. The material inventories of chemical laboratories are typical and most frequent example where radioactive sources could be found. Five different types of sources could be identified. The most frequent type are chemicals, namely thorium and uranium compounds. They are used not due to their radioactivity but due to their chemical properties. As for all other sources a stringent control is necessary in order to assure their safe use. Around hundred of stored radioactive chemical items were found during inspections of such laboratories performed by the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration or qualified experts in a period December 2006 - July 2007. Users of such chemicals are usually not aware that thorium and uranium chemicals are radioactive and, as unsealed sources, they could be easily spilled out and produce contamination of persons, surfaces, equipment etc. The external exposure as well as the internal exposure including exposure due to inhalation could be present. No knowledge about special precautions is usually present in laboratories and leads to underestimating of a potential risk and unintentional exposure of the laboratory personnel, students etc. Due to the long decay times in decay series of Th -232, U-238 and U- 235 the materials are also radioactive today. Even more, in case of thorium chemicals the radioactivity increased substantially from the time of their production. The implementation of safety measures has been under way and includes a survey of the qualified experts, establishment of organizational structure in a

[International cooperation in health: the Special Service of Public Health and its nursing program].

Science.gov (United States)

de Campos, André Luiz Vieira

2008-01-01

This paper analyzes the role of the Serviço Especial de Saúde Pública (Special Service of Public Health) in developing and expanding higher education in nursing and to train auxiliary health personnel in Brazil under bilateral agreements between the US and Brazil during the 1940s and 1950s. The Nursing Program of the Special Service is approached from the perspective of its participation in a broader international cooperation developed by the Pan American Health Organization, but also as part of the state and nation building effort of the first Vargas Regime.

Laboratory assessment of novel oral anticoagulants: method suitability and variability between coagulation laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Helin, Tuukka A; Pakkanen, Anja; Lassila, Riitta; Joutsi-Korhonen, Lotta

2013-05-01

Laboratory tests to assess novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are under evaluation. Routine monitoring is unnecessary, but under special circumstances bioactivity assessment becomes crucial. We analyzed the effects of NOACs on coagulation tests and the availability of specific assays at different laboratories. Plasma samples spiked with dabigatran (Dabi; 120 and 300 μg/L) or rivaroxaban (Riva; 60, 146, and 305 μg/L) were sent to 115 and 38 European laboratories, respectively. International normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were analyzed for all samples; thrombin time (TT) was analyzed specifically for Dabi and calibrated anti-activated factor X (anti-Xa) activity for Riva. We compared the results with patient samples. Results of Dabi samples were reported by 73 laboratories (13 INR and 9 APTT reagents) and Riva samples by 22 laboratories (5 INR and 4 APTT reagents). Both NOACs increased INR values; the increase was modest, albeit larger, for Dabi, with higher CV, especially with Quick (vs Owren) methods. Both NOACs dose-dependently prolonged the APTT. Again, the prolongation and CVs were larger for Dabi. The INR and APTT results varied reagent-dependently (P laboratories, respectively. The screening tests INR and APTT are suboptimal in assessing NOACs, having high reagent dependence and low sensitivity and specificity. They may provide information, if laboratories recognize their limitations. The variation will likely increase and the sensitivity differ in clinical samples. Specific assays measure NOACs accurately; however, few laboratories applied them. © 2013 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Survey of special nuclear material vehicle monitors for domestic and international safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fehlau, P.E.; Atwater, H.F.; Caldwell, J.T.; Shunk, E.R.

1979-01-01

Special nuclear materials vehicle monitors, including gateside vehicle monitors, hand-held personnel-vehicle monitors, and a new tunnel monitor concept for very large vehicles, are discussed. The results of a comparison of effectiveness of monitors for domestic application are presented. The results of calculations and small scale prototype measurements are given for a tunnel-like neutron monitor for monitoring at the perimeter of an enrichment plant subjected to International Safeguards

1st Lunar International Laboratory (LIL) Symposium Research in Geosciences and Astronomy : Organized by the International Academy of Astronautics at the XVIth International Astronautical Congress Athens, 16 September, 1965 and Dedicated to the Twentieth Anniversary of UNESCO

CERN Document Server

1966-01-01

The Lunar International Laboratory (LIL) project of the International Academy of Astronautics was begun upon the proposal of the editor at the First Special Meeting of the Academy at Stockholm on 16 August 1960. The late THEODORE VON KARMAN, first President of the Academy, appointed the following members of the LIL Committee: Prof. N. BoNEFF (Bulgaria), Prof. M. FLoRKIN (Belgium), Mr. A. G. HALEY (U. S. A. ), Prof. Sir BERNARD LovELL (U. K. ) (Vice­ Chairman), Prof. L. MALAVARD (France), Dr. F. J. MALINA (U. S. A. ) (Chairman), Prof. H. 0BERTH (German Federal Republic), Dr. W. H. PicKERING (U. S. A. ), Prof. E. SANGER (German Federal Republic), Prof. L. I. SEDOV (U. S. S. R. ), Prof. L. SPITZER, JR. (U. S. A. ), Dr. H. STRUGHOLD (U. S. A. ), Prof. H. C. UREY (U. S. A. ) and himself. Since 1960 the following additional members were appointed to the Committee: Mr. A. C. CLARKE (U. K. ), Prof. A. DoLLFUS (France), Prof. Z. KoPAL (U. K. ), Dr. S. F. SINGER (U. S. A. ), Prof. N. M. SISSAKIAN (U. S. S. R. ) and Pr...

International nuclear power status 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauritzen, B.; Majborn, B.; Nonboel, E.; Oelgaard, P.L.

2003-03-01

This report is the ninth in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power with special emphasis on reactor safety. For 2002, the report contains: 1) General trends in the development of nuclear power; 2) Decommissioning of the nuclear facilities at Risoe National Laboratory: 3) Statistical information on nuclear power production (in 2001); 4) An overview of safety-relevant incidents in 2002; 5) The development in West Europe; 6) The development in East Europe; 7) The development in the rest of the world; 8) Development of reactor types; 9) The nuclear fuel cycle; 10) International nuclear organisations. (au)

High Bay Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — This laboratory is a specially constructed facility with elevated (37 feet) ceilings and an overhead catwalk, and which is dedicated to research efforts in reducing...

The activities of the IAEA laboratories Vienna. Annual report - 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, C.B.G.

1982-03-01

The report outlines the activities of the laboratory of the International Atomic Energy Agency at Seibersdorf in the province of Lower Austria. The report covers the following sections of the laboratory: chemistry, medical applications, dosimetry, soil science, entomology, plant breeding, electronics and measurement laboratory, isotope hydrology and the safeguards analytical laboratory. The extension to the main laboratory buildings - a new wing for medical applications and dosimetry - was fitted out and fully integrated into the laboratory by the end of the year. In July 1980 the high-level cobalt-60 dosimetry equipment (a teletherapy unit) was transferred from the old IAEA headquarters building in the centre of Vienna and installed in a specially designed annex to the new wing. A successful 8 week training course was given in the agriculture laboratory and arrangements were made for several of the course members to stay on as research fellows for several months after the course had ended

Association of American Geographers, Remote Sensing Specialty Group Special Issue of Geocarto International

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Thomas R. (Editor); Emerson, Charles W. (Editor); Quattrochi, Dale A. (Editor); Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This special issue continues the precedence of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG) for publishing selected articles in Geocarto International as a by-product from the AAG annual meeting. As editors, we issued earlier this year, a solicitation for papers to be published in a special issue of Geocarto International that were presented in RSSG-sponsored sessions at the 2001 AAG annual meeting held in New York City on February 27-March 3. Although not an absolute requisite for publication, the vast majority of the papers in this special issue were presented at this year's AAG meeting in New York. Other articles in this issue that were not part of a paper or poster session at the 2001 AAG meeting are authored by RSSG members. Under the auspices of the RSSG, this special Geocarto International issue provides even more compelling evidence of the inextricable linkage between remote sensing and geography. The papers in this special issue fall into four general themes: 1) Urban Analysis and Techniques for Urban Analysis; 2) Land Use/Land Cover Analysis; 3) Fire Modeling Assessment; and 4) Techniques. The first four papers herein are concerned with the use of remote sensing for analysis of urban areas, and with use or development of techniques to better characterize urban areas using remote sensing data. As the lead paper in this grouping, Rashed et al., examine the usage of spectral mixture analysis (SMA) for analyzing satellite imagery of urban areas as opposed to more 'standard' methods of classification. Here SMA has been applied to IRS-1C satellite multispectral imagery to extract measures that better describe the 'anatomy' of the greater Cairo, Egypt region. Following this paper, Weng and Lo describe how Landsat TM data have been used to monitor land cover types and to estimate biomass parameters within an urban environment. The research reported in this paper applies an integrated GIS (Geographic Information System

Risk of internal contamination of workers employed in radioisotope laboratories in Poland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamiak-Ziemba, J.; Domanski, T.; Doniec, J.

1981-01-01

It was established that in Poland 247 radioisotope laboratories use open radiation sources. These laboratories have not yet been covered by the internal system of control of inner contamination. The number of workers having contact with radioisotopes amounts to 1987. Frequently this is work in contact with several radioisotopes (from 1 to 17). Most workers are exposed to tritium (over 500 workers), /sup 14/C (over 500), /sup 125/I and /sup 131/I, /sup 32/P, /sup 51/Cr, 99mTc (over 100), isotopes belonging to radiotoxicity groups 2, 3 and 4. In the radiotoxicity group 1 the most workers were exposed to /sup 226/Ra (52).

Safeguards training at Pacific Northwest Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickman, D.A.

1986-10-01

Safeguarding our country's nuclear materials against theft or diversion is extremely important due to their significantly strategic value. In addition, nuclear materials also have an extremely high monetary value. The term ''safeguards'' is defined as an integrated system of physical protection, accountability, and material control measures designed to deter, prevent, detect, and respond to unauthorized possession and use of special nuclear materials. An aggressive Safeguards program, therefore, employs both good security measures and a strong material control and accountability system. For effective internal control of nuclear materials, having people qualified in the many aspects of safeguards and accountability is essential. At Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), this goal is accomplished through a Laboratory-wide Safeguards Awareness Program. All PNL staff members receive a level of Safeguards training appropriate to their particular function within the Laboratory. This paper presents an overview of the unique training opportunities this topic provides and how the training goals are accomplished through the various training courses given to the staff members

Activities of the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity. 1976 Report. Monaco, June 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

The programme of the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity has continued largely along the research lines outlined in the last progress report (IAEA-163). In addition to the regular intercalibration programme of radionuclide measurements, the Laboratory has distributed a number of reference materials for the measurement of trace metals and organochlorine compounds. This latter effort was, and continues to be, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The first results obtained from the participating laboratories indicate that while comparability for trace element measurements are encouraging, the same cannot be said for the determination of organochlorine compounds. The experience obtained to date in all of the intercalibration exercises attests to the desirability of maintaining such services for the benefit of the scientific community involved in environmental research

[Laboratory medicine in the obligatory postgraduate clinical training system--common clinical training program in the department of laboratory medicine in our prefectural medical university hospital].

Science.gov (United States)

Okamoto, Yasuyuki

2003-04-01

I propose a postgraduate common clinical training program to be provided by the department of laboratory medicine in our prefectural medical university hospital. The program has three purposes: first, mastering basic laboratory tests; second, developing the skills necessary to accurately interpret laboratory data; third, learning specific techniques in the field of laboratory medicine. For the first purpose, it is important that medical trainees perform testing of their own patients at bedside or in the central clinical laboratory. When testing at the central clinical laboratory, instruction by expert laboratory technicians is helpful. The teaching doctors in the department of laboratory medicine are asked to advise the trainees on the interpretation of data. Consultation will be received via interview or e-mail. In addition, the trainees can participate in various conferences, seminars, and meetings held at the central clinical laboratory. Finally, in order to learn specific techniques in the field of laboratory medicine, several special courses lasting a few months will be prepared. I think this program should be closely linked to the training program in internal medicine.

International laboratory of marine radioactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-08-01

The director's report presents the overall aims and objectives of the laboratory, and some of the significant findings to date. Among these is the different behaviour in oceans of Pu and Am. Thus, fallout Pu, in contrast to Am, tends to remain in the soluble form. The vertical downward transport of Am is much quicker than for Pu. Since 1980, uptake and depuration studies of sup(95m)Tc have been carried out on key marine species. Marine environmental behaviour of Tc is being evaluated carefully in view of its being a significant constituent of nuclear wastes. Growing demands are being made on the laboratory for providing intercalibration and instrument maintenance services, and for providing training for scientists from developing countries. The body of the report is divided into 5 sections dealing with marine biology, marine chemistry, marine geochemistry/sedimentation, environmental studies, and engineering services, respectively. Appendices list laboratory staff, publications by staff members, papers and reports presented at meetings or conferences, consultants to the laboratory from 1967-1980, fellowships, trainees and membership of committees, task forces and working groups

Factor VII assay performance: an analysis of the North American Specialized Coagulation Laboratory Association proficiency testing results.

Science.gov (United States)

Zantek, N D; Hsu, P; Refaai, M A; Ledford-Kraemer, M; Meijer, P; Van Cott, E M

2013-06-01

The performance of factor VII (FVII) assays currently used by clinical laboratories was examined in North American Specialized Coagulation Laboratory Association (NASCOLA) proficiency tests. Data from 12 surveys conducted between 2008 and 2010, involving 20 unique specimens plus four repeat-tested specimens, were analyzed. The number of laboratories per survey was 49-54 with a total of 1224 responses. Numerous reagent/instrument combinations were used. For FVII > 80 or 50 U/dL, among commonly used methods, one thromboplastin and one calibrator produced results 5-6 U/dL higher and another thromboplastin and calibrator produced results 5-6 U/dL lower than all other methods, and human thromboplastin differed from rabbit by +7.6 U/dL. Preliminary evidence suggests these differences could be due to the calibrator. For FVII <50 U/dL, differences among the commonly used reagents and calibrators were generally not significant. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Special-Study Modules in a Problem-Based Learning Medical Curriculum: An Innovative Laboratory Research Practice Supporting Introduction to Research Methodology in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Guner, Gul Akdogan; Cavdar, Zahide; Yener, Nilgun; Kume, Tuncay; Egrilmez, Mehtap Yuksel; Resmi, Halil

2011-01-01

We describe the organization of wet-lab special-study modules (SSMs) in the Central Research Laboratory of Dokuz Eylul Medical School, Izmir, Turkey with the aim of discussing the scientific, laboratory, and pedagogical aspects of this educational activity. A general introduction to the planning and functioning of these SSMs is given, along with…

Strengthening public health laboratory capacity in Thailand for International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005).

Science.gov (United States)

Peruski, Anne Harwood; Birmingham, Maureen; Tantinimitkul, Chawalit; Chungsamanukool, Ladawan; Chungsamanukool, Preecha; Guntapong, Ratigorn; Pulsrikarn, Chaiwat; Saengklai, Ladapan; Supawat, Krongkaew; Thattiyaphong, Aree; Wongsommart, Duangdao; Wootta, Wattanapong; Nikiema, Abdoulaye; Pierson, Antoine; Peruski, Leonard F; Liu, Xin; Rayfield, Mark A

2014-07-01

Thailand conducted a national laboratory assessment of core capacities related to the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), and thereby established a baseline to measure future progress. The assessment was limited to public laboratories found within the Thai Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, National Institute of Health and regional medical science centres. The World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory assessment tool was adapted to Thailand through a participatory approach. This adapted version employed a specific scoring matrix and comprised 16 modules with a quantitative output. Two teams jointly performed the on-site assessments in December 2010 over a two-week period, in 17 public health laboratories in Thailand. The assessment focused on the capacity to identify and accurately detect pathogens mentioned in Annex 2 of the IHR (2005) in a timely manner, as well as other public health priority pathogens for Thailand. Performance of quality management, budget and finance, data management and communications was considered strong (>90%); premises quality, specimen collection, biosafety, public health functions, supplies management and equipment availability were judged as very good (>70% but ≤90%); while microbiological capacity, staffing, training and supervision, and information technology needed improvement (>60% but ≤70%). This assessment is a major step in Thailand towards development of an optimized and standardized national laboratory network for the detection and reporting of infectious disease that would be compliant with IHR (2005). The participatory strategy employed to adapt an international tool to the Thai context can also serve as a model for use by other countries in the Region. The participatory approach probably ensured better quality and ownership of the results, while providing critical information to help decision-makers determine where best to invest finite resources.

IAEA laboratory activities. The IAEA laboratories at Vienna and Seibersdorf, the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity at Monaco, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste, the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries. 2nd report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1965-01-01

This Second Report 'IAEA Laboratory Activities' describes developments and scientific work during the year 1964. It reports on the activities of the Agency's Laboratory Vienna - Seibersdorf, the Marine Biological Project at Monaco, and the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries. In addition, it contains a first, short review on the International Centre for Theoretical Physics at Trieste. This Centre was established in October 1963 and started its operations in 1964. The Report is similar to the first one published at the beginning of 1964, and is intended as a source of current information

Strategic establishment of an International Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory in a resource-limited setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Mtisi, Takudzwa J; Maponga, Charles; Monera-Penduka, Tsitsi G; Mudzviti, Tinashe; Chagwena, Dexter; Makita-Chingombe, Faithful; DiFranchesco, Robin; Morse, Gene D

2018-01-01

A growing number of drug development studies that include pharmacokinetic evaluations are conducted in regions lacking a specialised pharmacology laboratory. This necessitated the development of an International Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory (IPSL) in Zimbabwe. The aim of this article is to describe the development of an IPSL in Zimbabwe. The IPSL was developed collaboratively by the University of Zimbabwe and the University at Buffalo Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences. Key stages included infrastructure development, establishment of quality management systems and collaborative mentorship in clinical pharmacology study design and chromatographic assay development and validation. Two high performance liquid chromatography instruments were donated by an instrument manufacturer and a contract research organisation. Laboratory space was acquired through association with the Zimbabwe national drug regulatory authority. Operational policies, standard operating procedures and a document control system were established. Scientists and technicians were trained in aspects relevant to IPSL operations. A high-performance liquid chromatography method for nevirapine was developed with the guidance of the Clinical Pharmacology Quality Assurance programme and approved by the assay method review programme. The University of Zimbabwe IPSL is engaged with the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Division of AIDS research networks and is poised to begin drug assays and pharmacokinetic analyses. An IPSL has been successfully established in a resource-limited setting through the efforts of an external partnership providing technical guidance and motivated internal faculty and staff. Strategic partnerships were beneficial in navigating challenges leading to laboratory development and training new investigators. The IPSL is now engaged in clinical pharmacology research.

Special Weapons

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Supporting Navy special weapons, the division provides an array of engineering services, technical publication support services, logistics support services, safety...

Review of the International Atomic Energy Agency International database on reactor pressure vessel materials and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Oak Ridge National Laboratory embrittlement data base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.A.; Kam, F.B.K.

1998-02-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has supported neutron radiation effects information exchange through meetings and conferences since the mid-1960s. Through an International Working Group on Reliability of Reactor Pressure Components, information exchange and research activities were fostered through the Coordinated Research Program (CRP) sponsored by the IAEA. The final CRP meeting was held in November 1993, where it was recommended that the IAEA coordinate the development of an International Database on Reactor Pressure Vessel Material (IDRPVM) as the first step in generating an International Database on Aging Management. The purpose of this study was to provide special technical assistance to the NRC in monitoring and evaluating the IAEA activities in developing the IAEA IDRPVM, and to compare the IDRPVM with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Power Reactor Embrittlement Data Base (PR-EDB) and provide recommendations for improving the PR-EDB. A first test version of the IDRPVM was distributed at the First Meeting of Liaison Officers to the IAEA IDRPVM, in November 1996. No power reactor surveillance data were included in this version; the testing data were mainly from CRP Phase III data. Therefore, because of insufficient data and a lack of power reactor surveillance data received from the IAEA IDRPVM, the comparison is made based only on the structure of the IDRPVM. In general, the IDRPVM and the EDB have very similar data structure and data format. One anticipates that because the IDRPVM data will be collected from so many different sources, quality assurance of the data will be a difficult task. The consistency of experimental test results will be an important issue. A very wide spectrum of material characteristics of RPV steels and irradiation environments exists among the various countries. Hence the development of embrittlement prediction models will be a formidable task. 4 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

A university hot laboratory for teaching and research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinonen, O.; Miettinen, J.K.

1976-01-01

In small countries which have limited material and capital resources there is more need for studying and teaching reactor chemistry in universities than there is in countries with special nuclear research and training centres. A new 150-m 2 laboratory of reactor chemistry was added to the premises of the Department of Radiochemistry, University of Helsinki, in October 1975. It contains a hot area with low-pressure air-conditioning, a sanitary room, a low-activity area, and an office area. The main instrument is a mass-spectrometer MI-1309 equipped with an ion counter which is particularly useful for plutonium analysis. The laboratory can handle samples up-to 10Ci gamma-acitivity - which equals one pellet of a fuel rod - in a sealed lead cell which has an interchangeable box for alpha-active work. Pretreated samples are submitted to chemical separations in glove-boxes. Samples for alpha and mass spectroscopy are also prepared in glove-boxes. Also the laboratory is provided with fume hoods suitable for building lead shields. Radiation protection and special features typical to the university environment are discussed. Methods for verfication of contamination and protection against internal and external contamination are applied. These include air monitoring, analysis of excreta, and whole-body counting. (author)

San Juan District Laboratory (SJN)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Program CapabilitiesSJN-DO Pharmaceutical Laboratory is an A2LA/ISO/IEC 17025 accredited National Servicing Laboratory specialized in Drug Analysis, is a member of...

Laboratory safety handbook

Science.gov (United States)

Skinner, E.L.; Watterson, C.A.; Chemerys, J.C.

1983-01-01

Safety, defined as 'freedom from danger, risk, or injury,' is difficult to achieve in a laboratory environment. Inherent dangers, associated with water analysis and research laboratories where hazardous samples, materials, and equipment are used, must be minimized to protect workers, buildings, and equipment. Managers, supervisors, analysts, and laboratory support personnel each have specific responsibilities to reduce hazards by maintaining a safe work environment. General rules of conduct and safety practices that involve personal protection, laboratory practices, chemical handling, compressed gases handling, use of equipment, and overall security must be practiced by everyone at all levels. Routine and extensive inspections of all laboratories must be made regularly by qualified people. Personnel should be trained thoroughly and repetitively. Special hazards that may involve exposure to carcinogens, cryogenics, or radiation must be given special attention, and specific rules and operational procedures must be established to deal with them. Safety data, reference materials, and texts must be kept available if prudent safety is to be practiced and accidents prevented or minimized.

Internal qualification and credentialing of radiation oncology physicists to perform patient special procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael D Mills

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the arena of radiation oncology special procedures, medical physicists are often the focus professionals for implementation and administration of advanced and complex technologies. One of the most vexing and challenging aspects of managing complexity concerns the ongoing internal qualification and credentialing of radiation oncology physicists to perform patient special procedures. To demonstrate ongoing qualification, a physicist must a document initial training and successful completion of competencies to implement and perform this procedure, b demonstrate familiarity with all aspects of the commissioning and quality assurance process, c demonstrate continuing education respecting this procedure, d demonstrate the peer-reviewed completion of a minimum number of patient special procedures during a specified time span, and e demonstrate satisfactory overall progress toward maintenance of specialty board certification. In many respects, this information complement is similar to that required by an accredited residency program in therapy physics. In this investigation, we report on the design of a management tool to qualify staff radiation oncology physicists to deliver patient procedures.

Tiger Team Assessment of the Ames Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

This report documents the Tiger Assessment of the Ames Laboratory (Ames), located in Ames, Iowa. Ames is operated for the US Department of Energy (DOE) by Iowa State University. The assessment was conducted from February 10 to March 5, 1992, under the auspices of the Office of Special Projects, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Environment, Safety and Health, Headquarters, DOE. The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing Environment, Safety, and Health (ES ampersand H) disciplines; management practices; and contractor and DOE self-assessments. Compliance with applicable Federal, State of Iowa, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal requirements at Ames Laboratory were assessed. In addition, an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of DOE and the site contractor's management of ES ampersand H/quality assurance program was conducted

Tiger Team Assessment of the Ames Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-03-01

This report documents the Tiger Assessment of the Ames Laboratory (Ames), located in Ames, Iowa. Ames is operated for the US Department of Energy (DOE) by Iowa State University. The assessment was conducted from February 10 to March 5, 1992, under the auspices of the Office of Special Projects, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Environment, Safety and Health, Headquarters, DOE. The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing Environment, Safety, and Health (ES H) disciplines; management practices; and contractor and DOE self-assessments. Compliance with applicable Federal, State of Iowa, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal requirements at Ames Laboratory were assessed. In addition, an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of DOE and the site contractor's management of ES H/quality assurance program was conducted.

Assessment of internal and external exposure to ionizing radiation in laboratories of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adamiak-Ziemba, J.; Doniec, J.; Kocznow, W.; Hawrynski, M.

1985-01-01

The investigations with determination of radioisotopes in urine led to detection of contamination with 99m Tc and radioactive iodine. The measurements and dosimetry of external radiation demonstrated that workers in laboratories of radioisotope diagnosis received a mean annual equivalent doses amounted less than 5% of the permissible dose for persons with occupational exposure. It was also established that external exposure was mainly responsible for this. The data about the levels of internal exposure in laboratories of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy demonstrated that introduction of a permanent central system of control of internal contamination of workers would be useless since the observation of the already accepted principles of radiological protection is sufficient for avoiding contamination. (author)

Psychosocial Research on the International Space Station: Special Privacy Considerations

Science.gov (United States)

Kanas, N.; Salnitskiy, V.; Ritsher, J.; Grund, E.; Weiss, D.; Gushin, V.; Kozerenko, O.

Conducting psychosocial research with astronauts and cosmonauts requires special privacy and confidentiality precautions due to the high profile nature of the subject population and to individual crewmember perception of the risks inherent in divulging sensitive psychological information. Sampling from this small population necessitates subject protections above and beyond standard scientific human subject protocols. Many of these protections have relevance for psychosocial research on the International Space Station. In our previous study of psychosocial issues involving crewmembers on the Mir space station, special precautions were taken during each phase of the missions. These were implemented in order to gain the trust necessary to ameliorate the perceived risks of divulging potentially sensitive psychological information and to encourage candid responses. Pre-flight, a standard confidentiality agreement was provided along with a special layman's summary indicating that only group-level data would be presented, and subjects chose their own ID codes known only to themselves. In-flight, special procedures and technologies (such as encryption) were employed to protect the data during the collection. Post-flight, an analytic strategy was chosen to further mask subject identifiers, and draft manuscripts were reviewed by the astronaut office prior to publication. All of the eligible five astronauts and eight cosmonauts who flew joint US/Russian missions on the Mir were successfully recruited to participate, and their data completion rate was 76%. Descriptive analyses of the data indicated that there was sufficient variability in all of the measures to indicate that thoughtful, discriminating responses were being provided (e.g., the full range of response options was used in 63 of the 65 items of the Profile of Mood States measure, and both true and false response options were used in all 126 items of the Group Environment and the Work Environment measures). This

The Use of the Agency's Two Mobile Radioisotope Laboratories during the Period 1958-1965. Memorandum by the Director General

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1966-01-01

Two mobile laboratories, specially equipped for training courses on the use of radioisotopes, were donated by the Government of the United States of America to the Agency in 195 8. The first one was exhibited in Geneva at the Second International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in September of that year, and was subsequently taken over by the Agency; the second laboratory was taken over at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1959 and sent directly to Mexico

Philadelphia District Laboratory (PHI)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — Program CapabilitiesPHI-DO Pharmaceutical Laboratory specializes in the analyses of all forms and types of drug products.Its work involves nearly all phases of drug...

The risk of internal contamination of workers employed in radioisotope laboratories in Poland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adamiak-Ziemba, J.; Domanski, T.; Doniec, J.

1981-01-01

It was established that in Poland 247 radioisotope laboratories use open radiation sources. These laboratories have not yet been covered by the internal system of control of inner contamination. The number of workers having contact with radioisotopes amounts to 1987. Frequently this is work in contact with several radioisotopes (from 1 to 17). Most workers are exposed to tritium (over 500 workers), 14 C (over 500), 125 I and 131 I, 32 P, 51 Cr, 99mTc (over 100), isotopes belonging to radiotoxicity groups 2, 3 and 4. In the radiotoxicity group 1 the most workers were exposed to 226 Ra (52). (author)

The International Cooperation on Remote Laboratories in the Framework of Engineering Didactics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raivo Sell

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In the present paper the interactive demonstration of remote laboratories conducted with engineering didactics for creating real conditions for teaching and learning engineering has been presented. The article is focusing on international cooperation, offering the wide range of tools and methodology for effective and interactive teaching of embedded systems and mechatronics as well as exploiting latest web technologies, and offering flexibility and freedom for students.

IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory - Monaco: Biennial report 1989-1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The report contains the results of the scientific tasks carried out in 1989-90 by the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory in Monaco. The methods development and analytical quality assurance for radionuclide measurements, studies for evaluating environmental impacts of radionuclide releases into the sea, contribution to international marine pollution monitoring and research including special missions are presented. In addition, lists of the visiting consultants/experts, trainees/fellows, publications/meetings, committee/expert group membership, courses and research/technical contracts are given. Figs and tabs

Diet in phenylketonuria : A snapshot of special dietary costs and reimbursement systems in 10 international centers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belanger-Quintana, A.; Dokoupil, K.; Gokmen-Ozel, H.; Lammardo, A. M.; MacDonald, A.; Motzfeldt, K.; Nowacka, M.; van Rijn, M.; Ahring, K.; Robert, M.

Background and aims: To gather exploratory data on the costs and reimbursement of special dietary foods used in the management of phenylketonuria (PKU) from ten international specialist PKU centers. Methods: Experts from each center provided data on retail costs of the three most frequently used

New Trends and Directions in Ethnic Identity among Internationally Transracially Adopted Persons: Summary of Special Issue

Science.gov (United States)

Rosnati, Rosa; Pinderhughes, Ellen E.; Baden, Amanda L.; Grotevant, Harold D.; Lee, Richard M.; Mohanty, Jayashree

2015-01-01

The collective findings of the six articles in this special issue highlight the importance of ethnic-racial socialization and ethnic identity among international transracial adoptees (ITRAs). A multidimensional developmental phenomenon, ethnic identity intersects with other identities, notably adoptive identity. Family, peers, community, and host…

Portugal's special education law: implementing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in policy and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanches-Ferreira, Manuela; Simeonsson, Rune J; Silveira-Maia, Mónica; Alves, Sílvia; Tavares, Ana; Pinheiro, Sara

2013-05-01

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was introduced in Portuguese education law as the compulsory system to guide eligibility policy and practice in special education. This paper describes the implementation of the ICF and its utility in the assessment process and eligibility determination of students for special education. A study to evaluate the utility of the ICF was commissioned by the Portuguese Ministry of Education and carried out by an external evaluation team. A document analysis was made of the assessment and eligibility processes of 237 students, selected from a nationally representative sample. The results provided support for the use of the ICF in student assessment and in the multidimensional approach of generating student functioning profiles as the basis for determining eligibility. The use of the ICF contributed to the differentiation of eligible and non eligible students based on their functioning profiles. The findings demonstrate the applicability of the ICF framework and classification system for determining eligibility for special education services on the basis of student functioning rather than medical or psychological diagnose. The use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework in special education policy is as follows: • The functional perspective of the ICF offers a more comprehensive, holistic assessment of student needs than medical diagnoses. • ICF-based assessment of the nature and severity of functioning can serve as the basis for determining eligibility for special education and habilitation. • Profiles of functioning can support decision making in designing appropriate educational interventions for students.

Barriers to Medical Compassion as a Function of Experience and Specialization: Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Surgery, and General Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernando, Antonio T; Consedine, Nathan S

2017-06-01

Compassion is an expectation of patients, regulatory bodies, and physicians themselves. Most research has, however, studied compassion fatigue rather than compassion itself and has concentrated on the role of the physician. The Transactional Model of Physician Compassion suggests that physician, patient, external environment, and clinical factors are all relevant. Because these factors vary both across different specialities and among physicians with differing degrees of experience, barriers to compassion are also likely to vary. We describe barriers to physician compassion as a function of specialization (psychiatry, general practice, surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics) and physician experience. We used a cross-sectional study using demographic data, specialization, practice parameters, and the Barriers to Physician Compassion Questionnaire. Nonrandom convenience sampling was used to recruit 580 doctors, of whom 444 belonged to the targeted speciality groups. The sample was characterized before conducting a factorial Multivariate Analysis of Covariance and further post hoc analyses. A 5 (speciality grouping) × 2 (more vs. less physician experience) Multivariate Analysis of Covariance showed that the barriers varied as a function of both speciality and experience. In general, psychiatrists reported lower barriers, whereas general practitioners and internal medicine specialists generally reported greater barriers. Barriers were generally greater among less experienced doctors. Documenting and investigating barriers to compassion in different speciality groups have the potential to broaden current foci beyond the physician and inform interventions aimed at enhancing medical compassion. In addition, certain aspects of the training or practice of psychiatry that enhance compassion may mitigate barriers to compassion in other specialities. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance tests of a special ionization chamber for X-rays in mammography energy range

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, J.O., E-mail: jonas.silva@ufg.br [Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Goiânia (Brazil). Instituto de Física; Caldas, L.V.E. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN/SP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil). Centro de Metrologia das Radiações

2017-07-01

A special mammography homemade ionization chamber was developed to be applied for mammography energy range dosimetry. This chamber has a total sensitive volume of 6 cm{sup 3} and is made of a PMMA body and graphite coated collecting electrode. Performance tests as saturation, ion collection efficiency, linearity of chamber response versus air kerma rate and energy dependence were determined. The results obtained with this special homemade ionization chamber are within the limits stated in international recommendations. This chamber can be used in quality control programs of mammography energy range. All measurements were carried out at the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN. (author)

Analyses of internal tides generation and propagation over a Gaussian ridge in laboratory and numerical experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Dossmann, Yvan; Paci, Alexandre; Auclair, Francis; Floor, Jochem

2010-05-01

Internal tides are suggested to play a major role in the sustaining of the global oceanic circulation [1][5]. Although the exact origin of the energy conversions occurring in stratified fluids is questioned [2], it is clear that the diapycnal energy transfers provided by the energy cascade of internal gravity waves generated at tidal frequencies in regions of steep bathymetry is strongly linked to the general circulation energy balance. Therefore a precise quantification of the energy supply by internal waves is a crucial step in forecasting climate, since it improves our understanding of the underlying physical processes. We focus on an academic case of internal waves generated over an oceanic ridge in a linearly stratified fluid. In order to accurately quantify the diapycnal energy transfers caused by internal waves dynamics, we adopt a complementary approach involving both laboratory and numerical experiments. The laboratory experiments are conducted in a 4m long tank of the CNRM-GAME fluid mechanics laboratory, well known for its large stratified water flume (e.g. Knigge et al [3]). The horizontal oscillation at precisely controlled frequency of a Gaussian ridge immersed in a linearly stratified fluid generates internal gravity waves. The ridge of e-folding width 3.6 cm is 10 cm high and spans 50 cm. We use PIV and Synthetic Schlieren measurement techniques, to retrieve the high resolution velocity and stratification anomaly fields in the 2D vertical plane across the ridge. These experiments allow us to get access to real and exhaustive measurements of a wide range of internal waves regimes by varying the precisely controlled experimental parameters. To complete this work, we carry out some direct numerical simulations with the same parameters (forcing amplitude and frequency, initial stratification, boundary conditions) as the laboratory experiments. The model used is a non-hydrostatic version of the numerical model Symphonie [4]. Our purpose is not only to

ICSSP 2015–Special Issue Introduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pfahl, Dietmar; Kuhrmann, Marco; Bendraou, Reda

2016-01-01

Introduction to the Special Issue of the International Conference on Software and System Process......Introduction to the Special Issue of the International Conference on Software and System Process...

National survey on internal quality control for tumour markers in clinical laboratories in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Zhong, Kun; Yuan, Shuai; He, Falin; Du, Yuxuan; Hu, Zhehui; Wang, Zhiguo

2018-06-15

This survey was initiated to obtain knowledge on the current situation of internal quality control (IQC) practice for tumour markers (TMs) in China. Additionally, we tried to acquire the most appropriate quality specifications. This survey was a current status survey. The IQC information had been collected via online questionnaires. All of 1821 clinical laboratories which participated in the 2016 TMs external quality assessment (EQA) programme had been enrolled. The imprecision evaluation criteria were the minimal, desirable, and optimal allowable imprecisions based on biological variations, and 1/3 total allowable error (TEa) and 1/4 TEa. A total of 1628 laboratories answered the questionnaires (89%). The coefficients of variation (CVs) of the IQC of participant laboratories varied greatly from 1% (5 th percentile) to 13% (95 th percentile). More than 82% (82 - 91%) of participant laboratories two types of CVs met 1/3 TEa except for CA 19-9. The percentiles of current CVs were smaller than cumulative CVs. A number of 1240 laboratories (76%) reported their principles and systems used. The electrochemiluminescence was the most used principle (45%) and had the smallest CVs. The performance of laboratories for TMs IQC has yet to be improved. On the basis of the obtained results, 1/3 TEa would be realistic and attainable quality specification for TMs IQC for clinical laboratories in China.

Guidelines for Member States concerning radiation measurement standards and Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

In the early nineteen-sixties an acute need developed for higher dosimetric accuracy in radiation therapy, particularly in developing countries. This need led to the establishment of a number of dosimetry laboratories around the world, specializing in the calibration of radiation therapy dosimeters. In order to co-ordinate the provision of guidance and assistance to such laboratories, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) set up a Network of Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratories (SSDLs) under their joint aegis, as described in the IAEA booklet 'SSDLs: Development and Trends' (1985). This publication includes detailed criteria for the establishment of these laboratories. The present guidelines deal with the functions and status of SSDLs, in particular with the need for recognition and support by the competent national authorities. (author)

New International Initiatives on Enhancement of Biosafety and Biosecurity Regulations for Laboratories Handling Infectious Agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Netesov, S. V.; Drozdov, I. G.

2007-01-01

Before we entered the era of antibiotics, development of antiseptics rules and reliable water purification systems the infectious pathogens had played a major role in morbidity and mortality of global human population. The advances in revealing the nature of dangerous infections and studying their causative agents during the recent years have led not only to big progress in their control but also to the study of their potential as weapons. During the last fifty years, several attempts have been made to use them for criminal or terrorist purposes that demonstrated that even primitively organized terrorist attacks may lead to quite significant consequences. The October 2001 events showed that bioterrorism attacks may be prepared, probably, as a result of theft of the pathogen from a lab. All this led to the revision and radical improvement of current national rules and international recommendations in the field of handling, storage and transportation of infectious agents. As a result, during the past two years these rules have been significantly revised by both the World Health Organization and some countries. However, their harmonization of is still far from what is desired. Therefore, biosafety professionals in some countries, including those of the European Union, are establishing professional biosafety associations. In addition, new initiatives are being proposed to develop internationally harmonized biosecurity rules to govern dangerous pathogens handling and storage. The most important of them are as follows: 1. Development, under the auspices of WHO, of new recommendations concerning a set of requirements to provide physical security of both biological agents and laboratories involved in research on extremely hazardous infections; 2. Enhacement, under the auspices of WHO, of current international recommendations on inventory procedures and regulations, inventory monitoring, and transportation of specimens and strains of extremely hazardous infections; 3

An overview of the roles and structure of international high-security veterinary laboratories for infectious animal diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, P K

1998-08-01

The unique structure, role and operations of government high-security (HS) laboratories which work on animal diseases are described, with particular reference to the laboratories of nine countries. High-security laboratories provide cost-effective insurance against catastrophic losses which could occur following exotic disease outbreaks. The importance of these laboratories is reflected in the fact that several new laboratories have recently been constructed at considerable expense and older facilities have undergone major renovations. Biosecurity is fundamental to the operation of high-security laboratories, so good facility design and microbiological security practices are very important. High-security laboratories conduct exotic disease diagnosis, certification and surveillance, and also perform research into virology, disease pathogenesis and improvements to diagnostic tests and vaccines. The mandate of these laboratories includes the training of veterinarians in the recognition of exotic diseases. One extremely important role is the provision of expert advice on exotic diseases and participation (both nationally and internationally) in policy decisions regarding animal disease issues.

Advancing internal erosion monitoring using seismic methods in field and laboratory studies

Science.gov (United States)

Parekh, Minal L.

This dissertation presents research involving laboratory and field investigation of passive and active methods for monitoring and assessing earthen embankment infrastructure such as dams and levees. Internal erosion occurs as soil particles in an earthen structure migrate to an exit point under seepage forces. This process is a primary failure mode for dams and levees. Current dam and levee monitoring practices are not able to identify early stages of internal erosion, and often the result is loss of structure utility and costly repairs. This research contributes to innovations for detection and monitoring by studying internal erosion and monitoring through field experiments, laboratory experiments, and social and political framing. The field research in this dissertation included two studies (2009 and 2012) of a full-scale earthen embankment at the IJkdijk in the Netherlands. In both of these tests, internal erosion occurred as evidenced by seepage followed by sand traces and boils, and in 2009, eventual failure. With the benefit of arrays of closely spaced piezometers, pore pressure trends indicated internal erosion near the initiation time. Temporally and spatially dense pore water pressure measurements detected two pore water pressure transitions characteristic to the development of internal erosion, even in piezometers located away from the backward erosion activity. At the first transition, the backward erosion caused anomalous pressure decrease in piezometers, even under constant or increasing upstream water level. At the second transition, measurements stabilized as backward erosion extended further upstream of the piezometers, as shown in the 2009 test. The transitions provide an indication of the temporal development and the spatial extent of backward erosion. The 2012 IJkdijk test also included passive acoustic emissions (AE) monitoring. This study analyzed AE activity over the course of the 7-day test using a grid of geophones installed on the

Revealed Comparative Advantage and the Alternatives as Measures of International Specialization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Keld

2015-01-01

This paper provides an analysis of Balassa's 'revealed comparative advantage' (RCA). It shows that when using RCA, it should be adjusted such that it becomes symmetric around its neutral value. The proposed adjusted index is called 'revealed symmetric comparative advantage' (RSCA). The theoretica...... Balance, Chi Square, and Bowen's Net Trade Index. The result of the analysis is that RSCA-on balance-is the best measure of comparative advantage....... discussion focuses on the properties of RSCA and empirical evidence, based on the Jarque-Bera test for normality of the regression error terms, using both the RCA and RSCA indices. We compare RSCA to other measures of international trade specialization including the Michaely index, the Contribution to Trade...

Results of Surveys for Special Status Reptiles at the Site 300 Facilities of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woollett, J J

2008-09-18

The purpose of this report is to present the results of a live-trapping and visual surveys for special status reptiles at the Site 300 Facilities of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The survey was conducted under the authority of the Federal recovery permit of Swaim Biological Consulting (PRT-815537) and a Memorandum of Understanding issued from the California Department of Fish and Game. Site 300 is located between Livermore and Tracy just north of Tesla road (Alameda County) and Corral Hollow Road (San Joaquin County) and straddles the Alameda and San Joaquin County line (Figures 1 and 2). It encompasses portions of the USGS 7.5 minute Midway and Tracy quadrangles (Figure 2). Focused surveys were conducted for four special status reptiles including the Alameda whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus), the San Joaquin Whipsnake (Masticophis Hagellum ruddock), the silvery legless lizard (Anniella pulchra pulchra), and the California horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronanum frontale).

Emergency preparedness in Finland with special emphasis on internal contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahola, Tua; Suomela, Matti

1999-01-01

Rapid development in the field of emergency preparedness has taken place during recent years. The very first measures in a possible emergency situation have been trained nationally and internationally. Less attention has been paid to measures in a later phase. To be able to react fast enough in an emergency situation it is essential to have well documented plans, written instructions and suitable measurement equipment ready for use. In the first phase of a nuclear accident iodine is of primary concern. The Finnish radiation protection authority - STUK has already some instruments calibrated for thyroidea measurements in field conditions outside the laboratory. In a Nordic project experts on internal contamination measurements will be trained to make rapid measurements with relatively simple instruments on large groups of people. The general public knows that it is possible to do direct measurements on people and will not accept prognoses based only on external radiation and foodstuff measurements. In the future it will be necessary to do also direct measurements on people for reassurance of the general public even if such measurement would not be necessary from a strict radiation protection point of view. (au)

Mars Science Laboratory Flight Software Internal Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Justin D.; Lam, Danny

2011-01-01

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team is sending the rover, Curiosity, to Mars, and therefore is physically and technically complex. During my stay, I have assisted the MSL Flight Software (FSW) team in implementing functional test scripts to ensure that the FSW performs to the best of its abilities. There are a large number of FSW requirements that have been written up for implementation; however I have only been assigned a few sections of these requirements. There are many stages within testing; one of the early stages is FSW Internal Testing (FIT). The FIT team can accomplish this with simulation software and the MSL Test Automation Kit (MTAK). MTAK has the ability to integrate with the Software Simulation Equipment (SSE) and the Mission Processing and Control System (MPCS) software which makes it a powerful tool within the MSL FSW development process. The MSL team must ensure that the rover accomplishes all stages of the mission successfully. Due to the natural complexity of this project there is a strong emphasis on testing, as failure is not an option. The entire mission could be jeopardized if something is overlooked.

Developing the Next Generation of International Safeguards and Nonproliferation Experts: Highlights of Select Activities at the National Laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reed, J; Mathews, C; Kirk, B; Lynch, P; Doyle, J; Meek, E; Pepper, S; Metcalf, R

2010-03-31

With many safeguards experts in the United States at or near retirement age, and with the growing and evolving mission of international safeguards, attracting and educating a new generation of safeguards experts is an important element of maintaining a credible and capable international safeguards system. The United States National Laboratories, with their rich experience in addressing the technical and policy challenges of international safeguards, are an important resource for attracting, educating, and training future safeguards experts. This presentation highlights some of the safeguards education and professional development activities underway at the National Laboratories. These include university outreach, summer courses, internships, mid-career transition, knowledge retention, and other projects. The presentation concludes with thoughts on the challenge of interdisciplinary education and the recruitment of individuals with the right balance of skills and backgrounds are recruited to meet tomorrow's needs.

Evaluation of the risk of internal contamination of persons working in isotope laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamiak-Ziemba, J.; Doniec, J.; Kocznow, W.; Hawrynski, M.

1985-01-01

The investigation covered 484 workers. Altogether 1787 determinations have been made, in this--1648 internal contaminations and 139 contaminations of air, hand skin and working surfaces. The internal contaminations (22% of results) resulted mainly from deviation from radiological protection rules and were reduced through certain changes. Those were tritium contaminations (application of tritium radioluminiscence dyes) and 125--and 131-iodine radioisotopes (in nuclear medicine laboratories) the highest levels of which were 20 mSv and 0.25% ALI respectively. The results of /sup 238/Pu air contamination measurements have indicates that the dust arising during the production of smoke detectors (with /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ sources) probably has no respirable fraction properties, which confines its absorption in lower segments of the respiratory tract. It has been demonstrated that in Poland there is no need of constructing a permanent central system of internal contamination control.

International Perspectives on Academic and Professional Preparation of School and Educational Psychologists: Introduction to a Special Issue of the "International Journal of School & Educational Psychology"

Science.gov (United States)

Oakland, Thomas; Hatzichristou, Chryse

2014-01-01

This special issue of the "International Journal of School & Educational Psychology" is devoted to promoting an understanding of some current features of school psychology programs and to suggest ways to further strengthen preparation. Information summarized in these 12 articles is intended to assist us in determining the relevance…

Experiences in Accreditation of Laboratories in the Field of Radiation Science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franic, Z.; Galjanic, S.; Krizanec, D.

2011-01-01

Efficient interaction of technical legislation, metrology, standardization and accreditation within the system of quality infrastructure is precondition for assurance of safety of goods and services as well as protection of humans and environment. In the paper importance of quality infrastructure on national and international levels is presented while special interest is paid to accreditation. Current situation regarding the accreditation of laboratories in the field of radiation science is presented. Regarding this field, in Croatia three laboratories are accredited by Croatian Accreditation Agency: 1. Laboratory for Radioecology, Rudjer Boskovic Institute (Scope: Measurement of radionuclide content in environmental samples and commodities - Including foodstuffs and drinking water) 2. EKOTEH Dozimetrija Ltd., Department for Radiation Protection (Scope: Testing in the scope of ionizing and nonionizing radiation) 3. Radiation Protection Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health (Scope: Determination of radioactivity). (author)

Ten years' experience in determining internal contamination among plutonium laboratory workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deworm, J.; Fieuw, G.

1976-01-01

Glove boxes in plutonium laboratories are fitted with ''sniffers'' (air samplers), which evaluate atmospheric contamination. The results of the measurements over a ten-year period of operation are available, and cases of detection in this way of air contamination exceeding the maximum permissible concentrations are exceptional. During contamination aerodynamic particle diameters of 1 - 4 μm were measured. The concentration and characteristics of the aerosol have made it possible to ascertain the inhalable fraction and to estimate the pulmonary and systemic burden in workers. The workers exposed in the laboratories undergo a urine test each month. The results obtained show that there is little risk of internal contamination without the person concerned being aware of an abnormal situation. In the majority of cases it is possible to take proper precautions and to collect the data necessary for evaluating the body burden. Three cases of specific contamination are examined in detail: contamination by plutonium and americium from a non-identified source, detected by routine urine analysis; contamination by inhalation of plutonium; an injury to the left forefinger, accompanied by plutonium contamination. (author)

Mobile spectrometric laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isajenko, K.A.; Lipinski, P.

2002-01-01

The article presents the Mobile Spectrometric Laboratory used by Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection since year 2000. The equipment installed in the Mobile Laboratory and its uses is described. The results of international exercises and intercalibrations, in which the Laboratory participated are presented. (author)

Report on Computing and Networking in the Space Science Laboratory by the SSL Computer Committee

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, D. L. (Editor)

1993-01-01

The Space Science Laboratory (SSL) at Marshall Space Flight Center is a multiprogram facility. Scientific research is conducted in four discipline areas: earth science and applications, solar-terrestrial physics, astrophysics, and microgravity science and applications. Representatives from each of these discipline areas participate in a Laboratory computer requirements committee, which developed this document. The purpose is to establish and discuss Laboratory objectives for computing and networking in support of science. The purpose is also to lay the foundation for a collective, multiprogram approach to providing these services. Special recognition is given to the importance of the national and international efforts of our research communities toward the development of interoperable, network-based computer applications.

Termination of the Special Metallurgical (SM) Building at Mound Laboratory: a final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, W.R.; Kokenge, B.R.; Marsh, G.C.

1976-01-01

The report describes and highlights the more important factors associated with the termination of the Special Metallurgical (SM) Building at Mound Laboratory. As a result, a written record of the more important techniques and procedures is now available for reference by others involved in similar termination efforts. Included in this report is a description of the organizational units that were used in this effort along with a description of their responsibilities. A general description of the SM Building and a discussion of the more relevant procedures and equipment that were used are also presented. In addition, pertinent Health Physics information, such as personnel exposure, final wipe levels in the terminated facility, and assays of the structure, are provided. Based on the experience gained from this project, recommendations were made regarding the design of future radioactive material handling facilities so that when they are ultimately terminated the effort can be accomplished more efficiently

Argonne National Laboratory contributions to the International Symposium on Fusion Nuclear Technology (ISFNT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-10-01

A total of sixteen papers with authors from Argonne National Laboratory were presented at the First International Symposium on Fusion Nuclear Technology (ISFNT), held in Tokyo, Japan, in April 1988. The papers cover the results of recent investigations in blanket design and analysis, fusion neutronics, materials experiments in liquid metal corrosion and solid breeders, tritium recovery analysis, experiments and analysis for liquid metal MHD, reactor safety and economic analysis, and transient electromagnetic analysis.

Argonne National Laboratory contributions to the International Symposium on Fusion Nuclear Technology (ISFNT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-10-01

A total of sixteen papers with authors from Argonne National Laboratory were presented at the First International Symposium on Fusion Nuclear Technology (ISFNT), held in Tokyo, Japan, in April 1988. The papers cover the results of recent investigations in blanket design and analysis, fusion neutronics, materials experiments in liquid metal corrosion and solid breeders, tritium recovery analysis, experiments and analysis for liquid metal MHD, reactor safety and economic analysis, and transient electromagnetic analysis

The Pathology Laboratory Act 2007 explained.

Science.gov (United States)

Looi, Lai-Meng

2008-06-01

The past century has seen tremendous changes in the scope and practice of pathology laboratories in tandem with the development of the medical services in Malaysia. Major progress was made in the areas of training and specialization of pathologists and laboratory technical staff. Today the pathology laboratory services have entered the International arena, and are propelled along the wave of globalization. Many new challenges have emerged as have new players in the field. Landmark developments over the past decade include the establishment of national quality assurance programmes, the mushrooming of private pathology laboratories, the establishment of a National Accreditation Standard for medical testing laboratories based on ISO 15189, and the passing of the Pathology Laboratory Act in Parliament in mid-2007. The Pathology Laboratory Act 2007 seeks to ensure that the pathology laboratory is accountable to the public, meets required standards of practice, participates in Quality Assurance programmes, is run by qualified staff, complies with safety requirements and is subject to continuous audit. The Act is applicable to all private laboratories (stand alone or hospital) and laboratories in statutory bodies (Universities, foundations). It is not applicable to public laboratories (established and operated by the government) and side-room laboratories established in clinics of registered medical or dental practitioners for their own patients (tests as in the First and Second Schedules respectively). Tests of the Third Schedule (home test blood glucose, urine glucose, urine pregnancy test) are also exempted. The Act has 13 Parts and provides for control of the pathology laboratory through approval (to establish and maintain) and licensing (to operate or provide). The approval or license may only be issued to a sole proprietor, partnership or body corporate, and then only if the entity includes a registered medical practitioner. Details of personnel qualifications and

The Role of Leadership in Changing the Culture of an International School to Be Inclusive of Students with Special Learning Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Simon

2017-01-01

Educating a diverse student population is a core principle of international school education. Historically, many international schools have had admissions policies that excluded students with special learning needs. However, admission policies have changed to require more inclusiveness and school support for a wider range of students and for…

Special isotope separation project, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-02-01

Construction and operation of a Special Isotope Separation (SIS) project using the Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) process technology at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) near Idaho Falls, Idaho are proposed. The SIS project would process fuel-grade plutonium administered by the Department of Energy (DOE) into weapon-grade plutonium using AVLIS and supporting chemical processes. The SIS project would require construction and operation of a Laser Support Facility to house the laser system and a Plutonium Processing Facility. The SIS project would be integrated with existing support and waste management facilities at the selected site. The SIS project would provide DOE with the capability of segregating the isotopes of DOE-owned plutonium into specific isotopic concentrations. This capability would provide redundancy in production capacity, technological diversity, and flexibility in DOE's production of nuclear materials for national defense. Use of the INEL site would impact 151,350 square meters (37.4 acres) of land, of which more than 70% has been previously disturbed. During construction, plant and animal habitat associated with a sagebrush vegetation community would be lost. During operation of the SIS facilities, unavoidable radiation exposures would include occupational exposures and exposures to the public from normal atmospheric releases of radioactive materials that would be minimal compared to natural background radiation

The design of hot laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

The need for specialized laboratories to handle radioactive substances of high activity has increased greatly due to the expansion of the nuclear power industry and the widespread use of radioisotopes in scientific research and technology. Such laboratories, which are called hot laboratories, are specially designed and equipped to handle radioactive materials of high activity, including plutonium and transplutonium elements. The handling of plutonium and transplutonium elements presents special radiation-protection and safety problems because of their high specific activity and high radiotoxicity. Therefore, the planning, design, construction and operation of hot laboratories must meet the stringent safety, containment, ventilation, shielding, criticality control and fire-protection requirements. The IAEA has published two manuals in its Safety Series, one on the safety aspects of design and equipment of hot laboratories (SS No.30) and the other on the safe handling of plutonium (SS No.39). The purpose of the symposium in Otaniemi was to collect information on recent developments in the safety features of hot laboratories and to review the present state of knowledge. A number of new developments have taken place as the result of growing sophistication in the philosophy of radiation protection as given in the ICRP recommendations (Report No.22) and in the Agency's basic safety standards (No.9). The topics discussed were safety features of planning and design, air cleaning, transfer and transport systems, criticality control, fire protection, radiological protection, waste management, administrative arrangements and operating experience

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Affirmative Action Program. Revised

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-06-01

The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory`s Affirmative Action Program (AAP) serves as a working document that describes current policies, practices, and results in the area of affirmative action. It represents the Laboratory`s framework for an affirmative approach to increasing the representation of people of color and women in segments of our work force where they have been underrepresented and taking action to increase the employment of persons with disabilities and special disabled and Vietnam era veterans. The AAP describes the hierarchy of responsibility for Laboratory affirmative action, the mechanisms that exist for full Laboratory participation in the AAP, the policies and procedures governing recruitment at all levels, the Laboratory`s plan for monitoring, reporting, and evaluating affirmative action progress, and a description of special affirmative action programs and plans the Laboratory has used and will use in its efforts to increase the representation and retention of groups historically underrepresented in our work force.

14th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems : Special Sessions

CERN Document Server

Escalona, María; Corchuelo, Rafael; Mathieu, Philippe; Vale, Zita; Campbell, Andrew; Rossi, Silvia; Adam, Emmanuel; Jiménez-López, María; Navarro, Elena; Moreno, María

2016-01-01

PAAMS, the International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems is an evolution of the International Workshop on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS is an international yearly tribune to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. This volume presents the papers that have been accepted for the 2016 in the special sessions: Agents Behaviours and Artificial Markets (ABAM); Advances on Demand Response and Renewable Energy Sources in Agent Based Smart Grids (ADRESS); Agents and Mobile Devices (AM); Agent Methodologies for Intelligent Robotics Applications (AMIRA); Learning, Agents and Formal Languages (LAFLang); Multi-Agent Systems and Ambient Intelligence (MASMAI); Web Mining and ...

EPA Environmental Chemistry Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

1993-01-01

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chemistry Laboratory (ECL) is a national program laboratory specializing in residue chemistry analysis under the jurisdiction of the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs in Washington, D.C. At Stennis Space Center, the laboratory's work supports many federal anti-pollution laws. The laboratory analyzes environmental and human samples to determine the presence and amount of agricultural chemicals and related substances. Pictured, ECL chemists analyze environmental and human samples for the presence of pesticides and other pollutants.

Motives of former interns in general practice for speciality-choice--results of a cross-sectional study among graduates 2007 to 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Abendroth, Jens; Schnell, Ute; Lichte, Thomas; Oemler, Matthias; Klement, Andreas

2014-01-01

The influence of a final-year elective internship in general practice (IGP) on motives affecting graduates' choice of specialty is the object of great public interest, yet still insufficiently evaluated. Longitudinal studies show the influence of numerous motives (e.g., work-life balance), but not following the IGP experience itself. Thus, we performed a cross-sectional questionnaire study of all graduates who completed the IGP in Saxony-Anhalt during 2007-2012 regarding their motives for choosing a speciality. A standardized questionnaire was sent to 109 former interns in general practice. The questionnaire contained 29 items addressing three topics (personal attitudes, concept of personal and professional life, motives for speciality choice) and used single-choice and multiple-choice answers, as well as Likert scales. Correlation analysis was carried out by means of Kendall's tau. The questionnaire reached 97 former interns, of which 45 (46%) responded. In the overall ranking of motives for speciality choice, family (71%), leisure time (66%) and job opportunities (48%) rated as more important than income (36%), mentoring (20%), status or scientific work (20%). Only 29% of the respondents stated that their speciality choice was changed by the IGP. If the speciality choice was already established before the IGP, the influence of the IGP on speciality choice was significantly low (r = -.5; p life and career were also important factors affecting speciality choice. The aspects of the positive influence exerted by medical teachers on those students who are still undecided during the IGP should be carefully evaluated.

Analytical progresses of the International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency Olympic laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgakopoulos, Costas; Saugy, Martial; Giraud, Sylvain; Robinson, Neil; Alsayrafi, Mohammed

2012-07-01

The Summer Olympic Games constitute the biggest concentration of human sports and activities in a particular place and time since 776 BCE, when the written history of the Olympic Games in Olympia began. Summer and Winter Olympic anti-doping laboratories, accredited by the International Olympic Committee in the past and the World Anti-Doping Agency in the present times, acquire worldwide interest to apply all new analytical advancements in the fight against doping in sports, hoping that this major human event will not become dirty by association with this negative phenomenon. This article summarizes the new analytical progresses, technologies and knowledge used by the Olympic laboratories, which for the vast majority of them are, eventually, incorporated into routine anti-doping analysis.

Laboratory training manual on the use of isotopes and radiation in soil-plant relations research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1964-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in co-operation with local authorities in various countries have jointly sponsored international laboratory training courses on the use of isotopes and radiation in specialized fields of agriculture. Outstanding scientists from various countries have given lectures and devised and conducted the laboratory exercises; research workers from all over the world have attended these courses. In addition, under the United Nations Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance the IAEA in co-operation with host governments has conducted similar regional courses. This laboratory manual is a natural outgrowth of these activities. The contents represents the efforts not only of the IAEA and FAO Secretariats but also of the various instructors who have participated in the courses, a Special Consultant, Victor Middelboe, and a panel of scientists who met in Vienna from 3 to 7 September 1962 and revised the initial version assembled by Hans Broeshart and Chai Moo Cho of the IAEA Secretariat. The present manual consists of two parts: a basic part which contains general information and laboratory exercises on the properties of radiation and the principles of use of radioactive tracers, and a second part which contains a series of detailed laboratory exercises in the field of soil-plant relationships. It is intended to publish at least four additional parts on the subjects of the use of isotopes and radiation in animal science, agricultural biochemistry, entomology and plant pathology. This manual, dealing with an important aspect of the peaceful application and use of atomic energy, should prove helpful not only to those working with the IAEA and FAO training programmes but to other research scientists dealing with the development and use of new information in agricultural science all over the world

Special issue of International journal of human resource management: Conceptual and empirical discoveries in successful HRM implementation

OpenAIRE

Mireia Valverde; Tanya Bondarouk; Jordi Trullen

2016-01-01

Special issue of International journal of human resource management: Conceptual and empirical discoveries in successful HRM implementation DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2016.1154378 URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09585192.2016.1154378 Filiació URV: SI Inclòs a la memòria: SI Paraules clau en blanc [No abstract available

International intercomparison of environmental dosimeters under field and laboratory conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gesell, T.F.; de Planque Burke, G.; Becker, K.

1975-04-01

Based on the results of a pilot study at ORNL in 1973, a more comprehensive international intercomparison of integrating dosimeters for the assessment of external penetrating environmental radiation fields was carried out. Forty-one laboratories from eleven countries participated in this study. A total of 56 sets of six detectors each were mailed to and from Houston, Texas, where they were exposed for three months (July to September 1974) as follows: two in an unprotected space out-of-doors 1 m above ground; two in an air-conditioned shielded area with a known, low exposure rate; and two with the second group, but with an additional exposure to 30 mR. Evaluation of the dosimeters provides information on the calibration precision, the accuracy of field measurement, and transit exposure. Results are discussed. (U.S.)

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-03-07

Mar 7, 2018 ... characterized by historically developed specialization, a special geographical location ... We are listed under Research Associations category. ... product, service or technology providing economic and/or public benefit, additional in ...... the region's competitiveness // International Business Management.

40 Anniversary of Institute of International Studies: From a Problem Laboratory to The Institute of International Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Leonidovich Chechevishnikov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Applied foreign policy analysis is the hallmark of MGIMO-University. 2016 marks 40 anniversary of introduction of this element to the identity of our university in a form of Problem Research Laboratory. MGIMO development as a leading think tank took place in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in close cooperation with other key institutions that shape foreign policy and are responsible for ensuring the national interests of Russia in the world. Today MGIMO's priority is the development of political policy expertise and analytical development-oriented scientific and practical support of the activities of state bodies. Such studies are the main but not the only focus of the Institute of International Studies.

EDITORIAL: Special issue containing contributions from the Fourth International Brain-Computer Interface Meeting Special issue containing contributions from the Fourth International Brain-Computer Interface Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

Vaughan, Theresa M.; Wolpaw, Jonathan R.

2011-04-01

BCI and the user to achieve the reliability lacking in current BCIs. Marked improvement in reliability is essential if BCIs are to move from the laboratory into widespread practical use for significant purposes in real life. The third issue is the development of BCI applications that serve the most important unmet needs of specific populations of potential users. BCI applications are needed that can extend the current spectrum of assistive technology or augment rehabilitation to move beyond what is possible using conventional methods. The fourth issue is the critical requirement for well-designed studies that validate the ability of BCIs to serve the needs and improve the lives of people with severe disabilities. Without such translational studies, BCIs will never realize the promise projected from laboratory results. Finally, the future of BCI technology depends on the realization of clinically and economically viable models for implementing and supporting its widespread dissemination. Effective attention to these five issues requires cooperation among researchers from many diverse disciplines: neuroscientists, engineers, psychologists, applied mathematicians, computer scientists, clinicians and rehabilitation specialists. The translational research essential for the validation of BCI technology is particularly dependent on such multidisciplinary collaborations. The need for multidisciplinary interactions has been the primary impetus for the four international BCI meetings to date. In the service of this continuing need, a discussion session at the meeting resulted in the formation of a multidisciplinary steering committee to organize future meetings at three-year intervals. Chaired by Jane E Huggins of the University of Michigan, this committee is planning the next meeting for 2013. The 28 primary research articles and workshop-based reviews that comprise this special issue reflect the substance and range of the meeting, and illustrate the current state of the field

Fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwantes, J.M.; Reilly, D.; Marsden, O.

2018-01-01

The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group is a community of nuclear forensic practitioners who respond to incidents involving nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control. The Group is dedicated to advancing nuclear forensic science in part through periodic participation in materials exercises. The Group completed its fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise in 2015 in which laboratories from 15 countries and one multinational organization analyzed three samples of special nuclear material in support of a mock nuclear forensic investigation. This special section of the Journal for Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry is devoted to summarizing highlights from this exercise. (author)

VKTA Rossendorf: Laboratory for Environmental and Radionuclide Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, M.; Knappik, R.; Fiola, K.

2015-01-01

The VKTA (Nuclear Engineering and Analytics Inc.) is charged by the Free State of Saxony with the decommissioning and waste management of the nuclear installations at the research site Dresden-Rossendorf. This task includes the safe management and disposal of fissile material and radioactive wastes. The acquired expertise and our solution-oriented way of working are the basis for a varied range of services especially the environmental and radionuclide analyzes. The Laboratory for Environmental and Radionuclide Analysis is accredited according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 and provides a sound range of analytical and metrological services including their coordination and management. The personnel and the rooms, measuring and technical equipment are particularly designed for our special field, the measuring of radioactivity. We are focussed on measuring artificial and natural radionuclides in a wide range of activity and in different sample matrices (e.g., urine, faeces, metals, soil, concrete, food, liquids). With the flexible accreditation of the radionuclide analytics the Laboratory is able to react shortly to changing requirements in decommissioning, environmental monitoring and radiation protection. Essential chemical and radiochemical methods are e.g.: · Alpha particle spectrometry, · Liquid scintillation counting, · gamma ray spectrometry, including Ultra-Low-Level, · High-resolution ICP-MS, · Chromatographic methods such as ion chromatography, gas chromatography, HPLC, · Electrochemical measuring methods such as potentiometry, voltammetry. The Laboratory offers analytical services to the research site Dresden-Rossendorf and national and international customers adapting its analytical procedures to the special needs of customers. The presentation demonstrates on the basis of examples the work of Laboratory within the scope of decommissioning of nuclear facilities, especially at a research site, from radiological preliminary investigation to declaration of

[ISO 15189 accreditation in clinical microbiology laboratory: general concepts and the status in our laboratory].

Science.gov (United States)

Akyar, Işin

2009-10-01

One important trend in the laboratory profession and quality management is the global convergence of laboratory operations. The goal of an accredited medical laboratory is to continue "offering useful laboratory service for diagnosis and treatment of the patients and also aid to the health of the nation". An accredited clinical laboratory is managed by a quality control system, it is competent technically and the laboratory service meets the needs of all its patients and physicians by taking the responsibility of all the medical tests and therapies. For this purpose, ISO 15189 international standard has been prepared by 2003. ISO 15189 standard is originated from the arrangement of ISO 17025 and ISO 9001:2000 standards. Many countries such as England, Germany, France, Canada and Australia have preferred ISO 15189 as their own laboratory accreditation programme, meeting all the requirements of their medical laboratories. The accreditation performance of a clinical microbiology laboratory is mainly based on five essential points; preanalytical, analytical, postanalytical, quality control programmes (internal, external, interlaboratory) and audits (internal, external). In this review article, general concepts on ISO 15189 accreditation standards for the clinical microbiology laboratories have been summarized and the status of a private laboratory (Acibadem LabMed, Istanbul) in Turkey has been discussed.

Concrete laying laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bastlova, K.

1986-01-01

The task of the concrete laying laboratory established within a special department for quality control and assurance at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, is to check the composition of concrete mixes produced by the central concrete production plant on the site, and the shipment, laying and processing of concrete. The composition is given of special barite and serpentinite concretes designed for biological shields. The system of checks and of filing the results is briefly described. Esperience is summed up from the operation of the concrete laying laboratory, and conclusions are formulated which should be observed on similar large construction sites. They include the precise definition of the designer's requirements for the quality of concrete, the surface finish of concrete surfaces, the method of concreting specific structures around bushings, increased density reinforcements and various technological elements, and requirements for shipment to poorly accessible or remote places. As for the equipment of the laboratory, it should be completed with an instrument for the analysis of fresh concrete mixes, a large capacity drying kiln, etc. (Z.M.)

Implementation of the international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF) in the Portuguese educational system: Attitudes and training needs of special education teachers’.

OpenAIRE

Saragoça, M.; Candeias, A. A.; Rosário, A.

2013-01-01

Since 2008, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health - ICF (WHO, 2001) is the framework of reference in the assessment and intervention process with students with SEN, in the Portuguese educational system. As a consequence special education teachers’ training needs emerged from it. In this study, we characterize the received training and the special education teachers’ attitudes and training needs towards ICF. The sample consisted of 913 Portuguese special educat...

Internal transfers of special nuclear material - March 1975

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1976-01-01

Paragraph 70.51(e) of 10 CFR Part 70 requires, with certain exceptions stated in the rule, that each licensee authorized to possess more than one effective kilogram of special nuclear material (SNM) maintain certain procedures. These procedures are to include: (1) records of the quantities of SNM added to or removed from the process; (2) documentation of all transfers of SNM between material-balance areas to show the identity and quantity of SNM transferred; (3) requirements for authorized signatures on each document used to record the transfer of SNM between material-balance areas; and (4) means for control of and accounting for internal transfer documents. Paragraph 70.58(e) requires licensees to establish, maintain, and follow a system for measuring the SNM transferred between material-balance areas and item-control areas. Paragraph 70.58(f) requires that licensees have a program that evaluates and controls the quality of their measurement system. Additionally, all licensees authorized to possess SNM must comply with paragraph 70.51(b) of 10 CFR Part 70. That rule requires licensees to keep records showing, among other things, the inventory of all SNM in their possession and its location. This guide sets forth acceptable methods for controlling and documenting transfers of SNM within a plant site in order to meet the requirements listed above

The design of a new radiochemical laboratory complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, A.G.

1984-01-01

A brief account is given of the history and scope of Amersham International plc in the manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals and other labelled organic compounds, and radioactive sources. Extra facilities were needed and a new site was found, and contracts placed for new radiochemical laboratories. The two new laboratories, which are described in some detail, are intended as follows: (a) a Medical Products building for the production of a range of diagnostic kits for use in the treatment of thyroid and other disorders, the main isotope used being iodine-125; and (b) the Chemical Products building, for the development and manufacture of a wide range of organic compounds, which are labelled with either tritium or carbon-14. Particular emphasis is given to the description of the air conditioning and ventilation systems, the open work benches, and the special ventilated enclosures, and the drainage system. Planning for maximum flexibility is also stressed. (U.K.)

FOREWORD: 4th International Colloquium on Atomic Spectra and Oscillator Strengths for Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Leckrone, David S.; Sugar, Jack

1993-01-01

In 1983 the Atomic Spectroscopy Group at the University of Lund organized a conference at Lund the purpose of which was to establish a dialogue between scientists whose research made use of basic atomic data, and scientists whose research produced such data. The data in question include complete descriptions of atomic and ionic spectra, accurate transition wavelengths and relative intensities, energy levels, lifetimes, oscillator strengths, line shapes, and nuclear effects (hyperfine structure and isotope shifts). The "consumers" in urgent need of new or improved atomic data included astrophysicsts, laboratory plasma physicists, and spectrochemists. The synergism between these specialists and the theoretical and experimental atomic physicists resulted in a highly successful meeting, attended by approximately 70 people. The rapid advances foreseen at that time in all of these areas of observational, experimental and theoretical science stimulated planning for a second conference on this subject in 1986 at the University of Toledo, and subsequently a third meeting was held at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam in 1989. Again attendance at the latter two meetings totaled approximately 70 researchers. The participants in Amsterdam agreed to re-convene at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in 1992, maintaining the frequency of these conferences at one every three years. The present Topical Issue of Physica Scripta consists of 31 invited reviews given at the Gaithersburg meeting. Extended abstracts of 63 poster papers from the meeting are being published in NIST Special Publication SP850. Approximately 170 scientists attended the Gaithersburg conference, representing a substantial growth in the size of meetings in this series. One session of the conference was devoted to an informal workshop, at which any participant could give a brief oral statement about his or her most immediate data need

Validation criteria of an internal dosimetry laboratory in vivo; Criterios para la validacion de un laboratorio de dosimetria interna in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alfaro L, M. de las M., E-mail: mercedes.alfaro@inin.gob.mx [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2014-10-15

People working with radioactive materials, under certain circumstances (e.g. not using the proper protective equipment, an incident not covered, etc.) could be incorporated into the body. The radiation protection programs include direct measurement methods -in vivo- or indirect -in vitro- or both, to know that radioactive material is incorporated into the body. The monitoring measurements of internal contamination or (Radio-bioassay) are carried out with the purpose of determining the amount of radioactive material incorporated in the body; estimate the effective dose and committed dose; management administration of radiation protection; appropriate medical management; and to provide the data necessary for the legal requirements and the preservation of records. The measurement methods used in the monitoring of internal contamination must be validated by the combination of the following processes: calibration, using standards reference materials and/or simulators; execute systematic research, using control samples; and intercomparison between laboratories and performance tests. In this paper the validation criteria of an internal dosimetry laboratory in vivo are presented following the information provided by the standard ANSI N13-30-1996 and ISO/TEC 17025-2005 as are the criteria of facilities, staff training, interpretation of measurements, performance criteria for monitoring of internal contamination in vivo, results reporting and records retention. Thereby we achieve standardized quantitative performance criteria of truthfulness, accuracy and detection limit and a consensus on statistical definitions to establish the validation plan of a monitoring laboratory of internal contamination in vivo. (Author)

[ISO 15189 medical laboratory accreditation].

Science.gov (United States)

Aoyagi, Tsutomu

2004-10-01

This International Standard, based upon ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001, provides requirements for competence and quality that are particular to medical laboratories. While this International Standard is intended for use throughout the currently recognized disciplines of medical laboratory services, those working in other services and disciplines will also find it useful and appropriate. In addition, bodies engaged in the recognition of the competence of medical laboratories will be able to use this International Standard as the basis for their activities. The Japan Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (AB) and the Japanese Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (CCLS) are jointly developing the program of accreditation of medical laboratories. ISO 15189 requirements consist of two parts, one is management requirements and the other is technical requirements. The former includes the requirements of all parts of ISO 9001, moreover it includes the requirement of conformity assessment body, for example, impartiality and independence from any other party. The latter includes the requirements of laboratory competence (e.g. personnel, facility, instrument, and examination methods), moreover it requires that laboratories shall participate proficiency testing(s) and laboratories' examination results shall have traceability of measurements and implement uncertainty of measurement. Implementation of ISO 15189 will result in a significant improvement in medical laboratories management system and their technical competence. The accreditation of medical laboratory will improve medical laboratory service and be useful for patients.

Measurement of Henry's Law Constants Using Internal Standards: A Quantitative GC Experiment for the Instrumental Analysis or Environmental Chemistry Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Chang; Boisvert, Susanne M.; Arida, Ann-Marie C.; Day, Shannon E.

2008-01-01

An internal standard method applicable to undergraduate instrumental analysis or environmental chemistry laboratory has been designed and tested to determine the Henry's law constants for a series of alkyl nitriles. In this method, a mixture of the analytes and an internal standard is prepared and used to make a standard solution (organic solvent)…

Motives of former interns in general practice for speciality-choice − Results of a cross-sectional study among graduates 2007 to 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Abendroth, Jens; Schnell, Ute; Lichte, Thomas; Oemler, Matthias; Klement, Andreas

2014-01-01

Background: The influence of a final-year elective internship in general practice (IGP) on motives affecting graduates’ choice of specialty is the object of great public interest, yet still insufficiently evaluated. Longitudinal studies show the influence of numerous motives (e.g. work-life balance), but not following the IGP experience itself. Thus, we performed a cross-sectional questionnaire study of all graduates who completed the IGP in Saxony-Anhalt during 2007-2012 regarding their motives for choosing a speciality. Method: A standardized questionnaire was sent to 109 former interns in general practice. The questionnaire contained 29 items addressing three topics (personal attitudes, concept of personal and professional life, motives for speciality choice) and used single-choice and multiple-choice answers, as well as Likert scales. Correlation analysis was carried out by means of Kendall's tau. Results: The questionnaire reached 97 former interns, of which 45 (46%) responded. In the overall ranking of motives for speciality choice, family (71%), leisure time (66%) and job opportunities (48%) rated as more important than income (36%), mentoring (20%), status or scientific work (20%). Only 29% of the respondents stated that their speciality choice was changed by the IGP. If the speciality choice was already established before the IGP, the influence of the IGP on speciality choice was significantly low (r=-.5; pteacher during the IGP. Conclusion: The final-year IGP is an opportunity to change the perception of general practice in students who are still undecided. This can lead to different speciality choices in a subgroup. Personal attitudes and concepts of personal life and career were also important factors affecting speciality choice. The aspects of the positive influence exerted by medical teachers on those students who are still undecided during the IGP should be carefully evaluated. PMID:24575153

Seeking excellence: An evaluation of 235 international laboratories conducting water isotope analyses by isotope-ratio and laser-absorption spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wassenaar, L I; Terzer-Wassmuth, S; Douence, C; Araguas-Araguas, L; Aggarwal, P K; Coplen, T B

2018-03-15

Water stable isotope ratios (δ 2 H and δ 18 O values) are widely used tracers in environmental studies; hence, accurate and precise assays are required for providing sound scientific information. We tested the analytical performance of 235 international laboratories conducting water isotope analyses using dual-inlet and continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometers and laser spectrometers through a water isotope inter-comparison test. Eight test water samples were distributed by the IAEA to international stable isotope laboratories. These consisted of a core set of five samples spanning the common δ-range of natural waters, and three optional samples (highly depleted, enriched, and saline). The fifth core sample contained unrevealed trace methanol to assess analyst vigilance to the impact of organic contamination on water isotopic measurements made by all instrument technologies. For the core and optional samples ~73 % of laboratories gave acceptable results within 0.2 ‰ and 1.5 ‰ of the reference values for δ 18 O and δ 2 H, respectively; ~27 % produced unacceptable results. Top performance for δ 18 O values was dominated by dual-inlet IRMS laboratories; top performance for δ 2 H values was led by laser spectrometer laboratories. Continuous-flow instruments yielded comparatively intermediate results. Trace methanol contamination of water resulted in extreme outlier δ-values for laser instruments, but also affected reactor-based continuous-flow IRMS systems; however, dual-inlet IRMS δ-values were unaffected. Analysis of the laboratory results and their metadata suggested inaccurate or imprecise performance stemmed mainly from skill- and knowledge-based errors including: calculation mistakes, inappropriate or compromised laboratory calibration standards, poorly performing instrumentation, lack of vigilance to contamination, or inattention to unreasonable isotopic outcomes. To counteract common errors, we recommend that laboratories include 1-2 'known

Seeking excellence: An evaluation of 235 international laboratories conducting water isotope analyses by isotope-ratio and laser-absorption spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Wassenaar, L. I.; Terzer-Wassmuth, S.; Douence, C.; Araguas-Araguas, L.; Aggarwal, P. K.; Coplen, Tyler B.

2018-01-01

RationaleWater stable isotope ratios (δ2H and δ18O values) are widely used tracers in environmental studies; hence, accurate and precise assays are required for providing sound scientific information. We tested the analytical performance of 235 international laboratories conducting water isotope analyses using dual-inlet and continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometers and laser spectrometers through a water isotope inter-comparison test.MethodsEight test water samples were distributed by the IAEA to international stable isotope laboratories. These consisted of a core set of five samples spanning the common δ-range of natural waters, and three optional samples (highly depleted, enriched, and saline). The fifth core sample contained unrevealed trace methanol to assess analyst vigilance to the impact of organic contamination on water isotopic measurements made by all instrument technologies.ResultsFor the core and optional samples ~73 % of laboratories gave acceptable results within 0.2 ‰ and 1.5 ‰ of the reference values for δ18O and δ2H, respectively; ~27 % produced unacceptable results. Top performance for δ18O values was dominated by dual-inlet IRMS laboratories; top performance for δ2H values was led by laser spectrometer laboratories. Continuous-flow instruments yielded comparatively intermediate results. Trace methanol contamination of water resulted in extreme outlier δ-values for laser instruments, but also affected reactor-based continuous-flow IRMS systems; however, dual-inlet IRMS δ-values were unaffected.ConclusionsAnalysis of the laboratory results and their metadata suggested inaccurate or imprecise performance stemmed mainly from skill- and knowledge-based errors including: calculation mistakes, inappropriate or compromised laboratory calibration standards, poorly performing instrumentation, lack of vigilance to contamination, or inattention to unreasonable isotopic outcomes. To counteract common errors, we recommend that

Establishment of the foundation for international collaborating research with US NASA FTCSC to develop space, military and special purpose food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Chul Hun; Byun, Myung Woo; Lee, Ju Wun; Kim, Dong Ho; Kim, Kyung Pho; Kim, Jang Ho; Kwon, Jung Ho

2005-08-01

In the space era of 21st century, the advancement of aerospace field is essential for ensuring the national security and raising the national status. Internationally spacefood and space life support system is considered as an limitedly developed technology area. Establishment of the foundation for collaborating study with NASA FTCSC to develop space, military, and special food. Acquirement of the basis of the technology development for safe, long-term preservation of military and special purpose food to ensure national security as well as health and welfare

[Accreditation of clinical laboratories based on ISO standards].

Science.gov (United States)

Kawai, Tadashi

2004-11-01

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have published two international standards (IS) to be used for accreditation of clinical laboratories; ISO/IEC 17025:1999 and ISO 15189:2003. Any laboratory accreditation body must satisfy the requirements stated in ISO/IEC Guide 58. In order to maintain the quality of the laboratory accreditation bodies worldwide, the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) has established the mutual recognition arrangement (MRA). In Japan, the International Accreditation Japan (IAJapan) and the Japan Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (JAB) are the members of the ILAC/MRA group. In 2003, the Japanese Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (JCCLS) and the JAB have established the Development Committee of Clinical Laboratory Accreditation Program (CLAP), in order to establish the CLAP, probably starting in 2005.

40th Anniversary of Institute of International Studies: From a Problem Laboratory to The Institute of International Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Leonidovich Chechevishnikov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Applied foreign policy analysis is the hallmark of MGIMO-University. 2016 marks 40th anniversary of introduction of this element to the identity of our university in a form of Problem Research Laboratory. MGIMO development as a leading think tank took place in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in close cooperation with other key institutions that shape foreign policy and are responsible for ensuring the national interests of Russia in the world. Today MGIMO's priority is the development of political policy expertise and analytical development-oriented scientific and practical support of the activities of state bodies. Such studies are the main but not the only focus of the Institute of International Studies.

Internal Medicine Resident Engagement with a Laboratory Utilization Dashboard: Mixed Methods Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurtzman, Gregory; Dine, Jessica; Epstein, Andrew; Gitelman, Yevgenly; Leri, Damien; Patel, Miltesh S; Ryskina, Kyra

2017-09-01

The objective of this study was to measure internal medicine resident engagement with an electronic medical record-based dashboard providing feedback on their use of routine laboratory tests relative to service averages. From January 2016 to June 2016, residents were e-mailed a snapshot of their personalized dashboard, a link to the online dashboard, and text summarizing the resident and service utilization averages. We measured resident engagement using e-mail read-receipts and web-based tracking. We also conducted 3 hour-long focus groups with residents. Using grounded theory approach, the transcripts were analyzed for common themes focusing on barriers and facilitators of dashboard use. Among 80 residents, 74% opened the e-mail containing a link to the dashboard and 21% accessed the dashboard itself. We did not observe a statistically significant difference in routine laboratory ordering by dashboard use, although residents who opened the link to the dashboard ordered 0.26 fewer labs per doctor-patient-day than those who did not (95% confidence interval, -0.77 to 0.25; = 0 .31). While they raised several concerns, focus group participants had positive attitudes toward receiving individualized feedback delivered in real time. © 2017 Society of Hospital Medicine.

The Mont Terri rock laboratory: International research in the Opalinus Clay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bossart, P.

2015-01-01

This article reports on a visit made to the rock laboratory in Mont Terri, Switzerland, where research is being done concerning rock materials that can possibly be used for the implementation of repositories for nuclear wastes. Emphasis is placed on the project’s organisation, rock geology and on-going experiments. International organisations also involved in research on nuclear waste repositories are listed. The research facilities in tunnels built in Opalinus Clay at the Mont Terri site are described. The geology of Opalinus Clay and the structures found in the research tunnels are discussed, as is the hydro-geological setting. The research programme and various institutions involved are listed and experiments carried out are noted. The facilities are now also being used for research on topics related to carbon sequestration

[Laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing].

Science.gov (United States)

Kuwa, Katsuhiko

2003-05-01

ISO/TC 212 covering clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems will issue the international standard for medical laboratory quality and competence requirements, ISO 15189. This standard is based on the ISO/IEC 17025, general requirements for competence of testing and calibration laboratories and ISO 9001, quality management systems-requirements. Clinical laboratory services are essential to patient care and therefore should be available to meet the needs of all patients and clinical personnel responsible for human health care. If a laboratory seeks accreditation, it should select an accreditation body that operates according to this international standard and in a manner which takes into account the particular requirements of clinical laboratories. Proficiency testing should be available to evaluate the calibration laboratories and reference measurement laboratories in clinical medicine. Reference measurement procedures should be of precise and the analytical principle of measurement applied should ensure reliability. We should be prepared to establish a quality management system and proficiency testing in clinical laboratories.

Experience of maintaining laboratory educational website's sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimenstein, Izak B

2016-01-01

Laboratory methodology websites are specialized niche websites. The visibility of a niche website transforms it into an authority site on a particular "niche of knowledge." This article presents some ways in which a laboratory methodology website can maintain its sustainability. The optimal composition of the website includes a basic content, a blog, and an ancillary part. This article discusses experimenting with the search engine optimization query results page. Strategic placement of keywords and even phrases, as well as fragmentation of the post's material, can improve the website's visibility to search engines. Hyperlinks open a chain reaction of additional links and draw attention to the previous posts. Publications in printed periodicals are a substantial part of a niche website presence on the Internet. Although this article explores a laboratory website on the basis of our hands-on expertise maintaining "Grossing Technology in Surgical Pathology" (www.grossing-technology.com) website with a high volume of traffic for more than a decade, the recommendations presented here for developing an authority website can be applied to other professional specialized websites. The authority websites visibility and sustainability are preconditions for aggregating them in a specialized educational laboratory portal.

[Accreditation of medical laboratories].

Science.gov (United States)

Horváth, Andrea Rita; Ring, Rózsa; Fehér, Miklós; Mikó, Tivadar

2003-07-27

In Hungary, the National Accreditation Body was established by government in 1995 as an independent, non-profit organization, and has exclusive rights to accredit, amongst others, medical laboratories. The National Accreditation Body has two Specialist Advisory Committees in the health care sector. One is the Health Care Specialist Advisory Committee that accredits certifying bodies, which deal with certification of hospitals. The other Specialist Advisory Committee for Medical Laboratories is directly involved in accrediting medical laboratory services of health care institutions. The Specialist Advisory Committee for Medical Laboratories is a multidisciplinary peer review group of experts from all disciplines of in vitro diagnostics, i.e. laboratory medicine, microbiology, histopathology and blood banking. At present, the only published International Standard applicable to laboratories is ISO/IEC 17025:1999. Work has been in progress on the official approval of the new ISO 15189 standard, specific to medical laboratories. Until the official approval of the International Standard ISO 15189, as accreditation standard, the Hungarian National Accreditation Body has decided to progress with accreditation by formulating explanatory notes to the ISO/IEC 17025:1999 document, using ISO/FDIS 15189:2000, the European EC4 criteria and CPA (UK) Ltd accreditation standards as guidelines. This harmonized guideline provides 'explanations' that facilitate the application of ISO/IEC 17025:1999 to medical laboratories, and can be used as a checklist for the verification of compliance during the onsite assessment of the laboratory. The harmonized guideline adapted the process model of ISO 9001:2000 to rearrange the main clauses of ISO/IEC 17025:1999. This rearrangement does not only make the guideline compliant with ISO 9001:2000 but also improves understanding for those working in medical laboratories, and facilitates the training and education of laboratory staff. With the

2015 Special Sessions of the 13th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

CERN Document Server

Hernández, Josefa; Mathieu, Philippe; Campbell, Andrew; Fernández-Caballero, Antonio; Moreno, María; Julián, Vicente; Alonso-Betanzos, Amparo; Jiménez-López, María; Botti, Vicente; Trends in Practical Applications of Agents, Multi-Agent Systems and Sustainability : the PAAMS Collection

2015-01-01

This volume presents the papers that have been accepted for the 2015 special sessions of the 13th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, held at University of Salamanca, Spain, at 3rd-5th June, 2015: Agents Behaviours and Artificial Markets (ABAM); Agents and Mobile Devices (AM); Multi-Agent Systems and Ambient Intelligence (MASMAI); Web Mining and Recommender systems (WebMiRes); Learning, Agents and Formal Languages (LAFLang); Agent-based Modeling of Sustainable Behavior and Green Economies (AMSBGE); Emotional Software Agents (SSESA) and Intelligent Educational Systems (SSIES). The volume also includes the paper accepted for the Doctoral Consortium in PAAMS 2015. PAAMS, the International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems is an evolution of the International Workshop on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS is an international yearly tribune to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest develo...

International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity: Biennial report 1985-1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-10-01

A review of the scientific activities of the ILMR in 1985-1986 is presented. The scientific programs of the Radiobiology Laboratory, Radiochemistry-Geochemistry Laboratory and Marine Environmental Studies Laboratory are briefly described. In addition lists of the visiting consultants/experts, trainees/fellows, publications/meetings, Committee/Expert group membership, courses and research/technical contracts are given

Proceedings of the eighth international colloquium on ultraviolet and x-ray spectroscopy of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas (IAU colloquium 86)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

This volume represents the Proceedings of the Eighth International Colloquium on Ultraviolet and X-Ray Spectroscopy of Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas. The aim of this series of colloquia has been to bring together workers in the fields of astrophysical spectroscopy, laboratory spectroscopy and atomic physics in order to exchange ideas and results on problems which are common to these different disciplines. In addition to the presented papers there was a poster paper session

Proceedings of the eighth international colloquium on ultraviolet and x-ray spectroscopy of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas (IAU colloquium 86)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1984-01-01

This volume represents the Proceedings of the Eighth International Colloquium on Ultraviolet and X-Ray Spectroscopy of Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas. The aim of this series of colloquia has been to bring together workers in the fields of astrophysical spectroscopy, laboratory spectroscopy and atomic physics in order to exchange ideas and results on problems which are common to these different disciplines. In addition to the presented papers there was a poster paper session. (WRF)

National Laboratory Planning: Developing Sustainable Biocontainment Laboratories in Limited Resource Areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Kenneth B; Adams, Martin; Stamper, Paul D; Dasgupta, Debanjana; Hewson, Roger; Buck, Charles D; Richards, Allen L; Hay, John

2016-01-01

Strategic laboratory planning in limited resource areas is essential for addressing global health security issues. Establishing a national reference laboratory, especially one with BSL-3 or -4 biocontainment facilities, requires a heavy investment of resources, a multisectoral approach, and commitments from multiple stakeholders. We make the case for donor organizations and recipient partners to develop a comprehensive laboratory operations roadmap that addresses factors such as mission and roles, engaging national and political support, securing financial support, defining stakeholder involvement, fostering partnerships, and building trust. Successful development occurred with projects in African countries and in Azerbaijan, where strong leadership and a clear management framework have been key to success. A clearly identified and agreed management framework facilitate identifying the responsibility for developing laboratory capabilities and support services, including biosafety and biosecurity, quality assurance, equipment maintenance, supply chain establishment, staff certification and training, retention of human resources, and sustainable operating revenue. These capabilities and support services pose rate-limiting yet necessary challenges. Laboratory capabilities depend on mission and role, as determined by all stakeholders, and demonstrate the need for relevant metrics to monitor the success of the laboratory, including support for internal and external audits. Our analysis concludes that alternative frameworks for success exist for developing and implementing capabilities at regional and national levels in limited resource areas. Thus, achieving a balance for standardizing practices between local procedures and accepted international standards is a prerequisite for integrating new facilities into a country's existing public health infrastructure and into the overall international scientific community.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) international organisation: which laws apply to this international nuclear operator?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grammatico-Vidal, L.

2009-01-01

ITER is being carried out by way of international collaboration between seven partners (the European atomic energy community -EURATOM-, China, India, Japan, Russia, south korea and the United states) which together represent more than half the world population. From a project organisation point of view, it is supported by both financial and in-kind contributions provided by each of the partner; each member makes its contribution through a special legal entity called a 'domestic agency' to an international organisation which was set up by the Agreement on the Establishment of an International Fusion Energy Organization for the joint Implementation of the ITER project signed in Paris on 21. november 2006 and which entered into force on 24. october 2007 after ratification by each of the partners. The international agreement is to remain in effect for a period of 35 years and may be renewed for a period of 10 years without any change to its content. It is supplemented by an agreement of the same date on the privileges and immunities of the organisation and of its staff. The function of the ITER organisation is to construct, commission, operate and permanently shutdown the ITER facility, to encourage their exploitation by laboratories, other institutions and personnel participating in the fusion energy research and development programmes of its members and to promote public understanding and acceptance of fusion energy. The unique institutional structure for this project will be described briefly in the introduction before analysing the law applicable to this international organisation, a French nuclear operator, unique in France today. (N.C.)

LABORATORY EXAMINATION IN NERVE AGENT INTOXICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiří Bajgar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Diagnosis of nerve agent intoxication is based on anamnestic data, clinical signs and laboratory examination. For acute poisoning, cholinesterase activity in the blood (erythrocyte AChE, plasma/serum BuChE is sensitive, simple and most frequent laboratory examination performed in biochemical laboratories. Specialized examinations to precise treatment (reactivation test or to make retrospective diagnosis (fluoride induced reactivation etc. can be conducted. Other sophisticated methods are available, too.

Introduction to the special issue from the 2014 meeting of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Jared W; Hall, F Scott; Pletnikov, Mikhail; Kent, Stephen

2015-11-01

In 2013, President Obama launched what has been optimistically described as the "decade of the brain". The launch of this effort comes on the back of widespread acknowledgement that more is required to aid those suffering from mental health disorders. Specifically, a greater understanding of the neural circuitry related to behaviors specific to mental health disorders is needed. The field of research that relates the circuitry of the brain to specific aspects of behavior is referred to as behavioral neuroscience. The International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS) was founded in 1992 specifically to meet on an annual basis and present the latest research findings in this field, and to gather together the international research community to discuss issues important for the development and progress of this scientific discipline. This special issue includes reviews of topics of emerging interest and advancing knowledge in behavioral neuroscience, based on symposia presented at the 2014 IBNS meeting. Topics discussed at the annual IBNS meeting ranged from investigations of the neural mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, traumatic brain injury, and risk-taking behavior, to behavioral consequences of obesity and immune dysfunction. Novel treatment areas are covered such as the use of deep brain stimulation, as well as investigation of the behavioral impacts of nicotine withdrawal and how this research will influence the development of nicotine cessation treatments. Hence, this special issue covers a wide-range of topics in behavioral neuroscience offering an insight into the challenges faced by researchers in this decade of the brain. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Editorial: Special Issue on Experimental Vibration Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Serra, Roger

2018-04-01

The vibratory analyses are particularly present today in the various fields of industry, from aeronautics to manufacturing, from machining and maintenance to civil engineering, to mention a few areas, which have made this special issue a true need. The International Journal of Mechanics & Industry compiles a Special Issue on Experimental Vibration Analysis. More than thirty manuscripts were received by the international scientific committee on the 6th congress AVE2016 and only eight papers have been selected after completing a careful and rigorous peer-review process for the Special Issue, which are briefly summarized below.

Special Education Reform Towards Inclusive Education: Blurring or Expanding Boundaries of Special and Regular Education in China

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Meng; Zhu, Xinhua

2016-01-01

China has developed a three-tier special education service delivery system consisting of an array of placement options of special schools, special classes and learning in regular classrooms (LRC) (with the LRC as the major initiative) to serve students with disabilities after 1980s responding to the international trend of inclusive education…

Editorial - Special Issue on the Ninth International Conference on Aeolian Research - ICAR IX (Coastal Dune Processes and Aeolian Transport)

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Graziela Miot

2018-04-01

This special issue combines some of the papers related to coastal dune processes and aeolian sediment transport that were presented at the Ninth International Conference on Aeolian Research - ICAR IX. The conference was held between 4 and 8 of July 2016 in Mildura, Australia, organized by the International Society for Aeolian Research (ISAR) and convened by Adrian Chappell (Cardiff University), Craig Strong (Australian National University), Stephen Cattle (University of Sydney), Patrick Hesp (Flinders University), John Leys (New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage), Lynda Petherick (University of Wellington) and Nick Webb (USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range).

[Internal audit in medical laboratory: what means of control for an effective audit process?].

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Hejl, Carine; Chianéa, Denis; Dedome, Emmanuel; Sanmartin, Nancy; Bugier, Sarah; Linard, Cyril; Foissaud, Vincent; Vest, Philippe

2013-01-01

To prepare the French Accreditation Committee (COFRAC) visit for initial certification of our medical laboratory, our direction evaluated its quality management system (QMS) and all its technical activities. This evaluation was performed owing an internal audit. This audit was outsourced. Auditors had an expertise in audit, a whole knowledge of biological standards and were independent. Several nonconformities were identified at that time, including a lack of control of several steps of the internal audit process. Hence, necessary corrective actions were taken in order to meet the requirements of standards, in particular, the formalization of all stages, from the audit program, to the implementation, review and follow-up of the corrective actions taken, and also the implementation of the resources needed to carry out audits in a pre-established timing. To ensure an optimum control of each step, the main concepts of risk management were applied: process approach, root cause analysis, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA). After a critical analysis of our practices, this methodology allowed us to define our "internal audit" process, then to formalize it and to follow it up, with a whole documentary system.

Clinical laboratory accreditation in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Handoo, Anil; Sood, Swaroop Krishan

2012-06-01

Test results from clinical laboratories must ensure accuracy, as these are crucial in several areas of health care. It is necessary that the laboratory implements quality assurance to achieve this goal. The implementation of quality should be audited by independent bodies,referred to as accreditation bodies. Accreditation is a third-party attestation by an authoritative body, which certifies that the applicant laboratory meets quality requirements of accreditation body and has demonstrated its competence to carry out specific tasks. Although in most of the countries,accreditation is mandatory, in India it is voluntary. The quality requirements are described in standards developed by many accreditation organizations. The internationally acceptable standard for clinical laboratories is ISO15189, which is based on ISO/IEC standard 17025. The accreditation body in India is the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, which has signed Mutual Recognition Agreement with the regional cooperation the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and with the apex cooperation the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.

[Future roles of clinical laboratories and clinical laboratory technologists in university hospitals].

Science.gov (United States)

Yokota, Hiromitsu; Yatomi, Yutaka

2013-08-01

Clinical laboratories in university hospitals should be operated with a good balance of medical practice, education, research, and management. The role of a clinical laboratory is to promptly provide highly reliable laboratory data to satisfy the needs of clinicians involved in medical practice and health maintenance of patients. Improvement and maintenance of the quality of the laboratory staff and environment are essential to achieve this goal. In order to implement these requirements efficiently, an appropriate quality management system should be introduced and established, and evaluated objectively by a third party (e.g. by obtaining ISO 15189 certification). ISO 15189 is an international standard regarding the quality and competence of clinical laboratories, and specifies a review of the efficient operational system and technical requirements such as competence in implementing practical tests and calibration. This means the results of laboratory tests reported by accredited laboratories withstand any international evaluation, which is very important to assure the future importance of the existence and management of clinical laboratories as well as internationalization of medical practice. "Education" and "research" have important implications in addition to "medical practice" and "management", as the roles that clinical laboratories should play in university hospitals. University hospital laboratories should be operated by keeping these four factors in good balance. Why are "education" and "research" required in addition to "medical practice" services? If individual clinical laboratory technologists can provide an appropriate response to this question, the importance of the existence of clinical laboratories would be reinforced, without being compromised.

The Canfranc Underground Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amare, J.; Beltran, B.; Carmona, J.M.; Cebrian, S.; Garcia, E.; Irastorza, I.G.; Gomez, H.; Luzon, G.; Martinez, M.; Morales, J.; Ortiz de Solorzano, A.; Pobes, C.; Puimedon, J.; Rodriguez, A.; Ruz, J.; Sarsa, M.L.; Torres, L.; Villar, J.A.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the forthcoming enlargement of the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) which will allow to host new international Astroparticle Physics experiments and therefore to broaden the European underground research area. The new Canfranc Underground Laboratory will operate in coordination (through the ILIAS Project) with the Gran Sasso (Italy), Modane (France) and Boulby (UK) underground laboratories

Stability of special ionizing chambers for using in programs of quality control in radiotherapy and radiodiagnostic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afonso, Luciana C.; Caldas, Linda V.E.; Costa, Alessandro M. da

2004-01-01

In this work the response stability of two special parallel-plate ionization chambers, developed at the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN, were tested. The chambers are face doubled, with internal collecting electrodes of different materials (graphite and aluminium), in tandem system, and with air volumes of 0.6 cm 3 and 2.5 cm 3 , for radiotherapy and diagnostic radiology levels, respectively. The results showed that the chambers kept constant their metrological characteristics presenting their usefulness for quality control programs in radiotherapy and diagnostic radiology. (author)

The international face of sports science through the window of the Journal of Sports Sciences--with a special reference to kinanthropometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Reilly, Thomas

2008-02-15

The history of the Journal of Sports Sciences is traced from the antecedents of its initiation to the current time. The developments of the sports sciences at large are reflected in the content of the journal. Its links with the international agenda are described, and related to landmark publications. Special attention is given to the relationships with international bodies, the International Society for Advancement of Kinanthropometry and the World Commission of Science and Sports. The expansion of sport and exercise sciences, both nationally and internationally, was reflected in the increased frequency of publication of the journal. Key areas in the kinanthropometric content are identified and placed in context. The review culminates in the highlighting of likely areas for future research.

Experience of maintaining laboratory educational website′s sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izak B Dimenstein

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Laboratory methodology websites are specialized niche websites. The visibility of a niche website transforms it into an authority site on a particular "niche of knowledge." This article presents some ways in which a laboratory methodology website can maintain its sustainability. The optimal composition of the website includes a basic content, a blog, and an ancillary part. This article discusses experimenting with the search engine optimization query results page. Strategic placement of keywords and even phrases, as well as fragmentation of the post′s material, can improve the website′s visibility to search engines. Hyperlinks open a chain reaction of additional links and draw attention to the previous posts. Publications in printed periodicals are a substantial part of a niche website presence on the Internet. Although this article explores a laboratory website on the basis of our hands-on expertise maintaining "Grossing Technology in Surgical Pathology" (www.grossing-technology.com website with a high volume of traffic for more than a decade, the recommendations presented here for developing an authority website can be applied to other professional specialized websites. The authority websites visibility and sustainability are preconditions for aggregating them in a specialized educational laboratory portal.

A new analysis of Mars "Special Regions": findings of the second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2).

Science.gov (United States)

Rummel, John D; Beaty, David W; Jones, Melissa A; Bakermans, Corien; Barlow, Nadine G; Boston, Penelope J; Chevrier, Vincent F; Clark, Benton C; de Vera, Jean-Pierre P; Gough, Raina V; Hallsworth, John E; Head, James W; Hipkin, Victoria J; Kieft, Thomas L; McEwen, Alfred S; Mellon, Michael T; Mikucki, Jill A; Nicholson, Wayne L; Omelon, Christopher R; Peterson, Ronald; Roden, Eric E; Sherwood Lollar, Barbara; Tanaka, Kenneth L; Viola, Donna; Wray, James J

2014-11-01

A committee of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has reviewed and updated the description of Special Regions on Mars as places where terrestrial organisms might replicate (per the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy). This review and update was conducted by an international team (SR-SAG2) drawn from both the biological science and Mars exploration communities, focused on understanding when and where Special Regions could occur. The study applied recently available data about martian environments and about terrestrial organisms, building on a previous analysis of Mars Special Regions (2006) undertaken by a similar team. Since then, a new body of highly relevant information has been generated from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched in 2005) and Phoenix (2007) and data from Mars Express and the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (all 2003). Results have also been gleaned from the Mars Science Laboratory (launched in 2011). In addition to Mars data, there is a considerable body of new data regarding the known environmental limits to life on Earth-including the potential for terrestrial microbial life to survive and replicate under martian environmental conditions. The SR-SAG2 analysis has included an examination of new Mars models relevant to natural environmental variation in water activity and temperature; a review and reconsideration of the current parameters used to define Special Regions; and updated maps and descriptions of the martian environments recommended for treatment as "Uncertain" or "Special" as natural features or those potentially formed by the influence of future landed spacecraft. Significant changes in our knowledge of the capabilities of terrestrial organisms and the existence of possibly habitable martian environments have led to a new appreciation of where Mars Special Regions may be identified and protected. The SR-SAG also considered the impact of Special Regions on potential future human missions to Mars, both as locations of

An international marine-atmospheric 222Rn measurement intercomparison in Bermuda. Part 2: Results for the participating laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colle, R.; Unterweger, M.P.; Hutchinson, J.M.R.

1996-01-01

As part of an international measurement intercomparison of instruments used to measure atmospheric 222 Rn, four participating laboratories made nearly simultaneous measurements of 222 Rn activity concentration in commonly sampled, ambient air over approximately a 2 week period, and three of these four laboratories participated in the measurement comparison of 14 introduced samples with known, but undisclosed (blind) 222 Rn activity concentration. The exercise was conducted in Bermuda in October 1991. The 222 Rn activity concentrations in ambient Bermudian air over the course of the intercomparison ranged from a few hundredths of a Bq · m -3 to about 2 Bq · m -3 , while the standardized sample additions covered a range from approximately 2.5 Bq · m -3 to 35 Bq · m -3 . The overall uncertainty in the latter concentrations was in the general range of 10%, approximating a 3 standard deviation uncertainty interval. The results of the intercomparison indicated that two of the laboratories were within very good agreement with the standard additions, and almost within expected statistical variations. These same two laboratories, however, at lower ambient concentrations, exhibited a systematic difference with an averaged offset of roughly 0.3 Bq · m -3 . The third laboratory participating in the measurement of standardized sample additions was systematically low by about 65% to 70%, with respect to the standard addition which was also confirmed in their ambient air concentration measurements. The fourth laboratory, participating in only the ambient measurement part of the intercomparison, was also systematically low by at least 40% with respect to the first two laboratories

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Special Operations Forces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

is the result of a research projec tproviding international interdisciplinary perspectives on special operations forces, based on three main themes: - Leading and organizing for strategic effect - Professional entrepreneurship and self-perceptions in special operations forces - Political and popular perceptions...

New facilities of the ECN hot cell laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duijves, K.A.; Konings, R.J.M.

1996-04-01

A description is given of two recent expansions of the ECN Hot Cell Laboratory in Petten; a production facility for molybdenum-99 and an actinide laboratory, a special facility to investigate unirradiated alpha- and beta-active samples. (orig.)

Manual on internal dose computation and reporting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawant, Pramilla D.; Sawant, Jyoti V.; Gurg, R.P.; Rudran, Kamala; Gupta, V.K.; Abani, M.C.

1999-05-01

Whole body counting and bioassay measurement are carried out for estimation of radioactivity content in the whole body or in a particular organ/tissue of interest. These measurements are routinely carried out for occupational workers at nuclear power plants, reprocessing plants, radiochemical laboratories, radioisotope laboratories and radioactive waste management facilities to evaluate individual internal dose due to 3 H, 60 Co, 90 Sr, 137 Cs, transuranics and other isotopes of interest. This manual is prepared to provide guidelines for computation of intake, committed equivalent dose and committed effective dose from direct measurement of tissue and/or body content of radioactivity for 60 Co, 131 I, and 137 Cs employing in-vivo monitoring procedures and/or bioassay measurements only. Bioassay measurements are used for determination of 90 Sr in the body since it is a pure beta emitter. This manual can be used as a ready reckoner for assessment of radiation dose due to internal contamination of occupational workers as estimated using above techniques in the middle and back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle operations. The methodology used in computation of dose is based on the principles and biokinetic models given by ICRP. Recording level recommended in the manual is 0.6 mSv for both, routine as well as special monitoring, which is lower than 1 mSv recommended by ICRP (ICRP-75, 1997) for individual routine monitoring and 0.66 mSv for special monitoring. The Annual Limit on Intake is taken equivalent to Annual Effective Dose Limit of 20 mSv as prescribed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), India. (author)

33rd International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Preface to the Proceedings of the 33rd International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors, Beijing, 2016 Shaoyun Huang 1 , Yingjie Xing 1 , Yang Ji 2 , Dapeng Yu 3 , and Hongqi Xu 1 1 Beijing Key Laboratory of Quantum Devices, Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices and Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China 2 SKLSM, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, China 3 State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China From July 31 st to August 5 th , 2016, the 33rd International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors (ICPS 2016) was held in Beijing, China, with a great success. The International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors began in the 1950’s and is a premier biennial meeting for reporting all aspects of semiconductor physics including electronic, structural, optical, magnetic and transport properties. Reflecting the state of the art developments in semiconductor physics, ICPS 2016 served as an international forum for scholars, researchers, and specialists across the globe to discuss future research directions and technological advancements. The main topics of ICPS 2016 included: • Material growth, structural properties and characterization, phonons • Wide-bandgap semiconductors • Narrow-bandgap semiconductors • Carbon: nanotubes and graphene • 2D Materials beyond graphene • Organic semiconductors • Topological states of matter, topological Insulators and Weyl semimetals • Transport in heterostructures • Quantum Hall effects • Spintronics and spin phenomena • Electron devices and applications • Optical properties, optoelectronics, solar cells • Quantum optics, nanophotonics • Quantum information • Other topics in semiconductor physics and devices • Special topic: Majorana fermions in solid state (paper)

The laboratory activities of the IAEA laboratories, Vienna. Annual report - 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-02-01

The report presents in ten sections the work done during 1978 by the laboratory of the International Atomic Energy Agency located in Seibersdorf in the province of Lower Austria. The ten sections are: 1) metrology, 2) dosimetry, 3) chemistry, 4) safeguards analytical laboratory, 5) isotope hydrology, 6) medical applications, 7) agriculture - soils, 8) entomology, 9) plant breeding, 10) electronics and workshop. Lists of publications of the staff of the laboratory are appended

Nutritional status and laboratory parameters among internal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2015-03-19

Mar 19, 2015 ... Relation of demographic characteristics, laboratory parameters, ... high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin and protein, weight and BMI. Among 130 ... density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol, triglyceride,.

Introduction to the special issue: 11. International Conference on Health Effects of Incorporated Radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ansoborlo, Eric; Menager, Marie-Therese; Abergel, Rebecca J.

2014-01-01

The 11. International Conference on Healths of Incorporated Radionuclides (HEIR 2013) took place in Berkeley (US) over four days in October 2013. It was co-organized by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories (LBNL, US) and the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA, France). The HEIR 2013 was well attended and hosted about 90 scientists from 10 different countries. Forty oral presentations were given over the four days and 25 posters were discussed during two poster sessions. About a third of these contributions resulted in publications included in the present special issue, comprising most of the topics addressed at the meeting. Contributions and discussions spanned a variety of fields and were organized along the following four main scientific themes: 1) epidemiology, biological effects and dose assessment 2) bio-dosimetry, molecular biology and biochemistry 3) biokinetics 4) medical countermeasures and decorporation. Among the many important concepts and results treated during the conference, the following points can be highlighted: 1)the first reports on the effects of radiation and radionuclide contamination in Fukushima from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) allow assessing the current situation and health risks, three years after the power plant accident. Such events raise the significance of science-based findings to delineate the health risks for population exposed to radionuclides. 2)While most studies in the past decades have focused on the effects of acute or single exposure to radionuclides, few controlled studies have investigated the health impacts on chronic exposure to radioisotopes. Recent work on chronic cesium or uranium ingestion performed at the French Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety are reported. 3)The need for a good understanding of radionuclide speciation in biokinetic studies was emphasized and

National Survey on Internal Quality Control Practice for Lipid Parameters in Laboratories of China from 2014 to 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Yuanyuan; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Haijian; He, Falin; Zhong, Kun; Yuan, Shuai; Wang, Zhiguo

2017-09-01

To investigate the situation of Internal Quality Control (IQC) practice for total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol from 2014 to 2016 in laboratories in China and provide improvement measurements. A web-based External Quality Assessment (EQA) system was used to collect IQC data of lipid parameters in laboratories which continuously participated in the national EQA programs in China from 2014 to 2016. Pass rate of the coefficients of variation (CVs) of two level quality controls in four lipid parameters were calculated according to six quality specifications for precision to evaluate the current status of precision level of the four lipid parameters and their change over time in China. 533, 512, 504, and 466 laboratories continuously reported the data of level one for total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, and 212, 210, 208 and 198 laboratories reported the level two, respectively. The percentage of laboratories meeting the quality specification varied based on different criteria. Non-significant change can be found in the pass rate of CVs over time. The number of laboratories using a closed system increased over time, but still only accounted for a small proportion. There is no significant difference in the pass rate of CVs between closed and open systems. Triglycerides currently have a fairly good performance in China. While the performance of laboratories on total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol has yet to be improved.

Individual monitoring for internal exposure of workers - regulation and practice in Hungary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerekes, A.; Kocsy, G.; Pellet, S.

2005-01-01

Full text: Decree of Ministry of Health for the enforcement of the Act on Atomic Energy has put special emphasis on the regulation of monitoring for internal exposure in Hungary. The necessarily general prescription of the Decree 'In case of the possibility or suspicion of incorporating open radioactive substances the affected employee shall be subjected to internal contamination monitoring. The obligation of the internal monitoring shall be determined by the Radiation Hygiene Centre of the National Public Health and Medical Officer's Service' called for a guidance to assist the work of the competent authority. The guide was elaborated on the basis of the IAEA Safety Guide No. RS-G-1.2. According to the Safety Guide the decision factor shall first be determined for the potential radionuclides and practice applied. For routine monitoring the required frequency, method and MDA values, moreover for special monitoring the method and MDA values were derived for over 40 radionuclides considering the following two basic assumptions: the activity remaining in or excreted from the body could be determined by the given measurement method, the possible underestimation of intake shall be less than a factor of three within the monitoring interval. The following prescription of the Decree 'The laboratory performing the monitoring of internal exposure shall be accredited' has raised a conflict in practice. To solve the problem the Guide suggests a two-step monitoring process: a screening measurement for the possible internal contamination performed by the Radiation Protection Service of the workplace by any equipment used in daily practice for investigation of patients, radiation protection purposes, etc., if the result of screening indicates an internal contamination the radiation worker shall be monitored by an accredited laboratory. As an ISO Standard in process has several assumptions differing from the IAEA Safety Guide, e.g. the limitation of 'maximum potential

DNA Commission of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prinz, M; Carracedo, A; Mayr, W R

2006-01-01

The ISFG membership consists of scientists and medical professionals specialized in using genetic testing for kinship analysis and the individualization of biological material. This expertise makes the forensic geneticist a resource of advice to international and national organizations dealing...... discussion between scientists and pathologists that had been involved in the International Center in Khao Lak, Thailand, revealed the need for the scientific community to be better prepared to answer the local authorities' questions by formulating generally acceptable scientific standards for the most...... efficient use of DNA-based victim identification methods. These recommendations, as well as the many cited references, are intended to provide guidance on establishing preparedness for the forensic genetics laboratory, on collecting and storing ante-mortem and post-mortem samples suitable for DNA analysis...

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Office of International Nuclear Safeguards: Human Capital Development Activity in FY16

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilligan, Kimberly V.; Gaudet, Rachel N.

2016-01-01

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE NNSA) Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control (NPAC) completed a comprehensive review of the current and potential future challenges facing the international safeguards system. One of the report's key recommendations was for DOE NNSA to launch a major new program to revitalize the international safeguards technology and human resource base. In 2007, at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, then Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman announced the newly created Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI). NGSI consists of five program elements: policy development and outreach, concepts and approaches, technology and analytical methodologies, human capital development (HCD), and infrastructure development. This report addresses the HCD component of NGSI. The goal of the HCD component as defined in the NNSA Program Plan is ''to revitalize and expand the international safeguards human capital base by attracting and training a new generation of talent.'' The major objectives listed in the HCD goal include education and training, outreach to universities and professional societies, postdoctoral appointments, and summer internships at national laboratories.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Office of International Nuclear Safeguards: Human Capital Development Activity in FY16

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilligan, Kimberly V. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Nuclear Security and Isotope Technology Division; Gaudet, Rachel N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Nuclear Security and Isotope Technology Division

2016-09-30

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE NNSA) Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control (NPAC) completed a comprehensive review of the current and potential future challenges facing the international safeguards system. One of the report’s key recommendations was for DOE NNSA to launch a major new program to revitalize the international safeguards technology and human resource base. In 2007, at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, then Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman announced the newly created Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI). NGSI consists of five program elements: policy development and outreach, concepts and approaches, technology and analytical methodologies, human capital development (HCD), and infrastructure development. This report addresses the HCD component of NGSI. The goal of the HCD component as defined in the NNSA Program Plan is “to revitalize and expand the international safeguards human capital base by attracting and training a new generation of talent.” The major objectives listed in the HCD goal include education and training, outreach to universities and professional societies, postdoctoral appointments, and summer internships at national laboratories.

Report of the results of the International Clinical Cytometry Society and American Society for Clinical Pathology workload survey of clinical flow cytometry laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolniak, Kristy; Goolsby, Charles; Choi, Sarah; Ali, Asma; Serdy, Nina; Stetler-Stevenson, Maryalice

2017-11-01

Thorough review of current workload, staffing, and testing practices in clinical laboratories allows for optimization of laboratory efficiency and quality. This information is largely missing with regard to clinical flow cytometry laboratories. The purpose of this survey is to provide comprehensive, current, and accurate data on testing practices and laboratory staffing in clinical laboratories performing flow cytometric studies. Survey data was collected from flow cytometry laboratories through the ASCP website. Data was collected on the workload during a 1-year time period of full-time and part-time technical and professional (M.D./D.O./Ph.D. or equivalent) flow cytometry employees. Workload was examined as number of specimens and tubes per full time equivalent (FTE) technical and professional staff. Test complexity, test result interpretation, and reporting practices were also evaluated. There were 205 respondent laboratories affiliated predominantly with academic and health system institutions. Overall, 1,132 FTE employees were reported with 29% professional FTE employees and 71% technical. Fifty-one percent of the testing performed was considered high complexity and 49% was low complexity. The average number of tubes per FTE technologist was 1,194 per year and the average number of specimens per FTE professional was 1,659 per year. The flow cytometry reports were predominantly written by pathologists (57%) and were typically written as a separate report (58%). This survey evaluates the overall status of the current practice of clinical flow cytometry and provides a comprehensive dataset as a framework to help laboratory departments, directors, and managers make appropriate, cost-effective staffing decisions. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

Annual course of retraining for the occupational exposure personnel of the laboratory of internal dosimetry; Curso anual de reentrenamiento para el POE del laboratorio de dosimetria interna

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alfaro L, M.M. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2002-09-15

The general objective of this report is to instruct the personnel in the basic concepts of radiological protection and in the Manual of Procedures of Radiological Safety of the Laboratory of Internal Dosimetry. Also, to exchange experiences during the activities that are carried out in the laboratory and in the knowledge of abnormal situations. The referred Manual consists of 14 procedures and 5 instructions which are listed in annex of this document. The content of this course consists of three topics: 1. Basic principles of radiological protection to reduce the received dose equivalent. 2. Use of radiation measurer equipment. 3. Emergency procedures of the laboratory of internal dosimetry. (Author)

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Laboratories at Seibersdorf and in Vienna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-12-01

The report briefly describes the main research activities performed during 1988 at the IAEA Laboratories at Seibersdorf in the Agriculture Laboratory, Physics-Chemistry-Instrumentation Laboratory and Safeguards Analytical Laboratory as well as the training activities

Quality systems in veterinary diagnostics laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

de Branco, Freitas Maia L M

2007-01-01

Quality assurance of services provided by veterinary diagnostics laboratories is a fundamental element promoted by international animal health organizations to establish trust, confidence and transparency needed for the trade of animals and their products at domestic and international levels. It requires, among other things, trained personnel, consistent and rigorous methodology, choice of suitable methods as well as appropriate calibration and traceability procedures. An important part of laboratory quality management is addressed by ISO/IEC 17025, which aims to facilitate cooperation among laboratories and their associated parties by assuring the generation of credible and consistent information derived from analytical results. Currently, according to OIE recommendation, veterinary diagnostics laboratories are only subject to voluntary compliance with standard ISO/IEC 17025; however, it is proposed here that OIE reference laboratories and collaboration centres strongly consider its adoption.

Tenth International Colloquium on UV and X-Ray Spectroscopy of Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Silver, Eric H.; Kahn, Steven M.

UV and X-ray spectroscopy of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas draws interest from many disciplines. Contributions from international specialists are collected together in this book from a timely recent conference. In astrophysics, the Hubble Space Telescope, Astro 1 and ROSAT observatories are now providing UV and X-ray spectra and images of cosmic sources in unprecedented detail, while the Yohkoh mission recently collected superb data on the solar corona. In the laboratory, the development of ion-trap facilities and novel laser experiments are providing vital new data on high temperature plasmas. Recent innovations in the technology of spectroscopic instrumentation are discussed. These papers constitute an excellent up-to-date review of developments in short-wavelength spectroscopy and offer a solid introduction to its theoretical and experimental foundations. These proceedings give an up-to-date review of developments in short-wavelength spectroscopy and offer a solid introduction to its theoretical and experimental foundations. Various speakers presented some of the first results from the high resolution spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, the high sensitivity far ultraviolet and X-ray spectrometers of the ASTRO 1 Observatory, the imaging X-ray spectrometer on the ROSAT Observatory, and the high resolution solar X-ray spectrometer on Yohkoh. The development of ion trap devices had brought about a revolution in laboratory investigations of atomic processes in highly charged atoms. X-ray laser experiments had not only yielded considerable insight into electron ion interactions in hot dense plasmas, but also demonstrated the versatility of laser plasmas as laboratory X-ray sources. Such measurements also motivated and led to refinements in the development of large-scale atomic and molecular codes. On the instrumental side, the design and development of the next series of very powerful short wavelength observatories had generated a large number of

Preliminary clinical application in the cranial internal carotid artery of covered stents specially designed for intracranial vasculature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Minghua; Luo Qiyi; Fang Chun; Xie Zhiyong; Cheng Yingsheng; Gao Bulang; Li Yu; Zhang Beilei; Xie Jian; Wang Yongli

2007-01-01

Objective: To investigate the flexibility of both the covered stents specially designed for use in intracranial vasculature and the delivering system in passing through the bone tube and the physiological curves of the cranial internal carotid artery (CICA) to reach the targeted area, the performance (adherence) of the covered stents in occluding vascular wall diseases and the impact on the vascular branches of the covered segment. Methods: The covered stents specially designed for use in intracranial vasculature were used to treat 13 patients with CICA diseases using endovascular techniques. There were 4 huge pseudoaneurysms, 4 giant aneurysms, 3 small wide-necked aneurysms, 1 giant pseudoaneurysm with concurrent internal carotid cavernous fistula (CCF), and 1 CCF. Prior to the detachment of the covered stents, balloon occlusion test (BOT) of the internal carotid artery on the diseased side and whole-brain digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were performed in all the patients. Three to 16 months following procedure, DSA and clinical follow-ups were performed. Results: Thirteen patients all tolerated the BOT well with the DSA demonstrating well-opened anterior and posterior communicating arteries. The covered stents and the delivering systems all successfully passed CICA to reach the targeted diseased area, with the diseased segments of the internal carotid artery including C3-C4 in 4 cases, C4-C5 in 4 and C6-C7 in 5. Immediately following the detachment of the covered stents, DSA demonstrated that 7 aneurysms were completely occluded, 4 aneurysms had slight endoleak, and 1 CCF had markedly-decreased blood flow through the fistula. In the patient with concurrent pseudoaneurysm and CCF, the pseudoaneurysm disappeared and the blood flow through the fistula was markedly-reduced immediately following the stenting procedure. Apart from one patient with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage who died due to extensive vascular spasm on the 9th day following the stenting

Laboratory accreditation in developing economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loesener, O.

2004-01-01

Full text: Accreditation of laboratories has been practiced for well over one hundred years with the primary objective of seeking a formal recognition for the competence of a laboratory to perform specified tests or measurements. While first accreditation schemes intended initially to serve only the immediate needs of the body making the evaluation with the purpose of minimizing testing and inspection to be conducted by laboratories, third-party accreditation enables a laboratory to demonstrate its capability as well as availability of all necessary resources to undertake particular tests correctly and that is managed in such a way that it is likely to do this consistently, taking into consideration standards developed by national and international standards-setting bodies. The international standard ISO/IEC 17025 and laboratory accreditation are concerned with competence and quality management of laboratories only, thus requiring a single common set of criteria applicable to them. Quality assurance is therefore fully relevant to laboratories in general and analytical laboratories in particular; it should not be confused with the certification approach according to ISO/IEC 9000 family of standards, that is concerned with quality management applicable to any organization as a whole. The role of laboratory accreditation can be manifold, but in all cases the recipient of the test report needs to have confidence that the data in it is reliable, particularly if the test data is important in a decision-making process. As such, it offers a comprehensive way to ensure: - the availability of managerial and technical staff with the authority and resources needed; - the effectiveness of equipment management, traceability of measurement and safety procedures; - the performance of tests, taking into consideration laboratory accommodation and facilities as well as laboratory practices. The presentation will include also some practical aspects of quality management system

National continuous surveys on internal quality control for HbA1c in 306 clinical laboratories of China from 2012 to 2016: Continual improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tingting; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Haijian; He, Falin; Zhong, Kun; Yuan, Shuai; Wang, Zhiguo

2017-09-01

This study aimed to evaluate whether the quality performance of clinical laboratories in China has been greatly improved and whether Internal Quality Control (IQC) practice of HbA1c has also been changed since National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL) of China organized laboratories to report IQC data for HbA1c in 2012. Internal Quality Control information of 306 External Quality Assessment (EQA) participant laboratories which kept reporting IQC data in February from 2012 to 2016 were collected by Web-based EQA system. Then percentages of laboratories meeting four different imprecision specifications for current coefficient of variations (CVs) of HbA1c measurements were calculated. Finally, we comprehensively analyzed analytical systems and IQC practice of HbA1c measurements. The current CVs of HbA1c tests have decreased significantly from 2012 to 2016. And percentages of laboratories meeting four imprecision specifications for CVs all showed the increasing tendency year by year. As for analytical system, 52.1% (159/306) laboratories changed their systems with the change in principle of assay. And many laboratories began to use cation exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (CE-HPLC) instead of Immunoturbidimetry, because CE-HPLC owed a lower intra-laboratory CVs. The data of IQC practice, such as IQC rules and frequency, also showed significant variability among years with overall tendency of meeting requirements. The imprecision performance of HbA1c tests has been improved in these 5 years with the change in IQC practice, but it is still disappointing in China. Therefore, laboratories should actively find existing problems and take action to promote performance of HbA1c measurements. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Application of Statistics to Evaluate Iranian Analytical Laboratories Proficiency: Case of Aflatoxins in Pistachio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leila Fotouhi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of a proficiency testing program among limited number of local laboratories as an alternative to the IUPAC/CITAC guide on proficiency testing with a limited number of participants, specially where international schemes are not accessible. As a sample scheme we planned to determine aflatoxins (B1, G1, B2, G2, total in Iranian pistachio matrix. A part of naturally contaminated pistachio sample was tested for sufficient homogeneity by a competent laboratory and then homogenized sub-samples were distributed among participants all across the country. The median of participants’ results was selected as assigned value. Student t-test was applied to show there is no significant difference between assigned and mean values of homogeneity test results obtained by the competent laboratory. Calculated z-scores showed that 6 out of 8 results in aflatoxin B1, 7 out of 8 results in aflatoxin B2, 5 out of 8 results in aflatoxin G1, 7 out of 8 results in aflatoxin G2 and 6 out of 9 results in aflatoxin total were in satisfactory range. Together our studies indicate that the approach described here is highly cost efficient and applicable for quality assurance of test results when there is no access to international proficiency testing providers.

High energy laser facilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmes, N.C.

1981-06-01

High energy laser facilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are described, with special emphasis on their use for equation of state investigations using laser-generated shockwaves. Shock wave diagnostics now in use are described. Future Laboratory facilities are also discussed

SPECIAL PURPOSE SHOCK TUBE for BLAST ASSESSMENT

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — This device is a specially designed shock tube for testing fabric samples in a controlled environment. The device determines the appropriate types of sensors to be...

Handlist of radiocarbon laboratories. Appendix III

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, T.; Harkness, D.D.

1975-01-01

A list is given of radiocarbon laboratories known to be active, and open to archaeologists, at least in some circumstances. It is not claimed to have produced an exhaustive list, which can be found in the journal Radiocarbon. The present list gives (a) some indication to would-be users, of the ability of willingness of laboratories to undertake archaeological dating; (b) a statement from each laboratory concerning the special services it may offer; (c) the likely time taken to obtain a C-14 date; and (d) a scale of charges. (U.K.)

Summary of the Geocarto International Special Issue on "NASA Earth Science Satellite Data for Applications to Public Health" to be Published in Early 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Quattrochi, Dale A.

2013-01-01

At the 2011 Applied Science Public Health review held in Santa Fe, NM, it was announced that Dr. Dale Quattrochi from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, John Haynes, Program Manager for the Applied Sciences Public Health program at NASA Headquarters, and Sue Estes, Deputy Program Manager for the NASA Applied Sciences Public Health Program located at the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) at the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, AL, would edit a special issue of the journal Geocarto International on "NASA Earth Science Satellite Data for Applications to Public Health". This issue would be focused on compiling research papers that use NASA Earth Science satellite data for applications to public health. NASA's Public Health Program concentrates on advancing the realization of societal and economic benefits from NASA Earth Science in the areas of infectious disease, emergency preparedness and response, and environmental health (e.g., air quality). This application area as a focus of the NASA Applied Sciences program, has engaged public health institutions and officials with research scientists in exploring new applications of Earth Science satellite data as an integral part of public health decision- and policy-making at the local, state and federal levels. Of interest to this special issue are papers submitted on are topics such as epidemiologic surveillance in the areas of infectious disease, environmental health, and emergency response and preparedness, national and international activities to improve skills, share data and applications, and broaden the range of users who apply Earth Science satellite data in public health decisions, or related focus areas.. This special issue has now been completed and will be published n early 2014. This talk will present an overview of the papers that will be published in this special Geocarto International issue.

Internal Quality Control Practices in Coagulation Laboratories: recommendations based on a patterns-of-practice survey.

Science.gov (United States)

McFarlane, A; Aslan, B; Raby, A; Moffat, K A; Selby, R; Padmore, R

2015-12-01

Internal quality control (IQC) procedures are crucial for ensuring accurate patient test results. The IQMH Centre for Proficiency Testing conducted a web-based survey to gather information on the current IQC practices in coagulation testing. A questionnaire was distributed to 174 Ontario laboratories licensed to perform prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). All laboratories reported using two levels of commercial QC (CQC); 12% incorporate pooled patient plasma into their IQC program; >68% run CQC at the beginning of each shift; 56% following maintenance, with reagent changes, during a shift, or with every repeat sample; 6% only run CQC at the beginning of the day and 25% when the instruments have been idle for a defined period of time. IQC run frequency was determined by manufacturer recommendations (71%) but also influenced by the stability of test (27%), clinical impact of an incorrect test result (25%), and sample's batch number (10%). IQC was monitored using preset limits based on standard deviation (66%), precision goals (46%), or allowable performance limits (36%). 95% use multirules. Failure actions include repeating the IQC (90%) and reporting patient results; if repeat passes, 42% perform repeat analysis of all patient samples from last acceptable IQC. Variability exists in coagulation IQC practices among Ontario clinical laboratories. The recommendations presented here would be useful in encouraging standardized IQC practices. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The motivation for special interests in individuals with autism and controls: Development and validation of the special interest motivation scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Grove, Rachel; Roth, Ilona; Hoekstra, Rosa A

2016-06-01

Clinical observations and first person accounts of living with autism suggest that individuals with autism are highly motivated to engage in special interests, and that these interests remain important throughout life. Previous research assessing special interests has mainly focused on parental reports of children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To better understand the significance of and motivations for engaging in special interests it is essential to use self-report ratings. This paper aims to systematically explore the motivations for engagement in special interests, and whether these differ in adults with ASC, first-degree relatives and general population controls. The Special Interest Motivation Scale (SIMS) was developed to assess motivation to engage in special interests. The internal structure of this scale was evaluated using factor analysis, and mean scores on the SIMS factors were subsequently compared across individuals with autism, parents and general population controls. Factor analysis indicated a 20-item SIMS containing five factors assessing Personal life values and goals; Intrinsic interest and knowledge; Prestige; Engagement and "flow" and Achievement. Individuals with autism were more motivated by Intrinsic interest and knowledge and by Engagement and flow than controls. The 20-item SIMS is a quick to administer measure that provides a reliable description of motivation to engage in special interests. This study indicates that individuals with ASC are highly motivated to engage in their special interest, and are more motivated than controls by intrinsic motivational factors, some of which are associated with positive affect. This has implications for research and clinical practice. Autism Res 2016, 9: 677-688. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Routine internal- and external-quality control data in clinical laboratories for estimating measurement and diagnostic uncertainty using GUM principles.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnusson, Bertil; Ossowicki, Haakan; Rienitz, Olaf; Theodorsson, Elvar

2012-05-01

Healthcare laboratories are increasingly joining into larger laboratory organizations encompassing several physical laboratories. This caters for important new opportunities for re-defining the concept of a 'laboratory' to encompass all laboratories and measurement methods measuring the same measurand for a population of patients. In order to make measurement results, comparable bias should be minimized or eliminated and measurement uncertainty properly evaluated for all methods used for a particular patient population. The measurement as well as diagnostic uncertainty can be evaluated from internal and external quality control results using GUM principles. In this paper the uncertainty evaluations are described in detail using only two main components, within-laboratory reproducibility and uncertainty of the bias component according to a Nordtest guideline. The evaluation is exemplified for the determination of creatinine in serum for a conglomerate of laboratories both expressed in absolute units (μmol/L) and relative (%). An expanded measurement uncertainty of 12 μmol/L associated with concentrations of creatinine below 120 μmol/L and of 10% associated with concentrations above 120 μmol/L was estimated. The diagnostic uncertainty encompasses both measurement uncertainty and biological variation, and can be estimated for a single value and for a difference. This diagnostic uncertainty for the difference for two samples from the same patient was determined to be 14 μmol/L associated with concentrations of creatinine below 100 μmol/L and 14 % associated with concentrations above 100 μmol/L.

Introduction to the special issue on the 2011 Joint IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium and European Frequency and Time Forum.

Science.gov (United States)

Burt, Eric; Gill, Patrick

2012-03-01

The 8 invited and 17 contributed papers in this special issue focus on the following topical areas covered at the 2011 Joint IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium and European Frequency and Time Forum, held in San Francisco, California: 1) Materials and Resonators; 2) Oscillators, Synthesizers, and Noise; 3) Microwave Frequency Standards; 4) Sensors and Transducers; 5) Timekeeping and Time and Frequency Transfer; and 6) Optical Frequency Standards.

Competence and lastingness in specialized clinical laboratories: technical report about requirements concerning quality of users competence and used processes in immunochemical diagnostic procedures using isotopic and non-isotopic tracer technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiegel, B.

2005-01-01

From the citizens view this technical report about immunochemical diagnostic procedures using radioactive and nonradioactive tracer technologies describes the requirements in special laboratory diagnostics concerning competency and process control. Governmental or administrational obligations of inspecting both skill and sites to guarantee patients security are pointed out. (orig.)

Techniques in cancer research: a laboratory manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deo, M.G.; Seshadri, R.; Mulherkar, R.; Mukhopadhyaya, R.

1995-01-01

Cancer Research Institute (CRI) works on all facets of cancer using the latest biomedical tools. For this purpose, it has established modern laboratories in different branches of cancer biology such as cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, chemical and viral oncogenesis, genetics of cancer including genetic engineering, tissue culture, cancer chemotherapy, neurooncology and comparative oncology. This manual describes the protocols used in these laboratories. There is also a chapter on handling and care of laboratory animals, an essential component of any modern cancer biology laboratory. It is hoped that the manual will be useful to biomedical laboratories, specially those interested in cancer research. refs., tabs., figs

26 CFR 1.997-1 - Special rules for subchapter C of the Code.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 10 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special rules for subchapter C of the Code. 1.997-1 Section 1.997-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Domestic International Sales Corporations § 1.997-1 Special rules for...

Energy efficiency in California laboratory-type facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mills, E.; Bell, G.; Sartor, D. [and others

1996-07-31

The central aim of this project is to provide knowledge and tools for increasing the energy efficiency and performance of new and existing laboratory-type facilities in California. We approach the task along three avenues: (1) identification of current energy use and savings potential, (2) development of a {ital Design guide for energy- Efficient Research Laboratories}, and (3) development of a research agenda for focused technology development and improving out understanding of the market. Laboratory-type facilities use a considerable amount of energy resources. They are also important to the local and state economy, and energy costs are a factor in the overall competitiveness of industries utilizing laboratory-type facilities. Although the potential for energy savings is considerable, improving energy efficiency in laboratory-type facilities is no easy task, and there are many formidable barriers to improving energy efficiency in these specialized facilities. Insufficient motivation for individual stake holders to invest in improving energy efficiency using existing technologies as well as conducting related R&D is indicative of the ``public goods`` nature of the opportunity to achieve energy savings in this sector. Due to demanding environmental control requirements and specialized processes, laboratory-type facilities epitomize the important intersection between energy demands in the buildings sector and the industrial sector. Moreover, given the high importance and value of the activities conducted in laboratory-type facilities, they represent one of the most powerful contexts in which energy efficiency improvements stand to yield abundant non-energy benefits if properly applied.

Specialized equipment needs for the transportation of radioactive material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Condrey, D.; Lambert, M.

1998-01-01

To ensure the safe and reliable transportation of radioactive materials and components, from both the front and back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, a transport management company needs three key elements: specialized knowledge, training and specialized equipment. These three elements result, in part, from national and international regulations which require specialized handling of all radioactive shipments. While the reasons behind the first two elements are readily apparent, the role of specialized equipment is often not considered until too late shipment process even though it plays an integral part of any radioactive material transport. This paper will describe the specialized equipment needed to transport three of the major commodities comprising the bulk of international nuclear transports: natural uranium (UF6), low enriched uranium (UF6) and fresh nuclear fuel. (authors)

Study on the internal quality control of TGAb and TMAb RIA in clinical laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Jianrong

2005-01-01

To investigate the possible causes of the occasional instability of thyroglobulin anti- body(TGAb) and thyroid microsome antibody (TMAb) detection in the laboratory, the control serums of low, middle, and high value of different batches were measured and the stability of the labeled antigens stored at 2-8 degree C and below zero was observed. The results showed that the maximal variances of high value control serums for TGAb and TMAb between different batches were 33.0% and 32.5%, respectively. This was caused by the changes of titer of second anti- bodies. The labeled antigens stored below zero showed better stability. The strict internal quality control is an efficient measure to improve the measurement precision. (authors)

Quality assurance in the measurement of internal radioactive contamination and dose assessment and the United States Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatt, Anita

2016-01-01

The Quality Assurance for analytical measurement of internal radioactive contamination and dose assessment in the United States (US) is achieved through the US Department of Energy (DOE) Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP) for both Dosimetry and Radio bioassay laboratories for approximately 150,000 radiation workers. This presentation will explain the link between Quality Assurance and the DOELAP Accreditation process. DOELAP is a DOE complex-wide safety program that ensures the quality of worker radiation protection programs. DOELAP tests the ability of laboratories to accurately measure and quantify radiation dose to workers and assures the laboratories quality systems are capable of defending and sustaining their measurement results. The United States Law in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 835 requires that personnel Dosimetry and Radio bioassay programs be tested and accredited

[Errors in laboratory daily practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Larrose, C; Le Carrer, D

2007-01-01

Legislation set by GBEA (Guide de bonne exécution des analyses) requires that, before performing analysis, the laboratory directors have to check both the nature of the samples and the patients identity. The data processing of requisition forms, which identifies key errors, was established in 2000 and in 2002 by the specialized biochemistry laboratory, also with the contribution of the reception centre for biological samples. The laboratories follow a strict criteria of defining acceptability as a starting point for the reception to then check requisition forms and biological samples. All errors are logged into the laboratory database and analysis report are sent to the care unit specifying the problems and the consequences they have on the analysis. The data is then assessed by the laboratory directors to produce monthly or annual statistical reports. This indicates the number of errors, which are then indexed to patient files to reveal the specific problem areas, therefore allowing the laboratory directors to teach the nurses and enable corrective action.

Pengaruh Pemasaran Internal dan Kualitas Layanan Internal Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Internal (Studi Pada Industri Kepariwisataan di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta)

OpenAIRE

Jumadi Jumadi

2016-01-01

The aim of this research is to investigate the implication of internal marketing and internal service quality effectivity towards internal customer satisfaction in Tourism Industry in Yogyakarta Special Territory. This internal marketing studyinvolves variables of motivation and reward system, effective communication, effective employee's selection, effective recruitment, effective development, effective support system, and healthy work environment. While the internal quality service aspects ...

Commissioning Ventilated Containment Systems in the Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2008-08-01

This Best Practices Guide focuses on the specialized approaches required for ventilated containment systems, understood to be all components that drive and control ventilated enclosures and local exhaust systems within the laboratory. Geared toward architects, engineers, and facility managers, this guide provides information about technologies and practices to use in designing, constructing, and operating operating safe, sustainable, high-performance laboratories.

Implementation of the CNEN's safeguards laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, S.G. de

1986-01-01

The International Safeguards Agreements between Brazil and others countries has been concluded with the participation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), and involve the Physical Protection and Control of Nuclear Material activities, which set up the National Safeguards System. The Safeguards Laboratory was constructed to the implementation and maintenance of this National Safeguards System, under responsability of CNEN's Safeguards Division, in order to carry out measurements of nuclear materials under safeguards. Technical requirements applied to the construction, setting up and operation of the laboratory are showed. The first results refer to the implementation of safeguards methods and techniques, as well as its participation within international scientific and technical co-operation programs in the safeguards area, through of them we wait its credencement by the AIEA as Regional Safeguards Laboratory for every countries of the Latin America. (Author) [pt

Pocket dictionary of laboratory equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Junge, H.D.

1987-01-01

This pocket dictionary contains the 2500 most common terms for scientific and technical equipment in chemical laboratories. It is a useful tool for those who are used to communicating in German and English, but have to learn the special terminology in this field. (orig.) [de

Intercalibration of radiological measurements for surveillance purposes of the internal dosimetry laboratory coordinated by the IAEA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfaro L, M.M.

2002-07-01

The ININ of Mexico participated in this intercomparison organized by the IAEA in 2000. The objective of this activity is that the dosimetry laboratories that participate can validate the programs of internal dosimetry, with the purpose of improving its capacity in the evaluation of the internal dose and have access to a mechanism to evaluate its dosimetry system under real conditions. The specific objectives of this intercomparison were: 1. To evaluate the participant's capacity to manage the measurements of individual monitoring in terms of the activity in the phantom. 2. To provide the access to the unique calibration resources that otherwise would not be available. 3. To compare the operation of several detection systems, the geometry, phantoms, calibration methods and methods for the evaluation of activity of the radionuclide used by each institution. 4. To provide the independent verification of the direct measurement methods of the dosimetry service. (Author)

Laboratory quality stepwise implementation tool: National reference TB laboratory of Iran

OpenAIRE

Ali Naghi Kebriaee; Donya Malekshahian; Mojtaba Ahmadi; Parissa Farnia

2015-01-01

Background and objective: During recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed new software for improving the tuberculosis (TB) laboratory services. The protocol is known as “quality stepwise implementation tool” and is based on enforcement of quality assurance services through accreditation by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189. As a national reference TB laboratory (NRL) of Iran, the benefit and challenges of implementing this standard were analyzed....

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1995 site environmental report: Volume 2, Data appendix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-07-01

Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory presents Volume II, Data Appendix as a reference document to supplement the 1995 Site Environmental Report. Volume II contains the raw environmental monitoring and sampling data used to generate many of the summary results included in the main report. Supplemental data is provided for sitewide activities involving the media of stack and ambient air quality, rainwater, surface water, stormwater, wastewater, and soil and sediment. Volume II also contains supplemental data on the special preoperational monitoring study for the new Hazardous Waste Handling Facility. The Table of Contents provides a cross-reference to the data tables of the main report and this appendix. Data are given in System International (SI) units

Editorial: Special issue on education

OpenAIRE

Masal Ercan; Önder İsmail; Çalışkan Hüseyin; Beşoluk Şenol; Demirhan Eda

2017-01-01

This special issue consists of selected proceedings presented in ERPA International Congresses on Education 2017 which was held in Budapest / Hungary, 18-21 May 2017. Studies are related to educational sciences, science and mathematics education, social sciences education, health and sports science education, music and fine arts education, computer education and instructional technology, language education and management of education. There are eighty valuable studies in this special issue. I...

Tiger Team assessment of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-08-01

This report documents the Tiger Team Assessment of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) located in Idaho Falls, Idaho. INEL is a multiprogram, laboratory site of the US Department of Energy (DOE). Overall site management is provided by the DOE Field Office, Idaho; however, the DOE Field Office, Chicago has responsibility for the Argonne National Laboratory-West facilities and operations through the Argonne Area Office. In addition, the Idaho Branch Office of the Pittsburgh Naval Reactors Office has responsibility for the Naval Reactor Facility (NRF) at the INEL. The assessment included all DOE elements having ongoing program activities at the site except for the NRF. In addition, the Safety and Health Subteam did not review the Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company, Inc. facilities and operations. The Tiger Team Assessment was conducted from June 17 to August 2, 1991, under the auspices of the Office of Special Projects, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health, Headquarters, DOE. The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing environmental, safety, and health (ES ampersand H) disciplines; management; and contractor and DOE self-assessments. Compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal INEL site requirements was assessed. In addition, an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the DOE and the site contractors management of ES ampersand H/quality assurance programs was conducted

Tiger Team assessment of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-08-01

This report documents the Tiger Team Assessment of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) located in Idaho Falls, Idaho. INEL is a multiprogram, laboratory site of the US Department of Energy (DOE). Overall site management is provided by the DOE Field Office, Idaho; however, the DOE Field Office, Chicago has responsibility for the Argonne National Laboratory-West facilities and operations through the Argonne Area Office. In addition, the Idaho Branch Office of the Pittsburgh Naval Reactors Office has responsibility for the Naval Reactor Facility (NRF) at the INEL. The assessment included all DOE elements having ongoing program activities at the site except for the NRF. In addition, the Safety and Health Subteam did not review the Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company, Inc. facilities and operations. The Tiger Team Assessment was conducted from June 17 to August 2, 1991, under the auspices of the Office of Special Projects, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health, Headquarters, DOE. The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing environmental, safety, and health (ES H) disciplines; management; and contractor and DOE self-assessments. Compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal INEL site requirements was assessed. In addition, an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the DOE and the site contractors management of ES H/quality assurance programs was conducted.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Next Generation Safeguards Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirk, Bernadette Lugue [ORNL; Eipeldauer, Mary D [ORNL; Whitaker, J Michael [ORNL

2011-12-01

In 2007, the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) Office of Nonproliferation and International Security (NA-24) completed a comprehensive review of the current and potential future challenges facing the international safeguards system. The review examined trends and events impacting the mission of international safeguards and the implications of expanding and evolving mission requirements on the legal authorities and institutions that serve as the foundation of the international safeguards system, as well as the technological, financial, and human resources required for effective safeguards implementation. The review's findings and recommendations were summarized in the report, 'International Safeguards: Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century (October 2007)'. One of the report's key recommendations was for DOE/NNSA to launch a major new program to revitalize the international safeguards technology and human resource base. In 2007, at the International Atomic Energy Agency's General Conference, then Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman announced the newly created Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI). NGSI consists of five program elements: (1) Policy development and outreach; (2) Concepts and approaches; (3) Technology and analytical methodologies; (4) Human resource development; and (5) Infrastructure development. The ensuing report addresses the 'Human Resource Development (HRD)' component of NGSI. The goal of the HRD as defined in the NNSA Program Plan (November 2008) is 'to revitalize and expand the international safeguards human capital base by attracting and training a new generation of talent.' One of the major objectives listed in the HRD goal includes education and training, outreach to universities, professional societies, postdoctoral appointments, and summer internships at national laboratories. ORNL is a participant in the NGSI program, together

50 years of A-3 laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batij, V.G.; Bozhko, V.P.; Bykov, V.T.; Vodin, A.N.; Dikij, N.P.

2007-01-01

The main directions of scientific researches, have been developed in the NSC KIPT A-3 laboratory during all time of its existence from 1957 to 2007, so as the main achievements of this laboratory, are described. The laboratory have been specialized in the field of experimental nuclear physics. Researches have been carried out at the beams of heavy ions, alpha-particles, deuterons, protons, neutrons, gamma-particles and electrons. Researches have been carried out in the field of gamma- and beta-spectroscopy, study of mechanisms of nuclear and electromagnetic interactions etc. A lot of different applied researches including Chernobyl problems decision is also described

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-05-01

May 1, 2018 ... such as the athletes. This is done through gene doping, ... reduced risk of injury and drug abuse, talent selection through DNA and special training ..... GJB2 gene among Malays with non-syndromic hearing loss. International ...

5th International and 41st National Conference on FMFP 2014

CERN Document Server

Das, Debopam; Srivastava, Rajesh; Panigrahi, P; Muralidhar, K

2017-01-01

This volume comprises the proceedings of the 42nd National and 5th International Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power held at IIT Kanpur in December, 2014.The conference proceedings encapsulate the best deliberations held during the conference. The diversity of participation in the conference, from academia, industry and research laboratories reflects in the articles appearing in the volume. This contributed volume has articles from authors who have participated in the conference on thematic areas such as Fundamental Issues and Perspectives in Fluid Mechanics; Measurement Techniques and Instrumentation; Computational Fluid Dynamics; Instability, Transition and Turbulence; Turbomachinery; Multiphase Flows; Fluid‐Structure Interaction and Flow‐Induced Noise; Microfluidics; Bio‐inspired Fluid Mechanics; Internal Combustion Engines and Gas Turbines; and Specialized Topics. The contents of this volume will prove useful to researchers from industry and academia alike. .

International Space Station United States Laboratory Module Water Recovery Management Subsystem Verification from Flight 5A to Stage ULF2

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, David E.; Labuda, Laura

2009-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system comprises of seven subsystems: Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS), Atmosphere Revitalization (AR), Fire Detection and Suppression (FDS), Temperature and Humidity Control (THC), Vacuum System (VS), Water Recovery and Management (WRM), and Waste Management (WM). This paper provides a summary of the nominal operation of the United States (U.S.) Laboratory Module WRM design and detailed element methodologies utilized during the Qualification phase of the U.S. Laboratory Module prior to launch and the Qualification of all of the modification kits added to it from Flight 5A up and including Stage ULF2.

22 CFR 226.14 - Special award conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special award conditions. 226.14 Section 226.14 Foreign Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION OF ASSISTANCE AWARDS TO U.S. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS Pre-award Requirements § 226.14 Special award conditions. If an applicant or...

Project-Based Laboratory Experiences in Mechanical Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narendra Sharma

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper we describe project-based laboratories in Mechanical Engineering designed to provide semester-long team experiences which mimic the real life industrial processes of design, development, testing and optimization. The labs are focused on courses at the sophomore level and thus require special attention to constraints of student backgrounds and experience. This paper describes laboratory projects in Dynamics and Fluid Mechanics.

ABACC's laboratory intercomparison program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, Gevaldo L. de; Esteban, Adolfo; Almeida, Silvio G. de; Araujo, Radier M. de; Rocha, Zildete

1996-01-01

A Laboratory Intercomparison Program involving Brazilian and Argentine laboratories, with the special participation of New Brunswick Laboratory - DOE and IAEA Seibersdorf Safeguards Laboratory, was implanted by ABACC having as main purpose to qualify a network to provide analytical services to this Agency on its role as administrator of the Common System of Accountability and Control of Nuclear Materials. For the first round robin of this Program, 15 laboratories were invited to perform elemental analysis on UO 2 samples, by using any desired method. Thirteen confirmed the participation and 10 reported the results. After an evaluation of the results by using a Two-Way Variance Analysis applied to a nested error model, it was found that 5 of them deviate less than 0.1% from the reference value established for the UO 2 uranium contents, being thus situated within the limits adopted for the target values, while the remaining ones reach a maximal deviation of 0.44%. The outcome of this evaluation, was sent to the laboratories, providing them with a feedback to improve their performance by applying corrective actions to the detected sources of errors or bias related to the methods techniques and procedures. (author)

International Society of Gynecological Pathologists (ISGyP) Endometrial Cancer Project: Guidelines From the Special Techniques and Ancillary Studies Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Kathleen R; Cooper, Kumarasen; Croce, Sabrina; Djordevic, Bojana; Herrington, Simon; Howitt, Brooke; Hui, Pei; Ip, Philip; Koebel, Martin; Lax, Sigurd; Quade, Bradley J; Shaw, Patricia; Vidal, August; Yemelyanova, Anna; Clarke, Blaise; Hedrick Ellenson, Lora; Longacre, Teri A; Shih, Ie-Ming; McCluggage, W Glenn; Malpica, Anais; Oliva, Esther; Parkash, Vinita; Matias-Guiu, Xavier

2018-04-11

The aim of this article is to propose guidelines and recommendations in problematic areas in pathologic reporting of endometrial carcinoma (EC) regarding special techniques and ancillary studies. An organizing committee designed a comprehensive survey with different questions related to pathologic features, diagnosis, and prognosis of EC that was sent to all members of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists. The special techniques/ancillary studies group received 4 different questions to be addressed. Five members of the group reviewed the literature and came up with recommendations and an accompanying text which were discussed and agreed upon by all members of the group. Twelve different recommendations are made. They address the value of immunohistochemistry, ploidy, and molecular analysis for assessing prognosis in EC, the value of steroid hormone receptor analysis to predict response to hormone therapy, and parameters regarding applying immunohistochemistry and molecular tests for assessing mismatch deficiency in EC.

Rockwell International's Critical Mass Laboratory Program at the Rocky Flats Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarthy, J.D.

1984-01-01

The primary mission of the laboratory is to provide data in support of plant operations. To fulfill this task, the facility has unique capabilities for perfoming general purpose critical mass experiment. The critical mass laboratory performed over 1000 critical measurements, primarily with plutonium metal and uranium metal, oxide and solution; it worked also on the NRC program (high-enriched uranium measurements). Presently the laboratory staff prepares for a series of critical measurements on a poisoned tube tank; the laboratory intends to continue to pursue basic plant support programs in the future

Design and Implementation of Instructional Videos for Upper-Division Undergraduate Laboratory Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt-McCormack, Jennifer A.; Muniz, Marc N.; Keuter, Ellie C.; Shaw, Scott K.; Cole, Renée S.

2017-01-01

Well-designed laboratories can help students master content and science practices by successfully completing the laboratory experiments. Upper-division chemistry laboratory courses often present special challenges for instruction due to the instrument intensive nature of the experiments. To address these challenges, particularly those associated…

Extra-analytical quality indicators and laboratory performances.

Science.gov (United States)

Sciacovelli, Laura; Aita, Ada; Plebani, Mario

2017-07-01

In the last few years much progress has been made in raising the awareness of laboratory medicine professionals about the effectiveness of quality indicators (QIs) in monitoring, and improving upon, performances in the extra-analytical phases of the Total Testing Process (TTP). An effective system for management of QIs includes the implementation of an internal assessment system and participation in inter-laboratory comparison. A well-designed internal assessment system allows the identification of critical activities and their systematic monitoring. Active participation in inter-laboratory comparison provides information on the performance level of one laboratory with respect to that of other participating laboratories. In order to guarantee the use of appropriate QIs and facilitate their implementation, many laboratories have adopted the Model of Quality Indicators (MQI) proposed by Working Group "Laboratory Errors and Patient Safety" (WG-LEPS) of IFCC, since 2008, which is the result of international consensus and continuous experimentation, and updating to meet new, constantly emerging needs. Data from participating laboratories are collected monthly and reports describing the statistical results and evaluating laboratory data, utilizing the Six Sigma metric, issued regularly. Although the results demonstrate that the processes need to be improved upon, overall the comparison with data collected in 2014 shows a general stability of quality levels and that an improvement has been achieved over time for some activities. The continuous monitoring of QI data allows identification all possible improvements, thus highlighting the value of participation in the inter-laboratory program proposed by WG-LEPS. The active participation of numerous laboratories will guarantee an ever more significant State-of-the-Art, promote the reduction of errors and improve quality of the TTP, thus guaranteeing patient safety. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Clinical Mass Spectrometry: Achieving Prominence in Laboratory Medicine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Annesley, Thomas M.; Cooks, Robert G.; Herold, David A.; Hoofnagle, Andrew N.

2016-01-04

Each year the journal Clinical Chemistry publishes a January special issue on a topic that is relevant to the laboratory medicine community. In January 2016 the topic is mass spectrometry, and the issue is entitled “Clinical Mass Spectrometry: Achieving Prominence in Laboratory Medicine”. One popular feature in our issues is a Q&A on a topic, clearly in this case mass spectrometry. The journal is assembling a panel of 5-6 experts from various areas of mass spectrometry ranging from instrument manufacturing to practicing clinical chemists. Dick Smith is one of the scientist requested to participate in this special issue Q&A on Mass Spectrometry. The Q&A Transcript is attached

The NEA data bank - an international service centre for computer programs and nuclear data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordborg, C.

2000-01-01

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is a specialized agency of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) based in Paris. The most important purpose of NEA is the promotion of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear power. Within the Agency a special unit, the so-called Database, allows the 21 member countries to have direct access to nuclear data, chemical data, and computer codes. These countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Special agreements cover exchanges of data and codes with Canada, the United States of America, and IAEA. The NEA Database - maintains those databases which contain basic experimental and evaluated nuclear data, integral nuclear data, computer codes, and chemical thermodynamic data, - uses procedures of assured quality to store and maintain data and codes, - supplies as products internationally validated and licensed data and codes, - offers direct access to these products to scientists and engineers in national laboratories, universities, and in the nuclear industry. The services are available free of charge, and the databases can be accessed via the NEA web site (http://www.nea.fr). (orig.) [de

Tiger Team Assessment of the Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-11-01

This report documents the Tiger Team Assessment of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) located in Los Alamos, New Mexico. LANL is operated for the US Department of Energy (DOE) by the University of California. The Tiger Team Assessment was conducted from September 23 to November 8, 1991, under the auspices of the DOE Office of Special Projects, Office of Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health. The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing environmental, safety, and health (ES ampersand H) disciplines; management; and contractor and DOE self-assessments. Compliance with applicable Federal, state, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal LANL site requirements was assessed. In addition, an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the DOE and the site contractors' management of ES ampersand H/quality assurance programs was conducted. This volume discusses findings concerning the environmental assessment

Global climate change and international security. Report on a conference held at Argonne National Laboratory, May 8--10, 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rice, M.

1991-12-31

On May 8--10, 1991, the Midwest Consortium of International Security Studies (MCISS) and Argonne National Laboratory cosponsored a conference on Global Climate Change and International Security. The aim was to bring together natural and social scientists to examine the economic, sociopolitical, and security implications of the climate changes predicted by the general circulation models developed by natural scientists. Five themes emerged from the papers and discussions: (1) general circulation models and predicted climate change; (2) the effects of climate change on agriculture, especially in the Third World; (3) economic implications of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; (4) the sociopolitical consequences of climate change; and (5) the effect of climate change on global security.

Whole-body counting installation for assessment of internal contamination in workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, C.A.N.; Cunha, P.G.; Lipsztein, J.L.; Bertelli, L.N.; Fonseca, A.M.G.; Ramalho, A.T.

1985-01-01

A whole-body counting installation for assessment of internal contamination in workers has recently been added to the Bioassay Division of the Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria, Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (IRD/CNEN). For the last two years the laboratory has been monitoring personnel involved in uranium mining and milling activities, monazite industry workers and nuclear medicine staff dealing with iodine-131 and technetium-99. Uptakes of radionuclides by the different organs and also dose equivalents are evaluated through the use of mathematical models. The IRD whole-body counter unit was specially designed to detect a variety of internally deposited radionuclides which emit photons in the energy range of 15 keV to 3 MeV. It consists of a monitoring room (2.5x2.5x2.5 m internal dimension), with 0.15 m thick steel walls, internally lined with 0.3 cm lead, 0.15 cm cadmium and 0.05 cm thick copper sheets. The facility is equipped with three different size NaI(T1) detectors and three 12.7 cm diameter phoswich detectors. (author)

Optimization of application execution in the ViroLab Virtual Laboratory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Malawski, M.; Kocot, J.; Ciepiela, E.; Bubak, M.; Bubak, M.; Turała, M.; Wiatr, K.

2008-01-01

The objective of the presented work is to describe an optimization engine for the ViroLab Virtual Laboratory runtime. The Laboratory specific model - invocation of operations on special objects which reside on Grid resources - imposes a new approach to optimization of Grid application execution.

Guidelines for dynamic international programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gold, M.A.

1993-01-01

Matters of global concern-deforestation, global warming, biodiversity loss, sustainable development, fuelwood crises, watershed destruction, and large-scale flooding-frequently involve forests and natural resources. In the future, university students will enter a global setting that more than ever depends on a strong knowledge of international issues. USA land-grant universities are attempting to prepare students for this challenge by improving their international programs including forestry. To improve university programs, several factors will need to be addressed and are discussed, with examples, in this article: commitment of the faculty; program specialization; geographic specialization; reward systems for international contributions; international collaboration; recycled dollars within the university; active teaching programs; research; extention and outreach; language training; international faculty; travel grants; twinning relationships with sister institutions; selective in pursuit of international development assistance; and study centers. 6 refs

26 CFR 301.6323(i)-1 - Special rules.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... organization to communicate information unless such communication is part of his regular duties or unless he... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special rules. 301.6323(i)-1 Section 301.6323(i)-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) PROCEDURE AND...

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-02-01

Feb 1, 2018 ... the Russian philosophical and sociological thought. The thoughts of the Russian scientist ... Research Article. Special Issue. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. International License. Libraries Resource Directory. We are ...

Quality documentation challenges for veterinary clinical pathology laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Sacchini, Federico; Freeman, Kathleen P

2008-05-01

An increasing number of veterinary laboratories worldwide have obtained or are seeking certification based on international standards, such as the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission 17025. Compliance with any certification standard or quality management system requires quality documentation, an activity that may present several unique challenges in the case of veterinary laboratories. Research specifically addressing quality documentation is conspicuously absent in the veterinary literature. This article provides an overview of the quality system documentation needed to comply with a quality management system with an emphasis on preparing written standard operating procedures specific for veterinary laboratories. In addition, the quality documentation challenges that are unique to veterinary clinical pathology laboratories are critically evaluated against the existing quality standards and discussed with respect to possible solutions and/or recommended courses of action. Documentation challenges include the establishment of quality requirements for veterinary tests, the use or modification of human analytic methods for animal samples, the limited availability of quality control materials satisfactory for veterinary clinical pathology laboratories, the limited availability of veterinary proficiency programs, and the complications in establishing species-specific reference intervals.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Frank; Maurer, Caroline; Friedberg, Richard C

2017-09-01

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) offers a suite of laboratory accreditation programs, including one specific to accreditation to the international organization for standardization (ISO) 15189 standard for quality management specific to medical laboratories. CAP leaders offer an overview of ISO 15189 including its components, internal audits, occurrence management, document control, and risk management. The authors provide a comparison of its own ISO 15189 program, CAP 15189, to the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program. The authors conclude with why laboratories should use ISO 15189. © The Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine.

The intern structure of special relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierseaux, Y.

1999-01-01

The author presents the forgotten fact that in 1905 there were 2 restricted theories of relativity: that of Einstein and that of Poincare. These 2 theories were independently formulated, they are very close to each other but are fundamentally different when we consider their basic principles. Poincare's theory is based on a classical representation of the purely undulatory aspect of light, whereas Einstein stipulates for the quantum aspect of light. Poincare's theory implies the existence of the ether and asserts the primacy of continuity over discontinuity. The author has based his work on a thorough study of the scientific articles in which Poincare and Einstein explained their ideas. The comparison of these 2 theories sheds light on the evolution of concepts on which the whole modern physics is based. An extended bibliography of works published on special relativity or on related topics is given. (A.C.)

A high efficiency, high quality and low cost internal regulated bioanalytical laboratory to support drug development needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yan; Dhodda, Raj; Zhang, Jun; Sydor, Jens

2014-05-01

In the recent past, we have seen an increase in the outsourcing of bioanalysis in pharmaceutical companies in support of their drug development pipeline. This trend is largely driven by the effort to reduce internal cost, especially in support of late-stage pipeline assets where established bioanalytical assays are used to analyze a large volume of samples. This article will highlight our perspective of how bioanalytical laboratories within pharmaceutical companies can be developed into the best partner in the advancement of drug development pipelines with high-quality support at competitive cost.

Educational Research Centre of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and students training on the 'Medical Physics' speciality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanova, S.P.; )

2005-01-01

The Educational Research Centre (ERC) of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research is the place of joint activity of the JINR, Moscow State University (MSU) and Moscow Engineering Physical Institute (MEFI) on students training by a broadened circle of specialities with introduction of new educational forms. Active application of medical accelerator beams of the JINR Laboratory of Nuclear Beams becomes a reason for implementation of a new training chair in the MEFI on the JINR base - the Physical methods in applied studies in the medicine chair. For the 'medical physics' trend development in 2003 the workshop on discussion both curricula and teaching methodic by the speciality was held. One the Educational Research Centre main activities is both organization and conducting an international scientific schools and training courses. The International student School 'Nuclear-Physical Methods and Accelerators is the most popular and traditional. The principal aim of these schools and courses is familiarization of students and postgraduates with last achievement and and contemporary problems of applied medical physics. The school audience is a students and postgraduates of ERC, MSU, MEFI, and an institutes of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, France, Czech and Bulgaria

National Survey on Internal Quality Control for HbA(1c) Analytical Instruments in 331 Hospital Laboratories of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Rong; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Haijian; Fei, Yang; Wang, Zhiguo

2015-01-01

The narrow gap of HbA1 value of mass fraction between "normal" (control of inter-assay standardization, assay precision, and trueness. This survey was initiated to obtain knowledge of the current situation of internal quality control (IQC) practice for HbA(1c) in China and find out the most appropriate quality specifications. Data of IQC for HbA(1c) in 331 institutions participating in the national proficiency testing (PT) programs in China were evaluated using four levels of quality specifications, and the percentages of laboratories meeting the quality requirement were calculated to find out the most appropriate quality specifications for control materials of HbA(1c) in China. The IQC data varied vastly among 331 clinical laboratories in China. The measurement of control materials covered a wide range from 4.52% to 12.24% (inter-quartile range) and there were significant differences among the CVs of different methods, including LPLC, CE-HPLC, AC-HPLC, immunoturbidimetry, and others. Among the four main methods, CE-HPLC and AC-HPLC achieved a better precision. As we can see, the performance of laboratories for HbA(1c) has yet to be improved. Clinical laboratories in China should improve their performance with a stricter imprecision criteria.

Transactive memory in organizational groups: the effects of content, consensus, specialization, and accuracy on group performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, John R

2003-10-01

Previous research on transactive memory has found a positive relationship between transactive memory system development and group performance in single project laboratory and ad hoc groups. Closely related research on shared mental models and expertise recognition supports these findings. In this study, the author examined the relationship between transactive memory systems and performance in mature, continuing groups. A group's transactive memory system, measured as a combination of knowledge stock, knowledge specialization, transactive memory consensus, and transactive memory accuracy, is positively related to group goal performance, external group evaluations, and internal group evaluations. The positive relationship with group performance was found to hold for both task and external relationship transactive memory systems.

New way of demonstrating the competence of a laboratory measuring radionuclides - The international draft standard ISO/IEC DIS 17025

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palsson, S.E.

1999-01-01

In recent years there has been increased interest, and even need, amongst laboratories performing measurements of radionuclides to obtain accreditation. It has been discussed how this could be achieved with maximum flexibility for the laboratories and with minimum effort. The issuing of a new draft international standard, the ISO/IEC DIS 17025, created speculations whether it could offer a new and better way for laboratories to obtain accreditation. It was decided within the NKS/BOK-1.1 project to explore possible options for obtaining accreditation and what possibilities the new standard could offer. The benefits of computerised document control systems were also explored. The results were reported at the 12th Annual Meeting of the Nordic Society for Radiation Protection, 23-27 August 1999. Since then the final version of the standard has been published. The voting will continue until November 16th 1999 and is not clear at present whether the standard will be accepted or not. The original version of this paper was updated to reflect these recent developments. (au)

Training of nuclear power professionals in international courses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanter, M.A.

1979-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory has presented nine international courses in the IAEA Nuclear Power Training Program. Five have been overview courses fifteen weeks in length and four have been specialized courses ranging from five to nine weeks. A total of 286 participants from 38 countries have been traned in these courses. The Argonne courses comprise approximately 40% of the Agency's program, which is also carried out in France, Spain, and the Federal Republic of Germany. The two types of overview courses, one covering the planning phase of a project and the other the construction and operation phase, surveyed all aspects of nuclear power programs--economic, managerial, regulatory, and technical. Experience has shown that the majority of the participants in those courses had concentrated interest in specialized areas. Specialized courses have now been offered on five specific subjects. Based on past course evaluations by our staff, 37% of those trained were judged capable of making significant contribution to their country's nuclear program, 44% were judged potentially capable of such contributions, 17% were capable of only limited contribution, and 2% were inappropriately selected. Participation in international training has been very useful because of the exposure to working experts and because of the interaction between participants from the different developing countries. It is clear that such courses of moderate length sometimes attract senior management personnel, but in general can best be directed to responsible staff at middle management levels. More junior staff would be more effectively trained at the national level. Preliminary results of a Center survey of those participants who were trained two years ago have confirmed these conclusions

The hot cell laboratories for material investigations of the Institute for Safety Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viehrig, H W

1998-10-01

Special facilities for handling and testing of irradiated specimens are necessary, to perform the investigation of activated material. The Institute for Safety Research has two hot cell laboratories: - the preparation laboratory and - the materials testing laboratory. This report is intended to give an overview of the available facilities and developed techniques in the laboratories. (orig.)

Incorporating the International Polar Year Into Introductory Geology Laboratories at Ohio State University

Science.gov (United States)

Judge, S. A.; Wilson, T. J.

2005-12-01

The International Polar Year (IPY) provides an excellent opportunity for highlighting polar research in education. The ultimate goal of our outreach and education program is to develop a series of modules that are focused on societally-relevant topics being investigated in Antarctic earth science, while teaching basic geologic concepts that are standard elements of school curricula. For example, we envision a university-level, undergraduate, introductory earth science class with the entire semester/quarter laboratory program focused on polar earth science research during the period of the International Polar Year. To attain this goal, a series of modules will be developed, including inquiry-based exercises founded on imagery (video, digital photos, digital core scans), GIS data layers, maps, and data sets available from OSU research groups. Modules that highlight polar research are also suitable for the K-12 audience. Scaleable/grade appropriate modules that use some of the same data sets as the undergraduate modules can be outlined for elementary through high school earth science classes. An initial module is being developed that focuses on paleoclimate data. The module provides a hands-on investigation of the climate history archived in both ice cores and sedimentary rock cores in order to understand time scales, drivers, and processes of global climate change. The paleoclimate module also demonstrates the types of polar research that are ongoing at OSU, allowing students to observe what research the faculty are undertaking in their respective fields. This will link faculty research with student education in the classroom, enhancing learning outcomes. Finally, this module will provide a direct link to U.S. Antarctic Program research related to the International Polar Year, when new ice and sedimentary rock cores will be obtained and analyzed. As a result of this laboratory exercise, the students will be able to: (1) Define an ice core and a sedimentary rock core

Editorial: Special issue on education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masal Ercan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This special issue consists of selected proceedings presented in ERPA International Congresses on Education 2017 which was held in Budapest / Hungary, 18-21 May 2017. Studies are related to educational sciences, science and mathematics education, social sciences education, health and sports science education, music and fine arts education, computer education and instructional technology, language education and management of education. There are eighty valuable studies in this special issue. In sum the results of studies will contribute to the field.

3-D Animation, NL Editing & Special Effects Software Lab

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Visual Effects Team of the Indirect Fire Division is a team of highly skilled people with specialized training and experience in Multimedia Production. Utilizing...

EDITORIAL: Special issue containing papers presented at the 12th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers Special issue containing papers presented at the 12th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Hahm, T. S.

2010-06-01

The 12th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers was held at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey, USA between September 30 and October 2, 2009. This meeting was the continuation of a series of previous meetings which was initiated in 1987 and has been held bi-annually since then. Following the recent tradition at the last few meetings, the program was sub- divided into six sessions. At each session, an overview talk was presented, followed by two or three shorter oral presentations which supplemented the coverage of important issues. These talks were followed by discussion periods and poster sessions of contributed papers. The sessions were: Physics of Transition to/from Enhanced Confinement Regimes, Pedestal and Edge Localized Mode Dynamics, Plasma Rotation and Momentum Transport, Role of 3D Physics in Transport Barriers, Transport Barriers: Theory and Simulations and High Priority ITER Issues on Transport Barriers. The diversity of the 90 registered participants was remarkable, with 22 different nationalities. US participants were in the majority (36), followed by Japan (14), South Korea (7), and China (6). This special issue of Nuclear Fusion consists of a cluster of 18 accepted papers from submitted manuscripts based on overview talks and poster presentations. The paper selection procedure followed the guidelines of Nuclear Fusion which are essentially the same as for regular articles with an additional requirement on timeliness of submission, review and revision. One overview paper and five contributed papers report on the H-mode pedestal related results which reflect the importance of this issue concerning the successful operation of ITER. Four papers address the rotation and momentum transport which play a crucial role in transport barrier physics. The transport barrier transition condition is the main focus of other four papers. Finally, four additional papers are devoted to the behaviour and control of

A streamlined Western blot exercise: An efficient and greener approach in the laboratory classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Ness, Traci L; Robinson, Rebekah L; Mojadedi, Wais; Peavy, Lydia; Weiland, Mitch H

2015-01-01

SDS-PAGE and western blotting are two commonly taught protein detection techniques in biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory classrooms. A pitfall associated with incorporating these techniques into the laboratory is the significant wait times that do not allow students to obtain timely results. The waiting associated with SDS-PAGE comes from staining and destaining, whereas with western blotting it is the times required for antibody incubations and the numerous wash steps. This laboratory exercise incorporates 2,2,2-trichloroethanol (TCE) into the SDS-PAGE gel allowing for visualization of migrated proteins in a matter of minutes, saving both the time and chemical waste associated with traditional Coomassie staining. Additionally, TCE staining does not affect protein transfer eliminating the requirement for duplicated gels for total protein and western analyses. Protein transfer can be confirmed immediately without the use of Ponceau S staining. Lastly, this western blot procedure has been further shortened by using an HRP-conjugated primary antibody, which eliminates the secondary antibody incubation and washes, and uses a colorimetric detection to allow for visualization by students without the need for specialized equipment. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Laboratory capacity building for the International Health Regulations (IHR[2005]) in resource-poor countries: the experience of the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET).

Science.gov (United States)

Masanza, Monica Musenero; Nqobile, Ndlovu; Mukanga, David; Gitta, Sheba Nakacubo

2010-12-03

Laboratory is one of the core capacities that countries must develop for the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR[2005]) since laboratory services play a major role in all the key processes of detection, assessment, response, notification, and monitoring of events. While developed countries easily adapt their well-organized routine laboratory services, resource-limited countries need considerable capacity building as many gaps still exist. In this paper, we discuss some of the efforts made by the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) in supporting laboratory capacity development in the Africa region. The efforts range from promoting graduate level training programs to building advanced technical, managerial and leadership skills to in-service short course training for peripheral laboratory staff. A number of specific projects focus on external quality assurance, basic laboratory information systems, strengthening laboratory management towards accreditation, equipment calibration, harmonization of training materials, networking and provision of pre-packaged laboratory kits to support outbreak investigation. Available evidence indicates a positive effect of these efforts on laboratory capacity in the region. However, many opportunities exist, especially to support the roll-out of these projects as well as attending to some additional critical areas such as biosafety and biosecuity. We conclude that AFENET's approach of strengthening national and sub-national systems provide a model that could be adopted in resource-limited settings such as sub-Saharan Africa.

Modelling Inclusive Special Needs Education: Insights from Dutch Secondary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Bij, T.; Geijsel, F. P.; Garst, G. J. A.; Ten Dam, G. T. M.

2016-01-01

Inclusive special needs education is prominent on the international education agenda. Research on the characteristics of inclusive education for students with special needs and schools providing this is scarce, however. Our aim in the present study was therefore to further theory-building with regard to inclusive special needs education. On the…

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-04-18

Apr 18, 2018 ... WORLD THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL ... It has been explored by many a Russian and foreign researcher. ... attempt to focus, instead of going back to the analysis of past experience, on the subject from ... intercultural interaction between various nations, was given special ...

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-05-15

May 15, 2016 ... Research Article. Special Issue. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. International License. ... innovation is defined as: accepting ideas or behaviors in the organization that are novel and unfamiliar. Innovation can be in form ...

Roles and responsibilities of the special-section editor

KAUST Repository

Marfurt, Kurt; Schuster, Gerald; Danker, Sheral; Nemeth, Balazs; Bui, Huyen; Zeng, Hongliu

2017-01-01

, there are two additional advantages of the special-section format. First, the journal broadens the scope of contributors beyond those whose career advancement (typically in academia and in government laboratories) requires them to publish in peer

Safe handling of plutonium in research laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

The training film illustrates the main basic requirements for the safe handling of small amounts of plutonium. The film is intended not only for people setting up plutonium research laboratories but also for all those who work in existing plutonium research laboratories. It was awarded the first prize in the category ''Protection of Workers'' at the international film festival organized by the 4th World Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) in Paris in April 1977

Safe handling of plutonium in research laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1977-12-31

The training film illustrates the main basic requirements for the safe handling of small amounts of plutonium. The film is intended not only for people setting up plutonium research laboratories but also for all those who work in existing plutonium research laboratories. It was awarded the first prize in the category ``Protection of Workers`` at the international film festival organized by the 4th World Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) in Paris in April 1977

Adaptive Memory: Is Survival Processing Special?

Science.gov (United States)

Nairne, James S.; Pandeirada, Josefa N. S.

2008-01-01

Do the operating characteristics of memory continue to bear the imprints of ancestral selection pressures? Previous work in our laboratory has shown that human memory may be specially tuned to retain information processed in terms of its survival relevance. A few seconds of survival processing in an incidental learning context can produce recall…

Vertical specialization and industrial upgrading: a preliminary note

OpenAIRE

Xiao Jiang; William Milberg

2012-01-01

Abstract Vertical specialization is a measure of the import content of exports. Given the widely recognized importance of trade in tasks and global production networks, vertical specialization has recently gained the attention of international trade researchers and policy makers. In this note, we use measured changes in the within-country pattern of vertical specialization to gauge the relevance of task trade for industrial upgrading and economic development. We first calculate vertical speci...

Laboratory Calibration Studies in Support of ORGANICS on the International Space Station: Evolution of Organic Matter in Space

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiterkamp, R.; Ehrenfreund, P.; Halasinski, T.; Salama, F.; Foing, B.; Schmidt, W.

2002-01-01

This paper describes the scientific overview and current status of ORGANICS an exposure experiment performed on the International Space Station (ISS) to study the evolution of organic matter in space (PI: P. Ehrenfreund), with supporting laboratory experiments performed at NASA Ames. ORGANICS investigates the chemical evolution of samples submitted to long-duration exposure to space environment in near-Earth orbit. This experiment will provide information on the nature, evolution, and survival of carbon species in the interstellar medium (ISM) and in solar system targets.

The Chemistry behind Special Effects in Film and Television

Science.gov (United States)

Short, Daniel B.; Badger, Paul D.

2013-01-01

The chemistry behind practical special effects in the film and television industry is discussed, along with examples of commonly used chemical demonstrations that simulate them in the laboratory. (Contains 3 figures.)

26 CFR 25.2702-1 - Special valuation rules in the case of transfers of interests in trust.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special valuation rules in the case of transfers of interests in trust. 25.2702-1 Section 25.2702-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES GIFT TAX; GIFTS MADE AFTER DECEMBER 31, 1954 Special Valuation Rules § 25.2702-1 Special...

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-06-15

Jun 15, 2016 ... International License. ... confirmatory factor analysis which is a technique to study the structure of a ... School as a social institution is part of a special community that has ... specifies the amount of support that teacher thinks that students ..... social adjustment and academic performance in third grade female ...

Sandia National Laboratories Internal Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual (Rev 4)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goke, Sarah Hayes [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Elliott, Nathan Ryan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-09-01

The Sandia National Laboratories’ Internal Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual is intended to provide extended technical discussion and justification of the internal dosimetry program at SNL. It serves to record the approach to evaluating internal doses from radiobioassay data, and where appropriate, from workplace monitoring data per the Department of Energy Internal Dosimetry Program Guide DOE G 441.1C. The discussion contained herein is directed primarily to current and future SNL internal dosimetrists. In an effort to conserve space in the TBM and avoid duplication, it contains numerous references providing an entry point into the internal dosimetry literature relevant to this program. The TBM is not intended to act as a policy or procedure statement, but will supplement the information normally found in procedures or policy documents. The internal dosimetry program outlined in this manual is intended to meet the requirements of Federal Rule 10CFR835 for monitoring the workplace and for assessing internal radiation doses to workers.

Radiation detectors laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez J, F.J.

1997-01-01

The Radiation detectors laboratory was established with the assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency which gave this the responsibility to provide its services at National and regional level for Latin America and it is located at the ININ. The more expensive and delicate radiation detectors are those made of semiconductor, so it has been put emphasis in the use and repairing of these detectors type. The supplied services by this laboratory are: selection consultant, detectors installation and handling and associated systems. Installation training, preventive and corrective maintenance of detectors and detection systems calibration. (Author)

26 CFR 1.401(m)-4 - Special rules for mergers, acquisitions and similar events. [Reserved

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special rules for mergers, acquisitions and similar events. [Reserved] 1.401(m)-4 Section 1.401(m)-4 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE... Bonus Plans, Etc. § 1.401(m)-4 Special rules for mergers, acquisitions and similar events. [Reserved] ...

Safety Design Requirements for The Interior Architecture of Scientific Research Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElDib, A.A.

2014-01-01

The paper discusses one of the primary objectives of interior architecture design of research laboratories (specially those using radioactive materials) where it should provide a safe, accessible environment for laboratory personnel to conduct their work. A secondary objective is to allow for maximum flexibility for safe research. Therefore, health and safety hazards must be anticipated and carefully evaluated so that protective measures can be incorporated into the interior architectural design of these facilities wherever possible. The interior architecture requirements discussed in this paper illustrate some of the basic health and safety design features required for new and remodeled laboratories.The paper discusses one of the primary objectives of interior architecture design of research laboratories (specially those using radioactive materials) where it should provide a safe, accessible environment for laboratory personnel to conduct their work. A secondary objective is to allow for maximum flexibility for safe research. Therefore, health and safety hazards must be anticipated and carefully evaluated so that protective measures can be incorporated into the interior architectural design of these facilities wherever possible. The interior architecture requirements discussed in this paper illustrate some of the basic health and safety design features required for new and remodeled laboratories.

[ROLE AND EVOLUTION OF A SPECIALIZED SCIENCE LIBRARY].

Science.gov (United States)

PREOBRAJENSKYJ DE

1964-01-01

This paper deals with the present position of a specialized scientific library, the increase in the number of such libraries, and their development in conjunction with that of the institutes and laboratories to which they belong. It describes the danger for these libraries of too great expansion and the need to restrict themselves to a well-defined area. The different categories of specialized scientific libraries are reviewed, as well as the role of each of these categories vis-à-vis overburdened university libraries. There is an account of the assistance given [by specialized scientific libraries] to university libraries now and in the near future.

Laboratory of High resolution gamma spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendez G, A.; Giber F, J.; Rivas C, I.; Reyes A, B.

1992-01-01

The Department of Nuclear Experimentation of the Nuclear Systems Management requests the collaboration of the Engineering unit for the supervision of the execution of the work of the High resolution Gamma spectrometry and low bottom laboratory, using the hut of the sub critic reactor of the Nuclear Center of Mexico. This laboratory has the purpose of determining the activity of special materials irradiated in nuclear power plants. In this report the architecture development, concepts, materials and diagrams for the realization of this type of work are presented. (Author)

Quality system applied to the development and operation of the environmental and internal dosimetry laboratory of the National Atomic Energy Commission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossi, Mirta H.; Picardi, Haydee M.; Rona, Nicolas F.; Gonzalez, Maria I.; Cohen, Isaac M.

1997-01-01

The characteristics of the quality plan , applied to the project of construction, commissioning and operation of the Laboratory of Internal and Environmental Dosimetry of Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, are described. The basic objectives are: to carry out the determination of plutonium, natural and enriched uranium in biological samples, involving the operation of five plants connected with the fuel cycles, and radionuclides in environmental samples; to achieve enough sensitivity in the methods, so as to detect trends which could require the application of corrective measures or, alternatively, the practices standardisation that contribute to an operation improvement; to adequate the laboratory, under full operation conditions, for inclusion in a dose evaluation and environmental monitoring integrated system. (author). 1 ref

Quality in the molecular microbiology laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Paul S; MacKay, William G

2013-01-01

In the clinical microbiology laboratory advances in nucleic acid detection, quantification, and sequence analysis have led to considerable improvements in the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of infectious diseases. Molecular diagnostic methods are routinely used to make clinical decisions based on when and how to treat a patient as well as monitor the effectiveness of a therapeutic regime and identify any potential drug resistant strains that may impact on the long term patient treatment program. Therefore, confidence in the reliability of the result provided by the laboratory service to the clinician is essential for patient treatment. Hence, suitable quality assurance and quality control measures are important to ensure that the laboratory methods and service meet the necessary regulatory requirements both at the national and international level. In essence, the modern clinical microbiology laboratory ensures the appropriateness of its services through a quality management system that monitors all aspects of the laboratory service pre- and post-analytical-from patient sample receipt to reporting of results, from checking and upholding staff competency within the laboratory to identifying areas for quality improvements within the service offered. For most European based clinical microbiology laboratories this means following the common International Standard Organization (ISO9001) framework and ISO15189 which sets out the quality management requirements for the medical laboratory (BS EN ISO 15189 (2003) Medical laboratories-particular requirements for quality and competence. British Standards Institute, Bristol, UK). In the United States clinical laboratories performing human diagnostic tests are regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) following the requirements within the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments document 1988 (CLIA-88). This chapter focuses on the key quality assurance and quality control requirements within the

Laboratory quality improvement in Thailand's northernmost provinces.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanitvittaya, S; Suksai, U; Suksripanich, O; Pobkeeree, V

2010-01-01

In Thailand nearly 1000 public health laboratories serve 65 million people. A qualified indicator of a good quality laboratory is Thailand Medical Technology Council certification. Consequently, Chiang Rai Regional Medical Sciences Center established a development program for laboratory certification for 29 laboratories in the province. This paper seeks to examine this issue. The goal was to improve laboratory service quality by voluntary participation, peer review, training and compliance with standards. The program consisted of specific activities. Training and workshops to update laboratory staffs' quality management knowledge were organized. Staff in each laboratory performed a self-assessment using a standard check-list to evaluate ten laboratory management areas. Chiang Rai Regional Medical Sciences Center staff supported the distribution of quality materials and documents. They provided calibration services for laboratory equipment. Peer groups performed an internal audit and successful laboratories received Thailand Medical Technology Council certification. By December 2007, eight of the 29 laboratories had improved quality sufficiently to be certified. Factors that influenced laboratories' readiness for quality improvement included the number of staff, their knowledge, budget and staff commitment to the process. Moreover, the support of each hospital's laboratory working group or network was essential for success. There was no clear policy for supporting the program. Laboratories voluntarily conducted quality management using existing resources. A bottom-up approach to this kind of project can be difficult to accomplish. Laboratory professionals can work together to illustrate and highlight outcomes for top-level health officials. A top-down, practical approach would be much less difficult to implement. Quality certification is a critical step for laboratory staff, which also encourages them to aspire to international quality standards like ISO. The

The Development of Customary International Law by International Organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Odermatt, Jed

2017-01-01

In his Fourth Report on the Identification of Customary International Law (2016), Special Rapporteur Michael Wood confirmed that ‘[i]n certain cases, the practice of international organizations also contributes to the expression, or creation, of rules of customary international law.......’ That the practice of international organizations can be relevant when identifying customary international law is relatively uncontroversial. The practice of states within international organizations such as the UN General Assembly, for example, may contribute to the development of custom. Yet, there is little...... discussion about whether and how the practice of international organizations as such may contribute to the development of customary international law. This contribution discusses the organization that is the most capable of contributing to the development of customary international law in its own right...

Special issue on “Internal audit and corporate governance” : Introduction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Allegrini, M.; Melville, R.; Paape, L.; Selim, G.

2009-01-01

The article focuses on the internal auditing and corporate governance issues in the U.S. It states that due to various financial scandals, internal control and internal audit function should be within the core of corporate governance. It mentions that a report from the Treadway Commission presumes

26 CFR 1.401(k)-5 - Special rules for mergers, acquisitions and similar events. [Reserved

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special rules for mergers, acquisitions and similar events. [Reserved] 1.401(k)-5 Section 1.401(k)-5 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE... Bonus Plans, Etc. § 1.401(k)-5 Special rules for mergers, acquisitions and similar events. [Reserved] [T...

26 CFR 25.6324-1 - Special lien for gift tax.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special lien for gift tax. 25.6324-1 Section 25... GIFT TAXES GIFT TAX; GIFTS MADE AFTER DECEMBER 31, 1954 Procedure and Administration § 25.6324-1 Special lien for gift tax. For regulations concerning the special lien for the gift tax, see § 301.6324-1...

7 CFR 98.3 - Analyses performed and locations of laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... the special laboratory analyses rendered by the Science and Technology as a result of an agreement... Sausage Fat, salt 4 Pork Sausage Fat, moisture 4 Pork Sausage Fat 4 Mil-P-44131A (Pork Steaks, Flaked... performed at any one of the Science and Technology (S&T) field laboratories as follows: (1) USDA, AMS...

Editorial : Special Issue on Advances in Computer Entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2015-01-01

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

[The National Reference Centres and Reference Laboratories. Importance and tasks].

Science.gov (United States)

Laude, G; Ammon, A

2005-09-01

Since 1995, the German Federal Ministry for Health and Social Security funds National Reference Centres (NRC) for the laboratory surveillance of important pathogens and syndromes. Which pathogens or syndromes are selected to be covered by a NRC depends on their epidemiological relevance, the special diagnostic tools, problems with antimicrobial resistance and necessary infection control measures. Currently, there are 15 NRC, which are appointed for a period of 3 years (currently from January 2005 through December 2007). Towards the end of their appointment all NRC are evaluated by a group of specialists. The assessment of their achievements is guided by a catalogue of tasks for the NRC. In addition to the NRC, a total of 50 laboratories are appointed which provide specialist expertise for additional pathogens in order to have a broad range of pathogens for which specialist laboratories are available. Their predominant task is to give advice and support for special diagnostic problems. Both NRC and the specialist laboratories are important parts of the network for infectious disease epidemiology.

Radioisotope laboratory in Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1961-01-01

The Turkish Government formally requested that the Agency provide for one year the services of an expert in the agricultural applications of radioisotopes. Specifically, they wanted this expert first of all to assist in setting up and equipping a pioneer laboratory for the utilization of radioisotopes in agricultural research. Once the laboratory was in operation, the expert was to initiate various research projects using isotope techniques, and to train personnel to carry on this work. The Agency was also asked to supply various specialized equipment for the laboratory, including some radioisotopes. On 10 December 1960 the first phase was complete - the new laboratory was formally opened. It is foreseen that the research projects which will be initiated at the laboratory will include the following: determination of the effect of fertilizers upon yield and quality of field crops and fruit trees, soil fertility studies, studies of mineral element uptake and localization of nutrients in plant body, studies of the folar application of mineral nutrients, especially in fruit trees, investigation of microelements in field crops and fruit trees, investigation of pollination problems, study of the distribution of mineral elements in different fruit seedlings, study of the uptake of nutrients by fruit trees during the rest period, dispersal studies on insects, insecticide studies

Radioisotope laboratory in Turkey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1961-04-15

The Turkish Government formally requested that the Agency provide for one year the services of an expert in the agricultural applications of radioisotopes. Specifically, they wanted this expert first of all to assist in setting up and equipping a pioneer laboratory for the utilization of radioisotopes in agricultural research. Once the laboratory was in operation, the expert was to initiate various research projects using isotope techniques, and to train personnel to carry on this work. The Agency was also asked to supply various specialized equipment for the laboratory, including some radioisotopes. On 10 December 1960 the first phase was complete - the new laboratory was formally opened. It is foreseen that the research projects which will be initiated at the laboratory will include the following: determination of the effect of fertilizers upon yield and quality of field crops and fruit trees, soil fertility studies, studies of mineral element uptake and localization of nutrients in plant body, studies of the folar application of mineral nutrients, especially in fruit trees, investigation of microelements in field crops and fruit trees, investigation of pollination problems, study of the distribution of mineral elements in different fruit seedlings, study of the uptake of nutrients by fruit trees during the rest period, dispersal studies on insects, insecticide studies.

[Outsourcing of clinical laboratory department].

Science.gov (United States)

Murai, T

2000-03-01

Recently, to improve financial difficulties at various hospitals, outsourcing of the laboratory department is be coming more wide spread. At the department of clinical pathology of St. Luke's International Hospital, the system, so called, "Branch labo" which is one of the outsourcing laboratory conditions, was adopted in March 1999. In this reports. We described the decision procedure for accepting the situation and the circumstances of operation.

International trade of animal feed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, Jingmeng; Liu, Qian; Hou, Yong; Qin, Wei; Lesschen, Jan Peter; Zhang, Fusuo; Oenema, Oene

2018-01-01

International trade of food and feed has facilitated the specialization and agglomeration of agricultural production systems in many countries. Confined animals in specialized production systems are increasingly supplied with soybean and maize, imported from other countries. This has increased

Virtual Special Issue on Migration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jordan, Declan; Elhorst, Paul

2016-01-01

This editorial introduces a virtual special issue of Spatial Economic Analysis compiled to mark the keynote lecture at the 46th Annual Conference of the Regional Science Association InternationalBritish and Irish Section in Cornwall by Professor Jacques Poot of the National Institute of Demographic

Adding value to laboratory medicine: a professional responsibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Beastall, Graham H

2013-01-01

Laboratory medicine is a medical specialty at the centre of healthcare. When used optimally laboratory medicine generates knowledge that can facilitate patient safety, improve patient outcomes, shorten patient journeys and lead to more cost-effective healthcare. Optimal use of laboratory medicine relies on dynamic and authoritative leadership outside as well as inside the laboratory. The first responsibility of the head of a clinical laboratory is to ensure the provision of a high quality service across a wide range of parameters culminating in laboratory accreditation against an international standard, such as ISO 15189. From that essential baseline the leadership of laboratory medicine at local, national and international level needs to 'add value' to ensure the optimal delivery, use, development and evaluation of the services provided for individuals and for groups of patients. A convenient tool to illustrate added value is use of the mnemonic 'SCIENCE'. This tool allows added value to be considered in seven domains: standardisation and harmonisation; clinical effectiveness; innovation; evidence-based practice; novel applications; cost-effectiveness; and education of others. The assessment of added value in laboratory medicine may be considered against a framework that comprises three dimensions: operational efficiency; patient management; and patient behaviours. The profession and the patient will benefit from sharing examples of adding value to laboratory medicine.

[External quality assessment in clinical biochemistry laboratories: pilot study in 11 laboratories of Lomé (Togo)].

Science.gov (United States)

Kouassi, Kafui; Fétéké, Lochina; Assignon, Selom; Dorkenoo, Ameyo; Napo-Koura, Gado

2015-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the performance of a few biochemistry analysis and make recommendations to the place of the stakeholders. It is a cross-sectional study conducted between the October 1(st), 2012 and the July 31, 2013 bearing on the results of 5 common examinations of clinical biochemistry, provided by 11 laboratories volunteers opening in the public and private sectors. These laboratories have analysed during the 3 cycles, 2 levels (medium and high) of serum concentration of urea, glucose, creatinine and serum aminotransferases. The performance of laboratories have been determined from the acceptable limits corresponding to the limits of total errors, defined by the French Society of Clinical Biology (SFBC). A system of internal quality control is implemented by all laboratories and 45% of them participated in international programs of external quality assessment (EQA). The rate of acceptable results for the entire study was of 69%. There was a significant difference (plaboratories engaged in a quality approach and the group with default implementation of the quality approach. Also a significant difference was observed between the laboratories of the central level and those of the peripheral level of our health system (plaboratories remains relatively unsatisfactory. It is important that the Ministry of Health put in place a national program of EQA with mandatory participation.

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Annual technical progress report of ecological research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, M.H.

1996-07-31

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) is a research unit of the University of Georgia (UGA). The overall mission of the Laboratory is to acquire and communicate knowledge of ecological processes and principles. SREL conducts basic and applied ecological research, as well as education and outreach programs, under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. Significant accomplishments were made during the past year in the areas of research, education and service. The Laboratory`s research mission was fulfilled with the publication of two books and 143 journal articles and book chapters by faculty, technical and students, and visiting scientists. An additional three books and about 80 journal articles currently are in press. Faculty, technician and students presented 193 lectures, scientific presentations, and posters to colleges and universities, including minority institutions. Dr. J Vaun McArthur organized and conducted the Third Annual SREL Symposium on the Environment: New Concepts in Strewn Ecology: An Integrative Approach. Dr. Michael Newman conducted a 5-day course titled Quantitative Methods in Ecotoxicology, and Dr. Brian Teppen of The Advanced Analytical Center for Environmental Sciences (AACES) taught a 3-day short course titled Introduction to Molecular Modeling of Environmental Systems. Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin co-hosted a meeting of the Crocodile Special Interest Group. Dr. Rebecca Sharitz attended four symposia in Japan during May and June 1996 and conducted meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of the International Association for Ecology (ENTECOL).

Human factors at the Department of Energy National Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pond, D.J.; Waters, R.M.

1991-01-01

After World War II, a system of national laboratories was created to foster a suitable environment for scientific research. This paper reports that today, human factors activities are in evidence at most of the nine U.S. Department of Energy multi-program national laboratories as well as at a number of special program facilities. This paper provides historical and future perspectives on the DOE's human factors programs

International Journal of Health Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Erah

The International Journal of Health Research is an online international journal ... research papers, reviews and case reports on current topics of special ... formulated as Gastroretentive Drug Delivery System ...... In vivo gastric studies were run.

Aespoe hard rock laboratory Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The aim of the new Aespoe hard rock laboratory is to demonstrate state of the art of technology and evaluation methods before the start of actual construction work on the planned deep repository for spent nuclear fuel. The nine country OECD/NEA project in the Stripa mine in Sweden has been an excellent example of high quality international research co-operation. In Sweden the new Aespoe hard rock laboratory will gradually take over and finalize this work. SKB very much appreciates the continued international participation in Aespoe which is of great value for the quality efficiency, and confidence in this kind of work. We have invited a number of leading experts to this first international seminar to summarize the current state of a number of key questions. The contributions show the great progress that has taken place during the years. The results show that there is a solid scientific basis for using this knowledge on site specific preparation and work on actual repositories. (au)

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Surface Composition as a Playground for Radiative Transfer Modeling and Laboratory Measurements: an international ISSI team

Science.gov (United States)

Stephan, K.; Ciarniello, M.; Beck, P.; Filacchione, G.; Moroz, L.; Pilorget, C.; Pommerol, A.; Quirico, E.; Raponi, A.; Schröder, S.; Kappel, D.; Vinogradoff, V.; Istiqomah, I.; Rousseau, B.

2017-12-01

Remote sensing observations at visible-infrared (VIS-IR) wavelengths of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko performed by VIRTIS (Coradini et al., 2007) aboard the Rosetta mission have revealed a surface ubiquitously covered by low-albedo material (Capaccioni et al., 2015; Ciarniello et al., 2015), characterized by the presence of refractory and semi-volatile organics and dark opaque phases (Capaccioni et al., 2015; Quirico et al., 2016). However, a quantitative determination of the physical properties (grain size, porosity) and chemical composition of the surface regolith, from spectrophotometric analysis, is still missing. This subject will be investigated within an international team hosted by ISSI (International Space Science Institute), taking advantage of available and dedicated laboratory reflectance measurements on cometary analogue samples and radiative transfer models (Hapke, 2012; Shkuratov et al., 1999; Monte Carlo ray-tracing), applied to Rosetta spectrophotometric observations of the nucleus. The convergence between models and measurements will allow us to provide a thorough characterization of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko surface. At the same time, the comparison of theoretical predictions with results from laboratory reflectance spectroscopy on powders of analog materials give us the possibility to constrain the capability of the models to characterize their composition (endmember abundances and mixing modalities) and physical properties. We report about the state of the art of laboratory reflectance spectroscopy and spectral modeling applied to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko VIS-IR spectrum as well as preliminary results of the team activity and planned future work. Acknowledgements: the team thanks ISSI-Switzerland for the logistic and financial support.

Preface: The 5th International Workshop on X-ray Mirror Design, Fabrication, and Metrology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assoufid, Lahsen [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439 (United States); Goldberg, Kenneth; Yashchuk, Valeriy V. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

2016-05-15

Recent developments in synchrotron storage rings and free-electron laser-based x-ray sources with ever-increasing brightness and coherent flux have pushed x-ray optics requirements to new frontiers. This Special Topic gathers a set of articles derived from a subset of the key presentations of the International Workshop on X-ray Mirrors Fabrication (IWXM-2015) and Metrology held at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA, July 14–16, 2015. The workshop objective was to report on recent progress in x-ray synchrotron radiation mirrors fabrication as well as on new developments in related metrology tools and methods.

Prototype international quality assurance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broadway, J.A.; Chambless, D.A.; Sapozhnikov, Yu.A.; Kalmykov, S.N.

1998-01-01

The international community presently lacks the ability to determine the quality and credibility of environmental measurements that is required to make sound decisions in matters related to international security, public health, and investment-related considerations. The ultimate goal of the work described in this article is to develop a credible information base including measurement capability for determination of environmental contamination and the potential for proliferation of material components of chemical or nuclear weapons. This study compared the accuracy obtained by six Russian and six U.S. laboratories for samples representative of classes of trace metals, dioxing-furans, and radioactive substances. The results obtained in this work indicate that current estimates for laboratory accuracy are likely overly optimistic. The weaknesses discovered by this prototype U.S. - Russia study also exist within the broader international community of laboratories. Further work is proposed to address the urgent need for the international community to improve performance evaluations for analytical measurements. (author)

Laboratory diagnostic methods, system of quality and validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ašanin Ružica

2005-01-01

Full Text Available It is known that laboratory investigations secure safe and reliable results that provide a final confirmation of the quality of work. Ideas, planning, knowledge, skills, experience, and environment, along with good laboratory practice, quality control and reliability of quality, make the area of biological investigations very complex. In recent years, quality control, including the control of work in the laboratory, is based on international standards and is used at that level. The implementation of widely recognized international standards, such as the International Standard ISO/IEC 17025 (1 and the implementing of the quality system series ISO/IEC 9000 (2 have become the imperative on the grounds of which laboratories have a formal, visible and corresponding system of quality. The diagnostic methods that are used must constantly yield results which identify the animal as positive or negative, and the precise status of the animal is determined with a predefined degree of statistical significance. Methods applied on a selected population reduce the risk of obtaining falsely positive or falsely negative results. A condition for this are well conceived and documented methods, with the application of the corresponding reagents, and work with professional and skilled staff. This process requires also a consistent implementation of the most rigorous experimental plans, epidemiological and statistical data and estimations, with constant monitoring of the validity of the applied methods. Such an approach is necessary in order to cut down the number of misconceptions and accidental mistakes, for a referent population of animals on which the validity of a method is tested. Once a valid method is included in daily routine investigations, it is necessary to apply constant monitoring for the purpose of internal quality control, in order adequately to evaluate its reproducibility and reliability. Consequently, it is necessary at least twice yearly to conduct

Tiger Team assessment of the Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-05-01

This report documents the Tiger Team Assessment of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. SNL, Albuquerque, is operated by the Sandia Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company) for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The environmental assessment also included DOE tenant facilities at Ross Aviation, Albuquerque Microelectronics Operation, and the Central Training Academy. The assessment was conducted from April 15 to May 24, 1991, under the auspices of DOE's Office of Special Projects under the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health (ES H). The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing ES H disciplines, management, self-assessments, and quality assurance; transportation; and waste management operations. Compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal SNL, Albuquerque, requirements were assessed. In addition, an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of DOE and SNL, Albuquerque management of ES H programs was conducted.

Tiger Team assessment of the Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-05-01

This report documents the Tiger Team Assessment of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. SNL, Albuquerque, is operated by the Sandia Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company) for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The environmental assessment also included DOE tenant facilities at Ross Aviation, Albuquerque Microelectronics Operation, and the Central Training Academy. The assessment was conducted from April 15 to May 24, 1991, under the auspices of DOE's Office of Special Projects under the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health (ES ampersand H). The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing ES ampersand H disciplines, management, self-assessments, and quality assurance; transportation; and waste management operations. Compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal SNL, Albuquerque, requirements were assessed. In addition, an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of DOE and SNL, Albuquerque management of ES ampersand H programs was conducted

Biological and Physical Space Research Laboratory 2002 Science Review

Science.gov (United States)

Curreri, P. A. (Editor); Robinson, M. B. (Editor); Murphy, K. L. (Editor)

2003-01-01

With the International Space Station Program approaching core complete, our NASA Headquarters sponsor, the new Code U Enterprise, Biological and Physical Research, is shifting its research emphasis from purely fundamental microgravity and biological sciences to strategic research aimed at enabling human missions beyond Earth orbit. Although we anticipate supporting microgravity research on the ISS for some time to come, our laboratory has been vigorously engaged in developing these new strategic research areas.This Technical Memorandum documents the internal science research at our laboratory as presented in a review to Dr. Ann Whitaker, MSFC Science Director, in July 2002. These presentations have been revised and updated as appropriate for this report. It provides a snapshot of the internal science capability of our laboratory as an aid to other NASA organizations and the external scientific community.

6th International Meshing Roundtable '97

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, D.

1997-09-01

The goal of the 6th International Meshing Roundtable is to bring together researchers and developers from industry, academia, and government labs in a stimulating, open environment for the exchange of technical information related to the meshing process. In the pas~ the Roundtable has enjoyed significant participation born each of these groups from a wide variety of countries. The Roundtable will consist of technical presentations from contributed papers and abstracts, two invited speakers, and two invited panels of experts discussing topics related to the development and use of automatic mesh generation tools. In addition, this year we will feature a "Bring Your Best Mesh" competition and poster session to encourage discussion and participation from a wide variety of mesh generation tool users. The schedule and evening social events are designed to provide numerous opportunities for informal dialog. A proceedings will be published by Sandia National Laboratories and distributed at the Roundtable. In addition, papers of exceptionally high quaIity will be submitted to a special issue of the International Journal of Computational Geometry and Applications. Papers and one page abstracts were sought that present original results on the meshing process. Potential topics include but are got limited to: Unstructured triangular and tetrahedral mesh generation Unstructured quadrilateral and hexahedral mesh generation Automated blocking and structured mesh generation Mixed element meshing Surface mesh generation Geometry decomposition and clean-up techniques Geometry modification techniques related to meshing Adaptive mesh refinement and mesh quality control Mesh visualization Special purpose meshing algorithms for particular applications Theoretical or novel ideas with practical potential Technical presentations from industrial researchers.

Modelling inclusive special needs education : Insights from Dutch secondary schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Bij, T.; Geijsel, F.P.; Garst, G.J.A.; Ten Dam, G.T.M.

2016-01-01

Inclusive special needs education is prominent on the international education agenda. Research on the characteristics of inclusive education for students with special needs and schools providing this is scarce, however. Our aim in the present study was therefore to further theory-building with

Transformation of internal solitary waves at the "deep" and "shallow" shelf: satellite observations and laboratory experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. D. Shishkina

2013-10-01

Full Text Available An interaction of internal solitary waves with the shelf edge in the time periods related to the presence of a pronounced seasonal pycnocline in the Red Sea and in the Alboran Sea is analysed via satellite photos and SAR images. Laboratory data on transformation of a solitary wave of depression while passing along the transverse bottom step were obtained in a tank with a two-layer stratified fluid. The certain difference between two characteristic types of hydrophysical phenomena was revealed both in the field observations and in experiments. The hydrological conditions for these two processes were named the "deep" and the "shallow" shelf respectively. The first one provides the generation of the secondary periodic short internal waves – "runaway" edge waves – due to change in the polarity of a part of a soliton approaching the shelf normally. Another one causes a periodic shear flow in the upper quasi-homogeneous water layer with the period of incident solitary wave. The strength of the revealed mechanisms depends on the thickness of the water layer between the pycnocline and the shelf bottom as well as on the amplitude of the incident solitary wave.

Errors in clinical laboratories or errors in laboratory medicine?

Science.gov (United States)

Plebani, Mario

2006-01-01

Laboratory testing is a highly complex process and, although laboratory services are relatively safe, they are not as safe as they could or should be. Clinical laboratories have long focused their attention on quality control methods and quality assessment programs dealing with analytical aspects of testing. However, a growing body of evidence accumulated in recent decades demonstrates that quality in clinical laboratories cannot be assured by merely focusing on purely analytical aspects. The more recent surveys on errors in laboratory medicine conclude that in the delivery of laboratory testing, mistakes occur more frequently before (pre-analytical) and after (post-analytical) the test has been performed. Most errors are due to pre-analytical factors (46-68.2% of total errors), while a high error rate (18.5-47% of total errors) has also been found in the post-analytical phase. Errors due to analytical problems have been significantly reduced over time, but there is evidence that, particularly for immunoassays, interference may have a serious impact on patients. A description of the most frequent and risky pre-, intra- and post-analytical errors and advice on practical steps for measuring and reducing the risk of errors is therefore given in the present paper. Many mistakes in the Total Testing Process are called "laboratory errors", although these may be due to poor communication, action taken by others involved in the testing process (e.g., physicians, nurses and phlebotomists), or poorly designed processes, all of which are beyond the laboratory's control. Likewise, there is evidence that laboratory information is only partially utilized. A recent document from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommends a new, broader definition of the term "laboratory error" and a classification of errors according to different criteria. In a modern approach to total quality, centered on patients' needs and satisfaction, the risk of errors and mistakes

Semiclassical description of scattering with internal degrees of freedom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz-Barrios, S.; Gomez-Camacho, J.

1998-01-01

The scattering of systems with internal degrees of freedom is studied in the semi-classical approximation. It is found that a special set of states, named coherent internal states, are specially relevant for the semi-classical treatment. A classical trajectory is defined for each coherent internal state. The semi-classical expressions obtained satisfy the superposition principle and are valid for arbitrary coupling strength. (orig.)

Challenges and opportunities in international molecular cancer prevention research: An ASPO Molecular Epidemiology and the Environment and International Cancer Prevention Interest Groups Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Epplein, Meira; Bostick, Roberd M; Mu, Lina; Ogino, Shuji; Braithwaite, Dejana; Kanetsky, Peter A

2014-11-01

The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that over half of the new cancer cases and almost two-thirds of the cancer deaths in 2012 occurred in low and middle income countries. To discuss the challenges and opportunities to reducing the burden of cancer worldwide, the Molecular Epidemiology and the Environment and the International Issues in Cancer Special Interest Groups joined forces to hold a session during the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Preventive Oncology (March 2014, Arlington, Virginia). The session highlighted three topics of particular interest to molecular cancer prevention researchers working internationally, specifically: 1) biomarkers in cancer research; 2) environmental exposures and cancer; and 3) molecular pathological epidemiology. A major factor for successful collaboration illuminated during the discussion was the need for strong, committed, and reliable international partners. A key element of establishing such relationships is to thoroughly involve individual international collaborators in the development of the research question; engaged international collaborators are particularly motivated to champion and shepherd the project through all necessary steps, including issues relating to institutional review boards, political sensitivity, laboratory-based assays, and tumor subtyping. Also essential is allotting time for the building, maintaining, and investing in such relationships so that successful international collaborations may take root and bloom. While there are many challenges inherent to international molecular cancer research, the opportunities for furthering the science and prevention of cancer worldwide are great, particularly at this time of increasing cancer incidence and prevalence in low and middle income countries. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

Remote Laser Laboratory: Lifebuoy for Laser Engineering Curriculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Titov

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Laboratory experience is one of the essentials of engineering curriculum and even more so for laser engineering specialities. But such experience might be hazardous both for students and for expensive equipment. This paper presents a ready-to-use solution fitting great in both e-learning and safe remote operation paradigms: Remote Laser Laboratory (RLL. Software and hardware solutions are presented. In addition, a short description of ongoing student activities within the RLL framework is given.

Electromedical devices test laboratories accreditation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murad, C; Rubio, D; Ponce, S; Alvarez Abri, A; Terron, A; Vicencio, D; Fascioli, E

2007-01-01

In the last years, the technology and equipment at hospitals have been increase in a great way as the risks of their implementation. Safety in medical equipment must be considered an important issue to protect patients and their users. For this reason, test and calibrations laboratories must verify the correct performance of this kind of devices under national and international standards. Is an essential mission for laboratories to develop their measurement activities taking into account a quality management system. In this article, we intend to transmit our experience working to achieve an accredited Test Laboratories for medical devices in National technological University

Terminology: A necessary tool for the Specialized Translator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aura E. Navarro

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Language disciplines, including Terminology and Specialized Translation, have made great strides after the second half of the twentieth century. This development, related to technological growth and international communication that occurred during this period, has resulted in a considerable increase of concepts. Thus, experts have become more and more aware of the importance of naming these new concepts. Specialized translators were among the first language professionals to recognize the need of mastering the terminology of specialized fields in order to perform their duties well (Antia et coll., 2005. In this work, we study the very close relationship between Terminology and Specialized Translation. We also study the theoretical and practical knowledge of Terminology that a specialized translator should have.

Electric discharge machining device for laboratories and workshops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanxner, M.; Berko, A.; Ron, N.

1976-11-01

A simple low power electric discharge machining (EDM) device for special uses in laboratories and workshops is presented. The device includes an RC generator, an electromechanical servo 3-axis work-tool alignment system and a closed dielectric fluid circulation loop

Approaches to quality management and accreditation in a genetic testing laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Berwouts, Sarah; Morris, Michael A; Dequeker, Elisabeth

2010-01-01

Medical laboratories, and specifically genetic testing laboratories, provide vital medical services to different clients: clinicians requesting a test, patients from whom the sample was collected, public health and medical-legal instances, referral laboratories and authoritative bodies. All expect results that are accurate and obtained in an efficient and effective manner, within a suitable time frame and at acceptable cost. There are different ways of achieving the end results, but compliance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189, the international standard for the accreditation of medical laboratories, is becoming progressively accepted as the optimal approach to assuring quality in medical testing. We present recommendations and strategies designed to aid genetic testing laboratories with the implementation of a quality management system, including key aspects such as document control, external quality assessment, internal quality control, internal audit, management review, validation, as well as managing the human side of change. The focus is on pragmatic approaches to attain the levels of quality management and quality assurance required for accreditation according to ISO 15189, within the context of genetic testing. Attention is also given to implementing efficient and effective quality improvement. PMID:20720559

Laboratory Density Functionals

OpenAIRE

Giraud, B. G.

2007-01-01

We compare several definitions of the density of a self-bound system, such as a nucleus, in relation with its center-of-mass zero-point motion. A trivial deconvolution relates the internal density to the density defined in the laboratory frame. This result is useful for the practical definition of density functionals.

Special Issue on advanced and emerging light sources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haverlag, M.; Kroesen, G.M.W.; Ferguson, I.

2011-01-01

EDITORIAL The papers in this special issue of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics (JPhysD) originate from the 12th International Symposium on the Science and Technology of Light Sources and the 3rd International Conference on White LEDs and Solid State Lighting, held 11–16 July 2010 at Eindhoven

Radiation detectors laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez J, F.J.

1996-01-01

The National Institute for Nuclear Research has established a Radiation detector laboratory that has the possibility of providing to the consultants on the handling and applications of the nuclear radiation detectors. It has special equipment to repair the radiation detectors used in spectroscopy as the hyper pure Germanium for gamma radiation and the Lithium-silica for X-rays. There are different facilities in the laboratory that can become useful for other institutions that use radiation detectors. This laboratory was created to satisfy consultant services, training and repairing of the radiation detectors both in national and regional levels for Latin America. The laboratory has the following sections: Nuclear Electronic Instrumentation; where there are all kind of instruments for the measurement and characterization of detectors like multichannel analyzers of pulse height, personal computers, amplifiers and nuclear pulse preamplifiers, nuclear pulses generator, aleatories, computer programs for radiation spectra analysis, etc. High vacuum; there is a vacuum escape measurer, two high vacuum pumps to restore the vacuum of detectors, so the corresponding measurers and the necessary tools. Detectors cleaning; there is an anaerobic chamber for the detectors handling at inert atmosphere, a smoke extraction bell for cleaning with the detector solvents. Cryogenic; there are vessels and tools for handling liquid nitrogen which is used for cooling the detectors when they required it. (Author)

Present state of the monitoring for internal contamination at Tokai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akaishi, J.; Fukuda, H.; Mizushita, S.

1980-01-01

At Tokai Research Establishment, JAERI, over one thousand people work in hot areas such as reactors, accelerators, chemical laboratories and waste treatment plants. The monitoring for internal contamination of this personnel is presented. Routine and special monitoring are carried out. The object of the former is to check for the presence of significant contamination, and that of the latter is to estimate body burden and committed dose equivalent, if necessary. Heavy shield and shadow shield whole body counters, a low energy lung counter and a wound monitor are used to detect the internal contamination due to γ or chi ray emitters, and bioassay technique is used for α or β emitters and uranium. The results of the monitoring until now are presented. (H.K.)

Special Education in Saudi Arabia: A Synthesis of Literature Written in English

Science.gov (United States)

Altamimi, Ahmed A.; Lee, Lay Wah; Sayed-Ahmed, Al-sayed A.; Kassem, Mostafa M.

2015-01-01

Special education in Saudi Arabia was formally established in 1962. The earliest cited literature on special education written in English was a 1970 government report. This article presents results from the first synthesis of internationally published Saudi special education literature over a 44-year period. This synthesis yielded information…

EDITORIAL: Fluctuations and noise in photonics and quantum optics: a special issue in memory of Hermann Haus

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, Derek; Shapiro, Jeffrey H.; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

2004-08-01

dedicated this Special Issue to him. The first item is an obituary reflecting on his life and work. The first technical paper in this issue represents Hermann’s last sole author publication; a special thanks is due to A P Flitney for organizing this manuscript into publishable form. We thank the members of the International Programme Committee, listed below, and all those who contributed to making the event such a success. At this point we take the opportunity to express our gratitude to both the authors and reviewers, for their unfailing efforts in preparing and ensuring the high quality of the papers in this Special Issue. International Programme Committee David A Cardimona Air Force Research Laboratory, USA Howard Carmichael University of Auckland, New Zealand Carlton M Caves University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA Peter D Drummond University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia Paul J Edwards University of Canberra, Australia Luca Gammaitoni Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy Brage Golding Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA Gabriela Gonzalez Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA Guangcan Guo University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China Salman Habib Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM, USA Murray Hamilton University of Adelaide, Australia Bei-Lok Hu University of Maryland/College Park, USA Daniel K Johnstone Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA Franz X Kärtner Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA Prem Kumar Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA Zachary Lemnios DARPA, Arlington, VA, USA Gerd Leuchs Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen--Nürnberg, Germany Hideo Mabuchi California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA Peter W Milonni Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM, USA Adrian C Ottewill University College Dublin, Ireland Martin B Plenio Imperial College, London, UK Rajeev J Ram Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA Farhan Rana Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

Laboratory design for high-performance electron microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Keefe, Michael A.; Turner, John H.; Hetherington, Crispin J.D.; Cullis, A.G.; Carragher, Bridget; Jenkins, Ron; Milgrim, Julie; Milligan,Ronald A.; Potter, Clinton S.; Allard, Lawrence F.; Blom, Douglas A.; Degenhardt, Lynn; Sides, William H.

2004-04-23

Proliferation of electron microscopes with field emission guns, imaging filters and hardware spherical aberration correctors (giving higher spatial and energy resolution) has resulted in the need to construct special laboratories. As resolutions improve, transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) and scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEMs) become more sensitive to ambient conditions. State-of-the-art electron microscopes require state-of-the-art environments, and this means careful design and implementation of microscope sites, from the microscope room to the building that surrounds it. Laboratories have been constructed to house high-sensitive instruments with resolutions ranging down to sub-Angstrom levels; we present the various design philosophies used for some of these laboratories and our experiences with them. Four facilities are described: the National Center for Electron Microscopy OAM Laboratory at LBNL; the FEGTEM Facility at the University of Sheffield; the Center for Integrative Molecular Biosciences at TSRI; and the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory at ORNL.

A LabVIEW based Remote DSP Laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Athanasios Kalantzopoulos

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Remote laboratories provide the students with the capability to perform laboratory exercises exploiting the relevant equipment any time of the day without their physical presence. Furthermore, providing the ability to use a single workstation by more than one student, they contribute to the reduction of the laboratory cost. Turning to advantage the above and according to the needs of post graduate modules in the fields of DSP Systems Design and Signal Processing Systems with DSPs, we designed and developed a Remote DSP Laboratory. A student using a Web Browser has the ability via internet to turn to account the R-DSP Lab and perform experiments using DSPs (Digital Signal Processors. For now, there is the opportunity to carry out laboratory exercises such as FIR, IIR digital filters and FFT as well as run any executable file developed by the user. In any case the observation of the results is carried out through the use of specially designed Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs.

International External Quality Assurance for Laboratory Diagnosis of Diphtheria ▿

Science.gov (United States)

Neal, S. E.; Efstratiou, A.

2009-01-01

The diphtheria surveillance network (DIPNET) encompassing National Diphtheria Reference Centers from 25 European countries is a Dedicated Surveillance Network recognized by the European Commission. A key DIPNET objective is the quality assessment of microbiological procedures for diphtheria across the European Union and beyond. A detailed questionnaire on the level of reference laboratory services and an external quality assessment (EQA) panel comprising six simulated throat specimens were sent to 34 centers. Twenty-three centers are designated National Diphtheria Reference Centers, with the laboratory in the United Kingdom being the only WHO Collaborating Centre. A variety of screening and identification tests were used, including the cysteinase test (20/34 centers), pyrazinamidase test (17/34 centers), and commercial kits (25/34 centers). The classic Elek test for toxigenicity testing is mostly used (28/34 centers), with variations in serum sources and antitoxin concentrations. Many laboratories reported problems obtaining Elek reagents or media. Only six centers produced acceptable results for all six specimens. Overall, 21% of identification and 13% of toxigenicity reports were unacceptable. Many centers could not isolate the target organism, and most found difficulties with the specimens that contained Corynebacterium striatum as a commensal contaminant. Nineteen centers generated either false-positive or negative toxigenic results, which may have caused inappropriate medical management. The discrepancies in this diphtheria diagnostics EQA alarmingly reflect the urgent need to improve laboratory performance in diphtheria diagnostics in Europe, standardize feasible and robust microbiological methods, and build awareness among public health authorities. Therefore, DIPNET recommends that regular workshops and EQA distributions for diphtheria diagnostics should be supported and maintained. PMID:19828749

The use of information technology security assessment criteria to protect specialized computer systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lykov, V.A.; Shein, A.V.; Piskarev, A.S.; Devaney, D.M.; Melton, R.B.; Hunteman, W.J.; Prommel, J.M.; Rothfuss, J.S.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the information security assessment criteria used in Russia and compare it with that used in the United States. The computer system security assessment criteria utilized by the State Technical Commission of Russia and similar criteria utilized by the US Department of Defense (TCSEC) are intended for the development and implementation of proven methods for achieving a required level of information security. These criteria are utilized, first and foremost, when conducting certification assessments of general purpose systems. The Russian Federation is creating specialized systems for nuclear material control and accountancy (MC and A) within the framework of the international laboratory-to-laboratory collaboration. Depending on the conditions in which the MC and A system is intended to operate, some of the criteria and the attendant certification requirements may exceed those established or may overlap the requirements established for attestation of such systems. In this regard it is possible to modify the certification and attestation requirements depending on the conditions in which a system will operate in order to achieve the ultimate goal--implementation of the systems in the industry

Assessment of industry views on international business prospects for solar thermal technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Easterling, J.C.

1984-09-01

This report contains a review of solar thermal industry viewpoints on their prospects for developing international business. The report documents the industry's current involvement in foreign markets, view of foreign competition in overseas applications, and view of federal R and D and policy requirements to strengthen international business prospects. The report is based on discussions with equipment manufacturers and system integrators who have a product or service with potential international demand. Interviews with manufacturers and system integrators were conducted by using a standard format for interview questions. The use of a standard format for questions provided a basis for aggregating similar views expressed by US companies concerning overseas business prospects. A special effort was made to gather responses from the entire solar thermal industry, including manufacturers of line-focus, point-focus, and central receiver systems. General, technical, economic, institutional, and financial findings are provided in this summary. In addition, Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) recommendations are provided (based upon advice from the Solar Thermal Review Panel) for activities to improve US solar thermal business prospects overseas.

National surveys on internal quality control for blood gas analysis and related electrolytes in clinical laboratories of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Min; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Haijian; Zhang, Chuanbao; He, Falin; Zhong, Kun; Yuan, Shuai; Wang, Zhiguo

2018-05-01

Internal quality control (IQC) is essential for precision evaluation and continuous quality improvement. This study aims to investigate the IQC status of blood gas analysis (BGA) in clinical laboratories of China from 2014 to 2017. IQC information on BGA (including pH, pCO2, pO2, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl-) was submitted by external quality assessment (EQA) participant laboratories and collected through Clinet-EQA reporting system in March from 2014 to 2017. First, current CVs were compared among different years and measurement systems. Then, percentages of laboratories meeting five allowable imprecision specifications for each analyte were calculated, respectively. Finally, laboratories were divided into different groups based on control rules and frequency to compare their variation trend. The current CVs of BGA were significantly decreasing from 2014 to 2017. pH and pCO2 got the highest pass rates when compared with the minimum imprecision specification, whereas pO2, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl- got the highest pass rates when 1/3 TEa imprecision specification applied. The pass rates of pH, pO2, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl- were significantly increasing during the 4 years. The comparisons of current CVs among different measurement systems showed that the precision performance of different analytes among different measurement systems had no regular distribution from 2014 to 2017. The analysis of IQC practice indicated great progress and improvement among different years. The imprecision performance of BGA has improved from 2014 to 2017, but the status of imprecision performance in China remains unsatisfying. Therefore, further investigation and continuous improvement measures should be taken.

26 CFR 1.861-10 - Special allocations of interest expense.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

.... In addition, assets which are the subject of qualified nonrecourse indebtedness or integrated... 26 Internal Revenue 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special allocations of interest expense. 1.861... § 1.861-10 Special allocations of interest expense. (a)-(d) [Reserved] (e) Treatment of certain...

Special wasteform lysimeter program at the Savannah River Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oblath, S.B.; Stone, J.A.; Wiley, J.R.

1983-01-01

The Special Wasteform Lysimeter project at SRL is designed to measure performance of typical production-line, low-level, solid wasteforms produced at power reactors and emplaced in a himid SLB site. The use of lysimeters permits direct measurement of migration of radioactivity from these wasteforms to provide a technical basis for evaluating how well these forms will perform in an actual burial trench, and additionally allows comparison with unencapsulated defense waste. Cement and polymer wasteforms were place into 10 lysimeters in March 1982. By March, 1983, 60 Co from both types of wasteforms had been detected in te lysimeter sumps. 134 Cs, 137 Cs, and 60 Co were found in porous cup samplers located directly below the wasteforms. Measurements in mid-summer 1983 showed that 60 Co levels were 10 to 100 times greater in lysimeters containing the cement forms than in those containing the polymer. 5 references

High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics

CERN Document Server

Lebedev, Sergey V

2007-01-01

During the past decade, research teams around the world have developed astrophysics-relevant research utilizing high energy-density facilities such as intense lasers and z-pinches. Every two years, at the International conference on High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics, scientists interested in this emerging field discuss the progress in topics covering: - Stellar evolution, stellar envelopes, opacities, radiation transport - Planetary Interiors, high-pressure EOS, dense plasma atomic physics - Supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, exploding systems, strong shocks, turbulent mixing - Supernova remnants, shock processing, radiative shocks - Astrophysical jets, high-Mach-number flows, magnetized radiative jets, magnetic reconnection - Compact object accretion disks, x-ray photoionized plasmas - Ultrastrong fields, particle acceleration, collisionless shocks. These proceedings cover many of the invited and contributed papers presented at the 6th International Conference on High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophys...

Tiger Team Assessment of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-06-01

This draft report documents the Tiger Team Assessment of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) located in Batavia, Illinois. Fermilab is a program-dedicated national laboratory managed by the Universities Research Association, Inc. (URA) for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The Tiger Team Assessment was conducted from May 11 to June 8, 1992, under the auspices of DOE's Office of Special Projects (OSP) under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health (EH). The assessment was comprehensive, encompassing environmental, safety and health (ES ampersand H), and quality assurance (QA) disciplines; site remediation; facilities management; and waste management operations. Compliance with applicable Federal , State of Illinois, and local regulations; applicable DOE Orders; best management practices; and internal Fermilab requirements was addressed. In addition, an evaluation of the effectiveness of DOE and Fermilab management of the ES ampersand H/QA and self-assessment programs was conducted. The Fermilab Tiger Team Assessment is part a larger, comprehensive DOE Tiger Team Independent Assessment Program planned for DOE facilities. The objective of the initiative is to provide the Secretary of Energy with information on the compliance status of DOE facilities with regard to ES ampersand H requirements, root causes for noncompliance, adequacy of DOE and contractor ES ampersand H management programs, response actions to address the identified problem areas, and DOE-wide ES ampersand H compliance trends and root causes

Six Strategies for Chemical Waste Minimization in Laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Matteson, Gary C.; Hadley, Cheri R.

1991-01-01

Guidelines are offered to research administrators for reducing the volume of hazardous laboratory waste. Suggestions include a chemical location inventory, a chemical reuse facility, progressive contracts with chemical suppliers, internal or external chemical recycling mechanisms, a "chemical conservation" campaign, and laboratory fees for…

Knowledge Enclosures, Forced Specializations and Investment Crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filippo Belloc

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Like land before the industrial revolution, in the present global economy much knowledge is being enclosed in private hands. In this paper we argue that these enclosures have become a major factor in specialization among firms and among countries: both are forced to specialize in the fields that are not restricted by the enclosures of the others. We use data on 26 OECD countries over the 1978-2006 period. We estimate the effect of patents endowments of countries on their investment specialization across sectors and show that knowledge enclosures involve self-reinforcing innovation patterns. Moreover, we perform a structural change analysis and find that the TRIPs agreement has significantly strengthened the relationship between countries' patents specialization and investment specialization. We conclude by suggesting that stronger international patent protection may restrict global investment opportunities, and this may be one of the factors contributing to the present crisis.

The Laboratory Diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Cases of Sexual Assault and Abuse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Max A Chernesky

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Laboratory staff dealing with samples from victims must be aware that such patients have been psychologically traumatized and deserve special care. The help of a sexual assault care team should be sought if available, and appropriate specimens should be collected two to 10 days after an incident, preferably in a single visit. Specimens should be clearly labelled, and the laboratory should be informed. In the laboratory, all procedures need to be clearly documented. There are special requirements for the collection of forensic specimens and associated records, which may later be required for legal proceedings. The laboratory must know what the current legal status is for any test being used in that community. The present article serves as a guideline to more detailed practice standards for the investigation of individual sexually transmitted infections in assault and abuse situations.

Laboratory services series: a master-slave manipulator maintenance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenness, R.G.; Hicks, R.E.; Wicker, C.D.

1976-12-01

The volume of master slave manipulator maintenance at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has necessitated the establishment of a repair facility and organization of a specially trained group of craftsmen. Emphasis on cell containment requires the use of manipulator boots and development of precise procedures for accomplishing the maintenance of 287 installed units. A very satisfactory computer programmed maintenance system has been established at the Laboratory to provide an economical approach to preventive maintenance

Microbiological control of a gamma-irradiated feed for laboratory animals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, M.V.G. de

1979-01-01

A special feed for laboratory animals was prepared, that meets or surpasses the FAO requirements. Experiments were undertaken to determine the γ-radiation dose necessary to sterilize the feed, to free it from enterobacteria which grow abundantly in the rich medium and cause digestive disorders in the laboratory animals. Methods of identifying the various bacteria and fungi are given. The results are tabulated. (U.K.)

Beetroot Juice Improves On-Water 500 M Time-Trial Performance, and Laboratory-Based Paddling Economy in National and International-Level Kayak Athletes.

Science.gov (United States)

Peeling, Peter; Cox, Gregory R; Bullock, Nicola; Burke, Louise M

2015-06-01

We assessed the ingestion of a beetroot juice supplement (BR) on 4-min laboratory-based kayak performance in national level male (n = 6) athletes (Study A), and on 500 m on-water kayak time-trial (TT) performance in international level female (n = 5) athletes (Study B). In Study A, participants completed three laboratory-based sessions on a kayak ergometer, including a 7 × 4 min step test, and two 4 min maximal effort performance trials. Two and a half hours before the warm-up of each 4 min performance trial, athletes received either a 70 ml BR shot containing ~4.8 mmol of nitrate, or a placebo equivalent (BRPLA). The distance covered over the 4 min TT was not different between conditions; however, the average VO2 over the 4 min period was significantly lower in BR (p = .04), resulting in an improved exercise economy (p = .05). In Study B, participants completed two field-based 500 m TTs, separated by 4 days. Two hours before each trial, athletes received either two 70 ml BR shots containing ~9.6 mmol of nitrate, or a placebo equivalent (BRPLA). BR supplementation significantly enhanced TT performance by 1.7% (p = .01). Our results show that in national-level male kayak athletes, commercially available BR shots (70 ml) containing ~4.8 mmol of nitrate improved exercise economy during laboratory-based tasks predominantly reliant on the aerobic energy system. Furthermore, greater volumes of BR (140 ml; ~9.6 mmol nitrate) provided to international-level female kayak athletes resulted in enhancements to TT performance in the field.

Fracture Toughness Round Robin Test International in pressure tube materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villagarcia, M.P.; Liendo, M.F.

1993-01-01

Part of the pressure tubes surveillance program of CANDU type reactors is to determine the fracture toughness using a special fracture specimen and test procedure. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited decided to hold a Round Robin Test International and 9 laboratories participated worldwide in which several pressure tube materials were selected: Zircaloy-2, Zr-2.5%Nb cold worked and Zr-2.5%Nb heat treated. The small specimens used held back the thickness and curvature of the tube. J-R curves at room temperature were obtained and the crack extension values were determined by electrical potential drop techniques. These values were compared with results generated from other laboratories and a bid scatter was founded. It could be due to slight variations in the test method or inhomogeneity of the materials and a statistical study must be done to see if there is any pattern. The next step for the Round Robin Test would be to make some modifications in the test method in order to reduce the scatter. (Author)

International collaborative study for the calibration of proposed International Standards for thromboplastin, rabbit, plain, and for thromboplastin, recombinant, human, plain.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Besselaar, A M H P; Chantarangkul, V; Angeloni, F; Binder, N B; Byrne, M; Dauer, R; Gudmundsdottir, B R; Jespersen, J; Kitchen, S; Legnani, C; Lindahl, T L; Manning, R A; Martinuzzo, M; Panes, O; Pengo, V; Riddell, A; Subramanian, S; Szederjesi, A; Tantanate, C; Herbel, P; Tripodi, A

2018-01-01

Essentials Two candidate International Standards for thromboplastin (coded RBT/16 and rTF/16) are proposed. International Sensitivity Index (ISI) of proposed standards was assessed in a 20-centre study. The mean ISI for RBT/16 was 1.21 with a between-centre coefficient of variation of 4.6%. The mean ISI for rTF/16 was 1.11 with a between-centre coefficient of variation of 5.7%. Background The availability of International Standards for thromboplastin is essential for the calibration of routine reagents and hence the calculation of the International Normalized Ratio (INR). Stocks of the current Fourth International Standards are running low. Candidate replacement materials have been prepared. This article describes the calibration of the proposed Fifth International Standards for thromboplastin, rabbit, plain (coded RBT/16) and for thromboplastin, recombinant, human, plain (coded rTF/16). Methods An international collaborative study was carried out for the assignment of International Sensitivity Indexes (ISIs) to the candidate materials, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for thromboplastins and plasma used to control oral anticoagulant therapy with vitamin K antagonists. Results Results were obtained from 20 laboratories. In several cases, deviations from the ISI calibration model were observed, but the average INR deviation attributabled to the model was not greater than 10%. Only valid ISI assessments were used to calculate the mean ISI for each candidate. The mean ISI for RBT/16 was 1.21 (between-laboratory coefficient of variation [CV]: 4.6%), and the mean ISI for rTF/16 was 1.11 (between-laboratory CV: 5.7%). Conclusions The between-laboratory variation of the ISI for candidate material RBT/16 was similar to that of the Fourth International Standard (RBT/05), and the between-laboratory variation of the ISI for candidate material rTF/16 was slightly higher than that of the Fourth International Standard (rTF/09). The candidate materials

Improving global laboratory capabilities for emergency radionuclide bioassay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, C.; Jourdain, J.; Kramer, G. H.

2012-01-01

During a radiological or nuclear emergency, first-responders and the general public may be internally contaminated with the radionuclide(s) involved. A timely radionuclide bioassay provides important information about contamination, for subsequent dose assessment and medical management. Both technical and operational gaps are discussed in this paper. As many people may need to be assessed in a short period of time, any single laboratory may find its capabilities insufficient. Laboratories from other regions or other countries may be called upon for assistance. This paper proposes a road-map to improve global capabilities in emergency radionuclide bioassay, suggesting a phased approach for establishing a global laboratory network. Existing international collaboration platforms could provide the base on which to build such a network. (authors)

Establishment of a clean chemistry laboratory at JAERI. Clean laboratory for environmental analysis and research (CLEAR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanzawa, Yukiko; Magara, Masaaki; Watanabe, Kazuo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; and others

2003-02-01

The JAERI has established a facility with a cleanroom: the Clean Laboratory for Environmental Analysis and Research (CLEAR). This report is an overview of the design, construction and performance evaluation of the CLEAR in the initial stage of the laboratory operation in June 2001. The CLEAR is a facility to be used for analyses of ultra trace amounts of nuclear materials in environmental samples for the safeguards, for the CTBT verification and for researches on environmental sciences. One of the special features of the CLEAR is that it meets double requirements of a cleanroom and for handling of nuclear materials. As another feature of the CLEAR, much attention was paid to the construction materials of the cleanroom for trace analysis of metal elements using considerable amounts of corrosive acids. The air conditioning and purification system, specially designed experimental equipment to provide clean work surfaces, utilities and safety systems are also demonstrated. The potential contamination from the completed cleanroom atmosphere during the analytical procedure was evaluated. It can be concluded that the CLEAR has provided a suitable condition for reliable analysis of ultra trace amounts of nuclear materials and other heavy elements in environmental samples. (author)

Root canal treatment and special needs patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Yap, E; Parashos, P; Borromeo, G L

2015-04-01

To identify current trends of root canal treatment for patients with special needs. A postal questionnaire was sent to General Dentists in Victoria, Australia and Endodontists and Special Needs Dentists across Australia to determine the extent of root canal treatment performed on special needs patients. Over a four-month period, 1120 questionnaires were distributed with an overall response rate of 63.9% (n = 716). Response rates were 63.2% (n = 655), 68.5% (n = 50) and 100.0% (n = 11) amongst General Dentists, Endodontists and Special Needs Dentists, respectively. Endodontists (95.7%) and Special Needs Dentists (100.0%) performed significantly more root canal treatment on adult patients with special needs compared with 51.2% of General Dentists, (P special needs patients compared with only 29.7% of General Dentists (P special needs patients was more likely to be carried out by specialist dental practitioners who were more likely to utilize a pharmacological approach for behaviour guidance and to perform single-visit root canal treatment compared with General Dentists. A multidisciplinary approach for special needs patients who require root canal treatment provides an opportunity for these patients to retain their dentition. © 2014 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Laboratory Experiments on Low-crested Breakwaters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Morten; Zanuttigh, B.; van der Meer, J.W.

2005-01-01

New unique laboratory experiments on low-crested structures (LCSs) have been performed within the DELOS project. The experiments were carried out in three European laboratories aiming at extending and completing existing available information with respect to a wide range of engineering design...... in a wave channel at small scale, and scale effects regarding wave transmission and reflection were studied in a wave channel at a large scale facility. The paper describes the experiments and associated databank with respect to objectives, test program, set-ups and measurements. Results, guidelines...... and recommendations elaborated from the tests are included in the other companion papers of the Coastal Engineering Special Issue on DELOS....

International Satellite Law

Science.gov (United States)

von der Dunk, Frans

2017-07-01

International space law is generally considered to be a branch of public international law. In that sense, it constitutes a "subset of rules, rights and obligations of states within the latter specifically related to outer space and activities in or with respect to that realm." Dealing with an inherently international realm, much of it had been developed in the context of the United Nations, where the key treaties are even adhered to by all major space-faring countries. In addition, other sources—including not only customary international law but also such disputed concepts as "soft law" and political guidelines and recommendations—also contributed to the development of a general framework legal regime for all of mankind's endeavors in or with respect to outer space. Originally, this predominantly included scientific and military/security-related activities, but with the ongoing development of technology and a more practical orientation, it increasingly came to encompass many more civilian and, ultimately, even commercial activities, largely through downstream applications originating from or depending on space technology and space activities. Important here are the overarching, usually more theoretical aspects of international space law, which include how it was developed or continues to be developed, what special roles do "soft law" or the military aspects of space activities play in this regard, and how do national space laws (also) serve as a tool for interpretation of international space law. Also important is the special category of launches and other space operations in the sense of moving space objects safely into, through and—if applicable—back from outer space. Without such operations, space activities would be impossible, yet they bring with them special concerns; for instance, in terms of liability, the creation of space debris and even the legal status and possible commercialization of natural resources produced from celestial bodies. Finally

Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) procedures manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chieco, N.A.; Bogen, D.C.; Knutson, E.O.

1990-11-01

Volume 1 of this manual documents the procedures and existing technology that are currently used by the Environmental Measurements Laboratory. A section devoted to quality assurance has been included. These procedures have been updated and revised and new procedures have been added. They include: sampling; radiation measurements; analytical chemistry; radionuclide data; special facilities; and specifications. 228 refs., 62 figs., 37 tabs. (FL)

Frontiers: Research highlights 1946-1996 [50th Anniversary Edition. Argonne National Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

This special edition of 'Frontiers' commemorates Argonne National Laboratory's 50th anniversary of service to science and society. America's first national laboratory, Argonne has been in the forefront of U.S. scientific and technological research from its beginning. Past accomplishments, current research, and future plans are highlighted.

Department of Energy multiprogram laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-09-01

The Panel recommends the following major roles and missions for the laboratories: perform the Department's national trust fundamental research missions in the physical sciences, including high energy and nuclear physics, and the radiobiological sciences including nuclear medicine; sustain scientific staff core capabilities and specialized research facilities for laboratory research purposes and for use by other Federal agencies and the private sector; perform independent scientific and technical assessment or verification studies required by the Department; and perform generic research and development where it is judged to be in the public interest or where for economic or technical reasons industry does not choose to support it. Organizational efficiencies if implemented by the Department could contribute toward optimal performance of the laboratories. The Panel recommends that a high level official, such as a Deputy Under Secretary, be appointed to serve as Chief Laboratory Executive with authority to help determine and defend the research and development budget, to allocate resources, to decide where work is to be done, and to assess periodically laboratory performance. Laboratory directors should be given substantially more flexibility to deploy resources and to initiate or adapt programs within broad guidelines provided by the Department. The panel recommends the following actions to increase the usefulness of the laboratories and to promote technology transfer to the private sector: establish user groups for all major mission programs and facilities to ensure greater relevance for Department and laboratory efforts; allow the laboratories to do more reimbursable work for others (other Federal agencies, state and local governments, and industry) by relaxing constraints on such work; implement vigorously the recently liberalized patent policy; permit and encourage joint ventures with industry

Yakutia and International Scientific Cooperation on Arctic Studies. The End of 20th – Beginning of 21st Century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suleymanov Aleksandr Albertovich

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the issues of participation of Yakutia in the international scientific cooperation in the Arctic during the last decade of the 20th and the first years of the 21st century. The author describes the history of realization of the international initiatives for studying social and cultural transformations and challenges of life of Arctic Indigenous Peoples, studying natural phenomena and processes, as well as environmental protection in the Yakutia’s Arctic and their main results on the basis of a set of archival documents, English- and Frenchlanguage materials. The author called the most important factors that determine the extent of joint research of Russian scientists and their foreign colleagues, identified the key participants (scientists from Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Russia, Finland, France and Japan, forms (collection of field data, its processing and laboratory analysis; provision of academic institutions of Yakutia, their research base, provision of special equipment for foreign partners; coordination of research and the exchange of the data obtained; organization of conferences and workshops; organization of protected areas; publication of research results, and mechanisms (organization of special structures to intensify and coordinate research; association of research through a unified methodology; elaboration of international programs and projects, taking into account the potential of the involved parties – financing, tools and staff of international scientific cooperation development.

Internal nasal floor configuration in Homo with special reference to the evolution of Neandertal facial form.

Science.gov (United States)

Franciscus, Robert G

2003-06-01

The presence of a steeply sloping or depressed nasal floor within the nasal cavity of Neandertals is frequently mentioned as a likely specialization or autapomorphy. The depressed nasal floor has also been seen as contributing to a relatively more capacious nasal cavity in Neandertals, which is tied to cold-climate respiratory adaptation and energetics. These observations have been limited largely to a relatively few intact crania, and the character states associated with this trait have not been as precisely codified or analyzed as those published for Plio-Pleistocene hominins (McCollum et al., 1993, J. Hum. Evol. 24, 87; McCollum, 2000, Am. J. Phys. Anthrop. 112, 275). This study examines the internal nasal floor topography in complete crania and isolated maxillae in European, west Asian, and African fossil Homo (n=158) including 25 Neandertals, and a wide range of recent humans from Europe, the Near East, and Africa (n=522). The configuration of the internal nasal floor relative to the nasal cavity entrance is codified as: 1) level, forming a smooth continuous plane; 2) sloped or mildly stepped; or 3) bilevel with a pronounced vertical depression. The frequency of these nasal floor configurations, and their relationship to both nasal margin cresting patterning and a comprehensive set of nasofacial metrics is examined. Neandertals show a high frequency of the bilevel (depressed) configuration in both adults and subadults (80%), but this configuration is also present in lower frequencies in Middle Pleistocene African, Late Pleistocene non-Neandertal (Skhul, Qafzeh), and European Later Upper Paleolithic samples (15%-50%). The bilevel configuration is also present in lower frequencies (ca. 10%) in all recent human samples, but attains nearly 20% in some sub-Saharan African samples. Across extinct and extant Homo (excluding Neandertals), internal nasal floor configuration is not associated with piriform aperture nasal margin patterning, but the two are strongly

Introduction to ISO 15189: a blueprint for quality systems in veterinary laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Kathleen P; Bauer, Natali; Jensen, Asger L; Thoresen, Stein

2006-06-01

A trend in human and veterinary medical laboratory management is to achieve accreditation based on international standards. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 standard is the first developed especially for accreditation of medical laboratories, and emphasizes the laboratory-client interface. European veterinary laboratories seeking to train candidates for the certification examination of the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ECVCP) require approval by the ECVCP Laboratory Standards Committee, which bases its evaluation in part on adherence to quality systems described in the ISO 15189 standards. The purpose of this article was to introduce the latest ISO quality standard and describe its application to veterinary laboratories in Europe, specifically as pertains to accreditation of laboratories involved in training veterinary clinical pathologists. Between 2003 and 2006, the Laboratory Standards Committee reviewed 12 applications from laboratories (3 commercial and 9 university) involved in training veterinary clinical pathologists. Applicants were asked to provide a description of the facilities for training and testing, current methodology and technology, health and safety policy, quality assurance policy (including internal quality control and participation in an external quality assurance program), written standard operating procedures (SOPs) and policies, a description of the laboratory information system, and personnel and training. Also during this time period multiple informal and formal discussions among ECVCP diplomates took place as to current practices and perceived areas of concern with regard to laboratory accreditation requirements. Areas in which improvement most often was needed in veterinary laboratories applying for ECVCP accreditation were the written quality plan, defined quality requirements for the tests performed, written SOPs and policies, training records, ongoing audits and competency

Laboratory Intercomparison of Pleistocene Bone Radiocarbon Dating Protocols

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huels, Matthias; van der Plicht, Johannes; Brock, Fiona; Matzerath, Simon; Chivall, David

2017-01-01

Since its invention in the late 1940s, radiocarbon (14C) dating has become an important tool for absolute dating. A prerequisite for the acceptance of this method is consistency between, and compatibility of, 14C dates from different laboratories. To meet these requirements, international laboratory

An inter-laboratory comparison of Si isotope reference materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reynolds, B.C.; Aggarwal, J.; André, L.; Baxter, B.; Beucher, C.; Brzezinski, M.A.; Engström, E.; Georg, R.B.; Land, M.; Leng, M.J.; Opfergelt, S.; Rodushkin, I.; Sloane, H.J.; Van den Boorn, S.H.J.M.; Vroon, P.Z.; Cardinal, D.

2007-01-01

Three Si isotope materials have been used for an inter-laboratory comparison exercise to ensure reproducibility between international laboratories investigating natural Si isotope variations using a variety of chemical preparation methods and mass spectrometric techniques. These proposed standard

INEEL special case waste storage and disposal alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, L.A.; Bishop, C.W.; Bhatt, R.N.

1997-07-01

Special case waste is historically defined as radioactive waste that does not have a path forward or fit into current Department of Energy management plans for final treatment or disposal. The objectives of this report, relative to special case waste at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, are to (a) identify its current storage locations, conditions, and configuration; (b) review and verify the currently reported inventory; (c) segregate the inventory into manageable categories; (d) identify the portion that has a path forward or is managed under other major programs/projects; (e) identify options for reconfiguring and separating the disposable portions; (f) determine if the special case waste needs to be consolidated into a single storage location; and (g) identify a preferred facility for storage. This report also provides an inventory of stored sealed sources that are potentially greater than Class C or special case waste based on Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Site-Specific Waste Acceptance Criteria

Guest editorial preface : Special Issue on Advances in Computer Entertainment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2013-01-01

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

Mozambique's journey toward accreditation of the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Viegas, Sofia O; Azam, Khalide; Madeira, Carla; Aguiar, Carmen; Dolores, Carolina; Mandlaze, Ana P; Chongo, Patrina; Masamha, Jessina; Cirillo, Daniela M; Jani, Ilesh V; Gudo, Eduardo S

2017-01-01

Internationally-accredited laboratories are recognised for their superior test reliability, operational performance, quality management and competence. In a bid to meet international quality standards, the Mozambique National Institute of Health enrolled the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL) in a continuous quality improvement process towards ISO 15189 accreditation. Here, we describe the road map taken by the NTRL to achieve international accreditation. The NTRL adopted the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme as a strategy to implement a quality management system. After SLMTA, the Mozambique National Institute of Health committed to accelerate the NTRL's process toward accreditation. An action plan was designed to streamline the process. Quality indicators were defined to benchmark progress. Staff were trained to improve performance. Mentorship from an experienced assessor was provided. Fulfilment of accreditation standards was assessed by the Portuguese Accreditation Board. Of the eight laboratories participating in SLMTA, the NTRL was the best-performing laboratory, achieving a 53.6% improvement over the SLMTA baseline conducted in February 2011 to the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) assessment in June 2013. During the accreditation assessment in September 2014, 25 minor nonconformities were identified and addressed. In March 2015, the NTRL received Portuguese Accreditation Board recognition of technical competency for fluorescence smear microscopy, and solid and liquid culture. The NTRL is the first laboratory in Mozambique to achieve ISO 15189 accreditation. From our experience, accreditation was made possible by institutional commitment, strong laboratory leadership, staff motivation, adequate infrastructure and a comprehensive action plan.

Health Physics Laboratory - Overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olko, P.

2002-01-01

Full text: The activities of the Health Physics Laboratory at the Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ) in Cracow are principally research in the general area of radiation physics, dosimetry and radiation protection of the employees of the Institute. Theoretical research concerns modelling of radiation effects in radiation detectors and studies of concepts in radiation protection. Experimental research, in the general area of solid state dosimetry, is primarily concerned with thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetry, and more specifically: development of LiF:Mg, Ti, CaF 2 :Tm and CVD diamond detectors for medical applications in conventional and hadron radiotherapy and of LiF:Mg, Cu, P and LiF:Mg, Cu, Si, Na for low-level natural external ionising radiation. Environmental radiation measurements (cosmic-rays on aircraft and radon in dwellings and soil) are also performed using track CR-39 and TLD detectors. The Laboratory provides expert advice on radiation protection regulations at national and international levels. Routine work of the Health Physics Laboratory involves design and maintenance of an in-house developed TL-based personnel dosimetry system for over 200 radiation workers at the INP, supervision of radiation safety on IFJ premises, and advising other INP laboratories on all matters pertaining to radiation safety. We provide personal and environmental TLD dosimetry services for several customers outside the IFJ, mainly in hospitals and nuclear research institutes in Poland. We also calibrate radiation protection instruments (400 per year) for customers in the southern region of Poland. The year 2001 was another eventful year for the Health Physics Laboratory. M. Waligorski has received his Professor of Physics state nomination from A. Kwasniewski, the President of Poland. P. Bilski and M. Budzanowski were granted their Ph.D. degrees by the Scientific Council of the Institute of Nuclear Physics. We continued several national and international research projects. Dr

Module Architecture for in Situ Space Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwood, Brent

2010-01-01

The paper analyzes internal outfitting architectures for space exploration laboratory modules. ISS laboratory architecture is examined as a baseline for comparison; applicable insights are derived. Laboratory functional programs are defined for seven planet-surface knowledge domains. Necessary and value-added departures from the ISS architecture standard are defined, and three sectional interior architecture options are assessed for practicality and potential performance. Contemporary guidelines for terrestrial analytical laboratory design are found to be applicable to the in-space functional program. Densepacked racks of system equipment, and high module volume packing ratios, should not be assumed as the default solution for exploration laboratories whose primary activities include un-scriptable investigations and experimentation on the system equipment itself.

Experiments in Special Relativity Using Compton Scattering of Gamma Rays.

Science.gov (United States)

Egelstaff, P. A.; And Others

1981-01-01

Some simple undergraduate laboratory experiments are described, which verify the energy-momentum relationship of special relativity. These experiments have been designed either to be used as classroom demonstrations or to be carried out by second-year students. (Author/JN)

The IERS Special Bureau for Tides

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Richard D.; Chao, B. F.; Desai, S. D.

2002-01-01

The Global Geophysical Fluids Center of the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) comprises 8 special bureaus, one of which is the Special Bureau for Tides. Its purpose is to facilitate studies related to tidal effects in earth rotation. To that end it collects various relevant datasets and distributes them, primarily through its website at bowie.gsfc.nasa.gov/ggfc/tides. Example datasets include tabulations of tidal variations in angular momentum and in earth rotation as estimated from numerical ocean tide models and from meteorological reanalysis products. The web site also features an interactive tidal prediction "machine" which generates tidal predictions (e.g., of UT1) from lists of harmonic constants. The Special Bureau relies on the tidal and earth-rotation communities to build and enlarge its datasets; further contributions from this community are most welcome.

Using an international p53 mutation database as a foundation for an online laboratory in an upper level undergraduate biology class.

Science.gov (United States)

Melloy, Patricia G

2015-01-01

A two-part laboratory exercise was developed to enhance classroom instruction on the significance of p53 mutations in cancer development. Students were asked to mine key information from an international database of p53 genetic changes related to cancer, the IARC TP53 database. Using this database, students designed several data mining activities to look at the changes in the p53 gene from a number of perspectives, including potential cancer-causing agents leading to particular changes and the prevalence of certain p53 variations in certain cancers. In addition, students gained a global perspective on cancer prevalence in different parts of the world. Students learned how to use the database in the first part of the exercise, and then used that knowledge to search particular cancers and cancer-causing agents of their choosing in the second part of the exercise. Students also connected the information gathered from the p53 exercise to a previous laboratory exercise looking at risk factors for cancer development. The goal of the experience was to increase student knowledge of the link between p53 genetic variation and cancer. Students also were able to walk a similar path through the website as a cancer researcher using the database to enhance bench work-based experiments with complementary large-scale database p53 variation information. © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Latest Results on Complex Plasmas with the PK-3 Plus Laboratory on Board the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Schwabe, M.; Du, C.-R.; Huber, P.; Lipaev, A. M.; Molotkov, V. I.; Naumkin, V. N.; Zhdanov, S. K.; Zhukhovitskii, D. I.; Fortov, V. E.; Thomas, H. M.

2018-03-01

Complex plasmas are low temperature plasmas that contain microparticles in addition to ions, electrons, and neutral particles. The microparticles acquire high charges, interact with each other and can be considered as model particles for effects in classical condensed matter systems, such as crystallization and fluid dynamics. In contrast to atoms in ordinary systems, their movement can be traced on the most basic level, that of individual particles. In order to avoid disturbances caused by gravity, experiments on complex plasmas are often performed under microgravity conditions. The PK-3 Plus Laboratory was operated on board the International Space Station from 2006 - 2013. Its heart consisted of a capacitively coupled radio-frequency plasma chamber. Microparticles were inserted into the low-temperature plasma, forming large, homogeneous complex plasma clouds. Here, we review the results obtained with recent analyzes of PK-3 Plus data: We study the formation of crystallization fronts, as well as the microparticle motion in, and structure of crystalline complex plasmas. We investigate fluid effects such as wave transmission across an interface, and the development of the energy spectra during the onset of turbulent microparticle movement. We explore how abnormal particles move through, and how macroscopic spheres interact with the microparticle cloud. These examples demonstrate the versatility of the PK-3 Plus Laboratory.

Implementation of ISO 17025 in the Eletronuclear Environmental Monitoring Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baliza, Ana Rosa; Caetano, Carla de Brito, E-mail: baliza@eletronuclear.gov.br [Eletrobrás Termonuclear S.A. (ELETRONUCLEAR), Angra dos Reis, RJ (Brazil)

2017-07-01

In order to grant Angra 3 power plant operation license, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), in the IBAMA Installation License 591/2009 condition 2.24, required that Eletronuclear has to obtain the Environmental Monitoring Laboratory accreditation, in accordance with the requirements of NBR ISO / IEC 17025 standard. The accreditation is the formal recognition that a laboratory has a quality assurance system and technical competence to perform specific tests, evaluated according to the criteria based on NBR ISO/IEC 17025 (General requirements for testing and calibration laboratories competence) standard. In Brazil, the General Accreditation Coordination (CGCRE), according to the guidelines already explained by the Brazilian System of Conformity Assessment (INMETRO), does accreditation. The INMETRO is the only official accrediting body in Brazil and internationally recognized by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The Environmental Monitoring Laboratory at Eletronuclear is an analytical laboratory of chemical, radiochemical and biological tests, which analyzes several matrices, such as seawater, river water, marine sediment, beach sand, soil, pasture, banana, milk, besides marine sea life, around the Central Almirante Álvaro Alberto power plant station. It is licensed by CNEN, INEA, IBAMA and it follows national and international standards in the performance of the tests as well as in the collection and preparation of samples. This article describes the main steps that the Eletronuclear Environmental Monitoring Laboratory followed to implement ISO 17025. (author)

Implementation of ISO 17025 in the Eletronuclear Environmental Monitoring Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baliza, Ana Rosa; Caetano, Carla de Brito

2017-01-01

In order to grant Angra 3 power plant operation license, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), in the IBAMA Installation License 591/2009 condition 2.24, required that Eletronuclear has to obtain the Environmental Monitoring Laboratory accreditation, in accordance with the requirements of NBR ISO / IEC 17025 standard. The accreditation is the formal recognition that a laboratory has a quality assurance system and technical competence to perform specific tests, evaluated according to the criteria based on NBR ISO/IEC 17025 (General requirements for testing and calibration laboratories competence) standard. In Brazil, the General Accreditation Coordination (CGCRE), according to the guidelines already explained by the Brazilian System of Conformity Assessment (INMETRO), does accreditation. The INMETRO is the only official accrediting body in Brazil and internationally recognized by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The Environmental Monitoring Laboratory at Eletronuclear is an analytical laboratory of chemical, radiochemical and biological tests, which analyzes several matrices, such as seawater, river water, marine sediment, beach sand, soil, pasture, banana, milk, besides marine sea life, around the Central Almirante Álvaro Alberto power plant station. It is licensed by CNEN, INEA, IBAMA and it follows national and international standards in the performance of the tests as well as in the collection and preparation of samples. This article describes the main steps that the Eletronuclear Environmental Monitoring Laboratory followed to implement ISO 17025. (author)

Small-State Special Operations in a Comprehensive Stabilisation Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johnsen, Anton Asklund

takeaways were: Special operations as a force multiplier: Can special operations enable other stabilisation agents, locals as well as internationals, to accomplish their missions more effectively? This includes NGOs, diplomats or other officials, other military units, etc. How can the mindset required...... to enable ‘whole-of-government’ approaches be promoted? Economy of force considerations: Are special operations truly a cheaper means of reaching certain ends? When are small and indirect approaches involving special operations forces effective and when are they not? Special operations as expansion......“Small-State Special Operations in a Comprehensive Stabilisation Context: What to Know and Where to Go?” was the headline of a conference held at the Royal Danish Defence College, facilitated by the Institute for Strategy. As a product of this conference, a report has been written which highlights...

26 CFR 48.4081-4 - Gasoline; special rules for gasoline blendstocks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 16 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Gasoline; special rules for gasoline blendstocks..., Tread Rubber, and Taxable Fuel Taxable Fuel § 48.4081-4 Gasoline; special rules for gasoline blendstocks... gasoline blendstocks. Generally, under prescribed conditions, tax is not imposed on gasoline blendstocks...

26 CFR 1.732-2 - Special partnership basis of distributed property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... from the partnership in liquidation of his entire interest, $1,000 cash, certain capital assets... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special partnership basis of distributed... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Distributions by A Partnership § 1.732-2 Special partnership...

Quality control for laboratory diagnosis for hand, foot and mouth ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

McRoy

the system for laboratory diagnosis in HFMD. Despite using molecular based technique, some laboratories can still not possibly detect the pathogen.[11] For sure, this can cause the problem in disease control during the outbreak. It is noted that using internal control help improve diagnostic property of laboratory test.[12].

Radioactive waste management in sealed sources laboratory production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carvalho, Gilberto

2001-01-01

The laboratory of sealed sources production, of Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares, was created in 1983 and since then, has produced radioactive sources for industry and engineering in general, having specialization in assembly of radiation sources for non destructive testings, by gammagraphy, with Iridium-192, that represents 98% of the production of laboratory and 2% with the Cobalt-60, used in nuclear gages. The aim of this work, is to quantify and qualify the radioactive wastes generated annually, taking into account, the average of radioactive sources produced, that are approximately 220 sources per year

26 CFR 1.911-5 - Special rules for married couples.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 10 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special rules for married couples. 1.911-5... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Earned Income of Citizens Or Residents of United States § 1.911-5 Special... residing together. If the spouses reside together, and file a joint return, they may compute their housing...

A Special Case of International Migration: Ethnic Hungarians Migrating from Transylvania to Hungary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irén Gödri

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The study examines a special case of international migration, when the ethnicity, mother tongue, historical and cultural traditions of the immigrants are identical with those of the receiving population. This is also a fundamental feature of immigration to Hungary in the last decade and a half and could be observed primarily in the migratory wave from neighboring countries (most of all from Transylvania in Romania. After presenting the historical background we will review the development of the present-day migratory processes as well as their social and economical conditions, relying on statistics based on various sources. The socio-demographic composition of the immigrants and their selection from the population of origin indicate that migration is more frequent among younger, better-educated people living in an ethnically heterogeneous urban environment. At the same time, the rising proportion of older people and pensioners among the immigrants suggests the commencement of the so-called secondary migration. This is con? rmed by a questionnaire-based survey conducted among immigrants, which showed that family reuni? cation is a migratory motivation for a signi? cant group of people, primarily for the older generation. Among younger people economic considerations are decisive in the migrants decision-making. Our analysis underscores the roles of ethnicity and network of connections in the processes under examination.

Attaining Success for Beginning Special Education Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

McCabe, Marjorie; And Others

1993-01-01

Three case studies are presented that highlight problem scenarios relating to beginning special education intern teachers and explain how the teachers attained success. The cases focus on classroom management, adaptation of the core curriculum, and knowledge of instructional practices. (JDD)

Laboratory Response to Ebola - West Africa and United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Sealy, Tara K; Erickson, Bobbie R; Taboy, Céline H; Ströher, Ute; Towner, Jonathan S; Andrews, Sharon E; Rose, Laura E; Weirich, Elizabeth; Lowe, Luis; Klena, John D; Spiropoulou, Christina F; Rayfield, Mark A; Bird, Brian H

2016-07-08

The 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic in West Africa highlighted the need to maintain organized laboratory systems or networks that can be effectively reorganized to implement new diagnostic strategies and laboratory services in response to large-scale events. Although previous Ebola outbreaks enabled establishment of critical laboratory practice safeguards and diagnostic procedures, this Ebola outbreak in West Africa highlighted the need for planning and preparedness activities that are better adapted to emerging pathogens or to pathogens that have attracted little commercial interest. The crisis underscored the need for better mechanisms to streamline development and evaluation of new diagnostic assays, transfer of material and specimens between countries and organizations, and improved processes for rapidly deploying health workers with specific laboratory expertise. The challenges and events of the outbreak forced laboratorians to examine not only the comprehensive capacities of existing national laboratory systems to recognize and respond to events, but also their sustainability over time and the mechanisms that need to be pre-established to ensure effective response. Critical to this assessment was the recognition of how response activities (i.e., infrastructure support, logistics, and workforce supplementation) can be used or repurposed to support the strengthening of national laboratory systems during the postevent transition to capacity building and recovery. This report compares CDC's domestic and international laboratory response engagements and lessons learned that can improve future responses in support of the International Health Regulations and Global Health Security Agenda initiatives.The activities summarized in this report would not have been possible without collaboration with many U.S. and international partners (http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/partners.html).

Establishment of a clean laboratory for ultra trace analysis of nuclear materials in safeguards environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanzawa, Yukiko; Magara, Masaaki; Watanabe, Kazuo

2003-01-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has established a cleanroom facility with cleanliness of ISO Class 5: the Clean Laboratory for Environmental Analysis and Research (CLEAR). It was designed to be used for the analysis of nuclear materials in environmental samples mainly for the safeguards, in addition to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty verification and research on environmental sciences. The CLEAR facility was designed to meet conflicting requirements of a cleanroom and for handling of nuclear materials according to Japanese regulations, i.e., to avoid contamination from outside and to contain nuclear materials inside the facility. This facility has been intended to be used for wet chemical treatment, instrumental analysis and particle handling. A fume-hood to provide a clean work surface for handling of nuclear materials was specially designed. Much attention was paid to the selection of construction materials for use to corrosive acids. The performance of the cleanroom and analytical background in the laboratory are discussed. This facility has satisfactory specification required for joining the International Atomic Energy Agency Network of Analytical Laboratories. It can be concluded that the CLEAR facility enables analysis of ultra trace amounts of nuclear materials at sub-pictogram level in environmental samples. (author)

International nuclear power status 2001; International kernekraftstatus 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauritzen, B.; Majborn, B.; Nonboel, E.; Oelgaard, P.L. (eds.)

2002-04-01

This report is the eighth in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power with special emphasis on reactor safety. For 2001, the report contains: 1) General trends in the development of nuclear power; 2) Nuclear terrorism; 3) Statistical information on nuclear power production (in 2000); 4) An overview of safety-relevant incidents in 2001; 5) The development in West Europe; 6) The development in East Europe; 7) The development in the rest of the world; 8) Development of reactor types; 9) The nuclear fuel cycle; 10) International nuclear organisations. (au)

International Distance Learning in Special Education: A Program Evaluation of a US-Ecuador Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

McPherson, Rebekah

2010-01-01

The internationalization of distance learning in special education is at a pivotal point in expansion. Even with concerted efforts through traditional means to increase the supply of special educators, shortages persist; therefore, teacher preparation programs are turning to online education. This dissertation study was a formative program…

National survey on intra-laboratory turnaround time for some most common routine and stat laboratory analyses in 479 laboratories in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Fei, Yang; Zeng, Rong; Wang, Wei; He, Falin; Zhong, Kun; Wang, Zhiguo

2015-01-01

To investigate the state of the art of intra-laboratory turnaround time (intra-TAT), provide suggestions and find out whether laboratories accredited by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 or College of American Pathologists (CAP) will show better performance on intra-TAT than non-accredited ones. 479 Chinese clinical laboratories participating in the external quality assessment programs of chemistry, blood gas, and haematology tests organized by the National Centre for Clinical Laboratories in China were included in our study. General information and the median of intra-TAT of routine and stat tests in last one week were asked in the questionnaires. The response rate of clinical biochemistry, blood gas, and haematology testing were 36% (479/1307), 38% (228/598), and 36% (449/1250), respectively. More than 50% of laboratories indicated that they had set up intra-TAT median goals and almost 60% of laboratories declared they had monitored intra-TAT generally for every analyte they performed. Among all analytes we investigated, the intra-TAT of haematology analytes was shorter than biochemistry while the intra-TAT of blood gas analytes was the shortest. There were significant differences between median intra-TAT on different days of the week for routine tests. However, there were no significant differences in median intra-TAT reported by accredited laboratories and non-accredited laboratories. Many laboratories in China are aware of intra-TAT control and are making effort to reach the target. There is still space for improvement. Accredited laboratories have better status on intra-TAT monitoring and target setting than the non-accredited, but there are no significant differences in median intra-TAT reported by them.

BIOPLUS: An eclectic laboratory information management system for the ORNL Radiobioassay Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferguson, R.L.; Hwang, H.L.; Bishop, C.P.; Blair, R.L.; Cornett, R.L.; Gonzalez, B.D.; Hotchandani, M.; Keaton, J.A.; Miller, J.L.; Myers, R.D.; Ohnesorge, M.J.; Thein, M.

1992-12-31

Data management activities in analytical laboratories can include sample scheduling, logging, and tracking, as well as results collection and reporting. In the Radiobioassay Laboratory (RBL) such activities were formerly accomplished by entering data in log books and on forms followed by manual entry of data into a computer database. As sample load has increased and further emphasis has been placed on improving efficiency and on error reduction, it has become worthwhile to automate the laboratory`s information management. In addition, a Bioassay Data Management System (BDMS) has developed for use by all five of the DOE sites managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems in order to centralize bioassay data management for internal dosimetry purposes. BIOPLUS, the LIMS described in this paper, provides an interface with BDMS and automates RBL information management to a large extent. The system provides for downloading personnel data from a central computer, logging in samples, and bar-code sample tracking, as well as recording, reporting, archiving, and trending of analysis results. Sketches of the hardware and software are presented along with some details of the instrument interface modules.

76 FR 65105 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Model GIV-X Airplane; Isolation or Aircraft...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-20

...-1140; Special Conditions No. 25-450-SC] Special Conditions: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Model GIV-X Airplane; Isolation or Aircraft Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized Internal Access AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final special conditions; request for...

Radioanalytical laboratory quality control: Current status at Tennessee Valley Authority's western area radiological laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, W.J.

1986-01-01

The Tennessee Valley Authority operates a laboratory for radiological analysis of nuclear plant environmental monitoring samples and also for analysis of environmental samples from uranium mining and milling decommissioning activities. The laboratory analyzes some 9,000 samples per year and employs approximately 20 people as analysts, sample collectors, and supervisory staff members. The laboratory is supported by a quality control section of four people involved in computer support, production of radioactive standards, quality control data assessment and reporting, and internal reviews of compliance. The entire laboratory effort is controlled by 60 written procedures or standards. An HP-1000 computer and data base software are used to schedule samples for collection, assign and schedule samples within the laboratory for preparation and analysis, calculate sample activity, review data, and report data outside the laboratory. Gamma spectroscopy systems with nine germanium detectors, an alpha spectroscopy system, five alpha/beta counters, two liquid scintillation counters, four beta-gamma coincidence systems, two sodium iodide single-channel systems, and four photomultipliers for counting Lucas cells are all employed. Each device has various calibration and quality control checks performed on it routinely. Logbooks and control charts are in use for each instrument

International and national organizations within nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandstroem, S.

1975-03-01

A survey is given of the organization, objective and action of international and national organizations working with nuclear energy. Five types of organizations are treated: international governmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations, international organizations dealing with ionizing radiation, nordic organizations, and Swedish organizations. Special attention is payed to the Swedish participation in the different organizations. (K.K)

International collaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1994-01-01

In the wake of the demise of the US Superconducting Supercollider (SSC) project last year which empoverished both US and world science, some rapid scene shifting is going on. The SSC may be dead, but the underlying physics quest lives on. In the US, the 'future vision' subpanel of the High Energy Physics Advisory Board (HEPAP) is at work formulating its recommendations. On the international front, the International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA) at a special meeting in Vancouver in January drafted a statement

Child-Computer Interaction: ICMI 2012 special session

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Antinus; Morency, L.P.; Bohus, L.; Aghajan, H.; Nijholt, Antinus; Cassell, J.; Epps, J.

2012-01-01

This is a short introduction to the special session on child computer interaction at the International Conference on Multimodal Interaction 2012 (ICMI 2012). In human-computer interaction users have become participants in the design process. This is not different for child computer interaction

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Annual technical progress report of ecological research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.H.

1996-01-01

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) is a research unit of the University of Georgia (UGA). The overall mission of the Laboratory is to acquire and communicate knowledge of ecological processes and principles. SREL conducts basic and applied ecological research, as well as education and outreach programs, under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. Significant accomplishments were made during the past year in the areas of research, education and service. The Laboratory's research mission was fulfilled with the publication of two books and 143 journal articles and book chapters by faculty, technical and students, and visiting scientists. An additional three books and about 80 journal articles currently are in press. Faculty, technician and students presented 193 lectures, scientific presentations, and posters to colleges and universities, including minority institutions. Dr. J Vaun McArthur organized and conducted the Third Annual SREL Symposium on the Environment: New Concepts in Strewn Ecology: An Integrative Approach. Dr. Michael Newman conducted a 5-day course titled Quantitative Methods in Ecotoxicology, and Dr. Brian Teppen of The Advanced Analytical Center for Environmental Sciences (AACES) taught a 3-day short course titled Introduction to Molecular Modeling of Environmental Systems. Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin co-hosted a meeting of the Crocodile Special Interest Group. Dr. Rebecca Sharitz attended four symposia in Japan during May and June 1996 and conducted meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of the International Association for Ecology (ENTECOL)

Hanford internal dosimetry program manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carbaugh, E.H.; Sula, M.J.; Bihl, D.E.; Aldridge, T.L.

1989-10-01

This document describes the Hanford Internal Dosimetry program. Program Services include administrating the bioassay monitoring program, evaluating and documenting assessments of internal exposure and dose, ensuring that analytical laboratories conform to requirements, selecting and applying appropriate models and procedures for evaluating internal radionuclide deposition and the resulting dose, and technically guiding and supporting Hanford contractors in matters regarding internal dosimetry. 13 refs., 16 figs., 42 tabs

An inter-laboratory comparison of urinary 3-hydroxypropylmercapturic acid measurement demonstrates good reproducibility between laboratories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bailey Brian

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Biomarkers have been used extensively in clinical studies to assess toxicant exposure in smokers and non-smokers and have recently been used in the evaluation of novel tobacco products. The urinary metabolite 3-HPMA, a metabolite of the major tobacco smoke toxicity contributor acrolein, is one example of a biomarker used to measure exposure to tobacco smoke. A number of laboratories have developed liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS based methods to measure urinary 3-HPMA; however, it is unclear to what extent the data obtained by these different laboratories are comparable. Findings This report describes an inter-laboratory comparison carried out to evaluate the comparability of 3-HPMA measurement between four laboratories. A common set of spiked and authentic smoker and non-smoker urine samples were used. Each laboratory used their in-house LC-MS/MS method and a common internal standard. A comparison of the repeatability ('r', reproducibility ('R', and coefficient of variation for 3-HPMA demonstrated that within-laboratory variation was consistently lower than between-laboratory variation. The average inter-laboratory coefficient of variation was 7% for fortified urine samples and 16.2% for authentic urine samples. Together, this represents an inter-laboratory variation of 12.2%. Conclusion The results from this first inter-laboratory comparison for the measurement of 3-HPMA in urine demonstrate a reasonably good consensus between laboratories. However, some consistent measurement biases were still observed between laboratories, suggesting that additional work may be required to further reduce the inter-laboratory coefficient of variation.

Program Integration for International Technology Exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rea, J.L.

1993-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, New Mexico, supports the International Technology Exchange Division (ITED) through the integration of all international activities conducted within the DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM)

Jessica Perkins | IDRC - International Development Research Centre

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

Her audit and consulting experience includes performance auditing, special examinations, information technology general controls, risk management, financial management and governance. Jessica holds a bachelor of commerce with a specialization in accounting from the University of Ottawa. She is a Certified Internal ...

Project of an integrated calibration laboratory of instruments at IPEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, Gustavo Adolfo San Jose

2009-01-01

The Calibration Laboratory of Instruments of Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares offers calibration services of radiation detectors used in radioprotection, diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy, for IPEN and for external facilities (public and private). One part of its facilities is located in the main building, along with other laboratories and study rooms, and another part in an isolated building called Bunker. For the optimization, modernization and specially the safety, the laboratories in the main building shall be transferred to an isolated place. In this work, a project of an integrated laboratory for calibration of instruments was developed, and it will be an expansion of the current Calibration Laboratory of Instruments of IPEN. Therefore, a series of radiometric monitoring of the chosen localization of the future laboratory was realized, and all staff needs (dimensions and disposition of the study rooms and laboratories) were defined. In this project, the laboratories with X ray equipment, alpha and beta radiation sources were located at an isolated part of the building, and the wall shielding was determined, depending on the use of each laboratory. (author)

The Role of History in International Business in Southern Europe

OpenAIRE

Buckley, 1949-, Peter J.; Fernández Pérez, 1964-, Paloma

2016-01-01

This article examines first of all two aspects of the increasing role of history in international business: history as a source of research methods and history as an underpinning for international business theory.  Second, the authors present key themes related to international business in Southern Europe in the last two centuries, as analyzed in the other articles of the special issue devoted to this theme in this special issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business.

76 FR 70456 - Decision To Evaluate a Petition To Designate a Class of Employees From Sandia National Laboratory...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

... Employees From Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM, To Be Included in the Special Exposure Cohort... evaluate a petition to designate a class of employees from Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, New... revision as warranted by the evaluation, is as follows: Facility: Sandia National Laboratory. Location...

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), described in this document, supports a wide variety of projects. Each year more than 1000 scientists and engineers visit RAL to use its world-class laser and neutron-scattering facilities. RAL staff design and build instruments which circle the Earth in satellites, increasing our understanding of ozone depletion and global warming, of the life cycles of stars and galaxies and, indeed, of the origin of the Universe itself. They work with their academic colleagues at international laboratories such as European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva, where massive underground machines probe the microstructure of the atomic nucleus. Vastly complex calculations are carried out on the design of anti-cancer drugs, for example, using supercomputers at RAL. (author)

Handbook of laboratory techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Authority in Argentina have laboratories of support to regulations functions on radiological and nuclear safety, safeguards and physical protection, that have a surface of 2950 m 2 in the Ezeiza Atomic Center. The manual describes in seven chapters the different techniques developed and applied in the laboratories along four decades of existence. The chapter 1: Dedicated to the treatment of environmental samples, described the procedures associated with the different types of samples: deposits, waters, sediments, vegetables, milk, fish and diet. The chapter 2: Details 48 radiochemical techniques associated to the measurements of americium 241, carbon 16, strontium 90, iodine 129, plutonium, radium 226, radon, uranium, nickel and actinides. The chapter 3: Describes the measurements techniques of alpha and gamma spectrometry. The different techniques of biological and physical dosimetry are described in the chapters 5 and 6 respectively. The final chapter is dedicated the techniques of external and internal contamination. It s important to emphasize that this manual contains the standardized technologies that the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Argentina submits regularly to international comparisons

ANDES: An Underground Laboratory in South America

Science.gov (United States)

Dib, Claudio O.

ANDES (Agua Negra Deep Experiment Site) is an underground laboratory, proposed to be built inside the Agua Negra road tunnel that will connect Chile (IV Region) with Argentina (San Juan Province) under the Andes Mountains. The Laboratory will be 1750 meters under the rock, becoming the 3rd deepest underground laboratory of this kind in the world, and the first in the Southern Hemisphere. ANDES will be an international Laboratory, managed by a Latin American consortium. The laboratory will host experiments in Particle and Astroparticle Physics, such as Neutrino and Dark Matter searches, Seismology, Geology, Geophysics and Biology. It will also be used for the development of low background instrumentation and related services. Here we present the general features of the proposed laboratory, the current status of the proposal and some of its opportunities for science.

DNA decontamination methods for internal quality management in clinical PCR laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yingping; Wu, Jianyong; Zhang, Zhihui; Cheng, Chen

2018-03-01

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, one of the most commonly applied methods in diagnostic and molecular biology, has a frustrating downside: the occurrence of false-positive signals due to contamination. In previous research, various DNA decontamination methods have been developed to overcome this limitation. Unfortunately, the use of random or poorly focused sampling methods for monitoring air and/or object surfaces leads to the incomplete elimination during decontamination procedures. We herein attempted to develop a novel DNA decontamination method (environmental surveillance, including surface and air sampling) and quality management program for clinical molecular diagnostic laboratories (or clinical PCR laboratories). Here, we performed a step-by-step evaluation of current DNA decontamination methods and developed an effective procedure for assessing the presence of decontaminating DNA via PCR analysis. Performing targeted environmental surveillance by sampling, which reached optimal performance over 2 weeks, and the decontamination process had been verified as reliable. Additionally, the process was validated to not affect PCR amplification efficiency based on a comparative study. In this study, effective guidelines for DNA decontamination were developed. The method employed ensured that surface DNA contamination could be effectively identified and eliminated. Furthermore, our study highlighted the importance of overall quality assurance and good clinical laboratory practices for preventing contamination, which are key factors for compliance with regulatory or accreditation requirements. Taken together, we provided the evidence that the presented scheme ranged from troubleshooting to the elimination of surface contamination, could serve as critical foundation for developing regular environmental surveillance guidelines for PCR laboratories. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Culture methods of allograft musculoskeletal tissue samples in Australian bacteriology laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Varettas, Kerry

2013-12-01

Samples of allograft musculoskeletal tissue are cultured by bacteriology laboratories to determine the presence of bacteria and fungi. In Australia, this testing is performed by 6 TGA-licensed clinical bacteriology laboratories with samples received from 10 tissue banks. Culture methods of swab and tissue samples employ a combination of solid agar and/or broth media to enhance micro-organism growth and maximise recovery. All six Australian laboratories receive Amies transport swabs and, except for one laboratory, a corresponding biopsy sample for testing. Three of the 6 laboratories culture at least one allograft sample directly onto solid agar. Only one laboratory did not use a broth culture for any sample received. An international literature review found that a similar combination of musculoskeletal tissue samples were cultured onto solid agar and/or broth media. Although variations of allograft musculoskeletal tissue samples, culture media and methods are used in Australian and international bacteriology laboratories, validation studies and method evaluations have challenged and supported their use in recovering fungi and aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.

Pengaruh Pemasaran Internal dan Kualitas Layanan Internal Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Internal (Studi Pada Industri Kepariwisataan di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jumadi Jumadi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to investigate the implication of internal marketing and internal service quality effectivity towards internal customer satisfaction in Tourism Industry in Yogyakarta Special Territory. This internal marketing studyinvolves variables of motivation and reward system, effective communication, effective employee's selection, effective recruitment, effective development, effective support system, and healthy work environment. While the internal quality service aspects that will be examined in this study are: tangible, emphaty, responsiveness, reliability and assurance, and then their influences on internal customer satisfaction would be analyzed.The sample size is 210 respondents,which is determined using purposive sampling method. The main instrument for data collection in this study is through questionnaire. The analysis tool used to examine the hypothesis of the study is Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS Version 20.0 Software. The result of the study shows that: Internal marketing and internal quality service significantly influence internal customers satisfation. However, the internal quality service influence the internal customers satisfaction more significantly. Therefore the managers in tourism industry should improve the internal marketing more than the internal quality service.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-01-01

This report discusses the following topics: principal parameters achieved in experimental devices fiscal year 1990; tokamak fusion test reactor; compact ignition tokamak; Princeton beta experiment- modification; current drive experiment-upgrade; international collaboration; x-ray laser studies; spacecraft glow experiment; plasma processing: deposition and etching of thin films; theoretical studies; tokamak modeling; international thermonuclear experimental reactor; engineering department; project planning and safety office; quality assurance and reliability; technology transfer; administrative operations; PPPL patent invention disclosures for fiscal year 1990; graduate education; plasma physics; graduate education: plasma science and technology; science education program; and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory reports fiscal year 1990.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

This report discusses the following topics: principal parameters achieved in experimental devices fiscal year 1990; tokamak fusion test reactor; compact ignition tokamak; Princeton beta experiment- modification; current drive experiment-upgrade; international collaboration; x-ray laser studies; spacecraft glow experiment; plasma processing: deposition and etching of thin films; theoretical studies; tokamak modeling; international thermonuclear experimental reactor; engineering department; project planning and safety office; quality assurance and reliability; technology transfer; administrative operations; PPPL patent invention disclosures for fiscal year 1990; graduate education; plasma physics; graduate education: plasma science and technology; science education program; and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory reports fiscal year 1990

Internal quality control in serological tests for syphilis.

OpenAIRE

Wasley, G D

1985-01-01

The importance of syphilis serological tests demands that laboratory reports are reliable. Internal quality control applied to the organisation of a syphilis serology service improves laboratory bench performance and reporting. Described here are internal quality control procedures of a department that serves a genitourinary medicine clinic and conducts 70 000 tests a year to investigate for syphilis.

Mozambique’s journey toward accreditation of the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia O. Viegas

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Internationally-accredited laboratories are recognised for their superior test reliability, operational performance, quality management and competence. In a bid to meet international quality standards, the Mozambique National Institute of Health enrolled the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL in a continuous quality improvement process towards ISO 15189 accreditation. Here, we describe the road map taken by the NTRL to achieve international accreditation. Methods: The NTRL adopted the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA programme as a strategy to implement a quality management system. After SLMTA, the Mozambique National Institute of Health committed to accelerate the NTRL’s process toward accreditation. An action plan was designed to streamline the process. Quality indicators were defined to benchmark progress. Staff were trained to improve performance. Mentorship from an experienced assessor was provided. Fulfilment of accreditation standards was assessed by the Portuguese Accreditation Board. Results: Of the eight laboratories participating in SLMTA, the NTRL was the best-performing laboratory, achieving a 53.6% improvement over the SLMTA baseline conducted in February 2011 to the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA assessment in June 2013. During the accreditation assessment in September 2014, 25 minor nonconformities were identified and addressed. In March 2015, the NTRL received Portuguese Accreditation Board recognition of technical competency for fluorescence smear microscopy, and solid and liquid culture. The NTRL is the first laboratory in Mozambique toachieve ISO 15189 accreditation. Conclusions: From our experience, accreditation was made possible by institutional commitment, strong laboratory leadership, staff motivation, adequate infrastructure and a comprehensive action plan.

Mozambique’s journey toward accreditation of the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Madeira, Carla; Aguiar, Carmen; Dolores, Carolina; Mandlaze, Ana P.; Chongo, Patrina; Masamha, Jessina

2017-01-01

Background Internationally-accredited laboratories are recognised for their superior test reliability, operational performance, quality management and competence. In a bid to meet international quality standards, the Mozambique National Institute of Health enrolled the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL) in a continuous quality improvement process towards ISO 15189 accreditation. Here, we describe the road map taken by the NTRL to achieve international accreditation. Methods The NTRL adopted the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme as a strategy to implement a quality management system. After SLMTA, the Mozambique National Institute of Health committed to accelerate the NTRL’s process toward accreditation. An action plan was designed to streamline the process. Quality indicators were defined to benchmark progress. Staff were trained to improve performance. Mentorship from an experienced assessor was provided. Fulfilment of accreditation standards was assessed by the Portuguese Accreditation Board. Results Of the eight laboratories participating in SLMTA, the NTRL was the best-performing laboratory, achieving a 53.6% improvement over the SLMTA baseline conducted in February 2011 to the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) assessment in June 2013. During the accreditation assessment in September 2014, 25 minor nonconformities were identified and addressed. In March 2015, the NTRL received Portuguese Accreditation Board recognition of technical competency for fluorescence smear microscopy, and solid and liquid culture. The NTRL is the first laboratory in Mozambique to achieve ISO 15189 accreditation. Conclusions From our experience, accreditation was made possible by institutional commitment, strong laboratory leadership, staff motivation, adequate infrastructure and a comprehensive action plan. PMID:28879162

External quality assurance performance of clinical research laboratories in sub-saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Amukele, Timothy K; Michael, Kurt; Hanes, Mary; Miller, Robert E; Jackson, J Brooks

2012-11-01

Patient Safety Monitoring in International Laboratories (JHU-SMILE) is a resource at Johns Hopkins University that supports and monitors laboratories in National Institutes of Health-funded international clinical trials. To determine the impact of the JHU-SMILE quality assurance scheme in sub-Saharan African laboratories, we reviewed 40 to 60 months of external quality assurance (EQA) results of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in these laboratories. We reviewed the performance of 8 analytes: albumin, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, sodium, WBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and the human immunodeficiency virus antibody rapid test. Over the 40- to 60-month observation period, the sub-Saharan laboratories had a 1.63% failure rate, which was 40% lower than the 2011 CAP-wide rate of 2.8%. Seventy-six percent of the observed EQA failures occurred in 4 of the 21 laboratories. These results demonstrate that a system of remote monitoring, feedback, and audits can support quality in low-resource settings, even in places without strong regulatory support for laboratory quality.

Placing the special trains issue in perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhoads, R.E.; DeSteese, J.G.; Loscutoff, W.V.; Chais, M.

1978-01-01

The Association of American Railroads has proposed changes in the way railroads handle shipments of radioactive materials. These changes are embodied in a set of recommended operating practices that would require shipments of spent fuel and radioactive waste to be moved only in special train service. The proposed operating practices include a 35 mph maximum speed restriction, a passing restriction and a no-other freight restriction. Shippers of radioactive materials oppose the imposition of these operating practices. The special train issue is currently being argued in hearings before the Interstate Commerce Commission. The history and current status of these hearings are reviewed. Pacific Northwest Laboratories has undertaken a study to provide perspective on the safety and economic factors related to the use of special trains for shipping spent fuel. The results of this study for the amount of spent fuel anticipated to be shipped in 1986 are reviewed. The safety analysis determines the frequencies and severities of accidents for conventional freight trains and compares these to extrapolated frequencies and severities of accidents for conventional freight trains subject to the special train operating restrictions. Results of the study show that the adoption of special trains and attendant operating restrictions has limited potential for improving safety during shipment. The economic analysis compares the cost of spent fuel shipments made by special train and by conventional freight train service.Results of the economics phase of the study show that the use of special trains will most likely increase the cost of shipments by about 50%, although under certain circumstances shipping costs for spent fuel by special trains may be up to 20% lower than by conventional train service. Possible methods to resolve the special train issue are explored

Editorial. Special issue of Classical and Quantum Gravity on the proceedings of the 4th international LISA symposium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finn, Lee Samuel

2003-01-01

The 4th International LISA Symposium was held at the National Science Foundation Physics Frontier Center for Gravitational Wave Physics at The Pennsylvania State University on 19-24 July 2002. This special issue of Classical and Quantum Gravity is the proceedings of this meeting. LISA - the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna - is part of an international effort to open a new window on the universe. Not all things radiate light, but everything gravitates. Observations of the gravitational waves radiated by black holes and compact binary star systems, in our galaxy and beyond, can reveal details about these systems and their environments that are otherwise inaccessible. The international effort, of which LISA is a part, includes ground-based detectors, and the relationship between LISA and its ground-based detector 'cousins' was an important theme for this Symposium. LISA will observe gravitational waves in the 0.1 mHz to 0.1 Hz band, complementing observations made by ground-based detectors in the 10 Hz to several KHz band. Together they will explore nearly six decades of bandwidth in the gravitational-wave sky. LISA in particular will observe the gravitational waves radiated by the coalescence of black holes at the centres of colliding galaxies, and the inspiral of compact neutron stars or stellar-mass black holes onto these black holes, virtually anywhere in the universe. It will take a census of neutron star or close white dwarf binaries in our own galaxy and observe the formation of large black holes from the very first structures to form and collapse in our universe. In doing all these things, it will shed new 'light' on the first structures to form in the universe, explore the evolution of galaxies and the roles that black holes play in their structure, test relativity near the 'edges' of a black hole, and deepen our understanding of stellar and binary system evolution. A successful conference - and this LISA Symposium, like its predecessors, was very

Research training of students in minority and international settings: lessons learned from cancer epidemiology education in special populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Soliman, Amr S; Mullan, Patricia B; Chamberlain, Robert M

2010-06-01

This article describes the development and evaluation of an NCI-sponsored short-term summer cancer research education program. The study questions examined: the feasibility of conducting a cancer education program in special populations at multiple US and international field sites for masters students; the merit and worth that students and faculty attribute to the program; and students' scholarly and cancer-related career outcomes. Developing a new curriculum, increasing the pool of mentors, utilizing and increasing the number of field sites, and program dissemination were also evaluated. Evidence of the program's success included students' completion of field experiences at multiple sites and their subsequent 70% project-related publication rate, with 79% of trainees reporting themselves as likely to pursue future cancer-related careers. Evaluation-guided future plans for the program include implementing faculty development to further enhance the program outcomes.

Advanced laboratory for testing plasma thrusters and Hall thruster measurement campaign

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szelecka Agnieszka

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Plasma engines are used for space propulsion as an alternative to chemical thrusters. Due to the high exhaust velocity of the propellant, they are more efficient for long-distance interplanetary space missions than their conventional counterparts. An advanced laboratory of plasma space propulsion (PlaNS at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM specializes in designing and testing various electric propulsion devices. Inside of a special vacuum chamber with three performance pumps, an environment similar to the one that prevails in space is created. An innovative Micro Pulsed Plasma Thruster (LμPPT with liquid propellant was built at the laboratory. Now it is used to test the second prototype of Hall effect thruster (HET operating on krypton propellant. Meantime, an improved prototype of krypton Hall thruster is constructed.

Laboratory operation during radiation emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunata, M.; Prouza, Z.; Tecl, J.

2009-01-01

During radiation emergency, a special operation mode of laboratories of the Radiation Monitoring Network (hereinafter RMN) is expected. The principal factors differing the emergency mode from the normal one are the following: - significantly higher amount of analyzed samples; - high activities of the majority of the samples; - higher risk of personal and equipment contamination; - higher working and psychological demands on laboratory staff. The assuring of the radiation protection requirements of laboratory staff has to be the primary objective, nevertheless the risk of equipment contamination and of samples cross- contamination of course have to be as well taken into consideration. The presentation describes the experience of the RMN Central Laboratory of the National Radiation Protection Institute in Prague (SURO) which was obtained during realization of field tests, in which a radioactive matter was released. These tests allow us to evaluate the source term or radioactivity dispersal balance based on various detection methods with the aim to estimate exposure of the afflicted persons. Tests provided to simulate emergency working conditions in Central Laboratory - high number of contaminated samples, which have to be analyzed in a short time (short half-time of used radionuclide 99m Tc) using sophisticated laboratory techniques (gamma spectrometers, aerosols collectors, etc.). The testing shows the availability of the SURO laboratory to work during the radiation emergency and to participate on its determination. The suitable settings and the ideal number of staff have been found. The average analysis time was approximately 1 minute per sample and the sample results were available just a few minutes after the counting. Moreover, the settings avoided any danger and kept both the crew and the samples safe and secure from contamination. (authors)

Laboratory operation during radiation emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunata, M.; Tecl, J.; Prouza, Z.

2008-01-01

During radiation emergency, a special operation mode of laboratories of the Radiation Monitoring Network (hereinafter RMN) is expected. The principal factors differing the emergency mode from the normal one are the following: - significantly higher amount of analyzed samples; - high activities of the majority of the samples; - higher risk of personal and equipment contamination; - higher working and psychological demands on laboratory staff. The assuring of the radiation protection requirements of laboratory staff has to be the primary objective, nevertheless the risk of equipment contamination and of samples cross- contamination of course have to be as well taken into consideration. The presentation describes the experience of the RMN Central Laboratory of the National Radiation Protection Institute in Prague (SURO) which was obtained during realization of field tests, in which a radioactive matter was released. These tests allow us to evaluate the source term or radioactivity dispersal balance based on various detection methods with the aim to estimate exposure of the afflicted persons. Tests provided to simulate emergency working conditions in Central Laboratory -high number of contaminated samples, which have to be analyzed in a short time (short half-time of used radionuclide 99m Tc) using sophisticated laboratory techniques (gamma spectrometers, aerosols collectors, etc.). The testing shows the availability of the SURO laboratory to work during the radiation emergency and to participate on its determination. The suitable settings and the ideal number of staff have been found. The average analysis time was approximately 1 minute per sample and the sample results were available just a few minutes after the counting. Moreover, the settings avoided any danger and kept both the crew and the samples safe and secure from contamination. (authors)

1983 international intercomparison of nuclear accident dosimetry systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swaja, R.E.; Greene, R.T.; Sims, C.S.

1985-04-01

An international intercomparison of nuclear accident dosimetry systems was conducted during September 12-16, 1983, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) using the Health Physics Research Reactor operated in the pulse mode to simulate criticality accidents. This study marked the twentieth in a series of annual accident dosimetry intercomparisons conducted at ORNL. Participants from ten organizations attended this intercomparison and measured neutron and gamma doses at area monitoring stations and on phantoms for three different shield conditions. Results of this study indicate that foil activation techniques are the most popular and accurate method of determining accident-level neutron doses at area monitoring stations. For personnel monitoring, foil activation, blood sodium activation, and thermoluminescent (TL) methods are all capable of providing accurate dose estimates in a variety of radiation fields. All participants in this study used TLD's to determine gamma doses with very good results on the average. Chemical dosemeters were also shown to be capable of yielding accurate estimates of total neutron plus gamma doses in a variety of radiation fields. While 83% of all neutron measurements satisfied regulatory standards relative to reference values, only 39% of all gamma results satisfied corresponding guidelines for gamma measurements. These results indicate that continued improvement in accident dosimetry evaluation and measurement techniques is needed

The Role of History in International Business in Southern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter J. Buckley

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This article examines first of all two aspects of the increasing role of history in international business: history as a source of research methods and history as an underpinning for international business theory.  Second, the authors present key themes related to international business in Southern Europe in the last two centuries, as analyzed in the other articles of the special issue devoted to this theme in this special issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business.

Treatment of radioactive laboratory waste for mercury removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osteen, A.B.; Bibler, J.P.

1990-01-01

Routine analyses of Savannah River Laboratory wastes at the Savannah River Site occasionally reveal mercury concentrations in the waste in excess of the 0.200 μg/L RCRA limit. An ion exchange resin has been demonstrated to be effective for the removal of dissolved mercury from laboratory waste in a special permitted project. The ion exchange material is Duolite trademark GT-73, a polystyrene/divinylbenzene resin with thiol functional groups. As a result of the decontamination demonstration, the resin is in use or under consideration for use with several other SRS radwaste streams as a reliable medium for mercury removal

Teaching Special Relativity to Lay Students

Science.gov (United States)

Egdall, Ira Mark

2014-01-01

In this paper, I describe a lay course in special relativity (SR) given at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI's) at Florida International University and the University of Miami. Courses are also offered in general relativity quantum theory cosmology the nature of time, and the fine-tuned universe. Each course is presented in six…

Laboratory support during and after the Ebola virus endgame: Towards a sustained laboratory infrastructure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I. Goodfellow; C.B.E.M. Reusken (Chantal); M.P.G. Koopmans D.V.M. (Marion)

2015-01-01

textabstractThe Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa is on the brink of entering a second phase in which the (inter)national efforts to slow down virus transmission will be engaged to end the epidemic. The response community must consider the longevity of their current laboratory support, as it is

Accreditation - Its relevance for laboratories measuring radionuclides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palsson, S E [Icelandic Radiation Protection Inst. (Iceland)

2001-11-01

Accreditation is an internationally recognised way for laboratories to demonstrate their competence. Obtaining and maintaining accreditation is, however, a costly and time-consuming procedure. The benefits of accreditation also depend on the role of the laboratory. Accreditation may be of limited relevance for a research laboratory, but essential for a laboratory associated with a national authority and e.g. issuing certificates. This report describes work done within the NKSBOK-1.1 sub-project on introducing accreditation to Nordic laboratories measuring radionuclides. Initially the focus was on the new standard ISO/IEC 17025, which was just in a draft form at the time, but which provides now a new framework for accreditation of laboratories. Later the focus was widened to include a general introduction to accreditation and providing through seminars a forum for exchanging views on the experience laboratories have had in this field. Copies of overheads from the last such seminar are included in the appendix to this report. (au)

Editorial to the Special issue of the journal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikša Alfirević

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This is the editorial to the Special issue of the Management journal, dedicated to the 11th International Conference on "Challenges of Europe", organized by the Faculty of Economics in Split, Croatia, in May 2015.

Total laboratory automation: Do stat tests still matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Dolci, Alberto; Giavarina, Davide; Pasqualetti, Sara; Szőke, Dominika; Panteghini, Mauro

2017-07-01

During the past decades the healthcare systems have rapidly changed and today hospital care is primarily advocated for critical patients and acute treatments, for which laboratory test results are crucial and need to be always reported in predictably short turnaround time (TAT). Laboratories in the hospital setting can face this challenge by changing their organization from a compartmentalized laboratory department toward a decision making-based laboratory department. This requires the implementation of a core laboratory, that exploits total laboratory automation (TLA) using technological innovation in analytical platforms, track systems and information technology, including middleware, and a number of satellite specialized laboratory sections cooperating with care teams for specific medical conditions. In this laboratory department model, the short TAT for all first-line tests performed by TLA in the core laboratory represents the key paradigm, where no more stat testing is required because all samples are handled in real-time and (auto)validated results dispatched in a time that fulfills clinical needs. To optimally reach this goal, laboratories should be actively involved in managing all the steps covering the total examination process, speeding up also extra-laboratory phases, such sample delivery. Furthermore, to warrant effectiveness and not only efficiency, all the processes, e.g. specimen integrity check, should be managed by middleware through a predefined set of rules defined in light of the clinical governance. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Post-remedial-action survey report for Kinetic Experiment Water Boiler Reactor Facility, Santa Susana Field Laboratories, Rockwell International, Ventura County, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wynveen, R.A.; Smith, W.H.; Sholeen, C.M.; Flynn, K.F.; Justus, A.L.

1981-10-01

Rockwell International's Santa Susana Laboratories in Ventura County, California, have been the site of numerous federally-funded contracted projects involving the use of radioactive materials. Among these was the Kinetics Experiment Water Boiler (KEWB) Reactor which was operated under the auspices of the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The KEWB Reactor was last operated in 1966. The facility was subsequently declared excess and decontamination and decommissioning operations were conducted during the first half of calendar year 1975. The facility was completely dismantled and the site graded to blend with the surrounding terrain. During October 1981, a post-remedial-action (certification) survey of the KEWB site was conducted on the behalf of the US Department of Energy by the Radiological Survey Group (RSG) of the Occupational Health and Safety Division's Health Physics Section (OHS/HP) of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The survey confirmed that the site was free from contamination and could be released for unrestricted use

26 CFR 48.4223-1 - Special rules relating to further manufacture.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 16 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Special rules relating to further manufacture.... § 48.4223-1 Special rules relating to further manufacture. (a) Purchasing manufacturer to be treated as... resold tax free under section 4221(a)(1) of the Code for use by it in further manufacture shall be...

Cross-Cultural Counselling with International Students

Science.gov (United States)

Barletta, John; Kobayashi, Yumi

2007-01-01

This article explores the issues for counsellors working with international students, particularly Asian international students. As globalisation has expanded people have tended to study overseas in great numbers, hence the increasing importance for professionals to examine counselling in this cultural speciality. In order to understand effective…

Lack of grading agreement among international hemostasis external quality assessment programs

OpenAIRE

Olson, John D.; Jennings, Ian; Meijer, Piet; Bon, Chantal; Bonar, Roslyn; Favaloro, Emmanuel J.; Higgins, Russell A.; Keeney, Michael; Mammen, Joy; Marlar, Richard A.; Meley, Roland; Nair, Sukesh C.; Nichols, William L.; Raby, Anne; Reverter, Joan C.

2018-01-01

Laboratory quality programs rely on internal quality control and external quality assessment (EQA). EQA programs provide unknown specimens for the laboratory to test. The laboratory's result is compared with other (peer) laboratories performing the same test. EQA programs assign target values using a variety of methods statistical tools and performance assessment of ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ is made. EQA provider members of the international organization, external quality assurance in thrombosis and h...

Decontamination and decommission of a radiochemical laboratory building complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zoubek, Norbert

2008-01-01

Full text: Handling of unsealed radioactive substances for research and development purposes in chemical or pharmaceutical industries or research centres as well as production of radioactive substances (e.g. for applications in nuclear medicine or industry) requires operation of special radiochemical laboratories. In general, operation of radiochemical laboratories is strongly regulated by the government and national authorities. The operator needs a permit related to radiological protection. In general, technical requirements for such facilities are very high. To ensure high safety standards with respect to the employees and the environment, several radiological protection measures have to be taken. These measures (for example special shielding or ventilation and waste water systems) depend on various factors, e.g. activity in use, kind of nuclides, chemical properties and volatility of substances. In order to close-down such radiochemical laboratories some radiological protection measures have to be maintained to ensure protection of both humans and the environment induced by possible residual contaminations within the facility including technical inventory. However, a later reuse of the facility as a non-radioactive facility requires removal of all radioactive contamination with respect to national regulation. Resulting radioactive wastes have to be disposed of under control of competent authorities. Based on the experience of a decontamination and decommission project for a former radiochemical laboratory complex, the main steps necessary to release such a facility are discussed. Analytical aspects of initial conditions, necessary organisational structures within the project, resources needed estimation and exploration of the radiological situation in the laboratory, elaboration of a measuring strategy and decontamination methods as well as different waste disposal routes in relation to different waste types are reported. (author)

[Internal drainage in cancer patients: optimizing treatment of stent-related symptoms].

Science.gov (United States)

Martov, A G; Ergakov, D V; Novikov, A B; Muzhetskaya, N G; Esen'yan, G L

2016-04-01

The so-called stent-related symptoms caused mainly by detrusor overactivity due to distal ("cystic") curl of the internal stent are common among patients with this type of drainage. The need for long-term stenting makes the quality of life of cancer patients one of the challenging problems of modern urology. The aim of this study was to optimize treatment of stent-related symptoms in cancer patients with internal long-term stents by complementing the treatment regimen with m-anticholinergic solifenacin. From November 2013 to November 2015 68 cancer patients (26 males, 42 females, age 36-79 years) underwent elective internal ureteral stenting for drainage of the upper urinary tract (UUT) with special long-term stents coated with the hydrogel. The urinary tract obstruction was caused by urological (24), gynecological (26) and colorectal (18) cancers. Before deciding on urinary tract drainage, all patients were treated with radiation or chemotherapy, 28 (41.2%) patients underwent surgery, but on admission all of them had contraindications to radical surgery for different reasons. In 52 (76.5%) patients UUT stenting was performed using transurethral access, in 12 (17.6%) by percutaneous access and in another 4 (5.9%) by the combined access with patients in the supine position. Percutaneous and combined access was used in cases of impracticability (failure) of transurethral stenting. Patients in group 1 (n=32) after stent placement received standard therapy co-administered with solifenacin 5 mg daily, group 2 (n=36) - only standard therapy. The data analyzed were the technical features of the internal drainage, optimal access and registered solifenacin-related adverse events. Control examinations were scheduled once in 3 months after stent placement according to the following algorithm: ultrasound scanning, laboratory test monitoring and, if indicated, plain urography. To objectify the severity of stent-related symptoms, a survey of patients using a special

Potential of Laboratory Execution Systems (LESs) to Simplify the Application of Business Process Management Systems (BPMSs) in Laboratory Automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Neubert, Sebastian; Göde, Bernd; Gu, Xiangyu; Stoll, Norbert; Thurow, Kerstin

2017-04-01

Modern business process management (BPM) is increasingly interesting for laboratory automation. End-to-end workflow automation and improved top-level systems integration for information technology (IT) and automation systems are especially prominent objectives. With the ISO Standard Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.X, a system-independent and interdisciplinary accepted graphical process control notation is provided, allowing process analysis, while also being executable. The transfer of BPM solutions to structured laboratory automation places novel demands, for example, concerning the real-time-critical process and systems integration. The article discusses the potential of laboratory execution systems (LESs) for an easier implementation of the business process management system (BPMS) in hierarchical laboratory automation. In particular, complex application scenarios, including long process chains based on, for example, several distributed automation islands and mobile laboratory robots for a material transport, are difficult to handle in BPMSs. The presented approach deals with the displacement of workflow control tasks into life science specialized LESs, the reduction of numerous different interfaces between BPMSs and subsystems, and the simplification of complex process modelings. Thus, the integration effort for complex laboratory workflows can be significantly reduced for strictly structured automation solutions. An example application, consisting of a mixture of manual and automated subprocesses, is demonstrated by the presented BPMS-LES approach.

Special section: religion and territorial politics in southern Europe

OpenAIRE

Giorgi , Alberta; Itçaina , Xabier

2016-01-01

International audience; The invisible politics of religion in southern European territories: preliminary considerations With this issue of Religion, State & Society, we inaugurate a planned series of special sections focusing on the analysis of the political involvement of religious associations and organisations at the local level. Without pre-empting the more substantial conclusion that we plan for the last of the special sections, in this short introduction we aim to state brieflythe main ...

Quality in pathology laboratory practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, S

1995-06-01

Quality refers not only to analytical quality control, a traditional area of laboratory excellence, but to the entire science of quality management. As measures of quality, structural indicators refer to staffing and physical facilities, process indicators to the institutions operations and, perhaps most importantly, outcome indicators address the ultimate patient care uses that pathology information is put to. Comparison of performance to peer laboratories, external quality control, is a practical, if limited, yardstick of performance. Customer satisfaction and turn-around-time of tests are receiving more recent attention as quality measures. Blood banking, because of its inherently complex cycle from donor phlebotomy to product infusion, requires special considerations with regard to quality management. Reporting of anatomical pathology, where the only gold standard is a consensus of experts, also does not lend itself to classical numerical quality assessment.

26 CFR 53.4943-7 - Special rules for readjustments involving grandfathered holdings.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... in Z will represent 50% of the fair market value of the outstanding Z stock. (ii) Under the... 26 Internal Revenue 17 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special rules for readjustments involving... Excess Business Holdings § 53.4943-7 Special rules for readjustments involving grandfathered holdings. (a...