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Sample records for large international sample

Uncertainty budget in internal monostandard NAA for small and large size samples analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dasari, K.B.; Acharya, R.

2014-01-01

Total uncertainty budget evaluation on determined concentration value is important under quality assurance programme. Concentration calculation in NAA or carried out by relative NAA and k0 based internal monostandard NAA (IM-NAA) method. IM-NAA method has been used for small and large sample analysis of clay potteries. An attempt was made to identify the uncertainty components in IM-NAA and uncertainty budget for La in both small and large size samples has been evaluated and compared. (author)
Application of k0-based internal monostandard NAA for large sample analysis of clay pottery. As a part of inter comparison exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acharya, R.; Dasari, K.B.; Pujari, P.K.; Swain, K.K.; Shinde, A.D.; Reddy, A.V.R.

2014-01-01

As a part of inter comparison exercise of an IAEA Coordinated Research Project on large sample neutron activation analysis, a large size and non standard geometry size pottery replica (obtained from Peru) was analyzed by k 0 -based internal monostandard neutron activation analysis (IM-NAA). Two large size sub samples (0.40 and 0.25 kg) were irradiated at graphite reflector position of AHWR Critical Facility in BARC, Trombay, Mumbai, India. Small samples (100-200 mg) were also analyzed by IM-NAA for comparison purpose. Radioactive assay was carried out using a 40 % relative efficiency HPGe detector. To examine homogeneity of the sample, counting was also carried out using X-Z rotary scanning unit. In situ relative detection efficiency was evaluated using gamma rays of the activation products in the irradiated sample in the energy range of 122-2,754 keV. Elemental concentration ratios with respect to Na of small size (100 mg mass) as well as large size (15 and 400 g) samples were used to check the homogeneity of the samples. Concentration ratios of 18 elements such as K, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Rb, Cs, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Yb, Lu, Hf and Th with respect to Na (internal mono standard) were calculated using IM-NAA. Absolute concentrations were arrived at for both large and small samples using Na concentration, obtained from relative method of NAA. The percentage combined uncertainties at ±1 s confidence limit on the determined values were in the range of 3-9 %. Two IAEA reference materials SL-1 and SL-3 were analyzed by IM-NAA to evaluate accuracy of the method. (author)
Application of Conventional and K0-Based Internal Monostandard NAA Using Reactor Neutrons for Compositional Analysis of Large Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reddy, A.V.R.; Acharya, R.; Swain, K. K.; Pujari, P.K.

2018-01-01

Large sample neutron activation analysis (LSNAA) work was carried out for samples of coal, uranium ore, stainless steel, ancient and new clay potteries, dross and clay pottery replica from Peru using low flux high thermalized irradiation sites. Large as well as non-standard geometry samples (1 g - 0.5 kg) were irradiated using thermal column (TC) facility of Apsara reactor as well as graphite reflector position of critical facility (CF) at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. Small size (10 - 500 mg) samples were also irradiated at core position of Apsara reactor, pneumatic carrier facility (PCF) of Dhruva reactor and pneumatic fast transfer facility (PFTS) of KAMINI reactor. Irradiation positions were characterized using indium flux monitor for TC and CF whereas multi monitors were used at other positions. Radioactive assay was carried out using high resolution gamma ray spectrometry. The k0-based internal monostandard NAA (IM-NAA) method was used to determine elemental concentration ratios with respect to Na in coal and uranium ore samples, Sc in pottery samples and Fe in stainless steel. Insitu relative detection efficiency for each irradiated sample was obtained using γ rays of activation products in the required energy range. Representative sample sizes were arrived at for coal and uranium ore from the plots of La/Na ratios as a function of the mass of the sample. For stainless steel sample of SS 304L, the absolute concentrations were calculated from concentration ratios by mass balance approach since all the major elements (Fe, Cr, Ni and Mn) were amenable to NAA. Concentration ratios obtained by IM-NAA were used for provenance study of 30 clay potteries, obtained from excavated Buddhist sites of AP, India. The La to Ce concentration ratios were used for preliminary grouping and concentration ratios of 15 elements with respect to Sc were used by statistical cluster analysis for confirmation of grouping. Concentrations of Au and Ag were determined in not so
International cooperation for Mars exploration and sample return

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Eugene H.; Boynton, William V.; Cameron, A. G. W.; Carr, Michael H.; Kitchell, Jennifer H.; Mazur, Peter; Pace, Norman R.; Prinn, Ronald G.; Solomon, Sean C.; Wasserburg, Gerald J.

1990-01-01

The National Research Council's Space Studies Board has previously recommended that the next major phase of Mars exploration for the United States involve detailed in situ investigations of the surface of Mars and the return to earth for laboratory analysis of selected Martian surface samples. More recently, the European space science community has expressed general interest in the concept of cooperative Mars exploration and sample return. The USSR has now announced plans for a program of Mars exploration incorporating international cooperation. If the opportunity becomes available to participate in Mars exploration, interest is likely to emerge on the part of a number of other countries, such as Japan and Canada. The Space Studies Board's Committee on Cooperative Mars Exploration and Sample Return was asked by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to examine and report on the question of how Mars sample return missions might best be structured for effective implementation by NASA along with international partners. The committee examined alternatives ranging from scientific missions in which the United States would take a substantial lead, with international participation playing only an ancillary role, to missions in which international cooperation would be a basic part of the approach, with the international partners taking on comparably large mission responsibilities. On the basis of scientific strategies developed earlier by the Space Studies Board, the committee considered the scientific and technical basis of such collaboration and the most mutually beneficial arrangements for constructing successful cooperative missions, particularly with the USSR.
Large sample NAA facility and methodology development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roth, C.; Gugiu, D.; Barbos, D.; Datcu, A.; Aioanei, L.; Dobrea, D.; Taroiu, I. E.; Bucsa, A.; Ghinescu, A.

2013-01-01

A Large Sample Neutron Activation Analysis (LSNAA) facility has been developed at the TRIGA- Annular Core Pulsed Reactor (ACPR) operated by the Institute for Nuclear Research in Pitesti, Romania. The central irradiation cavity of the ACPR core can accommodate a large irradiation device. The ACPR neutron flux characteristics are well known and spectrum adjustment techniques have been successfully applied to enhance the thermal component of the neutron flux in the central irradiation cavity. An analysis methodology was developed by using the MCNP code in order to estimate counting efficiency and correction factors for the major perturbing phenomena. Test experiments, comparison with classical instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) methods and international inter-comparison exercise have been performed to validate the new methodology. (authors)
CONVERGENCE OF INTERNATIONAL AUDIT STANDARDS AND AMERICAN AUDIT STANDARDS REGARDING SAMPLING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chis Anca Oana

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Sampling is widely used in market research, scientific analysis, market analysis, opinion polls and not least in the financial statement audit. We wonder what is actually sampling and how did it appear? Audit sampling involves the application of audit procedures to less than 100% of items within an account balance or class of transactions. Nowadays the technique is indispensable, the economic entities operating with sophisticated computer systems and large amounts of data. Economic globalization and complexity of capital markets has made possible not only the harmonization of international accounting standards with the national ones, but also the convergence of international accounting and auditing standards with the American regulations. International Standard on Auditing 530 and Statement on Auditing Standard 39 are the two main international and American normalized referentials referring to audit sampling. This article discusses the origin of audit sampling, mentioning a brief history of the method and different definitions from literature review. The two standards are studied using Jaccard indicators in terms of the degree of similarity and dissimilarity concerning different issues. The Jaccard coefficient measures the degree of convergence of international auditing standards (ISA 530 and U.S. auditing standards (SAS 39. International auditing standards and American auditing standards, study the sampling problem, both regulations presenting common points with regard to accepted sampling techniques, factors influencing the audit sample, treatment of identified misstatements and the circumstances in which sampling is appropriate. The study shows that both standards agree on application of statistical and non-statistical sampling in auditing, that sampling is appropriate for tests of details and controls, the factors affecting audit sampling being audit risk, audit objectives and population\\'s characteristics.
Utilization of AHWR critical facility for research and development work on large sample NAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acharya, R.; Dasari, K.B.; Pujari, P.K.; Swain, K.K.; Reddy, A.V.R.; Verma, S.K.; De, S.K.

2014-01-01

The graphite reflector position of AHWR critical facility (CF) was utilized for analysis of large size (g-kg scale) samples using internal mono standard neutron activation analysis (IM-NAA). The reactor position was characterized by cadmium ratio method using In monitor for total flux and sub cadmium to epithermal flux ratio (f). Large sample neutron activation analysis (LSNAA) work was carried out for samples of stainless steel, ancient and new clay potteries and dross. Large as well as non-standard geometry samples (1 g - 0.5 kg) were irradiated. Radioactive assay was carried out using high resolution gamma ray spectrometry. Concentration ratios obtained by IM-NAA were used for provenance study of 30 clay potteries, obtained from excavated Buddhist sites of AP, India. Concentrations of Au and Ag were determined in not so homogeneous three large size samples of dross. An X-Z rotary scanning unit has been installed for counting large and not so homogeneous samples. (author)
An Internationally Coordinated Science Management Plan for Samples Returned from Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Haltigin, T.; Smith, C. L.

2015-12-01

Mars Sample Return (MSR) remains a high priority of the planetary exploration community. Such an effort will undoubtedly be too large for any individual agency to conduct itself, and thus will require extensive global cooperation. To help prepare for an eventual MSR campaign, the International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG) chartered the international Mars Architecture for the Return of Samples (iMARS) Phase II working group in 2014, consisting of representatives from 17 countries and agencies. The overarching task of the team was to provide recommendations for progressing towards campaign implementation, including a proposed science management plan. Building upon the iMARS Phase I (2008) outcomes, the Phase II team proposed the development of an International MSR Science Institute as part of the campaign governance, centering its deliberations around four themes: Organization: including an organizational structure for the Institute that outlines roles and responsibilities of key members and describes sample return facility requirements; Management: presenting issues surrounding scientific leadership, defining guidelines and assumptions for Institute membership, and proposing a possible funding model; Operations & Data: outlining a science implementation plan that details the preliminary sample examination flow, sample allocation process, and data policies; and Curation: introducing a sample curation plan that comprises sample tracking and routing procedures, sample sterilization considerations, and long-term archiving recommendations. This work presents a summary of the group's activities, findings, and recommendations, highlighting the role of international coordination in managing the returned samples.
Large sample neutron activation analysis of a reference inhomogeneous sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasilopoulou, T.; Athens National Technical University, Athens; Tzika, F.; Stamatelatos, I.E.; Koster-Ammerlaan, M.J.J.

2011-01-01

A benchmark experiment was performed for Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) of a large inhomogeneous sample. The reference sample was developed in-house and consisted of SiO 2 matrix and an Al-Zn alloy 'inhomogeneity' body. Monte Carlo simulations were employed to derive appropriate correction factors for neutron self-shielding during irradiation as well as self-attenuation of gamma rays and sample geometry during counting. The large sample neutron activation analysis (LSNAA) results were compared against reference values and the trueness of the technique was evaluated. An agreement within ±10% was observed between LSNAA and reference elemental mass values, for all matrix and inhomogeneity elements except Samarium, provided that the inhomogeneity body was fully simulated. However, in cases that the inhomogeneity was treated as not known, the results showed a reasonable agreement for most matrix elements, while large discrepancies were observed for the inhomogeneity elements. This study provided a quantification of the uncertainties associated with inhomogeneity in large sample analysis and contributed to the identification of the needs for future development of LSNAA facilities for analysis of inhomogeneous samples. (author)
Large Sample Neutron Activation Analysis of Heterogeneous Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamatelatos, I.E.; Vasilopoulou, T.; Tzika, F.

2018-01-01

A Large Sample Neutron Activation Analysis (LSNAA) technique was developed for non-destructive analysis of heterogeneous bulk samples. The technique incorporated collimated scanning and combining experimental measurements and Monte Carlo simulations for the identification of inhomogeneities in large volume samples and the correction of their effect on the interpretation of gamma-spectrometry data. Corrections were applied for the effect of neutron self-shielding, gamma-ray attenuation, geometrical factor and heterogeneous activity distribution within the sample. A benchmark experiment was performed to investigate the effect of heterogeneity on the accuracy of LSNAA. Moreover, a ceramic vase was analyzed as a whole demonstrating the feasibility of the technique. The LSNAA results were compared against results obtained by INAA and a satisfactory agreement between the two methods was observed. This study showed that LSNAA is a technique capable to perform accurate non-destructive, multi-elemental compositional analysis of heterogeneous objects. It also revealed the great potential of the technique for the analysis of precious objects and artefacts that need to be preserved intact and cannot be damaged for sampling purposes. (author)
Magnetorheological measurements with consideration for the internal magnetic field in samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kordonski, W; Gorodkin, S [QED Technologies International, 1040 University Ave., Rochester, NY 14607 (United States)], E-mail: kordonski@qedmrf.com

2009-02-01

The magnetically induced yield stress in a sample of suspension of magnetic particles is associated with formation of a field-oriented structure, the strength of which depends on the degree of particles magnetization. This factor is largely defined by the actual magnetic field strength in the sample. At the same time it is common practice to present and analyze magnetorheological characteristics as a function of the applied magnetic field. Uncertainty of an influence function in magnetorheology hampers interpretation of data obtained with different measurement configurations. It was shown in this paper that rheological response of magnetorheological fluid to the applied magnetic field is defined by the sample's actual (internal) magnetic field intensity, which, in turn, depends on sample geometry and field orientation all other factors being equal. Utilization of the sample's actual field as an influence function in magnetorheology allows proper interpretation of data obtained with different measuring system configurations. Optimization of the actual internal field is a promising approach in designing of energy efficient magnetorheological devices.
Optimal sampling designs for large-scale fishery sample surveys in Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. BAZIGOS

2007-12-01

The paper deals with the optimization of the following three large scale sample surveys: biological sample survey of commercial landings (BSCL, experimental fishing sample survey (EFSS, and commercial landings and effort sample survey (CLES.
The large sample size fallacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lantz, Björn

2013-06-01

Significance in the statistical sense has little to do with significance in the common practical sense. Statistical significance is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for practical significance. Hence, results that are extremely statistically significant may be highly nonsignificant in practice. The degree of practical significance is generally determined by the size of the observed effect, not the p-value. The results of studies based on large samples are often characterized by extreme statistical significance despite small or even trivial effect sizes. Interpreting such results as significant in practice without further analysis is referred to as the large sample size fallacy in this article. The aim of this article is to explore the relevance of the large sample size fallacy in contemporary nursing research. Relatively few nursing articles display explicit measures of observed effect sizes or include a qualitative discussion of observed effect sizes. Statistical significance is often treated as an end in itself. Effect sizes should generally be calculated and presented along with p-values for statistically significant results, and observed effect sizes should be discussed qualitatively through direct and explicit comparisons with the effects in related literature. © 2012 Nordic College of Caring Science.
Standard methods for sampling freshwater fishes: Opportunities for international collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Bonar, Scott A.; Mercado-Silva, Norman; Hubert, Wayne A.; Beard, Douglas; Dave, Göran; Kubečka, Jan; Graeb, Brian D. S.; Lester, Nigel P.; Porath, Mark T.; Winfield, Ian J.

2017-01-01

With publication of Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes in 2009, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) recommended standard procedures for North America. To explore interest in standardizing at intercontinental scales, a symposium attended by international specialists in freshwater fish sampling was convened at the 145th Annual AFS Meeting in Portland, Oregon, in August 2015. Participants represented all continents except Australia and Antarctica and were employed by state and federal agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and consulting businesses. Currently, standardization is practiced mostly in North America and Europe. Participants described how standardization has been important for management of long-term data sets, promoting fundamental scientific understanding, and assessing efficacy of large spatial scale management strategies. Academics indicated that standardization has been useful in fisheries education because time previously used to teach how sampling methods are developed is now more devoted to diagnosis and treatment of problem fish communities. Researchers reported that standardization allowed increased sample size for method validation and calibration. Group consensus was to retain continental standards where they currently exist but to further explore international and intercontinental standardization, specifically identifying where synergies and bridges exist, and identify means to collaborate with scientists where standardization is limited but interest and need occur.
Sampling Large Graphs for Anticipatory Analytics

Science.gov (United States)

2015-05-15

low. C. Random Area Sampling Random area sampling [8] is a “ snowball ” sampling method in which a set of random seed vertices are selected and areas... Sampling Large Graphs for Anticipatory Analytics Lauren Edwards, Luke Johnson, Maja Milosavljevic, Vijay Gadepally, Benjamin A. Miller Lincoln...systems, greater human-in-the-loop involvement, or through complex algorithms. We are investigating the use of sampling to mitigate these challenges
The International Large Detector: Letter of Intent

OpenAIRE

Abe, Toshinori; Abernathy, Jason M.; Abramowicz, Halina; Adamus, Marek; Adeva, Bernardo; Afanaciev, Konstantin; Aguilar-Saavedra, Juan Antonio; Alabau Pons, Carmen; Albrecht, Hartwig; Andricek, Ladislav; Anduze, Marc; Aplin, Steve J.; Arai, Yasuo; Asano, Masaki; Attie, David

2010-01-01

The International Large Detector (ILD) is a concept for a detector at the International Linear Collider, ILC. The ILC will collide electrons and positrons at energies of initially 500 GeV, upgradeable to 1 TeV. The ILC has an ambitious physics program, which will extend and complement that of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A hallmark of physics at the ILC is precision. The clean initial state and the comparatively benign environment of a lepton collider are ideally suited to high precision ...
Development of Large Sample Neutron Activation Technique for New Applications in Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laoharojanaphand, S.; Tippayakul, C.; Wonglee, S.; Channuie, J.

2018-01-01

The development of the Large Sample Neutron Activation Analysis (LSNAA) in Thailand is presented in this paper. The technique had been firstly developed with rice sample as the test subject. The Thai Research Reactor-1/Modification 1 (TRR-1/M1) was used as the neutron source. The first step was to select and characterize an appropriate irradiation facility for the research. An out-core irradiation facility (A4 position) was first attempted. The results performed with the A4 facility were then used as guides for the subsequent experiments with the thermal column facility. The characterization of the thermal column was performed with Cu-wire to determine spatial distribution without and with rice sample. The flux depression without rice sample was observed to be less than 30% while the flux depression with rice sample increased to within 60%. The flux monitors internal to the rice sample were used to determine average flux over the rice sample. The gamma selfshielding effect during gamma measurement was corrected using the Monte Carlo simulation. The ratio between the efficiencies of the volume source and the point source for each energy point was calculated by the MCNPX code. The research team adopted the k0-NAA methodology to calculate the element concentration in the research. The k0-NAA program which developed by IAEA was set up to simulate the conditions of the irradiation and measurement facilities used in this research. The element concentrations in the bulk rice sample were then calculated taking into account the flux depression and gamma efficiency corrections. At the moment, the results still show large discrepancies with the reference values. However, more research on the validation will be performed to identify sources of errors. Moreover, this LS-NAA technique was introduced for the activation analysis of the IAEA archaeological mock-up. The results are provided in this report. (author)
Magnetostatic modes in ferromagnetic samples with inhomogeneous internal fields

Science.gov (United States)

Arias, Rodrigo

2015-03-01

Magnetostatic modes in ferromagnetic samples are very well characterized and understood in samples with uniform internal magnetic fields. More recently interest has shifted to the study of magnetization modes in ferromagnetic samples with inhomogeneous internal fields. The present work shows that under the magnetostatic approximation and for samples of arbitrary shape and/or arbitrary inhomogeneous internal magnetic fields the modes can be classified as elliptic or hyperbolic, and their associated frequency spectrum can be delimited. This results from the analysis of the character of the second order partial differential equation for the magnetostatic potential under these general conditions. In general, a sample with an inhomogeneous internal field and at a given frequency, may have regions of elliptic and hyperbolic character separated by a boundary. In the elliptic regions the magnetostatic modes have a smooth monotonic character (generally decaying form the surfaces (a ``tunneling'' behavior)) and in hyperbolic regions an oscillatory wave-like character. A simple local criterion distinguishes hyperbolic from elliptic regions: the sign of a susceptibility parameter. This study shows that one may control to some extent magnetostatic modes via external fields or geometry. R.E.A. acknowledges Financiamiento Basal para Centros Cientificos y Tecnologicos de Excelencia under Project No. FB 0807 (Chile), Grant No. ICM P10-061-F by Fondo de Innovacion para la Competitividad-MINECON, and Proyecto Fondecyt 1130192.
Large-volume injection of sample diluents not miscible with the mobile phase as an alternative approach in sample preparation for bioanalysis: an application for fenspiride bioequivalence.

Science.gov (United States)

Medvedovici, Andrei; Udrescu, Stefan; Albu, Florin; Tache, Florentin; David, Victor

2011-09-01

Liquid-liquid extraction of target compounds from biological matrices followed by the injection of a large volume from the organic layer into the chromatographic column operated under reversed-phase (RP) conditions would successfully combine the selectivity and the straightforward character of the procedure in order to enhance sensitivity, compared with the usual approach of involving solvent evaporation and residue re-dissolution. Large-volume injection of samples in diluents that are not miscible with the mobile phase was recently introduced in chromatographic practice. The risk of random errors produced during the manipulation of samples is also substantially reduced. A bioanalytical method designed for the bioequivalence of fenspiride containing pharmaceutical formulations was based on a sample preparation procedure involving extraction of the target analyte and the internal standard (trimetazidine) from alkalinized plasma samples in 1-octanol. A volume of 75 µl from the octanol layer was directly injected on a Zorbax SB C18 Rapid Resolution, 50 mm length × 4.6 mm internal diameter × 1.8 µm particle size column, with the RP separation being carried out under gradient elution conditions. Detection was made through positive ESI and MS/MS. Aspects related to method development and validation are discussed. The bioanalytical method was successfully applied to assess bioequivalence of a modified release pharmaceutical formulation containing 80 mg fenspiride hydrochloride during two different studies carried out as single-dose administration under fasting and fed conditions (four arms), and multiple doses administration, respectively. The quality attributes assigned to the bioanalytical method, as resulting from its application to the bioequivalence studies, are highlighted and fully demonstrate that sample preparation based on large-volume injection of immiscible diluents has an increased potential for application in bioanalysis.
Methods for large-scale international studies on ICT in education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pelgrum, W.J.; Plomp, T.; Voogt, Joke; Knezek, G.A.

2008-01-01

International comparative assessment is a research method applied for describing and analyzing educational processes and outcomes. They are used to ‘describe the status quo’ in educational systems from an international comparative perspective. This chapter reviews different large scale international

Sampling large random knots in a confined space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arsuaga, J; Blackstone, T; Diao, Y; Hinson, K; Karadayi, E; Saito, M

2007-01-01

DNA knots formed under extreme conditions of condensation, as in bacteriophage P4, are difficult to analyze experimentally and theoretically. In this paper, we propose to use the uniform random polygon model as a supplementary method to the existing methods for generating random knots in confinement. The uniform random polygon model allows us to sample knots with large crossing numbers and also to generate large diagrammatically prime knot diagrams. We show numerically that uniform random polygons sample knots with large minimum crossing numbers and certain complicated knot invariants (as those observed experimentally). We do this in terms of the knot determinants or colorings. Our numerical results suggest that the average determinant of a uniform random polygon of n vertices grows faster than O(e n 2 )). We also investigate the complexity of prime knot diagrams. We show rigorously that the probability that a randomly selected 2D uniform random polygon of n vertices is almost diagrammatically prime goes to 1 as n goes to infinity. Furthermore, the average number of crossings in such a diagram is at the order of O(n 2 ). Therefore, the two-dimensional uniform random polygons offer an effective way in sampling large (prime) knots, which can be useful in various applications
Sampling large random knots in a confined space

Science.gov (United States)

Arsuaga, J.; Blackstone, T.; Diao, Y.; Hinson, K.; Karadayi, E.; Saito, M.

2007-09-01

DNA knots formed under extreme conditions of condensation, as in bacteriophage P4, are difficult to analyze experimentally and theoretically. In this paper, we propose to use the uniform random polygon model as a supplementary method to the existing methods for generating random knots in confinement. The uniform random polygon model allows us to sample knots with large crossing numbers and also to generate large diagrammatically prime knot diagrams. We show numerically that uniform random polygons sample knots with large minimum crossing numbers and certain complicated knot invariants (as those observed experimentally). We do this in terms of the knot determinants or colorings. Our numerical results suggest that the average determinant of a uniform random polygon of n vertices grows faster than O(e^{n^2}) . We also investigate the complexity of prime knot diagrams. We show rigorously that the probability that a randomly selected 2D uniform random polygon of n vertices is almost diagrammatically prime goes to 1 as n goes to infinity. Furthermore, the average number of crossings in such a diagram is at the order of O(n2). Therefore, the two-dimensional uniform random polygons offer an effective way in sampling large (prime) knots, which can be useful in various applications.
Sampling large random knots in a confined space

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arsuaga, J [Department of Mathematics, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132 (United States); Blackstone, T [Department of Computer Science, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132 (United States); Diao, Y [Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223 (United States); Hinson, K [Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223 (United States); Karadayi, E [Department of Mathematics, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620 (United States); Saito, M [Department of Mathematics, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620 (United States)

2007-09-28

DNA knots formed under extreme conditions of condensation, as in bacteriophage P4, are difficult to analyze experimentally and theoretically. In this paper, we propose to use the uniform random polygon model as a supplementary method to the existing methods for generating random knots in confinement. The uniform random polygon model allows us to sample knots with large crossing numbers and also to generate large diagrammatically prime knot diagrams. We show numerically that uniform random polygons sample knots with large minimum crossing numbers and certain complicated knot invariants (as those observed experimentally). We do this in terms of the knot determinants or colorings. Our numerical results suggest that the average determinant of a uniform random polygon of n vertices grows faster than O(e{sup n{sup 2}}). We also investigate the complexity of prime knot diagrams. We show rigorously that the probability that a randomly selected 2D uniform random polygon of n vertices is almost diagrammatically prime goes to 1 as n goes to infinity. Furthermore, the average number of crossings in such a diagram is at the order of O(n{sup 2}). Therefore, the two-dimensional uniform random polygons offer an effective way in sampling large (prime) knots, which can be useful in various applications.
Importance sampling large deviations in nonequilibrium steady states. I

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Ushnish; Chan, Garnet Kin-Lic; Limmer, David T.

2018-03-01

Large deviation functions contain information on the stability and response of systems driven into nonequilibrium steady states and in such a way are similar to free energies for systems at equilibrium. As with equilibrium free energies, evaluating large deviation functions numerically for all but the simplest systems is difficult because by construction they depend on exponentially rare events. In this first paper of a series, we evaluate different trajectory-based sampling methods capable of computing large deviation functions of time integrated observables within nonequilibrium steady states. We illustrate some convergence criteria and best practices using a number of different models, including a biased Brownian walker, a driven lattice gas, and a model of self-assembly. We show how two popular methods for sampling trajectory ensembles, transition path sampling and diffusion Monte Carlo, suffer from exponentially diverging correlations in trajectory space as a function of the bias parameter when estimating large deviation functions. Improving the efficiencies of these algorithms requires introducing guiding functions for the trajectories.
Importance sampling large deviations in nonequilibrium steady states. I.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Ushnish; Chan, Garnet Kin-Lic; Limmer, David T

2018-03-28

Large deviation functions contain information on the stability and response of systems driven into nonequilibrium steady states and in such a way are similar to free energies for systems at equilibrium. As with equilibrium free energies, evaluating large deviation functions numerically for all but the simplest systems is difficult because by construction they depend on exponentially rare events. In this first paper of a series, we evaluate different trajectory-based sampling methods capable of computing large deviation functions of time integrated observables within nonequilibrium steady states. We illustrate some convergence criteria and best practices using a number of different models, including a biased Brownian walker, a driven lattice gas, and a model of self-assembly. We show how two popular methods for sampling trajectory ensembles, transition path sampling and diffusion Monte Carlo, suffer from exponentially diverging correlations in trajectory space as a function of the bias parameter when estimating large deviation functions. Improving the efficiencies of these algorithms requires introducing guiding functions for the trajectories.
The International Large Detector: Letter of Intent

CERN Document Server

Abe, Toshinori; Abramowicz, Halina; Adamus, Marek; Adeva, Bernardo; Afanaciev, Konstantin; Aguilar-Saavedra, Juan Antonio; Alabau Pons, Carmen; Albrecht, Hartwig; Andricek, Ladislav; Anduze, Marc; Aplin, Steve J.; Arai, Yasuo; Asano, Masaki; Attie, David; Attree, Derek J.; Burger, Jochen; Bailey, David; Balbuena, Juan Pablo; Ball, Markus; Ballin, James; Barbi, Mauricio; Barlow, Roger; Bartels, Christoph; Bartsch, Valeria; Bassignana, Daniela; Bates, Richard; Baudot, Jerome; Bechtle, Philip; Beck, Jeannine; Beckmann, Moritz; Bedjidian, Marc; Behnke, Ties; Belkadhi, Khaled; Bellerive, Alain; Bentvelsen, Stan; Bergauer, Thomas; Berggren, C.Mikael U.; Bergholz, Matthias; Bernreuther, Werner; Besancon, Marc; Besson, Auguste; Bhattacharya, Sudeb; Bhuyan, Bipul; Biebel, Otmar; Bilki, Burak; Blair, Grahame; Blumlein, Johannes; Bo, Li; Boisvert, Veronique; Bondar, A.; Bonvicini, Giovanni; Boos, Eduard; Boudry, Vincent; Bouquet, Bernard; Bouvier, Joel; Bozovic-Jelisavcic, Ivanka; Brient, Jean-Claude; Brock, Ian; Brogna, Andrea; Buchholz, Peter; Buesser, Karsten; Bulgheroni, Antonio; Butler, John; Buttar, Craig; Buzulutskov, A.F.; Caccia, Massimo; Caiazza, Stefano; Calcaterra, Alessandro; Caldwell, Allen; Callier, Stephane L.C.; Calvo Alamillo, Enrique; Campbell, Michael; Campbell, Alan J.; Cappellini, Chiara; Carloganu, Cristina; Castro, Nuno; Castro Carballo, Maria Elena; Chadeeva, Marina; Chakraborty, Dhiman; Chang, Paoti; Charpy, Alexandre; Chen, Xun; Chen, Shaomin; Chen, Hongfang; Cheon, Byunggu; Choi, Suyong; Choudhary, B.C.; Christen, Sandra; Ciborowski, Jacek; Ciobanu, Catalin; Claus, Gilles; Clerc, Catherine; Coca, Cornelia; Colas, Paul; Colijn, Auke; Colledani, Claude; Combaret, Christophe; Cornat, Remi; Cornebise, Patrick; Corriveau, Francois; Cvach, Jaroslav; Czakon, Michal; D'Ascenzo, Nicola; Da Silva, Wilfrid; Dadoun, Olivier; Dam, Mogens; Damerell, Chris; Danilov, Mikhail; Daniluk, Witold; Daubard, Guillaume; David, Dorte; David, Jacques; De Boer, Wim; De Groot, Nicolo; De Jong, Sijbrand; De Jong, Paul; De La Taille, Christophe; De Masi, Rita; De Roeck, Albert; Decotigny, David; Dehmelt, Klaus; Delagnes, Eric; Deng, Zhi; Desch, Klaus; Dieguez, Angel; Diener, Ralf; Dima, Mihai-Octavian; Dissertori, Gunther; Dixit, Madhu S.; Dolezal, Zdenek; Dolgoshein, Boris A.; Dollan, Ralph; Dorokhov, Andrei; Doublet, Philippe; Doyle, Tony; Doziere, Guy; Dragicevic, Marko; Drasal, Zbynek; Drugakov, Vladimir; Duarte Campderros, Jordi; Dulucq, Frederic; Dumitru, Laurentiu Alexandru; Dzahini, Daniel; Eberl, Helmut; Eckerlin, Guenter; Ehrenfeld, Wolfgang; Eigen, Gerald; Eklund, Lars; Elsen, Eckhard; Elsener, Konrad; Emeliantchik, Igor; Engels, Jan; Evrard, Christophe; Fabbri, Riccardo; Faber, Gerard; Faucci Giannelli, Michele; Faus-Golfe, Angeles; Feege, Nils; Feng, Cunfeng; Ferencei, Jozef; Fernandez Garcia, Marcos; Filthaut, Frank; Fleck, Ivor; Fleischer, Manfred; Fleta, Celeste; Fleury, Julien L.; Fontaine, Jean-Charles; Foster, Brian; Fourches, Nicolas; Fouz, Mary-Cruz; Frank, Sebastian; Frey, Ariane; Frotin, Mickael; Fujii, Hirofumi; Fujii, Keisuke; Fujimoto, Junpei; Fujita, Yowichi; Fusayasu, Takahiro; Fuster, Juan; Gaddi, Andrea; Gaede, Frank; Galkin, Alexei; Galkin, Valery; Gallas, Abraham; Gallin-Martel, Laurent; Gamba, Diego; Gao, Yuanning; Garrido Beltran, Lluis; Garutti, Erika; Gastaldi, Franck; Gaur, Bakul; Gay, Pascal; Gellrich, Andreas; Genat, Jean-Francois; Gentile, Simonetta; Gerwig, Hubert; Gibbons, Lawrence; Ginina, Elena; Giraud, Julien; Giraudo, Giuseppe; Gladilin, Leonid; Goldstein, Joel; Gonzalez Sanchez, Francisco Javier; Gournaris, Filimon; Greenshaw, Tim; Greenwood, Z.D.; Grefe, Christian; Gregor, Ingrid-Maria; Grenier, Gerald Jean; Gris, Philippe; Grondin, Denis; Grunewald, Martin; Grzelak, Grzegorz; Gurtu, Atul; Haas, Tobias; Haensel, Stephan; Hajdu, Csaba; Hallermann, Lea; Han, Liang; Hansen, Peter H.; Hara, Takanori; Harder, Kristian; Hartin, Anthony; Haruyama, Tomiyoshi; Harz, Martin; Hasegawa, Yoji; Hauschild, Michael; He, Qing; Hedberg, Vincent; Hedin, David; Heinze, Isa; Helebrant, Christian; Henschel, Hans; Hensel, Carsten; Hertenberger, Ralf; Herve, Alain; Higuchi, Takeo; Himmi, Abdelkader; Hironori, Kazurayama; Hlucha, Hana; Hommels, Bart; Horii, Yasuyuki; Horvath, Dezso; Hostachy, Jean-Yves; Hou, Wei-Shu; Hu-Guo, Christine; Huang, Xingtao; Huppert, Jean Francois; Ide, Yasuhiro; Idzik, Marek; Iglesias Escudero, Carmen; Ignatenko, Alexandr; Igonkina, Olga; Ikeda, Hirokazu; Ikematsu, Katsumasa; Ikemoto, Yukiko; Ikuno, Toshinori; Imbault, Didier; Imhof, Andreas; Imhoff, Marc; Ingbir, Ronen; Inoue, Eiji; Ioannis, Giomataris; Ishikawa, Akimasa; Itagaki, Kennosuke; Ito, Kazutoshi; Itoh, Hideo; Iwabuchi, Masaya; Iwai, Go; Iwamoto, Toshiyuki; Jacosalem, Editha P.; Jaramillo Echeverria, Richard; Jeans, Daniel T D.; Jing, Fanfan; Jing, Ge; Jokic, Stevan; Jonsson, Leif; Jore, Matthieu; Jovin, Tatjana; Kafer, Daniela; Kajino, Fumiyoshi; Kamai, Yusuke; Kaminski, Jochen; Kamiya, Yoshio; Kaplan, Alexander; Kapusta, Frederic; Kar, Deepak; Karlen, Dean; Katayama, Nobu; Kato, Eriko; Kato, Yukihiro; Kaukher, Alexander; Kawagoe, Kiyotomo; Kawahara, Hiroki; Kawai, Masanori; Kawasaki, Takeo; Khan, Sameen Ahmed; Kieffer, Robert; Kielar, Eryk; Kiesenhofer, Wolfgang; Kiesling, Christian M.; Killenberg, Martin; Kim, Donghee; Kim, Choong Sun; Kim, Guinyun; Kim, Hong Joo; Kim, Eun-Joo; Kim, Hyunok; Kim, Shinhong; Kircher, Francois; Kisielewska, Danuta; Kleinwort, Claus; Klimkovich, Tatsiana; Kluge, Hanna; Kluit, Peter Martin; Kobayashi, Makoto; Kobel, Michael; Kodama, Hideyo; Kodys, Peter; Koetz, U.; Koffeman, Els; Kohriki, Takashi; Komamiya, Sachio; Kondou, Yoshinari; Korbel, Volker; Kotera, Katsushige; Krucker, Dirk; Kraml, Sabine; Krammer, Manfred; Krastev, Kaloyan; Krause, Bernward; Krautscheid, Thorsten; Kschioneck, Kirsten; Kuang, Yu-Ping; Kuhlmann, Jan; Kuroiwa, Hirotoshi; Kusano, Tomonori; Kvasnicka, Peter; Lacasta Llacer, Carlos; Lagorio, Eric; Laktineh, Imad; Lange, Wolfgang; Lebrun, Patrice; Lee, Jik; Lehner, Frank; Lesiak, Tadeusz; Levy, Aharon; Li, Bo; Li, Ting; Li, Yulan; Li, Hengne; Liang, Zuotang; Lima, Guilherme; Linde, Frank; Linssen, Lucie; Linzmaier, Diana; List, Benno; List, Jenny; Liu, Bo; Llopart Cudie, Xavier; Lohmann, Wolfgang; Lopez Virto, Amparo; Lozano, Manuel; Lu, Shaojun; Lucaci-Timoce, Angela Isabela; Lumb, Nick; Lundberg, Bjorn; Lutz, Pierre; Lutz, Benjamin; Lux, Thorsten; Luzniak, Pawel; Lyapin, Alexey; Ma, Wengan; Maczewski, Lukasz; Mader, Wolfgang F.; Maity, Manas; Majumdar, Nayana; Majumder, Gobinda; Maki, Akihiro; Makida, Yasuhiro; Mamuzic, Judita; Marc, Dhellot; Marchesini, Ivan; Marcisovsky, Michal; Marias, Carlos; Marshall, John; Martens, Cornelius; Martin, Victoria J.; Martin, Jean-Pierre; Martin-Chassard, Gisele; Martinez Rivero, Celso; Martyn, Hans-Ulrich; Mathez, Herve; Mathieu, Antoine; Matsuda, Takeshi; Matsunaga, Hiroyuki; Matsushita, Takashi; Mavromanolakis, Georgios; Mcdonald, Kirk T.; Mereu, Paolo; Merk, Marcel; Merkin, Mikhail M.; Meyer, Niels; Meyners, Norbert; Mihara, Satoshi; Miller, David J.; Miller, Owen; Mitaroff, Winfried A.; Miyamoto, Akiya; Miyata, Hitoshi; Mjornmark, Ulf; Mnich, Joachim; Monig, Klaus; Moll, Andreas; Moortgat-Pick, Gudrid A.; Mora De Freitas, Paulo; Morel, Frederic; Moretti, Stefano; Morgunov, Vasily; Mori, Toshinori; Mori, Takashi; Morin, Laurent; Morozov, Sergey; Moser, Hans-Gunther; Moser, Fabian; Moya, David; Mudrinic, Mihajlo; Mukhopadhyay, Supratik; Murakami, Takeshi; Musa, Luciano; Musat, Gabriel; Nagamine, Tadashi; Nakamura, Isamu; Nakano, Eiichi; Nakashima, Kenichi; Nakayoshi, Kazuo; Nakazawa, Hideyuki; Nam, Shinwoo; Nam, Jiwoo; Nemecek, Stanislav; Niebuhr, Carsten; Niechciol, Marcus; Niezurawski, Piotr; Nishida, Shohei; Nishiyama, Miho; Nitoh, Osamu; Norbeck, Ed; Nozaki, Mitsuaki; O'Shea, Val; Ohlerich, Martin; Okada, Nobuchika; Olchevski, Alexander; Olivier, Bob; Oliwa, Krzysztof; Omori, Tsunehiko; Onel, Yasar; Ono, Hiroaki; Ono, Yoshimasa; Onuki, Yoshiyuki; Ootani, Wataru; Orava, Risto; Orlandea, Marius Ciprian; Oskarsson, Anders; Osland, Per; Ossetski, Dmitri; Osterman, Lennart; Padilla, Cristobal; Pandurovic, Mila; Park, Il Hung; Park, Hwanbae; Parkes, Chris; Patrick, Ghislain; Patterson, J.Ritchie; Pawlik, Bogdan; Pellegrini, Giulio; Pellegrino, Antonio; Peterson, Daniel; Petrov, Alexander; Pham, Thanh Hung; Piccolo, Marcello; Poeschl, Roman; Polak, Ivo; Popova, Elena; Postranecky, Martin; Prahl, Volker; Prudent, Xavier; Przysiezniak, Helenka; Puerta-Pelayo, Jesus; Qian, Wenbin; Quadt, Arnulf; Rarbi, Fatah-Ellah; Raspereza, Alexei; Ratti, Lodovico; Raux, Ludovic; Raven, Gerhard; Re, Valerio; Regler, Meinhard; Reinhard, Marcel; Renz, Uwe; Repain, Philippe; Repond, Jose; Richard, Francois; Riemann, Sabine; Riemann, Tord; Riera-Babures, Jordi; Riu, Imma; Robert, Kieffer; Robson, Aidan; Roloff, Philipp; Rosca, Aura; Rosemann, Christoph; Rosiek, Janusz; Rossmanith, Robert; Roth, Stefan; Royon, Christophe; Ruan, Manqi; Ruiz-Jimeno, Alberto; Rusinov, Vladimir; Ruzicka, Pavel; Ryzhikov, Dmitri; Saborido, Juan J.; Sadeh, Iftach; Sailer, Andre; Saito, Masatoshi; Sakuma, Takayuki; Sanami, Toshiya; Sanuki, Tomoyuki; Sarkar, Sandip; Sasaki, Rei; Sato, Yutaro; Saveliev, Valeri; Savoy-Navarro, Aurore; Sawyer, Lee; Schafer, Oliver; Schalicke, Andreas; Schuler, K.Peter; Schade, Peter; Schaffran, Joern; Scheirich, Jan; Schlatter, Dieter; Schmidt, Ringo Sebastian; Schmitt, Sebastian; Schneekloth, Uwe; Schreiber, Heinz Juergen; Schultz-Coulon, Hans-Christian; Schumacher, Markus; Schumm, Bruce A.; Schuwalow, Sergej; Schwierz, Rainer; Sefkow, Felix; Sefri, Rachid; Seguin-Moreau, Nathalie; Seidel, Katja; Sekaric, Jadranka; Sendai, Hiroshi; Settles, Ronald Dean; Shao, Ming; Shechtman, L.I.; Shimazaki, Shoichi; Shumeiko, Nikolai; Sicho, Petr; Simon, Frank; Sinram, Klaus; Smiljanic, Ivan; Smiljkovic, Nebojsa; Smolik, Jan; Sobloher, Blanka; Soldner, Christian; Song, Kezhu; Sopczak, Andre; Speckmayer, Peter; Stenlund, Evert; Stockinger, Dominik; Stoeck, Holger; Strohmer, Raimund; Straessner, Arno; Stromhagen, Richard; Sudo, Yuji; Suehara, Taikan; Suekane, Fumihiko; Suetsugu, Yusuke; Sugimoto, Yasuhiro; Sugiyama, Akira; Sumisawa, Kazutaka; Suzuki, Shiro; Swientek, Krzysztof; Tabassam, Hajrah; Takahashi, Tohru; Takeda, Hiroshi; Takeshita, Tohru; Takubo, Yosuke; Tanabe, Tomohiko; Tanaka, Shuji; Tanaka, Ken-Ichi; Tanaka, Manobu; Tapprogge, Stefan; Tarkovsky, Evgueny I.; Tauchi, Toshiaki; Tauchi, Kazuya; Telnov, Valery I.; Teodorescu, Eliza; Thomson, Mark; Tian, Junping; Timmermans, Jan; Titov, Maxim P.; Tokushuku, Katsuo; Tozuka, Shunsuke; Tsuboyama, Toru; Ueno, Koji; Ullan, Miguel; Uozumi, Satoru; Urakawa, Junji; Ushakov, Andriy; Ushiroda, Yutaka; Valentan, Manfred; Valin, Isabelle; Van Der Graaf, Harry; Van Doren, Brian; Van Kooten, Rick J.; Vander Donckt, Muriel; Vanel, Jean-Charles; Vazquez Regueiro, Pablo; Verzocchi, Marco; Vescovi, Christophe; Videau, Henri L.; Vila, Ivan; Vilasis-Cardona, Xavier; Vogel, Adrian; Volkenborn, Robert; Vos, Marcel; Voutsinas, Yorgos; Vrba, Vaclav; Vreeswijk, Marcel; Walsh, Roberval; Waltenberger, Wolfgang; Wang, Min-Zu; Wang, Yi; Wang, Xiaoliang; Wang, Qun; Wang, Meng; Ward, David R.; Warren, Matthew; Watanabe, Minori; Watanabe, Takashi; Watson, Nigel K.; Wattimena, Nanda; Wendt, Oliver; Wermes, Norbert; Weuste, Lars; Wichmann, Katarzyna; Wienemann, Peter; Wierba, Wojciech; Wilson, Graham W.; Wilson, John A.; Wing, Matthew; Winter, Marc; Wobisch, Markus; Worek, Malgorzata; Xella, Stefania; Xu, Zizong; Yamaguchi, Akira; Yamaguchi, Hiroshi; Yamamoto, Hitoshi; Yamaoka, Hiroshi; Yamashita, Satoru; Yamauchi, M.; Yamazaki, Yuji; Yamouni, Mahfoud; Yan, Wenbiao; Yanagida, Koji; Yang, Haijun; Yang, Jongmann; Yang, Jin Min; Yang, Zhenwei; Yasu, Yoshiji; Yonamine, Ryo; Yoshida, Kohei; Yoshida, Takuo; Yoshioka, Tamaki; Yu, Chunxu; Yu, Intae; Yue, Qian; Zacek, Josef; Zalesak, Jaroslav; Zarnecki, Aleksander Filip; Zawiejski, Leszek; Zeitnitz, Christian; Zerwas, Dirk; Zeuner, Wolfram; Zhang, Yanxi; Zhang, Ziping; Zhang, Renyou; Zhang, Xueyao; Zhang, Zhiqing; Zhao, Jiawei; Zhao, Zhengguo; Zheng, Baojun; Zhong, Liang; Zhou, Yongzhao; Zhu, Xianglei; Zhu, Chengguang; Zomer, Fabian; Zutshi, Vishnu

2010-01-01

The International Large Detector (ILD) is a concept for a detector at the International Linear Collider, ILC. The ILC will collide electrons and positrons at energies of initially 500 GeV, upgradeable to 1 TeV. The ILC has an ambitious physics program, which will extend and complement that of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A hallmark of physics at the ILC is precision. The clean initial state and the comparatively benign environment of a lepton collider are ideally suited to high precision measurements. To take full advantage of the physics potential of ILC places great demands on the detector performance. The design of ILD is driven by these requirements. Excellent calorimetry and tracking are combined to obtain the best possible overall event reconstruction, including the capability to reconstruct individual particles within jets for particle ow calorimetry. This requires excellent spatial resolution for all detector systems. A highly granular calorimeter system is combined with a central tracker which st...
Large sample NAA of a pottery replica utilizing thermal neutron flux at AHWR critical facility and X-Z rotary scanning unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acharya, R.; Dasari, K.B.; Pujari, P.K.; Swain, K.K.; Shinde, A.D.; Reddy, A.V.R.

2013-01-01

Large sample neutron activation analysis (LSNAA) of a clay pottery replica from Peru was carried out using low neutron flux graphite reflector position of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) critical facility. This work was taken up as a part of inter-comparison exercise under IAEA CRP on LSNAA of archaeological objects. Irradiated large size sample, placed on an X-Z rotary scanning unit, was assayed using a 40% relative efficiency HPGe detector. The k 0 -based internal monostandard NAA (IM-NAA) in conjunction with insitu relative detection efficiency was used to calculate concentration ratios of 12 elements with respect to Na. Analyses of both small and large size samples were carried out to check homogeneity and to arrive at absolute concentrations. (author)
Productive international collaboration in the large coil task

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haubenreich, P.N.; Komarek, P.; Shimamoto, S.; Vecsey, G.

1987-01-01

The Large Coil Task (LCT), initiated in 1977, has been very productive of useful technical information about superconducting toroidal field (TF) coil design and manufacture. Moreover, it has demonstrated close international collaboration in fusion technology development, including integration of large components built in four different countries. Each of six 40-t test coils was designed and produced by a major industrial team, with government laboratory guidance, to a common set of specifications. The six were assembled into a toroidal array for testing in the International Fusion Superconducting Magnet Test Facility (IFSMTF) at Oak Ridge. Testing was done by a team of representatives of EURATOM, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States, with each participant having full access to all data. Coils were thoroughly instrumented, enabling penetrating analysis of behavior
Analysis of large soil samples for actinides

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, III; Sherrod, L [Aiken, SC

2009-03-24

A method of analyzing relatively large soil samples for actinides by employing a separation process that includes cerium fluoride precipitation for removing the soil matrix and precipitates plutonium, americium, and curium with cerium and hydrofluoric acid followed by separating these actinides using chromatography cartridges.
Best-Matched Internal Standard Normalization in Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics Applied to Environmental Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Boysen, Angela K; Heal, Katherine R; Carlson, Laura T; Ingalls, Anitra E

2018-01-16

The goal of metabolomics is to measure the entire range of small organic molecules in biological samples. In liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, formidable analytical challenges remain in removing the nonbiological factors that affect chromatographic peak areas. These factors include sample matrix-induced ion suppression, chromatographic quality, and analytical drift. The combination of these factors is referred to as obscuring variation. Some metabolomics samples can exhibit intense obscuring variation due to matrix-induced ion suppression, rendering large amounts of data unreliable and difficult to interpret. Existing normalization techniques have limited applicability to these sample types. Here we present a data normalization method to minimize the effects of obscuring variation. We normalize peak areas using a batch-specific normalization process, which matches measured metabolites with isotope-labeled internal standards that behave similarly during the analysis. This method, called best-matched internal standard (B-MIS) normalization, can be applied to targeted or untargeted metabolomics data sets and yields relative concentrations. We evaluate and demonstrate the utility of B-MIS normalization using marine environmental samples and laboratory grown cultures of phytoplankton. In untargeted analyses, B-MIS normalization allowed for inclusion of mass features in downstream analyses that would have been considered unreliable without normalization due to obscuring variation. B-MIS normalization for targeted or untargeted metabolomics is freely available at https://github.com/IngallsLabUW/B-MIS-normalization .
Internal calibration on adjacent samples (InCAS) with Fourier transform mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, P B; Costello, C E

2000-12-15

Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MAL DI) on a trapped ion mass spectrometer such as a Fourier transform mass spectrometer (FTMS) allows accumulation of ions in the cell from multiple laser shots prior to detection. If ions from separate MALDI samples are accumulated simultaneously in the cell, ions from one sample can be used to calibrate ions from the other sample. Since the ions are detected simultaneously in the cell, this is, in effect, internal calibration, but there are no selective desorption effects in the MALDI source. This method of internal calibration with adjacent samples is demonstrated here on cesium iodide clusters, peptides, oligosaccharides, poly(propylene glycol), and fullerenes and provides typical FTMS internal calibration mass accuracy of < 1 ppm.
Gibbs sampling on large lattice with GMRF

Science.gov (United States)

Marcotte, Denis; Allard, Denis

2018-02-01

Gibbs sampling is routinely used to sample truncated Gaussian distributions. These distributions naturally occur when associating latent Gaussian fields to category fields obtained by discrete simulation methods like multipoint, sequential indicator simulation and object-based simulation. The latent Gaussians are often used in data assimilation and history matching algorithms. When the Gibbs sampling is applied on a large lattice, the computing cost can become prohibitive. The usual practice of using local neighborhoods is unsatisfying as it can diverge and it does not reproduce exactly the desired covariance. A better approach is to use Gaussian Markov Random Fields (GMRF) which enables to compute the conditional distributions at any point without having to compute and invert the full covariance matrix. As the GMRF is locally defined, it allows simultaneous updating of all points that do not share neighbors (coding sets). We propose a new simultaneous Gibbs updating strategy on coding sets that can be efficiently computed by convolution and applied with an acceptance/rejection method in the truncated case. We study empirically the speed of convergence, the effect of choice of boundary conditions, of the correlation range and of GMRF smoothness. We show that the convergence is slower in the Gaussian case on the torus than for the finite case studied in the literature. However, in the truncated Gaussian case, we show that short scale correlation is quickly restored and the conditioning categories at each lattice point imprint the long scale correlation. Hence our approach enables to realistically apply Gibbs sampling on large 2D or 3D lattice with the desired GMRF covariance.
A spinner magnetometer for large Apollo lunar samples

Science.gov (United States)

Uehara, M.; Gattacceca, J.; Quesnel, Y.; Lepaulard, C.; Lima, E. A.; Manfredi, M.; Rochette, P.

2017-10-01

We developed a spinner magnetometer to measure the natural remanent magnetization of large Apollo lunar rocks in the storage vault of the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility (LSLF) of NASA. The magnetometer mainly consists of a commercially available three-axial fluxgate sensor and a hand-rotating sample table with an optical encoder recording the rotation angles. The distance between the sample and the sensor is adjustable according to the sample size and magnetization intensity. The sensor and the sample are placed in a two-layer mu-metal shield to measure the sample natural remanent magnetization. The magnetic signals are acquired together with the rotation angle to obtain stacking of the measured signals over multiple revolutions. The developed magnetometer has a sensitivity of 5 × 10-7 Am2 at the standard sensor-to-sample distance of 15 cm. This sensitivity is sufficient to measure the natural remanent magnetization of almost all the lunar basalt and breccia samples with mass above 10 g in the LSLF vault.
A spinner magnetometer for large Apollo lunar samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Uehara, M; Gattacceca, J; Quesnel, Y; Lepaulard, C; Lima, E A; Manfredi, M; Rochette, P

2017-10-01

We developed a spinner magnetometer to measure the natural remanent magnetization of large Apollo lunar rocks in the storage vault of the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility (LSLF) of NASA. The magnetometer mainly consists of a commercially available three-axial fluxgate sensor and a hand-rotating sample table with an optical encoder recording the rotation angles. The distance between the sample and the sensor is adjustable according to the sample size and magnetization intensity. The sensor and the sample are placed in a two-layer mu-metal shield to measure the sample natural remanent magnetization. The magnetic signals are acquired together with the rotation angle to obtain stacking of the measured signals over multiple revolutions. The developed magnetometer has a sensitivity of 5 × 10 -7 Am 2 at the standard sensor-to-sample distance of 15 cm. This sensitivity is sufficient to measure the natural remanent magnetization of almost all the lunar basalt and breccia samples with mass above 10 g in the LSLF vault.
Attenuated total internal reflection infrared microspectroscopic imaging using a large-radius germanium internal reflection element and a linear array detector.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Brian M; Havrilla, George J

2006-11-01

The number of techniques and instruments available for Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopic imaging has grown significantly over the past few years. Attenuated total internal reflectance (ATR) FT-IR microspectroscopy reduces sample preparation time and has simplified the analysis of many difficult samples. FT-IR imaging has become a powerful analytical tool using either a focal plane array or a linear array detector, especially when coupled with a chemometric analysis package. The field of view of the ATR-IR microspectroscopic imaging area can be greatly increased from 300 x 300 microm to 2500 x 2500 microm using a larger internal reflection element of 12.5 mm radius instead of the typical 1.5 mm radius. This gives an area increase of 70x before aberrant effects become too great. Parameters evaluated include the change in penetration depth as a function of beam displacement, measurements of the active area, magnification factor, and change in spatial resolution over the imaging area. Drawbacks such as large file size will also be discussed. This technique has been successfully applied to the FT-IR imaging of polydimethylsiloxane foam cross-sections, latent human fingerprints, and a model inorganic mixture, which demonstrates the usefulness of the method for pharmaceuticals.
Large Sample Neutron Activation Analysis: A Challenge in Cultural Heritage Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamatelatos, I.E.; Tzika, F.

2007-01-01

Large sample neutron activation analysis compliments and significantly extends the analytical tools available for cultural heritage and authentication studies providing unique applications of non-destructive, multi-element analysis of materials that are too precious to damage for sampling purposes, representative sampling of heterogeneous materials or even analysis of whole objects. In this work, correction factors for neutron self-shielding, gamma-ray attenuation and volume distribution of the activity in large volume samples composed of iron and ceramic material were derived. Moreover, the effect of inhomogeneity on the accuracy of the technique was examined
A review of methods for sampling large airborne particles and associated radioactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garland, J.A.; Nicholson, K.W.

1990-01-01

Radioactive particles, tens of μm or more in diameter, are unlikely to be emitted directly from nuclear facilities with exhaust gas cleansing systems, but may arise in the case of an accident or where resuspension from contaminated surfaces is significant. Such particles may dominate deposition and, according to some workers, may contribute to inhalation doses. Quantitative sampling of large airborne particles is difficult because of their inertia and large sedimentation velocities. The literature describes conditions for unbiased sampling and the magnitude of sampling errors for idealised sampling inlets in steady winds. However, few air samplers for outdoor use have been assessed for adequacy of sampling. Many size selective sampling methods are found in the literature but few are suitable at the low concentrations that are often encountered in the environment. A number of approaches for unbiased sampling of large particles have been found in the literature. Some are identified as meriting further study, for application in the measurement of airborne radioactivity. (author)
105-DR Large Sodium Fire Facility decontamination, sampling, and analysis plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knaus, Z.C.

1995-01-01

This is the decontamination, sampling, and analysis plan for the closure activities at the 105-DR Large Sodium Fire Facility at Hanford Reservation. This document supports the 105-DR Large Sodium Fire Facility Closure Plan, DOE-RL-90-25. The 105-DR LSFF, which operated from about 1972 to 1986, was a research laboratory that occupied the former ventilation supply room on the southwest side of the 105-DR Reactor facility in the 100-D Area of the Hanford Site. The LSFF was established to investigate fire fighting and safety associated with alkali metal fires in the liquid metal fast breeder reactor facilities. The decontamination, sampling, and analysis plan identifies the decontamination procedures, sampling locations, any special handling requirements, quality control samples, required chemical analysis, and data validation needed to meet the requirements of the 105-DR Large Sodium Fire Facility Closure Plan in compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Multivariate statistics high-dimensional and large-sample approximations

CERN Document Server

Fujikoshi, Yasunori; Shimizu, Ryoichi

2010-01-01

A comprehensive examination of high-dimensional analysis of multivariate methods and their real-world applications Multivariate Statistics: High-Dimensional and Large-Sample Approximations is the first book of its kind to explore how classical multivariate methods can be revised and used in place of conventional statistical tools. Written by prominent researchers in the field, the book focuses on high-dimensional and large-scale approximations and details the many basic multivariate methods used to achieve high levels of accuracy. The authors begin with a fundamental presentation of the basic
Sample preparation method for ICP-MS measurement of 99Tc in a large amount of environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, M.; Seki, R.

2002-01-01

Sample preparation for measurement of 99 Tc in a large amount of soil and water samples by ICP-MS has been developed using 95m Tc as a yield tracer. This method is based on the conventional method for a small amount of soil samples using incineration, acid digestion, extraction chromatography (TEVA resin) and ICP-MS measurement. Preliminary concentration of Tc has been introduced by co-precipitation with ferric oxide. The matrix materials in a large amount of samples were more sufficiently removed with keeping the high recovery of Tc than previous method. The recovery of Tc was 70-80% for 100 g soil samples and 60-70% for 500 g of soil and 500 L of water samples. The detection limit of this method was evaluated as 0.054 mBq/kg in 500 g soil and 0.032 μBq/L in 500 L water. The determined value of 99 Tc in the IAEA-375 (soil sample collected near the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor) was 0.25 ± 0.02 Bq/kg. (author)

International comparative studies of education and large scale change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Howie, Sarah; Plomp, T.; Bascia, Nina; Cumming, Alister; Datnow, Amanda; Leithwood, Kenneth; Livingstone, David

2005-01-01

The development of international comparative studies of educational achievements dates back to the early 1960s and was made possible by developments in sample survey methodology, group testing techniques, test development, and data analysis (Husén & Tuijnman, 1994, p. 6). The studies involve
The Opportunity of International Manufacturing Organization for Lithuania's Large Furniture Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomas Baltuška

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This article analysis international manufacturing theory, current situation in Lithuania’s large furniture enterprises, opportunities for international manufacturing, the advantages of such strategy and the problems that comes along from introduction and imple-mentation of such strategy. The main purposes of this article are to analyze sector of furniture enterprises, examples of successful enterprises of international manufactures. Survey data is analyzed and the conclusions are formulated, which reflect the benefits of the system put in place by companies.
Lessons learned: Infrastructure development and financial management for large, publicly funded, international trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Gregg S; Carey, Cate; Grarup, Jesper; Hudson, Fleur; Sachi, Karen; Vjecha, Michael J; Gordin, Fred

2016-04-01

Randomized clinical trials are widely recognized as essential to address worldwide clinical and public health research questions. However, their size and duration can overwhelm available public and private resources. To remain competitive in international research settings, advocates and practitioners of clinical trials must implement practices that reduce their cost. We identify approaches and practices for large, publicly funded, international trials that reduce cost without compromising data integrity and recommend an approach to cost reporting that permits comparison of clinical trials. We describe the organizational and financial characteristics of The International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials, an infectious disease research network that conducts multiple, large, long-term, international trials, and examine challenges associated with simple and streamlined governance and an infrastructure and financial management model that is based on performance, transparency, and accountability. It is possible to reduce costs of participants' follow-up and not compromise clinical trial quality or integrity. The International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials network has successfully completed three large HIV trials using cost-efficient practices that have not adversely affected investigator enthusiasm, accrual rates, loss-to-follow-up, adherence to the protocol, and completion of data collection. This experience is relevant to the conduct of large, publicly funded trials in other disease areas, particularly trials dependent on international collaborations. New approaches, or creative adaption of traditional clinical trial infrastructure and financial management tools, can render large, international clinical trials more cost-efficient by emphasizing structural simplicity, minimal up-front costs, payments for performance, and uniform algorithms and fees-for-service, irrespective of location. However, challenges remain. They
Benchmarking processes for managing large international space programs

Science.gov (United States)

Mandell, Humboldt C., Jr.; Duke, Michael B.

1993-01-01

The relationship between management style and program costs is analyzed to determine the feasibility of financing large international space missions. The incorporation of management systems is considered to be essential to realizing low cost spacecraft and planetary surface systems. Several companies ranging from large Lockheed 'Skunk Works' to small companies including Space Industries, Inc., Rocket Research Corp., and Orbital Sciences Corp. were studied. It is concluded that to lower the prices, the ways in which spacecraft and hardware are developed must be changed. Benchmarking of successful low cost space programs has revealed a number of prescriptive rules for low cost managements, including major changes in the relationships between the public and private sectors.
PERCEPTION OF INTERN TEACHERS’ USE OF INTERACTIVE STRATEGIES IN TEACHING LARGE CLASSES IN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carol Adaku Obiefuna

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Higher education institutions experience large classes despite the National Universities’ Commission’s (NUC and other supervisory agencies emphasis on carrying capacity of the institutions in Nigeria. The overpopulation affects effective teaching and learning and quality assurance. This study focused on perception of intern teachers of the use of interactive strategies in teaching Curriculum Studies in an online environment in a College of Education. 200 computer science students (intern teachers in a Curriculum Studies class formed the study sample. Three research questions guided the study. A structured and validated questionnaire with reliability index of 0.79, made up of 25 items constructed on a four-point Likert-type scale was administered on the students for data collection. The data were analysed using simple mean and the results showed that the intern teachers supported the use of the teaching strategies in an online class as a complement to the face to face method of teaching. They are also recommended as alternative strategies to reduce the problems associated with large classes. However, the research subjects were sceptical about the implementation of online teaching as a result of power supply and access to internet facilities. The findings have a far reaching implication for the 21st Century teaching and learning. Suggestions towards effective online teaching and learning were made especially with theGovernment’s reiteration of the need for Information and Communication Technology (ICT in the schools in Nigeria.
An international study of the performance of sample collection from patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dzik, WH; Murphy, MF; Andreu, G; Heddle, N; Hogman, C; Kekomaki, R; Murphy, S; Shimizu, M; Smit Sibinga, C.T.

2003-01-01

Background and Objectives Collection of a blood sample from the correct patient is the first step in the process of safe transfusion. The aim of this international collaborative study was to assess the frequency of mislabelled and miscollected samples drawn for blood grouping. Materials and Methods
Exploring Technostress: Results of a Large Sample Factor Analysis

OpenAIRE

Jonušauskas, Steponas; Raišienė, Agota Giedrė

2016-01-01

With reference to the results of a large sample factor analysis, the article aims to propose the frame examining technostress in a population. The survey and principal component analysis of the sample consisting of 1013 individuals who use ICT in their everyday work was implemented in the research. 13 factors combine 68 questions and explain 59.13 per cent of the answers dispersion. Based on the factor analysis, questionnaire was reframed and prepared to reasonably analyze the respondents’ an...
105-DR Large sodium fire facility soil sampling data evaluation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, J.G.

1996-01-01

This report evaluates the soil sampling activities, soil sample analysis, and soil sample data associated with the closure activities at the 105-DR Large Sodium Fire Facility. The evaluation compares these activities to the regulatory requirements for meeting clean closure. The report concludes that there is no soil contamination from the waste treatment activities
Standard methods for sampling freshwater fishes: opportunities for international collaboration

OpenAIRE

Bonar, Scott A.; Mercado-Silva, Norman; Hubert, Wayne A.; Beard, T. Douglas; Dave, Göran; Kubečka, Jan; Graeb, Brian D.S.; Lester, Nigel P.; Porath, Mark; Winfield, Ian J.

2017-01-01

With publication of Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes in 2009, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) recommended standard procedures for North America. To explore interest in standardizing at intercontinental scales, a symposium attended by international specialists in freshwater fish sampling was convened at the 145th Annual AFS Meeting in Portland, Oregon, in August 2015. Participants represented all continents except Australia and Antarctica and were employed by...
VENOUS SAMPLING FOR CUSHING DISEASE: COMPARISON OF INTERNAL JUGULAR VEIN AND INFERIOR PETROSAL SINUS SAMPLING.

Science.gov (United States)

Radvany, Martin G; Quinones-Hinojosa, Alfredo; Gallia, Gary L; Wand, Gary S; Salvatori, Roberto

2016-09-01

Because magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fails to detect many adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenomas, inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) is considered the gold standard to differentiate Cushing disease (CD) from ectopic ACTH secretion syndrome (EAS). Some authors have suggested internal jugular vein sampling (IJVS) as an alternative to IPSS. We simultaneously compared IJVS to IPSS in 30 consecutive patients referred for ACTH-dependent Cushing syndrome and equivocal MRI exams. Five sites were simultaneously sampled in each patient (right and left IPS, right and left IJV, and femoral vein) before and after the administration of corticotrophin-releasing hormone or desmopressin. The test was considered consistent with CD when the IPS to peripheral ratio was >2 at baseline or >3 after stimulus and the IJV to peripheral ratio was >1.7 at baseline or >2 after stimulus. In 27 of 30 patients, IPSS results were consistent with a central source of ACTH. Two of the other 3 patients had EAS (one lung carcinoid and one occult), and 1 patient had pathology-proven CD. The sensitivity of IPSS was 96.4%. Only 64.2% of these patients had results meeting criteria for a central source of ACTH by IJVS criteria. Twenty patients with centralizing IPPS have undergone pituitary surgery. Of these, the central origin of excessive ACTH was confirmed with certainty in 16 patients. Among these 16 patients, the IPSS sensitivity was 93.8%, whereas 5 patients had false-negative IJVS (68.7% sensitivity). These results do not support the routine use of IJVS in establishing if the pituitary is the source of excessive ACTH. ACTH = adrenocorticotropic hormone CD = Cushing disease CRH = corticotrophin-releasing hormone CS = Cushing syndrome DDAVP = desmopressin EAS = ectopic ACTH secretion IJVS = internal jugular vein sampling IPSS = inferior petrosal sinus sampling JVS = jugular venous sampling MRI = magnetic resonance imaging.
Barriers and Solutions to Conducting Large International, Interdisciplinary Research Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Pischke, Erin C.; Knowlton, Jessie L.; Phifer, Colin C.; Gutierrez Lopez, Jose; Propato, Tamara S.; Eastmond, Amarella; de Souza, Tatiana Martins; Kuhlberg, Mark; Picasso Risso, Valentin; Veron, Santiago R.; Garcia, Carlos; Chiappe, Marta; Halvorsen, Kathleen E.

2017-12-01

Global environmental problems such as climate change are not bounded by national borders or scientific disciplines, and therefore require international, interdisciplinary teamwork to develop understandings of their causes and solutions. Interdisciplinary scientific work is difficult enough, but these challenges are often magnified when teams also work across national boundaries. The literature on the challenges of interdisciplinary research is extensive. However, research on international, interdisciplinary teams is nearly non-existent. Our objective is to fill this gap by reporting on results from a study of a large interdisciplinary, international National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education (NSF-PIRE) research project across the Americas. We administered a structured questionnaire to team members about challenges they faced while working together across disciplines and outside of their home countries in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Analysis of the responses indicated five major types of barriers to conducting interdisciplinary, international research: integration, language, fieldwork logistics, personnel and relationships, and time commitment. We discuss the causes and recommended solutions to the most common barriers. Our findings can help other interdisciplinary, international research teams anticipate challenges, and develop effective solutions to minimize the negative impacts of these barriers to their research.
Barriers and Solutions to Conducting Large International, Interdisciplinary Research Projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Pischke, Erin C; Knowlton, Jessie L; Phifer, Colin C; Gutierrez Lopez, Jose; Propato, Tamara S; Eastmond, Amarella; de Souza, Tatiana Martins; Kuhlberg, Mark; Picasso Risso, Valentin; Veron, Santiago R; Garcia, Carlos; Chiappe, Marta; Halvorsen, Kathleen E

2017-12-01

Global environmental problems such as climate change are not bounded by national borders or scientific disciplines, and therefore require international, interdisciplinary teamwork to develop understandings of their causes and solutions. Interdisciplinary scientific work is difficult enough, but these challenges are often magnified when teams also work across national boundaries. The literature on the challenges of interdisciplinary research is extensive. However, research on international, interdisciplinary teams is nearly non-existent. Our objective is to fill this gap by reporting on results from a study of a large interdisciplinary, international National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education (NSF-PIRE) research project across the Americas. We administered a structured questionnaire to team members about challenges they faced while working together across disciplines and outside of their home countries in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Analysis of the responses indicated five major types of barriers to conducting interdisciplinary, international research: integration, language, fieldwork logistics, personnel and relationships, and time commitment. We discuss the causes and recommended solutions to the most common barriers. Our findings can help other interdisciplinary, international research teams anticipate challenges, and develop effective solutions to minimize the negative impacts of these barriers to their research.
Associations between sociodemographic, sampling and health factors and various salivary cortisol indicators in a large sample without psychopathology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vreeburg, Sophie A.; Kruijtzer, Boudewijn P.; van Pelt, Johannes; van Dyck, Richard; DeRijk, Roel H.; Hoogendijk, Witte J. G.; Smit, Johannes H.; Zitman, Frans G.; Penninx, Brenda

Background: Cortisol levels are increasingly often assessed in large-scale psychosomatic research. Although determinants of different salivary cortisol indicators have been described, they have not yet been systematically studied within the same study with a Large sample size. Sociodemographic,
A course in mathematical statistics and large sample theory

CERN Document Server

Bhattacharya, Rabi; Patrangenaru, Victor

2016-01-01

This graduate-level textbook is primarily aimed at graduate students of statistics, mathematics, science, and engineering who have had an undergraduate course in statistics, an upper division course in analysis, and some acquaintance with measure theoretic probability. It provides a rigorous presentation of the core of mathematical statistics. Part I of this book constitutes a one-semester course on basic parametric mathematical statistics. Part II deals with the large sample theory of statistics — parametric and nonparametric, and its contents may be covered in one semester as well. Part III provides brief accounts of a number of topics of current interest for practitioners and other disciplines whose work involves statistical methods. Large Sample theory with many worked examples, numerical calculations, and simulations to illustrate theory Appendices provide ready access to a number of standard results, with many proofs Solutions given to a number of selected exercises from Part I Part II exercises with ...
International Timetabling Competition 2011: An Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search algorithm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Matias; Kristiansen, Simon; Stidsen, Thomas Riis

2012-01-01

An algorithm based on Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) for solving the generalized High School Timetabling problem in XHSTT-format (Post et al (2012a)) is presented. This algorithm was among the nalists of round 2 of the International Timetabling Competition 2011 (ITC2011). For problem...
Large-amplitude internal tides, solitary waves, and turbulence in the central Bay of Biscay

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, X. H.; Cuypers, Y.; Bouruet-Aubertot, P.; Ferron, B.; Pichon, A.; LourençO, A.; Cortes, N.

2013-06-01

and fine-scale measurements collected in the central Bay of Biscay during the MOUTON experiment are analyzed to investigate the dynamics of internal waves and associated mixing. Large-amplitude internal tides (ITs) that excite internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the thermocline are observed. ITs are dominated by modes 3 and 4, while ISWs projected on mode 1 that is trapped in the thermocline. Therein, ITs generate a persistent narrow shear band, which is strongly correlated with the enhanced dissipation rate in the thermocline. This strong dissipation rate is further reinforced in the presence of ISWs. Dissipation rates during the period without ISWs largely agree with the MacKinnon-Gregg scaling proposed for internal wavefields dominated by a low-frequency mode, while they show poor agreement with the Gregg-Henyey parameterization valid for internal wavefields close to the Garrett-Munk model. The agreement with the MacKinnon-Gregg scaling is consistent with the fact that turbulent mixing here is driven by the low-frequency internal tidal shear.
A new international role for large electric utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, P. M.

1993-01-01

Population pressures leading to changes in India, China, and South America during the next twenty-five years and the resulting revolutionary shifts in the world's major economic axes, such as growth in populations, in demand for consumer goods, in production capacities, and in energy demand, will demand greater international cooperation according to a former premier of the province of Quebec. He stressed in particular, the contributions that large electrical utilities can play in this world-wide transformation. He predicted the possibility of privatization and an extended role in international energy activities for Hydro-Quebec as a result of these major demographic and economic changes in Asia and South America, and the consequent decline in the economies of the G7 countries. Major capital investments abroad, and the formation of networks of domestic and foreign partnerships in the developing world were predicted to be the key to the survival and continuing success not only of Hydro-Quebec, but all major utility companies
Double sampling with multiple imputation to answer large sample meta-research questions: Introduction and illustration by evaluating adherence to two simple CONSORT guidelines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrice L. Capers

2015-03-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Meta-research can involve manual retrieval and evaluation of research, which is resource intensive. Creation of high throughput methods (e.g., search heuristics, crowdsourcing has improved feasibility of large meta-research questions, but possibly at the cost of accuracy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of double sampling combined with multiple imputation (DS+MI to address meta-research questions, using as an example adherence of PubMed entries to two simple Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT guidelines for titles and abstracts. METHODS: For the DS large sample, we retrieved all PubMed entries satisfying the filters: RCT; human; abstract available; and English language (n=322,107. For the DS subsample, we randomly sampled 500 entries from the large sample. The large sample was evaluated with a lower rigor, higher throughput (RLOTHI method using search heuristics, while the subsample was evaluated using a higher rigor, lower throughput (RHITLO human rating method. Multiple imputation of the missing-completely-at-random RHITLO data for the large sample was informed by: RHITLO data from the subsample; RLOTHI data from the large sample; whether a study was an RCT; and country and year of publication. RESULTS: The RHITLO and RLOTHI methods in the subsample largely agreed (phi coefficients: title=1.00, abstract=0.92. Compliance with abstract and title criteria has increased over time, with non-US countries improving more rapidly. DS+MI logistic regression estimates were more precise than subsample estimates (e.g., 95% CI for change in title and abstract compliance by Year: subsample RHITLO 1.050-1.174 vs. DS+MI 1.082-1.151. As evidence of improved accuracy, DS+MI coefficient estimates were closer to RHITLO than the large sample RLOTHI. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support our hypothesis that DS+MI would result in improved precision and accuracy. This method is flexible and may provide a practical way to examine large corpora of
Advancing the Use of Passive Sampling in Risk Assessment and Management of Sediments Contaminated with Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals: Results of an International Ex Situ Passive Sampling Interlaboratory Comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Jonker, Michiel T O; van der Heijden, Stephan A; Adelman, Dave; Apell, Jennifer N; Burgess, Robert M; Choi, Yongju; Fernandez, Loretta A; Flavetta, Geanna M; Ghosh, Upal; Gschwend, Philip M; Hale, Sarah E; Jalalizadeh, Mehregan; Khairy, Mohammed; Lampi, Mark A; Lao, Wenjian; Lohmann, Rainer; Lydy, Michael J; Maruya, Keith A; Nutile, Samuel A; Oen, Amy M P; Rakowska, Magdalena I; Reible, Danny; Rusina, Tatsiana P; Smedes, Foppe; Wu, Yanwen

2018-03-20

This work presents the results of an international interlaboratory comparison on ex situ passive sampling in sediments. The main objectives were to map the state of the science in passively sampling sediments, identify sources of variability, provide recommendations and practical guidance for standardized passive sampling, and advance the use of passive sampling in regulatory decision making by increasing confidence in the use of the technique. The study was performed by a consortium of 11 laboratories and included experiments with 14 passive sampling formats on 3 sediments for 25 target chemicals (PAHs and PCBs). The resulting overall interlaboratory variability was large (a factor of ∼10), but standardization of methods halved this variability. The remaining variability was primarily due to factors not related to passive sampling itself, i.e., sediment heterogeneity and analytical chemistry. Excluding the latter source of variability, by performing all analyses in one laboratory, showed that passive sampling results can have a high precision and a very low intermethod variability (sampling, irrespective of the specific method used, is fit for implementation in risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments, provided that method setup and performance, as well as chemical analyses are quality-controlled.
A large outbreak of shigellosis commencing in an internally displaced population, Papua New Guinea, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Benny, Edwin; Mesere, Kelly; Pavlin, Boris I; Yakam, Logan; Ford, Rebecca; Yoannes, Mition; Kisa, Debbie; Abdad, Mohammad Y; Menda, Lincoln; Greenhill, Andrew R; Horwood, Paul F

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate a large outbreak of shigellosis in Papua New Guinea that began in a camp for internally displaced persons before spreading throughout the general community. Outbreak mitigation strategies were implemented in the affected area to curtail the spread of the disease. Data were collected from the surveillance system and analysed by time, place and person. Rectal swab samples were tested by standard culture methods and real-time polymerase chain reaction to determine the etiology of the outbreak. Laboratory analysis at two independent institutions established that the outbreak was caused by Shigella sp., with one strain further characterized as Shigella flexneri serotype 2. Approximately 1200 suspected cases of shigellosis were reported in a two-month period from two townships in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The outbreak resulted in at least five deaths, all in young children. This outbreak of shigellosis highlights the threat of enteric diseases to vulnerable populations such as internally displaced persons in Papua New Guinea, as has been observed in other global settings.

A large outbreak of shigellosis commencing in an internally displaced population, Papua New Guinea, 2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edwin Benny

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate a large outbreak of shigellosis in Papua New Guinea that began in a camp for internally displaced persons before spreading throughout the general community. Methods: Outbreak mitigation strategies were implemented in the affected area to curtail the spread of the disease. Data were collected from the surveillance system and analysed by time, place and person. Rectal swab samples were tested by standard culture methods and real-time polymerase chain reaction to determine the etiology of the outbreak. Results: Laboratory analysis at two independent institutions established that the outbreak was caused by Shigella sp., with one strain further characterized as Shigella flexneri serotype 2. Approximately 1200 suspected cases of shigellosis were reported in a two-month period from two townships in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The outbreak resulted in at least five deaths, all in young children. Discussion: This outbreak of shigellosis highlights the threat of enteric diseases to vulnerable populations such as internally displaced persons in Papua New Guinea, as has been observed in other global settings.
Sampling strategy for a large scale indoor radiation survey - a pilot project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strand, T.; Stranden, E.

1986-01-01

Optimisation of a stratified random sampling strategy for large scale indoor radiation surveys is discussed. It is based on the results from a small scale pilot project where variances in dose rates within different categories of houses were assessed. By selecting a predetermined precision level for the mean dose rate in a given region, the number of measurements needed can be optimised. The results of a pilot project in Norway are presented together with the development of the final sampling strategy for a planned large scale survey. (author)
An open-flow pulse ionization chamber for alpha spectrometry of large-area samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansson, L.; Roos, B.; Samuelsson, C.

1992-01-01

The presented open-flow pulse ionization chamber was developed to make alpha spectrometry on large-area surfaces easy. One side of the chamber is left open, where the sample is to be placed. The sample acts as a chamber wall and therby defeins the detector volume. The sample area can be as large as 400 cm 2 . To prevent air from entering the volume there is a constant gas flow through the detector, coming in at the bottom of the chamber and leaking at the sides of the sample. The method results in good energy resolution and has considerable applicability in the retrospective radon research. Alpha spectra obtained in the retrospective measurements descend from 210 Po, built up in the sample from the radon daughters recoiled into a glass surface. (au)
Sampling of reactor pressure vessel and core internals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberhaeuser, Ralf

2012-01-01

Decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear power plants is a growing business as a huge number of plants built in the 1970's have now reached their lifetime. It is well known that dismantling a nuclear power plant means an extraordinary expense for the owner respectively operator. Beside the dismantling works for itself, the disposal of activated components and other nuclear waste is very expensive. What comes next is the fact that final disposal facilities are not available yet in most countries meaning a need for interim storage on-site in specially built facilities. It can be concluded that a special attention is paid on producing a minimal radioactive waste volume. For this, optimized dismantling and packaging concepts have to be developed. AREVA is proud of versatile experience in successfully dismantling nuclear components like core internals and reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The basis of a well-founded and optimized dismantling and packaging concept must always be the detailed knowledge of the radiological condition of the component to be and in the best case a 3D activation- model. For keeping the necessary sampling effort as small as possible, but simultaneously as efficient as possible, representative sampling positions are defined in advance by theoretical radiological examinations. For this, a detailed 3D-CAD-model of the components to be dismantled has proven very helpful and effective. Under these aspects a sampling of RPV and its components is necessary to verify the theoretically calculated radiological data. The obtained results of activation and contamination are taken into account for the optimized dismantling and packaging strategy. The precise 3D-activation-model will reduce the necessary number and type of final disposal containers as security factors are minimized leading to a lower shielding effort, too. Besides, components or even parts of components may be subject of release measurement. In the end, costs can be reduced. In this context
Gender and Direction of Effect of Alcohol Problems and Internalizing Symptoms in a Longitudinal Sample of College Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Homman, Lina E; Edwards, Alexis C; Cho, Seung Bin; Dick, Danielle M; Kendler, Kenneth S

2017-03-21

Alcohol problems and internalizing symptoms are consistently found to be associated but how they relate to each other is unclear. The present study aimed to address limitations in the literature of comorbidity of alcohol problems and internalizing symptoms by investigating the direction of effect between the phenotypes and possible gender differences in college students. We utilized data from a large longitudinal study of college students from the United States (N = 2607). Three waves of questionnaire-based data were collected over the first two years of college (in 2011-2013). Cross-lagged models were applied to examine the possible direction of effect of internalizing symptoms and alcohol problems. Possible effects of gender were investigated using multigroup modeling. There were significant correlations between alcohol problems and internalizing symptoms. A direction of effect was found between alcohol problems and internalizing symptoms but differed between genders. A unidirectional relationship varying with age was identified for males where alcohol problems initially predicted internalizing symptoms followed by internalizing symptoms predicting alcohol problems. For females, a unidirectional relationship existed wherein alcohol problems predicted internalizing symptoms. Conclusions/Importance: We conclude that the relationship between alcohol problems and internalizing symptoms is complex and differ between genders. In males, both phenotypes are predictive of each other, while in females the relationship is driven by alcohol problems. Importantly, our study examines a population-based sample, revealing that the observed relationships between alcohol problems and internalizing symptoms are not limited to individuals with clinically diagnosed mental health or substance use problems.
Fast concentration of dissolved forms of cesium radioisotopes from large seawater samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jan Kamenik; Henrieta Dulaiova; Ferdinand Sebesta; Kamila St'astna; Czech Technical University, Prague

2013-01-01

The method developed for cesium concentration from large freshwater samples was tested and adapted for analysis of cesium radionuclides in seawater. Concentration of dissolved forms of cesium in large seawater samples (about 100 L) was performed using composite absorbers AMP-PAN and KNiFC-PAN with ammonium molybdophosphate and potassium–nickel hexacyanoferrate(II) as active components, respectively, and polyacrylonitrile as a binding polymer. A specially designed chromatography column with bed volume (BV) 25 mL allowed fast flow rates of seawater (up to 1,200 BV h -1 ). The recovery yields were determined by ICP-MS analysis of stable cesium added to seawater sample. Both absorbers proved usability for cesium concentration from large seawater samples. KNiFC-PAN material was slightly more effective in cesium concentration from acidified seawater (recovery yield around 93 % for 700 BV h -1 ). This material showed similar efficiency in cesium concentration also from natural seawater. The activity concentrations of 137 Cs determined in seawater from the central Pacific Ocean were 1.5 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.1 Bq m -3 for an offshore (January 2012) and a coastal (February 2012) locality, respectively, 134 Cs activities were below detection limit ( -3 ). (author)
A self-sampling method to obtain large volumes of undiluted cervicovaginal secretions.

Science.gov (United States)

Boskey, Elizabeth R; Moench, Thomas R; Hees, Paul S; Cone, Richard A

2003-02-01

Studies of vaginal physiology and pathophysiology sometime require larger volumes of undiluted cervicovaginal secretions than can be obtained by current methods. A convenient method for self-sampling these secretions outside a clinical setting can facilitate such studies of reproductive health. The goal was to develop a vaginal self-sampling method for collecting large volumes of undiluted cervicovaginal secretions. A menstrual collection device (the Instead cup) was inserted briefly into the vagina to collect secretions that were then retrieved from the cup by centrifugation in a 50-ml conical tube. All 16 women asked to perform this procedure found it feasible and acceptable. Among 27 samples, an average of 0.5 g of secretions (range, 0.1-1.5 g) was collected. This is a rapid and convenient self-sampling method for obtaining relatively large volumes of undiluted cervicovaginal secretions. It should prove suitable for a wide range of assays, including those involving sexually transmitted diseases, microbicides, vaginal physiology, immunology, and pathophysiology.
Sample preparation for large-scale bioanalytical studies based on liquid chromatographic techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Medvedovici, Andrei; Bacalum, Elena; David, Victor

2018-01-01

Quality of the analytical data obtained for large-scale and long term bioanalytical studies based on liquid chromatography depends on a number of experimental factors including the choice of sample preparation method. This review discusses this tedious part of bioanalytical studies, applied to large-scale samples and using liquid chromatography coupled with different detector types as core analytical technique. The main sample preparation methods included in this paper are protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, derivatization and their versions. They are discussed by analytical performances, fields of applications, advantages and disadvantages. The cited literature covers mainly the analytical achievements during the last decade, although several previous papers became more valuable in time and they are included in this review. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
[Study on the resilience internal factors in a sample of Puerto Rican centenarians].

Science.gov (United States)

Rosado-Medina, José J; Rodríguez-Gómez, José R; Altieri-Ramirez, Gladys

2012-01-01

Old age is a stage that is usually characterized by lost at the physiological, psychological and social level that generates much distress to individuals. However, the centenaries have been identified as an example of successful aging, within other factors, because they have adequate managed skills that help them to deal with healthy normal losses. Resilience could be one of the factors that may help the Centennials to age successfully. It is necessary more studies with Puerto Rico Centennials since we lack such investigations. This study has an expo facto design; in addition we evaluate psychometrically the Symptoms Check List 90-R (SCL-90-R). The scale of Internal Resilience Factors (EFIR), a semi structured interview and the SCL-90-R were used to identify factors associated with successful aging in the centennials. In addition we explore if there exist gender differences in internal factors of resilience within the sample. 23 Centennials, 15 men and 8 women, of different parts of Puerto Rico (average age = 101. 5 years). Internal resilience factors associated with the aging process were identifying, those were: emotional stability, optimism, behavioral factor and behavioral and emotional skills component. These factors are consistent with the revised literature on positive emotions and adaptive ageing. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was identified (p <. 05) for the internal factors of resilience on the basis of gender, a finding agreed with the revised literature. The multiple tests administered showed adequate internal consistency (EFIR: (=. 726); SCL-90-R: (=. 941). The Symptoms Check list 90-R (SCL-90-R) was valid with a Cronbach's alpha of. 941. We identified internal resilience factors that could be linked with successfully aging: those factors are encouraging the elderly population. In addition used tests showed adequate internal consistency. Limitations in relation to the size of the sample and the distribution of gender were
Internal Flow Analysis of Large L/D Solid Rocket Motors

Science.gov (United States)

Laubacher, Brian A.

2000-01-01

Traditionally, Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) internal ballistic performance has been analyzed and predicted with either zero-dimensional (volume filling) codes or one-dimensional ballistics codes. One dimensional simulation of SRM performance is only necessary for ignition modeling, or for motors that have large length to port diameter ratios which exhibit an axial "pressure drop" during the early burn times. This type of prediction works quite well for many types of motors, however, when motor aspect ratios get large, and port to throat ratios get closer to one, two dimensional effects can become significant. The initial propellant grain configuration for the Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) was analyzed with 2-D, steady, axi-symmetric computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results of the CFD analysis show that the steady-state performance prediction at the initial burn geometry, in general, agrees well with 1-D transient prediction results at an early time, however, significant features of the 2-D flow are captured with the CFD results that would otherwise go unnoticed. Capturing these subtle differences gives a greater confidence to modeling accuracy, and additional insight with which to model secondary internal flow effects like erosive burning. Detailed analysis of the 2-D flowfield has led to the discovery of its hidden 1-D isentropic behavior, and provided the means for a thorough and simplified understanding of internal solid rocket motor flow. Performance parameters such as nozzle stagnation pressure, static pressure drop, characteristic velocity, thrust and specific impulse are discussed in detail and compared for different modeling and prediction methods. The predicted performance using both the 1-D codes and the CFD results are compared with measured data obtained from static tests of the RSRM. The differences and limitations of predictions using ID and 2-D flow fields are discussed and some suggestions for the design of large L/D motors and
Rapid monitoring of large groups of internally contaminated people following a radiation accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-05-01

In the management of an emergency, it is necessary to assess the radiation exposures of people in the affected areas. An essential component in the programme is the monitoring of internal contamination. Existing fixed installations for the assessment of incorporated radionuclides may be of limited value in these circumstances because they may be inconveniently sited, oversensitive for the purpose, or inadequately equipped and staffed to cope with the large numbers referred to them. The IAEA considered it important to produce guidance on rapid monitoring of large groups of internally contaminated people. The purpose of this document is to provide Member States with an overview on techniques that can be applied during abnormal or accidental situations. Refs and figs
Gasoline prices, gasoline consumption, and new-vehicle fuel economy: Evidence for a large sample of countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burke, Paul J.; Nishitateno, Shuhei

2013-01-01

Countries differ considerably in terms of the price drivers pay for gasoline. This paper uses data for 132 countries for the period 1995–2008 to investigate the implications of these differences for the consumption of gasoline for road transport. To address the potential for simultaneity bias, we use both a country's oil reserves and the international crude oil price as instruments for a country's average gasoline pump price. We obtain estimates of the long-run price elasticity of gasoline demand of between − 0.2 and − 0.5. Using newly available data for a sub-sample of 43 countries, we also find that higher gasoline prices induce consumers to substitute to vehicles that are more fuel-efficient, with an estimated elasticity of + 0.2. Despite the small size of our elasticity estimates, there is considerable scope for low-price countries to achieve gasoline savings and vehicle fuel economy improvements via reducing gasoline subsidies and/or increasing gasoline taxes. - Highlights: ► We estimate the determinants of gasoline demand and new-vehicle fuel economy. ► Estimates are for a large sample of countries for the period 1995–2008. ► We instrument for gasoline prices using oil reserves and the world crude oil price. ► Gasoline demand and fuel economy are inelastic with respect to the gasoline price. ► Large energy efficiency gains are possible via higher gasoline prices
Exploring Technostress: Results of a Large Sample Factor Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steponas Jonušauskas

2016-06-01

Full Text Available With reference to the results of a large sample factor analysis, the article aims to propose the frame examining technostress in a population. The survey and principal component analysis of the sample consisting of 1013 individuals who use ICT in their everyday work was implemented in the research. 13 factors combine 68 questions and explain 59.13 per cent of the answers dispersion. Based on the factor analysis, questionnaire was reframed and prepared to reasonably analyze the respondents’ answers, revealing technostress causes and consequences as well as technostress prevalence in the population in a statistically validated pattern. A key elements of technostress based on factor analysis can serve for the construction of technostress measurement scales in further research.
Quality Control Samples for the Radiological Determination of Tritium in Urine Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ost'pezuk, P.; Froning, M.; Laumen, S.; Richert, I.; Hill, P.

2004-01-01

The radioactive decay product of tritium is a low energy beta that cannot penetrate the outer dead layer of human skin. Therefore , the main hazard associated with tritium is internal exposure. In addition, due to the relatively long half life and short biological half life, tritium must be ingested in large amounts to pose a significant health risk. On the other hand, the internal exposure should be kept as low as practical. For incorporation monitoring of professional radiation workers the quality control is of utmost importance. In the Research Centre Juelich GmbH (FZJ) a considerable fraction of monitoring by excretion analysis relates to the isotope Tritium. Usually an aliquot of an urine sample is mixed with a liquid scintillator and measured in a liquid scintillation counter. Quality control samples in the form of three kind of internal reference samples (blank, reference samples with low activity and reference sample with elevated activity) were prepared from a mixed, Tritium (free) urine samples. 1 ml of these samples were pipetted into a liquid scintillation vial. In the part of theses vials a known amounts of Tritium were added. All these samples were stored at 20 degrees. Based on long term use of all these reference samples it was possible to construct appropriate control charts with the upper and lower alarm limits. Daily use of these reference samples decrease significantly the risk for false results in original urine with no significant increase of the determination time. (Author) 2 refs
Investigating the Association between Autistic-Like and Internalizing Traits in a Community-Based Twin Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Hallett, Victoria; Ronald, Angelica; Happe, Francesca

2009-01-01

The phenotypic and etiologic relation between internalizing and autistic-like traits is studied using a community-based twin sample. Internalizing and autistic-like traits showed moderate phenotypic overlap but have specific genetic influences.
Automated, feature-based image alignment for high-resolution imaging mass spectrometry of large biological samples

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broersen, A.; Liere, van R.; Altelaar, A.F.M.; Heeren, R.M.A.; McDonnell, L.A.

2008-01-01

High-resolution imaging mass spectrometry of large biological samples is the goal of several research groups. In mosaic imaging, the most common method, the large sample is divided into a mosaic of small areas that are then analyzed with high resolution. Here we present an automated alignment
Sampling large landscapes with small-scale stratification-User's Manual

Science.gov (United States)

Bart, Jonathan

2011-01-01

This manual explains procedures for partitioning a large landscape into plots, assigning the plots to strata, and selecting plots in each stratum to be surveyed. These steps are referred to as the "sampling large landscapes (SLL) process." We assume that users of the manual have a moderate knowledge of ArcGIS and Microsoft ® Excel. The manual is written for a single user but in many cases, some steps will be carried out by a biologist designing the survey and some steps will be carried out by a quantitative assistant. Thus, the manual essentially may be passed back and forth between these users. The SLL process primarily has been used to survey birds, and we refer to birds as subjects of the counts. The process, however, could be used to count any objects. ®
CONVERGENCE OF INTERNATIONAL AUDIT STANDARDS AND AMERICAN AUDIT STANDARDS REGARDING SAMPLING

OpenAIRE

Chis Anca Oana; Danescu Tatiana

2013-01-01

Abstract: Sampling is widely used in market research, scientific analysis, market analysis, opinion polls and not least in the financial statement audit. We wonder what is actually sampling and how did it appear? Audit sampling involves the application of audit procedures to less than 100% of items within an account balance or class of transactions. Nowadays the technique is indispensable, the economic entities operating with sophisticated computer systems and large amounts of data. Economic ...
Surface and Internal Waves due to a Moving Load on a Very Large Floating Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taro Kakinuma

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Interaction of surface/internal water waves with a floating platform is discussed with nonlinearity of fluid motion and flexibility of oscillating structure. The set of governing equations based on a variational principle is applied to a one- or two-layer fluid interacting with a horizontally very large and elastic thin plate floating on the water surface. Calculation results of surface displacements are compared with the existing experimental data, where a tsunami, in terms of a solitary wave, propagates across one-layer water with a floating thin plate. We also simulate surface and internal waves due to a point load, such as an airplane, moving on a very large floating structure in shallow water. The wave height of the surface or internal mode is amplified when the velocity of moving point load is equal to the surface- or internal-mode celerity, respectively.
Absolute activity determinations on large volume geological samples independent of self-absorption effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, W.E.

1980-01-01

This paper describes a method for measuring the absolute activity of large volume samples by γ-spectroscopy independent of self-absorption effects using Ge detectors. The method yields accurate matrix independent results at the expense of replicative counting of the unknown sample. (orig./HP)

Comparison of Directionally Solidified Samples Solidified Terrestrially and Aboard the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Angart, S.; Lauer, M.; Tewari, S. N.; Grugel, R. N.; Poirier, D. R.

2014-01-01

This article reports research that has been carried out under the aegis of NASA as part of a collaboration between ESA and NASA for solidification experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). The focus has been on the effect of convection on the microstructural evolution and macrosegregation in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys during directional solidification (DS). Terrestrial DS-experiments have been carried out at Cleveland State University (CSU) and under microgravity on the International Space Station (ISS). The thermal processing-history of the experiments is well defined for both the terrestrially processed samples and the ISS-processed samples. As of this writing, two dendritic metrics was measured: primary dendrite arm spacings and primary dendrite trunk diameters. We have observed that these dendrite-metrics of two samples grown in the microgravity environment show good agreements with models based on diffusion controlled growth and diffusion controlled ripening, respectively. The gravity-driven convection (i.e., thermosolutal convection) in terrestrially grown samples has the effect of decreasing the primary dendrite arm spacings and causes macrosegregation. Dendrite trunk diameters also show differences between the earth- and space-grown samples. In order to process DS-samples aboard the ISS, the dendritic seed crystals were partially remelted in a stationary thermal gradient before the DS was carried out. Microstructural changes and macrosegregation effects during this period are described and have modeled.
Procedure for plutonium analysis of large (100g) soil and sediment samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meadows, J.W.T.; Schweiger, J.S.; Mendoza, B.; Stone, R.

1975-01-01

A method for the complete dissolution of large soil or sediment samples is described. This method is in routine usage at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for the analysis of fall-out levels of Pu in soils and sediments. Intercomparison with partial dissolution (leach) techniques shows the complete dissolution method to be superior for the determination of plutonium in a wide variety of environmental samples. (author)
An examination of the RCMAS-2 scores across gender, ethnic background, and age in a large Asian school sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Ang, Rebecca P; Lowe, Patricia A; Yusof, Noradlin

2011-12-01

The present study investigated the factor structure, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and U.S. norms of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Second Edition (RCMAS-2; C. R. Reynolds & B. O. Richmond, 2008a) scores in a Singapore sample of 1,618 school-age children and adolescents. Although there were small statistically significant differences in the average RCMAS-2 T scores found across various demographic groupings, on the whole, the U.S. norms appear adequate for use in the Asian Singapore sample. Results from item bias analyses suggested that biased items detected had small effects and were counterbalanced across gender and ethnicity, and hence, their relative impact on test score variation appears to be minimal. Results of factor analyses on the RCMAS-2 scores supported the presence of a large general anxiety factor, the Total Anxiety factor, and the 5-factor structure found in U.S. samples was replicated. Both the large general anxiety factor and the 5-factor solution were invariant across gender and ethnic background. Internal consistency estimates ranged from adequate to good, and 2-week test-retest reliability estimates were comparable to previous studies. Evidence providing support for convergent and discriminant validity of the RCMAS-2 scores was also found. Taken together, findings provide additional cross-cultural evidence of the appropriateness and usefulness of the RCMAS-2 as a measure of anxiety in Asian Singaporean school-age children and adolescents.
Fast sampling from a Hidden Markov Model posterior for large data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonnevie, Rasmus; Hansen, Lars Kai

2014-01-01

Hidden Markov Models are of interest in a broad set of applications including modern data driven systems involving very large data sets. However, approximate inference methods based on Bayesian averaging are precluded in such applications as each sampling step requires a full sweep over the data...
17 CFR Appendix B to Part 420 - Sample Large Position Report

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

..., and as collateral for financial derivatives and other securities transactions $ Total Memorandum 1... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Sample Large Position Report B Appendix B to Part 420 Commodity and Securities Exchanges DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY REGULATIONS UNDER...
Large area synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping of biological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kempson, I.; Thierry, B.; Smith, E.; Gao, M.; De Jonge, M.

2014-01-01

Large area mapping of inorganic material in biological samples has suffered severely from prohibitively long acquisition times. With the advent of new detector technology we can now generate statistically relevant information for studying cell populations, inter-variability and bioinorganic chemistry in large specimen. We have been implementing ultrafast synchrotron-based XRF mapping afforded by the MAIA detector for large area mapping of biological material. For example, a 2.5 million pixel map can be acquired in 3 hours, compared to a typical synchrotron XRF set-up needing over 1 month of uninterrupted beamtime. Of particular focus to us is the fate of metals and nanoparticles in cells, 3D tissue models and animal tissues. The large area scanning has for the first time provided statistically significant information on sufficiently large numbers of cells to provide data on intercellular variability in uptake of nanoparticles. Techniques such as flow cytometry generally require analysis of thousands of cells for statistically meaningful comparison, due to the large degree of variability. Large area XRF now gives comparable information in a quantifiable manner. Furthermore, we can now image localised deposition of nanoparticles in tissues that would be highly improbable to 'find' by typical XRF imaging. In addition, the ultra fast nature also makes it viable to conduct 3D XRF tomography over large dimensions. This technology avails new opportunities in biomonitoring and understanding metal and nanoparticle fate ex-vivo. Following from this is extension to molecular imaging through specific anti-body targeted nanoparticles to label specific tissues and monitor cellular process or biological consequence
Sampling of charged liquid radwaste stored in large tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tchemitcheff, E.; Domage, M.; Bernard-Bruls, X.

1995-01-01

The final safe disposal of radwaste, in France and elsewhere, entails, for liquid effluents, their conversion to a stable solid form, hence implying their conditioning. The production of conditioned waste with the requisite quality, traceability of the characteristics of the packages produced, and safe operation of the conditioning processes, implies at least the accurate knowledge of the chemical and radiochemical properties of the effluents concerned. The problem in sampling the normally charged effluents is aggravated for effluents that have been stored for several years in very large tanks, without stirring and retrieval systems. In 1992, SGN was asked by Cogema to study the retrieval and conditioning of LL/ML chemical sludge and spent ion-exchange resins produced in the operation of the UP2 400 plant at La Hague, and stored temporarily in rectangular silos and tanks. The sampling aspect was crucial for validating the inventories, identifying the problems liable to arise in the aging of the effluents, dimensioning the retrieval systems and checking the transferability and compatibility with the downstream conditioning process. Two innovative self-contained systems were developed and built for sampling operations, positioned above the tanks concerned. Both systems have been operated in active conditions and have proved totally satisfactory for taking representative samples. Today SGN can propose industrially proven overall solutions, adaptable to the various constraints of many spent fuel cycle operators
PCR assay with host specific internal control forStaphylococcus aureus from bovine milk samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zafer Cantekin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is considered as one of the most important and common pathogens of bovine mastitis. Polymerase Chain Reaction is frequently proposed in the diagnosis of S. aureus directly from milk samples instead of classical culture. However, false-negative results may occur in the polymerase chain reaction analysis performed directly from clinical material. For the purpose of disclosing the false negative results, the use of internal amplification controls can be beneficial. Therefore, in this study a new polymerase chain reaction technique with host specific internal amplification control was developed by optimizing S. aureus-specific primers in combination with bovine specific primers. The effectiveness of the developed technique in this study was attempted in milk samples from bovine subclinical mastitis. This technique has the potential to detect S. aureus from bovine milk samples or dairy products.
CO2 isotope analyses using large air samples collected on intercontinental flights by the CARIBIC Boeing 767

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Assonov, S.S.; Brenninkmeijer, C.A.M.; Koeppel, C.; Röckmann, T.

2009-01-01

Analytical details for 13C and 18O isotope analyses of atmospheric CO2 in large air samples are given. The large air samples of nominally 300 L were collected during the passenger aircraft-based atmospheric chemistry research project CARIBIC and analyzed for a large number of trace gases and
The problem of large samples. An activation analysis study of electronic waste material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segebade, C.; Goerner, W.; Bode, P.

2007-01-01

Large-volume instrumental photon activation analysis (IPAA) was used for the investigation of shredded electronic waste material. Sample masses from 1 to 150 grams were analyzed to obtain an estimate of the minimum sample size to be taken to achieve a representativeness of the results which is satisfactory for a defined investigation task. Furthermore, the influence of irradiation and measurement parameters upon the quality of the analytical results were studied. Finally, the analytical data obtained from IPAA and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), both carried out in a large-volume mode, were compared. Only parts of the values were found in satisfactory agreement. (author)
The application of statistical and/or non-statistical sampling techniques by internal audit functions in the South African banking industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.P. van der Nest

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This article explores the use by internal audit functions of audit sampling techniques in order to test the effectiveness of controls in the banking sector. The article focuses specifically on the use of statistical and/or non-statistical sampling techniques by internal auditors. The focus of the research for this article was internal audit functions in the banking sector of South Africa. The results discussed in the article indicate that audit sampling is still used frequently as an audit evidence-gathering technique. Non-statistical sampling techniques are used more frequently than statistical sampling techniques for the evaluation of the sample. In addition, both techniques are regarded as important for the determination of the sample size and the selection of the sample items
What are decision making styles for international apparel brands in a large emerging market?

OpenAIRE

De Mattos, Claudio; Salciuviene, Laura; Auruskeviciene, Vilte; Juneja, Garima

2015-01-01

The main purpose of the paper is to identify consumer decision making styles based on Sproles & Kendall's (1986) framework in a large emerging market for international apparel brands. An online questionnaire-based survey with individual Indian consumers was conducted. The results of this study identify five consumer decision making styles among Indian consumers when selecting international apparel brands. The findings also suggest significant statistical differences between males and fema...
Large sample neutron activation analysis: establishment at CDTN/CNEN, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menezes, Maria Angela de B.C., E-mail: menezes@cdtn.b [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Jacimovic, Radojko, E-mail: radojko.jacimovic@ijs.s [Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana (Slovenia). Dept. of Environmental Sciences. Group for Radiochemistry and Radioecology

2011-07-01

In order to improve the application of the neutron activation technique at CDTN/CNEN, the large sample instrumental neutron activation analysis is being established, IAEA BRA 14798 and FAPEMIG APQ-01259-09 projects. This procedure, LS-INAA, usually requires special facilities for the activation as well as for the detection. However, the TRIGA Mark I IPR R1, CDTN/CNEN has not been adapted for the irradiation and the usual gamma spectrometry has being carried out. To start the establishment of the LS-INAA, a 5g sample - IAEA/Soil 7 reference material was analyzed by k{sub 0}-standardized method. This paper is about the detector efficiency over the volume source using KayWin v2.23 and ANGLE V3.0 software. (author)
Statistical characterization of a large geochemical database and effect of sample size

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, C.; Manheim, F.T.; Hinde, J.; Grossman, J.N.

2005-01-01

The authors investigated statistical distributions for concentrations of chemical elements from the National Geochemical Survey (NGS) database of the U.S. Geological Survey. At the time of this study, the NGS data set encompasses 48,544 stream sediment and soil samples from the conterminous United States analyzed by ICP-AES following a 4-acid near-total digestion. This report includes 27 elements: Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, Ti, Ba, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, La, Li, Mn, Nb, Nd, Ni, Pb, Sc, Sr, Th, V, Y and Zn. The goal and challenge for the statistical overview was to delineate chemical distributions in a complex, heterogeneous data set spanning a large geographic range (the conterminous United States), and many different geological provinces and rock types. After declustering to create a uniform spatial sample distribution with 16,511 samples, histograms and quantile-quantile (Q-Q) plots were employed to delineate subpopulations that have coherent chemical and mineral affinities. Probability groupings are discerned by changes in slope (kinks) on the plots. Major rock-forming elements, e.g., Al, Ca, K and Na, tend to display linear segments on normal Q-Q plots. These segments can commonly be linked to petrologic or mineralogical associations. For example, linear segments on K and Na plots reflect dilution of clay minerals by quartz sand (low in K and Na). Minor and trace element relationships are best displayed on lognormal Q-Q plots. These sensitively reflect discrete relationships in subpopulations within the wide range of the data. For example, small but distinctly log-linear subpopulations for Pb, Cu, Zn and Ag are interpreted to represent ore-grade enrichment of naturally occurring minerals such as sulfides. None of the 27 chemical elements could pass the test for either normal or lognormal distribution on the declustered data set. Part of the reasons relate to the presence of mixtures of subpopulations and outliers. Random samples of the data set with successively
Validation Of Intermediate Large Sample Analysis (With Sizes Up to 100 G) and Associated Facility Improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bode, P.; Koster-Ammerlaan, M.J.J.

2018-01-01

Pragmatic rather than physical correction factors for neutron and gamma-ray shielding were studied for samples of intermediate size, i.e. up to the 10-100 gram range. It was found that for most biological and geological materials, the neutron self-shielding is less than 5 % and the gamma-ray self-attenuation can easily be estimated. A trueness control material of 1 kg size was made based on use of left-overs of materials, used in laboratory intercomparisons. A design study for a large sample pool-side facility, handling plate-type volumes, had to be stopped because of a reduction in human resources, available for this CRP. The large sample NAA facilities were made available to guest scientists from Greece and Brazil. The laboratory for neutron activation analysis participated in the world’s first laboratory intercomparison utilizing large samples. (author)
Evaluation of environmental sampling methods for detection of Salmonella enterica in a large animal veterinary hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Goeman, Valerie R; Tinkler, Stacy H; Hammac, G Kenitra; Ruple, Audrey

2018-04-01

Environmental surveillance for Salmonella enterica can be used for early detection of contamination; thus routine sampling is an integral component of infection control programs in hospital environments. At the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (PUVTH), the technique regularly employed in the large animal hospital for sample collection uses sterile gauze sponges for environmental sampling, which has proven labor-intensive and time-consuming. Alternative sampling methods use Swiffer brand electrostatic wipes for environmental sample collection, which are reportedly effective and efficient. It was hypothesized that use of Swiffer wipes for sample collection would be more efficient and less costly than the use of gauze sponges. A head-to-head comparison between the 2 sampling methods was conducted in the PUVTH large animal hospital and relative agreement, cost-effectiveness, and sampling efficiency were compared. There was fair agreement in culture results between the 2 sampling methods, but Swiffer wipes required less time and less physical effort to collect samples and were more cost-effective.
Psychological Predictors of Seeking Help from Mental Health Practitioners among a Large Sample of Polish Young Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lidia Perenc

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Although the corresponding literature contains a substantial number of studies on the relationship between psychological factors and attitude towards seeking professional psychological help, the role of some determinants remains unexplored, especially among Polish young adults. The present study investigated diversity among a large cohort of Polish university students related to attitudes towards help-seeking and the regulative roles of gender, level of university education, health locus of control and sense of coherence. The total sample comprised 1706 participants who completed the following measures: Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-SF, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and Orientation to Life Questionnaire (SOC-29. They were recruited from various university faculties and courses by means of random selection. The findings revealed that, among socio-demographic variables, female gender moderately and graduate of university study strongly predict attitude towards seeking help. Internal locus of control and all domains of sense of coherence are significantly correlated with the scores related to the help-seeking attitude. Attitudes toward psychological help-seeking are significantly related to female gender, graduate university education, internal health locus of control and sense of coherence. Further research must be performed in Poland in order to validate these results in different age and social groups.
CHRONICITY OF DEPRESSION AND MOLECULAR MARKERS IN A LARGE SAMPLE OF HAN CHINESE WOMEN.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Alexis C; Aggen, Steven H; Cai, Na; Bigdeli, Tim B; Peterson, Roseann E; Docherty, Anna R; Webb, Bradley T; Bacanu, Silviu-Alin; Flint, Jonathan; Kendler, Kenneth S

2016-04-25

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with changes in mean telomere length and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number. This study investigates if clinical features of MDD differentially impact these molecular markers. Data from a large, clinically ascertained sample of Han Chinese women with recurrent MDD were used to examine whether symptom presentation, severity, and comorbidity were related to salivary telomere length and/or mtDNA copy number (maximum N = 5,284 for both molecular and phenotypic data). Structural equation modeling revealed that duration of longest episode was positively associated with mtDNA copy number, while earlier age of onset of most severe episode and a history of dysthymia were associated with shorter telomeres. Other factors, such as symptom presentation, family history of depression, and other comorbid internalizing disorders, were not associated with these molecular markers. Chronicity of depressive symptoms is related to more pronounced telomere shortening and increased mtDNA copy number among individuals with a history of recurrent MDD. As these molecular markers have previously been implicated in physiological aging and morbidity, individuals who experience prolonged depressive symptoms are potentially at greater risk of adverse medical outcomes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
EFFECT OF ADDING THE INTERNAL STANDARD TO BLOOD SAMPLES, PRIOR TO THE PREPARATION OF BLOOD SPOTS FOR ACYLCARNITINE ANALYSIS

OpenAIRE

Osorio, José Henry; Pourfarzam, Morteza

2010-01-01

Background: some general factors can influence when determining acylcarnitines through tandem mass spectrometry. Objective: to study the effect of adding the internal standard to blood samples before the preparation of filter paper cards compared with the addition of internal standard after having the filter paper cards prepared for determining acylcarnitines in blood for tandem mass spectrometry. Methodology: two groups of blood samples were prepared: group one without adding internal standa...
International Large Detector. Letter of intent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stoeck, Holger [Sydney Univ., NSW (Australia). Falkiner High Energy Physics Group; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko [Oesterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna (AT). Inst. fuer Hochenergiephysik] (and others)

2010-07-01

In the summer of 2007, the GLD concept study group, whose membership was largely based in Asia, and the LDC concept study group, which was mostly based in Europe with a strong north american membership, joined forces to produce a single Letter of Intent for a detector at the International Linear Collider, and formed the ILD concept group. Both the GLD and LDC concepts used the particle flow algorithm for jet reconstruction and a TPC for the central tracker. The basic parameters of the two concepts such as the size of the detector and the strength of the solenoid field, however, were quite different and had to be unified in order to write this letter of intent for ILD. Also, other critical details such as the interaction region design had to be unified. This was a non-trivial task, neither politically nor sociologically. The newly-formed concept study group, the ILD group, created a management team and engaged in intense studies to define the ILD detector concept by scientifically optimising the detector designs. The process has worked remarkably well, and we present here the outcome of this study as well as the large amount of studies that preceded separately by the two older concept groups. The ILD detector concept is now well defined, even though some technology choices are still open. One of the merits of unifying the detector concepts was that it revitalised the studies on physics performance and detector designs. We believe that the level of sophistication of the simulation and physics analyses has reached a high degree of sophistication for a detector group at this stage. This was achieved through collaboration and competition, and is the result of a productive learning process. The unification had also positive effects on the subdetector R and D efforts. Most R and D on detector technologies relevant to the GLD and LDC groups is being performed within the framework of detector R and D collaborations such as LCTPC, SiLC, CALICE, and FCAL which pursue their

International Large Detector. Letter of intent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoeck, Holger; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko

2010-01-01

In the summer of 2007, the GLD concept study group, whose membership was largely based in Asia, and the LDC concept study group, which was mostly based in Europe with a strong north american membership, joined forces to produce a single Letter of Intent for a detector at the International Linear Collider, and formed the ILD concept group. Both the GLD and LDC concepts used the particle flow algorithm for jet reconstruction and a TPC for the central tracker. The basic parameters of the two concepts such as the size of the detector and the strength of the solenoid field, however, were quite different and had to be unified in order to write this letter of intent for ILD. Also, other critical details such as the interaction region design had to be unified. This was a non-trivial task, neither politically nor sociologically. The newly-formed concept study group, the ILD group, created a management team and engaged in intense studies to define the ILD detector concept by scientifically optimising the detector designs. The process has worked remarkably well, and we present here the outcome of this study as well as the large amount of studies that preceded separately by the two older concept groups. The ILD detector concept is now well defined, even though some technology choices are still open. One of the merits of unifying the detector concepts was that it revitalised the studies on physics performance and detector designs. We believe that the level of sophistication of the simulation and physics analyses has reached a high degree of sophistication for a detector group at this stage. This was achieved through collaboration and competition, and is the result of a productive learning process. The unification had also positive effects on the subdetector R and D efforts. Most R and D on detector technologies relevant to the GLD and LDC groups is being performed within the framework of detector R and D collaborations such as LCTPC, SiLC, CALICE, and FCAL which pursue their
Thermal neutron self-shielding correction factors for large sample instrumental neutron activation analysis using the MCNP code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tzika, F.; Stamatelatos, I.E.

2004-01-01

Thermal neutron self-shielding within large samples was studied using the Monte Carlo neutron transport code MCNP. The code enabled a three-dimensional modeling of the actual source and geometry configuration including reactor core, graphite pile and sample. Neutron flux self-shielding correction factors derived for a set of materials of interest for large sample neutron activation analysis are presented and evaluated. Simulations were experimentally verified by measurements performed using activation foils. The results of this study can be applied in order to determine neutron self-shielding factors of unknown samples from the thermal neutron fluxes measured at the surface of the sample
Radioimmunoassay of h-TSH - methodological suggestions for dealing with medium to large numbers of samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahlstedt, J.

1977-01-01

The article deals with practical aspects of establishing a TSH-RIA for patients, with particular regard to predetermined quality criteria. Methodological suggestions are made for medium to large numbers of samples with the target of reducing monotonous precision working steps by means of simple aids. The quality criteria required are well met, while the test procedure is well adapted to the rhythm of work and may be carried out without loss of precision even with large numbers of samples. (orig.) [de
A Draft Science Management Plan for Returned Samples from Mars: Recommendations from the International Mars Architecture for the Return of Samples (iMARS) Phase II Working Group

Science.gov (United States)

Haltigin, T.; Lange, C.; Mugnuolo, R.; Smith, C.

2018-04-01

This paper summarizes the findings and recommendations of the International Mars Architecture for the Return of Samples (iMARS) Phase II Working Group, an international team comprising 38 members from 16 countries and agencies.
Response of ENSO amplitude to global warming in CESM large ensemble: uncertainty due to internal variability

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Xiao-Tong; Hui, Chang; Yeh, Sang-Wook

2018-06-01

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of variability in the coupled ocean-atmospheric system. Future projections of ENSO change under global warming are highly uncertain among models. In this study, the effect of internal variability on ENSO amplitude change in future climate projections is investigated based on a 40-member ensemble from the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble (CESM-LE) project. A large uncertainty is identified among ensemble members due to internal variability. The inter-member diversity is associated with a zonal dipole pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) change in the mean along the equator, which is similar to the second empirical orthogonal function (EOF) mode of tropical Pacific decadal variability (TPDV) in the unforced control simulation. The uncertainty in CESM-LE is comparable in magnitude to that among models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5), suggesting the contribution of internal variability to the intermodel uncertainty in ENSO amplitude change. However, the causations between changes in ENSO amplitude and the mean state are distinct between CESM-LE and CMIP5 ensemble. The CESM-LE results indicate that a large ensemble of 15 members is needed to separate the relative contributions to ENSO amplitude change over the twenty-first century between forced response and internal variability.
Elemental mapping of large samples by external ion beam analysis with sub-millimeter resolution and its applications

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, T. F.; Rodrigues, C. L.; Added, N.; Rizzutto, M. A.; Tabacniks, M. H.; Mangiarotti, A.; Curado, J. F.; Aguirre, F. R.; Aguero, N. F.; Allegro, P. R. P.; Campos, P. H. O. V.; Restrepo, J. M.; Trindade, G. F.; Antonio, M. R.; Assis, R. F.; Leite, A. R.

2018-05-01

The elemental mapping of large areas using ion beam techniques is a desired capability for several scientific communities, involved on topics ranging from geoscience to cultural heritage. Usually, the constraints for large-area mapping are not met in setups employing micro- and nano-probes implemented all over the world. A novel setup for mapping large sized samples in an external beam was recently built at the University of São Paulo employing a broad MeV-proton probe with sub-millimeter dimension, coupled to a high-precision large range XYZ robotic stage (60 cm range in all axis and precision of 5 μ m ensured by optical sensors). An important issue on large area mapping is how to deal with the irregularities of the sample's surface, that may introduce artifacts in the images due to the variation of the measuring conditions. In our setup, we implemented an automatic system based on machine vision to correct the position of the sample to compensate for its surface irregularities. As an additional benefit, a 3D digital reconstruction of the scanned surface can also be obtained. Using this new and unique setup, we have produced large-area elemental maps of ceramics, stones, fossils, and other sort of samples.
Software engineering the mixed model for genome-wide association studies on large samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiwu; Buckler, Edward S; Casstevens, Terry M; Bradbury, Peter J

2009-11-01

Mixed models improve the ability to detect phenotype-genotype associations in the presence of population stratification and multiple levels of relatedness in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), but for large data sets the resource consumption becomes impractical. At the same time, the sample size and number of markers used for GWAS is increasing dramatically, resulting in greater statistical power to detect those associations. The use of mixed models with increasingly large data sets depends on the availability of software for analyzing those models. While multiple software packages implement the mixed model method, no single package provides the best combination of fast computation, ability to handle large samples, flexible modeling and ease of use. Key elements of association analysis with mixed models are reviewed, including modeling phenotype-genotype associations using mixed models, population stratification, kinship and its estimation, variance component estimation, use of best linear unbiased predictors or residuals in place of raw phenotype, improving efficiency and software-user interaction. The available software packages are evaluated, and suggestions made for future software development.
Rapid separation method for {sup 237}Np and Pu isotopes in large soil samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, Sherrod L., E-mail: sherrod.maxwell@srs.go [Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC, Building 735-B, Aiken, SC 29808 (United States); Culligan, Brian K.; Noyes, Gary W. [Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC, Building 735-B, Aiken, SC 29808 (United States)

2011-07-15

A new rapid method for the determination of {sup 237}Np and Pu isotopes in soil and sediment samples has been developed at the Savannah River Site Environmental Lab (Aiken, SC, USA) that can be used for large soil samples. The new soil method utilizes an acid leaching method, iron/titanium hydroxide precipitation, a lanthanum fluoride soil matrix removal step, and a rapid column separation process with TEVA Resin. The large soil matrix is removed easily and rapidly using these two simple precipitations with high chemical recoveries and effective removal of interferences. Vacuum box technology and rapid flow rates are used to reduce analytical time.
Validation of the MOS Social Support Survey 6-item (MOS-SSS-6) measure with two large population-based samples of Australian women.

Science.gov (United States)

Holden, Libby; Lee, Christina; Hockey, Richard; Ware, Robert S; Dobson, Annette J

2014-12-01

This study aimed to validate a 6-item 1-factor global measure of social support developed from the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) for use in large epidemiological studies. Data were obtained from two large population-based samples of participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The two cohorts were aged 53-58 and 28-33 years at data collection (N = 10,616 and 8,977, respectively). Items selected for the 6-item 1-factor measure were derived from the factor structure obtained from unpublished work using an earlier wave of data from one of these cohorts. Descriptive statistics, including polychoric correlations, were used to describe the abbreviated scale. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis to assess scale validity. Concurrent validity was assessed using correlations between the new 6-item version and established 19-item version, and other concurrent variables. In both cohorts, the new 6-item 1-factor measure showed strong internal consistency and scale reliability. It had excellent goodness-of-fit indices, similar to those of the established 19-item measure. Both versions correlated similarly with concurrent measures. The 6-item 1-factor MOS-SSS measures global functional social support with fewer items than the established 19-item measure.
Matrix Sampling of Items in Large-Scale Assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth A. Childs

2003-07-01

Full Text Available Matrix sampling of items -' that is, division of a set of items into different versions of a test form..-' is used by several large-scale testing programs. Like other test designs, matrixed designs have..both advantages and disadvantages. For example, testing time per student is less than if each..student received all the items, but the comparability of student scores may decrease. Also,..curriculum coverage is maintained, but reporting of scores becomes more complex. In this paper,..matrixed designs are compared with more traditional designs in nine categories of costs:..development costs, materials costs, administration costs, educational costs, scoring costs,..reliability costs, comparability costs, validity costs, and reporting costs. In choosing among test..designs, a testing program should examine the costs in light of its mandate(s, the content of the..tests, and the financial resources available, among other considerations.
International Large-Scale Assessment Studies and Educational Policy-Making in Chile: Contexts and Dimensions of Influence

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Cristián; Meckes, Lorena

2016-01-01

Since the 1990s, Chile has participated in all major international large-scale assessment studies (ILSAs) of the IEA and OECD, as well as the regional ones conducted by UNESCO in Latin America, after it had been involved in the very first international Science Study in 1970-1971. This article examines the various ways in which these studies have…
Random sampling of elementary flux modes in large-scale metabolic networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, Daniel; Soons, Zita; Patil, Kiran Raosaheb; Ferreira, Eugénio C; Rocha, Isabel

2012-09-15

The description of a metabolic network in terms of elementary (flux) modes (EMs) provides an important framework for metabolic pathway analysis. However, their application to large networks has been hampered by the combinatorial explosion in the number of modes. In this work, we develop a method for generating random samples of EMs without computing the whole set. Our algorithm is an adaptation of the canonical basis approach, where we add an additional filtering step which, at each iteration, selects a random subset of the new combinations of modes. In order to obtain an unbiased sample, all candidates are assigned the same probability of getting selected. This approach avoids the exponential growth of the number of modes during computation, thus generating a random sample of the complete set of EMs within reasonable time. We generated samples of different sizes for a metabolic network of Escherichia coli, and observed that they preserve several properties of the full EM set. It is also shown that EM sampling can be used for rational strain design. A well distributed sample, that is representative of the complete set of EMs, should be suitable to most EM-based methods for analysis and optimization of metabolic networks. Source code for a cross-platform implementation in Python is freely available at http://code.google.com/p/emsampler. dmachado@deb.uminho.pt Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
General guidelines for safe and expeditious international transport of samples subjected to biological dosimetry assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Giorgio, Marina; Radl, Analía; Taja, María R; Bubniak, Ruth; Deminge, Mayra; Sapienza, Carla; Vázquez, Marina; Baciu, Florian; Kenny, Pat

2014-06-01

It has been observed that victims of accidental overexposures show better chance of survival if they receive medical treatment early. The increased risk of scenarios involving mass casualties has stimulated the scientific community to develop tools that would help the medical doctors to treat victims. The biological dosimetry has become a routine test to estimate the dose, supplementing physical and clinical dosimetry. In case of radiation emergencies, in order to provide timely and effectively biological dosimetry assistance it is essential to guarantee an adequate transport of blood samples in principal, for providing support to countries that do not have biodosimetry laboratories. The objective of the present paper is to provide general guidelines, summarised in 10 points, for timely and proper receiving and sending of blood samples under National and International regulations, for safe and expeditious international transport. These guidelines cover the classification, packaging, marking, labelling, refrigeration and documentation requirements for the international shipping of blood samples and pellets, to provide assistance missions with a tool that would contribute with the preparedness for an effective biodosimetric response in cases of radiological or nuclear emergencies. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Study of SUSY particles properties at the future International Linear Collider with the International Large Detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wichmann, K.

2009-01-01

Recently, Letters of Intent (LoI) for experiments at the International Linear Collider (ILC) have been submitted. Among the three proposals is the International Large Detector (ILD) concept which is at the focus of these studies. From various subjects addressed in the LoI, a wide spectrum of studies of SUSY particle properties is presented here. Most of them are benchmark reactions for the ILC and can be used both in physics studies and in work on detector design and optimization, respectively. All studies were performed with a full detector simulation using GEANT4, which is a great improvement compared to the previous results with much less detailed, so called f ast , simulation (SIMDET). The importance of this improved simulation is reflected in the results. The presented analyzes have been chosen to be the most challenging for the detector to study its performance and guide the detector development. Additionally an important problem of unavoidable beam induced backgrounds at linear colliders is addressed and ways of reducing its impact on physics studies are shown for an example SUSY analysis. (author)
Study of a large rapid ashing apparatus and a rapid dry ashing method for biological samples and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Meisun; Wang Benli; Liu Wencang

1988-04-01

A large rapid-dry-ashing apparatus and a rapid ashing method for biological samples are described. The apparatus consists of specially made ashing furnace, gas supply system and temperature-programming control cabinet. The following adventages have been showed by ashing experiment with the above apparatus: (1) high speed of ashing and saving of electric energy; (2) The apparatus can ash a large amount of samples at a time; (3) The ashed sample is pure white (or spotless), loose and easily soluble with few content of residual char; (4) The fresh sample can also be ashed directly. The apparatus is suitable for ashing a large amount of the environmental samples containing low level radioactivity trace elements and the medical, food and agricultural research samples
A fast learning method for large scale and multi-class samples of SVM

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yu; Guo, Huiming

2017-06-01

A multi-class classification SVM(Support Vector Machine) fast learning method based on binary tree is presented to solve its low learning efficiency when SVM processing large scale multi-class samples. This paper adopts bottom-up method to set up binary tree hierarchy structure, according to achieved hierarchy structure, sub-classifier learns from corresponding samples of each node. During the learning, several class clusters are generated after the first clustering of the training samples. Firstly, central points are extracted from those class clusters which just have one type of samples. For those which have two types of samples, cluster numbers of their positive and negative samples are set respectively according to their mixture degree, secondary clustering undertaken afterwards, after which, central points are extracted from achieved sub-class clusters. By learning from the reduced samples formed by the integration of extracted central points above, sub-classifiers are obtained. Simulation experiment shows that, this fast learning method, which is based on multi-level clustering, can guarantee higher classification accuracy, greatly reduce sample numbers and effectively improve learning efficiency.
An internal pilot design for prospective cancer screening trials with unknown disease prevalence.

Science.gov (United States)

Brinton, John T; Ringham, Brandy M; Glueck, Deborah H

2015-10-13

For studies that compare the diagnostic accuracy of two screening tests, the sample size depends on the prevalence of disease in the study population, and on the variance of the outcome. Both parameters may be unknown during the design stage, which makes finding an accurate sample size difficult. To solve this problem, we propose adapting an internal pilot design. In this adapted design, researchers will accrue some percentage of the planned sample size, then estimate both the disease prevalence and the variances of the screening tests. The updated estimates of the disease prevalence and variance are used to conduct a more accurate power and sample size calculation. We demonstrate that in large samples, the adapted internal pilot design produces no Type I inflation. For small samples (N less than 50), we introduce a novel adjustment of the critical value to control the Type I error rate. We apply the method to two proposed prospective cancer screening studies: 1) a small oral cancer screening study in individuals with Fanconi anemia and 2) a large oral cancer screening trial. Conducting an internal pilot study without adjusting the critical value can cause Type I error rate inflation in small samples, but not in large samples. An internal pilot approach usually achieves goal power and, for most studies with sample size greater than 50, requires no Type I error correction. Further, we have provided a flexible and accurate approach to bound Type I error below a goal level for studies with small sample size.
Development of digital gamma-activation autoradiography for analysis of samples of large area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolotov, V.P.; Grozdov, D.S.; Dogadkin, N.N.; Korobkov, V.I.

2011-01-01

Gamma-activation autoradiography is a prospective method for screening detection of inclusions of precious metals in geochemical samples. Its characteristics allow analysis of thin sections of large size (tens of cm2), that favourably distinguishes it among the other methods for local analysis. At the same time, the activating field of the accelerator bremsstrahlung, displays a sharp intensity decrease relative to the distance along the axis. A method for activation dose ''equalization'' during irradiation of the large size thin sections has been developed. The method is based on the usage of a hardware-software system. This includes a device for moving the sample during the irradiation, a program for computer modelling of the acquired activating dose for the chosen kinematics of the sample movement and a program for pixel-by pixel correction of the autoradiographic images. For detection of inclusions of precious metals, a method for analysis of the acquired dose dynamics during sample decay has been developed. The method is based on the software processing pixel by pixel a time-series of coaxial autoradiographic images and generation of the secondary meta-images allowing interpretation regarding the presence of interesting inclusions based on half-lives. The method is tested for analysis of copper-nickel polymetallic ores. The developed solutions considerably expand the possible applications of digital gamma-activation autoradiography. (orig.)
Development of digital gamma-activation autoradiography for analysis of samples of large area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolotov, V.P.; Grozdov, D.S.; Dogadkin, N.N.; Korobkov, V.I. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). Vernadsky Inst. of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry

2011-07-01

Gamma-activation autoradiography is a prospective method for screening detection of inclusions of precious metals in geochemical samples. Its characteristics allow analysis of thin sections of large size (tens of cm2), that favourably distinguishes it among the other methods for local analysis. At the same time, the activating field of the accelerator bremsstrahlung, displays a sharp intensity decrease relative to the distance along the axis. A method for activation dose ''equalization'' during irradiation of the large size thin sections has been developed. The method is based on the usage of a hardware-software system. This includes a device for moving the sample during the irradiation, a program for computer modelling of the acquired activating dose for the chosen kinematics of the sample movement and a program for pixel-by pixel correction of the autoradiographic images. For detection of inclusions of precious metals, a method for analysis of the acquired dose dynamics during sample decay has been developed. The method is based on the software processing pixel by pixel a time-series of coaxial autoradiographic images and generation of the secondary meta-images allowing interpretation regarding the presence of interesting inclusions based on half-lives. The method is tested for analysis of copper-nickel polymetallic ores. The developed solutions considerably expand the possible applications of digital gamma-activation autoradiography. (orig.)
Cross-cultural validation of the "International affective picture system" (IAPS on a sample from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Drače Saša

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this study the normative ratings of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS, Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention [CSEA], 1995 were compared with the ratings from a Bosnian sample. Seventy-two psychology undergraduates from the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina rated valence, dominance and arousal for a stratified sample of 60 pictures that was selected from the IAPS. Reliability coefficients indicate that the self-report ratings are internally consistent. The affective ratings from our sample correlated strongly with the North American ratings at: .95, .81 and .91, respectively for valence, arousal and dominance. Consistent with expectations, mean valence and dominance ratings did not differ significantly between the Bosnian and North American sample. Furthermore, plotting of the Bosnian valence and arousal ratings results in a similar boomerang shaped distribution as the North American affective ratings. Taken together, findings obtained from the Bosnian sample confirm the cross-cultural validity of the IAPS.

Sample-path large deviations in credit risk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leijdekker, V.J.G.; Mandjes, M.R.H.; Spreij, P.J.C.

2011-01-01

The event of large losses plays an important role in credit risk. As these large losses are typically rare, and portfolios usually consist of a large number of positions, large deviation theory is the natural tool to analyze the tail asymptotics of the probabilities involved. We first derive a
Relationship of fish indices with sampling effort and land use change in a large Mediterranean river.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, David; Alcaraz-Hernández, Juan Diego; Merciai, Roberto; Benejam, Lluís; García-Berthou, Emili

2017-12-15

Fish are invaluable ecological indicators in freshwater ecosystems but have been less used for ecological assessments in large Mediterranean rivers. We evaluated the effects of sampling effort (transect length) on fish metrics, such as species richness and two fish indices (the new European Fish Index EFI+ and a regional index, IBICAT2b), in the mainstem of a large Mediterranean river. For this purpose, we sampled by boat electrofishing five sites each with 10 consecutive transects corresponding to a total length of 20 times the river width (European standard required by the Water Framework Directive) and we also analysed the effect of sampling area on previous surveys. Species accumulation curves and richness extrapolation estimates in general suggested that species richness was reasonably estimated with transect lengths of 10 times the river width or less. The EFI+ index was significantly affected by sampling area, both for our samplings and previous data. Surprisingly, EFI+ values in general decreased with increasing sampling area, despite the higher observed richness, likely because the expected values of metrics were higher. By contrast, the regional fish index was not dependent on sampling area, likely because it does not use a predictive model. Both fish indices, but particularly the EFI+, decreased with less forest cover percentage, even within the smaller disturbance gradient in the river type studied (mainstem of a large Mediterranean river, where environmental pressures are more general). Although the two fish-based indices are very different in terms of their development, methodology, and metrics used, they were significantly correlated and provided a similar assessment of ecological status. Our results reinforce the importance of standardization of sampling methods for bioassessment and suggest that predictive models that use sampling area as a predictor might be more affected by differences in sampling effort than simpler biotic indices. Copyright �
Standard Errors for National Trends in International Large-Scale Assessments in the Case of Cross-National Differential Item Functioning

Science.gov (United States)

Sachse, Karoline A.; Haag, Nicole

2017-01-01

Standard errors computed according to the operational practices of international large-scale assessment studies such as the Programme for International Student Assessment's (PISA) or the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) may be biased when cross-national differential item functioning (DIF) and item parameter drift are…
Personal Digital Assistant-Based Self-Work Sampling Study of Pediatric Interns Quantifies Workday and Educational Value.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Joyce K; Ortiz, Michael V; Ottolini, Mary C; Birch, Sarah; Agrawal, Dewesh

2017-04-01

Optimizing clinical proficiency and education of residents has become more important with restricted residency duty hours. Our objective was to investigate how interns spend their time on inpatient rotations and the perceived educational value of workday activities. We performed a descriptive self-work sampling study using a personal digital assistant (PDA) to randomly query interns on inpatient rotations in real time regarding their activity and the perceived educational value of that activity on a 4-point Likert scale. A total of 31 interns participated on 88 workdays over a 5-month period, generating 2082 samples from which the average workday was modeled. Time spent using the electronic health record (EHR) accounted for 33% of intern time, communicating with the health care team 23%, educational activities 17%, and time with patients and families 12%. Time with patients and families was perceived to be the most educational part of clinical service. Time spent using the EHR was perceived as the least educational. Interns perceived clinical service as excellent or good 37% of the time, while planned educational activities were perceived as excellent or good 81% of the time. Interns spend the majority of their time using the EHR and communicating with the health care team. Interns perceive time spent in planned educational activities has more educational value than time spent in clinical service. The distribution of daily activities is discordant with the perceived educational value of those activities. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Feasibility studies on large sample neutron activation analysis using a low power research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyampo, O.

2008-06-01

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) using Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) can be directly applied to samples with masses in grams. Samples weights were in the range of 0.5g to 5g. Therefore, the representativity of the sample is improved as well as sensitivity. Irradiation of samples was done using a low power research reactor. The correction for the neutron self-shielding within the sample is determined from measurement of the neutron flux depression just outside the sample. Correction for gamma ray self-attenuation in the sample was performed via linear attenuation coefficients derived from transmission measurements. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of data were done using gamma ray spectrometry (HPGe detector). The results of this study on the possibilities of large sample NAA using a miniature neutron source reactor (MNSR) show clearly that the Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1) at the National Nuclear Research Institute (NNRI) can be used for sample analyses up to 5 grams (5g) using the pneumatic transfer systems.
Sampling Indoor Aerosols on the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Marit E.

2016-01-01

In a spacecraft cabin environment, the size range of indoor aerosols is much larger and they persist longer than on Earth because they are not removed by gravitational settling. A previous aerosol experiment in 1991 documented that over 90 of the mass concentration of particles in the NASA Space Shuttle air were between 10 m and 100 m based on measurements with a multi-stage virtual impactor and a nephelometer (Liu et al. 1991). While the now-retired Space Shuttle had short duration missions (less than two weeks), the International Space Station (ISS) has been continually inhabited by astronauts for over a decade. High concentrations of inhalable particles on ISS are potentially responsible for crew complaints of respiratory and eye irritation and comments about 'dusty' air. Air filtration is the current control strategy for airborne particles on the ISS, and filtration modeling, performed for engineering and design validation of the air revitalization system in ISS, predicted that PM requirements would be met. However, aerosol monitoring has never been performed on the ISS to verify PM levels. A flight experiment is in preparation which will provide data on particulate matter in ISS ambient air. Particles will be collected with a thermophoretic sampler as well as with passive samplers which will extend the particle size range of sampling. Samples will be returned to Earth for chemical and microscopic analyses, providing the first aerosol data for ISS ambient air.
Software engineering the mixed model for genome-wide association studies on large samples

Science.gov (United States)

Mixed models improve the ability to detect phenotype-genotype associations in the presence of population stratification and multiple levels of relatedness in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), but for large data sets the resource consumption becomes impractical. At the same time, the sample siz...
Evaluation of the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids in a veteran sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Sherri L; Noe, Colleen M; Alexander, Genevieve C

2009-06-01

The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) was developed as a global hearing aid outcome measure targeting seven outcome domains. The published norms were based on a private-pay sample who were fitted with analog hearing aids. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the IOI-HA and to establish normative data in a veteran sample. Survey. The participants were 131 male veterans (mean age of 74.3 years, SD = 7.4) who were issued hearing aids with digital signal processing (DSP). Hearing aids with DSP that were fitted bilaterally between 2005 and 2007. Veterans were mailed two copies of the IOI-HA. The participants were instructed to complete the first copy of the questionnaire immediately and the second copy in two weeks. The completed questionnaires were mailed to the laboratory. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were evaluated. As suggested by Cox and colleagues, the participants were divided into two categories based on their unaided subjective hearing difficulty. The two categories were (1) those with less hearing difficulty (none-to-moderate category) and (2) those who report more hearing difficulty (moderately severe+ category). The norms from the current veteran sample then were compared to the original, published sample. For each hearing difficulty category, the critical difference values were calculated for each item and for the total score. A factor analysis showed that the IOI-HA in the veteran sample had the identical subscale structure as reported in the original sample. For the total scale, the internal consistency was good (Chronbach's alpha = 0.83), and the test-retest reliability was high (lambda = 0.94). Group and individual norms were developed for both hearing difficulty categories in the veteran sample. For each IOI-HA item, the critical difference scores were one response unit between two test sessions reflects a true change in outcome for a given domain. The results of this study
Determination of 129I in large soil samples after alkaline wet disintegration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunzl, K.; Kracke, W.

1992-01-01

Large soil samples (up to 500 g) can conveniently be disintegrated by hydrogen peroxide in an utility tank under alkaline conditions to determine subsequently 129 I by neutron activation analysis. Interfering elements such as Br are removed already before neutron irradiation to reduce the radiation exposure of the personnel. The precision of the method is 129 I also by the combustion method. (orig.)
A direct observation method for auditing large urban centers using stratified sampling, mobile GIS technology and virtual environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lafontaine, Sean J V; Sawada, M; Kristjansson, Elizabeth

2017-02-16

With the expansion and growth of research on neighbourhood characteristics, there is an increased need for direct observational field audits. Herein, we introduce a novel direct observational audit method and systematic social observation instrument (SSOI) for efficiently assessing neighbourhood aesthetics over large urban areas. Our audit method uses spatial random sampling stratified by residential zoning and incorporates both mobile geographic information systems technology and virtual environments. The reliability of our method was tested in two ways: first, in 15 Ottawa neighbourhoods, we compared results at audited locations over two subsequent years, and second; we audited every residential block (167 blocks) in one neighbourhood and compared the distribution of SSOI aesthetics index scores with results from the randomly audited locations. Finally, we present interrater reliability and consistency results on all observed items. The observed neighbourhood average aesthetics index score estimated from four or five stratified random audit locations is sufficient to characterize the average neighbourhood aesthetics. The SSOI was internally consistent and demonstrated good to excellent interrater reliability. At the neighbourhood level, aesthetics is positively related to SES and physical activity and negatively correlated with BMI. The proposed approach to direct neighbourhood auditing performs sufficiently and has the advantage of financial and temporal efficiency when auditing a large city.
Determinants of salivary evening alpha-amylase in a large sample free of psychopathology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veen, Gerthe; Giltay, Erik J.; Vreeburg, Sophie A.; Licht, Carmilla M. M.; Cobbaert, Christa M.; Zitman, Frans G.; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.

Objective: Recently, salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has been proposed as a suitable index for sympathetic activity and dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Although determinants of sAA have been described, they have not been studied within the same study with a large sample size
Water pollution screening by large-volume injection of aqueous samples and application to GC/MS analysis of a river Elbe sample

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, S.; Efer, J.; Engewald, W. [Leipzig Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Analytische Chemie

1997-03-01

The large-volume sampling of aqueous samples in a programmed temperature vaporizer (PTV) injector was used successfully for the target and non-target analysis of real samples. In this still rarely applied method, e.g., 1 mL of the water sample to be analyzed is slowly injected direct into the PTV. The vaporized water is eliminated through the split vent. The analytes are concentrated onto an adsorbent inside the insert and subsequently thermally desorbed. The capability of the method is demonstrated using a sample from the river Elbe. By means of coupling this method with a mass selective detector in SIM mode (target analysis) the method allows the determination of pollutants in the concentration range up to 0.01 {mu}g/L. Furthermore, PTV enrichment is an effective and time-saving method for non-target analysis in SCAN mode. In a sample from the river Elbe over 20 compounds were identified. (orig.) With 3 figs., 2 tabs.
A hard-to-read font reduces the framing effect in a large sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Korn, Christoph W; Ries, Juliane; Schalk, Lennart; Oganian, Yulia; Saalbach, Henrik

2018-04-01

How can apparent decision biases, such as the framing effect, be reduced? Intriguing findings within recent years indicate that foreign language settings reduce framing effects, which has been explained in terms of deeper cognitive processing. Because hard-to-read fonts have been argued to trigger deeper cognitive processing, so-called cognitive disfluency, we tested whether hard-to-read fonts reduce framing effects. We found no reliable evidence for an effect of hard-to-read fonts on four framing scenarios in a laboratory (final N = 158) and an online study (N = 271). However, in a preregistered online study with a rather large sample (N = 732), a hard-to-read font reduced the framing effect in the classic "Asian disease" scenario (in a one-sided test). This suggests that hard-read-fonts can modulate decision biases-albeit with rather small effect sizes. Overall, our findings stress the importance of large samples for the reliability and replicability of modulations of decision biases.
A Pipeline for Large Data Processing Using Regular Sampling for Unstructured Grids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berres, Anne Sabine [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Adhinarayanan, Vignesh [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Turton, Terece [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Feng, Wu [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Rogers, David Honegger [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-05-12

Large simulation data requires a lot of time and computational resources to compute, store, analyze, visualize, and run user studies. Today, the largest cost of a supercomputer is not hardware but maintenance, in particular energy consumption. Our goal is to balance energy consumption and cognitive value of visualizations of resulting data. This requires us to go through the entire processing pipeline, from simulation to user studies. To reduce the amount of resources, data can be sampled or compressed. While this adds more computation time, the computational overhead is negligible compared to the simulation time. We built a processing pipeline at the example of regular sampling. The reasons for this choice are two-fold: using a simple example reduces unnecessary complexity as we know what to expect from the results. Furthermore, it provides a good baseline for future, more elaborate sampling methods. We measured time and energy for each test we did, and we conducted user studies in Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) for a range of different results we produced through sampling.
Association between genetic variation in a region on chromosome 11 and schizophrenia in large samples from Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rietschel, M; Mattheisen, M; Degenhardt, F

2012-01-01

the recruitment of very large samples of patients and controls (that is tens of thousands), or large, potentially more homogeneous samples that have been recruited from confined geographical areas using identical diagnostic criteria. Applying the latter strategy, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS...... between emotion regulation and cognition that is structurally and functionally abnormal in SCZ and bipolar disorder.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 12 July 2011; doi:10.1038/mp.2011.80....
Sampling a guide for internal auditors

CERN Document Server

Apostolou, Barbara

2004-01-01

While it is possible to examine 100 percent of an audit customer's data, the time and cost associated with such a study are often prohibitive. To obtain sufficient, reliable, and relevant information with a limited data set, sampling is an efficient and effective tool. It can help you evaluate the customer's assertions, as well as reach audit conclusions and provide reasonable assurance to your organization. This handbook will help you understand sampling. It also serves as a guide for auditors and students preparing for certification. Topics include: An overview of sampling. Statistical and nonstatistical sampling issues. Sampling selection methods and risks. The pros and cons of popular sampling plans.
A Simple Sampling Method for Estimating the Accuracy of Large Scale Record Linkage Projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, James H; Guiver, Tenniel; Randall, Sean M; Ferrante, Anna M; Semmens, James B; Anderson, Phil; Dickinson, Teresa

2016-05-17

Record linkage techniques allow different data collections to be brought together to provide a wider picture of the health status of individuals. Ensuring high linkage quality is important to guarantee the quality and integrity of research. Current methods for measuring linkage quality typically focus on precision (the proportion of incorrect links), given the difficulty of measuring the proportion of false negatives. The aim of this work is to introduce and evaluate a sampling based method to estimate both precision and recall following record linkage. In the sampling based method, record-pairs from each threshold (including those below the identified cut-off for acceptance) are sampled and clerically reviewed. These results are then applied to the entire set of record-pairs, providing estimates of false positives and false negatives. This method was evaluated on a synthetically generated dataset, where the true match status (which records belonged to the same person) was known. The sampled estimates of linkage quality were relatively close to actual linkage quality metrics calculated for the whole synthetic dataset. The precision and recall measures for seven reviewers were very consistent with little variation in the clerical assessment results (overall agreement using the Fleiss Kappa statistics was 0.601). This method presents as a possible means of accurately estimating matching quality and refining linkages in population level linkage studies. The sampling approach is especially important for large project linkages where the number of record pairs produced may be very large often running into millions.
Method validation to measure Strontium-90 in urine sample for internal dosimetry assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bitar, A.; Maghrabi, M.; Alhamwi, A.

2010-12-01

Occupational individuals exposed at some scientific centers in Syrian Arab Republic to potentially significant intake by ingestion or inhalation during process of producing radiopharmaceutical compounds. The received radioactive intake differs in relation to the amount of radionuclides released during the preparation processes, to the work conditions and to the applying ways of the radiation protection procedures. TLD (Thermoluminescence Dosimeter) is usually used for external radiation monitoring for workers in radioisotope centers. During the external monitoring programme, it was noticed that some workers were exposed to high external dose resultant from radiation accident in their laboratory when preparing Y-90 from Sr-90. For internal dose assessment, chemical method to measure the amount of Sr-90 in urine samples was validated and explained in details in this study. Urine bioassays were carried out and the activities of 90 Sr were determined using liquid scintillation counter. Then, the validated method was used for internal occupational monitoring purposes through the design of internal monitoring programme. The programme was established for four workers who are dealing, twice per month, with an amount of about 20 mCi in each time. At the beginning, theoretical study was done to assess maximum risks for workers. Calculated internal doses showed that it is necessary to apply internal routine monitoring programme for those workers. (author)
Advancing the Use of Passive Sampling in Risk Assessment and Management of Sediments Contaminated with Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals: Results of an International Ex Situ Passive Sampling Interlaboratory Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

This work presents the results of an international interlaboratory comparison on ex situ passive sampling in sediments. The main objectives were to map the state of the science in passively sampling sediments, identify sources of variability, provide recommendations and practica...
Generation of weakly nonlinear nonhydrostatic internal tides over large topography: a multi-modal approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Maugé

2008-03-01

Full Text Available A set of evolution equations is derived for the modal coefficients in a weakly nonlinear nonhydrostatic internal-tide generation problem. The equations allow for the presence of large-amplitude topography, e.g. a continental slope, which is formally assumed to have a length scale much larger than that of the internal tide. However, comparison with results from more sophisticated numerical models show that this restriction can in practice be relaxed. It is shown that a topographically induced coupling between modes occurs that is distinct from nonlinear coupling. Nonlinear effects include the generation of higher harmonics by reflection from boundaries, i.e. steeper tidal beams at frequencies that are multiples of the basic tidal frequency. With a seasonal thermocline included, the model is capable of reproducing the phenomenon of local generation of internal solitary waves by a tidal beam impinging on the seasonal thermocline.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Thought–Action Fusion Scale in a Large Clinical Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Joseph F.; Brown, Timothy A.

2015-01-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of the 19-item Thought–Action Fusion (TAF) Scale, a measure of maladaptive cognitive intrusions, in a large clinical sample (N = 700). An exploratory factor analysis (n = 300) yielded two interpretable factors: TAF Moral (TAF-M) and TAF Likelihood (TAF-L). A confirmatory bifactor analysis was conducted on the second portion of the sample (n = 400) to account for possible sources of item covariance using a general TAF factor (subsuming TAF-M) alongside the TAF-L domain-specific factor. The bifactor model provided an acceptable fit to the sample data. Results indicated that global TAF was more strongly associated with a measure of obsessive-compulsiveness than measures of general worry and depression, and the TAF-L dimension was more strongly related to obsessive-compulsiveness than depression. Overall, results support the bifactor structure of the TAF in a clinical sample and its close relationship to its neighboring obsessive-compulsiveness construct. PMID:22315482
Psychometric evaluation of the thought-action fusion scale in a large clinical sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Joseph F; Brown, Timothy A

2013-12-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of the 19-item Thought-Action Fusion (TAF) Scale, a measure of maladaptive cognitive intrusions, in a large clinical sample (N = 700). An exploratory factor analysis (n = 300) yielded two interpretable factors: TAF Moral (TAF-M) and TAF Likelihood (TAF-L). A confirmatory bifactor analysis was conducted on the second portion of the sample (n = 400) to account for possible sources of item covariance using a general TAF factor (subsuming TAF-M) alongside the TAF-L domain-specific factor. The bifactor model provided an acceptable fit to the sample data. Results indicated that global TAF was more strongly associated with a measure of obsessive-compulsiveness than measures of general worry and depression, and the TAF-L dimension was more strongly related to obsessive-compulsiveness than depression. Overall, results support the bifactor structure of the TAF in a clinical sample and its close relationship to its neighboring obsessive-compulsiveness construct.
Sample Selectivity and the Validity of International Student Achievement Tests in Economic Research. NBER Working Paper No. 15867

Science.gov (United States)

Hanushek, Eric A.; Woessmann, Ludger

2010-01-01

Critics of international student comparisons argue that results may be influenced by differences in the extent to which countries adequately sample their entire student populations. In this research note, we show that larger exclusion and non-response rates are related to better country average scores on international tests, as are larger…
Molecular dynamics based enhanced sampling of collective variables with very large time steps

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Pei-Yang; Tuckerman, Mark E.

2018-01-01

Enhanced sampling techniques that target a set of collective variables and that use molecular dynamics as the driving engine have seen widespread application in the computational molecular sciences as a means to explore the free-energy landscapes of complex systems. The use of molecular dynamics as the fundamental driver of the sampling requires the introduction of a time step whose magnitude is limited by the fastest motions in a system. While standard multiple time-stepping methods allow larger time steps to be employed for the slower and computationally more expensive forces, the maximum achievable increase in time step is limited by resonance phenomena, which inextricably couple fast and slow motions. Recently, we introduced deterministic and stochastic resonance-free multiple time step algorithms for molecular dynamics that solve this resonance problem and allow ten- to twenty-fold gains in the large time step compared to standard multiple time step algorithms [P. Minary et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 150201 (2004); B. Leimkuhler et al., Mol. Phys. 111, 3579-3594 (2013)]. These methods are based on the imposition of isokinetic constraints that couple the physical system to Nosé-Hoover chains or Nosé-Hoover Langevin schemes. In this paper, we show how to adapt these methods for collective variable-based enhanced sampling techniques, specifically adiabatic free-energy dynamics/temperature-accelerated molecular dynamics, unified free-energy dynamics, and by extension, metadynamics, thus allowing simulations employing these methods to employ similarly very large time steps. The combination of resonance-free multiple time step integrators with free-energy-based enhanced sampling significantly improves the efficiency of conformational exploration.
Investigating sex differences in psychological predictors of snack intake among a large representative sample

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adriaanse, M.A.; Evers, C.; Verhoeven, A.A.C.; de Ridder, D.T.D.

It is often assumed that there are substantial sex differences in eating behaviour (e.g. women are more likely to be dieters or emotional eaters than men). The present study investigates this assumption in a large representative community sample while incorporating a comprehensive set of
Large-volume constant-concentration sampling technique coupling with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for rapid on-site gas analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhuomin; Zhan, Yisen; Huang, Yichun; Li, Gongke

2017-08-05

In this work, a portable large-volume constant-concentration (LVCC) sampling technique coupling with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was developed for the rapid on-site gas analysis based on suitable derivatization methods. LVCC sampling technique mainly consisted of a specially designed sampling cell including the rigid sample container and flexible sampling bag, and an absorption-derivatization module with a portable pump and a gas flowmeter. LVCC sampling technique allowed large, alterable and well-controlled sampling volume, which kept the concentration of gas target in headspace phase constant during the entire sampling process and made the sampling result more representative. Moreover, absorption and derivatization of gas target during LVCC sampling process were efficiently merged in one step using bromine-thiourea and OPA-NH 4 + strategy for ethylene and SO 2 respectively, which made LVCC sampling technique conveniently adapted to consequent SERS analysis. Finally, a new LVCC sampling-SERS method was developed and successfully applied for rapid analysis of trace ethylene and SO 2 from fruits. It was satisfied that trace ethylene and SO 2 from real fruit samples could be actually and accurately quantified by this method. The minor concentration fluctuations of ethylene and SO 2 during the entire LVCC sampling process were proved to be gas targets from real samples by SERS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Sample preparation and analysis of large 238PuO2 and ThO2 spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wise, R.L.; Selle, J.E.

1975-01-01

A program was initiated to determine the density gradient across a large spherical 238 PuO 2 sample produced by vacuum hot pressing. Due to the high thermal output of the ceramic a thin section was necessary to prevent overheating of the plastic mount. Techniques were developed for cross sectioning, mounting, grinding, and polishing of the sample. The polished samples were then analyzed on a quantitative image analyzer to determine the density as a function of location across the sphere. The techniques for indexing, analyzing, and reducing the data are described. Typical results obtained on a ThO 2 simulant sphere are given
Contemporary large-scale international design competitions1 in China. A case study of Baietan, Guangzhou

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Liang

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The importance of contemporary design competitions has been increasingly recognized in fast-growing China in the course of World Trade Organization (WTO integration and globalization. However, scientific and systematic analysis is rare on how international design competitions are introduced, and how they interact and transplant in the Chinese context. The well-known Chinese-Western culture gap and complicated social and political background make this topic more challenging. Herein, the authors focus on how the international design competitions were “translated” into both international and local perspectives with a comparative analysis on development of international design competitions between the Chinese and the Finnish model. To fully exemplify the design-completion procedure and the different roles of Chinese stakeholders and their perspectives on design competitions, the authors study the Baietan case, which was chosen due to its specific relationship with the city’s strategic plan, its representativeness in using international design competitions in connection to large-scale urban projects in China and its public access to the relevant documentation. The preliminary findings suggest that Chinese-style design competitions, acting as ‘designed trading zones’, with less-defined competition rules compared to the Finnish model, may foster the settings of local transformation in adopting international urban planning and design knowledge. However, an integrated approach is required to address subsequent implementation.
Growth Chambers on the International Space Station for Large Plants

Science.gov (United States)

Massa, Gioia D.; Wheeler, Raymond M.; Morrow, Robert C.; Levine, Howard G.

2016-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) now has platforms for conducting research on horticultural plant species under LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting, and those capabilities continue to expand. The Veggie vegetable production system was deployed to the ISS as an applied research platform for food production in space. Veggie is capable of growing a wide array of horticultural crops. It was designed for low power usage, low launch mass and stowage volume, and minimal crew time requirements. The Veggie flight hardware consists of a light cap containing red (630 nanometers), blue, (455 nanometers) and green (530 nanometers) LEDs. Interfacing with the light cap is an extendable bellowsbaseplate for enclosing the plant canopy. A second large plant growth chamber, the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), is will fly to the ISS in 2017. APH will be a fully controllable environment for high-quality plant physiological research. APH will control light (quality, level, and timing), temperature, CO2, relative humidity, and irrigation, while scrubbing any cabin or plant-derived ethylene and other volatile organic compounds. Additional capabilities include sensing of leaf temperature and root zone moisture, root zone temperature, and oxygen concentration. The light cap will have red (630 nm), blue (450 nm), green (525 nm), far red (730 nm) and broad spectrum white LEDs (4100K). There will be several internal cameras (visible and IR) to monitor and record plant growth and operations. Veggie and APH are available for research proposals.
International trade causes large net economic losses in tropical countries via the destruction of ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Junning; Symes, William S; Lim, Felix; Carrasco, L Roman

2016-05-01

Despite the large implications of the use of tropical land for exports ("land absorption") on ecosystem services (ES) and global biodiversity conservation, the magnitude of these externalities is not known. We quantify the net value of ES lost in tropical countries as a result of cropland, forestland and pastureland absorption for exports after deducting ES gains through imports ("land displacement"). We find that net ES gains occur only in 7 out of the 41 countries and regions considered. We estimate global annual net losses of over 1.7 x 10(12) international dollars (I$) (I$1.1 x 10(12) if carbon-related services are not considered). After deducting the benefits from agricultural, forest and livestock rents in land replacing tropical forests, the net annual losses are I$1.3 and I$0.7 x 10(12), respectively. The results highlight the large magnitude of tropical ES losses through international trade that are not compensated by the rents of land uses in absorbed land.
Samples and Sampling Protocols for Scientific Investigations | Joel ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... from sampling, through sample preparation, calibration to final measurement and reporting. This paper, therefore offers useful information on practical guidance on sampling protocols in line with best practice and international standards. Keywords: Sampling, sampling protocols, chain of custody, analysis, documentation ...
Large-volume constant-concentration sampling technique coupling with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for rapid on-site gas analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhuomin; Zhan, Yisen; Huang, Yichun; Li, Gongke

2017-08-01

In this work, a portable large-volume constant-concentration (LVCC) sampling technique coupling with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was developed for the rapid on-site gas analysis based on suitable derivatization methods. LVCC sampling technique mainly consisted of a specially designed sampling cell including the rigid sample container and flexible sampling bag, and an absorption-derivatization module with a portable pump and a gas flowmeter. LVCC sampling technique allowed large, alterable and well-controlled sampling volume, which kept the concentration of gas target in headspace phase constant during the entire sampling process and made the sampling result more representative. Moreover, absorption and derivatization of gas target during LVCC sampling process were efficiently merged in one step using bromine-thiourea and OPA-NH4+ strategy for ethylene and SO2 respectively, which made LVCC sampling technique conveniently adapted to consequent SERS analysis. Finally, a new LVCC sampling-SERS method was developed and successfully applied for rapid analysis of trace ethylene and SO2 from fruits. It was satisfied that trace ethylene and SO2 from real fruit samples could be actually and accurately quantified by this method. The minor concentration fluctuations of ethylene and SO2 during the entire LVCC sampling process were proved to be samples were achieved in range of 95.0-101% and 97.0-104% respectively. It is expected that portable LVCC sampling technique would pave the way for rapid on-site analysis of accurate concentrations of trace gas targets from real samples by SERS.
Latest developments on the highly granular Silicon-Tungsten Electromagnetic Calorimeter technological prototype for the International Large Detector

CERN Document Server

Irles, Adrián

2017-01-01

High precision physics at future colliders requires unprecedented highly granular calorimeters for the application of the Particle Flow (PF) algorithm. The physical proof of concept was given in the previous campaign of beam tests of physic prototypes within the CALICE collaboration. We present here the latest beam and laboratory test results and R&D developments for the Silicon-Tungsten Electromagnetic Calorimeter technological prototype with fully embedded very front-end (VFE) electronics for the International Large Detector at the International Linear Collider project.
Does internal variability change in response to global warming? A large ensemble modelling study of tropical rainfall

Science.gov (United States)

Milinski, S.; Bader, J.; Jungclaus, J. H.; Marotzke, J.

2017-12-01

There is some consensus on mean state changes of rainfall under global warming; changes of the internal variability, on the other hand, are more difficult to analyse and have not been discussed as much despite their importance for understanding changes in extreme events, such as droughts or floodings. We analyse changes in the rainfall variability in the tropical Atlantic region. We use a 100-member ensemble of historical (1850-2005) model simulations with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology Earth System Model (MPI-ESM1) to identify changes of internal rainfall variability. To investigate the effects of global warming on the internal variability, we employ an additional ensemble of model simulations with stronger external forcing (1% CO2-increase per year, same integration length as the historical simulations) with 68 ensemble members. The focus of our study is on the oceanic Atlantic ITCZ. We find that the internal variability of rainfall over the tropical Atlantic does change due to global warming and that these changes in variability are larger than changes in the mean state in some regions. From splitting the total variance into patterns of variability, we see that the variability on the southern flank of the ITCZ becomes more dominant, i.e. explaining a larger fraction of the total variance in a warmer climate. In agreement with previous studies, we find that changes in the mean state show an increase and narrowing of the ITCZ. The large ensembles allow us to do a statistically robust differentiation between the changes in variability that can be explained by internal variability and those that can be attributed to the external forcing. Furthermore, we argue that internal variability in a transient climate is only well defined in the ensemble domain and not in the temporal domain, which requires the use of a large ensemble.
Cosmological implications of a large complete quasar sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Segal, I E; Nicoll, J F

1998-04-28

Objective and reproducible determinations of the probabilistic significance levels of the deviations between theoretical cosmological prediction and direct model-independent observation are made for the Large Bright Quasar Sample [Foltz, C., Chaffee, F. H., Hewett, P. C., MacAlpine, G. M., Turnshek, D. A., et al. (1987) Astron. J. 94, 1423-1460]. The Expanding Universe model as represented by the Friedman-Lemaitre cosmology with parameters qo = 0, Lambda = 0 denoted as C1 and chronometric cosmology (no relevant adjustable parameters) denoted as C2 are the cosmologies considered. The mean and the dispersion of the apparent magnitudes and the slope of the apparent magnitude-redshift relation are the directly observed statistics predicted. The C1 predictions of these cosmology-independent quantities are deviant by as much as 11sigma from direct observation; none of the C2 predictions deviate by >2sigma. The C1 deviations may be reconciled with theory by the hypothesis of quasar "evolution," which, however, appears incapable of being substantiated through direct observation. The excellent quantitative agreement of the C1 deviations with those predicted by C2 without adjustable parameters for the results of analysis predicated on C1 indicates that the evolution hypothesis may well be a theoretical artifact.
A study of diabetes mellitus within a large sample of Australian twins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Condon, Julianne; Shaw, Joanne E; Luciano, Michelle

2008-01-01

with type 2 diabetes (T2D), 41 female pairs with gestational diabetes (GD), 5 pairs with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and one pair with MODY. Heritabilities of T1D, T2D and GD were all high, but our samples did not have the power to detect effects of shared environment unless they were very large......Twin studies of diabetes mellitus can help elucidate genetic and environmental factors in etiology and can provide valuable biological samples for testing functional hypotheses, for example using expression and methylation studies of discordant pairs. We searched the volunteer Australian Twin...... Registry (19,387 pairs) for twins with diabetes using disease checklists from nine different surveys conducted from 1980-2000. After follow-up questionnaires to the twins and their doctors to confirm diagnoses, we eventually identified 46 pairs where one or both had type 1 diabetes (T1D), 113 pairs...
The use of a xylosylated plant glycoprotein as an internal standard accounting for N-linked glycan cleavage and sample preparation variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, S Hunter; Taylor, Amber D; Muddiman, David C

2013-06-30

Traditionally, free oligosaccharide internal standards are used to account for variability in glycan relative quantification experiments by mass spectrometry. However, a more suitable internal standard would be a glycoprotein, which could also control for enzymatic cleavage efficiency, allowing for more accurate quantitative experiments. Hydrophobic, hydrazide N-linked glycan reagents (both native and stable-isotope labeled) are used to derivatize and differentially label N-linked glycan samples for relative quantification, and the samples are analyzed by a reversed-phase liquid chromatography chip system coupled online to a Q-Exactive mass spectrometer. The inclusion of two internal standards, maltoheptaose (previously used) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (novel), is studied to demonstrate the effectiveness of using a glycoprotein as an internal standard in glycan relative quantification experiments. HRP is a glycoprotein containing a xylosylated N-linked glycan, which is unique from mammalian N-linked glycans. Thus, the internal standard xylosylated glycan could be detected without interference to the sample. Additionally, it was shown that differences in cleavage efficiency can be detected by monitoring the HRP glycan. In a sample where cleavage efficiency variation is minimal, the HRP glycan performs as well as maltoheptaose. Because the HRP glycan performs as well as maltoheptaose but is also capable of correcting and accounting for cleavage variability, it is a more versatile internal standard and will be used in all subsequent biological studies. Because of the possible lot-to-lot variation of an enzyme, differences in biological matrix, and variable enzyme activity over time, it is a necessity to account for glycan cleavage variability in glycan relative quantification experiments. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is Business Failure Due to Lack of Effort? Empirical Evidence from a Large Administrative Sample

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ejrnaes, M.; Hochguertel, S.

2013-01-01

Does insurance provision reduce entrepreneurs' effort to avoid business failure? We exploit unique features of the voluntary Danish unemployment insurance (UI) scheme, that is available to the self-employed. Using a large sample of self-employed individuals, we estimate the causal effect of
In-situ high resolution particle sampling by large time sequence inertial spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prodi, V.; Belosi, F.

1990-09-01

In situ sampling is always preferred, when possible, because of the artifacts that can arise when the aerosol has to flow through long sampling lines. On the other hand, the amount of possible losses can be calculated with some confidence only when the size distribution can be measured with a sufficient precision and the losses are not too large. This makes it desirable to sample directly in the vicinity of the aerosol source or containment. High temperature sampling devices with a detailed aerodynamic separation are extremely useful to this purpose. Several measurements are possible with the inertial spectrometer (INSPEC), but not with cascade impactors or cyclones. INSPEC - INertial SPECtrometer - has been conceived to measure the size distribution of aerosols by separating the particles while airborne according to their size and collecting them on a filter. It consists of a channel of rectangular cross-section with a 90 degree bend. Clean air is drawn through the channel, with a thin aerosol sheath injected close to the inner wall. Due to the bend, the particles are separated according to their size, leaving the original streamline by a distance which is a function of particle inertia and resistance, i.e. of aerodynamic diameter. The filter collects all the particles of the same aerodynamic size at the same distance from the inlet, in a continuous distribution. INSPEC particle separation at high temperature (up to 800 C) has been tested with Zirconia particles as calibration aerosols. The feasibility study has been concerned with resolution and time sequence sampling capabilities under high temperature (700 C)
Contesting the International Illegitimacy of Torture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keating, Vincent Charles

2014-01-01

This article examines the effect of Bush administration's human rights preferences during the war on terror with respect to torture by analysing a large-n sample of public legitimation strategies of both the United States and other members of international society. The article asks two questions......: first, has the defection of the United States from these human rights norms led to a ‘norm cascade’ that delegitimized the norms? Second, did the material preponderance of the United States help it to legitimate its preferences in international society? The article argues that despite initial ambiguity...

The Contribution of International Large-Scale Assessments to Educational Research: Combining Individual and Institutional Data Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Strietholt, Rolf; Scherer, Ronny

2018-01-01

The present paper aims to discuss how data from international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) can be utilized and combined, even with other existing data sources, in order to monitor educational outcomes and study the effectiveness of educational systems. We consider different purposes of linking data, namely, extending outcomes measures,…
Field sampling, preparation procedure and plutonium analyses of large freshwater samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Straelberg, E.; Bjerk, T.O.; Oestmo, K.; Brittain, J.E.

2002-01-01

This work is part of an investigation of the mobility of plutonium in freshwater systems containing humic substances. A well-defined bog-stream system located in the catchment area of a subalpine lake, Oevre Heimdalsvatn, Norway, is being studied. During the summer of 1999, six water samples were collected from the tributary stream Lektorbekken and the lake itself. However, the analyses showed that the plutonium concentration was below the detection limit in all the samples. Therefore renewed sampling at the same sites was carried out in August 2000. The results so far are in agreement with previous analyses from the Heimdalen area. However, 100 times higher concentrations are found in the lowlands in the eastern part of Norway. The reason for this is not understood, but may be caused by differences in the concentrations of humic substances and/or the fact that the mountain areas are covered with snow for a longer period of time every year. (LN)
A topological analysis of large-scale structure, studied using the CMASS sample of SDSS-III

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parihar, Prachi; Gott, J. Richard III; Vogeley, Michael S.; Choi, Yun-Young; Kim, Juhan; Kim, Sungsoo S.; Speare, Robert; Brownstein, Joel R.; Brinkmann, J.

2014-01-01

We study the three-dimensional genus topology of large-scale structure using the northern region of the CMASS Data Release 10 (DR10) sample of the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. We select galaxies with redshift 0.452 < z < 0.625 and with a stellar mass M stellar > 10 11.56 M ☉ . We study the topology at two smoothing lengths: R G = 21 h –1 Mpc and R G = 34 h –1 Mpc. The genus topology studied at the R G = 21 h –1 Mpc scale results in the highest genus amplitude observed to date. The CMASS sample yields a genus curve that is characteristic of one produced by Gaussian random phase initial conditions. The data thus support the standard model of inflation where random quantum fluctuations in the early universe produced Gaussian random phase initial conditions. Modest deviations in the observed genus from random phase are as expected from shot noise effects and the nonlinear evolution of structure. We suggest the use of a fitting formula motivated by perturbation theory to characterize the shift and asymmetries in the observed genus curve with a single parameter. We construct 54 mock SDSS CMASS surveys along the past light cone from the Horizon Run 3 (HR3) N-body simulations, where gravitationally bound dark matter subhalos are identified as the sites of galaxy formation. We study the genus topology of the HR3 mock surveys with the same geometry and sampling density as the observational sample and find the observed genus topology to be consistent with ΛCDM as simulated by the HR3 mock samples. We conclude that the topology of the large-scale structure in the SDSS CMASS sample is consistent with cosmological models having primordial Gaussian density fluctuations growing in accordance with general relativity to form galaxies in massive dark matter halos.
Gene coexpression measures in large heterogeneous samples using count statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y X Rachel; Waterman, Michael S; Huang, Haiyan

2014-11-18

With the advent of high-throughput technologies making large-scale gene expression data readily available, developing appropriate computational tools to process these data and distill insights into systems biology has been an important part of the "big data" challenge. Gene coexpression is one of the earliest techniques developed that is still widely in use for functional annotation, pathway analysis, and, most importantly, the reconstruction of gene regulatory networks, based on gene expression data. However, most coexpression measures do not specifically account for local features in expression profiles. For example, it is very likely that the patterns of gene association may change or only exist in a subset of the samples, especially when the samples are pooled from a range of experiments. We propose two new gene coexpression statistics based on counting local patterns of gene expression ranks to take into account the potentially diverse nature of gene interactions. In particular, one of our statistics is designed for time-course data with local dependence structures, such as time series coupled over a subregion of the time domain. We provide asymptotic analysis of their distributions and power, and evaluate their performance against a wide range of existing coexpression measures on simulated and real data. Our new statistics are fast to compute, robust against outliers, and show comparable and often better general performance.
Gaussian vs. Bessel light-sheets: performance analysis in live large sample imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Reidt, Sascha L.; Correia, Ricardo B. C.; Donnachie, Mark; Weijer, Cornelis J.; MacDonald, Michael P.

2017-08-01

Lightsheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) has rapidly progressed in the past decade from an emerging technology into an established methodology. This progress has largely been driven by its suitability to developmental biology, where it is able to give excellent spatial-temporal resolution over relatively large fields of view with good contrast and low phototoxicity. In many respects it is superseding confocal microscopy. However, it is no magic bullet and still struggles to image deeply in more highly scattering samples. Many solutions to this challenge have been presented, including, Airy and Bessel illumination, 2-photon operation and deconvolution techniques. In this work, we show a comparison between a simple but effective Gaussian beam illumination and Bessel illumination for imaging in chicken embryos. Whilst Bessel illumination is shown to be of benefit when a greater depth of field is required, it is not possible to see any benefits for imaging into the highly scattering tissue of the chick embryo.
Recommended radiological air sampling and internal contamination control at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rich, B.L.; Ritter, P.D.; Martz, D.E.

1984-01-01

It has long been recognized by the NRC Technical Staffs that estimating the quantity of radioactivity inhaled by an individual worker involved large uncertainties. General air samples usually produce concentrations lower than those in the workers Breathing Zone (BZ). NRC guides have recognized this problem by specifying air monitoring programs which sample the Breathing Zone or concentrations known to be higher than that actually inhaled. In addition the availability of suitable samplers to obtain BZ samples and the practicality of requiring their use was somewhat in question to the NRC technical staff. AN NRC development contract was issued to provide a detailed review of the technical aspects of the problems and recommendations for practical upgrade of federal guidance. This project accomplished a review of the nuclear industry experience and knowledge through a literature search, site visits to representative licensed facilities, telephone surveys of many others, laboratory testing of personal air samplers (lapel samplers) and aerosol diffusion experiments to verify key conclusions and assumptions
Waardenburg syndrome: Novel mutations in a large Brazilian sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Bocángel, Magnolia Astrid Pretell; Melo, Uirá Souto; Alves, Leandro Ucela; Pardono, Eliete; Lourenço, Naila Cristina Vilaça; Marcolino, Humberto Vicente Cezar; Otto, Paulo Alberto; Mingroni-Netto, Regina Célia

2018-06-01

This paper deals with the molecular investigation of Waardenburg syndrome (WS) in a sample of 49 clinically diagnosed probands (most from southeastern Brazil), 24 of them having the type 1 (WS1) variant (10 familial and 14 isolated cases) and 25 being affected by the type 2 (WS2) variant (five familial and 20 isolated cases). Sequential Sanger sequencing of all coding exons of PAX3, MITF, EDN3, EDNRB, SOX10 and SNAI2 genes, followed by CNV detection by MLPA of PAX3, MITF and SOX10 genes in selected cases revealed many novel pathogenic variants. Molecular screening, performed in all patients, revealed 19 causative variants (19/49 = 38.8%), six of them being large whole-exon deletions detected by MLPA, seven (four missense and three nonsense substitutions) resulting from single nucleotide substitutions (SNV), and six representing small indels. A pair of dizygotic affected female twins presented the c.430delC variant in SOX10, but the mutation, imputed to gonadal mosaicism, was not found in their unaffected parents. At least 10 novel causative mutations, described in this paper, were found in this Brazilian sample. Copy-number-variation detected by MLPA identified the causative mutation in 12.2% of our cases, corresponding to 31.6% of all causative mutations. In the majority of cases, the deletions were sporadic, since they were not present in the parents of isolated cases. Our results, as a whole, reinforce the fact that the screening of copy-number-variants by MLPA is a powerful tool to identify the molecular cause in WS patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Tracing the trajectory of skill learning with a very large sample of online game players.

Science.gov (United States)

Stafford, Tom; Dewar, Michael

2014-02-01

In the present study, we analyzed data from a very large sample (N = 854,064) of players of an online game involving rapid perception, decision making, and motor responding. Use of game data allowed us to connect, for the first time, rich details of training history with measures of performance from participants engaged for a sustained amount of time in effortful practice. We showed that lawful relations exist between practice amount and subsequent performance, and between practice spacing and subsequent performance. Our methodology allowed an in situ confirmation of results long established in the experimental literature on skill acquisition. Additionally, we showed that greater initial variation in performance is linked to higher subsequent performance, a result we link to the exploration/exploitation trade-off from the computational framework of reinforcement learning. We discuss the benefits and opportunities of behavioral data sets with very large sample sizes and suggest that this approach could be particularly fecund for studies of skill acquisition.
Some thoughts on the management of large, complex international space ventures

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, T. J.; Kutzer, Ants; Schneider, W. C.

1992-01-01

Management issues relevant to the development and deployment of large international space ventures are discussed with particular attention given to previous experience. Management approaches utilized in the past are labeled as either simple or complex, and signs of efficient management are examined. Simple approaches include those in which experiments and subsystems are developed for integration into spacecraft, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project is given as an example of a simple multinational approach. Complex approaches include those for ESA's Spacelab Project and the Space Station Freedom in which functional interfaces cross agency and political boundaries. It is concluded that individual elements of space programs should be managed by individual participating agencies, and overall configuration control is coordinated by level with a program director acting to manage overall objectives and project interfaces.
Psychiatric disorders among a sample of internally displaced persons in South Darfur.

Science.gov (United States)

Elhabiby, Mahmoud M; Radwan, Doaa N; Okasha, Tarek A; El-Desouky, Eman D

2015-06-01

The violent armed conflict in Darfur has been ongoing for years getting the attention of human rights activists and mental health professionals. The aim of this study was to assess psychiatric disorders in a sample of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South Darfur. A cross-sectional observational study, as a part of the 'Darfur Campaign' organized by Arab Federation of Psychiatrists, assessing psychiatric disorders in a sample of internally displaced women using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) (clinical version). Up to 25.7% of participants had lost a close family member or more in the violent clashes. Psychiatric diagnoses were found in 62.2% of the participants. The most frequently reported was post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reaching 14.9%, followed by depression 13.5% (among which 2.7% with psychotic features), while comorbid PTSD and depression reached 8.1% of participants. Patients with psychiatric diagnoses had an older age (36.6 years) (p = .024). Suffering from a psychiatric disorder was found to be associated with losing a family member in the conflict (p = .015), being 35.6% in patients with psychiatric diagnoses compared to 10.3% in those without losing a family member in the conflict (odds ratio (OR) = .7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.25-18.28). This study used a standardized tool for diagnosing psychiatric morbidity among refugees in Darfur to give as much as possible an actual description of the problems and psychiatric morbidity caused by human-made disasters. This study can help to lead to a more detailed and specific mental health service program much needed by this population. © The Author(s) 2014.
Imaging a Large Sample with Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy Based on Multiple Fluorescent Microsphere Tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Inkeon; Kim, Daekeun

2018-04-01

A typical selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) image size is basically limited by the field of view, which is a characteristic of the objective lens. If an image larger than the imaging area of the sample is to be obtained, image stitching, which combines step-scanned images into a single panoramic image, is required. However, accurately registering the step-scanned images is very difficult because the SPIM system uses a customized sample mount where uncertainties for the translational and the rotational motions exist. In this paper, an image registration technique based on multiple fluorescent microsphere tracking is proposed in the view of quantifying the constellations and measuring the distances between at least two fluorescent microspheres embedded in the sample. Image stitching results are demonstrated for optically cleared large tissue with various staining methods. Compensation for the effect of the sample rotation that occurs during the translational motion in the sample mount is also discussed.
The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS): Independent validation in a large sample of Italian patients with schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mucci, A; Galderisi, S; Merlotti, E; Rossi, A; Rocca, P; Bucci, P; Piegari, G; Chieffi, M; Vignapiano, A; Maj, M

2015-07-01

The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed to address the main limitations of the existing scales for the assessment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The initial validation of the scale by the group involved in its development demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity, and a factor structure confirming the two domains of negative symptoms (reduced emotional/verbal expression and anhedonia/asociality/avolition). However, only relatively small samples of patients with schizophrenia were investigated. Further independent validation in large clinical samples might be instrumental to the broad diffusion of the scale in clinical research. The present study aimed to examine the BNSS inter-rater reliability, convergent/discriminant validity and factor structure in a large Italian sample of outpatients with schizophrenia. Our results confirmed the excellent inter-rater reliability of the BNSS (the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.81 to 0.98 for individual items and was 0.98 for the total score). The convergent validity measures had r values from 0.62 to 0.77, while the divergent validity measures had r values from 0.20 to 0.28 in the main sample (n=912) and in a subsample without clinically significant levels of depression and extrapyramidal symptoms (n=496). The BNSS factor structure was supported in both groups. The study confirms that the BNSS is a promising measure for quantifying negative symptoms of schizophrenia in large multicenter clinical studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
International safeguards in large-scale nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, D.; Heil, J.

1977-01-01

The trend in the energy sector in most of the world's industrialized areas shows rather clearly that the rate of installing nuclear plants will be very high and that the largest possible units of nuclear material handling and storage facilities will be built. Various experiments and analyses of measurement methods relevant to safeguards in typical nuclear facilities such as a fuel reprocessing or a fabrication plant have shown that the associated measurement errors as obtained under normal operating conditions are such that they are mainly dominated by systematic errors, which may lie in the range of percentages of the measured amount so that a material balance in such a plant could not normally be closed with any higher accuracy. For example, in a reprocessing plant with a throughput of 1500t U/a and a corresponding throughput of 15t Pu/a, a systematic error of 1% would cause a measurement uncertainty of around 70kg Pu in case a material balance is struck twice a year. Such a large amount may be considered to be unacceptable from the point of view of international safeguards since it arises out of a single plant. The simplest way of getting around the problem would be to strike a material balance more frequently over a given period. This could, however, lead to an enormous increase in the technical and financial burden for the operator of a facility. This paper analyses this problem in some detail for some facilities and shows that, for example, with a properly developed information system in such plants and a combination of containment, surveillance and accountancy measures, a safeguards system can be built up for such facilities. (author)
An international survey of decabromodiphenyl ethane (deBDethane) and decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) in sewage sludge samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricklund, Niklas; Kierkegaard, Amelie; McLachlan, Michael S

2008-12-01

Decabromodiphenyl ethane (deBDethane) is an additive flame retardant marketed as a replacement for decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE). The structures of the two chemicals are similar, and hence deBDethane may also become an environmental contaminant of concern. Environmental data on deBDethane are scarce. Since sewage sludge is an early indicator of leakage of these chemicals into the environment, an international survey of deBDethane and decaBDE levels in sludge was conducted. Samples were collected from 42 WWTPs in 12 different countries and analyzed with GC/LRMS. DeBDethane was present in sludge from all countries and may therefore be a worldwide concern. The levels of deBDethane in sludge samples from the Ruhr area of Germany were the highest so far reported in the literature (216 ng g(-1)d.wt.). The [deBDethane]/[decaBDE] quotient for the whole data set ranged from 0.0018 to 0.83. High ratios were found in and around Germany where deBDethane imports are known to have been high and substitution of decaBDE with deBDethane is likely to have occurred. Low ratios were found in the USA and the UK, countries that have traditionally been large users of decaBDE. An estimate of the flux of deBDEthane from the technosphere via WWTPs to the environment within the European Union gave 1.7+/-0.34 mg annually per person. The corresponding value for decaBDE was 41+/-22 mg annually per person.
Efficient inference of population size histories and locus-specific mutation rates from large-sample genomic variation data.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhaskar, Anand; Wang, Y X Rachel; Song, Yun S

2015-02-01

With the recent increase in study sample sizes in human genetics, there has been growing interest in inferring historical population demography from genomic variation data. Here, we present an efficient inference method that can scale up to very large samples, with tens or hundreds of thousands of individuals. Specifically, by utilizing analytic results on the expected frequency spectrum under the coalescent and by leveraging the technique of automatic differentiation, which allows us to compute gradients exactly, we develop a very efficient algorithm to infer piecewise-exponential models of the historical effective population size from the distribution of sample allele frequencies. Our method is orders of magnitude faster than previous demographic inference methods based on the frequency spectrum. In addition to inferring demography, our method can also accurately estimate locus-specific mutation rates. We perform extensive validation of our method on simulated data and show that it can accurately infer multiple recent epochs of rapid exponential growth, a signal that is difficult to pick up with small sample sizes. Lastly, we use our method to analyze data from recent sequencing studies, including a large-sample exome-sequencing data set of tens of thousands of individuals assayed at a few hundred genic regions. © 2015 Bhaskar et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
Microstructure and Macrosegregation Study of Directionally Solidified Al-7Si Samples Processed Terrestrially and Aboard the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Angart, Samuel; Erdman, R. G.; Poirier, David R.; Tewari, S.N.; Grugel, R. N.

2014-01-01

This talk reports research that has been carried out under the aegis of NASA as part of a collaboration between ESA and NASA for solidification experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). The focus has been on the effect of convection on the microstructural evolution and macrosegregation in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys during directional solidification (DS). The DS-experiments have been carried out under 1-g at Cleveland State University (CSU) and under low-g on the International Space Station (ISS). The thermal processing-history of the experiments is well defined for both the terrestrially-processed samples and the ISS-processed samples. We have observed that the primary dendrite arm spacings of two samples grown in the low-g environment of the ISS show good agreement with a dendrite-growth model based on diffusion controlled growth. The gravity-driven convection (i.e., thermosolutal convection) in terrestrially grown samples has the effect of decreasing the primary dendrite arm spacings and causes macrosgregation. In order to process DS-samples aboard the ISS, dendritic-seed crystals have to partially remelted in a stationary thermal gradient before the DS is carried out. Microstructural changes and macrosegregation effects during this period are described.
Psychometric Properties of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children in a Large Clinical Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Pestle, Sarah L.; Chorpita, Bruce F.; Schiffman, Jason

2008-01-01

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C; Chorpita, Tracey, Brown, Collica, & Barlow, 1997) is a 14-item self-report measure of worry in children and adolescents. Although the PSWQ-C has demonstrated favorable psychometric properties in small clinical and large community samples, this study represents the first psychometric…
Analysis of reflection-peak wavelengths of sampled fiber Bragg gratings with large chirp.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Xihua; Pan, Wei; Luo, Bin

2008-09-10

The reflection-peak wavelengths (RPWs) in the spectra of sampled fiber Bragg gratings with large chirp (SFBGs-LC) are theoretically investigated. Such RPWs are divided into two parts, the RPWs of equivalent uniform SFBGs (U-SFBGs) and the wavelength shift caused by the large chirp in the grating period (CGP). We propose a quasi-equivalent transform to deal with the CGP. That is, the CGP is transferred into quasi-equivalent phase shifts to directly derive the Fourier transform of the refractive index modulation. Then, in the case of both the direct and the inverse Talbot effect, the wavelength shift is obtained from the Fourier transform. Finally, the RPWs of SFBGs-LC can be achieved by combining the wavelength shift and the RPWs of equivalent U-SFBGs. Several simulations are shown to numerically confirm these predicted RPWs of SFBGs-LC.
Characterization of Decommissioned PWR Vessel Internals Material Samples: Tensile and SSRT Testing (Nonproprietary Version)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krug, M.; Shogan, R.

2004-01-01

Pressurized water reactor (PWR) cores operate under extreme environmental conditions due to coolant chemistry, operating temperature, and neutron exposure. Extending the life of PWRs requires detailed knowledge of the changes in mechanical and corrosion properties of the structural austenitic stainless steel components adjacent to the fuel (internals) subjected to such conditions. This project studied the effects of reactor service on the mechanical and corrosion properties of samples of baffle plate, former plate, and core barrel from a decommissioned PWR
The nurses' self-concept instrument (NSCI): a comparison of domestic and international student nurses' professional self-concepts from a large Australian University.

Science.gov (United States)

Angel, Elizabeth; Craven, Rhonda; Denson, Nida

2012-08-01

Professional self-concept is a critical driver of job satisfaction. In Australia, as international nursing enrolments rise, nursing is increasingly characterised by a professional body of international nurses who may differ from domestic Australian nurses in their nursing self-concept. At present, little is known about the extent to which domestic and international students nurses' self-concepts may differ. The present study aimed to elucidate and contrast domestic and international nursing students' self-concepts from one large Australian university. A total of 253 domestic (n=218) and international (n=35) undergraduate nursing students from a large public university in Sydney, Australia completed the Nurses' Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI). Multiple-Indicator-Multiple-Indicator-Cause (MIMIC) modelling was used to assess the effects of student group (domestic and international) on the latent self-concept factors of the NSCI. Domestic and international students' professional self-concepts were similarly high. MIMIC modelling demonstrated that domestic students had a higher patient care self-concept in comparison to international students. Results imply that it may be useful for Australian universities to foster strategies that enhance specific domains of self-concepts (e.g., care) which may be underdeveloped for at least some cultural groups within the international nursing student population compared with domestic nursing students. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mothers' Parenting Dimensions and Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors in a Low-Income, Urban Mexican American Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Manongdo, Jennifer A.; Garcia, Jorge I. Ramirez

2007-01-01

The relation between adolescent-reported parenting behaviors and mother-reported youth externalizing and internalizing behaviors was examined among 91 Mexican American mother-adolescent (ages 13-17) dyads recruited from an immigrant enclave in a large midwestern metropolitan area. Two major dimensions of mothers' parenting emerged: supportive…
Superwind Outflows in Seyfert Galaxies? : Large-Scale Radio Maps of an Edge-On Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Colbert, E.; Gallimore, J.; Baum, S.; O'Dea, C.

1995-03-01

Large-scale galactic winds (superwinds) are commonly found flowing out of the nuclear region of ultraluminous infrared and powerful starburst galaxies. Stellar winds and supernovae from the nuclear starburst provide the energy to drive these superwinds. The outflowing gas escapes along the rotation axis, sweeping up and shock-heating clouds in the halo, which produces optical line emission, radio synchrotron emission, and X-rays. These features can most easily be studied in edge-on systems, so that the wind emission is not confused by that from the disk. We have begun a systematic search for superwind outflows in Seyfert galaxies. In an earlier optical emission-line survey, we found extended minor axis emission and/or double-peaked emission line profiles in >~30% of the sample objects. We present here large-scale (6cm VLA C-config) radio maps of 11 edge-on Seyfert galaxies, selected (without bias) from a distance-limited sample of 23 edge-on Seyferts. These data have been used to estimate the frequency of occurrence of superwinds. Preliminary results indicate that four (36%) of the 11 objects observed and six (26%) of the 23 objects in the distance-limited sample have extended radio emission oriented perpendicular to the galaxy disk. This emission may be produced by a galactic wind blowing out of the disk. Two (NGC 2992 and NGC 5506) of the nine objects for which we have both radio and optical data show good evidence for a galactic wind in both datasets. We suggest that galactic winds occur in >~30% of all Seyferts. A goal of this work is to find a diagnostic that can be used to distinguish between large-scale outflows that are driven by starbursts and those that are driven by an AGN. The presence of starburst-driven superwinds in Seyferts, if established, would have important implications for the connection between starburst galaxies and AGN.
Development of large scale internal reforming molten carbonate fuel cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sasaki, A.; Shinoki, T.; Matsumura, M. [Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Hyogo (Japan)

1996-12-31

Internal Reforming (IR) is a prominent scheme for Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) power generating systems in order to get high efficiency i.e. 55-60% as based on the Higher Heating Value (HHV) and compact configuration. The Advanced Internal Reforming (AIR) technology has been developed based on two types of the IR-MCFC technology i.e. Direct Internal Reforming (DIR) and Indirect Internal Reforming (DIR).
Heat and momentum transport of ion internal transport barrier plasmas on Large Helical Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagaoka, K.; Ida, K.; Yoshinuma, M.

2010-11-01

The peaked ion-temperature profile with steep gradient so called ion internal transport barrier (ion ITB) was formed in the neutral beam heated plasmas on the Large Helical Device (LHD) and the high-ion-temperature regime of helical plasmas has been significantly extended. The ion thermal diffusivity in the ion ITB plasma decreases down to the neoclassical transport level. The heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) observed the smooth potential profile with negative radial electric field (ion root) in the core region where the ion thermal diffusivity decreases significantly. The large toroidal rotation was also observed in the ion ITB core and the transport of toroidal momentum was analyzed qualitatively. The decrease of momentum diffusivity with ion temperature increase was observed in the ion ITB core. The toroidal rotation driven by ion temperature gradient so called intrinsic rotation is also identified. (author)
Large Matched-Index-of-Refraction (MIR) Flow Systems for International Collaboration In Fluid Mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McEligot, Donald M.; Becker, Stefan; McIlroy, Hugh M. Jr.

2010-01-01

In recent international collaboration, INL and Uni. Erlangen have developed large MIR flow systems which can be ideal for joint graduate student education and research. The benefit of the MIR technique is that it permits optical measurements to determine flow characteristics in complex passages and around objects to be obtained without locating a disturbing transducer in the flow field and without distortion of the optical paths. The MIR technique is not new itself; others employed it earlier. The innovation of these MIR systems is their large size relative to previous experiments, yielding improved spatial and temporal resolution. This report will discuss the benefits of the technique, characteristics of the systems and some examples of their applications to complex situations. Typically their experiments have provided new fundamental understanding plus benchmark data for assessment and possible validation of computational thermal fluid dynamic codes.
Large Matched-Index-of-Refraction (MIR) Flow Systems for International Collaboration In Fluid Mechanics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donald M. McEligot; Stefan Becker; Hugh M. McIlroy, Jr.

2010-07-01

In recent international collaboration, INL and Uni. Erlangen have developed large MIR flow systems which can be ideal for joint graduate student education and research. The benefit of the MIR technique is that it permits optical measurements to determine flow characteristics in complex passages and around objects to be obtained without locating a disturbing transducer in the flow field and without distortion of the optical paths. The MIR technique is not new itself; others employed it earlier. The innovation of these MIR systems is their large size relative to previous experiments, yielding improved spatial and temporal resolution. This report will discuss the benefits of the technique, characteristics of the systems and some examples of their applications to complex situations. Typically their experiments have provided new fundamental understanding plus benchmark data for assessment and possible validation of computational thermal fluid dynamic codes.
Neurocognitive impairment in a large sample of homeless adults with mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Stergiopoulos, V; Cusi, A; Bekele, T; Skosireva, A; Latimer, E; Schütz, C; Fernando, I; Rourke, S B

2015-04-01

This study examines neurocognitive functioning in a large, well-characterized sample of homeless adults with mental illness and assesses demographic and clinical factors associated with neurocognitive performance. A total of 1500 homeless adults with mental illness enrolled in the At Home Chez Soi study completed neuropsychological measures assessing speed of information processing, memory, and executive functioning. Sociodemographic and clinical data were also collected. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with neurocognitive performance. Approximately half of our sample met criteria for psychosis, major depressive disorder, and alcohol or substance use disorder, and nearly half had experienced severe traumatic brain injury. Overall, 72% of participants demonstrated cognitive impairment, including deficits in processing speed (48%), verbal learning (71%) and recall (67%), and executive functioning (38%). The overall statistical model explained 19.8% of the variance in the neurocognitive summary score, with reduced neurocognitive performance associated with older age, lower education, first language other than English or French, Black or Other ethnicity, and the presence of psychosis. Homeless adults with mental illness experience impairment in multiple neuropsychological domains. Much of the variance in our sample's cognitive performance remains unexplained, highlighting the need for further research in the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in this population. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Utilizing the International GeoSample Number Concept during ICDP Expedition COSC

Science.gov (United States)

Conze, Ronald; Lorenz, Henning; Ulbricht, Damian; Gorgas, Thomas; Elger, Kirsten

2016-04-01

The concept of the International GeoSample Number (IGSN) was introduced to uniquely identify and register geo-related sample material, and make it retrievable via electronic media (e.g., SESAR - http://www.geosamples.org/igsnabout). The general aim of the IGSN concept is to improve accessing stored sample material worldwide, enable the exact identification, its origin and provenance, and also the exact and complete citation of acquired samples throughout the literature. The ICDP expedition COSC (Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides, http://cosc.icdp-online.org) prompted for the first time in ICDP's history to assign and register IGSNs during an ongoing drilling campaign. ICDP drilling expeditions are using commonly the Drilling Information System DIS (http://doi.org/10.2204/iodp.sd.4.07.2007) for the inventory of recovered sample material. During COSC IGSNs were assigned to every drill hole, core run, core section, and sample taken from core material. The original IGSN specification has been extended to achieve the required uniqueness of IGSNs with our offline-procedure. The ICDP name space indicator and the Expedition ID (5054) are forming an extended prefix (ICDP5054). For every type of sample material, an encoded sequence of characters follows. This sequence is derived from the DIS naming convention which is unique from the beginning. Thereby every ICDP expedition has an unlimited name space for IGSN assignments. This direct derivation of IGSNs from the DIS database context ensures the distinct parent-child hierarchy of the IGSNs among each other. In the case of COSC this method of inventory-keeping of all drill cores was done routinely using the ExpeditionDIS during field work and subsequent sampling party. After completing the field campaign, all sample material was transferred to the "Nationales Bohrkernlager" in Berlin-Spandau, Germany. Corresponding data was subsequently imported into the CurationDIS used at the aforementioned core storage
An Assessment of Elemental Compositions and Concentrations in a Marble Sample from Hatnub Area using Internal Mono Standard Neutron Activation Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soliman, N.F.; EL-Shershaby, A.; EL-Bahi, S.; Walley El-Dine, N.; Abd El-Halim, E.S.; Afifi, S.

2012-01-01

A marble sample was taken from Hatnub area near Asyot, where a high pollution is expected. The sample was specially treated and prepared for elemental analysis using the k 0 -based internal mono standard neutron activation analysis . The irradiation facility of the first Egyptian Training Research Reactor (ETRR-1) was used to irradiate the sample together with gold and zirconium monitor samples. The pneumatic irradiation rabbit system (PIRS) built in the vertical thermal column of the second Egyptian Training Research Reactor (ETRR-2) was used to irradiate another weight of the marble sample and a sample from a certificated reference material JB-1 for short time irradiation. A new method was developed to measure the thermal to epithermal neutron flux ratio and the deviation in the real epithermal neutron spectrum ( 1/E 1±a lpha ) from the ideal (1/E ). The elemental analysis was carried out by high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. The accuracy of the internal mono standard method has been evaluated by analyzing the JB-1 certified reference material
On the accuracy of protein determination in large biological samples by prompt gamma neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasviki, K.; Stamatelatos, I.E.; Yannakopoulou, E.; Papadopoulou, P.; Kalef-Ezra, J.

2007-01-01

A prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) facility has been developed for the determination of nitrogen and thus total protein in large volume biological samples or the whole body of small animals. In the present work, the accuracy of nitrogen determination by PGNAA in phantoms of known composition as well as in four raw ground meat samples of about 1 kg mass was examined. Dumas combustion and Kjeldahl techniques were also used for the assessment of nitrogen concentration in the meat samples. No statistically significant differences were found between the concentrations assessed by the three techniques. The results of this work demonstrate the applicability of PGNAA for the assessment of total protein in biological samples of 0.25-1.5 kg mass, such as a meat sample or the body of small animal even in vivo with an equivalent radiation dose of about 40 mSv
On the accuracy of protein determination in large biological samples by prompt gamma neutron activation analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kasviki, K. [Institute of Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection, NCSR ' Demokritos' , Aghia Paraskevi, Attikis 15310 (Greece); Medical Physics Laboratory, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 45110 (Greece); Stamatelatos, I.E. [Institute of Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection, NCSR ' Demokritos' , Aghia Paraskevi, Attikis 15310 (Greece)], E-mail: ion@ipta.demokritos.gr; Yannakopoulou, E. [Institute of Physical Chemistry, NCSR ' Demokritos' , Aghia Paraskevi, Attikis 15310 (Greece); Papadopoulou, P. [Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, NAGREF, Lycovrissi, Attikis 14123 (Greece); Kalef-Ezra, J. [Medical Physics Laboratory, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 45110 (Greece)

2007-10-15

A prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) facility has been developed for the determination of nitrogen and thus total protein in large volume biological samples or the whole body of small animals. In the present work, the accuracy of nitrogen determination by PGNAA in phantoms of known composition as well as in four raw ground meat samples of about 1 kg mass was examined. Dumas combustion and Kjeldahl techniques were also used for the assessment of nitrogen concentration in the meat samples. No statistically significant differences were found between the concentrations assessed by the three techniques. The results of this work demonstrate the applicability of PGNAA for the assessment of total protein in biological samples of 0.25-1.5 kg mass, such as a meat sample or the body of small animal even in vivo with an equivalent radiation dose of about 40 mSv.
Characterization of Decommissioned PWR Vessel Internals Materials Samples: Material Certification, Fluence, and Temperature (Nonproprietary Version)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krug, M.; Shogan, R.; Fero, A.; Snyder, M.

2004-01-01

Pressurized water reactor (PWR) cores, operate under extreme environmental conditions due to coolant chemistry, operating temperature, and neutron exposure. Extending the life of PWRs require detailed knowledge of the changes in mechanical and corrosion properties of the structural austenitic stainless steel components adjacent to the fuel. This report contains basic material characterization information of the as-installed samples of reactor internals material which were harvested from a decommissioned PWR
Evaluation of single and two-stage adaptive sampling designs for estimation of density and abundance of freshwater mussels in a large river

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, D.R.; Rogala, J.T.; Gray, B.R.; Zigler, S.J.; Newton, T.J.

2011-01-01

Reliable estimates of abundance are needed to assess consequences of proposed habitat restoration and enhancement projects on freshwater mussels in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR). Although there is general guidance on sampling techniques for population assessment of freshwater mussels, the actual performance of sampling designs can depend critically on the population density and spatial distribution at the project site. To evaluate various sampling designs, we simulated sampling of populations, which varied in density and degree of spatial clustering. Because of logistics and costs of large river sampling and spatial clustering of freshwater mussels, we focused on adaptive and non-adaptive versions of single and two-stage sampling. The candidate designs performed similarly in terms of precision (CV) and probability of species detection for fixed sample size. Both CV and species detection were determined largely by density, spatial distribution and sample size. However, designs did differ in the rate that occupied quadrats were encountered. Occupied units had a higher probability of selection using adaptive designs than conventional designs. We used two measures of cost: sample size (i.e. number of quadrats) and distance travelled between the quadrats. Adaptive and two-stage designs tended to reduce distance between sampling units, and thus performed better when distance travelled was considered. Based on the comparisons, we provide general recommendations on the sampling designs for the freshwater mussels in the UMR, and presumably other large rivers.
High density high performance plasma with internal diffusion barrier in Large Helical Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, R.; Kobayashi, M.; Miyazawa, J.

2008-10-01

A attractive high density plasma operational regime, namely an internal diffusion barrier (IDB), has been discovered in the intrinsic helical divertor configuration on the Large Helical Device (LHD). The IDB which enables core plasma to access a high density/high pressure regime has been developed. It is revealed that the IDB is reproducibly formed by pellet fueling in the magnetic configurations shifted outward in major radius. Attainable central plasma density exceeds 1x10 21 m -3 . Central pressure reaches 1.5 times atmospheric pressure and the central β value becomes fairly high even at high magnetic field, i.e. β(0)=5.5% at B t =2.57 T. (author)
The internal disruption as hard Magnetohydrodynamic limit of 1/2 sawtooth like activity in large helical device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varela, J. [Department of Physics, Universidad Carlos III, 28911 Leganes, Madrid (Spain); Watanabe, K. Y.; Ohdachi, S. [National Institute for Fusion Science, Oroshi-cho 322-6, Toki 509-5292 (Japan)

2012-08-15

Large helical device (LHD) inward-shifted configurations are unstable to resistive MHD pressure-gradient-driven modes. Sawtooth like activity was observed during LHD operation. The main drivers are the unstable modes 1/2 and 1/3 in the middle and inner plasma region which limit the plasma confinement efficiency of LHD advanced operation scenarios. The aim of the present research is to study the hard MHD limit of 1/2 sawtooth like activity, not observed yet in LHD operation, and to predict its effects on the device performance. Previous investigations pointed out this system relaxation can be an internal disruption [J. Varela et al., 'Internal disruptions and sawtooth like activity in LHD,' 38th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics (2011), P5.077]. In the present work, we simulate an internal disruption; we study the equilibria properties before and after the disruptive process, its effects on the plasma confinement efficiency during each disruptive phase, the relation between the n/m = 1/2 hard MHD events and the soft MHD events, and how to avoid or reduce their adverse effects. The simulation conclusions point out that the large stochastic region in the middle plasma strongly deforms and tears the flux surfaces when the pressure gradient increases above the hard MHD limit. If the instability reaches the inner plasma, the iota profiles will be perturbed near the plasma core and three magnetic islands can appear near the magnetic axis. If the instability is strong enough to link the stochastic regions in the middle plasma (around the half minor radius {rho}) and the plasma core ({rho}<0.25), an internal disruption is driven.
Rare earths analysis of rock samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis, internal standard method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silachyov, I.

2016-01-01

The application of instrumental neutron activation analysis for the determination of long-lived rare earth elements (REE) in rock samples is considered in this work. Two different methods are statistically compared: the well established external standard method carried out using standard reference materials, and the internal standard method (ISM), using Fe, determined through X-ray fluorescence analysis, as an element-comparator. The ISM proved to be the more precise method for a wide range of REE contents and can be recommended for routine practice. (author)
"Best Practices in Using Large, Complex Samples: The Importance of Using Appropriate Weights and Design Effect Compensation"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason W. Osborne

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Large surveys often use probability sampling in order to obtain representative samples, and these data sets are valuable tools for researchers in all areas of science. Yet many researchers are not formally prepared to appropriately utilize these resources. Indeed, users of one popular dataset were generally found not to have modeled the analyses to take account of the complex sample (Johnson & Elliott, 1998 even when publishing in highly-regarded journals. It is well known that failure to appropriately model the complex sample can substantially bias the results of the analysis. Examples presented in this paper highlight the risk of error of inference and mis-estimation of parameters from failure to analyze these data sets appropriately.
Large scale sample management and data analysis via MIRACLE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Block, Ines; List, Markus; Pedersen, Marlene Lemvig

Reverse-phase protein arrays (RPPAs) allow sensitive quantification of relative protein abundance in thousands of samples in parallel. In the past years the technology advanced based on improved methods and protocols concerning sample preparation and printing, antibody selection, optimization...... of staining conditions and mode of signal analysis. However, the sample management and data analysis still poses challenges because of the high number of samples, sample dilutions, customized array patterns, and various programs necessary for array construction and data processing. We developed...... a comprehensive and user-friendly web application called MIRACLE (MIcroarray R-based Analysis of Complex Lysate Experiments), which bridges the gap between sample management and array analysis by conveniently keeping track of the sample information from lysate preparation, through array construction and signal...
Examining gray matter structure associated with academic performance in a large sample of Chinese high school students

OpenAIRE

Song Wang; Ming Zhou; Taolin Chen; Xun Yang; Guangxiang Chen; Meiyun Wang; Qiyong Gong

2017-01-01

Achievement in school is crucial for students to be able to pursue successful careers and lead happy lives in the future. Although many psychological attributes have been found to be associated with academic performance, the neural substrates of academic performance remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the relationship between brain structure and academic performance in a large sample of high school students via structural magnetic resonance imaging (S-MRI) using voxel-based morphome...
Crowdsourcing for large-scale mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Sampling a cosmopolitan mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species throughout its range is logistically challenging and extremely resource intensive. Mosquito control programmes and regional networks operate at the local level and often conduct sampling activities across much of North America. A method f...

Inorganic elements in sugar samples consumed in several countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salles, P.M.B.; Campos, T.P.R.; Menezes, M.A. de B.C.; Jacimovic, Radojko

2016-01-01

Sugar is considered safe food ingredient, however, it can present inorganic elements as impurities uptake during cultivation and production process. Therefore, this study aimed at identifies the presence of these elements in granulated and brown sugar samples available for consumption in public places in several countries. The neutron activation technique applying the methodology to analyse larger samples, 5 g-sample, established at CDTN/CNEN based on k 0 -method was used to determine the elemental concentrations. Several essential and nonessential elements were determined in a large range of concentrations. The results are discussed comparing to maximum values foreseen in the international and Brazilian legislations. (author)
The Kinematics of the Permitted C ii λ 6578 Line in a Large Sample of Planetary Nebulae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richer, Michael G.; Suárez, Genaro; López, José Alberto; García Díaz, María Teresa, E-mail: richer@astrosen.unam.mx, E-mail: gsuarez@astro.unam.mx, E-mail: jal@astrosen.unam.mx, E-mail: tere@astro.unam.mx [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico)

2017-03-01

We present spectroscopic observations of the C ii λ 6578 permitted line for 83 lines of sight in 76 planetary nebulae at high spectral resolution, most of them obtained with the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph on the 2.1 m telescope at the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional on the Sierra San Pedro Mártir. We study the kinematics of the C ii λ 6578 permitted line with respect to other permitted and collisionally excited lines. Statistically, we find that the kinematics of the C ii λ 6578 line are not those expected if this line arises from the recombination of C{sup 2+} ions or the fluorescence of C{sup +} ions in ionization equilibrium in a chemically homogeneous nebular plasma, but instead its kinematics are those appropriate for a volume more internal than expected. The planetary nebulae in this sample have well-defined morphology and are restricted to a limited range in H α line widths (no large values) compared to their counterparts in the Milky Way bulge; both these features could be interpreted as the result of young nebular shells, an inference that is also supported by nebular modeling. Concerning the long-standing discrepancy between chemical abundances inferred from permitted and collisionally excited emission lines in photoionized nebulae, our results imply that multiple plasma components occur commonly in planetary nebulae.
SyPRID sampler: A large-volume, high-resolution, autonomous, deep-ocean precision plankton sampling system

Science.gov (United States)

Billings, Andrew; Kaiser, Carl; Young, Craig M.; Hiebert, Laurel S.; Cole, Eli; Wagner, Jamie K. S.; Van Dover, Cindy Lee

2017-03-01

The current standard for large-volume (thousands of cubic meters) zooplankton sampling in the deep sea is the MOCNESS, a system of multiple opening-closing nets, typically lowered to within 50 m of the seabed and towed obliquely to the surface to obtain low-spatial-resolution samples that integrate across 10 s of meters of water depth. The SyPRID (Sentry Precision Robotic Impeller Driven) sampler is an innovative, deep-rated (6000 m) plankton sampler that partners with the Sentry Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to obtain paired, large-volume plankton samples at specified depths and survey lines to within 1.5 m of the seabed and with simultaneous collection of sensor data. SyPRID uses a perforated Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight (UHMW) plastic tube to support a fine mesh net within an outer carbon composite tube (tube-within-a-tube design), with an axial flow pump located aft of the capture filter. The pump facilitates flow through the system and reduces or possibly eliminates the bow wave at the mouth opening. The cod end, a hollow truncated cone, is also made of UHMW plastic and includes a collection volume designed to provide an area where zooplankton can collect, out of the high flow region. SyPRID attaches as a saddle-pack to the Sentry vehicle. Sentry itself is configured with a flight control system that enables autonomous survey paths to low altitudes. In its verification deployment at the Blake Ridge Seep (2160 m) on the US Atlantic Margin, SyPRID was operated for 6 h at an altitude of 5 m. It recovered plankton samples, including delicate living larvae, from the near-bottom stratum that is seldom sampled by a typical MOCNESS tow. The prototype SyPRID and its next generations will enable studies of plankton or other particulate distributions associated with localized physico-chemical strata in the water column or above patchy habitats on the seafloor.
Selection and use of contraceptive methods among internal migrant workers in three large Chinese cities: a workplace-based survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Hong-Xin; Wu, Jun-Qing; Li, Yu-Yan; Zhang, Yu-Feng; Ye, Jiang-Feng; Zhan, Shao-Kang; Zheng, Xiao-Ying; Yang, Ting-Zhong

2011-08-01

To describe the current status of the decision-making process with regard to the use of contraceptive methods among internal migrant workers in three large Chinese cities. A total of 4313 sexually active internal migrant workers were recruited in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. Information on contraceptive use was collected by means of questionnaires. Contraceptive prevalence was 86% among unmarried sexually active migrant workers and 91% among married workers. The main contraceptive methods used by married migrants were the intrauterine device (51%), condoms (25%) and female/male sterilisation (17%); the main methods resorted to by unmarried, sexually active migrants were condoms (74%) and oral contraceptives (11%). The contraceptive method applied by 20% of married respondents had been selected by other people, without they themselves having their share in an informed choice. Adopting the contraceptive decisions made by others was associated with being a married migrant, a construction or service worker, a rural-urban migrant, a migrant living in collective or rented rooms, or a migrant with more children. Many internal migrants in these large cities did not choose their contraceptive method on their own. Efforts enabling and encouraging migrants to make informed choices are needed.
Method for the radioimmunoassay of large numbers of samples using quantitative autoradiography of multiple-well plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luner, S.J.

1978-01-01

A double antibody assay for thyroxine using 125 I as label was carried out on 10-μl samples in Microtiter V-plates. After an additional centrifugation to compact the precipitates the plates were placed in contact with x-ray film overnight and the spots were scanned. In the 20 to 160 ng/ml range the average coefficient of variation for thyroxine concentration determined on the basis of film spot optical density was 11 percent compared to 4.8 percent obtained using a standard gamma counter. Eliminating the need for each sample to spend on the order of 1 min in a crystal well detector makes the method convenient for large-scale applications involving more than 3000 samples per day
Parental bonds and body dissatisfaction in a clinical sample: The mediating roles of attachment anxiety and media internalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Grenon, Renee; Tasca, Giorgio A; Maxwell, Hilary; Balfour, Louise; Proulx, Genevieve; Bissada, Hany

2016-12-01

We evaluated an attachment theory model in which mother and father care were hypothesized to be indirectly related to body dissatisfaction mediated by attachment anxiety and media internalization. Participants were 232 women diagnosed with an eating disorder who completed a retrospective measure of parental bonds, and measures of attachment anxiety, media internalization, and body image. Mother care was negatively associated with body dissatisfaction, suggesting that recollection of mothers as less caring was directly related to poorer body image. Lower father care, was indirectly associated with greater body dissatisfaction mediated by higher attachment anxiety and higher media internalization. That is, women with an eating disorder who recollected fathers as less caring had higher attachment anxiety, which was related to greater internalizing of media-related thin ideals, that in turn was associated with poorer body image. Mothers and fathers may impact body dissatisfaction by differing mechanisms in clinical samples. Copyright Â© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ultrasensitive multiplex optical quantification of bacteria in large samples of biofluids

Science.gov (United States)

Pazos-Perez, Nicolas; Pazos, Elena; Catala, Carme; Mir-Simon, Bernat; Gómez-de Pedro, Sara; Sagales, Juan; Villanueva, Carlos; Vila, Jordi; Soriano, Alex; García de Abajo, F. Javier; Alvarez-Puebla, Ramon A.

2016-01-01

Efficient treatments in bacterial infections require the fast and accurate recognition of pathogens, with concentrations as low as one per milliliter in the case of septicemia. Detecting and quantifying bacteria in such low concentrations is challenging and typically demands cultures of large samples of blood (~1 milliliter) extending over 24–72 hours. This delay seriously compromises the health of patients. Here we demonstrate a fast microorganism optical detection system for the exhaustive identification and quantification of pathogens in volumes of biofluids with clinical relevance (~1 milliliter) in minutes. We drive each type of bacteria to accumulate antibody functionalized SERS-labelled silver nanoparticles. Particle aggregation on the bacteria membranes renders dense arrays of inter-particle gaps in which the Raman signal is exponentially amplified by several orders of magnitude relative to the dispersed particles. This enables a multiplex identification of the microorganisms through the molecule-specific spectral fingerprints. PMID:27364357
Similar brain activation during false belief tasks in a large sample of adults with and without autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Dufour, Nicholas; Redcay, Elizabeth; Young, Liane; Mavros, Penelope L; Moran, Joseph M; Triantafyllou, Christina; Gabrieli, John D E; Saxe, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Reading about another person's beliefs engages 'Theory of Mind' processes and elicits highly reliable brain activation across individuals and experimental paradigms. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined activation during a story task designed to elicit Theory of Mind processing in a very large sample of neurotypical (N = 462) individuals, and a group of high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (N = 31), using both region-of-interest and whole-brain analyses. This large sample allowed us to investigate group differences in brain activation to Theory of Mind tasks with unusually high sensitivity. There were no differences between neurotypical participants and those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. These results imply that the social cognitive impairments typical of autism spectrum disorder can occur without measurable changes in the size, location or response magnitude of activity during explicit Theory of Mind tasks administered to adults.
Similar brain activation during false belief tasks in a large sample of adults with and without autism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas Dufour

Full Text Available Reading about another person's beliefs engages 'Theory of Mind' processes and elicits highly reliable brain activation across individuals and experimental paradigms. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined activation during a story task designed to elicit Theory of Mind processing in a very large sample of neurotypical (N = 462 individuals, and a group of high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (N = 31, using both region-of-interest and whole-brain analyses. This large sample allowed us to investigate group differences in brain activation to Theory of Mind tasks with unusually high sensitivity. There were no differences between neurotypical participants and those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. These results imply that the social cognitive impairments typical of autism spectrum disorder can occur without measurable changes in the size, location or response magnitude of activity during explicit Theory of Mind tasks administered to adults.
Internalizing and externalizing personality and subjective effects in a sample of adolescent cannabis users.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Sánchez, Sara; Matalí, Josep Lluís; Martín-Fernández, María; Pardo, Marta; Lleras, Maria; Castellano-Tejedor, Carmina; Haro, Josep Maria

2016-10-06

Cannabis is the illicit substance most widely used by adolescents. Certain personality traits such as impulsivity and sensation seeking, and the subjective effects experienced after substance use (e.g. euphoria or relaxation) have been identified as some of the main etiological factors of consumption. This study aims to categorize a sample of adolescent cannabis users based on their most dominant personality traits (internalizing and externalizing profile). Then, to make a comparison of both profiles considering a set of variables related to consumption, clinical severity and subjective effects experienced. From a cross-sectional design, 173 adolescents (104 men and 69 women) aged 13 to 18 asking for treatment for cannabis use disorder in an Addictive Behavior Unit (UCAD) from the hospital were recruited. For the assessment, an ad hoc protocol was employed to register consumption, the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) and the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) 49-item short form were also administered. Factor analysis suggested a two-profile solution: Introverted, Inhibited, Doleful, Dramatizing (-), Egotistic (-), Self-demeaning and Borderline tendency scales composed the internalizing profile, and Submissive (-), Unruly, Forceful, Conforming (-) and Oppositional scales composed the externalizing profile. The comparative analysis showed that the internalizing profile has higher levels of clinical severity and more subjective effects reported than the externalizing profile. These results suggest the need to design specific intervention strategies for each profile.
Presence and significant determinants of cognitive impairment in a large sample of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina Borghi

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presence and the nature of cognitive impairment in a large sample of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS, and to identify clinical and demographic determinants of cognitive impairment in MS. METHODS: 303 patients with MS and 279 healthy controls were administered the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological tests (BRB-N; measures of pre-morbid verbal competence and neuropsychiatric measures were also administered. RESULTS: Patients and healthy controls were matched for age, gender, education and pre-morbid verbal Intelligence Quotient. Patients presenting with cognitive impairment were 108/303 (35.6%. In the overall group of participants, the significant predictors of the most sensitive BRB-N scores were: presence of MS, age, education, and Vocabulary. The significant predictors when considering MS patients only were: course of MS, age, education, vocabulary, and depression. Using logistic regression analyses, significant determinants of the presence of cognitive impairment in relapsing-remitting MS patients were: duration of illness (OR = 1.053, 95% CI = 1.010-1.097, p = 0.015, Expanded Disability Status Scale score (OR = 1.247, 95% CI = 1.024-1.517, p = 0.028, and vocabulary (OR = 0.960, 95% CI = 0.936-0.984, p = 0.001, while in the smaller group of progressive MS patients these predictors did not play a significant role in determining the cognitive outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Our results corroborate the evidence about the presence and the nature of cognitive impairment in a large sample of patients with MS. Furthermore, our findings identify significant clinical and demographic determinants of cognitive impairment in a large sample of MS patients for the first time. Implications for further research and clinical practice were discussed.
The ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey (EDIBLES) . I. Project description, survey sample, and quality assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Nick L. J.; Cami, Jan; Farhang, Amin; Smoker, Jonathan; Monreal-Ibero, Ana; Lallement, Rosine; Sarre, Peter J.; Marshall, Charlotte C. M.; Smith, Keith T.; Evans, Christopher J.; Royer, Pierre; Linnartz, Harold; Cordiner, Martin A.; Joblin, Christine; van Loon, Jacco Th.; Foing, Bernard H.; Bhatt, Neil H.; Bron, Emeric; Elyajouri, Meriem; de Koter, Alex; Ehrenfreund, Pascale; Javadi, Atefeh; Kaper, Lex; Khosroshadi, Habib G.; Laverick, Mike; Le Petit, Franck; Mulas, Giacomo; Roueff, Evelyne; Salama, Farid; Spaans, Marco

2017-10-01

The carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are largely unidentified molecules ubiquitously present in the interstellar medium (ISM). After decades of study, two strong and possibly three weak near-infrared DIBs have recently been attributed to the C60^+ fullerene based on observational and laboratory measurements. There is great promise for the identification of the over 400 other known DIBs, as this result could provide chemical hints towards other possible carriers. In an effort tosystematically study the properties of the DIB carriers, we have initiated a new large-scale observational survey: the ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey (EDIBLES). The main objective is to build on and extend existing DIB surveys to make a major step forward in characterising the physical and chemical conditions for a statistically significant sample of interstellar lines-of-sight, with the goal to reverse-engineer key molecular properties of the DIB carriers. EDIBLES is a filler Large Programme using the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope at Paranal, Chile. It is designed to provide an observationally unbiased view of the presence and behaviour of the DIBs towards early-spectral-type stars whose lines-of-sight probe the diffuse-to-translucent ISM. Such a complete dataset will provide a deep census of the atomic and molecular content, physical conditions, chemical abundances and elemental depletion levels for each sightline. Achieving these goals requires a homogeneous set of high-quality data in terms of resolution (R 70 000-100 000), sensitivity (S/N up to 1000 per resolution element), and spectral coverage (305-1042 nm), as well as a large sample size (100+ sightlines). In this first paper the goals, objectives and methodology of the EDIBLES programme are described and an initial assessment of the data is provided.
Large-scale international validation of the ADO index in subjects with COPD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Puhan, Milo A; Hansel, Nadia N; Sobradillo, Patricia

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Little evidence on the validity of simple and widely applicable tools to predict mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exists. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a large international study to validate the ADO index that uses age, dyspnoea and FEV(1) to predict 3......-IV. MEASUREMENTS: We validated the original ADO index. We then obtained an updated ADO index in half of our cohorts to improve its predictive accuracy, which in turn was validated comprehensively in the remaining cohorts using discrimination, calibration and decision curve analysis and a number of sensitivity......-to-moderate risk of 3-year mortality than FEV(1) alone. INTERPRETATION: The updated 15-point ADO index accurately predicts 3-year mortality across the COPD severity spectrum and can be used to inform patients about their prognosis, clinical trial study design or benefit harm assessment of medical interventions....
Feasibility analysis of large length-scale thermocapillary flow experiment for the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Alberts, Samantha J.

The investigation of microgravity fluid dynamics emerged out of necessity with the advent of space exploration. In particular, capillary research took a leap forward in the 1960s with regards to liquid settling and interfacial dynamics. Due to inherent temperature variations in large spacecraft liquid systems, such as fuel tanks, forces develop on gas-liquid interfaces which induce thermocapillary flows. To date, thermocapillary flows have been studied in small, idealized research geometries usually under terrestrial conditions. The 1 to 3m lengths in current and future large tanks and hardware are designed based on hardware rather than research, which leaves spaceflight systems designers without the technological tools to effectively create safe and efficient designs. This thesis focused on the design and feasibility of a large length-scale thermocapillary flow experiment, which utilizes temperature variations to drive a flow. The design of a helical channel geometry ranging from 1 to 2.5m in length permits a large length-scale thermocapillary flow experiment to fit in a seemingly small International Space Station (ISS) facility such as the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR). An initial investigation determined the proposed experiment produced measurable data while adhering to the FIR facility limitations. The computational portion of this thesis focused on the investigation of functional geometries of fuel tanks and depots using Surface Evolver. This work outlines the design of a large length-scale thermocapillary flow experiment for the ISS FIR. The results from this work improve the understanding thermocapillary flows and thus improve technological tools for predicting heat and mass transfer in large length-scale thermocapillary flows. Without the tools to understand the thermocapillary flows in these systems, engineers are forced to design larger, heavier vehicles to assure safety and mission success.
The Limits and Possibilities of International Large-Scale Assessments. Education Policy Brief. Volume 9, Number 2, Spring 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Rutkowski, David J.; Prusinski, Ellen L.

2011-01-01

The staff of the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) at Indiana University is often asked about how international large-scale assessments influence U.S. educational policy. This policy brief is designed to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions encountered by CEEP researchers concerning the three most popular…
A large-scale cryoelectronic system for biological sample banking

Science.gov (United States)

Shirley, Stephen G.; Durst, Christopher H. P.; Fuchs, Christian C.; Zimmermann, Heiko; Ihmig, Frank R.

2009-11-01

We describe a polymorphic electronic infrastructure for managing biological samples stored over liquid nitrogen. As part of this system we have developed new cryocontainers and carrier plates attached to Flash memory chips to have a redundant and portable set of data at each sample. Our experimental investigations show that basic Flash operation and endurance is adequate for the application down to liquid nitrogen temperatures. This identification technology can provide the best sample identification, documentation and tracking that brings added value to each sample. The first application of the system is in a worldwide collaborative research towards the production of an AIDS vaccine. The functionality and versatility of the system can lead to an essential optimization of sample and data exchange for global clinical studies.
Detecting superior face recognition skills in a large sample of young British adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Katarzyna Bobak

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The Cambridge Face Memory Test Long Form (CFMT+ and Cambridge Face Perception Test (CFPT are typically used to assess the face processing ability of individuals who believe they have superior face recognition skills. Previous large-scale studies have presented norms for the CFPT but not the CFMT+. However, previous research has also highlighted the necessity for establishing country-specific norms for these tests, indicating that norming data is required for both tests using young British adults. The current study addressed this issue in 254 British participants. In addition to providing the first norm for performance on the CFMT+ in any large sample, we also report the first UK specific cut-off for superior face recognition on the CFPT. Further analyses identified a small advantage for females on both tests, and only small associations between objective face recognition skills and self-report measures. A secondary aim of the study was to examine the relationship between trait or social anxiety and face processing ability, and no associations were noted. The implications of these findings for the classification of super-recognisers are discussed.
Prevalence of learned grapheme-color pairings in a large online sample of synesthetes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathan Witthoft

Full Text Available In this paper we estimate the minimum prevalence of grapheme-color synesthetes with letter-color matches learned from an external stimulus, by analyzing a large sample of English-speaking grapheme-color synesthetes. We find that at least 6% (400/6588 participants of the total sample learned many of their matches from a widely available colored letter toy. Among those born in the decade after the toy began to be manufactured, the proportion of synesthetes with learned letter-color pairings approaches 15% for some 5-year periods. Among those born 5 years or more before it was manufactured, none have colors learned from the toy. Analysis of the letter-color matching data suggests the only difference between synesthetes with matches to the toy and those without is exposure to the stimulus. These data indicate learning of letter-color pairings from external contingencies can occur in a substantial fraction of synesthetes, and are consistent with the hypothesis that grapheme-color synesthesia is a kind of conditioned mental imagery.
Large magnitude gridded ionization chamber for impurity identification in alpha emitting radioactive samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, R.N. dos.

1992-01-01

This paper refers to a large magnitude gridded ionization chamber with high resolution used in the identification of α radioactive samples. The chamber and the electrode have been described in terms of their geometry and dimensions, as well as the best results listed accordingly. Several α emitting radioactive samples were used with a gas mixture of 90% Argon plus 10% Methane. We got α energy spectrum with resolution around 22,14 KeV in agreement to the best results available in the literature. The spectrum of α energy related to 92 U 233 was gotten using the ionization chamber mentioned in this work; several values were found which matched perfectly well adjustment curve of the chamber. Many other additional measures using different kinds of adjusted detectors were successfully obtained in order to confirm the results gotten in the experiments, thus leading to the identification of some elements of the 92 U 233 radioactive series. Such results show the possibility of using the chamber mentioned for measurements of α low activity contamination. (author)
Validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale – International in a sample of Portuguese elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Maria Alves Marques-Vieira

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: to translate and adapt Falls Efficacy Scale – International (FES-I. To analyze the psychometric properties of the FES-I Portugal version. Method: psychometric study. Sample consisting of 170 elderly people residing in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. A two- part form was used (sociodemographic characterization and FES-I Portugal. The cross-cultural adaptation was performed and the following psychometric properties were evaluated: validity (construct, predictive, and discriminant, reliability (Cronbach’s alpha, and inter-rater reliability. Results: the results allow us to verify a dimension of less demanding physical activities and another of more demanding physical activities. The inter-rater reliability study was 0.62, with an interclass correlation coefficient of 0.859, for a 95% confidence interval. The internal consistency of the Portuguese version was 0.962. Conclusion: the validity and reliability of the FES-I Portugal are consistent with the original version and proved to be appropriate instruments for evaluating the “impaired walking” and “risk of falls” nursing diagnoses in the older people.

How International Large-Scale Skills Assessments Engage with National Actors: Mobilising Networks through Policy, Media and Public Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Mary

2017-01-01

This paper examines how international, large-scale skills assessments (ILSAs) engage with the broader societies they seek to serve and improve. It looks particularly at the discursive work that is done by different interest groups and the media through which the findings become part of public conversations and are translated into usable form in…
Analysis of plant hormones by microemulsion electrokinetic capillary chromatography coupled with on-line large volume sample stacking.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zongbao; Lin, Zian; Zhang, Lin; Cai, Yan; Zhang, Lan

2012-04-07

A novel method of microemulsion electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEEKC) coupled with on-line large volume sample stacking was developed for the analysis of six plant hormones including indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, indole-3-propionic acid, 1-naphthaleneacetic acid, abscisic acid and salicylic acid. Baseline separation of six plant hormones was achieved within 10 min by using the microemulsion background electrolyte containing a 97.2% (w/w) 10 mM borate buffer at pH 9.2, 1.0% (w/w) ethyl acetate as oil droplets, 0.6% (w/w) sodium dodecyl sulphate as surfactant and 1.2% (w/w) 1-butanol as cosurfactant. In addition, an on-line concentration method based on a large volume sample stacking technique and multiple wavelength detection was adopted for improving the detection sensitivity in order to determine trace level hormones in a real sample. The optimal method provided about 50-100 fold increase in detection sensitivity compared with a single MEEKC method, and the detection limits (S/N = 3) were between 0.005 and 0.02 μg mL(-1). The proposed method was simple, rapid and sensitive and could be applied to the determination of six plant hormones in spiked water samples, tobacco leaves and 1-naphthylacetic acid in leaf fertilizer. The recoveries ranged from 76.0% to 119.1%, and good reproducibilities were obtained with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 6.6%.
$b$-Tagging and Large Radius Jet Modelling in a $g\\rightarrow b\\bar{b}$ rich sample at ATLAS

CERN Document Server

Jiang, Zihao; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

Studies of b-tagging performance and jet properties in double b-tagged, large radius jets from sqrt(s)=8 TeV pp collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. The double b-tag requirement yields a sample rich in high pT jets originating from the g->bb process. Using this sample, the performance of b-tagging and modelling of jet substructure variables at small b-quark angular separation is probed.
A large-capacity sample-changer for automated gamma-ray spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andeweg, A.H.

1980-01-01

An automatic sample-changer has been developed at the National Institute for Metallurgy for use in gamma-ray spectroscopy with a lithium-drifted germanium detector. The sample-changer features remote storage, which prevents cross-talk and reduces background. It has a capacity for 200 samples and a sample container that takes liquid or solid samples. The rotation and vibration of samples during counting ensure that powdered samples are compacted, and improve the precision and reproducibility of the counting geometry [af
Factor Structure, Internal Consistency, and Screening Sensitivity of the GARS-2 in a Developmental Disabilities Sample

OpenAIRE

Martin A. Volker; Elissa H. Dua; Christopher Lopata; Marcus L. Thomeer; Jennifer A. Toomey; Audrey M. Smerbeck; Jonathan D. Rodgers; Joshua R. Popkin; Andrew T. Nelson; Gloria K. Lee

2016-01-01

The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (GARS-2) is a widely used screening instrument that assists in the identification and diagnosis of autism. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure, internal consistency, and screening sensitivity of the GARS-2 using ratings from special education teaching staff for a sample of 240 individuals with autism or other significant developmental disabilities. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a correlated three-factor solution si...
Economic and Humanistic Burden of Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Large Sample Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Feng; Kovic, Bruno; Jin, Xuejing; He, Xiaoning; Wang, Mengxiao; Silvestre, Camila

2016-11-01

Osteoarthritis (OA) consumes a significant amount of healthcare resources, and impairs the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients. Previous reviews have consistently found substantial variations in the costs of OA across studies and countries. The comparability between studies was poor and limited the detection of the true differences between these studies. To review large sample studies on measuring the economic and/or humanistic burden of OA published since May 2006. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases using comprehensive search strategies to identify studies reporting economic burden and HRQoL of OA. We included large sample studies if they had a sample size ≥1000 and measured the cost and/or HRQoL of OA. Reviewers worked independently and in duplicate, performing a cross-check between groups to verify agreement. Within- and between-group consolidation was performed to resolve discrepancies, with outstanding discrepancies being resolved by an arbitrator. The Kappa statistic was reported to assess the agreement between the reviewers. All costs were adjusted in their original currency to year 2015 using published inflation rates for the country where the study was conducted, and then converted to 2015 US dollars. A total of 651 articles were screened by title and abstract, 94 were reviewed in full text, and 28 were included in the final review. The Kappa value was 0.794. Twenty studies reported direct costs and nine reported indirect costs. The total annual average direct costs varied from US$1442 to US$21,335, both in USA. The annual average indirect costs ranged from US$238 to US$29,935. Twelve studies measured HRQoL using various instruments. The Short Form 12 version 2 scores ranged from 35.0 to 51.3 for the physical component, and from 43.5 to 55.0 for the mental component. Health utilities varied from 0.30 for severe OA to 0.77 for mild OA. Per-patient OA costs are considerable and a patient's quality of life remains poor. Variations in
The mediating role of internalized racism in the relationship between racist experiences and anxiety symptoms in a Black American sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Jessica R; West, Lindsey M; Martinez, Jennifer; Roemer, Lizabeth

2016-07-01

The current study explores the potential mediating role of internalized racism in the relationship between racist experiences and anxiety symptomology in a Black American sample. One hundred and 73 Black American participants, between 18 and 62 years of age, completed a questionnaire packet containing measures of anxious arousal and stress symptoms, internalized racism, and experiences of racist events. Results indicated that internalized racism mediated the relationship between past-year frequency of racist events and anxious arousal as well as past-year frequency of racist events and stress symptoms. Internalized racism may be 1 mechanism that underlies the relationship between racism and anxious symptomology for Black Americans. These preliminary findings suggest that internalized racism may be an avenue through which clinicians can target the anxiety elicited by racist experiences. The clinical implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).
The numerical simulation of the WWER-440/V-213 reactor pressure vessel internals response to maximum hypothetical large break loss of coolant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermansky, P.; Krajcovic, M.

2012-01-01

The reactor internals are designed to ensure cooling of the fuel, to ensure the movement of emergency control assemblies under all operating conditions including accidents and facilitate removal of the fuel and of the internals following an accident This paper presents results of the numerical simulation of the WWER-440/V213 reactor vessel internals dynamic response to maximum hypothetical Large-Break Loss of Coolant Accident. The purpose of this analysis is to determine the reactor vessel internals response due to rapid depressurization and to prove no such deformations occur in the reactor vessel internals which would prevent timely and proper activation of the emergency control assemblies. (Authors)
Individual Consequences of Internal Marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naghi Remus Ionut

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Since the emergence of the concept of internal marketing in the literature there have been almost 40 years. This period was marked by a constant increase of the concerns in the internal marketing area, these efforts being evidenced by the publication of a consistent number of articles (conceptual and empirical which analyze this subject. Considering the previous empirical studies, most of them have focused on studying the relationship between internal marketing and employee satisfaction and / or organizational commitment. However, the relationship between internal marketing and its consequences has been less analyzed in the context of emergent economies. In this paper we aimed to analyze the individual consequences of the internal marketing in the Romanian economy context, focusing our attention on three constructs: employee satisfaction, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. The research was conducted on a sample of 83 medium and large companies in various sectors of the Romanian economy. In order to proceed with the statistical data analyses we followed these steps: verifying the scales reliability, determining factor loadings and research hypotheses testing. Our research results are consistent with results of previous studies showing that the adoption of internal marketing practice has a positive effect on employee satisfaction, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior
Chinese version of Impact of Weight on Quality of Life for Kids: psychometric properties in a large school-based sample.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jinbo; Zhu, Hong; Luo, Xingwei; Cai, Taisheng; Wu, Siyao; Lu, Yao

2016-06-01

The Impact of Weight on Quality of Life for Kids (IWQOL-Kids) is the first self-report questionnaire for assessing weight-related quality of life for youth. However, there is no Chinese version of IWQOL-Kids. Thus, the objective of this research was to translate IWQOL-Kids into Mandarin and evaluate its psychometric properties in a large school-based sample. The total sample included 2282 participants aged 11-18 years old, including 1703 non-overweight, 386 overweight and 193 obese students. IWQOL-Kids was translated and culturally adapted by following the international guidelines for instrument linguistic validation procedures. The psychometric evaluation included internal consistency, test-retest reliability, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity and discriminant validity. Cronbach's α for the Chinese version of IWQOL-Kids (IWQOL-Kids-C) was 0.956 and ranged from 0.891 to 0.927 for subscales. IWQOL-Kids-C showed a test-retest coefficient of 0.937 after 2 weeks and ranged from 0.847 to 0.903 for subscales. The original four-factor model was reproduced by EFA after seven iterations, accounting for 69.28% of the total variance. CFA demonstrated that the four-factor model had good fit indices with comparative fit index = 0.92, normed fit index = 0.91, goodness of fit index = 0.86, root mean square error of approximation = 0.07 and root mean square residual = 0.03. Convergent validity and discriminant validity were demonstrated with higher correlations between similar constructs and lower correlations between dissimilar constructs of IWQOL-Kids-C and PedsQL™ 4.0. The significant differences were found across the body mass index groups, and IWQOL-Kids-C had higher effect sizes than PedsQL™4.0 when comparing non-overweight and obese groups, supporting the sensitivity of IWQOL-Kids-C. IWQOL-Kids-C is a satisfactory, valid and reliable instrument to assess weight-related quality of life for Chinese children and
LOGISTICS OF ECOLOGICAL SAMPLING ON LARGE RIVERS

Science.gov (United States)

The objectives of this document are to provide an overview of the logistical problems associated with the ecological sampling of boatable rivers and to suggest solutions to those problems. It is intended to be used as a resource for individuals preparing to collect biological dat...
An international comparison of grade 6 students' understanding of the equal sign.

Science.gov (United States)

Capraro, Robert M; Capraro, Mary Margaret; Yetkiner, Z Ebrar; Ozel, Serkan; Kim, Hae Gyu; Küçük, Ali Riza

2010-02-01

This study extends the scope of international comparisons examining students' conceptions of the equal sign. Specifically, Korean (n = 193) and Turkish (n = 334) Grade 6 students were examined to assess whether their conceptions and responses were similar to prior findings published for Chinese and U.S. students and to hypothesize relationships about problem types and conceptual understanding of the equal sign. About 59.6% of the Korean participants correctly answered all items providing conceptually accurate solutions, as compared to 28.4% of the Turkish sample. Comparison with previous studies in China and the USA indicated that the Chinese sample outperformed those from other nations, followed by Korea, Turkey, and the USA. In large-scale international studies such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), students from China and Korea have been among the high achievers.
Integrating sphere based reflectance measurements for small-area semiconductor samples

Science.gov (United States)

Saylan, S.; Howells, C. T.; Dahlem, M. S.

2018-05-01

This article describes a method that enables reflectance spectroscopy of small semiconductor samples using an integrating sphere, without the use of additional optical elements. We employed an inexpensive sample holder to measure the reflectance of different samples through 2-, 3-, and 4.5-mm-diameter apertures and applied a mathematical formulation to remove the bias from the measured spectra caused by illumination of the holder. Using the proposed method, the reflectance of samples fabricated using expensive or rare materials and/or low-throughput processes can be measured. It can also be incorporated to infer the internal quantum efficiency of small-area, research-level solar cells. Moreover, small samples that reflect light at large angles and develop scattering may also be measured reliably, by virtue of an integrating sphere insensitive to directionalities.
Annular Internal-External-Expansion Rocket Nozzles for Large Booster Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Connors, James F.; Cubbison, Robert W.; Mitchell, Glenn A.

1961-01-01

For large-thrust booster applications, annular rocket nozzles employing both internal and external expansion are investigated. In these nozzles, free-stream air flows through the center as well as around the outside of the exiting jet. Flaps for deflecting the rocket exhaust are incorporated on the external-expansion surface for thrust-vector control. In order to define nozzle off-design performance, thrust vectoring effectiveness, and external stream effects, an experimental investigation was conducted on two annular nozzles with area ratios of 15 and 25 at Mach 0, 2, and 3 in the Lewis 10- by 10-foot wind tunnel. Air, pressurized to 600 pounds per square inch absolute, was used to simulate the exhaust flow. For a nozzle-pressure-ratio range of 40 to 1000, the ratio of actual to ideal thrust was essentially constant at 0.98 for both nozzles. Compared with conventional convergent-divergent configurations on hypothetical boost missions, the performance gains of the annular nozzle could yield significant orbital payload increases (possibly 8 to 17 percent). A single flap on the external-expansion surface of the area-ratio-25 annular nozzle produced a side force equal to 4 percent of the axial force with no measurable loss in axial thrust.
Remote sensing data with the conditional latin hypercube sampling and geostatistical approach to delineate landscape changes induced by large chronological physical disturbances.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yu-Pin; Chu, Hone-Jay; Wang, Cheng-Long; Yu, Hsiao-Hsuan; Wang, Yung-Chieh

2009-01-01

This study applies variogram analyses of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images derived from SPOT HRV images obtained before and after the ChiChi earthquake in the Chenyulan watershed, Taiwan, as well as images after four large typhoons, to delineate the spatial patterns, spatial structures and spatial variability of landscapes caused by these large disturbances. The conditional Latin hypercube sampling approach was applied to select samples from multiple NDVI images. Kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation with sufficient samples were then used to generate maps of NDVI images. The variography of NDVI image results demonstrate that spatial patterns of disturbed landscapes were successfully delineated by variogram analysis in study areas. The high-magnitude Chi-Chi earthquake created spatial landscape variations in the study area. After the earthquake, the cumulative impacts of typhoons on landscape patterns depended on the magnitudes and paths of typhoons, but were not always evident in the spatiotemporal variability of landscapes in the study area. The statistics and spatial structures of multiple NDVI images were captured by 3,000 samples from 62,500 grids in the NDVI images. Kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation with the 3,000 samples effectively reproduced spatial patterns of NDVI images. However, the proposed approach, which integrates the conditional Latin hypercube sampling approach, variogram, kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation in remotely sensed images, efficiently monitors, samples and maps the effects of large chronological disturbances on spatial characteristics of landscape changes including spatial variability and heterogeneity.
CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF A LARGE SAMPLE OF NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES: LINKING CENTRAL ENGINE AND HOST PROPERTIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Dawei; Komossa, S.; Wang Jing; Yuan Weimin; Zhou Hongyan; Lu Honglin; Li Cheng; Grupe, Dirk

2012-01-01

We present a statistical study of a large, homogeneously analyzed sample of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, accompanied by a comparison sample of broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLS1) galaxies. Optical emission-line and continuum properties are subjected to correlation analyses, in order to identify the main drivers of the correlation space of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and of NLS1 galaxies in particular. For the first time, we have established the density of the narrow-line region as a key parameter in Eigenvector 1 space, as important as the Eddington ratio L/L Edd . This is important because it links the properties of the central engine with the properties of the host galaxy, i.e., the interstellar medium (ISM). We also confirm previously found correlations involving the line width of Hβ and the strength of the Fe II and [O III] λ5007 emission lines, and we confirm the important role played by L/L Edd in driving the properties of NLS1 galaxies. A spatial correlation analysis shows that large-scale environments of the BLS1 and NLS1 galaxies of our sample are similar. If mergers are rare in our sample, accretion-driven winds, on the one hand, or bar-driven inflows, on the other hand, may account for the strong dependence of Eigenvector 1 on ISM density.
Sampling data summary for the ninth run of the Large Slurry Fed Melter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabatino, D.M.

1983-01-01

The ninth experimental run of the Large Slurry Fed Melter (LSFM) was completed June 27, 1983, after 63 days of continuous operation. During the run, the various melter and off-gas streams were sampled and analyzed to determine melter material balances and to characterize off-gas emissions. Sampling methods and preliminary results were reported earlier. The emphasis was on the chemical analyses of the off-gas entrainment, deposits, and scrubber liquid. The significant sampling results from the run are summarized below: Flushing the Frit 165 with Frit 131 without bubbler agitation required 3 to 4.5 melter volumes. The off-gas cesium concentration during feeding was on the order of 36 to 56 μgCs/scf. The cesium concentration in the melter plenum (based on air in leakage only) was on the order of 110 to 210 μgCs/scf. Using <1 micron as the cut point for semivolatile material 60% of the chloride, 35% of the sodium and less than 5% of the managanese and iron in the entrainment are present as semivolatiles. A material balance on the scrubber tank solids shows good agreement with entrainment data. An overall cesium balance using LSFM-9 data and the DWPF production rate indicates an emission of 0.11 mCi/yr of cesium from the DWPF off-gas. This is a factor of 27 less than the maximum allowable 3 mCi/yr
Outcome of emergency endovascular treatment of large internal iliac artery aneurysms with guidewires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cambj-Sapunar, Liana; Maskovic, Josip; Brkljacic, Boris; Radonic, Vedran; Dragicevic, Dragan; Ajduk, Marko

2010-01-01

Purpose: Guidewires have been reported as a useful occlusion material for large aneurysms of different locations with good short-term results. In this study we retrospectively evaluate long-term results of emergency embolization technique with guidewires in symptomatic internal iliac artery aneurysm (IIAA) impending rupture. Patients and methods: In four patients presented with acute abdominal pain, multidetector computed tomography revealed unstable, 7-14 cm large, IIAAs. Two patients were treated with coil embolization of distal branches followed by occlusion of aneurysmal sac with guidewires. In two patients embolization of aneurysmal sac alone was performed. Results: In three patients complete or near complete occlusion of the aneurysmal sac was achieved and abdominal pain ceased within hours. Two patients treated with embolization of distal iliac artery branches and aneurysmal sac developed claudication that lasted up to 1 year. Their aneurysms remained thrombosed and they were without symptoms until they died 31 and 56 months later of causes unrelated to IIAA. Two patients treated with embolization of the aneurysm alone were free of ischemic symptoms. Because of incomplete embolization of the sac in one patient open surgery treatment in a non-emergency setting was performed. Complete filling of aneurysmal sac was achieved in other patient but 2 years later his aneurysm re-opened and required open surgery treatment. Conclusion: Embolization of aneurysmal sac of large IIAA with guidewires may be effective for immediate treatment of impending rupture. Long-term results were better when embolization of the aneurysmal sac was combined with embolization of distal IIA branches.
Multinational Enterprises from Small Economies: The Internationalization Pattern of Large Companies from Denmark, Finland and Norway

OpenAIRE

Benito, Gabriel R.G.; Larimo, Jorma; Narula, Rajneesh; Pedersen, Torben

2001-01-01

Analyzing the internationalization of large companies from small countries requires understanding the process of internationalization by examining the interface between micro (firm strategies) and macro (the forces of centripetal and centrifugal) level factors. We examine the growth and international expansion of the ten largest companies in Denmark, Finland, and Norway over the period 1990 to 1999. Most companies in the sample became more international during the last decade across basically...
A Survey for Spectroscopic Binaries in a Large Sample of G Dwarfs

Science.gov (United States)

Udry, S.; Mayor, M.; Latham, D. W.; Stefanik, R. P.; Torres, G.; Mazeh, T.; Goldberg, D.; Andersen, J.; Nordstrom, B.

For more than 5 years now, the radial velocities for a large sample of G dwarfs (3,347 stars) have been monitored in order to obtain an unequaled set of orbital parameters for solar-type stars (~400 orbits, up to now). This survey provides a considerable improvement on the classical systematic study by Duquennoy and Mayor (1991; DM91). The observational part of the survey has been carried out in the context of a collaboration between the Geneva Observatory on the two coravel spectrometers for the southern sky and CfA at Oakridge and Whipple Observatories for the northern sky. As a first glance at these new results, we will address in this contribution a special aspect of the orbital eccentricity distribution, namely the disappearance of the void observed in DM91 for quasi-circular orbits with periods larger than 10 days.

Sampling in schools and large institutional buildings: Implications for regulations, exposure and management of lead and copper.

Science.gov (United States)

Doré, Evelyne; Deshommes, Elise; Andrews, Robert C; Nour, Shokoufeh; Prévost, Michèle

2018-04-21

Legacy lead and copper components are ubiquitous in plumbing of large buildings including schools that serve children most vulnerable to lead exposure. Lead and copper samples must be collected after varying stagnation times and interpreted in reference to different thresholds. A total of 130 outlets (fountains, bathroom and kitchen taps) were sampled for dissolved and particulate lead as well as copper. Sampling was conducted at 8 schools and 3 institutional (non-residential) buildings served by municipal water of varying corrosivity, with and without corrosion control (CC), and without a lead service line. Samples included first draw following overnight stagnation (>8h), partial (30 s) and fully (5 min) flushed, and first draw after 30 min of stagnation. Total lead concentrations in first draw samples after overnight stagnation varied widely from 0.07 to 19.9 μg Pb/L (median: 1.7 μg Pb/L) for large buildings served with non-corrosive water. Higher concentrations were observed in schools with corrosive water without CC (0.9-201 μg Pb/L, median: 14.3 μg Pb/L), while levels in schools with CC ranged from 0.2 to 45.1 μg Pb/L (median: 2.1 μg Pb/L). Partial flushing (30 s) and full flushing (5 min) reduced concentrations by 88% and 92% respectively for corrosive waters without CC. Lead concentrations were 45% than values in 1st draw samples collected after overnight stagnation. Concentrations of particulate Pb varied widely (≥0.02-846 μg Pb/L) and was found to be the cause of very high total Pb concentrations in the 2% of samples exceeding 50 μg Pb/L. Pb levels across outlets within the same building varied widely (up to 1000X) especially in corrosive water (0.85-851 μg Pb/L after 30MS) confirming the need to sample at each outlet to identify high risk taps. Based on the much higher concentrations observed in first draw samples, even after a short stagnation, the first 250mL should be discarded unless no sources
Sample-based Attribute Selective AnDE for Large Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Shenglei; Martinez, Ana; Webb, Geoffrey

2017-01-01

More and more applications come with large data sets in the past decade. However, existing algorithms cannot guarantee to scale well on large data. Averaged n-Dependence Estimators (AnDE) allows for flexible learning from out-of-core data, by varying the value of n (number of super parents). Henc...
Scattering Properties of Large Irregular Cosmic Dust Particles at Visible Wavelengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escobar-Cerezo, J.; Palmer, C.; Muñoz, O.; Moreno, F.; Penttilä, A.; Muinonen, K.

2017-01-01

The effect of internal inhomogeneities and surface roughness on the scattering behavior of large cosmic dust particles is studied by comparing model simulations with laboratory measurements. The present work shows the results of an attempt to model a dust sample measured in the laboratory with simulations performed by a ray-optics model code. We consider this dust sample as a good analogue for interplanetary and interstellar dust as it shares its refractive index with known materials in these media. Several sensitivity tests have been performed for both structural cases (internal inclusions and surface roughness). Three different samples have been selected to mimic inclusion/coating inhomogeneities: two measured scattering matrices of hematite and white clay, and a simulated matrix for water ice. These three matrices are selected to cover a wide range of imaginary refractive indices. The selection of these materials also seeks to study astrophysical environments of interest such as Mars, where hematite and clays have been detected, and comets. Based on the results of the sensitivity tests shown in this work, we perform calculations for a size distribution of a silicate-type host particle model with inclusions and surface roughness to reproduce the experimental measurements of a dust sample. The model fits the measurements quite well, proving that surface roughness and internal structure play a role in the scattering pattern of irregular cosmic dust particles.
Scattering Properties of Large Irregular Cosmic Dust Particles at Visible Wavelengths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Escobar-Cerezo, J.; Palmer, C.; Muñoz, O.; Moreno, F. [Instituto de Astrofìsica de Andalucìa, CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomìa s/n, E-18008 Granada (Spain); Penttilä, A.; Muinonen, K. [Department of Physics, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 University of Helsinki (Finland)

2017-03-20

The effect of internal inhomogeneities and surface roughness on the scattering behavior of large cosmic dust particles is studied by comparing model simulations with laboratory measurements. The present work shows the results of an attempt to model a dust sample measured in the laboratory with simulations performed by a ray-optics model code. We consider this dust sample as a good analogue for interplanetary and interstellar dust as it shares its refractive index with known materials in these media. Several sensitivity tests have been performed for both structural cases (internal inclusions and surface roughness). Three different samples have been selected to mimic inclusion/coating inhomogeneities: two measured scattering matrices of hematite and white clay, and a simulated matrix for water ice. These three matrices are selected to cover a wide range of imaginary refractive indices. The selection of these materials also seeks to study astrophysical environments of interest such as Mars, where hematite and clays have been detected, and comets. Based on the results of the sensitivity tests shown in this work, we perform calculations for a size distribution of a silicate-type host particle model with inclusions and surface roughness to reproduce the experimental measurements of a dust sample. The model fits the measurements quite well, proving that surface roughness and internal structure play a role in the scattering pattern of irregular cosmic dust particles.
A large sample of Kohonen selected E+A (post-starburst) galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Meusinger, H.; Brünecke, J.; Schalldach, P.; in der Au, A.

2017-01-01

Context. The galaxy population in the contemporary Universe is characterised by a clear bimodality, blue galaxies with significant ongoing star formation and red galaxies with only a little. The migration between the blue and the red cloud of galaxies is an issue of active research. Post starburst (PSB) galaxies are thought to be observed in the short-lived transition phase. Aims: We aim to create a large sample of local PSB galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to study their characteristic properties, particularly morphological features indicative of gravitational distortions and indications for active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Another aim is to present a tool set for an efficient search in a large database of SDSS spectra based on Kohonen self-organising maps (SOMs). Methods: We computed a huge Kohonen SOM for ∼106 spectra from SDSS data release 7. The SOM is made fully available, in combination with an interactive user interface, for the astronomical community. We selected a large sample of PSB galaxies taking advantage of the clustering behaviour of the SOM. The morphologies of both PSB galaxies and randomly selected galaxies from a comparison sample in SDSS Stripe 82 (S82) were inspected on deep co-added SDSS images to search for indications of gravitational distortions. We used the Portsmouth galaxy property computations to study the evolutionary stage of the PSB galaxies and archival multi-wavelength data to search for hidden AGNs. Results: We compiled a catalogue of 2665 PSB galaxies with redshifts z 3 Å and z cloud, in agreement with the idea that PSB galaxies represent the transitioning phase between actively and passively evolving galaxies. The relative frequency of distorted PSB galaxies is at least 57% for EW(Hδ) > 5 Å, significantly higher than in the comparison sample. The search for AGNs based on conventional selection criteria in the radio and MIR results in a low AGN fraction of ∼2-3%. We confirm an MIR excess in the mean SED of
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.
Scalability on LHS (Latin Hypercube Sampling) samples for use in uncertainty analysis of large numerical models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, Jorge H.; Nunez Mac Leod, J.E.

2000-01-01

The present paper deals with the utilization of advanced sampling statistical methods to perform uncertainty and sensitivity analysis on numerical models. Such models may represent physical phenomena, logical structures (such as boolean expressions) or other systems, and various of their intrinsic parameters and/or input variables are usually treated as random variables simultaneously. In the present paper a simple method to scale-up Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) samples is presented, starting with a small sample and duplicating its size at each step, making it possible to use the already run numerical model results with the smaller sample. The method does not distort the statistical properties of the random variables and does not add any bias to the samples. The results is a significant reduction in numerical models running time can be achieved (by re-using the previously run samples), keeping all the advantages of LHS, until an acceptable representation level is achieved in the output variables. (author)
Large-scale international validation of the ADO index in subjects with COPD: an individual subject data analysis of 10 cohorts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Puhan, Milo A; Hansel, Nadia N; Sobradillo, Patricia

2012-01-01

Background: Little evidence on the validity of simple and widely applicable tools to predict mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exists.Objective: To conduct a large international study to validate the ADO index that uses age, dyspnoea and FEV1 to predict 3-yea...
On the aspiration characteristics of large-diameter, thin-walled aerosol sampling probes at yaw orientations with respect to the wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincent, J.H.; Mark, D.; Smith, T.A.; Stevens, D.C.; Marshall, M.

1986-01-01

Experiments were carried out in a large wind tunnel to investigate the aspiration efficiencies of thin-walled aerosol sampling probes of large diameter (up to 50 mm) at orientations with respect to the wind direction ranging from 0 to 180 degrees. Sampling conditions ranged from sub-to super-isokinetic. The experiments employed test dusts of close-graded fused alumina and were conducted under conditions of controlled freestream turbulence. For orientations up to and including 90 degrees, the results were qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with a new physical model which takes account of the fact that the sampled air not only diverges or converges (depending on the relationship between wind speed and sampling velocity) but also turns to pass through the plane of the sampling orifice. The previously published results of Durham and Lundgren (1980) and Davies and Subari (1982) for smaller probes were also in good agreement with the new model. The model breaks down, however, for orientations greater than 90 degrees due to the increasing effect of particle impaction onto the blunt leading edge of the probe body. For the probe facing directly away from the wind (180 degree orientation), aspiration efficiency is dominated almost entirely by this effect. (author)
Characterisation of large zooplankton sampled with two different gears during midwinter in Rijpfjorden, Svalbard

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Błachowiak-Samołyk Katarzyna

2017-12-01

Full Text Available During a midwinter cruise north of 80°N to Rijpfjorden, Svalbard, the composition and vertical distribution of the zooplankton community were studied using two different samplers 1 a vertically hauled multiple plankton sampler (MPS; mouth area 0.25 m2, mesh size 200 μm and 2 a horizontally towed Methot Isaacs Kidd trawl (MIK; mouth area 3.14 m2, mesh size 1500 μm. Our results revealed substantially higher species diversity (49 taxa than if a single sampler (MPS: 38 taxa, MIK: 28 had been used. The youngest stage present (CIII of Calanus spp. (including C. finmarchicus and C. glacialis was sampled exclusively by the MPS, and the frequency of CIV copepodites in MPS was double that than in MIK samples. In contrast, catches of the CV-CVI copepodites of Calanus spp. were substantially higher in the MIK samples (3-fold and 5-fold higher for adult males and females, respectively. The MIK sampling clearly showed that the highest abundances of all three Thysanoessa spp. were in the upper layers, although there was a tendency for the larger-sized euphausiids to occur deeper. Consistent patterns for the vertical distributions of the large zooplankters (e.g. ctenophores, euphausiids collected by the MPS and MIK samplers provided more complete data on their abundances and sizes than obtained by the single net. Possible mechanisms contributing to the observed patterns of distribution, e.g. high abundances of both Calanus spp. and their predators (ctenophores and chaetognaths in the upper water layers during midwinter are discussed.
Geosamples.org: Shared Cyberinfrastructure for Geoscience Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Lehnert, Kerstin; Allison, Lee; Arctur, David; Klump, Jens; Lenhardt, Christopher

2014-05-01

Many scientific domains, specifically in the geosciences, rely on physical samples as basic elements for study and experimentation. Samples are collected to analyze properties of natural materials and features that are key to our knowledge of Earth's dynamical systems and evolution, and to preserve a record of our environment over time. Huge volumes of samples have been acquired over decades or even centuries and stored in a large number and variety of institutions including museums, universities and colleges, state geological surveys, federal agencies, and industry. All of these collections represent highly valuable, often irreplaceable records of nature that need to be accessible so that they can be re-used in future research and for educational purposes. Many sample repositories are keen to use cyberinfrastructure capabilities to enhance access to their collections on the internet and to support and streamline collection management (accessioning of new samples, labeling, handling sample requests, etc.), but encounter substantial challenges and barriers to integrate digital sample management into their daily routine. They lack the resources (staff, funding) and infrastructure (hardware, software, IT support) to develop and operate web-enabled databases, to migrate analog sample records into digital data management systems, and to transfer paper- or spreadsheet-based workflows to electronic systems. Use of commercial software is often not an option as it incurs high costs for licenses, requires IT expertise for installation and maintenance, and often does not match the needs of the smaller repositories, being designed for large museums or different types of collections (art, archeological, biological). Geosamples.org is an alliance of sample repositories (academic, US federal and state surveys, industry) and data facilities that aims to develop a cyberinfrastructure that will dramatically advance access to physical samples for the research community, government
Measurement and structural invariance of the US version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) in a large sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Colin R; Hollins Martin, Caroline J; Burduli, Ekaterina; Barbosa-Leiker, Celestina; Donovan-Batson, Colleen; Fleming, Susan E

2017-08-01

The 10-item Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) is being increasingly used internationally. The use of the measure and the concept has gathered traction in the United States following the development of a US version of the tool. A limitation of previous studies of the measurement characteristics of the BSS-R is modest sample size. Unplanned pregnancy is recognised as being associated with a range of negative birth outcomes, but the relationship to birth satisfaction has received little attention, despite the importance of birth satisfaction to a range of postnatal outcomes. The current investigation sought to evaluate the measurement characteristics of the BSS-R in a large postpartum sample. Multiple Groups Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) was used to evaluate a series of measurement and structural models of the BSS-R to evaluate fundamental invariance characteristics using planned/unplanned pregnancy status to differentiate groups. Complete data from N=2116 women revealed that the US version of the BSS-R offers an excellent fit to data and demonstrates full measurement and structural invariance. Little difference was observed between women on the basis of planned/unplanned pregnancy stratification on measures of birth satisfaction. The established relationship between unplanned pregnancy and negative perinatal outcomes was not found to extend to birth satisfaction in the current study. The BSS-R demonstrated exemplary measurement and structural invariance characteristics. The current study strongly supports the use of the US version of the BSS-R to compare birth satisfaction across different groups of women with theoretical and measurement confidence. Copyright © 2016 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The presentation and preliminary validation of KIWEST using a large sample of Norwegian university staff.

Science.gov (United States)

Innstrand, Siw Tone; Christensen, Marit; Undebakke, Kirsti Godal; Svarva, Kyrre

2015-12-01

The aim of the present paper is to present and validate a Knowledge-Intensive Work Environment Survey Target (KIWEST), a questionnaire developed for assessing the psychosocial factors among people in knowledge-intensive work environments. The construct validity and reliability of the measurement model where tested on a representative sample of 3066 academic and administrative staff working at one of the largest universities in Norway. Confirmatory factor analysis provided initial support for the convergent validity and internal consistency of the 30 construct KIWEST measurement model. However, discriminant validity tests indicated that some of the constructs might overlap to some degree. Overall, the KIWEST measure showed promising psychometric properties as a psychosocial work environment measure. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.
Customer Relationship Management Systems - Why Many Large Companies Do Not Have Them?

Science.gov (United States)

Cunha, Manuela; Varajão, João; Santana, Daniela; Bentes, Isabel

Today's information technologies are heavily embedded in the reality of organizations. Their role is essential not only at the level of internal processes optimization, but also the interaction between the company and its environment. In this context, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are powerful competitive tools in many different sectors of activity. Despite the undeniable importance of these systems, there are in practice, many large companies that do not use them. Supported by the results of a survey carried out in a sample of large enterprises, this paper seeks to answer to the research question "why many large companies do not have CRM systems".
Pattern transfer on large samples using a sub-aperture reactive ion beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miessler, Andre; Mill, Agnes; Gerlach, Juergen W.; Arnold, Thomas [Leibniz-Institut fuer Oberflaechenmodifizierung (IOM), Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig (Germany)

2011-07-01

In comparison to sole Ar ion beam sputtering Reactive Ion Beam Etching (RIBE) reveals the main advantage of increasing the selectivity for different kind of materials due to chemical contributions during the material removal. Therefore RIBE is qualified to be an excellent candidate for pattern transfer applications. The goal of the present study is to apply a sub-aperture reactive ion beam for pattern transfer on large fused silica samples. Concerning this matter, the etching behavior in the ion beam periphery plays a decisive role. Using CF{sub 4} as reactive gas, XPS measurements of the modified surface exposes impurities like Ni, Fe and Cr, which belongs to chemically eroded material of the plasma pot as well as an accumulation of carbon (up to 40 atomic percent) in the beam periphery, respectively. The substitution of CF{sub 4} by NF{sub 3} as reactive gas reveals a lot of benefits: more stable ion beam conditions in combination with a reduction of the beam size down to a diameter of 5 mm and a reduced amount of the Ni, Fe and Cr contaminations. However, a layer formation of silicon nitride handicaps the chemical contribution of the etching process. These negative side effects influence the transfer of trench structures on quartz by changing the selectivity due to altered chemical reaction of the modified resist layer. Concerning this we investigate the pattern transfer on large fused silica plates using NF{sub 3}-sub-aperture RIBE.
Sampling of finite elements for sparse recovery in large scale 3D electrical impedance tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javaherian, Ashkan; Moeller, Knut; Soleimani, Manuchehr

2015-01-01

This study proposes a method to improve performance of sparse recovery inverse solvers in 3D electrical impedance tomography (3D EIT), especially when the volume under study contains small-sized inclusions, e.g. 3D imaging of breast tumours. Initially, a quadratic regularized inverse solver is applied in a fast manner with a stopping threshold much greater than the optimum. Based on assuming a fixed level of sparsity for the conductivity field, finite elements are then sampled via applying a compressive sensing (CS) algorithm to the rough blurred estimation previously made by the quadratic solver. Finally, a sparse inverse solver is applied solely to the sampled finite elements, with the solution to the CS as its initial guess. The results show the great potential of the proposed CS-based sparse recovery in improving accuracy of sparse solution to the large-size 3D EIT. (paper)
Latent trajectories of internalizing symptoms from preschool to school age: A multi-informant study in a high-risk sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Annette M; Schlesier-Michel, Andrea; Otto, Yvonne; White, Lars O; Andreas, Anna; Sierau, Susan; Bergmann, Sarah; Perren, Sonja; von Klitzing, Kai

2018-04-29

Recent proposals suggest early adversity sets in motion particularly chronic and neurobiologically distinct trajectories of internalizing symptoms. However, few prospective studies in high-risk samples delineate distinct trajectories of internalizing symptoms from preschool age onward. We examined trajectories in a high-risk cohort, oversampled for internalizing symptoms, several preschool risk/maintenance factors, and school-age outcomes. Parents of 325 children completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire on up to four waves of data collection from preschool (3-5 years) to school age (8-9 years) and Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment interviews at both ages. Multi-informant data were collected on risk factors and symptoms. Growth mixture modelling identified four trajectory classes of internalizing symptoms with stable low, rising low-to-moderate, stable moderate, and stable high symptoms. Children in the stable high symptom trajectory manifested clinically relevant internalizing symptoms, mainly diagnosed with anxiety disorders/depression at preschool and school age. Trajectories differed regarding loss/separation experience, maltreatment, maternal psychopathology, temperament, and stress-hormone regulation with loss/separation, temperament, maternal psychopathology, and stress-hormone regulation (trend) significantly contributing to explained variance. At school age, trajectories continued to differ on symptoms, disorders, and impairment. Our study is among the first to show that severe early adversity may trigger a chronic and neurobiologically distinct internalizing trajectory from preschool age onward.
Association between time perspective and organic food consumption in a large sample of adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Bénard, Marc; Baudry, Julia; Méjean, Caroline; Lairon, Denis; Giudici, Kelly Virecoulon; Etilé, Fabrice; Reach, Gérard; Hercberg, Serge; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Péneau, Sandrine

2018-01-05

Organic food intake has risen in many countries during the past decades. Even though motivations associated with such choice have been studied, psychological traits preceding these motivations have rarely been explored. Consideration of future consequences (CFC) represents the extent to which individuals consider future versus immediate consequences of their current behaviors. Consequently, a future oriented personality may be an important characteristic of organic food consumers. The objective was to analyze the association between CFC and organic food consumption in a large sample of the adult general population. In 2014, a sample of 27,634 participants from the NutriNet-Santé cohort study completed the CFC questionnaire and an Organic-Food Frequency questionnaire. For each food group (17 groups), non-organic food consumers were compared to organic food consumers across quartiles of the CFC using multiple logistic regressions. Moreover, adjusted means of proportions of organic food intakes out of total food intakes were compared between quartiles of the CFC. Analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic, lifestyle and dietary characteristics. Participants with higher CFC were more likely to consume organic food (OR quartile 4 (Q4) vs. Q1 = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.62, 2.20). Overall, future oriented participants were more likely to consume 14 food groups. The strongest associations were observed for starchy refined foods (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.63, 1.94), and fruits and vegetables (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.58, 1.92). The contribution of organic food intake out of total food intake was 33% higher in the Q4 compared to Q1. More precisely, the contribution of organic food consumed was higher in the Q4 for 16 food groups. The highest relative differences between Q4 and Q1 were observed for starchy refined foods (22%) and non-alcoholic beverages (21%). Seafood was the only food group without a significant difference. This study provides information on the personality of
Large sample hydrology in NZ: Spatial organisation in process diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

McMillan, H. K.; Woods, R. A.; Clark, M. P.

2013-12-01

A key question in hydrology is how to predict the dominant runoff generation processes in any given catchment. This knowledge is vital for a range of applications in forecasting hydrological response and related processes such as nutrient and sediment transport. A step towards this goal is to map dominant processes in locations where data is available. In this presentation, we use data from 900 flow gauging stations and 680 rain gauges in New Zealand, to assess hydrological processes. These catchments range in character from rolling pasture, to alluvial plains, to temperate rainforest, to volcanic areas. By taking advantage of so many flow regimes, we harness the benefits of large-sample and comparative hydrology to study patterns and spatial organisation in runoff processes, and their relationship to physical catchment characteristics. The approach we use to assess hydrological processes is based on the concept of diagnostic signatures. Diagnostic signatures in hydrology are targeted analyses of measured data which allow us to investigate specific aspects of catchment response. We apply signatures which target the water balance, the flood response and the recession behaviour. We explore the organisation, similarity and diversity in hydrological processes across the New Zealand landscape, and how these patterns change with scale. We discuss our findings in the context of the strong hydro-climatic gradients in New Zealand, and consider the implications for hydrological model building on a national scale.
Forecasting in strategic international marketing. Conception for and application to the construction of large-scale pollution abatement installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tressin, J.M.

1992-01-01

Division of labour continues to progress worldwide, particularly in the European economy, where it is an accompainment to the steady growth of transnational trade relations. In this situation forecasts attain great importance for companies facing structural decisions. This holds not only for large international concerns but also increasingly for medium-sized companies. The methodological approaches adopted by such companies are primarily aimed at reducing the risk of wrong decisions by gathering information and incorporating forecasts in their planning and decision-making processes. The present article describes various forecasting methods, exemplifying them for the area of commercial-sized building projects. Due to the great complexity of such installations and discontinuities in developments in international markets, quantitative forecasting methods and models are only of limited value here. In contrast to this, qualitative methods such as those provided by expert systems and contemporary dp tools for data collection and compression have attained great importance for the design of practiable and reliable forecasting systems. The present study thus lays have the interface between international marketing and corporate planning and decision-making processes. (orig.) [de

Solid-Phase Extraction and Large-Volume Sample Stacking-Capillary Electrophoresis for Determination of Tetracycline Residues in Milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Islas

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Solid-phase extraction in combination with large-volume sample stacking-capillary electrophoresis (SPE-LVSS-CE was applied to measure chlortetracycline, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and tetracycline in milk samples. Under optimal conditions, the proposed method had a linear range of 29 to 200 µg·L−1, with limits of detection ranging from 18.6 to 23.8 µg·L−1 with inter- and intraday repeatabilities < 10% (as a relative standard deviation in all cases. The enrichment factors obtained were from 50.33 to 70.85 for all the TCs compared with a conventional capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE. This method is adequate to analyze tetracyclines below the most restrictive established maximum residue limits. The proposed method was employed in the analysis of 15 milk samples from different brands. Two of the tested samples were positive for the presence of oxytetracycline with concentrations of 95 and 126 µg·L−1. SPE-LVSS-CE is a robust, easy, and efficient strategy for online preconcentration of tetracycline residues in complex matrices.
8th International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing & Workshop on Cyber Security and Resilience of Large-Scale Systems & 6th International Workshop on Multi-Agent Systems Technology and Semantics

CERN Document Server

Braubach, Lars; Venticinque, Salvatore; Badica, Costin

2015-01-01

This book represents the combined peer-reviewed proceedings of the Eight International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing - IDC'2014, of the Workshop on Cyber Security and Resilience of Large-Scale Systems - WSRL-2014, and of the Sixth International Workshop on Multi-Agent Systems Technology and Semantics- MASTS-2014. All the events were held in Madrid, Spain, during September 3-5, 2014. The 47 contributions published in this book address several topics related to theory and applications of the intelligent distributed computing and multi-agent systems, including: agent-based data processing, ambient intelligence, collaborative systems, cryptography and security, distributed algorithms, grid and cloud computing, information extraction, knowledge management, big data and ontologies, social networks, swarm intelligence or videogames amongst others.
Specific Antibodies Reacting with SV40 Large T Antigen Mimotopes in Serum Samples of Healthy Subjects.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauro Tognon

Full Text Available Simian Virus 40, experimentally assayed in vitro in different animal and human cells and in vivo in rodents, was classified as a small DNA tumor virus. In previous studies, many groups identified Simian Virus 40 sequences in healthy individuals and cancer patients using PCR techniques, whereas others failed to detect the viral sequences in human specimens. These conflicting results prompted us to develop a novel indirect ELISA with synthetic peptides, mimicking Simian Virus 40 capsid viral protein antigens, named mimotopes. This immunologic assay allowed us to investigate the presence of serum antibodies against Simian Virus 40 and to verify whether Simian Virus 40 is circulating in humans. In this investigation two mimotopes from Simian Virus 40 large T antigen, the viral replication protein and oncoprotein, were employed to analyze for specific reactions to human sera antibodies. This indirect ELISA with synthetic peptides from Simian Virus 40 large T antigen was used to assay a new collection of serum samples from healthy subjects. This novel assay revealed that serum antibodies against Simian Virus 40 large T antigen mimotopes are detectable, at low titer, in healthy subjects aged from 18-65 years old. The overall prevalence of reactivity with the two Simian Virus 40 large T antigen peptides was 20%. This new ELISA with two mimotopes of the early viral regions is able to detect in a specific manner Simian Virus 40 large T antigen-antibody responses.
Low-impedance internal linear inductive antenna for large-area flat panel display plasma processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, K.N.; Jung, S.J.; Lee, Y.J.; Yeom, G.Y.; Lee, S.H.; Lee, J.K.

2005-01-01

An internal-type linear inductive antenna, that is, a double-comb-type antenna, was developed for a large-area plasma source having the size of 1020 mmx830 mm, and high density plasmas on the order of 2.3x10 11 cm -3 were obtained with 15 mTorr Ar at 5000 W of inductive power with good plasma stability. This is higher than that for the conventional serpentine-type antenna, possibly due to the low impedance, resulting in high efficiency of power transfer for the double-comb antenna type. In addition, due to the remarkable reduction of the antenna length, a plasma uniformity of less than 8% was obtained within the substrate area of 880 mmx660 mm at 5000 W without having a standing-wave effect
Assessing the validity of single-item life satisfaction measures: results from three large samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Felix; Lucas, Richard E

2014-12-01

The present paper assessed the validity of single-item life satisfaction measures by comparing single-item measures to the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)-a more psychometrically established measure. Two large samples from Washington (N = 13,064) and Oregon (N = 2,277) recruited by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a representative German sample (N = 1,312) recruited by the Germany Socio-Economic Panel were included in the present analyses. Single-item life satisfaction measures and the SWLS were correlated with theoretically relevant variables, such as demographics, subjective health, domain satisfaction, and affect. The correlations between the two life satisfaction measures and these variables were examined to assess the construct validity of single-item life satisfaction measures. Consistent across three samples, single-item life satisfaction measures demonstrated substantial degree of criterion validity with the SWLS (zero-order r = 0.62-0.64; disattenuated r = 0.78-0.80). Patterns of statistical significance for correlations with theoretically relevant variables were the same across single-item measures and the SWLS. Single-item measures did not produce systematically different correlations compared to the SWLS (average difference = 0.001-0.005). The average absolute difference in the magnitudes of the correlations produced by single-item measures and the SWLS was very small (average absolute difference = 0.015-0.042). Single-item life satisfaction measures performed very similarly compared to the multiple-item SWLS. Social scientists would get virtually identical answer to substantive questions regardless of which measure they use.
Building an Internet of Samples: The Australian Contribution

Science.gov (United States)

Wyborn, Lesley; Klump, Jens; Bastrakova, Irina; Devaraju, Anusuriya; McInnes, Brent; Cox, Simon; Karssies, Linda; Martin, Julia; Ross, Shawn; Morrissey, John; Fraser, Ryan

2017-04-01

Physical samples are often the ground truth to research reported in the scientific literature across multiple domains. They are collected by many different entities (individual researchers, laboratories, government agencies, mining companies, citizens, museums, etc.). Samples must be curated over the long-term to ensure both that their existence is known, and to allow any data derived from them through laboratory and field tests to be linked to the physical samples. For example, having unique identifiers that link back ground truth data on the original sample helps calibrate large volumes of remotely sensed data. Access to catalogues of reliably identified samples from several collections promotes collaboration across all Earth Science disciplines. It also increases the cost effectiveness of research by reducing the need to re-collect samples in the field. The assignment of web identifiers to the digital representations of these physical objects allows us to link to data, literature, investigators and institutions, thus creating an "Internet of Samples". An Australian implementation of the "Internet of Samples" is using the IGSN (International Geo Sample Number, http://igsn.github.io) to identify samples in a globally unique and persistent way. IGSN was developed in the solid earth science community and is recommended for sample identification by the Coalition for Publishing Data in the Earth and Space Sciences (COPDESS). IGSN is interoperable with other persistent identifier systems such as DataCite. Furthermore, the basic IGSN description metadata schema is compatible with existing schemas such as OGC Observations and Measurements (O&M) and DataCite Metadata Schema which makes crosswalks to other metadata schemas easy. IGSN metadata is disseminated through the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) allowing it to be aggregated in other applications such as portals (e.g. the Australian IGSN catalogue http://igsn2.csiro.au). The
Improved Sampling Algorithms in the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization Toolkit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandelli, Diego; Smith, Curtis Lee; Alfonsi, Andrea; Rabiti, Cristian; Cogliati, Joshua Joseph

2015-01-01

The RISMC approach is developing advanced set of methodologies and algorithms in order to perform Probabilistic Risk Analyses (PRAs). In contrast to classical PRA methods, which are based on Event-Tree and Fault-Tree methods, the RISMC approach largely employs system simulator codes applied to stochastic analysis tools. The basic idea is to randomly perturb (by employing sampling algorithms) timing and sequencing of events and internal parameters of the system codes (i.e., uncertain parameters) in order to estimate stochastic parameters such as core damage probability. This approach applied to complex systems such as nuclear power plants requires to perform a series of computationally expensive simulation runs given a large set of uncertain parameters. These types of analysis are affected by two issues. Firstly, the space of the possible solutions (a.k.a., the issue space or the response surface) can be sampled only very sparsely, and this precludes the ability to fully analyze the impact of uncertainties on the system dynamics. Secondly, large amounts of data are generated and tools to generate knowledge from such data sets are not yet available. This report focuses on the first issue and in particular employs novel methods that optimize the information generated by the sampling process by sampling unexplored and risk-significant regions of the issue space: adaptive (smart) sampling algorithms. They infer system response from surrogate models constructed from existing samples and predict the most relevant location of the next sample. It is therefore possible to understand features of the issue space with a small number of carefully selected samples. In this report, we will present how it is possible to perform adaptive sampling using the RISMC toolkit and highlight the advantages compared to more classical sampling approaches such Monte-Carlo. We will employ RAVEN to perform such statistical analyses using both analytical cases but also another RISMC code: RELAP-7.
Improved Sampling Algorithms in the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization Toolkit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandelli, Diego [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Smith, Curtis Lee [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Alfonsi, Andrea [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Rabiti, Cristian [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Cogliati, Joshua Joseph [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-09-01

The RISMC approach is developing advanced set of methodologies and algorithms in order to perform Probabilistic Risk Analyses (PRAs). In contrast to classical PRA methods, which are based on Event-Tree and Fault-Tree methods, the RISMC approach largely employs system simulator codes applied to stochastic analysis tools. The basic idea is to randomly perturb (by employing sampling algorithms) timing and sequencing of events and internal parameters of the system codes (i.e., uncertain parameters) in order to estimate stochastic parameters such as core damage probability. This approach applied to complex systems such as nuclear power plants requires to perform a series of computationally expensive simulation runs given a large set of uncertain parameters. These types of analysis are affected by two issues. Firstly, the space of the possible solutions (a.k.a., the issue space or the response surface) can be sampled only very sparsely, and this precludes the ability to fully analyze the impact of uncertainties on the system dynamics. Secondly, large amounts of data are generated and tools to generate knowledge from such data sets are not yet available. This report focuses on the first issue and in particular employs novel methods that optimize the information generated by the sampling process by sampling unexplored and risk-significant regions of the issue space: adaptive (smart) sampling algorithms. They infer system response from surrogate models constructed from existing samples and predict the most relevant location of the next sample. It is therefore possible to understand features of the issue space with a small number of carefully selected samples. In this report, we will present how it is possible to perform adaptive sampling using the RISMC toolkit and highlight the advantages compared to more classical sampling approaches such Monte-Carlo. We will employ RAVEN to perform such statistical analyses using both analytical cases but also another RISMC code: RELAP-7.
Sources of sub-micrometre particles near a major international airport

Science.gov (United States)

Masiol, Mauro; Harrison, Roy M.; Vu, Tuan V.; Beddows, David C. S.

2017-10-01

The international airport of Heathrow is a major source of nitrogen oxides, but its contribution to the levels of sub-micrometre particles is unknown and is the objective of this study. Two sampling campaigns were carried out during warm and cold seasons at a site close to the airfield (1.2 km). Size spectra were largely dominated by ultrafine particles: nucleation particles ( strategies are applied successfully.
Effects of achievement differences for internal/external frame of reference model investigations: A test of robustness of findings over diverse student samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Isabelle; Brunner, Martin; Preckel, Franzis

2017-11-12

Achievement in math and achievement in verbal school subjects are more strongly correlated than the respective academic self-concepts. The internal/external frame of reference model (I/E model; Marsh, 1986, Am. Educ. Res. J., 23, 129) explains this finding by social and dimensional comparison processes. We investigated a key assumption of the model that dimensional comparisons mainly depend on the difference in achievement between subjects. We compared correlations between subject-specific self-concepts of groups of elementary and secondary school students with or without achievement differences in the respective subjects. The main goals were (1) to show that effects of dimensional comparisons depend to a large degree on the existence of achievement differences between subjects, (2) to demonstrate the generalizability of findings over different grade levels and self-concept scales, and (3) to test a rarely used correlation comparison approach (CCA) for the investigation of I/E model assumptions. We analysed eight German elementary and secondary school student samples (grades 3-8) from three independent studies (Ns 326-878). Correlations between math and German self-concepts of students with identical grades in the respective subjects were compared with the correlation of self-concepts of students having different grades using Fisher's Z test for independent samples. In all samples, correlations between math self-concept and German self-concept were higher for students having identical grades than for students having different grades. Differences in median correlations had small effect sizes for elementary school students and moderate effect sizes for secondary school students. Findings generalized over grades and indicated a developmental aspect in self-concept formation. The CCA complements investigations within I/E-research. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.
A simulative comparison of respondent driven sampling with incentivized snowball sampling--the "strudel effect".

Science.gov (United States)

Gyarmathy, V Anna; Johnston, Lisa G; Caplinskiene, Irma; Caplinskas, Saulius; Latkin, Carl A

2014-02-01

Respondent driven sampling (RDS) and incentivized snowball sampling (ISS) are two sampling methods that are commonly used to reach people who inject drugs (PWID). We generated a set of simulated RDS samples on an actual sociometric ISS sample of PWID in Vilnius, Lithuania ("original sample") to assess if the simulated RDS estimates were statistically significantly different from the original ISS sample prevalences for HIV (9.8%), Hepatitis A (43.6%), Hepatitis B (Anti-HBc 43.9% and HBsAg 3.4%), Hepatitis C (87.5%), syphilis (6.8%) and Chlamydia (8.8%) infections and for selected behavioral risk characteristics. The original sample consisted of a large component of 249 people (83% of the sample) and 13 smaller components with 1-12 individuals. Generally, as long as all seeds were recruited from the large component of the original sample, the simulation samples simply recreated the large component. There were no significant differences between the large component and the entire original sample for the characteristics of interest. Altogether 99.2% of 360 simulation sample point estimates were within the confidence interval of the original prevalence values for the characteristics of interest. When population characteristics are reflected in large network components that dominate the population, RDS and ISS may produce samples that have statistically non-different prevalence values, even though some isolated network components may be under-sampled and/or statistically significantly different from the main groups. This so-called "strudel effect" is discussed in the paper. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Adult Japanese Medaka Sampled Onboard the International Space Station.

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Yasuhiko Murata

Full Text Available To understand how humans adapt to the space environment, many experiments can be conducted on astronauts as they work aboard the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station (ISS. We also need animal experiments that can apply to human models and help prevent or solve the health issues we face in space travel. The Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes is a suitable model fish for studying space adaptation as evidenced by adults of the species having mated successfully in space during 15 days of flight during the second International Microgravity Laboratory mission in 1994. The eggs laid by the fish developed normally and hatched as juveniles in space. In 2012, another space experiment ("Medaka Osteoclast" was conducted. Six-week-old male and female Japanese medaka (Cab strain osteoblast transgenic fish were maintained in the Aquatic Habitat system for two months in the ISS. Fish of the same strain and age were used as the ground controls. Six fish were fixed with paraformaldehyde or kept in RNA stabilization reagent (n = 4 and dissected for tissue sampling after being returned to the ground, so that several principal investigators working on the project could share samples. Histology indicated no significant changes except in the ovary. However, the RNA-seq analysis of 5345 genes from six tissues revealed highly tissue-specific space responsiveness after a two-month stay in the ISS. Similar responsiveness was observed among the brain and eye, ovary and testis, and the liver and intestine. Among these six tissues, the intestine showed the highest space response with 10 genes categorized as oxidation-reduction processes (gene ontogeny term GO:0055114, and the expression levels of choriogenin precursor genes were suppressed in the ovary. Eleven genes including klf9, klf13, odc1, hsp70 and hif3a were upregulated in more than four of the tissues examined, thus suggesting common immunoregulatory and stress responses during space adaptation.
Characterizing the zenithal night sky brightness in large territories: how many samples per square kilometre are needed?

Science.gov (United States)

Bará, Salvador

2018-01-01

A recurring question arises when trying to characterize, by means of measurements or theoretical calculations, the zenithal night sky brightness throughout a large territory: how many samples per square kilometre are needed? The optimum sampling distance should allow reconstructing, with sufficient accuracy, the continuous zenithal brightness map across the whole region, whilst at the same time avoiding unnecessary and redundant oversampling. This paper attempts to provide some tentative answers to this issue, using two complementary tools: the luminance structure function and the Nyquist-Shannon spatial sampling theorem. The analysis of several regions of the world, based on the data from the New world atlas of artificial night sky brightness, suggests that, as a rule of thumb, about one measurement per square kilometre could be sufficient for determining the zenithal night sky brightness of artificial origin at any point in a region to within ±0.1 magV arcsec-2 (in the root-mean-square sense) of its true value in the Johnson-Cousins V band. The exact reconstruction of the zenithal night sky brightness maps from samples taken at the Nyquist rate seems to be considerably more demanding.
Detecting the Land-Cover Changes Induced by Large-Physical Disturbances Using Landscape Metrics, Spatial Sampling, Simulation and Spatial Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hone-Jay Chu

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The objectives of the study are to integrate the conditional Latin Hypercube Sampling (cLHS, sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS and spatial analysis in remotely sensed images, to monitor the effects of large chronological disturbances on spatial characteristics of landscape changes including spatial heterogeneity and variability. The multiple NDVI images demonstrate that spatial patterns of disturbed landscapes were successfully delineated by spatial analysis such as variogram, Moran’I and landscape metrics in the study area. The hybrid method delineates the spatial patterns and spatial variability of landscapes caused by these large disturbances. The cLHS approach is applied to select samples from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI images from SPOT HRV images in the Chenyulan watershed of Taiwan, and then SGS with sufficient samples is used to generate maps of NDVI images. In final, the NDVI simulated maps are verified using indexes such as the correlation coefficient and mean absolute error (MAE. Therefore, the statistics and spatial structures of multiple NDVI images present a very robust behavior, which advocates the use of the index for the quantification of the landscape spatial patterns and land cover change. In addition, the results transferred by Open Geospatial techniques can be accessed from web-based and end-user applications of the watershed management.
Measurement of radon exhalation rates in some soil samples collected near the international monument Taj Mahal, Agra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Jyoti; Kumar, Rupesh; Indolia, R.S.; Swarup, R.; Mahur, A.K.; Singh, Hargyan; Sonkawade, R.G.

2011-01-01

Human beings are exposed to ionizing radiation from natural sources due to the occurrence of natural radioactive elements in solids, rocks, sand, soil etc. used as building construction materials and to the internal exposure from radioactive elements through good, water and air. Radon exhalation rate is of prime importance for the estimation of radiation risk from various materials. In the present study soil samples collected near the Tajmahal Agra. Sealed Can Technique was adopted for radon exhalation measurements. All the soil samples collected were grinded, dried and sieved through a 100 mesh sieve. Equal amount of each sieved (100μm grain size) sample (100 gm) was placed at the base of the Cans of 7.5 cm height and 7.0 cm diameter similar to those used in the calibration experiment (Singh et al., 1997). LR-115 type II plastic track detector (2 cm x 2 cm) was fixed on the top inside of the cylindrical Can. Radon exhalation rate varies from 529 mBqm -2 h -1 to 1254 mBqm -2 h -1 . The results will be presented. (author)
Correlates of homophobia, transphobia, and internalized homophobia in gay or lesbian and heterosexual samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Warriner, Katrina; Nagoshi, Craig T; Nagoshi, Julie L

2013-01-01

This research assessed the correlates of homophobia and transphobia in heterosexual and homosexual individuals, based on a theory of different sources of perceived symbolic threat to social status. Compared to 310 heterosexual college students, a sample of 30 gay male and 30 lesbian college students scored lower on homophobia, transphobia, and religious fundamentalism. Mean gender differences were smaller for gay men and lesbians for homophobia, aggressiveness, benevolent sexism, masculinity, and femininity. Fundamentalism, right-wing authoritarianism, and hostile and benevolent sexism were correlated only with homophobia in lesbians, whereas fundamentalism and authoritarianism were correlated only with transphobia in gay men. Correlates of internalized homophobia were different than those found for homophobia and transphobia, which was discussed in terms of gender differences in threats to status based on sexual orientation versus gender identity.
Factor Structure, Internal Consistency, and Screening Sensitivity of the GARS-2 in a Developmental Disabilities Sample

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Martin A. Volker

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (GARS-2 is a widely used screening instrument that assists in the identification and diagnosis of autism. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure, internal consistency, and screening sensitivity of the GARS-2 using ratings from special education teaching staff for a sample of 240 individuals with autism or other significant developmental disabilities. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a correlated three-factor solution similar to that found in 2005 by Lecavalier for the original GARS. Though the three factors appeared to be reasonably consistent with the intended constructs of the three GARS-2 subscales, the analysis indicated that more than a third of the GARS-2 items were assigned to the wrong subscale. Internal consistency estimates met or exceeded standards for screening and were generally higher than those in previous studies. Screening sensitivity was .65 and specificity was .81 for the Autism Index using a cut score of 85. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for instrument revision.
Methodology for Quantitative Analysis of Large Liquid Samples with Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis using Am-Be Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Idiri, Z.; Mazrou, H.; Beddek, S.; Amokrane, A.

2009-01-01

An optimized set-up for prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) with Am-Be source is described and used for large liquid samples analysis. A methodology for quantitative analysis is proposed: it consists on normalizing the prompt gamma count rates with thermal neutron flux measurements carried out with He-3 detector and gamma attenuation factors calculated using MCNP-5. The relative and absolute methods are considered. This methodology is then applied to the determination of cadmium in industrial phosphoric acid. The same sample is then analyzed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method. Our results are in good agreement with those obtained with ICP method.
The Logistics Performance Effect in International Trade

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Azmat Gani

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The continuous growth in world trade depends on the efficiency of trade support structures such as the logistics services. Despite logistics integral role in supporting commercial activities, there has generally been a low level of analysis and trade policy research focus from trade practitioners. This paper explores the effect of logistics performance in international trade. The analysis draws on overall logistics performance as well as disaggregated measures of logistics specificities data for a large sample of countries. The empirical analysis involved the estimation of standard export and import equations incorporating measures of logistics performance. The findings show that the overall logistics performance is positively and statistically significantly correlated with exports and imports. The analysis is also extended by investigating if logistics specificities mattered for international trade. The findings reveal that several dimensions capturing logistics performance have statistically significant and positive effect, mostly on exports. The main policy implication is that continuous investment in logistics infrastructure and services can positively impact international trade.
Sample preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Sample preparation prior to HPLC analysis is certainly one of the most important steps to consider in trace or ultratrace analysis. For many years scientists have tried to simplify the sample preparation process. It is rarely possible to inject a neat liquid sample or a sample where preparation may not be any more complex than dissolution of the sample in a given solvent. The last process alone can remove insoluble materials, which is especially helpful with the samples in complex matrices if other interactions do not affect extraction. Here, it is very likely a large number of components will not dissolve and are, therefore, eliminated by a simple filtration process. In most cases, the process of sample preparation is not as simple as dissolution of the component interest. At times, enrichment is necessary, that is, the component of interest is present in very large volume or mass of material. It needs to be concentrated in some manner so a small volume of the concentrated or enriched sample can be injected into HPLC. 88 refs

Understanding Business Interests in International Large-Scale Student Assessments: A Media Analysis of "The Economist," "Financial Times," and "Wall Street Journal"

Science.gov (United States)

Steiner-Khamsi, Gita; Appleton, Margaret; Vellani, Shezleen

2018-01-01

The media analysis is situated in the larger body of studies that explore the varied reasons why different policy actors advocate for international large-scale student assessments (ILSAs) and adds to the research on the fast advance of the global education industry. The analysis of "The Economist," "Financial Times," and…
Strategies for the inclusion of an internal amplification control in conventional and real time PCR detection of Campylobacter spp. in chicken fecal samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Marianne; Madsen, Mogens

2006-01-01

To illustrate important issues in optimization of a PCR assay with an internal control four different primer combinations for conventional PCR, two non-competitive and two competitive set-ups for real time PCR were used for detection of Campylobacter spp. in chicken faecal samples....... In the conventional PCR assays the internal control was genomic DNA from Yersinia ruckeri, which is not found in chicken faeces. This internal control was also used in one of the set LIPS in real time PCR. In the three other set-ups different DNA fragments of 109 bp length prepared from two oligos of each 66 bp...... by a simple extension reaction was used. All assays were optimized to avoid loss of target sensitivity due to the presence of the internal control by adjusting the amount of internal control primers in the duplex assays and the amount of internal control in all assays. Furthermore. the assays were tested...
Development of failed fuel detection and location system in sodium-cooled large reactor. Sampling method of failed fuels under the slit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aizawa, Kousuke; Fujita, Kaoru; Kamide, Hideki; Kasahara, Naoto

2010-01-01

A conceptual design study of Japan Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (JSFR) is in progress as an issue of the 'Fast Reactor Cycle Technology Development (FaCT)' project in Japan. JSFR adopts a Selector-Valve mechanism for the failed fuel detection and location (FFDL) system. The Selector-Valve FFDL system identifies failed fuel subassemblies by sampling sodium from each fuel subassembly outlet and detecting fission product. One of the JSFR design features is employing an upper internal structure (UIS) with a radial slit, in which an arm of fuel handling machine can move and access the fuel assemblies under the UIS. Thus, JSFR cannot place sampling nozzles right above the fuel subassemblies located under the slit. In this study, the sampling method for indentifying under-slit failed fuel subassemblies has been demonstrated by water experiments. (author)
Managing the development of plant subsystems for a large international project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurd, D.

2012-01-01

ITER is an international collaborative project under development by nations representing over one half of the world's population. Major components will be supplied by 'Domestic Agencies' representing the various participating countries. While the supervisory control system, known as CODAC, will be developed 'in fund' by the International Organization at the project site in the south of France, the EPICS and PLC-based plant control subsystems are to be developed and tested locally, where the subsystems themselves are being built. This is similar to the model used for the development of the Spallation Neutron Source, which was a US national collaboration. However the much more complex constraints of an international collaboration preclude the use of many specifics of the SNS collaboration approach. Moreover, procedures for final system integration and commissioning at ITER are not yet well defined. This paper will outline the particular issues either inherent in an international collaboration or specific to ITER, and will suggest approaches to mitigate those problems with the goal of assuring a successful and timely integration and commissioning phase. (author)
Adding support to cross-cultural emotional assessment: Validation of the International Affective Picture System in a Chilean sample

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Rocío Mayol Troncoso

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to obtain a valid set of images of the International Affective Picture System (Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 2005 –a widely used instrumentation in emotion research- in a Chilean sample, as well as to compare these results with those obtained from the US study in order to contribute to its cross-cultural validation. A sample of 135 college students assessed 188 pictures according to standard instructions in valence and arousal dimensions. The results showed the expected organization of affectivity, with main variations between sex in valence judgments, and differences between countries in the arousal dimension. It is concluded that the Chilean adaptation of the IAPS is consistent with previous evidence, adding support to it cross-cultural validity.
Parental Separation and Child Aggressive and Internalizing Behavior: An Event History Calendar Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Averdijk, Margit; Malti, Tina; Eisner, Manuel; Ribeaud, Denis

2012-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between parental separation and aggressive and internalizing behavior in a large sample of Swiss children drawn from the ongoing Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Youths. Parents retrospectively reported life events and problem behavior for the first 7 years of the child's life on a…
Assessing the Validity of Single-item Life Satisfaction Measures: Results from Three Large Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Felix; Lucas, Richard E.

2014-01-01

Purpose The present paper assessed the validity of single-item life satisfaction measures by comparing single-item measures to the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) - a more psychometrically established measure. Methods Two large samples from Washington (N=13,064) and Oregon (N=2,277) recruited by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and a representative German sample (N=1,312) recruited by the Germany Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) were included in the present analyses. Single-item life satisfaction measures and the SWLS were correlated with theoretically relevant variables, such as demographics, subjective health, domain satisfaction, and affect. The correlations between the two life satisfaction measures and these variables were examined to assess the construct validity of single-item life satisfaction measures. Results Consistent across three samples, single-item life satisfaction measures demonstrated substantial degree of criterion validity with the SWLS (zero-order r = 0.62 – 0.64; disattenuated r = 0.78 – 0.80). Patterns of statistical significance for correlations with theoretically relevant variables were the same across single-item measures and the SWLS. Single-item measures did not produce systematically different correlations compared to the SWLS (average difference = 0.001 – 0.005). The average absolute difference in the magnitudes of the correlations produced by single-item measures and the SWLS were very small (average absolute difference = 0.015 −0.042). Conclusions Single-item life satisfaction measures performed very similarly compared to the multiple-item SWLS. Social scientists would get virtually identical answer to substantive questions regardless of which measure they use. PMID:24890827
Spatio-temporal foreshock activity during stick-slip experiments of large rock samples

Science.gov (United States)

Tsujimura, Y.; Kawakata, H.; Fukuyama, E.; Yamashita, F.; Xu, S.; Mizoguchi, K.; Takizawa, S.; Hirano, S.

2016-12-01

Foreshock activity has sometimes been reported for large earthquakes, and has been roughly classified into the following two classes. For shallow intraplate earthquakes, foreshocks occurred in the vicinity of the mainshock hypocenter (e.g., Doi and Kawakata, 2012; 2013). And for intraplate subduction earthquakes, foreshock hypocenters migrated toward the mainshock hypocenter (Kato, et al., 2012; Yagi et al., 2014). To understand how foreshocks occur, it is useful to investigate the spatio-temporal activities of foreshocks in the laboratory experiments under controlled conditions. We have conducted stick-slip experiments by using a large-scale biaxial friction apparatus at NIED in Japan (e.g., Fukuyama et al., 2014). Our previous results showed that stick-slip events repeatedly occurred in a run, but only those later events were preceded by foreshocks. Kawakata et al. (2014) inferred that the gouge generated during the run was an important key for foreshock occurrence. In this study, we proceeded to carry out stick-slip experiments of large rock samples whose interface (fault plane) is 1.5 meter long and 0.5 meter wide. After some runs to generate fault gouge between the interface. In the current experiments, we investigated spatio-temporal activities of foreshocks. We detected foreshocks from waveform records of 3D array of piezo-electric sensors. Our new results showed that more than three foreshocks (typically about twenty) had occurred during each stick-slip event, in contrast to the few foreshocks observed during previous experiments without pre-existing gouge. Next, we estimated the hypocenter locations of the stick-slip events, and found that they were located near the opposite end to the loading point. In addition, we observed a migration of foreshock hypocenters toward the hypocenter of each stick-slip event. This suggests that the foreshock activity observed in our current experiments was similar to that for the interplate earthquakes in terms of the
Heritability of psoriasis in a large twin sample

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lønnberg, Ann Sophie; Skov, Liselotte; Skytthe, A

2013-01-01

AIM: To study the concordance of psoriasis in a population-based twin sample. METHODS: Data on psoriasis in 10,725 twin pairs, 20-71 years of age, from the Danish Twin Registry was collected via a questionnaire survey. The concordance and heritability of psoriasis were estimated. RESULTS: In total...
ARCTOX: a pan-Arctic sampling network to track mercury contamination across Arctic marine food webs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fort, Jerome; Helgason, Halfdan; Amelineau, Francoise

and is still a source of major environmental concerns. In that context, providing a large-scale and comprehensive understanding of the Arctic marine food-web contamination is essential to better apprehend impacts of anthropogenic activities and climate change on the exposure of Arctic species and humans to Hg....... In 2015, an international sampling network (ARCTOX) has been established, allowing the collection seabird samples all around the Arctic. Seabirds are indeed good indicators of Hg contamination of marine food webs at large spatial scale. Gathering researchers from 10 countries, ARCTOX allowed......Arctic marine ecosystems are threatened by new risks of Hg contamination under the combined effects of climate change and human activities. Rapid change of the cryosphere might for instance release large amounts of Hg trapped in sea-ice, permafrost and terrestrial glaciers over the last decades...
The relationship between external and internal validity of randomized controlled trials: A sample of hypertension trials from China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xin; Wu, Yuxia; Ren, Pengwei; Liu, Xueting; Kang, Deying

2015-10-30

To explore the relationship between the external validity and the internal validity of hypertension RCTs conducted in China. Comprehensive literature searches were performed in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR), CBMdisc (Chinese biomedical literature database), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure/China Academic Journals Full-text Database) and VIP (Chinese scientific journals database) as well as advanced search strategies were used to locate hypertension RCTs. The risk of bias in RCTs was assessed by a modified scale, Jadad scale respectively, and then studies with 3 or more grading scores were included for the purpose of evaluating of external validity. A data extract form including 4 domains and 25 items was used to explore relationship of the external validity and the internal validity. Statistic analyses were performed by using SPSS software, version 21.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL). 226 hypertension RCTs were included for final analysis. RCTs conducted in university affiliated hospitals (P internal validity. Multi-center studies (median = 4.0, IQR = 2.0) were scored higher internal validity score than single-center studies (median = 3.0, IQR = 1.0) (P internal validity (P = 0.004). Multivariate regression indicated sample size, industry-funding, quality of life (QOL) taken as measure and the university affiliated hospital as trial setting had statistical significance (P external validity of RCTs do associate with the internal validity, that do not stand in an easy relationship to each other. Regarding the poor reporting, other possible links between two variables need to trace in the future methodological researches.
Childhood internalizing symptoms are negatively associated with early adolescent alcohol use

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Alexis C.; Latendresse, Shawn J.; Heron, Jon; Cho, Seung Bin; Hickman, Matt; Lewis, Glyn; Dick, Danielle M.; Kendler, Kenneth S.

2014-01-01

Background The relationship between childhood internalizing problems and early adolescent alcohol use has been infrequently explored and remains unclear. Methods We employed growth mixture modeling of internalizing symptoms for a large, population-based sample of UK children (the ALSPAC cohort) to identify trajectories of childhood internalizing symptoms from age 4 through age 11.5. We then examined the relationship between membership in each trajectory and alcohol use in early adolescence (reported at age 13.8). Results Overall, children experiencing elevated levels of internalizing symptoms were less likely to use alcohol in early adolescence. This finding held true across all internalizing trajectories; i.e., those exhibiting increasing levels of internalizing symptoms over time, and those whose symptoms desisted over time, were both less likely to use alcohol than their peers who did not exhibit internalizing problems. Conclusions We conclude that childhood internalizing symptoms, unlike adolescent symptoms, are negatively associated with early adolescent alcohol experimentation. Additional studies are warranted to follow up on our preliminary evidence that symptoms of phobia and separation anxiety drive this effect. PMID:24848214
MZDASoft: a software architecture that enables large-scale comparison of protein expression levels over multiple samples based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghanat Bari, Mehrab; Ramirez, Nelson; Wang, Zhiwei; Zhang, Jianqiu Michelle

2015-10-15

Without accurate peak linking/alignment, only the expression levels of a small percentage of proteins can be compared across multiple samples in Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) due to the selective nature of tandem MS peptide identification. This greatly hampers biomedical research that aims at finding biomarkers for disease diagnosis, treatment, and the understanding of disease mechanisms. A recent algorithm, PeakLink, has allowed the accurate linking of LC/MS peaks without tandem MS identifications to their corresponding ones with identifications across multiple samples collected from different instruments, tissues and labs, which greatly enhanced the ability of comparing proteins. However, PeakLink cannot be implemented practically for large numbers of samples based on existing software architectures, because it requires access to peak elution profiles from multiple LC/MS/MS samples simultaneously. We propose a new architecture based on parallel processing, which extracts LC/MS peak features, and saves them in database files to enable the implementation of PeakLink for multiple samples. The software has been deployed in High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments. The core part of the software, MZDASoft Parallel Peak Extractor (PPE), can be downloaded with a user and developer's guide, and it can be run on HPC centers directly. The quantification applications, MZDASoft TandemQuant and MZDASoft PeakLink, are written in Matlab, which are compiled with a Matlab runtime compiler. A sample script that incorporates all necessary processing steps of MZDASoft for LC/MS/MS quantification in a parallel processing environment is available. The project webpage is http://compgenomics.utsa.edu/zgroup/MZDASoft. The proposed architecture enables the implementation of PeakLink for multiple samples. Significantly more (100%-500%) proteins can be compared over multiple samples with better quantification accuracy in test cases. MZDASoft
Oxalic acid as a liquid dosimeter for absorbed dose measurement in large-scale of sample solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biramontri, S.; Dechburam, S.; Vitittheeranon, A.; Wanitsuksombut, W.; Thongmitr, W.

1999-01-01

This study shows the feasibility for, applying 2.5 mM aqueous oxalic acid solution using spectrophotometric analysis method for absorbed dose measurement from 1 to 10 kGy in a large-scale of sample solution. The optimum wavelength of 220 nm was selected. The stability of the response of the dosimeter over 25 days was better than 1 % for unirradiated and ± 2% for irradiated solution. The reproducibility in the same batch was within 1%. The variation of the dosimeter response between batches was also studied. (author)
A Note on the Large Sample Properties of Estimators Based on Generalized Linear Models for Correlated Pseudo-observations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Martin; Martinussen, Torben

2016-01-01

Pseudo-values have proven very useful in censored data analysis in complex settings such as multi-state models. It was originally suggested by Andersen et al., Biometrika, 90, 2003, 335 who also suggested to estimate standard errors using classical generalized estimating equation results. These r......Pseudo-values have proven very useful in censored data analysis in complex settings such as multi-state models. It was originally suggested by Andersen et al., Biometrika, 90, 2003, 335 who also suggested to estimate standard errors using classical generalized estimating equation results....... These results were studied more formally in Graw et al., Lifetime Data Anal., 15, 2009, 241 that derived some key results based on a second-order von Mises expansion. However, results concerning large sample properties of estimates based on regression models for pseudo-values still seem unclear. In this paper......, we study these large sample properties in the simple setting of survival probabilities and show that the estimating function can be written as a U-statistic of second order giving rise to an additional term that does not vanish asymptotically. We further show that previously advocated standard error...
Argue internal audit on how to promote the nuclear power enterprise internal control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiaoming

2012-01-01

In order to strengthen and standardize enterprise internal control, improve the management level and risk prevention ability, five departments jointly established the basic rules of internal control in enterprises, large and medium-sized enterprises as the national power enterprise, the enterprise internal audit executive power in strengthening and perfecting internal control, and in the enterprise internal control of play an active role. (author)
Large-Scale Spacecraft Fire Safety Tests

Science.gov (United States)

Urban, David; Ruff, Gary A.; Ferkul, Paul V.; Olson, Sandra; Fernandez-Pello, A. Carlos; T'ien, James S.; Torero, Jose L.; Cowlard, Adam J.; Rouvreau, Sebastien; Minster, Olivier;

2014-01-01

An international collaborative program is underway to address open issues in spacecraft fire safety. Because of limited access to long-term low-gravity conditions and the small volume generally allotted for these experiments, there have been relatively few experiments that directly study spacecraft fire safety under low-gravity conditions. Furthermore, none of these experiments have studied sample sizes and environment conditions typical of those expected in a spacecraft fire. The major constraint has been the size of the sample, with prior experiments limited to samples of the order of 10 cm in length and width or smaller. This lack of experimental data forces spacecraft designers to base their designs and safety precautions on 1-g understanding of flame spread, fire detection, and suppression. However, low-gravity combustion research has demonstrated substantial differences in flame behavior in low-gravity. This, combined with the differences caused by the confined spacecraft environment, necessitates practical scale spacecraft fire safety research to mitigate risks for future space missions. To address this issue, a large-scale spacecraft fire experiment is under development by NASA and an international team of investigators. This poster presents the objectives, status, and concept of this collaborative international project (Saffire). The project plan is to conduct fire safety experiments on three sequential flights of an unmanned ISS re-supply spacecraft (the Orbital Cygnus vehicle) after they have completed their delivery of cargo to the ISS and have begun their return journeys to earth. On two flights (Saffire-1 and Saffire-3), the experiment will consist of a flame spread test involving a meter-scale sample ignited in the pressurized volume of the spacecraft and allowed to burn to completion while measurements are made. On one of the flights (Saffire-2), 9 smaller (5 x 30 cm) samples will be tested to evaluate NASAs material flammability screening tests

Sixteen-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index: Confirmatory factor analytic evidence, internal consistency, and construct validity in a young adult sample from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vujanovic, Anka A.; Arrindell, Willem A.; Bernstein, Amit; Norton, Peter J.; Zvolensky, Michael J.

The present investigation examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Reiss Peterson, Gursky, & McNally 1986) in a young adult sample (n = 420)from the Netherlands. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to comparatively
Detection of internal structure by scattered light intensity: Application to kidney cell sorting

Science.gov (United States)

Goolsby, C. L.; Kunze, M. E.

1985-01-01

Scattered light measurements in flow cytometry were sucessfully used to distinguish cells on the basis of differing morphology and internal structure. Differences in scattered light patterns due to changes in internal structure would be expected to occur at large scattering angles. Practically, the results of these calculations suggest that in experimental situations an array of detectors would be useful. Although in general the detection of the scattered light intensity at several intervals within the 10 to 60 region would be sufficient, there are many examples where increased sensitivity could be acheived at other angles. The ability to measure at many different angular intervals would allow the experimenter to empirically select the optimum intervals for the varying conditions of cell size, N/C ratio, granule size and internal structure from sample to sample. The feasibility of making scattered light measurements at many different intervals in flow cytometry was demonstrated. The implementation of simplified versions of these techniques in conjunction with independant measurements of cell size could potentially improve the usefulness of flow cytometry in the study of the internal structure of cells.
Evaluation of bacterial motility from non-Gaussianity of finite-sample trajectories using the large deviation principle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanasaki, Itsuo; Kawano, Satoyuki

2013-01-01

Motility of bacteria is usually recognized in the trajectory data and compared with Brownian motion, but the diffusion coefficient is insufficient to evaluate it. In this paper, we propose a method based on the large deviation principle. We show that it can be used to evaluate the non-Gaussian characteristics of model Escherichia coli motions and to distinguish combinations of the mean running duration and running speed that lead to the same diffusion coefficient. Our proposed method does not require chemical stimuli to induce the chemotaxis in a specific direction, and it is applicable to various types of self-propelling motions for which no a priori information of, for example, threshold parameters for run and tumble or head/tail direction is available. We also address the issue of the finite-sample effect on the large deviation quantities, but we propose to make use of it to characterize the nature of motility. (paper)

Titan : A new facility for ultraclean sampling of trace elements and isotopes in the deep oceans in the international Geotraces program

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Baar, H.J.W.; Timmermans, K.R; Laan, P.; De Porto, H.H.; Ober, S.; Blom, J.J.; Bakker, M.C.; Schilling, J; Sarthou, G.; Smit, M. G.; Klunder, M

2008-01-01

Towards more rapid ultraclean sampling of deep ocean waters for trace elements, a novel rectangular frame was constructed of titanium, holding two rows of 12 samplers, as well as various sensors. The frame is deployed to deep ocean waters by an 8000 m length Kevlar wire with internal power and
Clinically significant fatigue: prevalence and associated factors in an international sample of adults with multiple sclerosis recruited via the internet.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tracey J Weiland

Full Text Available Fatigue contributes a significant burden of disease for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS. Modifiable lifestyle factors have been recognized as having a role in a range of morbidity outcomes in PwMS. There is significant potential to prevent and treat fatigue in PwMS by addressing modifiable risk factors.To explore the associations between clinically significant fatigue and demographic factors, clinical factors (health-related quality of life, disability and relapse rate and modifiable lifestyle, disease-modifying drugs (DMD and supplement use in a large international sample of PwMS.PwMS were recruited to the study via Web 2.0 platforms and completed a comprehensive survey measuring demographic, lifestyle and clinical characteristics, including health-related quality of life, disability, and relapse rate.Of 2469 participants with confirmed MS, 2138 (86.6% completed a validated measure of clinically significant fatigue, the Fatigue Severity Scale. Participants were predominantly female from English speaking countries, with relatively high levels of education, and due to recruitment methods may have been highly pro-active about engaging in lifestyle management and self-help. Approximately two thirds of our sample (1402/2138; 65.6% (95% CI 63.7-67.7 screened positive for clinically significant fatigue. Bivariate associations were present between clinically significant fatigue and several demographic, clinical, lifestyle, and medication variables. After controlling for level of disability and a range of stable socio-demographic variables, we found increased odds of fatigue associated with obesity, DMD use, poor diet, and reduced odds of fatigue with exercise, fish consumption, moderate alcohol use, and supplementation with vitamin D and flaxseed oil.This study supports strong and significant associations between clinically significant fatigue and modifiable lifestyle factors. Longitudinal follow-up of this sample may help clarify the contribution
Implicit and explicit anti-fat bias among a large sample of medical doctors by BMI, race/ethnicity and gender.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janice A Sabin

Full Text Available Overweight patients report weight discrimination in health care settings and subsequent avoidance of routine preventive health care. The purpose of this study was to examine implicit and explicit attitudes about weight among a large group of medical doctors (MDs to determine the pervasiveness of negative attitudes about weight among MDs. Test-takers voluntarily accessed a public Web site, known as Project Implicit®, and opted to complete the Weight Implicit Association Test (IAT (N = 359,261. A sub-sample identified their highest level of education as MD (N = 2,284. Among the MDs, 55% were female, 78% reported their race as white, and 62% had a normal range BMI. This large sample of test-takers showed strong implicit anti-fat bias (Cohen's d = 1.0. MDs, on average, also showed strong implicit anti-fat bias (Cohen's d = 0.93. All test-takers and the MD sub-sample reported a strong preference for thin people rather than fat people or a strong explicit anti-fat bias. We conclude that strong implicit and explicit anti-fat bias is as pervasive among MDs as it is among the general public. An important area for future research is to investigate the association between providers' implicit and explicit attitudes about weight, patient reports of weight discrimination in health care, and quality of care delivered to overweight patients.
Track distortion in a micromegas based large prototype of a Time Projection Chamber for the International Linear Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, Deb Sankar; Majumdar, Nayana; Sarkar, S.; Bhattacharya, S.; Mukhopadhyay, Supratik; Bhattacharya, P.; Attie, D.; Colas, P.; Ganjour, S.; Bhattacharya, Aparajita

2016-01-01

The principal particle tracker at the International Linear Collider (ILC) is planned to be a large Time Projection Chamber (TPC) where different Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGDs) candidate as the gaseous amplifier. A Micromegas (MM) based TPC can meet the ILC requirement of continuous and precise pattern recognition. Seven MM modules, working as the end-plate of a Large Prototype TPC (LPTPC) installed at DESY, have been tested with a 5 GeV electron beam. Due to the grounded peripheral frame of the MM modules, at low drift, the electric field lines near the detector edge remain no longer parallel to the TPC axis. This causes signal loss along the boundaries of the MM modules as well as distortion in the reconstructed track. In presence of magnetic field, the distorted electric field introduces ExB effect
Lack of association between digit ratio (2D:4D) and assertiveness: replication in a large sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Voracek, Martin

2009-12-01

Findings regarding within-sex associations of digit ratio (2D:4D), a putative pointer to long-lasting effects of prenatal androgen action, and sexually differentiated personality traits have generally been inconsistent or unreplicable, suggesting that effects in this domain, if any, are likely small. In contrast to evidence from Wilson's important 1983 study, a forerunner of modern 2D:4D research, two recent studies in 2005 and 2008 by Freeman, et al. and Hampson, et al. showed assertiveness, a presumably male-typed personality trait, was not associated with 2D:4D; however, these studies were clearly statistically underpowered. Hence this study examined this question anew, based on a large sample of 491 men and 627 women. Assertiveness was only modestly sexually differentiated, favoring men, and a positive correlate of age and education and a negative correlate of weight and Body Mass Index among women, but not men. Replicating the two prior studies, 2D:4D was throughout unrelated to assertiveness scores. This null finding was preserved with controls for correlates of assertiveness, also in nonparametric analysis and with tests for curvilinear relations. Discussed are implications of this specific null finding, now replicated in a large sample, for studies of 2D:4D and personality in general and novel research approaches to proceed in this field.
Strategies and equipment for sampling suspended sediment and associated toxic chemicals in large rivers - with emphasis on the Mississippi River

Science.gov (United States)

Meade, R.H.; Stevens, H.H.

1990-01-01

A Lagrangian strategy for sampling large rivers, which was developed and tested in the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers of South America during the early 1980s, is now being applied to the study of toxic chemicals in the Mississippi River. A series of 15-20 cross-sections of the Mississippi mainstem and its principal tributaries is sampled by boat in downstream sequence, beginning upriver of St. Louis and concluding downriver of New Orleans 3 weeks later. The timing of the downstream sampling sequence approximates the travel time of the river water. Samples at each cross-section are discharge-weighted to provide concentrations of dissolved and suspended constituents that are converted to fluxes. Water-sediment mixtures are collected from 10-40 equally spaced points across the river width by sequential depth integration at a uniform vertical transit rate. Essential equipment includes (i) a hydraulic winch, for sensitive control of vertical transit rates, and (ii) a collapsible-bag sampler, which allows integrated samples to be collected at all depths in the river. A section is usually sampled in 4-8 h, for a total sample recovery of 100-120 l. Sampled concentrations of suspended silt and clay are reproducible within 3%.
Well-posedness of the Cauchy problem for models of large amplitude internal waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guyenne, Philippe; Lannes, David; Saut, Jean-Claude

2010-01-01

We consider in this paper the 'shallow-water/shallow-water' asymptotic model obtained in Choi and Camassa (1999 J. Fluid Mech. 396 1–36), Craig et al (2005 Commun. Pure. Appl. Math. 58 1587–641) (one-dimensional interface) and Bona et al (2008 J. Math. Pures Appl. 89 538–66) (two-dimensional interface) from the two-layer system with rigid lid, for the description of large amplitude internal waves at the interface of two layers of immiscible fluids of different densities. For one-dimensional interfaces, this system is of hyperbolic type and its local well-posedness does not raise serious difficulties, although other issues (blow-up, loss of hyperbolicity, etc) turn out to be delicate. For two-dimensional interfaces, the system is nonlocal. Nevertheless, we prove that it conserves some properties of 'hyperbolic type' and show that the associated Cauchy problem is locally well posed in suitable Sobolev classes provided some natural restrictions are imposed on the data. These results are illustrated by numerical simulations with emphasis on the formation of shock waves
Prevalence and correlates of problematic smartphone use in a large random sample of Chinese undergraduates.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Jiang; Liu, Tie-Qiao; Liao, Yan-Hui; Qi, Chang; He, Hao-Yu; Chen, Shu-Bao; Billieux, Joël

2016-11-17

Smartphones are becoming a daily necessity for most undergraduates in Mainland China. Because the present scenario of problematic smartphone use (PSU) is largely unexplored, in the current study we aimed to estimate the prevalence of PSU and to screen suitable predictors for PSU among Chinese undergraduates in the framework of the stress-coping theory. A sample of 1062 undergraduate smartphone users was recruited by means of the stratified cluster random sampling strategy between April and May 2015. The Problematic Cellular Phone Use Questionnaire was used to identify PSU. We evaluated five candidate risk factors for PSU by using logistic regression analysis while controlling for demographic characteristics and specific features of smartphone use. The prevalence of PSU among Chinese undergraduates was estimated to be 21.3%. The risk factors for PSU were majoring in the humanities, high monthly income from the family (≥1500 RMB), serious emotional symptoms, high perceived stress, and perfectionism-related factors (high doubts about actions, high parental expectations). PSU among undergraduates appears to be ubiquitous and thus constitutes a public health issue in Mainland China. Although further longitudinal studies are required to test whether PSU is a transient phenomenon or a chronic and progressive condition, our study successfully identified socio-demographic and psychological risk factors for PSU. These results, obtained from a random and thus representative sample of undergraduates, opens up new avenues in terms of prevention and regulation policies.
An examination of smoking behavior and opinions about smoke-free environments in a large sample of sexual and gender minority community members.

Science.gov (United States)

McElroy, Jane A; Everett, Kevin D; Zaniletti, Isabella

2011-06-01

The purpose of this study is to more completely quantify smoking rate and support for smoke-free policies in private and public environments from a large sample of self-identified sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. A targeted sampling strategy recruited participants from 4 Missouri Pride Festivals and online surveys targeted to SGM populations during the summer of 2008. A 24-item survey gathered information on gender and sexual orientation, smoking status, and questions assessing behaviors and preferences related to smoke-free policies. The project recruited participants through Pride Festivals (n = 2,676) and Web-based surveys (n = 231) representing numerous sexual and gender orientations and the racial composite of the state of Missouri. Differences were found between the Pride Festivals sample and the Web-based sample, including smoking rates, with current smoking for the Web-based sample (22%) significantly less than the Pride Festivals sample (37%; p times more likely to be current smokers compared with the study's heterosexual group (n = 436; p = .005). Statistically fewer SGM racial minorities (33%) are current smokers compared with SGM Whites (37%; p = .04). Support and preferences for public and private smoke-free environments were generally low in the SGM population. The strategic targeting method achieved a large and diverse sample. The findings of high rates of smoking coupled with generally low levels of support for smoke-free public policies in the SGM community highlight the need for additional research to inform programmatic attempts to reduce tobacco use and increase support for smoke-free environments.
Characteristic Performance Evaluation of a new SAGe Well Detector for Small and Large Sample Geometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adekola, A.S.; Colaresi, J.; Douwen, J.; Jaederstroem, H.; Mueller, W.F.; Yocum, K.M.; Carmichael, K.

2015-01-01

concentrations compared to Traditional Well detectors. The SAGe Well detectors are compatible with Marinelli beakers and compete very well with semi-planar and coaxial detectors for large samples in many applications. (authors)
Characteristic Performance Evaluation of a new SAGe Well Detector for Small and Large Sample Geometries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adekola, A.S.; Colaresi, J.; Douwen, J.; Jaederstroem, H.; Mueller, W.F.; Yocum, K.M.; Carmichael, K. [Canberra Industries Inc., 800 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT 06450 (United States)

2015-07-01

concentrations compared to Traditional Well detectors. The SAGe Well detectors are compatible with Marinelli beakers and compete very well with semi-planar and coaxial detectors for large samples in many applications. (authors)
CASP10-BCL::Fold efficiently samples topologies of large proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinze, Sten; Putnam, Daniel K; Fischer, Axel W; Kohlmann, Tim; Weiner, Brian E; Meiler, Jens

2015-03-01

During CASP10 in summer 2012, we tested BCL::Fold for prediction of free modeling (FM) and template-based modeling (TBM) targets. BCL::Fold assembles the tertiary structure of a protein from predicted secondary structure elements (SSEs) omitting more flexible loop regions early on. This approach enables the sampling of conformational space for larger proteins with more complex topologies. In preparation of CASP11, we analyzed the quality of CASP10 models throughout the prediction pipeline to understand BCL::Fold's ability to sample the native topology, identify native-like models by scoring and/or clustering approaches, and our ability to add loop regions and side chains to initial SSE-only models. The standout observation is that BCL::Fold sampled topologies with a GDT_TS score > 33% for 12 of 18 and with a topology score > 0.8 for 11 of 18 test cases de novo. Despite the sampling success of BCL::Fold, significant challenges still exist in clustering and loop generation stages of the pipeline. The clustering approach employed for model selection often failed to identify the most native-like assembly of SSEs for further refinement and submission. It was also observed that for some β-strand proteins model refinement failed as β-strands were not properly aligned to form hydrogen bonds removing otherwise accurate models from the pool. Further, BCL::Fold samples frequently non-natural topologies that require loop regions to pass through the center of the protein. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Innovative method for carbon dioxide determination in human postmortem cardiac gas samples using headspace-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and stable labeled isotope as internal standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varlet, V.; Smith, F.; Froidmont, S. de; Dominguez, A.; Rinaldi, A.; Augsburger, M.; Mangin, P.; Grabherr, S.

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •We developed a method for CO 2 analysis in cardiac samples and quantification by 13 CO 2 . •This method was fully validated by accuracy profile. •We have applied this method to perform CO 2 precise quantification for forensic applications. •Context of the death could be documented following CO 2 concentrations. -- Abstract: A novel approach to measure carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in gaseous samples, based on a precise and accurate quantification by 13 CO 2 internal standard generated in situ is presented. The main goal of this study was to provide an innovative headspace-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-GC–MS) method applicable in the routine determination of CO 2 . The main drawback of the GC methods discussed in the literature for CO 2 measurement is the lack of a specific internal standard necessary to perform quantification. CO 2 measurement is still quantified by external calibration without taking into account analytical problems which can often occur considering gaseous samples. To avoid the manipulation of a stable isotope-labeled gas, we have chosen to generate in situ an internal labeled standard gas ( 13 CO 2 ) on the basis of the stoichiometric formation of CO 2 by the reaction of hydrochloric acid (HCl) with sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaH 13 CO 3 ). This method allows a precise measurement of CO 2 concentration and was validated on various human postmortem gas samples in order to study its efficiency
Results of the international Large Coil Task: a milestone for superconducting magnets in fusion power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dresner, L.; Fietz, W.A.; Gauss, S.

1989-01-01

The aim of the Large Coil Task (LCT) was to demonstrate the reliable operation of large superconducting toroidal field coils and to prove the design principles and fabrication techniques to be applied for the magnets in a tokamak experimental power reactor. This has been achieved by an international development effort involving the US DOE, EURATOM, JAERI and the Swiss government. Six different D-shaped test coils were separately designed, developed and constructed by the LCT participants, then extensively tested together in a compact toroidal array. Detailed information on coil design and manufacture and all test data were shared among the LCT participants. The full six-coil array tests were carried out in a continuous period from the beginning of 1986 until September 1987. Beside the originally planned tests to reach an 8 T design point performance, the tests went well beyond this goal, reaching 9 T peak field in each coil. The experiments also delineated the limits of operability and demonstrated the coil safety under abnormal conditions. For fusion application the transient a.c. field behaviour in the coils was also of great interest. Three of the coils have been tested in this respect and showed excellent performance, with loss values in agreement with the theoretical predictions. (author)
Sampling populations of humans across the world: ELSI issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Knoppers, Bartha Maria; Zawati, Ma'n H; Kirby, Emily S

2012-01-01

There are an increasing number of population studies collecting data and samples to illuminate gene-environment contributions to disease risk and health. The rising affordability of innovative technologies capable of generating large amounts of data helps achieve statistical power and has paved the way for new international research collaborations. Most data and sample collections can be grouped into longitudinal, disease-specific, or residual tissue biobanks, with accompanying ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI). Issues pertaining to consent, confidentiality, and oversight cannot be examined using a one-size-fits-all approach-the particularities of each biobank must be taken into account. It remains to be seen whether current governance approaches will be adequate to handle the impact of next-generation sequencing technologies on communication with participants in population biobanking studies.
The BD Onclarity HPV assay on SurePath collected samples meets the International Guidelines for Human Papillomavirus Test Requirements for Cervical Screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ejegod, Ditte; Bottari, Fabio; Pedersen, Helle

2016-01-01

This study describes a validation of the BD Onclarity HPV (Onclarity) assay using the international guidelines for HPV test requirements for cervical cancer screening of women 30 years and above using Danish SurePath screening samples. The clinical specificity (0.90, 95% CI: 0.88-0.91) and sensit......This study describes a validation of the BD Onclarity HPV (Onclarity) assay using the international guidelines for HPV test requirements for cervical cancer screening of women 30 years and above using Danish SurePath screening samples. The clinical specificity (0.90, 95% CI: 0.......88-0.91) and sensitivity (0.97, 95% CI: 0.87-1.0) of the Onclarity assay were shown to be non-inferior to the reference assay (specificity 0.90, 95% CI: 0.88-0.92, sensitivity 0.98, 95% CI: 0.91-1.0). The intra-laboratory reproducibility of Onclarity was 97% with a lower confidence bound of 96% (kappa value: 0...
Does Decision Quality (Always) Increase with the Size of Information Samples? Some Vicissitudes in Applying the Law of Large Numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Fiedler, Klaus; Kareev, Yaakov

2006-01-01

Adaptive decision making requires that contingencies between decision options and their relative assets be assessed accurately and quickly. The present research addresses the challenging notion that contingencies may be more visible from small than from large samples of observations. An algorithmic account for such a seemingly paradoxical effect…
Direct analysis of biological samples by total reflection X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lue M, Marco P.; Hernandez-Caraballo, Edwin A.

2004-01-01

The technique of total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) is well suited for the direct analysis of biological samples due to the low matrix interferences and simultaneous multi-element nature. Nevertheless, biological organic samples are frequently analysed after digestion procedures. The direct determination of analytes requires shorter analysis time, low reactive consumption and simplifies the whole analysis process. On the other hand, the biological/clinical samples are often available in minimal amounts and routine studies require the analysis of large number of samples. To overcome the difficulties associated with the analysis of organic samples, particularly of solid ones, different procedures of sample preparation and calibration to approach the direct analysis have been evaluated: (1) slurry sampling, (2) Compton peak standardization, (3) in situ microwave digestion, (4) in situ chemical modification and (5) direct analysis with internal standardization. Examples of analytical methods developed by our research group are discussed. Some of them have not been previously published, illustrating alternative strategies for coping with various problems that may be encountered in the direct analysis by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry
The Relationship between Motor Skills, Perceived Social Support, and Internalizing Problems in a Community Adolescent Sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Mancini, Vincent O; Rigoli, Daniela; Heritage, Brody; Roberts, Lynne D; Piek, Jan P

2016-01-01

Poor motor skills are associated with a range of psychosocial consequences, including internalizing (anxious and depressive) symptoms. The Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis provides a causal framework to explain this association. The framework posits that motor skills impact internalizing problems through an indirect effect via perceived social support. However, empirical evaluation is required. We examined whether motor skills had an indirect effect on anxious and depressive symptoms via perceived family support domains. This study used a community sample of 93 adolescents (12-16 years). Participants completed measures of motor skills, perceived social support across three dimensions (family, friend, and significant other), depressive symptoms, and anxious symptoms. Age, gender, verbal IQ, and ADHD symptoms were included as control variables. Regression analysis using PROCESS revealed that motor skills had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms via perceived family support, but not by perceived friend support or significant other support. The negative association between motor skills and anxious symptoms was not mediated by any perceived social support domain. Findings are consistent with previous literature indicating an association between motor skills and internalizing problems. However, we identified a different pattern of relationships across anxious and depressive symptoms. While anxiety and depressive symptoms were highly correlated, motor skills had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms via perceived family support only. Our findings highlight the importance of family support as a potential protective factor in the onset of depressive symptoms. This study provides partial support for the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis, however further research is required.
The Relationship between Motor Skills, Perceived Social Support, and Internalizing Problems in a Community Adolescent Sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Oreste Mancini

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Poor motor skills are associated with a range of psychosocial consequences, including internalizing (anxious and depressive symptoms. The Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis provides a causal framework to explain this association. The framework posits that motor skills impact internalizing problems through an indirect effect via perceived social support. However, empirical evaluation is required. We examined whether motor skills has an indirect effect on anxious and depressive symptoms via perceived family support domains. Methods: This study used a community sample of 93 adolescents (12-16 years. Participants completed measures of motor skills, perceived social support across three dimensions (family, friend, and significant other, depressive symptoms, and anxious symptoms. Age, gender, verbal IQ, and ADHD symptoms were included as control variables.Results: Regression analysis using PROCESS revealed that motor skills had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms via perceived family support, but not by perceived friend support or significant other support. The negative association between motor skills and anxious symptoms was not mediated by any perceived social support domain. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with previous literature indicating an association between motor skills and internalizing problems. However, we identified a different pattern of relationships across anxious and depressive symptoms. While anxiety and depressive symptoms were highly correlated, motor skills had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms via perceived family support only. Our findings highlight the importance of family support as a potential protective factor in the onset of depressive symptoms. This study provides partial support for the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis, however further research is required.

Toward Rapid Unattended X-ray Tomography of Large Planar Samples at 50-nm Resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudati, J.; Tkachuk, A.; Gelb, J.; Hsu, G.; Feng, Y.; Pastrick, R.; Lyon, A.; Trapp, D.; Beetz, T.; Chen, S.; Hornberger, B.; Seshadri, S.; Kamath, S.; Zeng, X.; Feser, M.; Yun, W.; Pianetta, P.; Andrews, J.; Brennan, S.; Chu, Y. S.

2009-01-01

X-ray tomography at sub-50 nm resolution of small areas (∼15 μmx15 μm) are routinely performed with both laboratory and synchrotron sources. Optics and detectors for laboratory systems have been optimized to approach the theoretical efficiency limit. Limited by the availability of relatively low-brightness laboratory X-ray sources, exposure times for 3-D data sets at 50 nm resolution are still many hours up to a full day. However, for bright synchrotron sources, the use of these optimized imaging systems results in extremely short exposure times, approaching live-camera speeds at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago in the US These speeds make it possible to acquire a full tomographic dataset at 50 nm resolution in less than a minute of true X-ray exposure time. However, limits in the control and positioning system lead to large overhead that results in typical exposure times of ∼15 min currently.We present our work on the reduction and elimination of system overhead and toward complete automation of the data acquisition process. The enhancements underway are primarily to boost the scanning rate, sample positioning speed, and illumination homogeneity to performance levels necessary for unattended tomography of large areas (many mm 2 in size). We present first results on this ongoing project.
Adsorption of Caesium in Urine on Copper Hexacyanoferrate(II) - A Contamination Control Kit for Large-Scale In-Situ Use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansson, L.; Samuelsson, C.; Holm, E.

1999-01-01

A kit containing copper hexacyanoferrate(II) was created for large scale distribution to caesium-contaminated subjects for in situ sampling in the event of radiocaesium release from a nuclear accident of other nuclear activities. This kit is to be used for screening the internal contamination level of a population exposed to radiocaesium fallout and could be seen as a fast method of whole-body counting, suitable for large scale determinations. The separation of caesium from urine by adsorption on the copper compound was studied and it was determined that caesium efficiently adsorbed from urine. The contamination control kit is a practical alternative to urine sampling since caesium is concentrated to a small volume, by the subject using the kit in situ, gaining advantages in handling, distribution, storage and measuring geometry in the subsequent gamma ray analysis. The kit consists of cotton filters impregnated with copper hexacyanoferrate(II) held by plastic filter holders and performs a rapid flow-through. In order to obtain full caesium adsorption, less than 0.5 g of the compound is required for a 2 litre urine sample. No chemical preparation or change in pH of the urine sample is needed before adsorption. When using the kit in an authentic internal caesium contamination situation, the adsorbed fraction of caesium was 97 ± 3% (SD) in ten samples. (author)
International Business Education: Identifying the Emergent Topics in International Business and Their Relevance for Knowledge Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeoh, Poh-Lin

2001-01-01

Sampled faculty in international business (IB) to better understand emerging themes in that area. Seven major topical areas were uncovered: general knowledge of IB, international trade and institutions, cross-cultural issues, managing global operations, international ethics, international monetary systems, and international political/regulatory…
A simulative comparison of respondent driven sampling with incentivized snowball sampling – the “strudel effect”

Science.gov (United States)

Gyarmathy, V. Anna; Johnston, Lisa G.; Caplinskiene, Irma; Caplinskas, Saulius; Latkin, Carl A.

2014-01-01

Background Respondent driven sampling (RDS) and Incentivized Snowball Sampling (ISS) are two sampling methods that are commonly used to reach people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods We generated a set of simulated RDS samples on an actual sociometric ISS sample of PWID in Vilnius, Lithuania (“original sample”) to assess if the simulated RDS estimates were statistically significantly different from the original ISS sample prevalences for HIV (9.8%), Hepatitis A (43.6%), Hepatitis B (Anti-HBc 43.9% and HBsAg 3.4%), Hepatitis C (87.5%), syphilis (6.8%) and Chlamydia (8.8%) infections and for selected behavioral risk characteristics. Results The original sample consisted of a large component of 249 people (83% of the sample) and 13 smaller components with 1 to 12 individuals. Generally, as long as all seeds were recruited from the large component of the original sample, the simulation samples simply recreated the large component. There were no significant differences between the large component and the entire original sample for the characteristics of interest. Altogether 99.2% of 360 simulation sample point estimates were within the confidence interval of the original prevalence values for the characteristics of interest. Conclusions When population characteristics are reflected in large network components that dominate the population, RDS and ISS may produce samples that have statistically non-different prevalence values, even though some isolated network components may be under-sampled and/or statistically significantly different from the main groups. This so-called “strudel effect” is discussed in the paper. PMID:24360650
On Matrix Sampling and Imputation of Context Questionnaires with Implications for the Generation of Plausible Values in Large-Scale Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, David; Su, Dan

2016-01-01

This article presents findings on the consequences of matrix sampling of context questionnaires for the generation of plausible values in large-scale assessments. Three studies are conducted. Study 1 uses data from PISA 2012 to examine several different forms of missing data imputation within the chained equations framework: predictive mean…
Investigating sex differences in psychological predictors of snack intake among a large representative sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Adriaanse, Marieke A; Evers, Catharine; Verhoeven, Aukje A C; de Ridder, Denise T D

2016-03-01

It is often assumed that there are substantial sex differences in eating behaviour (e.g. women are more likely to be dieters or emotional eaters than men). The present study investigates this assumption in a large representative community sample while incorporating a comprehensive set of psychological eating-related variables. A community sample was employed to: (i) determine sex differences in (un)healthy snack consumption and psychological eating-related variables (e.g. emotional eating, intention to eat healthily); (ii) examine whether sex predicts energy intake from (un)healthy snacks over and above psychological variables; and (iii) investigate the relationship between psychological variables and snack intake for men and women separately. Snack consumption was assessed with a 7d snack diary; the psychological eating-related variables with questionnaires. Participants were members of an Internet survey panel that is based on a true probability sample of households in the Netherlands. Men and women (n 1292; 45 % male), with a mean age of 51·23 (sd 16·78) years and a mean BMI of 25·62 (sd 4·75) kg/m2. Results revealed that women consumed more healthy and less unhealthy snacks than men and they scored higher than men on emotional and restrained eating. Women also more often reported appearance and health-related concerns about their eating behaviour, but men and women did not differ with regard to external eating or their intentions to eat more healthily. The relationships between psychological eating-related variables and snack intake were similar for men and women, indicating that snack intake is predicted by the same variables for men and women. It is concluded that some small sex differences in psychological eating-related variables exist, but based on the present data there is no need for interventions aimed at promoting healthy eating to target different predictors according to sex.
Managerial Attention in International SMEs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fan, Jiasi

2017-01-01

Managerial attention affects organizational strategies and the resulting consequences. In the international business context, it is noted that how much attention managers give to the international marketplace, i.e., international attention, has profound implications for large global companies’
A Large-Acceptance Detector System for Electron Scattering from Polarized Internal targets.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Passchier, E.; Bouwhuis, M.; Choi, S.; Zhou, Z.L.; Alarcon, R.; Anghinolfi, M.; Botto, T.; van den Brand, J.F.J.; Bulten, H.J.; Dimitroyannis, D.; Doets, M.; Ent, R.; Ferro Luzzi, M.M.E.; Higinbotham, D.W.; de Jager, C.W.; Lang, J.; de Lange, D.J.; Nikolenko, D.; Nooren, G.J.; Papadakis, N.; Passchier, I.; Popov, S.G.; Rachek, I.; Ripani, M.; Steijger, J.J.M.; Taiuti, M.; Vodinas, N.; de Vries, H.

1997-01-01

The design and the performance of a non-magnetic detector setup for internal target physics at the NIKHEF electron-scattering facility is described. The detector setup, used in the first internal-target experiment at the AmPS ring, measures the spin dependence in the elastic and break-up reaction
Large contribution of human papillomavirus in vaginal neoplastic lesions: a worldwide study in 597 samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Alemany, L; Saunier, M; Tinoco, L; Quirós, B; Alvarado-Cabrero, I; Alejo, M; Joura, E A; Maldonado, P; Klaustermeier, J; Salmerón, J; Bergeron, C; Petry, K U; Guimerà, N; Clavero, O; Murillo, R; Clavel, C; Wain, V; Geraets, D T; Jach, R; Cross, P; Carrilho, C; Molina, C; Shin, H R; Mandys, V; Nowakowski, A M; Vidal, A; Lombardi, L; Kitchener, H; Sica, A R; Magaña-León, C; Pawlita, M; Quint, W; Bravo, I G; Muñoz, N; de Sanjosé, S; Bosch, F X

2014-11-01

This work describes the human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and the HPV type distribution in a large series of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) grades 2/3 and vaginal cancer worldwide. We analysed 189 VAIN 2/3 and 408 invasive vaginal cancer cases collected from 31 countries from 1986 to 2011. After histopathological evaluation of sectioned formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, HPV DNA detection and typing was performed using the SPF-10/DNA enzyme immunoassay (DEIA)/LiPA25 system (version 1). A subset of 146 vaginal cancers was tested for p16(INK4a) expression, a cellular surrogate marker for HPV transformation. Prevalence ratios were estimated using multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance. HPV DNA was detected in 74% (95% confidence interval (CI): 70-78%) of invasive cancers and in 96% (95% CI: 92-98%) of VAIN 2/3. Among cancers, the highest detection rates were observed in warty-basaloid subtype of squamous cell carcinomas, and in younger ages. Concerning the type-specific distribution, HPV16 was the most frequently type detected in both precancerous and cancerous lesions (59%). p16(INK4a) overexpression was found in 87% of HPV DNA positive vaginal cancer cases. HPV was identified in a large proportion of invasive vaginal cancers and in almost all VAIN 2/3. HPV16 was the most common type detected. A large impact in the reduction of the burden of vaginal neoplastic lesions is expected among vaccinated cohorts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A short TE gradient-echo sequence using asymmetric sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Norihiko; Harada, Kohshi; Sakurai, Kosuke; Nakanishi, Katsuyuki; Kim, Shyogen; Kozuka, Takahiro

1990-01-01

We have developed a gradient-echo pulse sequence with a short TE less than 4 msec using a data set of asymmetric off-center sampling with a broad bandwidth. The use of such a short TE significantly reduces T 2 * dephasing effect even in a two-dimensional mode, and by collecting an off-center echo, motion-induced phase dispersion is also considerably decreased. High immunity of this sequence to these dephasing effects permits clear visualization of anatomical details near the skull base where large local field inhomogeneities and rapid blood flow such as in the internal carotid artery are present. (author)
International collaboration in medical radiation science.

Science.gov (United States)

Denham, Gary; Allen, Carla; Platt, Jane

2016-06-01

International collaboration is recognised for enhancing the ability to approach complex problems from a variety of perspectives, increasing development of a wider range of research skills and techniques and improving publication and acceptance rates. The aim of this paper is to describe the current status of international collaboration in medical radiation science and compare this to other allied health occupations. This study utilised a content analysis approach where co-authorship of a journal article was used as a proxy for research collaboration and the papers were assigned to countries based on the corporate address given in the by-line of the publication. A convenience sample method was employed and articles published in the professional medical radiation science journals in the countries represented within our research team - Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) were sampled. Physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy and nursing were chosen for comparison. Rates of international collaboration in medical radiation science journals from Australia, the UK and the USA have steadily increased over the 3-year period sampled. Medical radiation science demonstrated lower average rates of international collaboration than the other allied health occupations sampled. The average rate of international collaboration in nursing was far below that of the allied health occupations sampled. Overall, the UK had the highest average rate of international collaboration, followed by Australia and the USA, the lowest. Overall, medical radiation science is lagging in international collaboration in comparison to other allied health fields.
99Mo Yield Using Large Sample Mass of MoO3 for Sustainable Production of 99Mo

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukada, Kazuaki; Nagai, Yasuki; Hashimoto, Kazuyuki; Kawabata, Masako; Minato, Futoshi; Saeki, Hideya; Motoishi, Shoji; Itoh, Masatoshi

2018-04-01

A neutron source from the C(d,n) reaction has the unique capability of producing medical radioisotopes such as 99Mo with a minimum level of radioactive waste. Precise data on the neutron flux are crucial to determine the best conditions for obtaining the maximum yield of 99Mo. The measured yield of 99Mo produced by the 100Mo(n,2n)99Mo reaction from a large sample mass of MoO3 agrees well with the numerical result estimated with the latest neutron data, which are a factor of two larger than the other existing data. This result establishes an important finding for the domestic production of 99Mo: approximately 50% of the demand for 99Mo in Japan could be met using a 100 g 100MoO3 sample mass with a single accelerator of 40 MeV, 2 mA deuteron beams.
Inferring Population Size History from Large Samples of Genome-Wide Molecular Data - An Approximate Bayesian Computation Approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Boitard

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Inferring the ancestral dynamics of effective population size is a long-standing question in population genetics, which can now be tackled much more accurately thanks to the massive genomic data available in many species. Several promising methods that take advantage of whole-genome sequences have been recently developed in this context. However, they can only be applied to rather small samples, which limits their ability to estimate recent population size history. Besides, they can be very sensitive to sequencing or phasing errors. Here we introduce a new approximate Bayesian computation approach named PopSizeABC that allows estimating the evolution of the effective population size through time, using a large sample of complete genomes. This sample is summarized using the folded allele frequency spectrum and the average zygotic linkage disequilibrium at different bins of physical distance, two classes of statistics that are widely used in population genetics and can be easily computed from unphased and unpolarized SNP data. Our approach provides accurate estimations of past population sizes, from the very first generations before present back to the expected time to the most recent common ancestor of the sample, as shown by simulations under a wide range of demographic scenarios. When applied to samples of 15 or 25 complete genomes in four cattle breeds (Angus, Fleckvieh, Holstein and Jersey, PopSizeABC revealed a series of population declines, related to historical events such as domestication or modern breed creation. We further highlight that our approach is robust to sequencing errors, provided summary statistics are computed from SNPs with common alleles.
Soil sampling for environmental contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-10-01

The Consultants Meeting on Sampling Strategies, Sampling and Storage of Soil for Environmental Monitoring of Contaminants was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency to evaluate methods for soil sampling in radionuclide monitoring and heavy metal surveys for identification of punctual contamination (hot particles) in large area surveys and screening experiments. A group of experts was invited by the IAEA to discuss and recommend methods for representative soil sampling for different kinds of environmental issues. The ultimate sinks for all kinds of contaminants dispersed within the natural environment through human activities are sediment and soil. Soil is a particularly difficult matrix for environmental pollution studies as it is generally composed of a multitude of geological and biological materials resulting from weathering and degradation, including particles of different sizes with varying surface and chemical properties. There are so many different soil types categorized according to their content of biological matter, from sandy soils to loam and peat soils, which make analytical characterization even more complicated. Soil sampling for environmental monitoring of pollutants, therefore, is still a matter of debate in the community of soil, environmental and analytical sciences. The scope of the consultants meeting included evaluating existing techniques with regard to their practicability, reliability and applicability to different purposes, developing strategies of representative soil sampling for cases not yet considered by current techniques and recommending validated techniques applicable to laboratories in developing Member States. This TECDOC includes a critical survey of existing approaches and their feasibility to be applied in developing countries. The report is valuable for radioanalytical laboratories in Member States. It would assist them in quality control and accreditation process
Physics with large extra dimensions

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

can then be accounted by the existence of large internal dimensions, in the sub- ... strongly coupled heterotic theory with one large dimension is described by a weakly ..... one additional U(1) factor corresponding to an extra 'U(1)' D-brane is ...
Reliability and Hierarchical Structure of DSM-5 Pathological Traits in a Danish Mixed Sample

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bo, Sune; Bach, Bo; Mortensen, Erik Lykke

2016-01-01

In this study we assessed the DSM-5 trait model in a large Danish sample (n = 1,119) with respect to reliability of the applied Danish version of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) self-report form by means of internal consistency and item discrimination. In addition, we tested whether...... the five-factor structure of the DSM-5 trait model can be replicated in a Danish independent sample using the PID-5 self-report form. Finally, we examined the hierarchical structure of DSM-5 traits. In terms of internal consistency and item discrimination, the applied PID-5 scales were generally found...... reliable and functional; our data resembled the five-factor structure of previous findings, and we identified a hierarchical structure from one to five factors that was conceptually reasonable and corresponded with existing findings. These results support the new DSM-5 trait model and suggest that it can...
Innovative method for carbon dioxide determination in human postmortem cardiac gas samples using headspace-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and stable labeled isotope as internal standard

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varlet, V., E-mail: vincent.varlet@chuv.ch [Toxicology and Forensic Chemistry Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne – Geneva, CH-1011 Lausanne (Switzerland); Smith, F. [Toxicology and Forensic Chemistry Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne – Geneva, CH-1011 Lausanne (Switzerland); Froidmont, S. de; Dominguez, A.; Rinaldi, A. [Forensic Medicine Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne – Geneva, CH-1011 Lausanne (Switzerland); Augsburger, M. [Toxicology and Forensic Chemistry Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne – Geneva, CH-1011 Lausanne (Switzerland); Mangin, P.; Grabherr, S. [Forensic Medicine Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine Lausanne – Geneva, CH-1011 Lausanne (Switzerland)

2013-06-19

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •We developed a method for CO{sub 2} analysis in cardiac samples and quantification by {sup 13}CO{sub 2}. •This method was fully validated by accuracy profile. •We have applied this method to perform CO{sub 2} precise quantification for forensic applications. •Context of the death could be documented following CO{sub 2} concentrations. -- Abstract: A novel approach to measure carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) in gaseous samples, based on a precise and accurate quantification by {sup 13}CO{sub 2} internal standard generated in situ is presented. The main goal of this study was to provide an innovative headspace-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-GC–MS) method applicable in the routine determination of CO{sub 2}. The main drawback of the GC methods discussed in the literature for CO{sub 2} measurement is the lack of a specific internal standard necessary to perform quantification. CO{sub 2} measurement is still quantified by external calibration without taking into account analytical problems which can often occur considering gaseous samples. To avoid the manipulation of a stable isotope-labeled gas, we have chosen to generate in situ an internal labeled standard gas ({sup 13}CO{sub 2}) on the basis of the stoichiometric formation of CO{sub 2} by the reaction of hydrochloric acid (HCl) with sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaH{sup 13}CO{sub 3}). This method allows a precise measurement of CO{sub 2} concentration and was validated on various human postmortem gas samples in order to study its efficiency.
A method of controlling a large two-stroke turbocharged internal combustion engine and an engine for use in this method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kjemtrup, N; Grone, O S

1994-03-03

A large two-stroke turbocharged internal combusted engine has a reactor for reduction of the NO[sub x]-content in the exhaust gas connected upstream of the turbocharger. At least one sensor measures at least one engine parameter and in a control unit it is determined whether the reactor is heated by the exhaust gas, which heating may cause reduced energy supply to the turbocharger. When this is the case the control unit opens for supply of supplementary air or gas to the engine which may be effected by starting an auxiliary blower and/or by actuating a control means in a bypass conduit so that a large amount of exhaust gas with a corresponding increase in the power is delivered to the turbocharger turbine. (author) figs.
What Is International about International Schools? An Institutional Legitimacy Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Bunnell, Tristan; Fertig, Michael; James, Chris

2016-01-01

In recent years, the number of International Schools around the world has increased rapidly largely as a result of growth of new forms of International Schools, which differ markedly from the traditional forms. These new forms: are often operated on a for-profit commercial basis; are usually for children from the local (indigenous), wealthy…
Use of a 55Fe radioisotope for the determination of titanium in laterite samples via energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

La Brecque, J.J.

1978-01-01

A rapid method for the determination of titanium in geochemical samples using a 55 Fe radioisotope at the extraction source coupled to a Si(Li) detector and a PDP-11/05 computer is described. A representative sample of about 200 g is ground in a large mortar and pestle before it is passed through a 20 mesh sieve. The 20 mesh sample is mixed thoroughly and quartered, then a 5 g subsample is passed completely through a 150 mesh sieve. Both the sample and internal standard K 2 Cr 2 O 7 are dried at 105 deg C before a 250 mg portion of each is weighed and thoroughly mixed. Three 50-100 mg portions are placed in separate sample holders. The sample holder is a simple card with a 1.5 cm diameter opening in which the sample is inserted between two layers of Magic Scotch tape. The relative standard deviation for a thin sample about 100 mg in weight is less than 4% and it is achieved in a fluorescent time of 100 sec. Data are given for the use of two different internal standards, KBrO 2 and K 2 Cr 2 O 7 , the latter being more precise. The values for five international reference standards determined by this method are in agreement with the reported values. (T.G.)

The Large Marine Ecosystem Approach for 21st Century Ocean Health and International Sustainable Development

Science.gov (United States)

Honey, K. T.

2014-12-01

The global coastal ocean and watersheds are divided into 66 Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs), which encompass regions from river basins, estuaries, and coasts to the seaward boundaries of continental shelves and margins of major currents. Approximately 80% of global fisheries catch comes from LME waters. Ecosystem goods and services from LMEs contribute an estimated US 18-25 trillion dollars annually to the global economy in market and non-market value. The critical importance of these large-scale systems, however, is threatened by human populations and pressures, including climate change. Fortunately, there is pragmatic reason for optimism. Interdisciplinary frameworks exist, such as the Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) approach for adaptive management that can integrate both nature-centric and human-centric views into ecosystem monitoring, assessment, and adaptive management practices for long-term sustainability. Originally proposed almost 30 years ago, the LME approach rests on five modules are: (i) productivity, (ii) fish and fisheries, (iii) pollution and ecosystem health, (iv) socioeconomics, and (v) governance for iterative adaptive management at a large, international scale of 200,000 km2 or greater. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), World Bank, and United Nations agencies recognize and support the LME approach—as evidenced by over 3.15 billion in financial assistance to date for LME projects. This year of 2014 is an exciting milestone in LME history, after 20 years of the United Nations and GEF organizations adopting LMEs as a unit for ecosystem-based approaches to management. The LME approach, however, is not perfect. Nor is it immutable. Similar to the adaptive management framework it propones, the LME approach itself must adapt to new and emerging 21st Century technologies, science, and realities. The LME approach must further consider socioeconomics and governance. Within the socioeconomics module alone, several trillion-dollar opportunities exist
Using Co-Occurrence to Evaluate Belief Coherence in a Large Non Clinical Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Pechey, Rachel; Halligan, Peter

2012-01-01

Much of the recent neuropsychological literature on false beliefs (delusions) has tended to focus on individual or single beliefs, with few studies actually investigating the relationship or co-occurrence between different types of co-existing beliefs. Quine and Ullian proposed the hypothesis that our beliefs form an interconnected web in which the beliefs that make up that system must somehow “cohere” with one another and avoid cognitive dissonance. As such beliefs are unlikely to be encapsulated (i.e., exist in isolation from other beliefs). The aim of this preliminary study was to empirically evaluate the probability of belief co-occurrence as one indicator of coherence in a large sample of subjects involving three different thematic sets of beliefs (delusion-like, paranormal & religious, and societal/cultural). Results showed that the degree of belief co-endorsement between beliefs within thematic groupings was greater than random occurrence, lending support to Quine and Ullian’s coherentist account. Some associations, however, were relatively weak, providing for well-established examples of cognitive dissonance. PMID:23155383
Using co-occurrence to evaluate belief coherence in a large non clinical sample.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel Pechey

Full Text Available Much of the recent neuropsychological literature on false beliefs (delusions has tended to focus on individual or single beliefs, with few studies actually investigating the relationship or co-occurrence between different types of co-existing beliefs. Quine and Ullian proposed the hypothesis that our beliefs form an interconnected web in which the beliefs that make up that system must somehow "cohere" with one another and avoid cognitive dissonance. As such beliefs are unlikely to be encapsulated (i.e., exist in isolation from other beliefs. The aim of this preliminary study was to empirically evaluate the probability of belief co-occurrence as one indicator of coherence in a large sample of subjects involving three different thematic sets of beliefs (delusion-like, paranormal & religious, and societal/cultural. Results showed that the degree of belief co-endorsement between beliefs within thematic groupings was greater than random occurrence, lending support to Quine and Ullian's coherentist account. Some associations, however, were relatively weak, providing for well-established examples of cognitive dissonance.
Neurology and international organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mateen, Farrah J

2013-07-23

A growing number of international stakeholders are engaged with neurologic diseases. This article provides a brief overview of important international stakeholders in the practice of neurology, including global disease-specific programs, United Nations agencies, governmental agencies with international influence, nongovernmental organizations, international professional organizations, large private donors, private-public partnerships, commercial interests, armed forces, and universities and colleges. The continued engagement of neurologists is essential for the growing number of international organizations that can and should incorporate neurologic disease into their global agendas.
Necessity of Internal Monitoring for Nuclear Medicine Staff in a Large Specialized Chinese Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong-Bo; Zhang, Qing-Zhao; Zhang, Zhen; Hou, Chang-Song; Li, Wen-Liang; Yang, Hui; Sun, Quan-Fu

2016-04-12

This work intends to quantify the risk of internal contaminations in the nuclear medicine staff of one hospital in Henan province, China. For this purpose, the criteria proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to determine whether it is necessary to conduct internal individual monitoring was applied to all of the 18 nuclear medicine staff members who handled radionuclides. The activity of different radionuclides used during a whole calendar year and the protection measures adopted were collected for each staff member, and the decision as to whether nuclear medicine staff in the hospital should be subjected to internal monitoring was made on the basis of the criteria proposed by IAEA. It is concluded that for all 18 members of the nuclear medicine staff in the hospital, internal monitoring is required. Internal exposure received by nuclear medicine staff should not be ignored, and it is necessary to implement internal monitoring for nuclear medicine staff routinely.
Assessment of natural radioactivity levels in soil samples from some areas in Assiut, Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Gamal, Hany; Farid, M El-Azab; Abdel Mageed, A I; Hasabelnaby, M; Hassanien, Hassanien M

2013-12-01

The natural radioactivity of soil samples from Assiut city, Egypt, was studied. The activity concentrations of 28 samples were measured with a NaI(Tl) detector. The radioactivity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th, and (40)K showed large variations, so the results were classified into two groups (A and B) to facilitate the interpretation of the results. Group A represents samples collected from different locations in Assiut and characterized by low activity concentrations with average values of 46.15 ± 9.69, 30.57 ± 4.90, and 553.14 ± 23.19 for (226)Ra, (232)Th, and (40)K, respectively. Group B represents samples mainly collected from the area around Assiut Thermal Power Plant and characterized by very high activity concentrations with average values of 3,803 ± 145, 1,782 ± 98, and 1,377 ± 78 for (226)Ra, (232)Th, and (40)K, respectively. In order to evaluate the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity, the radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the absorbed dose rate (D), the annual effective dose rate (E), the external hazard index (H ex), and the annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE) have been calculated and compared with the internationally approved values. For group A, the calculated averages of these parameters are in good agreement with the international recommended values except for the absorbed dose rate and the AGDE values which are slightly higher than the international recommended values. However, for group B, all obtained averages of these parameters are much higher by several orders of magnitude than the international recommended values. The present work provides a background of radioactivity concentrations in the soil of Assiut.
CSNI Project for Fracture Analyses of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (Project FALSIRE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bass, B.R.; Pugh, C.E.; Keeney-Walker, J.; Schulz, H.; Sievers, J.

1993-06-01

This report summarizes the recently completed Phase I of the Project for Fracture Analysis of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (Project FALSIRE). Project FALSIRE was created by the Fracture Assessment Group (FAG) of Principal Working Group No. 3 (PWG/3) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)/Nuclear Energy Agency's (NEA's) Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI). Motivation for the project was derived from recognition by the CSNI-PWG/3 that inconsistencies were being revealed in predictive capabilities of a variety of fracture assessment methods, especially in ductile fracture applications. As a consequence, the CSNI/FAG was formed to evaluate fracture prediction capabilities currently used in safety assessments of nuclear components. Members are from laboratories and research organizations in Western Europe, Japan, and the United States of America (USA). On behalf of the CSNI/FAG, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen--und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS), Koeln, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) had responsibility for organization arrangements related to Project FALSIRE. The group is chaired by H. Schulz from GRS, Koeln, FRG
CSNI Project for Fracture Analyses of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (Project FALSIRE)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bass, B.R.; Pugh, C.E.; Keeney-Walker, J. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Schulz, H.; Sievers, J. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Koeln (Gemany)

1993-06-01

This report summarizes the recently completed Phase I of the Project for Fracture Analysis of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (Project FALSIRE). Project FALSIRE was created by the Fracture Assessment Group (FAG) of Principal Working Group No. 3 (PWG/3) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)/Nuclear Energy Agency`s (NEA`s) Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI). Motivation for the project was derived from recognition by the CSNI-PWG/3 that inconsistencies were being revealed in predictive capabilities of a variety of fracture assessment methods, especially in ductile fracture applications. As a consequence, the CSNI/FAG was formed to evaluate fracture prediction capabilities currently used in safety assessments of nuclear components. Members are from laboratories and research organizations in Western Europe, Japan, and the United States of America (USA). On behalf of the CSNI/FAG, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s (NRC`s) Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen--und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS), Koeln, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) had responsibility for organization arrangements related to Project FALSIRE. The group is chaired by H. Schulz from GRS, Koeln, FRG.
Use of a brief version of the self-compassion inventory with an international sample of people with HIV/AIDS

OpenAIRE

Kemppainen, Jeanne K.; Brion, John M.; Leary, Mark; Wantland, Dean; Sullivan, K.; Nokes, Kathleen; Bain, Catherine A; Chaiphibalsarisdi, Puangtip; Chen, Wei-ti; Holzemer, William L.; Eller, Lucille Sanzero; Iipinge, Scholastika; Johnson, Mallory O.; Portillo, Carmen; Voss, Joachim

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to extend the psychometric evaluation of a brief version of the Self Compassion Scale (SCS). A secondary analysis of data from an international sample of 1,967 English-speaking persons living with HIV disease was used to examine the factor structure, and reliability of the 12-item Brief Version Self Compassion Inventory (BVSCI). A Maximum Likelihood factor analysis and Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization confirmed a two-factor solution, accounting for 42.58% of t...
The effect of the novel internal-type linear inductive antenna for large area magnetized inductive plasma source

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, S. H.; Shulika, Olga.; Kim, K. N.; Yeom, G. Y.; Lee, J. K.

2004-09-01

As the technology of plasma processing progresses, there is a continuing demand for higher plasma density, uniformity over large areas and greater control over plasma parameters to optimize the processes of etching, deposition and surface treatment. Traditionally, the external planar ICP sources with low pressure high density plasma have limited scale-up capabilities due to its high impedance accompanied by the large antenna size. Also due to the cost and thickness of their dielectric material in order to generate uniform plasma. In this study the novel internal-type linear inductive antenna system (1,020mm¡¿830mm¡¿437mm) with permanent magnet arrays are investigated to improve both the plasma density and the uniformity of LAPS (Large Area Plasma Source) for FPD processing. Generally plasma discharges are enhanced because the inductance of the novel antenna (termed as the double comb antenna) is lower than that of the serpentine-type antenna and also the magnetic confinement of electron increases the power absorption efficiency. The uniformity is improved by reducing the standing wave effect. The total length of antenna is comparable to the driving rf wavelength to cause the plasma nonuniformity. To describe the discharge phenomenon we have developed a magnetized two-dimensional fluid simulation. This work was supported by National Research Laboratory (NRL) Program of the Korea Ministry of Science and Technology. [References] 1. J.K.Lee, Lin Meng, Y.K.Shin, H,J,Lee and T.H.Chung, ¡°Modeling and Simulation of a Large-Area Plasma Source¡±, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Vol.36(1997) pp. 5714-5723 2. S.E.Park, B.U.Cho, Y.J.Lee*, and G.Y.Yeom*, and J.K.Lee, ¡°The Characteristics of Large Area Processing Plasmas¡±, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., Vol.31 ,No.4(2003) pp. 628-637
Juris International

CERN Document Server

A database on international trade law aimed at lawyers and legal counsel in developing and transition economies. Juris International is a multilingual collection (English, Spanish, and French) of legal information on international trade. Juris International aims to facilitate and reduce the work involved in research for business lawyers, advisers and in-house counsel, and state organizations in developing nd transition economies, by providing access to texts which have often been difficult to obtain. Its objective is to gather a large quantity of basic information at one site (favoring complete legal texts), without the need to send for the information, and consequently without excessive communication costs for users who d benefit from an efficient and cheap telecommunications network.
Exact sampling hardness of Ising spin models

Science.gov (United States)

Fefferman, B.; Foss-Feig, M.; Gorshkov, A. V.

2017-09-01

We study the complexity of classically sampling from the output distribution of an Ising spin model, which can be implemented naturally in a variety of atomic, molecular, and optical systems. In particular, we construct a specific example of an Ising Hamiltonian that, after time evolution starting from a trivial initial state, produces a particular output configuration with probability very nearly proportional to the square of the permanent of a matrix with arbitrary integer entries. In a similar spirit to boson sampling, the ability to sample classically from the probability distribution induced by time evolution under this Hamiltonian would imply unlikely complexity theoretic consequences, suggesting that the dynamics of such a spin model cannot be efficiently simulated with a classical computer. Physical Ising spin systems capable of achieving problem-size instances (i.e., qubit numbers) large enough so that classical sampling of the output distribution is classically difficult in practice may be achievable in the near future. Unlike boson sampling, our current results only imply hardness of exact classical sampling, leaving open the important question of whether a much stronger approximate-sampling hardness result holds in this context. The latter is most likely necessary to enable a convincing experimental demonstration of quantum supremacy. As referenced in a recent paper [A. Bouland, L. Mancinska, and X. Zhang, in Proceedings of the 31st Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC 2016), Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (Schloss Dagstuhl-Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik, Dagstuhl, 2016)], our result completes the sampling hardness classification of two-qubit commuting Hamiltonians.
Development and Progress of Ireland's Biobank Network: Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI), Standardized Documentation, Sample and Data Release, and International Perspective

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Mee, Blanaid

2013-02-19

Biobank Ireland Trust (BIT) was established in 2004 to promote and develop an Irish biobank network to benefit patients, researchers, industry, and the economy. The network commenced in 2008 with two hospital biobanks and currently consists of biobanks in the four main cancer hospitals in Ireland. The St. James\\'s Hospital (SJH) Biobank coordinates the network. Procedures, based on ISBER and NCI guidelines, are standardized across the network. Policies and documents—Patient Consent Policy, Patient Information Sheet, Biobank Consent Form, Sample and Data Access Policy (SAP), and Sample Application Form have been agreed upon (after robust discussion) for use in each hospital. An optimum sequence for document preparation and submission for review is outlined. Once consensus is reached among the participating biobanks, the SJH biobank liaises with the Research and Ethics Committees, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, The National Cancer Registry (NCR), patient advocate groups, researchers, and other stakeholders. The NCR provides de-identified data from its database for researchers via unique biobank codes. ELSI issues discussed include the introduction of prospective consent across the network and the return of significant research results to patients. Only 4 of 363 patients opted to be re-contacted and re-consented on each occasion that their samples are included in a new project. It was decided, after multidisciplinary discussion, that results will not be returned to patients. The SAP is modeled on those of several international networks. Biobank Ireland is affiliated with international biobanking groups—Marble Arch International Working Group, ISBER, and ESBB. The Irish government continues to deliberate on how to fund and implement biobanking nationally. Meanwhile BIT uses every opportunity to promote awareness of the benefits of biobanking in events and in the media.
Corporate governance, competition, the new international financial architecture and large corporations in emerging markets

OpenAIRE

Ajit Singh; Bruce Weisse; Alaka Singh

2002-01-01

This paper examines from the developing countries perspective important analytical and policy issues arising from: a) the current international discussions about corporate governance in relation to the New International Financial Architecture; b) changes in the international competitive environment being caused by the enormous international merger movement in advanced countries. The background to a) above is the emergence of corporate governance as a key issue in the current G7 proposals...
Sleep habits, insomnia, and daytime sleepiness in a large and healthy community-based sample of New Zealanders.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilsmore, Bradley R; Grunstein, Ronald R; Fransen, Marlene; Woodward, Mark; Norton, Robyn; Ameratunga, Shanthi

2013-06-15

To determine the relationship between sleep complaints, primary insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and lifestyle factors in a large community-based sample. Cross-sectional study. Blood donor sites in New Zealand. 22,389 individuals aged 16-84 years volunteering to donate blood. N/A. A comprehensive self-administered questionnaire including personal demographics and validated questions assessing sleep disorders (snoring, apnea), sleep complaints (sleep quantity, sleep dissatisfaction), insomnia symptoms, excessive daytime sleepiness, mood, and lifestyle factors such as work patterns, smoking, alcohol, and illicit substance use. Additionally, direct measurements of height and weight were obtained. One in three participants report healthy sample) was associated with insomnia (odds ratio [OR] 1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.50 to 2.05), depression (OR 2.01, CI 1.74 to 2.32), and sleep disordered breathing (OR 1.92, CI 1.59 to 2.32). Long work hours, alcohol dependence, and rotating work shifts also increase the risk of daytime sleepiness. Even in this relatively young, healthy, non-clinical sample, sleep complaints and primary insomnia with subsequent excess daytime sleepiness were common. There were clear associations between many personal and lifestyle factors-such as depression, long work hours, alcohol dependence, and rotating shift work-and sleep problems or excessive daytime sleepiness.
Next generation sensing platforms for extended deployments in large-scale, multidisciplinary, adaptive sampling and observational networks

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, J. N.; Meinig, C.; Mordy, C. W.; Lawrence-Slavas, N.; Cokelet, E. D.; Jenkins, R.; Tabisola, H. M.; Stabeno, P. J.

2016-12-01

New autonomous sensors have dramatically increased the resolution and accuracy of oceanographic data collection, enabling rapid sampling over extremely fine scales. Innovative new autonomous platofrms like floats, gliders, drones, and crawling moorings leverage the full potential of these new sensors by extending spatiotemporal reach across varied environments. During 2015 and 2016, The Innovative Technology for Arctic Exploration Program at the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory tested several new types of fully autonomous platforms with increased speed, durability, and power and payload capacity designed to deliver cutting-edge ecosystem assessment sensors to remote or inaccessible environments. The Expendable Ice-Tracking (EXIT) gloat developed by the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) is moored near bottom during the ice-free season and released on an autonomous timer beneath the ice during the following winter. The float collects a rapid profile during ascent, and continues to collect critical, poorly-accessible under-ice data until melt, when data is transmitted via satellite. The autonomous Oculus sub-surface glider developed by the University of Washington and PMEL has a large power and payload capacity and an enhanced buoyancy engine. This 'coastal truck' is designed for the rapid water column ascent required by optical imaging systems. The Saildrone is a solar and wind powered ocean unmanned surface vessel (USV) developed by Saildrone, Inc. in partnership with PMEL. This large-payload (200 lbs), fast (1-7 kts), durable (46 kts winds) platform was equipped with 15 sensors designed for ecosystem assessment during 2016, including passive and active acoustic systems specially redesigned for autonomous vehicle deployments. The senors deployed on these platforms achieved rigorous accuracy and precision standards. These innovative platforms provide new sampling capabilities and cost efficiencies in high-resolution sensor deployment
Comparison of Two Methods for Estimating the Sampling-Related Uncertainty of Satellite Rainfall Averages Based on a Large Radar Data Set

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor); Bell, Thomas L.; Steiner, Matthias; Zhang, Yu; Wood, Eric F.

2002-01-01

The uncertainty of rainfall estimated from averages of discrete samples collected by a satellite is assessed using a multi-year radar data set covering a large portion of the United States. The sampling-related uncertainty of rainfall estimates is evaluated for all combinations of 100 km, 200 km, and 500 km space domains, 1 day, 5 day, and 30 day rainfall accumulations, and regular sampling time intervals of 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 8 h, and 12 h. These extensive analyses are combined to characterize the sampling uncertainty as a function of space and time domain, sampling frequency, and rainfall characteristics by means of a simple scaling law. Moreover, it is shown that both parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques of estimating the sampling uncertainty produce comparable results. Sampling uncertainty estimates, however, do depend on the choice of technique for obtaining them. They can also vary considerably from case to case, reflecting the great variability of natural rainfall, and should therefore be expressed in probabilistic terms. Rainfall calibration errors are shown to affect comparison of results obtained by studies based on data from different climate regions and/or observation platforms.
International standards for radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambrosi, P.

2011-01-01

International standards for radiation protection are issued by many bodies. These bodies differ to a large extent in their organisation, in the way the members are designated and in the way the international standards are authorised by the issuing body. Large differences also exist in the relevance of the international standards. One extreme is that the international standards are mandatory in the sense that no conflicting national standard may exist, the other extreme is that national and international standards conflict and there is no need to resolve that conflict. Between these extremes there are some standards or documents of relevance, which are not binding by any formal law or contract but are de facto binding due to the scientific reputation of the issuing body. This paper gives, for radiation protection, an overview of the main standards issuing bodies, the international standards or documents of relevance issued by them and the relevance of these documents. (authors)
Estimation of reference intervals from small samples: an example using canine plasma creatinine.

Science.gov (United States)

Geffré, A; Braun, J P; Trumel, C; Concordet, D

2009-12-01

According to international recommendations, reference intervals should be determined from at least 120 reference individuals, which often are impossible to achieve in veterinary clinical pathology, especially for wild animals. When only a small number of reference subjects is available, the possible bias cannot be known and the normality of the distribution cannot be evaluated. A comparison of reference intervals estimated by different methods could be helpful. The purpose of this study was to compare reference limits determined from a large set of canine plasma creatinine reference values, and large subsets of this data, with estimates obtained from small samples selected randomly. Twenty sets each of 120 and 27 samples were randomly selected from a set of 1439 plasma creatinine results obtained from healthy dogs in another study. Reference intervals for the whole sample and for the large samples were determined by a nonparametric method. The estimated reference limits for the small samples were minimum and maximum, mean +/- 2 SD of native and Box-Cox-transformed values, 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles by a robust method on native and Box-Cox-transformed values, and estimates from diagrams of cumulative distribution functions. The whole sample had a heavily skewed distribution, which approached Gaussian after Box-Cox transformation. The reference limits estimated from small samples were highly variable. The closest estimates to the 1439-result reference interval for 27-result subsamples were obtained by both parametric and robust methods after Box-Cox transformation but were grossly erroneous in some cases. For small samples, it is recommended that all values be reported graphically in a dot plot or histogram and that estimates of the reference limits be compared using different methods.
Neutron activation analysis of archaeological artifacts using the conventional relative method: a realistic approach for analysis of large samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedregal, P.S.; Mendoza, A.; Montoya, E.H.; Cohen, I.M.; Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, Buenos Aires; Oscar Baltuano

2012-01-01

A new approach for analysis of entire potsherds of archaeological interest by INAA, using the conventional relative method, is described. The analytical method proposed involves, primarily, the preparation of replicates of the original archaeological pottery, with well known chemical composition (standard), destined to be irradiated simultaneously, in a well thermalized external neutron beam of the RP-10 reactor, with the original object (sample). The basic advantage of this proposal is to avoid the need of performing complicated effect corrections when dealing with large samples, due to neutron self shielding, neutron self-thermalization and gamma ray attenuation. In addition, and in contrast with the other methods, the main advantages are the possibility of evaluating the uncertainty of the results and, fundamentally, validating the overall methodology. (author)

Personality traits and eating habits in a large sample of Estonians.

Science.gov (United States)

Mõttus, René; Realo, Anu; Allik, Jüri; Deary, Ian J; Esko, Tõnu; Metspalu, Andres

2012-11-01

Diet has health consequences, which makes knowing the psychological correlates of dietary habits important. Associations between dietary habits and personality traits were examined in a large sample of Estonians (N = 1,691) aged between 18 and 89 years. Dietary habits were measured using 11 items, which grouped into two factors reflecting (a) health aware and (b) traditional dietary patterns. The health aware diet factor was defined by eating more cereal and dairy products, fish, vegetables and fruits. The traditional diet factor was defined by eating more potatoes, meat and meat products, and bread. Personality was assessed by participants themselves and by people who knew them well. The questionnaire used was the NEO Personality Inventory-3, which measures the Five-Factor Model personality broad traits of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, along with six facets for each trait. Gender, age and educational level were controlled for. Higher scores on the health aware diet factor were associated with lower Neuroticism, and higher Extraversion, Openness and Conscientiousness (effect sizes were modest: r = .11 to 0.17 in self-ratings, and r = .08 to 0.11 in informant-ratings, ps < 0.01 or lower). Higher scores on the traditional diet factor were related to lower levels of Openness (r = -0.14 and -0.13, p < .001, self- and informant-ratings, respectively). Endorsement of healthy and avoidance of traditional dietary items are associated with people's personality trait levels, especially higher Openness. The results may inform dietary interventions with respect to possible barriers to diet change.
Diversity in the stellar velocity dispersion profiles of a large sample of brightest cluster galaxies z ≤ 0.3

Science.gov (United States)

Loubser, S. I.; Hoekstra, H.; Babul, A.; O'Sullivan, E.

2018-06-01

We analyse spatially resolved deep optical spectroscopy of brightestcluster galaxies (BCGs) located in 32 massive clusters with redshifts of 0.05 ≤ z ≤ 0.30 to investigate their velocity dispersion profiles. We compare these measurements to those of other massive early-type galaxies, as well as central group galaxies, where relevant. This unique, large sample extends to the most extreme of massive galaxies, spanning MK between -25.7 and -27.8 mag, and host cluster halo mass M500 up to 1.7 × 1015 M⊙. To compare the kinematic properties between brightest group and cluster members, we analyse similar spatially resolved long-slit spectroscopy for 23 nearby brightest group galaxies (BGGs) from the Complete Local-Volume Groups Sample. We find a surprisingly large variety in velocity dispersion slopes for BCGs, with a significantly larger fraction of positive slopes, unique compared to other (non-central) early-type galaxies as well as the majority of the brightest members of the groups. We find that the velocity dispersion slopes of the BCGs and BGGs correlate with the luminosity of the galaxies, and we quantify this correlation. It is not clear whether the full diversity in velocity dispersion slopes that we see is reproduced in simulations.
Failure rate of inferior alveolar nerve block among dental students and interns.

Science.gov (United States)

AlHindi, Maryam; Rashed, Bayan; AlOtaibi, Noura

2016-01-01

To report the failure rate of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) among dental students and interns, causes of failure, investigate awareness of different IANB techniques, and to report IANB-associated complications. A 3-page questionnaire containing 13 questions was distributed to a random sample of 350 third to fifth years students and interns at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 2011. It included demographic questions (age, gender, and academic level) and questions on IANB failure frequency and reasons, actions taken to overcome the failure, and awareness of different anesthetic techniques, supplementary techniques, and complications. Of the 250 distributed questionnaires, 238 were returned (68% response rate). Most (85.7%) of surveyed sample had experienced IANB failure once or twice. The participants attributed the failures most commonly (66.45%) to anatomical variations. The most common alternative technique used was intraligamentary injection (57.1%), although 42.8% of the sample never attempted any alternatives. Large portion of the samples stated that they either lacked both knowledge of and training for other techniques (44.9%), or that they had knowledge of them but not enough training to perform them (45.8%). To decrease IANB failure rates for dental students and interns, knowledge of landmarks, anatomical variation and their training in alternatives to IANB, such as the Gow-Gates and Akinosi techniques, both theoretically and clinically in the dental curriculum should be enhanced.
Failure rate of inferior alveolar nerve block among dental students and interns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam AlHindi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To report the failure rate of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB among dental students and interns, causes of failure, investigate awareness of different IANB techniques, and to report IANB-associated complications. Methods: A 3-page questionnaire containing 13 questions was distributed to a random sample of 350 third to fifth years students and interns at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 2011. It included demographic questions (age, gender, and academic level and questions on IANB failure frequency and reasons, actions taken to overcome the failure, and awareness of different anesthetic techniques, supplementary techniques, and complications. Results: Of the 250 distributed questionnaires, 238 were returned (68% response rate. Most (85.7% of surveyed sample had experienced IANB failure once or twice. The participants attributed the failures most commonly (66.45% to anatomical variations. The most common alternative technique used was intraligamentary injection (57.1%, although 42.8% of the sample never attempted any alternatives. Large portion of the samples stated that they either lacked both knowledge of and training for other techniques (44.9%, or that they had knowledge of them but not enough training to perform them (45.8%. Conclusion: To decrease IANB failure rates for dental students and interns, knowledge of landmarks, anatomical variation and their training in alternatives to IANB, such as the Gow-Gates and Akinosi techniques, both theoretically and clinically in the dental curriculum should be enhanced.
The baby killers are still at large.

Science.gov (United States)

Power, J

1994-08-12

This newspaper editorial reports that the UN Children's Fund's (UNICEF) executive director and recent US Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient believes that 1.5 million infants would survive annually if breast feeding declines worldwide were reversed. UNICEF adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes in the World Health Assembly in 1981. The code restricts direct advertising, inadequate labels, saleswomen dressed as nurses, and promotion of free samples. The Baby Food Action Network is reported to have released a report which states that baby food companies are still donating free supplies of infant formula to hospitals. The UNICEF position is that provision of free supplies is the most important disincentive to breast feeding. 81 governments adopted the guidelines, but 41 countries have hospitals which accept free samples. 28 of these 41 countries adopted the ban. The Nestle Company, which was cited 20 years age for this practice, won the legal battle and today defies the guidelines in 22 countries, including China, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh. A US company, Mead Johnson, uses advertising on its label that shows Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit being bottle fed. The International Code restricts idealization of bottle feeding. Nutrician, a large conglomerate ownership of US and European infant formula companies, brazenly advertises in the Peruvian daily newspapers with photos of baby milk boxes being donated to hospitals. Dr. Derek Jelliffe, an infant nutritionist, is credited with being the first to publicize the dangers of commercialized malnutrition 21 years ago.
A low-volume cavity ring-down spectrometer for sample-limited applications

Science.gov (United States)

Stowasser, C.; Farinas, A. D.; Ware, J.; Wistisen, D. W.; Rella, C.; Wahl, E.; Crosson, E.; Blunier, T.

2014-08-01

In atmospheric and environmental sciences, optical spectrometers are used for the measurements of greenhouse gas mole fractions and the isotopic composition of water vapor or greenhouse gases. The large sample cell volumes (tens of milliliters to several liters) in commercially available spectrometers constrain the usefulness of such instruments for applications that are limited in sample size and/or need to track fast variations in the sample stream. In an effort to make spectrometers more suitable for sample-limited applications, we developed a low-volume analyzer capable of measuring mole fractions of methane and carbon monoxide based on a commercial cavity ring-down spectrometer. The instrument has a small sample cell (9.6 ml) and can selectively be operated at a sample cell pressure of 140, 45, or 20 Torr (effective internal volume of 1.8, 0.57, and 0.25 ml). We present the new sample cell design and the flow path configuration, which are optimized for small sample sizes. To quantify the spectrometer's usefulness for sample-limited applications, we determine the renewal rate of sample molecules within the low-volume spectrometer. Furthermore, we show that the performance of the low-volume spectrometer matches the performance of the standard commercial analyzers by investigating linearity, precision, and instrumental drift.
Gravimetric dust sampling for control purposes and occupational dust sampling.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Unsted, AD

1997-02-01

Full Text Available Prior to the introduction of gravimetric dust sampling, konimeters had been used for dust sampling, which was largely for control purposes. Whether or not absolute results were achievable was not an issue since relative results were used to evaluate...
Testing the influence of external and internal cues on smoking motivation using a community sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Litvin, Erika B; Brandon, Thomas H

2010-02-01

Exposing smokers to either external cues (e.g., pictures of cigarettes) or internal cues (e.g., negative affect induction) can induce urge to smoke and other behavioral and physiological responses. However, little is known about whether the two types of cues interact when presented in close proximity, as is likely the case in the real word. Additionally, potential moderators of cue reactivity have rarely been examined. Finally, few cue-reactivity studies have used representative samples of smokers. In a randomized 2 x 2 crossed factorial between-subjects design, the current study tested the effects of a negative affect cue intended to produce anxiety (speech preparation task) and an external smoking cue on urge and behavioral reactivity in a community sample of adult smokers (N = 175), and whether trait impulsivity moderated the effects. Both types of cues produced main effects on urges to smoke, despite the speech task failing to increase anxiety significantly. The speech task increased smoking urge related to anticipation of negative affect relief, whereas the external smoking cues increased urges related to anticipation of pleasure; however, the cues did not interact. Impulsivity measures predicted urge and other smoking-related variables, but did not moderate cue-reactivity. Results suggest independent rather than synergistic effects of these contributors to smoking motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
Effect of NaOH on large-volume sample stacking of haloacetic acids in capillary zone electrophoresis with a low-pH buffer.

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Chuanhong; Zhu, Lingyan; Ang, Chay Hoon; Lee, Hian Kee

2003-06-01

Large-volume sample stacking (LVSS) is an effective on-capillary sample concentration method in capillary zone electrophoresis, which can be applied to the sample in a low-conductivity matrix. NaOH solution is commonly used to back-extract acidic compounds from organic solvent in sample pretreatment. The effect of NaOH as sample matrix on LVSS of haloacetic acids was investigated in this study. It was found that the presence of NaOH in sample did not compromise, but rather help the sample stacking performance if a low pH background electrolyte (BGE) was used. The sensitivity enhancement factor was higher than the case when sample was dissolved in pure water or diluted BGE. Compared with conventional injection (0.4% capillary volume), 97-120-fold sensitivity enhancement in terms of peak height was obtained without deterioration of separation with an injection amount equal to 20% of the capillary volume. This method was applied to determine haloacetic acids in tap water by combination with liquid-liquid extraction and back-extraction into NaOH solution. Limits of detection at sub-ppb levels were obtained for real samples with direct UV detection.
Identification of Non-HLA Genes Associated with Celiac Disease and Country-Specific Differences in a Large, International Pediatric Cohort.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashok Sharma

Full Text Available There are significant geographical differences in the prevalence and incidence of celiac disease that cannot be explained by HLA alone. More than 40 loci outside of the HLA region have been associated with celiac disease. We investigated the roles of these non-HLA genes in the development of tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (tTGA and celiac disease in a large international prospective cohort study.A total of 424,788 newborns from the US and European general populations and first-degree relatives with type 1 diabetes were screened for specific HLA genotypes. Of these, 21,589 carried 1 of the 9 HLA genotypes associated with increased risk for type 1 diabetes and celiac disease; we followed 8676 of the children in a 15 y prospective follow-up study. Genotype analyses were performed on 6010 children using the Illumina ImmunoChip. Levels of tTGA were measured in serum samples using radio-ligand binding assays; diagnoses of celiac disease were made based on persistent detection of tTGA and biopsy analysis. Data were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards analyses.We found 54 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in 5 genes associated with celiac disease (TAGAP, IL18R1, RGS21, PLEK, and CCR9 in time to celiac disease analyses (10-4>P>5.8x10-6. The hazard ratios (HR for the SNPs with the smallest P values in each region were 1.59, 1.45, 2.23, 2.64, and 1.40, respectively. Outside of regions previously associated with celiac disease, we identified 10 SNPs in 8 regions that could also be associated with the disease (P<10-4. A SNP near PKIA (rs117128341, P = 6.5x10-8, HR = 2.8 and a SNP near PFKFB3 (rs117139146, P<2.8x10-7, HR = 4.9 reached the genome-wide association threshold in subjects from Sweden. Analyses of time to detection of tTGA identified 29 SNPs in 2 regions previously associated with celiac disease (CTLA4, P = 1.3x10-6, HR = 0.76 and LPP, P = 2.8x10-5, HR = .80 and 6 SNPs in 5 regions not previously associated with celiac disease (P<10
Effects of large volume injection of aliphatic alcohols as sample diluents on the retention of low hydrophobic solutes in reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Victor; Galaon, Toma; Aboul-Enein, Hassan Y

2014-01-03

Recent studies showed that injection of large volume of hydrophobic solvents used as sample diluents could be applied in reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC). This study reports a systematic research focused on the influence of a series of aliphatic alcohols (from methanol to 1-octanol) on the retention process in RP-LC, when large volumes of sample are injected on the column. Several model analytes with low hydrophobic character were studied by RP-LC process, for mobile phases containing methanol or acetonitrile as organic modifiers in different proportions with aqueous component. It was found that starting with 1-butanol, the aliphatic alcohols can be used as sample solvents and they can be injected in high volumes, but they may influence the retention factor and peak shape of the dissolved solutes. The dependence of the retention factor of the studied analytes on the injection volume of these alcohols is linear, with a decrease of its value as the sample volume is increased. The retention process in case of injecting up to 200μL of upper alcohols is dependent also on the content of the organic modifier (methanol or acetonitrile) in mobile phase. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Soil Characterization by Large Scale Sampling of Soil Mixed with Buried Construction Debris at a Former Uranium Fuel Fabrication Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nardi, A.J.; Lamantia, L.

2009-01-01

Recent soil excavation activities on a site identified the presence of buried uranium contaminated building construction debris. The site previously was the location of a low enriched uranium fuel fabrication facility. This resulted in the collection of excavated materials from the two locations where contaminated subsurface debris was identified. The excavated material was temporarily stored in two piles on the site until a determination could be made as to the appropriate disposition of the material. Characterization of the excavated material was undertaken in a manner that involved the collection of large scale samples of the excavated material in 1 cubic meter Super Sacks. Twenty bags were filled with excavated material that consisted of the mixture of both the construction debris and the associated soil. In order to obtain information on the level of activity associated with the construction debris, ten additional bags were filled with construction debris that had been separated, to the extent possible, from the associated soil. Radiological surveys were conducted of the resulting bags of collected materials and the soil associated with the waste mixture. The 30 large samples, collected as bags, were counted using an In-Situ Object Counting System (ISOCS) unit to determine the average concentration of U-235 present in each bag. The soil fraction was sampled by the collection of 40 samples of soil for analysis in an on-site laboratory. A fraction of these samples were also sent to an off-site laboratory for additional analysis. This project provided the necessary soil characterization information to allow consideration of alternate options for disposition of the material. The identified contaminant was verified to be low enriched uranium. Concentrations of uranium in the waste were found to be lower than the calculated site specific derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs) but higher than the NRC's screening values. The methods and results are presented
Where Will All Your Samples Go?

Science.gov (United States)

Lehnert, K.

2017-12-01

Even in the digital age, physical samples remain an essential component of Earth and space science research. Geoscientists collect samples, sometimes locally, often in remote locations during expensive field expeditions, or at sample repositories and museums. They take these samples to their labs to describe and analyze them. When the analyses are completed and the results are published, the samples get stored away in sheds, basements, or desk drawers, where they remain unknown and inaccessible to the broad science community. In some cases, they will get re-analyzed or shared with other researchers, who know of their existence through personal connections. The sad end comes when the researcher retires: There are many stories of samples and entire collections being discarded to free up space for new samples or other purposes, even though these samples may be unique and irreplaceable. Institutions do not feel obligated and do not have the resources to store samples in perpetuity. Only samples collected in large sampling campaigns such as the Ocean Discovery Program or cores taken on ships find a home in repositories that curate and preserve them for reuse in future science endeavors. In the era of open, transparent, and reproducible science, preservation and persistent access to samples must be considered a mandate. Policies need to be developed that guide investigators, institutions, and funding agencies to plan and implement solutions for reliably and persistently curating and providing access to samples. Registration of samples in online catalogs and use of persistent identifiers such as the International Geo Sample Number are first steps to ensure discovery and access of samples. But digital discovery and access loses its value if the physical objects are not preserved and accessible. It is unreasonable to expect that every sample ever collected can be archived. Selection of those samples that are worth preserving requires guidelines and policies. We also need to
Post-Flight Microbial Analysis of Samples from the International Space Station Water Recovery System and Oxygen Generation System

Science.gov (United States)

Birmele, Michele N.

2011-01-01

The Regenerative, Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) on the International Space Station (ISS) includes the the Water Recovery System (WRS) and the Oxygen Generation System (OGS). The WRS consists of a Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) and Water Processor Assembly (WPA). This report describes microbial characterization of wastewater and surface samples collected from the WRS and OGS subsystems, returned to KSC, JSC, and MSFC on consecutive shuttle flights (STS-129 and STS-130) in 2009-10. STS-129 returned two filters that contained fluid samples from the WPA Waste Tank Orbital Recovery Unit (ORU), one from the waste tank and the other from the ISS humidity condensate. Direct count by microscopic enumeration revealed 8.38 x 104 cells per mL in the humidity condensate sample, but none of those cells were recoverable on solid agar media. In contrast, 3.32 x lOs cells per mL were measured from a surface swab of the WRS waste tank, including viable bacteria and fungi recovered after S12 days of incubation on solid agar media. Based on rDNA sequencing and phenotypic characterization, a fungus recovered from the filter was determined to be Lecythophora mutabilis. The bacterial isolate was identified by rDNA sequence data to be Methylobacterium radiotolerans. Additional UPA subsystem samples were returned on STS-130 for analysis. Both liquid and solid samples were collected from the Russian urine container (EDV), Distillation Assembly (DA) and Recycle Filter Tank Assembly (RFTA) for post-flight analysis. The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungus Chaetomium brasiliense were isolated from the EDV samples. No viable bacteria or fungi were recovered from RFTA brine samples (N= 6), but multiple samples (N = 11) from the DA and RFTA were found to contain fungal and bacterial cells. Many recovered cells have been identified to genus by rDNA sequencing and carbon source utilization profiling (BiOLOG Gen III). The presence of viable bacteria and fungi from WRS
Sampling based uncertainty analysis of 10% hot leg break LOCA in large scale test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, Samiran; Kraina, V.; Dubey, S. K.; Rao, R. S.; Gupta, S. K.

2010-01-01

Sampling based uncertainty analysis was carried out to quantify uncertainty in predictions of best estimate code RELAP5/MOD3.2 for a thermal hydraulic test (10% hot leg break LOCA) performed in the Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF) as a part of an IAEA coordinated research project. The nodalisation of the test facility was qualified for both steady state and transient level by systematically applying the procedures led by uncertainty methodology based on accuracy extrapolation (UMAE); uncertainty analysis was carried out using the Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method to evaluate uncertainty for ten input parameters. Sixteen output parameters were selected for uncertainty evaluation and uncertainty band between 5 th and 95 th percentile of the output parameters were evaluated. It was observed that the uncertainty band for the primary pressure during two phase blowdown is larger than that of the remaining period. Similarly, a larger uncertainty band is observed relating to accumulator injection flow during reflood phase. Importance analysis was also carried out and standard rank regression coefficients were computed to quantify the effect of each individual input parameter on output parameters. It was observed that the break discharge coefficient is the most important uncertain parameter relating to the prediction of all the primary side parameters and that the steam generator (SG) relief pressure setting is the most important parameter in predicting the SG secondary pressure
Examining gray matter structure associated with academic performance in a large sample of Chinese high school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Song; Zhou, Ming; Chen, Taolin; Yang, Xun; Chen, Guangxiang; Wang, Meiyun; Gong, Qiyong

2017-04-18

Achievement in school is crucial for students to be able to pursue successful careers and lead happy lives in the future. Although many psychological attributes have been found to be associated with academic performance, the neural substrates of academic performance remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the relationship between brain structure and academic performance in a large sample of high school students via structural magnetic resonance imaging (S-MRI) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach. The whole-brain regression analyses showed that higher academic performance was related to greater regional gray matter density (rGMD) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which is considered a neural center at the intersection of cognitive and non-cognitive functions. Furthermore, mediation analyses suggested that general intelligence partially mediated the impact of the left DLPFC density on academic performance. These results persisted even after adjusting for the effect of family socioeconomic status (SES). In short, our findings reveal a potential neuroanatomical marker for academic performance and highlight the role of general intelligence in explaining the relationship between brain structure and academic performance.
The international Genome sample resource (IGSR): A worldwide collection of genome variation incorporating the 1000 Genomes Project data.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Laura; Fairley, Susan; Zheng-Bradley, Xiangqun; Streeter, Ian; Perry, Emily; Lowy, Ernesto; Tassé, Anne-Marie; Flicek, Paul

2017-01-04

The International Genome Sample Resource (IGSR; http://www.internationalgenome.org) expands in data type and population diversity the resources from the 1000 Genomes Project. IGSR represents the largest open collection of human variation data and provides easy access to these resources. IGSR was established in 2015 to maintain and extend the 1000 Genomes Project data, which has been widely used as a reference set of human variation and by researchers developing analysis methods. IGSR has mapped all of the 1000 Genomes sequence to the newest human reference (GRCh38), and will release updated variant calls to ensure maximal usefulness of the existing data. IGSR is collecting new structural variation data on the 1000 Genomes samples from long read sequencing and other technologies, and will collect relevant functional data into a single comprehensive resource. IGSR is extending coverage with new populations sequenced by collaborating groups. Here, we present the new data and analysis that IGSR has made available. We have also introduced a new data portal that increases discoverability of our data-previously only browseable through our FTP site-by focusing on particular samples, populations or data sets of interest. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
Implementation of a change management solution based on a product lifecycle management system for a large international project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luehr, Anneke

2011-08-01

This Thesis describes the implementation of a Change Management solution based on a Product Lifecycle Management System (PLM System) for a large international project. The objective of Change Management is to ensure a systematic line of action for approving and implementing changes in the project. The Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY is one of the world's leading accelerator centres with locations in Hamburg and Zeuthen. Currently, DESY participates in the realization of the international research facility European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) at the Hamburg site. DESY was responsible for the planning of the XFEL. When the project entered the construction phase it was internationalized and now comprises project groups in 12 countries. Thus the requirements on Change Management have changed, as participants from several labs at many different locations are now involved. First the project scope is described and then a target process for the Change Management solution is developed by a requirement analysis. Afterwards the technical implementation of this process in DESY's PLM System is described and the Change Management solution is tested. The process is visualized using the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Finally a description is given of how to transfer the solution to the project
Noble gas atmospheric monitoring for international safeguards at reprocessing plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakhleh, C.W.; Poths, J.; Stanbro, W.D.; Perry, R.T. Jr.; Wilson, W.B.; Fearey, B.L.

1997-01-01

The use of environmental sampling is a major component of the improvements of International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards being carried out under Program 93+2. Nonradioactive noble gas isotopic measurements in the effluent stream of large reprocessing facilities may provide useful confirmatory information on the burnup and reactor type of the spent fuel undergoing reprocessing. The authors have taken and analyzed stack samples at an operating facility. The data show clear fission signals. The authors are currently applying a maximum-likelihood estimation procedure to determine the fuel burnup from these data. They anticipate that the general features involved in the table noble gas problem--selection of appropriate signals, measurement of those signals under realistic conditions, and inverse calculation of parameters of interest from the environmental data--will be present in all environmental sampling problems. These methods should therefore be widely applicable
Health and well-being factors associated with international business travel.

Science.gov (United States)

Burkholder, Justin D; Joines, Ron; Cunningham-Hill, Mark; Xu, Baowei

2010-01-01

International travel by US business travelers is continuing to increase with the globalization of the economy. The objective of this study was to determine if the frequency and duration of international business travel is associated with differences in travelers' health and well-being. This study expands our limited knowledge of the impact of long-haul travel on healthy lifestyle choices and traveler's perceptions of their health and well-being. 12,942 unique health risk appraisal (HRA) records of US employees of a multinational corporation were analyzed according to self-reported (objective and subjective) travel history and lifestyle habits. Comparing 2,962 international travelers and 9,980 non-travelers, international business travel was significantly associated with a lower body mass index, lower blood pressure, excess alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, and diminished confidence to keep up with the pace of work. This study demonstrated both positive and negative associations on the health risks and well-being of a large sample of US-based international business travelers from an US multinational company. This study identifies targeted areas for pretrip screening and counseling to proactively address potential negative effects of travel and may assist in the design of corporate travel health and employee assistance programs. © 2010 International Society of Travel Medicine.

Intermittent large amplitude internal waves observed in Port Susan, Puget Sound

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, J. C.; Decker, L.

2017-07-01

A previously unreported internal tidal bore, which evolves into solitary internal wave packets, was observed in Port Susan, Puget Sound, and the timing, speed, and amplitude of the waves were measured by CTD and visual observation. Acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements were attempted, but unsuccessful. The waves appear to be generated with the ebb flow along the tidal flats of the Stillaguamish River, and the speed and width of the resulting waves can be predicted from second-order KdV theory. Their eventual dissipation may contribute significantly to surface mixing locally, particularly in comparison with the local dissipation due to the tides. Visually the waves appear in fair weather as a strong foam front, which is less visible the farther they propagate.
Continuous sampling from distributed streams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graham, Cormode; Muthukrishnan, S.; Yi, Ke

2012-01-01

A fundamental problem in data management is to draw and maintain a sample of a large data set, for approximate query answering, selectivity estimation, and query planning. With large, streaming data sets, this problem becomes particularly difficult when the data is shared across multiple distribu......A fundamental problem in data management is to draw and maintain a sample of a large data set, for approximate query answering, selectivity estimation, and query planning. With large, streaming data sets, this problem becomes particularly difficult when the data is shared across multiple...... distributed sites. The main challenge is to ensure that a sample is drawn uniformly across the union of the data while minimizing the communication needed to run the protocol on the evolving data. At the same time, it is also necessary to make the protocol lightweight, by keeping the space and time costs low...... for each participant. In this article, we present communication-efficient protocols for continuously maintaining a sample (both with and without replacement) from k distributed streams. These apply to the case when we want a sample from the full streams, and to the sliding window cases of only the W most...
Arbitrarily large numbers of kink internal modes in inhomogeneous sine-Gordon equations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

González, J.A., E-mail: jalbertgonz@yahoo.es [Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 (United States); Department of Natural Sciences, Miami Dade College, 627 SW 27th Ave., Miami, FL 33135 (United States); Bellorín, A., E-mail: alberto.bellorin@ucv.ve [Escuela de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado Postal 47586, Caracas 1041-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); García-Ñustes, M.A., E-mail: monica.garcia@pucv.cl [Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Casilla 4059 (Chile); Guerrero, L.E., E-mail: lguerre@usb.ve [Departamento de Física, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Apartado Postal 89000, Caracas 1080-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Jiménez, S., E-mail: s.jimenez@upm.es [Departamento de Matemática Aplicada a las TT.II., E.T.S.I. Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040-Madrid (Spain); Vázquez, L., E-mail: lvazquez@fdi.ucm.es [Departamento de Matemática Aplicada, Facultad de Informática, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040-Madrid (Spain)

2017-06-28

We prove analytically the existence of an infinite number of internal (shape) modes of sine-Gordon solitons in the presence of some inhomogeneous long-range forces, provided some conditions are satisfied. - Highlights: • We have found exact kink solutions to the perturbed sine-Gordon equation. • We have been able to study analytically the kink stability problem. • A kink equilibrated by an exponentially-localized perturbation has a finite number of oscillation modes. • A sufficiently broad equilibrating perturbation supports an infinite number of soliton internal modes.
Crafting an International Study of Students' Conceptual Understanding of Astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, Stephanie; Bretones, P. S.; McKinnon, D.; Schleigh, S.; Slater, T. F.; Astronomy, Center; Education Research, Physics

2013-01-01

Large international investigations into the learning of science, such as the TIMSS and PISA studies, have been enlightening with regard to effective instructional practices. Data from these studies revealed weaknesses and promising practices within nations' educational systems, with evidence to suggest that these studies have led to international reforms in science education. However, these reforms have focused on the general characteristics of teaching and learning across all sciences. While extraordinarily useful, these studies have provided limited insight for any given content domain. To date, there has been no systematic effort to measure individual's conceptual astronomy understanding across the globe. This paper describes our motivations for a coordinated, multinational study of astronomy understanding. First, reformed education is based upon knowing the preexisting knowledge state of our students. The data from this study will be used to assist international astronomy education and public outreach (EPO) professionals in their efforts to improve practices across global settings. Second, while the US astronomy EPO community has a long history of activity, research has established that many practices are ineffective in the face of robust misconceptions (e.g.: seasons). Within an international sample we hope to find subpopulations that do not conform to our existing knowledge of student misconceptions, leading us to cultural or educational practices that hint at alternative, effective means of instruction. Finally, it is our hope that this first venture into large-scale disciplinary collaboration will help us to craft a set of common languages and practices, building capacity and leading toward long-term cooperation across the international EPO community. This project is sponsored and managed by the Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research (CAPER), in collaboration with members of the International Astronomical Union-Commission 46. We are actively
Sample tracking in an automated cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory for radiation mass casualties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, P.R.; Berdychevski, R.E.; Subramanian, U.; Blakely, W.F.; Prasanna, P.G.S.

2007-01-01

Chromosome-aberration-based dicentric assay is expected to be used after mass-casualty life-threatening radiation exposures to assess radiation dose to individuals. This will require processing of a large number of samples for individual dose assessment and clinical triage to aid treatment decisions. We have established an automated, high-throughput, cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory to process a large number of samples for conducting the dicentric assay using peripheral blood from exposed individuals according to internationally accepted laboratory protocols (i.e., within days following radiation exposures). The components of an automated cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory include blood collection kits for sample shipment, a cell viability analyzer, a robotic liquid handler, an automated metaphase harvester, a metaphase spreader, high-throughput slide stainer and coverslipper, a high-throughput metaphase finder, multiple satellite chromosome-aberration analysis systems, and a computerized sample-tracking system. Laboratory automation using commercially available, off-the-shelf technologies, customized technology integration, and implementation of a laboratory information management system (LIMS) for cytogenetic analysis will significantly increase throughput. This paper focuses on our efforts to eliminate data-transcription errors, increase efficiency, and maintain samples' positive chain-of-custody by sample tracking during sample processing and data analysis. This sample-tracking system represents a 'beta' version, which can be modeled elsewhere in a cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory, and includes a customized LIMS with a central server, personal computer workstations, barcode printers, fixed station and wireless hand-held devices to scan barcodes at various critical steps, and data transmission over a private intra-laboratory computer network. Our studies will improve diagnostic biodosimetry response, aid confirmation of clinical triage, and medical
Sample tracking in an automated cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory for radiation mass casualties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, P.R.; Berdychevski, R.E.; Subramanian, U.; Blakely, W.F. [Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889-5603 (United States); Prasanna, P.G.S. [Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889-5603 (United States)], E-mail: prasanna@afrri.usuhs.mil

2007-07-15

Chromosome-aberration-based dicentric assay is expected to be used after mass-casualty life-threatening radiation exposures to assess radiation dose to individuals. This will require processing of a large number of samples for individual dose assessment and clinical triage to aid treatment decisions. We have established an automated, high-throughput, cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory to process a large number of samples for conducting the dicentric assay using peripheral blood from exposed individuals according to internationally accepted laboratory protocols (i.e., within days following radiation exposures). The components of an automated cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory include blood collection kits for sample shipment, a cell viability analyzer, a robotic liquid handler, an automated metaphase harvester, a metaphase spreader, high-throughput slide stainer and coverslipper, a high-throughput metaphase finder, multiple satellite chromosome-aberration analysis systems, and a computerized sample-tracking system. Laboratory automation using commercially available, off-the-shelf technologies, customized technology integration, and implementation of a laboratory information management system (LIMS) for cytogenetic analysis will significantly increase throughput. This paper focuses on our efforts to eliminate data-transcription errors, increase efficiency, and maintain samples' positive chain-of-custody by sample tracking during sample processing and data analysis. This sample-tracking system represents a 'beta' version, which can be modeled elsewhere in a cytogenetic biodosimetry laboratory, and includes a customized LIMS with a central server, personal computer workstations, barcode printers, fixed station and wireless hand-held devices to scan barcodes at various critical steps, and data transmission over a private intra-laboratory computer network. Our studies will improve diagnostic biodosimetry response, aid confirmation of clinical triage, and
Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS): international standards for validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Benedict, Ralph H B; Amato, Maria Pia; Boringa, Jan; Brochet, Bruno; Foley, Fred; Fredrikson, Stan; Hamalainen, Paivi; Hartung, Hans; Krupp, Lauren; Penner, Iris; Reder, Anthony T; Langdon, Dawn

2012-07-16

An international expert consensus committee recently recommended a brief battery of tests for cognitive evaluation in multiple sclerosis. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery includes tests of mental processing speed and memory. Recognizing that resources for validation will vary internationally, the committee identified validation priorities, to facilitate international acceptance of BICAMS. Practical matters pertaining to implementation across different languages and countries were discussed. Five steps to achieve optimal psychometric validation were proposed. In Step 1, test stimuli should be standardized for the target culture or language under consideration. In Step 2, examiner instructions must be standardized and translated, including all information from manuals necessary for administration and interpretation. In Step 3, samples of at least 65 healthy persons should be studied for normalization, matched to patients on demographics such as age, gender and education. The objective of Step 4 is test-retest reliability, which can be investigated in a small sample of MS and/or healthy volunteers over 1-3 weeks. Finally, in Step 5, criterion validity should be established by comparing MS and healthy controls. At this time, preliminary studies are underway in a number of countries as we move forward with this international assessment tool for cognition in MS.
Use of nuclear technique in samples for agricultural purposes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Kerley A. P. de; Sperling, Eduardo Von, E-mail: kerley@ufmg.br, E-mail: kerleyfisica@yahoo.com.br [Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte (Brazil); Menezes, Maria Angela B. C.; Jacomino, Vanusa M.F. [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2013-01-15

The concern related to environment is growing. Due to this, it is needed to determine chemical elements in a large range of concentration. The neutron activation technique (NAA) determines the elemental composition by the measurement of artificial radioactivity in a sample that was submitted to a neutron flux. NAA is a sensitive and accurate technique with low detection limits. An example of application of NAA was the measurement of concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) in waste samples of phosphogypsum (PG) and cerrado soil samples (clayey and sandy soils). Additionally, a soil reference material of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was also analyzed. The REE concentration in PG samples was two times higher than those found in national fertilizers, (total of 4,000 mg kg{sup -1}), 154 times greater than the values found in the sandy soil (26 mg kg{sup -1}) and 14 times greater than the in clayey soil (280 mg kg{sup -1}). The experimental results for the reference material were inside the uncertainty of the certified values pointing out the accuracy of the method (95%). The determination of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu in the samples and reference material confirmed the versatility of the technique on REE determination in soil and phosphogypsum samples that are matrices for agricultural interest. (author)
Use of nuclear technique in samples for agricultural purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Kerley A. P. de; Sperling, Eduardo Von; Menezes, Maria Angela B. C.; Jacomino, Vanusa M.F.

2013-01-01

The concern related to environment is growing. Due to this, it is needed to determine chemical elements in a large range of concentration. The neutron activation technique (NAA) determines the elemental composition by the measurement of artificial radioactivity in a sample that was submitted to a neutron flux. NAA is a sensitive and accurate technique with low detection limits. An example of application of NAA was the measurement of concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) in waste samples of phosphogypsum (PG) and cerrado soil samples (clayey and sandy soils). Additionally, a soil reference material of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was also analyzed. The REE concentration in PG samples was two times higher than those found in national fertilizers, (total of 4,000 mg kg -1 ), 154 times greater than the values found in the sandy soil (26 mg kg -1 ) and 14 times greater than the in clayey soil (280 mg kg -1 ). The experimental results for the reference material were inside the uncertainty of the certified values pointing out the accuracy of the method (95%). The determination of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu in the samples and reference material confirmed the versatility of the technique on REE determination in soil and phosphogypsum samples that are matrices for agricultural interest. (author)
PREFACE: PASREG 2003: International Workshop on Processing and Applications of Superconducting (RE)BCO Large Grain Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, Masato; Cardwell, David; Salama, Kamel; Krabbes, Gernot; Habisreuther, Tobias; Gawalek, Wolfgang

2005-02-01

Superconducting melt-textured bulk (RE)BCO large grain materials are one of the most promising materials for power applications of high temperature superconductivity at the liquid nitrogen temperature range. Industrial applications are expected in high-speed low-loss magnetic bearings for flywheel energy storage devices, high-dynamic high-torque electric reluctance motors, and MAGLEV transportation systems. The material has high magnetic field trapping capability and therefore a new class of high-field superconducting permanent magnets will soon appear. However, there is still the need to improve the magnetic and mechanical material properties, as well as to increase the single domain size. This special issue contains papers concerning these topics presented at the International Workshop on the Processing and Applications of Superconducting (RE)BCO Large Grain Materials. The workshop was held on the 30 June-2 July 2003 in Jena, Germany, and was organized by the Institut fuer Physikalische Hochtechnologie, Jena. It was the fourth in the series of PASREG workshops after Cambridge, UK (1997), Morioka, Japan (1999), and Seattle, USA (2001). Sixty two contributions were presented at the workshop, 38 oral presentations and 24 poster presentations. This special issue contains 42 papers. The editors are grateful for the support of many colleagues who reviewed the manuscripts to guarantee their high technical quality. The editors also wish to thank Doris Litzkendorf and Tobias Habisreuther from Institut fuer Physikalische Hochtechnologie, Jena, for their assistance with the organization and handling of the manuscripts. Many thanks to the workshop co-chairman Gernot Krabbes from Leibniz-Institut fuer Festkoerper und Werkstoffforschung, Dresden, for hosting the workshop participants in Dresden. Finally, all attendees wish to acknowledge the efforts of Wolfgang Gawalek, Tobias Habisreuther, Doris Litzkendorf and the Team of Department Magnetics from the Institut fuer
The new large-scale international facility for antiproton and ion research in Europe, FAIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosner, Guenther

2012-01-01

Full text: FAIR is currently the largest project in nuclear and particle physics worldwide, with investment costs of 1.6B euro in its first phase. It has been founded by Finland, France, Germany, India, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia and Sweden in Oct. 2010. The facility will provide the international scientific community with a unique and technically innovative particle accelerator system to perform cutting-edge research in the sciences concerned with the basic structure of matter in: nuclear and particle physics, atomic and anti-matter physics, high density plasma physics, and applications in condensed matter physics, biology and the bio-medical sciences. The work horse of FAIR will be a 1.1 km circumference double ring of rapidly cycling 100 and 300 Tm synchrotrons, which will be used to produce high intensity secondary beams of anti-protons and very short-lived radioactive ions. A subsequent suite of cooler and storage rings will deliver anti-proton and heavy-ion beams of unprecedented quality regarding intensity and resolution. Large experimental facilities are presently being prototyped by the APPA, CBM, NuSTAR and PANDA Collaborations to be used by a global community of more than 3000 scientists from 2018. (author)
Sampling and sample processing in pesticide residue analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehotay, Steven J; Cook, Jo Marie

2015-05-13

Proper sampling and sample processing in pesticide residue analysis of food and soil have always been essential to obtain accurate results, but the subject is becoming a greater concern as approximately 100 mg test portions are being analyzed with automated high-throughput analytical methods by agrochemical industry and contract laboratories. As global food trade and the importance of monitoring increase, the food industry and regulatory laboratories are also considering miniaturized high-throughput methods. In conjunction with a summary of the symposium "Residues in Food and Feed - Going from Macro to Micro: The Future of Sample Processing in Residue Analytical Methods" held at the 13th IUPAC International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry, this is an opportune time to review sampling theory and sample processing for pesticide residue analysis. If collected samples and test portions do not adequately represent the actual lot from which they came and provide meaningful results, then all costs, time, and efforts involved in implementing programs using sophisticated analytical instruments and techniques are wasted and can actually yield misleading results. This paper is designed to briefly review the often-neglected but crucial topic of sample collection and processing and put the issue into perspective for the future of pesticide residue analysis. It also emphasizes that analysts should demonstrate the validity of their sample processing approaches for the analytes/matrices of interest and encourages further studies on sampling and sample mass reduction to produce a test portion.
MCNPX calculations of dose rate distribution inside samples treated in the research gamma irradiating facility at CTEx

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rusin, Tiago; Rebello, Wilson F.; Vellozo, Sergio O.; Gomes, Renato G., E-mail: tiagorusin@ime.eb.b, E-mail: rebello@ime.eb.b, E-mail: vellozo@cbpf.b, E-mail: renatoguedes@ime.eb.b [Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Nuclear; Vital, Helio C., E-mail: vital@ctex.eb.b [Centro Tecnologico do Exercito (CTEx), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Silva, Ademir X., E-mail: ademir@con.ufrj.b [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Engenharia Nuclear

2011-07-01

A cavity-type cesium-137 research irradiating facility at CTEx has been modeled by using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX. The irradiator has been daily used in experiments to optimize the use of ionizing radiation for conservation of many kinds of food and to improve materials properties. In order to correlate the effects of the treatment, average doses have been calculated for each irradiated sample, accounting for the measured dose rate distribution in the irradiating chambers. However that approach is only approximate, being subject to significant systematic errors due to the heterogeneous internal structure of most samples that can lead to large anisotropy in attenuation and Compton scattering properties across the media. Thus this work is aimed at further investigating such uncertainties by calculating the dose rate distribution inside the items treated such that a more accurate and representative estimate of the total absorbed dose can be determined for later use in the effects-versus-dose correlation curves. Samples of different simplified geometries and densities (spheres, cylinders, and parallelepipeds), have been modeled to evaluate internal dose rate distributions within the volume of the samples and the overall effect on the average dose. (author)
MCNPX calculations of dose rate distribution inside samples treated in the research gamma irradiating facility at CTEx

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rusin, Tiago; Rebello, Wilson F.; Vellozo, Sergio O.; Gomes, Renato G.; Silva, Ademir X.

2011-01-01

A cavity-type cesium-137 research irradiating facility at CTEx has been modeled by using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX. The irradiator has been daily used in experiments to optimize the use of ionizing radiation for conservation of many kinds of food and to improve materials properties. In order to correlate the effects of the treatment, average doses have been calculated for each irradiated sample, accounting for the measured dose rate distribution in the irradiating chambers. However that approach is only approximate, being subject to significant systematic errors due to the heterogeneous internal structure of most samples that can lead to large anisotropy in attenuation and Compton scattering properties across the media. Thus this work is aimed at further investigating such uncertainties by calculating the dose rate distribution inside the items treated such that a more accurate and representative estimate of the total absorbed dose can be determined for later use in the effects-versus-dose correlation curves. Samples of different simplified geometries and densities (spheres, cylinders, and parallelepipeds), have been modeled to evaluate internal dose rate distributions within the volume of the samples and the overall effect on the average dose. (author)
Equilibrium Molecular Thermodynamics from Kirkwood Sampling

OpenAIRE

Somani, Sandeep; Okamoto, Yuko; Ballard, Andrew J.; Wales, David J.

2015-01-01

We present two methods for barrierless equilibrium sampling of molecular systems based on the recently proposed Kirkwood method (J. Chem. Phys. 2009, 130, 134102). Kirkwood sampling employs low-order correlations among internal coordinates of a molecule for random (or non-Markovian) sampling of the high dimensional conformational space. This is a geometrical sampling method independent of the potential energy surface. The first method is a variant of biased Monte Carlo, wher...
LHCb in the International Particle Physics Masterclasses

CERN Document Server

Couturier, Ben

2016-01-01

The Large Hadron Collider Beauty (LHCb) Experiment joined the International Particle Physics Masterclass programme in 2013. The experiment proposed the measurement of the D0 meson lifetime, using real data gathered at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012. We describe the exercise as well as the lessons learned during this first participation in the International Masterclass programme.
Sample environment for neutron scattering measurements of internal stresses in engineering materials in the temperature range of 6 K to 300 K.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirichek, O; Timms, J D; Kelleher, J F; Down, R B E; Offer, C D; Kabra, S; Zhang, S Y

2017-02-01

Internal stresses in materials have a considerable effect on material properties including strength, fracture toughness, and fatigue resistance. The ENGIN-X beamline is an engineering science facility at ISIS optimized for the measurement of strain and stress using the atomic lattice planes as a strain gauge. Nowadays, the rapidly rising interest in the mechanical properties of engineering materials at low temperatures has been stimulated by the dynamic development of the cryogenic industry and the advanced applications of the superconductor technology. Here we present the design and discuss the test results of a new cryogenic sample environment system for neutron scattering measurements of internal stresses in engineering materials under a load of up to 100 kN and in the temperature range of 6 K to 300 K. Complete cooling of the system starting from the room temperature down to the base temperature takes around 90 min. Understanding of internal stresses in engineering materials at cryogenic temperatures is vital for the modelling and designing of cutting-edge superconducting magnets and other superconductor based applications.
Characterization of Chemical Composition in PM2.5 in Beijing Before, During, and After a Large-Scale International Event

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, X.; Cheng, S.; Li, J.

2017-12-01

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people's Anti-Japanese War and the World Anti-Fascist War, an international parade was held in Beijing in September 2015. In order to ensure satisfactory air quality during this event, a phased emission control measures were taken in Beijing and its surrounding provinces. The 24-h PM2.5 samples were collected in Beijing from August 1 to September 15, 2015 covering the period before, during and after this large-scale event. The observed PM2.5 data, meteorological data, emission reduction measures, and air mass trajectory simulation results were systematically analyzed to understand the pollution characteristics and chemical compositions of PM2.5 in Beijing. The results indicated that PM2.5 concentration during the two emission control phases was reduced by 61.7% comparing to the non-control period, but the regional transport of pollutants and meteorological conditions had a more prominent impact on PM2.5 than emission reduction during phase 2. The secondary water-soluble ions including SO42-, NO3-, and NH4+ were found as the main ions present in PM2.5. During the entire emission control period, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) mass concentrations were decreased by 53.1% and 57.9%. A PM2.5 mass balance was analyzed, and it was found that the organic matter accounted for 29.3, 37.6 and 28.5% of the PM2.5 mass before, during and after the emission control, while the contribution of mobile sources to PM2.5 was relatively outstanding after a series of emission control measures.
Large-scale prospective T cell function assays in shipped, unfrozen blood samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hadley, David; Cheung, Roy K; Becker, Dorothy J

2014-01-01

, for measuring core T cell functions. The Trial to Reduce Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in the Genetically at Risk (TRIGR) type 1 diabetes prevention trial used consecutive measurements of T cell proliferative responses in prospectively collected fresh heparinized blood samples shipped by courier within...... cell immunocompetence. We have found that the vast majority of the samples were viable up to 3 days from the blood draw, yet meaningful responses were found in a proportion of those with longer travel times. Furthermore, the shipping time of uncooled samples significantly decreased both the viabilities...... North America. In this article, we report on the quality control implications of this simple and pragmatic shipping practice and the interpretation of positive- and negative-control analytes in our assay. We used polyclonal and postvaccination responses in 4,919 samples to analyze the development of T...
Product-selective blot: a technique for measuring enzyme activities in large numbers of samples and in native electrophoresis gels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, G.A.; Davies, H.M.; McDonald, N.

1985-01-01

A method termed product-selective blotting has been developed for screening large numbers of samples for enzyme activity. The technique is particularly well suited to detection of enzymes in native electrophoresis gels. The principle of the method was demonstrated by blotting samples from glutaminase or glutamate synthase reactions into an agarose gel embedded with ion-exchange resin under conditions favoring binding of product (glutamate) over substrates and other substances in the reaction mixture. After washes to remove these unbound substances, the product was measured using either fluorometric staining or radiometric techniques. Glutaminase activity in native electrophoresis gels was visualized by a related procedure in which substrates and products from reactions run in the electrophoresis gel were blotted directly into a resin-containing image gel. Considering the selective-binding materials available for use in the image gel, along with the possible detection systems, this method has potentially broad application

Biological quarantine on international waters: an initiative for onboard protocols

Science.gov (United States)

Takano, Yoshinori; Yano, Hajime; Funase, Ryu; Sekine, Yasuhito; Takai, Ken

2012-07-01

The research vessel Chikyu is expanding new frontiers in science, technology, and international collaboration through deep-sea expedition. The Chikyu (length: 210 m, gross tonnage: 56752 tons) has advanced and comprehensive scientific research facilities. One of the scientific purposes of the vessel is to investigate into unexplored biosphere (i.e., undescribed extremophiles) on the Earth. Therefore, "the onboard laboratory" provides us systematic microbiological protocols with a physical containment situation. In parallel, the onboard equipments provide sufficient space for fifty scientists and technical support staff. The helicopter deck also supports various logistics through transporting by a large scale helicopter (See, http://www.jamstec.go.jp/chikyu/eng/). Since the establishment of Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) in Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), we have an international consensus about the development and promulgation of planetary protection knowledge, policy, and plans to prevent the harmful effects of biological contamination on the Earth (e.g., Rummel, 2002). However, the matter to select a candidate location of initial quarantine at BSL4 level is often problematic. To answer the key issue, we suggest that international waters can be a meaningful option with several advantages to conduct initial onboard-biological quarantine investigation. Hence, the research vessel Chikyu is promising for further PPP requirements (e.g., Enceladus sample return project: Tsou et al., 2012). Rummel, J., Seeking an international consensus in planetary protection: COSPAR's planetary protection panel. Advances in Space Research, 30, 1573-1575 (2002). Tsou, P. et al. LIFE: Life Investigation For Enceladus - A Sample Return Mission Concept in Search for Evidence of Life. Astrobiology, in press.
A large replication study and meta-analysis in European samples provides further support for association of AHI1 markers with schizophrenia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingason, Andrés; Giegling, Ina; Cichon, Sven

2010-01-01

The Abelson helper integration site 1 (AHI1) gene locus on chromosome 6q23 is among a group of candidate loci for schizophrenia susceptibility that were initially identified by linkage followed by linkage disequilibrium mapping, and subsequent replication of the association in an independent sample....... Here, we present results of a replication study of AHI1 locus markers, previously implicated in schizophrenia, in a large European sample (in total 3907 affected and 7429 controls). Furthermore, we perform a meta-analysis of the implicated markers in 4496 affected and 18,920 controls. Both...... as the neighbouring phosphodiesterase 7B (PDE7B)-may be considered candidates for involvement in the genetic aetiology of schizophrenia....
International students’ information seeking behavior

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hyldegård, Jette Seiden

2016-01-01

This report presents the first results and reflections from an exploratory case study carried out at The Royal School of Library and Information Science in 2015 on international students’ information seeking behavior. A convenient sample of five international master students participated...
A cost-effective technique for integrating personal radiation dose assessment with personal gravimetric sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strydom, R.; Rolle, R.; Van der Linde, A.

1992-01-01

During recent years there has been an increasing awareness internationally of radiation levels in the mining and milling of radioactive ores, including those from non-uranium mines. A major aspect of radiation control is concerned with the measurement of radiation levels and the assessment of radiation doses incurred by individual workers. Current techniques available internationally for personnel monitoring of radiation exposures are expensive and there is a particular need to reduce the cost of personal radiation monitoring in South African gold mines because of the large labour force employed. In this regard the obvious benefits of integrating personal radiation monitoring with existing personal monitoring systems already in place in South African gold mines should be exploited. A system which can be utilized for this purpose is personal gravimetric sampling. A new cost-effective technique for personal radiation monitoring, which can be fully integrated with the personal gravimetric sampling strategy being implemented on mines, has been developed in South Africa. The basic principles of this technique and its potential in South African mines are described. 9 refs., 7 figs
Comprehensive Evaluation of Large Infrastructure Project Plan with ANP

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

HAN Chuan-feng; CHEN Jian-ye

2005-01-01

Analytic Network Process(ANP) was used in comprehensive evaluation of large infrastructure project plan. A model including social economy, ecological environment, and resources was established with ANP method. The evaluation pattern of hierarchy structure and comprehensive evaluation method for quantity and quality of large infrastructure project were put forward, which provides an effective way to evaluate the large infrastructure project plan. Quantitative analysis indicated that the internal dependence relation of hierarchy structure has influence on ranking results of plan. It is suggested that considering the internal relation can helps managers make effective decisions.
Falsire: CSNI project for fracture analyses of large-scale international reference experiments (Phase 1). Comparison report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

A summary of the recently completed Phase I of the Project for Fracture Analysis of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (Project FALSIRE) is presented. Project FALSIRE was created by the Fracture Assessment Group (FAG) of Principal Working Group No. 3 (PWG/3) of the OECD/NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI), formed to evaluate fracture prediction capabilities currently used in safety assessments of nuclear vessel components. The aim of the Project FALSIRE was to assess various fracture methodologies through interpretive analyses of selected large-scale fracture experiments. The six experiments used in Project FALSIRE (performed in the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A.) were designed to examine various aspects of crack growth in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels under pressurized-thermal-shock (PTS) loading conditions. The analysis techniques employed by the participants included engineering and finite-element methods, which were combined with Jr fracture methodology and the French local approach. For each experiment, analysis results provided estimates of variables such as crack growth, crack-mouth-opening displacement, temperature, stress, strain, and applied J and K values. A comparative assessment and discussion of the analysis results are presented; also, the current status of the entire results data base is summarized. Some conclusions concerning predictive capabilities of selected ductile fracture methodologies, as applied to RPVs subjected to PTS loading, are given, and recommendations for future development of fracture methodologies are made
Method for Determination of Neptunium in Large-Sized Urine Samples Using Manganese Dioxide Coprecipitation and ²⁴²Pu as Yield Tracer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qiao, Jixin; Hou, Xiaolin; Roos, Per

2013-01-01

A novel method for bioassay of large volumes of human urine samples using manganese dioxide coprecipitation for preconcentration was developed for rapid determination of 237Np. 242Pu was utilized as a nonisotopic tracer to monitor the chemical yield of 237Np. A sequential injection extraction chr...... and rapid analysis of neptunium contamination level for emergency preparedness....
Evidence from a Large Sample on the Effects of Group Size and Decision-Making Time on Performance in a Marketing Simulation Game

Science.gov (United States)

Treen, Emily; Atanasova, Christina; Pitt, Leyland; Johnson, Michael

2016-01-01

Marketing instructors using simulation games as a way of inducing some realism into a marketing course are faced with many dilemmas. Two important quandaries are the optimal size of groups and how much of the students' time should ideally be devoted to the game. Using evidence from a very large sample of teams playing a simulation game, the study…
26 CFR 1.6655-4 - Large corporations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Additions to the Tax, Additional Amounts, and Assessable Penalties § 1.6655-4 Large... not to be taken into account and the taxable income of a corporation for any taxable year during the...
Post-traumatic stress syndrome in a large sample of older adults: determinants and quality of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamoureux-Lamarche, Catherine; Vasiliadis, Helen-Maria; Préville, Michel; Berbiche, Djamal

2016-01-01

The aims of this study are to assess in a sample of older adults consulting in primary care practices the determinants and quality of life associated with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS). Data used came from a large sample of 1765 community-dwelling older adults who were waiting to receive health services in primary care clinics in the province of Quebec. PTSS was measured with the PTSS scale. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were used as potential determinants of PTSS. Quality of life was measured with the EuroQol-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) EQ-Visual Analog Scale and the Satisfaction With Your Life Scale. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were used to study the presence of PTSS and different measures of health-related quality of life and quality of life as a function of study variables. The six-month prevalence of PTSS was 11.0%. PTSS was associated with age, marital status, number of chronic disorders and the presence of an anxiety disorder. PTSS was also associated with the EQ-5D-3L and the Satisfaction with Your Life Scale. PTSS is prevalent in patients consulting in primary care practices. Primary care physicians should be aware that PTSS is also associated with a decrease in quality of life, which can further negatively impact health status.
The Development and Validation of the Bergen–Yale Sex Addiction Scale With a Large National Sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cecilie S. Andreassen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The view that problematic excessive sexual behavior (“sex addiction” is a form of behavioral addiction has gained more credence in recent years, but there is still considerable controversy regarding operationalization of the concept. Furthermore, most previous studies have relied on small clinical samples. The present study presents a new method for assessing sex addiction—the Bergen–Yale Sex Addiction Scale (BYSAS—based on established addiction components (i.e., salience/craving, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict/problems, and relapse/loss of control. Using a cross-sectional survey, the BYSAS was administered to a broad national sample of 23,533 Norwegian adults [aged 16–88 years; mean (± SD age = 35.8 ± 13.3 years], together with validated measures of the Big Five personality traits, narcissism, self-esteem, and a measure of sexual addictive behavior. Both an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.046, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.996 supported a one-factor solution, although a local dependence between two items (Items 1 and 2 was detected. Furthermore, the scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.83. The BYSAS correlated significantly with the reference scale (r = 0.52, and demonstrated similar patterns of convergent and discriminant validity. The BYSAS was positively related to extroversion, neuroticism, intellect/imagination, and narcissism, and negatively related to conscientiousness, agreeableness, and self-esteem. High scores on the BYSAS were more prevalent among those who were men, single, of younger age, and with higher education. The BYSAS is a brief, and psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing sex addiction. However, further validation of the BYSAS is needed in other countries and contexts.
The Development and Validation of the Bergen–Yale Sex Addiction Scale With a Large National Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Andreassen, Cecilie S.; Pallesen, Ståle; Griffiths, Mark D.; Torsheim, Torbjørn; Sinha, Rajita

2018-01-01

The view that problematic excessive sexual behavior (“sex addiction”) is a form of behavioral addiction has gained more credence in recent years, but there is still considerable controversy regarding operationalization of the concept. Furthermore, most previous studies have relied on small clinical samples. The present study presents a new method for assessing sex addiction—the Bergen–Yale Sex Addiction Scale (BYSAS)—based on established addiction components (i.e., salience/craving, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict/problems, and relapse/loss of control). Using a cross-sectional survey, the BYSAS was administered to a broad national sample of 23,533 Norwegian adults [aged 16–88 years; mean (± SD) age = 35.8 ± 13.3 years], together with validated measures of the Big Five personality traits, narcissism, self-esteem, and a measure of sexual addictive behavior. Both an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.046, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.996) supported a one-factor solution, although a local dependence between two items (Items 1 and 2) was detected. Furthermore, the scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.83). The BYSAS correlated significantly with the reference scale (r = 0.52), and demonstrated similar patterns of convergent and discriminant validity. The BYSAS was positively related to extroversion, neuroticism, intellect/imagination, and narcissism, and negatively related to conscientiousness, agreeableness, and self-esteem. High scores on the BYSAS were more prevalent among those who were men, single, of younger age, and with higher education. The BYSAS is a brief, and psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing sex addiction. However, further validation of the BYSAS is needed in other countries and contexts. PMID:29568277
The Development and Validation of the Bergen-Yale Sex Addiction Scale With a Large National Sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreassen, Cecilie S; Pallesen, Ståle; Griffiths, Mark D; Torsheim, Torbjørn; Sinha, Rajita

2018-01-01

The view that problematic excessive sexual behavior ("sex addiction") is a form of behavioral addiction has gained more credence in recent years, but there is still considerable controversy regarding operationalization of the concept. Furthermore, most previous studies have relied on small clinical samples. The present study presents a new method for assessing sex addiction-the Bergen-Yale Sex Addiction Scale (BYSAS)-based on established addiction components (i.e., salience/craving, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict/problems, and relapse/loss of control). Using a cross-sectional survey, the BYSAS was administered to a broad national sample of 23,533 Norwegian adults [aged 16-88 years; mean (± SD ) age = 35.8 ± 13.3 years], together with validated measures of the Big Five personality traits, narcissism, self-esteem, and a measure of sexual addictive behavior. Both an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.046, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.996) supported a one-factor solution, although a local dependence between two items (Items 1 and 2) was detected. Furthermore, the scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.83). The BYSAS correlated significantly with the reference scale ( r = 0.52), and demonstrated similar patterns of convergent and discriminant validity. The BYSAS was positively related to extroversion, neuroticism, intellect/imagination, and narcissism, and negatively related to conscientiousness, agreeableness, and self-esteem. High scores on the BYSAS were more prevalent among those who were men, single, of younger age, and with higher education. The BYSAS is a brief, and psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing sex addiction. However, further validation of the BYSAS is needed in other countries and contexts.
Ocular Adnexal Diffuse Large B-cell LymphomaA Multicenter International Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munch-Petersen, Helga D; Rasmussen, Peter K; Coupland, Sarah E

2015-01-01

: This retrospective international cooperative study involved 6 eye cancer centers. During 30 years, 106 patients with OA-DLBCL were identified, and 6 were excluded from the study. The median follow-up period was 52 months. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Overall survival, disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression...
High-throughput genotyping assay for the large-scale genetic characterization of Cryptosporidium parasites from human and bovine samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Abal-Fabeiro, J L; Maside, X; Llovo, J; Bello, X; Torres, M; Treviño, M; Moldes, L; Muñoz, A; Carracedo, A; Bartolomé, C

2014-04-01

The epidemiological study of human cryptosporidiosis requires the characterization of species and subtypes involved in human disease in large sample collections. Molecular genotyping is costly and time-consuming, making the implementation of low-cost, highly efficient technologies increasingly necessary. Here, we designed a protocol based on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for the high-throughput genotyping of a panel of 55 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) selected as markers for the identification of common gp60 subtypes of four Cryptosporidium species that infect humans. The method was applied to a panel of 608 human and 63 bovine isolates and the results were compared with control samples typed by Sanger sequencing. The method allowed the identification of species in 610 specimens (90·9%) and gp60 subtype in 605 (90·2%). It displayed excellent performance, with sensitivity and specificity values of 87·3 and 98·0%, respectively. Up to nine genotypes from four different Cryptosporidium species (C. hominis, C. parvum, C. meleagridis and C. felis) were detected in humans; the most common ones were C. hominis subtype Ib, and C. parvum IIa (61·3 and 28·3%, respectively). 96·5% of the bovine samples were typed as IIa. The method performs as well as the widely used Sanger sequencing and is more cost-effective and less time consuming.
Replicability of time-varying connectivity patterns in large resting state fMRI samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrol, Anees; Damaraju, Eswar; Miller, Robyn L; Stephen, Julia M; Claus, Eric D; Mayer, Andrew R; Calhoun, Vince D

2017-12-01

The past few years have seen an emergence of approaches that leverage temporal changes in whole-brain patterns of functional connectivity (the chronnectome). In this chronnectome study, we investigate the replicability of the human brain's inter-regional coupling dynamics during rest by evaluating two different dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) analysis frameworks using 7 500 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets. To quantify the extent to which the emergent functional connectivity (FC) patterns are reproducible, we characterize the temporal dynamics by deriving several summary measures across multiple large, independent age-matched samples. Reproducibility was demonstrated through the existence of basic connectivity patterns (FC states) amidst an ensemble of inter-regional connections. Furthermore, application of the methods to conservatively configured (statistically stationary, linear and Gaussian) surrogate datasets revealed that some of the studied state summary measures were indeed statistically significant and also suggested that this class of null model did not explain the fMRI data fully. This extensive testing of reproducibility of similarity statistics also suggests that the estimated FC states are robust against variation in data quality, analysis, grouping, and decomposition methods. We conclude that future investigations probing the functional and neurophysiological relevance of time-varying connectivity assume critical importance. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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.
Test sample handling apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

A test sample handling apparatus using automatic scintillation counting for gamma detection, for use in such fields as radioimmunoassay, is described. The apparatus automatically and continuously counts large numbers of samples rapidly and efficiently by the simultaneous counting of two samples. By means of sequential ordering of non-sequential counting data, it is possible to obtain precisely ordered data while utilizing sample carrier holders having a minimum length. (U.K.)
How things fall apart: understanding the nature of internalizing through its relationship with impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Markon, Kristian E

2010-08-01

The literature suggests that internalizing psychopathology relates to impairment incrementally and gradually. However, the form of this relationship has not been characterized. This form is critical to understanding internalizing psychopathology, as it is possible that internalizing may accelerate in effect at some level of severity, defining a natural boundary of abnormality. Here, a novel method-semiparametric structural equation modeling-was used to model the relationship between internalizing and impairment in a sample of 8,580 individuals from the 2000 British Office for National Statistics Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity, a large, population-representative study of psychopathology. This method allows one to model relationships between latent internalizing and impairment without assuming any particular form a priori and to compare models in which the relationship is constant and linear. Results suggest that the relationship between internalizing and impairment is in fact linear and constant across the entire range of internalizing variation and that it is impossible to nonarbitrarily define a specific level of internalizing beyond which consequences suddenly become catastrophic in nature. Results demonstrate the phenomenological continuity of internalizing psychopathology, highlight the importance of impairment as well as symptoms, and have clear implications for defining mental disorder. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved
A method of language sampling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rijkhoff, Jan; Bakker, Dik; Hengeveld, Kees

1993-01-01

In recent years more attention is paid to the quality of language samples in typological work. Without an adequate sampling strategy, samples may suffer from various kinds of bias. In this article we propose a sampling method in which the genetic criterion is taken as the most important: samples...... created with this method will reflect optimally the diversity of the languages of the world. On the basis of the internal structure of each genetic language tree a measure is computed that reflects the linguistic diversity in the language families represented by these trees. This measure is used...... to determine how many languages from each phylum should be selected, given any required sample size....

Prenatal Internal Locus of Control Is Positively Associated with Offspring IQ, Mediated through Parenting Behavior, Prenatal Lifestyle and Social Circumstances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean Golding

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Locus of control (LOC is a measure that identifies the likelihood as to whether an individual considers what happens to him is largely a matter of luck or fate (known as externally oriented or whether it is something that the individual can influence (internality. Here we have used data collected as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC to determine the associations between the mothers’ LOC orientation before the birth of the child and her child’s cognition measured at age 8. Using results from 6801 children we show that maternal internal LOC is associated with increased ability in offspring IQ, as measured using the WISC, with children of internally oriented mothers having an advantage of approximately 7 IQ points at age 8. As a sensitivity analysis we used the IQ test results of a sample of 986 preschool children tested using the WPSSI at age 4. A similar advantage was found among the offspring of the internally oriented mothers. We investigated mechanistic explanations for these results firstly by determining the extent to which three separate sets of factors known to be influenced by the LOC orientation might explain these findings. We showed that (a perinatal life-style exposures, (b parenting attitudes and strategies and (c socio-economic circumstances, largely explain the mechanism through which the internality of the mother influences the cognition of the child. Similar effects were found using the smaller sample tested at age 4. The results indicate that efforts made to foster internality in adolescents and young adults prior to parenthood may result in improvements in the cognitive development of the next generation. Intervention studies are urgently needed.
Prenatal Internal Locus of Control Is Positively Associated with Offspring IQ, Mediated through Parenting Behavior, Prenatal Lifestyle and Social Circumstances.

Science.gov (United States)

Golding, Jean; Gregory, Steven; Ellis, Genette L; Iles-Caven, Yasmin; Nowicki, Stephen

2017-01-01

Locus of control (LOC) is a measure that identifies the likelihood as to whether an individual considers what happens to him is largely a matter of luck or fate (known as externally oriented) or whether it is something that the individual can influence (internality). Here we have used data collected as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to determine the associations between the mothers' LOC orientation before the birth of the child and her child's cognition measured at age 8. Using results from 6801 children we show that maternal internal LOC is associated with increased ability in offspring IQ, as measured using the WISC, with children of internally oriented mothers having an advantage of approximately 7 IQ points at age 8. As a sensitivity analysis we used the IQ test results of a sample of 986 preschool children tested using the WPSSI at age 4. A similar advantage was found among the offspring of the internally oriented mothers. We investigated mechanistic explanations for these results firstly by determining the extent to which three separate sets of factors known to be influenced by the LOC orientation might explain these findings. We showed that (a) perinatal life-style exposures, (b) parenting attitudes and strategies and (c) socio-economic circumstances, largely explain the mechanism through which the internality of the mother influences the cognition of the child. Similar effects were found using the smaller sample tested at age 4. The results indicate that efforts made to foster internality in adolescents and young adults prior to parenthood may result in improvements in the cognitive development of the next generation. Intervention studies are urgently needed.
Statistical searches for microlensing events in large, non-uniformly sampled time-domain surveys: A test using palomar transient factory data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Price-Whelan, Adrian M.; Agüeros, Marcel A. [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 W 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Fournier, Amanda P. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Street, Rachel [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc., 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Santa Barbara, CA 93117 (United States); Ofek, Eran O. [Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot (Israel); Covey, Kevin R. [Lowell Observatory, 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States); Levitan, David; Sesar, Branimir [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Laher, Russ R.; Surace, Jason, E-mail: adrn@astro.columbia.edu [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2014-01-20

Many photometric time-domain surveys are driven by specific goals, such as searches for supernovae or transiting exoplanets, which set the cadence with which fields are re-imaged. In the case of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF), several sub-surveys are conducted in parallel, leading to non-uniform sampling over its ∼20,000 deg{sup 2} footprint. While the median 7.26 deg{sup 2} PTF field has been imaged ∼40 times in the R band, ∼2300 deg{sup 2} have been observed >100 times. We use PTF data to study the trade off between searching for microlensing events in a survey whose footprint is much larger than that of typical microlensing searches, but with far-from-optimal time sampling. To examine the probability that microlensing events can be recovered in these data, we test statistics used on uniformly sampled data to identify variables and transients. We find that the von Neumann ratio performs best for identifying simulated microlensing events in our data. We develop a selection method using this statistic and apply it to data from fields with >10 R-band observations, 1.1 × 10{sup 9} light curves, uncovering three candidate microlensing events. We lack simultaneous, multi-color photometry to confirm these as microlensing events. However, their number is consistent with predictions for the event rate in the PTF footprint over the survey's three years of operations, as estimated from near-field microlensing models. This work can help constrain all-sky event rate predictions and tests microlensing signal recovery in large data sets, which will be useful to future time-domain surveys, such as that planned with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.
International Student Adaptation to a U.S. College: A Mixed Methods Exploration of the Impact of a Specialized First-Year Course at a Large Midwestern Institution

Science.gov (United States)

Kovtun, Olena

2011-01-01

This mixed methods study assessed a first-year course for international students, entitled the U.S. Education and Culture, at a large Midwestern public institution. The quantitative results indicated that participation in the course improved students' academic skills, psychosocial development, understanding of social diversity in the U.S., use of…
An examination of the validity of the Academic Motivation Scale with a United States business student sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Kenneth J; Davy, Jeanette A; Rosenberg, Donald L

2010-04-01

This study examined alternative seven-, five-, and three-factor structures for the Academic Motivation Scale, with data from a large convenience sample of 2,078 students matriculating in various business courses at three AACSB-accredited regional comprehensive universities. In addition, the invariance of the scale's factor structure between male and female students and between undergraduate and Master's of Business Administration students was investigated. Finally, the internal consistency of the items loading on each of the seven AMS subscales was assessed as well as whether the correlations among the subscales supported a continuum of self-determination. Results for the full sample as well as the targeted subpopulations supported the seven factor configuration of the scale with adequate model fit achieved for all but the MBA student group. The data also generated acceptable internal consistency statistics for all of the subscales. However, in line with a number of previous studies, the correlations between subscales failed to fully support the scale's simplex structure as proposed by self-determination theory.
The Experiences of American International Students in a Large Irish University

Science.gov (United States)

O'Reilly, Aileen; Hickey, Tina; Ryan, Dermot

2015-01-01

Growing numbers of American students are travelling overseas to study abroad and enroll in full degree programs. Despite this trend, relatively little is known about the experiences of United States (U.S.) students abroad. The aim of this research was to examine the experiences of American international students in Ireland. Findings suggest that…
PENGARUH PELAKSANAAN RISK BASED INTERNAL AUDITING TERHADAP PENCEGAHAN FRAUD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rozmita Dewi Yuniarti Rozali

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to determine the effect of implementation of risk based internal auditing on fraud prevention on internal audit Inspection Office Bank BRI Bandung Region. The sample used by 18 internal auditors in Inspection Office of Bank BRI Bandung Region saturated sampling method. Based on calculation of simple regression analysis obtained result that every increase of implementation of risk based internal auditing (X will lead to increase fraud prevention (Y. It shows that there is a positive influence between the implementation of risk based internal auditing on fraud prevention on the internal audit of Inspection Office of Bank BRI Bandung Region.
EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM ALENDRONATE TREATMENT ON A LARGE SAMPLE OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Fang; Liu, Yi; Xu, Xiaojie; Wang, Jianyi; Ma, Doudou; Jiang, Yan; Wang, Ou; Xia, Weibo; Xing, Xiaoping; Yu, Wei; Li, Mei

2016-12-01

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a group of inherited diseases characterized by reduced bone mass, recurrent bone fractures, and progressive bone deformities. Here, we evaluate the efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with alendronate in a large sample of Chinese children and adolescents with OI. In this prospective study, a total of 91 children and adolescents with OI were included. The patients received 3 years' treatment with 70 mg alendronate weekly and 500 mg calcium daily. During the treatment, fracture incidence, bone mineral density (BMD), and serum levels of the bone turnover biomarkers (alkaline phosphatase [ALP] and cross-linked C-telopeptide of type I collagen [β-CTX]) were evaluated. Linear growth speed and parameters of safety were also measured. After 3 years of treatment, the mean annual fracture incidence decreased from 1.2 ± 0.8 to 0.2 ± 0.3 (Posteogenesis imperfecta PTH = parathyroid hormone.
Acceptance sampling using judgmental and randomly selected samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sego, Landon H.; Shulman, Stanley A.; Anderson, Kevin K.; Wilson, John E.; Pulsipher, Brent A.; Sieber, W. Karl

2010-09-01

We present a Bayesian model for acceptance sampling where the population consists of two groups, each with different levels of risk of containing unacceptable items. Expert opinion, or judgment, may be required to distinguish between the high and low-risk groups. Hence, high-risk items are likely to be identifed (and sampled) using expert judgment, while the remaining low-risk items are sampled randomly. We focus on the situation where all observed samples must be acceptable. Consequently, the objective of the statistical inference is to quantify the probability that a large percentage of the unsampled items in the population are also acceptable. We demonstrate that traditional (frequentist) acceptance sampling and simpler Bayesian formulations of the problem are essentially special cases of the proposed model. We explore the properties of the model in detail, and discuss the conditions necessary to ensure that required samples sizes are non-decreasing function of the population size. The method is applicable to a variety of acceptance sampling problems, and, in particular, to environmental sampling where the objective is to demonstrate the safety of reoccupying a remediated facility that has been contaminated with a lethal agent.
Test of a sample container for shipment of small size plutonium samples with PAT-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhn, E.; Aigner, H.; Deron, S.

1981-11-01

A light-weight container for the air transport of plutonium, to be designated PAT-2, has been developed in the USA and is presently undergoing licensing. The very limited effective space for bearing plutonium required the design of small size sample canisters to meet the needs of international safeguards for the shipment of plutonium samples. The applicability of a small canister for the sampling of small size powder and solution samples has been tested in an intralaboratory experiment. The results of the experiment, based on the concept of pre-weighed samples, show that the tested canister can successfully be used for the sampling of small size PuO 2 -powder samples of homogeneous source material, as well as for dried aliquands of plutonium nitrate solutions. (author)
Large-eddy simulations of turbulent flows in internal combustion engines

Science.gov (United States)

Banaeizadeh, Araz

The two-phase compressible scalar filtered mass density function (FMDF) model is further developed and employed for large-eddy simulations (LES) of turbulent spray combustion in internal combustion (IC) engines. In this model, the filtered compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved in a generalized curvilinear coordinate system with high-order, multi-block, compact differencing schemes for the turbulent velocity and pressure. However, turbulent mixing and combustion are computed with a new two-phase compressible scalar FMDF model. The spray and droplet dispersion/evaporation are modeled with a Lagrangian method. A new Lagrangian-Eulerian-Lagrangian computational method is employed for solving the flow, spray and scalar equation. The pressure effect in the energy equation, as needed in compressible flows, is included in the FMDF formulation. The performance of the new compressible LES/FMDF model is assessed by simulating the flow field and scalar mixing in a rapid compression machine (RCM), in a shock tube and in a supersonic co-axial jet. Consistency of temperatures predicted by the Eulerian finite-difference (FD) and Lagrangian Monte Carlo (MC) parts of the LES/FMDF model are established by including the pressure on the FMDF. It is shown that the LES/FMDF model is able to correctly capture the scalar mixing in both compressible subsonic and supersonic flows. Using the new two-phase LES/FMDF model, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, spray and combustion in the RCM with flat and crevice piston are studied. It is shown that the temperature distribution in the RCM with crevice piston is more uniform than the RCM with flat piston. The fuel spray characteristics and the spray parameters affecting the fuel mixing inside the RCM in reacting and non-reacting flows are also studied. The predicted liquid penetration and flame lift-off lengths for respectively non-reacting and reacting sprays are found to compare well with the available experimental data. Temperatures and
Overcoming potential energy distortions in constrained internal coordinate molecular dynamics simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kandel, Saugat; Salomon-Ferrer, Romelia; Larsen, Adrien B.; Vaidehi, Nagarajan, E-mail: nvaidehi@coh.org [Division of Immunology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, California 91010 (United States); Jain, Abhinandan, E-mail: Abhi.Jain@jpl.nasa.gov [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109 (United States)

2016-01-28

The Internal Coordinate Molecular Dynamics (ICMD) method is an attractive molecular dynamics (MD) method for studying the dynamics of bonded systems such as proteins and polymers. It offers a simple venue for coarsening the dynamics model of a system at multiple hierarchical levels. For example, large scale protein dynamics can be studied using torsional dynamics, where large domains or helical structures can be treated as rigid bodies and the loops connecting them as flexible torsions. ICMD with such a dynamic model of the protein, combined with enhanced conformational sampling method such as temperature replica exchange, allows the sampling of large scale domain motion involving high energy barrier transitions. Once these large scale conformational transitions are sampled, all-torsion, or even all-atom, MD simulations can be carried out for the low energy conformations sampled via coarse grained ICMD to calculate the energetics of distinct conformations. Such hierarchical MD simulations can be carried out with standard all-atom forcefields without the need for compromising on the accuracy of the forces. Using constraints to treat bond lengths and bond angles as rigid can, however, distort the potential energy landscape of the system and reduce the number of dihedral transitions as well as conformational sampling. We present here a two-part solution to overcome such distortions of the potential energy landscape with ICMD models. To alleviate the intrinsic distortion that stems from the reduced phase space in torsional MD, we use the Fixman compensating potential. To additionally alleviate the extrinsic distortion that arises from the coupling between the dihedral angles and bond angles within a force field, we propose a hybrid ICMD method that allows the selective relaxing of bond angles. This hybrid ICMD method bridges the gap between all-atom MD and torsional MD. We demonstrate with examples that these methods together offer a solution to eliminate the potential
Explaining health care expenditure variation: large-sample evidence using linked survey and health administrative data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Randall P; Fiebig, Denzil G; Johar, Meliyanni; Jones, Glenn; Savage, Elizabeth

2013-09-01

Explaining individual, regional, and provider variation in health care spending is of enormous value to policymakers but is often hampered by the lack of individual level detail in universal public health systems because budgeted spending is often not attributable to specific individuals. Even rarer is self-reported survey information that helps explain this variation in large samples. In this paper, we link a cross-sectional survey of 267 188 Australians age 45 and over to a panel dataset of annual healthcare costs calculated from several years of hospital, medical and pharmaceutical records. We use this data to distinguish between cost variations due to health shocks and those that are intrinsic (fixed) to an individual over three years. We find that high fixed expenditures are positively associated with age, especially older males, poor health, obesity, smoking, cancer, stroke and heart conditions. Being foreign born, speaking a foreign language at home and low income are more strongly associated with higher time-varying expenditures, suggesting greater exposure to adverse health shocks. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimism and self-esteem are related to sleep. Results from a large community-based sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemola, Sakari; Räikkönen, Katri; Gomez, Veronica; Allemand, Mathias

2013-12-01

There is evidence that positive personality characteristics, such as optimism and self-esteem, are important for health. Less is known about possible determinants of positive personality characteristics. To test the relationship of optimism and self-esteem with insomnia symptoms and sleep duration. Sleep parameters, optimism, and self-esteem were assessed by self-report in a community-based sample of 1,805 adults aged between 30 and 84 years in the USA. Moderation of the relation between sleep and positive characteristics by gender and age as well as potential confounding of the association by depressive disorder was tested. Individuals with insomnia symptoms scored lower on optimism and self-esteem largely independent of age and sex, controlling for symptoms of depression and sleep duration. Short sleep duration (self-esteem when compared to individuals sleeping 7-8 h, controlling depressive symptoms. Long sleep duration (>9 h) was also related to low optimism and self-esteem independent of age and sex. Good and sufficient sleep is associated with positive personality characteristics. This relationship is independent of the association between poor sleep and depression.
The Pemberton Happiness Index: Validation of the Universal Portuguese version in a large Brazilian sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Paiva, Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro; de Camargos, Mayara Goulart; Demarzo, Marcelo Marcos Piva; Hervás, Gonzalo; Vázquez, Carmelo; Paiva, Carlos Eduardo

2016-09-01

The Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI) is a recently developed integrative measure of well-being that includes components of hedonic, eudaimonic, social, and experienced well-being. The PHI has been validated in several languages, but not in Portuguese. Our aim was to cross-culturally adapt the Universal Portuguese version of the PHI and to assess its psychometric properties in a sample of the Brazilian population using online surveys.An expert committee evaluated 2 versions of the PHI previously translated into Portuguese by the original authors using a standardized form for assessment of semantic/idiomatic, cultural, and conceptual equivalence. A pretesting was conducted employing cognitive debriefing methods. In sequence, the expert committee evaluated all the documents and reached a final Universal Portuguese PHI version. For the evaluation of the psychometric properties, the data were collected using online surveys in a cross-sectional study. The study population included healthcare professionals and users of the social network site Facebook from several Brazilian geographic areas. In addition to the PHI, participants completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Diener and Emmons' Positive and Negative Experience Scale (PNES), Psychological Well-being Scale (PWS), and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS). Internal consistency, convergent validity, known-group validity, and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Satisfaction with the previous day was correlated with the 10 items assessing experienced well-being using the Cramer V test. Additionally, a cut-off value of PHI to identify a "happy individual" was defined using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve methodology.Data from 1035 Brazilian participants were analyzed (health professionals = 180; Facebook users = 855). Regarding reliability results, the internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.890 and 0.914) and test-retest (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.814) were both considered
Construct validity of the Groningen Frailty Indicator established in a large sample of home-dwelling elderly persons : Evidence of stability across age and gender

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peters, L. L.; Boter, H.; Burgerhof, J. G. M.; Slaets, J. P. J.; Buskens, E.

Background: The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the validity of the Groningen frailty Indicator (GFI) in a sample of Dutch elderly persons participating in LifeLines, a large population-based cohort study. Additional aims were to assess differences between frail and non-frail
Clinical and histological evaluation of large macular hole surgery using the inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kase S

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Satoru Kase, Wataru Saito, Shohei Mori, Michiyuki Saito, Ryo Ando, Zhenyu Dong, Tomohiro Suzuki, Kousuke Noda, Susumu Ishida Department of Ophthalmology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan Purpose: The aims of this study were to analyze optical coherence tomography (OCT imaging of large macular holes (MHs treated with inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM flap technique and to perform a histological examination of an ILM-like membrane tissue obtained during vitrectomy.Patients and methods: This is a retrospective observational case study. Nine patients, comprising of five males and four females, showing large and myopic MHs, underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV with inverted ILM flap technique assisted by brilliant blue G (BBG staining. Ophthalmological findings including visual acuity and OCT were investigated based on medical records. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue section of an ILM-like membrane was submitted for immunohistochemistry with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP.Results: ILM was clearly stained with BBG in eight patients, whereas the ILM in one case revealed no staining with BBG during PPV. Visual acuities improved to >0.2 LogMAR in six patients. The complete closure of MH following PPV with inverted ILM technique was eventually achieved in all patients determined by OCT imaging (100%. Only one patient showed recovery of ellipsoid zone and interdigitation zone following the surgery. Elongation of outer nuclear layer was noted in three eyes. The ILM-like membrane not stained with BBG histologically revealed an amorphous structure admixed with GFAP-positive mononuclear cell infiltration.Conclusion: PPV with inverted ILM flap technique achieved 100% closure rates with favorable configuration at an initial surgery in large MHs. Our histopathological data also suggest that even BBG staining-negative membrane may be a useful material for autologous transplantation to the hole. Keywords
Identifying PTSD personality subtypes in a workplace trauma sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Sellbom, Martin; Bagby, R Michael

2009-10-01

The authors sought to identify personality clusters derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) Personality Psychopathology Five Scales in a sample of workplace claimants with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Three clusters--low pathology, internalizing, and externalizing were recovered similar to those obtained by M. W. Miller and colleagues (2003, 2004, 2007) in samples of combat veterans and sexual assault victims. Internalizers and externalizers scored comparably on measures of PTSD symptom severity, general distress, and negative affect. Internalizers were uniquely characterized by anhedonia and depressed mood; externalizers by antisocial behavior, substance abuse, and anger/aggression.
Contributions to sampling statistics

CERN Document Server

Conti, Pier; Ranalli, Maria

2014-01-01

This book contains a selection of the papers presented at the ITACOSM 2013 Conference, held in Milan in June 2013. ITACOSM is the bi-annual meeting of the Survey Sampling Group S2G of the Italian Statistical Society, intended as an international forum of scientific discussion on the developments of theory and application of survey sampling methodologies and applications in human and natural sciences. The book gathers research papers carefully selected from both invited and contributed sessions of the conference. The whole book appears to be a relevant contribution to various key aspects of sampling methodology and techniques; it deals with some hot topics in sampling theory, such as calibration, quantile-regression and multiple frame surveys, and with innovative methodologies in important topics of both sampling theory and applications. Contributions cut across current sampling methodologies such as interval estimation for complex samples, randomized responses, bootstrap, weighting, modeling, imputati...
Molecular Characterization of Fasciola Samples Using Sequences of Second Internal Transcribed Spacer-rDNA in Different Geographical Localities of Sistan and Balouchestan Province, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahsa Shahbakhsh

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: The Fasciola trematodes are the most common liver flukes, living in a range of animals with global distribution and resulting in profound economic loss and public health challenges. Previous studies have indicated that the sequences of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2 of ribosomal DNA (rDNA provide reliable genetic markers for molecular systemic studies of Fasciola. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to characterize Fasciola samples from different geographical regions of Sistan and Balouchestan province using sequences of second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2 of ribosomal DNA (rDNA. Materials and Methods: Twenty adult trematodes were collected from the livers of slaughtered infected cattle. Total genomic DNA was extracted and ITS-2 rDNA targets were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR. All samples were sequenced and investigated using the ClustalW2 sequence alignment tool and MEGA software. The sequences of some Iranian and non-Iranian isolates were used for comparison, in order to evaluate the variation in sequence homology between geographically different trematode populations. Results: The results of comparing the ITS-2 sequences with the BLAST GenBank database showed one type of sequence for F. hepatica and three different types of sequences for F. gigantica in the specimens. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that Fasciola samples from cattle in two geographical locations in Sistan and Balouchestan province represented no genetic diversity in F. hepatica and high genetic variation in F. gigantica.

Physics with large extra dimensions

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics; Volume 62; Issue 2 ... The recent understanding of string theory opens the possibility that the string scale can be as ... by the existence of large internal dimensions, in the sub-millimeter region.
Efficiently sampling conformations and pathways using the concurrent adaptive sampling (CAS) algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Surl-Hee; Grate, Jay W.; Darve, Eric F.

2017-08-21

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are useful in obtaining thermodynamic and kinetic properties of bio-molecules but are limited by the timescale barrier, i.e., we may be unable to efficiently obtain properties because we need to run microseconds or longer simulations using femtoseconds time steps. While there are several existing methods to overcome this timescale barrier and efficiently sample thermodynamic and/or kinetic properties, problems remain in regard to being able to sample un- known systems, deal with high-dimensional space of collective variables, and focus the computational effort on slow timescales. Hence, a new sampling method, called the “Concurrent Adaptive Sampling (CAS) algorithm,” has been developed to tackle these three issues and efficiently obtain conformations and pathways. The method is not constrained to use only one or two collective variables, unlike most reaction coordinate-dependent methods. Instead, it can use a large number of collective vari- ables and uses macrostates (a partition of the collective variable space) to enhance the sampling. The exploration is done by running a large number of short simula- tions, and a clustering technique is used to accelerate the sampling. In this paper, we introduce the new methodology and show results from two-dimensional models and bio-molecules, such as penta-alanine and triazine polymer
The CES-D as a Measure of Psychological Distress Among International Students: Measurement and Structural Invariance Across Gender.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Hanna; van Nuenen, Marieke; Rice, Kenneth G

2017-10-01

Detecting psychological distress among international students can be challenging given diverse languages, cultural backgrounds, and lack of refined measurement properties of measures tailored to international students. Despite the challenges, ensuring that a psychological distress measure works effectively has considerable potential value for assessment purposes. The current study evaluates the measurement properties of a short 10-item version of Radloff's Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Grounded in long-standing evidence on gender differences in depressive symptoms, specific attention was given to examining measurement invariance of the CES-D Short-form across women and men. Based on a large, two-cohort sample of international students ( N = 468), and through multiple analyses evaluating factor structure and measurement invariance, we derived an even briefer, seven-item single-factor form of the CES-D (CES-D Short-form International) that can be used with international students.
BROAD ABSORPTION LINE DISAPPEARANCE ON MULTI-YEAR TIMESCALES IN A LARGE QUASAR SAMPLE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filiz Ak, N.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, D. P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Hall, P. B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 (Canada); Anderson, S. F.; Gibson, R. R. [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Lundgren, B. F. [Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States); Myers, A. D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Petitjean, P. [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, Universite Paris 6, F-75014, Paris (France); Ross, Nicholas P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 92420 (United States); Shen Yue [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS-51, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); York, D. G. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, 5640 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Bizyaev, D.; Brinkmann, J.; Malanushenko, E.; Oravetz, D. J.; Pan, K.; Simmons, A. E. [Apache Point Observatory, P.O. Box 59, Sunspot, NM 88349-0059 (United States); Weaver, B. A., E-mail: nfilizak@astro.psu.edu [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003 (United States)

2012-10-01

We present 21 examples of C IV broad absorption line (BAL) trough disappearance in 19 quasars selected from systematic multi-epoch observations of 582 bright BAL quasars (1.9 < z < 4.5) by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-I/II (SDSS-I/II) and SDSS-III. The observations span 1.1-3.9 yr rest-frame timescales, longer than have been sampled in many previous BAL variability studies. On these timescales, Almost-Equal-To 2.3% of C IV BAL troughs disappear and Almost-Equal-To 3.3% of BAL quasars show a disappearing trough. These observed frequencies suggest that many C IV BAL absorbers spend on average at most a century along our line of sight to their quasar. Ten of the 19 BAL quasars showing C IV BAL disappearance have apparently transformed from BAL to non-BAL quasars; these are the first reported examples of such transformations. The BAL troughs that disappear tend to be those with small-to-moderate equivalent widths, relatively shallow depths, and high outflow velocities. Other non-disappearing C IV BALs in those nine objects having multiple troughs tend to weaken when one of them disappears, indicating a connection between the disappearing and non-disappearing troughs, even for velocity separations as large as 10,000-15,000 km s{sup -1}. We discuss possible origins of this connection including disk-wind rotation and changes in shielding gas.
Internalization and cellular processing of cholecystokinin in rat pancreatic acinar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izzo, R.S.; Pellecchia, C.; Praissman, M.

1988-01-01

To evaluate the internalization of cholecystokinin, monoiodinated imidoester of cholecystokinin octapeptide [ 125 I-(IE)-CCK-8] was bound to dispersed pancreatic acinar cells, and surface-bound and internalized radioligand were differentiated by treating with an acidified glycine buffer. The amount of internalized radioligand was four- and sevenfold greater at 24 and 37 degree C than at 4 degree C between 5 and 60 min of association. Specific binding of radioligand to cell surface receptors was not significantly different at these temperatures. Chloroquine, a lysosomotropic agent that blocks intracellular proteolysis, significantly increased the amount of CCK-8 internalized by 18 and 16% at 30 and 60 min of binding, respectively, compared with control. Dithiothreitol (DTT), a sulfhydryl reducing agent, also augmented the amount of CCK-8 radioligand internalized by 25 and 29% at 30 and 60 min, respectively. The effect of chloroquine and DTT on the processing of internalized radioligand was also considered after an initial 60 min of binding of radioligand to acinar cells. After 180 min of processing, the amount of radioligand internalized was significantly greater in the presence of chloroquine compared with controls, whereas the amount of radioligand declined in acinar cells treated with DTT. Internalized and released radioactivity from acinar cells was rebound to pancreatic membrane homogenates to determine the amount of intact radioligand during intracellular processing. Chloroquine significantly increased the amount of intact 125 I-(IE)-CCK-8 radioligand in released and internalized radioactivity while DTT increased the amount of intact radioligand only in internalized samples. This study shows that pancreatic acinar cells rapidly internalize large amounts of CCK-8 and that chloroquine and DTT inhibit intracellular degradation
Development of Probabilistic Internal Dosimetry Computer Code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noh, Siwan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Tae-Eun [Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jai-Ki [Korean Association for Radiation Protection, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-15

Internal radiation dose assessment involves biokinetic models, the corresponding parameters, measured data, and many assumptions. Every component considered in the internal dose assessment has its own uncertainty, which is propagated in the intake activity and internal dose estimates. For research or scientific purposes, and for retrospective dose reconstruction for accident scenarios occurring in workplaces having a large quantity of unsealed radionuclides, such as nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and facilities in which nuclear medicine is practiced, a quantitative uncertainty assessment of the internal dose is often required. However, no calculation tools or computer codes that incorporate all the relevant processes and their corresponding uncertainties, i.e., from the measured data to the committed dose, are available. Thus, the objective of the present study is to develop an integrated probabilistic internal-dose-assessment computer code. First, the uncertainty components in internal dosimetry are identified, and quantitative uncertainty data are collected. Then, an uncertainty database is established for each component. In order to propagate these uncertainties in an internal dose assessment, a probabilistic internal-dose-assessment system that employs the Bayesian and Monte Carlo methods. Based on the developed system, we developed a probabilistic internal-dose-assessment code by using MATLAB so as to estimate the dose distributions from the measured data with uncertainty. Using the developed code, we calculated the internal dose distribution and statistical values (e.g. the 2.5{sup th}, 5{sup th}, median, 95{sup th}, and 97.5{sup th} percentiles) for three sample scenarios. On the basis of the distributions, we performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the influence of each component on the resulting dose in order to identify the major component of the uncertainty in a bioassay. The results of this study can be applied to various
Development of Probabilistic Internal Dosimetry Computer Code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noh, Siwan; Kwon, Tae-Eun; Lee, Jai-Ki

2017-01-01

Internal radiation dose assessment involves biokinetic models, the corresponding parameters, measured data, and many assumptions. Every component considered in the internal dose assessment has its own uncertainty, which is propagated in the intake activity and internal dose estimates. For research or scientific purposes, and for retrospective dose reconstruction for accident scenarios occurring in workplaces having a large quantity of unsealed radionuclides, such as nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and facilities in which nuclear medicine is practiced, a quantitative uncertainty assessment of the internal dose is often required. However, no calculation tools or computer codes that incorporate all the relevant processes and their corresponding uncertainties, i.e., from the measured data to the committed dose, are available. Thus, the objective of the present study is to develop an integrated probabilistic internal-dose-assessment computer code. First, the uncertainty components in internal dosimetry are identified, and quantitative uncertainty data are collected. Then, an uncertainty database is established for each component. In order to propagate these uncertainties in an internal dose assessment, a probabilistic internal-dose-assessment system that employs the Bayesian and Monte Carlo methods. Based on the developed system, we developed a probabilistic internal-dose-assessment code by using MATLAB so as to estimate the dose distributions from the measured data with uncertainty. Using the developed code, we calculated the internal dose distribution and statistical values (e.g. the 2.5 th , 5 th , median, 95 th , and 97.5 th percentiles) for three sample scenarios. On the basis of the distributions, we performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the influence of each component on the resulting dose in order to identify the major component of the uncertainty in a bioassay. The results of this study can be applied to various situations. In cases
Quantitative analysis of untreated bio-samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sera, K.; Futatsugawa, S.; Matsuda, K.

1999-01-01

A standard-free method of quantitative analysis for untreated samples has been developed. For hair samples, measurements were performed by irradiating with a proton beam a few hairs as they are, and quantitative analysis was carried out by means of a standard-free method developed by ourselves. First, quantitative values of concentration of zinc were derived, then concentration of other elements was obtained by regarding zinc as an internal standard. As the result, values of concentration of sulphur for 40 samples agree well with the average value for a typical Japanese and also with each other within 20%, and validity of the present method could be confirmed. Accuracy was confirmed by comparing the results with those obtained by the usual internal standard method, too. For the purpose of a surface analysis of a bone sample, a very small incidence angle of the proton beam was used, so that both energy loss of the projectile and self-absorption of X-rays become negligible. As the result, consistent values of concentration for many elements were obtained by the standard-free method
Big Data, Small Sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerlovina, Inna; van der Laan, Mark J; Hubbard, Alan

2017-05-20

Multiple comparisons and small sample size, common characteristics of many types of "Big Data" including those that are produced by genomic studies, present specific challenges that affect reliability of inference. Use of multiple testing procedures necessitates calculation of very small tail probabilities of a test statistic distribution. Results based on large deviation theory provide a formal condition that is necessary to guarantee error rate control given practical sample sizes, linking the number of tests and the sample size; this condition, however, is rarely satisfied. Using methods that are based on Edgeworth expansions (relying especially on the work of Peter Hall), we explore the impact of departures of sampling distributions from typical assumptions on actual error rates. Our investigation illustrates how far the actual error rates can be from the declared nominal levels, suggesting potentially wide-spread problems with error rate control, specifically excessive false positives. This is an important factor that contributes to "reproducibility crisis". We also review some other commonly used methods (such as permutation and methods based on finite sampling inequalities) in their application to multiple testing/small sample data. We point out that Edgeworth expansions, providing higher order approximations to the sampling distribution, offer a promising direction for data analysis that could improve reliability of studies relying on large numbers of comparisons with modest sample sizes.
Comparison of blood RNA isolation methods from samples stabilized in Tempus tubes and stored at a large human biobank.

Science.gov (United States)

Aarem, Jeanette; Brunborg, Gunnar; Aas, Kaja K; Harbak, Kari; Taipale, Miia M; Magnus, Per; Knudsen, Gun Peggy; Duale, Nur

2016-09-01

More than 50,000 adult and cord blood samples were collected in Tempus tubes and stored at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Biobank for future use. In this study, we systematically evaluated and compared five blood-RNA isolation protocols: three blood-RNA isolation protocols optimized for simultaneous isolation of all blood-RNA species (MagMAX RNA Isolation Kit, both manual and semi-automated protocols; and Norgen Preserved Blood RNA kit I); and two protocols optimized for large RNAs only (Tempus Spin RNA, and Tempus 6-port isolation kit). We estimated the following parameters: RNA quality, RNA yield, processing time, cost per sample, and RNA transcript stability of six selected mRNAs and 13 miRNAs using real-time qPCR. Whole blood samples from adults (n = 59 tubes) and umbilical cord blood (n = 18 tubes) samples collected in Tempus tubes were analyzed. High-quality blood-RNAs with average RIN-values above seven were extracted using all five RNA isolation protocols. The transcript levels of the six selected genes showed minimal variation between the five protocols. Unexplained differences within the transcript levels of the 13 miRNA were observed; however, the 13 miRNAs had similar expression direction and they were within the same order of magnitude. Some differences in the RNA processing time and cost were noted. Sufficient amounts of high-quality RNA were obtained using all five protocols, and the Tempus blood RNA system therefore seems not to be dependent on one specific RNA isolation method.
Triple Z0-Boson Production in a Large Extra Dimensions Model at the International Linear Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Ruo-Cheng; Li Xiao-Zhou; Ma Wen-Gan; Guo Lei; Zhang Ren-You

2012-01-01

We investigate the effects induced by the interactions of the Kaluza—Klein graviton with the standard model (SM) particles on the triple Z 0 -boson production process at the International Linear Collider in the framework of the large extra dimension (LED) model. We present the dependence of the integrated cross sections on the electron-positron colliding energy √s, and various kinematic distributions of final Z 0 bosons and their subsequential decay products in both the SM and the LED model. We also provide the relationship between the integrated cross section and the fundamental scale MS by taking the number of the extra dimensions (d) as 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. The numerical results show that the LED effect can induce an observable relative discrepancy for the integrated cross section (δ LED ). We find that the relative discrepancy of the LED effect can even reach a few dozen percent in the high transverse momentum area or the central rapidity region of the final Z 0 -bosons and muons
Technologies for pre-screening IAEA swipe samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Nicholas A.; Steeb, Jennifer L.; Lee, Denise L.; Huckabay, Heath A.; Ticknor, Brian W.

2015-01-01

During the course of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, many samples are taken for the purpose of verifying the declared facility activities and identifying any possible undeclared activities. One of these sampling techniques is the environmental swipe sample. Due to the large number of samples collected, and the amount of time that is required to analyze them, prioritizing these swipes in the field or upon receipt at the Network of Analytical Laboratories (NWAL) will allow sensitive or mission-critical analyses to be performed sooner. As a result of this study, technologies were placed into one of three categories: recommended, promising, or not recommended. Both neutron activation analysis (NAA) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) are recommended for further study and possible field deployment. These techniques performed the best in initial trials for pre-screening and prioritizing IAEA swipes. We learned that for NAA more characterization of cold elements (such as calcium and magnesium) would need to be emphasized, and for XRF it may be appropriate to move towards a benchtop XRF versus a handheld XRF due to the increased range of elements available on benchtop equipment. Promising techniques that will require additional research and development include confocal Raman microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and infrared (IR) microscopy. These techniques showed substantive responses to uranium compounds, but expensive instrumentation upgrades (confocal Raman) or university engagement (fluorescence microscopy) may be necessary to investigate the utility of the techniques completely. Point-and-shoot (handheld) Raman and attenuated total reflectance–infrared (ATR-IR) measurements are not recommended, as they have not shown enough promise to continue investigations.
Technologies for pre-screening IAEA swipe samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Nicholas A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Steeb, Jennifer L. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Lee, Denise L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Huckabay, Heath A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Ticknor, Brian W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-11-09

During the course of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, many samples are taken for the purpose of verifying the declared facility activities and identifying any possible undeclared activities. One of these sampling techniques is the environmental swipe sample. Due to the large number of samples collected, and the amount of time that is required to analyze them, prioritizing these swipes in the field or upon receipt at the Network of Analytical Laboratories (NWAL) will allow sensitive or mission-critical analyses to be performed sooner. As a result of this study, technologies were placed into one of three categories: recommended, promising, or not recommended. Both neutron activation analysis (NAA) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) are recommended for further study and possible field deployment. These techniques performed the best in initial trials for pre-screening and prioritizing IAEA swipes. We learned that for NAA more characterization of cold elements (such as calcium and magnesium) would need to be emphasized, and for XRF it may be appropriate to move towards a benchtop XRF versus a handheld XRF due to the increased range of elements available on benchtop equipment. Promising techniques that will require additional research and development include confocal Raman microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and infrared (IR) microscopy. These techniques showed substantive responses to uranium compounds, but expensive instrumentation upgrades (confocal Raman) or university engagement (fluorescence microscopy) may be necessary to investigate the utility of the techniques completely. Point-and-shoot (handheld) Raman and attenuated total reflectance–infrared (ATR-IR) measurements are not recommended, as they have not shown enough promise to continue investigations.
Increased body mass index predicts severity of asthma symptoms but not objective asthma traits in a large sample of asthmatics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bildstrup, Line; Backer, Vibeke; Thomsen, Simon Francis

2015-01-01

AIM: To examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and different indicators of asthma severity in a large community-based sample of Danish adolescents and adults. METHODS: A total of 1186 subjects, 14-44 years of age, who in a screening questionnaire had reported a history of airway...... symptoms suggestive of asthma and/or allergy, or who were taking any medication for these conditions were clinically examined. All participants were interviewed about respiratory symptoms and furthermore height and weight, skin test reactivity, lung function, and airway responsiveness were measured...
International study to evaluate PCR methods for detection of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in blood samples from Chagas disease patients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro G Schijman

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: A century after its discovery, Chagas disease still represents a major neglected tropical threat. Accurate diagnostics tools as well as surrogate markers of parasitological response to treatment are research priorities in the field. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of PCR methods in detection of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA by an external quality evaluation. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: An international collaborative study was launched by expert PCR laboratories from 16 countries. Currently used strategies were challenged against serial dilutions of purified DNA from stocks representing T. cruzi discrete typing units (DTU I, IV and VI (set A, human blood spiked with parasite cells (set B and Guanidine Hidrochloride-EDTA blood samples from 32 seropositive and 10 seronegative patients from Southern Cone countries (set C. Forty eight PCR tests were reported for set A and 44 for sets B and C; 28 targeted minicircle DNA (kDNA, 13 satellite DNA (Sat-DNA and the remainder low copy number sequences. In set A, commercial master mixes and Sat-DNA Real Time PCR showed better specificity, but kDNA-PCR was more sensitive to detect DTU I DNA. In set B, commercial DNA extraction kits presented better specificity than solvent extraction protocols. Sat-DNA PCR tests had higher specificity, with sensitivities of 0.05-0.5 parasites/mL whereas specific kDNA tests detected 5.10(-3 par/mL. Sixteen specific and coherent methods had a Good Performance in both sets A and B (10 fg/µl of DNA from all stocks, 5 par/mL spiked blood. The median values of sensitivities, specificities and accuracies obtained in testing the Set C samples with the 16 tests determined to be good performing by analyzing Sets A and B samples varied considerably. Out of them, four methods depicted the best performing parameters in all three sets of samples, detecting at least 10 fg/µl for each DNA stock, 0.5 par/mL and a sensitivity between 83.3-94.4%, specificity of 85
FALSIRE Phase II. CSNI project for Fracture Analyses of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (Phase II). Comparison report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sievers, J.; Schulz, H.; Bass, R.; Pugh, C.; Keeney, J.

1996-11-01

A summary of Phase II of the Project for Fracture Analysis of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (FALSIRE) is presented. A FALSIRE II Workshop focused on analyses of reference fracture experiments. More than 30 participants representing 22 organizations from 12 countries took part in the workshop. Final results for 45 analyses of the reference experiments were received from the participating analysts. For each experiment, analysis results provided estimates of variables that include temperature, crack-mouth-opening displacement, stress, strain, and applied K and J values. The data were sent electronically to the Organizing Committee, who assembled the results into a comparative data base using a special-purpose computer program. A comparative assessment and discussion of the analysis results are presented in the report. Generally, structural responses of the test specimens were predicted with tolerable scatter bands. (orig./DG)
Examining the interrater reliability of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised across a large sample of trained raters.

Science.gov (United States)

Blais, Julie; Forth, Adelle E; Hare, Robert D

2017-06-01

The goal of the current study was to assess the interrater reliability of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) among a large sample of trained raters (N = 280). All raters completed PCL-R training at some point between 1989 and 2012 and subsequently provided complete coding for the same 6 practice cases. Overall, 3 major conclusions can be drawn from the results: (a) reliability of individual PCL-R items largely fell below any appropriate standards while the estimates for Total PCL-R scores and factor scores were good (but not excellent); (b) the cases representing individuals with high psychopathy scores showed better reliability than did the cases of individuals in the moderate to low PCL-R score range; and (c) there was a high degree of variability among raters; however, rater specific differences had no consistent effect on scoring the PCL-R. Therefore, despite low reliability estimates for individual items, Total scores and factor scores can be reliably scored among trained raters. We temper these conclusions by noting that scoring standardized videotaped case studies does not allow the rater to interact directly with the offender. Real-world PCL-R assessments typically involve a face-to-face interview and much more extensive collateral information. We offer recommendations for new web-based training procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Internal capital markets: The bright side of corporate politics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cremers, M.; Huang, R.; Sautner, Z.

2008-01-01

This study looks inside the internal capital market of a large retail-banking group to study how internal corporate politics affect internal capital allocation. Our data is from the firm's managerial accounting system and covers all cash flows, internal capital transfers, and investments at the
A large superconducting accelerator project. International linear collider (ILC). Introduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Akira

2013-01-01

The international linear collider (ILC) is proposed as the next-energy-frontier particle accelerator anticipated to be realized through global cooperation. The ILC accelerator is composed of a pair of electron and positron linear accelerators to realize head-on collision with a center-of-mass energy of 500 (250+250) GeV. It is based on superconducting radio-frequency (SCRF) technology, and the R and D and technical design have progressed in the technical design phase since 2007, and the technical design report (TDR) reached completion in 2012. This report reviews the ILC general design and technology. (author)
International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-06-30

Jun 30, 2016 ... International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research ... This study determined the extent of bacterial contamination of cow meat ... Sample Size/ Sample Collection: A total of 120 samples comprising of 40 samples ...

Sample Return Robot

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This Challenge requires demonstration of an autonomous robotic system to locate and collect a set of specific sample types from a large planetary analog area and...
Use of a brief version of the self-compassion inventory with an international sample of people with HIV/AIDS

Science.gov (United States)

Brion, John M.; Leary, Mark; Wantland, Dean; Sullivan, K.; Nokes, Kathleen; Bain, Catherine A; Chaiphibalsarisdi, Puangtip; Chen, Wei-ti; Holzemer, William L.; Eller, Lucille Sanzero; Iipinge, Scholastika; Johnson, Mallory O.; Portillo, Carmen; Voss, Joachim; Tyer-Viola, Lynda; Corless, Inge B; Nicholas, Patrice K; Rose, Carol Dawson; Phillips, J. Craig; Sefcik, Elizabeth; Mendez, Marta Rivero; Kirksey, Kenn M.

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to extend the psychometric evaluation of a brief version of the Self Compassion Scale (SCS). A secondary analysis of data from an international sample of 1,967 English-speaking persons living with HIV disease was used to examine the factor structure, and reliability of the 12-item Brief Version Self Compassion Inventory (BVSCI). A Maximum Likelihood factor analysis and Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization confirmed a two-factor solution, accounting for 42.58% of the variance. The BVSCI supported acceptable internal consistencies, with .714 for the total scale and .822 for Factor I and .774 for Factor II. Factor I (lower self compassion) demonstrated strongly positive correlations with measures of anxiety and depression while Factor II (high self compassion) was inversely correlated with the measures. No significant differences were found in the BVSCI scores for gender, age, or having children. Levels of self-compassion were significantly higher in persons with HIV disease and other physical and psychological health conditions. The scale shows promise for the assessment of self-compassion in persons with HIV without taxing participants, and may prove essential in investigating future research aimed at examining correlates of self-compassion, as well as providing data for tailoring self-compassion interventions for persons with HIV. PMID:23527887
The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): normative data and latent structure in a large non-clinical sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, John R; Henry, Julie D

2003-06-01

To provide UK normative data for the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and test its convergent, discriminant and construct validity. Cross-sectional, correlational and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The DASS was administered to a non-clinical sample, broadly representative of the general adult UK population (N = 1,771) in terms of demographic variables. Competing models of the latent structure of the DASS were derived from theoretical and empirical sources and evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Correlational analysis was used to determine the influence of demographic variables on DASS scores. The convergent and discriminant validity of the measure was examined through correlating the measure with two other measures of depression and anxiety (the HADS and the sAD), and a measure of positive and negative affectivity (the PANAS). The best fitting model (CFI =.93) of the latent structure of the DASS consisted of three correlated factors corresponding to the depression, anxiety and stress scales with correlated error permitted between items comprising the DASS subscales. Demographic variables had only very modest influences on DASS scores. The reliability of the DASS was excellent, and the measure possessed adequate convergent and discriminant validity Conclusions: The DASS is a reliable and valid measure of the constructs it was intended to assess. The utility of this measure for UK clinicians is enhanced by the provision of large sample normative data.
Urine sample collection protocols for bioassay samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MacLellan, J.A.; McFadden, K.M.

1992-11-01

In vitro radiobioassay analyses are used to measure the amount of radioactive material excreted by personnel exposed to the potential intake of radioactive material. The analytical results are then used with various metabolic models to estimate the amount of radioactive material in the subject`s body and the original intake of radioactive material. Proper application of these metabolic models requires knowledge of the excretion period. It is normal practice to design the bioassay program based on a 24-hour excretion sample. The Hanford bioassay program simulates a total 24-hour urine excretion sample with urine collection periods lasting from one-half hour before retiring to one-half hour after rising on two consecutive days. Urine passed during the specified periods is collected in three 1-L bottles. Because the daily excretion volume given in Publication 23 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 1975, p. 354) for Reference Man is 1.4 L, it was proposed to use only two 1-L bottles as a cost-saving measure. This raised the broader question of what should be the design capacity of a 24-hour urine sample kit.
Urine sample collection protocols for bioassay samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MacLellan, J.A.; McFadden, K.M.

1992-11-01

In vitro radiobioassay analyses are used to measure the amount of radioactive material excreted by personnel exposed to the potential intake of radioactive material. The analytical results are then used with various metabolic models to estimate the amount of radioactive material in the subject's body and the original intake of radioactive material. Proper application of these metabolic models requires knowledge of the excretion period. It is normal practice to design the bioassay program based on a 24-hour excretion sample. The Hanford bioassay program simulates a total 24-hour urine excretion sample with urine collection periods lasting from one-half hour before retiring to one-half hour after rising on two consecutive days. Urine passed during the specified periods is collected in three 1-L bottles. Because the daily excretion volume given in Publication 23 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 1975, p. 354) for Reference Man is 1.4 L, it was proposed to use only two 1-L bottles as a cost-saving measure. This raised the broader question of what should be the design capacity of a 24-hour urine sample kit.
Human blood RNA stabilization in samples collected and transported for a large biobank

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a nation-wide population-based pregnancy cohort initiated in 1999, comprising more than 108.000 pregnancies recruited between 1999 and 2008. In this study we evaluated the feasibility of integrating RNA analyses into existing MoBa protocols. We compared two different blood RNA collection tube systems – the PAXgene™ Blood RNA system and the Tempus™ Blood RNA system - and assessed the effects of suboptimal blood volumes in collection tubes and of transportation of blood samples by standard mail. Endpoints to characterize the samples were RNA quality and yield, and the RNA transcript stability of selected genes. Findings High-quality RNA could be extracted from blood samples stabilized with both PAXgene and Tempus tubes. The RNA yields obtained from the blood samples collected in Tempus tubes were consistently higher than from PAXgene tubes. Higher RNA yields were obtained from cord blood (3 – 4 times) compared to adult blood with both types of tubes. Transportation of samples by standard mail had moderate effects on RNA quality and RNA transcript stability; the overall RNA quality of the transported samples was high. Some unexplained changes in gene expression were noted, which seemed to correlate with suboptimal blood volumes collected in the tubes. Temperature variations during transportation may also be of some importance. Conclusions Our results strongly suggest that special collection tubes are necessary for RNA stabilization and they should be used for establishing new biobanks. We also show that the 50,000 samples collected in the MoBa biobank provide RNA of high quality and in sufficient amounts to allow gene expression analyses for studying the association of disease with altered patterns of gene expression. PMID:22988904
International taxation and multinational firm location decisions

OpenAIRE

Barrios Cobos, Salvador; Huizinga, Harry; Laeven, Luc; Nicodème, Gaëtan J.A.

2008-01-01

Using a large international firm-level data set, we estimate separate effects of host and parent country taxation on the location decisions of multinational firms. Both types of taxation are estimated to have a negative impact on the location of new foreign subsidiaries. In fact, the impact of parent country taxation is estimated to be relatively large, possibly reflecting its international discriminatory nature. For the cross-section of multinational firms, we find that parent firms tend to ...
CSNI Project for Fracture Analyses of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (FALSIRE II)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bass, B.R.; Pugh, C.E.; Keeney, J. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Schulz, H.; Sievers, J. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Koeln (Gemany)

1996-11-01

A summary of Phase II of the Project for FALSIRE is presented. FALSIRE was created by the Fracture Assessment Group (FAG) of the OECD/NEA`s Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CNSI) Principal Working Group No. 3. FALSIRE I in 1988 assessed fracture methods through interpretive analyses of 6 large-scale fracture experiments in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels under pressurized- thermal-shock (PTS) loading. In FALSIRE II, experiments examined cleavage fracture in RPV steels for a wide range of materials, crack geometries, and constraint and loading conditions. The cracks were relatively shallow, in the transition temperature region. Included were cracks showing either unstable extension or two stages of extensions under transient thermal and mechanical loads. Crack initiation was also investigated in connection with clad surfaces and with biaxial load. Within FALSIRE II, comparative assessments were performed for 7 reference fracture experiments based on 45 analyses received from 22 organizations representing 12 countries. Temperature distributions in thermal shock loaded samples were approximated with high accuracy and small scatter bands. Structural response was predicted reasonably well; discrepancies could usually be traced to the assumed material models and approximated material properties. Almost all participants elected to use the finite element method.
CSNI Project for Fracture Analyses of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments (FALSIRE II)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bass, B.R.; Pugh, C.E.; Keeney, J.; Schulz, H.; Sievers, J.

1996-11-01

A summary of Phase II of the Project for FALSIRE is presented. FALSIRE was created by the Fracture Assessment Group (FAG) of the OECD/NEA's Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CNSI) Principal Working Group No. 3. FALSIRE I in 1988 assessed fracture methods through interpretive analyses of 6 large-scale fracture experiments in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels under pressurized- thermal-shock (PTS) loading. In FALSIRE II, experiments examined cleavage fracture in RPV steels for a wide range of materials, crack geometries, and constraint and loading conditions. The cracks were relatively shallow, in the transition temperature region. Included were cracks showing either unstable extension or two stages of extensions under transient thermal and mechanical loads. Crack initiation was also investigated in connection with clad surfaces and with biaxial load. Within FALSIRE II, comparative assessments were performed for 7 reference fracture experiments based on 45 analyses received from 22 organizations representing 12 countries. Temperature distributions in thermal shock loaded samples were approximated with high accuracy and small scatter bands. Structural response was predicted reasonably well; discrepancies could usually be traced to the assumed material models and approximated material properties. Almost all participants elected to use the finite element method
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
Generalized sampling in Julia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Christian Robert Dahl; Nielsen, Morten; Rasmussen, Morten Grud

2017-01-01

Generalized sampling is a numerically stable framework for obtaining reconstructions of signals in different bases and frames from their samples. For example, one can use wavelet bases for reconstruction given frequency measurements. In this paper, we will introduce a carefully documented toolbox...... for performing generalized sampling in Julia. Julia is a new language for technical computing with focus on performance, which is ideally suited to handle the large size problems often encountered in generalized sampling. The toolbox provides specialized solutions for the setup of Fourier bases and wavelets....... The performance of the toolbox is compared to existing implementations of generalized sampling in MATLAB....
Internalizing disorders and quality of life in adolescence: evidence for independent associations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni A. Salum

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To investigate whether internalizing disorders are associated with quality of life (QoL in adolescents, even after accounting for shared risk factors. Methods: The sample comprised 102 adolescents from a community cross-sectional study with an oversampling of anxious subjects. Risk factors previously associated with QoL were assessed and divided into five blocks organized hierarchically from proximal to distal sets of risk factors. Results: Multiple regression analysis yielded a hierarchical model accounting for 72% of QoL variance. All blocks were consistently associated with QoL (p < 0.05, accounting for the following percentages of variance: 12% for demographics; 5.2% for family environment; 37.8% for stressful events; 10% for nutritional and health habits; and 64.2% for dimensional psychopathological symptoms or 22.8% for psychiatric diagnoses (dichotomous. Although most of the QoL variance attributed to internalizing symptoms was explained by the four proximal blocks in the hierarchical model (43.2%, about 21% of the variance was independently associated with internalizing symptoms/diagnoses. Conclusions: QoL is associated with several aspects of adolescent life that were largely predicted by our hierarchical model. Our findings reinforce the hypothesis that internalizing disorders and internalizing symptoms in adolescents have a high impact on QoL and deserve proper clinical attention.
77 FR 52758 - Large Power Transformers From Korea

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-30

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-1189 (Final)] Large Power Transformers... materially injured, by reason of imports from Korea of large power transformers, provided for in subheadings... Commission and Commerce by ABB Inc., Cary, NC; Delta Star Inc., Lynchburg, VA; and Pennsylvania Transformer...
International user studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lene; Madsen, Sabine; Jensen, Iben

In this report, we present the results of a research project about international user studies. The project has been carried out by researchers from the Center for Persona Research and –Application, The IT University in Copenhagen and the Department of Learning and Philosophy, Aalborg University...... in Sydhavnen, and it is funded by InfinIT. Based on a qualitative interview study with 15 user researchers from 11 different companies, we have investigated how companies collect and present data about users on international markets. Key findings are: Companies do not collect data about end users in all...... the countries/regions they operate in. Instead, they focus on a few strategic markets. International user studies tend to be large-scale studies that involve the effort of many both internal and external/local human resources. The studies typically cover 2-4 countries/regions and many end users in each country...
Thinking about dying and trying and intending to die: results on suicidal behavior from a large Web-based sample.

Science.gov (United States)

de Araújo, Rafael M F; Mazzochi, Leonardo; Lara, Diogo R; Ottoni, Gustavo L

2015-03-01

Suicide is an important worldwide public health problem. The aim of this study was to characterize risk factors of suicidal behavior using a large Web-based sample. The data were collected by the Brazilian Internet Study on Temperament and Psychopathology (BRAINSTEP) from November 2010 to July 2011. Suicidal behavior was assessed by an instrument based on the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire. The final sample consisted of 48,569 volunteers (25.9% men) with a mean ± SD age of 30.7 ± 10.1 years. More than 60% of the sample reported having had at least a passing thought of killing themselves, and 6.8% of subjects had previously attempted suicide (64% unplanned). The demographic features with the highest risk of attempting suicide were female gender (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.65 to 2.00); elementary school as highest education level completed (OR = 2.84, 95% CI = 2.48 to 3.25); being unable to work (OR = 5.32, 95% CI = 4.15 to 6.81); having no religion (OR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.90 to 2.29); and, only for female participants, being married (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.32) or divorced (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.41 to 1.96). A family history of a suicide attempt and of a completed suicide showed the same increment in the risk of suicidal behavior. The higher the number of suicide attempts, the higher was the real intention to die (P < .05). Those who really wanted to die reported more emptiness/loneliness (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.35 to 1.85), disconnection (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.30 to 1.81), and hopelessness (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.49 to 2.03), but their methods were not different from the methods of those who did not mean to die. This large Web survey confirmed results from previous studies on suicidal behavior and pointed out the relevance of the number of previous suicide attempts and of a positive family history, even for a noncompleted suicide, as important risk factors. © Copyright 2015 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.
SURGICAL OUTCOMES AFTER INVERTED INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE FLAP VERSUS CONVENTIONAL PEELING FOR VERY LARGE MACULAR HOLES.

Science.gov (United States)

Narayanan, Raja; Singh, Sumit R; Taylor, Stanford; Berrocal, Maria H; Chhablani, Jay; Tyagi, Mudit; Ohno-Matsui, Kyoko; Pappuru, Rajeev R; Apte, Rajendra S

2018-04-23

To evaluate the anatomical and visual outcomes of inverted flap technique of peeling of internal limiting membrane (ILM) versus standard peeling of ILM for macular holes of basal diameter more than 800 μm. Patients with very large idiopathic macular holes more than 800 μm in basal diameter (ranging from 243 μm to 840 μm in minimum diameter) were retrospectively included in the study. In Group A, 18 eyes of 18 patients underwent ILM peeling using the inverted flap technique. In Group B, 18 eyes of 18 patients underwent conventional ILM peeling. The primary endpoint was the rate of hole closure at 6 months after surgery. The secondary outcome measure was the change in best-corrected visual acuity at 6 months after surgery. There were no significant differences in ocular characteristics of the study groups at baseline except for the age distribution. Mean macular hole diameter was 1,162.8 ± 206.0 μm and 1,229.6 ± 228.1 μm in Group A and Group B, respectively. The hole closure rate was 88.9% (16/18) in Group A and 77.8% (14/18) in Group B (P = 0.66). The mean gain in best-corrected visual acuity was higher in Group A than in Group B (P = 0.12) at 6 months, but this was not statistically significant. There were no severe ocular adverse events in either group. In this multicenter series, inverted ILM flap technique did not lead to significantly higher anatomical closure rates than conventional ILM peeling in large macular holes more than 800 μm in diameter.
International oil opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hares, T.N.D.; Mann, D.W.

1995-01-01

Some of the key issues to be addressed when selecting international opportunities, were discussed. The ideal opportunity should have the following characteristics: (1) large, low risk (2) high percentage of rent available to the investor, (3) low cost and low technical requirements, (4) low country risk, (5) low competition, (6) easy to access, and (7) favorable environment in which to work. Entering an international opportunity can be achieved by competitive bidding, direct negotiation, partnership, corporate and/or asset acquisition, and long-term relationships. Key success factors were identified as (1) applying technical financial and commercial skills in the international environment, (2) speedy response, (3) excellent relationships in the foreign country, (4) understanding the local culture, and (5) keeping a good track record. 6 figs
'Intelligent' approach to radioimmunoassay sample counting employing a microprocessor controlled sample counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekins, R.P.; Sufi, S.; Malan, P.G.

1977-01-01

The enormous impact on medical science in the last two decades of microanalytical techniques employing radioisotopic labels has, in turn, generated a large demand for automatic radioisotopic sample counters. Such instruments frequently comprise the most important item of capital equipment required in the use of radioimmunoassay and related techniques and often form a principle bottleneck in the flow of samples through a busy laboratory. It is therefore particularly imperitive that such instruments should be used 'intelligently' and in an optimal fashion to avoid both the very large capital expenditure involved in the unnecessary proliferation of instruments and the time delays arising from their sub-optimal use. The majority of the current generation of radioactive sample counters nevertheless rely on primitive control mechanisms based on a simplistic statistical theory of radioactive sample counting which preclude their efficient and rational use. The fundamental principle upon which this approach is based is that it is useless to continue counting a radioactive sample for a time longer than that required to yield a significant increase in precision of the measurement. Thus, since substantial experimental errors occur during sample preparation, these errors should be assessed and must be releted to the counting errors for that sample. It is the objective of this presentation to demonstrate that the combination of a realistic statistical assessment of radioactive sample measurement, together with the more sophisticated control mechanisms that modern microprocessor technology make possible, may often enable savings in counter usage of the order of 5-10 fold to be made. (orig.) [de
Statistical process control charts for attribute data involving very large sample sizes: a review of problems and solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Mohammed A; Panesar, Jagdeep S; Laney, David B; Wilson, Richard

2013-04-01

The use of statistical process control (SPC) charts in healthcare is increasing. The primary purpose of SPC is to distinguish between common-cause variation which is attributable to the underlying process, and special-cause variation which is extrinsic to the underlying process. This is important because improvement under common-cause variation requires action on the process, whereas special-cause variation merits an investigation to first find the cause. Nonetheless, when dealing with attribute or count data (eg, number of emergency admissions) involving very large sample sizes, traditional SPC charts often produce tight control limits with most of the data points appearing outside the control limits. This can give a false impression of common and special-cause variation, and potentially misguide the user into taking the wrong actions. Given the growing availability of large datasets from routinely collected databases in healthcare, there is a need to present a review of this problem (which arises because traditional attribute charts only consider within-subgroup variation) and its solutions (which consider within and between-subgroup variation), which involve the use of the well-established measurements chart and the more recently developed attribute charts based on Laney's innovative approach. We close by making some suggestions for practice.
Understanding Social Learning Relations of International Students in a Large Classroom Using Social Network Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Rienties, Bart; Héliot, YingFei; Jindal-Snape, Divya

2013-01-01

A common assumption in higher education is that international students find it difficult to develop learning and friendship relations with host students. When students are placed in a student-centred environment, international students from different cultural backgrounds are "forced" to work together with other students, which allows…

The Dynamics of Daylighting at a Residential College Building with the Internal Courtyard Arrangement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adi Ainurzaman Jamaludin

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Dayasari residential college building was designed with the internal courtyard that allows for numerous implementations of bioclimatic design strategies, especially on daylighting. The field measurement was conducted at eight unoccupied student rooms, selected as samples to represent ten scenarios and orientations that concerned with the level of radiation and penetration of sunlight. This study reveals the contribution of the internal courtyard in the residential college which allows the daylight penetration at the corridor areas and interior of the rooms through the transom over the entrance door, up to ten hours daily. Different amounts of daylight were measured in specific room scenarios to suggest on the most comfortable indoor living space. The recorded mean value for indoor varied from 37 to 286 lux, while in the corridor area 192 to 3,848 lux. However, the use of the large overhangs over the windows, wall openings in the room and trees with large canopy in the landscape setting should critically justify when the adequacy of daylight was drastically reduced in certain rooms.
Nutritional status and dental caries in a large sample of 4- and 5 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. Evidence from studies involving small samples of children in Africa, India and South America suggests a higher dental caries rate in malnourished children. A comparison was done to evaluate wasting and stunting and their association with dental caries in four samples of South African children. Design.
Acquisition and Retaining Granular Samples via a Rotating Coring Bit

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Badescu, Mircea; Sherrit, Stewart

2013-01-01

This device takes advantage of the centrifugal forces that are generated when a coring bit is rotated, and a granular sample is entered into the bit while it is spinning, making it adhere to the internal wall of the bit, where it compacts itself into the wall of the bit. The bit can be specially designed to increase the effectiveness of regolith capturing while turning and penetrating the subsurface. The bit teeth can be oriented such that they direct the regolith toward the bit axis during the rotation of the bit. The bit can be designed with an internal flute that directs the regolith upward inside the bit. The use of both the teeth and flute can be implemented in the same bit. The bit can also be designed with an internal spiral into which the various particles wedge. In another implementation, the bit can be designed to collect regolith primarily from a specific depth. For that implementation, the bit can be designed such that when turning one way, the teeth guide the regolith outward of the bit and when turning in the opposite direction, the teeth will guide the regolith inward into the bit internal section. This mechanism can be implemented with or without an internal flute. The device is based on the use of a spinning coring bit (hollow interior) as a means of retaining granular sample, and the acquisition is done by inserting the bit into the subsurface of a regolith, soil, or powder. To demonstrate the concept, a commercial drill and a coring bit were used. The bit was turned and inserted into the soil that was contained in a bucket. While spinning the bit (at speeds of 600 to 700 RPM), the drill was lifted and the soil was retained inside the bit. To prove this point, the drill was turned horizontally, and the acquired soil was still inside the bit. The basic theory behind the process of retaining unconsolidated mass that can be acquired by the centrifugal forces of the bit is determined by noting that in order to stay inside the interior of the bit, the
Evaluation of Respondent-Driven Sampling

Science.gov (United States)

McCreesh, Nicky; Frost, Simon; Seeley, Janet; Katongole, Joseph; Tarsh, Matilda Ndagire; Ndunguse, Richard; Jichi, Fatima; Lunel, Natasha L; Maher, Dermot; Johnston, Lisa G; Sonnenberg, Pam; Copas, Andrew J; Hayes, Richard J; White, Richard G

2012-01-01

Background Respondent-driven sampling is a novel variant of link-tracing sampling for estimating the characteristics of hard-to-reach groups, such as HIV prevalence in sex-workers. Despite its use by leading health organizations, the performance of this method in realistic situations is still largely unknown. We evaluated respondent-driven sampling by comparing estimates from a respondent-driven sampling survey with total-population data. Methods Total-population data on age, tribe, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual activity and HIV status were available on a population of 2402 male household-heads from an open cohort in rural Uganda. A respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey was carried out in this population, employing current methods of sampling (RDS sample) and statistical inference (RDS estimates). Analyses were carried out for the full RDS sample and then repeated for the first 250 recruits (small sample). Results We recruited 927 household-heads. Full and small RDS samples were largely representative of the total population, but both samples under-represented men who were younger, of higher socioeconomic status, and with unknown sexual activity and HIV status. Respondent-driven-sampling statistical-inference methods failed to reduce these biases. Only 31%-37% (depending on method and sample size) of RDS estimates were closer to the true population proportions than the RDS sample proportions. Only 50%-74% of respondent-driven-sampling bootstrap 95% confidence intervals included the population proportion. Conclusions Respondent-driven sampling produced a generally representative sample of this well-connected non-hidden population. However, current respondent-driven-sampling inference methods failed to reduce bias when it occurred. Whether the data required to remove bias and measure precision can be collected in a respondent-driven sampling survey is unresolved. Respondent-driven sampling should be regarded as a (potentially superior) form of convenience-sampling
Evaluation of respondent-driven sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

McCreesh, Nicky; Frost, Simon D W; Seeley, Janet; Katongole, Joseph; Tarsh, Matilda N; Ndunguse, Richard; Jichi, Fatima; Lunel, Natasha L; Maher, Dermot; Johnston, Lisa G; Sonnenberg, Pam; Copas, Andrew J; Hayes, Richard J; White, Richard G

2012-01-01

Respondent-driven sampling is a novel variant of link-tracing sampling for estimating the characteristics of hard-to-reach groups, such as HIV prevalence in sex workers. Despite its use by leading health organizations, the performance of this method in realistic situations is still largely unknown. We evaluated respondent-driven sampling by comparing estimates from a respondent-driven sampling survey with total population data. Total population data on age, tribe, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual activity, and HIV status were available on a population of 2402 male household heads from an open cohort in rural Uganda. A respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey was carried out in this population, using current methods of sampling (RDS sample) and statistical inference (RDS estimates). Analyses were carried out for the full RDS sample and then repeated for the first 250 recruits (small sample). We recruited 927 household heads. Full and small RDS samples were largely representative of the total population, but both samples underrepresented men who were younger, of higher socioeconomic status, and with unknown sexual activity and HIV status. Respondent-driven sampling statistical inference methods failed to reduce these biases. Only 31%-37% (depending on method and sample size) of RDS estimates were closer to the true population proportions than the RDS sample proportions. Only 50%-74% of respondent-driven sampling bootstrap 95% confidence intervals included the population proportion. Respondent-driven sampling produced a generally representative sample of this well-connected nonhidden population. However, current respondent-driven sampling inference methods failed to reduce bias when it occurred. Whether the data required to remove bias and measure precision can be collected in a respondent-driven sampling survey is unresolved. Respondent-driven sampling should be regarded as a (potentially superior) form of convenience sampling method, and caution is required
Initial analysis and curation plans for MUSES-C asteroidal samples

Science.gov (United States)

Yano, H.; Kushiro, I.; Fujiwara, A.

In the MUSES-C mission, sample return of several hundred mg to several g in to- tal is expected from the surface of the S-type near Earth asteroid 1998SF36 in 2007. The MUSES-C samples are expected to be more similar to micrometeorites than large pieces of rocks. Also the initial analysis to characterize general aspects of returned samples can consume only 15 % of its total mass and must complete the whole anal- yses including the database building before international AO for detailed analyses opens in less than a year. Confident exercise of non-destructive, micro-analyses when- ever possible are thus vital for the SMUSES-C Asteroidal Sample Preliminary Exam- ination Team (MASPET)T, which will be formed by the ISAS MUSES-C team, the international partners from NASA and Australia and Sall-JapanT meteoritic scientists to be selected as outsourcing parts of the initial analyses. In 2000-2001, in the pur- pose to survey what kinds and levels of micro-analysis techniques in respective fields, from major elements and mineralogy to trace and isotopic elements and organics, are available in Japan at present, ISAS welcomed a total of 11 applications to the first round open competition for the MASPET candidates. The initial evaluation was made by multiple domestic peer reviews. Nine out of 11 were then provided two kinds of Sasteroid sample analogsT that no applicant knew what they were in advance by the Selection Committee (chair: I. Kushiro) in order to conduct proposed analysis with self-claimed amount of samples (100 mg max) in self-claimed duration (6 months max). The proponents must demonstrate how much their technical capabilities, ana- lytical precision, and usefulness of the derived results for subsequent detailed analyses are worth being included in the MASPET studies. After the completion of multiple, international peer reviews, the Selection Committee compiled evaluations and recom- mended the finalists of this round competition. However, it is also recognized
Belief in reciprocity in a Chinese sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhen; Zhang, Jianxin

2012-08-01

Belief in reciprocity refers to a personally internalized faith in the reciprocity norm: that people will return positive and negative interactions or favors in kind. The current study aims to examine the relationship between belief in reciprocity and altruism among a Chinese sample. The Personal Norm of Reciprocity Scale, Trait Forgiveness Scale, Prosocial Tendency Measure, and Altruism Scale were used to assess extent of belief in reciprocity, forgiveness, and prosocial motivation, respectively, among 204 Chinese undergraduates. The results indicated that belief in reciprocity was a partially negative, but not neutral, reciprocity norm for Chinese people. Specifically, belief in reciprocity was positively related to negative reciprocity, but not significantly related to positive reciprocity. Moreover, belief in reciprocity was negatively related to both prosocial tendency and altruistic motivation. The results also indicated that forgiveness largely mediated the effect of belief in reciprocity on altruism. Finally, the implications and limitations of the current study were discussed.
Determination of Pu in soil samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres C, C. O.; Hernandez M, H.; Romero G, E. T.; Vega C, H. R.

2016-10-01

The irreversible consequences of accidents occurring in nuclear plants and in nuclear fuel reprocessing sites are mainly the distribution of different radionuclides in different matrices such as the soil. The distribution in the superficial soil is related to the internal and external exposure to the radiation of the affected population. The internal contamination with radionuclides such as Pu is of great relevance to the nuclear forensic science, where is important to know the chemical and isotopic compositions of nuclear materials. The objective of this work is to optimize the radiochemical separation of plutonium (Pu) from soil samples and to determine their concentration. The soil samples were prepared using acid digestion assisted by microwave; purification of Pu was carried out with AG1X8 resin using ion exchange chromatography. Pu isotopes were measured using ICP-SFMS. In order to reduce the interference due to the presence of "2"3"8UH "+ in the samples, a solvent removal system (Apex) was used. In addition, the limit of detection and quantification of Pu was determined. It was found that the recovery efficiency of Pu in soil samples ranges from 70 to 93%. (Author)
Genetic Influences on Pulmonary Function: A Large Sample Twin Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingebrigtsen, Truls S; Thomsen, Simon F; van der Sluis, Sophie

2011-01-01

Heritability of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) has not been previously addressed in large twin studies. We evaluated the genetic contribution to individual differences observed in FEV(1), FVC, and PEF using data from...... the largest population-based twin study on spirometry. Specially trained lay interviewers with previous experience in spirometric measurements tested 4,314 Danish twins (individuals), 46-68 years of age, in their homes using a hand-held spirometer, and their flow-volume curves were evaluated. Modern variance...
Media Use and Source Trust among Muslims in Seven Countries: Results of a Large Random Sample Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven R. Corman

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Despite the perceived importance of media in the spread of and resistance against Islamist extremism, little is known about how Muslims use different kinds of media to get information about religious issues, and what sources they trust when doing so. This paper reports the results of a large, random sample survey among Muslims in seven countries Southeast Asia, West Africa and Western Europe, which helps fill this gap. Results show a diverse set of profiles of media use and source trust that differ by country, with overall low trust in mediated sources of information. Based on these findings, we conclude that mass media is still the most common source of religious information for Muslims, but that trust in mediated information is low overall. This suggests that media are probably best used to persuade opinion leaders, who will then carry anti-extremist messages through more personal means.
Large Country-Lot Quality Assurance Sampling : A New Method for Rapid Monitoring and Evaluation of Health, Nutrition and Population Programs at Sub-National Levels

OpenAIRE

Hedt, Bethany L.; Olives, Casey; Pagano, Marcello; Valadez, Joseph J.

2008-01-01

Sampling theory facilitates development of economical, effective and rapid measurement of a population. While national policy maker value survey results measuring indicators representative of a large area (a country, state or province), measurement in smaller areas produces information useful for managers at the local level. It is often not possible to disaggregate a national survey to obt...
HAMMER: Reweighting tool for simulated data samples

CERN Document Server

Duell, Stephan; Ligeti, Zoltan; Papucci, Michele; Robinson, Dean

2016-01-01

Modern flavour physics experiments, such as Belle II or LHCb, require large samples of generated Monte Carlo events. Monte Carlo events often are processed in a sophisticated chain that includes a simulation of the detector response. The generation and reconstruction of large samples is resource-intensive and in principle would need to be repeated if e.g. parameters responsible for the underlying models change due to new measurements or new insights. To avoid having to regenerate large samples, we work on a tool, The Helicity Amplitude Module for Matrix Element Reweighting (HAMMER), which allows one to easily reweight existing events in the context of semileptonic b → q ` ̄ ν ` analyses to new model parameters or new physics scenarios.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the analysis of biological samples and pharmaceutical drugs

Science.gov (United States)

Ossipov, K.; Seregina, I. F.; Bolshov, M. A.

2016-04-01

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is widely used in the analysis of biological samples (whole blood, serum, blood plasma, urine, tissues, etc.) and pharmaceutical drugs. The shortcomings of this method related to spectral and non-spectral interferences are manifested in full measure in determination of the target analytes in these complex samples strongly differing in composition. The spectral interferences are caused by similarity of masses of the target component and sample matrix components. Non-spectral interferences are related to the influence of sample matrix components on the physicochemical processes taking place during formation and transportation of liquid sample aerosols into the plasma, on the value and spatial distribution of plasma temperature and on the transmission of the ion beam from the interface to mass spectrometer detector. The review is devoted to analysis of different mechanisms of appearance of non-spectral interferences and to ways for their minimization or elimination. Special attention is paid to the techniques of biological sample preparation, which largely determine the mechanisms of the influence of sample composition on the results of element determination. The ways of lowering non-spectral interferences by instrumental parameter tuning and application of internal standards are considered. The bibliography includes 189 references.
Solid phase extraction of large volume of water and beverage samples to improve detection limits for GC-MS analysis of bisphenol A and four other bisphenols.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Xu-Liang; Popovic, Svetlana

2018-01-01

Solid phase extraction (SPE) of large volumes of water and beverage products was investigated for the GC-MS analysis of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol AF (BPAF), bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol E (BPE), and bisphenol B (BPB). While absolute recoveries of the method were improved for water and some beverage products (e.g. diet cola, iced tea), breakthrough may also have occurred during SPE of 200 mL of other beverages (e.g. BPF in cola). Improvements in method detection limits were observed with the analysis of large sample volumes for all bisphenols at ppt (pg/g) to sub-ppt levels. This improvement was found to be proportional to sample volumes for water and beverage products with less interferences and noise levels around the analytes. Matrix effects and interferences were observed during SPE of larger volumes (100 and 200 mL) of the beverage products, and affected the accurate analysis of BPF. This improved method was used to analyse bisphenols in various beverage samples, and only BPA was detected, with levels ranging from 0.022 to 0.030 ng/g for products in PET bottles, and 0.085 to 0.32 ng/g for products in cans.
Sampling methods and non-destructive examination techniques for large radioactive waste packages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, T.H.; Smith, D.L.; Burgoyne, K.E.; Maxwell, D.J.; Norris, G.H.; Billington, D.M.; Pipe, R.G.; Smith, J.E.; Inman, C.M.

1992-01-01

Progress is reported on work undertaken to evaluate quality checking methods for radioactive wastes. A sampling rig was designed, fabricated and used to develop techniques for the destructive sampling of cemented simulant waste using remotely operated equipment. An engineered system for the containment of cooling water was designed and manufactured and successfully demonstrated with the drum and coring equipment mounted in both vertical and horizontal orientations. The preferred in-cell orientation was found to be with the drum and coring machinery mounted in a horizontal position. Small powdered samples can be taken from cemented homogeneous waste cores using a hollow drill/vacuum section technique with the preferred subsampling technique being to discard the outer 10 mm layer to obtain a representative sample of the cement core. Cement blends can be dissolved using fusion techniques and the resulting solutions are stable to gelling for periods in excess of one year. Although hydrochloric acid and nitric acid are promising solvents for dissolution of cement blends, the resultant solutions tend to form silicic acid gels. An estimate of the beta-emitter content of cemented waste packages can be obtained by a combination of non-destructive and destructive techniques. The errors will probably be in excess of +/-60 % at the 95 % confidence level. Real-time X-ray video-imaging techniques have been used to analyse drums of uncompressed, hand-compressed, in-drum compacted and high-force compacted (i.e. supercompacted) simulant waste. The results have confirmed the applicability of this technique for NDT of low-level waste. 8 refs., 12 figs., 3 tabs
The precautionary principle in international environmental law and international jurisprudence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tubić Bojan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analysis international regulation of the precautionary principle as one of environmental principles. This principle envisages that when there are threats of serious and irreparable harm, as a consequence of certain economic activity, the lack of scientific evidence and full certainty cannot be used as a reason for postponing efficient measures for preventing environmental harm. From economic point of view, the application of precautionary principle is problematic, because it creates larger responsibility for those who create possible risks, comparing to the previous period. The precautionary principle can be found in numerous international treaties in this field, which regulate it in a very similar manner. There is no consensus in doctrine whether this principle has reached the level of international customary law, because it was interpreted differently and it was not accepted by large number of countries in their national legislations. It represents a developing concept which is consisted of changing positions on adequate roles of science, economy, politics and law in the field of environmental protection. This principle has been discussed in several cases before International Court of Justice and International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
Design of the iSTAR International STudy on Astronomy Reasoning

Science.gov (United States)

Tatge, Coty B.; Slater, Stephanie J.

2015-01-01

Beginning in 2013, a small international collaborative of discipline-based astronomy education researchers began to build the foundation to start the International STudy on Astronomy Reasoning Project, known simply as iSTAR. The project was a direct result of the inability of existing large international investigations into the learning of science, such as the TIMSS and PISA studies, to provide actionable intelligence on either strengths or weaknesses of astronomy teaching across the world. This is not because those studies were flawed; rather, they focused on the general characteristics of teaching and learning across all sciences. Prior to the iSTAR effort, there has been no systematic effort to measure individual's conceptual astronomy understanding across the globe. The goal of studying a widely dispersed international sample is to identify cultural subpopulations that do not conform to our existing knowledge of student misconceptions, highlighting unexpected cultural or educational practices that hint at alternative, and perhaps more effective, means of instruction. As a first step, we are carefully translating the Test Of Astronomy STandards - TOAST multiple-choice assessment instrument and carefully attending to nuances that occur during the translation process as cultural clues to differences in the teaching and learning of astronomy. We are actively welcoming and seeking international partners in this work through the CAPERteam.com website and at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/iSTAR-Registration . This project is sponsored and managed by the CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research in collaboration with members of the International Astronomical Union-Commission 46.
International taxation and cross-border banking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huizinga, H.P.; Voget, J.; Wagner, W.B.

This paper examines empirically how international taxation affects the volume and pricing of cross-border banking activities for a sample of banks in 38 countries over the 1998ï¿½2008 period. International double taxation of foreign-source bank income is found to reduce banking-sector FDI.
Radiation Therapy for Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: An International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group Multi-institutional Experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Million, Lynn, E-mail: lmillion@stanford.edu [Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, California (United States); Yi, Esther J.; Wu, Frank; Von Eyben, Rie [Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, California (United States); Campbell, Belinda A. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Cancer Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne (Australia); Dabaja, Bouthaina [The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Tsang, Richard W. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Ng, Andrea [Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Wilson, Lynn D. [Department of Therapeutic Radiology/Radiation Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut (United States); Ricardi, Umberto [Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin (Italy); Kirova, Youlia [Institut Curie, Paris (France); Hoppe, Richard T. [Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, California (United States)

2016-08-01

Purpose: To collect response rates of primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a rare cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, to radiation therapy (RT), and to determine potential prognostic factors predictive of outcome. Methods and Materials: The study was a retrospective analysis of patients with primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma who received RT as primary therapy or after surgical excision. Data collected include initial stage of disease, RT modality (electron/photon), total dose, fractionation, response to treatment, and local recurrence. Radiation therapy was delivered at 8 participating International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group institutions worldwide. Results: Fifty-six patients met the eligibility criteria, and 63 tumors were treated: head and neck (27%), trunk (14%), upper extremities (27%), and lower extremities (32%). Median tumor size was 2.25 cm (range, 0.6-12 cm). T classification included T1, 40 patients (71%); T2, 12 patients (21%); and T3, 4 patients (7%). The median radiation dose was 35 Gy (range, 6-45 Gy). Complete clinical response (CCR) was achieved in 60 of 63 tumors (95%) and partial response in 3 tumors (5%). After CCR, 1 tumor recurred locally (1.7%) after 36 Gy and 7 months after RT. This was the only patient to die of disease. Conclusions: Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a rare, indolent cutaneous lymphoma with a low death rate. This analysis, which was restricted to patients selected for treatment with radiation, indicates that achieving CCR was independent of radiation dose. Because there were too few failures (<2%) for statistical analysis on dose response, 30 Gy seems to be adequate for local control, and even lower doses may suffice.
Large-sample neutron activation analysis in mass balance and nutritional studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Wiel, A.; Blaauw, Menno

2018-01-01

Low concentrations of elements in food can be measured with various techniques, mostly in small samples (mg). These techniques provide only reliable data when the element is distributed homogeneously in the material to be analysed either naturally or after a homogenisation procedure. When this is

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