Do future commercial broadband communication satellites really need laser-communication intersatellite links (ISLs)?

Science.gov (United States)

Freidell, James E.

1997-04-01

Large commercial satellite programs requiring ISLs are growing in number and maturing. An important segment of the commercial satellite market, and its ISL needs, is discussed in the paper. ISL value will increase as long-haul terrestrial backbones become increasingly congested. Providing interregional and intercontinental connectivity via ISL presents far lower cost and fewer problems than relying on terrestrial fiber-optic networks. To demonstrate this, a new metric is proposed which allows 'apples-to- apples' cost/performance comparisons between laser communications in GEO, LEO, and terrestrial fiber-optics. ISL requirements in to the next decade are predicted >= 50-100 Gb/s full duplex. Many attitudinal changes must be embraced among those who choose to focus on this new commercial business. Foremost among these is a preponderance to delivering fully acceptable hardware fast and at low cost, as opposed to merely designing such. Considerable attention must be given business considerations foreign to professionals who have spent time in the government or government contracting sectors. Successful ISL customers will come to recognize that ISLs are not commodity products. Failure to embrace these attitudes will nonetheless constitute decision to which the commercial market, and particularly the financial market, will appropriately respond.

Economic benefits of the Space Station to commercial communication satellite operators

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Kent M.; Dixson, John E.; Weyandt, Charles J.

1987-01-01

The economic and financial aspects of newly defined space-based activities, procedures, and operations (APOs) and associated satellite system designs are presented that have the potential to improve economic performance of future geostationary communications satellites. Launch insurance, launch costs, and the economics of APOs are examined. Retrieval missions and various Space Station scenarios are addressed. The potential benefits of the new APOs to the commercial communications satellite system operator are quantified.

Sociological and communication-theoretical perspectives on the commercialization of the sciences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leydesdorff, L.

2013-01-01

Both self-organization and organization are important for the further development of the sciences: the two dynamics condition and enable each other. Commercial and public considerations can interact and "interpenetrate" in historical organization; different codes of communication are then

COTS low-cost 622-Mb/s free-space laser communications link for short-distance commercial applications

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Kenneth A.

2000-05-01

The results from a low cost 622 Mb/s, free-space laser communication link operating at 850 nm for short distance commercial applications is presented. The test results demonstrate the use of a free-space laser communications transceiver for building to building applications such as LAN, WAN and ATM operations, etc. This illustrates the potential for wide-use commercial computer network applications. The transceiver is constructed of commercial off-the-shelf materials for the development of a low-cost laser communications data link. The test system configuration utilizes standard Personal Computers with network cards and signal conversion cards for the copper to optical medical conversion. These tests precede the development of an increased data rate device operating at 2.5 Gb/s.

Sociological and Communication-Theoretical Perspectives on the Commercialization of the Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Leydesdorff, Loet

2013-01-01

Both self-organization and organization are important for the further development of the sciences: the two dynamics condition and enable each other. Commercial and public considerations can interact and "interpenetrate" in historical organization; different codes of communication are then "recombined". However,…

Sociological and Communication-Theoretical Perspectives on the Commercialization of the Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Leydesdorff, Loet

2013-10-01

Both self-organization and organization are important for the further development of the sciences: the two dynamics condition and enable each other. Commercial and public considerations can interact and "interpenetrate" in historical organization; different codes of communication are then "recombined". However, self-organization in the symbolically generalized codes of communication can be expected to operate at the global level. The Triple Helix model allows for both a neo-institutional appreciation in terms of historical networks of university-industry-government relations and a neo-evolutionary interpretation in terms of three functions: (1) novelty production, (2) wealth generation, and (3) political control. Using this model, one can appreciate both subdynamics. The mutual information in three dimensions enables us to measure the trade-off between organization and self-organization as a possible synergy. The question of optimization between commercial and public interests in the different sciences can thus be made empirical.

Corporate social responsibility of the 100 largest Indian companies – an analysis of website communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avinash Mulky

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Corporate social responsibility has become an important concept in the business world in recent decades. CSR is important in all countries but is particularly relevant in emerging markets where the levels of human development are not high. The United Nations Development Programme has created the Human Development Index (HDI to measure the human development in countries. The present study analyzes the CSR communication on the websites of the 100 largest Indian companies. The objective was to examine the reported CSR activities and determine whether the activities address the dimensions and indicators of the HDI. The study uses content analysis to classify the CSR activities into categories corresponding to HDI parameters. The findings indicate that about two thirds of the companies are using their websites to communicate CSR. Of the companies which reported CSR, about eighty percent report support for primary education and about seventy percent undertake livelihood support activities. The level of corporate involvement in the health dimension of human development is quite low. Reduction of infant and maternal mortality does not get much corporate attention. This study will add to the literature on CSR in emerging markets and will be useful for firms in India and other emerging markets that are planning CSR activities aimed at human development parameters.

DOD Use of Commercial Wideband Satellite Communications Systems: How Much is Needed, and How Do We Get It?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hutchens, Robert

2001-01-01

..., A key enabler to this end is sufficient wideband satellite communications connectivity DoD's organic wideband satellite communications capabilities are inadequate, so commercial services must be used...

Intersatellite Link (ISL) application to commercial communications satellites. Volume 1: Executive summary

Science.gov (United States)

Young, S. Lee

1987-01-01

Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the fundamental Intersatellite Link (ISL) systems characteristics, potential applications of ISLs to domestic, regional, and global commercial satellite communications were identified, and their cost-effectiveness and other systems benefits quantified wherever possible. Implementation scenarios for the cost-effective communications satellite systems employing ISLs were developed for the first launch in 1993 to 1994 and widespread use of ISLs in the early 2000's. Critical technology requirements for both the microwave (60 GHz) and optical (0.85 micron) ISL implementations were identified, and their technology development programs, including schedule and cost estimates, were derived.

Compliance With the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act at the Defense Commercial Communications Office

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ugone, Mary

1993-01-01

...; Integrity Act of 1982 (FMFIA) at the Defense Commercial Communications Office (DECCO). The FMFIA requires each executive agency to periodically evaluate its system of internal controls and to report annually to the President and the Congress...

Application of narrow-band television to industrial and commercial communications

Science.gov (United States)

Embrey, B. C., Jr.; Southworth, G. R.

1974-01-01

The development of narrow-band systems for use in space systems is presented. Applications of the technology to future spacecraft requirements are discussed along with narrow-band television's influence in stimulating development within the industry. The transferral of the technology into industrial and commercial communications is described. Major areas included are: (1) medicine; (2) education; (3) remote sensing for traffic control; and (5) weather observation. Applications in data processing, image enhancement, and information retrieval are provided by the combination of the TV camera and the computer.

Internal Communication and Job Satisfaction Revisited: The Impact of Organizational Trust and Influence on Commercial Bank Supervisors.

Science.gov (United States)

Pincus, J. David; And Others

Using H. Dennis' (1974) five-factor communication climate construct framework as a predictor variable, a study investigated the relationship between perceptions of communication climate and job satisfaction of supervisory employees in the banking industry. A systematic random sample was drawn from 68 commercial banks in Orange County, California,…

Commercial cinema: a medium for development communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Riber, J; Smith, S

1985-01-01

concerns about family planning. Understanding audience expectations in a commercial cinema context is the key to successfully adapting this medium for social development messages. Although some foreign technical assistance was provided, the success of the 2 films described depended on how their themes were adapted to the traditional feature film format. To date, commercial cinema has been an underutilized medium for development messages. WIF's experiences demonstrate how effective, well-conceived social messages can be presented in a commercial cinema context. It is hoped this will encourage other to use this widely available channel of mass communication.

The world's largest study of the indoor environment in commercial kitchens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Bjarne W.; Simone, Angela

2013-01-01

The International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy (ICIEE) at DTU Civil Engineering has conducted a study on the thermal conditions of the working environment in more than 100 commercial kitchens in the USA during summer and winter. The study shows that employees generally feel the working...

An Examination of Strategic Philanthropy and CSR Communication Patterns among the World’s Twenty-One Largest Oil Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Brad Gatlin

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Fortune Magazine’s 2012 list of 100 largest companies included 21 oil companies. This paper seeks to discern patterns of those 21 companies’ philanthropic efforts and communication thereof. Specifically, the paper will consider issues such as ownership (all companies were either publicly-traded or state-owned, the economic development of the home country, and the citizens’ expectations of corporate citizens. The philanthropic efforts of all 21 companies are discussed in the context of Porter and Kramer’s (2001 framework of the competitive context It is concluded that the oil industry is particularly well-suited to affect factor and, to a lesser extent, demand conditions, through philanthropic efforts. A model for classifying the philanthropic based on ownership and country conditions is proposed, and suggestions for further research are made.

A Strategic Analysis of Commercial Satellite communications Enterprises and their Role for the Warfighter of the Future

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gonder, Richard

1998-01-01

.... After initially setting the baseline, the paper will discuss the ability of the exploding commercial satellite communications market to meet some, if not most of the uniquely military requirements (the pros...

Motivation and Communication within the Commercial Company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zlata Kastelic

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Research question (RQ: The research deals with the question of how employees are motivated for mutual communication and transfer of information needed for smooth functioning of work processes. Another question is how much awards affect motivation of employees in the organization. Purpose: The purpose of the research was to determine the connection between motivation and communication of employees in the organization. What is the influence of remuneration on positive motivation and successful communication and how this is connected with effective achievement of goals set in the organization? Method: The research was carried out by a Likert-type scale to study perception of motivation with communication of employees in the organization. Employees of the sales organization were part of the research study. Results: The results show that employees' communication has an influence on motivation of employees in the sales organization. Furthermore, the results show that suitable communication increases working motivation and that employees are satisfied with communication at their workplace. Organization: Communication among employees is vital for a successful organization. The employees of the sales organization were aware of the fact that their company cannot be successful without proper motivation for communication. This research study shows that proper communication increases working motivation in the organization, but the questionnaire should be carried out systematically to determine progress and improvement on a longitudinal basis. Society: Establishing communication in a sales organization is very important because communication happens among colleagues as well as among buyers who contribute to the success of the business. Originality: The goal of the research was to determine the connection between motivation and communication of the employees in a sales organization. The research was carried out to define weaknesses of communication to suggest

A systems approach to the commercialization of space communications technology - The NASA/JPL Mobile Satellite Program

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, William J., III; Gray, Valerie W.; Jackson, Byron; Steele, Laura C.

1991-10-01

This paper discusss the systems approach taken by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the commercialization of land-mobile satellite services (LMSS) in the United States. As the lead center for NASA's Mobile Satellite Program, JPL was involved in identifying and addressing many of the key barriers to commercialization of mobile satellite communications, including technical, economic, regulatory and institutional risks, or uncertainties. The systems engineering approach described here was used to mitigate these risks. The result was the development and implementation of the JPL Mobile Satellite Experiment Project. This Project included not only technology development, but also studies to support NASA in the definition of the regulatory, market, and investment environments within which LMSS would evolve and eventually operate, as well as initiatives to mitigate their associated commercialization risks. The end result of these government-led endeavors was the acceleration of the introduction of commercial mobile satellite services, both nationally and internationally.

Food and nutrition in Canadian "prime time" television commercials.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostbye, T; Pomerleau, J; White, M; Coolich, M; McWhinney, J

1993-01-01

Television is, arguably, the most influential mass medium and "prime time" viewing attracts the largest audiences. To assess the type, number and nutritional content of foods advertised on TV, commercial breaks during "prime time" (7:00 to 11:00 p.m.) on five Canadian channels (CBC-English, CBC-French, CTV, CFPL, Much Music) were recorded and analyzed. A similar analysis of Saturday morning children's TV commercials was also performed. Commercials for foods and food products constituted between 24-35% of all commercials, the largest advertising output for any group of products. The combination of food presented in commercials reflected average current consumption patterns. Of special concern was the emphasis on low nutrition beverages, especially beer, as well as snacks and candy on Much Music. While further government intervention to restrict advertising practices may be an impractical option, there is scope for increasing the alternative promotion of healthy dietary choices.

Communicative conduct in commercial medicine: initial consultations between plastic surgeons and prospective clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirivel, Julien C

2010-06-01

In this study, I investigated naturally occurring medical interaction in commercial medicine. Drawing on 30+ hours of videotaped data and 9 months of fieldwork in a cosmetic surgery clinic, this analysis focuses on how plastic surgeons interact with patients who seek to alter their bodily appearance. The ethnographically informed discourse analysis reveals how plastic surgeons manage multiple and competing interactive demands. Specifically, I describe plastic surgeons' key strategies for meeting both health-related and institutional goals. In the conclusion, I reflect on the communication challenges that medical professionals and patients face when consumerism and medicine meet.

An analysis of military use of commercial satellite communications

OpenAIRE

Forest, Benjamin D.

2008-01-01

commercial SATCOM, evaluates current predictions for military use of commercial SATCOM, and describes measures of effectiveness that can be used to evaluate the various SATCOM options. In culmination, this thesis defines what constitutes an appropriate balance of military and commercial SATCOM usage using cost, technical, and policy compliance measures of effectiveness. The measures of effectiveness lead to a recommendation of a more deliberate, less ad hoc use of commercial SATCOM for the va...

Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) Mission: Science from Geostationary Orbit on-board a Commercial Communications Satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Eastes, R.; Deaver, T.; Krywonos, A.; Lankton, M. R.; McClintock, W. E.; Pang, R.

2011-12-01

Geostationary orbits are ideal for many science investigations of the Earth system on global scales. These orbits allow continuous observations of the same geographic region, enabling spatial and temporal changes to be distinguished and eliminating the ambiguity inherent to observations from low Earth orbit (LEO). Just as observations from geostationary orbit have revolutionized our understanding of changes in the troposphere, they will dramatically improve our understanding of the space environment at higher altitudes. However, geostationary orbits are infrequently used for science missions because of high costs. Geostationary satellites are large, typically weighing tons. Consequently, devoting an entire satellite to a science mission requires a large financial commitment, both for the spacecraft itself and for sufficient science instrumentation to justify a dedicated spacecraft. Furthermore, the small number of geostationary satellites produced for scientific missions increases the costs of each satellite. For these reasons, it is attractive to consider flying scientific instruments on satellites operated by commercial companies, some of whom have fleets of ~40 satellites. However, scientists' lack of understanding of the capabilities of commercial spacecraft as well as commercial companies' concerns about risks to their primary mission have impeded the cooperation necessary for the shared use of a spacecraft. Working with a commercial partner, the GOLD mission has successfully overcome these issues. Our experience indicates that there are numerous benefits to flying on commercial communications satellites (e.g., it is possible to downlink large amounts of data) and the costs are low if the experimental requirements adequately match the capabilities and available resources of the host spacecraft. Consequently, affordable access to geostationary orbit aboard a communications satellite now appears possible for science payloads.

77 FR 41331 - Commercial Mobile Alert System

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-13

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 10 [PS Docket No. 07-287; FCC 08-164] Commercial... with the Commission's Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMS), Second Report and Order (``CMAS Second..., for a period of three years, the information collection requirements relating to the Commercial Mobile...

Environmental isotope signatures of the largest freshwater lake in Kerala

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unnikrishnan Warrier, C.

2007-01-01

Sasthamkotta lake, the largest freshwater lake in Kerala, serves as a source for drinking water for more than half a million people. Environmental 137 Cs analysis done on undisturbed sediment core samples reveals that the recent rate of sedimentation is not uniform in the lake. The useful life of lake is estimated as about 800 years. The δD and δ 18 O values of the lake waters indicate that the lake is well mixed with a slight variation horizontally. The stable isotope studies on well waters from the catchment indicate hydraulic communication with the lake and lake groundwater system is flow-through type. Analytical model also supports this view. (author)

Unsolicited Communication in Social Media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trzaskowski, Jan

2014-01-01

This article discusses whether commercial communication in social media is covered by the European opt in-model concerning unsolicited electronic mail for direct marketing purposes found in the directive on privacy and electronic communications (2002/58). It is concluded that messages in social...... the consumer ombudsmen questioned inter alia whether unsolicited commercial communications sent to users’ news feeds should be considered electronic mail or other un-solicited communications for the purposes of direct marketing. This and other related questions are dealt with in this article....... found in the distance selling directive (1997/7). Now, the use of electronic mail for direct marketing purposes in social media must be assessed in accordance with the full harmonisation in the unfair commercial practices directive (2005/29). This directive does not contain a ban on »unsolicited...

Satellite Communications

CERN Document Server

Pelton, Joseph N

2012-01-01

The field of satellite communications represents the world's largest space industry. Those who are interested in space need to understand the fundamentals of satellite communications, its technology, operation, business, economic, and regulatory aspects. This book explains all this along with key insights into the field's future growth trends and current strategic challenges. Fundamentals of Satellite Communications is a concise book that gives all of the key facts and figures as well as a strategic view of where this dynamic industry is going. Author Joseph N. Pelton, PhD, former Dean of the International Space University and former Director of Strategic Policy at Intelstat, presents a r

This is Commercial Titan Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Rensselaer, F. L.; Slovikoski, R. D.; Abels, T. C.

Out of a quarter-century heritage of eminently successful expendable launch vehicle history with the U.S. government, a commercial launch services enterprise which challenges the corporation as well as the competition has been launched within the Martin Marietta Corporation. This paper is an inside look at the philosophy, structure, and success of the new subsidiary, Commercial Titan Inc., which is taking on its U.S. and foreign rocket-making competitors to win a share of the international communication satellite market as well as the U.S. government commercial launch services market.

The System Design of a Global Communications System for Military and Commercial use Utilizing High Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Terrestrial Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) Sites

OpenAIRE

Banks, Bradley

2000-01-01

This thesis proposes the design of the UAV-LMDS communication system for military and commercial use. The UAV-LMDS system is a digital, wireless communication system that provides service using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying at 60,000 ft. acting as communication hubs. This thesis provides background information on UAV-LMDS system elements, a financial analysis, theory, link budgets, system component design and implementation issues. To begin the design, we develop link budgets t...

ARGE DFC - A European approach to MCFC commercialization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraus, P.; Huppmann, G. [MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, Muenchen (Germany); Heiming, A. [Ruhgras AG, Dorsten (Germany)] [and others

1996-12-31

The largest European program for the commercialization of the molten carbonate fuel cell technology is carried out by the European Direct Fuel Cell Consortium (ARGE DFC). The consortium consists of the following companies: (1) MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH (Germany), within the DaimlerBenz Group responsible for off-road propulsion and decentralized energy systems. (2) Haldor Topsoe A/S (Denmark), a plant engineering company and specialist for catalytic processes (3) Elkraft A.m.b.A. (Denmark), one of the countries two utility companies (4) Ruhrgas AG (Germany), the largest German gas company (5) RWE AG (Germany), the largest German electrical utility company MTU acts as a consortium leader. The company shares a license and technology exchange agreement with Energy Research Corporation of Danbury, Connecticut.

Loy Yang A - Australia's largest privatisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yenckin, C.

1997-01-01

The recent A$4,746 million privatisation of the 2000MW Loy Yang A power station and the Loy Yang coal mine by the Victorian Government is Australia's largest privatisation and one of 1997's largest project financing deals. (author)

Future trends in commercial and military systems

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, F. E.

Commercial and military satellite communication systems are addressed, with a review of current applications and typical communication characteristics of the space and earth segments. Drivers for the development of future commercial systems include: the pervasion of digital techniques and services, growing orbit and frequency congestion, demand for more entertainment, and the large potential market for commercial 'roof-top' service. For military systems, survivability, improved flexibility, and the need for service to small mobile terminals are the principal factors involved. Technical trends include the use of higher frequency bands, multibeam antennas and a significant increase in the application of onboard processing. Military systems will employ a variety of techniques to counter both physical and electronic threats. The use of redundant transmission paths is a particularly effective approach. Successful implementation requires transmission standards to achieve the required interoperability among the pertinent networks. For both the military and commercial sectors, the trend toward larger numbers of terminals and more complex spacecraft is still persisting.

Encryption protection for communication satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Sood, D. R.; Hoernig, O. W., Jr.

In connection with the growing importance of the commercial communication satellite systems and the introduction of new technological developments, users and operators of these systems become increasingly concerned with aspects of security. The user community is concerned with maintaining confidentiality and integrity of the information being transmitted over the satellite links, while the satellite operators are concerned about the safety of their assets in space. In response to these concerns, the commercial satellite operators are now taking steps to protect the communication information and the satellites. Thus, communication information is being protected by end-to-end encryption of the customer communication traffic. Attention is given to the selection of the NBS DES algorithm, the command protection systems, and the communication protection systems.

ETHICS AND COMMERCIAL COMMUNICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flaviu MEGHIŞAN

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The modern economic science was built around the concept of efficiency. In economy the notion of equality is strongly correlated with the notion of balance, such as the market balance when the demand equals the offer. In a broader view, the economy cannot contribute to a reflection on equity unless it re-became a moral and political science or even a philosophical economy. At present, when there is an effervescence of international transactions, we all adulate the need for morality. Everyday, all around the world, regular people are affected by the costs of ethical issues. The profit and social responsibility do not exclude reciprocally. The social value of a company is given by the well-being and the work-places generated, by the products and services offered to the consumers at a fair price in correlation with the quality. The sentimental value represents the value that a person is giving to a good, based on feelings and emotions and not on monetary values. In many cases the passions and the interests are more powerful than the moral value that animates us. A lot of commercials, if they are to say the truth, would recognize that, for them, not the clients are important but the profits.

Commercial and institutional consumption of energy survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-12-15

This paper presented the results of a survey on 2004 energy consumption data for commercial and institutional establishments in Canada. The objective of the survey was to enable Natural Resources Canada to develop programs to support institutions seeking to gain greater energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Data were published by energy source and region. Energy intensity data were presented by region amongst the following commercial and institutional sectors: retail trade including food and non-food; education including colleges and universities; health care including non-hospital health care and hospitals; and accommodation and food services. Data obtained on each establishment's energy consumption and floor area were used to calculate their energy intensity ratio which included accounting for weather conditions, age of buildings and energy sources. It was observed that commercial and institutional establishments consumed nearly 945 million gigajoules in 2004. The wholesale trade and warehousing sector used the highest amount of energy, accounting for 17 per cent of all commercial and institutional energy use. The education sector accounted for 16 per cent of energy use, while the office sector accounted for 14 per cent. The energy intensity rate of hospitals in Canada was the highest of all sectors and subsectors, due to their nearly constant use of lighting and medical equipment. Retail trade accounted for the largest share of establishments at 26 per cent of all establishments, followed by offices with 22 per cent. Education accounted for the largest percentage of floor area. 4 tabs., 10 figs.

Electronic communication in civil litigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salma Marija

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper looks into common European and national rules regulating electronic communication in legal matters. Such form of communication in legal matters expedites the procedure. It is also pointed out that electronic communication between the court and the parties to the proceedings, as well as third parties, is conducted through registries, regulated by special regulations, for filing written submissions of the parties and decisions of the court. Legislation regulating electronic communication is intended for litigation in commercial matters. European and national rules do not exclude the possibility of electronic communication in non-commercial litigation provided there is an express consent of the parties to such communication. Although steps towards digitalization have been taken in the Republic of Serbia, legislation regulating electronic service of documents, communication in civil litigation, is still missing. The Civil Procedure Law does not have a separate section regulating the electronic communication in legal matters. However, it cannot be said that the CPC does not set basic principles regulating this form of communication in legal matters.

Research in space commercialization, technology transfer and communications, vol. 2

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, D. A.; Agnew, C. E.

1983-01-01

Spectrum management, models for evaluating communications systems, and implications of communications regulations for NASA are considered as major parts of communications policy. Marketing LANDSAT products in developing countries, a political systems analysis of LANDSAT, and private financing and operation of the space operations center (space station) are discussed. Investment requirements, risks, government support, and other primary business and management considerations are examined.

Social communication: a potent force for change.

Science.gov (United States)

Lone, S

1983-12-01

Some of the strongest challenges to established communication structures emerge from the development arena. 1 element of the challenges comes from those working to place communication between deprived communities and those providing them expertise at the center of development planning. Communication specialists maintain that human communication is the pivot on which balances the success or failure of the whole process of development as well as individual programs. Yet, the vast majority of development programs are conceived and executed without a serious communication component. Communication personnel are irritated by the approach of planning first, and communicating only after a failure. As more and more after the fact appeals are heard, it is becoming clearer to planners that communication is more than another hardware component consisting of posters, radio messages, and so on, but a central and decisive factor of any program. The attempt to raise communications to a more appropriate place in the development context has been aided greatly by recent evidence of its impact. Among those who must be classified as successful in fully investigating their target group and understanding how to communicate with them are the commercial manufacturers. Their advertising campaigns have revolutionized consumption habits and lifestyles across the world. An increasing number of voices, recognizing the impact of commercial advertising, are advocating that their techniques be adopted in the promotion of social development. Richard Manoff is one experienced advertising man who has used his commercial skills to promote developmental messages. He maintains that there is no idea that cannot be promoted as are commercial products. Changes in communication strategies will not by themselves eliminate the most fundamental problem facing humanity, i.e., the eradication of poverty, but they can contribute to that goal. A comprehensive communication strategy can help awaken people to

Investigation of Subject perceptions of the Environment in Commercial kitchens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simone, Angela; Olesen, Bjarne W.

2012-01-01

In a country such as the United States, the largest employee sector is in the restaurant industry. This makes the commercial kitchens an important space that needs to be evaluated and consequently improved in terms of thermal comfort and indoor air quality conditions, for the wellbeing of the emp......In a country such as the United States, the largest employee sector is in the restaurant industry. This makes the commercial kitchens an important space that needs to be evaluated and consequently improved in terms of thermal comfort and indoor air quality conditions, for the wellbeing....... Today, no study on subjective feedback from kitchen employees has been reported. In the present paper, two types of survey were developed and tested in the field. The questions are based on the ISO 10551 standard and adapted to the kitchen environment. Answers dealing with the working conditions...

Canada's largest co-gen project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salaff, S.

2000-01-01

In November 2000, the TransAlta Energy Corp. began construction on its $400 million natural gas fuelled cogeneration project in Sarnia Ontario. The Sarnia Regional Cogeneration Project (SRCP) is designed to integrate a new 440 MW cogeneration facility to be built at the Sarnia Division of Dow Chemicals Canada Inc. with nearby existing generators totaling 210 MW at Dow and Bayer Inc. At 650 MW, the new facility will rank as Canada's largest cogeneration installation. Commercial operation is scheduled for October 2002. TransAlta owns three natural gas fuelled cogeneration facilities in Ontario (in Ottawa, Mississauga and Windsor) totaling 250 MW. The cost of electric power in Ontario is currently controlled by rising natural gas prices and the supply demand imbalance. This balance will be significantly affected by the possible return to service of 2000 MW of nuclear generating capacity. The SRCP project was announced just prior to the Ontario Energy Competition Act of October 1998 which committed the province to introduce competition to the electricity sector and which created major uncertainties in the electricity market. Some of the small, 25 MW projects which survived the market uncertainty included the Toronto-based Toromont Energy Ltd. project involving gas fuelled cogeneration and methane gas generation from landfill projects in Sudbury and Waterloo. It was emphasized that cogeneration and combined heat and power projects have significant environmental advantages over large combined cycle facilities. The Ontario Energy Board is currently considering an application from TransAlta to link the SRCP facility to Ontario's Hydro One Network Inc.'s transmission grid. 1 fig

Trends in communications satellites

CERN Document Server

Curtin, Denis J

1979-01-01

Trends in Communications Satellites offers a comprehensive look at trends and advances in satellite communications, including experimental ones such as NASA satellites and those jointly developed by France and Germany. The economic aspects of communications satellites are also examined. This book consists of 16 chapters and begins with a discussion on the fundamentals of electrical communications and their application to space communications, including spacecraft, earth stations, and orbit and wavelength utilization. The next section demonstrates how successful commercial satellite communicati

Optimizing Millennials' Communication Styles

Science.gov (United States)

Hartman, Jackie L.; McCambridge, Jim

2011-01-01

Millennials, those individuals born between 1980 and 2000, compose the largest cohort of college students in the United States. Stereotypical views of millennials characterize them as technologically sophisticated multitaskers, capable of significant contributions to tomorrow's organizations, yet deficient in communication skills. This article…

Analyzing Options for Airborne Emergency Wireless Communications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michael Schmitt; Juan Deaton; Curt Papke; Shane Cherry

2008-03-01

In the event of large-scale natural or manmade catastrophic events, access to reliable and enduring commercial communication systems is critical. Hurricane Katrina provided a recent example of the need to ensure communications during a national emergency. To ensure that communication demands are met during these critical times, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) under the guidance of United States Strategic Command has studied infrastructure issues, concerns, and vulnerabilities associated with an airborne wireless communications capability. Such a capability could provide emergency wireless communications until public/commercial nodes can be systematically restored. This report focuses on the airborne cellular restoration concept; analyzing basic infrastructure requirements; identifying related infrastructure issues, concerns, and vulnerabilities and offers recommended solutions.

Measuring urban rainfall using microwave links from commercial cellular communication networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Overeem, A.; Leijnse, H.; Uijlenhoet, R.

2011-01-01

The estimation of rainfall using commercial microwave links is a new and promising measurement technique. Commercial link networks cover large parts of the land surface of the earth and have a high density, particularly in urban areas. Rainfall attenuates the electromagnetic signals transmitted

Year 2000 commercial issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kratz, M.P.J.; Booth, R.T.

1998-01-01

This presentation focused on commercial aspects of the Y2K including: (1) special communication issues, (2) outsourcing transactions, (3) joint ventures and the significance for the oil and gas industry, and (4) contingency planning. Communication issues involve interaction with suppliers and vendors of critical systems, liability for Y2K communications (misrepresentation, defamation, promissory estoppel, statutory liability), securities disclosure (Canadian and US SEC requirements), protected communications, protection for Year 2000 statements. Outsourcing problems highlighted include resistance of suppliers to assume responsibility for Y2K problem remediation, factors which support and negate supplier responsibility, scope of suppliers' obligation, and warranties in respect of third party software. Regarding joint ventures, questions concerning limitations on liability, supply warranties, stand-by arrangements, stockpiling inventory, indemnities, confidentiality, operator compensation versus operator risk, and insurance were raised and addressed. Among contingency planning issues the questions of Y2K legal audit, and disclosure aspects of contingency planning were the featured concerns. figs

Year 2000 commercial issues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kratz, M.P.J.; Booth, R.T. [Bennett Jones, Calgary, AB (Canada)

1998-12-31

This presentation focused on commercial aspects of the Y2K including: (1) special communication issues, (2) outsourcing transactions, (3) joint ventures and the significance for the oil and gas industry, and (4) contingency planning. Communication issues involve interaction with suppliers and vendors of critical systems, liability for Y2K communications (misrepresentation, defamation, promissory estoppel, statutory liability), securities disclosure (Canadian and US SEC requirements), protected communications, protection for Year 2000 statements. Outsourcing problems highlighted include resistance of suppliers to assume responsibility for Y2K problem remediation, factors which support and negate supplier responsibility, scope of suppliers` obligation, and warranties in respect of third party software. Regarding joint ventures, questions concerning limitations on liability, supply warranties, stand-by arrangements, stockpiling inventory, indemnities, confidentiality, operator compensation versus operator risk, and insurance were raised and addressed. Among contingency planning issues the questions of Y2K legal audit, and disclosure aspects of contingency planning were the featured concerns. figs.

Working with physics High-energy communicator

CERN Document Server

Bradshaw, Kate

2006-01-01

"Kate Bradshaw is a science communicator working at CERN, the world's largest particle physics Laboratory. She talked to Physics Review about her route from A-level physics to her present job." (3 pages)

Quality Assurance Results for a Commercial Radiosurgery System: A Communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruschin, Mark; Lightstone, Alexander; Beachey, David; Wronski, Matt; Babic, Steven; Yeboah, Collins; Lee, Young; Soliman, Hany; Sahgal, Arjun

2015-10-01

The purpose of this communication is to inform the radiosurgery community of quality assurance (QA) results requiring attention in a commercial FDA-approved linac-based cone stereo-tactic radiosurgery (SRS) system. Standard published QA guidelines as per the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) were followed during the SRS system's commissioning process including end-to-end testing, cone concentricity testing, image transfer verification, and documentation. Several software and hardware deficiencies that were deemed risky were uncovered during the process and QA processes were put in place to mitigate these risks during clinical practice. In particular, the present work focuses on daily cone concentricity testing and commissioning-related findings associated with the software. Cone concentricity/alignment is measured daily using both optical light field inspection, as well as quantitative radiation field tests with the electronic portal imager. In 10 out of 36 clini-cal treatments, adjustments to the cone position had to be made to align the cone with the collimator axis to less than 0.5 mm and on two occasions the pre-adjustment measured offset was 1.0 mm. Software-related errors discovered during commissioning included incorrect transfer of the isocentre in DICOM coordinates, improper handling of non-axial image sets, and complex handling of beam data, especially for multi-target treatments. QA processes were established to mitigate the occurrence of the software errors. With proper QA processes, the reported SRS system complies with tolerances set out in established guidelines. Discussions with the vendor are ongoing to address some of the hardware issues related to cone alignment. © The Author(s) 2014.

Use of Advanced Solar Cells for Commercial Communication Satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Sheila G.; Landis, Geoffrey A.

1995-01-01

The current generation of communications satellites are located primarily in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). Over the next decade, however, a new generation of communications satellites will be built and launched, designed to provide a world-wide interconnection of portable telephones. For this mission, the satellites must be positioned in lower polar and near-polar orbits. To provide complete coverage, large numbers of satellites will be required. Because the required number of satellites decreases as the orbital altitude is increased, fewer satellites would be required if the orbit chosen were raised from low to intermediate orbit. However, in intermediate orbits, satellites encounter significant radiation due to trapped electrons and protons. Radiation tolerant solar cells may be necessary to make such satellites feasible. We analyze the amount of radiation encountered in low and intermediate polar orbits at altitudes of interest to next-generation communication satellites, calculate the expected degradation for silicon, GaAs, and InP solar cells, and show that the lifetimes can be significantly increased by use of advanced solar cells.

Gas-cooled reactor commercialization study. Interim report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

This report of the gas-cooled reactor commercialization study completes the technical and cost evaluation portions of this study contract. A final report in December will update the status of the incentive analyses and the issues of commercialization. This study was designed to bring together potential industry participants (utilities and suppliers) to evaluate the commercial potential of the HTGR-SC and to build channels of communication among the participating organizations at the same time that technical, economic and institutional issues were being evaluated. RAMCO, Inc., in suggesting and using this study approach, believes its application extends to any commercialization problem involving multi-party involvement in high capital, intensive, high risk energy technologies

Commercial Titan program - Status and outlook

Science.gov (United States)

van Rensselaer, F. L.; Browne, E. M.

Out of a quarter-century heritage of eminently successful expendable launch vehicle history with the U.S. government, a commercial launch services enterprise which challenges the corporation as well as the competition has been launched within the Martin Marietta Corporation. This paper is an inside look at the philosophy, structure, and success of the new subsidiary, which is attempting to win a share of the international communication satellite market as well as the U.S. government commercial launch services market.

The Emerging Trends in Satellite and Wireless Communications ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Table of contents. The Emerging Trends in Satellite and Wireless Communications Technologies · Satellite Communications · Communications Satellites for Global Coverage · Satellite Transponders · The Four Generations Of Commercial Communication Geo-Sat · PowerPoint Presentation · An Indian Scenario INSAT ...

Development of IT-based Data Communication Protocol for Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, K. I.; Kim, D. H.; Lee, J. C.

2009-07-01

The communication protocol, which provide overall communication rules and methods and give ways how to exchange information, is the most important part and it can affect the overall performance of communication network. Therefore, the first step of development of the communication network of an NPP is its own communication protocol design, which conforms to the requirements and characteristics of an NPP I and C. To manage the protocol development process, we establish development procedure and define detail substantive based on the procedure and we examine the adaptability of existing commercial communication protocols to the communication protocol of an NPP I and C. Existing commercial communication protocols based on Information Technology(IT) can be categorized into 3 groups: general commercial communication protocols, industrial communication protocols, military communication protocols. We analyze the design criteria and performance requirements of popular protocols in each group. And also, we examine the adaptability to the communication protocol of an NPP. Based on these results, we developed our own protocol for NPP I and C, which meet the required specifications through design overall protocol architecture and data frame format, definition of functional requirements and specifications

Intersatellite link application to commercial communications satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Young S.; Atia, Ali E.; Ponchak, Denise S.

1988-01-01

The fundamental characteristics of intersatellite link (ISL) systems, and their application to domestic, regional, and global satellite communications, are described. The quantitative advantages of using ISLs to improve orbit utilization, spectrum occupancy, transmission delay (compared to multi-hop links), coverage, and connectivity, and to reduce the number of earth station antennas, are also presented. Cost-effectiveness and other systems benefits of using ISLs are identified, and the technical and systems planning aspects of ISL systems implementation are addressed.

16 CFR 1031.15 - Communication criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... nature and a report of each oral communication of a substantive nature between a Commission official or... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Communication criteria. 1031.15 Section 1031... Communication criteria. (a) Commission officials and employees, who are not in the positions listed in § 1031.12...

Largest College Endowments, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Chronicle of Higher Education, 2012

2012-01-01

Of all endowments valued at more than $250-million, the UCLA Foundation had the highest rate of growth over the previous year, at 49 percent. This article presents a table of the largest college endowments in 2011. The table covers the "rank," "institution," "market value as of June 30, 2011," and "1-year change" of institutions participating in…

Prospects for commercial fusion power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dean, S.O.

1993-01-01

There are a number of issues associated with whether or not, and when, fusion will become commercial. One of the largest factors is cost of development. Development is being delayed by the need to work with other countries to share these costs. Other aspects have to do with the capital costs of the reactors themselves. The ITER reactor may cost 6-7 billion dollars, which is a sizeable investment for a test reactor. The safety and environmental aspects of fusion are other factors which have delayed commercialization. Public acceptance of this form of nuclear power and the licensing and regulatory procedures must be resolved before electric utilities are willing to invest heavily in fusion. The Department of Energy has developed a plan as part of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, wherein a first demonstration power plant will be operating around the year 2025. Much of the ongoing effort is directed toward reducing the size and cost of Tokamak reactors. While Tokamaks are not the only game in town, it is the primary thrust of the world effort and it is the technology which is expected to lead into the first generation of commercial fusion reactors

A Survey of Satellite Communications System Vulnerabilities

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Steinberger, Jessica A

2008-01-01

The U.S. military's increasing reliance on commercial and military communications satellites to enable widely-dispersed, mobile forces to communicate makes these space assets increasingly vulnerable to attack by adversaries...

Organophilization and characterization of commercial bentonite clays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunha, B.B. da; Lima, J.C.C.; Alves, A.M.; Araujo, E.M.; Melo, T.J.A. de

2012-01-01

Bentonite clay is a plastic changes resulting from volcanic ash, consisting mostly of montmorillonite. The state of Paraiba is a major source of bentonite clay from Brazil, where the main oil fields are located in Boa Vista and represents the largest national production of raw and beneficiated bentonite. Aimed at the commercial value of this type of clay and its high applicability in the polls, this article aims to make a comparison between two kinds of clay, a national (Brasgel) and other imported (Cloisite) from organophilization of two commercial bentonite, ionic surfactant with Praepagem WB, and characterize them by XRD, FTIR and TG / DTG. We observe that despite getting inferior properties, the clay presents national values very similar to those presented by imported clay. (author)

ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION AND GENDER STEREOTYPES

OpenAIRE

DALIA PETCU; SORIN SUCIU; VASILE GHERHEŞ; CIPRIAN OBRAD

2012-01-01

Our article maintains that advertising communication, as a form of commercial communication, is an important part of public communication. Ads are not just forms of promoting products or services, but also modern forms of speech that contribute significantly to the formation of the individual’s identity in contemporary societies. The study aims to identify and analyze the presence of gender stereotypes in Romanian media advertising.

Survey VS audit by using method 2 to dedicate commercial grade services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez ayucar, F. J.

2014-01-01

Since the start of the commercial grade dedications, both 10CFR21 and EPRI documents, plus the dedication of commercial grade components, and the stage of commercial grade dedication of the services contemplated. And recently the NRC through various communications and answers trafficking among other issues the commercial grade dedication service. The NRC has detected repeatedly incorrect application of the survey as a method of commercial grade dedication and instead has done an audit of the program elements of commercial quality. (Author)

Conductors for commercial MRI magnets beyond NbTi: requirements and challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Parizh, Michael; Lvovsky, Yuri; Sumption, Michael

2017-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a powerful medical diagnostic tool, is the largest commercial application of superconductivity. The superconducting magnet is the largest and most expensive component of an MRI system. The magnet configuration is determined by competing requirements including optimized functional performance, patient comfort, ease of siting in a hospital environment, minimum acquisition and lifecycle cost including service. In this paper, we analyze conductor requirements for commercial MRI magnets beyond traditional NbTi conductors, while avoiding links to a particular magnet configuration or design decisions. Potential conductor candidates include MgB2, ReBCO and BSCCO options. The analysis shows that no MRI-ready non-NbTi conductor is commercially available at the moment. For some conductors, MRI specifications will be difficult to achieve in principle. For others, cost is a key barrier. In some cases, the prospects for developing an MRI-ready conductor are more favorable, but significant developments are still needed. The key needs include the development of, or significant improvements in: (a) conductors specifically designed for MRI applications, with form-fit-and-function readily integratable into the present MRI magnet technology with minimum modifications. Preferably, similar conductors should be available from multiple vendors; (b) conductors with improved quench characteristics, i.e. the ability to carry significant current without damage while in the resistive state; (c) insulation which is compatible with manufacturing and refrigeration technologies; (d) dramatic increases in production and long-length quality control, including large-volume conductor manufacturing technology. In-situ MgB2 is, perhaps, the closest to meeting commercial and technical requirements to become suitable for commercial MRI. Conductor technology is an important, but not the only, issue in introduction of HTS/MgB2 conductor into commercial MRI magnets. These

A commercial space technology testbed on ISS

Science.gov (United States)

Boyle, David R.

2000-01-01

There is a significant and growing commercial market for new, more capable communications and remote sensing satellites. Competition in this market strongly motivates satellite manufacturers and spacecraft component developers to test and demonstrate new space hardware in a realistic environment. External attach points on the International Space Station allow it to function uniquely as a space technology testbed to satisfy this market need. However, space industry officials have identified three critical barriers to their commercial use of the ISS: unpredictable access, cost risk, and schedule uncertainty. Appropriate NASA policy initiatives and business/technical assistance for industry from the Commercial Space Center for Engineering can overcome these barriers. .

Largest particle detector nearing completion

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

"Construction of another part of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the worl's largest particle accelerator at CERN in Switzerland, is nearing completion. The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is oner of the LHC project's four large particle detectors. (1/2 page)

An Analysis of Military Use of Commercial Satellite Communications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Forest, Benjamin D

2008-01-01

Since the Gulf War of 1991, United States military satellite communication (SATCOM) bandwidth demand has increased dramatically, as evidenced by recent usage rates in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom...

Locating grey literature on communication disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Shpilko, Inna

2005-01-01

This article provides an overview of selected Web-based resources containing grey literature in the area of communication disorders. It is geared to practitioners, researchers, students, and consumers seeking reliable, freely available scientific information. Grey (or gray) literature has been defined as "that which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business, and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers."1 This paper reviews various general reference sources potentially containing grey literature on communication disorders. This review includes identification of the methods specialists in this field use to obtain this valuable, yet often overlooked, literature. Access points and search tools for identifying grey literature on communication disorders are recommended. Commercial databases containing grey literature are not included. Conclusions presented in this article are considered complementary to traditionally published information resources on communication disorders, such as scholarly journals, online databases, etc.

Integration of Commercial Mobile Satellite Services into Naval Communications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Stone, Cary

1997-01-01

Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) need to be integrated into Naval Communications. DoD SATCOM military owned systems fall well short of meeting DoD SATCOM requirements in general and mobile SATCOM specifically...

47 CFR 13.201 - Qualifying for a commercial operator license or endorsement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... class of license or endorsement specified below must pass, or otherwise receive credit for, the... endorsement. 13.201 Section 13.201 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMERCIAL RADIO OPERATORS Examination System § 13.201 Qualifying for a commercial operator license or endorsement...

Near Field Communication: Introduction and Implications

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, Sheli; Yarmey, Kristen

2012-01-01

Near field communication is an emerging technology that allows objects, such as mobile phones, computers, tags, or posters, to exchange information wirelessly across a small distance. Though primarily associated with mobile payment, near field communication has many different potential commercial applications, ranging from marketing to nutrition,…

The largest Fresco in Europe on cooling tower of nuclear power station of Cruas Meysse in Ardeche, France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Mayo, J.L.

1993-01-01

The Nuclear Power Station Cruas Meysse is on the most important communication way of France, in the Rhone Valley, between the Rhin and the Mediterranean Sea. In the South of the Rhone Valley, the Nuclear Power Plant is situated near the very important site of 'Tricastin', the largest nuclear area in France. Cruas Meysse has a very good integration to the economy, social, and cultural scheme ; that's why EDF and the Ardeche Department had enter into partnership to associate art and technology of our time, and offer a work for everybody - 'Le Verseau' is the largest fresco in Europe - It gives a gigantic signalling system to the Ardeche Department, because the Nuclear Power Station has a very interesting position, close the motor way A7, the National 7 road, and the way of high speed train (TGV) an another symbol of the high French technology

Medicine, market and communication: ethical considerations in regard to persuasive communication in direct-to-consumer genetic testing services.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaper, Manuel; Schicktanz, Silke

2018-06-05

Commercial genetic testing offered over the internet, known as direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC GT), currently is under ethical attack. A common critique aims at the limited validation of the tests as well as the risk of psycho-social stress or adaption of incorrect behavior by users triggered by misleading health information. Here, we examine in detail the specific role of advertising communication of DTC GT companies from a medical ethical perspective. Our argumentative analysis departs from the starting point that DTC GT operates at the intersection of two different contexts: medicine on the one hand and the market on the other. Both fields differ strongly with regard to their standards of communication practices and the underlying normative assumptions regarding autonomy and responsibility. Following a short review of the ethical contexts of medical and commercial communication, we provide case examples for persuasive messages of DTC GT websites and briefly analyze their design with a multi-modal approach to illustrate some of their problematic implications. We observe three main aspects in DTC GT advertising communication: (1) the use of material suggesting medical professional legitimacy as a trust-establishing tool, (2) the suggestion of empowerment as a benefit of using DTC GT services and (3) the narrative of responsibility as a persuasive appeal to a moral self-conception. While strengthening and respecting the autonomy of a patient is the focus in medical communication, specifically genetic counselling, persuasive communication is the normal mode in marketing of consumer goods, presuming an autonomous, rational, independent consumer. This creates tension in the context of DTC GT regarding the expectation and normative assessment of communication strategies. Our analysis can even the ground for a better understanding of ethical problems associated with intersections of medical and commercial communication and point to perspectives of analysis of

Recent advances in environmental monitoring using commercial microwave links

Science.gov (United States)

Alpert, Pinhas; Guez, Oded; Messer, Hagit; David, Noam; Harel, Oz; Eshel, Adam; Cohen, Ori

2016-04-01

Recent advances in environmental monitoring using commercial microwave links Pinhas Alpert, H. Messer, N. David, O. Guez, O. Cohen, O. Harel, A. Eshel Tel Aviv University, Israel The propagation of electromagnetic radiation in the lower atmosphere, at centimeter wavelengths, is impaired by atmospheric conditions. Absorption and scattering of the radiation, at frequencies of tens of GHz, are directly related to the atmospheric phenomena, primarily precipitation, oxygen, mist, fog and water vapor. As was recently shown, wireless communication networks supply high resolution precipitation measurements at ground level while often being situated in flood prone areas, covering large parts of these hazardous regions. On the other hand, at present, there are no satisfactory real time flash flood warning facilities found to cope well with this phenomenon. I will exemplify the flash flood warning potential of the commercial wireless communication system for semi-arid region cases when floods occurred in the Judean desert in Israel with comparison to hydrological measurements in the Dead Sea area. In addition, I will review our recent improvements in monitoring rainfall as well as other-than-rain phenomena like, fog, dew, atmospheric moisture. References: N. David, P. Alpert, and H. Messer, "Technical Note: Novel method for water vapor monitoring using wireless communication networks measurements", Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 2413-2418, 2009. A. Rayitsfeld, R. Samuels, A. Zinevich, U. Hadar and P. Alpert,"Comparison of two methodologies for long term rainfall monitoring using a commercial microwave communication system", Atmospheric Research 104-105, 119-127, 2012. N. David, O. Sendik, H. Messer and P. Alpert, "Cellular network infrastructure-the future of fog monitoring?" BAMS (Oct. issue), 1687-1698, 2015. O. Harel, David, N., Alpert, P. and Messer, H., "The potential of microwave communication networks to detect dew using the GLRT- experimental study", IEEE Journal of Selected

Line supervision of alarm communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chritton, M.R.

1991-01-01

The objective of this paper is to explain the role and application of alarm communication link supervision in security systems such as for nuclear facilities. The vulnerabilities of the various types of alarm communication links will be presented. Throughout the paper, an effort has been made to describe only those technologies commercially available and to avoid speculative theoretical solutions

Linguistic Characteristics of Commercial and Social Advertising Slogans

OpenAIRE

Pavel Skorupa; Tatjana Dubovičienė

2015-01-01

The current paper presents the analysis of linguistic characteristics of commercial and social advertising slogans. There is no uniform definition of the advertising slogan in the scientific literature, therefore, an attempt to provide the definition of a slogan in the context of marketing communication was made. One of the main functions of both social and commercial advertising is to provide information to the target audience and make it act in a way desired by the advertisers. As language,...

Validation of IT-based Data Communication Protocol for Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, K. I.; Kim, D. H.; Lee, J. C.

2009-12-01

The communication network designed to transmit control and processing signals in digital Instrument and Control (I and C) systems in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), should provide a high level of safety and reliability. There are different features between the communication networks of NPPs and other commercial communication networks. Safety and reliability are the most important factors in the communication networks of an NPP rather than efficiency which are important factors of a commercial communication network design. To develop Data Communication Protocol for Nuclear Power Plant, We analyze the design criteria and performance requirements of existing commercial communication protocols based on Information Technology(IT). And also, we examine the adaptability to the communication protocol of an NPP. Based on these results, we developed our own protocol(Nuclear power plant Safety Communication Protocol : NSCP) for NPP I and C, which meet the required specifications through design overall protocol architecture and data frame format, definition of functional requirements and specifications. NSCP is the communication protocol designed for a safety-grade control network in the nuclear power plant. In this report, we had specified NSCP protocol by FDT(Formal Description Technique) and established validation procedures based on the validation methodology. It was confirmed specification error, major function's validity and reachability of NSCP by performing simulation and the validation process using Telelogic Tau tool

Formation communication technologies in business activity

OpenAIRE

Miceski, Trajko; Deskovska, Aneta

2016-01-01

Coomunication skills represents the ability to convey information to another effectively and efficiently. Business managers with good verbal, non verbal and written communication skills help facilitate the sharing of information between people within a company for its commercial benefit. Today’s business leaders above all need to be able to communicate well, work efficiently in teams and be comfortable with change. In today’s world, managers need to effectively communicate i...

Modeling of digital communication systems using SIMULINK

CERN Document Server

Giordano, Arthur A

2015-01-01

Arthur Giordano, PhD, is a consultant in the field of military and commercial communications specializing in wireless communications. He is a co-founder of G5 Scientific, LLC, is a senior member of the IEEE and has taught graduate communications courses. He has developed numerous models using MathWorks®' SIMULINK®® to characterize digital communications systems. Allen Levesque, PhD, is a consultant specializing in digital communications systems, and is a partner in G5 Scientific, LLC. He has taught graduate courses in digital communications at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is currently

Electronic commercial diplomacy: a research model and an empirical analysis of embassy websites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruel, Hubertus Johannes Maria; Gesink, Tobias; Bondarouk, Tatiana

2015-01-01

This article deals with the question to what extent governments adopted digital communication channels in their commercial diplomacy services? Commercial diplomatic services are offered by governments to companies and entrepreneurs who aspire to do business in another country. First, this article

Science communication in transition: genomics hype, public engagement, education and commercialization pressures.

Science.gov (United States)

Bubela, T

2006-11-01

This essay reports on the final session of a 2-day workshop entitled 'Genetic Diversity and Science Communication', hosted by the CIHR Institute of Genetics in Toronto, April 2006. The first speaker, Timothy Caulfield, introduced the intersecting communities that promulgate a 'cycle of hype' of the timelines and expected outcomes of the Human Genome Project (HGP): scientists, the media and the public. Other actors also contribute to the overall hype, the social science and humanities communities, industry and politicians. There currently appears to be an abatement of the overblown rhetoric of the HGP. As pointed out by the second speaker, Sharon Kardia, there is broad recognition that most phenotypic traits, including disease susceptibility are multi-factorial. That said, George Davey-Smith reminded us that some direct genotype-phenotype associations may be useful for public health issues. The Mendelian randomization approach hopes to revitalize the discipline of epidemiology by strengthening causal influences about environmentally modifiable risk factors. A more realistic informational environment paves the way for greater public engagement in science policy. Two such initiatives were presented by Kardia and Jason Robert, and Peter Finegold emphasized that science education and professional development for science teachers are important components of later public engagement in science issues. However, pressures on public research institutions to commercialize and seek industry funding may have negative impacts in both encouraging scientists to inappropriately hype research and on diminishing public trust in the scientific enterprise. The latter may have a significant effect on public engagement processes, such as those proposed by Robert and Kardia.

Male and Female Communication, Leadership Styles and the Position of Women in Public Relations

OpenAIRE

Topic, M; Tench, R; Moreno, A

2017-01-01

This article discusses results of the largest European survey among communication and public relations (PR) practitioners in regards to the position of women in the industry. The survey was conducted online among communication and PR practitioners from 42 European countries. Using communication theories on differences in communication styles among men and women, we present and discuss results on managerial skills, differences in the communication styles, and traditional views on differences b...

Short Communications Strength Properties and Groups of Major ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Short Communications Strength Properties and Groups of Major Commercial Timbers Grown in Kenya. ... The strength groups developed revealed that most species in Kenya are suitable for heavy engineering works and building construction. ... strength properties, commercial timber, physical and mechanical properties

US development and commercialization of a North American mobile satellite service

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Ray J.; Gray, Valerie; Freibaum, Jerry

1990-01-01

U.S. policies promoting applications and commercialization of space technology for the 'benefit of mankind,' and emphasis on international competitiveness, formed the basis of NASA's Mobile Satellite (MSAT) R&D and user experiments program to develop a commercial U.S. Mobile Satellite Service. Exemplifying this philosophy, the MSAT program targets the reduction of technical, regulatory, market, and financial risks that inhibit commercialization. The program strategy includes industry and user involvement in developing and demonstrating advanced technologies, regulatory advocacy, and financial incentives to industry. Approximately two decades of NASA's satellite communications development and demonstrations have contributed to the emergence of a new multi-billion dollar industry for land, aeronautical, and maritime mobile communications via satellite. NASA's R&D efforts are now evolving from the development of 'enabling' ground technologies for VHF, UHF, and L-Band mobile terminals, to Ka-Band terminals offering additional mobility and user convenience.

US development and commercialization of a North American mobile satellite service

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Ray J.; Gray, Valerie; Freibaum, Jerry

U.S. policies promoting applications and commercialization of space technology for the 'benefit of mankind,' and emphasis on international competitiveness, formed the basis of NASA's Mobile Satellite (MSAT) R&D and user experiments program to develop a commercial U.S. Mobile Satellite Service. Exemplifying this philosophy, the MSAT program targets the reduction of technical, regulatory, market, and financial risks that inhibit commercialization. The program strategy includes industry and user involvement in developing and demonstrating advanced technologies, regulatory advocacy, and financial incentives to industry. Approximately two decades of NASA's satellite communications development and demonstrations have contributed to the emergence of a new multi-billion dollar industry for land, aeronautical, and maritime mobile communications via satellite. NASA's R&D efforts are now evolving from the development of 'enabling' ground technologies for VHF, UHF, and L-Band mobile terminals, to Ka-Band terminals offering additional mobility and user convenience.

78 FR 18527 - Implementation of Competitive Bidding for Commercial Broadcast and Instructional Television Fixed...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-27

... Broadcast and Instructional Television Fixed Service Licenses AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission... Implementation of Competitive Bidding for Commercial Broadcast and Instructional Television Fixed Service... for Commercial Broadcast and Instructional Television Fixed Service Licenses, MM Docket No. 97- 234 et...

Novel 2D-sequential color code system employing Image Sensor Communications for Optical Wireless Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trang Nguyen

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The IEEE 802.15.7r1 Optical Wireless Communications Task Group (TG7r1, also known as the revision of the IEEE 802.15.7 Visible Light Communication standard targeting the commercial usage of visible light communication systems, is of interest in this paper. The paper is mainly concerned with Image Sensor Communications (ISC of TG7r1; however, the major challenge facing ISC, as addressed in the Technical Consideration Document (TCD of TG7r1, is Image Sensor Compatibility among the variety of different commercial cameras on the market. One of the most challenging but interesting compatibility requirements is the need to support the verified presence of frame rate variation. This paper proposes a novel design for 2D-sequential color code. Compared to a QR-code-based sequential transmission, the proposed design of 2D-sequential code can overcome the above challenge that it is compatible with different frame rate variations and different shutter operations, and has the ability to mitigate the rolling effect as well as the rotating effect while effectively minimizing transmission overhead. Practical implementations are demonstrated and a performance comparison is presented.

Integrating commercial software in accelerator control- case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pace, Alberto

1994-01-01

Using existing commercial software is the dream of any control system engineer for the development cost reduction that can reach one order of magnitude. This dream often vanishes when appears the requirement to have a uniform and consistent architecture through a wide number of components and applications. This makes it difficult to integrate several commercial packages that often impose different user interface and communication standards. This paper will describe the approach and standards that have been chosen for the CERN ISOLDE control system that have allowed several commercial packages to be integrated in the system as-they-are permitting the software development cost to be reduced to a minimum. (author). 10 refs., 2 tabs., 9 figs

Capacity on wireless quantum cellular communication system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiang-Zhen; Yu, Xu-Tao; Zhang, Zai-Chen

2018-03-01

Quantum technology is making excellent prospects in future communication networks. Entanglement generation and purification are two major components in quantum networks. Combining these two techniques with classical cellular mobile communication, we proposed a novel wireless quantum cellular(WQC) communication system which is possible to realize commercial mobile quantum communication. In this paper, the architecture and network topology of WQC communication system are discussed, the mathematical model of WQC system is extracted and the serving capacity, indicating the ability to serve customers, is defined and calculated under certain circumstances.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in

Science.gov (United States)

North Carolina America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in North Carolina to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in North Carolina on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in North

INDIRECT AND EXPEDITE ASSESSMENT OF Ilex paraguariensis COMMERCIAL YIELD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivar Wendling

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Commercial biomass production is one of the main indicators for selecting erva-mate (Ilex paraguariensis progenies and clones. Traditional techniques to obtain such information depend on the harvesting of trees and there are some limitations involved, such as high cost and reduced convenience. Thus, in our research we evaluated the efficiency of indirect methods through commercial biomass estimation and score of productivity according to the different provenances, gender and morphotypes. In a provenances and progenies trial installed in 1997, two methodologies of visual analysis were evaluated in August 2015 (two years after the last harvest. For that reason, five expert evaluators determined, for each plant, an estimate of the commercial biomass (kg, and a grade, based on a score of productivity (0-10. In order to assess the productivity using traditional techniques, all plants were pruned and their commercial biomass (leaves and fine branches smaller than 7 mm diameter were harvested and weighed (kg.plant-1. The evaluations were performed in a randomized-block experiment with five repetitions, seven different provenances and 126 progenies, totaling 5,292 evaluated plants. The methods utilized were effective to estimate the commercial biomass. The evaluators showed accuracy, expressing efficiently the largest productivity obtained when comparing the means of provenances, plants gender and morphotypes. The highest correlations were observed in the general analysis of the means, and the estimation of commercial biomass was considered the best methodology for estimating the commercial biomass assessed in adult erva-mate plants.

Food Commercials and Kids: Characterizing Advertising Content of Children's Online Television Programs

OpenAIRE

Penn, Jerrod; Staley, Daniel; Smith, Chaquenta; Saghaian, Sayed H.

2011-01-01

Internet marketing has gained attention as a new medium to advertise food products to children. This study examines the prevalence of food marketing during children's television programs that are available on the internet. While food is the largest product category advertised, commercials make up a smaller portion of episode time online compared to previous reports of television advertising.

Identifying the node spreading influence with largest k-core values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Jian-Hong; Guo, Qiang; Dong, Wen-Zhao; Tang, Li-Ying; Liu, Jian-Guo

2014-01-01

Identifying the nodes with largest spreading influence of complex networks is one of the most promising domains. By taking into account the neighbors' k-core values, we present an improved neighbors' k-core (INK) method which is the sum of the neighbors' k-core values with a tunable parameter α to evaluate the node spreading influence with largest k-core values. Comparing with the Susceptible–Infected–Recovered (SIR) results for four real networks, the INK method could identify the node spreading influence with largest k-core values more accurately than the ones generated by the degree k, closeness C, betweenness B and coreness centrality method. - Highlights: • We present an improved neighbors' k-core (INK) method to evaluate the node spreading influence with largest k-core values. • The INK method could identify the node spreading influence with largest k-core values more accurately. • Kendall's tau τ of INK method with α=1 are highly identical to rank the node influence

Trends in energy use in commercial buildings -- Sixteen years of EIA's commercial buildings energy consumption survey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, J.; Swenson, A.

1998-07-01

The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) collects basic statistical information on energy consumption and energy-related characteristics of commercial buildings in the US. The first CBECS was conducted in 1979 and the most recent was completed in 1995. Over that period, the number of commercial bindings and total amount of floorspace increased, total consumption remained flat, and total energy intensity declined. By 1995, there were 4.6 million commercial buildings and 58.8 billion square feet of floorspace. The buildings consumed a total of 5.3 quadrillion Btu (site energy), with a total intensity of 90.5 thousand Btu per square foot per year. Electricity consumption exceeded natural gas consumption (2.6 quadrillion and 1.9 quadrillion Btu, respectively). In 1995, the two major users of energy were space heating (1.7 quadrillion Btu) and lighting (1.2 quadrillion Btu). Over the period 1979 to 1995, natural gas intensity declined from 71.4 thousand to 51.0 thousand Btu per square foot per year. Electricity intensity did not show a similar decline (44.2 thousand Btu per square foot in 1979 and 45.7 thousand Btu per square foot in 1995). Two types of commercial buildings, office buildings and mercantile and service buildings, were the largest consumers of energy in 1995 (2.0 quadrillion Btu, 38% of total consumption). Three building types, health care, food service, and food sales, had significantly higher energy intensities. Buildings constructed since 1970 accounted for half of total consumption and a majority (59%) of total electricity consumption.

Effluent profile of commercially used low-phosphorus fish feeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiura, Shozo H.; Marchant, Daniel D.; Kelsey, Kevin; Wiggins, Thomas; Ferraris, Ronaldo P.

2006-01-01

Excess phosphorus (P) in aquaculture feeds contributes to the eutrophication of natural waters. While commercially available low-P (LP) fish feeds have been developed, there is uncertainty about their potential to reduce effluent P while maintaining fish growth relative to regular P (RP) feeds. We therefore simulated commercial aquaculture conditions and fed for 55 days rainbow trout (∼190 kg/raceway, n = 3 raceways/diet) RP (1.4% total P) and LP (1.0%) feeds then determined effluent P levels, fish growth, and feed costs. Excretions of fecal-P and soluble-P, but not particulate-P, in effluents were greater in RP than in LP ponds. Fish growth, bone-P and plasma-P were similar between diets, demonstrating that LP feeds can lower effluent P levels without compromising growth. Costs were $0.97/kg fish production for LP feeds, and $0.74/kg for RP. Because feed is the largest variable cost in commercial aquaculture, the use of LP feeds can significantly increase production costs. - Commercial low-phosphorus fish feeds pollute less but are more costly than standard fish feeds that provide similar fish growth rates

Improved Coast Guard Communications Using Commercial Satellites and WWW Technology

Science.gov (United States)

1997-06-18

Information collection and distribution are essential components of most Coast Guard missions. However, information needs have typically outpaced the ability of the installed communications systems to meet those needs. This mismatch leads to reduced ...

Forecast of space shuttle flight requirements for launch of commercial communications satellites

Science.gov (United States)

1977-01-01

The number of communication satellites required over the next 25 years to support domestic and regional communication systems for telephony, telegraphy and other low speed data; video teleconferencing, new data services, direct TV broadcasting; INTELSAT; and maritime and aeronautical services was estimated to determine the number of space shuttle flights necessary for orbital launching.

Narration in the marketing communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdelena Zubiel-Kasprowicz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents the different types of narratives in marketing communications. Presented essence of thesignr in the narrative, the power of myth, power of archetype and consistency of monomith in marketing. It is discussed on the advertising message perceived through the prism of commercial semiotics. The strength of the narrative is presented in the context of storytelling. The paper also presents a case study of marketing communications.

CERN tests largest superconducting solenoid magnet

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

"CERN's Compacts Muon Solenoid (CMS) - the world's largest superconducting solenoid magnet - has reached full field in testing. The instrument is part of the proton-proton Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project, located in a giant subterranean chamber at Cessy on the Franco-Swiss border." (1 page)

Energy Efficiency Potential in Existing Commercial Buildings: Review of Selected Recent Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belzer, David B.

2009-04-03

This report reviews six recent studies (from 2002 through 2006) by states and utilities to assess the energy saving potential in existing commercial buildings. The studies cover all or portions of California, Connecticut, Vermont, Colorado, Illinois, and the Pacific Northwest. The studies clearly reveal that lighting remains the single largest and most cost effective end use that can be reduced to save energy. Overall the study indicated that with existing technologies and costs, a reasonable range of economic savings potential in existing commercial buildings is between 10 and 20 percent of current energy use. While not a focus of the study, an additional conclusion is that implementation of commercial building monitoring and controls would also play an important role in the nation’s efforts to improve energy efficiency of existing buildings.

Using largest Lyapunov exponent to confirm the intrinsic stability of boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavilian-Moreno, Carlos; Espinosa-Paredes, Gilberto

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is the study of instability state of boiling water reactors with a method based in largest Lyapunov exponents (LLEs). Detecting the presence of chaos in a dynamical system is an important problem that is solved by measuring the LLE. Lyapunov exponents quantify the exponential divergence of initially close state-space trajectories and estimate the amount of chaos in a system. This method was applied to a set of signals from several nuclear power plant (NPP) reactors under commercial operating conditions that experienced instabilities events, apparently each of a different nature. Laguna Verde and Forsmark NPPs with in-phase instabilities, and Cofrentes NPP with out-of-phases instability. This study presents the results of intrinsic instability in the boiling water reactors of three NPPs. In the analyzed cases the limit cycle was not reached, which implies that the point of equilibrium exerts influence and attraction on system evolution

Using largest Lyapunov exponent to confirm the intrinsic stability of boiling water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gavilian-Moreno, Carlos [Iberdrola Generacion, S.A., Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant, Project Engineering Department, Paraje le Plano S/N, Valencia (Spain); Espinosa-Paredes, Gilberto [Area de ingeniera en Recursos Energeticos, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico city (Mexico)

2016-04-15

The aim of this paper is the study of instability state of boiling water reactors with a method based in largest Lyapunov exponents (LLEs). Detecting the presence of chaos in a dynamical system is an important problem that is solved by measuring the LLE. Lyapunov exponents quantify the exponential divergence of initially close state-space trajectories and estimate the amount of chaos in a system. This method was applied to a set of signals from several nuclear power plant (NPP) reactors under commercial operating conditions that experienced instabilities events, apparently each of a different nature. Laguna Verde and Forsmark NPPs with in-phase instabilities, and Cofrentes NPP with out-of-phases instability. This study presents the results of intrinsic instability in the boiling water reactors of three NPPs. In the analyzed cases the limit cycle was not reached, which implies that the point of equilibrium exerts influence and attraction on system evolution.

Using Largest Lyapunov Exponent to Confirm the Intrinsic Stability of Boiling Water Reactors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos J. Gavilán-Moreno

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is the study of instability state of boiling water reactors with a method based in largest Lyapunov exponents (LLEs. Detecting the presence of chaos in a dynamical system is an important problem that is solved by measuring the LLE. Lyapunov exponents quantify the exponential divergence of initially close state-space trajectories and estimate the amount of chaos in a system. This method was applied to a set of signals from several nuclear power plant (NPP reactors under commercial operating conditions that experienced instabilities events, apparently each of a different nature. Laguna Verde and Forsmark NPPs with in-phase instabilities, and Cofrentes NPP with out-of-phases instability. This study presents the results of intrinsic instability in the boiling water reactors of three NPPs. In the analyzed cases the limit cycle was not reached, which implies that the point of equilibrium exerts influence and attraction on system evolution.

Analysis of Human Standing Balance by Largest Lyapunov Exponent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to analyse the relationship between nonlinear dynamic character and individuals’ standing balance by the largest Lyapunov exponent, which is regarded as a metric for assessing standing balance. According to previous study, the largest Lyapunov exponent from centre of pressure time series could not well quantify the human balance ability. In this research, two improvements were made. Firstly, an external stimulus was applied to feet in the form of continuous horizontal sinusoidal motion by a moving platform. Secondly, a multiaccelerometer subsystem was adopted. Twenty healthy volunteers participated in this experiment. A new metric, coordinated largest Lyapunov exponent was proposed, which reflected the relationship of body segments by integrating multidimensional largest Lyapunov exponent values. By using this metric in actual standing performance under sinusoidal stimulus, an obvious relationship between the new metric and the actual balance ability was found in the majority of the subjects. These results show that the sinusoidal stimulus can make human balance characteristics more obvious, which is beneficial to assess balance, and balance is determined by the ability of coordinating all body segments.

Toward Continental-scale Rainfall Monitoring Using Commercial Microwave Links From Cellular Communication Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Uijlenhoet, R.; Leijnse, H.; Overeem, A.

2017-12-01

Accurate and timely surface precipitation measurements are crucial for water resources management, agriculture, weather prediction, climate research, as well as ground validation of satellite-based precipitation estimates. However, the majority of the land surface of the earth lacks such data, and in many parts of the world the density of surface precipitation gauging networks is even rapidly declining. This development can potentially be counteracted by using received signal level data from the enormous number of microwave links used worldwide in commercial cellular communication networks. Along such links, radio signals propagate from a transmitting antenna at one base station to a receiving antenna at another base station. Rain-induced attenuation and, subsequently, path-averaged rainfall intensity can be retrieved from the signal's attenuation between transmitter and receiver. We have previously shown how one such a network can be used to retrieve the space-time dynamics of rainfall for an entire country (The Netherlands, ˜35,500 km2), based on an unprecedented number of links (˜2,400) and a rainfall retrieval algorithm that can be applied in real time. This demonstrated the potential of such networks for real-time rainfall monitoring, in particular in those parts of the world where networks of dedicated ground-based rainfall sensors are often virtually absent. The presentation will focus on the potential for upscaling this technique to continental-scale rainfall monitoring in Europe. In addition, several examples of recent applications of this technique on other continents (South America, Africa, Asia and Australia) will be given.

Key issues of public relations of Europe: findings from the European Communication Monitor 2007-2014

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verčič, D.; Verhoeven, P.; Zerfass, A.

2014-01-01

European Communication Monitor is the largest longitudinal research project in public relations practice in the world. Data collected annually from 2007 to 2014 show that practitioners perceive five issues as the most important for their work: linking business strategy and communication, coping with

Linguistic Characteristics of Commercial and Social Advertising Slogans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Skorupa

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The current paper presents the analysis of linguistic characteristics of commercial and social advertising slogans. There is no uniform definition of the advertising slogan in the scientific literature, therefore, an attempt to provide the definition of a slogan in the context of marketing communication was made. One of the main functions of both social and commercial advertising is to provide information to the target audience and make it act in a way desired by the advertisers. As language, either spoken or written, has a powerful influence over people and their behaviour, the article analysis the language of advertising from the linguistic point of view and focuses on the phonological and semantic characteristics of slogans for commercial and social advertising campaigns. The analysis of 110 English slogans (55 commercial and 55 social advertising campaigns showed the frequent use of both sound techniques and figurative language in commercial advertising slogans, which make the slogans more memorable, attractive and highlighting the advertised brand in a positive way. In contrast, the sound techniques and figurative language are scarce in slogans for social advertising campaigns.

Next-Generation NASA Earth-Orbiting Relay Satellites: Fusing Optical and Microwave Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Israel, David J.; Shaw, Harry

2018-01-01

NASA is currently considering architectures and concepts for the generation of relay satellites that will replace the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation, which has been flying since 1983. TDRS-M, the last of the second TDRS generation, launched in August 2017, extending the life of the TDRS constellation beyond 2030. However, opportunities exist to re-engineer the concepts of geosynchronous Earth relay satellites. The needs of the relay satellite customers have changed dramatically over the last 34 years since the first TDRS launch. There is a demand for greater bandwidth as the availability of the traditional RF spectrum for space communications diminishes and the demand for ground station access grows. The next generation of NASA relay satellites will provide for operations that have factored in these new constraints. In this paper, we describe a heterogeneous constellation of geosynchronous relay satellites employing optical and RF communications. The new constellation will enable new optical communications services formed by user-to-space relay, space relay-to-space relay and space relay-to-ground links. It will build upon the experience from the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration from 2013 and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration to be launched in 2019.Simultaneous to establishment of the optical communications space segment, spacecraft in the TDRS constellation will be replaced with RF relay satellites with targeted subsets of the TDRS capabilities. This disaggregation of the TDRS service model will allow for flexibility in replenishing the needs of legacy users as well as addition of new capabilities for future users. It will also permit the U.S. government access to launch capabilities such as rideshare and to hosted payloads that were not previously available.In this paper, we also explore how the next generation of Earth relay satellites provides a significant boost in the opportunities for commercial providers to the

Next-Generation NASA Earth-Orbiting Relay Satellites: Fusing Microwave and Optical Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Israel, David J.

2018-01-01

NASA is currently considering architectures and concepts for the generation of relay satellites that will replace the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation, which has been flying since 1983. TDRS-M, the last of the second TDRS generation, launched in August 2017, extending the life of the TDRS constellation beyond 2030. However, opportunities exist to re-engineer the concepts of geosynchronous Earth relay satellites. The needs of the relay satellite customers have changed dramatically over the last 34 years since the first TDRS launch. There is a demand for greater bandwidth as the availability of the traditional RF spectrum for space communications diminishes and the demand for ground station access grows. The next generation of NASA relay satellites will provide for operations that have factored in these new constraints. In this paper, we describe a heterogeneous constellation of geosynchronous relay satellites employing optical and RF communications. The new constellation will enable new optical communications services formed by user-to-space relay, space relay-to-space relay and space relay-to-ground links. It will build upon the experience from the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration from 2013 and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration to be launched in 2019.Simultaneous to establishment of the optical communications space segment, spacecraft in the TDRS constellation will be replaced with RF relay satellites with targeted subsets of the TDRS capabilities. This disaggregation of the TDRS service model will allow for flexibility in replenishing the needs of legacy users as well as addition of new capabilities for future users. It will also permit the U.S. government access to launch capabilities such as rideshare and to hosted payloads that were not previously available. In this paper, we also explore how the next generation of Earth relay satellites provides a significant boost in the opportunities for commercial providers to the

Solar energy potential of the largest buildings in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Wence, E. R.; Grodsky, S.; Hernandez, R. R.

2017-12-01

Sustainable pathways of land use for energy are necessary to mitigate climate change and limit conversion of finite land resources needed for conservation and food production. Large, commercial buildings (LCBs) are increasing in size and number throughout the United States (US) and may serve as suitable recipient environments for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy infrastructure that may support a low carbon, low land footprint energy transition. In this study, we identified, characterized, and evaluated the technical potential of the largest, commercial building rooftops (i.e., exceeding 110,000 m2) and their associated parking lots in the US for PV solar energy systems using Aurora, a cloud-based solar optimization platform. We also performed a case study of building-specific electricity generation: electricity consumption balance. Further, we quantified the environmental co-benefit of land sparing and associated avoided emissions (t-CO2-eq) conferred under the counterfactual scenario that solar development would otherwise proceed as a ground-mounted, utility-scale PV installation of equal nominal capacity. We identified and mapped 37 LCBs (by rooftop area) across 18 states in the US, spanning from as far north as the state of Minnesota to as far south as Florida. Rooftop footprints range from 427,297 to 113,689 m2 and have a cumulative surface area of 99.8 million ft2. We characterize the LCBs as either: distribution/warehouse, factory, shopping center, or administrative office/facility. Three of the 37 LCBs currently support rooftop PV and the numbers of associated, detached buildings number up to 38. This study elucidates the extent to which LCBs and their respective parking lots can serve as suitable sites for PV solar energy generation. Lastly, this study demonstrates research-based applications of the Aurora energy modeling platform and informs decision-making focused on redirecting energy development towards human-modified landscapes to prioritize land use for

Commercial milk distribution profiles and production locations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deonigi, D.E.; Anderson, D.M.; Wilfert, G.L.

1994-04-01

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project was established to estimate radiation doses that people could have received from nuclear operations at the Hanford Site since 1944. For this period iodine-131 is the most important offsite contributor to radiation doses from Hanford operations. Consumption of milk from cows that ate vegetation contaminated by iodine-131 is the dominant radiation pathway for individuals who drank milk (Napier 1992). Information has been developed on commercial milk cow locations and commercial milk distribution during 1945 and 1951. The year 1945 was selected because during 1945 the largest amount of iodine-131 was released from Hanford facilities in a calendar year (Heeb 1993); therefore, 1945 was the year in which an individual was likely to have received the highest dose. The year 1951 was selected to provide data for comparing the changes that occurred in commercial milk flows (i.e., sources, processing locations, and market areas) between World War II and the post-war period. To estimate the doses people could have received from this milk flow, it is necessary to estimate the amount of milk people consumed, the source of the milk, the specific feeding regime used for milk cows, and the amount of iodine-131 contamination deposited on feed

Hemodynamics Modeling and Simulation of Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianjun Li

2014-07-01

Full Text Available It is a general agreement that hemodynamics plays very important role in the initiation, growth, and rupture of cerebral aneurysms and hemodynamics in the anterior communicating artery aneurysms is considered the most complex in all cerebral aneurysms and it is difficult to find some reasonable relationship between the hemodynamics parameters and the rupture risk. In this paper, the 3D geometries of four anterior communicating artery aneurysms were generated from the CTA data and the computational models with bilateral feeding arteries for the four aneurysms were constructed. The blood flow was simulated by computational fluid dynamics software and the hemodynamics parameters such as velocity, wall shear stress, and oscillatory shear index were calculated. The following results were observed: one of the four models only needs the left feeding artery; the max normalized wall shear stress locates at the aneurysmal neck of the largest aneurysm; the max oscillatory shear index locates at the aneurysmal sac of the largest aneurysm. The conclusion was drawn that the anterior communicating artery aneurysm has higher rupture risk from the hemodynamics viewpoint if the max wall shear stress locates at the neck and the max oscillatory shear index locates at the dome.

Spread Spectrum Techniques and their Applications to Wireless Communications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prasad, Ramjee; Cianca, E.

2005-01-01

Spread Spectrum (SS) radio communications is on the verge of potentially explosive commercial development An SS-based multiple access, such as CDMA, has been chosen for 3G wireless communications. Other current applications of SS techniues are in Wireless LANs and Satellite Navigation Systems...

NASA's current activities in free space optical communications

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Bernard L.

2017-11-01

NASA and other space agencies around the world are currently developing free space optical communication systems for both space-to-ground links and space-to-space links. This paper provides an overview of NASA's current activities in free space optical communications with a focus on Near Earth applications. Activities to be discussed include the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration, the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, and the commercialization of the underlying technology. The paper will also briefly discuss ongoing efforts and studies for Deep Space optical communications. Finally the paper will discuss the development of international optical communication standards within the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems.

Transition From NASA Space Communication Systems to Commerical Communication Products

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazvinian, Farzad; Lindsey, William C.

1994-01-01

Transitioning from twenty-five years of space communication system architecting, engineering and development to creating and marketing of commercial communication system hardware and software products is no simple task for small, high-tech system engineering companies whose major source of revenue has been the U.S. Government. Yet, many small businesses are faced with this onerous and perplexing task. The purpose of this talk/paper is to present one small business (LinCom) approach to taking advantage of the systems engineering expertise and knowledge captured in physical neural networks and simulation software by supporting numerous National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) projects, e.g., Space Shuttle, TDRSS, Space Station, DCSC, Milstar, etc. The innovative ingredients needed for a systems house to transition to a wireless communication system products house that supports personal communication services and networks (PCS and PCN) development in a global economy will be discussed. Efficient methods for using past government sponsored space system research and development to transition to VLSI communication chip set products will be presented along with notions of how synergy between government and industry can be maintained to benefit both parties.

broken magnet highlights largest collider's engineering challenges

CERN Multimedia

Inman, Mason

2007-01-01

"Even at the world's soon-to-be largest particle accelerator - a device that promises to push the boundaries of physics - scientists need to be mindful of one of the most fundamental laws in the universe: Murphy's Law. (2 pages)

Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nikookar, Homayoun; Prasad, Ramjee

wireless channels, interference, signal processing as well as applications and standardization activities are addressed. Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications provides easy-to-understand material to (graduate) students and researchers working in the field of commercial UWB wireless......Ultra Wideband (UWB) Technology is the cutting edge technology for wireless communications with a wide range of applications. In Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications UWB principles and technologies for wireless communications are explained clearly. Key issues such as UWB...... communications. Due to tutorial nature of the book it can also be adopted as a textbook on the subject in the Telecommunications Engineering curriculum. Problems at the end of each chapter extend the reader's understanding of the subject. Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications will aslo...

Quantum communication with photons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tittel, W.

2005-01-01

Full text: The discovery that transmission of information encoded into single quantum systems enables new forms of communication let to the emergence of the domain of quantum communication. During the last ten years, various key experiments based on photons as carrier of the quantum information have been realized. Today, quantum cryptography systems based on faint laser pulses can be purchased commercially, bi-partite entanglement has been distributed over long distances and has been used for quantum key distribution, and quantum purification, teleportation and entanglement swapping have been demonstrated. I will give a general introduction into this fascinating field and will review experimental achievements in the domain of quantum communication with discrete two-level quantum systems (qubits) encoded into photons. (author)

Aerocapacitor commercialization plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-09-12

The purpose of the Power-One Aerocapacitor Commercialization Plan is to communicate to members of management and to all employees the overall objectives of the corporation. Power-One, Inc., has participated in a US Federal Government Technology Reinvestment Project (TRP), entitled {open_quotes}Advanced Power Conversion based on the Aerocapacitor{close_quotes}: the project is a group effort, with Lawrence Livermore National Labs, GenCorp/Aerojet, PolyStor Corp. (a start-up company), and Power-One forming the consortium. The expected resulting technology is the {open_quotes}Aerocapacitor{close_quotes}, which possesses much higher performance levels than the usual capacitors on the market today. Power-One hopes to incorporate the Aerocapacitor into some of its products, hence enhancing their performance, as well as market privately-labeled aerocapacitors through its distribution channels. This document describes the details of Power-One`s plan to bring to market and commercialize the Aerocapacitor and Aerocapacitor-based products. This plan was formulated while Power-One was part of the Oerocap project. It has since pulled out of this project. What is presented in this plan is the work which was developed prior to the business decision to terminate this work.

Market survey results for alternate sensor communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivas, R.R.; White, K.R.; Turnage, L.C.

1996-02-01

This document presents the results of a system analysis and market survey of commercially available alarm communication systems for potential use as an alternate sensor communication system. Only those systems that report alarm/sensor information to a central control panel were considered. The communication systems surveyed include wireless radio frequency (RF) systems, spread spectrum systems, fiber optic systems, twisted pair/copper wire, cellular systems, and other types of communication equipment. All systems are commercially available, and most information was obtained by telephone conversations with the manufacturer, personal interviews at security conferences, and countless reviews of the manufacturers' data sheets. Many systems were identified, but only those that met a minimum set of system requirements were included. Other systems that appeared to be applicable usually did not provide adequate data encryption or could not interface directly to the system. While such features could be incorporated using additional hardware, doing so would make the system more expensive and conflict with the idea of purchasing a single unit that meets the minimum set of requirements. Several systems greatly exceed the scope of this project and utilizing such systems would mean investing in more capacity than is really needed

Cellular communications a comprehensive and practical guide

CERN Document Server

Tripathi, Nishith

2014-01-01

Even as newer cellular technologies and standards emerge, many of the fundamental principles and the components of the cellular network remain the same. Presenting a simple yet comprehensive view of cellular communications technologies, Cellular Communications provides an end-to-end perspective of cellular operations, ranging from physical layer details to call set-up and from the radio network to the core network. This self-contained source forpractitioners and students represents a comprehensive survey of the fundamentals of cellular communications and the landscape of commercially deployed

City-ecological perspectives of the development of high urbanized multifunctional centers of the largest Russian cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kolesnikov Sergey Anatol’evich

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents some results of the author’s dissertation research dedicated to formation of an architectural typology of high urbanized multifunctional units of urban structure of the largest cities (further HUMUUS as centers of social activity, which include buildings, constructions, transportation equipment and open spaces, where human flows transpose, start and end with the purpose of bringing into this space a concentrated maximum of goods, services and information with minimum time expenditures. This article draws attention to the development analysis of the structure-forming functions of HUMUUS and their town planning and environmental impact on the surrounding area. The study of planning structures of the largest Russian cities (Samara, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod made it possible to identify a number of main objects, in which structure-forming functions of HUMUUS are materialized: railroad complex (historically formed, developed, dominated, system-wide road junction, transport interchange hub (providing intraurban messages, public office and business centers, leisure and entertainment centers, shopping centers. Basing on researches of Russian and foreign experience, it is possible to predict with full confidence the following trends and streams of environmental and urban development of HUMUUS in the near-term perspective: Strengthening of the environmental and urban frame by network evolution of HUMUUS; Inclusion of green areas of HUMUUS in the system of citywide green areas; Increment of the interest of the investors to the public road junction for the purpose of reorganization of them to full HUMUUS with all characteristics of high-urbanized and environmental and urban reorganization (separation of traffic and pedestrian flows, maximum capacity, multiple-level system, multifunctional, increase in landscaped green space, reconstruction of engineering systems and communications, the use of modern ecological building designs and

A B2C Digital Media Marketing Communications Plan for a Mobile Application Commercial Launch

OpenAIRE

Collin, Markus

2013-01-01

The thesis focuses on a B2C Digital Marketing Communications plan on a mobile gamification application. The marketing communications plan takes a clear step away from the traditional views on marketing planning and PR, above all because of the evolvement of social media and the massive cultural shift that has deeply affected the way societies use the most widely spread communications platform ever invented, the Internet. The project for which the marketing communications plan is made, is ...

Regulation of myostatin expression is associated with growth and muscle development in commercial broiler and DMC muscle

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dou, Tengfei; Li, Zhengtian; Wang, Kun; Liu, Lixian; Rong, Hua; Xu, Zhiqiang; Huang, Ying; Gu, Dahai; Chen, Xiaobo; Hu, Wenyuan; Zhang, Jiarong; Zhao, Sumei; Jois, Markandeya; Li, Qihua; Ge, Changrong; Pas, te Marinus F.W.; Jia, Junjing

2018-01-01

Myostatin is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. Muscle tissue is the largest tissue in the body and influences body growth. Commercial Avian broiler chickens are selected for high growth rate and muscularity. Daweishan mini chickens are a slow growing small-sized chicken breed. We

Characterization of the largest relic Eurasian wild grapevine reservoir in Southern Iberian Peninsula

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arroyo-García, R.; Cantos, M.; Lara, M.; López, M.A.; Gallardo, A.; Ocete, C.A.; Pérez, A.; Bánáti, B.; García, J.L.; Ocete, R.

2016-11-01

Wild grapevine is becoming a threatened species in the Iberian Peninsula due to human impacts. The aim of this work was to carry out a holistic study for six years of the largest wild grapevine population found up to date in SW Iberian Peninsula. This population has 115 vines. Ampelographic and soil characteristics have been studied. Evaluation of its environment has also been studied by describing the main parasitic species and natural enemies of pests. The ability of this plant material for its micropropagation and storage in slow-growth conditions has been tested. Microvinification resulted in a wine with good acidity and medium color intensity, two interesting characteristics under a warm climatology. Finally, the identification of private alleles in this wild population, absent in other locations from the Northern and Southern Iberian territories, is a very valuable feature and confirms the importance of establishing conservation programs. The population here studied is genetically unique and potentially useful for commercial rootstocks and cultivars breeding that would improve viticulture and enology. (Author)

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION AND THEIR ROLE IN THE COMPANY

OpenAIRE

Gudriniks, Dainis; Arbidāne, Iluta

2017-01-01

The author reviewed information in EBSCO databases on communication between managment and employee in commercial enterprises, hospitals, educational institutions, in crisis situations and everyday life. The problem identified iclude a weak communications structure and poor managment skills deteriorating quality of work in nowadays. The article dealt with Brian Weberg comunication structure, which is divided into two types. To learn how to improve communication in the organization, it was inve...

The commercial potential of Nova Scotian natural gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Power, M.; Jewkes, E.

1992-01-01

The Scotian Shelf has estimated potential natural gas reserves of 18 trillion ft 3 . A project cash flow analysis of the development and production from Nova Scotia's discovered natural gas pools is presented to determine the commercial potential of these resources. The modelling framework proposed by Power and Jewkes (1990) is used in the analysis. This framework consists of three sub-models: a drilling model, a pool-cost model, and a filtration model. The model was run 84 times, once for each combination of the 21 price levels and 4 discount rates used in the study. It was assumed that exploration and delineation drilling, project construction, and operation were completed in 35 years. The sensitivity of commercial declarations to the discount rate is most clearly seen in the measure of commercially recoverable volumes calculated by the model. Gas prices below $1.80 per thousand ft 3 (MCF) do not result in any of the significant discoveries being declared as commercially viable. As prices rise above this level, a 6% discount rate results in the largest of the discovered pools being assessed as commercial. When prices have risen sufficiently to offset the discount rate effect, the differences in commercial declarations fall progressively as prices continue to rise. The financial variables (profit and fiscal take) both exhibit increasing sensitivity to the discount rate. The results suggest a limited role for Scotian Shelf gas in Canada's energy future. Landed prices must be in the range of $2.80-$4.00/MCF before sufficient quantities of gas are made available. It is likely that the market for such gas will be small and limited primarily to an interfuel substitution role. 16 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

Communication on food, health and nutrition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram, Malene; de la Ville, Inès Valérie; Le Roux, André

2010-01-01

The aim of this article is to explore how Danone intertwines the health discourse and the entertainment aspects when promoting their products to parents and children across cultures and in communicating to its global markets. In order to examine Danone's communication strategy in the various...... cultural contexts, the following will be analysed: who talks about health; how healthy eating is presented; and finally how playful and entertaining aspects of health are enacted in Danone's commercials. In the analysis, focus is on Danone's 'Danonino' brand, how the global market is approached and how...... it draws on the concept of 'nutri-tainment' (nutrition and entertainment). The sample consists of 175 commercials from six markets (France, Spain, Germany, Russia, Poland, Denmark) aired from 2001 to 2007. The analysis involves a quantitative exploration and clustering analysis of which themes appear...

Space Station Workshop: Commercial Missions and User Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

1988-01-01

The topics of discussion addressed during a three day workshop on commercial application in space are presented. Approximately half of the program was directed towards an overview and orientation to the Space Station Project; the technical attributes of space; and present and future potential commercial opportunities. The remaining time was spent addressing technological issues presented by previously-formed industry working groups, who attempted to identify the technology needs, problems or issues faced and/or anticipated by the following industries: extraction (mining, agriculture, petroleum, fishing, etc.); fabrication (manufacturing, automotive, aircraft, chemical, pharmaceutical and electronics); and services (communications, transportation and retail robotics). After the industry groups presented their technology issues, the workshop divided into smaller discussion groups composed of: space experts from NASA; academia; industry experts in the appropriate disciplines; and other workshop participants. The needs identified by the industry working groups, space station technical requirements, proposed commercial ventures and other issues related to space commercialization were discussed. The material summarized and reported are the consensus from the discussion groups.

Selenium and mercury molar ratios in commercial fish from New Jersey and Illinois: variation within species and relevance to risk communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Joanna; Gochfeld, Michael

2013-07-01

There is an emerging consensus that people consuming large amounts of fish with selenium:mercury ratios below 1 are at higher risk from mercury toxicity. As the relative amount of selenium increases compared to mercury, risk may be lowered, but it is unclear how much excess selenium is required. It would be useful if the selenium:mercury ratio was relatively consistent within a species, but this has not been the case in our studies of wild-caught fish. Since most people in developed countries and urban areas obtain their fish and other seafood commercially, we examined selenium:mercury molar ratios in commercial fish purchased in stores and fish markets in central New Jersey and Chicago. There was substantial interspecific and intraspecific variation in molar ratios. Across species the selenium:mercury molar ratio decreased with increasing mean mercury levels, but selenium variation also contributed to the ratio. Few samples had selenium:mercury molar ratios below 1, but there was a wide range in ratios, complicating the interpretation for use in risk management and communication. Before ratios can be used in risk management, more information is needed on mercury:selenium interactions and mutual bioavailability, and on the relationship between molar ratios and health outcomes. Further, people who are selenium deficient may be more at risk from mercury toxicity than others. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selenium and mercury molar ratios in commercial fish from New Jersey and Illinois: Variation within species and relevance to risk communication

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Joanna; Gochfeld, Michael

2015-01-01

There is an emerging consensus that people consuming large amounts of fish with selenium:mercury ratios below 1 may be at higher risk from mercury toxicity. As the relative amount of selenium increases compared to mercury, risk may be lowered, but it is unclear how much excess selenium is required. It would be useful if the selenium:mercury ratio was relatively consistent within a species, but this has not been the case in our studies of wild-caught fish. Since most people in developed countries and urban areas obtain their fish and other seafood commercially, we examined selenium:mercury molar ratios in commercial fish purchased in stores and fish markets in central New Jersey and Chicago. There was substantial interspecific and intraspecific variation in molar ratios. Across species the selenium:mercury molar ratio decreased with increasing mean mercury levels, but selenium variation also contributed to the ratio. Few samples had selenium:mercury molar ratios below 1, but there was a wide range in ratios, complicating the interpretation for use in risk management and communication. Before ratios can be used in risk management, more information is needed on mercury:selenium interactions and mutual bioavailability, and on the relationship between molar ratios and health outcomes. Further, people who are selenium deficient may be more at risk from mercury toxicity than others. PMID:23541437

Joint Asymptotic Distributions of Smallest and Largest Insurance Claims

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hansjörg Albrecher

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Assume that claims in a portfolio of insurance contracts are described by independent and identically distributed random variables with regularly varying tails and occur according to a near mixed Poisson process. We provide a collection of results pertaining to the joint asymptotic Laplace transforms of the normalised sums of the smallest and largest claims, when the length of the considered time interval tends to infinity. The results crucially depend on the value of the tail index of the claim distribution, as well as on the number of largest claims under consideration.

DYMAC communications system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindsey, K.A.

1980-01-01

The DYMAC Communications System is part of a nuclear safeguards system called DYMAC - short for DYnamic Materials ACcountability - that gathers accountability information at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) Plutonium Processing Facility. The communications system handles transmissions between data-entry terminals and nondestructive assay (NDA) instruments located in the facility, and a computer located in an adjacent building. System design emphasizes reliability rather than high speed to ensure the integrity of data transmissions. This manual is directed toward the person responsible for maintaining the DYMAC Communication System. It describes the components that make up the communications network, explains how they operate, and gives detailed information about all of the connections. Many of the system components are commercially available; some have been modified at LASL for DYMAC purposes; others were designed and fabricated at LASL. This manual provides circuit diagrams for all of the LASL modifications and LASL-fabricated equipment. In addition, it provides a series of procedures for tracing cables, reconfiguring various parts of the system, testing data transmissions, and troubleshooting malfunctions.

DYMAC communications system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindsey, K.A.

1980-01-01

The DYMAC Communications System is part of a nuclear safeguards system called DYMAC - short for DYnamic Materials ACcountability - that gathers accountability information at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) Plutonium Processing Facility. The communications system handles transmissions between data-entry terminals and nondestructive assay (NDA) instruments located in the facility, and a computer located in an adjacent building. System design emphasizes reliability rather than high speed to ensure the integrity of data transmissions. This manual is directed toward the person responsible for maintaining the DYMAC Communication System. It describes the components that make up the communications network, explains how they operate, and gives detailed information about all of the connections. Many of the system components are commercially available; some have been modified at LASL for DYMAC purposes; others were designed and fabricated at LASL. This manual provides circuit diagrams for all of the LASL modifications and LASL-fabricated equipment. In addition, it provides a series of procedures for tracing cables, reconfiguring various parts of the system, testing data transmissions, and troubleshooting malfunctions

Science communication on YouTube: Factors that affect channel and video popularity.

Science.gov (United States)

Welbourne, Dustin J; Grant, Will J

2016-08-01

YouTube has become one of the largest websites on the Internet. Among its many genres, both professional and amateur science communicators compete for audience attention. This article provides the first overview of science communication on YouTube and examines content factors that affect the popularity of science communication videos on the site. A content analysis of 390 videos from 39 YouTube channels was conducted. Although professionally generated content is superior in number, user-generated content was significantly more popular. Furthermore, videos that had consistent science communicators were more popular than those without a regular communicator. This study represents an important first step to understand content factors, which increases the channel and video popularity of science communication on YouTube. © The Author(s) 2015.

Large-scale distribution of tritium in a commercial product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Combs, F.; Doda, R.J.

1979-01-01

Tritium enters the environment from various sources including nuclear reactor operations, weapons testing, natural production, and from the manufacture, use and ultimate disposal of commercial products containing tritium. A recent commercial application of tritium in the United States of America involves the backlighting of liquid crystal displays (LCD) in digital electronic watches. These watches are distributed through normal commercial channels to the general public. One million curies (MCi) of tritium were distributed in 1977 in this product. This is a significant quantity of tritium compared with power reactor-produced tritium (3MCi yearly) or with naturally produced tritium (6MCi yearly). This is the single largest commercial application involving tritium to date. The final disposition of tritium from large quantities of this product, after its useful life, must be estimated by considering the means of disposal and the possibility of dispersal of tritium concurrent with disposal. The most likely method of final disposition of this product will be disposal in solid refuse; this includes burial in land fills and incineration. Burial in land fills will probably contain the tritium for its effective lifetime, whereas incineration will release all the tritium gas (as the oxide) to the atmosphere. The use and disposal of this product will be studied as part of an environmental study that is at present being prepared for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (author)

Next-generation batteries and fuel cells for commercial, military, and space applications

CERN Document Server

Jha, A R

2012-01-01

Distilling complex theoretical physical concepts into an understandable technical framework, Next-Generation Batteries and Fuel Cells for Commercial, Military, and Space Applications describes primary and secondary (rechargeable) batteries for various commercial, military, spacecraft, and satellite applications for covert communications, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. It emphasizes the cost, reliability, longevity, and safety of the next generation of high-capacity batteries for applications where high energy density, minimum weight and size, and reliability in harsh conditions are

New Bottles, Old Wine: Communicative Language Teaching in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Hui, Leng

1997-01-01

As the largest English-learning population in the world, China is deeply involved in communicative language teaching (CLT). Because of economic, administrative, cultural, and population constraints, and the academic abilities of classroom teachers, China has to work to Adapt CLT to local conditions. This situation must be overcome or traditional,…

Composeable Chat over Low-Bandwidth Intermittent Communication Links

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wilcox, D. R

2007-01-01

Intermittent low-bandwidth communication environments, such as those encountered in U.S. Navy tactical radio and satellite links, have special requirements that do not pertain to commercial applications...

Marketing Communications in Public Administration : Case: Municipal IT Unit

OpenAIRE

Teräväinen, Terhi

2011-01-01

Marketing communications is traditionally associated with the private sector and commercial activities, but the term is nowadays also widely used in public sector contexts. In this thesis marketing communications is analysed from a public administration point of view. The empirical part deals with marketing communications executed by the Municipal IT Unit of the Ministry of Finance. The objective is to find out what is considered important when it comes to planning and implementing market...

Determining the Budget of Marketing Communication in Big Advertisers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabiano Palhares Galão

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This study aims to analyze the criteria and procedures adopted by companies for determining the budget communication. Specifically, we intend to identify how companies organize the system of deciding the budget and deal with the budget cuts throughout the process of implementation of promotional activities. The data collection involved in-depth interviews conducted with communications professionals from ten companies belonging to the ranking of the 300 largest advertisers in Brazil. As data analysis technique, we have chosen content analysis. The main results showed little or no participation by the communication manager's final decision on the budget area, the lack of criteria to justify budget cuts during the promotional period and the adoption by firms of judgment methods and percentage of sales to determine the budget amount of communication

A Semiotic Analysis of Cyber Emoticons (A Case Study of Kaskus Emoticons in the Lounge Forum at Kaskus-the Largest Indonesian Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Didi Sukyadi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Kaskus emoticons have been used widely in cyber, whether in Kaskus forum or blogs and other Instant Messengers (IMs. The use of emoticon in the forum is believed to be the latest way in communication among members. The use of emoticons is necessary to overcome the constraints of online communication, the need of being expressive and time limited. Kaskus emoticons are culturally unique because they are created by Indonesian online users without resorting to western style emoticons. Even though emotion is something universal, the way of how certain community represents it through emoticons is interesting to note. This study is aimed at exploring the significance of Kaskus emoticons in the Lounge forum at Kaskus, the Largest Indonesian Community. The analysis is rooted on semiotics, particularly Roland Barthes’ orders of signification involving five emoticons appearing in the Lounge forum at the site. The findings show that the emoticons have meaning and functions as a way to communicate, particularly in the online forum. It serves as a means of (visual communication between users to emphasize the statement in online communication, and to show mood of one’s state of feeling so that others can easily acquaint his thoughts. More to the point, emoticons are treated as alteration for some words and their meanings are associated with linked circumstances.

Calysto: Risk Management for Commercial Manned Spaceflight

Science.gov (United States)

Dillaman, Gary

2012-01-01

The Calysto: Risk Management for Commercial Manned Spaceflight study analyzes risk management in large enterprises and how to effectively communicate risks across organizations. The Calysto Risk Management tool developed by NASA's Kennedy Space Center's SharePoint team is used and referenced throughout the study. Calysto is a web-base tool built on Microsoft's SharePoint platform. The risk management process at NASA is examined and incorporated in the study. Using risk management standards from industry and specific organizations at the Kennedy Space Center, three methods of communicating and elevating risk are examined. Each method describes details of the effectiveness and plausibility of using the method in the Calysto Risk Management Tool. At the end of the study suggestions are made for future renditions of Calysto.

Attacks to Cryptography Protocols of Wireless Industrial Communication Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomas Ondrasina

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with problems of safety and security principles within wireless industrial communication systems. First safety requirements to wireless industrial communication system, summarisation of attack methods and the available measures for risks elimination are described with orientation to safety critical applications. The mainly part is oriented to identification of risks and summarisation of defensive methods of wireless communication based on cryptographic techniques. Practical part the cryptoanalytic’s attacks to COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf wireless communications are mentioned based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.

Making sense of a crucial interface: corporate communication and the news media

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cornelissen, J.P.; Carroll, C.; Elving, W.J.L.; Chouliaraki, L.; Morsing, M.

2010-01-01

In this chapter, we provide an overview of how news organizations work and develop a theoretical account of communicative interactions between corporate communication professionals representing commercial companies and journalists working for news organizations. This account conceptualizes these

A simple clockless Network-on-Chip for a commercial audio DSP chip

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stensgaard, Mikkel Bystrup; Bjerregaard, Tobias; Sparsø, Jens

2006-01-01

We design a very small, packet-switched, clockless Network-on-Chip (NoC) as a replacement for the existing crossbar-based communication infrastructure in a commercial audio DSP chip. Both solutions are laid out in a 0.18 um process, and compared in terms of area, power consumption and routing...... to the existing crossbar, it allows all blocks to communicate. The total wire length is decreased by 22% which eases the layout process and makes the design less prone to routing congestion. Not least, the communicating blocks are decoupled by means of the NoC, providing a Globally-Asynchronous, Locally...

Protected transitional solution to transformational satellite communications

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Jerry C.

2005-06-01

As the Warfighter progresses into the next generation battlefield, transformational communications become evident as an enabling technology. Satellite communications become even more vital as the battles range over greater non-contiguous spaces. While current satellite communications provide suitable beyond line-of-sight communications and the Transformational Communications Architecture (TCA) sets the stage for sound information exchange, a realizable transition must occur to ensure successful succession to this higher level. This paper addresses the need for a planned escalation to the next generation satellite communications architecture and offers near-term alternatives. Commercial satellite systems continue to enable the Warfighter to reach back to needed information resources, providing a large majority of available bandwidth. Four areas of concentration for transition include encrypted Telemetry, Tracking and Control (or Command) (TT&C), encrypted and covered data, satellite attack detection and protection, and operational mobility. Solution methodologies include directly embedding COMSEC devices in the satellites and terminals, and supplementing existing terminals with suitable equipment and software. Future satellites planned for near-term launches can be adapted to include commercial grade and higher-level secure equipment. Alternately, the expected use of programmable modems (Software Defined Radios (SDR)) enables incorporation of powerful cipher methods approaching military standards as well as waveforms suitable for on-the-move operation. Minimal equipment and software additions on the satellites can provide reasonable attack detection and protection methods in concert with the planned satellite usage. Network management suite modifications enable cohesive incorporation of these protection schemes. Such transitional ideas offer a smooth and planned transition as the TCA takes life.

Guaranteeing uptime at worl's largest particle physics lab

CERN Multimedia

Brodkin, Jon

2007-01-01

"As the European agency CERN was gearing up to build the world's largest particle accelerator, officials there knew they could not afford to have problems in their technical infrastructure cause any downtime." (1 page)

Enclosure and open access in communication scholarship

OpenAIRE

Morrison, Heather

2011-01-01

The current state of scholarly communication is one of contest between an increasingly commercial system that is dysfunctional and incompatible with the basic aims of scholarship, and emerging alternatives, particularly open access publishing and open access archiving. Two approaches to facilitating global participation in scholarly communication are contrasted in this paper; equity is seen as a superior goal to the donor model, which requires poverty or inequity to succeed. The current stat...

Transceiver and system design for digital communications

CERN Document Server

Bullock, Scott R

2014-01-01

This is the fourth edition of this successful professional reference book on transceiver design, the device that both sends and receives signals, and its place within the wireless communication system. It gives engineers and others a good intuitive understanding of wireless systems and spread spectrum. New topics covered include cognitive radio, systems, networks, and commercial communications. In addition, many items have been extensively updated to improve the flow of the book and enhance comprehension.

Short communication. Sensory evaluation of commercial beef produced in Uruguay and three European countries

OpenAIRE

San-Julián, R.; Campo, M. M.; Nute, G.; Montossi, F.; Font-i-Furnols, M.; Guerrero, L.; Oliver, M. A.; Sañudo, C.

2012-01-01

The main goal of this study was to characterize and compare the organoleptic quality of beef from Uruguay and from three European countries. In Uruguay, 40 Hereford steers were raised exclusively under grazing conditions up to either two or three years old. Meat samples were aged for 20 days, matching commercial conditions. In Europe, one commercial local beef type, with two ageing times (7 and 20 days), from Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom were compared with Uruguayan beef samples, usi...

Short communication: Genetic lag represents commercial herd genetic merit more accurately than the 4-path selection model.

Science.gov (United States)

Dechow, C D; Rogers, G W

2018-05-01

Expectation of genetic merit in commercial dairy herds is routinely estimated using a 4-path genetic selection model that was derived for a closed population, but commercial herds using artificial insemination sires are not closed. The 4-path model also predicts a higher rate of genetic progress in elite herds that provide artificial insemination sires than in commercial herds that use such sires, which counters other theoretical assumptions and observations of realized genetic responses. The aim of this work is to clarify whether genetic merit in commercial herds is more accurately reflected under the assumptions of the 4-path genetic response formula or by a genetic lag formula. We demonstrate by tracing the transmission of genetic merit from parents to offspring that the rate of genetic progress in commercial dairy farms is expected to be the same as that in the genetic nucleus. The lag in genetic merit between the nucleus and commercial farms is a function of sire and dam generation interval, the rate of genetic progress in elite artificial insemination herds, and genetic merit of sires and dams. To predict how strategies such as the use of young versus daughter-proven sires, culling heifers following genomic testing, or selective use of sexed semen will alter genetic merit in commercial herds, genetic merit expectations for commercial herds should be modeled using genetic lag expectations. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CHARACTERIZATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF COMMERCIAL INTEREST IN THE MORELET'S CROCODILE (Crocodylus moreletii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Serna-Lagunes

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Crocodylus moreletii is a species of commercial interest based on its skin. In this study, five morphological traits of commercial interest were characterized in 125 captivity-raised specimens of C. moreletii from four populations (Puente Chilapa, Gutiérrez Zamora, Villa Juárez and Puerto Vallarta. A canonical discriminant analysis (CDA was used to differentiate the populations according to their morphological traits, a cluster analysis (CA was used to infer which populations had the largest total length (TL, and a covariance analysis (ANCOVA was used to assess the allometry and detect which population was different in terms of TL. The CDA showed no significant effects, suggesting that the morphological traits were similar among populations; the CA grouped two populations which had the largest body size; the ANCOVA revealed a significant correlation between morphological traits and detected a TL effect significantly lower in males and females from Puente Chilapa, in comparison with the other three populations. In conclusion, the males from Gutiérrez Zamora and the females from Villa Juárez were morphologically outstanding in terms of TL, and they would be the right crocodiles to establish a breeding nucleus in order to obtain offspring with their phenotypic characteristics.

Mass Communications in Israel: A Bibliography of Articles, Pamphlets, and Books Written in English.

Science.gov (United States)

Gotliffe, Harvey

This bibliography on mass communications in Israel contains articles, pamphlets, and books written in English covering the areas of advertising, Arab mass communications, broadcast authority, censorship, culture and communication, film, press and propaganda, publishing writers, radio, commercial and educational television, and the theatre arts.…

The world's largest LNG producer's next market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, R.; Isworo Suharno; Simandjuntak, W.M.P.

1996-01-01

The development of the domestic gas market in Indonesia, the world's largest liquefied natural gas producing country, is described as part of the overall impact of the country's oil and gas production. The first large scale use of natural gas in Indonesia was established in 1968 when a fertiliser plant using gas as the feedstock was built. Ultimately, through increased yields, this has enabled Indonesia to be self-sufficient in rice and an exporter of fertiliser. Problems which stand in the way of further developments include: capital, though Pertamina and PGN are perceived as attractive for foreign investment; the lack of a regulatory framework for gas; geographical constraints, among them the fact that the gas deposits are remote from the largest population concentrations; lack of infrastructure. There are nevertheless plans for expansion and the provision of an integrated gas pipeline system. Pertamina, which has responsibility for all oil and gas developments, and PGN, whose primary role has been as a manufacturer and distributor of gas, are now working together in the coordination of all gas activities. (10 figures). (UK)

Multi-sectoral Action for Non-communicable Disease Prevention in ...

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

This is especially true among the poor, given their lack of access to proper care and medicine. Often, communicable diseases and NCDs co-exist in the same individual; one can increase the risk or impact of the other. Current projections indicate that by 2020, the largest increase in NCD deaths will occur in Africa.

Secure Communications with Mobile Devices During In-Field Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Partee, M.S.; Moser, F.

2015-01-01

One of the classic problems in information security is how to exchange confidential information securely in uncontrolled environments. There have been innumerable academic and commercial hours spent resolving this question. In traditional practice, securing communications meant investing in satellites, specialized hardware, rigorous security engineering and testing, and expending a lot of resources. For this reason, smaller organizations have often been unable to secure communications. The widespread adoption of mobile communications and the modern mobile device has brought about unprecedented abilities to stay connected with colleagues during work activities. As connectedness has increased, so have the opportunities for information compromise. The enormous mobile landscape, with competing ecosystems, large research and product development budgets, proliferating devices, and rapidly-shifting technical foundations prove to be a tremendous source of both opportunity and risk. With the reality of shrinking budgets and increasing threats, many organizations, commercial enterprises, and product vendors are looking for new ways to utilize existing resources for secure communications and mobile work capabilities. Keeping communications private and secure using the infrastructure of the world's telecommunications network and standard computing and mobile devices is the challenge. This paper will examine some methods for communicating securely using consumer mobile products and evaluate the risk such tools can present to an organization in the context of inspection work in the field. (author)

Career Skills Workshop: Achieving Your Goals Through Effective Communication

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

Physics students graduate with a huge array of transferrable skills, which are extremely useful to employers (particularly in the private sector, which is the largest employment base of physicists at all degree levels). However, the key to successfully connecting with these opportunities lies in how well graduates are able to communicate their skills and abilities to potential employers. The ability to communicate effectively is a key professional skill that serves scientists in many contexts, including interviewing for jobs, applying for grants, or speaking with law and policy makers. In this interactive workshop, Crystal Bailey (Careers Program Manager at APS) and Gregory Mack (Government Relations Specialist at APS) will lead activities to help attendees achieve their goals through better communication. Topics will include writing an effective resume, interviewing for jobs, and communicating to different audiences including Congress, among others. Light refreshments will be served.

The matter of marketing communication of music festivals in Czech Republic

OpenAIRE

Podivinská, Michaela

2010-01-01

Theoretical part of this bachelor thesis focuses on arts marketing, marketing communications and commercial communications in general, and marketing and communication mix of music festivals. In practical part of the thesis I present a particular music festival Podblaník. Based on available information I analyze the marketing and communication mix of music festival Podblaník and its promotion campaign. In the last part of this work propose my own recommendation for the future activities of mar...

Communication Lillgrund. Lillgrund Pilot Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karlsson, Annah (Vattenfall Vindkraft AB, Stockholm (Sweden))

2008-09-15

The project of building a large wind farm like Lillgrund, the third largest offshore wind farm in the world, takes a considerable effort when it comes to communication and information. When the main questions 'What should be communicated?', 'To whom should this information be communicated?' and 'How should the information be communicated?' are answered, it is time to take action and actually communicate and inform. A fundamental part of the communication process is psychology. For the entrepreneur to understand that people are worried about the possible change in their living situation and deal with that is essential for how people are going to react to the plans of a potential wind farm. When Vattenfall bought the Lillgrund project a humble tone and availability were two key components in the way in which the project group approached the local residents, authorities and the general public. The goal was to achieve acceptance from the local residents and authorities and make them feel comfortable with the project and Vattenfall. Communication has been a cornerstone of the project during the whole process. A few of the activities that were carried out are media activities, open meetings for the public, exhibitions, advertisements, meetings with authorities, internal and external study visits to the site, cooperation with Malmoe city, participation in conferences and a grand opening ceremony. The basis for the activities has been the active inviting of organisations, neighbours and others. Thanks to the efforts of the whole project group and all others that were involved, the communication process was very successful. The 'Lillgrund model' will be the foundation for coming communication processes and has provided Vattenfall with a lot of experience regarding communication and information issues

Refrigeration Playbook: Natural Refrigerants; Selecting and Designing Energy-Efficient Commercial Refrigeration Systems That Use Low Global Warming Potential Refrigerants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, Caleb [CTA Architects Engineers, Boise, ID (United States); Reis, Chuck [CTA Architects Engineers, Boise, ID (United States); Nelson, Eric [CTA Architects Engineers, Boise, ID (United States); Armer, James [CTA Architects Engineers, Boise, ID (United States); Arthur, Rob [CTA Architects Engineers, Boise, ID (United States); Heath, Richard [CTA Architects Engineers, Boise, ID (United States); Rono, James [CTA Architects Engineers, Boise, ID (United States); Hirsch, Adam [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Doebber, Ian [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-03-01

This report provides guidance for selecting and designing energy efficient commercial refrigeration systems using low global warming potential refrigerants. Refrigeration systems are generally the largest energy end use in a supermarket type building, often accounting for more than half of a building's energy consumption.

Worlds Largest Wave Energy Project 2007 in Wales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Lars; Friis-Madsen, Erik; Kofoed, Jens Peter

2006-01-01

This paper introduces world largest wave energy project being developed in Wales and based on one of the leading wave energy technologies. The background for the development of wave energy, the total resource ands its distribution around the world is described. In contrast to wind energy turbines...... Dragon has to be scaled in accordance with the wave climate at the deployment site, which makes the Welch demonstrator device the worlds largest WEC so far with a total width of 300 meters. The project budget, the construction methods and the deployment site are also given....... a large number of fundamentally different technologies are utilised to harvest wave energy. The Wave Dragon belongs to the wave overtopping class of converters and the paper describes the fundamentals and the technical solutions used in this wave energy converter. An offshore floating WEC like the Wave...

ARC Code TI: X-Plane Communications Toolbox (XPC)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The X-Plane Communications Toolbox (XPC) is an open source research tool used to interact with the commercial flight simulator software X-Plane. XPC allows users to...

CMSG - A PUBLISH/SUBSCRIBE INTERPROCESS COMMUNICATION PACKAGE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolin, Elliott; Timmer, Carl; Gyurjyan, Vardan; Heyes, William; Jastrzembski, Edward; Lawrence, David; Abbott, David

2008-01-01

Publish/subscribe message passing is an extremely simple, flexible, and powerful interprocess communication (IPC) paradigm. It is widely used in industry, but not nearly so in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (HENP), perhaps due to the cost of commercial implementations. cMsg, developed at Jefferson Lab in the US, contains a full-featured pub/sub interprocess communication package that is simple to install and use. It is very efficient, and implements both point-to-point and pub/sub communications, server redundancy, hot server failover, and a server discovery service. In addition, for developers cMsg provides a framework within which one can deploy multiple underlying communication packages that do not necessarily need to implement the full pub/sub paradigm. This allows for unification of all communication in a control system under a single API, shortens development time, and allows for simple upgrade or replacement of underlying communication packages and protocols.

The Use of Ibibio Traditional Means of Communication | Okon ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Ibibio are found in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria. With a population of about 4 million speakers living in Akwa Ibom and other states across Nigeria, there are the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria. They Ibibio as a people have several oral traditional means of communication, such as the use of plants, like ...

Estudio de la presencia y uso de redes sociales de las agencias de comunicación que más facturan en España / Study about the social network presence and use of the communication agencies with the largest turnover in Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Rodríguez López

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Las agencias de comunicación son empresas que se mueven en el terreno de las relaciones públicas, la publicidad, la comunicación audiovisual y el periodismo. Estas empresas deberían ser líderes en el uso de las nuevas herramientas de comunicación. En este artículo se han estudiado las agencias de comunicación que más facturan en España para comprobar si, efectivamente, hacen un buen uso de las nuevas tecnologías de la comunicación, especialmente de las redes sociales. Hemos descubierto que las empresas aquí estudiadas deberían tener más actividad en redes sociales y en el mundo online en general. No crean contenidos específicos para sus diferentes redes, consiguen poco feedback por parte de sus seguidores, si bien es cierto que todas tienen perfiles en Facebook, Twitter, además de blogs. / Communication agencies are companies that are in contact with public relations, advertising, media and journalism industries. These companies should be leaders in the use of new communication tools. In this article we will study if the communication agencies with the largest turnover in Spain make a good use of new communication tools, especially social networks. We have discovered these companies should have more activity in social networks and in the online world in general. They do not create specific contents for their different networks and get little feedback of from their followers. However, all of them have a profile on Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

47 CFR 22.857 - Channel plan for commercial aviation air-ground systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... board aircraft. Air-ground systems operating in these frequency bands are referred to in this part as... systems. 22.857 Section 22.857 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Air-Ground Radiotelephone Service Commercial Aviation Air-Ground...

Largest irrigated district in the world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-10-02

The geothermal administration report includes the following: status of transfer of Imperial Valley Environmental Project, status of data cataloging and storage, findings of geothermal field inspections, status of cooperative efforts between industry and the County for commercialization, problems in local geothermal commercialization and recommendations for action, and the status of geothermal exploration development and production in the County. The number and types of applications for geothermal energy received, results of hearings on applications, permits issued, and EIR prepared are discussed. Other geothermal activities include the Department of Energy Region 9 meeting in April, the Department of Energy Direct Heat Developers meeting held in El Centro in April, and a new drilling company in the County. These are followed by the summary of events. (MHR)

Position paper on digital communication in dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, David W

2012-01-01

Digital communication offers advantages and challenges to dental practice. As dentistry becomes comfortable with this technology, it is essential that commercial and other values not be accepted on a par with professional ones and that the traditional dentist-patient relationship not be compromised by inserting third parties that introduce nonprofessional standards. The Officers and Regents of the American College of Dentist have prepared this background and position paper as a guide to the ethical use of digital communication in dental practice.

Acemind new indoor full duplex optical wireless communication prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchet, Olivier; Perrufel, Micheline; Topsu, Suat; Guan, Hongyu

2016-09-01

For over a century and Mr. Guglielmo Marconi invention, systems using radio waves have controlled over wireless telecommunication solutions; from Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio products to satellite communications for instance. But beyond an increasingly negative opinion face to radio waves and radio spectrum availability more and more reduced; there is an unprecedented opportunity with LED installation in displays and lighting to provide optical wireless communication solutions. As a result, technologically mature solutions are already commercially available for services such as Location Based Services (LBS), broadcast diffusion or Intelligent Transport Services (ITS). Pending finalization of the standard review process IEEE 802.15.7 r1, our paper presents the results of the European collaborative project named "ACEMIND". It offers an indoor bilateral optical wireless communication prototype having the following characteristics: use of the existing electrical infrastructure, through judicious combination with Light Fidelity (LiFi), Power Line Communication (PLC) and Ethernet to reduce the implementation cost. We propose a bilateral optical wireless communication even when the light is switched off by using Visible Light Communication (VLC) and Infra-Red Communication (IRC) combined to a remote optical switch. Dimensionally optimized LiFi module is presented in order to offer the possibility for integration inside a laptop. Finally, there is operational mechanism implementation such as OFDM/DMT to increase throughput. After the introduction, we will present the results of a market study from Orange Labs customers about their opinion on LiFi components. Then we will detail the LiFi prototype, from the physical layer aspect to MAC layer before concluding on commercial development prospects.

Communicating A Controversial and Complex Project to the Public: Yucca Mountain Tours - Real and Virtual Communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benson, A.B.; Nelson, P.V.; D'Ouville, M.

2000-01-01

Since 1983, under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.), the U.S. Department of Energy (the Department) has been investigating a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine whether it is suitable for development as the nation's first repository for permanent geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. By far, the largest quantity of waste destined for geologic disposal is spent nuclear fuel from 118 commercial nuclear power reactors at 72 power plant sites and 1 commercial storage site across the United States. Currently, 104 of these reactors are still in operation and generate about 20 percent of the country's electricity. Under standard contracts that DOE executed with the utilities, DOE is to accept spent nuclear fuel from the utilities for disposal. Until that happens, the utilities must safely store their spent nuclear fuel in compliance with Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. As of December 1998, commercial spent nuclear fuel containing approximately 38,500 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) was stored in 33 states. The balance of the waste destined for geologic disposal in a repository is Department-owned spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The Department's spent nuclear fuel includes naval spent nuclear fuel and irradiated fuel from weapons production, domestic research reactors, and foreign research reactors. For disposal in a geologic repository, high-level radioactive waste would be processed into a solid glass form and placed into approximately 20,000 canisters. No liquid or hazardous wastes regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 would be disposed of in a geologic repository. The difficulty in siting new facilities, particularly those designed as nuclear or nuclear-related facilities, is well documented. In this context, national boundaries are not significant distinguishing barriers. As one publication observed, ''Environmental

Communicating A Controversial and Complex Project to the Public: Yucca Mountain Tours - Real and Virtual Communication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A.B. Benson; P.V. Nelson; M. d' Ouville

2000-03-01

Since 1983, under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.), the U.S. Department of Energy (the Department) has been investigating a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine whether it is suitable for development as the nation's first repository for permanent geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. By far, the largest quantity of waste destined for geologic disposal is spent nuclear fuel from 118 commercial nuclear power reactors at 72 power plant sites and 1 commercial storage site across the United States. Currently, 104 of these reactors are still in operation and generate about 20 percent of the country's electricity. Under standard contracts that DOE executed with the utilities, DOE is to accept spent nuclear fuel from the utilities for disposal. Until that happens, the utilities must safely store their spent nuclear fuel in compliance with Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. As of December 1998, commercial spent nuclear fuel containing approximately 38,500 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) was stored in 33 states. The balance of the waste destined for geologic disposal in a repository is Department-owned spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The Department's spent nuclear fuel includes naval spent nuclear fuel and irradiated fuel from weapons production, domestic research reactors, and foreign research reactors. For disposal in a geologic repository, high-level radioactive waste would be processed into a solid glass form and placed into approximately 20,000 canisters. No liquid or hazardous wastes regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 would be disposed of in a geologic repository. The difficulty in siting new facilities, particularly those designed as nuclear or nuclear-related facilities, is well documented. In this context, national boundaries are not significant distinguishing barriers. As one publication observed, &apos

The Commercial Challenges Of Pacs

Science.gov (United States)

Vanden Brink, John A.

1984-08-01

The increasing use of digital imaging techniques create a need for improved methods of digital processing, communication and archiving. However, the commercial opportunity is dependent on the resolution of a number of issues. These issues include proof that digital processes are more cost effective than present techniques, implementation of information system support in the imaging activity, implementation of industry standards, conversion of analog images to digital formats, definition of clinical needs, the implications of the purchase decision and technology requirements. In spite of these obstacles, a market is emerging, served by new and existing companies, that may become a $500 million market (U.S.) by 1990 for equipment and supplies.

Building Earth's Largest Library: Driving into the Future.

Science.gov (United States)

Coffman, Steve

1999-01-01

Examines the Amazon.com online bookstore as a blueprint for designing the world's largest library. Topics include selection; accessibility and convenience; quality of Web sites and search tools; personalized service; library collection development, including interlibrary loan; library catalogs and catalog records; a circulation system; costs;…

Toward sustainable harvesting of Africa's largest medicinal plant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global demand for treating prostate disorders with Prunus africana bark extract has made P. africana Africa's largest medicinal plant export. Unsustainable harvesting practices can lead to local extirpations of this multipurpose tree. Survey research targeting P. africana harvesters in a Tanzania forest reserve revealed that ...

Land remote sensing commercialization: A status report

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, W. P.; Heacock, E. L.

1984-01-01

The current offer by the United States Department of Commerce to transfer the U.S. land remote sensing program to the private sector is described. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued, soliciting offers from U.S. firms to provide a commercial land remote sensing satellite system. Proposals must address a complete system including satellite, communications, and ground data processing systems. Offerors are encouraged to propose to take over the Government LANDSAT system which consists of LANDSAT 4 and LANDSAT D'. Also required in proposals are the market development procedures and plans to ensure that commercialization is feasible and the business will become self-supporting at the earliest possible time. As a matter of Federal Policy, the solicitation is designed to protect both national security and foreign policy considerations. In keeping with these concerns, an offeror must be a U.S. Firm. Requirements for data quality, quantity, distribution and delivery are met by current operational procedures. It is the Government's desire that the Offeror be prepared to develop and operate follow-on systems without Government subsidies. However, to facilitate rapid commercialization, an offeror may elect to include in his proposal mechanisms for short term government financial assistance.

Forum: Communication Activism Pedagogy. Beyond the Charity-Service Paradigm: Building Ethical Platforms for Social Justice Education with Those Most Affected

Science.gov (United States)

Badger, L. N.

2017-01-01

In this forum response essay, the author proposes that the largest challenge "and" benefit of Communication Activism Pedagogy (CAP) is bound up in a small but significant word in Frey and Palmer's (2014) definition of Communication Activism Pedagogy: "with." Working "with oppressed community members" challenges the…

A Mobile Communications Space Link Between the Space Shuttle Orbiter and the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, Patrick; Arndt, G. D.; Bondyopadhyay, P.; Shaw, Roland

1994-01-01

A communications experiment is described as a link between the Space Shuttle Orbiter (SSO) and the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). Breadboarding for this experiment has led to two items with potential for commercial application: a 1-Watt Ka-band amplifier and a Ka-band, circularly polarized microstrip antenna. Results of the hybrid Ka-band amplifier show gain at 30 dB and a saturated output power of 28.5 dBm. A second version comprised of MMIC amplifiers is discussed. Test results of the microstrip antenna subarray show a gain of approximately 13 dB and excellent circular polarization.

Digital communication with fetal monitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozóki, Z

1997-11-01

Fetal heart rate (FHR) values in the averaged format that are provided by commercial computed cardiotocography analysis systems may be unsuitable for special analysis purposes. I developed a communication software program to obtain any measured values of fetal monitors for individual analysis of computed cardiotocography. The software program was used to study the data continuity of beat-to-beat FHR values as an experiment for chaos theory and power spectrum analysis. The results indicated that the signal loss was recognized at a precision of 95%. The described method of digital communication with fetal monitors was found to be useful for individual purposes in the field of computed cardiotocography analysis.

Occurrence of Mycoplasma synoviae on commercial poultry farms of Pernambuco, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mércia R. Barros

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The state of Pernambuco is the largest producer of eggs in the North and Northeast of Brazil and second one in the broiler production. Mycoplasmas are important avian pathogens, which cause respiratory and joint diseases that result in large economic losses. The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS in broilers and commercial laying hens in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Tracheal fragments were analyzed from 55 healthy broilers, 35 broilers with respiratory signs and 30 commercial laying hens with respiratory signs, from 24 commercial poultry farms, each sample was composed of a pool of five birds. The bacteriological exam, PCR and nested PCR were used for the detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS. All samples were negative in bacteriological isolation. In the PCR analyses, seven samples from birds with respiratory signs were positive for MS and one was positive for MG, the latter of which was confirmed as the MG-F vaccine strain. The occurrence of MS in chickens with respiratory signs may indicate inadequate sanitary management on poultry farms, favoring the propagation of mycoplasmosis.

Communication of the popular

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Božilović Nikola

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the problems of the communication of popular culture. It considers the more specialized meaning of popular culture, which primarily encompasses the works of artistic forms which have a popular character - easily understandable and entertaining contents and wide audience. The aesthetic communication of the popular through popular literature, film, pop and rock music is examined. The paper is divided into three parts. The first parts deals with the aesthetics of the communication of popular culture. It contains the analysis of the major formal-aesthetic procedures embedded in the creative expression of the popular. In the part which is dedicated to social aspects of the communication of popular art, the author examines the industrial, market and commercial principles upon which this whole culture is based. It is a time of new technologies and mass consumption, which represent, in the words of Eric Hobsbawm, a 'cultural landscape' that has transformed the manner in which a new audience experiences the artistic. Finally, popular culture stars are observed as communicators. The author adds them as a new, even crucial, link in the already known chain of communication comprising the author, the work and the audience. Stars (film, popular music are active factors of communication as well as its bearers. They are the intermediaries through which the audience establishes relationships with the authors (writers, directors, composers and the works in which those stars appear. Stars as 'new Olympians' (Morin are, indeed, another significant category that distinguishes the communication of popular culture.

78 FR 42701 - Improving Public Safety Communications in the 800 MHz Band

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-17

...] Improving Public Safety Communications in the 800 MHz Band AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION...-901 MHz/935- 940 MHz band (900 MHz B/ILT Band) to allow a qualified entity to file an application for..., manufacturing, energy) to non-commercial (e.g., clerical, educational, philanthropic, medical). In 2004, the...

Kabob report. Pt. 3. Chevron plant largest in Canada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1971-01-18

Canada's largest fully integrated primary natural- gas processing and sulfur recovery plant is heading for physical completion by mid-summer of 1971. The Ralph M. Parsons Construction Co. of Canada Ltd., contractor for the S. Kaybob Beaverhill Lake Unit No. 3 gas-processing plant, to be operated by Chevron Standard Ltd., estimates completion by June 30. After that the $80 million complex will have tests and running in time. With any reasonable luck, it should be fully on stream by late summer. Preliminary construction on the 200-acre site started in Jan. 1969 with clearing and contouring of the main plant and sulfur storage sites. Initial rough grading started in the early summer, after spring breakup was over. Delivery of most of the big items was made by rail because the local secondary roads were inadequate for them. Concrete has been a large item. The contractor has its own batch plant on the site for the estimated 28,000 cu yd which will be needed for the whole job. Dominating the construction site from the start has been the high sulfur plant stack, first of the major items to be finished. It will serve to dispose of effluent from the largest sulfur recovery unit in Canada. It is 465 ft high, one of the largest in Alberta, and a significant contribution to pollution control and environmental protection.

Ad-hoc networking towards seamless communications

CERN Document Server

Gavrilovska, Liljana

2006-01-01

Ad-Hoc Networking Towards Seamless Communications is dedicated to an area that attracts growing interest in academia and industry and concentrates on wireless ad hoc networking paradigm. The persistent efforts to acquire the ability to establish dynamic wireless connections from anywhere to anyone with any device without prerequisite imbedded infrastructure move the communications boundaries towards ad-hoc networks. Recently, ad hoc networking has attracted growing interest due to advances in wireless communications, and developed framework for running IP based protocols. The expected degree of penetration of these networks will depend on the successful resolution of the key features. Ad-hoc networks pose many complex and open problems for researchers. Ad-Hoc Networking Towards Seamless Communications reveals the state-of-the-art in wireless ad-hoc networking and discusses some of the key research topics that are expected to promote and accelerate the commercial applications of these networks (e.g., MAC, rout...

Secure electronic commerce communication system based on CA

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Deyun; Zhang, Junfeng; Pei, Shujun

2001-07-01

In this paper, we introduce the situation of electronic commercial security, then we analyze the working process and security for SSL protocol. At last, we propose a secure electronic commerce communication system based on CA. The system provide secure services such as encryption, integer, peer authentication and non-repudiation for application layer communication software of browser clients' and web server. The system can implement automatic allocation and united management of key through setting up the CA in the network.

Energy Flexibility of The Commercial Greenhouse Growers, The Potential and Benefits of Participating in The Electricity Market

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Zheng; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2018-01-01

Commercial greenhouses can provide energy flexibility with artificial lighting usage and information and communications technology support. Therefore, commercial greenhouse growers can potentially play an important role in the electricity market as a flexibility service provider....... With the application of a climate control software- DynaLight NG, this paper takes Danish commercial growers and the Nordic electricity regulating market as an example, to investigate the market potential with two business models: 1) commercial greenhouse growers directly participate in the regulating market, 2......) to reduce balance responsible parties’ imbalance errors. Two calculations are formulated to evaluate the monetary benefits for the commercial greenhouse growers’ participation in the two business models. The results show that: 1) one big commercial greenhouse grower might get around 55,000 DKK...

Short communication: Microbial quality of raw milk following commercial long-distance hauling.

Science.gov (United States)

Darchuk, Emily M; Meunier-Goddik, Lisbeth; Waite-Cusic, Joy

2015-12-01

Hauling is a critical part of the commercial milk supply chain, yet very few studies have aimed to understand its effect on raw milk quality. This study focused on the effect of extended-duration tanker use during hauling on raw milk quality at a commercial facility. Standard tanker use [cleaned-in-place (CIP) once per 24h] served as a control and an incremental between-load water rinse with sanitizer treatment (RS) was evaluated to mitigate any effect from extended duration hauling. During this study, 1 commercial truck with 2 trailers was monitored for 10d. The truck collected milk at a large dairy farm, transported the milk to a manufacturing facility, and then returned to the same farm for a second load. Each round-trip journey took between 10 and 12h, allowing for 2 loads per 24-h use period. Following the second delivery, the truck was cleaned by CIP treatment starting a new treatment day. Producer samples were collected from the raw milk bulk tank on the farm before loading milk into the tanker. The same milk was sampled directly out of the tanker truck before unloading at the manufacturer. Effect on individual bacteria count, thermophilic spore count, and preliminary incubation count was quantified through common industry tests. Surface sponge swabs were also used to monitor tanker sanitation and the efficacy of cleaning treatments. Results did not identify a negative effect on raw milk quality due to extended duration hauling. Whereas the addition of RS did not provide any measurable quality benefits for the microbial milk quality, swab results demonstrated that the RS treatment was able to reduce surface bacteria in the tanker, although not to the same level as the full CIP treatment. Based on this study, current CIP practices for long distance milk hauling appear to be effective in mitigating any measurable effect on raw milk quality. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fundamental matters on radiation risk communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinohara, Kunihiko; Nagai, Hiroyuki; Yonezawa, Rika; Ohuchi, Hiroko; Chikamoto, Kazuhiko; Taniguchi, Kazufumi; Morimoto, Eriko

2009-01-01

In the field of atomic energy and radiation utilization, radiation risk is considered as one of the social uneasy factors. About the perception of risks, there is a gap between experts and general public (non-experts). It is said that the general public tends to be going to judge risk from intuitive fear and a visible concrete instance whereas the experts judge it scientifically. A company, an administration or experts should disclose relating information about the risks and communicate interactively with the stakeholders to find the way to solve the problem with thinking together. This process is called 'risk communication'. The role of the expert is important on enforcement of risk communication. They should be required to explain the information on the risks with plain words to help stakeholders understand the risks properly. The Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS) is the largest academic society for radiation protection professionals in Japan, and one of its missions is supposed to convey accurate and trustworthy information about the radiation risk to the general public. The expert group on risk communication of ionizing radiation of the JHPS has worked for the purpose of summarizing the fundamental matters on radiation risk communication. 'Lecture on risk communication for the members of the JHPS.' which has been up on the JHPS web-site, and the symposium of 'For better understanding of radiation risk.' are a part of the activities. The expert group proposes that the JHPS should enlighten the members continuously for being interested in and practicing risk communication of radiation. (author)

Modular, Cost-Effective, Extensible Avionics Architecture for Secure, Mobile Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Ivancic, William D.

2007-01-01

Current onboard communication architectures are based upon an all-in-one communications management unit. This unit and associated radio systems has regularly been designed as a one-off, proprietary system. As such, it lacks flexibility and cannot adapt easily to new technology, new communication protocols, and new communication links. This paper describes the current avionics communication architecture and provides a historical perspective of the evolution of this system. A new onboard architecture is proposed that allows full use of commercial-off-the-shelf technologies to be integrated in a modular approach thereby enabling a flexible, cost-effective and fully deployable design that can take advantage of ongoing advances in the computer, cryptography, and telecommunications industries.

Upgrade and modernization of the six largest HPPs in Macedonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadzievska, M.

2002-01-01

In 1998, Electric Power Company of Macedonia and the International Bank for Development and Reconstruction, started the Power System Improvement Project a part of which is the Project for rehabilitation of the six largest Hydro Power Plants (HPPs) in the Republic of Macedonia. The six largest Hydro Power Plants (HPP Vrutok, HPP Raven, HPP Globocica, HPP Tikves and HPP Spilje and HPP Vrben) represent 91% of the country's hydropower capacity. The rehabilitation program is divided in five parts (contracts) and covers the refurbishment of: turbine runners, turbine and generator bearings, governors, inlet valves; butterfly valves, including accessories and control systems; generators, excitation system and voltage regulation; control system, protection and LV auxiliaries; switch gears and control gears in 220 kV, 110 kV and 35 kV substations. At the moment, only the implementation of switch gears has started, the first phase is already finished, and 50 % of the rehabilitation works for HPP Vrutok, the largest HPP, has been finished. With the realization of this project, greater hydropower production is expected. It also expected that HPPs will become a more vital part of the Macedonian power system

Genetic Algorithm Design And Testing of a Random Element 3-D 2.4 Ghz Phased Array Transmit Antenna Constructed of Commercial Rf Microchips

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Esswein, Lance

2003-01-01

..., development and evaluation of a test-bed array. The test-bed array was constructed of commercially available components, including a unique and innovative application of a quadrature modulator microchip used in commercial communications applications...

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DETERMINANTS OF COMMERCIAL BANKS PROFITABILITY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM BULGARIA AND ROMANIA

OpenAIRE

FIRTESCU BOGDAN; Angela ROMAN

2015-01-01

Our study focuses on commercial banks which are operating in Bulgaria and Romania, two countries whose banking sectors have registered major structural changes in the transition to a market economy and which are showing some similarities. Similar to other EU countries, the financial system from Bulgaria and Romania is dominated by the banking sector, which holds the largest share of total assets. Thus, we can say that health, strength and performance of the banking sector are of major importa...

Mixed stock analysis of Lake Michigan's Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis commercial fishery

Science.gov (United States)

Andvik, Ryan; Sloss, Brian L.; VanDeHey, Justin A.; Claramunt, Randall M.; Hansen, Scott P.; Isermann, Daniel A.

2016-01-01

Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) support the primary commercial fishery in Lake Michigan. Discrete genetic stocks of lake whitefish have been identified and tagging data suggest stocks are mixed throughout much of the year. Our objectives were to determine if (1) differential stock harvest occurs in the commercial catch, (2) spatial differences in genetic composition of harvested fish were present, and (3) seasonal differences were present in the harvest by commercial fisheries that operate in management zones WI-2 and WFM-01 (Green Bay, Lake Michigan). Mixed stock analysis was conducted on 17 commercial harvest samples (n = 78–145/sample) collected from various ports lake-wide during 2009–2010. Results showed significant mixing with variability in stock composition across most samples. Samples consisted of two to four genetic stocks each accounting for ≥ 10% the catch. In 10 of 17 samples, the stock contributing the largest proportion made up differences existed in the proportional stock contribution at a single capture location. Samples from Wisconsin's primary commercial fishing management zone (WI-2) were composed predominately of fish from the Big Bay de Noc (Michigan) stock as opposed to the geographically proximate, North–Moonlight Bay (Wisconsin) stock. These findings have implications for management and allocation of fish to various quotas. Specifically, geographic location of harvest, the current means of allocating harvest quotas, is not the best predictor of genetic stock harvest.

Taking the Politics Out of Satellite and Space-Based Communications Protocols

Science.gov (United States)

Ivancic, William D.

2006-01-01

After many years of studies, experimentation, and deployment, large amounts of misinformation and misconceptions remain regarding applicability of various communications protocols for use in satellite and space-based networks. This paper attempts to remove much of the politics, misconceptions, and misinformation that have plagued spacebased communications protocol development and deployment. This paper provides a common vocabulary for communications; a general discussion of the requirements for various communication environments; an evaluation of tradeoffs between circuit and packet-switching technologies, and the pros and cons of various link, network, transport, application, and security protocols. Included is the applicability of protocol enhancing proxies to NASA, Department of Defense (DOD), and commercial space communication systems.

High power communication satellites power systems study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josloff, A.T.; Peterson, J.R.

1994-01-01

This paper discusses a DOE-funded study to evaluate the commercial attractiveness of high power communication satellites and assesses the attributes of both conventional photovoltaic and reactor power systems. This study brings together a preeminent US Industry/Russian team to cooperate on the role of high power communication satellites in the rapidly expanding communications revolution. These high power satellites play a vital role in assuring availability of universally accessible, wide bandwidth communications, for high definition TV, super computer networks and other services. Satellites are ideally suited to provide the wide bandwidths and data rates required and are unique in the ability to provide services directly to the users. As new or relocated markets arise, satellites offer a flexibility that conventional distribution services cannot match, and it is no longer necessary to be near population centers to take advantage of the telecommunication revolution. The geopolitical implications of these substantially enhanced communications capabilities will be significant

Libraries and the future of scholarly communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Sperr, Edwin V

2006-11-07

Changes in the structure of commercial scholarly publishing have led to spiraling subscription prices. This has resulted in a "serials crisis" that has eroded library budgets and threatened the system of scientific communication. Open access represents one possible solution, and librarians are working to help make it a reality.

Winning community support through proactive communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zelmer, R.L.; Stickley, S.; Gerestein, B.

2006-01-01

For over 20 years the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO) has conducted remedial projects in communities across Canada. Through experience in the various social climates of Canadian communities, the LLRWMO has learned that community involvement and communications are integral to a project's overall success. The Port Hope Area Initiative is the largest project ever undertaken by the LLRWMO and all the proactive communications and consultation lessons learned from other projects have been applied in the Port Hope and Port Granby communities. The relationship of trust and credibility built over 20 years of LLRWMO operations in Port Hope provides a firm foundation for moving forward with the cleanup and long-term safe management of approximately two million cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste and contaminated soil in the Port Hope and Port Granby communities. (author)

World's third-largest producer of nuclear power. Japan in need of energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2008-01-01

Japan is the third largest oil consumer in the world behind the United States and China, and the second largest net importer of oil. Japan boasts one of the largest economies in the world. The country continues to experience a moderate economic recovery that began in 2003, following a decade of economic stagnation. Japan's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.5% in 2005 and 2.3% in 2004. The modest upturn over the last few years reflects higher business confidence in Japan, a surge in export demand led by exports to China, and robust consumer spending. Unemployment in Japan fell to 4.4% in 2005, down from an early 2003 peak of 5.5%. Japan has virtually no domestic oil or natural gas reserves, and in 2005 was the second largest net importer of crude oil in the world. Despite the country's dearth of hydrocarbon resources, Japanese companies have actively pursued upstream oil and natural gas projects overseas. Japan remains one of the major exporters of energy-sector capital equipment, and Japanese companies provide engineering, construction, and project management services for energy projects. (orig.)

Overview of NASA Glenn Aero/Mobile Communications Demonstrations

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, David; Hoder, Doug; Wilkins, Ryan

2004-01-01

The Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field (GRC) has been involved with several other NASA field centers on various networking and RF communications demonstrations and experiments since 1998. These collaborative experiments investigated communications technologies new to aviation, such as wideband Ku satcom, L-band narrowband satcom, and IP (Internet Protocol), using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components These technologies can be used to distribute weather and hazard data, air traffic management and airline fleet management information, and passenger cabin Internet service.

Overview of NASA Glenn Aero/Mobile Communication Demonstrations

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, David; Hoder, Doug; Wilkins, Ryan

2004-01-01

The Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field (GRC) has been involved with several other NASA field centers on various networking and RF communications demonstrations and experiments since 1998. These collaborative experiments investigated communications technologies new to aviation, such as wideband Ku satcom, L-band narrowband satcom, and IP (Internet Protocol), using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components These technologies can be used to distribute weather and hazard data, air traffic management and airline fleet management information, and passenger cabin Internet service.

Assessment of microcystins in lake water and fish (Mugilidae, Liza sp.) in the largest Spanish coastal lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Romo, Susana; Fernández, Francisca; Ouahid, Youness; Barón-Sola, Ángel

2012-01-01

Cyanobacteria dominance and cyanotoxin production can become major threats to humans and aquatic life, especially in warm shallow lakes, which are often dominated by cyanobacteria. This study investigates the occurrence and distribution of microcystins (MCYST) in water, cell-bound and in the tissues of the commercial mugilid Liza sp. in the largest, coastal, Spanish Mediterranean lake (Albufera of Valencia). This is the first report concerning microcystin accumulation in tissues of mugilid fish species. Considerable amounts of microcystins were found in the water and seston, which correlated with development of Microcystis aeruginosa populations in the lake. The MCYST concentrations found in Lake Albufera (mean 1.7 and 17 μg/L and maximum 16 and 120 μg/L in water and seston, respectively) exceeded by one to two orders of magnitude the guideline levels proposed by the World Health Organization and were higher than that reported in other lakes of the Mediterranean zone. The presence of MCYST was found in all the fishes studied and accumulated differently among tissues of the commercial species Liza sp. Toxin accumulation in fish tissues showed that although the target organ for MCYST was the liver, high concentrations of microcystins were also found in other analysed tissues (liver>intestine>gills>muscle). Human tolerable daily intake for microcystins is assessed relative to the WHO guidelines, and potential toxicological risks for humans, wildlife and related ecosystems of the lake are discussed.

Space weather effects on communications

Science.gov (United States)

Lanzerotti, Louis J.

In the 150 years since the advent of the first electrical communication system - the electrical telegraph - the diversity of communications technologies that are embedded within space-affected environments have vastly increased. The increasing sophistication of these communications technologies, and how their installation and operations may relate to the environments in which they are embedded, requires ever more sophisticated understanding of natural physical phenomena. At the same time, the business environment for most present-day communications technologies that are affected by space phenomena is very dynamic. The commercial and national security deployment and use of these technologies do not wait for optimum knowledge of possible environmental effects to be acquired before new technological embodiments are created, implemented, and marketed. Indeed, those companies that might foolishly seek perfectionist understanding of natural effects can be left behind by the marketplace. A well-considered balance is needed between seeking ever deeper understanding of physical phenomena and implementing `engineering' solutions to current crises. The research community must try to understand, and operate in, this dynamic environment.

2.3 Gbit/s underwater wireless optical communications using directly modulated 520 nm laser diode

KAUST Repository

Oubei, Hassan M.; Li, Changping; Park, Kihong; Ng, Tien Khee; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Ooi, Boon S.

2015-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate a record high-speed underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) over 7 m distance using on-off keying non-return-to-zero (OOK-NRZ) modulation scheme. The communication link uses a commercial TO-9 packaged pigtailed

Quantification of crew workload imposed by communications-related tasks in commercial transport aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Acton, W. H.; Crabtree, M. S.; Simons, J. C.; Gomer, F. E.; Eckel, J. S.

1983-01-01

Information theoretic analysis and subjective paired-comparison and task ranking techniques were employed in order to scale the workload of 20 communications-related tasks frequently performed by the captain and first officer of transport category aircraft. Tasks were drawn from taped conversations between aircraft and air traffic controllers (ATC). Twenty crewmembers performed subjective message comparisons and task rankings on the basis of workload. Information theoretic results indicated a broad range of task difficulty levels, and substantial differences between captain and first officer workload levels. Preliminary subjective data tended to corroborate these results. A hybrid scale reflecting the results of both the analytical and the subjective techniques is currently being developed. The findings will be used to select representative sets of communications for use in high fidelity simulation.

NAFTA: The World's Largest Trading Zone Turns 20

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrarini, Tawni Hunt; Day, Stephen

2014-01-01

Everyone under the age of 20 who has grown up in North America has lived in the common market created by NAFTA--the North American Free Trade Agreement. In a zone linking the United States, Canada, and Mexico, most goods and investments flow freely across borders to users, consumers, and investors. In 1994, NAFTA created the largest relatively…

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Requirements for Military and Commercial Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

2009-09-01

Commercial off-the shelf (COTS) use also provides access to what has become a much larger industrial base. With these goals in mind, the Secretary of...in 1999 by the UFO satellites. Additional protected satellite systems include the MILSTAR and Air Force Satellite Communications (AFSATCOM) systems...to what has become a much larger industrial base. With these goals in mind, the Secretary of Defense issued a directive in June 1994 requiring the

Lessons for public health campaigns from analysing commercial food marketing success factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; JA Perez-Cueto, Federico; Niedzwiedzka, Barbara

2012-01-01

Background: Commercial food marketing has considerably shaped consumer food choice behaviour. Meanwhile, public health campaigns for healthier eating have had limited impact to date. Social marketing suggests that successful commercial food marketing campaigns can provide useful lessons for public...... sector activities. The aim of the present study was to empirically identify food marketing success factors that, using the social marketing approach, could help improve public health campaigns to promote healthy eating. Methods: In this case-study analysis, 27 recent and successful commercial food...... in the communication related to the food. Visual as well as written material was gathered, complemented by semi-structured interviews with 12 food market trend experts and 19 representatives of food companies and advertising agencies. Success factors were identified by a group of experts who reached consensus through...

78 FR 73552 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-06

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory Council. The meeting will be open to the public as.... The grant applications and the discussions could disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial...

Public Communication Strategies for Public Engagement with RFT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H. S.; Jo, S. K.; Choi, J. M.

2008-12-01

Developing effective communication strategies of inform the public about Radiation Technology is critical for the successful commercialization and future development of the technology. Our experimental study examined the effect of two technology-engagement styles developed according to PEP/IS model and knowledge/attitude-deficiency model.

THROUGH-THE-EARTH (TTE) COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND THE IN-MINE POWER LINE (IMPL) COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zvi H. Meiksin

2002-01-01

Work has progressed on both subsystems: the Through-the-Earth (TTE) Communications system and the In-Mine Power Line (IMPL) Communications system. The TTE system: The system was fabricated and repackaged as an industrial product enclosed in a commercial rugged, waterproof housing suitable for installation in mines. Features were added to the system to appeal to the preferences of different mine managers. Arrangements were made with NIOSH to install the system in the Lake Lynn underground mine for evaluation and demonstration to potential users. The IMPL system: Voice compression was successfully implemented and incorporated into the laboratory model. Compressed voice was transmitted through a power line, expanded at the receiving end, and received with high clarity

The Environmental Responsibility of the World’s Largest Banks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryszawska Bożena

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Sustainability transition is changing the role and function of banks, specially their products and services also in relation to stakeholders. Banks are one of the main actors supporting the transition to sustainable economy. The purpose of this study is to emphasise the role of world’s largest banks in that process. Banks are slowly responding to the new demand of sustainability and responsibility, and they try to align with it. The paper is based on an overview of the world’s five largest banks that employ corporate social responsibility (CSR reporting standards, together with detailed enumeration of pro-environmental activities included in the reports. The first section of this paper presents the most popular approaches to the problem at hand, as reported in professional literature. Section two presents the characteristics of the CSR actions in banks. The third section discusses the environmental actions of the biggest banks in Global Reporting Initiative (GRI reporting the most popular standard for reporting non-financial information. And the last part of the paper presents the conclusions resulting from the article. The research was conducted using a variety of sources, such as scientific articles, statistical data, CSR reports of the world’s largest banks, as well reporting principles and standard disclosures. The basic method used in the process of writing was a critical analysis of literature and reports concerning the CSR reporting standards, environmental responsibilities of different kinds of entities, as well as own observations based on special reports of banks. In the article, also the analysis of financial market data, induction method and comparison method have been used. The main conclusions of the analysis of the CSR reports disclosed by the world’s largest banks confirm all three of the theses presented in the article. The findings suggest that the banks under study can be regarded as environmentally responsible

Shippingport station communications program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stote, J.J.

1988-01-01

The author discusses how the communications program for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station has a long history. It can be traced as far back as 1953, when the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) awarded a contract to Westinghouse Electric to design the nuclear portion of a power plant for electric utility use. During May of the next year, President Eisenhower initiated groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of the commercial atomic power plant at Shippingport, Pennsylvania

ESA's satellite communications programme

Science.gov (United States)

Bartholome, P.

1985-02-01

The developmental history, current status, and future plans of the ESA satellite-communications programs are discussed in a general survey and illustrated with network diagrams and maps. Consideration is given to the parallel development of national and European direct-broadcast systems and telecommunications networks, the position of the European space and electronics industries in the growing world market, the impact of technological improvements (both in satellite systems and in ground-based networks), and the technological and commercial advantages of integrated space-terrestrial networks. The needs for a European definition of the precise national and international roles of satellite communications, for maximum speed in implementing such decisions (before the technology becomes obsolete), and for increased cooperation and standardization to assure European equipment manufacturers a reasonable share of the market are stressed.

Mobile satellite service communications tests using a NASA satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Katherine H.; Koschmeder, Louis A.; Hollansworth, James E.; ONeill, Jack; Jones, Robert E.; Gibbons, Richard C.

1995-01-01

Emerging applications of commercial mobile satellite communications include satellite delivery of compact disc (CD) quality radio to car drivers who can select their favorite programming as they drive any distance; transmission of current air traffic data to aircraft; and handheld communication of data and images from any remote corner of the world. Experiments with the enabling technologies and tests and demonstrations of these concepts are being conducted before the first satellite is launched by utilizing an existing NASA spacecraft.

Designing Communication Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løvlie, Anders Sundnes

2016-01-01

Innovating in the field of new media genres requires methods for producing designs that can succeed in being disseminated and used outside of design research labs. This article uses the author's experiences with the development of university courses in communication design to address the research...... question: How can we design courses to give students the competencies they need to work as designers of new media? Based on existing approaches from UX design and other fields, I present a model that has demonstrated its usefulness in the development of commercial products and services. The model...

78 FR 66946 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-07

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Special Emphasis Panel; Hearing Clinical Trial Review. Date...

77 FR 50705 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-22

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Special Emphasis Panel, NIDCD P30 Review Meeting. Date...

75 FR 33817 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-15

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Special Emphasis Panel, Translational PAR. Date: July 8, 2010...

77 FR 5036 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Special Emphasis Panel; Affordable Hearing. Date: February 14...

77 FR 5032 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal... constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Name of Committee: Communication Disorders...

Commercialization of genetic research and its impact on the communication of results.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardinal, G

1999-01-01

Canada has recently seen significant commercial growth in biotechnology; at the same time we have witnessed a considerable reduction in public funding for research. One result is the development of partnerships between academic institutions and industry, which has had important effects on the relationships between researchers, companies, research subjects and society, particularly in the field of genetics. Commercialization of research creates obstacles to the diffusion of research results which is fundamental to the advancement of science. Several recent studies and cases, which are briefly reviewed here, have highlighted these problems. In this paper, the author examines clauses in research contracts in order to analyze and categorize the types of provisions these contracts may contain regarding publication and disclosure of research results. She then discusses the relationships between various actors in genetic research and the issues and conflicts that may arise. Finally, an examination of some recently developed policies in this area reveals the complex network of norms to which a researcher must adhere. The normative framework must take into account the interests of all the various actors, should apply to the broadest possible population, and its various parts must be consistent. Researchers must then be vigilant that they do not enter into contracts which conflict with their rights and obligations regarding publication and dissemination of results.

Statistics of the largest sunspot and facular areas per solar cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willis, D.M.; Kabasakal Tulunay, Y.

1979-01-01

The statistics of extreme values is used to investigate the statistical properties of the largest areas sunspots and photospheric faculae per solar cycle. The largest values of the synodic-solar-rotation mean areas of umbrae, whole spots and faculae, which have been recorded for nine solar cycles, are each shown to comply with the general form of the extreme value probability function. Empirical expressions are derived for the three extreme value populations from which the characteristic statistical parameters, namely the mode, median, mean and standard deviation, can be calculated for each population. These three extreme value populations are also used to find the expected ranges of the extreme areas in a group of solar cycles as a function of the number of cycles in the group. The extreme areas of umbrae and whole spots have a dispersion comparable to that found by Siscoe for the extreme values of sunspot number, whereas the extreme areas of faculae have a smaller dispersion which is comparable to that found by Siscoe for the largest geomagnetic storm per solar cycle. The expected range of the largest sunspot area per solar cycle for a group of one hundred cycles appears to be inconsistent with the existence of the prolonged periods of sunspot minima that have been inferred from the historical information on solar variability. This inconsistency supports the contention that there are temporal changes of solar-cycle statistics during protracted periods of sunspot minima (or maxima). Indeed, without such temporal changes, photospheric faculae should have been continually observable throughout the lifetime of the Sun. (orig.)

Fishing down the largest coral reef fish species.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenner, Douglas

2014-07-15

Studies on remote, uninhabited, near-pristine reefs have revealed surprisingly large populations of large reef fish. Locations such as the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, northern Marianas Islands, Line Islands, U.S. remote Pacific Islands, Cocos-Keeling Atoll and Chagos archipelago have much higher reef fish biomass than islands and reefs near people. Much of the high biomass of most remote reef fish communities lies in the largest species, such as sharks, bumphead parrots, giant trevally, and humphead wrasse. Some, such as sharks and giant trevally, are apex predators, but others such as bumphead parrots and humphead wrasse, are not. At many locations, decreases in large reef fish species have been attributed to fishing. Fishing is well known to remove the largest fish first, and a quantitative measure of vulnerability to fishing indicates that large reef fish species are much more vulnerable to fishing than small fish. The removal of large reef fish by fishing parallels the extinction of terrestrial megafauna by early humans. However large reef fish have great value for various ecological roles and for reef tourism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kitchen Appliance Upgrades Improve Water Efficiency at DOD Exchange Facilities: Best Management Practice Case Study #11: Commercial Kitchen Equipment (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-09-01

The Exchange, formerly the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), is a joint military activity and the U.S. Department of Defense?s (DOD) oldest and largest retailer. The Exchange is taking a leadership role in water efficiency improvements in their commercial kitchens by integrating water efficiency concepts into the organization?s overall sustainability plan and objectives.

Available data sources for monitoring non-communicable diseases and their risk factors in South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wandai, M.; Aagaard-Hansen, Jens; Day, C.

2017-01-01

Background. Health information systems for monitoring chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Africa (SA) are relatively less advanced than those for infectious diseases (particularly tuberculosis and HIV) and for maternal and child health. NCDs are now the largest cause of premature mo...

The Multivariate Largest Lyapunov Exponent as an Age-Related Metric of Quiet Standing Balance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The largest Lyapunov exponent has been researched as a metric of the balance ability during human quiet standing. However, the sensitivity and accuracy of this measurement method are not good enough for clinical use. The present research proposes a metric of the human body’s standing balance ability based on the multivariate largest Lyapunov exponent which can quantify the human standing balance. The dynamic multivariate time series of ankle, knee, and hip were measured by multiple electrical goniometers. Thirty-six normal people of different ages participated in the test. With acquired data, the multivariate largest Lyapunov exponent was calculated. Finally, the results of the proposed approach were analysed and compared with the traditional method, for which the largest Lyapunov exponent and power spectral density from the centre of pressure were also calculated. The following conclusions can be obtained. The multivariate largest Lyapunov exponent has a higher degree of differentiation in differentiating balance in eyes-closed conditions. The MLLE value reflects the overall coordination between multisegment movements. Individuals of different ages can be distinguished by their MLLE values. The standing stability of human is reduced with the increment of age.

Crash testing the largest experiment on Earth

OpenAIRE

Cauchi, Marija

2015-01-01

Under Europe lies a 27 km tunnel that is both the coldest and hottest place on Earth. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has already found out what gives mass to all the matter in the Universe. It is now trying to go even deeper into what makes up everything we see around us. Dr Marija Cauchi writes about her research that helped protect this atom smasher from itself. Photography by Jean Claude Vancell. http://www.um.edu.mt/think/crash-testing-the-largest-experiment-on-earth/

The Communication Patterns of Chinese Students with Their Lecturers in an Australian University

Science.gov (United States)

Ai, Bin

2017-01-01

Chinese students are now the largest group of international students in the Australian higher education sector. The patterns of Chinese communication and education affect the ways that Chinese students engage with their lecturers and manage their learning relationships. A case study of these patterns provides a small window through which to…

California commercial building energy benchmarking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinney, Satkartar; Piette, Mary Ann

2003-07-01

Building energy benchmarking is the comparison of whole-building energy use relative to a set of similar buildings. It provides a useful starting point for individual energy audits and for targeting buildings for energy-saving measures in multiple-site audits. Benchmarking is of interest and practical use to a number of groups. Energy service companies and performance contractors communicate energy savings potential with ''typical'' and ''best-practice'' benchmarks while control companies and utilities can provide direct tracking of energy use and combine data from multiple buildings. Benchmarking is also useful in the design stage of a new building or retrofit to determine if a design is relatively efficient. Energy managers and building owners have an ongoing interest in comparing energy performance to others. Large corporations, schools, and government agencies with numerous facilities also use benchmarking methods to compare their buildings to each other. The primary goal of Task 2.1.1 Web-based Benchmarking was the development of a web-based benchmarking tool, dubbed Cal-Arch, for benchmarking energy use in California commercial buildings. While there were several other benchmarking tools available to California consumers prior to the development of Cal-Arch, there were none that were based solely on California data. Most available benchmarking information, including the Energy Star performance rating, were developed using DOE's Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), which does not provide state-level data. Each database and tool has advantages as well as limitations, such as the number of buildings and the coverage by type, climate regions and end uses. There is considerable commercial interest in benchmarking because it provides an inexpensive method of screening buildings for tune-ups and retrofits. However, private companies who collect and manage consumption data are concerned that the

Implementation of the Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research Commercialization Pilot Program: Recent Experience and International Lessons

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-25

disadvantaged persons in technological innovation, and 4. increase private-sector commercialization derived from federal R&D. (p. 1) The forth...transition from Phase II through Phase III; third, an incentive that SBIR firms help meet the requirement to work with small, disadvantaged businesses...needed to ensure the UK retains its ranking as the world’s second largest aerospace economy in an increasingly globalised and competitive market

A Case Study of the Impediments to the Commercialization of Research at the University of Kentucky.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderford, Nathan L; Marcinkowski, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

The commercialization of university-based research occurs to varying degrees between academic institutions. Previous studies have found that multiple barriers can impede the effectiveness and efficiency by which academic research is commercialized. This case study was designed to analyze the status of the commercialization activity at the University of Kentucky via a survey and interview with a successful academic entrepreneur in order to determine the impediments the individual perceived during the commercialization process. The study also garnered insight from the individual as to how the commercialization process could be improved. Issues with infrastructure were highlighted as the most significant barrier faced by the individual. The research subject also suggested that commercialization activity may generally increase if a number of factors were mitigated. Such insight can be communicated to the administrative leadership of the commercialization process at the University of Kentucky. Long term, improving university-based research commercialization will allow academic researchers to be more active and successful entrepreneurs such that intellectual property will progress more freely to the marketplace for the benefit of inventors, universities, and society.

Design requirements of communication architecture of SMART safety system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, H. Y.; Kim, D. H.; Sin, Y. C.; Lee, J. Y.

2001-01-01

To develop the communication network architecture of safety system of SMART, the evaluation elements for reliability and performance factors are extracted from commercial networks and classified the required-level by importance. A predictable determinacy, status and fixed based architecture, separation and isolation from other systems, high reliability, verification and validation are introduced as the essential requirements of safety system communication network. Based on the suggested requirements, optical cable, star topology, synchronous transmission, point-to-point physical link, connection-oriented logical link, MAC (medium access control) with fixed allocation are selected as the design elements. The proposed architecture will be applied as basic communication network architecture of SMART safety system

Using Video Games to Develop Communication Skills in Higher Education

OpenAIRE

Barr, Matthew

2016-01-01

Employers are increasingly concerned that university graduates possess the transferable skills – sometimes termed ‘graduate attributes’ (Barrie, 2006) – necessary to succeed in the workplace. Prominent among these skills are those which relate to communication; however, not all higher education courses are designed explicitly to teach or develop such skills. Many commercial video games, on the other hand, require players to communicate in order to succeed, particularly in an era of increasing...

75 FR 51279 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-19

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Special Emphasis Panel, R24 RFA. Date: September 16, 2010. Time...

75 FR 33818 - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-15

... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... disclose confidential trade secrets or commercial property such as patentable material, and personal... Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Special Emphasis Panel; VSL--SEP Review. Date: June 14, 2010...

Active Metamaterials for Terahertz Communication and Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Rout, Saroj

In recent years there has been significant interest in terahertz (THz) systems mostly due to their unique applications in communication and imaging. One of the primary reason for this resurgence is the use of metamaterials to design THz devices due to lack of natural materials that can respond to this electromagnetic spectrum, the so-called ''THz gap''. Even after years of intense research, THz systems are complex and expensive, unsuitable for mainstream applications. This work focuses on bridging this gap by building all solid-state THz devices for imaging and communication applications in a commercial integrated circuit (IC) technology. One such canonical device is a THz wave modulator that can be used in THz wireless communication devices and as spatial light modulator (SLM) for THz imaging systems. The key contribution of this thesis is a metamaterial based THz wave modulator fabricated in a commercial gallium arsenide (GaAs) process resonant at 0.46 THz using a novel approach of embedding pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors (pHEMTs) in metamaterial and demonstrate modulation values over 30%, and THz modulation at frequencies up to 10 MHz. Using the THz wave modulator, we fabricated and experimentally demonstrated an all solid-state metamaterial based THz spatial light modulator (SLM) as a 2x2 pixel array operating around 0.46 THz, by raster scanning an occluded metal object in polystyrene using a single-pixel imaging setup. This was an important step towards building an low-voltage (1V), low power, on-chip integrable THz imaging device. Using the characterization result from the THz SLM, we computationally demonstrated a multi-level amplitude shift keying (ASK) terahertz wireless communication system using spatial light modulation instead of traditional voltage mode modulation, achieving higher spectral efficiency for high speed communication. We show two orders of magnitude improvement in symbol error rate (SER) for a degradation of 20 dB in

Regulation of Communication Policy of Modern Banks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ketova Natalia, P.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper shows the need for effective communication commercial banks, revealed the possibility of interaction with customers through advertising, sponsorship, philanthropy, sales promotion, lobbying of interests of banking institutions. The principles for the regulation of communications to ensure consistency of communication complex, which cause a complex effect on the external environment, the creation of adaptive system of marketing communications. It is proved that the possibilities of implementing an active communication policy of modern banks in recent years is constantly increasing. This contributes to the extension of Internet technologies, the creation of remote service channels, the emergence of new tools and technologies to attract and retain customers. On the example of JSC "Sberbank of Russia" presented the technology of using the traditional tools of ATL and BTL communications, the formation of the system CSR – corporate social responsibility, building contact with customers, enhancing their loyalty to the Bank. Reveals the areas of regulation of the savings Bank of its activities on the creation of the daily value of services based on the principles of involvement and co-operation of the system "Client - Bank", "Bank - Company", "Bank – Employees".

Predicting Traffic Flow in Local Area Networks by the Largest Lyapunov Exponent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The dynamics of network traffic are complex and nonlinear, and chaotic behaviors and their prediction, which play an important role in local area networks (LANs, are studied in detail, using the largest Lyapunov exponent. With the introduction of phase space reconstruction based on the time sequence, the high-dimensional traffic is projected onto the low dimension reconstructed phase space, and a reduced dynamic system is obtained from the dynamic system viewpoint. Then, a numerical method for computing the largest Lyapunov exponent of the low-dimensional dynamic system is presented. Further, the longest predictable time, which is related to chaotic behaviors in the system, is studied using the largest Lyapunov exponent, and the Wolf method is used to predict the evolution of the traffic in a local area network by both Dot and Interval predictions, and a reliable result is obtained by the presented method. As the conclusion, the results show that the largest Lyapunov exponent can be used to describe the sensitivity of the trajectory in the reconstructed phase space to the initial values. Moreover, Dot Prediction can effectively predict the flow burst. The numerical simulation also shows that the presented method is feasible and efficient for predicting the complex dynamic behaviors in LAN traffic, especially for congestion and attack in networks, which are the main two complex phenomena behaving as chaos in networks.

Computing, Information and Communications Technology (CICT) Website

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, John; Tu, Eugene (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Computing, Information and Communications Technology Program (CICT) was established in 2001 to ensure NASA's Continuing leadership in emerging technologies. It is a coordinated, Agency-wide effort to develop and deploy key enabling technologies for a broad range of mission-critical tasks. The NASA CICT program is designed to address Agency-specific computing, information, and communications technology requirements beyond the projected capabilities of commercially available solutions. The areas of technical focus have been chosen for their impact on NASA's missions, their national importance, and the technical challenge they provide to the Program. In order to meet its objectives, the CICT Program is organized into the following four technology focused projects: 1) Computing, Networking and Information Systems (CNIS); 2) Intelligent Systems (IS); 3) Space Communications (SC); 4) Information Technology Strategic Research (ITSR).

High power communication satellites power systems study

Science.gov (United States)

Josloff, Allan T.; Peterson, Jerry R.

1995-01-01

This paper discusses a planned study to evaluate the commercial attractiveness of high power communication satellites and assesses the attributes of both conventional photovoltaic and reactor power systems. These high power satellites can play a vital role in assuring availability of universally accessible, wide bandwidth communications, for high definition TV, super computer networks and other services. Satellites are ideally suited to provide the wide bandwidths and data rates required and are unique in the ability to provide services directly to the users. As new or relocated markets arise, satellites offer a flexibility that conventional distribution services cannot match, and it is no longer necessary to be near population centers to take advantage of the telecommunication revolution. The geopolitical implications of these substantially enhanced communications capabilities can be significant.

Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS)

Science.gov (United States)

Budinger, James M.; Hall, Edward

2011-01-01

To help increase the capacity and efficiency of the nation s airports, a secure wideband wireless communications system is proposed for use on the airport surface. This paper provides an overview of the research and development process for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS). AeroMACS is based on a specific commercial profile of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard known as Wireless Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or WiMAX (WiMax Forum). The paper includes background on the need for global interoperability in air/ground data communications, describes potential AeroMACS applications, addresses allocated frequency spectrum constraints, summarizes the international standardization process, and provides findings and recommendations from the world s first AeroMACS prototype implemented in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Intersatellite Link (ISL) application to commercial communications satellites. Volume 2: Technical final report

Science.gov (United States)

Young, S. Lee

1987-01-01

Intersatellite Link (ISL) applications can improve and expand communication satellite services in a number of ways. As the demand for orbital slots within prime regions of the geostationary arc increases, attention is being focused on ISLs as a method to utilize this resource more efficiently and circumvent saturation. Various GEO-to-GEO applications were determined that provide potential benefits over existing communication systems. A set of criteria was developed to assess the potential applications. Intersatellite link models, network system architectures, and payload configurations were developed. For each of the chosen ISL applications, ISL versus non-ISL satellite systems architectures were derived. Both microwave and optical ISL implementation approaches were evaluated for payload sizing and cost analysis. The technological availability for ISL implementations was assessed. Critical subsystems technology areas were identified, and an estamate of the schedule and cost to advance the technology to the requiered state of readiness was made.

Vulnerability to a small-scale commercial fishery of Lake Tana's (Ethiopia) endemic Labeobarbus compared with African catfish and Nile tilapia: An example of recruitment-overfishing?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Graaf, de M.; Zwieten, van P.A.M.; Machiels, M.A.M.; Lemma, E.; Wudneh, T.; Dejen, E.; Sibbing, F.A.

2006-01-01

In 1986 a motorised, commercial gillnet fishery was introduced in Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake (3050 km2) in addition to the artisanal, predominantly subsistence fishery conducted from reedboats. The three main species groups targeted by this fishery are a species flock of endemic, large

Commercial air travel after intraocular gas injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Houston, Stephen; Graf, Jürgen; Sharkey, James

2012-08-01

Passengers with intraocular gas are at risk of profound visual loss when exposed to reduced absolute pressure within the cabin of a typical commercial airliner. Information provided on the websites of the world's 10 largest airlines offer a considerable range of opinion as to when it might be safe to fly after gas injection. Physicians responsible for clearing pseassengers as 'fit to fly' should be aware modern retinal surgical techniques increasingly employ long-acting gases as vitreous substitutes. The kinetics of long-acting intraocular gases must be considered when deciding how long after surgery it is safe to travel. It is standard practice to advise passengers not to fly in aircraft until the gas is fully resorbed. To achieve this, it may be necessary to delay travel for approximately 2 wk after intraocular injection of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and for 6 wk after injection of perfluoropropane (C3F8).

Rudy's Red Wagon: Communication Strategies in Contemporary Society.

Science.gov (United States)

Rein, Irving J.

The primary focus of this book is "the put-on" and other manipulative strategies. Manipulative forms of communication as used in contemporary society are examined in relation to advertisements and commercials, salesmen, political figures, authors, artists, educators and students. The book is a study of power--how the powerful and…

Compiler generation and autotuning of communication-avoiding operators for geometric multigrid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basu, Protonu [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Venkat, Anand [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Hall, Mary [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Williams, Samuel [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Van Straalen, Brian [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Oliker, Leonid [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2014-04-17

This paper describes a compiler approach to introducing communication-avoiding optimizations in geometric multigrid (GMG), one of the most popular methods for solving partial differential equations. Communication-avoiding optimizations reduce vertical communication through the memory hierarchy and horizontal communication across processes or threads, usually at the expense of introducing redundant computation. We focus on applying these optimizations to the smooth operator, which successively reduces the error and accounts for the largest fraction of the GMG execution time. Our compiler technology applies both novel and known transformations to derive an implementation comparable to manually-tuned code. To make the approach portable, an underlying autotuning system explores the tradeoff between reduced communication and increased computation, as well as tradeoffs in threading schemes, to automatically identify the best implementation for a particular architecture and at each computation phase. Results show that we are able to quadruple the performance of the smooth operation on the finest grids while attaining performance within 94% of manually-tuned code. Overall we improve the overall multigrid solve time by 2.5× without sacrificing programer productivity.

Multilateral collaboration between technical communicators and translators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandepitte, Sonia; Maylath, Bruce; Mousten, Birthe

2016-01-01

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

Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of chicken anaemia virus obtained from backyard and commercial chickens in Nigeria : research communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.O. Oluwayelu

2008-09-01

Full Text Available This work reports the first molecular analysis study of chicken anaemia virus (CAV in backyard chickens in Africa using molecular cloning and sequence analysis to characterize CAV strains obtained from commercial chickens and Nigerian backyard chickens. Partial VP1 gene sequences were determined for three CAVs from commercial chickens and for six CAV variants present in samples from a backyard chicken. Multiple alignment analysis revealed that the 6 % and 4 % nucleotide diversity obtained respectively for the commercial and backyard chicken strains translated to only 2 % amino acid diversity for each breed. Overall, the amino acid composition of Nigerian CAVs was found to be highly conserved. Since the partial VP1 gene sequence of two backyard chicken cloned CAV strains (NGR/Cl-8 and NGR/Cl-9 were almost identical and evolutionarily closely related to the commercial chicken strains NGR-1, and NGR-4 and NGR-5, respectively, we concluded that CAV infections had crossed the farm boundary.

Integrated multi-channel vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-roadside communications for ITS

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-01

This research describes a medium access control (MAC) protocol to Enable multi-channel operation for dedicated short-range communication (DSRC). In particular, we focus on the challenge of supporting potentially high-bandwidth commercial or infotainm...

RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alla A. Isakova

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: the article outlines the concepts of communicative competence and cross-cultural communication. The authors highlight their place in higher education institutions based on a case-study of Tyumen region (Russia. The increased interest in the process of cross-cultural communication determines the relevance of the research.. Materials and Methods: during the research process the authors used descriptive method, observation and learning with consulting of relevant literature. The methodological basis of the research is a philosophical concept of the relationship between culture and morality, communication, inter-ethnic and ecological culture and others. Results: this communicative education system should be continuous, comprehensive, interdisciplinary and integrated to promote personal development of students with differentiation depending on professional orientation. Teaching should be consistent with cultural traditions and ethical values as the basis of person’s physical and mental health, knowledge of the world and their pl ace in it. Discussion and Conclusions: the development of communicative competence takes place in the educational process. The communication will be successful in the new changed reality of professional activity. The research of verbal and nonverbal communication is useful for commercial and government institutions. It is necessary to study the communicative process in the educational environment promoting personal development of the students. The conditions of integration processes demonstrate some significant changes. The main priorities of modern higher education are full-fledged formation and development of the student’s abilities. It is possible to assume that communicative competence will be the link and the basis of the interaction of all educational forms. The article touches upon the philosophical, literary and cultural problems; the topic determines the choice of Integration of Education.

Commercial milk distribution profiles and production locations. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deonigi, D.E.; Anderson, D.M.; Wilfert, G.L.

1994-04-01

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project was established to estimate radiation doses that people could have received from nuclear operations at the Hanford Site since 1944. For this period iodine-131 is the most important offsite contributor to radiation doses from Hanford operations. Consumption of milk from cows that ate vegetation contaminated by iodine-131 is the dominant radiation pathway for individuals who drank milk (Napier 1992). Information has been developed on commercial milk cow locations and commercial milk distribution during 1945 and 1951. The year 1945 was selected because during 1945 the largest amount of iodine-131 was released from Hanford facilities in a calendar year (Heeb 1993); therefore, 1945 was the year in which an individual was likely to have received the highest dose. The year 1951 was selected to provide data for comparing the changes that occurred in commercial milk flows (i.e., sources, processing locations, and market areas) between World War II and the post-war period. To estimate the doses people could have received from this milk flow, it is necessary to estimate the amount of milk people consumed, the source of the milk, the specific feeding regime used for milk cows, and the amount of iodine-131 contamination deposited on feed.

Evaluation of spacecraft technology programs (effects on communication satellite business ventures), volume 2

Science.gov (United States)

Greenburg, J. S.; Kaplan, M.; Fishman, J.; Hopkins, C.

1985-01-01

The computational procedures used in the evaluation of spacecraft technology programs that impact upon commercial communication satellite operations are discussed. Computer programs and data bases are described.

Temporal properties of seismicity and largest earthquakes in SE Carpathians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Byrdina

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In order to estimate the hazard rate distribution of the largest seismic events in Vrancea, South-Eastern Carpathians, we study temporal properties of historical and instrumental catalogues of seismicity. First, on the basis of Generalized Extreme Value theory we estimate the average return period of the largest events. Then, following Bak et al. (2002 and Corral (2005a, we study scaling properties of recurrence times between earthquakes in appropriate spatial volumes. We come to the conclusion that the seismicity is temporally clustered, and that the distribution of recurrence times is significantly different from a Poisson process even for times largely exceeding corresponding periods of foreshock and aftershock activity. Modeling the recurrence times by a gamma distributed variable, we finally estimate hazard rates with respect to the time elapsed from the last large earthquake.

Commercial lumber

Science.gov (United States)

Kent A. McDonald; David E. Kretschmann

1999-01-01

In a broad sense, commercial lumber is any lumber that is bought or sold in the normal channels of commerce. Commercial lumber may be found in a variety of forms, species, and types, and in various commercial establishments, both wholesale and retail. Most commercial lumber is graded by standardized rules that make purchasing more or less uniform throughout the country...

Interlaboratory variation in a commercial bone mineral analyzer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazess, R.B.; Witt, R.

1983-01-01

Measurements of bone mineral content (BMC) were made in 14 different laboratories in the US and four in Europe using commercially produced instrumentation (Norland Bone Mineral Analyzer) for 125 I absorptiometry. A three-chambered standard (dipotassium hydrogen phosphate) was measured in each laboratory following their own calibration. The values of BMC in the middle range (0.6 g/cm) all were adequate (within +-2%), but the BMC values were underestimated by 5% or more in five laboratories for the largest chamber and in three laboratories for the smallest chamber. Width values were accurate (+-3%) over 0.7 to 1.6 cm. The effect of underestimating large values in clinical studies is to reduce the difference between normals and abnormals. Calibration error also may be responsible for the variable normal values found in the US and Europe by osme users of this instrument

19 CFR 113.67 - Commercial gauger and commercial laboratory bond conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Commercial gauger and commercial laboratory bond... SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY CUSTOMS BONDS Customs Bond Conditions § 113.67 Commercial gauger and commercial laboratory bond conditions. Commercial Gauger Bond Conditions (a) Commercial gauger bond...

DoD and Commercial Advanced Waveform Developments and Programs with Multiple Nunn-McCurdy Breaches. Volume 5

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

and insightful reviews of our report. It is a stron- ger document because of their efforts. xxi Abbreviations 2G second generation 3G third...in the commercial world. LTE includes a set of standards developed by 3GPP for mobile 3G and 4G mobile communications. The currently fielded...generation ( 2G ) digital mobile phone system, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The GSM standard was developed by the European

PNNL supercomputer to become largest computing resource on the Grid

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Hewlett Packard announced that the US DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will connect a 9.3-teraflop HP supercomputer to the DOE Science Grid. This will be the largest supercomputer attached to a computer grid anywhere in the world (1 page).

Worlds largest particle physics laboratory selects Proxim Wireless Mesh

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"Proxim Wireless has announced that the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the world's largest particle physics laboratory and the birthplace of the World Wide Web, is using it's ORiNOCO AP-4000 mesh access points to extend the range of the laboratory's Wi-Fi network and to provide continuous monitoring of the lab's calorimeters" (1/2 page)

Discovery of the largest orbweaving spider species: the evolution of gigantism in Nephila.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuntner, Matjaz; Coddington, Jonathan A

2009-10-21

More than 41,000 spider species are known with about 400-500 added each year, but for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orbweavers, Nephila, the last valid described species dates from the 19(th) century. Nephila are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders, making the largest orb webs, and are model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual biology. Here, we report on the discovery of a new, giant Nephila species from Africa and Madagascar, and review size evolution and SSD in Nephilidae. We formally describe N. komaci sp. nov., the largest web spinning species known, and place the species in phylogenetic context to reconstruct the evolution of mean size (via squared change parsimony). We then test female and male mean size correlation using phylogenetically independent contrasts, and simulate nephilid body size evolution using Monte Carlo statistics. Nephila females increased in size almost monotonically to establish a mostly African clade of true giants. In contrast, Nephila male size is effectively decoupled and hovers around values roughly one fifth of female size. Although N. komaci females are the largest Nephila yet discovered, the males are also large and thus their SSD is not exceptional.

Discovery of the largest orbweaving spider species: the evolution of gigantism in Nephila.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matjaz Kuntner

2009-10-01

Full Text Available More than 41,000 spider species are known with about 400-500 added each year, but for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orbweavers, Nephila, the last valid described species dates from the 19(th century. Nephila are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders, making the largest orb webs, and are model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD and sexual biology. Here, we report on the discovery of a new, giant Nephila species from Africa and Madagascar, and review size evolution and SSD in Nephilidae.We formally describe N. komaci sp. nov., the largest web spinning species known, and place the species in phylogenetic context to reconstruct the evolution of mean size (via squared change parsimony. We then test female and male mean size correlation using phylogenetically independent contrasts, and simulate nephilid body size evolution using Monte Carlo statistics.Nephila females increased in size almost monotonically to establish a mostly African clade of true giants. In contrast, Nephila male size is effectively decoupled and hovers around values roughly one fifth of female size. Although N. komaci females are the largest Nephila yet discovered, the males are also large and thus their SSD is not exceptional.

On the statistics of the largest geomagnetic storms per solar cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siscoe, G.L.

1976-01-01

The theory of extreme value statistics is applied to the first, second, and third largest geomagnetic storms in nine solar cycles measured by the average half-daily aa indices compiled by Mayaud. Analytic expressions giving the probability of the extremes per solar cycle as a contour function of storm magnitude are obtained by least squares fitting of the observations to the appropriate theoretical extreme value probability functions. The results are used to obtain the statistical characteristics (mode, median, mean, and standard deviation) for the extreme values. The results are applied to find the expected range of extreme values in a set as a function of the number of solar cycles in the set. We find that the expected range of the largest storm is quite narrow and is larger for the second and third largest storms. The observed range of the extreme half-daily aa index for the nine solar cycles is 354--546 γ. In a set of 100 cycles the range is expanded esentially to 311--680γ, an increase of only 39% in the range. The result supports the argument for a change in solar cycle statistics in the latter part of the Seventeenth Century (the Maunder minimum)

75 FR 13805 - Aspen Group Resources Corp., Commercial Concepts, Inc., Desert Health Products, Inc., Equalnet...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-23

... Concepts, Inc., Desert Health Products, Inc., Equalnet Communications Corp., Geneva Steel Holdings Corp... securities of Commercial Concepts, Inc. because it has not filed any periodic reports since the period ended... accurate information concerning the securities of Desert Health Products, Inc. because it has not filed any...

Implementation of a low-cost, commercial orbit determination system

Science.gov (United States)

Corrigan, Jim

1994-01-01

Traditional satellite and launch control systems have consisted of custom solutions requiring significant development and maintenance costs. These systems have typically been designed to support specific program requirements and are expensive to modify and augment after delivery. The expanding role of space in today's marketplace combined with the increased sophistication and capabilities of modern satellites has created a need for more efficient, lower cost solutions to complete command and control systems. Recent technical advances have resulted in commercial-off-the-shelf products which greatly reduce the complete life-cycle costs associated with satellite launch and control system procurements. System integrators and spacecraft operators have, however, been slow to integrate these commercial based solutions into a comprehensive command and control system. This is due, in part, to a resistance to change and the fact that many available products are unable to effectively communicate with other commercial products. The United States Air Force, responsible for the health and safety of over 84 satellites via its Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN), has embarked on an initiative to prove that commercial products can be used effectively to form a comprehensive command and control system. The initial version of this system is being installed at the Air Force's Center for Research Support (CERES) located at the National Test Facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The first stage of this initiative involved the identification of commercial products capable of satisfying each functional element of a command and control system. A significant requirement in this product selection criteria was flexibility and ability to integrate with other available commercial products. This paper discusses the functions and capabilities of the product selected to provide orbit determination functions for this comprehensive command and control system.

Liquid hydrogen production and commercial demand in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Heydorn, Barbara

1990-01-01

Kennedy Space Center, the single largest purchaser of liquid hydrogen (LH2) in the United States, evaluated current and anticipated hydrogen production and consumption in the government and commercial sectors. Specific objectives of the study are as follows: (1) identify LH2 producers in the United States and Canada during 1980-1989 period; (2) compile information in expected changes in LH2 production capabilities over the 1990-2000 period; (3) describe how hydrogen is used in each consuming industry and estimate U.S. LH2 consumption for the chemicals, metals, electronics, fats and oil, and glass industries, and report data on a regional basis; (4) estimate historical and future consumption; and (5) assess the influence of international demands on U.S. plants.

An investigation of Commercial Off-the-Shelf Wireless in support of Complex Humanitarian Disaster Operations in the Argentine Army

OpenAIRE

Perfetti, Marcelo R.

2012-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited Since the beginning of this century, the Argentine Army has used Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) wireless products, equipment, and communication systems to support Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) operations. The participation of Military, Governmental, and Non-Governmental Organizations in these activities requires more wireless coverage area. These communication systems are an integration of several subsystems that...

Revisiting the phylogeny of Ocellularieae, the second largest tribe within Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales)

Science.gov (United States)

Ekaphan Kraichak; Sittiporn Parnmen; Robert Lücking; Eimy Rivas Plata; Andre Aptroot; Marcela E.S. Caceres; Damien Ertz; Armin Mangold; Joel A. Mercado-Diaz; Khwanruan Papong; Dries Van der Broeck; Gothamie Weerakoon; H. Thorsten. Lumbsch; NO-VALUE

2014-01-01

We present an updated 3-locus molecular phylogeny of tribe Ocellularieae, the second largest tribe within subfamily Graphidoideae in the Graphidaceae. Adding 165 newly generated sequences from the mitochondrial small subunit rDNA (mtSSU), the nuclear large subunit rDNA (nuLSU), and the second largest subunit of the DNA-directed RNA polymerase II (RPB2), we currently...

Communication imperialism and dependency: a conceptual clarification.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, P S

1988-01-01

Communications imperialism has to do with the domination of a country's media activities by another. The ownership, structure, distribution or content of the media in 1 country are affected by pressures from media interests of another country or group out of proportion with those of that country. To determine if this is happening we should consider the country's policies, the private sector;s efforts to export communications elements, and actions of the dominant country against the dominated. The 4 aspects of international media in this situation are television program exportation, foreign ownership and control of media distribution, the infringement of capital opinions on other societies, and the transfer of commercialism and broadcasting norms. In addition to the software and hardware and the other forms of communication such as satellites, computers, and transportation of the mass media, there are the cultural effects on the developing countries. In the case of involuntary of voluntary dependency of the recipient country, the effect of the unbalanced international communication can be harmful or beneficial. Communication dependency may not be harmful to the culture of the recipient country. In determining the theory of unbalanced international communications 3 factors should be considered. There are: the role of the interacting countries, the nature of the dependency of the recipient country, and the beneficial or harmful effect of unbalanced communication pattern on that country.

Communication Technologies Support to Railway Infrastructure and Operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sniady, Aleksander

GSM-Railways (GSM-R), which is state-of-the-art railway mobile communication technology, is gradually replacing legacy analogue radio systems. Although GSM-R is an unquestionable achievement in terms of European railway interoperability, from a telecommunication point of view, it is an obsolete...... are considered to replace GSM-R in the future. This thesis is focused on Long Term Evolution (LTE) as one of the most likely successors to GSM-R. As a technology designed for commercial purposes, LTE has to be investigated specifically in railway environment. Using computer-based simulations, the LTE network...... important railway applications: European Train Control System (ETCS) signalling and railway-specific voice communication. Therefore, LTE is technically capable of replacing GSM-R as the communication network for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Moreover, the simulation results show...

Consistencies and Discrepancies in Communication Between Parents and Teenage Children About Sexuality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresita María Sevilla

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract The family is one of the most important socializing agents in adolescent sex education. However, multiple barriers to communication within families have been identified. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize and understand the processes by which parents and their adolescent children communicate about sexuality. Two questionnaires were completed by 711 fathers/mothers and 566 male/female students in 21 schools in Cali (Colombia, and 15 discussion groups were formed. The results showed that conversations about sexuality focused on protection for women and on sexuality promotion for men. Furthermore, it was found that greater fluency exists in father/son and mother/daughter conversations. The largest discrepancy between parents and teenagers was the adults' belief that it is sufficient to mention certain topics in a directive manner and the children's expectations that parents will discuss the value and dynamics of the sexual experience. Embarrassment and lack of communication tools hinder communication processes.

Connexin-based intercellular communication and astrocyte heterogeneity.

Science.gov (United States)

Theis, Martin; Giaume, Christian

2012-12-03

This review gives an overview of the current knowledge on connexin-mediated communication in astrocytes, covering gap junction and hemichannel functions mediated by connexins. Astroglia is the main brain cell type that expresses the largest amount of connexin and exhibits high level of gap junctional communication compared to neurons and oligodendrocytes. However, in certain developmental and regional situations, astrocytes are also coupled with oligodendrocytes and neurons. This heterotypic coupling is infrequent and minor in terms of extent of the coupling area, which does not mean that it is not important in terms of cell interaction. Here, we present an update on heterogeneity of connexin expression and function at the molecular, subcellular, cellular and networking levels. Interestingly, while astrocytes were initially considered as a homogenous population, there is now increasing evidence for morphological, developmental, molecular and physiological heterogeneity of astrocytes. Consequently, the specificity of gap junction channel- and hemichannel-mediated communication, which tends to synchronize cell populations, is also a parameter to take into account when neuroglial interactions are investigated. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Electrical Synapses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In Good Company : When Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Acquire Multiplex Knowledge from Key Commercial Partners

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bojica, Ana Maria; Estrada Vaquero, Isabel; del Mar Fuentes-Fuentes, Maria

2018-01-01

This study explores the specific conditions under which key strategic alliances of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with commercial partners can become multiplex in knowledge exchange. Using survey data from a sample of 150 Spanish SMEs in the information and communication technology (ICT)

Economic consequences of commercial space operations

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Barbara A.; Wood, Peter W.

1990-01-01

The potential economic benefits generated from increased industry involvement and investment in space activities and the subsequent cost implications are discussed. A historical overview of commercial industry involvement in space is given and sources of new economic growth in space are discussed. These include communications satellites, small satellites, positioning and navigation services, space transportation and infrastructure, remote sensing, and materials processing in space such as the manufacturing of protein crystals and zeolites. Macroeconomic trends and principles such as limits on technology trade, eased restrictions on international joint ventures, foreign investments in U.S. firms, and increased foreign competition are discussed. Earth observations and mapping are considered. Opportunities for private sector involvement in building space infrastructure and space transportation are highlighted.

CERN, World's largest particle physics lab, selects Progress SonicMQ

CERN Document Server

2007-01-01

"Progress Software Corporation (NADAQ: PRGS), a global supplier of application insfrastructure software used to develop, deploy, integrate and manage business applications, today announced that CERN the world's largest physis laboratory and particle accelerator, has chosen Progress® SonicMQ® for mission-critical message delivery." (1 page)

Synchrotron Emission on the Largest Scales: Radio Detection of the ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Shocks and turbulence generated during large-scale structure formation are predicted to produce large-scale, low surface-brightness synchrotron emission. On the largest scales, this emission is globally correlated with the thermal baryon distribution, and constitutes the 'syn- chrotron cosmic-web'. I present the ...

Distribution of the Largest Eigenvalues of the Levi-Smirnov Ensemble

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wieczorek, W.

2004-01-01

We calculate the distribution of the k-th largest eigenvalue in the random matrix Levi - Smirnov Ensemble (LSE), using the spectral dualism between LSE and chiral Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE). Then we reconstruct universal spectral oscillations and we investigate an asymptotic behavior of the spectral distribution. (author)

Space Commercialization

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Gary L.

2011-01-01

A robust and competitive commercial space sector is vital to continued progress in space. The United States is committed to encouraging and facilitating the growth of a U.S. commercial space sector that supports U.S. needs, is globally competitive, and advances U.S. leadership in the generation of new markets and innovation-driven entrepreneurship. Energize competitive domestic industries to participate in global markets and advance the development of: satellite manufacturing; satellite-based services; space launch; terrestrial applications; and increased entrepreneurship. Purchase and use commercial space capabilities and services to the maximum practical extent Actively explore the use of inventive, nontraditional arrangements for acquiring commercial space goods and services to meet United States Government requirements, including measures such as public-private partnerships, . Refrain from conducting United States Government space activities that preclude, discourage, or compete with U.S. commercial space activities. Pursue potential opportunities for transferring routine, operational space functions to the commercial space sector where beneficial and cost-effective.

Visible light communications modulation and signal processing

CERN Document Server

Wang, Zhaocheng; Huang, Wei; Xu, Zhengyuan

2018-01-01

This informative new book on state-of-the-art visible light communication (VLC) provides, for the first time, a systematical and advanced treatment of modulation and signal processing for VLC. Visible Light Communications: Modulation and Signal Processing offers a practical guide to designing VLC, linking academic research with commercial applications. In recent years, VLC has attracted attention from academia and industry since it has many advantages over the traditional radio frequency, including wide unregulated bandwidth, high security, and low cost. It is a promising complementary technique in 5G and beyond wireless communications, especially in indoor applications. However, lighting constraints have not been fully considered in the open literature when considering VLC system design, and its importance has been underestimated. That’s why this book—written by a team of experts with both academic research experience and industrial development experience in the field—is so welcome. To help readers u...

Underwater Wireless Optical Communications Systems: from System-Level Demonstrations to Channel Modeling

KAUST Repository

Oubei, Hassan M.

2018-01-01

Approximately, two-thirds of earth's surface is covered by water. There is a growing interest from the military and commercial communities in having, an efficient, secure and high bandwidth underwater wireless communication (UWC) system for tactical

Advanced Communication and Control for Distributed Energy Resource Integration: Phase 2 Scientific Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BPL Global

2008-09-30

The objective of this research project is to demonstrate sensing, communication, information and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of multivendor distributed energy resource (DER) units at aggregation levels that meet individual user requirements for facility operations (residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, etc.) and further serve as resource options for electric and natural gas utilities. The fully demonstrated DER aggregation system with embodiment of communication and control technologies will lead to real-time, interactive, customer-managed service networks to achieve greater customer value. Work on this Advanced Communication and Control Project (ACCP) consists of a two-phase approach for an integrated demonstration of communication and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of DER units to reach progressive levels of aggregated power output. Phase I involved design and proof-of-design, and Phase II involves real-world demonstration of the Phase I design architecture. The scope of work for Phase II of this ACCP involves demonstrating the Phase I design architecture in large scale real-world settings while integrating with the operations of one or more electricity supplier feeder lines. The communication and control architectures for integrated demonstration shall encompass combinations of software and hardware components, including: sensors, data acquisition and communication systems, remote monitoring systems, metering (interval revenue, real-time), local and wide area networks, Web-based systems, smart controls, energy management/information systems with control and automation of building energy loads, and demand-response management with integration of real-time market pricing. For Phase II, BPL Global shall demonstrate the Phase I design for integrating and controlling the operation of more than 10 DER units, dispersed at various locations in one or more Independent System Operator (ISO) Control Areas, at

Field test of a practical secure communication network with decoy-state quantum cryptography.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Teng-Yun; Liang, Hao; Liu, Yang; Cai, Wen-Qi; Ju, Lei; Liu, Wei-Yue; Wang, Jian; Yin, Hao; Chen, Kai; Chen, Zeng-Bing; Peng, Cheng-Zhi; Pan, Jian-Wei

2009-04-13

We present a secure network communication system that operated with decoy-state quantum cryptography in a real-world application scenario. The full key exchange and application protocols were performed in real time among three nodes, in which two adjacent nodes were connected by approximate 20 km of commercial telecom optical fiber. The generated quantum keys were immediately employed and demonstrated for communication applications, including unbreakable real-time voice telephone between any two of the three communication nodes, or a broadcast from one node to the other two nodes by using one-time pad encryption.

Health insurance premium increases for the 5 largest school districts in the United States, 2004-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantillo, John R

2010-03-01

Local school districts are often one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in their respective communities. Like many large employers, school districts offer health insurance to their employees. There is a lack of information about the rate of health insurance premiums in US school districts relative to other employers. To assess the change in the costs of healthcare insurance in the 5 largest public school districts in the United States, between 2004 and 2008, as representative of large public employers in the country. Data for this study were drawn exclusively from a survey sent to the 5 largest public school districts in the United States. The survey requested responses on 3 data elements for each benefit plan offered from 2004 through 2008; these included enrollment, employee costs, and employer costs. The premium growth for the 5 largest school districts has slowed down and is consistent with other purchasers-Kaiser/Health Research & Educational Trust and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program. The average increase in health insurance premium for the schools was 5.9% in 2008, and the average annual growth rate over the study period was 7.5%. For family coverage, these schools provide the most generous employer contribution (80.8%) compared with the employer contribution reported by other employers (73.5%) for 2008. Often the largest employers in their communities, school districts demonstrate a commitment to provide choice of benefits and affordability for employees and their families. Despite constraints typical of public employers, the 5 largest school districts in the United States have decelerated in premium growth consistent with other purchasers, albeit at a slower pace.

Invertebrate population genetics across Earth's largest habitat: The deep-sea floor.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, M L; Roterman, C N

2017-10-01

Despite the deep sea being the largest habitat on Earth, there are just 77 population genetic studies of invertebrates (115 species) inhabiting non-chemosynthetic ecosystems on the deep-sea floor (below 200 m depth). We review and synthesize the results of these papers. Studies reveal levels of genetic diversity comparable to shallow-water species. Generally, populations at similar depths were well connected over 100s-1,000s km, but studies that sampled across depth ranges reveal population structure at much smaller scales (100s-1,000s m) consistent with isolation by adaptation across environmental gradients, or the existence of physical barriers to connectivity with depth. Few studies were ocean-wide (under 4%), and 48% were Atlantic-focused. There is strong emphasis on megafauna and commercial species with research into meiofauna, "ecosystem engineers" and other ecologically important species lacking. Only nine papers account for ~50% of the planet's surface (depths below 3,500 m). Just two species were studied below 5,000 m, a quarter of Earth's seafloor. Most studies used single-locus mitochondrial genes revealing a common pattern of non-neutrality, consistent with demographic instability or selective sweeps; similar to deep-sea hydrothermal vent fauna. The absence of a clear difference between vent and non-vent could signify that demographic instability is common in the deep sea, or that selective sweeps render single-locus mitochondrial studies demographically uninformative. The number of population genetics studies to date is miniscule in relation to the size of the deep sea. The paucity of studies constrains meta-analyses where broad inferences about deep-sea ecology could be made. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Discovery of the Largest Orbweaving Spider Species: The Evolution of Gigantism in Nephila

OpenAIRE

Kuntner, Matja?; Coddington, Jonathan A.

2009-01-01

Background More than 41,000 spider species are known with about 400?500 added each year, but for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orbweavers, Nephila, the last valid described species dates from the 19th century. Nephila are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders, making the largest orb webs, and are model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual biology. Here, we report on the discovery of a new, giant Nephila species from Africa...

Commercial Truck Driver Health and Safety: Exploring Distracted Driving Performance and Self-Reported Driving Skill.

Science.gov (United States)

Stavrinos, Despina; Heaton, Karen; Welburn, Sharon C; McManus, Benjamin; Griffin, Russell; Fine, Philip R

2016-08-01

Reducing distracters detrimental to commercial truck driving is a critical component of improving the safety performance of commercial drivers, and makes the highways safer for all drivers. This study used a driving simulator to examine effects of cell phone, texting, and email distractions as well as self-reported driver optimism bias on the driving performance of commercial truck drivers. Results revealed that more visually demanding tasks were related to poorer driving performance. However, the cell phone task resulted in less off-the-road eye glances. Drivers reporting being "very skilled" displayed poorer driving performance than those reporting being "skilled." Onboard communication devices provide a practical, yet visually and manually demanding, solution for connecting drivers and dispatchers. Trucking company policies should minimize interaction between dispatchers and drivers when the truck is in motion. Training facilities should integrate driving simulators into the instruction of commercial drivers, targeting over-confident drivers. © 2016 The Author(s).

Risk-communication capability for public health emergencies varies by community diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viswanath Kasisomayajula

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Public health emergencies heighten several challenges in risk-communication: providing trustworthy sources of information, reaching marginalized populations, and minimizing fear and public confusion. In emergencies, however, information may not diffuse equally among all social groups, and gaps in knowledge may increase. Such knowledge gaps vary by social structure and the size, socioeconomic status, and diversity of the population. This study explores the relationship between risk-communication capabilities, as perceived by public officials participating in emergency tabletop exercises, and community size and diversity. Findings For each of the three communication functions tested, risk-communication capabilities are perceived to be greater in communities with fewer then 10% of the population speaking a language other than English at home, decreasing as the percentage grows to 20% (ANOVA P ≤ 0.02. With respect to community size, however, we found an N-shaped relationship between perceived risk communication capabilities and population size. Capabilities are perceived highest in the largest communities and lowest in the smallest, but lower in communities with 20,000–49,999 inhabitants compared to those with 2,500–19,999. Conclusion The results of this study suggest the need to factor population diversity into risk communication plans and the need for improved state or regional risk-communication capabilities, especially for communities with limited local capacity.

Licensing operators for commercial nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannon, J.N.

1988-01-01

The human element in the operation of commercial nuclear power plants is of utmost importance. Not only must the operators be technically competent in the execution of numerous complicated tasks, they must be capable of working together as a team to diagnose dynamic plant conditions to ensure that their plants are operated safely. The significance of human interaction skills and crew communications has been demonstrated most vividly in TMI and Chernobyl. It follows that the NRC must retain its high standards for licensing operators. This paper discusses activities and initiatives being employed by the NRC to enhance the reliability of its licensing examinations, and to build a highly qualified examiner work force

Space Station needs, attributes and architectural options. Volume 2, book 1, part 3: Manned Space Station relevance to commercial telecommunications satellites

Science.gov (United States)

1983-01-01

A document containing a forecast of satellite traffic and revelant technology trends to the year 2000 was prepared which includes those space station capabilities and characteristics that should be provided to make the station useful to commercial satellite owners. The document was circulated to key representative organizations within the commercial telecommunications satellite and related communities of interest, including spacecraft manufacturers, commercial satellite owners, communications carriers, networks and risk insurers. The prospectus document is presented as well as the transmittal letter and the mailing list of the people and companies that were asked to review it. Key commercial telecommunications comments are summarized the actual response letters from the industry are included.

Ultra-wideband and 60 GHz communications for biomedical applications

CERN Document Server

Yuce, Mehmet R

2013-01-01

This book investigates the design of devices, systems, and circuits for medical applications using the two recently established frequency bands: ultra-wideband (3.1-10.6 GHz) and 60 GHz ISM band. These two bands provide the largest bandwidths available for communication technologies and present many attractive opportunities for medical applications. The applications of these bands in healthcare are wireless body area network (WBAN), medical imaging, biomedical sensing, wearable and implantable devices, fast medical device connectivity, video data transmission, and vital signs monitoring. The r

Manifest Spatialization: Militarizing Communication in Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Mazepa

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Focusing on the political economy of communication and the process of spatialization whereby control over space and time is extended through the use of information and communication technology (ICT, this paper provides an overview of the intersections that draw the Canadian federal government, its military, and the ICT, defence and security industries into relationships that reinforce and extend their control. By attending to historical and current examples, it highlights several sub-processes of spatialization, including corporate restructuring (through vertical and horizontal integration, as well as state restructuring (principally through internationalization and commercialization, which together underpin and support the militarization of communication. From the state’s concentration on conventional war and the “Cold War”, through to the current “War on Terror” and its protection of an integrated ICT infrastructure, communication is increasingly confined within a narrow militarized and corporatized framework. Within this framework, both capital and the military prioritize the development and administration of the “command and control” capabilities of ICT, such that the policies and practices of communication become more exclusive, restrictive and surveilled, and less open, accessible, and universal. The paper seeks to explain how this tripartite combination of “command, control, and communication” is indicative of the process of spatialization, and supports a militarized capitalism and the formation of a cross-border MICC poised to expand and defend it.

Communications strategy for the Chernobyl Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurilchik, Mykola; Green, Len

2000-01-01

This Communications Strategy was developed for the International Chernobyl Centre (ICC) as part of a joint UK/Ukraine project, sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry and NNC Limited. The Plan was developed during four weeks of workshop discussions in the UK between staff from the centre and experienced PR Professionals from NNC Limited. The requirements for a sustained communications activity at the ICC go much further than simply enhancing or promoting the Centre's scientific and technical activities. Raising sufficient awareness of the Centre among potential funding agents and commercial partners is critical to its future development as a major centre for international co-operation and research. It is only through establishing and developing effective communications that the Centre will become well enough known and understood both within the Ukraine, and internationally, to secure its long term future. However, as the workshop programme unfolded, it also became clear that communications was in itself a legitimate and necessary function of the Centre, and part of the foundations of its existence. The Centre has a fundamental role as an 'information exchange', collecting and communicating information from within the Ukraine to the rest of the world, and interpreting world interest and attitudes to the Ukraine Government and nuclear industry. As such compliments the efforts of individual power plant and corporate PR functions within the Ukraine nuclear energy sector

Variation in Quality of Urgent Health Care Provided During Commercial Virtual Visits.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenfeld, Adam J; Davies, Jason M; Marafino, Ben J; Dean, Mitzi; DeJong, Colette; Bardach, Naomi S; Kazi, Dhruv S; Boscardin, W John; Lin, Grace A; Duseja, Reena; Mei, Y John; Mehrotra, Ateev; Dudley, R Adams

2016-05-01

Commercial virtual visits are an increasingly popular model of health care for the management of common acute illnesses. In commercial virtual visits, patients access a website to be connected synchronously-via videoconference, telephone, or webchat-to a physician with whom they have no prior relationship. To date, whether the care delivered through those websites is similar or quality varies among the sites has not been assessed. To assess the variation in the quality of urgent health care among virtual visit companies. This audit study used 67 trained standardized patients who presented to commercial virtual visit companies with the following 6 common acute illnesses: ankle pain, streptococcal pharyngitis, viral pharyngitis, acute rhinosinusitis, low back pain, and recurrent female urinary tract infection. The 8 commercial virtual visit websites with the highest web traffic were selected for audit, for a total of 599 visits. Data were collected from May 1, 2013, to July 30, 2014, and analyzed from July 1, 2014, to September 1, 2015. Completeness of histories and physical examinations, the correct diagnosis (vs an incorrect or no diagnosis), and adherence to guidelines of key management decisions. Sixty-seven standardized patients completed 599 commercial virtual visits during the study period. Histories and physical examinations were complete in 417 visits (69.6%; 95% CI, 67.7%-71.6%); diagnoses were correctly named in 458 visits (76.5%; 95% CI, 72.9%-79.9%), and key management decisions were adherent to guidelines in 325 visits (54.3%; 95% CI, 50.2%-58.3%). Rates of guideline-adherent care ranged from 206 visits (34.4%) to 396 visits (66.1%) across the 8 websites. Variation across websites was significantly greater for viral pharyngitis and acute rhinosinusitis (adjusted rates, 12.8% to 82.1%) than for streptococcal pharyngitis and low back pain (adjusted rates, 74.6% to 96.5%) or ankle pain and recurrent urinary tract infection (adjusted rates, 3.4% to 40

Digital enclosure and the communication commons revival

OpenAIRE

Anderson, Stephen Edward

2008-01-01

This thesis considers the political and economic forces shaping the Internet as a medium of increasing importance in everyday life. The digital communications infrastructure is currently facing commercial enclosure on three layers: physical (regulation and ownership of the wires), content (copyright policies, media technology, ownership), and space (ownership and orientation of online tools, spaces, and services). This thesis explores and analyzes the power dynamics driving enclosure on each ...

77 FR 30919 - Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's Permit Standards

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-24

..., and 385 [Docket No. FMCSA-2007-27659] Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's... published a final rule titled ``Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's Permit... additional drivers, primarily those transporting certain tanks temporarily attached to the commercial motor...

Novel Photon-Counting Detectors for Free-Space Communication

Science.gov (United States)

Krainak, Michael A.; Yang, Guan; Sun, Xiaoli; Lu, Wei; Merritt, Scott; Beck, Jeff

2016-01-01

We present performance data for novel photon counting detectors for free space optical communication. NASA GSFC is testing the performance of three novel photon counting detectors 1) a 2x8 mercury cadmium telluride avalanche array made by DRS Inc. 2) a commercial 2880 silicon avalanche photodiode array and 3) a prototype resonant cavity silicon avalanche photodiode array. We will present and compare dark count, photon detection efficiency, wavelength response and communication performance data for these detectors. We discuss system wavelength trades and architectures for optimizing overall communication link sensitivity, data rate and cost performance. The HgCdTe APD array has photon detection efficiencies of greater than 50 were routinely demonstrated across 5 arrays, with one array reaching a maximum PDE of 70. High resolution pixel-surface spot scans were performed and the junction diameters of the diodes were measured. The junction diameter was decreased from 31 m to 25 m resulting in a 2x increase in e-APD gain from 470 on the 2010 array to 1100 on the array delivered to NASA GSFC. Mean single photon SNRs of over 12 were demonstrated at excess noise factors of 1.2-1.3.The commercial silicon APD array has a fast output with rise times of 300ps and pulse widths of 600ps. Received and filtered signals from the entire array are multiplexed onto this single fast output. The prototype resonant cavity silicon APD array is being developed for use at 1 micron wavelength.

THE CHALLENGE OF THE LARGEST STRUCTURES IN THE UNIVERSE TO COSMOLOGY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Changbom; Choi, Yun-Young; Kim, Sungsoo S.; Kim, Kap-Sung; Kim, Juhan; Gott III, J. Richard

2012-01-01

Large galaxy redshift surveys have long been used to constrain cosmological models and structure formation scenarios. In particular, the largest structures discovered observationally are thought to carry critical information on the amplitude of large-scale density fluctuations or homogeneity of the universe, and have often challenged the standard cosmological framework. The Sloan Great Wall (SGW) recently found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) region casts doubt on the concordance cosmological model with a cosmological constant (i.e., the flat ΛCDM model). Here we show that the existence of the SGW is perfectly consistent with the ΛCDM model, a result that only our very large cosmological N-body simulation (the Horizon Run 2, HR2) could supply. In addition, we report on the discovery of a void complex in the SDSS much larger than the SGW, and show that such size of the largest void is also predicted in the ΛCDM paradigm. Our results demonstrate that an initially homogeneous isotropic universe with primordial Gaussian random phase density fluctuations growing in accordance with the general relativity can explain the richness and size of the observed large-scale structures in the SDSS. Using the HR2 simulation we predict that a future galaxy redshift survey about four times deeper or with 3 mag fainter limit than the SDSS should reveal a largest structure of bright galaxies about twice as big as the SGW.

Communication-based positioning systems: past, present and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Guanyi; Wan Qingtao; Gan Tong

2012-01-01

This paper reviews positioning systems in the context of communication systems. First, the basic positioning technique is described for location based service (LBS) in mobile communication systems. Then the high integrity global positioning system (iGPS) is introduced in terms of aspects of what it is and how the low Earth orbit (LEO) Iridium telecommunication satellites enhance the global positioning system (GPS). Emphasis is on the Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) which is mainly based on commercial geostationary (GEO) communication satellites, including decommissioned GEO and inclined geosynchronous communication satellites. Characterized by its low cost, high flexibility, wide-area coverage and ample frequency resources, a distinctive feature of CAPS is that its navigation messages are generated on the ground, then uploaded to and forwarded by the communication satellites. Fundamental principles and key technologies applied in the construction of CAPS are presented in detail from the CAPS validation phase to its experimental system setup. A prospective view of CAPS has concluded it to be a seamless, high accuracy, large capacity navigation and communication system which can be achieved by expanding it world wide and enhancing it with LEO satellites and mobile base stations. Hence, this system is a potential candidate for the next generation of radio navigation after GPS. (invited reviews)

Analyzing multimodal communication of specialized film knowledge in educational multimedia kits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maier, Carmen Daniela

Specialized knowledge from various domains of activity is more and more successfully communicated within sites of appearance and dissemination whose rationale is both educational and commercial. The focus of this paper is on how specialized knowledge related to the domain of film production...... is communicated in order to both instruct and persuade.   Based on social semiotic theory, this paper explores how specialized film knowledge is multimodally communicated in the discourse of four multimedia kits created during 2006-2009 in connection with annual international symposiums on digital production...... discourses are combined across semiotic modes and media when conveying the new knowledge.   Applying a multimodal analytical framework, the paper focuses on the modal ensembles through which new film knowledge is communicated in the multimedia kits through both educational and advertising discourses...

Aerogel Antennas Communications Study Using Error Vector Magnitude Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Felix A.; Mueller, Carl H.; Meador, Mary Ann B.

2014-01-01

This presentation discusses an aerogel antennas communication study using error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements. The study was performed using 2x4 element polyimide (PI) aerogel-based phased arrays designed for operation at 5 GHz as transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) antennas separated by a line of sight (LOS) distance of 8.5 meters. The results of the EVM measurements demonstrate that polyimide aerogel antennas work appropriately to support digital communication links with typically used modulation schemes such as QPSK and 4 DQPSK. As such, PI aerogel antennas with higher gain, larger bandwidth and lower mass than typically used microwave laminates could be suitable to enable aerospace-to- ground communication links with enough channel capacity to support voice, data and video links from CubeSats, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), and commercial aircraft.

Aerogel Antennas Communications Study Using Error Vector Magnitude Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Felix A.; Mueller, Carl H.; Meador, Mary Ann B.

2014-01-01

This paper discusses an aerogel antennas communication study using error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements. The study was performed using 4x2 element polyimide (PI) aerogel-based phased arrays designed for operation at 5 GHz as transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) antennas separated by a line of sight (LOS) distance of 8.5 meters. The results of the EVM measurements demonstrate that polyimide aerogel antennas work appropriately to support digital communication links with typically used modulation schemes such as QPSK and pi/4 DQPSK. As such, PI aerogel antennas with higher gain, larger bandwidth and lower mass than typically used microwave laminates could be suitable to enable aerospace-to-ground communication links with enough channel capacity to support voice, data and video links from cubesats, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), and commercial aircraft.

A meta-analysis of the social communication questionnaire: Screening for autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Chesnut, Steven R; Wei, Tianlan; Barnard-Brak, Lucy; Richman, David M

2017-11-01

The current meta-analysis examines the previous research on the utility of the Social Communication Questionnaire as a screening instrument for autism spectrum disorder. Previously published reports have highlighted the inconsistencies between Social Communication Questionnaire-screening results and formal autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. The variations in accuracy resulted in some researchers questioning the validity of the Social Communication Questionnaire. This study systematically examined the accuracy of the Social Communication Questionnaire as a function of the methodological decisions made by researchers screening for autism spectrum disorder over the last 15 years. Findings from this study suggest that the Social Communication Questionnaire is an acceptable screening instrument for autism spectrum disorder (area under the curve = 0.885). Variations in methodological decisions, however, greatly influenced the accuracy of the Social Communication Questionnaire in screening for autism spectrum disorder. Of these methodological variations, using the Current instead of the Lifetime version of the Social Communication Questionnaire resulted in the largest detrimental effect ( d = -3.898), followed by using the Social Communication Questionnaire with individuals younger than 4 years of age ( d = -2.924) and relying upon convenience samples ( d = -4.828 for clinical samples, -2.734 for convenience samples, and -1.422 for community samples). Directions for future research and implications for using the Social Communication Questionnaire to screen for autism spectrum disorder are discussed.

Movies as Political Communication: A Theory of Popular Representation.

Science.gov (United States)

Combs, James

To understand film as a form of political communication, movies must be regarded as an art form made both with commercial and aesthetic considerations and with cultural, industrial, and artistic traditions in mind. Filmmaking must also be viewed as a process or as a temporal activity of a culture. Through political mediation, or the process of…

Sistema Faro, Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico: speleogenesis of the worlds largest flank margin cave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lace, M. J.; Kambesis, P. N.; Mylroie, J. E.

2016-01-01

Isla de Mona, a small, uplifted carbonate plateau jutting out of the waters of the Mona Passage, is an incredibly fragile and densely karstic environment. Expedition work was conducted by the Isla de Mona Project in cooperation with the Departamento Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico (DRNA), including contributions from many researchers and cavers volunteering from across the U.S and Puerto Rico in the course of 12 separate expeditions, spanning a 14 year period (1998 to 2013). Over 200 caves have been documented on the island to date, the majority of this inventory is composed of flank margin caves but also includes sea caves, pit caves and talus caves. The most extensive example of cave development on the island is Sistema Faro - a sprawling maze-like series of chambers formed within the eastern point of the island with over 40 cliffside entrances overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Detailed cartography and analysis of the geomorphology and development of the Sistema Faro has helped form a complex model of carbonate island cave development as a function of tectonic uplift, lithology, sea level changes, karst hydrogeology and cliff retreat. This communication examines the roles these controls have played in the genesis of the world's largest flank margin cave. (Author)

Mega project Eemscentrale. Part 6. Communication and public relations; Megaproject Eemscentrale. Deel 6. Veel aandacht voor communicatie bij bouw Eemscentrale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crone, K. [Crone Communicatie, Diemen (Netherlands)

1996-04-01

In a series of 8 articles attention is paid to several aspects of the Netherlands largest Energy Construction project, the gas-fired power plant `Eemscentrale`. In this article communications and the societal impact of the project are dealt with. 3 ills.

Comparison between commercial and open-source SCADA packages-A case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barana, O.; Barbato, P.; Breda, M.; Capobianco, R.; Luchetta, A.; Molon, F.; Moressa, M.; Simionato, P.; Taliercio, C.; Zampiva, E.

2010-01-01

SPIDER (Source for the Production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from Rf plasma) is a new experimental device under development at Consorzio RFX aimed at providing a full-scale ion source prototype for MITICA (Megavolt ITer Injector and Concept Advance), the experiment devoted at supplying a full-scale prototype of the ITER Heating Neutral Beam Injector (HNB). Both experimental devices will be hosted in a new facility known as PRIMA (Padova Research on Injectors Megavolt Accelerated). The correct operation of SPIDER and MITICA will be guaranteed by process automation and plant monitoring that will be implemented using suitable controllers (cycle time greater than 10 ms) in conjunction with appropriate SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) software. This paper presents the tests performed at Consorzio RFX to evaluate commercial and open-source SCADA packages and prepare a technical base for the selection of the SCADA system for SPIDER. Two commercial solutions and two open-source solutions (EPICS and TANGO) were investigated. The typical test-bed was represented by a SCADA system exchanging data with a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The case study consisted of: (a) the development of a minimal panel provided with fields for setting parameters and of a trend window; (b) the set-up of two kinds of communication, a direct connection between the SCADA and the PLC and an indirect one by means of an OPC (Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control) server. The communication performance was evaluated measuring the network traffic with a fixed number of data variables exchanged and different polling cycle times. The conclusions show that the final choice of a SCADA package for SPIDER will be between one commercial SCADA and EPICS. This choice will not depend uniquely on the results of the tests, but will be also dictated by the early schedule of the SPIDER operations.

Statistically validated mobile communication networks: Evolution of motifs in European and Chinese data

OpenAIRE

Li, Ming-Xia; Palchykov, Vasyl; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Kaski, Kimmo; Kertész, Janos; Miccichè, Salvatore; Tumminello, Michele; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Mantegna, Rosario N.

2014-01-01

Big data open up unprecedented opportunities to investigate complex systems including the society. In particular, communication data serve as major sources for computational social sciences but they have to be cleaned and filtered as they may contain spurious information due to recording errors as well as interactions, like commercial and marketing activities, not directly related to the social network. The network constructed from communication data can only be considered as a proxy for the ...

In vitro physical, chemical, and biological evaluation of commercially available metal orthodontic brackets.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Joo Hyoung; Cha, Jung Yul; Hwang, Chung Ju

2012-12-01

This in vitro study was undertaken to evaluate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of commercially available metal orthodontic brackets in South Korea, because national standards for these products are lacking. FOUR BRACKET BRANDS WERE TESTED FOR DIMENSIONAL ACCURACY, (MANUFACTURING ERRORS IN ANGULATION AND TORQUE), CYTOTOXICITY, COMPOSITION, ELUTION, AND CORROSION: Archist (Daeseung Medical), Victory (3M Unitek), Kosaka (Tomy), and Confidence (Shinye Odontology Materials). The tested rackets showed no significant differences in manufacturing errors in angulation, but Confidence brackets showed a significant difference in manufacturing errors in torque. None of the brackets were cytotoxic to mouse fibroblasts. The metal ion components did not show a regular increasing or decreasing trend of elution over time, but the volume of the total eluted metal ions increased: Archist brackets had the maximal Cr elution and Confidence brackets appeared to have the largest volume of total eluted metal ions because of excessive Ni elution. Confidence brackets showed the lowest corrosion resistance during potentiodynamic polarization. The results of this study could potentially be applied in establishing national standards for metal orthodontic brackets and in evaluating commercially available products.

Mass balance of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers - 2000–2010

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Howat, I.M.; Ahn, Y.; Joughin, I.; van den Broeke, M.R.; Lenaerts, J.T.M.; Smith, B.

2011-01-01

Acceleration of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers, Helheim, Kangerdlugssuaq and Jakobshavn Isbræ, accounted for a substantial portion of the ice sheet's mass loss over the past decade. Rapid changes in their discharge, however, make their cumulative mass-change uncertain. We derive monthly

Underwater sound from vessel traffic reduces the effective communication range in Atlantic cod and haddock.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, Jenni A; Van Parijs, Sofie M; Hatch, Leila T

2017-11-07

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is located in Massachusetts Bay off the densely populated northeast coast of the United States; subsequently, the marine inhabitants of the area are exposed to elevated levels of anthropogenic underwater sound, particularly due to commercial shipping. The current study investigated the alteration of estimated effective communication spaces at three spawning locations for populations of the commercially and ecologically important fishes, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus). Both the ambient sound pressure levels and the estimated effective vocalization radii, estimated through spherical spreading models, fluctuated dramatically during the three-month recording periods. Increases in sound pressure level appeared to be largely driven by large vessel activity, and accordingly exhibited a significant positive correlation with the number of Automatic Identification System tracked vessels at the two of the three sites. The near constant high levels of low frequency sound and consequential reduction in the communication space observed at these recording sites during times of high vocalization activity raises significant concerns that communication between conspecifics may be compromised during critical biological periods. This study takes the first steps in evaluating these animals' communication spaces and alteration of these spaces due to anthropogenic underwater sound.

Technical and economic assessments commercial success for IGCC technology in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong, T.

1998-01-01

The experiences gained from several Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) demonstration plants operating in the US and Europe facilitate commercial success of this advanced coal-based power generation technology. However, commercialization of coal-based IGCC technology in the West, particularly in the US, is restricted due to the low price of natural gas. On the contrary, in China--the largest coal producer and consumer in the world--a lack of natural gas supply, strong demand for air pollution control and relatively low costs of manufacturing and construction provide tremendous opportunities for IGCC applications. The first Chinese IGCC demonstration project was initiated in 1994, and other potential IGCC projects are in planning. IGCC applications in re-powering, fuel switching and multi-generation also show a great market potential in China. However, questions for IGCC development in China remain; where are realistic opportunities for IGCC projects and how can these opportunities be converted into commercial success? The answers to these questions should focus on the Chinese market needs and emphasize economic benefits, not just clean, or power. High price of imported equipment, high financing costs, and the technical risk of first-of-a-kind installation barricade IGCC development in China. This paper presents preliminary technical and economic assessments for four typical IGCC applications in the Chinese marketplace: central power station, fuel switching, re-powering, and multi-generation. The major factors affecting project economics--such as plant cost, financing, prices of fuel and electricity and operating capacity factor--are analyzed. The results indicate that well-proven technology for versatile applications, preferred financing, reduction of the plant cost, environmental superiority and appropriate project structure are the key for commercial success of IGCC in China

Readability of consumer health information on the internet: a comparison of U.S. government-funded and commercially funded websites.

Science.gov (United States)

Risoldi Cochrane, Zara; Gregory, Philip; Wilson, Amy

2012-01-01

The Internet has become an extremely prevalent means of communicating health information to consumers. Guidelines for selecting reliable health information websites give preference to U.S. government sites over commercially funded sites. However, these websites are not useful to consumers unless they are able to read and understand them. The authors' objective was to compare the readability of Internet health information intended for consumers found on U.S. government-funded websites versus that found on commercially funded websites. Consumer health websites were identified through a systematic Internet search. Webpages for 10 common health topics were extracted from each website. Readability of webpages was determined by 3 validated measures: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level, and SMOG Formula. Mean readability of government-funded and commercially funded websites was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Commercially funded websites were significantly more difficult to read as measured by Flesch Reading Ease (49.7 vs. 55.6 for government-funded sites, p = .002) and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level (10.1 vs. 9.3, p = .012). There was no significant difference according to SMOG Formula (12.8 vs. 13.2, p = .150). The overall readability of Internet health information intended for consumers was poor. Efforts should be made to ensure that health information communicated via the Internet is easy for consumers to read and understand.

History of Antenna Technology for Mobile Communications in Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Kyeong-Sik; Park, Chul-Keun; Kang, Suk-Youb

In this paper, we discuss the development of wireless and mobile communications in Korea, current technological trends, and the future outlook on technological developments. Since the introduction of the telegraph and the telephone in September 1885, Korea's wired and wireless communications industry has consistently developed for over 100 years. Since 1984, upon the provision of the mobile telecommunications service, the industry has seen drastic qualitative and quantitative growth in terms of both technical and economic aspects, which played a crucial role in the rapid growth of the digital industry in Korea. After the era of the analog cellular service based on the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), a precursor to the modern mobile service, Korea became the world's first country to commercialize Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in 1996 and succeeded in commercializing CDMA 2000 lx (IMT 2000) in 2001. With further developments in the mobile communication technology, the technology for antennas also saw drastic advancements. As the mobile antennas moved from the second to the third generation, they grew from external models to very small internal models. At the same time, they evolved into highly functional and high performance multiple band and wide band antennas. Furthermore, Korea was the first country to commercialize and offer the Wireless Broadband Internet (WiBro) service in 2006. By leading the wireless communications standardization and exerting remarkable efforts in research and development, Korea is consolidating its status as an Information Technology (IT) leader in the global market. The antenna's inherent importance will be further emphasized in the near future as it satisfies the performance and structural needs of portable terminals necessary for realizing the projected establishment of the ubiquitous world. It is thought that antenna technologies will not be limited to simple concepts as previously experienced but will utilize various kinds

Health Insurance Premium Increases for the 5 Largest School Districts in the United States, 2004–2008

Science.gov (United States)

Cantillo, John R.

2010-01-01

Background Local school districts are often one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in their respective communities. Like many large employers, school districts offer health insurance to their employees. There is a lack of information about the rate of health insurance premiums in US school districts relative to other employers. Objective To assess the change in the costs of healthcare insurance in the 5 largest public school districts in the United States, between 2004 and 2008, as representative of large public employers in the country. Methods Data for this study were drawn exclusively from a survey sent to the 5 largest public school districts in the United States. The survey requested responses on 3 data elements for each benefit plan offered from 2004 through 2008; these included enrollment, employee costs, and employer costs. Results The premium growth for the 5 largest school districts has slowed down and is consistent with other purchasers—Kaiser/Health Research & Educational Trust and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program. The average increase in health insurance premium for the schools was 5.9% in 2008, and the average annual growth rate over the study period was 7.5%. For family coverage, these schools provide the most generous employer contribution (80.8%) compared with the employer contribution reported by other employers (73.5%) for 2008. Conclusions Often the largest employers in their communities, school districts demonstrate a commitment to provide choice of benefits and affordability for employees and their families. Despite constraints typical of public employers, the 5 largest school districts in the United States have decelerated in premium growth consistent with other purchasers, albeit at a slower pace. PMID:25126311

Hemorrhage from an enlarged emphysematous bulla during commercial air travel.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chien-Wen; Perng, Wann-Cherng; Li, Min-Hui; Yan, Horng-Chin; Wu, Chin-Pyng

2006-12-01

Pulmonary bullae are a common late complication in patients with emphysema. Non-communicating emphysematous bullae may expand during air travel when the ambient pressure is reduced, resulting in various forms of barotrauma including pneumothorax and air embolism. We report a 62-yr-old man with emphysema who developed hemoptysis during international commercial air travel. CT scan of the chest obtained after the travel showed air-fluid level in an enlarged bulla. He underwent resection of the bulla and had a full recovery. This is a unique presentation of stretch injury of a bulla as a form of pulmonary barotrauma occurring during commercial air travel. With the most recent ruling by the Federal Aviation Administration to allow patients with advanced chronic obstructive lung disease to travel by air with their own supplemental oxygen devices, physicians need to be aware of this type of pulmonary barotrauma and properly advise such patients who are planning to travel by air.

Open Search Environments: The Free Alternative to Commercial Search Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian O'Riordan

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Open search systems present a free and less restricted alternative to commercial search services. This paper explores the space of open search technology looking in particular at the issue of interoperability. A description of current protocols and formats for engineering open search applications is presented. The suitability of these technologies and issues around their adoption and operation are discussed. This open search approach is especially proving a fitting choice in applications involving the harvesting of resources and information integration. Principal among the technological solutions are OpenSearch and SRU. OpenSearch and SRU implement a federated model to enable existing and new search engines and search clients communicate. Applications and instances where Opensearch and SRU can be combined are presented. Other relevant technologies such as OpenURL, Apache Solr, and OAI-PMH are also discussed. The deployment of these freely licensed open standards in digital library applications is now a genuine alternative to commercial or proprietary systems.

Study to forecast and determine characteristics of world satellite communications market

Science.gov (United States)

Filep, R. T.; Schnapf, A.; Fordyce, S. W.

1983-01-01

The world commercial communications satellite market during the spring and summer of 1983 was examined and characteristics and forecasts of the market extending to the year 2000 were developed. Past, present and planned satellites were documented in relation to frequencies, procurement and launch dates, costs, transponders, and prime contractor. Characteristics of the market are outlined for the periods 1965 - 1985, 1986 - 1989, and 1990 - 2000. Market share forecasts, discussions of potential competitors in various world markets, and profiles of major communication satellite manufacturing and user countries are documented.

Effectively Communicating the Uncertainties Surrounding Ebola Virus Transmission.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andy Kilianski

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The current Ebola virus outbreak has highlighted the uncertainties surrounding many aspects of Ebola virus virology, including routes of transmission. The scientific community played a leading role during the outbreak-potentially, the largest of its kind-as many of the questions surrounding ebolaviruses have only been interrogated in the laboratory. Scientists provided an invaluable resource for clinicians, public health officials, policy makers, and the lay public in understanding the progress of Ebola virus disease and the continuing outbreak. Not all of the scientific communication, however, was accurate or effective. There were multiple instances of published articles during the height of the outbreak containing potentially misleading scientific language that spurred media overreaction and potentially jeopardized preparedness and policy decisions at critical points. Here, we use articles declaring the potential for airborne transmission of Ebola virus as a case study in the inaccurate reporting of basic science, and we provide recommendations for improving the communication about unknown aspects of disease during public health crises.

Effectively Communicating the Uncertainties Surrounding Ebola Virus Transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilianski, Andy; Evans, Nicholas G

2015-10-01

The current Ebola virus outbreak has highlighted the uncertainties surrounding many aspects of Ebola virus virology, including routes of transmission. The scientific community played a leading role during the outbreak-potentially, the largest of its kind-as many of the questions surrounding ebolaviruses have only been interrogated in the laboratory. Scientists provided an invaluable resource for clinicians, public health officials, policy makers, and the lay public in understanding the progress of Ebola virus disease and the continuing outbreak. Not all of the scientific communication, however, was accurate or effective. There were multiple instances of published articles during the height of the outbreak containing potentially misleading scientific language that spurred media overreaction and potentially jeopardized preparedness and policy decisions at critical points. Here, we use articles declaring the potential for airborne transmission of Ebola virus as a case study in the inaccurate reporting of basic science, and we provide recommendations for improving the communication about unknown aspects of disease during public health crises.

Commercial Buildings Characteristics, 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-04-29

Commercial Buildings Characteristics 1992 presents statistics about the number, type, and size of commercial buildings in the United States as well as their energy-related characteristics. These data are collected in the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), a national survey of buildings in the commercial sector. The 1992 CBECS is the fifth in a series conducted since 1979 by the Energy Information Administration. Approximately 6,600 commercial buildings were surveyed, representing the characteristics and energy consumption of 4.8 million commercial buildings and 67.9 billion square feet of commercial floorspace nationwide. Overall, the amount of commercial floorspace in the United States increased an average of 2.4 percent annually between 1989 and 1992, while the number of commercial buildings increased an average of 2.0 percent annually.

Communication overhead on the Intel Paragon, IBM SP2 and Meiko CS-2

Science.gov (United States)

Bokhari, Shahid H.

1995-01-01

Interprocessor communication overhead is a crucial measure of the power of parallel computing systems-its impact can severely limit the performance of parallel programs. This report presents measurements of communication overhead on three contemporary commercial multicomputer systems: the Intel Paragon, the IBM SP2 and the Meiko CS-2. In each case the time to communicate between processors is presented as a function of message length. The time for global synchronization and memory access is discussed. The performance of these machines in emulating hypercubes and executing random pairwise exchanges is also investigated. It is shown that the interprocessor communication time depends heavily on the specific communication pattern required. These observations contradict the commonly held belief that communication overhead on contemporary machines is independent of the placement of tasks on processors. The information presented in this report permits the evaluation of the efficiency of parallel algorithm implementations against standard baselines.

A Day in the Life of the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Project

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Bernard; Israel, David; Caroglanian, Armen; Spero, James; Roberts, Tom; Moores, John

2016-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the planned concept of operations for the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Project (LCRD), a joint project among NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (JPL), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL). LCRD will provide at least two years of bi-directional optical communications at user data rates of up to 1.244 Gbps in an operational environment. The project lays the groundwork for establishing communications architecture and protocols, and developing the communications hardware and support infrastructure, concluding in a demonstration of optical communications' potential to meet NASA's growing need for higher data rates for future science and exploration missions. A pair of flight optical communications terminals will reside on a single commercial communications satellite in geostationary orbit; the two ground optical communications terminals will be located in Southern California and Hawaii. This paper summarizes the current LCRD architecture and key systems for the demonstration, focusing on what it will take to operate an optical communications relay that can support space-to-space, space-to-air, and space-to-ground optical links.

Success factors in the processes of commercialization of knowledge – relational and communicational aspect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marzena Feldy

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to identify the ways of communication that increase the chances of researchers being at different stages of a scientific career to collaborate with companies. Inefficient communication and the closeness of research units to the environment are considered to be the greatest barriers to the development of R&D cooperation between science and industry. Lack of knowledge results in the formation of negative stereotypes on both young and senior researchers. The former are considered incompetent, while the latter – too little interested in cooperation with companies or holding high financial expectations. However, according to the research outcomes companies prefer to invest their resources in studies carried out by experienced and acclaimed scientists. The higher status has a researcher, the greater variety of contacts with industry he possess. Thanks to contacts developed throughout their scientific career senior researchers usually cooperate with business more frequently. In turn, young scientists are more open to undertaking new forms of cooperation. However, in some cases they have to reduce their engagement as they are overloaded by teaching duties. Considering presented evidence, I assumed that the way of sharing the research findings, that resulted in establishing cooperation with industry, varied at different stages of scientific career. In order to verify this assumption, I used logit regression. The first model constructed examines how different ways of communication affect the likelihood of cooperation with companies in the case of postdoctoral researchers, and the second model – in the case of more experienced researchers, i.e. associate professors and professors. In addition, there is a set of variables that are controlled in each of the models (such as: a type of scientific unit that employed a researcher, a field of science that a researcher represented and a type of research that she/he carried out. I

Framing Interculturality: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Online Promotional Discourse of Higher Education Intercultural Communication Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Zhu; Handford, Michael; Young, Tony Johnstone

2017-01-01

This paper examines how intercultural communication (ICC) and the notion of culture are framed in on-line promotional discourse of higher education (HE) ICC courses. It analyses a specialised corpus comprised of 14,842 words from 43 course websites of master's programmes in ICC in the UK and the US--internationally, the two largest providers of…

Interfacing external sensors with Android smartphones through near field communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leikanger, Tore; Häkkinen, Juha; Schuss, Christian

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present and evaluate a new approach to communicate with inter-integrated circuit (I2C) enabled circuits such as sensors over near field communication (NFC). The NFC-to-I2C interface was designed using a non-standard NFC command to control the I2C bus directly from a smartphone, which was controlling both, the read and write operations on the I2C bus. The NFC-to-I2C interface was reporting back the data bytes on the bus to the smartphone when the transaction was completed successfully. The proposed system was tested experimentally, both, with write and read requests to a commercial microcontroller featuring a hardware I2C port, as well as reading a commercial I2C enabled humidity and temperature sensor. We present experimental results of the system which show that our approach enables an easy interface between smartphones and external sensors. Interfacing external sensors is useful and beneficial for smartphone users, especially, if certain types of sensors are not available on smartphones. (paper)

HIV/AIDS communication in four Nigerian mainstream newspapers.

Science.gov (United States)

Okidu, Onjefu

2014-01-01

One consensus in discussions on HIV/AIDS communication in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is the need for communication models to focus on activity rather than cognitive indicators in order to achieve desired improvements in health behaviors and outcomes. Past failures of HIV/AIDS communication efforts in LMICs have been attributed to emphasis on cognitive indicators. This study analyses HIV/AIDS communication models in Nigerian newspapers. Data were obtained through analysis of manifest content of four Nigerian papers issued between 2002 and 2004. Frequency, prominence and space dedicated to HIV/AIDS-related topics were measured. Descriptive statistics were used to highlight the frequency and percentage of cognitive- and activity-oriented information on HIV/AIDS. A total of 464 HIV/AIDS-related articles were identified. Fifty-nine percent (274) of articles were activity-oriented. Over half of articles were news stories. No news story made front and back pages lead. There were only nine editorials on HIV/AIDS. This study shows that the activity model of HIV/AIDS communication dominates the four Nigerian mainstream newspapers studied. However, it is worth noting the limited number of editorials and feature articles, which have the capacity to stimulate debate and foster a social environment in which AIDS is addressed in a spirit of openness. For a country that has the third largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS globally, one would expect the mass media to deliberately play an instrumental and a more active role in the battle against the disease by engaging in in-depth contextual discourse on HIV/AIDS.

78 FR 17875 - Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's Permit Standards

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-25

... [Docket No. FMCSA-2007-27659] RIN 2126-AB59 Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's.... The 2011 final rule amended the commercial driver's license (CDL) knowledge and skills testing standards and established new minimum Federal standards for States to issue the commercial learner's permit...

The largest glitch observed in the Crab pulsar

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, B.; Lyne, A. G.; Stappers, B. W.; Weltevrede, P.; Bassa, C. G.; Lien, A. Y.; Mickaliger, M. B.; Breton, R. P.; Jordan, C. A.; Keith, M. J.; Krimm, H. A.

2018-05-01

We have observed a large glitch in the Crab pulsar (PSR B0531+21). The glitch occurred around MJD 58064 (2017 November 8) when the pulsar underwent an increase in the rotation rate of Δν = 1.530 × 10-5 Hz, corresponding to a fractional increase of Δν/ν = 0.516 × 10-6 making this event the largest glitch ever observed in this source. Due to our high-cadence and long-dwell time observations of the Crab pulsar we are able to partially resolve a fraction of the total spin-up of the star. This delayed spin-up occurred over a timescale of ˜1.7 days and is similar to the behaviour seen in the 1989 and 1996 large Crab pulsar glitches. The spin-down rate also increased at the glitch epoch by Δ \\dot{ν } / \\dot{ν } = 7 × 10^{-3}. In addition to being the largest such event observed in the Crab, the glitch occurred after the longest period of glitch inactivity since at least 1984 and we discuss a possible relationship between glitch size and waiting time. No changes to the shape of the pulse profile were observed near the glitch epoch at 610 MHz or 1520 MHz, nor did we identify any changes in the X-ray flux from the pulsar. The long-term recovery from the glitch continues to progress as \\dot{ν } slowly rises towards pre-glitch values. In line with other large Crab glitches, we expect there to be a persistent change to \\dot{ν }. We continue to monitor the long-term recovery with frequent, high quality observations.

Gatekeepers or intermediaries? The role of clinicians in commercial genomic testing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle L McGowan

Full Text Available Many commentators on "direct-to-consumer" genetic risk information have raised concerns that giving results to individuals with insufficient knowledge and training in genomics may harm consumers, the health care system, and society. In response, several commercial laboratories offering genomic risk profiling have shifted to more traditional "direct-to-provider" (DTP marketing strategies, repositioning clinicians as the intended recipients of advertising of laboratory services and as gatekeepers to personal genomic information. Increasing popularity of next generation sequencing puts a premium on ensuring that those who are charged with interpreting, translating, communicating and managing commercial genomic risk information are appropriately equipped for the job. To shed light on their gatekeeping role, we conducted a study to assess how and why early clinical users of genomic risk assessment incorporate these tools in their clinical practices and how they interpret genomic information for their patients.We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 18 clinicians providing genomic risk assessment services to their patients in partnership with DNA Direct and Navigenics. Our findings suggest that clinicians learned most of what they knew about genomics directly from the commercial laboratories. Clinicians rely on the expertise of the commercial laboratories without the ability to critically evaluate the knowledge or assess risks.DTP service delivery model cannot guarantee that providers will have adequate expertise or sound clinical judgment. Even if clinicians want greater genomic knowledge, the current market structure is unlikely to build the independent substantive expertise of clinicians, but rather promote its continued outsourcing. Because commercial laboratories have the most "skin in the game" financially, genetics professionals and policymakers should scrutinize the scientific validity and clinical soundness of the process by which

Gatekeepers or intermediaries? The role of clinicians in commercial genomic testing.

Science.gov (United States)

McGowan, Michelle L; Fishman, Jennifer R; Settersten, Richard A; Lambrix, Marcie A; Juengst, Eric T

2014-01-01

Many commentators on "direct-to-consumer" genetic risk information have raised concerns that giving results to individuals with insufficient knowledge and training in genomics may harm consumers, the health care system, and society. In response, several commercial laboratories offering genomic risk profiling have shifted to more traditional "direct-to-provider" (DTP) marketing strategies, repositioning clinicians as the intended recipients of advertising of laboratory services and as gatekeepers to personal genomic information. Increasing popularity of next generation sequencing puts a premium on ensuring that those who are charged with interpreting, translating, communicating and managing commercial genomic risk information are appropriately equipped for the job. To shed light on their gatekeeping role, we conducted a study to assess how and why early clinical users of genomic risk assessment incorporate these tools in their clinical practices and how they interpret genomic information for their patients. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 18 clinicians providing genomic risk assessment services to their patients in partnership with DNA Direct and Navigenics. Our findings suggest that clinicians learned most of what they knew about genomics directly from the commercial laboratories. Clinicians rely on the expertise of the commercial laboratories without the ability to critically evaluate the knowledge or assess risks. DTP service delivery model cannot guarantee that providers will have adequate expertise or sound clinical judgment. Even if clinicians want greater genomic knowledge, the current market structure is unlikely to build the independent substantive expertise of clinicians, but rather promote its continued outsourcing. Because commercial laboratories have the most "skin in the game" financially, genetics professionals and policymakers should scrutinize the scientific validity and clinical soundness of the process by which these laboratories

Toward cellulose nanomaterial commercialization: knowledge gap analysis for safety data sheets according to the globally harmonized system

Science.gov (United States)

Jo Anne Shatkin; Kimberly J. Ong; James D. Ede; Theodore H. Wegner; Michael Goergen

2016-01-01

Commercialization of cellulose nanomaterials (CNs) is rapidly advancing, to the benefit of many end-use product sectors, and providing information about the safe manufacturing and handling for CNs is a priority. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are required for industrially produced materials to communicate information on their potential health, fire, reactivity, and...

77 FR 26989 - Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's Permit Standards

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-08

... [Docket No. FMCSA-2007-27659] RIN 2126-AB02 Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's... effective on July 8, 2011. That final rule amended the commercial driver's license (CDL) knowledge and skills testing standards and established new minimum Federal standards for States to issue the commercial...

Longevity in Calumma parsonii, the World's largest chameleon.

Science.gov (United States)

Tessa, Giulia; Glaw, Frank; Andreone, Franco

2017-03-01

Large body size of ectothermic species can be correlated with high life expectancy. We assessed the longevity of the World's largest chameleon, the Parson's chameleon Calumma parsonii from Madagascar by using skeletochronology of phalanges taken from preserved specimens held in European natural history museums. Due to the high bone resorption we can provide only the minimum age of each specimen. The highest minimum age detected was nine years for a male and eight years for a female, confirming that this species is considerably long living among chameleons. Our data also show a strong correlation between snout-vent length and estimated age. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evidence that communication impairment in schizophrenia is associated with generalized poor task performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Merrill, Anne M; Karcher, Nicole R; Cicero, David C; Becker, Theresa M; Docherty, Anna R; Kerns, John G

2017-03-01

People with schizophrenia exhibit wide-ranging cognitive deficits, including slower processing speed and decreased cognitive control. Disorganized speech symptoms, such as communication impairment, have been associated with poor cognitive control task performance (e.g., goal maintenance and working memory). Whether communication impairment is associated with poorer performance on a broader range of non-cognitive control measures is unclear. In the current study, people with schizophrenia (n =51) and non-psychiatric controls (n =26) completed speech interviews allowing for reliable quantitative assessment of communication impairment. Participants also completed multiple goal maintenance and working memory tasks. In addition, we also examined (a) simple measures of processing speed involving highly automatic prepotent responses and (b) a non-cognitive control measure of general task performance. Schizophrenia communication impairment was significantly associated with poor performance in all cognitive domains, with the largest association found with processing speed (r s =-0.52). Further, communication impairment was also associated with the non-cognitive control measure of poor general task performance (r s =-0.43). In contrast, alogia, a negative speech symptom, and positive symptoms were less if at all related to cognitive task performance. Overall, this study suggests that communication impairment in schizophrenia may be associated with relatively generalized poor cognitive task performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-Noise Free-Running High-Rate Photon-Counting for Space Communication and Ranging

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Wei; Krainak, Michael A.; Yang, Guan; Sun, Xiaoli; Merritt, Scott

2016-01-01

We present performance data for low-noise free-running high-rate photon counting method for space optical communication and ranging. NASA GSFC is testing the performance of two types of novel photon-counting detectors 1) a 2x8 mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) avalanche array made by DRS Inc., and a 2) a commercial 2880-element silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) array. We successfully measured real-time communication performance using both the 2 detected-photon threshold and logic AND-gate coincidence methods. Use of these methods allows mitigation of dark count, after-pulsing and background noise effects without using other method of Time Gating The HgCdTe APD array routinely demonstrated very high photon detection efficiencies (50) at near infrared wavelength. The commercial silicon APD array exhibited a fast output with rise times of 300 ps and pulse widths of 600 ps. On-chip individually filtered signals from the entire array were multiplexed onto a single fast output. NASA GSFC has tested both detectors for their potential application for space communications and ranging. We developed and compare their performances using both the 2 detected photon threshold and coincidence methods.

76 FR 37352 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-27

... collection of information. Needs and Uses: Section 315 of the Communications Act directs broadcast stations... election and the 60 days preceding a general or special election. 47 CFR 73.1942 requires broadcast... commercial advertisers that enhance the value of advertising spots and different classes of time (immediately...

Learning Doctor-Patient Communication – Evaluating the effectiveness of the communication training course at Leipzig University from the students' point of view

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cämmerer, Jana

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: At the University of Leipzig, the requirements of the Licensing Regulations for Doctors (Approbationsordnung für Ärzte for the practical training of communication skills are actively implemented by a two-semester communication course. During this course, student tutors impart the basics of interpersonal as well as selected aspects of doctor-patient communication using interactive training methods. This article reports on the effect the training has on the self-assessed communication skills of the medicine students.Methods: The students’ self-perceived communication skills were assessed, both at the beginning and after the completion of the first and second course semesters using questionnaires related to the course’s learning goals. Pre-post comparisons were then carried out. 142 students (of 163 students in total participated in the survey at the start of the course, of which 117 completed the T2-questionnaire at the end of the first course semester. Only the 84 students who also completed the questionnaires in the second course semester were included in the statistical analysis. These responses were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: The comparison of the self-assessments between the four measurement points showed that statistically significant learning progress for all assessed communication skills had taken place from the point of view of the students. The largest changes between measurements, and therefore the greatest learning progress, could be seen in knowledge related skills.Conclusion: From the students’ point of view the communication training contributes significantly to the acquisition of communication skills. The results suggest that this “hands-on” course concept is suited to successfully enhance the students’ communication skills. The course concept should therefore be retained for both the course in its current form as well as for any extension of the course into the

Intercultural Communication Ethics and Communication Competence%Intercultural Communication Ethics and Communication Competence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

时婷洁

2012-01-01

This paper investigates intercultural communication ethics is a vital element to promote intercultural communication competence. Firstly, it defines the concept of intercultural communication ethics; Secondly, it illustrates the relation between ethics and the key point of intercultural communication competence; and finally addresses how intercultural communication ethics can improve intercultural communication competence.

High speed serial communications for control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathieson, D.; Kalbfleisch, C.; Hunt, S.; Low, K.

1993-01-01

The Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory is a complex of accelerators being built in Ellis County, Texas. The SSCL control system consists of front-end processors and their associated control points remotely distributed from the Central and Regional control rooms. Control messages passing between these locations require timely (deterministic) distribution. A prototype network consisting of point-to-point links utilizing commercial T1 (1.544 Mb/s) communication boards has been implemented. These dedicated communication links will replace networking services traditionally provided for by shared medium networks like Ethernet(IEEE 802.3) and FDDI(IEEE 802.5). A seamless migration will be achieved by using packet encapsulation based on PPP(Point-to-Point Protocol, RFC 1171). All other networking functions including routing and reliable delivery are still being handled by the usual internet services. A distributed control system that currently uses Ethernet for communication is being re-implemented using these point-to-point links. The authors report on throughput measurements, timing constraints and ease of transition of a point-to-point network

Extended Evaluations of the Commercial Spectrometer Systems for Safeguards Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duc T. Vo

1999-08-01

Safeguards applications require the best of the spectrometer system with excellent resolution, stability, and throughput. Instruments must perform well in all situations and environments. Data communication to the computer should be convenient, fast, and reliable. The software should have all the necessary tools and be easy to use. Portable systems should be small in size, lightweight, and have a long battery life. Nine commercially available spectrometer systems are tested with five different germanium detectors. Considering the performance of the Digital Signal Processors (DSP), digital-based spectroscope y may become the way of future gamma-ray spectroscopy.

Digital Entrepreneurships and Business Models Canvas: Applied Research for Communication University Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Montalvo-Castro

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Digital economy requires other business models different to the ones present in the physical world; therefore, they should be studied from a particular perspective. In this research a variety of canvas formats or business model canvas are compared and analyzed. The entrepreneurial intention of Communication students from the University of Lima is also studied. The methodology included a survey among students and an educational experience within the subject: Advertising Creativity. The main result of this research is a proposal canvas to design digital entrepreneurships in Communication, whether commercial or social businesses.

NASA space communications R and D (Research and Development): Issues, derived benefits, and future directions

Science.gov (United States)

1989-02-01

Space communication is making immense strides since ECHO was launched in 1962. It was a simple passive reflector of signals that demonstrated the concept. Today, satellites incorporating transponders, sophisticated high-gain antennas, and stabilization systems provide voice, video, and data communications to millions of people nationally and worldwide. Applications of emerging technology, typified by NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) to be launched in 1992, will use newer portions of the frequency spectrum (the Ka-band at 30/20 GHz), along with antennas and signal-processing that could open yet new markets and services. Government programs, directly or indirectly, are responsible for many space communications accomplishments. They are sponsored and funded in part by NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense since the early 1950s. The industry is growing rapidly and is achieving international preeminence under joint private and government sponsorship. Now, however, the U.S. space communications industry - satellite manufacturers and users, launch services providers, and communications services companies - are being forced to adapt to a different environment. International competition is growing, and terrestrial technologies such as fiber optics are claiming markets until recently dominated by satellites. At the same time, advancing technology is opening up opportunities for new applications and new markets in space exploration, for defense, and for commercial applications of several types. Space communications research, development, and applications (RD and A) programs need to adjust to these realities, be better coordinated and more efficient, and be more closely attuned to commercial markets. The programs must take advantage of RD and A results in other agencies - and in other nations.

Analytic approximation to the largest eigenvalue distribution of a white Wishart matrix

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Vlok, JD

2012-08-14

Full Text Available offers largely simplified computation and provides statistics such as the mean value and region of support of the largest eigenvalue distribution. Numeric results from the literature are compared with the approximation and Monte Carlo simulation results...

A Day in the Life of the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Israel, David; Caroglanian, Armen; Edwards, Bernard; Spero, James; Roberts, Tom; Moores, John

2016-01-01

This presentation provides an overview of the planned concept of operations for the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Project (LCRD), a joint project among NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (JPL), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MITLL). LCRD will provide at least two years of bi-directional optical communications at user data rates of up to 1.244 Gbps in an operational environment. The project lays the ground work for establishing communications architecture and protocols, and developing the communications hardware and support infrastructure, concluding in a demonstration of optical communications potential to meet NASAs growing need for higher data rates for future science and exploration missions. A pair of flight optical communications terminals will reside on a single commercial communications satellite in geostationary orbit; the two ground optical communications terminals will be located in Southern California and Hawaii. This paper summarizes the current LCRD architecture and key systems for the demonstration, focusing on what it will take to operate an optical communications relay that can support space-to-space, space-to-air, and space-to-ground optical links.

Commercialization is Required for Sustainable Space Exploration and Development

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Gary L.; Olson, John M.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Space Exploration policy outlines an exciting new direction in space for human and robotic exploration and development beyond low Earth orbit. Pressed by this new visionary guidance, human civilization will be able to methodically build capabilities to move off Earth and into the solar system in a step-by-step manner, gradually increasing the capability for humans to stay longer in space and move further away from Earth. The new plans call for an implementation that would create an affordable and sustainable program in order to span over generations of explorers, each new generation pushing back the boundaries and building on the foundations laid by the earlier. To create a sustainable program it is important to enable and encourage the development of a selfsupporting commercial space industry leveraging both traditional and non-traditional segments of the industrial base. Governments will not be able to open the space frontier on their own because their goals change over relatively short timescales and because the large costs associated with human spaceflight cannot be sustained. A strong space development industrial sector is needed that can one day support the needs of commercial space enterprises as well as provide capabilities that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other national space agencies can buy to achieve their exploration goals. This new industrial space sector will someday provide fundamental capabilities like communications, power, logistics, and even cargo and human space transportation, just as commercial companies are able to provide these services on Earth today. To help develop and bolster this new space industrial sector, NASA and other national space agencies can enable and facilitate it in many ways, including reducing risk by developing important technologies necessary for commercialization of space, and as a paying customer, partner, or anchor tenant. This transition from all or mostly government

Eliminating malaria in Malaysia: the role of partnerships between the public and commercial sectors in Sabah

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Countries in the Asia Pacific region have made great progress in the fight against malaria; several are rapidly approaching elimination. However, malaria control programmes operating in elimination settings face substantial challenges, particularly around mobile migrant populations, access to remote areas and the diversity of vectors with varying biting and breeding behaviours. These challenges can be addressed through subnational collaborations with commercial partners, such as mining or plantation companies, that can conduct or support malaria control activities to cover employees. Such partnerships can be a useful tool for accessing high-risk populations and supporting malaria elimination goals. Methods This observational qualitative case study employed semi-structured key informant interviews to describe partnerships between the Malaysian Malaria Control Programme (MCP), and private palm oil, rubber and acacia plantations in the state of Sabah. Semi-structured interview guides were used to examine resource commitments, incentives, challenges, and successes of the collaborations. Results Interviews with workers from private plantations and the state of Sabah MCP indicated that partnerships with the commercial sector had contributed to decreases in incidence at plantation sites since 1991. Several plantations contribute financial and human resources toward malaria control efforts and all plantations frequently communicate with the MCP to help monitor the malaria situation on-site. Management of partnerships between private corporations and government entities can be challenging, as prioritization of malaria control may change with annual profits or arrival of new management. Conclusions Partnering with the commercial sector has been an essential operational strategy to support malaria elimination in Sabah. The successes of these partnerships rely on a common understanding that elimination will be a mutually beneficial outcome for employers and the

Eliminating malaria in Malaysia: the role of partnerships between the public and commercial sectors in Sabah.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Kelly C; Rundi, Christina; Jelip, Jenarun; Rashman, Yusof; Smith Gueye, Cara; Gosling, Roly D

2014-01-21

Countries in the Asia Pacific region have made great progress in the fight against malaria; several are rapidly approaching elimination. However, malaria control programmes operating in elimination settings face substantial challenges, particularly around mobile migrant populations, access to remote areas and the diversity of vectors with varying biting and breeding behaviours. These challenges can be addressed through subnational collaborations with commercial partners, such as mining or plantation companies, that can conduct or support malaria control activities to cover employees. Such partnerships can be a useful tool for accessing high-risk populations and supporting malaria elimination goals. This observational qualitative case study employed semi-structured key informant interviews to describe partnerships between the Malaysian Malaria Control Programme (MCP), and private palm oil, rubber and acacia plantations in the state of Sabah. Semi-structured interview guides were used to examine resource commitments, incentives, challenges, and successes of the collaborations. Interviews with workers from private plantations and the state of Sabah MCP indicated that partnerships with the commercial sector had contributed to decreases in incidence at plantation sites since 1991. Several plantations contribute financial and human resources toward malaria control efforts and all plantations frequently communicate with the MCP to help monitor the malaria situation on-site. Management of partnerships between private corporations and government entities can be challenging, as prioritization of malaria control may change with annual profits or arrival of new management. Partnering with the commercial sector has been an essential operational strategy to support malaria elimination in Sabah. The successes of these partnerships rely on a common understanding that elimination will be a mutually beneficial outcome for employers and the general public. Best practices included

Switzerland's largest wood-pellet factory in Balsthal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stohler, F.

2004-01-01

This article describes how a small Swiss electricity utility has broken out of its traditional role in power generation and the distribution of electricity and gone into the production of wood pellets. The pellets, which are made from waste wood (sawdust) available from wood processing companies, are produced on a large scale in one of Europe's largest pellets production facilities. The boom in the use of wood pellets for heating purposes is discussed. The article discusses this unusual approach for a Swiss power utility, which also operates a wood-fired power station and is even involved in an incineration plant for household wastes. The markets being aimed for in Switzerland and in Europe are described, including modern low-energy-consumption housing projects. A further project is described that is to use waste wood available from a large wood processing facility planned in the utility's own region

Unsolicited email, does Europe allow spam? : The state of the art of the European legislation with regard to unsolicited commercial communications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaub, M.Y.

2002-01-01

Unsolicited commercial emails, also referred to as junk-mail or spam, is considered a rude and irritating form of marketing. The sending of unsolicited commercial emails has appeared on the European political agenda more then once. The discussion on this issue evolves around the question whether an

Chicago, Indiana set for "world's largest scientific experiment"

CERN Document Server

2007-01-01

"The mission of The Hoosier Coefficient, which appears on MidestBusiness.com eveery Thursday, is to profile the often-overlooked rich technology development and commercialization in Indiana. The Hoosier state is home to four of the top technology research and engineering universities in the nation and tech pros ignore Indiana at their own peril." (1 page)

The Effect of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on Performance in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) Listening Module

Science.gov (United States)

van Han, Nguyen; van Rensburg, Henriette

2014-01-01

Many companies and organizations have been using the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) for business and commercial communication purpose in Vietnam and around the world. The present study investigated the effect of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on performance in the Test of English for International Communication…

Concussion Knowledge and Communication Behaviors of Collegiate Wrestling Coaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Kroshus, Emily; Kerr, Zachary Y; DeFreese, J D; Parsons, John T

2017-08-01

Sport coaches can play an important role in shaping a team's approach to concussion safety through their communication with team members. However, across all sports, there is limited knowledge about factors that make coaches more or less likely to engage in safety-supportive communication. The objectives of this study were to assess the concussion-related knowledge and attitudes of wrestling coaches, as well as the extent to which they engage in autonomy-supportive coaching practices, and to determine how these factors are related to communication with athletes in support of concussion safety. Data were collected through an online survey of head coaches of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) wrestling teams (n = 89, 40.5% response rate). On average, coaches answered five out of a possible nine knowledge questions correctly and were significantly more likely to think it was acceptable for an athlete to continue playing after sustaining a concussion during a national qualifying competition as compared to during an early-season competition. Engaging in autonomy-supportive coaching behaviors was the coach factor explaining the largest percentage of variability in communication. Findings suggest that while knowledge deficits and attitudes about the acceptability of continued play while symptomatic during more consequential competitive matches should be addressed in educational programming for collegiate wrestling coaches, these changes alone may not be a sufficient for adequately increasing concussion safety communication. Targeting more distal factors such as autonomy-supportive approaches to coaching may hold promise for intervention design and should be explored in future prospective research.

The first commercial spent fuel shipment in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meinert, N.M.; Xiaoqing Li

2004-01-01

In two and a half years, government regulatory agencies and contractors from three countries worked together to design, license, fabricate, and transport the first commercial spent fuel shipment in China. Their cooperative efforts helped avoid the loss of full core reserve at a nuclear power plant serving two of China's largest cities. In March 2001, Everclean Environmental Engineering Corporation (EEEC) selected NAC International (NAC) to supply two United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) licensed Storable Transport Casks (NACSTC) and technology support, to ensure that qualified Chinese operators would be ready to load the first cask in late 2003. EEEC is a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), which sets nuclear policy in China. EEEC is responsible for implementing nuclear transportation policy set forth from its parent corporation. Timely implementation of EEEC's ambitious plan would avoid loss of full core reserve at Guangdong Nuclear Power Station (Daya Bay) Unit-1, which supplies power to Hong Kong and Schenzen. The spent fuel would be transported to the Lanzhou Nuclear Fuel Complex (LNFC), a reprocessing facility, approximately 4,000 kilometers Northwest of Daya Bay

76 FR 39018 - Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's Permit Standards; Corrections

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... [Docket No. FMCSA-2007-27659] RIN 2126-AB02 Commercial Driver's License Testing and Commercial Learner's..., 2011, that will be effective on July 8, 2011. This final rule amends the commercial driver's license... to issue the commercial learner's permit (CLP). Since the final rule was published, FMCSA identified...

Issues and prospects in the development of commercial activity of trade enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

А.А. Кorniychuk

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to the research of the current development state of commercial activity in Ukraine. The author determines that the most researches conducted about the commercial activity in Ukraine are connected with the theoretical substantiation of management process. In the process of the study it is established that the commercial activity is a component of economic activity of those enterprises which sell their own made products to the consumers who purchase goods for further sale and to the consumers who are specialized in retail trade. On the base of state statistical information, it is determined the dynamics of formation of goods turnover and the produced services by domestic economic entities; the indices of resource providing of wholesale and retail trading enterprises are counted. It is determined that the development of the commercial activity at Ukrainian enterprises is connected with the development of the country’s economy and directed to the needs and demands of the market, a separate buyer of goods and services. The analysis of the current studies in the sphere of commercial activity of trade enterprises made it possible to single out the peculiarities of trading activity of producers of goods, wholesale mediators and retail trade networks according to the following signs: the amounts of sales, the chain of activity, the term of forming incomes, the place of disposition, specialization. The paper determines the peculiarities of commercial activity according to the types of trading enterprises and this allows to form the problems and prospects of their development. The common issues for the development of enterprises’ commercial activity are the lack of sufficient amount of financial resources to provide the needs of the selling processes, the low business partners’ activity, competitors’ breach of the rules for the commercial activity. The common prospects for the development of enterprises’ commercial

How Peer Communication and Engagement Motivations Influence Social Media Shopping Behavior: Evidence from China and the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Muralidharan, Sidharth; Men, Linjuan Rita

2015-10-01

Based on consumer socialization theory, this study proposes and tests a conceptual model of social media shopping behavior, which links the antecedents of user motivations of engagement and peer communication about products to shopping behavior through social media. A cross-cultural survey was conducted with social media users in two culturally distinct markets with the largest Internet population: China (n=304) and the United States (n=328). Findings showed that social interaction, information, and remuneration were positive antecedents of peer communication for users from both countries. Peer communication positively impacted social media shopping behavior, and cultural differences were observed, with social interaction being important to Chinese users' shopping behavior, while remuneration was more important to American users. Implications are discussed.

From cure to palliation: staff communication, documentation, and transfer of patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Löfmark, Rurik; Nilstun, Tore; Bolmsjö, Ingrid Agren

2005-12-01

In the transition from curative treatment to palliative care of a general end-of-life patient population, the internal communication of the acute care staff seems to be less than optimal. The communication had reference to the dialogue within the staff both before and after the decision to concentrate on palliative care, and possible transfer of the patient. This survey of Swedish nurses and physicians showed that most of 780 respondents wanted more internal communication, and a more individualized procedure of decision-making. All staff should be informed about the decision made but full agreement was not seen as realistic. The largest difference of opinion between nurses and physicians concerned the involvement of nurses in the decision-making about the transition. A uniform documentation of the decision to transfer care focus was the ideal. Approximately every fourth patient in acute care is transferred to receive palliative care. Only approximately half of the respondents had any training in palliative care and the majority wanted more training. There seems to be a need for more palliative care training, perhaps somewhat different for each specialty. Furthermore, a common language to enable nurses and physicians to communicate more easily may improve the transition process.

The global diversion of pharmaceutical drugs. India: the third largest illicit opium producer?

Science.gov (United States)

Paoli, Letizia; Greenfield, Victoria A; Charles, Molly; Reuter, Peter

2009-03-01

This paper explores India's role in the world illicit opiate market, particularly its role as a producer. India, a major illicit opiate consumer, is also the sole licensed exporter of raw opium: this unique status may be enabling substantial diversion to the illicit market. Participant observation and interviews were carried out at eight different sites. Information was also drawn from all standard secondary sources and the analysis of about 180 drug-related criminal proceedings reviewed by Indian High Courts and the Supreme Court from 1985 to 2001. Diversion from licit opium production takes place on such a large scale that India may be the third largest illicit opium producer after Afghanistan and Burma. With the possible exceptions of 2005 and 2006, 200-300 tons of India's opium may be diverted yearly. After estimating India's opiate consumption on the basis of UN-reported prevalence estimates, we find that diversion from licit production might have satisfied a quarter to more than a third of India's illicit opiate demand to 2004. India is not only among the world's largest consumer of illicit opiates but also one of the largest illicit opium producers. In contrast to all other illicit producers, India owes the latter distinction not to blatantly illicit cultivation but to diversion from licit cultivation. India's experience suggests the difficulty of preventing substantial leakage, even in a relatively well-governed nation.

BALU: Largest autoclave research facility in the world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakan Ucan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Among the large-scale facilities operated at the Center for Lightweight-Production-Technology of the German Aerospace Center in Stade BALU is the world's largest research autoclave. With a loading length of 20m and a loading diameter of 5.8 m the main objective of the facility is the optimization of the curing process operated by components made of carbon fiber on an industrial scale. For this reason, a novel dynamic autoclaving control has been developed that is characterized by peripheral devices to expend the performance of the facility for differential applications, by sensing systems to detect the component state throughout the curing process and by a feedback system, which is capable to intervene into the running autoclave process.

Precision of commercial soil testing practice for phosphorus fertilizer recommendations in Finland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. PELTOVUORI

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Implementation of the Agri-Environmental Program in 1995 has emphasized the role of advisory soil testing in phosphorus (P input planning and markedly expanded the market for commercial soil testing in Finland. A small precision experiment (5 laboratories and a simulation study on soil sampling were conducted to evaluate the current precision of the soil testing practice for P. The observed values of reproducibility (95% probability of soil P determination were 42-61% of the mean P concentration for three soils. This approximately corresponds to a maximum error of one P class in a seven-step classification system. Soil texture and organic matter content are used as secondary variables in P fertilization planning. In commercial soil testing these are both determined by finger assessment and the results have significant errors in most laboratories. Erroneous texture determinations are more likely to lead to errors in P fertilizer recommendations than soil P analysis itself. In this study the largest deviation from a correct P fertilization recommendation was +10 kg ha-1. In soil sampling simulation, stratified random sampling in areas of differing texture gave the most consistent results with geostatistical analysis of the soil test data, as compared with random, systematic, and judgment sampling strategies.;

GENDER-SENSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS WITH PROFESSIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF MANAGERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N V Obidina

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses the problem of gender-sensitive correlation between the communicative and organizational skills and the professional performance of managers in commercial organization. The topicality of research is preconditioned by the fact that today an increasing number of women get the senior positions in business in Russia. The article submits and analyses the results of the empirical research that took place in a commercial organization (managers of clothes and accessories retail shops. Store managers of this organization took part in the research, including 82 male and 231 female. The age of the respondents ranged from 21 to 42 years old. The work experience of the managers was no less than one year. The communicative and organizational skills were measured with the help of the test-questionnaire “Communication and organizational skills” (COS worked out by V.V. Sinyavsky and B.A. Fedorishin. The professional effectiveness was determined by two indicators: 1 the implementation of shop sales plan in 2014 and in 2015, 2 the results of expert estimates obtained using the feedback from “360 Degrees”. The results of correlation analysis demonstrated the strong relations between the manifestation of communicative and organizational skills and the indicators of professional effectiveness, received by using the feedback from “360 Degrees” in both male and female groups of respondents. At the same time, the implementation of shop sales plan in 2014 also showed a strong positive relationship with organizational and communicative skills especially in female group. By the end of 2015, after the financial crisis, these relations were although preserved, but getting weaker.

The new media paradigm: From mediation to mediatisation of social communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdanić Aleksandar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study discusses the changes in character and role of social communication at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Beside itself being the subject of most thorough change under the influence of globalization and new communication technologies, communication became a key agency of social change. Mediation is seen as one of the phenomena that dominates everyday life and a common feature of almost all forms of human communication. Certain features of contemporary communication are also analyzed in greater detail, such as the new media and the culture of new 'intermediaries'. The new media, such as the internet, mobile phone, Youtube and Facebook, beside their intermediary nature, share a number of other features which are discussed in the study. The features of the culture of new intermediaries that are, among others, discussed in the study are media, content or user convergence, intertextuality, decentralization and decontextualization, media democratization, communicational reductionism, visual culture domination, new genres, planetary popularity, personal mass communication, commercialization of privacy, hypersensationalism and others. The study concludes that the new media have permeated all pores of society and became the integral part of social structure for the reason of which citizens must adapt to them. The media are not merely the means of social interaction but the place of social interaction. In other words, society and human communication have been mediatized.

Virale commercials: de consument als marketeer. Onderzoek naar de redenen waarom consumenten virale commercials doorsturen: hun motieven, de inhoudskenmerken van viral commercials en de mediumcontext waarin virale commercials verschijnen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ketelaar, P.E.; Lucassen, P.; Kregting, G.H.J.

2010-01-01

Research into the reasons why consumers pass along viral commercials: their motives, the content characteristics of viral commercials and the medium context in which viral commercials appear. Based on the uses and gratifications perspective this study has determined which motives of consumers,

Retrieval algorithm for rainfall mapping from microwave links in a cellular communication network

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Overeem, Aart; Leijnse, Hidde; Uijlenhoet, Remko

2016-01-01

Microwave links in commercial cellular communication networks hold a promise for areal rainfall monitoring and could complement rainfall estimates from ground-based weather radars, rain gauges, and satellites. It has been shown that country-wide (≈ 35 500 km²) 15 min rainfall maps can

Commercial forestry

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Naidoo, Sasha

2017-10-01

Full Text Available states. Forest cover is concentrated in a few countries in the SADC region. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia and Mozambique have the largest forest areas and account for close to three-quarters of the total forest area in the SADC region...

Economic, Political and Communicative power in the neoliberal societies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Bergés-Saura, Ph. D.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyses the relations between the economic, political and communicative powers in the socioeconomic model of neoliberal capitalism. Firstly, it examines the transformations in the economic power, to analyse later the various mechanisms linking this changing economic power to the media performance. Among these mechanisms, the article analyses the control of ownership and other external financial sources; the origin of commercial income; and business management techniques, while simultaneously investigating the relations between these variables and the transformations in the economic sphere. Following the political economy tradition, the article addresses the implications that the concentration of economic, political and communicative power have on democracy and freedom, taking into account the evolution of the socioeconomic and political system in the last decades.

Communicating science a practical guide for engineers and physical scientists

CERN Document Server

Boxman, Raymond

2017-01-01

Read this book before you write your thesis or journal paper! Communicating Science is a textbook and reference on scientific writing oriented primarily at researchers in the physical sciences and engineering. It is written from the perspective of an experienced researcher. It draws on the authors' experience of teaching and working with both native English speakers and English as a Second Language (ESL) writers. For the range of topics covered, this book is relatively short and tersely written, in order to appeal to busy researchers.Communicating Science offers comprehensive guidance on: Graduate students and early career researchers will be guided through the researcher's basic communication tasks: writing theses, journal papers, and internal reports, presenting lectures and posters, and preparing research proposals. Extensive best practice examples and analyses of common problems are presented. Advanced researchers who aim to commercialize their research results will be introduced to business plans and pat...

Advanced MEMS systems for optical communication and imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horenstein, M N; Sumner, R; Freedman, D S; Datta, M; Kani, N; Miller, P; Stewart, J B; Cornelissen, S

2011-01-01

Optical communication and adaptive optics have emerged as two important uses of micro-electromechanical (MEMS) devices based on electrostatic actuation. Each application uses a mirror whose surface is altered by applying voltages of up to 300 V. Previous generations of adaptive-optic mirrors were large (∼1 m) and required the use of piezoelectric transducers. Beginning in the mid-1990s, a new class of small MEMS mirrors (∼1 cm) were developed. These mirrors are now a commercially available, mature technology. This paper describes three advanced applications of MEMS mirrors. The first is a mirror used for corona-graphic imaging, whereby an interferometric telescope blocks the direct light from a distant star so that nearby objects such as planets can be seen. We have developed a key component of the system: a 144-channel, fully-scalable, high-voltage multiplexer that reduces power consumption to only a few hundred milliwatts. In a second application, a MEMS mirror comprises part of a two-way optical communication system in which only one node emits a laser beam. The other node is passive, incorporating a retro-reflective, electrostatic MEMS mirror that digitally encodes the reflected beam. In a third application, the short (∼100-ns) pulses of a commercially-available laser rangefinder are returned by the MEMS mirror as a digital data stream. Suitable low-power drive systems comprise part of the system design.

Communication without communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bratina Boris R.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the necessary conditions for successful communication. It is well known that post-modernity, described as an era of control, produces only decentralized, imploded subjectivities, who are neither able to question their own being nor to relate one with another in authentic bonds of communication. Today, virtual communication has become an ultimate model of every possible communication whatsoever. The authors, therefore, pose the question of conditions for possibility of subjectivities who would be able and apt for authentic communication, wherein faith, fidelity, truth, and capability of keeping one's word occupy the central place.

Judicial Reform and Commercial Justice : The Experience of Tanzania's Commercial Court

OpenAIRE

Finnegan, David Louis

2004-01-01

Policymakers in developing and transition economies recognize the important role played by judiciaries in creating an institutional environment conducive to robust private sector activity. In the case of Tanzania, the government, with the support of local business groups, international investors, and the donor community, created a specialized court dedicated to considering and resolving commercial and financial cases. The Commercial Division of the High Court of Tanzania (the "Commercial Cour...

Sponsored Schools and Commercialized Classrooms: Schoolhouse Commercializing Trends in the 1990's.

Science.gov (United States)

Molnar, Alex

This report analyzes commercializing trends in America's schools and classrooms, using data from database searches in seven categories of schoolhouse commercialism in the period 1990-97. The number of citations relating to commercializing activities can provide only a rough approximation of the scope and development of the phenomenon. The number…

Short communication: The effects of frozen storage on the survival of probiotic microorganisms found in traditionally and commercially manufactured kefir.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, K V; Aryana, K J; Prinyawiwatkul, W; Ordonez, K M Carabante; Boeneke, C A

2016-09-01

Kefir is a fermented milk traditionally made from a unique starter culture, which consists of numerous bacteria and yeast species bound together in an exopolysaccharide matrix produced by certain lactic acid bacteria. Many health benefits are associated with traditionally produced kefir; however, bulging and leaking packaging, caused by secondary yeast fermentation during storage, has limited large-scale manufacture. Commercial kefir products have been designed to reduce these effects by using a pure starter culture consisting of a mixture of bacteria and yeast species that give a flavor similar to traditional kefir, but some health benefits may be lost in commercial production due to reduced microbial diversity and lack of beneficial exopolysaccharides. In this study, traditional and commercial kefir was frozen to study the effects of frozen storage on the viability of probiotic bacteria over time. Traditional kefir was prepared by inoculating 1L of pasteurized whole goat milk with approximately 30g of kefir grains. Commercial kefir was prepared by inoculating 1L of full-fat, pasteurized goat milk with a commercial kefir starter. The milk was allowed to ferment at room temperature (24-28°C) until pH 4.6 was reached. Samples were frozen (-8 to -14°C) immediately following the completion of fermentation and were thawed and plated for lactobacilli, lactococci, and yeasts on d 0, 7, 14, and 30 of frozen storage. Lactobacilli, lactococci, and yeasts were significantly reduced in number during frozen storage; however, the traditionally produced kefir was shown to have significantly higher counts of bacteria and yeast at each sampling. We concluded that frozen storage and the development of frozen kefir products could eliminate most packaging concerns associated with the large-scale manufacture of traditionally produced kefir, resulting in increased production and marketability of this healthful product. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published

Use of action requests to control communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brady, J.

1988-01-01

This paper discusses the Plant Information Management System (PIMS) that is implemented at Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG and E) Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP). PIMS is implemented on IBM mainframes located at the plant, is on-line and interactive, and is accessed via a computer communication system that supports more than 450 IBM 3270 PC workstations. This paper discusses the role of the ACTION REQUEST module of PIMS and how it is used to control plant sensitive communications. The ACTION REQUEST module of PIMS can be accessed from any workstation and during the first year of Commercial Operation of DCPP replaced numerous and redundant forms of manual communication mechanisms. Also in this first year, users at the plant generated approximately 25,000 Action Requests which were controlled through review and approval cycles by PIMS. Each organization assigned action were immediately notified of their responsibilities so that action could be taken in a timely manner. The Diablo Canyon Power Plant broke Westinghouse world-wide operating records for the first year of operation (over 90% availability) due to a well built and reliable plant and due to a responsive Operations organization, which was well informed and controlled

Genetic Vulnerability and the Relationship of Commercial Germplasms of Maize in Brazil with the Nested Association Mapping Parents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciano Rogério Braatz de Andrade

Full Text Available A few breeding companies dominate the maize (Zea mays L. hybrid market in Brazil: Monsanto® (35%, DuPont Pioneer® (30%, Dow Agrosciences® (15%, Syngenta® (10% and Helix Sementes (4%. Therefore, it is important to monitor the genetic diversity in commercial germplasms as breeding practices, registration and marketing of new cultivars can lead to a significant reduction of the genetic diversity. Reduced genetic variation may lead to crop vulnerabilities, food insecurity and limited genetic gains following selection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic vulnerability risk by examining the relationship between the commercial Brazilian maize germplasms and the Nested Association Mapping (NAM Parents. For this purpose, we used the commercial hybrids with the largest market share in Brazil and the NAM parents. The hybrids were genotyped for 768 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, using the Illumina Goldengate® platform. The NAM parent genomic data, comprising 1,536 SNPs for each line, were obtained from the Panzea data bank. The population structure, genetic diversity and the correlation between allele frequencies were analyzed. Based on the estimated effective population size and genetic variability, it was found that there is a low risk of genetic vulnerability in the commercial Brazilian maize germplasms. However, the genetic diversity is lower than those found in the NAM parents. Furthermore, the Brazilian germplasms presented no close relations with most NAM parents, except B73. This indicates that B73, or its heterotic group (Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic, contributed to the development of the commercial Brazilian germplasms.

Genetic Vulnerability and the Relationship of Commercial Germplasms of Maize in Brazil with the Nested Association Mapping Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Luciano Rogério Braatz de; Fritsche Neto, Roberto; Granato, Ítalo Stefanine Correia; Sant'Ana, Gustavo César; Morais, Pedro Patric Pinho; Borém, Aluízio

2016-01-01

A few breeding companies dominate the maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid market in Brazil: Monsanto® (35%), DuPont Pioneer® (30%), Dow Agrosciences® (15%), Syngenta® (10%) and Helix Sementes (4%). Therefore, it is important to monitor the genetic diversity in commercial germplasms as breeding practices, registration and marketing of new cultivars can lead to a significant reduction of the genetic diversity. Reduced genetic variation may lead to crop vulnerabilities, food insecurity and limited genetic gains following selection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic vulnerability risk by examining the relationship between the commercial Brazilian maize germplasms and the Nested Association Mapping (NAM) Parents. For this purpose, we used the commercial hybrids with the largest market share in Brazil and the NAM parents. The hybrids were genotyped for 768 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), using the Illumina Goldengate® platform. The NAM parent genomic data, comprising 1,536 SNPs for each line, were obtained from the Panzea data bank. The population structure, genetic diversity and the correlation between allele frequencies were analyzed. Based on the estimated effective population size and genetic variability, it was found that there is a low risk of genetic vulnerability in the commercial Brazilian maize germplasms. However, the genetic diversity is lower than those found in the NAM parents. Furthermore, the Brazilian germplasms presented no close relations with most NAM parents, except B73. This indicates that B73, or its heterotic group (Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic), contributed to the development of the commercial Brazilian germplasms.

Genetic Vulnerability and the Relationship of Commercial Germplasms of Maize in Brazil with the Nested Association Mapping Parents

Science.gov (United States)

Fritsche Neto, Roberto; Granato, Ítalo Stefanine Correia; Sant’Ana, Gustavo César; Morais, Pedro Patric Pinho; Borém, Aluízio

2016-01-01

A few breeding companies dominate the maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid market in Brazil: Monsanto® (35%), DuPont Pioneer® (30%), Dow Agrosciences® (15%), Syngenta® (10%) and Helix Sementes (4%). Therefore, it is important to monitor the genetic diversity in commercial germplasms as breeding practices, registration and marketing of new cultivars can lead to a significant reduction of the genetic diversity. Reduced genetic variation may lead to crop vulnerabilities, food insecurity and limited genetic gains following selection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic vulnerability risk by examining the relationship between the commercial Brazilian maize germplasms and the Nested Association Mapping (NAM) Parents. For this purpose, we used the commercial hybrids with the largest market share in Brazil and the NAM parents. The hybrids were genotyped for 768 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), using the Illumina Goldengate® platform. The NAM parent genomic data, comprising 1,536 SNPs for each line, were obtained from the Panzea data bank. The population structure, genetic diversity and the correlation between allele frequencies were analyzed. Based on the estimated effective population size and genetic variability, it was found that there is a low risk of genetic vulnerability in the commercial Brazilian maize germplasms. However, the genetic diversity is lower than those found in the NAM parents. Furthermore, the Brazilian germplasms presented no close relations with most NAM parents, except B73. This indicates that B73, or its heterotic group (Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic), contributed to the development of the commercial Brazilian germplasms. PMID:27780247

Implementation of a Space Communications Cognitive Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Hackett, Timothy M.; Bilen, Sven G.; Ferreira, Paulo Victor R.; Wyglinski, Alexander M.; Reinhart, Richard C.

2017-01-01

Although communications-based cognitive engines have been proposed, very few have been implemented in a full system, especially in a space communications system. In this paper, we detail the implementation of a multi-objective reinforcement-learning algorithm and deep artificial neural networks for the use as a radio-resource-allocation controller. The modular software architecture presented encourages re-use and easy modification for trying different algorithms. Various trade studies involved with the system implementation and integration are discussed. These include the choice of software libraries that provide platform flexibility and promote reusability, choices regarding the deployment of this cognitive engine within a system architecture using the DVB-S2 standard and commercial hardware, and constraints placed on the cognitive engine caused by real-world radio constraints. The implemented radio-resource allocation-management controller was then integrated with the larger spaceground system developed by NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC).

NASA commercial programs

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

Highlights of NASA-sponsored and assisted commercial space activities of 1989 are presented. Industrial R and D in space, centers for the commercial development of space, and new cooperative agreements are addressed in the U.S. private sector in space section. In the building U.S. competitiveness through technology section, the following topics are presented: (1) technology utilization as a national priority; (2) an exploration of benefits; and (3) honoring Apollo-Era spinoffs. International and domestic R and D trends, and the space sector are discussed in the section on selected economic indicators. Other subjects included in this report are: (1) small business innovation; (2) budget highlights and trends; (3) commercial programs management; and (4) the commercial programs advisory committee.

Foreign exchange risk management : how are the largest non-financial companies in Norway managing their foreign exchange rate exposure?

OpenAIRE

Eriksen, Krister; Wedøe, Ola

2010-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the largest non-financial companies in Norway manage their foreign exchange rate exposure. This is investigated through the use of a survey distributed to a sample the largest non-financial firms in Norway. According to our results, the largest non-financial companies in Norway have a predefined strategy for managing foreign exchange risk, which is defined by the board of directors or by the management in the organisation. The companies’ mai...

New Chicago-Indiana computer network will handle dataflow from world's largest scientific experiment

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

"Massive quantities of data will soon begin flowing from the largest scientific instrument ever built into an international netword of computer centers, including one operated jointly by the University of Chicago and Indiana University." (1,5 page)

The influence of currency risk upon the market value of commercial banks operating in the Polish banking sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zbigniew Korzeb

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of the paper is to analyse the impact of the Swiss Nati onal Bank’s decision to introduce the floating exchange rate of the franc on January 15th, 2015, upon the market value of commercial banks operatingin the Polish banking sector. The analysis involved twelve commercial banks quoted on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The results are inconclusive. The predicted reducti on of the banks’ market value was less significant than indicated by market investors’ reaction on the day after the announcement of the decision to introduce the floating exchange rate of the franc. The banks most prone to granting credit denominated in CHF did experience the largest reducti on of their share quotations. However, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient calculated for the correlation between the average cumulative abnormal returns on shares for the entire analysed sample, and the proportion of credits denominated in Swiss francs in the total credit portfolio, indicated only a moderate correlation between both variables.

Necromarketing in the Media and Marketing Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wojciechowski Łukasz P.

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Death is an inseparable part of life. This paradoxical statement expresses the inevitability that each individual will encounter death. The demise of human existence is often stereotyped in media, and used in a variety of commercial purposes as away of drawing attention. When death and tragedy are used in marketing communication, it is called necromarketing. There are two approaches to the tool of necromarketing: explicit and implicit. Explicit necromarketing displays catastrophes, misfortunes and deaths in their direct form, while implicit necromarketing indirectly presents of the death.

Professionalism and Communication Education in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: The Learner Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, David A; Fleming, Geoffrey M; Winkler, Margaret; Lee, K Jane; Hamilton, Melinda F; Hornik, Christoph P; Petrillo-Albarano, Toni; Mason, Katherine; Mink, Richard

2015-01-01

Communication and professionalism are often challenging to teach, and the impact of the use of a given approach is not known. We undertook this investigation to establish pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) trainee perception of education in professionalism and communication and to compare their responses from those obtained from PCCM fellowship program directors. The Education in Pediatric Intensive Care (E.P.I.C.) Investigators used the modified Delphi technique to develop a survey examining teaching of professionalism and communication. After piloting, the survey was sent to all 283 PCCM fellows in training in the United States. Survey response rate was 47% (133 of 283). Despite high rates of teaching overall, deficiencies were noted in all areas of communication and professionalism assessed. The largest areas of deficiency included not being specifically taught how to communicate: as a member of a nonclinical group (reported in 24%), across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds (19%) or how to provide consultation outside of the intensive care unit (17%). Only 50% of fellows rated education in communication as "very good/excellent." However, most felt confident in their communication abilities. For professionalism, fellows reported not being taught accountability (12%), how to conduct a peer review (12%), and how to handle potential conflict between personal beliefs, circumstances, and professional values (10%). Fifty-seven percent of fellows felt that their professionalism education was "very good/excellent," but nearly all expressed confidence in these skills. Compared with program directors, fellows reported more deficiencies in both communication and professionalism. There are numerous components of communication and professionalism that PCCM fellows perceive as not being specifically taught. Despite these deficiencies, fellow confidence remains high. Substantial opportunities exist to improve teaching in these areas. Copyright © 2015

Evidence for protection of targeted reef fish on the largest marine reserve in the Caribbean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabián Pina-Amargós

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Marine reserves can restore fish abundance and diversity in areas impacted by overfishing, but the effectiveness of reserves in developing countries where resources for enforcement are limited, have seldom been evaluated. Here we assess whether the establishment in 1996 of the largest marine reserve in the Caribbean, Gardens of the Queen in Cuba, has had a positive effect on the abundance of commercially valuable reef fish species in relation to neighboring unprotected areas. We surveyed 25 sites, including two reef habitats (reef crest and reef slope, inside and outside the marine reserve, on five different months, and over a one-and-a-half year period. Densities of the ten most frequent, highly targeted, and relatively large fish species showed a significant variability across the archipelago for both reef habitats that depended on the month of survey. These ten species showed a tendency towards higher abundance inside the reserve in both reef habitats for most months during the study. Average fish densities pooled by protection level, however, showed that five out of these ten species were at least two-fold significantly higher inside than outside the reserve at one or both reef habitats. Supporting evidence from previously published studies in the area indicates that habitat complexity and major benthic communities were similar inside and outside the reserve, while fishing pressure appeared to be homogeneous across the archipelago before reserve establishment. Although poaching may occur within the reserve, especially at the boundaries, effective protection from fishing was the most plausible explanation for the patterns observed.

Evidence for protection of targeted reef fish on the largest marine reserve in the Caribbean.

Science.gov (United States)

Pina-Amargós, Fabián; González-Sansón, Gaspar; Martín-Blanco, Félix; Valdivia, Abel

2014-01-01

Marine reserves can restore fish abundance and diversity in areas impacted by overfishing, but the effectiveness of reserves in developing countries where resources for enforcement are limited, have seldom been evaluated. Here we assess whether the establishment in 1996 of the largest marine reserve in the Caribbean, Gardens of the Queen in Cuba, has had a positive effect on the abundance of commercially valuable reef fish species in relation to neighboring unprotected areas. We surveyed 25 sites, including two reef habitats (reef crest and reef slope), inside and outside the marine reserve, on five different months, and over a one-and-a-half year period. Densities of the ten most frequent, highly targeted, and relatively large fish species showed a significant variability across the archipelago for both reef habitats that depended on the month of survey. These ten species showed a tendency towards higher abundance inside the reserve in both reef habitats for most months during the study. Average fish densities pooled by protection level, however, showed that five out of these ten species were at least two-fold significantly higher inside than outside the reserve at one or both reef habitats. Supporting evidence from previously published studies in the area indicates that habitat complexity and major benthic communities were similar inside and outside the reserve, while fishing pressure appeared to be homogeneous across the archipelago before reserve establishment. Although poaching may occur within the reserve, especially at the boundaries, effective protection from fishing was the most plausible explanation for the patterns observed.

Public Good or Commercial Opportunity: Case Studies in Remote Sensing Commercialization

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Shaida; Cordes, Joseph

2002-01-01

The U.S. Government is once again attempting to commercialize the Landsat program and is asking the private sector to develop a next generation mid-resolution remote sensing system that will provide continuity with the thirty-year data archive of Landsat data. Much of the case for commercializing the Landsat program rests on the apparently successful commercialization of high-resolution remote sensing activities coupled with the belief that conditions have changed since the failed attempt to commercialize Landsat in the 1980s. This paper analyzes the economic, political and technical conditions that prevailed in the 1980s as well as conditions that might account for the apparent success of the emerging high-resolution remote sensing industry today. Lessons are gleaned for the future of the Landsat program.

Development of a HTS transceiver sub-system for 3G mobile communication TD-SCDMA base station

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xueqiang; He, Xiaofeng; Wang, Yuehui; Duan, Tao; Wang, Guizhen; Zhang, Yan; Li, Chunguang; Zhang, Qiang; Li, Hong; He, Yusheng

2010-02-01

A prototype of a high temperature superconducting (HTS) transceiver sub-system for applications in a TD-SCDMA, one of the third generation (3G) communication standards, base station has been developed. Both the HTS sub-system and the conventional counterpart have been implemented into a TD-SCDMA commercial communication network and comparison test studies were carried out. The measured results showed that the HTS sub-system could remarkably improve the RF performance of both transmitting and receiving chains.

Development of a HTS transceiver sub-system for 3G mobile communication TD-SCDMA base station

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Xueqiang; He Xiaofeng; Wang Yuehui; Li Chunguang; Zhang Qiang; Li Hong; He Yusheng [National Laboratory for Superconductivity, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Duan Tao; Wang Guizhen; Zhang Yan [Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co., Ltd, Beijing 100190 (China)

2010-02-15

A prototype of a high temperature superconducting (HTS) transceiver sub-system for applications in a TD-SCDMA, one of the third generation (3G) communication standards, base station has been developed. Both the HTS sub-system and the conventional counterpart have been implemented into a TD-SCDMA commercial communication network and comparison test studies were carried out. The measured results showed that the HTS sub-system could remarkably improve the RF performance of both transmitting and receiving chains.

Development of a HTS transceiver sub-system for 3G mobile communication TD-SCDMA base station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xueqiang; He Xiaofeng; Wang Yuehui; Li Chunguang; Zhang Qiang; Li Hong; He Yusheng; Duan Tao; Wang Guizhen; Zhang Yan

2010-01-01

A prototype of a high temperature superconducting (HTS) transceiver sub-system for applications in a TD-SCDMA, one of the third generation (3G) communication standards, base station has been developed. Both the HTS sub-system and the conventional counterpart have been implemented into a TD-SCDMA commercial communication network and comparison test studies were carried out. The measured results showed that the HTS sub-system could remarkably improve the RF performance of both transmitting and receiving chains.

[Doctor, may I travel in space? Aeromedical considerations regarding commercial suborbital space flights].

Science.gov (United States)

Haerkens, Marck H T M; Simons, Ries; Kuipers, André

2011-01-01

Within a few years, the first commercial operators will start flying passengers on suborbital flights to the verge of space. Medical data on the effects of space journeys on humans have mainly been provided by professional astronauts. There is very little research into the aeromedical consequences of suborbital flights for the health of untrained passengers. Low air pressure and oxygen tension can be compensated for by pressurising the spacecraft or pressure suit. Rapid changes in gravitational (G-)force pose ultimate challenges to cardiovascular adaptation mechanisms. Zero-gravity and G-force may cause motion sickness. Vibrations and noise during the flight may disturb communication between passengers and crew. In addition, the psychological impact of a suborbital flight should not be underestimated. There are currently no legal requirements available for medical examinations for commercial suborbital flights, but it seems justifiable to establish conditions for potential passengers' states of health.

Lessons for public health campaigns from analysing commercial food marketing success factors: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Perez-Cueto, Federico J A; Niedzwiedzka, Barbara; Verbeke, Wim; Bech-Larsen, Tino

2012-02-21

Commercial food marketing has considerably shaped consumer food choice behaviour. Meanwhile, public health campaigns for healthier eating have had limited impact to date. Social marketing suggests that successful commercial food marketing campaigns can provide useful lessons for public sector activities. The aim of the present study was to empirically identify food marketing success factors that, using the social marketing approach, could help improve public health campaigns to promote healthy eating. In this case-study analysis, 27 recent and successful commercial food and beverage marketing cases were purposively sampled from different European countries. The cases involved different consumer target groups, product categories, company sizes and marketing techniques. The analysis focused on cases of relatively healthy food types, and nutrition and health-related aspects in the communication related to the food. Visual as well as written material was gathered, complemented by semi-structured interviews with 12 food market trend experts and 19 representatives of food companies and advertising agencies. Success factors were identified by a group of experts who reached consensus through discussion structured by a card sorting method. Six clusters of success factors emerged from the analysis and were labelled as "data and knowledge", "emotions", "endorsement", "media", "community" and "why and how". Each cluster subsumes two or three success factors and is illustrated by examples. In total, 16 factors were identified. It is argued that the factors "nutritional evidence", "trend awareness", "vertical endorsement", "simple naturalness" and "common values" are of particular importance in the communication of health with regard to food. The present study identified critical factors for the success of commercial food marketing campaigns related to the issue of nutrition and health, which are possibly transferable to the public health sector. Whether or not a particular

Lessons for public health campaigns from analysing commercial food marketing success factors: a case study

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Commercial food marketing has considerably shaped consumer food choice behaviour. Meanwhile, public health campaigns for healthier eating have had limited impact to date. Social marketing suggests that successful commercial food marketing campaigns can provide useful lessons for public sector activities. The aim of the present study was to empirically identify food marketing success factors that, using the social marketing approach, could help improve public health campaigns to promote healthy eating. Methods In this case-study analysis, 27 recent and successful commercial food and beverage marketing cases were purposively sampled from different European countries. The cases involved different consumer target groups, product categories, company sizes and marketing techniques. The analysis focused on cases of relatively healthy food types, and nutrition and health-related aspects in the communication related to the food. Visual as well as written material was gathered, complemented by semi-structured interviews with 12 food market trend experts and 19 representatives of food companies and advertising agencies. Success factors were identified by a group of experts who reached consensus through discussion structured by a card sorting method. Results Six clusters of success factors emerged from the analysis and were labelled as "data and knowledge", "emotions", "endorsement", "media", "community" and "why and how". Each cluster subsumes two or three success factors and is illustrated by examples. In total, 16 factors were identified. It is argued that the factors "nutritional evidence", "trend awareness", "vertical endorsement", "simple naturalness" and "common values" are of particular importance in the communication of health with regard to food. Conclusions The present study identified critical factors for the success of commercial food marketing campaigns related to the issue of nutrition and health, which are possibly transferable to the public health

Application condition of optical communication technique in the nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakurai, Jun

1999-01-01

As the optical communication technique can process rapidly a lot of information and exclude perfectly error action due to noise, it is adopted gradually to commercial and company communications (containing operational managements in large scale facilities) in worldwide scale in stead of conventional communication technique (containing operational controls and measurements). In application to the nuclear power plants, as forming not only change in properties but also deterioration due to radiation damage in many cases of exposure to various types of radiations such as neutron, gamma-ray, and so forth in difference with conventional using environment, its using range is limited at present. In future, development of optical fibers or elements with excellent high temperature and radiation resistances usable stably at reactor core for a long time is essential. The regular application of the optical communication technique at the nuclear power plants begins just now, which is an expected field for future large development. And, for the old nuclear power plant in present operation, substitution to the optical communication technique in accompany with replace of appliances at periodical inspections will also be conducted. Its response is already required rapidly in the Tokyo Electric Power Co., Ltd.. (G.K.)

Development of Information Assurance Protocol for Low Bandwidth Nanosatellite Communications

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

14. SUBJECT TERMS commercial off-the-shelf technology , nanosatellites, CubeSat, encrypted communications 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 161 16. PRICE...integrate with several physical layer technologies . While this protocol does provide some additional functionality at a lower cost, it is limited to...G. S. Vernam, “Secret signaling system.” U.S. Patent U.S. 1310719 A, 22 July 1919. [22] D. Kahn, Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing, New

Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world’s largest reforestation programme

OpenAIRE

Hua, Fangyuan; Wang, Xiaoyang; Zheng, Xinlei; Fisher, Brendan; Wang, Lin; Zhu, Jianguo; Tang, Ya; Yu, Douglas W.; Wilcove, David S.

2016-01-01

Reforestation is a critical means of addressing the environmental and social problems of deforestation. China’s Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) is the world’s largest reforestation scheme. Here we provide the first nationwide assessment of the tree composition of GFGP forests and the first combined ecological and economic study aimed at understanding GFGP’s biodiversity implications. Across China, GFGP forests are overwhelmingly monocultures or compositionally simple mixed forests. Focusing on...

Electronic medical records and communication with patients and other clinicians: are we talking less?

Science.gov (United States)

O'Malley, Ann S; Cohen, Genna R; Grossman, Joy M

2010-04-01

Commercial electronic medical records (EMRs) both help and hinder physician interpersonal communication--real-time, face-to-face or phone conversations--with patients and other clinicians, according to a new Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) study based on in-depth interviews with clinicians in 26 physician practices. EMRs assist real-time communication with patients during office visits, primarily through immediate access to patient information, allowing clinicians to talk with patients rather than search for information from paper records. For some clinicians, however, aspects of EMRs pose a distraction during visits. Moreover, some indicated that clinicians may rely on EMRs for information gathering and transfer at the expense of real-time communication with patients and other clinicians. Given time pressures already present in many physician practices, EMR and office-work flow modifications could help ensure that EMRs advance care without compromising interpersonal communication. In particular, policies promoting EMR adoption should consider incorporating communication-skills training for medical trainees and clinicians using EMRs.

75 FR 52943 - Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-30

... Federal Communications Commission via email to [email protected] and Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy Williams on (202) 418-2918. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060....1703, Commercial Records on Children's Programs; 76.1704, Proof-of-Performance Test Data, 76.1707...

Companies on Facebook and Twitter. Current situation and communication strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JÁ Pérez Dasilva

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Given their influence, companies are being forced to integrate social networks in their communication strategies. Objectives. This article aims to provide an overview of the use of Facebook and Twitter by the main commercial brands in Spain and to analyse the communication strategies of the companies that tend to receive more complaints from the public. Method. The study is based on the examination of the social network accounts of the three brands with the highest advertising investment in each of the 15 industry sectors. A total of 5,433 tweets and 3,000 posts were analysed. Conclusions. The study confirmed the massive presence of these companies is the social networks and demonstrated the extreme variability of the number of followers, the traffic and the nature of the information published. However, it was also demonstrated that the use made of the different social networks and the communication strategies required by the different companies are distinguishable and identifiable.

Rehabilitation of the 6 largest hydropower plants in the Republic of Macedonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chingoski, Vlatko; Savevski, Vasil

2004-01-01

In 1998, ESM (Electric Power Co. of Macedonia) received a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD - The World bank) for the cost of the Power System Improvement Project, major part of which is the partial rehabilitation of the six largest HPPs in the Republic of Macedonia. Rehabilitation and life extension of these six largest hydro power plants is given the highest priority in the whole Power System Improvement Project mainly because these HPPs are, in general, fairly old, older than most of the thermal generation capacity and because a significant part of their equipment is wearing out, or is now obsolete with spare parts difficult to obtain. Furthermore, these plants play a vital role in the Macedonian Power System, providing peaking capacity, reserve capacity and frequency control. With the realization of this project, greater hydropower production is expected. It is also expected that HPPs will become a more vital part of the Macedonian Power System, which is also beneficial from an environmental aspect, due to greater usage of renewable energy resources in the country. (Original)

Commercialization of DOE isotope production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laflin, S.

1997-01-01

This paper describes the business structure and operations of MAC Isotopes (MACI) L.L.C., a newly created business resulting from the commercialization of a former U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) mission at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). MACI began its commercial operations on October 1, 1996, and is the first U.S. commercial isotope production business to result from the commercialization of DOE facilities or programs. The commercialization was the culmination of an -2-yr competitive procurement process by the DOE and Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company (LMITCO). MACI was selected from this competitive process as the commercial business of choice on the basis of providing the best value to the DOE/LMITCO and having the greatest potential for commercial success

Communication channels to promote evidence-based practice: a survey of primary care clinicians to determine perceived effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Dadich, Ann; Hosseinzadeh, Hassan

2016-08-11

Research suggests that the channels through which evidence-based practices are communicated to healthcare professionals can shape the ways they engage with, and use, this information. For instance, there is evidence to suggest that information should be communicated via sources that are deemed to be credible, like government departments, professional bodies and peers. This article examines the contention that information should be communicated via credible sources. More specifically, the article examines the different communication channels through which primary care clinicians learnt of resources on evidence-based sexual healthcare - namely, clinical aides and online training programs. Furthermore, the article determines whether these communication channels influenced the perceived impact of the resources. Primary care clinicians in Australia (n = 413), notably General Practitioners (n = 214) and Practice Nurses (n = 217), were surveyed on the GP Project - a suite of resources to promote evidence-based sexual healthcare within primary care. Survey items pertained to the source of information about the resources (or communication channel), perceived usefulness of the resources, frequency of use, subsequent contact with the Sexual Health Infoline and a sexual health clinic, as well as the perceived impact of the resources. To determine the relationships between the different communication channels and the perceived impact of the resources, a one-way ANOVA using Tukey's post-hoc test, an independent sample t-test, a χ(2) test, and a Kruskal-Wallis H test were performed where appropriate. Of the respondents who were aware of the clinical aides (49.9%), the largest proportion became aware of these through an educational event or a colleague. Of those who were aware of the online training programs (36.9%), the largest proportion became aware of these through a professional body or government organisation, either directly or via their website. Although both resource

Rapid Prototyping of Standard Compliant Visible Light Communications System

OpenAIRE

Gavrincea, Ciprian; Baranda, Jorge; Henarejos, Pol

2014-01-01

This article describes the implementation of a prototype visible light communications system based on the IEEE 802.15.7 standard using low-cost commercial off-the-shelf analog devices. The aim of this article is to show that this standard provides a framework that could promote the introduction of applications into the market. Thus, these specifications could be further developed, reducing the gap between the industry and research communities. The implemented prototype makes use of software d...

Commercial Banking Industry Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Bright Horizons Children's Centers, Cambridge, MA.

Work and family programs are becoming increasingly important in the commercial banking industry. The objective of this survey was to collect information and prepare a commercial banking industry profile on work and family programs. Fifty-nine top American commercial banks from the Fortune 500 list were invited to participate. Twenty-two…

Holy grail: Pioneering acoustic telemetry technology set to revolutionize downhole communication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenaway, R.

2003-12-01

Acoustic telemetry, a faster and more efficient downhole-to-surface-communication technology, is the latest development in downhole communication systems. The system has been developed by Extreme Engineering Limited of Calgary, led by Derek Logan, founder and one-time senior vice-president of Ryan Energy Technologies that developed the original measurement -while-drilling (MWD) and logging-while-drilling )LWD) tools. The company predicts that acoustic telemetry will cause a massive transformation of the drilling industry in Western Canada once the technology is commercialized. Conventional MWD techniques, based on mud-pulse technology, have been industry standard since the 1970s, but mud-pulse technology is now considered extremely slow. In the 1980s industry came up electromagnetic telemetry, as an alternative to mud-pulse. Today, the need to transmit ever more data, the need for a faster communications system and greater wellbore control, has become even more pressing. Logan believes that acoustic technology is the answer. It is not only capable of transmitting data 20 to 30 times faster than mud-pulse telemetries, it can also communicate massive amounts of data. It can be used in drilling, completion production, drillstem testing, frac monitoring and any other wellbore process requiring wireless real-time telemetry. Acoustic telemetry is also the only wireless system that can perform MWD and LWD in offshore underbalanced drilling. Notwithstanding its great promise, Extreme Engineering Limited had considerable difficulty raising funds for developing and commercializing XAcT (the trade name for acoustic telemetry). Prospects are reported to have been substantially improved by recent infusion of funds by the federal Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) , and XAcT's recognition by R and D Magazine with one of the R and D 100 awards for 2003. 3 figs.

76 FR 126 - Requirement for Commercial Users To Use Commercial Public Key Information (PKI) Certificate

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-03

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Requirement for Commercial Users To Use Commercial..., SDDC will require all commercial accounts accessing transportation systems and applications to use a commercial PKI certificate or Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC). This requirement will...

Virtual target tracking (VTT) as applied to mobile satellite communication networks

Science.gov (United States)

Amoozegar, Farid

1999-08-01

Traditionally, target tracking has been used for aerospace applications, such as, tracking highly maneuvering targets in a cluttered environment for missile-to-target intercept scenarios. Although the speed and maneuvering capability of current aerospace targets demand more efficient algorithms, many complex techniques have already been proposed in the literature, which primarily cover the defense applications of tracking methods. On the other hand, the rapid growth of Global Communication Systems, Global Information Systems (GIS), and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) is creating new and more diverse challenges for multi-target tracking applications. Mobile communication and computing can very well appreciate a huge market for Cellular Communication and Tracking Devices (CCTD), which will be tracking networked devices at the cellular level. The objective of this paper is to introduce a new concept, i.e., Virtual Target Tracking (VTT) for commercial applications of multi-target tracking algorithms and techniques as applied to mobile satellite communication networks. It would be discussed how Virtual Target Tracking would bring more diversity to target tracking research.

Internet advertisements for public sexual encounters among men who have sex with men: are safe behaviors communicated?

Science.gov (United States)

Downing, Martin J

2011-09-01

Public and commercial sex venues typically provide easy access to sexual encounters that are often anonymous and, therefore, may facilitate HIV/STD transmission among those men who attend. Recently, researchers have suggested that men who have sex with men may be using the Internet to search for sexual encounters to occur within sex venues. The current study explored the extent to which men who advertise for public or commercial sexual encounters initially communicate to potential partners their safe-sex intentions. Advertisements for sexual encounters (n = 99) were collected from a publicly accessible website and examined for content related to venue type, sexual behavior, and indications of sexual safety or risk. Word frequencies were calculated to provide a closer investigation of how individuals negotiate safe sex within these communications. The findings revealed that approximately half of the men who advertised for sex in a public or commercial sex venue failed to communicate to potential partners in their initial advertisement a desire to be safe during sexual encounters involving oral and anal practices. Additionally, a small percentage of men advertised specifically for risky encounters (e.g., barebacking). Together, these findings suggest that men do use the Internet to coordinate public sexual encounters, some of which may be unprotected from HIV/STD transmission. Future research should address the process of condom negotiation among men who initially meet their male sex partners on the Internet for subsequent encounters in sex venues.

Influence of Customer Quality Perception on the Effectiveness of Commercial Stimuli for Electronic Products.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido-Morgado, Álvaro; González-Benito, Óscar; Martos-Partal, Mercedes

2016-01-01

Creating and maintaining customer loyalty are strategic requirements for modern business. In the current competitive context, product quality, and brand experience are crucial in building and maintaining customer loyalty. Consumer loyalty, which may be classified into cognitive loyalty and affective loyalty, is related to customers' quality perception. Cue utilization theory distinguishes two dimensions for perceived quality, extrinsic quality-linked to the brand-and intrinsic quality-related with internal product characteristics. We propose that (i) cognitive loyalty is more influenced by intrinsic product quality whereas extrinsic product quality (brand name) is more salient for affective loyalty and, (ii) different commercial stimuli have a differential effectiveness on intrinsic and extrinsic perceived quality. In fact, in this study, we analyze how perceived quality dimensions may influence the effectiveness of two different commercial stimuli: displays and advertising flyers. While displays work within the point of sale under time-constrained conditions where consumers are more likely to use heuristics to simplify their decisions, advertising flyers work outside of the point of sale under low time-constrained conditions, and therefore favor a more reasoned purchase decision where systematic processing will be more likely. We analyze the role of quality perception in determining the effectiveness of both these commercial stimuli for selling products that induce high purchase involvement and perceived risk. The empirical analysis focuses on computer products sold by one of Europe's largest computer retailers and it combines scanner, observational, and survey data. The results show that both dimensions of quality perceptions moderate the influence of displays and advertising flyers on sales, but their impact is different on each commercial stimuli. Extrinsic quality perception increases to a greater extent the effect of displays due to the use of a brand name

Media and communication in Asia in early 21st century: Changes, continuities, and challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Liu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Asia has some of the largest, most dynamic, diversified, and complicated media industries in the world (McKinsey & Company, 2015. Entering the 21st Century, the rapid economic and political developments of Asia further energize the growth of media locally and globally (for general discussion, see, e.g., Keane [2006]; Thussu [2006], specific discussions on the cases of Korea [Kim, 2013], Japan [Iwabuchi, 2004], China [Sun, 2009]. In a reflection on the increasing importance of Asian players in global communication industry, Keane describes that “Asianness is colonizing international communications markets” (2006: 839-840 with the impacts ranging from the production of hardware (i.e., East Asian technology to content (e.g., Japanese manga, anime and TV formats and South Korean popular culture and from the cross-over of directors and actors from Asia to Hollywood and the world. Yet, a lack of timely understanding of media and communication in a fast-changing Asia is hindering not only our interpretation of the significance of media in social transformation in Asia, but also the efforts to de-westernize (e.g., Park & Curran, 2000; Wang, 2010 or internationalize communication studies (Lee, 2014.

Ownership, financing, and management strategies of the ten largest for-profit nursing home chains in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, Charlene; Hauser, Clarilee; Olney, Brian; Rosenau, Pauline Vaillancourt

2011-01-01

This study examined the ownership, financing, and management strategies of the 10 largest for-profit nursing home chains in the United States, including the four largest chains purchased by private equity corporations. Descriptive data were collected from Internet searches, company reports, and other sources for the decade 1998-2008. Since 1998, the largest chains have made many changes in their ownership and structure, and some have converted from publicly traded companies to private ownership. This study shows the increasing complexity of corporate nursing home ownership and the lack of public information about ownership and financial status. The chains have used strategies to maximize shareholder and investor value that include increasing Medicare revenues, occupancy rates, and company diversification, establishing multiple layers of corporate ownership, developing real estate investment trusts, and creating limited liability companies. These strategies enhance shareholder and investor profits, reduce corporate taxes, and reduce liability risk. There is a need for greater transparency in ownership and financial reporting and for more government oversight of the largest for-profit chains, including those owned by private equity companies.

TRENDS REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY IN ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catana Adina

2010-07-01

Full Text Available World economy is experiencing some important transformations, mainly due to the rapid evolution of the informational and communication technologies. In the last years, new technologies flooded the production processes. They have allowed the improvement of the processing and use of the economic information and the general accelaration of the economic flows. The technological revolution is presented in all its trade forms, either the wholesale trade or the retail trade. The technical progress interferes with the economic activity through the re-engineering of the production lines, the revolution in the field of building materials and store, shopping center, malls and industrial hall building, the considerably shorter time period these are being built and they become available for the commercial activity, the revolution in the field of supply, merchandise storage and manipulation, the appearance of different types of intelligent machineries and equipment, merchandise storage software improving the way the client is served at the counter. The industrial revolution determines a reorganization of the economic activity, a resetting of the trade economic activity by directing the trader towards the client using new commercial techniques and strategies.

Leo Satellite Communication through a LEO Constellation using TCP/IP Over ATM

Science.gov (United States)

Foore, Lawrence R.; Konangi, Vijay K.; Wallett, Thomas M.

1999-01-01

The simulated performance characteristics for communication between a terrestrial client and a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite server are presented. The client and server nodes consist of a Transmission Control Protocol /Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) over ATM configuration. The ATM cells from the client or the server are transmitted to a gateway, packaged with some header information and transferred to a commercial LEO satellite constellation. These cells are then routed through the constellation to a gateway on the globe that allows the client/server communication to take place. Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR) is specified as the quality of service (QoS). Various data rates are considered.

SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalygin, V.V.

1997-01-01

The State Scientific Centre (SSC) ''Research Institute of Atomic Reactors'' (RIAR) is situated 100 km to the south-east from Moscow, in Dimitrovgrad, the Volga Region of the Russian Federation. SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors in Russia. At present there are 5 types of reactor facilities in operation, including two NPP. One of the main tasks the Centre is the investigations on safety increase for power reactors. Broad international connections are available at the Institute. On the basis of the SSC RIAR during 3 years work has been done on the development of the branch training centre (TC) for the training of operation personnel of research and pilot reactors in Russia. (author). 3 tabs

SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalygin, V V [State Scientific Centre, Research Inst. of Atomic Reactors (Russian Federation)

1997-10-01

The State Scientific Centre (SSC) ``Research Institute of Atomic Reactors`` (RIAR) is situated 100 km to the south-east from Moscow, in Dimitrovgrad, the Volga Region of the Russian Federation. SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors in Russia. At present there are 5 types of reactor facilities in operation, including two NPP. One of the main tasks the Centre is the investigations on safety increase for power reactors. Broad international connections are available at the Institute. On the basis of the SSC RIAR during 3 years work has been done on the development of the branch training centre (TC) for the training of operation personnel of research and pilot reactors in Russia. (author). 3 tabs.

CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING A MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION PLATFORM INSIDE A HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MUSCALU EMANOIL

2015-04-01

Full Text Available At present, the world is in a phase of economic and social development, with many and varied features of the knowledge society based on science and education. The organization is defined not only by the products and / or services, but also the ability to communicate to its employees and management team. Continuous exchange of messages is the correlation factor that generates knowledge in the society and inside the organization to fulfill its mission and strategies. The purpose of this work is to identify the necessity of developing a platform which should provide the support for the organization and also for the specific activities developed inside the organization. Also, when developing such a system, there are few aspects that should be taken into consideration, according to the organization’s goals. Therefore the development of a platform by a higher educational institution could improve the communication inside the organization, could improve the management’s activity and also can provide access to knowledge for the students. Developing a judicial platform, for students, could provide possible solutions to problems like training and practice, or other problems emphasized by the law experts that recorded for example unreasonable deadlines given by the courts in insolvency and commercial cases in general, by improving internal and external communication and improving the quality of commercial law and not only.

Dynamic (2, 3) Threshold Quantum Secret Sharing of Secure Direct Communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai Hong; Xiao Jing-Hua; Mehmet, Orgun A.; Josef, Pieprzyk; Xue Li-Yin

2015-01-01

In this paper, we show that a (2, 3) discrete variable threshold quantum secret sharing scheme of secure direct communication can be achieved based on recurrence using the same devices as in BB84. The scheme is devised by first placing the shares of smaller secret pieces into the shares of the largest secret piece, converting the shares of the largest secret piece into corresponding quantum state sequences, inserting nonorthogonal state particles into the quantum state sequences with the purpose of detecting eavesdropping, and finally sending the new quantum state sequences to the three participants respectively. Consequently, every particle can on average carry up to 1.5-bit messages due to the use of recurrence. The control codes are randomly prepared using the way to generate fountain codes with pre-shared source codes between Alice and Bob, making three participants can detect eavesdropping by themselves without sending classical messages to Alice. Due to the flexible encoding, our scheme is also dynamic, which means that it allows the participants to join and leave freely. (paper)

Automated meteorological data from commercial aircraft via satellite: Present experience and future implications

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, R.

1978-01-01

A low-cost communications system to provide meteorological data from commercial aircraft, in neat real-time, on a fully automated basis has been developed. The complete system including the low profile antenna and all installation hardware weighs 34 kg. The prototype system was installed on a B-747 aircraft and provided meteorological data (wind angle and velocity, temperature, altitude and position as a function of time) on a fully automated basis. The results were exceptional. This concept is expected to have important implications for operational meteorology and airline route forecasting.

Hospital Prices Increase in California, Especially Among Hospitals in the Largest Multi-hospital Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glenn A. Melnick PhD

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A surge in hospital consolidation is fueling formation of ever larger multi-hospital systems throughout the United States. This article examines hospital prices in California over time with a focus on hospitals in the largest multi-hospital systems. Our data show that hospital prices in California grew substantially (+76% per hospital admission across all hospitals and all services between 2004 and 2013 and that prices at hospitals that are members of the largest, multi-hospital systems grew substantially more (113% than prices paid to all other California hospitals (70%. Prices were similar in both groups at the start of the period (approximately $9200 per admission. By the end of the period, prices at hospitals in the largest systems exceeded prices at other California hospitals by almost $4000 per patient admission. Our study findings are potentially useful to policy makers across the country for several reasons. Our data measure actual prices for a large sample of hospitals over a long period of time in California. California experienced its wave of consolidation much earlier than the rest of the country and as such our findings may provide some insights into what may happen across the United States from hospital consolidation including growth of large, multi-hospital systems now forming in the rest of the rest of the country.

The first commercial spent fuel shipment in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meinert, N.M. [NAC International, Norcross, GA (United States); Xiaoqing Li [Everclean Environmental Engineering Corp., Beijing, BJ (China)

2004-07-01

In two and a half years, government regulatory agencies and contractors from three countries worked together to design, license, fabricate, and transport the first commercial spent fuel shipment in China. Their cooperative efforts helped avoid the loss of full core reserve at a nuclear power plant serving two of China's largest cities. In March 2001, Everclean Environmental Engineering Corporation (EEEC) selected NAC International (NAC) to supply two United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) licensed Storable Transport Casks (NACSTC) and technology support, to ensure that qualified Chinese operators would be ready to load the first cask in late 2003. EEEC is a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), which sets nuclear policy in China. EEEC is responsible for implementing nuclear transportation policy set forth from its parent corporation. Timely implementation of EEEC's ambitious plan would avoid loss of full core reserve at Guangdong Nuclear Power Station (Daya Bay) Unit-1, which supplies power to Hong Kong and Schenzen. The spent fuel would be transported to the Lanzhou Nuclear Fuel Complex (LNFC), a reprocessing facility, approximately 4,000 kilometers Northwest of Daya Bay.

Review of Compact Commercial Accelerator Products and Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Jongen, Y.

1997-05-01

Historically, particle accelerators were developed initially for nuclear, then for particle physics research. From this research resulted applications of accelerators in the field of medicine and industry. These application-oriented accelerators are generally built commercially, and they often emphasize other qualities than the accelerators for research. The research applications frequently require energies or beam qualities at the limit of the existing technologies. They offer the largest flexibility in term of particles and beam properties, but are more complex, more expensive and often require large and highly qualified staff to operate and maintain them. In contrast, most applications are done with low to moderate energy protons or electrons, but often with large average beam power. The accelerators are generally specialized for a specific application, and are therefore very simple and inexpensive to operate. The author will review some applications in the field of medicine, such as the production of radio-isotopes for medical diagnostic or the production of electrons, protons or fast neutron beams for cancer therapy. In the industrial field, high power electron beam are used for sterilization and for the modification of materials. Log No. 1001

Corporate Social Responsibility in Commercial Banking - A Case Study from the Czech Republic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burianova Lenka

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The concept of corporate social responsibility is not new in the banking sector, but nowadays, it becomes highly topical since the crisis has significantly highlighted the need for integration of moral principles in the banking business. Knowledge of business practice indicates the fact that the acceptance of moral principles in business is not integrated into management decisions of companies. It also cannot be accepted that self-regulatory instruments of companies such as CSR will be effective. The existing experience with the implementation of CSR and ethical principles in the banking sector leads to the opinion that the social responsibility of banks and ethics in banking sector are perceived as an appropriate marketing tool for public communication and are not integrated into policies of individual commercial banks. Experience with the crisis demonstrated that there is a lack of moral principles of managers’ decisions. The aim of this article is to introduce theoretical aspects of CSR in commercial banking and measure the level of CSR in selected Czech commercial banks. In the article, the CSR index was calculated for Česká spořitelna, Československá obchodní banka, Komerční banka and GE Money Bank. Results of our research confirmed that the CSR index of selected Czech commercial banks achieves only an average level. There is a significant lack of transparent information in the context of CSR areas.

Crisis strategies in BP's Deepwater Horizon response : An image repair and situational crisis communication study

OpenAIRE

Johansson, Mikael

2017-01-01

The BP Deepwater Horizon crisis in 2010 was one the largest catastrophes in the history of the oil industry. BP was sued over the disaster, and lost several billion dollars. This study examines the crisis response strategies and/or image repair strategies, which can be found in BP's press releases following the Deepwater Horizon crisis. In particular, the study looks closer at what established crisis communication strategies could be discerned in the material, and how they are used discursive...

Communication between scientists, fishery managers and recreational fishers: lessons learned from a comparative analysis of international case studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dedual, M.; Sague Pla, O.; Arlinghaus, R.

2013-01-01

The management of recreational fisheries benefits from good collaboration between scientists, managers and recreational fishers. However, the level of collaboration largely depends on the levels of effective communication among the different stakeholders. This paper presents the views of scientists......, managers and fishers concerning the quality of communication in eleven case studies of recreational fisheries. Case studies were synthesised and common reasons why communication did not always flow as intended were identified. The prevalent barriers to good communication, and therefore collaboration...... included a lack of rigorous scientific information transfer from scientists to fishers and managers, a fear from fishers that management actions will limit fishing opportunities, pre‐existing antagonism between commercial and recreational fisheries, and fishers' suspicion of science. Overcoming...

Culture and Workplace Communications: A Comparison of the Technical Communications Practices of Japanese and U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

Science.gov (United States)

Pinelli, Thomas E. (Editor); Sato, Yuko (Editor); Barclay, Rebecca O. (Editor); Kennedy, John M. (Editor)

1997-01-01

The advent of global markets elevates the role and importance of culture as a mitigating factor in the diffusion of knowledge and technology and in product and process innovation. This is especially true in the large commercial aircraft (LCA) sector where the production and market aspects are becoming increasingly international. As firms expand beyond their national borders, using such methods as risk-sharing partnerships, joint ventures, outsourcing, and alliances, they have to contend with national and corporate cultures. Our focus is on Japan, a program participant in the production of the Boeing Company's 777. The aspects of Japanese culture and workplace communications will be examined: (1) the influence of Japanese culture on the diffusion of knowledge and technology in aerospace at the national and international levels; (2) those cultural determinants-the propensity to work together, a willingness to subsume individual interests to a greater good, and an emphasis on consensual decision making-that have a direct bearing on the ability of Japanese firms to form alliances and compete in international markets; (3) and those cultural determinants thought to influence the information-seeking behaviors and workplace communication practices of Japanese aerospace engineers and scientists. In this article, we report selective results from a survey of Japanese and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists that focused on workplace communications. Data are presented for the following topics: importance of and time spent communicating information, collaborative writing, need for an undergraduate course in technical communication, use of libraries, use and importance of electronic (computer) networks, and the use and importance of foreign and domestically produced technical reports.

A description of the ABCD organizational structure and communication framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Auchter, Allison M; Hernandez Mejia, Margie; Heyser, Charles J; Shilling, Paul D; Jernigan, Terry L; Brown, Sandra A; Tapert, Susan F; Dowling, Gayathri J

2018-04-16

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study is designed to be the largest study of brain development and child health in the United States, performing comprehensive assessments of 11,500 children repeatedly for 10 years. An endeavor of this magnitude requires an organized framework of governance and communication that promotes collaborative decision-making and dissemination of information. The ABCD consortium structure, built upon the Matrix Management approach of organizational theory, facilitates the integration of input from all institutions, numerous internal workgroups and committees, federal partners, and external advisory groups to make use of a broad range of expertise to ensure the study's success. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A marine heatwave drives massive losses from the world’s largest seagrass carbon stocks

KAUST Repository

Arias-Ortiz, Ariane; Serrano, Oscar; Masqué , Pere; Lavery, P. S.; Mueller, U.; Kendrick, G. A.; Rozaimi, M.; Esteban, A.; Fourqurean, J. W.; Marbà , N.; Mateo, M. A.; Murray, K.; Rule, M. J.; Duarte, Carlos M.

2018-01-01

Seagrass ecosystems contain globally significant organic carbon (C) stocks. However, climate change and increasing frequency of extreme events threaten their preservation. Shark Bay, Western Australia, has the largest C stock reported for a seagrass

NASA Unmanned Aircraft (UA) Control and Non-Payload Communication (CNPC) System Waveform Trade Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Chavez, Carlos; Hammel, Bruce; Hammel, Allan; Moore, John R.

2014-01-01

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) represent a new capability that will provide a variety of services in the government (public) and commercial (civil) aviation sectors. The growth of this potential industry has not yet been realized due to the lack of a common understanding of what is required to safely operate UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS). To address this deficiency, NASA has established a project called UAS Integration in the NAS (UAS in the NAS), under the Integrated Systems Research Program (ISRP) of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). This project provides an opportunity to transition concepts, technology, algorithms, and knowledge to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other stakeholders to help them define the requirements, regulations, and issues for routine UAS access to the NAS. The safe, routine, and efficient integration of UAS into the NAS requires new radio frequency (RF) spectrum allocations and a new data communications system which is both secure and scalable with increasing UAS traffic without adversely impacting the Air Traffic Control (ATC) communication system. These data communications, referred to as Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC), whose purpose is to exchange information between the unmanned aircraft and the ground control station to ensure safe, reliable, and effective unmanned aircraft flight operation. A Communications Subproject within the UAS in the NAS Project has been established to address issues related to CNPC development, certification and fielding. The focus of the Communications Subproject is on validating and allocating new RF spectrum and data link communications to enable civil UAS integration into the NAS. The goal is to validate secure, robust data links within the allocated frequency spectrum for UAS. A vision, architectural concepts, and seed requirements for the future commercial UAS CNPC system have been developed by RTCA Special Committee 203 (SC-203) in the process

80-Channel Multiplexer-Demultiplexer Module for DWDM Communications using Hybrid AWG -- Interleaver Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Rablau, Corneliu; Bredthauer, Lance

2007-10-01

Aside from the more traditional data, voice and e-mail communications, new bandwidth intensive applications in the larger consumer markets, such as music, digital pictures and movies, have led to an explosive increase in the demand for transmission capacity for optical communications networks. This has resulted in a widespread deployment of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) as a means of increasing the communications capacity by multiplexing and transmitting signals of different wavelengths (establishing multiple communication channels) through a single strand of fiber. We report on the design, assembly and characterization of a 50-GHz, 80-channel Mux-Demux module for DWDM systems. The module has been assembled from two commercially available 100 GHz, 40-channel Array Waveguide Grating (AWG) modules and a 50-GHz to 100-GHz interleaver. Relevant performance parameters such as insertion loss, channel uniformity, next-channel isolation (crosstalk) and integrated cross-talk are presented and discussed in contrast with the performance of other competing technologies such as Thin-Film-Filter-based Mux-Demux devices.

Using a commercial symmetric multiprocessor for lattice QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brower, R.C.; Chen, D.; Negele, J.W.

1998-01-01

In its evolution, the computer industry has reached the point when considerable computing power can be packaged on a single microprocessor chip. At the same time, costs of designing a computer system around such a CPU are growing. For these reasons we decided to explore a possibility of using commercially available symmetric multiprocessors (SMP) as building blocks for the LQCD computer. Careful analysis of the architecture allowed us to build a QCD primitive library running close to the peak performance on the UltraSPARC processor. As a result, multithreaded QCD code (both the heatbath and the Wilson fermion inverter) runs at about 50% efficiency on a single SMP. The communication between different CPUs is handled by a coherent memory system. Currently we are planning to connect several SMPs with a high bandwidth network into a single system. (orig.)

The Communication Enhancement through Telecommunication (ComET) project.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, A

2000-09-01

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has made strenuous efforts to address communication imperatives for its programme delivery to its member countries. Initially, it used the Internet to assist in programme delivery. However, the low availability and high costs of telecommunications in Noumea and Suva hampered these efforts. The use of PACNET (the communications service of the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network) was very successful but restricted by communication capabilities and lack of connectivity. In 1998 the capacity was limited to 28.8 kilobytes per second (kbps) in Noumea and 1.9 kbps in Suva with no possibility of obtaining additional capacity at affordable costs through the commercial telecommunications carriers. The ComET project has now installed 7.2 metre antenna and associated equipment at each of the Secretariat's offices in Noumea and Suva. This allows 24 hour per day access to the PAS2 satellite for high speed transmission of voice, data and video traffic. Connection to the Offratel premises in Nouville via the Celeris high speed backbone operated by OPT has linked this to the internet and thereby to member countries and territories, and the rest of the world. The ComET project began transmission in March 2000 and has addressed communication problems, and thereby improved the SPC's programme delivery (examples given in this paper) to it's members at affordable costs within the Secretariats existing budget.

Circuit for Communication Over Power Lines

Science.gov (United States)

Krasowski, Michael J.; Prokop, Normal F.; Greer, Lawrence C., III; Nappier, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Many distributed systems share common sensors and instruments along with a common power line supplying current to the system. A communication technique and circuit has been developed that allows for the simple inclusion of an instrument, sensor, or actuator node within any system containing a common power bus. Wherever power is available, a node can be added, which can then draw power for itself, its associated sensors, and actuators from the power bus all while communicating with other nodes on the power bus. The technique modulates a DC power bus through capacitive coupling using on-off keying (OOK), and receives and demodulates the signal from the DC power bus through the same capacitive coupling. The circuit acts as serial modem for the physical power line communication. The circuit and technique can be made of commercially available components or included in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design, which allows for the circuit to be included in current designs with additional circuitry or embedded into new designs. This device and technique moves computational, sensing, and actuation abilities closer to the source, and allows for the networking of multiple similar nodes to each other and to a central processor. This technique also allows for reconfigurable systems by adding or removing nodes at any time. It can do so using nothing more than the in situ power wiring of the system.

The largest Silurian vertebrate and its palaeoecological implications

Science.gov (United States)

Choo, Brian; Zhu, Min; Zhao, Wenjin; Jia, Liaotao; Zhu, You'an

2014-01-01

An apparent absence of Silurian fishes more than half-a-metre in length has been viewed as evidence that gnathostomes were restricted in size and diversity prior to the Devonian. Here we describe the largest pre-Devonian vertebrate (Megamastax amblyodus gen. et sp. nov.), a predatory marine osteichthyan from the Silurian Kuanti Formation (late Ludlow, ~423 million years ago) of Yunnan, China, with an estimated length of about 1 meter. The unusual dentition of the new form suggests a durophagous diet which, combined with its large size, indicates a considerable degree of trophic specialisation among early osteichthyans. The lack of large Silurian vertebrates has recently been used as constraint in palaeoatmospheric modelling, with purported lower oxygen levels imposing a physiological size limit. Regardless of the exact causal relationship between oxygen availability and evolutionary success, this finding refutes the assumption that pre-Emsian vertebrates were restricted to small body sizes. PMID:24921626

4 Gbps direct modulation of 450 nm GaN laser for high-speed visible light communication

KAUST Repository

Lee, Changmin; Zhang, Chong; Cantore, Michael; Farrell, Robert M.; Oh, Sang Ho; Margalith, Tal; Speck, James S.; Nakamura, Shuji; Bowers, John E.; DenBaars, Steven P.

2015-01-01

We demonstrate high-speed data transmission with a commercial high power GaN laser diode at 450 nm. 2.6 GHz bandwidth was achieved at an injection current of 500 mA using a high-speed visible light communication setup. Record high 4 Gbps free

THE MASS OF (4) VESTA DERIVED FROM ITS LARGEST GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzmanoski, Mike; Novakovic, Bojan; Apostolovska, Gordana

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present a recalculated value of the mass of (4) Vesta, derived from its largest gravitational perturbations on selected asteroids during their mutual close encounters. This was done by using a new method for mass determination, which is based on the linking of pre-encounter observations to the orbit determined from post-encounter ones. The estimated weighted mean of the mass of (4) Vesta is (1.300 ± 0.001) x 10 -10 M sun .

Communications device identification methods, communications methods, wireless communications readers, wireless communications systems, and articles of manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

Steele, Kerry D [Kennewick, WA; Anderson, Gordon A [Benton City, WA; Gilbert, Ronald W [Morgan Hill, CA

2011-02-01

Communications device identification methods, communications methods, wireless communications readers, wireless communications systems, and articles of manufacture are described. In one aspect, a communications device identification method includes providing identification information regarding a group of wireless identification devices within a wireless communications range of a reader, using the provided identification information, selecting one of a plurality of different search procedures for identifying unidentified ones of the wireless identification devices within the wireless communications range, and identifying at least some of the unidentified ones of the wireless identification devices using the selected one of the search procedures.

Role of pacs in an integrated communication system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, B.G.; Creasy, J.L.; Johnston, R.E.; Parrish, D.; Scatliff, J.H.

1986-01-01

An integrated computer-based communications system uses multiple computers for the high speed transmission, storage, enhancement and display for medical information. Interconnected by a network such as coaxial and fiberoptic cables or microwave stations, the system would provide integrated communications throughout a satellite medical environment. As the availability of proven PACS components becomes a commercial reality, migratory expansion of PACS within the radiology clinical, educational and research areas will be possible. When the PACS is integrated with hospital, radiology and medical school information systems it provides the image component of a total medical information system. Current PACS efforts are on a research basis including the development of prototype systems. This paper provides an overview of implementation strategies. Issues to be discussed include PACS research objectives, typical implementation methods, and a review of interactions between PACS and radiology information systems (RIS) and hospital information systems

Status of High Data Rate Intersatellite Laser Communication as an Enabler for Earth and Space Science

Science.gov (United States)

Heine, F.; Zech, H.; Motzigemba, M.

2017-12-01

Space based laser communication is supporting earth observation and science missions with Gbps data download capabilities. Currently the Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 spacecrafts from the Copernicus earth observation program of the European Commission are using the Gbps laser communication links developed by Tesat Spacecom to download low latency data products via a commercial geostationary laser relay station- the European Data Relay Service- (EDRS) as a standard data path, in parallel to the conventional radio frequency links. The paper reports on the status of high bandwidth space laser communication as an enabler for small and large space science missions ranging from cube sat applications in low earth orbit to deep space missions. Space based laser communication has left the experimental phase and will support space science missions with unprecedented data rates.

Pseudo-communication vs Quasi-communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Елена Константиновна Черничкина

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the analysis of such specific forms of human interaction as quasi- and pseudo-communication. The authors specify the terms which sometimes are used interchangeably. The aim of the conducted research is to find out and demonstrate existing differences and similarities of these communicative phenomena on the basis of theoretical and empirical analysis of the research material in the Russian and English languages. The authors describe communicative features of these phenomena and consider the reasons for such forms of communication and their increased use at present. The research material is represented fiction extracts, film scripts, jokes, print media, a collection of oral speech records both in Russian and English. The authors make use of the following research methods: definitional analysis (to define the terminology of the research, the method of linguistic observation and introspection (to select the communicative situations, the descriptive-analytical method and the method of comparative analysis (to identify similarities and differences of the target phenomena, and the conversational analysis method (to view productivity and effectiveness of a dialogue, etc. The classification of possible forms of their existence in different discourses is suggested. The authors assume that both pseudo- and quasi-communication are characterized as fictitious forms of human interaction with some noticeable violation of the basic communicative model. Pseudo-communication suffers from the discrepancy of the meaning of a coded and decoded message. The authors put forward the main parameters of scientific classification of it as follows: adequate understanding, intentionality, and the stage of communicative action where the failure takes place. At the same time they stress the necessity to distinguish the cases of pseudo talks from phatic and indirect communication. Quasi-communcation is marked by the lack of a real partner and hence

Augmentative And Alternative Communication Systems For Post-Stroke Patients With Severe Communication And Motor Impairment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talieh Zarifian

2017-02-01

; AAC use patterns; AAC limitations are main issues, an AAC technology for post-stroke patients will be presented which developed by a knowledgebase company in Iran. The system allows patients with communication and motor impairment to state their intentions and feelings by a minimum movement in their body, or just by moving their eyes. Different sensors and switches are available to adopt based on the limited ability of the patients. For detecting eye movements, a novel wearable miniaturized system has been developed that is worn as a headband and detects eye movements based on processing electro-oculogram. A high performance graphical user interface has been developed to type letters and numbers in Persian language. The system also provides words prediction, text to speech conversion with natural voice, and sending/receiving messages in the mobile networks for a convenient communication experience. The developed system has been tested successfully by more than 20 patients with different disabilities, and is now commercially available. The proposed system can also help the severely disabled people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy to communicate with others and mention their intentions, needs and feelings. This low-cost wearable device assures high level of comfort for the user without fatigue and do not need long time training. The system can also be adapted for the patients who can speak, but could not move their hands, to work with the computer and enjoy using the internet.

A spreadsheet-based microcomputer application for determining cost-effectiveness of commercial lighting retrofit opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spain, T.K.

1992-01-01

Lighting accounts for 20-25% of electricity use in the United States. With estimates of 50-70% potential reductions being made by energy engineers, lighting is a promising area for cost-effective energy conservation projects in commercial buildings. With an extensive array of alternatives available to replace or modify existing lighting systems, simple but effective calculation tools are needed to help energy auditors evaluate lighting retrofits. This paper describes a spreadsheet-based microcomputer application for determining the cost-effectiveness of commercial lighting retrofits. Developed to support walk-through energy audits conducted by the Industrial Energy Advisory Service (IdEAS), the spreadsheet provides essential comparative data for evaluating the payback of alternatives. The impact of alternatives on environmental emissions is calculated to help communicate external costs and sell the project, if appropriate. The methodology and calculations are fully documented to allow the user to duplicate the spreadsheet and modify it as needed

Commercial and Industrial Base Intermittent Resource Management Pilot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiliccote, Sila; Sporborg, Pamela; Sheik, Imran; Huffaker, Erich; Piette, Mary Ann

2010-11-30

This scoping study summarizes the challenges with integrating wind and solar generation into the California's electricity grid. These challenges include: Smoothing intra-hour variability; - Absorbing excess renewable energy during over-generation periods; - Addressing morning and evening ramping periods. In addition, there are technical challenges to integrating retail demand response (DR) triggered by the wholesale conditions into the CAISO markets. The study describes the DR programs available to the consumers through the utilities in California and CAISO's ancillary services market because an integration of the wholesale and retail DR requires an understanding of these different offerings and the costs associated with acquiring them. Demand-side active and passive storage systems are proposed as technologies that may be used to mitigate the effects of intermittence due to renewable generation. Commercial building technologies as well as industrial facilities with storage capability are identified as targets for the field tests. Two systems used for ancillary services communications are identified as providing the triggers for DR enablement. Through the field tests, issues related to communication, automation and flexibility of demand-side resources will be explored and the performance of technologies that participate in the field tests will be evaluated. The major outcome of this research is identifying and defining flexibility of DR resources and optimized use of these resources to respond to grid conditions.

Recycling Sounds in Commercials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Charlotte Rørdam

2012-01-01

Commercials offer the opportunity for intergenerational memory and impinge on cultural memory. TV commercials for foodstuffs often make reference to past times as a way of authenticating products. This is frequently achieved using visual cues, but in this paper I would like to demonstrate how...... such references to the past and ‘the good old days’ can be achieved through sounds. In particular, I will look at commercials for Danish non-dairy spreads, especially for OMA margarine. These commercials are notable in that they contain a melody and a slogan – ‘Say the name: OMA margarine’ – that have basically...... remained the same for 70 years. Together these identifiers make OMA an interesting Danish case to study. With reference to Ann Rigney’s memorial practices or mechanisms, the study aims to demonstrate how the auditory aspects of Danish margarine commercials for frying tend to be limited in variety...

Research on Czech firms’ marketing communication based on social media networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vít Chlebovský

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective of the research described in this article is to make an analysis of the usage of marketing communication using both traditional Internet communication channels as well as Social Media Networks by the Czech companies. Primary research was made through on-line questionnaire. Companies across the branches and size categories within the Czech economy were addressed. Companies were selected from the www.firmy.cz portal. Only companies with their own web domain were addressed. The typical respondents were mostly from middle management, especially managers from the marketing or commercial departments. The final number of questionnaire respondents covered in the research is 1009. The main research method was questioning. The questionnaire consisted of three sections with the scale answer questions mainly. Google Refine was used for data processing and Microsoft Excel for statistical processing and graphic outputs of the research. Evaluated results show significant gaps in usage of Internet communication tools in marketing of Czech companies and also deficiency between clear understanding of the respondents how Social Media should be used in marketing communication and real use in the companies. This deficiency was statistically tested and relation between respondents’ perception of the importance of Social Media use for bidirectional communication with stakeholders and non-use of Social Media for bidirectional communication with stakeholders by respondents’ company was confirmed.

A cross-sectional ecological analysis of international and sub-national health inequalities in commercial geospatial resource availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Dotse-Gborgbortsi, Winfred; Wardrop, Nicola; Adewole, Ademola; Thomas, Mair L H; Wright, Jim

2018-05-23

Commercial geospatial data resources are frequently used to understand healthcare utilisation. Although there is widespread evidence of a digital divide for other digital resources and infra-structure, it is unclear how commercial geospatial data resources are distributed relative to health need. To examine the distribution of commercial geospatial data resources relative to health needs, we assembled coverage and quality metrics for commercial geocoding, neighbourhood characterisation, and travel time calculation resources for 183 countries. We developed a country-level, composite index of commercial geospatial data quality/availability and examined its distribution relative to age-standardised all-cause and cause specific (for three main causes of death) mortality using two inequality metrics, the slope index of inequality and relative concentration index. In two sub-national case studies, we also examined geocoding success rates versus area deprivation by district in Eastern Region, Ghana and Lagos State, Nigeria. Internationally, commercial geospatial data resources were inversely related to all-cause mortality. This relationship was more pronounced when examining mortality due to communicable diseases. Commercial geospatial data resources for calculating patient travel times were more equitably distributed relative to health need than resources for characterising neighbourhoods or geocoding patient addresses. Countries such as South Africa have comparatively high commercial geospatial data availability despite high mortality, whilst countries such as South Korea have comparatively low data availability and low mortality. Sub-nationally, evidence was mixed as to whether geocoding success was lowest in more deprived districts. To our knowledge, this is the first global analysis of commercial geospatial data resources in relation to health outcomes. In countries such as South Africa where there is high mortality but also comparatively rich commercial geospatial

Life-cycle cost and payback period analysis for commercial unitary air conditioners

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosenquist, Greg; Coughlin, Katie; Dale, Larry; McMahon, James; Meyers, Steve

2004-03-31

This report describes an analysis of the economic impacts of possible energy efficiency standards for commercial unitary air conditioners and heat pumps on individual customers in terms of two metrics: life-cycle cost (LCC) and payback period (PBP). For each of the two equipment classes considered, the 11.5 EER provides the largest mean LCC savings. The results show how the savings vary among customers facing different electricity prices and other conditions. At 11.5 EER, at least 80% of the users achieve a positive LCC savings. At 12.0 EER, the maximum efficiency analyzed, mean LCC savings are lower but still positive. For the {ge} $65,000 Btu/h to <135,000 Btu/h equipment class, 59% of users achieve a positive LCC savings. For the $135,000 Btu/h to <240,000 Btu/h equipment class, 91% of users achieve a positive LCC savings.

The 1985 state-by-state assessment of low-level radioactive wastes shipped to commercial disposal sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-12-01

The 1985 report uses the volume of low-level waste reported as received at each commercial disposal site as the national baseline figure. A volume of 75,909 m 3 of radioactive waste containing 748,903 Ci of activity was reported disposed at the commercial sites in 1985. The distribution of these waste volumes by disposal site is presented in Table 1. Table 2 displays typical radionuclides in low-level wastes by sector. Table 3 presents predominant waste forms associated with low-level waste by sector. The total volume and curie values tabulated for each state were obtained directly from the commercial disposal site operators. The total is the sum of the volume and radioactivity reported by Chem Nuclear and US Ecology for each state. Figure 1 displays the disposal capacity remaining at Barnwell, Richland, and Beatty commercial disposal sites as of December 31, 1985. Summary information on commercial nuclear power plant wastes was obtained from semiannual waste and effluent reports submitted to the NRC in accordance with the NRC Regulatory Guide 1.21. Where reported data were not available, data were obtained by communication with the utility. Nonreactor waste volumes are actual amounts recorded as received at the commercial waste repositories in 1985. Waste categories are defined as academic, medical, government, and industrial. New to the 1985 report is Appendix B, 1985 Assessments Listed By Ratified Compacts, as well as the proposed Western and Appalachian compacts. Inclusion of the most accurate information available from all sources has resulted in an improved national waste distribution profile of generator sectors. 11 refs

Key U.S.-built part fails during testing for world's largest particle collider

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"Scientists are scrambling to redesign a key U.S.-built part that broke "with a loud bang and a cloud of dust" during a high-pressure test for the world's largest particle physics collider that is supposed to start up in November, officials sais Tuesday." (1,5 page)

1984 state-by-state assessment of low-level radioactive wastes shipped to commercial disposal sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-12-01

The 1984 report uses the volume of low-level waste reported as received at each commercial disposal site as the national baseline figure. A volume of 75,429 m 3 of radioactive waste containing 600,909 Ci of activity was reported disposed at the commercial sites in 1984. The distribution of these waste volumes by disposal site is presented in Table 1. Table 2 displays typical radionuclides in low-level wastes by sector. Table 3 presents predominant waste forms associated with low-level waste by sector. The total volume and curie values tabulated for each state were obtained directly from the commercial disposal site operators. The total is the sum of the volume and radioactivity reported by Chem Nuclear and US Ecology for each state. Figure 1 displays the disposal capacity remaining at Barnwell, Richland, and Beatty commercial disposal sites as of December 31, 1984. Summary information on commercial nuclear power plant wastes was obtained from semiannual waste and effluent reports submitted to the NRC in accordance with the NRC Regulatory Guide 1.21. Where reported data were not available, data were obtained by communication with the utility. Non-reactor waste volumes are actual amounts recorded as received at the commercial waste repositories in 1984. Waste categories are defined as academic, medical, government, and industrial. Academic includes university hospitals and medical and nonmedical research facilities. The medical category includes hospitals and clinics, research facilities, and private medical offices. The industrial category includes private entities such as research and development companies, manufacturers, nondestructive testing, mining, and radiopharmaceutical manufacturers. Government includes state and federal agencies. Data from previous publications were also used as a comparison. 11 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

Enabling Future Science and Human Exploration with NASA's Next Generation Near Earth and Deep Space Communications and Navigation Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhart, Richard; Schier, James; Israel, David; Tai, Wallace; Liebrecht, Philip; Townes, Stephen

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is studying alternatives for the United States space communications architecture through the 2040 timeframe. This architecture provides communication and navigation services to both human exploration and science missions throughout the solar system. Several of NASA's key space assets are approaching their end of design life and major systems are in need of replacement. The changes envisioned in the relay satellite architecture and capabilities around both Earth and Mars are significant undertakings and occur only once or twice each generation, and therefore is referred to as NASA's next generation space communications architecture. NASA's next generation architecture will benefit from technology and services developed over recent years. These innovations will provide missions with new operations concepts, increased performance, and new business and operating models. Advancements in optical communications will enable high-speed data channels and the use of new and more complex science instruments. Modern multiple beam/multiple access technologies such as those employed on commercial high throughput satellites will enable enhanced capabilities for on-demand service, and with new protocols will help provide Internet-like connectivity for cooperative spacecraft to improve data return and coordinate joint mission objectives. On-board processing with autonomous and cognitive networking will play larger roles to help manage system complexity. Spacecraft and ground systems will coordinate among themselves to establish communications, negotiate link connectivity, and learn to share spectrum to optimize resource allocation. Spacecraft will autonomously navigate, plan trajectories, and handle off-nominal events. NASA intends to leverage the ever-expanding capabilities of the satellite communications industry and foster its continued growth. NASA's technology development will complement and extend commercial capabilities

Enabling Future Science and Human Exploration with NASA's Next Generation near Earth and Deep Space Communications and Navigation Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhart, Richard C.; Schier, James S.; Israel, David J.; Tai, Wallace; Liebrecht, Philip E.; Townes, Stephen A.

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is studying alternatives for the United States space communications architecture through the 2040 timeframe. This architecture provides communication and navigation services to both human exploration and science missions throughout the solar system. Several of NASA's key space assets are approaching their end of design life and major systems are in need of replacement. The changes envisioned in the relay satellite architecture and capabilities around both Earth and Mars are significant undertakings and occur only once or twice each generation, and therefore is referred to as NASA's next generation space communications architecture. NASA's next generation architecture will benefit from technology and services developed over recent years. These innovations will provide missions with new operations concepts, increased performance, and new business and operating models. Advancements in optical communications will enable high-speed data channels and the use of new and more complex science instruments. Modern multiple beam/multiple access technologies such as those employed on commercial high throughput satellites will enable enhanced capabilities for on-demand service, and with new protocols will help provide Internet-like connectivity for cooperative spacecraft to improve data return and coordinate joint mission objectives. On-board processing with autonomous and cognitive networking will play larger roles to help manage system complexity. Spacecraft and ground systems will coordinate among themselves to establish communications, negotiate link connectivity, and learn to share spectrum to optimize resource allocation. Spacecraft will autonomously navigate, plan trajectories, and handle off-nominal events. NASA intends to leverage the ever-expanding capabilities of the satellite communications industry and foster its continued growth. NASA's technology development will complement and extend commercial capabilities

Commercial Application of In-Space Assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Lymer, John; Hanson, Mark; Tadros, Al; Boccio, Joel; Hollenstein, Bruno; Emerick, Ken; Doughtery, Sean; Doggett, Bill; Dorsey, John T.; King, Bruce D.;

The M/V Selendang Ayu commercial fisheries work group process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeCola, E.; Robertson, T.; Pearson, L.; Dietrick, L.; Folley, G.

2006-01-01

The process used to form and operate the Selendang Ayu Fisheries Work Group was discussed. The M/V Selendang Ayu ran aground and broke apart near Unalaska Island, Alaska in December 2004, causing immediate concern to nearby commercial fisheries and seafood processors. The work group, which was formed less than 2 weeks after the initial spill, was modeled after other Alaska work groups and consisted of experts in environmental health, fisheries biology and oceanography. Its task was to facilitate communication between fishery managers and spill responders to identify risk-reducing measures and to minimize impacts to fisheries in Alaska. In support of Alaska's zero tolerance policy toward any contamination of food processed in Alaska, the working group conducted water quality sampling in and around Unalaska Island from December 2004 though March 2005. Information was gathered regarding fishery opening and closing dates, geographic extent of fisheries, gear and vessel types, seawater circulation systems, fish processing operations, vessel transit routes and other considerations related to the potential exposure of vessels, gear or seafood to oil. This paper described the different pathways that commercial fish species may be exposed to spilled oil, along with the major fish species at risk. One small fishery closure was enacted. The working group was successful in ensuring that major commercial fisheries for snow crab, pollock, halibut and other species were successfully conducted during the spill, with all loads undergoing mandatory seafood inspections. Seafood products were not contaminated and market prices remained stable. 15 refs., 6 tabs., 4 figs

Importance of latrine communication in European rabbits shifts along a rural-to-urban gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziege, Madlen; Bierbach, David; Bischoff, Svenja; Brandt, Anna-Lena; Brix, Mareike; Greshake, Bastian; Merker, Stefan; Wenninger, Sandra; Wronski, Torsten; Plath, Martin

2016-06-14

Information transfer in mammalian communication networks is often based on the deposition of excreta in latrines. Depending on the intended receiver(s), latrines are either formed at territorial boundaries (between-group communication) or in core areas of home ranges (within-group communication). The relative importance of both types of marking behavior should depend, amongst other factors, on population densities and social group sizes, which tend to differ between urban and rural wildlife populations. Our study is the first to assess (direct and indirect) anthropogenic influences on mammalian latrine-based communication networks along a rural-to-urban gradient in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) living in urban, suburban and rural areas in and around Frankfurt am Main (Germany). The proportion of latrines located in close proximity to the burrow was higher at rural study sites compared to urban and suburban ones. At rural sites, we found the largest latrines and highest latrine densities close to the burrow, suggesting that core marking prevailed. By contrast, latrine dimensions and densities increased with increasing distance from the burrow in urban and suburban populations, suggesting a higher importance of peripheral marking. Increased population densities, but smaller social group sizes in urban rabbit populations may lead to an increased importance of between-group communication and thus, favor peripheral over core marking. Our study provides novel insights into the manifold ways by which man-made habitat alterations along a rural-to-urban gradient directly and indirectly affect wildlife populations, including latrine-based communication networks.

The Scholarly Communication Process within the University Research Corridor (Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University): A Case Study in Cooperation

Science.gov (United States)

Utter, Timothy; Holley, Robert P.

2009-01-01

The growth of open access publishing, the development of institutional repositories, and the availability of millions of digitized monographs and journals are rapidly changing scholarly communication. This case study looks at the current and possible uses of these tools by Michigan's three largest universities: Michigan State University, the…

Hacking commercial quantum cryptography systems by tailored bright illumination

Science.gov (United States)

Lydersen, Lars; Wiechers, Carlos; Wittmann, Christoffer; Elser, Dominique; Skaar, Johannes; Makarov, Vadim

2010-10-01

The peculiar properties of quantum mechanics allow two remote parties to communicate a private, secret key, which is protected from eavesdropping by the laws of physics. So-called quantum key distribution (QKD) implementations always rely on detectors to measure the relevant quantum property of single photons. Here we demonstrate experimentally that the detectors in two commercially available QKD systems can be fully remote-controlled using specially tailored bright illumination. This makes it possible to tracelessly acquire the full secret key; we propose an eavesdropping apparatus built from off-the-shelf components. The loophole is likely to be present in most QKD systems using avalanche photodiodes to detect single photons. We believe that our findings are crucial for strengthening the security of practical QKD, by identifying and patching technological deficiencies.

Constraining the magnitude of the largest event in a foreshock-main shock-aftershock sequence

Science.gov (United States)

Shcherbakov, Robert; Zhuang, Jiancang; Ogata, Yosihiko

2018-01-01

Extreme value statistics and Bayesian methods are used to constrain the magnitudes of the largest expected earthquakes in a sequence governed by the parametric time-dependent occurrence rate and frequency-magnitude statistics. The Bayesian predictive distribution for the magnitude of the largest event in a sequence is derived. Two types of sequences are considered, that is, the classical aftershock sequences generated by large main shocks and the aftershocks generated by large foreshocks preceding a main shock. For the former sequences, the early aftershocks during a training time interval are used to constrain the magnitude of the future extreme event during the forecasting time interval. For the latter sequences, the earthquakes preceding the main shock are used to constrain the magnitudes of the subsequent extreme events including the main shock. The analysis is applied retrospectively to past prominent earthquake sequences.

36 CFR 5.6 - Commercial vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Commercial vehicles. 5.6... COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE OPERATIONS § 5.6 Commercial vehicles. (a) The term “Commercial vehicle” as used in... used in connection with any business. (b) The use of government roads within park areas by commercial...

Evolution of the Largest Mammalian Genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Ben J; Upham, Nathan S; Golding, Goeffrey B; Ojeda, Ricardo A; Ojeda, Agustina A

2017-06-01

The genome of the red vizcacha rat (Rodentia, Octodontidae, Tympanoctomys barrerae) is the largest of all mammals, and about double the size of their close relative, the mountain vizcacha rat Octomys mimax, even though the lineages that gave rise to these species diverged from each other only about 5 Ma. The mechanism for this rapid genome expansion is controversial, and hypothesized to be a consequence of whole genome duplication or accumulation of repetitive elements. To test these alternative but nonexclusive hypotheses, we gathered and evaluated evidence from whole transcriptome and whole genome sequences of T. barrerae and O. mimax. We recovered support for genome expansion due to accumulation of a diverse assemblage of repetitive elements, which represent about one half and one fifth of the genomes of T. barrerae and O. mimax, respectively, but we found no strong signal of whole genome duplication. In both species, repetitive sequences were rare in transcribed regions as compared with the rest of the genome, and mostly had no close match to annotated repetitive sequences from other rodents. These findings raise new questions about the genomic dynamics of these repetitive elements, their connection to widespread chromosomal fissions that occurred in the T. barrerae ancestor, and their fitness effects-including during the evolution of hypersaline dietary tolerance in T. barrerae. ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Largest US oil and gas fields, August 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-08-06

The Largest US Oil and Gas Fields is a technical report and part of an Energy Information Administration (EIA) series presenting distributions of US crude oil and natural gas resources, developed using field-level data collected by EIA`s annual survey of oil and gas proved reserves. The series` objective is to provide useful information beyond that routinely presented in the EIA annual report on crude oil and natural gas reserves. These special reports also will provide oil and gas resource analysts with a fuller understanding of the nature of US crude oil and natural gas occurrence, both at the macro level and with respect to the specific subjects addressed. The series` approach is to integrate EIA`s crude oil and natural gas survey data with related data obtained from other authoritative sources, and then to present illustrations and analyses of interest to a broad spectrum of energy information users ranging from the general public to oil and gas industry personnel.

Largest US oil and gas fields, August 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Largest US Oil and Gas Fields is a technical report and part of an Energy Information Administration (EIA) series presenting distributions of US crude oil and natural gas resources, developed using field-level data collected by EIA's annual survey of oil and gas proved reserves. The series' objective is to provide useful information beyond that routinely presented in the EIA annual report on crude oil and natural gas reserves. These special reports also will provide oil and gas resource analysts with a fuller understanding of the nature of US crude oil and natural gas occurrence, both at the macro level and with respect to the specific subjects addressed. The series' approach is to integrate EIA's crude oil and natural gas survey data with related data obtained from other authoritative sources, and then to present illustrations and analyses of interest to a broad spectrum of energy information users ranging from the general public to oil and gas industry personnel

A Case Study of the Impediments to the Commercialization of Research at the University of Kentucky [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/5pi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathan L. Vanderford

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The commercialization of university-based research occurs to varying degrees between academic institutions. Previous studies have found that multiple barriers can impede the effectiveness and efficiency by which academic research is commercialized. This case study was designed to better understand the impediments to research commercialization at the University of Kentucky via a survey and interview with three successful academic entrepreneurs. The study also garnered insight from the individuals as to how the commercialization process could be improved. Issues with commercialization infrastructure; a lack of emphasis, at the university level, on the importance of research commercialization; a void in an entrepreneurial culture on campus; inhibitory commercialization policies; and a lack of business and commercialization knowledge among faculty were highlighted as the most significant barriers. The research subjects also suggested that commercialization activity may generally increase if a number of factors were mitigated. Such insight can be communicated to the administrative leadership of the commercialization process at the University of Kentucky. Long term, improving university-based research commercialization will allow academic researchers to be more active and successful entrepreneurs such that intellectual property will progress more freely to the marketplace for the benefit of inventors, universities and society.

Commercial off-the-shelf software dedication process based on the commercial grade survey of supplier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J. Y.; Lee, J. S.; Chon, S. W.; Lee, G. Y.; Park, J. K.

2000-01-01

Commercial Off-The-Shelf(COTS) software dedication process can apply to a combination of methods like the hardware commercial grade item dedication process. In general, these methods are : methods 1(special test and inspection), method 2(commercial grade survey of supplier), method 3(source verification), and method 4(acceptance supplier/item performance record). In this paper, the suggested procedure-oriented dedication process on the basis of method 2 for COTS software is consistent with EPRI/TR-106439 and NUREG/CR-6421 requirements. Additional tailoring policy based on code and standards related to COTS software may be also founded in the suggested commercial software dedication process. Suggested commercial software dedication process has been developed for a commercial I and C software dedication who performs COTS qualification according to the dedication procedure

Communication Base Station Log Analysis Based on Hierarchical Clustering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Shao-Hua

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Communication base stations generate massive data every day, these base station logs play an important value in mining of the business circles. This paper use data mining technology and hierarchical clustering algorithm to group the scope of business circle for the base station by recording the data of these base stations.Through analyzing the data of different business circle based on feature extraction and comparing different business circle category characteristics, which can choose a suitable area for operators of commercial marketing.

A dominant mutation in mediator of paramutation2, one of three second-largest subunits of a plant-specific RNA polymerase, disrupts multiple siRNA silencing processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidorenko, Lyudmila; Dorweiler, Jane E; Cigan, A Mark; Arteaga-Vazquez, Mario; Vyas, Meenal; Kermicle, Jerry; Jurcin, Diane; Brzeski, Jan; Cai, Yu; Chandler, Vicki L

2009-11-01

Paramutation involves homologous sequence communication that leads to meiotically heritable transcriptional silencing. We demonstrate that mop2 (mediator of paramutation2), which alters paramutation at multiple loci, encodes a gene similar to Arabidopsis NRPD2/E2, the second-largest subunit of plant-specific RNA polymerases IV and V. In Arabidopsis, Pol-IV and Pol-V play major roles in RNA-mediated silencing and a single second-largest subunit is shared between Pol-IV and Pol-V. Maize encodes three second-largest subunit genes: all three genes potentially encode full length proteins with highly conserved polymerase domains, and each are expressed in multiple overlapping tissues. The isolation of a recessive paramutation mutation in mop2 from a forward genetic screen suggests limited or no functional redundancy of these three genes. Potential alternative Pol-IV/Pol-V-like complexes could provide maize with a greater diversification of RNA-mediated transcriptional silencing machinery relative to Arabidopsis. Mop2-1 disrupts paramutation at multiple loci when heterozygous, whereas previously silenced alleles are only up-regulated when Mop2-1 is homozygous. The dramatic reduction in b1 tandem repeat siRNAs, but no disruption of silencing in Mop2-1 heterozygotes, suggests the major role for tandem repeat siRNAs is not to maintain silencing. Instead, we hypothesize the tandem repeat siRNAs mediate the establishment of the heritable silent state-a process fully disrupted in Mop2-1 heterozygotes. The dominant Mop2-1 mutation, which has a single nucleotide change in a domain highly conserved among all polymerases (E. coli to eukaryotes), disrupts both siRNA biogenesis (Pol-IV-like) and potentially processes downstream (Pol-V-like). These results suggest either the wild-type protein is a subunit in both complexes or the dominant mutant protein disrupts both complexes. Dominant mutations in the same domain in E. coli RNA polymerase suggest a model for Mop2-1 dominance

How the largest electric and gas utility companies administer public relations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bogart, J.D.

1979-04-12

This article describes the findings of a survey conducted by the author in the second half of 1978 to determine the sizes of the public relations staffs of the nation's largest operating electric and gas utilities, their budgets, organizational differences, and specific functions. Common public relations issues and major public relations problems of the utilities are identified, as well as recent trends or changes in budgeting and organization. Some functional variations of public relations departments among utility companies were detected and described.

Multilateral collaboration between technical communicators and translators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandepitte, Sonia; Maylath, Bruce; Mousten, Birthe

2016-01-01

This article describes a multilateral international project (Thompson and Carter 1973, Moreno-Lopez 2004) in technical communication and translator training programmes and discusses its use of technologies in what is seen as the largest and most complex international learning-by-doing collaboration...... to date. The project is a student collaboration involving two sets of cross-cultural virtual teams who either translate from Danish and Dutch into English and review (or edit) into American English or who are involved in international collaborative writing by Spaniards and Americans, usability testing...... by Finnish students, and translation from English into Dutch, French and Italian (Humbley et al. 2005; Maylath et al. 2008; Mousten et al. 2008; Mousten; Vandepitte et al. 2010; Mousten et al. 2010, Mousten et al. 2012, Maylath et al. 2013, Maylath et al. 2013b). While students use email, iChat and Skype...

Evaluations of the commercial spectrometer systems for safeguards applications using the germanium detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vo, D.T.

1998-01-01

Safeguards applications require the best spectrometer systems with excellent resolution, stability, and throughput. Instruments must perform well in all the situations and environments. Data communication to the computer should be convenient, fast, and reliable. The software should have all the necessary tools and be ease to use. Portable systems should be small in size, lightweight, and have a long battery life. Nine commercially available spectrometer systems are tested with both the planar and coaxial germanium detectors. Considering the performance of the Digital Signal Processors (DSP), digital-based spectroscopy may be the future of gamma-ray spectroscopy

CERN: Digital image analysis in the world's largest research center for particle physics

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

Those interested in researching into the smallest building blocks that matter is made up of need the largest instruments. CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland is where the most powerful circular accelerator in the world is being built: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for proton collisions. It has a circumference of 26.7 km (4 pages)

Spectrum for UAS Control and Non-Payload Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Kerczewski, Robert J.

2013-01-01

There is an increasing need to fly UAS in the NAS to perform missions of vital importance to National Security and Defense, Emergency Management, and Science as well as commercial applications (e.g. cargo transport). To enable integration of UAS into the National Airspace System, several critical technical barriers must be eliminated, including: Separation Assurance/Sense and Avoid - the uncertainty surrounding the ability to interoperate in ATC environments and maintain safe separation from other aircraft in the absence of an on-board pilot. Human Systems Integration - lack of standards and guidelines with respect to UAS display information as well as lack of Ground Control Station (GCS) design requirements to operate in the NAS. Certification - lack of airworthiness requirements and safety-related data specific to the full range of UAS, or for their avionics systems or other components. Communications - lack of standard, certifiable data links and aviation safety spectrum to operate such links for civil UAS control communications.

Doctor-patient communication in the e-health era.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiner, Jonathan P

2012-08-28

The digital revolution will have a profound impact on how physicians and health care delivery organizations interact with patients and the community at-large. Over the coming decades, face-to-face patient/doctor contacts will become less common and exchanges between consumers and providers will increasingly be mediated by electronic devices.In highly developed health care systems like those in Israel, the United States, and Europe, most aspects of the health care and consumer health experience are becoming supported by a wide array of technology such as electronic and personal health records (EHRs and PHRs), biometric & telemedicine devices, and consumer-focused wireless and wired Internet applications.In an article in this issue, Peleg and Nazarenko report on a survey they fielded within Israel's largest integrated delivery system regarding patient views on the use of electronic communication with their doctors via direct-access mobile phones and e-mail. A previous complementary paper describes the parallel perspectives of the physician staff at the same organization. These two surveys offer useful insights to clinicians, managers, researchers, and policymakers on how best to integrate e-mail and direct-to-doctor mobile phones into their practice settings. These papers, along with several other recent Israeli studies on e-health, also provide an opportunity to step back and take stock of the dramatic impact that information & communication technology (ICT) and health information technology (HIT) will have on clinician/patient communication moving forward.The main goals of this commentary are to describe the scope of this issue and to offer a framework for understanding the potential impact that e-health tools will have on provider/patient communication. It will be essential that clinicians, managers, policymakers, and researchers gain an increased understanding of this trend so that health care systems around the globe can adapt, adopt, and embrace these rapidly

Doctor-patient communication in the e-health era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiner Jonathan P

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract The digital revolution will have a profound impact on how physicians and health care delivery organizations interact with patients and the community at-large. Over the coming decades, face-to-face patient/doctor contacts will become less common and exchanges between consumers and providers will increasingly be mediated by electronic devices. In highly developed health care systems like those in Israel, the United States, and Europe, most aspects of the health care and consumer health experience are becoming supported by a wide array of technology such as electronic and personal health records (EHRs and PHRs, biometric & telemedicine devices, and consumer-focused wireless and wired Internet applications. In an article in this issue, Peleg and Nazarenko report on a survey they fielded within Israel's largest integrated delivery system regarding patient views on the use of electronic communication with their doctors via direct-access mobile phones and e-mail. A previous complementary paper describes the parallel perspectives of the physician staff at the same organization. These two surveys offer useful insights to clinicians, managers, researchers, and policymakers on how best to integrate e-mail and direct-to-doctor mobile phones into their practice settings. These papers, along with several other recent Israeli studies on e-health, also provide an opportunity to step back and take stock of the dramatic impact that information & communication technology (ICT and health information technology (HIT will have on clinician/patient communication moving forward. The main goals of this commentary are to describe the scope of this issue and to offer a framework for understanding the potential impact that e-health tools will have on provider/patient communication. It will be essential that clinicians, managers, policymakers, and researchers gain an increased understanding of this trend so that health care systems around the globe can adapt, adopt

Alcohol and marijuana use while driving--an unexpected crash risk in Pakistani commercial drivers: a cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Mir, Mohammed Umer; Khan, Imran; Ahmed, Bilal; Abdul Razzak, Junaid

2012-02-27

A significant proportion of road traffic crashes are attributable to alcohol and marijuana use while driving globally. Sale and use of both substances is illegal in Pakistan and is not considered a threat for road traffic injuries. However literature hints that this may not be the case. We did this study to assess usage of alcohol and marijuana in Pakistani commercial drivers. A sample of 857 commercial bus and truck drivers was interviewed in October 2008 at the largest commercial vehicle station in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Time location cluster sampling was used to select the subjects and a structured questionnaire was used to assess the basic demographic profile, substance abuse habits of the drivers while on the road, and reasons for usage of illicit substances while driving were recorded. Self reported information was collected after obtaining informed consent. Chi square and fisher exact tests were used to assess differences between groups and logistic regression was used to identify significant associations between driver characteristics and alcohol and marijuana use. Almost 10% of truck drivers use alcohol while driving on Pakistani roads. Marijuana use is almost 30% in some groups. Statistically different patterns of usage are seen between population subgroups based on age, ethnicity, education, and marital status. Regression analysis shows association of alcohol and marijuana use with road rage and error behaviours, and also with an increased risk of being involved in road crashes. The reported reasons for using alcohol or marijuana show a general lack of awareness of the hazardous nature of this practice among the commercial driver population. Alcohol and marijuana use is highly prevalent in Pakistani commercial drivers. The issue needs to be recognized by concerned authorities and methods such as random breath tests and sobriety check points need to be employed for proper law enforcement.

Alcohol and marijuana use while driving--an unexpected crash risk in Pakistani commercial drivers: a cross-sectional survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mir Mohammed

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A significant proportion of road traffic crashes are attributable to alcohol and marijuana use while driving globally. Sale and use of both substances is illegal in Pakistan and is not considered a threat for road traffic injuries. However literature hints that this may not be the case. We did this study to assess usage of alcohol and marijuana in Pakistani commercial drivers. Methods A sample of 857 commercial bus and truck drivers was interviewed in October 2008 at the largest commercial vehicle station in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Time location cluster sampling was used to select the subjects and a structured questionnaire was used to assess the basic demographic profile, substance abuse habits of the drivers while on the road, and reasons for usage of illicit substances while driving were recorded. Self reported information was collected after obtaining informed consent. Chi square and fisher exact tests were used to assess differences between groups and logistic regression was used to identify significant associations between driver characteristics and alcohol and marijuana use. Results Almost 10% of truck drivers use alcohol while driving on Pakistani roads. Marijuana use is almost 30% in some groups. Statistically different patterns of usage are seen between population subgroups based on age, ethnicity, education, and marital status. Regression analysis shows association of alcohol and marijuana use with road rage and error behaviours, and also with an increased risk of being involved in road crashes. The reported reasons for using alcohol or marijuana show a general lack of awareness of the hazardous nature of this practice among the commercial driver population. Conclusion Alcohol and marijuana use is highly prevalent in Pakistani commercial drivers. The issue needs to be recognized by concerned authorities and methods such as random breath tests and sobriety check points need to be employed for proper law

Communication on radiation safety: ability and sensibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozental, Jose de Julio; Ministry of Environment

2001-01-01

Nuclear Communication Issues today, combine aspects of nuclear science, public approach and psychological subjects. The principal objectives are to systematize nuclear public information and to prepare researchers or communicators in a position to comment on the nuclear issues of our stage. The programme should focused on progress of nuclear energy, public perception of risk, conflicts among scientists, as the radiation effect at low doses, and how nuclear industry and scientists may better communicate information concerning the potential for hazard to property, health and the environment. There will be occasions where the competent authority should have formal link with other organizations, as in case of abnormal situation or emergency. Particular attention should be paid to the exchange of distinct parts in order to avoid misinterpretation or mistakes when divulging information to the public.Communication is emphasized in the IAEA Basic Safety Standards, [1] as well as, the current approach created to enlarge the relationship between man, practices and protection by the encouragement of a better understanding and implementation of the Safety Culture concept. The application of this concept involves better protection on Radiation Safety to workers, public and environment not only reducing accidents, but also avoiding unnecessary stresses and strains due to intensified operations. This means an advance towards the humanization of practices, equally observed by industrialized and developing countries. Finally, this paper also comment about two very important lessons that there were not yet learned as in reality necessary, considering the goals for a competent Nuclear Communication: the psychological effects of Chernobyl accident in April 1986 resulted from the lack of public information; the psychological effects of the Radiological Accident in Goiania resulted from the misunderstanding of the basic concept of ionizing radiation, which was translated into fear and

Recent Korean R&D in Satellite Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ho-Jin; Kim, Jae Moung; Lee, Byung-Seub; Lee, Han; Ryoo, Jang-Soo

The R&D in satellite communications in Korea has been driven mainly by KCC (Korea Communications Commission) but in a small scale compared to Korea space development program organized by MEST (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology). Public and civilian satcom sector R&D has been led mainly by ETRI with small/medium companies contrary to rare investment in private sector while military sector R&D has been orchestrated by ADD with defense industry. By the COMS (Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite) experimental Ka-band payload, Korea pursues a space qualification of own technology for national infrastructure evolution as well as industrialization of space R&D results. Once COMS launched and space qualified in 2009, subsequent application experiments and new technology R&D like UHDTV will entail service and industry promotion. The payload technology is expected for the next Korean commercial satellites or for new OBP satellites. The COMS ground control system and GNSS ground station technologies are under development for COMS operation and enhanced GNSS services along with advent of Galileo respectively. Satellite broadband mobile VSAT based on DVB-S2/RCS (+M) and low profile tracking antennas have been developed for trains, ships, and planes. While APSI is developing GMR-1 based Thuraya handset functions, ETRI is designing IMT-Advanced satellite radio interface for satellite and terrestrial dual-mode handheld communication system like Japanese STICS, with universities' satellite OFDM researches. A 21GHz Ka-band higher-availability scalable HD broadcasting technology and SkyLife's hybrid satellite IPTV technology are being developed. In near term Korea will extend R&D programs to upgrade the space communication infrastructure for universal access to digital opportunity and safer daily life from disaster, and to promote space green IT industrialization, national security, and space resources sovereign. Japanese stakeholders are invited to establish

Cogema gives its communication a new impetus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saulnier, J.-E.

2001-01-01

Starting 2 November 1999, COGEMA launched a mass public communication campaign and creating an Internet site, equipped with cameras (web-cams), to make everyone familiar with the COGEMA plant at La Hague. This system is designed to serve a communication policy that is resolutely open and attentive to French public concerns: - The COGEMA plant at La Hague is often perceived as a mystery, occult and dehumanized world. This communication campaign, entitled 'We have nothing to hide', illustrated COGEMA's determination to inform the citizens in the greatest possible transparence and its wish to bring the Group's industrial operations and the persons working there closer to the public. The campaign included TV commercials and press ads. The underlying principle is to work on issues that have made news. The televised system included two films, shot at La Hague. The first, lasting 90 seconds, consists of interviews and testimonies of employees who represent the professional and human diversity of the plant. The second, in 45-second format, presents the questions to which public opinion wants answers. These questions are also repeated in the press ads. - To ensure that everyone obtains all the answers to his questions, the TV spots and press ads refer to the website http://www.cogemalahague.fr and to a toll-free number 0 800-64-64-64 . This campaign was the first stage of a long-term approach. Its positive reception from the public strengthens COGEMA's resolution to anticipate the legitimate information's needs expressed by the public opinion. As a responsible firm, COGEMA means to adapt her communication policy in order to make the whole activities of the Group widely known. Beyond communication, COGEMA intends to carry on showing her attachment to nuclear industry and bolstering this sector's interests on the international scene. (authors)

Satisfaction with Online Commercial Group Chat: The Influence of Perceived Technology Attributes, Chat Group Characteristics, and Advisor Communication Style

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dolen, W.M.; Dabholkar, P.A.; de Ruyter, J.C.

2007-01-01

This study examines online commercial group chat from a structuration theory perspective. The findings support the influence of perceived technology attributes (control, enjoyment, reliability, speed, and ease of use) and chat group characteristics (group involvement, similarity, and receptivity) on

"Watts per person" paradigm to design net zero energy buildings: Examining technology interventions and integrating occupant feedback to reduce plug loads in a commercial building

Science.gov (United States)

Yagi Kim, Mika

As building envelopes have improved due to more restrictive energy codes, internal loads have increased largely due to the proliferation of computers, electronics, appliances, imaging and audio visual equipment that continues to grow in commercial buildings. As the dependency on the internet for information and data transfer increases, the electricity demand will pose a challenge to design and operate Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs). Plug Loads (PLs) as a proportion of the building load has become the largest non-regulated building energy load and represents the third highest electricity end-use in California's commercial office buildings, accounting for 23% of the total building electricity consumption (Ecova 2011,2). In the Annual Energy Outlook 2008 (AEO2008), prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) that presents long-term projections of energy supply and demand through 2030 states that office equipment and personal computers are the "fastest growing electrical end uses" in the commercial sector. This thesis entitled "Watts Per Person" Paradigm to Design Net Zero Energy Buildings, measures the implementation of advanced controls and behavioral interventions to study the reduction of PL energy use in the commercial sector. By integrating real world data extracted from an energy efficient commercial building of its energy use, the results produce a new methodology on estimating PL energy use by calculating based on "Watts Per Person" and analyzes computational simulation methods to design NZEBs.